#i do appreciate his arc and him slowly stepping into the long cast shadow of the absence of the father

[pasdetrois]

can i say something controversial... nina should have been the protagonist of monster

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Halloo, I just wanna say that after i typed the dialogue with Jamil about wanting to ride a magic carpet, (excited for your reply) I thought why not an imagine for Jamil (perhaps Kalim too?) and mc riding on the magic carpet. Then you know the accidental kiss from Aladdin. I feel so fluffy, thinking about it. IT’S A WHOLE NEW WORLD, only if that’s okay with you to write hehe please feel free to ignore my request and i understand that you have other requests to write! :)) take care of yourself!

Hello, hello.

You can read the in-character dialogue response you’re referring to here if you have not already done so. This imagine is Jamil-centric since I felt that would make the imagine flow better--and it ties in well with the dialogue response.

I watched and rewatched A Whole New World several times to try and get a sense of the feeling of flight and wonder! I wanted to impart that into my writing. I hope it was successful.

You’re in luck, Anon. This piece exceeds my usual 1000 word limit on imagines, but I made an exception since I have a friend that really loves Jamil. If you’re reading this, my friend, you know who you are.

Please enjoy, and take care of yourself as well.

***Warning: spoilers for chapter 4 of the main story campaign ahead.***

Imagine this...

“...uu. Yuu. Are you there?”

They followed the cadence of the silken call to the balcony. Yuu threw open the windows and peered down--and there he was, standing on a magic flying carpet and set in threads of red, gold, and black. An alluring, snake-like smile upon his lips.

Jamil Viper.

“I have come to steal you away for the evening, as promised,” he announced calmly, offering his outstretched hand. “Come.”

“Are you sure this is safe? The magic carpet was pretty hard for me to control before...”

Yuu tactfully neglected to add that, when they had last been piloting the carpet, it had been to escape his clutches. Yet here they were now, just a breath away from leaping back into his embrace. Oh, the irony.

“Do you trust me?” Jamil asked, his question flat and simple.

“Yes...?”

“Then all will be well.” he offered his hand again. In the darkness, his eyes were pleading, longing. “Come.”

Yuu gingerly accepted Jamil’s hand, and they immediately fell into his arms. Was that sudden floating sensation the feeling of being in the air? Or was that their stomach fluttering at his touch?

He smirked at their blushing face when they gazed up at him.

“Good girl.”

“J-Just shut up and drive already...!” Yuu sputtered back.

“Mm. As you wish. Make yourself comfortable, and hang on tight,” Jamil advised, gesturing for Yuu to sit. He reached for the tassels on the magic carpet and tugged.

They bolted into the bitter night sky, the wind nipping at their skin. Then--they dived back down, racing through past various school buildings and into the courtyard.

Shadows lurked in every twist and turn, every crook and bend. Under the moon’s silvery glow, the college seemed mysterious, mystical.

“Everything looks so pretty at night...” Yuu said quietly, taking in the sights. “It’s like a dream...”

Jamil nodded and yanked on the magic carpet again, directing it to shoot up at an apple tree. It complied at once--and he plucked a fat fruit off of a branch during the ascent. The leaves of the tree rustled and jingled upon contact

He tossed the apple at Yuu, who caught it with a free hand.

“A souvenir,” he called it, “to prove to yourself tomorrow morning that this was, in fact, not a dream.”

“Oh, stop being so cheeky,” Yuu mumbled, averting their eyes. They were lying to themselves if they said they did not appreciate the gesture.

“Speak for yourself,” Jamil retorted smoothly. “We’re going up.”

“Huh? What, even highe--w-whoah!”

The magic carpet rippled through the sky, tumbled past birds, and tore the clouds asunder. Bursts of cool water vapor kissed Yuu’s face--unexpected, but refreshing.

The carpet slowed--

And there it was.

The night sky unfurled before them, a vast swathe of black and violet fabric encrusted with diamonds. Yuu’s mind cycles through a number of words--shining, shimmering, splendid--but none of them seemed to be able to really embody the sight.

“It’s beautiful...like a whole new world,” Yuu marveled, for lack of a better term. They tried their best to etch the view permanently in their memories.

Jamil scoffed. “Hold your breath, it gets better.”

“How does it get better than this?” Yuu asked, rolling their gifted apple around in their palm. “Free food, great sights, good company...it’s perfect.”

“Oh, you’ll see.” Jamil flashed a wicked grin.

Yuu didn’t like that look of his--but there was no time for them to process what it could possibly mean.

For the magic carpet plummeted like a falling star.

Yuu’s hair flew up, and they screamed, clutching on for dear life.

The carpet flew in arcs and loops, throwing the couple every which way and back. Then, picking up speed, it dived again--and the wind barked in Yuu’s ears, sending shivers of fear throughout their whole body.

Yuu squeezed their eyes shut, bracing for impact.

“Don’t you dare close your eyes.”

Jamil’s voice was at Yuu’s ears, drowning out the whistle of wind. It was low and seductive, yet gentle...and it soothed them to their quivering core.

��Look.”

Slowly, Yuu peeled their eyes open.

The world around them unraveled.

The sky and stars above, the river they skipped across below, the grass and the trees sailing by. Mesmerized, Yuu reached out a hand and ran it across the waters. Moonlight and midnight magic dripped from their fingers.

Yuu laughed.

Yuu laughed and laughed, relishing in the moment until, at last, the magic carpet whisked them home to Ramshackle.

The ride back was a tranquil one, wordless but full of feeling. Yuu leaned against Jamil’s chest all the while. Warmth and love and tenderness enveloped them.

“I had a great time tonight!” Yuu confessed as they stepped off of the magic carpet and onto their balcony. “It was all so...magical. Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure.” Jamil brought a hand to his chest and gave a mocking bow. “It must be well past midnight by now though--and you must be off to bed.” He smiled smugly. “Do try to remember that tonight was not a dream.”

“I will,” Yuu promised. The apple remained in their hands. “Good night...” Their voice trailed off, but they were quick to throw in a last-minute remark. “Good night, my handsome prince.”

Jamil’s poker face faltered. “I am no prince.”

“You are to me,” Yuu reassured him softly.

Jamil pulled his hood over his face. The darkness of the night--and the shadow of his hood--did little to obscure the faint blush creeping onto his cheeks.

“...Rest well, princess,” he mumbled back, bringing his eyes to meet Yuu’s.

They stared at each other--knowing that they should retire for the night, but not wanting to leave the others’ presence.

If only time could stop now.

Suddenly, Jamil stumbled, lurching forward by the motion of the magic carpet. Before he--or Yuu--knew what was happening, their lips were locked.

The apple in Yuu’s hand clattered to the floor, forgotten.

Their eyes drifted shut--and they savored the feel, and the taste of one another. He cupped their face and pulled it toward his, deepening the kiss. A mewl, a whimper, escaped from Yuu’s mouth against his.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

A magic spell cast by the stars.

But a cheer soon pierced the silence and shattered the magical moment. “Whoo-hoo! Good going, magic carpet!”

Yuu and Jamil broke their kiss. They snapped their heads in the direction of the voice--and there stood a familiar face nestled between shrubbery and the trunk of a dead tree.

“K-Kalim?!” Jamil sputtered, his cheeks flaming. “What are you doing here?! Y-You should be asleep at this hour...!”

“Heheheh! There’s no need for sleeping when there’s love afoot!” Kalim planted his chin between his pointer finger and his thumb. “Operation make-sure-Jamil’s-First-Date-♡ ♡ ♡-is-super-duper-♡-heart-♡-thumping-and-lovey-♡-dovey is a huge success!”

“KALIM!!”

[kore-arts]

The Heroes file

I tumble quickly out of the way from the blast as I shield my friend- oh right. I'm getting ahead of myself.

Let me introduce myself, Names Thomas sanders. And this how my life went to hell and back.

Thomas slowly wakes yawning as Regulus bangs on the door “Thomas! You're gonna be late! Get your ass up!” ,he jolts up quickly and swears like a sailor as he pulls on his Steven universe shirt after quickly sniffing it. He quickly runs down and he looks at his fellow triplet roman. “Dang Ro! You look fancy!” Roman preens as he looks over his outfit, a loose sweater with a scarlet red scarf around his neck. Tight pants shape his legs.” thanks tommy salami” he laughs and winks “you look pretty good too. Trying to impress Patton?” Thomas blushed the same shade of red as Romans scarf 

Thomas quickly looks sly and smirks “oh? And what about you? Trying to find your soulmate again?”

Roman was about to quickly respond as he glowed a deep red, when a wild screaming and laughter came down as Remus landed at their feet completing the group of triplets. “LETS GO” Remus quickly drags the two his crop top tattered.

Regulus’s angry yelling followed them “REMUS WHEN YOU GET HOME YOU ARE SO GROUNDED”

Remus Cackled “YOUR NOT MY PARENT BIG BRO” 

Thomas and Roman both groan simultaneously, responding at the same time “Tentacle prank?”

Remus shakes his head quickly. “Naw. filled his shower with mac n cheese again. Should expect it by now” he cackles as he drags them onto the bus.

The scene shifts to a scene of chaos. A loud booming growl sounds as the sounds of large wings boom as a large dragon takes to the sky. Leaving the prison in ruin. And the release of many, many supers on the wrong side of the law.

