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snowdice · 4 years ago

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Finding the Time to Study Fic 2 [Day 42]

Here is my starting post for today’s study break stories session. See this post for more details and feel free to send me asks to keep me going! It’s been a lot of fun so far! I will reblog this post with the story as I write them today. I’ll be constantly looking for ideas of times and places for Janus to have missions, so feel free to send in any you can think of at any point!

If you are a new follower or just don’t want all of these posts clogging your dash, please feel free to block the tag “study break stories” as all posts and voting about it will go there. You can still see the finished product of the story even if you are blocking that tag as I will not tag the edited chapters with “study break stories” but with the tag “folds in paper.” See edited chapters below. None edited chapters are under the cut.

My Masterpost Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15

I also have a playlist on youtube (because Spotify didn’t have one of the songs I wanted). It’s short, and not really for serious listening, but I had fun with it.

Gotta finish my first draft of my research paper today, so let’s go!

Arc II What We Do to Each Other

Chapter 16:

As it would turn out, Janus and Virgil did not get in trouble for hooking up the old phone to Virgil’s integrator, mostly because it wasn’t really a mistake on their part. The phone cleared all virus checks that the tech people both from the university and the TPI ran on it. The phone should have been clean and should not have caused an issue.

In fact, they were still trying to pin down the code on the general university server. They could tell that something was mucking about on the system but what or how was a mystery. This also meant that there was no telling what information had been compromised and considering how many things Silver Mountain had its hands in, that was… a bit worrying.

Another worrying thing was there was suddenly more activity of late at the TPI. There were more time distortions popping up every day. Usually they would be few and far in between. There had been 3 total recorded the year before, but over 12 in the last week. Some of them were fake like the one Janus had investigated, but some of them were real. It painted a distressing picture and also was a drain on their resources. Khalid was actually looking to advertise positions to hire new recruits which was something she rarely did as she liked to keep appointments to the TPI in house.

They’d even loosed the number of field agents needed for each mission and Janus and Remus had been splitting up just to get everything done. Today, he and Remus had thankfully only two missions scheduled for the day.

“Are we going together or separate today?” Janus asked Remus.

“Think they’ll burn me at the stake for being a witch if I go alone to either of them?” Remus asked.

“I don’t know. Probably. I think we’re getting a bit late into the 1700s for that in Cuba, but I have no idea about Mesopotamia.”

“Let’s just go together. I did not like almost drowning yesterday because I was the only stranger in town when the weather was going wonky.”

“Surely it isn’t because you opened your mouth. Ever.” Janus said dryly.

“How was I supposed to know he was the local clergyman’s son?”

Janus rolled his eyes. “On second thought,” he said, pushing a button on his desk to choose Cuba as he next mission, and standing up. “I don’t want you coming with me.” Yet, he did not protest when Remus also signed up for the Cuba mission and he waited for him by the office door before going to talk to Rhi.

Rhi was a bit frazzled when which meant quite a bit as she was usually incredibly put together. Remus didn’t even seem inclined to tease her today.

“Okay,” she said once they’d closed the door behind them. She flipped through some documents on her desk. “Picani and Clockson. Camaguey Cuba 1755. Do you know Cuba?”

“Uh,” Janus said. “Yeah?”

“Like you’re reading the things, right? I don’t have to babysit you, right? You got it? The Seven Year War was happening, but it won’t affect you much as it hasn’t really hit Cuba. It’s the middle of the Camaguey Carnival. Everyone will be everywhere and there will be chaos so as long as you don’t really fuck up you should be fine. Um…apparent races.” She looked up at them and studied them each for a moment as thought looking at them for the first time despite having known them for years. “It’ll work. Go to costuming.”

“Shouldn’t we…” Janus said, “sign things?”

“…Yep,” she said, fiddling with her desktop and then sending documents over to their side to sign.

Janus and Remus both did before sending them back.

“Great. Good.” She stood and grabbed some things from behind her. “You can go.” She sat back down as they took their things and Janus noticed a message pop up on her desk. She looked up at Remus looking exhausted. “What?” she asked.

“Just open it,” Remus said.

Rhi tapped it and a photo opened.

“I got her a new mouse toy!” Remus said happily as Rhi looked at the picture of Diesel Fuel attacking a cloth mouse.

“That is… appreciated Agent Clockson,” Rhi said. “Now get out.”

They did, leaving to get their costumes on and checked. Costuming was just as busy and frazzled as Rhi had been and they actually had to wait for decon because there’d been a mix up with the agents leaving before them. They landed in Cuba without issue. Janus could already hear the festival in full swing outside the small building they’d were in. Remy was standing there with a very not time appropriate mug of coffee.

“Sue me,” Remy said when Janus raised an eyebrow at it. “Please just… get in and out without causing trouble. Seriously. I don’t want to have to deal with that on top of everything else.”

“We’ll do our best,” Janus assured.

Remy pulled his sunglasses down to look at him. He looked exhausted. “God please do more than your best.”

Janus nodded tightly. “We’ll be in and out,” he said, already glancing at his timepiece. It had been disguised as a golden bracelet which made it a bit harder to actually use, but wrist watches wouldn’t be invented for more than a century, so they’d have to make do. “The time distortion, if that’s what it is, should be in the middle of town. Let’s go.”

He and Remus exited the building onto the packed city street.

Janus was immediately bombarded with all types of sights, sounds, and smells. There were many colorful articles of clothing and costumes as people went every which way along the street talking to other members of their community, playing instruments, and dancing. There was the sound of people speaking Spanish, still mostly almost pure Castilian Spanish with perhaps a bit of influence from Taino as the Haitian revolution had yet to push the Creole language over to Cuba. People must have been hard at work cooking different dishes for the carnival as many different spices wafted through the air. It was sticky hot considering it was the middle of June in the tropics and Janus was immediately sweating despite the temperature appropriate clothing he’d been outfitted with.

He glanced around their immediate area, just scoping out the crowds. His eyes were immediately drawn to one person near them.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” he said out loud when he saw Pat. Remus looked in the direction Janus was.

Even if Janus didn’t recognize him the moment he laid eyes on him, he probably still would have ended up staring as he was the only person in the area who clearly did not know how to do the dance he was attempting.

Remus snorted and Janus shook his head in secondhand embarrassment. “Well, would you look whose boyfriend’s here,” he said to Janus. Make that firsthand embarrassment. “Has anyone told him the Mambo wasn’t invented until the 1900s and also that’s not how you do it?”

Chapter 17

Pat stopped dancing the moment he saw Janus approaching him, but he still bobbed cheerfully ( and unrhythmically) to the music. “Hi Janus,” he said pleasantly.

“You just have to rub it in, huh?”

There was a flash of confusion across his face, but then he smiled. “Well, I know where in our relationship you are. How was France?”

“You’re a bastard.”

“You stole the phone,” he laughed.

“You stole the bomb,” Janus countered, “and you wanted me to steal the phone. You booby trapped it.”

“No,” Pat correct, putting a finger up. “We have security on my phone because in high school I once forgot it in the school locker room and long story short, the three of us ended up in a lake. So, then Lo made sure I always had some sort of tracker on it. When I started time traveling, he updated it and when I met you we updated it again in case there was ever an opportunity like that. Lo calls it using our weaknesses to our advantage.”

“He’s a bastard too,” Janus growled.

Pat just laughed.

“Is someone talking about me?” Remus asked, stepping over to them. Janus rolled his eyes.

“Oh,” Pat said, blinking at Janus’s partner for a moment. “Remus.” He hesitated slightly. “How are you doing?”

“Me?” Remus asked. “Uh, I’m doing good. A little stressed out with work, but fine.”

“Good,” Pat said with just a little too much heartfulness to it.

“What?” Janus asked, eyes narrowed at Pat. “What is that?”

“What is what?” Pat asked. He met Janus’s eyes briefly and it made panic surge up Janus’s spine because the look Pat was sending him wasn’t one that said he was playing dumb. It was a warning.

Oh, Janus did not like this. That look told Janus Pat had some foreknowledge that he absolutely could not tell Janus about without messing up the timeline spectacularly. This was why this mess the two of them were mixed up in was so bad, but it seemed Janus did not have much of a choice when it came to Pat.

Despite how bad of an idea he knew it was, he still wanted to push, because whatever Pat was hiding could be very, very bad and it had to do with Remus. There were so many reasons Pat could be acting like that around Remus, but the worst ones were definitely the ones on his mind. Death, injury, illness. They were all possible especially in their line of work and especially with how time was being screwed with right now. And Pat knew. He knew exactly what the answer was, and oh did Janus want to push.

Experience knowing what worse things could come out of having foreknowledge made Janus bite his tongue.

“So, what are you two doing here,” Pat asked, and Janus unhappily let him change the subject.

“Oh, like you don’t know,” Janus replied.

“I don’t know,” Pat said innocently.

“There’s another time distortion,” Janus said, “and while you didn’t know what it was the last time I saw you, I’m pretty sure you do now.”

“Oh, I didn’t know there was a time distortion here. I can help you if you like,” he offered sweetly.

“Oh, yeah, sure. Then why are you here?”

“I wanted to see if I could find the Flying Dutchman,” Pat told him.

“And so you went to Camaguey?”

“Uh huh.”

“One of the farthest places from the ocean in Cuba?”

“Is it?”

“I don’t trust you.”

Pat just shrugged. “Well, if you don’t want my help finding the time distortion, I’ll just be on my way then.”

“Wait,” he said when Pat went to turn away. Pat paused. Janus turned to Remus. “Remus, do you think he’s bullshitting me so I let him wander off and do whatever the hell he’s doing, or do you think he’s bullshitting me into letting him come with us.”

“Hmm,” Remus said, looking Pat up and down. Janus could immediately tell he wasn’t going to get any helpful answer. “Well, if we’re going with the how much do I get to see his, admittedly very sexy, ass criteria.” Janus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Letting him leave now means instant gratification and a nice full image when he turns away. However, letting him go with us means many more opportunities to get a glimpse, but they’d probably just be glimpses. So, yeah that’s a tough call.”

“You didn’t even bother to give me an actual hidden suggestion with that bullshit,” Janus groaned. He glanced at Pat only to see him hiding his very red face in his hands. Janus blinked. “Oh,” he said. “You got him, Remus.” Janus was surprised. He’d expected a bit more tenacity for someone with Pat’s personality. Of course, Janus was used to Remus, so that perhaps had some effect. Pat made a muffled distressed sound behind his hands and Janus raised an eyebrow. “You really got him.”

Pat flapped one hand around while still using the other to completely hide his face. “It’s just. His face. Saying that. Is weird.”

Janus could not say that he didn’t feel a slight spark of joy at seeing Pat flustered. After all, Pat’s weapon of choice had often been flirting with Janus in the past. However, he still smacked Remus on the shoulder when it looked like he was about to continue with something likely far more inappropriate. “We are here for a reason,” he reminded. He turned to consider Pat and squinted at him. “You’re coming with us, I’ve decided. I don’t want to let you out of my sights. Don’t,” he said empathically turning to Remus as the man opened his mouth once more.

Pat had mostly recovered, though his cheeks were just a bit pink still. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll go with you. Where do we start?”

Janus glanced at his timepiece. “It’s not showing up on our trackers yet.”

“It messed with your tracker last time,” Pat pointed out.

“I know,” Janus said. “Which means it could be another fake one or whatever is causing it hasn’t started yet. If things start going wrong, but it still doesn’t show on our radar, it’s almost certainly a fake one, but some of the fake ones haven’t blocked our technology.”

“Here, I can check,” Pat said.

“Please don’t pull out an iPhone,” Janus begged.

Pat stuck out his tongue at him, and then smiled. He reached for the bracelet on his wrist and twisted it back and forth a few times before pressing his palms together. He glanced around them quickly to make sure no one around them was watching and then peeled apart his palms like he was miming reading a book.

“What the fuck is that, and how do I get one?” Remus asked immediately. It was innocuous, whatever it was. If someone from this time caught a glimpse of the display, they’d likely assume it was a trick of the light, but staring right at it, Janus could tell it was a map of the surrounding areas with a softly glowing blue light marking their current location. Janus could see no screen or origin of a hologram. It looked like the image was drawn onto the man’s palms, but as he watched, the image shifted to zoom out.

“There doesn’t seem to be anything major yet,” Pat said wiggling his fingers a bit. The display changed slightly to some sort of colorful overlay Janus did not understand. Pat hummed. “Did you two come from that building recently?” he asked nodding at it.

“Yes,” Janus replied. “How do you know?”

“There’s sometimes a slight temperature change when people time travel,” Pat explained. “I can read it on here.” He tilted his head. “There also seems to be a big enough temperature change in a church a few blocks away that could indicate time travel. Want to check it out?”

“We might as well,” Janus agreed.

“And if it’s nothing, we can get drunk on the communion wine!”

“He’s going to get immediately struck by lightning,” Janus said.

Chapter 18

“If we see anyone,” Janus said as they entered the church. “You keep your mouth shut. Do you understand me? Remus, do you understand me?”

Remus immediately turned to Pat. “You know, I didn’t grow up Catholic,” he said to Pat who looked at him in confusion. “So the first time I ever entered a Catholic church, you can’t blame me for being a little confused about the whole cabinet thing with a wall between them. After all, everyone was singing about glory to god and what not. So I…”

Janus slapped him. “This is why you were almost burned at the stake yesterday.”

“Excuse you,” Remus said, putting his hand over his heart. “I was almost drowned.”

“You were almost drowned?” Pat asked, his voice seeming legitimately distressed.

Remus shrugged a smile on his face that caused a Pavlovian migraine to start up behind Janus’s eyes. “It’s one of the hazards of the jobs, and really it would have all been worth it if I’d actually gotten to drown in that man’s…”

“We’re in a church!” Janus cut him off switching from Spanish to Swahili in the hopes that no random passersby would be able to understand him in this time and place. “Don’t talk about lewd sex things. Don’t talk about sex at all. It’s a Catholic church!”

Remus continued to speak in Spanish with no regard for anything. “But not talking about lewd sex things takes away 3/4ths of my personality,” he pouted.

“More like 9/10th,” Janus grumbled, “and the other 1/10th is just normal stupid.”

“Hey, you shouldn’t be mean,” Pat scolded, in fucking English for some reason, “but Remus, honey, you probably shouldn’t be saying things like that right now.”

“No, no, he has a point,” Remus said switching to English.

“He’s my partner, I have the right to call him stupid,” Janus insisted.

“And I love you too!” Remus said in Greek because he was really, truly, stupid.

Pat looked between the two, but then seemed to accept it, dropping the concerned expression for a slightly amused one. “If you say so.”

“Can I… help you?” A voice asked. All three of them whipped around to see a young boy looking at them and seeming very confused. Which was fair considering that to his ears, they’d just been speaking nonsense.

“We’re here to pray!” Remus claimed, then he turned to wink at Pat and said under his breath in Swahili, “to that ass.” Pat went immediately bright red again, which was doubtlessly Remus’s aim. Janus subtlety stepped on his foot while smiling at the boy.

“Oh,” the boy said. “Okay.” Thankfully, he didn’t seem interested in questioning the random strangers in front of him further. “I’m going to go back to the celebration now.”

Janus smiled at him. “Have fun,” he said. He waited for the boy to leave through the front door before slapping Remus on the back of the head.

“Ow!” he whined sounding far too pained for how hard Janus had actually hit him.

Janus rolled his eyes. “Let’s just start investigating,” he said.

“Sure, sure, you never let me have any fun,” Remus said, pulling up his wrist and spinning the golden bracelets on his arm. “Hmm…” he said.

“What?” asked Pat.

“Either I put on the wrong jewelry this morning… or my timepiece isn’t working.”

“Well, then I’m guessing we’re in the right place,” Janus said. He turned to Pat. “Your stuff still working?”

Pat brought up whatever device was on his hands. “Yeah,” he said, “and it looks like something is just starting.” Just as he said it, there was a violent crash of thunder.

“Well,” Janus said. “We should probably find the source and soon. Which way?”

Pat glanced around himself and then motioned with his wrist. Suddenly there was a 3D display of the church in front of them.

Janus could see immediately where the problem had to originate. There was a swirling mass of some sort of energy centered at the top of the bell tower of the church. As he watched, he saw the picture of the church glitch out a bit. He had a bad feeling about that.

“Is there something wrong with your display?” he asked, or more hoped.

Pat shook his head slowly. “I don’t think so…” The room seemed to shift suddenly underneath their feet. It felt a bit like time travel, but also wrong. The picture on the display flickered harder, part of the building fracturing and dissolving before appearing back in place. The room settled after a moment, but Janus’s stomach did not.

“Whatever is going on,” Janus said, “We need to stop it right now.”

Pat nodded. “The quickest way up would be that way,” Pat said pointing. The display closed as he did.

“Then, let’s go,” Janus said.

The world was eerily calm as they all started off in the direction Pat had pointed out. In fact, it was almost too quiet.

“Where’s the nearest window?” Janus asked when they came out on the second floor.

Pat glanced at his hand. “There should be a couple a few feet that way.” Janus nodded and left them standing there. When he glanced out of the first window he came to, it appeared to be night. Yet, when he walked to the next window, he saw daylight.

26606

“Time is fracturing,” Janus informed them. “We need to be careful.” This time distortion was much more intense than any of the other ones the agency had been tracking down over the last few months. It had also come on much faster. Usually there was some time between when the time distortion began and it started having extreme effects on the environment. He was suddenly very glad that he and Remus had not split up today. He was even glad for Pat’s company, no matter how aggravating he may be sometimes. Not to mention, he was glad for the man’s technology that seemed to circumvent whatever was blocking Janus and Remus’s timepieces.

He backed away from the windows and returned to the others.

“Whatever you do,” Janus said. “Don’t let anyone be in a room alone.”

“I know what time fractures are this time,” Pat promised.

“It was as much for the idiot as it was for you,” Janus said.

“You accidently bring a bubonic plague infested rat to 900BC one time and you never live it down.”

“I’d say I should put a leash on you, but you’d twist it into something disgusting.”

“Probably,” Remus agreed.

“Where next?” Janus asked, ignoring him.

“That way,” Pat said.

They walked together to the door he’d indicated. “Please don’t be bullshit,” Janus prayed. He opened the door and immediately got bowled over by a stream of salt water.

Chapter 19

Janus landed flat on his back, a wave of water splashing over him and then quickly retreating, but still leaving him absolutely drenched. He sighed, looking at the ceiling. “Don’t,” he warned, “say a word.”

Of course, he was with the two most impossible people in all of space and time, so neither of them headed him.

“I thought you said we were far from the ocean, Jan,” Pat said.

“Yeah, Janny,” Remus immediately jumped on board because he was an asshole. “I thought we were far from the ocean!”

“Maybe I’ll achieve my goal of finding the Flying Dutchman after all!”

“Ooo ghost pirates! I’ve never gotten to fight ghost pirates before. Any good with a sword Patty?”

“My friend has a sword and he let me use it before… but all I did was cut a hole in our couch, and then Lo was mad at us.”

“I mean… just pretend the pirates are a couch and we’ll be good!”

Janus slowly sat up. There was still water on the floor and every so often a wave would crash into the room as though the door frame signaled the edge of a beach. Pat reached down to offer him a hand up and Janus slapped it away.

“Rude!” Pat claimed, but his eyes were alight with mischief.

Janus shoved himself to his feet on his own power.

“You deserve it,” he hissed. “For all of this!” he waved his arms around.

“Water you talking about. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You are on thin ice.”

He looked down at his feet with a contemplative expression. “Looks like water to me.”

“Arg!” Janus spat, throwing up his arms.

“I don’t sea why you’re screaming, Janus.”

“Yeah,” Remus contributed. “You seem overally emotional to me.”

“Yes, yes,” Pat replied. “Very em-ocean-al.”

“One may even say he’s pretty salty.”

“I know where you live, Remus,” Janus reminded.

“Alright, alright Remus, reel it in,” Pat said.

Remus opened his mouth to respond, but Janus cut him off. “Why don’t the two of you dedicate all of that brain power to figuring out how to cross the literal ocean in the next room,” Janus suggested hotly.

And it was a literal ocean. If one ignored where they were and the fact that there was a staircase climbing out of said ocean about 80 or so meters away. There was sand being washed up across the door frame and a seagull flying in the distance. At least it looked like a nice day in the room with the way the sun was glinting off the water. At least it wasn’t storming there. Yet.

Janus’s head throbbed with the thought of what had to be happening with the time distortion to plop a piece of the ocean into one single room in a church. Usually they’d be calling the TPI for backup or at least for information, but that was a loss. Even if they tried to get out of range of whatever was disrupting their timepieces, time was so unstable, they’d very possibly get dumped somewhere dangerous. It was better to just get to the time distortion as quickly as possible and stop it.

“Hmm,” Remus said. “I wonder how deep it is. Do you think there are man eating sharks in the water? Or giant jelly fish? Remember that one time I got stung by a jelly fish and almost died?”

“Yes,” Janus said, lips pursed, “and it was entirely your fault.”

“I just looked so squishy!” he declared, “I didn’t know it was a murder blob.”

“I think I have a boat,” Pat said.

