#SO if going home or seeking home means to die then jason can never (attempt to) go home without death following soon after

[ekleiipsis]

despite it never explicitly being said i’ve never assumed anything but jason’s destination being wayne manor when we see him limping on the road, immediately after digging out of his grave. he screams for batman as he bangs on the wood of his casket. he’s crying. when an animal is scared, it goes home. he walks 12 and 1/2 miles. approximately 3 hours, maybe even more taking in to consideration his injuries. the paramedic tells derek brantley and his girlfriend that if they had gotten there minutes later, jason would’ve been dead. jason nearly dies trying to get home. derek and his girlfriend deny him his homecoming, but in the same process they also save his life

[slasherheadcanons]

Im feeling angsty yk. So slashers watching their s/o die. Watching them die and how would life go on with out them. Extra points if somehow they come back to life perfectly normal and they are just like "hey lmao" ✨✨✨✨

Oooh! Gotta love angsty stuff. Here you go! Enjoy.

Warning: Slight gore?

•Slashers reacting to the S/o dying then later coming back•

Michael Myers: •When you died, whether it was because of something natural or someone killed you, Michael flew into a blind rage. His heart was hurting, and unable to handle this emotion, he acts violently. He destroys everything that gets in his way. After a long few weeks, he finally stops his killing spree. But he still isn't the same. He sits by himself in your house, staring at everything. He would never admit it, but he loved and cared for you. Now that you are gone, he feels like a part of him is missing. •After a long sleepless month for Michael, he finally brings himself to go outside. He lumbers down the sidewalk, getting lost in his thoughts. Until he heard his name being called. He turns to the person, ready to snap their neck. But he freezes when he sees you standing there with a smile on your face. You looked perfectly healthy and alive. He reaches out, touching your cheek, wondering if your real or just another illusion. When he feels your warm skin against his fingers, his shoulders start shaking a little as he tries to hold in his emotions. You hug him tightly, and he hugs you back.

Bubba Sawyer: •When you died, Bubba was overcome with grief. He howled and wailed in despair as he held your body close. He wailed for hours on end, refusing to let you go. No matter what his family tried to do, he wouldn't budge. He held you close and attempted to get you to open your eyes multiple times. He didn't want to believe that you were gone. But, when reality hits him that you aren't coming back, his heart shatters. He takes you out and finds a peaceful spot on the property to bury your body. Even after burying your body, Bubba is not the same. He is quiet and rarely even makes a sound. He struggles to chase down victims and can't bring himself to sleep in his bed where both of you snuggled up together. Dayton and the twins try to cheer him up, but nothing works •Then, one day, Bubba is out helping Dayton with fixing the car. He stands with the tools in his hand, staring blankly at the ground. His head lifts when he hears another car pull up to the property. He sighs softly, just thinking it another victim to chase down. But when he sees you get out of the car, he freezes. When you see him and smile, waving your hand, he looks at Dayton to see if he was seeing the same thing. Dayton is just as shocked as Bubba. "Bubba! I am back." You call out to him, and that's all it took for Bubba to realize you are alive. He races over to you, picking up in his arms and spinning you around, squealing with joy. He doesn't know how you came back, but he is thankful you did. The whole family celebrates your return.

Jason Voorhees: •The moment you stop breathing, Jason stands there frozen for just a moment before rushing to your side. He shakes you, trying to get you to open your eyes. Silently pleading for you to open your eyes. He continues to try and wake you for hours before he finally brings himself to realize you are not going to be opening your eyes. He pulls your body close to his chest. His shoulders shake as he cries silently, unable to cry out in anguish and grief. He lost his mother, and now you as well. He clings to you for a week at least before finally pushing himself to bury your body. He finds a beautiful and peaceful spot in the forest around the campgrounds and buries you there. After your death, he isn't the same. He either sits by your grave thinking about the times you had together or wanders around the campgrounds, lost in thought. He struggles to find the will to go kill intruders. He feels so lost and alone. •But one day, while he was wandering, he heard someone call his name. He looked around before finding you running towards him with a grin on your face. He freezes in place, shocked. When you stop in front of him, he reaches out to touch your face. Thinking you are just a ghost, he touches your face. His eyes widen as he feels the warmth of your smooth skin. He looks at you as you smile. "I am back, Jason." It was all you needed to say to him. He pulls you close hugging, you tightly to his chest, afraid that the moment he lets go, you will vanish.

Asa Emory (the collector): •When you pass away, Asa tries to pretend that it doesn't bother him. That he isn't affected by your death. But deep inside, he is suffering. He tries to cover the pain and grief he feels with anger. Acting even more violently towards those in his collection. He never speaks to anyone at the college and never lets anyone see his true emotions. He struggles to sleep at night. Every time he lays in his own bed, he is reminded of all the times you would kiss him goodnight or snuggle up to his chest, seeking to be held in his strong arms. He missed everything about you, your touch, your voice, your laughter. He missed you so badly. •One day, he returned home from the college, his eyes drooping slightly with exhaustion. He has barely been able to sleep since you took your last breath. He parked the car in the driveway, sighing loudly. He may have been sleep deprived, but he still picks up on the way the front door is slightly cracked open. He narrows his tired eyes, grabbing his knife from his pocket before slowly and cautiously making his way to the door. He listened closely as he reached the door, hearing some shuffling, he quickly ran in knife raised to face the intruder. But he quickly stops in his tracks, stunned at what he sees in front of him. You stand in front of smiling while holding a tray of freshly made cookies. His eyes are wide as he starts at you slowly, lowering the knife. "Y/n?" He quietly asked in disbelief, wondering if he has finally gone insane. You smile and nod. "I am back now, Asa, and I don't plan on leaving again anytime soon." You respond with a chuckle. He sets the knife down, going over to you. He has you set the tray down before pulling you into his arms, hugging you. "If you ever leave me again, I will find a way to punish you." He mumbles in your ear, trying to sound like he isn't tearing up with joy. You laugh and kiss his cheek. "I have no doubt you will, my dearest bug boy." You reply.

Jesse Cromeans (Chromeskull): •Most likely, you got killed by Preston. So when Jesse learned that you are dead, he is furious. Jesse is terrifying, to begin with, but when he is this pissed off, he is so much worse. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to stop him from gutting Preston and shoving them down his throat. He is going to hunt him down non-stop until he is dead. After Preston is gone, he returns to your body which, Spann took care of while he was away chasing Preston. He kicks everyone else out of the room so no one can see him cry. He is a strong man but losing you is just too much to bear. He lost his ex-wife, his child, and now he has lost you. If he could speak, he would be screaming out with grief. It takes him a while to finally agree to bury you. He makes sure you are buried in the most beautiful place and brings flowers to your grave every day. •Now, when you return, Spann is the one who found you while she was out looking for Jesse's next victim. She was shocked to see you. At first, she was thinking, you were just someone else who looked a lot like you, but when you recognized her, she realizes that it's actually you. She quickly rushes you back to Jesse. Jesse was sitting at his desk when Spann barged in. He sighs through his nose, looking up to see why she came in without knocking. But when he sees you come in after her, his jaw drops. He sits there in shock. You smile at him. "There is my handsome man." You say, at that moment he recognizes it's you. He stands and quickly goes over to you, pulling you close to his chest. He forgets all about finding another victim, now spending the rest of the day holding and spending time with you.

[thebookwormfairy]

Captain The Retired Police Dog Part 6 (Final)

BookwormFairy: Sorry for taking so long, but I'm here with the final part of Captain the Retired Police Dog. I just wanted to thank everyone who've read, like, reblogged, commented, and wrote their own stuff with Captain. When I first started this I had no idea how big ot would get. I will be doing more stuff with Captain, but this is the end of this story. Thank y'all so much for accepting both me and Captain into the fandom.

-------------------------

The rest of the trip was like a dream for Marinette

Every chance they got Marinette and Damian would spend time with eachother

And after Ace met Captain she would come along on all of their outings as well

Damian would take Marinette every where in Gotham

From the fashion district to the zoo Damian made sure Marinette didn't miss out on anything

They couldn't explain it, but something just clicked with them

It was like they were meant to be

Damian even met Marinette's parents

Kinda

He video chatted with them and was actually invited over during the summer

Which he whole heartedly accepted but warned the bakers that his family might "unexpectedly" show up with him.

Only to be told that they would be more then happy to meet them as well

Basically Damian took up all of Marinette's free time

Though sometimes, much to Damian's annoyance, the other batboys would come and "kidnap" Marinette and Captain and take them back to the manor.

Marinette didn't mind it so much, except when they didn't even wait for her to get back to the hotel

When the class was done touring Luxcorp, Jason rode up on his motorcycle and took Marinette and Captain

Jason picking up Marinette and grabbing Captain's leash: Hey French people I'm taking her and her dog. Bye

Ms. Bustier: Are you okay with that Marinette?

Marinette: Yeah I know him

Ms. Bustier: Okay have fun

Jason was less then impressed with the teacher's response but took the duo anyway

Another time Tim hacked into the schedule and change the bus route to drop Marinette off at Wayne Tower

Then Dick feeling left out did the responsible (and legal) way and called Marinette's parents to get their permission to take Marinette back to the manor.

Damian was not impressed with his brothers

Neither was Bruce

On the outside at least

On the inside he was so happy to see Marinette and Captain again

Captain wasn't sure how to respond to these strange new people in his and his girl's lives

After a couple of days they did grow on him

But he still didn't let Jason pet him

Mostly because Captain found the older boy's attempts hilarious

And his girl seemed to blossom in this new pack

Captain could see that the spark that he brought back into his girl's eye turn into a whole galaxy

She was almost always smiling and laughing now

To top it all off Alix and Kim finally pulled up their big kid briches and tried to reconnect with Marinette

At first Marinette was very weary of them

And Captain out right growled at them

But slowly they were able to earn Marinette's trust back

Not enough to be able to come on Marinette's adventures with her, but enough so that Marinette would seek them out when stuck with the class

And they would seek her out

Not even Lila could bring her down

And she tried

On this trip alone Lila has stolen several of Marinette's projects, tried to get her sent home with no success, has tried to get Captain detained, and has even tried to lock Marinette in several closets throughout the city, but Marinette somehow always got out.

All in all Lila was harmless

Until the last night of the trip when Lila went too far

Damian had tagged along with the class on their finally outing in Gotham

They went to a teens club somewhere near crime alley

Which is why Damian was with them

They made sure to leave the dogs with Alfred so he could take them back to the manor.

The night was going great

Marinette spent the night dancing with Damian, Alix, and Kim

But mostly Damian

Everything was perfect

So of course Lila had to open her big fat mouth

Lila: Oh yeah I've helped super heroes all over the world. I've even helped Batman put away a few rogues.

Villian kid (Edwin) near by: Oh really who?

Lila: You know all the big guys the Riddler, the Penguin, Two-Face,

Edwin: Hm, the Riddler.....

Lila: Yeah he's not so tough.

Lila continue to bad mouth the Riddler as Edwin called his dad to tell him all about this little, french goody goody who helped but him in Jail.

Riddler over the phone: What an interesting development, I wonder if she would like to play a game? *evil laugh*

Marinette slow dancing with Damian: This has been a great night

Damian: I have to agree with you there Angel. *Damian nuzzles Marinette's hair* I don't know what I'm going to do when you leave.

Marinette: I don't either, but I know I never want this to end.

Damian: Even with my annoying brothers

Marinette: Partially because of your annoying brothers. You know I'm an only child, but I always wished I had siblings, so they're like the brothers I never had.

Damian chuckling: don't let them hear you say that. You'll never get rid of them.

Marinette: Who said I would want to. Especially with how close Captain, Ace, and Titus has become. We'll have to fly out to eachother just so they can see eachother again.

Damian smirking: oh most definitely we be terrible pet owners if we didn't

Marinette catching on: You are so right. You'll be coming to Paris during the summer so I guess I'll be coming back to Gotham during the winter.

Damian pulling Marinette closer even though it didn't seem possible: That's not soon enough.

Alix: Hey love birds you do realize that the slow song ended 2 songs ago right?

Damian glared at the pink hair girl as Marinette backed up slightly blushing

Kim: I don't think they did Alix. How cute?

Damian: Yeah yeah let's go get something to drink.

As the small group made their way towards the bar

But before they could reach it chaos erupted in the club

Teenagers were running towards the exit trying to get away from something the group couldn't see

Somehow in the made dash out Marinette was separated from Alix, Kim, and Damian as they got pushed out of the club, but Marinette was pushed further in the club and gets corralled by a group of minions dressed in green

She scanned around the group of teens that were left seeing that all her classmates made it out except for Lila who was standing in the front of the group, but was trying to get behind the frightened teens

Marinette ended up standing next to her facing on of the famous rogues of Gotham the Riddler

Riddler: Hello kitties so sorry to interrupt your night out, but I heard one of you tattletells are the reason I was thrown back in that hellhole we call a prison so I'll give the little pest a chance to step up and we'll play a little game if they win you will all be let go and the pest will die, if they lose, well you all die. Either way that person dies so come on speak up or should I just kill everybody right now.

Lila without a second thought: It was her Marinette!

Marinette: What?!?!

Lila: Yeah it is all her she was the one who was bad mouthing you.

Marinette whispering to Lila: I knew you were mean Lila, but this is just pure evil

Lila smirking at Marinette: Why so shocked Dupen-Cheng? I know you, you wouldn't put innocent lives in danger so there's no way you'll deny it and this way I can get rid of you for good.

Marinette continued to glare at the evil girl as she was pulled up towards the Riddler

Riddler: Well aren't you a little cutie. Is what the loud mouth said true are you to person who helped put me in jail?

Marinette through clenched teeth: Yes

Riddler: Well here's the game goody goody I'm going to tell you a riddle and if you answer correctly we're going to play a game of Russian rullet *Riddler holds up an old revolver* you might get killed, you might not, but if you get on wrong then you get shot with this *Riddler holds up a newer hand gun* instant death. Are you ready?

Marinette trying to hide her fear: Yes

Riddler: Oh what a brave little girl. What is full of holes. But still holds water?

Marinette a little surprised by how easy the riddle was: A spongue

Riddler holding the old gun to Marinette's forehead: Correct

Riddler pulls the trigger as Marinette flinches but only a click is heard

Riddler: Well you live for another riddle. What can you break without picking it up or touching it?

Marinette: A promise

Riddler : Correct again

Riddler repeated the process and got the same result

This process continued for another 10 minutes and both Marinette and the Riddler were starting to get annoyed

Marinette because the riddles were to easy and Riddler because she wasn't dead yet

It should be impossible for her to be still alive

The gun did not have this many rounds

Riddler growling: Okay, Jim and Kate go to the zoo and get eaten by the sea lions but nobody freaks out, why?

Marinette rolling her eyes: Now you just stealing riddles from TheOdd1sout. They're both fish.

As Marinette answers she hears a loud crashing sound

Riddler and his goons look up at the noice and Marinette takes the opportunity to escape

She swiftly pulls Riddler's belt off him causing his pants to fall

She then uses the belt to knock both the guns out of his hands the wrapping the belt around of one of his hands flips over his shoulder grabs his other arm and tie them behind his back using the belt

To add insult to injury she kicks him in the back of his knees bringing him completely down

As Marinette looks up she sees the goons being tied up by Batman and his sidekicks all with shocked looks on their faces

In fact everybody was completely shocked by what Marinette just did

Though unnoticed by her Robin's shocked faced soon turned into a lovesick smile

That's his girl

Batman walking up to Marinette: Good job civilian, we'll take it from here, there are some people waiting outside for you.

Marinette: Thank you Batman

Marinette and the rest of the captured teenagers ran out of the club as soon as possible

They were so busy trying to get away from the trauma they just experienced nobody notice Robin slipping away trying to meet his Angel up front

As Marinette made it out she was bombarded by police officers and camera flashes from reporters

Gordan: Okay boys break it up I'll take this one

Gordon wrapped his arm around the young girl who reminded him of his daughter

Gordon: I know you've been through a lot tonight but can you please tell me what happened?

Marinette nodded her head going over everything that happened including what Lila said to her

Gordon was shocked by what Marinette told him both about how she took down the Riddler and how Lila basically tried to kill her

Gordon: Okay thank you, you go over to your friends while me and my officers gather more information.

Gordon pointed her towards Alix and Kim

As she runs towards her friends she was engulfed in a group hug

Marinette pulling back from the hug: Are you guys okay? You're not hurt are you? Where's Damian? Is he okay?

Kim chuckling: Classic Marinette worrying about others instead of her self

Alix: We're fine Marinette. We got out pretty quickly but we got separated from Damian in the mad rush

Marinette got a worried look on her face as she started twisting around searching for the man she loved

Damian bursting through the crowd: ANGEL!

Marinette running towards Damian: DAMI!

The young lovers ran to eachother embracing eachother in a long hug

Marinette buried her head in his chest letting out a sob as everything caught up with her.

Damian burying his face in her hair: Shh Angel everything's okay now. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you. I should have never let go of you

Marinette sniffling into Damian's chest: It's not your fault Damian you had no control of our separation

Damian: I still should have tried harder to stay with you.

The two stayed together refusing to let eachother go afraid that if they did so the other would be lost

They stood there for 30 minutes just hugging eachother as Kim and Alix joined them trying to cheer Marinette up

Gordon walking up to the small group: Several other people collaborated with your story. Ms. Rossi will be takened to the French embassy to be held until your classes flight back to Paris tomorrow we just need to know if you want to press charges?

