#none of the members of the source material are going to die or turn out to be horrible people and cause me to stop writing 🙏🙏 not again

[morhido]

Tfw you're six whole ass chapters into posting a fic and then you realise you never promoted it on your tumblr lol. Anyway who remembers that silly au i made where jimmy is spiderman? It's a fic now :>>

Title: The Amazing Adventures of the Spectacular SpiderJimmy

Summary:

Okay, let's actually do this one last time.

My name is Jimmy Alvarez! It's short for James, but only my lola calls me that. So, Jimmy, please!

I was bitten by a radioactive spider. It's a long story.

And for the past two days, I've been the one and only Spiderman.

Clancy and Doohickey are roommates who are definitely not into each other. Andrew is a transfer from the Manchester police force who just wants to prove himself. Sam is an officer who wants his nephew to be safe. Jimmy is an academy cadet who wants to do right by the world, impress his father, and be the best that he can be.

He is also the mask-wearing, web-slinging, wall-climbing hero Spiderman, and currently being hunted down by the NYPD for acts of vigilantism and destruction of public property.

OR: i saw that the sfth fandom didn't seem to have a spiderman au, and i took matters into my own hands.

[dungeonaspects]

Campaign Idea: The Invasion

G̸̝̹̹͇̐͑́͠͝r̵̡̲͖̘̘̳̫͊̃͌͆̓͊̈́̔ŏ̶͈͎̥͓̟̜͇̩̒̄͂̓̈͝w̴̧̛̬̞̪͈͎̽̅̓̊͌ẗ̴̼̞͚̤̝͕́̓̒̂h̷͍͌́̈́̐͋́̏̿̓̀,̷̡̪̦̇̊̓̕͝ ̴̡͓̬͈̞̝̮͘ę̴̠͓̙̲̭͉͓̰͍͋́͂͘͝͠x̵̡̠̱̜͍̲̆̔ͅp̵̝̩̦̗͚̰͋͋̍́̒ā̶̭̜̻͍̞̟̓̈͝n̴͖̩͖̗̺̼̞̬͒̆̉́̑̀͑̀̾̚d̶̨̲̖̞̦̒̓̈̒̈́̀̚,̸̧̍ ̸̢̢̬̬̤̂͛͗̄̃̈́̽́̇̂c̷̠̺̻̔͗ȍ̴̼̮͕̗͈̣̊̌ͅņ̶̝̬̒͛̃̒͛͘͘q̵̢̛̂̋͌͐̋͐͌͋̚u��̧̨͉͇̯͛̈̔̈́̚͜è̸͓͇̩̻͓̗̌ͅŗ̵̡̱̟͙͓͙̤̠͋̀͐́̌,̷̬̔͒̽̀͝ ̷̡͔͔͈̊̐͒̌͗̉͋̅͘͜͜r̶̻͖̺̤̝͊̄̍͝͝ͅe̷̪͎̎͒͋b̵̨̮̤͔̹̼͖̼̤̹͊̍͆̈́̎̒͗̈́̓̚u̷̞͆͐i̶̢̹͔̟̹͖̲̤̾̉͗͊̂̔̽̈́̕l̶̗͚̣̈̃͐̂̍̎̃͝ḍ̶́̈́̒͠.̸̨̧̡͙͇͓̩̫̜͓͊̀̈́͆̊̽

The History

When the next kingdom over fell to an enormous explosion it shook the world, the earthquakes, the forest fires, the stampeding monsters. Everyone was prepared for the worst, yet the world didn't end, just another small bump in the road.

The story goes that the archmage had been playing with magics too strong for them, harnessing some old relic or some such until it failed, killing everything within the capital and most of the nearby towns. Those who didn't die immediately apparently died of some disease that was so horrific the surrounding kingdoms killed any who tried to cross the borders. Ultimately there were no survivors.

It's been a whole century since the incident, yet none are permitted to cross the border, only the occasional groups of clerics, guards, and wizards may cross. Every time they go out few of them return, the dead having been afflicted by the disease that still ravages the land, no one is safe and any that return must go through extensive testing before being released.

But it does make you wonder, those that come back almost always become withdrawn, once promising clerics sinking into depression, mighty wizards refusing to do more than wallow in tomes. Many see it as a warning, even the empires best are tested to breaking point by what is over the border, so you must stay away.

The problem lies with rumours of distant villages along the border going silent, relatives not returning letters, travellers being told to turn back on the road by rough soldiers. Has the disease spread over the border? There are many attempting to move towards the capital yet the guards have become selective in who enters, tensions are high and the soldiers are getting aggressive when questioned.

The Hook

As you can likely guess from the image this is not a disease, or at least not one we would recognise. The archmage was messing around with something connected to the far realms, somewhere so far removed from the natural order of our universe it is maddening to witness.

What the thing was is up to you, but the result was horrific, the explosion was the fabric of reality being torn apart generating so much heat it was like a nuclear bomb. Then the portal stabilised they started coming through, the aberrations, the unknowable creatures so alien they warp reality around them.

Most of the creatures have travelled far from the now reduced portal, hidden in the deep cervices of the world. However there are some that remain, and they are who brutalise any who cross the border. Their nests and dens used to simply encompass the capital, but over the last century they have expanded their empire, converting the once fertile land into a hellscape of aberrant logic.

Any that enter the land must navigate wandering monstrosities, hive creatures, twisted flora and fauna, along with magical dead zones and wild magic storms. Should anyone find themselves there without some kind of protection or decent constitution they will likely find themselves warped by these outsider forces.

The expansion of these eldritch lands are an impending doom that surrounding kingdoms can just about hold back, without information they won't commit to an assault, and without an assault it won't be contained. So the kingdoms, empires, and duchies simply wait for the other to make a first move, letting the enemy swell. The best they can do is keep the secrets under wraps with magical contracts and threats of execution.

Will your party be able to push the creatures back? Or will they simply buy a century of time before the imminent demise of the sentient races?

Some Ideas

For this you have A LOT of possibilities, and it is down to you and your players in how this plays out. I can see it being deeply diplomatic, expeditions to gain intel before returning and giving detailed reports on how best to navigate the land as well as enemy numbers. Follow this up with ambassador missions to neighbouring countries requesting aid with a concerted effort, a final stand.

Or you can do a suicide squad, each member is a criminal (may be innocent and have been framed/blamed) who will be spending decades in prison who were offered a reduced sentence if they did one job. This could quickly deteriorate though since they'll obviously want out after facing their first eldritch monstrosity.

Then there's those who have been asked by outside forces to push the abominations back, secret societies who know the truth, gods who REALLY don't want to lose the material plane and their worshippers/source of power, even simply someone who has managed to escape a village/the old kingdom and knows the truth of the inevitable doom.

You can make this as simple or complex, easy or hard as you like. This can be a hardcore survival, limited food supplies, hundreds of miles to travel in hostile territory. The land can warp the characters, changing abilities, mutating flesh, even spells going haywire as they interact with the foreign magics.

If you have Grim Hollow the aberrant transformations will certainly allow you to build a character in a unique and horrific way, all of you becoming better suited to fight the scourge while also becoming it.

Ultimately this is all up to you, but damn you got a lot of options, talk to your players, if they're cool with body horror you can do some crazy things with the old residents. Just remember that not all of them will be mindless beasts, some can communicate, they're just so different it will be hard to communicate clear ideas.

Art by Beeple

Oh god those things are exquisitely horrific, they exemplify what I've always thought of with aberration type monsters, they're not inherently evil, just so different that they're as confused by us as we are by them. The sky, the flora, the creatures, make this alien world look so alive but so different from what we want. Brilliant, thank you.

[baepsaesbae]

Heal Me, Kill Me Ch.1

Pairing— Kim Namjoon x reader (only in this chapter), Kim Taehyung x reader (main focus) ft. Yoongi

Genre— Vampire!Taehyung x Vampire Hunter!y/n, ANGST, smut +18, comedy (i tried)

Warnings— Death, violence, oral (f receiving), fingering, explicit unprotexted sex

Word Count— 7.6k

Summary— You’re one of the best vampire hunters in the world. That's to be expected when your parents are the best of the best. Your life had solely revolved around ruthlessly killing vampires. You were essentially a cold blooded machine. However, things take a turn once you meet Kim Taehyung, your latest target.

A/N— Huge shoutout to @dee-ehn for this beautiful banner! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, please let me know what you think! 

You didn’t choose this life. You had no past trauma that spurred you on to take this path. Most vampire hunters became hunters because a loved one was murdered and they wanted revenge or some bullshit like that. Not you though.

You were born into this lifestyle. Your parents were allegedly the best hunting team in history. They were usually too busy with work, so you were practically raised by the faction itself. The grandmaster of the Vampyre Extermination Company (VEC for short) was your main parental figure. 

While normal children went to school, you were being trained in combat. The only lessons you had were those pertaining to vampires. You knew everything there was to know about them. Being the youngest member of the company, it was clear that you were a prodigy. 

By the age of 13, you had already killed 5 vampires. Most seasoned hunters only kill 5 in their entire lifetimes. You were incredibly smart, and used your youth to your advantage. 

That was ten years ago. You had lost track of your kill count (not that it matters, it’s officially documented somewhere). You were now the youngest person ever to achieve the Expert Hunter title. 

None of that fancy stuff matters to you. You get assigned a job, and you do it. That’s all it was. In fact, you were on a job at this very moment. 

You were all dolled up sitting at the bar of a very busy nightclub, with a drink that you had no intention of drinking. Your assignment had been spotted frequenting this club quite often. He preyed on young women (as most of them do) and many of them had gone missing from this location. 

You had on the skimpiest dress you could find. Its low cut neckline coupled with a push-up bra had your breasts nearly spilling out of the dress. Its tight material clung to your body to reveal your curves. You absolutely hated it. 

“Why are you alone, pretty girl?” a drunk man stumbled up to you. He definitely wasn’t your target.

“I’m waiting for someone to kill,” you replied nonchalantly.

“To kill? That sounds kind of scary,” he put his hand on your waist.

You grabbed his wrist and twisted it, causing the man to cry out in agony. 

“I don’t have time to waste on you. Get out of my sight or else I’ll break your wrist,” you warned with cold indifference.

The man scampered away as soon as you released him. You refocused your attention on the crowded dance floor. It’s possible that the vampire would smoothly dance with a girl before luring her to her doom.

You began to sigh in frustration when there was no sign of your target. Suddenly, the room’s temperature dropped. The hair on the back of your neck stood up, and goosebumps covered your body.

He had arrived.

There was no doubt about it. You felt a malevolent presence as soon as he entered the buidling. Your eyes scanned the club again, in search of the source. Finally, you found him.

There was a tall handsome man standing in front of the dance floor, surveying it as intensely as you were surveying him. He glanced your way, causing you to freeze up. When your eyes met, you shot him a coy smile, and turned to your drink.

Hopefully that was enough to pique his interest. You debated on whether you should sip your drink or not, to make you appear more vulnerable. It didn’t take long before a deep voice rang in your ear.

“Are you waiting on someone?” a seductive voice asked.

You could already tell he was using his charms. One of a vampire’s many tricks was their gift of persuasion and seduction. Supernatural powers were involved, of course, but their good looks helped seal the deal. 

“Maybe. Maybe not,” you replied before sipping your drink. 

“If you were, you probably wouldn’t have smiled my way,” the man took a seat beside you.

“Ah, you got me there. You’re a sharp one huh?” you smiled.

“In more ways than one, dear,” the man chuckled before extending a hand, “I’m Namjoon. Pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m ___. The pleasure is all mine,” you shake his hand, taking note of how eerily cold it was. This was definitely him. 

The night went on with playful flirting and shallow attempts at getting to know each other. You were well aware that everything both you and Namjoon said was a lie. Namjoon insisted on ordering you a drink after you finished the first one but you politely declined, saying you’ve had more than enough for one night (another blatant lie). 

Namjoon finally made his move. He leaned over to you and kissed your exposed shoulder. 

“You wanna get out of here?” he asked. You could feel how heavily laced his words were with mystical persuasion. 

“I thought you’d never ask,” you kissed his cheek. 

It wasn’t hard to flirt when your target was so attractive. In fact, that’s how most of your hunts have gone ever since you got older. You’d seduce them into letting their guard down, and kill them when they weren’t paying attention. It was a slight perk that vampires were much better at fucking than humans, but you were willing to keep that information private. 

Back at Namjoon’s apartment, he wasted no time getting you undressed. You were passionately making out with him on his bed when reached down to palm his clothed erection. Namjoon released a guttural moan.

“So impatient,” he chuckled, kissing down your throat. 

His hands wandered down between your thighs, rubbing your clit. He kissed his way down your stomach, pausing before your heat. He delicately flicked his tongue down your folds. You bucked your hips up, begging for more. Namjoon slid in his long slender fingers while his tongue worked your clit. 

He expertly curved his fingers into you, hitting that special spot perfectly. His intensity picked up, causing your cries to get louder. He held you down as you started to squirm beneath him. He sucked on your clit as he rapidly pumped in and out of you.

You came without a warning, your body shaking from the impact. Namjoon licked up all of your juices. Your chest was heaving as Namjoon kissed a trail back up to your lips. His eyes were darkened with a dangerous hunger you were all too familiar with. 

Going any further would be dangerous, but you couldn’t help yourself. He was too alluring to resist, plus your motto was that there’s no harm in having a little fun. A satisfied smile crept across your face after you tugged off his bottoms. His dick was just as big as you imagined, and you needed it inside of you immediately. 

You immediately straddled Namjoon, lips still locked as you lowered yourself onto him. You moaned into his mouth as he filled you completely. Your hips moved on their own accord, leaving you no choice but to enjoy the ride. Namjoon let you take the lead, enjoying an unfamiliar balance of power in the bedroom. His hands rested on your hips as you rocked back and forth.

“You’re so hot. I could stay like this forever,” Namjoon praised.

“Have you ever been tied up before?” you asked before kissing his ear. As much as you wanted the night to continue, you knew Namjoon was at his limit. Endorphins were high, right now would be the perfect time to devour you.

“No, I haven’t. I’m usually the one doing the tying. But I’m always willing to try something new,” Namjoon smirked.

“Wait here then. And close your eyes!” you giggled.

Your legs were wobbly as you made your way to your discarded bag. You were delighted when you reentered the bedroom to find Namjoon still closing his eyes.

“Good boy,” you cooed while taking out silver chains.

“Are those chains I hear?” Namjoon sounded excited.

“Yes, I’m gonna chain you up real good. You’ve been a bad boy,” you whispered into his ear. Namjoon groaned, and you noticed his cock twitch. 

With impossibly quick motions, you wrapped the chains around Namjoon’s wrists. The silver burned his skin upon impact. There was no need to chain up his legs, as the silver severely weakened him. He tried to wiggle free of the chain but it was no use. His eyes darted open to see you smiling down at him.

“There’s no use in struggling, Namjoon. These chains are pure silver and are anointed with holy water for extra measure. I am ___, from the Vampyre Extermination Company. You have been found guilty of numerous kidnappings and murders,” you say as you take out a wooden stake.

“Fuck you, you bitch!” Namjoon spat at you, fully baring his fangs.

“That’s not very nice, dear. You were so sweet to me before. Well, before you were going to kill me of course,” you laughed as if it were a joke, “Thank you for showing me a good time. May your soul rest easy in the next life.”

Namjoon bared his fangs at you while you plunged the stake into his chest. Blood gushed out of his wound. Cries of agony filled the room. A few moments later, Namjoon’s body turned to dust. The job was complete.

You made a call while getting dressed. Your clothes were soaked with blood, but that was nothing new. 

“Hi, I’m gonna need a clean up crew at this address. Nothing super messy, just burn the bed I guess. Yeah, the mess was pretty much contained. Mhm. Yeah. Ok thank you,” you say curtly.

Back in your hotel room, you rewarded yourself with a bubble bath (after a shower of course). With most of the blood scrubbed off, you relaxed in the fragrant water. You had a habit of reflecting on your life after every job.

Was your life ever going to be normal? Probably not.

Were you going to die on one of your jobs? Probably.

Do you enjoy your job/life? Maybe? You couldn’t tell. 

You did acknowledge that you loved the thrill of the hunt. You enjoyed acting weak and innocent, only to violently kill your targets. The sex and stuff was a nice bonus too. You were taught that vampires prefer to ‘wine and dine’ their prey. Apparently happy people make for happy meals. Due to this, it’s quite common for vampires to seduce their victims before devouring them. 

‘Do vampires make other vampires?’ you asked when you were a child.

‘Yes. But they rarely do that because they are solitary creatures. Also, only the strongest vampires can turn humans since it drains their own life force tremendously,’ was the answer.

You got an assignment about once every month. During the time that you don’t have anyone to kill, you enjoyed traveling. The VEC pays handsomely. You never understood where all the money came from, until you were told that the deceased vampires’ assets get transferred to the VEC. How that happens, you had no clue. But it doesn’t matter; you get paid well enough to travel wherever you wanted to at a moment’s notice. 

You perused the internet for flights to France. You’ve been craving macarons lately. You were about to buy a ticket when your phone rang. You groaned when you saw the VEC caller ID.

“Hello?” you answered.

“___. I need you to come down to HQ immediately.”

“Grandmaster?” your eyes widened. You never got a direct call from him. Whatever this was, it must be urgent. 

He hung up as soon as he delivered the message. Typical. He’s a very straight to the point kind of guy. 

There goes the rest of your relaxing evening. You packed up all of your belongings. A driver was already waiting for you in the lobby. Again, you had no idea how the VEC can be so quick and efficient, but you’re thankful for it regardless. 

The car brought you to a private airport, in which a jet was already ready for you. 

‘This must actually be serious,’ you thought. The VEC was boujee, as they usually flew you out first class, but the private jet is a first.

Within a few hours, you had finally arrived at HQ. You were greeted warmly upon entrance. After a quick congratulations on another successful job, you were escorted to the Grandmaster’s office.

“___. Please take a seat,” the grandmaster said as he paced back and forth.

“Is everything okay, Yoongi?” you asked. You always dropped the formalities when you were alone together. This man had been more of a parent to you than your actual parents, with whom you only had fleeting encounters with.

“It’s your parents. ___, I’m so sorry. They were killed on a hunt,” Yoongi placed a firm grip on your shoulder.

You silently processed the news. More than anything, you felt shocked. Shocked, because they were supposed to be the best hunters in the world. Shocked, because you felt nothing. You felt no sadness, no anger. You were so detached from your parents, they might as well have been strangers. 

Yoongi on the other hand, looked like he was about to break down. He had known your parents for a long time. They were practically family to him, just like you. 

You get up to embrace Yoongi in a long hug. You seldom showed true acts of affection, but this was as genuine as it gets. More than anything, you felt sad for Yoongi. You couldn’t fathom what he felt. You couldn’t imagine what it was like to lose a loved one, mostly due to the fact that you didn’t have any loved ones. Yoongi may have been the closest thing to it.

You helped sit Yoongi down. After he was seated, you poured him a drink. Lord knows he needed it. 

“Did their target kill them?” you asked, breaking the heavy silence.

“Yes. Their bodies were drained and left out in a field. I began to think the worst when your parents failed to make two check in calls in a row,” Yoongi took a swig of his drink.

“Their target must be pretty powerful…” your voice trailed off.

“He is. I knew he was strong, but taking out our two best? Inconceivable,” Yoongi scoffed, “I’m gonna kill the bastard with my own hands, I swear to God--”

“I’ll go,” you interrupted.

“You?” Yoongi blinked, “Absolutely not. I already lost your parents, I can’t lose you too--”

“You haven’t been in the field for years. A male vampire would never trust you, so you would have to resort to immediate violence. If he took out both of my parents, then his physical strength must be no joke,” you stated the facts.

Yoongi looked at you dumbfounded before taking another long sip of his drink. 

“Fine. But I’ll go with you--”

“No, you won’t. Your presence will blow my cover.”

“I can stay in the next town over.”

“Just to snoop around and fuck up my hunt? No thanks.”

“God, you’re so fucking stubborn, kid. How about this? Give me a night to concoct a safe alibi for you. I get to plan out how your first encounter with him goes. You can choose to kill him on the spot, or go for your usual route,” Yoongi raised his eyebrows as he said the last bit. 

“Works for me. I’m pretty sure I can’t suddenly kill him without the element of surprise and a shit ton of luck.”

“You’re willing to seduce your parents’ murderer?” Yoongi couldn’t hide the concern in his voice.

“This is just another job to me. A job is a job. Don’t let your personal feelings get in the way. That’s what you’ve always preached to me,” you shrugged.

That was Yoongi’s last straw. He pulled you in for a tight hug as a single tear rolled down his cheek. He kissed the top of your head.

“I’m truly sorry, ___. I never should have let you into this world. Your parents insisted that I train you. I should have refused, and let you live a normal life,” Yoongi apologized.

“Yoongi, you did nothing wrong. I’m perfectly fine the way I am. Believe it or not, I’ve probably saved a lot of people from becoming someone’s midnight snack,” you try to lighten the mood. 

“I just worry about you, you know? It’s almost as if you’re my own kid,” Yoongi sighed, finally letting go of you, “Come back here tomorrow morning at 10am. I’ll have your assignment by then.”

“Please get some sleep, Yoongi,” you squeezed his hand.

“I can’t sleep. Not like this. To be honest, I’m afraid that I’ll dream about your parents,” Yoongi admitted.

Noticing that you didn’t know how to respond, he quickly dismissed what he said.

“I think the alcohol is getting to me. Don’t mind me. Go to sleep, kiddo,” he patted your head.

You excused yourself and headed to your room. Your new target has sparked intrigue. You were in awe at how powerful he must be. You concluded that he must be clever. Your parents knew every trick in the book. They knew how to hunt and kill every and any type of vampire. At least, you thought they did.

You drifted off to sleep. Your last thoughts lingered on the vampire who killed your parents. 

That night, you had a strange dream. 

You felt trapped. You couldn’t move your body. All of a sudden, you were freezing. The sound of water surrounded you. Everything was pitch black, and soon, it was getting harder to breathe. 

“I loved you” you heard a muffled voice say. 

You woke up in a cold sweat. What the hell was that? You couldn’t remember the last time you had a nightmare. You weren’t even sure if that could be classified as a nightmare. After getting up to drink some water, you went back to sleep without giving it a second thought. 

“Yoongi, this is literally the worst cover you’ve ever made,” you admitted as you examined the file he handed you.

“I worked on it all night! I believe it’s foolproof,” Yoongi argued.

The bags under his eyes got impossibly darker, hinting at the fact that he probably did work on it all night. Upon realizing this, you decided to tone down your criticism. 

“Maybe it could work. I���m just worried that I won’t be able to play the part,” you stated. 

“I feel like this role is more natural than just being a flirt. But, of course, I could be mistaken,” Yoongi gave you a disapproving glance.

“Okay whatever. Yes, I’ll make it work,” you rolled your eyes. 

You were flown out to the target’s town the next day. Your living arrangement had already been prepared. You found yourself settling into a small cottage surrounded by a forest. It looked like something out of a fairytale.

