#she bait on my hook till I’m fish???

[goobnnuy]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! FISH!!! I hope you guys like fish. I like fish. Fish is really good

[rohad93]

Moonlit Masquerade: High in the Mountains Pt 2 (final)

After lunch, they rolled Luz's tree into camp to sit next to the firepit, and once it’s slotted in place Viney gives Luz a break and uses the axe to hack the limbs off the tree flush with the trunk for them to sit on later

Once it’s done Luz flops back on it longwise and sighs in relief, arms and legs hanging limply over the sides of the trunk. Her arms feel like jelly and she can already feel the sore spots that are sure to be raised up blisters on her palms before the day is through. That always looked so much easier in every movie she’s ever seen; she should know by now that movies make everything look easier. She closed her eyes and let herself go limp, she was tired and it was only late afternoon.

The cool air has chilled the sweat on her skin and goosebumps are raised all across her arms, making her shiver, but she’s still wet and doesn’t want to put her flannel back on till she’s dried.

“We’re going to take a walk.” She hears Emira call and she can only guess that she means her and Viney.

She feels more than she hears the presence suddenly next to her. She’s pretty sure she already knows who it is, but it’s confirmed when a cloth is being wiped across her forehead, and as exhausted as she feels she still has the energy to smile and open her eyes to look up at Amity who is dabbing at her forehead, brows furrowed between her eyes.

“Happy now?” she asks, distracted, as she carefully wipes at her face and neck.

“Yes,” She grins and lets herself be fussed over for a minute. When Amity is satisfied Luz hauls herself up to sit next to her and takes the cloth from ber and wipes down her arms before pulling on her flannel. Gus hops onto the log and Willow sits next to him.    

“Luz, can you teach me how to fish?”

“You guys fish on the Isles.” she cocked her head.

“Yeah, but we do it with magic, I want to learn the human way.” He grins. “I even got this human fishing device from Eda!” He runs over to his bag and digs through it, almost disappearing inside it before pulling out a disassembled fishing pole. “It’s got these three sticks and a string, is it some kind of net?” He holds it out to Luz, looking at it. It seemed to be in pretty good shape, unlike some of the things in Eda’s human trash pile reserves.

She took it and popped it together, much to his fascination.

“It’s a fishing pole, you put bait on this hook and throw it into the water and wait for fish to bite it,” she explains, handing it back.

“Oooh… show me?” he whispered, looking up at her.

“We need water…”

“There’s a river not too far from here, just a little way down the mountain,” Willow said.

“Let’s go. ” Luz grinned and they followed Willow down the trail away from camp till they found themselves standing on the bank of a river.

"So, how do we do this?" Gus asks.

"Well, first we need some bait for the hook…" Luz hums, as she starts digging through the bushes before she finds what she's looking for and comes back with a bug in hand and hooks it before standing back. "Now just throw the hook out in the water."

He whips it back and everyone ducks out of the way as the hook flies around, trying not to get stabbed before he flings it into the water with a gentle plop

"Now what?"

"Now we just wait, eventually, maybe, a fish will bite it and you reel it in." She shows him the small spinning handle and Gus gives it an experimental twist.

"Ooh.."

They sit on the bank next to him and wait.

While it's not the most interesting thing to watch, it is at least relaxing and Luz dips her fingers into the water. It's cold and makes her fingers tingle. Amity sits next to her leaning her shoulder against hers and Willow contents herself with some flowers still growing beneath one of the trees. Gus looks fully concentrated on his task watching the place the string disappears into the water.

Luz feels like she's about to fall asleep when Gus shouts.

"It's moving! He jumps up and the end of the pole is bobbing rapidly.

"Reel it in!" Luz grins, jumping to her feet. Gus jerks back on the pole, spinning the reel before it jerks forward almost yanking him into the river. Luz grabs him, digging her heels into the dirt, and still, they're sliding forward. Amity and Willow grab them and the pole bows dangerously.

Gus jerks back and with a splash, something breaks the surface of the water. Something big and scaly with legs and a mouthful of teeth.

"That's not a fish!" Willow shouts and Gus drops the pole as It moves toward the shore.

"Run!" Amity yells and they turn and dart back into the woods.

They don't turn to see if it gives chase, they just run until they're back at camp, panting and gasping.

"Fishing… is more dangerous than I expected," Gus wheezes.

"No more, 'fishing like humans'," Willow pants, and they all nod.

They wander around the woods near camp for a while after, doing their own things, exploring the different nooks and crannies, but stay clear of the river.

Amity and Willow are looking at some rare plant Willow found and Gus is jotting down some notes about his attempt at fishing the human way.

Luz wanders over to sit on the cliffside at the far side of camp, legs dangling over the edge. The sun is starting to set over the boiling sea between the ribs that tower over the much smaller mountain they have chosen to climb, it’s cold in the shadows, but as the sun moves, it throws their camp into the long orange rays or twilight. She closes her eyes and despite the cold air, the dwindling rays of the sun on her skin keep her warm.

"Mind if I join you?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at Amity standing over her, hands clasped behind her back and smiling down at her.

“I never mind.”

She settled down beside her on the ground, and leaned back on her hands, staring out at the forest and sea stretched out in front of them, blanketed in the warm, golden red, yellows, and oranges of Autumn.

“Having fun?” Luz asked.

“Other than the monster in the river and worrying about whether or not you’re going to chop something off with an axe?” she asked with a little grin. “Then yeah, wonderful,” she said. Luz nudged her with her shoulder.

“We didn’t get eaten and I didn’t chop anything off so…”

“Yet…,” she mumbled, looking at Luz out of the corner of her eye and grinning. Luz stuck her tongue out at her and Amity rolled her eyes.

“I’m glad you were able to come, this has been a lot of fun already!" Luz grinned at her, lacing their fingers together behind them

"You three could have gone without me if I could 't go," she said.

"And leave you all alone, mi amor?"

"It was just a couple of days, Luz." Amity huffed at her. "We're quite capable of doing things separately."

"Yeah, and if you didn't want to go we might have, but I wasn't going to go without you when I knew you wanted to go," she argued, frowning. Amity smiled at that.

"Thanks…," she mumbled, and Luz brightened. They watch the sunset, talking quietly until it's all but dipped behind the horizon.

When Emira and Viney wander back into camp Gus tells the two older teens his epic story of witch versus beast at the river, with a few embellishments of course.

They cook and eat dinner around the fire after which Luz pulls so.ething out of her bag she's been saving for such an occasion. She couldn't believe her luck when she had found these in a pile of Eda's human trash reserves.

"As is human camping tradition, I'm going to introduce you to the ancient Human art of roasting marshmallows!" She held up a bag of white objects for everyone to look at. "Everyone grab a stick!" Gus nearly tripped over himself racing to find a stick, he was always ready to learn more things about humans.

She handed out the marshmallows and showed them all how to roast them. Amity set her ablaze right off the bat and Emira snatched Viney's perfectly cooked one when she wasn't looking, while Willow squished hers experimentally between her fingers.

"These are amazing!" Gus said, wide eyes as he shoved a second in his mouth.

"Better enjoy them now then, you guys don't have them here, so who knows if you'll ever have another one," Luz said, sticking one on each end of her two-pronged stick and holding it out over the fire, watching Amity glare at a second one she had turned to charcoal out of the corner of her eye.

"Eda hasn't had any luck with finding a new portal?" Willow asked and Luz shook her head, turning her marshmallows.

"Nope," she said, popping the 'p'. "But I mean… I'm not really worried about it." she shrugged.

"You don't want to go home?" Viney asked as she stuck a second treat on her stick for herself, shooting her smirking girlfriend a look.

Luz made a face and Amity or one of her friends was just about to jump in and change the subject when Luz shook her head.

"Honestly?" she asked, looking up. "Not really. I miss my mom… but that's the only thing I miss…

"What about your friends and stuff?" Viney cocked her head.

"I didn't have any."

"Oh… bummer." Is all the older girl can say.

"It's okay." She blows the flame off the marshmallows and holds the stick out to Amity, who blinks at it before smiling at her and taking one and popping it in her mouth. She hums delightedly at the sugary, smokey, treat, making Luz grin.

"What else do humans do when they camp?" Gus asks around a mouthful of marshmallows. Luz leaned back and hummed, pulling her marshmallow off the stick.

"Well, usually telling scary stories around the campfire is one, but the stories we tell are usually about things that actually exist here, like ghosts, and werewolves." she laughed before shoving it In her mouth.

"Ooh, I know one…" Viney grinned.

They took turns telling stories well into the night, and she laughed at Gus's

"The DMV?" She snorted.

"From the stories I've heard about humans, it's apparently a terrifying place!" He defended. She only snickered.

At some point she noticed Amity shivering a little and she shrugged off her flannel and draped it over her shoulders. Amity blinked, looking up as the warm material was laid across her cold arms. Luz just smiled at her.

Everyone else was too engrossed in Willow's story to notice them.

"Thanks," she mumbled quietly. "Won't you get cold?"

"Naw, I'm okay," she whispered back, even if her arms were already starting to chill.

Amity hummed, frowning to herself before scooting closer on the log to lean against her.

The warmth pressed against Luz's side was rivaled only by the one that was now filling her chest. She smiled to herself as she wrapped an arm around her girlfriend's back, holding her close.

After a while, they decided to call it a night.

With 'good night's' all around Gus and Willow disappeared inside their tents.

"I'm going to change," Amity said to her before standing and disappearing inside their own.

Emira mumbled something to Viney before doing the same.

"Hey, Luz, can I ask you something?" The older girl asked once they were alone.

"Shoot"

"You said you didn't have any friends in the human world, how come?" She cocked her head questioningly.

"Oh…," Luz said.

"If you don't want to talk about it…" Viney started.

"No, it's fine." She held up a hand. "I was a weirdo." She shrugged. "No one wanted to hang out with me 'cause they thought I was weird." She frowned.

"You're not weird… well, any weirder than the rest of us," the older girl chuckled, and Luz laughed too.

"Well, I'm still pretty strange for here too, mostly just because I'm the only human, but I'm kind of a freak by human standards, I guess."

"Meh, humans don't know what they're talking about." Viney snorted.

"Heh, thanks…"

"Luz"

Luz craned her neck back to see Amity, standing outside the tent. She was changed into her pajama pants and a t-shirt, with Luz's flannel, pulled on over it and her hair was down. Something about both those things made her heart beat a little faster in her chest.

"You can come change."

"Okay. Night, Viney," Luz said as she stood.

"Night"

"I'll be quick," Luz promised her before ducking into the tent and quickly changing into her own new pajama pants Eda had bought her. She shoved her jeans and boots into the far corner of the tent before poking her head out.

"Bedtime, mi amor." Luz grinned and Amity rolled her eyes but climbed in.

The tent rattled a little as they shuffled into her sleeping bag, something else Amity had forgotten along with her tent. Not that Luz minded at all as she snuggled up behind Amity, wrapped around her like a koala.

"Comfortable?"Amity asked, and she could practically hear the grin in her voice.

"Mhmm" Luz grinned.

It was quiet, the only sounds coming from the woods and their breathing, but after a little bit there was a noise coming from somewhere across the camp and Luz opened her eyes in the dark.

"Do you hear that?" she whispered.

"Yeah…"  if she listened hard enough she could almost hear what sounded like her sister and Amity had a terrible thought and groaned.

"What?"

"Pleases, please don't let them be having sex…," Amity mumbled to herself, not intending for Luz to hear, but the choking sound against her neck that followed the quiet plea told her she had.

"I hadn't even thought about that…," Luz mumbled, burying her now hot face in Amity's neck. "Not with the rest of us around…"

"I'd never put anything past my sister…" was the quiet, annoyed reply.

Luz couldn't help but laugh loudly at that, despite how embarrassed the idea made her.

"Hey, some of us are trying to sleep!" Gus's voice cut across camp, and Luz quieted herself.

"Sorry!" She yelled. Then the whole camp was quiet again and Amity sighed in relief.

"Good night," she mumbled.

"Night, mi amor," Luz mumbled snuggling into her back.

It didn't take long before they were out.

~ ~

Luz woke to the blue-gray light of early morning trying to light up their tent. She blinked groggily up at the ceiling, somehow she had rolled over onto her back in the night and now it was Amity wrapped tightly around her.

She really had to go to the bathroom…

She also didn't want to wake Amity...

Slowly, inch by inch, she managed to slide herself out of her girlfriend's grip. She grumbled, curling up in the empty space Luz left.

She chuckled quietly to herself and pulled the blanket back over her.

Luz crawled quietly out of the tent when she finally managed to extract herself from Amity’s hold and yawned, stretching her arms out over her head.

She took her jeans, and boots, and ran to the bathroom.

The air was crisp and cold, the sun was only just beginning to rise, casting long tendrils of light snaking across the ground, between the trees, casting shadows over the camp.

When she came out she reached up to rub her fist against an eye, trying to wipe away the last remnants of sleep. As soon as she does, she winces; her whole upper body is stiff and sore. Everywhere from her shoulders to her forearms aches.

“The tree was a mistake…,” she yawned, squeezing one of her sore biceps.

“Feeling it today, huh?” A voice chuckled and Luz glanced over toward the firepit where Viney was sitting on the log, poking at the newly rekindled fire.

“Oh yeah,” she grumbled as she walked over and plopped down on the trunk.

“Been there…” Viney nodded, scratching the back of her head. "You need some numberries. They actually grow wild around here, they're pretty tasty, and they dull your pain a little, I used to use them back before I started in the healing track after a hard day, couple will do ya, but hey, didn't peg you to be an early riser."

"I don't always get out of bed early, but I'm usually awake." She shrugged. It was a little chilly out here without her flannel, but there was no way she was going to be able to pry it off Amity, not that she would want to. She'd looked so cute and warm in her shirt.

She'd need to watch it, or it might disappear like the hoodie Amity had all but claimed as her own, like, a month ago; she knew she probably wasn't getting that back. She moved back to the bag sitting outside their tent and pulled out a dark green, long-sleeved shirt, and slipped it on over her tank top. "What are you doin up?"

"I'm always up with the sun," Viney says when she comes back and plops herself back down on the log. "I usually have to get up and help feed the beasts before school." She shrugs. "... and Em snores." She grinned and Luz barked a laugh, quickly trying to stifle the noise since all their friends were still sleeping.

They sit there a while as the sun slowly rises up over the trees, talking about their shared classes and anything that comes to mind.

"Emira told you about me and Amity before the fight with those guys in the illusion track, didn't she?" Luz asks and Viney nods.

"Yeah, actually, I knew back before you guys even started dating, She told me about Amity's crush on you, and she kept me up to date as you played secret admirer after she figured out it was you." she chuckled, her girlfriend could be a bit of a gossip, but there had been no one else for her to tell.

"Of course… man, everyone but me did know." Luz shook her head, smiling ruefully to herself.

"Eh, don't beat yourself up about it. It took a while to figure out that Em wasn't just trying to play a joke on me or flirting that way she does with everyone." Viney waved a hand. That did make Luz feel a little better.

She made a face, looking back at her and Viney's tent before scooting closer to her friend and leaning in.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked quietly. Noticing the change in the younger teens' demeanor, Viney just nodded, leaning in close.

"Does Em talk to you about their…. family life?" she asks, unsure. Viney frowned, also glancing at the tents.

"Their parents, you mean?" she asks, just as quietly, and Luz nods. "Sometimes, yeah. It's a… touchy subject, ya know?"

"Tell me about it… What do you think? I've never met them," Luz questions.

"Me neither, and I don't think either one of us would want to if we can help it. I don't hear very good things about mama Blight."  

"Me neither…" Luz frowns.

"As for what I think, I think that all three of them are put underway to much pressure and stress. They're supposed to be perfect all the time for everyone and I know how much it weighs on Em." Viney sighed, leaning back to stare into the fire.

"Yeah… I mean,… she makes Amity dye her hair to match the twins… who does that?!" Luz snarled, throwing out her arms, wincing as her muscles protested the quick movement.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Em felt really guilty about it," the older girl said.

"I just wish… I could do something, anything to help make it better…," Luz mumbled, laying her forearms across her knees and slumping forward.

"I feel ya, but the thing is, we would only make things harder on them, this one's beyond us," Viney tells her, and Luz slumps further, grunting an agreement, she knows exactly how the underclassmen feels. There isn't much she wouldn't do to help Emira somehow. So she does what she can and it seems Luz needs to be reminded of what she does too.

"Hey, maybe there's nothing you can do about mama and papa Blight, but you gotta remember all the stuff you do do." She smiles and Luz looks up at her questioningly. "Em's told me she can't remember the last time Amity seemed so happy as she has since you two started dating. You give her a place to go, someone to talk to. Someone who loves her just for how she is, not what she has to pretend to be. Seems to me you make her pretty happy already."

A smile works its way onto Luz's face at that. Viney is right. Amity's home life is beyond her, she knows that, but she's there for her girlfriend, always; and Amity knows it.

"I guess you're right. She makes me happy too." She looks up at and Viney is grinning back at her.

Scratching and rustling from behind them make them both turn to look. Luz's pale violet tent is rustling and swaying. Then the zipper comes undone and Amity climbs out, hair still down and wearing the flannel shirt open over her sleeping clothes and barefoot. She looks around, squinting against the harsh sunlight that is now shining over the trees onto camp until they land on Luz.

Luz smiles at her and Amity pads over and plops onto the log next to her on the opposite side from Viney and leans her head tiredly on her shoulder, wrapping an arm around hers and Luz grins and presses a kiss to her head.