Damian angry: Of course she'll want to press charges! That girl tried to have her killed!

Marinette softly: I'll handle this Damian. *Marinette turns around to face Comissioner Gordon with Damian's arms still wrapped around her* I would like to press charges Mr. Gordon this has gone on too long, I would also like to look into getting a restraining order on her.

Gordon: of course, we'll make sure that Paris police force understand what happened and your request.

Marinette: Thank you

Ms. Bustier yelling: Okay everybody time to head back to the hotel.

Gordon: Wait one moment Miss but Ms. Rossi is going to be retained at the French embassy for attempted manslaughter of Ms. Dupen-Cheng

Alya: What? Is that what Marinette told you? You shouldn't listen to her she's nothing but a liar.

Gordon: Actually we're doing that not only on Ms. Dupen-Cheng's testimony of events but several other witnesses who heard and saw Ms. Rossi threaten and admit she was trying to get Marinette killed and we also have video from the security cameras showing the same thing. Boys take her away!

Lila most certainly did not go quietly she was yelling all the way to the police cruiser threatening that as soon as she was back in Paris she will be Akumatize and finish the job that Riddler couldn't

Marinette watched terrified as Lila was taken away knowing very well that she would keep her promise if given the chance

Damian tightened his hold on Marinette trying to comfort her: Dont worry Angel I won't let her do anything to you

Marinette pressed herself to Damian trying to get as much comfort from him as possible.

Ms. Bustier grabbing Marinette's arm: Come on Marinette it's time to go.

Marinette looked over at her classmates seeing the murderous glares directed towards her from some of Lila's more dedicated followers

Marinette: I don't want to go back to the hotel Ms. Bustier

Ms. Bustier sighing: Please don't be difficult Marinette. You've already caused enough trouble tonight just get on the bus before you ruin the night for everybody else

Damian: EXCUSE ME! ARE YOU-

Marinette: I'VE CAUSED ENOUGH PROBLEMS?!?!? ALL I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO IS NOT CAUSE PROBLEMS!! AND IT'S NEVER ENOUGH! WELL I'M TIRED OF BEING YOUR PERFECT EXAMPLE! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH PRESSURE THAT PUTS ON MY SHOULDERS! IT'S YOUR JOB TO TEACH YOUR STUDENTS TO BE BETTER PEOPLE NOT MINE! AS SOON AS WE'RE BACK IN PARIS I'M DONE! I'M TRANSFERING FROM YOU CLASS HELL I'M GOING TO TRANSFER TO A DIFFERENT SCHOOL IF I CAN BECAUSE I AM SO DONE! I'M DONE WITH THE BULLYING, I'M DONE WITH THE PRESSURE, AND MOST OF ALL I'M DONE WITH YOUR PACIFIST BULLSHIT!

Marinette was huffing from her outburst finally letting everything out after such a long time.

Marinette could her some clapping throughout the crowd but ignored it turning her attention to Damian.

Marinette: Do you mind if I stay at the Manor tonight?

Damian: Of course Marinette let me call Alfred to come get us and I'll escort you to your hotel room so you can gather your stuff

Marinette: Thank you

After a couple of minutes not only did Alfred show up, but so does Tim, Jason, and Dick

All ready to to kick ass and take names of anybody who even dare look at her the wrong way.

When they got to the hotel they surrounded her like a wall blocking her from reporters and classmates

Marinette gathered her stuff as fast as she could thanking herself for being smart and packing ahead of time

Once they got back to the Manor Captain tackled Marinette

Licking and cuddling into her trying to comfort his girl

He couldn't believe he let her be put in so much danger

He should have never let her out of his sight while is such a dangerous city

Captain let out a whimper trying to convey how sorry he was

Marinette: It's okay Captain I'm fine, I'm safe and everything is going to be fine better than before even.

Captain still stayed close to her side

Titus and Ace did also sensing the distress rolling of the girl followed her

As Marinette slipped into the bathroom she was finally able to comfort and thank Tikki for saving her life by using her power to make sure the bullet never got shot

And also promised to slip some cookies to her as soon as she could

After getting a good hug from each of the Wayne's and Marinette grabbing some cookies for Tikki she made her way to her guest room just wanting this night to be over.

When the Batfam was sure Marinette was in for the night they made their way down to the batcave to discuss what happened

Damian: Father if you think I'm going to let Marinette out of my sight after what happened tonight you're crazy

Bruce: Think this through Damian smothering isn't going to make her any safer it's just going to make her resent you.

Jason: I dont like it anymore than you do Demon Spawn but he's right. You can't hover over Marinette her whole life, but we do need to look into what's going on in Paris more.

Dick: You're right Jason, Rossi was saying something about being Akumatized and killing Marinette that can't be good.

Bruce: Your right Dick. So when Damian goes to Paris in a couple of weeks we'll come along and assess the situation and see if we need to step in

Damian: If Marinette gets even a scratch on her I'm going to do more than just step in I'm going to find whoever responsible and dual them to the pain

Tim: Did you just quote Princess Bride

Damian: I watched it with Marinette a couple of days ago

The rest of the batfam: Awwww

Dick, Jason, and Tim giving Brice a weird look

Bruce: Don't judge me

Marinette tried her best to fall asleep that night cuddling up to Captain but she jus couldn't

When the clock showed it was 1am Marinette decided to seek out Damian

Marinette: Captain? *perked up and looked at his girl* Can you please help me find Damian?

Captain jumped off the bed and headed to the door

Before Marinette opened the door she turned towards Tikki

Marinette: Tikki I'm going to go see if I can sleep with Damian do you want to come with or stay here?

Tikki: I'll stay here Marinette. I don't want you stressing about keeping me hidden tonight

Marinette: Okay Tikki good night.

Marinette followed Captain down a couple of doors before they stopped in front of the door

Marinette knocked on the door and after a couple of minutes Damian opened the door looking a little ruffled from sleep

Marinette: Sorry to wake you Damian, but can I please sleep with you tonight

Damian: Of course Angel come on

Damian and Marinette settled into Damian's bed seeming to fit together perfectly as Marinette rested her head on Damian's chest and he wraps his arms around her keeping her close

Captain made himself comfortable next to Titus but also lays across the young couple's legs

The next day Lila was sent on a later flight back the Fance to a town outside of Paris so that she wouldn't be akumatized by Hawkmoth and she can face the consequences of her crimes

Marinette shared a long goodbye with the Wayne's in the airport

They were nice enough to upgrade Marinette's seat to first class and even got Captain a seat so he didn't have to stay in the cargo hold

And as Marinette said her goodbyes to the people who've became her second (or third is you count Jagged, Penny, and Clara) family Captain was saying goodbye to Titus and Ace

Captain: I'm going to miss you guys so much you have become my pack and I wish I could take you with me

Titus: And I wish you could stay, I love you

Titus gave Captain a big lick to the side of his face

Captain: Thanks Titus, I... love you too

Titus: I'm going to cry

Ace giggling: Thanks for that Titus

Ace nuzzling Captain's neck: I love you Captain I wish we can stay together.

Captain nuzzling her back: I wish I could to your my mate and I hate to be away from you for so long, but my girl needs me, but I heard our humans talking and they do plan to visit eachother again so we will be together again. One day permanently I can tell.

As the girl and her dog boarded the plane they may be leaving their loves behind today but it won't be forever

Thanks to this trip Marinette is a stronger person, and Captain learned to be a little softer

As Kim pass he tried to give Captain a pat on the head only for Captain to give him a little growl before he could

Like I said he learned to be a LITTLE softer

Bonus

2 weeks after returning from Paris Marinette recieved a very interesting call from Damian

Damian: Hey Angel weird question but is Captain fixed

Marinette: Oh no, after everything that happened to him it just seemed cruel to do that to him too. Why?

Damian: Because Ace is pregnant Captain is the only one who could be the father

Marinette shocked: What?

Marinette looking at Captain: You little hound dog.

Captain: What?

@felicityroth @northernbluetongue @mystery-5-5 @sidefrienda @tbehartoo @hypnosharkrebeldreamer @sonif50 @t-nikki10 @dawnwave16

[sweet-sammy-kisses]

Stars In Your Eyes Chapter 1

For the @jaytimweek  Day 1: Space Pairing: JayTim Rating: Mature Notes: I had hoped to have this done completely but health and my muse wanting to make it longer derailed those plans but I love JayTim in space to much to quit. Warnings: One scene of suicide and talk of victim blaming. Summary: Tim along with his friends take to the stars for a "short" break and mission only to decide to stay. When the Outlaws begin looking for them it becomes a chase among the stars as Jason and Tim take on an interesting and unique way of flirting. You can also read it on AO3

After a fallout between him, Dick, Bruce and the others Tim had set out to prove that he could fly on his own only there were those who wouldn't let him, his true family vowed to be with him every step he took.

Staring out the window there were days that Tim could hardly believe that this was his life now. To see the stars and planets up close. To see nebulas colours twisting and twirling around one another creating sights to behold.

"These are the voyages of Young Justice, seeking out those who would harm the innocent and basically just be jerks. To kick some ass and save the day while looking awesome as we do it."

A long-drawn-out sigh escaped Tim as he heard Bart start to narrate their day again, "I should have never let you watch Star Trek." Tim muttered into his hand.

Conner let out a laugh at Tim's comment, "Dude, you made us sit through and watch Star Trek and Star Wars so we could see how epic they were and get our opinions on which franchise is better." Tim's so-called best friend reminded him.

And okay Conner was right about that once Tim learned that neither Bart nor Conner had seen either Star Wars or Star Trek he had made it his mission to change that and now he was regretting it so much.

Tim had hoped when he found Bruce that things would change, that Dick would take apologize for his actions, would want him back as his little brother. Would stand beside him and speak to the Justice League that he was wrong as were they for turning their backs on a teenager who had lost everyone he loved.

But none of that happened.

Tim knew that Dick had a lot on his plate, stepping up to be Batman as well as raise the demon brat but he thought that Dick had missed him as much as he had missed his big brother but he had hardly spoken to him.

That added salt to the open wounds Tim was still carrying. So when a Raven suggested that Tim take a much-needed break one that would do Kon and Bart good as well, coming back from the dead could mess a person up and it was best that they take some time to heal.

Plus no one was brave enough to say no to Raven, if she wanted you to take a break you would even if that break ended up being in a demon demission.

Bart still had his hidden space ship and Tim had seen how much Jason enjoyed being out here and it had truly helped him to control his pit madness.

It was supposed to be a two-week trip then they ended up helping stop kidnapping and then they saved a planet from being enslaved and then something else came up and now they had been in space for six months and none of them were in a hurry to head home.  

Somehow they had managed to become Space Vigilantes.

And as Tim glanced around looking at Bart, Conner, Cassie, Cass and Helena looking at home on the ship and then done to Dex-Starr that was purring away on his lap Tim realized that it had been years since he felt this at peace.

Jason had always thought that he was going to remain the black sheep of the Wayne family he never thought that his perfect replacement would tell Bruce and Dick to go screw themselves, give up his claim to the Wayne name and take off with his best friends into parts unknown.

Of course, that didn't mean that just because Tim was done with them it didn't mean they were done with Tim of course it had taken three months Tim returning to take Cass and Helena with him before it sunk in their "family" thick heads that Tim was serious he wasn't coming back. So when Oracle failed in hiding them they turned to their last resort.

A loud laugh escaped Jason as he stared at the face of his so-called brother, "You want me to help you find the kid that you tossed aside for the demon child who tried to kill him more than I did? Who from the moment he arrived used Timmy as his verbal, emotional and physical punching bag and to this day still does. You have got to be kidding me Dickface. Tim did the smart thing and the healthy thing to get away from that toxic and I ain't dragging the kid back to it."

Jason couldn't understand Dick when it had been him riding the pit madness and Talia's poisons whispers in his ear trying to kill Tim Dick had been protective and willing to go one on one with Jason but when it was Damian he was basically victim-shaming Tim into not being okay with Damian's treatment of him.

A sigh escaped a tired-looking Dick and Jason would have felt sorry for him if this wasn't of his own making. And if he hadn't seen the damage Damian's treatment and Dick, Bruce and even Alfred's lack of setting boundaries first hand.

Jason had been searching for Tim for a while. He wanted to make amends with the younger man. He had heard about the fallout between Replacement and the rest of the Bats but the last thing he expected was to see Tim standing on top of Wayne Enterprise's arms spread out wide as he took a step off of the ledge and let himself fall.

Jason could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he forced himself to go faster, he couldn't be late he had to catch Tim. Too much blood had been spilt and he wouldn't let another Robin die.

Once he had Tim in his arms did Jason remember how to breathe. Landing on the nearby roof Jason ripped off his helmet, "What the hell was that replacement?"

Haunted blue eyes looked up at him, "Why did you save me, Jason?"

At that moment Jason felt like he was back in his coffin.

The look in Tim's eyes and the lack of emotions still haunted Jason to this day and he might not be able to do much but he can keep Tim safe.

"Look Jason, I get that things haven't been easy for Tim but it is time that he got past his tantrum and returned home." Dick couldn't understand why Tim was acting like this and to make matter worse Raven and Gar were refusing to talk to him about Tim and about allowing Damian onto the team.

Frustrated that they were just going around in circles Jason ran a hand through his hair, "Look Dickie I  know firsthand what training with the league was right and I know the demon brat had it rough but until you set boundaries for him, ones that include not trying to kill his brother, or using him as an emotional and physical punching bag I ain't helping you find Timbit."

Dick fell to his automatic defence, "Damian has changed and Tim is older." He winced at the look not only Jason gave him but also Roy and Kory. "Look I know Damian can be a little much but he has changed so much."

"No one is denying that you haven't worked wonders with the brat but you are still blind to how he treats Tim and that isn't healthy." Jason countered.

"Also have you gotten around to fixing Tim's standing in the hero community or is he still called the insane Robin?" Roy spoke up he had experienced firsthand what it was like to be the black sheep of the hero community, to hear the whispers and judgemental eyes watching your every move waiting for you to screw up and he refused to let Tim go through that as well.

The wince that crossed Dick's face was answer enough.

A soft sigh escaped Kory as she looked at her one-time love, "Dick, there is no denying that you had much to handle when we thought Bruce was lost from wearing the cowl to raising an abused boy that you let Tim slip through the cracks. Tim had lost so many in his life in a short time that losing Robin, his place in the community and his big brother all at once has left deep scars that have yet to heal."

Jason and Roy saw the effect that Kory's words had on Dick as he looked ashamed, "He had me." Dick whispered.

"Did he?" Jason demanded. "Because I remember he had a big brother that told him a neglected and abused teen that he needed to take the kill attempts, the verbal and emotional abuse from Damian because he was older. Because Damian's horrible upbringing somehow made Tim invalid. That he as the victim should just take it because how dare he wants to feel safe in a place he once thought of as home with the people he thought of as family. Only to be tossed aside and ignored as he was repeatedly attacked. Until you can look me in the eye and tell me that you have talked to Damian and the rest of the heroes I won't be helping you find Tim." With that, Jason cut the communication with Dick.

Letting out a sigh Jason relaxed back into his chair.

"So what are we doing?" Roy asked.

They had heard rumours of a bunch of teens, teens that happened to match the description of a certain team of young heroes who had taken off for a mission only once it was completed they sent back a message that they were staying in space helping out others and they weren't that far away.

Opening his eyes Jason's lips curved up into a smile as he purred out, "We have a bird and his flock to hunt."

[bittermarrow]

Imagine Slashers With an Angel S/O: (part 2) Michael Myers

Sorry that it took me forever to finish this! This is also more of a tiny fic than Jason’s was since it got so lengthy and has a more in-depth meeting scene. (I’ll be doing Bubba’s next!)

Warnings: Nsfw at the end, but nothing graphic.

Words: 3900+ (This is embarrassingly long T-T )

Michael

Michael knows what angels are, the family he spent six years with was religious enough for him to know. Did he really care about all that stuff? No. The point is he knows or at least he assumes that's what you are when he finds you, well, in all reality you found him. It was very hard to find someone who doesn't want to be found, and you made a conscious effort to avoid any and all human contact. You didn’t like humans very much, or talking to them so you kept a low profile.

You lived in a small house you rented from the old man that had originally found you when you fell, he was nice enough- and religious enough to offer you a place to live. He and his daughter were trying to move, and apparently, no one wanted the house, so if anything he was more grateful of you taking it off his hands than you were receiving it. With the promise of protection of his family and all that God stuff, it was a bit shady for you but you were desperate.

You’re stuck living on Earth now, your wings saw no real use indoors, and since you never left you never flew. Your misuse of them is leading you down a path of some pretty bad wing cramping, so you'd have to get a good couple of flights in soon. It's not like anyone was roaming out and about anymore, Haddonfield had gotten itself quite the gruesome reputation after all.

You had heard about all the murders that went on around this time of year, you may be an outsider, but you did own a TV.

There was a barely recognizable, blurry photo of the killer’s masked face plastered all over the news station you kept on literally all day. The background noise makes you feel less alone, you may purposely isolate yourself, but that doesn't mean you don't get lonely.

It was the quiet life that most people would die for, but it really isn't all that it appears to be. You can see the appeal, but sometimes you really wished you had friends.

