#posting this in honor of Logan’s sign of life
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teneleven12xiii · 4 months ago
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✨ A mood board to my new Pyramus and Thisbe inspired Loscar AU ✨
“I didn’t know his name, not for the first 2 years, before that, I had called him Pyramus and he called me Thisbe. It had meant to be a joke, I believe, an ironic thing because we were talking through the crack in the wall like the lovers of Babylon did. Then when we began to meet under a mulberry tree in Hyde Park I wonder if fate took our joke too seriously then.”
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party-lemon · 4 years ago
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This is gonna be another long post so...yeah. Do with that what you will.
A List of My Top Ten Favorite Movies (So Far) And Why (In No Particular Order)
#1: Juno
Released: December 5, 2007
Cast: Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, J.K. Simmons
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The rest of these aren't in order but this is my favorite movie. I've literally only watched it twice but I absolutely love it. It is so beautifully written, the cast is amazing. Every character is amazing and amazingly written. Juno is the perfect main character and is so likeable. And the soundtrack!? Perfection. Honestly, I just love everything about this movie. Literally everything.
#2: Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
Released: July 26, 2019
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Dakota Fanning
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I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, only because it took so long for it to get to the final scene. I don't want to call it boring, but for lack of a better word...it was boring. There were hints about what was going on throughout the entire movie and it builds and builds and builds and then we have this insane final scene. What's even better about it is that it's based on something that happened in real life, it just has two characters thrown in, making it never happen. It's such an interesting movie and waiting for it to sort of get to the point is worth it.
#3: Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Released: June 11, 1986
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Gray, Jeffrey Jones
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A classic. This movie is so quotable and so fun even though the concept is, really, pretty simple. Cameron is one of my favorite movie characters ever. I love Matthew Broderick. Sloane is gorgeous. It's just a really fun movie and one of my go to's for every mood.
#4: Signs
Released: July 29, 2002
Cast: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones
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This movie is so creepy, mostly because I believe that aliens exist so it isn't like a regular horror/thriller movie because I feel like this is so real. But this movie is so good. The cast, including the kids, is phenomenal. (Yes, unfortunately, even Mel Gibson.) It plays around with so many questions: are aliens real? What if they were? What if signs are real? What if there aren't signs, only coincidences? I'm a fan of M. Night Shyamalan and this is my favorite of his films.
#5: Stranger Than Fiction
Released: November 10, 2006
Cast: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman
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I literally bawl my eyes out every time I watch this. Oh my gosh. So let's start with the fact that this is a more serious role than Will Ferrell usually does, and I love when actors that often just star in comedies pull a, "Hey, I can do this, too!" Harold is such a compelling character, you're just rooting for him the whole time. Every character's interactions with each other are amazing. It's such a sweet story and I really love it a lot.
#6: This is Where I Leave You
Released: September 19, 2014
Cast: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Corey Stoll, Rose Byrne
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I just watched this recently and I instantly loved it. I talk about casts a lot but this one is absolutely star-studded and it works so well. It tackles the mourning process well and all of the character's interactions are great. I especially love Rose Byrne but I also just really like Rose Byrne in everything I've seen her in.
#7: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Released: December 25, 2013
Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Sean Penn, Adam Scott, Patton Oswalt
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I was obsessed with this movie in junior high! I watched it all the time and it still holds up. I love the whimsical fantasy it has to it from time to time and Walter's compelling search for the last photo. This movie is ridiculous sometimes and it knows it and it owns it.
#8: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Released: September 21, 2012
Cast: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Mae Whitman, Paul Rudd
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I read the book and, while the movie isn't completely accurate, it holds up better than most book to movie adaptations. I absolutely love Charlie. Don't get me wrong, Sam is great, Patrick is lovely, but Charlie is amazing, mostly because I relate to him so much in so many ways. The soundtrack to this movie is great, also, and the tunnel scenes are just *chef's kiss* Such a brilliant book and movie.
#9: The Truman Show
Released: June 5, 1998
Cast: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Natascha McElhone
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Another example of a comedian playing a more serious role. Throughout this whole movie, you're just waiting for Truman to find out the truth, for his life to change because the more you watch it, the more you come to love this character. Or, I guess, person. You want the best for him, you want him to break free from this literal cage. It's captivating and angering because this lovable character's entire life is a lie. It's such a brilliant film and I feel like it should get more attention.
#10: Alice in Wonderland
Released: March 5, 2010
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter
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Where do I start...this movie is so weird. Which is kind of the point and that's why I love it. The main character doesn't even know what's going on sometimes. Once you figure out what's going on, this movie is just really fun. Kind of. I don't know how to describe this movie, I really don't. But I just love it a lot. There's a dragon and castles and weird creatures and talking animals. Everyone does an excellent job, especially Johnny Depp. I would kill for the Mad Hatter. It's such a weird movie and I can't put my finger on why I love it so much, but I do. I also really like Tim Burton.
Honorable Mentions:
Jojo Rabbit
Crazy Stupid Love
Spider-Man: Homecoming
The Shawshank Redemption
Coraline
Again, if you made it this far, thanks for reading. And, again, 11/10 would recommend all of these, including the honorable mentions.
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earstwo · 5 years ago
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hi hun, hope you are doing ok. what do you love the most about our beautiful adam?
hi friend! i am doing pretty well, thank you for checking in. i hope you’re doing okay and staying safe/healthy, etc.
as for your ask - i need you to know that i’ve been thinking about how to answer this question since you asked it last night bc i am nothing if not overdramatic. much like with ‘what is your favorite adam look’, there’s no way i could ever narrow it down to just one. it’s physically impossible for me. 
as such, here are a few things i love most about adam driver. these are in no particular order and i will try to not gush…too much, but no promises:
- his sense of humor and the fact that he doesn’t take himself too seriously. you’d think that for how serious and intense he is in general that he’d be like, a stick in the mud when it comes to comedy but he’s just not. i love the fact that he’s hosted SNL 3 times and just gets more and more ridiculous each time. he’s effortlessly funny in a way that we all we wish we could be. 
- he’s very self-deprecating. he makes fun of himself constantly (”that’s a bad joke”, “i’ve derailed this interview and now i can’t remember your question”, “i would be jabba the hutt if i weren’t kylo ren”, etc), and he’s god AWFUL at taking compliments, even when he absolutely deserves them. it’s something that makes me want to bear hug him and tape little post-its on his mirror that say “you are the best human on the planet” so he stops ever thinking otherwise.
- i love how much he lights up when he’s comfortable in his environment. if you haven’t yet, watch the VICE mini documentary about AITAF and his interviews during the logan lucky press tour with channing tatum and you’ll see what i’m talking about. that adam is probably more who adam actually is IRL and it’s literally just…i don’t even know. he’s funny and giggly and silly and absolutely fucking magnetic in every way. it’s almost hard to watch.
- i’ve honestly never tried to put this into words before, so i might fail miserably, but here goes: adam is the kind of dude that i’d be into IRL (putting his looks aside here because duh) because he’s strong and smart and masculine in a way that’s never once felt toxic to me. i love when a guy is self-sufficient and independent. i love when people don’t talk just to talk. that’s something that i struggle with often and i admire so much about him because he thinks about what he says for a long time before he says it and is always thoughtful and considerate with the words he does choose, so they always carry so much more weight. it’s so fucking attractive to me it’s insane. 
- i think it’s so fucking amazing how he’s able to fully transform himself into whatever role he’s playing. he disappears as adam and becomes his character. a perfect example of this is adam sackler, who was my intro to him as an actor. i thought for so long that adam driver just was adam sackler because that was long before i ever watched any interviews/learned about him as a human being. his ability to fully immerse himself in whatever character he’s playing is so incredible that i genuinely can’t see where he stops and his character begins when he’s acting. it’s so goddamn impressive.*side note: i fucking love how dedicated he is to each character he plays, too. doing all his own stunts as ben, learning to drive a fucking bus as paterson, losing 50 lbs for silence. that boy never does anything half-assed and it’s so fucking admirable. 
- his work ethic. don’t judge me too much here, but sometimes when i’m feeling lazy about work or exercising or literally anything, i think about adam driver and how hard he works constantly and it motivates me to get my shit together. i will literally probably never meet this dude, but i still want to be the type of person he’d be friends with and therefore try to always work harder than anyone else in the room. lmao i’m such a mess
- i promise i didn’t intentionally save his looks for the end of this post, and i feel like that’s very telling of how wonderful i think he is as a human, BUT IN ANY CASE, he is obviously incredibly handsome. that goes without saying. people that say he’s ‘weird hot’ can take a long walk off a short bridge, because no. he’s just hot. not ‘unconventionally’ or ‘nontraditionally’ hot. JUST HOT. beautiful. gorgeous. rugged. dark and tall in every way that a heartthrob should be. i love his crooked teeth and his ears because they make him more human; if he didn’t have them it would honestly just be too much. he’s already like a fucking greek god walking among us, we need these little human imperfections (can we even call them that?) to remind us that he’s not actually adonis. i love his hair. i love his eyes and how he can convey 19389294 things with them in mere seconds. i love his stupid half-smiles and smirks. don’t even get me sTARTED ON THE WINKING. men winking in general is something that sends me - watching adam do it had me on the fucking floor gasping for air and wondering when death was going to finally take me. 
- HONORABLE MENTIONS: *he always signs autographs or makes time to go talk to fans*he always turns conversations regarding his talent around so that someone else is receiving the praise instead of him (see: him complimenting noah baumbach’s marriage story script) *the thing with ben affleck’s son and how good he is with kids in general. christ on a cracker, as if i needed more reasons to be obsessed with him*dogs love him too and that’s just not a thing we should take lightly*the fact that he’s not on social media at all and actually hates it*HIS VOICE. JESUS FUCK. HOW COULD I FORGET THAT VOICE??phew, okay - 
i’m not gonna sit here and act like you asked for this, because you didn’t. you asked for me to tell you what i love most and i’ve written you an essay about ALL THE THINGS i love. and i also hope you know that i really did have to pull back here and stop myself from piling more things onto this.
TLDR: adam driver is a devastatingly talented, humble, intelligent, gorgeous, and kind dude. he’s everything that i think a ‘celebrity’ should be and even though i know he doesn’t really care about this kind of stuff, i hope he knows how inspiring he is in so many ways. he’s gotten me to write and create again by simply being my muse and he’s gotten me to be more thoughtful and intentional with my words and actions because of the level of commitment that he gives to everything in his life. i don’t actually know if you can love someone you’ve never met or spoken to, but if you can, i love him. a lot. 
also, i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: i miss him and hope he’s doing okay. knowing what i know about him, he’s probably enjoying the time he’s got to sleep and spend with his family but also probably itching to go back to work. whatever the situation may be, as long as that boi is safe and healthy, i’m gucci. 
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ambersky0319 · 5 years ago
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Love procrastinating on my work due tomorrow to do things like this-
This is what, the third post I've done in this style? Should i start tagging them as something specifically cause I don't intend to stop? Also sudden love for Roman ships just appeared-
Roceit
Dee plays Stardew Valley whenever he feels really tense; Roman hates that he gets less attention but always ends up enjoying watching Dee play
Serenade one another all the time
Have this game thing where one of them is doing something, could be out in public or when they're just alone, one of them starts off either playing a tune they both know or singing a duet. The other HAS to sing/join in otherwise they go with no kisses or cuddles for the entire week
One time Dee and Logan were happily debating a topic and Roman just comes up and starts singing "Love Is an Open Door" and Dee really really wanted to not join in but he also really really wanted cuddles that night
Logan constantly brings it up but shhhhh
Pat and Virge don't really know the two are together yet, or that Remus and Logan are QPP so they all keep on the down low
Roman loves bringing Dee to the Imagination for the night and just letting their minds run wild
He stops telling lies bc lies physically hurt Dee and he really really doesn't wanna hurt him. So he worked on it and while the occasional lie slips through its not so bad that Dee feels pain
Guess who proposes?
Deceit
Cause while Roman loves all things romance this boy is insecure as fuck and was so unsure if Dee was ready despite them having dozens of conversations about marriage in the past
Dee was tired of waiting around for Roman to ask too
Roman absolutely cries the entire night while holding Dee, a bright smile on his face
Dee cries the first time Roman says he loves him, because he just couldn't fathom that Roman actually loved him
Roman cried the first time Dee said he loved him because he knew how much the words meant to Dee, and he felt so honored
They both be sensitive boys yknow let them cuddle and cry happy tears dammit
Remus is Roman's best man(Dee and Roman argued who was gonna ask Remus to be their best man bc brother and best friend of them both and Dee lost) and bc of that Logan got to be Dee's best man(not that Dee's complaining, he absolutely loves Logan platonically)
Virgil and Patton are also invited, cause at this point they can't do much to stop them
They're wary at first but at the wedding as both sides say their vows Pat and Virge come around when they see how much Dee and Ro love each other
In a human au they have a pretty big family, turns out Dee is great with kids and Roman adores how creative they are so they adopt a group 6 of siblings, plus a set of twins a bit after that
Roman grows his hair out and Dee loves it, and Roman lets him braid his hair
Dee is surprisingly very strong but also fairly short, so at first when Roman teased Dee about his height Roman ended up having a gay panic as Deceit just easily lifted him
Romile/Princani
Roman asks Emile whenever he sees Em in an extremely cheery mood/looking as if he's about to combust if Em has watched any new shows
Emile loves this because Roman just sits and listens with this fond smile as Emile rambles about a new series he discovered
They were high school sweethearts that met sophomore year and got together as juniors; however their senior year they did break up for a few months
It was at a low point in both their lives and they realized trying to maintain a relationship really really wasn't working. They stayed friends and after they both got through some stuff tried again
People thought they were a couple long before they actually started dating
Roman liked wearing dresses or skirts cause they were definitely cute and if anyone ever wanted to give him a hard time they had to go through Emile
No one ever wanted to fight Emile either cause Emile knew exactly how to hurt people, both physically and mentally, and he hit them hard
Roman always enjoyed seeing Emile just verbally destroy someone that tried to make fun of Roman(calling him some slurs that I personally don't wanna include)
After high school they rented an apartment together cause they were going to the same university- Emily majoring in psychology and Roman in history(as well as trying to get a degree to become a teacher)
They had three times a month days where they'd just avoid each other and do whatever; it gives them some space and some interesting stories to share the next day
They also go out for dates twice a month, even if it's just going to the park for a picnic or something
While Roman uses standard sweet pet names Emile uses ones from movies/shows he and Roman like to watch
Roman calls his students(he teaches at a middle school) his kids, and the kids love getting Roman to ramble about his boyfriend- an easy task
They help Roman propose to Emile actually on an end of the year field trip to the park
Emile had agreed to be a chaperone and the kids had made signs and everything and y e a h Emile said yes of course
Now they get Roman to ramble about his husband, and they absolutely love hearing about Emile. After the wedding Roman talks more and more about Em with his hands, too
Emile's patients also notice that Emile has an extra bounce to him when they seem him next and do notice the rings(they don't ask about it cause Emile has stated he doesn't wish to tell them about his personal life but almost each patient congratulated him)
They adopt two children and when they're both around their sixties Roman and Emile retire, buying a house in the countryside
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fearsmagazine · 4 years ago
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EXODUS - Review
DISTRIBUTOR: Gravitas Ventures
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SYNOPSIS: The rapture has happened. Now in a post-rapture world Connor is an enforcer who prevents defections from the struggling populace. He discovers a VHS-tape that proves the existence of a portal that some claim leads to paradise. A chance encounter with a captured AWOL citizen inspires him to reconsider his allegiance to the town. Leaving behind his sick brother, he chooses to defect from his decaying hometown and its authoritarian regime to chase his visions of the door. Relying on a tracker, his prophetic dreams, and his gut, Connor makes it into the lawless countryside before being captured by his hometown's best hunter, The Superior. However, rather than return him to the town she has her own plans to get to the door. Connor forges a shaky allegiance with The Superior, agreeing to guide her to the Portal if she'll let him live. Always sleeping with one eye open, they embark on the  road to the door, honoring their partnership as long as the other remains useful.
REVIEW: In some respects EXODUS is a much better and more satisfying narrative about what might happen after the rapture as opposed to the HBO series “The Leftovers.” For those of you not in the know, the rapture (aka judgement day) is a biblical event where all those deemed worthy by a spiritual entity (god or his angles) will be taken to paradise or up to heaven. The details vary depending on who you ask and their religious affiliation. EXODUS tells the story of those felt behind.
Director Logan Stone and screenwriter Andrew Arcos do an exceptional job of crafting this spiritual journey of this character who is left in this dire situation and then set upon by all these different elements that make him question his life and beliefs. He journeys through this post-rapture landscape that looks like the dystopian worlds created by filmmaker Terry Gilliam, but lacking any semblance of comedy. It’s an interesting and complex character arch. Connor begins in a place where it is technology that starts him and guides him on his journey, but ultimately he must rely on visions and signs. Along the way he meets other searches, and the view begins to question not only if they are being honest about what is guiding them, but is Connor being honest with himself. What is driving Connor and what does the door truly represent to him. It’s interesting how his interest and curiosity when he was in the town becomes an obsession driving him to the point of madness when in the wasteland. The filmmakers offer no easy answers or a simple conclusion. And with some many visual and narrative metaphors in this thought provoking narrative it will absolutely ignite conversations long after viewing.
In addition to the plot and visual stylings, some of which seem reminiscent of director George Miller’s work, what makes EXODUS such a compelling experience is the talent cast. These are such rich and complex characters. As Connor encounters them the filmmakers dwell on each long enough so that they contribute to the overall fabric of the story and influence his journey. Each of them is on their own spiritual journey and we can sense their pain and desperation. The growing jewel in this cast is Jimi Stanton. He presents this multifaceted character of Connor and the emotional roller-coaster ride he takes. There are moments when we witness his pain and frustration where we want to look away, but are fixated by his humanity coming from such a dark place. It truly is an amazing performance.
When we think about all the horrors that organized have done and the potential of what they can still do, EXODUS is a perfect example of how the power of belief can drive an individual to madness. The viewer is told nothing more than the rapture occurred, no details. We are presented with the bleak consequences of that event and that people are still trying to survive.  Much like Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” it is the tale of others, the video tape, that ignites the spark. It is a cautionary tale that needs to be passed on, to be told, and leaving the viewer questioning and horrified in its wake.
CAST: Jimi Stanton, Janelle Snow, Charles Andrew Gardner, Keith Jardine, James McKinney, Hannah Kloepfer, Zachary Gossett, Dan Gonón, Grace Barnes, David Leonard, and Jilanne Marie Klaus. CREW: Director - Logan Stone; Screenplay - Logan Stone & Andrew Arcos; Producers - Hannah Kloepfer, James McKinney, & Lawrence Pinto; Cinematographer - AJ Young; Score - Adam Robl & Shawn Sutta; Editor - Logan Stone; Production Designer - James McKinney; Visual Effects - Tim Van Niekerk. OFFICIAL: N.A. FACEBOOK : N.A. TWITTER:.N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/hu2GerW0vlU` RELEASE DATE: VOD on March 19th, 2021
**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay),  or 👎 (Dislike)
Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri
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mycatshuman · 5 years ago
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I Put A Spell On You
Chapter 1 Come Little Children
Pairings: Prinxiety, (I'm sorry, but Prinxiety is my jam, logicality, and Remile.)
Word count: 2,224
Warnings: mentions of fire, hanging, people being turned into cats, sickness, witches, please let me know if I missed any.
Masterlist
I Put A Spell On You Masterlist | Next
So....its been a while since I've posted any new writing....that would be Because I've been working on this and procrastinating. Sorry about that.
Thank you so very much to @civilsounds17 and @icequeenoriginal for being such amazing people, im gonna cry. You to are freaking angels! 💚💜💚💜💚💜💚
🎃👻🎃👻🎃👻🎃👻
Once upon a time…… in an old land filled with threats from the natives whose land was stolen from them and the fear of wicked humans whose souls were sold to the devil for power, a young man awoke to nothing. Well, he hadn't really awoken to nothing, but nothing had caused him to awaken. The young man looked around to find his brother's bed empty. "Binx?" He called out before climbing out of bed. "Binx!" He yelled out again, however his shout was drowned out by the soft lull of a musical voice wafting through the air.
"Come, little children, I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment…"
The young man felt his eyes blow wide as he scrambled outside and called out again, his heart thundered in his chest. "Binx!"
"Come, little children, the times come to play…." The enchanting voice continued as it began to grow fainter with distance.
The young man frantically looked around and saw no sign of his brother. As his gaze wandered toward the sky, he noticed a billowing purple smoke spilling over the top of the trees from somewhere in the woods across the field. "They conjure!" He exclaimed and rushed off to call out for help before rushing into the forest. The man managed to tumble down every hill leading down to the witches' cottage before landing at the bottom of the steps leading to the front door. He shook off the pain before wading through the creek to catch a glimpse into the witch's home.
Inside the cottage, a young, sickly child sat carefully in a chair as three young men went about their business. One of the men had light blonde hair that sat atop his head in joyful curls. He wore a long dress dyed with midnight blues and blacks that seemed to shimmer as he moved from a cauldron to a stand on which sat a thick leather-bound book. He had black-framed glasses that sat firmly atop his sharp nose as he peered down at whatever foul spells lay written on the page. Another of the witches stood off to the side, gathering ingredients for their potion. He too, wore a dress, although his design was certainly different from his brother's. It's colors consisted of blacks and whites and greys. His fiery red hair made up for the lack of color in his clothes. He also had glasses, although the lenses were darkened to the point where one could not see the eyes behind them. The last witch was an ethereal beauty. He had straight hair of pitch black that fell over his stormy eyes. His pale skin was as white as snow and his dress was made of midnight blacks and purples swirled throughout the design of the dress. He stood in the back by the young child.
The young man peeking in the window knew of these witches all too well. Everyone in Salem knew of them, but they could never get any proof. But now the Sanderson Brothers would finally meet the noose.
The young man slipped in the dirt and all the witches inside turned to look at the window before one of them, the oldest, moved to the window to look outside. The young man hid against the side of the house as he waited for the witch to turn back inside.