They both turned to him. “What?” Janus asked. He was looking at his hands and just hummed in response to Janus’s question. The next thing he knew, Pat made some motion with his hand and a yellow raft started to autofill from his palm. “...Why?” Janus asked.

“I… recently started carrying a wilderness survival pack in my time device.”

“I’m not going to question it. It’s better than swimming.” By the time the raft was completely deployed, they’d all been shoved into the walls by it.

“Huh, on second thought. I probably should have put the raft in the room before blowing it up.”

“You think?” asked Janus.

Pat glared at him over it. “I never really thought about how to open it in a narrow second floor corridor.”

“Just try to shove it through the door without popping it.��

“Why are you looking at me?!” asked Remus.

They managed to somehow squeeze the raft through the door into the other room after a few minutes.

Pat squinted at the tottering raft he was holding to the door frame. “After you,” he offered.

Janus glared at him.

“You’re already soaked!” Pat defended himself.

Janus sighed and very carefully climbed into the raft. It tottered dangerously, but he didn’t immediately fall out, so that was a plus. The other two of them slowly also climbed onto the raft with him. They then sat in it for a few seconds. “Is there an oar?” Janus asked.

“Oh right!” Pat did something else with the device in his hands and an oar slowly unfolded from his hand.

“Seriously, I want one of those,” Remus said.

“Let’s just get out of here,” Janus said, snatching the oar. The staircase luckily wasn’t too far away. They probably could have swam it if necessary, but the raft gave them some modicum of protection. Everything seemed to be going in their favor, which of course meant everything was about to go incredibly wrong.

They were about halfway across the water when the entire world around them rumbled.

“…I hope that was a giant jellyfish,” Remus said.

It was unfortunately not a jellyfish or any sea creature at all. The world around them fractured, the ocean seeming to split right down the middle so the water right of the staircase was 6 feet higher than on the left. The sky flashed red and yellow before the water split completely like Moses splitting the Red Sea.

There was a millisecond as the split widened until it was only a few feet from them, to decide whether when they landed they wanted to be on the side with the water or on the side without it. On one hand, going towards the side without water could mean they fell to their deaths or the water crashed back down on top of them when it settled. On the other hand, if the fissure was closing or shifting to a new area, it was very possible that they’d end up trapped in the middle off the ocean with no connection to the church.

Well, the best chance to actually get to where they were going was probably the side without water. It seemed everyone had the same idea at once because as he grabbed for both of them, they both grabbed for him and they all went tumbling off the raft into what could have very well been a bottomless pit.

Janus learned after a couple of seconds of free fall, that it was definitely not a bottomless pit. He landed hard, flat on his back and saw stars. The next moment something landed on top of him, squeezing all of the air out of his lungs.

Something else fell half on top of his legs.

“Ow,” Pat said from near his ear.

“Yeah, well you’re the one on the top,” Janus groaned though his teeth.

“Wow, I never took you for a bottom, Janus,” Remus said from near his feet. Janus kicked up his legs into whatever part of him was on top of Janus and he gave an “oof.”

Pat snorted a bit and Janus glared at his… shoulder? He shifted around a bit so he was less thrown across Janus and more just on top of him. Janus blinked. There was a wooden ceiling above them, so that was a good sign, though there was also a giant dark hole of nothingness directly above them which was not as good.

Janus moved slightly. He could tell he was going to be bruised later, but he didn’t seem seriously injured. “We should,” he started, but was interrupted as the hole above them pulsated and dumped a bunch of sea water.

Pat shrieked as they were all drenched with the chilly water. Luckily, they seemed to be on higher ground because, while water kept pouring out of the hole, it drained away just as quickly instead of drowning them.

Water still hitting his back relentlessly, Pat peeled his head up to look Janus in the eyes. A giggle bubbled out of his mouth.

“It isn’t funny,” Janus informed him. Pat just giggled more, leaning his head against Janus’s chest and cackling.

Janus just rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, this is an entirely appropriate reaction. Thank you for your contribution to our very important mission.”

Pat seemed incapable of stopping laughing completely, but he did calm himself enough to peel himself off Janus’s chest and lean forward so their noses almost touched. “It’s hilarious and you know it,” he claimed.

“In what way is this ‘hilarious’?”

“In many waves,” was the joy filled answer.

“You’re horrible.”

Pat hummed. He hadn’t moved to get off of him even though they really should be moving in case something worse than water came through the hole in the ceiling. He hadn’t even moved his face away.

“No, no, you two just tell me when you’re done being gay for each other,” Remus interrupted. Janus was surprised to see he’d stood up at some point and was now hovering over them.

Janus flipped him off even while Pat laughed once again. Pat finally drew away and rolled off of him so Janus could sit up. Pretty much everything hurt when Janus moved, but he was able to stand up, so he was probably fine enough. “So,” he said looking around. “Where are we now?”

Chapter 20

Janus looked around himself while Pat booted up his map to try to figure out where they were. They were in a small room that may actually be considered a large landing as there were staircases on either side of it. The water that was still coming out of the ceiling was running down the staircase that led down from the room.

Something was stopping the water, creating a pool on the steps that was already about to overflow into the room. With the speed the water was flowing, they should have enough time before the room completely filled up with water and drowned them.

Janus wondered if they were in the church or not. It was not out of the question and there was church like décor around them, but who knew? He could feel a strange vibration in the ground and the one window in the room shone with green light.

“Hmm,” said Pat. “That looks not good.” He’d projected his map so they could all see everything.

The map itself was moving. Rooms were phasing in and out of focus and fracturing down the middle. One room was even spinning lazily around in circles. Janus could see the room they were in. It was connected to the bigger blob of rooms, and there was a black line connecting it to another room from the top which was obviously the hole spewing water at them.

“Well, at least the time distortion is still coming from the bell tower,” Remus said. Janus shot him an unamused glance. Said bell tower was currently upside down and shuddering as well as divided from any other room by at least two inches of empty space.

28842

“How are we supposed to get there?” asked Pat.

“We don’t,” Janus said. “It’s literally impossible.”

“There has to be some way,” Pat argued with a frown.

“If we try to use time travel, we’ll definitely get shredded by the warping time and space around it and walking there isn’t an option. There aren’t even any entrances!”

“Well, there were at one point.”

“Yeah, before,” he gestured wildly to the ceiling that was still pouring water into the room.

“So?” Pat asked.

“’So’?! What do you mean ‘so’?!”

Pat shrugged. “When one door closes, cut another one.”

Janus froze and looked at him for a long moment. “Where the hell did you hear that?”

Patton raised an eyebrow. “You.”

“I don’t think like that anymore.”

“Well then I guess we’ll die,” Pat said lightly. “Of course, that’ll make an even worse time loop considering I’ve met older versions of you.”

“Fuck,” Janus spat. “Fuck. Fine. Give me a minute to think. Not that I even know if we have a minute because,” he gestured once again to the room.

“Okay,” Janus said. “The room with the source of the time distortion is separated from us by a swirling pool of dark nothingness and there is no way to get to it. But, the only way we’re going to stop the distortion from ripping apart time and killing us as well as probably a bunch of other people is to get to it. That is an impossible situation. There is no solution. That door is closed to us. What other ways are there to look at it?” He looked at the visual representation of the rooms. One of them suddenly went spinning out and his eyes tracked it. We need to be in the same place as the source,” Janus said. “That is fact, but we don’t have to get to it.”

“Um, what do you mean?” Remus asked. Pat shushed him.

“If you want thing A and thing B to be in the same place, there’s more than one way to do it. If you can’t move thing A to thing B, you might be able to move thing B to thing A. Pat, you have a working time device. We can’t travel with it because that would kill us, but if we can make it do a stutter warp, it could draw the time distortion to it.”

“You…” Remus said. “Want to create another time distortion in hopes that the original time distortion will be pulled into this room?”

“Yes.”

“Well, sounds good to me!” Remus said.

He maybe had expected Pat to argue, but he didn’t. Instead, he moved his hand to his wrist. There had been nothing there before, but when he touched down on his wrist with two fingers, there was suddenly a metal bound around it that Janus immediately recognized from the times he’d seen Pat’s timepiece before. How was it made invisible? He shook the thought off as Pat offered it up wordlessly. Janus took it and Pat leaned over his shoulder to look.

Despite the fact that the device looked nothing like his own, the interface was surprisingly convenient. “I assume you have safety setting to prevent a stutter warp,” Janus said. “How do I turn those off?”

Patton pointed at a gear icon on the screen. “You put it under your normal settings?” he asked.

“I have to put in my password or use my fingerprint!” Pat defended.

“It doesn’t matter right now.” He navigated through the settings. He was interested to see that there were many different saved default security settings, but he didn’t get much of a chance to read what all they did. He just turned them all off.” It popped up with a message to put in the password and Pat pressed his fingertip to it. Another message popped up warning them that turning off these settings could cause damage to the machinery, the person using it, and time itself. Janus pushed “okay.” A message popped up that asked “Continue” and Janus pressed “yes.” One last message popped up that said “Security functions disabled.” Janus pressed “okay.”

“Anything else I’d need to disable?”

“Nope,” Pat confirmed.

He navigated back to the main screen and then bought up the manual travel input screen. Yet another message warning him not to do this flashed and Janus once again ignored it. He copied the space time coordinates that the device said they were currently at and put it in the ‘travel to’ location. “Well,” he said. “Here it goes. Let it be known that if I die, it’s my own fault for allowing Remus into a church.”

“Really?” Remus said. “That’s what you’re choosing to be your last words?”

Janus just raised an eyebrow.

“Love you too Janus.”

Janus nodded and hovered his finger over the travel button. He quickly mashed his finger to the button 22 times.”

The device warmed in his hand enough that he almost dropped it. Time literally froze for a few breaths as whatever Deity that may or may not exist processed their stupidity.

Janus was not a scientist or technician, but he had a good idea of how badly they were fucking up right now. The timepiece was attempting to travel over and over again to the exact same place and time. This basically punched a small hole through time, that if left unfixed would grow and disrupt space time all around them. As it was, their current position, all gathered around it and staring at it while one of them had it literally in their hand, was perilous.

There was a rumble under their feet and the world tilted on it’s axis. The all went tumbling down in a pile of limbs to new floor of the room which had once been a wall.

Of course, this change of gravity caused the water that had been building up in the staircase to dump on top of them.

Janus would have cursed, but he was too busy being under the water. He maneuvered himself away from the other two flailing bodies and managed to shove his feet against the wall turned floor. His head popped above the water in time to see the ceiling, or well, it would be the opposite wall, rip in two and the other walls/floor/ceiling start to fold in.

“Give me a boost!” Pat called over the noise of water rushing and walls crunching.

“Give you a boost where?” Janus asked.

“Up!” Janus wasn’t sure if ‘up’ really existed right now, but he still nodded. The water was a few inches over his head, so he held his breath and interlaced his hands so Pat could put his foot in it. He was shoved down into the water, but it gave Pat enough leverage to shoot up out of the water. When Janus resurfaced, he saw that the man had grabbed ahold of the crumbling wall and was pulling himself up into what for all appearances seemed to be absolutely nothing.

It took a moment, but then Janus blinked, and he was suddenly in a new room entirely or perhaps it was the same room. He honestly didn’t know at this point. Remus was next to him. He couldn’t recall if he’d been there before the shift or not, but they were both treading water. Pat crashed into the water next to them. Janus’s wrist buzzed as his timepiece came back online. “Got it!” Pat declared when he resurfaced, holding a device up. It looked almost the same as the device they’d found in France, but this one was definitely different if it was able to cause that much chaos that quickly.

Janus looked around and pointed at what appeared to be a set of stairs. The three of them swam over and pulled themselves out of the water.

“Where are we?” Pat asked.

“Looks like a basement,” Remus replied. “A flooded basement.”

Janus pulled up his timepiece and pushed some buttons to stabilize Pat’s timepiece. It slowly stopped vibrating and cooled. “Here,” he said, handing it over to him. “I suggest you put the safeties back on now.”

Pat nodded and took it.

“We’re still in Cuba,” Remus informed them, looking at his own timepiece. “Same church too, but in the basement and… two and a half centuries later.”

“Remy is going to be pissed,” Janus said.

Remus shrugged. “He’s always pissed… at least at me.”

“Well,” said Pat, slipping his timepiece back onto his wrist. “Thanks for being willing to pool our resources.”

Janus rolled his eyes. “Stop.”

“Ah, mi sirenito-”

“I hate you.”

“-never.” He disappeared with a pop which was when Janus realized, he’d never handed over device that had caused the first time distortion.

“…You bastard!” he yelled at thin air as though the man could hear him.

“Well,” said Remus, “that mission went swimmingly.” Janus reached over and shoved him back into the water.

Chapter 21

“We should probably get out of here,” Janus said, very much not helping Remus out of the water. Remus pulled himself back up onto the staircase and shook like a dog. Janus crinkled his nose as water droplets hit him. They didn’t smell salty anymore, he noted. In fact, there was a broken pipe spewing out water on the other side of the room.

Janus and Remus cautiously snuck out of the church, not wanting to be seen and blamed for the flooded basement. They came out on a city street that was much different than the one they’d entered from.

They walked down the street a bit, Janus’s eyes scanning the buildings. His eyes caught on a sign and he tugged Remus towards it.

They entered the small paladare and the person delivering food to one of the tables blinked at them both. Right. They were in clothing from the 1700s and were soaking wet. He met eyes with the woman, challenging her to say something. She did not.

They found a seat at one of the tables.

“Ah…” the worker said, approaching them. “English?”

“Ron,” Janus said, “por favor.”

Remus turned and started ordering the both of them food in Spanish. Janus didn’t pay attention to what he did.

After his second shot of rum, Janus sighed and brought up his timepiece to ping the TPI. The reaction was almost instantaneous from their perspective. Remy all but kicked down the restaurant’s door and walked over to them. “How the fuck?”

“Ah, Remy,” Janus said calmly. “Have a seat. We’re waiting on our food.”

He did, but probably only because people were looking at them. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s been a long day,” Janus answered, “and I’m hungry.”

“Yeah, it certainly looks like you’re interested in the food,” Remy said, eyeing the empty shot glasses.

“Let’s just say, I’m glad Cuba started letting paladares legally serve liquor a few years ago.”

It’s clear that Remy wanted to ask them what had happened, but he also was cautious enough not to make a scene here and Janus wasn’t planning on getting up until he’d at least gotten his food. “Why are you soaked, by the way?”

“Turns out the ocean isn’t as far away as we thought,” Janus said.

“Also, a church basement is flooded,” Remus said.

“Fantastic,” Remy replied.

They sat there mostly in tense silence until their food came, and then Remus and Janus ate. Remy slapped down some pesos once they were done and then proceeded to all but physically drag them out of the restaurant.

They were led to an alley way and then through an old almost hidden door. Remy immediately rounded on them. “What the hell happened?” Remy asked.

“The time distortion caused level 5 time fractures in its vicinity, we almost drowned three times, and the worst person in the universe fucked me over again.”

“To be fair,” Remus said. “He did save our lives before that.”

“I saved our lives first,” Janus said. “I don’t have to be fair.”

“Oh, yeah, Mr. Curl Up In A Ball And Perish. I’m sure we would have been fine without him.”

“Anyway,” Janus said to Remy. “If you want your lump of flesh, I suggest you take it now, because Khalid is going to murder me, and then fire me, and then rehire me so she can put me on desk duty and make me do paperwork until the end of time.”

“What did you do?” Remy asked.

Janus grimaced. “Made a time distortion.”

“You were the one who made the time distortion?” Remy asked.

“Not exactly,” Janus answered.

“He made the second time distortion,” Remus said. “It was actually pretty cool.”

“It was not cool,” Janus snapped. “It was irresponsible and dangerous. I shouldn’t have done it.”

“We would have died,” Remus said.

“And we could have done worse than dying if it had gone poorly,” Janus argued. “I just…” he tugged on his hair a bit, and Remus gave him an alarmed look. “I’m going to go talk to Khalid,” he said. He didn’t give Remus any time to speak, but just waved his hand to travel back to the TPI.

Remus followed him instantly, of course, but Janus proceeded to ignore him until they were out of decontamination. Janus walked himself straight to Khalid’s office.

He knocked on her door and she called for him to come in. He did and sat heavily in the chair in front of her. She frowned at him. “You really should go to Cultural Outreach first.”

“Just fire me,” he said.

“What?” she asked.

“I just shouldn’t work here anymore,” he said. “At least not as a field agent. Really any type of agent.”

She paused and reached to her desk to pull up some file on the screen there. “I’ll fill out the incident report myself instead of Dr. Eran then,” she said. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

Janus explained everything that happened, and Khalid diligently wrote it down. It was far outside her job description, but she didn’t explain or really react to anything he said more than nodding to say she’d gotten it recorded.

When he was finished, she saved the file and leaned back.

“Well,” Khalid said, folding her hands in front of her and scrutinizing him. “Honestly, this isn’t anywhere near a fireable offence.”

“But I…”

“You went against policy certainly, but policy sometimes has to be broken in disaster scenarios. You know that.”

“It was stupid,” he bit out, feeling sick to his stomach.

“Is it if it worked?” she asked.

Janus didn’t answer.

“The major reason I originally assigned you to be a field agent is because you’ve always been good at thinking your way out of difficult situations even when they go against the rules we set. You have good instincts that I trust, but you haven’t seemed to trust them lately,” she said.

“You shouldn’t trust them,” Janus said darkly.

Janus felt his throat tighten as she considered him for a long moment. “This isn’t the first time you’ve asked me to fire you,” she said. “You wouldn’t tell me why then, and I respected it at the time, but…” she paused. “You’ve changed, Janus.”

“Well then I’m not any good to you.”

“I’d beg to differ,” she replied, “but fine.”

Janus was actually surprised by that. He looked up at her. He somehow thought he’d feel better when this happened, but he didn’t in that moment. He just felt ill.

“I’m not firing you,” she continued, meeting his eyes, “but if you don’t want to be a regular field agent, fine. I have a particular mission in mind for you.”

“What?” he asked.

“This ‘Pat’ thing is getting ridiculous,” she said. “I don’t have enough resources to focus on it right now considering how much is going on, however, but I trust you and you’re already involved. So, I’m going to reassign you. No more missions. No more dealing with in department duties. You find him and his source of time travel. That’s your job. Whatever you think you need to do that job is fine. Request whatever trips or resources you need. Bring on Remus when you need or even Fred and Lena.”

“You’re…” he said. “Giving me more freedom and resources?”

“Like I said, Janus. I trust you. The one time I didn’t, after all, Pat ran off with a timebomb, so I learned my lesson.” She smiled briefly and stuck out her hand. “Deal?”

Janus sighed and once again resigned himself to staying at the TPI. “Fine,” he said. “Deal.”

Chapter 22

Janus sighed. This was stupid. What was he even doing? He glared at the large hologram that took up a good portion of his office now. During the day, he usually shrunk it so he could only see part of the diagram he had up, but right now the office was abandoned other than him, so it took up and entire two walls. He rubbed his forehead. Why had 2pm Janus thought putting a bunch of words on this hologram was a good idea? Even the pictures were starting to look like they were vibrating. He drew a red line between “Nick Jonas” and “iPhone,” and he honestly wasn’t even sure why at this point.

His board didn’t even make sense. Why did he think this would be a help? He swiped a picture of the first device he’d found that had made the time distortions off to the side with his own (bad) artistic rendition of the one Pat had stolen. There wasn’t a pattern with Pat’s behavior that he could see other than, perhaps, a liking for early 21st century pop culture.

Frustrated, he turned away from the board. He needed a walk, he decided. He stepped out of his office into the TPI hallway and chose a direction at random. There were still some people in the building as even this late at night, someone had to be on call, but for the most part, the building was abandoned.

He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, and even if he had been, he likely wouldn’t have realized where he was because he’d never been to the AMO offices since he’d gotten his house, and they’d moved since then.

He paused in front of it the doors, eyes touching on the lit-up names on the door’s screen. He focused on his own last name until it stopped looking like letters at all.

“Did you need something?” a familiar voice asked.

Janus jumped and whipped around. “You… it’s late, what are you doing here?” he asked Emile.

“There are at least two AMO workers at the office at all times. Today is my night,” he explained.

“I… see.”

Emile tilted his head. “Did you need anything?”

“No,” Janus said, perhaps a bit too fast. He bit his lip. “I was just going for a walk. I didn’t mean to come here.”

Emile folded his hands in front of him and rocked onto his heels. “I heard that you almost died,” he said.

“Yeah,” Janus said. “I fucked up.”

Emile arched an eyebrow. “And is that why you got a promotion?” he asked in that mild tone of his that informed Janus that his brother was wholly convince he was an idiot. Janus looked away and Emile sighed.

“Well then,” Emile said, walking past him to the door. Despite himself and the fact that it was his fault, Janus felt hurt at how short Emile was letting the conversation be. Then he felt disgusted with himself that he even dared to feel that way.

Yet, Emile paused at the door. “If you ever decide you want that help, I offered, you know where my office is now.”

He wouldn’t, Janus thought, but he didn’t say anything. He just let Emile push open the door to the AMO and disappear inside.