And then you found him, Michael Myers, The Boogeyman of Haddonfield, The infamous escapee of Smith’s Grove, being chased by cops and jumping your fence.

Why in the hell you had shouted, “Hey!” and beckoned him into your home was beyond you. It really was pitiful how lonely you must be to let in a mentally deranged psycho killer into your home.

After a long stare, he inevitably entered, seeking shelter from the police rather than the heavy downpour, and was now dripping all over the hardwood floors of your kitchen. You looked up at the towering man, only slightly beginning to regret letting him in. Why had you let him in? Maybe it was some sick form of sympathy, or maybe you just finally lost the rest of your fucking marbles, because no mentally stable person with any sort of intelligence or common sense should ever attempt to house a sociopathic serial killer.

But you did.

And there was no going back now.

The stove light caught and reflected against the cold metal in his hand, and as he stared you swallowed the dread and turned on your heel, disappearing into the hallway. The feathered drapes of white and black that dragged behind you as you padded across the creaking floors did not go unnoticed by the motionless stranger’s watchful eyes.

When you returned he had moved further into the kitchen observing his surroundings, you passed him and set a folded up blanket, a towel, and a pillow on one of the cushions of your couch. When you turned around he was inches away from you, you didn’t even hear him move. You held his soulless stare for a minute, and then walked around him and back into the hall to retire for the night. He watched you leave, with a loose grip around the handle of the stained steel blade. Maybe God really wouldn’t let him die after all…

.   .   .

When you woke the next morning, you crept out of the hallway and as you went to prepare your morning coffee you threw a sideways glance over to the couch. It was empty, no sign of the monster that you’d sheltered last night. But the bunched up blanket half-hanging off the cushion, and the slightly damp towel hanging over the back of the sofa told you he had no doubt been there all night. As you poured your coffee you noticed an empty slot in your rarely used knife block, puzzled, you looked around for it and saw an unfamiliar knife stained with dried blood laying on your counter.

It was not in bad enough shape to be considered useless, so the only other explanation for him leaving it was that he would be coming back for it. And for a moment -just a fleeting breath of a second, you felt the heavy gloom that had kept your mood dark for years, lifted at the thought of someone else's company. For once you didn’t mind rotting here than hot tubbing with Hades down below after you'd been banished, like you were certain you would have, had you not escaped in time.

You decided to keep the back door unlocked, just in case he did come back.

.   .   .

You turned out to be right when night fell and you heard the loud screech of tires skidding across asphalt, the screaming of sirens and flashing blue and red lights shining through your windows, illuminating the darkness of the room as you sat in front of the television. Your feathers stood up on end at the sound of your back door creaking open and slamming shut, and then light footsteps across your kitchen floors.

From the couch you watched Michael return the borrowed blade into its rightful spot in your knife block, swiping the familiar knife off of the marble countertop, which had been cleaned of gore. He stopped in the entryway of the living room his head tilting to the side as he caught your eyes.

You searched his eyes, but you found nothing but cold blankness in them, was he really human? Creating space for him to sit down if he chose to, your eyes transfixed themselves back onto the TV, and your fingers pulled the blanket around your shoulders a bit tighter.

You had forgotten how uncomfortable it was to be stared at, it'd been so long...

To your surprise, you felt the couch cushion shift with someone else's weight and a quick glance to your left confirmed that he had sunk down beside you— on the opposite end of the sofa, of course, keeping some space between you. You could feel his eyes on you, specifically on your wings when they shifted with a soft rustle against the back of the couch, and while you couldn’t blame him for his interest, it was still uncomfortable.

You decide to bravely turn your head and meet his eyes straight on, and you notice his dark, shaded eyes widen a fraction. But as soon as the change appeared it was gone just as quickly, his blank stare boring into your soul through the eye-holes of that dirty white-faced mask.

Seeing his face obscured by the rubber skin only strengthened the urge to look away, this guy really had the fear factor working for him. What's scarier than a psychotic murderer? One you don't know the face of. It sounds like such an unfulfilling death… not even being able to remember the face of your killer in whatever afterlife existed.

“Your name is Michael, right?” You rasp blatantly, your voice scratchy from misuse as it leaves your throat. You don’t expect him to reply, and he doesn’t. But his head tilts, much like an owl’s would, and you knew his name and bits and pieces from the news but wanted to see how he’d react— if at all to you asking. “Thought so.”

Michael continues to glare at you as if there was a specific detail about you that he didn't like.

“Do you talk? or are you just going to stare menacingly until I leave?” You manage to croak, intending to sound humorous but it came out more bitter than you'd meant.

He didn't acknowledge your attempt at a joke in the slightest, his eyes burning holes into the side of your head.

“Ah, you must be quite the strong silent type, the ladies must love you.” You let out a short chuckle, too tired to really care if you were annoying him, which you most likely were.

You turned your attention back to the flashing colors on the TV, the headlines of the news reporting several murders that no doubt had been committed by the man you so casually had let into your home. You were testing your luck with this, it was like letting in a stray cat, you never know if it’s rabid or if it's too wild to be a house pet. Best case scenario, it's going to have a few fleas and can be fixed with some TLC. Whatever the worst case scenario was you didn’t want to think about it.

You think of mentioning your own name, although you doubt he truly cares, you decide to tell him anyways.

“I’m, Y/N, by the way.” While you're unsure if he's tuning you out or not you continue, trying to shake your nerves.

“You can stay here if you want.” You can feel Michael’s eyes, but don’t bother to look back, instead, you answer whatever questions he may or may not have been silently asking. “Don’t bother to ask why. I don’t really know either.”

And that's true, you don't know why you're offering for him to stay, especially considering he that he still had a knife in hand and could easily bury it into your skull if he so chose to, at any moment your life could be cut short. And based on his size and whatever motivation he has to slaughter people, he would be able to overpower you easily.

A sickening shiver of pleasure envelopes your body at the thought, and you feel extremely weirded out by your body’s reaction to it. What the hell is wrong with you? You hide your inner conflict and clear your throat, speaking a lot less uneasily this time around.

“I don’t care what you do, but if you decide to stay I leave leftovers in the fridge and the bathroom’s down the hall, the first door on your right.”

You feel silly adding in all those details. like you knew he’d stay. Your cheeks inevitably go a bit pink at how lame you must sound. Why should you care if he starves or can’t find the bathroom? You convince yourself that it’s that sick kind of pity from the night prior, and decide to go with that, it makes the most sense to you. You sigh and get up from the couch letting the blanket slip back onto the couch and walking to fetch another pillow from your linen closet.

When you re-emerge from the hallway Michael is laying down with the blanket draped over himself, the small thing not nearly big enough to cover his feet and you are shocked to find it… oddly… —nevermind. You hold out the pillow to him and he slowly grabs it, not bothering to linger you briskly turn on your heel to leave when a hand catches your left wing. It’s enough to make you jump and let out a short shriek, you try to push out of his grasp, but it’s a futile attempt. He's much stronger than you are. Panic starts to set in as you consider your options, knowing escape isn't one of them. You look down at him, not sure if you're scared or just uncomfortable with being touched to the point of beginning to tremble.

“Let go- that hurts.”

He does, and you return to your room. You don’t know why he stopped you, but you’re not about to ask, you absentmindedly feel around the spot where his cold hand had been. Did he just want to touch you?- No, that was stupid, you were being stupid. You slip under the covers and shut out the world for another night of meaningless dreams.

So they are real. Michael had first thought you were one of those adults who were ‘never too old’ to dress up for Halloween, and when you had irritatingly not taken your ‘costume’ off after the holiday had passed he had begun to question if it really was fake. A childish thought, but when you flinched he had no doubt in his mind that those wings were attached to your back.

He stares at the plain white ceiling and lays flat on the couch, he thinks about your actions from the last night and just now. He's never had someone willingly let him into their house before, better yet invite him in. Surely with all the TV you seem to watch you know who he is, then… why? Your behavior towards him is shockingly indifferent. Like he isn't a cold-blooded murder machine with little to no sentiment or empathy, it's almost insulting.

He doesn't have to try to be intimidating, his sheer height alone is already effective enough without the extra nightmare fuel. He feeds on making people suffer, seeing their blood stain his hands and watching their faces turn blue with death. Why weren't you afraid of him? You should be, and you were for a moment when he'd reached for you.

But still, you had let him stay.

You are interesting to him, an angelic kind of figure, yet somehow darker. Your lack of fear of him must have something to do with your inhuman-ness, and while he doesn't really understand your apparent interest in him, he cannot say he hates it.

For now, you are simply a convenience to him, a place to crash and a roof over his head that isn't full of doctors and other mentally disturbed patients with petrified nurses is too good of to pass up. You're offering a good deal that he's not opposed to, at least that's how he sees it. He'll keep you alive until his urges force him to kill you, which could very well be soon if you get annoying.

.   .   .

It’s been months and Michael hasn’t grabbed you like that again, and you don’t bring it up, doing so would probably only earn you silence. You’ve grown used to having him around at night, and sometimes during the day, he decides to pop up. You can only assume what he does when he’s gone, and although the idea of letting him murder innocent people isn’t something that sits well on your conscience you’ve learned to live with it. Learned to live with him.

He’s grown on you somehow, it’s strange how easily you coexist together now. 90% of the time he is distant and seemingly uninterested in anything you say. But you spend an awful lot of time together, sometimes you can get him to play board games with you. He is unfairly good at them too, and you have the presence of mind to tell he likes playing them, he was always more relaxed. You have taken an initiative to talk to him. Even when you know he won’t talk back you still enjoy your conversations, no matter how one-sided they may be.

You don't know it, but he thoroughly enjoys listening to you speak, he has taken a liking to your voice. It's calming, and it's different, he was in constant silence for years at Smith’s Grove the only noises being moans of pain, meaningless chatter among staff and… Loomis. He listens a lot more than you give him credit for, and although he is often unresponsive overall, he likes that you continue to talk to him.

He doesn't want to admit it, even to himself, but he really has grown attached to you. He couldn't think of harming you now, even as unpredictable as his urges are, and when he does get them he goes out. It's better for him to separate himself from you when he’s overwhelmed by the voices in his head, telling him to hurt, to kill, to make others suffer. You're safer with him gone when he's like that, and he realizes this.

But it becomes harder to leave your side as a year goes by, he stays for days at a time now, sometimes your mere presence is enough to keep his murderous impulses at bay. Michael hasn't had someone that cared for him in his life in a very long time, and while he insists that he doesn't need to be loved he’s already making exceptions for you.

Only you can touch him, only you can soothe him, only you get to see the weaker side of Michael that is still hurting. He even let you teach him how to sign so he could communicate with you without having to talk, which you knew he didn't like doing.

He doesn’t realize how dependent you are on him, he's more thoughtful than he gives himself credit for. He notices everything, so he knows when you are upset or angry or simply having a bad day. Whether or not he is in the right place in his mind to attempt to comfort you is unpredictable, but he is trying.

He isn't the best at showing you that he cares but you know he does, he just struggles with expressing himself after all he's been through. But a particular quality about angels is they can sense discontentment in people who they are close enough to, so inevitably you begin to learn how to notice when he needs to be comforted. Michael won't initiate cuddling or let you hold him for long, but it helps him feel safe. He feels protected when he's in your arms and that can frustrate him, too many overwhelming emotions at once can lead to him pushing you away.

Don't worry, he'll always come back to you. He just needs time.

.   .   .

You can hardly call your relationship platonic anymore, you don't think you've been ‘just friends’ since the first time you felt his chapped lips crushing against yours one night. Not the mask’s lips, his lips. You can't recall what had originally encouraged him to kiss you or why his mask was off, but you were glad it happened.

In the beginning, he only let you press small kisses to the rubber lips if his mask, and for after awhile you were convinced he just he hadn't liked it and refrained from kissing him anymore. Suffice is to say, he noticed and became confused when you stopped doing it, he never told you to stop.

Michael began initiating affection more after that, but the mask stayed on for a while even after being together so long.

One of Mikey’s very favorite things about you were your wings, he has a bit of an odd fascination with them. He touches them quite a lot. You could be in his lap or his head in yours, or simply walking by and you’d feel him reach out to give them a good pet. You can't say you minded even if you did find it odd, you embraced any and all affection that Michael had to offer. This is because there were only a few times where he's loose enough to touch you without you asking him to.

He's moved from the couch into your bed to sleep since your first few encounters, and you'd found he slept much easier when he was close to you. Something about being around you comforted him and kept the night terrors at bay, there were often times where he would hallucinate or wake up from nightmares.

The first time it happened he jolted awake and reached out to grab you as if in fear that you were gone. You were half-asleep and he was shaking, so you rolled over onto your stomach so you could snake an arm around his shoulder and draped a wing over his front to keep him still.

“It’s just a bad dream, Mikey, go back to sleep.” Michael relaxed slightly under your touch, both of his arms had locked themselves tightly around you in his scramble to find you. Sensing he was still tense and not liking how tightly he was squeezing you, you mumbled something to him.

“You're safe… “

And that's when he realized how much he needed you, and that thought alone scared him more than his nightmare had.

.   .   .

From then on your wings have changed from a fascination to a comfort. when you do cuddle it's best to keep at least one of your feathered limbs wrapped around him. He feels secure when he's being held by you, and the more security he finds in you the longer he will allow you to hold him.

He keeps knives stashed everywhere in your house in case of emergencies, behind pictures, inside vases, between the couch cushions… hell, you'd poured yourself a bowl of cereal once and a knife fell out of the box into your mini wheats. No one fucked with your cereal. You had definitely scolded him for that, you didn't mind so much that he kept blades around the house, but in your cereal box? That's too far.

Heaven forbid someone walks into your house uninvited or with the intention to harm you, the thought of someone hurting you is enough to deny him into a boiling murderous rage. The few times your home has been invaded you've had the worst of gorey messes to clean, how the fuck did he get blood on the ceiling?

It’s not just the mess he made of your house that bothered you the most, it was the mess he would make of himself mentally afterward. When Michael thinks you have been put in danger he brings clinginess to a whole new level, he will follow you around the house for days. He even sits outside the bathroom door!

The truth is, he’s afraid to leave you alone, and it's that paranoia, that fear of losing you that makes him cling. You won't change his mind so don't bother trying to get alone time, the only thing you can do is wait it out until he can trust himself again.

NSFW

Intimacy with Michael is something that doesn't take long to develop, you've gotta realize that this man spent most of his life in a Sanitarium, so he has a lot of pent up sexual frustration.

But since sex is something Michael knows only so much about you are going to have to be his teacher. You will also have to remind him constantly to be patient in the beginning. He's eager and while that's good and all… have you seen how big he is? Like, he's definitely proportional down south so if you don't remind him to go slow he'll end up hurting you.

It doesn't take him long to learn though, he'll rarely need to be reminded of where to touch you. He’s pretty intuitive and prefers to learn things on his own, so just let him explore if you have the patience. One sensitive place he found on his own was your wings. The absolutely obscene noise you made when he had first reached down to get a good handful of feathers told him all he needed to know. Just make sure you don’t try to drag things out for too long, if there’s anything at all that Michael lacks the patience for, it’s intimacy.

[onlyinmyimagination]

Keeping Tabs | pt. 2 | His Side

Red Hood/Jason Todd X (Female) Reader/Character Insert

Mafia AU

Warnings: violence, implied violence, death, blood, guns, slight torture

This is the same as pt. 2 of Keeping Tabs but this one is written from Jason’s point of view/perspective sorta. You don’t have to read the original pt. 2 to read this, you’ll still be able to understand the story. 

Prompt: During a bank robbery you’re surprised when the criminals seem to recognize you and retreat in fear. Only later do you learn that your high school sweet heart crush now runs a global crime syndicate and has you placed on a “No Harm” list. You decide to pay them a visit You meet your crush again after all these years. 

Part 1 // Part 1: His Side // Part 2

Jason stands from his spot on the roof as he peers over the edge of the building. He had successfully rewired the surveillance cameras around your home to loop for the next hour but fortunately not much time passes before you appear around the corner. 

He moves with quiet urgency and restrained excitement. A mischievous grin appears on his face as he hops down to the ground and lithely lands to block your path. A yelp reaches his ears at his entrance. 

He feels a little guilty for scaring you so he attempts to appease your frightened state with a greeting, “Hey, doll. It’s been awhile.” 

“Ja—no, I mean, Red Hood,” he hears you stutter. Ah, you must be so confused and he doesn’t blame you. He’s been pulling you every which way, almost forcing you to adapt to his pace. But that is exactly why he hopes to change it, to take this relationship with you slowly, despite the unusual circumstances. He doesn’t want to one-sidedly pull you along anymore, and he hopes today would set a steady pace for the rest of your relationship. 

“Sorry I’m late. I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.” Always waiting, he thinks guiltily. In a sulky gesture, he takes a step toward you and holds his hand out, seeking to touch you. A smile pulls at the corners of his lips when you take his hand with a bashful smile of your own

“It’s okay. I’m still being watched and I don’t want them to catch you.” His smile turns into a wide grin at your words and he weaves your fingers together with his. “But is it okay for you to be here?” 

He blinks. He had been so absorbed in the moment that he had completely forgotten he was out in the open. “Oh. That reminds me,” he mumbles while gently tugging you into a nearby alley. “The cops will probably figure out the cameras are set on loop soon. This way.” He delves further into the shadows to find a more comfortable place to talk. 

