#i won't deny that it had a very good impact on a group of people that don't fit the western-eastern dichotomy that westerners built up

[crab-milk]

just wanted to chime in and say (like the other anon) i also feel funky abt my mixed asian identity as a westerner. idk it’s weird being in the in-between spaces. i appreciate you talking abt it on the blog a little, makes me feel less like i’m the only one who feels that way

i'm glad i could help out, even if it was just a little :3

for real though, it didn't occur to me how much cringe i'd have to get over myself just to get into learning chinese and talking to other chinese people about being too american; i find that other asians who aren't born or raised western don't get it and probably find it weird that there is that guilty sentiment of not being 'asian enough,' but i think that in itself is a pretty unique experience worth discussing

[mechazushi]

Okay, so, Fun story. My mind took this and ran with it while I was at work and now I have some vague lore bits and some over-developed excerpts of a story that I really shouldn't be focusing on right now because if I do, then its gonna turn into a personal odyssey and I can't be having that right now.

I am well aware that you clearly have your own lore, but I really needed get this written down so my mind can drop it so I can focus on other things, hope you don't mind.

So I'm gonna have a small bit of lore dump, then the excerpts, then the last of the lore so I can have people follow along, have my emotional impact, then explain why my mind went the way that it did.

Got it? Good. (Feel free to tell me to take this down If you hate it. Apologies in advance for the shit-ton of words before you)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lore Part 1} So the idea is that dragons come in different flavors. Kafka, of which, is a wish dragon. To a certain extent, Kafka can't just grant wishes willy-nilly. There are some rules. 1)Kafka can't grant personal wishes (i.e. wishes he wants for himself) 2)Only one wish per person. 3) The wishes don't follow Genie / monkey's paw ruling because the magic that grants the wish reads the person's intent behind the wish. (You can wish for something vague like "I want to survive" and the wish will alter circumstances that will help with that.) 4) The dragon can only grant wishes if the dragon trusts you. <- this is where things gets a little quirky. If it was up to Kafka, he would immediately say "I trust you" to everyone and grant their wish, but that's not possible. Nobody knows the exact requirements needed to trigger a wish, but I see it as a mix of exposure and genuine trust. You could know a wish dragon for years, but if you treat them like shit, they won't do anything. If you've only known a dragon for a week, but have already made a / several sacrifices with genuine good natured intent behind them then the chances of you getting a wish granted is higher, but you might still need to be with them a little longer for it to work.

Also, most dragons live from about 100 to 500 years. Kafka's been alive for 15,000. (It'll get explained how that's possible in a min.) And there is a difference between Dragons and Wyverns.

Wyverns are small and fairly non magical/ can't cast magic. Can talk but it comes out like Gollum

Dragons have two sizes (small and Normal, I.e. which is giant) with the sizes being proportional to how powerful the dragon is, can cast magic, and have human level intelligence. Can talk and can have intellectual/philosophical debates with humans.

And only Reno is an elf (so far)

Okay, I think that's about as much as I can reveal for now. Onto the story's excerpts!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"I think he's being a big baby." Narumi commented as the three of them strolled down the bricked street, flanked on either side by the castle's guards.

"I'm sure Sir has a very good reason not to see him again. Don't you think it would be good not to have more potential reasons as to why Lord Isao would deny our request to pass?" Reno haughtily quipped. His elvish demeanor showed no signs of the same nervousness that seemed to plague the other two members of the party.

"I've only known him for less than a month, and I bet that, whatever their problem is, could just be a simple misunderstanding and Kafka should just eat his words." Narumi grumbled.

"Can we please refrain from name-dropping our ace in the hole. This visit is already politically treacherous enough as is. If there is, or isn't a problem, it's best not to discuss it around the escorts at the very least." Hoshina said as he led the group while in the center of the company they were traveling with. The guards eyes them down suspiciously as Hoshina returned the visual sentiment to the grouping around them.

Hoshina and his platoon of hunters had set themselves on a mission to the Upper Arctic Plains to deal with an emerging problem. For months, the Upper Arctic had been dealing with an invasion of particularly vicious invasions from a foreign nation. This nation had access to ancient wyvern taming techniques and was attempting to lay waste to Lower Arctica. The great city of Ariaka was the only nation standing between the border of the Upper and Lower lands of The Arctic. Many countries knew of the situation and had sent offers of aid, seeing as Ariaka was the last and only stronghold before the rest of the continent, but all offers were sent back. With some being violently refused and sent away as a message for seemingly no reason at all. This had caused the city to restrict access to and through its borders. Any and all hunting parties seeking passage past the city's great wall had to make a personal appearance before the King. Leading to most, if not all parties, being turned away under the wrongly suspected guise of mistrust.

Hoshina had no intention to mess with the battle taking place up further North, but the mission his party was sent on would lead to a small chain of dominos that could possibly alter the outcome of the events further up. But to get there, they had to gain permission to pass through Ariaka. If Hoshina wasn't a virtuous and outstanding member of society, he'd rather take a chance with a band of unscrupulous smugglers. However, due to the size of his party, and (as far as he knew) no one in the group having enough knowledge of how to deal with said smugglers, there really wasn't a choice as to what had to be done. Still, he had hoped to have gained a bit of an edge thanks to the presence of Kafka Hibino, their rare, shape shifting, wish granting dragon friend. Unfortunately, Kafka seemed to have a bit of a history with the King of Ariaka.

They had come up with a plan before this one. One invoking an ancient ritual that would allow Hoshina to bond with Kafka in a contracted fashion. It was supposed to come across as a sign of strength, a power move to show the King of Wyverns they were strong enough to carry out their mission and potentially showcase the group as equals to the King. No one had any idea as to why Lord Isao kept preventing parties from crossing over, but Hoshina had a feeling that as a long as they clearly state that they had no intention of getting close to the conflict going on in Upper Arctic and could prove not to be a potential nuisance, they might have a chance to pass. That plan was soon shoved to the back burner as Kafka quickly protested to the idea. Not to the thought of bonding to a man that had previously tried to kill him, but to entering the King of Wyvern's domain. He didn't go into detail, but had mentioned in passing that they had met before Isao was King and had left a terrible impression on the what-would-have-been prince then. This left the group to resort to a new Plan A- Flattery, intense charisma, and a clear understanding of Non-engagement on what was clearly Kingdom matters.

The party made it to the broad, reinforced metal doors of the castle. The castle itself was built into the far wall that surrounded the city. Sitting on a hill, it looked to be split down the middle with the wall becoming the castle's wings, cascading down its sides. The loud clanks and low hisses of steam coming from impressive machinery echoed out from around the doors, opening them and replacing the work of what would have been a hundred men. Not waiting for them to be fully opened, the guards around them pushed the group forward into the main chamber of the castle. Sent down hallways big enough for Kafka's true form to walk down comfortably, the journey through the castle's interior led them to the throne room at what seemed to be the back of the fortress.

Viewing inside, it became clear why Lord Isao was called The King of Wyverns. The throne room felt impossibly expanse with the clearest paneled windows stretching floor to ceiling as it domed outward to reveal the widest view of the open lands that lay beyond the castle. The walls from the borders of the window to the back wall of the throne room were alive with the wing beats of what could only have been a million wyverns. They were the colors of the rainbow and all about the size of lap dogs, scuttling about as they swished and swam through the air, fighting for seats along the walls. The whole room felt more like an extravagant bird cage than a place to receive visitors. And there in the back of the room, sitting in his golden throne nestled close to the domed window on its own podium, was the Golden King of Ariaka.

Looking... a little less golden than what the namesake brought to mind. Outfit pressed neatly and regal, the colors looked dull however. The blond hair on the king's head and face appears more washed out and gray when compared to the vibrancy of the room. While still broad and imposing, the light streaming in from the windows made the sight before the crew feel like they had walked in on a faded memorial for a great man, rather than a terrifying introduction to a still present iron ruler. As they got closer, they could even see the skin on the cheeks were gaunt and pale. Was the Golden Ruler of Ariaka sick?

"Lord Isao, King of the Wyverns. These leaders of the Tachikawa Hunting party have come forth seeking permission to pass beyond the walls." The guard's voice rang out clear over the buzz of wyverns in the room. It was the highest decorated guard that had been in the front leading the group and as he dropped to his knee and bowed his head while addressing the king, the others, including Hoshina's crew, had taken the same hint.

"How many do I need to send back before it is realized that there will be no trespassers venturing past these walls?" The man on the throne spoke in a deep, slow, and measured tone. No sign of illness dampened his words, but Hoshina had felt uneasy hearing the cadence all the same.

"They claim that their journey takes them directly to the northwest, closer to the territory of Kanazawa. There have been rumors of an outbreak of trolls terrorizing the traveling camps of hunters stationed there." The guard continued to speak for them. They watched as Lord Isao became lost in thought as he searched for a response. Before he spoke however, a shadowy figure slithered its way up and over the back of the throne.

A sickly looking dragon shaped closely to an eel appeared in its smaller, reserved form as it poked its head over the throne's back to tickle its tongue into the king's ear. From what the group could see, it was mostly a dirty tan color, with streaks and spots of a grayer brown patterning its hide. A small stringy beard adorned its chin and two circular, protruding plates flared out from the back of its skull and ringed completely around its head. It had no eyes and its claws had dug noticable grip-holes into the top of the chair, indicating that there was some weight to the beast. Hoshina calculated from the size of the dragon's head that its body was about the size of an extremely large hunting dog, all hiding behind the chair.

After hearing what the dragon itself had to say, the king leaned back and spoke again, seemingly having his mind changed.

"They are hunters, are they not? This group in distress? If they cannot handle the problem themselves, then they are not hunters." Lord Isao spoke, his voice now sounding slower than earlier to Hoshina.

What a cold and cruel response! Especially from a man that led the best pack of hunters not too long ago. Hunters may consider themselves self-sufficient when in groups, but all good hunters know when to take a hint and ask for outside help.

"Guard, may I be granted permission to speak?" Hoshina whispered to the man in front of him. The officer turned to evaluate him for a moment before shifting off to the side so Hoshina could stand and speak for himself.

" Lord Isao, Golden King of Ariaka. We hear of your decrees for non-engagement, a telling sign of how you hold yourself after your years in the hunters." Hoshina began. He could see that after the dragon had stopped whispering, the king's eyes gained an even duller, more lifeless appearance to them. He began to hope that this wasn't a sign of how difficult this conversation was going to become.

"But to ignore a call of aid from a hunter, is to ignore the first rule of what we stand by. You have ardently refused help from other members of the hierarchy and we have no choice but to take that in stride and pride. We beg you, allow us to aid only our brothers and sisters in the west and help bring a swift end to their troubles. We are prepared and equipped well enough to ensure swift ends for all that cause chaos to them and them alone. We can and will provide updates as we venture, you will know our every move from departure from here and from there. If it would please you, we could even negotiate their return to the other side of the wall, preventing them from considering the browning of noses in places where your majesty has clear domain and jurisdiction over." Hoshina had been keeping steady eye contact with the panel of glass over the top of the king's head.

While it was considered rude to look a king in the eyes, and in some places it was a death sentence, Hoshina was hoping it kept up an air of confidence and resilience. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up however. His internal pool of flowery language to draw from was beginning to dry. The king made no move at all. Did not shift in his seat or made any other sign that he had heard his words in the slightest. A wyvern flew out from the shifting mass on the far wall and flew down to the dragon behind the throne. The king made no mention of it as it flittered down and began to converse quietly with the King's... pet? Honestly, no one in the group was sure what that slick and nasty mass of meat was doing, sitting in place of privilege behind the throne. The crew watched on in muffled horror as the dragon finished talking to the wyvern, and as the wyvern bowed its head, the dragon bit into its neck and proceeded to swallow it whole. After it had finished, it began to resume whispering into the king's ear. Hoshina could hear Reno behind him, trying his best not to openly gag at the sight.