The witch in the window, the one dressed in lots of purples, grimaced at the sunlight. "Oh, look. Another glorious morning." He paused. "Makes me sick!" He spat before closing the shutters and turning back inside.
The young man quickly found a way in through a small window in the loft and crawled to the edge to watch the witches again, searching for the right time to grab his brother and run. The young man grimaced as he heard a cough rack through his brother's body.
"Virgil!"
The witch in purple turned to his brother in blues.
"Yes, Logan?"
"We must finish the potion so that we may help our guest of honor."
Virgil nodded and he joined his brothers as they read through the ingredients.
"Remy!"
The witch in dark blacks and whites jolted. "What?" He asked, clearly cranky.
Logan raised an eyebrow and shot a pointed look down at the spellbook atop the pedestal he stood in front of. Remy rolled his eyes and gilded over as it seemed he was somehow too mystical to walk. "I seem to notice that Virgil isn't helping," he comments as he leans over to cast a small glance at the book.
Virgil hissed. "I helped the child here."
Logan rolled his eyes. "Stop it. Leave Virgil alone, Remy, he hath done his chore." Remy huffed.
"It's not like I won't help anymore," Virgil muttered.
Logan turned back to the book. It was old. Frayed around the edges. He pulled open the cover and flipped through the pages until he came to the page he was looking for. "Here it is," adjusting his glasses as he read out from the book. "'Bring to a full rolling bubble. Then add two drops of oil of boil," Remy sighs and turns to add the ingredient to the cauldron.
"Add a dash of fox and one dead man's toe." Logan contemplated for a few moments. "Make it a fresh one."
"Dead man's toe! Dead man's toe!" Virgil sang as he danced around the cottage in an attempt to both annoy his brothers and hopefully get a small laugh out of Binx. The hidden teen frowned slightly as he heard his brother let out a joyful giggle. The sound brought a small smile to the witches' faces.
Remy carried a bowl of toes over to the cauldron and sniffed one before dropping it in. "Fresh one." Then he turns and tosses one at Virgil who lets out a muffled shriek. Binx giggles but gets cut off by coughs wracking his thin body. All witches and young men hiding in lofts freeze and grimace as the sound makes their hearts twist painfully.
Logan cleared his throat and went back to the book, this time, muttering to himself. "Newt saliva."
Remy frowned as a smell hit his nose. He turned to Logan. "I smell a child."
Logan frowned and turned to his brother. "And what doest thou call that?!" He exclaimed.
Remy frowned. "A child, but-"
Logan shook his head. "No buts', we must finish this." He turned back to the cauldron. "'Tis ready for tasting," Logan said as he dipped a spoon into the potion. He turned quickly to face Binx, his brothers coming up behind him to watch. "Alright, child, open your mouth."
The young man in the loft shot up. "No!" He cried out, fearing for his brother's life.
The three witches jumped and looked up in surprise to find the young teen in their home. "A boy!" Virgil exclaimed.
Logan groaned. "Get him!"
Remy and Virgil shared a wicked glance. "I knew I smelled a boy!" Remy cried out as he tried to grab him. But the young man managed to reach the cauldron and spilled the potion.
"The potion!" Logan shrieked.
"Binx!" The young man tries to reach his brother but Logan blasts him with electricity and he drops. "Do you-"
Virgil taps Logan's shoulder, interrupting him. "Logan, look." Logan follows Virgil's finger as it points at Binx a glowing aura surrounding him. "He drank the potion," Virgil whispers.
Logan grins. "Okay, brothers, prepare thyselves. 'Tis time we prove once and for all magic can be used for good." The three witches surround the young child and sucked the disease from Binx's aura before blowing it out to dissolve and burn away.
The young man watches as his younger brother hops up from his chair and runs over to him with a wide smile. "John! I don't feel icky anymore!"
John blinks and lifts his hand to find his brother's skin no longer clammy with illness. "'Tis unbelievable!" He exclaims. He turns to the witches with wide eyes. "I can't thank you enough for saving my brother!" The three witches smile slightly.
"We simply wished to help. Binx is the only of all the children of Salem to actually be kind to us."
John suddenly felt extremely guilty. "I'm so sorry." His eyes widened. "Oh no! The town! They're coming! And they're bringing the rope!"
The witches suddenly became frantic. "This is the first time we tried that potion! We don't know how long it'll last!" Virgil cried.
Remy frowned.
John felt guilt twist in his gut. It was his fault these kind witches would be killed. "I-" he cleared his throat, the witches spinning around to look at him. "I'm sorry. If there is anything you can do to promise my brother a long life, please, do it." The witches shared a glance.
"As a cat?"
John blinked. "Uh, I guess?"
The witches squared their shoulders. "Twist the bones and bend the back," Logan started.
"Itch-it-a-cop-it-a, Mel-a-ka-mys-tic-a," Remy and Virgil sang.
"Trim them of their baby fat."
"Itch-it-a-cop-it-a, Mel-a-ka-mys-tic-a."
"Give them fur black as black. Just.."
"Like.."
"This."
The three witches held their hands over the two brothers who began to shrink down into two black cats. Virgil leans forward and pets them. "This way you two can spend as many years as you can together. You clearly love each other very much. It would be a shame to break you two apart."
The witches jump as a sudden pound at the front door startled them. The town's people have arrived. The three brothers rush forward to hold the door. Logan whispers something to the cats. "My brothers and I will act as if we truly are evil witches. We are going to act as if we sucked the life out of you two. I'm sorry. But it's all part of my plan." He sent a small shaky smile. "We will see each other again."
"Open! Witches! Sons of Darkness!! Open this door!"
"Witches?" Remy calls through the door. "There be no witches here, sir."
Virgil's shared a look with his brothers to confirm what he is about to do. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He was not ready to die. He was young. They all were. But the rumors spread and they poisoned the minds of everyone around them.
"We're just three brothers spending a quiet evening at home!" Logan shouts.
"Sucking the lives out of little children!" Virgil cries out, his heart withering inside his chest.
🎃👻🎃👻
Virgil, Logan, and Remy stood atop three barrels, itchy rope pulling at their necks. Nooses. They were going to be hanged. In front of them stood the mob of angry townspeople, one of which holding the brothers' spellbook. "Logan Sanderson?" A man from the angry mob called out. This was the father of the two boys turned cats who sat a little bit away on a rock, watching with heavy hearts.
"Yes?" Logan asked, his black and blue dress dangling over the edges of his barrel.
"I will ask thee one final time."
Logan merely raised an eyebrow.
"What hast thou done with my sons, John and Thackary?"
"John and Thackary?" Logan asked, feigning ignorance and wickedness.
"Answer me!" The father shouts as he holds his wife close. "Well, you see, I don't know. Cats got my tongue." Logan forces a laugh along with his brothers both at his feigned malevolence and the pun.
Virgil twisted his neck. "This is terribly uncomfortable."
"Brothers," Logan starts. "Sing."
The three witches stood still and opened their mouths and let out a simple note. "Ahhh."
The mob of angry villagers shuffled with fear. The father of the boys turned cat shouted out to the crowd, almost as if he was their leader. "Cover your ears! Listen to them not!" All around the people covered their ears. The man holding the spellbook threw the book down to cover his ears. The book landed at Logan's feet and flipped open to reveal a spell to him.
Logan sighed. Time to play the part some more. "Fools! All of you! My-" Logan forced himself not to choke. "Ungodly book speaks to you." Fear spilled through the crowd of townspeople, seeping into their hearts, unaware of just how misplaced their fear was. "On All Hallow's Eve when the moon is round, a virgin shall summon us from under the ground. Ohhh! We shall be back! And the lives of all the children shall be mine!" Logan cried out.
The three brothers felt fear stab at their hearts. They were moments away from death. And they had to be deceitful in their final moments. They all forced themselves to continue to look forward as they sent each other one final "goodbye" and "I love you" through their mental connection.
The signal was given and the barrels beneath the brothers were kicked out from under them. Virgil's heart leaped into his throat as he struggled to breathe. The two Binx brothers tried to distract themselves from the three brothers by rubbing against their father's leg as one final goodbye.
Mr. Binx shot a disgusted glance down at them. "Away! Away beast!"
The two brothers turned cats let out a mournful meow.
🎃👻🎃👻
"Poor Thackary and John Binx. Neither their mother or father nor anyone else ever knew what became of them, those 300 years ago."
🎃👻🎃👻🎃👻🎃👻
Let me know what you think?
Taglist: @spxced-oxt @superwholocked-for-life @mirror2thespirit @aroundofapplesauce @lyditist
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trashpanda-remus · 5 years ago
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Love and War: Chapter One
Abusive Boyfriend AU inspired by @do-you-promise !! I reccomend checing out zeir blog/content I love it so much!
Warnings: All sides sympathetic! Domestic abuse! Violence and potential (very mild) gore in future chapters!
Description : Everything started out perfect with Wayde, in the comfort of Thomas' head, Roman wrote sonnets, Patton gushed, even Virgil calmed and smiled. Wayde made them happy, made life better. At the start.
So nobody, including and especially Thomas, had any clue as to what to do when it started to crumble. When it began to hurt.
The first sign that something had been off was Deceit. Not his presences, but their frequency and his amount of contribution. Even odder, how often even Patton agreed with him.
There had been a collective epiphany the night Thomas woke up at 8 p.m. on Joan's couch after a particularly draining writing session.
It wasn't that Wayde particularly disliked Joan, he had told this to Thomas this seceral times, he just had some jealousy problems add he promised he'd get better. Especially after he suggested Thomas work less and Joan ripped him a new one.
Virgil immediately appeared. Neither him nor Thomas could breathe. Wayde had gotten really mad last time Thomas spent so much time at Joan and Talyn's, what if this time he leaves him. Oh, God if he finds out...
Deceit's theme was surprisingly comforting.
"There's always the option to... not tell him." Deceit's voice lacked its typical confidence, Thomas' stress getting to him as well.
"But if he finds out that Thomas lied -" Virgil cut himself off, shaking his head. "Game over for sure."
Logan rolled his eyes. "There is no reason to fear reaction from Wayde," Logic himself reasoned. "Though he has a history of... eccentricity, he wouldn't end his relationship with Thomas over something so trivial as where he is for a few extra hours?"
"But what if he does?!" Roman sighed. "You know he's in a rocky place right now, what if this is the final straw?!"
"Well, judging by the last four 'final straws', as you put it, he and Thomas would resume their relationship within three weeks at most."
"But that's three whole weeks alone, Logan!" Patton's voice sounded heartbroken. The recent bumps in the relationship had been getting to him, especially as of late."Thomas loves Wayde, and he loves Thomas!"
The room went quiet especially at Morality"s next statement.
"Maybe it'd be... better if he didn't know," when the group gasped, he continued to justify. "I mean he will know that Thomas was at Joan's house, but how long he was there?"
It was hard to hear Patton say that. Logan chimed in.
"You do realize that this constitutes as a lie of omission, correct?" Patton nodded.
"Well, Logan, sometimes it's different with boyfriends," Patton chirped. "We don't want Wayde to be angry with Joan and Thomas to get hurt!"
"Why would Wayde hurt Thomas?" Logan was getting annoyed. "He has never been shown to be physical with Thomas before, nor made any indication he would. "
"He means leave, Logan!" Virgil was almost slipping into Temptest Tongue. "If Wayde finds out, he may leave! He's left for smaller..."
Deceit clapped his hands. "So, we've decided! What shall Thomas tell him?"
"He was at the store?" Roman suggested, they all shook their heads. "Thomas can grab a quick lunch and tell Wayde that he went out with a group!"
That was good for everyone. Wayde was strict, but he tended to be okay when Thomas was with a group.
"Why are you so worried about this?" Logan was still confused. "Wayde isn't Thomas' parent, Thomas is a grown man!"
He went unheard as the group decided.
💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤
And then he kept showing up.
"We can't let him tell Joan the truth!" Roman defended. "You know how they reacted when he tried to keep Thomas from posting as often, if they knew that it was Wayde's idea they'd never just let Thomas skip!"
"And we don't want Joan interfering again, last time they did, Wayde didn't talk to Thomas for a week!" Virgil's eyeshadow had been darkening more and more. Logan was growing concerned.
"Does Thomas even want to miss the convention?" Deceit asked, confused as to where he stood. What to preserve, Thomas' relationship or his career?
"He wants to make Wayde happy and secure!" Patton said, his voice peppy on a way that had to be fake. "Sometimes you need to make sacrifices in a relationship!"
"But Thomas' fans are not a part of this relationship, and he promised them he would attend," Logan spoke up despite the fact he was being listened to less and less.
"Of course I want to keep my fans happy!" Thomas defended himself, though his face fell. "But... Wayde isn't in a good place right now, what if he does something bad while I'm gone?"
"You are not Wayde's guardian, Thomas," Logan sighed. "Though it is honorable to want to keep him happy, Wayde is a grown man in charge of his own actions. You can think about you sometimes."
Thomas nodded, looking conflicted, Virgil spoke up. "But what if he leaves while you're away? What if that's all the time needed for him to realize that he doesn't want you anymore?"
"Then he doesn't deserve Thomas in the first place!" Logan declared but he was talked over once again by Roman.
"We can't be alone again, Logan!"
The room paused. Deceit had barely said a word and yet in moments Thomas was picking up his phone, telling Joan that he couldn't make it to the panel today.
Sorry, Wayde is sick :/ -TS
Joan's concerned replies churned Logan's stomach, even worse when he saw Patton was relieved.
Something was wrong.
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magicallygrimmwiccan · 6 years ago
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Only Time
Summary: They used to spend almost every moment of their lives together. Everything changes once high school hits, and Roman begins to realize that his actions have consequences. 
Notes: This is my half of an art/writing trade with the wonderful Wren (@dailypattondoodle or @moonfang03), who wanted some twin Logince with angst and a fluffy resolution. Welp, hope you enjoy this :)  This is going to be posted in a couple different chapters, purely for the sake of my editor and formatting on Tumblr. Hope you enjoy, Wren! 
Logan and Roman Everhart had always been non-normal children. They were an adopted set of identical twins, something very unheard of by most. Their adopted fathers were always quick to defend the legitimacy of their claim to parenthood, however, with Roman and Logan none the wiser. The twins also never quite seemed to act their age. Roman began to recite Shakespearean sonnets at 8 without being in an acting company. Logan was reading high-school level chemistry textbooks at age 10 and actually understanding them. Roman was fluent in at least 3 languages including English by the age of 11, and Logan could translate texts in at least 5 by the same age. Their fathers were extremely proud of their children (although baffled over how they learned these things that quickly) and encouraged their interests as individuals.
At the same time, however, both were still just average children. Roman enjoyed going to movies and playing outside and doing sports while also joining a Shakespeare youth company and a choir outside of school. Logan found a STEM group outside of school and joined that while also enjoying reading in his spot on the windowsill in the living room. Both boys had their differences, both from each other and from other children, of course, but first and foremost, they were brothers. They did everything together as children, from watching new shows and movies to starting new books and even trying to cook together. In other words, they were siblings. Yes, they fought, and had their differences, but at the end of the day, they were each other’s best friend. The two of them were always there for each other. Well… until high school, that is.
The first day of high school, Roman met the other theatre kids and was instantly enamoured by them. They understood him perfectly. They supported and participated in his dramatics. They didn’t laugh when he began to geek out over the latest Disney news or the latest Broadway musical or the newest episode of a cartoon show that he really should have stopped watching years ago when he got “too old for it”. They were there with him, just as passionate about the same things. Oh, sure, they all had their differences, and drama, but overall, Roman knew that he had found a new family in this small group of social outcasts in the theatre department at his new high school.
Logan, however? Logan struggled. Not only was he seen as a freak for his selective mutism (and yes, it was selective, he had a hard enough time talking normally so it wasn’t much of a stretch to only communicate in sign), his uncommon interests pushed him even further away from his peers. While he made a couple of friends, mostly fellow science fans, they had lives and responsibilities away from him and their group, and, as all of them were introverts, they tended to not meet up outside of school very often. As such, Logan was extremely lonely without Roman. But this was fine, he told himself. Roman was a social person by nature. He needed people to talk to that weren’t his brother. Logan had no reason to be upset, right?
“And then he just started bawling! I mean, it’s understandable, that spider was far too large for any five year old to handle, but I think that’s the most emotion he’s ever shown in his life!” Roman finished, head thrown back from the force of his laughter. The rest of his friends giggled a bit as well, all too used to hearing about the adventures of Young Logan and Roman.
“Roman, you’re so mean to your brother!” Mabel giggled, tossing her long brown hair over her shoulders. Her brown eyes twinkled with mirth as she almost dropped her fork into her pasta. Roman snorted and rolled his eyes, far too used to Mabel’s clumsiness.
“Mabel, you have no room to talk,” he shot back, grinning. “I seem to recall you telling us stories about being an absolute menace to your brother one summer when you were 12?” The other six people at the table laughed and oohed along with Mabel and Roman like the immature freshmen that they were. People at nearby tables shot them looks but did not speak up, ultimately succumbing to the apathy high school filled you with and returning to their regularly scheduled lunches. Nonetheless, their table did quiet down, not wanting to cause a fight to break out in the crowded lunchroom.
“Hey, speaking of brothers, I haven’t seen yours in a while, Roman,” Shiloh mentioned, instantly dampening the mood of the conversation. While Logan was liked by all at the table, more than one person had a complicated relationship with him, whether it be from classes or indirect experience through another person. Roman blinked in shock at Shiloh’s statement, mind whirling. He had just spoken to Logan an hour ago, hadn’t he? Outside of Logan’s Honors English classroom? And hadn’t his friends been with him? No, they had not, he concluded as the memories solidified. He had talked to Logan alone.
“He’s been busy with classes. He’s in all honors, remember, and he has a lot of activities to do outside of school,” Roman answered, voice even and unconcerned. Why should he be concerned, after all? This was normal behaviour for Logan, who did not like to talk to most people that were not in his immediate circle of Trusted Humans. Plus, these were not Logan’s friends. Acquaintances, yes, but not friends. Logan had his own friends, a couple of fellow sciencey introverts who did not mind Logan’s methods of communication. Why should Roman be concerned, then, that his friends had not seen Logan for a bit?
“Yeah, true. I dunno, though, he used to stop by at least once a lunch period. He hasn’t done that for at least two weeks,” Shiloh continued, chewing his bottom lip. Dani murmured in quiet agreement and shoved the rest of her sandwich in her mouth, and Mabel sighed, eyes flickering with melancholy. None of them would admit it, but they missed Logan’s visits, if only to see his adorable banter with his twin.
“He’s probably just busy, okay guys? Nothing’s wrong,” Roman huffed, stabbing violently into his pasta. “Why are you worried, anyway? He’d tell me if something is wrong.” Dani and Shiloh looked at each other across the table, silently communicating with eyebrow raises and glances. Clearly, Roman wasn’t paying attention to his sibling. Should they tell him, or let him figure this out on his own?
The bell to signal the end of lunch interrupted their decision making, and the group all stood to scatter to their afternoon classes, groaning the entire time. Roman hiked up his backpack and stalked off to algebra, slipping into his seat just before the late bell rang. Logan was fine, he knew. His friends had no reason to make such a big deal over this. Right?
Logan choked back his tears as he checked his phone for the fifth time in the last minute or so. Roman wasn’t coming, it was clear. This was far from the first time Roman had skipped their meetings, and it was very unlikely to be the last. He had a life, and friends, and better things to do with his time than spend time with his stupid nerdy brother who was still far too clingy at age 14. Five more minutes, he thought, I’ll give him five more minutes. He was already five minutes late, Logan knew, but he was not quite willing to accept that fact yet. He was not ready to admit that his brother was abandoning him.
Five minutes passed and Roman was nowhere to be found, as was normal lately. Logan sighed and began to walk towards his next class half an hour early as usual, ignoring the pangs and tearing in his chest. He should be fine, he couldn’t possibly expect Roman to spend every moment with him, he should be happy for his brother and his new friends. Logan knew that change was natural in high school, yet he somehow still felt awful over it. He should have made more of an effort in his younger years to talk to people other than Roman. Maybe then he’d know how to deal with this.
“Logan? You’re here early again. Is something wrong?” his Trig Honours teacher asked, concern dripping from her voice. Logan swallowed down his feelings, shifted his binder to his right arm, and lifted his left hand to reply.
No, I just finished lunch early and my friends are busy. May I please stay in here? he asked, hand shaking slightly at the thought of rejection. His teacher must have noticed and smiled at him, waves of calm radiating off of her.
“Of course you can stay in here, Logan. In fact, could you help me grade the Algebra 1 tests? If that’s not too much trouble,” she replied, holding up a stack of paper. Logan nodded and set his materials at his desk before walking back over and settling down to help grade. Grading relaxed him and took his mind off of his issues.
“So, Logan. Do you need to talk?” she asked, looking over her glasses. Logan shook his head, focusing on correcting a poor freshman’s factoring. She sighed and went back to silence, allowing Logan to stew in his thoughts. Far too soon, the rest of his class began to filter in, and Logan had to go back into his daily schedule, still raw and uncertain about what was going on with his brother.
Luckily, school was over quickly, and Logan began his walk home, not willing to wait for Roman to finish play practice today. Plus, he had homework, and Dad would need help making dinner since Papa was working late tonight. It’s not like Roman would worry, anyway, Logan knew as he reached the front door, reaching into his pocket to grab his house keys. He walked in the door, the scent of burning sugar hitting his nose.
“Logan? Can you help me? I can’t… figure out how to cook!” Dad’s voice called, tinged with panic. Logan chuffed, threw his backpack onto the couch, and walked into the kitchen, eyes widening as he took in the destruction around him. Flour dusted every surface. Eggs were splattered across the table. Sloppily chopped cloves of garlic lay on the floor, and a bottle of olive oil lay on its side, thankfully sealed and not leaking. In the middle of this cooking disaster zone stood Virgil Everhart, a famous author who still didn’t know how to cook at age 30. Logan smiles slightly and walked over, picking up a discarded chopping knife.
What are you trying to make, Dad? Virgil sighed and turned back to the stove, shutting it off and taking the slightly-smoking pan off of the burner.