Many of them are caught in a large web and a barrier forms a split second after. Arachne hisses “King. we caught most of them. But we have a large problem. She escaped before me or Guard could capture”

A loud swearing sounds over the comms “got it Arachne. Get the rest to the Spare. I’ll track her down.”

“Got it King. and say hi to those brothers of yours.”

King gently laughs within the Base. “will do.”

He turns and quickly gets to work.

The Dragon witch cackles silently as she searches this information from his brain “i believe its time to pay a visit to a energy facility hmm.” she jumps down and manipulates the peoples minds around her to go incognito as she plans out just how to do this.

Quickly looking around she jumped down into the sewers into her hideout. A large fanged smile spread across her face as she pulled on her slimming outfit. Fitting her hat on while smearing black eye shadow across her face like ash.

Act 2

The Electricity that arcs silently 

Thomas calls out as he arrives at the steps and smiles wide as he hugs his boyfriend “hey Pat. how's the most handsome man in the world?” Patton blush and snarks “ i don't know Thomas? How are you?” They both start laughing as the school's Power couple grabs their bags. 

Roman and Remus are laughing together as they point out others and gossiping.

Another in their class casts a longing look. His hands gently float up to his scars as he quickly looks away and grabs his meager lunch and heavy bag. Janus quickly wraps his thin coat around him as he waits in what normally be called a winter wonderland for the field trips bus. He looks at a fellow classmate and quickly directs their attention away from him.

Patton and Thomas come out next playfully flirting and joking around. And in what looks. To be a pun war. A bright red sports car drives in and drops off a young woman in a baggy hoodie. Mari slips behind everyone to be unseen. Roman slides by her and hands a small package to her. “Your binder came in Marin. Are you sure that your dads wont accept you?” Marin shrugs “just… I'm not ready. I heard what my grandparents and aunt did after Pops came out… and that makes me really nervous” Roman nods understandingly “i got you. Well. looks like we are about to leave. Wonder where Dark and Stormy is?” Marin just shrugs. 

A black and sleek car screeches in as he quickly parks holding lots of coffee. “HERE HERE!!”  he quickly dispersed the coffee between everyone. Virgil says “Janus! I got you a tea cause i know you can't have coffee or chocolate” Janus smiles wide “thanks man. I appreciate it” the bus pulled in right then and there. Everyone climbs in quickly and Remus snickers as he somehow gets the back seat.

They arrive after roman had to separate the two lovers from making out and shoving Virgil and Marin together to actually talk. But noooo they just sat in anxious silence much to Romans frustration. An unseen figure stares down at the group and searches their minds for the most useful a horrid laugh that would ice over even the warmest hearts sounds. “How… ironic the most useful is King's brother!” Dari jumps down and quickly makes eye contact. Remus’s eyes glaze over in a sheen of a fires red before he blinks and it's gone. 

Roman walks over “hey Re? You spaced out there.” Remus looks over and smiles gently “eh. Its chill thought i saw a squirrel” he looked excited, all effects apparently gone. Remus suddenly punches Romans arm “yellow punch buggy!” Roman groans and a subtle flash of light heals the bruise. The teacher gathered everyone and paired everyone in groups of 4. Virgil,Remus,Roman and Thomas were together and due to too many kids Patton joined them. And the class went to explore and do the activities set out to educate them.

Later as the sun sets and our group is left behind Remus’s eyes glazed again. Roman jerks away, recognizing that effect “Re! C'mon fight it!” Remus robotically swipes his hand sending everyone flying back. Thomas and Patton slammed against the rails and slipped over the edge. Thomas’s gipping the rail and Patton's hand 

Thomas calls out “Remus! This isn't you!!” 

A Icy laugh sounds behind him “no it isn't little Royals.” Dari Gripped Remus’s shoulders “now it's time for us to take our leave. Do it Remus.” Remus flinches as he tries to fight but becomes limp like a puppet. A sweeping energy swept the place as it crumbled electricity arcs as Thomas is hit in the back and falls with Patton.

 They hug each other as they fall to what they think is their deaths. Roman screams, catching Thomas and he gasps in horror as he sees Patton dead. Virgil was thrown outside as both Dari and Remus ran out. Dari smirks and quickly suppresses all of his memories. And in a flame they both disappear. King arrives quickly as he sees everything destroyed. Roman is holding Thomas and is crying in despair. “I-i couldn't save them. I COULDN'T SAVE REMUS OR PATTON” his heart breaking voice sounds out as he sobs. Regulus hugs him “i know. I know it's not your fault” he comforts them as sirens sound behind them. Soon Virgil and Thomas are loaded in. both unconscious.

Ruins left behind. and that event is what changed my life. for ever. 

[bitchardhendricks]

Well I’ve Never Been to Heaven (But I’ve Been to Oklahoma) Pt 6

I have so appreciated the small but loyal following this Tulsa fic is developing, and all of your comments and feedback really helps keep my spirits up during this *gestures vaguely at everything.* Catch up with the previous entries here. Come talk to me about the magical places you carved out for yourself when you were in high school. Can I confess something? This next part might be my favorite part.

***

They turn into a neighborhood that looks similar to all the others they've been passing, ranch-style homes with expansive yards and pickup trucks or large SUVs in the driveway. Richard's hands tap a staccato rhythm against the steering wheel as he cranes his neck forward, looking for landmarks. Jared watches him, his face lit up with the lights from the dash and pinched in concentration. 

"It's uh, been awhile since I've - oh yeah ok, here we go," he says, turning down one street, then another, weaving deeper and deeper into the subdivision until they reach a dead end blocked off by a short bit of guard rail. Any other time Jared's been driven to the middle of nowhere after midnight, he would be reviewing the self-defense techniques he learned from the Bucks County YWCA right about now, but this time he doesn't feel any fear, just a giddy sense of anticipation. As Richard puts the car in park, he shoots a nervous grin at Jared, then he's up and out of the car, all fizzing energy as he pops the trunk and rummages around. He’s excited about this, Jared thinks and warmth floods his belly as a rush of relief spreads through him. After the series of setbacks they’d seen following TechCrunch, it had begun to feel as though Richard was running dangerously on fumes. The spark that had lit him up had dimmed so, but now as he comes around the side of his dad’s car with a large telescope cradled in his arms, Jared notes the glowing blue of Richard’s eyes looking as though he had kindled from within again. 

Trailing behind Richard he asks, “Richard, where are--” before he stops short, the breath caught in his throat. Beyond the guard rail the dead end opens up into a wide strip of land that pitches forward into a steep dropoff, an easement where the grass is overlong but clearly still kept up. Longer scrubs of brush poke up to swish against Jared’s khakis as he makes his way forward to take in the view. The entire city of Tulsa lays below them, twinkling spots of arc-sodium orange lighting up the night. Richard keeps walking into the grass, seemingly looking for the perfect spot. Once he plants the tripod of his telescope down, he turns back to grin wide and easy at Jared’s expression of shock. 

“We used to call it Hollywood. I know it’s like, stupid now but when I was in high school this was - me and Big Head would come up here all the time. I brought my very first telescope up here to try it out. It’s, I mean obviously the light pollution isn’t ideal but you can still see a lot more stars here than in Palo Alto.” He gestures proudly up at the sky, then just as quickly lowers his arm and sets to fiddling with the telescope, seemingly embarrassed.

Jared steps closer until the trees open up further and the overlook seems to grow infinitely, the wide open sky above them crystal clear and dotted with the pinpricks of stars. “It’s beautiful, Richard,” he says softly and sits down next to Richard in the grass. 

Richard looks up from the telescope and turns to Jared, his smile curving up at just one corner. He sits back in the grass and looks out over the landscape, raising his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. “It kinda is, right? I mean, Tulsa is whatever, but this place is...” he trails off, his eyes unfocused. The night air around them is alive, thick and humming with the chirps of crickets and the drone of cicadas singing in the trees. Jared pinches his own wrist to stop helplessly staring at how beautiful Richard looks in the starlight. 

“You came up here a lot?” Jared asks instead.

“Oh yeah, like almost every week. Lots of kids did. I think it was one of those things like, passed down from older brothers and sisters or maybe cooler older friends, I don’t know, hehe. Didn’t have any of those,” he shrugs and his face twists for a moment before he continues. “But um, it was just one of those things that like, people knew about but didn’t talk about. No one bothered you up here. Big Head and I came up here all the time - we’d borrow his mom’s minivan and that way I could bring my big telescope. Couples would come up here to make out, too.”

Jared nudges Richard with his elbow and wiggles his eyebrows. “Oho! Was this where a rakishly handsome young Richard Hendricks would bring impressionable young ladies to woo?”

Richard barks out a laugh that’s equal parts surprised and bitter. “Yeah, no, I didn’t - there wasn’t a lot of wooing. Or any. No one would have voluntarily been caught dead up here with me in high school.”

“I would have,” Jared says softly, caught up in the moment. 

Richard’s head snaps to the side to look at him and Jared’s heart squeezes. Now you’ve done it, Donald, overstepping, overreaching. 

“Jared, how do you - you, you just say stuff like that, like it’s....” he spreads his hands searching for the words before giving up. “I mean, how do you do that?”

Sometimes Jared wonders if he was born without the capacity for protective human emotions like embarrassment or cynicism or self-preservation, or if those things were stripped off of him slowly, like sharp edges of riverbed stones smoothed out by the relentless rush of water and time. Unsure how to respond to Richard’s question, he settles on the truth, or as near to it as he will allow himself to get. 