"Well prepared to prevent chaos, you say? How well will you admit to?" Lord Isao spoke, breaking the tense silence that was caused from his inaction.

"Less than a hundred men. All trained to completion and taught to carry and maintain their own equipment to beyond acceptable standards." Hoshina replied quickly, hoping to mask any potential cracks in his voice after seeing the grotesque display.

"Any magical creatures under your employ?" The king questioned. Hoshina felt taken aback by how direct the statement was.

"We... are here to hunt them. It... would be counter productive to... employ one to harm others, wouldn't it?" Hoshina immediately began to regret his phrasing, wincing at his most definite blunder.

"And yet... you're scheming to pass one through the borders of my wall." Lord Isao continued to speak in even tones as he raised his hand.

The gesture summoned the opening of the door behind them and with it came the chorus of shouting and the rattling of chains. The wyverns around them burst into a flurry as a burly man was tossed down and slid to a stop in view of the crew.

"Shit." Hoshina cursed under his breath as he saw who was next to them.

Kafka Hibino. The exact same man who swore that it would become a problem should he ever enter the walls of the city, now laid low at the feet of the king. The same man that everyone had noticed was nowhere to be found this morning when the three of them came together to game plan.

"Where the fuck were you this morning?" Narumi hissed.

"Why didn't you run?" Reno called out.

"You think I didn't try? Kinda hard to do when you're drugged." Kafka only responded to Reno as he clumsily shuffled himself to his feet.

His hands were bound together, with a chain connecting them to a collar to his neck. A set of cuffs bound his feet as well, but had enough slack in them to allow him to get back on his feet. It took him a second to reorient, and when he did, he was greeted with a drastically unpleasant sight.

"You!" Hosina had never heard Kafka take that tone of voice before. One so close to how he sounded in his dragon form, a word so small yet dripped with wrath and bile. He had only ever known Kafka to be friendly to everyone, even to those that didn't deserve it.

"Hachi..." The dragon behind the chair hissed out the title with an equal amount of vitriol while climbing down the arm of the king. The king still did not move or react, even as the room exploded into frenzied action.

"Life Waster!"

"Wish Stealer!"

"Tricky Dragon!"

The squeaked cries of the disturbed wyverns around them were hard to miss with them crying out insults one after another. The group all turned to look at Kafka, seeing as all these insults only started flying after he entered the room. He saw as Kafka held his head high, defiant to the slander. Hoshina saw something else, however. Was that sadness in the lines around his eyes? Answers and questions all started to fly around in Hoshina's head, his mind felt like it was swimming in a whirlpool of information.

Another dragon gave Kafka a name. The only dragons that have names that can be spoken aloud are those of the Ranked. Was Kafka a member of the draconic hierarchy? And what was with all these declarations of stealing and wasting? Kafka had never killed a person the entire time they knew each other. Albeit, they hadn't known each other long, but Reno could sing praises about Kafka's nonviolent nature well into the night if you let him, and they had known each other for over four decades. And how could Kafka waste a wish? He might be a shit judge of character, but those that didn't deserve a wish never stuck around long enough to earn one from him in the first place.

"Still having fun toying with the human filth?" The brown eel dragon made sounds as if it was spitting out each letter as it spoke. It had continued to crawl until it was braced across each armrest, almost blocking the lap of the king in what was a defensive manner.

"Still devouring everything around you to fill the void in your putrid soul, Kyu?" Kafka spat back.

"Thanks for spoiling my fun. Now I'll have to take you up on that suggestion. Not that I'm complaining... I hear the flesh of the beloved is the sweetest when consumed in front of those closest to them."

This had all gotten so far out of hand. Kafka is supposedly a Ranked dragon with a shady past and is now antagonizing a fellow Ranked. The Ranked one in league with the King appears to really hate humans and might be evil. And to top it off, the King could very well be a flesh puppet for the really evil dragon. Hoshina had no plans, fancy words being useless now, and was now stuck in a room with most likely evil guards, two pissy Great Dragons, and probably a million wyverns in league with the sketchy one. Great, just great.

"Anyone else getting the distinct feeling we should leave?" Narumi spoke up as he shifted to a more defensive pose.

"Couldn't agree more." Reno said as he mirrored Narumi's stance.

"Who says I want you to leave? Not while Dear Hachi is my guest." The dragon named Kyu let his words slither out his mouth with clear ill intent.

"Hey. Hoshina?" Kafka called out with a dash of nervousness.

"Yeah, buddy?" Hoshina responded, lips snapping around the word.

"You remember Plan B, right?" Kafka turned to look him in the eye, his were filled with somber determination. Hoshina took a brief look at his surroundings, trying to calculate any other outcome. He turned to nod back at Kafka, not sure in what he was planning, but if it offered a chance at survival...

"Seize them." Kyu commanded.

"Cover me!" Hoshina commanded as well, voice reaching above the cacophony of wings in the room.

The two behind him immediately made moves to distract and block the guards around them while Hoshina took care of the two next to him. He could hear Kafka grunting with effort as he took care of the two that brought him in, the sound of a dragon's tail slamming against metal and flesh now unmistakable. He took his opening and dashed toward Kafka, seeing him break his feet's binding in the altercation. As he lunged forward, his arm outstretched, he saw Kafka's mouth morph into a more fanged appearance. Kafka grabbed his arm as best he could and shoved it into his mouth, biting down hard enough to draw a serious amount of blood. As Hoshina fell forward and screamed in pain, Kafka caught him in his arms, letting him cradle his injured forearm.

"Stop!" Kyu called out. The guards stopped suddenly in their pursuit and assault all at once while the dragon contemplated the scene before him.

"And what good do you think having a bond will do?" Kyu chuckled as he look on at the touching display before him.

"Bonds don't just symbolize a show of trust and camaraderie. It also speeds up the process for one to earn a wish." Kafka was kneeling as he leaned back, still cradling Hoshina. He saw as the blood caught in his mouth seemed to move on its own, making trails down his chin and jaw to settle under the metal collar.

Hoshina looked up at him and shook his head in bewilderment. Kafka could only wink down at him briefly before he returned back a mutinous look to their captor. Hoshina could only feel his heart sink at the thought that Kafka was the one trying to save them from the situation. He started to pay close attention to what was being said so he could find a way to salvage the situation.

"And you think you have one to spare now, don't you?" Kyu hummed out in amusement

"If you want the truth, he has access to a hundred." Reno chimed in, shifting his gaze from the dragon on the throne to the guards still standing at attention.

"Don't try to fool me, speck. Making a wish in your favor now will only work if the caller is in earshot." Kyu responded with his words having a clicking tap under the cadence.

"Then ain't it just the sweetest that I've got three of the closest companions I've had in years in the same room." Kafka stated.

"Are you claiming to have three wishes?" Kyu asked as he tilted his head at them.

"You let us go and you won't have to find out." Kafka managed to keep his tone serious, but with being up close, Hoshina could see bullets of sweat start to form on his temple.

'This is one hell of a bluff, Kafka.' Hoshina thought to himself, finding himself at an inconvenient loss of words.

Kyu chuckled lowly as he slid his body out of the defensive position and aimed himself more bodily at the panicking crew. A sense of deadly curiosity emanated from the tube of wrinkly skin with dark power.

"Oh? And why not use it now." it hissed, words coated in sense of superiority as it detected a kink in the plan.

"Fuck." Kafka imperceptibly hisses under his breath. He started taking too long to come up with a response to keep the bluff up.

"Yeah, Kafka! I can totally wish for us to not be here right now!" Narumi shouted in a clearly sarcastic tone.

Funny thing about the magic behind wishes. If you want it hard enough, it just might give you exactly what you ask for. A greyish-green colored mist began to swirl around the four of them, encasing them in a charged, protective cloud. They could hear the shouts of the dragon demanding the guards to grab them and the sound of chaos that came with, but it faded quickly into obscurity as it blended with the quiet rush of wind and the swish of tall wild grass. The four of them snapped their heads around, taking in the new environment they found themselves in. Off in the middle distance was a patch of multi-colored huts dotted with the living bodies of soldiers and the wispy smoke of several campfires. They had found themselves transported to the edges of the hunter's encampment they were traveling with.

"That worked?" Reno called out in befuddlement.

"Kafka?" It was the only word Hoshina could find himself to say.

"Narumi?" Kafka called out, care and worry etched the borders of his voice.

They all turned to look at the state of their fellow hunter, watching him as he began to hyperventilate and his eyes widened in shock and anger.

"I... had a wish?" Narumi screamed, "I had a bloody, fucking wish?"

He let out a primal scream as he fell to his knees. Not stopping for breath, he started to punch then claw at the ground. No one knew why he did this, maybe attempting to dig his ill-stolen and unrecognized reward back into his clutches.

"Is he... gonna be okay?" Kafka asked as he propped Hoshina up to his feet.

"He'll be fine. We'll wait till he passes out from exhaustion and drag him back to bed. I'm more concerned as to what you started." Hoshina said as he cradled his arm and stared daggers at Kafka. Kafka did everything he could to not answer back as he focused on breaking apart his restraints with his hands. He let the sound of creaking metal echo in the air as Kafka finished snapping the last band around his neck. He could see now that the trails of blood had settled into a band of its own. Intricate runes wrapped around his neck like a ribbon and had faded to the color of, well, dried blood.

"Not going to say a word?" Hoshina continued to interrogate, sounding miffed at his choice to remain silent.

"Oh, he better be saying something!", Reno exclaimed as he whipped around to their one sided confrontation, "When were you going to tell me you're one of the Ranked?"

"I'm... not. Not anymore." Kafka said. Solemn, but sturdy. He turned and walked toward the encampment as the two others followed him.

"Not being one of the Ranked isn't something you just stop being! It is a title bestowed onto a dragon when it is discovered to be a reincarnation of the previous Ranked! And last I checked, you look alive to me!" Reno continued to yell.

"I'll give you that for now, but that thing definitely isn't ." Kafka responded.

"Don't try to move this conversation off of yourself." Hoshina chimed in.

"Guys, we now have bigger problems than my past. That thing in the throne room is going to come after us, probably right now and we need to move." Kafka said firmly as he began to search for something.

"If it's that important, can you tell us what it is first so we can make that decision as a group." Hoshina commanded as he sped up to stand in front of Kafka. This seemed to shake him out of his panicked mindset as Hoshina saw him jump at the sudden intervention. Kafka slowed down, closed his eyes, and breathed before he told them a rundown of what went down in the throne room.

"That dragon was Kyu. Once the Ninth Dragon, Keeper of the Swarm. Now he's what we call in the Ranked a MoriWyvrm."

"I've never heard that before." Hoshina said. He was a hunter that prided himself on knowledge, but had to admit there were gaps. Still, even he thought this was something he would have heard about before.

"Does it have anything to do with the cannibalizing of his fellow dragonkind?" Reno asked.

"Yes it does and there's a reason you don't." Kafka said as he answered each in turn, "We try our best not to let outsiders know about this because it's really a Ranked specific problem. Unless a dragon is in that much danger and needs to trust a mortal with this, we try to deal with it ourselves. A MoriWyvrm is a dragon that ate another dragon. Whether on accident or on purpose, it fundamentally changes a dragon's internal magic and corrupts it beyond recognition. They become mad with wanting more power and continue to eat other dragons for it. Kyu did it on purpose 6,000 years ago, growing tired of his place in the hierarchy. He's been beaten down, but never defeated completely and has always slinked away in the end to various locations to disappear, only to reappear to gain more power again." Kafka ended the conversation to move around Hoshina and continued his search.

"We know each other and hate each other with a passion. As much as I want to go back in there and wallop him, I can't do that with everyone's lives outside now being on the line. We need to get everyone here gone and to a safer location. But I will tell you this now, Kyu will need to be dealt with soon. Whatever he's doing on that throne is probably related to why the king won't let anyone pass the borders. And in case it wasn't clear by now, the king isn't in his right mind."

