#because i need to do vi justice after all the shit that went down in that last arc

[shoyoist]

i cannot stop my mind from working on this vi fic and tbh idk if i want to stop it

[susannaius]

Justice and redemption in Arcane

First of all, I would like to declare that I really enjoyed watching Arcane. I had fun, the characters are great (although I probably wouldn’t want to make friends with most of them), the artwork is simply brilliant, and the story was entertaining. But.

I am not happy with how Arcane handles the topics of change, justice, and redemption. This is mostly because what it says on the surface level about these topics is in stark contrast with what the narrative tells us.

TLDR: On the surface, Arcane tells us that it is never too late to change, repent, make amends, and start working for a better future. In contrast, the characters who have sinned but wanted to make amends all died.

Arcane s1 was brilliant because it set up a world where characters had VERY limited room to manoeuvre. Of course, this was partly limited by their own nature, but they had very little wiggle room to start with, due to the system around them being extremely limiting. The season felt like watching a car wreck in slow motion: you know it will blow up in your face, but you cannot look away.

In s2 (and partly already in s1), characters realised that the way things are sucks and they need to change. This is what I call the surface-level message of the show: the characters finally started to care for other people, changed themselves, tried to change the world and save their city – because it is never too late to change, and the city can be saved. And the city was saved. So all is good in the end. Right?

Wrong.

Because all those characters who made the biggest mistakes die. Let’s see.

Vander: Not sure about his role in the first rebellion, but he did try to kill his kind-of-brother at one point. Even though he then became a father to two orphans and a pivot to his community, he was killed fairly early on (and then two more times – ouch).

Silco: He was a crime boss and quite a ruthless person, all in all. He told himself that he did everything to free Zaun, but when he was offered everything he ever wanted, he was ready to turn it down for Jinx, his daughter, the only person he really loved unconditionally. He was ready to leave all the shit behind and start over with Jinx. But then he saw Vi and Cait, he lost his temper, and got himself killed – by Jinx.

Heimerdinger: He was there from the founding of the city, and he stood by as things went to shit over the course of 300 years. By the time he realised he had messed up, there was no easy way out. He decided to help, did his best, and then gave his own life to let Ekko return home.

Jayce: He was an idealist, he wanted to make the world a better place BY creating Hextech (that is to say, he wanted to create hextech). In order to do that, he let himself be manipulated by Mel, and each bad decision led to another. Later he realised it was wrong to try and force Hextech on the world, he wanted to undo the damage, and he confronted Viktor, eventually disappearing from the world. Whether he died or not, he will no longer be part of the community of this universe.

Viktor: More than anything, he wanted to end suffering. For the most part, he wanted to live longer so he can create a cure for other people. When he became Cyborg Saviour, ending all suffering remained at the core of his cult. He just forgot that suffering, or at least the possibility of suffering is closely tied to being able to feel joy, and unfortunately one cannot exist without the other. (I would not have minded if Jayce hadn’t said that “there is beauty in imperfections”, considering that Viktor had lived his life in pain and had a short life-expectancy to start with, all as a direct consequence of the privileged half of the city poisoning the less privileged. For reference, see the time in X-men when the lady who can make rain tells “we need no cure” to the girl who kills everyone with a touch. But I digress.) After Jayce reached him, Viktor repented, fixed as much of the damage as he could, then disappeared from the universe alongside Jayce.

Jinx: Jinx did some shit. She killed several people, both directly and indirectly. She very directly killed her second stepdad (Silco) and blew up the Council. But then she met Isha, managed to rebuild her family, played a prominent role in saving the city, and finally saved Vi – just to be killed alongside Vander (who was dying for the third time at that point).

Now let’s see those people who did some horrible things but did NOT end up dead:

Mel: Mel’s people were the privileges, and she was all about power plays. She manipulated Jayce into pushing Heimerdinger out of the council, made him allow the corruption of the council members continue undisturbed, let him create Hextech (which led to horrible consequences) – then discovered the truth of her origins and used her power to defeat her mother (and tackle the political side of the last problem).

Cait: Cait was most interested in keeping up law and order. She was very young and quite inexperienced, which made her an easy target to manipulation. Albeit lawfully “elected”, she became a dictator and declared martial law on Zaun. In the end, her love for Vi was strong enough to turn her against Ambessa, whom she recognized as a force against the autonomy of Piltover. Through that fight, she became an essential player in saving the city.

Ekko: Not sure how many people did he kill during his Firefly raids, but his real focus was always building his own community under the rubble, and this is what made him work that hard toward solutions that might work for everyone, or at least as many people as possible.

Vi: Vi was given the role of protector since the death of her parents (or maybe even before). She was taught to power through every problem and stand strong. She did her best every time, she tried to stay open, she tried to trust, she tried to stay gentle (she was the one who first tamed Beast Vander). She was not given one chance to have a proper breakdown in all this clusterfuck of a shitstorm (the only emotion she was systematically allowed to express is anger – like she were a man). The closest she got to her well-deserved breakdown was when she shut down for a moment seeing a possibly dead Vander – which the narrative promptly retaliated by killing her sister.

In these two lists, the main difference is not whether these people made any mistakes or whether they were guilty of any crimes. It is how much they changed throughout the two seasons. The people in the first list committed atrocities, but then realised their mistakes, and tried to change for the better and make amends. The people in the second list did not change that much.

How do you want your story to advocate for change and atonement if you kill of everyone who changes and wants to atone?

To make matters worse, Mel and Cait were both in officially acknowledged positions of power, actively doing what was best for the city and its people according to their conviction – even though they did abuse or misuse that power (unlike Heimerdinger who just let things slip). (They are both women of colour too, for diversity points. Yes, I know Cait is white in the game, but in the series she has very Asian features.)

Similarly, Ekko and Vi also always worked strictly for their community. Ekko had an actual community around for that, while for Vi this mostly meant her family (especially as she had no network after the death of her stepdad and spending long years in prison).

This is only mitigated by how Mel, Cait, Ecco, and Vi were always in the “cared for other people first and foremost” camp, however small that group of “other people” were. This indicates that they did not need to start or restart caring for people, did not need to repent or atone anything on this front – they did not need to change in a manner relevant to the narrative structure.

So, what does this say about justice and redemption?

If you stray from the path of the righteous, you die.

Even if you realise your mistakes and try to make them right.

Unless you are in a position of power given to you by law (as opposed to community) AND you don’t feel guilty for what you have done.

OR unless you always stay calm and collected on the surface so others can rely on you, masking through your existence.

This is a very strict, very law-based justice system where the path of virtue is narrow (made even narrower by adhering to the word of the law) and where sinners cannot avoid punishment. Coincidentally, it is a very Christian world view as well, but that is beside the point.

The importance of staying on this narrow lawful path is driven home by the visit to the parallel universe. Here Vi is dead, probably Jayce too (meaning that Viktor never got the chances Jayce’s existence provided him with), but the world is somehow much better – because we have to assume that at some point Piltover realised that they had to start caring about the people of Zaun too and help them instead of dumping their toxic waste on the lower city – you know, as people in power do, out of the goodness of their heart. Meaning that the work of Jayce and Vi was not only unnecessary, but downright harmful. Both of them were people who were working for a more equal community, and here we are, saying that their drive for change was detrimental. This says that power should have been left in the hand of the oppressors, because they would have done better eventually. Trust Me, Bro™.

And this is why there is no easy fix to this story. Because I would very much like to fix it, as I’m unhappy with the strict retributive justice system that allows no room for growth and healing for the community (unlike restorative justice as presented in The Owl House, She-Ra, Steven Universe, or Miraculous). I would very much like Ekko pull himself together just in time to save the falling Jinx, then take her away to his community tree and let her work through her feelings through agricultural labour (get a good Ghibli therapy, like the kids in Thrice Upon a Time, the latest NGE film). I wish breaking the cycle was as easy as letting the last victim of the narrow retributive justice system live.

If we accepted the idea that Jinx somehow took advantage of the energy surge in the Hexgate and got away, that still would not fix the trend of “sinners who know they are guilty getting removed from society”. Not even if we accepted that no one should be forced to make amends with the toxic community that is responsible for their trauma. On the individual level, it is totally understandable that Jinx would want to walk away, and it would not be a bad thing for the character. Staying would not really be a good option even if she lived, but her leaving would still fit the trend I am complaining about.

The whole Christian(like) concept of sin and retribution and the narrow path of the righteous is so deeply ingrained in this story that I don’t see there is an easy fix to it. The surface-level story is in such a great contrast with the narrative message that I do not see a way to reconcile them. Saying “Yes, a lot of shit had happened, but we came together, vanquished the evil, and built a new community” is in such a painful contrast with the fact that in this new community there still isn’t any room for the people who made mistakes. Just to make clear: I am not saying the characters are beyond redemption; I am saying the city cannot handle the concept of redemption. Justice is not there to make wrongs right, justice is there to punish.

This is made all the worse because from s1, it is obvious that it was the system that created the tragedy, not the individual people. If you do not change the system, you cannot expect the new community to be better than the previous one. Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. (At least not everyone who has any insight on what went wrong was killed off: we still have Mel to teach about power plays and Ekko with his limited knowledge of the Arcane. Hurray.)

So, to sum up: we have a story in which first we map out how fucked up the system is through how it fucks up people. We are shown these people trying to change for the better and make amends. But then we are shown these same people being killed off one by one, all while the city is saved, and a better future through a systemic change is promised. It’s just not a future that has room for our fucked-up friends.

This sends me mixed messages. I see a glaring contradiction between promoting change for the better and excluding people who actually changed. You cannot be both for and against change. You cannot create a different future by excluding the past.

In this sense, the real tragedy of Arcane is not how systemic injustice fucks up people and inevitably the system itself (see s1 and Jinx blowing up the Council in Piltover), but how the narrative fails the supposed message that you should start caring for other people. I’m not sure if it is intentional or not. If it is intentional, that is insidious. If it is not, because the concepts of sin and retaliation are too ingrained in the writers to notice what they were doing, that is just tragic.

[markerofthemidnight]

My First Time Playing Lob Corp In 10 Months

So I was bored and just remembered that Lob Corp exists, and I decided, “hey, why not play it?” Here’s how it went.

For some quick context:

This is my second run of the game.

I’m on Day 23, and the newest Abnormalities are Porccubus and CENSORED.

I was also supposed to do Yesod’s suppression today (actually my first time doing his suppression because last run I thought it was a good idea to skip them for some reason… then Day 46 happened, and well, now you know why it’s my second run) but I am NOT dealing with all that at the same time.

Every one of my employees (except for one of the day’s new recruits, Destiny) has WAW or higher EGO.

So funnily enough, things went wrong as soon as I loaded the game. If you wanna know how my train of thought went:

“So everything seems good here- wait, I didn’t get The Little Prince’s info? Huh. That’s weird, but I suppose it’s one more thing for me to do today… wait hold on, why’s there a mystery Abno in Information? Which one’s this?-“

“MANJIJI MAAAAAA-“

“…Oh. Right.”

So anyways, I got Don’t Touch Me’s information. The day already got started, and I already maxed out a mystery abno’s information! That’s progress, at least!

Or at least, I thought it was progress, because not even five minutes after starting the day, Singing Machine ate one of my best employees, and one of my other best employees went crazy and let out CENSORED just 20 seconds after starting the work process.

So… yay, progress!

All in all, the next reset went rather well. One of my employees even got The Little Prince’s EGO gift. So, when I reset, I was hoping to get a good Temperance trainer to help my other employees in Central Command work with Porcubbus… and what did I end up getting instead?

FUCKING. NOTHING. THERE.

As stated earlier, this is my second run. And to me, taking Abnos I’ve already picked in the previous one isn’t an option (except that one time I was offered Plague Doctor and took Child of the Galaxy, and when the only options are ones I’ve already picked).

So when Nothing There pops on-screen, of course I don’t wanna pick it… but I do. As far as ALEPHs go, Nothing There’s pretty tame when you get down to it. I at least remember that it’s like Blue Star but associated with Fortitude and Justice instead of Prudence and Temperance, and I’ve dealt with Blue Star before! It was my first ALEPH!

