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thenixart · 4 years ago

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Unedited dorohedoro fic- Chapter 1 part 2

A/N: Characters will get names when I come up with names. I am open to suggestions.

When Ton wakes he’s warm and comfortable and kinda hungry. The horror of the last day felt almost like a bad dream. He turns over ready to go back to sleep and maybe have a better dream when he sees it and the dam bursts. On his bed stand is a photo of people he’d half forgotten and a calendar date that he still very clearly remembered.

Today was the day that his father died. Today is the day his family was shattered.

What a cruel place to dump him.

Forcing himself to leave the lovely warmth of his covers he grabbed the framed photo. It was his family… his first one that is. He’s at the center of the picture sitting in his father’s lap and his father is in turn sitting on the ground and leaning on his pet hog. His mother behind them looking proud. On their left was Ushishimada being picked up by his mom and mighty devils was it weird to see him with hair again. And flanking them their many aunties and uncles and the other kids. Not blood but family all the same.

His eyes burned and tears fell onto the glass of the picture frame. After some hesitation Ton takes the photo and gently folds it before putting it into his pajama pocket. Real or not he wanted to keep it with him this time.

He doesn’t want to get out of bed. His inner child offers up the suggestion that maybe nothing bad will happen if he’s not there to witness it. But Ton knows better than that.

Ton slinks out of bed and is immediately thrown by how different his body is. So small and soft and unmarred by the stresses of homlessness and starvation that are waiting in his future. He really is just seven years old again.

He sees his childhood home on the day of the end with the eyes of a battle hardened warrior and not an already grieving child. The entire farm is tense with the quiet before a battle. A siege is what it looks like as he sees from the window uncle [Animal transformation magic] setting traps on the perimeter. His auntie [temperature control magic]’s forge putting out tons of Smoke as she pushed herself much harder than usual while Ushishimada raced back and forth from the forge to the field carrying pieces of armor to auntie [animal control magic] fitted the bigger animals with it.

As Ton passes rooms that would normally be crammed with the sounds of people he notices the emptiness. People’s things are packed up and there’s barely any humans or magicless mages left on the premises. Humans… What was his family’s dealings with humans? The answer didn’t come readily to his mind, only that there’d been humans and others without magic who came and went for reasons he was never really told. Ushishimada had been older, maybe he knew?

He left the children’s house to cross the yard to the main house. Ton noted the absence of the chickens which would normally be crowing at this time or running around begging for treats. The sows and cows were gone too. One of the hunting dogs clad in pointy, scribbled on armor greeted him enthusiastically before being called back over to auntie [animal control magic]’s side. Her door, there was no mistaking the elegantly carved wood with the hand painted looking singing animals covering it, was steadily dissolving by the door. Unbidden a chuckle came to him at the mental image of a bunch of farm animals getting dumped in the Hole for their safety. Hmm well, certainly whoever the enemy was they probably wouldn’t be able tell the difference between their humans and sorcerers who couldn’t do magic amongst so many like them.

The main house (damn his family really had some money and he never noticed before) was a house in mourning. Ushishimada’s mom was on the couch in the sitting room with his cousin [tiger mask human cousin] and her human friend, Akane. [Ushi’s mom] was putting the finishing touches on some masks for them, a black tiger and red hen respectively. It was as equally clear that she’d been crying recently as it was that the older kids were very much pretending that nothing was wrong. And from the hatchets strapped to the woman’s armor it was also clear that she expected fighting to start soon.

They greeted him warmly if concerningly affectionate. Like they may never see him again… and well... he never did see them again did he?

He heads towards his parents’ room slowly. Something about the hush making him want to tread quietly. And he wants to put this off as much as possible.

At the almost closed door he overhears a private conversation.

“At least I’ll see the bastard in Hell,” A voice like a walking mountain rumbles. Quietly Ton brushes away the tears that started falling fresh. From the richness of the baritone and the subtle clacking of tusks on tusks there was no mistaking his father’s voice for anyone else. The man’s breathing sounds labored even from a distance.

A woman’s voice… his mother’s voice responded. Low and thick and sharp like molasses. “That may be what happens, but that’s not remotely fair. And damn the devils for it.”

“You know, you can go to jail for saying such things,” His father half chuckled and half wheezed. “And Hell’s no place for a sweet thing like you.”

She snorted incredulously and playfully swatted his arm, “Really? Flirting at a time like this? What a pig.”

“Wild boar, thank you very much.” He retorted. It was a routine clearly familiar to them. Ton saw through the crack in the door their fingers intertwining. His father’s pale chubby ones slotted into his mother’s dark work roughened ones looking almost like a piano.