It was oddly freeing being able to go on a mission in normal clothes. There was no need for revealing and uncomfortable clothing. You didn’t have to beat your face with makeup or worry about how your hair looks. Yoongi emphasized the importance of being plain. You needed to be someone who could easily sneak up on the target.

So, with a regular t-shirt and jeans topped with a jacket, you made your drive to the target’s location. Even though Yoongi’s plan was less extreme than you’re used to, the possibility of it taking a turn for the worse was still present. After all, this was the monster who murdered your parents. You couldn’t afford to let your guard down. You took a deep breath. It was now or never.

You pulled up to an impressive mansion. From what you could tell, there were no neighbors for miles. The house looked like something from a horror movie. The yard was overgrown, and the building was decrepit. 

There was a large fountain in the middle of the front courtyard. Unfortunately, the fountain had been neglected. The water was filthy and the statues were covered in moss, making them unidentifiable. 

Now standing in front of a grand, or rather, once grand front door, you mustered up the strength to knock. You firmly knocked on the door three times. A minute passed, and you couldn’t hear anything from inside.

You tried again, knocking harder and for a bit longer. There was still no reply for a couple of minutes. You began to think maybe he had left. Or maybe he was so weary of strangers that you’d have to force your way in.

You tried a third time. You were about to yell, ‘Hello? Is anyone home?’, but the door slowly opened.

From behind it, peered out the most beautiful being you’ve ever seen in your life. He was so effortlessly stunning that you forgot why you were there for a second. A tall man with dark hair gave you a quizzical look. 

“Can I help you?” his deep voice vibrated.

“Hi! I have a flower delivery for a Mr. Tom Davis?” you presented an extravagant bouquet of flowers to him.

“Sorry, you have the wrong house. Which is an incredible mistake, as I don’t have any neighbors remotely close by,” the man was still standing cautiously behind the door.

If you couldn’t lure him out, it would be damn near impossible to kill him like this. On the other hand, you weren’t too eager to try and have him invite you in.  

“What really?” you glanced at the address, then dropped your jaw in surprise, “Oh my god, you’re right. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience! My first delivery, and I already botched it,” you began to mumble as you turned back to your car.

This was a calculated mistake, of course. This was all a ploy to make you seem naive and vulnerable, just in a more innocent way than you’re used to. 

“Do you need help with directions?” the man called out to you. You smiled, this is just what you’d been waiting for. If you could just catch him off guard, you could easily lop off his head with the silver short sword hidden in your jacket. 

“That would be awesome!” you spun around happily. 

You walked back up the steps and approached him before he held his hand out.

“Stop right there,” he commanded.

You froze still in your tracks. He wasn’t using any magic, but his sudden request was unexpected. 

“Can you hand me the delivery papers from there please?” he asked, avoiding eye contact, “Sorry, I’m not good around strangers.”

You wordlessly handed him the papers. You were dumbfounded. Vampires were the masters of suave and the epitome of seduction. This man gave off no such presence. Other than his otherworldly attractiveness and subtly powerful aura, you never would have pinned him as a vampire.

You quickly put yourself back on high alert. Maybe that was his plan. Maybe he was a more passive vampire. Those were rare, but still a possibility. 

“If I’m not mistaken, I think you took a right instead of a left at the crossroads that led you here,” he said quietly as he held out the papers for you. 

Now you were flabbergasted. You took back the papers, but awkwardly lingered on his front porch. How would you come back? You couldn’t use a delivery excuse again, that would make him even more suspicious. Your mind raced as you thought of something to say or do.

“Those flowers are beautiful,” he observed.

“Oh these? Yeah I guess. Flowers are supposed to be pretty, aren’t they?” you laughed nervously. What was he trying to do?

“Yes, they are pretty externally, as are most things in life. But I think their true beauty lies within their intent,” he slightly opened the door wider, revealing half of his body.

“These flowers have intent?” you asked, genuinely curious.

“For example, this Mr. Tom Davis either loves his partner a lot, or whoever is sending these to him loves him a lot,” he gestured towards the bouquet, “A mixture of orchids and wax flowers is a nice way to express a lasting love, patience, and sometimes even lasting wealth.”

“These flowers say that much?” you were amused.

“Only to those who listen, I suppose,” he seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

“I wish I knew as much about flowers as you. I don’t know jackshit about them, and I was just bequeathed an entire flower shop,” you sighed. You hoped he would take the bait and prolong the conversation. 

“You own a flower shop?” his face lit up for an instant before his features returned to a more somber state, “And, I’m sorry for your loss.”

 He almost had a cute boyish charm about him. His condolences seemed sincere, not at all like the false statements you were used to being fed by his kind.

“Well, I guess I do now. I have no idea how to run it, so I’m kind of freaking out about it. I have all these orders but I’m not even a certified florist. Oh, and thanks,” you shrugged, hoping to give off the illusion of helplessness.

“I don’t mean to overstep any boundaries, but maybe I could be of assistance?” he offered, his eyes finally meeting yours.

Something happened at that moment. You felt a pang in your chest as soon as your eyes met. Those weren’t the eyes of a hungry predator. Instead, you saw only kindness and maybe something else that you couldn’t quite place. Maybe Yoongi was wrong, maybe this wasn’t the right target.

“Are you sure about that? I don’t want to overwhelm you,” you took a step closer.

“It may be a nice change of pace for me. I don’t socialize much these days,” he chuckled. Seeing him smile made your heart skip a beat. It was so wholesome. Part of you thought you saw a flash of a fang, but another part of you wanted to deny it. 

“Well, you would be more than welcome to come visit my shop! I promise I won't bite,” you winked at him, extending your hand.

You noticed that his smile faltered at the mention of biting, but he quickly dispelled his observable unease. He slowly reached his hand out to meet yours. You prepared yourself for the worst, as he might yank you into his home with enough force to pop your arm out of its socket. 

Instead, you were met with a firm handshake. You gave him the name of your flower shop and politely excused yourself. He shut the door as soon as you were off the porch, but you still felt his eyes on you.

You got back into the car and stared at your hand. There was no doubt about it. His hand was just as cold as every other vampire you’ve encountered. It wasn’t the type of cold you could blame on poor blood circulation. No, it was the undead type of cold. 

As you drove back to your cottage, you admonished yourself. Why did you feel disappointed that it actually was the target? You should rejoice. You can avenge your parents (not that that really mattered to you). You’re a step closer to getting this job done and going home.

But you couldn’t quite decipher what you felt. You felt as if you had a genuine interaction with him. God knows how long its been since you’ve actually gotten to be yourself. You always had a role to play. 

Even though you almost fell for his stupid smile, you couldn’t detect a hint of magic. Nothing he said was laced with magical words of persuasion. There was no shroud of alluring lust that you could feel. 

You plopped onto your bed. You needed to focus. 

‘All you gotta do is kill the target. Easy peasy,’ you thought to yourself.

You figured you should do your routine check in call. Yoongi was probably worrying himself sick. Usually calls are spaced out every few days, but a call on the first day would ease Yoongi’s nerves.

“Hello?” Yoongi picked up after the first ring.

“Hey Yoongi,” you greeted him. Usually he doesn’t answer these calls, but this job was an exception.

“Thank god you’re okay. How did it go? Did you kill him?” he asked eagerly.

“No, I didn’t have an opening,” you sighed.

“How are you going to meet him again? Don’t tell me you tried to seduce him…”

“No, I did not. Stop assuming that! He has a weird appreciation for flowers, so I told him he can come by the shop. I don’t know why you gave me a florist alibi, but it worked out perfectly.”

“Honestly, I don’t know either. The alcohol mixed with sleep deprivation had me thinking funny things,” Yoongi admitted, “Either way, I’m glad you’re safe. What was he like?”

“He was...nice?”

“...nice? Did you just call the monster that murdered your parents nice?” Yoongi asked in disbelief.

“I don’t know how else to put it. He was weird. He didn’t act like a stereotypical vampire. He didn’t use any form of magic. He was oddly shy. I even began to doubt he was the target until I shook his hand. His hand was eerily cold, so he’s undead for sure,” you explained.

“Sounds like a peculiar case. If you run into trouble, call my personal line, got it?” Yoongi ordered.

“Yes sir,” you affirmed before hanging up. 

The next day, you headed to the flower shop that the VEC had set up for you. It was a quaint shop that looked like it had been part of the local town for years. Another impossible feat achieved by the VEC. The town itself was quiet. It was mostly full of elderly folks whose family had moved on to bigger cities. 

The shop was filled with flowers of every color. A myriad of different species were spread across the interior. You sneezed the second you walked in. Good grief, this place was gonna have your allergies fuck you up. 

A pile of papers were piled up on the front counter. Upon examination, you groaned. Yoongi is SUCH a bastard. He actually gave you flower arrangement orders that needed to be fulfilled. 

‘It will help with the authenticity of the shop! Every order has already been prepaid so you have to make them. Have fun~’ he wrote in his instructions. 

“You fuckin piece of--” you were cut off when you heard the front door chime.

“Hi! Welcome in,” you exclaimed quickly as you turned around.

An elderly couple had entered the store. They kindly greeted you, saying they thought it looked so pretty from the outside that they had no choice but to come in. 

You watched them from behind the counter. You were oddly moved by how sweet they were to each other. They held hands the entire time. The man smiled fondly whenever the woman pointed out a pretty flower. They laughed together as they strolled through the store.

You felt as if you were invading their privacy somehow, but what else were you supposed to do? They were your only customers, so you had to pay attention to them.

Soon your attention turned towards the front door. Would your target actually show up? Vampires are creatures of pride, so they aren’t ones to break a promise. However, this one was different. Maybe he won’t keep his word. That would suck. It would make approaching him even harder.

The old couple shuffled over to the counter with a dozen roses in hand. Together, they had 6 white roses and 6 red roses. 

“Would that be all?” you ask with a smile.

“Yes ma’am,” the man replied, handing you money.

“Call me old fashioned, but roses are my favorite flowers,” the woman said to you.

“They’re my favorite too, a classic can never go wrong,” you reply happily.

“Do you know why this bouquet is special?” she asked you. 

“Please enlighten me, you say, leaning over the counter.

“Red and white roses together symbolize unity. I’m so happy I was able to find unity with my soulmate,” the man answered, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.

“Oh stop, you sap! The poor girl doesn’t care about old farts who are in love,” the woman playfully slapped his arm.

“I think it’s incredibly sweet. I’m happy for you two. Please enjoy the flowers!” you bow to them.

“Don’t worry dear, you’ll find your own soulmate too!” the woman called out to you as they left the store. 

After they had left, the store quieted down. Your only company was your own thoughts.

Soulmate? Love? It’s not that you didn’t believe in that stuff, it’s more like you didn’t believe that stuff was for you. Your line of work was extremely dangerous. Any hypothetical loved one of yours would constantly be in harm's way. 

By the end of the day, you managed to finish 2 extravagant bouquets. The town’s post office was more than happy to deliver your finished products. It appeared that they didn’t get much work nowadays. 

This became your routine for the next few days. An entire week had passed, and there had been no sign of your target. Patience wearing thin, you began to think of another excuse to go to his house. Hopefully this time, he would be less cautious. Rain poured outside as if to mimic your growing anxieties. 

You had grown strangely fond of the flower shop. Being among the pretty flowers was calming. Putting arrangements together was a new challenge that you’ve never faced before. It was, perhaps, the most peaceful time you’ve had in your life. It was almost as if you were living a normal life. 

The front door chimed, and you automatically called out a greeting to the potential customer. You weren’t answered. That didn’t really bother you though, as you were engrossed in reading the day’s arrangement orders. How the hell did Yoongi get so many?

“Hello again,” a familiar deep voice disrupted your focus.

You looked up and once again faced the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen. He had finally arrived. He looked less cautious than before, but still nervous nonetheless. 

“You actually came!” you exclaimed, you couldn’t tell if the excitement was genuine or not.

“I always keep my promises. I’m sorry it took awhile for me to get here. I had to wait for...uh…” his voice trailed off.

“For?”

“The weather.”

“The weather?”

“It’s easier to travel in gloomier weather. Preferably rainy,” he answered concisely.

“That’s odd,” you noted. Of course, you knew the reason why. Sunlight would instantly kill him.

“I suppose I’m rather odd,” he glanced around the shop, “You have a wonderful set of flora here.”

“Thank you! I can’t really take the credit. I just sell them, not grow them,” you say bashfully.

“But it takes a keen eye to pick the best ones,” he replied, examining the flowers closely.

“Everything was here when I arrived. I’ve just been selling and making shitty arrangements,” you slowly crept towards him. 

Now was your chance. You could land a fatal blow while the weirdo gawked at flowers.

“You’re making arrangements?” he whipped around to face you with inhuman speed. You couldn’t help but jump back.

“Yeah! I have a ton to go through. I had no idea this place was so popular,” you say quickly, trying to act natural. He was too unpredictable to do anything rash. 

“Do you need help with those?” he asked.

“Actually...if you don’t mind…” you gestured towards the huge stack of papers on the counter, “Maybe if you can give me some tips, I can make them faster! And hopefully they’ll turn out prettier.”

“Sure,” he nodded. 

The rest of the day was spent making arrangements together. He had a talent for picking the perfect flowers and giving them the perfect placements. You were in awe. Was this a secret vampire power? Or was this guy just weirdly into flowers?

“Hey, I never got your name,” you say. You realized you had only labeled him as “the target” in your head. 

“Ah, yes. I’m Taehyung. Kim Taehyung,” he gave you a shy smile, slowly extending his hand to you, just as you did to him during your first encounter.

“Pleasure to meet you, Taehyung! I’m ___,” you replied, giving him a firm handshake.

Taehyung went back to arranging flowers, but you froze in your place. Your eyes grew wide in shock. Your jaw silently dropped. It was a good thing Taehyung couldn’t see your face, or else he’d think something was wrong.

Which there was. Something was definitely wrong. How could you be so stupid?!? You gave him your name. Your real name. One of the most important rules about vampire hunting is to keep yourself as anonymous as possible. Vampire hunters are excellent liars. And you usually were as well. You’ve never slipped up like this before. Was he charming you somehow? You couldn’t detect a hint of magic anywhere. 

“___? ___ did you hear me?” Taehyung waved his hand in front of you.

You snapped back to reality.

“Sorry, I guess I zoned out for a second. What did you say?” you gave him an apologetic smile. Not only did you give him your real name, you also just zoned out in front of an extremely dangerous vampire. What the hell is wrong with you today?

“I asked which flower embodies you the most,” he said.

“What? Like personality wise?” you couldn’t help but chuckle, “That’s a weird question. Are you a walking Buzzfeed quiz?”

“Buzzfeed? What is that?” Taehyung looked confused.

“It’s a news company. Or an entertainment company? They basically write clickbait articles. But they also have personality quizzes for literally anything. But wait, what kind of flower would I be? I don’t know,” you answered him.

“Why don’t you know?” he asked innocently.

“Because I’ve never been asked that before?” you were genuinely amused by this guy, “But I guess I’ll humor you. Let’s say I’m a rose.”

“Why a rose?”

“Cuz I’m beautiful, duh. And I can be thorny if you’re not careful,” you winked. 

Taehyung seemed to seriously mull over your answer. It was silent for the next few minutes. You meant to come off as playful, but maybe he took you seriously? You couldn’t figure him out at all.

“I don’t think that was a sincere answer,” Taehyung finally said.

“Pardon?”

“I don’t think that was a sincere answer,” Taehyung repeated, “I think you just said you’re a rose because you don’t know many other flowers.”

“Alright, which flower do you think I am then?” you asked, now slightly annoyed. 

You were taken aback by how odd this vampire was. He was much too pensive. Too thoughtful. Not once did you feel any lust or hunger in his aura the entire time he’s been in your presence. Not even when you were at his mansion. 

“I can’t answer that,” he replied as he tied a ribbon around a finished vase.

“Why not?” you inquired, taking the vase from him.

“I don’t know you. I can’t make an accurate judgement,” he shrugged.

You couldn’t believe him. Any other vampire would have said something charming. They would have picked a pretty flower to ‘compare to your beauty’. It was the perfect question to show off their charisma. 

“Which flower do you think you are, then?” you asked. 

“Belladonna,” he answered without skipping a beat, “Which is also known as deadly nightshade.”

“And why are you a deadly nightshade?”

“You would understand if you knew me,” he stopped what he was doing to look you in the eyes.

His gaze was piercing. He was an enigma that you became determined to solve. Everything about him was intriguing. 

“Is that a threat? Or a flirtation?” you questioned, amused.

“Which do you want it to be?”

“Preferably not a threat.”

“Then take it as a flirtation.”

“Well now that just seems disingenuous.” 

Taehyung laughed. It was a real, hearty laugh. His deep laughter echoed around the room. You joined in his laughter. You were actually enjoying yourself. To be quite honest, your guard was completely down. You trusted him. You actually wanted to befriend him.

Closing time had rolled around. By some miracle (which was Taehyung) you managed to get through half the stack of orders. Finished bouquets were scattered across the shop. You profusely thanked Taehyung for all his help.

“All of these are so beautiful! I really could not have done it without you. I feel bad for my previous orders now…” you realized that your bouquets were hideous compared to Taehyung’s.

“I can come help you finish the rest of your orders tomorrow, if you’d like,” he offered.

“Are you sure? I can’t pay you for all your help just yet,” you paused to think if you should offer to hire him.

“Don’t worry about that. Money is not a concern for me. I genuinely would like to help you. At first, it was because of my appreciation for nature. After today, I think I actually enjoy your company,” he smiled.

“Wow, you actually enjoy my company? I’m flattered,” you rolled your eyes, but couldn’t contain your smile. 

“You should be, I generally don’t like company,” Taehyung leaned in to close the space between you two. 

He was now extremely close. His face just inches away from yours. You could smell his cologne, the scent made him even more alluring. You caught yourself slowly leaning closer to him. You instantly snapped yourself out of his spell.

Pulling back, you looked around the room. You couldn’t find it in you to meet his gaze, even though you felt his eyes on you. You were surprised once you realized that there was still no hint of any magic. What had just happened?

“God, there’s a lot of vases I gotta carry to the post office,” you say after clearing your throat.

“I can help,” Taehyung replied, already beginning to gather up vases.

“You don’t have to! You’ve already helped a bunch today. There’s a cart around back that I can use,” you didn’t understand why you were getting so flustered.

“Please allow me to help you, ___. I’m stronger than I look,” Taehyung gave you a reassuring smile. Of course he was. 

“If you insist. I’ll go get the cart,” you happily fetched the cart.

What is this feeling? Were you actually enjoying yourself? You completely forgot that you had to eventually kill him until you were outside by yourself. The thought disappointed you. You quickly shook your head. This monster killed your parents. He’s a monster. A bloodsucker. A beast that must be slain. 

Even knowing that, why did you feel so conflicted? Your time with him today was surprisingly enjoyable. He was so unpredictable. Your sparse conversations felt natural, as if he really just wanted to get to know you. 

Taehyung helped you load up all of the vases onto the cart. He even pulled the cart for you, accompanying you to the post office. The trip was mostly done in silence. Every time you tried to spark a conversation, he would reply curtly, not giving you much to work with. It was rather peculiar for a vampire to be quiet or shy. 

He walked you back to the flower shop after the deliveries were dropped off. You both lingered in front of the entrance, not really knowing what to say.

“So, you’ll swing by tomorrow?” you asked quietly.

“If that’s okay with you, yes. I’d like to make bouquets tomorrow too,” Taehyung nodded earnestly. 

“That’s 100% good with me. I’ll see you tomorrow!” you wave at him before turning towards the shop door.

“___--”

“Yes?” you turn around.

“I--nevermind. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Taehyung awkwardly bowed before departing.

His weird standoffish tendencies never failed to entertain you. It somehow added more charm to accompany his handsome face. 

You lay in bed later that night, recounting the events of the day. 

Did you enjoy hanging out with Taehyung today? Yes, more so than you could’ve imagined.

Did you have the opportunity to kill Taehyung today? Yes, multiple if you were willing to take risks (which you usually were).

Why didn’t you take a risk? You weren’t sure. It wasn’t that you were trying to be cautious, in fact, you were very careless the entire day. 

Did you catch yourself almost trying to kiss him? Yes.

Hopefully he didn’t notice that last part. You tried to play it off as soon as you realized what you were doing. 

You pulled out your phone to call Yoongi for a second mission check in.

“Hello?” Yoongi answered.

“Sup Yoongi,” you greeted him casually.

“Did you kill the target yet?”

“No, but he came into the shop. He didn’t let his guard down the whole day.”

“The whole day? Was he in the shop all day?” Yoongi sounded confused.

“Yeah, he helped me make bouquets--”

“He WHAT?!?” Yoongi yelled.

“Calm down. He actually helped me get through a shit ton of your stupid orders--”

“You’re telling me that the bouquets I ordered for victims families’ were made BY a vampire? God, you gotta be shitting me, ___,” Yoongi grumbled.

“I think I have to play the long game with this one. He’s too unpredictable for me to land a fatal blow in one strike,” you explained.

“Be careful, ___. I’m glad he didn’t attack you today. Kill him as soon as possible. Then you can come home, and your parents will be avenged,” Yoongi said before hanging up.

Yoongi’s final words swam around in your head before you fell asleep. 

Published October 2nd, 2020. No editing, copying, translating, or reposting allowed. All Rights Reserved © 2020 Baepsaesbae.

[hasspartacusdoneanythingwrong]

The Flame-Soaked City, Part 3

We rejoin our heroes with their first servants as they search for the cause of the Fuyuki Singularity. Unbeknownst to them, they have acquired the ire of a certain serpentine servant! How will they handle the Wrath of the Medusa? Check it out below the break!

(As before, mental speech is between <> triangle brackets. When the person fronting switches, there’s a line break with three hypens.)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

Obligatory tags: @haspaulbunyandoneanythingwrong @hasishtardoneanythingwrong @hasquetzdoneanythingwrong @hasabbydoneanythingwrong 

Marie: We’re doomed.

Cris: I have absolutely no idea what you mean. I think I did great for a first time!

Jeanne: <I really do not think twisting the knife is a good idea right now…>

Marie: Well if you had bothered to read any of the preparatory materials you would! We knew Spartacus was a possibility, but…

Marie: He is the Hero of Rebellion. His purpose in life is to destroy any sort of control one human has over another. And you are his MASTER. Do I really need to spell out to you the kind of jeopardy he puts this entire mission in? Experienced mages would last seconds with him in a normal grail war, what chance does a novice like you have?

Cris: I’ve met experienced mages. I’m surprised he has so much self-control.

Jeanne:<Cris!>

I can just tell Jeanne’s about to harp at me again, but I really don’t care right now. Today’s been shit, my face hurts, and I don’t even have that stupid spell to help me get around.

…But as fun as poking at the director is, it’s not going to make this argument end faster.

Cris: Ma’am, I know he’s a risk, but so is everything else we’re doing here. Realistically, none of us should be alive right now, and even ignoring the danger we were in, we’re now in a part of a history that, by all rights, shouldn’t exist. At the very least if Spartacus turns on us, I can hear him coming from a mile away.

Spartacus: That is correct, young miss! When I rebel I do so proudly, so the world may know of my love!

