#comes i want him to get stuck in a cave diving expedition and he gets lost and hes in this cramped pocket of air and he needs to dive to get

[dirt-str1der]

Cant be normal anymore whenever i see kiryu i wanna do to him what those people did to the cop lady in silent hill 2

[makiaan]

Erwin's Sister!Reader x Levi

Erwin with a sister who joined the scouts, and eventually gets engaged with Levi ;D (Note: 3 year age gap)

TW: Scouts bullying reader mentions that get physical in Erwin's section.

Erwin

Being Erwin's sister was not a easy task!

Erwin's parents had always taught him to take care of you, as it was his duty to protect his little sister from harm, and he took that job seriously

So when he had heard that you wanted to join the military he internally lost his shit.

"Perhaps you should reconsider." He'd smile, giving you a light pat on the shoulder "Because there's absolutely no way that I'm letting you join."

In the end you did!

With many conversations turning into arguments he caved in with a frustrated sigh.

By the time you graduated and joined the scouts Erwin had already became the commander.

Rumors were quick to spread of Erwin's little sister joining the scouts, and a lot were skeptical of her.

A lot of people tested your patience..

"Sorry Y/N, the spots already taken!" When no one had arrived to sit on the seat for the entirety of lunch or

"Sorry we forgot to leave some for you!" As the women would giggle amongst themself hiding extra packs of the rations behind there backs

Of course you never reacted to there bullying but it sure did frustrate the hell out of it. You knew what they wanted, and it was for you to run back crying to your brother for help.

You weren't gonna give them that satisfaction!

So you trained hard, harder then anyone else to prove that you deserved respect, and that you didn't need to use Erwin to hand everything to you.

It also served as a good distraction to people who approached with ill intent

Erwin of course knew everything that was going on, he had a conversation with you about it but you insisted for him to lay back. You didn't wanna risk rumors spreading of him being bias.

Though when things got rough, and expeditions were risker then ever, Erwin couldn't help himself.

If you got grabbed he'd dive into hordes of titans just to get you, losing you would make him go insane, and when it came to your safety, his dreams, and public image quickly became the least of his priorities.

The day the bullying became too physical he happened to pass by the room with Levi trailing behind.

Hearing your cries, and the sound of there boots kicking into your body, made his heart drop.

These were one of the times in which he got genuinely pissed off.

Slamming the door open, and stomping over, he quickly picked you up from the floor, giving the group a ominous look.

"You stay right where you are." He'd glare carrying you bridal to the infirmary

When he came back to the room the sound of his angered voice echoed throughout the HQ, and ultimately the group left the military after being put through grueling weeks of none stop physical training. (led by Levi himself!)

Well moral of the story Erwin tries his best to keep those professional boundaries, but when it comes to your life he'd do anything to protect it.

Levi (3 year age gap, reader started the military late)

Oh boy.. Here we go!

Erwin would've never expected for Levi to be interested in his sister.

But here we were, behind a building where no one could see, the wind blowing strands of your hair forward, getting all over your face. Levi gently brushed the strands behind your ear, his touch lingering for far too long to be considered as a friends innocent touch. "Levi?.." You spoke in a hushed voice. He couldn't help but stare at your pumped opened lips, leaning in and-

"Huh- WHATTTTT"

Well, Erwin ran into the two of you... He was as frozen as a statue with his eyes wide, and his mouth stuck in the shape of a O.

I think he might've even forgotten how to breathe

The up-coming days between Erwin, Levi, and you became extremely awkward.

Erwin didn't have the heart in him to ask about the situation, Levi didn't give two shits, and you were scared of Erwin being mad at you.

Though this wouldn't be the last time Erwin would walk into the two of you flirting.

This would happen 3 different times.. Catching the two of you kissing in the office, catching the two of you holding hands, and last of all catching the Levi having an emotional moment hugging you.

Erwin was absolutely MISERABLE, it wasn't the fact that he didn't like the idea of Levi dating his sister because Erwin trusted him, BUT it was the fact that he ran into personal situations he had rather not have seen.

poor dude...

Well anyways... When the day had come that Levi asked Erwin for his blessing for marriage, Erwin once again froze.

After he was done melting though, he casted his eyes downward, his lips curving upwards into a small proud but sad smile. It was hard giving his beloved sister away, but he was sure he'd make her happier then she's ever been.

"Treat her well ok?" His once clear and strong voice begun to crack, patting Levi on the shoulder.

man.. Erwin foreva...

[movieswithmac]

Hi everyone!!

It’s time to talk a look at my top 5 favourite horror movies. There isn’t many horrors that i like simply because the level of scare tactics these days are not what they used to be, nevertheless, I do have 5 that are as equally thrilling to watch as they are scary💀

1. The Descent

This is one that will make you seriously re-think a cave expedition career!!

Starting out with a pretty gruesome scene, there is no holding back when it comes to the blood shed. With a very diverse group of actresses, the talent is staggering and makes for a great girl power feel.. but that quickly changes.

As we dive into the movie with the girls going on a caving expedition to cheer up their friend Sarah(Shauna Macdonald), it’s clear there is a great tension between a few of the girls and nothing sorts out arguments like being stuck 100’s of feet underground with very little soace to move.

It’s not long before the girls are faced with more than just personal problems between friends. What would you do in that situation? You can’t turn back and the only way out is to continue forwards, fight!!! Fight your way out, through the darkness and the monsters that live within. Could you trust your friends and survive the unknown?

The Descent is split into 2 parts. The Descent Part 1(2005) and The Descent Part 2(2009).

If you have a strong stomach and love a horror night, this is the movie for you!

2. The Shining

Nothing beats a classic movie but what tops that? a classic horror movie. I’m taking you back to the 80’s when we never knew the extent of how scary things can be.

Starring the amazing Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, a man with a family who takes on a seemingly easy job as a caretaker during the winter season at The Overlook Hotel.

In complete isolation at a hotel with a violent past, how long before you start to lose you mind? Especially with a son that has a gift, the gift of seeing horrific things, more horrific things than young Danny should see at 5 years old.