His mother leaned in conspiratorially and asked in a tone he strained to hear, “Your magic… could you…?”

His father’s magic? To be honest Ton couldn’t remember what kind of magic his father had at all. Nor his mother’s for that matter.

“Hmmm no,” his father answered after some thought. “That mushroom bastard killed Kokuo. Without a proper anchor… I wouldn’t be able to stay myself. I’d only end up causing more harm than good.” He sighed wistfully, “Besides, with this kind of magic… it’s best to go when your time’s up.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“Tell me again… what happens to humans when you die?”

You? Was his mother…?

“Well, now, unlike you sorcerers none of us has the power to revive the dead.So no one really knows for certain. Lots of folks think that if you are an evil person you go to a hell for a while and if you are a good you get to be reborn as something or someone else. There’s also the heavens, where good people go for like, eternal rewards of some boring shit like that. Some of the monks think that if you’re like, holy enough you stop being reborn and simply cease to be? Spiritually? Or something?”

“Oh?”

“I don’t really get the appeal. Of just ceasing. Why not just live different lives for all of eternity?”

“That does sound nice. Far more lenient than our fate.”

“Course there’s always stuff like ghosts and limbo and all that.”

“Limbo?”

“It's a kinda state the dead enter sometimes before they move on. A nowhere place where ghosts are born. Angry souls that refuse to rest or simply folks that have some business to finish before they do. No one ever really makes happy stories about it. ...I wish I could meet you again in my next life.”

His father hummed, “That would be lovely.”

Before he could catch himself Ton sniffled.

“Hey pigglet! Come give yer daddy a hug!” His father boomed like his lungs weren’t failing him. Ton pushed open the door to see his mother helping to prop up his father so that the big man’s back was against the headboard. Right, somehow his mind impressed the date of his father’s death but the method had slipped into the sands of time. There was something extremely unnerving seeing a good portion of the man’s chest just… crumbling. Large portions of it were bendaged as best as possible but the web of cracks extended past the edges, the affected skin dry irritated and flakey. Bits fell off when his father breathed just a bit too deeply, creating what Ton could imagine was just the worst bed experience of crumbs in your sheets but grosser. In the places where the magic had completely eaten through the skin he could see shiny white pockets of fat crisscrossed with fungal hyphae. There is no shortage to the horror that settles into Ton’s gut that his father would have likely died days ago if he were a leaner man.

It also doesn’t escape him that his mother is dressed for war. Combat boots and sections of scale armor over her hunting clothes. The vital bits of course, the major organs of the torso and places with large arteries like the neck, upper arms and thighs. Her crossbow, and a full quiver of arrows, her hunting knife (a beautiful knife he needed to commission someone to make him a copy at some point it was fucking watered steel!), and a pair of pistols… emergency weapons.

Ton had nothing against guns, he was a damn good shot himself but he’d hunted with his mother. Guns were noisy and dulled your ability to hear after using them. And the smell of gunsmoke dulls the nose (not that you could actually smell anything but the boss when fighting at his side). His mother was fond of saying that any of your senses could provide you with life saving information so it was best to avoid impairing them unless you had no other choice.

And it looked like his mother was expecting the worst.

At her hip was her mask that looked like she’d given the black leather a fresh shine. The snarling panther maw was a thing of beauty, something his father thought as well as his tattoo of it still shone proudly on his father’s remaining properly intact shoulder. Mask...human. Huh. Actually if his mother was human then so was his cousin [tiger mask] and her friend Akane too. Ton supposed having masks in this world were useful to humans, they’d be mistaken for mages and less likely to be attacked or sold. But why wear it to a fight? It wasn’t a helmet like Tetsujo’s mask, it didn’t offer up much protection.

His mother kissed him softly on the forehead and the gleam of her necklace caught his eye. Speaking of things that weren’t very helpful on the battlefield… the necklace was more like thick twine dyed black with colorful beads, fine enough. But then there was the claw hanging from it that had to be about as long as a uni-bear claw and curved like a cat’s. Ton didn’t know if it was real, it kinda looked like it was made of stone of some kind, but it certainly looked sharp. Sometimes Ton’s brain liked to throw the image of her accidentally getting stabbed or cut by that claw because sometimes brains are assholes like that. It never did as far as he could recall, according to her it was a good luck charm. She’d once told him that it saved her life.

A frown crosses his face. Ton had no idea if his mother survived this day or not.

His father gave him an affectionate side hug that looked like it clearly caused him pain but the man was grinning through it.