“This… this nice pasta recipe. And we had all the things to hand make pasta… and I wanted to surprise Patton with something special? But… I failed,” Virgil muttered, gesturing around the room. Logan nodded and gently took the pan from Virgil. He grabbed out all the ingredients he was going to need and set to work, smiling.
I can do this, Dad. Just focus on cleaning up, Logan signed before setting to work. Virgil shuffled around behind him, cleaning up everything that he had almost destroyed and handing Logan the olive oil for later. Logan snorted and took it, giving his Dad a large smile and a big thumbs-up. Virgil was trying to learn a new skill, it was clear.
“Okay, it’s all cleaned up. Can I help?” Logan shook his head and finished kneading the dough, beginning to set it up to roll it out and cut it. The kitchen descended into silence as the two worked, Virgil mostly handing Logan things and stepping back and watching his son make the meal. Logan was just finishing dishing the pasta into bowls when the front door slammed open and Roman’s voice came floating in.
“I’m home, everyone! Do I smell garlic?” Logan stiffened a bit but focused on finishing his task while Virgil went out to find and talk to Roman.
“Yep. Logan actually made dinner. Talk to him,” Virgil drawled. Logan finished topping everything with parmesan and hurried towards his room, snatching a bowl on the way. No, he wasn’t avoiding Roman, what were you talking about?
He walked into his room and softly closed the door before collapsing into his desk chair, pulling out his math textbook and flipping open his notebook. This was not the first time he did this, eating dinner and doing homework while avoiding his family, and it would be far from the last time he did this. He shoved down the bubbling heat, stabbed his fork into a mushroom, and threw himself into graphing conic sections for the second night in a row.
“So… Roman. We need to have a talk,” Virgil started, sitting down with his noodles across from his more extroverted son. Roman blinked and looked up, mouth full of pasta and carrots. Confusion painted his face, which Virgil would find adorable in any other scenario, but right now made anger bubble in his gut. It was clear Logan was hurting, and Roman should have noticed and known, but he clearly had no idea, and that made Virgil angrier than he thought.
“About what? My grades are fine, I’m not having issues… what’s up, Dad? Is someone dying?” Roman babbled, eyes wide and panicked. Virgil sighed and pinched his nose. Wow, how did he raise such a dramatic child? He blamed Patton.
“No one is dying. You’re not in trouble. It’s Logan.” Roman’s face paled and he almost dropped the bowl, catching it at the last second. “I… what? What’s wrong with Logan? Is he being bullied? Is he okay? Is he sick? Does he have depression? Who do I need to fight?” Roman rattled off, fists clenching and teeth gritting. Virgil actually… felt scared of his son at that moment. That… that should not happen.
“Whoa, hang on, Roman! Slow down! No, Logan is okay in most of those fields. Please let me talk!” Virgil babbled. Roman quieted down, brown eyes wide with expectation. Virgil sighed, steepled his fingers, and began. “I… I believe Logan may be exhibiting symptoms of depression or anxiety. And… I want to ask you if you have any idea why?”
Roman frowned and began to think. He seemed to finally stumble across a solution and his eyes widened, horror and despair filling their cocoa depths. “I… holy shit. I have no idea,” he whispered. Virgil sighed, took a bite of his pasta, and began to think about how to explain things to his son.
“I… you talk a lot about your friends, which is great, don’t get me wrong, but you also used to talk about Logan… and I’m wondering if you’ve just stopped talking to him?” Roman frowned before comprehension dawned.
“I haven’t been talking to him… oh crap, we were supposed to meet up at lunch today… oh crap!” Roman bolted upright, face pale. “I… where’s Logan! I need to talk to him! I- I need to fix this!” He sprinted out of the room, leaving Virgil alone to eat his pasta and contemplate all the horrible outcomes this situation could bring.
The front door opened again and closed again, and Virgil looked up to find Patton smiling softly at him. “Hey, honey, what’s going on?” Virgil sighed and pecked Patton on the cheek.
“Roman and Logan… are having some issues. They’re talking it out now.” Patton nodded and sat next to him, squeezing his hand.
“It’ll be fine, darling. They’re strong. They have a great bond. Everything will be okay,” Patton whispered. Virgil leaned against him, smiling softly.
“I hope so, Patt. I hope so.”
Knock knock. “Logan? Can we talk?” Logan’s head snapped upwards and he gulped at the sound of Roman’s nervous voice. His brother only sounded nervous when things were serious. Had Logan done something wrong? The mere thought sent nasty whispers through his brain, and he tried to block them out, focusing on the present. He stood and walked to his door, opening it to find Roman fidgeting with his sleeves in the hallway. “Can I come in?” Roman asked, eyes shining with something Logan couldn’t decipher. Logan nodded and let him in, closing the door behind his twin before sitting back in his desk chair while Roman perched on the bed. Silence reigned as the brothers faced each other, neither putting forth any words. Finally, after a solid three minutes of silence, Roman placed his hands on his knees, sighed, and began.
“Logan. I… you’ve been acting off lately. A bit more… depressed? And anxious? And I’d like to know what’s going on.” Logan bit his lip and wrung his hands together, trying to formulate a response. Should he be honest? Should he tell Roman the truth about his feelings? Or should he try and make Roman feel better? Looking into Roman’s earnest eyes, however, Logan felt all plans of lying leave his head. He had to tell his twin the truth.
I… have been feeling abandoned lately? You have been skipping our lunch meetings to hang out with your friends… and we don’t talk much anymore… which is fine! You have your own friends and your own life. I just feel a bit sad and hurt over it, Logan signed. His hands shook as they formed the damning signs, his hands lowering when he was done. Silence reigned, and Logan’s throat began to close up. He was so stupid, why couldn’t he just push his feelings down, why couldn’t he grow up and let Roman go-
Logan was suddenly yanked into a hug and he gasped, tears bubbling in his eyes. “You’re okay, Logan. You’re okay. I’m so, so sorry, bro, I didn’t know, I’m so sorry,” Roman sobbed, squeezing Logan. Logan slowly lifted his arms and hugged Roman back, finally allowing the tears to stream down his cheeks. There the two brothers sat, crying, for a length of time neither could tell, simply basking in the presence and love of the other, their best friend since birth. Eventually, Roman pulled back, sniffing, but kept his hands on Logan’s shoulders, giving him a watery grin.
“Okay. I promise, I will not forget our meetings, okay? In fact, I’m going to start spending all of lunch at least once a week with you. How does that sound?” Logan’s eyes widened and he frantically shook his head. No, he didn’t want that, Roman’s friends would start to hate him for taking Roman away-
“Hey, Logan? My friends will understand, okay? You come first, anyway. If they can’t handle me spending time with my brother, then they weren’t that great of friends in the first place,” Roman stated firmly, his voice cutting through Logan’s spiraling thoughts. Logan gulped and raised his hands.
I don’t want to cut into your time with people you enjoy, though. Roman growled and shook Logan gently.
“Logan. You matter more, okay? Plus, they all miss you. Just… trust me on this, okay?” Logan slowly, shakily nodded, and Roman smiled softly. “Good. That’s great, Logan. Now, yell at me if I do anything stupid, okay?”
Logan snorted. You’ll be smacked about ten times per day, then. Roman blinked before his cheeks puffed out.
“Hey! That’s rude!” Logan giggled, and Roman simply pouted more in an effort to be the largest drama queen on the planet. This caused Logan to giggle harder, and finally, Roman broke down laughing as well, happiness welling up in both sibling’s souls. They ended up cuddling on Logan’s bed and watching Netflix, somehow, but neither complained. This was the most time they’d spent with each other for a while, and neither was willing to have this end.
What neither knew was that, when they eventually fell asleep, Patton slipped into the room and tucked them in, plugged in Logan’s laptop, and dropped a soft kiss onto both of their foreheads. “Sweet dreams, kiddos,” he murmured before leaving, smiling to himself. His kiddos were finally beginning to make things better, and nothing could be better in his eyes.
“Logan, calm down. They all like you, remember?” Roman murmured, nudging his brother in the ribs gently. Logan gulped and adjusted his grip on his Caesar salad, staring across the lunchroom at Roman’s usual table filled with loud, laughing theatre kids. Mabel was draped across Dani, the two girls watching something on Dani’s phone. Shiloh and Tommy were shouting in Hebrew about math homework (Logan could only tell because he glimpsed their open math textbooks), and Clair was giggling along with Cory and Kate about cute humans. Overall, an alien environment to Logan. He didn’t fit in; he didn’t belong there. Roman huffed and grabbed Logan’s arm, yanking him after him as he marched over.
“Friends! Countrymen! Gentlewomen! Lend me your ears!” he called, causing the entire cafeteria to turn around and stare at them. Logan flinched, but Roman and his entire friend group took this in stride, grinning.
“Yes, Your Highness? What say you?” Shiloh yelled back, his voice lilting with sarcasm. The entire table chorused agreement, a cacophony of sarcasm erupting from the table. Logan flinched back, but Roman pushed onwards, gently shoving him in between Shiloh and Alfred. Logan simply fidgeted with his fork and waited to be kicked from the table.
“I say that my darling advisor, my dear brother, will be joining us today!” Roman chirped, lowering his volume. The rest of the cafeteria ignored them once again, and Logan swallowed as all the eyes at the table turned to him. He was acutely aware of how his argyle sweater vest and tie made him stand out among this group of fashionable teens. He fidgeted, not used to this much attention. Mika and Wirt were much more subdued and hated eye contact as much as Logan did. This… this was not in Logan’s comfort zone at all.
“Cool! So, Logan, do you listen to musicals? I just finished listening to the UK version of Heathers and do I have some opinions,” Mabel answered Roman, slamming her fist into the table.
“Oh, en guarde, bitch, you do not get to trash that recording!” Tommy yelped, slamming his fist into the table. Mabel yelled a challenge back, and Logan soon found himself embroiled in a conversation about which version of Heathers was better, a topic he knew nothing about. However, he found this conversation… pleasant, even fun. All of Roman’s friends were very welcoming and warm, and all of them took their time and let him sign, Roman translating for him. Never once did Logan feel excluded. This was… nice. He smiled his first genuine smile in months. Things were finally looking up.
Notes: And that’s Chapter One! I’m most likely posting Chapter 2 tomorrow (fingers crossed!). Hope you all enjoyed this! 
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creepingsharia · 5 years ago
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The 9/11 Hijackers Last Steps – A Timeline
9/10/01—At the Pink Pony Nude Theater in Daytona Beach, FL, a man with a Middle-Eastern accent says “Tomorrow America will see bloodshed.” They leave a Koran behind...
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(originally posted on Creeping Sharia on September 10, 2009)
Know your enemy, and never under-estimate him.
We pick up the timeline of the 9/11 terrorists, and hijackers to-be, from the assassination of Northern Alliance commander Ahmed Massoud on Sep. 9, 2001 – however the timeline begins well prior to that in the 1990’s and goes further than what we posted here. Excerpts from Free Republic.
Annotated Timeline of the 9/11 Hijackers for Researchers
various | 5/13/2002 | compiled from published sources
“We love death. The US loves life. That is the big difference between us.”  — Osama Bin Laden
THE HIJACKERS FLIGHT 11 Mohammed ATTA (11) (also known as Mohammed al-Amir) Born September 1, 1968 in Kafr al Sheikh, Egypt. ATTA grows up in Cairo with his middle-class family. Abdulaziz ALOMARI (11) Saudi Arabian. Little is known about him. Walid AL-SHEHRI (11) From Khamis Mushayt in Saudi Arabia. Former teacher, who left his job allegedly to consult an Islamic holy man about his brother’s mental illness. Satam AL-SUQAMI (11) Born June 28, 1976. Saudi Arabian. Islamic-law-school student at King Fahd University in Riyadh. College roommate of MOQED. Wail ALSHEHRI (11) Born 7/31/73. Brother of Walid. Former phys-ed teacher who left his job because of “mental illness.”
FLIGHT 175 Marwan AL-SHEHHI (175) Born in United Arab Emirates on 5/9/78. Hamza ALGHAMDI(175) Born 11/18/80. From Beljurashi in southern Saudi Arabia. Was working in a “humiliating” job as a stockboy in a housewares shop when he was recruited for the jihad. Ahmed ALGHAMDI(175) From Beljurashi in southern Saudi Arabia. Fayez Rashid Ahmed Hassan Al-Qadi BANIHAMMAD (175-4) (aka Fayez Ahmed) Citizen of United Arab Republic. Mohand ALSHEHRI (175) Former student at the Imam Muhammed Ibn Saud Islamic University in Abha, Saudi Arabia for one semester.
FLIGHT 77 Hani HANJOUR (77)– Saudi Arabian Born August 13, 1972. Son of a wealthy businessman from the wealthy al-Faisaliyah section of Taif. Khalid ALMIDHAR (77) Saudi Arabian. Veteran Al-Qaeda operative about whom little is known. Majed MOQED (77) Saudi Arabian. Law student at the King Fahd University in Riyadh. The son of a head of the Baniauf tribe from Annakhil near Medina. Sometimes listed as the third “logistics” person after ALMIDHAR and Nawaq ALHAZMI. Nawaq ALHAZMI (77) “He told me once that his father had tried to kill him when he was a child. He never told me why, but he had a long knife scar on his forearm,” said an acquaintance. Brother of a police chief in the coastal town of Jizan. Salem ALHAZMI (77) Saudi.
FLIGHT 93 Ziad al-JARRAH (93) Born in Al Marj, Lebanon May 11, 1975. The son of a civil servant and a schoolteacher. Educated in a Catholic school in Beirut. Ahmed ALNAMI (93) Born December 1977. Saudi, from the town of Abha. Former law student at the King Khaled University Islamic Law School in Abha. Ahmed Ibrahim AL-HAZNAWI (93) Born October 11, 1980. Saudi from the village of Hezna. Son of an imam, and reportedly became one himself. Close to Hamza and Ahmed ALGHAMDI. Saeed ALGHAMDI (93) Saudi, from Khamis Mushayt.
September 9, 2001—Northern Alliance commander Ahmed Shah Massoud is assassinated by two al-Qaeda operatives pretending to be Arab journalists.
September 9, 2001—Foreign intelligence officials intercept a telephone call on between Osama bin Laden and his adoptive mother Al-Kalifa in Syria, according to a report by NBC. “In two days, you’re going to hear big news, and you’re not going to hear from me for a while,” says bin Laden. AJC 10/2/01 Link
September 9, 2001—The owner, Richard Surma, notices that AL-SHEHHI, another tenant, (AHMED/BANIHAMMAD, presumably) and one other visitor who was constantly with them, have left the Panther Motel. AL-SHEHHI shaves his goatee before he departs, leaving only a mustache. AL-SHEHHI then returns the rental Corsica to Warrick’s for good., with an additional 1,035 miles on it. Link AL-SHEHHI flies to Boston. After they leave, owner Surma, cleaning out the rooms at the Panther, finds a tote bag in the trash. It is packed with aeronautical maps of the entire East Coast, martial arts books, a protractor, an English-German dictionary, Boeing 757 flight manuals, books from a flight school, and computer printouts with a detailed list of airline flights and times. A maid, cleaning the room, finds a box cutter. –Chicago Tribune 9/17/01
In Boston, AL-SHEHHI rents the room next to AHMED/BANIHAMMAD at the Milner. He makes a call from the room to Western Union, which authorities believe was one final attempt to refund unneeded cash to their contact in the United Arab Emirates. At some point in the day AL-SHEHHI wires $5400 to “Mustafa Ahmad” in the UAE. Link
September 9, 2001—Waleed AL-SHEHRI (11) wires $5000 to “Ahamad Mustafa” in the UAE. At some point in the day Wail and Waleed AL-SHEHRI order a call girl and pay her $180 for a 20-minute session.
September 9, 2001, 8:27 AM—The white Mistubishi appears at Logan airport again, remaining until 9:13 AM. Boston Globe 9/23/01
September 9, 2001— ATTA arrives in Boston. At Logan Airport, he watches that day’s American Airlines Flight 11 as it prepares for departure. He stands there at the gate with no luggage or briefcase, only a folder. A passenger remembers: “When I was actually boarding the airplane, he was standing at the gate counter writing on a card…the only thing he could see of the airplane was the pilots and the front of the airplane.” Link The same witness had seen him at curbside, asking “strange” questions. Later, he meets up with ALOMARI. They rent a blue 2001 Nissan Altima with Massachusetts license 3335VI at an Alamo Rent-a-Car in Boston at around 6 PM. They spend the night in a Boston hotel.
September 9, 2001, 4:15 PM—The white Mitsubishi returns to Logan again. It leaves at 5:39 PM.
September 10, 2001—There are 4,526 put options bought on UAL versus 748 call options. For American Airlines, the number of puts is 60 times the daily average.
September 10, 2001, afternoon—One of the Flight 93 hijackers goes to Nardone’s, a go-go bar on Route 1 in Elizabeth, NJ., about two miles from Newark International Airport. He has one beer and pays $20 to watch a dancer in the private VIP room. Link |
September 10, 2001, 4:25 PM—The white Mitsubishi returns to Logan again. It leaves at 5:05 PM.
September 10, 2001—ATTA and ALOMARI drive 100 miles north to Portland, ME in the afternoon. At a toll booth at Exit 13 of the Massachusetts Turnpike, ATTA “boils over in anger” when the operator demands that he pay the $3.10 toll. He speeds away without paying, and the toll taker writes down their tag number.
September 10, 2001—Hamza ALGHAMDI checks into the Days Hotel in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood. He is signed in as “Ghamdi.” ATTA+taxi+Hamburg&hl=en”> Link
September 10—Sometime today, JARRAH writes a farewell letter to his girlfriend. “You should be very proud, because it is an honor and in the end you will see that everyone will be happy.” According to Der Spiegel, the four-page letter is dated Sept. 10. Because of a mistake in the address, the package was returned to the United States and fell into the hands of the FBI.
September 10, 2001, 6:59 PM—A message is posted to a Yahoo financial message board reads “to the deapest part called the center of the earth by this wekend north east region will be destroyed new providance soon to fall apart.” Link
September 10, 2001—ATTA and ALOMARI arrive in Maine and check in to the Comfort Inn in South Portland, about a mile from the Portland International Jetport, at about 5:45 PM. Sometime between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm, ATTA and ALOMARI are seen at Pizza Hut, 415 Maine Mall Road, South Portland, Maine, for approximately fifteen (15) minutes. This is apparently their last meal on earth. 8:31 PM —ATTA and ALOMARI make a cash withdrawal at a Key Bank drive-up ATM, 445 Gorham Road, South Portland. 8:41 PM—they are next recorded at a Fast Green ATM, located in the parking lot of a Pizzeria Uno restaurant, 280 Maine Mall Road, South Portland. They leave the account almost empty. 9:15 PM—They buy gasoline for their car at the Jetport Gas Station on 446 Western, Avenue, South Portland. 9:22 PM—ATTA enters a Wal-Mart on 451 Payne Road in Scarborough and spends twenty minutes there. ATTAck/investigation/ausport10042001.htm http://www.webdesk.com/terrorists-in-maine/”> Link Others believe ATTA viewed the Portland flight as a final test run for the plan to carry small knives onto planes.
September 10, 2001—AL-SHEHHI, AHMED/BANIHAMMAD, Mohand ALSHEHRI, and AL-SUQAMI price prostitutes, but found their prices too high.
Two of ATTA‘s bags, bearing his name tags, don’t make the transfer. http://www.suntimes.com/terror/stories/cst-nws-hijack16s1.html According to Der Spiegel, the FBI examines the bags and finds, among other things, a videotape on how to fly a Boeing 757 and 747.and airline uniforms. The immediate speculation is that the hijackers or some of their associates used the uniforms to gain access to areas of Logan Airport that would normally be secure. The FBI also wonders whether the uniforms were connected to an April 2001 break-in at the Hotel Nazionale in central Rome, in which two American Airlines pilots said they were robbed of their uniforms, badges, and airport access badges. An unidentified third vehicle, rented from a local Dollar Rent a Car franchise, is also found at Logan. Previously, investigators had identified two cars rented from the Boston office of Alamo Rent a Car. Link
September 10, 2001—At the Pink Pony Nude Theater in Daytona Beach, FL, a man with a Middle-Eastern accent sitting with two other men says “Tomorrow America will see bloodshed.” They leave a Koran behind at the strip club. Orlando Sentinel, 9/14/01
In NawaqALZHAMI’s car at Dulles, police find a cashier’s check made out to a flight school in Phoenix., four drawings of the cockpit of a Boeing 757, a box cutter, a map of Washington, and a handwritten note with the name “Mohumed” and ABDI’s northern Virginai phone number. ABDI had entered the USA as a Somali refugee on an I-94 visa. He had formerly worked for Caterair, an airline caterer at National Airport. When ABDI is picked up a few days later, on his person was a newspaper article about Ahmed Ressam’;s 1999 attempt to smuggle explosives across the border. (Human Events, 10/15/01) There was apparently another handwritten note saying “OSAMA 5895316,” AWADALLAH’s first name and old phone number on it (CNN 2/18/02)
September 11, 2001, just after midnight—Outside Newark International Airport, three men park a red Mitsubishi Galant at the entrance to the Airport Marriott hotel while two of them check in. The third man drives the car to a nearby Days Inn. All three were later positively identified as Flight 93 hijackers. One of the men in the Marriott is JARRAH, who paid $450 in cash for two no-smoking rooms, each with a double bed. The one with him is probably his roommate AL-HAZNAWI, though this is just a guess. The rooms JARRAH chooses have a clear view of the New York skyline. Link Link AL-HAZNAWI’s final bank statement, opened after Sept. 11 by his former landlord, showed that he left behind just $14. Link
At some point on the evening of the 10th, all of the hijackers, as required, read the “Instructions for the final night,” which were found in multiple places after the attacks, including in the wreckage of Flight 93. There are 16 in all. They begin: 1. Renew your convenant with God. 2. Know all aspects of the plan well and expect reaction and resistance from the enemy. Instruction No 3 is to read the ninth sura of the Koran. This sura, usually known as al-Tawba (penitence) or al-Bara��at (immunity), is the only one among the 114 suras in the Koran which does not begin with the words: “In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful.” Some have suggested that this is because of the stern injunctions it contains: “When the sacred months have passed away, slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captive and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush” Link According to Bin Laden on the captured video, the “soldiers” knew that this was a martyrdom operation, but were not told until just before they boarded the plane. Clearly the four pilots, plus Nawaq ALHAZMI and ALMIDHAR, knew all. “Be calm and resolute, young man,” says ATTA’s letter to the hijackers, “For you will soon be going to paradise.” Link
September 11, 2001—In the UAE, approximately $16,348 is depositied into AL-HAWSAWI’s Standard Chartered Bank account. Then, at 9:22 AM local time, AL-HAWSAWI moves approximately $6534 from the $8,055 in Fayez AHMED/BANIHAMMAD’s (175) Standard Chartered Bank account into his own account, using a check dated September 10, 2001 and signed by Fayez AHMED/BANIHAMMAD; AL-HAWSAWI then withdraws approximately $1361, nearly all the remaining balance in AHMED/BANIHAMMAD’s account, by ATM cash withdrawal. Later that day, AL-HAWSAWI left the UAE for Karachi, Pakistan.