"Buenos días, mi amor," she mumbled against her hair. Amity hums, seeming to think for a few seconds before mumbling back.

"Mañana"

Her accent is thick and stilted and it makes Luz snicker under her breath most days but this morning it only makes her feel warm and fuzzy. Amity tries to work Spanish into her speech more every day to remember, and practice and Luz doesn't think Amity knows how much that means to her, to have even just one person with whom she can talk to in the language, even if it is more akin to speaking to a toddler with Amity's current level, but it's progress.

"Not awake yet?" She grinned and Amity grunts, huffing against her.

They stay there a while as the rest of the camp begins to wake and emerge from their tents.

There's a lot of grumbling and groaning as they get moving but everyone is well and wide awake after breakfast as they head off hiking in the woods.

It's a beautiful autumn day as they climb over fallen trees and large rocks, taking pictures of the view with their scrolls.

Luz drags behind some, her body aches after her tree chopping yesterday.

They stopped to rest at one point when Viney walked over.

"Still feeling it, huh?" She chuckles as Luz grunts. "Here" she holds out her hands, sitting in her palm are a handful of dark green berries with little white spots. "Found you some numberries. Should dull you some." She drops them into Luz's open palm.

Luz glances at her girlfriend who is talking to Em and Willow. She knows she's not supposed to just eat things, but it's been quite some time since she had a reaction to anything and Eda, and Lilith was probably right, her body's finally becoming used to the different foods on the Isles.

She pops them in her mouth and chews, as promised, they are pretty tasty.

"Thanks, Viney," she says after she swallows.

"No prob"

They get back on the trail, heading back in the direction of the camp.

It's about a half-hour later, when they're almost there that she starts to feel weird, and says as much.

“I feel weird…,” she mumbles, pulling her hand free from Amity's and laying it over her stomach. Amity looks at her and frowns. Sweat is starting to bead up on her forehead and the skin between her eyes furrows.

“You don’t look well…,” her girlfriend mumbles as they stop.

Her limbs don't hurt anymore, they actually feel kind of rubbery, which should have been her first clue that something isn't right, but by then she feels disconnected; strange.

Especially when her vision starts to swim in pretty, bright colors, that make her giggle.

Amity blinks at her and is immediately concerned when she laughs to herself and is staring off into the air with an awed face.

"Luz?"

“Huh?” she looks at her, but she doesn’t really seem to see her.

“Are you okay?” she asks, but Luz’s attention is already elsewhere, looking up in the trees in wonderment and she stops, looking up at the cliffs they're passing by and she sees what Luz sees.

A griffin nest, with baby griffins in it. She can see the wheels turning in Luz's head; but not quick enough.

She mumbles something that Amity can’t hear and then darts forward and is climbing up the rocks toward the nest.

“Luz!” Amity shouts, making everyone else turn back to them.

Luz fumbles over the rocks, scrabbling her way up the stones, completely deaf to her friends shouting at her from the ground. She has the suddenly unquenchable desire to pet the little creatures in the nest, who appear to her as bright little blots of color.

“What is she doing?” Emira asks Amity as she looks up at her sister’s girlfriend with wide eyes.

“I…”

“Uh-oh, she’s going after those baby griffins!” Viney sees the newborns straight away, and where there are baby Griffins a viciously,  protective mother is sure to be close behind.

“What, why!?” Willow shouts turning to Amity.

“I don’t know!” Amity shouted back. “She said she didn’t feel good and then she started acting strange.”

“Babe, grab her!” Viney turns to Emira, who draws a spell circle and casts a lasso of blue light, tossing it around Luz. She yanks her off the cliff face, flinging her into the grass before they can even think of trying to catch her.

“Luz!” Her friends shout as she smacks into the ground and rolls to a stop a few yards away in the grass.

"Sorry!" Emira shouts and Viney winces at that landing.

Before they can even make it to her she pops back up like she’s spring-loaded, making them jump back and they can see it now. Her pupils are blown wide, nearly pushing out all of the brown.

"Whoo, dizzy…," she mumbles, looking around at everything like it's the first time she's ever seen it.

They glance at each other worriedly, taking their eyes off her just long enough for Luz to go take off running down the trail.

"Luz, stop!" They call, giving chase. They forget just how fast the human is as she speeds down the trail, but she seems uncoordinated and stumbles a little over rocks and roots. Emira gets close enough for her fingers to brush the back of her collar but then Luz seems to right herself and darts out of reach, heading straight for their camp.

"She's so damn fast!" Emira huffs as they chase.

"Tell us about it." Willow's grumbles as they give chase.

She gets ahead of them enough to get out of their sight and when they burst back into camp she's hunkered down over the fire pit, looking at the small flames still burning in it with fascination.

She looks up as they run toward her shouting and jumps, running straight through the flames, scattering ash and ember as she stumbles.

Not even seeming to notice that the cuff of one leg of her jeans is now on fire.

"She's on fire!"

"Stop drop and roll, stop drop, and roll!" Gus is shouting as they continue to chase her, but Luz doesn't notice as she zips back into the woods with the group on her literally, hot trail.

The flames lick up to her knee, spreading with the wind she's creating as she runs.

"Someone do something!" Amity yells, she knows her abominations would be much too slow to catch her. Willow tries to grab her with vines, but Luz is moving too erratically between the trees for her to get a grip on her.

Gus tries to create a clone but Luz jumps right over it as it lunges at her.

"No wonder she was so good at grudgby!" He yells.

Viney draws a large orange spell circle and Puddles flies through.

"Grab her, Puddles!" She points and the griffin runs ahead of them, right behind Luz,. But then she makes a hard turn just before the beast can grab her In its beak.

Willow suddenly knows where they are and throws up a wall of vines, forcing the fleeing girl to change directions just the way she wants her too. Heading straight for the river.

Luz zigzags between the trees almost out of sight when she disappears completely followed by a loud splash.

"Shit" someone shouts as they finally catch up to find Luz thrashing around in the river. They grab her flailing limbs and drag her back onto the shore, she fights them, stringing together half incoherent Spanish and English sentences, but at least the fire is out.

They finally manage to drag her back onto the bank and she tries to take off, but Willow and Viney grab her.

"Luz, relax, it's us!" Gus says and her name seems to catch her attention and she goes limp, giggling to herself.

"It was wet," she snorts before bursting into full-blown laughter. Everyone just stares at her wide-eyed.

"We need to get her back to camp…," Emira finally says, and Willow and Viney nod, dragging the blitzed-out girl along behind them. She can barely keep her feet under her now and stumbles along limply as they guide her.

"What is wrong with her?" Gus looks at his still giggling friend, concerned, she's looking at her hand and snickering as she flexes her fingers like she's never seen them before."This isn't a human thing is it?"

"I've never seen her act like this," Amity says and bites her lip.

They get her back to camp and she's still sopping wet, dripping onto the dirt.

"You need to change clothes before you catch your death," Willow tells the spaced-out girl, tentatively releasing her grip.

"Hmm," Luz hums, seemingly thinking about this, and then starts to pull her shirt over her head.

"Not here in front of everyone!" Emira barks, face turning red.

But Luz doesn't seem to hear in her state and tries to pull it over her head, but the wet material gets stuck and she starts to flail like she's being strangled and Amity and Willow grab her, pulling it back down over her head.

"Hola" Luz just giggles once her head pops back out of the hole.

"Someone's going to have to help her change or she's going to strangle herself…," Viney says and Gus nods in agreement, then all eyes turn to Amity, who flushes bright red.

"Me?!" she yelps.

"Well, if anyone's going to shouldn't it be you? You're her girlfriend," Emira says, crossing her arms.

"I… I never… we…," she stammers, face turning red.

"Gus shouldn't," Willow starts. "And I don't think she'd want any of us to help her if she were in her right mind." She points out reluctantly, the others agree.

"She's going to freeze to death if we don't get her changed soon." Viney frowns.

Amity knows that's true, even though her face is still bright crimson. She glances at everyone before looking at Luz, who is still looking around with wonder at everything, making grabbing motions at the air at something only she can see while Willow holds her in place with vines to keep her from running off again, but she's started to shiver violently, teeth chattering as she stands there, the cold air chilling her, and Amity resolves herself with a sigh. As embarrassing as this promises to be she'd still much rather suffer through it and have her girlfriend alive.

"Em, grab some clothes out of her bag, and I need a towel…," she grumbles and Emira hurried off to grab the clothes. Viney spins a finger and a towel drops into Amity's hand. "Gus, can you make a curtain? I'm not going to fight her in the tent..."

The boy nods and in a flash of blue a circular stand with a curtain hanging from it appears.

"Ooh… magia." Luz looks at it with open wonder even as she stands there in Willows grip, quaking. She reaches out and pokes the curtain uncertainly.

Emira comes back, but the clothes in question, Amity recognizes as her own.

"She didn't have any other clothes in her bag." She shrugs, Amity just sighs as she takes them. They were only supposed to be out here a couple of days, it makes sense Luz didn't pack much. Luz has started to grow taller than her over the last few months, but they're still roughly the same size, it will do.

"You can do this…," Amity mumbles to herself, slinging the clothes over her shoulder and grabbing her zoned out girlfriend, who is still fascinated by the curtain, by the arm, Willow releasing her vines, and pulls her behind it.

"Okay, Luz…, we need to get you changed…," she says, and her face brightens at the words.

Luz turns her dilated eyes to her and blinks, seeming to think even though she's shaking from head to toe, dripping water, and part of her jeans burned away up to the knee.

"Naw" she shakes her head before her attention drifts elsewhere and Amity's embarrassment is somewhat tempered by the annoyance that spikes in her.

"Okay then…" Amity frowns, eyes narrowing and she grabs the hem of Luz's soaked shirt and starts to pull it over her head, that seems to bring her out of her temporary lulled state and she starts to thrash her arms, shouting in incoherent Spanish from inside the wet material and trying to pull away as Amity tugs it over her head despite her fighting.

"Luz, just take your clothes off!" She barks.

Outside, everyone else watches the curtain shake and rattle with the struggle, and sounds of the yelling, and muffled Spanish.

"I kind of always figured she'd be rough…," Emira snickers to herself and Viney elbows her, but is smirking too.

Gus and Willow listen to the struggle, concerned and embarrassed in equal measure.

Amity finally gets the shirt off, leaving Luz in her tank top.

Her once white, now all but transparent tank top and Amity's face burns as she looks away, but this proves to be a mistake, and Luz dashes for the curtain.

"No!" she shouts.

Amity lunges for her before she can run out and wraps the towel around her head, stopping her in her tracks.

"Just let me help you, damnit!"

It takes twenty long minutes of constant wrestling to get Luz dried and changed into her pants and sweater before she lets go and the human dashes out of the curtain.

She doesn't get very far before vines wrap around her and lift her off the ground. She's shouting in Spanish much too quickly for any of them to understand anything, not that they would understand much anyway.

"Sorry, Luz," Willow says to her.

Amity shoves the curtain aside, looking like she just stepped out of a wind storm, clothes askew and hair a mess, with Luz's wet clothes in hand, and face such an ultraviolet red they're afraid she's about to pop as she turns to Emira.

"We will never speak of this again," She hisses and Emira just nods, holding up her hands, doing her best to fight the grin that threatens to split her face. Amity walks over and lays Luz's clothes over a rock in the sun to dry.  

Luz has started knawing at the vines wrapped around her like a feral animal trying to escape.

"What is wrong with her?" Gus frowns, watching their friend.

"It's like she's been drugged." Emira crosses her arm as they watch her struggle in vain. Eventually, she'll tire herself out; they hope.

"Did something bite her?" Willow wonders.

"She didn't say anything…" Gus scratches his chin.

"Did she eat something?" Amity asks, rejoining them.

"Eat?" Viney asks, and they all turn to her. "I gave her some numberries earlier when we were hiking because she was really sore from yesterday, she ate a handful, but those wouldn't do this." She holds a hand out to the human, slobbering all over the vines as she repeatedly sinks her teeth into them, growling.

"Luz is human, things that are fine for us to eat don't always agree with her system…, she knows better than to just eat things," Amity groans, face in her hands.

"I think it's safe to say numberries are one of those things…," Willow says looking up at their friend, tearing at bits of the plant with her teeth, and Amity sighs, summoning her scroll, tapping a note on it titled simply: 'Luz's allergies' and types numberries in after lactose, bramblewheat and ghoul peppers, before spelling it away.

"What should we do?" Gus asks, looking up at Luz, who's given up on trying to knaw her way free and is simply resting her face on the vines, panting.

"Plants taste funny…," she mumbles, smacking her lips and staring off into space.

"Well, she doesn't seem to be poisoned, just tripping," Emira observes.

"We can probably wait it out," Viney agrees, reaching out to scratch Puddles' head. "Let's make lunch, I'm hungry and we might be able to dilute it some if we feed her," she suggests.

They agree and leave Luz strung up in the vines while they make sandwiches. Amity quickly makes one for Luz and Willow lowers her enough to reach before going back to making her own.

"Eat this, Luz," Amity says, trying to draw the tripping girls' attention as she holds up the sandwich.

Luz looks at her, and she can see that her pupils are still blown wide, taking up most of her eye. She's looking intently at Amity, like she's never seen her before, despite the debacle behind the curtain.

"Eres tan Bonita…," she mumbles with wonder, and Amity pinks, sighing but the corners of her mouth tick up. Luz has mostly been speaking in Spanish since she started freaking out, so Amity tries something else, trying to recall the right words.

"Por favor, come, querida."  She tries holding up the sandwich, hoping that's right.

Luz looks at it a second before opening her mouth and taking a bite. Amity manages to get her to eat all of it without much fuss, her rapidly turning attention locked on her for the moment. Somehow, when she imagined feeding her girlfriend, this wasn't exactly what she had in mind.

Once it's gone she joins the others to eat herself. They watch Luz carefully, bringing her closer to the fire to stay warm. She seems to be getting drowsy now, and within a few minutes is asleep, face down on the vines.

They check her periodically to make sure she isn't dead.

"So, do we tell Eda about this?" Willow asks looking around at everyone.

They all glance at each other.

"No"

~

It's dinner time when Luz starts to wake.

She squints against the harsh orange light of the setting sun. Her head hurts, hell, her whole body hurts, and her mouth is dry like she's been eating cotton balls. She smacks her mouth and looks around.

Her friends are scattered around the camp, doing their own things. Amity is the first to notice she's awake and quickly walks over.

"Are you, you again?" she asks tentatively. She can see her pupils have returned to normal size.

"What happened?" she mumbles and Amity sighed in relief before hot anger wells up in her gut.

"You ate numberries and spent half an hour tripping out!" she shouts and Luz winces as she starts to remember her little… episode, including Amity having to help her change and she turns red.

Hearing Amity yell, the others all come over and Willow releases her, she stumbles a little, her legs are asleep. She stares at the ground as they all look at her.

"Luz, are you okay?" Gus asks her.

She nods, looking up at him.

"I think so…"

"Hey, it's okay…" Emira starts and Amity turns on her.

"It is not okay!" she snaps and they all wince. "She knows better than to just eat things!"

"Amity, I…" she starts, rubbing her arm, but Amity just gives her a dark look before spinning on heel and stomping away. Luz deflates at that. Emira just pats her shoulder before following her sister to where she's now sitting on the far opposite end of camp not looking at any of them.

"I'm sorry, guys…," she mumbles sadly to her three friends.

"She's right, Luz. You could have seriously hurt yourself," Willow sighs and frowns at her, looking disappointed, and Luz shrinks further as the plant witch turns and walks away. Gus looks between them and nods but mouthing 'sorry' before he follows her.

"I feel bad, I'm the one who gave them to you." Viney scratches the back of her head. Luz shakes her head.

"No, you were just trying to help, they're right. I know that sometimes foods affect me weird, and I ate them anyway… this was all my fault…"

It's now that she notices that her leg really hurts and looks down, pulling up the leg of the pants to see that her left calf is burned in places.

Viney winces at it.

"Oof, let me patch that for you." She offers and Luz nods.

She draws a spell circle and a first aid kit appears and she applies cream to her burns and wraps it up.

"Thanks…," Luz mumbles, and Viney nods before moving jerking her head over to the firepit.

Luz reluctantly follows and plops herself down on the log, where she stays.

Dinner is a quiet, awkward affair, with Amity not talking or even looking at Luz from the other side of the fire. Everyone talks very little and unsurprisingly, most of them decide to turn in a little early.

Amity disappears into their tent and Luz stays where she is, sitting in front of the fire, knees pulled up to her chest. The other four look at each other uncertainly.

Emira frowns, but knows better than to get involved in this couple's dispute as she stands to go to their tent, Viney follows, shooting Luz a look over her shoulder.

"Luz, do you want to sleep with me?" Willow asks when it becomes apparent that the human is not going to be welcome in her and Amity's tent.

Luz just shakes her head but never looks up from the fire.

"No, thanks, Willow," she mumbles.

Gus and Willow share a look and the boy just shrugs before they go to their own tents, bidding her goodnight.

Luz sighs once she's alone. She hates when any of her friends are mad at her, especially her girlfriend, but she deserves it. She did something stupid. She could have easily gotten herself killed, not to mention severely embarrassing Amity and worrying her.

She picks up a stick and pokes at the fire for a while.

She's not sure how long it's been, but at least a couple of hours as she watches the flames die down to embers and curls up as the cold bites at her. She can see her breath in the low light of the fire. This is just part of her atonement she thinks, so no matter how cold she gets, she stays right where she is.

And Viney wasn't kidding. She can hear Em snoring from across the camp.

