#some other thoughts but the water level around her eventually decreases!!

[mossyflowers]

I beat hunter today and I've almost finished spearmaster so I was feeling a bit inspired today

If POM WERE to collapse, I think it'd be pretty. Messy. Specifically due to the Rot specifically constricting around vital parts of her structure to the point of it snapping

On the brightside!! In the case of her collapsing, at least her Rot starts to rot and wither <:)

[thatshithurted8]

Confessing Feelings

Summary: Tired of your obliviousness JJ takes a leap of faith and admits his feelings.

Word Count: 1.8k

Prompts: “Stop pretending you’re okay cause I know you’re not.” “Just talk to me.” “What if I told you I’ve been in love with you since we were kids.” Requested by: @multiphases 

There’s no doubt that Y/N Y/L/N is a gorgeous girl. Anyone that saw her knew that and most people grew even more attracted to her once they got to know her.

Even though some people would catergorize you as the most attractive girl in all of OBX no one has been lucky enough to date you. Or even take you out on a date for that matter.

After all of these years you simply just thought no one was interested in you and that was okay despite, being lonely at times or craving a relationship like John B’s and Sarah’s.

However, if it was up to you to pick any boy on the island to date you would pick JJ with a hundred percent certainty. Despite wishing for boys to show any type of interest in you a part of you will always want JJ. After all, he was your first love, but he doesn’t know that, nor do you think he feels the same way about you.

Little did you know though that a mischievous blonde has stopped that from happening. JJ was so protective of you and you guys were extremely close. The only time you guys weren’t attached to the hip was when JJ was hooking up with a random girl. However, since you two are with each other 24/7 it’s hard for guys to try to talk to you, especially knowing about JJ’s notorious reputation.  Every guy on the island knew not to even attempt to get with you because of JJ, even Rafe Cameron the Kook King himself knew that. 

The only people that didn’t know that were stupid Tourons. It seemed like everyone Touron had the tendency to hit on you, but JJ’s anger would decrease when you politely declined them. Despite feeling lonely at times you didn’t want the stress of a long distance relationship if you were to connect with one on that level.

However, as of right now JJ leaned against the door frame of the cabin in Heyward’s boat, pouting. Currently you were rambling on about how a Touron bought you your meal when you were out for breakfast with your cousin. The Touron, named Brett eventually asked for your number and you for once obliged. 

“I swear swear guys he is probably the most attractive guy I’ve ever seen.” You say to Sarah and Kie while you flipped yourself to lay down on your back. After all you wanted a even tan. Your statement felt like a punch in the gut to JJ as he continued to eavesdrop into your conversation with the girls.

“Show me a picture and I’ll be the judge of that.” Kie says.

“JJ can you pass me my phone?” You say sitting up, your hand resting just above your eyebrows as the setting sun shines into your eyes. 

The blue eyed boy turns and looks at you with a dull and distant look. “Get it yourself Y/N.” He says in a monotone voice before walking away to join Pope and John B in the water. 

Confused by JJ’s response you get up and get the device yourself. Just as he’s about to jump in he hears Sarah squeal, “Holy shit he is cute!”

JJ rolls his eyes and jumps into the water, wishing things were different between you two and that you weren’t so oblivious to his apparent feelings towards you. 

- 

The moment Pope docked his dads boat back at John B’s JJ jumps onto the small pier before storming into the chateau. 

“What’s his problem?” Kie asks while everyone looks at you with confused and worried gazes, causing you to simply shrug your shoulders in confusion. They all knew how close you and JJ were so it was surprising to Kie and Sarah that you didn’t know what was wrong. However, John B and Pope knew why you didn’t know, you were too busy being oblivious to notice his blatant feelings towards you. 

“Y/N why don’t you go and talk to him we’ll give you guys space.” Pope suggests, feeling bad for the boy especially since he was in the same position, but with Kie. 

You simply nod your head and grab your towel before making your way off of the boat and into John B’s chateau. “JJ?" You call out, slipping off your flip flops once the door behind you slams shut. Instead of hearing a response all you could hear were the rest of the pogues laughing on the boat and the sound of the old fridge that was on it’s last leg. 

“JJ?” You call out again, placing your semi damp towel on a chair before walking down the hallway towards the bedrooms. Once again you received no answer, but your stomach dropped when you saw the door to JJ’s room closed shut. The only time the blonde closed his door was when he was hooking up with some chick or he was upset. Since there was no way a girl came into the chateau just mere seconds before you, you were assuming the latter. 

You softly knock against the wooden door, before turning the knob and opening the it, causing it to squeal on it’s hinges. “J?” 

Your eyes instantly land on the blonde boy who you were looking for, as he laid on the bed facing the wall. JJ ignores you again, leaving you to let out a sigh before walking into the room fully and closing the door behind you. 

JJ’s eyes quickly flutter shut when he notices you walking over to the side of bed he was resting on. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone especially you. Although, JJ loved every moment he spent with you, his emotions were getting the best of him and he didn’t want to confess something he would regret later just because you like a stupid Touron.

Once you see JJ’s eyes closed you roll your eyes knowing that he wasn’t asleep at all. “J, I know you’re not asleep.” Keeping his eyes closed, JJ’s heart flutters at how well you know him. 

You lower yourself to the ground and sit criss cross apple sauce facing your best friend. “What’s wrong JJ?” You ask softly, but once again he doesn’t answer you. 

After a few minutes of silence you get up and jump onto the Maybank boy, tickling him at all of the spots he was ticklish. “Dude talk to me.” 

JJ’s eyes fly open and he starts to squirm and laugh under you as you continue your brutal attack. “Stop Y/N!” He laughs, causing you to smile at the sound of his happiness. 

“Not until you tell me what the hell is wrong!” 

As tears welled up in JJ’s eyes and his cheeks turned red he finally gathered his strength and flipped you two over so that he was now hovering over you. “Nothing’s wrong Y/N.” He says sending you a smile, but you could tell from the way he was looking at you that it wasn’t genuine. 

You roll your eyes, starting to get genuinely annoyed at how closed off he was being. Ever since you two were younger you made a pact not to keep things from each other. 

“Stop pretending you’re okay cause I know you’re not.” You say looking up into his cerulean orbs with a serious expression coating your face. JJ’s smile falters, knowing that you were going to keep on pressing him until you got a clear answer. 

“Seriously Y/N I’m fine.” He says looking in your eyes, praying you wouldn’t detect his lie. 

However, you did like you always do. “Stop lying J. Just talk to me.” 

JJ sighs and you couldn’t stop the heat rising to your face as you watched him bite his lip and move off of you, sitting on his knees at the end of the bed. You sit up and grab his hands before looking at him reassuringly to say that he can tell you whatever was on his mind. 