But just to refresh myself, I look up the rules of how Nothing There works. You need an employee with Level VI Fortitude and Justice… of which, I have two, neither of which are anywhere near Briah.

Yeah… turns out I don’t have many Justice trainers.

So I decide to put one of my ALEPH employees, Olive, on it. Despite not being my main employee for new Abnos, given her stats and the fact she has Smile, she might actually be my best employee at this point.

Anyways, the next day went pretty much like the previous one except there was a fourth Abnormality. Things went well, and I got a great amount of progress on EGO and Nothing There’s info.

And then Cheers of the Beginning happened and CENSORED broke out, forcing me to pretty much instantly reset because I’m not dealing with that shit.

Anyways, that was the events of my first time playing Lob Corp in like 10 months! I’ll take a break for now, retry sometime soon, and hopefully I’ll be able to get to Yesod’s suppression a little while after that!

[an-upset-librarian]

A Storm of Ice & Wind -- Part VI

As Nesta and Cassian travel North, they talk about the path that brought them together. 

At long last, I humbly bring before you all an update to this little Nessian story of mine. Nothing like a quarantine to get things started, huh? I hope you enjoy this little chapter! 

As always, if you want to be added/removed from the update tag list, let me know! I just copy/paste and I know it has been a while since I updated so...

AO3

I    II    III    IV    V

PART VI

             Thankfully, Nesta held back her surprised scream when Cassian quickly thrust up into the sky with his powerful wings. The drum beat of his wings drowned out the panicked pounding of her heart, but as soon as they cleared the canopy and reached open air, Nesta’s fear was replaced with childlike wonder.

            She’d never paid any attention when she flew before. Never really wanted to open her eyes and look at the world from the new perspective. How stupid she’d been.

            Her breath misted in the chilled air, the early rays of the sun catching it and casting a golden light upon her every exhale. She blinked against the glaring sun as it slowly peeked out from behind the wall of mountains spanning in nearly every direction. She looked down and the forest was only a dark blur beneath them. Washes of greens and browns and snow mixed together until she couldn’t distinguish one tree from another.

            The sky was a brilliant canvas around them. The dawn blushed into life around them, highlighting the clouds and emphasizing the creeping darkness of night as it faded away. Oranges and pinks streaked the sky and clouds. Nesta was in complete and utter awe. They were high enough that she felt as though she could reach out and touch the fluffy clouds around them. A gentle breeze washed through her plaited hair and pinched at her cheeks. She felt as though she was living inside one of Feyre’s paintings.

            The thought of her sister dampened her mood, but not as much as she would have expected. Flying above the canopy, enveloped in the painted sunrise filled her with tranquility, something she had not felt in quite a while.

            A smile lit her face and she nearly forgot who was carrying her when she tightened her grip around Cassian’s neck. The overwhelming sense of smugness exuding from her companion’s pores quickly reminded her of who she was with. He was watching her with mirth in his dark gaze, an all too self-satisfied smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

            The itching of her power under her skin faded to the back of her mind as she took in the great landscape beneath her and the skies around her. Nesta saw why Cassian loved to fly, why all Illyrians loved to fly. And what a punishment it was to clip female’s wings to keep them from experiencing such freedom.

            They were silent for the first half hour or so. Cassian focused on his flying and the trials they would face ahead, and Nesta relishing in the calmness flying brought her and the clarity she could almost reach. Before she knew it, she was relaxing in Cassian’s arms, the stress she’d felt about her magic and her overwhelming emotions fading with each wingbeat.

            While the air was frigid, it was a blessing against her hot, irritated skin. The brisk bite of the cold wind on her cheeks and her hands distracted her from the waves of power boiling inside of her. She knew she had to talk to Cassian about it, see if he could help, but her damned pride was still intact even after months of living as a shell of the person she used to be. Though, the person she used to be was stubborn and prideful as well.

            Maybe that person was still inside her, a foundation for the pieces she was trying to put together again.

            She lost track of time, lost in the beauty that surrounded her and the comfort of the arms around her and the body against her. It wasn’t until Cassian spoke, jolting her from her peaceful reverie, that she remembered their goals and what brought them to flying further North.

            “I needed this,” he said, his eyes filled with rare softness. Nesta nodded. She could see the stress leave his shoulders, like a weight was lifted, and the ease in his movements. His arms tightened around her as he breathed in the cold air. “After Hybern, when that bastard shredded my wings-” Nesta tensed in his arms, memories rising to the surface.

            “A part of me thought I’d never be able to do this again, to fly above Illyria with the winter winds against my wings and the sun on my skin.” His brow furrowed. Nesta wondered if it was the bubble that surrounded them, high above the ground with nothing but the clouds for company, that brought up such vulnerability. She felt it too, a tender and fragile part of her heart seemed to light up at his words.

            “I remember,” she started, “seeing you bandaged. I could see it, the determination to be fully healed but behind that I saw your fear too. And I felt it within me. I was in a body I couldn’t recognize with abilities I never thought possible, Elain was-well, she was Elain. Feyre was gone and so was my home.” That piece of her heart swelled with emotion and she felt the tether tying her to the male that held her grow taut. His thumb stroked her shoulder and he stared into her eyes with no hesitation or fear, only understanding. “I remember seeing you relearning how to fly. I wanted you to win that fight.” She met his gaze head on.

            “I wanted revenge, justice, whichever. I wanted one of us to come out of that cursed castle stronger and unchanged.” She clenched her jaw and exhaled a hard breath of air. “But that revenge came at a price. One I don’t know if I can pay.” The memories of the Cauldron and the King that wielded it came rushing back.

            The feeling of that cold water against her skin, the image of Cassian, broken and unconscious, crawling towards her as she fought and screamed. And what came after-when she was inside that ancient thing. The darkness that surrounded her and what she saw inside of it, what she stole. That darkness lived in her now.

            “Some burdens stay with us, like scars that don’t heal right, or broken bones that don’t set. There are wounds of the mind that can’t be healed, only patched over. I know, I have a couple. Knowing that I wasn’t strong enough, despite what these damned Siphons grant me, that I wasn’t enough to save your or your sister, it is the greatest wound I shall ever bear. Deeper than all the shit I did during the war so many centuries ago, or even the war we just survived.” Cassian’s voice was thick with emotion. His arms tightened to the point of pain, but she didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything. She could only listen, as he did for her.

            “I saw what happened to you, what you went through and I stayed away because I thought it would be best, Nesta.” Her name was honey on his lips, and she leaned in like a honeybee drawn to a flower’s nectar. His face was mere inches from hers and she could feel the heat of his breath fan across her face. She could see the golden flecks in his eyes shining in the sunlight.

            “I wish things could have been different for you, but they weren’t. You were dealt a shit hand and you’re trying your best; I can see that now. I know it isn’t easy. I know.” For once, Nesta actually believed he did know, that he did understand. That he could understand, somehow, the pain she felt. Their scars were different, but if she could recognize those marks on his soul then he could see hers. Another piece of herself fell into place as she stared into his eyes, as she felt his pain and saw his empathy. She took a shaky breath and cupped her hands around his face. They were hovering, almost, in the sky together. Locked in their bubble together.

            “I see you too, Cassian.” She pressed her forehead against his and felt him shudder. A sense of ease and comfort overcame her. It was so easy to be close to him, to be vulnerable with him. In the bubble, she didn’t care about her pride or her wounds that refused to heal. Cassian murmured her name, as if saying a prayer and for once she wanted to answer that call of devotion, without thinking about what it could mean.

            “I-” she stuttered, too afraid to finish.

            “I know,” he answered.

            She thought about the first time they met, when she was still human, and the war seemed like something impossible happening in an impossible place. How she judged those that accompanied her sister. So much has changed, but now it felt right. The thread that connected her to Cassian was singing. It wrapped around her chest and brought warmth and something she never thought she could feel. Its melody was familiar and welcoming, and she was being drawn into its dance. Nesta felt Cassian’s breath against her lips. She thumbed the slight stubble on his jaw and took a deep breath.

            She felt his lips brush against hers and was instantly reminded of the last time she felt his lips on hers, when they faced certain death together as that King walked towards them. Nesta jerked back.

            She heard it again, the snap of her father’s bones. She saw it, his crumpled form. Saw Cassian’s broken wings and body against the earth, looking at her with such grief and loss. All at once, those feelings that dwelled inside her that had been calm since they took off into the skies returned. Her heartbeat sped up and the power inside of her stretched and bared its teeth.

            Nesta pushed against Cassian as the panic set into her bones, nestling besides her pieced together heart. She could hear his voice, a few curses and some attempt at calming words but she couldn’t hear his words. Couldn’t focus. All she could hear was that Cauldron damned snap. All she could feel was the memory of his lips against hers, the salty taste of his tears and the desperation they both shared.

            She couldn’t be here, in his arms and thinking of kissing him. Not when her father was dead, her life forever changed and destroyed, her family lost to her. She couldn’t think, couldn’t focus. There was only the panicked sense of danger that filled every fiber of her being.

            That ancient power inside her relished in her roiling emotions. It took advantage of the brief loss of control she had and lashed out. Her skin was crawling and cold. Nesta’s muscles trembled and despite knowing she was hundreds of feet in the air, the power inside of her wrought havoc. It filled her blood and danced across her skin. She wanted to cling to Cassian, to pull him close and have him tell her everything would be okay, but that power was all consuming. Before she even knew what was happening, her body was finally free of his warm but confining arms.

            And Nesta fell.

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

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[spacegaywritings]

Warming Paws and melting Walls (5/8) “Territorial Revenge”

Summary: Nobody responded within a week and so Remy made sure to inform Emile so they could repaint the office. Virgil does not like being alone for long, especially when it is unexpected.

Luckily, the two are quick to make up.

 Tags: animal waster, cat litter box, urine, descriptions of urine smell, cleaning, a bit of fighting bc this is an upset kitty, food and eating mention, feeding, late nights, metal clanking sound, vaccine mention, vet mention, slight restrictions of breathing? Pining mention, auditory triggers, migraine mention, somft feelings, more snuggles and cuddles, kitty gone bad boi,

i do not think there is any more to be applied. If you need me to add anything, please contact me here or on my tumblr (spacegayparty, spacegaywritings)

My KoFi  - Support me ♥ or Commission me

ao3: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 // all.

tumblr:  1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 (you are here!) / 6 / 7 / 8.

 Story under the cut: (Wordcount ~3,1k)

Metal clattered together as the key within the lock pressed deeper into it and started turning in order to open the door at last. The light sound filled the cool air. Eventually, the metal keys fell against the dark colour, wooden door and with a particularly loud ‘knack’ of the door, the lock gave way and the way was free.

Remy finally stepped into his home.

It was dark already but that did not stop him from wanting to go home, it encouraged him even further. He was the kind of person to change the night but with Virgil waiting for him, there was an intense urge to just be with the little pet. The darkness outside his apartment was driving him to be faster when the hours passed and passed.

 He had cleaned everything with Emile, right after fucking painting it all and reorganising two fucking offices. It was work. It was a lot of work but it was paid extra work on top of that, yet Remy was not exactly a fan of it. The man liked doing his thing, being left alone a bit but also having some non-annoying or intrusive/persistent social interaction. But.. working with Emile all day was as lovely as it could be exhaustive.

That pal did not gossip enough! Remy wanted to talk about chill things, not how he hated or did not hate his parents and whatnot.

 Sometimes he wondered whether people moved away and went to other therapists so they would be safe from all their dreadful puns. Maybe it helped in therapy? He did not know but it made him feel fluttered and warm all the same. Still, it would get him to feel nauseous after some time. Maybe Emile played into his auditory triggers - too many words in too little time.

 Remy stepped into his home and closed the door.

The sound of shutting it echoed through the vast emptiness in his apartment. Actually, there was so much nothing, it really filled the complete living space.

 Strange..

 All he could notice was a certain smell.. a pungent, intense smell. It was odd and he could not quite place it.

It sort of reminded him of...

 Oh no.

 He carefully switched on the light.