5:30 AM—ATTA and ALOMARI check out of the Comfort Inn, putting the $135 charge on ATTA’s Visa card. They leave an airline timetable on their room. After driving less than a mile to the airport, they park their Nissan and enter the airport. They drive the short distance to the Portland International Jetport and leave the Nissan there. Police find the “final night” instructions, plusemaps of New England and Boston, facial tissues, a toothpick, and an empty bag of Chips Ahoy crumpled in the ashtray. Link 5:40 AM—ATTA and ALOMARI enter Portland International Jetport Airport parking lot. They park on the first floor directly across from the airport entrance. 5:43—ATTA and ALOMARI check in at the U.S. Airways counter. 5:53 AM—The final pictures of ATTA and ALOMARI are taken by the security cameras at the airport in Portland, as they pass through security before boarding a flight to Boston. Each carries a shoulder bag. ATTA and ALOMARI board separately, keep quiet and don’t draw attention to themselves. Link However, once on the plane, they are described as “joined at the hip.” The Age, 9/17/01. The witness believed that they were business travelers, as it seemed that they were going over paperwork. 6:00 AM—ATTA and ALOMARI depart on their Colgan Air flight to Boston. 6:30 AM—The Colgan Air flight arrives at Logan Airport. ATTA and ALOMARI apparently clear another security checkpoint. At Logan, the pair sit by themselves in the waiting area by Gate 11, leaning forward in their seats and talking quietly, other passengers recall. ATTA is in seat 8A, next to ALOMARI, and across the aisle from David Angell and his wife Lynn. Link AL-SUQAMI is in 10B. The AL-SHEHRI brothers are in 2A and 2B.
After checking out the Valencia, Nawaq and Salem ALHAZMI board 77 together, checking in at the coach line rather than the first-class line. One of them shows a Massachusetts drivers’ license. Link
As Flight 11 is in line for takeoff, ATTA calls AL-SHEHHI, further back on the tarmac on UA 175, on his cellphone for the last time. The conversation lasts less than a minute, and is believed to have been a final confirmation that the plot was a go. AL-SHEHHI is in seat 6C. Ahmed ALGHAMDIis in 9D. AHMED/BANIHAMMAD is in 2A. Hamza AGHAMDI is in 9C.
JARRAH calls his girlfriend from the airport hotel in Newark. ALMIDHAR’s seat on 77 is 12B. Salem ALHAZMI 5E. Nawaq ALHAZMI 5F. HANJOUR is in 1B. MOQED 12A.
7:59 AM—AA Flight 11, a Boeing 767, departs Logan Airport with 81 passengers and 11 crew.
8:14 AM—UA Flight 175, a Boeing 767, departs Logan Airport with 56 passengers and 9 crew.
Approximately from 8:15-8:20 AM— Using box-cutters and small knives, ATTA and his team seize control of Flight 11. According to flight attendant Madeline Amy Sweeney, four attackers had cut the throat of a passenger in business class, killing him. They also stabbed the two flight attendants in First Class, including Karen Martin (who was given oxygen by the other flight attendants) and a pilot, she said. Flight attendant Betty Ong reported that two men in the eighth row [ATTA and ALOMARI] killed a man sitting behind them.. Ong also stated that the hijackers had sprayed something in her face—mace, presumably—that made her eyes burn and made breathing difficult. Three of the hijackers had been sitting in business class themselves and one [this could only be ATTA] spoke very good English.
That Sweeney mentioned four hijackers rather than five supports the theory that they used topographical cues to decide on when to make their move. It has been theorized that Flight 11 had the easiest navigation to the target, as its original route took it straight west, across the Hudson River valley. Following the river would have given ATTA a straight line of navigation to New York City, so for this reason the plane was seized early in the flight, since the landmark of the Hudson would be impossible to miss as long as the plane continued to the west. The hijackers didn’t need to keep the original pilots around after the climbout period. The fifth hijacker, therefore, would be needed to watch for the Hudson valley during the seizure period. Almost certainly this function was performed by one of the AL-SHEHRI brothers sitting in 2A. The dry runs the terrorists took during the summer would have been necessary to allow them to familiarize themselves with the topography.
The hijackers get into the cockpit, presumably, by drawing one of the flight crew out with their attacks on the flight attendants. Possibly by accident, someone keys the microphone so that their conversations could be heard by flight control in Nashua, NH. ATTA is heard saying, “Don’t do anything foolish. You’re not going to get hurt.” ATTA is also heard to say, “We have more planes, we have other planes.” It is possible that one of the hijackers falsely mentions to one of the American pilots an intention of heading toward LaGuardia or JFK airports in New York City.
Both cell phone calls reported that most of the coach passengers had no idea that anything was wrong.
8:20 AM—AA Flight 77 departs Dulles Airport.
Around 8:25 AM—Flight 11 makes a sharp right turn over Albany, NY. Its transponder is turned off.
Approximately 8:32 AM–Flight 175 is seized. 175 traveled a more southeasterly route, passing within easy visual range of the WTC towers. By this theory, the plane would have been seized the moment the towers became visible, as the towers themselves would have been the only necessary landmark. Again, this would have required the hijackers to have taken the flight previously, and to have sat in a window seat on the left side of the plane. On September 11, AHMED/BANIHAMMAD in 2A would have been the one to give the signal. The one call from 175 that we know of mentioned that men with knives were stabbing flight attendants in an attempt to force the crew to unlock the cockpit doors.
Around this time, multiple bomb threats are called in to the Boston and Cleveland Air-Traffic Control centers, which happen to be the ones handling the three flights currently in the air.
8:36 AM—Flight 175, now piloted by AL-SHEHHI, makes its first turn toward New Jersey. Shortly after, its transponders are turned off.
8:40 AM—FAA informs NORAD that Flight 11 has been hijacked.
8:42 AM—UA Flight 93—UA Flight 93 Departs Newark Airport with 38 passengers and 7 crew..
8:43 AM—FAA informs NORAD that Flight 175 has also been hijacked.
8:45 AM—Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. It is believed that all of the hijackers congregated in the cockpit at the final stages of the flight to shout their “Allahu akbars” together.
8:55 AM—Flight 77 suddenly turns to the east. Flight 77’s transponder is turned off just after it crosses the Ohio River, so this is probably the landmark the hijackers used. Barbara Olson’s phone call indicated that the hijackers had herded the passengers to the rear of the jet.
9:02 AM—Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
9:05 AM—Flight 77 appears as an unidentified blip on radar over West Virginia.
9:24 AM—FAA informs NORAD that Flight 77 has also been hijacked.
Approximately 9:30—Flight 93 is seized. Flight 93’s nearly 180-degree turn just before Cleveland indicates that the hijackers may have used the sighting of Lake Erie as a landmark and a signal to seize the plane. The route the hijackers took strongly suggests that its intended target was in Washington, DC. Link The Flight 93 hijackers put on red bandannas just before they take over the plane. The headbands are a signature of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, who are known for wearing them during their machine-gun massacres on Coptic Christians and tourists at Luxor and elsewhere. It is not known whether any of the other three hijacker teams did this, but it is likely. The hijacker who is entrusted with guarding the passengers at the back of the plane wears a red box strapped to his waist, and claims to the passengers that it is a bomb. At least one passenger is murdered, along with the pilots.
9:37 AM—Ground controllers in Cleveland hear someone in broken English announce to the Flight 93 passengers that there was a bomb on board and that the plane was returning to the airport. The plane makes a sharp turn to the southeast at this time. The transponder is turned off at this time.
Freeper chris in nj says that the CVR tapes from Flight 93 “are an incredible amount of evidence against the 20th hijacker.” Link
9:30 AM—The “leader” of the Flight 77 hijackers, possibly ALMIDHAR, tells the Flight 77 passengers to call home because they are all about to die.
9:38 AM—Flight 77 crashes just short of the Pentagon.
10:03 AM—After an uprising by the passengers, Flight 93 crashes in Shanksville, PA.
There was an early theory that the hijackers had obtained access to the “jump seats” in the cockpits of the planes, but there is no hint of this in any of the recent accounts of the contents of the Flight 93 CVR. Link
Bin Laden tunes in to the radio to hear American news broadcasts of the event. “They were overjoyed when the first plane hit the building,” he said on a video later obtained by American forces, talking about others listening with him that day. “So I said to them: Be patient.” He said, “At the end of the newscast, they reported that a plane just hit the World Trade Center.” “Allah be praised,” replied one of the other men in the videotape. “After a little while, they announced that another plane had hit the World Trade Center,” bin Laden recalled. “The brothers who heard the news were overjoyed by it.” Bin Laden also mentions on the same video that “one group of people did not know the other,” but this was not essentially true.
Another flight out of Newark Airport that day, American Airlines Flight 43 to Los Angeles, is forced to land in St. Louis when the FAA grounds all commerical air traffic. Two passengers on this flight, Ayub Ali KHAN and Mohammed Jaweed AZMATH, board a train for San Antonio, but they are taken off the train by the FBI. They have boxcutters, disguises, and large amounts of cash with them. Khan and Azmath had lived at 6 Tonnele Ave., Jersey City, a four-story building with rooftop views of lower Manhattan, for about 2 1/2 years. Link It has been theorized that the two were part of a hijack team that lost its nerve. Given the very significant differences in age and ethnicity, and the apparent lack of contact that the two men had with the hijackers or their immediate associates—and also given the apparently wide circle in the American Muslim community who knew about the plot—one wonders if this was not an unofficial, “unsanctioned” hijacking.
MOUSSAOUI is seen cheering as he watches television pictures of the destruction from his secure unit. Shortly afterwards the FBI connects him with the attacks via BINALSHIBH. Finally, the FBI gets around to searching MOUSSAOUI’s computer, and find that it contains information about “dispersal of chemicals” as well as about crop-duster planes. MOUSSAOUI’s former roommate AL-ATTAS is arrested
September 13, 2001—The Visa card connected to AL-HAWSAWI’s account is used to make six ATM withdrawals in Karachi, Pakistan.
September 14, 2001—The Islamic prayer room at TUHH is shut down and the computer seized by German police.
September 16, 2001– In India, Saudi diplomat Ahmed Alshehri, based in Bombay, denies he was the father of hijacker Waleed M. ALSHEHRI. Reports from a Saudi newspaper editor say that both Waleed and Wail ALSHEHRI were Ahmed’s sons.
Around September 20—ATTAR leaves Germany for Sudan, where he lives openly.
November 9, 2001—A video is recorded in Afghanistan on which Osama Bin Laden names many of the hijackers, including Nawaq ALHAZMI, Salem ALHAZMI, and Wail ALSHEHRI, along with JARRAH and ATTA, and commends them to Allah. He mentions the AL-SHEHRI family name seven times, and the ALHAZMI and ALGHAMDI family names multiple times. He acknowledges that ATTA ran the operation: “Not everybody knew (…inaudible…). Mohammad (ATTA) from the Egyptian family (meaning the al-Qaida Egyptian group), was in charge of the group,” bin Laden said on the tape.The tape is found in Jalalabad a week or two later.CBS News 12/20/01
November 16, 2001—BINALSHIBH’s suicide video is discovered in the rubble of Mohammed Atef’s house in Kabul. He and four others are seen on the tape wearing red cloth knotted around their heads, as the hijackers of Flight 93 (and likely the others) did.
(the timeline continues at the link above)
Also take some time to review the History Commons project.
Just two days before 9/11, the New York Times publishes an article on their website examining the threat of an al-Qaeda attack on US interests. The article focuses on a videotape made by bin Laden which was released in June 2001 (see June 19, 2001). The article notes that “When the two-hour videotape surfaced last June, it attracted little attention, partly because much of it was spliced from previous bin Laden interviews and tapes. But since then the tape has proliferated on Islamic Web sites and in mosques and bazaars across the Muslim world.” It further notes that in the video, bin Laden “promises more attacks.” Referring to the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, he says, “The victory of Yemen will continue.” He promises to aid Palestinians fighting Israel, an important shift in emphasis from previous pronouncements. He also praises the Taliban, suggesting that previous reports of a split between bin Laden and the Taliban were a ruse. The article comments, “With his mockery of American power, Mr. bin Laden seems to be almost taunting the United States.” [New York Times, 9/9/2001] Curiously, shortly after 9/11, the New York Times will remove the article from their website archive and redirect all links from the article’s web address, http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/09/international/asia/09OSAM.html, to the address of another article written by the same author shortly after 9/11, http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/12/international/12OSAM.html. (Note the dates contained within the addresses.)
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shannonhale · 7 years ago
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We’re Ready: a post for #kidlitwomen
I was presenting an assembly for kids grades 3-8 while on book tour for the third PRINCESS ACADEMY book.
Me: "So many teachers have told me the same thing. They say, 'When I told my students we were reading a book called PRINCESS ACADEMY, the girls said—'"
I gesture to the kids and wait. They anticipate what I'm expecting, and in unison, the girls scream, "YAY!"
Me: "'And the boys said—"
I gesture and wait. The boys know just what to do. They always do, no matter their age or the state they live in.
In unison, the boys shout, "BOOOOO!"
Me: "And then the teachers tell me that after reading the book, the boys like it as much or sometimes even more than the girls do."
Audible gasp. They weren't expecting that.
Me: "So it's not the story itself boys don't like, it's what?" The kids shout, "The name! The title!"
Me: "And why don't they like the title?"
As usual, kids call out, "Princess!"
But this time, a smallish 3rd grade boy on the first row, who I find out later is named Logan, shouts at me, "Because it's GIRLY!"
The way Logan said "girly"…so much hatred from someone so small. So much distain. This is my 200-300th assembly, I've asked these same questions dozens of times with the same answers, but the way he says "girly" literally makes me take a step back. I am briefly speechless, chilled by his hostility.
Then I pull it together and continue as I usually do.
"Boys, I have to ask you a question. Why are you so afraid of princesses? Did a princess steal your dog? Did a princess kidnap your parents? Does a princess live under your bed and sneak out at night to try to suck your eyeballs out of your skull?"
The kids laugh and shout "No!" and laugh some more. We talk about how girls get to read any book they want but some people try to tell boys that they can only read half the books. I say that this isn't fair. I can see that they're thinking about it in their own way.
But little Logan is skeptical. He's sure he knows why boys won't read a book about a princess. Because a princess is a girl—a girl to the extreme. And girls are bad. Shameful. A boy should be embarrassed to read a book about a girl. To care about a girl. To empathize with a girl.
Where did Logan learn that? What does believing that do to him? And how will that belief affect all the girls and women he will deal with for the rest of his life?
At the end of my presentation, I read aloud the first few chapters of THE PRINCESS IN BLACK. After, Logan was the only boy who stayed behind while I signed books. He didn't have a book for me to sign, he had a question, but he didn't want to ask me in front of others. He waited till everyone but a couple of adults had left. Then, trembling with nervousness, he whispered in my ear, "Do you have a copy of that black princess book?"
He wanted to know what happened next in her story. But he was ashamed to want to know.
Who did this to him? How will this affect how he feels about himself? How will this affect how he treats fellow humans his entire life?
We already know that misogyny is toxic and damaging to women and girls, but often we assume it doesn't harm boys or men a lick. We think we're asking them to go against their best interest in the name of fairness or love. But that hatred, that animosity, that fear in little Logan, that isn't in his best interest. The oppressor is always damaged by believing and treating others as less than fully human. Always. Nobody wins. Everybody loses. 
We humans have a peculiar tendency to assume either/or scenarios despite all logic. Obviously it's NOT "either men matter OR women do." It's NOT "we can give boys books about boys OR books about girls." It's NOT "men are important to this industry OR women are." 
It's not either/or. It's AND.
We can celebrate boys AND girls. We can read about boys AND girls. We can listen to women AND men. We can honor and respect women AND men. And And And. I know this seems obvious and simplistic, but how often have you assumed that a boy reader would only read a book about boys? I have. Have you preselected books for a boy and only offered him books about boys? I've done that in the past. And if not, I've caught myself and others kind of apologizing about it. "I think you'll enjoy this book EVEN THOUGH it's about a girl!" They hear that even though. They know what we mean. And they absorb it as truth.
I met little Logan at the same assembly where I noticed that all the 7th and 8th graders were girls. Later, a teacher told me that the administration only invited the middle school girls to my assembly. Because I'm a woman. I asked, and when they'd had a male author, all the kids were invited. Again reinforcing the falsehood that what men say is universally important but what women say only applies to girls.
One 8th grade boy was a big fan of one of my books and had wanted to come, so the teacher had gotten special permission for him to attend, but by then he was too embarrassed. Ashamed to want to hear a woman speak. Ashamed to care about the thoughts of a girl.
A few days later, I tweeted about how the school didn't invite the middle school boys. And to my surprise, twitter responded. Twitter was outraged. I was blown away. I've been talking about these issues for over a decade, and to be honest, after a while you feel like no one cares. 
But for whatever reason, this time people were ready. I wrote a post explaining what happened, and tens of thousands of people read it. National media outlets interviewed me. People who hadn't thought about gendered reading before were talking, comparing notes, questioning what had seemed normal. Finally, finally, finally.
And that's the other thing that stood out to me about Logan—he was so ready to change. Eager for it. So open that he'd started the hour expressing disgust at all things "girly" and ended it by whispering an anxious hope to be a part of that story after all. 
The girls are ready. Boy howdy, we've been ready for a painful long time. But the boys, they're ready too. Are you?
I've spoken with many groups about gendered reading in the last few years. Here are some things that I hear:
A librarian, introducing me before my presentation: "Girls, you're in for a real treat. You're going to love Shannon Hale's books. Boys, I expect you to behave anyway."
A book festival committee member: "Last week we met to choose a keynote speaker for next year. I suggested you, but another member said, 'What about the boys?' so we chose a male author instead."
A parent: "My son read your book and he ACTUALLY liked it!"
A teacher: "I never noticed before, but for read aloud I tend to choose books about boys because I assume those are the only books the boys will like."
A mom: "My son asked me to read him The Princess in Black, and I said, 'No, that's for your sister,' without even thinking about it."
A bookseller: "I've stopped asking people if they're shopping for a boy or a girl and instead asking them what kind of story the child likes."
Like the bookseller, when I do signings, I frequently ask each kid, "What kind of books do you like?" I hear what you'd expect: funny books, adventure stories, fantasy, graphic novels. I've never, ever, EVER had a kid say, "I only like books about boys." Adults are the ones with the weird bias. We're the ones with the hangups, because we were raised to believe thinking that way is normal. And we pass it along to the kids in sometimes  overt ("Put that back! That's a girl book!") but usually in subtle ways we barely notice ourselves.
But we are ready now. We're ready to notice and to analyze. We're ready to be thoughtful. We're ready for change. The girls are ready, the boys are ready, the non-binary kids are ready. The parents, librarians, booksellers, authors, readers are ready. Time's up. Let's make a change.
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xo-dailypier-blog · 6 years ago
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this is not a recap;
     hey cumguzzlers,
It has come to my attention that Lady X took it upon herself to rate the nether regions of the men of Santa Monica. Unfortunately her assessment was BIASED and hardly based on facts. So as a JOURNALIST, I have taken it upon myself to get to the TRUTH. Today will be a Top 9 list of the men in this town, and their BEDROOM PERFORMANCES.
I’m not revealing actual sizes, because I firmly believe that it’s all about the motion of the ocean. And if you think I’m giving a run down on every SCRUB in this town, you’re out of your mind! I WISH I could have made this a Top 10 but most of the guys on Lady X’s assessment, have already been exposed in the fuck hut tapes during Summer Crush, and honestly? Don’t even make the cut for the top 5. Like, we KNOW the #DemonDick is low-key worth the hype (BUT YOU SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM IT BECAUSE HELLO? IT RUINED TWO RELATIONSHIPS IN LIKE THE SPAN OF A DAY! AND IM SURE THE BUCK DOESNT STOP THERE!), and we GET IT, Adam has a massive ROD, and I’m sure (Power Top) Asher, his brother, isn’t that far off. Vic IS well endowed AND can make things EROTIC. And we all know about Jack, who is also well endowed but has, like, erectile dysfunction or whatever. Oh, and don’t forget Daddy Sorrentino is obvs a beast in the sheets, but I’ve been telling you guys that since, like, ever. And I’m honestly on a Jamie/Cunty Sabbatical atm, they’re going through a difficult time after Cunty cheated, so who really needs their dick-info broadcasted on top of all that, ya know? (Cunty deff comes in at an alleged 9 inches, which is bigger than Jamie, BUT he (Cunty) never uses his junk on Jamie because, like Asher, Jamie is a Power Top. (but you didn’t hear this from me). Look, if any guy is left off the list that you have interest in, like, just ask Phobe. I’m sure she’ll know.
But before we get started, Congratulations are in order! You guys voted on Hottie of the Moment, and we have a winner!