Why was he even here right now? Janus wondered to himself. It was the middle of the night and he didn’t remember the last time he’d slept. He didn’t remember the last time he’d been home.

Yet the house by the lake wasn’t home, was it? Going there to the nothing that pervaded the place made his throat tighten. He’d had different homes in his life. The small childhood home, the claustrophobic apartment he’d had in his college days, the first home the AMO had assigned him which he’d shared with his brother, but none of these were available to him anymore. He brought up his timepiece. There were only three pre-programed space-time coordinates in his device. The first would only take him back to his office with the frustrating board that wasn’t giving him any answers and the third took him to the lake house he couldn’t bear to see empty right now.

That left him with only one option. He selected the second saved coordinates and stepped forward into Remus’s house. He landed in total darkness, which was expected considering it was around 3 in the morning and Remus lived about 3 decades before electricity was invented. Janus stumbled forward in the dark, his eyes very much not adjusted, until his shins hit the couch. He carefully turned and sat before blowing out a breath.

“Mew?” came from the corner, and Janus titled his head to see eyes shining in the dark.

“Hello,” Janus said. “Sorry to wake you.”

Diesel Fuel make a little burrhr sound and padded over to him.

#study break stories #not writing

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vfdarkness · 4 years ago

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AVFD Transcript: S2E01 Dying, Disappeared, and Dead

You’re in a crowded bar on a Friday night.

The lights flash off and in the darkness you see glowing red eyes staring at you from across the room.

When the lights switch back on, the eyes are gone.

The lights go out again, and now the bar is filled with glowing red eyes - all fixated on you.

You need my help.

[AVFD theme fades in]

This is A Voice From Darkness.

[AVFD theme fades out]

Hello, this is Dr. Malcolm Ryder, parapsychologist, coming to you from our studio here in the stormy, husky, brawling city of big shoulders— Chicago, Illinois. And speaking of Chicago, I’m happy to announce our show recently launched a Patreon. In our inaugural episode I answer a few questions about the Second City. So if you want to hear where I get pizza or know about the fabled Chicago bar, The Odd-Shaped Room, who’s doors will only open for you once please feel free to join us over at: Patreon.com/vfdarkness. That once again is Patreon.com/vfdarkness.

With that out of the way, we have a very special episode tonight. My sister, Amelia Ryder, Professor of Occult Studies at Ravenswood University will be on the line later. It’s been awhile since she’s appeared as a guest on the show, and as she recently returned from an expedition, I’m sure she has something interesting to share with us. More on that later though. For now, let’s delve into our National Alerts.

[NA music fades in]

There’s only one National Alert for tonight, and it’s for the Greenpoint Neighborhood of New York City. There’s a movie theatre at the corner of Driggs Avenue and Leonard Street called The Luminous Spirit. A film currently playing there, titled: We Are Always This Way, should be avoided at all costs. Last night it was shown for the first time in nearly thirty years.

Outside the theatre you’ll see a poster advertising the film - featuring a happy family all with blonde hair standing in a green field. Judging by the filmstock, color grading, and clothing the family wears - the movie appears to have been made sometime in the late 40s or early 50s.

We Are Always This Way opens with the camera panning across wide, grassy hills. A child whistles a cheerful tune. The song grows louder as the camera comes upon a blonde boy sitting on a tree stump, whistling, and whittling a stick with a small pocket knife. When the camera focuses on him, he stops. He places the stick next to him on the stump, neatly folds back the blade of his knife, and puts it in his pocket. He stares directly at the audience and asks everyone, one at a time, if they are happy.

The movie doesn’t continue, the boy seemingly waits, until everyone in the theatre verbally answers him. If an audience member responds they are not happy, the boy probes further. He’ll ask for the cause of their unhappiness. He asks: what would make them happy? Someone in a showing thirty years prior, a young woman, told the blonde boy she no longer loved her boyfriend. They lived together and she didn’t know how to tell him. The boy smiled at her and said, “That’s all right. I just want you to be happy!”

He continued to ask others in the crowd if they were happy. No one else responded that they were not. The blonde boy then walked off screen as the camera panned left. The rest of the blonde family from the film’s poster: a mother, father, an older sister with a guitar, and a brother and sister a little older than the whittling boy began to sing as the elder sister played guitar.

The song had the same cheerful melody the blonde boy whistled at the start of the film. Partway through the second chorus, the blonde boy walked back on screen and joined his family. There was blood on his hands. He said nothing of this and neither did his family. The film ends abruptly without the song coming to an end.

The woman who’d told the blonde boy she was unhappy in her relationship went back to her apartment that night and found her boyfriend dead. Stabbed dozens of times with a small blade. A partially whittled stick was found next to the body. I repeat - do not see the film We Are Always This Way at The Luminous Spirit in Greenpoint, New York City.

That is our only National Alert for this evening

[NA music fades out]

Next-up is Today In Odd America, and then we’ll be speaking to Professor Amelia Ryder about some of her recent research. The subject of which she’s kept hidden even from me. So we’ll be finding out what my sister has been up to together. But first…

[TIOA music fades in]

Today in Odd America we find ourselves in Granger, South Dakota. The year - 1991. Matthew Bast threw open the door of Baum’s Bazaar. The small town bar was crowded that night and when Bast made such a loud entrance people turned his way. Bast was a big man, tall and imposing. He spoke loudly and confidently on matters as if his word were law.

“I saw scarecrows on the way here,” Bast told the bar patrons. An old farmer laughed.

“Of course you did,” he said. “We have them all over our fields.” Bast eyed the farmer with contempt. He didn’t like when people laughed at him.

“I know you’ve got scarecrows in your fields,” Bast said. “I’m not simple. I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about the ones running around town.”

“People in costumes?” Someone yelled.

“Likely so,” Bast said. “Probably from the city. You know how they hate us.”

Sioux Falls was the nearest city, and some folks in Granger believed the nearby city folks looked down on them. No evidence for this belief was ever stated. But it was a belief many in the small town had— including Matthew Bast.

“Don’t worry,” Bast assured the crowd. He withdrew a pistol from a leg holster. “I scared them off. Chased them back to Sioux Falls.” Bast expected applause or for the bartender to shout that drinks were on the house. But that’s not the reception he got.

“Put that damn thing away,” the bartender said. Bast reluctantly obliged.

“Why would folks from Sioux Falls come all the way down here dressed as Scarecrows?” Someone asked. Bast made his way to them. There was a half-full pitcher of beer which Bast took and poured a generous amount of into an empty glass.

“They’re mocking us,” he said. “Our small town ways. Our lifestyle. You hear about these things all the time on the radio.”

“I never heard about any of that on the radio,” someone said.

“Cause you ain’t listening to the right frequencies,” Bast said. “Don’t worry. I do. I listen all the time. I know how this world works. These people from the city hate us. They hate themselves even more. And they can’t stand that we’re out here living a simple life, free and easy, nice and happy. So they figure they can come out here dressed in costumes meant to mock our farms and fields, and maybe make us scared of our rural ways.”

Most in the bar doubted Bast and ignored him. But a handful paid for his drinks, kept his glass full, and asked him to talk more about what he’d heard on the radio and more about these scarecrows from Sioux Falls.

A week went by and Bast claimed to have seen scarecrows around Granger doing various misdeeds. A fair number believed him on his word alone. Community patrols were started. Folks would roam the streets with guns openly displayed and stop vehicles they didn’t recognize. The Sheriff asked Bast and his posse to stand down. Said that what they were doing was unnecessary— and illegal. Bast disagreed.

A month later, all the shops on main street had their windows broken. Tires slashed on cars that’d been parked overnight on the street. Bast held an informal town meeting at Baum's Bazaar. He showed pictures he took of scarecrows doing all the destruction. Someone was quick to point out that all the scarecrows were about Bast’s height and build and were wearing the same outfit except for a different hat in each picture. The skeptic was escorted out of the bar.

“But what’s to be done?” Someone shouted. Bast didn’t answer right away. He took a long drink first.

“What Sioux Falls does to us, we gotta do tenfold to them,” he said. He was asked to elaborate on what he meant. And so he did: “These city slickers think we’re scared of scarecrows. Us country bumpkins believe they come alive at night and wander around. They believe we’re that stupid. We need to make them feel that way. Make them know we’ll never be scared of them, but they should be terrified of us.” The crowd cheered.

Bast laid out a plan— everyone present would dress as scarecrows. Not simple ones, but frightening and awful ones. Disgusting and hideous ones. They’d travel to Sioux Falls and do as much damage as they could. With pitchforks, scythes, and guns. They’d show the people of Sioux Falls they needed to fear the folk who lived out in the country.

The sky was black the following night. There was no moon. Bast met with all his followers in front of Baum's Bazaar. Though each used only simple material to make their costumes - old clothing that’d turned to rags, coarse twine, burlap sacks - each person appeared unique and haunting in their own ways. Some had stuffed themselves with hay to give extra girth. Others painted nightmarish eyes and smiles on their burlap faces.

They didn’t get far out of Granger. The Sheriff had blocked the road. Said he’d go easy on them all if they turned around and went back to their homes. Everyone could forget this whole thing. For a moment, the scarecrows considered the sheriff’s offer, thought maybe they were going too far based on too little information.

But a low static hiss rumbled from the sheriff’s radio. Bast tilted his head like a dog trying to make sense of human words. Then a high-pitched, unnatural squelch burst from the machine, causing it to explode. Bast laughed.

He stabbed The Sheriff through the torso with his pitchfork and carried the law man off to the side of the road. Bast threw The Sheriff onto the soil.

“Your radio,” Bast said to the dying man, “Your radio defies you. Says we ought to move on with our plan.”

“It’s just noise, Bast. Loud, angry noise,” The Sheriff said.

But Bast could no longer make sense of The Sheriff’s words. They were distorted to him like radio static. Bast stabbed The Sheriff through his throat to stop the noise he made.

The convoy continued down the road into Sioux Falls. Over the next several hours, tens of thousands of dollars of destruction was done to the city. Businesses were broken into, cars destroyed, citizens of Sioux Falls attacked. Some killed.

Several of the Granger Scarecrows were shot in the street— by law enforcement and by citizens. The rest though… As the sun rose in Sioux Falls, beams of light hit the scarecrows, hit the people of Granger that Bast had convinced to come with him on this mission, they all froze in place. Stranger still, law enforcement found no evidence that these scarecrows were costumes with living, breathing people inside, but were simply sacks filled with hay. No different than any other scarecrow in the middle of a cornfield. Some speculated this was a trick Bast and his followers played. That they’d left behind actual scarecrows after they ran away from the city. But Bast and his group were nowhere to be found back in Granger.

The scarecrows were placed in an evidence locker until something further could be determined about what happened to Bast and the others from Granger.

A month later, when the night sky was without moon, the scarecrows disappeared from police storage.

Ever since that night, across the country, cities have reported invasions of scarecrows. Ones that attack on dark, moonless nights and disappear before the first beam of sunlight. Know this though, a warning sign always precedes them. On the night of a new moon, turn your radio on and tune it to empty static. If it squelches. If it makes inhuman, angry noises, then you should prepare yourselves. Your city is in danger that night. But do not listen too long to the radio signal you find… or it may convince you to join Bast and his cohorts. Listen too long and no human words will be able to talk you out of it.

This has been Today In Odd America. And now back to our main show.

ACT II

TIOA music fades out.

RYDER

And we're back. My sister Professor Amelia Ryder at Ravenswood University is on the line with us.

AMELIA

Hello, Malcolm. It's been awhile since you've had me on your show.

RYDER

The last time you were on things got a bit heated.

AMELIA

The time before that too, from what I recall.

RYDER

You put forward The Three Twins Conjecture. It's one of the least credible theories of supernatural metaphysics.

AMELIA

(defensive)

I didn't put it forward. I merely stated that it was possible.

RYDER

Possible, but no serious scholar holds that view.

AMELIA

There was one very serious scholar who held that view, but he's dead now.

RYDER

There's no reason to bring up Duncan, Amelia.

AMELIA

It's partly why I came on your show tonight, actually.

A beat.

AMELIA

I went back to the lake house.

RYDER

That's incredibly reckless.

Malcolm takes a breath.

RYDER

For listeners' context, the lake house in question is The Holloway Lakehouse. A ridiculous estate built during the gilded age once occupied during the summers by Nicholas and Zelda Holloway before their tragic deaths. Along with their children Julian...

AMELIA

And Miranda.

RYDER

You went looking for her?

AMELIA

I had to.

RYDER

I strongly disagree.

AMELIA

If Julian's back-

RYDER

(interrupts)

That means nothing. His return in no way means she has returned. That she can return. Amelia, I'm sorry, but-

AMELIA

(interrupts)

You don't get to decide when, and if, I move on.

A beat.

AMELIA

If she's gone, truly gone, then where's her body? And why can't you tell me what happened that night?

RYDER

Amelia, we've been over this a thousand times-

AMELIA

(interrupts)

And never once have you been able to answer my questions.

Malcolm sighs.

RYDER

This is not something I wanted to talk about publically.

AMELIA

Then you should have answered my questions better privately.

RYDER

I've told you everything I remember about that night.

AMELIA

You've told me everything except what I need to know: Where is Miranda?

A beat.

RYDER

I don't remember. I'm sorry that's not enough, but-

AMELIA

(interrupts)

If you two hadn't conspired against me she would-

RYDER

(interrupts)

Conspired against you? We protected you because of how much we care about you.

A beat.

RYDER

If we're having this conversation, and we are, then I at least want to make sure anyone listening can follow what we're saying. That they understand why I did what I did.

AMELIA

Say whatever you need.

RYDER

Over a decade ago The Traveling Salesman was destroying towns across the country. People were disappearing in numbers and ways they never had before. He had to be dealt with before he brought this country to ruin.

AMELIA

Grandpa Duncan called us all together. All to the island.

RYDER

He did. At his request, the best scholars at Ravenswood searched for anything that might stop Julian. Charlotte Price, the most powerful oneironaut of our generation, convinced those like her, with a supernatural gift who'd been trained at Ravenswood, to join the cause.

AMELIA

I was at that initial meeting of "The Ravenswood Conspiracy" or whatever Grandpa Duncan labeled it. And several after. I thought I was part of the conspiracy...

RYDER

You were a vital part.

AMELIA

Five months after that first meeting, I had a nightmare. I was in bed, and Miranda appeared before me out of nowhere. Holding herself. She was soaked in blood. And in terrible pain. I asked her what was wrong. She looked at me and said: "Malcolm. Lake house." After those words, she vanished.

A beat.

AMELIA

I tried calling you. You didn't answer. I tried Miranda. I wanted to see if I'd just had a bad dream. She didn't answer. I tried Grandpa Duncan. No answer. Dying, disappeared, and dead.

That's what you all were. I didn't know it at the time, but you were bleeding to death at the lake house, Miranda had vanished, and Grandpa Duncan was already dead.

RYDER

Amelia, I'm sorry. I know that night was traumatic. But I feel you-

AMELIA

(interrupts)

I found you in a pool of your own blood, the life drained from your face. Next to the corpse of our grandfather, who'd practically raised me. And spread throughout the rest of the estate were a dozen more bodies. People from the university I knew and loved like family. You brought them, you brought Miranda, all there to die that night. But you didn't bring me.

RYDER

Because we wanted you to survive. Miranda and I made that call together. You, Charlotte, and a handful of others had to be excluded from the confrontation at the lake house in case we failed. Charlotte knew our plan. She would have-

AMELIA

(interrupts)

-What? Helped me bury you?

RYDER

Four people fell dead the moment Julian materialized. Two more were dead with the wave of his hand. Duncan shot him once with the revolver used to kill the Veiled Prince of Saint Louis. If it could kill one dark and immortal being- why not another? But Duncan only grazed him. Barely caused Julian to flinch. Duncan was dead before he could take a second shot. If you'd been there, you would have been killed too.

Both of us would be dead now. There's no alternative to that reality.

AMELIA

(confused)

There were three bullets fired from the revolver. And it was in your hand. I know. I took it from you. I still carry it with me in case I ever see Julian.

RYDER

Julian slammed me against the wall. Broke my ribs. Punctured one of my lungs. But he threw me next to Duncan's body. I grabbed the revolver. As Julian came close, to kill me, I fired. That's all I remember. I woke up three days later in a hospital with you next to me. Amelia, I've told you all this before. Dozens of times. Miranda's role in that night was to lure Julian there and then perform a ritual to trap him. To bind him so he couldn't travel away. In the chaos of it all, I have no idea what happened to her.

AMELIA

I just need to know... If Julian's back... if she's out there somewhere, and I'm not looking for her... what does that say about how much I love her if I don't look for her?

RYDER

Did I tell you what I did a year ago on June 8th? I'm not sure that I did.

AMELIA

June 8th?

A beat.

AMELIA

Your 603 day. I'm sorry, I almost forgot.

RYDER

It's all right. I don't like to talk about it. But a year ago, I read a rumor online. A single forum post with no corroboration saying that if you went to the border of New Hampshire, spent the night there when you'd normally receive your 603 call... you'd dream of the person you're missing.

A beat.

AMELIA

Did you dream of her?

RYDER

I did. But I don't know if I spoke to her in a dream. Or if only dreamed of speaking to her. But that's not even the point of sharing this. I meant to say is, I understand why you have to keep looking. I support you. Just please don't go back to the lakehouse. At least not alone.

AMELIA

I don't have any intentions to. Nothing had changed. I don't think anyone has been there in years. Possibly since that night. But I won't stop looking for Miranda. If Julian's back, she has to be.

RYDER

And I hope you find her.

A beat.

RYDER

Well that was not what I expected us to get into tonight. Before we go, do you have any final words?

AMELIA

Miranda, if you can hear this... please know that I love you. I don't know where you are, but I'll do everything I can to find you.

RYDER

And we'll end things there. Next time, if you're experiencing any supernatural, paranormal, or otherworldly problems be sure to call in, next time on: A Voice From Darkness.

AVFD OUTRO THEME

#a voice from darkness

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adultswim2021 · 3 years ago

Text

Sealab 2021 #30: “I, Robot, Really” | December 21, 2003 - 11:15 PM | S03E10

“I, Robot, Really”, takes “I, Robot” to it’s natural conclusion of Quinn actually building robot bodies for the Sealab crew. Is it satisfying to see what was only spoken of in that monumental episode? No! Not really!

“I, Robot” is, for all intents and purposes, the first episode of Sealab. It was produced first, and it appeared on the DVD as the first episode. So, it’s significant that the final Capt. Murphy episode is a sequel to that first installment. Some might argue that it was poignant that Harry Goz (the voice of Captain Murphy) was embarking on his own voyage of leaving his corporeal form behind on Earth. That is to say, he was dying. Hell, you could hear it in his voice. So, an episode about Captain Murphy’s soul living on is a thoughtful send-off. But is the episode good? No. No it’s not.

This should seem obvious that the early appeal of Sealab was the dialogue-driven stories, and that by doing a show-don’t-tell version of one of their most beloved episodes is a mistake, especially when we are saddled with the crews lack of artistry when it comes to new animation. But, there are some bright spots. The whole concept of the mice inhabiting the former human bodies is very charming. The only laughs to be had from this entire episode spring from the mouse conductor in Murphy’s head. In fact, this episode would rank among Sealab’s worst if it weren’t for this bit. The only non-mouse line I appreciated was when Murphy rejects Debbie’s vying to also be in a robot body by saying “this is just for guys”.

Most of the episode involves Quinn getting drunker and drunker. His drunk acting is remarkably unfunny. There is a whole deleted episode called “Quinnmas” on one of the DVDs and it also revolves around Quinn’s alcoholism. The fact that they thought this was an avenue worth going down a second time is insane to me. Speaking of Quinn, this is maybe the only time they did overt continuity: Quinn references the events of “I, Robot”, as well as his hydraulic penis (which appeared, off-camera, in a deleted ending). I guess that makes this one sorta special. But, it’s also bad. Sorry.

MAIL BAG

I have what seems to be a particularly rare Master Shake Plush from the Adult Swim Carnival Tour back in 2012 that I got while I was at Washington State University. I'm currently on my way out of the west coast because of all the fires and left-wing violence in the cities so I was wonder if you would be interested in it. I was gonna put it on ebay but I have not seen any on there so I don't know what they go for. If you have any idea let me know.

I’ll take it for free. But if anyone has a Master Shake plush they wanna unload you should probably just put it on eBay and start the bidding at 50 bucks. Or, put it up for sale for like, $200 and patiently wait for somebody to eventually buy it. It could take years before somebody actually buys it for that price, but it could work. “the sky’s the limit here at eBay.com” - I couldn’t have said it better myself

The The is also the name of an 80s/90s british band that did the song "This Is The Day" which you may remember from an M&Ms commercial!

That is a good song, too good for the likes of an M&M commercial. I can only stomach diagetic music from those ads. Scoring those things really defies the spirit of the M&M novels that most of the commercials are based on

You sure do love bragging about watching season 2 of Slege Hammer! you littler weirdo.

I-- hey, fuck you! I’ve actually never watched season 2 of Sledge Hammer! I just know that season one ends with the world ending and they began season 2 by saying it took place before that. They also switched from 35mm to 16mm, which seems too nasty.