“Do you like that Brett guy?” He asks making eye contact with you then darting his eyes across the room. 

Confused by his question you shrug your shoulders and start to graze the back of JJ’s hand with your thumb. “I don’t know him well, but I think I can potentially like him. Why?” 

JJ lets out another sigh and chews on the inside of his cheek while looking down at your intertwined hands. You knew that he was arguing with himself about telling you or not what he was thinking. As you allowed JJ to gather his thoughts you felt a shift in the air, causing your heart beat to subconsciously increase.

“What if I told you I’ve been in love with you since we were kids.” He breathes out, finally making eye contact with you again. 

Your eyes widen at the boy in front of you’s statement, but your heart seemingly started to race faster and heat rushed to your face. “What?” You ask shocked, still keeping eye contact with JJ. 

“I’ve been in love with you ever since we were little Y/N, and not in a platonic way.” He says blushing.

At first you thought he was just playing with you, it was JJ after all he was notorious for pulling pranks and being mischievous. However, the way he looked at you and the blush covering his face made you realize that he was in fact telling the truth.

JJ could feel the nerves that were practically flying off of him as he studied your face for any indication to tell him how you were feeling. He couldn’t find any which only made him even more worried that he made the wrong decision by telling you and now ruining your friendship.

However, as a small smile appears on your face the blonde lets out a breath of air he didn’t even realizing he was holding in.

“Holy shit I can’t believe this is happening.” You mumble, rubbing your hand down your face while giddiness and excitement took over you.

“I’ve felt the same way for years J.” You softly say, making eye contact with the boy you’ve been in love with for as long as you could remember.

You watch as JJ’s blue eyes widen with excitement and he smiles down at you. JJ wasn’t the type of guy to be immune to cheesy and romantic stuff so he found himself falling into your arms, his cheeks feeling like they were on fire. You squeal as your back and head meet the mattress underneath you, but your hands instantly find their way to JJ’s golden locks.

“I love you JJ.” You say softly, looking down at the boy in your arms.

He nestles his head into your torso and wraps his arms around your hips, pulling you closer to him. “I love you Y/N and I’ve been waiting for this moment forever.”

-

Question of the day: do you think you can have a first love even though the other persons feeling aren’t reciprocated?

[louthestarspeaker]

Water Dancer

I was paired up with @photowizard17​ for the @tagminibang​! Had a wonderful time collaberating. I wrote the story and they drew the lovely art. Quite proud of what we did here :D

***

When Gordon was underwater, Virgil was a watcher. He hovered above the waves, eyes on the holographic marker that was a little yellow sub, on the telemetry numbers that marked breath and pulse. Virgil was a guardian, ready to tear apart the ocean if his little brother needed him. 

But, to be quite honest, when Gordon was underwater, he rarely needed anything.  Because when he was in the water, Gordon was a dancer. As a swimmer or in a sub, Virgil had seen him carve through the blue, had watched Gordon hone his skills his whole life.

But it was a very different thing, a rare thing, to be standing at his brother’s back, looking out the same windshield and watching the ocean rush by. Blue like his own world, his sky, but darker- and this world shook. 

“Seaquake!” Gordon shouted, his eyes going sharp and grip tightening on the controls. “Virgil, buckle up!” 

The warning came too late. The cockpit shuddered violently and Virgil grunted as he crashed into the wall before he could catch himself.  Four made a sharp turn and sent him sliding the short distance across the glass floor before colliding with Gordon’s chair, the air blown out of him. 

Virgil found himself staring through Four’s belly, his cheek pressed to the cool of the glass, high beams piercing through the dark. 

They were in the worst place you could be during a seaquake, deep in an underwater mountain range with jagged rock walls jutting up high on either side of them. They were crumbling, and Gordon, with expert maneuvering, wove Four through the falling boulders, trying to climb for the surface.       

It was loud.

There were screams coming from the passenger compartment, Gordon on the speakers telling them to stay calm. The deep rumble and sharp cracks as the world split apart around them. Deafening, even through the hull. 

A foot nudged at Virgil’s side. “Virge! You okay?” Gordon asked, shouting over the destruction outside. His eyes were still pinned to the windshield, but there was a crease of worry between his brows that had nothing to do with piloting.

“I’m okay.” Virgil quickly assured him. Don’t make your little brother worry.

Virgil gripped the back of Gordon’s chair and hauled himself to his feet, securing a tether to keep him from pin-balling around the cockpit again, and pulling on his helmet for good measure. 

Gordon chanced a glance over his shoulder, eyes meeting Virgil’s for a split second, making sure he was telling the truth. 

“I’m fine.” Virgil repeated. There was a dull ache in his shoulder and another in his side, but nothing he couldn’t walk off. Gordon had bigger things to worry about.

Four gave another great shudder.

“Come on, girl, come on.” Gordon mumbled to his sub between clenched teeth, eyes flicking rapidly from windshield to readouts and back again. 

Virgil kept a hand braced to the wall, trying to keep steady. 

A seaquake was nothing like turbulence. Air had a direction, a forward movement, you could learn to ride even the strongest winds if you had the skill. But quakes had no rhyme or reason to them, they seized you and shook you like you were caught in the jaws of some animal. There was no riding one, only enduring it.

But eventually, because it always did, the shaking did stop.

“That was a long one,” Gordon muttered under his breath as the cockpit stabilized. He relaxed a fraction, but not by much. They were still in a danger zone.

Boulders began to hit the seafloor, and the silt rushed up and enveloped them. Visibility petered out to zero and Gordon was relying entirely on his instruments and instincts to climb them out of the fog.

A slab of stone fell into their path, appearing only as a shadow in the silt, plummeting for the seafloor and eager to take them all down with it. Gordon maneuvered Four through a narrow gap, only a few feet of open space on either side of them.

Piloting Four was highly instinctual, the controls wrapped around Gordon’s arms like armor, designed so he could feel the weight of the current. His movements were quick and sharp as he darted through the falling rock, but they had a rhythm to them, a tide of their own.

Gordon was an ocean unto himself, dual sided in personality and skill. 

He was the obvious, the sparkling sunlit surfaces, the skipping waves and playful banter. And he was the hidden, the deep midnight blue in the depths, rarely seen in the light. 

Well, they were far from the sunlight now.

The sub swerved sharply, and Virgil struggled on his feet. A new alarm tore through the cockpit and Gordon swore, voice all sharp edges and hard surface.

"Okay, hold on, I think we're in trouble." Gordon said, the words slipped out of him in a breath.

Virgil leaned over to glance Gordon’s instruments. There was a boulder three times the size of Four free falling towards them.

Virgil swore too.

Gordon’s eyes ticked quickly back and forth, from his instruments to his blinded windshield, imagining the things Virgil didn’t know how to, and he could see the gears turning.  