She's so engrossed in beating herself up she doesn't hear the tent zipper, nor the quiet footsteps approaching until Amity is standing right next to her in her pajamas, arms crossed.

"Are you going to sit out here all night?" she asks, making Luz jump and look up at her, but seeing that gold gaze she usually adores glaring at her, she turns back to the fire and nods.

"You're going to freeze." Amity huffs. She'd heard Willow offer up her tent and assumed Luz would accept, but as she laid there, unable to sleep, she had heard soft shuffling and peeked her head out to see Luz still sitting by the all but dead fire.

"I'll be fine," she says quietly, making no move to rekindle the fire much less move, and Amity can see the soft shaking of her shoulders.

Amity sighs to herself.

"Get in the tent, Luz," she says. That does make Luz lookup.

"I'll be fin-"

"Just get in the tent!" she snaps with a quiet hiss, knowing their friends and her sister are asleep.

Luz hunkers down at that but stands, the last thing she wants to do is make her girlfriend madder at her than she already is.

She quickly shuffles into the tent, Amity behind her as she zips it up.

She lays on her back and Amity lays on her side, facing away from her. They stay that way, quiet, for a long while.

The few inches between them feels like a chasm, Luz can't even begin to figure out how to bridge.

She sighs, glancing at the back of Amity's head.

"I'm sorry…," she says quietly, figuring Amity is asleep by now.

But then she hears her sigh and sees a pink spell circle appear, followed by a gently glowing light orb before she turns over to face her.

Amity is looking at her tiredly.

"Why? You know you're not supposed to just eat things you've never had before without someone to make sure you're okay."

"I know, I'm sorry… I haven't had a reaction in a while, I was hoping my body was finally getting used to stuff…," she says quietly, half shrugging.

"That doesn't mean you should risk it. This is what Eda was talking about, you can"t do stuff like this on a guess!" Amity bites and Luz looks away. She can't stand that scolding look. "Luz, you set yourself on fire and almost drowned today!" She hisses and Luz flinches.

Amity sighs again and reaches up to cover her eyes with her hands.

After a few long, silent moments, Luz glances at her and blinks. Amity is shaking and in the dim glow of the light spell, she can see the faint, shiny trails of tears dripping down her girlfriend's face.

She flips onto her side and doesn't hesitate to take hold of Amity's hands and gently pull them away from her face.

Her eyes are filled with tears as she looks back at Luz's wide, surprised gaze.

"You can't be so careless with your life!" she chokes.

Luz wraps her arms around her and finally pulls her close, Amity, burying her face into her neck and sniffling as she clutches the fabric at her back in her fists.

"I know… I'm sorry for worrying you, Amity. I'll be more careful from now on," she says into her hair. "I promise," she mumbled solemnly.

She holds her tightly, rubbing her back until the crying stops.

~

The atmosphere in the camp is much more relaxed the next morning when it seems Amity and Luz have made up. Nothing makes for a more awkward situation than when your couple friends are fighting.

They make quick work of breaking down camp before packing up and heading out.

Their parents are at work, so Emira heads off with Viney on Puddles, waving as they fly off.

Once they reach the bottom of the trail, Gus and Willow wave before they head off on their own, leaving the couple alone as they trek back to the owl house.

Amity's hand is wrapped in hers as they walk along in the cool morning air.

Luz has been quiet though, thinking. She truly needed to start making more effort to think about things before she did them. She wasn't just thinking about herself anymore, but how things she did affect Amity too, and realizes she would be just as worried all the time if Amity was more like her.

"I'm going to think more before I do things from now on," she says suddenly, making Amity look up at her.

"I know," she says, squeezing her hand.

"Also… I'm sorry about the … having to help me change thing…," she says quietly, scratching her pink cheek awkwardly with her free hand.

Amity turns red at that.

"It's okay…," she finally says after a second. "I couldn't let anyone else do it…," she mumbles

Luz chuckles a little at that.

"Yeah… I don't think I could have looked any of them in the eye ever again…," she admits. "Especially Em or Gus…"

"Like I was going to let Emira do it…," Amity huffs, and Luz really laughs at that, making Amity smirk.

Eda is standing out front, sweeping the stoop when they walk out of the woods and she looks up at them and grins.

"Hey, how was camping?" she asks, leaning on the broom and looking between them.

They glance at each other quickly.

"Fine!" they both say quickly, and Eda just blinks at them.

[scribeofmorpheus]

Himmeløyne [22/?]

Pairing: Loki Odinson x Reader

Catch Up Here | Masterlist

Warnings: None

A/N: I have started my first original gothic story (it'll be much darker than this fic but can I offer you werewolves, vampires, 1970s Europe aesthetic as an incentive?). It's on Wattpad and I intend to update it every Wednesday, but I never stick to update schedules so... Here ya go: OUR LADY OF DARKNESS

Taglist is open! Reblog, comment or leave a like please ☺

~Y/N

The end of the abyss—that frightful stream of continuous fall and forceful uplift—it finally had an end. It was a large door. Smell of rain and storms, with the slick glisten of wet rock hugging the archway. A dark type of stone, jagged and natural, the door seemed to be carved into the side of a mountain. But the mirage ended where the rock began, there were no walls. No infrastructure. Just the green of the mirror world and two hunkering doors. The archway was carved in the shape of a snake; same as the kind that embellished the rigging of ships, tongue curled, eyes made of rings within rings.

A sequence of lettering—foreign, yet oh, so familiar—hovered in the mist, your mind scrambling to make sense of the words.

“Oracle, what is this place?”

The whisper was quiet, for a brief moment you worried that you were truly on your own in this stretch of emptiness.

I sense… something has been concealed from me. Its magic is fevered, dusted in loss. Pain. Desire. It is out of place. Out of time. The conjurer’s magic has the same energy as yours, only… stronger.

“Stronger?” You shuddered at the thought. After a pause, you asked: “You don’t see the door?”

Door? What door?

“What of the letters?”

I—No, I see nothing. Describe it to me.

“There’s a serpent on the door.”

A serpent? Does he eat his tail?

“No, his head marks the start of the archway, but his mouth is facing the ground.”

Then it is incomplete. An incantation must be needed to complete the image. What of the lettering?

“These letters, they’re different than common tongue or Asgardian runes. They aren’t Jotun either. They look… I don’t know. They look so familiar.”

Reach for them.

“What?”

Familiar magic has a tendency to want to be understood, that is why it feels familiar. Touch it.

You stuck your hand up, jumping on your tippy-toes to try and grab the incorporeal words floating above your head. In defiance, they simply rose higher up, further out of reach.

Do not reach with your body, Child of the Sky. Reach with your magic.

With an exhale, you stuck both hands high up in the air, conjuring the bristle of energy that raced across your spine during spellcasting. Remembering through muscle and memory of what it was like to be in control of your magic. Of what it was like to revel in its deliciousness, its wildness, its link to Loki. A swirl of warmth took shelter in your belly, that warmth you’d grown to love before it was ripped from you and replaced by the cold of Odin’s incantation.

Suddenly, the words began to sink, lowering themselves like feathers, at first, then with the heft of an arrow, and finally, a stone.

With a crash, the words burst into fire and embers, each ember digging into your skin in a sensory overload that formed echoes in the mist.

A version of you,—the shade whose voice you heard in the abyss—older, magic glowing a different hue of blue, in strange clothing, stood by the door. You were witnessing the construction of the doorway. Every splinter, fibre, rock and sand particle materialised as though you were undoing the wroth of a sandstorm to make way for a rock giant. A woman, with firebrand hair and soft features, stood beside you, she looked drained, weary. She had magic too, it was the colour of blood. The colour of fire. It flickered in and out around her body, as if fighting to take over.

There was a young boy clasping onto the shade’s hand. Aloof in expression, a scaly growth the colour of white sands on his elbows, ankles, neck and cheeks. He was a beautiful child, hair as soft as down, curls that fluffed in a way you could never get yours too. Eyes of a pure and deep blue. Ocean surface during a thunderstorm blue.

He looked at the shade the same way little Sigrid had when she’d waved her plump, little hand goodbye before following after the hunters. It made you yearn for something so pure with a fierce heart.

“There, that should do it,” the shade said as the door materialised from thin air. “Now, we need a seal so no one who wanders can know of this place.”

“Is this absolutely necessary?” the woman asked, hugging her frame as if she were cold.

“I don’t like it any more than you do, but this is the only way I know for certain that what we’re doing now happens.” The shade’s voice felt dark, wizened in years, the same way Frigga spoke of grave matters. “This fortress is the only way he survived in my time. If we can’t change things, as the sorcerer said, then the least we can do is ensure things continue on their set path.”

“He’ll be trapped… for who knows how long? Centuries? Millennia? He’s just a boy.”

“He’s more than that,” the shade got down on one knee to look at the boy. From that angle, you could see the mangled, L shaped scars over each of her shoulder blades. They resembled the scars birds would suffer when their wings were ripped for medicines. “This is the only way he stays safe. I’ve already cemented the other enchantments. Time will not be felt here. He will not feel sadness or regret or the bitterness of solitude. He will sleep, as I once did, except… he will not be aware. And he will dream of only happy things. Then, when the time comes, I will jump. I’ll take him back with me.”

The firebrand woman showed doubt for the first time, “How do you know?”

“Because I’ve already done it.” The shade touched the other magic bearer’s shoulder, a comradery there. A closeness built from time and triumph, much like that kindred fire you shared with Sif. “Now, a phrase. A word. Anything to bind this lock to. Something unique.”

“Why don’t you choose it?” “Because I know myself. It has to be something I’d never choose so that she never knows it, and no mind reader can ever guess it should they stumble upon this place.”

“Vision,” the woman’s lips quivered with loss, but there was a bloom of hope in the tweak of her lips as your shade repeated the word.

The biting of the magic ended, and suddenly, you were alone again.

What happened? Child of the Sky? Are you there?

“I’m right here, Oracle,” you choked out, a tightness in your throat.

You were gone. One instant here, the next… nowhere. Somewhere. Between.

“I know how to open the door,” you took several steps back and then cleared your throat. With conviction and authority, you calmly said: “Vision.”

What did the magic reveal to you?

Your head was spinning from the fabrics of this mirror universe being so amateurishly tailored, so lacking in its design and purpose. The more you discovered, the more you began to doubt if this world was ancient; or if it was barely into its adolescence. “I do not quite understand it, yet. You said you were imprisoned here?”

Yes. I have been without body or memory for as long as I can remember.

The snake on the door began to slither till its mouth was at the top, and its tail was tucked firmly in its jaws. Then its eyes glowed the same colour as the child’s, thunderstorm blue. With a groan and a strike of something loud, the door peeled back. Beyond its threshold was a mutation of worlds, all collided in exquisite syzygy; aligned, misaligned, human, Asgardian, Jotun, and even the liquid blackness of space with pepper spots for stars.

“And how long ago was that?”

I—I do not… Centuries? Millennia? Aeons?

To busy your mind of doubt and fear as you stepped past the threshold and heard the door seal shut behind you, you toyed with the idea of understanding more of this world. “You said you could hear the beginning of your name… What was it?”

The whisper grew soft, warm. It sounded like ‘see’. Or was it the sea? Sea? Sea. Sea!

A garden shifted into the plane, then with a breath, a lake, then a cave, then a temple, then a waterfall, then a tower made of metal and glass. The world wasn’t fixed to a temporal setting, nor a specific location in space. It was like watching fire tell a story; brief, bright and constant.

Sea! Sea! Sea! Sea!

At the epicentre, laying on a stone tablet with a curtain of gold—that same curtain from the healing chamber—wrapped around like a fleece, was the child. Unaged. Beautiful. Asleep. He had no scaly growths like in the visions.

You took your steps with trepidation. Almost afraid to make a whisper even though the Oracle chanted ‘Sea!’ over and over. Its voice morphing into the very faint intones of a voice you knew all too well.

The world began to peel away the closer you got to the child. A presence was syphoning the magic, transmuting it for another purpose. A purpose that you now realised was meant to happen. Soon, a figure of pure light, with large wings of utmost magnificence, formed from the siphoned magics of the world. The Oracle was gaining form. The fleece turned grey and the boy began to stir. The magic of the sleep spell was broken.

You approached him slowly. Hands seeking out his aura. Then, in the most silver of voices you’d ever heard, he said, “You came. You said you’d come.” A smile of familiarity adorned his freckled laugh lines.

Sea! Sea! Sea! Sea!

“Do you know me?”

He nodded.

Sea! Sea! Sea! Sea!

 “How?”

 “From now.”

Sea! Sea! Sea! Sea!

“What’s your name?”

He seemed confused. Reeling back from the line you’d cast him for with that question. Bait in hook, he fished in the muddy waters that were your consciousness. You could feel his magic, abrasive as sand between toes, cool and wet, but also warm and sea-salt thick. He replied, “You haven’t given it to me yet. But you will return hers to her.”

He pointed to the Oracle’s figure, pulsating into a more corporeal form. The boy opened his hand and you knew instantly what he needed you to do before you thought to ask. A reflex. His magic extended to yours, carrying thought, and the very genesis of thought in its energy. You placed your face close so his hand could cover the cavity where your eye used to be.

Sugar. Berries picked from the wild thickets. A prick into padded thumb. Ooze of blood. A slight sting, then a scab and finally nothing, no marks, no evidence of the thorn in your thumb. He was projecting images of what he envisioned as he healed you. What the berries would taste like; apples. “You can open your eyes now. It was gold when we met. I kept it the same.”

Feeling no different than before, you opened both eyes for the first time since you stepped into Verdenspeil. With a tickle, the runes drawn on your hand and forehead sloughed off like skin cells. You could see the world without them. You could see through both eyes again. The shifting world shifted to a hexagon of mirrors. One, the sky shifting blue of your mother, the other, the ancient, world piercing gold of your father, your face held two eyes again.

“It’s… beautiful,” you looked down at the boy with your eyes. He showed teeth with his grin, pleased with himself. Pleased with your laugh of awe. “There was a boy in my village. Half as beautiful as you are. Half as joyful, with a smile and constellations marking his nose and cheeks too. He showed me kindness. His name was Baldrick. I shall call you Baldrick.”

 “Now that you have spoken my name, remind her of who she is,” the boy said, glancing at the Oracle. “You know. You know but cannot believe.”

A gasp left your mouth. A mix of hope and disbelief. With the new eye, you could see the face of the Oracle beneath the light, beneath the enchantment that kept her hidden.

Sea! Sea! Sea! Sea!

“S-Sigrid.”

The Oracle hushed before exploding into a million, tiny pieces of energy. Out of the explosion was your mother, winged as the Valkyrie from legend, wearing the armour you had seen in the mirror prior to entering Verdenspeil.  

“Y/N,” she said, lowering to the ground. Her hand cupped your face. You could barely feel her. “I have waited so long for this moment.”

“Mother,” you hugged her close.

A swirl of black formed once the mirrors of the world broke. Sigrid looked at you with panic.

“Listen, there isn’t time. Take the boy, “Sigrid removed a bracelet and cast it into the black-hole. A portal began to form, leading to what looked like a stone temple. “Take him and jump, it’ll lead you to the one with answers.”

“I don’t understand! Why can’t you come with us? How are you alive?”

“I’m not alive dear, sweet child. But I can promise this isn’t the last you’ll see of me. We will meet again, soon. I promise. But you must go, the world has fulfilled its purpose. There is no reason for it to exist anymore. It has already began to unravel.”

The mist began to turn sour, choking like poison.

You coughed, breathing through your sleeve, “But, as the Oracle, you said I had to take you to the source.”

“You are the source. You and the boy. Your magics are entangled. The maze was a lie, one devised by you. This world isn’t ancient, it is young. A deception. I am the deceiver. My purpose was to ensure none but you found the boy and the portal to Mímir’s tomb. You enchanted this world so all would walk along the lighted paths until they reached a portal that would return them to a random space within the nine realms. You enchanted this world with your memories, so only you could follow them. Hear them.” Sigrid handed you a four-pronged dagger, “Take this you’ll need it.” She kissed your cheek, then her form started unravelling with the world too. Through transference, she gave you her armour, it was lighter than you'd expected, and it fit to cover your proportions through magical effect.

“Why can’t you come with us?” you reached your hand out to Baldrick. He took it with ease.

“I am not meant for the lands of the living,” she lamented. “Go! Before the world takes you with it.”

You rushed to the portal, but before you could step through you asked one last question: “What did you mean by ‘sins of the father’?”

“The war,” Sigrid fluttered her wings to hover in the green mist. “It was a lie. The Jotuns, they didn’t start it. We—the Himmel Kvinner—there’s a reason why only the women in our family inherited the gift. It’s not just power. It’s essence. A woman’s essence. Odin didn’t know we would develop magic from the artefact, but none of us were able to understand the complexity of her spell. Until you. You will discover the reason behind it all. You told me you did. I suspect it is because you are not fully mortal." Bitterly, she added as her body turned to mist as well, "You will bring the heavens to its knees. And your fate is that none shall remember it.”

One of Sigrid’s wings dissipated, she faltered in the air, then shouted: “Go!”

“I love you,” you whispered before hurtling through the undulating expanse of the portal.

“I know…” you heard her whisper back as Verdenspeil was destroyed.

[zeltricstudio]

'DEAD LAKE'

DAWN

MAY, 2011

“We’re finally here” Jacob Foster announced to his family – which consisted of his wife Maria and their two 16-year old kids Michael and Shelly – as they pulled up to the Cabin.

