#now you could argue that him digging up graves was disrespectful

[mxtxfanatic]

A lot of people say that Wei Wuxian's demonic cultivation is inherently disrespectful to the dead. I personally disagree but I'm not really sure how to say that, especially when they bring up how he treated the ghosts for the war or the torture session.

It's confusing 😔

Ok, to answer this question, we must first cover the basics of both what Wei Wuxian's cultivation is and how cultivators deal with the resentful dead in the orthodox path. 1) Wei Wuxian is not s demonic cultivator. He is a ghost cultivator, hence why his cultivation path is called "the ghost path" and why the title of the novel is a misnomer. The cultivation world calling him a "demonic" cultivator is meant as a slander of his work, not a neutral description of it:

“Let me ask you, are fae, demons, ghosts, and monsters all the same kind of being?” Wei Wuxian smiled. “No.” “Why not? What are the differences between them?” “Fae come from living non-humans, demons from living humans, ghosts from dead humans, and monsters from dead non-humans.”

—Chapt. 13: Elegance III, fanyiyi

By definition, Wei Wuxian is not a demonic cultivator, and every cultivator is taught this distinction from a young age. Moving on, 2) this is how orthodox cultivators deal with the resentful dead:

[Lan Wangji] nodded his head politely, and quietly said, “First, release the spirit from suffering. Second, suppress it. Third, eliminate it. For the initial approach, use the loving memory of his parents, wife, and children to comprehend his deepest desires and fulfill them. If this fails, move to suppression. But if the crimes are too great and his resentment too bitter to dissipate, eliminate him root and branch; his continued existence must not be permitted. Cultivators must conduct themselves carefully in accordance with this sequence of measures, without error.”

—Chapt. 14: Elegance IV, fanyiyi

The ideal goal of dealing with the resentful dead is that you get them to move on. That is why these are not three separate paths but a single route:

Lan Wangji said, “Thus release from suffering is the primary strategy, suppression, supplementary, and elimination, the last resort.”

However, only the first part of this route leads to peace for the suffering spirit; the other two either lead to prolonged suffering or utter destruction. Wei Wuxian's ghost path opens up a second route, the so-called fourth solution:

Everyone inside the elegant room stared at them in shock. The old man suddenly shot up. “The purpose of subduing demons and exterminating ghosts is to alleviate suffering! Not only have you forgotten this, you want to incite further resentment! You are inverting the means and the ends, without a care for humanity!” “If some people’s suffering can’t be relieved, why not make it useful?” Wei Wuxian replied. “When Yu the Great tamed the floods, redirection was the superior strategy, and obstruction the inferior. Suppression is like obstruction, it can only be worse—” Lan Qiren flung a book at Wei Wuxian, who quickly ducked out of the way. The color of his face unchanged, he continued to run his mouth. “Spiritual energy is energy, but resentful energy is also energy. Stored inside cores, spiritual energy is able to cleave mountains and drain seas, and is available for human use. Why can’t humans use resentful energy too?”

The end goal remains the same as the orthodox path's, just with the addition of using the dead's resentment to achieve your own goals in the meantime. To say that Wei Wuxian "creates" the resentment by which he then controls the dead he summons is to ignore that he actually can't create resentment and must rely on the resentment the dead already have. We learn this in the opening chapters of the book at the Mo Mansion where he must summon the corpses of the Mo family to fight because the other walking corpses that were already in the house had too little resentment to be useful. It's even in this very example of him pitching the theoretics of the ghost path: he doesn't say "just dig up any corpse" but specifically that the heads of those executed by the executioner (and therefore who would have resentment remaining in death) should be dug up to deal with the fierce corpse of their killer. And when everyone has burned off their resentment, it goes without saying that it would be easy to liberate them.

Now to address the whole war time torture session stuff: if we remember what I just said about Wei Wuxian being unable to create resentment and that in his speech he believes that the best dead to summon in order to subdue another resentful being are the dead who were killed by the being, then the fates of the Wen involved in the fall of Lotus Pier makes sense. Wei Wuxian does not control any of the dead like puppets, as explained here, so the ghosts got their own revenge themselves. It's not accidental that every Wen supervisory post was covered in ghost repellent talismans where none existed previously. As for the ghoul child and blue-faced woman, they had some sort of history with each other and Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao that probably wouldn't be too hard to guess:

[Wang Lingjiao] collapsed onto the ground. Back then, the second that she opened the chest, she saw what was inside. There was none of her beloved treasures, only a pale-skinned, curled-up child!

—Chapt. 61: Evil, exr

The ghoul child, however, had bit out an entire chunk of the flesh on his hand and spat it out. He continued to devour the palm. Wen ZhuLiu grabbed the child’s head with his left hand, as though to put so much force on the small, cold head that it exploded. The blue- faced woman threw the bloodstained bandages on the ground and, like a four-limbed creature, she crawled to Wen ZhuLiu’s side almost instantly.

...

Wei WuXian, “Of course it’d be with a certain thing gone.” Jiang Cheng was disgusted, “You’re the one who did it?” Wei WuXian, “It’s nasty if you think about it that way. Of course I wasn’t the one who cut it off. It was bitten off when his woman went mad.”

—Chapt. 62: Evil, exr

"His woman" can't be Wang Lingjiao, because Wang Lingjiao died suffocating on the stool leg she stuffed down her throat. When Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji find her body, the stool leg is still halfway out of her mouth. "His woman" is the blue-faced woman, who obviously holds extreme enmity towards Wen Chao. It's the same situation when Wei Wuxian resurrects Wen Ning:

Wei WuXian, “Congratulations to you for successfully draining all my patience. Since you don’t want to speak up, let’s let him answer on his own.” As though it’d been waiting for his words for a long time, Wen Ning’s frozen corpse suddenly moved, raising its head. Before the two nearest inspectors could even scream, each of their throats was clenched by a hand as firm as iron. Expressionless, Wen Ning raised up the two short-legged inspectors high in the air. The empty circle around them grew larger and larger. The head inspector shouted, “Young Master Wei! Young Master Wei! Please go easy on us! Doing this in the heat of the moment would lead to irreversible consequences!” The rain fell heavier and heavier. Drops of water trickled incessantly down Wei WuXian’s cheeks. He suddenly spun around, putting his hand on Wen Ning’s shoulder before shouting, “Wen QiongLin!” As if a reply, Wen Ning let out a long, thundering roar. The ears of everyone within the valley ached. Wei WuXian spoke one word at a time, “Whoever caused all of you to be like this, let them meet the same end. I give you the right to do so. Settle everything!”

—Chapt. 72: Recklessness, exr

Wei Wuxian didn't "make" them do anything; he just corralled them and focused their resentment.

While Wei Wuxian is being very glib in his Cloud Recesses discussion—because it was an on-the-fly theory posed specifically to piss Lan Qiren off—the way he uses it in practice is actually much more contained. He also, personally, treats the dead more respectfully than most other cultivators, who react to the presence of non-aggressive dead with violence or disgust (reread how he interacts with the ghoul child and blue-faced woman, or the ghost girls in the restaurant, or the skeleton hand, or A-Qing, etc. etc.). So to answer your question: no, Wei Wuxian's ghost path does not disrespect the dead. It gives those with too much resentment or a who have a grudge too difficult to fulfill another way to burn off their resentment in order to achieve peace. While an individual can use it disrespectfully (Xue Yang, who uses it as a basis for his demonic cultivation), it is not inherently disrespectful in and of itself.

[xuracha]

Prepare the Dead

Tang looks at the demon monkey as he is covered head to toe in blood, with multiple bodies of the demon kidnappers behind him, as Wukong stands proudly in front of him puffing his chest out expecting Tang to thank him for yet another rescue.

Unfortunately, instead of a thank you, a scolding lecture is given.

"Wukong, what have I told you about killing?!?! Killing is bad!! We are buddhist monks, we solve our problems WITHOUT VIOLENCE!!!!," Tang shouted at the monkey, as said monkey turns away with a scoff, now with a deep frown on his face. Wukong has heard this lecture so many times that it has almost became second nature to block him out at this point. "OH YEAH, let me just convince these demons out of eating my master, the reincarnation of the Golden Cicada, one of Buddha's diciples, and gaining immortality! DO YOU KNOW HOW REDICULOUS YOU SOUND??," Wukong argues back.

Tang and Wukong's squabble continues on for a few more minutes, until Lily slams her now extended wand on the ground, creating a loud thud to garther everyone's attention. The glowing stone at the end of her wand releases a wave of energy which then transforms into the shape of a shovel blade. She throws the glowing shovel towards Wukong, which succeeds in catching it.

"Since you are responsible for the corpses, you will also be responsible in helping me prepare them for burial," Lily stated. "Pigsy and Tang will assist me in recovering and moving the bodies, once finished with digging up the graves, Wukong and I will prepare the bodies for burial, and Sandy will help Wukong in lowering the bodies to the graves." Lily then faces the Monkey King before facing Pigsy since they are the touble makers in the gang. "I expect no snarky remarks, sarcasm, and especially no disrespect for the dead beginning, during, and after these tasks are done." If looks could kill, she would be more than six feet under, with the glare a certain monkey is giving to her right about now.

The woman ignored the progressively fuming monkey, as she walked towards Tang to grab the string of coins that was on his person. "I will also now be responsible for this gang's money. For every person Wukong has killed, there will be one coin used and placed under their tounges to ensure them safe passage to the Underworld."

Tang looked at his deciples, before turning to the woman with a look of uncertainty. "Miss Lily, that's our entire supply of coins for buying food, shelter, and other supplies when we get to the nearest town. What will happen if we used up all the coins for Monkey's misdeeds?" Lily rolls her eyes at the monk, explaining (lol mansplaining) to her the monetary value and purpose of the coins, as if she doesn't know currency. "Then you will know who to thank when we arrive at the next town with no money to afford a single bowl of rice, and forced to find alternative ways to get by before our next departure."

Wukong stares in shock for a split second, before he bares his teeth and fangs at the only woman in the group, looking like he is about to add one more to the pile of copses. "How dare you command me to do such an abhorrant task woman, I aught to knock some sense to you. I am a KING, therefore you will treat me like one!!! I will not do such foolish and lowly tasks of a undertaker, ESPECIALLY to the bodies of my enemies!!!"

Uh uh, he did NOT just talk to her like that. Lily will not stand for such disrespect. She turned towards Wukong with a sickly sweet smile, eyes shining with hidden rage. "Then you, my homicidal ass of a furry gremlin with nuts for brains and no impulse control, will have the blood of your enemies as well as an innocent on your hands. And you are not a king right now, you are a traveling monk, and last time I checked, monks result to violence when there is no other option other than self-defense, and even then it is NON FATAL. Now start finding a spot and start digging, these bodies aren't going to bury themselves. We will be here all day and night doing this if we have to. You took their lives prematurely, the LEAST you can do is provide them with a safe passage to the Underworld!"

The two of them have a stare down, analyzing each others movements, before Wukong lets out a frustrated shout and backs off with the shovel to find a spot to dig. "Stupid woman, making a king do such disgusting tasks," he muttered.

[mrs-han]

To Love You - Part Two

Part One

Jumin’s head was held high - unusual for those who were arrested.

He sat in the interrogation room, the soft hum of the fluorescent ceiling lights irking him to no end. He closed his eyes and chose to think about you. Your sweet smile, your delicate touch… your blood dripping off the stairs.

Jumin jolted, too afraid to let his mind wander any further.

The door to the room opened. The senior officer he had spoken to stepped in, a grave look on his face. Jumin’s stomach fell.

“My wife. My wife, how is she. When can I see her.”

“You’re very demanding for a primary suspect in the assault of your spouse.” The rookie officer stepped in, his hands in his pockets.

Jumin wanted nothing more than to have the kid fired. Maybe even give him a swift punch to the jaw.

“Mr. Han, we will let you see your wife as soon as you answer our questions. We won’t take long.” The senior officer sat down, placing his hands on the table. “Can I get you anything? Water? A sandwich, perhaps?”

Jumin grit his teeth. The police always did things like this. What seemed like a kind gesture was a way for them to gather DNA. “No. How you think I can eat or drink right now is beyond me.”

“Very well.” The balding man leaned forward. “Mr. Han, to your knowledge, were there any other employees near or around either you or Mrs. Han? On the adjacent floor, perhaps?”

“My wife and I are the only occupants. Next question.”

The rookie officer snorted.

“… There was a report of an argument occurring between you and your wife. Would you care to tell us what said argument was about?”

Jumin leaned back, the cuffs digging into his wrists. “My wife was very upset with me because I had been… very neglectful of her and her emotions.”

The rookie clicked his tongue. “Her emotions? Before you married, you were known as the man with a heart made of ice. It’s no surprise your heart would grow cold again, regardless of marital status.”

Jumin ignored him. “That is what we argued about.”

The senior tapped his fingers against the table. “Mr. Han. Have you ever laid an offensive hand against your wife in the past week?”

Jumin’s eyes slowly rose to meet the officer. The question was an insult. An act of disrespect. More painful than he could have imagined. He clenched his fists, the rattling handcuffs the only sound in the room.

“While we have very little to base your relationship off of anything, we’ve noticed through photos and interviews from anonymous sources that you are… fairly possessive of your wife.”

Through gnashing teeth, Jumin spoke. “I will say nothing else to you. I want my lawyer.”

Both officers glanced at one another. The senior officer opened his mouth. “Then, I suppose we can tell you this now. Your wife, she isn’t doing as well as we would have hoped. Her fall damaged her brain to the extent that…”

“She has amnesia.”

Jumin sucked in his breath, like he had been punched squarely in his solar plexus. He lifted his eyes to both officers, shaking his head. “No…”

“Take a look.” The rookie smacked a medical report onto the table.