As eerie as The Shining is, there’s something about it that makes you want to know more, eyes glued to the screen..what’s going to happen next? As Jack starts to lose his mind and his drinking problems begin to haunt him, it’s not long before things take a dark and bloody turn.

The demons of The Overlook Hotel don’t stay quiet for long and before you know it, you’re gripping onto the edge of your seat!

The Shining was released in 1980, a much loved horror movie that was and still is considered a masterpiece. The talk of a follow up was in the air for many years and finally, in 2019, we were graced with Doctor Sleep starring Ewan Mcgregor as Danny. Now an adult living with the gift of shine, we see what difficulties he faces due to his past and what difficulties lie ahead.

3. Hush

This appeared on netflix in the last few years. It’s the most intense film possibly ever, due to the viewers getting to understand a very small fraction of what it is like to be deaf and hunted in your own home for reasons unknown. Would it make it any scarier if you couldn’t hear your attacker? How about if you didn’t even know he was there?

Starring Kate Siegal as Maddie, a deaf writer that lives in a remote house in the middle of the woods.

There is very little in the way of a script but it’s leveled out with the fact that every single moment is completely gripping. Most of the movie is spent silent and this adds to the intensity. It truly is a terrifying movie when in the right atmosphere, that is, in complete darkness, all you can hear is the movie. It leaves you suspicious about the sounds around your house!

Definitely one to watch!

4. Scream

Everyone loves a gorefest horror movie, especially when they have an element of cheesiness to them. Scream is the perfect combo of comedy and horror, the complete opposite from Hush.

Scream is the ultimate slasher movie with an all star cast from Courtney Cox to David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Drew Barrymore and Matthew Lillard. Fun fact, Cox and Arquette were married just 3 years after the release of Scream in 1996, they must have bonded over their love of slasher movies.

If you’re up for a laugh, enjoy blood, crave gore and love a classic horror, this is rhe film for you!!

[anangelicday-mrwolf]

Wolfsbane : Noblesse Fanfic (post-ending)

(previous chapter)

Chapter 36 – Disorder in Order

‘I don’t get it.’

The man’s fingers clasped his biceps tighter as his arms were crossed.

The 3rd Elder was seated on his bed, his brain whirring madly in reflection.

The day that QuadraNet’s switch was supposed to be turned on – or rather, the day that according to Helga they would get to find the opportunity they have been waiting for, he fulfilled his mission.

That was the day for him to make good use of the mayhem everyone will go through and pick up any vulnerability or noteworthy factor they could use against the blonde scientist, who will surely prove himself as the tallest, hardest, and mightiest wall for the surviving Union to break through.

And on the D-day, Helga’s words came true.

Apparently all networks connected for the QuadraNet had gone haywire; not even Frankenstein could stay free from alarm.

No, he was more than alarmed; he was in panic.

‘As far as I know, he didn’t take part in the project. That day he was there simply to watch QuadraNet come alive. Which must be why he was so flustered, since he was in no position to do something about it, with no one to answer him, let alone help him.’

During the event, Frankenstein was basically stuck in the middle of his cave expedition, with all the lighting equipment mysteriously sabotaged, trapped in a pitch-dark space with the rest of his team too far away to reach, with no option other than emitting echoes of cries unanswered.

But Frankenstein was no idiot. In fact, when it comes to technology he is a virtuoso, competent enough to make Union covet and compete against him.

So to nobody’s wonder, Frankenstein eventually recovered the transmission and reconnected to the rest, incredibly fast for someone who was invited as a spectator.

Naturally, he could not spare his attention to anything else other than his computers.

Thus he gave 3rd Elder enough time to flaunt his skills in profiling and snooping.

‘Though I had to be extra-careful, in consideration of the person I was snooping about.’

As Frankenstein’s eyes were successfully diverted, 3rd Elder headed to the lab, to make use of the gear he was so thankful he had packed: a spray that reveals fingerprints, a development from a life technology company under Union’s possession, once used by civilians as well.

It evaporates over time, leaving no traces whatsoever once it is gone. And it conveys different hues depending on the time the fingerprint was first left, allowing its user to deduce the order and marking time of each fingerprint.

However, it can no longer be seen among civilians, as it was permanently discontinued following the public concern that it must not be led into the wrong hands.

And 3rd Elder could finally make it useful in order to track down Frankenstein’s most recent cognitive journey.

By taking a look at the files he submitted for the human scientist and files the latter had collected by himself, he would be able to pinpoint the main topic of the files or the topic Frankenstein is most interested in.

And ultimately infer what he is most deeply involved with and what he is planning, for the Union to prepare against in advance.

The 3rd Elder gave a little tip regarding this, by telling Helga that Frankenstein specified he intends to find out the reason behind the Noblesse’s mysterious return to life.

Which Helga did not buy.

Listening to you, now there is no doubt it is our gravest woe and fear that the Union had failed in making an ally out of him. Now that he is undeniably our enemy, we should be wary of his every word and action. And do you honestly think he was being honest with you?

He wanted to retort by correcting her assumption – Yes, you can trust him. He’ll never lie when it comes to his master – but he did not; after all, she did have a point.

‘By the way, how come I momentarily got so close to taking his side back then?’

The white-haired man shook his head to tune out a tiny voice within, to instead clutch his arms even tighter and reassess what his scavenging revealed for him.

He decided to add weight to Helga’s claim and delved into as thoroughly as possibly the files Frankenstein had been dissecting, to gain nothing in particular.

The volume and contents were beyond his imaginations, but all in all Frankenstein’s files were centered on similar topics.

Revival. Extension of life. Inducing coma or pseudo-coma state. Definition of biological death. And all that jazz.

QED, they were mostly related to life and death.

‘Which means he was staying true to the goal of his research he shared with me.’

Despite his disappointment, 3rd Elder did not deem his exploration a waste of time.

Which is why he was so puzzled.

‘For some strange reason, I found most of his fingerprints not on his files but on the cup he’d always place on his table. And on the equipment used to generate chemical drink. And he’s touched it very recently.’

