#So it surprises everyone when Four and Twilight become friends so fast

[nancyheart11]

Twilight and Four

They're talking about gear since Twilight has watched both a blacksmith and a seamstress at work while Four has worked as a Blacksmith.

[allmights-right-boob]

Not fic: Cursed Twilight addition

So I’m about to have my BNHA rights revoked but I just finished Midnight Sun (at the time when I started writing this) and started thinking about the characters and that Rosalie and Bakugo are weirdly similar so now here I am outlining a Twilight Au that no one asked for (except me but I’m garbage) that I will never write because I can’t focus long enough to write an actual story (fun fact this outline is taking months to complete). To be honest though this is more of a background on all the characters as opposed to an outline of the Twilight story (oops) which may or may not come later. Author’s notes are in parenthesis if you haven’t figured that out.

Basically I’m replacing Twilight characters with BNHA characters, not everyone will have the same back story, it’ll be blended(future me: um so that was a lie). Everyone’s quirks are still mostly the same but as their vampire gift with some variation to fit the word. It still takes place in the Pacific north-west because I’m not super sure if there’s a place as cloudy as there in Japan besides the mountains like Mt.Fuji (but that’s more misty I think) but there’s too many people around places like that I feel. But then again I’m not actually writing this whole fic so you’re welcome to imagine them still in Japan. If I did write this as a fic I would actually do proper research to decide where to put them but meh, this is a not-fic. As it is I’m calling the town it would take place in Forks/Crossroads cause that would be a cool alternative name. The backgrounds take place all over the word but I never actually say where. My bad.

Also if you do read this I love you very much and I am so sorry, this is ramble-y and has way too many run-on sentences and is written as if I were speaking to you as opposed to an actual written story. It’s also taken so long to complete things I wasn’t sure about in the beginning become solidified later but it’s also written out of order so probably reads really bad. Again my apologies.

So the characters are as follows:

The Olympic Coven/Cullens - The Might Coven/Aizawa-Yagis

Carlisle Cullen- Toshinori Yagi

So obviously I made Toshi Carlisle because suave blond everyone loves is both of their MO. Toshi is probably around 500 years old and like Carlisle was turned while hunting vampires. I still want him to have two forms but I’m not entirely sure how to do that within the confines of the Twilight universe. Maybe he was injured in a battle where he literally lost parts of himself and can’t fully heal so he’s become weak but still can’t die? He’s a doctor but might be semi-retired because of his injury, the cover story is an undisclosed chronic illness. He’s also a part time stay at home dad. He definitely used his vampirism to help and protect humans in the past.

Probably had a coven when he was younger with Nana and Torino but Nana was killed and Torino sent Toshi away for his own safety. He may or may not have started out as vegetarian, I can see Nana as veg or only eats bad people, Torino is an eats bad guys type but will eat anyone when pressed. Toshi either started out as a vegetarian before meeting Nana or if she found him immediately and took him in he would go animal based pretty quickly, She always respected his lifestyle. Grand Torino respects it to an extent but now that Toshi is hurt wants him to drink from humans because he thinks it’ll help Toshinori heal or at least be better for his body. He was in his 40s when turned.

Esme Cullen- Shouta Aizawa

It should surprise literally no one that I’m making this Erasermight because I am soft for my boys and anything is an excuse to ship them. Shouta is honestly the person who has taken the longest to work out along with Shinsou. Like so, so, long. These two are also related, they’re cousins or uncle/nephew or something. They’re also the most different from their counterparts, probably because it’s taken so long for me to work their stories out I’ve just completely changed them from original Twilight.

So the time period is really vague with him, it’s either the late 1800s or WWI. Hitoshi was an orphan around the age of 12 and Shouta his guardian is 30-31. Either way there was a war (and I looked at the wars in the second half of the 1800s, it’s just so many wars. What is wrong with this world?) and it could have easily been the civil war (and if so they were Unionist, obviously.) But wherever he and Hitoshi lived there was a war happening and he was probably not in the army at the time, just protecting his home and neighbors. At the same time Toshinori and Izuku were in the area trying to help civilians because wars suck and they’re basically un-killable so they can help and with the chaos of everything if someone started to suspect something of them they could fake their deaths and leave. And they probably did. But while traveling through they stop in a town/village and meet Shouta and Hitoshi.

Shouta is his gruff no nonsense self and Hitoshi is a little in awe of Yagi because this is still pre-injury so he’s this huge imposing man who’s gentle and knowledgeable about medicine. Eventually even Shouta comes around to liking Yagi, who has the nickname All Might because of his strength, even though he thinks his over the top enthusiasm in front of others is exhausting. In private Toshi ends up letting his guard and persona down with Aizawa because he realizes he doesn’t have to keep it up, he doesn’t need to make Aizawa like and trust him the way he does with the others, it’s just natural the way they click. Toshi probably fell in love first, vampires fall in love fast and long and all encompassing in a way that if they were human would be rather unhealthy (and probably is anyway because this is fiction but I don’t really care because this is fiction and I relate to unhealthy love way too much). Shouta was more reserved because he is a cautious man by nature and probably loves in a similar but more healthy way to vampires, long and devoted, but he must be careful to whom he gives his heart. I still don’t think he meant to fall for Toshinori, loving a man in the time that they lived was dangerous and inadvisable if one could avoid it. But Toshinori Yagi is the kind of man one cannot help but loving.

They didn’t tell each other how they felt though. A few months after Izuku and Toshinori’s arrival there was an attack on the town, Hitoshi they found safe but Toshinori caught wind of Shouta’s scent and followed, finding him mortally wounded. Desperate to keep him Toshi turned him and split off from Izuku and Hitoshi while Shouta adjusted to vampire life. They quickly became lovers, though Shouta had a brief stint as a human blood drinker as revenge for the destruction of his village. But it started to test their relationship and in the end Toshi and his own morals were more important to him than human blood. The four of them reunite a year later and they try to keep their relationship a secret but both of the boys figure it out pretty quickly. Izuku accepts it immediately because his dad is finally with someone and is happy while it takes Hitoshi a bit of time because period typical homophobia and it’s going to take a while for Yagi to earn his trust back after turning Aizawa in front of him.

Aizawa has an erasure power same as in canon. Since he doesn’t need to blink he’s a bit op but opponents who are faster than his eyes can track and multiple opponents are his weaknesses. He’s a history teacher at Forks/Crossroads high but purposefully does not have his own kids as students. He’s a mystery to most of his colleagues who probably haven’t even figured out he’s got five kids in the school.

Rosalie Hale- Katsuki Bakugo

Bakugo has a pretty similar start to Rosalie but because what happened to her is so awful and  I have problems doing that even to fictional characters that part is different. He’s still a rich kid from the early 20th century, probably turned in the 1920s, but he and his explosive temperament pissed off the wrong people who jumped him in an alley and beat him almost to death, like actually thought he was dead so they left him there (I know this isn’t that much better than what happened to Rose but man she had a horrific end to her human life). He was around 17-18 when he was turned.

While human he had met Dr. Yagi, who was probably treating one of his parents for a chronic ailment, along with his son Izuku and his ‘companion’ Aizawa and Aizawa’s ward Hitoshi. All of the others gave him the creeps but Izuku was a relatively normal boy, a bit younger than himself and accompanied his father when visiting the Bakugos. Their relationship is pretty much the same as canon where Izuku likes Bakugo a lot and Bakugo is nothing but awful to him. They end up with a sort of ‘I hate you but you’re my best friend’ relationship except neither actually hates the other. When Yagi finds Bakugo half dead in an alley he turns him because he was weirdly fond of the angry young man and more so because he thought that the relationship between the two boys was growing into something more, he and Izuku hadn’t talked about it, as he was waiting for his son to come to him, and he didn’t have time to ask. He realizes later that no, Katsuki and Izuku are not star crossed lovers like he and Shouta but he can’t say he regrets turning Bakugo other than Bakugo’s own hatred of being a vampire. He loves his angry son okay.

Bakugo had a life goal which was probably taking over the family business though based off canon that would be fashion and I can’t see him interested in that. Whatever it was he was pursuing it with the same single mindedness that he possesses for heroism and since he can no longer achieve his goals as a vampire he resents it along with the fact that the decision to become a vampire or die a human was taken away from him. He does have a good relationship with Toshinori and Shouta even though he still acts like a brat. His cover story is that he’s Toshinori’s cousin’s son and is an orphan who they took in. He kept his family’s name.

Like a number of vampires Bakugo has a talent or gift. His is his incredibly powerful and dangerous explosion ability. He can cause explosions from his palms. So far the League has not discovered him but everyone worries that one day they will and the Might Coven will be hunted and slaughtered for Bakugo’s power.

Emmett Cullen- Eijirou Kirishima

Sometime around the 1930s  Bakugo was hunting and found a bleeding almost dead Kirishima. It was either an animal attack like canon or an accident where he fell off a cliff (that feels like something he would do). I don’t think he decided to turn Kirishima, he just smelled blood and lost control. He’s still ashamed about how he reacted to this day as he’s typically better than that around humans. Luckily the others were hunting with him and were able to pull Bakugo off. He’s never held what Bakugo did against him and his enthusiasm and friendship actually endeared him to Katsuki despite his guilt. Eijirou was turned at 19 and has never had issues with being a vampire, it sucks that he had to leave his human family behind but he loves his vampire one just as much and he got the love of his life out of it. It took awhile but Katsuki and Eijirou eventually admit their feelings and they start dating. They’ve been married a few times now because Bakugo is extra and Eijirou loves confessing his love.

With Kirishima’s gift it doesn’t work the same as in cannon where you can tell it’s activated. In fact they still might not know Kiri has a gift or if they do it’s only a suspicion. He’s just harder than the other marble like vampires. Where the others have almost certainly had mild injuries (mostly from Bakugo’s explosions) like cracks that heal immediately, Eijirou has never been injured as a vampire. At all. He’s also immensely strong, because he was as a human, and that has been enhanced but he’s nowhere near as strong as Toshi was pre-injury. His cover story is he’s a foster kid they took in and he keeps the last name Kirishima.

Alice Cullen- Denki Kaminari

Like Alice Denki spent the end of his human life in an insane asylum (I refer to it as such because these were not hospitals and more like institutions of torture). I honestly can’t figure out if mental health care was so bad in the early/mid 20th century that a 15-16 year old boy with ADHD being sent to one is unrealistic or not. I’m pretty sure it was similar to Alice where he saw something he shouldn’t and was put in it to silence him.( I should probably figure out what that was sometime) Either way that’s where he ended up and of course he had to deal with electroshock ‘therapy’ which both severely messed with his memory and sorta brought out a natural resistance and even control over electricity, so he had to receive stronger and stronger sessions. This manifested in Denki’s electric power when he was turned into a vampire.

While hunting in the woods surrounding the institution, Hitoshi spotted Denki in the window and was instantly taken by the boy with eyes as golden as his inhuman family’s. He would make trips by the asylum just to get a glimpse and eventually took a night job there to meet him against his family’s advice. When they met Denki recognized him despite how careful, and honestly far away, Hitsohi had been and instead of being creeped out he was happy just to make a new friend. They would talk as long as they could and Hitoshi would bring Denki little bits of the outside world like flowers or decent snacks. And he would take care of Kaminari when his ‘therapies’ would leave him incapacitated and the nursing staff would neglect him.

Even after his family moved away to a location where the weather suited them better Hitoshi stayed working at the asylum not willing to leave Denki to his fate there (And to note this is around the time the others realized how serious Hitoshi’s feelings are and start planning how to help Kaminari or bring him into the family. Before this they were starting to suspect but kinda thought he was being weird about a guy he saw in a window. To be fair though he was being weird about a guy he saw in a window.) One night after an ice bath ‘treatment’ Denki developed a fever and over the course of a few days had full blown pneumonia. In his delirium he confessed his feelings to Shinsou who reciprocated and decided he would steal Denki away when he knew the trip back to his family wouldn’t kill the sick boy. Of course being a poorly run and over populated institution his condition was overlooked and ignored especially since a ‘specialist’ was coming to perform procedures on several patients, aka some guy with no degree was going to lobotomize as many people as he could fit into one day. Shinsou didn't find out until he came in that night and found out Kaminari was already in the procedure room. He flipped out and killed most of the staff there and took a severely injured Denki home to Toshinori in the hopes of saving him.

The change seemed to take longer than it had for the others but does end up working, though when he finally comes to Denki is much more quiet and subdued and remembers almost nothing about his past. All he knows is his name, Hitoshi’s name, and that he loves him. He also has weird headaches periodically for decades later and slowly becomes more like himself before the lobotomy. He never fully recovers his memories, a bit here and a piece there, all moments shared with Hitoshi. He decides he doesn’t need the rest, everything he needs is here and in his future with his family.

His cover story is typically as a foster kid so he keeps his last name Kaminari. Sometimes he decides to change things up and goes as a Yagi or even Bakugo’s brother when Katsuki is feeling generous.

Jasper Hale- Hitoshi Shinsou

Hitoshi’s early years were spent in his small town or village (I think the difference is size but I’m american and I don’t think we have villages no matter how small a place is so...) Everything was uneventful up until the war, I don’t know which war, civil war in US or WWI in Europe, but around the age of 12 his village was destroyed, his guardian was turned into a vampire and he had to go live with Izuku while Aizawa learned to manage his bloodlust. During that time he and Izuku grew really close and even now they have the most brotherly relationship out of all the siblings.

So after a year the four reunite with a vampire Shouta and an overly protective Izuku and a very weary Hitoshi. Everything goes on as it did for Toshinori and Izuku before they split but now with their two new additions. Yagi gives Hitoshi the best education he can without sending him to boarding school although they had discussed it. They were in a precarious position with a human boy knowing their vampire secret and they couldn’t run the risk of news getting back to the League, the governing body of vampires run by a mysterious head known only as All for One.

Years pass but unfortunately news of the Might Coven’s human pet gets back to the League and due to past history involving Nana and Toshi, AfO comes himself to deal with the situation and brings his two most powerful underlings, his adopted son and second in command Tomura Shigaraki and . A fight between Yagi and All for One happens and AfO rips out a piece of Toshi’s side and Toshi ends up crushing AfO’s head, killing him (maybe but probably not). Tomura, who had been fighting against Shouta and Toga who battled Izuku, realize they can’t win.

Now the vampire known as All Might is pretty popular amongst his kind but the Might Coven was at the time nowhere near strong enough or influential enough to fill the void that would be left by the dissolution of the League, which would happen if they killed all three of the vampires there. So they took a gamble and spared Shigaraki and Toga thinking their loyalty to AfO was limited, since most vampires don’t form bonds the way ���vegetarians’ seem to, and that they would be happy with their promotion. They also agreed at Hitoshi’s insistence that he would be turned so they would no longer have a human knowing the secret about vampires. So Yagi turns Hitoshi and they let Toga and Shigaraki go and continue about their lives as much as they can with Toshinori’s injury.

Just like the rest of his family, Shinsou's quirk is the same as canon. If someone answers his question he can control their minds. It’s probably a little stronger than in canon too, at least against humans. Vampires have better resistance. His cover story is the most truthful, he’s Shouta’s orphan relative. He sometimes takes on Aizawa’s last name though in this school he decided to use his original.