The sickening hum of the fluorescent lights gleaming down on scans of your brain made Jumin nearly retch. He curled in on himself, his breath staggered. “MC…”

The rookie took the report back. “A shame you can’t use her to testify for you.”

Jumin’s eyes flashed. He only saw red as he slowly looked up at the young man, pure hatred in his gaze. “Get me my lawyer. Now.”

[calypsoff2]

Fourteen. Part 2

I don’t know what Robyn is more annoyed at, me or Mel, it’s the second time she has come to the window to look at us but I am just having my second blunt so she can stare all she wants “I don’t want to ask but I am going to ask, that dickhead? What’s happening with that” Mel breathed out laughing “he was hiding out at my apartment until I turned around and said you need to go; he has no home so he’s gone back to VA which I knew would have happened. But he wants to change, he will be a great father to our baby so he says, I’m just scared. I didn’t go out of my way to get pregnant, erm yeah. His son is devastated, he asked why can’t I see uncle Chris and TJ said I messed up son and we can’t see them, he’s out of the school and is back at VA. He can’t afford it, he had to do it so I said it is what it is” I laughed blowing the smoke out from my lips, I guess he got what he wanted which made me laugh “he relied on me Mel, he is nothing without me. But we saw Captain, he said he’s no good to you Mel. Don’t let him drag you down, that wife of mine is already on edge and if you marry him or anything she will cut you off. She is very hurt by him, TJ did be nasty to her when she was younger, and she remembers that so yeah” Mel’ face softened “you both saw him?” Nodding my head “it ain’t good news but I respect you Mel, and I would respect you more if you let him go and let him rot. Do you love him?” I have to ask because you never know “I could have but I would give up anyone for Robyn, I love her more then anything” chewing on my bottom lip “I just wish I made a better decision, now look. I wanted to abort it” my eyes widened “don’t say that it’s a blessing and that kid is going to be my nephew or niece and I will be there for it, I promise you” Mel’ smile grew “that means so much to me” Mel looks stressed, I feel bad for her “I got you, you will find a man that will be man enough to take care of you. I promise” Mel laughed and put her head down, she’s feeling shit, and I don’t blame her.

Putting my blunt out “what else was said? By Captain, are you both going to get that boy?” Mel asked, which honestly makes me laugh because after today I get why “when we are ready, that his is answer and I do get why because look at us now, we aren’t ready for it. He said it’s going to come but not now, we aren’t ready for it and I can see why, I just feel like we are busy. Robyn is upset and she is stuck between being a business woman and a mother, I am being a father to these kids first. That’s what I am doing but I am slacking like she says” Mel cringed “it’s just you are both feeling a type of way, I think yes it’s something you both can wait on. I love Robyn, I know my sister adores those kids. She has to find a balance and I know she struggled with telling the girls that she has to go” nodding my head “I promised Robyn that I would follow her wherever she goes because he said she will be overseas for a while and I said I will bring the kids and we stay there but I think New York is the way forward but I backtracked because I just prefer the sun and the whole nine but it’s affecting my family, I can’t deal anymore. We are moving, I’ve had enough. But yeah, it’s just a mess. Robyn was meant to make her headquarters here, she changed that but then I feel like she did that so she can be away from the kids?” Mel shook her head “when Robyn wasn’t working and she finally sat down, she turned to me and said to me. I wonder what my daughters think of me, I wonder if they will say I did a good thing or did I make a mistake. I said I don’t think they will say their mother did bad but it’s something you are missing out on, them. But if you move then I’m going to be here” she laughed “then move, you don’t have to stay here but Mel, even that you and Robyn have fallen out or whatever, she loves you and she will not want to see you on your knees. TJ is bad news, he’s not good Mel. And I really don’t want that for you, he’s made my life shit for what. But yeah, it was good, seeing Captain we spoke on things we needed, and I got to tell Robyn everything, I am happier” Mel cooed out “you both love each other, and it shows” I grinned, I adore her so much and she does me.

Mel and I went back inside, Robyn is downstairs, and Monica has started again. I kind of cringed because I feel bad that I did snitch but I was so angered by how she was speaking “mom I get it, I will be back, I have to go there for three days max, what do you want me to do!? I can’t be everywhere at any one time, you are stressing me out and then he is, what do you want from me huh? We are living good because of me mom, me. I did all this shit; something will be sacrificed!” Robyn spat “well baby thank you for sacrificing your kid’s childhood to have us living good, because that is what them girls are going to say when their mother is busy doing interviews, she is running off constantly. And how dare you swear at your husband” I sat down quietly “mom I think you need to go home, I can’t deal with you anymore, I can’t deal with your mouth. Just go home, please. How I deal with my family is my problem, ok?” Robyn walked off “Chris with me” Robyn said, I have been summoned I guess “that’s me” I mumbled as I got up from the couch “do not let my daughter get away with it Chris” Monica said as I walked off, she doesn’t need to worry because I won’t let her get away with it but I will not disrespect my wife like that, unless she does be rude but I know she is going to hate me for telling her mother but she has bought this on herself.

Robyn is pissed off, she is so fucking angry, and I can tell “we could have argued it out in the bedroom, you didn’t have to tell her. Now she won’t drop it, now I am the worst person on earth, I do not know how to be a mother” I can see she has packed her things; she is ready to go “you pissed me off Robyn, you need to watch how you speak to me when I am here looking after our kids. We both can’t be out there, what you want from me?” I don’t get it “nothing Chris, I wanted to ask what did you say to her” oh so she didn’t want to speak on anything else, she didn’t like me speaking to Mel. She needs to let that hurt go “you mean Mel?” I said “who else? You both were out there giggling to each other; she is the same woman that lied to your wife! Actually you were in on this” she is angry for no reason “time of the month?” it’s got to be “you are so ugly” I snorted laughing “yeah you on your period, look that is your sister. She has been so loyal to you; I wish I had someone like that in my life. She hasn’t done anything wrong but fall pregnant to the wrong guy, just listen to me on this. Hear her out and make up. She is not a bad person Robyn, stop this” she is stubborn “I just wish you didn’t say it to my mother Chris, that is something I need to get over. But you are being really unfair about this, you knew I had to go but is stood here acting dumb about it, you knew this. I said to you in Jamaica that I would need to go, I am just annoyed now my mother will not drop it, I wish you just argued it out with me!” she is angry, and I get it “I can just apologise, I was mad that you were being like that” I made a mistake I guess.

I hate my wife being angry at me, she is lowkey scary angry too “I don’t get why Mel is here she need to quit entering my home too” she isn’t going to let that go “stop with the hate train for her but I have decided, we are moving New York?” Robyn pulled a face at me “uproot the kids and they lose their friends, you asked them? You know they love their school and shit, they are settled, what happened to when I said it first time around huh? I said this shit, I even goes Chris lets do it before they go to school, settle them there but oh TJ is here, I like the weather here. It’s ok, I prefer it. Now you want to move them permanently. Like that overseas shit would be for a while but we would be back, they are growing Chris, you need to ask them” I had to laugh “you need to also ask them if they are ok with you constantly leaving them but here we are” Robyn groaned out “oh you are an asshole to be honest, so now you got this grand idea to move? Ok, well I am going to speak to Mel, I just can’t be bothered Chris” she is so annoying at times, what is even the point. She is of course angry with me because of the Monica thing.

I had a nap, I mean I have been awake a long time, I am tired so I had a nap which will make me feel less moody. I wanted to let Mel and Robyn have it out and see how it goes, I hope Robyn has been kind because she isn’t in the best mood. I full expected Mel to be gone but she is here “you let her get away with it?” Monica came out of nowhere; I was about to go into the living room “what do you mean?” I asked “you should tell her no she can’t go; you do the work here. You will be alone here, not fair on you Chris. They are a handful, I don’t know how you do it” licking my lips laughing “I just let them do what they want, I just hope they respect me for it, what can I say? This is her dream; she is living her dream and I hate her being sad with me and disliking me. I can try but my try is not working, she will go and that is it Monica. I am more than happy for her to live that out, just she needs to think of the kids” Monica is judging me, she sighed out and walked by me “you are staying here Robbie?” oh Monica is out on a war path, she is digging me a grave too “mom you know what is happening, why do you keep asking me the same thing. I am going New York and I will be back in three days” walking into the living room also “I should have known he would be here too” Mel looked at me and cringed “you are being unfair to him Robbie; you know how hard it is to take care of the kids alone?” I am just going to sit down, like sit this one out “I am here mom! I see it, I am their mother, you are too involved in my life, stop it. I don’t want to hear it no” I wish I never said anything “you will hear it” Monica pointed at her “you will listen to me; you will listen to your husband. If he says you stay then you stay Robbie, I taught you better then this. You are a wife and a mother!” Monica shouted “you are lost in this life! Ask him now what he wants!” Monica pointed to me “now!” Monica barked “what do you want Chris?” I feel so awkward, staring at Robyn and I know she is hurting, and she is getting all this shit “what makes you happy I told you that” I mumbled, Robyn placed her tongue on her top lip and then shook her head crying “you’re getting at me mom, I have had it with you” Robyn walked off and I got up to go after her, now I didn’t want any of this shit, I feel bad.

Rubbing my hands just watching Robyn “I told you back in Jamaica that I would do anything for you Robyn, and I don’t mind you going but I just wanted you to tell the kids” Robyn wiped away her tears “I told you about my mother, I would have came back in three days. None of this was needed, it wasn’t” grabbing Robyn’ hands as I stepped closer to her “I get it, I am sorry for saying it in that moment. Just don’t cry, I just wanted you to tell the girls” Robyn put her head down “with my mom here, she isn’t going to let me leave it down, she is going to make jibes at me while I try. This is so unfair, I never meant any of it to be this way. I wish I never started this” I shushed her “just relax, you know what you can’t be like this talking to the girls, they won’t let you go Robyn. You’re too emotional, just go. I will explain to them, and they will call you” she can���t talk to them like this, she is a wreck “then she will say I am a bad person” shaking my head “I will cover for you, say we are taking them out and dropping you off at the airport, I will then drop you off. Pick up the girls, take for them for frozen yoghurt and explain” Robyn’ face softened “I don’t deserve you” she is damn right she doesn’t “yeah you right” Robyn laughed “but I will be there for the frozen yoghurt, I will explain and then go from there. I don’t’ want to do it with my mom here making remarks” she still wants to do it after all that.

Imani sat on Robyn’ lap, I am glad she came because then it takes the weight off me from doing it but she has yet to say anything “girls, can I speak to you. Give dad his phone back please” oh this is it, she is going to say it “here dad” taking my phone from Tianna “and you Imani” Robyn took her phone back “listen to mom now” I pointed, these girls love to just want to play games “so girls, I know mom and dad have just recently come back from Jamaica and you have just gone back to school-” Rylee cut her off “you’re leaving us again” she said so quick, Robyn held her breath “just for a few days” Tianna’ face softened “but why? It’s parents’ day mom” Tianna said “and I know baby, I will be back. But I need to go for work, I will be back. I don’t want you to be sad because it won’t be long, I promise I will be back quickly as possible” Rylee is not happy “so you can leave us again? This is not nice mom, I don’t like it you just come back though” Robyn tried to place her head on Rylee’ shoulder but she got angry and moved away “no mom I am sad” looking at Robyn, now she sees what I mean and how it affects them when she goes, their emotions are everywhere.

[byjove-cannibalcove]