Whenever he used his lights, he could not help but be glad about having found proper lamps that did not cause too much eye strain at once. People who developed and invented ideas for dim light bulbs and lamps that were made to be comfortable rather than stinging in illumination were simply saints and he would never back away from this opinion. Those were fucking heroes because they helped the dumb minorities like him that was too Extra (tm) to live with regular things.

 When the dim lights, he loved so much, showered the hallway in golden warmth, he noticed.. a weird bit of something on the floor.

 Please please no.

 “Virgil?”

 He called into the void, for the void.

Nothing came back.

 Was the cat okay?

 Remy carefully made his way over to the weird something on the floor. It looked like spilled liquid, somewhat translucent and odd.

Did... Did Virgil vomit or pee onto the floor? Holy fuck, it smelled awful in the most indescribable ways. He did not want to describe it anyway, let alone sniff it enough to figure out certain components of the smell or any similarities to other scents.

 ...Oh dear fuck.

The smell - It was cat pee. Virgil had decided to fucking ruin his floor right in front of the little cat toilet he had put up.

 Well... that was it, he supposed. It had been a dream that Remy did not really have to “potty train” the kitten since it came with a lot of good manners already. That was so much of an indicator that the cat was from somewhere, that they were civilised and socialised.

Still, after weeks of no answers, Remy had cut the search and was happy to call the cat his own (albeit he never said so but the smiles on his face were more frequent than before and even his migraines seemed more at ease - not to mention how rare they had become).

 But it was too nice to have a cat - a first pet - that just was clean and trained and would use the litter box accordingly.

 “I swear, you are going to kill me, Queen. I just cleaned it in the morning. It cannot be that bad, can it?”

 He already moved to open a few windows and make sure the horrible smell would yield to the fresh air of the evening.

Maybe he should not have been outside for so long without sending anyone over to check on Virgil and catsit after all. Remy admitted he should look into some silly students who needed the money and would be happy about just cuddling a cat and being able to have some WIFI and such.

 But really, he had not planned to stay outside for that long. He had wanted to run over and check in on the dust ghost during his lunch break. Sadly, Emile did have that sort of amnesia effect on him. His horny brain went dumb and forgot all the important logic and memory. Therefore, he had been too stupid from love to really think about Virgil needing him at that moment.

Next time, he would discuss this with Emile beforehand. One mistake was alright as long as nobody was hurt and he learned from it.

 With black bags under his eyes and shades perched up on the top of his head, he grabbed a few tissues, gloves and a mop and got ready to clean up. Excitement as great as it could have been in such a situation, he got down to clean up and once done, he finished up over there and tended to the litter box.

 Nearly empty. There was like, the usual stuff but it was not much because he had cleaned it in the morning - on purpose!

 “Are you fucking kidding me? Virgil, why would you do this?”

 A deep groan of annoyance split his lips. He got up to remove the bit of waste that was still residing inside. It just took a few moment and it was already done. He disposed of the dirt properly and put his cleaning utensils into the dedicated space. 

A tinge of worry hit him as he did so. The cleanness was achieved at last but what about Vi- Just then, a streak of black crossed his view.

 “Virgil!”

 His tone was low, touching a bit into the territory of a parent. Specifically, when a goody two shoes did something wrong and the parents got all “I am not mad, just disappointed”.  

The kitten ducked away and whipped its tail down before slowly swishing it from side to side.

They almost looked ready to fight and as if Remy had provoked it, the void suddenly jumped at his black boot - yes, just one. This was one smol individual and they had yet to be tol enough to attack two Remy feet at once. Soft paws drummed onto the shoe and the ball of charcoal furry was hissing and scratching.

 ��Hey! Ow-”, Remy hissed back in surprise and slight aggravation, “Virgil, what the fuck!”

 The cat jumped back and Remy quickly dropped his jacket, revealing a black sweat shirt he was wearing underneath.

 The angry cat hissed at the man and ducked and arched their back. Then, they went in for the fight, now aiming at his knees. A pair of claws jumped at him, so Remy committed himself to the idiocy of catching the cat and picking them up.

 Virgil did not get his knees but they did catch some skin of his arms.

 “What is wrong with you, gurl? Do you want to play? This is some shit way to tell me about it, queen. You pissed on my floor.”

 Virgil hissed again and Remy blinked in incomprehension. He should learn more about cats or something. Like, take a course in cat training because this whole behaviour was too sudden and confusing for him to make sense of it. These acts were so contrary to what they had done before to him. Even at the start of their relationship they had been somewhat loving towards once another.

 He did not want to admit it but.. the cat rejecting him kind of stung. Yeah, his attacked shoes were also a point of inconvenience he did not really approve of but they were manageable.

The cat was down on the ground again but definitely not down-to-earth. They were already spitting fireballs at the belated arrival and Remy was cursed with being puzzled forever since they could not communicate and explain what happened.

 Remy was unfortunate to think of Virgil as playfully fighting him. By instinct or whatever.

 “Hey Queen, if you wanna play, can you just give me a minute or two, so I can eat? I want to exist, too, and you need to eat as well.”

 He collected the food and water bowl and made sure to fill everything properly. Virgil had abandoned him again in favour of creepily staring at him from afar. The tail was swishing like a clock’s ticking arms. And they were counting his time until being brought to justice by Black Cat Law, aka The Void Law.

 The cat owner emerged from the kitchen, filled bowls filling his hands.

Dry food, just a bit - minimal amounts. Wet food - the main source of sustenance for the kitty cat. Water - because kitty cat got free bowls of water twice a day, thrice when at work with him.

Remy put it back into place and the kitten quickly returned to retrieve the food.

 “Yeah, now you are happy, are you not?”

 The cat very much ignored him so they could feast upon the bouts of food brought to them. Finally their slave human was working again and feeding them as he was supposed to.

Rude to just take an unannounced break.

 “Yeah, I should have expected you to be bitchy without food. You are just like me, are you not, little honey?”

 A chuckle could be heard as he took a little moment to relish in the sounds coming from the Void of Darkness and Fire (tm) purring and chewing. The noises were barely audible but Remy has started picking up the most silent ones. It helped him detect the kitten’s feelings or locations when he needed to tend to the cat. Also, it made finding the cat easier for when he wanted to give them a little goodbye-snuggle before going to work.

 The urge to cuddle the cat right now was strong but he made sure to not do it.

Cats hated that, as much as sources told him. Sources were the internet and people and also a book he had gotten by now. And the vet he had visited once more after he decided to keep the cat since nobody seemed to care enough. Also, vaccines.

Other than that, Virgil also scratched him once he tried to snuggle them while eating. This was only legal when Virgil was already snuggled up to him due to pure pity they felt for him. Such a Queen.

 “You are too good for anyone, kitty. I am sorry for leaving you alone for so long.”

 No answer - but the black blob of fur seemed to be at ease with the food and water. This was a start, he thought to himself. Remy still felt guilty for leaving them alone for so long. Then again, he had expected to have the time and get home for a little bit during his lunch break but that did not work out, somehow. And going after his official working hours was not okay.

 He should give someone his keys so they could look after the little Queen of Salt for a bit when he had to stay away longer.

What if an emergency ever came up?

 His head shook the thoughts of darkness and anxiety away. Instead, he busied his empty hands with the simple task of reheating some food he had made before. Tomorrow he would get some chicken for his kitten to make up for being so neglectful and thoughtless. He needed to be more considerate and accept his responsibilities. After all, he was some kind of caretaker right now - a cat parent, if you will.

 Remy leaned back and took a deep breath.

 “Virgiiiiil ~”, he cooed softly and took out a little kitty treat.

 Just one.

It was not just for his guilty conscience but also for the cat to know he did not mean to. Virgil needed assurance and the stability of life. Giving him some sort of praise for being alone all day - for literally at least 10 hours - was appropriate, he supposed.

 The kitten was already done with their bowl of food and was currently drinking when the smell of more food and the sound of Remy’s - their owner’s voice - reached them. They sensed being called over and looked up from their bowl, licking their muzzle and nose with a satisfied look on their face.

 “Kitty cat”, he purred again and the void gently let their tail swish just a bit above the floor for a few single strands of their fur to trace over the dark ground.

 They purred back in solidarity. Soft paws sunk into the similarly dark floor. The kitty took one step after the other and slowly progressed, body slightly lethargic from the recent intake of food. The ball of fur and mischief made their way over to Remy and sniffed the air.

A determination ruled their fine movements.

 Ah, yes. More food.

Good human.

Their eyes sparked at the man, radiating praise and appreciation.

 Remy smiled in return and carefully nudged his hand close enough for Virgil to nibble at the treat. Immediately, they welcome it into their mouth. Without realising it, the owner visibly relaxed, the air standing in his lungs was flowing out of his nostrils and allowed him to inhale deeply. His posture eased up and his shoulders were now more straightened and calm compared to before. St a few moments ago, the weight of guilt tore down his body and forced his back to be crooked along with pushing his shoulders into a hunching position.

No more guilt was crushing him anymore, though. The cat had accepted his apology and was carefully pushing their head into Remy’s idle palm. The feeling of warmth, a bit of dampness and furry delight was tickling the receptors in his hand. The warmth travelled up to his chest, spreading throughout all of his body in the process.

 “You are too good for me. Aw, Virgil. Little Queen of Salt”, he purred and gently shifted to lean over and started brushing over the smooth and slightly shining fur of his little companion.

 His left was holding the curious head of a peculiar kitty cat and he gently started scritching their chin - well, the underside of their chin. It was a bit lighter than the rest of their body. At least, this is what it seemed like to him. It felt warmer and more brownish, yet just as lovely as the rest of them.

 Peaceful purring filled the room with soft sounds and calming noise instead of haunting silence

 “I love you too”, he chuckled.

 Maybe he did not know everything about cats, nor did he understand all his little sass-bean was trying to express with their general body posture, the position of their torso or their tail either - really, he did not know much at all - but he was still trying his best. He certainly was getting better at it and this counted, did it not? Also, it was not like he did not try to educate himself. His workplace naps were replaced by reading in his “cat bible” and literally taking notes.

 Hands gently curled around the food-filled body of a satisfied little void. Cradling the coal cat in his arms, he held them close to his heart and walked over to their couch.

 “Does my little storm cloud want to cuddle?”

 His voice was a low coo and the kitten responded with audible purrs and an enthusiastic bonk when their heads crushed together again.

 Ow.

... He would totally never get used to cats showing affection like that. 

 Well, still worth it.

Apparently, cats did that to show love or some trash. Whatever, Virgil barely ever did it but it got more and more frequent after their first days together. Now it was more often instead of rarely but it certainly was not the most usual and common thing between them.

Still, it could change. At the moment he just wanted to relish in the warmth of their cuddles and the comfort of their intimacy.

 Remy flopped onto the couch and left the cat on his chest while he simply laid down flat onto his back like a lazy plank swimming in the water. Just floatin’... simply going with the flow, adapting to any wave.

 The cat returned the action by softly pushing their paws into his ribs. Lungs complained due to the compromised volume for more precious and essential oxygen. Not that Remy cared.. nor did Virgil have the cognitive ability to care.

 “You having fun there, kitty?”

 This cat was royalty and Remy would continue to lay around and simply have them run up and down his body. All he wanted to do was.... just take off his pants and such and put on a more comfortable and flexible pyjama. Falling asleep in tight jeans was not as great (they were great for getting some looks from his boss, though). The idea of moving around right now was just as unpleasant as the idea of falling asleep and waking up in the pants he had worked and sweated in all day.

 Unfazed by anything, the void was simply preparing their human bed for a little longer before settling down onto his ribcage...warm and pressing. Just a tad uncomfortable.

 “Okay, there you go-”

 Yes, this was love.

 Remy was too exhausted and comfortable to feel too bothered by his air flow being obstructed. Slowly, he felt himself drift off. The man was soon in a light version of a slumber and gradually become a victim to the sweet relief of a little nap. The discomfort of sweaty and smelly clothes was forgotten when exhaustion took over. The overwhelming state of being physically drained got the best of him.

All good sentiment was forgotten when the comfort of a good cat and a warm home hugged him.

 Bye bye meal he had wanted to have. He was already satisfied in other way.

He was home.

 This was heaven.

[eagesoldartblog]

Have you ever been so not proud of something like what happened here

Day four of Whumptober!!! Aw yeaHHH!!