“Finally, my legs were killing me” Shelly announced as she stepped out and began stretching.

“I can breathe!” Michael said and began inhaling deeply.

“Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, because we only got the cabin for the weekend” Jacob said gleefully.

“Well if you are done stretching, let us move in. I need to get started on dinner right away” Maria said, and the family began hauling their luggage to the cabin.

Jacob and Maria Foster both had the weekend off, so they decided to travel to Dawn and spend the weekend in the forest. The main plan was to go fishing, biking, and hiking and spend the weekend just enjoying nature. Once they had moved in and unpacked, it was time for dinner.

“I was expecting something out of a horror movie, but this cabin is nice” Shelly said

“Same. I mean it is in the forest near the ocean. That is a recipe for horror” Michael added

“How did you hear about this?” Maria asked Jacob

“A mate of mine recommended it. Said he spent the weekend hiking. Apparently the forest is lovely” Jacob replied

“So what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Michael asked

“How does fishing sound?”

“Fishing sounds good” Shelly replied

“Yeah I can do fishing” Michael agreed

“How about you, honey?”

“Oh no thank you. The ocean terrifies me” Maria said

“It’s a lake” Michael jokingly said

“Well unless I’ve seen the bottom of it and can confirm there is nothing there, I am staying on land” Maria retorted

“Okay, so tomorrow us 3 will go fishing bright and early” Jacob said as he finished up.

The next morning, Jacob, Michael and Sally got dressed and headed out to the lake. The lake was ginormous, and they couldn’t even see the other side. The 3 got the boat into the water and drove into the ocean before stopping in the middle. The boat was a standard propulsion-engine boat and was big enough to seat 5 people, so they had a lot of leg room. Once the boat was settled, the 3 put the bait on their fishing rods and threw their lines into the ocean.

“So Michael, excited for the game next week?” Jacob asked, trying to break the silence.

“Yeah I am! We’ve been doing the football drills nonstop and the coach is working us extra hard” Michael said, secretly relieved to be relaxing for a weekend instead of training

“You’re going to crush them” Shelly said in support

“Thanks” Michael replied

Suddenly, Michael’s hook caught something, but his unpreparedness allowed his rod to fly off his hand and into the water.

“Damn it” Michael said as he reached over and picked it up from the water just before it sunk below his reach.

“Remember what I said? Always be prepared” Jacob laughed

“It must be a really big fish, it felt like a human was tugging my rod” Michael said, both confused and surprised at what had yanked his rod as he dried his hand.

“Maybe Dawn has some type of mega fish we don’t know about” Shelly joked

“I wouldn’t be surprised” Michael replied.

As time went on, they had yet to catch a single fish and didn’t notice that the fog had suddenly began seeping in.

“It’s been 2 hours and nothing” Michael said, slightly annoyed

“Yeah, aside from that mega fish nothing has happened” Shelly added, her disappointment in her voice

“I guess this spot might be a fluke” Jacob said, also defeated. “Want to head back and maybe get a quick hike in before we go back to the cabin?”

“Yeah” Both Michael and Shelly replied.

As Jacob started the engine up, they all heard a splash.

“What was that?” Jacob asked, looking around

“I heard it too” Shelly said

“Must be the mega fish, coming for us” Michael joked

“Well it gets to live to see another day” Jacob said as he tended to the engine again.

Jacob pulled and the engine sputtered. He tried to do it again, but another splash came, this time louder. Jacob stopped and looked around, before going back and pulling the engine cord again. This time something hit the boat.

“Woah! What was that?” Shelly asked, now scared

“I don’t know, but I am not sticking around to find out” Jacob replied and began pulling the engine cord

“Uh guys, what is that?” Michael asked and pointed to a creature in the fog.

The creature looked like a fish, except it had the shape of a human head. When all 3 turned to look at it, it went underneath.

“Dad?” Shelly turned to look a Jacob

“I don’t know sweetie” Jacob said, now scared.

As Michael put his hands on the edge of the boat to try and lean in, he quickly noticed that same creature underneath and pulled his head back in time before the creature could swipe him.

“Woah!” Michael said as he fell into the boat.

“What is that?” Shelly asked, now on the defense

“Damn it” Jacob said as he tried again with the engine, but another sputter came out.

The boat was rocked again as a creature hit it; this time much harder.

“Fuck it” Jacob said and picked up a paddle, planning on rowing back to shore.

“Michael, get the paddle and-“ Jacob was suddenly cut off as the creature jumped up and impaled Jacob’s arm with it’s fin. As Jacob screamed in pain, they all got a good look at the creature. It had the form of a human, but its skin was a dark green shade, with scales all over. It had fins on its head and elbows. Its eyes were hollowed out and it had no mouth. The creature was covered in vines and moss. Jacob instinctively punched the creature and its grip let go and fell into the water, making a splash.

“Dad, are you alright” Sally asked as she tended to his wounds.

“I’m fine, Michael try and get the engine working” Jacob commanded, and Michael got to pulling.

“Sally, get away from the edge” Jacob said and Sally moved to the center of the boat. Jacob picked up a paddle and held it firmly. A few more splashes were heard before another creature jumped onto the boat. Jacob quickly slapped it with the paddle before it could hoist itself up and the creature fell back into the water. The engine suddenly came to life and Michael pulled the trigger and off the boat went. As the trio sailed, they felt more and more bumps, each one with ferocity. To their fear they suddenly heard wood being ripped and Shelly spotted a creature hanging onto the boat. She picked up a paddle and pried it off. Unfortunately, the engine began stuttering, before coming to a halt.

“Oh no no no” Michael said, now scared. He looked over and noticed several claw marks on the engine, with a large one tearing into the engine and an oil leak.

“Those things, destroyed the engine!” Michael announced, now terrified.

“Michael take this” Jacob said and handed the paddle to Michael. Jacob pulled out a pocket knife and the 3 turned back-to-back as they waited. Eventually the water became still and silence became deafening.

“Daddy? What are those things?!” Shelly screamed, not realizing how scared she was”

“I don’t know!” Jacob replied. “I don’t know” Jacob repeated, now terrified as they were trapped.

As the three waited, a creature jumped into the boat, this time all the way and sat perched on the edge. The boat slightly rocked as Michael attempted to push the creature off with the paddle, except the creature swiped the paddle, cutting it in half. As Michael stood dumbfounded, Jacob went and kicked the creature, catching it off guard as it fell into the ocean. From behind, another creature jumped and stabbed Michael in both shoulders with its claws, before attempting to drag him down. Jacob instinctively grabbed Michael’s hands and tried to keep him from being dragged. As Shelly was about to help Michael, another creature jumped onto the boat, this time standing inside it. Shelly turned and tackled the creature over the boat.

“Ahhhh!” Michael screamed in pain, as Jacob tried pulling him up.

“Hold on son-“ Jacob tried comforting his son, but soon another pair of claws came through Michael’s abdomen. Jacob was forced to let go as the weight became too heavy and with his shoulder injury making him weaker. Michael fell into the water with a heavy splash.

“Michael!” Jacob screamed in shock. Shelly went over to Jacob to comfort him, but she was stopped when another creature hopped onto the boat. As Shelly ran to tackle it, the creature dug its feet into the boat and Shelly ran into it, but didn’t move it. It wasn’t till now did Shelly realize how big this thing was. It was easily over 6 feet and very muscular. As Shelly took a step back, the creature stabbed Shelly in her shoulder, causing her to scream in pain.

“Ahhhhhh!” Shelly’s scream pierced the silence. Jacob quickly recomposed himself but before he can rush to Sally’s aid, another creature jumped up and stabbed him in the back, before attempted to pull him in. Jacob took his pocket knife and stabbed the creature in the face repeatedly, causing it to release its grip on him. Shelly unfortunately was stabbed again, this time through the chin and her screams stopped. The creature then picked her up and threw her overboard, making a deafening splash as she hit the water.

“NO!” Jacob screamed and rushed the creature, with his knife going for the heart. The creature shrieked when the knife made an impact, sounding like a human scream underwater. The creature pushed Jacob backwards, before jumping back into the water. Jacob quickly got back up and kept his knife close to him, before moving to the center and turning around, making sure no creature got behind him. Jacob was suddenly aware of every sound being made. The peaceful silence was now terrifying as he knew it meant the creatures were waiting. As Jacob began panicking, 5 creatures jumped from the water at once. Jacob tried stabbing one, but its skin hardened and the knife just slid off. The creature slashed Jacobs stomach, causing him to stumble backwards to the front of the boat. The 5 creatures stood still, staring at Jacob, waiting for him to make the next move. Jacob stood at the edge, locked in an intense staring competition with these creatures. Suddenly a sixth creature jumped and stabbed both of Jacob’s knees from behind, causing him to buckle down. The other 5 creatures then ran and sunk their claws into his chest. The momentum and weight of all creatures was enough to push Jacob overboard.

“Arghhhggg” Jacob’s scream turned into muffled garbled as water quickly entered his lungs. The 6 creatures dragging him continued stabbing and after a grueling minute, Jacob stopped screaming, struggling, and moving. The creatures then began tearing the boat, causing enough damage and holes that it began sinking.

Maria woke up around 12:00 and was surprised to see that no one was back in the cabin. She walked down to the lake and noticed the boat was not back, so she assumed that they were still out. At around 5 they had not returned so she called the Ranger. They sent a crew out but they found nothing. A Search Party was formed and after a week, they were not able to find any evidence of what happened to her family. Maria had to return home, forever saddened that she never knew what happened to her family.

2 Weeks after the Foster Incident, the lake was closed off due to similar reports of disappearing people. “Yeah, do you think it’s time?” A man in a black suit said on his phone, standing behind the metal fencing closing off the shore. “Yes, people are beginning to ask questions and if the public knew what was in those waters, it would be hell” the man on the other end replied, sounding angry. “Affirmative, send in the S.E.C.T.” The agent replied, before hanging up.

[thequietmanno1]

Thelreads, MHA 218, Replies Part 1

1) “Oh, the moment of truth arrived, will we start Vigilantes or will we continue the next arc? Oh decisions decisions… And I got nothing. Seriously, no idea what to do. I thought that I should at least take a look at the start of the arc to be sure if the hook would be strong enough to pull me in before deciding, so, let’s get started on what will be really the decisive chapter for the blog,”- Ha! Yeah, no, big mistake. This arc starts off strong with an industrial-sized hook and just keeps adding on more and more bait as it continues, there’s absolutely no way you could’ve read this chapter and put it aside for several months afterwards. That’s pretty much why several people were saying last chapter was a good place to stop, because it’s A: a neat conclusion to the previous arc, and B: the exact point before the next arc starts off full throttle and never slows down.

2)“Oh my god those kids are having fun, what the hell is going on? I mean, except tsuyu, she’s almost dead over there.”- Well, she is a frog. Cold-Bloodied= not good in lower temperatures. This makes Todoroki’s and her quirk another poor match-up in one-on-one sparring, despite Tsuyu’s flexibility and frog powers. Actually, I think the anime version of the Hero licence exam delved into Tsuyu’s weakness to cold in a filler episode fight showing how she and some others managed to pass the first portion of that exam when everybody was split up.

3) “Best chapter, best chapter, blessed info, now you can kill whoever you want Horikoshi, I don’t care.”-  Horikoshi: Challenge accepted! (proceeds to introduce random mouse character vaguely reminiscent of a childhood cartoon just to give him one of the more visceral and unpleasant deaths in the manga thus far)

4) “You know, I got sick of waiting for a next season so I started reading the Attack on Titan Manga on my free time, whenever my WIP is not consuming my soul and making me suffer and, well, I’m really behind and-“- yeah, if you have some conflicting feelings on the morality of your ‘heroes’ in manga, then the current AOT is gonna leave you hooked into an uncomfortable ride with no stopping till the final chapters. It’s beautiful and engaging, but harsh and traumatic all the same, and it’s honestly fascinating to read, even if you can’t shake the sense of sadness whilst doing so.

5) “Oh okay, nevermind the manga, we’re about to see some good shit right now. Time to know how they grown ever since they had to take care of the nightmare kindergarten. Wonder if they’ll kill Gang Orca this time or not…”-Presumably that’s material the anime will cover once it gets to this part, given it’s a prime opportunity to expand some more on the lessons Bakugou and the others learned and to showcase how much better they do now that these quartet of top students are taking the exact same scenario they failed the last time in, due to wanting to work alone or being in disharmony with each other.

6) “No goddammit go back to them, I want to see them fighting! Goddammit Horikoshi, this is way I’m going to drop your series and read the Vigilantes one.”- Horikoshi: (readying his fishing pole for a cast) Oh really?

7) “Or the weather forecast, who knows, apparently this chapter doesn’t know what it wants, next thing the weather will foreshadow the next villain.”-Well, more like the following newscast, but still…

8) I see that somebody already messaged you about Detnerat’s hidden meaning, but given Horikoshi’s proven his excellent grasp of the English language previously via the various SFX, I do wonder why he intentionally went with the ‘engrishy’ version of the title. Perhaps he was trying to make a jab at how the Japanese tend to have trouble with Ls and Rs?

9) “I swear if the next arc is about an evil corporation trying to take over the world with powerful gadgets… I’ll have to call Disney and tell them someone is copying the plot of the Incredibles.”-Powerful Gadgets and an ideology several generations in the making make for a powerful combo. Hitler was able to gain a ton of followers with his Mein Kampf book in Prison, and I’m fairly certain Horikoshi’s trying to draw parallels between this new version of the MLA and the early rise of the Nazi party in pre-World-War 2. These guys have a ton more resources and influence than Hitler did starting out, not to mention the advantages of superpowers in pretty much everybody in the army, and the fact that, far as we can tell, nobody knows they exist yet, although in this case since everybody actually is already a superhero, all they’re trying to do with their movement is deal with the current regime that restricts people from using their powers freely, which is much like the League in this case, only they seem to take umbrage with them for some reason, leading to the current 3-way impending fights between the MLA, the League and the hero society they both seek to overthrow. 

It’s fascinating because all three sides have good and bad points to them, easily defined by their views on what’s right and how the world should be…. Actually, ok, maybe Tomura’s still working out the finer details of his vision for society, but he’s managed to settle on a goal he wants to achieve, which is more than can be said for how he used to be before USJ, and whilst the MLA might be right in that current society restricts and oppresses the very individuality that people are inherently born with, hero society is correct that rampant use of powers in the hands of people untrained or not afraid of the consequences would swiftly reduce any society into total anarchy. Neither side in this ideological conflict is wholly correct, but the only side we do 100% support, that of 1A and the kids, is totally unaware of this brewing cluster-fuck that about to come crashing down on their bright futures.

10) “Fucking Igor, man, his youth was really wild, he shouldn’t be snorting all that coke.”-That’s Igor’s younger brother, pronounced ‘eye-gor’, fresh off his disastrous attempts to start a comedy routine and seeking an honest living in business and merchandising, though he has an unfortunate tendency to snap if somebody makes fun of his old stand-up material- just ask Miyashi…oh wait

11) “You know what, I really don’t want this to be a TV commercial, solely because this guy walking around and announcing stuff like he’s being in front of a camera for no reason is too funny to imagine. Look at this shit, he’s so dramatic, its like he’s trying to sell me a used car.”- The third panel here, with his arms crossed over his face, casts the shadow of his arms over his eyes. Not only does this resemble his Rorschach ink-blot mask that forms on his face later in the chapter, it resembles a domino mask, like those typically worn by masked villains in old western serials, showing how his villainous nature was being presented to the audience from the beginning, but disguised under his hammy mannerisms. He even looks slightly more sinister and serious there than he does in the rest of the commercial.

12) “That or this guy could have a mind controlling quirk that activates when he acts like a con man trying to sell some suspicious product.”-That reminds me a lot of the legal issues that resulted from trying to prosecute Kilgrave in Jessica Jones, and now it makes me wonder what the early stages of quirk history were like, when people now had to take into account that powers like this did exist and could be used as a plausible motive for others to commit crimes. People seemed really non-plussed about shinso’s quirk when he revealed it, despite commenting on its villainous potential, so it’s likely similar quirks have appeared and been documented in the past.

13) “HORIKOSHI STOP PULLING THE FUCKING RUG I LIKE TO STAND UP YOU KNOW?”- Horikoshi: what’s that you say? Pull the rug some more? Ok!

14) “Fine this is our plot now, let’s go, show me how they are evil and want mooooooneeeeeyyyy…”-Well, if you’re starting an ideological revolution, moolah is a primary concern, but I think Joker 2.0 got that part fairly covered by building up his business to a household name, securing all the funding and excuses he would need to build and create gadgets for the army members disguised as lifestyle enabling equipment for their quirks and power sets. As for them being evil… well, they’re a business, so if they weren’t already going to be evil beforehand they certainly were after they got big.

15) “They are either extremely confident on their products, or they have some way to guarantee that they’ll be getting clients, like say, selling to both sides.

Oh fuck is this what we are doing now?”- Actually, kind of, yes. The thing about an ideology is that it can make sense to people who might not see eye to eye face to face, but can find common agreement in the themes present and discussed in the MLA’s liberation viewpoint. We’ve seen previously vs Stain how restrictive and troublesome the law can get when dealing with villains, and there’s definitely been several cases like with Gentle where people ‘want’ to be heroic and help, but can’t  because of the laws and backlash agasitn civilians, so there’s room for people on the side of the hero society to argue that it’s too restrictive, like some people would claim about political correctness becoming more restrictive with genuinely interesting and engaging content on the internet. 