Hannibal AU for @pragnificent​

will is called in to find the person responsible for the murder of roughly 15 people over the course of a single weekend up in new jersey The killings were really brutal, and disproportionately targeted a home where a party had been taking place, as well as a single police officer who had arrived to check in on them preliminary assumption is that it was a large group of people, possibly an occult ritual slaying of some kind, especially because it happened on friday the thirteenth and the teenagers had been having a scary movie watching party for some reason so anyways they get up there and are looking at the carnage and trying to figure out how the hell most of these murders were even pulled off, since it includes things like 'cut a head from someones shoulders' and 'a 6'4" football player was thrown onto a spike' and shit like that naturally they look into it and find out that there has been large scale killings in this general area every ten years or so for 30 years or so that the first one was the only one where the killer was caught (a little old woman, motivations unknown) and that while there is usually at least 1 survivor of each attack the survivor is in all cases driven too insane by the events to accurately describe anything that had happened (though for what its worth they, for the most part, do not tell cohesive stories, so you cant listen to them anyways) so anyways will is out here trying to get a vibe, get a feel for the person that did this, trying to understand why he targeted these people hes fifuring out shit like 'yeah this cop was a serial abuser' and 'a lot of these teenagers show evidence of having been having a lot of sex and underage drinking and drug use beforehand, all of which appears consentual' that the kids with records of wrong doing and bad reputations were killed most violently, that those that seem like good kids were mostly killed quickly and pretty painlessly and wills preliminary feelings are 'this killer was... driven... but not calculated... almost childish.. ' this leads team science to be like 'okay so like a fellow teenager?' and then argue like 'only if they are a GIANT teenager, we are talkign 6'5" based on some of these swings" and wills like no no not a teenager, like, an actual child, think Home Alone, a child with no concept of torture but who just wants to make the bad people go away, who feels like hes defending his home which leads the group to be like 'okay potentially a giant disabled person, cant be too many of those secreted away in the area' wills going out to sit by the lake days later and thinking how beautiful it is, how peaceful, serene, like you could just float out into the water here and stare at the moon and never look away he finds a used condom in the reeds by the dick, curls his nose in disgust, imagining them fucking in the water, or on the dock, how vulgar it would be there are homes along this lake, not here exactly but visible in the distance at the far other end. this is a big long lake with many nice little divots like this one, so many people live along it and have never been hurt, many families, lots of vacation homes. the only families that were ever killed on this lake usually lived there for a decade, more, before it happened, kids that were raised in those homes only killed during a party when they were vulgar when they disrespected the lake disrespected nature ruined it with their noise and their wild parties, drug use just the sort of thing a little old lady in 1979 might find worthy of death, might be driven mad by it takes a while but eventually they will dig up the information of the little old lady having had a disabled  son, jason, who drowned in the lake a few years before Mrs vorhees went on her rampage, the information that he had drowned while attending a summer camp, while the teenagers on duty werent watching him hes long dead btu will latches onto it, that it fits perfectly, they tell him hes losing it will starts channeling mrs vorhees, wandering around the lake, whispering to her boy, cleaning up trash he finds on the lake shore mrs vorhees was by all accounts an incredibly kind woman, a bit of a radical even, very environmental, a bit of a hippie, kind to strangers, lover of children, cherished and adored her disabled son, wouldve loved this lake and the clean air, the beautiful nights would have wanted the lake to be clean, to stay quiet will spends all night cleaning the lake for no reason at all other than an odd compulsion to see at least one small section of it be as nice as it would have looked to Mrs vorhees eyes how she would have taught it to her son, to cherish that will is sort of losing his mind, snapping at everyone, he hates loud noise and drinking right now, doesnt like how careless it makes everyone, is avoiding drinking himself for now at least but the clarity hurts, he is staying up at night in dirty hotel rooms and wishing he was outside under the clear sky, he buys a tent and puts it up down by the lake, in the area he cleaned he knows he shouldnt, there is a killer on the loose in the area, but will knows he isnt what the killer is looking for in the night he sees a shadow go over his tent, thinks he hears the crunch of a boot in the leaves, he holds his breath, cant move he sees a knife cutting through the fabric and tenses but when he looks again the tent is fine he realizes hes sleep paralyzed and sits up suddenly in burst of motion, throws open the tent flap, stumbles into the clearing its empty the lake reflects the white face of the moon at him. their eyes meet and it is beautiful he returns to the hotel room with the sunrise and as he climbs the stairs the phone in his pocket rings, the door to his room is wide open, jack stands inside with the phone to his ear he sees the tent under wills bag he thinks will is losing it, it is insane to camp by the lake when there is a killer on the loose there will doesnt have an excuse jack tells him that they found the cemetary that jason was buried in (very difficult because records from the time are so fucking spotty and it was a tiny family cemetary for a family that no longer exists) and that he was clearly marked as a drowning victem, dead at age 10, so no, its not mrs vorhees son, and there are no relatives, so scrap that, they are back to square one jack orders will to go home and talk to hannibal because being here is not very helpful right now if hes gonna do crazy shit like camp next to the murder lake will talks to hannibal about it, with as much honesty as possible, and how certain he is that its jason hannibal convinces jack to exume jason. there is no living family to protest and it will settle will enough to get will back on track and stop focusing on it. jack agrees in a very irritated way they go to do it (jack team science will and hannibal as well, as support for will) and... yeah there is no casket in that spot. empty grave. a marker and nothing else. holy shit somethign something something eventually they manage to link shit up like 'okay maybe it was jason that killed the second camp full of counselors in training-- the person was described as a  teenager, small in stature with a bag to hide their face. the killer in the 3rd instance was a grown man who slaughtered a fuckton of people over the course of a FEW days, and then was killed by a small child who fucked his head up so much that there was nothign identifiable left, not even teeth, so no one ever knew their identity, it literally might have been jason, it totally could have been a huge disabled man living in the woods  and no one ever knew about it ((we are gonna pretend 'jason lives' didnt happen)) anyways its basically decided that 'yeah it literally might have been jason vorhees, growing up alone in the woods, who committed most of those murders... but hes dead now so this is a new killer' and its a very frustrating thing because jack is like 'cool we just answered some cold case files btu we still dont know wtd happened last weekend' and will is like NO I SWEAR IT STILL FEELS LIKE THE SAME GUY And is trying to claim that 'maybe the person that was killed by the kid was someone else'   'an accomplice?'    'no no this person-- jason-- he is entirely alone. only the memory of his mother. only her touch guiding his hands, only her words in his ears, he cant listen to anyone else, he cant... he cant collaborate' and hannibal sits with him out on the lake, lets will row out in a boat with him Will imagines Mrs Vorhees, feels the way she must have felt, looking out at this beautiful lake, the one that nearly her son from her, beautiful and calm and tranquil, while the teenagers behind her loudly partied, drank, didnt have a care in the world, and his teeth bare at the idea, and he hates them too, hates the way they would look at her son if they knew he was alive Hannibal, sitting across and watching him, tells will thatthe lake is beautiful ((of course hes looking at will rather than the water haha)) will tells him its deep and cold will looks deep into the water and sees the drowning boy. blinks to wash the image away. blinks again. again. "Hannibal??" hannibal asks what will sees will jumps in the water reaches for child jason snags the hand of an adult dragging him down its beautiful here one blue eyes looks into his, startlingly clear hannibals arms snag will around the middle and pull him back to the boat jason lets go without fuss ((he just wanted to touch wills hand, will who for a few moments had looked, to jason, like his mother)) back at shore will tells hannibal this, and he is shakign and shivering and frightened of the lake and of himself, because he must really be fucknig losing it asks for comfirmation that hannibal didnt see anyone in the lake hannibal does not give will that confirmation he asks if will is seeing ghosts will says its more like spirits "a lake spirit, then?" its such a silly thought but somehow will ends up out at the lake the next night, hannibal at his side. hannibal has dressed down, a warm cream sweater over his dress shirt for the late october chill, will in flannel, and they set up wills tent and clean the area around their campsite meticulously. hannibal warms food he brought from home over the fire and will fishes, cleans and guts his catch, the knife catching the white face of the moon as it flicks over the scales in the dark night will stands, jus tinside the circle of light by the fire, and channels mrs vorhees "Jason... jaaaasonnn" nothing he thinks hannibal will laugh at him, but he doesnt he concentrates more on the image in his mind, the kindly smile she wore in the photos he saw of her, the fierce protective instinct that lay behind those eyes, the fact that jason is out here, alone, confused, scared, and he feels protective of him too "Jason.. come here" a tiny intake of breathe behind him, and wills blinks his eyes open and Jason stands before him. not a child. a man. Tall. huge. a giant he is wet, the only sound he makes the slow dripping of lake water from his clothes onto the ground below. his clothes are ragged and encrusted with leaves and dirt. his face is covered by a battered hockey mask. the skin beneath it is grey the image is a terrifying one, the stuff of nightmares but he isnt a monster he is wills son will holds out his arms "Jason, come here" jason is still for a time, tilting his head only slightly as he tries to work out what will is, who he is but he comes slowly he is so much larger that will, but he kneels, down on one knee, looking up at will one blue eye shining, searching wills face for something will wraps his arms around him "My special boy" jason shudders and melts into the hug, mask pressed to wills stomach the machete drops to the ground, huge hands press to wills back, so gently, like will is made of glass, something too precious to jason to risk hurting will tells him that he knows he was scared, was confused, was lost and alone for so so long that he thought he had to be that way but he doesnt that he can come home with will he doesnt have to stay here anymore, he doesnt have to wait Jason makes a sound, the first sound he has made so far, a small, a tiny little sob, and his shoulder loosen, like a great weight has left his shoulders he seems to shrink in wills arms, and for a moment will is holding a child and then his arms are empty but not cold there is a warmth in him, something between his lungs, love, peace, hope, life in a way he has never before experienced it will wants to cry but it feels more like happy tears he holds them at bay, sniffles once, wipes his eyes with sleeves filthy with lake water arms wrap around him from behind, and it is hannibal again, pulling at him, and will turns, melts into hannibals hug, lets himself cry they dont stay the night at the lake, they pack up their campsite, put out the flames, walk through the darkness to the car, will being led behind hannibal by the hand like a child, too shaky and full to do it himself later, in therapy, they talk about it, briefly, and agree that jason is somewhere better now, that the killings will stop, that they dont need to tell jack about this, that jason was a special boy, a good boy who loved his mother very much, that maybe they are together now, somewhere and when will looks out at the moon from his porch that night, he feels a presence just behind him, a warm, protective presence, who is looking up at the moon with him, and he knows its true

[xxlovendreamsxx]

yours, forevermore [5]

A/N: guess what @kuriquinn, this is still dedicated to you! ily girlie. 😘

chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | chapter four

Sasuke visits Konoha’s burial grounds before the sun has even begun to rise that morning, tired of the constant tossing and turning in the bed of the Hokage suite. There had been no benefit to staying any longer, no rest or peace of mind to be found—so if sleep would not come, he was better off putting what time he had to good use.

(gods know he never has enough of it, these days.)

It had been too long since he last came to his family’s graves, anyway.

Sighing, Sasuke lightly touches his older brother’s headstone as he reaches the familiar site, closing his eyes. Miss you more than words can say, he thinks, as he always does. After a moment, he pulls away and kneels down at his parent’s graves, offering them both a singular flower; a white chrysanthemum for his father, and a white lily for his mother. He bows his head to offer a few silent prayers.

When he is done, Sasuke lets himself smile a little, soft, small, and somewhat sad. He shifts to sit down comfortably beside Itachi’s tombstone.

“I’m late, I know,” he says, breathing in the early morning air and setting his gaze on the orange-pinkish horizon. The sun is finally getting up. “Sorry, niisan. I guess I understand why you couldn’t always hold your promise.”

But he doesn’t go on, and he lets silence take over instead, watching as the sun continues to rise, starts to warm the air. Sasuke sighs, eyes dropping shut once more. A heaviness surrounds him, but it’s far from unpleasant, he finds. He lets himself believe that it’s because the spirits of his family have come, summoned by his stressed, frustrated heart to hold and support him in this too-complicated time.

Letting their comfort wash over, Sasuke feels the tension in him ease, dwindle. Gods, he wishes his mother would really be here. Wishes she could tell him what to do, what to say. He’s sure she would know.

(more than his father and brother would, anyway. he doubts either of them would be particularly more skilled in the matters of the heart—father had always been too busy trying to lead their clan to a better future, and itachi had always been too busy being the council’s tool of destruction.)

Pensive, Sasuke wonders what his family would say if they could see the situation he was in right now. Mother would probably bonk him over the head and call him a dense idiot, he muses with a smile. But then she’d also hug him, kiss his cheek, offer him some wise words of wisdom. The opposite of Father, whom of course, would disapprove entirely. And Itachi…

Itachi would undeniably march him to Sakura’s door, demand that he tell her everything—whatever the hour it was. There would be no excuses with him, no justifying how long it was taking to make things right. He would march him all the way to the hospital, to her parents’ house, or over the village borders, if he had to.

Itachi wouldn’t let him fuck this up anymore.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he hears someone say, then, causing him to stiffen rigidly.

Sasuke turns his head over his shoulder. His gaze narrows as he sees his old sensei carrying a small bouquet of flowers. “What are you doing here?”

Kakashi frowns. “It’s my father’s birthday. I think I’m allowed to visit his grave.”

“It’s early.”

“You’re not the only one who has trouble getting rest, Sasuke.”

Mulling his lips, Sasuke keeps his mouth shut, and turns back to the brightening sky ahead. He doesn’t have the energy to argue with his ex-teacher.

(because truth is, these days, it’s not so much that he has trouble sleeping—he just doesn’t seem to have the time. or maybe he just has trouble managing it.)

Behind him, Kakashi sighs. Sasuke hears him start walking towards him, and clenches his jaw. Can’t he just be alone?

“You should think about getting new guards.”

Sasuke blinks. “What?”

“Your ANBUs—the ones you’re obligated to have watch you around the clock. You should request for new ones—or at least find out which ones you can really trust.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

At this, Kakashi gives him a look. Sasuke doesn’t understand it, but it makes his heart sink with dread for a reason he can’t explain.

That is, until:

“I heard three of your ANBUs gossiping when I was heading out of my home earlier. Whispering to each other in the middle of the street how they were glad their shift was finally over because of the things that they had been awkwardly forced to witness in your office today.”

Sasuke tenses impossibly. Shit—he hadn’t even thought about that. Of course his guards would have to be bystanders to this whole damn mess. He feels the back of his neck heat up. Fucking hell.

(indeed, he is going to need new guards—ones that won’t breach the contracted rules of upholding privacy. he needs to find out who the culprits are.)

“Sasuke… you said this was going on because you hadn’t talked about it yet,” Kakashi goes on, then. He’s so quiet, so clearly deprecating, and it makes his blood boil. “How can you not have worked this out by now? It’s been five weeks—”

Angry from both the betrayal of his ANBUs and everyone’s persistent cursed nosiness, Sasuke cuts him off with a snarl. “And how many times do I have to say that it’s none of your fucking business? Stay out of it, Kakashi—this doesn’t concern you.”

Kakashi glares at him—something that catches Sasuke by surprise. He doesn’t usually lose his temper like this.

“It concerns me that you are tearing each other apart, Sasuke,” he says, his tone low but somehow still frighteningly chilling. “So stop being so goddamn stupid and talk to her already.”

And with that, he walks away, leaving Sasuke to swallow down any resentful retorts.

Sasuke digs his hands into the grass. It kills him to admit that though his ex-teacher is nosy and overstepping, he is also right.

No more screwing around.

.

.

“Ogino.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama?”

“Get me the names of the ANBUs who were on guard duty last night.”

“Right away, sir.”

.

.

He decides to let a week pass by before ultimately doing anything, allowing Sakura some space to cool off from their last encounter. Resolute as he is on finally repairing their complicated, splintered relationship, Sasuke doubts Sakura would like to hear anything he has to say when hours earlier, he’d thoughtlessly asked her to leave a job she loved.

(something that still makes him want to groan—it’s one of the dumbest things he’s ever done.)