"A MoriWyvrn can control a human?" Reno asked.

"No, Kyu can. He's definitely powerful enough for that now. What I do know about his powers is that he can't control more than one type of conscious thought. What I mean is he can't control both human and wyvrn basically. So that legion of wyvrns back there, he's manipulated them. Brainwashed them into believing that dying as his meal is some sort of greater purpose or a form of salvation. We can't fight that right now, so if you'll excuse me..." Kafka finished his search when he found a large brass bell on a wooden handle. It was used to let the hunting party be called to action or to notify them of an emergency. Hoshina caught Kafka's arm mid-raise and leveled him with a stern look.

"We can't just up and go somewhere, we need a plan."

"We don't have time for a plan." Kafka countered.

"Then where do you suggest we go?" Hoshina returned.

"Probably the woods to the west. We needed to go in that direction anyway, right? The trees will add sky cover and help us take down potential wyvrn spies." Reno interjected as he looked from face to face. The two stared back at him in shock and confusion.

"I mean... you said it's a swarm keeper, right? That... sounds like something it could do." Reno shifted slightly as he looked on nervously. The two looked back at each other and shrugged in unison, appearing in agreement to the plan. Hoshina let go of Kafka's arm and watched as he rang the bell loudly and clearly.

"Don't think that just because we're running, that it means that we're not returning to your side of the conversation." Hoshina warned. Kafka looked him up and down, swallowing a lump in his throat at the thought of revealing everything held close to the chest up until this point. He accepted his fate as he continued to ring the bell in a familiar pattern, causing all the hunters to jump into action and start demolishing their tents.

Later in the day, the group made it in the woods to the west. Everyone managed to escape the clutches of the Ariaka guardsmen and had set up their encampment in the dark, opting to avoid lighting campfires as to not make its location to obvious to any potential incoming spies sent their way. A brief meeting was called to order after the tents had been set and Hoshina gave a short rundown as to what had happened in the castle of Ariaka. He promised to return the next day with more information and an idea of a move they would make next. He had also caught Kafka trying to slink off into the dark to the edges of the camp with the guise of helping Reno stalk the perimeter for threats. Hoshina made it clear there was information he wanted to collect before any of them became too tired to talk before he marched Kafka to his rather large tent at the back of the camp.

Large enough for a cot, a calf-high writing table, and a shockingly long and tall wooden chest, Hoshina shoved Kafka inside forcefully before moving around him to sit sidelong at the writing table. He gestured at Kafka to make himself comfortable as he lit an bright lantern and prepped a book for note-keeping.

"For starters, how 'bout you begin with what you know about MoriWyvrns and your history with this Kyu." Hoshina stated as he sat facing Kafka. He took to half-sitting on the tall chest and took a deep breath before he started, seeming relieved at the chance to start with what felt like an easier topic of discussion.

"Well, I already gave you the most pertinent information earlier. Need me to repeat it?" Kafka asked.

"No, I remember it well. I was hoping for some more information on its weaknesses, to be honest." Hoshina said as he scribbled down what he remembered from their previous conversation.

"Well, that's kinda difficult to describe." Kafka started, scratching his neck, "Since it's a MoriWyvrn now, it's pretty weak to most normal attacks. It doesn't help that Keepers of the Swarm don't tend to develop normal dragon skin in the first place. Thin skin forces a deeper bond between a Keeper and their flock, leaning on them for protection."

"So without their flock, one might consider them defenseless?" Hoshina interrupted, directing Kafka to possible avenues of neutralization.

"Well... yes. The problem now is that Kyu being a MoriWyvrn covers that weak point pretty well." Kafka crossed his arms as he became lost in thought, "Not only does consuming wyvrns make a MoriWyvrn stronger in power, they also absorb the life span of their meals and it adds to their own. Should a MoriWyvern suffer injury, the soul from its meal rises up to fix the damage. They need to eat the wyvrns to continue to live, yes, but all those souls don't really go anywhere. They just get stored in the corrupted, bottomless pit that is their soul's new state and just... swirl around in there. Keeping them alive by any means necessary." Kafka looked disheartendly at Hoshina as he saw him rub his forehead in frustration.

"So even if we managed to knock it out and tie it down, we would just be standing there for days on end, stabbing something that would just heal the damage we deal it?" Hoshina questioned, wanting to confirm.

"With as big as it looked back there, it would be more than a century before you made a serious dent in its reserve of souls." Kafka replied solemnly.

"So there's no efficient way to hurt or incapacitate this thing." Hoshina said back. All he heard was a questioning whine out of Kafka.

"If you know something, out with it." Hoshina shot at him.

"I mean... it is a theory?" Kafka shrugged at him. Hoshina gestured pointedly at him to continue. Kafka looked away for a moment before letting his idea slip.

"You have another dragon... eat the MoriWyvrn." he finally said aloud.

"But I thought eating a dragon is what causes a MoriWyvrn to happen in the first place?" Hoshina shook his head quizzically as he stared at the tent wall.

"Technically, there should be a brief window of time as the dragon is being digested where the first dragon is dead, but the two souls haven't corrupted each other yet. If you can kill the dragon that ate the first one, you should have a chance to kill both before the powers that come with a corrupted soul take effect." Kafka explained. Hoshina gave a harsh puff of a scoff as he wrote an abridged retelling in his notes.

"Wonderful. Now we just need to find a dragon willing to trust another human, willingly fight and eat a MoriWyvrn, and lay down its life for the greater good." Hoshina could feel the energy change in the room as he said this out loud. He felt sympathetic daggers being drilled into the side of his head. He turned to see Kafka staring him down with a knowingly pointed expression. It took him far too long to read the signal he was being presented with.

"I'm not even going to entertain that idea."Hoshina refuted.

"Hoshina-"

"No." he commanded simply, "If I have to kill you, Reno will want to kill me too, and then I have to kill him as well. It will be a giant, inconvenient, mess. So, no." Hoshina turned to his desk again and flipped to a fresh page in his notebook.

"Speaking of you, mind telling me if there's any more benefits to being bonded to a wish dragon?" Hoshina turned back and glared directly at Kafka, making it clear he had said the final word on his future living arrangement. Kafka just sighed and let the matter rest for now.

"Outside of what was said in the throne room? We can read each other's minds." Kafka dropped casually.

"Aaand... when does that start?" Hoshina asked, unsure and confused as to why that was a thing, but ultimately took it in stride.

"Happened when I bit you." Kafka projected. His lips only twitched into a playful smirk as he watched Hoshina flinch at his own shadow.

"Haha, very funny." Hoshina responded sarcastically, "How do you make it work?"

"Simply wish for it." Kafka answered with a nonchalant wave of his hand. Hoshina scowled disapprovingly before preparing his mind to try. Kafka wan't one to speak in riddles, so something he said made him think he should take the advice at face value. Hoshina readied his face into a more cautious expression as he gave it a go.

"Is... is it working?" Hoshina sent.

"Loud and clear." Kafka returned the message with a thumbs up."

"Alright, good to know." Hoshina continued to scribble down words as he questioned Kafka again, "Anything else I should know about?"

"Well, this doesn't necessarily come with the pact per say, buuut-" Kafka started as he got up and walked over to where Hoshina sat. He held out his hand as he asked for Hoshina's.

"No, the injured one." Kafka started as Hoshina handed over his unbitten one. He took the bandage off of it before he placed the palm of the hand onto his forehead. Kafka closed his eyes as fluffy green clouds of energy and sparks of light began to swirl around Hoshina's wrist and traveled down his arm, almost looking like it was sweeping away the lesion. He felt no pain, only a ticklish wisp of a breeze as he marveled at the injury fading away, as not even a scar was left behind.

"Wow." Hoshina said breathily, twisting his arm left and right in disbelief.

"Don't expect me to be powerful enough to bring you back from the dead, but it should make things a little easier for you." Kafka smiled warmly before making his way back to the spot he was in earlier on the chest.

"Is that everything?" Hoshina questioned, sounding a little shocked at the discovery. He hadn't expected to get this much of a bonus from something Kafka had made out as something frivolous and superficial.

"Yep." Kafka almost looked a little proud as he looked on at Hoshina, his Captain's reserved sense of wonderment not lost on him.

"Then in that case, that just brings us to the last order of business." Hoshina idly flipped to a fresh page, denoting a change in topic warranting a separate entry.

"Mind telling me a little bit about who exactly I'm bonded to?" Hoshina had managed to spring his clever little trap as perfectly as possible. Kafka really had no choice but to come clean about his past now, whether he wanted to keep it buried or not. He could see Kafka's eyes widen in fear, even in the dim light from across the tent. He looked away, hiding the shame and sadness that began to creep into the laugh lines in his face. Hoshina waited patiently while Kafka spent forever debating on if he should run... or accept that this was needed of him now. He had to tell someone who he was, now with the potential of a fight with a fellow Ranked.

"I... I will always have my preferred title be Kafka Hibino. That will never change, no matter what I tell you tonight. But yes, I am one among the Ranked and I have a name." Kafka stated, clear and unhurried. Not savoring or taking his time with his reveal. Just... letting this moment hang in the air. Hoshina got the impression that this wasn't something Kafka talked about lightly, if he's ever talked about this at all. Since even Reno had no idea this man was one of the Ranked. Kafka turned back and stared defiantly into the tent's wall on the other side as he braced himself to speak.

"Among the Ranked, I am Hachi. Hachi of The Eighth Line, Servant of Wishes, Supporter of the Mortal Indomitable Will, Last Known..." Hoshina could see a sparkling of a tear forming in his eye, his throat bobbed as he fought himself to continue, "Last Known Protector of the Halls of Tachikawa." he sniffed harshly, almost being swept away by the force of an unseen memory.

"Do... do dragons really use such long and flamboyant titles?" Hoshina asked. Not much was known about the Ranked. Only bits and snippets that that Ranked allowed others to know about. It was Kafka's turn to scoff as he shook his head, almost seemed to be in embarrassment.

"Only in large gatherings. It's supposed to let others get an idea about what to expect coming out of other mouths and why they say what they do. Personally, I think it just gives others an excuse to disregard things of note from those they don't like." Kafka practically sneered as he spoke. It was clear he's been to one before and didn't enjoy the experience.

"It should also be of note..." Kafka began, looking like he was about to be sick as he tried to talk again, "That I am... over... fifteen thousand years old."

Hoshina stopped writing in his notebook as he processed what Kafka had said. As far as Hoshina was aware, for a dragon to live that long was completely impossible. No dragon in recorded history had ever made it past six hundred, let alone a thousand. Having heard that Kyu lived past six thousand was odd, sure, but that was clearly chalked up to being a MoriWyvrn. Last he checked, there wasn't anything different or special about Kafka that separated him from other dragons. Outside of being one of the Ranked, that is. Which only left Hoshina with one last question.

How?

"T-that is... you're... huh?" Hoshina couldn't begin to fathom just how old that made Kafka. And if he was only the Eighth, how long had the dragons been around? It didn't escape Hoshina just how quiet it had gotten after Kafka had spoken. It was obvious that this wasn't something he took comfort in revealing about himself.

"Kafka... How?" Hoshina reorganized the flurry of thoughts in his head just enough to let out a clear question, desperate for an answer. Kafka had become readably depressed as he sat there on the chest. Hoshina began to wonder if he even heard him ask, noticing how still the human shaped dragon had become in that moment. He opened his mouth again, only to get interrupted as Kafka finally spoke up.

"Do you know... how 'I wish you well' got started?" He said, not bothering to look away from the patch on the ground he picked out to stare unblinking onto. Hoshina just silently shook his head in response.

"I do." Kafka said, tapping his temple as he did.

"A dragon never forgets. It gets even worse when you find out you're one of the Ranked, because now you have the memories of all of your predecessors floating around up there." a heavy pause hung in the air after he had finished. Hoshina made no move to fill it.