“Dad… you’re dying aren’t you?” Ton hates how the voice that comes out of his mouth sounds like a child. He hates that he feels like a child. Hates that he’s in the body of a child who can’t join the coming fight or steal some healing smoke to save anyone. He hates that they look at him like he’s a child even if he technically is at the moment.

He hates what’s coming next.

One thing he is thankful for is that his parents never lied to him. That he’d forgotten that his mother was human or what they’d done for a living was on him not asking that many questions. His parents didn’t sugarcoat it when they confirmed that yes his father was dying. That everyone dies eventually. That his mother may die fighting the bastards who hexed his father. That some of his aunts and uncles may face the same fate.

Of course Ton knows that death isn’t anything to fear so long as you’ve got a cause worth dying for.

“Do you want to die?” Asked Death as she stood on the other side of his parent’s bed waiting for his father to kick the bucket. Instead of the terrifying gas masked firefighter skeleton soldier was a black-skinned woman, not Black as in brown like his mother but black as in a crisp winter night during a blackout. Her clothing was also black but more like the black of black jeans washed at the wrong temperature and looked rather cozy.

Natsuki was not with her.

“Your Partner is safe.” Death said like she heard his thoughts. “This is not a place for her. I ask again, do you want to die?”

Did he? He looked at his parents and his younger self frozen in time. Ton hadn’t died gloriously in an ultimately futile battle against powerful sorcerers trying to change the world or even protect something important to him. (And suddenly he feels like he failed his parents at that thought.) He’d been killed like an annoyance by someone he admired. Betrayed. And gotten his comrades killed by the grief that his death caused.

...and Tetsujo was still alive the last he’d seen. It was still up in the air if Dokuga was still kicking or if the bo--if Kai’d eaten him as well. If Tetsujo was still alive he’d certainly try to save Ushishimada and Saji’s heads to revive them. Ton knew for a fact that his own corpse was unsalvageable, the massive chunk taken out of his temple certainly contained his devil tumor and without it… he didn’t really know how one would go about reviving without it. And…

So long as some of his loved ones were still alive… isn’t that something worth staying around for?

“I don’t want to die,”Ton said and knew for certain. As sure as the worry slithering in his gut. “If I can help my comrades in any way that’s what I want to do.”

“So that is your choice?”

“Yes.”

Reality blacked out again.

#thenixkat #dorohedoro #fanfiction #crosseyes #ton drhdr

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arplis · 5 years ago

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Arplis - News: Hollywood on the Hudson: At Home in Upstate, New York, with Amanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen

Weve been following Amanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen for years as they leapfrogged around LA. Amanda is an actress-turned-interior designer who has been on a decades-long remodeling tear. Her style is pleasingly simple, sustainable (since before it was a buzzword), and thrifty: see, for instance, Backyard Bunkhouse and11 Money-Saving Strategies from a Hollywood House Flipper. Her partner in the overhauling business is her husband: theyve lived in 25 places in their 31 years of marriage (along the way, they had four sons), and Corbinthough busy acting, writing, and running his own production companyis a Star Handyman.

After being MIA for a while, they recently resurfaced: When Finley, the youngest of our four, graduated high school and took off for NYC, Corbin and I looked at each other and agreed it was time for another adventure, she wrote.Our book, Open House, had just been released, so we decided to sell up in LA and take a book-signing drive across the country in search of our next project. They made it all the way to the Hudson Valley, where Amandas old friend Priscilla Woolworth has resettled, along with a surprising number of other LA defectors. After experiencing their familys first white Christmas, they decided to stay put.

They knew exactly what to do next: find a structure waiting to be given the Amanda/Corbin treatment. After four weeks of real estate hunting, they bought an 1880s little farmhouse in Germantown, New York, that needed everything. They camped out in a loft rental in nearby Hudson, found a local contractor, and started the demo. Weather dictates a lot here, which was an eye opener for us coming from Californiaand also learning that life has a slower pace here; love that, says Amanda. Heres what the place looks like a year later.

Photography by Amanda Westby, unless noted.

Above: Corbin and Amanda and sons at their new residence (the photo was taken by their oldest sons girlfriend and became this years holiday card). Hands-on creativity runs in the family: two sons work as art directors/production designers in LA., another is in the start-up side of tech, and the youngest is at NYU film school.