But he doesn’t let that time go to waste; every day, he works tirelessly on filing papers and conducting meetings, eager to free his schedule to ensure he would have no pressing responsibilities holding him back. He sets himself on making a permanent change: he can’t take back what he’s done, but he can start making his own time for the people that he loves, and put an end to this toxic habit of sacrificing everything for a singular goal. Finding justice for his family is important, yes, but so is Sakura Haruno. He can find a balance, from now on. He can keep the village safe and happy, reform the system, bring respect to the Uchiha clan—and he can make a life with Sakura, be the good partner she deserves to have at her side.

And it all starts here, by finally granting himself the right not to comply to every request sent his way. And also, delegating.

“Hokage-sama?”

Eyes flickering up from the previously sealed mission report at his desk, Sasuke raises a brow when he sees his young, brown-haired second assistant peeking unsurely from his door.

(because yes, he had finally caved to hiring someone else, pride be damned. though almost annoyingly too meek, the woman really was unworldly good at her job—appointing her was the best decision he’d made all year.)

Sasuke gestures her inside. “What is it?”

“Um…” Looking down at the floor, she tucks a fallen lock of hair behind her ear, and Sasuke knows then that he isn’t going to like what she will say. “The council is waiting outside your office. They’re requesting a meeting now—”

“Fuck no,” Sasuke immediately replies, interrupting her as his eyes narrow. He huffs an irritated breath, and returns to the classified scroll at hand. “Send them away,” he says. “And tell them to call and schedule a meeting like everyone else. I have other plans today, and I aim to keep them.”

“B-But sir, I don’t think—”

“I don’t care, Uzume. They’re not the ones who have to bury themselves in work on a daily basis, nor are they the ones who make the final decisions around here. I am the Hokage—they are merely my advisors. They will work with my schedule. Tell them they will wait until a suitable time, or I will have them escorted out of this office.”

Wide-eyed, his assistant blushes—more out of nervousness than embarrassment, he suspects—and then nods jerkily. She gives him a quick, polite bow. “Ah—of course, Hokage-sama,” she stutters, quickly stepping towards the filing cabinet. She drops a massive pile of completed forms on top. “Um, please excuse me.”

Then she disappears from his office to deliver the news, seemingly uncomfortable. Sasuke thinks it’s probably because she fears disrespecting the elders.

He goes back to work, and ignores the ensuing muffled conversation behind the door.

(although, he will admit, he feels oddly pleased as the voices start to grow in volume, exclamations of irritation and contempt becoming more and more distinct. that will teach them.)

Sasuke only pauses again when someone tries to enter anyway; the door jiggles for half a moment before, judging by the light rustling and surrendering cries, the perpetrator is seemingly stopped.

“All right, all right!” a man snaps, sounding suspiciously like Homura. His tone is dripping with sharp irritation. “There is no need to get physical—we will take our leave without you. Uncultured brats… Come, Council, we will come back another time when our leader isn’t in such a foul mood.”

Try when you have an actual appointment, Sasuke thinks, rolling his eyes.

It’s a few minutes before his assistant comes back inside, looking rather stunned. Sasuke spares her only a flickering glance, still contemplating the report.

“The guards did their job, I take it?”

Uzume’s eyes are still wide. “Uh… yes, Hokage-sama.”

He gives her a small, pleased nod. “Make sure to let them know I want no more interruptions. I intend to leave in an hour.”

She nods, too, and bows again. “Okay—um, I mean, right away, Hokage-sama. I’ll… I’ll be back later to file those papers as well.”

Sasuke hums, and the sound of her clicking heels resound across his office. He stops his assistant only when he hears her click open the door. “Uzume.”

“Y-Yes?”

He nearly sighs. “Good work today.”

Her voice reveals an undeniable smile. “Thank you, Hokage-sama.”

No, it’s you I should thank, Sasuke thinks. For cutting down my work and giving me time to get my life together.

Today is the day.

.

.

An hour later, when he gathering his things, he sends his hawk Takauji with a scroll for Sakura.

Sakura,

Meet me at my apartment in two hours.

We need to see each other. It’s important.

I know you don’t have a shift at the hospital.

Sasuke

.

.

Sakura arrives at his door twenty minutes early, turning the grim expression on his face to one of genuine surprise; he expected her to be late, if anything. Sasuke’s mouth parts, but he closes it quickly, resting his towel on his shoulder. He’d just gotten out of the shower a short while ago.

“Hi,” she says, softly, looking strangely fragile despite still being so lovely. There is a weakness to her gaze that he doesn’t like.

His heart squeezes, and Sasuke swallows. They really are tearing each other apart like this, he muses. Sakura is so much stronger than that.

(but no longer—he will break her no longer.

…or soon, anyway.)

Exhaling a slow, quiet breath, Sasuke lets the tension in him leave. He gives Sakura a nod. “You’re early,” he says. “I didn’t expect you to be early.” There is no displeasure to his tone. Only relief.

Sakura blushes faintly. “I know,” she mumbles, as she looks down at her feet. She seems almost flustered—or even conflicted. Sasuke hasn’t seen her this insecure since she was a young teenager. He hates how much he’s making her pedal backwards. “I just…”

He doesn’t need to hear more. Stepping aside, Sasuke opens the door wider; a silent invitation. Looking up, Sakura blinks at him, swallows, then acquiesces to his offer.

He doesn’t expect her to push him back a few steps and kiss him as soon as she crosses the threshold, one hand tossing his towel away while the other fists his shirt, foot driving the door shut. Sasuke’s breath snags in his lungs, body growing tight. Half a moment later, he finds himself melting against her, utterly overtaken; he draws her close, kisses her back, curling his fingers into her clothes. Her kisses are both hot and wanton as they are sweet and full of yearning, and it makes his head spin.

But then Sakura tugs at his shirt, pulling at the hem like she needs it off, and Sasuke frowns. His thoughts come rushing back to him. No… no, he can’t let this happen again. Not before they talk things out, put everything out in the open—no matter how much she sends his whole body buzzing.

His hands close around her wrists.

“Sakura,” he whispers against her lips, trying to gently tug her away. He hates how much his body screams to get her back, needing her warmth, her closeness. “Sakura, stop. We can’t. This isn’t why I wanted you to come here.”

“It’s okay,” she says, breathless, pulling him close. She kisses him once more, reaching under his shirt to caress his skin. Sasuke tenses, a groan nearly slipping out of him. “It’s okay. I want this too, Sasuke-kun. There’s nothing wrong with this—”

“Sakura—”

“It’s all right.” One of her hands falls to his belly, tracing the faint ridges there. His mind is starting to fog again. Damnit. “Please, Sasuke-kun. I—I need this. You need this.”

“Sakura, this isn’t—”

“Shh,” she hushes, catching his mouth with hers and kissing him deeper. “We don’t need to talk about it. We can keep doing this. We don’t have to stop. Please.”

The hand on his stomach slides beneath the hem of his pants, so close to where he wants her. Sasuke almost chokes, feeling himself spiral. Sharply, he pulls back, deftly slipping away from her too-wonderful fingers. Breaths heavy and choppy, he swallows against his suddenly dry throat, body burning everywhere. Holy shit that was close.

Hurt splinters across Sakura’s face, a few seconds later. The sight keeps him anchored, reminds them why they’re here. Sasuke sighs quietly.

“We do need to talk, Sakura,” he murmurs. “Everything about this is fucked up. All those weeks ago, when we—” He pauses here, and mulls his lips. He looks down. He still doesn’t know how to explain that day. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. Things got out of hand. I never meant—”

A wounded noise cuts him off, and Sasuke flinches, eyes settling on Sakura again. He finds her face all scrunched up, mouth twisted as though she wants to cry. She curls a hand protectively over her chest.

“Stop. Please stop, Sasuke-kun,” she pleads, and her voice wavers, cracks. There are tears glimmering now. “I’m begging you—I can’t hear this. I can’t. My heart can’t take this.”

His throat grows tight. Gods, how he wishes he would stop making her cry. Wishes he would stop breaking her heart, wishes he could wrap his arms around her right now and kiss away all her pain. But he can’t. He really can’t. He needs to keep trying, to finally explain to her how he wants so much more than this—how he wants everything, and not just that warm space between her legs.

Sasuke touches her arm gently. “Sakura, listen…”

But Sakura doesn’t want to hear it.

“No!” she wails. She wrenches herself away so fast his heart skips a painful beat. “I’m done doing this with you, Sasuke-kun! I’m done getting pulled in every direction and getting my hopes up, only for you to tear them down! Done being the only one hurt every time you fleetingly grow some kind of conscience!” She’s trembling now, thick tears spilling down her angry cheeks as she seemingly struggles not to burst into loud, miserable sobs. “I’ve loved you for over ten years now, Sasuke-kun. Ten years. And I am tired of getting my heart broken because you can’t get yourself together…

“I don’t want to wait for the impossible anymore. I don’t want to keep hoping you might realize that you want me by your side, or that you might want a life with me. It hurts too much, Sasuke-kun. I’ve already let myself believe it once, when you kissed me all those years ago, but then—then you treated us like we were nothing and I—” A sob escapes her, then, soft and broken and unbearably hard to hear. It takes everything in Sasuke not to look away from her. “When you kissed me again all those weeks ago, I was the closest to you than I’ve been in years, Sasuke-kun… I felt like I finally mattered to you—like I knew I did, once. Even if it was just for this.” Her lower lip trembles. “But now you want to take even that away from me…”

Sakura trails out, and cries even harder, then, so hard she gasps in every breath. Sasuke’s jaw grows rigid at the sight; he doesn’t want to stand here and do nothing anymore.

So with an aching heart clenching so terribly, terribly with every beat, Sasuke cups the face of the woman he loves and gingerly wipes her tears away, careful. Sakura shakes her head with vehemence, pushing weakly at his chest to try and drive him away—but all in vain. She crumbles against his touch, defeated and helpless. She is just as starved for his love as he is for hers, he realizes with downturn of his mouth.

(it’s no wonder she doesn’t want him to take away what they have when she no longer thinks they will ever have anything more.)

Pressing his forehead to her own, Sasuke gathers all the tenderness he can find and kisses her slowly, sweetly, holding her soft, precious face in his hands. He brushes his thumb to her skin as she stills, breath hitching, more tears slipping down her cheeks. He smooths them off, and kisses her once more, just as gently, cradling her trembling body in a warm embrace. Half a sob tumbles from her lips, but she kisses him back, burying her fingers in his hair in desperation.

Maybe he can show her how he feels instead, Sasuke thinks, as he lets her take off his shirt and starts guiding her towards his bedroom. Maybe if he makes love to her with all the devotion and care in his heart, she’ll understand everything.

At least, this is what he tells himself as he lets them tug off each other clothes as they go, lips never parting even as they lightly bump and knock into walls and counters. This is what he tells himself as he kisses her, touches her, keeping himself loving and patient, determined not to let lust take over. Sakura whimpers and holds him closer, hiccupping breaths fading into moans and hot little gasps.

They’re both naked by the time they reach his bed, tumbling onto the soft mattress in the darkness of the room. Dazed, needing to see her, Sasuke reaches to turn on his bedside lamp, cursing when he inadvertently knocks their old team seven frame to the floor. The sound of Sakura laughing startles him, so much that when he turns back to look at her, he can’t help his mind from going back to that time all those weeks ago, where he’d been alone in bed and craving to have her at his side.

And now she was here; naked, smiling, and utterly beautiful, with her sweet, sweet green eyes gleaming at him so brightly. Sasuke’s mouth dries, and raw emotion wells up at him, so thickly he feels nothing short of overwhelmed. He cups her cheek and kisses her with aching gentleness, eyes slipping shut tight.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, earnest as he’s ever been.

He feels the smile drop from Sakura’s mouth, lips trembling against his. Sasuke swears he can feel the hurt flaring to life again in her heart, but he refuses to budge as she pushes at him to try and run away.

“Don’t, don’t—Sasuke-kun, don’t do this—”

She starts to cry again and pushes him harder, but Sasuke holds onto her tighter and grits his teeth, brushing his thumb to her cheek.

“I’m so sorry, Sakura—”

“Just let me leave,” she sobs, struggling against him. “Let me leave, let me leave, I can’t do this, just let me leave—”

“Damnit, Sakura, I love you!” Sasuke says, then, frustration getting to him as it comes out sounding sharp and much more forceful than he’d hoped.

(but he’d said it. at least he’d finally fucking said it.)

Sakura’s breath catches, and she stiffens beneath him. “W-What?”

Sasuke softens. “I love you. Sakura, I’ve always loved you. Since five years ago, since before even that. I never meant to hurt you the way that I did—I never meant to get so caught up in my goals that I never put you, or Naruto or Kakashi first. I threw away what we had without even realizing it because I was so focused on the responsibilities I had trying to get justice for my clan. And I wish I realized that sooner. I really fucking do. I wish I’d known how to solve everything, but I had no idea what to do. Especially not after we…” He swallows, and moves his hand to her jaw, then, stroking so devotedly. “Nothing about this has ever been just sex to me, Sakura. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I want more. I’ve always wanted more. I want… you.” All of you. By my side. So stay, please. Stay, and I’ll never make those mistakes again. I promise.

For a moment, Sakura says nothing; she merely keeps crying, unable to stop. Yet there is a lightness to her now, a missing heaviness to the way she wipes her tears and sniffles and hiccups, and it makes the tension in him melt away.

“Y-You love me?” she asks, eventually, her voice so feeble.

But Sasuke catches it, that certain hope and fullness that makes him want to smile. He pushes his forehead to her own, running his thump over her cheek. “I do,” he whispers.

Making some noise of relief, Sakura pulls him close and hugs him tight, burying her face in his neck. Closing his eyes, Sasuke breathes in her scent and pulls her closer, finally feeling relaxed and content—like he hasn’t been able to in much too long. His heart swells in his chest when Sakura runs her hands through his hair, whispering how much she loves him, how much she’s sorry she didn’t listen to him when he was trying to make things right. Brushing his lips to her brow, Sasuke pulls back and kisses her, kissing her again, and again, and again.