The MLA’s view on being free to use your quirk is something that mostly appeals to villains and those on the dark side of society, but we’ve seen examples of how those on the heroic side can struggle with those same laws as well. Perhaps the scariest thing about the MLA isn’t their belief in their mission statement, but how that mission statement makes a distressing amount of sense, especially in a society that’s struggling to hold itself together after All Might’s retirement, even with Endeavour doing his best to keep the leaking boat afloat in a sea of unrest.

16) “Hell, he’s luck to have a nice boss, mine would tell me to leave if I came with a bad joke in the middle of a reunion.”- The scariest and most horrifying thing about Mt forehead here is that it’s clear he isn’t faking anything about his good boss tendencies towards Miyashita- he is genuinely a kind and supportive boss towards him, tolerant of his digs towards his sore spot with his forehead, and honestly thankful for his help, but when Miyashita not only rejects the MLA’s ideology, but calls it useless garbage, that just crosses a line that Joker here simply can’t tolerate under any circumstances, even though he’s clearly somebody with enough self-control to not snap when Miyashita keeps making fun of him. He’s an utter fanatic towards the MLA and its goals, and he’s got the resources, determination and utter disregard of life to see those goals through, even if he can actually appreciate the value of what he’s destroying, the mission of the MLA takes priority above all else.

17) “Pinocchio man here isn’t trustworthy, he’s way too sure he’ll be on top, even if he has a good history with dealing with powers.”- There’s also the subtle reference he’s making to the companies ‘actual’ history, stretching back several generations to before the company was even founded, showing how he’s certain that the MLA will end up on top because they’re actually Cater to neither side but their own, and also leading as a conversation opener for him to recruit Miyashita to the cause. On the other hand, it might be just a genuine slip of the tongue that he decided to take advantage of when Miyashita noted it, leading to the ‘burst melon’ moment

18) “Yeah, talk it like it is Bearears! Glorifying a terrorist isn’t something to be celebrated, and you have every reason to dislike the idea of the book being republished.”-good points, but I think Mr Joker Jr in the boss’s chair would like to have a word with you too L, after he’s given a hands-on (neck) performance review to Miyashita here. Turns out it’s a good idea to disparage a terrorist’s ideal… except when you’re standing in the present of a true believer in the cause who can actually conceivably get away with murdering you and making your body disappear. @thelreads

[sweetzdreamyzblog]

Wanna hear a story?

Oki..last Sunday..me and my family were going to the beach..to fishing. When we arrived at the beach.. my father set a bait on a fishing hook. There was ten prawn as a bait I count...an hour we wait..we didn't catch a fish. So we decided to play ATV... Well yeah many people play ATV at that time so we wait till there's another ATV rent and the whole siblings of mine were racing.

We only have 30 min per ATV. Few minutes before the time is up. We raced once again for ..well yanno ...for fun...

Then I was close to the finished line... I was focus on my mom. She point at my lil brother that is 1 mile away from me and I accidentally tilt the steering wheel and I flip over to the ground!!.. My left hand and legs were hurt. It nearly crashed over me. But yeah I'm glad I'm safe from the incident tho... It was fun!!

[descendantshh2]

Don’t Be Afraid - Harry Hook x Reader

Requested: I was wondering if I could request a Harry hook X reader imagine where the daughter is the of princess Tiana. Maybe something  about the reader trying to help Harry get over his fear of alligators/crocodiles (they could be playing a game to try and guess each other's fears) since Captain Hook is obviously terrorfied of the creatures where as Tiana's and Naveen's best friend is literally a saxophone playing crocodile. I know it's very long and specific but I feel like it could be quite cute xxx 

A/N I would like to thank @jugheadismyking for the request I had so much fun writing this and I hope you love it (: 

 You're parents met as frogs down in the Bayou where they soon married and became King and Queen of Maldonia . They moved to Aruadon once they found out they were having a daughter. You grew up both in the Bayou and Auradon which both were about 10 mins away from each other. You lived a happy life and you even made some amazing friends in Auradon one them being Harold Hook aka Harry. He was your best friend and you knew everything about him but for some odd reason he never wanted to come to the Bayou with you. "Harry lets go to the Bayou common it'll be a nice get away from 'Boredon'" you begged. Harry was a Villain if you are wondering why he's in Auradon is because King Ben arranged for all Villain kids to be welcomed. You and Harry both clicked when he first arrived and you guys have been inseparable since. "Y/N ya know I can't swim dear" Harry laughed. You knew this was a lie. He was a pirate for crying out loud and you even heard Jay tell you the story of how he drop Harry's hook in the water and how Harry quickly jumped in and swam for it. "Harry you're lying to me" you pouted "let's make a deal let's play a game of truth or dare and whoever loses gets to do what the winner says" you smirked. Now Harry's eyes shifted towards you beaming. He never turns down a challenge. "You're on" he smiles.

 "Y/N we're gonna get in trouble" Harry laughed quietly as you were attempting to draw on King Adam while he napped in King Bens office. Harry dared you  to draw on King Adam after you dared him to put tiny fish bait in Evie's hair brush and in Jay's shoes. Harry signaled you to keep quiet as you finished the mustache on the Kings face and bolted towards the door. You and Harry ran down the hall laughing till tears poured down your faces. "You truly are evil Y/N I'm impressed" Harry said and you giggle trying to catch your breathe. "Okay Hook you've had your fun now it's my turn" you smirked. Now before all this you have always had a tiny crush on Harry because of how incredibly close you two had became. Even though he's a Villain your parents loved him and accepted him for who he was. 

 You loved Harry but u could never tell him because you thought I would ruin your friendship and you didn't want that. "Common love I'm not getting an younger here" teased the pirate with extremely dreamy eyes. You had to stop yourself from getting lost in them. "Grab you swim suit Hook let's go down to the Bayou because I dare you to do a back flip from the tree my parents hid in when they were frogs." you smirked as Harry's eyes widen. "You mean the Bayou with crocodiles and alligators?!" Harry panicked but quickly changed his attitude to cool "I mean the Bayou where I can't swim?" He coughed. Strange right? "Yes Harry and if you don't do the dare then I win Hook" 

 Before you guys knew it you were in a light green two piece swim suit and Harry in his red swim trunks with the remainder of your guys clothes off to the side as well as towels. You slowly walked into the water and u reached till the water touched your waist. In this very Bayou is where your parents fell in love and married and you smiled looking at all the water Lily's around you. 

 Harry's POV 

 I started at Y/N as she walked around the water giggling trying to catch the water Lily's. Her body gracefully walking across the water. I was in love with her but I could never tell her. She was the only person who treated me like a regular human besides Bens family. Her father and mother took me in. And here I am falling in love with her as I watch her in the Bayou. She catches me staring and I blush but send a warm smile her way. "Common Harry the water is great." She giggled. Her laugh sends vibrations through my body. Gosh I think I'm in love. But there is no way I'm stepping foot in that water. My father has told me crazy story about alligators eating men whole. OH HELL NO. 

 Y/N POV 

 'Why was Harry so scared of the water. I mean he knows how to swim he told me.' you thought and frowned. "Common hook you do the dare or I win!" You shouted. You loved the Bayou but you never told Harry your uncle was an alligator and his name was Louise oh and he also plays the trumpet in a Jazz Band. You were scared that even your best friend would laugh when he found out. "Y/N you ready love!" Harry shouted. You didn't even notice he has already climbed the tree. You gave him a thumbs up and smile "let's see it hooky!" You laughed. Harry rolled his eyes and before you knew it he did a front flip into the water making the water around you splash. You laughed and cover your face to avoid the water getting in your eyes. When everything had calm down you looked around the Bayou for Harry but he didn't come up. "Harry!!" You yelled but nothing "Harold Hook!!" You called out louder. You began to panic as tears started to fall, your head was spinning at this point. Then you felt two strong arms around you. You screamed and struggled "Let go of me!!"  "Lass calm down it's just me!!" Harry laughed but immediately stop when he saw your face. You punched his bare chest and cried "Don't do that Harry!! I thought I lost you!!" You wrapped your arms around him "I'm so sorry lass.." Harry hugged back wiping your tears "you will never lose me" You guys stared into each other's eyes leaning in slowly as you closed your eyes. Until suddenly Harry screamed bloody murder getting outta the Bayou and climbing on the highest branch of the tree. You huffed "Harry if u didn't wanna kiss me then you didn't have too!" You were mad at this point at how Harry reacted to both of you almost kissing. "A-a-a" Harry stuttered his face pale like if he's seen a ghost. "Spit it out Hook!!" "Alligator!!!" screamed Harry "Get outta the water now now now!!!" warned Harry. You looked up at him confused. Then you remembered  you parents announced that your uncle Louis be the owner of the Bayou. Maybe he thought the alligator would hurt you but then again why did Harry react like such a girl? You turned around and saw your uncle Louis swim towards you as he stood on his two feet "Y/N its so rude of you not to introduce me to your boyfriend. You are my favorite niece after all" Louis huffed then smiled at you. "Niece? What?" ask Harry in confusion. Wow you had a lot of explaining to do. 

  After explaining to Harry that your parents met a few friendly creatures along their journey to becoming human Harry settled down a bit. "Harry he's friendly come down from the tree" you laughed slightly "I don't think your boyfriend likes me" frowned Louis "He's not my boyfriend Louis" you sigh and stared at Harry "Okay lass I'm coming down" harry took a deep breathe and slowly climbed down not taking his eyes off of Louis. Harry quickly darted and stood behind you. That's when it hit you. Harry Hook was afraid of alligators. "Harry are u afraid of alligators??" You giggled looking up at him "N-n-no" Harry lightly huffed "Louis growl" you smirked. Louis let out a big growl which caused Harry to yell like a girl. You and Louis laughed. "Okay Y/N the Jazz band is expecting me soon so I have to go. Take care little one and you too Harry." Louis smiled as he swam away. 

 "Y-y-your uncle is an a-a-alligator" he stuttered still in fear. You smiled and walked over to Harry. "Yes Harry and I never told anyone because I was scared of getting made fun of but clearly your terrified of him" you laughed. Harry gave you a straight face "very funny lass very funny" "You should've seen your face and your scream" you laughed harder teasing Harry. "Alright princess common" he rolled his eyes as he handed you a towel and dried himself off with one. "Harry did u want to kiss me back there in the Bayou" you shyly asked. Harry stared at you and took a deep breathe "Y/N you see wh-" you cut him off "Because if you weren't then that's totally fine Harry it's not like your my boyfriend or anything so that means I can't be mad at y-" but now you were cut off by Harry's lips crashing on yours. You were surprised for a moment but quickly kissed back. You guys kissed roughly and you tugged on his hair as he wrapped his arms around your waist. Both of you pulled away breathing heavily. You two smiled. "I love you" whispered Harry. This made you smile wider "I love you too hooky" you giggled as you two walked back to Auradon hand in hand. 

"Just wait till I tell everyone about your girly scream" you teased and ran off laughing. "Don't you dare!" huffed Harry chasing after you.

A/N Really hope you like this imagine and if this is not what you wanted i am deeply sorry. But overall it was fun writing this and don’t forget to message me for a request. xxx 

[larusso20]

What's My Name Lyrics

[Uma] This is all hands on deck Callin' out to lost boys and girls I'm gettin' tired of the disrespect We won't stop till we rule the world

It's our time We up next (Next, next) Our sail's about to be set (Set, set) They ain't seen nothin' yet Tell 'em who's in charge So they don't forget

[Uma] What's my name? What's my name? [Pirates] UMA! [Uma] Say it louder What's my name? What's my name? [Pirates] UMA! [Uma] Feel the power No one's gonna stop us Soon the world will be ours What's my name? What's my name? What's it? What's it? Say it loud!

[Pirate Crew] Uuuuuuma Uuuuuuma [Uma] All eyes on me Let me see 'em [Pirate Crew] Uuuuuuma Uuuuuuma [Uma] What's it? What's it? Say it, say it [Pirate Crew] Uma-ah-ah-ah! Uma, Uma, la la um Uma, Uma, la la Uma Uma, Uma, la la um Uma, Uma, la la um Uma!

[Uma] I'm the queen of this town I call the shots You know who I am I don't need to wear no fake crown Stand up to me Ya don't stand a chance

It's our time We up next (Next, next) My crew's as real as it gets (Gets, gets) The worst are now the best And leavin' us here Will be their last regret What's my name? What's my name?

[Pirate Crew] UMA! [Uma] Say it louder What's my name? What's my name? [Pirate Crew] UMA! [Uma] Feel the power No one's gonna stop us Soon the world will be ours What's my name? What's my name? What's it? What's it? Say it, say it

[Harry] You know what they say Bad girls have all the fun Never learned how to count 'Cause I'm number one Ready, here we come We always get our way It's a pirate's life Every single day!

Hey, she's the captain I'm the first mate Enemy's seasick Can't see straight Call 'em fish bait Throw 'em on a hook Uma's so hot They get burned if they look

[Uma] Oh! It's all eyes on me Let me see 'em I see your eyes on me, boys Hey! You know what my name is Say it, say it louder! Hook me!

[Uma & Harry] Ha! Ha! [Uma] Ho! Woah! Come on!

What's my name? What's my name? [Pirate Crew] UMA! [Uma] Say it louder What's my name? What's my name? [Pirate Crew] UMA! [Uma] Feel the power No one's gonna stop us Soon the world will be ours What's my name? What's my name? [Pirate Crew] Uuuuuuma Uuuuuuma

[Uma] All eyes on me Let me see 'em [Pirate Crew] Uuuuuuma Uuuuuuma

[Uma] What's it? What's it? Say it, say it [Pirate Crew] Uuuuuuma Uuuuuuma

[Uma] Ooh, say it louder [Pirate Crew] Uuuuuuma Uuuuuuma [Uma] Ooh, say it louder [Pirate Crew] Uuuuuuma Uuuuuuma

[Uma] What's it? What's it? Say it, say it

[Pirate Crew] Uma, Uma, la la um Uma, Uma, la la Uma Uma, Uma, la la um Uma, Uma, la la Uma Uma, Uma, la la um Uma, Uma, la la Uma Uma, Uma, la la um Uma, Uma, la la um [Uma} Uma!

[galadrieljones]

Fic Writer’s Week, Day 5: Verbatim

Here are some of my favorite quotes, from my Solavellan long fic The Dead Season (I’m also going to tag some people to do this at the end, since it was sort of fun!!). Very light spoilers under the cut.

Most of my favorite lines from TDS, which I still remember fondly and still reread from time to time to get into the groove of my characters, are actually found in dialogue, so I thought I would just go ahead and quote my characters:

From Chapter 15: Stand-off in the Arbor Wilds (Bull talking to Solas after a fight with Sene, completely disarming, and basically nailing Solas’s entire persona to a T):

“Look, don’t ask me how I know," said Bull. "Maybe it’s the apostate thing. Makes you seem like sort of a...bad boy. And the serving girls, you’ve got a way with them. Especially the elves. You can tell a lot about a man based on how he treats the serving girls. You get them fawning, let them win a little bit, while still maintaining a certain…authority. You’ve got an ease about you, Solas. You deal with women as if you’ve been there plenty of times before. Not all men have that. Take the Commander, for example. Sexy, smart, but any time he tries talking to a woman, he’s so terrified he ends up tripping over his own dick.”

Solas found himself just staring at the Iron Bull. He wasn’t sure how they’d gotten on this topic, but for whatever reason it was working. His anger released. Now, he just felt sort of pleasantly numb around the edges. It was almost transcendent.

“You, though,” Bull went on, “you know the exact position of your dick at any given moment. How low it hangs, how it swings. You don't trip, Solas. You’re…smooth.”

From Chapter 56: Revasan (I loved writing this whole massive conversation, as Sene’s dad completely takes Solas for a ride. Off-balance Solas is very fun. This is just one of my favorite exchanges):

“You speak ancient elven?” [said Solas.]

“A great deal,” said Revasan. “Don't you?”

“Of course. But it is a rare talent.”

“Morrigan speaks it as well. Perhaps it is not as rare a talent as you thought." Rev was squeezing his eyes shut.

"No, I'm rather certain it's rare," said Solas. "Just more likely that we keep rare company."

“Anyway," said Revasan, shaking his head. He had completely shredded that matchbook by now. The matches laid out on the table one by one. "As I was saying."

"Right."

From Chapter 5: The Eye of Friendship (In which Sera asks Sene some questions about Solas’s manhood. Sera being Sera.):

“Bet he’s hiding a big one in those jammies, right? Solas’s great big staff.”

“Sera!”

“All right. Come off it. But be real. You ever notice how like, when we’re out, hunting Templars or whatever, how he'll conjure that great big fist thingy and punch them right in the tits? Or when he drops all those like, boulders from the sky? Or wherever. Makes the whole battlefield glow. Is that sort of like his prick?”

“A giant fist thingy punching people in the tits? Not entirely.”

From Chapter 28: The Art of Escape (After Sene runs off, and Cullen deftly explains to Solas why he cannot go after her by himself. The Cullen/Solas dynamic is one of my favorites to write, because Cullen knows exactly who he is, and he always manages to hold his own with him, even if in a very self-deprecating manner.):

“After our success in Val Royeaux, you have become celebrity,” said Cullen, “a high profile target just like Sene. This is not to mention the fact that you are a friend to many here and an indispensable asset to the Inquisition. You invite me to try and stop you, that is your right, but I must ask you now to withdraw said invitation from the table, because believe me when I say that I will have no choice but to accept, even if it’s just to cover my own ass. Because if I let you go alone, and something should happen to you, Sene might literally kill me. So, you see, Solas, I cannot and will not let you do this.”

