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blessedbygookim · 6 months ago

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The Queen Of Busan.

Part one: the meeting.

Part two: defeated.

Part three: -drafted bc it flopped ngl-

16 year old Gun and Goo getting they asses whooped.

It must be done by someone. Sorry, not sorry.

That meeting happened one week ago.

Since then, they did some digging, although not finding out much. Her last name is unknown, so is where she is from originally and so her fighting prowess, which wasn't just a pain in the ass, but also unfortunate, adding to the mystery of the girl.

All they found out, is that she’s is 19 years old, same age as Sinu Han, meaning she is a part of the first generation.

Now they both sit in front of Charles Choi, in the rundown shack that he has been hiding at for a good while now. Gun is sitting in a pretzel, back straightened with his usual seriousness, and Goo is slightly slouched over in a more relaxed manner.

"So the strongest person in Busan is a woman... and she refused to join the Four Major Crews?"

Charles asks as his eyes dart between both younger man.

Gun sighs, finally speaking up as he rubs his temples, the memory of the meeting still giving him a headache.

"Not only that: she outright refused to help us in any way, shape, or form. I guess we're gonna have to try and find another business to extort."

Goo nods his head, remembering how his shot was shut down so fast.

Yes, that was his biggest concern.

His eyes dart between Charles and his partner as they speak. There is a tinge of disappointment stirring up in his chest, she could've been a fantastic asset to the crew with her smarts and charm.

And money, of course.

"Might I add, she seems to have taken some of Big Deal's territory under her control as well in the meantime. She seems surprisingly influential in the country as a whole, like scattered bubbles rising on surface, popping up everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if she started taking over more businesses in the meanwhile."

Gun continues his train of thought.

"Jake Kim, and her have made an alliance and she's helping Big Deal and its street... so in a sense she is working for us... Not directly, but she is of help... she seems to have a soft spot for Big Deal, you can't deny her abilities and influence."

Goo thinks over Gun's words as he speaks, unable to argue with his logic in that regard. He sighs as he places a hand on his hip, his other hand pushing his glasses up slightly.

Maybe the reason why she gets along so well with Jake and the Big Deal members...well, with most; because eventually her goals and their goals are the same.

Protect.

Big Deal is the epitome of being a family, filled with passion. No wonder how well she gets along with them, and took it upon herself out of the goodness of her own heart to help them run their businesses on Big Deal's street.

"If her soft spot gives us a loophole from which we can exploit, I don't have a problem with her having a soft spot for Big Deal. That just makes it easier for us to take advantage of.”

Gun concludes, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he speaks, looking over at Charles expectantly.

Still, Charles lets out a small grunt.

"Even if she's in an alliance with Big Deal, and as much as their sales went up, one single business of hers in Busan makes 3 times more than Big Deal alone. We need her businesses."

When Charles says his thoughts out loud, Gun can't help but have his eye twitch slightly, his eyebrow raising at his words. Both knowing exactly what Charles is saying but still having the same thoughts they've had before: this Nova woman is not making their job easy by any means.

"As beneficial as having her businesses for you would be, you've heard how quickly she shut us down. The woman said herself that she wanted to remain uninvolved in anything relating to either or any of us. It would take a miracle if she is somehow convinced to cooperate with us in any way."

Goo lets out an agreeing groan, nodding in agreement with his partner.

"Before I make a decision, tell me more about this woman."

Charles utters as he looks off, pondering, ready to hear what they know so far of Nova.

Both of them sigh and cross their arms, their faces giving off an air of disappointment and irritation.

"All we were able to get from what research we did and since the brief meeting we had with her was her age: 19, her place of birth: unknown, and so is her last name."

Gun lists off as he closes his eyes momentarily, his voice carrying an irritated tone to it as he speaks.

��She's literally running dozens of businesses with a perfect 0% corruption rate. She's also incredibly smart and charismatic, her charisma and kindness alone is already enough to make anyone obey her immediately."

Goo continues with a tone more carefree, perhaps a little more boastful than intended.

"Zero corruption, no shady business practices... a kind person in a world of grime..."

Charles repeats his words, trailing off as he visibly ponders, rubbing his bearded chin.

"A gentle heart like hers won't survive for too long in this world. We should teach her that lesson sooner rather than later."

Gun can't help the small, sadistic chuckle he lets out at Charles' words, his mood instantly shifting into amusement as soon as he hears the other man's plans. He always admired when Charles had his ruthless tendencies come out, it always was interesting to see.

"Especially since she's the Queen of Busan. Who would've thought someone her age would be able to take over such a large city on their own? It's both hilarious and admirable at the same time really."

Goo immediately frowns again as he hears Charles and Gun say such things, he's not afraid to admit it but he genuinely feels protective of this woman now.

"I don't know how you plan to teach a woman like that a lesson in this world, she's like an absolute angel of light. You can see in her eyes just how kind she truly is, we should really be careful before she shows us how dark she can be behind that bright exterior.”

To his words, Charles sends Goo an empty stare, and Gun nudges him softly with his shoulder.

"Joongoo, you should drop your personal feelings towards the girl. This is only business."

They were both all about business and raking in the money, empathy had no place in their plans. In the world of HNH group, there is no such thing as kindness, there isn't any place for a soft soul here. Even though from a moral standpoint Gun also happened to take a liking to the girl, his loyalty towards Charles Choi was still far greater.

But Goo will make sure to keep her in his thoughts regarding his own future.

Charles' words and the way both he and Gun look at him make him let out a defeated sigh, a hand rubbing his hair in frustration.

"Fine... you guys win, I'll try to keep my thoughts on her to a minimum. Doesn't change the fact that she's absolutely perfect though, the way she could've easily won that fight in the restaurant, the way she stood up to both of us... I guess it's hard for me to not be slightly entranced by her."

Goo admits with a slight shrug.

This was expected from him, all Gun can do is mentally roll his eyes.

"Enlighten me on her fighting prowess then.”

As that question slips from the man's mouth, both of the boys glance at each other.

Even as Gun remembers back at how taken aback he felt when she managed to throw a fork perfectly aimed at his eye and how it pierced his sunglasses, he cannot help but shiver at the sheer agility she displayed out of nowhere in that moment. But other than her terrifying aura in that moment and her precision, and speed, not much else is known. It's really a mystery how this 19 year old woman became who she is.

Goo’s eyes light up the very second Charles asks what her fighting prowess is, smile widening with excitement as he really has been itching to start talking about just how insanely talented Nova really is. He starts off almost before Charles had even finished in asking his question.

"Her precision, agility, and speed are on a whole other level. A normal human shouldn't even be able to accomplish a fraction of what she's capable of. It’s safe to say to admit that she might be on the same level as Gun and I."

Goo was nothing further than ecstatic, having a free opportunity to flap his guns.

“She whipped a fork at him and it pierced right through his sunglasses, but just enough to not actually pierce his eyes. She seems to have the speed and agility of a cheetah while having the precision of a sniper. She's a true, perfect masterpiece in a woman's body."

Charles ponders for another minute, humming once to himself as he shifts his eyes back on the two in front of him.

"So she's quick... but speed is nothing if she doesn't have the power. I will send a crew to ransack some of her businesses."

Goo can't help but feel iffy about the situation, he felt a strange feeling welling inside him as Charles says that. But ultimately, he isn't surprised by his plan. He had been a part of so many of Charles' plans over time, so it was no surprise to him that his plan to get Nova to cooperate involved violence. His face immediately goes neutral again as he remembers that there is no place for empathy here. It was all about business and profits for this organization and they couldn't let this woman get in their way of that. Or is how he tried to soothe his nerves with.

While Gun's face hardens, he nods his head. They both know what the outcome of all this will be in that regard.

"That would be wise, her businesses would be completely defenseless. Even if fast, speed is nothing if it doesn't have the power backing it."

So sending a few men he did. An hour and a half passed since then, and there was still no update about how it all has progressed.

Goo fiddles with his thumb with his lips pursed as he sits on a bench. Eyes casted on the pavement as they're now outside of the house, as Gun smoked a cigarette.

"I've never been so conflicted about something like such before...”

Goo mutters out, glancing at Gun who seemed as unbothered as ever.

Though Goo's words made him wonder what was really going on here. Was Goo getting soft on them? Or was his loyalty to the organization getting less and less? He didn't have the answer to that but one thing was for sure, he needed to shut Goo up before he started acting too soft.

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting now? I can literally hear you overthinking it. You aren't actually soft for her, right?"

Gun questions with a slight tone of menace, taking another exhale of his cigarette as he gives him a hard look, his eyebrow rising just slightly.

"... I don't know...or at least I don't think so." Goo shrugs, his mind for sure running marathons. "I know we've also done the same with countless businesses all throughout South-Korea without any remorse and whatsoever... this is the first time I feel like we wronged the nicest person in the worst way possible."

Gun was starting to get a little worried now, Goo was beginning to let his feelings influence him. It was only natural since this woman was so kind and empathetic, but that kind of quality was not welcome in the world of gangs. If he let this get to him anymore, he could very well turn against them. He didn't want to have to deal with dealing with Goo's betrayal as well. This is honestly starting to get ridiculous to him, he's never seen his partner get so upset over something like this before.

"It was inevitable that we were going to have to do that. You already know that her kindness wouldn't keep her alive in this world, so I don't know what you're so worried about. It's nothing we haven't done to anyone else before."

Goo lets out an exhausted sigh as he leans back on the bench, staring up at the sky.

"I just have a bad feeling about this, is all..."

Gun's eyebrow raises slightly, slowly raising a hand and rubbing the bridge of his nose as he just lets out a groan of frustration.

"Listen, I've been working with you long enough now to know when you get these ‘bad feelings’ about stuff. If you're worried then we'll just go over there ourselves, how about that? If we deal with some of the trouble on our own, it might get that bad feeling out of your system and get you to calm down again."

"Fine..."

The blonde mutters out with a slight pout, sitting up slowly.

As soon as Gun finished his tangent, is the same moment he gets a message to get back in. His expression lights up as he hears that they finally have an update, him reaching down and stomping his cigarette into oblivion with his hand as he looks over at Goo with a confident look on his face.

"We have updates on the situation. Come on."

As he speaks, Gun looks over at Goo for just a small moment before he turns back around and starts walking and Goo follows with a crease between his eyebrows..

The crease between his eyebrows deepen even more when they step foot into the office. Gun is getting a little worried, he has never seen his boss so puzzled and taken aback in a good while. They could tell by his facial expressions, and the uneasy atmosphere as well with the tension now rising up in the room.

"The men I have sent have been defeated in every bar, store and establishment of hers. None of my men could return."

Once they hear those words from Charles, their eyes both widen in disbelief and shock. Both of them stare at the older man in disbelief as the two of them stand with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"You're saying... nobody came back?"

Gun questions slowly, blinking slowly at Charles as he lets what he had just said sink in, his eyebrow raising in complete bewilderment as does Goo's, hardly able to suppress the smirk that was threatening to stretch out on his face.

"Her men has single handedly defeated all and everyone... and apparently it was her alone who took out my most skilled men by herself... Not only her men are skilled, but so is she. I did not expect that at all."

Charles mutters out with a groan. Eyes closing with his brows knitted together, clearly frustrated at the turn of events, and the smirk now fully lifted both corners of his lips when he hears the news that it was Nova that did all that, but Gun's expression looks much less enthusiastic.

"That’s sounds unbelievable.."

Gun mumbles out with a baffled look on his face, his shoulders rising as he gives Charles a look of shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Either way, desperate times call for desperate measures." Charles responds, eyes opening with a furious glint in them. "I will send the two of you and a few more men to dissect the whole of her businesses in the city. Attacking from all and every angles. Your main target is Nova. Finish the job for me, and make sure to break that woman in so she has no other choice but to oblige."