"I'm just so happy to be here with you now. And when I was 17, I would have given anything to have someone like you in my life, Richard."

He takes a calculated risk and makes eye contact with Richard, offering a hopeful smile. Richard’s eyes rake over his face, searching for something, and whatever they find makes him press his lips into a straight line with just the slightest curve at the edge. The dark presses in around them, but Jared could swear even in the low light that Richard’s ears are turning red as if he were blushing.

“Yeah, Jared, I...I get what you mean,” he says finally. 

Just then, a pair of headlights cuts through the darkness, making their shadows jump in front of them. A car has turned into the cul de sac and is pulling into the driveway of one of the houses. Richard flinches, startled, and turns his attention back to the telescope. “So! If you want to see uh, some planets, we should be able to uh. Let me just...” 

Twisting and adjusting the knobs of the eyepiece, Richard gets lost in his work, laying down on his side and tilting the telescope up to a better angle while Jared watches and tries to quiet the thrum of his heart. Richard’s head is nearly on the ground when he gives a little “aha!” of triumph. It makes Jared’s blood surge with fondness at the sound. 

“What do you see?” Jared asks, hushed, as if afraid to disturb the spell cast in this place. It feels sacred, almost, a cathedral made up of lights singing in the black. Richard shifts onto his back and says, “Here,” gesturing for Jared to lean forward and look through the eyepiece. The angle means Jared is forced to lean over Richard to do so, and as his chest brushes against Richard’s he hears and feels Richard’s sudden intake of breath. Before Jared can pull away, Richard places his hand, blazing hot, between Jared’s shoulder blades to steady him and says softly, “See the stripes? That’s Jupiter.” 

The gas giant comes into focus as Jared peers through the eyepiece, shades of beige and tan and red melting into one another. “I see it! Oh, gosh, it’s - it’s just magnificent.” 

“So we can’t see any of the really cool galaxy stuff because the moon’s too bright, but I could show you the moon craters if you - if you want. I memorized them all,” Richard says, a touch of pride in his voice. 

Jared pulls back from the eyepiece and looks down at Richard and nods. Richard’s hand is still on his back. In his wildest, most extravagant dreams, he never could have imagined sharing a moment like this with Richard, and he pinches his wrist again, this time to ensure he commits the feeling of Richard’s touch to memory.

After he adjusts the telescope to a new position, Richard gets up and moves to the other side and urges Jared to scoot closer so it’s easier for them to look through the eyepiece back and forth. When Richard gets the moon in focus, he sits back and offers the spot to Jared, then leans in close again so he can speak against Jared’s ear. “Alright, see how all the craters are sort of uh, in a line up the middle, where the darkness and light meet?”

“Yes,” Jared whispers, trying to suppress the goosebumps breaking out over his body at the feeling of Richard’s breath against his skin.

“Alright, in the northern half you’re looking at the Sea of Rains, and in the southern half, it’s the Sea of Clouds. There are fewer craters in the Sea of Rains, so we’ll start there. The big one furthest at the top is Plato, then straight south of that, the next big one is Archimedes...”

Richard continues to list all the craters, sometimes interrupting to ask for another look. Jared lets the words wash over him, revelling in Richard’s excitement and easy confidence about a subject he knows so well. No wonder he was able to create something impossible, Jared thinks. He was already so used to living worlds away from the rest of us.  

All of his life, Jared has endeavored to take up as little space as possible, but in the expanse of this view, sitting next to Richard so close that their thighs touch in a long line of heat, he lets himself expand to the fullest reaches of his body and he still doesn’t come close to touching that vast Oklahoma sky.

[afewmarvelousthoughts]

Fated Ch. 1

Master List: @afewmarvelousthoughtsadmin

Pairing: Hades!Bucky x Persephone!Reader

Summary: Humanity has broken the world. How they did it doesn’t matter. What does is that in doing so they quickened the old gods once more. A century later things are settling into a new order but all is not as it seems. As Fate draws two gods together the cracks begin to show in this new age. Will their bond tip the delicate balance or restore order to a broken world?

Warnings: Blood, death, violence

A/N: I am SO sorry this took a while to get to y’all! I was genuinely amazed at how much love the prologue got. Because of that I was petrified to let anyone down with this first chapter and was trying to rush some stuff. It just wasn’t working so I was spinning my wheels for weeks. Ultimately I just went with my gut and this came out. If you’ve read anything I’ve written you’ll know I like a good build up, so be patient these two will meet very soon. 

Also, I love me a good mood board so hopefully you don’t mind them scattered throughout this series. 

I hope y’all like this one! 

Tags are open!

You watch the sunrise over the courtyard from the roof of the main dorm. The cool morning breeze lifts some of the curls from your shoulders and you shiver just a touch at the caress. Fleetingly you think of strong fingers doing the same, how good it would feel…

Off to your left one of the rooster's crow from the livestock section. Everything would slowly awake now, interrupting your quiet reprieve. You loved the women here, really you did. But there were times you dreamed of just being able to be alone. No one asking anything of you, no one calling for aid, just… being. Gods had duties though. Mother always made that clear to you. The price they paid for their seeming immortality and power. Service.

The other gods seemed to attain some kind of satisfaction from the service they provided to humans though. You’re realizing now that you’ve never truly felt that, going through the motions day after day always feeling like you were missing something. Sighing you stand on the edge of the roof and jump the few stories to the ground below. Another day. Like hundreds before it.

You hate this feeling of imbalance that’s been growing since Danielle’s death. Her son had been sent off to the nearest House of Ares yesterday. Just five days old.

Logically you knew he would be loved and cared for, they all were. But he would also be trained to be a warrior. A life filled with training and combat and… death. The beginning and ending of all things.

It didn’t matter. Shoving your hands in the pockets of your long skirt you pass through the garden, too scared to touch anything since the apple incident. You’d even been avoiding your duties in the lab and greenhouse. Secluding yourself every moment you could. If that had happened around Mother… What exactly would she have done? What could she have done? Maybe it was normal, just some odd misdirected surge of energy… no. You knew to your marrow that wasn’t it.

“Daughter,” Mother’s voice reaches you as you turn out of the garden toward the vegetable plots. Damn.

She’s shrouded in a faint mist of power as she stands in a recently tilled plot. At her command, the freshly planted tomatoes grow up their stakes, green fruit already swelling. Life throbs around her in thick ropes of bright light. It’s beautiful. Always beautiful. Just like the other night though you smell the rot in the ground, the necessary decay to allow life to thrive…

“Morning, Mother.”

“Come,” she extends a perfectly sculpted hand to you. Another time you would have happily taken her invitation. Thrilled at the chance to create new life from, seemingly, nothing. Now you stare at it. Unable to allow yourself.

“Kore. Come,” this time it’s less a request and more an order. The shift in her tone and demeanor clear.

She is your Mother but also your superior. Honor bound to obey, your feet move without consulting your own desires and your hand clasps hers. You hate this. Hate your lack of will.

“I haven’t seen much of you these past days. You seem troubled my child,” the space between your hand's prickles with static instead of flowing with mutual power. Rather than answer you try to focus on letting the life flow through you.

“It’s nothing, Mother.”

Her grip tightens, “Look at me, darling.” You do as she asks, not because it’s a command but because of the tenderness in her tone. “I know it is hard to see them suffer. You believe it is unfair that their fate should be so fragile while we remain.”

It wasn’t all of it. Hardly scratched the surface. But you supposed it was close enough. The humans were fragile, nothing you could do for them would alter that.

“All young gods feel this pain. We continue on as they fade. But this sorrow is for someone else to bear my child.” Your eyes narrow. “We all have a place in this world. For some it’s to shelter knowledge, others to cultivate beauty, love, war. We are blessed to have been gifted with the task of nurturing life.”

The same old story. You’re not in the mood for it. Looking away you attempt to pull from her grasp, instead, she tightens her grip on your hand, so tight it almost hurts. You glare back at her.

“Do not think I don’t notice the coins you slip them, daughter. Or how you linger as they leave our realm of responsibility.” A darkness slips behind your Mother’s eyes that you don’t know you’ve ever seen before. “It’s normal for one young as you to forget her place. However, you stray too far from the path my child. This world is in a new age, we must shepherd it. Each guiding the sheep they are given, nothing more.” Silence hangs.

“Do you understand what I’m telling you, Kore? I have allowed you these follies and morose moods for some time. No more.” Her free hand gestures to the other plots, flinging a wave of power causing the plants to perk up, their crops swelling a bit at the goddesses' gift. “We shepherd life.” She releases you and steps away, her look bidding you finish making the crop grow.

Taking a deep breath you focus on the life. Low panic thrumming in the back of your mind but you do your best to ignore it. 

Life. She wants to see you do this. You must do this. The same light that flowed from her streams from you. It curls down into the soil to the roots of the plants, thrumming up the fragile stalks and filling the fruit, willing it to thrive.

“Beautiful, Kore. Beautiful.” Your eyes open and she is beaming at you. “We are blessed among the gods my darling. Be thankful.”

“Yes, Mother.” You don’t trust your own tongue to say anything else. There’s a tremor working it’s way up your spine. Deep in your gut, something hurts, aches so deep you think you may scream. Still, you force a smile.

