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boxboysandotherwhump · 4 years ago

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The new boy in town.

Tags: @salamancialilypad @whumpfigure @albino-whumpee @comfy-whumpee @ashintheairlikesnow @haro-whumps @moose-teeth @vickytokio @yet-another-heathen @orchidscript

Chapter 2

CW: body-shaming/ insults, discrimination/ dehumanization of mutants, an insect gets hurt, a nearly fistfight ensues

Heat thrummed through Gideon’s bones and throbbed in unison with his building headache. His patience had shriveled up like dried fruit under the torrid summer sun while this horrible lavender scent clung to his hair, his skin, his clothes, making him dizzy.

It became stronger on the village outskirts, Gideon realized as he hurried after Director Sahin. The man ascended the crooked stone staircase effortlessly, his moss-green robe billowing behind him. His artfully decorated spear swayed with every step he took, not brushing a single leave. The only thing rustling through the underbrush was the wind and the creatures living there.

A twig caught in Gideon’s black curls, while the Director rambled on about the virtues of disciplinary work. How it encouraged the growth of one’s character, or some shit. The twig broke off with a quiet snap, painfully pulling at his scalp. Gideon’s mood dropped even lower. It was going to be a nightmare to fiddle all those shitty branches and leaves out of his hair later on.

He was seconds away from losing his barely-held composure.

The only thing keeping him from bursting at the seams was the promise he’d whispered into his brother's grave, a last farewell bedded beside a corpse.

Gideon had come to this godforsaken village to learn how to fight and survive in the forest, not to become some obedient little soldier boy! But in order to do that, he had to get cleared for training again and out of suspension.

If he had to play the director’s errand boy for a day to achieve that, so be it. He had endured worse.

“Haaah, here we are.” Director Sahin inhaled deeply, arms falling wide. “Finally. My dear friend’s farm. Tell me, young Gideon, is it not simply beautiful?”

Gideon shrugged. “‘S’ okay.”

Granted, the house did look cozy, resting encircled by giant roots with its warm brick walls, but those gigantic snails everywhere sent a shudder down his spine. If he had to touch those slimy monsters he-

The farm’s sliding doors opened before he could utter a protest, and a fine-boned, middle aged woman emerged, followed by a huge man with a greying beard. A boy, probably his own age but significantly shorter, held the door open for them.

The older woman’s lips curled into a crooked smile as she caught sight of Director Sahin, whose whole face had lit up. Dark eyes shining.

“Moira. My darling. Please do not tell me you are about to leave? Not when I looked forward to seeing your beautiful face again.”

Gideon suppressed a gag. Moira crossed her arms, smile growing sharper. Her eyes held a warm twinkle as she spoke. “Eric; charming as ever.”

The man behind her stepped closer and huffed: “M happy ‘ter see ya too, Eric.”

“Oh Ansgar you flatter me. But I must confess, I am not here solely for tea and a chat-“

The Director rattled on and Gideon’s focus wandered to the girl that had stepped out the door behind a blonde woman. A fancy grey blouse hung off her thin shoulders, nearly covering the lace trim of blue silk short. A stark contrast to the more practical attire favored by most villagers. But that wasn’t what caught Gideon’s attention, no, he had seen all sorts of fancy getups up in Berlin -in the city's upper ring that is- what drew his eyes to her, was her face.

Its left side was oddly deformed, her pale skin uneven like a creased silk sheet, drawing her left eye down and her full lips up. She mouthed something to the boy, smiling, earning a smile from him in turn.

“Ah yes may I introduce: Gideon, my newest student.”

Having lost most of the adults’ conversation Gideon tuned back in just in time, to give them a curt nod.

“I will send him to collect the salve after the feast, then,” Director Sahin announced, please as can be.

“Wonderful.” Moira clapped her hands. All back to business brusqueness. “Sahar will appreciate not having to deliver it for once. Right?”

The other boy snapped to attention, green eyes wide and fingers twitching like the hands of a pianist. A grateful smile rose to his face and he nodded.

Oh great, so Gideon had to take the trip up here twice.

They descended the stairs, lined up one after another on the narrow path. Sahar right in front of him, following the strange girl. He had avoided Gideon’s eyes as he squeezed past him, careful not to touch, probably scared off by his uniform. The school’s emblem, embroidered on his stainless white shirt, proudly declared him a scout in training. Deadly. Fearless. The little farm boy definitely did better not to mess with an insect slayer like him.

The girl came to an abrupt halt, frozen in the woodland’s shadows before it gave way to the dusty hill road. Gideon nearly collided with Sahar, when he heard it.

A primal, bone chilling hiss tore through the hot afternoon air, rattling through his very core.

Every hair on his body stood, muscles tensing, on edge just like his fraying nerves.

He knew that sound.

Even though he’d heard it only once before. On the crusade from last-stand-berlin to the village, where he had seen the beast it belonged to lurk on the riverside, watching them.

He would never forget a spider’s hiss.

And there one stood, right in front of him, its eight thorny legs towering high above its ugly head. The spider’s giant yaws worked, rubbed against each other in agitation. Its razor sharp fangs glistened in the sun.

A man sat atop its massive, hairy body, scar-faced and clad in a straw cape that was fastened to a beetle’s shell armoring his left shoulder. Shimmering in iridescent hues of blue and green. The man did not smile as he glanced down at them. A silent challenge was edged in the hard lines of his rugged face.

Tense static filled the air, an almost tangible thing that bit at Gideons fingers. It wormed its way into his bones, crawled over his scalp.

He almost, almost, flinched when Director Sahin shouldered past him, spear drawn and followed by the other man. Both planted themselves right in front of him and the others.

The intruder’s scar stretched with the rise of his eyebrows, eyes slitting in a lazy half-grin.

“Hey, there. Hold your horses. Before someone does something he regrets later.”

“That a threat?” Ansgar grunted.

Moira ducked past him, face twisted in a furious scowl as she spit. “Oh, something other than entering our village on a damn wolf-spider you mean?!”

The corded muscle in her boney arm flexed as she shook her fist at the man, unveiling a wrath behind her primly dressed form that no one would have wanted to fall victim to.

He, however, just leaned closer, smile stretching into a shark-tooth grin. “Gutsy, are we? I like that.”

Director Sahim stepped up beside her, spear held in a steady grip. “How could you make it past our InD-Units with this monstrosity?! God show you mercy if you did something to-”

“What do you think I am?!” the intruder drawled, hands raised in mock offense. “A monster?! Only reason I got past your insect defenses was this baby here.”

Gideon had to stand on his tiptoes to catch a glance of the small round device that sat embedded into the spider’s head, partly hidden by the man’s straw cape. A little red light blinked in a steady rhythm above three buttons, which the man was careful not to touch as he rapped his knuckles against it.

“Renders her absolutely obedient. All natural instinct turned off. See?”

He unsheathed a knife from a holster strapped around his leg and its steel blade shimmered in the sun before he rammed it in one of the spider’s eyes, plopping it out with a nauseating plitch. The spider endured its master’s violation in utter stillness, only its yaws twitched, creating this awful hiss in their never ceasing movement.

“She’s docile as a lamb.”

“And how exactly is that supposed to work?” the girl inquired, meeting the man’s stare with a calculated cold composure. She ignored the incredulous look the blonde woman gave her, as she mouthed: “Charlotte, what are you doing?”

The intruder's mouth twitched.

“Man, what do I know, Missy?! I’m a mutant hunter not a scientist.” He leaned closer, eyes narrowed, fixed on the girl's deformed face. Venom spiked his words, dripped from his tongue like acid. “My expertise lies in chasing down freaks.”

The condescendingly cruel way in which he spoke, wielding words like a weapon meant to pierce and twist where it hurt most, reminded Gideon oddly of his father. Anger welled up in his chest, buzzed down his legs and made them move. He planted himself right between the girl and the intruder.

How dare he compare someone to mutant scum?!

“Tsk. Mutant hunter?! You’ve ever even seen one? Or are you just talk? Threatening girls?!”

“Gideon.”, Director Sahim hissed, squeezing Gideon’s shoulder in warning as he tried to pull him back.

The man gave them a wry smile. “No no. Let’s hear him out. Have you ever seen one boy?”

“Yes.” Gideon spat, unable to reign his emotions back in. “They’re hideous monstrosities. And I’m going to find and kill every single one of them.”

The man burst into violent laughter, shoulders shaking and head thrown back, nearly losing his balance under the force of it.

“You do have guts, I give you that. But also lots to learn. Do you really think a girl can’t be a mutant? Monster’s come in all shapes and sizes, boy.” His eyes wandered back to Charlotte. “Just ugly, that’s the whole lot of them.``

The blonde woman gasped, searching for words to shoot back, but falling silent as she noticed Charlotte’s expression.

Red blotches burned on her face, rage twisting it into a vicious scowl. The afternoon sun set her copper curls on fire. Ready to spew fury and flames, she opened her mouth but Sahar was faster, his small voice piping up.

“Char- Charlotte is… is no- no mutant and and and she’s neither ugly nor weak. And and and people who talk about, talk about killing others for no- no, no reason are… They’re the- the real monsters.”

His fingers fiddled with his shorts, tapping and twisting in the dark, worn linen as he stumbled over his words. His big green eyes jumped from the rocky street to the spider’s fangs, lingered on the intruder’s face before landing on Gideon. They narrowed as he all but spat the last words in Gideon’s face.

“The hell you just said?!” Gideon’s nostrils flared. How dare this little runt run his mouth about things he didn’t know shit about!

Crossing his arms, Sahar forced himself to hold his ground against Gideon’s furious, wide eyed stare. “You you, you heard me.”

Gideon heart hammered in his throat, pumping liquefied fire through his veins. His hands twitched.

“I give you one chance to take. That. Back.”

The boy’s trembling fingers dug into his forearms, knuckles whitening as he lifted his chin.

“Never.”

A roar tore from Gideon’s throat as he leapt forward. Rage burned through him like a wildfire, ready to ignite everything his fist would come in contact with.

Beating the selfritousnes out of that stupid stammering farmboy was the only thing that mattered now. Everything else blurred to background noise. Even the stranger on his shitty spider.

In that frozen second between charge and impact, Sahar’s feet moved. His body tilted to the side. Dodged Gideon’s blow. Effortlessly. He bounced back. Landed on the first stone step and uncrossed his arms. Ready to defend himself. His fingers had stopped twitching.

That little runt had nerves!

Gideon broke into a sprint.

“You sure are good at dodging!” He swung his arm back. “Try to handle this!”

Muscles flexing Gideon readied for impact, only for his arm to be janked back. A large hand had wrapped around his wrist. Stopped him mid punch. Craning his neck, Gideon stared up into Ansgar’s stern face.

Fuck he’s fast?!

“Looks like ya still got lots t’ learn about respect ‘n self-discipline, young man.”

Director Sahin sighed, eyes still locked on the intruder, who watched the spectacle with a lazy kind of interest.

Ansgar released Gideon’s hand and turned to Sahar. His grey eyes glistened like ice shards. “Same goes for you. Ya disappointed me, Sahar.”

Sahar blinked up at the man, eyes round and full of disbelief.

“Wh-what- what, what do you, do do do do- what do you mean?”

“I haven’t trained ya to run off ‘n start mindless fights. I tried to teach ya discipline ‘n how to survive these woods.” Ansgar’s voice did not waver and every word made Sahar shrink into himself. His fingers tapped a hectic distorted rhythm over his leg

The intruder snickered, “someone’s a stuck up,” earning Moira’s venomous glare.

“But- but I didn’t- he he he he he was, he was the one who-“

“Enough,” Ansgar thundered. “Don’t argue with me. If ya want a beatin’ so bad I’ll give ya one later. And now back t’ the farm. Ya grounded for the week. No fest. No nothin’!”

Sahar crumbled under the man’s anger, head ducked between his shoulders as the first teardrop fell. It trickled down his trembling jaw, painting a glistening path on his warm skin.

Voice reduced to a shaky exhale Sahar nodded, “yes, sir.”, and stormed up the stairs.

He had just vanished between the thick bushes, when the intruder broke out into a new laughing fit.

#whump #whump writing #mutant whumpee #crying whumpee #insults #fighting #post apocalypse #post apocalyptic #whumpee #some flowers have teeth #sahar #gideon #charlotte #sahar tries his best #gideon the angry bean

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snowe-zolynn-rogers · 4 years ago

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Pairings: Bumblebee (Blake x Yang)

Word Count: 1,923 Words

Summary: Discussion and go time.

Warnings: Fighting Mention, Cursing, Weapon Mention, Death Mention, Blood Mention, Amputation Mention, let me know if I should tag anything else.

Shadows Are Made Of Light: Chapter 5

Dinner was lively to say the least. Terra and Saphron seemingly decided that eating at the table in their kitchen was their best bet while the group was discussing. Terra and Saphron had long since gone up to their bedroom to sleep.

The plans were talked through and they were about to wrap up the conversation when Mercury sighed. Now was a better time than ever for the little plans he'd overheard details from.

"I actually have something to say." Mercury didn't like all this attention once all their eyes were on him.

"What's wrong?" Jaune asked, looking over his tension-filled expression.

"There were some things Salem would relay through Cinder. There was always a plan behind the fall of Beacon. Salem's plans are to create a divide and unrest amongst the people of Remnant and gather the relics so, when the gods come back, they'll destroy Remnant, everyone on it, and she will no longer be immortal. Salem's goal is to free herself from eternity by taking everyone with her." Mercury told them.

"So she'll be looking for the Lamp." Oscar asked, though it sounded more like a statement.

"For all the relics. Last I heard, Emerald told me that Ozpin had apparently hidden the Crown even better than the other three and Cinder still hadn't found it. Now that we have the Lamp, they know they need to get the others before we can so our goal is a ticking clock." Mercury took a deep breath, hoping nobody was disappointed.

"A time crunch isn't anything new. We can still do this." Ruby assured him.

"We should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be interesting." Maria laughed on her way upstairs. Mercury was going to end up asleep on the couch again because Oscar was half asleep against him again.

"I have a feeling Nora is taking pictures." Mercury told them.

"Good instincts." Nora told him, obviously taking another picture. "I've never passed up an opportunity for Cute Farm Son pictures." Nora alerted him.

"Good to know, crop me out of them." Mercury told her.

"Ehhh, I think I'll leave you in since you're looking particularly Dad-like." Mercury laughed while frowning at her.

"I hate you." Mercury smiled at her.

"Yeah, sure, Dad-cury." Nora snorted.

"Go sleep or something." He laughed, smiling as everyone filed from the room and shut the lights off. Mercury's heart stopped at the darkness. As childish as it may be, the dark was something he couldn't deal with.

"Nora?" He asked, she'd been the last one to go up the stairs due to her need for pictures of Mercury and Oscar.

"What's up Dad-cury?" Nora asked, coming downstairs and turning the lights on.

"Could you leave a light on?" Mercury asked.

"Oh yeah, sure. You scared of the dark too?" She asked.

"More of an instinct. Can't sleep with lights off. My dad told me too many stories of monsters in the dark." Mercury admitted.

"You're good, I'll leave the lamp over here on." She told him and patted the lamp before turning it on and turning the main light off. "Night, Dad-cury." She told him.

"Night, Nora." He called after her as she went upstairs. Mercury sighed at Oscar asleep on him.

"I hope you realize I'm not a pillow." He told the sleeping boy only to receive a small snore. "Fine, but it's because you're a kid and you remind me of Chrome." Mercury grumbled.

He went about pulling Oscar's excess clothing off as well as his own. They didn't need to wake up in puddles of sweat in warm, heavy clothing meant for much colder weather than this.

Then he laid down and then he smiled holding the bear from inside his jacket that he had kept, Chrome's favorite teddy bear. It was the piece of her he had left. He had kept it with him since he left his father's house. He fell asleep holding it close, Oscar deciding to cuddle up against him and he smiled. He guessed he would be a father figure to a pre-teen now too.

In the morning, the plan was running smoothly, Weiss was on the Atlesian aircraft to Atlas with Maria in her luggage as the only small person who could fit who could also fly a plane with Saphron and Adrian as her distraction to get Maria onboard. It was up to him and Blake to turn off the radar for Weiss.

Mercury was sure that three people riding on a two person motorcycle probably wasn't safe, he was aware. He was acutely aware of the conversation Blake and Terra were having about the comms equipment for the city versus the radar box.

"Are you two sure I shouldn't come with?" Yang asked as the bike stopped about a half mile from the tower.

"More intruders means we're more likely to be seen." Blake told her. "Besides, stealth isn't exactly your, um...I mean, you're great and we'll hurry back!" Blake told her.

"Go." Yang smiled at her. They went running off toward the tower together, Mercury feeling that bear close in his jacket, snuggly secured to his front so he couldn't possibly lose it.

"Heading in on foot, won't be long." Blake told the others on the comms.

"You know, you two flirting couldn't be more apparent." He told her.

"Hey!" She snapped.

"I just say what I see." He smirked.

"Sure, 'Dad-cury'." Blake teased.

"I won't deny my fatherly title. And don't make me adopt you all." He taunted back.

Their run to the tower was largely uneventful until they got to the tower itself. When they got there, there was a red-haired man he vaguely recognized as having maybe met once or possibly twice. Adam Taurus, a White Fang operative whom Emerald had informed him about two weeks ago that he'd taken reigns as the head of the organization before its eventual fall at Haven not long after.

"Blake. And you. Salem heard of your betrayal at Beacon, Mercury Black." Mercury felt a rush of both helpless and rage. This guy had the guts to practically threaten him?

"Merc, don't rush him." She warned quietly.

"Protecting your friend? Or are you travelling with an enemy, Belladonna? He could betray any of you at any moment while claiming to be a friend. He's probably not even with you to help, he's just running away like he ran away from his dear old daughter two years ago." Adam taunted.

"Don't you talk about my daughter!" Mercury snapped at him.

"Is Dad mad I brought up his abandoned baby? Mad because I'm right or because you're sad she won't have a Dad after I'm done with you?" Adam asked.

"I'm mad because some asshole is talking shit about me protecting my daughter!" Mercury shot at him with the gun-scythe, which he'd named Caduceus, Qrow got him that morning.

"Merc!" Blake snapped, pulling him away.

"Get to the radar." He whispered to her, rushing into the fight with Adam and distracted him while Blake tried to get up the relay tower. Unfortunately, that fight didn't quite favor Mercury as Adam grabbed his leg during a kick and pulled. Hard, so much Mercury went flying to the ground. The lock popped from the pin and he felt the lock break as the pin wasn't undone properly.

"Looks like Silver Black did a good job making his son easily controlled." Adam snapped. Mercury couldn't move, he knew Adam was looming over him, he knew it was so easy for him to die like this if he didn't attack but he felt a crushing weight of shock hit him that he would never see Chrome again.

She would never have a Dad, at least not one that was him. He'd never see her grow up. It made the breath catch in his lungs and tears build in his eyes. But the strike never came and, when he opened his eyes, Adam was gone, going after Blake.

He had to had to help Blake. He heard them tumbling in the trees, he shoved a twig into the the broken lock and put the pin back in. The stupid thing didn't move his stupid knee. Thankfully, he didn't need the use of it, he had a weapon still and another leg.

He could do this. He wouldn't stop fighting until he at least saw Chrome again. Blake was fighting Adam. He could hear it. he followed them to a waterfall nearby. he could tell by the sound of their swords clashing.

"You're delusional." Blake sounded shaken as he stood hidden in the forest before the opening. He saw their blades clash once more as he ran forward to save her. He wouldn't let him kill her.

Gambol Shroud was broken in half and his ears rang with Blake's scream as Mercury saw the blood on her wrist and was now getting on the ground. Her hand still on the grip of Gambol Shroud as it skittered away from her.

