#and every once in a while I see a post float by like an iceberg

[h0neyfreak]

***

[patheticbatman]

August 2019 Story

I deleted the original, so I'm reposting this. This was almost certainly the last one I drew as a 16 year old, but I might have been 17. Either way, I posted it when I was 18.

Once upon a time, in a splendid palace on the bed of the bluest ocean, lived the Sea King, a wise old merman named Triton with a long flowing white beard. He lived in a magnificent palace, built of gaily coloured coral and seashells, together with his wife Bella-Durmiente and their seven daughters, very beautiful mermaids. 

Ondine, the youngest and, in some ways, the loveliest of them all, also had a beautiful voice, and when she sang, the fishes flocked from all over the sea to listen to her. The shells gaped wide, showing their pearls and even the jellyfish stopped to listen. The young mermaid often sang, and each time, she would gaze upwards, seeking the faint sunlight that scarcely managed to filter into the depths. 

“When you have reached your eighteenth year,” said her mother when asked, “you will have permission to rise up out of the sea, to sit on the rocks in the moonlight, while the great ships are sailing by; and then you will see both forests and towns.” 

In the following year, one of the sisters would be eighteen: but as each was a year younger than the other, the youngest would have to wait six years before her turn came to rise up from the bottom of the ocean, and see the earth as human do. However, each promised to tell the others what she saw on her first visit, and what she thought the most beautiful; for their mother could not tell them enough; there were so many things on which they wanted information. None of them longed so much for her turn to come as the youngest, she who had the longest time to wait, and who was so quiet and thoughtful. Many nights she stood by the open window, looking up through the dark blue water, and watching the fish as they splashed about with their fins and tails. She could see the moon and stars shining faintly; but through the water they looked larger than they do to our eyes. When something like a black cloud passed between her and them, she knew that it was either a whale swimming over her head, or a ship full of human beings, who never imagined that a pretty little mermaid was standing beneath them, holding out her hands towards the keel of their ship. 

As soon as the eldest, Coralia, was eighteen, she was allowed to rise to the surface of the ocean. When she came back, she had hundreds of things to talk about; but the most beautiful, Coralia said, was to gaze on a large town nearby, where the lights were twinkling like hundreds of stars; to listen to the sounds of the music, the noise of carriages, and the voices of human beings, and then to hear the merry bells peal out from the church steeples. 

In another year the second sister, Cyrena, received permission to rise to the surface of the water, and to swim about where she pleased. She rose just as the sun was setting, and this, she said, was the most beautiful sight of all. The whole sky looked like gold, while violet and rose-colored clouds, which she could not describe, floated over her. She also swam towards the sun; but it sunk into the waves, and the rosy tints faded from the clouds and from the sea. 

The third sister, Delfina, was more timid; she remained in the midst of the sea, but she said it was quite as beautiful there as nearer the land. She could see for so many miles around her, and the sky above looked like a bowl of glass. She had seen the ships, but at such a great distance that they looked like seagulls. The dolphins sported in the waves, and the great whales spouted water from their blowholes till it seemed as if a hundred fountains were spraying in every direction. 

The fourth sister, Melody, went next. Her birthday occurred in the winter; so when her turn came, she saw what the others had not seen the first time they went up. The sea looked quite green, and large icebergs were floating about, each like a pearl, she said, but larger and loftier than the churches built by men. They were of the most singular shapes, and glittered like diamonds. She had seated herself upon one of the largest, and let the wind play with her long hair, and she remarked that all the ships sailed by rapidly, and steered as far away as they could from the iceberg, as if they were afraid of it. Towards evening, as the sun went down, dark clouds covered the sky, the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed, and the red light glowed on the icebergs as they rocked and tossed on the heaving sea. On all the ships the sails were reefed with fear and trembling, while she sat calmly on the floating iceberg, watching the blue lightning, as it darted its forked flashes into the sea. 

The birthday of the fifth sister, Lorelei, followed; she was the boldest of them all, and she swam up a broad river that emptied itself into the sea. On the banks she saw green hills covered with beautiful vines; palaces and castles peeped out from amid the proud trees of the forest; she heard the birds singing, and the rays of the sun were so powerful that she was obliged often to dive down under the water to cool her burning face. In a narrow creek she found a whole troop of little human children, quite naked, and sporting about in the water; she wanted to play with them, but they fled in a great fright; and then a little black animal came to the water; it was a dog, but she did not know that, for she had never before seen one. This animal barked at her so terribly that she became frightened, and rushed back to the open sea. But she said she should never forget the beautiful forest, the green hills, and the pretty little children who could swim in the water, although they had no fish’s tails. (better image version here)

The sixth sister, Nerida, took an obligatory peek above the surface of the water, and grabbed onto some loose rigging hanging off a ship. She did not come back for several weeks, taking a long vacation to the Equator (Her parents said it was okay). She hadn’t felt like swimming, and she was allergic to seahorses, so it was the perfect way to get around. Nerida occasionally went to the surface to watch the dawns (“Much prettier than your sunsets, dear Cyrena!” she later teased.) but mostly stayed underwater, partying day and night with her new friends in the warmer seas. She caught a boat on the way back, immediately being met by Ondine, eager to find out more about land, boats, and most importantly, humans. 

And as she waited for the day when she too would be allowed to reach the surface of the sea and meet the unknown world, Ondine spent her time in her wonderful sea garden. The seahorses kept her company, and sometimes a dolphin would come and play. Only the unfriendly starfish never replied when she called. At last, her long-desired birthday arrived. The night before, Ondine could not sleep a wink, until at last day came, and she accidentally fell asleep as morning commenced. In the afternoon, when she finally woke up, her mother called her and, stroking her long hair, slipped a lovely golden bracelet with her mother’s name on it. 

“There, now you can go to the surface. My mother gave me this on my eighteenth birthday, and so I will give it to you, and I hope you will give it to yours. You’ll breathe air and see the sky. But remember! It’s not our world! We can only watch it and admire! We’re children of the sea and have no soul, as humans do. Be careful and keep away from them; they can only bring bad luck!” In a second, Ondine had kissed her father and was darting towards the surface of the sea. She swam so fast with flicks of her slender tail, that even the fish could not keep up with her. 

Suddenly she popped out of the water. How wonderful! For the first time, she saw the great blue sky, in which as dusk began to fall, the first stars were peeping out and twinkling. The sun, already over the horizon, trailed a golden reflection that gently faded on the heaving waves. High overhead, gulls spotted the little mermaid and greeted her arrival with shrieks of pleasure. 

“It’s so lovely!” she exclaimed happily. But another nice surprise was in store for her: a ship was slowly sailing towards the rock on which Ondine was sitting. The sailors dropped anchor and the ship swayed gently in the calm sea. Ondine watched the men go about their work a board, lighting the lanterns for the night. She could clearly hear their voices. They were speaking a language from far away, which she anyway understood because merpeople can speak all tongues. 

After thinking about how far those sailors must have come from their homeland, for she was near the coast of Denmark, she said out loud, “I’d love to speak to them!” she said to herself. But then she gazed sadly at her tail, her equivalent of legs, and said to herself: “I can never be like them!” 

Aboard ship, a strange excitement seemed to seize the crew, and a little later, the sky became a spray of many coloured lights and the crackle of fireworks filled the sky. 

“Long live the captain! Hurray for his 18th birthday. Hurray! Hurray . . . many happy returns!”

Astonished at all this, the little mermaid caught sight of the young man in whose honour the display was being held. Tall and dignified, he was smiling happily, and Ondine could not take her eyes off him. She followed his every movement, fascinated by all that was happening. 

The party went on, but the sea grew more agitated. Ondine anxiously realized that the men were now in danger: an icy wind was sweeping the waves, the ink black sky was torn by flashes of lightning, then a terrible storm broke suddenly over the helpless ship. In vain Ondine screamed: “Look out! Beware of the sea . . .” But the howling wind carried her words away, and the rising waves swept over the ship. Amidst the sailors’ shouts, masts and sails toppled onto the deck, and with a sinister splintering sound, the ship sank. 

By the light of one of the oil lamps Ondine had seen the young captain fall into the water, and she swam to his rescue. But she could not find him in the high waves and, tired out, was about to give up, when suddenly, there he was on the crest of a nearby wave. In an instant, he was swept straight into the mermaid’s arms. 

The young man was unconscious and the mermaid held his head above water in the stormy sea, in an effort to save his life. She clung to him for hours trying to fight the tiredness that was overtaking her. The currents swept them far south and then Northeast, taking them past much land at a rapid pace. 

Then, as suddenly as it had sprung up, the storm died away. ln a grey dawn over a still angry sea, Ondine realized thankfully that land lay ahead. Aided by the motion of the waves, she pushed the captain’s body onto the shore, beyond the water’s edge. Unable herself to walk, the mermaid sat wringing her hands, her tail lapped by the rippling water, trying to warm the 

young captain with her own body. Then the sound of approaching voices startled Ondine and she slipped back into deeper water. 

“Come quickly! Quickly!” came a woman’s voice in alarm. “There’s a man here! Look, I think he’s unconscious!” The captain was now in good hands. 

“Let’s take him up to the castle!” 

“No, no! Better get help . . .” And the first thing the young man saw when he opened his eyes again was the beautiful face of the youngest of a group of three ladies. “Thank you . . . for saving my life . . .” he murmured to the lovely unknown lady. 

From the sea Ondine watched the man she had snatched from the waves turn towards the castle, without knowing that a mermaid had saved his life. Slowly swimming out to sea, Ondine felt that there on the beach she had left behind something she could never bring herself to forget. 

How wonderful those tremendous hours in the storm had been, as she had battled with the elements. And as she swam for many days towards her father’s palace, her sisters came to meet her, anxious to know what had kept her so long on the surface. 

Ondine started to tell her story, but suddenly a lump came to her throat and, bursting into tears, she fled to her room. She stayed there for days, refusing to see anyone or to touch food. She knew that her love for the young captain was without hope, for she was a mermaid and could never marry a human. Only the Witch of the Deeps could help her. But what price would she have to pay? Ondine decided to ask the her. 

“Aha! So you want to get rid of your fishy tail, do you? I expect you’d like to have a pair of woman’s legs, isn’t that so?” said the nasty Witch scornfully, from her cave’s entrance. “Be warned!” she went on. “You will suffer horribly, as though knives were being stabbed into your feet with every step you take!” 

“It doesn’t matter!” declared Ondine, with tears in her eyes. “As long as I can go back to him!” Jealousy and infatuation burned hot inside the little mermaid, clouding out her senses. “And that’s not all!” exclaimed the Witch. “In exchange for my spell, you must give me your lovely voice. You’ll never be able to utter a word again! If you want to give up early, just jump into the sea, and you will become a mermaid again, albeit a mute one. And don’t forget! If the man you love marries someone else, you will not be able to turn into a mermaid again. In fact, if you even touch the sea after that, you will dissolve into the water like foam on the wave!”

“Alright!” said Ondine heedlessly, eagerly taking the little jar holding the magic potion. The Witch had told Ondine that the young captain was actually a prince of Singapore, and the mermaid swam many leagues, leaving the shores of Denmark to go to her prince’s nation. She pulled herself onto the beach, then drank the magic potion. An agonizing pain made her faint, and when she came to her senses, she could see the face she loved, smiling down at her. The Witch’s magic had worked the spell, for the prince had felt a strange desire to go down to the beach, just as Ondine was arriving. There he had stumbled on her, and recalling how he too had once been washed up on that same shore, gently laid his cloak over the still body, cast up by the waves. 

“Don’t be frightened! My name is Prince Jantung!” he said quickly. “You’re quite safe! Where have you come from?” But Ondine was now mute and could not reply, so the young man softly stroked her cheek. 

“I’ll take you to the castle and look after you,” he said. In the days that followed, the mermaid started a new life. She wore splendid dresses and often went out on horseback with the prince. One evening, she was invited to a great ball at Court. However, as the Witch had foretold, every movement and each step she took was torture. Ondine bravely put up with her suffering, glad to be allowed to stay near her beloved prince. And though she could not speak to him, he was fond of her and showered kindness on her, to her great joy. Jantung was even teaching Ondine how to read and write, so they could talk, though the going was very slow. However, the young man’s heart really belonged to the unknown lady he had seen as he lay on the shore, though he had never seen her since, for she had returned at once to her own land. 

Even when Jantung was in the company of Ondine, fond of her as he was, the unknown lady was always in his thoughts. And the little mermaid, guessing instinctively that she was not his true love, suffered even more. 

She often crept out of the castle at night, to weep by the seashore. Often, her mother and her sisters would come up upon the shore to see her, and they would talk using their hands. Every night, she considered returning to the sea, just letting the waves kiss her toes and take her back in as a mermaid. But then treacherous hope, heedless of sensibilities, would draw her back into the castle. Perhaps his heart would change. 

Fate, however, had another surprise in store. From the castle one day, a huge ship was sighted sailing into the harbour. Together with Ondine, the prince went down to meet it. And who stepped from the vessel? The unknown lady who had been in the prince’s heart! When Jantung saw her, he rushed to greet her. Ondine felt a painful feeling pierce her heart: she was about to lose the prince forever. 

The unknown lady too had never forgotten the prince she had found on the beach while on a diplomatic mission from her country. Soon after, he asked her to marry him. Since she too was in love, she happily said “Yes!” It was diplomatically advantageous, for she was also a human princess, and was named Luklab. 

A few days after the wedding, the happy couple were invited for a voyage on the huge ship, which was still in the harbour. Ondine too went on board, and the ship set sail. Night fell, and sick at heart over the loss of the prince, Ondine went on deck. She remembered the Witch’s prophecy, and was now ready to give up her life and dissolve in the sea. 

But before she could jump into the water, she heard a cry from the water and dimly saw her sisters, in the darkness. “Ondine! Ondine! It’s us, your sisters! We’ve heard all about what happened! Look! Do you see this dagger? It’s magic! We found it in the vaults! Take it! Kill the prince and his wife before dawn, and you will become a mermaid again!” 

They threw it to her, and Ondine caught it by the handle. 

As though in a trance, Ondine clasped the knife and entered the cabin where the prince and his bride lay asleep. But as she gazed at the Jantung and Luklab’s sleeping faces, she simply blew Jantung a furtive kiss, before running back on deck. She knew it was not his fault she was in this situation. When dawn broke, she threw the knife into the sea. Then she shot a parting glance at the world she was leaving behind, and jumped far from the boat into the waves, ready to turn into the foam of the sea from whence she had come, and vanish. 

However, a moment before Ondine touched the sea, she was saved by the spirits of the air, who have souls like humans do and who guard the innocents of the world. 

Rewarding Ondine for her selflessness and responsibility towards her actions, they took the grief and unhealthy infatuation from her heart and made her one of them. Ondine found she could still visit friends and family and fall in love, while helping all the people in the world, a job she truly enjoyed. So she lived happily ever after, doing exactly that.

Little Mermaid Explanation 

I drew all the sisters (who all have names names meaning or referencing ‘mermaids/water spirits’) because I love mermaids, and I had so many ideas on how to draw their tails. If you ever want to watch a cool tv show about mermaids with really pretty tails, you should watch H20. I can almost guarantee you’ll enjoy it. Also, I thought it would be funny if you could literally figure out which sister was which by their hair - Coralia has one hair segment (a ponytail) because she’s the first sister, and when we first see Ondine she has 7, two buns, a pony tail coming off one and the ponytail splitting into four for the the other bun. 

The first sister, Coralia, was drawn with her back to the audience because I had drawn a similar mermaid months before and wanted draw it again. I didn’t draw much of the parts of the town that were described in her picture, simply because a lot of it was sound related, and Coralia already looked pretty alien in that whole setting. 

The second sister, Cyrena, is also facing away, but not for any other reason than me just wanting for her to face the sunset. 

Delfina, the third, is the first one I showed her face. She’s hanging out with a dolphin because Delfina means Dolphin in Spanish. I also decided to give cat-like eyes to the mermaids because there’s less light underwater and it would serve better to process it. 

Slight side note: The witch’s spell did give Ondine human eyes, but when she was caught by the spirit of the air they changed back because they’d be useful in that line of work. Melody (the name of Ariel’s daughter in the Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea), sister number four, doesn’t have her face shown because the only way I could think of staging that scene with her face showing seemed overly dramatic. She’s the sister comforting Ondine in a later picture. 

Lorelei’s picture was kind of hard, because I’ve never drawn a dog in that angle. But I used her face as a base for the rest of the sisters, because I think she looked cool. Nerida’s picture was so long I actually had to add on the tail from another paper. The first picture of Ondine I’m not completely proud of, but I had fun anyway. Her second picture, with Jantung (which, by the way, is Malay for heart, which I think is funny because Ondine was supposed to steal his) is much better in my opinion. I had to look up pictures of lifesaving techniques. 

Jantung is dressed and designed to look a lot like this anime character I like, named Hak. He’s from Yona of the Dawn (Akatsuki no Yona), and he’s a fun guy. Jantung isn’t much like him actually; Hak is closer to being the Ondine in this story than being Jantung. 

I didn’t really change this story, just smoothed over some explanations over why Ondine couldn’t talk to the Prince and took out a lot of extraneous detail. Trust me, Hans Christian Anderson can go on and on, and that’s something coming from me. 

I didn’t draw the Sea Witch because I didn’t think to until I had finished my last planned picture, and I didn’t really want to. 

Luklab means mysterious in Thai, which I chose because we don’t ever find out much about her. 

Ondine is a reference to a water nymph who got what the little mermaid wanted. The real kicker was that she actually wanted to stay a water nymph, so it’s sort of ironic. 

Ondine’s third picture was drawn to sort of mirror Ariel’s famous ‘Part of Your World’ pose, and to also show Jantung being found. 

In Ondine’s crying picture, she’s wearing different clothes to show the effort she’s put into trying to be human. It also shows that she was the avoiding the water in hopes that Jantung changes his mind, as she sat just far away enough from the wave to not get hit but close enough that Melody wouldn’t be uncomfortable. Melody is in the picture because I didn’t get to draw her tail for her picture. 

In the last picture, Ondine is smiling because no matter how helpless she had felt before, the moment she saw there was another option she was happy. 

The Prince is Asian because I felt that with the Little Mermaid’s castle being set near the coast of Denmark, she may have a vague idea of the human writing structures there. However, with a different alphabet and symbols from halfway across the world, there would be no way she’d pick up reading and writing quickly, thus canceling that avenue of non-verbal communication. Heck, she may not even be comfortable with using a writing utensil! And sign language beyond mostly fingerspelling (at least in the Western world) wasn’t really used until the 1800s. So, Ondine wouldn’t be able to communicate her true identity and reason to be with the Prince in such a short amount of time. Not unless he started asking some very specific questions. If only she had a crab to whisper in his ear…. 

Original post here

[jello-in-my-bello]

It’s time that we had a real conversation about Aang...

For the main character of a television series, Aang somehow almost always finds himself under-rated and dismissed in fans’ posts. You see all these posts and, when they do reference him, it’s usually accompanied by the phrases “immature” and “12-year-old boy.” I mean honestly, in some ATLA fans posts, it seems as if Aang’s name is almost synonymous with the word immaturity--and it’s been that way for years. I’ve always wondered why people discredited him. Was it because they saw his age and immediately ruled him out? Is it an excuse for Katara and Aang to have never happened? Was calling him the most immature character a way to bring up their favorite characters? Or did they simply get conditioned to think Aang was immature because everyone just... said he was? Well, I think Aang’s the most mature character (from start to finish) on the show, and Imma tell you why. 

I think that Book 1 Aang is the Aang that everyone has stuck in their head. We get introduced to Aang in a strange way: he’s a boy frozen in an iceberg, and the first thing he asks is to go penguin sledding. Then he boldly explores a fire navy ship after being told it might not be a great idea. This kid’s kinda stupid, we think. Why does he care about penguin sledding? Why does he explore something he is told not to? Then he stops at Kyoshi Island to ride the Unagi, then he stops at Omashu to ride the delivery service, and then he lets the gang stop at other locations—having mini adventures—without worrying about learning waterbending on any sort of timeline. Why does he choose to explore all these different places at first rather than master the four elements? Doesn’t he even care about being the Avatar? Ah... that’s right. He’s only 12. 