He makes love to her when she asks him to, a while later, and it’s slow, and good, and wonderful. Better than any of their times before. He feels full, complete, even moreso when he knows she does, too. There is nowhere else he wants to be—he would spend forever making love to her if he could. When Sakura gets close, she whispers to him to tell her again that he loves her, so he does, once, twice, and three times more. He kisses her when she comes soon after, holding him close and whimpering his name. Sasuke swears she’s never looked more beautiful.

They stay wrapped up in each other when they’re sated and spent, whispering conversation in the dim, moonlit room. Sasuke pulls the sheets over them when Sakura shivers a little from the cold, her giggle curling the edges of his mouth. She thanks him, and kisses him like they have all the time in the world, like there is nothing they can’t face together… and he supposes that as of tonight, that is probably true.

For the rest of his life, he will make time to kiss and love Sakura like she deserves, like she wants.

For the rest of his life, he will make sure she never doubts the place she holds in his heart.

Sleep takes them within minutes, and it’s the easiest he’s had in years.

.

.

Sakura comes to find him at lunch the next day, carrying her usual stack of paperwork and two bento boxes, along with the prettiest, happiest blush. Sasuke feels his eyes brighten in an instant, lips curling in the faintest smile. He doesn’t think twice about abandoning his work for the time being.

“Hello, Sasuke-kun,” Sakura says, tucking her files to her chest. Grinning, she shows off the bento boxes. “I thought you might want to have lunch with me. I know I left in a bit of a hurry this morning… since you know, early surgery and all.”

Sasuke hums. “Hmm. Thank you,” he says, and he takes the bento boxes from her hand to put them aside on his desk. He surprises even himself when he tugs her onto his lap, next, fighting back another smile at her slight yelp. The glow from yesterday clearly still has yet to fade.

Sasuke slides a hand to her hip. He peers inside one of the bento boxes. “Onigri?”

Sakura smiles sheepishly. “Yes… I didn’t have much time when I got home. But I made your favorite kind!”

As if to prove she isn’t lying, she grabs a ball and peels a layer of rice back, revealing the flaky okaka filling. Amused, Sasuke grabs the onigri from her hand and takes a bite, chewing carefully.

“It’s good,” he offers, and Sakura smiles wider. She eats the bits on her hands, and croons with much satisfaction, happy with the fruits of her labor.

Sasuke shakes his head and smiles. “I’ll grab my stuff and we can leave.”

Beaming, Sakura pushes herself off his lap, allowing him to do just that.

It is at the moment that he stands up, however, that Shikamaru strolls in, sporting his usual look of exasperation and mouth opened to say something. He stills and chooses to refrain himself when he catches sight of them both, something of a frown forming.

Sasuke knows then that Shikamaru dreads what he is about to say. He narrows his eyes.

“What?”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Shikamaru says. He points his thumb to the door. “But we have a meeting with the other Kages starting right now. It’s about the upcoming chunnin exams.”

Fuck. That’s right. Sasuke pinches the bridge of his nose. He forgot.

But as he exhales a sharp breath and goes to say that he’ll be there in a minute, his eyes briefly flicker to Sakura, sees her falter. That makes him stop.

(because this was how it all started, back then. brushing her aside time and time again, choosing to deal with matters that weren’t always that pressing, simply because he felt it was his duty.)

Sasuke’s gaze lightens, shoulders softening under the weight of yesterday’s memories. He knows what to do.

“Take Uzume with you and attend the meeting without me,” Sasuke says, taking off his Hokage robes and hanging them over his chair. He gives Sakura the ghost of a smile, and moves to rid her of her stack of files, sliding them onto his desk. “I’ll look over the notes tomorrow. I trust you’ll make the right decisions.”

The smile Sakura gives him in return is blinding, positively radiating with the brightest, most brilliant happiness. Sasuke feels his heart swell with pure, simple pride.

“You sure?”

Sasuke nods at his assistant. “I’m sure.” He picks up both bento boxes from his desk, and puts a hand at Sakura’s back to gently urge her forward. He spares her a tender glance. “I have lunch plans with Sakura.”

He’s learned his lesson.

.

.

.

End.

[cartoonus-maximus]

“This Our Town of Halloween” - Chapter 1

a “Yugioh DM” fanfic inspired by the lyrics to the song ‘This is Halloween’ from ‘the Nightmare Before Christmas’

also known as the ygo Halloween fic that I want to do every year and never do

I don’t know if I’m going to actually finish this story by Halloween, but I’m gonna really try. But anyway, since I’ve already talked a little about it, here’s an upload of the first chapter to get us started.

summary: Yugi, Ryou, and Marik fall through a Rift into the Hollow World, an alternate world where monsters live. They only have two options - escape from this world and get back home, or make their new home in this world. And, as time passes, both options begin to sound impossible.

rating: T for horror themes and elements

pairings(in future chapters): Puzzleshipping/Blindshipping (Yugi x Atem); Tendershipping (Ryou x Bakura); Bronzeshipping (Marik x Yami Marik); very light one-sided Dungeonshipping (Otogi x Pegasus); maybe others

.

.

Chapter 1: Down, Down to Goblin Town

written 7/1/2018

1,153 words

Boys and girls of every age

Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

It was a strangely cool evening in October when Halloween finally rolled around. A sharp wind whistled through the trees, blasting three young men square in the face. The palest of the three, an albino with pink eyes and hair just as pale as his skin, cried out in displeasure as he pulled an old sheet more firmly around him.

The blonde Middle Eastern American beside him glanced at his friend with a frown. “Don't handle the cold too well, do you?”

The albino shook his head, but didn't answer. Instead, the young man sitting on the other side of him answered for him, violet eyes peering out from behind shaggy black hair and blonde bangs. “Ryou's body temperature has always been naturally low – he doesn't generate his own heat all that well.”

Marik's frown deepened. He'd only met Yugi and Ryou a few weeks ago. The two had apparently grown up together in Japan before immigrating to the States as teenagers, and he had yet to see them apart from one another. He'd run into them on the streets about a month or so ago, and the three had sought shelter together from the blistering heat. Since then, the pair had stuck with him, sharing with him what provisions they had and accepting his in return.

They were homeless. And if they didn't look out for one another, who would?

Marik had been kicked out of his own home as a teen after arguing with his father over a very particular subject. From what he understood, Yugi and Ryou had been living with Ryou's father and had suffered a similar experience. Now, with an incomplete education and not a dollar to their names, the three males mostly moved from shelter to camp to shelter, trying to find semi-permanent jobs and roofs over their head.

This evening, the three had been in camp with several others, emphasis on had. Since it was Halloween night, a group of dumb college students had come out during the night, looking to party and get themselves drunk away from prying eyes. The party had moved too close for comfort to the camp, so everyone had quickly and quietly grabbed their stuff and moved out. Now, Marik and his two newfound friends were on the move, searching for a new location to set up some sort of temporary shelter to stay in for the night.

The blonde grinned suddenly as he spotted a fence, recognizing immediately what it was. “Guys, look!”

The two Asians followed his gaze, Yugi voicing their concerns. “... A cemetery?”

“Yeah!”

“Won't we get in trouble if we spend the night in a cemetery?”

“Not if we're quiet,” Marik answered, approaching the fence. He gestured for the other two to follow him. “I've slept here before and been fine.”

“I don't know...” Ryou's eyes shifted to the side, suggesting discomfort with the idea. “It doesn't sound--”

He was interrupted by Yugi, who suddenly pointed into the cemetery, his eyes wide. “I think someone else is already in there!”

Confused, Marik turned, following the direction of Yugi's raised finger. Sure enough, three moving figures could be seen in the graveyard. They seemed to be crouched in a circle on the ground, but the blonde couldn't tell what they were doing from this distance.

Yugi's eyes were better. “I think they're digging up a grave!”

Realizing how right his companion was, Marik's eyes widened. “What kind of disrespect--?!” Unable to contain himself, the blonde took a running start, launching himself over the fence and taking off towards the figures. “Hey! Hey, you!”

The figures suddenly jerked their heads up, staring at Marik is surprise. They looked like children, their small frames almost completely covered by Halloween costumes and masks, candy sticking out of their mouths. One of them was so surprised his jaw dropped open, his lollipop slipping out from his lips and hitting the ground with a dull 'clunk.'

“Quick, get in!” one of the figures ordered her two companions. To Marik's horror, the figure pitched herself forward, falling into the open grave. The other two followed suit, leaving not a single trace of their presence except the fallen lolly.

Marik stared at the ground where the kids had just been sitting. The longer he stared, the more baffled by the situation he became. The hole looked like an open grave, but there was no marker beside it or coffin within it, and there was no heap of removed dirt. It almost looked as though a grave-sized hole had simply opened up in the ground.

Yugi and Ryou slowly came up behind Marik, still carrying their meager belongings on their backs. Ryou still had his sheet wrapped tightly around his shoulders, and now Yugi had Marik's discarded backpack in his hand along with his own.

The blonde turned to look at his friends, pointing vaguely at the hole. “It's empty, and... They jumped in. They jumped in and it's empty!”

Their eyes widened in surprise at his words before staring at each other for a moment. Ryou took a step forward, peering down into the hole curiously.

“You're wrong, Marik. It's not empty.” Ryou's voice was eerily calm and betrayed nothing. “There's no bottom to it.”

Yugi and Marik joined Ryou at the edge of the hole, staring down beside him. To their surprise, the hole went deep, down into the ground, seemingly never ending. It really was like a chasm had simply opened up in the earth.

“If there's no bottom to it, where did those kids go?”

“HEY!” A older man's voice interrupted their thoughts. The groundskeeper had spotted them, his flashlight illuminating the area around them. “WHAT'S ALL THIS NOISE?”

The three young men froze in place, terrified of being caught. After a beat, Yugi took a step towards the hole, dropping Marik's backpack. “I'm sorry, guys, but I can't go to jail!”

“Yugi--!” Marik watched in horror as Yugi jumped into the hole, falling down into the earth, vanishing from sight. Ryou screamed, but quickly followed behind his friend. As taken aback as he was by his two friends vanishing, Marik wasn't surprised to see them go together – he had yet to see them separated, after all.

Marik hesitated for a minute, his eyes tracing a horrified path between the open, gaping maw of earth at his feet and the approaching groundskeeper, flashlight aiming directly at his face, almost blinding him. But, then his feet moved, pitching him forward into the hole, following after the only two friends he had in the world. The air whizzed past Marik's ears as he fell into the blackness. The hole was completely and utterly empty, with nothing to break his fall, or even slow him down.

His scream was the only thing that filled the empty space as he fell.

[thatcrazyfanfictionwriter]

Secret of the Sewers: Rescue and Revenge

Casey's head was throbbing like crazy as he began to come to. He went to rub his head, surprised when he found his wrists connected to each other. He looked at his hands, noting the futuristic cuffs with a note of disdain.

"Dammit." he cursed. "They got us."

April let out a groan from the ground next to Casey. He looked over at her, gently cradling her as she woke up. As he did, he noticed a strange straw dangling from the corner of her mouth. That was about the time he noticed a similar straw in his own mouth.

"What the-?" he let out, going to grab the straw.

Before he could, Splinter's tail wrapped around his wrist, preventing him from doing so.

"I would advise against that, Mr. Jones." Splinter warned. "These things are what are allowing us to breathe."

Casey went wide-eyed when he saw the rat master leaning against the wall, as well as Mr. Murakami. What really shocked him was the unconscious form of Leatherhead, bindings around his wrists, ankles, and even a muzzle over his mouth.

"Holy chalupa..." he let out. "They got all of us."

"Indeed." Murakami agreed. "These creatures were quite thorough in their hunt. Whatever the turtles and their sister did to anger them, it must have been quite a spectacle."

"From what we've seen of them, they're not one to do things by halves." April commented, sitting up and leaning against the wall of the cell.

"Yes." Splinter nodded, looking at his bound wrists. "I can only hope that their situation is less dire than our own."

...

Mikey was pacing back and forth across the floor of the rebel base. His fingers were running through his hair as he grew more and more anxious.

"Oh man, I can't believe this is happening!" He exclaimed. "They got everyone we knew! I mean, I can see them snagging April, possibly Casey too, but sensei, Murakami and LH?! That's insane!"

Raph whacked his brother upside the head, causing him to stop pacing. He shook his head, facing his red brother.

"Feel better?" Raph questioned.

Mikey thought for a minute.

"A little." he admitted.

"We need to find them." Leo declared. "Traximus, do you know where Zanramon would take his prisoners?"

"While he would normally send his prisoners to Incarceron, considering who he is dealing with, I doubt he would be willing to risk a repeat of what happened when he imprisoned the five of you." Traximus answered.

"I see our reputation around there is still intact." Mikey remarked.

"But Incarceron was his high security prison." Donny remembered. "Where else would he send them?"

"That is just it, Donatello." Mona Lisa spoke up. "I do not believe they are to be 'sent' anywhere. If anything, they are to be 'delivered'."

"Delivered?" Leo repeated.

"To Zanramon himself." Traximus concluded.

A silence fell over the siblings before Raph voiced their collective opinion.

"Frikken shitaki mushrooms on a stick!" He cursed.

"This is gonna make things a lot trickier." Leo dreaded.

"Hey, it's not like our lives were ever easy before." Hisako reminded.

"So, how are we gonna infiltrate Zanramon's place or whatever, rescue our friends, and put the whammy on our least favorite Prime Leader, all the while getting out alive?" Donny proposed.

"I don't know." Leo admitted. "I don't know."

...

With Splinter and the others, Commander Mozar escorted the five captives down to a private chamber where the Prime Leader was waiting. Two Triceratons were dragging Leatherhead, the croc still heavily sedated to prevent him from fighting. Casey scanned the area they were entering, Splinter doing the same.