Adam simply shoved Mercury down and went about his bullshit speech about how she hurt him, showing off a brand on his left eye, one of the Schnee Dust Company's for their mineworkers. Blake's ears tuned back.

"I don't fucking care much for your pity me speech." Mercury spat and took him onto the ground, knocking Wilt from his hand and bringing the staff of Caduceus down on the bastard's head to try to just knock him out but he got kicked off and landed on top of Blake.

"Tell me, how does it feel to be alone?" Adam was picking up Wilt. He was holding that blade up, yelling as his intent was to bring it down but the blade didn't come a second time, Blake had taken him as she used her semblance to shadow them a few feet away.

"I'm not alone." She grit out as she held her holster for Gambol Shroud in her left hand.

"Yang." Blake grunted, holding her bleeding right wrist.

"It's okay, Blake, catch your breath for a second. Me and Merc can hold him off." Yang assured her.

"She's right, Blake. It's okay, we have unfinished business." And man if he actually needed to help her, he would have but Yang was amazing fighting him. He aided helping Blake stem the blood flow before she bled out by having grabbed her jacket, which he tied part of around her forearm and made a makeshift tourniquet.

"You'll be okay. Don't let yourself get dizzy and don't fall asleep, it might be severe blood loss." He warned her.

"His semblance is like yours! He absorbs energy through his sword, stores it up, and then sends it back when he's ready." Blake told Yang.

"He gets to dish out damage without having to feel it? That's just cheap." Yang scoffed before going after him again. Before he knew it, Blake was yelling for Yang and he was grabbing for her.

"Leave us alone. This is your last chance." Yang told Adam.

"Do you really believe that? Or are you just trying to scare me away so you won't have to die to protect her? Like your good metal buddy, Mercury over there, tried to." Adam asked.

"She's not protecting me, Adam. Neither is Mercury." He felt Blake's stump in his hand, she put it there. She was holding Yang's hand and trying to hold his in the only way she could with her right hand now gone. "And I'm not protecting them. We're protecting each other."

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supercasey · 5 years ago

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Nomad of Nowhere Modern+Twins AU Notes/Ideas

Can y’all tell I got bored and can’t stop thinking about this sort of AU? Prepare for some serious bullshit. (Putting this under a cut because I’m merciful)

((El Rey is gonna be called Adrian in this AU, as I saw someone on Tumblr (emery-night) suggest it as a possible name awhile back, and since one of my brother's middle names is Adrian, I had to.))

Benjamin, Annabeth, and Adrian are all polyam, but they're not exactly the most “picture perfect” polyam relationship; they all tend to argue quite a bit, but at the end of the day, they all still care very deeply for each other.

Ben and Adrian went to college together, and were roommates through all four years they went; they started dating/hooking up about halfway through freshman year.

Annabeth: Oh my god, they were roommates.

After their fourth year of college ended, Adrian had to go back home to run his father's business, which meant he couldn't date Ben anymore, as his dad was extremely homophobic. Ben was heartbroken, but understood that Adrian didn't want to end things either, so he accepted it and moved on with his life, making sure to keep in touch with Adrian through social media and by calling/texting him every so often.

About two years later, Benjamin ran into Annabeth for the first time. Anna was working on her family's farm at the time, but once she fell for the city boy, she packed her bags and ran off to start a new life with him.

They had the twins within their first year of marriage, which was… chaotic, to say the fucking least. Thankfully they managed well enough, but it was still somewhat of an ordeal to get through together. ((Thankfully in this AU, Ben isn’t running from any bounty hunters/his ex, so he doesn’t ever lash out at Anna and lose her.))

Nearly five years after the twins were born, Adrian just kinda… showed up on their doorstep, looking frazzled and freaked the fuck out. They of course let him come inside, and after finding out that he had been cut off upon his father discovering he was gay, the couple let him stay with them from then on.

Pretty soon, the trio was officially polyam, both Adrian and Anna dating Ben, but not each other. They’re both really good friends, though! Ben loves his husband and wife so fucking much.

Since he grew up in such a privileged environment, Adrian really struggles with getting used to living like his partners (they aren’t necessarily poor, but they aren’t rich either), but he settles soon enough into working at an office building, where he constantly is climbing the corporate ladder and becoming quite the businessman.

Annabeth settled really quickly into her job as an architect, and works on designing houses in an office building about an hour away from the family house (which she and Ben built together right before they got married, adding another floor after Adrian moved in with them).

Benjamin, surprisingly enough, is a stay at home dad, and after all the kids reach school age, he starts doing part-time handyman jobs around town. Primarily though, he's still mostly a stay at home dad, and does a lot of the housework.

Adrian can't cook for S H I T. He set the oven in his and Ben's dorm on fire no less than three times, and also accidentally blew up the microwave at one point. After he moves in, Ben is quick to ban him from any sort of cooking; Adrian doesn't even bother arguing with him over it.

Anna can cook a little. She's usually pretty tuckered out after work, so she rarely cooks dinner, but when she does it's a stew that's fucking incredible.

Ben is a monster in the kitchen, having learned how to cook at a very young age, and he takes great pride in cooking nice meals for the family almost every night.

Both Ben and Anna were really worried the twins wouldn’t like Adrian, but he gets along with them really well, especially since he came into their lives so really early on; when they’re about seven, Skout asks who Adrian is to her parents, and after being told he’s in love with Pappy and best friends with Mama, she starts referring to Adrian as Daddy/Dad, Hunter doing the same through sign language/writing note to him. Adrian cries from happiness.

Also, because I love her, and because I honestly think Ben would never obey the “have as few kids as possible” rule most wizard's follow in the Twins AU, when the twins are about six or seven, their parents have another kid; a little girl they name Melinda.

(Truth be told, Ben and El Rey aren't 100% certain who fathered her, but they always say it was the other guy who did it. Anna doesn't really care, so long as they both treat her youngest daughter well, which they of course do!)

Melinda is a bit of a terror as a young child, and is constantly pestering her older siblings. Skout and her get along better once Skout hits high school age (before then, they argue constantly), but before that Hunter and Melinda are super close. After Melinda hits 13-14 though, they don’t quite have a “falling out”, but she gets her own friends at school and doesn’t want to hang out with Hunter as much anymore; this devastates Hunter, but he’s so freaking glad she has friends that he’s never going to tell her that.

Okay, onto the twins:

Hunter and Skout are practically glued to the fucking hip all throughout their early childhood; Hunter follows his sister around because no one wants to try communicating with the mute kid, and Skout loves hanging out with her brother despite other kids being weirded out by him.

Skout used to be a total tomboy/rebel as a preteen. Seriously, she was constantly in and out of the principal's office, mainly because she got into fights protecting her bro.

By the time Toth moves to town at the very start of 9th grade and meets her, Skout is almost a completely different person by then, having gotten more invested in reading/school than getting into fights.

The first time Toth sees some ex-bullies from Skout's middle school run for their lives upon seeing who Toth thought was just a sweet, innocent redhead who loves reading, Toth knows she's in love.

Toth does NOT like Hunter at first, mostly because the first time she met him, he refused to let her borrow a pencil and she took that to mean he was an asshole; truth is, he only had the one, but had trouble communicating that to her at the time, resulting in her not quite “bullying” him, but… okay, she bullied him, but after getting with Skout, she lays off and even apologizes to him for being so mean.

Toth and Hunter eventually start getting along after Toth and Skout get together, but Hunter definitely teases/messes with her on occasion because he thinks it's funny. Toth is mostly neutral to this and figures it's justified payback for how she used to treat him.

Where Skout has Toth as a friend at school (and I guess that total asshole “Red Manuel” or whatever the fuck he’s calling himself who constantly pesters them both), Hunter is friends with a trio of kids nicknamed “The Three Amigos.”

The three amigos (Null, Santi, and Jethro) have all known each other since kindergarten. Null got to go to school early due to his intelligence (the kid is insanely fucking smart), while Jethro and Santi are the same age, and they all became friends because their moms all know each other and made them hang out a lot as young kids.

The school's mascot is the “Dandy Lion” and Red Manuel is the dumbass who agreed to wear the suit for school events. He thinks it makes him a celebrity; it definitely doesn't.

Omg, I almost fucking forgot about Don Paragon.

Don Paragon considers himself to be a theatre star of some kind, because he literally only got the lead part once in a middle school play, and he has yet to stop bragging about it.

Don's also a huge fucking bully, and has been harassing both Hunter and Skout since elementary school; he's actually one of the people Skout beat the crap out of back when she didn’t care about holding back, so he low-key fears her, but he'll pick on Hunter whenever he can catch him alone; luckily, Hunter doesn't end up alone very often, thanks to the three amigos, as well as Toth shadowing him when Skout asks her to keep an eye on Hunter in order to keep him safe.

(On another note, about halfway through high school, Don Paragon challenges Hunter to a fight after school, and of course everyone comes out to see this shit. Don shows up first with a switchblade, and everyone’s scared he’s gonna fuck Hunter up, but then Hunter shows up with a fucking pitchfork. Needless to say, Don backed down and Hunter was now known as “the guy who brought a pitchfork to a knife fight” instead of just being the mute kid.)

Hunter and the three amigos are considered to be outcast's at school, but none of them are particularly bothered by this; they all can often be found chilling together during lunch, passing around a notebook so Hunter can talk to them easier. By senior year, the three amigos have all fully learned sign language, which they use not only to talk with Hunter, but get away with joking around in class with each other.

Before then though, Null was the only one who knew sign language, and became friends with Hunter first. Through this, Null invited Hunter to their friend group, but despite them all obviously being friends, other kids at school still mostly referred to them as “The Three Amigos + Hunter”; this annoys Null to no end, but Hunter swears he doesn't mind (he does, but he’ll never admit it).

The four of them eventually form a band that plays primarily at school dances and weekend parties. The band was almost called The Three Amigos, but Null insisted they name themselves something else in order to include Hunter. Santi came up with calling themselves “The Nomads of Nowhere”, which sticks. Hunter plays guitar (Adrian taught him how), Jethro plays keyboard, Santi plays drums, and Null sings.

Hunter is constantly being followed by animals of some kind, so instead of creating Critters, he attracts animals to himself (mainly stray cats, which he feeds daily).

The family has a few pets of their own: a black cat named Nomad (Hunter's therapy cat), a brown tabby cat named Critter (Ben found it as a kitten and gave it to Skout when Hunter got his cat), and a black Labrador named El Rey (Adrian's dog that he's had since he was a young teenager… no one knows how it's still alive, not even Adrian).

Post-high school headcanons for everyone:

After the twins graduate, Skout goes to a university in their state with Toth, who she's still dating. Hunter, in the meantime, goes to community college for awhile, and still lives at home, later moving out to live with the three amigos.

Toth proposes to Skout during their sophomore year, but they don't officially get married until after they both graduate. Everyone in Skout’s family sobs (Melinda’s her maid of honor) and Toth’s family is also cheering like mad. The after party is more or less a fucking rave, and the cops almost get called because they’re all so goddamn loud.

Skout becomes a biologist, but still constantly visits the library she worked at in college. Her specialty lies in forest preservation, and later on she starts working in a national park.

Toth becomes a historian, specializing in old weapons and war strategy. She also has a degree in psychology, but she doesn’t really do much with it tbh (other than mess with Red, who after getting his act together, becomes one of her closest friends).

Hunter becomes a musician, and as a side gig works as a sort of “cat whisperer” to make extra money and tell people they’re dumbasses who shouldn’t own cats.

The Nomads of Nowhere actually stick together for a long time after high school, and become a semi-popular indie band. After a few years though, they disband so Jethro and Santi can do their own things, so Hunter and Null form a two-man band called “The Dreaded Nomads.” After that, their music gets a lot more popular, but they’re still considered indie.

Oh yeah, almost forgot; Hunter and Null started dating in secret early on in high school. They mostly kept it a secret because they were both self-conscious about being judged by their peers, but they came out by going to their junior homecoming dance together. Everyone (except Skout and Melinda, who Hunter had already told) were surprised, but of course Hunter’s parents were all supportive. Null’s folks were… not, but at least he then got the chance to live with Santi’s family!

After high school, Hunter and Null are still going strong, and while neither of them are really comfortable with getting officially married for personal reasons, they plan on staying together for the rest of their lives. Also after high school, Null’s still no contact with his family for the most part (save for his mom), but Hunter’s family accepts him with open arms!

Santi and Jethro were dating since fucking middle school, and literally no one is surprised when they get hitched the day after graduation; if they have a kid and they’re a boy, they’re naming him Null Jr and Null will be secretly touched but act mad.

That’s all I’ve got for now! I might add more later, but feel free to add your own headcanons/ideas if you’d like to!

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curlythenord · 5 years ago

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How It Began

Hey, so this is new, and weird. But I have no one to talk to about this to without annoying them, and this is basically my new and only hobby. And I like it a lot. And most of us are stuck inside anyways so why not?

Skyrim is quite a few years old, so maybe some of you have wisdom to give. Or not, and you could just hear about my faliures/achievements and laugh. Either way, this feels therapeutic in nature, and puts two things I love together. Writing and... well, Skyrim.

So, three or four weeks into quarantine, and I was already pretty out of it. I didn’t have any solid hobbies to pick from and I was waiting on amazon book deliveries. Then, Jenna Marbles posted her video “A Tour of My House In Elder Scrolls Online” and I watched it and I really liked it. She mentioned how much she liked it many times before and something about the fantasy and quests just struck a cord in my bored little heart.

It’s like the attraction of Animal Crossing that a lot of us are having, except it’s with dragons and magic and swords. Both are still very valid.

That afternoon I downloaded Blades on my phone and played for literal hours. Something about swinging a sword and killing trolls and monsters really got to me. I wasn’t a fan of building the town and upgrading the blacksmithy but otherwise I enjoyed it. Then on Easter I kinda browsed through amazon, wondering if I could buy the game right now because of quarantine and all that. We have a ps4 at home, it’s my little brothers. I found a copy of the 2016 beautified version on Amazon, and then he went and found it on the playstation store for way less.

Soon enough I caved to my desires and I bought it. And I was immediately obssessed. I spent like an hour JUST creating my character. I wanted her face paint to be just right and her eye color was so hard to pick because I kept getting getting stuck between this hella striking blue and this really cool dark golden/hazel color. (I decided on golden) I chose Nord after debating about it for awhile, and i’m still not regretting the decision. She has really dark black hair and dope ass war paint on her eyes. I know Breton was probsbly the better choice but the Nord character hasn’t been an issue at all. I do always forget to use her war cry thougj. I think it’s because I can only use it once a day (in-game) so it makes me scared to use it. Even though days are just around 20-30 minutes long without fast travel.

Her name is Toril, which means “thunder”, and I know shes my avatar and everything but like... she’s so cool.

I chose the Warrior stone, because I genuinely just wanted to fuck shit up with a Sword. I always thought I was naturally super bad at console gaming becuase I tried playing COD before and I was terrible. Like really bad. Like propably shot myself more in the foot than I shot anyone else bad. But with Skyrim? I keep getting better each time I play. And my attack strategies are getting so much better.

My usual way to fight is a shield and a one-handed weapon. Two-handed is just too bulky and I like swords and the protection of shields. Also it just drains stamina so fast and I don’t like that. At this point I just carry Two handed weapons incase an opponent is Really hard to kill without it. I also do magic-wielding on left hand (usually restoration spells) and a one handed weapon on right. It’s prefect for combat with slow but really damaging enemies, like dragons or trolls that you can back away from.

Recently, I began dual wielding and it’s honestly so fun. I just hate how much damage I take when I do it against a group of bandits though, so I keep moving away to heal or take potions, but it’s such a fun strategy to use with dragons when they land or just against one opponent.

Anyway, the game is amazing, the characters are fun and weird and yea they’re fake but the storylines are so interesting. I decided to go with the imperial gaurd in the beginning, so I went to Riverwood, and then eventually took main residence at Whiterun. I was a little slow on joining the companions, so I used to just stay at the inn before I lived with them, but a couple days ago I saved up enough to buy the Breezehome. Both a good and bad idea because I still go back to Whiterun a lot, but my quests are now taking me farther and farther away and now I can’t really pop back in whenever I need to store an unneccesary weapon or some dragon bones.

I also hardly let myself fast travel because I really like the game for the exploring aspect. Even though the foxes have given me jumpscares multiple times with their guttural panting.

So yea. After maybe two weeks of playing I’m at level 20, and I’m guessing I’ve spent over 30 hours on the game. I play a little bit each day, but my sessions are usually 2-4 hours long and happen in the afternoon, and if I get on after my brother at 12 am i’ll usually play until 2 before I get too tired. I’ve only got like 13% done though, or at least only 13% of the achievements. My highest acheivement right now is doing alchemy though so I’m not doing great.

I’ve been focusing on the quest with Delphine and Esbern recently, and I’m at the point where I just spoke to the dragon master/teacher of the Greybeards, then spoke to Arngeir about going to Windhelm/Winterhold. I figured I might as well finally visit the college there because I wanted to improve some magicka skills without using my perks. It’s weird though, because as soon as I got back to Whiterun and then headed out to go to Windhelm, I got absolutely raided by dragon attacks.

First, one appeared outside of Whiterun, and me being the pussy I am (after getting my head bit off Multiple times) just shot arrows at it from a distance as the soldiers dealt with it, and then ran over when it was dead to absorb the soul. Then when I was past the farms and the guards tower next to Whiterun, another dragon appeared. I used the Whirlwind sprint to stay next to it’s wing to keep it from biting my damn head off, then used some restoration spells when it was in the air, and dual wielded (when I could attack it) with the Dawnbreaker and this enchanted sword I found at the Sky Haven Temple that deals extra damage when attacking dragons. Absorbed that soul and headed on up to the snowy mountainous area that was on the way to Windhelm.

After dealing with a couple asshole white bears and some whisps, I hear a dragon and absolutely lose it. Why was I suddenly getting bombarded?? I decided to sneak on this one, and got my bow and arrow out. Eventually I got close enough to see not one, but TWO goddamn dragons, before realizing it was Alduin raising one to life (and realized he was salty because I was trying to destroy him by getting the Elder Scroll). Eventually I managed to kill it, still using Whirlwind sprint, healing spells, and dual-wielding. Plus some potions too.

I had to try a couple times for each of these by the way. Even with the second dragon I kept forgetting to save once I was a mildly-annoying-distance-to-repeatedly-walk away from Whiterun, which sucked but it’s whatever. I learned my lesson though and started remembering to save.

I got to Windhelm, which was weird territory because it’s run by Stormcloaks, and had to physically restrain myself from pummeling this drunk guy while he talked down to a Dark Elf and accused her of being a spy because she wasn’t a Nord. Also sometimes guards that aren’t from Whiterun will call me a thief (I unnsuccesfully tried to help out the guy who told me about Esbern’s hideout back in Riften) and it’s a lil annoying because I try really hard to make my character a decently good person. Sucks though because one of the achievements is joining the Thieves Guild and though I don’t necessarily want to do that, I’m gonna eventually unless I create a new character, which I don’t wanna do yet because I like mine too much.

Anyways this is already really long. I’m making another post to talk about my current opinion on choosing between Imperials and the Stormcloaks. If you have any tips, or questions, comment them! Or send me an anon, either is fine. I could literally rave about Skyrim for hours, as you have probably seen. Thanks for reading!

#skyrim #elder scrolls #console #fantasy #bloggin #experience #stayhome #jenna marbles #ps4 #this is new #video games #playthrough ?