The two boys were monsters for a reason. The best of the best, if not the best, among all of the Ten Geniuses as of yet. The two of them should have no problem taking down one single person so she has no choice to bend to their will at the end.

As soon as Charles's words finish, Goo's face pales slightly as he looks over at Gun beside him, the two of them staring at each other for just a moment as they absorb the message that Charles had just given them.

"We got it, we won't let you down, Sir..."

Goo replies calmly, the two of them giving Charles a calm, collected look, his words sounding far too calm for the situation that they had been handed.

"Go now. I believe the two of you should be able to handle her. The other men I have sent are already in Busan. If everything goes as planned this time, it will only be her left.”

Both of the boys give a single nod of understanding to the instructions, and with that they both walk out of the room without another word, leaving Charles alone as they go get prepared for their trip to Busan.

"Alright, looks like we're headed back to Busan."

Goo comments as he looks over at Gun, a slight smirk on his face.

"You seem way too excited to see her even under these circumstances..."

Gun comments, eyeing him suspiciously, but shakes his head softly at the end.

Even though Goo is somewhat excited, he can't help but feel a ripple of fear run through him. As much as he had some personal feelings for the girl, her skills were still unknown.

The blonde just grins even more when Gun remarks about how excited he looks to see Nova again, him just giving the other a playful roll of the eyes in response.

"Hey, you know me, I like strong women. And a woman like her? Well, she's a whole other level of powerful... and a whole lot sexier too-"

"Whatever, just make sure you focus. Idiot."

He lets out a laugh, the tension melting away as they begin to focus on what they need to do instead of their emotions.

Maybe an hour later as they arrive in Busan, the atmosphere certainly doesn't feel as welcoming as the last time.

There is a certain tension in the air all around, the clouds are more gray, and the streets are eerily empty.

"Why did you bring a katana...?"

Gun asks Goo, spotting the weapon on his back in its sheath.

The latter just smiles when the questions is thrown his way, a smug look on his face.

"What? I wanted to make sure I'm extremely well equipped. Plus, I'm a man of style, and what's even more stylish than a Katana, right?”

He says in his usual, laid-back tone, his eyes filled with glee and excitement as they approach Nova's buildings.

"You're annoying.." Gun rolls his eyes at that as they keep walking through the streets, muttering under his breath.- "It's just a girl going on a rampage anyway... nothing more, nothing less."

Perhaps his own delusions will also calm his own discomfort as well about the situation. If only he knew what they were really in for, he'd have probably been much less dismissive.

"You said it, White Ghost. Just a simple girl on a rampage, nothing to worry about, right?~"

Goo chuckles out, his pace remaining steady as he walks along beside Gun, giving him a laid-back look as the two of them approach Nova's buildings. Gun's words actually got his nerves to calm down a little bit, if he started to think of her as just a woman then it would be easier to deal with her…But that woman is far from just a normal woman, even if Gun doesn't believe that she is, he did.

They remain mostly silent for the rest of the walk, as they approach their first location. The bars and establishments were all filled with all Charles' men taken out. Bodies upon bodies, the eerie smell of blood a little too strong for their likings. Goo noticed a pattern with all of the locations they went to so far, it was the same thing everywhere. The whole location would look trashed, bodies lying around, and yet the woman herself was no where to be found.

"God damn... this isn't just rampage, but a straight up massacre..."

Goo exclaims softly, nose pinched together as he nudges a body with his foot

"It's a damn bloodbath..."

Gun mutters out, looking around the room at all the men sprawled on the ground, their bodies looking beaten into a pulp as his expression darkens slightly at the sight of it all.

"It might be a good idea if we stick together, this chick isn't someone to mess with alone. We need to stay together at all times if we don't wanna end up like these guys are."

"Yeah, let's leave now, it smells like straight up death in here..."

Goo mutters out a response, leaving the establishment first.

Until nothing else but the restaurant where they first met a week ago remain.

The moment they enter the street, is the moment it all becomes so real.

Trails of blood scattered all around the road and pavement. Bodies mutelated, mauled, Goo swears he just saw a body torn in half from the jaw down. A cold shiver creeps up their necks, especially when their eyes land on the person they have been looking for all along.

Standing in the sea of bodies is Nova. White dress stained with blood, hands covered in the same crimson substance up to her elbows, skin and flesh under her nails. Hair disheveled, an eerily blank face paired with a blood thirsty gaze as her eyes glow luminously white. Barefoot as she stands, emitting nothing but a pressuring aura.

"Well... isn't she beautiful?"

Goo remarks, his eyes locked onto her just a few feet away, a smirk forming on his face as he looks at her blank expression combined with the blood- thirsty look in her glowing white eyes.

...is he dumb?

"You did... all of this?"

Gun aims his question towards the woman, who slowly turns her head towards their direction.

Goo's heart almost drops right out of his asshole, smirk faltering lightly.

She definitely wasn’t as happy to see them again as he was..

She lets out a long exhale, breath so warm the fog of it filters visibility into the frigid air... and it wasn't even winter time.

“So it was you two behind this all along... huh?..”

She asks, tone empty. Monotone, no hint of emotions in her words, but the way she was practically staring at Gun like he was a prey about to be hunted down, told them more than enough

"Guilty as charged.~"

Goo replies with a chuckle, his smirk still plastered on his face as he looks at the girl, a gleeful tone in his voice. Gun looks just as confident, staring at Nova.

"Don't take this personally, it's nothing but business."

Gun states firmly, his eyebrow raising slightly as he keeps his expression calm, his hand slowly moving to grab a pack of cigarettes.

He could barely take the pack out of his pocket, his eyes widening. As the last syllable leaves his lips is the same moment she lunges towards him like a catapult. Arms extended, nails looking like they're about to tear him into shreds.

Gun barely manages to dive away just as she reaches him, rolling over the ground before he looks up at her once again, his eyes flashing with both surprise and amusement as she skids away slightly, nails digging into the concrete, ploughing it up.

"Oh, that was fast..."

He mutters under his breath as he pushes himself up to his feet, his eyes locked on her with a determined gaze.

"Fast?? It was like she teleported the fuck??"

Goo was horrified by the speed she moved with and it almost got him shocked into not knowing what to do next.

While still on the ground, she digs her limbs into the pavement to use as leverage to catapult a flying split kick used in Kyokushin Karate to send a heavy blow towards Goo this time as she flips with her leg extended.

Taken aback by the sheer velocity that simple kick had, he manages to block it above his head with his arms crossed, making him grimace, he for sure hasn't felt a blow this heavy, in a long while.

He for sure felt and heard his bones crack, a hiss of pain escaping his lips while he grimaces slightly, giving Nova a look of disbelief.

"That actually hurt..."

He mutters softly to himself, his eyes remaining locked on her even as he takes a step back, trying to ignore the pain in his arms as Gun suddenly takes a step towards Nova, trying to land a punch at her from behind.

While foot still printed hard against the blonde's arm, the other top of her feet lock behind Gun's head after he is in closer proximity, she now uses them as a lunch pad to push herself away, not just dodging his punch, but in the mean time making them headbutt each other. Hard.

Letting out a shout of pain in unison as they both smash their heads into each other, their faces colliding in a brutal collision as they both stagger back, a pained look on both of their faces.

"God damn it...."

Goo mutters under his breath as he holds his head in his hands, Gun doing the same as he slowly wipes the small trickle of blood flowing from his nose.

Charging at her the same time, their fight continues.

Unfortunately to them, one sidedly for the most duration of the time.

Neither of them seen someone who has so many martial arts abilities, skills and techniques under their belts. Some they haven't even experienced before.

Sheer power and skills blending perfectly. Speed almost teleportational, countless times disappearing out of their peripheral visions just to appear right behind them, and send such blows that stung like needles, or were heavy like tons of weight were just dropped on them. Every move is impossible to expect and predict, every move she makes sends shivers down their spine.

It was like she was the perfect mix of all the fighters they have since met, be it in the second or first generation.

"DUDE JUST LAND A PUNCH!"

Goo exclaims in a hastily manner, in the midst of throwing his own heavy blow, only for his wrist to be grabbed, his own flow of power be turned against him as she makes him eat hard concrete, the pavement denting under him, almost swallowing him up whole.

"I'm trying!!"

Gun shouts loudly, his voice filled with a mix of both impatience and frustration, his expression desperate as he tries to come up with some sort of a plan.

Deciding to just straight up go for it, at this time not really having even a second to spare, and throws a straight blow her way, it was scary, with how much ease she evades it, almost like flowing with the air.

“Leave.”

She speaks as takes a very firm hold of them both, flipping them in the air and slam them back down into the pavement by their throats.

“Leave Busan and never return.”

Hoisting them up in the air in the midst of their concussion, not even giving them a chance to recover, kicking them both down once again like a soccer ball, Gun flying right into a brick wall, and Goo eats concrete once again a few feet away.

“This is my city.”

Both men lay motionless on the ground, clearly beaten, still for several moments, trying to process and recover from the beating they've just received, before eventually Gun lifts his head up a bit, a pained but satisfied expression on his face as he pushes himself up onto his knees.

"Damn... I don't think... I've ever been beaten like that..."

He mutters softly, his breath coming out in labored puffs with a wide smile, the pain making it hard for him to form a coherent thought, other than knowing it felt exhilarating.

She's far beyond human at this point, she isn't someone to be underestimated at all.

While taking steps closer to Gun specifically, the only thing he can do at this point is just to watch her near, and attack when the time is right.

“I will not let you destroy what I have created.”

She utters out flatly, a hand inching towards Gun's face slowly.

“Cool eyes... mind if I take them as souvenirs?”

A look of disbelief and horror appear on Gun's face the moment he hears those words, his eyes widening slightly as he hears Nova's intentions. It's clear that both of them have never met someone stronger than them until now, never even considered such a possibility before this moment. Without much time to react, Gun tries to dodge back, but she's too fast, her hand grabbing his face in one quick, swift, almost instantaneous move.

He sits knees on the ground, jaw almost breaking in her grasp,looking at her like she's some kind of otherworldly monster, as he starts to wonder if he will even be able to hold out any longer.

This was a feeling neither of them were used to at all. Gun had never truly experienced fear like this before from a fight with someone, he always knew that no matter what he could always win. He always had such confidence that he would always win, but this time he was genuinely afraid. She didn't just overpower them. This time, they were completely outmatched. They were the prey and she was the predator in this situation. In that moment, all the cockiness and arrogance he usually possessed was gone, replaced with pure dread. This wasn't just a girl on a rampage, she was a monster.

Meanwhile, Goo, although going in an out of consciousness, and through gritted teeth as he already feels all and every bone in his body broken, the moment he notices the woman standing above Gun's body, is the same moment in a blink of an eye, he rushes forward.

Katana pulled out of its case, a deadly glint in his eyes as he makes one swift moment, stabbing the girl right through her abdomen from the front as he now suddenly stands behind Gun.

Perhaps his katana and swordsmanship actually came into good use.

For a moment, it looked as though Goo had managed to land a decisive blow...

But her expression made it clear. She wasn't even phased by it, her face remaining as blank and expressionless as ever as she simply turns her head to look back down at Goo, who was now staring back up at her in shock and disbelief.

"Oh... I am so fucked."

Are his only words as she takes a step forward.

Yes, forward.

While the blade still piercing right through her, discarding Gun aside like a measly ragdoll as she walks even deeper into the blade, and grips the sharp edge with her hand so he can't even think about moving the blade any way.

Of course nothing budges. Every time he tries to push her, or lever her off the blade, she doesn't even move at all. Not with her holding the shaft of it with such grip it was denting the metal. She doesn't look in any pain, or even show any reaction at all. She just keeps moving forward slowly despite the huge blade piercing into her stomach.

In fact, as she slowly pushes forward, the sound of the katana tearing through flesh can be heard in the empty city street, making both Goo and Gun tense up as a look of realization passes through their expressions.

What the hell was this woman made of...??