Except surmising his entire maturity (or lack thereof) to the fact that he stops for these adventures means that you are ignoring one glaring detail of the show: Airbender and nomad culture. Aang asking Katara to go penguin sledding instead of what year it was and taking his friends to all those random stops in B1 so that he can explore can not be chalked up to immaturity. Because then you are ignoring an entire culture. We don’t get to see a lot of airbenders, and I think that plays into the problem, but from what we do know, we learn that a critical part of their culture is that they travel. A lot. And experience different cultures. A lot. Think about all the different places he’s referenced going to 100 years ago in the series. Then think about all the friends he’s talked about having in these obscure places—and it always sounded like he visited them more than once. Traveling, experiencing different cities, and meeting new people was a part of him and a part of his culture. He wasn’t being a 12-year-old when he stopped to ride the Unagi or the delivery shoots in Omashu, he was being an air nomad

On a similar note, one of Aang’s most notable traits is saying, “Hey, check this out,” excitedly while doing some air bending trick that seems juvenile--like spinning marbles around or doing an air scooter.  People look at him doing this and his previously mentioned traits and go, “Oh, what a kid.” But here’s the thing: we can’t roll our eyes at his persistent need to show people marbles floating in the air or his air scooter. In the episode “Southern Air Temple,” we see Monk Gyatso—an extremely old, wise air bender—throwing cakes on other monks’ heads, and then we’re told throughout the series that Airbenders were known for their playful nature. Airbenders didn’t use their bending the same way other benders do. For example, Waterbenders might show off their skills by creating a giant wave and being like, “Look how cool!” (See: Katara, like every time she learns a new move.) We know Airbenders have some pretty powerful moves--we’ve seen the tornado Aang created, the air body imprint of Aang that slammed Zuko back--but they don’t show off those moves because they’re so combative and not so fun. They show off the good-natured side of air bending (ex: Gyasto’s staff surfing when he was a child).  So those marble/air scooter tricks can’t be watered down to 12-year-old immaturity. Because he’s not being a kid when he does those things, he’s being an Airbender. People also tend to look over the fact that he is a survivor of a genocide. You need to keep in mind that he is a living relic and the only example left of what his race was. So even later in the series when he continues to show people those tricks, he’s showing them not just for fun, but to keep his culture alive. And what do you think he’s going to show them: a tornado with random objects flying around in it or two marbles flying in his hands? Which is a better representation of Airbender culture?

Also, do not forget that Aang earned his arrows. Airbenders are not just regular benders; they are known for being especially enlightened. You don’t just need to be a master at airbending to get your arrows—you also need to be a master at their culture. Aang was an enlightened boi. Look at all the speeches that he gave as the series continued. He didn’t just magically become wise in the course of a few months because he had to fight the Firelord, he just tapped into what was always there and never showed. The maturity was always there, and the receipts are in the arrows. 

So, I’ve gone over why he’s not as immature as everyone thinks, but why do I think he’s the most mature on the show? It’s because his emotional maturity is freaking through the roof. He’s part of a genocide, his culture is mocked, the few things—his clothing and glider—that he had left from his home were completely destroyed, and he had to do something that severely went against what he believes in. And he almost never loses his shit. In fact, we only ever see him get actually upset (we’re not counting the Avatar state cause that’s a whole different thing) 3 times in the series: when he was telling Katara about how the monks wanted to take him away from Gyatso, the episode when Appa was stolen, and when he was explaining that no one understands the position he is in (in terms of killing Ozai). Think about how much we saw everyone else freak out over the course of the show? About even smaller things.

Katara and Zuko are generally accepted as the two most mature characters of the series. But why? Zuko is continuously snapping at everyone, and, yes, he matured. But he is not completely there yet. He still somewhat believes in revenge (See: Southern Raiders), and it’s only at the last episode of the series that he understands violence is not the answer. And Katara? She acts very mature towards everyone else, but when it comes to her own emotions? She’s a whole basket full of mess. (See: Southern Raiders, again. Or anytime she uses anger as her way to show she’s “passionate.”) A good way to showcase the difference between Aang and these two is realizing that all of them lost a parent from the war and analyzing at how they handled it. (For Zuko let’s focus on the idea that he never really had a father) Katara lost her mother, Zuko his father, and Aang his father, Gyatso. Throughout the series, losing their parent was a huge topic point for both Katara and Zuko so much so that it was as if they thought no one else had ever suffered. (Katara, we see you telling Sokka that he didn’t love your mom the same). Aang, however, acknowledges his pain, tells stories of Gyatso and uses him as an example of what he wants to live up to— eventually coming full circle at the end wearing Gyatso’s beads and an identical outfit. I can’t imagine a more mature way to handle what happened than that.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is, maturity isn’t based on how you have fun, it’s based on how you react to hard situations. And nobody, nobody reacted better in those situations than Aang. So if you watched Avatar and thought it was a story about a young boy maturing, then you misjudged. It wasn’t a story about an immature boy growing up. It was a story of an Airbender becoming an avatar. 

[hockeylvr59]

Secret Love Part 11 || Cale Makar

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note: So I really struggled writing Chapter 10...Chapter 11 however...took me like two days. So yeah...uh characters are still in Iceland, Days 3 and 4 sightseeing will be posted following this. As always all posts for this series can be found by searching the tag ‘038’ on my blog. Let me know what you think. 

Gif Credit: @j-compher​

Warnings: cursing, oral sex, smut, unprotected (on birth control but no condom) smut