Edward Cullen- Izuku Midoriya

The more I plot this out the more I’m taking Twilight, stripping it down to the bare outline, and making it into something totally different. Like the only similarities are Izuku and Shoto’s relationship follows Bella and Edwards, somewhat. Izuku is the tanned skinned, freckled, green eyed boy in a family of pale golden eyed outsiders. He seems completely human even to other vampires, til you get him in the sunlight where he literally shines.

I’m not sure when Izuku was born, maybe the 1700s, but he was still the first of the Might Coven besides Toshinori. Sometime after Nana’s death Toshi finds an ailing pregnant woman named Inko Midoriya who’s bizarre husband still hasn’t come home from his business trip to a foreign country. She’s convinced she is going to die before he returns and her pregnancy is so hard and so seemingly fast but her baby feels strong enough to survive so she begs Toshinori to please take care of her son till his father returns. Inko dies before she can give birth to her baby so Toshinori takes the baby out himself as a last ditch effort but there’s something not right, not with the baby or the amniotic sac that’s almost as hard as Toshinori himself. And when the sun shines through the window Toshinori’s arm glimmers and so does the new born baby. Dread at the thought that he’s holding an immortal child wells in him but he’s never heard of an immortal child being born and he’s especially never heard of a vampire with a heart beat. So against his better judgement he takes the child and runs, he can’t wait for Inko’s husband, and he can’t risk someone seeing the child and reporting back to the League. So he and Izuku, a name Inko had picked out before her death, stay on the run for years as the boy grew until he was at an appropriate age to be around at least vampire kind. Conveniently the half vampire boy doesn’t need blood to survive and seems to have very little if any bloodlust at all. Or so it seemed.

Now some differences I’m making will be Izuku’s aging. I know Rennesme ages fast and stops when she looks 21-25 but I’m thinking Izuku either ages very slowly or stopped when he looks closer to 15-18? Probably the first one. Also I think male half-vamps have red/gold eyes but Izuku has green because I said so.

His cover story is that he's Toshinori’s son from a previous relationship. They tried to call him a foster child in the past but they’re too close and Izuku uses Toshinori’s given name and dad interchangeably. He likes to use his mom’s last name as a way to honor her. Not every school but it is a pretty common thing for him to do and he’s using it in Forks/Crossroads this year. He doesn’t seem to have a gift but he’s a half vampire, his presence is a gift.

Humans

Bella Swan- Shoto Todoroki

Time for ‘technically main character number two but I preferred everyone else in Twilight over Edward and Bella so he and Izuku get put down lower on the list’. So Todoroki and Bella’s similarities are: new kid comes to live with other parent after the parent they lived with got married. I really don’t think there’s a lot else similar? But Bella doesn’t have that much back story to begin with.

So Shoto’s parents grew up in Forks/Crossroads but moved somewhere sunnier before he was born. He grew up in a city, maybe Phoenix (almost certainly Phoenix for the name alone). His parents had an unhappy marriage but I honestly don’t think it was full on abuse, I feel like Enji still neglected them but never physically or verbally hurt anyone. And since Shoto moves back in with Rei I don’t think she gave him his scar either, I think it was an accident where young Shoto pulled maybe a hot kettle onto himself? It probably was the catalyst for his parents divorce but ultimately that was happening either way. Both parents blamed the other for his accident but I think the courts realized it was just that, an accident, maybe some negligence (I don’t really know how custody courts work and what happens when a kid gets hurt and this isn’t a real fic so I’m not researching) but either way Enji gets Shoto (maybe all the kids but Rei gets visitation, comes down for the summer like Charlie? Kids go up there for vacation and holiday? Or split the kids 50/50? No idea this is still more backstory than Bella got) Enji is still a workaholic and Toya ends up running away/leaving probably shortly after the divorce anyway and Fuyumi and Natsuo eventually leave for college and are still closer to Rei even if they lived with their dad.

So when Enji gets remarried Shoto asks to move in with his mom since she’s all alone and Enji wouldn’t be and ‘wouldn’t it be nice to just be two newly weds with the house to themselves’. He makes a very convincing case and Enji is trying to let his youngest make his own choices so he agrees. Shoto moves north and it isn’t the worst, he likes both the heat and the cold unlike his parents, Rei hates the heat and Enji hates the cold. School is weird because people actually want to be his friend; there’s a group of stoic, pale, intimidating students he’s 90% sure are vampires; and there’s a  beautiful boy who hangs out with them who looks partially horrified and disgusted by him, or like he wants to eat him alive, literally.

Renee Dwyer- Enji Todoroki (Technically)

So I ended up making Enji considerably less awful.

After the divorce Enji figures out his sexuality and eventually starts dating a much younger model who goes by Hawks after he saves him from a burning building (Enji is a firefighter). Shoto offers to move in with Rei after Hawks and Enji get married, he has nothing against Hawks and they get along as well as can be expected but they are newly weds and Enji might be going into semi retirement to travel with Hawks for his career. And the thought of being around his dad so much, who can get a little overbearing when not working, is just not something Shoto wants to deal with. Though it is weird his dad is married to someone so much younger, Shoto knows several other people in his class in Phoenix whose dads did similar and they cheated on their wives and didn’t even have a sexuality crisis in their forties so he’s letting his dad slide on this. Shoto definitely has a better relationship with Enji in this than canon Shoto but they don’t have Enji’s shity eugenics baggage here either. Overall Enji in this is just a neglectful workaholic who’s learning to work on himself with the guidance of the love of his life and is letting Shoto make his own decisions like living with his mom and this is all growth.

Charlie Swan- Rei Todoroki (Technically)

So Rei after the divorce moves back home because she hates Phoenix and hot weather. Maybe she gets custody in the summer or has Fuyumi and Natsuo since Toya took off and they split the kids? (I still haven’t decided how the custody went with those two but they don’t live in Forks/Crossroads or Phoenix so it doesn’t matter.)

After returning home she either started working at or opened up a yarn shop, I see her enjoying needle craft and she’s definitely not a sheriff type. She’s just a quiet, keeps to herself woman with a few close friends; children mostly grown and just happy to spend more time with her youngest.

Phil Dwyer- Keigo Takami

He’s a model who gets saved by Enji when his apartment burns down. He offers to take Enji to dinner and keeps offering to reward him until at Moe’s insistence Enji agrees. They hit it off and the rest is history.

Things I would have said in the tags but there’s a limit so I put the actual important stuff there and ramblings here:

It took me three weeks to finish this (midnight sun) audiobook. I literally drive for a living and couldn’t finish it in less than the entirety of my library rental time. Jake Able deserves more money.

I have read twilight three times now and it never gets easier. Yes I do have terrible taste.

I hope someone reads this. It took like three months to finish this post. I still have so much in my head. I haven’t even started talking about the League. Please ask questions, I want to actually write this but my brain won’t let me write full fics so this is what we get.

[wlntrsldler]

Falling Like The Stars (Bucky Barnes Imagine)

Imagine based on the song “Falling Like the Stars” by James Arthur.

-

I swear to God, when I come home I'm gonna hold you so close I swear to God, when I come home I'll never let go

There was something unfair about the situation you were in. You finally meet the love of your life, the one you’re sure you’re bound to marry and grow old with, only for life to take him away from you.

You had only spent three short months with Bucky before he got his orders. As short as those months may have been, they were the best three months of your life. With Bucky, you felt invincible, like the world was against the both of you but somehow, some way, you two would win regardless of the circumstances.

Bucky felt exactly the same way as you did. There was not a day that went by where he didn’t thank the lucky stars, God, real or not, for allowing him to experience you and all your glory. He was infatuated, obsessed, in love, smitten, all the words and more. 

So when he was given his orders, he wanted nothing more but to ignore the notice and run away with you. All he could dream about was waking up next to you, the sun shining and hitting your face in the most angelic way possible. Bucky finally found you and now he had to let you go. 

Like a river, I flow To the ocean, I know You pull me close, guiding me home

The day he told you he got his orders was undoubtably the worst day of your life. It felt like a part of you was being ripped away, discarded, and left for dead. You knew you could live without Bucky but God only knows how badly you didn’t want to.

“When do you leave?” You asked, voice trembling as you tried to process the words that just left his lips.

“Two weeks.” He gave a sad, side-smile, reaching for your hand to hold. “Please don’t be sad.”

A part of you wanted to hit him for even saying such a thing. How could you not be sad? “There’s not point in saying that.”

“I know.” 

He just wrapped his arms around you and you completely let yourself fall apart. He made it feel okay.

And I need you to know that we're fallin' so fast We're fallin' like the stars, fallin' in love And I'm not scared to say those words with you, I'm safe We're fallin' like the stars, we're fallin' in love

“I can’t believe its only been three months, Buck.” You pointed out, playing with his hair. “It feels like we’ve been together for a lifetime.”

“I second that.” Bucky agreed, looking up at you from your lap. “The first date, love, it felt like we’ve known each other all our lives. I don’t remember feeling awkward at all. Sure, I was nervous going out with someone like you but once I saw you in person and talked to you, all my worries went away.”

You smiled fondly at the memory of your first date. Dinner and a movie, a cliche, but nonetheless, the best first date you’d ever been on. “I remember that.”

“Remember when you asked Steve what my favorite snacks were?” He laughed, his eyes drifting to the pile of snacks in the corner of the room. “Then you snuck it into the theater somehow. I was impressed.”

“I thought you would find me weird.” You confessed. “Or cheap. I mean I did sneak your favorite snacks in the theater instead of buying from the shop.”

“Not at all.” Bucky sat up, shaking his head. “I thought to myself how lucky I was that you took that time to spy on me using my best friend just to surprise me with my favorite snacks. No girl ever did anything that thoughtful for me.”

“And no girl ever will, Barnes.” You jokingly warned, getting up from your seat to get some more snacks. 

“Never again.”

I swear to God, I can see Four kids and no sleep We'll have one on each knee, you and me, hmm And when they've grown up You're still the girl in the club When I held your hair up, 'cause you had too much

“You know doll, as much as I love you,” Bucky chuckled, holding you up in the car. “I would prefer loving you when you’re sober.”

“Hey!” You hiccuped, leaning against his shoulder. “When we get married, you have to love me for better or for worse, so get used to it.”

“Married?” He smiled, looking at your distorted state. “You see us getting married?”

“You don’t?” Even drunk, his question offended you. All the words you were speaking were merely your sober thoughts-- thoughts that you were just too scared to blurt out when you’re sober.

“Of course I do.” He reassured you, pressing his lips on your temple. “I see us getting married and having kids. A lot of them. Steve is gonna be the Godfather of them all.”

“Yeah?” You asked, dozing off. You were finally feeling the drinks you had at the bar. 

“Mhmm,” Bucky whispered, rubbing the side of your arm. “Go to sleep, love. It’s okay.”

And I need you to know that we're fallin' so fast We're fallin' like the stars, fallin' in love And I'm not scared to say those words with you, I'm safe We're fallin' like the stars, we're fallin' in love

“I’m gonna miss you.” You sighed, your head pressed against his chest. The pins on his uniform hurt your cheek but nothing could compare to the hurt in your heart as you digested that the love of your life was going away. “Don’t forget me while you’re away.”

“I could never forget the love of my life.” Bucky pulled you away from his chest, wanting to get one last look at your face. 

“I’m gonna hold you to that, Barnes.”

“When I come back, I’ll prove to you that I haven’t forgotten you.” He raised his pinky up for you to intertwine it with yours. You did. “I promise.”

“I promise.”

You both leaned over to seal the promise with a kiss to your pinkies. 

Bucky kissed your lips, softly, pulling away to rest his forehead on yours. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you, Bucky.”

I swear to God, every day He won't take you away 'Cause without you, babe, I lose my way

Life is truly unfair. 

If it had been anyone else, you wouldn’t have believed them but this was Steve. Steve would never lie to you, especially not about something like this.

“I just- How did it happen?” You asked in disbelief, having to take a seat, not trusting your body to hold you up after hearing such news. “What do you mean Bucky’s gone?”

You saw Steve gulp. You knew this was just as hard for him as it was for you. Bucky was his best friend. “We were on a classified HYDRA mission and there was a complication. He fell from the train and we couldn’t save him. I’m so sorry, Y/N.” 

“It’s not fair, Steve.” You sobbed. It wasn’t supposed to end this way. It was supposed to be you and Bucky until the end of time and even some after that. He was supposed to come back and prove to you that he still remembered you. That he still loved you. “It’s not fair at all.”

“I know, Y/N.” He muttered. “It’s not.”

Oh, I'm in love Oh, I'm in love Oh, I'm in love Oh, I'm in love Oh, I'm in love Oh, I'm in love (fallin' like the stars)

It took you a year to finally move forward with your life. Bucky still held a piece of you even if he was gone. He was your true love. 

You started working with Peggy, finding comfort in your work with her. And when they started the talk of creating a female version of Captain America, you didn’t hesitate to volunteer. 

You knew there was a purpose to your life and when the opportunity presented itself, something within you just knew. You knew it in your gut, just how you knew that nobody else could ever make you feel the way you felt about Bucky.

And I need you to know that we're fallin' so fast We're fallin' like the stars, fallin' in love And I'm not scared to say those words with you, I'm safe We're fallin' like the stars, we're fallin' in love

“Y/N?” Steve knocked on your door. “Can I come in?”

It’s been two months since you came out of the ice and over 70 since you were put in there. Everyone you knew and loved had long passed, except for Steve and Peggy, who was holding onto her last breath of life. You had become a super soldier like Steve, another experiment gone right. 

“Come in.” You replied, shutting the book you were reading. The Twilight Series; you wanted to get caught up on the times and Wanda said this is what everyone was reading. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know where to start.” Steve said once he entered your room. “I wasn’t allowed to tell you until he was fixed up.”

“He?” You sat up, confused. “Vision? Does he want his room back? I can start packing no-”

“No, not Vision.” He sat beside you on your bed. “A year ago, we found Bucky. We’ve been treating him ever since.”

“Bucky?”

“Yeah,” Steve continued. “He’s alive, Y/N. But there’s a lot about him that’s different. He’s not the same Buck that we used to know.”

“Where is he?”

Your mind completely shut down after he said that Bucky was alive. Your Bucky. 

“Downstairs. Tony just transferred him from Wakanda.”

“Can I see him?” You didn’t wait for his response. You slipped on your shoes and bolted to the elevator. 

You heard Steve’s footsteps closely behind you, “Y/N, wait!”

“What?” 

He caught up to you and watched you press the Lobby button on the elevator. “He’s not the same Bucky. When he first saw me, he didn’t even know who I was, Y/N. I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

“I don’t care, Steve.”

The elevator dinged and you sucked in a breathe. Could it be real? Bucky is alive? The metal doors slid open and you saw Tony, staring at you carefully behind his glasses and a man, long-haired, wearing a white tank top that showcased a glistening metal arm. The man turned around upon hearing footsteps behind him and that’s when you knew. Bucky.

“Bucky,” You stopped in your tracks when your eyes met his. Even after 70 years, you knew. Your gut knew. “Do you remember me?”