"It started when a Wish dragon, the third actually, made friends with the first human that could speak the first words of language. The dragon was dying at the same rate as its friend, both curled up together in a cold cave, now gone. The sentiment was spoken in a long dead language now, but the intent was clear as day when it was declared. 'I wish you well onto another lifetime.' is what the greeting started out as. Even back then, humanity believed in reincarnation, because of the influence of the Ranked. Little did that human know, it had spoken its only wish with its last breath, and let the dragon live another five hundred years." Kafka was unmoved, unshaken, as he regaled apathetically. Hoshina wondered if he was even breathing.

" 'I wish you well onto another lifetime' got shortened down to "I wish you well' and in some countries, it started turning into 'Wish Well'." Kafka's hands came unglued from his sides and went up to his face, hiding the emotions welling up in his expressive eyes.

"That greeting has become my curse. A curse that comes with gifts." The words were muted, but Hoshina heard them just fine.

He began to piece together how Kafka lived for as long as he had. Kafka was a man you couldn't help but like. Friendly, mostly helpful, and had an uncanny ability to brighten up a group's attitude. It wasn't too far of a stretch to believe that some people that he's met across his fifteen thousand years would genuinely wish him a good life. Even if he told them he was a wish dragon or not, it didn't matter if neither one could tell if one had the capability to blow a wish. As long as pure intent was behind the words, anything was a wish. Including a goodbye. A hard sniff echoed behind Kafka's clasped hands before he drew them off his face. Tenting them in front of his nose and lips, he began to talk again.

"I have no need to eat or drink. Anytime I sleep, it's deep and dreamless, no matter if I sleep for a minute or centuries. I've been wished good health for so many times that I can apply the effect to others now." Watery eyes peered over the shaking fingers as he looked deep into Hoshina's. Hoshina could feel the muscles in his face slacken as he realized what he meant earlier about the healing not being a part of the pact.

"Even this form was a gift." Kafka added. One of his hands returned to his face, masking his eyes again as the other fell limply to his side.

Hoshina had seen tired men before. Tired from exertion, tired from inaction, tired from monotony. It was his first time seeing a man be tired from existing. Hoshina slowly got up from his spot on the floor, giving his legs a grace period to become accustomed to having blood flow in them again. Kafka made no move to acknowledge his shift in position as he walked over to the chest. Kafka looked up indifferently as he stood next to him. Hoshina tilted his head, indicating Kafka to stand up as well. He opened the lid and rooted around inside for a moment, before pulling out a dried calabash wrapped with purple cord and a cork in the top. He set the lid back down and seated himself fully on the top of it and waved his hand, silently telling Kafka to join him.

"What, no glasses?" Kafka said, playfully mocking as he sat down as well. Hoshina's heart was lightened as he saw that he managed to illicit a small smile at least.

"You're fifteen thousand years old. You're allowed to be tactless in private." Hoshina responded as he popped the cork off the naturally made bottle. Kafka contemplated the bottle as it was handed to him, before throwing it back and taking three deep guzzles from it. It brought some color to his cheeks and at least appeared to settle his nerves for the time being. Hoshina took a little sip for his own and was about to take more before he heard Kafka open his mouth again.

"Can I... tell you a tale?" Kafka asked. He still didn't look at Hoshina as he spoke.

"It's one you've no doubt heard before, being where you're from. A tale told to children with big dreams, intending to act as fuel for them. But one thing I've always noticed throughout the years is how wrong and twisted they've gotten the ending." He laced his fingers together in front of him as he waited for Hoshina to respond. He felt the warmth of his commander's hand resting on his forearm gently and took that as his answer.

"I'm sure you didn't miss the part in my title that said I was the last known defender of the Halls of Tachikawa. That name is ancient history to everyone else, but I can't help but feel like it was yesterday. Gods, I even remember a time before it was even considered a fiefdom." Kafka's words were laid heavily with the weight of memories, making him sound like an old, world-worn traveler. Which, in a sense, he kind of was.

It did actually slip past Hoshina's attention that he had said that earlier, being more distracted by the revelation of dragons having long titles. It did now put it into perspective of just how old Kafka really was. Hoshina fought his reeling mind as he tried to be polite and focus on his tale.

"I was a family friend on the mother's side of the royal family, being with them previously due to wanting to repay a life debt for her family. She married a wonderful man and had a beautiful and lively child. I spent long days basking in the sun on the castle walls when they were built. It got to the point where they had to come up with new wooden walkways around me so the guards paths wouldn't be interrupted." Kafka let out a little chuckle as he felt the memory soften his weary heart. It was difficult for Hoshina to picture Kafka being stuck in his full form, but he had no doubt that sunbathing would be a lovingly kept past time for him.

"I got to watch that child grow up from an excitable handful, to a strapping and capable warrior. It worried her parents to death, her wanting to join the ranks with the soldiers, but she wouldn't hear of it. She trained dutifully with the rest day after day. Her parents put me in charge of her, asking me to make sure she didn't overdue herself or spread herself too thin. I grew up with her as well. From a Godfather like figure, to practically her brother-in-arms. One just couldn't help but be swept up in her light." Kafka began to look very wistful as he continued to speak. Hoshina went back to sipping from his wine jug again, wondering if this story should be familiar to him.

"Nothing prepared our city for that war that came onto us out of nowhere." Kafka's voice dropped with his expression as he continued.

"A slow procession of wrath and blood approached the doorstep. The King and Queen made every attempt to slow or persuade the East's Might from entering the grounds. I remember them considering sacrificing their morals if it meant their people would be spared. Mina convinced them to let her lead one last defiant volly." Any light that was in Kafka's eyes disappeared when he dropped the revelation.

'Oh. Oh Gods.' Was Hoshina's only thought as he heard the woman's name. 'So that means he's... He's the green dragon from the stories?'

"She had the might of over six thousand strong with her. And it was almost meant for nothing. Everyone likes to tell the tale that she gave the winning command with her final breath, directing her second in command to victory from her grave. That's not what happened." Hoshina could see Kafka start to withdraw into himself. He wondered if his travel mate had the strength to finish the story. He wouldn't blame Kafka if he couldn't. Some war stories could be just too difficult to tell. Hoshina saw as his frame shook, Kafka now looking determined to finish, even if it would tear him apart at the seams.

"We were both mortally wounded. They had come prepared to fight a dragon, it seemed. I had spent the whole of the fight by her side, fearing for her life should I leave it for any reason. It only took a second. I looked away for a second." Tears began to fall now, down in thick rivulets. Kafka made no move to wipe them off his face as they dripped and stained his shirt's hem and pant legs.

"We always had this fight. She always told me that I could spend a million years with humans, I would never truly figure them out. I liked to argue otherwise, mainly because I found her to be cute when she was mad." he laughed breathily and smiled spitefully. Hoshina was pretty sure it was to himself.

"The cannon balls, nor the arrows that poisoned my skin kept me from rushing to her side. I wrapped myself around her, protected her from the world, if only for a moment. I felt more lances and arrows pierce me as I held her. This whole time, she hadn't blown a wish. She knew what I was and was very careful with how she said her words. I begged her, pleaded with her to use it, to save herself, to turn the tide of this war. Anything! Anything that could save her!" Kafka collapsed fully into tears now, the hands on his face making no dent in muffling his wails.

"She didn't even have the strength to speak her wish aloud! She made sure she had that last laugh when I heard her voice in my head wish for me to be well... as a human!" Hoshina's heart sank in time with Kafka falling onto his knees. He watched as the dragon-man rocked himself while in the throws of tears, mourning the long past death of a loved one. Hoshina felt immobilized by the display, not sure how he could comfort someone so distraught and attached to someone long dead.

"Hoshina, Soshiro, please. I need you to promise me something." Kafka seemed to regain enough of his senses to claw his way over to where Hoshina stayed sitting and grabbed the seams of his pants in desperation. For the first time tonight, Kafka not only looked deep into his eyes, but looked so deep into his soul, he felt like it was flayed open and exposed from the intensity of his gaze.

"For the love of everything you find holy and pure and good, be selfish with your wish. Waste it on yourself, waste it on others, I don't care. But for the love of all the Gods, don't waste it on me!" Kafka cried, burying his face into Hoshina's lap.

"I can't take it. Not again. Not ever again." His body rattled from the force of his sobs. He was sure he could be heard from across the encampment, but he didn't care. He had to hear Hoshina promise not to wish for anything for him.

Hoshina came to find himself not to be an emotional man. Didn't hug, always happy nonetheless, but not expressing much else. He made it a point not to let himself get too attached to the others in his hunting party. Emotions were messy things in his line of work, and by proxy, just didn't find himself to be physically expressive. That was the case... until Kafka.

As he leaned forward to sandwich the distressed man in comforting warmth and soothed his shaking with a gentle rubbing from his free hand, he made one final note about how Kafka seemed to me more than a wish dragon...

He was a miracle worker. Whether he liked it or not.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"He doesn't have a wish." Kafka stated nervously as he sat in his usual spot on Hoshina's wooden chest.

"Give me a minute to walk inside, thank you. Now what's this about?" Hoshina said as he walked inside his tent.

A week had passed since Hoshina had managed to lead everyone over the walls to aid their Hunting Brothers and Sisters stuck in the North West. They had swiftly fixed the groups dire situation and had waited for both sides to recover from the ordeal before asking them for aid in return. Once the new group had been informed about the state of affairs in the Castle of Ariaka, their leader, who apparently was Hoshina's older brother, had readily agreed. It was agreed that they needed to intervene in this secret national emergency as soon as possible, but that they weren't going in without a plan. One had just been settled upon minutes ago.

Most of both of the Hoshina's teams would be drawing out and away the castle's forces and wyvrns army with Kafka being the one who would have to fight Kyu on his own. The plan was simple, Kafka would endeavor to mortally wound and (hopefully) eat as much of the MoriWyvrn in its entirety. Reno would be close by to help however he can, and when the time was right, blow his wish and ask for Kafka to be well. The idea was that since the MoriWyvrn was dead and digested, Reno could wish for Kafka to be fine and thus let him survive the ordeal and not have to be killed or become transformed in the end.

However, there already seemed to be a wrench in the plan.

"You better not be referring to Reno, now are you?" Hoshina asked once he pieced together what Kafka could be talking about.

"Unfortunately, yes." He answered.

"And why haven't you told him of this before now?" Hoshina felt a migraine coming on and tried to prevent it by pinching the bridge of his nose. For a jolly and forward thinking man, he was starting to think Kafka wasn't as open with others as he should have been. He understood why Kafka was like this, sure, but you would think he would get the memo at this point.

"Because... that wish might have... indirectly killed his whole family." Kafka's foot was tapping into a blur now and continued to stare determindily into the tent's far wall.

Gods, this man can't leave anything simple, could he?"

"Why would he wish for his family dead?" Hoshina found himself asking exasperatedly.

"Ha- He didn't wish his family dead, he-" Kafka sighed again as he collected himself. Hoshina felt the beginnings of another story coming on.

"I had followed rumors of a town in the south needing aid after a natural disaster. There is where I met Reno and his family. We didn't get off on the right foot, so to speak, when we first met. Eventually, I ended up saving his life quite a few times in short succession to which afterwards, he felt the need to repay with a life debt, as Elves are prone to do." Kafka seemed to become calmer as he continued to tell the story. Hoshina wondered if it was because he had already confessed to his darker secrets to him beforehand.

"He began to stick to my side like glue for a while, waiting for a chance to save me back so he could go about his life like usual. I knew he didn't like me, but I changed his mind somehow because soon neither one of us could see us walking down a path without the other by our side." For as lighthearted as the sentiment was, Kafka's face didn't seem to reflect it. His eyes were downcast and the tips of his lips seemed to sour as he continued.

"Less than a month later, Reno's father had begun to make plans to leave and head eastward. There was a choice I wanted to make; I wanted to leave with his family, but their plans took them to a town that I had already spent too much time in too recently."