“Where are we going?” 

Jason can sense the uneasiness in your voice. He answers simply, “Away from the surveillance cameras and windows.” The night vision feature built into his helmet allows him to navigate through the dark alleyways quickly. After getting far enough from the street he says, “Okay. This should be fine.” 

“Jason?” he hears you whisper next to him. He turns to face you and he realizes it must’ve been difficult for you to move in the dark. Your inability to see must have contributed to your uneasiness. He sees the hesitation in your face as you struggle to find the words the say, so he speaks first. 

“I really wanted to see you,” he confesses, squeezing your hand lightly as a show of sincerity and maybe an apology as well. “I missed you so much and I wanted to see you sooner but...” What could he say? You both knew the reason why he had to stay away. But he wanted to prove you meant more to him than he led on. You’ve already doubted him the moment he revealed himself to you. It was honestly a miracle that he got this far. 

Your voice cuts his train of thought. “I wanted to see you, too.” 

“Really?” He looks at your face in surprise. Everything seems so one-sided on his part. Your words are unexpected but hearing them causes euphoria to wash over him.  

A smile graces your lips. “Yeah.” 

“I thought I was the only one,” he says, more to himself than to you. He shakes his head lightly to refocus himself on the purpose of the visit. “I think it’s about time we have our first date. What do you think?” Just because he’s a crime boss doesn’t excuse the fact he hasn’t taken you out on a proper date. 

“A date? Right now?” you ask incredulously. 

“Yeah, why not? Let’s have a dinner date,” Jason says lightly though he’s inwardly bounding with excitement. He doesn’t have any expectations but he’s hopeful. 

You nod hesitantly. “Sure.” 

He can’t contain himself as he exclaims excitedly, “Alright! What do you feel like eating? Tell me your heart’s desire.” He doesn’t let go of your hand as he once again takes the lead through the alleyways. He gently pulls you along, guiding you through the dark. 

He chuckles upon hearing your answer: “Pancakes.” 

“Breakfast for dinner? Not a problem.” He knows of a wonderful diner and though it is quite far, it’s hidden from prying eyes. 

He finds his motorcycle where he left it and as he approaches you ask him, “Is that yours?” 

“Yup,” he answers as he lifts the seat to grab the extra motorcycle helmet stored inside. “And this is for you.” He turns to you and slides the helmet on for you. You obediently stay still as he secures the helmet in place. “Safety first, little daredevil,” he says in a mildly teasing tone. 

“Daredevil? Me?” you ask in a confused tone. 

“Well, yeah. You’re the one about to go on a night ride with the head of a global crime syndicate,” he counters. It’s times like this when he wonders if you understand the choices you’ve been making. “Did you forget?”

“No. Maybe. I don’t know,” you ramble, becoming flustered. “It’s just that you’re much more than that—you're my first love.” Jason stills at this, and almost misses your next words. “And I know you won’t hurt me.” 

He takes a second to process your reply and steps back, almost afraid of what you might say next. “Damn it,” he mutters. He has to fight the desire to reach out and touch you, and even he doesn’t know what he’d do once he did that. “Sorry. Listen, um,” he stutters a little and it’s embarrassing to be at a loss for words, though he knew he’d become a mess in front of you, “we haven’t even had a first date yet and I’m just about ready to whisk you away. Please refrain from saying things like that, okay? I’m barely hanging on by a thread here.” 

“Sorry,” you say timidly, unsurely. 

He clears his throat and decides to ask you the question that’s been nagging him the moment the words left your lips. “So, is that your answer? Last time we saw each other I pretty much proclaimed my love for you. I wasn’t expecting you to say it back right away, and I certainly did not expect that just now.” Telling him he was your first love is not much of a confession, far from the equivalent of saying ‘I love you.’ Or maybe it is. Maybe everything is not as one-sided as he previously thought. He leans against the motorcycle behind him and he takes your hand in his. “I was ready to keep chasing after you—get you to fall in love with me, you know?” 

“Huh? But I said I wanted to be with you, didn’t I?” At this point, he thinks you’ll both just be running in circles with lines never quite crossing. 

“Yeah, but me being your first love is something you failed to mention. You may have agreed to be with me but you never said anything about love...” Jason lets the remaining words die, suddenly feeling shy about the frustration he’s feeling. 

Then you answer shyly, and he thinks that he is as embarrassed as you look in this moment, “I thought it was implied that I’ve loved you all this time. I’ve been wanting to talk to you since high school. I never really forgot you and, I think, maybe, I’ve always been waiting for you.” 

Jason feels his chest tighten and he doesn’t know what to do. He had already told you, warned you, his self-control has a limit. Holding onto your hand helps keep him grounded but it takes all his strength to stay in place and not jump you then and there. With a sigh he hangs his head in exasperation. “Are you doing this on purpose?”

Your answer is slow and questioning, as if just realizing you may have said something you shouldn’t have. “No?” 

He decides to cease suspecting you and, with a shake of his head, he says, “Let’s get going before I kidnap you. I want to date you properly and I’m not about to skip all the steps of dating, no matter how much you tempt me.” His tone is teasing but there’s truth to his words despite your obliviousness. 

“Hey, that’s not what I’m doing! I’m not trying to do anything like that!”  

He’s already turned away from you, ready to mount his bike, and he’s glad he isn’t looking at your face. He can just imagine the pout of your lips and he’s sure he would’ve done something he’d regret if he saw it. And that would just defeat the purpose of this whole night, wouldn’t it? “Yeah, yeah. Are you ready to begin our long overdue date?” He mounts the motorcycle in a swift movement and starts the engine. “Hop on.” 

He feels you settle behind him and having your arms around his waist feels nice. Much nicer than he had expected. But dwelling on that would be a huge mistake so he pushes those thoughts out and he focuses on getting to the next destination without completely falling apart in your hands. 

The ride to the diner is longer than he expected but he gets there eventually. He parks the motorcycle at the side of the restaurant and waits for you to dismount. He then removes his red helmet and, along with your helmet, stashes it away in the seat compartment. As a safety measure, he zips up his jacket before leading you into the diner. There’s an air of nervousness and it’s severely awkward as you both attempt to settle into your seats. He admires your effort to engage in small talk to break the tension. It is a tension from advancing into the relationship almost entirely out of order and a tension in the desperate attempt to make up for lost time. 

Then you ask about the No Harm List. 

“Oh. Well, it’s not much of a list,” he admits with a pause, and thinks, only your name is on my List, then continues, “more of a warning actually. Groups are required to be informed about the individuals protected by it so they’ll know who they’re not supposed to target. It’s kind of self-explanatory, really. Most underworld groups have some kind of List like that. There are Hit Lists and Kill Lists but the No Harm List is the opposite.” 

“Then that means other, um, criminals know me?” you ask. He surmises having your name being well-known in the criminal world would make anyone uncomfortable. 

Jason turns sheepish, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he answers honestly, “Unfortunately, yeah. Some cops and federal agents, too—you know, the bad ones. But it’s meant to serve as a warning to steer clear of you! I did it to keep you safe and out of danger, but I only put you at the very center of it all. Things weren’t supposed to happen this way.” He looks at you apologetically.  

You look back at him with understanding and reply, “I’m not mad. It brought me to you, after all.” It’s the other way around, he thinks to himself, but his gaze softens when he sees your smile. “We never would’ve met again. But now we have a chance to... be together, so it’s okay.” 

Your expression turns bashful and he’s amused to see that you really are aware of how forward the things you say are. But he can’t help but agree with you. He leans in to take your hand atop the table and says, “Yeah. I just wanted to be in your life so badly.” He absentmindedly fiddles with your fingers as he says what’s been on his mind. “I wanted you to look at me again. I wanted to touch you and hold you. I wanted to love you properly... but I still can’t do that, can I? The police are still monitoring your every move because they’re still looking for me. They’re expecting to find a connection between us. They’re right, of course, but it’s still really annoying. I can’t take you on proper dates. I can’t call you. I can’t contact you unless I plan for all the factors ahead of time. It’s frustrating. I’m half serious about kidnapping you, by the way.” 

“I don’t doubt it.” 

Jason looks at your playful smile and realizes you’re trying to lighten the mood, and then gives you a smile of his own. “As much as it pains me, it’s time to get you home now. We can’t have the cops suspecting you even more than this, especially if you’re not home by fuck o’clock.” 

Your face contorts a bit at his words, but a smile appears immediately after. “Guess I have a curfew.” 

“A crime boss dating a girl with a curfew,” Jason declares humorlessly, though he is thoroughly amused by the unimaginable circumstance he finds himself in. “Sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud.” This is all the result of his actions however, and by no means are you at fault, so he has no choice but to accept it. He stands and helps you up from your seat. He smiles at you as you step close to him and he looks forward to the day everything will settle down. 

The ride back feels shorter than the ride there. He steers the bike into a dark alleyway a few blocks away from your house and remains silent as he parks and kills the engine. He feels you slide away from him and when you remove your helmet he gloomily says, “I wish I didn’t have to take you home.” He also dismounts and takes off his own helmet. His only thoughts are of the next time he can be with you and he declares, “I’m sure I can work out some way to see you again and get you away from the cops.” 

You tell him you’ll wait for him and he brightens instantly. Why are you always willing to wait for him? How could such a simple thing make him so happy? He takes the helmet from your grasp as he brings himself closer to you. You quietly ask him, “You’ll protect me, right?” 

He answers with zero hesitation, “Of course. For the rest of my life.” Ah, it sounds exaggerated. A little extreme. Very cheesy. But he doesn’t waver as he holds your gaze and he wonders if you know just how serious he is. Then you look down to avoid his gaze. He didn’t want you to look away from him, so Jason calls your name softy, almost a whisper. Your bodies are close enough to touch, just barely, and he knows you can hear him. You lift your gaze to his and he studies your face, but then his eyes fall on one particular feature on that he had been admittedly distracted by all night. His eyes focus on the movement of your lips as it curves into a small smile.  

“Can I kiss you?” He doesn’t even realize he’s asked the question until you answer him. 

“Yes,” you whisper to him. 

It takes him a moment to comprehend your reply. He has your permission. He’s anxious, but eager. Then he leans in to press his lips against yours. He tries to be gentle, tries not to be too forward, but it goes out the window quickly. He deepens the kiss and moves his mouth against yours, but then he realizes he’s trying to coax your mouth open and he stops himself. He looks at you in fear and regret. He didn’t want to do anything you didn’t like. He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. 

“I almost got carried away. I’m sorry,” he says breathlessly. He inhales and exhales deeply as he unconsciously glares at your lips that continued to tempt him. 

“Don’t be sorry,” you say in a reassuring tone. No, he thinks dreadfully, don’t say it’s okay. “I liked it.” No, no, no, no. He had vowed not to pull you along to his pace. He didn’t want things to only go his way, he didn’t want to put any pressure on you. You’re not supposed to be okay with it. And you’re most certainly not supposed to like going further than a kiss on a first date.

“Doll, I told you not to say things like that,” he chastises. He wishes you would stop. Though if he were being honest, he supposes he doesn’t really think that way. 

A giggle bubbles from you and you apologize. It sounds half-hearted if you ask him. 

“Alright. Go home before I change my mind about letting you go,” he says authoritatively. However his actions betray his words as he leans his forehead against yours.

“I didn’t think you would ever threaten me,” you quip lightly.

Jason exhales lightly, exasperated. He really doesn’t know what to do when it comes to you. “Well evidently, it’s not working. You don’t listen because you’re not afraid of me, right?” Everyone always did what he told them to—no one dared to defy him, even those who are not in his group. His word is practically law, but here you are, his exception. 

“Why would I be? You just said you’d protect me.” You’re grinning up at him and he feels himself crumble.

Who was he to resist your smile? “We need to talk about your lack of precaution one day.” When you laugh again he seals your lips with another kiss. 

The next weeks are torturous but the moment he sees the authorities have stopped keeping a lookout outside your home, he’s quick to visit you. Once again, just like the first date, he practically ambushes you on your way home. The look of displeasure on your face at his entrance quickly melts into a smile when he insists on another date. He tells you he’ll be able to visit often from now on with the authorities easing up on monitoring you. No more tapping into devices, no more cameras, no more people tailing you. 

He wants to give you the best, shower you with affection, spoil you completely, make sure you never lift a finger when you’re with him. He wants to treat you like royalty. He’s more than willing to bend over backwards to do so—it's what you deserve, after all. 

However it soon becomes difficult juggling both a relationship and his crime organization. He had expected it, but it didn’t make it any less frustrating. So he begins to bring you with him on his business trips. He could plan lavish dates anywhere on the planet. Who said he’s only allowed to take you on dates within the country? 

He doesn’t see a problem with taking you shopping in Milan. 

Or simply strolling through the streets of Vienna. 

Or going to Tokyo Disneyland for a “conventional” date. (You tell him, however, that it’s not a conventional date if you have to cross the Pacific Ocean to do so. He begs to differ, given his line of work and all.) 

But he would never take you to the business meetings or any location tied with the Mafia. He is careful to keep you hidden from the organization and rival groups. In fact, he hardly lets you leave the hotel room if he can help it. Having you join him on his trips is both a risk and a security measure. It all depends on how he plays his cards. And so far, he’s been playing them perfectly well. 

After having just watched the Mariinsky Ballet Company in St. Petersburg, Jason boards his private jet after you but makes the mistake of not first making sure you are out of earshot. He speaks with his pilot in a level voice that should have been much quieter, considering the subject of the conversation. It’s about his next destination and next target. 

When you ask him about it he curses himself. You apologize immediately, and your nervous disposition tells him you have innocent intentions. He explains that he doesn’t like you knowing what he does. He figures the less you know, the better. It’s not your fault but he’s deeply upset with himself for slipping up like this. He had every intention of drawing a clear line between you and the horrendous world he is involved in. 

But you’re stubborn and insist on questioning him further about it. About why he is dismantling a human trafficking operation. If it were anyone else, they would have dropped the subject by now, but you of course are not afraid of him. It’s not like he ever gives you any reason to be anyway, so, he explains his extensively complicated method to you. He explains the flaws of waiting around for an unreliable system of government, that it’s the reason he takes things into his own hands and moves outside the law. 

There’s confusion in your expression and it’s understandable. His actions wouldn’t make sense from an outsider’s perspective. And his actions have brought high levels of tension between rivaling groups and foreign governments.

Then you question his alignment, hinting at the possibility that be may be much more virtuous than he led on. He isn’t, and he sets it straight with a brief explanation. He has long resigned himself to a fate of a criminal, but you interrupt him with fiery resolve about how good a person he is. And it shocks him. 

How could you see good in him when he can barely see it himself most of the time? The vile things he has done, does, and will do far outweigh any good he’s done. His volatile personality doesn’t help his case much either.

But your words reassure him, and Jason can’t help but feel grateful to have you in front of him. He takes your hand and presses his lips against your knuckles. His tone is solemn as he says, “You’re the only good thing in my life and I’m trying to keep you separate from all the shitty things I do, but I hope you don’t change your mind to be with me.” 

His mood lightens when you tell him you would stay with him no matter what he does. It’s a naïve way of thinking but he loves you for it. You continue, “But I’m glad to know you do good things, even if it’s in your own way.” 

Jason doesn’t want to delude you into thinking he’s some misunderstood hero. Reality is harsh and he didn’t want you to believe otherwise. He states simply, “My way makes me a criminal.” 

“But you get things done. You solve problems and get results where the justice system can’t,” you say sternly. He wonders why you’re so set in thinking this way, but he doesn’t dwell on it for long when you continue with a loving gaze, “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.” Your hands cup the sides of his face and bring him in for a kiss, releasing all doubt from his mind. 

How naïve of him to think your words would last forever. I’m not going anywhere. Your voice saying those words replay in his ears over and over as he desperately tries to remain calm. He tries to keep himself from shooting everyone he sees. Roy is the exception. Though he is the one who brought him the abysmal news so maybe he’s not so safe, after all. 

Hearing that you’ve been kidnapped has him seething. He’s furious. You being detained at a police station for a day is one thing, but being kidnapped? Out of the question. He does not intend to allow for survivors at the end of this. He knows you wouldn’t like it but he couldn’t care less when your life is the only one he cares about. You’re suddenly out of his reach once again, disappearing like smoke from his grasp. How could he forgive himself if you get hurt or if he loses you completely? It would be all his fault if something happens to you. 

The moment Roy informed him you had gone missing Jason’s fingers immediately dialed the number to the burner phone he had given you as a precautionary measure. He told you to always keep it with you. He listens to the ringing, hoping the line will connect, hoping you’ll answer, hoping he’ll hear your voice. But the line eventually goes to the automated voicemail and he yells in frustration. 

His attention is on Roy once more. “Tell me you know who took her. Tell me you you’ve got some useful information to go with the shit you just told me.” 

“I wouldn’t let you down like that, Boss. I know where she is.” His expression is almost smug as he hands Jason a small tablet. The map on the screen is zoomed in on an abandoned building. “The kidnappers didn’t bother to change the license plates when they got to their little hideout. The car was caught by a street camera near her place. It was parked there for hours up until the time she was last seen. We didn’t get footage of whoever took her though. They probably took possession of it or disabled the cameras somehow. Too bad they didn’t check all the cameras, huh? Not too smart on their part.”  