It’s none other than Miss Fraudi Zirconium herself (@heidistarks​) The queen of bargains has stormed onto the scene in her Wild Fable Couture and has CAPTIVATED the hearts of all Santa Monicans. In honor of her win, I am giving everyone a $25 gift card to Claire’s! If you go to their website and use offer code SharkThot, you too, can get the Heidi Look. When asked about her recent accomplishment she had this to say:
"It's about fucking time." - Fraudi Zirconium Stark, 2019
Congratulations, again Fraudi! You go girl, work that Forever 21 tracksuit, bitch!
NINE - ALEC CLARKE @alecxclarke​
One of the wangs in question that Lady X TOUCHED ON was Alec Clarke. She mentioned that Alec was more than likely LACKING in the his SOUTHERN MEAT DEPARTMENT. So obvs i had a BONE to pick with this assessment because Alec’s fan base is GETTING UP there with Jamie Carter’s so we have to know what he got in them jeans. Sadly ... while his junk is fine. His way around the bedroom is is abysmal, I honestly thought it was a PHALL-ACY but one girl who is one of his past flings, wrote to me after seeing Lady X’s post. She has asked to remain anonymous...
Hey DP (and Lady X),
I saw your post about Alec and you’re wrong about his size. He’s actually pretty girthy and lengthy or whatever. But he is honestly one of my worst encounters. We met on a dating app, that shall remain nameless. So fast forward to sexy time, and once we started making out it was a tragedy! No tongue, no passion. It was like kissing a mcfucking corpse! His lips were like, so dry, but, whatever, that’s not the problem. Once I started giving him a blow jay he just randomly burst into tears, and said he couldn’t do it anymore, and asked if I wanted to play fucking Yahtzee. I left and bought Listerine. I think you should look into if he is like this with all the girls, instead of his size. Bc that’s the real tea. Anyways, Love the Blog! Kisses!
Its always such a disappointment when this happens. OBVIOUSLY our HoneyBun Alec has some issues to work on. I know he has a Crazy life but I didn’t think things were this HARD for him.
Overall Rating: N/A
Favorite Position: Again, N/A. I could hardly find girls who’ve had sex with him ................. INCHresting. (Ok, that was the last one).
Downside: I mean, Hello? He breaks out in tears mid-coitus! He IS the downside!
Alec! Write into us with your side of the story! I prom (half a promise) that I won’t believe the rumors. Love ya, Honey Bun!
EIGHT - SKYLER DAVIS @skylerxdavis​
No idea where Lady X got the idea that he had the biggest LOVE MISSLE in town, but it is absolutely FALSE. And in fact, what I’ve heard about his performance in the bedzzzZzZzZzzzzzzzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZzZzZzzzz ZzzzzZzzzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZz
Overall Rating: zzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZz
Favorite Position: zzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZzzzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZz
Downside: zzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZzzzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZz zzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZzzzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZz zzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZzzzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZz zzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZzzzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZz zzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZzzzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZz
Alleged Body Count: zzZzZzZzZzZzZzzzzZzzzzZz
SEVEN - NOAH SINCLAIR @nhsinclair​
So next on the list is Noah Sinclair. This one will be brief, because it really threw me for a loop. So I’m sorry to report, that Noah has a Chode. I know. I’m actually crying while typing this but this is only the word on the street, so take it with a grain of salt.
“Darla” (fake name) wrote in to my blog to refute Lady X’s claims. She writes:
I’ve had half way sex with Noah one time and when he dropped his pants I literally laughed. Not to body shame or whatever, but I, like, couldn’t have sex with him because the condom didn’t fit. Sorry, didn’t have a Trojan Jr readily available? He’s good with his hands though.
So Noah has made the list in a sad and unfortunate entry. So ladies if you want Noah to DIP his NUGGET in YOUR sauce, you better make your move!
Maybe this is why he got that divorce. Ugh, poor Natasha. Let’s hope this is all a rumor, I would hate for it to be true.
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (The hand thing is kind of important).
Favorite Position: Noah’s Nugget Number (No clue what this means, ask Diana or Natasha).
Downside: There is no downside if you, like myself, are privy to a good Nugget or two. #RanchPlease
MOVING ON!
SIX - LOGAN LANCASTER @loganlancaster​
Our next entry is none other than Long Dick Logan Lancaster. According to Lady X, Logan is average. Well I’m here to let you know that, thankfully, LDL lives up to his name (no nuggets here!). But you guys would have to get with him to truly find out how #blessed he is.
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Favorite Position: Alligator Fuckhouse, according to sources. (DON’T Google it, live in ignorance).
Downside: The only reason, ya boi has gotten 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the rumors surrounding his hygiene. As we know, there’s been a debate on the internet about washing your legs. And Logan, an able bodied man, doesn’t do that. Nor does he take showers the way that he should. Many girls who’ve been with him have complained of smelling the stinch of onions and mildew while ENGAGING with him. Others have complained of a SALTY taste while going down on him. Most of the girls he’s BANGED have all been in the junkyard of his Auto Shop or whatever so maybe it’s a fetish for them? That’s no excuse for bringing that nasty ass behavior to every other girl in Santa Monica.
Thankfully a bunch of you have been sending body wash to his shop, so maybe we can LanCAST the mustiness away (If this is true).
Logan, please write in, I need to know the truth. But other than that, the dick is BOMB! But make sure you don’t over-do it on B.J. part though, sodium intake is v important and you wouldn’t want to get hypertension suckling on his salty ass COCK.
FIVE - EMRE YOGIOH @emre--yavuz
Ok, so next on the list is Emre Yugoslavia (or whatever his name is). Ok so ... buckle in ladies.
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Favorite Position: The Lion King (I’m serious, don’t Google these things).
Downside: Ok, so Emre is supposedly into bondage. Which totally makes sense since he’s like, repressed from childhood. The whole missing sister thing really took a toll on his psych, since he’s parents totes forgot about him. Now he YEARNS for control. So the word is that he’s basically Christian Grey but not a literal abuser. He’s into bondage, slapping, SPITTING, choking, flogging, and whips and chains EXCITE HIM. An S&M Daddy! Now the only reason this is in the Downside section is because it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Some girls find it disturbing, and others are totes into it. I’m the latter! Sign me the FUCK up! Choke me with those strong REPRESSED hands.
I noticed he and Olivia have been friendly recently, let’s hope she knows that she’ll be walking side to side after a night with him (no, but like, because of the flogging, not the dick). Once he’s done with those spread sheets at his hoity-toity big boy job, spread sheets take on a whole new meaning once the dawn comes. You go Emre Yahooligan! #callme
FOUR - DEVIN FLORES @devinxflores
First of all, I just want to give a big thanks to all of you for letting me call him Devin TORRES for the past few MONTHS like a complete MORON! I really appreciate you guys letting me disgrace the future KING of Santa Monica in such a terrible way! No really, you guys are the best. I love my fans <3.
Anyways, it’s well known that Devin and his Alaskan Bull Worm have burrowed through the city. Both the men and women alike have survived the DF experience, with ZERO complaints .... well, except for one ...
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Favorite Position: The Charizard (ONCE again, don’t Google. Just know that it involves fire ... And we aint talking about lighting no candles (which he allegedly seems to enjoy, how romantic!)).
Downside: As we have witnessed, Devin is a complete and total klutz! He is always getting himself into a bullshit that is literally all his fault. Didn’t he glue something to his head a few weeks ago -- actually, you know what? That’s not important. What I was getting at is, the main complaint about DaddyDevinFLORES is that during SACX the klutz JUMPS OUT. He has been rumored to have smacked his head on the headboard whilst switching positions (causing him to go UNCONSCIOUS for SEVERAL HOURS, which completely RUINS the mood). One of his Encounters even claimed that during a Romantic Toast of Wine, he clinked the glass so hard it broke and and SHARDS of GLASS went into his hands, causing him to bleed INSTANTLY. What the fuck, Devin?
How could someone who can handle balls so well out on the soccer court, not be able to handle them in the bedroom without accidentally falling out of a window in the process?
Ladies and Gents, much like Emre, Devin will have you walking Side to Side, but if it happens you might be suffering from brain damage after falling in the shower whilst trying to have sex with him. Please seek professional help immediately.
THREE - BERNBERN<3 @carverberncrd
Coming in at Number 3 is none other than Heidi’s personal play thing! We’ve seen his bulge through his Under Armour spanks, so Of Course I had to do a little research to find out the Lipton on HIS heat-seeker. I’ve reached out to his past flings and came to a general consensus.
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The women I interviewed all confirmed he is an excellent LAY, so once again, I was right. BernBern<3 outsold your favs.
Favorite Position: Doggystyle (obvi)
Downside: He’s a Taurus so while he will indeed fuck you into a state of paralysis, it’s only to reach his Hedonistic Quota for the evening. He probs won’t even remember your name once he’s done, let alone learn it in the first place. So don’t get attached<3.
His star sign also explains his relationship with Fraudi. Not only are they both so annoyingly stubborn, but Two tops can rarely make it in a relationship. Just ask Ash — never mind. (Omg, btw Idk WHY everyone keeps asking. YES, the rumors are true! BernBern<3 gets pegged, but only by Heidi, it’s actually a testament to his masculinity and how he’s reached the apex of it at this point. But this is all old tea. So I guess Julian isn’t the only #DemonDick in the Stark Fam, Surprise?). Anyways, I ship them, but they get on my fucking nerves! They can’t even admit their undying love for each other, which is so obvious. But this isn’t about #Berni (working ship name), BernBern<3 has a massive COCK (and heart) and it has landed itself on the Top of the list.
TWO - SINRIQUE @itsenriqueaguilar
This one came as a surprise to me because I have no idea who this is. But yalls asses do! So here we have Enrique Aguilar, coming in at number 2 because of the OUTPOUR of receipts on the TALLY WACK ATTACK that he PACKS.
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Favorite Position: You know, there wasn’t a general consensus, he’s a man FULL of surprises.
Downside: No, you don’t understand, there is literally no downside. Look, here is a letter from one of the women he’s slept with. For reasons, you will understand REAL soon, this person has been kept anonymous.
Dear DP,
It’s been approximately 1 year, two months, 9 days, 5 hours, and 46 seconds since I Locked Eyes with Enrique from across a crowded room. That night would go to be on of the most invigorating, tantalizing, and romantic experiences of my life. But when I woke up the following morning HE was gone. I long for the day I see him again. My heart Aches at the thought of him with another women. Giving her the same love that HE gave to ME. I need you to understand that I was a grade A student at my university (4.0). I had an paid internship at an elite institution that OWULD HAVE LED ME INTO A PROMISING CAREER! BUT AFTER THAT NIGHT I BECAME RAVENOUS. I NEEDED MORE. AND IT CONSUMED ME! EVENTUALLY I LOST MY INTERN BECAUSE I STOPPED SHOWING UP! I FLUNKED OUT OF SCHOOL BECAUSE I DIDN’T CARE ANYMORE. I SEARCHED YOU ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA BUT I COULDN’T FIND YOU! ENRIQUE I NEED YOU BACK IN MY LIFE! JUST FOR ONE MORE NIGHT! PEASE I KNOW YOU’RE OUT THERE! CALL ME AT [redacted]
Obviously Ivy, sent this in ... kidding (But honestly though? They did used to date, which ... yikes ... Good to know Daddy Rique has no standards, maybe we all have a chance. #shade #clapback #scalpt)
Anyways, I’ll have to keep an eye on this one, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders ... AND good head on his shoulders OKURRRRRR!!!
ONE - SEBASTIAN DELGADO @bashdelgado
That nerd that sat in the back of the classroom brainstorm his next nerdy ass invention with high-watered khakis, and orthopedic shoes in like, the ninth grade (because he was focused on Arch Support???????). That’s him, Sebastian Delgado. And Baby Daddy Bash has DITCHED the NERD LOOK and is now ready to SNATCH YOUR CAT BACK.
I’m sure everyone is just surprised as I am. But hey, they don’t call him “Bash” for nothing (except for the fact that it’s a shortened version of his name). He’s totes Bashing Puss with his MONSTROUS MEAT TRUNCHEON (and Buss?? Sebastian contact me about your sexuality).  
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Favorite Position: Missionary, he’s a man of passion and likes to stare DEEP into your eyes. #swoon #romantic #westan
Downside: Well if you HATE Love and AFFECTION, this one is not the one for you. Not only does he have a GINORMOUS, UN-NUGGETED MEAT SEPTOR/LAP ROCKET/VAGINA MINER, which, by the way, last a LONG time, He is EXCELLENT BOYFRIEND Material! He’s caring, patient, kind, resourceful, loyal, and he is well on his way to becoming a multi-millionaire -- which is NOT the reason he is number one! Money is not the goal here ladies (and guys? Seriously Sebastian, I need to know what’s up).  
Sebastian is the complete package and he has ALL of the other guys in this town QUAKING!
So Stan A True Man. Stan .... Sebastian.
And that, my friends, ends the TRUE tea on the wangs in this town. This was fun while it lasted, but I have some COCKtails that need my attention (ok, maybe THAT was the last one).
xo, DP
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Text
A Hypothesis
Title: A Hypothesis
Summary: If there was one word that described the hero, it was just that; hope. The hero was perpetually hopeful that there was good in every person. He was hopeful in happy endings. He was hopeful that things could change for the better in the current system. 
So why was Catton standing at the door of his latest laboratory, looking up at him through eyes so disheartened? Eyes that looked so defeated—so hopeless?
Superhero!AU
Pairings: platonic logicality
Words: 2737
Warnings: self-deprecation, depression, suicidal implications, death mention (no major character death I promise), deceit mention
This is based off this text post by @messythoughtsandscribbledplots that I’ve seen floating around. @stillebesat did a fantastic version with prinixety. But I thought I’d try my hand at it with Logicality ;)
If there was one thing that a mad scientist could always count on in a super-infested world, was that there was always a hero that stepped in the way of progress. Not that Dr. Logan Lockwood saw himself as mad, as mad people are rarely wont to do. 
Nor did he see himself as evil—though many people would prescribe that label to him. Some people argued he was simply an anti-hero, but frankly Logan could care less. The labels of good and evil are arguably meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
It was unfortunate he happened to live in a world that insisted on viewing things so black and white. They refused to see the barrage of greys that shaded their streets. A person who committed a crime had to be evil. Never mind that it was an act driven by desperation. Driven by the lack of care society had on actually fixing their problems. They refused to see how their ignorance was their downfall.
Take the hero that frequently attempted to stop his plans for instance. Catton was the typical hero—annoyingly naïve and cheerful. He sprouted off puns and dad jokes that made Logan’s teeth gnash in irritation. But there was something to be said of the hero’s genuineness.
There was a lot of heroes who donned a suit just for the fame and glory, Prince Charming was one of them. But Catton was the rare few who helped just to help out others. He refused sponsorship offers. He did the little stuff, like saving cats out of trees and helping grannies across the street. It made it all the more frustrating when Catton refused to see the truth dancing across his eyes.
He remained stubborn in his view of good and evil. He constantly begged for Logan to give up his plans, to return to the light side in a sense. Logan scoffed at the very notion. Even if he agreed to Catton’s wishes, it wasn’t that simple. He’d done too much damage—it was too late to go back. The best he could hope for was life in prison.
Still, the hero asked every time—his pleading smile never breaking. Catton was such an emotional fool. A smarter hero would’ve given up on the fifth try. Anyone could see that Logan remained resolute in his plans. But Catton clung to his wishes, hopeful that Logan would change his mind.
If there was one word that described the hero, it was just that; hope. The hero was perpetually hopeful that there was good in every person. He was hopeful in happy endings. He was hopeful that things could change for the better in the current system.
So why was Catton standing at the door of his latest laboratory, looking up at him through eyes so disheartened? Eyes that looked so defeated—so hopeless?
“I will admit, I didn’t plan for our game of cat and mouse to begin so early.” Logan said, lips twitching, “I suppose this means I’ll have to relocate my—”
“I can’t do this anymore.” Catton interrupted.
The four words caused Logan to pause in his tracks. There was something about them that produced a sensation in his chest. It was an emotion and Logan was never good at deciphering emotions. But he was sure that this particular one was a negative emotion. Sadness? Anger? Revulsion?
It was not directed at Catton, but at whoever or whatever caused him to say those words.
He stayed silent, analyzing Catton closer. He was no Sherlock Holmes, although he was very much fond of that man. When he was younger and less callous of the world he cosplayed him at several conventions. Once his former roommate made a fanfiction featuring himself as a replacement of Watson. Logan would deny it to the hills and back, but that fanfic held a place of honor among the classics on Logan’s bookshelf.
It was snowing this evening—not a blizzard but a light dusting. Catton never complained about the snow; he could be found conducting snowball fights or building snowmen with children. But despite his suit’s thick insulation, he was shivering, and Logan doubted it was because of the snow itself.
The hero’s hair was always unkempt and messy—but today it looked greasy and almost matted. Dark circles clung underneath the hero’s eyes—threatening to weigh them like bowling balls. It was clear that Catton had not been taking proper care of himself.
Another wretched emotion entered Logan’s being—shock. Although it was always a possibility, he never accounted for Catton to be capable of anything but cheery. Nothing leading up to this could seem to break the man’s optimism. In days past, Logan dreamed of the moment where Catton broke free of his naivety.
Now the day had come, and Logan, staring down at the man in front of him, realized he now desired none of that. It wasn’t right—it felt wrong to see Catton practically sitting at his feet, crushed and defeated.
He opened his mouth a few times but found himself speechless. Catton took a shallow breath, his figure trembling.
“I can’t do this. I—I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to keep fighting. Just…just k-kill me. Or lock me up. Or whatever you’ve been planning this whole time, I don’t care anymore. But I can’t do this. I can’t live like this anymore. I can’t…I can’t keep fighting you—"
Catton fell onto the ground as his words dissolved into sobs. Something pressed against Logan’s chest. There was so many emotions swirling inside the scientist that he felt nauseous. But this emotion was fierce and shouted over the clanging of the others. It demanded to be listened to—to be obeyed by Logan himself.
Compelled by this strange emotion, Logan moved forward towards the hero.
“Hush, little kitten, who did this to you?” He spoke, drawing Catton’s figure into his arms.
He was afraid for a moment he had made things worse. Catton had flinched when he spoke and seemed paralyzed in shock by his gentle touch. He’d heard that soft words and positive physical touch helped calm others down. He figured it had the same effect on Catton and he was relieved as the hero slowly relaxed completely in his arms. Trust Catton to immediately trust someone after they show a sign of goodwill.
He still sobbed against Logan’s frame, if anything he sobbed louder. He looked so weak and weary when he looked up at Logan, his sobs dissipating. He looked like he wanted to continue crying—but had lost the energy to do so.
Logan bit his lip. He could barely understand his own emotions, much less the emotions of somebody else. But the last thing he was going to was leave the hero stranded in the cold in such a state of emotional duress.
Catton had practically asked him to kill him after all. He probably came to Logan as the two had a rivalry—a history. Catton quickly became established as his main adversary. In fact, Logan sometimes refused to fight anyone but Catton. He claimed it was because he knew Catton’s attack patterns the best. While that was true, there was also another underlying reason.
He was…fond of Catton. The puns had admittedly grown on him, though that’d be the last thing he’d ever admit to Catton. Despite his numerous attacks on Catton’s intelligence—he was smarter than other heroes Logan encountered. It was illogical to the success of his plans, but well—Logan liked a challenge.
Logan, however, wasn’t the only villain that Catton faced. If he turned away Catton now, he might go to one of the others with the same request. Logan doubted any of them would be as kind as him. They’d seize such an opportunity to humiliate him further or off him right off the bat. Especially if he went to a certain snake.
“Why don’t you come inside and have a cup of tea?” He suggested, pulling out of the hug.
“What?” Catton asked, dumbfounded. Which, he had a right to react in such a way.
Logan preferred to remain distant and cold despite Catton’s best attempts otherwise. It appeared, however, that despite the odds, Catton’s attempts worked after all. It was illogical for Logan to offer aid to an enemy. It hindered his plans. But logic went out the door the second he opened it to see a downtrodden Catton.
“You implied I could do whatever I wanted with you,” Logan rose an eyebrow, “I’m asking for you to join me inside. It’s warmer there, and you may have a cup of tea if you’d like. I promise on Albert Einstein’s grave that you’ll be safe there.”
‘I won’t let you be harmed by them anymore.’ Logan mentally added onto that statement.
An extra burst of air went through Catton’s nose which Logan took to mean he found his oath by Albert Einstein’s grave to be amusing. It was the first sign he’d seen of the old Catton and the villain would take it.
“Okay.” Catton whispered, and followed after Logan inside the laboratory, through its’ winding hallways. He peered around, wary of any potential traps. A logical reaction for one not used to strolling through a mad scientist’s residency peacefully.
Logan opened a door and led him into his personal quarters. Catton gasped at the homely sight. Straight ahead there was a small hallway that led to a bedroom and a bathroom. To the left of where they stood was a sitting area with chairs and walls lines with bookshelves. A fireplace crackled away merrily. It was quaint and outdated but it reminded Logan of his childhood days in boy scouts. He’d almost been an eagle scout until that one incident occurred.
The right side of the quarters opened up to a small kitchen area, with enough space for a small table and two chairs. Logan wasn’t sure why he invested in more than one chair—it wasn’t like he had guests.
He turned to look at the hero, who still looked in awe of the place.
“What, did you believe I came out of a test tube in a laboratory somewhere?” He drily asked, withholding a chuckle.
“N-n-no, I just—well I guess I never thought of you having a life outside of a lab.” Catton sheepishly admitted, his lips chattering.
Logan frowned, observing how the hero wrapped his arms around himself. Perhaps the cold had affected him more than Logan had presumed.
“Why don’t you warm yourself by the fire while I make the tea?” He said. He didn’t wait for answer as he strolled towards the kitchen and grabbed his kettle. While he waited for the whistle, he stole glances towards the hero sitting huddled by the fire. What was going on in his head?
It was moments like these that Logan wished he could read minds.
“Here you go,” Logan said, at last bringing the tea to Catton. The hero hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking it.
Two sipped quietly for a minute or two before Logan couldn’t quell his curiosity any further.
“You didn’t answer my question earlier.”
“Which one?” Catton asked, absentmindedly stirring his tea with his finger.
“Who hurt you?”