The best ones in 2008. Funny M&M's commercials collection. I’m one of M&M’s most diligent advertising collectors. I think, I have the largest and best video collection. I share this, with all the fans in the world. My lifetime of work to collect thematically the best videos here. Love and enjoy my collections! Peace and happiness for you! I just want one, a smile on your face. Enjoy my collection. It only takes a few words to tell a powerful story.

This rocks. Thank you. I needed something like this today!

Are you taking any more Popeyes Chicken nugget reviews? I just had them. I wasn't that wowed by them. They were too much like the tenders. I dont know. I rather just have those they are more fun imho. What do you think?

I had them the once. I don’t care for the tenders much. Everyone in their right mind should just stick with the regular ass fried chicken pieces. They are perfect. What a treat

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #sealab 2021

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darling-dontforgetme · 4 years ago

Note

the whole list

I’m sorry that I took so long, and I’m so boring, but here you go!

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

Coffee mugs

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

Chocolate bars

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

Eww, no to both.

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

My mom worked at my elementary school, so I was very much a teacher’s pet.

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

Plastic cups

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

Pastel or boho

7. earbuds or headphones?

Earbuds

8. movies or tv shows?

I really want to say tv shows, but I’m awful at finishing them. I still need to watch the last few episodes of Apocalypse. Don’t at me.

9. favorite smell in the summer?

Is it weird if I say my cats? It’s weird, I know. They all have different smells, and it’s comforting to be around them when I’m stressed or upset.

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

Nothing, literally nothing. I was that kid who always had their nose in a book, so you can imagine how awkward I was in p.e.

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich or pancakes

12. name of your favorite playlist?

The only playlist I listen to is my own. I listen to a lot of country, some musicals, and a handful of older songs.

13. lanyard or key ring?

Lanyard

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

Gummy bears

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

The Handmaid’s Tale

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

Why sit when you can lay down? I usually sit with my legs crossed.

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

My work pair of tennis shoes

18. ideal weather?

WINTER. All the cold.

19. sleeping position?

On my stomach

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

Laptop

21. obsession from childhood?

Books. I read so many books as a kid.

22. role model?

I don’t know. My therapist is pretty cool. Sarah Paulson maybe?

23. strange habits?

I eat soup with a fork. I have to put on my right sock and shoe before I can put on the left. I eat pop tarts upside down.

24. favorite crystal?

I don’t know. Rhodochrosites and amethysts are pretty.

25. first song you remember hearing?

Queen of the Silver Dollar

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

Stay inside, lol. I play a lot of animal crossing, try to write sometimes. Read.

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

Also, stay inside- still playing animal crossing and writing or reading.

28. five songs to describe you?

I honestly have no idea.

29. best way to bond with you?

Just hang out and talk with me. I like to stay home, or go on simple dates. I love, love, love aquariums.

30. places that you find sacred?

Churches, cemeteries

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

I’m not very confident in myself, so I tend to stick with t-shirts and shorts or leggings.

32. top five favorite vines?

I do not watch vine.

33. most used phrase in your phone?

Sorry or what’s for dinner

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

Those lawyer commercials that come on all of the time

35. average time you fall asleep?

Between 11:30 and 2:30

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

Probably something with SpongeBob

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

Duffel bag

38. lemonade or tea?

Tea

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

Hear me out, what about no lemon?

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

These kids started a metal band, and our administrators thought the student body loved it, so they got to perform a lot.

41. last person you texted?

@grilledcheeseandguavajelly

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

Pants pockets

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

Hoodie

44. favorite scent for soap?

Some sort of berry

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

Fantasy

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

Shorts and a t-shirt (wasn’t kidding when I said I only wear shorts and a t-shirt)

47. favorite type of cheese?

American

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

@grilledcheeseandguavajelly says "something unique but sweet but with a lot of depth to it, so like a kiwi or a honeydew or a prickly pear.”

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

Do no harm, but take no shit

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

Probably something my sister has said or done

51. current stresses?

So much. I lost my job recently, and there's just a lot going on in my life right now.

52. favorite font?

Can I pick people’s handwriting as my favorite font? I know it’s dumb.

53. what is the current state of your hands?

Well, I should use more lotion

54. what did you learn from your first job?

That the whole world is going to expect you to know things without you actually ever being taught those things

55. favorite fairy tale?

The Little Mermaid?

56. favorite tradition?

Getting cake for birthdays because I love cake

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

Me, myself, and I

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

Writing, caring for others. I don’t know.

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

Don’t fuck up

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

I don’t really have any anime knowledge

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

“You want to tell her that there are between two hundred and four hundred billion stars in the Milky Way, but when you look up, you could only ever see, like, twenty five hundred of them. You are one of the ones that no one can see. She is one of the ones that’s even visible in the city.”

-The Moment by T.C. Anderson

Guys, this is my favorite book. I highly recommend checking it out.

62. seven characters you relate to?

Alice Macray, Maura Isles, Temperance Brennan, Regina Mills, Callie Torres, Olivia Benson, Rachel Stevens

63. five songs that would play in your club?

She’s a Rainbow, Free To Be You and Me, Defying Gravity, Goodbye Earl, Queen of the Silver Dollar. My club would not be very cool.

64. favorite website from your childhood?

Webkinz

65. any permanent scars?

I cut the side of my thumb off with a pair of scissors once.

66. favorite flower(s)?

Zinnias, Passion flowers, sunflowers

67. good luck charms?

I don’t know that I have any?

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

GRAPE

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

I am so bad at thinking up answers on the spot. I’m sorry I suck at this.

70. left or right handed?

Right handed

71. least favorite pattern?

Any sort of animal pattern

72. worst subject?

Science

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

Peanut butter and chocolate on ritz crackers

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

Depends on the type of pain. Headaches- I usually take it pretty soon, but for other things, I tend to wait.

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

I would assume kindergarten or first grade?

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

fries

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

Flowers

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

Neither

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

I no longer have a school ID, but that definitely looked better

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

Earth tones

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

Fireflies sounds so much better, but I say lightning bugs

82. pc or console?

Console

83. writing or drawing?

Writing

84. podcasts or talk radio?

Podcasts

84. barbie or polly pocket?

Barbie

85. fairy tales or mythology?

Fairy tales

86. cookies or cupcakes?

Cupcakes

87. your greatest fear?

I’m going to be single and alone for my entire life

88. your greatest wish?

To fall in love

89. who would you put before everyone else?

My sister

90. luckiest mistake?

I don’t know

91. boxes or bags?

Boxes

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

Fairy lights

93. nicknames?

Kat, Kate, Backpack

94. favorite season?

Winter

95. favorite app on your phone?

Tumblr

96. desktop background?

It’s a sunflower drawing

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

Maybe 15-20?

98. favorite historical era?

I don’t know

#asks #anon

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bilbos · 5 years ago

Text

Pretty Stranger || Colin Wilson

word count: 6.8k

requested: yes || no

author’s note: written for the lovely @thepensieve <3 this is also an au where Colin has just moved to Seattle and isn’t a hockey player!

~ ~ ~

You sigh, laying down on your quilt. It’s a sunny day out and it’s oddly warm for this time of year. Normally, June isn’t extremely hot, but today is defying that. As such, almost everyone is out enjoying the weather at Green Lake, but it’s nice being around so many cheerful people. There’s something refreshing about it and brings a small smile to your face.

Currently, you’re trying to sketch out a couple of tattoos for some clients of yours. They’re pretty open with the designs and you can’t decide if that makes it easier or harder to design them. So far, you’ve settled on two designs and are trying to come up with one more. Working at one of the more reputable tattoo parlors means that there was never a shortage of clients that were waiting to be impressed, so you always spent more time than necessary working on what was asked of you.

You close your eyes for a few seconds, meaning you don’t notice the cat that’s decided to curl up on your blanket. It’s only when you roll over and almost smoosh her that you notice her. She’s a tabby and an absolute sweetheart, bumping her head into your hand, hoping for some scratches.

“What are you doing here, sweetie?” you whisper.

She settles back down once you start petting her. You notice a collar on her, and slowly go to check it. Thankfully, there’s a number on there and you give it a call.

“Hello?” a voice answers, confused.

“Uh, hi, I think I have your cat?” you reply. “I’m over at Green Lake, the part near Ben and Jerry’s.”

“Oh! I didn’t even notice she left! I’ll be there…soon?” the person says. “I live a few blocks from the lake, so I don’t know how long it’ll take me.”

“No worries, I think she’s content laying right where she is,” you reply. “Oh! I’m also on a yellow quilt if that helps?”

“Thank you! I’ll be there soon,” the person says.

You set your phone down and pick your sketchbook up again. This has been an odd addition to your day, but definitely not unwelcome. It’s about fifteen minutes later when you notice a cute guy looking around, a bit confused. When he notices you, he smiles and walks over.

“Hey, I think you found my cat?” he asks.

“Yeah, this would be her,” you answer.

“I appreciate you calling, she’s been sneaking out a lot more,” he explains. “It’s just been so warm and I don’t have air conditioning yet, so I’ve been leaving the windows open.”

“She sure is adventurous,” you comment. “But, uh, I hope you have a good day!”

“Oh, uh, yeah, thank you,” he replies, as he picks up his cat.

He does a sort of awkward wave as he walks off. You shake your head a bit and decide to call it a day. Obviously, you aren’t going to be able to focus anymore on the designs, so you start packing up. There’s always tomorrow to finish them up since you still have some time before the final consultation meetings.

~ ~ ~

Even though Green Lake isn’t a convenient place to hang out considering that you live in Wallingford, it’s still one of your favorite places in Seattle to chill. There were other great parks, but at least here, there was a bit more to lend a bit of inspiration for you.

It’s been a couple of weeks since you were last there, and there were even more designs you needed to work on, so it’s time to buckle down. You were there for a couple hours when you notice a cat walking up to your quilt. It appears to be the same one from when you were here last. Sighing, you call the owner’s number again.

“Uh, hello?” the owner greets.

“So, uh, your cat got out again? It’s the same person from a couple weeks ago,” you explain. “I’m in the same spot.”

“I’ll be there soon,” he sighs.

Not too much later, you see him walking towards you again. He smiles softly and picks up his cat. She meows loudly and looks mildly upset that she’s being picked up.

“I guess I really should get on that air conditioning thing, huh?” he says to his cat. “Can’t have you keep sneaking out on me, sweetie.”

You laugh. “I think that would be smart. It doesn’t ever really get too hot here that often, especially this time of year, but when it does, it’s completely miserable.”

“No doubt about that,” he replies. “I’m Colin, by the way.”

“Y/n,” you reply. “Well, I hope she doesn’t sneak off for the rest of the day.”

“Thank you again!” he says, awkwardly waving again.

You just shake your head, smiling and getting back to your designs.

~ ~ ~

It takes Colin’s cat sneaking out to Green Lake and laying on your quilt four more times before he actually decides to sit and talk with you. Not that you were hoping for it before, but you’re definitely not complaining now.

“So, what is it that you’re doing out here so often?” he inquires.

“I’m a tattoo artist and I’m working on designs for final consultations,” you answer.

“Oh, that’s cool! Do you always come out here to work?”

“Only when it’s nice out. Otherwise, I just go to one of the five million cafes here.”

Colin snorts. “5 million seems to be a low estimate.”

“Ah, see I was just talking about Wallingford alone.”

“Wallingford?”

“Uh…yeah, it’s one of the neighborhoods here. Right next to this one, actually,” you explain.

“I’m new here, so I haven’t learned all the neighborhoods yet. But you drive all the way out here to sketch?”

You shrug. “It’s nice out here and I used to come here all the time as a kid. It gets pretty busy when it’s nice out, but it’s not as bad as some of the other parks.”

“Oh, that’s neat.”

You laugh softly as you nod. “So, you’re new, huh?”

“Yeah, I came out here for a job and I haven’t had a chance to explore much.”

“I could, uh, show you around if you want? Unless you already have someone to show you around?”

“I actually don’t. That would be really nice.”

You smile. “Well, you already have my number, so let me know when you’re free!”

“Sounds good, y/n.”

~ ~ ~

The first place you insist on taking Colin to is the Seattle Art Museum and Pike Place Market. There’s an amazing exhibit going on at SAM that you’ve been wanting to check out and considering it’s so close to the market, it would be a shame to not go there as well. You also insist on taking Colin to breakfast at one of your favorite places: Biscuit Bitch.

“They’re able to advertise like that?” Colin asks, hesitant.

“Dude, they’re food is good enough that they can probably get away with worse. Trust me, you’ll fall in love,” you explain.

Colin takes your word for it and is definitely impressed. “Well, I hope the rest of the day lives up to this.”

“Considering I’m taking you to one of the most iconic parts of the city soon, it better live up to it.”

He laughs as he follows you to the museum. SAM looks pretty boring from the outside, seeing as part of it is a boring grey building. But when you step inside, it feels like a proper art museum. Colin seems intrigued.

“Any particular reason that you wanted to take me here?” Colin asks. “I thought we would go straight to the market.”

“There’s something special about this place. And it helps give you a better idea of the history of Seattle.”

“I thought this was an art museum, not a history museum.”

You shrug. “They overlap a lot.”

Colin takes your word for it and follows you through the museum. He seems interested enough, but you can tell that this definitely isn’t what he would normally do in his free time. However, you decide to keep looking through the different exhibits, making the ticket price worth it.

A couple hours later, the two of you make your way out to the streets again. Colin was pretty quiet throughout the museum, so you hope the market will give you both some energy back again.

“Ready to check out the market? We can grab some lunch down there as well,” you suggest.

“Yeah, I’m down for that. That’s where the cheese place is at, right? I keep hearing about this cheese place I need to try.”

“Ah, yes, Beecher’s. We’ll definitely go there. I’ll have to take you to the chowder place some other time, then.”

Colin smiles. “Glad to know that you aren’t tired of me yet.”

You snort. “Please, you let me hang around SAM for hours, even though I could tell you were getting bored.”

“I wasn’t getting bored.”

“Colin, you don’t have to lie about it. I know that it can be a bit boring sometimes, I’m not too offended.”

He laughs and follows you down to the market. After walking out of the dining part of the market, everything becomes much livelier. Colin looks around, excited.

“Where should we go to first?” he asks.

“There’s some cool shops right around the corner here.”

He follows you, grabbing onto your wrist as the crowd thickens for a moment. You smile softly and don’t bother to say anything when he doesn’t let go. When the two of you get into the main shop area, Colin looked around, curious.

“I heard something about fish throwing?” he asked.

You nod. “It’s right over here, but I can’t guarantee that they’re doing anything, though.”

“Can I catch one?”

“If you buy it.”

He frowns for a second. “I’m debating if I want to carry a fish around all day.”

You snort. “Please, nobody will care here. And this is our last stop for the day, so you won’t have to worry about stinking up your car.”

“Oh, this is it?”

“What do you mean this is it?” you asked, slightly shocked. “Wait, are you being sarcastic? Please tell me you’re being sarcastic.”

Colin laughs, as he nods his head. “Today’s been amazing, y/n. Thanks for getting me out of the house today.”

“Let’s just hope your cat didn’t come looking for me today. You did close the window, right?”

“I’ve been super careful, I promise.”

You roll your eyes as you stop. Colin looks around briefly, then smiles when he notices that you’re at the fish market. Thankfully, a couple of people have bought fish, so he gets to see them singing. Afterward, the two of you meander around all the shops, enjoying some of the weirder items that are being sold.

“I think it’s time for you to be introduced to Beecher’s.”

~ ~ ~

It’s a few weeks later, and well into July, when you and Colin take another day for a mini-tour of the city. You weren’t quite sure what to do with him at first, but then you decide on taking him to Queen Anne. There’s a coffee place that you want to go back and visit, but you didn’t have enough of a reason until now.

“So, what’s the plan for the next adventure?” Colin asks.

“Queen Anne, but since the parking is kind of a bitch over there, we’re going to walk a bit to explore there,” you answer. “I hope you like stairs.”

“You’re gonna make me walk up stairs? I thought you liked me,” he whined.

“It’s not that bad. Besides, there’s some amazing views there. Like Queen Anne has one of the best views of Seattle and it’s easier if we walk there. I promise it’ll be worth it,” you explain. “And if you really hate it, then you can just uber back to your car.”

Colin huffs. “Fine. But only because our first trip was so much fun.”

You smile brightly at him and you notice a faint blush on his cheeks. The Galer Crown stairs are one of your favorite parts of Seattle that isn’t super popular. People hate the idea of stairs enough to avoid it, so it’s never been too crowded. And it’s a wonderful way to see the city in a new light as well.

The next time the two of you are free is on a Saturday, which means traffic is a bit rough, even for an early morning. Thankfully, there’s still parking at the bottom of Queen Anne and as you hop out of the car, Colin just groans.

“I can’t believe I agreed to this. It was a horrible idea, really,” Colin comments.

“Oh, please, like you weren’t texting me nonstop about this for the last week.”

“Honestly, I should really stop hanging out with you after this. I do enough exercise at work.”

“Colin, your cat would never forgive you if she never got the chance to see me again.”

“She sneaks out enough to see you, I think you’ll both live.”

“Maybe I’ll just keep her then.”

Colin gasps. “You wouldn’t dare.”

You just smirk.

“God, I can’t believe I agreed to this,” he sighed.

“Just shut up and follow me,” you say. “I promise it won’t be that bad after the first 100 stairs. You just get used to the pain after that.”

Colin just groans again as the two of you start walking. After about half an hour, you take a right instead of continuing up the stairs. Colin looks at you, slightly confused, but you can tell that he’s relieved that the stairs have stopped for time being.

“Where are we going?” he asks.

“You know how I said Queen Anne has one of the best views of Seattle? I hope you’re ready for this,” you reply.

A few minutes later, the two of you are walking into Kerry Park and Colin just stops for a moment, taking in the view. You smirk, knowing the feeling.

“It’s even prettier at night,” you comment.

“How can it get prettier?” he whispers.

“Trust me, the city never stops amazing you, I promise. I’ve been living here for almost my whole life and it hasn’t stopped yet.”

Colin just smiles and walks up to the railing. You let him have his moment, remembering how in awe you were the first time you came here. No matter how many times you’ve come here, you always enjoy the view of your city, but there’s just something magical about seeing it the first time.

“Can we just call it a day here?” Colin asks, hopefully.

“It’s only a little bit longer and then I promise we’ll be done. There’s a café I want to take you to.”

“But there’s so many cafes here, I think we can skip out on this one,” Colin tries to reason.

“Trust me, El Diablo is worth it. It’s honestly the best coffee in this neighborhood, I swear.”

“You better not be lying, because if you are, we’re really going to stop talking.”

“You know, you’re finally starting to settle in here. Only someone truly from Seattle would break up a friendship over a coffee.”

“No, that’s just common sense,” Colin replies.

You raise an eyebrow.

“Okay, fine, maybe I am becoming a bit snobbish about my coffee,” he replies, petulant.

It takes another 15 minutes to get to the café, but you can tell Colin is liking the vibe so far. This place has a super laid-back aura to it, and doesn’t even feel like it’s in the middle of the city. It’s also one of the few places in the more expensive part of the city that doesn’t feel like it, either.

“I’d suggest one of their special hot chocolates. The spicy one is particularly good,” you remark.

“Okay, last time I checked, I’m one of those white people who can barely handle a jalapeño,” Colin replies.

You snort. “It’s not that type of spicy, I promise.”

Colin looks at you hesitantly, but then nods. “I’ll give it a go, but you’re gonna owe me so much if I don’t like it.”

“You got it.”

You order for the both of you, as Colin grabs a table near one of the windows with comfy chairs. When you sit down with him, he smiles.

“I’ve been having a really good time with you,” he comments.

“Well, I sure hope so,” you joke. “But I’m glad. I know it can be really hard to make friends here.”

Colin shrugs. “It isn’t the worst. I just think making friends as an adult is hard. There’s always so much going on.”

“Just have to keep things fun and understand that everyone is busy. Besides, quality over quantity at this point.”

Colin nods. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

~ ~ ~

Things for you and Colin get a bit hectic from there on out. Colin gets busier with his jobs and has his weekend in the middle of the week. Now there’s a surge of students leaving for college, your free time gets packed with friends getting matching tattoos.

When it’s all said and done, it barely leaves any time for you to show Colin around. You’ve taken him to a couple of restaurants and the Pacific Science Center, but not much else. You would feel worse about it if you both weren’t so tired all of the time.

Finally, in November, an opportunity arises for you to show him around again and for Colin to officially meet your best friends/coworkers.

“So, some of my coworkers and I are going to the zoo next Thursday and I want to know if you want to join,” you say next time you see Colin. “I can’t believe you haven’t been there yet and now that it’s November, all the lights are up.”

“I don’t want to intrude,” Colin says, hesitantly.

“Oh, please, they’re all dying to meet you. Besides, this is a chill day and nobody’ll be mad if I bring you along. And you haven’t been there yet. It’s a yearly thing, too, if that makes it any better.”

“I guess,” Colin replies, still a bit unsure with himself. “I just have to see if I can shift my appointments or not. It can be a bit tricky this time of year because people are taking a lot of time off.”