Mother nods and begins to walk away. “I expect you in the lab in an hour, Kore.” With that, she turns, heading toward the greenhouse on the other side of the dorm.

As soon as she’s out of sight you drop to your knees and plunge your shaking hands into the soil. What is this?! Your panicked mind is spinning. Hands digging in the dark soil of their own volition, desperately. For what?

A voice in the back of your head whispers, “Give it to me.” And another wave of panic crashes into you. Have you ever felt this before? Felt this horror? This… fear? No. You couldn’t remember ever knowing fear before…

“Stop,” you say, speaking to your own body. “Please stop,” you hiss trying not to scream as you hands shovel dirt and rocks, reaching into the earth.

Closing your eyes you try to focus on the light of the life around you, this is what you were made for after all. Mother had just said it. Shepherding life. Maybe if you focused on that you could get control of your body.

It pulses around you, all these tendrils of life from the new little tomato plants. Then… just like with the apple they begin to snap. The life flowing like Ichor hot and bright out of them back into the ground.

The shock of it makes your hands stop. They cover your mouth, holding the scream in. Trembling you sit back on your ankles and stare at the dead tomato plants surrounding you, falling to dust.

Frantically you look around. Desperately hoping no one has just seen you. A bit of the panic recedes when you realize you’re alone. Just as you breathe you see a sway of skirts in the shadow cast by the dorm. Maybe it was a trick of the light but you could have sworn there was a woman there, a hood covering her face.

You bolt toward the woman. Intending to beg her silence. When you arrive on the spot there’s nothing.

A strange laugh slips from your lips as you lean into the wall. Your heart is thundering, veins glowing golden as the Ichor pumps quickly through your body.

Could gods go mad? You had seen humans suffer from it. Seeing things that weren’t there, their fragile minds breaking down. The thought fills you once more with fear, this strange new emotion. But there’s something else just beneath it, something you haven’t felt in such a long time. Excitement.

The bike roars between James’ thighs. His brother’s mocked this primitive mode of transportation, preferring to travel in more… godly ways such as just appearing or taking to the sky. James preferred sticking close to the ground, plus he liked the time alone it afforded him.

This was his favorite bike. Anthony may have mocked him but he couldn’t resist a project. The clunky Harley had been reworked, powered by one of his brothers lightening arc batteries, fitted in such a way to maintain the thunderous sound, Anthony appreciated loud things after all. The color? Bright white.

When he’d originally scoffed at the choice Anthony told him, “There’s some modern human myth about death riding a white horse and if you insist on getting around like a mortal you may as well make a statement.” That was his brother for you.

Despite it being his less than favorite color he loved how it rode, sailing over broken and brittle roadways like they were nothing. Passing through ghost town after ghost town in a flash.

His destination was just outside what was once Minneapolis. Unlike many cities in the wasteland that was the midwestern United States, those close to the Great Lakes had survived… enough.

At the very least they were healing faster than other regions. In another hundred or so years they would bear little scars of the cataclysm that brought the gods here. For now, though they sustained life better than most. That also meant they were hotbeds of unrest.

Humans were pack animals, after all, all vying for their own slice of what was left of the habitable land on the continent. Because of this, the region was riddled with war. Each faction with their Children of Ares and Athena taking the front lines. Every battle bloody until one faction was left shattered. To the winner the spoils.

While the gods usually let the humans sort themselves out, when one of their own got involved… well, it was best someone take care of it… quickly. Demi-gods who didn’t understand their place could plant distrust in the humans. Distrust could lead to an uprising, and no one had the time for that. Not to mention the more followers these half breed gods attained, the stronger they became. That benefitted no one.

He can just see the encampment on the horizon. They had been here for a while. Tents and ramshackle homes spreading out for about a mile until they hit the 20-foot walls. At a glance, they seemed to be your standard shoddy defense walls most of these settlements managed to cobble together if they lasted long enough, mainly corrugated metal and barbed wire. As he gets closer though James can see turrets, advanced for these parts, at the top. Tendrils of electricity snake up the metal encasing the wall here and there, interesting-

A blast slams into the tarmac directly in front of his bike. James reacts in an instant jerking the bike to the left, using his metal arm to steady the skid, just barely missing disaster. The bike stops and he looks back. The ground is molten hot, steaming as it cools. He sighs, this wasn’t a good sign.

“Impressive isn’t it?” A voice bellows from the direction of the wall. He turns back to see a large man, long golden strawberry hair pulled on top of his head, shoulders incredibly broad, arms like a… blacksmith. 

“I may not know my father but I seem to have inherited his affinity for weapons.” James feels his chest tighten. Heph was his favorite nephew, he loved him like a son, how could he be so reckless… like his father. Damnit.

James holds his hands up, allowing his great-nephew and the horde of people behind him to approach and surround him. As he looks at this nephew he can see bits of Hephaestus there. The eyes, the set of the shoulders, but the swagger and pompous smile makes him think of the boy’s grandfather. His blood boils. Steven may have been honest about being too busy to handle this one but Anthony… he knew exactly who’s child this was. Bastard.

“Struck speechless? I do seem to have that effect,” the crowd snickers a little in response. Very much like his grandfather.

“So, who the hell are you supposed to be?” James’ eyebrows raise at this. He studies the boy for a sign of dishonesty but he genuinely seems to not know or realize. A woman standing to the back right of the boy glances at him in shock before looking back to James, concern darkening her features.

“Why don’t you ask your friend there,” James gestures to the woman, “she seems to know exactly who I am.” She takes a half step back as the boy turns to her.

“Nate,” she hisses, “That’s the Winter fucking Soldier.” James winces at the title.

When the gods awoke it was to an earth in the grip of a monstrous man-made winter. Discombobulated and confused they lashed out at the humans and each other. No one really remembered what sparked their fight but it only lasted a few weeks before they seemed to get a hold of themselves, remembering who and what they were. It was a haze in James’ mind. 

Once in control of themselves, they ended the winter that had encapsulated the earth. Now it had been nearly a century and the only thing to bring cold to a land of perpetual spring was death. Hence the human’s title for him.

The boy looks back to James, his freckled face filled with rage and shadows. “I prefer James. Hades will also do in a pinch.” Nate sneers, “Are you the leader of these people, Nate?”

“He is our king!” A man to the back left of Nate bellows, taking a confident step forward, “And you should approach him with respect.” The man places himself between James and Nate, chin up, stance defiant. James can’t help the small smile that rises to his face.

“Ah,” he slips out of the leather jacket he wore and tosses it over the bike. The sun catches the gold banding on his left arm. “Tell me, since you’re so well versed in the matter, how should one king address another?” James grips the man’s chin in his left hand, staring intently into his eyes. Fear fills them. Staring at death was unsettling to all humans. The man whimpers and the acrid smell of piss fills his nose. “I think that’s the wrong answer.” He flings the man to the left, unharmed save for his pride.

“Do you have a place we can talk?” James has no interest in harming this boy. If he can rectify this situation without violence he will. “This doesn’t need to be a fight.”

Nate glances to the man and back to James, “I always thought you’d be bigger. Now here you are and I gotta say, it’s kind of underwhelming.” James shrugs, not taking the bait, secretly amused at the thought of what Anthony would have done had the boy said that to him.

Scratching his chin Nate looks around to his people. “Oh well,” he reaches back and plucks what seems to be an empty hilt from his waistband. With a flick a blade about two feet long unfurls and locks into place, blue tendrils of energy pulsing up it.

He roars as he takes a swing at James. Sighing, James catches the blade in his left hand, the sound of metal on metal grating. He looks at the impressive weapon, wondering where the boy was able to craft something like this.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” James says looking at his great nephew. The boy simply pulls back and takes a warrior’s stance. The crowd around them has spread out but boldly looks on. He lunges once again and James deflects, “Please, we can discuss-”

“I have nothing to say to someone like you!” Nate bellows as another blow pings off James’ arm.

His brows knit. Grabbing the blade he brings his opponent close. Growling he says, “You know nothing of me boy.” He bashes his head into his nose.

Nate stumbles back clutching at his bloody broken nose. He straightens leveling a glare at James, “I am no boy! I’m a man of some 90 years. I’ve watched as you so-called gods, build your new Olympus,” he spits blood from his mouth, wiping at the gold-tinged red coating his face. “Feigning benevolence while you feed off humanity like leaches!”

“And you think you’re better than us?” James gestures to the people surrounding them, “You think that the love of your people doesn’t make the Ichor sing in your veins, boy?!” There’s a flicker of doubt across his face and a murmur in the crowd. “Didn’t think that through did you?”

“Is that true, Nathaniel?” The woman from earlier asks, her face filled with betrayal.

“I…” Nathaniel’s mouth gapes.

“It doesn’t take a smart man to see what isn’t hidden.” James approaches him slowly, “We need humanity as they need us. We never deny that.” He can practically smell the doubt in the air, a touch of the gold seems to drain from Nathaniel’s hair. How quickly human faith can sway.

Once again James raises his hands, “Now, please, let’s talk. There’s no need for this to end poorly.”

Nathaniel lunges at him and he simply spins, kicking a leg out, sending the boy tumbling to the ground. The blade falls out of his hand but he crouches and runs for James. A well placed right hook makes Nathaniel stagger back, spitting more blood.

The woman runs to his side, “Just talk to him, darling, please.”