The couple bought the house from third-generation owners (who live nearby and were selling when their mother passed away). It had been pale yellow with a front door that was purple and white with a bit of turquoise thrown in, says Amanda. Its now painted a greenish-charcoal called Deep River and the door is Grand Canyon Red, both from Benjamin Moore. Upstate gentrifiers have been accused of defaulting to noirish exteriors, but Amanda defends the choice: its a classic color that draws attention to the architecture and looks great against the backdrop of all these seasons. Plus for every dark house, there are ten white farmhouses around here. Photograph by Jessica Dube.

Above: The couplehes 65, she just turned 60say they love their new surroundings and plan to stay upstate. Theyve become part of a community thats big on bartering: Amanda Westby, co-owner of Alder & Co, employs Amanda as a model in exchange for clothes (Amanda also took most of the photos shown here), and Amanda says she recently gave her doctors husband remodeling advice for medical care.

Im continually struck by the adventure of this new experience and discovering an entire life so different from palm trees, beaches, convertibles, and eternal sunshine, Corbin recently wrote on Facebook. My biggest problem, I guess, if Im allowed to go there, is that I have tons of time to think without all the distractions that Im used to.And when the snow falls, its even more quiet than the normal quiet that Im getting used to. You can hear your heartbeat, literally or perhaps thats the shoveling of snow forcing blood through my veins.

Above: The back doors and basement bulkhead are also Benjamin Moore Grand Canyon Red: I knew if I was going with dark monotone windows, I had to find a place to uplift, says Amanda.

She learned about remodeling historic houses from her father, who was an actor-turned agent and the original house flipper in the family: I grew up in southeast England, and he used to drag me around to look at properties and would ask my opinion. So the whole house buying, fixing-up, reselling thing came from my childhood. And Corbin, coincidentally, learned carpentry from his mother and uncle.

Above: The front door opens to the original staircase: as it was, the door banged into the stair, says Corbin. We fixed that and had to reproduce some of thebalusters. Above: Much of the art and furnishings have traveled with the couple from house to house. (Corbin has become a master packer and uses Pods as an economical way to move households.) Amanda bought the paintinga 1951 work by Brazilian Constructivist Lygia Clark30 years ago while filming a movie in Brazil. The zinc umbrella and cane holder is a long ago LA swap meet purchase.

Amanda tells us: Weve been at this practically since our first date, when Corbin showed me his house that he had just finished himself, and I said, I think were going to have to make some changes. It was full-blown Santa Fe-style and needed some tweaking and layeringsome soul. The English in me came out, and thats when we started blending our styles, and buying and selling things.

Above: We went down to the studs and nothing else, says Corbin of the 1,700 square foot interior. This is the equivalent of a bionic house. Explains Amanda: We replaced or added: HVAC, all plumbing, all electric, insulation, new drywall, bathrooms, and the kitchen.

Their most dramatic move was to open up the main floor and introduce oak beams throughout that are both structural (the ones shown here) and cosmetic. The floor is the original sub floors stripped and sealed with Pure Matte Finish from Vermont Natural Coatings.

Above: The vintage Franklin stove came from Hoffmans Barn in Red Hook, NY. The walls throughout are painted with lime wash from Portola in LA. Amanda had the curtains stitched from canvas drop cloths (each is a hemmed single panel).

I like a neutral balance, so drop cloths always work, she says. I usually make them into shades, but you hardly notice these curtains, and in the winter you can pull them shut to make the room feel warmer.

Above: The living space opens to a roomy dining area and kitchen. The cabinets are Ikeawith Ikeas vertical-groovedHittarp fronts in an off-white lacquer that Amanda painted herself. This isnt something they recommend, but it worked well: even the chipping looks authentic. I used a heavy Kilz primerno sandingfollowed by two coats of Benjamin Moore Chelsea Gray in a satin finish.

Amanda found the center island marble slab on Craigs List for $150 and drove two hours in a U-Haul to get it.

Above: The dining table is one of several pieces that the couple found during their first pilgrimage to the Brimfield flea market. We arrived in the rain witha list of items we needed, including maximum and minimum measurements for each piece, says Amanda.

Corbin bought the tablemaybe originally a schoolhouse piece, definitely Europeanusing money he had saved from the many years his mother tucked bills in his Christmas stocking. I finally realized I dont have to worry about never having a buck in my hand, and decided to honor my late mother with a table that we love.

Above: The counters are butcher block from Ikea and Amanda finished the cabinets with painted wood knobs she bought at Home Depot. The Kitchen Aid stove and other appliances are also from Home Depot: I go when theyre having a buy two get the third free sale. Above: The aluminum hooks in the back entry came from a favorite hardware/antiques store in La Bisbal, Spain, within driving distance of their vacation house, A Fixed-Up Farm in the South of Francethe one project they say theyll never sell.