Word Count: 3,819

~~~~~~

If you’d thought day two of your trip had involved a lot of driving, you were in for a rude awakening moving forward.

The morning of your third day in Iceland, you and Cale had slept in until around 8 am before getting up, heading down to breakfast, packing up and then checking out of the hotel. Before leaving Reykjavik, you stopped at a market to stock up on some drinks and snacks, then a gas station for a refill before finally hitting the road heading south.

After about an hour and 40 minute drive, you reached your first stop: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. This waterfall was the perfect photo op because you could actually walk behind the falls. Taking some sillier but also sweet pictures, you continued on to another waterfall about a half hour away. From there, you stopped for lunch before Cale drove on to Dyrhólaey Nature Reserve.

The nature reserve was home to sea stacks and arches and the view from the upper trail was breathtaking. It had only been three days but already you were certain that Iceland was one of the most beautiful countries in the world.  After taking in the views from above, you headed to the lower trail and onto Reynisfjara beach.

There, black sand stretched in front of you as far as you could see. It was so different than any other beach you’d ever been on but it was honestly really, really cool. As cool as the sand was, the rock formations lining the beach were even cooler. After walking tucked into Cale’s side for a little bit you looked up at the cliffs to your left and immediately started freaking out. Jumping up and down, trying not to squeal, you tugged on Cale’s sleeve as if your previous actions hadn’t already gained his attention.

“What are you freaking out about?” Cale asked, mystified expression on his face.

“Puffins!” You squealed quietly, pure glee on your face. “They’re so cute!” The last thing you wanted to do was disturb the birds, but you were so excited to see them it was impossible to keep completely silent. Of course, you kept your distance, simply admiring them from afar.

Cale didn’t seem to know what to do with your reaction but he let you have your moment watching the birds, his lips pressed against the top of your head. As you headed back down the beach Cale rubbed his thumb against your side.

“I take you to see beautiful geological formations but it’s the birds you’re excited about.” He mused, shaking his head.

“Leave me alone.” You pouted. “You don’t just see puffins anywhere you know.” Lifting your chin, Cale kissed you softly.

“As long as you’re having fun and are excited about something I’m happy.” He insisted, his arm pulling you closer into his side.

It wasn’t a far drive to the village of Vik which Cale informed you was where you were staying for the night. Unlike yesterday where you had been going non-stop, not returning to your hotel until after 11pm, today you were already here and it was only late afternoon.

After checking into your hotel, you dropped off your bags and used the bathroom before heading into the village itself to park and walk around. Stopping into the tourist shop, you browsed around looking specifically at all of the locally made products. Eventually, you spotted a set of glass coasters made from the black sand of the beaches you’d just been on. Across the tops, various local scenes were painted. They were simple but beautiful and your fingers lingered across the tops of them.

“Those are nice.” Cale said, appearing over your shoulder suddenly.

“Yeah they are.” You agreed. Picking up two sets, Cale handed you one.

“We should get them. One for the house, one for my apartment.” Cale declared. “That way we both have something to remind us of this trip.”

“That’s really soft Cale.” You murmured.

“Don’t care.” He replied. Though you continued to look around, there wasn’t anything else that spoke to you as much as the set of coasters did and eventually you headed to the register to purchase them.

Walking around the village you took in how cute and quaint it was. Soon after your stomachs started complaining, you stumbled into a small restaurant. There you and Cale split a pizza with pesto for sauce, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, parma ham, topped with a balsamic glaze and parmesan cheese. It was delicious and you left feeling completely stuffed.

You’d called it an early night back at the hotel, settling for a movie on Netflix as you curled up together in bed. A relaxing evening was exactly what you needed to recharge and be ready to continue on your journey.

++

Day four of your trip started by filling up the gas tank and then embarking on an hour long drive to Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon.

Just before you reached the canyon, you encountered a small turn off which led you to a viewpoint. Climbing out of the car you walked up the pathway until you reached a platform. As far as the eye could see were moss covered rocks and it truly felt like you had stepped onto another planet.

“Are you sure we’re still on planet earth?” You whispered to Cale. Your boyfriend chuckled quietly in response, his hand resting on your hip. It seemed like the more time you spent alone together, not worried about who you saw or who saw you, the more reliant on physical touches each of you became. You’d never felt so comfortable just being with someone and thinking back on the times you’d seen Cale with Sara, you had a feeling the same could be said for him.

With more pictures clogging up your phones, you continued on to the Canyon itself. It was only a two-minute walk to the start of the canyon from the car and the moment you reached it your jaw dropped.

“Cale…” You whispered. You didn’t even have words to describe how beautiful this place was.

“Woah...sweetheart.” Cale’s thumbs brushed against your cheeks as he spoke and it wasn’t until he pulled you into his chest that you realized you were crying. “Shhh..give your brain a minute to process.” Cale assured you. His patience with you seemed neverending as his hands stroked your back until you finally calmed down.

“Sorry…” You mumbled, wiping frantically at your eyes when you finally pulled away.

“Nothing to be sorry about.” Cale insisted. “You’re allowed to be emotionally effected by things. It’s normal. Especially when it’s something as amazing as this.” Cale’s lips pressed gently to your forehead and he dropped his hand from your back to lace your fingers together. “You good to go walk?” He questioned.

It took about 45 minutes to walk all the way up to the top of the canyon and back and you stopped for pictures at various points along the way. You still couldn’t put into words the way this place made you feel; it was all so overwhelming in the best way. As you stood off to the side of the first viewpoint, away from the majority of other tourists, you tugged Cale’s hand until he was close enough you could wrap your arms around his neck.

“Thank you.” You murmured, kissing him lightly. “You always know exactly what I need, you’re always putting me first and taking care of me. It doesn’t go unnoticed, and you don’t know how much I appreciate it. You mean the world to me Cale...I don’t know if I’m quite as good at showing it as you are, but I hope you know that.”

“I do...know that…” Cale responded, kissing you again gently before pulling away, a fondness in his eyes that nearly sent you reeling. Dragging your fingers along his lower back you made up your mind to show him just how important he was to you once you were actually alone.

Back in the car, you munched on some of the snacks you’d brought in lieu of trying to find somewhere to stop for lunch. It took almost two hours to get to your next stop, the Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon.

There, the two of you hopped on a boat tour where you got to taste a piece of 1,000 year old ice as you toured the lagoon. It was incredible to see first hand just how much ice was breaking off of the glacier and it made you more cognizant of the consequences of global climate change.

Right across the highway from the lagoon was Breiðamerkursandur or the diamond beach where fragments of ice wash up after floating from the lagoon out into the ocean. You made Cale climb onto an iceberg so you could take a picture of him and you got some great shots of all of the ice scattered along the shore. Despite the fact that it wasn’t all that cold outside, having been surrounded by ice for the past hour or two left you feeling chilly even if you had dressed in layers.

As you climbed in the car, Cale turned the heat on and you squeezed his knee in thanks. It was just a short drive to your hotel for the night and once you’d checked in, you shed a few layers before heading to the bar for a drink before dinner.

You’d retreated to your room around 6:30pm and Cale hopped in the shower first to clean up. While you waited for him to finish, you dug in your bag trying to decide what to grab for after your own shower. Thinking back to how you had promised yourself you were going to show Cale just how important he was, you unzipped a small compartment where you’d hidden the lingerie you’d bought.

Buying lingerie had been a spur of the moment decision possibly fueled by a few glasses of wine, and the thought of actually wearing it made you nervous. Your sex life with Cale had been fairly tame so far, nothing too out of the box. It had also been completely spontaneous on every occasion. You honestly had no idea how he would react to lingerie and though both sets were fairly tame in comparison to some sets you’d seen online, this was still something new and therefore nerve wracking.

Hearing the shower turn off, you jumped, your heart racing as you grabbed the more modest of the two sets. If you were going to do this, you were going to ease into it. Collecting your cosmetic bag, you hid the lingerie close to your chest.

Slipping into the bathroom as soon as Cale exited, you stripped out of your clothes and stepped into the shower trying not to overthink this. Focusing on shaving your legs and cleaning up served as a bit of a distraction but as you toweled off, your eyes landed back on the lingerie you’d placed on the counter.

You were certain you’d talk yourself out of this if you had to stare at yourself wearing the lingerie in the mirror for too long, so you started with your makeup, doing just a little bit more than you had been lately in order to make yourself feel confident and sexy. Blow drying your hair, you brushed it out before finally reaching for the lace and silk fabric.

Burgundy colored silk sat low on your hips, edged by black lace along both of your thighs. The same black lace covered your chest, ending at the bottom of your ribcage leaving your stomach exposed. It was...sensual but not over the top and when you slid the burgundy silk robe over it, you felt like you might actually be able to pull this off.

Reminding yourself that Cale had nearly lost his shit at the sight of you in a bikini the other night, you took a deep breath before opening the bathroom door and stepping out into the bedroom. Cale was sprawled out on the bed with just a pair of shorts slung low on his hips.

“What do you want to watch tonight?” Cale’s question was asked before he ever looked up at you, but when he did he blinked slowly. “That’s uh...that’s not your usual pajama set…” He murmured.

Blood pounding through your veins, you moved across the room to climb onto the bed beside him. Grabbing the remote from his hand, you turned the tv off before setting the remote aside.

“I was thinking about a different form of entertainment tonight…” You stated, your own voice sounding foreign in your ears. Sliding over Cale’s lap until you were straddling him, your hands ran down along his arms as his eyes did a slow once over of your body. “I think it’s time I take care of you for once.” You husked, raising an eyebrow. Cale hadn’t even seen what was under the robe yet and already he was slack jawed. The power you held over him in that moment sent a rush of adrenaline through you and you slid down the bed, tugging his shorts and boxers down with you.

“You good handsome?” You teased, lightly stroking your fingers over the length of his rapidly hardening dick. Cale couldn’t seem to speak, but he nodded his head and for now that was enough consent. Flicking your tongue along the slit of his cock, you stroked the length of him in your hand until a soft grunt fell from his lips. Only then did you hollow your cheeks, sinking down around him, taking as much of his length as you could down your throat. Bobbing slowly, you felt him twitch and when you pulled back to breathe you ran your tongue along the veins on the underside of his cock.

Following your instincts, plus Cale’s body language and verbal clues, you settled into a rhythm blowing your boyfriend for the first time. You’d seen and felt Cale orgasm enough to know when he was getting close as his body strained beneath you.

“Fuck. Babe. Stop.” Cale gasped, but peeking up at him you knew he didn’t actually want you to stop.

“We’ve got all night handsome...plenty of time for you to recover after coming down my throat.” You murmured before flicking your tongue through his slit again collecting all of his precum. Returning to your efforts, you cupped his balls as you sunk down his length. After just a minute, Cale came with a moan as he spilled down your throat and after swallowing you pulled off of him, sliding your tongue along his skin to clean him up. Cale’s cheeks were flushed as he tried to catch his breath and you slid up his body, settling yourself back over his lap.

“Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?” Cale gasped, his head falling forward to land against your shoulder. Kissing his head, you ran your fingers through his hair waiting for him to become more coherent.

“Just trying to take care of my man.” You hummed. “But if you’re complaining...you don’t have to see what’s under the robe.” As you spoke, you drew his hands up to the tie at your waist, leaving it for him to undo.

The speed at which Cale undid the bow told you that he wasn’t complaining at all and you let him push the robe from your shoulders, his eyes landing on you once more. His cheeks flushed further to match the color of your shorts and his eyes were wider than you’d ever seen them. You let him stare, watching as his tongue ran over his lips leaving them wet and shiny in the dim lighting of the hotel room.

“Fuck…” Cale breathed harshly, drawing out the word. “I must be dreaming right now.” He added. “You’re a fucking dream sweetheart.” Cale’s eyes ran slowly up and down your body like he wanted to memorize every inch. “You bought this for me?”

“I take it you like it?” You assumed, letting out a soft sigh in relief at his reaction.

“What do you think?” Cale grunted, pulling your hips to roll down against his cock which was already hard again.

Laughter bubbled from your chest in reaction and you cupped his cheek as you leaned in to kiss him deeply.

“Good to know lingerie is a hit with you.” You admitted. Cale’s eyes flashed with concern for just a moment before his hand fell to your hips, his thumbs brushing against your bare stomach.

“I don’t know whether I want you to keep this on or take it off.” He declared. Clearly he knew better than he thought he did, because as he spoke his hands slid up your sides, gently gripping the fabric and drawing it up and over your head. Half nude on top of him, Cale’s hands cupped your breasts as he pulled you into a desperate kiss.

“Can’t believe you’re mine…” He mumbled, pulling back. There was something about seeing him like this, flushed red, swollen lips, blissed out from one orgasm already that lit every primal need inside of you. As much as you were his, he was yours and god did you need him inside you.

“Please Cale…” You whimpered, rolling your hips against his.

“Shh…” He soothed, hands gliding across your ass. Sensing that he was going to try and flip you, you kept your weight centered firmly above him.

“I wanna be on top.” You pleaded. “Just need out of these shorts…”

Cale wasn’t responding quickly enough, so you pushed the fabric of your shorts off of your own hips, shifting as little as possible while attempting to kick them off and onto the floor.

“Let me…” You cut off Cale’s statement by raising your hips and lowering yourself onto his dick, a gasp spilling from your throat as you felt him slipping deep inside you.

“Yes…” You hissed, the stretch of your body around him filling you with a warmth and ache that you had missed so much. As you started shallowly leveraging yourself up before dropping back down your eyes met Cale’s deep azure orbs, the look in them heightening your arousal.

“So wet.” Cale eventually groaned. “My girl doesn’t even need foreplay after blowing me to be this soaking wet. Fuck.”

Though one of Cale’s hands fell to your hips, you were the one putting in all of the effort to fuck yourself on his cock.

“You’re so needy...fucking yourself...just using my body for your pleasure. So much for wanting to take care of me tonight.” Sinking down on him again, you purposely tightened your vaginal walls against him, drawing another moan from his chest.

“Hmm...I think me doing all the work...letting you cum inside me while you just lay there is taking pretty good care of you…” You corrected. Your thighs were starting to burn from bouncing on top of him but your orgasm was within arm’s reach and there was no way you were stopping before ensuring you both got to climax.

“My girl is close.” Cale groaned. “Cum for me sweetheart...let me feel that tight heat clamp down on me.”

Cale’s words pushed you over the edge and you sunk down on him in exhaustion as your body shook with your orgasm. Spurts of Cale’s semen filled you from deep inside and you whimpered at the feeling, warm from head to toe. As you collapsed against him, still connected intimately, Cale’s fingers played with the ends of your hair.

“I can’t get enough of you.” Cale whispered a few minutes later, his cock starting to harden inside of you again.

“Again?” You inquired, a little bit in disbelief that his rebound time was this fast.

“Only if you want to.” He assured you. “But I’ll take over, you can relax and enjoy this time.” This time when Cale attempted to roll the two of you over, you went willingly, staring up at him. Before moving, Cale settled your legs up over his shoulders and when he thrust inside of you, you cried out softly at the feeling of him brushing against your g-spot.

“I got you sweetheart...just tell me what you need.” Cale sighed, pleasure lacing his tone.

The sound of your skin smacking together and the squelch of your mixed bodily fluids rang in your ears.

“Talk to me…” You pleaded. “Like before.” You weren’t afraid to admit that hearing Cale dirty talk had pushed you so much closer to orgasm than you would have been otherwise.

“Yeah?” Cale breathed, his cheeks turning bright red again as you nodded. “You feel so good like this sweetheart. You’re even wetter than before. So tight too.” Every movement he made brushed against your g-spot and you couldn’t help the litany of noises that fell from your lips at the feeling.

“You like it when I fuck you like this huh?” He continued. “Your pussy stretches around me so nicely, just welcoming me inside. Do you like being fucked nice and deep like this? Feeling each ridge of me against your walls...feeling me spill deep inside you?” Crying out again, your head tossed back and forth against the pillow, your orgasm creeping up on you quickly.

“You do like feeling me spill inside of you don’t you? That’s why you wanted to stop using condoms. You like being skin to skin with me, feeling me raw you bare. You like being filled with my warm sticky cum, the way it drips out of you if I let it…”

Your vision went black for a moment as your orgasm crashed down on you hard. The muscles in your thighs spasmed painfully, but you barely noticed through the waves of pleasure that rippled through you, leaving you panting. As your body clenched around him again, you felt Cale spill inside of you for the second time tonight.

Carefully he pulled out of you before kissing your lips lightly.

“Be right back.” He declared, disappearing into the bathroom. He returned with a washcloth and after wiping down your thighs, he offered you a hand so that you could go to the bathroom yourself. When you returned to the bedroom, Cale handed you a t-shirt to wear before guiding you under the covers.

“So dirty talk huh…?” He chirped, his nose brushing against the top of your head.

“Shut up and turn the tv on Cale.” You replied, feeling heat flood your cheeks. Chuckling, Cale complied, but as he handed you the remote to pick a show he couldn’t help but get in the last word.

“It’s hot. I enjoyed it.” Shaking your head, you snuggled against him just basking in what was left of the afterglow.

“And for the record...you can always surprise me with lingerie. I’m definitely into that as well.”

Lingerie:

[army-of-mai-lovers]

Jet, Smellerbee, & Suki (and now also Haru) part 3

part 1 (aka me hijacking @ecology-major-ikki ‘s post) part 2

in honor of the jetru I have seen blessing my dash today <3 (discussions of death) 

so Jet, Smellerbee, Suki, and Haru are off in search of Longshot, but they have absolutely no clue where to find him

and believe me, they look. Every town they pass through, they describe him to as many people as will talk to them, but nobody’s so much as heard of him, let alone seen him. 

The last time Smellerbee saw Longshot was after they thought Jet had died. 

The plan was for them to hit the road together. Longshot went off in search of supplies, and a week later, when he hadn’t returned, Smellerbee set off on her own.

She’s sick with the thought that maybe Longshot came back for her after she left, but Suki reassures her that she did the best she could. 

Haru suggests that they go back to Ba Sing Se, since that’s the last time that anybody saw Longshot, but Jet adamantly refuses.

At first, Smellerbee is with him, partially because she has so many bad memories associated with that place and she never wants to go back again, but also because she doesn’t think Longshot would have stayed there. 

When she and Longshot talked about leaving Ba Sing Se, he always seemed like he wanted to be somewhere rural, around the land, not holed up in a city and definitely not a city like Ba Sing Se. 

When Jet and Smellerbee are off looking for food, Suki and Haru talk, very quietly, about the possibility that Longshot might be dead.

Neither of them want to float the possibility in Jet and Smellerbee’s direction, but Smellerbee’s story about Longshot leaving, telling her that he would come back, and then not coming back doesn’t bode well to them. 

But they keep searching anyway. After all, all four of them met the Avatar, who turned out to be a twelve year-old boy who’d been stuck in an iceberg for a hundred years. Longshot could definitely be alive. 

the further they go, the clearer it gets that they’re not finding any leads in the rural villages, and Suki suggests that maybe they’ll be able to pick up a lead in Omashu. 

None of them really think they will, but Suki and Haru hope that going to Omashu might warm up Jet and Smellerbee to the idea of going to Ba Sing Se, and Jet and Smellerbee are out of ideas

(It has crossed Jet’s mind, once or twice, that Longshot might not be around anymore, but he doesn’t want to say anything. For Smellerbee’s benefit) 

(It has crossed Smellerbee’s mind, once or twice, that Longshot might not be around anymore, but she doesn’t want to say anything. For Jet’s benefit) 

So they go to Omashu

When they were at the Western Air Temple, Aang told Haru stories about Omashu, specifically about riding the mail delivery system, and Haru really wants to try it

Aang told Suki those stories too, and while she definitely acts like she doesn’t want to, she secretly really does

Haru’s excitement over riding the mail delivery system is infectious, and soon Smellerbee finds herself wanting to ride it as well (but *only* after Haru swears up, down, and sideways that he’ll use his Earthbending to make sure they stay safe)

Jet’s the last holdout, and boy howdy, does he hold out. They’re not here to have fun, he says. They have a job to do, he says. 

Smellerbee begs and pleads but he keeps insisting they shouldn’t, because what if Longshot comes around, but they don’t see him, because they were too busy riding the mail system? What then? 

Suki and Haru definitely start to feel guilty then, but they don’t voice their concerns. Instead, Haru turns up the charm to get Jet to agree to ride the delivery system

Jet is completely charmed Jet is not charmed in the slightest, but seeing the look on Haru’s face, he decides that they can have one, short ride

Haru keeps all his promises: the ride is short, and more importantly, it’s safe. Instead of using his bending to go faster, like Aang did, Haru uses it to make sure they go slightly slower. He’s a good navigator and makes sure that they stay on course and don’t do anything rash. 

(tbh, Suki’s a little bored with it. She makes a mental note to go back with Aang one day so they can actually have fun.)

Jet, however, is screaming his head off the entire time. 

Smellerbee has been in more near-death situations with him than she can even count, and she has never seen him act like this

As soon as they get off, Jet starts insisting that Haru didn’t keep his promises and that wasn’t safe at all and it felt like an eternity how could he do this--

And Suki just starts laughing because Jet struck her as much more of a thrill seeker than that

And then Jet gets mad at her for laughing, of course

Smellerbee cannot figure out what’s wrong with him, he’s never acted like this 

And then, finally, Jet says “I’m afraid of heights!” 

Immediately, Smellerbee thinks about all those months they spent living in the trees, but Jet insists that that was totally different

Smellerbee keeps pressing him on what exactly was different in that life of living in constant danger of breaking bones when they were living in the trees (not to mention all of the other situations in which they could have been injured worse than that), and finally Jet says “it’s different because I was in control!” 

They all fall silent. 

Jet sees all of them, waiting for him to explain himself, and he tries to muster up the words, but he just can’t. So he leaves. 

Suki and Haru want to go after him, but Smellerbee tells them both to wait. So they do. 

It’s a bit of a testy silence on their end for a while after that. 

After a while, Jet comes back, and to Smellerbee’s surprise, he apologizes to all of them, and especially to Haru. 

He says that until not that long ago, he’d only trusted four people: Smellerbee, Longshot, Pipsqueak, and the Duke. And Pipsqueak and the Duke broke that trust. 

He hasn’t been in control of his life in a long time--maybe never, if he’s really honest with himself--but he likes the feeling that he is, and having Haru be in control of that delivery system ride was completely terrifying to him. Trusting somebody like that wasn’t a norm for him.

Haru immediately gets up and hugs him, and they stay like that for a bit. Suki and Smellerbee get up and hug him too

just a big group hug

After they break apart, Jet tells Suki and Haru that he trusts them, and if they think it’s a good idea to go to Ba Sing Se, then he will

Suki asks Smellerbee if she’s okay with that, and Smellerbee nods. Later, she’ll talk to Jet about the possibility that they won’t find Longshot in Ba Sing Se, because he’s nowhere to be found. But not now. She’ll find the right time. 

Jet looks over at Smellerbee. He wants to talk to her about the possibility that Longshot really isn’t coming back. But she’s not ready for that, or at least, he thinks she isn’t. He’ll find the right time to do it. 

And with that, they set off to where it all started: Ba Sing Se

[js116]

Twenty One Pilots’ Scaled and Icy

30 May 2021

Steady as we go, here’s a wee bit of background before we tackle the main course:

Scaled And Icy was released just last week on 21 May 2021. It is Twenty One Pilots’ sixth studio album (including their second album, Regional At Best, which was discontinued when the band signed with a record label). Trench, the album released in 2018 prior to Scaled And Icy is its sister album in the concept narrative they both follow. As I stated in the update, I won’t be covering the lore behind Scaled And Icy in this particular post; this post will cover only the surface-level review of the music without the concept attached. The post containing lore and thoughts on the concept pair will be in a post sometime this next week.