To say “most of his fingerprints” was an understatement; for a moment 3rd Elder had thought he became a detective excavating a drug addict’s lair.

So he did not hesitate in pulling out a specially designed slip of paper to dip into Frankenstein’s cup for a sample.

All he has to do is to take the paper to Helga for analysis; this is where a problem arises.

‘The camera and recording device Frankenstein implanted in me may be dormant, but as of now I can’t send this to Helga. Not with Lady Lunark paying visits to this island. Not to mention no chance in hell will she ever trust me. Which means I must be the one to analyze the contents of Frankenstein’s drink.’

The job is neither impossible nor difficult, given that he is provided with appropriate apparatus.

He had trained himself in theories and practices in experiments, having orchestrated and participated in several experiments and projects at the Union.

‘But the only equipment I can use in this place all belong to Frankenstein. I’ll need distraction to use them.’

A single chance – that was all he needed.

A single chance of disturbance equal to the recent uproar affiliated with the QuadraNet. Or Frankenstein’s urgent trip to the werewolf realm.

‘Then it’d be less than a gulp to run the analysis,’ sighed 3rd Elder, his mind tracing back to the transparent plastic bag he had hidden, containing the paper slip safe from oxidation.

‘Should I place an order for disorder to Helga? She’s the one who commanded both occasions.’

Marveling once again at her leadership, 3rd Elder had yet to realize that his chance would come much faster than expected.

*****

It has been days since the night at a café by the beach of Incheon, Korea.

Because of which Yuigi has grown more comfortable around Takio.

The awkwardness and discomfiture she had been haunted with ever since she was parted from Union without consent were pretty much no more.

Nonetheless, Yuigi did not define her standing as better.

‘So let’s say I continue to help him locate Union’s facilities and gain his gang’s trust. And free myself from this choker. But then what? Once the last of the Union is gone, what should I do? What am I supposed to do with my life from then on?’

Driven by the searing guilt that she could not protect her brother and sister, Yuigi had lived a life of obsession with power.

Notwithstanding, she lost the powers she has so very feverishly nurtured. She lost the association and purpose that were entailed.

The life of Raciela, the sister of Arthur and Hailey, had long been disconnected from her.

The life thrusted upon her was the life of Yuigi, a member of the Cerberus, one of the top personal guards of the Union.

And Yuigi’s life was robbed from her over a mere day.

And she had no way to return to Raciela’s life.

She has come too far to indulge in ordinary life now. After all, she was now used to dubbing herself as Yuigi, surrounded by people who treat her as Yuigi, not Raciela.

She was reminded of a fairy tale she once read for her siblings: a story of a frog rejected by all animals.

The frog was born from water, to dwell in and dance across both earth and water once fully matured.

Alas, the frog’s gift of mobility in two completely unidentical domains won itself hatred from creatures of both domains. The creatures of water resented the frog’s ability to walk upon solid ground they could not even dream of; creatures of land were more than unhappy to see a native of aquatic dominion, reckoned inferior by the terrestrial-born, was treading along their footprints.

So in unison, they rejected the frog, to make sure it could find respite in neither the earth nor the water.

‘And looks like I’m the frog right now.’

Also, she had been plagued with void within, now that her life as Yuigi was lost as well. And she knew not how to get rid of the void.

She knew that she could not join what remained of the Union.

‘That’s just unimaginable, as long as this leash stays on me. Besides, even without this choker, I can’t possibly do that. Because...’

At then Yuigi fell heavily in silence, which was already hung upon her entire being.

Because?

Because what?

‘Why would you bring up the term at the moment? Don’t tell me you’ve grown a liking to that guy just because he’s been taking care of you.’

Yuigi violently shook her head, as if a bug had dived into her hair.

She shook her head so hard she thought she could hear her skull vibrating.

No, she actually felt like the entire safehouse was vibrating.

‘...Wait a minute.’

She reconsidered her thought, upon checking the water left in the cup on the table.

She could swear upon her life that nothing in the safehouse was moving, herself included, but the water was trembling, as if there were a quake.

As Yuigi fixed her eyes upon the cup, similar effect started to inflict the possessions within the safehouse, including the chair she was sitting in, the table she set her elbow upon, and the dishes inside the sink that were clattering in a nervous beat.

Just when Yuigi was trying to conjecture what could these be signaling, with a BAM the walls constructed to stand sturdy against majority of firearm and missiles spit out thousands of splinters, like a glass window hit by a brick.

Yuigi was swept in the aftermath and flung through the air, to be caught in the constructions and objects that had been composing the safehouse just a second ago.

Had she not been a modified human, and had Frankenstein employed materials less substantial, she would have never stood on her feet again.

Holding her head in her hand in a desperate attempt to do something about her eardrums, being bombarded with screeches due to the explosion, Yuigi could soon make out the highly likely suspect of the unappreciated delivery of disorder.

Fortunately her eyes were still functional, and she caught the sight of a huge man with hair the color of hay and face similar to that of a gigantic toad.

“...Could sme... I kn... Ver wrong.”

Yuigi had to squint to process what he was talking about, due to the noises that were still whipping up in her ears.

“...Was told... Ract tho... Not thi... Et you here.”

The man smirked, making himself look even more like a toad, with his eyes on Yuigi.

“No offe... Old to do... Be happie... Once I... Ally be... Anding at the spotlight!”

Before Yuigi could catch her breath after she was sure her ears have somewhat returned to normal, the man lunged towards her.

(next chapter)

I introduce you a new character - yes, he is an OC, and he is a supporting character. However, I added him for a reason, and you’d soon get to see why. Stay tuned for more!

[ajoraverse]

I should probably post things I’ve been working on, so here: an excerpt from Rhapsody (teens and up, FF5, Faris and Alexander, Ghost Festival fic). It’s a follow-up to The Island and will have a cover illustration.

It's for Lenna, and for her own soul, that she's here to summon the dead. Faris needs advice that she refuses to go to anyone else for; if she has to get her hands dirty, she'd rather no one know about it so as to better shield Lenna from any backlash.