“I don’t break my pinky promises.” His cold eyes changed, the darkness of the grey subsiding, making room for the blue. “Hi, Y/N.”

[twh-news]

What is the Multiverse? Five Must-See Alternate Timeline TV Episodes to Watch After ‘Loki’

Look, I get it — multiverse storytelling can be confusing. Marvel’s Loki streaming series is only the latest in a long line of stories that plays fast and loose with the idea of multiple or parallel timelines. Loki follows the God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston) after he gets involved with the Time Variance Authority, or the TVA, as they try to correct problems in individual timelines. This provides us a chance to see lots of variant Lokis (including our favorite chompy green boy) and opens up opportunities for a lot of zany storytelling that doesn’t necessarily have to impact the primary timeline.

The idea of multiple universes existing at the same time isn’t anything new. Some of the earliest examples date back to Norse mythology, which divided existence into nine worlds. DC Comics first introduced the idea of the DC multiverse in its comics in All Star Comics #3 in 1940, and Marvel later followed suit, starting with their What if? series in the 1970s. While the concept of parallel universes might feel a little daunting to contemplate on your own, these five television episodes will help you understand the magic of the multiverse.

“The Parallel” — The Twilight Zone

When it comes to television that changed the way we think, Rod Serling‘s The Twilight Zone is the forebear of them all. The original series ran from 1959 to 1964 and contained stories from science fiction greats like Ray Bradbury (Farhenheit 451) and  Richard Matheson (I Am Legend). Each episode in the anthology series told a different short story, most with the intent of exploring some political or social allegory.

In 1963’s “The Parallel”, Major Robert Gaines (Steve Forrest) is orbiting earth in his space capsule when he suddenly blacks out and wakes up on Earth with no memory of how he got there. He’s uninjured, but the world he’s arrived in doesn’t quite match the one he left. His daughter suspects he’s someone else, his house suddenly has a white picket fence that his wife swears has always been there, and everyone keeps calling him Colonel, which matches his uniform but not his memories. He’s a little shaken until he comes to the conclusion that he’s in a parallel universe, and then takes steps to get back to his own timeline.

“The Parallel” marks the first instance of multiverse storytelling on TV. It doesn’t do anything particularly groundbreaking and is a middle-of-the-road The Twilight Zone episode, but it’s the first, which means it paved the way for everyone else to tell TV stories about parallel universes and doppelgangers.

“Mirror Mirror”/”Crossover” — Star Trek/Star Trek Deep Space Nine

Did I say doppelgangers? If there’s one franchise that has capitalized on the potential fun of meeting your alternate self, it’s Star Trek. In the “Mirror Mirror” episode of the original series, a teleporter mishap sends Kirk, McCoy, Scotty, and Uhura to a parallel dimension where everything is reversed. The Federation has become an evil Empire, Kirk is a tyrant, and Spock has a goatee (that’s how you know he’s evil). The episode started several tropes about doppelgangers (including the whole goatee thing), and paved the way for future Star Trek iterations to really go wild with the Mirror Universe.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine explored the Mirror Universe more than any other Star Trek series, with stories taking place there over five different episodes. The first of these, “Crossover,” is the most important and sets the stage for the later mirror episodes. In “Crossover,” Major Kira (Nana Visitor) and Doctor Bashir (Alexander Siddig) have an accident inside of the wormhole near the planet Bajor, sending them to the Mirror Universe. It’s been decades since Kirk and co. crossed over, but things are still pretty backwards in the Mirrorverse. Instead of the Federation, there’s a coalition between the Klingons, Cardassians, and Bajorans. Terrans (a fancy word for Earthlings) have been enslaved. The space station Deep Space Nine is instead a mining operation, run by the alternate Kira, the Intendant.

There are few things in the world as enjoyable as watching Visitor play her double role. The entire cast really gets to go for it with their Mirrorverse personas, and you can tell they’re having a blast. The Mirror Universe in Deep Space Nine gave the actors a chance to explore their characters in new ways, and it provided more insight into their individual pathos. Sure, the Mirrorverse versions were the “evil” versions of themselves, but there were still versions of themselves. Kira is a strong leader with a dry sense of humor, regardless of whether she’s the former Bajoran freedom fighter or the Intendant. “Crossover” set up the following four Deep Space Nine Mirror episodes, including episodes where Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) must pretend to be his doppelganger and deal with the fact that his dead wife is still very alive in the parallel universe. Some of the episodes are silly fun, and some are a bit more heady, but they all get to explore sides of these characters that we’ve never seen before.

“Remedial Chaos Theory” — Community

The NBC sitcom Community frequently made its own riffs on popular tropes, and it had an utter field day with parallel universes. In the season 3 episode, “Remedial Chaos Theory,” viewers are treated to seeing six different ways the same evening could have played out. The friends, who met in a Spanish study group at their community college, are all celebrating Troy (Donald Glover) and Abed (Danny Pudi) moving into a new apartment. When the pizza arrives, group leader Jeff (Joel McHale) suggests they roll dice to see who has to go get the pizza. Abed, who is sensitive to tropes, points out that Jeff is creating new timelines by introducing chance, and then we get to see each of them play out.

What “Remedial Chaos Theory” does is brilliant. It’s a bottle episode, all set in one location with no visible impact on the overall plot. However, by seeing how the situations change each time a single character is removed from the group dynamic, we’re able to learn so much more about the group as a whole. The episode gives us insight into the characters and their relationships by changing up the formula just a pinch and removing one element. In the Darkest Timeline, which leaves Pierce (Chevy Chase) dead and severely maims the rest of the group, it’s revealed that things fall apart without Troy in the mix. At the end of the episode, the prime timeline continues and it’s Jeff who has to go get the pizza. This ends up being the most positive of the timelines, which means maybe the group is better off without Jeff at all. It’s a great piece of character storytelling and even ends with the Darkest Timeline versions of Troy and Abed making felt goatees for themselves before declaring they are Evil Troy and Evil Abed.

“Rixty Minutes” – Rick and Morty

Community showrunner Dan Harmon clearly has a love for stories involving parallel timelines, so it’s no surprise that he expanded on those ideas in Rick and Morty, the adult animated series he developed with Justin Roiland. Rick and Morty is a kind of Back to the Future for twisted adults; it follows the adventures of alcoholic mad scientist Rick Sanchez (Roiland) and his hapless grandson Morty Smith (also Roiland) as they travel through space and time. In the first season episode “Rixty Minutes,” Rick introduces the entire Smith family to the many parallel timelines that exist. He and Morty watch Interdimensional Cable in the A plot, which gives Roiland a chance for lots of fun improvisational gags, but the B plot is more interesting. In order to enjoy his cable watching, Rick gives Morty’s parents and sister a helmet that will let them see through the eyes of some of their alternate selves.

Jerry (Chris Parnell) finds a version of himself that’s a huge Hollywood player who parties with Johnny Depp. Beth (Sarah Chalke) finds a reality where she’s not a horse surgeon, but a human surgeon, like she always wanted. Their teenage daughter Summer (Spencer Grammar) discovers that she was an unplanned pregnancy and that her parents argued about whether or not to get an abortion. In the parallel universes, she either doesn’t exist or her life is hopelessly boring. This leads to a pretty massive existential crisis, but she’s stopped by Morty, who has already had his fair share of timey-wimey weirdness.

Morty takes Summer upstairs and shows her two dirt mounds in the backyard. He explains that he’s not the Morty from this timeline, and that he and Rick had to come here after things in their timeline got too bad. The Rick and Morty in this timeline had just died, so they slipped in unnoticed. Then, Morty gives Summer a bit of advice that shows he’s beginning to grow up a bit on his madcap adventures.

“Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody’s gonna die. Come watch TV?” he pleads.

The episode ends with the entire Smith family realizing that dwelling on possible alternate realities will only ever cause problems. It’s a testament to living in the here and now, and is one of the series’ most emotionally resounding moments.

There are dozens of shows with multiverse stories out there, from ’90s sci-fi staple Sliders to the later seasons of Supernatural. These five, however, helped expand upon the trope as a whole, and are worth checking out to improve your pop culture savvy. That, and they’re just a lot of fun.

[harmonytre]

Comic Plans

Current Projects:

Prismtale (Mondays): An Undertale AU involving NPCs and multiverse travelling. Multi-chapter comic and ongoing.

Mistbreak (Tuesdays): A Steven Universe AU with about 5 pages left of the comic. Then it will become an ask/drabble/design blog.

Flicker of a Neon Soul (Wednesdays): An Undertale AU where monsters have colored soul traits and humans have white soul traits. 10+ chaptered comic with many plans and plot.

Taffy and Steven (Thursdays): A Steven Universe where Steven and his gem are split into different people and Taffy is a wholesome boyo. One page left of the comic, then will become an ask/edit blog with occasional comics.

Future Fandom Projects:

Pokemon Nuzlocke Comics: Multiple regions and an overarching plot. I need to finish playing and writing the first arc before starting the comic. (long term)

Who I Am: A Pokemon comic where James from Team Rocket is a were-pokemon. I need to rewrite it first. About 7 to 8 chapters. (medium length)

Other Undertale AUs: Certain AUs will be revealed in Prismtale and turn into side blogs, and others will be one time comics. (varies)

Future Original Projects:

(One of these I want to make extremely interactive. Like the audience makes choices for the characters.)

Phantulfurs: A comic about teens with powers to see creatures no one else can. I’ve rewritten the first chapter multiple times, but I need to really write it out before starting the comic. About ten arcs. (long term)

Skryculars: A sequel to the above story. (medium length)

The Journeyers: A multi-book series with my cousin. About ten books. Involves animals, powers, and romance. Won’t give information beyond that. (long term)

Unnamed Animated Series: Still need to design the two main characters, but they’ll travel through many worlds from my dream world. (long term youtube series)

Unnamed Wings Story: Decided many many characters for a high school story with wings. Lots of diversity and LGBTQ. Problem is I don’t like writing high school stories and have no plot. ;^; (medium? short?)

Unnamed Long Term Comic: A story about a space girl with wings, a nonbinary person that can shapeshift and communicate with animals, twins with water and plant powers, and an angsty wholesome skeleton bean. No plot yet. (long term)

Short Term (below the cut, any catch your interest?)

(keep in mind many of these I wrote the descriptions for years ago or based off of dreams.)

“Orphan Dog” and “Martha’s Pack” An orphan finds out she can talk to dogs and realizes they are the key to finding her missing parents. (Wrote when I was 8, rewrote partially when I was 13. So very cheezy. Would be even cheezier if I didn’t rewrite it, but still drew quality serious art XD.)

“The Agency” A girl named Jill has secrets. Major secrets. For one, she can turn into any animal at will including extinct, Fantasy, or hybrids. Don’t forget that she can also turn invisible and do telepathy. (Not to mention she runs an entire secret animal spy community…) When her best friend and spy ally, Izabella the opossum, goes missing, she must find what it means to be a true friend and showing that it’s what’s inside that counts. (Actually liked this one too. Even if it’s also cheezy.)

1. “Moos” A boy is adopted by cows and is granted the power to understand animals and turn into a cow.

2. “Moos: Vile Meat” Hoover is back and he must defeat the evil Haystack, a human entrapping calfs in little domes for eternity.

3. “Moos: Cold Cuts” Hoover finds a new ally, one who creates...snow?

4. “Moos: Wakey Wakey Eggs and Bakey” Haystack is back and Hoover and his friends must defeat him before he turns all pigs into stone. (Cheezy series?)

“Extraordinaries” Emma, her friend, Millie, her brother, Clark, and her dog, Charlie, have to travel to a faraway land to save Emma’s mother, who has been poisoned. Along the way Emma and the team must find how to deal with their newfound powers of Imagination. (This one was also pretty good! A story from Nanowrimo a few years ago.)

“The Hummingbird Did It” A hummingbird turns a lazy boy into a dog. The boy must venture across country to find the cure. (Was kinda boring and just me having fun with google maps lol.)

“Sunshine and Rainbows” A girl is taken to another world by rainbow dust and must find her way back to Earth. (Can’t actually remember this one.)

“Nature’s Lifeforce” A boy and girl are given the power to turn into any woodland creature and talk to trees. (Also can’t remember, but sounds cool.)

“Ravens” A girl named Hannah, a boy named Billy, a boy named Cameron, a girl named Lyla, and a boy named Clark, among other students, have their wishes come true. This creates a problem as Cameron becomes a dog, Lyla becomes a cat and Hannah and Billy become ravens. They fix the problem for everyone except Hannah and Billy, but embark on an adventure to find the scientist who can help them. (Based on a dream, I think.)

“Dragon wings” Hiccup and Toothless accidentally sit down someplace weird. They switch bodies and Toothless claims to have heard someone press a button. (ASDFGHJKL WHAT?! HTTYD short story)

“Melody Dreambubble” A weird new pony arrives in Ponyville. Twilight is curious to find that she has no Cutie Mark, was raised by wolves, and bears mysterious powers. (My Little Pony, kinda self insert, short story)

“Eyes of Gold/The Tower” A Fan Fiction based on The Ever Afters series and two stories rolled into one. Rory finds that her two best friends have been poisoned by a new dragon species/As Rory is about to enter a tower to save Chase a random girl shows up out of nowhere and has a weird habit of annoying Adelaide. (Was my first ever self insert? And based on a book series unlike the rest? Cool! Oh I even wrote ten whole pages! Neat. Featuring a girl chasing a dragon with a bedpan!)

“Roadkill” A man purposely runs over a deer on a freeway. The deer’s best friend curses the man, later to regret it because he has to undo the curse himself. (Lol, this was interesting.)

“Melissa and Steven Started a Food Fight” A completely random book that takes the characters through an adventure of explosions, unicorns, and talking squirrels. (Used a random prompt generator. Very random. And funny.)

“Before it’s Gone” A snooty teen crashes in her car and finds a surprise when she wakes up. (Oh yeah, another old story. She turned into a dog and none of the other dogs believed her.)

“The Unicorn Killer” A short story about poachers and Julia. (Yep. Short story.)

1. “Feathers of Gold” A logical young bird griffin, Gabriel, wants to find a way to stop to war between bird and lion in his land, Genetica.

2. “Scales of Emerald” A shy young dragon, Emmie, tries to keep her land, Reptilia, from destruction.

3. “Hair of Crystal” A brave young unicorn, Crystal, tries to find a way to join together the leaders of the land of Equinsta.

4. “Flames of Ruby” A vain young phoenix, Flaxter, tries to capture the eyes of girls. Taken place in the land of Flamia.

5. “Gems Unite” Gabriel, Emmie, Crystal, and Flaxter find out they are The Gems, the only ones who can save their world, Animagicia, from the beings, called Humurns, that are trying to destroy it. They must come together and find who they truly are. (Might have fun with this series. I’ve always loved mythical animals.)

“The Distance from Sam” An 8 year-old St. Bernard named Barry, a 3 year-old Golden Retriever named Mick, and a 1 year-old Sheltie named Sandy set off to return to their owner Sam, after being kidnapped and sent across country. (Kinda like Homeward Bound. Came in mind when I saw these three dogs alone by a street, no humans around.)