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edge-lorde · 5 years ago

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original vampire bullshit 4. final!

i got to the orcs. it is done. felt good to write this but now i must sleep. will link to 1-3 tomorrow. EDIT: part 1 here PART 2 HERE part 3 here

This next part may be a bit disjointed because at this point in time, I have not fully realized why the vampires of this world would be doing some of these things. I have no idea if this is even remotely efficient way of running a war effort. But this is MY pretend. The holes that i cannot fill will be taken care of by the concept of cow tools for now.

Blood farms. What are they?

I have already written about how vampiric control works in free, normal countries. Those are the norm because vampires do not actually care enough about human societies to actually try to run them. But what happens when they do try to take more direct control? Typically these look like walled or very remote pieces of country with a small town in the middle. The vampires themselves typically still do not try to be enforcers of strict rules or be in direct leadership positions. There will still be human organization with the vampires off to the side somewhere with tables and lists of things they want this population to accomplish. Classically this is how much blood needs to be taken to sustain the patron vampire clan, who needs to give it next, and how to keep everyone healthy enough to do this. Quality of life in these places is usually fairly good, because the vampires see themselves as farmers and they need their crop to be healthy enough to harvest and also because they don't care about control as much as they do complacency. As much as they can, vampires try to make these places nice enough that people will not want to leave. They do this by providing enough resources so that there is nothing to fight over and by keeping their human populations extremely isolated so that there is nowhere that a human who wanted to leave could think to go. There must be enough space in these places that if some humans want to break off from the others they can, but not so much that the vampires can't find them.

Now time for a little thought experiment. Imagine a specific vampire clan. A large one, with ties to the government of a powerful country. A branch of this clan decides that they want to build a vampire run health research facility. The goal of this would be to find an alternative to human blood that vampires could use instead so they could finally have they’re perfect floating vampire utopia in the sky. This sounds like a great idea to everyone. They set out to find a site in order to do this, but they want it to be vampire only, obviously. So they decide to make it its own deal and have it be in conjecture with a blood farm, the concept of which already exists. This means it should be in an isolated place.

They weigh their options and pick somewhere perfect. They begin construction. They wall off a section of forest and fill it with lots of domesticated plants and animals and build many nice places for humans to live. They build the research facility and begin the process of filling their blood farm population. They gather hundreds of babies and toddlers from both adoption agencies in their country of origin and from the existing communities in the place they decided to build. This place may not technically be part of their human country, but there are no other vampires claiming it so that makes it free real estate, right? The vampires gladly offer to let these existing human communities voluntarily integrate themselves into their overall workforce, but it seems that not all of them want to do this. That, and it really is better for blood farms to start without any ties to the outside world. This is why they primarily want children who don’t know how to speak yet, so they can be raised communally within the new city walls and taught a constructed language so they won’t have anything in common with the local humans and wouldn't be able to speak with them even if they did come across each other. It really is better just to make a clean break like that so there won't be drama later on. If the locals really have a problem with that then they really shouldn’t be allowed into the larger facility area either. And the vampires only use force to protect themselves.

Flash forward a bit and what's this? The vampires human country is at war with with this other human-only conglomerate population thing? And the home country refuses to admit wrongdoing? In fact the larger vampire clan refuses to admit there is a ‘war’ going on at all?

This war is very long and drawn out. Most of vampires weapons to be used against humans are bio-based. They begin conscripting the humans living in this blood farm (and others) as soldiers because the main country refuses to acknowledge the war. The focus of the research facility moves from health to military based. They begin to develop more soldiers at faster rates. They go from drafting existing humans to cloning and splicing perfect soldiers and create a separate class of human living in the blood farm. There are now civilians, which are the base population and do not leave the main blood farm unless it is to work at the facility, and soldiers who are raised from birth to fight in this war.

The vampires build more facilities, they're getting good at it. The war goes on. Its less organised now, the enemy has been greatly weakened by the vampires bio-weapons but they have allies. The vampires are super paranoid about letting their super soldiers out into the world. They are terrified that the enemy could be catching up to them in terms of bio-tech and be creating their own super soldiers from their soldiers DNA, or by creating their own bioweapon diseases that could infect one of their own. Through that patient zero, their entire human population could in theory be wiped out, which would essentially end the war. The soldiers also take too long to make for them to make sense. The artificial womb is invented, that increases productivity but they still need to be trained from birth. Ways of pre-aging soldiers so they are ‘born’ as adults are invented, but they are useless and dont know how to do jack shit. Ways of implanting muscle memories and other knowledge and skills begin to be researched.

It happens. The vampires army experiences a blow in the form of a counter bioweapon. Many soldiers die. They become barred from going back into the main blood farm population areas. The war effort slows. The vampires don’t leave but there is little left of the enemy human population left. After they had their success killing of the soldiers they retreat and try to rebuild for a while. There is an uneasy truce.

The vampires do not stop their developing though. They realize they've been doing a lot of extra useless stuff with them that they didn't need to, once they realize they can make all training obsolete. They lie low for awhile. Turns out these new soldiers can be made pretty fast, like a full grown, fully trained soldier born in less than 10 months from nothing fast.

But everything is quiet now. They are almost left to themselves as long as they don’t leave their facilities. This is what they wanted all along. But it's a matter of pride now. The vampires do not want to make peace with their human enemies now. They made a fool of the clan and used their own tech against them and never conceded. The land they live on is still not claimed by any vampire clan-- except for them. They will live to see these humans brought down now even if it takes a thousand years. They have all the time in the world. Its been at least a hundred since the war has begun.

The vampires plan their next move carefully. They do not want to directly subject their home country to another war again. They would still rather humans would just take care of their own affairs. The ideal situation would be if another human population would just sweep in and finish the job. They had been made out to be monsters in the last war and they didn't like that at all. They knew that if they were to send out more soldiers like they did before, the enemy will know right away that they are to blame. What they needed was a scapegoat.

I never mentioned this before, but other kinds of hominids currently exist/existed within living memory of this setting. Just roll with it for a second. The vampires decide what they need is for a new group to enter into the picture, one that everyone can agree is bad. Worse than vampires my a mile. Worse than the old stories told about them. Worse than any enemy they've faced before. An enemy that could be the enemy of all enemies and unite all others against them. The vampires would join this fight too, if necessary, meanwhile they would continue to manufacture this new enemy in secret. They would continue to do so until all their enemies were overwhelmed and forced to join up with the larger vampire run country for protection. It would be awkward at first, but what is the enemy of your enemy but a friend?

In order to do this these new soldiers would have to look different from the old human soldiers. And they would have to act different too. They would have to strike terror into the hearts of all who came across them and be able to back up their threats.

So the vampires thought to themselves what was the most terrifying enemy they could think of and it came to them-- Unaffiliated vampires. They have none of the reasons to value human or vampire life the way any natural being should and a reason to kill. Working off this framework, they set about finding ways to instill the perfect frame of mind into their future soldier experiments. In tandem with this, they began collecting odd features developed within their human experiment populations and began splicing them together. Next they began building great cylinder vats that could grow hundreds of these new soldiers at a time, as well as places to house them that were NOT near their precious blood farms.

They planned to pack their heads with all they needed to know and no more, and supply them thinly enough to make the human towns enticing targets. All that, and a little bit of green dye was more than enough to make any human think these new creatures had nothing to do with them. Now all they needed was a name......

#vampires #orc #orcs #original #vampirism #rambling #Thoughts #vampire

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dumbhypmicheadcanons · 6 years ago

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minecraft headcanons

no one asked for this but i find i have strong opinions on the hypmic boys and minecraft and i found it necessary

first things first: it was the buster bros who started it. ichiro bought a copy of minecraft and he enjoyed it so he forced his brothers to join as well. eventually ichiro had a plan. he convinced samatoki to get minecraft so they could have pvp matches and samatoki accepted because that’s just more opportunity to fight. ichiro started a server where he, his brothers, and samatoki all coexisted. samatoki thought it was unfair that ichiro had two people helping him out so he forced jyuto and rio to get accounts. eventually the fights and weird shit going on in minecraft began making their way onto twitter and ramuda was like “hmm whats this tea i want in” so ramuda got himself an account and forced ichiro to hand over the ip. ramuda was having a good time so he forced dice and gentaro to join (and bought dice a shitty laptop from walmart so he could play. it is kept in gentaro’s care so it doesn’t get gambled away). ramuda wanted to be problematic so he forced jakurai to get an account. doppo and hifumi joined shortly afterwards because everyone else, including sensei, was playing minecraft and they didn’t want to be left out.

ichiro and samatoki started off by having pvp matches, but these soon grew really boring. they eventually moved onto a system where they would both get rid of all of their belongings and spawn themselves into random places in the world. they would then compete to see who could defeat the ender dragon the fastest. every time someone wins, they would respawn her and try again. sometimes saburo and jiro tried to help out ichiro, but ichiro wouldn’t accept it because he wanted to prove he was better on his own.

saburo? redstone god. he spends all of his time building really complicated structures and is constantly one-upping himself and proving himself better. he’s disappointed that the group’s server is survival mode but he treats it like a challenge. he’s constantly making flying machines, piston doors, resource farms, etc. everything he does is beyond extra and he’s always bragging about how impressive his inventions are

jiro does not understand redstone but he does understand tnt. his favorite hobby is making tnt cannons to blow up all of saburo’s shit. he can also be found griefing everyone else’s houses, stealing everyone else’s shit, building terrible dirt houses in the carefully constructed cities, and generally pissing everyone off. at first the only one he didnt troll was ichiro, but he has extended that liberty to samatoki after ichiro went on a rant about how it wasn’t fair and made the competition too easy.

jyuto doesn’t know how to play minecraft. he doesnt know about the end or the nether, he doesnt really understand that diamonds are good, and he’s just existing. he’s just trying his best to survive in the world with his square wooden house. he’s slowly getting better at killing monsters.

rio? rio is a survivalist. he doesnt have a house. he constructs square dirt rooms filled to the brim with chests that are filled with wood and stone and ores and monster drops. he doesn’t do anything with these, he simply collects. he doesnt have armor or weapons. he punches everything to death. he recently found out from saburo that he can create minecarts and he is now on an expedition to link all of his item collections together by railroad. he has given everyone free access to use his railroads and resources because he does not need them, he simply has them and wants them to be used. he accidentally found the nether one time because he found one of samatoki’s portals and he has been stuck there for about 6 days someone please rescue him

ramuda is in creative mode. he really shouldnt be, its a survival server and ramuda shouldnt be opped but somehow he is??? ichiro tried unopping him once but when he woke up the next day not only was ramuda opped again, he had also left several extremely graphic death threats so ichiro decided not to do that again. ramuda’s main hobby is designing extremely aesthetic houses in a variety of styles, he’s an extremely good builder who adds so many details and terraforming and texturing and it’s so nice??? but also if you build something that he finds aesthetically unappealing (so if you build anything, ramuda only likes his own builds) he will come by in the middle of the night and either a) rebuild your house entirely and make it aesthetically pleasing (and steal your stuff) or b) blow it up.

gentaro builds scenes and locations that he’s written about in his novels, he also builds things that he’s planning on writing so he can try to plan out a scene better. gentaro tried to start a roleplay group once and he got jyuto and ichiro to join but jiro blew up all of their buildings so he gave up. gentaro also lives in a village and he’s always trading with the villagers who he has adopted as his friends. he’s also really into farming and has bred a lot of animals that he refuses to kill because he’s attached to them.

dice has a dirt house that he keeps making bigger. dice is really, really good at finding and mining for ores so he has chest after chest full of them. he agreed to trade his ores to saburo in exchange for a working redstone casino, which saburo has been working on for weeks. he has made a working slot machine that dice abuses the fuck out of. there are no stakes but dice has an addiction to it

jakurai did not know how to punch for the first few weeks of playing. he started off slowly, not really understanding the basics. then he found out about the wiki and how there are walkthroughs for literally everything and now? jakurai is so fucking good at minecraft. it’s gotten to the point that ichiro and samatoki have tried to ban jakurai from their server because he kept beating the ender dragon in the middle of their competitions. like one time ichiro and samatoki randomly spawned really close to each other and both got to the end at pretty much the same time and jakurai? was already there??? and he had beaten the dragon with a bunch of snowballs???????? like this 35 year old man with a steve skin beat the dragon faster than these two idiots who have been doing this for months? thats illegal;;; but then jakurai was disappointed about it on twitter and they felt bad so they unbanned him

hifumi and doppo live together. they have this cute house in the mountains in the middle of nowhere and they keep adding to it to make it seem more like a home;;; its fully decorated and has a kitchen and a bedroom and everything even though none of its necessary. hifumi really likes building and he has a bunch of crops and animals and just a really nice farm and also a flower garden that he’s always tending to even though the flowers dont need anything? and he’s built a really cute pond area and a bunch of waterfalls and its all adorable. doppo meanwhile is out fighting monsters and mining for resources and he’s just trying to make life easier for hifumi. one time jiro came by and instead of fucking up their house, he just replaced all of hifumi’s cows with mooshrooms. no one knows how he got this many mooshrooms or where he found them or why he decided to do this but it happened. at first hifumi was deeply upset because the mooshrooms were staring into his soul but doppo adored them so hifumi grew to appreciate their mushroom friends.

if you disagree with me on any of this we can throw hands in the parking lot tomorrow 3pm

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emperorsfoot · 5 years ago

Note

Also,what things did Sigil do? As in that were 'so not cool shit'. I never expected that from Sigil,he's very complexed. Though I still have love for him.

Its been almost 3 years, I think it’s safe to say I won’t be continuing that fic, so here’s all the spoilers:

First, let me preface all of this by saying that 3 years ago this all made sense in my head. Looking back on it now, it’s just utterly insane nonsense and is actually very out of place for the rest of the fic series. So, be prepared for absurdity.

I don’t know if you ever saw any of the character ref sheets @nozominoyami made for my OCs, but each one of them included a regular civilian clothes outfit, a proto-tech armor, and a Duelist outfit based off the Black Roses arc of Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Using the magic roses from Ledgerdomain, and the broken elevator in the building where Devlin and Kenny had their regular therapy appointments, Sigil was going to create scenarios where everyone got to work out their issues. Except, for some reason, the answer to everyone’s issues came out to be “I should kill Devlin�� (once again, three years ago this made sense in my head, I have no idea what I was thinking now).

So, Devlin is basically the Rose Bride in this arc.

Kenny falls into the role of Utena and must duel all their friends to protect Devlin.

Like in the Black Rose arc of Utena, after each duel, the opponent has no memory of ever being a duelist in the first place, but they still feel inexplicably better about themselves. ‘Cleansed’ in some way. So, while they might not be consciously aware of it, they have worked through their issues.

Sven was going to be the first duelist. He was introduced in this fic and had the least amount of character development. This was going to be a cheap and easy way to get the audience to know him. As you know, he is Emily’s son, so since their moms were best friends, Devlin used to hang out with Sven when they were younger. Gwen used to take Devlin for piano lessons at Emily’s house. Keep in mind, at this time, Devlin resembled Kevin’s original mutation from the Ben 10 OS, so he was a grotesque monster. But Sven thought Devlin was really cool and may or may not have developed a little crush on him. Sven may or may not be a monster fucker. (He holds onto this crush for a long time, it takes finding out that they’re cousins to finally squash the feels.) In the duel he confesses that he’s mad at Devlin for figuring out a way to turn himself human, and hates his pretty face, and wants to cut it off (he’s kinda a dark character). Sven feels like Devlin only stopped coming over and hanging out with him because he got pretty and no longer needed him.

Dylan was gonna be the next duel. His issues were a lot. He had issues with his father, which -while having nothing to do with Devlin- did get stirred up every time Devlin would go on one of his ‘woe is me, my father is evil’ rants. Then he’s got issues with Phil Billings, his paternal uncle and the one who brought him in on the Rooters fiasco that turned Dylan into a Necroffriggian hybrid. But, mostly, he blames Devlin for everything else! He blames Devlin for their psychological being postponed. The delay prevents Dylan from transferring to the real Plumbers Academy at Galvan Prime, something that Dylan was counting on. Remember, he is in foster care and as soon as a child turns eighteen, the funding us cut off and their care runs out. Most foster parents will not keep a child they are no longer getting paid to care for. So, when Dylan turned eighteen, he suddenly found himself without a home and without a plan. His plan had been to be at the Academy, but because of Devlin that never happened. (There was also gonna be some race stuff. Dylan used to be a white boy with all the privilege that went with that, but now that he’s an alien people treat him differently.) Of everyone, Dylan Billings had the most legitimate grievances.

After Dylan was going to be Minie Armstrong. She’s pretty straightforward. She wants to be taken seriously as a member of the team and not patronized like a child. Yes, she is a child, but so was Ben 10,000 when he started fighting aliens. If Ben could be taken seriously as a hero why can’t she?

Finally, Ally was going to be the last of their friends that Kenny has to fight. Ally’s thing is that Devlin and Kenny have so many issues and are so wrapped up in their own issues that they fail to care or even notice that their other fiends have problems too. Ally is sick of being the ‘mom friend’ who has to take care of Devlin and Kenny when they’re all the same freaking age and the boys should be able to take care of themselves. She has her own things. Her dad, Alan Albright, dating Kai Green for one. Its weird. Ally likes Kai, to a point, but Kai is also Kenny’s mom and so that makes things weird. Ally does not want Kenny as a brother. Also, while she is happy her dad is dating again, and does legitimately want her dad to be happy, she also has mixed feelings about betraying her mother’s memory and such. Like, is it even okay to be happy? In the fics that have been posted thus far, I kinda glanced over how Ally’s mother died. I mentioned it was in an accident with farming equipment. What I didn’t mention was that Ally was involved. It was the first time her Pyronite powers manifested, her mother was there with her and was so shocked she backed up, tripped, and fell into a lathe. Ally hardcore blames herself. But also never talks about it because her friends are always too wrapped up in themselves.

The whole ordeal is very traumatic for Kenny. While everyone else might wake up with no memory of the duels, he remembers everything and is shook.

After all that, Kenny figures out that Sigil is behind all of this and they fight too.

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beccaboxes · 2 years ago

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"Why I love doing domestic chores in video games

Thank you for subscribing, and welcome to the very first edition of HIGH RESOLUTION GORE & GRAPHIC VIOLENCE. Over the last two months I have played the game Cult of the Lamb for over 50 hours. Why?

WHAT IS CULT OF THE LAMB?

Cult of the Lamb is a video game where you play as a cute little lamb running a Satanic cult. It combines whimsically totalitarian community management (there is a menu option to “re-educate” dissenters) with traditional dungeon-crawling (AKA fighting monsters in a series of procedurally-generated rooms). Beating the monsters wins you gold coins and respect from your followers, which in turn allows you to accumulate “devotion”. Devotion is a currency made of faith, a bit like money.

Along the way you also gather blueprints to build furniture which you can use to decorate your cult’s home. There are a huge variety of items to collect, including “skull pile”, “skull candle” and “giant skull”. I’m messing, they’re not all skull-based: there’s also “Bone Sculpture” and “Barrel of Bones”.

In short, the game is half skirmish battles, half keeping your anthropomorphic animal followers happy through blood sacrifices and polyamorous wedding ceremonies. Basically, it’s a big Tamagotchi with a horny deathwish.

It’s also like a Tamagotchi in another significant way. But more on that in a moment.

THE CONTEXT: SOCIAL SIM MANIA

Even if you’re not into games, you’re probably thinking that Cult of the Lamb sounds a bit like Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The explosive success of ACNH got a lot of coverage during the pandemic, with 60 million copies sold worldwide.

Suddenly, millions of millennials were spending hours every day living on a virtual island where they could buy their own home and choose their own furniture: a welcome break from being forced to use your landlord’s Ikea bookshelf, which seems to have been constructed using only a nail bomb and a wish.