He turns up around midnight. The spirit of her father looks old, worn-out the way he did just before his death. It takes him a moment to get his bearings and figure out that he's in the family mausoleum. When the recognition finally strikes, Faris raises her glass.

"Mornin', Dad."

Her father's eyebrows go up at what she's sure is an unusual tableau: a couple of chairs hauled from the castle, a table between them with a bottle of wine and two glasses, lit candles and incense that some Istorian shaman assured her would help her raise the dead, her cello propped between her knees and its bow unceremoniously stuck in the bass-side f-hole, and his final resting place right behind her. And she's in her king's garb. That always makes people look twice.

With a grin, she stands and steps out from behind her cello to make a sweeping bow. The white trousers aren't so different from what she used to wear as a captain, though the silk certainly feels nicer against her skin than the wool ever did. She still favors boots to the shoes that are in fashion; these are just nicer than her old pair. The waistcoat works as just as well as the binder did to hold her breasts in, and embroidered silver sea dragons swim up and down the edges and stand out brightly against the pale blue-grey, wave-patterned damask fabric. The ivory and gold brocade coat is probably her favorite part of the ensemble: the brocade is in a subtle dragonscale pattern with stylized wings in the back, the gold satin lining flashes when she strides through the castle and the long skirt-like tail in the back flares out like the one on her captain's greatcoat, red stitches decorate along the seams as an acknowledgment of her role as the Light Warrior of Fire. The white satin sash with its embroidered gold band and gold sky dragon brooch might have been purloined from a portrait of her father at her age, though the white lace cravat and its Syldra-shaped pin is all her.

"You've appointed yourself king?" The tone of his voice is mild curiosity, but the crinkling at the corners of his eyes betray his amusement at her gall.

"'Twas a concession, I'm afraid. I'll not wear a dress and the minister refused to let me attend official functions in my preferred attire. Lenna's still the ruling queen. She can keep her throne." Frankly, the very notion of undertaking Lenna's workload and responsibilities drives Faris up the wall. Anyone who would want to be a ruler of a nation has no idea what it takes to be a good one.

At her gesture of invitation, he joins her on the other chair; she sits back down shortly after he does, sets aside her glass, and drapes herself over her cello like some dragon sunning on a warm rock.

Fine, so maybe she did want to reconnect. This silence of theirs is comfortable; she has her own death to thank for that. She knows now, in a way she didn't before, that he accepts her as she is. For some reason he's never explained, he even seems proud of her. It's not something she needed--she came to terms with not having a proper family long ago--but both acceptance and pride from her father are nice to have.

"When did you take up the cello?" he asks at last, once his form fully shifts from transparent shade to solid and almost alive.

"Oh, well, funny story, that." Faris pulls her bow out of the sound hole and tucks it frog-end into her palm so she can get to it quickly when she needs to. She plucks out a simple tune that goes up and down scales, altering the beginning note each time. It's meant to evoke the thought of the Crystals spinning idly over their daises, light catching and reflecting off their facets. "We lost most of the skills the Crystal shards taught us when they put themselves back together. The ones we kept were those from the Crystals that chose us. Butz still makes a good fighter, with sword or without. Lenna's still our best mage. Krile's a nightmare with her katana and a wizard with potions. Me, I sneak around better than ever, I've still got a good ear and a knack with timing, and," her eyes might sparkle when she says it and her fingers pause for the moment, "any dragon I talk to talks back."

Her father perks up and his eyes sparkle just as much as hers. "Wild ones, too?"

"Aye. Wild and domesticated. Any variety of dragon. Mind, some of that I got from you. Fire Crystal just... enhanced it, I reckon." And that was an exciting discovery, being hit with a wave of malice just before some demon dragon leapt out at them from a treasure chest. Her head still aches sometimes from Shinryuu's mental assault.

"You were always sensitive to them," her father says slowly as he works through some memory or other. "Notos said he heard you when you were born. It's why I wanted you to ride him as soon as your mother allowed it."

Admittedly, she doesn't recall much of that time. At most she has snatches of half-remembered feelings and maybe some images. She does remember her father's dragon introducing himself for the first time and running, screaming, to the nearest watchtower because his voice sounded in her head and not from outside her like human voices.

Sometimes Faris suspects that this sensitivity is why she heard Syldra in that whirlpool he kicked up when she was fifteen, just before she dived in and they bonded. Nowadays it's just a matter of course, especially once Krile helped her hone her ability, and the dragons she encounters just mentally curl up in her head until she shoo's them out. Something about them recognizing her as kin.

She sets the bow on the D string and close enough to the G string for it to resonate and starts--the notes short and spirited and low-voiced, the bow strokes short, strong, and made down-bow. It's her, strutting around her ship. Or, rather, wishing she could strut around her ship--she ties the notes together under longer bow-strokes and rounds out the sharp notes, adding a bit of wistfulness to the composition. "Turns out I can't go back to piracy. Everyone knows my face as both Sarisa and the captain."

"The price of being a public figure," her father says dryly, though he's not unsympathetic.

With a nod, the composition changes. She shifts to the A string and starts on Lenna's theme: open, clear notes and long, measured bow-strokes. Elegant but unpretentious. "I can visit my crew and offer advice to my replacement. Can't do a thing elsewise that might endanger Lenna or her political standing." Her theme joins with Lenna's for the moment and her motif turns almost martial, an acknowledgement of her protectiveness towards her little sister, before she breaks away from Lenna's notes and goes back to her own.

Her motif grows sharper, louder, quicker, the notes disconnecting as the bow bounces along the string and almost growling as she runs the bow over both D and G strings at the same time. It sounds like she was growing unhinged. Which she was. "So I'm stuck most of the time at Tycoon with the ministers hounding me about being a proper princess. Drives me up the fucking wall."