“As long as I know where she is, it doesn’t matter who took her or why. They’ll meet the same end, either way,” Jason says with a clenched jaw. “Get everyone ready. We’ll leave in ten minutes.” 

How long has it been since you’ve been taken? How long have you been waiting for him? He hates the idea of being too slow, of being too late.

Jason finds the abandoned office building within an hour. He had been frantic the entire ride there, all while monitoring the security cameras around your home and attempting multiple times to connect to your phone line. He had hoped that maybe it was all just a mistake and you’d show up anytime now. 

Now the only choice left is to follow his only lead as to where you might be. The abandoned office complex is hardly impressive after years of being forgotten and weathered by the elements. It’s situated in the middle of a long street of manufacturing factories and laboratories, all of which have also long been abandoned. The long strip of buildings is practically deserted and overgrown with weeds. Honestly, it is the perfect place for a massacre. Zero foot traffic and no witnesses means less damage control. Only cleanup would be left in the end and he has no reservations about leaving a bloody mess behind. 

Jason doesn’t really remember storming the place. He’s quick on his feet as he charges in ahead of his subordinates. This is definitely the right building judging from how many lackeys come to meet him. They’re taken by surprise at his unexpected arrival and they yell and shout to warn each other. It’s noisy and he doesn’t hesitate to shut them up. He unleashes a barrage of bullets upon anyone in his path and leaves a trail of bodies behind him. His aim isn’t to kill everyone in the building, no, his men could take care of the rest. He couldn’t care less whether they die by his hand or someone else’s, the only one he is determined to kill himself is the one who had orchestrated your kidnapping. 

The lobby is eerily silent as he proceeds with his hunt. He crosses the large entrance hall to investigate further into the dilapidated building, but soon realizes blindly searching is not going to get him anywhere. There is no way to track you. The answer to his predicament comes in the form of a man running down the side hallway. Jason quickly catches up to him before slamming the runaway face first into the wall. 

“Where is she?” he demands. The man curses profanity at him in return and Jason presses the man harder against the wall, keeping him there. “It’s in your best interest to answer or I can’t guarantee your last moments won’t be absolutely agonizing. Choose wisely.” 

The man hesitates but when Jason shoots him in the leg, he screams in pain before telling him the location of the hostage through shuddering breaths. Jason is not one to make empty threats and true to his word, he shoots the man in the head for a quick and painless death. He then makes his way below ground level to the basement, just as the man said, and he’s immediately met with more lackeys patrolling the hallways. He’s quick to take them out as they raise a rather loud ruckus around him. 

His eyes catch movement in the corner of his eye. He sees a few men filter out one room before hastily retreating back inside upon his approach. It looks to be a very important room and he wastes no time in entering it. 

He easily breaks the door open from the outside, ripping it off its hinges. With a pistol in each hand, he points the ends of the barrels at the men before they can even reach for their weapons. He notices how slow they are to react and notes their obvious incompetence. 

He scans the room and relief washes over him when his eyes finally land on you. You look back at him anxiously, but his eyes immediately go to the man grasping your arm and his anger flares once again. Jason recognizes the man restraining you as a member of Suzie Su’s Family. He can already guess what this is about. She had been trying to get to him for years and now she has finally succeeded in luring him in. Though he can’t help but wonder why she would dare lay a hand on you. Suzie Su should have been fully aware of the consequences that came with messing with a No Harm List. She knew she would be provoking him. She couldn’t possibly believe your brush with the American government would lift his protection over you. It shouldn’t have made you a target, but it seems she was dumb enough to try anyway.  

Jason refocuses on the task at hand and decides to end this quickly. He says to you, “Doll, cover your ears and shut your eyes.” 

When you do as he instructed, he wastes no time firing holes into the men who had been “guarding” the room. He stops firing when he empties the magazine clip, then he immediately goes to you and places a hand on your shoulder.  

He tries to control himself as he scans your condition and asks, “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”  

You visibly relax as you look up at him. “I’m okay. They didn’t do anything to me.” 

His hand moves to cradle one side of your head before sweeping down the side of your face. “Thank god.” He’s happy to see you but his priority is to get you out of the building as soon as possible. He’s sure you would rather not stay here any longer than you needed to. “Let’s get out of here.” He turns to lead the way out but stops when he hears you gasp. 

“Did you kill them?” You’re looking around the room in alarm. 

“Uh, some of them.” Probably all of them, he thinks to himself. 

“Wha—but those were cops! Maybe federal agents!” 

So that’s what they told you. But he can tell from your voice that you didn’t completely believe that either. “No, they weren’t. They’re from a rival group. They posed as cops to use you to get to me.” Jason then peeks out the door to secure the way out. Well, it’s clear of living threats but the trail of dead bodies, and the subsequent blood on the walls and floor, decorate the way back. He is very much against you seeing the mess he had made so he turns to you and says, “I’m going to carry you out, but I don’t want you to see the mess outside so cover your eyes, okay?” 

Your eyes are immediately shut closed and you nod. Jason easily lifts you off the ground, one arm hooked beneath your knees and the other around your waist to press you close to him. You cling to his neck as he walks down the corridor and he hopes you don’t see even a glimpse of what he’s walking through. Making his way to the ground floor, he eventually meets up with his subordinates who are finishing up clearing out the building. He quietly gives orders to several of his men as he passes by. He informs one of his men to track Suzie Su’s location, and orders others to sweep the building one last time before cleaning the place up. 

As he exits the old building, he finally relaxes as he heads for his car. “Were you scared?” he asks in a gentle tone. 

“I was,” you quietly answer, shifting slightly in his arms. “But I knew you would save me... thanks for coming for me.”  

It’s times like this Jason is baffled by your faith in him. You always blindly trust him, which is something he’s not sure he deserves. It makes him think he really failed you today by allowing your kidnapping to happen. 

With remorse in his voice he says, “I’m sorry you had to go through all this shit.” Again, he thinks. He continues, “I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.” Being separated from you has always been torturous and he dreads parting ways with you once more. After today it seems clear to him that targeting you is something both the government and rival gangs had no inhibitions with doing. Leaving your side seemed like he was just giving everyone else an opportunity to take you away from him. Why would he take that chance? So, he says slowly, carefully, “Move in with me, [Y/N]. I’m skipping a hundred steps here and I wanted to go slow, but I want you to live with me. I don’t want to let you out of my sight again. Keeping you safe was all I ever wanted, but I nearly went crazy today. I was so scared when I couldn’t find you or contact you. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you...” 

Your answer comes surprisingly fast. “Okay.” He looks at you and searches your face but only sees an understanding smile on your lips. 

“Really?” he questions disbelievingly. How can you agree so easily? 

Your smile widens. “Yeah. After all, you promised to protect me, right?” 

He takes a moment to register your words and he agrees with a chuckle. “Yeah, I did. For the rest of my life.” His life had long been intertwined with yours. How could he let you go now?

.

.

.

[myso-calledlibraryy]

The Long Way Down

This week I read the novel The Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds. This book was different from the others as it is written in the form of small poem like passages. This makes the book very easy to read and simple, while also hitting home a larger, very important, message. 

The author, Jason Reynolds, is an American writer who was born in Washington DC. After growing up in a nearby Maryland town, Reynolds went on to attend UMD where he studied english. Reynolds first grew to love poetry and writing from listening to rap music as a child. He was inspired by the words he would hear and knew he wanted to write something of his own. Reynolds is now a New York Times best-selling author of multiple YA and adult novels. All of his novels have a similar theme which highlight the lives of Black Americans growing up in this country. 

The story is told by William Holloman, or as everyone calls him Will. Instantly, Will tells us the story of how his brother Shawn was shot and killed. This was something I had figured would be the plot of the whole novel, but it proved to be a much smaller piece in the big picture. 

Violence like a shooting is commonplace in Will’s neighborhood so he describes the shooting as something they’re trained to do. After the gun shots had settled and Will saw it was his brother who had been the target, his whole world changed. 

“Beef get’s passed around like name-brand T-shirts around here. Always too big. Never ironed out.”

In communities where gangs are prevalent, the fighting never stops. Someone always has beef with someone and their beef is your beef. Simply put, if your brother has a problem with someone you have a problem with someone and your friends have a problem with someone and this someone is all the same person all for the same reason and the cycle never ends. 

Will describes to us that there are rules in the neighborhood. Never cry, get revenge, just to name a few. And as you can see from just these two Will was going to react to his brother being shot in the same way everyone else would, get revenge on the guy who did it. 

Immediately following the death of his brother, Will isn’t reacting the way you would assume. He is just sitting in his room thinking about revenge. Will has made up his mind that Riggs, an old friend of Shawn’s, was the one who had shot him because of gang involvement. Riggs had been childhood companions, but when Riggs moved and became a member of the Dark Suns gang a lot of things changed for him. 

After attempting to get some sleep, Will picks up his brother’s gun, the first time he has ever held one. And he heads for the elevator. The elevator is where the rest of the book takes place and everything happens in under five minutes. Funny because the book is called The Long Way Down, but I think we can all understand the meaning of that. 

Will has every intention of taking the elevator down to the lobby, walking to Riggs’ house, and shooting him. Taking care of one of the first lessons he was taught which is revenge. 

A man steps onto the elevator with Will and just stares at him. Will is really annoyed by this and wonders if he knows this man. 

Buck was like a big brother to Shawn and taught him a lot and had even given him the gun in Will’s waistband. But Buck had been shot and was most definitely dead.

Now he was standing in an elevator with Will.

At this point in my reading I noticed I was inching closer to the halfway point and was asking myself what the hell this book was about. I was so lost but I had a lot of guesses so I needed to continue. I was fully convinced Will was actually dead and needed to see where this elevator was going to take him. 

Will is OBVIOUSLY very confused that a dead man is talking to him but rather than question it, he stays fearful but continues to talk to Buck. Buck is kind of making fun of Will for even having a gun on him and asks if the thing is even loaded. Will opens it up and counts and the bullets. 

fifteen bullets in a chamber that holds sixteen. No big deal to Will and Buck brushes it off with a whatever. 

Buck lights a cigarette and fills the elevator with smoke, but Will knows not to worry because Buck is a ghost. 

At the next floor, a girl steps on. Instantly she notices the smoke and comments on the gun. Will wonders how she can see the smoke if Buck is ghost and how she knows that he has a gun. He plays it off and tries to flirt with her.

“It’s hard thinking about kissing and killing at the same time”. 

This line stuck me as no young person like Will should ever have to worry about killing anyone, let alone when he’s at a stage where all he wants to think about girls. This to me says a lot about how we treat black youth in cities. In the current political climate we are all engaging ourselves in these kinds of conversations hopefully. This is something that I think deserves a LOT of attention. Young black men in gang filled neighborhoods are made to grow up so quickly because of an environment our legislation has forced them in and that is not only disgusting and immoral but it is just down right sad. 

Dani. 

Dani was Will’s childhood friend who got shot right in front of them when they were playing on a playground when they were eight. Dani had kissed Will that day. She was the first girl he had really liked and he probably had some kind of future planned for them even though they were only eight. 

Dani was dead, but now she was in the elevator with Will. 

Are we starting to see a pattern here? People in Will’s life who had been shot were all getting onto this elevator with him.

But let it sink in that Will knows not only one person, but now at least three who had been killed because of street violence. How do we allow for children to live in these communities? How have we grown as a society to purely demonize black people, when we are the ones who watch their lives crumble and do nothing? This shit is not right. I know this is a book, but this is so very real. Reynolds isn’t writing this to tell a fun little story, he is writing it to express a pain he has felt as a black man in American and to bring light to realllllly real issue we want to pretend doesn’t exist. 

it is sad for Will that anyone he knows has to die, but something about Dani really hurt me. They were so young and innocent and just enjoying their lives together and someone senselessly took that away from them. Will says that after losing Dani was when Shawn taught him the rules, and for me this is where Will has fully grown up. At eight years old, he knows the rules of the street and he will follow them until he dies. His innocence just flies out the window. So yet again, here I am reading and crying my freaking eyes out. 

Next floor.

This time the cloud of smoke from Buck and Dani blocks the door so all that Will see’s is two hands coming for his neck. After being placed in a choke hold, Will is shook up and turns to find his Uncle Mark. Uncle Mark had died before Will was born but Will had heard a lot of stories about him. Mark had gotten involved in the wrong crowd selling drugs. The way he got involved made me cry for I kid you not thirty minutes. 

Mark had been given a camera as a present because he loved to make movies. After losing the camera, Mark knew he had to get a new one and he did what everyone else in their neighborhood would’ve done....sells drugs.

Will says Mark was able to make the money for the camera in an hour and this rush of making so much money so quick had him hooked because it was just that easy. Until he was caught on the wrong corner and got himself shot. 

All Mark wanted was a new camera, all he needed was some money, and all he could do was sell drugs. Man do I hate it here. 

Mark asks Will to tell him what he is gonna do when he gets to Riggs house and Will can’t even say it. After Buck interrupts and says “and shoot”, Will has a little courage to say it himself. 

shoot and the end. 

Mark and Buck catch him by saying no, it is never the end and now I finally see the pattern. This cycle of shooting for revenge will never end. Someone is always going to be seeking revenge for something and this revenge will always end in death. 

This book is powerful wow. 

The next floor the smoke clears and in walks Will’s dad. Will doesn’t really remember his dad because he had been killed when Will was so young. This fills Will with emotion and he just wants to collapse in his father’s arms but he has to follow the rules and not cry. 

I HATE THIS RULE. Boys need to grow up knowing that is okay to show emotion. I just wanted Will to be held by his father while he cried, even if it was all a dream. The rules as a whole are a detriment to these boys lives, but it is the only way they are taught to survive. We have to do better for this kids. 

Will’s dad had been killed for killing the man who killed his brother Mark. See the cycle here? Just like Buck and Mark said, it is never going to end. And yes I am most definitely crying again. 

Will’s dad asks him what he plans to do now, and Will tells him he is going to follow the rules just like his dad had. I hate the rules. 

Will’s dad is doing a lot to try to convince Will not to follow the rules and Will is confused because he is just following in his father’s foot steps. But then he tells him. 

Will’s dad had got the wrong guy. He just thought it had to be Gee who killed Mark. Just had to be, the same thing Will kept saying about Riggs. 

Killing Gee was what had got Will’s dad killed, and he wasn’t even the right guy. Screw these rules.

Will’s dad finally hugs him in this moment, but in the hug he takes the gun from Will and holds it to his head. Holds it to his head until they hear the ding of the next floor. Will is pissed, and rightfully so, but his dad is trying to scare him because if Will does this, he is going to be next. 

At the next floor Frick steps on. Will doesn’t understand why Frick is there until he begins to talk with Buck. The two are acting as if they old friends, until they tell Will how they know each other. Frick killed Buck. What was he doing here? What does this have to do with Will’s journey?

Oh.

The Rules. 

Frick killed Buck, so Shawn killed Frick.

fifteen bullets when there should be sixteen. 

Shawn had used that gun to shoot that bullet into Frick because he was following the rules. Shawn got killed because he had killed and now Will was going to do more killing. 

When they get to floor 2 it appears that no one is there, until hands fly in to catch the closing down. 

In walks Shawn. 

All the people are having a little reunion while Will just stares. Boy does he miss his brother.

This was VERY close to the end so I had been reading like a mad woman trying to get to part where Shawn would come. Will looked up to his brother in a way that I knew could stop Will from doing something to ruin his life. 

Will goes to hug Shawn but Shawn doesn’t hug back. Will begins to just let out all his emotions to Shawn, throwing a full tantrum about the rules and how he knows he has to follow them just like Shawn. 

But Shawn is crying. He is breaking the rules. While he doesn’t say it, this is Shawn telling Will that sometimes it is okay to break the rules. 

L. The Lobby. The End. 

The elevator comes to a stop and they have reached the bottom. As the doors open, all the dead file out leaving Will in the elevator car. Shawn turns to him and says two words.

You coming?

And that is the end. Two simple words to make you understand the purpose of all of this. Will is either going to get off that elevator and kill Riggs which will put him right up there with Shawn, or he is going to turn around and go home and live. 

When you follow the rules you end up in a cycle of murder that will never ever ever end. Someone is always going to be looking for revenge and this will always end in people dying.

Will has to be the change. He has to be the one to finally break the rules and break the cycle. If he doesn’t kill RIggs, no one will have to kill him and then no one will have to get revenge for that. 

The rules make life like a game and those who are dead realize how they made that mistake. Seeing all those who have died in front of him to tell him this is what is going to change Will’s life and this will change the whole neighborhood. 

Reynolds does an exceptional job of hitting the nail on the head of a very important issue. With this novel also being YA I think it is really even more important. 

In his bio on his website, Reynolds says that he knows so many young people hate to read and that many of these young people are boys. He says he hates to read about boring things too, and this is why he writes these books. Having your story be told makes you view yourself as valuable and this is something lacking for the young black community. We so often try to ignore issues that have been caused by centuries of systemic racism, but Reynolds seeks to end this. By telling the very real story of gang violence and the impact it has on the youngest of children, we can hope to educate others on what is going on around us. In order to make a difference we have to be educated. Going forward I cannot wait to read more of Reynolds works and continue my own education of racial issues. By doing this education we can commit ourselves to be actively anti-racist and use privilege of being educated on racial issues rather than experiencing them to make a change for the good. 

All in all 10000000/10. Reynolds struck a cord in me. Made me cry, feel angry, and really invoke a sense of urgency to make a difference. 