“Hold on, I’ve got a stupid plan.” Gordon said.  

“Better than no plan.” 

For from his usual response when a brother said something along those lines, but right now the options were either stupid or crushed and Virgil had a preference.

Gordon kicked Four faster, sending her barreling upward, tight to the cavern wall, straight for the boulder. There was a narrow strip of negative space, was that what Gordon was aiming for? 

Virgil bit his lip. It was too small.

They couldn’t even see the distance closing. Gordon had the numbers, the meters decreasing, Virgil had the cadence of the proximity alarm, screeching louder, louder, louder.

Staring out and seeing nothing was scarier somehow.

Gordon hit the speaker button for the passenger compartment. “Everyone brace yourselves! We’re gonna hit!”

The lights switched to a pulsing red as they neared and it matched the heart beat thumping wildly in Vigil’s ears and chest.

“Helmet!” Gordon shouted. Virgil snatched his brother’s helmet out of a locker and slipped it quickly over Gordon’s head. 

This was all him. There was nothing Virgil could do. Adrenaline surged and it made his fingers shake. 

But the fear in him didn’t matter, because he wasn’t the one sitting in the pilot’s seat, because the person who was was a water dancer. And never had Virgil trusted him more than here, surrounded by the currents and the stone.

 Never more than now.

Gordon breathed.

And the world went dark.

The impact sent Virgil crashing into the side of the pilot’s chair, and there was a metallic thunk as Gordon’s head flung forward against the dash.

The screeching of the alarms bled together with the screams from the back compartment, melding together into blank, white noise in Virgil’s ears. A high pitched whine stretching out into infinity.

But infinity ended fairly quickly. And then that was it.

The red emergency lights blinked on again. Virgil’s shoulder smarted worse now but he was still in one piece. 

Gordon sat up from the dash, looking a bit dazed but no worse for wear. “We okay? You okay?”

“I’m fine. You?”

“All good.” Gordon grinned and rapped a fist against his helmet. “Nice to have a copilot.”

Virgil cracked a smile at that one.

He peered out the windshields. Outside the glass was a more solid darkness than the hazy shadows of before. “Gords, are we… in a cave?”

“Cave is being kind of generous.” Gordon said, taking stock of Four’s controls. “But I thought this hollow could give us some cover.”

“Are we stuck?”

“Totally. But lucky for us I’ve got a secret weapon.” There was a grin that was decidedly more cheeky little brother than reassuring rescue operative. “Check the depth gauge, bro.”  

Virgil looked over Gordon’s instruments and found a number he recognized. They were right on the edge of the threshold for Two’s rescue cable.

“I tried to get us a little closer to the surface.” Gordon said, watching his brother’s face. “But you could probably still fish us out.”

“I’m your plan B?” Virgil said, and the words were just a little incredulous. They were in an environment where Gordon was masterful, while Virgil was usually leagues away.

But Gordon just looked at him, aquanaut and submariner and water dancer, and his face said duh. “You’re always my plan B.” 

Which shouldn’t have been surprising, but in this instance it was. Gordon dove miles deep into the ocean, and Virgil waited for him far above. And sure he thought of himself as a guardian for his little brother but he couldn’t really tear apart the ocean if he tried. 

If he needed to.

Still. Virgil could understand it on some level. John’s voice in his ear could calm him like no other.  And it was always easier to fly with Scott on his wing. Virgil had just never considered he could provide that kind assurance from so far away. 

Though Gordon, apparently, felt differently.  

Virgil called Two to rendez-vous directly above them, and lowered the rescue claw to it’s maximum length.

It was a bit of a stretch, and had him pulling Two closer to the ocean than he would’ve liked, but her cable reached them. A hand reaching down from far away.

Virgil dig them out as quickly as he was able without ringing down more of the mountain. Gordon ran through a quick systems check, gave another word of reassurance to their passengers, then began to take them up. No one wanted to stay in the area any longer than strictly necessary. 

The cockpit grew steadily lighter as Four climbed for the surface, trading the silt for the sunlight. Gordon piloted with a careful frown, maneuvering his sub with practiced ease.

Carving through the blue as sure as ever. 

Virgil felt a smile on his lips. “Nice job, Gords.” 

Gordon looked up at him, crinkling eyes. “Nice job, yourself.”

[thefinalcinderella]

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru Chapter 8 - Winter Comes Again (Part 3)

I like how Kakeru seems like your typical “uwu I have a dark past and now I’m emo” sports anime protagonist but has a completely personality change when it comes to running

Full list of translations here

Previous | Next

After Chikusei-sou was introduced on the news, Kakeru and the others were frequently called out to on campus and in the shopping district, ranging from a casual “I saw you on TV!” or “Do your best!” to offers of “I’ll help out if you need a hand.”

However, there were no more applicants wanting to join the team, as expected; the rumor that Kiyose kept turning everyone away had probably spread through the school. Kakeru couldn’t help but hope that they wouldn’t give up and would come back to Chikusei-sou next spring.

The administrative preparations for the actual race were also underway, with Kiyose and Shindou taking the lead in making arrangements for the day.

In the Hakone Ekiden, each school placed people along the route. In addition to the people who handed out water at the fifteen-kilometer mark, it was advantageous to have someone relay information to the runners; it would be best if they could inform the athletes at each key point of the time differences with the schools running in front and behind them, and whether they should increase or decrease their pace.

The water providers had to run alongside the runners in order to hand out water. A complete novice would not be able to keep up with the runners' speed, so a certain level of running ability was desirable, and the short-distance runners of Kansei University’s track and field team graciously agreed to take on this role.

Kiyose and Shindou also discussed the personnel to be placed along the route. From among the students who had offered to help out, they picked those who lived near the course; they couldn’t put too much of a burden on them, since they had to round them up on New Year’s Day.

Even if they told the people of the shopping district not to come, they would probably rush over to support them, so they didn’t hesitate to include them in the number of people who would pass on information from the roadside.

In the leadup to the day of the Hakone Ekiden, Kiyose worked tirelessly on the details, not just for running but also for other tasks. Shindou assisted in negotiations with the university as well as communication with the Inter-University Athletic Union of Kanto, the organizer of the event. Hanako stood between the shopping district and the Kansei student volunteers; she efficiently gathered up people and informed the volunteers of their roles and the schedule on the day.

Kakeru was shocked at Hanako’s ability to handle the paperwork—he couldn’t have listened to the needs of that many people and coordinated everyone so that things ran smoothly. It seemed that she was even cutting down on her sleep to manage everything by herself so that Kakeru and the others could run the Hakone Ekiden without any problems.

It might have started with the fact that she liked the twins, but now Hanako seemed to be fascinated by the sport of track and field itself. She had become an indispensable asset to Chikusei-sou and frequently came by to discuss various matters.