Her father, to his credit, says nothing. She shifts over to second position on the G string for Butz's theme: light, quick notes and long bow-strokes. "Butz comes along to the rescue and hauls me out for an expedition to rout out the bandits camping in Kuza Castle." Okay, maybe he didn't haul her out; she was practically out the door the moment he said "expedition". Her motif brightens as it joins him on the way to Kuza. "Found shielddragons, didn't find bandits." With that, she introduces a slow, shambling bowing along the C and G strings with languid notes in a minor key. "Undead dragons, difficult to defeat but easy to control. And since we'd already gone all that way, why not have some fun?"

This part gets tricky, the joining of her motif with the shielddragons; she has to shift her finger placement further up on the G string to avoid awkward bowing. The tune grows playful--the shielddragons liked her, and she suspects that half the reason for that is that she'd been dead once. They were mostly mindless, but what little mind they did have left propelled them to listen to her. They responded well to simple commands, and she and Butz weren't above exploiting that. "So we played with them and headed back."

Her father's face goes peculiar; likely he's trying and failing to picture frolicking undead horrors. Faris tries not to grin as she plays her and Butz returning to Tycoon and running into Lenna. Sure they'd left a message, but Lenna prefers to be personally informed and her motif grows a bit snippy for being left behind again. "Lenna gets Butz to snitch about playing fetch with the undead, because she's magic that way."  

That does it. A fond smile splits his face, likely at the thought of Lenna getting into a larger man's face to glare him down until he caves. She'd probably done it to dear old Father plenty of times. Heavens knew Faris got that particular glare often enough, and frankly she prefers it to the disappointment.

"Now, my dear little sister knows me better than I know myself. The minx." It's said with all the love in the world, of course. She expands on Lenna's theme, turning it into a full song. "Knows I need to keep busy and knows to keep me separate from the nobles. Gave me this to better manage me."

It was framed as a birthday gift and gesture of appreciation from a master craftsman for helping to save the world, but Faris has no illusions. Lenna is a canny manipulator when she sets her mind to it and the gift has her fingerprints all over it: the painting on the cello's back of her lost ship and Syldra near the bluffs of her former hide-away is too intimate a detail for a stranger to just come up with on his own. Lenna denies all knowledge of masterminding its commission, but there's always a twinkle in her eye that betrays her whenever Faris brings up the issue. She did well and she knows it.

To be fair to Lenna, it was a clever scheme. Anyone Faris practices swordplay with will let her win on account of her being the queen's feral sister. The only ones who won't are the other Light Warriors, who came away from the whole save-the-world quest with enough skill to present Faris with a challenge. Problem with that is that the queen can't always make the time for Faris and her restlessness, Krile heads the excavation of Lonkan ruins and spends all her time studying them, and who the hell knows where Butz disappears to half the time. After a few lessons in playing it right, the cello got to be an outlet. It takes well to the fast pace and high energies of scherzos, she finds its range more pleasing and more like her than other instruments, and she usually manages to burn herself out enough to not be completely unbearable at supper.

"I'm surprised you let her," her father admits.

"Oh, there's no 'let her' with Lenna. She'll get her way, and she's so sweet about it that it's impossible to say no." It's difficult not to laugh before she gets out what she wants to say, and the insistent tugging at the corners of her lips are probably betraying her. Focus, you idiot. "'Sides, I figure if she gets annoying, I'll...throw a frog down her dress or somethin'."

"Faris." Her father looks like he's torn between wanting to laugh and wanting to scold her.

"Hey, I've been good," she starts off with feigned innocence. "Haven't even started making up for the years of lost pranking opportunities. Only pranked her once in all these years."

His eyes, dragon-green like theirs, widen in growing horror. "Faris--"

"Spiders in her hair," she continues, eyes glinting, and she's sure the broad spread of her grin can be misconstrued as wicked. "You shoulda heard the scream."

His sigh is long-suffering and he looks like he's tempted to plant his face in his hands. Good. He missed out on her shenanigans as a kid and this is as good a hint of what she was like as any. "Faris, you didn't--"

Finally she can't help but laugh. It's short, natural, and she might have tears she'll have to scrub out. "Maybe it wasn't spiders, per se. Just as impossible to get out of everything, though. Glitter and sequins. Lenna still finds shiny bits in her hairbrush sometimes."

[kawa-boru]

Dive Deep

Levi-

Diving was the most exhilarating thing in my life. It had been something I trained for and excelled in for years. I was a professional—all about testing my limits and exploring the unknown. Which was what brought me to one particular cave in the states. I’d traveled to America just for the rush of new explorations, bring my small but capable team with me.

My diving partner, Hange Zoe was seemingly more excited than I was as we prepared for the cave dive we’d been anticipating for weeks. Only one other diver had ever attempted to explore the cave and he hadn’t managed to discover much, which was why I knew that I was the one for the job.

I’d been a professional diver for ten years and in that time I had become well renowned for my skills. These days, I mostly did rescues and had just succeeded in a rescue of ten divers in training who’d been subjected to unseasonal flooding during their dive.

Doing rescue was a passion of mine, as was cave diving. The cave diving though, was something I did only for the fun of it. Because nothing hyped me up more. I was fearless and confident in my abilities, even when my own team tried to discourage me from certain dives—like they were about this one.

Hange agreed with everything I said and everything I wanted to do, so she had no objections. It was the rest of the team members who were adamantly trying to talk us out of the dive. This wasn’t something they did often, it was in fact very rare. I did understand, considering what we knew about the cave, which wasn’t much.

All we knew for certain was that the water was muddy and space was extremely limited. It would be a first for us, considering the cave was in a pond. Most of our dives were ocean dives and there had been several done in much larger lakes. Still, I had the expertise to do this dive and I was quite confident in Hange’s abilities as well.

So we went along with our exploration, diving in through the small opening and going in without thinking twice about it.

Hange and I went in with our guideline, our means of returning out of the small cavern. It got tighter in some places and the water was so murky I couldn’t see even a few inches in front of me as I led the way.

Within twenty minutes, we’d already made it further than the first diver, who’d ultimately given up the exploration in fear of the small crevices. I was completely calm, though excited as I kept moving forward—certain we’d find an air pocket eventually. For now, there were only small crawl spaces between rocks covered in mud. It was cold, but not unbearable thanks to our gear.