While my previous two album reviews occurred at the Field, I did this review at my grandparents’ kitchen table, since I’m spending the weekend here in Alabama with them; I listened to the album on the drive down here and took my notes. I’m gonna format this one a wee bit differently than I’ve set up the previous two so I can get the most out of my notes, so let’s get into it!

1. Good Day -- 7.6

I like the chord progression in this album opener; the major key paired with the descending chords is really smooth and has a nice vibe. The theme of this one to me is of someone trying to convince people close to them (and themselves) that everything is okay after some kind of loss or tragedy. 

“I know it’s hard to believe me / It’s a good day.”

2. Choker -- 8

This one was released as the album’s second single before the album itself dropped, and it’s my brother’s favorite from the setlist. The forced hope and optimism of the first song are reflected in this one through the continued major key and progression; the lyrics are much less happy, even if the earlier happiness felt ingenuine. 

“I know it’s over / I was born a choker / Nobody’s coming for me…”

The spoken word at the end of the song brings this back around to a near-encouraging message though, changing the theme from “nobody can help” to “don’t get held back by the past.”

“Lay forever, but the day goes on / The sun moves behind you / You get taller, bolder, stronger / And the rearview only blinds you.”

3. Shy Away -- 8.2

Shy Away was the first single released, and it’s my girlfriend’s favorite from the album. Where Choker warned us not to be held back by the past or what’s behind, Shy Away pushes us toward the future, telling us not to shy away from the possibilities. 

“Don’t you shy away / Manifest a ceiling when you shy away”

4. The Outside -- 6.1

The underlying theme of this one, to me, is falling asleep at the wheel -- but further, running out of time to do all the things you want in life. The second half of the song has a sample from a party overlaid with the music. 

“Up and down, they’re nodding / Heads are moving up and down / You’ve got it.”

5. Saturday -- 6

The third and final single to be released before the album itself, I like how it sounds. I don’t have a whole lot else to say about this one, I just like the vibe of it.

“You’re good, these are my dancing shoes / We paint the town / You’re good, though I might dance with you /  Might get loud on Friday / But on Saturday, Saturday, Saturday / We paint the town.”

6. Never Take It -- 6.7

This one gets into the effect of the media in spinning facts to weaponize people against each other.

“They’re trying hard to weaponize / You and I / We’ll never take it!”

7. Mulberry Street -- 6.8

This is one of my favorites from this album, and the theme I get from it is to continue forward once you’re in motion with your progress, even when things seem to be going slowly. 

“Keep your bliss, there’s nothing wrong with this.”

8. Formidable -- 5.3

While it isn’t one of my favorites, I do like the way this one flows. I think it might be about family or a significant other. 

“And I know you just left / But can I take you everywhere we’ve ever been? / I wanna see it all / No surprises…”

9. Bounce Man -- 7.8

And here we come to another of my favorites from this album. The upbeat feel of the song is an interesting choice considering the lyrics seem to be about a family friend ending up on the news, stopping by for some cash and to say goodbye, and then “bouncing” out of the country to avoid arrest. 

“You should bounce, bounce, bounce, man / Come to the house, man / I’ll let my old lady know / You’ll be in and out, out, out, man / Float you a couple bands / Then you’ll head to Mexico / Yeah, I told you all along / Running away don’t make you wrong / Before you bounce, bounce, bounce, man / Come to the house, man / We’ll sing one more song / So long.”

10. No Chances -- 8.3

The vibe changes here. It appears the hunt is on for our Bounce Man, but the family isn’t letting him go down that easily.

“We’ve got people on the way / We want you home in one piece, now / We get bodies every day / We want you home in one piece now.”

This is my favorite song on the album. 

11. Redecorate -- 7.6

The album closer seems to finish out the story from the previous two songs; Bounce Man finds himself alone, and doesn’t want to be taken without settling his affairs and coming to terms with his choices first. 

Overall, I appreciate this album a lot, although it’s different from their previous albums. The upbeat first half followed by the narrative in the last few is a good balance, and the lyrics are all intentionally thought-out and developed. Taking into account that this review does not include the deeper levels of lore that went into it, I’m giving Scaled And Icy four out of five friendly fugitive frogs! 

Up next will be the rest of this album’s iceberg. Thanks for listening with me!

[geraniumsandheliotropes]

Fic Recs

Remeber to give the authors some love!

ATLA

(hope that i'm able to be) all that you need by SmileHoney

Because that was the only outcome that Zuko could see. Sokka deserved someone who could give him all that he needed and wanted, and that person just… That person wasn’t Zuko, and that wasn’t going to change.

And so Sokka kept asking, and Zuko kept putting it off.

or,

Zuko’s struggle with being gay and asexual, as examined through the lens of his various relationships through the years.

Fathers and Sons by WinterSky101

Hakoda’s not sure exactly what's going on with the Fire Lord’s son, but given the way he avoids Hakoda with a passion and jumps every time he hears him speak, Hakoda doesn’t like the picture that's being painted.

lessons in tea making by aloneintherain

AU where Zuko realises early into his banishment that Ozai is an abusive bastard who sent him on a wild goose chase. Iroh turns their decommissioned warship into a floating tea shop, and Zuko settles down as a tea server onboard the Jasmine Dragon.

And then, years later, the Avatar emerges from the iceberg.

And then Aang decides that he wants Zuko, the first good firebender he’s met this century, to be his firebending teacher - even though Zuko wants nothing to do with him.

Based on this tumblr post.

Icarus, Point to the Sun by aeoleus

Zuko tries. Agni, he tries. Uncle wants so desperately for him to do the right thing, and he wants to, he does, he does, he does- So when the Water Tribe girl looks at him with wild eyes, begging for help, and Azula raises one eyebrow with a sneer, Zuko chooses.

Azula’s scream of anger when he blasts a fireball in her direction is almost worth the twenty Dai Li agents that immediately

Witcher

'like' it or not by shortcrust

I’m a Jaskier Rivia stan first and a person second

@whitewolfpackleader

Did @bardofficial win a Grammy? No. But he DID put his husband in a leather tunic for the red carpet and in that sense, we’re all winners tonight

They say he hungry by TheMalapert

According to Fae law if a human has a single bite or a single drink while in the Fae realm, that human can never leave.

They didn't exactly cover this in Jaskier's sex ed class.

Six of Crows

this city never sleeps at night by cheschi

ROLLINS STONE MAGAZINE

In this issue

Six of Crows: From break-ins to breakout stars, the band talks overnight success, music and madness, and everything in between.

Eddie Spaghetti once said, "Rock and roll keeps you in a constant state of juvenile delinquency."

That would explain a lot, as the dynamic within the band can only be described as a decidedly more aggressive version of The Breakfast Club. Namely: a lot of banter—most of which involves a lot of stinging and acerbic one-liners that are just waiting to be immortalized by the internet, enough hijinks to send any authority figure running, and a whole lot of waffles.

(or, the band au no one asked for but which I wrote anyway)

Marvel

Mostly Void, Partially Stars by Infinite_Monkeys

The Avengers' search for Loki takes them to a small town where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and the single mother of an eight-legged horse can join the PTA.

research and disaster by blueh

There should have been nothing remarkable about two people in a busy cafeteria, but Becket takes in the familiar sight of curly hair, brown eyes, and a t-shirt with a science pun on it talking animatedly alongside Actual Anthony Edward Stark and promptly drops his lunch.

He gapes for a solid second, seeing but not believing. It definitely doesn’t look like Mr. Stark is forcing the kid to leave, or firing him, or escorting him to security given the relaxed smiles on both of their faces. If anything, Becket thinks Mr. Stark looks rather proud.

“So, uh, Mr. Stark definitely knows Roomba-Kid,” Becket says and discreetly tilts his head in the direction of the pair.

“Oh my god,” Jess says. She almost sounds gleeful. “Oh my god, he’s not just some random kid. He’s Mr. Stark’s kid.”

or: the interns at Stark Industries have some questions about Peter Parker. The answers aren’t quite what they expect.

[bigfan-fanfic]

Batdad and Sons (Batdad!Reader x Batfamily Headcanons)

Bruce

Despite both being men, you two remind Gotham of Thomas and Martha Wayne.

Because one of you is a gentle ray of sunshine who is deeply involved in charity work and seems utterly committed to making the world brighter.

Thomas was rather hands-off towards Wayne Enterprises, preferring instead to focus on his medical career and charities that actually affected change for the underprivileged in Gotham. Bruce remembers Thomas always having time for him, stopping everything if Bruce needed to talk with his father.

And the other is a strong, ruthless businessperson with style, grace, and sensuality, who can somehow manage a dizzying array of businesses while still being the ideal spouse and parent in the public eye.

Martha was the head of Wayne Enterprises and an involved boss - she personally saw to the upkeep of each branch of the company (she was the one to hire Lucius Fox). And even with all of these heavy demands on her time, she always appeared in public with Thomas at all of his charities and was involved enough with Bruce to help Thomas plan every family outing.

So, yeah, up to you which one the public thinks you are

Bruce has a constantly-updating social media presence that is run by the Batcomputer’s AI - it keeps tabs on where he is fighting crime and discreetly has Bruce’s account post things about being on the other side of the city

Bruce will occasionally post a romantic photo of you two

You run your own social media account - the Batcomputer automatically reblogs/retweets/likes whatever you post.

You have a lot of cute pictures of the family which the public goes bananas for.

Bruce is a Slytherin. He no longer visits the Pottermore site.

You find yourself making puns a lot while the family is on patrol.

Example: Mr. Freeze has just been defeated by the team.

YOU: Alright, time to put him on ice!

Bruce tends to groan at these because you have a tendency to interject them at inappropriate times. Once you got him to giggle in front of Selina because whenever she talked you just matched her tone but only said “meow”

“Meow meow meow, meow-meow meow meow-meow-meow meow. Meow.”

You do end up kidnapped a lot, as an important Gothamite public figure, and Bruce is generally quite impressed when you escape, because you can either talk an adversary to distraction, or use trickery to escape, or -most impressive - you once convinced a member of the Penguin’s gang to reconsider his life choices and let you go.

Once he got out of jail, Armand became your go-to party planner.

He also now helps Penguin with legitimate events at the Iceberg Lounge. Go figure.

Alfred

The two of you are avid devotees of “The Great British Baking Show”

Alfred never has a soggy bottom.

Dick spends the most time hanging out while you two make stuff, so he’s into it as well

Jason pretends not to be interested, but he’ll still tell you when bread is overworked.

Alfred is so full of wisdom and advice

And he is not afraid to get physical when needs must

Riddler once broke into Wayne Manor

The two of you basically dismantled him using Alfred’s combat medicine training and your own knowledge from working with him

Riddler had several broken bones, severe lacerations, and a mild concussion when he was wheeled to Arkham Asylum’s medical ward

“Y/N Wayne and Butler - BATMAN AND ROBIN????” said the tabloids the next day. Dick couldn’t stop laughing.

Alfred enjoys opera while cooking and baking, but isn’t averse to classic rock.

He also enjoys Beyonce.

You insist on Alfred having a regular day off, but he insists that he doesn’t need one.

“Please, Alfred. For me.”

*sighs* “...Very well, Master Y/N.”

Ravenclaw. He’s a Ravenclaw, definitely.

Dick

You two know all the choreography to “We’re All In This Together.”

And all the songs from the High School Musical series

Since he was little, you took him to every premiere of every Disney movie he wanted to see, press be damned if they made snide remarks about your son wanting to see a princess movie

This tradition has not stopped. Dick’s social media shows pictures of you two still going to every premiere - only now the two of you bring underprivileged children and kids from the orphanage to share in your fun

There’s a picture of you looking very Zen and sitting cross-legged on the red carpet as a bunch of kids swarm around you and one somehow has ended up on your shoulders. Behind you Dick can be seen wearing Mickey Mouse gloves and grinning wildly at the camera, kneeling with his arms around the shoulders of two young orphans

You personally don’t like clowns and trapeze scares you to death, but you never deny Dick when he asks you to go to the circus.

You once bought Haly’s Circus back from the people Mr. Haly had to sell to and gave ownership to Dick. So, technically, the two of you co-own Haly’s Circus now.

Dick once auditioned for Disney Channel (unbeknownst to Bruce). He still can’t quite bring himself to watch Wizards of Waverly Place, knowing that he almost had a role.

Speaking of Wizards, Dick thinks of himself as a Gryffindor - but he was sorted into Ravenclaw.

Jason

Jason gets really emotional over romance - whether it be real or in a movie or a book

He will never forgive Mr. Wickham for what he did

You have had to talk him down from chewing out people who think Catherine and Heathcliff are an ideal couple

And of course, he has shot his television at that one scene in every romantic comedy where things go wrong just before the two leads get together.

A Gryffindor.

Has a sleeveless shirt that asks if you’ve bought tickets to the gun show. Since he has an extensive gun collection, the irony is somewhat lost.

Doesn’t like to be questioned. Likes to question. You bridge the gap using sarcasm, mainly.

He is a superhero movie fanatic. However, he hates it when the love interest dies.

He does smoke, but he knows better than to do that around you. Roy always snitches on him

Roy is very intimidated by you, for some reason

More intimidated than by Jason, that’s for sure.

Maybe because you’ve made Ollie cry before (long story involving too many bottles of tequila, Oliver asking if he was your type, and you responding)

He tends to listen to you when he won’t listen to anyone else

You’ve proven that you don’t put up with much when it comes to him

“I’m gonna shoot this guy right now-”

“Jason you sit your butt down right now!”

“...yessir.”

Tim

Slytherin.

Sleepy. Too sleepy to do much.

Can be found sleeping in the weirdest places. Once he was asleep on top of the wardrobe in Dick’s room, and had no clue how he got there.

You have since insisted that he maintain a strict sleeping schedule.

Unfortunately, you are ignored.

You once gave him glasses that had pictures of his opened eyes instead of lenses as a gag gift. He uses them daily.

Tim likes to watch Jackie Chan martial arts movies. Or the Office. Or Friends. Depends on how many hours he’s been awake.

Tim is always listening to music - anything with a beat.

It helps him stay awake. The longer he stays awake, the louder his music gets. 

Tim does not like ice cream - on family outings, he gets sherbert.

He’s very picky. You spent five days picking out the color of the sheets in his room because the current combination “bummed him out.”

He forgets that you aren’t supposed to draw on walls and uses his room’s walls as a piece of scratch paper.

You make him clean it himself.

This was unwise. He leaves it as is until there’s no more room.

Has an addiction to online gaming. He doesn’t know it, but you are his biggest rival online.

Because he always tells you “just one more round” or “until I lose”

So two hours later, when he still hasn’t logged off, you log on and grief him until he rage quits.

Then you console him as he complains to you, and you suggest he take a break from the game for a while.

You wonder sometimes if this can be classified as emotional torture.

It’s for his own good, honestly.

Damian

Hufflepuff and proud of it

As I mentioned, he is a startlingly good performer.

Has secret aspirations of being on Broadway - either in the Hamilton revival he’s planning for twenty years in the future or perhaps in something by Sondheim

His artistry continues into other realms

He writes fanfiction. This is not a drill.

To your eternal embarrassment and silence, you have become an avid reader of his work. (You created a fake account just to reblog and comment your support. Damian is unaware of this)

If you decide to send him to school (Gotham Academy or wherever), he gets into a lot of fights.

Mostly in defense of others, but also the occasional “he looked at me funny” or “said something about my parents”

I’d recommend home-schooling or online school for Damian. It fits better with his schedule so that his sleep cycle isn’t completely thrown off, and it keeps him away from the little creeps running wild in Gotham (there’s a statistic floating around that 80% of the Joker Gang is under 18, and it isn’t completely inaccurate).

He is a history buff, particularly when it comes to battles and battle tactics.

He knows battle strategy back to front

And yet he struggles with Checkers, and for some reason, Monopoly.

Damian was not given a middle name, so whenever you want to middle-name him, you make up some absurd placeholder.

“Damian Fingercrumpet Wayne, get down from the chandelier!”

“So help me, Damian Stipplenibbler Wayne, I will take away your zoo membership!

“Damian Montague Sasparilla Carthaginian Wayne, I want to talk to you right now!

[watchathon]

BONUS: The Last Airbender

In case you’re finding this post just by browsing the tags I’ve used for this post, this is the Watchathon, a blog where I’m hoping to watch an episode of a show (or in this case, a movie) every one-to-two days, with a short blog post where I give my thoughts on what I’ve just seen. Each new point starts with a hyphen and a bolded first word.

- Like so. 

But today, I’m subjecting myself to the notorious live-action film The Last Airbender, to... Well, to “celebrate” its tenth anniversary. I initially planned on doing it either after Book 1, or after Book 3, but for whatever reason, I have decided to do this now.

Fair warning, this is going to be one of my rare posts where I’ll be mostly negative.

So much for “gushing about things I like”...

Also, so much for “the rare occasion I cover movies”, but that I don’t mind so much. The Lilo & Stitch post was a ton of fun to make.

- So, first things first, I don’t tend to be a fan of live-action movies based on animated properties in general. But it’s not like I don’t give them a chance. 

Sometimes I even like them better than the original. I could never get through The Jungle Book in one sitting as a kid, but the 2016 live-action remake? I adored it!

Even the worst ones I tend to be “meh” about rather than flat-out disliking. But The Last Airbender? I hated it when I watched it as a kid... Emphasis on the past tense. I could well change my tune because of this, though I can’t imagine I’ll end up liking it.

- They recreate the “Water, earth, fire, air” part of the intro but without narration. Which, to be frank, just makes it look pretty silly.

- “The four nations. Water, Earth, Fire, and Air Nomads.” Sooo are they all nomads?

- Awvatar? Pronouncing Aang as Awng, I could sorta get, but... Awvatar? Really?!

- It feels oh-so-weird to see a white Katara and Sokka, when they, and all the people of the Water Tribes, had the darkest skin in the show.

- Something that really strikes me about this movie already is that it’s so... humorless. Sokka described himself once in the show as “the meat and sarcasm guy” if I’m remembering right, and not even five minutes in I can already tell we’re missing half of that description.

- Not only is this movie humorless, it can seem strangely... smaller, than the cartoon. In the cartoon, Katara got Aang out of the iceberg by accidentally using powerful Waterbending. 

But here, Sokka causes the ice to crack by accident, revealing the iceberg with Aang inside. Then Katara grabs Sokka’s boomerang and whacks the iceberg twice with it. 

- More about the lack of humor: There’s not even a mention of penguin sledding once Aang is out either.

- And not only are our most prominent Waterbenders white, the Fire Nation (who had light skin in the cartoon) have the darkest skin of the whole main cast. Juuust great...

- Aang’s heroic moment from the cartoon is taken away from him. In the cartoon, Aang was on his way out of the Southern Water Tribe when he saw the Fire Nation approaching, at which point he turned around and helped them.

Here? Aang sits in a tent until one of the Fire Nation soldiers sees his tattoos and drags him out.

- “We found that boy, he’s our responsibility!” Katara sounds like she’s talking about a stray puppy they found. “I’ll feed him, and bathe him, and teach him!”

- It crosses the line into unintentional hilarity when, as Katara and Sokka are discussing Aang, there’s just Appa noises in the background, entirely unremarked upon. The only take a glance in that direction once they’re done talking, ironically after Appa’s quietened down somewhat.

- Nobody gets out of this movie without major changes, but if it weren’t for Iroh referring to Zuko as his nephew, I’d have never guessed it was him. Also, Eeroh. Frankly, I’ll be surprised if Zuko isn’t pronounced Zucko.

- Katara and Sokka’s grandmother pronounces Avatar correctly. Why don’t Katara and Sokka? Or, heck, why doesn’t she pronounce it “Awvatar”? It’d be better if they stuck to one rather than the inconsistent pronunciation.

- I’ll give them props: The idea of testing if Aang is the Avatar by setting four objects representing the elements in front of him is pretty cool. Does become kinda silly, though, when the rock just... wobbles and goes upright. They could have had it, like, cracking, but instead, wobbly rock.

- I might be misremembering, but it felt like Aang’s escape from Zuko’s ship was a lot... more, in the cartoon. I know, time constraints of fitting a twenty-episode season into a two-hour movie. But I have to tilt my head at just how much shorter (and milder) this particular scene is than its animated counterpart.

- It’s weird how Katara’s narration calls Aang by name, then like a minute later (at most) we see her ask him for his name.

- Wow, is it weird to see Aasif Mandvi playing Zhao when I watched The Daily Show as a teenager.

- Exposition is always fun when it’s delivered in the form of a roast.

- “But we will let [Zuko] wear [the Fire Nation uniform] today, like a child wearing a costume.” And nobody even smiles at Zhao’s sick burn.

- Hey, at least they have Iroh drinking tea. But cartoon Iroh probably wouldn’t do that so casually while his nephew is fighting Zhao’s soldiers. And cartoon Iroh would probably smile. At some point in time.

- And movie Katara and Sokka have apparently gone all the way to the Earth Kingdom without learning that Aang is the Avatar.

- “He was bending tiny stones at us from behind a tree! It really hurt!” I gotta be honest, that’s not a bad joke. It does feel kinda out of place with the general tone of the movie thus far, but whatever. I’ll take the lighthearted fun moments where I can get them.

- I can sort of understand why they would want the Earthbenders imprisoned by the Fire Nation to have some sort of earth to bend without the Gaang going to all that trouble to get the coal. But putting them in a quarry is more than a bit overboard.

- Aang gets a big Katara moment from the cartoon. And the thing is, Katara doesn’t really get that much time to shine in this movie. She could have used a moment like this one. Heck, Aang could’ve joined in to confirm that the Avatar has returned.

But no... In this scene, Katara just shoves a Fire Nation soldier who’s being rude to Aang.

- Ah, the infamous pebble dance. And the thing is, in the cartoon, this would’ve been a joke. 

Aang would go through this huge, over-the-top dance just to make a relatively small rock float slowly towards a Fire Nation soldier. At which point, Toph would make the rock move much faster before teasing Aang about what he just did.

- Ohhh, gosh, I’m half an hour into this hour-and-a-half movie, and the post already looks like... this.

- “Teachers to teach you bending.” A lot of attention gets given to another repetitive line later on in the movie, but we shouldn’t ignore this beauty.

- Weird to see Ozai in plain view. Especially considering how, later on, he will be framed in shadow.

- Agni Key... What is it with this movie and changing pronunciations? I wouldn’t even care if that was the only problem, but with how it is, it’s one of several things that make this movie feel like “Avatar but wrong”.

- “Yip yip.” Gosh, does it feel weird to hear those words in a movie that tries to be more serious than the cartoon.

- I had to stop and continue this in the morning since it was late, so I might be forgetting something... But was it established before the Blue Spirit that Zuko knew Zhao would be hunting the Avatar?

- Hard to take it seriously when Zhao looks at his soldiers, chained by their hands to the ceiling, and simply mutters “fools.”

- “You think my son is this person the soldiers are calling ‘Blue Spirit’?” *pause of at least four seconds* “...Yes.”

- “My brother and the princess became friends right away.” First off, that’s really underplaying it. But second, Sokka’s face is so blank as Katara says this that I can’t buy even that.

- Zhao really becomes a much less threatening force when it’s Ozai who tells him to kill the spirits, when it’s Ozai who starts talking about their destiny.

- “HOOOOOOOOO” lives in a pineapple under the sea?!

- Everything in the Spirit World is compressed into this one dragon. Which makes it seem a lot less like a Spirit World than just the home of this dragon.

- I would say that the whole bit of Aang trying to avoid Zuko even though he’s right behind him is more like something from the cartoon... But, the dramatic music really makes it seem like this is supposed to be a serious moment. And it just doesn’t work as one.

- Iroh’s trying to stop Zhao is nowhere near as good as it was in the cartoon.

- “He’s making fire out of nothing!” I don’t understand why they made the change that this is uncommon. The Fire Nation are the villains, they should be stronger than other benders.

- “It’s time we show the Fire Nation that we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs.” I don’t understand how anyone thought this could work as a serious line.

- Back to the whole thing of this being smaller than the cartoon, Aang doesn’t turn into Aangzilla here. He accomplishes a very impressive feat of Waterbending, but when I just watched the cartoon version last week, it feels lesser in comparison.

- I imagine this is supposed to be Aang bowing in response, since he didn’t with the monks. But it doesn’t look like bowing. It just looks like an elegant dance move.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Yeah, I still don’t like it much. But I’ll say this: Now that I’ve watched it again, I appreciate the cartoon so much more.