Solas sighed, staring at the Commander, his resolve shifting, weakening. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “That is—I will be fine, Commander,” he said, shaking his head. “Please, trust me.”

“I do trust you, Solas. But it is my job to protect you. Let me do my job.”

Solas squeezed his eyes shut, resigned. “Fair enough.”

From Chapter 60: Pioneers (In which Solas’s mother is teaching Mythal how to fish, because Lea is just very...funny? Humor is her armor and also her sword.):

“Night fishing,” said Lea. She wore a hat, even still, and she was crunching on a raw carrot. She had taught Mythal how to tie the fish hooks to the end of the line, and how to pick the right bait. “This is the best kind of fishing. All the weird, old bottom feeders come up when the moon is hot. They look for the big lake lightning bugs, and the idiot birds have all washed into their nests till dawn, so there’s no competition. It is a long-kept secret in the fishing world. Or, at least it was nine thousand years ago.” She laughed.

From Chapter 39: There Goes the Redhead (When Morrigan asks Mythal how she died, because Mythal is so dramatic, and I love Morrigan’s voice. She manages to find the comedic irony in even the most morbid circumstances.):

“[...]This story is full of wolves, Morrigan, just not the one you think. Can’t you see? If I tell you, it's going to ruin your evening.”

“We’re trapped in a dungeon,” said Morrigan. “I am separated from my child by stone legions of walls and possibly axe murderers. My evening is already ruined.”

“Yes, your child,” said Mythal, becoming dreamy. “I never got one of those."

From Chapter 49: The Treehouse (Solas’s last negotiation with the Viddasala, because this is just very Solas--the gloves, the offering of a choice, collected as hell, yet scary? Also Thom, having seen it all before, is just laughing at this point):

The Viddasala, in any case, turned her attention to Fenris. “This is your doing, elf.”

He stood, lean, blood-spattered, hands behind his back. “You’re incredibly daft, given your mantle.”

“I should have killed you.”

“Yes, you should have.”

“This situation is very simple,” said Solas, dropping his gloves to the floor. He unraveled the linen strips from his knuckles, flexed his fingers. “We have taken out your reinforcements. You are all but alone. I am here now, on behalf of the Inquisition, to offer you a choice.”

Thom chuckled. He removed his helmet. He tossed it to the stone with a huge clang. “Here we go.”

Mythal, in general (ie: my dear drama queen who speaks deep truths):

“Youth is an imposter.”

And last but not least, from Chapter 45: Lavellan Family Values (In which Sene’s father is grilling her about Solas, and Sene proceeds to taunt him in a rather unsavory fashion--because, the Lavellans.):

“So," said Revasan, straightening up in his chair. "He is a tall rift mage who punches red lyrium abominations in the face and walks in dreams." He looked to Sene. "What else is there?”

“What else would you like to know?” said Sene, sticking her fork into the piece of fish on her plate, mashing it into a paste. She was not very good at diplomacy. "That he is a thirty-something apostate who took my virginity? Or shall we continue to discuss the matter of his height and physical aggression? Either one is fine with me.”

Ellas laughed so hard at this, he spit a bit of wine on the tablecloth. Terys’s jaw nearly fell out of his head.

“Oh, Isene,” said Rasha. She put her head in her hands.

Give me your fave quotes, from your own writing!! @thevikingwoman​ @tel-abelas-mofo​ @ladylike-foxes​ @ladydracarysao3​ @kaoruyogi​ @ladydracarysao3​ @redinkofshame​ @amburuthings​ @buttsonthebeach​ @fadedforyou​ @katalyna-rose​ @5ftgarden​ @shift-shaping​ and anyone else!! Please tag me if you do <3

[a-bittersweet-life]

Creative Inspiration: David Lynch and Finding and Being True to Your Voice

When an audience member asks David Lynch "What drives you to make a film? What makes you go from one particular idea and make a full feature film out of it?" the celebrated director of mind-bending films like Eraserhead and Blue Velvet answers, You're going down the street, and girls are passing by. Pretty nice looking girls. It's not doing it though. You round the corner, and boom: there she is. No question about it. And you are in love. This is the thing. That's what drives you. Anyone who follows David Lynch knows the director is passionate about film and that his passion for the art of cinema equals in measure his philosophical views on creativity and filmmaking. His answer to what drives him to make a film is precisely what ought to drive all filmmakers to pursue the making of a film when such an endeavor demands so much that it seems like an uphill battle: love. The David Lynch Foundation offers a collection of lectures and interviews with Lynch discussing the creative process and filmmaking as well as transcendental meditation. The brilliance of the filmmaker shines throughout this documentary, making it an inspiring watch for artists and filmmakers.

David Lynch and the making of Eraserhead

On Capturing Ideas and Inspiring Your Creativity 

Ideas. We're nothing without an idea. So I say that a desire for an idea is like a bait on a hook, and you're desiring an idea, and you have to have patience just like you do in fishing. How deep that hook goes depends on the size of that ball of consciousness. And desire, another word for it is focus. Just focus on something, it's a little bit like daydreaming. Thoughts come and thoughts come and thoughts come and maybe Boom, an idea comes that is so thrilling that you've caught a little purple fish, with red fins, and little dancing speckled eyes. And this little fish can be just a fragment of the final film, but you love this fragment, you love this fish. And that idea you write it down so you won't forget it. Then now that you have that fish, an even more powerful bait, and soon others will swim in and join to it. And a thing will start emerging called a script...It's all ideas coming. Ideas that we, that I fall in love with. And I'm going to fall in love with different ideas than you will but there's billions, trillions of ideas coming, ideas for everything...Then you get the ideas organized in a script, and then you translate those ideas to cinema. And along the way you stay open because a thing isn't finished till it's finished. There can be happy accidents. You say, "How did I get so lucky to get this thing, I thought this was complete. But this is beyond the beyond fitting in here and jumping it." Stay on your toes, and don't walk away from any element until it feels correct. Because it's built out of many, many, many elements. Stay true to the idea all along the road and then you have some hope of the whole working.

On Failure and Success

Failures are so incredible. A failure is a big, big sadness and a horror, but there's no where to go but up. So it's a freedom as a result of a failure, a huge euphoric freedom. There's no way you can lose more, you can just gain. A success is so beautiful, but then, "Oh, my goodness, what if I fall? The next thing better be very very special or the whole thing is going to crumble." You get tense. You start worrying. A success can be a nightmare. Both things have the good and the bad.

On the Aim of Cinema Being to Create New Worlds and Experiences for the Spectator

In my mind, I've had the great privilege and euphoria of translating ideas. Ideas that can create a world that people can go into and have an experience. Here's a theater, and you're going along in your world, and you stop in, and you sit, and that screen is giant, and the sound is good. But the lights are on now, and the people are still seating. And then suddenly the lights dim and the curtain opens. And the thing begins, and we can go into another world and only exist there because of that film. It's a magical beautiful thing. Take people into another world and give them experiences. Take yourself into that other world and give yourself an experience. It's a magical medium. That's the role: to make new worlds.

David Lynch and the making of Blue Velvet

On the Myth of the Tortured Artist

This is a very beautiful important question, and this is part of the myth, I think. Van Gogh did suffer. He suffered a lot, but I think he didn't suffer while he was painting. He went out to paint because he loved to paint, and it might have been one of the happiest, only happy times in his life when he was painting. It was so freeing for him to be painting, but he didn't need to be suffering to do those paintings...The more you suffer, the less you want to create. If you're truly depressed, they say you can't even get out of bed let alone create. If you're truly angry, anger occupies the whole brain, poisons the artist, poisons the environment, little room for creativity. I use this example. If you have a splitting headache, a splitting headache, and you have nausea, you're vomiting, and you have diarrhea on top of that, how much work are you going to be doing and how much are you going to be enjoying it. Give the person a technique to lift that sickness, lift that negativity, and enjoy life.

On the Importance of Your Own Artistic Style and Being True to Your Work

Be true to yourself. Have your own voice ring out. Other things can inspire you, but find your own voice, be true to that voice, don't let anybody fiddle with it, never turn down a good idea but never take a bad idea, and be true to the ideas, all the way along, every element.

[post-itpenny]

Dogman

Hi everyone! So I’m a sucker for spooky stuff and was listening to my favorite Bigfoot podcast (yes you read that right) when they started talking about one guy’s encounter with a very different cryptid. So I was all like “oh, inspiration!” Anyways this ended up being rather long so I broke it into two parts. This chapter being more of a build up to things but please let me know what you think! I’m always open to advice.

-Thanks Magpie

Dogman Part One

Reader is male Warnings: none save for a bit of bullying. For the third time that month, there were claw marks on the back of old wooden fence that lined your family’s yard. You were the only one that ever went back there. Opting to take the dirt road that ran between his house and the barrens to school, it took an extra five minutes but at least he got to avoid Andrew Spentz and his lackeys. At some point in the 6th Grade Andrew had begun to use you as a personal punching bag in order to gain a reputation as one to not be messed with. Old Andy had been held back three times and was already the tallest in the class, as well as the slowest hardly even able to string a sentence together in writing let alone a full essay. He asked once for you to do the writing for him in the middle of class to which you said no. Your first mistake was saying know too loudly or more importantly saying “no, write your own essay” too loudly since it made half the class break out laughing. He cornered you in the guy’s bathroom after school and made you familiar with the taste of toilet water. Your second mistake was agreeing to do his homework the next time he asked. The rest of the year you were too afraid of him and thanks to you he finally got out of the 6th grade. The next year he teamed up with Brenton “Butch” Collins and Eric Johnson and all three liked that you were a straight A student. After half the year (and a few inches of growth) you had worked up the courage to say no but you were back to having your butt kicked in front of the school for everyone to see. You became a statement, “do what we say and you won’t end up like this guy.” It was something that stuck all through middle school and now well into your sophomore year. But those idiots didn’t matter now. What mattered were the long gouges in the backyard fence. The first set to pop up you thought perhaps some drunk driver had brushed along the fence but cars never came down that road. It had once been a service road for the old iron works but that had closed down forever ago and in place stood the mall. The second time it happened you began your research. When you were nine your great grandfather told you about the time he had seen Bigfoot while hunting with some buddies out late one night. You had been hooked ever since much to your mother’s regret. When she caught you coming home that afternoon with a stack of Cryptozoology books from the library she spent the rest of the evening complaining to your dad how much you needed to get out and make some friends instead of holing up in your room reading such garbage. You paid no mind and began a long weekend of research. Two more trips to the library and a little scouring the internet and you regretfully took Bigfoot off your suspect list along with the Mothman and Wendigo. One odd report you found last night felt confirmed with the newest scratch marks on the fence this morning. A sighting in Michigan or a guy swearing six ways to Sunday about a creature leaving the exact same claw marks in his backdoor screen. A Dogman. You had not ever heard of it before, apparently reports didn’t really start popping up until a few years ago, but the reports were consistent. A head like a German Shepard, could stand up and walk on two legs. It could hide in the Barrens and no one would notice it. No one ever goes there but kids and drunks. You didn’t know why it was here but it was and it left an uneasy feeling in your gut. People called those things evil, the way they looked at you… But this was the chance of a lifetime, to see this thing, to get proof… Plan A had been to wait in the safety of your backyard with a camera but after three hours of sitting in the dark with a blanket and a thermos of hot chocolate you realized how stupid of a plan it really was. You had no way to know when the thing would come back so onwards to plan B. After all, your dad always said fortune favored the bold. Granted, he always said that when spending over $20 on lotto scratch-offs but still. You told your parents you were going camping with a friend, something that delighted your mom and worried your dad. He and his buddies used to go to the barrens with a couple cases of beer and a shotgun, not coming back till morning with no ammo and a decrease in the local squirrel population and scaring the living daylights out of the druggies looking for peace and quiet. Plus, there had been a few missing reports lately, the last thing he wanted was for his boy to end up on a missing poster because of some drunk idiot. But your mom was thankful you were spending time with friends and your dad was working the late shift, she would break the news to your dad when he got home and expected you home for breakfast. Granted, you didn’t mention that your friend was actually the polaroid that your grandma got you for Christmas last year (you named it Frank). -Tent -Sleeping bag -Snacks -raw meat -Flashlight - fishing line -A packet of little bells from the craft store -Frank You set up camp on the edge of the creek that ran through the Barons just as the sun was beginning to set. The plan was to set up trip lines around camp and on the other side of the river with bells strung along. The meat placed out here and there as bait. You hunkered down in the doorway of the tent, curled up in you sleeping back, bag of chips in one hand and flashlight in the other. Even if you knew how to start one there would be no campfire tonight. You were worried too much light would ward the creature off. As you sat in the growing darkness listening to the sounds of night bugs and the gurgling of the creek a bit of movement cause you to look up. There, across the river. Floating along and so very out of place, was a red balloon.

[meltingalphabet]

Have you ever heard of a "BFB"?

My names Casey and I’m reaching out because my friend Dave has been missing for almost 24 hours now. The police have no leads. I think they presume he’s dead.

Dave and I had plans to hang out yesterday. You know, the usual: beer, video games, talk some shit. Nothing too crazy (hell, it was a Wednesday and we both work 9 to 5s).

I texted him as I left work. “heading out, gonna run by Nick’s, need anything?”

Nick’s was what we called the liquor store near Dave’s place. We’re there pretty regularly, so we know the owner, Nick, as well as random customers probably can. I guess we thought it was cool or something, calling the store Nick’s. Like we were stopping by a friend’s house instead of paying another human being for alcohol.

I thought it was odd that Dave didn’t respond, he’s usually pretty good like that, unlike me, but whatever. I figured he was busy or something. I got some supplies at Nick’s, then drove over.

Dave’s door was wide open. At least, that’s what I thought at first. I parked the car and got out. My stomach dropped as I realized that it wasn’t just opened but had been ripped off it’s hinges and thrown across the yard.

I ran inside and the place was an absolute wreck. It didn’t look like a home invasion, but instead like the Hulk had had a temper tantrum. Furniture was broken, pictures ripped off of the walls, his TV thrown across the room. I immediately called the police.

I walked from room to room while I waited for the cops to show. Every room was utterly devastated. Someone had destroyed everything in sight. The whole place radiated pure hatred and anger. Dave’s composition notebook that he uses as a journal was thrown on the bed, and I noticed that there was a small spurt of blood on the front cover. I grabbed it, and threw it in my bag. I know that’s bad… I know it could be evidence, but… I guess I figured I’d read it before giving it to the police. So I could see what my friend was going through before whatever happened… happened.

What I read was seriously messed up. I’m publishing the entries from the past week below. If you know anything, if any of this sounds familiar to you, please let me know.

----

June 16th

I met someone today. She’s the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She’s mysterious, and gorgeous, and I am truly, deeply in love.

I went to the docks after work to fish a little, have a few beers, and get into weekend mode. The pier here is never what one would refer to as “busy,” but the main section was too crowded for my tastes today, so I walked a bit deeper into the maze of docks than normal till I got to an old section of private landings. They looked like they hadn’t been used in years, algae staining the wood an eerie green. I was careful where I stepped, worried I might fall through a rotting board. I’ll admit, it was a little gross, but I felt so at peace there. Plus, I figured the fish would be pretty plentiful without tourists or boats to scare them off.

I was zoning out, waiting for my line to bob down into the water when she was suddenly there, right in front of me. It was as if she just appeared. She instantly took my breath away. Her red hair was pulled back with a headband adorned with large glittering seashells. She giggled, and offered me her delicate hand. Not as you would to shake someone you just met’s hand, but how you see well-to-do women in period movies present their hands to gentlemen. It was a little unorthodox, but that’s what I love about her. She’s so quirky. She’s different than any girl I’ve ever met before.

I took her hand gently in mine. It was so cold. Girls’ hands are always cold. I kissed her skin delicately, and electricity surged through my body as I looked up into her dark, piercing eyes. I know it's cliche, but her stare is burrowing. Like she’s trying to see something hidden behind my skin, beneath my voice, under my face. If she told me what she was looking for, I’d give it to her in a heartbeat.

We talked for several hours. At sundown, she told me she had to go home. She’s a little old for a curfew, and it is Friday night, but being the gentleman I am, I gave her a kiss on the cheek and watched her leave.

I sat on that old dock for another hour or so, ruminating on the beauty of life. That I could find my soul mate so unexpectedly, and in the most unlikely place is a testament to the mystery that surrounds each and everyone of us.

I wrote a poem about her:

Blood red hair, skin so fair, Your beauty is rare.

Wild as an untamed mare, No mortal could compare.

You are the answer to my prayers, Life without you, a nightmare.

I dream to catch your pale skin bare, To lay you down, in your underwear.

Sailors beware I have been, ensnared

June 17th

BFB came again today. I don’t think she has a name, at least not a real one, so I’m going to call her BFB. It’s cute. Much cuter than something lame, like bae. It’s cool. God, she’s so cool. I can’t fathom why such an amazing creature would be interested in me. I brought my reel and bait to the docks again, much earlier in the morning than I usually do on a Saturday, but it was worth it. She appeared the second I sat down. I spent the entire afternoon talking with her. She’s amazing. Her life is full of wonders I can barely even begin to comprehend.

I read her the poem I wrote for her yesterday. She really liked it. Poetry has that effect on women. Casey always makes fun of me for writing poetry, but he doesn’t realize that it’s a total panty dropper.

That would be a good band name: The Panty Droppers. I bet it’s already taken though.