Eventually we reached an area that was more open, the width of the cave was considerably vast, at least fifty feet but the height was just over a foot. I’d been going for a while, unable to see anything and trying to keep as straight as possible until I finally reached the air pocket and I surfaced with a victorious grin.

However my face soon fell when Hange never came up after me and a quick check of my gear made me realize my guideline had been lost. As bad as the situation was, I didn’t panic. I checked my tank, noting I still had plenty of air left. There was no choice but for me to search for Hange and hope that she still had a connection to the guideline.

I went back in, but after searching for well over half an hour, I realized that I would have to give up. I swam around, both looking for my partner and trying to determine the way out, but without a guideline, it was impossible to know. In the end, I made a calculated decision to return to the air pocket to save what air I had left. It was just enough to get out, if I could get out without getting lost.

As an expert, I knew how unlikely those odds were.

Eren-

“Mr. Jaeger! Mr. Jaeger!”

“Whoa, what’s the rush?” I chuckled as I turned to one of my trainees who’d come running up to me, but at seeing the look of fear in his eyes, my amusement died. “What’s happened?”

“There’s a man here to see you! Something about a rescue. I think it’s very serious!”

“Alright now, just calm down.” I said as I patted the kids shoulder and then went to meet this man.

I was surprised to find a man twice my age, whom I’d recognized as a fellow diver. He looked anxious as he met my eyes and crossed his arms.

“Hello,” I greeted him casually and he was quick to drop his arms, pull a rolled paper out of his pocket and unravel it on the table in the room.

“There's a cave in a pond, the Lynch pond cave over in Tennessee. I was the first to explore it, just last year but it was treacherous. I never thought anyone else would attempt to go in such a place, you see here-”

I listened as he explained everything he knew about the cave in less than a minute, he was shaken and noticeably pale. He looked so distraught even I felt a little concerned, and I still didn’t know what was going on.

“Are you telling me this because someone actually attempted to do this dive?” I asked, not really wanting to believe it. I was adventurous and all about dangerous expeditions but even I wouldn’t have gone for such a cave.

He turned and nodded once, lips mulling together before he said, “I’m sure you’ve heard of him. Levi Ackerman.”

My eyes widened, the name washing over me like a tidal wave. Of course I’d heard of him, he was known worldwide and is famous for his many successful rescues and his second to none diving knowledge. I’d followed his successes over the years and he was an inspiration to me. If anyone attempted such a dive, it would be him… but…

“He went in several hours ago and his dive partner returned after the first hour, with the guideline. He’s stuck in there and they came to me… but I know I can’t do this rescue. I don’t have the skills or the mentality for it. You were the only person I could think of even having a chance of completing this rescue.”

Several hours. It was quite possible that Levi had ran out of air and drowned by now or even suffered from hypothermia. This was a horrendous situation.

“Do you think you can do this, Eren? Nobody else is even willing to try…” He told me quietly. “They’re prepared to fly you out immediately if you do decide to give it a try.”

“Of course I’ll do it.” I scoffed. Nobody else was even going to try. I was a rescuer for a reason.

As soon as I was packed and had everything I needed, I was flown by helicopter from my hometown in Florida, to Tennessee, only landing once we reached the very pond Levi was trapped in. Dozens of rescuers were scattered around, staring at the opening of the cave. The actual pond itself was the size of an average pool and the water even there was so muddy, I couldn’t believe I was going in there. If it wasn’t for the rescue, I wouldn’t have. I preferred clear water—and the ocean.

I spoke with the woman who had gone in with Levi, she was shaken and begging me to find Levi instead of answering any of my questions. It had been twenty four hours now, since Levi had gone in. I didn’t even let myself consider the possibility of him having died in there. I wasn’t willing to believe that, or waste any time.

There was zero visibility inside the cave, which was why the guideline was more a lifeline. Since Levi’s had been broken, he didn’t stand a chance. If he’d tried to search for a way out, he would have definitely run out of air. I didn’t want to believe that he would make such a mistake. I had too much faith in him.

The space was so tight in spots that I had to shimmy through more than swim. I concentrated solely on moving forward and finding Levi, alive. But the longer I was searching, the more I feared finding him dead instead. I had yet to find an air pocket and without one, he would have long since run out of oxygen.

My heart soared with hope when, after about half an hour, I reached an opening. But I was disappointed to find that there was no air pocket, and no Levi. So, I went ahead. The water became colder and colder and even with the light on my head, I couldn’t see a single thing.

It was another twenty minutes before I reached a larger opening, and I swam up, feeling relief as I surfaced. Air. There was air. I looked around the opening with my light until I spotted a muddy figure perched on a rock, staring back at me. I couldn’t help but laugh, the joy of finding him alive sweeping over me.

“Thanks for coming for me.” He told me calmly and I studied him for a moment, trying to see if he really was alright. “Who are you… must be a reckless brat to have even attempted to come after me.”

“Eren Jaeger.” I laughed and his eyes widened before he smiled.

“I should have known. If anybody could rescue me, it would be you.”

I almost fainted from being praised so highly by the man who was my inspiration. “How do you feel?” I asked to ground myself and because I needed to know everything before we could even attempt to leave.

“I’m fine. Cold as shit, but fine.”

It was amazing that he was so calm and cool after being in this cave for so long—with no way of knowing if he’d be rescued. I was impressed. But, this was a man who I respected greatly.

“You made a wise decision to take off your gear and wait here.” I said thoughtfully.

“It was the only decision to make… even if I didn’t believe anyone would be brave enough to try and come for me, considering the time I’ve been here… without knowing this air pocket existed.”

“You’re so alert. I admire you even more now. How much air do you have?” I asked as I swam closer to the rock he was on.

“Thirty bar. Should be just enough to get out.”

I checked my own and realized he must have searched for his partner a bit before giving up. “Alright. You’re definitely mentally stable, so let’s get you out of here.”

Levi nodded and slowly put his gear back on. I could see that he was shaking slightly but I knew it was because he was cold, not because he was afraid. It was freezing after all and I was glad I’d managed to come as soon as I could. He was alive and he was going to be just fine.