The hero stared down at the contents of the teacup, “No one—I’m not—no one hurt me, Logan. See I don’t have any bruises or broken bones—to make no bones about it!”
Catton giggled at his joke—strained and wound-up like a wind-up toy. An obvious ploy at deflection.
“I don’t mean physically, Catton. I mean emotionally.”
“I’m fine—”
“Falsehood,” Logan interrupted, “you clearly are not fine. It is obvious you have not showered in several days nor retained an adequate amount of sleep. Furthermore, people who are fine do not go to their archnemesis and beg them to practically kill them. So again, I ask, who hurt you?”
The hero’s smile fell entirely. He slumped over and took on the weariness of a man thirty years his senior. It felt wrong to see Catton in such a state. He’d always came off as a weird dichotomy of a father figure and inner child rolled into one.
“I’m just so…tired. I thought I could make things better—make things safer. I tried—tried so hard, but it never ends. There’re always more bad guys to fight, more crises to avert. If—if anything I’ve just made things worse. Do you know how many have died this year alone from super fights?”
“Don’t—”
“One-thousand five hundred and nine deaths,” Catton said, his hands trembling as he held onto his cup, “One-thousand five hundred and nine deaths that I inflicted.”
Logan gently pried the teacup out of his hands.
“You can’t look at it that way, Catton. Think about the amount of lives you saved—”
“If wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t be dead!” He shouted, “You don’t get it. There are supervillains who’ve traveled here from all over the world to cause havoc just to personally fight me. They just treat it like it’s—it’s a game. Then there’s the villains that I…created.”
“Catton, no. Deceit is not your fault.”
“If I had just known—if I hadn’t reacted in that way—” Catton hiccupped, “I thought if I could just keep smiling—I could just make one more joke—save the city one more time everything would be fine. But I can’t—I can’t do it anymore, Logan. Please.”
The hero looked up at him, wide-eyed and pleading. Logan sighed, setting down his own cup on the coffee table.
“I am not going to kill or torture you, if that is what you think I’m going to do. In fact, I’m a bit peeved you would think so lowly of me.”
“You always threatened me with it.” Catton said, his lips wobbling.
“Well, that was just typical villain drivel, I thought you’d be smart enough to know that, Catton.” Logan scoffed, though he was secretly glad to see Catton’s lips twitch upwards in amusement. He continued on, “besides, doing either of those two things would solve nothing. Especially since you are undeserving of either of those two fates.”
“But I am deserving—”
“Falsehood,” Logan said, holding up a hand, “it’s not your fault—it’s society’s fault that the system remains broken. Do you think removing yourself from the equation will change anything? There would just be further chaos regardless if a new hero steps up or not. You kept doing the same thing and expected different results, which is the definition of insanity. Ironic, considering people call me a mad scientist. If you want to change the world—you have to change how the world thinks.
“Furthermore, your life is valuable. The odds of your existence are infinitesimal—and yes, I am using that word correctly this time! Your existence is unique, and it is doubtless that it would be incredibly missed by others and by…me.”
Catton gazed at him for a moment. Its unnerved Logan, because Catton had never been the type to silently process things. But perhaps, he didn’t know Catton as well as he thought he did. Finally, Catton broke into a grin.
“Aw, Logan, so you do care about me.” Catton teased, close to tears. Hopefully happy tears this time.
“Yes, well, I suppose I do care about you as a friend, Catton.”
“Patton.”
“What?”
“My real name is Patton Pattison,” He sheepishly fidgeted under Logan’s shocked gaze, “What? It felt weird that I know your real name when you don’t even know mine.”
“Are you saying that your superhero name is a self-referential pun?” Logan’s eyebrow twitched.
“Maaaybe.” Patton said, laughing at Logan’s groan.
He quickly slipped back into a more serious demeanor, “I just—I don’t know if I can do that, Logan. Change society, I mean. I still want to help people but—I’m still exhausted. Is it selfish for me to just want a normal life?”
Logan’s gaze softened, “I’m probably not the best person answer that question—but perhaps the best way to change the world isn’t through becoming a superhero or even a mad scientist. Maybe…there’s other ways to do it.”
“Like…living a normal life?”
“Perhaps, but that is only a hypothesis,” Logan winked, “would you be willing to test it out with me?”
General Tag List:  @karebearmay@punsterterry@cryingtitan@ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2@usothemarshmallow@madly-handsome  @i-just-wanna-be-alone-blog @remy-alagaesias-dragon-queen @ashrain5 @otaku-marijane@pathos-logical @moonstone-fox @fandergecko@themarijuanamason  @impromptu-sanity  @a-pastel-pan@cyberchick56 @yourhappypappypatton
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kurt-wagner-official · 2 years ago
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Post #69: UXM issue 199
This is a very special issue to me, because it's the first X-Men comic I ever read. When I was little, I watched a lot of superhero cartoons, cause they were what was on and I liked them and so did my dad. My favorite ones were always the X-Men ones, and when I got older and started watching superhero movies, the X-Men ones were my favorite of those too. Then one day, I went to the library and found the comic book section. I went for the X-Men obviously. My library only carried the Essential Marvel TPBs, and the earliest one that wasn't checked out was volume 6, which started with this issue and went through the Mutant Massacre. I didn't really understand what was going on, especially with the Secret Wars II tie ins, but I was hooked. I can honestly say that this issue changed my life. It starts with Scott in the Danger Room, a sign that even though he was just called there to talk about Xavier, he hasn't really let go of being an X-Man. Moira calls him into the control booth, where she and Logan are waiting, and tells them that Xavier is dying. He doesn't want anyone to know, but he can't fool Moira's medical exams. She believes that that's why he's brought Magneto into the school, to take his place. Scott is shocked to learn his father might die before his child is born and angry that he might be leaving the school to a man Scott grew up fighting. In DC, Mystique goes to Valerie Cooper and volunteers the Brotherhood to become basically a Suicide Squad in exchange for protection from the recent anti-mutant bills. She's intrigued, and offers them a trial run to sell her on the idea- find and capture Magneto. Back in New York, Rachel visits Jean's grave and house for the first time. She reflects on the true moment of divergence in the timelines: in Rachel's world, when Jean went Dark Phoenix and visited her childhood home, her parents were afraid but didn't reject her, instead helping her bring the Phoenix under control. She goes to her grandparents' bedroom, where she finds the crystal orb that Lilandra gave to them. It contains an impression of Jean's personality that allows them to feel her telepathic aura even now that she's gone. Using the orb, Rachel summons the Phoenix Force and claims it as her birthright. She says she'll use it to honor Jean's memory, redeem herself for her crimes as a hound, and defend mutants from hatred and the world from the Beyonder. In DC, Magneto and Kitty are at the National Holocaust Memorial with Lee for an annual meeting where survivors and their relatives come to try to find people they lost track of during the Holocaust. Kitty is there on behalf of her late grandfather, who was separated from his sister. Miraculously, Magneto knew her, and so did an old couple that comes up to meet Kitty and tell her her great aunt died in Auschwitz. They also knew Magneto, and tell Kitty that he was an inspiration and a leader to them and many others in the camps. Mystique chooses this moment to reveal that she's been impersonating Lee, and the whole Brotherhood, now called Freedom Force enters the room. They have a new recruit, a weird six armed sorceress named Spiral, who's origins will be explored in the Longshot miniseries. Magneto tries to subdue them while Kitty goes to find where Lee is being held and call for backup. The X-Men get there shockingly quickly, I guess they all came to the Memorial and just waited outside with their uniforms handy? Anyway, Freedom Force has the initial advantage due to Destiny's instructions, but Kitty turns the tide by nerve pinching her. Destiny doesn't mind, though, saying their victory is inevitable. Peter gets his reunion and revenge on Pyro, Kurt teleports Blob up to the top of the Washington Monument and leaves him there, and if any readers still have the slightest doubt about Anna's loyalties, they should be persuaded by her knocking out Avalanche. Scott came on this mission, which seems like it should be a really big deal, but he got knocked out by Avalanche between panels and doesn't recover until the end, when he returns in the nick of time to kayo Spiral. The X-Men prepare to leave, but Magneto says he's staying and accepting his arrest. The looks of terror on his friends' faces when he revealed his powers reminded him of Magda, and he's tired of torturing himself questioning whether that fear is justified. He wants to stand trial and accept his fate, whatever it may be. Impersonating Magneto's girlfriend fo sneak into a Holocaust survivors meeting and then calling all her friends to wreck the Memorial is one of the most vile things Mystique has done. This is also a great showcase of mutant intersectionality; as interesting as it is, the mutants-as-minorities metaphor will never be as powerful as Magneto taking Kitty to the Holocaust Memorial. That doesn't at all mean the metaphor is weak; I think the vagueness of it is a huge strength, because it can fill in for so many different minorities. But it can't truly replicate the emotion of a tragedy that really occured and the bonding of the people affected by it. Now that I've grown up and read hundreds of X-Men comic books, this one doesn't feel quite as transcendent and groundbreaking as it did when I first picked it up, but it was still a very good issue with a special place in my heart.
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gulmoregirls · 6 years ago
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Hey! Sorry for the lack of updates — there’s no excuse this time. I just kind of forgot to post, mostly because nothing overly exciting happened (with the hype and high point of s3 ending, the dean thing didn’t motivated me enough to come here express my hate)
But anyway, here i am! I can’t even remember when i stopped here. So, the good old recap it is.
Luke and Lorelai finally happening, little by little in s4, is everything we ever wanted. My mom was really glad, cause we are huge javajunkies here in this house. Kirk is becoming more and more my favorite character ever. He’s so extra it’s everything.
If that’s wasn’t established before, lemme make it clearer — Rory Gilmore is cancelled. She’s SO out of character, it’s annoying. College Rory is by far not what anyone expected based on previous experiences, and that includes me and my mom. Specially with the whole Dean thing. But that’s REALLY something, so I’m gonna elaborate on that.
For good part of the season Dean has been being mentioned as a good guy, rory’s sweet ex who her ex classmates remember. It’s just annoying! This entire arc with Dean makes no sense — I mean, I know Rory was a bit lost and needed someone comfortable she knew and who she knew wouldn’t challenge her enough. Just something old and familiar. BUT THE OLD AND FAMILIAR BOY IS MARRIED. And the famous smart Rory (season 1 rory) would never do such thing. It was terrible. Poor Lindsay!! She deserved so much better than an idiot as her unfaithful husband. It just disgusts me. In my opinion, it was not necessary to ruin Deans character like that. He could be remembered as the sweet first love that did his best, but instead asp made him a total jerk, and that’s the memory that sticks. And if Rory had to be so out of herself — go thru come kind of crises of something — i’d rather she had took off with jess instead. at least he wasn’t married and truly loved her. Not that wish it had happened — would be just as random as sleeping with a married guy. But between getting together with the married ex and running away with the unpredictable one, i guess the less problematic alternative is really obvious.
Before we pass to the 5th season, let’s discuss jess then. I love his evolution. Wish we had seen it more closely in his spin-off. How he agrees to be at Liz’s wedding after everything he went through with her. And the way he reads Luke’s self-help/relationship books and decides to take an action. Even tho it was kind of crazy, it shows inniciative and I’ll give him that. Ignore this if you think that’s just a jess mariano supremacist saying shit.
OKAY SEASON FIVE
Lorelai and Luke ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🤧💝
best part of the season by far.
Somehow, Rory’s relationship with Dean managed to be just as crappy as it was when he was married. Why couldn’t they just move on, right? It was annoying and the last drop that made us hate rory. don’t mind me — i can hate her and love her at the same time. She’s so stupid my crackhead heroin addicted daughter.
Even tho I’m not a team Logan, his appearance helped. He challenged Rory and made her realize that the world is more than that Dean-bubble she was in. During this season i could easily see myself as a sophies.
Then, of course, there’s the proof of how Rory can be DUMB. dropping out of Yale. Season six now.
How she refugees at her grandparent’s at the first sign of trouble and even so finds herself so independent, and the way she cuts off her mom just for wanting what’s best for her. Immature and spoiled.
Besides that, it bugs me that Logan was right there by her side and did NOTHING. Literally, the only thing he did was say that “in less than a month she would be back”. When that month passed by, he did nothing — possibly didn’t even noticed. In fact, I guess he was kind of liking her new life. After all, she did started to have more time for him. That’s probably why i don’t like their relationship (more reasons to come). Rory started to act as if she was him and completely lost track of her true self - even more than before. In her Chilton graduation she says that the person the most wanted to be was Lorelai, but she ended becoming the exact opposite, Emily. The DAR, the maids, dropping out of school, not battling for her stuff, just accepting and BESIDES THIS, acting all superior/wild and stealing a boat. THATS NOT HER. Ok, I get that she was upset because of Mitchum, but it’s not an excuse to that behavior. Plus, the real Rory Gilmore would have used his words as motivation to work even harder and prove him wrong.
In how many languages can you say THANK YOU, JESS ??????
He made her open her eyes - finally - and get her shit back together. He was so important!! And besides, the way he has made his life?? CAN YOU SAY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT????? LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE ON THE BACK!!!!
Lemme tell you, he is doing better than rory — who would have thought, right? The punk hoodlum rebel who dropped out of highschool was doing better than the private school girl straight As girl who got into Yale. And he’s happier too. Guy wrote a fucking book after several problematic life scenarios and is now working with people he likes doing what he has always loved. Ughhhh he has my entire heart.
Paul Anka, BTW!! love him 🤧😍
I also love how Lorelai proposed to Luke. They are goals. When she saw how much he cared for Rory, she was sure. In fact, maybe she was already sure, just needed a little push. And then all the signs and the snow!! I almost cried.
Now the Logan thing again. I like him — I swear!! I know it seems like i hate him and maybe i did when i first watched it, but now i see he is not that bad. But their relationship- nah. They’re annoying and rory has her weight on that, but that’s not just it. They’re cute, but there’s something missing. AND HE CHEATED ON HER. His story doesn’t match. It’s bad enough to break up with someone without them knowing. In fact, it’s REALLY bad. Rory was so confused and devastated. He should be more mature than that. Than ok, he says is just something he said Honor to make her stop talking. But then he sleeps with the bridesmaids. If he was honest with Rory and really didn’t mean it when he said they were broken up, then he TRULY cheated on Rory. If he lied about that, then he really decided that they were apart on his own. Their fight wasn’t even that serious, and he didn’t even reach out to her after that. The way she found out both times — through someone else — that is just wrong. Then he crows back buying her with money and stuff he knows she loved and she suddenly forgives him and moves in with the guy. Wrong too, ugh. Paris’ speech about Logan was everything. We deserved healing Paris and Rory growing their friendship together for more than five minutes.
I said she forgave him, right? Well, maybe not after all, because she wants a little revenge and decides to play with someone else’s real feelings. cold!! baby deserves better ); and then he gets into an accident and it’s all forgotten. ok....
just here to say that jess deserved recognition. He was the whole reason Rory came back and he did something great with his life. Still Lorelai sees him as the immature 17 yo he was. We were robbed of a great duo, them both. Their humor is really alike, a shame...
APRIL.
Poor girl, she doesn’t deserves all the hate. It’s not her fault duuuh
Asp could have made up something better for Luke this season. I think the storyline was a little non-sense and Luke, my sweet baby, gained my hate too.
Well, maybe not HATE but yeah i get where he’s coming from but it’s no excuse to lie to Lorelai and ruin their relationship. It was a pitty, really.
Then Lorelai coming to chris! what a breakdown huh? I guess it was expected, but i really hated it.
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ofheartandmind · 7 years ago
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Summary: You come from money, a controlling father and a life you always felt out of place in. When you go looking for freedom you find Clyde Logan instead. 
A/N: This is post heist in case your wondering. Also they’ll meet next chapter I promise.
Tag list: @foxface9000 @givemelifeorgiveme @daddyruby @elsablackswift @a-whole-damn-sackler @peachylees 
Chapter 2:
When Happy hour hit Boone county’s one and only bar, Duck Tape, the locals wouldn’t hesitate to come out in droves. They’d sit and make merry with their pals over a pale beer and a few cigarettes, listening to whatever song popped into the Jukebox.
Meanwhile Clyde Logan stood at the helm, just him and his fancy new prosthetic manning the bar counter,  just the way he liked. It was Friday night and that always boded well for business, as folks sure did love to start off the weekend with a drink.
He’d just finish pouring a order of shots for a overly flirtatious bachelorette party, when Clyde spotted his older brother elbowing his way towards him. The oldest Logan plopped down carelessly on a wobbly stool before shooting his brother a look that said all it needed to.
“One ice cold beer, coming right up,” Clyde hummed, filling up a mug with the foaming liquid.
“Thanks,” Jimmy mumbled as he accepted the cup and started chugging. Clyde watched with a frown and asked, “rough day?”
Jimmy set the drink down with a burp, “Do you know that devil woman tried to tell me I can’t take my daughter during the week nomore?”
“Bobbi Jo said that?”
“Hell yeah! She’s angry we were late. But we were only late cause of all that traffic on the highway. And who told her to move that far out in the first place?” Jimmy carped, waving his hands in frustration.
“Ain’t like she got much to do anyway. Just sit on her porch with her spoiled friends and drink tea.”
Clyde felt his mind whirl at the mention of you. You, the girl he’d been thinking about ever since he saw you sitting pretty at Bobbi Jo’s house.
You had looked like a princess to the youngest Logan brother with all that shiny hair framing your cute little face. You had been watching the commotion between Jimmy and Bobbi Jo while he had been pretending not to be watching you.
Clyde had been knocked off his rocker at seeing  someone as lovely and proper looking as you. It was to be expected in a nice neighborhood like that, but something seemed different about you. Your eyes looked like you were searching for something and he wanted to know what. Maybe even help you find it.  
Love at first sight was a childish notion for a grown man like him to consider, but Clyde had no other way to describe the way he felt. His heart had almost busted out of his damn chest when you had caught him staring. But he could of sworn he had saw a pink blush on your face before you looked away.
“Hey,” Jimmy said, redirecting Clyde from his thoughts. “Don’t tell me your still daydreaming about that bitchy looking debutante from Bobbi Jo’s.”
“Watch your mouth,” Clyde scowled at his brother’s disrespect. “You don’t know a damn thing about her.”
“Neither do you, cowboy.” Jimmy bit back, finishing his drink.
Clyde snatched the emptied glass and stared down his brother, ”yeah well I’m gonna find out about her. Maybe even take her out, if she let’s me.
The oldest of the two shook his head.  “Listen Clyde, I’m saying this cause I love you. Girls like that are just trying to find the biggest cash cow they can. That girl is in a different league, just leave er’ be.”
Clyde stayed silent, not wanting to fight with his brother in front of the customers.
“I’ll see ya later, Jimmy,” Clyde said dismissively and began wiping off the counter. The other man sighed in defeat, leaving a $10 as he got up and left.
Clyde tended his bar quietly for the rest of the night. A little down that his brother was being logical for once. He was probably taking this a little too far, fantasizing about some stranger he never even talked to. Christ help him.
But yet he couldn’t really blame himself. Clyde was tired of being alone, he wanted a special someone. A girl he could call his own and spend time with.
There were only a couple problems. One, was he wasn’t sure how to go about dating. The last date he had was a year ago with a friend of Mellie’s who’d done it as a favor. After that embarrassment there had been the heist and Clyde just hadn’t found the will to date after, even with a state- of-the-art prosthetic .
And two, no one had really ever caught his eye as of late, until you.
The women around town were nice, but just not his type. Clyde snuck a casual glance at the bachelorette party’s table only to jump a little when the maid of honor eyed him drunkenly back. Nope, he didn’t expect to find his rose in this corner of West Virginia.
Feeling distressed Clyde signalled for another employee to take over for him. He needed some air.
The dark haired Logan greeted the night and took in a big breath. It was about midnight and the stars were out. The twinkling sky reminded him of the camping trips he took with the rest of a Logan clan when he was a boy. All good, happy memories, way before he began to worry about the curse.
“Please, just send me a sign would ya?” He whispered, peering up at the stars. “Just one bit of luck for all the bad I’ve had.”
About ten minutes later, when Clyde felt he couldn’t clear his head anymore he decided to head in. He was almost through the threshold when a brand new Mercedes suspiciously pulled into a darkened space in the parking lot. Clyde narrowed his eyes knowing a car like that around these parts was only asking for trouble.
Just then he watched the door open quickly and a woman attempt to get out before she was roughly dragged back in.
Her arms flailing, Clyde’s could feel the adrenaline rip straight through him when she yelled, “get off of me!”
Clyde reacted on instinct, sprinting to the car without a second thought.
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stuckonswan · 6 years ago
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The Inn of Senrof, Act II
And there we have it! The second part of my Big Bang Story had been posted. Again thank you to @ts-storytime for creating and running this Big Bang. It has been an honor to be apart of it.
Click here for Act I
Click here for the art done by @zennyo
Click here for the art done by @lady-literature
Trigger Warnings: Blood, death, injury, anxiety, panic, manipulation
Virgil
Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind
-Nathaniel Hawthorne
It was a rude awakening for Virgil, the sunlight harshly coming in through the uncovered curtains and directly into his eyes. He blinked away rest, standing and stretching as he looked around. Roman still slept easy and for this, Virgil breathed a small sigh of relief. It had been startling when he had heard Roman shouting, even more startling when he saw Roman’s eyes wandering over his body looking for injuries that weren’t there. He had just moved out of bed, wandering towards his boots when a knock sounded at the door and Roman sat straight up, hands reaching for his lyre.
“I’m awake!” He shouted, blinking away sleep as Virgil went to open the door.
“Yes, Roman and now the whole inn knows you’re awake. Or at least they will if you keep shouting like that.” Virgil smothered a grin, opening the door to see the new addition of their group, Logan, sipping on a steaming mug of coffee with a tired smile.
“Morning to the both of you, I’m sure you slept well?” he looks between the two and waits for the nods they both give him. “Excellent, we’ll be leaving soon so if you could join me down in the bar I’d be appreciative.” Ice clung to his voice and it made Virgil wince at how unemotional, almost mechanical, he sounded. It was as if he was hoping to turn them away from the quest.