“Hana-chan hangs out with us all the time. I wonder if she has any girl friends,” King suddenly said when Hanako wasn’t there, as though it had just occurred to him.

“She does,” Kakeru answered. For some reason, his voice was low.

Just the day before, Kakeru had seen Hanako in the school cafeteria: she had been laughing brightly as she ate lunch with a friend of the same sex.

Isn’t Katsuta-san putting off hanging out with her friends because she’s working for our sake? Kakeru felt irritated by King’s words, which were insensitive even though they weren’t meant to be offensive. And then he thought, “Huh?” Why am I getting so angry? Kakeru thought about it for a while and decided that it was because he was tired from training.

One night in early November, while eating dinner at Chikusei-sou, Hanako was reading out a report on the number and placement of the volunteers. Kiyose and Shindou mainly gave their opinions, which Hanako wrote down in a notebook.

I wonder if her feelings have gotten through to the twins, Kakeru wondered. The twins were busy shoveling dinner into their mouths, taking little notice of Hanako enthusiastically preparing for the Hakone Ekiden.

When they had finished the necessary discussions, Kiyose spoke.

“The Sunday after next, we’re participating in the Ageo City Half Marathon.”

“Where is this Ageo?” Musa asked.

“It’s in Saitama Prefecture. It’s a relatively big race with many citizens taking part as runners, and the schools participating in the Hakone Ekiden are invited. It’s good because we can join for free and it’s also a good way to practice on the road—we can get a good spot right behind the start line and experience running through a cheering crowd. It’s perfect, isn’t it?”

With the exception of Kakeru and Kiyose, none of them had participated in a race on a public road during their high school years. As a rehearsal for the Hakone Ekiden, the Ageo City Half Marathon was the perfect race, both in distance and date. Most of the schools that had been selected to participate in Hakone were also participating in Ageo.

It was the first time he would be running more than twenty kilometers on the road in a proper event. Given the chance to see the results of his training, Kakeru suddenly felt motivated; he was fine with laboriously training by himself, but Kakeru liked races where he could compete with other runners.

The twins, however, objected.

“The Sunday after next? We already have plans.”

“We’re forming an amateur soccer team with friends from our language class. We finally found someone to play against, so we’re going to the Tama riverside area to play.”

“Say you can’t do it,” Kiyose said.

“Then there won’t be enough people.”

“There’s still time to find a couple more people. Also, you’re playing soccer at a time when you have to train? What if you get injured? You’ve been slacking off lately.”

Kiyose too must have been steadily getting frustrated by the awkward atmosphere; he was condemning the twins in a harsh tone that he never used. Kakeru, not knowing what to do, raised and lowered his chopsticks in midair for no reason.

“Training this, training that, what’s the point in training so much?” Jouji roughly slammed down his bowl of miso soup. “It’s just like that Sakaki guy said: no matter how hard we work in Hakone, we won’t have enough members when spring comes.”

“He’s right,” Jouta said. “We’ve all been tricked by Haiji-san. We’ve been training our asses off every single day, like idiots.”

“Tricked?” Kiyose clacked his chopsticks. “When did I trick you?”

“You said it at the beginning, didn’t you! ‘With the power of all ten of us, we’ll reach the top of the sports world!’” Jouta shouted. “But that’s impossible. I did my research—no matter how much we try, we can’t beat Rikudou. We can’t win Hakone!”

Yeah, what they said, King blindly followed the twins’ lead. Kiyose seemed like he was going through his memories for a while.

“It’s true that I said we’re going to the top,” he nodded.

“See, Haiji-san’s a liar!” Jouji denounced him. There was an uproar around the dining table.

Musa asked Kakeru in a whisper, “Is it true that we cannot win no matter how hard we work?”

“Well…”

Kakeru was evasive, but Yuki, who valued theory, was merciless in that regard.

“To put it bluntly, it’s impossible. Our times prove that.”

“Good grief.” Nico-chan, sitting in his chair, gave a big stretch.

“It’s easy to guess how the race will unfold and which team will win if you look at the runners’ personal best times, and it’s impossible for that to be overturned unless something extreme happens. That might be one of the boring things about long-distance.”

“Hmm,” Prince said, reaching for the salad bowl with his chopsticks. “In baseball, soccer, basketball, or any other team sport, unless there is a huge difference in ability, you don’t know which team is going to win unless you try it. Is there that big a difference in ability between us and Rikudou?”

“There is.” Yuki, who seemed to have analyzed the data, flatly vouched for that once again. “Almost all the regulars at Rikudou are good enough to become aces at any other school. In addition, they have a big lineup of runners, and even the reserve runners who aren’t entered in Hakone—in other words, the second-string runners—would be very likely to rank higher than us if they were to run.”

“So, what you’re saying is that Rikudou University is a group of elite runners, and the best among them are our opponents?” Shindou said gloomily, his shoulders drooping.

“But depending on how you think about it, aren’t we lucky?” Prince said, chewing on lettuce. “Even though Rikudou’s second-strings are fast, they can’t participate in Hakone. We’re weak, but we can run in Hakone because we passed the qualifiers. Even if we don’t win, I think it’s worth more to be able to just be in Hakone.”

“There’s no point if we don’t win,” Jouji said.

“It’s a sport where the results are obvious, so what are we doing it for?” Jouta stared up at the ceiling.

Kakeru was indignant. “If you want to win, then this isn’t the time to be playing soccer,” he said, finally snapping at the twins. “You should train more and be in Ageo.”

“Ah, there goes Kakeru and his idealism again.”

“Didn’t we tell you that even if we wanted to train, we couldn’t bring ourselves to do it?” the twins counter-attacked together.

“So if you can’t win, you can’t run? So are you two gonna stop living just because you’re gonna die eventually?”

“We didn’t say that.”

“It’s the same thing—the same logic.”

“It's completely different. And don’t call that logic, you don’t even know what that means.”

“I do!”

“You don’t, you’re an animal who only knows how to run!”

“Let’s take this outside!”

“Why don’t we!?”

“Stop this now,” Kiyose said, but they didn’t listen.

Kakeru and the twins kicked their chairs away and stood, glaring at each other across the table. Musa pulled on the hem of Kakeru’s shirt, but Kakeru shook him off. It was a child’s quarrel, with the reason already forgotten and the argument confused. Yuki and Nico-chan watched the events unfold, grinning. Prince muttered in admiration, “Kakeru’s words about life and death earlier were an unusually clever expression.” King might have been close to the twins on an emotional level, but he pretended not to see, probably not wanting to get punched.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute!” Hanako put her hands out to desperately restrain Kakeru and twins, who looked like they were about to leave the kitchen at any second. “Calm down! Look, every Rikudou runner might come down with food poisoning on the day of the race, you know?”