Once he was geared up, Levi jumped into the water next to me and I secured the guideline onto him. “I don’t know if it was any better when you came in, but there’s zero visibility through here. Stay close and if you feel as if you can’t go any further, signal me with this flare.”

I tucked the flair into the pouch at his hip and then stared into his eyes. “Are you following me?”

“Yes.” He nodded and I knew he was ready.

It was almost exactly an hour later that we exited the cave, a round of cheers and applause surrounding us. Levi was hoisted out of the water, a team of medics going in but he was quick to wave everyone off. I shook my head at this, smiling to myself as I got out of the pond on my own.

“I said back off!” Levi was snapping, refusing any treatment. “If you want to do something, get me a damn blanket.”

I laughed and was bombarded by a hoard of reporters and as soon as I gave a statement, I excused myself to find Levi. He was wrapped in a blanket, rolling his eyes as he listened to his team members go on and on about how frightened they’d been. He shoved them aside when he spotted me and walked over.

“Eren… I’d like to thank you again.” He told me softly and I waved him off.

“Don’t mention it. Actually, I’m really happy that I was able to meet you… even though I wish the circumstances had been better.”

“Well, I’m starving. Why don’t we go eat together?” Levi suggested and my eyes went as wide as my grin.

“Really? I’d love that!”

————————————————————————

One year later-

Levi-

Currently swimming through a cave that was ten meters below the ocean's surface, I looked around in awe at the crystalline overhang—the cathedral-like gallery and enjoyed the feel of the prestige water. It was a deep azure blue, the passageway fairly open and many different colorful fish swam around. It was nice, calming. I was giddy to be exploring another unknown cave, with my right hand.

I looked to my side at Eren who I caught grinning at me as we swam through slowly. Since we’d met, we’d paired together and if one of us dove, both of us dove. We’d become basically inseparable—and even more than that… we’d fallen in love.

He’d saved my life, and he was a magnificent diver—skilled way beyond his years and he’d been crazy about me from the beginning. It was amusing to know that he was a follower of mine, finding inspiration from me. It made me happy though and he inspired me more than I could ever do so for him. I trusted him more than I’d ever trusted anyone and there was never a dull moment in my life since I’d met him. We were always going on new adventures, making endless memories and documenting it all along the way.

We reached a larger expanse, coral everywhere. It was beautiful. Just past the coral archway, I stopped and looked up, able to tell by the change in the water that there way air ahead of us. I glanced back to Eren who was looking up too, knowing he’d figured it out as well. He met my gaze and then we swam up together.

There was a crack in the rocks above, letting the sunlight beam down on the water—illuminating a glow-like look across the opening. It was bigger than I expected, a small sandbar on one side in front of the rocky wall.

“Whoa, Levi, I’ve never seen sand inside a cave before.”

“It’s also a first for me.” I hummed and swam over to it, getting out of the water to sit on the sand.

Eren followed suit and we both took off our gear to save the air, wanting to take a while to enjoy our finding. It was beautiful. There was nothing better than finding things like this… with him.

“Hey.” He called to me as I turned to my left to set my things aside and when I looked back at him, his face was just an inch away from mine. He grinned. “Kiss me.”

I smiled as I closed the small distance between us and kissed him softly, hearing the snap of the camera as soon as I did. It had become a tradition of ours. The photo album we’d started packed full of us kissing in different caves all around the world. We had other albums for different pictures. But this one was the most special. Eren took several photos while we kissed just there and I knew the pictures would be as wonderful as all the rest. I was excited to add them to the collection we’d accumulated over the last year.

“Whoa, What?” Eren pulled away and looked down at his crotch before shrieking and scrambling into my lap. “F-f-fuck, it’s a turtle.”

“A turtle?” I cocked a brow, surprised a turtle would be in such a place but sure enough, there was. And Eren’s only fear, ridiculously, was turtles.

“Little bastard was on my dick.” He said as he looked at me, cheeks flushing. “For a second, I thought it was you.”

I chuckled as I wrapped my arms around him. “I should be offended that you would make that mistake.”

“Hey!” He pouted. “It’s not like I expected it to be a turtle of all things. Is it gone?”

“Yes, it’s gone. You can relax.” I sighed with a smile but Eren didn’t move.

“I think I’ll just stay here.” He muttered, resting his forehead against mine and I kissed him chastely.

“Well I won’t argue with that. Besides… we’ve got about an hour to kill.”

“Yeah…” He breathed as he reached up and started unzipping my suit slowly. “That’s a lot of time.”

“What are you doing?” I grinned as he moved his lips to my neck.

He returned my grin, though didn’t move his mouth from my skin. “I’m gonna tease the hell out of you and leave you hanging so you’ll be ready to fuck me crazy by the time we make it back to the hotel.”

Damn.

“That’s… fucked up.” I said quietly, but had no urge to stop him as he kissed my wet skin, lips hot and knowing.

“You like it though.” He stated confidently and he was right. Actually, I loved it.

When we returned to the hotel that night, I did indeed fuck him thoroughly and we crashed, smiling even in our sleep because we were just that happy. And I knew with certainty that we always would be.

[rarestereocats]

Amelia departs on the enemy ship,  working out her payment with them so they can drop her off on the shores of some other port town.  She's to go on a diving expedition and explore a cave for some treasure to pay them back,  so with there still being a day of travel for her until they reach the landmark above said cave,  she gets situated in her quarters and meets her new roommates.  An interesting man with bronze skin and hair that seems to flicker like flames named Anayo and a snake-like lady named Lux.  When they all ask her about why she's in the predicament she's in currently,  she makes up a lie about how we mercilessly killed her boyfriend in front of her and then locked her in a cage with zombies.  You know,  just a typical Friday night for somebody out there.