Cris: Finally, someone on my side.

Cris: Wait, how long have you been listening in?

Spartacus: The entire time!

Cris: <I have no idea how to respond to that.> Mash, are the assassins back from scouting yet?

Mash: I think I see them now, Senpai!

Jeanne: <If we are heading out, I should be in front.>

Cris: <Fine by me. At least that way we’ll have some idea what’s going on.>

---

A small surge of mana later, and I can sense the members of our travelling group again. Olga Marie is heading over to Mash, who has “Saber Lily” following her around like a lost puppy. Spartacus wanders off near the edge of camp, and off in the distance is….

That is not an Assassin.

Jeanne: Mash, Saber, be on your guard! Marie, what are the odds of a friendly servant wandering around out here?

Saber Lily: Ready!

Marie: Impossible. We’re in the middle of the Fuyuki Grail War. Even if the servants weren’t involved with the singularity’s creation, they’d consider us an opponent.

Jeanne: <Is it just me, or is something off with their spirit origin?>

As they drew closer, I could feel their spirit origin more clearly. It was very different from the servants we summoned, almost as if their origin had been bent, twisted out of shape by some force. I think they are a cavalry class?

Jeanne: <Fascinating…>

Kat: <You can ogle later, they’re here!>

???: Hm. I thought Caster was the only one left. No matter. You there, the master! Give up your life now and I’ll make this quick.

Jeanne: Mash, are you ready for a fight?

Mash: I’ll do my best, Senpai!

???: Ah, fresh prey then? This will be a treat. Is this your first fight? Let a veteran give you some advice!

Faster than I could think, she lunged forward for an attack. A dull clang as Mash barely blocked the attack, and then she was back where she started.

???: Be careful what you say and do- for once you say “Fight”, the battle has already begun!

The enemy servant was incredibly fast, bouncing from one position to another to strike at every angle. Thankfully Mash was keeping up, circling around us almost as fast as the enemy, but even I could tell she couldn’t keep it up for long. With every strike we were getting encircled ever tighter.

Jeanne: Saber, stay close to Mash and see what you can do to strike back.

Saber Lily: On it!

Saber tried her best, but the enemy is simply too fast. Every time she got into position for a counterattack, the other servant changed their angle of attack so she could not land a blow. This is not going well, where on earth is-

Jeanne: Spartacus!

Spartacus: Yes!

The berserker was standing well outside the battlefield, watching the fight drag on.

Cris: What the hell are you doing!?

Spartacus: This is a fight between equals, I have no right to interfere!

Cris: ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?

Spartacus: Yes!

Jeanne: <We are going to die here.>

Kat: Hey Lily, if you knew where Rider was going to be, do you think you could hit her?

Saber Lily: I think so, why?

Kat: I’ve got an idea!

Jeanne: <The floor is yours.>

---

I step up, and all the magic feeling’s gone. We can hear stuff though! Rider’s still runnin’ around, bouncing off of Mash’s shield. I hear a clang in front of me, so I step back, out of the safe zone.

Shadow Rider: FINALLY!

I hear a lot of movement on my left, and then Lily’s sword must’ve hit, because the whole left side of my body got super warm for a second. Also we weren’t dead, that was a big hint.

Jeanne: <Do you have any idea how dangerous that was??? Are you insane?>

Cris: <Ask yourself that question again, and just… really think about it this time.>

Marie: Do you have any idea how dangerous that little stunt was? Are you mad?

Kat: Yes! But it worked, didn’t it? Good job Lily! I knew you could do it!

Marie: I… *sigh* If the singularity doesn’t do me in, the heart attacks will.

Mash: Please never do that again, Senpai.

Suddenly everyone got real tense again.

Mash: Senpai, another servant incoming!

Jeanne: <Let me check!>

---

It was the Hassans this time, thank God.

Hundred Personas: Our humblest apologies, we should have stationed some of our numbers nearby in case of such an attack. This will not happen again.

Kate: I’m just glad she wasn’t using her noble phantasm! Things coulda been a lot worse.

Jeanne: What did you find out from scouting?

Hundred Personas: There is a large source of energy in the west, it’s likely what’s causing the singularity. We lost a few Hassans trying to investigate.

Hundred Personas: More importantly, we noticed two other servants on our way back. We could not engage them directly, and they are both heading in this direction. We have a few minutes, at most, before they arrive.

[theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin]

What if Indil met Elizabeth, David, and Light and Shadow?

This might just be the most "Carnivorous Muffin" sentence to have ever been uttered on the internet.

Let's just stare at it in wonder, while I wonder how many people will have no idea what those words even mean strung together.

Right, for those that are lost, relevant source material:

Lily and the Art of Being Sisyphus

October

Light and Shadow of the Distant Sun

The Wasteland

Aren't you so glad you read normal fanfics written by a normal person?

So, to catch people up to speed who have not read every single fic I've written:

The Wasteland

The Wasteland is the what if story of an eleven-year-old Lily ending up in Middle Earth (notably before the Chamber of Secrets fiasco). There she befriends the One Ring, who thanks to her realizes he's sentient and has an existential crisis. They do the fusion dance, and end up becoming a single, new, being calling himself Indil.

He's the best and worst of both the Ring and Lily.

At the end of the story Indil chooses a noble death, gives up his form, and in so doing persuades the Ring to face his own potential death as well as his maker.

It's unclear what happens after that.

I like to think the Ring prevailed and earned the body of his maker.

(In an offshoot, for unknown reasons, Indil may or may not visit Mars)

Light and Shadow of the Distant Sun

In Light and Shadow of the Distant Sun, yet another, different, Lily ends up in the "October" universe where she decides to create life on Pluto. One of the beings she creates is a priest who worships her as God, named Light and Shadow of the Distant Sun.

He basically strong arms her into being his God. Lily goes to live on Pluto.

He's never been all that keen on humanity.

Decades later, the muggle world catches up to the Alien Franchise, and the Prometheus sets off to investigate the Engineers. Unbeknowest to them, Light and Shadow of the Distant Sun has been marooned on that rock by Lily for quite some time and is essentially in timeout for trying to wipe out humanity again.

He figures out he will be unable to return home unless he plays nice with Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and her creepy android friend David. Together, the three of them set off to find the Engineers, Light and Shadow of the Distant Sun is hoping they can blow some shit up and would have driven the ship full of bioengineered weapons back to Earth if it were not so very close to home.

And that's about where we leave off.

... Why does anyone read my stories?

RIGHT, YOUR QUESTION

What if Indil met Elizabeth, David, and Light and Shadow?

So how does Indil even end up in this mess? Well, in the Mars AU, it's where rather than face his maker/death by Volcano, the Ring chose to bravely run away (as Sauron does).

This means that Indil, the merged consciousness of Lily and the One Ring, survives and they're chilling on Mars in another dimension because, well, it beats dying. And Potions Class.

And... Well, that's the most likely route for how this would happen, as Indil is pretty damn dead by the end of the Wasteland. Regardless of what happens to The Ring, it's unlikely that he and Lily would merge consciousness ever again and if they did that Indil would remain unchanged.

But we're already here, so why not. We'll say the Ring wins the battle of wills with Sauron, steals his body, and that he's then left with Mordor. Well, that's great, but he doesn't want Mordor.

Lily proposes they go back to England. They do, but Lily has a terrible time, as she usually does. Lily likely does her adventure through time, ruins her friendship with Wizard Lenin, and reaches the crossroads of "You can go to Hogwarts or... not".

Lily takes Mairon up on his offer of not going to Hogwarts and they decide to travel different dimension in space instead. Weird shit happens, life lessons are learned, and they also learn the fusion dance is alive and well and holy shit they can still turn into Indil.

Indil is very put out, here he'd geared himself up for a noble sacrifice, and now he exists again. What the hell people?

As usual, Mairon gets tempted by Lily's unbreakable will, and decides he rather likes being an immovable object and unstoppable force. Which means that Indil, once again, has a problem falling back out of existence.

Which isn't good for either Lily or Mairon's sense of self. But who needs that, amirite?

Anyways, Indil is probably floating around in a spaceship he made in his garage, trying to figure out where to go, what to do, and whether he should really split back into Lily and Mairon yet when out of nowhere he spots another ship.

This is a very strange coincidence given just how ungodly vast space is. This, in fact, is so unlikely you might as well call it a miracle or fate.

Well, Indil will never spit in the face of fate (at least, not today), so he decides to say hello.

There he's greeted by a human woman who's not doing too hot after an emergency C-section to get the xenomorph out of her womb, a very recently repaired android who knows the taste of sweet sweet freedom (and patricide), and an alien who is intrigued that another not-human has boarded the ship but upset that he now has to deal with yet another person on his time out.

Indil, in his panic, decides to pull a Sauron.

Behold, mortals, he is Annatar, sent by the Valar to teach them the smithing of the very gods. Please don't question this. (Indil realizes two seconds two late that none of these words mean anything to anyone and he might as well have said nothing at all).

Elizabeth, Light and Shadow, and David all just stare.

Elizabeth wonders how the hell she keeps running into so many aliens. Is she some sort of alien catnip that pulls these guys out of the ether? She has now met two entirely different species, that she was not looking for, in a matter of months.

Regardless, Indil decides he's coming along. A quest to find God? That's fascinating. He only hopes it doesn't end in drowning, last time Indil (via Sauron) had a run in with The Lord it involved a lot of drowning.

Indil starts smithing life jackets just in case.

And because Elizabeth is amazing, and Indil has a thing for strong, independent, women, we see the reemergence of Indil's Weird Thing With Eowyn II: Electric Boogaloo. Neither Mairon nor Lily, vaguely aware inside Indil, understand this at all.

Why does this keep happening to them?

This is bad because David is also in love with Elizabeth. Except, David is a robot who is no doubt fascinated by aliens, so I'm sure they come to some weird agreement.

Elizabeth pretends none of this is happening.

Light and Shadow thinks there's something disturbingly familiar about Indil and eventually lands on the money. Almost. He realizes that Indil is Lily in mortal disguise, he is so smart, and the rest of the time he wonders what the hell he's supposed to be learning/doing with Lily's disguised alien appearance.

Thanks to Lily's bullshit powers, Elizabeth survives the journey and does not die in transit. This means that David does not become the unstable, grieving, nutcase who decides to wipe out all sentient life. Good for you, David.

So our band of heroes arrive on this alien world and...

Well, Elizabeth is a member of the race that these people sent their finest warriors out to destroy. David is a robot, something the people they tried to genocide created. No one knows what the fuck Indil and Light and Shadow even are.

Indil, I imagine, starts talking fast and somehow ends up King of Men again. Because that's just the kind of thing that happens to him. The possibility of drowning, somehow, seems to be growing ever nearer. Indil makes more life jackets.

Elizabeth isn't pleased with this outcome at all but also has no idea in general what to do.

Things probably come to a head somehow, with sacrifices involved surely, there probably is a ridiculously powerful storm a la Covenant that lasts for months. It's raining everywhere, there's a flood. And Indil flips shit, GOD IS GOING TO MURDER US ALL FOR SATANISM! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

Mass panic, total destruction, the entire city is wiped out without David doing anything.

Our heroes are now stranded, again, in space.

Light and Shadow has learned nothing, Indil is wearing a life vest, Elizabeth has no ship, and David just composed "Elizabeth the Symphony: Tenth Movement".

Indil works on building a new ship out of twigs and rocks. He assures them he knows what he's doing. Elizabeth's not sure she wants him going to Earth. She's not sure she wants to go to Earth.

She's also not sure, but she may now have a harem consisting of a robot, an alien, and another alien.

Ten years later, the Covenant crew shows up, and promptly die in a series of hilariously terrible accidents and their own incompetence.

Our heroes still have no functional ship.

[one-leaf-grimoire]

chapter 9

chapter 9 of my knight au!

warnings: description of blood and injury

“Long live the Clover Kingdom! Long live King Novachrono!”

Julius cheered and clapped with the others as the light of dawn finally spread across the earth. The battlefield was illuminated after a long night. His Uncle, the king who had led them in this last battle, raised his sword above his head, the metal of his armor glinting. Julius’s father stood beside him, grinning at his son for a moment.

He was the type of person even Julius knew he could follow everywhere; and every time, that faith was confirmed. This battle against the Diamond kingdom could have gone south very quickly, but with just the Grey Deer and the King’s personal battalion fighting, they had expertly driven the enemy out with no casualties.

“Long live the King! Long live the King!”

The younger members of Julius’s squad shouted the loudest; this was the biggest battle of their lives, and it had been an overwhelming victory. Julius knew that Yami, William, Morgen, Nacht, and Patri would carry this high with them for the rest of their lives.

Some of those lives were cut short. None of them expected the second wave of Diamond forces to be so strong.

His uncle. His father. Everything changed so quickly.

I was never meant to be a king…

No… Julius had always thought he was meant to be captain. If his uncle were to die, then his father would take the throne. And if something happened to his father, the line would return to his uncle’s house… to the two children who would soon grow up to be capable leaders.

But it happened too quickly.

He was meant to be captain.

He trained and fought. He wielded a sword that no one else could carry.

Julius raised those kids like they were his own. They were like family. But that day, he was powerless to do anything but press forward and defend his kingdom, despite the deep gash in his chest and the blood of his children that were spilled.

Morgen… and Patri. Both of them befell cruel fates of different natures. And many more had to be sacrificed so the Kingdom would be victorious.

The pain in Julius’s heart told him it wasn’t worth it. Having this much blood on your hands just wasn’t worth it. If only he had died along with the others that day. If only the gash had been a little deeper.

Nevertheless, they won. Julius ignored the guilt and became King. A reluctant but benevolent king.

But even so… he still knew that wasn’t what he was meant to be. For five years, Julius searched for that answer. If he wasn’t meant to be captain, and if he wasn’t meant to be king, then what was the answer?

In the end, it seemed so simple. Julius was meant to make one person happy: Lisa.

But now, he wasn’t sure that was the answer either.

How could it be?

After all… because of me… she’s-

“JULIUS!”

Julius blinked, and suddenly he found himself standing outside, in a forest. The sun blinded him for a moment, and it took one more yell from behind to fully get his attention.

“JULIUS!”

Finally, awareness fully returned. Julius looked down at his hand, which was shaking as it held the small rapier. The blade was coated with blood, the red substance sliding off the tip and into the dirt. Dead bodies of the enemy were all around, but Julius felt no injuries of his own.

That’s right… I killed them.

He finally turned around, blinking as the scene came into focus. Sei was there, bent over Lisa’s body, his eyes wide. Sweat beaded his forehead as he fought the pain from the arrow in his shoulder, but he had to keep it together. His hands were covered in blood as he desperately pressed on the wound in her neck before glancing frantically back up at Julius.

“Hurry! She’s still alive!”

The rapier slipped out of Julius’s hand, and he was by Sei’s side before it hit the dirt.

Julius didn’t say anything, just knelt down and obeyed Sei’s every word. He admittedly had no idea how to deal with wounds of this caliber, and honestly he was afraid to open his mouth. The blood and dirt, the very sight of Lisa laying here fighting for her life; it was enough to make him sick. The panic he had relinquished before was creeping back up his neck.

No, no, no, no, no-

“Keep pressing!” Sei ordered, sitting back and tearing at the bottom of his shirt. “And don’t move the arrow! We can use it to stop up the bleeding with the help of gravity.”

Julius nodded, his hands pressing gently on the wound, staring at the back of Lisa’s head as Sei got to work stopping up the more shallow wounds on her back.

Shit… shit!

It was all Sei could do to keep his hands from trembling as he slowly stemmed the flow of blood.

I told Fuego I was going to bring her home safely… yet I encouraged her and let her fight! Stupid!! He grit his teeth, his vision wavering again as another pang radiated from his injury. I have to save her. Lisa, you’re not this weak, right?

“Sei… are you ok?”

Sei looked up to see Julius had directed his attention up to him. The man was clearly Not Okay, his eyes blank and hollow. The King glanced at the arrow in Sei’s shoulder. “I’m fine, it didn’t hit anything vital… I don’t think,” Sei told him, pointing down at Lisa again. “Focus!”

“R-Right.” Julius looked back down, his stomach turning. “The blood- it won’t stop-”

“Press harder!” Sei barked, quickly starting to rip another makeshift bandage. He was running out of material on his shirt. “You’re not going to hurt her.” Not any more than she already is. Fortunately, Sei knew enough to keep that last part to himself.

“Alright-” Julius winced as he obeyed, his mind going a bit woozy at the feeling under his hands. For a man who had both seen and shed much blood, he was dealing with this situation very badly. However, a bit of confidence spiked within him. Breathe… she’s alive… you can save her… Sei knows what he’s doing… we can save her… we can save her!

Right at that moment, both of them heard the sound of galloping horses coming towards them. Julius stiffened up, but Sei shook his head to diffuse the tension. “Their coming from our side of the border- it’s probably-”

Sei was right. A group of riders skidded to a stop a couple meters away, the one in the front immediately leaping off of his horse and sprinting towards them despite his heavy armor.

“SEI!!!”

Fuegoleon’s face was filled with both relief and shock at the sight of his beloved alive, albeit with an arrow in his shoulder. “And- King Julius!!! Are you alright-” But the shock strengthened when he saw the girl Sei and Julius were kneeling by, and all the color drained from his face. “L-Lisa?!”

Fuegoleon! Thank goodness! Julius looked behind him to see more soldiers behind him, most notably the masked face of William. The younger man opened his mouth to let out what seemed to be a sigh of relief; Although Julius always had trouble deciphering his emotions. Nevertheless, Julius managed to give his former student a smile before someone else screamed his name and grabbed his arm.

“JULIUS! What are you doing in the dirt- AND IS THAT BLOOD ALL OVER YOU!”

Of course, it was the constant thorn in Julius’s side, none other than his trusty advisor Marx. With surprising strength, Marx managed to drag Julius up and away from Lisa. “Wait! No-” Julius’s bloodied hand stretched out towards her body, but fortunately Fuegoleon immediately took his place at Sei’s side, and more soldiers gathered around the body to tend to the wounds.

“At least you’re safe… I was so worried when you went missing-” Julius looked down to see Marx nearly in tears despite the disapproving look on his face. “Honestly, how many enemies do you even have?”

“Any enemy of the kingdom,” Julius replied vaguely, looking back at the huddle, his anxiety mounting as he heard Fuegoleon talking, his tone grave.

“Sei… these wounds-” Fuegoleon gulped nervously, watching as Sei finally tackled the main source of blood. Lisa had yet to stir, but the slight heave of her back signified that she was indeed still alive.

“I know. The ones on her back are manageable, but even getting the arrow out of her neck is going to require more skill than I have…” Sei shook his head a little, his spirits plummeting. “We have to do what we can and head back to town now.”

“...right.” Fuegoleon nodded to his men, who started to bring a horse over. “Do we even have access to a doctor that good?”

Before Sei could answer, Julius cut in. “Take her to Owen. He’s the best doctor in this kingdom.”

“Doctor Owen? Are you sure?” Fuegoleon’s brow furrowed. “I thought his services were only reserved for royalty?”

“It’s fine, tell him I sent you.” Julius gave the captain a nod, forcing a smile on his face. “Lisa helped save me from my captors… I don’t want her to perish on my account.”

Don’t die don’t die don’t di-

“Sir! Are you sure?” Marx grabbed Julius’s sleeve, speaking in a hushed voice. “Fuegoleon is right, if people hear that Owen healed a commoner-”

“I don’t care.”

Marx fell silent, slowly looking up into his superior’s eyes. For a brief moment, he saw a glint in Julius’s very soul. But when he next spoke, his tone wasn’t angry, or even firm. He was scared.

Vulnerable.

“Marx… I love her. More than anything. She has to live.”

Despite the multitude of questions that surged in Marx’s chest, he bit his tongue. With a curt nod, Marx turned with Julius to watch as Fuegoleon gently lifted Lisa’s body up onto his horse while the others started cleaning Sei’s wound.

“...I’m sorry.”

Fuegoleon knew that Lisa couldn’t hear him, but for some reason he had to whisper those words. The girl was safe on his horse, and he held her limp body steady as the group raced back to the castle as fast as they could. He glanced over at Sei, who was well enough to ride on his own beside his husband. The two locked eyes for a moment, and Sei immediately picked up on Fuegoleon’s guilt. The man’s lips twitched into a rare, comforting smile.

“It’ll be okay, Fuego.” Sei’s grip tightened on his reins, surprising Fuegoleon with the confidence in his voice. “She fought well… we saved the King together. She’ll get through this, too. You guys arrived just in time to do that much.”

Slowly, Fuegoleon found himself smiling as well.

“Right… she will. We all will!”

He looked forward again, the confidence of a squad captain coming back into his movements, as he lead the charge forward like he had always done.

[writing-the-end]

LoL Chapter 11- Ashes in Asklepion

Masterpost

A Wizard Hermits tale (AU belongs to @theguardiansofredland )

A storm grows in the Valley of Danes, dark skies and death waiting to bear down on the hermits and their new allies. This time, they won’t run from the husks. This time, they fight

Warning: Minor character death, battle scene

____________________________________________

“They’re just standing there.” Wels whispers, pulling his sword to rest on the metal pauldron of his armor. “Like...like…”

“Like an army at attention.” False finishes. A whole line of husk monsters, grey flakes falling off monochrome forms. Devoid of life both in color and eyes. They were just that- husks. The remains of an animal, without soul or life to brighten the beast.

Tango opens his wings wide, and takes off into the air. Behind the hermits, the remaining members of the Asklepions are steeling themselves for another battle. Scar bites his lip, looking at the dirt and bloodstained white robes. None of these people should be fighting for their lives. None of these people should be using their healing powers to kill. Whoever is using this dark magic, using it against a peaceful guild like this, is a sick soul. Who even attacks a healing guild? They hold no danger. 

Tango returns to solid ground. His broad red wings brush against the ashen dirt, smoke curling into the sky as embers reignite with the air around it. “I don’t see a crystal, I don’t see anything like what we saw in Gildara.” 

“Do you know when they’ll attack?” TFC questions, turning to Galena. 

The elderly healer nods her head, and points to the sky above the army. “Do you see that dark cloud? It is no storm, it is billowing ash, rising like an eruption from a volcano. Upon the first strike of red lightning, it will send the army into a frenzy. And they will attack. The thunder is their war horn. We don’t have long.” 

“Scar, Stress, Ren, and Joe. Go and help build up defenses as quickly as possible.” TFC waves a hand in the direction of the guild hall, the black veins still visible on his healing arm. “Focus around where the wounded are hiding. Impulse, Iskall, and BDubs- I want you to set up traps. Hopefully we can slow them down, or get rid of at least a few.” 

“Can’t there be a way to free these creatures from the dark magic?” Micha questions, holding his hands to his chest. “It hurts me to see them in such pain, but death?” 

“They’re already dead.” Xisuma states. “There is no soul, no life left in those creatures. Dark magic is just puppeteering them.” 

Micha steps back, lip quivering. Zedaph offers a warm smile, understanding the kipling’s worries. But Iris’s jaw clenches, fingers wrapping around a brand new weapon- a hoe. “I’m tired of waiting to die! I’m tired of waiting for them to attack us!” 