For my own part, I was instantly hooked on the ACNH fantasy of having a house large enough that things could be organised neatly. Often there are (made-up) scare stories in the press about violent video games inspiring real world terror attacks or murders. But over lockdown something even worse happened to me: Animal Crossing radicalised me into buying a shoebench.

ACNH and Cult of the Lamb’s home-making experiences are similarly appealing to generation rent and, along with the huge popularity of other sim games like Stardew Valley, there’s clearly a big demand for cozy simulations during these uncertain times.

So why am I so fixated on Cult of the Lamb in particular?

UNPLEASANT CHORES

Cult of the Lamb involves taking care of cute cultists. You need to build accommodation, farm food and cook meals. So far, so idyllic. The thing is, your followers also shit everywhere.

Once you’ve levelled up a bit you can buy them an Outhouse. Or the larger capacity Outhouse II (II fast II furious). But they still shit everywhere

So in between fighting off demons under the sea, creating a subsistence farm community and choosing which religious doctrines to impose on your growing cult, you also need to clean up poop.

But you do this with the press of a button. It’s swept up and gone, your stunningly-decorated base left pristine.

Now, like a lot of renters, my real interior design fantasy is exactly this: the dream of a home which COULD be cleaned. You know, where you could wipe a surface or mop a floor without bits of rust staining your cloth or wet lino lifting off the concrete.

So I guess what I’m saying is… pressing X to clean up the pixel-art shit of followers is intensely relaxing to me.

Because it’s an intoxicating sample of living in the world that REALLY rich people live in: the world where you press a button and stuff works. The world where, when something breaks, you call a guy and he fixes it. No endless calls and negotiations with pissed off call centre employees and letting agents. No visits from your landlord’s-friend’s-cousin who’s a trustworthy plumber, actually. No crap products that break after one use. It just works. Someone shits on the floor. It gets cleaned up. No hours scrubbing buckled lino. A wipe-clean world. It. All. Just. Works.

THE WORLD WHERE STUFF WORKS

Why is Cult of the Lamb’s window into this dreamworld so seductive? To explain, I’m going to make reference to the fantastic Postcapitalist Desire, which collects the last lectures of the late cultural critic and theorist Mark Fisher (buy it here or request it at your local library). It’s edited by Matt Colquhoun, whose writing I’d also highly recommend.

The third lecture is about consciousness-raising, which is the process of making people aware of their position in whatever power-structure you might be discussing - whether it’s the class system, the cis-het-patriarchy, or a cult run by a small lamb.

In this lecture, Fisher introduces the idea of “feminist standpoint epistemology” as used by the American philosopher Nancy Hartsock (my notes in square brackets):

I think there’s a good example in the Nancy Hartsock piece [The Feminist Standpoint Revisited and Other Essays] about cleaning the toilet. In that scenario, the men, who are walking around with their highfalutin ideas about X, Y and Z, they’re completely ignorant of this reality of cleaning the toilet and what that means, which is a kind of metonym* for all immersion in materiality, or anything that operates as the basis for sociality as such – that is, the social reproduction of humans.

In a way, you could say that access to the lowest level of the materiality of things gives you the potential to have more knowledge of the totality […] The dominant group will just float by and not really notice you that much – that’s part of the reason they themselves don’t see the totality.

[*a part that represents the entire thing]

Basically: the men live in a magic universe where the toilet is always clean, and the loo roll is always hanging the right way. Cleaning the toilet makes the women grimly aware of how the world in which the men exist is created. Therefore, the women see the men’s reality for what it is: a fabrication. The toilet cleaners’ “standpoint” gives them potential access to the first stages of consciousness-raising, as well as the realisation that if the system which oppresses them is constructed, it can also be dismantled.

But the easy act of virtual toilet-cleaning in Cult of the Lamb performs the exact opposite process. It doesn’t make me aware of my position in the power structure; it helps me forget it. It is, to use another Fisherism, “consciousness deflating”.

And that is the stultifying dope-pleasure of these games: stuff just works.

For a moment we escape drudgery into the dreamworld, and imagine that we too could have domestic bliss without labour. Cleaning up and decorating become intensely satisfying acts.

You’re performing the ritual of home-making without having to do any of the work. Forget about the human sacrifice: this fake domestic labour is the most powerful ritual in the game.

Which brings me onto the second reason I like cleaning up shit in Cult of the Lamb.

AN ESCAPE FROM CYBERSPACE INTO CYBERSPACE

A lot of my enjoyment of Cult of The Lamb comes from the fact that you’re not only doing these domestic tasks (cooking, cleaning, decorating), but you’re also doing them when you get “home” from the dungeon-crawler element of the game.

Adrenaline-packed day at work slaughtering heretics, then back home to cook pumpkin soup which has a 5% risk of poisoning your followers, for some reason.

Sadly this clear divide between work and home in the game is such a huge pleasure because nowadays home isn’t safe from work. The tendrils of email and WhatsApp can reach you at every hour, through the all-too permeable walls of your damp flat.

In fact, work-cyberspace is so integrated with my living room that I have to take another jump inside a nested cyberspace to escape it: putting on headphones and sitting at my partner’s gaming PC (a safe-haven from my own emails).

The repetitive tasks of fake-cleaning and fake-cooking and fake-battling keep my hands too busy to check my phone. The clear boundary between work and home in the game are replicated in the act of me playing it.

The Italian philosopher and activist Franco “Bifo” Berardi has this great concept of “cybertime” which I think really elegantly explains why we are often so overwhelmed by digital communication (my bold):

“Cybertime [is] the mental time that is necessary to elaborate info-stimuli coming from cyberspace. Cyberspace is a space of unlimited expansion by definition, since it is the virtual dimension produced by countless semiotic agents that project their signals in the infinite space of the Internet. […]

However, cybertime is not unlimited. On the contrary, the mental time available to a conscious and sensitive organism is limited by organic factors (sleep, disease, deterioration, attention limits), by cultural factors (beliefs , expectations from the world), and by emotional factors (affectivity, slowness needed for the psychical elaboration of signals). Therefore, the relationship between cyberspace and cybertime create the conditions for a continuous semiotic overproduction, which have psychotic effects on the mind exposed to the cyberspace flow, and the effect of overproduction on the economy.”

In short, it’s stressful getting lots of texts isn’t it?? Okay, I’m oversimplifying, but you get the idea: you can’t keep up with all the messages coming in, and you fall into the habit yourself of producing even more communications.

Perversely, doing all-consuming “play-work” in this cyberspace videogame offers me an escape from cybertime.

CONCLUSION

As I’ve explored, I love Cult of the Lamb for several reasons.

Firstly, it makes simple domestic tasks rewarding, fulfilling the fantasy of an ordered home life, something which can seem impossible when your work is precarious, and your accommodation is British.

Secondly, the repetitive tasks and system of management create total immersion in a virtual space where work and home are separate.

But most of all, I enjoy it because it’s at times dreadfully, completely, frustratingly, boring. Farming, cleaning, decorating, levelling up followers: these repetitive tasks can suck away half a Saturday. However, being hooked into the game, rather than my emails or messages, puts me in a truly anxiety-free, almost meditative state.

Because in a world of fevered cybertime, a moment of boredom is a moment of peace. Or rather, it’s 50 hours of peace.

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equalstrashflavoredtrash · 7 years ago

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I saw one of your older posts you were talking about how much you like movies and I wanted to know, what are your top five favorite black and white horror films?

OH!!! GOOD QUESTION!! THIS IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF QUESTION I WANT TO ANSWER!! I LOVE HORROR FILMS AND MANY OF MY FAVORITES ARE IN BLACK AND WHITE!!!! srsly tho, I really love this question and may have gotten a little carried away with my answers…

1. EYES WITHOUT A FACE [Les yeux sans visage] (1960) One of my favorite films! it’s abt a doctor who’s so broken up over ruining his beautiful daughter’s face that he tries to prefect a full face transplant and does so by kidnapping young women to steal their faces. When the film came out they wanted to get as wide of a release as possible but the problem was that different European counties had different topics they didn’t like in films and would censor. Topics like gore, animal abuse, and mad scientists (German was not into that stereotype). Which just so happen to be three major elements in the story of Eyes. So the editing is what saved them. Theres so many points where they cut the shot at the very last split second, like showing the dr making the incision and then cutting away just before they lift the skin. This only worked in their favor, in my opinion, and made it an amazing, creepy film without actually showing any of the creepy bits.

2. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) I couldn’t not put it on this list, it fuckin changed everything! The story of a group of people held up in a farm house and fighting off flesh-eating undead, it literally created the zombie horror genre in one film. Even if you’re not into horror, this is a film worth watching for it’s cultural significance alone.

3. A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (2014) I was told i would like this movie, then I watched it and loved it. The story is abt a vampire who preys on the horrible men in the city she lives in, and follows her nightly wondering and her interactions with other people. The way it’s shot tho is wonderful, taking full advantage of the contrast that comes with black and white but is often overlooked.

4. PERSONA (1966) Ok, ok, i know, this isn’t a horror film, and is really a drama/mystery. But hear me out, the first time i saw this i was wicked stoned in a film class and it just stuck me as so fuckin creepy. Also this is Bergman, so it’s got all that slow build up and tension that just makes your jaw sore by the end of the movie. I was tempted to choose The Virgin Spring (also by Bergman and tho it’s also a drama, it would later be remade as the actual horror film, Last House on the Left). It’s about two women alone in a cabin and the care giver becomes obsessed with her patient, and, personally, isolation and abuse of authority both really freak me out. Like those are top of my anxiety list.

5. DER GOLEM (1920) SO i almost picked Cabinet of Dr Calagari, which is a fantastic film, but i recently saw this for the first time and oh man, it is a prime example of how creepy german expressionism can be. Just the set designs and the camera shots put you on edge, like you know nothing fun is going to happen in the environment they set. It’s also one of those films that once you see it you realize how much of cinema it influences, esply in terms of story telling. The Golem is based on a Jewish tale abt a man born from clay and theres so many shots from it that have been mimicked and inspired in other films, even Frankenstein which came out in 31.

OH SHIT! WAIT!FUCK! HOW COULD I NOT HAVE THOUGHT OF THIS EARLIER??FUCK!OK, I GOTTA ADD A SIXTH CHOICE CUS IM AN IDIOT

6. FREAKS (1932) Fuck i love this movie. I feel like a fool! this should’ve been the first one I thought of!! Actually starting real people who worked as circus ‘freaks’, the film shows the solidarity of the group of misfits when the traipses artist tries to scheme Hans, the human doll, out of his wealth. Easily Tod Browning’s best film (he also made Dracula and Frankenstein) It’s just such a great film and the ending is fucking terrifying, watching all of them crawl thru the mud, like i got chills just thinking abt the scene. What really stands out abt the ending though, is that you’re rooting for the ‘monsters’ crawling through the mud, you want them to fuck up the pretty blond woman. (You ever heard someone say, ‘Goople-goble, goople-goble, we accept her, we accept her, one of us, one us’? Yeah that’s from this movie)

Honorable mentions: The Bad Seed (just barely missed the cut), Diabolique (it’s soo looong), Stalker (not actually horror, and half the film is in color (think like wizard of oz)), Psycho (i love hitchcock but this always on every list, like, yeah with good reason, but still… i wanted to pick some different titles) Eraserhead (...is it actually horror?)

Please! i love talking about movies! questions like this are great and i’d love to get more!!

#ask #anonymous #movies #favorite black and white horror films #eyes without a face #night of the living dead #a girl walks home alone at night #persona #der golem #freaks

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clevernewdimension · 7 years ago

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New World Part One

Part One, Part Two, Part Three (Coming Soon)

Warning: Trigger warnings for violence, blood, and sexual assault. There’s also smut. Different from the assault, though, two different instances. Smut 100% consensual. Also character has a name -shrugs-

Word count: 12.4K

Eden lives with her family in the middle of no where. They live away from everything and everyone for religious purposes, not wanting to be near sinners in the city. Though, there is also a darker reason for their solidarity. What happens when a stranger who can do magic, a stranger who is a sinner, enters her life and changes her views? Can she tell him the dark truth, or will it be too late?

I’ve known for a long time what my father truly was.

I was four when I first stumbled in on him with someone. I was looking for him because he promised he’d play with me. He’d get so busy, between work and wherever he went to in his spare time, I was overjoyed when he said he’d make time for me. Normally, all the free time he had was spent with my older brother, never really paying me any mind. I was looking forward for him to finally focus on me for a bit.

I was looking around the barn. He works on cars there a lot, so I thought that’s where he’d be. Some families from a few miles away would come and in exchange for him fixing their car, they’ve trade things. That, along with our farm and few livestock, was enough to live off the land and far away from others.

I looked by the barn and there was nothing. Then I found the door hidden under a layer of hay. I was curious as a kid, no one told me about it. My older brother, my mother, my father… did they know? So I opened it and went down. It was creepy. There was little light as I carefully tiptoed down. The air was muggy and something smelled awful.

That’s when I could hear a loud muffled noise. As I went further down the long steps, the sounds got louder and louder. I walked as quietly as I could down the concrete steps, which wasn’t hard because, as usual, I was barefooted. I could hear the sounds clearer now, screams for mercy, begging to stop. I was scared. I got to the end and there was a door. My heart pounding, I opened it a little.

What I saw would haunt my nightmares for years.

A boy, shirtless, older than my brother. His body littered purple, red all over the floor and walls. He had these markings on his skin, pictures. A shrine to God beyond him, candles creating a very scary effect of the room. I almost gasped as I watched my father walking, reading from the book. “’But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the sexually immoral,’” He yells, kicking the boy who was tied to the ground hard. He screamed out in pain as my father continued on, “Those who practice magic arts,” He yells, stomping on his hand, a crunch so loud it was deafening. His screams are something I’ll never forget. “The idolaters and all liars - They will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death!”

He placed the book down, reaching out and grabbing the boy by the hair, “You hear that, boy?! You deserve this!”

Then, my father hit him, again and again. The boy, screaming and bleeding everywhere. I was stuck to my spot, unable to do anything as his eyes finally saw me looking.

I was scared, as he opened the door and picked me up. He held me close, telling me that that boy wasn’t human. “Daddy is trying to protect his little girl from all the monsters in the world,” He muttered, kissing the top of my head. He was a monster, and Father was just getting rid of monsters. He said he was a hero, really. He told me that it has shown him the way.

Then, he did play with me... act like nothing happened. For a while, I forgot about it, or just, blindly believe him. It was fun, as he picked me up and swung me around. My giggles filled the air as my mother looked on in joy.

My mother and father are deeply religious and raised me that way. We prayed over everything, living away from the city and all the sinners there. No television, whatever that was. No radio, which was something I didn’t know about, really. No anything unless they said it was alright. I was taught how to be a good girl, groomed to be the perfect wife and run the perfect home. When my brother turned fifteen, my father brought him down to the cellar. My father said it was time for him to see what being a real man of God was about.

“Momma,” I asked, as I dried the dishes she washed, “Why does Father have brother help and not me?”

She hesitated, her arms shaking a bit. “Well, you’re a young lady. That’s not our place, that business is for men.”

“I’m just confused,” I mutter, admitting my thoughts openly for the first time. “The Bible says what Daddy is doing is wrong. Murder is a sin-”

A hand hits my face, sending it snapping to the other side. My cheek stung, burning as she looked at me with wide, terrified eyes. “Now you listen to me, Eden, never say that again! Don’t let him hear you saying that!”

I nod and mutely help her with the dishes. That’s how days went for years. I’d ignore what was going on, trying not to feel anything when they came up, covered in blood.

When I was fourteen, I found an old radio. I was walking the woods, not going too far from home. I went to the river for the first time. Father and Mother say it’s ok, as long as I don’t cross it. Walking and having time to reflect is important. That I should have alone time to strengthen my relationship with God. The radio was small. A few things stuck on the side in the shape of things. It was loud, and pretty, something like I’ve never seen before this closely. There was a small building, with some weird blueish metal thing on top. It had power, so when I turned the radio on, I could hear these strange sounds. It was fast and sounded fun. I went through the numbers, hearing all types of sounds. Voices, people talking, what they called ‘music’.

There was a number called a news station. It talked about how Doctors and those who have magic are working to create cures for things. Magic was something the Bible spoke of as awful. How can it be awful if it spoke of helping people? Healing the sick and making people happy?

I left quickly, not telling anyone of what I found, and kept it as a place for myself.

At sixteen, I made a mistake. I questioned my father, causing him to slap me. Mother warned me years ago, but I just had to say something. He dragged me down to the cellar, and I watched as he and my brother beat a boy. He was my age or a little older. They told me he was a child of the devil. They told me the devil has been speaking to me and that if I didn’t stop, I was going to be a sinner like him and suffer the same fate.

That’s when my father handed me the knife.

“Stab him, Eden,” he commands, holding his head back. “Cut his throat and damn the sinner to burn for all eternity, it’s the only way to pay for you questioning God and all that is true.”

I refused, and each time I did, my brother slapped me. My lip was cut and my eyes red. My brother forced me to cut his throat. I tried to fight back, but I wasn’t strong, like him. The feeling of cutting into the boy was enough to make me feel sick. I was sprayed crimson, it got everywhere. In my eyes, in my hair, in my mouth as I screamed. That night as I showered, I cried. All I could see was blood, like it stained me.

A few weeks later, my mother explained to me what all the sins my father was trying to rid the world of. It was long and drawn out, but I hear her talk ill of magic. Which didn’t make sense, since the people on the radio said so many good things about it. The conversation carried on, and soon, she held my hands. Then, she explained to me about the duties of a wife that weren’t just keeping house and cooking. Being there for your husband, and to let him use your body, no matter what he wants.

I left, after listening to her talk about how to please your husband. It was weird, and after a long few weeks, I went out to my hut by the river. I couldn’t imagine myself with a man like father. It just seemed wrong. The radio was a comfort from the world I was in. Hearing about a world I’ve never seen was fascinating. The water rushing by was nice, too, as I listened to the radio and making a few wildflowers into a crown. Anything to keep the reality of my world at bay.

I didn’t notice someone coming up behind me, though.

“Hello,” A voice says behind me, and I jumped and gasped loudly. I turned, falling from the stool I brought to the hut. My heart was racing as I looked up at the boy ahead of me.

His hair was black as ink. He wore clothes that were weird as he stepped back. “I’m sorry,” He mutters, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“W-what do you want,” I mutter, scared. My heart was pounding. “How did you get here?”

He offered me a hand, “Let me help you up, please.”

I take his hand and he pulls me up as if I weighed nothing. He smiled at me until he lets go of my hand. Blood was on it and when I turned my hand, I saw a cut from when I fell.

“Shit,” He says, frowning. “I’m so sorry. I can help you with that, if you’d like.”

I was beyond confused. How this person found me, why they are out there, they they cared.“Why?”

“Because I’m the reason you’re hurt,” He says, frowning. “I’m Jongin,” He says, with a smile, “Kim Jongin. What’s your name?”

“Eden,” I say, “Eden Winters… Why is your last name first?”

“My family is from a different country originally. My great-grandfather came over and we kept it that way to honor him.” He explains, looking down at me, still holding out his hand. “It’s ok, I promise I won’t hurt you.”

I give him my hand, timidly, since I was still afraid. He just smiled, before looking down at my hand. His eyes glow a bright green as shimmers and circles surround his hands. The green glowing went to my hand, and the pain that was there soon was gone. My eyes wide as I watch his eyes go back to their normal blue.

I snatched my hand away, “What was that?!”

He looks confused, “Magic… I thought you’d knew since you have the aura.”