“No worries, just thought I would ask,” you reply.

~ ~ ~

You end up not hearing about the zoo again until the day before you’re supposed to be going. Colin texts you asking if it’s too late to join in. You decide to call him.

“Please, like I would turn you away,” you say the second he picks up his phone.

“I know, but I just managed to get my last appointment covered, so I wasn’t sure if it would be too last minute,” Colin replies.

“That’s exactly why I couldn’t turn you away. Having you sit all alone in your house while I’m having fun at the zoo is the saddest thing to think about.”

“You’re just being dramatic,” Colin groans.

“I can’t be dramatic if it’s true.”

You can feel Colin rolling his eyes through the phone, which makes you laugh.

“I can’t believe I’m friends with you, y/n. But text me the details and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

~ ~ ~

Your friends don’t stop teasing you the second they find out that Colin is going to show up. They know exactly how much of a crush you’ve started developing on him in the recent weeks and now they’re finally meeting him in person.

“I can’t believe it’s taken this long for us to meet him,” Jeremy says, excitedly. “And don’t say it’s because we’re too much to handle. Lord knows you’re the worst to handle out of all of us.”

“You’re so rude, Jeremy,” you groan.

“Good to know you’re the worst of them,” Colin comments.

You startle a little, before laughing. “Well, good to know that we’re all getting off on the right foot.”

Colin shrugs. “If I can put up with you, I’m sure I can manage them.”

Your friends all laugh and Jeremy throws his arm around Colin’s shoulders.

“You’re going to fit in just fine here, Colin,” Jeremy says.

Before heading into the zoo, you introduce Colin to the rest of your coworkers, Liza, Mackey, and Zoe. Colin insists on buying your ticket (insisting that it’s his turn to pay for hanging out) and you notice your friends all trying to hold back their laughter. This just makes you blush.

The first exhibit you all go to is the penguins. It’s feeding time, so they’re all swimming throughout the water. No matter how many times you’ve seen them, this is always one of your favorite places to stop. Colin notices how excited you are and smiles. Jeremy nudges Liza, who points it out to Mackey and Zoe.

Throughout the rest of the day, the same thing keeps happening. Either you or Colin will smile at how excited the other is getting, which makes your friend group nudge each other insistently. A few hours later, all of you exit the zoo and decide to grab dinner at a small Mexican restaurant that isn’t too far away.

After you’ve all been seated, Colin speaks up. “I’m glad I came today. It was really fun.”

“We’re glad you came too,” Mackey says. “We don’t get to meet a lot of y/n’s friends outside of the tattoo shop, so it’s good to know she wasn’t making you up.”

You groan, as you lean back in your chair. “You’re all the worst and I regret introducing you to him.”

They all just roll their eyes. The waitress comes up, which quiets the conversation for the time being. Zoe keeps looking over at you, trying to figure out your feelings. You know that she’ll badger you enough at work tomorrow, so you leave it be.

“So, how did you all meet? I know that you guys work together,” Colin says.

“That’s actually how we know each other,” Zoe replies. “Y/n was the only one who grew up in the area, so she took us under her wing.”

“Is that her thing? Showing people around the city?” Colin asks.

Mackey snorts. “Yeah, she’s basically an unofficial tour guide. She’s always dragging us around the city to try something out.”

Colin nods. “So, how did you all get into tattooing? It’s cool, but I feel like nobody really sets out to do that?”

Everyone settles in comfortably after that question, more than happy to let him in on a slice of their personal life.

~ ~ ~

After Colin heads out once dinner is done, your friends turn on you immediately, ready to pounce.

“Can’t this wait until work tomorrow?” you groan.

“It could, but we want details now, when nobody is eavesdropping,” Liz comments.

“I mean, he’s super cool, you all saw that. And his cat likes me, which is a huge plus,” you reply. “I don’t really know what else to tell you all.”

“How long have you known that you liked him?” Mackey asks. “Because those were some serious heart eyes you were giving him when he was asking about your work.”

You snort. “It’s not that serious yet, we’ve barely hung out. I know that I’ve known him since June, but we’re both so busy. I feel like I’m still getting to really know him.”

“I would beg to differ,” Liz mutters. “All of your mid-day coffee breaks with him would speak otherwise.”

“Look, we’re just friends right now and that’s totally fine. I promise I’ll be fine with it, okay?” you reply. “You all like him, which means he isn’t going anywhere. And I don’t want to ruin that.”

“We wouldn’t keep Colin around, you know. If he broke your heart,” Jeremy says softly. “We like him, but not at that cost.”

You shrug. “I’ve managed through worse things.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to,” Jeremy replies, pulling you in for a hug.

~ ~ ~

It’s almost a month before you’re able to take Colin out again. Currently, it’s pouring down rain, which is pretty normal for December in Seattle. Thankfully, most of the aquarium is inside, so you don’t feel bad taking him here. Sure, it might ruin the fun of taking him to see some of the weirder sculptures nearby, but you’ll still take him there, regardless.

“I feel like this is something we should have done on the same day as the zoo,” Colin comments.

“Trust me, this is a totally separate adventure,” you reply. “There’s other things to see around the area, too. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

“Well, you still have yet to fail me, so I’m gonna trust you.”

You smile softly at that, and lead Colin into the aquarium. He insists on paying for your tickets again this time (“it’s only fair since you keep showing me around”), which doesn’t help your emotions. You drag him to the more outdoors part of the aquarium so that you both have time to dry off later.

“Oh, they’re so cute,” Colin whispers, when he sees the seals. “I didn’t realize we were going to be seeing anything so cute today, y/n!”

“Are you telling me you don’t find sea life cute?” you joke.

“I mean, so many things are straight up scary,” Colin comments. “And I don’t really know what I was expecting, if I’m being honest.”

“I promise there’s tons of cool stuff here. How do you feel about touching some stuff?”

Colin blanches at the thought.

~ ~ ~

“This was fun,” Colin says, as the two of you make your way out.

“Like you said, I haven’t steered you wrong yet,” you reply. “There’s something else that I want to show you really quick. It’s going to be a little bit weird, but it’s a lesser known iconic part of Seattle.”

“If you’re saying it’s weird…”

“Just follow me.”

Colin hesitantly follows you down the pier. There’s a huge fountain not too far from where you are right now that you need to show him, and it leads nicely into a walk near the water. Even though it’s still drizzling out, you think it would be a nice way to end the afternoon.

Once you get there, Colin freezes. “What…is happening?”

“It’s the Father and Son fountain,” you comment. “I guess some guy wanted to leave a million dollars to SAM, but only if they were able to secure a fountain with a nude male figure. Thankfully, Louise Bourgeoise agreed.”

“I honestly can’t believe they went through with it,” Colin remarks.

You snort. “Of course they did. The park wouldn’t be as exciting otherwise.”

Colin just lets out a slightly distressed noise. “Not that it isn’t cool, but it certainly is…a choice.”

“There’s a rose garden not too far from here if you want to check that out,” you reply. “I mean, it’s kind of a maze, but not really?”

“Yeah, we can go.”

Thankfully, the drizzling is letting up by the time you and Colin get to the rose garden. Considering it’s December, there isn’t much in the way of flowers, but there’s still some bouquets scattered around. Colin doesn’t say much, but he keeps glancing at you, like he’s trying to make up his mind about something.

“You doing okay?” you ask.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I just…” Colin grabs your hands before speaking again. “Is it okay if I kiss you?”

“Oh,” you whisper. “Yeah, that’s more than okay.”

Colin smiles softly and leans in. Kissing him doesn’t lead to fireworks or makes you feel like everything is just complete. But it does feel like home, like he would never try to hurt you. When he pulls back, Colin gives you a searching look.

Smiling, you quickly kiss him again. “Does this make our next adventure a date?”

He laughs. “Yeah, I would like that a lot.”

~ ~ ~

In all honesty, you can’t believe that you haven’t taken Colin to see the troll earlier. Maybe it wasn’t a full day type of event, but you can’t live in Seattle and not see it. Besides, maybe you could convince Colin to check out Westlake while the Christmas decorations are up while it’s still before Christmas. You could see them after the 25th, but that isn’t as fun.

“Remind me why I have to see this?” he asks. “I know it’s an important part of Seattle culture and all of that, but like…I can just look at pictures.”

You sigh, exasperated. “You very well know that isn’t the same as seeing it in real life. Besides, I can’t believe that you’ve never been to Fremont before. It’s like…the most hipster part of the city.”

Colin fakes offense. “You wound me so deeply.”

You laugh and just shake your head. “Also, I’m hoping the fact that this is only a quick stop will convince you to go to Westlake with me. Mackey and Zoe said that they would be able to come with, too.”

Colin has clicked extremely well with your friends and has melded into your friend group seamlessly. It makes you happy to know that he was able to find some good people to be around.

“We haven’t even officially been on one date yet and you already know how to get me to do things,” Colin groans.

“I mean, we were friends beforehand. Just because we’re doing dates now doesn’t mean I suddenly forgot everything about you.”

Colin just rolls his eyes. “Let’s go see this troll then, I guess.”

When the two of you walk up to it, Colin tilts his head a little bit. You can tell that he doesn’t quite get it, which you suppose makes sense.

“Do you know why they decided to make it? That’s like…my real question here,” Colin asks.

“It was part of an art competition since they wanted to try and do something to clean up under the bridge. Obviously, this artist won, and that’s…really it,” you explain.

“People here are so weird,” Colin whispers.

“And yet you agreed to go on a date with one of those weird people,” you retort.

“Still trying to figure that one out, if I’m being honest,” Colin jokes.

He kisses your head and grabs your hand, then looks at you with a questioning glance.

“You don’t have to ask me to hold my hand, you know,” you say.

Colin shrugs. “I wasn’t sure and I thought it would be better safe than sorry.”

“Well, just know that I’m good with it from here on out,” you reply. “Now, do you want to hang out here a bit more or do you want to go to Westlake?”

“You already convinced me to go to Westlake,” Colin points out.

“Only because I said Mackey and Zoe were going to be there. I promise that they won’t be mad if you don’t want to go.”

“I have to see all the sights, don’t I?”

~ ~ ~

When you find Mackey and Zoe at the outskirts of Westlake, you can see them eyeing you and Colin suspiciously. Subtly, you shake your head, knowing that they would want to ask you about how your date has gone up until this point. Zoe rolls her eyes as Mackey just sighs. They should know at this point that you’re a bit tight lipped about certain things.

“So, how was the troll?” Mackey asks.

“I mean…it was fine I guess?” Colin replies. “It’s cool and I guess I get why it’s an iconic part of Seattle, but it wasn’t that exciting.”

Mackey gasps loudly, as Zoe just stares at Colin in confusion. You just laugh as he starts to look a bit distressed.

“You can’t say that where people can hear you,” Zoe whispers.

“But-” Colin starts.

“There are no buts about it, sir,” Zoe says, shutting him off. “Now it’s time to admire the Christmas lights and most importantly, the tree!”

“I still don’t get what the deal with this is,” Colin comments. “Like, I know that it’s pretty and everything, but…”

“Half the point is that it’s romantic,” Mackey points out. “And you and y/n are practically dating, so you have to take her there. Also, it helps getting you in the spirit.”

“Just be happy that y/n hasn’t dragged you to Molbaks yet,” Zoe says, a dead look in her eyes.

“Hey, it’s amazing there during the holidays, so I don’t get what you’re complaining about,” you reply.

“But it’s the same thing every year,” Mackey whines.

“Well, it’s not my fault that you don’t know how to have fun,” you retort.

Mackey fakes offense, as Zoe and Colin laugh. You look at them all, and just shake your head.

“Whatever, it’s your loss,” you reply. “I’m sorry I like to have fun.”

“You should take me,” Colin says, after a brief pause.

You frown a little bit. “You were just commenting on the fact that you don’t get the point of seeing the Christmas decorations in a major part of Seattle. What’s convincing you to see the decorations at a nursery?”

He shrugs. “You haven’t steered me wrong yet. For the most part.”

“You’re the worst,” you say. “Are you never going to let me live down taking you to the troll?”

Colin smiles widely. “Nope.”

Mackey and Zoe watch this exchange with amusement and you just know that they’re going to tell Jeremy and Liza about it before the work day tomorrow. You know that they’ll all tease you about it through the whole day, but you know it’s coming from a good place.

Walking through the rest of Westlake is pretty calm and when you get to the tree at Macy’s, the three of you pause on the sidewalk, where there’s other people looking at the tree. Sure, it’s not that big of a deal, but there’s always something fun about just walking through the city with no worries. Colin takes your hand and squeezes it, smiling softly to himself.

~ ~ ~

Somehow, December turns into January, which turns into February and March. The beginning of the year is always a busy time for the tattoo shop. People want to start their year off with a tattoo or they want it mostly healed by the time summer comes around. In February, there’s more than enough couples getting matching tattoos.

Because it’s so busy, it means that you’re at the shop more than you’re at home or hanging out with Colin. You don’t mean for it to happen, but it does. And Colin understands, but it doesn’t make you feel any less bad. It’s also been a while since you’ve seen Mazy, his cat, which makes you just as sad not seeing Colin.

One day, you notice Colin walking into the shop, which isn’t too unusual, as he’ll occasionally bring you lunch. But he normally gives you a heads up, in case you have appointments during his normal lunch time, so you’re a bit confused. Then you see him holding Mazy, and you’re even more confused. Thankfully, you’ve just wrapped up a session with someone, so you make your way over to him.

“What do I owe for this honor?” you inquire.

“Jeremy said I could bring her by,” he answers. “Says she might help with a client that’s a bit scared.”

You wince, knowing exactly which client he was referring to. She’s a sweetheart, but her pain tolerance was low and her tattoo required multiple sessions. Mazy loves being held, so hopefully she could help keep the client distracted.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” you comment.

“I mean, I also miss you, so that’s my other reason for coming over,” Colin admits, sheepishly.

You roll your eyes. “We’re getting dinner tonight.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t miss you any less.”

“You’re impossible,” you joke.

Glancing at the clock, you notice you only have thirty minutes until your next appointment, meaning you need to get your station sanitized. You look at Colin sheepishly, but he just rolls his eyes and follows you back.

“When’s your next day off?” he asks.

“I have this Sunday and Monday off,” you answer. “Why?”

“Nothing, just have a small something planned out for the two of us,” Colin replies.

“Better be good, considering I was planning on laying on the couch for those two days.”

“I promise it’ll be worth it.”

~ ~ ~

Turns out that Colin has planned for the two of you to go to Discovery Park on Sunday. It’s a beautiful park, and is the largest one in the city. On a sunny day like today, the mountains will be out and some flowers might already be in bloom.

“I can’t believe you’re taking me somewhere,” you remark. “It’s usually the other way around.”

Colin shrugs, as he parks the car. “I thought it was about time. Besides, I remember you mentioning the fact that it’s been a while since you’ve been here.”

You look over at him in confusion. “I did?”

“Yeah, you told me back at New Years that you wanted to come here again in the spring. Said it feels like home.”

You snort. “Well, that explains it. I was probably drunk off my ass when I told you that. It’s true though. There is no bad part of the park.”

“I know, I came here last week to scope it out.”

“You came here without me?” you exclaim. “I’m so proud of you! Look at you growing up and exploring the city without me. Soon, you won’t even need me around.”

Colin just rolls his eyes and gets out of the car. You follow suit, and start walking down the main pathway with him. He takes your hand and swings it in-between the both of you. Quiet moments like this always make you feel more at peace and content. Being with Colin the last few months has been amazing, in part because of how much fun the two of you had together, but also because he just made you slow down and enjoy things.

“You know, showing you the city has made me love it again,” you comment.

“I didn’t realize you ever fell out of love with it,” he replies.

“It’s just…I started getting fixated on the things that needed to be improved on. There’s so much shit going on here that’s hard to ignore and you just…forget to take in what’s around you. I think when Mazy found me, she knew that I needed to just slow down.”

“Mazy? My cat?”

You shrug. “I mean, she probably didn’t. But I like to think of it like that. Makes meeting you feel more purposeful, I guess.”

Colin smiles widely and pulls you in for a kiss. You kiss him back, but pull back quicker than you would like to.

“We’re still in a public park, you know. Can’t get arrested for public indecency or whatever.”

Colin just rolls his eyes. “Come on, I’m taking you to the bluffs.”

“You’re not going to push me off, are you?”

“Are you suggesting that I’m going to murder you in broad daylight? I promise you I’m much smarter than that.”

“But Mazy would miss me! And what about the rest of my clients at work? You can’t have them without an artist, Colin.”

He laughs as he replies, “Ah, yes, that definitely convinced me. Don’t want your coworkers getting swamped with your work.”

“Just watch, I’m going to shove you off of this cliff and show you who’s boss.”

“So dramatic,” he sighs. “Let’s just go to the bluffs, I promise that I won’t push you off them.”

You eye him suspiciously, but then just break out in laughter before grabbing his hand again. Colin shakes his head and the both of you continue to walk down the trail. There’s plenty of people out enjoying the park, but you still feel like there’s some illusion of privacy. It takes a little while to get to the bluffs, but when you do, you see the mountains out in full view.

There’s an open bench, so you drag Colin over to sit on it. For a few minutes, the two of you sit in a comfortable silence, just watching the clouds float through the sky. Then, Colin looks over at you seriously.

“Is something wrong?” you ask, concerned.

“No,” he whispers. “I just love you so much.”

“Oh,” you reply softly.

He leans over and kiss you softly on the lips. You deepen the kiss for a brief moment before you pull back. Colin searches your face, looking for an answer.

“I love you too, you know,” you say. “You have to know that. I just don’t show anyone around my city.”

“Except for your coworkers.”

“Yeah, but they’re my ride or die, and now you are too. You’re not going anywhere.”

Colin snorts. “Good, considering we still have so much left to see.”

You can’t wait.

#colin wilson #colin wilson imagine #nhl imagine #hockey imagine #mine #sldjfhs this was basically a love letter to my city lmao #also this is the longest hockey imagine that I've written :')#long post

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rhiannonfrater · 6 years ago

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The Anti-Makeup Movement & Growing Up Fundamentalist

I grew up in the sheltered world of Evangelical Christianity. There were very rigid gender roles, everyone went to church on Wednesdays, Sunday morning and Sunday night, and everyone understood a ton of unspoken rules that as a kid I learned about as I broke them.

Example: Don’t do cartwheels if you’re a girl. Because girls don’t wear shorts or jeans. Only dresses.

My mom ignored this rule after people complained about my tomboyish behavior. I got to wear stuff other little girls couldn’t because I was always climbing trees, doing cartwheels, and swinging from the monkey bars. My best friend’s mom finally started putting her daughter in shorts under her dress. Why? Some men complained they could see her underwear when she was playing on the playground.

Yeah.

Women didn’t wear makeup. They had their hair long and plain. They had to always wear dresses. Sleeveless blouses or dresses were scandalous. Men wore button down shirts and trousers. Only workmen wore jeans.

But the big thing…WOMEN DIDN’T WEAR MAKEUP.

If a woman wore makeup, she was being a whore. Only bad women wore makeup. Using makeup was the devil’s tool to lead women into a life of sin so they could drag men down with them. I remember sermons at church that railed against the evils of women wearing makeup. Most of the women in the congregation were bare faced, but four sisters from Spain always wore cosmetics, perfume, and designer clothes. I adored them. They’d sit stony faced as the pastor went on and on about the evils of makeup. Every Sunday, they’d arrive in their fancy cars, elegant clothes, beautiful hairstyles, and carefully made up faces and smiled at the frowns. They were wealthy supporters of the church, so they were untouchable. That pastor finally retired and the new one didn’t see the point of preaching against stuff. He was more about teaching people how to be good. My dad, the assistant pastor, felt free to carry on preaching hateful rhetoric. He was the biggest hypocrite, btw. There are many reasons he is out of my life now.

I attended private Christian school and the same rules applied. Only a few women broke the no makeup rule, but it was usually something simple like lip gloss or mascara. If a teenager showed up at school wearing makeup, she was made to wipe it all off. This was usually a shocking moment for new female students. Of course, this was the school that made the girls line up, hands at their sides, to prove that their dresses were knee length. So you can imagine our shock when the BIG policy change at school was that girls could wear culottes!!!! At gym. But still…the scandal! It was later overturned.