Blade broken by the tight grip of her hand after it had enough of warping and twisting her other hand is already up in the air. Hands flat like a spear, extended, ready to strike.

What happened after that is unclear.

After several moments, it was over. Goo and Gun both lay on the ground motionless, both of them completely unconscious and completely beaten for the first time in their lives. Everything hurt, and the shock from the whole ordeal was weighing heavy on them.

It went against everything they believed had ever known in their lives, the belief that no matter what, they would always win. But she changed that belief forever. Now, they would live the rest of their lives knowing someone more powerful and stronger than them was out there somewhere.

It is a story no one really talks about, since how unbelievable it sounds.

Two of the best, most powerful fighters in SK getting taken down by none other than a woman, in mere minutes.

Perhaps that was a good choice, that no one mentioned it since then, and did their best to keep it a secret. At least some of their ego stayed in tact, but couldn't help how bruised, and a broken they both felt after that.

#big deal IS my softspot idc #my literal roman empire #lookism webtoon #comics #goo kim #webtoon #gun park #lookism fanfic #lookism x reader #goo kim x reader #lookism #gun park x reader #gungoo #charles choi #four major crews #big deal #jake kim #queen of busan

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dominimoonbeam · 3 months ago

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To The Edge - 23

This work is mine and I do not give consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted without my permission. I am sharing chapters as I work on this story but it is copyrighted material that I plan to rework and publish when completed.

story tags: scifi romance, hijinks in space, rogues learning to trust, violence, blood, guns, death, explicit language, so much kidnapping,

Works organized and easily found over on the patreon. <3

TO THE EDGE - CHAPTER 23.

His breath came hard—harder than it should, but he had no time to think about that.

His knees slid in the gravel, already dropping the rifle to grab at their jacket and pull them onto their back.

“Stardust?” his voice came out soft and full of dread. He exhaled hard to try to clear it, to force something easy and certain there in its place. “Are you okay?”

Stardust groaned and blinked up at him.

He ran his hands over their head and neck, looking for injuries. “Did…Did you get shot?” he hated it even as he asked it, imagining one of those bullets straying. He patted down their sides, looking for blood and finding his hands covered in fluorescent colors. “Stupid fucking paint… I can’t…”

Stardust grabbed his hand, squeezing. “I’m okay,” they coughed, sitting up.

He exhaled so hard he almost fell over onto his ass in the gravel. “Okay.” He nodded. “You’re okay.” They spat blood and nodded too, rubbing the spot on their cheek where they’d taken a punch.

All that fear turned suddenly into a fury so painful his eyes burned. They’d literally stood between him and a gun. They’d thrown themself at that mercenary with no chance of winning. “What were you thinking? Why would you rush him like that?” Yelling felt good.

They stared back at him, so surprised that it only made him angrier. “It was our best option. We had a better chance of taking them out if I—”

“Better chances? Are you cracked? You could have made a run for it!” Rory was on his feet. He got there quickly and his vision filled with spots, but he kept his glare fixed on their face, on the splatters of pain, the stain of blood in the corner of their mouth, and the splotch of bruising that looked like it would eventually cover the whole side of their head.

They were on their feet too, hands out as if they needed to stabilize him. He pushed those hands away. The last thing he needed was their help! “You’re shot!”

“What?” He followed their gaze down to his chest and the red rolling over bright paint. “Yes, I got shot. It’s a flesh wound. But you shouldn’t care!” And he wasn’t going to let them change the topic either. This was exactly the problem!

They reached for him again, their face so full of worry that he couldn’t even feel the gunshot anymore. It was the lesser of his pains.

“I thought you wanted to be a bounty hunter, Stardust?”

“What are you talking about? We have to get you on the ship. I think I have a medical patch—”

He pushed them away. No one took care of him. Rory took care of himself. “A gun for hire doesn’t use themself as a fucking human shield! Don’t you ever do that again!”

They froze, staring at him.

He needed them to understand. He needed to see that soft, beautiful light in their eyes go out because this was going to get them killed—and killed for him.

Their expression finally hardened but it wasn’t the way he’d wanted. It was…conviction? “We’re partners. I’m going to look out for you. You would have done the same for me.”

“Partners?” he spat the word, even as his head felt light. “No! We are not partners. You are my bounty, and we are going to get that treasure and then split. We are not friends or…or anything else. Don’t get confused just because I save your ass. You are just a payday and that is why I keep you alive!” That pain in his chest was the gunshot. Definitely the gunshot. Only the gunshot.

Their expression didn’t change, their mouth in a hard line and their gaze as hard as stone. “You don’t mean that.”

He pointed a gloved finger in their face, his other hand finally going to his side and pressing his palm into that wound. It didn’t hurt as much as it felt like a loss, like he was hollowing out. Maybe that was better right now. He didn’t like what he was saying, but he needed to say it. He needed to make them believe it. “I will drop you the second I get my share of this, Stardust!”

“You’re so full of shit…” They rolled their eyes, finally pulling something from one of their pockets and stepping closer.

“Stop fussing over it!” he barked when they tried to grab his arm and get a look at the injury. They were acting like this was normal—like what the two of them had was normal. “I’ve had worse and it’s none of your damn business!”

They finally snapped out of that stoic patience. “You’re just pitching a fit because you got scared, Cosmic!” they spat the nickname they’d given him. “We’re fine, so get over it!”

“No, I’m not mad because I was scared. I don’t get scared, and you don��t fucking know me,” he said, vision blurring at the edges and head swimming. His breath was coming faster, heart pounding. He looked down at his hand on his side and all the red soaked into his glove and rolling between his fingers.

Stardust took a step back and put both hands on their hips, chin cocked. “You’re going to faint.”

“Fuck you, I am not going to faint.”

They smirked and didn’t budge. “You’re going to land on your pretty face and I’m going to have to drag your dumb ass back onto the ship…”

Rory scoffed, but he couldn’t feel his fingers anymore. “I’m not the one who…” He swayed and blinked, but couldn’t quite see. “Oh shit…”

Stardust let him fall.

The wind rolled hard across the landscape, dropping several degrees as the light fell away.

They crouched and rolled him onto his back.

Through their optic implant they remotely connected to the ship, unlocking the security systems and starting the prep for start-up and take-off.

Hands on him, Cosmic’s vitals popped up on their visuals in electric blue. Blood loss and traumatic injury warnings flashed. He groaned and they hoped he’d just stay out until they were back in space. They had to unzip his jacket to lift his shirt and get a look at the wound. The bullet had gone through his side and from initial scans didn’t seem to have hit anything vital. They ripped the synthetic skin patch from their emergency kit open and stretched it over his side to cover both wounds. It sizzled in contact with blood and sweat, cleansing the area and dissolving into him.

He groaned again, head rolling back on the gravel.

Stardust sighed. “And I thought primers were fucked up…” They pushed his hair out of his sweaty face, his eyes flicking behind his lids. They hoped whatever he was thinking—whatever dream was playing out for him—was something good. “Asshole,” they muttered, not unaffectionately.

After zipping up his jacket, Stardust hooked their arms under his and lifted his shoulders against their chest. They dragged him inelegantly back to the waiting ship.

#to the edge #sci fi romance #ride or die in space #the adventures of stardust and cosmic #audio script to novel #<3 #own work #own world #dominimoonbeam #clover down

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ridiasfangirlings · 30 days ago

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ridia, what's your opinion about k series (starting from season 1) being rated quite low by many people due to the fact that they feel like the story is lacking and poorly created? (i disagree with this but most of the reviews in google about this anime said so) :D

Obviously I don’t fully agree either, though I can kinda see where those reviews come from. For one thing I think the real meat of K is and has always been in the side materials, the anime works as a standalone but most of what makes the series really good is in the novels, manga, short stories, etc. So from that standpoint I can see why people feel the anime is lacking, because there’s a lot of character work and even worldbuilding that gets shunted off to the side materials (quick, anime only people, tell me exactly what Anna’s powers are!).

Starting with season one specifically, I think that season is hampered by the in media res opening and the fact that it does take a while to get going. I know on my first watch I was confused by various things throughout the season, and because it’s so hard to grasp the basics of the setting and what exactly is happening at any given moment it means you miss a lot of the good stuff that the season is doing. There’s some definite chaff that could have been trimmed here and there — episode four comes most to mind, where we spend a lot of the time with the Silvers establishing Shiro’s alibi that almost immediately gets thrown out the window right afterward, or how the first couple episodes spend a good bit of time on Homra trying to hunt down the gun that killed Totsuka even though that plot thread ultimately goes nowhere. I personally found that season one works a lot better on rewatch, when you’re not hampered by trying to figure out things like ‘so is Neko actually a cat or actually a girl’ (which is a notable issue, I distinctly remember when I saw Missing Kings in the theater the girl behind me was explaining the series to her companion and incorrectly called Neko a cat that turns into a girl instead of the other way around). One of my favorite things on rewatch is seeing how they laid the clues for the mystery of Shiro’s identity and how you can see various characters figuring things out, Munakata in particular I didn’t even realize on my first watch is slowly piecing together what exactly is going on with Colorless and the Silver King for most of the latter half of the season. But reviewers generally only watch the season once, so it’s easy to miss the best parts of the mystery and feel ultimately like the show is lacking.

Missing Kings is short enough that I think it’s basically fine just as it is, it does what it needs to for the story and I don’t have much room for complaint on that one. Return of Kings on the other hand I can definitely see why the reviews are meh on that one because even I’m pretty meh on that season. The pacing issues for ROK are honestly just really killer. I mentioned this even when I was reviewing the season as it aired, I feel like the plot of ROK was mostly brainstormed as ‘x episode needs to end on y moment,’ and a lot of the early episodes especially feel like they’re stalling for time in order to end on a particular beat. I think it just really kills the pacing and makes the first half feel overly slow and the second half too rushed, the season does its job in closing out the series but I can see why people find the story lacking in this one (I actually think the novelization did a good job of correcting some of these issues oddly enough, it even gives Neko a proper storyline instead of the weird half-aborted one she gets in the season proper).

I’ll also touch on the Seven Stories movies too, I think these have the pacing problems you’d expect out of trying to make longer novels into short movies. LSW especially is just really disappointing, it cuts out the entire back half of the novel (when that back half is basically the whole point of the novel) and trims down a lot of the early stuff too, LSW the novel has issues with sidelining Yata for Fushimi and the movie version just does that tenfold. R:B I also think really speeds through things in a way that it feels a lot flatter than thinner than the novel. Side Blue kinda works (and is deeply weird and kinda horny for some reason) I think owing to the novel itself being a bit uneven due to how early it was written, the movie actually streamlines a lot of the time spent on side characters like Hidaka in order to focus on the more important Munakata/Zenjoh dynamic. Memory of Red is I think by far the best of the Seven Stories movies precisely because it picks a story that fits perfectly in the runtime it’s given, it doesn’t feel stretched but doesn’t feel rushed either. In general I feel like you can kinda see how Gora is a team made up largely of light novel writers, because they shine more when they have time to really focus on the story they want to tell and don’t have to be bound to the pacing of an animated series/movie.

#k project #Talking K #I do think the anime is probably the weakest part of K #side materials are where all the best stuff is at #but S1 at least really rewards rewatching #it's so much more interesting when you know what's happening and can focus on the characters #ROK has bad pacing problems unfortunately #and Seven Stories has even worse ones alas #oh the stages are nice too love the stages the stages manage the pacing well

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saratinz · 2 years ago

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Freak On a Leash

pairing ➩ Frank Castle x Famous News Anchor!Reader

warnings ➩ cursing, enemies to lovers, smut, oral (m receiving), unprotected sex, creampie, breeding kink, degradation kink, spanking, pet names (sweetheart, doll, princess, honey, whore)

synopsis ➩ Frank teaches Y/n a lesson.

word count ➩ 1.9k

a/n ➩ (very) loosely based on 'Freak On a Leash' by Korn

You try to relax, I mean, you should feel comfortable in your own house, but something is off. You already made your security team check the whole area, and they found nothing. Slowly, you make your way to your bedroom, changing into your robe for the night. For the next five minutes, all you do is watch as your ceiling fan makes circles. When you finally close your eyes, you hear a noise. It’s footsteps. You don’t have time to call anyone, so you tiptoe to your safe, grabbing the small gun from its home. Scared for your life, you crawl under your king bed, gripping onto your weapon like a vice.