I appreciate the characters. I appreciate the tone, I appreciate the pacing. And I appreciate all the things that are lacking from this movie.

I can only hope that the new live-action adaptation will be better, even if I know the cartoon will still be my preferred way of experiencing the story.

[echoeternally]

If Politoed Survives...

By selecting Politoed as part of the Hero’s Second Wind poll, these are scenes that will be included for him.

Brief descriptions and scene titles will be included below!

Fair warning: There is some content dealing with death below as well.

Second warning: This post is long to depict several developing scenes!

... ... ... ... ... 

Politoed’s Survival

Struggling on a swim from deep below the Iceberg Palace to anywhere safe, Politoed and his brother make a combined effort to a strange haven ahead.

Only one of them makes it to the cave.

...

Poliwrath paddled onward, using his arms to pull himself forward, while Politoed kicked along behind him. Though he was getting tired, Politoed pushed himself onward.

He tapped the shuriken lodged into his body, and shivered from it. Politoed looked up at his brother, whose hand fell from his body, having had the same thought.

Concentrating back on his kicking, Politoed checked around the tunnel that they had entered. He had noticed the difference in its formation from those back at the palace, but he couldn’t quite place it. Something seemed...natural about it.

They slowed a bit, and Politoed returned his attention ahead. He thought Poliwrath’s motions looked a bit slower, but the tunnel had become darker, and it was more difficult to tell or see. Still, he kicked harder.

In spite of his efforts, however, Politoed felt his brother’s speed decreasing with every effort they made. Poliwrath’s swimming was one of the most powerful from the Empire’s roster, but his energy seemed to be failing him, and much faster than Politoed’s.

Noticing his brother’s legs loosening from his wrist, Politoed glanced up to him. Pulled forward, Politoed flailed as Poliwrath rolled below him.

With a heavy and forceful throw, Poliwrath launched his twin further through the water. Politoed spiraled around through the water, barely catching the sight of his brother as his figure slowed to a halt in the water.

As he slowed Politoed reached around to paddle for his brother, but the pain sharpened in his body. He knew why Poliwrath threw him, and forced himself ahead.

Struggling more with his sight, Politoed glanced back the way they had swam, but noticed that the tunnel had changed.

He paddled ahead, but then started to drift upward. Politoed pulled himself through the water and up to the surface. His eyes widened as he looked around the cavern he emerged to.

As he looked down to the water, Politoed raised an eyebrow at his body, free of the shuriken and his wound. He held his chest before scooting, floating on his back, and then closed his eyes.

... ... ...

Politoed’s Return

Just before they begin their climb of the Mountains Monarchy, Greninja and Chesnaught are overjoyed by Politoed’s reappearance.

...

“So, uh, what are the odds that we could bounce and fly our way up there?”

Jumping up, I twisted around and spotted the green frog himself. I turned back as Greninja gawked, and tugged him over with me.

“Is that really you, Politoed?” I grinned. “Greninja told me that you took a mortal blow for him!”

“Maybe a little less than that, as it turns out.” Politoed smirked back. “I got lucky, let’s just leave it at that.”

“That’s incredible!” Greninja threw himself around Politoed. “I’m so sorry! If I had known…!” He pulled back. “I was going to dive in after you guys, but—”

“Hey, hey, don’t worry!” Politoed patted his hands. “Those really were kill shots, and I was told you were dragged away to save the emperor.” He smiled. “You did the right thing.”

“But you’re here!” Greninja sank down. “It couldn’t have been...”

“It was, and I’ll tell you that as many times as you need to hear it.” Politoed placed his hands on his hips. “So, perk up! You can’t be the gloomy one today.”

“He’s right,” I chimed in, and rubbed Greninja’s back. “They’re ok, and you don’t have to hold onto that anymore.” Glancing back to Politoed, I watched him pale and my smile fell.

“Yeah, that’s true.” Greninja brushed at his eyes and forced a smile up. “So, where’s Poliwrath? I’ve got to see him too.”

“Um...him, you can, uh...” Politoed deflated and kicked at a pebble. “He sacrificed himself to save me. We swam most of the way, but he was slipping faster than I was, and threw me forward to get back out.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “So, it’s...just me.”

“Politoed, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” His eyes opened up and he forced up a smile to Greninja. “None of that was your fault.” Politoed sighed. “I just wish I pushed us along a little further...”

... ... ...

Late Night Dip

While they climb the mountains, Greninja takes Armaldo out at night to help calm his nerves. Politoed ends up joining them. 

...

“It’s fine, just take it easy,” I soothed. “Just let the night air calm you.”

Something snapped behind us, and we jolted up, as it stirred in the bushes.

“Who, uh, who’s there?” Armaldo lifted his claws. “Yo-you better show yourself!”

“Hey, don’t hit me!” A figure pushed his way out.

“Don’t come closer! Yah!”

Both Armaldo and Politoed yelped as they jumped away from one another. I shook my head as they blinked and slowly settled down.

“Wait, it’s just...you’re the frog that helped Greninja, right?” Armaldo turned to me and I nodded to confirm. “Sorry...”

“That’s ok.” Politoed rubbed behind his head. “Maybe I should’ve been a little louder coming in.” He sighed. “I’m not used to being so quiet on my own.”

“You don’t really seem like the loud type.”

“I can be!” Politoed puffed out his cheeks. “So, don’t think I’m a pushover!”

“Whoa, wait, I didn’t think that at all!” Armaldo quickly shook his head. “You just seem too calm to be someone that yells a lot.”

“Oh. Ha, well.” Politoed chuckled. “Clearly, you don’t know me very well yet.”

“Not really.”

“Well, I’m Politoed,” he introduced. “And this frog’s croaks can get noisier when you least expect it!”

“Does that mean you croak out attacks?”

“Huh?” Politoed blinked and smirked. “Um, yeah, I can.”

“That’s pretty cool.” Armaldo slowly smiled. “I’m not really all that great at much, but you seem pretty talented.”

“Me?” Politoed shook his head. “Nah, I’m just, um. I’m me.” He glanced behind us and stared at the lake. “What are you two doing over here anyway?”

“Greninja suggested that we swim for a bit to calm my nerves,” explained Armaldo. “Water can be a little rough on me, but I love to swim around.”

“No kidding?” Politoed tapped at his cheek. “I didn’t take you for a swimmer.”

“Yeah, well...I can!” Armaldo sank down. “So...there.” He sighed. “I’m not much good for anything else.”

“Maybe not, but maybe you are.” Politoed patted Armaldo and walked past him for the lake. “How about we swim around and you show me what you’ve got? Greninja and I can even teach you some battle techniques in the water.”

“Really? Is that even possible?”

“You have to be ready to fight anywhere when needed,” insisted Politoed. “So, yeah.”

“Uh, that’s true.” Armaldo hesitated as he thought for a moment. “Well, let’s just get a good few laps going, and then once I’ve gotten a nice soak, let’s see if I’m up for it.”

“Sure, and it doesn’t have to be tonight.” Politoed shrugged. “Anytime you’re ready and there’s water, I’m free to teach, if you’d like.”

“Definitely, yeah!” Armaldo clamped his mouth shut. “Um...I guess I can be loud too, huh?” Politoed laughed and he smiled.

... ... ...

Bitter Brothers

Arriving at a cave during their climb, Politoed struggles and fails to stop an escalating fight between two brothers. In spite of encouragement to help, he feels unable to do so, not on his own.

...

“Come on, don’t fight like that!” Politoed moved to intervene, but both mantis brothers nearly stomped him. “Ah! Hey!”

“Move it, toad,” snapped Scizor, and kicked at him. “I should be breaking those pathetic scythes myself.”

“Yeah? Good luck keeping up for it,” taunted Scyther. He chuckled and flew aside as Scizor snipped at him. “Slug bug, same as always.”

“Guys, please,” pleaded Politoed. “Don’t...you shouldn’t, uh...” He dove aside as their claws slashed at one another. “Yikes!”

“Enough, both of you!” I stepped between them and pushed them apart. “We’re not dealing with infighting when we’ve got bigger problems.”

“Tell that to him,” fired off Scyther. “He’s the one who always has issues, not me.” Spiraling around, Scyther drifted off from us.

“Oh, right, because I’m the one that causes all of our problems!” Scizor smacked my arm away. “You never own up to anything, and you’re as immature an ass as always!” He stormed off.

“That could’ve gone better,” I murmured.

Reaching down to Politoed, I helped him back up. He sighed and shook his head.

“Poliwrath would be laughing at the sight of this,” he murmured. “The two of them are nastier than we were, and I’m a joke trying to stop them.”

“No you’re not,” I insisted and patted his back. “They’re both out of control. But, if anyone can help them out, it would be you.”

“Somehow, I don’t think so.” He shook his head and walked off. “If anything, you should just beat the lesson into them, Chesnaught. That’s what Poliwrath would suggest.” He stopped and turned back to me. “And for them, he might be right on that.”

... ... ...

To Tip The Scales

At their journey’s conclusion atop the mountains, Politoed faces off against his brother’s killer, Zangoose.

...

“Not so fast.” Politoed swung with his nunchuk, as Zangoose stepped back.

“What the…you’re alive?!” Zangoose growled. “How? That shuriken should’ve killed you!”

“Clearly it didn’t,” pointed out Politoed. “So, give up.”

“Why?” Zangoose smirked. “Wasn’t there another fat blue frog with you? Where is he now?” Politoed shuddered and tightened his grip on his weapons. “So, I got one of you, then. Good enough for me. But don’t worry.” Zangoose lifted out a shuriken. “I can send you to him.”

“Like hell.” Politoed spun his nunchuk and glared down Zangoose. “You’ve got a debt to pay, and you’re going before me. And I hope that Poliwrath finds you when you’re there.” Politoed smirked. “Because he’ll beat your ass twice as hard as I will.”

“Not happening, froggy.”

... ... ... ... ...

(Remember, these are scenes in development. However, this is what you can look forward to upon selecting Politoed’s return for the stories!)

(Head back to the poll here!)

(Still not sure or want to read more? Check back here!)

[thememoriesofaqueen]

The Things We Do - Part 8

Masterlist (x)

A/N: This chapter deals with Katherine after she departed from Elijah and moved to Australia. I struggled with it, so I really do hope you’ll enjoy it.                English is not my first language      → I do not own anything of the TVD - Universe and I’m not affiliated or                   associated with the writers etc. this is only a headcanon.

Pairing: Kalijah ( Katherine / Elijah )

Setting: post TVD 4x23, no cured Katherine.

TW: -

Word Count: 6.161

___________________________________________________________

In hindsight going to Australia was the best choice she could have make. She has never been to Australia that long before, so she knew that she wouldn't get bored. She was positive that there were a lot of new things to discover, new adventures. Something which was much needed because it was good to have distraction, so she didn’t had to think about something which had happened in the past.

It was smart to get as far as possible away from that dreadful town called Mystic Falls. If she wasn't near it, she wouldn't think about it and she wouldn't feel those passive aggressions she still held. Oh, if she could she would burn that town with its inhabitants to the ground and throw the ashes into the ocean. Like she said, huge aggressions.

In addition, she also wanted to be as far as possible away from him. She didn't wish to see him or hear anything from him or even smell him - even though his aftershave always had a very appealing aroma. She wanted nothing from him. She wanted to forget him. But she had also other reasons to go as far as away from him as possible. She also wanted to make sure he was serious about his promise of leaving her alone once she heard him out. And he was. She didn’t hear anything about or from him, much to her relief. Perhaps it was because she was far away from where he was supposed to be and he didn't want to make the effort. Whatever it was, she was happy he wasn't a part of her life anymore. He had done enough damage.

Even though he had explained himself and she could understand his reasons to a certain level, she was angry with him. She felt betrayed, lied to. He should have known better. If he hadn’t made her feel like garbage, like something unworthy, none of the past would have happened.

But she didn’t want to think about it. It happend in a past life and now she had a new one, a new life in Australia.

It took her a while to get used to the change. She hasn’t really lived in the southern hemisphere, everything was reversed. When it should have been winter, it was summer. Even though winter here was pleasant - it was not as cold than winters in Europe or the US. Yes, she could get used to it.

As already mentioned, she really enjoyed her stay in Australia. Not only because she hasn’t really been there before, but she also slowly changed her way of life. One of the major changes were the fact that she started to wear sneakers instead of high heels because it was more comfortable while doing certain things. Not that she would ever turn into a sneaker-person, she loved her high heels, but sometimes they were a disadvantage and had to be replaced.

She remembered the first time she actually wore sneakers after buying one pair because she wanted to climb the Syndey Harbour Bridge. She had gotten herself a guide book and doing that activity was recommened, that’s why she gave it a try. After all she wanted to make new experiences, right?

To be honest, she kinda regretted it at the beginning. Not because she never felt the need of wanting to climb a bridge before or because she had a fear of hights, it was because she felt uncomfortibale while wearing sneakers. How could anyone want to wear something like that? It wasn’t attractive and she felt short, but eventually she was grateful she hadn’t chosen her high heels to climb the Harbour Bridge. And it was worth it. The view was breathtaking.

Actually, she liked the view that much, that she had decided to do it again, but at a different time, believing the view would be even greater in the evening, when the sun set and one could see all the lights.

That was her first experience with sneakers. She still didn’t like it, but she figured that she could change her style. Be someone new. She had noticed that it was considered fashionable to wear white sneakers, that’s why she designed a new look for her during day time. White sneakers with jeans shorts because she had to show off her legs - she loved to be admired. She also changed the way she wore her hair by wearing more half up half down hairstyles. However, when going out in the evening or at night, she returned to her typical ‘Katherine’-style, wearing high heels and darker make up.

She went out almost every evening. She enjoyed taking drinks at Sydney’s best rooftop bars and she enjoyed going to partys until the sun rose. She was a new person at daylight, but the same at nighttime. She also embraced her vampire-nature during the sunless hours, partying with enough alcohol and blood to keep her satisfied. To be honest, she can be a monster at night - her bites were really nasty and fortunately, she was always sober enought to compel and heal the bitten human. Sometimes she was so hung over that she slept the entire day, but that wasn’t always the case. Drinking until she passed out wasn’t really her style, she rather enjoyed her life.

Trying new things were a part of enjoying life and be someone new. Climbing the Harbour Bridge was just the beginning. She also tried floating above Camden Valley in a hot air ballon. It was the first time she has ever been in a hot air ballon. She has always been sceptical about hot air ballons, because you can’t control it. The wind can blow you everywhere and she didn’t enjoy the thought of landing in a lake or worse, the sea. The experience started at 4am and she had to drive a few miles until she got to the location. Fortunately, she doesn’t mind to stand up early, in fact she has always been an early-person.

And again, the experience was worth it, even though it was cold and she was freezing. It was beautiful to flight across the country and see the Sydney city skyline in the horizon as the sun slowly rose. She wondered why she hasn’t tried something like that before. 500 years of living and 230+ years since it was possible to travel in a hot air ballon and she never tried it. She guess she just hadn’t had the time to try. She admits, she never considered trying it as well.

Of course not every day was as adventourous as the days where she climbed bridges or decided to travel with a hot air ballon. She also enjoyed going through Wendy’s Secret Garden, which was a really nice spot, or go shopping at Strand Arcade. She went whale watching and hiking in the Royal National Park and saw beautiful waterfalls and had a delicious human snack while doing a break. She also rediscovered the joy of horseback riding. It’s been a while since she last did something like that but when she came across Centennial Parkslands, where it was possible to borrow a horse, she suddenly remembered that she used to love to go horseback riding. She even owned a few horses in her lifetime but since cars became a thing and she prefered to live in big citys, horses became nothing but a distant memory.

It’s funny how a new place can give you new memories, but can also help to gain back forgotten ones. On that day in Centennial Parksland she wondered how many more hidden memorys she may have, which she forgot about. She might even say, she was feeling a little bit sentimental on this day.

However, that odd feeling didn’t last long because she threw herself into new adventures.

▬

She has never been a water-person. She hated it if it rained and her hair got wet. Although she lived in several beach houses before, whether they were located at the beaches in Europe or the US, whether it was the mediterean sea, the Atlantic or the Pacific, she never really took advantage of it. Sure, she enjoyed the sight, enjoyed the sunrises or sunsets. But she never really went into the water.

To be honest, she prefered pools over the sea. Simply because she had more control when being in a pool. The ocean or the sea, however, were wild and untamed - she didn’t like the waves which could always splash over her head and therefore making her hair wet. She also didn’t like the thought that if anything happens to her while being in the sea, no one would be able to find her. There were rumors that some vampires were sunk into the sea, making them suffer for eternity. A vampire can also not use their speed while being in water, which was a disadvantage especially for someone like her, a person who’s always prepared to flee. As seen, she had good reasons to avoid it.

Ever since her arrival, she took a walk at the seafront every evening. Firstly she did it because she was hungry and wanted to look for a fitting snack. Later on she noticed that Sydney has really beautiful beaches and special places.

She began to enjoy to go swimming. At first she discovered Bondie Iceberg’s Pool, a pool imbedded into the ocean. It was a start, a compromise. She later discovered that Bondie Iceberg’s Pool wasn’t the only protected saltwater pool and when she discovered Bronte Baths, she often liked to take a sunrise swim. She enjoyed the silence, the view. And it was actually good for her skin too, the salt made her skin more soft and glowing.

She took a coastal trek from Manly to Spit and visited beaches which are only reachable on this walk or by boat, therefore they weren’t overcrowded, she also discovered hidden beaches on the Hermitage Foreshore Walk. Nevertheless her favorite spot were still the protected saltwater pools.

As mentioned before, she hadn’t really been a water person. But the longer she stayed in Sydney, the more she took an interest in trying water activities too. She tried to do stand-up paddelboarding at Palm Beach, but after mastering it, it was too boring. How could people do this for hours? She needed more action, that’s why she decided after a while to try learning how to surf.

She was sceptic at first, because surfing was everything she disliked. Being in the ocean with waves big enough to knock her over and the 99% chance of getting her hair wet. But she was curious. And she wanted to start something new. Why not try surfing? She still remembers the talk she had with one of the surfers she had met on the beach, remembers how sceptical she was.

………………………………………………………………………………………

“So you actually take enjoyment of getting wet and all salty if you’re thrown in the water by some giant wave?” she asked while not really buying it. How is that supposed to be fun?

“It’s more about learning and knowing what you’re able to do. You can’t control the force of nature and waves are a big force of nature which can also be pretty painful. But there’s no better feeling than successfully riding a wave.”

Katherine raised an eyebrow. “I’m still not buying it”

“Someone once said that waves are not measured in feet and inches, they are measured in increments of fear. You should never stop fearing the ocean, because when you’re in or on a wave you can’t stop it. You can’t bail out. It’s a challenge between you and the ocean. You can either win or lose, even though I wouldn’t recommend losing.”

He sounded so enthusiastic and somehow the thought of surfing became more tempting.

“Just theoretical… do you think someone like me could master a challenge with the ocean?” she asked, because perhaps she should give it a chance. After all she wanted a new start, a new life. One will always have a new start if one actually start with something new, even it was something unconventional such as surfing.

“Sure. But you shouldn’t get your hopes up, you need a proper training. And you should prepare to fall in the water a lot. But you don’t strike me as someone who gives up easily”

“And why would you know that?”

“There’s passion in your eyes. That’s why I know that. Many people who try to learn surfing or anything else don’t want to learn it because they want, they do it because they have nothing better to do.”

………………………………………………………………………………………

Let’s say it was a hard way to success. But she was ambitious. No way Katherine Pierce is not able to learn surfing. That’s impossible. And even though she fell into the water a lot, literally a lot, she never gave up. She took all her attention into learning how to surf that she had forgotten everything else. And she liked it!

After several training sessions, after several tries and being thrown into the water, she finally managed to ride a wave, a real, big wave. She was feeling euphoric, really fanastic. At that moment she felt like she could do everything - she defeated a force of nature and that’s powerful.

During her training she also took a liking into her surf-teacher. His name was Henry and even though she prefered dark haired males, he was attractiv. She often flirted with him, seeing it as some sort of game. To her it was nothing more. Just amusment. Eventually, Henry also turned into her personal blood bag. She favored it if she had a personal blood bag, it made feeding more interesting. It was also easier than finding someone new each time when she felt hungry because she is very demanding when it comes to a neck.

Eventually, however, she got bored and dumped Henry and the idea of surfing. She got bored of Sydney after two years and decided to go travelling around Australia.

▬

She saw the Field of Light Uluru installation at Ayers Rock Resort, she explored the Great Barrier Reef - something she wanted to do for quite a time as it was one of the seven wonders of the world. It was also time to visit it, because it's very possibly that it'll disappear in the future. She also swam with whale sharks and dolphins at Ningaloo Reef, she has seen Uluru, which is a UNESCO World Heritage and Kangaroo Island.

She stayed in Melbourne for a few months and visited the Twelve Apostles on The Great Ocean Road before returning back to Sydney after one year of travelling.

▬

Even though she has enjoyed travelling, something has changed. Despite making many new experiences, despite being able to enjoy herself in the past years, something felt wrong. She felt wrong. It was like she woke up from yet another dream, another facade.

She noticed the change when she woke up in her new modern appartment with floor-to-ceiling windows and was wondering what she was going to wear. Her wardrobe has changed the past three years, she prefered to wear more casual clothing and practical, yet stylish footwear during daytime. However, eventually she wasn’t in the mood to look like an average teenager anymore. She went back on wearing lacy tops and high heels. She went also back on wearing lipstick and eyeliner not only when going out in the night, but also when doing daily business.

She didn't go swimming anymore, instead she preferred to just sunbathe and sipping cocktails at a beach bar.

She knew there was a reason why she felt changed, why she wasn’t able to enjoy the things she used to like in the past three years. She knew there was a reason why she felt like she wasn’t herself anymore. Yes, she had enjoyed the past years, she had discovered new sides. But it hadn’t been truly her. She had invented herself completely new but suppressed some of the parts of her own personality, because she wanted to forget about the things which had hurt her.

………………………………………………………………………………………

`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·  After returning to Syndey `·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·

“Where should I leave your luggage, Miss?”

Katherine turned around and looked at the concierge who had kindly offered her help with her luggage. This wasn’t a hotel, so she hadn’t the oppurtunity to ask the staff.

“Just put it over here.” she said and pointed at a place where it wouldn’t bother her. To be honest, she didn’t really like to unpack all of her luggage. It took too long and she often just prefered to buy something new instead of wearing anything ‘old’.

“Hey, can you help me with unpacking?” she asked and took a step closer. If there wasn’t any staff to do it, perhaps he could be of service.

“I’m sorry, Miss, but I’ll have to return back to my workplace.”

Katherine sighed, why must humans always be so complicated?

“It would be really kind of you to help me unpacking. I’m sure you have time to put everything in my closets, yes?” she compelled the concierge and grinned when he nodded. She quickly explained him where she wanted everything to be. “Wonderful. I’m taking a shower.”

She enjoyed long showers, that’s why she didn’t feel the need to rush. She just came back to Sydney after travelling for a year, but she was positive she didn’t need long to adapt into having a somehow fixed address again.

When being finished with showering, she tucked her body into a nice, fluffy towel and went back to the bedroom where she wanted to pick up her clothes. To her surprise, the concierge was still there.

“May I ask what you’re doing here? It shouldn’t be so difficult to put my clothes into the closets.” she snapped.

“I’m sorry Miss, but I’ve found something in one of your suitcases and I wasn’t sure were to put it.” he showed her a white, slightly creased envelope.

“Where have you found that? I don’t remember to have packed something like that.” she asked, suddenly suspectious. She has been always very careful with everything. Even if it was just something like an envelope.

“It was in your suitcase lid, actually behind the suitcase lid. It must have slipped underneath the material.” he explained and handed her his find.

“Okay, thank you. Now leave and forget you’ve helped me.” she compelled the man and put the envelope on her nightstand before preparing to go out.