But anyways,  she's somewhat sad to be leaving us all.  So as one should always do in times of stress,  take it out on your hair and ring in the emo new year.  She has Lux assist her in dying her beautiful,  rainbow hair that I spent a lot of time helping her maintain;  jet black instead so if we ever cross paths with her,  we won't recognize her that well.  After,  she has some poor man's dinner that only rubs in the fact she'll never see us again and makes her miss our darling cook,  Stabby.  Basically,  this entire day is a 90s sitcom montage of her time with us set to Green Day's "Good Riddance" and if this were played in front of a live audience,  this is the part where you're all supposed to obnoxiously go "aaaw" and mail us angry letters for making you sad.

Come the next day,  the enemy ship reaches the landmark and Amelia dives down into the waters and reaches the cave with Lux and Anayo.  Meanwhile,  the rest of us are messes in our own ways.  Owkbanok is busy learning some new spells,  but it's hard when he's entered Mom Friend Mode and is worried sick for our girl.  I'm a little sad cuz I really thought me and Amelia were becoming good buddies,  so now I'm trying to go through everything we have at our disposal to track her down.  TT is also working on tracking her down,  but she's pissed as all hell and wants to stab Amelia for being a traitor and a coward.  With some charts and TT's navigation skills,  we follow the path the enemy ship to a port town a day away,  but when we reach land,  there's no sign of the ship or Amelia anywhere.  We figure they must've dropped her off in the night and moved on,  so we head on down and begin to argue over the fate of our buddy.

TT's convinced she's sold our secrets (what secrets??) to nobles and is gonna use as a scapegoat to save her own her ass,  so she votes we stab her.  Neither me nor Owkbanok wanna go stab happy on Amelia and would honestly like to have her back in the crew,  so after some more arguing,  we come to an agreement.  We'll bring her back on board,  figure out what the hell happened,  and beat her up.  With this solid plan figured out,  I decide it's time to start whipping out some of my more disturbing magic to track her down.  She made a very crucial mistake in leaving her bleeding skeleton,  Romero,  behind when she fled,  so after ripping out his heart;  I use it to cast carrion compass,  which will take us to his leader.  His heart is creepily animated and floats up to lead on,  going right back out to sea,  which wasn't what any of us anticipated or wanted;  but after some complaining,  we file back onto the ship and hit the seas once more.

TT tries to say my pay should be docked for not whipping that spell out from the get-go,  but I was worried it wouldn't work over seas.  I make a point for myself that such magic isn't easy and when everybody who doesn't use magic immediately has an opinion that states otherwise,  most notably TT,  I go ahead and rip out Romero's new heart that he regenerated,  slap it in her hands,  and tell her to give it a go.  She sneaks off to go invisible to try and pantomime this shit,  but Owkbanok easily calls her out and it's finally settled that it is indeed not easy to do and my paycheck is safe...for now.  In the wise words of Celine Dion in a song made famous for a movie everyone pretends to enjoy;  the heart does go on...and leads us to a rock,  which it proceeds to slam into over and over again.

 Amelia's not in sight,  so we take this to mean that she has been tossed away to a watery grave,  but we still need to turn her body in for that reward money.  As I grab the heart and throw it into the ocean,  it dives on down,  so we do the same;  following after it as soon as we pull TT out of a rip tide.  Back to present time where our timelines finally meet up,  Amelia is standing in the cave with her new friends when in a disturbing turn of events,  the heart shoots out of the water and slams into the back of her head.  This understandably unnerves and startles not only Lux and Anayo,  but her as well as she whips around to punch it and then sees the rest of us climbing back onto land.  It's a very awkward and tense reunion,  TT jumping the gun and telling Amelia we're here to arrest her,  but Owkbanok clarifying that isn't the case at all.  After we catch onto too many of her lies,  Amelia finally comes clean and tells us she left cuz she didn't want to go back to her hometown of Carlo Rose or they'd have her killed.

She accidentally killed her father when her magic first manifested during an argument the two of them had.  With Anayo and Lux trying to shove their way into the conversation and our patience wearing thin as we wanna take Amelia and run,  Owkbanok kicks off the fight so we also take off with the treasure they claimed was down here.  While Lux tries to stop the fighting at one point and urges us to make a truce,  we're all stuck in the heat of the moment and soon;  she simply teleports her and Anayo away.  We wanna chase them down,  but we're as injured as they were,  so we head back to the ship to rest up and decide what our next course of action is.  We're not sure what to do about the fact that the lost princess is indeed our crewmate,  so Owkbanok suggests we all just gather some of Amelia's things to turn in and tell the nobles that that's all that's left of her and collect the reward.  It's straightforward enough,  so we move onto the next issue.  Treasure.

Lost in the cave somewhere and waiting for somebody to lay claims to it,  so we decide that Nathan will go down as a "peace offering".  He'll give them false potions of health that are actually acid and tell them that their ship sent him to help them out.  While he does that,  the rest of us will get into position to kill them both.  Another simple plan,  so it should go off without a hitch,  right?  Most of us get into position with no problem,  but as Amelia goes to get ready,  she trips on a rock and yells out;  alerting both Anayo and Lux to our presence and they immediately start wailing on poor Nathan.  Despite the earlier fight going terribly for us,  we turn this one around and with Anayo slain,  Lux races to his side and falls to her knees,  accepting her fate.  With an arrow to the head,  she falls and we do as we do and l o o t  t h a t  s h i t.

It's also apparently show and tell for demented ass spells today as Owkbanok goes and drinks a pint of Anayo's blood to learn a spell from him.  Could've been easier to swallow if he just asked the guy while he was alive,  but you know what?  If a man wants to drink a pint of another man's blood for the pursuit of knowledge,  who are we to fucking judge?  Not one to be shown up like that however,  I go and flay the skin right off of Lux's back because with my magic,  I'm gonna turn her ass into a treasure map.  I assure you,  this is all perfectly normal,  I say as I roll that skin map up and tuck it away in my bag of holding.  Even Amelia,  the literal necromancer,  is horrified by our joint display of the macabre.  Before we leave though,  she disguises Lux's corpse as herself;  flayed skin and all,  just to throw the enemy crew off our trail and discourage them from following us.

Cuz really,  who wants to go after the crew that apparently has blood-sucking half-orcs and tieflings with an affinity for making rugs out of flesh?