You listen intently as the intruder searches nearby rooms, knowing that they would inevitably find the place where you sleep. And as he opens the door, you realize the horror movie like nature of this nightmare you’re living. “Honey, I’m home.” You recognize that voice, but, it couldn’t be. Fuck. “Personally, I would’ve jumped out the window, it’s only a two story fall. I don’t know what you were thinking, hiding in the most obvious room in the house.” To be completely honest, you weren’t really thinking at all. “I’m kinda disappointed, I always thought you were smart. You in here?” He asks, checking the walk-in closet. He’s a vigilante, sob story, and the man who saved your life, yet you had no problem dragging his already dishonored name through the mud. “Fuck, did I just say all this shit to no one." He starts to walk out the door, but you are soon petrified as he drops down to the ground, looking directly at you. “There you are, why don’t you come out?” You try to aim, but he’s already standing up, so you make the risky move of sticking your arm out and shooting up. It seems as though he knew exactly what you were gonna do, as your wrist feels the pressure of his combat boot. You drop your gun in defeat, desperate to get him off of you, and he swiftly kicks it away. As you come out from under your bed, you are very aware of the gun that is pointed in your direction. You move like a turtle, pushing yourself up to stand. Your mind is still shocked that you were right about the man before you.

“Frank, I, I th-thought you were dead.”

“No sweetheart, I’m alive.”

“Don’t you dare call me that.” You demand, as stern as possible.

“Alright… doll.”

“Shut up.”

“Nuh uh, I’m the one with the gun here. You’re supposed to be begging on your knees for me not to shoot you.”

“If you wanted me dead, I’d be six feet underground right now.”

“Alright smart ass, what am I here for then?”

“You’re here to make me pay for the things I’ve said about you on TV.”

“Wow, you’re 2 for 2.”

“My question is, what are you gonna do to me?”

“Well, you said I torture the innocent, but that’s not true is it? Not even you believed it, but you are so money-hungry you don’t care what you have to say. I wanna show you what I do to pathetic liars. I see through your contrived generosity, and I’ve figured out what you truly are.”

“And what’s that Frank? A selfish bitch? A greedy monster?”

“No princess, you’re an attention whore. And that’s why I’m going to give you every bit of mine.”

“What does that even mean?” He starts walking towards you, and doesn’t stop until your back hits the wall. You draw in a sharp breath.

“I think you know exactly what I mean.”

“You’re gonna have to spell it out for me.” You put on your best brave face.

“Fucking brat.” He harshly grabs your throat, and you refuse to look at him “Are you really gonna make me show you? Because I’m not going to go easy on you.” Apprehensively, you nod. “Is it okay if I kiss you?” He whispers slow and sultry, your eyes immediately darting to his. In record speed, your lips are on his. His tongue invades your mouth. You give up all control, praying that you’ll survive the likes of Frank Castle. His hands wander to your hips, pulling your waist towards him. Your hands wander to his hair, pushing his head towards you.

He starts to retreat, biting your bottom lip and causing a moan to fall from your lips. “What happens now?”

“Well, if you wanna be a good girl, I’d like to show you how to use that mouth properly.”

“And if I wanna be bad?”

“I’ll spank your ass so hard you won’t be able to sit down for a week.” Knowing that punishment isn’t a viable option considering your job requires you not to groan in pain every time you take a seat, you grab his shoulders and turn him around. You stare directly into his eyes as you undo his belt and pull it from all loops of his black jeans, throwing it across the room. “You’ve clearly done this before.”

“Shut up, Castle.” You are quickly pushed to your knees. You fumble with his button and zipper, and you get excited as you pull his pants and boxers down to his ankles, revealing the largest dick you’ve ever seen in person. Your eyes widen, as if to say ‘How the hell am I supposed to fit all that in my mouth?’. He picks up your concern and is quick to respond.

“We’ll make it fit, princess.” That bit of reassurance and encouragement was all you needed to start licking a stripe from base to tip. He has no reaction. You gather some saliva and spit onto his length, then you use your hand to jerk him off. “Start sucking, sweetheart, you do not want to test my patience.” With that, you take his tip in, bracing yourself with one hand on his thigh, and the other stroking what you can’t reach. Your jaw is already starting to hurt, Great. His hands move to your head, creating a makeshift ponytail and giving him control over the speed. And the one he sets, well, it’s absolutely brutal to say the least. You’re taking almost all of him every thrust, and every single one hits the back of your throat. You’re sobbing, eye makeup is running down your cheeks, making Frank go feral. He loves that he has already ruined you, even though he’s no where near finished with abusing your holes. You tap his thigh repeatedly, communicating to him that you need a break. When he pulls out, you immediately gasp for air. You close your eyes, trying to stop tears from flooding your face. “Get up.” And you do just that, taking his previous threat very seriously. Suddenly, you are dragged to your bed. He pulls his jeans all the way off and maneuvers you so that you are face down across his lap. He pulls the satin fabric of your negligee up your back. “You’re such a slut, not wearing any panties.” SMACK.

“What the fuck? I did what you asked.” SMACK.

“Yeah, you were giving me best head of my life.” SMACK.

“Ow, then why are you doing this?” SMACK.

“Because good girls don’t stop until I tell them.” SMACK

He starts to hit you so hard and fast, over and over, that your brain goes blank, apologizing after every blow. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’M SORRY!” You plead, starting to cry again, he comes to a halt.

“It’s okay baby, sorry, I was too rough. Do you want to stop? You did great, I was gonna pull you off soon anyway because I didn’t want to cum until I was inside of you. Don’t feel bad honey, I was just being a meanie.”

“No, don’t stop. And don’t feel bad, the spanking was hot, I promise.”

“Really?” He smirks.

“You wanna feel?” You ask tauntingly, turning around to straddle him. You take his shirt off, then grab his hand and move it to your aching core.

“Fuuuuck, you’re so sexy. I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you on TV. Can’t believe I’m about to fuck Y/n fucking Y/l/n.” He brags, rubbing small circles on your clit.

“That’s the first time you’ve said my actual name.”

“Well don’t get used to it, princess.” He says as he unties and removes your robe to put your naked body on display, hard nipples and all. You roll your eyes, but secretly get even wetter as he uses pet names. That is certainly a weakness of yours. He stands up with your legs wrapped around his waist, then proceeds to turn around and throw you back on the mattress. He looks so hot as he crawls between your legs. The pleasure you feel as he presses his cock against your clit is palpable. “If you want me, you’re going to have to beg.”

“Please.”

“C’mon you can do better than that.”

“Please, Frank.”

“I’m not gonna fuck you until you convince me.”

“Fine. I want your cock inside me, I need it actually. I’ve been such a good girl, I deserve this. So please, fuck me until I can’t walk. Fuck me so hard I forget my own name.” Your vision goes blurry as you feel the stretch of your tight hole. “Fuckkkk.” Your legs wrap around his waist, inviting him to go even deeper. Once he bottoms out, it’s mere seconds before he’s pulling out and slamming back in. The man above you shows no mercy, and your eyes are already rolling to the back of your head. In this room, all one can hear is the cacophony of moans, skin slapping against skin, and the faint buzz of your A/C turning on.

“Fuck you feel amazing. Are you gonna let me use this pussy whenever I want?”

“Yes, Frank, I’m yours.”

“That’s fucking right, I own your body. I’ll do whatever I want, whenever I want.” You feel your stomach burn, a tell-tale sign you are about to orgasm.

“Please, Frank, can I cum?”

“Of course, sweetheart.” You finally get your release, and because the overstimulation is so much, you latch onto him, forging scratch marks on his back. He leans down to kiss away the pain. Frank makes you feel so good, rutting into you so fast and hard that you can already feel a second orgasm building. “Do you want me to fill you up? Let me breed you like the whore you are?”

“Cum inside me, Frank.” You practically scream. You reach your release before he does, but as soon as he feels you squeeze him, he spurts his warm liquid onto your cervix.

“Shit, that was amazing.” You admit.

“I was serious about what I said, we’re going to do this again.”

“Good.” He pulls out and rolls beside of you. Surprisingly, he lets you wrap your arms around him and snuggle your head into his chest. You fall asleep quickly, comforted by every muscle in his scarred body.

When you wake up he’s gone, but he left a note. It reads, “Went to fight some bad guys, but I’ll be back tonight to ruin you again. Love, F.C.”

Frank Castle is going to be the death of you.

#hate sex #but not really #frank castle smut #frank castle enemies #frank castle x reader smut #frank castle #the punisher #the punisher smut #frank castle x reader #frank castle x female reader #frank castle x you #frank castle x y/n #jon bernthal #smut

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nyoxt · 3 months ago

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8, 13, 50 for Mutt and 9, 16, 36 for Belrod :D 💛

Mutt: [8] How open they are about their true feelings, both positive and negative? She's more open with negative ones- if she's annoyed or angry-you will know about it, if not verbally than with body language/expressions. With positive feelings she's pretty much very closed. You'll need to pull those out of her with the tongs. While trying to not get shot or kicked.

[13] What kind of sense of humor do they have, if any? Mutt has little sense of humor and it's mostly dark/sarcastic. If she jokes she does it with the straightest face and blunt/dry delivery. Surprisingly her most usual “jokes” are pranks- and those used to be quite sadistic/bullying in her younger years- like shooting someone in the foot and laughing at the resulted suffering, but later became less violent. I mean, it's still got a violent flail to it, but it's more of a force of a habit than realized intention. But when her pranks are actually funny- Coyote might bestow upon her some small boons, like a good luck for a short time or a magic buff. [50] What are they really good and really bad at? Mutt is very good with guns, inflicting violence, following orders, decent at planning combat encounters. Can be a pretty good leader, but not enthusiastically. She’s rather bad with magic. She’s been awakened since her teen age, but never seriously worked on her abilities or connected with it much, thinking that guns/rifles are a more reliable way to fight. Aaaand she's especially bad at forming healthy connections with other people- because for the majority of her life she used to stick to the meanest strongest groups she could get into, with strongly reinforced hierarchies on top of that - so forming new relationships which are not grounded within strength or combat experience- is h a r d. And it’s also made harder because Mutt can’t exactly realize the roots of this problem, doesn’t know what help to ask for, and doesn’t want to ask for help because it is something awkward and being awkward is a sign of weakness and being weak will get you to the bottom of the food chain-> the cycle continues Belrod: [9] What is their love language? Gifts- he looooves to bring people his favorite ppl things they want/like; actions of service; words of affection. Many many words of affection. Screams of affections even- if he befriends you he might scream from the rooftops how awesome and cool you are and how much he loves you. Literally, like, climbing on some roof and screaming. [16] Do they easily rely on others to help them out, or prefer doing everything themselves? Bel was always a perfect team player, he’s very good at finding his place and use in a team. And growing up with a rather big family+a huge extended family and in a tightly knit community- he knows when and how and who to ask for help and how to rely on others! His challenge during Origins+Awakening was actually in learning to do things alone sometimes and make important decisions by himself. [36] Do they own items that have sentimental value? -The boots his mother made him. He couldn't walk in them for the long travels because they were a bit too tight, but they were always in his backpack. Bel gifted them to Morrigan when she said she likes the embroidery on the boots. Because he thinks that things are the happiest when used for their purpose, and will bring more luck this way than when buried in the bag.