"Been there for so long, people would have begun to notice you hadn't aged?" Hoshina chimed in, indicating he was still following along. Kafka nodded briefly before continuing.

"It was just supposed to be a drink and a talk. One long goodbye where I hoped he wouldn't wish me for anything. I never could have thought it could go so wrong." His words were muffled as he rubbed his hands up and down his face.

"He said "If circumstances were different, I would wish to stay by your side.". We had known each other for less than a month so I never thought it would mean anything. I blew off the feeling I get when I feel a wish being blown as the wind chilling my skin. All that wish did was give him the confidence to speak his mind to his father. It apparently pissed his father off so much that he left him in the town and marched the family out a week early. They had gotten caught in a fatal rock slide in the mountains. Reno couldn't be notified of their death until six months later. That was two years ago now." Kafka had finished his somber reminiscing looking as tired as he usually did when he talked about his past. It never ceased to amaze Hoshina how much it seemed to take it out of the man when he did.

"I thought it was nearly impossible to earn a wish in under a month?" Hoshina asked as he mirrored Kafka's earlier gesture of rubbing his face as he faced the far tent wall.

"That's the one consistent thing I've noticed when it comes to the magic of wishes. It never hurts to try." Kafka responded cryptically.

"You know what this means, right? I have no choice but to kill you now." Hoshina turned to look back at Kafka, only to see the man smiling.

"You don't have to kill me. Narumi can do it just as well as you. Hells, I think even that colorful, foreign trio of weirdos that you have could do it." Kafka said, almost looking like he was reveling in the idea of finally dying.

"Oooh, no! I had marked you as my quarry for over a year before I met you. If you think that I'm just going to hand over the honor of taking your head to anyone else, you are sorely mistaken." Hoshina said as he stalked over to Kafka to playfully spit the remark into his face. He couldn't stop himself as he felt the corners of his lips turn upwards as he ruefully thought about Kafka's blood spilling onto another man's blade.

"Well, if that doesn't happen, then you can take comfort in knowing that I died with the Huntsman Honor of going out in a useful blaze of glory." Kafka teasingly returned with a similar grin.

"You consider yourself a hunter?" Hoshina jibbed back.

"I call you my commander, don't I?", Kafka said as a hand came up to the faded runes on his neck, a thumb playing with the edges of the patch that crossed over his Adam's apple, "I already consider my life to be yours to use as you wish." His smile never faded, only spread wider as he turned to leave the tent.

Hoshina felt thankful for that as he felt an embarrassing heat flush over his cheeks. He was sure Kafka knew what he was doing when he phrased his words like that.

'It should never be that normal for a man to take that much comfort in his own death.' he thought.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Two hours.

It took two hours for Kafka to finally beat Kyu down far enough to begin the process of devouring it. Hoshina didn't really get a good, long look at the fight, seeing as he was in the middle of fighting for his life at the time. He could certainly hear it though. Loud roars, the ripping of flesh, echoing crashes as they each made serious attempts to destroy the other. It wasn't a stretch to say Hoshina was worried for Kafka at the start. When everyone saw Kyu reveal his full size and found out it was at least three times as large as Kafka's was, he was tempted to give in to the belief that no one was going to win this fight. He was thankful for Kafka asking him to take time out of his day to teach him tips on how to use size to someone's advantage.

Hoshina kept to the edges of the battle as best he could. He had to be able to make a quick getaway by the time Kafka could send the signal to... finish him off. It was a thought he found himself at odds with the whole time before the battle even started. Fighting for survival helped keep his mind off of what he was about to do, but even the fight was beginning to peter out, now that Kyu wasn't in the right head space to keep his control over his human army. It was a difficult thought, wondering what life would be like without Kafka's warm smile by the campfire. He knew Reno wasn't going to take the news well after he commits to the act. That was going to be a mess and a half, he was well aware... but what about the others?

Narumi would act stoic, of course. Hells, he'd probably crack a few jokes over his dead body probably. He would come to miss him eventually when it came time to chop wood for the camp. Kafka always chopped extra so that the others were free to do other things. Iharu would comfort Reno as best he could. Everyone would, now that he thought about it, but Hoshina couldn't shake the feeling that there would be a permanent shift in the mood, an inescapable void in the hearts of everyone, should Kafka be successful and get his wish of shedding his practically immortal coil fulfilled. That didn't matter now. Everyone had made their bed and everyone was going to have to make their peace with it. A shame Reno just happens to be in the crossfire of it all.

Using a spare lance, he stabbed it through a chink in the armor of the man he was fighting and leveraged it to make his opponent fall to the ground. Shoving and twisting it, it sliced through to the other side and anchored the guard to the ground. He took a risk to spare a glance and watch the end of the fight between Kafka and Kyu. Kafka was looking worse for wear but surprisingly intact for as loud and boisterous as it sounded. He appeared to be halfway out of his dragon transformation, scales protruding and tail long and strong as he was currently wrangling the smaller form of Kyu. They rolled and rumbled all around in the grass, with Kyu biting back and Kafka tearing whole chunks of flesh and trying his best to swallow. Kafka already looked a little green because of the transformation, but Hoshina could swear that he looked a little more green than usual in the face. It was a happy, but dreadful sight to see that the more chunks of meat that he tore out, the less it was growing back. Reno was helping as well, firing well places shots into the rancid dragon in attempts to wound and immobilize it long enough for Kafka to tear out more chunks.

Sensing the time to act was nearing, Hoshina called out to Narumi to get ready, for he had a part to play as well. He had to intervene and drag Reno as far away from Kafka as fast as possible before Hoshina could get close. They couldn't tell Reno he didn't have a wish. They all tried, but with the timing of the fight being too close for comfort, they couldn't. Not without letting Reno have time to grieve or not try to find a way to postpone the fight until they could come up with a better plan. It was heartbreaking to say the least, but Hoshina knew Kafka was more than ready to let go. Especially if it meant saving them.

Seconds turned into hours and minutes turned into centuries as Hoshina counted everyone of them until the signal was called. He turned back to look at the fight again just in time to see Reno release one more arrow into the last remains of Kyu. Kafka fell to his knees as he bit the last disgusting morsel off the arrow's head and swallowed roughly. It scared Hoshina just how fast the final act was changing Kafka's appearance. His dragon form became more prominent, but it wasn't the vibrant jade green it was before. The scales became darker and started to fall off of his skin in sheets. A dark mist dripped from his body as he keeled over onto his hands and began to cough violently. He could almost hear screams of agony between the racking of Kafka's lungs throughout the roars of the continuing fight behind him. Hoshina could see Reno mouth the words of his wish to his friend as he writhed in the grass. He became more and more distressed as he witnessed as his pleas were not taking effect like he thought. As Reno fell to his knees as well, shaking the the shoulders and crying in terror over his closest friend and long time companion, is about when Hoshina heard the signal.

"SOSHIROOOOO!" Kafka's roar thundered across the battlefield and rattled in his head. Hoshina had never heard a sound as painful and as pleading, as agonized and as desperate as he heard in that moment. And after today, he hoped to never hear one again.

Both Hoshina and Narumi took off like a shot into a good headwind and booked to where they were. Reno looked confused as he saw them approach, which made it easy for Kafka to rock back onto his knees and grab Reno by the back of his shirt. He somehow had enough willpower in his to launch Reno like a skipping stone toward Narumi's direction. All Hoshina heard as the bodies made contact was Narumi letting out a clipped "Shit!" as both of them whipped behind him. Hoshina turned to focus on his target as he drew out both of his swords and ran faster towards Kafka.

At least... he thought he was moving faster. To him, it felt like he was suddenly wading through a bog and felt just as cold and wet. Time felt like it was slowing even farther with each step he took.

'Now's not the time to be second guessing yourself!' Hoshina screamed in his head.

But he was. He was second guessing everything. He told everyone he could do it. That he was going to kill Kafka. He had to, to save everyone, including Kafka. But he found out in that moment that he couldn't. For all of his bravado and for all of his promises, he couldn't. He couldn't snuff out that brilliant light. That shining, bright beacon of hope and trust that had flown his way into his life. He had no choice, though. There was no other choice.

Wasn't there?

A flicker of a memory flashed briefly in his mind's eye. A small conversation they had weeks prior. A quick mention about wishes.

'When it comes to the magic of wishes', he said, 'It never hurts to try.'

No one could ever be sure when they had a chance to wish, but he'd rather be damned before he didn't give it a shot. Best case scenario, Kafka lives to hate him until he passes, and he found himself to be at peace with that already. Worst case scenario.... Gods should start praying that it doesn't come to that.

Closing the distance quickly, now that his mind was made up, Hoshina leapt into the air and planted his foot onto Kafka's shoulder, the momentum causing him to lay flat on his back. With his hand not occupied with holding himself up, they began to claw and scratch away at his neck and chest. Scraps and slivers of papery skin sloughed off to reveal more of the sickly darker scale. Hoshina's blade tips pierced the ground on either side of Kafka's neck, forming a threatening cross over it. His body shook with the force of him holding back the urge to cough as his hands made their way to the blades. Kafka's hands started bleeding from how hard he was gripping them and Hoshina began to hear the whispers of his final words.

"Soshiro...please..." He cried, teardrops driped from the corners of his eyes. Hoshina could feel his fall off his cheeks and watched as they mixed with Kafka's. The metal blades clinked as Hoshina's hands shook, fear and doubt making him hesitate. With a harsh blink and a tighter grip, Hoshina cried out with the full force of his lungs.

"I WISH YOU WELL ONTO ANOTHER LIFE TIME! I WISH FOR NOTHING TO CHANGE THE WONDERFUL BEING I'VE COME TO KNOW! I WISH FOR ALL THE DAYS THAT I HAVE LEFT WITH YOU TO BE FILLED WITH NOTHING BUT TRUST AND LOVE! KAFKA HIBINO, DRAGON OF THE EIGHTH LINE, SERVANT OF WISHES!" Hoshina's voice cracked as he screamed, the force of his emotions making him feel broken but free.

As he pulled his swords back, resolving not to make the finishing cut, he watched as he saw the runes around Kafka's neck flash and brightened into a brilliant green light. Hoshina fell backwards as he felt Kafka rise up from under him and place a hand on his chest. The whole of his body began to swirl in now familiar grey-green clouds sprinkled in dot-like stars. As he landed on his back, he sensed the air around him get heavier as the light from the sun began to fade away from his closed eyes. When the wind stopped blowing, Hoshina looked above him.

All he saw was the underside of a dragon's foot, scaly and lushly green. It took up the entirety of his vision and it took considerable turning of his head to see any sky beyond it. He stood up on shaking legs as he marveled at the size of his surroundings. He was laying in the portion of the foot that connected the toes to the main part of the foot. It arched upwards so high into the air it would be confused for the roof of a dark cavern. Upon witnessing the size of the foot he was under, Hoshina began to calculate just how big the rest of the dragon was. If he was right, then it could use the biggest mountains as its pillow.

"You okay down there?" A deep voice in his head rang out.

"Y-yeah?" Hoshina thought back, swallowing hard as he panted.

"Good. Because I need you to run." The voice rang in his head again. Hoshina was starting to piece it together that this new voice might be Kafka.

"NOW." the voice boomed. Hoshina didn't think twice as he bolted for the rays of sun closest to him.

Running for several solid minutes, Hoshina made it out the other side and kept going. Off in the distance, he saw Narumi and Reno holding onto each other as they stared in bewilderment at what might have been Kafka's new form. As he kept going, Hoshina turned to look off to the side to see why Kafka ordered him to run from. Blotting over the sun, was the remains of the Wyvrn army, coming for revenge in the name of their fallen master. Hoshina heard the rushing of the wind and felt it pulling around and behind him as he continued to sprint. In the past, he knew that it meant that Kafka was preparing to release his signature sonic screech, but now seeing the size of the dragon behind him he wondered if there was even a safe distance to be from to survive this. He could hear the wing beats of the wyvrns getting closer and closer even as he continued to run, now with Narumi and Reno running as well.