Human Shield 

Above all else, there’s a tense silence. Neither person spoke, focused only on the other. Taking in their facial features and body language, gauging each other based on the small actions and twitches of their hand. 

How exactly did Death expect either to respond. One a towering spectator with a thirst for blood and a coward dressed in yellow. 

The walls exudes a sinister scent. Nearly frigid. 

The specter- Lewis glares at Arthur, doing nothing to conceal the fury burning in them. Infact- their fists smoked and burned, their plates of bone glowing pink. Resisting every temptation to subject Arthur to the peril they planned. 

The only reason Arthur wasn’t burnt to a crisp right there-

Was because Death forbade it.

Death, Arthur swallows tightly, blinking back a shudder as he thinks back to the numbing void outside of the walls, an all powerful being who- for some reason- patiently waits for all the souls to return to them. The one who brought both him and the dead spectator into its walls. 

*Why... is it because this spectator wants to kill him?* 

Arthur didn’t know how much of that glare he could handle. 

“S-So...” Arthur swallows, remembering how Death *promised* that no harm shall come to Arthur within their home, but this is a risk sigh the probability of a bomb exploding, but he needed to know, “Why are you after us...?” 

The spectator blinks, pink rings flaming. The fire within them growing by the pinkish glow now coming into their sockets. Muscles tightening, it speaks, “You have a lot of nerve to ask such a thing, Arthur.”

Voice gravely, echoing and sharp, the familiarity punches Arthur in the gut. It was so close to Lewis... Please don’t do this to me And yet, the only thing Arthur can ask himself is Why does it know his name?

“Is it?” Arthur challenges shakily, “you’ve been following us for a while. Are you - you’re after me at least, right?” 

”Who else?” It snaps.

Don’t flinch, Arthur. Don’t flinch. Stay strong.

“The girl.”

”Vivi,” Fuck it knows HER name too? ”I must say, I’m horribly disappointed in you. Disrespecting her that way.” The ghost scowls- seems to, and Arthur can’t help his flinch. 

“If you know anything about the world of supernaturals, then you know the importance of a name.” 

Eyes widen, the spectator tenses, now anxious and ... embarrassed? Holy shit did I actually manage to one up them??

They also notice Arthur’s victory, ”Fine. Whatever.” hissing, the flame of his hair ignites, growing tall and gaseous, ”You’re correct, I have business with you first and foremost.”

“O-kay!” His spine strains from tension, “Well. Uh- who are you?”

”You know who I am.”

Arthur bites his lip, swallowing back, “Mmm... no, no I don’t. Unless it’s from a case that I forgot! Then maybe?” He shrugs, really really hoping that the spectator doesn’t break its one restriction. 

”Excuse me?”

Should he say this? Should he really- oh well! “We- we lost our memories a while ago! A lot of past cases are completely gone for me, and - Vi doesn’t even remember one of our members or-“

”Which.” They take a step closer to him, far too close than Arthur would have liked.

They’re practically chest to chest, and Arthur needs to strain his neck to look past their tie. 

He didn’t know what compelled him to say it, share this crucial information with someone so dangerous.

“Our best friend. He went missing the same night we lost our memorie- AH!” 

When they snatched his wrist, Lightning bolts shoot through his arm. Amplified by the metal joints twisting under the iron grip of the spectator. His wrist now arms length away forcing Arthur impossibly close.

“S-stop..”

”Why should I? Your best friend is missing? You coward! Parading around like you’re innocent! And you feigning ignorance won’t get you anywhere, you knew who I was in the cave, so what’s different?”

The shooting ripples of pain rocket through Arthur’s arm, electrifying his fingers and frying the nerves of his shoulder, but it was far easier to deal with in comparison to the heart pounding anxiety coursing through the rest of him. 

The chase, the drive. Each horrible second of running down that horrifically warm cavern, met only to the blood stained, magenta burnt stalagmites that seared themselves to his memory. Overlapped with the horrible night where Lewis’s screams echoed through every wall. Where the only thing he felt was a cold numbness and endless agony.

What was different? What WAS different?

Voice strained and shrieking, Arthur squints through the tears, “Stop it! Death will-“ 

”I’m already DEAD, Arthur! I fell to your hand, why do you keep running from the truth-?!” Lewis’s burning scalp burst into flame, melting away to reveal the same face Arthur winced at many times before- from photographs, to missing photos, to voicemails, to the cave.

NO! NO NO NO- DONT-!

His grip didn’t falter. 

“Lewis, have you already forgotten our deal?”

Lewis’s grip on his arm releases, allowing Arthur to tumble back- landing on his ass and pinning his metallic arm to his side, praying he could make the electrical sparks hurt any less. So much so that he completely missed the parental tone whispering in his ear. Soothing him with comforting words and encouraging him to- 

Not thinking straight, Arthur lets his metal arm fall numb- ignoring its jittery sparks- and reaches to his prosthetic shoulder. Disengaging the locks far quicker than he should have been able to. 

None of those thoughts came to mind, not until the arm clatters to the floor, and Arthur is left weak and gasping and sobbing from the electrifying burns encapsulating his bones and heart.

“Didn’t I make my conditions clear, Lewis Pepper? Bring you two here, to allow you both peace. And yet, you’ve broken my only rule. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Arthur does his best to not fall over, the horrible pain barely subsiding and offering any leeway for him. 

In fact, if he didn’t hold his breath, he wouldn’t have heard Death’s voice surrounding him. 

Something grazes his fried shoulder, what felt like a hand. Anywhere it’s palm rubs, a soothed feeling simply... took the pain. Relaxed his heart. Brought the overwhelming thoughts to a soft hum and not a powerful shriek. 

Allowed him the strength to turn back and see what scene had taken shape around them. 

No longer was their wall paper and stained glass murals on the wall, instead, everything took on a much more... angelic appearance. Each wall covered in faintly drawn eyes, all blinking and focusing on them all. 

”I must say, I am disappointed in you.”

”And?” Lewis dared, and it became noticeably more twisted, long, draping wings of all kinds lining the walls like curtains. 

And for once, Arthur wasn’t fearful. 

But Lewis sure was.

Crouched over on himself, Arthur blearily glances around the new interior of the room. Everything was reflective, and thus shone a brilliant purple and pink as Lewis's flame lit up their surroundings. 

Lewis was... closer to him. Arthur didn't even realize it at first until he realized he was trapped in the immense shadow towering over him, but Lewis's back was turned to him. 

The golden heart, at Arthur's side. 

Breathlessly, Arthur switches from the golden- *brilliantly* beating heart, and Lewis's furious stance- his shoulders tense and feet planted apart, both fists clenched and enveloped in fire and burning flames. 

Why...

"Who are you? Why do you stop me?" Lewis demands, his voice and anchor crack in equal measure. 

Arthur grabs it, confused and compelled, the fear radiating from it drew him closer. Maybe this can give us an advantage..? Maybe-

The wings bristle, puffing up, and Arthur shudders. A warm wind washing over them. An even calmer chuckle tickling his ears. 

Oh Lewis, you misunderstand. You too perished far too early, and that is why I wish to do everything I can for you to get the justice you deserve. But Arthur, is innocent. In terms that he did not commit the act of judgment, but one of my own. 

The stained glass dyes red. And all at once, the walls, glass, and floor, shatter.

[foxyotomelady]

It wasn’t supposed to be, Chapter VIII (JuminxOC/Reader)

Author’s notes:

OKEY! The drama has come!

In this one, Riyu fucked up a bit, but don't judge her, she's just a human, she makes mistakes :< And she has her reasons...

Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V | Chapter VI | Chapter VII | Chapter VIII (You are here) | Chapter IX | Chapter X | Chapter XI | Chapter XII | Chapter XIII | Chapter XIV | Chapter XV | Chapter XVI |

Buy Me A Ko-Fi Have a nice reading!

Some time has passed, another few or maybe a dozen or so days. During all this time neither Riyu nor Jumin touched on the subject of their "almost kiss". Apparently, they both were just fulfilling what they said in a limousine that day - they had to forget about it. Of course, at the beginning it was awkward, but with time everything returned to normal. At least this was how it looked at first glance.

One evening all RFA members went to the karaoke club. Jumin didn't like such meetups, but he accepted them mainly because of others. After all, he valued their company, even if it was annoying at times. And Riyu was very excited about this and about the fact that finally, she would meet everyone in person - until now she had the opportunity to meet in person only Jaehee and Zen.

Riyu's greeting with Zen and Jaehee went quite normally. Although something twitched in Jumin's heart when Zen hugged the girl and called her 'baby'. Yoosung was almost crying with excitement by the fact that he could finally see her, which amused Riyu. Seven... Well, there were many screams and jokes and a tight embrace. But what was most important for Jumin - Riyu was smiling and seemed really pleased.

Then alcohol appeared. Jumin mainly watched and listened to others singing and spoiling known songs. Although Riyu has had a nice voice...

Thanks to her voice, he would endure it somehow, endure it and maybe even consider the meetup successful, but then... Riyu's phone rang. The girl grabbed it, looked at the screen and squeaked.

"Quiet! Quiet everyone!" It was clear from her voice and behavior that she had already drunk too much. Jumin was beginning to regret that he hadn't stopped her, but he didn't want to interfere in her decisions - he told himself that it wasn't his business.

Seven, who was just yelling the refrain of the song in his annoying voice, fell silent. Others also looked at Riyu.

"Mr. Chairman is calling!"

Jumin paled immediately. However, before he could even think what to do in this situation, Riyu already answered the phone, "Mr. Han! I'm so glad you're calling!"

Jumin put his face in his hand. It will be a disaster...

Jaehee glanced at him knowingly, also pale. Yoosung and Zen looked embarrassed. Seven barely suppressed a laugh.

"Me? I'm having a great time! We're at karaoke club! Jumin? Yes, he is here too! Jumin, say hi to your dad!"

"Riyu... I think it would be better if-"

"Aw, he's too shy."

"Hello, Mr. Chairman!!!" Seven yelled loudly and then began to laugh hysterically.

"Ah, this is just one of my friends! I'm sorry, Ms. Han, I will be going now, I want to have some more fun! I miss you too, darling!" Riyu hung up and started laughing along with Seven.

Jumin felt sick. Did she just call his father 'darling'? He knew it was alcohol, but still...

"Oh, oh! This is my favorite song!" Riyu exclaimed as the title of the next song appeared on the screen. She got up from the sofa and ran to the microphone.

"Let's sing together!" Seven joined her quickly.

Jumin put down his glass of drink, knowing he wouldn't swallow the next sip. When Seven and Riyu started singing, the others seemed to forget the whole situation with his father and start cheering them on. Jumin's head was buzzing. He didn't know how long he would last, how much more he would endure before he exploded... He didn't recognize himself.

"OH MY GOD, Riyu!" Seven shouted when the information appeared on the screen that they had achieved the highest score.

The girl jumped several times in place, "We are the best, Defender of Justice!"

"YES!" Seven grabbed the girl under her back and legs and lifted her in his arms. Riyu squeaked, Seven faltered, but somehow managed to remain on his feet. "We're THE BEST!" Suddenly he started to spin around with the girl, and she began to squeak and giggle.

That was too much for Jumin. When he got up from the sofa, he felt Zen's gaze on him - but he ignored it.

The moment he stepped toward the delighted pair of friends, Seven fell over and Riyu fell on him. They both laughed out loud.

"That's enough, Riyu," Jumin said coldly and now he felt everyone's eyes on him. Only Seven still laughed and rolled on his stomach as the girl slid off him.

"Chill out!" Riyu snorted, unsuccessfully trying to get to her feet.

Jumin clenched his jaw, grabbed the girl by the arm and raised her more sharply than he intended.

"Dude!" He heard Zen's angry voice behind him, but he ignored him again.

"You have enough for today," He hissed at the girl, his tone completely out of control.

Riyu jerked her hand free from his fingers, frowned, "What are you thinking?! You're not my babysitter!"

"What am I thinking? What are you thinking! Must I remind you that you are under my protection? Don't you understand?"

"Yes, I understand! Your daddy will not be happy that you let me come here and get drunk so that I can stop thinking!"