"Uh, Splinter?" Casey whispered. "Is it just me, or does this place look like a private torture chamber?"

"Keep your wits about you, Mr. Jones." Splinter told him. "These are not the first adversaries that sought to break us."

April just let out a whimper, staying close to Casey as the group was finally brought before the Prime Leader. He looked as intimidating as ever, though now that they met him in person, the group could see some strange burns across his skin. April recognized them almost immediately.

"It looks like he was dumped in some sort of acid." she muttered quietly. "I wonder what-"

"Welcome, inferior creatures." Zanramon created, cutting off April's train of thought. "I suppose you five are wondering why I had my men bring you here."

"Actually, I was wondering what happened to your face." Casey quipped. "Lose a game of acid dunk tank?"

Zanramon growled in response.

"If you must know, these burns are thanks to the four Gamarons and the humanoid that you five ally yourselves with." He snarled.

"They did that?" April questioned. "But how? They're not capable of-"

"Silence!" Zanramon ordered.

Mozar then stepped forward, stabbing April in the back with a stun baton. She screamed and fell to her knees, Casey catching her as Splinter stepped forward.

"Enough!" Splinter snapped. "Your quarrel is with my children, not with them!"

"Any ally of those five fugitives is an enemy of mine." Zanramon dismissed. "And you have the nerve to call them your children so flippantly? It seems you are unaware of just how many crimes your so-called 'children' committed."

"Then perhaps you would like to enlighten us of these supposed crimes." Murakami spoke up.

"They assaulted officers of the Triceraton armada." Zanramon began. "They stole personal property of the Prime leader not once, but twice! They instigated a riot in our maximum security prison, as well as attempted an escape! They caused a full rebellion in my Arena of Carnage, freeing all of my gladiators! And, to top it all off, they held me hostage before feeding me to a Kraathatrogon!"

"I'm guessing that's the reason for your bacon face." Casey assumed.

Zanramon was seething with rage, to the point that he walked up to Casey and slapped him across the face. He fell to the ground, his face stinging.

"It seems that everything associated with those five pests is wrought with dissent and disrespect." the Triceraton snarled.

"Only to those who deserve it." Splinter remarked.

Zanramon lifted his hand to smack Splinter, but the rat didn't even flinch. Realizing that giving into his anger was pointless, Zanramon lowered his arm, adjusting his robe and taking a deep breath.

"You are merely eating away at your own time." Zanramon warned. "This planet's very existence lay on the line, and you stand here making witty remarks and trying my patience."

"Then I suggest you get the point." Splinter told him.

"Very well." Zanramon replied. "Tell me where your 'children' are hiding. I get them, and perhaps I will allow your planet to become part of the great Triceraton Republic."

"Never." Splinter said firmly.

"Fine, we'll do this the hard way." Zanramon declared. "Prep them, and start with the rat."

Mozar grabbed Splinter, dragging him over to a large, metal slab. He slammed him against it, thick bindings immediately grabbing hold of Splinter. The rat master instinctively struggled as several guards held back Casey, April, and Murakami.

"Even the most resilient of prisoners always give up their secrets." Zanramon bragged as Mozar picked up a menacing looking helmet. "Because we pry them right from your brain. Though I will warn you, the process is… excruciatingly painful."

Mozar slammed the helmet down on Splinter's head and it latched on. The rat stiffened as Zanramon leaned in.

"Last chance to do this the easy way." he warned.

Splinter remained silent, his fists clenched in anticipation for what was to come. Zanramon snorted, then straightened up.

"Fine." he let out.

All of a sudden, the helmet began to spark wildly. Splinter started growling in discomfort from the helmet's effects. The groans soon began to become louder as the pain grew, his claws scratching at the table as he struggled to free himself, the helmet delving deeper into his mind.

...

"Zanramon wouldn't have them brought to his throne room." Traximus surmised. "He's most likely taken them to his private torture chamber."

"Do you know where that is?" Raph questioned.

"I'm afraid not." Traximus lamented.

That's when Hisako brightened.

"I bet I could find out where it is." she suggested.

"You got a lot of ground to cover." Donny told her. "You sure you can handle it?"

"This place isn't as big as the whole city of New York." Hisako argued. "Besides, what choice do we have?"

She assumed a meditative position on the ground, branching out to try and find the others. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, she suddenly doubled over, clutching her head and screaming in agony.

"Hisako!" The turtles cried out.

She kept screaming, her fingers digging into her skull as blood began to run down her face. Still, despite the extreme pain she was in, she could feel another presence suffering with her.

"Sensei!" she cried out.

"Sensei?" Leo repeated. "What about Sensei?"

"He-!" she convulsed again, curling up tighter as she tried to fight through the pain. "He's hurting!"

She writhed on the ground, drawing in a crowd of concerned revolutionaries. Blood was now beginning to flow from her eyes, much to Donny's grave concern.

"Hisako, get out of there!" He shouted. "You're killing yourself!"

It was unclear whether she heard him or not, but she did not stop, reaching out desperately for her father's mental spirit.

"SENSEI!" she screamed, both physically and mentally.

...

In the midst of all his pain and agony, Splinter somehow managed to hear his daughter calling out to him. Needing something to focus on, he latched onto her voice, calling out to her.

"Hisako..." he mentally wheezed. "My child… is that you?"

"Sensei… it hurts… what's happening?"

"He is… trying… to probe my mind…" He barely replied. "For you…"

"No… He can't..."

"I need you… my daughter…" Splinter requested. "Use me… as a channel..."

"I can't! It's too much…!"

"Yes... you can!" Splinter told her. "I… have faith… in you… be strong!"

"I'll… try..."

...

Hisako's screaming began to peter out as her entire body began to glow. Small bits of rubble began to shake around her, floating off the ground. The turtles looked at this, realizing what was about to happen.

"Everybody!" Mikey shouted. "Hit the deck!"

The others went for cover, the rebels following suit as Hisako began floating in the air. She let out an ear piercing scream as energy exploded outward, sending everything and everyone flying away from her. Light poured from her eyes and mouth in perhaps the greatest display of power she'd ever shown.

...

The helmet attached to Splinter's head began dancing with green power. The lights flickered and the room began to shake. Casey and April exchanged looks, then grabbed each other and hit the deck. April dragged Murakami down as well, urging him to take cover. Then, the helmet completely exploded, sending out a wave of green energy that seemed to come out of Splinter himself. His eyes were glowing for a moment as his bindings disintegrated, the energy freeing him.

The wave of power knocked all of the Triceratons back and freed the other four captives. More than that, the feeling of power washing over him caused Leatherhead to stir.

"Oracle..." he groaned, fighting off the tranquilizers keeping him down.

The light died from Splinter's eyes as he slid from the table, disoriented and shaken from what had just happened. April quickly helped steady him, looking at him in surprise.

"Was that-?" she began.

"Hisako, yes." Splinter replied. "She felt the same pain I did, and helped to free me from that accursed device."

"Oracle… pain..." Leatherhead snarled, his eyes beginning to glow.

Casey saw the croc beginning to liven up and got an idea.

"Yeah, these guys hurt Hisako's dad." Casey explained. "And when they did that, she felt his pain. She was screaming, crying out, because of what these monsters were doing."

Leatherhead snarled at the thought, his eyes becoming bright red as the Triceratons were beginning to come to. Casey took a step back, then utter the phrase that signed their death warrants.

"If it had gone on any longer, they might have killed her." he told the croc.

With that, Leatherhead snapped up and barreled at the Triceratons. He picked one up and threw him into a group of others, knocking them down. He then whipped his tail around and smacked another Triceraton back. As one ran up, he leapt onto him and slashed at his face, causing him to cry out before falling to the ground.

"Restrain this beast!" Zanramon ordered.

Leatherhead snapped his head around and snarled at him before running straight at him. Zanramon stood his ground, catching Leatherhead's hands and wrestling with him. As the two struggled against one another, Casey grabbed Murakami as April continued helping Splinter.

"We need to get out of here." April insisted. "More Triceratons will be coming, and even with LH worked into a blood frenzy, I doubt he'll be able to hold them all off."

"Agreed." Splinter concurred. "We must escape and the sooner the better."

"What about Leatherhead?" Casey asked.

"He is strong of will and spirit." Splinter reassured as they got moving. "I have a feeling he will not be captive to them for long."

"Yo, LH!" Casey called out. "Hisako's waiting for ya!"

Spurred by the idea of seeing his precious Oracle again, LH gave Zanramon a hearty shove, sending him flying into a wall. The croc then lumbered after the group on all fours. With the mutant croc back among their ranks, the five bolted out of the room and down the hallway.

"Yoshi-kun." Murakami spoke up. "Do you know where we are going?"

"Yes." Splinter answered, slowly pulling himself from April's grip and taking the lead. "Hisako showed me the way."

...

In the aftermath of Hisako's mental bomb, the psychic had promptly dropped to the ground, motionless and groaning. Raph and Mikey hoisted her up while Donny checked for vital signs.

"She's alright," Donny reported. "But she's spent a shell ton of energy."

Traximus pulled himself out from under a pile of weapons, looking at Hisako with surprise.

"I am thankful that she chose a pacifist route when we crossed paths in the Arena." he said quietly.

"She's very selective on who she gets violent over." Mikey told him.

Hisako groaned in Raph and Mikey's grip, her head lolling about as she tried to focus.

"Sen...sei..." she let out, her voice weak and cracking.

"Take it easy sis." Raph told her. "You put on a shell of a show."

"Escaped..." she winced, weakly pointing off in the distance. "Coming… Need… to help..."

Her hand became shakier with each word before her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out, her arm flopping down once more.

"I think I know where she wants us to go." Leo deduced. "Trax, you mind carrying her?"

"Not at all." Traximus replied, plucking up Hisako and draping her across his shoulder.

The group then went down the direction Hisako was pointing.

...

Splinter and the others made their way out of the hallways, and down into the sewers to avoid detection.

"We should be safe down here." April said, though it was clear she wasn't quite certain about her statement.

LH began sniffing the air, his eyes still bright and he was still on all fours.

"Not… alone..." he snarled.

Casey and Murakami readied themselves as April held Splinter, still recovering from the mental strain. Suddenly, a cluster of shadows began to approach the group, making their way around the corner. The first to emerge was Traximus, a bloody Hisako still on his back. The second he laid eyes on the sight, LH completely lost it. He charged forward and tackled Traximus to the ground, ready to claw him to pieces. Fortunately, the turtles sprang forward and grabbed his arms.

"Whoa, Leatherhead!" Mikey called out. "It's cool!"

"This is Traximus." Leo explained. "He's a friend."

Splinter cradled his daughter, who had been knocked to the ground in Leatherhead's haste. As he held her, her eyes fluttered open and she smiled slightly.

"Hi dad..." she whispered.

"Hello my child." Splinter greeted back. "I knew you could do it."

LH turned towards Hisako, hearing her voice. He quickly went over to her and caressed her face, the glow dying from his eyes as she reached up and returned the touch.

"Oracle..." The croc said quietly.

"Hey big guy..." Hisako replied. "Don't kill Traximus. He's a good guy."

"If you... say so." Leatherhead relented.

"Aww." Mikey let out. "He acts all big and mean, but he's really just a big softie."

He then realized Traximus hadn't moved from where LH had pinned him, no doubt afraid to provoke the croc anymore.

"Dude, you can get up now." Mikey told him.

Traximus then got back to his feet and rejoined the others, keeping a wary eye on the croc.

"We're just happy you're all ok." Donny told them.

Mona Lisa then let out a cough.

"Perhaps we should retreat back to base camp before the Prime Leader sends out a search party?"

"What about Zanramon?" Raph asked.

"Hisako is in no condition to do anything to him right now." Leo told him. "We need to fall back and give her time to rest. Once she's fully rested and we have a plan, then we make our move."

Raph nodded in response before the group retreated.

...

Back in the torture chamber, Zanramon had just picked himself up as the troops not decimated by Leatherhead began to get up. Mozar dislodged himself from a broken table, his metal arm off to the side. As he fetched it and reattached it, he turned to the Prime Leader in fear and shame. He knelt down, bowing his head.

"Forgive me, Prime Leader." he begged. "The creatures have all escaped."

"This will not stand!" Zanramon declared. "Prepare communications to broadcast another message! It is clear that we have been too generous with these inferior pests."

Mozar gave a salute, then rushed off to do as he was told.

...

Once the group returned to base camp, Hisako was laid to rest on a small blanket off to the side. Leatherhead curled around her, acting as her guardian and pillow as she slept. Splinter took the time to rest as well, the mental strain from earlier still weighing heavily on him. All the while, April and Casey took the opportunity to meet their new alien friends.

"So, you're the alien salamander Raph told us about." April said to Lisa.

"Salamandarian." Lisa corrected. "And yes. You may call me Mona Lisa."

Casey grinned as he elbowed Raph playfully.

"Guess Hisako's not the only one who's attracted to powerful reptiles." he quipped.

"Oh get over yourself." Raph replied, playfully pushing him.

The two laughed as Leo introduced Traximus. The blue turtle also took the opportunity to apologize for earlier.

"Sorry about Leatherhead almost ripping your face off." he apologized. "He's extremely protective of Hisako."

"And it didn't help that I worked him into a frenzy so we could escape." Casey added, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry."

"It is quite alright." Traximus insisted. "It is not hard to see how protective he is of her."

"You have no idea." Leo replied. "The guy would both die and kill for her."

"At the same time if he could." Donny added.

As the group continued talking, Monza-Ram came running up with a distressed look on his face.

"Everyone!" He called out. "Zanramon is making another announcement!"

Everyone quickly gathered around a small holographic projector, even Splinter and a semi-conscious Hisako joining, the latter on LH's back. Monza-Ran turned on the projector, showing an image of Prime Leader Zanramon.