I think I’ll bring my guitar tomorrow when I visit her. I promised I’d come to the docks first thing in the morning again, so we could spend all day together before the work week starts. I’m going to bring some picnic stuff. A blanket and some sandwiches. What can I say? I’m a romantic at heart.

June 18th

BFB gave me a bracelet today. It’s not really my style. Honestly, it’s kind of gawdy. It’s a thick coarse string with little shells on it. I feel like it’s for a girl, not a guy, but she made it for me, so I couldn’t say no.

I guess the picnic was a bad idea. I had made egg salad sandwiches, and bought some nice cheese and crackers at the Farmer’s Market on my way. When I presented the food to her, she gagged and pushed it away so hard that the box of crackers fell off the dock and into the water. At first I figured she was vegan, since quirky girls often are. But something weird happened later on...

We were lounging together in silence. I was laying on my back on the dock while she was in the water. That’s how you know you’re really compatible with someone, when you can sit in silence and it’s not uncomfortable. My middle school English teacher said that once. I think we were reading The Pearl by Steinbeck. I bet BFB would like that book. Maybe I could read it to her soon. She’d love that. Anyway, I had my pole leaning against my bait box and I got a bite. I reeled it in, excited to show BFB my skills.

Even I was impressed with the size of the flounder I had hooked. BFB clapped with absolute glee at the sight of it. I was feeling pretty good about myself as I unhooked it and showed it to her. BFB grabbed the fish, still squirming slightly between her fingers, and began to eat it. Right then and there. She gorged on it, from its eyes to its tail. I watched in horror as she picked the small bones from her teeth. She grinned at me sheepishly when she noticed me watching. Her coquettish smile made me melt inside, and lessened the disgust from what I had just witnessed.

I think tomorrow I’ll bring BFB some sushi.

After I got over the whole fish thing, the rest of the day was spent in blissful relaxation. We didn’t really do much, just hung out. She said she had to leave again as it grew dark. This time though, when I leaned in to kiss her politely on the cheek, she turned her head and kissed me on the mouth, hard. Her breath was not great, unsurprisingly, but otherwise the kiss was amazing. Well, to be frank, it was a little toothy. Like, I’m into biting, but not like that. It kind of hurt. Not too bad, but a little. Ok, more than a little. Maybe she hasn’t kissed many guys before? I bet she’s a virgin. She has such a sweet, innocent vibe about her. She’s so cute. Normally I’d be getting impatient with the physical stuff, but with her… I’m enjoying taking our time. I feel like I’m a kid again.

I can’t believe this amazing creature feels about me how I feel about her. It’s only been two days, but I’ve never felt this way before.

Looking in the mirror when I got home, I noticed my lip is bruised and a little cut. Wow. That was some kiss. I bet she’ll be into some really kinky stuff. The innocent ones always are.

June 19th

I didn’t even go home after work tonight, but went straight to the pier (with a quick pitstop at Naka, my favorite sushi place). BFB was there, waiting for me when I arrived. We only had an hour or two till sunset, so I didn’t waste time: the second I saw her, I planted a long, deep kiss on her lips. At first I felt teeth on my tongue, as if she accidentally bit down. I guess my kiss surprised her. I started to taste blood and, not wanting to sully the kiss, I pulled away. BFB immediately blushed. Ugh, I can’t handle how cute she is.

I gave BFB the sushi, but she wasn’t into it. I don’t think it was fresh enough. But at least she didn’t throw it off the dock again, so I was able to enjoy some.

As it grew dark, BFB asked me to come with her. She wanted me to visit her home. As amazing as that sounded, I hesitantly told her no. I explained I had work the next day. I kissed her good-bye though, so she’d know she didn’t freak me out by moving so quickly. I didn’t want her to worry about me thinking she was easy or something.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that I’m not so sure about seeing her home at all. I mean, based on what she’s told me, I don’t think I even could just visit her home. It feels like, if I agree, I’ll never come back. As amazing as she is and as beautiful as her life sounds, the thought makes me queasy. No matter how much I’d love to be with her, like really with her, I’m not sure I can give up my life so permanently. I mean, we’ve only know each other for a weekend! That’d be absolutely crazy, right?

June 20th

Alright, I might have been a little too hasty in declaring my love for BFB. I think I was blinded by her beauty and… feminine wiles, for lack of a better term. She’s fucking batshit. I shouldn’t have gone back to the docks after work tonight. I went home first and ate dinner, even made plans with Casey for tomorrow so I would have an excuse not to see her again. I should’ve just stayed here. I guess my nice guy nature made me go back. I wanted to explain to her that I was busy and wouldn’t be able to see her much this coming week. I was hoping I’d actually get to cop a feel before saying good-bye. But yeah, that didn’t fucking happen.

Thank god the crazy bitch doesn’t know where I live.

The second I got there, she started going on about me coming with her to her place tonight. Like, sex would be great and all, but fuck that shit. It wouldn’t be worth clingy-as-fuck-crazy-fish-breath pussy. I told her I couldn’t and she just stared at me with those piercing black eyes of hers. She began to reach out to me, the coldness of her flesh chilling me to the bone before she even touched me. I pushed her arm away. Her skin was shockingly rough. Not just rough though. It literally felt like sandpaper. I pulled my hand back fast and moved as far from the edge of the dock, and from her, as I could.

Then she started singing! If you could even call it that. It was more like a high pitched wail, begging me to join her in the murky water. I decided it was time to cut my loses and just break it off as fast as possible. It was the merciful thing to do. I stood up, dusted off my shorts, and told her I wasn’t ready for the kind of commitment she was expecting from a romantic relationship.

She did not take that very well. She didn’t respond, but just gnashed her fucking teeth at me like some sort of rabid animal. I had never noticed how sharp her teeth were before. As if she filed them to points like those tribes in Africa. No wonder kissing her hurt so much.

I turned and ran out of there as fast as I could and came straight home.

I think she’s mad at me. Like, really mad at me. Not hurt mad, but like, psycho-bitch-will-murder-me mad. Thank god she doesn’t have legs, or I’d be worried she was coming after me. Lucky for me, fish tail means my would-be-stalker is trapped in the ocean. The curse of the mermaid is my blessing, apparently. And here I’ve been wondering how I was going to fuck her.

-------

Casey here again. That’s the last thing Dave wrote. But, that’s not the last thing written in the journal. The next page, curled and warped from water, has something else. It’s not written in ink. At least, not ink I’ve ever seen. It’s black, but much more iridescent than regular ink. It has this unearthly green tinge, that catches in the light. Even after having read it over and over again, goosebumps crawl up my spine as I transcribe it for you now:

I am taking this foolish mortal down into the dark void, where me and my sisters will take his humanity and use it so that our species may flourish. While he slowly dies, his seed will mold us into so much more. Once every two hundred years, as queen, I am granted legs to come onto dry ground for one night. But once I am done with him, we will no longer be cursed to remain in the ocean, and we will come onto dry ground whenever we very well please.

Prepare yourselves, for I am the beast from beneath, and I will be back very, very soon.

[deepdisireslonging]

Consequences: Part 3 - Undercard

Y/N’s past hunts her down, and she finds out some of Dean’s secrets as well. Dean has to choose whether to fall or to fight.

Characters: Reader (Y/N), Boss Mr. Shurley, former ex, Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Uriel, Cole Trenton, Raphael, Virgil, Castiel

Warnings: Boxing violence, abuse mention

Word Count: 3500+

Notes: I’m sorry I couldn’t finish the series in time for the Supernatural Fic Apocalypse, but I hope you like it and will look for it in the next few weeks. Tag lists, requests, and feedback comments are open. Enjoy!

Part 1: Ringside       Part 2: Caution

Y/N aligned her pens and pencils for the day. It didn’t wasn’t much, but being a secretary paid the bills well enough. She pulled the weekend cover off the typewriter and ran her fingers over the keys. One day she would buy one for herself; then she could create magic.

Mr. Chuck Shurley waved at her as he entered his office. He hung his hat on the doorknob, a sign he didn’t want to be disturbed, and Y/N heard the door click as he locked it. She assumed it meant he had several submissions to look over. Being the boss of a small publication company meant he had final say over what they published. Y/N hoped that being secretary would help her out when she wrote her first piece.

Y/N, deep in thought over that dream, didn’t pay much attention to the suited man who walked up to her desk, hat in hand.

“Excuse me miss, does Y/N Y/L/N work here?”

His voice made her blood run cold. Y/N looked up and almost screamed. He was smartly dressed, but she knew what lived underneath. She reached for the button that would call security, but…

“Please don’t. I’m in, I’m out, I’m gone. Just hear me out.”

Her heart thundered in her chest as her finger hovered over her salvation. He walked around and took that hand in his. Y/N gasped in defeat. Maybe she could scream?

“When you left… I thought I would die. I got drunk every night till my mind cleared. It’s all my fault; I hurt you. I shouldn’t have.” He sank to one knee, “can you… will you forgive me?” The crouch pulled back his coat to reveal a vest holster. Words died on her lips. He chuckled nervously, “say something. Anything.” He let go of her hand to pull his jacket over the holster.

She took her chance. And pushed the security button. Mr. Shurley yanked his door open as your ex stood and pulled back his hand. Mr. Shurley saw you flinch and pushed him out of the way. She leapt to her feet and stood behind Mr. Shurley. ‘He’s got a gun,” She whispered as the guards ran in. They took him by the arms and led him out.

“I’m sorry, Y/N! Bitch! I said I was sorry!” His crying and cursing faded away, leaving Y/N shivering against the wall.

When Mr. Shurley turned, she burst into tears. “I’m sorry, sir. I thought I was far enough away. I didn’t mean to put anyone in danger. I…”

“It’s alright, Y/N. Is there anyone you can call to take you home? Preferably a man?”

“No… yes.”

“Hey, Winchester, some girl’s calling for you.”

Dean nearly ran to the training gym’s receiver, grinning through the whistling from the other guys. “Y/N. What I can I do for you?”

His face fell as he heard her broken voice on the other line. “Dean, can you come get me from work?”

“What’s wrong? I can be there in…”

“Winchester!” Uriel called out, motioning him to come to the ring.

Dean cursed under his breath. “I can send my brother. You know Sam, right? Will he be an okay second till I can get there?” Dean waited with baited breath till she answered.

“Yes.”

“I’ll send him your way and come as soon as I can get away. I promise.” Dean got her work and home address and sent Sam with a cab. He walked to the ring and said to Uriel, “say it quick. I’ve gotta leave.”

“Don’t rush me; We’ve got important matters to discuss.”

“Yeah, I know. Do what you say and everything will be peaches. I got that.” Dean stepped to walk away, but Uriel grabbed him by the collar. He spun him around to the row of seats surrounding the practice ring.

“Have a seat. There’s more to it.” He leaned against the apron, towering over seated Dean. “Raphael seems to be under the impression that you will follow orders better in the future if we give you this win.”

“Fantastic. Can I go now?”

“No. Cole, on the other hand, wants to beat you fair and square. While I am inclined to agree with him, there is a bit of a time constraint considering your fight is the undercard to Sam’s. So he’ll go down quick enough.”

“Great. I’ll be seeing you…” Dean tried to stand, but Uriel forced him back into the chair. Dean snarled, arms tensed and ready to share a few blows. From the corners of his eyes, he saw the other fighters in the gym look away.

Uriel chuckled and patted Dean’s shoulder. “Don’t think we don’t know where you’re running off to. We saw that sweet little miss you ran to the night this all went sideways. Your Sophie[1] can wait a few minutes. If you don’t think so, I can talk on the way over and explain personally why you’re late.”

“She doesn’t know anything. She doesn’t need to know.” Dean pushed Uriel’s hand off his shoulder, “and I am not just going to sit here while you threaten her. I’ll do your bidding, for Sam, but you’ll leave her out of this.” He turned and stalked away, grabbing his leather jacket off the hook next to the door.

“If you walk out that door now, Winchester, your career here or in any other boxing circle is finished.”

Dean looked over his shoulder at Uriel’s fuming face. “Then I guess after Cole’s rematch I’m done.” He slammed the door behind him.

Uriel punched the corner of the ring, making the rope post splinter around the edge. He scanned around, then found him. “Trenton! Get over here; we need to talk.”

“Thank you for bringing me home,” Y/N said from the couch. Jo and Claire were out at their own jobs, so Sam had taken it upon himself to make coffee. He brought her a cup, which she nearly dropped from her shaking hands. He took it back and sat it on the end table before sitting next to her.

“You’re going to be alright. Dean’s not going to let that creep anywhere near you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s hunting down that bast-… the guy right now.” He glanced at his watch again, wondering what Uriel was holding him for.

“Why do you look worried?” Y/N asked with a nervous chuckle. “My ex is the one in danger.”

Sam shook his watch back under his sleeve. “Nothing. The boss was talking to him, and it didn’t look good.” Sam coughed, “not that you need to think about it too much. Probably a pep talk that couldn’t happen any later.” He handed her back the coffee mug, relieved it didn’t shake as much.

Y/N was thinking too hard for her hands to shake. Connections broke past her terrifying memories. “Are the fights rigged?” she blurted out.

Sam almost fell off the couch. “What? Why would you think that?”

“The guy at the dinner. He said the fights were faked.” Y/N nibbled her bottom lip. She handed the forgotten coffee back to Sam. In the contest, Dean was almost counted out, then he looked at her. She remembered the way his eyes gleamed, she thought in defiance of defeat. Maybe there was more to it. “Was he supposed to lose the fight I met him at?” She looked up at Sam when he didn’t answer. He tried to stand up, but she placed her hand on his thigh, freezing him in place. “Tell me the truth. Is it rigged?”

The front door clicked shut as Dean walked in. “Is what rigged?” He glanced at Sam, who was staring into the coffee mug. “You told her?” Dean shouted.

“I didn’t say anything!”

Y/N stood and walked over to Dean. At first, he looked down at her in shock, then glanced away before grabbing the door knob to leave.

“No. You’re not going anywhere till you tell me what’s going on.”

“Y/N…”

“Is this what you couldn’t tell me at the dinner?”

Dean met her gaze. His eyes darted between hers. With a sigh, he took off his hat and coat. “This is going to take a while.”

Y/N had no idea there was such thing as a family business in boxing. When their Dad died, the ring they owned would have gone under had it not been for Raphael. But he changed things. Everything. The easy thing about bribing the boys was he could always threaten to hurt the other if they stepped out of line.

“That’s why I don’t want to get you involved. I didn’t want to put you in danger.”

“I’m already in danger! But I would much rather have you on my side than have to battle anyone alone.”

Dean growled, “did they threaten you already? Is that why you called me?” He stood up and paced around the room. “That son of a… I’m going to rip his throat out.”

“No. It was my ex.”

Dean stopped. “The one you told me about?”

She nodded and told him about her morning. She couldn’t say his name. It withered and evaporated before it could reach her lips, frightened to summon the ghost into reality. Then the rest of her story spilled out. She told it like it was a common thing. Small town, no chance of escape. He was the better of the prospects. But the local bar made good money off men like him. The town rebuilt the police station next to it for easy access, it was so popular with guys quick to their fists. Y/N wasn’t sure how many people took the fights home with them. They’d been engaged. He almost lived in her parent’s house, but just short of paying rent. Their attic always seemed to smell of cheap whiskey. She left after just one episode, penniless and only possessing the clothes on her back, refusing to live in a place where denying to buy him a refill made him… she didn’t, couldn’t finish.

“I’m gonna rip his throat out too.”

“Please don’t do that. He’s just a leech of a bum who happens to own a handgun. You’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

Dean sighed and sat back down. “Sounds like equal Jonah swallowers to me.” He sat in silence for a moment. “So that’s where your ‘don’t be a polite doormat’ worldview comes from. I wish I had your strength to fight my demons.”

“You do,” Sam said. “I’ve seen how you’ve undermined them for years. You’ve got the chin to fight them.” He spoke over Dean’s protests, “don’t worry about me. They won’t touch me before the fight, and afterwards, I’ll be with you and Bobby. Then we can both leave.”

“What about during the fight?” Y/N asked. “Does Raphael control him too?”

“No, my opponent is from the other side of town. Virgil-something. Bobby did a little digging to check that, said all he found out was the guy had weapons for fists.”

Dean sniggered, “wait till he meets your armory.” He was smiling again. He wrapped Y/N’s fingers in his own and kissed her hand. “Do you think we can do this?”

“Yes. But why don’t we call the cops?”

“They probably already know,” Sam snorted. “They’ve got as much of a hold on the underworld as Raphael has in the local boxing. Besides, we’d go to jail and get stuck with Uriel’s cronies.”

“We wouldn’t last the night,” Dean mumbled. “You can’t go to the heat, Y/N. They’d nab us all, whether we’ve been blackmailed or not. Promise me you won’t go to the police.”

“I promise.”

Sam checked his watch. “We’d better get going if we want to be on time for call.”

“I’m just the undercard, so I’m going to stay a minute and come over with Y/N.” Dean looked at her, “if that’s alright?”

“Yes. It won’t take me but a minute to get ready.” Y/N stood and walked Sam to the door. When he was gone, Dean was there to kiss her. At first it surprised her, but the way his lips matched hers tilt for tilt, they felt like puzzle pieces completing one another. She gasped when Dean broke away suddenly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“Dean, it’s okay.” Y/N tried not to blush, but her breath wasn’t coming out right. It staggered and spun till she could gather her thoughts. “Does that make this next evening date number two?” she asked with a giggle.

Dean grinned, “hell yes.”

When they got to the ring, it was already packed. Dean introduced her to Castiel, close friends since before and after his last big fight with Bartholomew. “He’s your bodyguard till I get back.”