-his mother's tiny knife. It's not very useful in serious combat, but it's easy to conceal and is great for surprise stabbings. He hates when people insult its size/usefulness, and threatens to “put it in your eye and see how funny this “toothpick” will look up close”.

-Alistair's rose. Bel keeps it dried between the pages of his journal.

-"Fang" dagger. Bel finds blade's shape hard to get used to, but it belonged to his mother, so he loves and cherishes it.

As you can see- he loves his mom a lot.

#Thanks for the ask :3 #oc: mutt #oc: belrod

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nightmarebeforenewsiesau · 3 months ago

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Can we see Morris and Oscar?

Yep!

Morris and Oscar were two troubled boys in life, both having problems with their family. Their parents were horrible to them... and poor Morris, although not by much, took the worst of it. Morris grew to hate his brother slowly, refusing to help him treat his injuries and even making them worse on occasion. And although fear of a common enemy kept them together, the hatred that had grown to fester between them in turn slowly ripped them apart.

But death is funny. Ironic, even. Nobody knows why or how humans are chosen to walk the earth after death... but it's clear that death has its favorites, and also seems to have a sense of humor. With that, comes a level of irony as well, punishing wrongdoers or even good people for what they've done in life, or even trying to teach them something. In any case, death clearly had it out for these two specifically... because they didn't manifest as two separate beings. They became one.

A chimera- a creature that, by definition, is an impossible and mythic hybrid stitched together of different animals, most often a tiger, a snake, and goat. Each animal head has its own soul... but for all eternity they are bound to the same body, forced to coexist in a space only intended for one. And so Oscar and Morris were, their fates stitched together in death as a punishment for trying to seperate them in life. They don't get along well, not in the slightest... but when it counts, they've learned to unite against a common enemy- or, perhaps, they've known that all along.

Due to most of the residents knowing them in life, they weren't welcome in the small town near the graveyard that harbors most of the walking deceased. But one day, they stumbled upon a young manticore, seemingly banished as they were. And that manticore, introducing himself as Michael, promised them he knew a place for them, where they'd be safe and happy with a good, easy job. Like anyone would, they agreed, coming to live in the thriving town many have now come to know as the town led by Joseph Pulitzer, the one who allowed the mindless slaughter of his townsfolk at the hands of monsters. But at the time, not many had come to know it at all, and the sight memorized Oscar and Morris. They wanted to live there, they both knew- perhaps it was the only thing they'd ever really agreed on.

They took their role very seriously, eventually becoming favorites of Joe himself, and one of his employees- Weasel, a living man- took them in.

One day, havoc was wreaked upon their home, at the hands of many, many monsters, led by a skeleton. He'd slaughtered Michael, their only real friend, and was getting away. Oscar or Morris- the line is blurred exactly whose decision it was- picked up a gun... and the rest, as they say, is history. But perhaps their story, what happened after, was not told to you in the perspective you've come to know. After all, history is told by the "winners"- and by definition, Oscar and Morris's small town was far from winning, despite technically fending off the attack.

Here they are! I've helpfully labeled them, because let's be real- you wouldn't be able to tell who's who without them.

#newsies #newsies au #au #the nightmare before christmas #art #oscar and morris newsies #the delancey brothers

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scottguy · 4 months ago

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I am sick to death of right-wingers taking the asshole position on literally every major concern facing Americans or the world.

1. The left: People are being slaughtered by military grade weapons on American streets.

The right: We don't care how many schoolchildren are slaughtered! We wanna own big guns just because it's ... fun!

2. The left: The wealthy and corporate monopolies are driving up prices of food, housing, medical care, medicine, education and everything necessary to survive. We need to tax the rich and regulate capitalism better.

The right: Immigrants are the one and only cause of ALL our problems! Socialism is bad and you are a 'radical leftist' for wanting reasonable prices for food, housing, and medication! Commie! Libtard!

3. The left: Global Warming is such an established fact that military experts in the Pentagon are actively planning for wars that may occur over arable land. Rising temperatures will cause worse hurricanes, floods, droughts, fires, flooding of costal cities, as well as mass deaths from killer heat-waves that will affect your children, your grandchildren, and their children. The price of damage to economies and cities will ultimately be in the hundreds of trillions of dollars, a fraction of which could be spent prior to that damage occurring to invest in preventing that damage and stopping further destruction by switching to green energy as rapidly as possible without destabilizing the economy.

The right: Climate change is a hoax and thousands of independent climate scientist around the world world are risking their careers by lying! Years now of consecutive record world temperatures are a fluke! Besides it's "too expensive" to save our irreplaceable planet. Green energy is woke! Drill baby, drill! Only woke libtards listen to scientists. That's why we all skipped vaccines and refused to wear masks during Covid, because what the hell do doctors know? (Well, besides the fact that we go to them when we're really in sick because c'mon, they're doctors!) But, just because they have medical educations, they think they are "better" than us by giving us medical advice to wear masks and take vaccines. (The nerve!) My medical ignorance is just as good as your fancy education and expertise... doctor! You elitist! How dare you know more than me! I can search the Internet too and do research! It's easy to find exactly what you want to hear! One guy on Youtube tells me that decades of peer-reviewed research on the safety of vaccines are all wrong. He's saying that's because it's true and NOT because he gets paid per view and knows how to say what I want to hear. His utter lack of qualifications do not concern me if it agrees with my opinion.

4. The left: Women are dying in emergency rooms because of new abortion restrictions since Roe versus Wade was reversed, often despite the mother having an unviable or deceased fetus.

The right: It's God's will, he wants adult women to die, even if their lives or crucial organs are savable! My preacher said so and he tells me what to think! We don't care that if we allow a women to die or become infertile despite a fetus that is already dead or missing its brain because we really never cared about life, just fetuses, even if that, too will inevitably die. "Pro-life!" Right? Women need to follow OUR religious beliefs! It's about CONTROL! You, lady, need to die because you are hurting my "freedom of religion" otherwise. Your religion? Who cares? MINE is the ONLY ONE THAT MATTERS... just bleed out already....

5. The left: The men who wrote our US Constitution specifically excluded religion from having anything to do with American government because they well understood the senseless violence that religious wars had caused over the past 2000 years and even recently in the 1700s. Our founders knew that "beliefs" and "what God wants" are too arbitrary, subjective, and unknowable by men to serve as a rational foundation of government. There are many quotes in the Federalist Papers (essays written in 1787 and 1788 by the writers of the Constitution themselves, to explain the thinking behind the structure and purpose of the US Constitution) specifically stating why our constitution avoided establishing a state religion.

The right: The Founders wanted a Christian Nation! They didn't care about Jews, Muslims, atheists, or the people of hundreds of different other faiths that exist. To hell with them! Christianity should be the ONLY religion for everyone because we will base ALL OUR LAWS on it, whether others like it or not. Why? Because it's MY religion so screw you and yours. My religion is the only "right" one, so YOU have to follow MY religion's rules regardless of your own. I'm willing to fight over it because I "believe" so strongly! Simply holding a completely unprovable idea in my head gives me 'faith' and automatically makes me a righteous person no matter who gets hurt because of it!

6. The left: Trump is a rapist, a multiple count felon, a traitor, and a man who already literally attempted to overthrow a democratic American election by force to stay president and is thus is unqualified for office ever again. He also has adopted Project 2025 which is a plan designed to destroy our democracy from within by firing regulatory agency workers and replacing them with MAGA loyalists. He will then steal every freedom we take for granted and replace them with a Nazi-like dictatorship by declaring some arbitrary "emergency" and invoking an existing law called 'the Insurrection Act' (valid during 'emergencies) to violently (like he did during BLM protests) to suppress free speech and to destroy any public opposition to the loss of Americans' freedoms by locking up the protestors that weren't shot dead. Trump stands against EVERY SINGLE value that Americans have held dear for 250 years now.

The right: Trump is a hero who will save America! He's such a great guy! America was "better" under him because we could be openly racist and drive around in big trucks with Trump flags because we were SO PROUD that we had a fellow white supremacist in office! It was awesome! Trump taught us that we can simply make death threats to innocent school board members and other officials if they don't agree with our positions and our arguments based on false information from online and Fox. To hell with civility! Get your way or threaten to (or try to) hurt people! It works for Trump! We want America to turn into a big free-for-all where only the loudest and most violent get their way! THAT is the kind of society we want our children to grow up in! Being a bully is good! Peace, love, and kindness are for "libtards" and the "woke!"

7. The left: Republicans have already vowed (and voted) in favor of cutting Americans' Social Security payments and for privatize Medicare so it will belong entirely to for-profit companies with incentives to deny care and deny costly medication. (All medications will become expensive when the few existing price controls are repealed.)

The right: Republicans can do no wrong because the left is "woke!" It's better to be asleep than "woke!" We can't really define "woke" but we know that wanting to help others who are unusual to us is bad! I really don't care how badly I get screwed financially as long as the people I hate get screwed worse! Besides, Republicans are our friends on guns and religion so.. take our money as long as we get guns and christofascisim! Republicans wouldn't do something they have openly promised to do. They wouldn't screw the middle class just to to get more federal tax cuts just like they already did in 2017 passing a TAX CHANGE that RAISED taxes on people making UNDER $70,000 and which now still gives away billions in cuts to the rich and corporations at our expense. They wouldn't be that greedy, like they already were. Right? Oh look, an immigrant!

Honestly right-wingers. Don't you get sick of constantly being assholes.. about everything?

Worse, you act like self-righteous assholes despite doing the bidding of the objectively wicked Trump who has been blatantly lying every time he speaks since 2016. Nearly TEN YEARS LATER, you're absolutely blind to his lies because of the mindless adoration that cult members always feel for their leader, even if that leader abuses them by say, raising their taxes. Trump is the guy who promised Covid would just "go away" despite knowing it was airborne and would get worse.

Right-wingers, you expect us to respect your opinions which are based on well-documented lies by Trump, Fox and other news organizations who lie and tell you thing things they know you want to hear instead of what is actually true. You aren't just UNDER informed. You are actively misinformed, lied to, by right-wing media. You like it! You feel superior despite everything you THINK is TRUE being as false as the tens of thousands of DOCUMENTED LIES by Donald Trump.

You could change the channel but you're too afraid to shatter the artificial reality you've created and lived for ten years, where Trump, despite his crimes, his lies, his racism, his encouragement of violence is GOOD, DECENT, PERFECT and 'ON YOUR SIDE'.

BUT, we LIBERALS, who just want everyone including MAGA people, to have better lives by being able to AFFORD THINGS and get HEALTHCARE and not be cheated by our bosses or corporations that do awful things in the name of ever-increasing-profit, we, the left are somehow.... the bad guys in all this.

I don't hear any right-wingers saying openly they want better lives for ALL Americans. I don't hear any of you ASKING what can be done to fix outrageous prices for housing, food and medicine. All you've been told to do is blame Biden for everything. Every problem, if not caused by an immigrant, is caused by the evil and wicked Biden.

We're bringing manufacturing back to America but you hate the president who made those jobs one of the key priorities of his current administration. Even when Biden policies have improved your life by lowering the cost of insulin or asthma medication you still say, Biden is bad! If you recently have rural high speed Internet, that came courtesy of Biden's infrastructure bill. Infrastructure improvements have created jobs that rural Americans need.

Infrastructure programs are helping rural areas so much that Republicans, who voted against those things, are trying to take credit for them!

But, if it was up to Republicans... you would NEVER had gotten improved roads or bridges or rural high-speed Internet. No... Republicans need to save THAT MONEY for more TAX CUTS for the rich.

You, on the right, have been so blinded to both EVIL and DECENCY. You don't see the evil of Trump and you don't see the decency of Biden. It's just "us versus them" now. Trump and the media drove us apart.