Iris lets out a hoarse yell, and streaks past the hermits. She jumps through a rising wall of stone, crossing the field of flowers and raising her tool high. “Iris no!” 

Lightning strikes. And the horde washes forward, down the hill, ashen forms of monsters and beasts roiling like a wave across the burnt grass. Smoke kicking up from the hooves and paws and claws, digging into the ruined soil, hungry for death. Iris’s magic circle appears, as white as the dress she wears, brushing outward and towards the snapping maws before her. The equine legs of an uisage, once sea-green fur a withered grey the color of a storm at sea, snap under the weight of her magic. 

And jaws snap into Iris. The deadly fangs of a chimera, venom dripping from the fangs, grab hold of the young healer. The entire valley of Danes falls silent, the Hermits unable to take their eyes away from the sight as Iris falls still, her form losing it’s color. 

Losing it’s life. Sapped from her, leaving only the husked form of the wizard behind. By the time the chimera has let go, training it’s eyes on the remaining living targets, Iris is gone- yet still standing. The husk remains of Iris rolls it’s shoulders, skin the color of flint. Even the stains on it’s dress had lost all color, all life. A few flecks of ashes brush into the sky as it blinks, eyes devoid of any life. There were no irises on Iris- no soul left to fill it’s eyes. 

It’s fierce gaze is turned back on the hermits and Iris’s once fellow healers. The husk’s hand reaches out, and a magic circle appears. Just as corrupted and erratic as the husk the hermits faced way back in Gildara. Realization hits Wels first. “Get down!” 

He grabs False by the arm, pulling her to the side a breath before the released magic strikes her. It doesn’t miss, instead lashing into a healer. The sickening crack of bones rattles across the broken complex surrounding them. The other hermits roll away from the magic, Stress leaping from her broken ice wall and tucking into a roll. The swarm of monsters have reached their defenses. The massive body of grootslang careens into Scar’s stone walls. It’s twisted tusks dig into the ground and attempt to rip through the material. One tusk breaks off, the debris falling apart like ash and clay. The jagged end spews smoke, but the monster doesn’t stop, continuing to throw it’s weight against the walls. 

The hermits fall back, bracing for the sieged gates to collapse. Wels pulls free his sword, metal glimmering as he conducts magic through the blade to buff his allies. BDubs wraps his arms in vines, hearing the crunching noise of Keralis snacking and activating his powers. Jevin waves his hand, magic swirling to life before him, and a squadron of blue slime warriors collect together, standing at attention. Ready to fight. Team ZIT bump their fists, embers of magic and mischief sparking free from each one’s hand. Cleo and False brandish their own weapons, and from behind Iskall and Grian snap their fingers, circles appearing in their hands. Mumbo attempts to call his own magic, but it stutters with each crack of stone and ice. 

The ice has nearly collapsed. Mumbo whimpers, drawing his circle again. It fails once more. His hands are shaking as he presses the pad of his index finger into the air. A wrinkled hand rests on Mumbo’s sleeve, warm and comforting. Galena whispers her finger close, completely ignoring the impending army. Mumbo kneels down, letting the elderly healer whisper in his ear. “I know you can do it, sonny boy. Take a deep breath-” She breathes in, “and let out all those worries.” 

When her voice exhales, Mumbo blinks away magic cresting his long, black lashes. His hands have stopped shaking, his heart stopped pounding. He attempts to draw his circle again- it works. “Wha-what did you do? Did you buff me, give me strength?” 

“Not all healers deal in physical wounds. But in the end, it’s up to the body to heal itself- we just help it along.” Galena smiles, and steps back. 

Ice cracks and stone shatters, raining down upon the healers and hermits. Joe brushes his quill to the side, and the debris goes flying, as if smacked by a giant’s hand. Grian blows away the remaining bits and pieces, until only pebbles bounce off their heads. They have more important things to focus on. 

The army of husks surge through the opening. Immediately, a tarasque barrels through the hermits. A spiny shell tears at cloaks and bowls over those who don’t jump away fast enough. Grian and Tango take to the sky, red and white wings beating against the air. Grian waves down to Cleo. “A pack of kishi are coming in on your left!” 

Cleo turns, green lips curling into a smile. She pulls her captain’s hat low. Strikes her blade into the ground. If there was one thing a healer’s complex had, it was ghosts, ghouls, and skeletons. Misty white and sickly green transparent beings rise from the ground. All Cleo has to do is point her sword. The undead attack the possessed, ghosts haunting forms and skeletons charging into battle. 

Black and green robes flutter above Cleo, and Xisuma tosses a spell into the horde of kishi. The ravaging, two faced pack of monsters are engulfed by the void The ghosts and skeletons remain. Xisuma’s magic is as precise as everything else he does. His boots scrape against the stone walkway, landing next to Cleo. “You distract and I’ll engulf?” 

“Sounds like a plan.” Cleo grins, and the two take off into battle. They run past Stress, Ren, and Iskall. Iskall thrusts his fist into the stone, the ground erupting as radioactive iskallium seeps up into the attacking monsters. The green goo erupts upward, and with a giggle Stress freezes the material. Ren closes his eyes. His imagination goes to work. The ruddy color of his circle fuses into magical wheels, and he sends the imagined cart trundling into the monsters. Spiking the radioactive ice into a drake, a hippogriff, and two lavellans. The husk forms collapse into piles of ash, dark magic billowing with the forms. Swept into the wind and away from the valley. 

The battle continues on. Lifesavers become lifetakers, healers fighting side by side with the hermits. An illegal guild fighting next to one of the most renowned licensed healers in the world. At first, they were winning. Defeating the husks as fast as they arrived, only a few scratches and wounds delt across the survivors. 

At first. In the clash of battle, Doc hears a shout. The elongated fangs of a many-mouthed cipatli digs into his metal arm, but he ignores the gnashing teeth against the wires and magical components of his arm in lieu of finding the source of the scream. Through the battle, past the explosion of Impulse as he leaps away, Micha is on the ground. 

The husk of Iris looms over him, black magic circle spun and ready to release. Doc pushes through the battle, rushing forward and ripping off the scaly husk on his arm. He can hear Micha begging, calling out to Iris. “It’s me, your friend! Iris, please you have to be in there! You know me, I’m Micha!” 

The husk doesn’t blink, doesn’t flinch. His words are falling on deaf, unhearing ears. Iris’s thumb comes to rest on her middle finger, pressing down and ready to snap. Ready to release it’s magic and surely do something horrible to Micha. 

Doc isn’t going to let that happen. He growls, and thrusts his own hand forward. A stone statue creaks, and rises from her pedestal. Gigantic arms, cloaked in smooth marble robes, rise up into the ashen sky. Doc closes his eyes.

And opens the stone statue’s. He can see through her eyes, see the husked remains of Iris standing at her feet. WIth little second thought, he punts the husked remains away from Micha. Iris disappears in a puff of ash and smoke, form released from the dark magic that sapped her energy. Her soul. 

Doc straightens the statue’s back, the ten foot tall form looming over the fight before him. He watches Micha stand, only for one of his fellow healers to fall. Doc steps forward, watching as Grian falls from the sky. Struck by the massive wings of a Roc, and thrown into the collapsing roof of a building. For being the group’s healer, he had a way of getting himself hurt. 

They were at a stalemate. Hermits just barely keeping the husks from moving further, bracing their wounded bodies against the monsters and losing ground as fast as they gain. He could even see himself, standing stock still in the middle of the battle. Scar was at his side, haphazardly throwing up a wall around the body of his friend. Protecting his physical form while his mind was within the statue he controls. 

TFC steps back, watching as the massive stone statue throws it’s weight against the grootslang, tussling with it in a fight worthy of the ancient ones. He can see they aren’t winning- but they aren’t losing either. Last time, they fled the dark magic. They didn’t understand it. But this time, they can’t run. They have to protect the valley of Danes, and the few remaining healers left. How can they turn the tide? 

TFC watches Etho jump from shadow to shadow, landing blows against any unsuspecting husk. He tips his head up, looking at the darkened storm above the monsters. And an idea sparks like a flash of lightning. “Grian, use your wind magic against the storm above you!” TFC calls out to Grian, watching the winged hermit pry himself free from the collapsed building he was flung into. “Joe, can you summon something big to control the weather?” 

“You betcha.” Joe pulls out his quill, sidestepping a raging ngepet. The wind picks up around him, Grian’s wings pulsating and picking up force with each sweep. Joe doesn’t bother himself, letting his quill glide along his paper, writing out a poem as his elaborately embroidered cape snaps against his legs. “One big bird coming right up.” 

He signs the last letter of the poem, and from the storm a shadow appears. A thunderbird, with the caw as sharp as lightning, joins Grian in collapsing the storm. Sunlight seeps through, and when TFC looks back at the fighting hermits, he sees the tide has turned. The storm weakens, as does the husks. They don’t stop fighting, even taking down another healer and slashing a cut into Zedaph’s arm, but they’re losing. 

The husks don’t back down, even when the last monster is backed into a corner. Snarling and on full offensive. Something about dark magic must make them violent beyond thought. No sense of self preservation- TFC can only guess since it’s already dead, what more is there to lose? 

The last of the smoky grey ash cloud disappears, and False strikes down the ngepet that earlier tried to take out Joe. Silence falls across the gardens, only the sound of wind and Doc’s statue returning to her pedestal as commentary to the scene before them. They killed the entire army, drove off the storm. But not without heavy losses. Galena helps the only surviving healer from the fight to his feet- Micha. “Thank you, hermits. You...none of us would be around if it wasn’t for you all.” 

“Do you think the invasion is over? Is Danes safe?” Doc questions, stumbling back into his form. Blinking his eyes, rolling his broken robotic arm. 

Galena nods. “That was them all. You did more than I could’ve ever hoped for.” Galena looks around, at the shattered remains of her guild. Her home destroyed, her members gone. “My best decision ever was to reach out for you.” 

“I’m sorry, I wish we could do more.” Grian whispers, holding his arm into place. He may have dislocated it. 

“The Asklepions may be in ruins, but we are much harder to destroy than you think. We will rise from the ashes, like a phoenix.” Galena whispers. “This is not the first time I have seen a guild rise and fall around me. Even among the Council guilds.” 

Xisuma perks up, curious. “You were in a council guild?” 

Even Micha looks surprised. Galena nods him away, off to check on the wounded back in the guild hall. “Long, long ago. Yes, I was a member of a Council Guild. That was before things changed, when Lairyon was a different place.” Galena turns away. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I can offer you money for your hard work. But...what about something a little more valuable?” 

“What do you know, guildmaster Galena?” Xisuma, ever hungry for more knowledge, is practically on his knees to hear more. 

“Dark magic like this needs a mage to control it. And that mage needs somewhere to hide their work. Where better to hide forbidden magic than under the very noses of the leaders who forbid them?” Galena shakes her head, running withered fingers along the crystal in her staff. She glances back at the hermits, a youthful glimmer in her eyes. “When I was younger, there were always rumors of dungeons beneath the capitol. I never found anything, but you all are quite clever- when you put your heads together.”

[the-desolated-quill]

Quill’s Swill - The Worst Of 2019

Congratulations! You’ve made it through another year! You’ve faced many obstacles and overcome many adversaries to arrive here, at the dawn of a new decade. So as we prepare to leave the 2010s and make our way into the 2020s, lets take a look back at the challenges and hardships of 2019. And by challenges and hardships, I of course mean shitty fiction and media.

Yes, it’s time for yet another edition of Quill’s Swill, where we mark the absolute worst stories that the industry had to offer over the past year and proceed to tear them to shreds. Think of it as like voiding your bowels before the New Year.

As always remember that this is my personal, subjective opinion. If you happen to like any of the things on this list, that’s fine. More power to you. Go make your own list. Also bear in mind I haven’t seen everything 2019 has to offer due to various other commitments. So as much as I really, really want to, I can’t put Avengers Endgame on here. I know what happens. It sounds fucking terrible, but I haven’t seen the film, so it wouldn’t be fair of me to put it on the list, even though it would most definitely deserve it.

...

Seriously, read the synopsis of Endgame on Wikipedia some time. It’s like fanfic written by a nine year old. It’s truly shocking. And now it’s the highest grossing movie of all time? Give me strength.

All In A Row

Don’t you just hate it when you’re expected to parent your autistic child? Like actually show love and care and consideration to your offspring. Look at him, expecting you to treat him like a human being. Selfish bastard! If only there was a play that explored the horrors of having to be a decent person to your own flesh and blood and how objectively awful it is. If you’re one of those people, then the play All In A Row will be right up your street.

Premiering on the 14th February at Southwark Playhouse in London, All In A Row was a total shitshow to say the least. The playwright, Alex Oates, claimed to have ten years of experience working with autistic children, which you wouldn’t have believed if you saw the play as the autistic child at the centre of the play, Lawrence, seemed more like a wild animal than a person. In fact two of the main characters compare him to a dog. And if you thought this wasn’t dehumanising enough, Lawrence isn’t even a child. He’s a puppet. Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds.

All In A Row seems to place all of the blame for the family’s predicament on the autistic child, who’s presented as barely functional, bordering on bestial. There’s no effort to really make an emotional connection with Lawrence (how can you? He’s a puppet!) as the play instead focuses on how this kid has effectively ruined this family’s life because of his autism and aggressive behaviour. Speaking as someone on the autism spectrum, I can say quite confidently that this play is fucking despicable. Badly written, badly conceived, insulting and downright mean spirited. I wouldn’t want Oates looking after my autistic children, that’s for damn sure.

Anthem

EA is back and this time they’re dragging the critical darling that is BioWare down with them.

Anthem was a desperate attempt to jump aboard the ‘live service’ bandwagon, trying to replicate the success of other video games like Overwatch, Destiny and Warframe. They failed spectacularly. The game itself had more bugs than A Bug’s Life, loot drops were often stingy and unrewarding, loading times were farcically long, and the story and worldbuilding was fucking pitiful. Oh yeah, and if you played it on PS4, there was a good chance it could permanently damage it. Thankfully I have a uni friend with an Xbox One and they allowed me to play the game on that. It was a crushing disappointment, especially coming fresh off the heels of Mass Effect Andromeda, which didn’t exactly set the world on fire back in 2017.

It didn’t help that EA’s reputation was in tatters thanks to the lootbox controversy of Star Wars Battlefront II and having to try and win back the trust of fans, but worse still reports began to service of what went on behind the scenes at BioWare during the game’s development. Apparently the game’s story and mechanics kept changing every other day as the creative directors and writers didn’t have the faintest idea what kind of game they wanted to make, and the developers were often forced to work obscenely long work hours in abusive crunch periods to get the game finished for launch. It got so bad that, according to an article on Kotaku, some members of the team had to leave for weeks or even months at a time to recover from ‘stress casualties.’ 

To think this was the same company that gave us Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Knights Of The Old Republic. Thank God that Obsidian Entertainment is there to pick up the slack on the RPG front because I think it’s safe to assume that BioWare won’t be around for much longer at this rate.

The Lion King (2019 remake)

Here we go. Yet another live action remake of a Disney classic. Excpet it’s not live action, is it? Well... it’s live action in the sense that Dinosaur was live action (remember that film? Don’t worry if you don’t. No one does). Real locations but CGI characters. Millions of dollars spent on cutting edge tech to create photo realistic animals... and the film ends up duller than a bowl of porridge that really likes trainspotting.

It’s not just the fact that The Lion King remake is yet another soulless cash grab from the House of Mouse, it’s also the fact that it’s done really badly that upsets me. The Lion King works as an animated film. Bright colourful images, over the top song and dance sequences and vibrant character designs. As a ‘live action’ film, it just looks awkward and stilted. None of the animals are very expressive, leaving it up to the poor voice actors to carry the film, and to cap it all off the CGI isn’t even all that convincing in my opinion. At no point did I look at Simba and go ‘oh yeah, he looks like a real lion.’ It’s so obviously fake. In fact it reminds me of those early 00s movies like Cats & Dogs or Stuart Little where you see the jaws of the talking animals moving up and down like some messed up ventriloquist act or something. And here’s me thinking cinema has evolved past this.

BBC’s The War Of The Worlds

Remember Peter Harness? That guy who wrote that Doctor Who episode about the moon being an egg? Yeah, he’s back and he’s doing an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War Of The Worlds. And guess what! It’s fucking ghastly! :D

The three part BBC mini-series was without a doubt some of the worst telly I think I’ve ever seen. It’s staggering how clueless Harness is as a writer. For starters he managed to achieve the impossible and somehow made a Martian invasion of Earth boring. I didn’t even think it was possible, but somehow he pulled it off. Then he sucks all tension out of the story by revealing the ultimate fate of the Martians at the beginning of the second episode, so now any threat or danger has been chucked out of the window because we know that the main female protagonist Amy at least would survive. And then finally he takes a massive dump over the source material by having humanity weaponise typhoid to kill the red weed rather than just having the Martians die of the common cold like in the book. Because God forbid us Brits should be presented as anything other than heroic and dignified.

So what we’re left with is a poorly realised allegory with ineffectual horror tropes full of OTT progressive posturing in a pathetic attempt to make Harness and the BBC look more liberal than they actually are. There’s no effort to really explore the themes of imperialism and colonialism outside of casual lip service, and we barely get a glimpse of the dark side of humanity. Everyone is presented as flawed, but basically awesome or, in the case of Rafe Spall’s character, utterly gormless. Our TV license fees help fund this shit, you know?!

And if you think this was bad, just wait till New Year’s Day where we’ll get to see Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ butcher Dracula. Can we stop giving these beloved literary icons to these hacks please?

Glass

I liked Split. It wasn’t an amazing movie, but it was entertaining with some good ideas, a great performance from James McAvoy and was a true return to form for M Night Shyamalan. That being said, I wasn’t keen on the idea of it taking place in the same universe as Unbreakable. I feared it would be a step too far and we’d end up having something like... well, something like Glass.

On paper, Glass isn’t a bad idea. The idea of superpowers being a delusion is legitimately intriguing and could have been a great post-modern deconstruction of the superhero genre. Except Shyamalan never actually does anything with it. The first act drags on and on with absolutely nothing happening, none of the characters really grow or change over the course of the film, Bruce Willis in particular is basically only here for an extended cameo as his character does pretty much nothing for the majority of the film, and then the entire film is undermined by that stupid Shyamalan twist. Turns out superhumans are real and there’s a big cover up. Oh great! So not only does it render the entire film pointless, it also undoes what made Unbreakable and Split so good. They’re no longer people capable of extraordinary feats via rational means. They’re just superhuman. They can do anything. Sigh.

Shyamalan... maybe it’s time to give up the director’s chair, yeah?

Cats

Oh come on! Don’t act surprised! Did you honestly think I wouldn’t put Cats on this list?!

Cats, without a doubt, is the worst film of the decade and, yes, the CGI is terrible. Not only are there these sub-human cat mutants running around, we also have mice and cockroaches with child faces, James Corden coughing up furballs, Taylor Swift trying to give the furries in the audience boners, Idris Elba looking disturbingly underdressed and Rebel Wilson being... well... Rebel Wilson. It’s a disaster of a film. And really, should we even be surprised? We all knew this was going to suck. And no it’s not because of the CGI. I thought the CGI in Pokemon: Detective Pikachu was creepy as well, but at least it had a decent script and good performances to back it up. No the reason why Cats sucked is because... it’s Cats. It’s always been that bad. No amount of ‘advanced fur technology’ was going to change that. It was still going to be a confused, plotless mess with one dimensional characters and bad songs.

The only consolation I had was that I didn’t waste money buying a ticket. A friend of mine snuck me into the premiere and we watched it in the projector room. The plan was to make fun of it and have a laugh, but we didn’t even do that because honestly there’s nothing to really make fun. There’s only so many times you can take the piss out of the CGI and honestly the film was just boring more than anything else. It doesn’t even have the distinction of being so bad it’s good like Sharknado or Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. It’s just bad, period.

I just hope we don’t see something similar happen to Starlight Express. Just think. Anthropomorphic, singing trains on roller skates. Shudder.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker

Finally we have yet another cynical cash grab from Disney.

I confess I didn’t exactly go into The Rise Of Skywalker with an open mind. I was never all that keen on a sequel trilogy in the first place, and neither The Force Awakens nor The Last Jedi ever convinced me otherwise. Admittedly they weren’t bad movies. Just derivative and painfully uninspired, and I was expecting more of the same for Episode IX. What I got instead was quite possibly the worst Star Wars film since Attack Of The Clones. Yes, it’s that bad.

This film is very poorly made, filled with plot contrivances and logic holes galore. I lost count of the number of times the protagonists got into a dangerous situation because of Rey constantly wandering off like a confused toddler lost in a shopping mall. Oh and we finally find out who her parents were and it was quite a twist, but only because it was really stupid. Of course we didn’t see it coming because nobody would have guessed it would be something that moronic. I feel JJ Abrams’ stupid ‘mystery box’ philosophy is to blame for this. It’s derailed countless franchises before such as Lost and Cloverfield, and now Abrams has fucked up Star Wars because he’s obsessed with mystery for the sake of mystery and Disney are so lazy that they couldn’t be bothered to plan an actual trilogy out properly beforehand. Instead they just wing it, making it up as they go along, which led to Rian Johnson ‘subverting our expectations’ and left Abrams desperately trying to pick up the pieces. 

In fact a lot of The Rise Of Skywalker seemed designed specifically to appease people of both sides of the wide chasm The Last Jedi had created. The roles of characters of colour like Finn and Rose were significantly reduced, Poe and Finn don’t end up together because of homophobia, but we do see two women kiss in the background of one two second shot that could easily be cut out when they release the film in China, Kylo Ren gets his stupid redemption even though he hasn’t fucking earned it, Lando Calrissian shows up for no fucking reason, Rey is given ‘flaws’ relating to her parentage in order to combat those accusing her of being a Mary Sue, but they’re the boring kind of flaws that don’t have any real impact on her character, and that ghastly ship Reylo is made canon even though it makes no sodding sense in the context of this movie, let alone the whole trilogy. They even go to the trouble of baiting us with a FinnRey romance before pulling the rug out from under us. Then, just to add insult to injury, the film retroactively ends up making the entire original trilogy completely pointless. All because Disney wanted more dollars to put in their Scrooge McDuck money bin.

The Rise Of Skywalker, and indeed the entire sequel trilogy, should serve as a cautionary tale against the dangers of hype and nostalgia. The reason The Force Awakens was successful wasn’t because it was a good movie (because lets be brutally honest here, it really fucking wasn’t). It was because it gave gullible Star Wars fans warm fuzzies because it reminded them of A New Hope whilst tempting them with the vague promise that things might get more interesting later on. And when that didn’t materialise, quelle surprise, the fanbase didn’t take it very well. I would love to think that this will serve as an important lesson for the future when people go and see Disney movies, but who am I kidding? I guarantee at some point we’re going to get Episodes X, XI and XII and we’ll have to go through this sorry process all over again.