She kinda forgot about the envelope during the day. She only remembered it again, when she wanted to go to bed and saw it laying on her nightstand. She was still very suspectious on what it was as she couldn’t remember packing it. Perhaps the concierge was compelled by someone else to give her this. Perhaps it was a threat, a warning. She didn’t know why, but somehow she felt like she won’t like what was in the envelope. She was certain it wasn’t a leaflet.

She pursed her lips and was already ready to throw it unopened in the trash can, but decided different as curiosity took a hold of her. Perhaps she bought tickets for a show and forgot about it? Even though that was very unlikely since she wouldn’t forget about tickets she had purchased for a certain date.

Katherine sighed and stared at the white paper, before she decided to open it. How worse could it be?

To be honest, she expected everything. A threatening letter, a warning, an advertising brochure, tickets for a show, perhaps it was even empty. But she didn’t expected the true content.

She was surprised and shocked when she opened the envelope and emptied the content over the kitchen table. It was a series of pictures of her and Elijah Mikaelson.

She took them and shook her head. That shouldn’t be possible. She was positive she burned or threw everything away which had something to do with him. A little bit dramatic, she knew, but she was feeling wrathful back then. Even though she can’t remember seeing these pictures again after they moved away from NYC. One picture was missing, she remembered she gifted it to him in order for him to remember the moment.

While looking at them, she remembered that night.

………………………………………………………………………………………

`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.· Flashback - Four and a half years ago `·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·

“Katerina, are you really sure you want to do this? If you want pictures of us, we can consult a professional photographer.”

She rolled her eyes and kept dragging him towards the photo booth.

“Come one, be a little spontenious. We had a great night out, we look dashing and I really want something to look at in a few weeks or perhaps months. Something to remember.”

He sighed and she knew she had to use that moment of hesistation in order to get what she wants.

“I’m not going to beg, Elijah, but it would make me very happy. You want me to be happy, right?” she asked and looked at him with big brown eyes. She was a little bit drunk, but that didn’t prevent her from trying to convince him. And luckily, he finally gave in.

“Anything to make you happy” he replied and smiled when he noticed how happy she was. In fact, she was beaming and instantly glide into the photo booth. It was very small and there was barely room for two.

“Thank you, Elijah”, she was still beaming at him as a result of being squiffy and happy.

“You’re welcome” he leaned in and gave her a kiss when the box took the first picture.

“You know, we should do something crazy”, and before he could protest, she had already placed herself on his lap, her arms tightly around his neck and passionately kissing him. He returned the kiss, much to her pleasure. However, she pulled away. She didn’t forget she wanted pictures of them and those shouldn’t only show them kissing. She glid off his lap and sat back next to him. However, she couldn’t help herself but starting to nip on his neck with her fangs exposed.

“Katerina!” he laughed while burrying his hand in her curls.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bite you” she mumbled against his skin, knowing that he wouldn’t allow her to bite him. He never did and she accepted it. But she enjoyed the thought of it. She placed a kiss on his neck and pulled away, her vampire features gone.

They shared another deep kiss before they got out of the photo booth. The pictures which were taken of them were beautiful. She loved them because they looked happy. Even Elijah let his guard down and seemed genuely happy and relaxed.

She teared the first picture of the series off and handed it to him.

“That one is for you, so you’ll aways remember that it can be fun if you try something new.”

………………………………………………………………………………………

She frowned when she looked at the pictures. She remembered that she kept her part and clued it to her mirror. However, when she had to move from NYC to a smaller town in Virginia, she had taken them off and put them in her suitcase. She must have overlooked them when she unpacked the suitcase as she never really put anything in the suitcase lid. Over the time the envelope probably moved until it slit underneath the material and that’s why she hadn’t found it until today.

Her fingertips carefully caressed the pictures. She used to be so happy. The pictures reminded her of that. She had always felt safe when she was with him, not only because he was an Original, but because he knew her well enough. He always believed -perhaps hoped- that there was more about her than just being the selfish, manipulative person known as Katherine Pierce. He didn’t let anyone tell him otherwise. Nevertheless he didn’t push her into anything. He had accepted her as she was, the good sides and the preponderant bad ones.

She put the pictures back in the envelope and bit down on her lip. She hasn’t thought about Elijah ever since she moved to Australia. Of course she had feared he might try to find her, but she had tried her best to distract herself and she was succesful in doing so.

Over the passage of the past three years she had forgotten about him. There was no room for Elijah Mikaelson. But now, after having seen those pictures, she felt an ache in her heart like she missed something - or someone. 

Truth be told, after she had put the envelope into a book and therefore out of her sight, she had felt better. That feeling of having lost something important faded away. Nevertheless that evening was the beginning of her change back to Katherine Pierce as she used to be, even though it was a slow process.

……………………………………………………………………………………… ▬

Three years and five months after moving to Sydney, she had started to actually visit the Sydney Opera House. Despite having spent a lot of her time in Syndey before her travel around Australia, she has never been in the Opera House. She visited theatres and listened to classic music. She like to wear gowns and the only time someone could actually wore an evening gown was when going to the Opera House where everyone was dressed really fancy.

Eventually, she met someone named Dave. He also liked to visit the Sydney Opera House. They’ve met from time to time until they started an affair. Dave became her new personal blood bag and she really enjoyed feeding from him. He was one of the few men she actually had an affair with in the past three years. Sure, she had feed from many, but there were just a selected few humans she had choosen for sexual activitiys - even though it never got any deeper than having fun.

The affair with Dave lasted four months and ended in a divasting relevation. She wasn’t aware of the similarity. She liked that he was so cultivated, she liked that he was always properly dressed. They had a smiliar taste in food and drink, he liked to go dancing and they both enjoyed going out. He run a small business, so they often met between meetings in order for her to take a sip of his blood. Ever since she finished her travel around Australia and came back to Sydney, she felt extremly hungry. Like she hadn’t feed properly, even though she has. There was a feeling of dissatisfaction after she had bitten someone and she wasn’t able to fill that hole with blood.

Ever since she met Dave, the urge to feed got worse. She always had to be very careful when she bit him, because sometimes she felt like she couldn’t stop. She didn’t know why, but his blood made her feel so good, so euphoric.

That evening they were drinking wine while soft music was playing in the background. They were in his loft and eventually she had asked him if he wanted to dance, even though it wasn’t really about dancing. She was hungry and bit him after he got up, carefully drinking from his vein. When she finally pulled away, she didn’t see Dave but Elijah.

Being shocked, she stumbled a few steps back while looking at the human. It was so obvious and she hadn’t noticed it. Dark hair, good taste, almost always wearing a suit - he was a spitting image of Elijah.

She managed to compel him to forget everything, including ever meeting her before she left, no, fled from his loft.

Usually, she was able to control her feelings. She didn’t let any feelings come in the way. But on that night, feelings overwhelmed her. She was angry, mad and sad at the same time. She went on a rampage and almost destroyed half of her appartment because on that night she realized that she still missed him. How dare he having such a power over her?

She always knew that she’ll forgive him eventually. Forgiveness can be earned. However, she was almost certain that she can’t love him or even miss him ever again. He had caused too much damage, too much pain. And yet here she was, having an affair with someone who looked like Elijah. She knew she didn’t choose Dave because he was Dave, she was sure that her subconsciousness had been aware of the resemblance. She has just been too ignorant to notice sooner and that made her so damn angry.

She tried to forget him, she tried to hate him. But the more she tried to push the memories and thoughts of Elijah away, the more she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Katherine wasn’t delusional. She knew that the posibility of them having a happy ending were pretty low. She knew when push comes to shove, he won’t chose her but his family. He wasn’t good for her. However, he was everything she wanted to find in a man. He was loyal (if she ignored his daffy devotion to Klaus), he had manners, he was a man and not a boy, he had experience, was strong and used to make her feel safe. But most importantly, he knew exactly who she was. He didn’t tried to change her, even though he hoped she would return to her former self one day. He had accepted her and returned her feelings. Well, before he had let her down.

`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·  Present `·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·

She had continued to push the thought of Elijah away. She did it the last six months after departing from Dave. She did it because she didn’t want him. Because he wasn’t worth her time, her feelings or anything else. But the more she had pushed everything regarding to him away, the more she seemed to grafitate towards him. It was like a curse. He was a curse.

It was nothing new that the emotions of a vampire are heightened, but dealing with those extrem feelings, which got stronger and stronger each day, drained her. She just couldn’t manage to ignore his existence. Even if she tried to do it, she unconsciously did the things she knew he had enjoyed: Sipping his favorite brand of whiskey or listening to a certain piano piece - the piece he liked to play for her while she listened and drank a glass of wine, admiring his talent. When she saw someone whose tie wasn’t knotted perfectly she remembered the times where they were entangled in a hot passionate kiss, only for her to fix his shirt collar and tie after pulling away from him.

She knew she can’t fight it any longer, she knew she wanted him back in her life. She longed to hear his voice saying her name. Not Katherine, but Katerina. She wanted to look into his beautiful brown eyes which held so much love for her. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. She wanted to make him uncomfortable when she wanted to do something which he considered as ‘improper’, knowing that he probably would grow to enjoy it. She wanted to hear him play the piano or asking her out for a date. Gosh, she wanted him in her life so badly.

However, it was so hard to call him. There was still a part within her which wanted to fight the possiblity of getting Elijah back. A part of her which knew just because she wanted him back, that he couldn’t be trusted. A part of her which still despises him for what he has done. But there was also the other part who missed him, perhaps even loved him. He left a void in her, a void she couldn’t fill with affairs and blood and alcohol. No matter how much she drank, how much fun she had. At the end, it wasn’t enough. It may have taken some time to finally realize that fact, but it’s the bitter truth. Nevertheless, she continued to fight with herself until she finally wanted to give it a try.

Years ago, he had given her a piece of paper with his phone number. Back then she was too pissed at him to want to store his number into her cell phone. Despite not wanting to call him back then, she placed his number somewhere safe, somewhere where she could easily find it again.

Katherine sighed and got up from her place at her luxury balcony from where she had the perfect view over the ocean. She went inside her apartment and grabbed one of her expensive handbags before pulling out a little box.

It was a special box, because it was sealed by a spell so only she could open it. it contained important and expensive things, things which shouldn’t land in the false hands such as her passport, ID-card, her favorite jewelry, credit cards - and a folded piece of paper.

She took the paper and closed the box, carefully putting it away. She unfolded the paper and looked at his elegant handwriting. There it was, the number she had to call if she wanted to hear his voice, if she wanted to tell him that she had forgiven him. She grabbed her phone and began to tip in the first few numberals.

However, she hesistated. What if he had forgotten about her? After all, his mind usually just circles around his family. What if he had found someone new? It’s almost impossible as Elijah seemed to fall rarely in love, but what if he has? She didn’t want to make a sap out of herself.

The thought of another woman in his life made her jealous. She imagined how another woman got his full attention, how he kissed her like he had used to kiss her. She imagined him making love to someone else.

A growl escaped her lips and the grip around her phone tightened. As if it was not only worse enough to admit she missed him, she even was jealous about some probably non existent woman. “You are Katherine Pierce. Don’t make a fool out of yourself.” she mumbled to herself, before putting her phone and the piece of paper away and going in the kitchen to open herself a bottle of wine.

Unfortunately, one and later two glasses of wine didn’t help to ease her mind. Elijah Mikaelson was still on her mind like a ghost in a haunted castle. Unable to hunt him away. Unable to ignore him. She eyed her phone from her position in the kitchen and pressed her lips together. It was so tempting but at the same time not workable. Did he really deserve her forgiveness? No. No, he should suffer if he actually even still thinks about her. He had already forgotten about her once.

She didn’t call him in the next three days either. She was about to call or message him a few times, but she always talked herself out of it in the last moment. Elijah drove her crazy - even though he didn’t exactly do anything. 

On the fourth day, however, she decided to finally do it. She is Katherine Pierce and she may run from a lot of things, but she won’t run from this. It was pathetic and a Katherine Pierce won’t be pathetic. Even if he has forgotten about her, even if he had found someone new, she won’t be stopped from doing what she wants to do. Even if it's only to let him know she forgave him in order to ease her mind.

At first, she wanted to call him. However, she put that thought away. Calling wouldn’t be the best and safest option. Elijah was probably still in New Orleans and therefore with Klaus, she didn’t want to take the risk of letting anyone overhear their conversation. Besides, she wasn’t sure if his number was still the same, so she went for something unspecific, something which only he could know.

‘It took some time but I’m ready now. Meet me in in three weeks at 8pm at the place you’ve shown me and where the past and present have collided.’

She re-read her text before she pressed send. She was aware that she was very vague, but she knows that Elijah will know who had sent this. She would have preferred to meet him sooner, but she had to move back to the US and he was always terrible busy with family-things and probably has to find an excuse to sneak away.

After having messaged him, she felt relieved. Almost happy and excited. With a little smile on her lips, she put her phone back into her bag and went out on her balcony to watch the beautiful sunset.

___________________________________________________________

A/N: This was chapter 8! I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Katherine deals very differently with feelings than Elijah. She’s the type who won’t let feelings eat her and instead does things which are fun & good for her. She’s also deals with feelings more physically while Elijah mentally tortures himself. Next chapter contains the Kalijah-reunion. If Katherine and Elijah show up at said place. ;) If you like it, hit the ♥ - or come into my askbox, i’d love to hear your opinion. Please do not hate on my decisions or characters as this is no anti- or hate-blog. However, you can leave constructive criticism. :)

[youngksbass]

What else could I do?

��� Young K x Reader 

♥ Warnings: gangs, mentions of drugs, mentions of blood/violence, angst, swearing, illness, hospitals

♥ Word Count: 2,033

♥ Part: 3 of ? (Part 1) (Part 2)

♥ A/N: Unedited but I haven’t posted a part of this series in so long I just wanted to get it up for you all! 💖

You woke up to a familiar beeping and an overwhelming feeling of numbness, the feeling of floating through nothingness that was familiar with a dose of morphine, and you sighed in annoyance as you began to groggily rub your eyes to wake them.

“Ah, you’re awake!” You heard a familiar quiet deep voice comment as the shy boy you met a long while ago at school appeared in your vision. “I’m glad you’re okay, I found you passing out in the hall and didn’t know what to do..so I brought you here but they didn’t have any emergency contacts, so I thought I’d stay and make sure you were alright-“ “Thank you.” You cut in before he continued, you were slightly overwhelmed with his rambling with your current drugged up state, and your speech was slightly slurred compared to usual. “Thanks for the help, you didn’t have to do this.” You restated, seeing as how your first statement of gratitude was a bit tense. “No problem (y/n), I’m just glad you’re okay.” The brunette stated with a small grin, he was now moved to the chair by your bedside so he could speak with you more easily. “Thanks, uh I never got your name?” You state, trying to remember if he had ever mentioned it, he very well could have because you can barely compute anything right now. “Sorry, I'm Dowoon.” The kind brunette replied scratching the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. “Nice to officially meet you then, and thanks again.” You tried to focus your attention on him and the conversation but it was still proving difficult in your current state. You laid back again on the cot, closing your eyes to try and ease the frustration that was slowly building due to your current situation. “Are you in pain again?” Dowoon’s deep voice cuts in concerned at your movement. “Nah, how long ago did they give me the morphine for pain?” You asked opening your eyes again and trying to see the state of the IV next to you and the current level of fluids to guess how long you’ve been in the hospital. “They injected it maybe…” He glanced at his watch but a small disappointed frown fell upon his face, "well I’m not sure how long ago really.” Dowoon admitted and you just laid in silence again for a moment, “But it’s 1pm right now.” You sat up even more abruptly, startling the brunette with your rushed movement. "I’ve been in here overnight?!” You ask now clearly beginning to panic, you begin to pull your cover aside and reach to begin stripping the many wires from your arm. Dowoon grabs your wrist stopping you, you then look at him with a challenging glance, he looks aside because of your intense gaze and clears his throat. You really want to shove him aside and free your wrist from his grasp, rip out the annoying IV, and get the hell out of here. However, you noticed you were still feeling the morphine and you admitted defeat, laying back down once more on the uncomfortable cot. “Don’t worry the doctors will clear things up with your boss and family, but you need to stay in the bed.” Dowoon interjects, letting you calm down and letting go of your wrist when you give up your effort. That’s when you realize the boys were probably wondering why you weren’t at the meet up last night. “Shit could you pass me my phone?” You ask him, noticing your belongings in the corner of the white walled hospital room. He nodded and did as asked, you began to scroll through the messages that had blown up your phone, your battery percent significantly lower due to the missed calls and spam of texts. From Hajoon: Big sis you missed the meeting with the customers!! Jaehyung made sure it was all good but where are you?.. From Jaehyung: I hope you are taking time to rest and… From Hajoon: What the hell is going on?! You aren’t answering any of us and aren’t at home!!... From Woosung: Where are you? Are you okay? Call me asap.. These were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the mass of texts filling your screen, you tried to make your way through all of them to see if all the meetings with the customers went well- Ring ring.You were interrupted by Dowoon answering his own cellphone.“Hey-“ He was cut off by what seemed to be a loud voice on the other side of the line. “I’m sorry-“ He was cut off once again, “Listen I have a reason! I’m at the hospital-“ You heard a loud ‘what' shouted through the phone, “I’m at the hospital right now but it’s oka-“ before he could even finish the other person hung up and he looked down at his cellphone showing the call had ended with a defeated huff. “Aish.. He hung up on me.” Dowoon stated slightly annoyed, though it seemed like he was used to this from whoever he had been speaking to. “If your family is worried you’re welcome to leave, you’ve already done so much.” You stated with a reassuring smile. “Shouldn’t I wait until one of your family members comes though? I don’t want you to be left alone here.” “You don’t have to it’s alright.” “Well I’ll feel better if I do.” You gave him a slightly confused look, why did he care you weren’t even good friends or anything. You weren’t used to people you didn’t know being so kind to you, let alone caring for you like this. “Well if that’s the case I suppose it’s alright if you stay…” You muttered as you began to send a text to Woosung about your whereabouts. You didn’t want to make a scene so it would be best if only he came to help you discharge from the hospital and head home, the other boys would cause chaos even with their good intentions. You and Dowoon sat in intermittent silence, chatting on and off about studies and such for a little while. He seemed like a nice person, maybe you would become good friends moving forward. As you were about to explain something someone burst through the door cutting you off mid-sentence. “Where were you?! What the hell is going on?” You just started at the figure who’s hand still held the knob of the door he just flung open so abruptly, the purple hair causing every sense of anxiety in your aching body to shoot through the roof. Dowoon let out a big sigh as the purple haired boy slammed the door shut and stood with crossed arms now looking between you and Dowoon. “Explain." “Everything is fine, you didn’t have to come.” The brunette stated with an exasperated look. “I thought something had happened to you, all you said was that you were in the hospital.” The purple haired boy responded in slight annoyance, focusing all his attention now to Dowoon. “Because you cut me off on the phone, you didn’t let me finish explaining.” Dowoon was looking him dead in the face with an irritated glance, this seemed to be a common occurrence, he most likely had to deal with the purple haired boy’s slight hot-headedness and the antics caused by it often. “(Y/n) passed out outside of class and I had to bring her here to make sure she was okay.” Now both the boys looked to you, the purple haired boy now walking up closer towards your cot with crossed arms. His piercing gaze met yours for a moment, you stared back unfazed by the attempted intimidation. “She seems fine now, lets go.” The purple haired boy broke from your gaze and turned towards Dowoon nodding his head towards the door. “Hey! There’s no rush-“ Dowoon responded in slight confusion at the purple haired boys behavior. It seemed like the purple haired boy was ready to drag Dowoon out the door in an instant. “It’s okay if you need to leave Dowoon, thanks again for bringing me here.” You interjected with a smile, trying to ease the tension between him and his friend. Before the purple haired boy could add in an irritating comment to you and Dowoon’s interaction the door swung open once more, this time revealing an out-of-breath Woosung. “What happened?! Are you okay?!” He nearly shouted rushing over to you. “I’m fine, sorry for being off the grid for a bit.” At this he leaned a hand on the guardrail of your cot, letting out a deep sigh and pushing his hair from his face as he regained his breath. Before you could continue he turned to notice the other two in the room, and he immediately clenched a fist. “What are you doing here?” Woosung questioned in a calm manner to mask the rising anger within, looked to the purple haired boy. Immediately the purple haired boy approached Woosung with an intimidating air, this only made you more concerned as Woosung was starting to really show his rage. “What’s it to you?” The purple haired boy huffed, at this Dowoon grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Young K, stop.” He stated in a hushed but worried manner, realizing the situation that could very quickly escalate. Now you knew the purple haired boys name, and it was your turn to cut in. “Young K, I don’t know why you’re acting like this or why you attacked my boys that other night. We aren’t your enemy.” You stated in an intense tone that immediately commanded the room. Woosung now became the one to worry as he turned to you, whispering your nickname in a warning tone in his concern of what could happen next. “How are you not? You came into our territory without permission to do deals. That innately takes away our customers.” Young K replied now nearing your cot in an attempt to intimidate once more, he really liked to use that as a tactic. Woosung immediately stepped closer to your side in a defensive manner, you gently pushed him back and kept your attention on Young K. Unlike this other gang leader you could keep a calm demeanor in almost all situations, something he could definitely learn to keep from useless situations like fights. “We aren’t selling to any of your customers. You can ask each of them if you don’t believe me.” You replied bluntly at his accusation. “And we don’t ever intend to sell to your customers,” you added as his face changed to one of slight shock and confusion, “so we are not, and will never be, your enemy.” Young K seemed caught off guard at this, and Dowoon even seemed a little surprised. “In fact, I would propose that we could even work together in the future if you desired.” You suggested earning a questioning glance from Young K and Dowoon. At this Woosung turned to you with a loud, “What?!” Ignoring this, you continued to speak to Young K and Dowoon. “We aren’t dealing the same stuff, and if we are both covering territory together without worrying about each others whereabouts it will make everyone’s lives much easier.” You state simply, “You’re welcome to discuss it with your group and let me know if you want to take up the offer.” “(Y/n) we’ve never done something like this before, besides we might not want to get mixed up with whatever they’re selling.” Woosung interjects in utter shock at your actions. You dismiss him once again as Young K turns towards the door with a scoff at your proposition. “Think about it, Young K, no good comes from us fighting,” is all you are able to say before Young K heads out the door with one final glance towards you and Woosung. Dowoon quickly follows after him with a rushed goodbye. Woosung has now turned towards you with an expectant gaze, and now you realize what you may have just proposed. If all went through, your whole operation would have to change, but maybe this change would be for the greater good. At least, that’s what you hope.