It'd be sad if it weren't so SCARY right now, living on the edge of fascism with so called "patriots" on the right, actively rooting for a guy promising, literally promising, to run things like Hitler. He openly vowed to be a dictator on "Day One." (see link below from the Associated Press if you don't believe me)

I'm writing this to point out that, despite a long history of the right having some really hard-to-respect opinions noted above, we DO have common interests if we can just stop hating each other.

But, all you on the right can talk about are immigrants and how the left is "woke" as if those are the ONLY problems in your lives. It's simple and mindless. No thought is required at all. The people who fed this to you made sure of it.

What about the future lives of your children and grandchildren?

They could be slaughtered in the street or school by AR-15s. It happens.. a lot, why do you think your loved one is somehow safe?

It could be your wife or girlfriend dying in that hospital because of the chance misfortune of an ectopic pregnancy with the doctor threatened with jail for saving her life or her fertility.

It could be YOU starving and homeless because Social Security was cut SO far.

It could be YOU dying of cancer because privatized Medicare denied both your operation and the skyrocketing cost of your cancer medication.

It could be your spouse or child or parent locked up in a Nazi-like camp simply for being liberal and posting online, like this.

It could be your Southern state being bombed in retaliation when Trump decides to invade Mexico.

It could be all our lives and and much of the life on Earth anihilated for centuries when some MAGA flunky (completely ignorant of radiation drift and the built-in retaliatory launch systems & treaties of other countries) gets told to launch the nuclear bombs and is just "follows orders" thus causing worldwide nuclear Armageddon...

...all because Trump was having a bad day. I wouldn't put it past him, so selfish, so bitter, if he gets too old, to do just one last super-powerful selfish act just to boost his ego, you know, like mass shooters do when they've gotten too angry.

What scares us all on the left and in the middle, is that you, on the right, don't seem to CARE about anything ... except immigrants!

If we could stop all human migration on Earth, the rich will continue to make our lives miserable because the rich do not CARE about any of us! The wealthy have just been using voters for decades now by playing to tribalism, racism, and fear of the unknown.

We, left and right, should be UNITED against the wealthy who have spent billions by now buying our politicians (both left and right) and flooding our media with propaganda labeled "news" to get their way. The rich are experts at playing to your passions (guns, religion) and your fears (immigration, gays, tans people.) in order to manipulate you and slowly drain the middle class until there are just the super rich and the ultra poor left in America.

If the wealthy do get their way and we lose democracy, sooner rather than later, you will not like it. Eventually, like Hitler's Germany, everyone will eventually see their huge mistake.

Do you think Hitler had many supporters remaining after his actions reduced Germany to rubble? After the nation was complicit in the murder of six million completely innocent people? Germans still have to live with that knowledge.

Don't for a moment think that the USA is so damn special that, "It can't happen here!"

Hitler is what happens when you let a guy with zero ethics run a country! Trump has zero ethics!

Who will stop him? Not Congress or the Supreme Court. They've already proven that by their actions.

The wealthy are literally on the verge of stealing every American freedom that you hold dear with Trump's Project 2025 just to get richer and to force a particular religion on everyone because they have the money, the power, and just the right candidate running, to do it.

Care about that ... losing your freedoms... because it WILL matter to YOU also.

Below is the Wikipedia entry on Project 2025. This is no conspiracy theory. It is very very real and terrifying to any American who values freedom. Below that is the quote I promised on Trump's vow to be a dictator, on "day one."

This post probably won't change a single mind and will only be read by people who already agree, but man, it felt good (albeit frustrating to list right-wing intransigence so thoroughly) to write.

Remember blogging (like above) changes just about nothing. Vote, volunteer to phone bank when the election comes (you can do it at home), donate money to progressive media and liberal races if you can afford it. I write stuff like this because it feels good to get the understandable anger out of my system. I seriously doubt I will change a single mind.

Really the ONE crucial thing that could utterly change America towards the BETTER is if ALL the registered Democrats just SHOW UP and VOTE BLUE this November.

If even just THAT is ALL you do... it will be enough and so much better than the fool who doesn't vote and says lazily, "Oh nothing ever changes. Why bother?"

Yeah, then they took away Roe versus Wade and womens' constitutional rights to an abortion. The Supreme Court got packed and ruled the president can murder people be a king!

Like HELL, "Nothing ever changes!"

Look around you! Just because the sun rises every day and your PERSONAL LIFE doesn't feel impacted. (Have your rents gone up lately? Can you even afford health insurance?) People who say that are so used to being screwed that they've given up! How can anything ever be fixed if you give up? Not voting ... is surrender. You're saying, "You can't be beat." I post about this a lot so I'm not putting in my usual political cartoon of 2/3 of eligible voters saying "My vote won't change anything!" when, obviously due to the sheer numbers of them alone, they are wrong!

Things DO change depending on leadership.

All you can do is point which direction we go,

more to the left

RADICALLY more to the right! Dangerously more. Loss of democracy more.

If you DON'T choose, some MAGA or fool "independent" ("both parties are the same!" or "Biden's is old, corporate media run by the wealthy never covered any of his accomplishments and I didn't bother to find out about any, but the news did follow all of Biden's gaffes and almost none of Trump's or Trump's violent rhetoric or ever actually say Trump is a threat to democracy, not on the front page anyway.") So, let's vote for the guy who already tried to overthrow American democracy! He's a few years younger. Both parties are the same!

Seriously? I don't recall the Democrat party ever violently attempting to overturn an election. We concede even CLOSE elections for the good of democracy. Trump got destroyed and lost in court 60 times because he had utterly no proof of fraud, and STILL didn't concede!

Yeah, both parties are "the same!"

What the hell does that even mean right now?

Right now, the Republican party is rooting for a fucking wanna-be dictator!

So, vote, vote blue... or THOSE people will chose America's direction for you ... and then your vote may never count ever again.

#the right takes the asshole position on every major issue #the right don't care who they hurt even if it is themselves #if you are right wing it's because your heart has died #we live in rant-worthy times

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dandunn · 2 years ago

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Oohh these prompt writings are so fun to read, how about this for a prompt... de-aged Lupin and the gang (with/without Zenigata)

I was going to skip this ask honestly because I thought it wasn't my kind of thing but I did it and ended up being surprised. Uh. Also this is only part 1. Enjoy???

Lupin is losing his shit. As in 'holding in his sides trying not to die' laughing. It's the funniest thing he's ever seen.

"CAN IT SHIT FOR BRAINS! IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Jigen bellows, the insult would be as intimidating as the throaty roar of a lion in any normal situation. But this isn't a normal situation. It comes out as the high-pitched squeak of a kitten.

Because Jigen is six years old. And adorable!

Jigen's protests only cause a fresh lunatic howl of laughter to burst out of Lupin. He wipes tears off of his face, dabbing his cheeks with the sleeve of his pink jacket. Little Jigen stamps his foot and pouts. His hat is too big for his head now and keeps sliding off.

"Oh I'm gonna die!" Lupin says breathlessly, "Where's Goemon? Did he get hit too?"

From out behind the hefty piece of machinery comes the most shell-shocked little boy Lupin has ever seen, his robes wrapped around himself like a blanket and his now far too big sword dragging behind him.

"Ohh." Lupin coos, his eyes filling with tears again.

"Cease." Baby Goemon murmurs, his chubby cheeks turning red. "Do not say what I think you are going to say."

Lupin can't help himself. His face twists up in an effort to hold his squeal back, but it's too late, "You're so…. Cuuuuuute!"

Goemon attempts to draw his sword, but his arms aren't long enough and it catches halfway in its sheath. His feet get tangled in his robes and he falls on his ass.

Both of his partners turned children stare up at him.

Why'd it have to be me that gets stuck as the only adult here? Lupin thinks, I'm not exactly a role model!

"This is gonna be a problem if we get attacked." Lupin says, scratching the back of his neck, "Unless the guys who made this machine have a weakness for being kicked in the shins."

"Lupin when I get back to normal I am going to kill you!" Little Jigen meows again, struggling to pick up his combat magnum with his tiny hands. "How do we change back?! The controls on the machine-?"

"Do you really want me to go messing around with unknown technology, what if I press the wrong button and you both end up eighty years old?"

"Point."

Unfortunately for Jigen and Goemon someone else makes the decision for them.

They start being shot at.

"No time to figure it out, off we go!" Lupin cries as he scoops up both of his partners and bolts. Jigen tries to cover Lupin's back as he dangles under one of his arms, the knockback so severe with his underdeveloped muscles that the entire gun almost flies back and knocks him upside the head.

This isn't good.

They barely get out of the laboratories in one piece, and Lupin's arms are not built for carrying two deadly little children at once. He's wheezing and has had to dodge more than a couple of bullets by the time they escape.

Back at the hideout, Lupin drops the two kids before heading out to buy them some clothes (making them promise not to use the stove or stick forks in electrical sockets until he gets back. Jigen throws an ashtray at him but it falls short).

Once they aren't drowning in their adult clothes anymore they all sit down to take stock.

Unfortunately tailored suits and kimono robes for six year olds aren't easy to find, so Jigen gets a shirt with a dinosaur wearing a cowboy hat and Goemon gets Kamen Rider.

Lupin couldn't find a miniature borsalino either, so Jigen gets to keep his ludicrously oversized hat. The sight of it keeps making Lupin snicker so much he can barely stand to look at his poor gunman.

"So, what happened, what was it like?" Lupin says, enjoying this a bit too much despite how grumpy his partners are.

"You mean what it was like going through puberty in reverse? Not fun!" Jigen says, the couch practically swallowing him up. He reaches for a cigarette out of habit but Lupin stops him.

"I may be a lot of things but I'm not someone who allows a baby to smoke."

"Fuck you."

"That machine." Goemon says slowly, "we were lured into the room with it on purpose, this was done to us to take away our strength."

"Makes sense. Everyone knows how awesome and unstoppable we are." Lupin preens, "They probably think I'm helpless without you two."

"It is true." Goemon snipes.

Jigen folds his tiny arms, grumpily staring at the cigarette box in Lupin's hands like a regular kid would look at a box of candy. "So we break back into the facility and threaten them into changing us back!"

"What's your rush, Jigen?" Lupin muses.

"What do you mean 'what's your rush?' Of course we want to get back to normal!"

"You just want to smoke." Goemon clips, and Jigen looks like he's considering getting in a baby fist fight with him.

"I'm thinking practically! What if we end up stuck like this?! What if we have to grow up all over again; voice cracking, high school - zits!"

Lupin shrugs, waving a hand, "Something something a chance to relive your youth?"

"Why on earth would we want to do that?" Goemon deadpans. "I wish to be restored to my true age as soon as humanly possible."

Lupin tries not to start giggling again, hearing Goemon's darkly formal serious voice coming out of such a cute little package. He gets a hold of himself. "Look, when we broke into the facility I had help from both of you and now I have to think of a plan to get us back in without Jigen's shooting or Zantetsuken. Just… make the best of it you can until I do that. Did either of you even have childhoods?"

The two boys turn to look at each other, Jigen lifting up his hat to shoot Goemon a quirky look from underneath his bangs.

"My point exactly." Lupin stands up to go back to the drawing board. "Play with some blocks, take a nap or something. Don't pee your pants. I'll be as fast as I can."

Before he goes to shut himself in his room with his planning desk, he remembers something. He turns back quickly to grab Jigen's cigarettes and puts them on top of the highest wardrobe in the room. "And no smoking!"

If Lupin had a dollar for every time a six year old had flipped him off he would have about two dollars. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.

#sorry for being a memey little shitlord i couldnt resist #i know you said lupin and the gang de aged but i thought loop still being an adult was funnier #part two zenigata??? idk lmao #lupin the third #jigen daisuke #goemon ishikawa xiii #arsene lupin iii #long post #jesse's writing #ask a cowboy #🐇

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blazehedgehog · 1 year ago

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What is the oldest sonic hack that you feel stands up to the level design standards of the present sonic fangaming/hacking community

I specifically avoided most Sonic rom hacks for a long long time. Actually, scratch that: I avoided most rom hacks period.