There was so much time dedicated to policing female bodies of all ages. How long our nails could be…how we wore our hair…how long our skirts were…how we took care of our bodies. I remember some missionary ladies coming to do presentations and our fascination with their unshaved legs. It was vanity to shave their legs, we were told. In the fifth grade I attended yet another private school. Every morning we had to attend chapel for 40 minutes. Every morning we heard about the wickedness of fornication, the evils of makeup, women leading men astray, the murder of innocent babies in the womb, etc. Hellfire felt like it was burning at our backs. Ages 6 to 18 all sat through these propaganda fests. We were pretty traumatized. Again, teenage girls wearing makeup were forced to take it off. I remember one girl putting it right back on after they made her take it off. She ended up running away. It took days for them to find her. She was found with her boyfriend. I hate to say it, but she was held up as an example of a whore. We weren’t supposed to be like her! She was forced back to school. On the bus one day, I watched her carve her boyfriend’s name into her forearm with a razor blade. She looked up and smiled at me. That was the last time I saw her. She was sent away. I don’t know to this day where she was sent or what they did to her. When my teacher got married, she wore a full face of makeup and a sleeveless dress. It was kinda scandalous. The defiance! The scandal! But at least she was married. My mother pushed the family toward a more relaxed version of Christianity once my dad stopped being a minister. She openly defied my father. She took us to movies (my dad had a meltdown when we went to see Star Wars), let us listen to the radio, allowed us to watch television, and she returned to dressing and looking how she liked. Rebellion like that was dangerous because he was not a good man. All the things he preached against all those years, he did in secret, but he was hardcore on proper appearances. He didn’t walk the walk, but he wanted us all to look like he did. At thirteen, my mom allowed me to put on makeup for the first time. My dad grabbed me by the hair and wiped it off with his fingers while calling me a whore. I was bruised and red afterward. My mom bought me my own makeup that I put on in the school restroom and took off before I got home. It was the 80’s so it was bright blues, purples, and pinks. I liked how radical I felt. Defiant.

I don’t know when the tide turned in evangelical circles. Maybe it was Tammy Faye Baker and Jan Crouch on their religious television networks that made it okay to wear makeup. I remember Tammy Faye defending her makeup wearing ways, but in a few years it wasn’t a big deal. Women at church had big ‘dos and lots of makeup. It became “the look.”

I’m sure that some of the stricter sects still shun makeup and any clothing perceived as too revealing or two masculine, but now makeup is seen as something feminine (as long as it’s a certain look). After a while, I got bored with cosmetics, so all I wore was black eyeliner and brownish lipstick. Then I discovered the goth scene.

It was like coming home. I love looking like Lily or Morticia. I love extreme looks. In my 20’s, I wore variations of Endora’s eye makeup from Bewitched to work. I find wearing makeup liberating. It’s a way of projecting who I am on the inside to the world on the outside. My bright red hair, black clothing, and wicked cat-eye tells a story about me. I’ve seen all the arguments about women giving into patriarchy, etc, when they wear makeup. Having grown up in a repressive society that was rigidly controlled by men, it feels weird to see the anti-makeup comments coming from the other side. It’s even weirder that men outside the cultish Christianity I grew up with are now the ones who tell women they look prettier without makeup or call their meticulously made up faces “false advertising.” It feels like a constant crossfire of the same arguments from long ago coming from the mouths of different people. But it boils down to the same thing.

Controlling a woman’s body.

I remember that fifteen year old girl carving into her arm with a razor blade, dark eyes peering up at me through her thickly mascaraed eyelashes. Her makeup was her war paint, her black lipstick a sign of ultimate defiance against the strict religious and patriarchal system we were up against. I was told she was a whore. A bad person. But I now see she was doing her best to fight against a system that wanted to crush us all into perfect, mindless drones. I hope, in the end, she won.

#personal

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mutemwija · 6 years ago

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Enchanted

This is a little AU that is more or less based on the movie “Enchanted” - hence the title, lol. I came up with it when I heard this song 💜 It made me think of Seto and Atem immediately (probably only because I was melancholic but I still think it fits in an oddish way XD) and I tried to write it down as best as I could. I changed some details of the movie but the story still shares its basic motives and I’d love to know what you thought about it 😊 (I’m somewhat unsure with it and open for any sort of constructive criticism/feedback!). It may be a little rushed and rough around the edges but I still wanted to post it, so I hope you enjoy it!

Also I dedicate this to the lovely @siosiri who is such a nice and sweet and imaginative person and artist and I’m really glad I can share my ideas with you! Thank you! 💖💖

Atem

Atem didn’t know how long he’d been walking around in this strange place, this peculiar town. It was day when he’d arrived and now it was dark. That is, it would have been if it wasn’t for all these weird glowing torches everywhere and letters in this odd language he understood without knowing why.

This was all just so confusing!

Ever since he had woken up here he’d been trying to find his way back, trying to find help, trying to find Mana or Mahad or anyone of his friends. Just one familiar soul that could explain him what in Horus’ name was going on! The last thing he remembered was that he met with Mana at the fountain to celebrate his last free day before his coronation, that she had wanted to show him a new spell she had found in one of Mahad’s secret books (they both loved these forbidden, occult spells that no one was allowed to use and they browsed through them whenever Mahad wasn’t looking), that he had been teasing her when it didn’t work, that he had laughed and laughed when she hit him with her staff while trying the spell again and suddenly he was falling backwards into the fountain and only seconds later awoke in this very weird, very loud and very hectic world. He was surrounded by things he hadn’t seen before, things he couldn’t even begin to imagine, much less comprehend and most and worst of all he was surrounded by people who wore the oddest clothes, who spoke in the most unmusical language (which he understood and was able to speak himself to his surprise) and who were the most frantic, unfriendly and unhelpful he had ever come across!

Granted he hadn’t come across a lot of people outside the palace but he simply couldn’t imagine his subordinates to be like that. No matter how many times he’d asked, no one answered his questions or even gave him a smile as a sign that they didn’t understand him. They only looked him up and down with prying, disapproving eyes and he was getting angrier and sadder by the minute.

It was pretty clear to him that Mana’s spell must have somehow pitch forked him into this… realm of Seth. Because he didn’t know what else it could be and it was the only explanation that seemed to fit.

As if that all wasn’t already enough it had started to rain a while ago and by now he was soaked to the bones. His hair stuck to his face and his white linen shenti was even more translucent than it already was.

So, to sum it up: He was in walking around in Seth’s realm, soaked and practically naked and he couldn’t find a way out or back or anyone to help him. Great. That was just how he imagined his last day as prince. Not.

He groaned and kicked a puddle angrily and stared in awe when he looked up again and saw a strange graving of Mana on a wall in front of him. Sure this particular Mana was blonde and not brunette, had blue eyes and not green ones but it was undoubtedly Mana.

For a moment he just stared at her surprised to finally have found something he could relate to but still contemplating if this maybe was just a mirage but the closer he got the more certain he was that this was indeed some graving of his friend. He scoffed and dragged a hand through his damp hair.

“Really?” He asked the drawing and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve been walking around here for I don’t know how long and you decide that now of all times is good to appear before me? What is this nonsense, Mana? Undo your magic at once! This is not funny anymore.”

Nothing happened and he decided to climb up that wall to have a better look. Thankfully the wall wasn’t too high and there was a staircase he could use. Maybe he would find a false door behind it or something. He knew they weren’t as popular as they used to be but he and Mana still liked them a lot.

On his way up and when he started to examine it he didn’t stop his rambling for one second.

“Do you have the slightest idea, dear friend, what I’ve been through this whole, disastrous day? I’m sure you do. And I’m sure you had a lot of fun, didn’t you?” It took all he had in him not to kick the wall with his friend’s face on but he still glared daggers at it. “Will you take me home now? I think whatever… fun this was, it’s over now.”

A thunder roared over his head and let him jump but that was the only answer he got. Mana remained silent and nothing happened.

Atem couldn’t believe it – all he wanted was to go home! He ought to be crowned in a few hours time after all. If time was running here just as it was running in kemet.

“Mana, please!” He tried a new strategy and his voice grew with every word until he was almost shouting. “You really are a great magician and I’m sorry I laughed at you, that wasn’t right and I apologize. I’ll never make fun or tease you ever again, I promise… So… Please get me back!”

Then in the middle of his rambling, he heard a voice calling out to him.

Seto

Kaiba had planned this evening in minute detail. Nothing should and nothing would go wrong before he made the big announcement to his little brother.

And until now everything had going according to plan. He had picked Mokuba up from aikido class, they had dinner, were now in their way home and Seto finally gave him the little present he got him to… well soften his mood for later.

Mokuba was already tearing the wrapping paper apart with a joyous grin but that immediately faltered when he saw what it was.

“’Ancient Greece – the cradle of democracy’?” He read the title out loud and scowled at his big brother. “Nii-sama, I wanted a book about Ancient Egypt!”

Seto sighed. He should have seen this coming but still… “Mokuba, Greece is much more interesting and important for our modern day society. You’ll learn a lot more from this than form the people who thought their dead would live on without their organs. Or their brain.”

Mokuba rolled his eyes. “But they’re still cooler than those old jeezers!”

Seto sighed again, only this time it could also count as a groan. “It doesn’t matter if they’re cooler or if you like their gods better or if their culture existed longer, they still didn’t leave anything of importance for mankind – except maybe how to dig holes in a valley.”

“What about the pyramids, Nii-sama.” Mokuba said with a smug grin but Seto only shrugged.

“Even a blind hen sometimes finds a grain of corn.”

“But did you know that their magician were so powerful they could alter time and could open portals to other worlds, even the future.”

Seto just gave his brother a look at that. “Will you stop this nonsense, Mokuba. Just because some people claim that a children’s card game has its origins in a Ancient Egypt doesn’t mean you have to believe it or think the Egyptians could time travel. Please, Mokuba. You know as well as I do that this is just ridiculous. Next thing you tell me is that dragons are real.” His brother raises an eyebrow at him and Seto glares defying back at him.

They fall silent after that and drive for a while before their taxi stops at a traffic light. Seto skips through the book that his brother has abandoned and doesn’t react when Mokuba opens the car window.

“They’re taking advertising really serious these days.”

“Hm?”

“There’s a pharaoh in front of this Duel Monsters billboard, Nii-sama.”

“Mokuba, I just told you…”

“I’m serious, look!”

“Mokuba, that’s just a mannequin. Calm down.”

“Oh, really?”

Before Seto can even react, Mokuba has opened the door and jumped out of the car.

Seto called after him but his little brother was already on the other side of the street and Seto shouted at the driver to wait before running after him.

“What are you doing?”

“Look!” Seto followed his brother’s outstretched finger and found himself looking at the back of a admittedly lively and rather naked mannequin, clad only in a soaked skirt with golden bracelets around on his arms and legs and collar and dark, red and blond hair that stuck to his head and forehead and Seto had to admit he really looked one of those pharaohs in the books.

“Mana, please! You really are a great magician and I’m sorry I laughed at you, that wasn’t right and I apologize. I��ll never make fun or tease you ever again, I promise… So… Please get me back!”

“What is he talking about?” Mokuba whispered, openly confused and Seto cleared his throat loudly to get the stranger’s attention.

“Excuse me, mister.” He called out but the young man didn’t react. “Mister, hello! I’m talking to you. Hey!”

At this he finally turned his head and for a second Seto was dumbfounded by those blazing eyes that caught his so directly as usually only Mokuba’s did. He had to clear his throat again. “What are you doing up there?”

The young man looked surprised at him and then at Mokuba. “I’m trying to get back home!” He shouted and turned his head back to the Dark Magician Girl on the billboard in front of him and started to pound against it. “But the portal won’t op…!”

He was hammering so frantically against it that he slipped on the wet, narrow projection and Seto already saw him hit the ground but the stranger had managed to grab the rail just in the last second.

The two brothers exhaled relieved and walked closer to him. Mokuba stopped a little behind him but Seto stepped closer still, only to realize that when he raised his head he was given full view of the man hanging above him. Startled by his own mindlessness he stepped back again and shook his head slightly to get rid of the picture.

“Are you okay?” His brother asked with worry in his voice and for a split second he thought he was talking to him.

He wasn’t, thank goodness.

“It’s slippery!”

“Don’t worry!” Mokuba called back to the stranger. “See my brother here? He’ll catch you!”

“Mokuba!” Seto hissed lowly but his brother only shot him a look.

“It will be fine. You can trust him.”

Seto glared at his brother but the little rascal only grinned angelically and the older Kaiba directed his eyes back to the young man above him.

Their eyes met once more and Seto was again stunned by those eyes that pierced his in amazement at first but then narrowed skeptically. “Are you sure? He doesn’t exactly look trustworthy.”

Seto snapped. “Well, then fall down and break your neck for all I care!” He shouted at him but in an obvious contradiction to his words opened his arms ready to catch that little nuisance.

“Oh, you can really. He excels in martial arts, you know! And he runs his own company…”

“Mokuba, will you stop setting me up with this total and probably insane stranger!”

“But you’re checking him out and look under his skirt the whole time, Nii-sama. I only wanted to do you a favor!”

Seto saw red. “I don’t exactly have another choice when he’s hanging there like that!”

“Just look somewhere else!” His brother laughed and the young man above him shouted and Seto just rolled his eyes at both of them.

He was about to retort something when he heard a little yelp and in the next second the man fell like a stone in his luckily still outstretched arms and they both landed rather ungraciously and painfully on the wet pavement.

Seto immediately freed his arms and legs from under this guy and stood up as fast as he could so as to not get his suit dirty and his mind racing even more than it already was.

“And I’m not insane!” The young man shouted as soon as he was standing as well and glared at Seto who now dared to look at him properly for the first time.

The older Kaiba brother was surprised by the man’s slim frame and rather small built, he wasn’t much taller than Mokuba but probably around the same age as himself. He really wore nothing more than some jewelry and a soaked skirt the left almost nothing to the imagination. But the most fascinating thing about him certainly were those eyes – a bizarre mixture of violet and crimson that held him captive and dared to try and look somewhere else. Seto felt exposed, almost helpless but still didn’t look away. They were blazing with rage, with a sense of shame as he covered his body as best as he could and with a sort of confusion and fright when he opened his mouth again. “I just want to go home.”

“Well, we can help you with that!” Mokuba stepped in and smiled reassuringly at the young man.

“Really?” He asked and looked even more unsure than before, fidgeting with the hem of his skirt. “This whole day people haven’t been exactly friendly to me. They didn’t even say hello or something and no one smiled…”

Seto scoffed. “Yeah, welcome to Domino City.”

At this the man blinked surprised before his confusion was exchanged for a hesitant but honest smile. “Thank you.”

Now it was Seto’s turn to blink surprised but he quickly turned it into a frown. This guy was really irritating him – livid one second and dorky the other. He felt like he had to get away from him as fast as he could but instead he heard himself ask. “What’s your name anyway?”

“Oh…” He says as if only now realizing that he has a name at all and then he looks directly in Seto’s eyes, taking his breath away for just a second. “My name is Atem.”

“Oh, that sounds Egyptian!” Mokuba grinned and shot Seto another one of his looks to which he only responded with a roll of his eyes. Mokuba ignored him. “Our car is just there. You can come with us, dry up and we’ll see what we can do for you.”

Seto glared at his little brother. He wasn’t actually planning to bring a perfect stranger to their apartment, was he? “Or we could just… call your family or friends, so they can pick you up.”

“But…” Atem frowned confused at him. “They won’t hear you from here, will they?”

Again, Seto was dumbfounded, only this time it was because he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He groaned loudly, to cover his brother’s chuckle, took off his coat and threw it at Atem’s face before walking back to the still waiting taxi.

Mokuba still chuckled when he put a hand in Atem’s shoulder. “That was his way of saying please get in the car.” He started to walk to the car but when he noticed Atem was still hesitating he gave him a reassuring nod. “It’s fine, really. Don’t worry. We’ll get you back home, I promise.”

Atem nodded slowly after a moment, then slipped into his brother’s coat and smiled a Mokuba.

It wasn’t until they were sitting in the taxi that Atem took a deep breath and told them what had happened, where he was from and how odd he found all of this.

Seto stopped listening to his nonsense of kemet and pharaoh and magic almost immediately. He let Mokuba handle that and Atem too and put on a snubbing façade.

Even when they finally arrived at their apartment and Mokuba disappeared with Atem in the living room while Seto went into the bathroom he kept it up. He would give Atem time to dry up and wait until someone picked him up and then this whole exceptionally stupid affair would be over.

When he left the bathroom though he found he brother at the door grinning so brightly like he had just won a noble prize.

“I think he’s rather sleepy, Nii-sama.”

That grin on his brother’s face spoke volumes and Seto all but dashed into the living room, but only to find this peculiar human being sound asleep on his couch, covered by a number of blankets.

Seto stared at him, at the gentle rise and fall of his chest, his peaceful and relaxed expression and somehow find himself unable to wake Atem up again.

This… no Atem would bring him a lot of trouble.

He had no doubt about it.

#prideshipping #seto kaiba #yami yugi #mokuba kaiba #yugioh #my writing #enchanted au #please don't flame me #it was cute in my head so #why not #maybe i'll write more for this #anyway I'm looking forward to your art for this sio!!#<3<3<3

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thomasroach · 6 years ago

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Outward Review – A Rough Adventure

The post Outward Review – A Rough Adventure appeared first on Fextralife.

The following post is this author’s opinion and does not reflect the thoughts and feelings of Fextralife as a whole nor the individual content creators associated with the site. Any link that goes outside of Fextralife are owned by their respective authors.

Can you defy the bitter cold, brutal heat, and ravenous monsters that all desire your death? Outward is an RPG that doesn’t hold your hand in the slightest, as you make your way through an open-world filled with adventure and death. Only with careful preparation will you survive the dangers of this world.

Outward Review – A Rough Adventure

Genre: Survival RPG Developed by: Nine Dots Studio Published by: Deep Silver Release date: 26 Mar 2019 Platforms: PC (Reviewed), XBOX One, PS4 Website: https://www.ninedotsstudio.com/outward Price at time of review: $39.99

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Outward Features

Play solo or coop in local or online modes

Dynamic defeat scenarios that react to your context

Constant auto-saving means there’s no turning back

Ritualistic, step-by-step approach to spellcasting

Constant auto-saving means you must live with your decisions

Encounter dynamic defeat scenarios

A unique experience with every playthrough

An immersive exploration experience

Creatures will be harder to beat in co-op mode

Single-player, online co-op and local co-op with split screen

Story and Setting

Outward starts you off indebted to your tribe, a debt in which you must try to repay. In an effort to clear the amount you owe, you embark on an ill-fated voyage to try and earn enough to pay it off. Of course the ship runs aground, leaving you with almost no money and a crowd of angry villagers demanding payment. From here on out, the game opens up into three distinct main quest lines, with a small variety of sidequests you can participate in. Sounds like a good setup, but it is not executed well in my opinion.

This is a good friend, or so I’m told

You are tossed into this town and told someone in your family did something bad, you’re again told this one person is a close friend, you’re told that you are a part of this tribe. Due to the way the story is told, none of this is given adequate time to develop. I’ve poked at one of the main quest lines out of a feeling of professional obligation and I still have no real drive to pursue it. This is fine though as Outward does not advertise itself as a game with an in-depth story, rather the focus is on the story that you make for yourself.

Even with that though, things fall a little flat as I can tell the devs put a fair amount of work into this world, but very little of it comes across to the player. Very few NPCs will talk with you, and many of them are just shopkeepers that have just add a little bit of flavored text. If there’s books or other written lore entries in this game, I haven’t found them yet. There are ruins scattered throughout the game, but so far I’ve not found much inside any of them so far. To be fair, this is a very slow paced game and I’ve not gotten too deep into the more dangerous ruins, so there might be more if you venture further in. That being said, it’s not very excusable that I’m still so clueless on the world given the amount of time I have spent playing.

And thus starts the legend of the Bird Lady

Gameplay

In my original draft, this section was turning into a small novel as there are a lot of mechanics in this game but two things made me stream-line this section. Firstly, if the mechanics of this game aren’t going to interest you, the Cliff Notes version is all you really need to read.

Secondly, if the mechanics of this are your cup of tea, then all you’ll want to read is the Cliff Notes version. See, a lot of this game is about exploration, discovery, and the story that you create. Going through the game and making decisions based on imperfect knowledge is a major part of what makes this game unique. There is a tutorial, and it is a must for this game, but you’ll really be short-changing yourself if you go in with a complete understanding of the mechanics. This is the same for most things in this title, for some this will sound like heaven and for some it will sound like a complete waste of time.

Avatar customization is limited, but it has a purple hair option so it’s all good.

At its core, this is an action-RPG, while there are plenty of side mechanics, the main thrust is exploring dungeons and beating down the bad guys and monsters. After administering the beat downs you will loot all of their stuff, maybe find an upgrade or two, sell the rest, and move onto the next group of walking loot.

Combat

This brings me to my major criticism of the game, and one that I think will be the proverbial straw for many gamers. The combat is not fun as it is clunky, unresponsive, and it is difficult to use the flashier more complex spells if you’re playing solo. After the most difficult fights have ended, I don’t feel like I achieved a victory, rather I just feel like I cheesed the AI. I honestly can’t tell if this is the result of inexperience or if it was a deliberate design choice. Either way, combat really needs to be better given how much of it you’ll be doing.

As for the rest of the mechanics I’ll just skim over them. Survival is a big aspect of this game, with hot and cold weather, hunger, thirst, and the need for sleep. It might sound like a bother, but the game does a good job of encouraging you naturally to keep track of all your bars. As long as you are mindful, you won’t get in trouble.

That being said, the UI to convey some of the information is lacking. For example as you take damage, you recive ‘burnt health’ which reduces your max HP until you either eat specific foods, drink a potion, or sleep. However, the UI really isn’t very clear on this and I died several times before I figured out what that slightly different color red meant on my health circle.