I looked at him carefully, finally taking a good look at him. The clothes he wore were weird. His pants were dark and tighter than anything my family wore. He wore a shirt without sleeves and buttons, unlike any I’ve seen. There were weird markings on his arms, looking like shapes and pictures. I looked at him, and he was handsome. He looked odd, though a lot like the people my father takes down to the cellar. But he also looked kind, and like he was about as old as I was.

Compared to him, I’m plain. The skirt I wore was almost to the floor, a brown and A shirt that was plain white, tucked into the skirt. My boots were black and had small heels, but they were plain. His shirt had a picture on it, and his pants had rips and holes. He also wore boots, though his black with straps all over.

“What aura,” I ask, still keeping my distance. My curiosity would be the death of me, my mother always said.

“The magical one,” He says as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. “Like, you can do magic? Doesn’t everyone who has it learn how to use it? It’s required by law.”

I shake my head slowly, “No. I didn’t know. My family is very strict…”

Jongin nods, “Oh. Well, I could teach you a few things, if you’d like.”

I was scared. He taught me the super basics. Calm, feel the energy in you, learn how to make it do what you wish. I couldn’t figure it out, what he was talking about. It just sounded like a mess of gibberish.

“Here,” He says, reaching to his neck. He takes a necklace off, handing it to me. The chain was long, and on the end was what looked like a spear of quartz. “This will shine when you control it properly. You take the energy and let it flow into this.”

He places it around my neck, smiling, “When it shines, I can show you spellbooks and help you learn how to use it.”

I nod, looking up. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” He says, smiling.

I frown, looking at the sky. The sun starting to set, “I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Jongin.”

He grins, nodding, “It was nice to meet you, Eden. Perhaps I’ll see you again?”

I nod, waving as I watch him. He raises his hand, light blue energy creating a force over the water to allow him to walk across. I looked until I could no longer see him, smiling to myself. I turned off the radio and walked back home, hiding the necklace under my shirt so no one would see. I didn’t know why I trusted him so quickly. It was just nice to talk to someone other than my family for once. Jongin just seemed so sweet.

The next few days went buy in a blur. I mostly did housework, cleaning and taking care of our few chickens we have. My brother would help me sometimes, as he worked with our one horse named Sun. We spoke, but for the most part, it was him talking at me, not to me. At night in my room, I’d hold the crystal, trying to make it light up under the covers. I could feel something, like buzzing bees beneath my skin. I know magic is a sin, but so is murder, and if it was ok for my father to do that, why can’t I do this?

It took two weeks. I saw Jongin once more. He was just so kind. I couldn’t believe that my father thought someone like him is a sinner. He asked why he’s never heard of me, and I told him about how I’m homeschooled and that my family lives away from that for religious purposes.

“So, do you believe the same as your family does, too,” He asks, sitting on the little desk in the hut. Music was coming from the radio but turned down so we could talk. I held the pendant in my hand, playing with it as we talked.

“I… I don’t know. It’s all I’ve never known,” I admit, letting out thoughts I’d never dare speak to my family.

“Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t hate you or anything. I just know your beliefs aren’t exactly kind to people like me,” He says, His hand glittering in beautiful purple colors, letting it fade quickly. His eyes stayed purple a moment longer, before fading. “People like you too, actually. Surely your family knows that you can learn magic.”

I looked confused, “How would they know if I didn’t know?”

“When you’re born, it’s very obvious. There are glowing runes on you for a few days,” He says, “It would have been impossible not to have noticed. They really don’t tell you anything, huh?”

I shake my head, “I… guess not.”

“Oh,” He says, picking up a backpack from where he left it, “I brought you this. Beginner spells, you just have to study, learn the language, and then you’ll be able to try. I know you probably don’t want to, but I figured it would be better to give you a choice.”

I laugh, “I… I never get a choice, I just do what I’m told…”

“That sounds awful,” He says, placing the book in front of me, along with a journal and a pen. “It’s up to you. I have to go, though. I’ll come by again, if you’d like?”

I nod, “It’s been nice to see you, Jongin. I’m happy I met you.”

A week later, alone in my room, I finally got my necklace to glow.

Now, I was nineteen. Jongin and I have been friends for years. I know basic spells, and we’ve been talking. He’s told me so much about the world. It’s been great. The more I talk with him, the more I feel distant from my family and their beliefs. They’re all the same, and I try not to think about it.

What was different my father pulled me down to his basement for the first time since he and my brother made me kill that boy. He pulled me down there, a man chained down to the floor, on his knees. He was shirtless, cuts all over his body. I looked, seeing my name carved into his skin. It made me feel ill, looking at it.

He points to the man, “Eden, do you know what this man has done?”

“Sinned,” I say, looking up at him, trying to look at the man. The splattering of blood all around even stained into the floor from the years of killings. I felt sick, not wanting to be there longer than I needed to me. The door on the other side was firmly shut, a large lock on this side. It was opposite of the entrance and I wonder how I could have missed it.

My father laughs, holding my face, “Oh, my sweet angel. I forget you’re so dimwitted sometimes.” His large blue eyes were shining with love. He almost looked proud about the dumb act I had to constantly play. He pressed his lips to my cheek, and I tried not to fight away.

The man tried to speak, but his mouth was covered by tape.

My father reaches, slapping him, “Shut up!” He was yelling, before he looked back at me, “No, darling, he’s been spying on us! All the while watching us! I caught him this morning. He was watching you dress through a window after you showered. He looked upon you and was lusting over you.”

I felt ill about that, looking at him. I know this man was probably innocent, but peeping at me was wrong, too. But wrong enough to deserve this?

“So,” He said, “I wanted him to know I don’t take kindly to men gazing upon what’s rightfully mine!” His hand ripped at my shirt, opening it as the buttons scattered to the ground. I yelp, trying to pull away. “Don’t,” He yells, grabbing me and glaring. “You let me do this! You hear, girl?”

I was frozen in place, scared. I’ve seen father cut and scar my brother when he didn’t obey. I’ve seen what he can do. As he unclasps my bra, letting it fall to the side, I look away, trying not to focus. I was so happy I forgot to grab the pendant from the hut when I left it earlier. If he would have seen me wearing it, he would have ended me, I was sure of it.

“She’s mine, you hear me,” He says, yanking my skirt and underwear down quickly. His hand touching me where I’ve never felt someone else touch before. “My angel. My sweet, wonderful pure angel!” His other arm reached up, grabbing my face and making me look at the man. My eyes tearing up as my father grabs at my exposed body. “If I wanted her, I can take her. She’s my pure, sweetheart who would obey her father no matter what.” He grabbed one of my legs, yanking it away from the other so my legs were spread. “Is this what you wanted to see?! This is what you’re going to die for, I might as well let you have a look at it!”

I felt humiliated. I felt sick. Worse of all, I felt pity for him, the stranger. I knew he didn’t ask for this. I held back sobs as I tried to ignore everything my father was doing.

His hands leaves me, as he reaches down, pulling my underwear and skirt back up. “I don’t deserve her. No one does. Any man I catch lusting after her will die like the beast they should!” He swings his fist, slamming it into the side of the man’s head. I pulled back, looking away.

He looks down at me, smiling brightly as if he didn’t just touch me in a way I never wanted. Like he didn’t assault me, like mother warned me about other men doing. He lets go, “Get your clothes, Honey. I’ll see you and your mother at dinner.”

I nod, quickly getting my clothes and going up the steps, tears falling from my face now. This is wrong. He’s wrong, my family is wrong. I can’t live like this anymore. At dinner I was silent, listening to how my parents were talking. I felt ill, excusing myself for a walk after. Lately, I’ve been taking a bible with me, just so they didn’t ask what I was doing.

I studied hard, harder than ever. Magic could help me leave, so I needed to know it and learn it.

When I returned, my father showed me what was left of the man. He skinned him while he was living, his body mostly just the flesh. His eyelids stapled up, so he had to watch everything. The sight made me want to vomit. My father took some of the blood that was all over the ground, licking it from his fingers, “Another wicked soul gone from this Earth.”

I felt sick, I needed to leave.

Next time I saw Jongin, it felt like paradise. He was smiling, talking with me about his friends. He helped me, teaching me other spells, like the healing one. My fingers glowed the familiar green, the first spell I’ve done that wasn’t a beginner one.

“Amazing,” He says, looking up at me with wonder in his eyes. The wonder was different than the way my father looked at me. This was happy for me, happy about what I did. “The amount you’ve learned so quickly is amazing! It took me five years to be able to do what you’re doing.”

I blushed. As the years gone by, Jongin has only grown more handsome. I tried to not focus on it, but it’s hard. He was a bit taller, with even more markings and pictures on his arms. Still dressed in the same odd way, though. It was late summer, so he wore a shirt with no sleeves again. His arms were strong as he hugged me, “This is great!”

I hugged him back, smiling. It felt nice, being hugged by him. Like it was safe. “Wow,” I said. “I never thought I could do it!”

He pulled back, smiling, “I told you!”

I nod, “I wonder what other spells I could learn…”

Jongin smile, placing a hand over my face, “Eden, you could learn anything you wanted to if you just tried. Soon I’ll have to bring my advanced spellbooks.”

The years that has gone by, he’s came to see me at least twice a week. Sometimes even everyday. I could feel myself growing fonder of him as the years passed by. The way my heart would flutter around him and I’d blush and be a bit more nervous. A man like Jongin is the kind of man I’d want in my life. He was kind and always respected me. We had a conversation, back and forth, not him just talking over me or acting like he was better than me. He cared about me, certainly a lot more than my Father and Brother does. The sky was going dark, and Jongin went to leave, like always, but this time, he hesitated. He turned, looking at me, “Eden… would you mind if I kissed you?”

I give him a confused look, “Isn’t that for married couples?”

Shaking his head, he just smiled. He's gotten used to my ignorance at this point, but he never made me feel like I was lesser than him because of it. Sometimes he’ll poke a little fun at it, but never in a mean spirited way. “No. People do it all the time. Sometimes with people, they’re dating and sometimes with people they don’t really know. Sometimes with friends,” He says, smiling. “So, are you ok if I kiss you?”

I felt that buzzing all over, like I was doing magic even though I knew I wasn't. All I knew from kissing was the new videos Jongin has shown me from the weird thing he carries in his pocket. But I felt like I belonged. Like I was suppose to be experiencing this with him. Like it was fate. This feeling was normal around him, and I have it almost constantly when he’s near. I nod, “Yes.”

I wasn’t expecting how it felt. His lips were soft, just like they looked. It was warm and nice, as they gently pressed against mine. I tried to follow his lead, resting my hands on his chest. I could feel his heart beating fast, making me happy that I had the same effect on him as he had on me. He pulled away, smiling.

“That was nice,” I say, touching my lips.

“Your first one,” He asks, looking up and blushing.

I nod, “Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” He says, “It was nice, sweet kind of kiss.”

“There are other kinds,” I asked, confused.

He smiled, “Yeah, definitely. Perhaps I’ll show you sometime.”

When he left, I felt something I wasn’t sure it was. The next day, I couldn’t stop thinking of him. I was left alone as I did my work, and every time I thought of him, I was blushing. He was very handsome, definitely the most good-looking person I’ve seen. I couldn’t wait to see him again.

When I saw him again, I asked him about the marks on his arms.

“They’re tattoos,” he says, sitting on the desk. He showed me his arm. It was covered in images. Hourglass, clock, feathers, and books. The other was full of runes and designs he called ‘Geometric’.

“Are these all you have,” I ask, looking at his arms.

“No,” He says, “I have one on my back.”

I nod, touching his arm lightly. “They’re... what did you say the word was? Cool?”

Jongin laughs, “Yeah! That’s it!”

I smiled, hearing him laugh, it was such a beautiful sound. “I was shocked after we first met that they didn’t wash off.”

Jongin just smiled, “No, they’re there forever unless you get them removed.”

“Does it hurt,” I ask, taking a break from learning.

“A little, but not all the time,” He says, looking at his arm. “They don’t hurt anymore, either.”

As the sun started to go down, I felt sad, knowing he was going to have to leave again. These few hours I have with him are the best part of my day.

“I’ve been working on something,” He says, “It’s a surprise, but the magic isn’t done yet.”

“How is it not done yet?”

“This takes a long time to do,” He explains, “It’s pretty advanced.” He says, looking at me. He was taller than me, standing close.

“You must be good at magic, then,” I say, feeling him grab my hand.

He nods, looking me in the eyes. I could feel my heart racing as I watched his eyes look to my lips. “Eden, would you mind if I kissed you again?”

I shook my head, and he just laughed, a smirk growing on his face. “This kind of kissing is different. It’s deeper, and expresses more emotion.”

“Ok,” I mutter, “Just... tell me what to do.”

He places both of my hands around his neck, before resting his on my hips. The feeling of him touching my hips was nice, his hands warm. “Follow my lead,” He says, pressing his lips to me again. This time, though, I felt something warm and wet touch my lips. I jumped at first, only for him to giggle, “It’s ok, trust me. Just open.”

I nod, and when he does it again, I open my mouth, like he was trying to. I could feel his tongue touch mine, and at first, it was weird, but soon, as his hands held me tighter and the sounds he made only made me feel good. I moved my tongue along with his, getting lost in the feeling of it. My fingers laced into his hair, as I let out a moan of my own. I could tell I wasn't the best at this, but he didn't seem to mind.

When he pulled away, he was breathing heavy. He smiles at me, wiping my lips with his thumb as he held my face softly. “That was not bad at all,” He says, smiling as he looks back down at my lips. “Way better than my first time. I was so nervous I accidentally bit their tongue. It was embarrassing.”

I shake my head, “You can tell me if it was bad, you know. Be honest.”

“I’m serious,” He says, smiling. “Though, like with everything, practice does make perfect.” Jongin says, winking before biting his bottom lip. One time he told me people bite their bottom lip when they’re nervous or doming something called flirting. I hope it’s the latter.

He tells me bye, and I walk back to the house, bible in hand. The weather was slowly moving into Autumn. Soon the leaves would be colorful and beautiful. The changing leaves are one of the few things I love and enjoy. I open the back door, making sure to get all the dirt off my shoes.

My brother was on the couch, sharpening a knife. He glances up, his brown hair in his eyes. Isaiah smiled at me, “Father met with the family like ours a bit to the west. They’re talking to see if a match will be made between myself and their daughter.”

I smiled, though it was hollow and empty, as I notice towels of blood on the floor from where he cleaned the blade. “That’s wonderful news, brother! You joining with her and starting a family of your own would be an amazing blessing from God!”

He smiles at that, “He’s been looking at suitors for you, as well. Of the few families like us, all of them who have sons want them to be with you.”

“I’m sure Father will listen to God as he guides him to the best match for me,” I say, trying to keep the strain out of my voice.

“You are our angel, Eden. Only the best for you,” He says, putting the knife back in its sheath. “Seeing you walk off to give yourself time to devote yourself to God for a bit each day is inspiring. All women could learn from you.”

“Everything I do is for God and my family,” I say, excusing myself. It was just so easy to lie anymore. After years of saying it without knowing better, they have no reason not to believe me.

“Father and Mother are going to be gone,” He says, “They’ll be back a two or three days. I’m going to be gone to spend some time with some of the sons around to go on a hunting trip. I’ll be back around tomorrow night.”

I nod, “I understand. I’ll stay inside since no one is here just in case.”

He smiles, “That was exactly what I was going to tell you. You’re smart. Well, for a woman.”

“Thank you,” I say, finally excusing myself. It was going to be so nice to get away from them for a bit. The cage is going to be gone for a while. I’d be able to just be me.

When I showered and went to bed, I couldn’t be more excited for these next few days.

“How do you feel about going on an adventure,” Jongin asks, grinning at me.

The next day, I went out earlier. According to Jongin, today he was off from ‘college’, which he explained to me was just school, but more advanced. He showed up a little after me, smiling as he did.

“Ok,” I say, smiling.

“Here,” He says, handing me a bag, “You’re the same size as my sister, and she leaves clothes with me when she stays. She never takes them back since she lives on the other side of the country. Besides, it’s best to blend in.”

“Alright.”

He turns around, “I won’t look. I just figured while I can I should show you the city and life outside all this.”

I quickly pull my shirt off, pulling on the one. It was black, with no sleeves like he wears all the time. I have a feeling that this family doesn’t like sleeves. I pulled on the pants, taking my shoes off quickly. It felt weird wearing pants for the first time. It wasn’t a breeze as a skirt. These pants were fairly tight too. There were also shoes and a zip-up jacket. I pulled it all on, keeping my hair in the two braids. I tapped his shoulder, “All done.”

He turns, his eyes wide. “Wow.”

“It’s weird,” I said, “wearing pants. I think I like it, though.”

He offers his arm, smiling, “Well when we get to the city, feel free to ask about anything. Seriously, there are going to be a lot of things you’ve never seen!”

“How are we getting there,” I ask, playing with the necklace I still wore.

He just smirks, and soon, there are lights all around us. They moved faster and faster, around us, shining a bright yellow light. Until they exploded in glitter, fading into nothing as I look up, seeing myself in the middle of tall buildings surrounded by people.

“Oh my god,” I mutter, looking around. Parts of buildings lighting up, showing off colorful drinks, cars and a ton of other things. Cars moved around, following the directions of the light above them. I stood, smelling all around me. Something's smelling good, some awful. It was loud, people talking, magic glowing all around as some people used it like it was nothing.

“Cool, huh,” He asks, “Come with me.” He hold out his hand.

I take it, holding it firmly. I realized then I’d follow Jongin anywhere. I trusted him more than anyone.

Walking down the place, I asked him with everything was. What are we walking on, what are the buildings, what is everything and anything. The sun shined on us as we walked. He left me to a staircase going down, and I learned that the quickest way to travel was something called the subway. The metal tube running underground was scary, but Jongin assured me that it was perfectly safe and that’s he’s ridden on it a thousand times before.

As we were seated, he told me about the giant place. This was Seattle, and it wasn’t even the biggest city in America. I know the states, and I’ve heard of cities, but all my father and mother would tell me is that they’re ‘cesspools of sin and debauchery’. From what I’ve seen, they’re beautiful and fun, though a number of people around is shocking to me.

“There isn’t even a million people living here, Eden,” Jongin says as we exit back up top. He smiled, pulling his leather jacket close and zipping it up. He turns to me, pulling up the zipper on my jacket, “There are a ton of cities with more people.”

“A million people can live in a city,” I ask, my eyes wide as I couldn’t contain my disbelief.

“There’s about eight million in New York City,” He says with a laugh. “You look so cute right now! Did you really not know that?”

“Is it that shocking I don’t know,” I ask, trying not to turn completely red at the fact that he called me cute.

“Here we are,” He says, directing me inside. “I know it looks like a dump, but this bar makes the best pizza you’ll find.”

He opened the door, and the smell of food and beer hits me. I walk in, looking around. People playing darts, a game my father and brother like when they take a moment to breathe. There was a long bar, people eating foods and drinking. Flat things showing weird moving pictures, chalkboard on the walls with the menu and somewhere customers could write. We sit at the end of the bar, smiling. A man comes up, smiling.

“I was wondering when I’d see your face again,” a man says, grinning widely. His hair was black, his eyes a gray as he looked at Jongin. He clapped him on the shoulder, smiling. “I see you in here at least three times a week and suddenly you're gone all the time, what gives?”

“Quit whining, Jongdae,” Jongin says, rolling his eyes. He then gestures to me, “This is Eden. Eden, meet my rude friend Jongdae.”

“Hello,” I say, smiling, holding out my hand.

Jongdae’s attention turns to me, holding his hand out. I take it immediately, taking his hand and shaking. He was in all black, his arms also with tattoos, but a piece of metal in his nose, looping around it. His eyes went wide as he looked over at Jongin, “Wait, Eden? As in, the person you’ve been visiting for years, Eden?!”

Jongin nods and I look over at him.