“The Skilled” Andy and Ashley(both fifteen) and their eight year-old siblings, twins Alex and Alexa, gain powers from the sewers. All: understand animals and fly, Andy: talk to toys, Ashley: speak to plants, Alex and Alexa: psychic powers. “I used to think my toys would come to life when I was gone. I guess I was right.”-Andy. Based on a dream. (Too many “A” names, oof. Also, toy Story much?)

“The Moon’s Eye” A teenage girl named April gets trapped under a snow drift and wakes up to be a wolf. A nearby wolf pack needs her aid and calls her The Mooneye, a changeling. (Cool. Cool.)

“Unusual Forces of Omnipotence” A woman and her horse are supposedly crushed by a U.F.O. When Tanaya wakes up she finds out she has super strong senses and can run as fast as her horse. Pluto the alien knows he’s going to be in trouble if his planet finds out he crash landed and accidentally gave a human the powers of her horse. He tries to fix it. Told from Tanaya, Sunray (the horse), and Pluto’s point of view. Based on a dream. (Sounds interesting! Title came from before I knew UFO was an acronym lol.)

“The Lawn” Unknown to humans, a yard full of statues come alive at night. There is an elk, two bears, four buffalo, a wolf, an eagle, three horses, a small boy, a moose, a bighorn sheep, and a rabbit. (Based on a real lawn I’d see on the way to school.)

“Dragon Eyes” Max has an ordinary life, until his family, him, and his three friends, Alice, Peter, and Samuel, are transported to another world. His parents are then kidnapped and they have to fight against an evil Mother Nature. Based on a dream. (Interesting. The dream was freaky.)

“Sweet Treat” Emily’s dad works at a candy factory, and one day she visits him and realizes his work is not all it seems… Based on a dream. (What? I don’t remember what was different about his work???)

“The Flight of the Supernatural” Randy thinks he is mostly a normal kid. Sure, he and his dad live inside a mountain, and sure, some flying species of human killed his mother, that doesn’t mean he can’t live normal life homeschooling and watching TV. But unfortunately, Randy’s life turns around when he finds out he can fly. Is his father telling the truth? Did his own species kill his mother? Based on a dream. (Actually REALLY loved this story.)

“Whispering Willow” A girl named Willow helps 20 wolf cubs escape a pet store and then is recruited by a zoo. Pretty soon all of the animals know her as Whisper. Based on a dream. (Cool. another animal whisperer.)

“The Invasion of Our Minds” Little black aliens invade Earth and only one person can stop them: Julia. Based on a dream. (Oh RIGHT! Yeah I remember that.)

“The Marble Island(Possibly a short story?)” Julia goes on a trip to a new marble island only to find the owner turns people into stone figurines. Based on a dream. (Links to the previous story, I think.)

“Have some candy!” Violet, an expert on strange occurrences, needs to help a group of people who mysteriously turned into animals after attempting to grab candy bars from a bin in a local store. Based on a dream. (More animal transformation.)

“The Guide to Mythical Creatures I Made Up” A guide to everything from the Mystic Melody to the Gollan. (I don’t remember either of their designs! :P )

“Trying to Get Back to Mom” Michael and Annabelle meet new friends, while they frantically try to reunite with their mother. (Don’t remember.)

“Surprise of the Future” Pearl travels to the future and has to fight her now-evil brother in his stone mansion. (Not Pearl from SU. Based on a dream.)

“All for You” A man has to overcome many obstacles, such as mermaids, yellow smoke wolves, and magic maps, to save the world and his girl. (Oh yeah, this was a cool one. Based on a song, but I can’t remember which one.)

“The Stranger at the Door” Keith and Amber have lived with their grandmother for many years, but now they live alone and nobody knows. Then a strange girl arrives at the door. She claims they will have to leave town within 2 hours or risk being stuck in a quarantine zone. There will be traffic jams and other hindrances, so it's best to leave right now without taking anything with you. Unsure about everything, including this strange girl, the teenage boy disagrees to the proposal, if all this turns out to be true, this choice will seem foolish. His younger sister does agree. But what if this strange girl can't be trusted. Or what if all this is an elaborate trap. How could an ordinary teenage girl and boy end up in a situation like this. Time to find out. (Oh, a quarantine story? How long ago was this? 2017 I think.)

“The Beginning of the Hybrid Brothers” A backstory that shines a light on how Ralph the Rat-Man and Dr. Discord came to be evil. (YES, MY TWO VILLAINS NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT BUT ARE STILL DEAR TO MY HEART HNNNNNNNG.)

“Unnamed but same as the blank” A girl named, _____, lives in a family of nine. She and her mother are the only ones who aren’t “Morhumals”, or people who can turn into one animal. After the twins mess-up and send a “Morhumals” hunter after them, it is up to ___ and her sister, ____ to rescue them.

“Song of the Siren” ____ is back after her fourteenth birthday. She finally has received her animal and must follow her family to the mythed Siren hideout.

[fuckit-hero-of-trains]

His Predecessor

ao3 link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/23391448

Summary:“In a time long, long ago, before the Gorons settled in Mount Crenel and renamed it Death Mountain and before the Zora swam up from downstream to claim their Domain, there was a kingdom called Hyrule. And in that kingdom, there was a very special boy.”

“And that boy’s name was Link.”

After that, Saria would come back every few nights to tell him the story of the Hero of the Minish.

Before he even met any of the others, before he stepped through the swirling violet portal, dread pooling in his stomach, before he said goodbye to his wife, memorizing her face in case he never saw it again, before he met eight extremly stupid boys and before his family expanded to include said extremly stupid boys, Time knew there were other heroes.

Before any of this had happened, Time knew there were at least three others who shared his spirit. Who shared his terrible fate.

The first, he had met in person.

Stumbling from the Lost Woods disoriented, years older in mind if not in body, still missing the friend he had sacrificed so much to find, and tired, just so so tired , Time hadn't cared where he was walking as long as it took him farther away from the forest.

He wanted to be as far away from his old home as possible, the fear of being pulled into another world, another adventure burning in his heart, spurring his tired legs onward.

He didn't know his attempt to save himself was futile at best and downright stupid at worst. Because, regardless of how hard he struggled, how far he trudged along on bruised legs, there was no escaping the fact that he had walked out of the wrong Lost Woods.

However, It didn't take Time long to figure it out. Death Mountain was in the wrong place. His Hyrule didn't have a large, floating island hovering over the land. His Hyrule didn't have a section of land covered and odd floating black...whatever it was.

His Hyrule wasn't at war.

And, perhaps most obvious of all, his Hyrule had him, not the cocky scarf wearing man who looked like an older, probably prettier version of him.

And so Time met the Hero of Warriors, the Savior of Hyrule, and his impromptu, wartime big brother.

The second, Time did not meet in person.

Not in the flesh anyway, if he was permitted to make such a joke.

Time had been plagued with dreams his whole life.

Dreams of the past. Memories of monsters, of bones snapping into horrifying, inhuman positions, of days repeating repeating repeating. They punched him awake in a cold sweat, cries of pain on his lips, his scars aching, the marks on his face burning.

Malon could talk him down easily enough, her voice soothing him like it could any skittish horse.

Perhaps more concerningly, however, were his dreams of the future.

Sometimes they were innocuous. He knew how many eggs the cuccos had laid before he checked the coop. He knew when a cow was going to pass weeks before the poor thing started showing warning signs.

Other times they were dire, like the one he had so many years ago, the night before his dreams of having a fairy came true. Before his life was turned upside down and shredded into an incomprehensible mess.

Or like the ones he had experienced for months a few years ago.

In these dreams, his body was not his own; skin gone, bones bleached white, and wearing a set of armor that had long since been reclaimed by nature, sprouting moss and pulled apart by vines.

In these dreams, he could not control the body that was not his body in any way. He was a passive observer from behind spectral eyes.

In these dreams he saw a boy. Some may have argued that he was a man, but Time knew he was a boy. Could see it in the fear in his eyes, the untrained grip on his sword, the desperation to prove himself, to save the people he cared about.

And so Time met the Hero of Twilight, the Savior of Hyrule, and the boy he would grow to love as a son.

The third, Time had known about for a long time. Almost his whole life, he would say.

When he was young in all the ways that counted, he used to have a hard time falling asleep. The forest around him was too loud, too alive for him to rest peacefully.

“It's because you don’t belong here!” Mido had spat at him once when Time had decided to tell Saria about his problem after his third night without sleep. “Everyone knows only fairies and Kokiri are meant to be in the forest, stupid.”

The bully had ignored Time’s insistence that he was a Kokiri, even if he didn't have a fairy yet.

“It’s because you’re not magic,” Fado had agreed matter of factly as Time had stomped back to his house angrily. “Look at the bags under your eyes. You’re turning into a Stalkid. Soon you’ll be nothing but bones.”

“It's because you’re special, Link,” Saria had assured him as she sat down next to his bed that night, a small book in hand as she tucked him under the sheets.

Apparently she had asked the Great Deku Tree for advice in helping Time to sleep and the giant tree had recommended telling him stories.

The girl had leafed through the pages until she found the chapter she had wanted and then turned the entire thing around so Time could see too.

There, splashed across both pages, was a painting of a boy. He had daisy colored hair, just like Time, though it was longer, shoulder length where Time’s was a close chopped bundle of hay on his head.

In the painting, the boy was kneeling, a sword floating above his outstretched hands, small figures in red and green gathered around his feet.

After Time had gotten his fill looking at the book, Saria had flipped it back toward herself so she could read.

“There once was a boy who was just as special as Link,” she had begun and Link had giggled swatting at her.

“Those aren’t the words!” he had said, the words interspaced with laughs.

“Okay, okay,” Saria had agreed, laughing as well.

She cleared her throat and started again.

“In a time long, long ago, before the Gorons settled in Mount Crenel and renamed it Death Mountain and before the Zora swam up from downstream to claim their Domain, there was a kingdom called Hyrule. And in that kingdom, there was a very special boy.”

“And that boy’s name was Link.”

After that, Saria would come back every few nights to tell him the story of the Hero of the Minish.

At first he had loved them; the stories of heroism, of saving the princess and defeating the evil had easily lulled him to sleep, Saria’s high, lilting voice soothing in the dark hours of night.

But as Time got older, the story started to sour. Little things, little details about the hero started to push at Time’s mind. It was like having a pebble in his shoe; uncomfortable and grinding, leaving him feeling tender and sore.

“The hero had a faerie companion, but not like the ones we have. His companion was named Ezlo and he was a Minish.”

“So he got to have a faerie even though he isn’t a Kokiri?” Time had asked, feeling something gross like mud and biting like hunger rise in his belly.

Saria had blinked at him from over the book, her face going from surprised to guilty.

“W-well, he-”

“No!” Time shouted. “That’s not fair! I’m a Kokiri and I don’t have a faerie! Why did he get to have one?”

Saria had nothing to say to that so she said nothing, closed the book and blew out Time’s candle after he refused to hug her goodnight.

And so Time had been left alone to stew in the darkness, angry and unable to sleep.

What’s so special about him? Time had thought, angrily.

The hero was just some stupid kid. He wasn't even a Kokiri or anything, just some Hylian who happened to be friends with the princess. There was nothing special about him, so why?

What does he have that I don’t? Time would ask himself, curling tighter into his blankets

Saria had said the different faeries, the Minish, loved the hero. They welcomed him into their communities, into their homes, into their circle of family and friends with love. They gave him the power to become one of them, the power to shrink and live among them.

Why? Time had asked as his pillow became wet under his head.

He rolled over and ignored it.

Why does he get to be a hero and not me?

And so, Time came to know and hate the Hero of the Minish and the Four Sword, Savior of Hyrule, and the person who had everything he had ever wanted.

And that hatred didn't abate even when he had started his own journey.

When he had first stepped from his home, leaving the shade of the treeline for the first time, he had tears in his eyes. His father was dead. The Great Deku Tree asked Time to save him and he wasn't fast enough.  

The stupid Hero of the Minish never had to face this. Never had to face this heartbreak to be allowed to leave home, perhaps never to return again. Never had to face anything like this to be a hero.

He was handed his stupid adventure on a stupid silver platter with a stupid warm bed to go back to every night if he wanted it. He remembers. Saria had said so.

Why did he get it easy? Time had asked, scrubbing his face until it was red as he stumbled out of the woods and toward the looming castle from his nightmares dreams.

It wasn't fair! It. Wasn’t. Fair.

From then on, Time couldn't help but feel his bitterness toward the Hero of the Minish grow with every step he took.

When he was in Dodongo's Cavern, he recalled Saria’s tale recounting the other hero’s journey through the Mines of Mt. Crenel. He remembered how the forest girl had spoken about old minecarts the hero traversed the cavern in, adding her own giggling scream sound effects as she mimicked the fun the other had while in the Cavern of Flames.

There were no minecarts in Dodongo's Cavern. There was skin searing lava. There was air that was almost too thick and heavy to breath. There were Beamos and Armos and Lizalfos armed to the teeth, baying for blood.  

When he was swallowed by Lord Jabu-Jabu, he remembered that the Hero of the Minish completed many of his dungeons– though Time had started to wonder if any of them could be considered dungeons. Stupid Minish Hero and his stupid easy quest– in his smaller, faerie form.

While surrounded by pulsating walls, acid, and horrific smells, Time had wondered if the Hero of the Four Sword had ever faced something like this.

Probably not. He had thought derisively. He would run screaming if he saw all this.

Even at the zenith of his adventure, Time hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the other hero.

Stupid Minish Hero, Time had spat in his mind, arms ladden with the gems necessary for unlocking the sword of evil’s bane.

His and Zelda’s plan was nearing its completion. He was almost done. And then he could go back to Saria and show her how much better of a hero he was that undeserving moron.

A hero a million times better than that wimpy Hero of the Four Sword.

I mean, how dumb can you get? Time had thought smugly as he fitted each Spiritual Stone into place. Falling for that shadow’s ploy? Taking a sword of sealing? What an idiot.

I never would have made that mistake.

Time pressed the Ocarina to his lips and played the Song of Time, just like he was supposed to.

Before him, the door had opened, and beyond their massive stone edifices was a circular room with a pedestal in the middle. Jutting from the stone and gleaming in the fractal green, red, blue, and violet light of the stained glass windows, was the Master Sword.

He approached the blade, Saria’s story once again ringing in his ear.

“The hero went to pull his magical sword from the stone,” she had said. “He was desperate to save Zelda.”

Time remembers how she would always pause for effect. When he was younger he had loved it. When he was older, he would roll his eyes.

“But something was wrong,” she continued, voice growing hushed, adding to the drama. “Vaati, the sealed wind mage, had corrupted the blade during his imprisonment. He tainted the pure elemental magic, warping it to hurt the hero as soon as he drew the sword.”

“So, when the hero pulled the blade from the pedestal....”

“He shattered.”

Time snorted as he strode up the small amount of steps toward the altar. Toward the sword. Toward success.

Toward his fate.

He imagined the boy from the painting from so many years ago. He imagined the blade that had floated above the boy’s hands and then he visualized it thrust through a rock. He imagined the boy with hay colored hair that was nothing like the daisy yellow that was his own struggling to pull his own stupid blade from the stone.

He imagined the boy falling apart, limbs crumbling to dust, head rolling away on the floor.