I mean it’s obvious in hindsight, but it did take a few deaths to figure it out

Death

Speaking of death, you don’t really ‘die’ in this game. If you lose all your health, you’ll pass-out instead. This will cost you one day (which can be a major problem for some quests) and you’ll wake up in a context sensitive situation. This can either be fun, an annoyance, or a really bad situation since the time might have caused some food to rot, which means you can’t eat to get rid of that hunger status, as well as your max HP and stamina is also now reduced. It is certainly an interesting way to handle death, I’ll give the developers that. Something to be aware of is that because you can’t ever die, the game does not allow you to save. There is only one auto-save for your character, and the game is saving almost constantly. Don’t count on ALT-F4 to bail you out of a bad choice either.

Character Progression

Character progression is mostly done by getting new gear, you don’t level up in this game, though you can gain new skills. Some skills are free, some cost silver, and a few require you to spend one of your three skill points to unlock. While skills help, your gear is everything here. Getting a new piece of armor or a better weapon drastically effects how well you do in combat. This also means in certain situations you can lose all your advancement because all your gear gets taken, needless to say that really stings. Though it is always possible to get your stuff back, however it might be pose a big challenge, but as far as I can tell nothing gets destroyed unless you sell it to a merchant and their inventory resets.

Multiplayer/Co-op

Multiplayer is potentially a big bonus here as not only does it have online drop-in drop-out gameplay, but it has split screen co-op as well. I didn’t get to test this feature a lot but from what little I did test out multiplayer worked well. It does seem to make the combat an order of magnitude easier though, which could be a concern. To me this is a non-feature since I don’t have anyone in my house I can play with and I’m not all that interested in playing with random people, but I can see how others would love the ability to play an RPG like this with a friend.

Crafting

Finally, there is quite the crafting system to explore here. There are no skill points here, you either have the materials to make something or you don’t. There are recipes but you don’t get to read them before crafting, If you look it up on a wiki (or in some cases just take an educated guess) you can craft the item and the recipe will be added to your journal. While you can craft weapons and armor, you’ll mostly be crafting adventuring supplies such as fire rags and potions. Cooking is a major crafting area as well and is very well integrated into the other systems. Different dishes have different bonuses, with more complex dishes providing additional bonuses.

Audio and Visual

There is honestly not much to say here, the visuals are to put it simply, functional. Occasionally you’ll come across some interesting monster designs and much of the gear you can equip is unique in design, but most of the terrain and architecture is very plain looking. There’s also tons of small, tiny errors in the terrain with the occasional prop that just looks out of place such as the giant rib cages that look like they’re made of plastic.

This does not look like weather-aged bone

Another thing about the visuals that ties in with gameplay is lighting. When it’s supposed to be dark, it is dark. Running out of light in a dungeon is not good situation to be in. While this sounds like an interesting mechanic, it really doesn’t work well when you are outside. If you’ve lived your life in the city, you really don’t realize how dark the great outdoors gets. As someone who does a significant amount of camping in his life trust me, this games gets moonless nights perfectly, which ultimately means you can’t see a darn thing. This makes outdoor navigation a massive pain, even if you have a lantern.

I did not doctor this screen shot at all

Audio is a bit of a mixed bag as the actual songs aren’t bad, and SFX are serviceable, but whatever system they are using for dynamic music is a bit wonky. I’ll be on my 17th trip back to town to sell off the two swords I looted and suddenly the music will swell into this epic score, usually spooking me a bit in the process. The voice acting is a bit off as well. It really does feel like they just went around the office and said “Hey, you’re not doing anything. Go get into the sound booth!” I really don’t think you’ll miss much by muting the sound and listening to your own stuff, but it won’t hurt the ears to leave their stuff on either.

Replayability

OK this might be a bit of a controversial view point, but I feel this game has very limited replayability. As I mentioned in the gameplay section, the vast majority of your adventuring effectiveness is in your gear. True, there is the choice of using magic or not, and which of the skill trees you wish to max out, but honestly you’ll probably have a favorite combat style that you’ll want to stick with. The only real reason to replay the game will be to experience all three faction story lines, since once you join a faction, you’re locked out of the others.

As I’ve already stated though, I don’t feel the main quest lines aren’t all that compelling. Certainly not enough for me to want to redo the game from the start. I really feel that whether or not you want to replay this game is going to hang on both how compelling you find the three factions vs how much the gameplay annoys you.

Pricepoint

So despite that fact that I just roasted Outward for a perceived lack of replayability, I still feel this game is a good buy. Assuming again, the mechanics sound like your cup of tea. Due to the pacing and the size of the world, this is going to take you a solid 30-40 hours to finish one of the main quest lines. It might take you a little less time for additional playthroughs, but not much so for a $40 game, that’s not bad at all. The devs give an estimate of 40-80 hours to fully experience the game, and I can see someone easily spending 60+ hours in this game if the mechanics happen to click with them. Toss in the fun you can have with a friend or random people on the internet, and Outward will really give you your money’s worth.

Final Thoughts

If I could give this game two scores I would. This game has a target audience and for them this is easily a 7.5, maybe even an eight. For the average gamer looking for a neat RPG experience to tide them over until Elder Scrolls 6 or Cyperpunk 2077 it would not even come close to that. Very slow pacing, unexplained mechanics, removal of modern systems, clunky combat, all of this adds up to an experience that the average gamer is probably not going to enjoy.

But if you are in that target group, those looking for an RPG that absolutely does not hold your hand and allows you to get hopelessly lost if you don’t pay attention, and will rip you a new one if you mess up, then this game is for you hands down. In the end though, I do need to choose a single score, and I’m going to go with the one I think will reflect the experience most people will have with this game.

If you enjoyed this review be sure to read more with our latest thoughts on action shinobi Sekiro Review: Shinobis Die Many Times. Or you can check out what we thought about CD Projekt Red’s upcoming sci-fi action RPG in Cyberpunk 2077 Preview: When Fallout Meets Blade Runner.

The post Outward Review – A Rough Adventure appeared first on Fextralife.

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neverwatchedonepiece · 6 years ago

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483-484: ‘Looking for the Answer! Fire Fist Ace Dies On the Battlefield!’ and ‘The Navy Headquarters Falls! Whitebeard's Unspeakable Wrath.’

...

Actually watched these on Friday but was too bummed about what had happened to post. Turns out one of the spoilers was real, after all. Joy of joys. One more to go and then all I’ll have floating around my head is that Sanji has a sister.

Annoyed at the spoiler-tastic title, though. Thanks, Toei, for ruining that in advance. I was also unwittingly spoiled by the latest Uniqlo/SJ 50 t-shirt drop (but didn’t know it at the time because I was clueless about the panel’s context).

Yes, I am delaying the inevitable...

Better get on with it.

R.I.P. Fire Fist Ace

I am sad and mad at the waste of life.

Ace had so much to live for, but he had no regrets, so from his perspective, it is okay. I mean, the old cliche is true, right? Death is easy for the dead. Those they leave behind have to deal with the fallout. And Luffy is... beyond distraught. Catatonic with despair, actually, to the point Jimbei had to step in or else he would have been fried by Akainu.

Picking up where 483 left off, despite the Big Damned Spoiler Title, I knew Ace was not in a good way. If that title hadn’t ruined it, I might have thought even then that Ace would make it through. If Whitebeard can fight on with a hole in his chest, why couldn’t Ace? And the Pirate Alliance had Emporio Ivankov on their side, right?

There were a few final twists and turns, a few flashes of drama, before the quiet, sad moment happened. Garp rushing down to Ace, Sengoku having to pin him to stop Garp killing Akainu (I wish he hadn’t. I still want that Garp Monkey D. Family Team to happen). The nightmare fuel scene when Akainu was shot point blank by bazooka fire and walked back through the flames like a zombie with parts missing. The moment when Jimbei stood between Ace and Akainu “You will not touch him again! I have been ready to die since the beginning!” with Akainu retorting, “Looks like I need to execute a traitor.” Marco breaking free courtesy of Mr 3, enabling Luffy to take Ace away...

Damn, I really didn’t think Oda would have the cajones to kill off Ace. The moment was done well, though, so at least there’s that. Weirdly, the scene reminded me of Mufasa’s death (from The Lion King). Just Luffy’s fragile, tentative questions, “Hey. Hey... are you alright?” mixed with the horror of realisation something was terribly wrong when he placed his hand on Ace’s back and it came back thick with blood.

But still, he could deny it then. Ace could be treated. Ace could be cured. Emporio Ivankov was on his side!

Unfortunately, the damage was irreparable. Ace’s organs had been completely burned away. The moment Ivankov had to break that news was horrible. I felt so bad for Luffy. He tried to bargain desperately: “You can’t die! You promised you would never die, no matter what!”

Knowing he didn’t have much time left, Ace took advantage of the quiet moment to have a last talk with his little brother. I liked how Toei froze the battle, cast everything and everyone but Ace and Luffy in greyscale, because for that moment, the only alive people in the world were two brothers.

“I wouldn't even have had a will to live if it weren't for Sabo and a high maintenance brother like you. If you see Dadan someday, say hello for me. When I face my own death, I even miss a woman like her. There is one thing that makes me wanna stay. That is my desire to see you fulfill your dream. But I'm sure that you can do it. Because you're my brother. Like we promised that day, I have no regrets in life. Something tells me that what I truly wanted was not fame. Did I deserve to be born? What I wanted was the answer to that question.

I can't raise my voice to let anyone hear anymore, Could you tell them what I'm about to say now? Old man, everyone, and you Luffy. Thank you... for loving someone like me: a good for nothing who has such bad blood in his veins... Thank you!”

Yeah, so at that point, I was just staring at the screen, watching Ace die and labouring under the same haze of denial as Luffy. It still wasn’t real. Then Ace’s eyes glazed over, the little flame inside him finally winked out and he slumped to the ground with a smile on his face. Even the vivre card burned to ashes.

Watching Luffy realise his brother was dead was worse than Ace’s last words. Eyes wide, he just stared at his blood-soaked hands and shook. “Ace...? Ace...?”

Then he screamed. The grief was too much and he shut down completely.

This is the second gut-wrenching loss Luffy has suffered in quick succession. As far as he’s concerned, he’s lost his crew. Now, he has lost his only brother. I wonder how this will affect Luffy going forward? I’m assuming Luffy will use Ace’s death to swear vengeance on the Marines and World Government. Take note, Marines: this is how you create a mighty enemy. Luffy does need to be stronger. But, damn, if that is not a harsh way to learn that lesson...

Oh, and I don’t ever want to see Jimbei sobbing again. That was too much on top of everything else. ;_;

Akainu Is Not A Good Person

He’s behind me, isn’t he?

That shot is honestly the only thing that cheered me up over these two episodes. I watched it three times and laughed like a drain every time.

Then it just got better because Oda let Whitebeard loose on Akainu and it was glorious! It’s as if Oda realised, “Yeah, the fans will be grieving and seething, let’s give them an outlet for their feelz.”

Akainu made another swipe at Luffy, but Marco stepped in. Unfortunately, Marco was wearing sandals. (Not the most effective footwear for facing off against Akainu. You’d need steel toe capped boots or special heat-entry PPE for that. Marco, you must update your look. Function over fashion. I know it will sting but it is for a good cause.) He couldn’t hold off Akainu completely. But someone who could rumbled up behind him.

Man... Whitebeard was mad. Beyond mad. “I will hammer you into the ground like a tent peg” mad. “I will punch you to pate” mad. I actually cheered when that first punch connected. The best part was when he grabbed Akainu by the collar, tossed him in the air and broke him with a devastating punch. I’ve never been happy to see someone bleed before. That was new.

But Akainu did get a hit in. Note to All Pirates: Do not let Akainu anywhere near your torso. Reblog to save a life!

It’s maybe too late for Whitebeard, though. I am not going to jump the gun again because Oda has subverted tropes before, but it seems like Whitebeard is intent on Marineford being his last stand. He split the battlefield so the Pirate Allies could escape, trapping himself on the other side with all the Marines.

It was also satisfying to see Marineford sinking into the sea along with Akainu! I may also have cheered at this and laughed: “YES! BYE, SAKAZUKI! SINK INTO THE OCEAN AND DROWN!” A measured response? Absolutely not. Do I think he will be saved? Hopefully not!

Then Teach appeared.

This is the first time I was not excited to see him and his crew. I thought, “Come on, mate. There’s a time and a place...”

But clearly, for Blackbeard, this is the perfect time and place.

Not Even In The Mood For Blackbeard

Teach has the chutzpah to turn up at Whitebeard’s last stand and advertise his new crew. I might be going off them. There are now ten Blackbeard pirates, so that’s my Individual Blackbeards vs Individual Strawhats theory up in smoke. (Unless Luffy recruits another crew member. Then it’s back on!)

So far, we have:

1. Blackbeard 2. Van Augr 3. Jacques Laffite 4. Jesus Burgess 5. Doc Q 6. San Juan Wolf 7. Catalina Devon 8. Shiryu of the Rain 9. Vasco Shot 10. Guy With Horns I Don’t Remember

Now it makes sense why Teach was sniffing about Impel Down. He was recruiting! Still don’t know what his game is, though. Why is he here now? What’s the point in having a chuckle at Whitebeard’s expense? Why advertise your new crew? I don’t think the Marines will be impressed that you took time off to recruit while there was a big battle going on.

I also have questions about San Juan Wolf.

How does San Juan Wolf fit on any ship? He is so massive he barely fits into shot and suffers from goddamned distance fade. Does he just trail after Teach’s ship like a massive, violent puppy? Where did they keep him in Impel Down? Would Ikea be interested in such space-defying dimensions?

I’ll have to stay tuned, I guess.

No, thank you, Ace. You’ve been great. ;_;

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blackenedinsomnia · 6 years ago

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The Runaway Circus

Hey, it’s me again. I’ve just finished this chapter for this Victorian/Mystical Kirimina AU. As always I've had a delight writing this I hope you all enjoy!

Most of my inspiration came from @skeletordraws picture: http://skeletordraws.tumblr.com/post/177491877978/its-timmmeeee-its-kirimina-appreciation-day

And some inspiration from my story that I’ve been writing as well.

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Waves crashed on the murky docks, orange lanterns illuminated the streets as the sun arose from the clouds. Kirishima laid there on his bed, the white creased sheets slung over his body. His head buried in his left pillow, saliva patches covering the other pillow. The wind howled and barrelled through the cracked and broken window, sending the thin curtains flapping frantically. His floor covered with bottles of rum and ale, whistled as wind skipped on the neck of the bottle.

A foghorn had blasted through the harbour, knocking over bottles; Kirishima leapt up out of his bed. His mind ringing and his senses rattling around like a broken toy. Falling out of his bed he slowly shuffled his way to his bathroom and clicked on the light.

Using the sink he hoisted himself onto his legs he took a thorough look at his groggy appearance. His white shirt he was wearing was drenched in grease, oil and vomit. His eyes were black rimmed and a five o’clock was ever present. “What the hell happened last night?” he whispered as the overhead light flickered on and off. “Well at least I have today off” he smiled with a hint of regret from the previous night.

With a change of clothing, he sat down on the chair; it creaking with his weight. He sat there as his clock chimed to the eighth hour of the morning, his teeth biting into the stale bread that was his breakfast with a hard crunch. He unravelled the newspaper and started to read the headlines. They ranged from a masked vigilant hanging people in the streets from the streetlamps, the latest football scores or even advertisements for a travelling circus.

His morning routine was interrupted by a knock on his apartment door. “Come in, the lock is already broken anyway” Kirishima yelled. The door slowly creaked open and a sluggish, rough looking man came walking inside. He had a black waistcoat and a white shirt on, with dark navy trousers and mucky Oxfords.

“So, you got home all right then?” TetsuTetsu exclaimed

“Of course, I did, I’ve been through worse” he chomped down on the last bit of his morning meal. “So, what brings you to my humble abode” he gestured his hands stretching out around his apartment.

“Well it’s your free day you up to anything?” he asked pulling the other chair out and slipping into it.

“You assumed I would be?” he chuckled, folding his paper up and slapping it on the table.

“Well I was thinking of going to the Circus later on?” he asked taking out a pocket knife and orange from his trouser pocket and started to peel it.

Kirishima sat there for a moment and rubbed his beard “It does seem to pique my interest, but I think I’ll need another thing….”

“They’ll have beer there!” TetsuTetsu squelched eating his orange slices.

“Okay I’m sold, when is the event taking place?” Kirishima grinned

“The Circus will be in town at seven at night and then the main event will be starting at ten.” TetsuTetsu lifted himself out of his chair. “So, you’ll have some time to kill my friend,” he said throwing Kirishima another orange out of his pocket. “I’ll meet you outside of the Circus’s entrance, don’t be late” he yelled walking toward Kirishima’s apartment door.

“See you there buddy!” he cheered back.

Time passed throughout the day, and the night was finally upon Kirishima; nine o’clock. He walked down the cobbled street in brown oxfords, almost as similar as TetsuTetsu. With that, he wore maroon tartan trousers with a white shirt accompanied with a red tie.

The centre of the street was buzzing with stores selling unique and exotic foods. Whale burger, frog legs, toffee apples, all the vendors were yelling for their time in the spotlight.

The echo’s of flutes, trumpets and drums came from the glowing orange brilliance of the Circus.

Kirishima got closer to the entrance of the venue and stood there in awe. Acrobats spun sparkling rings interchanging between their arms to their legs, to their heads to their hips. Muscular me stood on a podium flexing their muscles with pride, as flamboyant dances handed out alcohol and food to all the patrons in the venue.

“Well, well I thought I was going to be the one that was late!” TetsuTetsu yelled

“Thought I would surprise you” he laughed back, hugging his best friend.

“Now we have an hour to spare what do you want to do?” TetsuTetsu said pulling in his friend closer, moving closer into the mouth of the circus.

“How about a drink? Some food?” Kirishima asked pushing him away “Do you think we have time for both?” he smiled

“Maybe…” TetsuTetsu grinned. Half an hour had passed, and they were separated. Kirishima was lost in a crowd of colours and entertainers. His head was a little dazed from the drinks he had beforehand.

“You look lost mister, you need some help?” a female voice whispered in his ear. A scent of strawberries wafted passed him as the women spun around him, in an elegant and seductive dance. The woman had a veil covering her hair and her mouth. She was wearing dancers dress, ribbons were attached to her wrists and her waist; they seemed to move in unison with her dancing.

“Yeah I was looking for where the event is?” his eyes fixated on this woman.

“If you just keep walking straight, you’ll find the tent honey…” she stopped talking and dancing all together. “Oh, you like what you see mister?” she grabbed his tie and pulled him in closer to her “Say you don’t look too shabby yourself” Kirishima blushed almost redder than his hair. “Well you know where I will be…” she whispered

“Wait what’s your name?” he stuttered as she gently pushed him away.

“My name is the “Pink Succubus, I’ll see you at the show” she giggled blowing a pink cloud of smoke onto Kirishima’s face. He wafted away the smoke from his face, and she was gone.

“What a weird woman” he whispered under his breath walking toward the tent.

He clambered his way to the tent, people were funnelled in through the two spinning gates as workers handed out tickets. “Hey, Kirishima!” TetsuTetsu yelled, one hand in the air and the other a stein of beer; it’s head overflowing, spilling onto the ground.

“Ah, thank god…” he exhaled meeting up with his friend in the line, his cut in was met with drunken heckling and disgruntled looks. “I thought I would get lost here,” he said supporting his weight on his shoulder.

“Hey buddy you don’t look too great, booze not going down too well?” TetsuTetsu

“No TetsuTetsu, a woman with gorgeous pink skin and she smelled like strawberries and she was dressed like this dancer.” Kirishima stopped with TetsuTetsu putting his hand over his mouth.

“It’s the booze” he groaned.

They finally entered the red and white striped tent; the tension was rising as well as the excitement. Four rows of red leather chairs wrapped around the stadium. The arena’s ground was covered in sand and a red podium sat there illuminated in a spotlight, another span of light came from where the entertainers would enter the stage from. The two men sat down in their seats, trying to get comfy.

The light in the middle had dimmed and a voice boomed over the speakers attached to the support beams. “Ladies and Gentlemen, what you’re ‘bout to see will fill your mind with spectacle and wonder!” the man boomed; smoke filling the arena’s centre. “Prepare to feast your eyes on air defying acrobatics, wondrous creatures and daring devils! I welcome you!” a flash of light filled the centre blinding the audience as the smoke shot up into the air forming into a dragon-like shape.

The dragon hung from the roof of the tent, it’s talons gripping into the support beams, the wood cracking, splinters falling from it. An ear-piercing roar, its eyes and the open mouth glowed a malice red., shook the tent to its core. The dragon released its grip and crashed down into the floor a cascading wave of wind and dissipated away.

There stood a muscular man in a red jacket, under that was a cream waistcoat and white shirt. Black trousers and a black top hat also accompanied the outfit. He had jet black hair with a rugged face with a scraggly beard. He wore a devious smile which looked like an alligator’ and a black eyepatch covered his right eye.