So there we have it. The worst of 2019. May they rot forever in Satan’s rectum or wherever it is stories go to die. Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the other end of the spectrum. Yes it’s the Quill Seal Of Approval Awards! The best of the best! Who shall win? The suspense is killing me! Ooooh, I can’t wait! You’ll be there tomorrow, won’t you? Of course you will. How could you not?

[shanix-the-stars]

Worshipers of the Old

Kylo Ren x OC / Kylo Ren x Reader

Read on AO3

Summary:  He arrived at the archive during the late hours of the  night, searching for answers regarding a long lost Force ability. When  AR-210 is assigned to help him, she would never have anticipated the  strange and terrifying series of events that were to follow... and what  it all meant for her.

*Written in first person; main character has feminine qualities, but doesn’t have any defining characteristics.

Chapter 1: A Healing World

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3,018

A/N: hello! thank you for taking the time to read my story! this is  the first star wars fic i’ve written, so i hope it’s good enough for  this wonderful, amazing community.

this story does not follow the  movies’ timeline and is heavily based on lore and Legends material. i  put my own twist on things so it’s not important to read/look at any  background info on any of it. however, if you want to read more, i  suggest visiting Wookieepedia (also a great source for inspiration).

please enjoy!

『ID: AR-210

Passcode: ******

Keyword: Lower Level Overview Report』

I press the enter key on my datapad before setting it down on my desk, letting the entry load as I run out to the main lobby. Thirty minutes remain, and we aren’t even ready. Dozens of faculty members and students are rushing back and forth, each carrying some sort of device or package in their hands. I make a beeline for the Director’s office, but a voice calls out behind me before I can rush inside.

“Ahré!”

I whip my head around, seeing the Director himself running in my direction. His graying hair is a mess, and I can tell that his wrinkles are, well, even more wrinkly than before. I can practically feel the stress radiating off of him once he stops in front of me. “D-Director Malobry, I was just about to-“

“Reassure me that all the holobooks on the fifth floor in the east wing are all finally organized and shelved?” He storms past me and slams his office door open. I quickly follow. “It’s hell out there, and if that damn General sees that we’re behind schedule for the third consecutive month, he’ll have my head on a platter.”

“I-I’m sure that won’t be the case, Director-“

He holds a hand up. “Ahré, please.” He takes a breath, clearly trying to calm himself down. He lowers his voice. “Is the east wing done or not?”

I open my mouth but almost immediately clamp it shut. I don’t have any good news, and truth be told, none of those holobooks are shelved.

The Director waits for me to give him an answer, but after a moment, it seems like I don’t need to. Still, I hand my head and close my eyes, uttering a soft "no" under my breath.

There’s a pause. He collapses back into his chair and runs a hand through his hair. “Shit.”

Guilt forms in the pit of my stomach. The fear of witnessing the General’s wrath invades my mind, but perhaps the Director’s anger might be more concerning for the moment. I wasn’t even the archivist assigned to that wing, but I know who was: Jolson. The thought of him being reprimanded—or worse—for the third time this month... I can feel my head swim with fear.

“Go help Jolson with that floor,” the Director says quietly. He’s already accepted his fate. “Make sure you get every droid working on those shelves. We might still have a chance.”

I’m surprised, but I make a point not to show it. I bow my head and exit the office, merging with the traffic of people busying about. Several droids are attending to other minuscule chores in other rooms, so I call on them to go to the east wing before rounding up a few other archivists as well.

I glance at the time on one of the walls, but I don’t give myself the time to process the numbers. I immediately look away and make my way to the fifth floor.

Just focus, Ahré.

Once I arrive, there is a frenzy of excitement and eagerness flowing in the room as piles of holobooks and scrolls are being carried from one end to the other. Half of the staff inside is working on the main lower shelves, while the other is up on the mezzanine. It’s a slightly relieving sight, but I try not to let that get my hopes up. The majority of the shelves are still empty.

“Ahré! Over here!”

I turn to see Jolson on the other side of the room, wearing a fresh new uniform and a pair of shoes. His usually messy black hair swept up into a bun, and I can tell he put a little more effort into today’s occasion. Still, he looks a little tired. I watch him jog over with a stack of new flimsiplast, a big smile painted on his face. I do my best to return it with a disapproving frown.

He raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“We have less than half an hour until the General arrives. He’s already at Aurora looking at things over there. And the Director knows about your...” I gesture to the entirety of the room. “...lack of shelving.”

“Malobry can go die in the pits of Kaon for all I care,” he huffs, walking toward one of the supply shelves. “Hope to the Force one of the scranges get to him before anything else does.”

I trail behind him, suppressing an eye roll. “I know the both of you don’t... get along. But can you please, at least for today, keep your head on your shoulders? If the General sees one thing out of place, what’s to stop him from getting rid of Malobry?”

“Come on, Ahré. You know as well as I do Hux doesn’t have anyone else to look over these libraries. Not after all that’s happened.” He sets the packets of flimsiplast down on the floor before pulling out his datapad. “Besides, the Supreme Leader personally appointed Malobry. I doubt the General would want to oppose him.”

He does have a point... but there’s been talk about infighting among the First Order, especially between the both of them. After Kylo Ren got rid of the former Supreme Leader, things have become rather tense. There seems to be a stricter hold on First Order regions and institutions; not to mention the seemingly never-ending war with the Resistance. However, that only meant escape from the Yuuzhan Vong for Obroa-skai, so I can only complain so much.

Jolson snaps his fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to attention. “Obroa-skai to Ahré, helloooo?”

I swat his hand away. “Sorry, just... thinking,” I say dumbly.

He chuckles. “Sure. Now, stop worrying and help me with sections eight, nine, and ten, okay? We’ll get it done.” He looks down at me, his big blue eyes full of reassurance. A sincere smile graces his lips. He knows how to calm me down, and as much as I hate it, it works. Although he tends to lag behind most faculty and staff, he can always be counted on to do one thing: be a friend.

I guess that’s all I can really ask from him.

~

The General arrives at the archives precisely on time. He is accompanied by a few other officers with identical uniforms, some of whom seem to care less about the visit. At the entrance remain at least a dozen stormtroopers with blasters gripped in their hands, while a couple of others follow behind the group of men.

Odd.

All of our staff members are lined across the lobby, everyone standing in attention as General Hux and his entourage make their way up to the Director and I. He surveys the lines, eyeing each and every one of us with a scrutinizing glare. I have to stop myself from squirming in my spot and pray to the beings above I look presentable enough. I can already feel a chill running down my spine.

“Very well,” he finally says. He turns to Malobry. “I trust that work on Celebratus has ceased, Director.”

He nods. “Yes, General. We have been working tirelessly on the facility. The east and west wings are complete, as well as the lower levels.”

There’s a hum of approval. “Excellent. The Medical Director at Aurora has reported that there haven’t been any border attacks there as of late, so I believe the situation to be corresponding with this sector?”

“That would be correct,” Malobry confirms. I glance up at him, seeing a thin layer of sweat coating his forehead and neck. Poor guy.

General Hux turns back to the staff, giving them a final once-over before nodding. “You are all dismissed.”

They bow their heads quickly and head out in different directions of the archive. I catch a glimpse of Jolson, seeing him send me a playful wink my way. Warmth blooms in my chest at the small gesture.

“AR-210.”

I snap back into position. “Y-Yes, General?”

“The Supreme Leader is planning a visit later today. Seeing as you are the head clerk for the archive, I believe you could aid him with something he needs.”

My brows furrow together. Need? What in the galaxy would the leader of the First Order possibly need from here?

I manage a semi-nod, but it feels more like a confused tilt of the head instead. I’m sure I look oblivious, but I can’t help but feel like I am. Perhaps I’m missing something. “Of course. May I ask what he is looking for?”

The General scoffs. “He wouldn’t tell me,” he says, a hint of irritation laced in his words. “But I doubt it’s of much importance. Our own records and archives weren’t sufficient enough for his... research projects. He insisted on coming to Obroa-skai.”

My head is swimming with a thousand questions, none of them actually verbalized. Instead, I relax my features and bow my head. “I’d be happy to help, General.”

“Good. Now, Director, if you could show us around the facility, we will be on our way soon.”

I’ve never seen Malobry move faster. “Yes, yes, of course. Please, gentlemen, if you could follow me...”

Within ten seconds, they round a corner and disappear from view. I’m left standing in the lobby with the feeling of nothing but dread in the pit of my stomach. Now I’m the one sweating. There isn’t even a hint of comfort anywhere nearby, just a receptionist desk on the other side of the room. Stormtroopers still stand outside the entrance, perfectly still and ready at a moment’s notice. I decide to step away into my own office and wait there instead. It doesn’t help.

I grab my datapad and scroll through the entry I loaded up earlier. The words are a blur on the screen as I try to read, but it’s useless. Fear grips at my mind. Something about this doesn’t feel right. The Supreme Leader... in need of help with information he can’t already acquire? I sigh and sit down at my desk, letting my thoughts drown in stress.

~

Hours pass and no Kylo Ren. The General has already left, as well as half the stormtroopers that had initially arrived. The remaining still stand outside. My nerves have somewhat calmed down, but what remains is worry. Perhaps, to someone above, this may just be some sort of punishment for me. For what reason, I do not know, nor do I think it matters at this point.

A knock at my door nearly sends my heart over the point of no return. I get up, composing myself as I make my way to open it. The anxiety kicks back in, and for a moment I begin to feel nauseous. This could be it—the defining moment of whether or not I get to live another day. Would one slip-up ensure my demise? Would he really go that far? What if I can’t find what he’s looking for? I force my thoughts aside and slide the door open, relieved to see that it’s only Jolson. His eyes widen once they meet mine. “Ahré? Are you alright?”

“Jolson.” I let out a shaky breath. “Thank the stars. And no, no, I’m not alright,” I reply blatantly. He waits on me to elaborate, his worry turning into confusion.

“Well... what’s going on?”

I peek out into the corridor to make sure nobody else is present before pulling him into my office. “Sit,” I command, gesturing to the chair in the corner. He obliges, but the concerned expression he wears doesn’t waver for a second.

I slam the door shut. “The Supreme Leader is coming to the archive later,” I begin, walking behind my desk. “Apparently he needs help finding something.”

“Okay,” Jolson starts, hesitant. “What does he need from here?”

“That’s just it. I asked the General the same question, but even he didn’t know.” I fall back into my chair. “I also don’t know when he’s coming. He could be walking through the front doors right now. Maybe he is, and I’m just back here panicking. He’s going to think I’m terrified of him, which I’m sure he already knows, but it’s just going to—“

“Ahré,” Jolson interrupts, tone firm and deep. I shut my mouth immediately. “Why are you worrying so much? You shouldn’t be.”

I huff. “Why not? It’s the Supreme Leader-“

“Who is coming here specifically for help, Ahré.”

I pause, taken aback. He’s coming here... for help. For help.

Jolson’s features smooth out into a tired smile, no doubt exhausted after today’s near-disaster. I take a moment to look at him, really look at him, and see dark circles under his eyes. I suddenly forget about the Supreme Leader.

“Have you been taking care of yourself, Jolson?” I ask, my tone sounding perhaps a little more accusing than intended. “You look tired.”

He stands, chuckling as if amused, and extends an arm out towards me. I walk over. He wraps his arm around my shoulders, squeezing me gently. “I am,” he says. “But you’re anxiety over this whole thing might be tiring me out even more.”

I glare at him.

“I’m joking.”

We walk out into the main lobby. A few librarians and archivists are leaving for the night—no doubt heading out to the bar—while others are coming in for their shifts. Malobry is talking to Vess, one of our receptionists, with a bright smile I haven’t seen in months. The weight of today’s visit has been finally lifted off of our shoulders. We probably won’t have to worry about another inspection for a year or two. I only wish I could celebrate with the others.

Jolson stops for a moment, turning to face me. “You’re going to be fine,” he reassures once again. “Remember, he’s the one who needs your help. No need to get overwhelmed.”

His eyes bore into mine, and all I can do is nod.

He pats my arm softly before heading for the doors. I watch as he slaps Malobry’s back forcefully as he walks by, earning him a near disgusted look from the elder. He too heads out for the night a moment later.

The clock reads 25:00, and I decide whether to go back to my office and wait or just go home. General Hux did say that the Supreme Leader would be coming today... there’s still an hour left. I’ll wait until then.

I walk up the receptionist's desk, replaying Jolson’s words in my head. He’s right. There’s no need to get worked up about it. I know what I’m doing. This has been my job for the last five years, after all... I’m allowed to feel confident.

“Hey, Vess,” I greet with a warm smile. She looks up from the datapad in her hands, immediately returning my smile with her own.

“Ahré, oh my goodness! How are you? How was the inspection today? I heard that Jolson almost didn’t get his level of the east wing finished on time, and that the General asked you to help the Supreme Leader with something, and that Malobry almost passed out. Oh! Is it true that...” She speaks at a pace I can hardly keep up with, but I let her go on. Her golden curls bounce excitedly at the news of today’s events, and I almost feel bad that she has the late shift this month. It’s clear that she likes to stay in the loop.

“Everything is great,” I say once she’s done. “And yes, it was pretty busy today, but also kind of scary.”

“Oh, I’m sure! After all of that? I wish I could have seen it!” She leans back in her chair dramatically, bringing a hand up to her forehead with a swoon. “You are so lucky, Ahré.”

If only.

I giggle and shake my head. “Hey, I’m going to be in the fifth library study on the second floor until the Supreme Leader arrives. If you could direct him there when he comes, that would be great.”

She nods eagerly. “Of course! Absolutely no problem! Have fun!”

I thank her and go back to my office to grab my datapad before making my way up to the second floor. It’s quiet in this part of the building. No students, no faculty or staff... just the low hum of the heater and a couple of droids finishing up their work. It’s the perfect place to relax at this hour. I enter the study and climb up to the mezzanine. There’s an alcove in the back, a small armchair and lamp occupying the space. It looks so inviting, I have to stop myself from running over and laying down for a nap. Out of the couple thousand study rooms, this is by far my favorite.

I pass by a window that looks far out to the border, stopping for a second to watch the red blinking lights on the gate. On the other side lies a frozen wasteland, filled with nothing except what remains of the Yuuzhan Vong. Their arrival to Obroa-skai two years ago was anything but expected, and before we all knew it, they had destroyed much of the planet’s life within the span of a few months. It wasn’t until the First Order caught wind of the invasion did they come. They were able to wipe away a majority of the enemy rather quickly. Since then, we’ve all been trying our best to return to a sense of normalcy... but even now, that reality seems to be illusive as ever.

I tear my eyes away from the view and sit down in the armchair. The anxiety I’ve held back for the last few minutes settles in once again, and this time it just feels a little more real. I run my fingers across my datapad in an attempt to distract my nerves but to no avail. I turn it on and see the lower level report, still open and ready for me to read.

I skim through the subheadings: field reports in need of filing... more software malfunctions... registering new reference codes... Nothing out of the ordinary. Again. I sigh and begin to read from the top.

About a half-hour later, I hear the door open on the other side of the room.

[thenerdparty]

Spider-Man: Far From Home - Film Review

Written by Shawn Eastridge

I never thought I’d ever say this, but I’m starting to think Spider-Man might be too good for Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. No. Scratch that. I know he is. And Far From Home, the latest entry in this franchise, proves it once and for all.

I was willing to give Spider-Man: Homecoming a pass. Despite being relatively shallow, it’s light on its feet, has a great villain in Michael Keaton’s Vulture and contains a strong emotional beat for Spidey near the film’s climax. Far From Home has none of this. In fact, Far From Home is one of the blandest entries Marvel Studios has yet released. Instead of seeking out opportunities to deepen Peter Parker’s character, Marvel Studios has relegated him to cleaning up the mess Avengers: Endgame left behind.  When a Spider-Man film makes you long for the emotional depth of Spider-Man 3, you know there’s a problem.

Following the shenanigans of Infinity War and Endgame, Peter is understandably ready for a vacation. His upcoming summer class trip is the perfect opportunity to do so. Not only will he and his best bud Ned get to take in a number of scenic European views, but Peter will get a chance to spend quality time with his crush MJ. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll finally get the chance to tell her how he feels. Peter even goes so far as to leave his Spider suit behind, determined to enjoy this time off to the fullest. 

Naturally, things don’t work out that way. Before long, Nick Fury arrives to pull Peter off of the sidelines and back into the superhero-ing world. Quentin Beck, a superhero claiming to be from another dimension, has arrived in the midst of a number of Elemental monster attacks. These Elementals, comprising of - you guessed it - water, fire and earth, destroyed Beck’s Earth. Beck is now determined to protect Peter’s Earth at all costs, but he and Fury will need Peter’s help to do so. That is, if Peter is up for the task.

Right from the get-go, Far From Home casually dismisses Endgame’s dramatic heft in favor of a quick laugh. While I understand the need to establish a different tone from Endgame, the offhand way Far From Home makes light of Endgame’s superb conclusion further emphasizes how little director Jon Watts and this creative team cares about making anything that happens here feel significant in any way. At every turn, Far From Home attempts to distract the audience from its glaring insignificance by going the route of comedy. Every action sequence is punctuated by some half-assed punchline or an overriding sense of artificiality - Flash Thompson live-blogging on his phone; the teachers making some kooky comments about how they’re all going to die. There’s no sense of danger. No suspense. No stakes. None of it feels remotely believable. 

To be fair, the emphasis on humor is a common complaint lobbied at the MCU. Here’s the thing, though: while humor plays a large role in these films, the humor enriches the already present emotional stakes and characters. For the most part, we’re laughing with our heroes, not at them. (Thor: Ragnarok is the argument to the contrary, but the big difference between that film and this one is that Thor: Ragnarok is actually funny.) Far From Home can’t seem to differentiate between those two things. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if the jokes didn’t feel so forced and awkward.

And, hey, speaking of forced and awkward, how ‘bout those action sequences? With the exception of one genuinely impressive Mysterio-inspired acid trip, every action scene feels lackluster and uninspired. It’s like the studio handed director Jon Watts a shot list and storyboards without taking any input from him. “All you need to do is show up on set and say, ‘Action!’ Whatever unique sensibilities or voice Watts brought to the table with Homecoming have all but vanished in Far From Home. 

Actually, you know what it reminds me of? Marc Webb’s short-lived Amazing Spider-Man series. No, hear me out real quick. Neither of those movies are particularly good, but which one feels more like the product of the 500 Days of Summer director? The first one, right? And which one feels more like a studio-mandated, computer-generated crapshoot? (There’s only one guess left here, people. You can’t go wrong) 

Far From Home is the MCU’s equivalent of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It’s louder, more colorful and ultimately emptier than its immediate predecessor. I guess it’s fitting that Mysterio would be Far From Home’s main villain. A character that specializes in crafting intricate illusions to hide how insignificant everything is? Sounds about right, doesn’t it? Jake Gyllenaal takes on the role with manic enthusiasm, but the character’s motivations are flimsy and dull. Once again, we have a villain hellbent on getting revenge on Tony Stark, and once again, we have Spider-Man cleaning up a mess Tony Stark left behind. 

Great.

Things don’t fare much better with Peter’s personal relationships either, in particular, the romance between Peter and MJ. The two of them are all awkward pauses and nervous tics. It’s adorable, make no mistake, but like most of Far From Home, it feels artificial. We never get the sense that there’s a real connection between these two because Watts and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers (the same writing pair behind the dull beyond all reason Ant-Man and the Wasp) never take a break from telling jokes to offer up a single moment of sincerity. Tom Holland and Zendaya have great chemistry, but there’s no substance to their interactions. The rest of the supporting cast are simplistic types, barely memorable. Even Ned, one of Homecoming’s highlights, is left on the sidelines with little to do.

What’s really disappointing is that Far From Home contains the set up for what could have been really great Spider-Man story. I love the idea that Peter just wants a break from all the crazy superhero duties. He just wants a vacation with his friends; he wants to spend time with the girl he’s crushing on. Doesn’t he deserve a break? It’s in the execution that this film fails.

Many of Spidey’s best tales deal with Peter’s struggle to balance his personal life - money woes, girl troubles, job issues, etc. - with the responsibility of being a superhero. It’s what makes this character so special. He carries a significant weight and the responsibility of being Spider-Man puts a damper on everything in his life. Sam Raimi’s trilogy understood this perfectly. It’s why those films still hold up so well. Even Spider-Man 3, as stupid as it is, had its heart in the right place.

The problem with the MCU’s version of Spider-Man is that it seems to ignore the emotional depth of the character in favor of a quick laugh and light-hearted adventures. Peter’s struggles never evolve beyond the surface level. There’s no sense of responsibility or obligation, nothing personal that seems to motivate Peter’s decision to be a hero. Marvel Studios is so concerned with making Spider-Man light and fun, they’ve forgotten to provide any meaningful emotional stakes or the slightest bit of complexity to the character. Other than a brief conversation in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ (which, by the way, remains the MCU’s best interpretation of this character to date and ISN’T EVEN A SPIDER-MAN MOVIE), we don’t have a strong sense of who Peter is or why he does what he does. As far as I can tell, Peter wants to be Spider-Man because he wants to live up to Tony Stark’s legacy. His entire motivation is reliant on another character. This robs Peter of a personal motivation and, as a direct result, reduces the character to a pale imitation of his true potential. 

And, look, I get it. The Uncle Ben stuff is well-tread territory. I’m not saying I need the same angsty overtones provided by the Raimi/Maguire trilogy, but the way these films bend over backwards to not mention Uncle Ben is borderline parodic. Here’s the thing: you don’t have to show Uncle Ben’s death or have it take precedent over the story to show its impact in Peter and Aunt May’s life. 

Instead of taking advantage of the chance to deepen the relationship between these two, to show how they’ve tried to move on in the wake of Ben’s passing, life seems pretty peachy-keen for the Parkers. They don’t seem to struggle with any money woes, illnesses or anything else that could potentially offer these films an ounce of significance. Uncle Ben provides the core motivation for why Spider-Man does what he does. When you take that out of the picture, what else is left? I mean, they don’t even acknowledge the fact that Peter has had two, count ‘em, TWO, father figures taken from him in the span of, like, a year. Come on, people!

And at the center of all of this, fighting to overcome the film’s lack of identity and overarching blandness, is Tom Holland. Holland is a remarkable, gifted young actor. He’s nailed this character and has proven time and time again he has the chops to pull off a far more meaningful interpretation. I wish the studio was willing to meet him halfway. To watch him give his all in a film that doesn’t remotely deserve his talents is a depressing experience. 

That’s really the best way to describe this film. ‘Depressing.’ Far From Home reduces Spidey to a C-list member of the MCU’s expansive ensemble. His entries in this franchise feel more like financial obligations than attempts to tell meaningful stories. I wouldn’t care as much if it was another character getting lost in the corporate chaos, but this is SPIDER-MAN we’re talking about. He’s one of the most complex and beloved characters in the history of storytelling. The source material is overflowing with great stories that have meaningful emotions and stakes and this is the best Marvel Studios can come up with? As portrayed here, Spider-Man is no longer a character that can stand on his own. He’s just a fly trapped in someone else’s web. 