"Everyone, cover your ears!" Hoshina had heard boom in his head.

He did what the voice asked as he watched the two in front do what it asked as well. He turned around at the last second, curiosity getting the better of him. He watched as the screech rippled the air as it traveled to the living cone of teeth and wings. The path of the scream was visible as the flying army exploded into a red mist in a massive wave. Hoshina unfortunately could also feel the force of the wave from where he was standing as well. Even with his hand on his ears, the loud scream felt like it tore through his head and ripped the bones in his ears right out of their canal. The force of the screech made him drop to his knees in pain as he rode out the wave of terrifying sound.

It was over as soon as it started. Hoshina's ears heard nothing but ringing as he gasped for breath. His body shaking, he pulled his hands away from his head to look at them. In his hands were small trails of blood. The ringing didn't stop as he tilted his head to look forward. A long way in front of him was nothing but a massive green cloud of shimmering dust. He watched as a new breeze drifted in as swept away the cloud in wispy trails. Slowly, they began to reveal a naked, kneeling man at the head of the cloud. Desperate and concerned, Hoshina sprinted again, a little more clumsy this time however as he had seemed to have lost his balance. Stumbling and tripping over his feet and hands, he had made it over to Kafka.

Falling onto his calves, he half-slid, half-crawled over to him the rest of the way. He watched as his hands frantically searched over Kafka's body, trying to turn him to face him as he looked to see if the wish worked. He could feel his mouth moving and his lungs straining with the effort to talk, but for the life of him couldn't figure out why he couldn't hear himself speak. Hoshina watched as Kafka turned to face him, eyes ablaze with anger and mouth ready and full of venom, and continue to watch as all those features faded away into sadness and pity and worry and care. Hoshina felt Kafka's hand travel from his hands to the back of his head, gently forcing their foreheads together. They both closed their eyes at the soft touch, and Hoshina began to feel and hear the rush of the mystical wind surrounding his ears. As they pulled away from each other, Hoshina could see worry and sadness were still etched into the shallow lines on his face. He brought his hands up to caress them away, knowing that he'd make them disappear with time soon enough.

"You know I'm going to outlive you now, right?" Kafka said somberly. Hoshina felt himself chuckle lightly.

"Not if I have anything to say about that." He responded.

He leaned forward to catch Kafka's surprised lips. He felt him melt into the touch just before Kafka leveraged his grip on the back of his head to wrestle Hoshina into laying across his lap awkwardly. His hand continued to cradle under his arm and the back of his head as he ravaged Hoshina's lips. It was rough and wild with too much teeth and Hoshina wouldn't have had it any other way. The moment was short lived as they heard an interrupting cough erupt in front of them. Both of them turned to look as they saw the Golden King of Ariaka standing regally before them. He looked better than before, now glowing with new light and appearing healthier than ever. He stood patiently before them and carried his war torn battle cloak on one arm.

"I would like to have a serious conversation with the two of you." lord Isao commanded as he held out the cloak. Realizing that he wanted them to stand, Hoshina grabbed the garment for Kafka and hurriedly shoved it under him to cover Kafka's lap as best as he could. He then got up first and stood in front of his new lover to allow him cover as he tried to put the cloak over his very naked form. Once decent, Kafka walked around to stand front and center next to Hoshina and faced the king. They watched as the king's eyes flickered between the two of them before appearing to make a decision an moved over to kneel honorably in front of Kafka.

"I have learned about the true intentions behind my father's actions since his passing and now know just how morally disgraceful I was acting back then. You are fully in the right not to forgive me, but at least have it be said that I do sincerely apologize." Lord Isao kept his head bowed as he talked, truly acting with genuine regard. Kafka shuffled the edges of the cloak around to stick out a helping hand. Isao's expression remained unchanged as he looked up on the offering.

"Since when does a king bow before a common man?" Kafka asked, a teasing smile splayed over his lips. Hoshina could hear a huffed noise of agreement come out of the lord's nose as he took the hand.

"if that is what you wish to be." Lord Isao responded.

"Only until it is necessary for me to be something else." Kafka answered back. They regarded each other for a moment before the King turned to face Hoshina.

"I have much to thank you for, but much more to discuss. Come." the king commanded simply, indicating for the two of them to follow.

Neither of them cared about what would be coming next. Both of them just took comfort in knowing that they would be facing it together.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lore Part 2}

Yeeeeahhhhh.... I gave him Survivor's Guilt. Sorry, not sorry.

In all seriousness, I don't really know why exactly my mind jumped to Wish Dragon when I saw Dragon Kafka, outside of just

His Vibes,

But once my brain thought of that, it wouldn't let go and then it spiraled into "Him granting wishes would backfire on him so bad, like it would make him immortal or something." The line about the gifts is a little interesting, I wanted to add more but I felt it would be hard to transition from and ruin the pacing. I kinda picture wishes having the ability to morph slightly over time. Like if you gave a wish to an elf, towards the end of their life the wished parameters would shift slightly? Like if the wish gave them Fireball, then by the time they're, idk, two, three hundred or something, the wish would loosen up a little and now it's just pyromancy. So yeah, at one point someone wished for "His stomach to never be empty" and for a hundred years, he never felt the need to eat. It has since changed to where he can choose whether or not he wants to eat or needs to survive by not focusing on eating for a while. And for a while he was genuinely stuck as a human. At the beginning, he wasn't sure if he was a real boy or not, until it was pointed out to him that he should've looked seventy instead of thirty that he realized that he was still a dragon on the inside. It took him two hundred years for the wish to morph enough to let him gain the ability to shape shift. He also couldn't grant wishes during this time and only realized he could do so again after he met Reno! Yep, that's right! His first wish in two hundred years was him granting Reno's wish to speak his mind to his parents, and we both know how that turned out! 👍 (why do I do this?)

I also don't know what possessed me to have Mina be in his life earlier and turned her into the main source of his survivor's guilt, but I really like the impactful moment it made with Hoshina. It also sounds like something she would do.

In the original drafts that I had in my head, they weren't even going to kiss. There was no plans for flirting even. And then my brain came up with the "My life is yours to use as you wish" line and then I was like

"Mmhhh, yeaaahhh... They're f*cking now. They are contractually obligated to f*ck now."

It probably didn't help that, in my initial thoughts for this story (The version that would have liked to have all the time and motivation in the world to let this become my personal oddyessy) There was SOOO much naked Kafka. This was because I refused to chalk up his clothes remaining intact after transformations to "Dragon Magic". It wouldn't have cost me anything not to.... I just wanted a scene of Hoshina getting flustered over Full Frontal Kafka in Winter.

Speaking of things that didn't get put in, I had a lot more lore beats I wanted to put in that I have since forgotten about because I didn't write them down somewhere else and didn't put them in because it felt it would mess up pacing. AND there was going to be a couple lines of SOSHIRO'S BROTHER chiming in at a few points and flirting heavily with Kafka right in front of Soshiro, but the scene surrounding it didn't pan out soooo.....

In case it wasn't obvious, Kyu the dragon is supposed to be Number Nine. I looked up what nine was in Japanese and the internet said it was 'Kyu'. It's also where I got Kafka's dragon name being 'Hachi' since that means eight. (There's apparently two? words for eight in Japanese? I think? Internet wasn't being clear.)

The reason Kafka supposedly grew in size at the end was because he ate Kyu and absorbed all the soul's energy into his. The wish then neutralized the transformation that would have caused Kafka to become a MoriWyvrn but the souls had nowhere to go so now Kafka's just overpowered now.

The colored lettering is supposed to represent times where Kafka's voice doesn't sound human and sounds more like his dragon voice. Like if he started to sound like a Kaiju while as a human.

Isao's father kidnapped Kafka at one point and started demanding that Kafka give him a wish and Kafka basically said "Up Yours 🖕" and (Prince) Isao had said "No, U 🖕" and that's what he's apologizing over.

LAST BONUS THOUGHT: Kikoru is the general of the army that's fighting against the foreign invasion in the North.

Okay, I think that's everything. Again, I know it was clear you had your own lore ideas for this, but I hope you didn't mind hearing mine.

Guess what I've been doing last night (and by last night I mean I couldn't sleep and got up again at 1 am and was awake 'till 5am or smth.... :D told ya my sleep schedule is in shambles by now)

Yeaah..I am actually suprised it took me this long to squeeze them onto my most favorite universe of all...so..yeah.. hit the old fantasy- and witcher playlist and well...the mind was loong gone..at this point... I feel like this is not really 100% Witcher-verse, but also a bit Skyrim-ish?...something in between but def. fantasy like..

So what came from it are some messy sketches I like very much :D even if Hoshina is a little T-posing, lol, but that's OK..

I love how I'm not even putting the names in anymore.. xD you should now my fav bois by now hopefully...

since I totally stole that badass posture from Zhen Qu'S fanart, I feel like I at least should tag the reference - LOOK at it it's amazing <3

I wonder if I will continue the series this time, 'cause I'd love to give Narumi a proper armour and there's a certain forest elve I'd like to add as well, BUT I know my adhd brain, and I'm making no promises here..

(and def. no more allnighters, I need to get my schedule fixed, I'm at a Con this weekend, I need to get up at DECENT times god dammit)

[etherealdemon]

HORANGI — daniel

dirty a-z headcanon ask

H - Humiliation (does degradation and insults get them hot? do they get off on humiliating someone else? what kind of humiliation is good for them?)

humiliation, degradation, and insults during sex are not for daniel. he's actually kind of sensitive so anything of this sort is a no go. he also doesn't feel comfortable insulting or degrading mia. it's just something that he's not into.

O - Outdoor sex (have they ever done it in public? would they? where?)

daniel isn't opposed to having sex in public. he won't necessarily go out of his way to have sex in a public area, but if there's an opportunity, he'll happily do it. in terms of public sex, he and mia have mostly had sex in semi-public areas. the most public space they've done it in is at the gym daniel works at, on a bench press.

R - Routine (do they have a routine when it comes to picking up one night stands? do they have scheduled sex with their partner? are things spontaneous or planned ahead of time?)

daniel doesn't have a routine when it comes to picking up one night stands. it's not something that he plans out in advance. he usually ends up hooking up with someone when they've spent time together and he's enjoyed their company. the first time he and mia hooked up, daniel spent all night talking to her at the bar at carat. he enjoyed her company so much that he asked her if she wanted to hang out after her shift ended. she obviously agreed.

A - Alone time (how do they get off when they’re all by themselves? do they watch porn, is it all in their imagination, do they jerk off, do they use toys?) 

masturbation is pretty simple for daniel. he isn't too fussy and he usually just uses his hands when he wants to get off. most of the time, he'll just use his imagination since he finds that opening up porn takes too much time and effort.

N - Not yet (orgasm delay? orgasm denial? do they tell their partner not to touch themselves for a certain amount of time or under certain circumstances? do they delay or deny other things like bathroom usage or food? do they need to beg first? do they like being denied / delayed?) 

daniel loves it when mia takes control and tells him that he can't touch her, especially when she's doing a striptease for him. sometimes he purposely touches her just so she can slap his hand away. it literally drives him insane and gives him a reason to return the favour when it's his turn to be dominant. daniel really likes to deny mia her orgasm, often teasing her to the point where she just can't take it anymore. he likes to hear her beg for it.

G - Group sex (would they have a threeway? four? an orgy? do they put on a show for spectators? or do they like to keep it just between them and their partner?)

when he was still single, daniel would've been down for a threesome, as long as if it was with people he knew and trusted. however, his outlook on this changed when he started to get feelings for mia. she was the only one that he wanted and he didn't really feel any satisfaction from anyone else. the only time he'd be down for a threesome or an orgy when he officially started dating mia was if she was the one who suggested it.

I - Impact play (here’s where talking about things like spanking, paddles, canes, floggers and the like.)

daniel is not into impact play. he likes being rough with mia during sex but he doesn't really like using floggers or paddles. spanking is probably the only thing that will get a pass from him, but even then, he'd be very wary and cautious about it towards mia. when it comes to rough sex, daniel is definitely more into manhandling. he likes to throw mia around.

[yeslordmyking]

Happy 27th Birthday Jackson Wang

My Journey With Jackson Wang

For Jackson's birthday this year, I've decided to share why Jackson's birth is so important to me personally. I'll walk through the emotional journey that ensued once Jackson entered my life.

(Images and gifs are not mine)

Fun Beginnings

It all started when I decided to explore more kpop groups than just Bigbang. The last month of 2016, I discovered GOT7, the group that sang A and Hard Carry. I learned they were having a comeback very soon, so I studied up everything I could on them. The member that caught my eye was Jackson Wang.

Beneath the Surface

I won't pretend I had this amazing ability to go beyond what was shown to me. Not at first. I saw Jackson as the biggest goofball in the group. He was loud and fun and extra. Honestly I thought every GOT7 member was fun and crazy, but Jackson in particular stood out to me. Then, I found this moment.

When Jackson burst into tears and collapsed into his Mom and Dad's arms. As an empathetic cryer, I was obviously using my sleeves to dry my own eyes. That was when I realized there was more to Jackson than the compilation videos were showing. After studying up from some good Jackson fans, I learned he was a gentleman, he had a soft side, he likes compliments and attention from his members, he had olympic level athleticism. These were all nice things to learn, but things only got deeper from there.

Stanning in 2017

Flight Log: Arrival era. My first GOT7 comeback. Poor Jackson got sick for a little while. When he returned, I saw how everyone welcomed him back so warmly. I remember seeing GOT7 joined Monsta X backstage- who I was also im the process of stanning- while reacting to their performance at a music show and everyone just seemed so happy for him to be there. They all loved each other. Jackson got along with basically every idol. Jackson must be very loved.

As I continued to stan, I learned just how good of a person he was. Stories from his past showed that Jackson was the kind person to care for complete strangers as close friends. He cared for elderly women who felt lonely or neglected. He spent hours talking with someone who was too depressed to live another day. He stood up for fans that may be jostled by security, even if it was ultimately for his protection. He made sure the women in his workspace were comfortable and respected. He shook hands and made contact with every person involved in working alongside him. He thanked God for his success in his letters. To me, Jackson seemed to be nothing short of a complete angel. Who could deny it?

Then, Jackson announced his solo career. That was when I saw things how they really were. The amount of hate that I witnessed towards Jackson was crushing for me. So imagine how bad it was for him. Physically, mentally, I saw him hit a wall. People were telling him what kind of music he was and wasn't capable of. They spread lies about him. Then they wondered why he stopped smiling as much.

They only saw him as a comedian or a joke. I just couldn't believe someone I thought was so wonderful was so despised. He was human. He may make mistakes, but he made an effort to correct them. No matter what, he still had feelings. He wasn't a robot or a clown. He could get tired. He could hurt. This was when I decided that I was going to be a ride or die Jackson fan. Because someone so kind and talented didn't deserve anything but love and to be supported for his dreams. I wanted to give it to him.

The Jacky Life

There was a lot of ups and downs after this. Jackson started Team Wang. This is where I saw a new side of Jackson. The hardworking Jackson, in real time. He showed the world his work ethic as he began to work from the ground up to make Team Wang a strong label. Through every release and every appearance he made, he gave 1000% of his effort. To the point where fans were afraid he was going to push himself too hard. He went through endless performances, intense dance competitions, long variety show shoots while enduring exhaustion, anemia, back pain, mental illness all without a complaint or a sign of lessening his passion for his art. I was so concerned, often breaking into tears over my worry. I didn't know what to do to let him know we were proud of him, we supported him, it was ok to rest. But I understood his mindset. He wanted to be taken seriously. He wanted people to see what he was capable of. He wanted the world to see him as Jackys already did. Then one day, it clicked for him. He stopped focusing on what negativity came his way. He learned and grew from it, and focused on improving himself. It was an amazing journey to witness.

It Gets Personal

Jackson continued to blast off as a solo artist, and participate in GOT7, all of which gained immense success. But then it was my turn to hit a wall. In my own life, I'd had doors slammed in my face over and over again, wearing me down more and more. I couldn't move forward. It seemed I wasn't meant to achieve my dreams. I started to kill my own dreams and believe they weren't meant to be pursued. My self worth and hope plummeted. Then Jackson's brand began to grow. "Know Yourself. Make Your Own History." He began to give more and more insight on how he left behind a secure future of olympic fencing to pursue his dreams. He talked about taking risks, learning from failure, not having regrets and at least trying to make your dreams come true. And these weren't just empty words for Jackson. He was living proof. I actually witnessed him rise like a phoenix from the ashes as he began to manage his health better, released his first album Mirrors, launch his own fashion brand, all while remaining his remarkably humble self. Other artists from all over the world flocked to be participants in his career. In his music, he expressed what his fans' support meant to him, and in his interviews he gives Jackys so much credit for getting him where he is now. It felt unreal to be acknowledged by someone I admired so much, and to hear someone who seems so out-of-my-league successful and talented encourage me to do the same. To say it so much that I truly believe he wants us to reach all of our dreams.

Team Wang For Life

For me, being a fan of Jackson Wang is beyond just liking his music. It's a source of love and motivation that I often have trouble giving myself. I see Jackson Wang as a blessing and a guide for me to help me take steps in my life I would've been afraid to were it not for Jackson's words and actions. So I'm extremely grateful for his existence on this earth and his decision to be a goodhearted and determined human being. His birthday is a day that I go back and think about everything he is and appreciate it.

Happy birthday Jackson Wang. Your journey so far has helped me in so many ways, and I will support you in whatever way I can. Thank you for making your presence on this earth so impactful. To me, you truly are a king, that I will continue to love through the ups and downs of this world. You're never alone.

~♡Sincerely, Your Princess♡~

[xtruss]

WITH QUEEN ELIZABETH'S ROYAL FAMILY ROCKED BY SCANDAL, PRINCE CHARLES BECOMES THE POWER BEHIND THE THRONE

By Diane Clehane, December 21, 2019

The latest British royal drama has more plot twists than the juiciest episode of The Crown, the hit Netflix series chronicling the life of Queen Elizabeth II. Only this real-life saga might more aptly be called As the Crown Turns, with a cast of characters and story developments to rival the most compelling soap opera.

There's Andrew, the queen's second son, embroiled in a sex scandal involving underage girls and an accused human trafficker who died in prison—you know, the prince who recently gave an interview on British television trying, and spectacularly failing, to repair his damaged reputation. There's his older brother, Charles, heir to the throne, reportedly wielding his influence behind the scenes to oust his disgraced sibling from royal duties and consolidate power for himself and his sons. Also in the cast: the Duke of Sussex, aka Harry, who has been bickering with his older brother, William. With his American bride, Meghan, Harry has also publicly railed against the emotional hardship of royal life while traveling by private jet and running up big home renovation bills.

Then there's the queen herself, Britain's longest-serving monarch, an aging matriarch whose grasp on the reins of her family appear to be slipping amid questions about how much longer she'll reign after more than 65 years on the throne.

With the family rocked by scandal and feuds, the 93-year-old queen is finally starting to cede power to the next generation. Is it time for Prince Charles & Co. to take charge at last?

With the family rocked by scandal and feuds, the 93-year-old queen is finally starting to cede power to the next generation. Is it time for Prince Charles & Co. to take charge at last?

For the royal family and the British people, the coming of a new year and new decade are coinciding with what's shaping up as a new era for the House of Windsor. The mounting tensions within the family and ongoing scandals have raised questions about whether the queen is, in fact, still the head of "the firm," as the royals refer to the family business in private. The big question: Has the time finally come for Prince Charles, at age 71, to stop waiting in the wings and take charge?

"There is a sense that she's lost control within the family, between Andrew's disastrous interview and the ongoing drama with Harry and Meghan," one palace insider told Newsweek. "The queen has been deeply disappointed by their behavior. As future king, it's been up to Charles to put a stop to the chaos."

This is certainly not the first time the question of Elizabeth, who is 93, giving up the throne has come up. Ever since 2017, when her husband, Prince Philip, retired from public life at age 95, there have been rumors that she would step down when she reached the same age. She has already been delegating some high-level decision-making to Charles, scaling back her public appearances and passing on her patronages of various charities to other members of the royal family for several years.

Still, while the role is largely ceremonial, the queen retains a full schedule—she had 238 engagements last year and served as a patron to hundreds of charities: not too shabby for a nonagenarian. And, despite the rumors, it is unlikely she will step down anytime soon. British historian and author Robert Lacey, who serves as a consultant to Netflix's The Crown, told Newsweek, "I don't believe the queen has any wish to retire, nor to appoint anyone who might infringe on her powers, if she can avoid it."

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (L) sits with Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (R) on the Sovereign's throne to deliver the Queen's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament in the Houses of Parliament in London on October 14, 2019.

But the controversy swirling around Andrew in particular has renewed speculation about a changing of the guard, giving Charles a more prominent role and seeming to accelerate a shift in power. What does the future hold for the British monarchy? The queen's adherence to a "never complain, never explain" royal code makes it impossible to know her plans with certainty, but her responses to the latest family drama provide some telling clues.

The Royal Fallout

It was clear that swift action was needed in the wake of Andrew's BBC interview, in which he fumbled through an explanation of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, denied having sex with then-17-year-old Virginia Roberts (now Giuffre) at Epstein's London home and expressed no sympathy for Epstein's alleged victims. A YouGov poll taken after the program aired in November found that 51 percent of the British public did not believe his explanations and that another 43 percent weren't sure. Even worse, nearly half felt that the way Andrew responded to the allegations had damaged the monarchy.

It didn't help Andrew's cause within the family that negotiations for the interview went on for over a year, reportedly without consulting the queen's senior advisers. Although Elizabeth gave her permission for the interview, she reportedly wasn't informed that it would focus solely on the prince's ties to Epstein or that it would be filmed at Buckingham Palace. "It gave the appearance that the entire thing had been sanctioned by the queen, but that was not the case," a palace source told Newsweek. "The optics said one thing, but the truth was something else entirely."

It wasn't the first time that Andrew had negotiated his own TV deal. When his youngest daughter, Eugenie, got married in 2018, the same year as Harry and Meghan, the prince reportedly wanted her wedding to be treated with equal pomp and circumstance. That included having the nuptials televised. When the BBC declined, Andrew arranged for limited coverage by ITV instead. Security for the wedding, which included about 850 guests, cost British taxpayers over £2 million, or roughly $2.5 million.

Maternal feelings for Andrew (who is believed to be the queen's favorite son) did not prevent her from acting decisively after the interview about Epstein aired—reportedly on the recommendation of Charles, with input from his son Prince William. The upshot: Andrew "stepped down" from his official duties (not his decision, insiders say), losing the taxpayer-funded £250,000 (about $325,000) he made as a working royal. His office at Buckingham Palace was shuttered.

Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, pictured in London on March 7, 2011. He dismissed all allegations of wrongdoing in connection with links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in a Saturday-night interview with BBC News.

He won't have to worry about making a living, though. According to CNN, most of his income was funded by the queen's Duchy of Lancaster, a private estate of commercial, agricultural and residential properties that last year brought in $28 million.

Likely of greater concern to Andrew: the scandal's impact on Eugenie, 29, and her sister Beatrice, 31. The prince has long felt his daughters, who are "blood princesses," were overlooked within the royal family and has lobbied to get them higher-profile roles. Now, the opposite is likely to happen. Particularly problematic for Eugenie is her role as co-founder of the Anti-Slavery Collective, a charity that works to eradicate—oh, the irony—sex trafficking, as well as slavery, around the globe. As royal biographer Ingrid Seward said recently on Good Morning Britain, "We all feel very sorry for Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie." Beatrice recently became engaged, and her 2020 wedding will likely be a smaller affair than her sister's extravaganza and private—which won't require massive security, making it cheaper for taxpayers.

A Changing of the Guard?

Deciding on the best course of action for his scandal-ridden brother has not been the only topic of discussion for Charles and his parents lately. When he recently met with Prince Philip at the family's estate at Sandringham, father and son were reported to have talked about the queen's "retirement" in the next 18 months. In this scenario, Charles would assume a prince regent role, which would allow him to officially take over family affairs and day-to-day royal business. "This is something Charles has been wanting for some time, but the queen has resisted," explained a royal insider.

"If Charles had been regent in November," explained Lacey, "it would have been his job to check out the interview plans, and he would almost certainly have blocked them."

It's Reigning Men

The appointment of a regent, though, happens only under very specific circumstances—say, when a monarch becomes incapacitated—and is not something the queen is legally empowered to do but instead falls to Parliament. Still, even without a formal transfer of power, there is little doubt that there's been a changing of the guard. Speaking to CTV News, royal expert Richard Berthelsen said the response to the crisis surrounding Andrew "has exposed the reality many of us have been saying for some time, that [Charles], the Prince of Wales, is fundamentally running the family now."

The role that Charles played in effectively ending his brother's royal career has strengthened his public position as chief decision-maker. It also raises questions about his plans for when he officially becomes king. Among his top priorities, experts say, will be to cut the list of working royals to a core group consisting of his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and his sons, William and Harry, and their families.

The streamlining has already begun. "Many of Prince Charles' paring-downs have come to pass, most notably with the disappearance of all the cousins and aunts from the balcony [of Buckingham Palace during official engagements]," said Lacey. "It's difficult to see how the current working family can be pared down any further with [Charles' other siblings] Princess Anne and Prince Edward carrying out a full roster of duties."

Challenges for the Monarchy

But the monarchy's survival, should Charles become king, will take more than removing superfluous relatives from the taxpayers' tab. The British public's enduring admiration for Elizabeth, the most popular royal, has been the most critical factor in the current support for the monarchy—72 percent view her favorably, according to a YouGov poll this summer. Only 48 percent feel the same way about Charles.

She has been considered a fairly inscrutable public figure for much of her reign, yet those closest to the queen say privately she has a good sense of humor and dotes on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who call her Gan Gan. She eats cereal out of a Tupperware container every morning and enjoys her cocktails—up to four a day, reportedly, including a gin and Dubonnet on the rocks with a slice of lemon before lunch and a glass of champagne before bed.

The official christening photo of young Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, a.k.a. Harry and Meghan’s son.

Humanizing details, for sure. But despite the public's affection for the reigning royal, the monarchy as a British institution also represents privilege and inherited wealth at a time of financial uncertainty and jitters over Brexit, and a growing segment of the population believes those things are out of step with the ideals of meritocracy and equality. Should Charles take the crown, he will have to prove the monarchy is still relevant at a time of tremendous upheaval, without the queen's same reservoir of goodwill. Still, his reputation has come a long way from the days when his imploding marriage to Diana played out in the British tabloids' daily headlines.

Charles's sons, William, 37, and Harry, 35, have a critical role to play as well. The once-close siblings are estranged these days, a rift that supposedly started a couple of years ago when William questioned whether Harry was moving too quickly in his relationship with Meghan and if she could adjust to royal life. Harry reportedly considered that attitude "unsupportive." But recent developments suggest that, perhaps, William's concern was not entirely unfounded.

Once viewed favorably as a modernizing and positive force for change, Harry and Meghan now seem to be a lightning rod for controversy, with rising disapproval among the British over the couple's perceived spendthrift ways and their complaints about the fishbowl life of a royal. Renovations on Frogmore Cottage, their 10-bedroom home near Windsor Castle, cost taxpayers about $3 million and included construction of a yoga studio for Meghan, a devotee of the practice.

Meanwhile, in an ITV documentary in October, Harry noted the toll that royal life has taken on his emotional health, revealing that he relives the tragic circumstances of his mother's death every time he is faced with a wall of flashbulbs. "With the role, with the job and pressures that come with that—I get reminded of the bad stuff," he said. Meghan, for her part, decried the family's "stiff upper lip" ethos as "destructive."

The queen has reportedly charged Charles with brokering a peace between the brothers. "The queen knows that both William and Harry represent the modernization of the family which ensures its survival," said an insider. "The estrangement between the brothers has to end because a united front is critical for the future."

While Harry and Meghan have gone off the grid for "much-needed family time" during the holidays, William and his wife, Kate, have taken responsibility for shoring up the family brand with a highly successful tour of Pakistan and a recent joint television appearance on a Christmas special hosted by British television personality Mary Berry. "William and Kate along with their adorable children are the greatest assets the monarchy has right now," another palace insider told Newsweek. "There's no drama, they're both charming, and their children are darling and well behaved. That's what the public wants from the royals—a happy family scenario that makes people feel good about the future."

Perhaps that's why the queen decided it was time for the couple's two oldest children, Prince George, 6, and Princess Charlotte, 4, to make their first public appearance with the family on the traditional and much-photographed walk from the family estate at Sandringham to St. Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas morning this year. "The queen wanted the emphasis to be on the next generation of royals this Christmas and remind people that through it all, the monarchy will survive," the insider said.

Lacey believes it will. "I am quite sure that prince George will become king one day," he said. "The 'de-royaling' of Andrew was a tragedy, but it is a reminder of how the survival of a constitutional monarchy depends on its respect and compliance with the values of the society it seeks to represent."

Diane Clehane, who has been covering royalty for more than 20 years, is a best-selling author of five books including Diana: The Secrets of Her Style and Imagining Diana, a novel that envisions what would have happened if the princess had survived the 1997 crash in Paris.

— Newsweek

[ethanmartin7-blog1]

*Rhetoric and Multiculturalism*

CQ: “What is the ideology performed in this artifact, how is it performed, and how does it promote a dominant ideology in an unproductive way or push back against a dominant ideology in a productive way?

To examine the critical question, I chose Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 postgame interview explaining why he will not stand for the national anthem. I chose this lengthy video as my artifact because it ties in nicely to Goldzwig’s Multiculturalism work. This artifact serves the ideology that all citizens of the United States must be treated equally and share the same amount of freedom, which is vocalized through Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling during the national anthem and explained through a postgame interview. Kaepernick’s method about spreading awareness to this cause is done to promote a dominant ideology, however it was done in an unproductive and unethical manner. 

In 2016, before a preseason game vs. the Greenbay Packers, former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick, took a knee during the National Anthem. Immediately after the game the franchise’s quarterback was berated with questions from the media about why he was kneeling during the National Anthem. The theme of his interview was based on racial acts of violence through police brutality as well as the racial inequalities still going on in our country today. He was also noted wearing socks at practice with pigs dressed as police officers weeks later. Colin received praise as well as criticism for his decision to kneel during the national anthem. He kneeled all sixteen regular season games and the 49ers finished their season with 2 wins and 14 losses, among the worst in the NFL. Kaepernick has not played a game since that 2016-2017 campaign after opting out of his contract once the season was over. Currently Kaepernick is still seeking a job in the NFL and was just granted a workout for all 32 teams. He has announced that he will continue to speak out on social injustice however he has not confirmed or denied if he will kneel or stand for the National Anthem if he gets back on a team. 

Goldzwig explained that the multiculturalism project of the 1990’s and beyond expands the civil rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s. Goldzwig’s message lies in the idea that we need to “rethink America” (Goldzwig, p. 275). He states that “The creation of that "wider landscape" cannot be seen as a process of protecting academic ghettos and fiefdoms where marginalized interests play tunes in cultural cul-de-sacs while the powerful continue "business as usual"” (p. 274). This highlights that power distance between the marginalized communities and the white folks. Goldzwig makes the point that he thinks rhetoric has continued to shape our politics in the United States. For this reason alone is why it is so important that he announces the need to incorporate multiculturalism into our world. Goldzwig goes on to quote Robert Ivie (1993) and his findings, "Knowledge constructed from a rhetorical perspective is about the symbols that organize our lives, some of which empower one gender more than another, while others selectively privilege war over peace, white over black, freedom over tyranny, etc” (p. 273).

Kaepernick’s postgame interview of his first knee taken draws some distinct parallels to the Goldzwig reading. Kaepernick points out that the black community of the United States is being marginalized and treated unjustly. He promotes the ideology that people of all races need to be treated equally in all facets of life. As Goldzwig pointed out, multiculturalism is in pursuit of a “wider landscape” meaning more inclusivity and less exclusivity. Kaepernick would agree with the Goldzwig reading. However, due to the differences in time Kaepernick has a much more radical and outspoken approach. He uses his platform as an NFL athlete to speak out on social injustice focusing mostly on police brutality. Throughout Kaepernick’s interview it is clear that he believes the black community is continuing to not only be marginalized and discriminated against but also oppressed. 

The ideological stance that Kaepernick takes of inclusivity and equality is very similar to Goldzwig. Due to an eighteen year time difference between when the article was written and when the 49er captain voiced his opinion, there is a difference in the approach of Kaepernick  along with the tone of what he is saying. Kaepernick attempts to bring awareness to the inequality and power imbalance of our nation while Goldzwig tries to bring awareness to inclusivity. In many ways we can draw parallels between the reading and through Kaepernick’s statements. They both promote the similar and imperative ideology of equality and inclusivity for all cultures. 

In examining the second facet of the critical question, the artifact promotes the dominant ideology of equality and freedom.  However, kneeling during the national anthem to spread that ideology was done unproductively. Colin was quoted during the interview saying “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color” (Kaepernick, 2016). By using this wording it serves as an immediate indictment on the entire country instead of a select group of individuals in this country. Not only does kneeling during the national anthem shows disrespect to the entire country but it is a slap in the face to the soldiers that rest in Arlington, the soldiers overseas, first responders, as well as all government officials, etc. To bring awareness to the cause of inequality is noble and brave. Colin used his platform to his advantage in bringing awareness to social inequality and police brutality. There is no question that his agenda is important as well as necessary, however the way he voiced that frustration was in a disrespectful manner to so many Americans throughout the nations existence. Colin was justified in what he stood for and what he was trying to promote but the way he went about it was unproductive and actually unethical.

In the scholarly article ‘Citizenship on Its Knees’ by P.J. Williams, she explains the national impact that Kaepernick has had on not only other NFL players and owners, but also POTUS. Due to the attention that the protest was attracting, President Trump raced to call the NFL to fire athletes protesting and to call for a rule that requires everyone to stand for the pre-game national anthem. This article goes on to talk about President’s Trump’s frustration with players taking knees. Trump took the stance that taking a knee during the anthem is consistent with the discretion of the American flag. This stand showed how important the symbol of the flag is to the President of the U.S. which sets a good example for the rest of the country. By voicing his frustration with the protest he shows the rest of the country that he stands for the flag. 

In conclusion, Colin Kaepernick performed the ideology of racial and social justice through inequality and freedom throughout the artifact. He used his platform to spread awareness to his cause. We see similar ideologies between the former 49er quarterback and Goldzwig through his Multiculturalism article. Kaepernick’s intentions were great, in pursuit of equality for all, along with justice and freedom, however his method was unproductive because it brought disrespect to so many people in the country who value what the stars and stripes stand for and appreciate the words of Francis Scott Key. 

Kaepernick, Colin. (2016). Colin Kaepernick explains why he won't stand during National Anthem. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka0446tibig

Goldzwig, Steven R. (1998). Multiculturalism, rhetoric and the twenty‐first century, Southern Communication Journal, 63:4, 273-290, DOI: 10.1080/10417949809373102