The people of Chikusei-sou turned their attention to Hanako, who had raised her voice, but deflated at what she said.

“I don’t think that’s possible…” Musa said reservedly.

“Ultimately, we still can’t beat Rikudou in terms of ability, right?”

That’s not a good follow-up, Shindou sighed. However, thanks to Hanako, the tension between Kakeru and the twins, which had been about to burst, had nowhere else to go.

“Thanks for the food.”

The twins put their bowls in the sink. As they were about to return to their rooms, Kiyose called out to their backs.

“I did say that we’re going to the top. But by that, I didn’t mean winning. It might sound like an excuse, but…”

“We’re over it,” Jouji said, and the twins went upstairs. His voice held a mixture of rejection and resignation, which could be taken to mean that he didn’t want to hear Kiyose’s words, or that he wanted to stop fighting and practice as usual. Kakeru didn’t know what to do with his will to fight that had ended up not going anywhere, and he sullenly sank down into his chair.

“Umm, I’m going home now.” Perhaps unable to stand the awkward atmosphere, Hanako quickly stood. “Thank you for the meal.”

Kiyose stopped Hanako as she was about to put away the dishes and called to Kakeru, “Send Katsuta-san home.” Normally, the twins would walk Hanako back to Yaokatsu, but they were unlikely to come down again tonight. “It would be good for you to get some night air and cool your head.”

“I can go home by myself,” Hanako declined, but Kakeru said, “I’ll do it,” then stood up and went to put on his sneakers at the door.

In the kitchen, Yuki and Nico-chan were gossiping.

“Alone with Katsuta-san at night.”

“I hope the blood doesn’t rush to Kakeru’s head, if you know what I mean.”

“They are correct. What if Kakeru and the twins get into another fight over Hanako-san?” Musa criticized Kiyose.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Kiyose fended him off easily. “Just as he looks, Kakeru is a man who honors friendship deeply.”

Kakeru, of course, had no idea he was the topic of conversation, and he matched Hanako’s pace as they made their way towards the shopping district.

Kakeru almost never walked—if it was within walking distance, he preferred to run. Going to school and going to the shopping district were all part of jogging for him. Normally, he passed by these places so quickly that he never really took a look around.

It was so slow walking with Hanako that he didn’t know what to do with all the time on his hands, so his gaze roamed around, reading the nameplates illuminated by the street lights, looking at the fruit-covered mandarin tree branches sticking out into the road. Hanako was wearing a thin coat and a light purple scarf. It’s the color of akebia, Kakeru thought. He used to eat them a lot when he ran around and played in the hills and fields. His tongue recalled their taste, like very diluted sugar water.

“I was a bit surprised,” Hanako said. Her white breath spilled out of her mouth. Kakeru looked away.

“About what?”

“Even you guys fight.”

“Well, of course. We live together in a small apartment and we’re always running together. Someone’s always fighting about leaving hot water in the bucket for the bath, or smelling the socks that have been taken off after training.”

“Smelling socks?” Hanako laughed a little. “Who would do something like that?”

Jouji did. But Kakeru felt it was wrong to throw cold water on her feelings of love.

“I can’t tell you that,” he answered. Would this make it seem like I’m projecting? He worried, but there was no helping it.

“For some reason, I thought most long-distance runners were untalkative and patient.”

“I don’t know about that. I lose my temper easily, and the twins and King are pretty annoying.”

“Kurahara-kun, you’re one of the more mature ones, but I think everyone at Chikusei-sou is gentle and kind. I guess a patient personality really is suited for running long distances every day.” Hanako kicked a pebble that had been lying on the white line. “That’s why I was surprised that you guys were fighting, but also relieved. You can run twenty kilometers or so at a fast speed, and now you’re going to be in the Hakone Ekiden, and I keep thinking you're going further and further.”

Oh, Kakeru thought. She really does like the twins.

He secretly touched his chest. What is this? There was a shrieking pain in his chest, like when a cold drink soaked into your teeth—a pain like it was gradually swelling up around him, and heating up.

They turned the corner at the park and entered the shopping district, where fake autumn leaves hung from the street lights at both ends of the road, swaying in the wind. The day’s work had finished, and most of the stores had their shutters down.

From out of a half-shuttered small bookstore, three men who looked like high school students came bursting out, each of them carrying a large sports bag over their shoulder. All at once, they ran towards Soshigaya-Okura Station. After them, an old lady who was working as the shopkeeper ran into the street.

“Stop, thieves!” the old lady shouted and tried to run after them, but her slip-on sandals were no match for the legs of young men. The old lady looked at Kakeru and Hanako, who were standing stock still from surprise. Her eyes were filled with expectation.

Hanako seemed to come back to her senses.

“Kurahara-kun, go catch them.”

“Huh, me?”

“Go, go!”

The high schoolers were about fifty meters ahead of him, but he could still see them clearly because the shopping district was a straight line. Kakeru dashed off.

The high schoolers must have been relieved, knowing that the old lady would not chase after them, so they slowed down, but when they noticed Kakeru’s footsteps approaching, they shouted “Crap!” and began running with all their strength again.

However, they were carrying heavy bags and they were amateurs after all, and Kakeru was soon in range of them. Observing their running from behind, he thought, “I could catch them at any point if I feel like it.”

But, there were three of them. If he jumped at them alone, some of them would probably escape. Even if he hit them, it would be a bad idea to get into a violent situation right then.

The best thing to do would be to get them to give up running. Kakeru decided that and followed the three closely.

“Hey, you guys!” he called out to them as he ran. The three turned back with a start and sped up, panicked. But for Kakeru, it was like turtles going faster.

“I can easily chase you guys for thirty more kilometers at this pace, you know!” Kakeru said, not even out of breath.

“Who are you?” one of the high schoolers said, scared. Kakeru didn’t answer his question and tried to persuade them.

“Just stop this. Apologize and ask the old lady at the bookstore to forgive you.”

The station came into view. At the same time, he saw two uniformed police officers running towards them from the police box in front of the station.

“Stop right there!” the policemen shouted. They caught two of the high schoolers, holding them from the front. Kakeru had no choice but to grab the remaining one’s arm.

“Open your bags.”

The high schoolers seemed to have given up and meekly followed the policeman’s instructions, revealing a large number of stolen manga in their sports bags. They probably stole them to sell, not to read. Prince would be furious if he saw this, Kakeru thought.

“You did a good job. Come with us to the police box over there," the young policeman said, smiling from under his hat.

“No, I…” Kakeru said, but there were two officers and three shoplifters. He had no choice but to follow, still grabbing the high schooler’s arm.

“Kurahara-kuuun!”