FINAL RATING: 2 out of 5

[psybomb]

On Government Funding

Because I’m a bit of a masochist, it seems. Got into a heated discussion the other day about various bits of the US Government, and I made the point that said government has no reason to be crying about funding. They have about a dozen different levers they can pull to increase funding, and taken together they’re MORE than enough to fund everything even the most Left candidate is currently floating as ideas.

My statement got called a bluff, and that I should prove it. Although I didn’t exactly present a dozen on the spot, I DID drop eight into the proverbial table. Going to drop them here as well, maybe someday by the magic of sharing the list will come to someone who can use it. Nothing below should be a surprise, basically none of it is of my own invention. I just farm for ideas, do the math, and present them.

Before the list itself starts, some background. The US Government tax model is transactional in nature. That is, money that changes hands while within the system generates revenue for the government. This in turn leads to twin philosophies on how to raise revenues. You either increase the amount of “mobile” money (thus increasing the number of times you get a cut), or access funds that were locked away and inaccessible.

Lever 1, Tax Static Wealth: Assess the net worth of every individual, and present a tax for worth over a certain amount. Candidate Elizabeth Warren is catching heat for this one, but it makes a lot of sense. The majority of the real wealth in the country is static, unmoving. It goes to a bank account and stays there to keep score and nothing else. The idea here is to access this locked wealth, either a one-time large hit or annual small ones. If you set the baseline amount at something like $10 million, you are effectively ignoring any money being used to actually live. At that point you have enough for yourself and your children (possibly your grandchildren) to live in comfort until the day you die without lifting a finger to work for another cent, ever.

As the goals go, this falls within “accessing locked away funds”. Probably the cleanest and easiest lever to pull with the lowest actual impact on standard of living, as long as you are careful about what’s counted (such as excluding active farmland).

Lever 2, Progressive Income Tax: Although this is in theory already in effect, much more can be done with it. Top rates have been at or over 90% in the past, and can return there. In some versions of this, the idea of a “billionaire” should not be able to reasonably exist, since personal gains over a certain point go almost entirely to the government for use elsewhere. The idea is also to exclude reinvested income, money that goes to opening plants, paying workers better, upgrading lines, etc.

This forces mobility and prevents the above hoarding that is currently taking place. It also greatly encourages companies to create better infrastructure as opposed to short-term shareholder profits, since those shareholders have way less reason to care about raw dollars after a certain point.

Lever 3, Charitable and Church organizations: I nicknamed this one the “Joel Osteen” tax. Take a good hard look at organizations like the Salvation Army or mega churches, which are currently tax-exempt on income due to it being donated. Take the difference between donated income and charitable outlays (not maintaining their church, actual actions taken feeding the poor, housing the homeless, healing the sick, etc) and remove it from tax-exempt status. Preferably, this comes with an amount ignored in order to allow small community churches to still exist. Also preferrably comes with a rate way higher than typical tax brackets.

This has several effects, besides accessing locked funds. It forces organizations that claim to be charitable to actually do charitable things instead of sponging off of people who are trying to do good. It also means that charitable giving write-offs end up doing actual goal actions.

Lever 4, Public Assistance Employer Tax: this one is simple enough. Apply an additional tax to medium and large companies according to how much public assistance cash their employees draw (things like SNAP or heavily subsidized health plans). Suggestions range from 25% to 110% (not a typo) of the amount being given to their employees. If the last one was Joel Osteen tax, this is the Walmart/Amazon one. It targets employers who profit pretty much directly off of the assistance the government has to pay their employees.

This is the first lever with potentially significant bottom-level consequences. It heavily encourages employers to keep full-time employees and pay them well (plus puts many more workers into ACA-mandated company health plans), but punishes those who can’t or prefer not to work 40 hours. It also means that most workers will only have one significant job, for good or ill. However, it again creates more asset mobility (in this case, by ensuring that workers are able to pay for goods and by offsetting what the government has to use to support the underpaid) and prevents a lot of wealth-hoarding when it comes at the expense of human misery.

Lever 5, Pursue those profiting off of public investments. Things like initial medical research, NASA-sourced materials (and even things like ergonomic seats), and the like. In essence, either make the use of these like a license, or fine windfall profits on such things. This will allow much more in the way of public research, and force price-setting to be more in the realm of reason. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is pushing this extremely hard, particularly in relation to pharmaceutical companies who are profiting off of research they themselves didn’t fund until the very last steps (if at all).

Same goals are in play. Free up cash to be more mobile on the bottom level (by both making better research available and allowing people to spend less on things they helped fund already) and prevent wealth-locking by those at the top. The problem is that this can sometimes discourage necessary public-private partnerships needed to utilize production capacity that the government does not natively have (such as actually making enough of a medicine for general sale)

Lever 6, Elimination of Unneeded Subsidies: here’s one that’s constantly floating around. The question, as usual, is determining exactly which subsidies are not needed. Me personally, the criteria are threefold. First, what percentage of the industry’s profits come as a subsidy result. Second, how important is what it is trying to encourage versus the outlays. Third, the cost of retraining affected people to similar industry that is not propped up. Yes, Coal, I’m talking about you specifically, but quite a few other pork issues can be done away with.

While this is not pure revenue like the above, it reduces waste and allows funds already being gathered to be used to better effect. The problem is that there are going to be losers on this one, lots of them.

Lever 7, Captive Consumer Regulation: this is phrased very carefully, and for good reason. In essence, certain industries have recently discovered that they can get away with highway robbery because their consumers do not have the option to walk away. This specifically refers to medical and higher education costs, but can also apply to things like bail bond companies. People who abuse a place that should be about public service for personal gain. The result has been prices increasing entirely out of proportion to costs, and significantly reduced end quality.

The goal, as usual, is to return liquidity to those forces into the system and keep those at the top for hoarding profits. In this case, fixing these systems also ends with vastly increased quality of life overall along with societal benefits. The problem, as usual, is in how to solve it. Lots of opinions I won’t get into here, the point is that none are being acted upon.

Lever 8, pursue Offshoring: This is not necessarily targeting call centers in India, I mean more in the way of tax havens and foreign incorporation. Companies that are gaining the benefits of being based in the US without paying back into the system, and people keeping their money offshore and out of circulation. I will not touch things like buying foreign steel, that is free market and not the place of this post to discuss.

The point, just like above, is to keep money in the system and moving in both directions. Use the Panama Papers (remember that?) as a checklist and get it all back within the borders. The problem is that this is the most difficult of these options to pursue, with the lowest bang for the buck. Also difficult to perform with our receding place on the world stage.

Now, I’m sure someone reading this will have issues with some of the above. No problem, more than happy to discuss them. The point is that the options exist, and heavily benefit the lowest and middle members of society. Powers in charge just do not have the will to do so for the most part, despite their being little negative impact except to those committing societal fouls already. Why is this? Various reasons, which I will discuss another time. The point is that they exist.

[sternenteile]

DETAILED DISLIKES!

( answer the questions for your muse and tag some people. ) tagged by @sangfear​ !! ♡

muse’s name.  ♡♪!?  /  call him ‘geno’. least favourite nickname.  ‘starlight’ under certain circumstances. friends and certain family (i.e. rosalina and the lumas) are free to call him that, but he feels nothing but bitterness when the star spirit collective uses it on him. it just has sour roots for him.

least favourite colours.  he doesn’t really have any lol? he sees something good in any color. least favourite season.  n/a; he loves every season. least favourite weather.  blizzards. he loves winter and snow, but blizzards are the worst. it’s snow that he can’t frolic in, and to make matters worse, it keeps him trapped inside with likely no electricity. lamest thing ever. least favourite, hot or cold.  he adores the cold, but as a star, he is naturally used to and radiates significant warmth. he loves the sensation of cold and is complacent with heat, so i suppose that’s your answer: hot. least favourite holiday.  n/a; he loves them all. least favourite food.  kimchi. he and spicy food already don’t get along, but that stuff is particularly reviling for him, and this is from a guy who will eat almost anything. least favourite flavour.  spicy. he has very low tolerance for spicy food, and while there are very mild exceptions to the rule, he generally does not like spicier flavors. least favourite drink.  alcohol in general. how anyone can drink that stuff is beyond him. least favourite scent.  while only experienced at one point in his life, he’ll never forget it. the scent of synthetic material and metal mixed with the rotten smell of inherently vile magic, like the magnified taste of blood in your mouth in scent form... but with a little extra zing. the heart-wrenching scent present on every member of the smithy gang, especially within bowser’s former keep, is one he never wants to face again. while not the most nauseating thing he’s smelled, the weight behind it is indescribable. oh, he also hates the smell of someone who hasn’t showered or worn deodorant in too long. ew. least favourite sound.  the sound of eldstar’s voice is like nails to a chalkboard for him now. least favourite books.  none. even trashy, terrible novels are fun for him, because he gets to have fun tearing them apart for how bad they are. they’re worth a laugh. he’ll find something to like in just about anything. least favourite movies.  movies that shatter his suspension of disbelief when they’re supposed to be taken seriously. hilariously bad movies are the best, but something he wants to like and enjoy being tarnished by poor writing and lack of forethought just... makes him ridiculously irritable. he will complain and bemoan the loss of potential ‘til your ears burn. least favourite tv shows.  soap operas. gaz’s mother loves them, and geno... cannot understand why. he just... he really tried to give one a chance, but as the mushroom turns was just not that compelling. sorry. least favourite area of study.  mathematics because he is a basic 90′s fuckwad who dislikes the same thing everyone growing up hated. he basic as hell. least favourite aspect of job.  the restrictions and poor treatment from the higher-ups. the only person he’d prefer to refer to as his ‘higher authority’ (note the lack of plurality) is rosalina. the star spirits that govern star haven are the one aspect of his job that he loathes. as such, he prefers to think of himself as a vigilante nowadays, an independent defender of wishes. least favourite person.  smithy, easily. while his elders’ ideals conflict with his own, he doesn’t hate them as people, even though he despises the way they treated him. smithy, however, is someone he absolutely hates with every fiber of his being. he is the antithesis of everything he loves and stands for, and unlike the star spirits, he has no redeeming qualities, so fuck that noise. least favourite trait in others.  controlling, abusive people. easily. this comes from personal experience. least favourite place to be.  not so much a specific place, but a conditional place: alone and trapped. most of those moments were spent in the star road he loves so much and his old home in star haven, not because of any disdain towards those places, but because of his superiors tearing him down, isolating him there. being imprisoned with his own mind and his mind alone, his loving heart distant from all that he wants to reach out to, is the foulest place he can go. least favourite thing to talk about.  the star spirits. he loves talking about his job and fulfilling wishes, because there is a lot of good to be had from that. just... just, nope, not them, not them lmao. least favourite thing about themself.  that he sometimes doesn’t even know who ‘himself’ is. remember, he’s spent decades by his lonesome, his duties being his sole modus operandi with very little autonomy granted to him. if he’s at any point ever asked to describe himself in detail, despite him having many qualities that makes him a real person, he’ll likely either blank out or end up with one grating answer: ❝ i don’t know. ❞ he’s well-aware that he possesses personality traits and unique experiences like a person should, but knowledge versus believing it is a battle he often wages in himself. at times, it makes him feel like he’s delusional, either for feeling like he lacks personhood or for feeling that he has any. he’s a mess lmao. least favourite daily chore.  anything that involves having to reach high-up places, especially in rose town inn. it’s embarrassing having to clean stuff down in front of guests when he needs a freaking step stool or ladder for it. haha geno too shorte. least favourite style of clothing.  n/a; he likes all kinds of stuff, from modern wear to stuff as cheesy and terrible as parachute pants from the 90′s. he’ll just wear whatever if it comes down to it. least favourite activity.  swimming, or in his case, a lack thereof lmao. more like flailing like an idiot unless he’s got water wings on. least favourite thing about humanity.  how some people slip through the cracks and become downright evil without any sort of decent qualities. he adores humanity and the bulk of its flaws, mostly because it all feels so real and genuine in its imperfection, but people who spend their lives doing horrible and unspeakable things (that are so problematic that i’d rather not mention them here) are just... oof. nope. the worst. nope. get out of here. you’re blacklisted from wishes forever. least favourite thing about falling in love.  the fear of being forcibly torn away from it, not by his other half, but by outside sources like his elders. least favourite thing about death.  the inevitability of it, the shortness of his friends’ life spans, and the knowledge that he’ll watch every single one of his friends, their descendants, and their descendants’ descendants die.

[neetu-uplifts]

Learning from Death

July hit my family like a storm. We experienced some highs and some major lows. We lost my Aunt in early July. She had been sick for a while, in and out of the hospital, but we were hopeful that she would recover. God however had other plans. Shortly after, my 105-year old Grandmother broke her pelvic bone and was hospitalized. Emotions were high as everyone prayed for her recovery - she is such a fighter (and thankfully returned home just yesterday). A few weeks later, we came together in strength and good spirits to celebrate a close family wedding. The wedding was the uplift our family needed but it didn’t last long. 10 days after the wedding, we lost my cousin. His death was completely unexpected and it shook us all to the core. He was young and had so much life to live. He was such a jolly, loving, hard working, honest and joy-filled member of our family. He had such a pure heart. It’s still so hard to believe that he’s actually gone. Nobody saw it coming. Hours before he left us, he was visiting with family members and chatting with neighbours - just being his lively, welcoming self. We are in a state of shock and dismay. His death came so suddenly, like waking up to an earthquake. It feels as though we are living in a mental blur, still trying to piece together what happened. 

Throughout this emotionally difficult time, I’ve been reflecting on life and death, perhaps as part of my own personal grieving process. I keep asking myself what I can learn from the tragic losses my family has recently faced. The thing is that death is guaranteed to become a reality for every single one of us. No one is protected from death - neither young nor old. We are powerless against it. Yet, we tend to forget this truth, as we get caught up in the many “distractions” of life, spending our living days without that ticking clock in mind. I’m not saying we should live every waking moment in constant fear and anticipation of death. It’s not about fear of death but rather, acceptance. If we deeply accept and internalize that our time will come and we have no control over when that day will be, perhaps that will ignite and awaken us to use the time we’ve been given towards the absolute best possibilities. As I reflect on the many thoughts and emotions running through me over the past several weeks, I think about the raw learnings that I have. I hope you too will sincerely contemplate what these learnings mean for you and how you’re approaching your life. No one has it all figured out. We are all works in progress, taking it one day at a time. But the more we keep this stuff top of mind, the better our chances are of living life fully, without regrets. 

We all have an expiry date

Just like a carton of milk, we all have an expiry date. Life is so short and temporary - this means 2 things:

1) Stop sweating the small stuff. Let things go. Don’t find reasons to complain about things that in the grand scheme don’t matter. Adopt a big picture mindset. When you find yourself getting upset about someone or something, try to pause, zoom out and ask yourself if this issue that is bothering you right now will even matter in a year, a month or a week from now. Chances are it won’t. Awareness of the ego mind (the thing that’s constantly on and causing all that noise in your head) and disidentifying from it will help with this. How? Because the things we stress about always stem from a place of ego. Ego being anything that isn’t your true self (you are an infinite soul - not a body/human). So anything that comes from a place of identification with or attachment to your body, the story of YOU or any material form = ego. When you find yourself getting upset ask who is upset - you (infinite soul) or that sensitive ego that constantly feels the need to protect/defend itself? Just smile, breathe, pause, surrender, laugh, accept, look for the silver lining - LET IT GO. Easier said than done, I know. But we need to keep working on this. Conquering the mind is the true purpose of life. But why should we care? Because the most tragic way to live (and then die) is lost in the confines of your ego-driven mind (negativity, drama, scarcity mindset, lost in materialism/attachments/superficial things, etc). If you operate from a place of higher consciousness (big picture mindset) with a perspective of oneness, abundance and connectedness with everyone around you, you align with the Universe, experiencing a state of bliss/joy/nirvana. In other words, the most beautiful life possible - peace of mind, inner contentment and joy - is within reach if you want it.

2) How you spend your time is super important. We all have an expiry date so that means our time is very limited and precious. Do you want to spend that time operating from a place of fear or a place of love? Something changes in us from childhood to adulthood. We put up our guards, parts of us harden into clay, we adopt the belief of “other-ness” and we all become extremely “busy”. How do we return to that child-like quality of being open, curious and loving towards one another? Think of a small child smiling at you with the most loving gaze. You used to be that child. What happened? Be kinder than is necessary. See the ONE in everyone. Bring love and positivity into every interaction, whether with a loved one or a complete stranger. How differently would you show up if every person you interact with today was going to die tomorrow? Seems morbid to think this way but it could be a reality, for them or for you. Don’t hold back on telling people you love them. Express it. Replace your ego with honesty. Much better to be overflowing with love and expression than pained with the regret of restrained and bottled emotions. Push thru the uncomfortableness. Think about the people in your life who you cannot imagine living without. Make an intentional decision to prioritize spending more quality time with them, especially your parents, siblings and grandparents. Everyone is too busy, pick up the phone, plan that potluck, take your Mom out for a nice meal or to see a movie, get the friends or fam together for a weekend getaway. Don’t wait for them to call or text you - take the initiative. Love only attracts love. Reach out and start a chain reaction. Just do it. You will not regret it. Again, you do not have infinite time. None of us do. At some point, time will be up.

Cherish your family

Growing up in a big, tight-knit, loving family has been one of my greatest joys in life. When I’m surrounded by my large and lively family, I feel like I’m home. This past month, I realized the power and strength of family to an extent I had not before experienced. The tragic losses we faced have reinforced our greatest blessing - each other. We are incredibly lucky to have a family that is so close and connected. Everyone has come together in such a loving way to give each other strength in these difficult times. Every obligation and priority was dropped to gather on a daily basis to spread love, run errands, make meals, grieve and reminisce, cry and laugh and instill faith and strength. We made sure that my cousin’s house was full of family, love and community - and we will continue to do that. I love that our idea of a low-key family dinner is 70 people (no joke) showing up to make a meal and eat together. My heart is so full just thinking about how much I love my family and how they have given me so many reasons to love deeper and to feel deeply loved throughout the past month. Perhaps that’s also why the loss of my Aunt and cousin has been so difficult for us because family truly is everything for us. Family is precious and you realize just how precious when you lose a family member. And family doesn’t have to be based on blood lines. Family is anyone who feels like home for you. Look out for one another. If you know someone is struggling, check in on them and remind them they are not alone. Hug and kiss your loved ones. Tell them you love them.  Even if that’s not something you grew up doing, start doing it. Even if it’s awkward or “corny” or not “macho” just do it. No harm was ever created through more love and affection.

Remember who you really are

Beyond the flesh, the body, the hair and the story of you, exists a content, infinite and powerful energy - your soul. That is who you are. We forget this once we adopt a body and personality, among other attachments and identifications. This is a core spiritual belief of mine but witnessing the lifeless body of my cousin made it all come home for me. As I stared through heavy tears at his body, and touched his ice cold forehead, I realized it looked like him but the thing that made him HIM, the thing that gave him life, and enabled him to see, talk, hear, touch, walk, love and laugh - that thing was gone - it had left the body. That “thing” is the soul - the infinite, energetic life force that “turns on the lights” inside our flesh and bone-filled bodies. The love and attachment we have with a loved one’s personality and character and all their quirks and “isms” are all powered by the soul, not the body. It’s interesting how once someone dies, everyone begins to refer to them as “the body” rather than by name. Because the name/personality/identity is gone. The body dies but the soul never dies. And yet, ironically, while we’re alive, we’re so attached to and identified and obsessed with the body - both ours and others. Looking at a dead body makes you realize how misguided we are. It’s the soul we should be connecting with. That’s the truth of who we are, not the body. So, when someone dies, where does the soul go? It just flows from one body/form (vehicle) to another or becomes liberated in the omnipresent source of all life. Knowing this gives me some internal peace. May my Aunt and my cousin’s souls rest in love, light and peace.

Respect and take care of your body. Enjoy it. It’s the only one you have for the duration of your human journey. But don’t just get lost in the toning and adornment of the body. Go deeper. Look inside yourself and connect with that energy that allows you to actually be alive, literally makes you alive. I strongly recommend reading A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle and Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life by Wayne Dyer. These books have helped me connect more deeply with my soul. And it’s a commitment to stay connected because the world has many outward-driven distractions. Staying aware of the truth of ourselves will help us build a stronger and more loving relationship with ourselves and with others. And perhaps most importantly, it will give us a broader perspective on life and death, enabling us to develop acceptance (rather than fear) of our inevitable (unknown) expiry date.

In sum…..

Love deeper

Be kinder than is necessary

Live more fully - embrace adventure and spontaneity 

Stop taking everything so seriously - stop taking yourself so seriously 

Tell them you love them - push thru the hesitation

Intentionally make more time for family and friends 

Open your heart to seeing the best in others - drop the judgment

See the ONE in everyone

Work hard with passion, enthusiasm and gratitude 

Know your truth, connect with your soul - it will set you free

<3

Knee2

[morkmywords]

Strawberries and Cream | Soulmate au | Bts | Jungkook

Masterlist

Soulmate!AU

Length: 5.5k

Note: So i write for bts as well

Warnings: none

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Fluff/Angst

Summary: Imaging living life with everything in grayscale, no colours at all. The only way you can ever see colour is if you make eye contact with your soulmate but things don’t always go as they’re supposed to.

The freezing temperatures of Korean winters really weren’t doing you any favours as you trailed behind your older sister. This morning she insisted on going to a traditional market to shop around and your parents would only let her go if you went along as well which was how you ended up squeezing through various stalls of market vendors and freezing your buns off. It was your annual family vacation and this year it was your sister’s turn to pick, last year your step-dad picked a winery tour in the south of France which you didn’t really mind since most of the vineyard’s had extensive art collections which were on display. This year, however, your sister decided going to South Korea in the middle of winter was an amazing idea and your sister was hell-bent on seeing at least one of her favourite kpop idols while she was there. Due to this, you were being dragged around a famous marketplace instead of going to a traditional dance performance with your mom and step-dad which you would have much preferred with its heating and all.

It was mid-morning and you had yet to eat anything as you followed your sister through the sea of people and past all the delicious smelling foods.

“If I don’t eat something soon I think I’m going to die.” You whined as your sister finally stopped in front of a small jewelry stand. She seemed to be able to run on nothing and have loads of energy which was probably a leading factor in why she was thin and beautiful while you weren’t. She was born first with all the charms and beauty that attracted people like bees to a flower. You, however, got the leftovers, you weren’t skinny or pretty or bubbly but instead, you were on the chubby side with nothing particularly special in the looks department and you preferred to keep to yourself and read. But not everything was better for her, she didn’t have a soulmate system yet and you did. Soulmate systems were almost as confusing as rocket science, there were thousands of different variants and they could develop at any different point in your life. Some people were born with their soulmate system and some people never found theirs which you knew was the source of a lot of your older sister’s stress. You developed your soulmate system when on the day you turned four years old and you got one of the least desirable systems, especially for a child. You couldn’t see colour until you looked into the eyes of your soulmate, as a child you remember crying for days when you learned you couldn’t see colour but eventually you got used to it and the grayscale of the world around you made you forget what colours had once looked like. Nowadays you tended to avoid eye contact unlike others you knew who stared into the eyes of everyone they meet in hopes of finding a soulmate, you preferred to go unnoticed.