What kind of hero is destroyed by their weapon? Time had thought, sick vindication filling him as he laid his hands on the pommel.

It was too big for his hands.

A bad one. He thought.

And then he pulled, the sword coming free in his hands as he was enveloped in light.

...

It wasn’t until he awoke seven years later to a destroyed kingdom, a missing princess, and a body that wasn't his own that Time spared a moment to wonder if the shattering the Hero of the Four Sword had undergone was mental, not physical.

[thebuckblogimo]

Three of the best people I ever worked with.

November 30, 2020

An old friend of mine posed an interesting question during an e-mail exchange recently: “Who were some of your favorite people you ever worked with?” he asked. 

Hoo boy, that’s a toughie. Because after a long career in advertising I can honestly say that I worked with hundreds of great people.

After much thought, I set aside consideration of my first-ever boss at the Auto Club (Bill Poirier) who, as I’ve mentioned before, taught me not only a ton about the business but about life. I consider him among the top five or ten people I have ever known. I also set aside consideration of the talented art director and long-time friend (Dave Patton) who I partnered with at three different ad agencies (and our own two-man shop during the twilight of our careers). His extraordinary design sense was integral to most of whatever good work I was a part of over the years. 

So with those caveats, here are three favorite people I worked with during four decades as a creative guy:

Stan the Man. When I started as a copywriter at AAA in 1970, I was given an office next to Stan’s. He had numerous duties, including being the point man for the Auto Club in its dealings with the company’s ad agency, Stockwell-Marcuse.

Stan was little more than three years older than me, but he seemed like a long-time pro when I met him. In the beginning, I would walk into his office every day, asking naive questions: “Hey, Stan, what do you mean by a four-color plate?” He patiently answered every time.

Stan was the equivalent of what ad agency people would consider an “account guy.” He helped come up with communications strategies and reconciled budget numbers. He was also the company historian and curator of the Auto Club’s many artifacts and antique Michigan license plate collection. He was an ace at producing company meetings and AAA branch open houses. And thanks to his love of photography and the knowledge of it he imparted to me, I learned to adeptly handle a 35 mm camera. 

In those days, long before computers, cell phones and the internet, AAA was all over the radio--every winter morning, every weekend, every major holiday throughout the year--with live traffic and road reports for over a hundred radio stations around the state. All the PR guys in the department and I took turns broadcasting the reports. Because Stan was Jewish, he volunteered to do them on Christmas Day. I always felt he was making a major sacrifice to be away from him family on what was still a secular holiday for him.

Stan had an abiding love of direct marketing, something I foolishly pooh-poohed during the early years I worked with him. He became the president of the Direct Marketing Club of Detroit. Had it not been for Stan who introduced me to the discipline, and pounded the benefits of “rifle shot” targeting and the “measurability” of results into my head, I would never have found my niche in the Detroit advertising community and eventually come to be regarded as some sort of creative expert in “direct.”

For the last 30 years, at Christmas time, Stan and Barb, our secretary at AAA, who went on to become a circulation manager at Crain’s and also became a president of the DMAD, get together to renew friendships and talk old times. When we reminisce, I always sit there silently thinking that Stan got everything he could possibly get out of his talent when we worked together. I’m beyond thankful that he helped put me on the road to getting everything out of mine.

Rickey. When I met Rick during my first year at Ross Roy in 1980, he was a senior account executive on the Chrysler account. Like me, he was a Michigan State guy, but I recall how he lamented being in school at the wrong time--after Bubba Smith and the boys won a couple of national titles in football during the mid ‘60s and before Earvin Johnson and his teammates won one in basketball in the late ‘70s.

Rick kept moving up the food chain at “the Roy” while becoming an expert on data base management, list development, statistical modeling--everything having to do with the strategic and business aspects of direct. I recall how he took a photo of the seven boxcars required to move 15 million direct mail packages from the printer to the post office, to demonstrate the enormity of a Chrysler program we worked on called the “Private Invitation Sale.” He was always coming up with ideas like that.

Rick became a member of senior management at Ross Roy, one step away from the board of directors. He was smart and exceedingly competent. He could convincingly argue a point of view. He could be stern, without getting angry. He could make a decision. Above all else, he was a good guy--a really good guy--who mentored dozens of young people and helped put them on paths to rewarding careers of their own.

Rick was the one they went to for advice about how to handle criticism from the top, how to deal with the unpredictable emotions of creative people, how to manage the egos and outsized demands of the Chrysler clients and much more.

There was a term used at Ross Roy to describe two colleagues who had an exceedingly close relationship, inside and outside of the office: “asshole buddies.” Rick and I were not that. Yet when he laid eyes on me for the first time in a dozen or so years at the funeral reception for a Ross Roy executive (who, in fact, had been Rick’s asshole buddy), they lit up in that old, good-guy way of his. We didn’t get to talk much, but I think we both felt good while chatting, knowing that we’d gone through a significant part of our work lives together having had each other’s back.

Rebecca. When I met Rebecca in the early ‘90s, she was a Ross Roy account executive, 20 or 25 years my junior, working on the Chrysler merchandising account. She was Polish, from Hamtramck, and, like me, had attended a small Catholic high school, St. Ladislaus. She was a feisty, slick-fielding little shortstop on the company’s PMS Bitches from Hell (seriously) women’s softball team. She drank beer with her hand cuffed around the neck of the bottle. Whether on the field or off, she didn’t take shit from anyone.

I really liked her. Everyone did. 

When I first started at Ross Roy I noticed that the creative people often derided account people who when the client said, “Jump,” their instantaneous response was, “How high?”

That was not Rebecca’s style.

During the time I worked with her, when the client would make an unreasonable demand--let’s say the design and copy for a 20-page book, with a three-day turnaround--Rebecca had the kahones to stand her ground, look the client in the eye and say, “No, you can’t have it that fast. It’ll take our creative team at least a week to get up to speed, conceptualize the piece, design and write it.” 

The creative people immensely respected her ability to “manage the client.”

Rebecca was a protege of Rick’s who went on to great things as a member of senior management at J. Walter Thompson, where I worked with her again for a couple of years. One day she said something that surprised me--that she’d learned so much about direct marketing from me. I thanked her, but inside I sat there thinking, woman, you know a helluva lot more about it than I do. 

She was an absolute delight to work with.

                                                               *  *  * 

In order to like your job you need to like what you do. A big part of that is liking the people you work with. Fortunately for me, there were only a few short periods of time when I didn’t care for a fellow colleague or boss. Mostly I worked with great people throughout my years in the business. Stan, Rick and Rebecca were but three of them.                                                                

[jdc1717]

Red birdie pt.1

Basically: The group ends up in Lorule and our favorite Lorulien gets hurt.

This first part is pretty calm, but the second will have blood and some abuse talk so don’t read if that’s not your thing.

-<>-<>-<>-<>-

The group had all been traveling around the plains Wild’s Hyrule when it happened.

The wind stopped, all sounds froze, and it seemed as if time itself had ceased. Next thing they knew, the world shifted underneath their feet and they were all picking themselves off the cold ground.

“Wow.” Wind said as he viewed the dark world around them.

It looked like some nightmare version of Hyrule. The sky was dark, like a never ending night. There was a threatening silence to the air that put them all on edge. Worst was the cold. The absence of the warmth they had known throughout all their lives.

“What is this?” Sky whispered. He seemed horrified at this dark world.

“Lorule.” Legend answered. He was too busy admiring the dark shadow of a castle looming in the distance to notice the others. After a few moments he added, “It looks better than last time I was here.”

“How could this have possibly been any worse?!” Warriors exclaimed.

“The grass used to all be dead and it was a bit darker.”

“Legend, what is this place?” Time asked. Even he seemed disturbed by this warped world.

Legend rolled his eyes. “Like I said, Lorule. It’s… it’s basically another world that’s a bit different than ours.”

“A bit?” Four mumbled.

“Like the Twilight?” Twilight asked. He had given the group an explanation about his adventure with the Twilight realm.

Legend thought about it for a minute. “Yeah, kind of.”

“What’s wrong with this place?” Wind asked.

The hero of Legend’s eyes narrowed, “Nothing that isn’t being fixed. C’mon, let’s go to the castle.”

“To meet Zelda?” Four asked.

With a smirk Legend answered, “Someone like her.”

And off he went, ignoring the rest of the groups questions and only telling them a few warnings about what and what not to do.

-<>-<>-<>-<>-

It was the next day when they reached the castle. Broken towns full of cruel people had been common as the group traveled which didn’t do much to improve their spirits.

Except, for once, it seemed as if Legend was pleased. There was a way that he held himself. A way that he took in the world around him, like a breath of fresh air. The others couldn’t understand it.

Why would Legend enjoy such a dreadful place?

Despite their many questions, Legend wouldn’t talk. Sure he would say things, but the details—the emotions— weren’t there. The hero of Legend says so much and yet so very little.

As they approached the castle guards drew their weapons at the nine of them. Effectively blocking the gate.

“Halt! State your—“

“Link?” The guards were interrupted by a young girl, no older than Legend. She stood right in the gate, the guards immediately withdrew their weapons.

Her hair and lips were a dark purple that seemed to match this gloomy world. The girls skin was pale, as if her skin had never felt the sun. Then there were her eyes. Those blood red eyes that held so much pain and so little much hope.

The girl seemed far too old for her young age.

Legend waved, “Hey Hilda.”

The next thing the group knew the girl—Hilda—was giving Legend a bear hug.

“You disappear for months without telling anyone! Do you know how worried we all were?”

By the surprised face Legend was making it was clear that he had no idea.

“We’ve all be so on edge. Waiting to see you return or just waiting to hear of your death.“ Legend looked highly offended. “Don’t make that face! We all know what skilled adventurer you are, but even the best can fall.” The girl spoke so gravely. It made Time wonder what horror the young princess had been through.

“Excuse me, but what is happening?” Warriors interrupted.

Both Legend and Hilda turned to the group. “Guys, this is Princess—“

“Queen.”

“QUEEN Hilda of Lorule. She rules this place. Hilda these guys are…”

“Time.”

“Sky.”

“Twilight.”

“Wild.”

“Four.”

“Wind.”

“Warriors.”

“Hyrule.”

Hilda blinked. “Those are… interesting names.”

Legend sighed, “You have no idea. We should go inside. There’s a lot to explain.”

Hilda nodded, “Indeed.”

The inside of the castle had the same darkness that seemed to fill the world. Light only game from the many torches and lanterns that filled the interior. Yet the place had an unexplainable feeling a familiarity that none of them could shake.

Legend seemed to be affected by the feeling too. “I’m never gonna get used to that.”

Hilda glanced over to him with an amused smile. “You and Zelda were the ones who gifted it to us.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m used to it!”

The rest of the group listened to Legend argue with the girl, they both seemed quite happy bickering with one another.

“What are you talking about?” Wind exclaimed. He was desperately curious and needed to know!

Legend, who was starting to become the biggest annoyance any of them had ever known, smirked and lead them all to a set of double doors.

Hilda walked right next to Legend and after a look, they opened them simultaneously.

Running in first, Wind gasped. As the others filed in after they too were stunned.

There it was, on a pedestal. It glowed like the sun and brought back so many memories.

The Triforce.

But it, like this world, was different.

“It’s upside down?” Sky inquired, tilting his head like a puppy.

“Can’t get anything past you.” Warriors was smacked on the head by at least four different hands, much to Legend’s amusement.

“This is Lorule’s Triforce.” Hilda said.

“There’s more than one?” Four asked.

“Lorule is what you might call the flip side of Hyrule. It looks similar, but there are big differences in personality, among other things.” Hilda explained.

“Is that why the Triforce is upside down?” Hyrule asked.

“Our Triforce was always like this. It’s only a matter of perspective.”

“Earlier,” Time said, gesturing to the halls behind the doors, “you mentioned how Legend and Zelda gifted this to you.”

Hilda nodded, “Link and Zelda were kind enough to grant us a wish for the sake of Lorule, even when we didn’t deserve it.”

Legend gestures wildly around the room. “You didn’t deserve to slowly rot away either!”

“I was ready to kill you. To leave Hyrule to suffer our fate so that we could thrive.” Hilda whispered viciously.

They all froze. Legend had never mentioned Hilda doing that. Thinking about it, Legend didn’t really talk about Lorule(nor Koholint, but none of them even knew about that).

Legend never mentioned Lorule by name, always referring to it as a darker Hyrule.

He had told the story in a black and white way. Good people who were forced into bad things, ultimately leaving them good. But it seemed that his story wasn’t as black and white as it seemed.

“Hilda, you were trying to save your world. I can’t blame you for that.” There was a surprising gentleness in Legend’s tone. He almost never talked to so kindly.

Hilda looked up at the triforce, “You and Zelda are too kind. Lorule could never hope to raise people like you.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Legend smirked, “Lorule is getting better. Don’t think I haven’t seen it. Besides, Lorule doesn’t need people like Zelda and me, it needs people like you…and Ravio.” He added as an afterthought.

Hilda’s eyes widened into saucers, “I forgot about him! Link, before you all arrived Ravio had been on his way to Hyrule to see if you had returned!”

“What!” Legend growled out a few curses(Sky was not amused, Wind was though), “The idiot is gonna get himself killed!”

Not wasting a moment, Legend ran out the doors they just entered through.

The eight other heroes said quick goodbyes to Hilda and rushed to follow him.

Legend was surprisingly fast and had already made it quite a ways before everyone else even made it out of the castle.

The hero of Legend ran across the field and went to a hill with a small house on it. It looked broken and vacant and worn down.

Ignoring their shouts, Legend threw the door open and darted inside.

The others were quick to get to the door and follow. Only, when they entered the house yet saw a flash of movement as Legend traveled through a crack in the wall.

Warriors and Wind rushed to the colorful crack that may have been through the universe itself. Both gripped it and tried to pull it open in an attempt to follow their friend.

Not knowing what else to do, the others watched.

It was only minutes later that Time forced them to stop.

“Save your energy. Legend will come back and until then we’ll stay here.”

No one had any arguments. They all were worried, but it seemed that all they could do was wait.

To pass the time, and give more room, the heroes worked together to push all the clutter away. Twilight, Warriors, and Time all did the heavy lifting. Sky, Hyrule, and Four handled the fragile things. And Wild and Wind worked together to make food(Wild was mostly telling Wind what to do).

While Twilight was moving a box full of who knew what, a small book fell from it.

“What’s that?” Hyrule asked.

All eyes turned to the small book on the floor. Hyrule walked over and picked it up. There was no title, maybe it had faded away.

The hero of Hyrule opened the book, his eyebrows furrowed as he read it.

“What’s it say?” Wind asked. He was constantly shifting from one foot to the other.

The troubled look remained on Hyrule’s face as he read, “Three days to go. She wants to do the right thing. I want to help her. But leaving is my only option.”

“What the heck does that mean?”

Warriors wasn’t the only one wondering.Everyone was confused. What did that mean? Who was the person the author referred to? They needed to know more.

“Two days to go. She’s being duped. Doesn’t she realize that? He’s just a leech. There’s no choice but to go.” No one bothered to say anything as Hyrule continued. “One day they go.” Everyone looked at each other. “I have so little magic. Enough to go there—maybe not to come back. But tomorrow must be the day. I may never see her again, but I vow to save her from all of this.”