[hermanwatts]

Science Fiction New Releases: 5 October, 2019

This week’s science fiction new releases feature power-armored holy crusaders, a special ops soldier left out in the cold, and scientists meddling with nature to create a race of alien supersoldiers.

Extinction Inferno (Extinction Cycle: Dark Age #2) – Nicholas Sansbury Smith and Anthony J. Melchiorri

The government said the Variants were dying off… That the beasts would be extinct in a matter of years… That the Allied States had returned to prosperity and freedom…

The government was dead wrong. Deep under the cities, the Variants weren’t just hiding, they were breeding. While the human survivors of the Extinction Cycle built outposts and brought back industries, the monsters were building something of their own. Working with human collaborators, they constructed a vast underground organic network to control this new army and launch a blitzkrieg assault across the Allied States. After tunneling under the walls, the beasts managed to overwhelm even the most fortified outposts. Many of them fell within days, forcing the military to abandon bases and retreat.

But not everyone is on the run. Team Ghost hunts a monster behind enemy lines that could change the tide of war. On the USS George Johnson, Doctor Kate Lovato and her team of scientists seek to understand and tap into the Variant network while oil tycoon S.M. Fischer and his engineers come up with a plan to help buy time for the remaining outposts. And, at Outpost Portland, Captain Reed Beckham and Master Sergeant Parker Horn investigate a frightening conspiracy involving the human collaborators.

As the Variant armies surge across the Allied States, those working to stop them realize even desperate measures may not be enough to prevent the total annihilation of their country.

Gideon Ira: Knight of the Blood Cross (Deus Vult Wastelanders #1) – Adam Lane Smith

Demons and Necromancers haunt a burnt and blasted future in the ruins of what was once America.

A holy crusader sworn to slaughter the dark cults of Ba’al the Ever-Hungry must rescue a band of innocent children with his blade and blood-soaked gauntlets, or die trying.

All of Hell thirsts for his blood, but a man of God will never be broken. This holy crusader’s vengeance will be brutal.

The first book in a new heavy metal Christian pulp series.

Lost Mission (Oblivion #1) – Joshua James and Daniel Young

A mission of peace hides a terrible secret.

Two decades of bitter war between Earth and her furthest colonies is finally at an end. Captain Lee Saito’s massive new starship is sent to seal the uneasy truce.

But a series of terrorist attacks on Earth and the mysterious acts of a strange cult threaten to derail the fragile peace.

When the mission goes awry, Saito must try to salvage what he can in deep space while his estranged son must navigate a conspiracy back on Earth that could implicate the highest levels of government.

But conspiracies go both ways and no one is as innocent as they might seem.

As it all spirals out of control, the future of humanity hangs in the balance.

The Lost Swarm (The Lost Starship #11) – Vaughn Heppner

Star Watch stands guard over the Commonwealth, having defeated New Men, massed Swarm fleets and android attackers. The victories have cost lost ships, slain crews and smashed star systems. The accumulated damage means that Star Watch now strains to keep order as political instability, increased space piracy and rebellions stretch the stellar organization to the limit.

Humanity desperately needs peace so Star Watch can rebuild and regroup.

Unfortunately, Lord Drakos is searching the Beyond for a splinter Swarm colony world. The New Man believes he is a Napoleon of the stars. But he needs a fleet to prove it. Intelligence thinks Drakos hopes to make a pact with Thrax Ti Ix, assembling a fleet of renegade New Men and hybrid Swarm creatures, a fleet that will attack humanity.

Plan A has Captain Maddox capturing Drakos before he can find Thrax. Plan B means Star Watch will have to risk sending a fleet into the Beyond.

For Maddox this is also a voyage of discovery, as he learns the identities of his mother and father.

Omega Force: Rebellion (Omega Force #11) – Joshua Dalzelle

The quadrant is on the brink of all-out civil war, but almost nobody knows it.

Now that he knows a malevolent AI that calls itself the Machine has seized much of the ConFed’s military apparatus and even controls the Grand Adjudicators themselves, Jason Burke must decide if he risks picking a fight with such an overmatched enemy, or if he runs to hide and fight another day.

Omega Force needs allies, and needs them quickly. After the unprovoked invasion of a neighboring superpower by the ConFed, Jason finds out that most of their military hadn’t been destroyed but instead remains hidden while the ConFed continues to hunt them down. If he can find the missing fleets and convince them to join his fight, he just might be able to hit back at the Machine before it invades another sovereign nation.

One Man’s War – Steven Saville

There’s no good way to prepare yourself to die…

Guerro runs a kill team. They’re good. Better than good. Or they were, until they walked into an ambush that wiped his team out and left Guerro for dead.

All the evidence suggests they were betrayed, but by who, and why?

Determined to avenge his team and settle old scores, Guerro embarks upon a one man war, knowing that whoever put the kill order out on his people is still out there, watching for him to show his face so they can end him.

A relentless science fiction thriller in the vein of Bladerunner, Altered Carbon, and Titanborn.

Sanctified (Saga of the Nano Templar) – Jon Del Arroz

Her new mysterious powers…

…could mean her people’s salvation.

With the world of Konsin II under Elorian control, Drin and Anais look to the stars for their next mission.

But the church moves slowly in its deliberations. Each moment wasted is another in which her people might die—or worse.

Anais has to grapple with the Elorian nanites living inside her, and what it means to have faith. Drin must once again leave his people to pursue a noble quest to liberate a people.

A shrewd Sekaran warlord and his legion stands in the way of liberty for Anais’ people. Can she inspire enough confidence in her people to spur them to rebellion?

Wrath of the Reaper (The Last Reaper) – J. N. Chaney and Scott Moon

It’s all on the line now.

When Halek Cain and his allies search for a new home, the exodus fleet faces their ancient enemies right when a captured scientist unleashes deadly experiments.

Alon scout ships are drawing the exodus fleet into a trap.

Two disparate civilizations must work together to move a massive, broken down fleet into a new system while dealing with external threats and an internal crisis. Doctor Ayers has attempted to revive an alien race through DNA splicing, but instead of resurrecting the past, he’s created unstoppable creatures of extraordinary power.

The last Reaper and his allies have no choice but to fight against this new enemy, protect the exodus fleet, and find a new home for thousands of displaced survivors.

The only thing that matters now is winning the right to stay alive.

Science Fiction New Releases: 5 October, 2019 published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

[swipestream]

New Release Roundup, 24 November 2018: Fantasy and Adventure

Samurai struggle with honor in civil war, dragons soar over nuclear wastelands, and Louis L’Amour, Andre Norton, and David Drake return in this roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure fiction.

Blade of Retribution (Blood Samurai #3) – Lynn Francis 

An emperor’s wraith from the grave that would see the fall of a dynasty and the rise of the samurai.

At great cost to his soul and sanity, Riku believes he has the demon Sutoku under control. With the aid of the witch Takiyasha hime the demon Sutoku is no longer a separate presence but a part of Riku – a part that demands the blood of those he seeks his vengeance upon.

The war that had been brewing has been in stalemate and a supernatural famine is tearing apart the land. Before it reaches it’s breaking point the Taira move against the Minamoto and the Minamoto will be ready.

For they have also made a pack for power and as betrayal after betrayal comes, the dark forces that threaten to consume the land grow stronger and stronger.

Will Riku be able to overcome his past and stop both his and his country’s descent into madness?

Cirsova: Heroic Fantasy and Science Fiction #10 – edited by Cirsova Publishing

Cirsova Magazine is for readers who want exciting tales of daring heroes up against impossible odds in exotic settings. It’s also for authors of adventure SFF.

Novelette

Crying in the Salt House, by B. Morris Allen

Short Stories

Jeopardy Off Jupiter IV, by Spencer E. Hart

The Best Workout, by Frederick Gero Heimbach

A Song in Deepest Darkness, by Jason Ray Carney

Amsel the Immortal, by Lauren Goff

An Interrupted Scandal, by Misha Burnett

The Sword of the Mongoose, by Jim Breyfogle

When Gods Fall in Fire, by Brian K. Lowe

Poetry

My Name is John Carter (Part 7), by James Hutchings

Dragon Mage – Andre Norton and Jean Rabe

Shy realizes that she is lucky to be taken in by her grandparents after her father dies–but life above an antique store in Slade’s Corners, Wisconsin is not exactly the place a teenage girl wants to be.

One day while going through boxes of her father’s boyhood stuff, she comes upon a rare old set of dragon puzzles … all of which are missing pieces. Her grandmother recalls the fantastic tales Shy’s father would tell about his travels to lands of dragons and adventure. She always thought that these fantasies were inspired by the puzzles Shy has found.

Shy realizes that by mixing and matching the different sets she can complete a single dragon puzzle that combines all of the others. Upon doing so she is whisked away to ancient Babylon where she must continue the duties of her father’s legacy as a servant to the dragon and a savior of the world.

  Iron Garland (Harbinger #3) – Jeff Wheeler 

For three years, Sera Fitzempress has been a pawn in a gilded prison—the floating manor of Pavenham Sky. Disgraced and exiled from society, she has been isolated from the downtrodden she’s determined to liberate. But although Sera may seem subservient on the outside, the stubborn princess has only become emboldened.

Now in charge of her family’s estate, Cettie Pratt has grown into an independent young woman, although she continues to be tested by the high society of the clouds. Advancing in the magic of the Mysteries, Cettie is also a useful tool of defense during turbulent times. However, as more of Cettie’s mysterious past comes to light, her greatest challenge may be a reckless stranger with a dark secret.

The fog of war is drawing in, and with it comes a startling new enemy who may unravel secrets that both women would prefer stay hidden. But their secrets may be the only way to stop the coming darkness…

The Minstrel and the Mercenary – David Scoles 

For Dafydd ap Gwilym, Welsh poet and minstrel, a life composing poems of chivalry and courtly love while enjoying the patronage of the Black Prince of Wales felt like the dream of every poor second son – until he found himself caught up in the siege of Caen and needed to be rescued by the dangerous Radu the Black, a hardened mercenary of Transylvania.

Forced into an unlikely partnership by the King of England, Gwilym and Radu must solve a murder while hunting down a band of killers led by a mercenary known only as the Nachzehrer, but there is more to this murder than Gwilym suspects…

The fate of Europe is the balance as Radu and Gwilym race to uncover a conspiracy, but can a minstrel and a mercenary find a way to trust one another even as the past comes back to haunt them both?

No Traveller Returns (Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures #2) – Louis L’Amour and Beau L’Amour

As the shadows of World War II gather, the SS Lichenfield is westbound across the Pacific carrying eighty thousand barrels of highly explosive naphtha. The cargo alone makes the journey perilous, with the entire crew aware that one careless moment could lead to disaster.

But yet another sort of peril haunts the Lichenfield. Even beyond their day-to-day existence, the lives of the crew are mysteriously intertwined. Though each has his own history, dreams and jealousies, longing and rage, all are connected by a deadly web of chance and circumstance.

Some are desperately fleeing the past; others chase an unknown destiny. A few are driven by the desire for adventure, while their shipmates cling to the Lichenfield as their only true home. In their hearts, these men, as well as the women and children they have left behind, carry the seeds of salvation or destruction. And all of them—kind or cruel, strong or broken—are bound to the fate of the vessel that carries them toward an ever-darkening horizon.

Radioactive Evolution – Richard Hummel

How far would you go to change humanity’s fate?

Jared Cartwright has spent the last two years delving into the twisted, scarred wastelands of an earth ravaged by nuclear war. The rich and powerful have taken to the oceans and skies on floating utopias, escaping destruction and leaving the rest of humanity to fend off the mutated creatures that roam the earth.

To face his new reality, Jared must become an apex predator if he hopes to survive. He must evolve beyond human limitations to confront those that left mankind to die.

Jared’s quest takes a new turn when he discovers dragons are real.

Red Skies (The Valens Legacy #11) – Jan Stryvant

With the President on his side and the failure of the Vestibulum’s last-ditch attempt to stop him, it seems that Sean’s goal is almost complete. Until, that is, the First moves up Sean’s timetable to deal with Canada and Mexico. Also it seems that a group in Congress is starting to push back against the President’s executive order, but no one really seems to know why. Or even who’s behind it.

Canada proves to be full of unexpected surprises, but when events start heating up in Washington D.C., Sean is forced to switch gears and reassess his priorities. Things are not always what they seem, of course, and things that didn’t make sense before start to take on an ominous meaning as Sean begins to learn about the real enemy that he is facing.

And he’ll be facing them much sooner than anyone suspected.

The Spark (Time of Heroes #1) – David Drake

In the time of the Ancients the universe was united—but that was so far in the past that not even memory remains, only the broken artifacts that a few Makers can reshape into their original uses. What survives is shattered into enclaves—some tiny, some ruined, some wild.

Into the gaps between settlements, and onto the Road that connects all human reality and the reality that is not human and may never have been human, have crept monsters. Some creatures are men, twisted into inhuman evil; some of them are alien to Mankind—and there are things which are hostile to all life, things which will raven and kill until they are stopped.

A Leader has arisen, welding the scattered human settlements together in peace and safety and smashing the enemies of order with an iron fist. In his capital, Dun Add, the Leader provides law and justice. In the universe beyond, his Champions advance—and enforce—the return of civilization.

Pal, a youth from the sticks, has come to Dun Add to become a Champion. Pal is a bit of a Maker, and in his rural home he’s been able to think of himself as a warrior because he can wield the weapons of the Ancient civilization. Pal has no idea of what he’s really getting into in Dun Add. On the other hand, the Leader and Dun Add have no real idea of what might be inside this hayseed with high hopes.

Web of Eyes (Buried Goddess Saga #1) – Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle 

The kingdom’s only hope against evil is a rotten thief.

Self-proclaimed “World’s Greatest Thief”, Whitney Fierstown, has yet to find a trinket or treasure he couldn’t steal. He nearly pulls off the heist of the century by snatching the Glass Crown off the dying king’s head until rotten luck throws him into the path of Torsten Unger, a steadfast knight determined to save his vulnerable kingdom.

Torsten offers this ultimatum: rot and die in a dank cell or join him on a dangerous expedition and put his skills to good use. The Queen’s treasonous brother has cursed the Crown Prince by taking a piece of his soul and hiding it in the haunted Webbed Woods. Only a master thief can steal it back.

Rebellion building in the south. Madness seated upon the throne. Famine and death spreading throughout the land. The kingdom is in peril.

If this unlikely pair is to thwart their devious target, save the prince, and survive the horrifying monster lurking in the darkness, they must first put aside their differences…or die trying.

New Release Roundup, 24 November 2018: Fantasy and Adventure published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

[crossfitkarla-blog1]

It turns out, I was partly best while being entirely incorrect. Roblox has to do with using your creative imagination, playing games, enjoying, as well as, at times, enduring.