“No!” Nathaniel bellows pushing her roughly back. “I’ve been waiting my whole life for this. For one of them,” He reaches under his shirt, pulling out what looks sort of like a gun. It’s red and gold and… Sweet Gaia. Glowing and lashing at the mouth of the barrel is lightening… Anthony’s lightning, the kind Heph uses to craft.

The shock catches James off guard. With a crack like thunder, a bolt shoots toward him. He’s almost too slow, instead of ripping a hole through his middle it tears a gash in his side.

Hitting the ground he groans, gold Ichor seeps thick and glowing from the wound, soaking into the black tee he wore and down into the dark denim. Nathaniel bellows a laugh, drunk with the power pulsing from the weapon.

“See!” He calls to his people, “I told you, the gods bleed just like men!”

“Please, don’t do this,” James feels his patience waiver.

“They even beg like them!” The boy’s eyes are wild.

“I don’t want-“ He hears the rumble of thunder. Before another bolt tears toward him, he lunges for the boy. Nathaniel moves, attempting to redirect the bolt. His grip on the gun falters, the energy pulses, as it falls from his hand it spins back on him, blasting a devastating wound through his left side.

Once the flash of light dims screams fill the air. Nathaniel hits his knees looking in shock to his left side. James swallows hard, remembering a similar wound, his left-hand flexes. Catching the boy before he falls face first to the ground he guides him to his back. His eyes are filled with tears, mouth opening and closing like a fish, shock overtaking him.

Blood pours from him, red and dark with strands of gold spinning in the pool. This wasn’t a wound a mortal survived and no matter how long-lived Nathaniel was he was… mortal.

“I’m sorry,” James says softly looking down. “You have nothing to fear Nathaniel. You fought bravely,” if not stupidly, but now wasn’t the time. He reaches into his pocket plucking an old worn gold coin from it and slipping it into the boy’s only remaining hand. “So the ferryman knows who sent you.” With that Nathaniel takes his last breath, his body, free of the Ichor that had given it such long-lived vigor shrivels.

James plucks the gun from the ground and stands slowly, clutching his side. The people are huddled together close to the gate, some sobbing, some in shock. The woman approaches tentatively, staring horrified at the wrinkled corpse before her. She doesn’t tremble though, in fact, he’s impressed by her strength. After a moment her hand rises to her mouth to catch a sob or a scream. James grabs her wrist she swallows the emotion looking up at him, defiant.

“Don’t let them see you break,” he looks over her shoulder. “Your people need you. They will need your strength once word gets around that you’ve lost him.” Her knowing eyes bore into his own. Women never feared death the same as men.

“I didn’t want this,” he doesn’t know why but it matters to him that she knows.

She glances to her fallen love then back to James, “I know.” He nods.

Releasing her he walks toward the people who seem to collectively tremble at the approach of a god of Death, “Let this be a day you remember,” his voice booms with the force only a god can produce. He gestures back to the corpse, “Death came here, and came with mercy. Hubris caused this, not The Winter Soldier,” he spits the title. “Remember, and don’t make the same mistakes.”

The woman has come up to his side, “What’s your name doll?” He asks in a normal tone.

“Adelaide,” she says straightening her back.

He looks back to the crowd, “This woman, Adelaide, will lead you forward. You will need to band together if you plan to survive.” Without another word he turns and strides back to his bike, grabbing the jacket. He doesn’t notice the hooded woman who fades away in the crowd.

He stares at the bike. Anthony knew… he knew whose son this was and he wasn’t certain he didn’t know or even give him a god-killing weapon… Disgust fills his mouth. With a roar he punches his left fist through the battery, rendering the machine useless, and stalk’s forward the earth opening at his call.

As he strides into his realm, clutching at the still bleeding wound in his side, all he can think about is blowing his youngest brother’s head off his body. Rage is something he hasn’t felt in quite some time. He has to admit, it’s a touch invigorating.

@mywinterwolf @disagreetoagree @breezy1415 @peachthatdrinkslemonade @wonderlandmind4 @piensa-bonito @buckysstar @cinderellarhea @belleestbelle @nerd-without-a-cause @musical-doll-x @unabashedbookscollector @for-the-love-of-the-fandom @gotham-city-muse @egos-r-life @jewelofwinter @handplucked

[sustraiii]

TEAM ZRCN - PROLOGUE 1

Arc 2 begins! In this prologue, we meet back up with Wisteria and her group. Just what is that prototype Farron wants??

WISTERIA

Out of the shadows, three shapes appeared, moving quickly in the direction of the tall spire that marked the location of the laboratory. All was quiet save for the clicking of heels against the concrete pavement.

“I hope we won’t run into any trouble tonight,” Mused a woman with silver-tipped black hair. “I just hope the intel you got from your stakeout is accurate. I would like to avoid getting caught by the police.”

The man she was talking to scoffed. “Of course it is. And so long as we remain calm and focused we should run into no problems. Honestly, after all these years Nieve, your lack of faith continues to astound me,” He said coolly before his sea blue eyes turned to the third person of this group. “Besides, if anyone will give us away, it will be Wisteria here.”

Wisteria stopped abruptly, turning on her heels so she could face her companions. Wisteria was dressed in a knee-length plum dress and matching heels, which was admittedly a little jarring in comparison to her companions more casual clothing. She raised a hand to her chin, tapping a pointed nail - also in matching plum colour - against it. “What,” she flashed a smile at Ulysses. “can’t a girl have a little fun?”

“I think she looks great!” Nieve commented, earning a look of appreciation from Wisteria.

Ulysses cast a withering look at the two of them, shaking his head. “I doubt Belleza would approve.”

“Yeah, well, Belleza isn’t here right now,” Wisteria pointed out. “None of that damn family are here right now. And what they don’t know won’t hurt them.”

As they approached the laboratory, Wisteria instructed Nieve to stay low and hidden. In the brief few seconds it would take for the security guard to appear, she could get into a more suitable position, ready to go through with this attack.

They entered the reception area to the laboratory, and as planned Wisteria and Ulysses stood at the front of the desk, whilst Nieve got into cover. It took a few moments, but a security officer appeared from out of a back room, looking at the pair questioningly. When Ulysses had informed them the guards mostly remained in the back room after a certain time, Wisteria had been admittedly surprised. Considering the lab dealt with some highly sensitive military contracts, she would have expected the security measures to more secure. But as Lunick had pointed out to her some weeks earlier, when this place was first mentioned, he pointed out that not a lot of people were supposed to know that.

“Can I help the two of you?” The security guard asked. His expression remained neutral save for a raised brow, but there was a trace of hostility in his voice. Whilst Ulysses got to work spinning the story they had planned in advance. Wisteria offered a few lines here and there, but her job was to mainly focus on using her semblance against him.

It would have been unwise to hit him with the full force of her semblance, especially if they were aiming to be subtle for the first part of this mission. Instead, Wisteria was slowly inducing fear in him, knowing exactly what to do to get the best outcome. She knew it was working exactly as planned when she saw his hands begin to tremble ever so slightly, and his pupils began to dilate.

“Is something wrong, sir?” Wisteria asked innocently, tilting her head to one side.

“Yes, I’m fine. I just thought-” His words were cut off by him suddenly gulping. Wisteria noted he wasn’t actually looking at her or Ulysses as he spoke and was instead intently focused on a spot on his desk. “I thought I saw a spider.”

Behind the guard, Nieve was looming up behind him.

“Not fond of them I take it?” Wisteria said, giving a subtle nod to Nieve.

“I hate them.”

“How rude!” Nieve’s voice cut in, causing the man to spin round. Before the man had much time to react, a shot of web suddenly covered his mouth, and a few more shots helped constrict his body, allowing the faunus to forcibly move him.

“Make sure he won’t be able to easily escape,” Wisteria advised, as Nieve began to drag the guard into the back room. “We don’t want a repeat of that one time.”

Meanwhile, Ulysses had come round to the opposite side of the desk, a USB stick plugged into the computer, and his fingers rapidly tapping away as he hacked into the system, quickly beginning to disable most of the security systems. Wisteria was never very good at computers - or technology in general for that matter - so simply leaned back against the desk letting Ulysses do his thing. After a few minutes had passed, Nieve reappeared, standing beside Wisteria to peer at Ulysses.

They knew he was finished when he leaned back in the chair, a look of pride playing on his features.

“So, Yule, is the good doctor in right now?” Wisteria inquired.

“According to the computer she hasn’t clocked out, so my guess is yes,” Ulysses answered. He then turned back to the computer, typing something in quickly before standing up and approaching the two women. “Her office is on the seventh floor.”

Wisteria nodded, and with a cock of her head gestured for the two to follow her. “Let’s take the elevator, shall we?”

The elevator moved at a slow pace, and whilst Wisteria checked her nails, Nieve animatedly told Ulysses a private joke. With a loud ding, the doors opened, announcing they had arrived on the correct floor. They stepped out and carefully walked down the corridor, the click of Wisteria’s heels even louder due to the confined space.

Ulysses and Nieve walked ahead, eyes scanning every door for a name before they finally stopped.

“This is the one,” Ulysses said, as Wisteria stopped beside them. “Lucky for us, it seems she’s in her office.”

Wisteria didn’t need to be told twice and leaned forward a bit to lightly rap against the glass door. She waited a moment reading the name written in black lettering on the door. “Dr Solana Astrella.”

In the room, a noise like a chair being pushed back could be heard, before the sounds of shoes could be heard on the other side.