The group just continued looking at each other. No one was really sure what to say.

Hesitating a bit, Sky said, “I—“

A loud thud(along with more curses. Sky was going to kill someone)interrupted him.

On the ground there was Legend and Ravio. Legend looked scuffed up, like he had been in a fight. Ravio was...less alright.

“Hyrule get over here and help me!”

They had never heard Legend so panicked.

[leepacefansnetwork]

New interview with Lee Pace for eCartelera: "Only Time Can Change Relationships"

As Halt and Catch Fire S4 starts tomorrow on AMC Spain, Lee Pace gave an interview to eCartelera, published Aug 30th. aided by Google and one of our admins with Spanish skills, we tried our hand at translating it. It’s another generous and insightful interview like we’ve come to expect from Lee, hope you enjoy! 

Lee Pace ('Halt and Catch Fire'): " Only Time Can Change Relationships "

Pedro J. García Miércoles

'Halt and Catch Fire' returns to give its final goodbye, and as always, does so whilst looking into the future. The final season of the series created by Christopher Cantwell and Christopher C. Rogers opens Thursday, August 31 at AMC Spain. So far, 'Halt and Catch Fire' has shown us the ins and outs of the computer industry throughout the 80s, and for this latest batch of episodes (ten in total), the series jumps forward by placing us straight in the 90s, to show us their characters living in the first days of the Internet, and how technological evolution forces them to "reset" their lives and relationships.

On the occasion of the premiere, we had the privilege of interviewing Lee Pace, an actor known among other things for his participation in blockbusters such as 'The Hobbit' or 'Guardians of the Galaxy', and for his role in one of the most beloved of cult series, 'Pushing Daisies'. Pace, who gives life to Joe MacMillan in the AMC drama, was so kind as to answer our questions and tell us how it has been to interpret this complex character over four seasons, as well as what awaits us in the last chapters of the series. And don’t worry, of course we asked if he would also like to see a revival of 'Pushing Daisies'. Without further delay, we leave you with the interview.

eCartelera: In the last season of 'Halt and Catch Fire', the story skips several years into the future. As an actor, is it difficult to adapt to a new context from time to time?

Lee Pace: No, in fact it seems to me a very interesting circumstance. Time is the only thing that can change relationships. You can see this clearly in the relationship between Joe and Cameron (Mackenzie Davis). There is nothing that could happen or that could be said to repair the damage between them, only time can do it. The passage of time is what they needed to mature a bit and connect the way they do at this point in their lives. 

eCartelera: Your character has always been dark and mysterious, a code difficult to decipher. Will we meet the real Joe MacMillan in this final season?

Lee Pace: Joe is a hard code to decipher, and I think he's still trying to figure it out. He is still trying to understand who he is and what he wants. Although he now understands it better than when we first met him. The most surprising thing about Joe this season is his relationship with technology. He wants to have Gordon (Scoot McNairy) and Cameron in his life, he prefers this personal connection with them to everything else, and that's totally opposite the Joe we saw in season one, who was determined to build that computer without any care for the people in his life. He is now a person who values ​​the connection, who values ​​others, and it’s incredible, because he has spent a lot of time alone, especially after Ryan's death (Manish Dayal), which plunged him into a deep depression. That's the most surprising thing about Joe this season, and the reason I find it so interesting to interpret him. After all that has happened to him I thought he succeeded in learning his lesson and discovering that nothing matters more than the people you share your life with.

eCartelera: You've come a little ahead of my next question. Joe is visibly happier this season. What is more interesting for you, playing the dark Joe or the more optimistic and proactive Joe?

Lee Pace: Each has its place. Joe is still mysterious. Even when he is content, he cannot help being a danger to others. Joe MacMillan’s story has become the story of failure, and not what he expected, nor what I expected when I began to play the character. Joe was someone who wanted to win at all costs, who triumphed in what he did, regardless of the price. It's been ten years since we saw him for the first time in the pilot, and I find it very interesting to see what he has done right, and what went wrong. Regardless of how much he tried, and sacrificed, everything has gone wrong. That is something odd and unusual.

eCartelera: At the beginning of the final season, Joe and Cameron spend a whole episode talking on the phone. Was it difficult to connect on such a deep level with her without physically sharing the scene? How was it captured on camera?

Lee Pace: In fact, we shot those scenes in two adjacent sets connected with a telephone line, so there was a camera recording each one at all times. It was a great way to work. Mackenzie and I were talking on the phone for real, while each stayed in their own space, not knowing what the other was doing. I did not see her movements. That was the idea behind the conversation, connecting to such an intimate level, being in separate places. There is a privacy component, and that allows them to be honest like they have never been able to while in the same room. The call starts because Joe is playing the video game she has created. Cameron is the definitive video game player and Joe goes out of his way to keep her on the other end of the line playing the game that she created, which I found very interesting.

eCartelera: Joe and Gordon work in a basement while Donna (Kerry Bishé) and Cameron succeed in "the outside world." What do you think about the emphasis on women’s empowerment throughout the four seasons of Halt and Catch Fire?

Lee Pace: I think it's great. That is precisely the story that reflects the time we are covering. But I am so involved in the intricate details that make up these characters, that I don’t see it that way. Donna and Cameron are beautiful women, very intelligent and interesting, but I don’t think of them as women, but as people who I work with. I've never seen that as a major component that defines what those characters are. But I understand that other people see it that way.

eCartelera: Now that 'Halt and Catch Fire' is approaching its end, how would you like the audience to remember the series?

Lee Pace: The show has become a very intimate and personal experience for me. I know these characters so well, I have lived their failures, their triumphs, their amorous disappointments...The audience reactions to the characters at the end of the season will be different, because the show has always been contradictory. There are no right answers, just the right idea at the wrong time. I would like the audience to have their own impression of the series, to draw their own conclusions from what we did with it.

eCartelera:  Have you learned a lot about computer science working on this show?

Lee Pace: When we started, I knew a little, but the show has given me the opportunity to learn a lot about computers. It is one of the advantages of working on something like this, studying a new subject. In the five years that I have worked on this show I have learned a lot, and I am very grateful for it.

ECartelera: What would you tell viewers who haven’t watched 'Halt and Catch Fire', to encourage them?

Lee Pace: I don’t know, I think the show is not for everyone. But of course I would love as many people as possible to watch it. I like to watch it, the people I know like it. To the others I would say that it’s a good show, an intimate and honest experience. We recreate a world in which everything moves very fast, technology advances fast and this creates a very strong stimulus. It’s a privilege to be able to observe this moment of the past, before everything became as complicated as it is now.

eCartelera: You have participated in cinematic sagas like 'The Hobbit', 'Twilight' and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Is there any other major franchise you would like to work in?

Lee Pace: I’m very grateful for the roles I have achieved so far. I have met great friends and I have forged great relationships for life. I keep working (laughs), and I'll be happy to continue to do so in the future.

eCartelera: We live in the age of revivals and 'Pushing Daisies' is one of the shows that most viewers want to see return. Would you be willing?

Lee Pace: Absolutely. I would love to return to work on 'Pushing Daisies' if we were lucky enough to return. Interpreting that character was one of the most fun experiences of my life. Working with Anna Friel, Kristin Chenoweth, Chi McBride and Bryan Fuller was an incredible experience and I would go back without a second thought.

[littleglasswalelu]

Death Do Us Part by Charles Salter

Book summary:

Remember those ground-breaking series from TV’s Golden Age which explored the frontiers of human consciousness and the dividing line between reality and other dimensions? Like those powerful stories, this new collection aims to bend your mind, squeeze your psyche, and maybe pluck a heartstring. Don’t each of us, at some point, walk that narrow line between love and loss… devotion and trust… treachery and betrayal… dream fulfillment or nightmare? Prepare yourself to enter our world of unique characters and experience their decisions to continue the path they’re on or open a door to new possibilities. What startling surprises may lurk just behind each door chosen?

These ten tales of mystery, suspense, and high-octane action aim to give you chills and make you wonder how to select the roads and doors in your own life.

Buddies Forever — In Vietnam, an American PFC awakens from grenade blast injuries and finds everyone calling him by his best buddy’s name.

A Lousy Way To Rye — Coming to consciousness at a bioterrorism incident site, the main character must figure out whether he is the special agent in pursuit — or the terrorist himself — before it is too late.

As His Excellency Wishes — In a small foreign country, Larry and his wife discover that a violent coup has occurred overnight and the new leader is someone his wife already knows quite well.

The Room — A disgruntled young loner kills a wealthy brother and sister, and a highly unconventional psychiatrist has only three days to determine whether it was an accident or murder.

Murder on Her Mind — Janet’s husband has seemed uncharacteristically attentive and considerate lately, but an alarmist friend tries to convince her that’s a bad thing.

The Herndon Secret — A brilliant but shy and klutzy physicist has four hours to help an intelligence agent rescue the agent’s wife and foil a devilish plot to take control of the very soul of the universe.

Time Conscious — What would make Elizabeth’s bedroom clock run fast and why do events seen from those two windows happen “early”?

That ASMR Girl — Why are top leaders at a secure Army base dropping like flies in front of their computers, and can Agent Radisson solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim?

Blade of Grass — Raising two granddaughters on their remote farm in 2026, Grandpa and his wife don’t see many visitors — so when a stranger does appear, it could mean big trouble.

The Caves Of Lonesanne Blu — On an isolated island, crippled war hero Lord Oonain risks all to save a beautiful young girl marked for death because she has vowed never to surrender her family’s sacred Blu-stone to the island’s ruler.

These are your ten journeys. But fair warning: be ready for some unexpected twists, hairpin curves, and sudden obstacles on this road!

Book Link - https://amzn.to/38HYeuY

Reviews:

San Francisco Book Review

Death Do Us Part, by brothers J.L. Salter and Charles A. Salter, is an anthology of the unusual. This short story collection is comprised of ten imaginative and tautly written page-turners, reminiscent of The Twilight Zone but with a new and fresh take. The stories contain well-drawn characters that keep readers rooting for them. Some have surprise endings or a mystery to solve, while others drop readers into strange and unfamiliar worlds. Each story is a carefully conceived wire-mesh gate that leads into a world where the bizarre and unpredictable happens. One cannot help but turn the page and be all in.

The book opens with “Buddies Forever,” a story about an American soldier in Vietnam. Everyone keeps calling him by his best buddy’s name. Their names are similar; Donahue vs. Donague (pronounced Don-ah-GHEE), but the men are polar opposites. What at first may seem like a simple mix-up turns into a mind-bender. In another military-themed story titled “That ASMR Girl,” an FBI agent is assigned a case on an Army base where leaders are dying under strange circumstances. But is he the right man for the job? “The Herndon Secret” is a well-paced thriller that amps up the tension. Two men must race against the clock to rescue an agent’s wife, and their back-and-forth banter provides some much-needed comic relief. “A Lousy Way to Rye” and “The Room” keep readers guessing who is the hero of the story. In “Murder on Her Mind,” an attentive husband is accused of attempting matricide by his wife’s best friend. “As His Excellency Wishes” provides a different kind of twist when a husband is surprised to learn that his wife already knows the leader of a violent coup. “Time Conscious” is a touching story that slows down the pace. An elderly woman relays an important incident that allowed her to see events in the future, thanks to her bedroom clock. “Blades of Grass” is set several years in the future and told from the point of view of an octogenarian farmer. When a stranger arrives on his remote farm, the farmer must determine whether he is a friend or foe. The book closes with “The Caves of Lonesanne Blu,” a fantasy tale with a crippled war hero who rescues a young woman marked for death.

The Salter brothers bring us a familiar style of fiction that imparts new wisdom to its readers. But proceed at your own risk. For those whose interests run weird, Death Do Us Part is a hard book to put down.

Reviewed By: Bobbie Peyton https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/product/death-do-us-part/

About the Authors:

The authors are brothers who have published several books together, and each has published many others solo, both fiction and non-fiction.

[bluntshroom]

Death Do Us Part by Charles Salter

Book summary:

Remember those ground-breaking series from TV’s Golden Age which explored the frontiers of human consciousness and the dividing line between reality and other dimensions? Like those powerful stories, this new collection aims to bend your mind, squeeze your psyche, and maybe pluck a heartstring. Don’t each of us, at some point, walk that narrow line between love and loss… devotion and trust… treachery and betrayal… dream fulfillment or nightmare? Prepare yourself to enter our world of unique characters and experience their decisions to continue the path they’re on or open a door to new possibilities. What startling surprises may lurk just behind each door chosen?

These ten tales of mystery, suspense, and high-octane action aim to give you chills and make you wonder how to select the roads and doors in your own life.

Buddies Forever — In Vietnam, an American PFC awakens from grenade blast injuries and finds everyone calling him by his best buddy’s name.

A Lousy Way To Rye — Coming to consciousness at a bioterrorism incident site, the main character must figure out whether he is the special agent in pursuit — or the terrorist himself — before it is too late.

As His Excellency Wishes — In a small foreign country, Larry and his wife discover that a violent coup has occurred overnight and the new leader is someone his wife already knows quite well.

The Room — A disgruntled young loner kills a wealthy brother and sister, and a highly unconventional psychiatrist has only three days to determine whether it was an accident or murder.

Murder on Her Mind — Janet’s husband has seemed uncharacteristically attentive and considerate lately, but an alarmist friend tries to convince her that’s a bad thing.

The Herndon Secret — A brilliant but shy and klutzy physicist has four hours to help an intelligence agent rescue the agent’s wife and foil a devilish plot to take control of the very soul of the universe.

Time Conscious — What would make Elizabeth’s bedroom clock run fast and why do events seen from those two windows happen “early”?

That ASMR Girl — Why are top leaders at a secure Army base dropping like flies in front of their computers, and can Agent Radisson solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim?

Blade of Grass — Raising two granddaughters on their remote farm in 2026, Grandpa and his wife don’t see many visitors — so when a stranger does appear, it could mean big trouble.

The Caves Of Lonesanne Blu — On an isolated island, crippled war hero Lord Oonain risks all to save a beautiful young girl marked for death because she has vowed never to surrender her family’s sacred Blu-stone to the island’s ruler.

These are your ten journeys. But fair warning: be ready for some unexpected twists, hairpin curves, and sudden obstacles on this road!

Book Link - https://amzn.to/38HYeuY

Reviews:

San Francisco Book Review

Death Do Us Part, by brothers J.L. Salter and Charles A. Salter, is an anthology of the unusual. This short story collection is comprised of ten imaginative and tautly written page-turners, reminiscent of The Twilight Zone but with a new and fresh take. The stories contain well-drawn characters that keep readers rooting for them. Some have surprise endings or a mystery to solve, while others drop readers into strange and unfamiliar worlds. Each story is a carefully conceived wire-mesh gate that leads into a world where the bizarre and unpredictable happens. One cannot help but turn the page and be all in.