After what she shouted, an awkward silence fell in their room. Even Seven stopped laughing. Riyu bit her lower lip and looked down, "I'm sorry, I'll go to the toilet," She mumbled, passed Jumin and quickly slipped out of the room.

For a short while, everyone remained frozen in a place. Finally, Jumin moved to follow the girl, but he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Zen.

"I'll go after her," Said the white-haired man with an angry look.

Jumin looked back at him coldly, "Why?"

"Dude, do you really think she wants to see you now?"

"Yeah, Juju, you were quite harsh with her," When Seven added that, Zen already left the room, didn't wait for Jumin's permission, which angered him even more. And then... oh, great! His phone just rang! He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at its screen, "Shit."

"Is this...?"

"Yes, my father," He answered before Jaehee could finish her question. "I'm sorry. I must leave for a minute and explain this whole situation to him."

Riyu was sitting on the steps in front of the club, her head hanging between her knees. She stared at the concrete below her, her hair falling on her face. She felt sick and it was buzzing in her head. Perhaps she should listen to Zen, who discreetly pointed out to her that she probably get carried away a bit with alcohol. "It won't solve your problems," He told her then. "It will only cause more. Believe me, I've been there."

"Riyu...?"

She looked up and glanced at the direction from where the voice came. Zen was just walking toward her.

"Thank God, it's you... I was looking for you everywhere. You said you were going to the toilet."

 "I was in the toilet," She explained in a weak voice. "But then I felt that I need to get out to get some fresh air."

Zen slowly sat down on the step next to her, "How are you feeling?"

"I feel terrible. I smell like alcohol, I embarrassed myself in front of Mr. Chairman and Jumin would probably be in trouble because of me. God, what was I thinking?"

"What are you talking about? Don't worry about this jerk, he'll be fine. Anyway, he doesn't deserve your concern after the way he treated you."

Riyu shook her head and immediately understood that it was a stupid idea because suddenly nausea returned to her stomach. Somehow she endured it, "Jumin had the right to get angry. You can't deny that I gave him a reason."

Zen pulled a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. He offered her one, but she refused. He alone lit one cigarette, inhaled and let the smoke out the other direction, away from her face, "I still think this guy is allowing himself too much."

"Please, Zen, you know I don't like it when you talk about him like that."

"You are an angel, really."

Riyu snorted, "Seriously? You saying this after what you just witnessed? I am far from an angel."

"What you said... That you drink because you want to stop thinking..."

"Forget it, it was stupid."

"No, I don't think so. And I understand you after everything you told me. But I still think you should... No matter how much I dislike Jumin, you should tell him."

"Zen, I've already explained to you why I can't do this. You are not going to tell him, are you?"

Zen sighed deeply, "No, I promised and I will keep it a secret, although I don't feel good about it."

"I-" Riyu suddenly felt severe nausea. She quickly got up from the stairs and ran to the side to vomit. Not even a moment passed and Zen was next to her, holding her hair. Wonderfully, she was just spewing the contents of her stomach in the presence of the famous actor Hyun Ryu. Could it be worse? Of course, it could, because somehow, despite how nasty she felt, she heard someone's footsteps.

"Riyu?" It was definitely Jumin's voice. She didn't dare look at him.

"Dude, you should take her home," Zen suggested.

"Yes, I agree."

When she was finally sure she had finished vomiting, Jumin helped her straighten up. She was so tired at that moment, and she was dizzy so much that she forgot about embarrassment. She wasn't sure how Jumin led her to the car, because she awoke suddenly in a limo, in the back seat.

"Jumin?"

"I'm here."

"I'm so sorry."

"Everything is fine, don't worry."

She said something to him, but she wasn't sure what because she simply fell asleep.

Riyu slumped on his shoulder and fell asleep. Jumin did not try to wake her or move her away, even despite the unpleasant smell she now had around her. He was worried about her. This was not her normal behavior. Besides, what she said... That she would like to stop thinking. Something was bothering her. Something she didn't want to talk to him.

When they arrived home, he just took her in his arms and carried her into the building. She didn't even wake up in the elevator. Her clothes were dirty and she needed a bath, but he wouldn't dare undress her. He laid her gently on the sofa. He decided that he would let her sleep for a while.

Elizabeth was at her side immediately, "Look out for her for a moment," Jumin asked her, then went to refresh himself and change into sleeping clothes. When he did it and left the bathroom, he found the girl sitting on the sofa, with a face suggesting complete confusion.

"Riyu," He called her, and when she looked at him, still surprised, he began to explain, "You fell asleep along the way. Don't you remember anything?"

Riyu put a hand in her messy hair, "The last thing I can remember is vomiting in front of Zen."

Jumin sighed softly, but did not want to comment, "How are you feeling?" He asked instead.

"Better? I guess. But I'm still dizzy."

"You should take a bath and go to sleep."

"Yes, yes, you are right," The girl leaned forward to take off her shoes. Jumin took a step closer and watched her closely as she stood on her feet. He was afraid that the girl would lose her balance, but somehow she managed and went to the bathroom.

Jumin decided not to fall asleep until he was sure that the girl is safely laying in her bed. So he waited in the living room, stroking the purring Elizabeth coiled on his lap.

Riyu looked and smelled much better when she left the bathroom. Dressed in a nightgown and wrapped in a bathrobe, she walked slowly over to Jumin and sat down next to him with a soft sigh.

"You should go to sleep-"

"I'm really sorry, Jumin. Is your father mad at you? Or at me? Have you talked to him?"

"Yes, I talked to him. He was more worried than angry, but I was able to calm him down and explain the situation."

Riyu leaned forward and buried her face in her hands, "Thank you. I fell so stupid now."

"Riyu... You know that if something bad happens, you can tell me."

The girl looked up at him and smiled, "I know, Jumin. And I would like to explain everything to you, but I can't."

Jumin nodded, "I understand. Although I just want to know you better."

Riyu straightened up and scratched Elizabeth, still lying on Jumin's lap, behind her ear, "Well, I'm not usually so drunk."

"Oh, I haven't had a chance to tell you before. Another pup has found a home. As soon as he grows up, he will go to a family that already has two dogs, also from a shelter. I already asked Seven to check if they could be entrusted with another animal. "

"That's wonderful! Then just one of the four still needs a home... What about the person who left them?"

"Unfortunately they haven't been found yet."

Riyu nodded silently. They both sat there for a moment, and the silence that hung between them became thick. Of course, at such moments the least wanted memories would come to mind most often. And so it happened this time. Jumin shifted uneasily in his place when he remembered how he had tried to kiss her the other day...

"Jumin..." Riyu spoke suddenly, and the weak and sweet tone of her voice made him tremble. The girl was sitting so close to him, she wasn't wearing too many clothes, she smelled like her shampoo.

"Yes?" He asked in a low voice.

"I have the impression that I have never thanked you properly for everything you do for me. Despite all the stupid things I do. You are really amazing. Thank you."

Jumin wanted to answer something, but then he felt Riyu gently reaching for his face. Then he felt her lips on his cheek. Her lips were pleasantly warm, soft, moist... She held them in place for a moment, and when she pulled them back, Jumin turned his head toward her. Their faces were as close as they had been in the limousine, their breathing combined into one. God... how much he wanted to kiss her. Slowly and carefully, he lifted her chin with his fingers. He felt the girl's breath tremble.

"J-Jumin..."

"You shouldn't do such things," He whispered, looking into her eyes. "Do you know how difficult it is to hold back now?"

"Jumin... I..." Her shivering, cracking voice didn't really help him to stay in control.

"Shh... I won't do anything inappropriate," He leaned toward her and also kissed her cheek, but very close to her mouth, so that he felt the corner of her lips under his own. Back away from her and not kiss her again, straight on the lips, felt like torture. But he managed to control himself, "You should go to sleep now."

Riyu blushed charmingly, stared at him, then suddenly jumped up, "Yes, goodnight, Jumin."

He followed her with his gaze to her room, with a sore heart. He knew that Riyu would never belong to him...

[craostulpa]

Day 2317: Adventure!

So, I have to admit that I might have lied to you. Well, I definitely lied to you. And I can’t really give the story I’m about to tell justice without revealing it, so here we are. I actually have another tulpa called Fen, she’s very very shy (because apparently that’s a checkbox that every system has to fill), and because of this she didn’t really want me to talk about her on the blog so I’m going to skip over her as much as possible when I can. But in this one instance, I need to talk about her.

Fen is a selkie, which if you’re not aware is a type of creature from Scottish mythology that is a seal in the water but transforms into a human on land and carries their seal coats around. There’s more to those actual myths that I don’t particularly want to get into because there are definitely some dark themes there, but that’s the gist.

So, Fen obviously loves the ocean. And over the past 4 days, we have gone on a road trip with a friend around the northern coasts of Scotland, the North Coast 500 to be exact, so you can see where this links. There’s lots of ocean and plenty of pretty lochs along the way, and the north coast is also where the legends of selkies seem to originate.

We started off from Inverness at 11am and immediately realised how many other tourists were coming along with us, despite our decision to do the 500 backwards in a hope to not get stuck in a convoy along the way. This was probably a stupid idea since it meant that we’d be going head-on with Germans and Italians in massive RV’s on single-track roads, as we’d find out on the second day. On the first night, we camped on the banks of Loch Brora, a little ways off the main 500 route, and managed to set up just in the treeline with a beautiful view of the loch. Of course, camping in the highlands near water is a bad idea because midges exist, but overall it wasn’t so bad. First night in a new tent wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be, to be honest, although it did rain rather heavily which woke us up.

The second day was full of activity. We drove up to Wick, where Axelia and Faith decided that we needed an extra blanket in the tent, and so we bought a very very fluffy blanket from a B&M store. The next stop was Tesco to grab some snacks and hopefully a camping grill that worked properly (they didn’t sell any, and Argos was out of stock).

After the brief shopping trip, we headed up to John O’Groats to do the traditional tourist thing of taking a picture of the signpost at the most northerly point in mainland Britain. There was also a gift shop here, which sold all sorts of touristy crap about Scotland (which I don’t really need since I actually live here so I honestly just wanted to leave), and also some plushies. There was a plush seal, and Fen immediately latched onto it, so I had little choice. The label was a little faded but read £13.50 which wasn’t a bad price for touristy stuff, so I took it to the counter. The lady asked for £16.50 and, despite my irritation at being done out of £3, I paid without a fuss because I really couldn’t be bothered arguing. It was only when taking the label off in my tent that night that I realised the label had faded so much that it had originally read £18.50 and I had actually done her out of £2. Score.

After staring across the sea to Orkney for a little while and being battered by the wind, the only way to head was west, towards Thurso and very little civilisation. When we arrived at Thurso we realised how wrong we were to call it “civilisation”, since it was the size of a small town and most of the shops had closed down. We just passed through without stopping. What followed was fields and more fields, most of which were in the rain while we were stuck behind a Dutch couple who were doing 60 through 40 zones and 40 through 60 zones. There was a fair amount of road rage. Eventually, though, the skies cleared and we found ourselves on the first real single-track road of the 500, battling oncoming RV’s and tractors. The views were beautiful, and to post all of the pictures that I took would be far too much, but at one point we entered out onto an entirely flat moorland with nothing in any direction aside from some mountains looming out of a distant rainstorm. Shortly after the flats turned back into winding mountain tracks and, as the sun dipped and we fought our way past 3 large farm vehicles (including a combine harvester, despite the fact that there was nowhere suitable for growing crops within a 50 mile radius, more like 100 if you take the windy roads into account), we came across our next campsite just before Durness. The site was filled with tourists, mostly Italian, but there was a Polish family and we had been stuck behind an Estonian RV for the past 10 miles who had also stopped. But despite the activity, it offered one of the best nights of sleep of our trip. The patch of ground was situated directly underneath the Golden Eagle zipline, which is apparently rather famous to tourists in the area. Having done very little research before embarking on our journey, this was news to us, but waking up in the morning to people screaming as they flew overhead was certainly an experience. But the most important part of the campsite to us was the fact that it had easy beach access and looked out over the north sea.