He turned around and saw Hanako pedalling furiously on her bicycle, the old lady from the bookstore sitting on the back. It seemed that Hanako had called the police on her cellphone, and her message had been relayed to the police box. Kakeru thought it was problematic to have two people ride on the same bike, but the policemen pretended not to see.

The old lady climbed off the back of the bike.

“I heard that you’re a runner in the Hakone Ekiden. You have been a great help, thank you," she thanked Kakeru.

The high schoolers were going to be taken to the local police station in a police car. The old lady was going to accompany them to make her witness statement.

“You should come to the station too. You might get a certificate of thanks.”

It was a horrifying thing to be told, and Kakeru desperately declined. The policemen seemed disappointed, but Kakeru left without telling them his name. Hanako pushed her bike and followed.

“That was amazing, Kurahara-kun. The old lady at the bookstore was having a lot of trouble because there were so many shoplifters. She was very grateful that you chased after them for her.”

Kakeru walked, looking down. He hadn’t intended on doing a good deed, it was just that he was good at running—he only chased them because Hanako told him to catch them. It was the same reflex as a dog chasing a frisbee.

Hanako was delighted by Kakeru’s good deed like it was her own. Kakeru couldn’t breathe.

“I don’t know about that kind of thing,” Kakeru finally said to Hanako in a low voice. “I’ve shoplifted too. I don’t think it’s good or bad. I don’t really get it.”

Kakeru felt Hanako looking up at his profile in surprise.

“I don’t care about anything other than running. If I’m hungry, I shoplift. If I’m angry, I hit someone. You said Haiji-san and the others are gentle and kind, but I’m different, at the very least. Just as the twins said, I’m an animal who…”

“Animals don’t worry over not knowing right from wrong,” Hanako said quietly. “You’re too hard on yourself, Kurahara-kun. The old lady from the bookstore was grateful to you. Everyone at Chikusei-sou always has high hopes and trusts in your running. Why don’t you trust in that more?”

When they reached the front of Yaokatsu, Hanako waved her hand with a smile. “Thanks for sending me home. See you.” Kakeru watched Hanako disappear into the service entrance of Yaokatsu. His ears turned hot as he realized that he had raised his hand, as though drawn in by Hanako.

Trust the people around you, Katsuta-san said. Come to think of it, Haiji-san once told me to believe in myself more. I feel like what the two of them wanted to tell me was the same thing, in the end.

I fought with the twins again, Kakeru thought. He had clashed violently with TSU’s Sakaki and his high school track coach because they couldn’t understand each other. Kakeru got angry easily—running was an important act for him, and he spent almost all his time running. That was why he overreacted when his opinions clashed with others on the topic of running; it felt like his very existence was being denied.

But that’s no good, Kakeru thought. Anger was the flip side of fear and a lack of self-confidence.

He thought Kiyose and Hanako were telling him to “accept without fear” when they told him to “believe.” Accept himself as well as others.

Just running doesn’t make me strong. I have to control myself. Convey my heart with words, just like Haiji-san and Katsuta-san. Once again, Kakeru resolved to do just that.

Kakeru ran the whole way back to Chikusei-sou.

The next afternoon, a reporter from the local news section of the Yomiuri Shimbun came. Apparently, the old lady from the bookstore was so moved by what Kakeru did that she had called them. The newspaper decided that it would also serve as promotion for the Hakone Ekiden and decided to devote space on a page for it as a “nice little story.”

The twins forgot about their fight and were happy for him, saying, “That’s great, Kakeru.” Prince also praised Kakeru’s achievement, saying, “Shoplifting in bookstores is a crime that must be eradicated.” Yuki teased him, saying, “And you were finally alone with Katsuta-san too. Didn’t you have something to do before catching shoplifters?”

Kakeru didn’t turn the interview down. The article was published with the headline of “Kansei U Runner in Hakone Ekiden Catches Shoplifters” and a photo of Kakeru’s face.

Previous | Next

[nakedmossy]

Depth Over Distance - Part Seven [Rudy x Reader]

[A/N: This was...hard to write. Hard but necessary...and is more of a preamble to what the next part brings. The next part brings confrontation...injury...pain. And resolution. But for now, enjoy this part, of anger and self discovery and empowerment from pain. Peace and love, Mossy x]

You had been to darker places, but admittedly, it had been awhile, and this was pretty dark.

You stood on the edge of the water at the beach staring at the horizon while the waves licked your feet, soaking through the fabric of your shoes. Cold, insatiably cold, shockingly cold. You barely felt it.

The cold stung your toes, stung your face, nothing felt quite as good as the startling reality of the temperature biting your flesh. You couldn’t hear the birds even though you saw them overhead. You couldn’t hear the waves even though you saw the water below you. In their place you heard Rudy’s voice, over and over, saying her name. Anna.

The delicate façade of stability you had been cradling so gently in yourself had snapped violently in the passenger seat of his rental truck. It had been gruesome and volatile, it had not fractured in a clean line. But you were here now. Here physically at the beach and here mentally, wherever that was. You were here now, in this dark place that you had unwittingly dove head first into, without regard for the consequences or the animosity that would surely follow when you woke up from the dream. You were here, in this cold and harrowing region of your psyche, very much alone, very much afraid, and very much numb to your surroundings.

When he had said her name, opened his door to climb out and walk towards his house, you had opened your passenger door and slowly climbed down, watching him. You had expected him to say something to you, to look back and give you some sort of reassurance or gesture, but he hadn’t. He had walked briskly towards the front door without a single nod of recognition you were still there, his eyes stuck on Anna. You stood, frozen in uncertainty, contemplating following him but knowing you shouldn’t. When he reached the steps you heard his father say ‘inside, now’ in a firm voice before opening the screen door and ushering them inside. As he passed through it, you thought you saw him turn his head back to you, but as he did Anna walked in behind him and blocked the view, the screen door slamming behind her. You took a step forward, wavering, then stopped and looked around, listening intently. When you didn’t hear voices and nobody was coming back through the door, you turned around and began to walk quickly down the driveway back to your house.

“Y/N!” You heard Rudy shout your name then, then heard his footsteps running behind you. “Wait,”

You stopped and turned to face him, waiting. When he stood without speaking, you looked around before staring at him again.

“What’s going on?” You asked delicately, keeping a foot of distance between you.

“I just…I need…” Rudy stuttered and put a hand on his head, the other gesturing back to his house. “I…”

You felt the rush of blood to your head, the butterflies in your stomach, and the adrenaline in your thighs. If it was clear or easy or not complicated, he wouldn’t be struggling so hard right now. He was hiding something. You blinked rapidly and took a step back, closing your mouth and smiling at him sadly.

“Oh Rudy no” You said quietly, the breath leaving your body. Your face contorted as recognition of what was happening crashed over you. “Oh my god.”