The book opens with “Buddies Forever,” a story about an American soldier in Vietnam. Everyone keeps calling him by his best buddy’s name. Their names are similar; Donahue vs. Donague (pronounced Don-ah-GHEE), but the men are polar opposites. What at first may seem like a simple mix-up turns into a mind-bender. In another military-themed story titled “That ASMR Girl,” an FBI agent is assigned a case on an Army base where leaders are dying under strange circumstances. But is he the right man for the job? “The Herndon Secret” is a well-paced thriller that amps up the tension. Two men must race against the clock to rescue an agent’s wife, and their back-and-forth banter provides some much-needed comic relief. “A Lousy Way to Rye” and “The Room” keep readers guessing who is the hero of the story. In “Murder on Her Mind,” an attentive husband is accused of attempting matricide by his wife’s best friend. “As His Excellency Wishes” provides a different kind of twist when a husband is surprised to learn that his wife already knows the leader of a violent coup. “Time Conscious” is a touching story that slows down the pace. An elderly woman relays an important incident that allowed her to see events in the future, thanks to her bedroom clock. “Blades of Grass” is set several years in the future and told from the point of view of an octogenarian farmer. When a stranger arrives on his remote farm, the farmer must determine whether he is a friend or foe. The book closes with “The Caves of Lonesanne Blu,” a fantasy tale with a crippled war hero who rescues a young woman marked for death.

The Salter brothers bring us a familiar style of fiction that imparts new wisdom to its readers. But proceed at your own risk. For those whose interests run weird, Death Do Us Part is a hard book to put down.

Reviewed By: Bobbie Peyton https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/product/death-do-us-part/

About the Authors:

The authors are brothers who have published several books together, and each has published many others solo, both fiction and non-fiction.

[mabintzzzz]

Death Do Us Part by Charles Salter

Book summary:

Remember those ground-breaking series from TV’s Golden Age which explored the frontiers of human consciousness and the dividing line between reality and other dimensions? Like those powerful stories, this new collection aims to bend your mind, squeeze your psyche, and maybe pluck a heartstring. Don’t each of us, at some point, walk that narrow line between love and loss… devotion and trust… treachery and betrayal… dream fulfillment or nightmare? Prepare yourself to enter our world of unique characters and experience their decisions to continue the path they’re on or open a door to new possibilities. What startling surprises may lurk just behind each door chosen?

These ten tales of mystery, suspense, and high-octane action aim to give you chills and make you wonder how to select the roads and doors in your own life.

Buddies Forever — In Vietnam, an American PFC awakens from grenade blast injuries and finds everyone calling him by his best buddy’s name.

A Lousy Way To Rye — Coming to consciousness at a bioterrorism incident site, the main character must figure out whether he is the special agent in pursuit — or the terrorist himself — before it is too late.

As His Excellency Wishes — In a small foreign country, Larry and his wife discover that a violent coup has occurred overnight and the new leader is someone his wife already knows quite well.

The Room — A disgruntled young loner kills a wealthy brother and sister, and a highly unconventional psychiatrist has only three days to determine whether it was an accident or murder.

Murder on Her Mind — Janet’s husband has seemed uncharacteristically attentive and considerate lately, but an alarmist friend tries to convince her that’s a bad thing.

The Herndon Secret — A brilliant but shy and klutzy physicist has four hours to help an intelligence agent rescue the agent’s wife and foil a devilish plot to take control of the very soul of the universe.

Time Conscious — What would make Elizabeth’s bedroom clock run fast and why do events seen from those two windows happen “early”?

That ASMR Girl — Why are top leaders at a secure Army base dropping like flies in front of their computers, and can Agent Radisson solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim?

Blade of Grass — Raising two granddaughters on their remote farm in 2026, Grandpa and his wife don’t see many visitors — so when a stranger does appear, it could mean big trouble.

The Caves Of Lonesanne Blu — On an isolated island, crippled war hero Lord Oonain risks all to save a beautiful young girl marked for death because she has vowed never to surrender her family’s sacred Blu-stone to the island’s ruler.

These are your ten journeys. But fair warning: be ready for some unexpected twists, hairpin curves, and sudden obstacles on this road!

Book Link - https://amzn.to/38HYeuY

Reviews:

San Francisco Book Review

Death Do Us Part, by brothers J.L. Salter and Charles A. Salter, is an anthology of the unusual. This short story collection is comprised of ten imaginative and tautly written page-turners, reminiscent of The Twilight Zone but with a new and fresh take. The stories contain well-drawn characters that keep readers rooting for them. Some have surprise endings or a mystery to solve, while others drop readers into strange and unfamiliar worlds. Each story is a carefully conceived wire-mesh gate that leads into a world where the bizarre and unpredictable happens. One cannot help but turn the page and be all in.

The book opens with “Buddies Forever,” a story about an American soldier in Vietnam. Everyone keeps calling him by his best buddy’s name. Their names are similar; Donahue vs. Donague (pronounced Don-ah-GHEE), but the men are polar opposites. What at first may seem like a simple mix-up turns into a mind-bender. In another military-themed story titled “That ASMR Girl,” an FBI agent is assigned a case on an Army base where leaders are dying under strange circumstances. But is he the right man for the job? “The Herndon Secret” is a well-paced thriller that amps up the tension. Two men must race against the clock to rescue an agent’s wife, and their back-and-forth banter provides some much-needed comic relief. “A Lousy Way to Rye” and “The Room” keep readers guessing who is the hero of the story. In “Murder on Her Mind,” an attentive husband is accused of attempting matricide by his wife’s best friend. “As His Excellency Wishes” provides a different kind of twist when a husband is surprised to learn that his wife already knows the leader of a violent coup. “Time Conscious” is a touching story that slows down the pace. An elderly woman relays an important incident that allowed her to see events in the future, thanks to her bedroom clock. “Blades of Grass” is set several years in the future and told from the point of view of an octogenarian farmer. When a stranger arrives on his remote farm, the farmer must determine whether he is a friend or foe. The book closes with “The Caves of Lonesanne Blu,” a fantasy tale with a crippled war hero who rescues a young woman marked for death.

The Salter brothers bring us a familiar style of fiction that imparts new wisdom to its readers. But proceed at your own risk. For those whose interests run weird, Death Do Us Part is a hard book to put down.

Reviewed By: Bobbie Peyton https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/product/death-do-us-part/

About the Authors:

The authors are brothers who have published several books together, and each has published many others solo, both fiction and non-fiction.

[maaagnetize]

Death Do Us Part by Charles Salter

Book summary:

Remember those ground-breaking series from TV’s Golden Age which explored the frontiers of human consciousness and the dividing line between reality and other dimensions? Like those powerful stories, this new collection aims to bend your mind, squeeze your psyche, and maybe pluck a heartstring. Don’t each of us, at some point, walk that narrow line between love and loss… devotion and trust… treachery and betrayal… dream fulfillment or nightmare? Prepare yourself to enter our world of unique characters and experience their decisions to continue the path they’re on or open a door to new possibilities. What startling surprises may lurk just behind each door chosen?

These ten tales of mystery, suspense, and high-octane action aim to give you chills and make you wonder how to select the roads and doors in your own life.

Buddies Forever — In Vietnam, an American PFC awakens from grenade blast injuries and finds everyone calling him by his best buddy’s name.

A Lousy Way To Rye — Coming to consciousness at a bioterrorism incident site, the main character must figure out whether he is the special agent in pursuit — or the terrorist himself — before it is too late.

As His Excellency Wishes — In a small foreign country, Larry and his wife discover that a violent coup has occurred overnight and the new leader is someone his wife already knows quite well.

The Room — A disgruntled young loner kills a wealthy brother and sister, and a highly unconventional psychiatrist has only three days to determine whether it was an accident or murder.

Murder on Her Mind — Janet’s husband has seemed uncharacteristically attentive and considerate lately, but an alarmist friend tries to convince her that’s a bad thing.

The Herndon Secret — A brilliant but shy and klutzy physicist has four hours to help an intelligence agent rescue the agent’s wife and foil a devilish plot to take control of the very soul of the universe.

Time Conscious — What would make Elizabeth’s bedroom clock run fast and why do events seen from those two windows happen “early”?

That ASMR Girl — Why are top leaders at a secure Army base dropping like flies in front of their computers, and can Agent Radisson solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim?

Blade of Grass — Raising two granddaughters on their remote farm in 2026, Grandpa and his wife don’t see many visitors — so when a stranger does appear, it could mean big trouble.

The Caves Of Lonesanne Blu — On an isolated island, crippled war hero Lord Oonain risks all to save a beautiful young girl marked for death because she has vowed never to surrender her family’s sacred Blu-stone to the island’s ruler.

These are your ten journeys. But fair warning: be ready for some unexpected twists, hairpin curves, and sudden obstacles on this road!

Book Link - https://amzn.to/38HYeuY

Reviews:

San Francisco Book Review

Death Do Us Part, by brothers J.L. Salter and Charles A. Salter, is an anthology of the unusual. This short story collection is comprised of ten imaginative and tautly written page-turners, reminiscent of The Twilight Zone but with a new and fresh take. The stories contain well-drawn characters that keep readers rooting for them. Some have surprise endings or a mystery to solve, while others drop readers into strange and unfamiliar worlds. Each story is a carefully conceived wire-mesh gate that leads into a world where the bizarre and unpredictable happens. One cannot help but turn the page and be all in.

The book opens with “Buddies Forever,” a story about an American soldier in Vietnam. Everyone keeps calling him by his best buddy’s name. Their names are similar; Donahue vs. Donague (pronounced Don-ah-GHEE), but the men are polar opposites. What at first may seem like a simple mix-up turns into a mind-bender. In another military-themed story titled “That ASMR Girl,” an FBI agent is assigned a case on an Army base where leaders are dying under strange circumstances. But is he the right man for the job? “The Herndon Secret” is a well-paced thriller that amps up the tension. Two men must race against the clock to rescue an agent’s wife, and their back-and-forth banter provides some much-needed comic relief. “A Lousy Way to Rye” and “The Room” keep readers guessing who is the hero of the story. In “Murder on Her Mind,” an attentive husband is accused of attempting matricide by his wife’s best friend. “As His Excellency Wishes” provides a different kind of twist when a husband is surprised to learn that his wife already knows the leader of a violent coup. “Time Conscious” is a touching story that slows down the pace. An elderly woman relays an important incident that allowed her to see events in the future, thanks to her bedroom clock. “Blades of Grass” is set several years in the future and told from the point of view of an octogenarian farmer. When a stranger arrives on his remote farm, the farmer must determine whether he is a friend or foe. The book closes with “The Caves of Lonesanne Blu,” a fantasy tale with a crippled war hero who rescues a young woman marked for death.

The Salter brothers bring us a familiar style of fiction that imparts new wisdom to its readers. But proceed at your own risk. For those whose interests run weird, Death Do Us Part is a hard book to put down.

Reviewed By: Bobbie Peyton https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/product/death-do-us-part/

About the Authors:

The authors are brothers who have published several books together, and each has published many others solo, both fiction and non-fiction.

[psalexanzondria]