"It has come to my attention that I have become far too lenient with my ultimatum regarding the Gamarons and their allies." Zanramon addressed. "They have escaped justice for far too long, and I have grown tired waiting for you insects to hand them over. Because of this, you now have one hour to hand them over to me. Otherwise, your planet will feel the might of my Decimator Cannon!"

There was a collective gasp from every single revolutionary in the base camp. Lisa's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes going wide as she fell to her knees, her face a paler shade of blue. The hologram then cut out as a stunned silence filled the camp. The turtles looked around at their allies, feeling more than a little apprehensive about Zanramon's threat.

"Okay, I'll bite." Donny spoke up. "What's a Decimator cannon?"

"It is the ultimate weapon of the Triceraton republic." Monza Ram answered. "It is a deadly laser that can cut through to the center of a planet, detonating its molten core."

"Many planets have been obliterated by the terrible weapon." Lisa let out, shivering slightly. "Including Salamandaria."

The turtles were left speechless at the revelation.

"Can… can he really do that?" Donny asked.

"He can." Traximus dreaded. "And will unless his demands are met, or we manage to destroy that weapon."

"Then we got to get to Zanramon now!" Raph insisted. "We need to change his mind so he leaves before blowing up the earth!"

"Even if Hisako was in a state that she could perform such a feat, I do not believe it would do much good." Splinter spoke up.

"Yoshi is right." Murakami agreed. "I have heard that amount of hatred and venom before, from none other than Oroku Saki. Even if you convinced him that you five were not on this planet, he would simply destroy Earth out of frustration and anger."

"Then we gotta take out that weapon." Leo decided. "... uh, any ideas on how?"

A heavy silence filled the room once more, then one of the all-stars went to speak. However, Monza Ram quickly shushed him, giving him a pointed look. Leo noticed this, not needing Hisako's telepathy to know something was up.

"If one of you guys has something to say, then now's the time." Leo told them.

Monza Ram shook his head instantly, but the all-star he had shushed refused to listen.

"I will not hold my tongue any longer." the All Star insisted. "Our blind silence has caused enough pain and suffering."

"Cathar be silent!" Monza Ram ordered.

"We were once the team in charge of the Decimator cannon." a second all-star spoke up, much to Monza Ram's fury.

"Mor-Tax!" Monza Ram exclaimed.

"We know how it works, how to arm and disarm it, and how to destroy it." Cathar concluded.

"It is what we were arrested for before we were thrown into the games." Mor-Tax added.

"Tell us everything you know." Donny insisted.

The two all-stars began their explanations as Monza Ram turned away. Leo looked at him in confusion, following him towards the corner of the base. The Triceraton was grumbling to himself, several expletives slipping past his lips.

"Why did you want your knowledge of the Decimator cannon a secret?" Leo asked.

Monza Ram sighed, his anger giving way to what looked like resignation and exhaustion.

"My men and I were loyal to Zanramon." He explained. "We followed orders and destroyed many planets for the glory of the Triceraton Republic. We never thought to question what we were doing… until the day we found a young Salamandarian boy carrying a young hatchling hiding on the ship."

"Sal Commander." Leo realized.

"They were children, innocent beings." Monza Ram recounted. "It is easy to forget that such creatures exist in times of war. They were a stark reminder of exactly what we were doing every time we fired that cannon."

He sagged to the ground, leaning against the stone wall.

"We destroyed their home." He let out, turning to Mona Lisa, who was being comforted by Raph across the room. "Her home."

"She didn't know." Leo guessed.

Monza Ram shook his head.

"How do you tell someone you are responsible for the destruction of their entire race?" He questioned. "How do you even begin to atone for such a crime? And… how can she cope with the knowledge that her brother gave his life to protect the ones who doomed her to this life?"

"I… don't have the answer for that." Leo admitted. "Only you do."

Monza Ram looked down in resignation, letting out a log sigh. After a minute, he lifted his head and rose to his feet.

"For now, the best I can do is aid my men in finishing what we started all those years ago." he declared. "Destroying that accursed weapon once and for all."

"Then let's get to work." Leo declared.

The two returned to the group, where Donny was in the middle of drawing up a plan. The All-Stars were still giving him as much info as they could. Traximus observed it all, occasionally glancing at Mona Lisa. The Salamandarian kept her eyes on the All Stars, as if unsure of what to think anymore. Raph just held her, quietly petting her head like he'd done to Hisako a million times.

"You gonna be ok?" He asked.

"I do not know." she answered honestly.

"Alright, according to the All Stars, the Decimator cannon is located at the lowest level of the home world." Donny reported.

"Hang on, there's a level lower than the sewers?" Mikey questioned.

"The Prime Leader wanted to ensure that saboteurs would have a difficult time finding and reaching it." Monza Ram explained.

"There's a single access point hidden within the Home world's main armory." Mor-Tax interjected, pointing to a spot on a provided map. "From there, we take the transport lift down to the bottom. We may meet some resistance from the team in charge once we get down there."

"Yeah well, what else is new?" Raph remarked.

"After we reach the Decimator cannon, we'll plant charges around the power supply line." Canthar instructed.

"And blow this baby to kingdom come." Donny finished.

"You make it sound so easy." Mona Lisa quipped. "But since there is only one way in or out of the cannon chamber, we run the risk of walking right into a possible ambush."

"She's right." Splinter concurred. "We need something that could draw the guards' attention."

"We could." Mikey spoke up.

Everyone turned to him.

"Think about it, Zanramon wants us, right?" Mikey asked. "We can lure his forces away while Traximus' team plants the charges."

"But, wait." Casey spoke up. "What about your secret?"

"Yeah, if you guys put yourselves out in the line of fire like that, you run the risk of getting captured." April noted.

"More than that, Zanramon seems like the type who would make your execution public." Murakami added. "No doubt the entire world would know you exist, and in the event you survive and our plan succeeds, I doubt you would be able to return to being secrets of the sewers."

"Our little secret doesn't matter much if there's no one to keep it from." Mikey said.

"Mikey's right." Leo agreed. "If we put our desire for secrecy over the lives of billions of innocent people, then we're no better than the monsters we've worked so hard to fight."

"Besides, he's gotta catch us to execute us." Raph snorted. "He got lucky last time he caught us, and he ain't gonna get another opportunity like that again."

"Right, he'll leap at the opportunity to get payback for everything." Donny agreed.

"He made that much quite clear when we spoke with him." Splinter nodded.

"Then I guess it's settled." Hisako spoke up, leaning over Leatherhead's shoulders. "We earthlings will draw Zanramon's forces away while Traximus' team handles the cannon."

"My friends..." Traximus interjected. "I cannot ask you to do this."

"It's alright, Traximus." Leo insisted. "We know what we have to do, and we're all in agreement. This is the only way."

"Well if we're all in agreement, I suggest we get to work." Donny spoke up. "We've got less than an hour to pull this off, or Earth goes the way of the dodo."

"Right." Leo agreed. "Let's move!"

[thismanateelovestowrite]

Blue: Pt.5

Previous part: [Pt.4] 

Warnings for this part: mentions of violence, language

You stared at him, shaking a little. He was looking over your shoulder and stared at something behind you.

What does he see? What’s going on?

Judging from his expression, whatever was going on behind your back was not nice. He almost looked nervous but that thought washed away when he opened his mouth.

“If you don’t obey me now, I’ll cut your head off,” he hissed and glared at you.

“Wouldn’t that-“

“We don’t have time for your cockiness,” you flinched at his angriness. “I’d rather kill you myself than let you get yourself killed by one of those. Now start moving away and don’t you dare look back.”

You silently followed his orders, a little scared of what would happen if you disobeyed him. However, the situation bothered you a lot. Can’t I just take a peek? I want to know what’s…

You had already subconsciously turned your head before you could think about what you were doing.

At first you only saw him who was currently doing the same as you were: looking behind. When your gaze shifted from the creature walking behind you to the scene that was happening behind him, your eyes widened and you stopped walking.

Isn’t that Yuna? You looked at the familiar girl who you knew thanks to Eunkyung. She was drenched because of the rain - just like you - and she looked somewhat scared. You weren’t close enough to call her your friend but you still wanted to help her.

He bumped into you and immediately turned his head. When you met his icy, threatening glare you flinched slightly.

“What are you doing?” he asked and his tone was colder than before.

“What’s going on there?” despite feeling scared, you gave him a glare.

“None of your business,” he hissed. “Now get moving. We have to leave without interfering if we want to leave this place alive.” You looked at how Yuna argued with a middle-aged man about something. They both seemed angry and you could hear their voices even though you were quite far away from them. You moved your gaze from the two to him. Yuna wasn’t your friend but you knew how much she meant to Eunkyung so you couldn’t just leave and act like you didn’t see it. You wanted to help her.

“No,” he said immediately, reading your determined expression.

“I need to go see what’s going on.”

Before he could stop you, you started walking towards the two who were getting louder each passing second. You could hear him call you an idiot but you ignored it, almost running over to Yuna.

“Yuna,” you called the girl’s name loudly, gaining her attention immediately. The man looked at you too.

Yuna looked at you, not exactly happy or relieved to see you. “What are you doing here?” she asked with a slight frown.

“Welcoming you home,” you mumbled. “Anyway, what’s going on?” you turned your attention on the man in front of you two.

“None of your business,” he growled but you weren’t shaken by it.

“Oh, really? I beg to differ. It looked like you were harassing her.”

“Harassing?” the man looked at you in disbelief, a smirk on his lips. “Stupid human.”

He approached you but was stopped by him when the man was just about to hit you. 

“Don’t,” he said, his tone very different from what you had expected it to be.

The man looked at him. “What do we have here? Are you her knight in shining armor or something?” his lips remained in a smirk as he mocked him.

“Hell no,” he said. “I’m here just for myself. I don’t give a rat’s ass about her.”

“Yeah? Why so serious then?” the man asked and his smirk turned into a crooked grin.

He let out a sigh. “I’ll just give you one small tip: don’t lay your filthy vampire hands on her.”

The man gave a laugh, making you shiver a little. “I don’t get your concept boy.”

“It’s a long story. Now please do us all a favor and disappear. Go dig yourself a grave or something and lie in there for the rest of your sickening life.”

The man kept grinning and leaned a little closer to him as if to whisper in his ear. “I have some unfinished business here so-“

“Seriously!” he grabbed the man’s arm and twisted it, making the guy fall on his knees and let out cries of pain. “Why doesn’t anyone listen to me?!”

You just stared at him. Wow, this is the first time I see him this annoyed.

“I’m tired of being disrespected,” he said and for a bit he looked like a kid throwing a tantrum. “I want to quit!”

Seeing the usually cold and scary him act like a kid was weird. It almost made you smile even though the situation was unbelievably scary.

“Just go die somewhere else. I don’t want to waste my energy on garbage like you,” his voice was cold again and he let go of the man who immediately ran away, holding his arm while cursing quietly.

“If you do that ever again I will kill you without hesitation,” he immediately glared at you and pointed at you with his index finger.

“Understood,” you said, still not getting over his unusual behavior.

He mumbled something and turned his gaze on Yuna who was standing still right next to you.

“Are you okay?” you asked the girl.

She didn’t answer immediately and just kept staring at him.

“Yuna?”

“I’m fine,” she looked at you. “Thanks for helping.”

After that there was a silence during which Yuna and he just stared at each other. You observed their expressions that were both expressionless.

He turned his gaze on you after a bit. “Who is this woman?”

“She is Eunkyung’s girlfriend,” you told him.

He glanced at her and then looked away. “We should go,” he said, directing his words at you.

You stopped yourself from rolling your eyes at him and turned to look at Yuna. “You should sort things out with Eunkyung. She has been quite down the past few weeks.”

“You-“

“Just talk it out, okay?” you cut her off, knowing she would try to resist. “I know you two had a nasty fight but it’s not going to solve itself. If you don’t talk about it, you might as well just break up.”

She didn’t say a word.

“See you,” you said to her and went after him who was already walking away, mumbling stuff to himself. You didn’t stay to hear Yuna’s goodbye because you already knew she wouldn’t give you one.

He stopped mumbling when you caught up with him.

“What? Were you bad-mouthing me?”

“Yes,” he said coldly.

“At least you are honest.”

“Just shut up and walk,” he growled and you went silent, scared he would cut your head off if you didn’t.

You walked for a bit and you started to regret not having an umbrella with you. Your clothes and hair were drenched and you were cold.

I’m definitely going to catch a cold. Probably a nasty one.

You were shivering quite a bit unlike him who looked like he didn’t even notice the rain.

He’s so weird, you thought while looking at him. His hair was dripping water and his clothes were just as wet as yours were but he didn’t even note it.

You saw your apartment building and almost ran over to it. When you reached the building, ready to go in without even saying goodbye to him, he broke the silence.

“You’re such an idiot, honestly,” he said loudly, extremely annoyed. You turned to look at him.

“Yeah, yeah,” you ignored his glare.

“What you did back there, don’t pull stunts like that again. At least not when I’m not around. I don’t want to die out of nowhere, not even knowing the reason why.”

“I won’t,” you said and ran into the building, not looking back even once. You were feeling cold enough to feel it in your bones.

Next part: [Pt.6] Other parts: [Masterlist]

[filmista]

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

William Shakespeare, It's the name of a man we've probably almost all heard of at one point or another and It's also likely that you'll know one of his most famous works, Romeo and Juliet, considered by some the greatest and most tragic love story to ever be produced by someone's pen.

Usually, people, when confronted with Shakespeare, will express either plain boredom and dislike even though they may never have read a single word he ever wrote, some will be indifferent, some adore his work.

One fact is undeniable, and that is that cinema has had quite an intimate affair with the man, as there's a number of films adapted from plays written by him, but they almost always respect the time Shakespeare's play originally took place in.