[ruminativerabbi]

Thanksgiving 2018

For as long as any of us can recall, American Jews have celebrated Thanksgiving out of a deep sense of gratitude to God for any number of different things that define our lives in this place: the great prosperity of this land in which we share; the security provided for us and for all by our matchless and supremely powerful military; the freedoms guaranteed to all by a Bill of Rights that basically defines the American ethos in terms of the autonomy of the individual; the specific kind of participatory democracy that grants each of us a voice to raise and a ballot to cast; the freedom to embrace a minority faith—or any faith—without fear, reticence, or nervousness about what others may or may not think; and the inner satisfaction that comes from being part of a nation that self-defines in terms of its mission to do good in the world and to combat tyranny, oppression, and demagoguery wherever such baleful things manage to take root among the peoples of the world.

None of any of the above strikes me as being anything other than fully true, yet I can’t stop reading op-ed pieces and blog postings that posit that things have somehow changed, that the world now is not as it even just recently was, that it is the past and all its glories that shine bright now rather than the unknown—and unknowable—future, and that every one of the reasons listed above for us American Jews to join our fellow citizens in feeling deeply grateful for our presence in this place could just as reasonably be deemed illusory as fully real. And I hear those sentiments, interestingly enough, coming from people on both ends of the political spectrum as well as from all those self-situated just to the right or left of center. Nor are American Jews alone in their ill ease: if there is one thing vast swaths of our American nation seem able to agree upon, it’s that the age of great leadership belongs to history and that it is thus our destiny for the foreseeable future to be led by people whose sole claim to serve as our nation’s leaders is that they somehow managed to get themselves elected to public office. No one seems to dispute the fact that this is not at all a healthy thing for the republic. But expressing regret is not at all the same thing as formulating a specific plan to address the situation as it has evolved to date.

To keep this creeping malaise from interfering in an untoward manner as we prepare to celebrate our nation’s best holiday, I suggest we take the long view.

Frederic E. Church was a nineteenth century man, born in 1826 when John Quincy Adams was in the White House and dead in the spring of 1900 as a new century dawned. He was also one of America’s greatest landscape painters, a member of the so-called Hudson River School and, in his day, one of the most celebrated artists alive. I mention him today, however, not to recall the larger impact of his oeuvre, but to tell you about one single one of his paintings, the one called “The Icebergs.”

As you can see, the picture (currently owned by the Dallas Museum of Art) is magnificent. But what made it famous in its day was specifically the way in which it was taken by many to capture the surge of self-confidence that characterized America’s sense of its own destiny at the end of the nineteenth century. One author, Jörn Münkner, characterized the painting’s appeal in this passage composed when the painting was put on exhibition at Georgetown University:

Frederik E. Church's "The Icebergs" pictured the Alpha and Omega of time and tide. It reflected the mid-19th century American world-view that was characterized by the belief in a “Manifest Destiny” according to which the United States…was the New Israel that had been prepared for by the divinity. 1861 saw the U.S. reigning from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. Nature was regarded as holy and science as sanctified. The belief in the American Garden Eden whose very fortunes were guided by the Creator emanated out of the scientifically correct “The Icebergs.” It was the display of the rare and intoxicating American amalgam of science, religion, and nationalism. The relationship of the actual and the real that was concealed in the painting revealed the idea/fact that scientific thinking in America was shaped by a deep religious faith. Providence guided the scholarly painter's hand.

I find those words somehow inspiring and chilling at the same time, but I see what the author means: even after all this time, the painting hasn’t really lost its ability to suggest the majesty of nature or its timelessness. I get a bit lost on my way from that thought to the notion of manifest destiny inspiring America’s nineteenth-century rise to greatness (and, yes, the whole America as the new Israel is beyond peculiar, as surely also is the fact that the artist was thinking so expansively about American destiny on the eve of what in 1861 would still have been unimaginable carnage), yet I really can see the strength, the power, and the sense of ineluctable kismet mirrored in the majestic icebergs in the picture…and so finding in them a symbol both of America’s uniqueness and of its remarkable destiny is not as big a stretch as I thought at first it would be.

But other nineteenth-century types saw different things in the image of these gigantic icebergs afloat in an endless sea.

Edward Bellamy, once one of America’s most famous authors, has been almost completely forgotten. Yet his 1888 book, Looking Backward, was the third most popular American novel of nineteenth century, exceeded in fiction sales only by Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Ben-Hur. An early utopian novel, the book tells the story of one Julian West, a young man from Boston who goes to bed one night in 1887 and somehow manages only to wake up from his sleep in the year 2000. Some of the author’s predictions are uncannily correct—he depicts West as enjoying the almost instant delivery of goods ordered without having to visit any actual stores—while other things West finds in 2000, like a universal retirement age of 45, have not turned out quite as the author imagined they might. But it is the author’s postscript to his own work I want to cite here, as he imagines America in the future and uses his own version of the iceberg symbol to express his dismay. Almost definitely thinking of Church’s painting and the expansive optimism it inspired, he wrote as follows:

As an iceberg, floating southward from the frozen North, is gradually undermined by warmer seas, and, become at least unstable, churns the sea to yeast for miles around by the mighty rockings that portend its overturn, so the barbaric industrial and social system, which has come down to us from savage antiquity, undermined by the modern humane spirit, riddled by the criticism of economic science, is shaking the world with convulsions that presage its collapse.

This line of thinking I also understand: for all it appears mighty and invincible as it rises from the sea, icebergs are, after all, just so much frozen water. They melt as they float into warmer waters than can sustain them, which may (or may not) dramatically affect the ocean into which they dissolve but cannot affect the iceberg itself once it disappears into the sea and is no more.

So one image and two distinct interpretations. Of course, both are right. An inert, uncomprehending iceberg was powerful enough to sink the most sophisticated ocean liner of its day in 1912. And the semi-famous iceberg rather prosaically named B-15, which broke away from Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf in 2000, is about to melt into the South Atlantic Ocean. At 3,200 square nautical miles, B-15 is larger than the island of Jamaica. Yet its doom was sealed not by weapons of mass destruction or acts of God, but by the sea’s slightly too-warm water. (To read more, click here.) From this we learn that strength and weakness are not as unrelated as their antithetical nature makes them at first appear. Indeed, they are each other’s twins…and from that thought I draw the lesson I wish to offer to my readers for Thanksgiving Day in the Age of Anxiety.

Our nation is currently divided down into people who see America’s great and mighty presence in the world pointing to a remarkable destiny framed by our nation’s ongoing commitment to the foundational principles upon which the republic was founded and still rests. Such people look at Church’s painting and are heartened by what they see because solid, powerful, majestic icebergs afloat in the sea remind them of our nation, its strong moral underpinnings, its commitment to (the American version of) tikkun olam, and its invincible military. This group includes members who vote red and who vote blue, but others see our nation coming apart at the seams, a country divided down into warring factions in which personal liberty is increasingly defined in terms of the sensitivities of the majority and in which justice is meted out entirely differently to people of different races and social strata. Such people look at Church’s painting and hear Bellamy’s warning that even giant icebergs that look stable and impregnable can be undermined by the gentle, unarmed presence of a warm current in the sea. Nothing lasts forever. Every Achilles has his heel. No garden thrives because it was once watered.  

So who is right? I propose we give the last word to Bellamy himself, whose afterword to his own novel (which I am currently reading for the first time) closes with these words: “All thoughtful men agree,” he writes, “that the present aspect of society is portentous of great changes. The only question is whether they will be for the better or the worse. Those who believe in man’s essential nobleness lean to the former view, those who believe in his essential baseness to the latter. For my part, I hold to the former opinion. Looking Back was written in the belief that our Golden Age lies before us and not behind us, and is not far away. Our children will surely see it, and we too who are already men and women, if we deserve it by our faith and by our works.”

Despite it all, that’s what I think too! And I offer that thought—part prayer, part wish, part hope—to you all on this Thanksgiving Day, a day on which all Americans are united by the desire to recognize the good in ourselves and our nation, and to be grateful for the potential to do good in the world that derives directly from that noble sense of what it means to be an American. 

[fanfic-collection]

Pirates: Loki x Reader - Pt 6

Probably the end? I dunno. There’s an asterisk to mark where it gets a little inappropriate if anyone wants to avoid that sort of thing. Tag thing:  @tarithenurse @markusstraya @christy-winchester @frenchfrostpudding @ burningarbiterheart

It had been nearly a week since the serpent's attack. Cold air flooded your quarters as you woke up, curling tighter into Loki, your head resting on his bare chest. You smiled, nuzzling your face into his soft skin, the few hairs tickling your nose.

Loki chuckled at the affectionate display. His hand reached up to stroke your back, the two of you bundled deep under the many blankets.

Sighing, you said, “I try not to have too many luxuries compared to my men, but they don't get affected by cold as much as I do.”

“And you are captain, you lead them, it's not wholly undeserved.”

“Indeed.” You winced slightly as you shifted your torso, the bandages rubbing at the still tender wound. “Shame about the venom causing such a fuss.”

Loki pressed his hand to your forehead. “The fever seems to have broke, though I imagine that was a while ago.”

“And you didn't wake me?”

“You looked peaceful, there is a storm that rages in you and seeing it quelled, I didn't want to bring it back.”

“The same could be said for you.”

“Kindred spirits.” He kissed your forehead.

*You sighed again, snuggling tighter against him. Your hand lightly stroked his chest, feeling his taut pectorals, sliding over them and toying with the faint hairs. Sliding your hand down his abdomen, you smiled at the tensing of his stomach muscles at your lazy touch.

Loki chuckled as your hand moved further south, eyeing you with an amused grin, though his eyes darkened considerably.

“Captain!” There was a pounding at the door and you pulled away from Loki, wincing as you grabbed for your dressing gown.

“What is it?” You asked as you stumbled to the door, legs still bruised and battered.

Loki leaned up on his arms, glaring irritably at the intruder.

“We're nearly there.” One of your crew stood in the doorway as you peered out at him, icy air bursting into the room.

“Very good.” You nodded, “Thank you.”

The crewman bowed his head and left back to his post.

Loki sighed, covering his eyes with his arm, “A pity.”

You snorted, smirking at him, “We're here on business.”

“Pleasure can wait?” Loki replied, getting out of the bed and reaching for his slacks, pulling them on.

You watched the movement of his back for a moment, examining the faint scars and markings but otherwise perfectly smooth skin. Admiring the movement of his muscles, you smiled.

Loki glanced over his shoulder to see you staring and smirked.

You rolled your eyes and set about dressing in your own clothes. They were similar to the ones that had been all but destroyed by the serpent, hardly a difference worth noting. You liked your color scheme and the colors complimented your appearance well.

Once the two of you were dressed, you braced yourself and opened the doors into the cold arctic air. The scene before you was like that of a fairy tale. Ice floes floated in the ocean, drifting past as the ship sailed by at a lazy pace. In the distance, massive glaciers could be scene spiking high out of the water and vanishing into the sky. An eerie fog clung to the water, seeping onto the boat deck.

Your crew members milled about, none-the-worse for wear from the cold. Loki among them, unfazed by the chill air. Only you were noticeably affected but far less than any human might be.

Bootsteps echoed in the silent air as you made your way to the edge of the ship, peering out into the sea of ice. Loki followed you at a respectable distance, stopping behind you and following your gaze. Your breath came out in puffs of steam as you scanned the horizon.

“How will we know when we're there?” Loki asked quietly, loathe to break the silence of the atmosphere.

“It's said to have corrupted the land around it,” You breathed back. Tilting your head and correcting yourself, you added, “or sea, in this case. The ice.”

Loki nodded, gazing equally as intently as you, looking for this mystifying corruption.

You pushed away from the edge of the ship and made your way to the prow. Removing your gloves, you held your hands up and allowed the ice magic to flow through. A solid sheet of ice appeared on the prow of the ship, shielding in a thick layer of ice and protecting the wood from the damaging effects of the icebergs and sheets of ice trying to scrape away the shell of the ship. The ice spread halfway down the vessel, copying the appearance of the many chunks of ice floating through the water alongside your ship.

Slowly you replaced your gloves, glancing at your men for any signs of dissent. A few nodded in turn as you made eye contact, but no one raised their voices. Loki stood a distance from you, clearly impressed with the idea. You walked back to him.

“Clever.” He said to you.

You smiled shyly back at him.

A low hissing sound filled the air and everyone looked around, trying to find its source.

“There!” The lookout cried.

You looked up, following the direction he was pointing as the mist seemed to come alive, rushing at the ship.

Serpentine like shapes rushed from the fog, leaping onto the deck of the ship and lashing out at random. They were tendrils of ice come to life, wraiths whipping their tails and launching their icy fangs at anyone nearby.

“We're being attacked!” You cried, drawing your sword.

Instantly your crew went on attack, defending themselves and striking out at the ice wraiths.

Loki's daggers in hand, he spun and dodged, avoiding the whipping ice and plunging his daggers into the monsters. The blow seemed only to infuriate them, their attention turning on him as they lunged at him.

Your sword fell down, cleaving the head off and the first crumpled to the ground in a burst of ice.

“Aim for the heads!” You called.

Loki nodded, running at the other wraith as more appeared. For hours the battle raged on, several men falling and succumbing to their wounds, until at last the beasts stop coming.

You panted heavily, sliding to the deck with your back against the wall. Loki limped over to you, wiping blood from his lip where a blow had struck him in the face.

“How are you?” He asked you, voice full of concern.

“Just old wounds,” You shook your head, “Nothing new, you?”

“I'll live, nothing serious.” Loki replied, looking around at the many injured and groaning members of your crew.

Your ship's numbers were dwindling fast, if too many more attacks like this happened, you wouldn't have enough to easily pilot your vessel.

Closing your eyes, you breathed out heavily, sighing in exhaustion after such a strenuous week. Loki sank to the ground beside you and leaned his head against the wall. “I doubt we'll be able to fend off another attack if they come in force. I'm starting to regret leaving Thor behind.”

You chuckled coldly, “Aye, but this is a private matter.”

Loki opened his eyes and looked at you, “I'm glad to be apart of it.”

-

Over the next two days, every few hours, one or two of the wraiths would launch themselves at your ship. Three more men fell, but still your ship sailed on.

At last you arrived at the distant glaciers, a treacherous path wound its way up the cliff side and vanished at the top.

“A little too convenient?” Loki asked as you ordered the anchor to be set.

“The casket wants to be found,” You muttered back to him. Turning to your men, you addressed them, “You five, stay back and guard the ship. Norns be with you. The rest of you, with me.”

Leaping over the edge of the ship, you landed on the icy glacier with a crunch of your boots. Ten more bodies landed around you, their boots hitting the ground with heavy thuds. Loki, the eleventh, landed silently, catlike.

Your party began the arduous ascent up the glacial wall, climbing on the treacherous path until you reached the top. Twice some of your men stumbled, nearly losing their grip and plunging into the icy ocean, but each time someone managed to catch them, preventing their deaths. You breathed a sigh of relief with each one, and as you passed the cusp of the cliff, you knelt down and offered thanks for whatever force had allowed you to make it to the top with such little difficulties.

You had arrived on a world of white, icy snow spreading out as far as the eye could see before vanishing in the thick fog. Glancing over your shoulder, the world ended, cut off into nothingness. You swallowed hard.

Loki's hand touched your shoulder and squeezed it gently, “We'll make it.” He assured you, his voice far warmer than you felt.

In a way, the land reminded you of Jotunheim, though you knew it to be much warmer here and the beasts far smaller if at all present. Your crew was a hearty lot, born from the depths of that frigid world and they were no strangers to the danger that awaited.

“Let's move.”

-

The only disturbance in the land around your party was the crunching of bootsteps through the icy wilderness. Behind you a line of footsteps leading back to your starting place, the only evidence that any life had ever been here.

One or two wraiths had attacked, bursting from the growing gloom and latching onto their helpless victims, dragging them away into the fog. Some blood stains, quickly frozen, marked the locations of their demise. Other than attempting to kill the beasts, when they stayed long enough to be fought off, your party moved on.

Breaths came in ragged gasps, fatigue and cold setting in as the winter sun sank beyond the horizon. The wind howled, picking up its fervor and buffeting everyone along. Still, on you went.

“Look.” Loki breathed suddenly, his fatigue evident. You followed his pointed hand and your mouth fell open.

In the distance, a faint blue glow shone from the land.

“That has to be it.”

A surge of hope rushed through your party, invigorating your weary bones and muscles. A mad sprint ensued, everyone rushing forward and stumbling to a stop as a large plinth rose from the ground, the Casket of Ancient Winters setting atop it.

“We did it.” You breathed in relief.

“We did.” Loki agreed. For a moment, he considered hugging you, he also considered grabbing the casket himself, but he knew you had earned that right.

You stepped forward and grabbed the casket with both hands, lifting it in the air and turning to face your men. Their faces glowed in the eerie light, excitement visible as they saw the source of their homeworld's powers before them. A cheer rang up, clapping and stomping of feet as they roared in approval.

Suddenly a roar matched theirs, growing louder and echoing far in every direction. Your party gathered in a defensive circle, you at the middle as they looked around warily, trying to find where it was coming from. Visibility was terrible as everyone looked every which way.

A massive blue claw swiped out from the darkness, swatting one of your circle away like a fly and impaling another. Your crew raised their weapons in defiance ready to fight back as a massive dragon head appeared from the gloom, opening its mouth a releasing a deafening roar.

You pushed passed the circle of your crew and held up the casket, bracing your legs as a burst of icy energy shot forth. The beast struggled against the blast, attempting to stumble back and away but the energy held it still, slowly freezing it in place. The ice gathered around the beast, freezing it solid and spreading as the glacier swallowed it whole.

In the distance, that familiar hissing of the ice wraiths sounded, a herd getting closer.

“RUN!” You cried, “Back to the ship!”

A mad dash followed, only the pounding of your footsteps in your ears as you struggled to lug the casket. Loki's hand grabbed the other end of it, helping you carry it as the two of you ran for your lives.

The rest of your crew brought up the rear, running for their very lives as the hissing grew louder and closer, another roar matching the first.

Then you were back at the edge of the glacier, winding your way down to the bottom and the relative safety of your ship. The return journey was not so lucky as a man fell to the icy waters below. He did not resurface.

At long last, you were back on the ship; you, Loki, and the four surviving members of the expedition.

“We have to move now.” Loki demanded, looking up fearfully at the wraiths climbing down the vertical walls.

Your crew set to work, forcing their exhausted muscles into action and readying the ship. Then with the mast extended and the anchor hoisted, the ship was moving full speed and away from that deadly glacier.

The wraiths, stranded at the base of the glacier, screamed and hissed their fury, slowly fading away as you put distance between them.

Loki, reverently, helped you carry the casket to your captain's quarters. The surviving men gathered in the doorway and just inside, trying to look as closely as they dared. When everyone had had a chance to examine it, you grabbed a cloth and covered the artifact that so many had sacrificed their lives for.

“You did it.” Loki said, pulling you into his warm embrace.

“We did it.” You agreed, appreciative of how warm he felt after the cold trek across the glacier. You hadn't realized just how cold you had been.

Loki grabbed a spare blanket and wrapped it around your shoulders. “Where to, captain?”

“Home.”

[peblezq]

Epiphany

PAIRING:

Older!Richie Tozier x Older!Eddie Kaspbrak

DESCRIPTION:

SPOILER ALERT! Do not read this if you haven't read the book “IT” by Stephen King! I don't wanna ruin the end for you if you don't already know how it ends.

This is my own version of the ending of “IT”, but in the movie universe. So basically, this is how I think IT: Chapter 2 (2019) should end… a whole year before it even comes out, lmao

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Hi! I deleted my fanfiction side-blog because I’m a self-concious moron, so I’m gonna post this on my main blog.

This idea has been floating in my head for a while now, so I wrote it down.

I wanted to write an alternate ending to the novel “IT” by Stephen King, but it’s in the movie universe; so The Losers Club are kids in the 1980s, and adults in the 2010s.

This is a rewrite of the second - and final - battle against Pennywise. I changed a lot of stuff about the battle to fit into the movie universe, however, I kept some references from the book and mini series scattered in here :)

I’m just gonna start right in the middle of the battle scene because there’s no need for me to write the entire book before this, lol.

Sorry if there’s any typos or grammatical errors. I only read through this once before posting, haha.

Story starts below the cut! I hope you guys like it :)

~Pebbs

PART I

The tunnels of the sewer were darker and murkier than they remembered. The rancid stench hit all of their senses like a hundred busses driving on the freeway and hitting a single tree. The blood and bruises on the five remaining losers are just the tip of the iceberg to the pain that they feel. The fear impaled each of them in every way that it possibly could. How did they conquer this thing before? How the hell did they beat IT?

Eddie can feel his lungs collapsing on him like he's left floundering in the ice-cold water of the Atlantic Ocean. He struggles to gasp for air as each loser is preoccupied with their own fear.

Just as Eddie is reaching for his inhaler, he feels a hand grab his with the plastic tube of placebo medication. He looks up, startled, but then quickly eases his tense shoulders as he makes eye contact with none other than Trashmouth Richie.

His brown doe eyes are still prominent and huge, even without his thick frames to magnify them. Blood drips when the corners of his lips lift ever so slightly, revealing a small, but powerful smile. Eddie’s heartbeat thumps so hard that he might have a stroke with the way his blood is flowing through his veins right now. He drops the puffer and folds his hands around Richie’s, returning the smile. All of the losers suddenly notice what's happening, and they all join in, holding hands and suddenly feeling less afraid than before.

The moment is stolen away when Pennywise swipes a large tentacle arm to separate them, throwing each loser to a separate wall in the room. Eddie sees Richie fall on his face, crushing his nose and wailing in pain. He sees his other friends, all grown up and vulnerable as they all scream and groan in pain. He sees his puffer, lying on the cold sewer floor not too far from Pennywise. He frowns, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration as he struggles to crawl over to it. If he thought he couldn't breathe before, he was truly kidding himself. His chest feels like three knives are stuck in various places. One in the back, one in the side, and one close to his heart. As he collapsed on the moist cement, he determined his ribs must be cracked from the sudden impact against the wall.

The gashes on his face start to sting as salty tears roll into them. He pushes himself up, his arms and legs shaking violently as he stumbles to a crouching position. He quickly determines he cannot walk to his desired location fast enough, so he settles for crawling again. He reaches out and grabs the cold, plastic and metal tube with fake medicine, ignoring the fact that the cut on his forearm is coating it in his thick red velvet of blood. Eddie stumbles to his feet, vaguely hearing his friend’s desperate screams for him to stop.