“He won’t tell,” Jongin says, “Trust me.”

“Wow,” Jongdae says, looking at me, “You look a lot different than I imagined.

A tray of clean glasses is set down near us as another man enters the conversation. He was smaller and thinner. He wore colors on the skin around his eyes and a ring on every finger. His hair was a coppery color. “‘Look a lot different’ is Jongdae speak for smoking hot,” He reaches over, taking my hand in his, “I’m Baekhyun, nice to finally meet you, Eden. We’ve heard a lot of good things about you, Miss Mysterious E.”

“I only told my friends, and when we talk about you, besides now, we just call you E,” Jongin says, “I mean, I was disappearing for hours on end for a while, they noticed. I had to tell them.”

“I’m shocked it took Junmyeon as long to notice, honestly,” Jongdae says. I recognize that name as the person who Jongin told me was his roommate.

“Alright,” Jongin says, smiling, “Some slices of cheese pizza?”

“I’m a bartender, so that’s your shit,” Baekhyun says to Jongdae, before seeing someone waving for him. He winks at us, before smiling at the woman.

Jongdae rolls his eyes, getting out a notebook. “Just cheese?”

“She’s never had pizza before, got to let her try it at the bare minimum to see if she likes it,” Jongin says, taking off his jacket and throwing it on the back of his chair.

“Makes sense,” Jongdae says, nodding. “Drinks?”

“Just soda,” He says, “Cola?”

“You got it, kid,” He says, smiling. “Kyungsoo literally is pulling a cheese one out in two minutes, so you’ll be set.” He turns, walking towards the kitchen, shouting in.

The door behind us opens as someone steps in, “Fuck,” He mutters, “It’s getting colder already.” He stops, looking at Jongin, and then to me. He was tall, taller than Jongin is and was really thin. His hair was white, a bit of metal around his bottom lip to the left. He also had some tattoos, though they stopped midway down one arm.

“Sehun,” Jongin says, smiling. “Meet Eden.”

The tall man, Sehun, looks at me, “You’re prettier than I expected,” He says, taking the seat next to Jongin. He looked tired and he sat down, resting his chin on his hand.

“Thank you,” I say, confused.

“He’s just mad because you’re sitting in his seat,” Jongin says, laughing a little.

“She can have it this one time since it’s her first time in the city,” Sehun says, pouting. “I’m not that mean, it is the best seat, after all.”

Baekhyun places two drinks in front of myself and Jongin. “Usual,” he asks to Sehun, who just nods. “Bad day, little student?”

“Someone hit my car and ran,” He says, rolling their eyes, “So I had to report it to the police.”

“That thing is a piece of shit anyways,” Baekhyun says, cracking open a brown bottle and placing it in front of Sehun. “You’ll be happy to know your brand’s pumpkin ale is back, though.”

“Small victories,” Sehun says, pouting again. He leans over, looking at me, “Also, Nice to meet you, I’m Sehun. You’re Eden. It actually is nice to meet you finally, I’m just in a bad mood.”

“It’s ok,” I mutter, as I point up to the thing showing moving pictures. “What’s that?”

“A baseball game,” Sehun says, taking a sip.

“It’s a television. It shows things and video that are either live or previously recorded,” Jongin explains, smiling the whole time.

“Holy fuck you really don’t know anything,” Sehun says, his eyes wide.

Jongin elbowed him, making him yelp.

“What,” He says, “I’m just shocked! Almost no one lives like that anymore! Estimates say it’s only a dozen or so families in the state!”

Before I could speak, a plate was set right in front of me. Jongdae smiles, before looking over at Jongin, “Kyungsoo says he wishes he could meet her, but he’s too swamped with work.”

I look at the food. It was a huge slice of ‘pizza’. It looked like cheese melted over bread. I liked both of those things, so perhaps I’ll like this too. I picked it up, taking a bite. I second I do, I could taste the tomato, some spices, along with the cheese and bread. It was really good. I took another bite, smiling as I ate.

“Good,” Jongin asks, a grin on his face.

I nod, too busy eating to speak. I listened to them all converse, getting in a comment or asking what something was here and there. After Sehun’s reaction, everyone else seemed not to be shocked by my reaction to things. They’d just answer and explain it to me. I didn’t quite understand what slang words were or how they’re used, but they tried their best to tell me.

A bit later, after waving them all goodbye, Jongin and I were at the subway again. “There’s just one last thing,” He says, “The place was going to closed down and people can’t really get up there, but if you have the means,” He says, moving his hand around and letting glitters of magical essence fly, “You can get there.”

“If you can just go anywhere with magic, why not do it all the time,” I ask.

“There’s a bit of time in between you do something. Teleporting take a lot of magical energy, so you have to give it a few minutes. Unless you’re going to somewhere hundreds of miles away, then you’ll take hours recovering from that,” He says, explaining to me as we walked. “I’m getting closer so that the time it would take to recover would be a minutes or two, is all.”

Once we were above ground, I saw the familiar signs of magic. I felt it again and then we're somewhere else.

“They called this the Space Needle,” Jongin says. “Mostly my friends and I will come up here, drink, smoke and talk, usually. It’s been closed down for years.”

The view was breathtaking. I walked over to the fence, holding it as I looked all across the city. “Wow,” I mutter, “This is beautiful.”

Jongin went through a hole in the fence, smiling. “It’s safe if you want to join me,” He says, “It’s been enchanted to never break. With magic like that, you have to come by and strengthen it. It was done earlier today if you’re worried.”

My heart racing, I walked over, looking through the hole and directly at him. I smile, lifting my leg and hopping over the concrete barrier. I landed on the other side. He smiles, as we sit down and watch the sun slowly falling. He talked to me about how his friends are mostly all out of school, except himself and Sehun. He was a very gifted and powerful magic user, though he doesn’t know what to specialize in. The only person in his friend group who wasn’t a magic user was his room mate Junmyeon, but he was smart and was a good at running the hospital. It made me happy, learning about the people close to him and knowing that he thought I was important enough to tell them about.

The sun disappeared a few hours ago, leaving us and the brilliant city skyline. It was so pretty, it was hard to look away. Jongin’s arm around my shoulders, my head resting on him, I sighed, “Thank you. This day has been wonderful.”

“Eden,” He mutters, as I turn to look at him. He smiles shyly, “I’d very much like to kiss you again.”

I nod, “It’s ok, you don’t have to ask me anymore. I want to kiss you too.”

Our lips met, and it was that feeling of butterflies all over. I let his arms wrap around me, pulling me close. I moved, so that I was sitting on his lap, smiling into the kiss. It was different, and I could feel how much this kiss wasn’t just a kiss. One of his hands slipped to my hip, holding it firmly as the other just help my face lightly.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about kissing you since the first one,” He mutters, kissing my jaw and neck.

I held onto him, tightly. This was all new to me, and I was feeling things I never have before for a man. It was just, odd, but in a fun and exciting way. I could feel him getting harder beneath me, remembering my mother told me that means that he likes it. He also had an effect on me, as I could feel myself becoming wet between my legs. I let out a gasp when he lightly bit my neck, my hips rolling into his, making him groan. I don’t know why I did it, but the sound he made from it only makes me want to keep going.

So I did, earning the sound again. “Fuck, Eden,” Jongin mutters and I sigh, kissing his neck when he threw his head back. I hear him chuckle as he pulls me away. His eyes staring directly into mine. “We can stop, if you want,” He says. “We don’t have to do anything. I don’t want you to feel like I’m pushing you into something if you don’t want it.” In the dimming sunlight, he looked perfect. Jongin was the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, and I couldn’t help but think that if he is a sin, then I didn’t care about being a sinner.

“I want you, Jongin,” I mutter, smiling. “I’ve never… you know, but I want the first to be with you because you’re kind and gentle and you care about me. I trust you,” I say, smiling at him.

“Are you sure,” He asks, glancing up at me. He looked shy and sweet right now, looking at me like that.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life,” I say, smiling.

The yellow light flashes around us again, and I could feel what this magic was before I looked at it. Soon, we’re at his place, I assume. His arms wrapped around me, holding me up as he started to walk. I kissed his neck again, delighted when I could hear him groaning at the feeling. The sounds he made and what he was doing to me was making me wet between my legs. This feeling was new to me, my body lighting up with every touch.

My back then touched the bed, I looked up, seeing him over me, smiling. His hands slide over my body, under the shirt. His fingers are a bit rough but softer than they looked. I gasped at the feeling as I leaned forward, letting him pull my shirt away.

Before, the thought of a man seeing me like this that wasn’t my husband would have disgusted me. Doing this and letting someone touch me like this would have made me feel like I was wrong and dirty. How can it be wrong if it’s him? When he looks at me like I’m the most magnificent thing in the world?

I’ve known him for years. He’s the friend I’ve had the longest, the only person who encourages me to be myself. I’ve known I liked him as more than a friend for a while, but I never acted on it.

He smiles at me, leaning down and kissing my lips, holding me up with one arm and unclasping my bra with the other. I pulled the bra away, and I could see his eyes grow wide as he looked. Jongin’s eyes met mine again, before he presses his lips together with mine, rocking his hips to mine. I let out a shocked moan at the feeling, before he pulls away, looking me in the eyes.

“You’re beautiful, Eden,” He says, grinning at me. He smiles, kissing me softly. “You’re so amazing,” He kisses me, “And kind,” Another kiss.

My face went a deeper shade of red from the complements. My heart was beating fast, as I smiled. I reach up, grabbing at his shirt and pulling it up. “Your turn,” I say, “It’s only fair.”

He laughs, leaning back. “Whatever you want,” He says, winking before he pulls his shirt up and over. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out and touching his chest. My cheeks felt hot just looking at him. He was strong and very fit, the muscles hard under my fingers.

“Not even a second and you’re already touching, huh,” He says, laughing as he leans back down, his lips softly kissing my neck.

I hum contently, feeling goosebumps from where he touches me. “I can’t help it, you’re just so handsome,” I mutter, making him let out a small laugh. His fingers graze over my skin, barely touching me as they moved up. Jongin’s lips move to my collarbone as his hands softly touch my breasts. My hands touch his back, his skin smooth. Then moved a little more, looking at me He just grins, his eyes locked onto mine as his tongue reaches out, licking at the little bud. I sign, smiling as I leaned back. It felt so nice, what he was doing.

His hand that wasn’t massaging my breast moved down, unbuttoning my jeans.

“So, you still ok with this,” He asks, watching me carefully to see if there’s any sign of uncertainty in my eyes.

“Yes,” I say, my voice softer than I wanted to be.

His hand moves down and he touches my most intimate part. I moaned out at the feeling. It just felt so right, what he was doing. I was always told that if another man who does these sorts of things with you that you aren’t married to, that it would be painful. It would hurt because it was God’s way of telling you that you’re sinning. But nothing about this was painful. It was just blissful. His fingers, slightly rough, rubbing me down there made me more vocal. I could stop the small sounds I was making, though I had a feeling that he liked hearing me.

Soon, his mouth moved lower, kissing down my stomach. Small licks and gentle bites down my body, making me excited with each passing second. He looked at me as he pulled my pants and underwear down, looking at me the whole time. “Still ok,” He asked, always making sure I was will and consenting.

I nod, saying in a breathy moan, “Please.”

I watch as he kisses just below my hip bones. He opens my legs wider, smiling as he uses one hand to spread me open. Leaning forward, he licks out, swift and soft. The feeling made me jump a bit, but it felt better than anything I experienced before. He moaned, licking again, this time with more pressure. I threw my head back, letting a lewd moan leave my lips too.

“You look so beautiful right now, Baby,” He says, his breath hot and warm between my legs.

I thought it couldn’t get better, but the slow, almost lazy licks became faster. Sucking and licking there just turned my mind to jelly as I couldn’t control anything my body was doing. My heart quickened as my hands grabbed at his hair, “Jongin,” I moan, feeling something creep up my spine as my stomach felt like it was getting tighter and tighter.

“It sounds so good when you moan my name,” He groans.

I couldn’t stop his name coming from my mouth as it felt better and better. I looked down, seeing his eyes looking directly up at me as his hands held my hips. No amount of my thrashing from the feeling could overpower me. My hands gripped his hair, my back arching as something in me snapped. The pure intense pleasure rocked through my body, making me tighten my legs around Jongin’s head and yell out. This was a feeling that I could have never imagined even if I tried.

“Wow,” I muttered as I laid there for a moment, coming down from the high I just felt for a minute or so. Jongin kissed his way back up my body with gentle hands. He never stopped touching me the entire time. I pulled him to me, kissing him wildly. It was sloppy and messy but I couldn’t care. I reached down to his pants, unbuckling his belt quickly. I wanted him and I wanted us to be more than whatever we are right now.

Soon, his pants and underwear were kicked to the side of the room, along the rest of the discarded clothes. He quickly takes something from his pocket. I’d ask what it is but I didn’t want to ruin the moment, so I just ran my hands all over him, kissing him and let him get ready. He slid it on his member before he looks at me. I nodded, smiling. “I want this,” I said, “I want you. I want this to happen with you.” Then I felt him slowly start to enter.

I was always told it would be painful the first time, but it was rather mild. There was a small sharp pain at first, and after, Jongin stilled and distracted me with kisses all over. It was hard to focus on the small pain when he was kissing me and touching me like he was addicted to my body. Soon, though, he started to move.

I thought before felt good, the feeling of this was amazing. I was already dizzy with pleasure after the first few thrusts. I wrap my legs around him, moaning louder. “Jongin,” I gasp as he sits up a bit more. His hands grab my waist, pulling it up a bit so that my hips were angled differently. This new angle caused him to find a spot in me that made me lose myself into the feeling.

Jongin groaned, “Fuck, Eden,” He says, his hips never stopping as they moved faster. His lips meet mine, pouring everything he had into it. I wrapped my hands around him, my nails digging into his shoulders. His other hand reached down, touching me where his tongue was earlier, making my yells even louder.

It was all slick skin, hands running over one another. He pushes my hair out my face, smiling and letting his groans and moans fill the room alone with my own. One of his hands grabs mine, holding it tightly, our fingers laced. He looks into my eyes, and I never felt more connected to someone in my life. The feeling of pleasure growing and growing in me was maddening.

“Jongin,” I yell, clutching onto him as I lost control, pleasure overtaking my body. He slams his hips into me a few more times, letting out a long, deep groan. He tensed, the hand holding mine tightly gripping it.

He collapsed on me, letting out a small laugh. His skin was covered in sweat as I held his back, sighing and holding him. I kissed the side of his head, gasping for breath. I could feel his hands slide up my body, and he pulled himself up.

I was breathing heavy as he leaned over me, doing the same. He looks me in the eyes, his face covered in sweat. I smiled at him, pushing his hair out of his face and kissing him softly. He excused himself from the room, walking over to the adjoining bathroom. After taking a few moments in his bathroom, I had some time to look around. His room was very neat, the bed large and the main feature for the room. He had a desk with a few pendants and spell books open, and a small metal rectangle on it. There were a few clothes on the floor that wasn't from tonight.

When he came back, he was still completely nude as he cuddled me, holding me against his chest. I kissed his chest lightly, hearing him chuckle. I remember the feeling of his fingers playing with my hair as, soon, my eyes closed and I fell asleep.

When I woke, I could hear two people having a conversation. It was muffled as I looked around, Jongin not being anywhere in sight. I yawned, stretching before I looked around. I went over and found my underwear, pulling them on and the shirt Jongin wore last night. As I got closer to the door, I could hear what they’re talking about.

“Yeah, he’s been missing for a few days,” A voice I never hear says, “No one has seen him since.”

“Where was he last seen,” I heard Jongin say, a bit closer to the door.

“A few miles south, next to an old rusted truck. He talked to the person in the red truck, and then walked out of view of the camera.”

My blood went cold at the mention of the vehicle. That’s the exact description of my father’s truck.

“But enough about that,” The new voice says, whom I assume is Jongin’s roommate, Junmyeon. “I heard some of the guys got to meet the mysterious Lady E.”

“Yeah,” Jongin says, the happiness clear in his voice. “Jun, She’s just… she’s amazing. I’ve never met someone so eager to learn anything in my entire life. Watching her see and experience so many new things last night was one of best nights of my life.”

“Oh trust me,” Junmyeon says with a laugh, “I could hear the tail end of what one of those experiences was!”

My face went red when I realized what he was talking about. I cover it with my hands, shaking my head as I remember what happened. My legs a bit wobbly.

“Please don’t embarrass her,” Jongin says, “It’s bad enough she has to go home today.”

“I won’t, I promise. It was just odd, you haven’t had someone over like that in a long time, is all. So, when can I meet Eden, hm?”

“It’s almost noon, I should wake her up and get her back soon, huh,” Jongin asks, the sadness evident in his voice.

I moved back to sit on the bed, looking around for the pants I wore. The door opened and I glanced up, seeing Jongin peek in. The smile he had grew when he looked at me. “Oh, I was just coming in to wake you,” He says, “Unfortunately, we don’t have time to eat since we have to get you back soon.”

I nod, “I understand, it’s ok. It’s probably best I get back soon, anyways. I have to shower and get back into my clothes.”

I quickly pick up the pair of pants, pulling them on and looking at him. “I’m ready.”

Taking my hand in his, he smiles as we walk to the door of the bedroom. I smile, looking and seeing a man standing in the middle of the room. He smiles, reaching his hand out, “Hi, I’m Kim Junmyeon. Not relation, despite the last name.”

I smile, taking his hand and shaking it, “I’m Eden Winters.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Junmyeon says. He didn’t have any tattoos or metal in his face. He looks normal, in black pants and a button-up shirt. His hair was brown and he just looked so happy.

I could see no magical aura around him, unlike all of Jongin’s friends I met last night. He was just a normal person.

“I’m actually about to go to work,” He says, looking at his watch. “I’m sorry I have to leave so soon.”

“Junmyeon is a doctor,” Jongin says, placing a hand on my shoulder. “He’s almost always at the hospital, almost never at our group dinners.”

“People need me,” He says, shrugging as he picks up a bag and a white coat. “I’ll see you all later, though.”

Jongin waves and I go too, smiling. I turn to him, sighing, “I’m really sad I have to leave.”

“Me too,” He says, taking my face in his hands. He smiles, though this one shy and he looks away. I lean forward, pressing my lips to his cheek.

“Thank you,” I mutter. “Thank you for showing me a world I would have never known. Thank you for these moments that will last a lifetime.”

He looks at me, though his face still flushed. He presses his lips to mine, slowly kissing me. It was passionate, as he held me close. When he pulls away, I look around and see us standing in the hut. I smile, “Soon I’ll be able to teleport too! I’ve been trying to learn it, but the runes are so complex.”

Jongin laughs, “Yeah, I had a hard time learning it too.”

I pull him closer, pressing my lips to his once more, before turning and finding the bag with my clothes in it. “Alright,” I mutter. “Time to get home.”

“I’ll watch the door, make sure no one sees you while you change,” He says, turning and giving me some privacy, though I don’t think it is necessary.

I smiled, watching as he stepped away from me. As I was changing, I remember the conversation he and Junmyeon were having before talking about me and the sense of guilt crawls over me. I can’t hide this anymore. My father has been killing innocent people for ages, and his friend could be one of them.

“Jongin,” I say, “I… I have something I need to tell you.”

He turns, looking concerned at the tone of my voice, He walks forward, putting his hands on my shoulders, “You ok?”

“No, Because I…” I stop, unable to force myself to say anything. I tried and tried, but my mouth won’t move to speak the words. I reached out, grabbing his shirt, my eyes widen as I start to panic.

His eyes travel to my throat. They widen as his hands touch it, “A silence spell,” He says, looking up. “Who did this to you, Eden?”