Rudy looked at you, as if he himself was in shock, and shook his head slowly. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

“After….everything we talked about” You stuttered, your fingertips cold and your feet tingling. “You lied”

“I didn’t….she wasn’t…”

You let out a loud shutter and closed your eyes, knowing that you had to get away from him, get away from yourself, get away from this whole situation. So you had turned and walked away from him, yanking your arm out of his grip when he tried to stop you, jogging until you were in a full blown run. And now you were here, standing at the edge of the water, not sure when you had caught your breath again or stopped being dizzy or regained some level of control. In fact, you barely remembered most of the run here.

You were so…angry. At yourself mostly, for being such an ignorant child about this situation. For being so blissfully unaware of what had been going on, for not questioning him about his apparently easy breezy story of just needing some time at home. Of course there was more to the story, of course there was a reason he had come home. If he missed his moms cooking that much he wouldn’t have waited 4 years to come back for it. You were humiliated that you hadn’t pieced it together sooner and that you had been so easily beguiled by his presence and how badly you wanted to just be with him. You had slipped into your old routine, your old patterns, without any regard for how dangerous it would be for you if it went wrong. If Rudy was hiding an affair with his Agent and his Agent was pregnant.

Your feet were completely numb from the cold water now, but it wasn’t enough to stop the pain or the feelings or the thoughts. So you lifted a foot and took a step deeper into the water, and then another, until slowly your legs were submerged to your hips and your hands floated around you. Your heart was beating rapidly, your breath shallow and fast, but it didn’t hurt any more than the swelling in your brain, or the overwhelming rate at which your mind would revert back to the fleeting moments of happiness you had experienced with Rudy until the reality of his lies had crashed around you.

You didn’t know how long you had been standing in the water, but you were starting to feel tired, like your eyes were so heavy it took all your strength to keep them open. You closed them, just for a moment, and found yourself drifting into a memory of the day Rudy had left, the summer after high school. You had broken, in a moment of weakness and sadness, and begged him not to leave. He had looked you square in the face and replied ‘we all do eventually, don’t we?’

After he had walked off the beach, you had sunk onto a log and sat there until dark, watching the tide pulse over the sand. He had left you with a simple kiss on the forehead, very few words, and no gap plan. What would you do to keep in touch? When would you see him again? Did he plan on coming back? There was nothing. Just like that memory, you had nothing now. You had nothing but the cold water and the same feeling of abandonment.

You shivered to your core as you sank lower into the water, your neck submerged, then your chin, until your head was underwater completely. You held your breath momentarily then began to slowly release the air, bubbles floating along your face to the surface. The pressure in your head expanded and decreased at the same time, your weightlessness allowing you to drift back and forth with the current as your arms stretched out around you and you sank deeper. As the last of your air left your lungs you felt a tightness in your chest, the urge to surface, to breathe again. But you knew that relief wouldn’t come from oxygen, wouldn’t come from rising above the water, it was deeper than that. You hadn’t been able to breath for 4 years, until Rudy came back, and then he did and you caught your breath and you felt your chest expand for the first time in a long time. And then Anna showed up, and you felt your chest fracture and you couldn’t breathe again. The depth of this water suited you, the pressure on your lungs was comfortable, you had learned not only to survive in the unknown but to thrive in it.

The contractions of your muscles and the twitch in your nervous system as you began to drown shook you loose and forced you to kick your legs, propelling you back to the surface. You opened your mouth and gasped, water splashing around you as your head rose above the water and you opened your eyes. Your first breath filled your lungs painfully and you choked and coughed, sputtering water out of your mouth and wiping it from your eyes.

It was time to free yourself.

--

Your clothes were still wet and clung to your skin as you walked into your driveway, the sun dipping behind the mountains and casting cold shadows through the trees and across the yard. Your shoes sloshed over the rocks, dampness squishing through your socks, and your nose was cold and dripping. You knew you had a weak immune system as it was and submerging yourself in the cold water for over an hour was likely going to make you sick, but you didn’t care. You felt like you had a purpose for the first time in years, a goal that was just yours and only for your benefit. You hesitated to think it might even feel healthy.

“Y/N”

The voice startled you, causing you to look up and stop walking. Rudy was sat on your front step, his hands balled into fists, he lurched forward and walked briskly towards you when he saw you.

“Rudy” You said quietly, taking a step back from him when he got close. Noticing your trepidation he stopped, his face full of concern, his chin rising and his jaw flexing.

“I’m so sorry” He said, his chest rising and falling quickly. “Please let me explain.”

“Explain what” You said firmly, a confidence in your voice you didn’t expect.

“Anna being here, her…um,”

“She’s pregnant” You said heavily, your eyebrows set and your shoulders stiff. “But you already knew that.”

“I didn’t. I swear I didn’t. Y/N, I swear to god-”

“Don’t” You stopped him, taking another step back as he moved forward. “Just stop. I’m not doing this.”

You watched as Rudy’s face cracked and his shoulders dropped, pain washing over him. It didn’t hurt you, it hardly bothered you. You were high above all of that, you were sailing in the trajectory of the ferry. You walked around him towards your front door, your pace quick and firm. You heard Rudy pivot and follow you, his presence close.

“I … will you please just let me explain. Why is your…..you’re soaking wet.”

You walked down the hallway of your house towards your room and pushed the door open, walking towards your closet, immediately grabbing your backpack.

“I went for a swim.” You said in a flat voice, grabbing some clothes out of your dresser and shoving them in, grabbing your passport out of your underwear drawer and the envelope of emergency cash you had duck taped shut beside it.

“You…went for a….hey, stop. STOP.” Rudy grabbed your hand and held it firm, his mouth closed firmly, breathing heavily through his nose. You held his eyes hard, challenging him to keep getting in your way.

“Where are you going” He said finally, releasing his grip on your hand. You reefed the zipper on your backpack closed and threw it over your shoulder, shrugging indignantly.

“It’s not your problem.” You said, your bitterness seeping through. “Don’t worry about it.”

You stared at each other again, this time both of you fighting to keep the upset and the anger off your faces.

“Don’t do this” Rudy said almost inaudibly, his eyes wet now.

You felt the tightness in your chest return, the tingling in your nose and eyes as tears threatened to spring. You needed to keep going, you needed to push forward, you needed to do this for yourself. You took a deep breath and pushed past him, walking quickly down the hallway and grabbing your keys off the key ring by the door.

“Where are you going, Y/N come on!” Rudy said in a panicked voice behind you, following you outside. You got to your car, unlocked the door and threw your bag in the back seat before turning to Rudy one last time and setting your jaw before speaking.

“You know…I was actually starting to…” You let out a breath and laughed, rolling your eyes. “But it wasn’t real. It was all a lie. So forget it.”