When it comes to Shakespeare there seems to be a consensus which is don't touch him with your filthy, modern, progressive hands, so most attempts to take a story by him and modernize it is usually met with distrust and discontent.

Romeo and Juliet is no exception to the rule, two modern versions have been made of it, one from 1996 with Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes, who you may know from the tv series Homeland, in which she is, in a permanent state of paranoia and hysteria in most episodes. Behold:

Personally I find that the billboard with the tagline “Is he a terrorist or am I crazy?” (which I once saw on Tumblr) sums up the whole show to perfection, personally I think that they're all freaking crazy in their own way, though mind you I actually really like her work in it, even if she makes me really nervous while watching it, It's proof that she portrays the character well.

Then there's also a version from 2013, starring Hailee Steinfeldt, who I absolutely have nothing against, I loved her work in some films, though my opinion on this one was, that if Shakespeare ever got to somehow see it from the grave, his eyes would bleed and he'd turn in his grave.

But the version of Romeo and Juliet, that I want to talk about today is not the one from 2013, but the one from 1996, made by Baz Luhrman, the guy who made Moulin Rouge.

Now Baz Luhrman is a director that I'm not familiar with but also not unfamiliar, I have as of yet to see Moulin Rouge, I definitely will one of these days, I recently got the book Cinema The Whole Story and Moulin Rouge is mentioned in it, so I’m now pretty curious. 

His films usually all have something kitschy and over the top, but It's the sort of kitschy and over the top that I personally really dig. Because It's passionate, not inexperienced and chaotic kitschy, there's a difference. Now I've seen his Romeo and Juliet, about 3 times and I actually really like it and don't mind watching it again now and again.

On Imdb, it receives almost a 7 and still enjoys a high popularity rate and on Rotten Tomatoes 72%, famous American film critic Roger Ebert (with whose reviews I have a sort of love and hate relationship, I love some, completely hate others) butchered it in his time and then pretty much shat on it, the guy totally hated it.

There seems to be something strange with the film, some critics adore it, others think It's an abominable self conscious piece of shit, there's almost no in between opinions. It switches from one extreme to the other, curiously enough the ordinary audience seems to really like it, some even love it, if you look it up on Tumblr you'll see that it still receives plenty of love still. 

Now personally, I've always really liked it, It's not my favourite film, but I like it enough to have it at home in my collection and still watch it from time to time. I don't usually bother watching films that I really don't like again, unless It's to please someone that really happens to love that particular film.

I'm familiar with Shakespeare's work and I've read Romeo and Juliet, and I actually liked reading it when I finally did, even if I had my previous negative  preconceptions. Now many people dislike or hate Romeo and Juliet, one of the reasons is that it supposedly because it glorifies teenage suicide.

But you have to see it in It's time and context, I think, a time when rearranged, loveless marriages still were the norm, and the warring families represent the intolerance and incomprehension, towards the romantic interest Romeo and Juliet felt towards one another.

Who knows whether they were each other's true love, they just desperately wanted to be together, nowadays being with the person of your choice is accepted in most countries.

But if people are denied that right, surely in some cases in their desperation they'd be willing to take their lives for it, It’s truly more tragic than romantic, which is why Romeo and Juliet is usually considered more of a tragedy than a romance. personally I've always found that Shakespeare in his work defends that people should be able to be with who they chose, so for his time you could argue that he was progressive in his own way.

Now I see how some people defend that you don't take a story like this out of It's historical context, but personally I think that some of the themes in it are still modern, and that you can apply them to a modern scenario. Which this film did while still respecting and preserving the essence of the story, for instance Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes speak in old English and I didn't find that it came across as forced or ridiculous.

The film follows the traditional plot of Romeo and Juliet, all the elements, inclusive, the tragic suicidal ending. But it got thrown into a modern, (in some aspects I'd say retro modern, since it has plenty of vintage nodges) funky jacket.

Verona, instead of the beautiful city in Italy, is now a suburb of a big American city (it was filmed in Mexico), and the two warring families are two huge modern, capitalist, corporations that compete against each other. But the essence remains they hate each other's guts to the core, and the Capulets would never allow their daughter to fall in love with and marry the son of the enemy, the Montagues, but we all know that this is exactly what happens.

Anyway, since I don't want to jump to any conclusions or be disrespectful towards anyone that doesn't know the story, I'll leave you guys with the storyline:

The classic story of Romeo and Juliet, set in a modern-day city of Verona Beach. The Montagues and Capulets are two feuding families, whose children meet and fall in love. 

They have to hide their love from the world because they know that their parents will not allow them to be together. There are obstacles on the way, like Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, and Romeo's friend Mercutio, and many fights. But although it is set in modern times, it is still the same timeless story of the "star crossed lovers".

I've personally always loved the acting in the film, though I'm still able to recognize that it isn't perfect or flawless at all times, that's not always neccessary, sometimes It’s compensated by the visual beauty, but It's still in my eyes very enjoyable, energetic and lively acting.

Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Dane's brought a youthful, passionate, refreshing quality, to the old words that in the hands of lesser actors might have come across as dusty and antiquated.

Dicaprio and Dane's capture the beauty and the romance of the original words, in a modern setting in a charismatic way but they don't come across as two teenagers, reading Shakespeare whilst suffering hysterical laughing fits, as they disregard it as garbage.

they seem convinced as they deliver the words, they believe in the urgency and the desperate the wanting to be together, the romance and the passion are there and are palpable, which is essential in any adaptation of a romantic play, if there's no passion, there's no romance, maybe a lukewarm one, which is something that you don’t usually want in a romance. 

The acting of both Claire Danes and Leonardo Dicaprio in this, has been the subject of quite some controversy. First of all there's the age difference, Danes was 17, Dicaprio was 21, that's 4 years between them.

This shocked some people, but It's not uncommom to see a significative age differences between a woman and a man in film, and It's not uncommom in real life either, and 5 years is not an unusual age difference in real life, my own parents have 6 years between them for instance.

So personally I wasn't that shocked, also back then Dicaprio still had the baby face, and he seemed light years away from developing anything that closely resembled a beard, so he looked younger. Danes on the other hand, looked slightly older in my view, but anyway the point is they were both young and could pass as a teenage couple.

Then there was also the fact, that allegedly Dane's and Dicaprio didn't get along with each other at all, now I wasn't there, so I don't know, I've heard that this was greatly exaggerated and I've heard that It's entirely true other times, I don't know what to believe, so I don't really have an opinion on it.

The important thing to me is not being able to notice that supposed dislike between the two, and I have as of yet to notice any discomfort and strain between the two, so until I don't, I'm sold on it.

If they really did dislike each other, then the fact that they came across as convincing and believable, is probably due to the director who must have been able to create some harmony between the two, and their individual acting chops.

Young 90's Leo, is a known romantic. And he's never been an actor who shies away from a tragic love story or romance in general, It's something I admire. And personally I've found that the guy is really good at losing himself, in the drama of a particular moment in a romance.

So I really had no problem with 90's Leo as Romeo, he's a good fit for it in my view, Dicaprio is an actor that can capture intensity and drama, without becoming laughable. Danes is an actress, that I like, but she isn't one of my favourite actresses. I liked her in the early season of Homeland, but that and Romeo and Juliet is really all I've seen her do, well that and a film called Stardust, which I enjoyed at the time and seemed forgettable to me after... 

They always seem to pick her in roles, in which she's anxious and nervous, It's probably because of her really big and expressive blue eyes, Danes is because of her eyes one of those women that's probably unable to hide what she feels, because her eyes tell the whole story.

Eyes like these are for an actress in some cases are a blessing or a curse, they're highly expressive, but It's also easy to get typecast as a woman who's permanently stuck in the same emotion, wide eyed wonder, or nervousness. 

But while Danes is in Homeland, nervous and anxious a lot of the time, I've also seen her capture other emotions naturally and believably, so she's not my favorite actress, but she's not a bad actress in my view, speaking from the little that I’ve seen her do. 

And I think she's great with Dicaprio in Romeo and Juliet, they give off the sensation of losing and given themselves entirely to the character. Danes at times seems a little more doubtful in delivering the monolugues than Dicaprio, but in her defense she was younger and more inexperienced than Dicaprio at the time.

Baz Luhrman’s direction is not flawless, but it is highly enjoyable, the overall visual and narrative result is highly pleasing to the eyes and ears, and he gets performances out of Danes and Dicaprio that are more than decent. Bahrman has a background in theatre which is probably why his films, always have a dazzling, theatrical quality.

It's probably not for everyone, most people are either into his films are not, but I do believe that for this film, it made him into the right man to handle it, since It's based on a play, and he already had a background in theatre, so he'd be able to keep the theatrical, dramatic quality of it while applying it to a film.

And I think he succeeded well at that, the film still has something of the quality of a play to it, but not in a bothersome, amateurish sort of way, it has an elegant, broadway sort of quality to it.

As important as the characters are in the film, the place their actions occur in, is just as important, he understands that the decor and cinematography support the actions of his characters, and they in turn support the overall aesthetic of the film.

So the visual aspect of the film, is splendorous, grand and truly beautiful to look at. Everything, even the little insignificant details have been thought out and are impressive, the set decoration and costume design is a treat for the eyes, It's perfect in It's Bombasticism, if that's your thing.

There's wonderful, simple special effects, great contrast in lightning and colors, their intensity varies according to the mood and tone of the  film. Truly dazzling colours, and lightning, while in the background you can find all sorts of funky stuff, such as 50's vintage inspired billboards, for example a sign that looks like a Coca-Cola but with the words L’amour on it. 

A lot of the times there's a lot going on visually in one scene, your eyes might wonder from the main event, and focus on little details which can at times make it a little difficult to follow, as it feels like It's a bit all over the place at times.

This is one of the main problems that a lot of people have with it, as they say that the camera work is imprecise and chaotic, without purpose and difficult to follow. I agree with it being difficult to follow at times, but that's really more due to the timing than anything else I think.

The film moves at certain times either a tad too fast or sometimes a little slow, but I found that most of the time it has normal pacing, that doesn't present a great difficulty to follow it. And the camera captures what's going on between the characters successfully. It is true that the camera work is handheld and quite shaky, and this to some people made it seem of bad quality.

But it was done on purpose, there's something sensationalist about it, the hand held camera work is supposed to be reminiscent of a a documentary, or in this case more of a sensationalist news broadcast, as the story is told to us, in this modern version as a news broadcast.

And that is very often, in terms of filming style how it comes across, only It's quite a little more glammed up in this case, and more reminiscent in this case of an MTV videoclip, but the drama and sensationalism, are there, It's a true spectacle.

So liking it probably depends on whether you're one for dazzling, glamorous, cinematograhraphic spectacles, and I myself am the kind of person that can enjoy visual bombasticity from time to time, a part of me (I'll spank myself for it later) likes kitsch, of perhaps questionable quality from time to time, if It's what I deem good kitschy.

But it is a well known fact that taste differs from person to person, so what's kitschy for some person, might be in the eyes of an other,  something that belongs in the Tate modern, for instance I myself love Pop Art, especially Roy Lichentenstein’s paintings.

It’s regarded as art and has a place amongst several museums in both America and Europe, but by some it is disregarded as worthless crap, or for instance the film Suspiria made by Dario Argento, is considered by plenty of people, a timeless visual masterpiece, for others kitschy, psychedelic crap. 

One of the reasons that I like Romeo + Juliet is the soundtrack, you may like the film or not. But quite a number of people, probably wouldn't be able to deny, that the film has a number of delightful musical moments that are like little pearls in the film, that truly elevate the film to a higher level, they illustrate the power music can have over a film, in two simple words, either add to it or detract from it.

A few times over the years, I've shut off a film simply because I found the music so distracting, so distasteful and just plain migraine inducing. For me Romeo + Juliet is the perfect example of a film, in which the music contributes to the atmosphere and helps to make the film, into one emotionally consistent whole.

My personal favourite musical moment, is the scene with the tropical fish aquarium, Romeo and Juliet, meet for the first time, and observe each other through the glass, while in the meanwhile Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah plays.

While I personally prefer Leonard Cohen's version, simply because I love Cohen, my mom would listen to him a lot when I was younger, so his voice has something soothing and comforting for me, that reminds me of my childhood, anyway enough nostalgic reminiscing. 

So as I said I prefer Cohen's version but Buckley's version is perfect, in this instant in the film, it adapts to the sentimentality and yes the drama of the scene harmoniously, there's a perfect coordination between the rhythm and content of the scene and rhythm of the music.

Romeo + Juliet, is not the best film ever made and I won't ever say that it is, not all of It's aspects are flawless or even good, but I find that underneath if you're willing to overlook them you'll find a good film and one that does justice to It's original source. It is true that it is , just like many people say and like I've said myself kitschy, terribly kitschy even.

But then again taste is subjective, It's like pineapple in warm food (I have a problem with fruit in warm food) especially on pizza, highly controversial, some love it others hate it.

I'm one of the ones that hates it, pineapple on pizza physically repulses me, much the same happens when I’m reminded of the fact, that allegedly some Americans fancy ketchup on oysters (culinary blasphemy in the eyes of many Europeans, this one included), I’ve never seen anyone actually do it and I hope I don’t ever should have to witness it, but if I should I won’t run... 

Still I won't judge them and others for liking it, we all very likely like at least one food or combination that others find disgusting and that’s pretty much how I feel about the film. I accept that some people find it a bad film and I don’t judge them for not liking it or myself for liking it.

To some the film is terrible in many of It's aspects but a visual delight, and while I don't find myself liking all of It's aspects, I find it a feast for the eyes, and I'm always in for that. 

“A glooming peace this morning with it brings. The sun for sorrow will not show his head. Go hence and have more talk of these sad things. Some shall be pardoned, and some punished. For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”