“It’s about time you showed up Brady,” the woman said as she opened the door. Wisteria noted there was a hint or irritability in her voice. “You were supposed to see me an-”

Her voice cut off rather abruptly when she saw who was actually stood outside. Panic flashed in her bright yellow eyes, and she moved to slam the door on them but was stopped by Nieve crashing into it with her elbow forcing Solana back inside and allowing the three of them to enter.

As expected it was a very neat and orderly office, everything had a place, and there was sort of sterile aura to it. Just as it should be for Atlas Wisteria reflected to herself with some disdain.

“Who are you people?” Solana asked swiftly. Wisteria’s green eyes shifted to the woman, who had a hand raised to her forehead where the door had hit it. She looked to be in her twenties and had straight black hair held in a neat bun, and bright yellow eyes. Yellow eyes she had seen before. Wisteria suddenly understood why Lunick had frequently tried to talk Farron out of attacking here. His sister was involved.

“Oh, nobody important. We just need one thing from you, if that’s alright,” Wisteria commented sweetly. Solana said nothing but inched closer to her desk. Wisteria noted her hand gripping the edge of it, fingers groping for a button. She chuckled a little. “The security system has already been taken down. No-one is coming to help you.”

“H-How?”

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Wisteria said sharply, making the other woman jump. “I would suggest you start co-operating and give us a certain prototype you have. Our boss is very interested in it.”

“Prototype?” Solana repeated. A look of realisation soon began to dawn on her face. And Wisteria noted she briefly glanced at a metal briefcase to the side of the room. It didn’t take a genius to realise that it probably contained whatever the prototype was. “No! You can’t have it. We haven’t tested it, it’s far too unstable to end up in the wrong hands.”

“Damn, doc, what exactly have you been making here?” Wisteria questioned, a smirk forming on her lips, as she glanced at the briefcase.

Solana began to inch towards the back of the desk, taking a step backwards when she thought no-one was looking. Unfortunately for her, Wisteria had noticed.

“Please stop,” Wisteria implored. Solana froze, blinking at her but saying nothing. “I know exactly what you’re going to do. You’re probably going to go behind there, pull out a gun from a hidden drawer that you barely know how to use, and try and shoot us with it. This isn’t our first rodeo you know.”

“You don’t know a damn thing about me!” Solana snapped back, with such venom in her voice that Wisteria was a little taken aback, but also mildly impressed. “And what would you do to stop me? The only one of you with a weapon is the boy, and he only has a knife! You’re criminals, aren’t you? Didn’t anyone teach you not to bring a knife to a gunfight?”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Wisteria told the woman flatly. Solana raised a brow, confused by what she had meant until she saw Wisteria pull up her dress revealing her revolver, concealed in a garter. Carefully, Wisteria removed it and cocked it at the other woman. “I would suggest you start cooperating now or this becomes a lot worse for you.”

“I-”

“Yule, blow her away,” Wisteria said simply. Beside her, Ulysses withdrew the dagger from his belt and turned it sideways, releasing a funnel of air in the direction of Solana, which forced her against the back wall with such force it knocked her out.

As she lay motionless on the floor, Wisteria told Ulysses to take the gun she may have had hidden, before moving for the case.

As she carefully unclipped it, she was aware of Nieve hovering behind her, clearly curious to see what was hidden inside. With a small click, the briefcase opened. Inside was mostly filled with protective black foam, but the in the middle of that lay a silver rod with what looked like a small hole at the top.

“What is that?” Ulysses asked, coming up behind them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him removing the bullets from the gun he found.

“It looks like a whistle!” Nieve laughed. Whilst Wisteria knew that was likely meant as a joke, she couldn’t help but note that it did, in fact, look like a whistle and the fact that it did annoyed her slightly. They had gone to all this effort for a whistle?

Nieve’s had moved to grab, possibly to try it out, or imitate playing a tune on it, but Wisteria smacked her hand away and shut the lid firmly, removing the temptation for the woman to touch it.

“Did you not hear what Dr Astrella said? It’s unstable. We don’t want to blow ourselves up do we?” Wisteria pointed out, giving Nieve a warning look.

The faunus woman shrunk back slightly but responded in a playful tone. “”It’s just a whistle, how bad can it be?”

Wisteria shrugged idly. Considering this was Atlas tech she could only imagine how bad it could be. A part of her was curious to test it out, but she knew she would see for herself what it was capable of in time. Pulling the case of the countertop, Wisteria, Nieve, and Ulysses, made their way out of the office, careful to shut the door behind them. Nobody greeted them in the corridor, a sure sign that Ulysses’s efforts to disable the security had been successful, and that knocking Solana out hadn’t caused any noise.

After stepping into the elevator, and pressing the button for the ground floor, Wisteria carefully put hid her gun back in her holster. She had put it back in place as they reached the ground floor, and as they stepped out into the lobby, she turned to her companions and asked, “Anyone for a round of drinks? I’m paying.”

[esandcasg]

Chapter Nine – Wind Beneath Our Feet

It was a clear night. The sky was inky black, save for the stars I could see with more clarity than I ever had before. The waxing moon cast a deep blue glow across the Godwin Antwi glacier far below me to the north. I didn’t know what time it was; the lights were low. I had no radio to lean back on; everything was silent and still. I drew my knees closer to my chest, preserving warmth, as I watched a shooting star cross the sky in front of me, forming an arc of light before crashing down on a fishing village in northern China, killing all but thankfully freeing a captive pod of dolphins who were being trained to plant undersea nuclear bombs.

It was a beautiful night. I turned my head to look at Adam, asleep in the snow cave behind me. Despite the dark of the cave and the silence of the night he was wearing an eye mask and ear plugs. I couldn’t see in to the depths of the cave but presumed Ifan was also asleep. For some reason, though, I hadn’t been able to switch off. The events of the last day had been so wearing, I should have lost consciousness the minute I crawled into my mummy bag, but something stopped me. There was something that made me feel uneasy, on edge, like there was something I had missed, some detail or important bit of information. In the end, shrugging it all off, I went and sat outside, watching the shadows of the Karakoram advance slowly across the glacier.

I smiled to myself. Here it was again; the peace I could only find here at altitude, here in the mountains. That unique stillness. Despite the storm, despite the peril, the drone, the two Ifans, despite everything that had happened, I still felt at peace in this moment. It was a state of mind I couldn’t locate anywhere else; even in the relative simplicity and tranquillity of my wifi-enabled hut. This, then, was why I climbed.

Far below, across the glacier, I could see the Vale of Caldor, the pass which ran from the Godwin Antwi north to Kangleong stood. Or, I corrected myself, where it used to stand. I imagined us walking along the glacier ten years ago, fresh-faced and bushy-tailed, free of the burden of what would happen in the next deliberately undefined period of time we spent on the mountain. But now there was nothing at the end of that pass; there’s a football joke to be made here but for the life of me I can’t think of one.

Even in daylight I wouldn’t have been able to see Kangleong from this vantage point, hidden as it was behind the imposing bulk of Mount Olympus; it was eerie knowing it was no longer there. I knew I’d have to see it for myself, one again heading down the Pass of Janmolby as we had ten years previously. A whole mountain reduced to nothing.

And then I realised what the strange, unsettled feeling I had was.

Ever since we’d left the hills in Pakistan behind us and ventured onto the Gasherbrum Traverse, I had been plagued by this feeling that something wasn’t right. And now, staring down at the glacier I realised what it was.

It was the quiet.

A whole mountain had been destroyed. A whole mountain. Yes, the news had reported it as an earthquake, but even if that had been what had happened, why was it so quiet? Why weren’t there others investigating what had happened? Why weren’t there rescue teams? Why weren’t there geologists? Why weren’t there kebab vans taking advantage of the increased tourist footfalls? Why was it just us, alone, with just the occasional drone and Ifan clone for company? Like a physics lesson given by Mr Johnson, it made no sense to me.

Then, from out of the quiet I could hear footsteps coming closer. I reached for something I could use as a weapon; unfortunately I’d left my ice axes inside the snowcave, so I wrapped a dog shit up in a snowball and waited with my breath held.

From over the hump of a convenient serac wandered Ifan, his mighty arms full of cut logs. I couldn’t see his ice axe with him so I assumed he’d cut them with his bare hands, or just simply wrenched them apart. As he drew near he dropped the logs on the ground and set about arranging some of them into a neat pyramid structure, leaving plenty of gaps for air. Underneath he placed kindling, rolled up newspaper and one of those fire logs you can pick up from Homebase. Then, taking a small sliver of wood he dragged it across his stubble. I watched as the sliver burst into flame. Ifan casually threw it beneath the pyramid of logs and watched the fire log catch.

Satisfied, he scratched his arse, sat back on the armchair and pulled out a bottle of Balvennie Doublewood single malt, pouring us both a glass. I took a long sip of the warming liquid, letting it slowly line my throat as I swung my feet up onto the chaise lounge.

“Thought I’d get a fire going before Adam wakes up” said Ifan after a moment of quiet. “I’ll get some breakfast on the go in a minute.”

I nodded.

We sat in silence for a while, partly to enjoy the quietness of the night and to sip our whisky, and partly to eat up some more words in this chapter whilst I think of something to happen next. The fire had caught up to the main logs now; the light casting shadows which danced across the snow, entrancing us as we stared into its depths.

“So how was it?” I asked finally. Ifan slowly turned his head towards me.