“We’ll be down within the next ten minutes.” His response was short, irritation spiked through the words but it was enough. Logan gave a small, polite nod and turned on his heel, away from the room. Virgil closed the door and leaned his head against it for two breaths. Three.
“Are you alright, shadow?” Roman called from his side of the room, already changing into his clothes for the day.  The man in question peeled his head off the cool wood of the door with a soft groan.
“I’m fine. Just wish that our new partner treated us more like companions and less like nuances.” Looking back over his shoulder he sees Roman, adjusting the circlet on his head, fingering the golden leaves that adorne the delicate metal. Stifling a snicker, Virgil moves to his own corner and is dressed within the next five minutes.
How they got there seemed like a blur, the remainder of the time in the room hazy as they packed up what little belongings they had brought. The hardest part of leaving the room was prying Roman, who had suddenly got hit with a wave of exhaustion and tried to sleep a few minutes more.
By the time they had gotten down the stairs, it felt like forever. They weren’t staying there another night, and though it had taken some time to get to the bar, it felt as if they just pulled all of their things up to their room. Time seemed to stop in this weathered old inn, he noticed. If  Virgil entered the inn a decade later, he could swear he would see the same weathered bartender and the same patrons. It was timeless.
The moment they stepped into the still sleepy tavern, Logan descended upon them, eyeing the pair before glancing back up the stairs. “Patton was not in the room this morning, so I suspect he went to look at the board early this morning. He would be sat at the table already with anything new.” he spoke quietly and almost as afterthought adds,  “If there were any.” Logan told them as they went down the stairs, but when they got to the last step, they saw the chairs still stacked over the tables, Patton nowhere in sight.
“Where is he?” Roman asked, depositing his things onto the floor by the table they had sat at the night before, Virgil following suit, clasping the cloak around his neck with his newly freed hands.
“Maybe he’s still out back?” the shadowdancer suggested,  looking towards the others with a shrug. Of all the things to be doing this early in the day, searching for a missing party member was the least ideal. Yet he couldn’t just not go. Gods forbid he makes Logan more irritable than he already is.
Logan looked towards the exit, “Only one way to find out, you coming?” He started towards the back, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they followed.
“Since when did he become our leader.” Virgil murmured under his breath, moving forwards to fall into step behind Logan, Roman by his side.
“You can’t tell?” Roman whispered besides him, looking both at him and the man in front of them.
“Tell what?” Virgil eyed the man in question. He was tall, dressed in deep navy robes with gray swirls and designs. Along his left arm were the markings of a wizard and on the left was a wound wrapped in strips of cloth. “He seems like every other Mage we’ve ever met. What is there to notice?”
Roman snickered at Virgil, much to his annoyance. “It’s the way he holds himself, Shadow. He’s a noble. The reason he seems so eager to lead us is probably due to the fact he’s told servants what to do his entire life. Why would adventuring be any different?”
The sudden realization hit Virgil, now aware of how Logan held himself. It was as if he was walking through a room with every single eye on him at once. The thought of that alone made his skin crawl but Logan seemed to survive just fine with the attention, even going through the motions that the people still gaped at him in a lonely, empty tavern.
In the end Roman and Virgil joined Logan in walking out to the back of the building. Virgil had yet to raise his hood as they left the room, so he took the opportunity as they moved, drawing his tattered hood up and over his face to keep the rising sun away from his eyes.                      
When the 3 of them emerged into the small town square, all six eyes locked onto Patton, his golden armor searing through the mist of the early morning like a lighthouse in a storm. He was holding the pages of the quests, staring at them with an attention that couldn’t be broken. It was evident about that when Logan started to call the other’s name and he didn’t answer.
It wasn’t as if he couldn’t him, the board wasn’t that far away so despite the wind, he should have heard his name being called. Almost instantly, chills erupted down the shadowling’s arms. Pulling his cloak tighter to his body, he watched the exchange between Logan and Patton.
It wasn’t till Patton started describing the figure that Virgil included himself in the conversation, immediately going rigid when he felt the coin, suddenly too heavy for his pocket. Everything was a blur until he murmured the words that send a shock through the    foursome’s bodies, as if they had been struck by lightning.
“That is the symbol of Skotos Sythos, patron God of assassins.” Virgil stuck the coin deep into his pocket once again. “He must have needed us for this quest. No one has seen him on this plane since the first shadows were created, dark touching the light as he walked.” he recited the story from memory, the only stories he heard for the first several months of his indoctrination to the league.
“Well then I propose we run as far away from this quest as we can.” Roman interjects, a small, apologetic look in his eyes. “I’m sorry but I don’t know how I feel running favors for the god of assassins. No offense, Shadow.”
Virgil represses the anger he so badly wants to unleash on his partner, instead settling for a cold stare. “It’s a god. Doesn’t matter which god, Roman. I don’t want to risk sudden death by not doing exactly as he wants.” To him, it seemed like common sense. Afterall, the gods were beings of thought, of pure energy that would burn the eyes out of a human skull should they so wish. Nothing made his skin crawl more than the thought of disobeying a god. His god. Roman was a different story, made obvious when he rolled his eyes.
“Oh come now Shadow, leave the eccentricities to yours truly. You’re being irrational. We could be risking our lives going.”
“And we could be risking our lives not going Roman!” the words came out sharper than he intended, nearing a shout when he suddenly became aware of the two newer members of the party that stood barely ten feet away.
Patton and Logan watched, intrigued and startled as the pair fought in front of them. When Virgil looked towards them his eyes narrowed and like a gushing stream the words flowed from his mouth, each one more anger tipped than the last.”And how about you two? Honestly think it’s a sign of wisdom, ignoring the orders of a god?”
Patton gazed down at him, a small frown on his face that crinkled the skin on his forehead. “Kiddo, take a breath. No one is angry with you here. Please, let us talk it out like adults in the inn, instead of the children you’re both impersonating.” A sharp glare is thrown at Roman, so quick Virgil almost misses it. “Now, let us order a pint of ale and we can discuss what our plan of action is.”
With an unsteady nod from each member, they head inside.
Once they were all seated and had plenty to eat and drink, aside from Patton for the eating portion, the discussions didn’t go very well. Roman continued to pester Virgil about not going, the young shadowdancer only getting more and more heated as the argument went on.
“It is too dangerous! We cannot risk our lives by going!” Roman shouted, glaring down at Virgil. His back was straight and his hood was down and off, body heating up so much it almost gave off the same effect as Patton’s chestplate.
“Then you stay here with them and I will go!” How dare you act like this. You’re my partner, asshole.
He rose and grabbed his things, heading towards his room that was still booked at the inn. Patton sprang from the table and ran after Virgil, making it just before the other slammed the door shut. “Virgil!”
“What Patton?!” Virgil responded with a loud and harsh voice, throwing his things on the bed and unpacking all of it so he could get at his knives and holder.
“What are you doing?” the Paladin asked, standing beside him, watching as he almost tears his bag apart finding his things.
“I am leaving to do the missions alone since no one seems to realize how dangerous it is to not do them.” The anger was still held in his voice, but the loudness that was once there got channelled into how fast he was speaking.
“No!” Patton blurted out. “You can’t go alone!” He grabbed onto Virgil’s arm, trying to tug it away from where he was placing the knives into their holders.
Virgil ripped his arm away and looked at the other. “Oh yeah, and why not?” Crossing his arms, the man glared up at him. “What is so bad about leaving on my own?”
Patton stuttered, not knowing how he should word that if he were to go alone more danger would be upon him. He knew Virgil would trust what he said if he told him that his God said it, but for some reason the words weren’t forming.
“Exactly,” Virgil scoffed, continuing to place the knives. “You have no argument, no sway in my mind. I can, and will, go alone. No one is going to stop me.”
The door suddenly burst open, Logan and Roman piling in. Well, it was more so that Logan was tugging Roman into the room and ushering him forwards and towards Virgil. “Do it,” Logan commanded.
Virgil paid almost no attention to them, finishing strapping on the last of his knives. He began to pack his things again, only now he was carelessly throwing things into the bag so it didn’t all fit. With a loud groan he threw his bag down and wound his fingers into his hair.
“Virgil, calm down,” Roman spoke slowly and calmly, reaching a hand out and gently placing it on his shoulder.
“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down!” Virgil swung around, knocking his hand off of him. “I always go on every adventure that you  want to go on. We rarely go ones that I need to go on.” He breathes heavily. “This is a single fucking quest that we can all participate in and that is so important to me, and you won’t do it. Maybe this grouping wasn’t a mistake. Maybe it was just you and I that were a mistake.”
Without grabbing his things, Virgil pushed his way through the three of them, running downstairs and back into the inn, disappearing to the back and sitting behind one of the posts. It was obvious that he was there, the posts weren’t that large, but he was able to get away for a bit and calm down.
Virgl tucked his knees to his chest, resting his head in them as he breathed deeply. He needed to calm down, it had been so long since he had felt this angry, years probably.
This whole thing is so important for him. The journey and the challenge and everything about it is something he holds dear to him, and for Roman to cast it aside as if it were nothing hurt. Roman is his friend, someone that chose him to be his partner and someone that Virgil has helped for years. They had each others back, so why in this moment does Roman not have his?
The sound of footsteps behind him cause him to curl tighter around himself. He knew they would come find him, he knew that they would convince him to go inside and to not go on the trip, that it wasn’t safe to do it alone. He didn’t care. He was doing it whether or not they agreed to it.
A figure stooped down in front of him, a white tunic showing through the little gaps where his arm didn’t cover his eyes. Roman.
“Virgil,” the bard says softly, placing a hand on the other’s knee. “Please look at me.” Virgil was hesitant to look up, knowing that his face looked like an absolute mess from the crying he had been doing, but when he raised his face to look at the other he was met with a soft and caring face, rather than the anger filled ne he saw before.
“I’m sorry,” Roman apologizes, slowly uncurling the man from himself. “But, if we do go, we need a gameplan.” He sighs and grabs Virgil’s hands, holding them tight and rubbing the back of them. “This means alot to you, so we’ll do it okay?”
Virgil nodded, tearing up more before throwing his arms around his friend and hugging tight. Roman could be as jerk at times, but he was his jerk.
It only took minutes for them to pack the clothes that Virgil had threw into the bag, meeting at the inn floor for the final time of their stay. They had made him sit aside while they tugged everything out of his bag and repacked it, making sure everything fit. Roman fixed his makeup, as the eyeshadow and eyeliner he caked under his eyes became streams of black down his face.
Virgil strapped his bandelier to his body, mindful of the many knives it held pressed to his skin. Once he was well armed, layers of fabric wrapped around his waist and arms to keep the chill of winter away from his body. The final touch was his worn hooded cloak, reaching for it to see Patton eyeing the ruined fabric and pressing the velvet between his fingers
“Why do you keep this?” he asks, no trace of disgust in his voice as he ran his fingers over the holes that littered the hood. “It has holes and slashes on it.” Patton looked up at the other as he shrugs.
“It’s a reminder that I am still here. Every one of those holes is a reminder of the journeys I’ve been through.” Virgil sat in front of Patton, gently running his hands over the fabric as well. It had been awhile since he really looked at the fabric, he never realized how many holes there really was.
“I can fix it for you,” Patton told him, looking up at the shadowdancer. “I don’t have black patches, but I have purple plaid. It could match the inside of it.” There was a hopeful sound to his voice, hoping that Virgil would say yes and let him sew it together once again. Fix all the seams that came undone.
Virgil looked over the holes again, and it would be nice to not have the wind blow through them, to be warmer when he crossed through the mountains. He had said no to so many people that wanted to fix it for him, but all held out black fabric, one that would cover all the journeys he went through. Patton wanted to keep those there, so you could still see how much he’d grown since taking the mantle from his master. Still, he thought back on his first day, a shiver making its way up his spine and down his arms.
Virgil was thrown to the floor for the fourth time that day, his master pacing in front of him and clicking her tongue, tutting at him in disapproval.  Kissing the floor, he stayed down, panting from the effort of his training and angry from the failed attempt at phasing into the darkness. “I can’t do it, Master. The shadows won’t obey.” He glared at the dark corners of the training room, watching the dark shadows swirl around him. They were laughing at him he was sure of it. He tried to stand and was suddenly pulled by his shirt to face his master, her eyes dark purple with rage. Darkness swirled around the palm twisting his shirt, her nails cutting into the fabric like butter.
“They have no reason to obey you as it is not your job to make them obey. You must only make them listen to you. They are the true masters and you are but a humble servant to them. Means of entertainment.” She twisted the fabric of his shirt even tighter around her fist until he was kneeling at her feet.  
“Bu- but master I am trying. They won’t listen.”
“Do you think they listened to me as I walked through the shadow plane? I walked through the shifters and the shadows, learning their secrets to become your teacher and you want to give up because it is hard?” She shoved him back to the floor and he fell hard, his wrists aching from trying to brace himself. Ellianna went back to standing over him. “Try harder. Get up and we dance again.”
The work was grueling, the footwork difficult and easy to ruin with the wrong step or jump. Yet he loved it. The boy who never wanted to work hard was enjoying his training. It was how he knew he was doing something he loved. As he fell to the floor the second time that night, his master fell beside him, dizzy from their dance.
“You have much to learn if you desire my place in the guild.” he opened his mouth to object but her stare silenced him and she continued, “However, today you were exemplary. Now sleep, child. We work again at sunrise.”
“Virgil? Kiddo, I’m gonna start on the cloak now, is that okay?” Patton’s voice, gentle and concerned, startled him from the memory. Like broken glass it shattered, leaving him gasping for breath.
“I’m...what were we talking about?” Virgil said between pants, taking in air like it was his favorite drink. “The cloak?”
“Yes! It shouldn’t take more than the ride upwards.” Quickly moving past the odd moment between the two, Patton held his hand out expectantly, waiting for Virgil to slide the cloak into his arms.
Just as he was about to do so, fingers reaching for the clasp at his throat, a small voice in the back of his head stopped him. But what if you need it? The voice argued. Instead, Virgil gave a small smile and reached forward to curl Patton’s fingers back into the hand they belonged to. “Let us survive this quest, then we shall talk about the change.”
Patton drops his arm, a small shrug accompanying the awkward fall of his arm. “As you wish. Now come along, the mountain awaits.”
The trip up the mountain was largely uneventful, cold kissing their skin with frost and ice as they dashed through the winter wind on horseback. Virgil kept his mask firmly pressed against his nose and mouth, relishing in the small warmth the mask brought his nose with every breath. Still, gooseflesh appeared rapidly on his skin as they rode on and in that moment, he regretted not having Patton patch his cloak.
Logan was sharing a horse with his partner in heroism, begrudgingly holding him by the waist. Warmth seemed to project out from the armor of the paladin, snow and ice melting instantly against the glowing surface of his armor, warmth Virgil was sure Logan was enjoying.  Hell, if he had any more self confidence and less dignity than he already possessed, Virgil was sure he too would be clinging to the silvery-orange light as well.
It was several hours before any progress was made finding the damned entrance to the cave, Roman complaining loudly about this fact as the others paid him no attention, eyes peeled for the entrance.
“I see nothing, it was most likely a trick. Something to waste our time with. Don’t you agree shadow?” Roman gazed across the way at his partner. Virgil went to respond when suddenly he felt a lurch below him, Sombra attempting to throw him off in fear. She would have succeeded too had Virgil not dug his heels deep into the muscle of Sombra’s back legs.
“Stop!” He shouted ahead of him without need. The others had long since stopped, moving quickly through the snow in his direction. Roman threw himself off the horse he sat upon, a rented mare from Senrof, and sprinted best he could through the foot of snow that lay upon the ground. Why is he so worried, it’s nothing more than an ice patch. It wasn’t until he felt snow fill his boots that he realized what the others had seen instantaneously. Virgil was sinking, the earth around them shifting and moving underneath as if they had done so wrong, the gods themselves were attempting to swallow them whole.
“Virgil! Get off of her!” Roman screamed, voice sounding as if it was 30 feet underwater. Anxiety swelled within him, the steady heartbeat he once had now roaring in his ears. His eyesight blurred, the concerned gazes of his friends now melting into the snow. Everything was melting, he was melting and if any gods were listening, he hoped they heard his prayers.
Gods save me. The snow was at his knees
What do I do? At his chest.
How can I get out? Around his neck.
Who’s gonna save me? He took one more scared, gasping breath and was under, the snow shifting under his weight. The warmth of Sombra, the only grounding tool he had in this moment, gone from under his body.
Pressure took over his body on all sides as the mountain swallowed him whole. He opened his mouth to scream and suddenly he was falling, any noise long since ripped away from his mouth. Is this how it ends?
Logan
I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing.
-Socrates
What just happened? The entire side of the mountain had crumpled away, leaving a gap in the ground three men across. Virgil had sunken to the depths of the cavern and Logan stood frozen, trying to wrap his brain around the scene before him.
Patton had Roman in a hold, arms behind his back down on his knees, to keep him from joining Virgil. They knew not how deep the hole was nor did they know if Virgil had survived the fall. While the paladin couldn’t save Virgil, Logan knew he would do his best to keep everyone else safe. It was his fatal flaw, the kindness he gave to everyone he met. A flaw they very much needed in this moment.
“Roman, we’ll get him back but we must think logically about this. We cannot just drop down into the cavern not knowing the depths it goes to.” Logan walked to the edge of the cavern, kicking up snow as he went. It was a dark drop, confirming his fears that they did not know how far the drop was.
“We’ve gotta get down there. He’s down there all by himself Logan,” Roman rushed out, his breath still heavy as he weakly tried to go down after his friend. Patton kept a hold on him as he looked at his partner who begun to pace in the snow, thinking of how they could get down there.
They were beside a once mountain that had caved in, there were no trees or rocks around that they could attach a rope to, no way to slide down a small hill into it and make it safely. There seemed no way to actually get down there besides falling.
Roman managed to break free from Patton’s grasp and go to the edge of the hole, skidding to a stop as the snow surrounded it dusted deep into the drop.  Logan was sure that if he had not caught Roman’s arm he would have slid in and dropped in after Virgil.
“There has to be a way to get down there,” Roman shouted out to no one in particular and shook Logan’s arm off of him, glancing around the giant hole. Spotting a swirling object on the opposite wall, Logan made his way around. Getting down on his hands and knees, he called Patton over and hung onto his hand, swinging his legs out over the chasm.
Exhilarating. The first words Logan could focus on as he hung over the edge, Patton’s grip rock solid on his arm. The air pulled at his body, attempting to draw him into the bottom of the pit they had unseemingly stumbled across. Ignoring the tug in his gut, Logan touched the dark swirling object at his hands. Almost instantly, the chasm started shifting, changing before his very eyes. Patton pulled him up immediately upon seeing the changes done to the opening in front of him.
Gorgeous black obsidian stairs appeared, spiraling their way down the now smoother pit. Torches lighting themselves every few feet as the stairs trekked deep into the darkness of the pit, too far down for them to see the bottom. Logan stood with his team in shock, mouth hanging open in surprise.
“Well...I believe you figured out how we get down there. Good job, Lo.” Patton stammered, impressed by what he had just witnessed.
“I dislike this, what if  it’s all a trap? The entrance alone seems too elaborate for an old cave. Someone wants us down here.” Yes, the stairs were glamorous and a worthy sight to see. However, glamor was not something he expected on a forgotten mountain. It reeked of danger. Getting that through Roman’s skull however, would prove to be the first in a long line of difficult tasks.
“It doesn’t matter!” Roman cried as he hustled to undo a small satchel attached to his bigger bag. “Virgil is down there and that is a way down there. We got what we wanted.” He secured the bag to his body, taking the lute from it to cradle in his arms. “I won’t just stand here while he’s down here. If it’s a trap, so be it. I won’t let Virgil face it alone.” Without a single glance back at the pair behind him, Roman stepped onto the first step. Logan watched his cloak billow out across his back as he descended into the darkness below.
“We can’t let them go alone, Logan. Let’s go.” Patton’s voice is definitive, leaving no room for argument.
Logan rolls his eyes, a small spark of flame coming to life at his fingertips. “Shall we go collect those idiots? Perhaps make some messes of our own along the way?” Despite the obvious severity of the situation, he couldn’t help but smile. Patton had the same idea, a grin making its way across his face.
“My thoughts exactly. Now, come along.” Patton grabbed what he needed and started to follow Roman down the steps, Logan quickly following suit. The walls of the cave were as dark as the stairs beneath their feet, leaving them with the illusion they had fallen into nothing. In some ways, we have. Neither of them talked, Patton led the way down his armor like a beacon in the night though his head was bent in an awkward angle. It didn’t take a genius to realize he was praying. Hell, he would be praying to if he thought the gods would help him in this instance. So they remained in a deafening silence, only broken by the occasional wail of wind echoing throughout the grand staircase.
In reality the walk lasted no more than an hour, yet Logan could barely breathe from the physical exertion it demanded of him, legs shaking. His robes were moist from condensation and his forehead was beaded with droplets of sweat. “Remind me again why I thought this was a good idea? The idea of going back up all those stairs makes me feel ill.”
Patton gave a soft chuckle, the energy in his voice bouncing off the cavern walls. “It is because you are a mage, Logan. While you may be fire at magic,” He interrupted himself to laugh as Logan rolled his eyes, “you have no muscle. I’m surprised your legs lasted as long as they did.”
Logan swallowed hard, nodding. “Well then, onwards and downwards I suppose. No sign of Roman or Virgil. Yet.”
“Turn around and you’ll find what you seek.” The calming voice behind him did nothing for Logan’s nerves, jumping a foot in the air. He pivoted on his feet, hands ready to cast whatever spell on the tip of his tongue before-
“I’m happy you’re safe!” Patton’s voice, too loud for a stealth mission, roared. He to had been startled but quickly moved on seeing their partners relatively unharmed despite the fall Virgil had taken.
Logan cleared his throat, lowering his hands with a small nod in the men’s direction. “It is quite the miracle you survived the drop, Virgil. Might I ask how?” Virgil sniffled, moving his head to the side. The tear tracks on his face were as obvious as the large scrape across his cheek, blood and tears mixing together. The kohl he kept smudged around his eyes had escaped its boundaries and traced alongside his nose and cheeks.