“I… I don’t know! I don’t even know what that is,” I say, looking and trying to see what magic he was seeing.

He looks closer at my throat, “This… this isn’t like anything I’ve seen. It’s complex… and old magic.” He glances at me, his eyes wide, “Someone doesn’t want you talking about something to someone you're not supposed to.”

“But I need to tell you this,” I say, my eyes getting wide in panic.

He comforts me with a hug, “Don’t worry, I’ll look this up and it shouldn’t take too long to see what it is.”

“Can you do it, though, right,” I ask, hands gripping at the front of his shirt.

“It’s complex, but it’s old, which means it’s likely to be very thoroughly studied,” He explains. “Meet me here tomorrow and we’ll dispel this.”

“You can learn it that quickly,” I ask.

He smirks, “I’m quite good at magic, believe it or not.”

Leaving him was hard, but I felt good knowing that he was going to end this so I can tell him the truth. Once home, I immediately got into the shower, getting rid of all traces of the city from me. I smiled, remembering the night we had. I know my family would call me a whore for what I did, but I just can’t care anymore. This is wrong and I was such an idiot for sitting by idly for a long time.

What I couldn’t think of what who could have possibly put the spell on it. I mean, it must be my father. He’s a huge hypocrite, so it wouldn’t shock me if he bends the rules to suit his needs. Murder is suppose to be a sin but he has no problem with that.

Dressed, my hair braided, the door opens and my brother walks in, key in hand. He looks at me, smiling. He walks forward, hugging me. I shake off everything feeling I had to pull away and hug him back.

“We had fun, shot some deer,” He says, pulling away. “How was your time?”

“I stayed here and read, mostly,” I say, “Though don’t tell Mother and Father, but I slept in about ten minutes.”

He laughs, throwing his head back, “I won’t tell.”

The rest of the night consisted of cooking food for the two of us and excusing myself to my room. I lay there, holding the necklace as I curled up in the blankets. My thoughts went to Jongin, wondering where he is and how he’s doing. A blush littered my face as I remembered my previous night, my heart beating fast.

The next thing I knew, I woke up. I glanced at the clock in the room, seeing it was late afternoon. I quickly dressed, sprinting from my room almost directly into my mother.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, looking around at her.

She smiles, “Don’t worry, your brother said you looked awfully tired, so we decided to let you sleep. It seems he was right.”

What followed was a conversation about their day. Boring talks about a man I don’t want to marry. We cleaned, helped prepare and freeze meat and pickled vegetables from the garden. It was just the normal day, but I couldn’t keep my mind on what I was doing.

Soon, people will know and I’ll make sure they face justice. I wanted this to end. No more people being killed for pointless reasons. Soon, as the day went on and the time for me to meet Jongin came near, I couldn’t help but feel happy. I couldn’t wait to see him and have someone to tell. He could get me out of here and we could go and get far, far away from here.

I walked out the door on the way to the hut, running into my father.

He grabbed my arm, “Eden, be careful! We found a vagrant on our land earlier. Your brother is teaching him a lesson now.”

I nod, “I will, I was just going to do my daily bible time at the hut.”

His hand grabs my arm tightly, “That’s where the son of a bitch was found!”

I felt the color drain from my face. My eyes wide, my hand starting to shake, “B-by the hut? A-are you sure?”

He nods, “Yes. Don’t worry, my angel, we’re going to make him pay for his sins,” He says, growling. “Him by the hut, I’ll be everything that he’s been spying on you, waiting for his day to pounce.”

I wanted nothing more than to go and throw open the door and rush down the stair to see if it was Jongin. I wanted to scream and break the door down and drag him out of there. But, what shocked me more, was the want that it was someone else, anyone else. I couldn’t care if it was anyone else so long as it wasn’t Jongin.

I stayed inside. Silently, I ate dinner. After, when I was sure everyone was asleep, my father and my brother, I snuck out. I opened the door to the cellar quickly, thankful that my father had me put oil on the hinges not even a few days ago. I walked quietly down the steps, my feet bare so I wouldn’t make any more noise.

I when to open the door, but it was locked. I held my hand around the knob, remembering a spell from the book I was given. After a few seconds as the blue runes flew around my hand, it unlocked and opened with a creak.

A man was chained to the ground, lying still. His bare back was to me, blood from cuts slowly becoming scraps as I took a step forward. I didn’t have to see his face, I could tell it was him.

“I already told you, no one showed me the way to your fucking house,” He says, his words harsh a biting. “I wasn’t spying on your family or anything. Your paranoid will kill you.”

I took a step forward, tears falling from my eyes, “J-Jongin?”

He turns, getting to his knees. His eyes meet mine, and I felt sick. Lines cut into his skin, spelling out words. On his back was the word ‘Sinner’, across his chest, was my name. E-D-E-N.

The eyes that held anger and hate turned soft. “Eden,” He says, trying to stand but the chain that held his handcuffed wrists together wouldn’t let him. The look of fear in his eyes made me scared as I ran forward, not caring that my feet were in blood and that the knees of my skirt were going to be covered.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” I mutter, tears coming from my eyes as I undid the lack to free his hands from the ground, though they’re still handcuffed together. “Oh my, this is all my fault.”

“This is what you’re trying to tell me, isn't it,” He asks, his face and body covered in bruises. He looked upset, but not at me.

I nod, “How?”

“He came up behind me,” He says, shaking as he stood up. “He hit me over the head, and the next thing I knew, I was here.”

“I’m going to free you,” I say, moving my hand over and trying the unlock spell, only for it to fizzle out. The blue light sputtering and scattering anytime I got close to them.

“They stop magic,” He says, “Along with something they stuck me with. There’s shots that can block magic users from using it for a while… the key to the handcuffs is over there, on that table. Maybe you can get us out of here.”

I nod, going to the table and looking. I find a few keys, though only two small enough for handcuffs. I quickly unlock his hands, helping him to his feet. “I’ve never done the spell,” I mutter, at him panicked, tears still falling.

He reaches up, grabbing my face, “Listen to me, Eden. This isn’t your fault. They’re bad people, and you didn’t know any better, ok? I don’t blame you.”

I nod, looking him in the eyes.

“We’re going to get out of here, ok, you and me,” He says, only for the door to the exit to open.

“What have you done with my sister,” A voice boomed, making me flinch. He was standing by the door, reaching for the table by it and grabbing a knife.

I move, standing between them, “Isaiah-”

He rushes forward, in a complete rage. He grabs my arm, throwing me to the side. I fall to the ground, blood from the floor all over me. It smelled of rot in here, making my eyes water. I looked, seeing Jongin struggle to hold off Isaiah.

I stand, stumbling forward and pulling at Isaiah. He reaches back, throwing me back only for Jongin to punch him in the face. My brother took the punch in stride, taking the knife and stabbing it into Jongin’s stomach. I gasped, watching as he fell, his back hitting the wall, the knife still in him. Isaiah smirked, walking to him like a predator. I look around for anything, grabbing the first thing I could see. I swung it at him, hitting him. He stumbled to the side, turning and looking at me.

The machete was deep in the side of his shoulder. It was right where his shoulder met his neck. I moved passed him, not focusing on what I just did, trying to block out of my mind that I just did exactly what they’ve been doing. “Jongin,” I said, crying as he looks at me panicked.

“T-Tele… tele… port,” He says, as his hands go back to his stomach, the shock of what happened to start to fade and the pain setting in.

I grab him and focus. He explained it to me before, and I pictured his place. Yellow glittery lights spinning wild, flashing all around. I could feel us get lifted like I felt when I went with him.

“Holy shit,” a voice says.

I look up, seeing Junmyeon, “Help him, please!”

He moves quickly, looking at the wound. He takes something out of his pocket, tapping quickly. “It’s ok, we’re going to get him to a hospital, ok?” Junmyeon says, looking at me.

I stared, looking at Jongin as someone teleported in. Yellow shimmers all around as I held Jongin, tears falling from my face. He reaches up, brushing them away.

“Eden, I... I lo...” He started, though falling unconscious immediately. Tears fell as I could feel someone grab me, and soon we're somewhere else. All I could focus on was Jongin, walking by him as they placed him on a small thin bed. They carted him away, one woman stopping me from following.

“But he’s hurt,” I say, trying, “I can’t just, I have to-”

I feel someone pull me back, and I turn to see Sehun. He looked angry as he pulled me along, though his grip was firm, it was still soft. The sign on the door said ‘Dr. Kim Junmyeon’. He pulls me in and pushes me onto the couch. His eyes bright with anger. Baekhyun was there, looking furious, his hair in a mess and wearing pajamas. He stood up straight, looking at me.

Junmyeon was at his desk, sitting down after following after Sehun and me. He was tense, as he looked at me.

Sehun moved, standing by Baekhyun, hands shaking and eyes shining in fear for his friend.

“Explain,” Junmyeon says, his voice firm. “Now.”

#exo scenarios #exo smut #exo fanfiction #exo fanfic

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suffocationpitarchive · 7 years ago

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"Be honest. We're losin', ain't we?"

* SEND ONE OF THESE IN MY ASKBOX TO SEE HOW MY MUSE REACTS !!

HE CANNOT SWALLOW THE METAPHORICAL STONE sitting in his throat; cannot will muscled arms riddled with deep scars and bits of iron to stop cradling the unmoving, blanket-swaddled black lump in his grasp. To acknowledge the Hillbilly’s words would be to acknowledge the reality of their situation, and Evan isn’t so sure he’s prepared for that. Arms continue to bounce the small shape, head bowed in a combination of grief and anger, silently stewing in his own rage & misery. It’s not fair. All She’d done was try Her hardest to present him with a gift — what he’s always wanted, what THEY’VE always wanted… but like all the others, the Entity’s efforts to create something NOT OF THIS WORLD & THE NEXT have been fruitless. Empty. A brief glimmer of hope, only to be snuffed out like the spark of a hex totem. This infant has perished just like all those that came before, and She grows weaker every day. The VOID rumbles, the fog echoing with the distant threat of thunder; the distant cry of the webs of this world threatening to unravel. They cannot afford to keep doing this. They cannot afford to keep trying, for it only makes Her frailer, and him angrier.

“We are not loosin’.” He snarls roughly, sharply shrugs away his brother in bloodshed’s mangled hand upon his shoulder, turns the bulk of his body to shield the bundle in his arms as he makes to bend both knees, lower the blanketed shape into small, shallow grave he’s dug, aligned with the others, tombstones bits of rock and bone, whatever he can salvage to make their tombs known. This is the final resting places of his heirs; a makeshift graveyard for the souls Macmillan never truly knew, but loved with all his heart anyway, because they were apart of him. Apart of Her. But in this world, they cannot be. Only the resurrected & the living can thrive here, for nothing can be forged from salvaged genetics and whatever mega-essence fuels his queen. In their desperation, She has become weak. Weakness results in further hunger, further starvation. And as She starves, trials become harder. Rewards scarce. The pressure builds. His rage consumes. She seeks comfort in his arms. RINSE. REPEAT. RINSE. REPEAT. And on, and on, the wheel spins. They are loosing. THEY ARE LOOSING, no matter how hard he denies it; this a battle against nature, their true natures, and it is one they cannot fight alone. But it would appear the war against their ruination looks no closer to ending.

One would have to be blind or extremely ignorant to not acknowledge the things that have been happening in the fog; things happening to his home, their way of life, and most importantly, the effects things have been having on his beloved. The way of the fog is, regrettably, changing — and Evan fears it’s not for the better, as this is a way of life once so strong, now is proving it may not be very sustainable. It relies too heavy on the active fear of others to feed the eldritch abomination that keeps the fluttering flies wrapped up in tight sharp, sharp silk. But the regulars don’t know fear anymore. They don’t know it as well as newcomers, fresh pickings ripe and unknowing of their surroundings. New killers add flavor to the meat, but soon, that too becomes bland; the well grows dry. Yes, he’d be a fool to deny it, deny that repetition may very well be their downfall. But deny it Macmillan does, swallows his terror. He refuses to show even a crack of weakness, even as calloused hands take up shovel and make to bury the remains of his last child, THEIR last child. He knows they can’t keep trying. If She does this again, it might kill Her before the lack of dying survivors do.

That’s a terrifying thought. Everything; this world, his existence, his brother’s existence, his love’s very life hangs in the balance, precariously balancing on the fine line, ready to collapse in on itself like a fragile house of paper cards. But he won’t admit defeat, won’t show his fear — HE CAN’T SHOW WEAKNESS. He has to be strong, for the sake of the others; put on that grinning maw mask and let all emotion but the anger drain from him. Evan knows that he has to do something, because if not him, who else? Who else would risk their life for Hers? Evan doesn’t feel as if any of the others understand the complexity of the bond he shares with the Webspinner. To them, She is God; the superior force of the food chain that requires feeding, the strongest of all monsters lurking in the shadows. But to him, She is much more than that. If he doesn’t work himself to the bone to try and feed Her, who else will? The others, they don’t understand, and Billy — Billy’s gone through one shit existence already. Macmillan isn’t prepared to let the stress build upon his platonic sibling’s scarred shoulders, too. He doesn’t want to be honest with the slaughterer of Coldwind farm, no matter how accurate the younger killer’s statement is.

Macmillan flattens the ground with the curved side of his spade, squares his shoulders as he stands straight. He turns to discard the garden instrument, rubs his nose with the back of grime & blood flecked hand. “We can’t loose sight ‘uv what’s important.” He finally speaks again, words as dry as gravel in his throat. “We can’t look at this with — with NEGATIVE SIGHT!! We can’t loose, that’s impossible. We never loose! We just — we have t’try harder. That’s all it is. We have t’give it our all, one ‘undred — I have to try harder.” Even if it kills him, he has to keep feeding Her. He won’t accept defeat. Macmillan is far too afraid STUBBORN for that.

#begrimedchains #[ put under read more for length but wow hello darkness my old friend angst #gently tags #monstrousshrine #bc it references his entity <3 ]#baby death tw #≺ ♕. BENEATH THE MASK. ≻ — ( ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴀsᴋ ᴍᴇᴍᴇs. ) ❜#≺ ♕. V: DEATH IS NOT AN ESCAPE. ≻ — ( ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ʙʏ ᴅᴀʏʟɪɢʜᴛ. ) ❜

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strongbreweddandywriting-blog · 8 years ago

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Monsters N' Stuff

Prologue https://1drv.ms/b/s!AiTYg5uQI8evgSjqaj66S2cqbAAZ *Loads of lore pertaining to this story contained in this link, it will make more sense with it than without it. I make monsters. Not the conventional kind with all sorts of creepy crawlies, fingers on the bottoms of their feet, and all that shit. I can make those easily, in fact I do, but that's not what I'm talking about. I make the kind of monsters that want to hurt me any way they can: physically, emotionally, it doesn't matter. The monsters I make are monsters that come from me being an even bigger fucking monster, I make them by taking everything they want, everything they have, all the shit that makes them who they are. I jam it all into fucking my powerful grasp and I crush it. I make them squirm and feel all the pain they possibly can. I suppose I should say why I do this. I make these fucking abominations under some guise that they are already monsters, so it's okay. Though that's not really a reason why, is it? I do it because it makes me feel great, and making monsters out of monsters is the only way I can justify it. I wait until some fuck makes things shitty for other people and then I jump in and save the day in the most fucking morbid way I can. I make monsters. I make disgusting fucking monsters that hate my guts so they don't bother other people. I make monsters. Monsters n' Stuff I created my first monster when I was young; not when I was a kid or some shit, this isn't one of those stories, I'm not old either, I am certainly not old for what I am. My first monster came about a few years ago when I first started the work I do now. I hate when people work around a point but it looks like I'm going to have to start at the beginning with this one or I'm gonna seem like a bigger bitch than I've probably already made myself out to be. Not that I'm not, but I can't have you thinking I'm a different kind of bitch than I actually am. This all resulted from a few events, the first being when I first ran into some fucking blowhards called Gjallarhorn. "Keep the peace! Do no wrong! Suck off all our expensive horses on a daily basis!" and all that shit those sorts of groups all live by. Moral codes to justify slitting some poor sod's throat because he contradicted their ideals. I'm just as bad but at least I'm fucking up front with that shit. My first run-in with them was back a day before I got into this work. At the time I actually wanted to be one of them, not that I was the right type to be one of those fucks. I trained myself to use a sword and I know for a fact that I don't do shit right in a fight; not to mention I'm not actually good with a sword, I'm more likely to throw it or swing it than stab with it. I curse more than a fucking sailor, I always have and always will. The all-mighty members of Gjallarhorn are more likely to say duck than fuck, the soft little boys and girls they are. To the story though, the first time I met members of Gjallarhorn was in my home town, by that point I was already living on my own, I had my own house, and I made a half decent living for myself. I worked on a farm, people think farmers don't make much but they could not be more wrong, farms produce everything. Nothing would happen without them. Meaning I could get paid a fair amount as a farm hand. That's beside the point, what I want to get to is the Gjallarhorn fucks that showed up in town. These holier-than-thou, ignorant, asshats came into town to recruit, which, to any self-respecting faction would mean preforming various tests and getting an actual fucking evaluation. But for Gjallarhorn, oh, but for Gjallarhorn they use magic, some sort of medical magic. Rather than look at your actual potential and skill they look at your body with medical magic, then they use some mind magic to look and see your personality based on some little chart they carry up their asses. So the moment I heard that they were in my little shit city in the middle of nowhere with their worst little tavern they had, that was still somehow the normal Gjallarhorn-grand-hall-motif, I instantly got out of work and rushed downtown just as fast as my legs would go. When I got there they sent me to some stuck up prick in the typical Gjallarhorn Warlock Captain garb, some white robe with a gold trim. It had too much fabric for any sort of movement in combat, but that was beside the point, the guy was tall and he had his nose to the sky as I walked up, he had this stupid little pointy moustache that just screamed "I'm sure not evil no way not me." He had a narrow face and oh gods the nose on the guy, he could lay on his back in water and look like a fucking shark. And on that stupid fucking nose he had these square glasses without a rim on them, the ear pieces and nose pieces were just on the edges of the glasses. They screamed of pretentiousness. The first thing he did was lean down to me and say, "Hello, little girl." His voice only emphasised the size of his nose. I wanted to tell him that I'm not some little fucking girl but at the time I still had a little bit of respect for Gjallarhorn and the way they operate, so instead I respectfully greeted him with, "Hello, sir, I'm here to inquire about joining Gjallarhorn." Then he got fucking snippy, "Of course you are, why else would you be here?" Before I could even go to bite back at him he shouted, "Hawksworth!" A big changeling man with long hair in a braided ponytail and a bushy beard lumbered up. He was in the same uniform but white with a black trim, which just meant that he was close to becoming a captain himself, he also had those same stupid fucking glasses. He had less exaggerated features than the Warlock aside from the fact that he was pretty plump for a changeling, and he had a round nose. Changelings normally don't have round noses, nor are they usually plump. What was more odd was that he was walking around in his base form, they normally don't do that. But being ignorant of the world as I was I didn't really see that. The man leaned down to me, I hate when people lean down to me, it feels condescending, but I was too excited to be upset about it for the moment. Not to say I didn't notice it, I wouldn't be talking about it if I hadn't noticed. He looked me over and then turned around while motioning for me to follow, and of course like a good little girl I did just that. The changeling man lead me to an office-type room in the back. There were two guards on either side of the outside of the door but not the inside. I know this sounds like a setup for him to do something really bad to me and though it be easy to spin that tale that would be stupid and generic. Rather than do something horrible by normal standards he turned around a chair that was facing the front of the desk and had me sit down. Then he did something I had never seen any sort of magic user do, not that I had seen many magic users at the time. He reached out his arms to either side and gave his fingers a waggle and as he did some wisps of blue light coagulated around his fingertips. It was absolutely fucking unnecessary, he was trying to awe me. At this point in my life I would have told him to just fucking get on with it, but then it worked, I was completely entranced. Once he had my attention he brought his hands down to either side of my head, which was necessary, and touched his glowing, wispy fingertips to the sides of my head. For me things went blue, which is what's odd about the particular spell Gjallarhorn uses, normally things go black or white, but never blue. That aside, after a brief period of blueness I came to, of course I couldn't see the process but having seen it from the outside since I can say more than likely I had three ribbons of light coming from between my eyes back to the back of my head at the same spot, but given the length of my hair it more than likely just disappeared, and despite what one might think my eyes were more than likely their normal brown. They were brown at the time, they very much are not now. When I came back about the changeling man was gone and the other asswipe was in his place. I had been long enough that they were able to change places, and the moment I came back he greeted me with the worst thing I could have heard. All he said was, "You aren't Gjallarhorn material. Better luck next time." He said that as if there could be a next time. Once you are rejected from Gjallarhorn there is no going back and trying again, you are just done. I don't remember much what happened after that, my emotions ignited, I could feel a searing heat from my head down to my hands and my stomach boiled. My thoughts were clouded by the relentless hammering in my skull, my heart was more battering than beating, so much so that I could swear I felt my blood running through my veins. All I know from that time was that I walked out of the building without a word and at some point after that when I was starting to see clearly enough to know where I was I wandered my way into a field owned by the farmer I worked for. He didn't use it anymore so it was safe to be there. I remember coming down from that slowly, the pounding didn't stop until then end but gradually the heat faded away from all but my head and the boiling in my stomach stopped. My ears had the worst of it and my eyes burned like they were dry, but I hadn't been crying. I was too upset to occupy myself with crying. Instead I just laid there with a feeling like there was a devil on either side of me pressing their assholes to my ears. When it finally did stopped I felt tired, I hadn't done anything for hours though it felt like I had been running for hours, I was even all sweaty as hell and fucking disgusting. But the grass felt nice, it felt cool and comforting, as did the air, and by this point night had fallen. I had spent all day doing who knows what only to end up laying in the fields for a few hours, and the only reason I knew it had been hours was the fact that it had been day when I got there. I felt fucking drained, before I could feel every drop of blood and now it felt like I had none at all. With the emotions finally burned away I could think clearly, I thought about what had happened and I didn't know what I wanted anymore. Gjallarhorn was my only aspiration and it had left me in a fucking ditch. I didn't want to just go and settle for some other fucking faction, I didn't want to fucking settle. From an outward view it may have seemed immature but factions aren't just some company you belong to or some job you have to those who are a part of them. Factions are what decides what guides you in life, what jobs you take on, who pays you, who you're friends with when you see your family, factions aren't just something you can switch whenever you feel like. Losing your faction leaves you fucked with nowhere to go. Though I had a place to go back to, I just lost out on joining, I could go be a farmer in buttfuck nowhere for the rest of my life and then get married and have a few kids and grow old with my spouse and die at the ripe old age of fucking dirt. But the thing is, like most people who grow up in buttfuck nowhere, I fucking loathed the idea of staying where I was. I ended up laying there all night just thinking, I tried to think of what I would do now that I had lost the hope of joining Gjallarhorn. I thought about why I wasn't right for Gjallarhorn, why I might have failed their test. By morning I had realised that Gjallarhorn had never been the fit for me. I realised that mercenary work, the thing that Gjallarhorn and the other factions try to brand as frowned upon may have been what I was looking for. Gjallarhorn was closed in what they did and their workers had to do things their way, the way that I now realised I didn't like so much. I wanted to handle things my way. I found out later that their morals didn't line up with mine either, but that doesn't pertain to what I thought then. Then I didn't hate them, then I thought they were right to reject me, I thought that it was better for me, which I now see was true. Once I reached my revelation I finally sat up for the first time since I entered the field, in fact it was the first time I moved at all aside from breathing. My body hurt all over, again it felt like I had been running for hours. But I managed to get myself up and make my way into town, I first stopped by a blacksmith. I thought that some armour might be nice if I was going to go about doing mercenary work. I tried some different armours and ended up only getting a pair of bracers with gold plating and a wooden piece that had a picture of a leaf on them as well as a stupidly decorative sword. The sword was black with all sorts of marble-like patterns, it ended up being all I picked up while I was there. Since that didn't work out I decided to go to a tanner and pick up some leather to take to a tailor which I had made into leather pants and a pair of knee-high leather boots and a vest with four buckles on the front. I wore that with a black shirt under it and I first had on gloves but they got frustrating to the point of me having to take them off and put them in my bag that I also had made, it was on a belt that sat at my hip and sits there to this day. The next step was supplies, which wasn't hard at all, I knew what I needed and all of the stores provided, but something caught my eye. In recent years guns had come to be, which meant vendors selling them, I was walking past a vendor with guns of all shapes and sizes with all sorts of carving and made of all sorts of materials when one in particular stood out to me. It was made of cast iron on all but the handle which was wood with a little silver dome on the end. In my moment of weakness I picked it up, it was probably the simplest gun there and I adored it. It wasn't overkill and it wasn't some useless decoration, and the vendor practically gave it to me. It has reliably sat in a holster on my hip since, even if it meant buying the holster for it. Next came the hardest part, actually starting mercenary work, people didn't necessarily talk about how to become a mercenary with the way factions looked at them. Until then my ignorant little mind held the thought that you had to obtain a license or some shit, but as it turned out it wasn't nearly as difficult as that. I quickly learned that factions posted the jobs they didn't take for a fee to those who post them, that meant going to Gjallarhorn or The Golden Horn. There were other methods of getting jobs, but I didn't know them at the time. Either way The Golden Horn was and still is a cheap imitation Gjallarhorn, even as someone who hates Gjallarhorn I look down on them, I did then too. Since my choices were limited I forced myself to swallow my pride and head into the Gjallarhorn tavern again. I expected to see the two men that I had been tested by, or be heckled by those poor deluded fucks who made it through. But that's hardly Gjallarhorn's way, and the two men turned out to just not be around or busy or some shit, point was I didn't see them. When I got to the board I must have looked it over a thousand times for a job I liked, one I thought was interesting. Most of them were mundane shit that no one would bother with, I wanted something interesting, which may have been asking too much but I lucked the fuck out. Someone was having trouble with storms, specifically some sort of lightning storms that kept coming about. Sure storms are just a part of nature, but not storms with green lightning, and not during a dry season in the area they were in. I knew for a fact that Gjallarhorn hadn't even bothered to look at this job, not in the town it was from, they didn't have the money to afford Gjallarhorn having a tavern there. I picked up the information for the job the moment I saw it and with that I set out on the road for this little town. I thought about picking up a horse before I left, but I knew for a fact that I would be a useless caretaker for a horse, so I just gathered up any further supplies I needed, which wasn't much and headed out of town. The journey wasn't any difficult, nor very interesting, just really fucking long and boring. It wasn't while I was traveling, I was too focused on the travel to be bored. It took me a few days to get there and when I did oh fucking boy had shit hit the fan. The only way I can describe the way the sky looked is by saying that it looked like a glowing darkness with streaks of green light every now and again when lightning would strike. Each time it did strike the sky would just absolutely fucking envelop the light immediately and it would look like a glowing black spire shot out of the sky just to catch the lightning, then it would fade back into the sky. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before, I had to just stand a moment in awe of it before walking any closer. Though eventually the moment passed and I headed into town to ask whoever was in charge about what was going on. Once I got near the town things began to distort, not in my head, physically. Trees were warped into weird shapes that absolutely don't occur naturally, in one spot the grass was little cubes, something were just curled and distorted, while other things were uniform and shaped. Then things got stranger, lumps of flesh and bone and anything you could think of composing a body just lying on the ground, some writhing and churning, some not, all were much like the trees and other plant life, some uniform, others just distorted lumps. None looked like they had been cut or mangled anything of the sort, this wasn't done by any particularly sadistic person. This had to have been the storm and nothing else. I was sure the lumps had to be people, maybe animals, which meant I had to be careful or there was a good chance I could have very well ended up like one of them too. I avoided the grotesque people lumps and carried on my way, a few that actually had eyes looked at me and made some gross fucking squelching noises as I walked by, I did my best to ignore them. Much to my favour not everyone was turned into living mounds of disgusting fuck, so I went to the nearest person and thad them direct me to the leader of the town. The man in charge was actually the mayor, which in my mind is odd because normally authority figures are the first to die or they cause the incident or something, but this man was fine. He was a creepy fuck, but otherwise pretty all right. When I met this man I was probably most shocked by the fact that he was so happy seeming. He was fairly short with black hair that curled up at the ends, it was nearly down to his shoulders but not quite. I can't remember for the life of me what the fuck he was wearing I just know it certainly wasn't fucking mayoral. He greeted me with the biggest fucking grin I have ever seen, it may have just been the stark contrast to the landscape outside, I mean, people that have turned into living piles of disgusting fuck offer a good bit of contrast to any kind of hospitality. Anyway, when he greeted me he didn't open his eyes but greeted me with, "Hello there! Are you the one here about the lightning?" He still didn't open his fucking eyes. I replied with, "Was it the gear or the fact that I am the only one who has entered the town alive since it started that gave it away?" I was only assuming that fact, but I figured it was a pretty good assumption. I was a bit off, because right after that he told me, "On the contrary, there are two men from Gjallarhorn also here to check things out, they were originally recruiting but now they are looking into things too! Maybe you should consult together!" I just gave a little nod, "Where are these two?" He just pointed me towards a door in the back. This seemed to be a trend. When I got back to the room it was the very two people I didn't want to see for my first job. The asswipe and the big guy. The jackass wasn't looking too hot, his hair was a bit frizzy and he had these huge fucking bags under his eyes. I think they both saw the look on my face rather than who I was at the moment, but whether did or not the first words out of my mouth were, "What the hell hit you?" The jackass glared at me a moment before speaking with his nose upturned as he did, "It's simply the weather. All the static in the air isn't good for my hair." I ignored his bullshit excuse and turned to the big guy, "So what do you guys have on this?" He pulled out a book that I assumed was a notebook and looked it over as he spoke as though he didn't remember the points in it very well, "We think that it's angry weather spiritfolk just based off of what we have seen so far. Either that or a large group of them." Something bugged me, "And the blobs of human sludge outside the town?" Asswipe interjected before the big guy could talk, "They may be working with a reincarnation spiritfolk, which would be why they have gotten so strong and why they are warping and manipulating things as they are." I responded only with a simple, "Right." I then considered the thing they hadn't mentioned, "Where is the source? Are they in the sky or in some shitty little hole in the side of a rock manipulating things?" I didn't know much about spiritfolk at the time so I was only shooting in the dark. "We can't investigate any further, it will result in a negative outcome from our higher-ups." The asswipe was getting to me with cutting into the conversation. Once again I gave a simple, "Right." The funny thing there isn't much of anythign above a Warlock Captain. Since they were giving me absolutely nothing I decided to look into this myself and see what people who weren't them specifically knew. So I told them I was leaving to do things on my own and then started to ask around the town. Most people didn't know anything and directed me towards a house on the outskirts that an older woman lived in. It all seemed a bit clichéd, but I went along with it and headed out to the little house. It what was could be expected of a little old lady that was more than likely a witch. Kind of messy, herbs and such all over the place. I was absolutely enthused. Rather than go over that whole conversation and waste time I'll summarise what she told me for you. She told me that the Gjallarhorn guys were full of shit and that the sky spiritfolk were in fact missing from the sky as if they had been driven off. She suspected that the Gjallarhorn guys were either a part of some fishy shit or idiots that had nothing to do with the matter at hand. Being the McGuffin I assumed her to be, she sent me to some mountain to check on the nearest reincarnation spiritfolk. Witches know these things. They are witches and you shouldn't expect otherwise of them. On the way to the cave I ran into the Gjallarhorn recruiters, asswipe was looking a bit pale, and this time he didn't have much of anything to say, he was also twitching some. The big guy said that they were off to the next town and would send help if they could, which in Gjallarhorn speak meant "We can't help but here's a little hope in place of help." So we said short goodbyes and headed off in separate directions. When I got to the cave what I found was a little ball of light with what is best described as light smoke coming from it. Smoke made from fucking light, the first time you see that it's pretty fucking amazing. After slowly approaching it I tried to reach out and touch it very very carefully. It was cold and my hand went right through the light source; I somewhat expected my hand to be a little wet when I pulled it back or have sort of residue on it, but there ended up being nothing. After a bit of thinking once the awe had passed I considered what I was there for. The reincarnation spirit, from what I knew reincarnation spirits normally took very noticeable and humanoid forms. This closer resembled a wisp which I was always told was a reincarnating spiritfolk and not to mess with because it could influence how the spiritfolk turns out. Up until then I hadn't been that close to one. Given that there was a wisp here I could assume the spiritfolk had either died on its own and started reincarnating or had been killed, either way that ruled it out as being the cause of the clouds. I couldn't exactly check on the weather spiritfolk but I assumed that I would find they were a good bit uninvolved as well. So all I needed to do was find out what cheeky fuck was being a cheeky fuck. This meant looking for more information, but this time time focused on finding the source. On my way back to town, though, it hit me, or rather it just me, a lightning strike hit right next to me. It scared the living fuck out of me and launched me a good few feet, and when I looked back over there was a huge green spike sticking out of the ground. I could practically see the malice coming off of it. It was very clearly directed at me, and after that quick thought I figured it was time to book it. So I scrumbled to my feet and did just that, I started sprinting as hard as I could, which was still pretty damn fast with how light my gear was. A few more strikes hit near me on the way in, but none close enough to launch me again. I made it into town choking for air and in a half panic, I hoped to the gods that it was safe in town and that they didn't just have really fucking good cleanup crews. Thankfully I was right, no more lightning. This got me thinking again, something I doubt the cheeky fuck controlling the lightning wanted. If the lightning wasn't hitting in the town that may have meant that the source of the clouds and the lightning was in the town. This meant cheeky fuck searching. I went around and asked people if they had seen anything or anyone strange aside from myself and the clouds in town as of late. The general consensus was no aside from the clouds. But just as I was about to give up I ran into someone who told me about a trap door that had recently showed up behind the town hall. Granted the person that told me this was homeless, drunk, and crazy looking, but my standards were pretty low on trustworthiness so I went along with it and looked into the trap door. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a trap door where I was drunkenly told it would be. It was, in fact, brand new and it seemed like it was recently cleaned. There was a padlock that I wedged my sword into and broke off with ease, after that I lifted the hatch and climbed down a ladder into the room below. The room was well lit with white walls and filled with all sorts of tubes and such, and at the back of the room was a big glass window, or at least what I presumed was glass. On this side of the glass there was a green orb on a stand that looked like a humanoid hand; on the other side of the window there was a vortex of the glowing blackness, it was emanating the same lightning as outside, but far more frequently and far more sporadically. These bolts weren't being swallowed each time they struck, in fact they seemed bigger and far brighter than the ones outside. Then I saw it, a stone hand reached out of the blackness and grasped at nothing, the hand was fucking massive, big enough to sweep a good half a building away and there it was. Just there, reaching out of the glowing blackness. Something about that jarred me. But I at least knew one thing, this was the source, this was it. I could see it right in front of me, and all that mattered was that I stopped it and got out alive, which may not have seemed hard on the surface, but when it comes to magic, and I wasn't even sure if this was magic, things were alway dangerous. I was still standing at the ladder. I didn't want to move because I didn't know what to do. I was unsure of myself. But in a gradual heave with my own mind I slowly made my way over to one of the pipes running along the wall and just looked at it. I reached down and put my hand on my sword's hilt, ready to draw. I cautiously looked around, there wasn't even furniture in the room. Just pipes and an orb. I figured it was either destroy the pipes or the orb, but chances are the pipes would pump in something deadly, so I walked over to the orb and just looked at it. The green swirled like the blackness out past the window. I heard something behind me, I whirled around to see the last people I wanted to see. The Gjallarhorn goons. All I had to say was, "shit." The big guy started chuckling once he was down on the floor, the asswipe was hunched over and shaking slightly. The big guy still chuckled, he waggled his finger at me slowly, "Oh ho ho, girl, you are certainly difficult to get rid of, couldn't just leave this little town rot." Right after he spoke I didn't even answer, I drew my sword and swung it. I swung it fucking hard and lodged it in the orb. Then a bolt ran up my sword and I didn't even have time to panic as it hit me, the big guy didn't have time to react either. Everything went black, that seemed right, I could feel myself convulsing and warping but I couldn't see anything. I thought I was going to end up one of the gobs of fuck but when everything came back I looked down and everything was the same. I thought. I could see my sword still lodged in the orb and my arm leading up to the handle. I looked down at my body, it was the same, everything was intact, my body, my hair, my clothing. Nothing seemed different. Aside from one thing, the way I could see, I could see every fibre of myself and the men in front of my, I could see the structure of the clothing we were wearing, I could see everything like I never had before. Something was off about the jackass, his body was functioning but no one was home; he was dead. I could see links of the green lightning between him and the big guy. The big guy was very much alive, and boy howdy was he fucking livid. I couldn't even tell what he was shouting, I wasn't paying attention, something to do with siphoning off a spiritfolk for almost a year and me ruining his big plan to become a half-spirit. Most of this probably doesn't make sense to you, so allow me to just throw exposition at you. The big well of the glowing darkness was some sort of thing this guy had cooked up just for the sake of creating a mindless spiritfolk, one that needs a sort of symbiosis in order to do anything other than be a thrashing mess. Think of it like this, it's like a gun that can pull its own trigger but has no direction. In the midst of its creation it had manifested powers not unlike those of a reincarnation spiritfolk, but rather than reincarnate living things it would distort and manipulate them. Its creation was creating the clouds above and below ground, and it was creating the lightning, as the analogy went, it was a gun pulling its own trigger. The big guy had been slowly absorbing the spiritfolk in an attempt to become a half-spirit and the whole take over the world shtick, or maybe he wanted to go live in a cave alone forever, or get glory and rise through the ranks of Gjallarhorn. Truthfully, I neither listened nor cared. As it turns out when you wedge a sword in the device used to slowly absorb a spiritfolk you absorb the entire thing at once, including taking what the big guy had already absorbed. It took me but a moment to figure out that the asswipe was a long dead body that the big guy had been using the spiritfolk's powers to control and make seem alive, he probably killed him for finding out about this shady shit. Since I was taking what he absorbed the body began to droop and fall over and rot rapidly, I nearly vomited at the smell, the look of the rotting body didn't bother me, if anything I took a bit of sick pleasure in the guy who rejected me from Gjallarhorn rotting right in front of me. Then there was the big guy, the big guy was charging a blast of some sort of raw magic to toss at me, when he did I held up an arm to guard it and as I did a giant, clawed skeletal hand made out of metal manifested in front of me to block the blast. I gotta say I was pretty fucking caught off guard by that, but I didn't exactly have time to take in what was going on. He threw another blast, then another, out of panic I swiped forward, the hand did the same, swinging and smacking him into the wall behind him. I didn't kill the guy, but I did knock him out, right before the smell of the rotting corpse caused me to vomit and pass out myself. I still had a weak stomach then. When I woke up I was in a bed in some sort of infirmary with people surrounding me, I had to regale them with the tale of what happened. Then a bunch of boring court shit happened and I had to take the guy to trial and la de da now he is rotting in some prison just like his friend was rotting in front of us, and I know for a fact that he hates me with a passion, which is fine, because if I met him again I wouldn't let him live, even if I have him to thank for being a half-spirit. He was my first monster.

#story #personal writing #A little vulgar

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