This is going to be an extremely controversial statement but a lot of rom hacks don't have very good level design. Or they didn't, at any rate. There is a point where things changed, for sure.

But back in the day, having enough skill and talent to make a rom hack was like, the complete opposite brain required to make a fun and balanced game. It's kind of an art vs. technical thing. People who made hacks were coming at it from a more mechanical perspective. This is sort of why the term "Kaizo" came to represent a certain type of ultra-difficult rom hack.

When you love a game SO MUCH that you're willing to reverse-engineer it and build your own expansion for it, generally you're the type of person who has mastered the game several times over. This skews your basic level understanding of what "normal" difficulty is, and in a lot of cases, these people aren't even making something representative of "normal" difficulty.

So you get levels that are super unbalanced, where it's easy to get lost, and maybe they require you to do advanced tricks that the average player has never even thought about. For them, the one who made the hack, it's second nature. They dance through their own levels, totally untouched, because they know where all the enemies are, where all the health is, and so on. They built the lock and the key.

I've had plenty of arguments with people over the years, hack developers specifically, about this topic. I've argued until I was blue in the face, but it doesn't matter, because there will always be that one person who thinks they know better. "It's fine, I learned how to do it, they just have to learn how to do it, too."

And it's just never that simple. Never, ever, ever.

Because you are a unique person. Nobody is exactly like you. The way you learned to do a thing represents less than 1% of people who will ever play your game. Maybe you learned your tricks by watching Youtube videos, or live streams, or reading guides. Not everybody is going to be that dedicated or have that much time and energy.

"You must train for 600 hours before you're ready to try my hack" is not a badge of honor worthy of anything in and of itself. The journey and the destination you've created after the journey is complete are separate ideas.

Go look up achievement statistics to see just how few people even make it past the first boss of most games, let alone halfway, or even to the credits. You very quickly start hitting figures like "only 30% of players did this super easy thing." For a big name, big budget, massively popular, professionally balanced retail game.

And that in itself is only for a fraction of the types of people who make rom hacks. Some just have more to learn and aren't very good at level or game design yet. And there are plenty of hacks out there that suffer from the opposite problem as "Kaizo", where they're just bland and forgettable. It's a difficult balancing act to get right.

These are truths in Doom wads, Mario Maker levels, Sonic rom hacks, the works. So the number of rom hacks I've played that get it right can probably be counted on one hand.

Some of that is because so few hacks get it right, and some of that is because I keep my distance from the hacking scene for that very reason. So if you're like, "wow, I can't believe BlazeHedgehog dunked on that really good hack like that" -- maybe I haven't played it! I used to throw myself to the wolves on all kinds of things where the balance and polish is more frustrating than anything, and it's made me gun shy.

The first Sonic romhack I remember feeling good about was something called "Sonic 1 Pixel Perfect." I really liked its pastel colors and smart reuse of Ristar objects. You might look at the above screenshot with skepticism because it looks too normal, but that's sort of why I like it. It made smart, subtle changes (like the fact time of day slowly changes from dawn, noon, dusk, and night as you play through the zone) and the level design was very digestible. It's just a shame it never got very far.

I seem to recall some of the people who worked on Pixel Perfect went on to make Sonic 2 Retro Remix, which I... think I played? And I might have even liked? But it's been a very, very, very long time.

#questions #Anonymous #sonic the hedgehog #sega #sonic team #hack #romhack #sonic retro #hacking scene

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hedgewitchgarden · 11 months ago

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Wildcrafting Mistletoe, or harvesting it from the wild, can be a little tricky considering the height at which it grows. Bottom line, all plants collected for spiritual purposes should be approached with reverence and great care. I mean, duh, right? So for the love of all things holy, please don’t shoot the mistletoe out of the tree with a shotgun.

Finding and Harvesting Mistletoe

Once the leaves fall from the deciduous trees in winter, it is easy to find see the Mistletoe growing in large clumps among the branches. I live in Eastern, North Carolina and it is EVERYWHERE, once you know what to look for. The problem with wildcrafting this herb for magickal and ritual uses isn’t its availability, but its accessibility. When climbing the tree isn’t possible, and the ladder won’t reach, folks around here get creative.

My dad was raised in Alabama and Kentucky, and he tells me it is common country-boy practice to take your shotgun out into the woods and shoot the mistletoe out of the branches. I even found this article bragging about just such a 12-guage shotgun hunt in NC. I’m a city witch, so I wouldn’t have guessed this to be something a magickal person would think to do. Then I met a witch peddling freshly blasted mistletoe. <headdesk>

Um, no. Just….no. Trust me.

How did the ancient Druids collect Mistletoe?

Pliny the Elder, a first century Roman historian, described the ceremony of collecting mistletoe in his Natural History XVI:

“Mistletoe is rare and when found it is gathered with great ceremony, and particularly on the sixth day of the moon….Hailing the moon in a native word that means ‘healing all things,’ they prepare a ritual sacrifice and banquet beneath a tree and bring up two white bulls, whose horns are bound for the first time on this occasion. A priest arrayed in white vestments climbs the tree and, with a golden sickle, cuts down the mistletoe, which is caught in a white cloak. Then finally they kill the victims, praying to a god to render his gift propitious to those on whom he has bestowed it.” Witchipedia

Avoid Damaging the Tree

I asked around the Patheos author forum for input on this question of Harvest-by-Shotgun, and John Beckett, Druid, author and blogger at Under the Ancient Oaks had this to say:

“From a magical and spiritual perspective, it’s not a good idea [to shoot down mistletoe]. People use a shotgun because it’s easy – you don’t have to hit the mistletoe exactly (as with a rifle). But that means you don’t just shoot down the mistletoe, you also shoot the tree. So you’re not just detaching the mistletoe from the tree, you’re also damaging the tree – and likely mangling what mistletoe you shoot down. None of which is likely to preserve the magical properties of mistletoe, much less establish good relations with your local nature spirits.”

In witchery we regard trees to be the priests of the plant realm, so I think one can assume that assaulting a tree with a deadly weapon isn’t a great way to begin your partnership. That isn’t magick; that’s a mugging. Then consider the spirit of the Mistletoe whom you hope will work to aid you. Introducing yourself via GSW* hardly seems neighborly. I shudder to think how the Dryad, the nymph of an oak tree, might take umbrage and retaliate! Good luck with that.

*GSW = Gun Shot Wound, for those who don’t watch police and legal procedural shows as much as I do. <snark>

Avoid Iron

Morgan Daimler, Author and Patheos Agora Blogger on Irish American Witchcraft, reminded me of the “old belief that you shouldn’t cut a plant for magical purposes with iron because that would drive out its spirit.“ Assuming there is some iron or steel in the shot, that would be counter-productive at least. I don’t know any modern pagans wielding golden sickles (as Pliny described); however, there are more common non-ferrous metals, including aluminum, copper, zinc, brass, gilding metal and tin. I have pair of aluminum gardening sheers for magickal harvesting that serve my purposes just fine.

Don’t Let it Hit the Ground

Moreover, to remain effective, Mistletoe should never be allowed to touch the ground, hence the Gaulish Druid’s practice of catching it in a white cloak.

Chris Godwin, Patheos blogger at From a Common Well, offered this input: “In British Magical practice, you address herbs as allies, with reverence and reference to their lore. Gaelic magic doesn’t seem to be of much difference. Also, Mistletoe is sacred in systems like trolldom because they’re liminal, they don’t grow on the ground, but in the sky. So if the mistletoe hits the ground, it loses its liminality and potency.”

So, unless a shooter has a partner in crime who is brave enough to stand UNDER where they’re blasting and can catch it as it falls willy-nilly, you’ve foiled your magick before you’ve begun. All these shenanigans sounds stupidly dangerous, too.

Mistletoe is a helpful Parasite:

Just for interest, how does the Mistletoe get all the way up there? Mistletoe spreads among the heights of trees when birds eat the sticky white berries and then poop them out on branches. Ahhh, the circle of life. There is a good lesson here about how excellent things can emerge from shit. Thanks birdies!

These evergreen plants are able to grow high up in the branches of trees by jabbing a special type of root called a haustorium into the host plant to suck out water and nutrients from it. Despite their parasitic means of growth, scientific studies have found that the presence of mistletoe plants actually improve the biodiversity around them. (Biology Bytes ) They never touch the earth, which is why they are especially magickal plants associated with air.

Mistletoe is Toxic

Mistletoe is toxic. I know that there are some medicinal uses for the leaves, but I don’t think the berries should ever be taken internally. I know that there is information all over the internet about adding berries to the hand-fasting chalice brew, or how to steep it for herbal medicines, but I personally think that unless you are a highly trained herbalist, or otherwise knowledgeable about physical medicine, that it is best practice to avoid consuming mistletoe. You’d have to ingest a whole lot of berries to kill you, but children and pets are especially at risk, so exercise caution while handling this sacred plant. Wash your hands well after handling!

Keep reading for my next installment on the Mistletoe Magick for Healing, Fertility and Protection!

Happy Mistletoe Hunting!

~Heron

#wildcrafting #mistletoe #witchblr #paganism

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cuteteacakes · 2 years ago

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Commissions for @boredandblank

I was given permission to post the 3 mini commissions I wrote for @boredandblank based on the PS3 game Dark Sector’s protagonist, Hayden Tenno. I was asked to used prompts from a writing meme actually, all about making him miserable basically xD Enjoy!

One: Nightmares, Can’t Sleep, Hopelessness

They were everywhere. Shadows of what were once human beings chasing him down. Metallic skin, people with the Technocyte clawing at his body while he tried to shove them all away. But they kept coming. He fired his gun, but the bullets were simply absorbed into skin that rippled like mercury.

They were swarming, becoming an amalgamation of metal and bodies, undulating wildly and without rhyme or reason. They were gaining on him. He could feel their hot breaths and fingers gripping at his clothes. No matter how many times he shot at them, they kept absorbing the blows. The mass reached his feet. He ran, not going anywhere. A chunk of the mass broke off and became Nemesis, raising its scythe-like hand and bringing it down upon his shoulder, tearing into the skin.

Hayden Tenno awoke with a start. He could still feel the remnants of the night terror prickling at his body, though the exact scene that played out in his sleep vanished quickly and he forgot what it was about. That didn’t stop his heart from pounding, his lungs gasping for air. Hayden took a couple deep breaths, and things clicked back into place. He had fallen asleep after barring himself inside a storage room, that’s right. He had decided to rest against a stack of burlap sacks. They were filled with lumps that were semi-soft, he didn’t question what was inside (although it gave off a foul odor like rotten fish). He just wanted some time to rest. It felt like he hadn’t rested for weeks.

He raised his head and put it back down. He should really get some sleep. He closed his eyes, and the Technocyte monsters appeared again, Nemesis standing tall and imposing behind them. This time Hayden went on the attack, using the weapon Nemesis infected him with to slice the other’s head off. Hayden was quick, but Nemesis was quicker. Lightning fast, its hand was around his neck and squeezing tightly. Hayden’s hand reacted instantly, flying to the clawed fingers digging into his neck and— he opened his eyes again, the weapon on his hand dangerously close to slitting his own throat. Hayden stared at it for a beat. The thought was there. A dark thought that he knew he shouldn’t be having, but was very tempting.

“Dammit, maybe I should do it-” he murmured to no one. He held the blade over his neck, letting the thought sink in more and more. Why was he doing this anyway? When he first came to Lasria, he had been so sure of his objective. Even when he was dubious about the effectiveness of the booster shot he was given, he was sure he would get the job done. As he went into his second night of being infected himself, he wasn’t so sure anymore. What was the point? It’s not like he’d be able to even get out of Lasria because of his infection, which wasn’t even his fault, dammit. It was that motherfucker Mezner, that sonuva bitch Nemesis, hell, even the CIA could fuck itself. They wouldn’t give him the antidote even when he asked for it, the bastards.