“I moved into the shadows.” he started,  sniffling again, “Jumped to the bottom of the cavern that way. But I couldn’t save Sombra.”  There was a moment of silence, initiated mostly by Patton, the foursome only listening to Virgil’s small sounds of sadness.
After a minute of the silence, Logan sucked in a deep, awkward breath. “So, shall we continue on.” It took longer than he would have liked but slowly, the others came out of their silence, murmuring under their breath and nodding along to Logan’s words.
“Where do you suggest we go? I’m sure you’ve noticed by now the doors.” Virgil waves his hand in a sweeping motion, pivoting on his feet to show the four doors, placed in the four cardinal directions on a compass, embossed with a scripted gold letter above each door, so one did not get lost in the spirals of the stairs.
“Of course I noticed them,” he hadn’t, “I was merely trying to think. Logically, now that we have you, we should move back up the stairs and away from this mountain. I see no point in continuing now that we know you’re safe.” He moved towards the stairs only to be jerked back by an iron tight hand on his shoulder.
“We’re going to complete this Logan. You said it yourself, someone wants us down here. I don’t trust the stairs to not collapse as we ascend, taking us down with them.” Patton releases him, pulling him towards the shiny metallic armor and away from the glossy black stairs, now more ominous than inviting.
Logan brushed himself off, irritation rumbling in his gut as if a herd of mice were let loose in his body. I’m supposed to be the smart one. “Very well. Then I say we head into the mountain, through the eastern door?” Confidence shaken, the statement molded into a question and he winced internally at the realization. “Sound good?” Everyone nodded in agreement, grabbing any dropped bags before moving forwards towards the door with a golden “E” stamped above the door.
They moved onwards, heading deeper into the cold underground, away from the beautiful onyx staircase and into the depths of the dungeon below. Logan stayed at the back of the party, wisely allowing Virgil to move to the front should they come across any traps. He braved one last glance back to the entrance they had just left behind and saw the room flicker, like a dying fire still clinging to the last of its embers, before vanishing entirely. A stone wall was to his back now, no proof that the room he’d walked to had any exits other than the one in front of them.
Clearing his throat, Logan grabbed everyone’s attention. “The only known way out has vanished.” He jerked his head back towards the stone wall behind him and ignored their confused faces, “We need to be careful, and vigilant. There are other powers at play here. Powerful ones. I would prepare yourselves, only the best is going to do us any good down here.” Shivers went up the groups spines, the cold interior of the hallway grew to a new level of cold. Ice crept along the walls for mere moments before shattering onto the floor.
With the subtlety of a bull -and  intellect to match- Roman swung around to gape at the opening of the exit, eyes wide at seeing the full extent of their situation. “Logan, how will we get out if the only entrance we know of is 300 feet in the air behind a stone wall?”
Logan raised an eyebrow in surprise. To him, the question was as obvious as the answer and it was very much par for the course that Roman not understand either.  “Well-”
He began only for Virgil to take the words from his mouth, as easily as he breathed.
“We don’t. We’re trapped down here and the only way out is through.” The group had long since continued walking, leaving the stone wall several feet back before Virgil jerked to a stop, halting the party.
“Is there a problem, Virgil?” Logan tapped his foot, scrunching his nose as he waited.
“Tripwire, almost missed it. The wire is very thin, fragile looking to. I don't think I can disable it but I don’t want to leave it armed in case we need to run back this way.”
“Sounds like a problem you don’t have the solution for, shadow.” Roman piped up, a playful smile on his face that drew a similar one across Virgil’s almost instantly.
“Well, I have an idea. You guys won’t like it.” Virgil glanced back at the party, eyes landing on Logan. Is he asking my permission? Giving a hesitant nod, Virgil looked back at the two excluded from the exchange and took a shaky breath. “I’m going to trip this. Stand back and on my count, hit the floor as fast as you can.”  Observing the younger man, Logan saw his hands, bunched in the cloak before smoothing it over with shaking hands.
“You sure you’re up for this? You’re shaking.” Logan pushed past the others to aid Virgil but was stopped by a hand, two inches from his chest.
“I’m fine, Logan. I studied for things like this in the league. It’s just not something I enjoy doing. The risk factor is just a little too rich for my blood.” He crouched to the floor, leather gloves reaching for the thin wire. Logan moved to the floor and onto his stomach preemptively kissing the ground before he was forced to the floor by whatever Virgil tripped. Roman and Patton followed suit.
Glancing up from his place on the floor, Logan observed the shadowling.  He began to gaze at the trap in front of him, studying it as if it were an intricate puzzle, Well I suppose for someone like him, it is,  Logan mused. Then, he stood from his crouched position, and snuck his foot underneath the space where the wire lay. Then, so quick he almost missed it, Virgil brought his foot up to touch the wire before continuing forwards on that foot, hitting the floor just in the nick of time. On all sides, arrows began to fly. Had they -Virgil-  not caught the trap, everyone would surely be dead.
“Well, that was an interesting experience. I vote we never do that again.” Logan spoke, voice muffled from the floor as he peeled his face away from the stone tiles.
“Seconded, I almost broke my skull against the stones.” Roman sounded from behind, irate he had to drop to the floor.
“Well maybe if you had dropped the floor more gracefully,” Virgil began before being slugged in the arm by Roman. “What the-”
“Okay! Let’s not get into this. Virgil, excellent job on the trap. Roman, how about we let him continue so we may exit this dungeon in one piece?” Ever the diplomat, Patton pulled them apart, snaking an arm around Roman’s waist and pulling so he walked by the paladin.
Better he deal with them than I. Logan mused in his head. Had he pulled them apart, they’d all be shouting. Having no patience for stupidity was as much a vice as it was a virtue. He stood to full height and rolled his shoulders back, addressing the group around him.  “Well then, onwards and outwards? Virgil, I agree with Patton. You should take the front. I’ll follow behind.” No one questioned him and they were once again moving on.
It was a slow process, and there were several close calls as Virgil disarmed the traps. Several hours seemed to pass before the cavern hollowed out again. Glossy black stairs appeared again before the travelers and Logan let out a long groan at the sight. “We’re back where we started.”
The resounding groans came after like an echo. “Honestly maybe we should just give up. Nothing this cave could offer is worth dying for.” Roman spoke up, leaning on the walls.
Logan opened his mouth to agree, beg Patton to leave up the stairs the way we came, but was shut down when Virgil spoke up.
“You’re right, nothing down here is worth dying for. But how do we know those stairs aren’t certain death waiting to happen. We should pick a new path, now that the one to the east is no longer available to us.”
Looking around, Logan saw he was correct. The 4 now only faced with 3 more options, the door they just came from was no longer there. Just a flat black wall, as if the tunnel had never existed in the first place. The room was tense, emotions so thick they could be cleaved with an axe as they considered abandoning this and returning up the flight of stairs, but they knew that this adventure was worth travelling through. Besides, Logan could feel the negative magic around the stairs if he focused on them. It was dark. Not reliable.
“Which next?” Virgil asked, adjusting his clothing and scanning the doors. “We got 3 options.”
Logan sighs heavily, glancing at their options. “Perhaps West? Go underneath the city and to the other mountain?” He looked towards them, earning a nod from each. “Can we take a break?” Patton asked, slumping against a wall.
“Probably not a wise decision,” Virgil spoke before Logan could, catching his attention. “It isn’t nice to keep gods waiting.”
“Well then, I suppose we try this path?” Logan swept his hand to the west, allowing Virgil to go first once more. Single file they moved down the next hallway, already different than the original one they had fled down.
This one had walls of white marble with a floor to match, as if they had stepped into a different world. No one spoke and in the strange whiteness, the silence seemed so much louder than any conversation Logan could think of. Even his own thoughts stilled in the room and a feeling of unease washed over the mage, filling him with nausea and discontent.
They moved through the hall quickly despite the endless illusion the white walls gave off and soon they arrived in a large cavernous room. It was harsh to gaze at after so long in the white and Logan turned away with a wince at the sight of it. “It seems we’ve come across a new room, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Well if I could see it I would. The hallway did nothing but hinder my eyesight.” Roman shielded his eyes, mimicking the others as they stepped into the room.
“Well, it certainly looks different.” Logan commented slowly, looking around as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. The rest followed suit and soon all eyes could see the cavern they had stumbled upon.
It was a dim room, only lit by a scattering pattern of torches and Patton’s armor. It was a natural cavern and any feeling of natural stopped there. It felt wrong. Logan never chose to trust the feelings bubbling his gut. However in this instance, it was the only thing he could here. Get out, Get Out, GET OUT.
The feelings were overwhelming and Logan turned, desperate to leave, and smacked face first into the wall. His head made a sickening thwack as it connected to white marble. The exit had closed. They were trapped in the room.
“Scared Logan? The room to much for your giant brain? Or maybe your ego can’t fit.” Patton was laughing at him and just like that, the mage’s spine went ridgid. In the years he had known the older man, he never once teased Logan. And he would never, make fun while Logan was so clearly frightened. It was wrong. It was then he realized how much darker the room and become. For the first time since they had met, Patton’s armor gave no heat, it’s glow not present in this room.
Roman was snickering as well, and just like that Virgil had moved towards Logan. “I dislike what this room does to me. We need to find a way out of it.” The assassin’s words were hollow, a mask over the gaggle of emotions he was sure to be feeling.
Swallowing hard, Logan nodded. “We need to find a way out.”
As if the gods themselves were against this idea, one god in particular he noted, smoke began to fill the room and soon they were shrouded in it. The smoke became all consuming until even trying to see Patton, who was only a mere foot away, became a burden. Not that I want to see you anyways, Logan thought. Something was wrong with his partner and he knew not what. Pulling the magic from his body, he took a deep breath and sunk his eyes into the veil of magic.
The smoke glowed with a bright gold magic, as did the eyes of Roman and Patton. It was strong, godly in origin. “What is this Sythos? Reaching for us through our friends to ensure you make it out unscathed?” His hands remained at his sides, refusing to do any sorts of damage to them. To him, he corrected. It wasn’t his friends anymore. They had been taken over.
Roman smirked, barely noticeable through the smoke and Virgil sucked in a breath next to him. “Why I’ve come to tell you your quest, wasn’t that the point of this...I’m sorry what did you call the first mission? A test run?” he picked at his nails, unamused.
Patton’s voice rang through the air and Logan stiffened as Sythos continued speaking through his friend, as if the transition from one to another had never happened.  “Seems a difficult challenge, for a trial run I mean. Will you be able to withstand it?” Patton’s body shook with laughter, the form becoming clearer as the smoke unwound around their bodies. He wants us to see this, the sick bastard.
Logan turned away, unable to face his friend as he kept speaking with words that didn’t belong to him. “Stop this madness and let us through. We shall do what you ask if you tell us, your mind games are of no use here.”
“We seek the idol, bring it to us in the final room, only those with mortal blood may take the idol from its resting place. You shall bring it to us if you want any hope of leaving here alive. Now scatter, before things in the room become...interesting.” In unison they spoke, the words mixing with a third. It was a deeper voice that was soothing, yet still sent Logan’s skin crawling. Virgil had long since left the conversation, mentally that is, gazing down at the floor and shaking his head mindlessly.
“Done. I’ll do what you ask. Now leave their bodies.” Logan tried to bring power to his voice but even then it felt weak compared to the power of three that was in front of him.
They laughed, the third voice once again pouring from their bodies. “As you wish.”
Like a lantern being lit, the problems were over as soon as they begun. The smoke dissipated from the room and the pair slumped to the floor, eyes rolling into the backs of their heads. Logan was too stunned to catch them and they fell to the cavern floor with a disturbing thunk, followed by some painful groaning.
“I feel as if my brain’s been yanked through my nose.” Roman spoke, sitting up onto his knees as Patton rolled over onto his back. Both men were bleeding, Patton from a gash across the forehead and Roman from his nose, the mass of flesh sitting crooked on his face.
“I feel the same, as if someone robbed me of my mind for a few seconds.” Patton sat up, the cut bleeding down his face and into his eyes. Once again his armor was glowing. If it wasn’t for the blood maring his childish face, Logan would assume nothing had ever happened. Unfortunately, this was something Logan was sure he’d never forget.
“You were under the control of Skotos Sythos it seems. He’s been playing with us this entire time.” His voice broke, the fear crawling up his throat like a demon escaping hell until he forced it back down to the pit of his stomach. “We need to just give him what he demands, pray that this nightmare ends.”
Virgil nodded, tears staining his face. The kohl around his eyes was around his mouth now, smudged beyond recognition of where it was originally. He resembled a living corpse in every way, from the hollow look of his face to the blood covered scab on his cheek. “We need to move on, escape this hell before it takes anymore of us.”
“Once we get whatever he wants, we shall escape Shadow. It’s going to be okay.” Roman tried to sound reassuring as he stood, but Logan could tell no one believed in his statement.
Patton stood, the cut on his forehead closing shut as he heals it with his magic. “Onwards then? I feel you should explain properly what has conspired in our absence.”
Logan gulped, nodding. “Let us leave this room first, it’ll be much safer to explain as we walk.” He gestures towards the white marbled hall, unblocked by the wall there once was.
Bloodied and broken, they advanced, moving as far away from the room as they could. With each step Logan felt better though he still harbored fear in his gut.  They appeared once more in the room of doors although the staircase was gone, only one door remaining. They stepped through, finding no more hallway of tricks. It was a room.
Elegance oozed over every aspect of the room they had stumbled across. Torches the size of a small hut burned around the room and in the center stood an empty throne.
The throne was the least elegant thing about the room, simple polished metal warped into a seat that vaguely resembled a thicket bush.  Laid out in front of it, a table of tarnished wood stood draped in an embroidered gold and black cloth.
Logan dropped his hands, exhaustion seeping into every corner of his body until he could feel the throbbing ache of his muscles protest the use of magic. “This seems to be the room,we certainly have come to the end of his tricks. We must be in the right place.” His voice was tainted with relief. It was too good to be true.  
Patton clicked his tongue in disapproval. “Let us keep our guard up, better guarded than ambushed.” The weapon he held carved light in the small patches of darkness, washing the area in more light than the torches could ever provide. He neglected to put his weapons down much to Logan’s thanks. If forced to cast even once, he was positive he’d combust. Not that he’d ever willfully admit it. “Now what is it we’re looking for?” The glowing knight shifted uncomfortably in his place, casting shadows across the smooth stone walls. “What did we say to you two while under his control?” Out of the two, Patton seemed the most disturbed as Logan recounted what had been said under the dark gods control.
Logan hesitated. “You said that there was an idol, hidden in the room. That if we wanted to live, we would bring it to your masters.”
Virgil kicked a lone stone off into the scattered shadows of the room. “One problem, you didn’t specify the location of the idol nor where your master is. One can assume Skotos is behind this, however, I know not where the fun loving bastard is.”
“Well perhaps we start with the throne? Afterall, all things of worth seem to collect around a king.” Roman walked along a lit path, up to the warped metal chair. Virgil kept in step alongside the bard, leaving Patton and Logan to follow behind.
“What does an idol even look like?” Patton turned to his partner, the question obviously asked at him.
“It could be anything really. Based on what I read it will hum with magic, since most idols are artifacts of the gods. It may look tarnished or damaged, in order to hide its true worth.” Logan gave the answer loud enough that the others could hear but kept his eyes on Patton.
“So a tattered old coin sitting in the middle of a deserted throne fit the description well enough?” Roman called back, moving forwards to scoop it up.
Logan’s stomach dropped into an abyss he didn’t know his body possessed as the next few seconds seemed to happen. It was too slow, everyone was too slow. Roman’s fingers touched the coin just as Virgil gave a shout.
“Roman stop! It could be-” his words were lost in the thundering explosion that shook the cavern walls. Logan felt his face knock against cool metal, and then he knew nothing but the swell of black that took over.
Roman
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
-Bob Marley
Pain. It was all consuming. Red hot in some places and cold throughout the rest of his body, he quickly grew accustomed to the agony and struggled to blindly push himself up off the ground.  He opened his eyes, trained on the floor, the simple beaten gold coin still held firmly in his hand, magic pulsing throughout the metal.  All this work for a simple piece of currency?
He should never had touched it. Never should have looked at it. The group should have gone down for Virgil and come straight back up those damned stairs. This shouldn’t have happened. Like lightning traveling down a sword, a shock went through his body. Virgil, where is Virgil. The other man had been right at his side when he reached for the idol.
Trying to blink away the haziness that ecompased his vision, Roman was able to see Virgil barely an arm’s length away, struggling to stand just like he had been. The blast sent them back as Roman had ran to try and grab the idol, pushing past his team mates. Virgil had tried to stop him a moment too late and it showed in his body. His clothing was in tatters, the cloak he always wore miraculously intact. It was what he focused on, all he could focus on that wasn’t bloody or mared.
Before being sent flying to the back of the room, Roman heard a shriek of his name and then nothing,  his vision turning black. It must’ve been Virgil, trying to keep him from killing them all.
Virgil attempted to stand again but crumpled to the floor within seconds, a small gasp of pain escaping his mouth that slammed Roman back into the present. Reaching a hand out, he gripped Virgil’s arm tugging him close as hard as he could and making the other fall beside him.
“R-Roman...why did you grab it?” Virgil whimpered out, coughing afterwards into his palm, now stained crimson against his shredded leather gloves.
“I’m sorry my shadow… I didn’t think. Now, let me help you.” Roman shut his eyes and blocked out Virgil’s confused words, only to turn to desperate pleas when Roman started to sing. It was beautiful but awful, a soothing melody told through a rough voice. The last song he’d sing for his shadow and he couldn’t even bring himself to sing it right. It wasn’t what Virgil deserved but it was all Roman could give in these last moments.
“Roman don’t. Please don’t! You don’t have enough energy!” Virgil cried, trying to shake the other to get him stop. But it was too late, the song finished and Virgil felt better, but Roman looked worse, pale and hollow.
“Roman! Why?!” he cried and moved to hold his partner close. Roman chuckled weakly. The cuts on Virgil were already healing, wounds knitting themselves back together as if they never happened. It put a smile on his face, knowing that at the very least he had saved someone.
“You’re my shadow… the day we met… I vowed to keep you safe… that won’t end now…” His voice was weak and slow, his breathing getting slower and shallower. No! This wasn’t supposed to end like this! Virgil cried harder.
“I-I love you Roman…” Virgil rasped out, looking at his friend. He dragged his hands over Roman’s hair, offering comfort in this last moment.
“I love you too my shadow.”
And with that final declaration, his eyes shut and his breathing stopped, all color draining from his face.
Virgil
We are dust and shadows
Virgil wept, broken sobs escaping his mouth. His dead partner, friend, his everything lay in his lap, eyes still open with a lopsided smile on his face. A shaky hand moved up, closing his eyes and stroking his hair. What did I do? Virgil felt awful. Hollow. This was his fault, he did this. It was his stupid idea to go looking and get sucked down that hole he barely survived, that his partner didn’t survive.
Partners. As if everything was against him, Virgil heard a loud scream coming from a few feet away, catching his attention. Looking over, he saw Patton and Logan in the same position he was, only Logan was slumped over Patton’s body, blood staining the cold, lifeless metal.
“Patton… no…” Logan cried again, clutching his partner's body close as blood mixed with the river of tears that were flowing down his face.
Try as he might, Virgil couldn’t bring himself to look away from Logan, desperately shaking Patton. It was no use. Before he could think more, a voice from the middle of the room caught the remaining men’s attention.
“Why thank you, young heroes.” The words rolled off his tongue as an insult and Virgil would have flinched had there been any more energy in his body. Above him Skotos Sythos, his god, was making his way over and grabbing the idol that sat in Roman’s limp hand.
“You should be proud to have found the idol. Not many people have survived the challenges of the caverns around us.” Virgil felt sick, tired. All the things you were supposed to feel when dying. Betrayal was the newest feeling, swelling in his stomach till it was all-consuming over his person. Despite the wounds and anxiety bubbling in his throat he moved Roman’s body to the floor and stood, face to face with his god.
“I worshiped you. I did everything you asked. For years. A decade and a half of my life wasted on you. And...and you killed them.” He broke on the last sentence, tears spilling over the waterline and running down his face. “For what? A stupid idol? Take it if you must, and leave before more blood is spilled.” Despite his efforts, he knew any threats would roll right off the bastard. He’s a god. What could you possibly do to him?  This thought proved true when Skotos Sythos chuckled, low and smooth. It would have been comforting had Virgil not been so disgusted with his very presence.
“You are so young, so confused. You think you can defeat me? A god?” He laughed long and hard, the sounds bouncing off the walls. The god before him raised a hand and Virgil took in a breath, waiting for his death that would surely come…
And the god lowered his hand, taking in VIrgil’s form like a cat examining a lone canary. “You’re protected by my daughter I see. You wear her cloak afterall. I could not kill you while it rests on your skin so I shall spare you this time. But be warned, I don’t spare my enemies a second time. Heed this warning and go on with your life while it is still deemed worthy of living. Behind the god, a door of pure black appeared. Skotos Sythos gave one last chuckle, flipping his prize in his hand, before disappearing through the black. The door closed behind him and he collapsed to the floor, drained of all energy.
Virgil would get his revenge, no matter what. But now was not the time to think of that, there were more important things at hand. Like getting two bodies to the surface to bury.
Patton
Life doesn’t discriminate, between the sinners and the saints.
(It takes and it takes and it takes)
-Hamilton
He opened his eyes to a perfect sky, lush greenery underneath his feet. Sitting up, he saw the clearing he laid in, surrounded on all sides by tall oak trees. It was startling, trying to remember where he was, where he came from. It came back in short bursts.
The stairs, glossy and black.
Virgil and Logan, faces pale with fear as he bled from his head.
The explosion
His arms opening to grab Logan, protecting him from the shrapnel.
Black.
Patton took deep, needy breaths, looking around the world he had awoken to. That’s when two figures appeared at the treeline. His confusion settled, relief pouring over him. “My god, my goddess, what has happened here? Where am I?”
They smiled, the gods of earth and nature looking down upon him fondly. “We have much to discuss if you’re to return to the mortal realm.”
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