“Fine,” Y/N huffed, “but give Trenton an extra uppercut from me, okay?” Dean chuckled and kissed her cheek before leaving. There were a few small fights, Y/N realized she was sitting behind the same radio host as before, then the arena went silent as Dean and Cole walked to the ring. The announcer did his thing and jazzed up Sam’s top billing fight to follow. The crowd roared as the first bell rang.

“Winchester starts this first round, as he does every round, with a series of jabs,” the radio man said. “Trenton sets a pattern too. Weaving, crouching, trying to get under. The third man in the ring is our referee Balthazar Smith. The opponents stay in the middle, spinning the center to stay focused and close. They’re going at it now. Trenton is jabbing quick, but Winchester gives him a few solid blows to the head. And that’s the bell, ladies and gentlemen. Round one is at a close.”

Y/N and Castiel cheered with the rest of the crowd. Trenton had a few fans, but Dean had several more. Y/N watched the judges almost as much as she watched the fight and liked how they nodded when Dean landed a hit. The bell rang to start the next round.

“They start up again, moving faster at one another. Much different than the slow build of last round. Already you can sense what a perfect match this is. These two men are masters at their trade, but only one will move… and Winchester lands a blow to Trenton’s stomach! Trenton staggers back but launches himself at Winchester. He gets in a few hits… but now Winchester gives him the one-two. Winchester’s got the speed in him tonight. Trenton is stunned. Winchester stinging in those jabs, Trenton trying to get in close with those wicked hooks. The referee has to separate them as the bell rings.”

Dean was looking ragged by round eight. Cole wasn’t falling like Uriel had said. From their corners, Dean shot Cole a look. Cole nodded back, confirming Dean’s thoughts. Dean nodded at Bobby, who was fixing his eyebrow, still open from their first bout. Dean sighed and stood as the bell rang.

“Rolling into round nine, the audience feels like they’re ready for an explosion. They meet quick. Both men dishing it out and still staying in there, though a quick series of hits could make the bout. Oh! Did you hear that thump? That was a Winchester glove colliding with Trenton’s ribs. Winchester still has that patch over his eye, but he’s still forcing the fight, although just a little bit slower. And Trenton watching like a hawk, always looking for that split second of an opening, always eager to unload his combinations.”

Y/N flinched with each hit. They were harder now and audible above the din of the audience. Even Castiel’s brow was knit with worry.

“Trenton upper cutting Winchester, sending him to retreat along the ropes. Trenton lands one to Winchester’s face. That can’t feel good on his patch. Winchester pulls him close, cinching Trenton’s arms. But they’re still able to reach up to hit him in the back of the head. They are separated with much struggle from the ref. Trenton chases Winchester around the ring, jabbing an upper cutting. Winchester blocks his face and sends out jabs that land on Trenton.”

“Round eleven, thirty minutes of actual fighting have gone by. Neither man has really taken over, but this could be the fiercest of them all. They’re starting out close and hard, ladies and gentlemen, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to let up. Winchester twists under Trenton’s punch, then pulls up to land on Trenton’s face. Winchester uppercuts, but misses him by a mile. Trenton pulls in close, one-two into Winchester’s chest with a little bit of elbow into his cheek. Ref and judges on the wrong side of the ring to see it. Now you can hear the audience as Winchester starts raining down on Trenton. This is what they’ve been waiting for. Trenton fights back, but the blows keep coming. Trenton gets Winchester on the ropes, thirty seconds left in the round. He uses them to land body blows, but Winchester pushes him back, cinching Trenton’s arms again. They’re both haymaking as the bell rings.”

“Round number twelve, and again those opening jabs by Winchester. “Raisin’ Cain” just a little bit slower, but he’s shaking off that battering he took in the previous rounds. Trenton, weaving, crouching, always aggressive. He’s loaded with confidence after that last round. But Winchester is showing his dynamite. One, two, three jabs to Trenton, snapping his head back with each. Winchester’s stance spread out as Trenton backs away from another combination. If you can hear that static, ladies and gentlemen, that’s the full audience spurring on their favorite. Trenton tries to bob down, but Winchester’s uppercut is waiting for him. Even with the patching, Winchester’s red is flowing; I can smell the iron from here.”

Dean’s lips looked more swollen than they were stretched over his mouth guard, but his hurt eye was starting to close. His left arm hung lower, giving him less protection.

“Here we go for the final round. Through it all Trenton and Winchester have dueled like champions. With just three minutes left, Trenton is still the aggressor. Winchester, who’s probably thinking he’s never had it rougher, is gamely hanging on, mouth open, jabbing all the time and tying Trenton up in the clinches. Winchester dances Trenton over to the ropes, his restraints looking more like support as Trenton leans on him. It’s been a rough night for him too. They back away from each other before the ref has to separate them. Their arms reach out at the same time, while they receive a punch like the one their dishing out. Trenton keeps trying to bob below Winchester’s hits but keeps finding uppercuts before being beaten down by roundhouses. Thirty seconds to go. Winchester cinches Trenton, but Trenton keeps catching him in the ribs. There’s the bell, and the big fight is over. Both Cole Trenton and Dean Winchester deserve tremendous credit. But now it’s up to the judges appointed by the Chicago City Commission. Here’s announcer Johnny Addie with their decision.”

The announcer stepped into the center, dragging the mic chord behind him. He flipped through the judges’ cards, then pulled the mic to his mouth.

“Judge Aidie Idella scores it nine five one even, Trenton. Referee Al Burr scores it nine two six, Winchester.”

The crowd booed. Y/N couldn’t tell if it was for or against Dean.

“The other judge, Bill Wrecked, scores it eight six one even, the winner and official semi-finalist of the Light Heavyweight of Chicago, Dean Winchester.” The announcer lifted Dean’s arm above his head as the crowd cheered. The announcer marked the place and time for the final match, then led Dean out of the ring. He and Bobby went to the back to change out so he could watch Sam’s fight.

Uriel got up from his seat in the third row behind the judges and motioned for the ref to follow him. They ended up in Raphael’s office, where he was entertaining a visitor with the best view of the ring, and his aged drinks.

Raphael didn’t turn from the window but addressed the men as they entered. “Uriel, you haven’t met him yet, but this is Virgil Akins. He’s put on a lot of weight to fight Sam tonight, make sure it’s memorable to all the right people. And Balthazar,” he turned and faced him, “don’t screw this up with a bad call.”

“Yes, sir.”

Balthazar Smith kept a strong face, but Uriel smiled to see him wipe his hands on his pants. Uriel led him and Virgil out into the hallway, cornering them to one side. He shook Virgil’s hand.

“Dean Winchester has already said he’s finished. We’ll invite him nicely to the box to watch his brother’s fight, then you can have him. He’ll think it’s a real fight, so hold nothing back. You know how to end it. Balthazar, when Virgil uses his rabbit punch, make sure you’re looking the other way, and do something to make sure the judges are looking away too.”

“But sir, those punches can kill.”

“I know. There’s no way Dean did this without talking to his brother, so Sam’s in on it. Don’t worry too much about it. Virgil’s got it handled. Understand?”

Balthazar moved to give a retort but swallowed it. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now get out there before anyone misses you. Soon the Winchesters will be finished.”

[1] Sophie: 50’s slang for “girlfriend”

Part 4: Rabbit Punch 

Tag list:

@sassy-losechester, @mysteriouslyme81, @theriumking, @kittenofdoomage, @supernatural-jackles, @bringmesomepie56, @jpadjackles, @ilostmyshoe-79

[lilkittay]

I’m at someplace like a convention center/hotel for business in a meeting w/my dept manager, his assistant, and a couple other coworkers.

We’re organizing some extraworkhicular get together at some type of spa/salon/rollercoaster park. So he puts me/asst in charge and heterosexually sashays on his way offstage (backstory: dude has a wife irl but he is short and slightly efemmy with a high enough voice ppl often mistake him for a woman over the phone).

The thing is set for the next day so there’s travel, a hotel, and more travel involved.

During the overnight, whoever my roomies were vanished to a bar and didn’t come back so i was alone. It was dormlike and bathrooms were 1 per floor so i’m out to pee and the one on my floor is out so i go to another floor.

Omw back the lights are turning off suddenly/strangely. I see that a creepy guy  is the one doing it, i spotted him without him seeing me. His path is a bit ahead of mine so i follow/stealth stalk him till i get to my room, check hes not inside, then lock myself in.

Later:

At the hotel place readying to depart i’m going to my room and realize i didn’t lock it and my money/keys/etc were in there. I’m expecting the worse (am most worries about my phone and various cards) but nothings touched.

I leave and head to the lobby/tavern where i find the asst sauced up. (irl she co owns a pub in addition to her day job) she was supposed to drive us there so i send out a group chat over skype? I guess? For everyone to meet on our own, and call her and i a cab/uber to the place.

While we wait on our hotel balconies (apparently i convinced her to leave the tavern but she’s got a bottle of white liquor in hand) which all face in to each other in like an open air enclosure, shes chain smoking and there is wind and debris and her cig butts start a fire. Shes gonna put it out  by trying to pour her bottle of white liquor she is still toting but i stamp it out before she burns the hotel down.

I check the cab/uber its here. We head out. Drew carrey is the driver. I find that a little strange but i guess if you need extra cash you just do. We almost get there and i realize i forgot the asst, so i apologize and tell him we have to go back and her. Fare is up to $.62 he shrugs and we turn back.

Skip ahead/ffwd im walking to the salon/spa place and pass thru some touristy asian-themed fishing hole. I grab a pole for lels and cast a line in. My bait is a 5" piece of broken wood. It’s just a joke cast. I cast again near a big big fish seen swimming and the dumb fish eats it. So i bring the fish in to the shallows and grab a couple of the seasonal workers to help. They’re asians on visas from not the country portrayed in the tourist trap, posing as the real deal (kinda like our sushi chefs at work). They help me get the large metal double (not barbed) hook (it’s kinda shaped like a little anchor) out of this giant carps mouth. In broken english they point out the holes in its mouth. Its been trained/taught to get hooked for tourists.  I brokenly chat a bit more about a little sister of theirs playing nearby who is missing a sandal, then move on.

Skip ahead im almost there walking thru a dusty dry gravel parking area beside the road with an old aquaintence i happened by. He still looks like a hobo/bum like he did a decade ago. A purple VW van/bus rolls by the side/back doors are missing. There are a bunch of crusty old guys and guys dressed in military stuff like theyre vets inside the van/bus. I yell a catcall implying homosexuality as they pass. My companion gets offended/upset that i did that and i have to explain its an in-joke and i know the legless homeless man hollering obscenities out the missing door, and yes, they are all quite gay. My travel pal and i part for im finally at the spa/salon.

At the salon place which is up some stairs, the sauced asst is there being a drunk (idk why shes written this way shes pretty serious/sober at work). I’m waiting for the others, they start to trickle in. Among them one of our butchy girls shows up and she looks really girly with her hair styled and like glitter/decals on her cheeks and she’s wearing perfume instead of doused in axe like she usually is. Still lesby but not her usual mechanic looking baggy work clothes and somehow 20 lbs thinner. Then a few others come in and theyre muchly dressed 80s/90s punk (like late 80s early 90s kinda “soft punk”) tainted with grunge (think metal studs, jean jackets, short spiky hair, facial piercings, mohawks, too many pastels). Then our skinny lez cook that gets misgendered by half everyone as a boy comes in.

Ive got my tongue piercing clamped in my teeth (i do this when im anxious sometimes) and its visible (at work its not allowed so i keep my mouth carefully closed) and she sees it and comes up and rather bluntly says “oh you have a cocklicker i see” i just frown at her in confusion/offense and reply “no, definitely not”

And the wtf reaction from that comment woke me up…. Of all things

So: some afterthoughts. For anyone reading this who doesnt know me this might seem pretty wtf with all the homosexual overtones (no it does not mean im latently gay). Truth in fact is that there are a LOT of lesbians at work and my workplace is really lgbt+@!%#&#etc friendly so open gayness everywhere. And recently my dad came out (yeah wtf my dad right?) but it is what it is (he’s the legless homeless man in the dream in the purple van full of crusty old vets).

SO

Idk wtf that dream was but it woke me up at 2:30 am.

Edit: also. this is how my “work dreams” end up. theyre always fucking strange as hell

[drink-n-watch]

OK, I looked it up and there are 13 episodes to this season of Tower of God. Good because I’m not ready for it to be over next week. But I’m totally gonna be ready for it to end two weeks from now… For the record, I tried the webtoon again and I still just like the anime so much more. Not that the webtoon is bad and I’m still in the very early chapters so I have no doubt it gets better but I just really like this adaptation.

I might still read it all after the season is over, if no second season is announced.

Undeniably, one of the great aspects of the anime for me is the visuals. I love this art. I think it’s stunning. It’s am actual challenge to keep my screencaps down to anything close to a reasonable number each week. But can you blame me? I currently have over 500 and I’m not entirely sure how to feel about it.

Also, before we get into this particular episode, I do wish that the show would stop Yuri baiting us. Also this context is now my favourite context for using the expression “Yuri baiting”. I’m already hooked man… just give me the Yuri already. Maybe her crew will come in to help out last minute. After all, she does need to get Black March back, can’t let ram boy get it. And why haven’t we seen more of Black March? You know, if I just start listing the stuff I want to see more of, we’re gonna be here all day. And we got a lot of screencaps to get to!

So this episode was title The Final Test, Underwater Hunt pt.1. And I do not believe for one second that this is the last test the Tower is going to be putting our friends through. I’ve decided we’re all friends. More importantly though, as a part 1, it’s exactly what you expect. An exciting set up and a soft cliffhanger. I call it soft because the stakes have been revved up to 11 since the beginning of the story but I supposed it’s an honest to goodness real cliffhanger with the lives of not one but two main and popular cast members hanging in the balance.

Princesses of Jahad seem to be very powerful but that’s mostly compared to the rest of the climbers(?), contestants(?). When you put them up against actual rankers, they become a lot less impressive. Sure they may have gotten the better of Quant but that’s only because he plays by the rules. He doesn’t have to. If only there could be just one more princess t come to the aid of her sisters. Cough Cough.

I have no clue why I’m so obsessed by a character we have seen like a total of 10 minutes at the very most, over 11 episodes. I could wager a guess but this is a family blog.

No wait, it’s not. It’s full of alcohol. Yuri’s hot. I have a feeling that’s a pretty big part of it.

Anyways, the gist of the episode is that Bam’s request to take the admin test (administrator sounds like such a boring title) was granted and this is what everyone is going through now. If they pass, it’s almost a free ticket to the top, if they fail. Well I’m not actually sure but they way the episode was turning out, maybe dooooommmmmm!

So this last test is of course ridiculous, needlessly over-complicated and I really, really like it. If it was an MMO quest it would be the one I’m most looking for to redoing on every single alt. There are so many layers and possibilities to this and it tests out so many different potential character strengths. And the weirdness of it, essentially trying to manipulate events so that your teammates get devoured by one huge monster instead of another different monster… There’s something symbolic of this whole story in that.

I assume I’m going to have a lot more to say next week when the actual revelations come. As usual Kuhn’s figured out something or at least he knows something is amiss. And as usual he’s not telling anyone. I know he’s a light bearer and basically a strategist but I never realized that it means staying in a comfy control cube the entire time and watching from a safe distance. That’s definitely what I would want to be. Actually no, I would want to work in the cafeteria.

Don’t think it was wasted on me that Bam’s second most cherished thought was of them all eating and being happy together in the cafeteria. The only times that actually happened was when they were all drunk (twice so far…) Bam and I, we got some things in common. Bam also really reminded me of Deku this episode. The huge eyes, hyper optimistic behaviour and dark unkempt hair. OK I realize I just described 94% of all shonen heroes but there’s just something about how his meekness is almost a strength and the way he’s nice to everyone, even when they are not nice to him. When he was staring up at those fish in wonder, I could just see Midoriya there. It’s nice to have similar archetypes explored in very different settings with such disparate themes.

Anyways, like I was saying. Great episode, I luved it. Cannot wait till next Wednesday.

Tower of God Ep.11 – Leesoo The Delicious OK, I looked it up and there are 13 episodes to this season of Tower of God.

[staylitmusic]

World Falls Apart - Ft Sadeyes by Lil Xtra I’m drowning I can see the ark Sky opens up, world falls apart Da da da da da da da Da da da da I’m Rocking all black strings on an old guitar With my all black jeans and my all black heart Da da da da da da da Da da da da da da da Put me in an all white room and bind my hands Tell me I’m no good till I understand but Your demands mean nothing I need a Zoloft lil to even feel something Put me on a red eye flight and I’ll leave it all as you wave goodbye She asking where the time goes Girl you might as well be asking why the wind blows But you see me through these all black windows Chilling with the sharks while you swimming with the minnows And I’m sorry but I chose my fate Big fish ‘round town done being the bait It’s weighing on my all black lungs But yours always right so I’ll hold me tounge Got an all black soul with an all black prayer I’m the all black sheep with the all black stars Hook Ripped black jeans and tears from sad eyes I guess I’m alright I guess I’ll be fine I guess I’m real stressed I’m Best when offline Cause I suffocate when I talk to you It sucks to feel like you don’t want to choose I choke so bad my face turns blue My heart’s gone dark from loving you I won’t speak cause you won’t listen You’re my cure but we’ve been distant You’re too cute and that’s too bad cause Love won’t clean this mess I have I’m over love but I’m not over us Im over love but I’m not over us