Recognize the dog painting? We doit appeared in Remodelista: The Organized Home and our postAmanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen Air Their Dirty Laundry.

Above: The moody back room with new built-in bookshelves is the library/TV room and Corbins home office. The lime wash here proved tricky: the couples two oldest sons drove the paint across the country and it froze along the way. When they painted this room, it was streaky and lumpy in parts, says Corbin. I came back from LA with more paint and went over it. I didnt finish but realized it looked right: we like patched-together rather than perfect.

The Emmy is Corbins mothers lifetime achievement awardJeanne Cooper, the grande dame of daytime, was on The Young and The Restless for 40 years, and played Corbins mother on LA Law.

Above: Amanda notes that the cold climate has inspired her to get back into pillows and blankets draped on sofas, and even living with stuff: its about feeling cozy. She got the sofa and chair at the Hammertown Barn in nearby Pine Plains: Theyre from the summer tent sale: I was the first in line at 7 am. Above: The lime-washed powder room is two-toned, another signature touch of Amandas. The Little Bo Peep collage was a recent surprise gift: One of the original owners came by and said, My mother made this tapestry piece and Id like it to remain in the house.' Above: Amandas deskpurchased for $150 at a local auctionis set in a bay on the side of the house. Most of the windows are original and have beautiful glass that ripples, she says. I hung bird feeders right outside, so I can watch the birds as I work. Above: There are three bedrooms upstairs. The red painting, by Peter Aspell, is another fave that goes with us from house to house. Above: The master bedroom has a conceptual headboard: Amanda dragged home from a walk along the Hudson River near their house. In lieu of doors, she enclosed the closets with curtains made from a Les Indiennes print purchased at the companys Hudson, NY, shop. It a very informal little house; curtains lend a relaxed feeling and they dont take up any room. Above: Corbins guitar in a corner of the guest room.The upstairs floors are painted Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron. The reclaimed beams used throughout came from The Hudson Companyand from sellers on Craigs List. Above: The rebuilt upstairs bath has a new-old look. The tub, along with three sinks, came from Hoffmans Barn: Amanda and Corbin hauled them to a local refinisher (but left the exterior of the tub stripped). The painted floors and beams extend appear here, too: Our contractor said, you cant have wood in the bath, and we said, Yes you can,'says Amanda. Above: The houses ceramic doorknobs are original. The giant medicine cabinet next to the sink is one of the couples Brimfield finds: its an antique jelly cupboard that came with decoupaged doors: Amanda whitewashed it and then tackled our kitchen cabinets, says Corbin.

Whats next? Amanda reports that theyre looking for a larger place in the area to tackle nextwed like to have enough room for the whole family and friendsand some rescue donkeys and goats The plan is to keep this house and down the line rent it out. I want to host people in cool environments, while I go gray and grow veggies, says Amanda.

More upstate style:

Architect Visit: A Dutchess County Farmhouse Transformed

Hudson Valley Hues: At Home with an Inventive Textile Designer

Saved from Abandonment: A Historic Farmhouse Receives the Ultimate Make-Under

And for many places to stay in the area, consult to our Design Travel posts.

Arplis - News source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Arplis-News/~3/PN5ELNENLE8/hollywood-on-the-hudson-at-home-in-upstate-new-york-with-amanda-pays-and-corbin-bernsen

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arplis · 5 years ago

Text

Arplis - News: Hollywood on the Hudson: At Home in Upstate, New York, with Amanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen

Photography by Amanda Westby, unless noted.

Above: The back doors and basement bulkhead are also Benjamin Moore Grand Canyon Red: I knew if I was going with dark monotone windows, I had to find a place to uplift, says Amanda.

Amanda found the center island marble slab on Craigs List for $150 and drove two hours in a U-Haul to get it.

Recognize the dog painting? We doit appeared in Remodelista: The Organized Home and our postAmanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen Air Their Dirty Laundry.

The Emmy is Corbins mothers lifetime achievement awardJeanne Cooper, the grande dame of daytime, was on The Young and The Restless for 40 years, and played Corbins mother on LA Law.

More upstate style:

Architect Visit: A Dutchess County Farmhouse Transformed

Hudson Valley Hues: At Home with an Inventive Textile Designer

Saved from Abandonment: A Historic Farmhouse Receives the Ultimate Make-Under

And for many places to stay in the area, consult to our Design Travel posts.

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/hollywood-on-the-hudson-at-home-in-upstate-new-york-with-amanda-pays-and-corbin-bernsen

0 notes