Imagine being Bella's older sister, and you and Carlisle fall in love

This was supposed to originally be a ONE SHOT, but I think we all know I have more planned for this. So PROLOGUE! Fandom: Twilight Pairing: Carlisle x Reader (OC name, feel free to change it in your mind) Warning: CURSING! ‘Holy Shite on a cross!’ Is the first thought the crosses my mind as I stare up at the large, beautiful house that is at the end of the mile long drive, which has yards upon yards of white Christmas tree lights strung across the trees lining it. The house is huge, open, with wall to floor windows the reveal, what seems to, hundreds of teenagers other than my sister’s graduating class. Music pulsates outside, vibrating the windows it’s so loud, dozens of different colored lights even wave back and forth inside, reflecting across the lawn. Alice had no doubt, out done herself; Bella always told me in our messages that she did, but I never believed her until now, as to expected of Vampires. Oh yes, I was in for a nasty shock with THAT email from Bella, see I had graduated two years before Bella, and was currently on break from my College abroad, in Japan. I knew the Cullen’s through the messages that Bella and myself exchanged, the years I was gone, never met them in person, never video chatted with them, and never been to their house. Bella sent me pictures of the younger Cullens, Jasper has blonde hair and was constantly at Alice’s side, Alice is a pixie-like girl with a sassy brown bobcut, Edward is the lanky brunette that constantly has to pull Bella out of trouble, Emmett is a burly brunette that seems to like to fight, and Rosalie is the beautiful blonde girl, with a love of cars, and looks like she belongs on a runways. I knew of Esme and Carlisle, but little else. Esme posed as Carlisle’s sister, who had fallen on hard times, and staying with the others until she got back on her feet. Carlisle, he was an anomaly, one that I was very interested in figuring out, a vampire that works in a hospital, helping people, not attacking them, not stealing blood, but being kind and gentle, he saved Esme, Edward, Rosalie, and even Emmett by changing them, but he doesn’t go around, biting and changing people all the time. This makes me very curious. Currently, only Alice, and possibly Edward, knew of my arrival, wanting to surprise my sister, who as far as Bella was concerned, I was still in Tokyo. Climbing out of the car, sticking my sister’s graduation present under my arm, glancing in the mirror on the side of the door to make sure my hair is flyaway free, the brown ringlets are down my back, bangs braided around the crown of my head, I smooth the skirt of my purple dress, which stops at my knees in the front, falling into a train in the back, which ends at the heels of my black and white Converse high tops, before I hold the present before me, walking up to the house. Before I can even open the door, it swings open to reveal a beaming Alice, who throws her arms around me with a happy squeal, yanking me inside. “You’re Emma! It’s so great to finally meet you!” Alice crows over the music. “You too, Alice! Where is Bella?” I ask just as Edward appears over a group of people’s heads, Esme’s hands clasped over Bella’s eyes as they follow him. “Surprise!” Esme cries, uncovering my sister’s eyes as soon as the stop before me. “Emma?!” Bella lunges at me, wrapping me in a hug. “Oh my-! Oh my god! What’re you doing here?!” She asks as I hug her back. “You didn’t think I’d miss you graduate, did ya?” I laugh as she pulls away, I tuck the present in her hand, which she opens hesitantly, only to find a signed copy of Stephan King’s The Firestarter, causing her to beam at me as I notice people staring over at us, confusion evident. “Let’s move somewhere more quiet.” Edward suggests, reading my discomfort easily, Bella mods as she wraps her arm around mine, tugging me through the crowd, before everyone joins us in a glass room that must be Carlisle’s at home office, said man is looking up from his desk in confusion. “Who’s this?” He asks, gesturing to me, I have to force myself not to gawk at the handsome blonde in the office chair, he’s dressed khakis, a blue button down dress shirt, with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. “This is Bella’s sister! Emma. Emma. this is Carlisle." Alice chirps as Carlisle nods, gaze landing on me. Heat streaks to my cheeks as I cover it with a cough, before turning to Bella. “Sorry that I missed your actual graduation, my flight was a little delayed.” I explain. “It’s fine, I’m just so glad you’re here.” She throws her arms around me once more, causing me to let out a surprised laugh. “I’ve missed you! Please, please tell me you’re done in Japan?” I laugh, shaking my head. “Bella, it’s two more years.” I state. “And then it’ll be two more, then four more, then six more, and then you’ll be married with kids, wearing kimonis 27/7, and never come for visits, and then I’ll be a vampire, and-” I pinch her lips between my thumb and index finger, Edward watches in vague amusement, while Alice smiles at me. “First, it’s kimonos, and second, you KNOW that I can’t have kids, so that’s out of the question. You know that I would never just leave you like that. Two years. That’s it. Then it’s three months in Russia, three months in England, and I will be back here, filling out a community college application to finish my doctorate.” I explain, she sighs as I release her lips. “We never see each other, though!” Bella complains. “You know, it probably won’t even be another eight months, I’m flying through my classes with ease.” She nods, beaming up at me. "You just have to be patient a while longer." I glance down at my watch, frowning at the dead battery. "It's a little after eight." Alice says, causing me to smile up at her in thanks. "Do you have to go already?" Bella asks, causing me to let out a soft laugh. "No, I'm just tired. Jet lag, I have to go to bed at an acceptable time." I explain as Bella nods. "Well, let me introduce you to some of my friends." She stands, reaching down to grab my hands, tugging me out the door as I shoot a helpless look back at Alice and Edward, who simply shake with laughter, following us as the sound and party swallow us whole. It feels like an eternity of being introduced to everyone, when in reality it's about an hour or two, before I manage to slip away to the only other place in the house, that is unoccupied by party goers, which is Doctor Cullen's office. Stumbling into the room, I swing the door shut as I let out a deep breath, pinching the bridge of my nose as I shake me head, feeling a migraine coming on. "Are you alright?" I jump at this voice, whirling around to find the doctor himself, sitting in a chair, before his desk, book in hands as I press a hand to my chest, heart thudding rapidly behind my ribcage. "I... ah, I needed an escape. My head is throbbing, and it's... very crowded out there." I explain as I close my eyes, taking deep breathes so that my panic goes down a bit, before opening them once more. "I don't do... parties, often. They make me claustrophobic." He nods as he closes his book, standing to cross over to me, reaching up I press myself back into the bookshelf behind me, to give him more room, before he turns back to his desk, rounding to the opposite side. "Feel free to sit in here, for as long as you need. I am not one for parties myself. Unfortunately, Alice has a penchant for them." I nod empathically as I cross to the chair he previously occupied, settling down into it as he seats himself at his desk. "So, may I ask- or is it too intimate of a question?" I mumble the last part to myself, causing him to look up, tilting his head at me a bit. "You may ask me anything, I will not withhold information, nor get upset." He promises. "Oh, uh... alright, well..." I bite my bottom lip in thought. "How did you, become a vampire, if you don't mind?" He blinks at me, as though in surprise. "I admit, that wasn't what I thought you'd ask." He states, causing my neck to suddenly feel a bit warm. "O-Oh, um, y-you don't have to answer, you know. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, or upset you, o-or...uh-" I cut myself off, feeling the heat traveling up my neck to my cheeks and ears, as I realize that I'm rambling, he is looking at me with a crooked smile, eyes bright, as though amused at my reaction. "It's quite alright. Let me see, I was born in the Sixteen Forties, I believe, time wasn't inheritantly accurate back then, honestly, for the common people. My father was an Anglican Pastor, my mother died when giving birth to me, and my father, he led hunts against witches, werewolves... vampires." He looks at me. "He burned a lot of innocent people, of course the real creatures that he sought were not so easy to capture, when my father grew old, he placed myself in charge of the raids. At first, I was a disappointment; not quick to accuse, to see demons where they did not exist, but I was also persistent, and more clever than my father. I had discovered a coven of true vampires in the sewers of the city, only coming out at night, to hunt, many had lived this way." He shakes his head. "We had gathered pitchforks and torches, waiting where I had seen the monsters exit, and one finally emerged." "He changed you?" I find myself asking, sitting in the edge of my seat, he look up at me with a simple nod. "He was ancient, and weak, with hunger, I heard him call out in Latin, to the others when he caught scent of the mobs. I ran through the streets, I was rather fast for being twenty-three, and lead in the pursuit." I can picture these things happening in my mind, coming alive with his words. "The creature could have easily outran us, but I believe he was too hungry, so he turned on us, as he attacked. He fell upon myself first, but the others were close behind, and he turned to defend himself. He killed two men, and made off with a third, leaving me bleeding in the street." He shakes his head. "I knew my father, the bodies would be burned– anything infected by the vampire would be destroyed, and I acted instinctively to save myself. I crawled, away from the alley, while the mob followed the vampire and his prey, I hid in a cellar, buried in rotting potatoes for three days. It was a miracle I was able to keep silent, to stay undiscovered, it was on the third day that if was over, and I knew what I had become." Without a thought, I reach out, resting a hand on his chilled one, causing him to look up at me in surprise. "You are remarkably strong." I breath out, causing him to smile at me, flipping his hand over beneath mine, to squeeze it. "I... thank you." He says softly, my heart starts to thump rapidly behind my ribcage, once more, as a comfortable silence looms between us, smiling at one another, before the door swings open, causing me to jump. Looking up to see Alice, Edward, Bella, and three Quilete boys, one I recognize as Jacob Black. "Carlisle, we've got a problem." Edward says, causing me to sigh as I stand. "I believe that this is my signal to got find a motel for the night." I state. "Actually," Alice speaks up. "upstairs, third bedroom from the right. Carlisle is allowing you to use his room, during your stay." I nod, smiling thankfully at the doctor, before ducking out the door, swaying through the party, then outside to get my bag from my car, before head back inside, and into the designated room. Closing the door behind me, I shut out the party, leaning against the door with a sigh. Throughout the rest of my stay, Carlisle and I seem to connect more, talking and bonding as friends, as it is rare for me to do so with people my own age, being 20, even if it's only that Carlisle is physically 23. When I leave, I feel sad to go, even though Carlisle and I have a great friendship, exchanged phone numbers, and emails, I'll still feel lonely with his constant company, and friendliness. Driving away, I feel determined that I will see them again soon, sooner than I might think.

[marble-mountain]

Death Do Us Part by Charles Salter

Book summary:

Remember those ground-breaking series from TV’s Golden Age which explored the frontiers of human consciousness and the dividing line between reality and other dimensions? Like those powerful stories, this new collection aims to bend your mind, squeeze your psyche, and maybe pluck a heartstring. Don’t each of us, at some point, walk that narrow line between love and loss… devotion and trust… treachery and betrayal… dream fulfillment or nightmare? Prepare yourself to enter our world of unique characters and experience their decisions to continue the path they’re on or open a door to new possibilities. What startling surprises may lurk just behind each door chosen?

These ten tales of mystery, suspense, and high-octane action aim to give you chills and make you wonder how to select the roads and doors in your own life.

Buddies Forever — In Vietnam, an American PFC awakens from grenade blast injuries and finds everyone calling him by his best buddy’s name.

A Lousy Way To Rye — Coming to consciousness at a bioterrorism incident site, the main character must figure out whether he is the special agent in pursuit — or the terrorist himself — before it is too late.

As His Excellency Wishes — In a small foreign country, Larry and his wife discover that a violent coup has occurred overnight and the new leader is someone his wife already knows quite well.

The Room — A disgruntled young loner kills a wealthy brother and sister, and a highly unconventional psychiatrist has only three days to determine whether it was an accident or murder.

Murder on Her Mind — Janet’s husband has seemed uncharacteristically attentive and considerate lately, but an alarmist friend tries to convince her that’s a bad thing.

The Herndon Secret — A brilliant but shy and klutzy physicist has four hours to help an intelligence agent rescue the agent’s wife and foil a devilish plot to take control of the very soul of the universe.

Time Conscious — What would make Elizabeth’s bedroom clock run fast and why do events seen from those two windows happen “early”?

That ASMR Girl — Why are top leaders at a secure Army base dropping like flies in front of their computers, and can Agent Radisson solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim?

Blade of Grass — Raising two granddaughters on their remote farm in 2026, Grandpa and his wife don’t see many visitors — so when a stranger does appear, it could mean big trouble.

The Caves Of Lonesanne Blu — On an isolated island, crippled war hero Lord Oonain risks all to save a beautiful young girl marked for death because she has vowed never to surrender her family’s sacred Blu-stone to the island’s ruler.

These are your ten journeys. But fair warning: be ready for some unexpected twists, hairpin curves, and sudden obstacles on this road!

Book Link - https://amzn.to/38HYeuY

Reviews:

San Francisco Book Review

Death Do Us Part, by brothers J.L. Salter and Charles A. Salter, is an anthology of the unusual. This short story collection is comprised of ten imaginative and tautly written page-turners, reminiscent of The Twilight Zone but with a new and fresh take. The stories contain well-drawn characters that keep readers rooting for them. Some have surprise endings or a mystery to solve, while others drop readers into strange and unfamiliar worlds. Each story is a carefully conceived wire-mesh gate that leads into a world where the bizarre and unpredictable happens. One cannot help but turn the page and be all in.

The book opens with “Buddies Forever,” a story about an American soldier in Vietnam. Everyone keeps calling him by his best buddy’s name. Their names are similar; Donahue vs. Donague (pronounced Don-ah-GHEE), but the men are polar opposites. What at first may seem like a simple mix-up turns into a mind-bender. In another military-themed story titled “That ASMR Girl,” an FBI agent is assigned a case on an Army base where leaders are dying under strange circumstances. But is he the right man for the job? “The Herndon Secret” is a well-paced thriller that amps up the tension. Two men must race against the clock to rescue an agent’s wife, and their back-and-forth banter provides some much-needed comic relief. “A Lousy Way to Rye” and “The Room” keep readers guessing who is the hero of the story. In “Murder on Her Mind,” an attentive husband is accused of attempting matricide by his wife’s best friend. “As His Excellency Wishes” provides a different kind of twist when a husband is surprised to learn that his wife already knows the leader of a violent coup. “Time Conscious” is a touching story that slows down the pace. An elderly woman relays an important incident that allowed her to see events in the future, thanks to her bedroom clock. “Blades of Grass” is set several years in the future and told from the point of view of an octogenarian farmer. When a stranger arrives on his remote farm, the farmer must determine whether he is a friend or foe. The book closes with “The Caves of Lonesanne Blu,” a fantasy tale with a crippled war hero who rescues a young woman marked for death.

The Salter brothers bring us a familiar style of fiction that imparts new wisdom to its readers. But proceed at your own risk. For those whose interests run weird, Death Do Us Part is a hard book to put down.

Reviewed By: Bobbie Peyton https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/product/death-do-us-part/

About the Authors:

The authors are brothers who have published several books together, and each has published many others solo, both fiction and non-fiction.

[maariyahfulat]

Death Do Us Part by Charles Salter

Book summary:

Remember those ground-breaking series from TV’s Golden Age which explored the frontiers of human consciousness and the dividing line between reality and other dimensions? Like those powerful stories, this new collection aims to bend your mind, squeeze your psyche, and maybe pluck a heartstring. Don’t each of us, at some point, walk that narrow line between love and loss… devotion and trust… treachery and betrayal… dream fulfillment or nightmare? Prepare yourself to enter our world of unique characters and experience their decisions to continue the path they’re on or open a door to new possibilities. What startling surprises may lurk just behind each door chosen?

These ten tales of mystery, suspense, and high-octane action aim to give you chills and make you wonder how to select the roads and doors in your own life.

Buddies Forever — In Vietnam, an American PFC awakens from grenade blast injuries and finds everyone calling him by his best buddy’s name.

A Lousy Way To Rye — Coming to consciousness at a bioterrorism incident site, the main character must figure out whether he is the special agent in pursuit — or the terrorist himself — before it is too late.

As His Excellency Wishes — In a small foreign country, Larry and his wife discover that a violent coup has occurred overnight and the new leader is someone his wife already knows quite well.

The Room — A disgruntled young loner kills a wealthy brother and sister, and a highly unconventional psychiatrist has only three days to determine whether it was an accident or murder.

Murder on Her Mind — Janet’s husband has seemed uncharacteristically attentive and considerate lately, but an alarmist friend tries to convince her that’s a bad thing.

The Herndon Secret — A brilliant but shy and klutzy physicist has four hours to help an intelligence agent rescue the agent’s wife and foil a devilish plot to take control of the very soul of the universe.

Time Conscious — What would make Elizabeth’s bedroom clock run fast and why do events seen from those two windows happen “early”?

That ASMR Girl — Why are top leaders at a secure Army base dropping like flies in front of their computers, and can Agent Radisson solve the mystery before she becomes the next victim?

Blade of Grass — Raising two granddaughters on their remote farm in 2026, Grandpa and his wife don’t see many visitors — so when a stranger does appear, it could mean big trouble.

The Caves Of Lonesanne Blu — On an isolated island, crippled war hero Lord Oonain risks all to save a beautiful young girl marked for death because she has vowed never to surrender her family’s sacred Blu-stone to the island’s ruler.

These are your ten journeys. But fair warning: be ready for some unexpected twists, hairpin curves, and sudden obstacles on this road!

Book Link - https://amzn.to/38HYeuY

Reviews:

San Francisco Book Review

Death Do Us Part, by brothers J.L. Salter and Charles A. Salter, is an anthology of the unusual. This short story collection is comprised of ten imaginative and tautly written page-turners, reminiscent of The Twilight Zone but with a new and fresh take. The stories contain well-drawn characters that keep readers rooting for them. Some have surprise endings or a mystery to solve, while others drop readers into strange and unfamiliar worlds. Each story is a carefully conceived wire-mesh gate that leads into a world where the bizarre and unpredictable happens. One cannot help but turn the page and be all in. The book opens with “Buddies Forever,” a story about an American soldier in Vietnam. Everyone keeps calling him by his best buddy’s name. Their names are similar; Donahue vs. Donague (pronounced Don-ah-GHEE), but the men are polar opposites. What at first may seem like a simple mix-up turns into a mind-bender. In another military-themed story titled “That ASMR Girl,” an FBI agent is assigned a case on an Army base where leaders are dying under strange circumstances. But is he the right man for the job? “The Herndon Secret” is a well-paced thriller that amps up the tension. Two men must race against the clock to rescue an agent’s wife, and their back-and-forth banter provides some much-needed comic relief. “A Lousy Way to Rye” and “The Room” keep readers guessing who is the hero of the story. In “Murder on Her Mind,” an attentive husband is accused of attempting matricide by his wife’s best friend. “As His Excellency Wishes” provides a different kind of twist when a husband is surprised to learn that his wife already knows the leader of a violent coup. “Time Conscious” is a touching story that slows down the pace. An elderly woman relays an important incident that allowed her to see events in the future, thanks to her bedroom clock. “Blades of Grass” is set several years in the future and told from the point of view of an octogenarian farmer. When a stranger arrives on his remote farm, the farmer must determine whether he is a friend or foe. The book closes with “The Caves of Lonesanne Blu,” a fantasy tale with a crippled war hero who rescues a young woman marked for death.

The Salter brothers bring us a familiar style of fiction that imparts new wisdom to its readers. But proceed at your own risk. For those whose interests run weird, Death Do Us Part is a hard book to put down.

Reviewed By: Bobbie Peyton https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/product/death-do-us-part/

About the Authors:

The authors are brothers who have published several books together, and each has published many others solo, both fiction and non-fiction.