“Eddie!! Watch out!” Beverly croaks out in a hoarse scream. Eddie ducks, stumbling backwards as he does so whilst feeling a rush of air above him before standing up as straight as he can. He notices Pennywise's other arm swoops back in the opposite direction, but he doesn't even flinch. He just glares at the clown as he steps back, avoiding the impact before quickly pulling up his medicine in front of the clown from Hell. Pennywise frowns and starts to charge at Eddie, causing an uproar of screams behind him from his beloved friends.

“It's time to take your meds, asshole!” Eddie belts hoarsely as he squeezes the contents of the medication onto Pennywise's face. The clown stumbles backwards, holding ITs face as it shrieks out in pain. All the losers quiet themselves immediately as IT lowers its hands, revealing half of the clowns face to be melted and burnt. Pennywise sneers at Eddie, its melted mouth drooping as it does so.

Eddie’s sudden adrenaline rush allows him to punch the clown in the face, causing it to fly backwards. Eddie stumbles forward, ready to shoot more medicine on ITs face. Pennywise jumps up, grabbing Eddie as IT slowly grows and shifts into a half spider-mantis-clown nightmare. ITs jaw breaks open, pulling more and more as thousands of rows of sharp teeth reveal themselves to Eddie. The losers start to scream in horror again while Eddie's body goes limp as he catches a glimpse of ITs deadlights at the back of ITs throat.

Ben, Bill and Richie try to help Eddie, but the freeze as they too catch a glimpse of ITs deadlights. Beverly shields her eyes and searches around herself in a panic, trying to find some sort of weapon. The nail-gun that Mike provided them with glimmers in the corner of her eyes, and she quickly stumbles towards it. She picks it up, readies the trigger, and climbs the piping beside the creature. She pushes the end of the gun to its heart and pulls the trigger, causing it to screech out in pain.

The three men on the ground blink and stumble out of their trance whilst IT throws Eddie as it stumbles backwards. Eddie smacks against the cement wall, a loud crack echoes with the impact before he rolls onto the floor. Every loser hurries to his aid, falling on their knees as they gingerly check his pulse.

“Eddie!” Richie cautiously holds Eddie’s face as tears begin to cloud his vision. “Eddie Spaghetti…”

“Don't...call...me...that…” Eddie sputters out, violently coughing up blood to punctuate the end of his sentence. The four remaining losers can't help but smile in this bittersweet moment.

Eddie barely notices the others since his vision is slowly blacking out, only showing Richie’s face in the centre of his pinhole-vision. He attempts to smile at his friend, but it seems to distort Richie’s features, causing him to frown pitifully at Eddie.

“You...looked...better...with...glasses…” Eddie comments.

“And you look like shit,” Richie jokes. “You've seriously seen better days, my friend,” he adds, forcing his lips to form into a faint smile.

“Beep...beep…” Eddie starts coughing again, slightly leaning over to spit his blood away from his friend’s face. Eddie tries another smile, but he knows it looks crooked and forced. He leaves it anyways, willing to spend his remaining energy on this moment.

Richie’s breathing suddenly becomes shallow as the situation sinks in. His hands, still gingerly holding Eddie's face, starts to tremble. He suddenly becomes very aware of his close proximity to Eddie, and to his pounding heartbeat skipping occasionally. His fear builds up, but it's barely for the clown anymore. Richie does not want to lose Eddie. Not again. Not ever.

Richie acts impulsively, knowing that this could very possibly be the last chance he gets to do this. He leans over to close the gap between him and Eddie, locking lips with him. Eddie’s eyes widen for a moment before he gently closes them, leaning into the kiss as best as he can from lying on the ground. Richie smiles into the kiss as he tilts his head to deepen it without hurting Eddie too much.

Ben blinks, completely dumbfounded. He respectfully leans back to not invade their moment. Beverly and Bill lean back as well, but they smile endearingly after the initial shock eases away. Ben’s lips soon tug into a smile moments later.

Richie tastes his and Eddie’s blood in the kiss, but he doesn't care. Richie suddenly feels weak, trembling hands grab onto his hair, pulling him down even more. Eddie suddenly winces in pain, causing Richie to quickly peel away from Eddie.

“Sorry!” Richie blubbered out nervously, feeling like a child again.

“I've… wanted… to do that… for a long… time…” Eddie responded, ignoring Richie’s apology.

Eddie’s eyes started to close, but Richie wasn't having it. “No! No, goddammit, you are not dying on me today!” Richie belted. The three other losers notice Pennywise behind them, sluggishly stumbling towards them for another round.

“Don't…  be… afraid,” Eddie coughs, “and kill… that fucking… clown…” Eddie forces one last smile before letting out a long, slow breath.

“No, Eddie!” Richie yells.

...

“Ed's!” Richie tries again.

...

“Eddie Spaghetti?” Richie’s voice becomes quiet as Eddie doesn't respond. Eddie’s muscles have become slack, and his lips are parted ever so slightly. Richie blinks, and Eddie is thirteen again. His skin is smooth with no sign of ageing wrinkles, and his hair lush and full of life again. Richie is a child again, too. He’s suddenly wearing his glasses, and the sounds of his friends' voices are their voices from their childhood.

“Richie!” Bill yells from behind.

“Richie, its up!”

“It’s coming, Richie!”

Richie can't even decipher whose voice is who anymore as they scream for his help. He cradles Eddie’s face and whispers, “I've always loved you, Ed’s.”

Richie sluggishly stands up and turns around, his eyebrows furrowed and his lips pulled into a thin line. He glares at Pennywise who still has a partially melted face from Eddie’s puffer. ‘Don't be afraid,’ Eddie’s voice echoes in Richie's head as he marches towards the demon clown, filled with anger and determination. The losers are not kids anymore, and they’re here to kill this clown.

“First, you kill Stanley,” Richie’s voice is dark, somewhat startling his friends as he marches in front of them. “Then you almost killed Mike,” Richie leans forward and picks up the axe that he dropped a long time ago. “And then you killed Eddie,” Pennywise tilts its head, smugly raising the un-melted eyebrow. “Now I'm gonna return the favour, asshole!” Richie lifts the axe and swings it, slicing off Pennywise’s arm in one swift motion.

“I'm gonna fucking kill you!” Richie screams as he continues swinging the axe at the clown. Black tar sprays out of each gash and floats up in the air above IT as the shapeshifting alien stumbles backwards. The other losers take swings on the clown themselves with pieces of pipery from the sewer floors, impaling it and smacking it with double the force each time.

They get IT to the ground, not showing mercy as they continue to attack the beast. All of them fight with a fire in their eyes that hasn't been lit since childhood.

Richie slices the chest cavity of Pennywise, barely flinching as its black blood sprays all over him. The four remaining losers drop their weapons and kneel beside the creature. They each claw into the monster, ignoring its shriek of pain as they dig deeper inside of IT. They hear cracking and slurping noises as they bury their hands deeper until they find the large cavity they were looking for. They grab the heart together and rip it out with their bare hands.

They keep pulling as they notice a cord attached to the heart, and they rip it right out, revealing the physical form of ITs deadlights. They throw the heart onto the cement and Ben stomps on it, causing it to burst out its gooey black tar blood.

They stare at it for a while as the children and Bill’s wife slowly float down. Bill hurries to her aid whilst Ben and Beverly head towards Eddie. Richie continues to glare at the corpse of the monster, feeling completely numb.

Suddenly, Ben’s desperate voice cries out, “I feel a pulse!”

PART II

They emerge from the depths of the sewers, squinting as they make contact with daylight. Bill adjusts his unconscious wife over his shoulder whilst Richie does the same with Eddie. They all continue to rush towards their cars and they immediately head to the hospital.

~°*°~

Bill’s wife is fine, but she hasn't spoken a word since the incident. The doctors say that the shock of the traumatic event has silenced her, and they can't tell if she will ever speak again.

News on Eddie hasn't come back yet, and Richie can't stop pacing. All he can think about is every moment in his teens after their summer fighting IT. He remembers how every day, the kids slowly drifted apart from each other. He remembers when Ben moved away, and how they rarely saw Mike since he was homeschooled, and how Stanley made new friends that didn't irritate him as much. Stan did still talk to them from time to time, and he said goodbye at the start of summer when they all moved away for college. Richie didn't go to college, he just moved to Los Angeles and auditioned for many talent agencies until he got accepted. He then auditioned for Saturday Night Live, and the rest is history now.

Richie sits down, nervously shaking his leg as he ponders how different his life could've been if he just picked up the damn phone and called his friends once in a while. The only friend he even saw between graduation and now was Bill. Richie never approached Bill, but he saw him at one or two movie premiers with his actress wife - who may be scarred for life now since she just had to come here instead of listening to Bill’s warnings to steer her away from danger.

‘Such a stubborn lady, but I guess that’s why Bill fell in love with her,’ Richie muses to himself as he rests his chin on his hands. His thighs feel like they might become numb if he keeps the pressure he’s using with his elbows right now. Richie pushes his hands further up his face, covering his features as he groans in pain. ‘I probably should've seen a doctor. Every-fucking-thing hurts.’

Richie starts thinking about his relationships - or rather, lack thereof - throughout his adult life. He dated one girl - an actress he worked on a rom-com with in his twenties - but that lasted for maybe a month because their relationship was too public. They were constantly pestered by paparazzi, and they rarely spent time with each other outside of their press tour. He realized that their relationship wasn't real when the buzz from their movie died down a bit. It was all an accidental publicity stunt on their parts. They parted ways on good terms, and they're still good friends to this day, still working on the odd film with each other now and again.

Richie only ever had hookups after that, and he didn't enjoy any of them. He sighs, realizing that all this time, there was one person he secretly wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but it took a battle with the demon clown from his past to have this epiphany.

‘I'm a grown-ass, middle-aged man, and I just now realized that I was suppressing romantic feelings for my childhood best friend? Fuck that. I am not gay!’ Richie groans again, rubbing circles in his temples and he closes his eyes. ‘I did kiss him though. That's...pretty gay.’

“Hey, you should really see a doctor.” Bev’s voice startles Richie, causing him to sit up and look over at her like a deer caught in headlights. ‘God, I hope I didn't say any of that out loud.’

“No, I'm fine,” Richie snaps. He awkwardly looks away, feeling guilty for snapping at her. “I'll leave the medical resources for the people who actually fucking need it.”

“There are plenty of doctors here, Rich. You're not going to stop anyone from saving Eddie,” Beverly sighs, sitting down beside him. “And you do need a doctor, too. You may not be dying at the moment, but you're clearly in a lot of pain.”

“I don't care,” Richie mutters, slouching as he glares at the opposite wall. “I'm not seeing a doctor until I know that Eddie is okay.”

Beverly sighs again, looking off to the side before looping her arm around Richie and resting her head against his shoulder. Richie glances at her over his shoulder and smiles at the floor. “You're hurting my neck,” Richie mumbles under his breath, his smirk more prominent now.

“I don't care. I'm going to sit here like this with you until we know that Eddie is okay,” Beverly replies with a bittersweet smile.

~°*°~

Richie finishes by tightening his tie. He briefly smiles at himself in the mirror. He turns around when he sees Beverly walk in the reflection behind him. He watches her as she examines him, smiling and patting down his shoulders.

“You look great, Rich,” Beverly compliments with a bashful smile.

“Thanks, Bev.”

She pauses. “They’re all waiting for you outside,” she says with a small smile.

“Yeah, yeah,” Richie takes one last look at himself in the mirror, dusting his suit jacket and adjusting his tie one last time. “I always show up fashionably late to any event.”

“This isn’t just another one of your movie premieres, Rich,” Beverly pouts with a raised eyebrow. Richie sighs, suddenly becoming rather fond of his shoes.

“I hope we all continue to stay in touch after all of this...” Richie’s voice falls, and he clears his throat nervously.

“Me too,” Beverly replies, smiling brightly. Richie faces her, and she pulls him into a tight hug. He holds her just as tightly, suddenly feeling the tears overwhelm him.

“Dammit,” Richie mumbles as he wipes his tears over her shoulder. “Don’t tell anyone I cried.”

Beverly pulls back and wipes the second tear that escaped his eyes. “I promise.” He wipes her escaped tear and they give each other quick smiles before walking out of the room. Richie and Beverly meet Ben, Bill, BIll’s silent wife, and Mike in the hallway outside of the room. They all walk close together into the cathedral, and they meet the gazes of all the people who ever knew Eddie Kaspbrak. They all walk slowly, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone as they head for the front of the church. They try to ignore the whispers of people wondering who they all were and how the losers even knew Eddie. Many of them glared, knowing they must be the old friends he went off to visit - and who they believe caused his demise.

The five remaining losers - plus Bills wife - make it to the open casket. They all look down at Eddie’s features that have been touched up to look presentable. Richie’s eyes are stuck on the cleaned and stitched gash on Eddie’s cheek, remembering the blood no longer oozing from it as Eddie took his final breaths. His eyes then fell to his lips. They’re pale and cracked, and there’s no trace that they were ever coated in his own blood. Richie ponders that Eddie’s lips no longer look as soft as they felt when Eddie was still alive. Richie blinks when he realizes that his own tear hit Eddie’s nose, and he quickly started rubbing at his own face, trying to rid himself of them.

All of the losers joined hands and leaned in around Richie, protecting him like a forcefield. They all loved Eddie, but Richie’s love for Eddie was so much more, and every remaining loser learned that the moment Richie kissed him.

“Why did you have to die?” Was all that Richie was able to croak out that day before his best friend - his soulmate - was buried.

[thepelagoislands]

Pelago Spring Tournament || May 19th - May 27th, 2018

Welcome to the official announcement of the Pelago Spring Tournament! Seasonally, the Explorer’s Guild holds a tournament on Bellicose Isle to decide one thing and one thing only: who is the strongest person in the Archipelago? Last February, in the Winter pair’s tournament, ELLIOTT AND JAKE were crowned the strongest! But that might change this season for the Spring iteration!

And for this iteration, WE ARE CHANGING THINGS UP BY HAVING CHANGING ARENA TYPES. Every match will have a different terrain and arena with boons and nerfs for every combatant!

During the tournament, there will be FREE TRANSPORT TO BELLICOSE ISLE FROM ANYWHERE, A MEDICAL TENT TO CARE FOR ANY INJURIES, and TEMPORARY LODGING ON THE ISLAND FOR EVERYONE STILL IN THE TOURNAMENT.

The tournament takes place along the span of a week in RP, so feel free to have that reflect in your character’s experiences!

A schedule of rounds will be posted at the beginning of Round One of the tournament on May 19th, but please keep in mind that all rounds will take place within the dates listed in the title! But as always, IF EVERYONE TURNS IN THEIR FIGHTS EARLY DURING A ROUND, THE TOURNAMENT WILL IMMEDIATELY PROCEED TO THE NEXT ROUND. So rounds can go fairly quickly!

To review the battle system of the tournament, click here to enter our fancy Tournament page on the main! This is where the rules of the tournament will be listed at all times!

WE WILL ONLY BE USING THE ARMS TOURNAMENT SYSTEM THIS SEASON. PLEASE IGNORE THE ADVANCE TOURNAMENT RULES.

So what are the prizes for this tournament?

The Grand Prize winner of the Arms Tournament will receive 50,000G, ONE FREE VOYAGE, and A SPECIAL WEAPON UPGRADE ITEM! Second place will receive 25,000G! Third place will receive 10,000G! Of course, all participants will gain EXP!

CHANGING ARENA BATTLE

For this Arms Tournament, there will be a different arena in place for each fight, thanks to several mage volunteers from Arcadia. When each combatant enters the arena, they will pass through a special dome barrier around the arena floor. Once they are inside this barrier dome, NOTHING CAN LEAVE AND NOTHING ELSE CAN ENTER THE BARRIER UNTIL THE BATTLE IS COMPLETE. This is for the safety of the audience, as shit can get pretty cray-cray this go-around, son! 

This barrier is transparent and the audience can perfectly see inside the entire battle. However...THE COMBATANTS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE OR HEAR THE AUDIENCE UNTIL THE FIGHT IS COMPLETE.

There are THIRTEEN DIFFERENT ARENAS that can be selected. ALL ARENAS WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EACH BATTLE AT THE START OF THE ROUND.

EACH ARENA MAY HAVE CERTAIN CLASSES OR CHARACTER TYPES LISTED AS HAVING A BONUS OR A NERF. A bonus means that your character will use the next level up Chatzy line (for example, if you use a Level 1-3 line in combat and you get a bonus, you’ll use the Level 4-6 line for that battle). If your character gets a nerf, it means your character uses the next level down Chatzy line (for example, if you use a Level 13+ line and get nerfed, you’ll use the Level 10-12 line for that battle). You cannot go above or below the maximum or minimum line, so if you get a bonus as a Level 13+ character or a nerf as a Level 1-3 character, nothing happens.

Each arena will have a special RANDOM EVENT that can happen at some point during the battle. These random events will be rolled for by the combatants.

Here are the available special arenas that can be gotten:

Anti-Gravity Arena

Description: After the combatants enter and the bell signaling the fight begins, gravity will cease to function in the arena. The combatants will now be free floating around the dome for the rest of the fight.

Bonus Classes: Void Mage

Nerfed Classes: All Physical and Miscellaneous Classes

Random Event - Gravity Flicker: At the beginning of the third round of combat, enter “/choose flicker, none”. If flicker is chosen, then the gravity will return for a split second, sending all combatants falling to the ground and dealing 1HP of damage to both combatants. Then the Anti-Gravity will return again for the rest of the battle. The audience will hear a panicked “sorry” from one of the mage volunteers.

Anti-Magic Arena

Description: After the bell rings to signal the start of the fight, a heavy sensation will fall over both combatants. This sensation renders all magic unable to be cast.

Bonus Classes: N/A

Nerfed Classes: All Magical Classes, Any Deities

Random Event - Too Stronk: At the beginning of the fight, enter “/choose stronk, none, none, none”. If stronk is chosen, the heaviness of the anti-magic field will intensify and start hindering all power within the dome. Every single person will be nerfed for the entire fight.

The Ball Pit

Description: After the bell rings, the arena will suddenly be filled with colorful balls to play in. It looks like a huge ball pit from a playground. The entire audience is jealous.

Bonus Classes: All children and people who are children at heart

Nerfed Classes: Lame Adults

Random Event - An Extra Hour: At the beginning of the fight, enter “/choose dashcon, none”. If dashcon is selected, then something energetic seems to be in these colorful balls. Both combatants now start the fight at 10HP each. You get an extra hour in the battle arena.

Water Tank

Description: After the bell rings, the entire dome will fill up with water seemingly out of nowhere. There will be a small space at the top of the dome to breathe.

Bonus Classes: Water Mages, All Mermaids

Nerfed Classes: Gunners, Rangers, Pirates, Fire Mages, People Who Can’t Swim

Random Event - How Am I Supposed to Breathe With No Air: At the beginning of the fight, enter “/choose no air, none, none”. If no air is selected, then the entire dome will be filled with water. There will be no pocket of air at the top to breathe from. After the second round of combat, each character who is unable to breathe underwater will take 1HP of damage for every turn they take.

Lava Field

Description: After the bell rings, the floor of the dome will become scalding hot, splitting apart to form long rivers of molten lava. There will be few safe areas to stand on. It’s way too hot. Hot damn.

Bonus Classes: Fire Mages

Nerfed Classes: N/A

Random Event - Eruption: At the beginning of the third round of combat, roll “/choose erupt, none”. If erupt is chosen, there will be a rumble and a bunch of lava will spew out from the rivers of lava, hitting both combatants for 1HP of damage.

Dark Forest

Description: After the bell rings, countless sprouts will crack through the floor of the arena and sprout up into thick, tall trees. And soon, the entire floor of the arena will turn into thick, dirt terrain with countless plants growing around. In addition, it has become quite dark inside the dome...

Bonus Classes: Grass Mages, Earth Mages, Geomancers, Thieves, Rogues

Nerfed Classes: Anyone Afraid of the Dark

Random Event - Weird Plants: Starting at the beginning of the third round of combat and continuing for the start of every character’s turn, the characters muse roll “/choose plants, none, none, none”. If they get plant, they will stumble into a plant that gives off a weird spore and they must roll an additional “/choose paralysis, poison, sleep”. Paralysis means that they are unable to move for one turn. Poison means they take 1HP of damage during their turn. Sleep means that they will fall asleep and will be unable to do anything on their turns until they are hit by their opponent to be woken up.

Pirate Ship

Description: After the bell rings, the ground will rise up and take the form of a large pirate ship. Water will immediately rise up beneath this pirate ship and make that ship extremely rocky. Hope you brought your sea legs!

Bonus Classes: Pirates, All Characters Who Have Been on 2 or More Completed Voyages

Nerfed Classes: All Others

Random Event - The Titanic: At the beginning of the fourth round of combat, roll “/choose titantic, none”. If Titanic is chosen, then for some reason, a large iceberg is conjured near the ship and rams right into the pirate ship. The pirate ship will then begin to have the same fate as the Titanic. Every single character now has been nerfed as you attempt to continue fighting while the ship goes down.

Sky Arena

Description: When the bell rings, the arena floor will abruptly crack apart and start ascending into the air in chunks, a thick current blowing between each chunk in the air. 

Bonus Classes: Ranger, Gunner, Dragoon, Lancer, Wind Mage

Nerfed Classes: Everyone who fights close-range who isn’t part of the bonus group

Random Event - Free Falling: At the start of the third round of combat, both combatants will roll “/choose fall, none”. If they get fall, their platform will begin to fall from the air. They will take 1HP of damage from the fall, and will soon be teleported to another platform by a friendly volunteer mage.

Thundercloud

Description: When the bell rings, the wind will suddenly pick up and the combatants will find themselves in the center of a vicious storm, with high winds, heavy rain, and lightning striking the ground.

Bonus Classes: Geomancer

Nerfed Classes: N/A

Random Event - Shocking, Really: At the start of the battle, all combatants who have a metal object in their possession, be it armor, a sword, the metal tip of an arrow, or something else, must roll “/choose thunderstruck, none”. Thunderstruck will result in the character being struck by lightning and will make them take 1HP of damage.

Rune Field

Description: When the bell rings, the combatants will both feel an extreme surge of energy fill up the arena. The arena just feels...so very alive.

Bonus Classes: All Combatants Will Use the Level 13+ Fight Line

Nerfed Classes: N/A

Random Event - The Ol’ Switcheroo: At the start of the third round of combat, roll “/choose stone, none”. Upon rolling stone, the arena will rapidly turn into the Stone Field for the rest of the battle. Consult the Stone Field section for details.

Stone Field

Description: When the bell rings, the combatants will both feel extremely drained, like the life is being sucked out of them. The arena floor will start to turn grey, like it’s turning to stone.

Bonus Classes: N/A

Nerfed Classes: All Combatants Will Use the Level 1-3 Fight Line

Random Event - The Ol’ Switcheroo: At the start of the third round of combat, roll “/choose rune, none”. Upon rolling rune, the arena will rapidly turn into the Rune Field for the rest of the battle. Consult the Rune Field section for details.

Space Arena

Description: After the bell rings, the ground below the combatants will suddenly vanish, though they are still standing on solid ground. All around them, the image of them in the middle of space will appear. Stars will be above and below them, meteors will pass by, and they will be on unseen but solid ground.

Bonus Classes: Astrologian 

Nerfed Classes: N/A

Random Event - Meteor Shower: At the beginning of an even round (second round, fourth round, sixth round, etc) of combat, roll “/choose meteors, none”. Upon rolling Meteors, there will be a meteor shower that descends upon the arena. Each combatant must roll “/choose hit, miss”. Each hit will result in the combatant being struck by a meteor and taking 1HP of damage.

Normal Arena

Description: The bell rings and...nothing happens. I’m serious. Nothing happens. 

Bonus Classes: N/A

Nerfed Classes: N/A

Random Event - Whoops, I Forgot: At the beginning of the third round, roll a random number generator some some kind between 1 and 13. The number you receive will be your new arena for the rest of the battle, the order determined by the order in this post (getting a 3 will turn the arena into The Ball Pit and getting a 13 will have the arena continue to be the Normal Arena, for example).

ARMS TOURNAMENT SIGN-UPS

Right now, we are only accepting 16 combatants for the Arms Tournament. We will have a waitlist for any additional combatants. IF THE WAITLIST HITS 8 COMBATANTS, THEN WE WILL EXPAND TO A FULL 32 COMBATANT ROSTER. WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING 32 SPOTS. WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING A WAITLIST FOR AN ADDITIONAL 8 COMBATANTS FOR A FULL 40 PERSON ROSTER.

PLEASE STATE YOUR CHARACTER’S CLASS BOON WHEN YOU SIGN UP. DEADLINE TO SIGN UP IS MAY 18TH AT 10PM EST.

CURRENT PARTICIPANTS:

Georgia (Elemental Mage)

Jake (Mercenary)

Raguna (Spell Sword)

Gale (Alchemist)

Popuri (Fencer)

Russell (Dragoon)

Kai (Miscellaneous)

Violet (Healer)

Dylas (Fighter)

Laney (Elemental Mage)

Neil (Rogue)

Porcoline (Paladin)

Elliott (Monk)

Marlin (Void Mage)

Maerwen (Summoner)

Ella (Songstress)

Ash (Craftsman)

Ivan (Conjurer)

Pia (Elemental Mage)

Evelyn (Ranger)

Celia (Elemental Mage)

Aurelia (Monk)

Maru (Mechanist)

Pico (Mercenary)

Sabrina (Necromancer)

Forte (Paladin)

Fiersome (Elemental Mage)

Harris (Paladin)

Sam (Gunner)

Gill (Elemental Mage)

Gaius (Berserker)

Kiel (Elemental Mage)

WAITLIST

Matai (Pirate)

Zavier (Ranger)

Fritz (Paladin)

Danny (Pirate)

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