Naturally, I had a wander along the beach as Fen enjoyed herself in the waves, and after a little while, as the sun set, I collapsed onto a sand dune and watched it go down.

Unfortunately, I was eaten alive by a cloud of midges shortly afterwards and retreated back to our campsite, but it was nice while it lasted. The next order of business was not a pleasant one, it had been roughly 100 miles of driving since there had been a public toilet and my stomach was making complaints. I waited until dark and squatted down behind a stone wall despite the threat of ticks. This proved to be a horrible decision. The next morning, we woke and I picked off around 7 ticks from my legs. To cut a long story short so that I don’t have to keep coming back to it, the following night there were 5 more, and when I got back home last night there were at least 10 others I found. Moral of the story is: Don’t ignore the threat of ticks and find a decent place to poop. We packed up our stuff and were gone by 11am, the sun shining beautifully. There isn’t a whole lot to say about the day aside from that it was a day of worrying single-track roads, 25% gradients, and beautiful landscapes. The few villages that we passed through were barely more than a handful of houses and a general store, although just down the road from the campsite was a wonderful little public toilet. Typical. Towards the evening the sunshine turned to beating rain as we passed Ullapool, and we desperately looked for another place to set up camp. The spot we found was at the bottom of a glen, under some pine trees, sandwiched between a river and the road. We set up camp and after a quick meal of undercooked burgers and pot noodles, we went to bed. The night was by far the worst I have had in years, the rain wouldn’t stop beating against the tent and, being at the bottom of a glen, the wind sounded like a jet engine through the trees, and our little tent was shaking violently. Luckily, I had a seal plush to cuddle and soak up heat, and a fluffy blanket beneath my sleeping bag, so at least I wasn’t freezing cold. At one point I heard a scream and, scrambling out of my tent to investigate, I found my friend also scrambling out of his tent wielding a knife as a bat had become pinned to the side of his tent by the excessively strong winds. We pulled it off and let it get on its way. The weather didn’t let up in the morning, and we were packed up and in the car within 5 minutes. In our desperation to get back on the road again, our friend managed to back into a tree and dent his bumper, but we ignored it and carried on.

The plan for the day was to leave the 500 and gun it across to the Isle of Skye and visit the famous fairy pools, an old grudge from the last road trip to the western isles where we never made it, and then return home. A few miles drive away from where we had been camping, just before Torridon, there was a small village that I forget the name of that we stopped to grab breakfast in. It was a line of houses on the edge of a loch, and it was gorgeous. It was also at this point in the trip, as I paid for my sandwich in the village store, that I had to wonder why every young lady we came across in the middle of nowhere was very very pretty. What do the westerners know that we don’t?

The following drive was filled with chatter about what car we would need for the next road trip, and other things to prepare for the future. As we passed onto Skye, I found out that my phone also has a nice robot lady to give me directions when needed, and we proceeded to the fairy pools after a small detour to a very overpriced gift shop. We arrived at the pools at just gone 1pm and were not prepared for how busy they were. There were tourists everywhere, and after a reminder earlier on Skye about how dangerous the roads could be (two cars were on their rooves down a small drop and in a forest on the side of the road) we were very nervous. Despite this, we arrived in one piece and were directed to a parking spot by a very nice man in a high-vis jacket, something that we didn’t expect in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Faith then got very overexcited with pictures.

I got a few nervous looks from tourists due to the fact that I was wearing full military gear that I had bought from surplus stores, which was nice because they got out of our way. Especially useful since parts of the path along the pools include crossings over rivers, and many of the tourists were pausing and scared to cross, whereas my friend and I just casually wandered across due to years of having to deal with this country’s shit. Mildly amusing. Once we had taken in the sights for an hour and a half, we piled back in the car and started the 200-mile drive home, which we managed to do in almost one trip. Last night I got home, unpacked my stuff, had a shower, and collapsed on my bed. I love camping and adventure, but nothing beats home. Fen misses the coast, but we have beaches near us too on the Moray Firth, ones with seals that show up more reliably. Still, one day I would love a house on the west coast, and probably a Land Rover Defender to go with it. That way we can get pretty views and visit the beaches all the time, and can drive reliably towards civilisation when needed. Thanks, Guys.

[tarysande]

Lucifer & Eve & Cain (no spoilers; just personal speculation based on mythology)

Like I said, I’m avoiding spoilers as much as I can, but I’ve been thinking a lot about Eve (mostly because I’ve had to think a bit about Cain for this post 3x24 fic I’m working on) and something occurred to me that just really pleases me about the idea of her as a character on the show. Because there’s some mild speculation (nothing fueled by spoilers because I’m not looking at them!), I’m going to throw the whole thing under a cut, though. 

Okay, so, in the show’s universe, we know Lilith exists(ed?) because Maze is Mazikeen of the Lilim. That means that the show is probably working from the Lilith-was-Adam’s-first-wife mythology. In that mythology, God created Adam and Lilith at the same time, from the same “stuff of the earth,” making them equal. When Lilith was then expected to be subservient to Adam as his wife, she was like “NOPE,” grew some wings, and went off to have demon babies of her own. When some angels were sent to her to make her go back to Adam, she was like “Oh hell no, literally,” and even though they said, “Look, if you don’t go back, a hundred of your demon babies will die every day,” she said, “That’s still better than being with Adam. Lilith out.”

Meanwhile, Adam’s all, “Ugh, I’m bored and lonely,” so God says, “Fine, fine. Go to sleep, when you wake up things’ll be better.” So, Adam goes for a nap, and God yanks out a rib and makes Adam a wife, Eve. He figures that, by making Eve literally out of a piece of Adam, she’ll be down with the subservience thing. “Helpmate” is the positive PR spin put on this. (PS: YUCK.)

Which brings us to the show and its recurring and super important focus on CHOICE. The importance of choice, the horror of choice being removed or manipulated, free will as choice, even choosing your own hell based on your own guilt. Choice choice choice, right?

It’s implied that Lucifer rebelled because he resented not having a choice about things, and because he resented that angels were created to serve certain purposes according to the gifts God had given them (and possibly because he was irritated that Adam, built in God’s image and all that, got to have choices). Enter Eve, right? Again and again, Lucifer tells us he’s misrepresented---his story is part of history told by the victors. We’ve got Man’s (assumed also to be God’s) version of events and Lucifer’s version. The truth is probably somewhere in the nebulous grey area between these. Nonetheless, I think we can probably expect that the show’s truth is not the standard, “Lucifer manipulates Eve into eating the forbidden fruit.” My guess is it’s more, “Lucifer gives Eve some important information that’s been kept from her, like, ‘Hey, did you know my Dad literally made you out of a piece of your husband so that you’d never make a decision for yourself and so you’d constantly put Adam’s needs before your own? (Sidebar: has Eve ever had an orgasm? Was this reason #1 that Lilith flipped a table on her way out the door? Just saying.) Did you know Adam had a wife before you who noped out of this place because she wasn’t keen on a role as helper instead of star of her own life? I’m not telling you what to do, but if you eat this apple, maybe you’ll have the knowledge you need to be your own person. (Also, I can probably help you with the orgasm thing.)’”

Because if we’ve learned anything about Lucifer over three seasons, it’s that the right to be one’s own person is sacrosanct. 

By the fact that humanity exists, we sorta have to believe that Eve took this knowledge and still decided to stay with Adam. Maybe he didn’t know Eve was essentially coerced by the method of her creation to be with him; maybe eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge was illuminating to him, too, and showed him she deserved better, and that he actually wanted a true partnership, which hadn’t been possible up to that point. Maybe he saw what an entitled little shit he’d been. Partnership is another of the show’s major themes, after all.

But if this is true, what if Eve isn’t actually back to jump Lucifer’s bones or tempt him or anything similar? What if she’s there to return the favor---helping Lucifer to see how he’s continually refusing to act on his own choices out of fear, the way he once helped her to see a truth she wasn’t aware had been hidden from her? What if she’s there to help him because she feels that he deserves some damn happiness and he’s still the biggest obstacle standing in the way of his own happiness? Now, she might do this in any number of ways, and one of those ways might be “temptation” in an attempt to stop lying to himself and see what he really wants. That’s what Lucifer understands; sex, pleasure, etc. It could be she shows up as if that’s what she wants only to say, “No, you dummy, you deserve better than this, wise up!”

Basically, I want Eve to be friends with Chloe. (I would also straight-up love it if she and Adam are actually really happy together, but she didn’t realize what she had until she tried something else and ate the fruit that let her decide for herself.)

Obviously, Cain has to be part of the whole equation. You can’t introduce the mother of a person Lucifer killed and condemned (essentially) to Hell without that character being relevant and important. In the some of the same mythology mentioned above (as I posted about a while ago), Cain is Lucifer & Eve’s son; I don’t know if the show’s going to use that bit of mythology. It certainly would put a spin on things, especially vis a vis Lucifer’s obsession with truth (and yet choosing to hide truths from Chloe, which has meant he’s been living his own brand of lie of omission and living counter to his own true nature, in which truth, fairness, and justice are his dominant character traits); Lucifer’s own issues with his absentee father and messed up family life; Lucifer’s fears about being lied to or manipulated; and the distinct parallels drawn between Lucifer and Cain/Pierce in S3. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Like I said, they may not go this route at all, but if they do? An absolute ton of the groundwork has already been laid in the story they’ve told thus far. (Or they could just do an entirely different twist; parallels were drawn between Lucifer and Abel, too, after all.)

Anyway, the tl;dr of this whole thing is that I think Eve’s characterization will revolve as much around truth and knowledge and choice as things that are withheld or manipulated by others as Lucifer’s does, and I am excited to see what they do with that.

[emeraldnebula]

In light my recent posts about the idea of creating a brand-new superhero love interest for Superman (the real one, not the impostor parading about in “Rebirth”), I thought it might be fair to share with you some old message board posts from the official DC Comics message boards, circa 2001-2005. This was back when the Superman fandom hadn’t atrophied to the point where only the regressive nutcases were running the show, so there were still some voices of sanity active at the time.

Even 13-17 years ago, DC’s arrogance, inability to accept criticism over their failures, and insistence of stagnation was a major sticking point, and it led to lot of debates over what needed to be updated about Superman to keep it alive, what was absolutely essential, and what needed to be kicked to the curb. I copied and pasted a lot of these conversations into Microsoft Word (I knew nothing of screen-capping at the time), so there’s some choice posts that, I think, are even more relevant than ever in light of “Rebirth” being a failure in every respect.

Some of these posts will be anonymous, as I no longer remember who exactly posted what. But some posters were fairly notable fan personalities, such as comic book blogger Bizarro Mark Engblom, a fan from the Silver Age days:

“ I wouldn't lose much sleep if Perry and Jimmy went the way of the dodo bird. I think they worked better in the age when newspapers were actually a vital element of our society, but they're now (at best) a quaint anachronism. An optional feature of our lives, rather than the necessity it was in past eras. Lois? The current interpretation of Lois is an annoying shrike, but I would think she would need to be around in some capacity. What that is, I have no idea. As it stands, she occupies a much more prominent role that I would ever give her. The real trick seems to be separating the “essentials” from what I like to call “furniture.” Essentials: Krypton explodes, Jor-El and Lara send their baby Kal-El (the baby's age never mattered much to me) to Earth, found and raised by the Kents as Clark Kent in Smallville. Grows up to become Superman. Furniture: Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, various Fortresses, super-pets, kryptonite, villains, blah, blah, blah. Of course, just as in my home I'm more fond of some pieces of furniture than others, it's still just furniture and, ultimately, expendable. From my perspective, there is precious little that absolutely must remain in order for it to still be Superman. Whenever the Superman experience starts to become more about rearranging the same old furniture than advancing the narrative into new territory (or, to beat the analogy to death, “buying some new furniture”), you know the franchise is stuck in a rut.“

An anonymous fan, quoting previous poster Cooky La Moo:

“You know, I kind of like the idea of The Daily Planet, Perry and Jimmy BEING an anachronism. Perry as an old-school newsman standing like Canute against the tide of time. The Daily Planet doesn't HAVE to be a great metropolitan newspaper, it could be seen as a somewhat eccentric throwback to a simpler age, sneered at by other media types, but respected when it can pull in stories like the debut of Superman. Maybe it could become “old-fashioned” in the same way that people see Clark's character itself as being “old-fashioned.” Or, like Cooky said, make the Planet a news agency. Or a web-based news site. How are magazines like Time doing? Are they being superseded like newspapers? Of course, is it necessary for Clark to be a reporter? With 24-hour news media, he doesn't need to be at a newspaper to get access to news stories. Could he be a teacher? Perry a principal, Jimmy a student teacher? Or some other profession? I've always thought that Perry, Lois and Jimmy should form something of an artificial family of some sort, so I think the characters should stay, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't get other jobs. You know the thing that annoys me? The fact that we sit here discussing issues like this when DC just doesn't seem bothered. What's going on?”