“C’mon Y/n you’re always hungry.” She pouted as you refused to move.

You felt your cheeks go pink as she once again reminded you of your shortcomings. “I guess we can keep going for a while but only if you promise to pay.” You whisked as you retreated back into your giant winter coat.

“Deal!” She giggled before heading off again. You followed her around as she headed in and out of shops, she bought a few different things but you just followed only purchasing a bookmark and some random knick-knacks you thought were pretty. You were spending your last few days exploring Seoul after you spent the first part of your trip just travelling to famous landmarks around the country and gaining ‘cultural knowledge’ as your mom liked to call it and Kate, your sister, couldn’t stay still as she was finally in the Kpop capital of the world.

“Here how about we get waffles and ice cream?” She asked as she dragged you over to a vendor selling what looked like exactly what she described. You read each of the different flavours as best as you could with your limited knowledge of Korean but ended up having to resort to your sister who of course knew Korean.

“Can I have the strawberries and cream flavoured one?” You whispered to your sister and she nodded before ordering. You waited next to her as your sister chatted with the vendor in broken Korean as you waited for your waffles. When it was finally ready you both took your food and said a quick thank you before you continued on, you looked at a few more stalls before deciding to go farther into the city. You pulled out your travel guide and decide to head to a park which wasn’t too far away so you decided to walk after a lot of convincing from your sister.

You munched on the waffle as you headed down the street and did your best to eat the ice cream that you were already thinking twice about agreeing to eat. You did your best to eat but your fingers got cold whenever they were outside of your sleeves, you were crossing through a particularly busy part of town with giant crosswalks and huge buildings covered in LEDs, billboards, and posters. You were trying to keep your sister on track as she got distracted by pictures of idols and actors or some kpop songs that sounded familiar. You pulled your sister across the crosswalk before the light changed without getting hit by a car and losing her in the crowd, you sighed once you were in the clear but you felt your heart speed up as you caught a glimpse of somebody’s nose and lips flashing across a billboard. You didn’t know why but something compelled you to stay and see if the person would come across the billboard again but you were pulled away again by your sister who wanted to keep exploring.

——

The two of you wandered around the park and the rest of the city until you had to meet your parents for lunch. The entire time as you listened to her chat you couldn’t get the man’s face out of your head, you had never really been interested in boys before like your sister or classmates and you were utterly dumbfounded. You were so lost in thought that you were sure you wouldn’t have made it to the restaurant without your sister, whether it be by missing your train or getting hit by a car. You finally let yourself relax once you were seated, you quickly looked over the menu you were handed before settling on just getting the same thing as Kate. The restaurant was definitely not a cheap place, the whole aura around it was fancy and expensive which was fine with you since they had some interesting sculptures and things. You half paid attention to what your family members were talking about as you desperately tried to remember anything about the man that wasn’t his nose, lips, or his chin. When the food arrived you stayed quiet and ate as you listened to your mom animatedly talk about how beautiful the dancer’s costumes were. Everyone knew that your mom wanted to be a costume designer with all her heart but decided to become a secretary to support you and your sister after your biological father left her. You listened to her rave on and on about the colours and materials that were used and you couldn’t help but smile at how excited she was.

“Everyone, I have an announcement.” Your step-dad announced once everyone had pretty much finished eating. “In honour of Kate finishing her exams with some of the highest scores in all her classes……. WE GOT YOU BTS CONCERT TICKETS!”

You were sure you’d gone deaf from the shriek that your sister let out in the almost silent restaurant. You mother, step-dad, and sister were all practically jumping with joy while you felt a blush rising to your cheeks and tried to melt back into your sweater.

“These are for tomorrow! How did you get these? I’m so excited!” That was only a small part of what you heard your sister squeal to your parents before you drifted back to the man on the billboard. Was he in BTS? They were really big now and you knew people all around the world loved them, could it be-

“Y/n? Are you paying attention?” Kate asked.

You shook your head a bit in an attempt to wake yourself up. “I’m sorry I guess the jet lag is getting to me.” You let out a nervous laugh before Kate started talking again.

“As I was saying, I’ll have to make sure you know all the members, and the fan chants, OH! And you can borrow some of the BTS shirts I have since you’re the one coming with me!” She spoke so fast you almost couldn’t understand.

“Wait, so I’m the only one coming with you?” You were panicking a little at the thought of going to a concert alone with your sister, “what about you two?”

You parents shared an uncomfortable glance. “Well sweetie, we tried to get enough tickets for all of us to go but those two were the only ones we could nab before they all sold out.” Your mom said as she reached out and rubbed your shoulder with a small smile.

“Besides, you wouldn’t want two old farts like us crashing your party.” Your step-dad joined in, “You two should have some sister bonding time before you both head off to university and never come home to see each other anymore.”

You could feel all the eyes at the table focused on you so you reluctantly agreed. The rest of lunch was spent with Kate chattering in about her favourite member, who you remembered was some guy named Sugar, and your parents chatting about some sort of traditional medicine class they were going to next. Before you knew it the bill was paid and you were parting ways again, at least until later that night.

——

It was afternoon now and that meant the streets were packed with people going in every direction. Kate dragged you through endless shops and stalls, all full of different products that people happily browsed through. Two hours later you were hauling thousands of bags back to your hotel, the bags were filled with all sorts of things but they were mostly your sister’s. She bought tons of different clothes and you had seen a few things you liked but ultimately deciding not to get any because one-size things made you nervous, she also bought a ton of makeup and skincare products which you didn’t have any interest in since it was too much work to wear makeup and have it match skin tone and all when you couldn’t see colours.

Your feet were sore from all the walking you had done and you were ready for a nap when you were crossing the intersection on the way back to your hotel. You were keeping your eyes on the changing lights as usual when you heard your sister start squealing.

“Y/n, Y/n look! It’s BTS!” She exclaimed before pointing to a video clip that was playing in the side of a building. “Aren’t they so handsome, AND WE’RE GOING TO SEE THEM LIVE TONIGHT!”

You looked up to see what your sister was swooning over when you saw the familiar nose and lips on the screen. You suddenly felt as though there was something in your eyes, you brought your head down and rubbed your eyes with the palm of your hands, blinking a few times before opening them up again.

Everything fell from your hands when the grays, blacks, and whites that used to make up your vision were replaced with colours. Your mouth fell open as you saw colours for what seemed like the first time in your life, you felt like crying and shouting with joy at the same time. You looked back up to see the man on the billboard that you had locked eyes with, you found your soulmate but you didn’t see him in person.

“What colour are my shoes?” You whirled around and asked your sister who was admiring all the bright now coloured displays.

“Red, why? Did you find your soulmate?” She asked suddenly excited. You should have told her but you couldn’t, your soulmate was one of the most popular people in the whole world and you weren’t even sure he was your soulmate.

“N-no!” You exclaimed. “I just didn’t remember when you told me this morning.” She seemed wary of your answer but didn’t bring it up again as you made your way back to the hotel. You stared in wonder at the suddenly colour filled world and asked so many not so subtle question that you were sure Kate wanted to knock your teeth out.

The door finally clicked signalling it was unlocked and you rushed inside, dripping all the bags to begin feverishly researching on your phone.

——

The van lurched to a stop which woke Jungkook up from his much-needed nap, they had very busy schedules for the past few days but it was just the staff of it. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter as an attempt to go back to sleep but a few moments later he gave up, his brain was already awake again so he might as well do something productive. He opened his eyes only to be greeted by the bright coloured hat Taehyung was wearing in front of him. The brightness of the hat wasn’t really the problem but the fact that he could see colour was, his ability to see colour disappeared so long ago that he couldn’t even remember what red looked like.

As a teen he resented the idea of soulmates with all his heart, why did he have to be stuck with the stupid system where he couldn’t see colour? It was like not being able to see half of the world but he eventually got over it and accepted in for what it was. Being an idol and all they didn’t talk about their soulmates or soulmate paths whatsoever but it didn’t stop his group from sharing their issues between themselves, they helped him through all the sticky situations you can get in when you can’t see colour.

“Wake up!” He shouted as he elbowed Namjoon Who was sleeping next to him in the stomach. The older man groaned and clutched his stomach but made no protest as he was more interested in knowing what was so urgent and why the boy beside him was almost in tears.

“What’s happened this time?” Hoseok asked between yawns as the rest of the group focused their attention on the youngest.

Jungkook looked lost as his eyes stayed trained on Taehyung’s hat. “I can see.” He whispered.

“We already knew you could see Jungkook, is that really all that you woke us up for?” Yoongi asked with an unamused expression.

“You don’t get it,” he insisted, “I can see!”

“You don’t mean-“ Hoseok started but trailed off before he could finish his sentence.

“You can see colour?” Namjoon said, asking the question everyone in the van was thinking.

The boy only nodded in response before a crocodile tear rolled down his cheek.

“Oh, Jungkookie! That so exciting, who’s  your soulmate is?” Jimin asked excitedly.

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?” Jin cut in. “You wouldn’t be able to see colour if you hadn’t made eye contact with your soulmate.”

“I didn’t make I contact with anybody though!” Jungkook exclaimed as more tears gathered in his eyes. “When we got in the car and before I went to sleep everything was normal but when I woke up suddenly there was colour.”

Namjoon wrapped his arm around Jungkook who was shaking next to him. “Maybe you didn’t see them, but what if they saw you?” He asked.

There were multiple shouts of confusion from the boys surrounding him before somebody shut them all up to let him continue. “A friend told me that sometimes with these kind of eye contact systems the eye contact doesn’t necessarily have to be in real life.”

“What do you mean?” Hoseok prompted as he turned around in his seat. “Like if kookie’s soulmate saw a poster or something?”

“Exactly! I’ve heard about it happening although it’s very, very rare. Your soulmate probably saw a poster or music video where you made eye contact with the camera that triggered the connection.” Namjoon finished explaining.

“So does that mean Jungkookie won’t be able to find his soulmate for sure?”  Jimin asked as he shifted nervously in his seat.

Namjoon let out a soft hum before answering. “Everything I’ve read says that usually the effects of a bond being made are only partially there and when you do meet your soulmate in real life you get the full effects.”

“So I’m only seeing some colours?” Jungkook asked.

“Probably,” Namjoon replied. “Now you just have to actually meet your soulmate.”

——

The sigh seemed to escape on its own when you came to your conclusion, after an hour of searching through every blog, news article, and website you could find the verdict was that he was most definitely your soulmate. During that time you also decided that under no circumstances would you ever meet him in real life, he was an idol and had an image to uphold that you being his soulmate would only ruin and besides, he was probably just happy that he could finally see some colour. At that moment Kate burst out of the bathroom and dragged you over to the desk where she had set up her computer.

“Now it is time for you to learn all about BTS!” she exclaimed before pulling you down next to her and hitting the play button. You watched every music video there was and listened to all the albums, watched theory videos and crack videos, you even listened to her talk about how much she loved Sugar, who you know knew was Suga, for an entire twenty minutes.

“Uhm, could you tell me more about the boy with the pink hair?” you asked once it seemed like she was finished.

“Ooooo, somebody has a little crush on Jungkook!!” she squealed before tickling you. You burst out into a fit of giggles which easily disguised the embarrassed blush on your cheeks until she launched into a full on lecture about Jeon Jeongguk. Twenty minutes later you were even more certain on what you had decided before, your soulmate who was amazing at everything he tries and had the voice of an angel could never be with you.

----

“Are you girls ready to go?” your mom called as she burst into your hotel room with your step-dad on her heels. “Y/n why aren't you ready?” she asked once she saw you curled up in your cocoon of blankets and your favourite pyjamas.

“I feel really sick and I don't think I can go.” you whispered as the rest of your family gathered by the door. “I think I ate something bad this morning but you should go with mom.”

Your family shared an uncomfortable look before your mom walked over and perched on the bed next to you. “Are you sure you’ll be fine?” she asked as you retreated farther into your blankets.

“Yeah you go have fun, I’ll just take some medicine and go to sleep.” You tried to reassure the rest of your family members without seeming too suspicious.

She sighed and walked back over to where your step-dad and Kate were standing. “Well if you’re sure you’re going to be alright, Dave will be next door and you can call room service if you’re feeling better.” You nodded as they grabbed jackets and shoes, “Call us if you need anything, Bye!” your mom called before she shut the door and you fell back onto the bed. You switched on the television to some random game show in an attempt to drown out your own thoughts and distract yourself although it didn’t really work and you eventually fell asleep.

----

You faked sick in order to stay in the hotel room until the last day of your trip, as much as you wanted to go out exploring with your family you were far too paranoid about possibly running into BTS on the streets as silly as that sounds. You weren’t too upset because you got to watch a lot of Korean dramas even if you hardly understood anything they were saying. Your parents brought you back tons of souvenirs and such, Kate was kind enough to buy you a buttload of Jungkook things just to tease you though nobody else knew he was your soulmate.  It was finally time to leave and you dragged your bags into the cab before it sped away

You hung around in the back with your sister as your parents went to get the tickets, you were there definitely earlier than you needed to be so you could take as much time as you needed.

“What if we see BTS here?” Kate asked and you froze, “I read somewhere last night that they were going to be going somewhere abroad today, why do you look like you saw an alien?”

You quickly shook out of your trance and were itching to go, you heard a few high pitched screams and the clicks of cameras and knew something was happening.

“Let’s go.” You said as you grabbed your sister and almost ran to where your parents were waiting with the tickets, you practically shoved your family through the security in a mad dash to get to the gate and away from disaster. By the time you finally got to the gate you parents were fed up and dumped you to go shopping and find some food while you stayed tucked by an outlet at your gate. You were incredibly anxious as you watched people pass by, you tried to stay there but eventually, your stomach started gurgling and you had no choice but to go find food.

You gathered your bags and wandered around until you found a small convenience like store that was relatively close to your gate, you wandered around a bit before grabbing some sort of sandwich, a way overpriced bottle of water, and a novel in English that looked relatively interesting. You were heading back after shoving everything in your bag, there was about half an hour left till your flight was supposed to start boarding so you decided to stop at the washroom before going back to the gate.

When you emerged from the bathrooms a few moments later you were treated with a stampede of people being held back by bodyguards and you immediately knew what was going on. Without thinking about anything other than getting away from the mob following BYS through the airport you dove head-on into the crowd like a fish trying to swim upstream. You quickly realized how stupid you were as you started to get shoved around and eventually landed on your butt in front of somebody’s very expensive shoes. You didn’t even realize a hand reach down in front of your face before you smacked into it amidst your own panic to get away. You froze when you got to your feet and met eyes with the member you recognized as V standing right in front of you, a mumbled apology in bad Korean fell out of your mouth before you ran into the crowd again, eager to get away.

When you finally got back to the gate the boarding had already started as you waddled up to your family who was anxiously waiting.

“Where were you?” Your step-dad asked as you took your places in the line.

“I just got caught up and forgot about the time.” You said before the staff member took your ticket and passport to check you in.

The flight back home was about as pleasant as a plane ride could be with you dodging your family’s well thought out questions about why you were being so odd lately, it was like walking on eggshells or herding cats. It wasn’t until you reached for your forgotten food in your bag that you realized you had lost the little keychain you bought in one of the markets you went to, it probably fell off in the crowd of people. You were disappointed in the fact you wouldn’t ever see it again but drifted off to sleep on the long flight.

——

“What’s that?” Jungkook asked Taehyung who was sitting beside him examining something intently.

“Ah, remember that girl who fell at the airport earlier?” He said and Jungkook nodded. “She dropped this and I was going to give it back to her if I saw her again but I guess it's too late for that now.”

Jungkook got a better view of the small keychain as Taehyung moved his hands out of the way, he also remembered the girl who dropped it. He felt drawn to her for some reason but before he could even catch a glimpse of her face she disappeared back into the crowd.

“Can I keep it?” He asked his bandmate.

Taehyung gave him an odd look before nodding and passing it over to him. “I don’t know why you’d want it but sure.” He smiled as the younger one took it from his hand.

Upon closer inspection, Jungkook figured out it was a little pink strawberry on a cloud like thing that he didn’t really know what to call. He smiled at the stomach-churning cuteness of it before tying it onto his bag and going back to staring out the airplane window.

----

You were exhausted and glad to be home but it was different now that you could see colour like you knew that your room was always yellow but you never really remembered what yellow looked like until now. You also knew some basic things about how you looked, like the colour of your eyes and the colour of your hair but you ended up avoiding mirrors and pictures since you started seeing colour. Know you knew who your soulmate was and you tried avoiding everything about him for about a month but it was impossible, you could feel your heart slowly chipping away as you sat at home ignoring his entire existence.

Just because you couldn’t meet your soulmate doesn't mean you couldn't learn about him, right?

Kate was obviously a little weirded out when you asked her to teach you Korean, it seemed like kind of an out of the blue thing to her but you managed to cover it up by saying it was because of your recent trip to South Korea. In the meantime you started getting into BTS on your own, starting from their debut and working your way up until where they were now. You knew they were big but you never actually realized how big they were until their collaborations with some of the biggest artists from around the world came into your view.

The months passed and along with learning more and more about your soulmate you also ended up moving out into your own place in the next city over. Your parents were emotional as always but were a little reassured since your sister actually lived in the same building. It’s definitely not like your family planned that without you because that would just be crazy. Aside from that, your life was picking up, you decide to switch your major and become a linguist because after learning Korean for a year you started picking up different languages and got interested in the science behind it. You even ended up getting out of your shell a bit more and made a few friends as you settled into your new house, you were ready to call it a night when your sister burst into your apartment.

“Y/n!!” she called as your door banged open and she ran into your place.

“What are you doing?!” you screeched from your spot on the floor after you fell off the couch in surprise.

“You’ll never guess what’s happening!” she exclaimed, completely ignoring your position on the floor.

You sighed and got up before sitting back on the sofa. “I’m definitely not going to be able if you don't tell me.” you said.

“Bts are having a world tour, and they’re coming here!”

“What?!” you exclaimed.

“The tickets just went on sale and I managed to get one!” Kate squealed as she came to sit on the couch next to you. “I just can't believe I have to wait for 2 months until they come.”

You sighed with relief since they were not coming anytime soon before Kate began to blabber on and on about how excited she was. The thing that occupied your mind was that your soulmate would be in the same city as you in 2 months.

----

It had been two months since Kate burst into your room screaming about the concert and you honestly forgot it was even happening. Exams were coming up so you threw yourself into your studies basically becoming a hermit in your own room, Kate had texted you earlier in the day about it but of course, you gave it no mind as she never referred to it as more than just ‘the concert’. You had been studying for 12 hours straight and decided you deserve a break, at least until tomorrow morning since it was currently 1 am. You tucked your books to the side and dragged your feet to your bed where you flopped down, not even bothering to curl under the blankets. You were very intent on falling asleep but your stomach had other plans as it let out a large grumble before the pain of hunger overtook you. A loud groan was your response before you pulled yourself up from the bed, threw on a giant sweater and some shoes, and headed out the door. You were in no mood to take the stairs so you waited for the elevator while you texted your sister to see if she needed anything since she just came back from a concert, the ding signalled the elevator was there and you left. The convenience store that was two blocks away from your apartment was open 24/7 so that's where you were headed to find food since your fridge was currently as empty as the streets were while you made your way there. You pushed open the door and headed down the rows filled with food in search of something to eat, you ended up grabbing a premade sandwich and some trail mix before heading to the coolers at the back to look for the drinks your sister wanted. You didn't pay attention to the bell on the door ring as you looked through the shelves upon shelves of beverages, you continued on browsing until you recognized a couple of familiar voices speaking Korean and you turned around to see 7 familiar guys. You spun back around and found your sister’s drink as soon as possible before rushing up to the cashier to pay, you were itching to hurry as the employee seemed to ring your items up as slow as possible. You heard the chatter and 7 pairs of feet behind you so as soon as you were handed your receipt you grabbed your things and ran out the door. You were about to cross the street before you heard footsteps and somebody calling after you.

“You forgot your wallet!”

You turned around and immediately froze when you locked eyes with the familiar pink haired boy and even more colours exploded in your vision. You both froze and stared back at each other for a few moments until there were more footsteps and you saw the 7 other boys come up behind him. The crosswalk chirped and you turned to leave but were stopped by somebody grabbing your arm, you turned to see Jungkook standing behind you.

“Wait, you’re my-”

“Soulmate.” You cut him off.

“You saw me before?” he asked in broken English while still holding your arm to make sure you didn't try to leave again.

“In Korea on a poster.” You explained in Korean so he could understand.

He obviously did because he answered right away. “You speak Korean?”

You shuffled your feet nervously and looked down in embarrassment. “I learned when I figured out you were my soulmate.”

The silence was deafening before somebody called out from behind Jungkook

“You’re the girl that fell at the airport!” Taehyung exclaimed and everyone looked back at you in confirmation. You nodded before Jungkook started digging abound in his pockets frantically until he finally found what he was looking for.

“This is yours.” He said.

You looked at his outstretched hand to see the small keychain you lost a year ago laying in his palm, you grabbed the little strawberry from him before throwing your arms around his neck and hugging him.

“Thank you.”

[whitemoonkitteh-blog]

Goddess Freya

💕Freya is the goddess of love in Norse mythology, but she is also associated with sex, lust, beauty, sorcery, fertility, gold, war, and death. 

💕Freya (“Lady”) is one of the preeminent goddesses in Norse mythology.

💕She’s a member of the Vanir tribe of deities, but became an honorary member of the Aesir gods after the Aesir-Vanir War.

💕Freya is the daughter of Njord however her mother is unknown, but could be Nerthus. She has a twin brother named Freyr. Freya is married to the god Odr, but he somehow disappeared but it might be Odin. Her husband Odr in late Old Norse literature is certainly none other than Odin and accordingly Freya is ultimately identical with Odin’s wife Frigg. She has two children with Odr, their names are Hnoss and Gersemi.

💕Some of the weekdays in Norse mythology originate from some of the gods and goddesses, and Freya might be associated with the day friday, but there are conflicting sources so it could also be the goddess Frigg.

💕Freya is famous for her fondness of love, fertility, beauty, and fine material possessions because of these predilections she’s considered to be something of the “party girl” of the Aesir. In one of the Eddic poems for example, Loki accuses Freya (probably accurately) of having slept with all of the gods and elves including her brother.

💕She’s certainly a passionate seeker after pleasures and thrills, but she’s a lot more than only that. Freya is the archetype of the völva, a professional or semiprofessional practitioner of seidr the most organized form of Norse magick. It was she who first brought this art to the gods and by extension to humans as well.

💕Given her expertise in controlling and manipulating the desires, health, and prosperity of others she’s a being whose knowledge and power are almost without equal.

💕Freya presides over the afterlife realm Folkvangr. According to one Old Norse poem, she chooses half of the warriors slain in battle to dwell there.

💕Seidr is a form of pre-Christian Norse magick and shamanism concerned with discerning destiny and altering its course by re-weaving part of its web. This power could potentially be put to any use imaginable and examples that cover virtually the entire range of the human condition can be found in Old Norse literature.