“How was what?”

“How was it for all those years, living out here?”

Ifan flinched, despite his calmness. He took a large gulp of his whisky before responding.

“It was…”

There was suddenly a faraway look in his eyes; faraway, but also so close. He grimaced before continuing. “We had to make choices. I knew that it wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t think…”

He turned suddenly, looking me in the eyes. “It wasn’t easy for us, you know. Being dead. Always hiding, always hunting. We weren’t doing it to prove something. It was bigger than us. More important. That’s what we thought anyway.”

There was fire in his voice. Ifan spat out the burning log he’d been chewing and continued.

“We had to make choices. We couldn’t stay anywhere for any decent length of time. Snow caves became our home. Day after day, digging somewhere new, putting up furniture, plumbing in central heating… it takes a toll. Every time I see this I’m back there again.” He held up the chequered picnic blanket I’d laid down. “We had one just like it. I don’t know where it is now. Lost somewhere. Out there.”

Hurriedly I scrunched up the blanket and stuffed it into the top pocket of my 32 litre Deuter backpack.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

Ifan shook his head. “It was our choice,” he said.

We sat in silence until we heard the toilet flush that signalled Adam had woken up. Immediately, Ifan busied himself making breakfast, scrambling eggs and cutting up mushrooms. I switched on the coffee machine and ground some more single origin beans, whose taste I would eventually smother in decadent toffee nut syrup.

Adam grunted a good morning and sat down on the armchair, helping himself to a toasted bagel to start off with. I poured him a latte and he took it with a nod of appreciation.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked, taking a bite of the savoury mushroom and garlic crepe Ifan had just handed me.

Adam gestured towards a small cliff which jutted out a few hundred metres ahead of us.

“Head up there,” he said, “and there’s a ridge which runs pretty much straight down to the glacier. It’s a bit of technical climbing to get to the cliff, but after that it’s plain sailing.”

I nodded. “And then?”

Adam and Ifan shared a look.

“Then I guess we go and see what’s left of Kangleong,” replied Ifan. “No idea what we’ll find. Or whether we’ll be able to get close without being seen. I guess we’ll have to wait and see when we get closer.”

We finished breakfast, showered, dressed and got going soon after. Adam led the first pitch, up a sixty degree sloped ice field. I followed once he’d placed in a secure ice screw, with Ifan anchoring the belay at its base due to his ultra-low centre of gravity. The ice was solid enough, but I was concerned about the depth of snow here; it wasn’t far off being avalanche-prone.

Ifan made his way up to join Adam and myself in short order. Fortunately the route then took us away from the ice fields, up some narrow cracks in the rock. Adam handed over the rope to me, indicating I should lead the next section.

It was exhilarating to be out in front, hands on rock, searching for suitable holds on ground I’d never been on before. I took my time, despite realising Adam kept looking at his watch, trying to savour this experience. The holds were small, only big enough at points to fit the front spikes of my crampons. I inched my way upwards, breathing steadily, concentrating on each individual hold. Every now and again I stopped, checking my bearings. The cracks ran in parallel upwards, converging on a point a few hundred feet above; it was tricky to determine which would provide enough holds to make the full height.

I’d missed this; it was almost a return to the days when I had been free climbing in the Alps, clawing my way up brittle ice and rotten rock, finding new routes and pushing myself beyond what I thought I could achieve.

A few more holds and I hauled myself up to the top of the rock formation. I punched in a piton and sat on a small ledge, watching Adam and Ifan follow in my footsteps. All that was left now was a steep climb up the cliff we’d seen from below. It looked as if it were some smaller, subsidiary peak off the Gasherbrum range, though we were pretty far off the main route. Ifan led the final pitch, his calf muscles leaving sinkhole-sized imprints in the snow with each mighty step. He carried no ice screws as his strength alone was great enough to provide a secure belay. It didn’t take him long to reach the top of the cliff. Adam shortly reached him, as did I.

From here we could clearly see the route down to the glacier. I volunteered to lead down the ridge, which just seemed to be a long, if slightly steep walk. I was confident we could do this in a few hours.

As I was routinely checking my crampons, I felt Ifan’s hand on my shoulder.

“Down there.”

I looked up at him, then followed his gaze down to the glacier. I’d been looking at it only a few moments before, and it had been empty. Now, however, there were clearly people there.

I pulled out my binoculars for a closer look.

There were at least ten. They were armed, and appeared to be wearing some sort of uniform. All carried weapons.

I stood up to get a better view. “They’ve got a tank,” I said. “A six pound gun.”

“What are you doing there?” said Ifan, who, like Adam had dropped to a crouch. “Get down.”

“Ifan,” I replied, “We’re well out of range.”

Just then, a shrill whistle pierced through the air. Instinctively I ducked, throwing myself down as the shell flew overheard, crashing into the BMW M3 parked only metres behind us.

“That car belonged to my brother in law” gasped Adam as one of the wheels rolled past us.

“Quick,” hissed Ifan. “Move!”

“Where?”

Adam looked across to the north. “There,” he pointed. He could see a route upwards that would take us out of the line of sight of the weaponry below.

We moved quickly in single file, scrambling at the loose snow and ice as more shells flew overhead, wrenching holes into the mountainside. Soon we couldn’t see the glacier anymore as we moved higher onto the ridge. After thirty or so minutes we stopped, gasping in the thin air. Shells continued to rain down, but none hit anywhere near us. It was clear we were out of sight and range.

“I think we’re safe.”

I nodded. “What now?”

“Keep going,” said Adam. “If we cross over to the other side of this mountain we’re into the moraine; there’s no way they can get vehicles up there. Plenty of places to take cover whilst we figure out a plan. We can’t stay here; it’s too exposed.”

“I can’t see them from here; but they could be coming up the ridge,” said Ifan.

“Okay,” I said.

We set off, gaining altitude, to what was a prominent rocky ridge ahead of us, leading up higher to a peak. There was something strangely familiar about it, but only vaguely, as if I’d seen a picture somewhere.

It was only once we were on the rocky ridge that I realised where we were.

The ridge was steep and rocky. Snow barely hung on at points. From a distance it ran up in a steep continuous slope to the summit of the mountain, but now we were standing on it I could see how broken up it was. The slope was really a series of small, technical climbs. Rock cliffs, buttresses, ice fields, all exposed with sheer drops on either side. From what I could see, nothing was beyond our climbing ability, but the fact that there was no respite on the slope; nowhere to dig a snow cave, nowhere providing shelter. It was just a terribly exposed, long, technically challenging slope that would have to be climbed in one go.

I looked down the other side. There didn’t seem to be anywhere to downclimb to the glacier from where we stood. Adam and Ifan were surveying the slope ahead of us, looking for a potential route down.

Then we heard the roar.

It was muffled at first, quiet enough for us to be more intrigued by the noise than anything else. But then as we saw the cloud approaching the noise grew in volume. It was an avalanche, not the biggest we’d ever seen but sizable enough, heading down the slope towards us.

It hit us before we could move. I felt the blast of air first before the snow hit me, sending me flying backwards a short distance. I felt rock beneath me and knew I was still on the slope. The snow cleared from around me enough for me to pull myself upright.

Ifan and Adam both lay on top of the snow nearby, a short distance away from each other and myself. The avalanche had knocked the wind out of us but no major injury seemed to have been incurred. But we all knew where we were now.

We were on Gasherbrum 4. We were on the avalanche slope. The slope that Ifan and Adam had watched through their telescope years ago, figuring out that the avalanches were being triggered by Craven’s people as a way of signalling which tunnel route to use. And now we were on it. Right in the path of the avalanches.

There was nothing for it. Without saying a word we scrambled to our feet but not before a second avalanche hit us. As I dug in with my ice axe I could see Adam and Ifan doing the same. I heard another BOOM! Followed by another, and another. Avalanche after avalanche was plummeting down the ridge towards us.

Adam yelled. I couldn’t hear what he’d said but I ran across to him in the brief lull before the next wave hit; Ifan did the same. Adam flung out a rope and we all hung on, careening off to the side, off the ridge and down the sheer drop, praying that the ice screw would hold. The momentum carried us down and back up, around the next avalanche, landing squarely back on the slope. With a casual flick of his wrist, Adam pulled the rope and the ice screw back into his hands.

I saw the next avalanche was about to hit us, and quickly grabbed the rope from Adam, tying it around Ifan’s waist. Adam saw what was happening, looping the rest of the rope through his own carabiner and passing it over to me, before dropping down to one knee and cupping his hands. Without hesitating, Ifan stepped one foot up onto Adam’s hands and launched himself in the air, over the top of the avalanche, pulling Adam and myself with him.

We landed heavily. I could see that we weren’t far from the summit now, but another avalanche was rolling towards us, gathering momentum. Quickly, we picked ourselves up and ran, jumping at the last minute so that only the top of the blast hit us, pushing us back a minimal amount.

Just a short distance to go now. We could see the small slit in the mountain, near the summit, where the avalanches were being generated, just ahead. If we could just get over that, onto the serac which hung on the summit, we’d be out of danger.

We all saw the next avalanche coming. Each of us drew our ice axes and spun round as we moved forward, chopping the snow and ice into tiny particles which scattered down the faces of the mountain either side of us. A short step up and we were over the slit. A few more steps and we were at the summit.