Two posts by DC forum regular Kilgore Trout:

“ The strict adherence to “continuity” is what got us to the point we’re at now. It has become impossible to just tell a story WITHOUT going through 16 years of “continuity” to make sure you’re not stepping into a pile of shit that someone left laying there 10 years ago. To me, continuity means this: Strange visitor from another planet [which is destroyed—along with his family—in a horrific cataclysm] rocketed to earth as a child. Raised by kindly older couple in the heartland of America. Has powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Works for a great metropolitan newspaper. And who, disguised as Clark Kent, fights a never-ending battle for Truth Justice et al…. Everything else is superfluous. Superman should exist inside AND outside of the DCU. The age of anal-retentiveness needs to end. The books are completely stifled under the weight of 16 years of step-by-step continuity. This isn’t the life story or autobiography of a real person. Superman’s story used to be BIG and GRAND. It wasn’t mired in small details and the mundane goings-on of normal folks. The “Hi, honey! I’m home!” approach isn’t working anymore and it’s why I am looking forward to Birthright and the promise it holds.“

“ Here's a simple solution... AFTER they revamp the current Moderateman and change him BACK to Superman, they can actually explain the Lois and Clark relationship in a way that would finally make sense. Here’s how: YES, Superman IS the OLDEST and most RESPECTED Superhero in the DCU BECAUSE of his MANY YEARS of service to and for humanity. And that would require that he's been around for over 60-some odd years, so here's my thought: Lois Lane is a woman that Superman USED TO have a thing with. She aged. He barely did. She is NOW about 60 and is his oldest friend and confidant. Nothing more and nothing less. The end. No marriage and no messy divorce. Just good friends and still an important part of the mythos.”

Responses to the above, from anonymous posters:

“ Kilgore Trout, I’m sorry but, huh?!? what do you mean exactly? Are you talking for TPTB up at DC to just reboot the titles to have it so that now in Post-Post-Crisis, both Kal and Lois have aged but within Kal's case though, the higher-ups have made it so that he has retained his youthfulness in his physical appearance, and so that Lois is now a grandma in the new DCU too? Yeah, I suppose that if done right it could work in the end. It would sure give another gal a shot at becoming his lover (Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan, Wonder Woman, etc.).”

“ Do we NEED Lois and Clark to be lovers? Okay, sure we do at the moment, assuming there's no reboot on the horizon. But if things started again, do we NEED a Lois/Clark ‘ship? Yes, I know. They've been an item forever. Their names are linked together in the public consciousness, but...what if, in another universe, Clark and Lana ended up together? Or Clark and Chloe? What if—Shock! Horror!—Lois and Clark were just good friends, maybe even best friends, but platonic friends nonetheless? I know that the secret identity causing trouble for Clark's relationships is an important part of the mythos, but can that be played out in another form other than a love triangle? Could it work with friends like Jimmy and Perry if their roles were beefed up? Thinking about it, that sort of situation perhaps works best in a romantic relationship, but that relationship doesn't have to be with Lois. I know, I know. Lois is an important character. I think a lot of the problems are down to poor characterization and a lack of vision for the supporting cast. But sometimes, and especially in conversations like this, it’s worth throwing out ideas and thoughts and seeing if any of them stick, even if they're not how things have been in the past. We hear a lot about redefining Superman, but of all the aspects of the mythos, Clark's character is perhaps one of the things that doesn't NEED changing. Maybe Lois’ role IS something that could change…. (Is there a devil's advocate smiley?)”

Post by Elroy the Cat, specifically citing the Lois/Clark marriage as a death knell:

“ The more fundamental problem with Lois in current continuity is not whether she's married to Superman or not. It’s whether readers can understand what the fuck Clark sees in her, because Lois is either annoying or more annoying, depending on the writer who's handling her. She's a difficult character, apparently, for male writers to pull off successfully. And that's a problem, because you can [and already do] have readers going, “This man could have ANY woman he wants! Why this troll?” It's distracting, and no one has thought to explore whether or not it speaks of a deficiency in Clark that he should seek to be loved by someone as clearly flawed as Lois is. Great story there…but then you'd have to have a real writer to write it. Having said that, the marriage as an idea is only as good as its usefulness to the greater story. Presently, it’s about as useful to the greater “journey” of the character of Superman as shoes are to fish. And therein lies the problem. Bottom line: the marriage is the nail that makes an eventual total reboot of this version of Superman inevitable.“

Another anonymous post in response to infamous forum troll Michael “ManoftheAtom” Sacal, pretty much backing up Bizarro Mark Engblom’s previous argument:

“To me, all Superman needs to be is… An infant rocketed to earth from a dying planet. Raised by the Kents. A reporter. And THAT’S IT!! I don't understand what these “established guidelines” are, exactly. So you guys are saying that if Superman is rebooted 1000 times, he always has to live the same exact life in each and every one of them??”

Excerpt from another anonymous post, again in respose to Kilgore Trout vis-a-vis DC’s pet failed decisions:

“I could not have said it better [following a laundry list of bad ideas DC implemented]. Actually the addition of each of these things was usually a part of a good story. But retaining them after the story as part of the Superman legend has created this disaster that I describe as clutter. Besides, kids who are getting their driver's licenses today (and probably giving up comics) were not even born at the time of the Crisis. It is time to relaunch, have another Crisis, or simply designate everything since the last Crisis as having occurred on some alternate earth (like the GA's Earth 2 or the SA). Then start writing comics for the next generation. Superman could discover Kryptonite again. He could be a bachelor and play the field. He could marry Lana instead of Lois (and that would not require a divorce)—in this brave new world maybe he had been a Superboy before becoming a Superman. He might have a cousin, fly in space, or travel in time. Or maybe not. But there would be room to do new things without having to screw up everything that has gotten him to where he is today.”

Again, some of these suggestions are from longtime fans whose readership stretched back decades. And even as far back as the early 2000s, there were those pondering if perhaps the Superman franchise needed a drastic makeover. I can’t imagine those sentiments are any less now in the wake of DC’s regressive tactics.

[wordsaremyenemy]

Hubcaps & Ashtrays [Loki X Reader] Part 1

Pairing: Loki x Reader Prompt: “The thing is, I wasn’t pretending." Word count: 2,300+ Summary: (Fake Boyfriend AU) You’re a school teacher, eighth grade ELA in fact. School isn’t even in session yet and you already want to rip your hair out. Good news, it’s right before Labor Day and there’s a four day weekend before school starts. Which means plenty of time to finish that pain-in-the-ass lesson plan that’s being avoided. Bad news, your family’s annual reunion is this weekend. Opting out really isn’t an option. Aunt Dot is turning 89 this year and even though it’s not 90 it’s still a big deal.

There’s no time to vet a decent guy before bringing him home, so looks like you’re going stag. Again. Which means Mom and all of your aunts are going to make damn sure that your love life is going to be center stage all weekend. Although, a night with friends might have the answer to all your problems in the form of Hallmark movies. A/N: Okay... so.... this is my entry to @justsomebucky‘s (to whom I apologize for taking so long, please don’t eat me) writing challenge from like months ago. Retail + Holiday season = no free time for little old me. Honestly it still isn’t finished, but I’m trying to get my ass in gear and do shit. I honestly shouldn’t even be doing this. I have laundry. And Christmas presents still to make. I have three done out of like twelve. (I’m crocheting and making dreamcatchers. I’m a mess right now.)

I have to give fair warning. This was the shameless self-insert I've been dreaming of. I still don’t think I’ve done it justice though. And though I kept the descriptions of the main character fairly... vague, or at least tried to. The readers aesthetic is very much what I consider my own to be. Meaning "Basic White Female Hipster" meets "Emo Punk Rock Queen." And honestly there's not enough love for punk. The title comes from Sleeping With Sirens’ “The Strays.”

Big thanks to the most amazing woman in the world, who’s read this more times than I have at this point, and very kindly beta-d this for me. I love you, babygirl. Thanks for calling me out on all my shit always.  Warnings: Mostly swearing

It all started Monday. You were running late, spilled coffee down the front of your brand-new cardigan, and remembered that you forgot to put deodorant on as you ran out of your Brooklyn apartment, nearly running over your neighbor-slash-best-guy-friend, Bucky. You end up fifteen minutes late to the very first staff meeting of the school year because you’d forgotten which way the conference room was. (It’s in a very peculiar place, okay? You would think it’s by the front office. It’s not. For some reason, it’s on the third floor right next to third-floor teachers' lounge.) At least you got to spend the rest of the day prepping your classroom.

Tuesday wasn’t much better. No big staff meeting, but you did have to meet with the two other eighth grade ELA teachers who were the co-chairs of the English department of the entire school. That was a trip and not in a good way. You’ve been teaching for four-going-on-five years. You knew what you were doing. Mostly. You liked to wing it the first week, get a feel for your students before you set down a structured lesson plan. Not that anyone really did anything that first week anyway.

Apparently, that wasn’t going to fly this year because Mrs. High-and-Mighty Jacobson and Miss I’m-so-much-better-than-you Atterbury insisted that everyone turn in their lesson plans for the first week by Monday. Great.

Wednesday started a little bit better. You remembered deodorant (you did on Tuesday, too; it’s the little victories). You didn’t spill coffee or run down Bucky. You actually had enough time to exchange pleasantries and be reminded to go over for your weekly movie night. There wasn’t a meeting, so it was pure setting up your classroom for the four classes you were teaching this semester. Of course, you agonized over that lesson plan but it was for the first week and you did just find out yesterday and surely it could wait until tomorrow, right?

Around lunch it gets hazy. Your mom texts you and reminds you of the upcoming plans you couldn’t escape that weekend.

It could be Aunt Dot’s last reunion, honey. You wouldn’t want to upset her, would you?

I told you last week, Ma, you text. I’m going.

You should bring that boy you’re always talking about. What’s his name?

You roll your eyes. Dirk. And we broke up months ago. I told you.

The next message comes a few minutes later. You pointedly ignore it and get back to your task at hand. Ironically, it’s also ignoring that lesson plan. Hopefully, there was going to be enough sangria at this weekend-long party to blur out the twenty questions that came with being single in your family.

You’re in the middle of packing for the weekend, jamming to whatever playlist you were last listening to on Spotify. It’s more on the punk side of your music taste than the pop side. There’s a knock at the door, causing you to jump.

“Y/N! Y/N, open up!” Bucky shouts from the other side of the door.

You pad barefoot to the door, clad in blue, fuzzy, penguin pajama pants and an old NYU tee that you definitely did not steal from Bucky a few heartbreaks ago.

“What?” you snap, opening the door in the middle of Buck’s persistent knocking. You’re surprised to find not only Bucky standing in the hall but Steve and Wanda too. Across the hall, Sam and Nat are standing in the doorway to Bucky’s apartment with their arms crossed. “Wait, shit. Is it that time already?”

Wanda grabs you by the arm with a playful smile and roll of the eyes, pulling you across the hall.

“No Vis tonight?” you ask, collapsing face first on the couch. Nat follows and flops down sideways in the armchair. You turn your head to watch Wanda as she answers.

“Vis is still away on business,” she explains with wistful eyes and a shake of her head. She was always like that when Vis was off somewhere that wasn’t wrapped around her.

“At least you have an excuse. I’m walking into this stupid reunion completely single. Again. And my mother is already on my case.”

Sam snorts, perched on the back of the couch by your feet. “Somebody needs a beer.”

“More like an entire bottle of wine,” Nat teases.