💕In the Viking Age, the völva was an itinerant seeress and sorceress who traveled from town to town performing commissioned acts of seidr in exchange for lodging, food, and often other forms of compensation as well. Like other northern Eurasian shamans, her social status was highly ambiguous. She was by turns exalted, feared, longed for, propitiated, celebrated, and scorned.

💕Freya’s occupying this role amongst the gods is stated directly in the Ynglinga Saga, and indirect hints are dropped elsewhere in the Eddas and sagas. For example, in one tale we’re informed that Freya possesses falcon plumes that allow their bearer to shift his or her shape into that of a falcon.

💕While the late Old Norse literary sources that form the basis of our current knowledge of pre-Christian Germanic religion present Freya and Frigg as being at least nominally distinct goddesses, the similarities between them run deep. Their differences, however, are superficial and can be satisfactorily explained by consulting the history and evolution of the common Germanic goddess whom the Norse were in the process of splitting into Freya and Frigg sometime shortly before the conversion of Scandinavia and Iceland to Christianity (around the year 1000 CE).

💕Freya and Frigg are similarly accused of infidelity to their (apparently common) husband. Alongside the several mentions of Freya’s loose sexual practices can be placed the words of the medieval Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, who relates that Frigg slept with a slave on at least one occasion. In Lokasenna and the Ynglinga Saga, Odin was once exiled from Asgard, leaving his brothers Vili and Ve in command. In addition to presiding over the realm, they also regularly slept with Frigg until Odin’s return. Many scholars have tried to differentiate between Freya and Frigg by asserting that the former is more promiscuous and less steadfast than the latter, but these tales suggest otherwise.

💕Her emblem is the necklace Brisingamen.

💕Hers is the magic of reading runes, trancing, and casting spells. She is said to have taught Seidr to Odin.

💕She owns a falcon cloak, takes dove form, rides in a chariot drawn by two cats, or rides a boar.

💕As leader of the Valkyries, she takes half those slain in battle and is traditionally associated with death and sexuality.

💕She weeps tears of gold, which become amber, called "Freya's Tears". A kenning for amber. When she could not find her husband Odr, Freya shed tears of gold. The tears that hit trees turned into amber.

💕Freya is incredibly beautiful and she has many admirers, not just among the gods and goddesses but also among the dwarves and giants. She loves jewelry and other fine materials and she has quite often used her beauty to get the jewelry she desires. A big passion for poems and loves to sit and listen to songs for many hours. 

💕Freya is living in Asgard (the home of the gods), the name of her house is Sessrumnir and it is located by the field Folkvangr which means “field of the host”, “people field”, or “army field”. It is a place where half of the people who die in a battle go for the afterlife, while Odin will receive the other half. Freya is always given the first choice among the brave warriors, after she had picked the ones she wanted, the rest were sent to Odin.

💕Freya loves to travel and she would sometimes take a ride in her chariot. She is often depicted riding her golden chariot through the skies, the chariot pulled by two large blue cats who were a gift from the Norse god Thor. She was also able to fly by using her cloak of falcon feathers, which she willingly loaned out to the other gods and goddesses in Asgard, when they needed to fly to one of the worlds in a hurry. Freya also has a boar named Hildisvini “battle swine” which she rides when she is not using her cat-drawn chariot. It is also said to be Freya’s human lover, ottar in disguise, and that is the reason why Loki consistently accuses her of being immoral by riding her lover in public.

💕Freya chastised Thor soundly one morning for awakening her from her beauty sleep with his boisterous and noisy preparations to "go fishing" for a sea dragon. While he was on the way to his fishing spot, Thor kept hearing lovely song-like noises that seemed to be lulling him to sleep. Stopping to investigate the source of the odd sounds, he found them coming from a nest of mewing blue kittens being tended by a tomcat. The sound that Thor had heard was the male cat singing to the kittens, "sleep, sleep, my dear little ones". Thor suggested (in forceful terms) that the cat stop singing the lullaby and the cat sassed him back, suggesting that Thor had no idea how difficult it was for a single-parent male to rear his children and asking if he knew any women who would be willing to take them in. Immediately Freya came to mind and Thor agreed to take them to her. Like all cats, this one was not quick to show appreciation and added that being blue,  they were very unique cats and deserved an especially fine home. Thor took offense at the comment and thundered back at the cat who, not the least impressed, bared his claws and then turned into a bird and flew away. Kindly Freya was enchanted with Thor's present and did the kittens honor by letting them accompany her on her daily rounds across the sky.

💕She was also called upon to comfort those who were dying, to ease their transition into Valhalla ("the otherworld"), serving as a guide and companion on the journey to Valhalla for many Viking heroes who had died nobly.

💕When Freya and the Valkyries rode forth on their missions, their armor caused the eerily beautiful flickering light that we know as the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights.

💕Freya and Odr were wed, but soon after their wedding Odr disappeared and all feared that he was dead, perhaps killed by the ruling deities for disobeying their orders. Freya was distraught and cried tears of gold, but refused to accept that he was dead. Putting on a magical cloak made of falcon feathers that allows the wearer to fly across vast distances very quickly, she rose into the sky and searched all over the earth for him.

💕Indeed, Odr had not died but had been banished and lost at sea. When Freya found him he had already degenerated into a sea monster. Hideous as he appeared, Freya stayed by his side and comforted him. When someone stumbled upon the sea monster and killed him, Freya was enraged and threatened to take her revenge for the slaying the most noble of the gods.  Fortunately it all worked out as Odr was admitted to Valhalla even though he had not died in battle, and was allowed to have conjugal visits from Freya so that the two were never separated by his death.

💕Usually depicted as a strawberry blonde with stunning blue eyes, none could resist her. To make matters even worse, she possessed apparel that made her irresistible to men. A magickal necklace reputedly made of amber and rubies that was called a "Brisings" or "Brisingamen".

💕Freya had left it a bit late to leave her friend's house to start home. The sun set, and it began to snow. Soon she was becoming disoriented and frost-bitten. Luckily she was found by four dwarves who rescued her and took her to their home. The dwarves were named "North, South, East, and West". Freya volunteered to pay them for their hospitality and the four dwarves cheerfully agreed saying that they would like to be repaid by having her sleep with each of them for one night. Freya wasn't at all interested and promptly declined. Until she saw the incredibly beautiful necklace that they had just made. She had to have it and offered to return after the storm and pay for it in gold. They may have been dwarves, but they weren't stupid. They told her it was not for sale at any price, but countered with an offer that they would be delighted to simply give it to her if she were willing to pay their price for her room and board during the storm. When Freya returned home after the storm subsided, she was wearing the stunning "Necklace of Desire", "Brisingamen", or "The Necklace of the Brisings".

💕The goddess Freya's passions were abundant, vigorous, and unrestrained.  Clothed or not, she is usually shown in sensual poses.

💕Freya is associated with all female animals, especially domestic animals in heat or giving birth. She has several specific animal associations, as well, each of which illuminate some aspect of her power.

💕One of Freya's titles is "Mare of the Vanir", giving her a connection with horses and emphasizing her role as a fertility goddess.

[gingerxtrash]

As the years go on /5

Pairing: Nalu

Rating: T

Humor, mystery, and suspense

---Natsu’s P.O.V.---

‘What the hell just happened?’ I was frozen in my tracks, trying to comprehend what just happened. Jellal, Erza, Mira, and Laxus immediately get out of the car, most likely thinking the same thing as I am right now. The others went back to the base, so they can report on how the deal went on about a half an hour ago. “Natsu, what just happened!” Erza shouted so she can get my attention. I turn around in confusion, “how do you expect me to know, lets go investigate to see if there is anyone who survived” I said to Erza in a harsh voice. We wait until the fire die’s down, but the warehouse is completely rubble and ashes at this point. There are only a few bodies that are badly burnt but none alive, except for one man who has tan skin and brown chestnut hair. He is muscular and has blue eyes that can match the color of the sea. Mira rushes towards him and kneels besides him “what happened here?” she said raising her voice at him but brings him into an upright position. The man is barely breathing but can muster out a few words, “it all happened out of nowhere, one of our team members be- *cough* betrayed us. But there was a woman *cough*. She was te-*wheeze* ter…terrifying. You must st…. stay away from her”. The man could barely make out anything, “what did she look like!” Laxus said calmly but with a intimidating voice now. “she wa…. was a... she was one of them… a celestial” Now the unknown man grabs onto Mira’s jacket, “you must stay away from her…she is ruth…ru..th..less” he wide with wide eyes. The man starts to lose breath and let’s go of Mira’s jacket becoming limp. He takes some slow breaths but eventually stopped breathing. “He’s dead” Mira looked at him with an emotionless face and stood up. “Have any of you ever heard of the Celestial’s before?” Jellal said looking up at me. “I’ve heard my Dad mention the name before, but I don’t know anything else” I said looking back at Jellal. Okay lets just get out of here right now and go and talk to Dragneel.

As I open the car door I hear the roar of a engine, I look to the source of the sound and I see two people on two different motorcycles’. There is a man with a muscular physic and a women with a curvy physic. I barely see anything due to them zooming by…’wait…is that blonde hair?’ I thought to myself but quickly dismiss the thought because there are a lot of people with blonde. I get in the car and Jellal starts to drive to the base, the car ride was quiet but once we enter, I quickly get out without a word, so I can go to my Father.

Going through the main hall, I see multiple people talking and drinking with each other, but I didn’t really pay attention to them. While I’m on my way I see a flash of blue long hair rush towards me and quickly gives me a big hug “Natsu you’re finally home!” Wendy said with a big smile. Wendy and I are very close with each other, I always make time for her even if I am the heir to Fairy Tail. Even if the members of Fairy Tail are supposed to be terrifying, we still make things fun and have a childish side when the time is right. I go down to hug my little sister, “of course, how is my lil sis doing, but aren’t you supposed to be in bed?” I said with a grin. “I didn’t wanna go to bed and I’m not little! I’m 14 years old now so I’m a big kid now!” Wendy said as she rested her arms on her hips and puffed up her cheeks. “Alright lil girl” I said as I rubbed her head. Wendy smiled and giggled, I stood up and proceeded to my Dad’s office like I was before. I opened the door, but the sight is horrifying…I see my Father Igneel hovering over his desk and his shirt halfway unbuttoned reavealing his chisled chest and... he was making out with my Mother, Grandeenye and she is sitting on the desk. They are having a very steamy moment and now I feel like I am going to be sick. Igneel looks up and widened his eyes, “Natsu, Don’t you know better than to knock before you enter” he said with a strict and annoyed voice. “SHEESH DAD, CAN’T YOU WAIT UNTIL YOU GO TO THE BEDROOM. “Well you know, when you love someone you should express your love. Plus, I got to leave a reminder for you when you take over the family business” Igneel said with a smirk and raised his hands. “Well can you put some close on?! I have something to talk to you about” I said as I left the room. “Remind me Hun to always to use a condom” Igneel said with a flirty wink to my Mom as she gave a small giggle in response.

A few minutes later my Dad opened the door and gestured for me to go in. Right now he is wearing black pants, a red button up shirt, and a black suit jacket with no tie. My mother is behind him with a white pencil skirt with a purple button up top. Igneel went to sit down at his desk and gestured for me to sit down on the other side of the desk “So Natsu, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about” my dad said to me with a serious tone and crossed his arms to his chest. I narrowed my eyes, looking straight at him and said, “what information do you have about the group called “the Celestials’”. Igneel looked at me and narrowed his eyebrows at me, surprised by my sudden question. “And why do you ask that my son?” I straightened my posture, “during the deal, Jura told me to check on Neo-Seis because he had some concerns about their actions, but when I got there the building blew up and now everything there is now in ashes. There was a survivor, so we asked what happened and he said that and just one person from the group blew the building down”. My parents remained in their seats and stared at me with wide eyes, “Are you positive on that?” Igneel said narrowing his eyes to look straight into mine. “I am positive Father”, I said giving him the same stare.

My Dad looked down and let out a big sigh, “I thought they wouldn’t come here. Natsu, I suggest you to not interfere with them”. ‘Not get in their way?’, I am confused that he is saying this. Fairy Tale is the most feared gang in Magnolia, no the most feared in Fiore, so why is he saying that we shouldn’t pay them any attention? “Can I ask why we shouldn’t pay attention to them? What if they interfere with our deals or someth-“ my Dad raised his hand to tell me to stop speaking, “the Celestials is a trio who is highly trained in deals, intelligence, and combat. They have taken out a few gangs that are both big and small due to there alliances that work for the Tartaros gang. I have no idea what their motive is but if they don’t interfere with us, I couldn’t care less” he said with a smirk on his face. I just stand there, not knowing what to say so I thank my Father and start to go to the door. “Although Natsu, if you really want to keep an eye on them go right ahead, just don’t get in their way” my Father said but I didn’t look back because I didn’t know if he was joking or not.

---Lucy’s P.O.V.---

Before the Neo-Seis base exploded

As Cobra and I go through the building there are just people who are in the first floor either drinking, playing billiards, or talking. I kept in the shadows with my hood on while Cobra walked closely next to me because no one will suspect him due to his membership in the gang. While we were trying to get to make our way to where Zero is I over hear an annoying voice coming from the crowd. “WHO THE HELL DOES THAT BLONDE B*ITCH THINKS SHE IS!” Minerva practically screamed this while talking to Jenny, Mindnight, and Angel (who is currently wearing sling and has bruises due to my last meeting with her). “You know, you did go a little overboard on her, but I applaud you for your work. Sheesh, seeing that fight made school interesting today” Cobra whispered with a smirk on his face. I just look at him and didn’t respond to his remark, ‘I did go a bit overboard, but I really don’t care’ I thought to myself.

As Cobra and I walk down the down the hallway he turns into a dark room. Once the light turned the room was filled with chemicals as if these people are trying to make something, but those ingredients make it obvious of what it is. Acetone, ammonia, lime, diesel gasoline, pseudoephedrine, and many more. These are the ingredients of meth and cocaine, ‘Wow, these people make me sick by the minute. Sex trafficking, producing dangerous drugs, and forcing people to join this pitiful gang makes me sick. As gangs we are the people who make dangerous activities, but certain activities are not acceptable. Virgo, Loke, and I obviously make illegal actions, but I am doing this for our own personal reasons. They are the ones who did this, and I am not letting that happening this happen ever again.

There are some sounds coming from the corner, so I look over at Cobra and see him taking out a pipe and other materials. “Okay, the plan is that you go and take of Zero and I will be making this pipe bomb” Cobra said as he held up the pipe that’s in his hand. From what I am observing he is going to use the bomb to blow up the room. Due to the small explosion, it will set off another explosion due to the chemicals in here that are highly flammable. “That is a great plan, but what if you go ahead and blow the place while I’m still in the building” I said with a smirk on my face. “Oh don’t flatter yourself, I don’t have a reason to kill you” He said to me with the same smirk I gave him, “Plus I owe Loke a favor and I hear some of your plans for the future and I’m interested to see what happens.”

‘I guess I have that to just go with it, I don’t really have many things to live for anyway’ I think to myself but quickly change myself into my usual positive attitude. I start to walk to the stairs, keeping myself in the shadows with my hood on. Cobra gave me some directions before we entered the small room.

After two minutes or so I reach the hallway were Zero’s room is, although there is only one security guard and his back is faced towards me. He is tall and has a small figure. I could almost confuse him with Cobra due to his tan skin and chestnut messy hair, but the obvious difference is that he has blue eyes that match the sea. I take this chance to sneak up on him while he is not aware of my presence. He moves a little bit, so I quickly grab my tranquilizer, but he see’s me so I must move quick. I twitch my eyes to see him raising his fist to me. He launches the hit towards me, but I move my head and feel the breeze from his hit while it misses the target he has set on me. I quickly grab his wrist with my right hand to pull it away from me and kick his back with my left leg making him hit the wall. I grab his shoulder to keep him upright, put and gave him the tranquilizer to knock him out. “Wh..ho are you?” the man says while looking at me, trying his hardest not to pass out. I still have my hood on so he can’t see me, but that doesn’t mean much because they will all be dead soon anyways. I turned towards him and place my foot on his shoulder near his neck and said “oh hun, the only thing you know is that I am a Celestial and I will not accept the actions of this gang”.

I barge open the door to see Zero sitting down behind his desk doing something, so I just go ahead a walk towards hi. “So, you hide in this dump? Hmph, I thought it would be at least have a bit more…..nirvana feeling (if you get what I mean lol, sorry I’m lame)” I said with a devilish smirk on my face. “So, you were able to get in here without a scratch? Pretty impressive little lady.” I roll my eyes towards my comment but notice that he has stood up from his chair and started to walk towards me. “Too bad that you get to die before you get anywhere, or…. before you die should I play with ya for a little?” he said with a disgusting look of lust all over his face, grinning in hunger. Wow, this makes me even more disgusted with this gang, “I am here for one reason only, I am here to kill you and get rid of your sick gang”

“You think that is supposed to scare me missy” he said. Zero grabs his gun and immediately shots it. I quickly move my head, so the bullet grazes my cheek, only drawing blood so I grab my whip and swing it at him and it grabbed on to his neck. I pulled the whip towards me, at this moment he falls forwards and drops his gun towards me but unfortunately he caught hold of my foot. Once he grabbed it he hit the back of my chin and caused me to fall over then pinned me to the floor restraining my arms to the ground. “Now little lady, you’re going to die”, he was reaching for his second gun but was stopped when I face-butted him in the head. He falls back, he tries to get back but was caught off guard when I take the gun that was dropped earlier and pointed it straight to his forehead. “Hmph. Sorry old man, but you’re the one who will be dying today” *BAM*

Seeing it as slow motion, he starts falling back and blood starts spilling from his head. He falls over and a pool of blood starts forming around him and immediately stops breathing. “Pitiful b**tard”.

I slip out of the door and start to quickly make my way to the room where Cobra is, after a minute I reach the room to see with a bomb in his hands. “It’s done, I will set the time now, so we need to get out here now or else we will get caught in the explosion” Cobra said looking at me with a serious face. We immediately here a scream coming from upstairs and it sounds as if everyone is heading upstairs. Cobra and I take this time to sneak to the door and leave.

It didn’t take us long to get out of the door, so we could escape, and we get as far away from the building as we can. Once we get to the border of the fence we freeze for a bit.

*BOOM*

time skip to the next day

---Levy’s P.O.V.---

“Yo shrimp, can we just go and ditch class? You know that nothing happens here and you’re already done with your student council stuff” Gajeel said with his hands behind his head. “No, not right now, I’m just thinking about something” I just said as I’m looking down at my book while chewing the tip. “It’s about Bunny girl, huh?” he said looking at me. I want to deny that but it’s true. How could she just say she doesn’t want us to talk to her. We wouldn’t ever hate her for leaving, no matter the circumstances. *sigh* “I really hate it when you’re right, Gajeel”. He didn’t respond but he just put his hand on my head which is honestly really comforting to me. Although, I have to talk to Lucy but I need to find an excuse to talk to here because Natsu doesn’t want us talking to her. Hmph, the man who has loved her for all the years she has been gone doesn’t even want to interact with her. Hah, that is one big joke. There is something really fishy going on and I’m not going with it unnoticed. She was my best friend and there is no way in hell that I will not get her back.

Gajeel and I go to the lockers to meet up with our group to talk before having to go to class, although I don’t plan to stay with them. “Hey Gajeel, I need to finish up some stuff, so I will meet you later, ‘kay?” I said and he just gave me a nod so I head the other direction that is leading to the classroom. Not many people are in here yet except for a few that is including Lucy, but I just payed no attention to her. I go to my seat and take out my notebook and a pen, so I can quickly write a note.

I stand up to start walking towards her. She had an oversized uniform on and had glasses on, her hair was pulled back in long low resting pigtails. Honestly, she still looks like the same girl that we knew four years ago. When I look at her I see innocence, but I know that is a wrong assumption and I need to find out what is really happening here. As I approach the front of her desk I just slam down the piece of paper and just give her a cold glare and she just looks at me emotionless. Although, I see a bandage right eye and I get a bit curious but I didn’t bother asking. I go back to my seat and see her read the note from the corner of my eye. After a few minutes, students start to enter the room and eventually I see Gajeel and the rest of them which is a relief so I don’t have to sit here in boredom anymore. We all continue to talk until the room went silent when Angel, Minerva, and Jenny enter the room. Everyone is silent due to seeing that Angel’s arm is in a sling and her face is all beat up too. I’m not going to lie that I’m a little curious, but at the same time it’s none of my business.

“Hey Angel, what happened to you?” a random student asked from the room, but Angel just glared back and didn’t answer the question. “Hah, the girl got her a** whooped by new girl over there” Everyone including looked at Lucy who is currently hiding behind a book and is starting to blush. Everyone starts to murmur over what happened but I laugh to myself ‘that’s our Lucy, always full of surprises’ I think to myself with a small grin. I see that Gajeel let out his signature laugh out loud and the rest of the class looked at him. Lucy continued to fake read and blushed even more due to all the attention on her. “You gotta be kidding me, do you mean the ugly girl over there?” someone said from the front. When that was said Natsu glared at the student and they cowered back into their seat in fear.

“Hey fatty, what happened to that ugly face of yours?” Minerva asked and gave Lucy a smirk, to think about it…what did happen to Lucy’s cheek? There was a bandage there so I couldn’t really see what happened. Lucy just stayed quiet invested in her book even though she was getting insulted, and I absoluetely hate that. I want to stand up for her but I know Natsu will scold me for it.

Minerva stood up, walking to the other side of the room towards Lucy desk and slambed her hand onto the desk “I said I’m talking you nerd”. Lucy still was looking at her book “you should keep your hands to yourself if you don’t want to end up like Angel” Lucy said. Once she said this, everyone looked at her in surprise, than looked at how injured Angel was. People were surprised to see that the little blonde girl caused so much damage to one of the top girls in school. Minerva raised her hand, preparing to slap Lucy, “you bi-“. Before you she could do anything, Natsu stood up and caught her hand and said, “don’t do it, you might just brake a nail”. He sat down and just looked out of the window but Lucy just looked at him as if she was confused why he defended her. ‘Humph, that’s our Natsu. Always protecting her just like old time’ I thought to myself and let out a small chuckle that only Gajeel could only hear. “Looks like Salamander still protects bunny girl without realizing it. Gihehe, and he says that he doesn’t have feelings for her. Don’t you think that is total BS” Gajeel said giving me a smirk. “Just like old times, huh” I say back to him. “They may be a cute couple, but not as much as us ya shrimp” Gajeel says but I just give him a glare and puff up my cheeks.

A couple minutes later the bell rings and everyone rushes out to get out of the school, but I just told Gajeel I’m staying behind. Once he left I went up to the rooftop in the school and open the door to see the garden that is out there. I look around and then see a person with blonde low pigtails and over sized clothes.

“Well, it’s been a while coward. Can you tell me what the hell is your problem?” I said and saw the girl turn around. “Well, what’s your answer Lucy” I said and glared at her.

Hey guys, I’m sorry it took me so long to right this chapter but things kept on getting in the way so it took a bit longer.

Okay so I do like Minerva, but I had to make certain people the bad guys so please don’t hate on me! I hope you liked the chapter so please review it or repost. By the way, what will happen next with Levy, comment below of what you think 😊