It’d be so easy to just end it…

Just one little slice and all his problems would be gone…

Hayden’s hand trembled, feeling the oddly cold and malleable surface waver and vibrate. It was pressed against his skin now. Any more and his skin would puncture and bleed. He wouldn’t feel it. It’d be over quickly. That’s what the Agency trained him for, wasn’t it? This was essentially a suicide mission and he was a pawn the whole time. If he offed himself, nobody would miss him, nobody would know…

Nadia would know. Hayden’s brow furrowed. He grit his teeth and put his hand, his weapon, back down by his side. That was the coward’s way out. Although he didn’t exactly feel like a hero either. What was he exactly? Did it matter? He hadn’t eaten anything for so long, maybe all these thoughts were because of hunger. Was that the empty feeling he felt in the pit of his stomach? Or was it the knowledge that this mission was a complete waste of time and no matter what he did, nothing mattered because he wouldn’t be able to get out of this pit?

Or maybe all these intrusive thoughts came because he couldn’t sleep. He felt like he hadn't slept in days. There was some scientific fact about lack of sleep being bad for your health or something, but was feeling like crap part of it? Fuck it, he wasn’t a scientist. Otherwise he’d be in a lab, probably studying a cure for the Technocyte disease, not in Lasria surrounded by people infected with it.

Hayden put a hand to his head and forced his eyes to close. He needed to sleep. He needed sleep but his mind wouldn’t let him. Sometimes, and this was one of those times, he wished he could feel pain. Maybe he’d pass out from it and have a dreamless night (which was as good as having a nightmare-less night). Instead he was numb. He’d been numb his whole life. Maybe that numbness moved to his heart, his brain too. Maybe that’s why he felt so out of sorts. That’s right. It was the lack of sleep talking, not him. This wasn’t him. It wasn’t-

There was a sudden violent banging on the barricaded door, causing Hayden to shoot upright. The door started to shutter on its hinges. The infected would break in soon. So much for trying to get some rest. Not like his brain was going to let him anyway.

With a strained grunt, Hayden got to his feet. The banging on the door continued. He rolled his neck, getting at least a couple satisfying pops out of it.

“Looks like I have some house guests…”

Right now, this would be Hayden’s life. Until he succumbed to the Technocyte virus, he wasn’t going anywhere outside of Lasria.

Two: Applying Bandages, Stitching Self Up, Lost and Alone

It was a stupid mistake that could’ve been easily avoided. It was a mistake that anyone could’ve made, but Hayden couldn’t afford any mistakes. And now he was clutching his shoulder, blindly stumbling through alleyways, and trying desperately to avoid being detected by anything less than human.

It started when his foot hit an empty can when he wasn’t looking. He had just put a bullet through the head of Viktor Sudek and was confronted by Robert Mezner and Nemesis. They probably left him for dead, but it’d take a lot more than that to kill him. Anyway, after he pulled himself together and unsteady on his feet, he stumbled into a can, sending it bouncing against the alley wall until rolling to a stop. The sound echoed off the concrete walls, breaking a suffocating silence and making Hayden flinch. Then it was quiet again. Until it alerted every Technocyte victim within a fifty foot radius, which was a lot more than he thought since so far he’d been lucky at not seeing any nearby. But one little clang, and the moaning and scrambling feet came from all around, heading straight towards him.

“Shit-” He tried to press his hand harder to the wound, but blood continued to seep through his fingers. That was his second mistake. After being heard and spotted by at least twenty zombies, Hayden had fired his gun at them, not looking where he was going, and backed into one. With a guttural growl it grabbed his shoulder. No, a better word would be it tore at his shoulder, because both shirt and skin were torn away from his body. Hayden didn’t notice the bleeding until he sliced off the attacker’s head with his new weapon conveniently growing from his infected arm.

“Shit-” he had muttered the same cuss word when he realized blood was now dripping down his arm. He needed to find somewhere safe to patch himself up. He couldn’t think too much about it however, since he could hear more infected quickly approaching. Damn, if only he could just patch that before-

A crash behind him made Hayden spin around. He had to get moving or else he’d probably lose his whole arm next time. Still clutching his shoulder, he scrambled as fast as he could, out of the crumbling building and into the street.

And that’s where he was right now. Panting, feeling light-headed from the bloodloss, and yet not feeling the pain of his wound. The world was beginning to spin, but he wouldn’t let himself pass out, not yet. He didn’t care where his feet took him, as long as it was somewhere he could be relatively safe.

An infected zombie stepped out from a blind corner and scared the crap out of him. He immediately sliced its head off. The headless body slumped to the ground like a sack of meat. Where the fuck did that one come from? Hayden quietly stepped over the body and found that there was a gaping hole in the side of a building, just big enough for someone with Technocyte, or him, to crawl through. Taking a chance, Hayden crouched and shimmied into the hole. It was empty, thank God. Now he could address the wound.

Taking bandages out of his pack, he tore it with his teeth. Even if he couldn’t feel the pain his wound was causing, he sure as hell wasn’t going to make it worse. He sat down hard with a grunt. Now maybe he could assess the damage- oh. He was still bleeding. Really hard. He’d have to take his shirt off first. It was ripped already but he didn’t want any threads getting stuck under his skin. He didn’t have any antiseptics either. That wasn’t good. He’d have to find some later. The place was littered with so much junk he didn’t think it’d be a problem finding something useful, right?

Hayden pressed the gauze onto the wound, feeling the skin react, but not transferring to his brain. Damn, if he was anyone else, this would’ve probably really hurt. Good thing he couldn’t feel it.

He then took the bandage and began wrapping the wound, going slowly so he wouldn’t make too much noise. The crunch of the bandage as he wrapped was the only sound in that small space, next to his labored breathing which he tried to calm.

As he continued to wind the bandage, Hayden glanced up and out of the hole he hid in. He was so busy trying to get away from the zombies chasing after him, he didn’t even bother to look where he was going. He wasn’t familiar with Lasria in the first place, all he knew was that he needed to get to the radio station, contact his superiors. He was headed in the right direction when he started out, but he took so many turns trying to shake his pursuers that he didn’t know which way was up, let alone which way to the radio tower. You’d think with a tower you’d be able to see it rising above the tops of the buildings, but luck wasn’t on his side. The city was so congested they practically blotted out the sun if the smog itself didn’t already.

Almost finished with the bandaging. Hayden was itching to get out of this cramped space. Not only did a Technocyte zombie crawl out of the spot where he was now sitting, there was only one way out, and the even more chilling thought, only one way in. What if a horde of them appeared? He wasn’t ready. He was in the middle of something. He was unarmed- well, technically that wasn’t true anymore, not with his new bio-weapon. But still. The thought of flinging his now-infected arm through more than one head… Was it even possible? While he did want to test it out, it’d be stupid to try in this hidey-hole. He needed out. He needed instruction. He needed… damn, he needed someone to talk to or else this isolation would drive him nuts.

Hayden decided his patch job was good enough. It was getting darker and he needed to move. The more he stayed put the more thoughts got to him. And that didn’t do him any good.

Three: Unsteady, Falls Trying to Leave Room, Pounding Headache

“The Black Market can supply you with weapons, in case you-” Yargo Mensik gestured towards Hayden’s arm. “Run out of ammo.”

Hayden also looked down at his arm and flexed his fingers. Yargo sure talked a lot.

“You can find Black Market in certain marked manhole covers, the symbol looks like this-” Yargo began to draw a crude picture of some type of flower. He passed it to Hayden, who reluctantly took it. He squinted as he tried to figure out what it was supposed to be. Yargo shrugged. “Forgive my artistic skills, they are lacking. The symbols on the manhole covers look like lotus flowers. You know what lotus flower looks like, yeah? Good, good. Find these, and the black market will take care of you… for the right amount of rubles, of course.”

Hayden was tempted to roll his eyes. “Thanks.” Every time he had to kill someone, the meager amount of rubles they had on their body was pathetic. If he was going to get anything upgraded, he’d have to kill a lot more people. And despite having done it so many times before, it just didn’t sit right with him. These weren’t soldiers he was killing. They were once human. They had lives, as crappy as they were having to live in squalor. Wrong place at the wrong time. He pushed back his chair to leave.

“Oh, one more thing, Agent Tenno.” Yargo slid a clean bandage across his desk. “You best change that one you have on your shoulder. I give this one to you, since I know the scraps you find around here are dirty at best. Patch yourself up before you go.”

Hayden reached out to grab the bandage, his head suddenly becoming dizzy. He shook it. “Thanks, but I’m kind of in a hurry. I’ll do it later.”

He stood up to leave. The room spun. He must’ve done it too quickly, all the blood was rushing to his feet. He put his head in his hand.

“Are you feeling alright, Agent Tenno?” Yargo raised an eyebrow. He leaned forward in his chair.

Hayden grit his teeth. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” Obviously he wasn’t fine. He couldn’t feel the pain, but maybe that wound was worse than he thought. No, he was imagining things. He couldn’t have lost that much blood when he was attacked, right?

“Maybe you should sit down for a moment. You don’t look too good.” Yargo’s words expressed concern, but the tone of his voice was flat, like he was stating that it was cloudy that day. Hayden shook his head, and that little movement set off a sudden pounding like he’d never felt before (because in all honesty, he hadn’t). What the fuck was this? What was going on? Yargo was standing, leaning over towards him.

“I think you should sit.” It was no longer a statement of concern but an order. Who did he think he was? Yargo was a sleeper agent, he wasn’t even activated. For all things considered, Hayden was talking with a run of the mill old man from the area who didn’t know anything.

“I have to go-” Hayden turned again to go, Yargo not stopping him this time. He took one step. Two steps. He was almost to the door when the dizziness and pounding headache became unbearable. Hayden lost his footing and fell to the floor. He tried to put his hands out to stop himself, but his wound had made him weak and his arms crumpled before his face hit the ground, not soon after the rest of his body did. He felt the impact, knew it was bad by the sound of his shoulder bandage ripping, but the pounding headache was all he could focus on. Why wasn’t Yargo saying anything? Or… or was he? Through the constant thumping of his own pulse in his head and the loud ringing in his ears it was hard to make out anything else.

“—and, Agent Tenno?”

Yargo’s voice was muffled, like it was underwater. Hayden let out a constrained grunt. Stop talking, I can’t hear you. Did he say that out loud or was he thinking it? He didn’t know, he could only feel the pounding. But Hayden suddenly felt his arm being gripped and his body hoisted up. The room was still spinning. Through all the ringing and pain, he could feel himself being walked back across the room. Each step sent a vibration shooting up through his leg and body, rattling his still-pounding headache. He kept walking though, even if it was more a shuffle at a snail’s pace. His legs hit something solid and he crumpled into the chair he was just sitting in.

“Give me that bandage, I will do it myself.” That was Yargo, his voice finally penetrating through the pounding. “I have some vodka too. You look like you need something strong. Set your head right.” There was a clink, a pouring, and Hayden felt glass press against his good hand. “Here. Drink up.”

Hayden took the glass filled with the clear liquid reluctantly, sniffed it to make sure he wasn’t being poisoned.

“You think I would poison you? I am on your side. Now drink.”

Hayden felt pressure on his shoulder before pulling, the sound of bandages crusty with dried blood being torn away and pulling on his skin. He downed the shot. It burned his throat and stung on the way down, but it managed to clear his head a little. It wasn’t pounding so much. He held the shot glass aloft and jiggled it to get Yargo’s attention.

“You want another shot, Agent Tenno?” Hayden could hear the smile in his words. He grunted.

“Be a pal and top me off, Mensik.”

#commission #written commission #writing commission #boredandblank #hayden tenno #dark sector #yargo mensik #nemesis #robert mezner #suicide tw #knife tw #violence tw #blood tw

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