1. It's sort of like Minecraft Roblox Minecraft Kind of Comparable At times, Roblox feels and look a great deal like Minecraft. debt: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla Roblox is a multi-faceted game, where players could produce globes, games, and obstacles. Because sense, Minecraft and Roblox are extremely comparable. There's in fact 2 different applications for Roblox on a computer system, the video game itself, and also Roblox Workshop. The former is where gamers can interact, compete, as well as make pals. The last is where worlds are developed and also produced. 2. Yet not at all like Minecraft Roblox Donut Tycoon A Minecraft duplicate, Roblox is not. credit scores: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla The resemblance with Minecraft, nonetheless, quits with the capacity to construct utilizing nothing greater than their imaginations. Roblox individuals aren't compelled to mine, craft, ranch, fish, or hunt zombies (unless, obviously, you're playing in a Roblox game that mimics Minecraft, that's an additional story). In fact, a Roblox player never ever has to build unless they intends to. 3. You could use it on multiple systems Roblox platfomr accessibility. Roblox is readily available on nearly every platform. credit history: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla Roblox is available on iphone, Android, Amazon.com's Application Shop, Xbox One, as well as Windows 10, and Mac. The RobloxStuido app is just available for Mac and also Windows customers. 4. It's totally free Yes, you check out that right. Roblox is free to play. You will certainly should endure advertisements, and approve that not all functions will certainly be offered unless you, or your youngster, pays for a month-to-month membership. 5. However money and registrations will certainly acquire you a lot more choices Roblox Builders Club pricing. Roblox Builders Club could be spent for monthlt or yearly. credit rating: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla Roblox makes its cash from monthly subscriptions, varying in price from $5.95 a month to $19.95 a month. Yearly strategies vary from $57.95 to $129.95. For your actual money, Roblox increases the number of teams a gamer could sign up with, adds the ability to create your very own groups, offers you an everyday gratuity of Robux (the games' online money), and also shares a greater percent of revenue from things individuals develop and also offer within a video game. 6. "Robux" is the money Buy Robux. Digital currency is needed for some games in Roblox. credit score: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla The core video game is free, as well as essentially, gamers could flee without ever investing a cent-- online or genuine-- as well as still have a great deal of fun. Nevertheless, some video games charge gain access to charges. In order to pay to play, a customer will certainly have to purchase Robux. You don't have to join Home builders Club to get Robux. Present Robux pricing could be discovered below. 7. You could customize your avatar Roblox Character Customizer. You can create and personalize your character till your heart's material. credit scores: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla Users can totally tailor the appearance of his or her in-game avatar. From using an "R15" avatar that has moving elbows and also knees, or the initial "R6" avatar that's more of a block figure. Players could make and also develop customized garments and also devices, then offer their developments in the Roblox directory. 8. After developing, acquiring, marketing or trading numerous clothes as well as devices, products are saved in an individual's inventory Roblox Catalog Roblox Magazine of garments and assorted accessories.

credit scores: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla What makes this vital, is that when an item is no longer readily available for acquisition, there's a pre-owned market where the worth of items goes up. For example, claim Customer A designed a hat as well as it ended up being popular. Customer An at some point makes a decision to quit marketing it, users could after that sell the product to another Roblox customer at a rate she or he chooses. Simply puts, it's a means for Roblox users to earn Robux by purchasing restricted edition products. 9. Gamings open on demand Viewing Roblox video games. When you discover a video game you want to attempt, just click Play. credit: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla Instead of forcing customers to download and also take care of the amount of storage maps and also games make use of, Roblox relies on a Web link. After mounting Roblox, you check out a magazine of games and tap or click Play. The app will certainly after that attach to the game, packing each facet of the map from Roblox web servers, positioning you in the video game with various other gamers. 10. Customers are the developers RobloxStuido Instance. Producing a globe of my very own in Roblox Studio. debt: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla The video games are produced by fellow individuals, not just Roblox designers. When you install Roblox on a Mac or PC, RobloxStudio is consisted of. With the studio, you can produce your own worlds as well as games. Initially, it's a bit frightening being put into an empty space where your creativity is the only limit. But Roblox includes some standard video game layouts for individuals to tailor and also develop off of. If nothing else, the design templates are a very easy means to get the basic idea of building controls. Building contractors could examine his/her globe as needed, consisting of on an additional gadget, and after that publish the ready various other customers to examine as well as play in. 11. One of the a lot more popular games you'll find on Roblox is hide-and-seek Just what makes hide and also seek so much fun in Roblox is that customers are taken into different worlds, such as a theater, where they can then become a box of sweet, bag or popcorn, or 3D glasses. The goal is to pick as well as product, and also a spot for the item, that doesn't look out of area. As applicants walk around the map searching for you rbx.exchange and also your fellow gamers, you could ridicule and move. Once you are found, you become a candidate then keep going. 12. An additional preferred kind of video game you'll locate on Roblox is a Tycoon-type video game. On top of the recommended games listing is McDonald's Tycoon, Retail Magnate, Lumber Tycoon 2 as well as numerous, much more. These games generally include entering a world, starting an organisation and after that marketing items to earn money. Unfortunately, that suggests it takes Robux to earn Robux, and also if you're not offered on acquiring your youngster some Robux, then these video games won't use much. 13. Most of the video games beyond hide-and-seek or tycoon-type video games are parkour-inspired games Parkour in Roblox Parkour in Roblox comes in all sizes and shapes. Here, attempting to escape the inside of an apple iphone. credit report: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla A series of blocks and products are put in front of customers, that then have to leap and also very meticulously maneuver through the world to conclusion. 14. Checkpoints can be tricky Roblox Checkpoint. Roblox Checkpoints are normally a square block. credit rating: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla If you or your child are having trouble making it through a degree, ensure you are tipping on the checkpoint or generate floor tiles. Doing so suggests you aren't placed back at the start of the degree need to you die. 15. You can chat with various other gamers and also send out close friend demands Roblox Messages. Roblox Messages, where customers can interact with good friends. credit scores: Jason Cipriani/Techwalla Roblox does allow individuals to send out friend requests and also conversation with each other throughout gameplay, or privately after the truth. In the beginning, I wasn't comfy with this. After going through the parent's overview, I have actually provided it a doubt. The secret is during account production is enter your child's birthday, suggesting they is 12 or younger. When a gamer is under 12, Roblox immediately secures personal privacy setups to block contact from complete strangers. Only after including a person to a close friend's list, could both individuals exclusive message or play on exclusive servers. 16. There's a Roblox University For the youngsters who are severe regarding building video games and also numerous aspects inside, Roblox has published a collection of video clips it called Roblox College. Each video clip strolls audiences via different elements of RobloxStudio, from developing a race automobile to scripting gameplay.

[atimeandplaceforhope-blog]

Where is Invisible Children Now?

In 2006 I watched the documentary, I got motivated to take action, I participated in the movement, and felt fueled by love… but what now?

In 2006 I sat down and watched a documentary called 'Invisible Children, Discover the Unseen'. This film was created by Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole, all recent film school graduates, who traveled to Africa in attempts to make a documentary. Once they arrived there they discovered something that they weren't expecting. They discovered the sickening truth behind a long-standing battle between the government of Uganda and a group called the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA is run by a man named Joseph Kony, who used witchcraft and other spiritual factors in order to motivate people to fight with his army (Russell et al., 2006). Over time, people became weary of the civil war at hand, so Kony resorted to abducting children to be a part of his army. He had his soldiers abduct children from the surrounding villages, between the ages of eight and fourteen years old, because they were the most moldable and easiest to brainwash (Russell et al., 2006). These children would be taken into the jungle and trained to kill, some of them being forced to kill their friends and family members in order to desensitize them (Russell et al., 2006). After they were completely brainwashed, feeling nothing while they murdered others and dedicated to Kony and the army, they would go to town to abduct more children. The three filmmakers, who made this documentary, discovered the everyday reality of the children in Uganda who spend their nights commuting to shelters in the city, where they would sleep basically stacked upon each other, in order to not be abducted in their homes. These kids have lost family members, have no source of education, and every night are fleeing for fear of their lives. The documentary makes the appeal, to anybody who is watching, to help the children of Uganda, to help end the war, and to stop Joseph Kony.

As soon as the documentary stopped playing in my DVD player I sat on my couch and thought about the fact that I never had to walk miles and miles just to find somewhere to sleep at night. I didn't live in fear of being in my own home, or thinking that rebels might kidnap me and take me into the jungle. Based on the luck of my birthplace I didn't have to process those types of realities, but the kids in this video did. They existed in uncertainty and in terror while I existed in comfort and assurance. That didn't sit right with me. I wanted to become involved. I started loaning out my DVD to anybody who would watch it, and then following up with them and having conversations about the issue at hand. I checked on the Invisible Children website to see what type of work they were doing after this video. The three gentleman who made the documentary went on the form in nonprofit organization that was founded in 2004 ("Our Story," n.d.). They had ways that you could donate money, campaigns they were putting on, and updates to the war in Uganda. In 2007 they ran a nationwide campaign called ‘Displace Me’. The goal was to get as many people, across the nation, to participate in a single night of experiencing what it would be like to be displaced from their homes like all of the children and Uganda were. I organized a group of high school students from Redmond Washington to go out and participate. We brought cardboard boxes to be our tents, sleeping bags, and minimal food in order to experience the situation as the children are actually living it out every night. The night was filled with interactions with other participants, talking about how they got involved and why they were there, and a couple of special guest speakers shared with us stories and gave motivation for change. It was amazing to sit there and be a part of something so huge, because I knew that in major cities across our country the same thing was going on and a collective voice was being raised in the name of the voiceless children in Uganda.

After that event I continued to stay up-to-date with what was going on in the Invisible Children movement. Over the years they would continue to do massive nationwide campaigns, one of which was a night commute that simulated the walks the children we have to go through every single night and I was able to volunteer for the Seattle location, raise funds in order to build schools, trade programs, and rehabilitation centers, and use grass roots activism to lobby political representatives to raise awareness of the atrocities that the LRA were committing. The largest campaign that Invisible Children would do happened in 2012, which would serve to be a time of great success and great setback.

They launched a campaign called 'Kony 2012'. The goal was to make Joseph Kony, who was still a semi obscure war criminal, famous. They felt that if he was famous then the world would work together to stop him ("Kony 2012," n.d.). They created a 30 minute film, used social media to spread the word, and had 100 million views within the first six days of posting it, followed by 3.7 million citizens making pledges calling for the arrest of Joseph Kony ("Kony 2012," n.d.). This led to governments across the world, including United States of America, signing into action military support to capture Joseph Kony. This is a major success right? Well, like I said, this also was the time of the greatest setback. They received backlash for the video, some accusing them of misleading information, received criticism from some calling them "white savior's trying to save Africa"(Cadwalladr, 2013), and the very public breakdown of one of their founders, Jason Russell, which all happened within 10 days of the launch of their video (Keesey, 2015).  The great success they experienced was marred by their now controversial name which resulted in them losing 81% of their revenue between 2012 and 2013 (Keesey, 2015). Over the next few years they were forced to continually downsize their organization all the way to the point, in December 2014, when they announced that they were shutting down almost all of the organization, reducing the staff to five members, and focusing solely on their advocacy in Washington DC in there partnerships in central Africa (Keesey, 2015).

I remember feeling stunned and confused about this once great nonprofit falling apart at the seams. To me the mission was so clear, the objective a necessity, but at the same time it was also beyond my scope of individual action. In order to engage in the social injustice that was/is the LRA I needed the Invisible Children organization. This sentiment was also expressed by many of my other friends were engaged in the nonprofit at the time. Over the months to come the online noise about the organization would die down, and so did my level of engagement in the issue. Now, in the year 2017, I find myself in a social justice class while I pursue my masters at Seattle University. Engaging in the program, and being challenged by the readings of this quarter, I have spent some time thinking about the current state of Invisible Children. This once great and proud organization that I had been somewhat in tune with. A sort of 'Where are they now?' form of inquiry. So I decided to do some research into the organization, and what I found came with good and bad news. The good news is that they are still working hard to fight for justice for the children have Uganda. They have limited their scope of projects in order to be more effective with the actions they take, seeing as how their staff and other resources have been drastically reduced. Currently they have projects such as building community resilience committees to combat displacement, poverty, and insecurity, the LRA crisis tracker which is a web platform that broadcasts the attacks and activities by the LRA, trauma healing and re-integration support which provides a toolkit to promote resilience and more, an early warning radio network  that helps disrupt patterns of violence, a 'come home' LRA defection messaging system which encourages members of the army to defect, and grassroots advocacy projects which work to organize political leaders to be engaged in the crisis in Africa ("Our Work," n.d.). The organization has grown with more staff members, more than the five they were left with, but still is nowhere near its size prior to the Kony 2012 campaign. Now for the bad news that I mentioned: Just this April the U.S. and Uganda have called off their search for Joseph Kony stating that his power has dwindled to the point where he is seen as no longer a threat (Domonoske, 2017). The fact that his power has dwindled can be seen as a good thing, but I take this is bad news because without the military support in Uganda to stifle him, there is a possibility that Joseph Kony could begin to build his army again, and the likelihood of him using children like he has in the past is undeniable. This really speaks to the necessity of the Invisible Children organization. Their efforts to seek justice for all are still justified and relevant in our current times. Do they need to get to the same celebrity that they had prior to 2012? Probably not, but do they need people like you and I still engaging in the issue? Most definitely. On their website, invisiblechildren.com, you can find ways to either make a onetime donation, or become a monthly donor, to their separate forms of action that they are currently taking, sign-up to stay up-to-date through their newsletters, and view transformation stories from their work in Uganda. You can even get on Twitter and follow their LRA Crisis Tracker to get current information on the actions of the LRA. Yes, they aren't doing large, nationwide, city to city campaigns anymore, but that doesn't mean that their work isn't still happening. Kony is still out there, and so is Invisible Children, trying to bring him to justice.

Citations - 

Cadwalladr, C. (2013). Jason Russell: Kony2012 and the fight for truth. The Observer, 3.

 Domonoske, C. (2017, April 21). U.S., Uganda Call Off Search For Infamous Warlord Joseph Kony. [Web]. NPR: The Two Way. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/04/21/525073251/u-s-uganda-call-off-search-for-infamous-warlord-joseph-kony

 Invisible Children. (n.d.). Kony 2012. Retrieved from https://invisiblechildren.com/kony-2012/

 Invisible Children. (n.d.). Our Story. Retrieved from https://invisiblechildren.com/our-story/

 Invisible Children. (n.d.). Our Work. Retrieved from https://invisiblechildren.com/our-work/

 Keesey, B. (2015, December 17). Working myself out of a job: lessons from leading Invisible Children. [Web].The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/dec/17/working-myself-out-of-a-job-lessons-from-leading-invisible-children.

 Russell, J., Bailey, B., & Poole, L. Invisible Children: Discover the Unseen. 2006.

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New Release Roundup, 25 August 2018: Science Fiction

Space marines, mecha knights, and keyboard VR warriors battle it out in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in science fiction.

Across the Galactic Pond (Far Beyond #0) – Christian Kallias

When young Kevin has a chance encounter with a dying alien, he discovers not only that humans aren’t alone in the universe, but that this encounter propels him into the middle of an intergalactic war.

Now at the frontlines of a massive, far far away war, he’s sent to the last remaining ship of the losing side. The crew of the ship? All dead.

His mission is simple: he must save the good guys from certain doom.

From College reject to War Master, Kevin learns he must adapt quickly or billions will die.

The Ancients (The Survivors #4) – Nathan Hystad

The threat of invaders is gone, and Earth has been bartered away as a price for peace.  Yet, the human world of New Spero is thriving and full of hope.

Joining the rank of the Gatekeepers, Dean and Mary set off to explore worlds connected by the mysterious portals. When they stumble upon a strange symbol, they are led to an ancient object, one that sets them on an unstoppable path.

The journey takes them through multiple worlds, before they can find what they’re searching for. Long ago, the ancient race called the Theos vanished without a trace, and have been next to forgotten for centuries. Do they still exist?

Dean intends to find out, but when he’s faced with the truth, he fears everything he loves will be lost.

Battle ARC (ARC Angels #2)- Toby Neighbors

Facing a horde of hostile aliens known as the Swarm is frightening. Being the only person who can stop them is even worse.

From the great domed cities of Mars, to the verdant fields of Neo Terra in the Tau Ceti system, humanity’s future is spread across the galaxy. The Colonial Space Fleet has struck a blow against the Swarm, but the aliens are far from defeated. Unless the CSF finds a way to win a decisive battle with the ever growing horde of insatiable aliens, all could be lost.

Junior officer Angela “Angel” Murphy can perform superhuman feats in the revolutionary Assisted Rapid Combat suit, but can she repeat her victory as the focal point of a Marine battalion? Can the Fleet produce more ARC suits and find suitable pilots to utilize the advanced technology? The Swarm is always evolving, adapting to its environment, and learning the tactics of its enemies. There’s a battle on the horizon, and the outcome is anyone’s guess.

The Colchis Job (The Four Horsemen Tales #3) – Kal Spriggs

Colonel Jason Azoros is having a bad year. Having taken over the Argonauts’ mercenary company when its previous owner was killed, he has arrived back at Karma to find that no one will deal with him. Blacklisted by his father, Jason is forced to do a job for him to clear his name.

The early days of humanity’s expansion into space was an exciting time, as the best of the race went to the stars. Unfortunately, some of the worst went, as well, and the Argonauts must hunt down and destroy the worst of the worst, Colchis Industries.

Colchis has powerful friends, though, and its coffers are overflowing with credits, allowing it to hire mercenaries and buy equipment beyond what the Argonauts can afford. They also meddle in genetics, and their creations range from…interesting…to unstoppable.

Outmanned and outgunned, Jason and his crew embark on their voyage short on equipment but long on attitude. One thing is for sure—win, lose, or draw, they’re going to go out in style!

Earth’s Fury (Obsidiar Fleet #4) – Anthony James

The human Confederation has provided unexpected resistance to the Vraxar invading forces, but now the price must be paid. The mighty enemy warship Ix-Gorghal has discovered the location of humanity’s populated worlds and its arrival in New Earth orbit promises death for the billions living there.

At first, it seems the invaders will have everything their own way. They send in troops and deploy a ring of satellites to isolate the planet from the main comms network. After that, it should all be plain sailing….

On the New Earth Tucson military base, there are personnel who will never accept defeat – men and women who will keep fighting even when the cause seems lost.

It won’t be easy. The Vraxar are a cruel and unpredictable foe, and at the first sign of a threat, they will surely destroy New Earth without hesitation.

Hidden Enemies (Empire of Bones #9) – Terry Mixon

Trapped between murderous xenophobes and calculating artificial intelligences, an interstellar war threatens to wash Princess Kelsey Bandar away in a tide of blood.

With her most powerful ship crippled, only a desperate mission to steal what she needs right out from under the noses of her enemies offers a way to get her people safely home.

As if that wasn’t hard enough, success requires her foes never learn of her existence and therein lies the problem. Few have ever accused Kelsey Bandar of subtlety.

If you love military science fiction and grand adventure on a galaxy-spanning scale, grab “Hidden Enemies” and the rest of The Empire of Bones Saga today!

The Last Aeon (Terran Armor Corps #5) – Richard Fox

War rages across the galaxy. And humanity is losing battle after battle.

The renegade Armor, Roland, seeks the key to victory against the enemy encroaching from all sides. An Aeon guards a secret which will tip the balance of power in the galaxy. But first, Roland, and the Ibarra Nation must defeat her guardians, the Cyrgal.

On another front and amid the tumultuous aftermath of Roland’s defection, Gideon leads a desperate attempt to assassinate a Kesaht general. He is the last hope to turn the tide of the battle, and save the world of Ouranos.

As the war against the Kesaht and their merciless allies grinds on, Gideon and Roland must summon faith and fury to survive.