Beneath us, avalanches continued to roll down the slope we’d just climbed. I watched, staggered that we’d managed to fight our way up. Behind me, Ifan and Adam caught their breath. The serac which hung on the summit was roughly the size of two Ford Kugas; plenty of room for us to stand and regain our strength. We could rest here until we figured out a way down. Finally we were out of danger.

Suddenly the avalanches stopped.

For a moment there was silence. Then a low hum started from far beneath us. A slight vibration started.

“RUN!”

We started down the slope opposite us, but I knew we were too late. There was a colossal roar from behind us as the serac was detonated. This time there would be no escape. I saw the fear in Adam and Ifan’s eyes and knew that they felt the same as I did.

As I felt the blast hit me I suddenly remembered the top pocket of my 38L Deuter backpack. I reached back and pulled out the picnic blanket from the top pocket, grabbed on to Ifan and Adam with each hand, then jumped off the side of the mountain.

The blast pushed us violently away. I struggled to keep the blanket taut. We were buffeted for what seemed hours, until finally I gained control. Beneath me I saw us leave the mountain behind, heading directly for the glacier. Using the blanket as a perfect parasail, I manoeuvred us round in a large circle, losing altitude slowly but surely, heading to the top end of the glacier, well away from Craven’s troops. We were now out of danger. But for how long?

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Retro Reviews: Wanna Know How I Got These Scars?

With the advent of Black Panther upon us, and all of the borderline ridiculous hype accompanying it, i wanted to take this time and look back on a film franchise that i absolutely adored. A franchise that had a massive amount of hype, particularly the second, and delivered. It’s one of my all-time favorite film series right up there with Star Wars and Potter. The franchise i’m talking about is Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy.

The Legendary

Heath Ledger. Holy sh*t. I was one of the people who kind of cringed when Ledger was announced as the Joker. When the first production stills of him in full character came out, my apprehension was not sated. And then i saw that IMAX special. That bank heist scene. “Whatever doesn’t kill you simple makes you...stranger.” I was sold, one hundred percent. The illest thing? That’s him at a one. Ledger slowly, methodically, and expertly, dialed up that performance to a goddamn eleven! He took home Oscar gold posthumously and deserved every single bit of that sh*t. To this day, Ledger’s portrayal of a grease paint faced, sociopath, is one of the best example of character acting i have ever had the pleasure to witness.

The Best

Christopher Nolan’s direction is at it’s finest during this trilogy. You can see it in his attention to detail. There’s a scene in TDK where a truck gets flipped. Like, he did that. Nolan DID that. He PRACTICED that! That’s f*cking insane! HE knew he needed that scene and he went out and made sure it worked, perfectly! That kind of passion for your craft is rare ad it makes for whatever said person is working on, that much better. And that’s not getting into the use of color or the functionality of all the Bat tech or the very real commentary each of the films takes to heart. It’s insane how much information Nolan packs in the visual medium and The Dark Knight trilogy is a masterwork of doing just that.

The goddamn scripts were f*cking brilliant. That plot, both individually and overarching, were spectacular. The Dark Knight is one of the greatest crime thrillers i have ever seen but that overarching character plot of Batman becoming Bruce Wayne was just as satisfying. The matter-of-fact way Brice become batman. The almost reactionary creation of The Joker. The way The Dark Knight Rises closes out that arc. Literally these three scripts, this overall narrative, was goddamn outstanding. Near Godfather levels of brilliance. The Nolan brothers and David Goyer wrote an expressive, expansive, hero tale that brilliantly redefines and deconstructs what it means to be heroic.  

Tom Hardy is an expert in his craft. He’s the only reason i’m going to go see that train wreck Venom film. I somehow hope he can elevate that Sony schlock the way he elevated what he was given for Bane. That voice? Him. Them gains? Him. That cold, methodical, energy? All. Him. Hardy acted more with just his eyes than most actors can with their entire bodies and an award wining script. While i think he’s a step below Ledger’s Joker, he’s still right up there as one of the best villains ever to be captured on film. I’m talking Lecter levels of sinister.

Lost in the shuffle, mostly because he had to share a screen with what turned out to be the best performance of that decade, was Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Two-Face. Actually, performance aside, can we just appreciate HOW Harvey became Two-Face? the way Nolan decided to frame that origin? It’s goddamn outstanding!  I feel like that character deserves it’s own mention but without Eckhart, we’d juts have some ridiculously realistic CG on the face of a less capable stand in. Aaron Eckhart was just as pivotal to this film as Bale or Caine or Ledger and cats need to give credit where it’s due.

These movies are f*cking beautiful. The cinematography is just exceptional. There area few scenes that spring to mind immediately; The sweeping scopes surrounding the League of Shadows Himalayan headquarters, the scene where the Joker declares everything burns, or that initial introduction of Bane crashing that plane - there are scenes and specific frames in these films that deserve to be hung in museums. They’re pure art. Wally Pfiser is a goddamn sage in his craft and deserves all of the praise.

The scores for these films feed into every other bit of pure inspiration and essentially accentuate every scene with that much more magic. That long string that escalates into an abrupt percussion which defined who the Joker was. That chant of rise when Bruce was trying to climb out of that pit in Rises was perfect. Batman’s new theme, with all of it’s curt percussion, fueled the controlled rage that Bale portrayed for his character. Look, i can’t gush enough about these films but these scores are classic in their own right. As they should be. This is Hans Zimmer we’re talking about. All he does is makes hits!

The Better

I touched upon this earlier in the review with the reference to the truck flip but, goddamn, the effects in these films are brilliant. Nola did everything he could piratically which lends itself to the realism he wanted to ground his Batman story with and it f*cking works. From masterfully shot and executed action set pieces like the truck flip in TDK or the plane crash at the beginning of TDKR, sh*t was done in real time, with real consequences. If they f*cked up that shot, it wasn’t happening again. But Nolan pulled them off and they were the definition of grandiose and spectacle. Goddamn, were they a feat for the eyes! I was dumbstruck with the truck flip but straight gobsmacked by the plane crash. that sh*t was wild! And that’s not even getting into the intricacies of Two-Face. That sh*t should have one an Oscar for effect because, holy sh*t!

The editing of these films was deftly handled. With the exception of a few slow starts in Rises, the pacing and film structure overall complimented the story Nolan was trying to tell. Lee Smith knows how to cut a Nolan film and, i think, his work on The Dark Knight film was some of his best. It must have been difficult trying to craft a coherent film, trying to cut out scenes that were crafted by a master, performed by a genius, and framed by a sage. He pulled it off though. These films are a breeze to watch. It doens’t seem like you’ve been watching damn near 9 hours worth of cinema if yo take them in back-to-back.

Christian Bale was a pretty good Batman. I thought he was better as Wayne than Bats but he gave a goddamn outstanding performance, overall. I think he was constantly outshined by his supporting cast, particularly Caine, Ledger, and Hardy, but overall, he was probably the third or fourth best thing about these films.

Speaking of Michael Caine, he is always excellent in whatever he decides to be in but Caine IS the definitive Alfred Pennyworth now. That bar is crazy high because he did exactly what he always does; steal scenes and shame lesser actors. The chemistry he had with Bale was sickeningly sweet. You could feel how much his Alfred cared for Bale’s Wayne. It was just goddamn adorable.

Including Lucious Fox was an interesting choice but it paid off beautifully, especially after the pat went to God himself, Morgan Freeman. Similarly to Michael Caine, this man can turn in no terrible performances. He’s just that goddamn good!

Just a quick note, i wanted to mention Joseph Gordon Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, and Liam Neeson. For whatever reason, i kind of feel like we didn’t get to see enough of their characters for them to make as rich as an impression of other cats in these films but, at the same time, I can’t imagine them without their contributions. Particularly Murphy’s Crane. His Scarecrow kind of became the mascot for the entire franchise and i find that to be just delicious. Hathaway’s Catwoman is kind of an enigma for me. I get why she’s there but it’s hard to think that there were others that better fit that role. That, and the fact that Michelle Pfeiffer will always be MY Catwoman. Meow!

The overall casting was spectacular. I made a note to reference individual performances that were standout but literally all of the major players did a spectacular job in this film series. Even the supporting characters elevated their game considerably and consistently to match the energy Nolan brought to this franchise. With the exception of one character but she was kind of fixed right before she was killed off, as noted below.

The Good

The character of Rachel Dawes is quite literally the weakest aspect of these films. I hated her in Begins but i thought she was redeemed in TDK. Maggie Gyllenhaal was just delightful. Until she wasn’t. And by wasn’t, i mean murdered. I feel like Katie Holmes was wildly miscast for this flick.

The Verdict

I love The Dark Knight trilogy. Love. It’s f*cking brilliant. This review started out as a singular Dark Knight retrospective but, as i dug into films, i realized, it has to be one overarching expose. It had to be. You can’t talk about one film without referencing another. They are all that excellent. Christopher Nolan changed the superhero game with The Dark Knight and forced an industry to look at what was once considered goofy children fair, as legitimate cinematic gold. Oscar Gold. Without TDK, we would ever have gotten the emotionally crippling Logan or the political satire of Winter Soldier or the visceral reality of Split or that darkly humorous take Ryan Reynolds brought with Deadpool. The Dark Knight trilogy made all of those happen and it deserves it’s place at the very top of cape flicks. It deserves it’s place at the very top of cinema. Watch these films, man. You won’t be disappointed!