“To your night of Hell!” he cackled fire erupting from the entrance. Dancers ran out onto the performance grounds and started to get into position. A marching band followed soon after playing an intense tune, firing up the crowd. Kirishima was fired up, he had never felt like this for years; a burning passion was awoken.

The performance had finished a couple of minutes, it felt like a flash and bang of pure ecstasy. Trapeze artists followed next, then fire breathers and then it happened. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope you have a wonderful time, I know I have” he chuckled, his grin still sharp as a knife.

“Here is a lil’ demon I found a while back that was just a paper on the streets.” Smoke started to slowly crawl its way towards the stage. “A sublime, delicious, supple young thang; that’ll leave you begging for more” a black silhouette emerged from the smoke. Kirishima’s eyes opened, and the woman waltzed out.

Her face was still covered by a black and red kabuki mask. Two horns extended from the mask and it had a devious grin; it is bearing its teeth. She wore a full black dress; red dancing shoes and red arm high gloves finished the dress. “I introduce to you, The Pink Succubus!” the ring leader yelled.

Her feet were dragging along the sand, her thighs moving side-to-side. Her body was like a well-oiled machine as she found her rhythm. She was a natural, like a bird taking flight she glided through the stage, kicking up sand with her toes; exaggerating her movements even more.

The smoke started to form into a stringy wisp-like creature and started to weave in and around her body adding to the performance. She came closer and closer to Kirishima’s side, still dumbfounded by her beauty.

Her tracks were halted by his flamboyant red hair. She paused for a moment, everything seemed to slow down. Her body now shrouded in smoke, she studied him; staring at her. She slightly removed her mask, her amber iris pierced him. Kirishima started to sweat, his gaze fixated on her visible eye.

His reaction making her chuckle, placing the mask back on her face the smoke enveloped her entirely. Smoke moved back into the middle and started to fill the room again. Kirishima frantically scanned the area for the woman, she couldn’t be seen.

The music started to pick-up and rise in intensity. Suddenly out of the smoke two big, beady, orange eyes with black slits for pupils; stared back at the crowd. A thunderous roar blew the smoke away, stood in the middle of the stage was a wondrous creature. A head of a lion, the wings of a bat and the tail of a scorpion. The pink girl sat on top of the creature stroking its mane.

“Hiya!” she yelled cracking the reigns on the creature, its wing spanned and flapped majestically; sending clouds of sand scattering everywhere around the stage. Kirishima covered his eyes as he watched the beast fly up into the air. They reached the top of the tent at their top of a loop. The girl let go of the rains and blew a kiss with both of her hands. Suddenly with a snap of her fingers, they dissipated into pink rose petals.

The crowd cheered and applauded, some even tried to grab the petals. Kirishima was still stunned, he looked at his trousers petals covered them as well as the floor. Brushing the petals off, he noticed a piece of purple card on his leg. He turned it over and read it. “Come and find me” signed off with a heart. Kirishima looked to his right and saw his friend snoozing in his chair.

“Man, even with all that noise he didn’t wake up, he must really like sleeping” Kirishima joked to himself. And with that, he got up his seat and went for the backstage area.

#Kirishima Eijirou #mina ashido #fanfic #au #victorian #mystical

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flakandforay · 6 years ago

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화양연화 HYYH The Notes: L version

Seokjin 30 August YEAR 22

She seemed flustered when she thought she lost her diary. Her favourite movie, her favourite place to go, her favorite flowers to even her dreams appear on every future page being turned. It was something that I had done for her. The words ‘Sorry’ didn’t come out easily. The red diary laid between us at the intersection.

I wanted to give her happiness. I wanted to make her laugh. I wanted to be someone she would like. I thought that if I followed the words in the diary, I would be that person. But that wasn’t the case. I became more scared when I became someone else. I really don’t want to be caught (for being me). I don’t want disappointment to follow afterwards. Desperately, I turned my head away to hide myself. But just as one cannot put a full stop to a sentence without subject, the me who could not improve himself and continued to wander in the same place.

Now, I know. The me who lacks, makes mistakes and fails is all part of me afterall. No matter how cruel or how merciless things are, by being true to myself would I, only be able to move forward. I stood up from my position and she didn’t try to grab me.

I walked out to the street and removed my hat. As I run my fingers through my hair, all the time spent trying to be someone else slipped through my fingers. I lifted my head and saw my reflection in the mirror. A frail face, pale lips and thin shoulders. I looked unkempt. I laughed. The me in the mirror laughed too.

25 June YEAR 19

A flower pot was by the window in the storage classroom, with its owner being unknown. Who among my dongsaengs would bring this flowerpot? I took out my handphone. The classroom was always dark since there wasn’t any electricity and with the vague light coming in through the dirty window, I could see the green leaves outside. The photo I took by my phone didn’t come out well. It wasn’t just because it was taken by a handphone. I always thought that photos cannot capture what can be seen by the eyes.

As I approached, I could see a ‘H’ underneath the flower pot. I lifted it up. The words ‘Hoseok’s flower pot’ appeared. I chuckled. Of course, no one else among the dongsaengs except for Hoseok who would bring a flower pot. I put the flower pot down so that only the ‘H’ would be visible. Until now, never once have I noticed but the windows were scribbled all over. Not just the windowsill, but the ceiling as well. “Pass or Die”.The names of crushes. dates, and numerous names that can’t be read.

This classroom wasn’t used for storage in the beginning. Students would every day go to class and then in the afternoons, they would empty them. It would have been empty during school vacations and then filled again once school started. Would there have been students like us who were late and received punishments and ended up missing class? Would there have been merciless violent teachers and endless tests and homework? Also, would there have been someone like me? Someone who told on their friends to the principal.

I wondered if my father’s name might have been among these. This place was also my father’s alma mater. My father was someone who believed that by attending the same higih school, the same college was a wat of preserving the family’s dignity. I scanned all the names and found my father’s one. It was in the middle of the left wall amongst several others. Underneath, a sentence was written. “Everything started from here.”

Yoongi 29 July YEAR 22

What was the reason that the melody kept coming to me after I lost the person who practiced with me and played the guitar? Laying buried on the couch, I stared at the piano that was a distance away. After being expelled from school, I threw away my mother’s piano key. It was the only thing that I had taken from the ruins of the burned building, it was half burned and I threw it out of the apartment window. I thought that would end it. I told myself again the promise that I would never touch a piano ever again.

Early in the morning, I took the stairs because I couldn’t wait for the elevator. I thought I had fallen asleep quickly but the sun was already rising. Suddenly, memories of last night came back to me. There was nothing in the flowerbed outside the window. The security guard told me that the garbage truck had come not too long ago. That was how I lost my mother’s piano key.

Even after that, I gave up on music countlessly. Now I won’t. I won’t come back, music is nothing, yet as I tried to run away, I knew. I knew that I would start music again, the same way as I stumbled down the stairs. Music was that kind of subject to me. In music, I was just as free as I was suffering, confused but also lucid, fear and confidence, hope and despair, as if I was living inside all those conflicting emotions.

Suddenly, I wanted to play the piano. Inside it, I wanted to meet me who only pretended to be strong, even though in reality, I was fearful and a coward. I wanted to pour out curses and sarcasm, give wounds and hit and destroy and pull and cry. And I didn’t want to run away. I wanted to complete the melody that was made by the guitar and piano. This time, it seemed like I could.

2 May YEAR 22

The sheet caught fire in an instant. Within the unbearable heat, everything lost its existence. I could no longer smell the sour smell of the mold, or feel the engulfing humidity, or see the dim light anymore. All that was left was my suffering. The physical suffering of the heat. The skin of my fingers is so hot that it blistered any moment. Only then did my father’s blank face and the sound of the music dispersed.

My father and I were very different. I couldn’t understand my father and my father couldn’t understand me. Even if I I put in effort, it won’t work out. All I could do was hide defy and run away from him. There are times in which it felt as though it wasn’t my father that I was breaking away from. Then fear in the face of a cliff came over me. Then what was I running away from? What did I have to do to be free? Everything felt impossible.

It seemed as though I could hear someone’s voice calling me, but I didn’t lift my head. Whether it was because of the heat or because of the pain, I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t have the strength to move. Yet, even so. I knew it was Jungkook. He would be angry. Maybe he would be sad for me. I just wanted to sink down. I wanted to end all the smoke and heat, the pain and fear, then Jungkook shouted something again but I couldn’t hear it. My vision dropped low. Finally, I raised my eyes. The last thing I could see of the world was the dirty, remote room, red flames, wavering smoke and Jungkook’s face.

Namjoon 20 July YEAR 22

I skimmed across the magazine advertisements and lifted my head. There were so many different faces of those who sat at the corner table the last few days across me. A thick book, large bag and a white paper cup alike but it still wasn’t her. Again, I went back to skimming the magazines. I had been looking at the same page for more than an hour. Because of the repetitive thoughts, my eyes couldn’t pick up the letters at all. I asked myself why am I sitting here. No answer came to me. Amongst those who were engrossed in something, I was lethargically looking through a magazine. I felt impatient for something to start. This isn’t how it is meant to be.

I returned the magazine and continued to walk across the bookshelves The books were in rows on bookshelves taller than I was. From the open window, a breeze blew, the smell of books wafting and the dust hovering. I thought about my high school years again. My friends and I, together, in that hideout classroom. At that time, it smelled the same. Had the ‘Current Me’ grow from the “Then Me’? I couldn’t be sure of it. Regardless, it could be that everything of me had stopped at that time since back then. I moved to the opposite bookshelf. I picked up a book I used to study back then. I had to start again. From everything I had given up, one at a time.

11 April YEAR 22

I finished with the gas and went in. But something brushed against my face and fell. Surprised, I took a step backwards to look at it. At the bottom of my feet was a crumpled bill. Out of reflex, I bent down to pick it up. The people in the car burst into laughter. I stopped for a moment. Seokjin Hyung was watching me from a distance. I couldn’t lift my head up. What do you do if you make eye contact with people who ride in expensive cars but put down and ridicule others? You have to face them. If you think what they’re doing is unjust, you have to face them. It’s not a matter of bravery, or pride or equality but it is something that needs to be done.

However, this was a gas station and I’m a part time-worker. If a customer threw trash, I had to clean it up. And if they cursed, I had to listen. And if they threw a bill on the floor, I had to pick it up. My body shook with humiliation. I clenched my fists. My fingernails dug into my skin.

At that moment, someone’s hand picked up the bill. The people in the car muttered and left as if the fun in it was gone. Even after they left, I couldn’t lift my head up. I lacked the confidence to look into Seokjin Hyung’s eyes. It wasn’t as though Hyung didn’t know about my cowardliness, my poverty and my circumstances. I didn’t want to show him this explicitly. Hyung stood at the end of my gaze and didn’t move. Neither did he approach me or did he speak.

Hoseok 13 August YEAR 22

Jimin and the kid was standing in the middle of the practice room. The 5-second wait after the beginning pose always seemed long. As soon as the music flowed from the speaker, the two of them started the first move. It was the choreography that I had practiced with the kid not too long ago. I sat on the floor of the room and monitored.

When I first found out that I couldn’t dance for the time being, because of my ankle, it had been really difficult. It was suffocating that I could only watch others dance. But as I helped Jimin practice and watched him grow, a realization dawned on me. The fact that I cant dance by myself wasn’t a big problem and that I could be happy by continuing with dance in other ways.

When I practice with Jimin, I didn’t let even the smallest mistake go by. Jimin sometimes subtly missed the timing or made movements that are smaller than what I expect. At those times, I stopped the music and scrutinized each move, one by one. But when I sat on the floor, as some kind o audience, and watched from here, Jimin’s dance looked different. I saw something bigger than just his small one-by-one movements. Things that I initially thought and dismissed of as mistakes when we practice together dawned on me differently. Such trivial mistakes and imperfections instead came together to give off a unique feeling. Of course, it would be different than mine, but Jimin had his own timing and own expressions. Jimin’s dance was bright and touches the heart just the way it was.

The music ended. Jimin’s dance ended as well. I saw that his face was shining with excitement and joy. The kid was standing next to him. The kid would be going overseas soon. Suddenly, we locked eyes. I gave a thumbs-up and the kid gave a big smile. It was strange. The kid didn’t look a thing like my mother. I can’t even remember my own mother’s face, so why did I think they looked similar? Suddenly, something in my heart ached. My to-be healed ankle twitched.

2 March YEAR 22

I liked being among people. When I left the orphanage, I worked part time at a fast food restaurant, having a knack of making others smile while I work. I liked that kind of work. Actually, in my life, there were very few reasons for me to laugh or to be cheerful. It’s clear that I’ve seen more bad people than the good ones. Maybe that’s the reason why I liked the job. If I smiled brightly, spoke loudly and reacted cheerfully, I could pretend, even to myself, that I felt that way, even if it was deliberately done by me. My mood improved when I laughed loudly, and when I treated people kindly, I became a kind person. Yet, there were hard days as well. After cleaning the store and going back home, even taking a step was difficult. There days filled with fussy customers too. But even so, it was easier to hold it in because of my friends back then, as compared to now.

Sometimes I thought of my friends when I look at the store packed with customers. Seokjin Hyung who transferred schools without saying anything, Namjoon, who disappeared one morning, Yoongi Hyung who was expelled and won’t pick up my calls, Taehyung, who knows, where or what kind of accident is he possibly in now, and Jimin, who never returned to school and the last time I saw him was at the emergency room. I had seen Jungkook wearing the school uniform a few times through the window, but he never visited the store. I wondered if all those times have passed by now.

Hearing the sound of a customer, I gave a loud greeting. I looked towards the door with a bright and healthy smile.

Jimin 28 July YEAR 22

Today, I am left alone in the practice room. It was past twelve and the trains would have stopped running. Actually, I was waiting for the trains to stop running. That way, I could be left completely alone in the practice room. When we practiced together, my eyes were only focused on the areas where I lacked. That’s why I was restless, I was afraid. Yet, no matter what, I wanted to do it. So I stayed by myself every night.

As my days were spent like this, interestingly, the fear in my heart disappeared. Only the truth of dancing being fun remained. For a long time, I believed that the small, weak and powerless me was real. When I danced, I ended up thinking of my weight of my body or the length of my arms, speed or strength that I could make. When I danced, I didn’t feel small or weak. My skills improved greatly as much as I have practiced. The movements that had been stuttering at first were now being connected. I have grown. Even if the growth was as a fingernail, but I was still growing. I became aware that I was in reality, a talkative person. I knew that. When I danced, I was able to speak whatever I couldn’t say or hadn’t said. When I started to dance, for the first tine, I started to like myself.

16 May YEAR 22

Hoseok Hyung’s house was actually quite high. A rooftop room of a deadlocked house at the end of a narrow, winding alley, some distance from a long street; that was Hyung’s house. When I entered the house, which was just one room, Hyung bragged that it was the top floor in the whole city; from which all the places that we have grown up from could be seen, laid down below our feet. Hyung said that there is so many things to see from this rooftop room. The nearby train station could be seen, and along the train tracks, the containers were also visible, Namjoon Hyung was living in one of those. If I look a little more, the school that we all attend would appear.

After finding the school, I lifted my head and looked at the other side of the city. At the foot of the mountain, there were some large apartment buildings. Right there, that’s my house, no, that’s my parent’s house. I didn’t tell anyone that I ran away from the hospital. If I did, they would have called my parents. Right now, maybe, I don’t know, they might be looking for me. I don’t have the confidence to see them face-to-face. Though I came out of the hospital, there is no way that I’m going home. Even as such, I have no desire to go back to the hospital. But I had nowhere to go and had no money. I stood hesitantly, before Hyung told me to follow him, leading the way, and how we arrived at this place – his house.

My eyes looked back to the apartment houses again. I didn’t want to meet my parents or go back to the hospital even though eventually I had to. I took a deep breath in. It seemed like a thought alone could cause a seizure. Truthfully, I didn’t trust myself enough to endure any other place other than the hospital. I could be rushed to the hospital again. I was so afraid, I couldn’t stand it.

Taehyung 11 August YEAR 22

As I turned around, I discovered some words underneath the ‘X’. It was a short sentence scratched onto the wall, saying ‘It wasn’t my fault.”. It was that kid. I didn’t see her, nor did I know her handwriting but somehow I knew. It looked her last greeting. Saying that her leaving wasn’t because of me. That the things that made her ‘fall’ was not because I was a bad person. It seemed like it was telling me not to blame myself or to be hung up on it, but instead to have courage.

When I finally got back to my senses, I was in front of my house. From the outside the door, I could hear Noona’s scream. I flung it open and entered. A familiar scene was laid out. I blocked my father. I grabbed his arm and look right at his face. Initially, he seemed to be shocked, but then he swing his fist. This is not the first time that I was knocked out. Noona’s crying became louder. My chin hurt. The smell of dusty metal came from my own mouth. Yet, I didn’t give up. I grabbed my father’s waist. He gave off an angry scream. He mercilessly hit my back and shoulders but all the more I held on to him even tighter.

It wasn’t that it didn’t hurt. It wasn’t that I wasn’t scared. But if I let go, the same daily cycle would repeat. I wanted it to be different. I wanted to change it.

No. I’m different from my father. I’m going to protect our family.

29 March YEAR 22

The gas station owner spat on the ground as he left. I laid down on the ground in the same position that I had crouched in. I was drawing at the back of the wall of the gas station, only to be caught by the owner, who beat me and angrily asked what I was doing, drawing on somebody else’s wall. I rolled around the floor. Getting hit was something that I was familiar and at the same time, unfamiliar with.

I started graffiti not too long ago. I took a spray can that someone threw away and started drawing on the wall. It was yellow colour. I sprayed it whatever I wanted and then looked up at it. I looked at the distinct yellow colour paint on the grey paint, then picked up another spray can. For a long time, I sprayed unknowingly on the wall. Only when the spray cans were all empty did my hands stop. I threw the can away and stepped back. My breath came as though I had been running with all my might.

I didn’t know what the colours on the wall meant. I didn’t know what I had done or why had I done it. But I had done it. I would assume that what I expressed were my feelings. I spewed out my heart onto the wall. Initially, I thought it was ugly. I thought it was something dirty. Something idiotic, useless and pitiful. I didn’t like it. I rubbed some of the wet paint with my hand. I wanted to erase it all. Yet, instead of erasing it, I ended up mixing and blending the colours and moulded different shapes. I sat against the wall. It wasn’t a matter of whether or not I liked it. It wasn’t a matter of whether it was beautiful or not. It was just me.

When I stood up, I coughed. I spat blood onto my hand. Then I saw someone’s hand picking up the spray can. I followed the hand up until I saw a face. I saw Namjoon Hyung’s face. I laughed. I thought I was seeing a ghost. Hyung reached out a hand. I simply looked up at him. Hyung took my hand and pulled me up. His hand was warm.

Jungkook 11 August YEAR 22

When I looked back, the hospital is really far away. I could no longer see the bench where I had left the wildflowers, neither could I see the window through wish I watched the river with the kid. As I reflected, that kid was a space for me to breathe in this stuffy hospital life. As we set on the hospital bench in the late afternoon talking about this and that, the sun had set. I told her about playing in the hideout classroom, going on a vacation to the beach and walking all the way up till the train station. She told me about all of the corners in the hospital , which window that you can see the river from, which staircase you could use to secretly climb up to the roof. There was nothing she didn’t know about the hospital.

Her hospital room was empty. Had she been discharged, or moved to another hospital? I asked the nurses. But none of them could tell me. For some reason, a corner of my heart felt empty. I turned around and just kept walking. From a distance, I could see the school. It seemed like most of the things I talked to her about was involved the Hyungs, and almost every single story started with them. To me, when I was alone, the Hyungs became my friends and family and teachers. My story was within their stories, and I only existed inside a relationship with them.

Yet, at some point, I started to think as such. That there may be a day where they would no longer be at my side. I might go looking for them to find out they’re gone, without any reason. Or maybe something even more could happen, I didn’t know.

I thought of that night. When the huge moon rose in the sky, the world turned upside-down, the headlamps I saw from an inverted view, the shape of the car that passed by me and eventually disappeared. The sound of the engine, which was familiar to me for some reason. I didn’t want to jump into conclusions. But even so, I just kept thinking of that moment.

11 April YEAR 22

I walked on the top of the railing of the roof top. The building had been abandoned while it was in the middle of its construction. When I stretched out one foot in the air, the darkness engulfed beneath me. The night city spread out hazily below the railings. Neon lights, honking horns and smoking dust swirled in the darkness. For a moment, I felt dizzy. I stretched out my arms to regain my balance. Then I thought. It was only one step. If I took one step, everything would end. I leaned my body more towards the darkness. The darkness that started at the bottom of my feet now came up to devour my body whole. When I closed my eyes, the dizzy city, sounds and fear all disappeared. I stopped breathing. Then, I leaned my body towards the darkness even more. I didn’t have any thoughts. No one came to my mind. I didn’t want to leave anything behind. I wouldn’t remember anything. This was just the end.

At this moment, my phone rang. My senses came back to me as though I woke up from a distant dream. My dulled senses returned immediately. I pulled out my phone. It was Yoongi Hyung.

trans by: maxine ☕️ do give credit if you’re using my translations 🌊

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