Proxima Centauri (Aeon 14: Enfield Genesis #2) – Lisa Richman and M. D. Cooper

Though Jason and his team have taken down Victoria North and freed many of the kidnapped AIs, several are still missing, and it’s the team’s job to find them.

Even as they set things right, a small piece of technology procured from Norden’s crumbling criminal empire is enough to become the catalyst for an even worse catastrophe.

Jason, Terrance, and the Phantom Blade team grapple with this new threat, unaware that it is far closer to home than they ever imagined.

The struggle to bring about equality for AIs and make Alpha Centauri a home for all sentients balances on a knife’s edge. It will take everything Jason has to ensure the burgeoning civilization isn’t cut to ribbons.

Quantum Mortis #3: A Secret Love – Vox Day, Steve Rzasa, and Matvei Daniilovich

Chief Warrant Officer Graven Tower is a ruggedly handsome military policeman who hates aliens. Fortunately, as a member of His Grace’s Military Crimes Investigation Division – Xenocriminology and Alien Relations, he gets to arrest a lot of them. Sometimes he even gets to shoot them.

Chief Tower and Detector Derin Hildreth of the Trans Paradis Police Department are investigating the murder of the Crown Prince of Morchard, but they have not been able to determine a motive for the crime or identify any suspects. So when a royal assistant comes forward with information about the prince’s secret life, they don’t hesitate to pursue the lead into the heart of the wealthy interplanetary establishment.

Renegade Dawn (Renegade Star #7) – J. N. Chaney 

Welcome to the Old World.

Captain Jace Hughes and his crew have finally reached their destination: Earth, the mythical lost homeworld of Humanity. It was said to harbor great wonders, fertile land, and beauty beyond comparison, but the reality is far, far stranger than any story.

The Earth isn’t what they thought, and it must be rebuilt.

Using the newly acquired Galactic Dawn as a refitted transport vessel, Jace hopes to bring help from displaced worlds whose inhabitants can no longer sustain themselves. He’s going to need all the help he can get to jumpstart this new colony. That means farmers, workers, soldiers, and, perhaps most importantly, families, all of them working together to build a home they can call their own.

But the Earth harbors many dangerous secrets, each one more deadly than the last.

The Replicant War (Worlds at War #1) – Chris Kennedy

Billed as “the most realistic game ever,” Worlds at War was a video game unlike any other—one that promised a virtual reality experience that rivaled operating a giant mecha in combat. People flocked to the game in anticipation.

For some, the game lived up to and far exceeded their expectations—the level of graphics was indeed, “just like being there.” The game didn’t provide the experience many others had hoped for, though; for a large number of players, the game was “too real to be fun.”

For video game design majors Ryan Johnson and Noah Bowden, the game play was incredible. It made them feel like they actually were saving a foreign world from horrific enemies, and they rapidly moved up on the leaderboard of the game’s best players.

But then fatal accidents began happening to the gamers at the top of the leaderboard, including many at which men in black were seen. When Ryan sees those same men at his dorm, he realizes there is more going on in the shadows of Worlds at War than he has been led to believe…but can he determine what’s going on before a fatal accident happens to him, too?

REV: Rebirth (The REV Warriors #3) – T. R. Harris

For the past twenty years, Humanity–along with their ultimate weapons, the superhuman warriors known as REVs–have been at war with the more-powerful and technologically-advanced Antaere race. As latecomers to the galactic community, the Humans have beenplaying catch-up, proving that their innate skill at waging war can help skip a lot of steps on the way to galactic domination. That was until two years ago. Now nearly all the civilizations within the local Grid of colonized planets have turned against the Humans, resulting in the loss of nearly all the territory they once fought and died for.

But things are changing. Through recent revelations regarding the Antaere and their ultimate  plan for their alien followers, old allies are slowly returning and asking for Earth’s help in liberating their planets from the Antaere stranglehold. And the REVs are leading the way.

However, things are not always as they seem. The Antaere are diabolical in their strategy. And when a recent mission goes bust, Earth is left in an even worse position than before.

Lt. Zac Murphy and his super-REVs have their work cut out for them…if people will just let them do their job. After all, Zac is not only a new breed of REV…he’s a new breed of man….

Stand or Fall (The Four Horsemen: The Omega War #4) – Keven Ikenberry

Peacemakers. The Galactic Union’s most capable enforcers and resolute negotiators, their name alone elicits fear and awe among the Union’s citizenry.

While the occupation of Earth continues, MinSha mercenaries under the command of Major General Drehnayl have assaulted Human-held colonies in the outer rim, wiping them out completely. With the famed Four Horsemen nowhere to be found, the Mercenary Guild’s attempt to instill fear and subvert humanity is perilously close to reality. Tasked with finding the MinSha is Jessica Francis, Earth’s first Peacemaker, but the odds aren’t in her favor. Racing against time, Jessica realizes that finding Drehnayl’s forces isn’t enough—she must do something to stop their atrocities and end their reign of terror.

Upon locating the MinSha fleet, Jessica faces down Drehnayl’s armada with a band of heroes both hopelessly outmanned and under-equipped on the binary planet Victoria Bravo. Her decision made, and with MinSha Lieutenant Colonel Tirr and the near-AI Lucille at her side, Jessica charges into battle intent on stopping Drehnayl once and for all…or to die trying. A Peacemaker must set the terms, honor the threat, and know when to stand or fall. For Jessica and her friends, that time is now.

Soda Pop Soldier – Nick Cole

Gamer PerfectQuestion fights for ColaCorp in WarWorld, an online combat sport arena where mega-corporations field entire armies in the battle for real world global advertising-space dominance. Within the immense virtual battlefield, players and bots are high-tech grunts, using drop-ships and state-of-the-art weaponry to wipe each other out.

But times are tough and the rent is due, and when players need extra dough, there’s always the Black, an illegal open source tournament where the sick and twisted desires of the future are given free rein in the Wastehavens, a gothic dungeon fantasy world.

And all too soon, the real and virtual worlds collide when PerfectQuestion refuses to become the tool of a mad man intent on hacking the global economy for himself.

Tomorrow’s Spacemage (The Spacemage Chronicles #3) – Timothy Ellis

Thorn is back. He’s lost 1 civilization, and is still trying to fix 2 others.

But fixing when you don’t know how it broke, is never as simple as you thought it was.

The future is threatened by his own past, and to fix everything, he thinks he has to undo what he’s already done.

But what if what you did cannot be undone, and the future has more riding on it than anyone knows?

Yesterday’s Spacemage was the cause. Today’s Spacemage was the effect.

But can Tomorrow’s Spacemage save everyone?

Unification (Ghost Marines #2) – Jonathan P. Brazee

Human slavers attack. Despite trying to fight back, there is nothing the young Leefe can do to save his family and friends. But he doesn’t have to. The Imperial Marines arrive in the nick of time, and they hate slavers. Three tri-years later, when the new emperor issues a proclamation to integrate the imperial military with non-human citizens, Leefe is among the first to volunteer.

The Corps has been integrated by imperial decree—but that doesn’t mean everyone accepts the wyntonan Marines. Despite an impressive combat record as a grunt, Corporal Leif Hollow struggles to become an effective NCO and leader of Marines.

When then the trumpets of war sound, however, Marines forget about differences and come together to accomplish the mission. But when the odds are stacked against them, and the empire’s very existence is at stake, will that be enough?

War Mage (The Magitech Chronicles #4) – Chris Fox

The Krox have finally reached their end game, and the sector will never be the same. Their relentless fleet darkens the skies of New Texas, home of the fabled Ternus shipyards. Their only hope lies with their sworn allies, the Shayans. But the Shayans refuse to help.

Only Aran and his company can keep their leadership alive long enough for Voria to bring reinforcements and the fabled Spellship. If they fail, the entire world burns, and Ternus morale will collapse with it.

But the war is merely a smokescreen for something much more sinister. Teodros, Guardian of Krox, plans to use the distraction to resurrect his dark father. If he is not stopped, Krox will live again.

Behind it all Talifax schemes, and Nara will pay the price.

New Release Roundup, 25 August 2018: Science Fiction published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

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New Release Roundup, 2 June 2018: Fantasy and Adventure

The northern frontier of Britannia, a magical school, a conquered city, and Manly Wade Wellman’s Sgt. “Bible” Jaeger feature in this week’s roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure.

Desperate Measures (The Valens Legacy #8) – Jan Stryvant

Things are starting to heat up for Sean and for some of his allies as well. The Sacramento Vestibulum council is starting to act in ways that no one had anticipated, and the Gradatim national council is by no means standing idly by either. When several of the councils decide to ban together in a move to eradicate Sean’s followers and remove him as well, Sean has no choice other than to try and teach them a painful lesson.

But those aren’t all the problems that Sean now has to deal with. More and more people are counting on him as the days go by and the burdens he must shoulder are quickly growing. Between the magical work he must do, the people he must lead, the battles he has to fight, and the money he needs to earn, Sean barely has time for his wives, much less himself these days.

And if dealing with the magic users isn’t enough, there are some very ‘mundane’ issues on the horizon that he may soon find himself dealing with as well.

Embers of Empire (Ava’s Crucible #2) – Mark Goodwin

America has fallen and Ava’s band of misfits is all that stands between freedom and absolute tyranny.

Political division in the United States has reached the boiling point and the Second American Civil War is well underway. Communist agitators have been successful in their efforts to intimidate voters from key states and steal the election. A far-left socialist candidate has seized the reins of power and his designs against the republic are absolute. With a sympathetic congress, he will sign in sweeping bans on firearms, criminalize free speech, and institute a new government agency to root out dissenters.

Ava’s group pledges to launch an insurgency campaign against the occupying force in Texas, but they’ll have to watch out for those who have been tasked with purging the patriots. Her team cannot fail in their mission to liberate Texas. If Texas falls, America’s demise is all but certain.

The Encircling Sea (Vindolanda #2) – Adrian Goldsworthy

Flavius Ferox, Briton turned Roman centurion, is charged with keeping Rome’s empire intact. But from his base at Vindolanda on the northern frontier of Britannia, he feels enemies closing in on him from all sides.

Ambitious leaders await the chance to carve out empires of their own. While men nearer at hand speak in whispers of war and the destruction of Rome.

And now new threats are reaching Ferox’s ears. Stories about the boat-dwelling men of the night, who have cursed the land and only come ashore to feast on men’s flesh.

These are just rumours for now. But Ferox knows that rumours stem from truth. And that no one on this isle is safe from the great, encircling sea…

The Family Shame (The Zero Enigma #4) – Christoper G. Nuttall

Isabella Rubén is a traitor – at twelve years old.

Disgraced, abandoned by her friends and shunned by her family, Isabella is sent into exile with scant hope of returning to her former home. Her destination, Kirkhaven Hall; a stone mansion miles from civilisation, inhabited only by a pair of older exiles. Existence as she knew it is over.

But as she tries to settle into Kirkhaven Hall, and a life far from the one she enjoyed before her fall from grace, she discovers that the hall has secrets. Intruders on the grounds, ghostly shadows moving at night …

… and a plot that may destroy everything she once held dear.

Hunted (The Oddyssey of  Nath Dragon #4) – Craig Halloran

Nath, Darkken and Maefon’s relationships grow stronger and they become quite the formidable band of heroes. Still taken in by the deception, Nath journeys with his new companions across Nalzambor to the town of Old Hen. It is there that they begin a desperate search in a bizarre gargantuan crypt guarded by the undead. Within, they hope to find the secret of Dragon Steel, that can be turned into a weapon, that can kill anything.

Brenwar, Slivver and Master Elween pull their forces together in order to track Nath down. Can they find him before Lord Darkken’s deception takes a complete hold on Nath? Will they be able to reveal the insidious Lord of the Dark in the Day’s deception? Or will Nath set his sights on taking over Nalzambor with his brother?

Hunter’s Oath (Changeling Blood #2) – Glynn Stewart

Jason Kilkenny is a quarter-human Vassal of the Queen of the Fae and the neutral arbiter of supernatural affairs around the Fae Court in the Canadian city of Calgary. He has spent half a year building relationships with the existing power structure–but all of that is thrown into chaos when the Fae leadership dictates that Calgary’s Court split into Seelie and Unseelie factions. Backed by the highest authority, the new Lord Andrell is there to build an Unseelie Court from nothing, and he will brook no interference, no challenges.

Meanwhile, a rogue Fae launches a vicious slaughter at Calgary’s largest public event, and Jason is dragged into an investigation and pursuit of a monster far more powerful than he is. The rogue’s Unseelie heritage brings him into conflict with Lord Andrell, and the city’s peace is threatened.

One wrong step could unleash civil war between the new Courts and Jason’s own secrets could lead to lighting the embers of a civil war amongst all Fae–embers that have slumbered since before his birth.

If only he knew what those secrets were…

Magna Carta (The Border Knight #4) – Griff Hosker

The Earl of Cleveland has managed to put himself in King John’s good graces just at the time when other barons decide to rebel. They seek more land and power. The newly appointed Earl is caught in the middle. When the Scots begin to raid once more Sir Thomas is forced to rally the loyal knights of the north and repel them. Following the actual history which led to the Magna Carta and beyond this fast-moving novel moves from Scotland to Wales and Northampton and Lincoln. It culminates in the battle of Lincoln 1217 when the French army attempted to conquer England.

So long as the Earl and William Marshal stand shoulder to shoulder with the boy king, Henry III, then England will be safe!

Party of Assassins – Steven Maurer

The thing about war is that life still goes on.

As rival princes ravage across Aeterna, mustering armies to vie for the throne of the Nutearean Empire, Xanthe’s main concern is getting a date for the upcoming Festival of Favors. Hard for a poor scholar’s daughter, who sees nothing in her looks that would ever attract a suitable boy.

Yet even in the relative safety of northern Thule, the southern interregnum brings danger. Fanatics rise when rulers fall. The Curate preaches that ancient technologies weren’t lost due to apocalyptic battles, but seized as divine punishment for mortals usurping the authority to shape life. Some schismatic zealots go further. Against the law, they murder ‘witches’ – girls with mysterious talents engineered into their bloodlines – hoping to cleanse mankind of its sins.

And Xanthe has a secret…

A Sellsword’s Wrath (Seven Virtues #2) – Jacob Peppers 

Aaron Envelar thought a sellsword’s life was as dangerous as any life could be. He was wrong.

Trapped in a conquered city with a reward on their heads, Aaron and his companions must find a way to elude the soldiers pursuing them while he struggles to understand his bond with Co, a magical creature of myth and the Virtue of Compassion. There is power within the bond, power that could help him protect his friends, if he’s lucky enough to master it before the darkness within the bond consumes him.

But luck, Aaron knows, is a blade reached for in the dark, the man who grasps it as likely to bleed for his trouble as find the handle.

Stalked by Belgarin’s soldiers, Aaron and his companions struggle to find allies before it’s too late. But Belgarin’s army is not the only danger they face, and even should they escape, even should Aaron master his bond with a legendary creature of magic, they may still fail. They may still die.

For there are other legends in the world, other magic. And not all legends are good ones. Not all magic is benign.

Tales of Anyar (Destiny’s Crucible #5) – Olan Thorensen

The Destiny’s Crucible series chronicles the incredible adventure of Joseph Colsco, a college student of no particular importance, who is thrust into an unimaginable fate by an accident that couldn’t happen—but did. Cast naked on the planet Anyar, he forges a new life for himself and rises to prominence and responsibilities he would otherwise never have imagined. However, much is left undone and uncertain. For readers who finished the first four books, many questions were left unanswered, and many stories left untold. This collection of short stories and novellas addresses some of the questions, expands previous books, and points to future directions. The anthology begins not on the planet Anyar but on Earth, with the aftermath of the improbable accident that starts Joseph Colsco on his new life.

Worse Things Waiting – Manly Wade Wellman

Available again for the first time in 45 years, Shadowridge Press is proud to present Manly Wade Wellman’s WORSE THINGS WAITING, one of the cornerstone short story collections in the fantasy and horror genres. Originally published by the legendary imprint Carcosa, Worse Things Waiting gathers 28 stories and two poems, selected from over 100 stories—the cream of nearly a half-century of fiction taken from the pages of Weird Tales, Unknown, Strange Stories and many other Golden Age pulps. Included are such classic tales as—

“The Undead Soldier”- featuring the original ending that Weird Tales considered too horrific to publish.

“The Devil Is Not Mocked” and “The Valley Was Still”- adapted for TV on Night Gallery and The Twilight Zone respectively.

“Coven” and “Fearful Rock”- Wellman’s two novelettes featuring Sgt. “Bible” Jaeger and his battles with diabolical evil in the Civil War south.

—and many more. The very best of Manly Wade Wellman, fully illustrated with over 30 ghoulish drawings by the legendary master of the macabre, Lee Brown Coye.

Cirsova #8 – edited by P. Alexander

For readers who want exciting tales of daring heroes up against impossible odds in exotic settings, the eight issue of Cirsova: Heroic Fantasy and Science Fiction is now hot off the press.

Featuring stories from Nathan Dabney, Jon Zaremba, J.D. Brink, Jim Breyfogle, Amy Power Jansen, Donald Jacob Uitvlugt, Jennifer Povey, Ken McGrath, and J. Manfred Weichsel.

New Release Roundup, 2 June 2018: Fantasy and Adventure published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames