archerea

[1-5-1-t]

saw oppenheimer in the theatres today. and yeah the movie was really good and thought-provoking and i lowkey need mr. nolan to release a five-hour version stat, but the best part for me were absolutely the finnish subtitles <3

like the word "naïve" literally has a finnish equivalent, "naiivi", but the translator decided to go with the adjective "sinisilmäinen". meaning "blue-eyed".

like it's said offhandedly in some heated discussion about oppenheimer's moral character and motivations and you're watching it So into it and then cillian murphy comes on-screen like miley_cyrus_blue_eyes.jpg and you're like yeah. myeah that's. yeah that sure is blue. and then you go back to being entranced by rain droplets falling into a puddle. a 10/10 watching experience

[theinsouciantscribbler]

Not Another Vampire Romance: Chapter 5: “The time for childhood dreams are long past their expiration date.”

‘I most defiantly will not have fun.’ I found myself thinking the moment she pulled me into the crowd that had gathered around the plaza. It was a beautiful place on its own, decorated for the festive season that was coming upon us. Garlands frosted with fake snow and strings of twinkling lights climbed up every lamp post, strung across the gazebo where the band played and down the banisters. Red Crushed velvet was draped in bows, and poinsettia’s dotted the plaza by the dozen. The holiday cheer filled by all around us was the antithesis of what my gut was telling me to feel. 

My spine felt tight, ready to jump, while my fingers itched to reach for the handle of my blades. I scanned the crowd over and over again, looking for that familiar, villainous face I was after. I couldn’t banish the frown that had grown on my face, and I wondered if she could see the anxiety that I felt tied up in knots within my stomach.

Jackrabbit was here, somewhere, ready to strike.

So too, would I.

“Not a big fan of country?” She asked, her voice distant but clear enough to bring me back. I shifted my focus to her, and felt my chest tighten. Her eyes looked sad, heavy and burdened.

“Aw,” I thought if I should lie, but the truth came out before I could make up my mind. “No.”

“Yeah, me either.” She shrugged. I watched her, wondering if she was only saying that to go along with what I said.

“You might not have guessed by looking at me,” She continued, “But I tend to gravitate towards the heavier brand of music.”

“Like?”

“Oh, just rock, metal… and then the bit more obscure genres.”

“Huh. Who is your favorite band?” She was right, she didn’t look like the kind that listened to rock or metal. 

“Oh, I doubt you’ve heard of them.” She waved me off as if she listens to some obscure band. I had to hold my humor and disgust back when a thought came to me that she might mention Nickleback.

“Try me.” I wasn’t a music buff, but I’ve heard a good portion of the music out there. Far too much of it sounded the same.

“Well, have you heard of Avatar?” She asked. The first thing that came to mind was the James cameron movie about those blue monkey people.

“That James Cameron movie?” I questioned, unsure of what she meant. 

That made her burst out in laughter. 

Her eyes became like shining jewels held up in front of a hot summers sun, and her laugh was musical and almost perfect, then she snorted. She slapped her mouth from the loud noise, and tried to muffle her laughs till they finally died down.

“I’m sorry, but no. Avatar is an avant-garde heavy metal band.” She explained, pulling out her phone and showing me a web link about the band. The singer was decked out in a full jokers outfit, and the lead guitarist was referred to as the ‘King’ of Avatar Country. They had quite the cult following.

“You are right, I have no idea who they are, and you certainly don’t strike me as someone who would enjoy that.” I admitted. Heavy metal, as far as I knew it to be, was garble trash that I couldn’t understand a single lyric to.

“Their music is beautiful, tortured and inspired. I am moved every time I hear any of their songs.” She frowned.

“I didn’t mean to insult your taste in music.” Not directly, anyways.

“You didn’t insult me… And I wouldn’t expect most people to understand or appreciate their music…”

“You see,” She continued, “When I hear their music, it takes all the things that I am battling inside, the anger, pain, sadness, loneliness, hate. For a time, albeit it short, I am able to let it go.”

“Music does that for a lot of people.” I agreed.

“I just need the stronger kind for it to work I guess.” She smiled, turning her head back to the music up on the stage. They were just finishing their last set and introducing the upcoming band.

“You don’t have to let music take on all the burden.” I whispered down into her ear. She whipped her head to look me dead in the eyes, and I saw the terror in them. 

“Do I frighten you, my little doe?” I asked, searching her, hoping I could give her any comfort in this solitude she seemed to keep herself within.

My eyes couldn’t help but soak in what was only inches away from them, and when they landed on her vermilion lips, I was entranced.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming out today-“ I heard announced over the mic. I hardly heard the voice over the crowd, and I only wanted to hear what she might have to say.

“You don’t even know me.” She looked down, perhaps studying her functional brown sneakers. They certainly seemed more practical that those red ice picks she wore last time.

“Then let me.” I asked.

“I-“

“I am Jackrabbit.” The voice crawled up my spine like a spider. I snapped out of my daze and looked straight to the stage to see the new band. 

“That narcissistic bastard.” I growled. He had named the band after his own alter ego. He was front and center, and starring directly at us. He wore his typical black leather cowboy get up that was decades out dated. He had found his niche when all the Americans began sputtering out manifest destiny and heading west to claim land that was never theres to begin with. He found the West suited him well, and it was over too soon, at least in his eyes.

“Looks like tonight is going to be interesting, filled with plenty of fun.” He smiled, then tilted his head to and fro as if to ponder a thought. “Maybe a little blood shed… But don’t worry about that.”

“Now who is ready?” He roared, lifting up both of his fists in the air. The crowd cheered and did the same while Jackrabbit glared greedily at us.

“Good.” He chuckled like a literal demon from hell.

I heard the shrill scream of a woman before I ever saw his flesh tare away like wet paper. Amplified by the sound system on the stage, the cracks of his bones as they contorted to form his true self echoed through the entire plaza. He grew in size, tripling his human husk. Two pairs of leathery wings broke free from his back and shot him up and out into the air, his hooked feet catching several poor souls. Illuminated by the full moon, my eyes watched in disgust as his first victims were tossed up and then consumed whole by his dislocated jaw; much like that of a ravenous snake. Finishing off his gruesome scene, which sent the crowd into a spiral of fear, the entirety of the plaza was covered in a spray of blood.

“Grey?” I heard Alyra whisper behind me, her hands clutching my arm and her knees visibly trembling. I looked to her for only a moment, to give her the slightest assurance that this is why I was here. For her. I would protect her.

“Stay behind me.” I instructed.

Whipping my head back to face Jackrabbit, I seen he had already landed on his hooked feet, making his way towards us. With one fluid motion, I withdrew both blades from my personage and leapt towards this beast.

“Esheton Grey,” Jackrabbit laughed as I swung the blade at him, only to miss by a mere inch.

“Making a bit of trouble again, Jackrabbit?” I asked, taking another attempt to strike him down.

He leapt back from my quick and fierce swings of the blades.

“So you have come out of retirement, and mean to slay the beasts once more, and for what, because I want to have a little fun?”

“This isn’t just a little fun. It is a message, and I hear it loud and clear. I mean to reply in kind, so if you don’t mind, let us fight.” I stuck my feet securely on the ground and prepared for a fight.

“So you know this is a job?” He questioned, still not making a move against me. “Do not tell me you are protecting that little morsel?”

“Enough Jackrabbit, fight!” I roared, leaping up and bringing my blades down. Quick and blurry he escaped my attack and slammed a blow to my back to send me down into the brick plaza with a great force.

I felt the wind drawn out of me, and it was only then that I realized that I was weak, out of practice, and dying of thirst.

“The problem with your diet, Grey, is that your are dying from it.” He chuckled, sending me flying back with a kick to the gut.

I hit the ground and rolled. I finally came to an abrupt stop when I struck the trunk of a tree.

Shaken, I rose to my feet. I lifted my arms to attack when I realized both blades had been flung out of my hands and were scattered across the plaza. My normal blade was closer, but the Morning Star would be needed to end this beast. Taking not a moment to think, and working solely on instinct, I ran for Morning Star.

“Hm, what is this now?” Jackrabbit smiled, reaching for the gleaming blade. Taking it in his grip was a foolish mistake on his part, and everyone heard that it was. He bellowed from what I assumed to be a scorching, enduring pain that he could never heal from. He flung the blade away in a panic, dancing away in terror. 

Not more than a few steps away, I took Morning Star in my hand and pointed it towards him.

“Did you already forget how great this blade is?” I asked the tortured demon.

“Clearly, and that power… Am I wrong to think it is missing its other half?” 

“Still enough to mortally wound you.” I smirked.

“Have you washed your hands of us all so much that you are no longer affected by it?” He grimaced, the pain in his hand apparent. The wound was making his leathery skin bubble like goo, and it was quickly trailing up his forearm. In time, were I to leave him as he is, it would take over his whole body and kill him in a slow and tortured death.

“Are those your final words, Jackrabbit?” I asked, taking great strides straight up to him, the intent to separate his sickly soul from his mortal coil. Killing him now was a merciful thing, and Jackrabbit knew it; I could see the realization in his black, evil eyes. Right before and during their death, these beasts always seemed to exhibit the mark of a soul about to meet the other side. Terrified and worried for their eternal damnation.

I held Morning Star at his heart, pushing in slowly.

“I won’t be the only one to come after her… And now that you have intervened, I doubt you can remain in the dark about your involvement.” He warned.

“Do you know why they have such an interest in her, or are you so low on the food chain you only do what you can for the scraps?”

“If I told you, would it change my fate?” 

That question made me pause. Would he, could he know anything about their plans? 

I knew I had to remember that this was Jackrabbit, never a member of the elite four, or even an underling for the hundred. He was a simple Headhunter, scraping by for bounties, vying to be noticed but never seen. Still, could he have heard something?

“I can’t risk your life for hers.” I apologized.

“Either way, I doubt what I have would have to say would have been enough.” He was a tricky devil.

I plunged Morning Star into his heart till I ran out of blade.

“Blood.” He whispered.

“What?” I asked, unsure of what he meant.

“Her blood.” He whispered right before he turned to ash.

I rose up to stare at the pile of ash at my feet, the breeze slowly spreading it across the plaza, I completely unaware of the group that stood at the outskirts of our skirmish.

“Grey, I think we should go.” I thought I heard Alyra say, but I couldn’t be sure. I felt in a daze, still trapped by his final words. Her blood. What about Alyra was so extraordinary that they would be concerned with her blood? 

“You look hurt, are you okay?” She asked me, but I couldn’t speak. My head was dizzy, spinning with thoughts of what the devil was cooking up and what his plans may be.

“I need to get you cleaned up, do you want me to take you home or-“

“We can’t stay here.” I muttered, wandering off to one direction, her hands guiding me in another.

My mind was still warped in thought when I numbly got into a vehicle.

“Maybe I should take you home?” She asked. 

I felt myself shake my head no, unsure of how to proceed. I couldn’t understand why they were so desperate for her blood, and perhaps the next time someone came after her, I would be too late if I wasn’t there to stand guard. 

I made up my mind before she had driven more than a block away.

“Go home.” I instructed.

She didn’t say a word, or even nod. 

‘Perhaps she could sense the danger she was in.’ I thought as I watched her. She didn’t even take a peek at me as I studied her, keeping her hands firmly on the steering wheel and eyes on the dark road.

The long, twisting ride was uneventful.

‘Thank Gods.’ I muttered to myself as we pulled up to what I assumed to be her home. It was much larger than I thought someone who lived alone would need. Not to mention the cost. I suddenly began to wonder what employment she had that could afford such a big home.

I went to get out when I noticed her sitting stiffly in her seat. Her fists tight on the steering wheel and made the leather wrinkle and knuckles starch white, the absent eyes and labored breathing; I hadn’t noticed until now that she was terrified. 

“Damn,” I cursed under my breath and walked around to her side and opened the door. Her skin didn’t even seem to recognize the cold air as it breached the inside of the car. “Come on now, let’s get you inside.”

I lifted her gingerly out of the car and placed her hesitantly on her feet. Making sure she was steady before letting go, I tried leading us towards the steps but she didn’t want to budge.

“Alyra?” I looked back when my tugging didn’t move her.

“They are after me, aren’t they.” It didn’t sound like a question. I meant to open my mouth to answer, but she turned around and swung the trunk open and filled her arms with bags. Mindlessly, I began taking bags too and followed her inside as she placed them upon the kitchen island.

It looked like a dream kitchen for a chef.

“You must love to cook.” I heard myself mumble as I did a 360 around her kitchen. 

She shrugged.

“I used to.”

“But not anymore?” I questioned as I helped unload her bags of produce. 

“I do it out of necessity to eat, but I don’t really enjoy it. I probably stopped enjoying it the same time I stopped enjoying food.” She sighed, putting her hands on her hips and looking at the plethora of things on her counter top. I could only wonder what she was thinking.

“You’ve picked up a lot of food for not enjoying it.” 

“As I said, out of necessity. Also, I buy in bulk to save on price and because I prepare my meals ahead of time.” She explained. Suddenly, she twirled around and opened up a cabinet and began fingering through shelves that were filled with books.

“There must be more than fifty books in there.” I was surprised to see she had that much. At one point it must have been an obsession.

“Uh, yeah. Something like that.” She muttered, pulling out one thats spine looked well worn and flipped to a page in an instant. Recipe page numbers memorized, swift movements as she grabbed her tools and effortlessly began working made me see just how masterful she was. Could she be more than just a home cook, a chef perhaps?

“Ever work in the food industry?”

She paused, and then laughed.

“Yeah, for like a second. I was a terrible waitress. Got sacked pretty quickly.” 

“But never a cook?” I prodded.

“No. I only cook for friends and family. At least that’s what I used to do before…” I thought she might continue, but she just stood silent as she worked, lips tight on their secrets.

“Before?”

“It’s nothing. Uh, do you want to help a bit?” 

“I’m terrible at cooking.” I admitted outright. “I would probably burn anything you wanted me to cook.”

“Well, if you manage to burn onions by dicing them, then color me impressed.” She laughed.

“Dice?” I didn’t know what that even meant.

“Oh for heavens sake, just cut them into small chunks as evenly as you can manage.” She set out a wooden cutting board and knife and motioned for me to start.

I eyed the work hesitantly.

“You look terrified.” She giggled.

“Do I?” I grinned. She nodded her head and went back to work. 

I took the knife in my hand and felt the edge of the blade with my finger tip. It was slightly dull, and it would not cut so precisely as she might want.

“Oh, did I give you a dull knife?” She asked, looking over. “I have a knife sharpener in this drawer.” She nodded to the one behind her. As I went to dig through the drawer, I found myself thinking back to the things she has said. This woman said the most strangest things that frankly, gave me concern.

“Finding it okay?” She asked, breaking my thoughts.

“Uh,” I moved things around unable to find it. I closed the drawer to try another when I found myself frozen in confusion. I reopened the drawer to see the brightly colored dishes and children's utensils.

“No, not that drawer!” She shouted, slamming the drawer closed and pulling open the one above it. She quickly pulled out an steel rod with black rubber handle and held it out for me to take. “Here.”

“Uh, thanks…” I wasn’t sure how to respond to what I saw, or to her reaction.

“Alyra, do… Do you have kids?” I asked, having not heard or seen a single bit of evidence that she did. That is, until I actually looked. On the front of the fridge were drawings done terribly, yet they made me smile from their waxy appearance and simplistic concepts. One side was covered in cars, trains, airplanes, and robots. The other was flowers, rainbows, animals. But the star piece of art was of a family of three. A mother with three long yellow strands for hair, with two yellow stringy haired kids holding her hand.

I am sure there was more I missed, but what I missed the most, were the actual kids running around in the home.

I turned around when I noticed the chopping Alyra had been doing stopped. In her hand was a small locket with fine detail. It was open and she was smiling with trails of tears falling down her face.

“Alyra?” She looked so fragile, I was afraid that if I touched her, or spoke too loudly, that she would crumble.

“Their names are Charolette and Clarence. Fraternal twins, but you could still hardly tell them apart.” She whispered, turning the locket around to show me their pictures. I had to move in close to view them properly, they were such small pictures of what I could only describe as angels.

Their hair were like halos and eyes shared by their mother.

“They look like you.” I smiled. 

“Yeah, everyone always said that.” She turned the locket back around and gazed down at them. A small finger rose and caressed their cheeks. “But if you look at old pictures of my father, you would say Clarence looked more like him.”

“If you think about it, we all probably look like those from our past.” I agreed, thinking how people often compared me to my father and grandfather in likeness; but it was my mothers eyes they said I had inherited.

“I suppose we do.” She smiled.

“How long ago was it…” I tried asking, “That they…”

I couldn’t say it.

“Died?” She nearly choked on the word herself. 

“Six months.” She finished.

“They look so young.”

“They were five when these pictures were taken.” She nodded. “Only a couple months before…”

“What happened?”