Bucky sighs from the kitchen, where he’s the sole person making pizza. “None of you are in here helping me make this pizza so I don’t want to hear anything from any of you if you don’t get something you like.”

That gets everyone up and around the island.

An hour later, everyone’s content and full of pizza. Even Steve, who always seems to be eating, has pushed his paper plate to the other side of the coffee table. Everyone’s gotten into their prime movie watching positions.

Nat is sitting sideways in the reclined armchair, bowl of popcorn sitting where her feet should go. Wanda’s on her stomach on the floor in front of her. Sam’s sitting on the end of the couch closest to them. Bucky’s on the chaise side of the couch; a picturesque view of relaxation. You’re in-between them, your head on Bucky’s lap, feet under Sam’s leg. Steve’s on the floor, between the couch and coffee table, leaning into the junction where your seat met Bucky’s.

They’re thirty minutes into the sixth episode of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 reboot, adding their own commentary to that of Jonah and his robot friends.

“So, whatever happened to that guy you went out with? The one that took you on a date to the opera?” Sam asks. "Why don't you just ask him to be your date? People do it all the time for weddings."

You make a face that doesn’t last long because Bucky’s doing that thing where he plays with your hair and make you fell all warm and cozy inside.

“Wasn’t her type,” he replies for you. He’d heard all about the disaster that was that date. Just like he’d heard all about the ones before it, too. From the day you moved in across the hall, you and Bucky had been inseparable. He was your best friend. Hardly a day went by that two of you didn't share your daily torments with each other.

It was actually Natasha you’ve known the longest. She’d been your roommate when you first started at NYU. It was rough at first. You were the furthest from a city girl, having grown up in farming community, but it was under Nat’s wing that you grew to love the city.

You’d met Steve shortly after, literally running into him one day as he was on his way to class. Turned out he was in one of your Education classes. You’d just never paid attention.

Funnily enough, Steve really made your connection to everyone else in the room. It was Steve who found you the job at the school he was teaching at. He’d graduated the year before, miraculously found a job, and was already the students’ favorite art teacher.

It was through Steve that you met everyone else, but it was fate that you met Bucky. You'd been looking for a place of your own and he'd happened to know one with affordable rent that wasn't far from work at all. The rest was history.

So, Bucky had heard all about the failed blind date with Loki Laufeyson.

You'd been set up by Nat. After getting tired of hearing about your lack of love life after you'd ended the only serious relationship you'd had since moving to New York, she'd taken it upon herself to set you up with the occasional guy to get you to stop bellyaching. There'd been decent guys. Each one was better that the last, like Natasha was getting better about picking out these guys.

Loki had seemed like exactly your type. Tall, dark-haired, and handsome. Proclivity for the color black.

And, okay, to say it failed...is a little harsh.

It was actually a little bit cool. You dressed up in your best date dress and did your hair nice. Went above and beyond on your makeup. He was actually early picking you up at the agreed upon place. (There was no way you were giving him your address.) He was a gentleman and opened doors, pulled out your seat at dinner.

There was just something about him. The first thing you noticed was his accent. (He was British, which gave you shivers.)

The second was that he was more slick-looking than the guys you usually fall for. More eloquent, too.

Honestly, it wasn't his fault that your heart refused to fully give up your teenage crushes on the likes of Andy Biersack (Mostly now -- Juliet Simms was a lucky woman) or Ronnie Radke (more circa "Situations" from his Escape the Fate days, or maybe even early Falling in Reverse -- though you had to admit, Coming Home was a bomb ass album.)

You just liked musicians. It's a thing. Everyone you've ever seriously dated was in some kind of band.

Loki was hot and he had the looks...but the aesthetic just wasn't there.

Back to the really cool part. The opera.

You legitimately had never been to an opera before. So, you hadn't known what to expect. What you got, however, was a heart wrenching tale in sung Italian. You didn't have to understand what they were saying to understand what was going on. But the story had been amazing. So much better than anything you could've read out of a book.

But there was just no chemistry between the two of you.

Which you'd told Bucky.

What you hadn't told him was there was a second date too.

That one was a little bit better. Loki seemed more relaxed than the time before. Just a button down and slacks compared to the full-on suit and tie this time. You'd gone with a skater dress and Vans instead of the heels from the last time too.

It was just a dinner this time. Not as fancy as the last place, but still expensive. You actually struck up a decent conversation. It was mostly about how you'd both been forced to go on awful date after awful date by friends (or family, in his case). He didn't like disappointing his mother.

By the end of the date, you were sure there wasn't going to be a third. It seemed as though you were wrong originally. Loki looked the part, but in reality, he seemed to be like everyone else before him. There was just something missing.

You're brought out of your head by Nat's annoyed voice.

"I really thought he'd work out too. Have to admit, even I didn't see the opera thing."

"What about Bucky?" Wanda asks. There's a knowing grin on her face like she knows something you don't.

You look up at your best friend to find him smiling like he's holding back laughter.

"Yeah, what about Buck, Y/N? You guys have always been really close," Steve adds.

This time, you do laugh with Bucky joining in. "Do you want to tell them or should I?"

"You can," he says sobering up.

"We've tried that," you explain. "Very early on. Before I even met Dirk. It was actually really fun. We went to a Panic! concert. It was great. We even kissed. But guys, we're just friends."

"What do you mean you kissed?" Natasha hisses.

And that's when everyone's attention turns from the movie to you and every minute detail about your date with Bucky.

It's only a couple hours later that you're standing in the kitchen washing dishes as Bucky picks up the living room. Everyone's gone home for the night.

"You could always hire someone," Buck suggests, as he sets a couple of glasses beside you to be washed.

"Do I look like Deborah Messing? This isn't one of your rom-coms, Buck. Stuff like that doesn't really happen in real life."

He laughs. "Come on, Y/N. You know I'm only joking."

"Face it. There's no way for me to find a date for the weekend. Not this late anyway. Besides, I'd rather not be that person that brings a different date to every family function."

"Why is this such a huge deal anyway?" Bucky wonders.

You stay quiet for a second, wondering that yourself. It wasn't that you weren't happy with your life. Honestly, you didn't think you cared that much about your relationship status. But then again...

"I'm almost thirty," you point out as you rinse the pizza pan in your hands. You can feel his eyes on you, like he's about to ask you how your age has any relevance to the conversation at hand. "I know, I know. But it's different for guys. Women have a prime window for creating a family. And I know I don't have to, that women shouldn't be expected to have children -- yada yada. I'm about all that. But I want to. I had a plan. And it sort of fell apart, I guess. And my mom is on me all the time now. And maybe I'm not really all that happy with where I'm at anyway."

You wash and rinse the two cups and you're done, draining the water and drying your hands off on a dish towel draped over the oven handle.

Bucky gives you a gentle smile and pulls you into a warm hug and kisses your temple. "Hey. It's no time to give up. You might not find a date for this weekend, but that doesn't mean you won't find a date for the rest of your life, Doll."

You lean into him and breathe deep. Sometimes it sucked that you and Bucky weren't meant to be.

[sherryfundin]

Lots To Share for Aftermath of Secrets by Cate Beauman Release @CateBeauman

Cate Beauman’s Aftermath Of Secrets Release Celebration!

AFTERMATH OF SECRETS

The Carter Island Trilogy, Book 2

RELEASE DATE:  June 4, 2020

MY REVIEW

Aftermath by Cate Beauman is Book II of the Charter Island series and picks up where book one left off, though it is Molly and Brad’s turn to be in the spotlight. I don’t know why Aftermath fell a little flat, unless it was because I was blown away by Secrets in the Glass and read it immediately after, and it didn’t grab me, like the first one. Could it be because I wasn’t as invested in the characters and their outcome, like I was with Callie and Nate?

One drunken night had ruined Molly and Brad’s lifelong friendship. Molly, Brad, and Molly’s brother, nate, had been like the Three Musketeers. They both missed it, though they didn’t know how to fix it. With romantic suspense a lot comes down to communication. Who would make the first move?

When the characters mentioned watching Friends reruns, I thought, isn’t Friends always on cable somewhere. LOL I watch them all the time. I love little touches like this that make it easy to relate to moments in the characters lives.

Molly is easy going, but she is a tomboy and not shy about saying what she thinks. I love Molly thoughts about fashion…sneakers, jeans and a sweat shirt. And makeup? What’s that? She is the opposite of Callie and I think that’s why they make such great friends. Sounds like someone I could be friends with too. They can fill in the blanks and help navigate some of their troubles, all while building a friendship.

Molly’s sister, Gwen, is the opposite when it comes to fashion. I love when she is dressing her for a New Year’s ball and she looks in the mirror, all glammed up, and says,”Holy crap.” I busted out laughing. Been there, done that.

Brad’s brother, Jordan, appeared, I thought his timing highly suspicious and Brad is leery.

I knew a shitstorm was brewing, it’s just, what kind of shit storm will it be.

I have read a lot of Cate Beauman’s books and love them. I’m not sure what happened with Aftermath. The beginning seemed a little choppy. I was already invested in the characters and wanted the best for Molly and Brad, but, for me, it never reached the level of Secrets in the Glass. I would recommend reading Secrets in the Glass first and feel Aftermath keeps Carter Island on the map.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Aftermath by Cate Beauman.

4 Stars

OF THE CARTER ISLAND NOVELS SERIES

SECRETS HIDDEN IN THE GLASS

The Carter Island Novels, Book 1

MY REVIEW

Secrets Hidden in the Glass is a looooong book and I have a lot to say. Once I started, I only put it down to eat, use the facilities, and sleep. The characters quickly became my friends and I went on one hell of a ride, filled with danger and suspense. It has so many elements I love in a book, my page and a half of notes is going to have to be severely edited.

Callie desperately needed a vacation and felt the magical affects of the island her first day there. She was in desperate need of sleep and it found her as soon as she sat down. She awoke more refreshed than she had felt for months.

She had already met the sheriff and, like the island, she felt an immediate attraction when he poked his head out from under the sink he was fixing in the home she was renting. He felt the attraction too and, seeing he was her landlord and neighbor, felt he would have many opportunities to get to know her better.

Callie is an artist, working in stained glass, and fame has not been kind to her. She prefers spending her time working on her art to hobnobbing with those who want a piece of her. She built a very high wall to protect herself.

Nate slowly dries the mortar that holds the wall,allowing it to fall and the light, along with her emotions were coming out in a slow way, relaxing in the small moments of getting to know someone. She steps outside herself not knowing why, just that it felt right. Their romance is a slow build with many uncertainties and danger.

The island life was what she needed. The people are real, easy going and not overbearing, even though they know she is famous, though she has no idea they know and is surprised by it when she finds out. All this reminds me soooo much of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Callie is relaxed, happy, but knowing Cate Beauman this is foreplay for the danger lurking in the background. I keep waiting and waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop. The slow, subtle buildup is spent getting to know everyone, including the dark memories that put a bullseye on Callie. It does get hot and heavy, but not in the ‘I like you, let’s do it” manner.

I am soooo curious how she came to be abandoned at four years old. She has all the issues that go along with it. That explains why she holds people at a distance.

...love and attachment meant fear and pain for Callie.

When Callie’s adopted mom told Nate that as a child she would get up in the night and sleep in front of the door so she would know if they tried to leave her, it broke my heart. It’s the little details that Cate Beauman adds to the story that allows me to SEE what is happening.

“It crossed my mind to knock him out a couple of times, but then I would have needed to arrest myself…” says Nate.

Be prepared for tears, laughter, passion, danger, and hours of nonstop reading, because Secrets Hidden in the Glass by Cate Beauman is the complete package. I am BLOWN AWAY.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Secrets Hidden in the Glass by Cate Beauman.

5 Stars

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE

MY REVIEWS FOR CATE BEAUMAN

The Bodyguards of LA County Series (all the books can stand alone)

Morgan’s Hunter, Book I

Falling For Sarah, Book II

Hailey’s Truth, Book III

Forever Alexa,  Book IV

Waiting For Wren, Book V

Justice For Abby, Book VI

Saving Sophie, Book VII

Reagan’s Redemption, Book VIII

Answers For Julie, Book IX

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