You opened your door and hovered for a moment, looking back at Rudy once before climbing in.

“Please don’t leave.” He begged, his voice cracking.

You nodded, your eyes staring into the distance, before you pursed your mouth and swallowed.

“We all do eventually, don’t we?”

His words sat in your mouth with a bitter taste, landing heavily in his ears, and with that, you closed your door and put the keys in the engine, reversing away from Rudy down your driveway and leaving him in your rearview mirror.

____________________________________________

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[wishonastar7]

Timely Fate4

Starting the Paid Service(3)

There were different reactions once the dokkaebi disappeared. Some tried to get off the train, then there were the ones who frantically tried to call the police. Yoo Sangah belonged to the latter group.

"T-the police aren't picking up! What should I do...what do I do..."

"Yoo Sangah-ssi," I said, putting Gilyoung down and taking my headphones back but keeping his line of sight away from all the gore surrounding us. "Calm down." She gave me a pitiful look, tears welling up in her eyes as she stuttered.

"Yoo Sangah-ssi," Dokja said, hands on her shoulder. "Remember the game that the development team made? Have you ever played it? A game where the entire world was destroyed and, in the end, only a few people survives."

"H-huh? W-what are you say..."

"Think about it in this way, we are in a game right now."

Yoo Sangah silently licked her lips, her trembling calming down. "Game..."

"Yes, a game. It's a game, so don't hesitate to do the things that Ha-Neul and I tell you to do, ok?"

"O-ok. What should I do, now?"

"Just stay still." He straightened his back, a sigh of relief escaping his lips before he closed his eyes and opened them back up. He looked around.

[Three Ways to Survive in a Ruined World]

The descriptions that had once existed only in a novel now unfurled themselves before his eyes.

[The dokkaebi stretched out its antenna.]

[The bodies scattered like trash in the carriage.]

[The bloodied office worker trembled.]

[An old lady groaning in her seat.]

It was like Neo in the Matrix. Observing, questioning, and then eventually accepting it. It felt odd to be able to accept such a crazy thing like this as reality, but it was our reality now.

"Come on everybody! We should all calm down. Let's all start breathing calmly." Someone stepped forward exactly five minutes after the dokkaebi had disappeared. "Are you calm yet? Everyone, please stop what you're doing and pay attention to me."

The ones that had been crying as well as those who had been frantically making calls, stopped. Once everyone's attention was gathered to him, he spoke once more. "As you know, in the event of a national disaster, small disturbances can cause large human casualties. That is why I will now take control of the current situation."

"Wait, who are you?"

"A national disaster situation? What are you saying?"

Some people belatedly recovered and strongly resisted the word 'control'. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"I am currently an Army lieutenant serving in the 6502 unit. I just received a message from my unit." People gathered around his phone to read the message.

I on the other hand stayed behind with the others. It was a national disaster situation, people were bound to be afraid. The things that happened next would only let their fear grow stronger,

Army Lieutenant Lee Hyunsung.

He was one of the main supporting 'characters' for 'Ways of Survival'.

[Steel Sword Lee Hyunsung]

"Soldier-nim! What is happening?"

"I have been trying to contact my unit, but.."

"Blue house! What is the Blue House doing? Please contact the president quickly!"

"I apologize. I'm just an ordinary soldier so I don't have a hotline for the Blue House."

"Then why are you taking control?"

"For the safety of the citizens."

It was at this moment that I realized the description the novel had given the man wasn't incorrect. Rather, it was extremely accurate. He was upright and attentive. He cared for his country and the people in it. He was a good man.

"The Prime Minister is making a speech! It is a level one disaster!" Everyone turned on their smartphones at the person's cry.

To my fellow citizens, unidentified terrorists are currently in an unspecified number of areas, including Seoul.

'These terrorists will have all of Seoul playing in their palms just for entertainment.' I thought, the idea suddenly startling me. I wasn't listening to the speech, rather I was looking through my bookbag.

"Ah-ha!" I muttered out, pulling Lee Gilyoung closer to me. "Here," I handed him a blue fanny pack and then took out two boxes of matches and put them inside the fanny pack. I took out a few lighters and placed them in, a small pocket knife, a spare taser, and batteries.

"I always carry extras with me. These are for you. Keep the taser at hand at all times. The knife will only be for desperate situations. Press this button to activate it. No, don't press it now! Later." I gave a small sigh as I ruffled his head. "Use these to protect yourself when I can't. The fanny pack is waterproof and so Is everything else but I put everything in a Ziploc bag in case of water somehow getting in. Make sure that the matches never get wet. I wrapped them in a layer of plastic wrap before putting them in the small Ziploc but it doesn't hurt to be careful."

I helped him strap it over a shoulder and under the other one before zipping my bag back up and picking him back up. He gave me a look before snuggling up to my neck. I looked over at Kim Dokja and Yoo Sangah to see they were looking at me with contemplative looks.

"Y-you carry that around with you...all the time?" Yoo Sangah finally got out.

I looked at them before responding. "And more." They shivered as I purposely deepened my voice. I picked up the cricket Gilyoung had dropped and put it in the box and into my bag with the others.

"But where is the President? Why is the Prime Minister making the speech?" The commotion continued. I took a chocolate granola bar and a juice box out of my pockets and handed them to Gilyoung. I loved spoiling him.

"The president has already been hit." Someone responded.

"What! Really?"

"I'm not sure. A Naver comment-"

"Naver! Then it's false!"

Of course, it wasn't.

"Uwaaaack! What?" People dropped their phones as gunshots were heard. It came from their smartphones. Chiiiiick, there was a loud sound and blood filled the screen. Everyone held their breaths as they realized what had just happened.

"P-Prime Minister." His blood filled the screen. The Prime Minister had died in real-time. His head had exploded. The next thing that appeared on the screen was a dokkaebi.

[Everyone, I already told you. This isn't a game like 'terrorism'.]

[Do you still not understand? This won't do. This isn't a game.]

It sounded so ominous though his tone was relaxed.

[According to the data, the people of this country are good at games. So why don't I try raising the difficulty?]

Beep. A huge timer appeared in the air. At the same time, it started decreasing.

[The remaining time has been decreased by ten minutes.]

[Ten minutes are remaining.]

[If the first killing doesn't occur within the next five minutes, all lives in that compartment will be wiped out.]

The words of the dokkaebi drastically changed the situation to a point that Lee Hyunsung couldn't fix it.

"T-There is a murder back there!" Someone shouted, directing everyone's attention to the bloody scene taking place in carriage 3907. The murderer's complexion was white.

[All types of access to the compartment will be restricted until the scenario is complete.]

"W-what?"

Once again. The voice of the dokkaebi rang out through we couldn't see where he was. [Haha, some places are quite fun while others have yet to start. Alright, I'll give you some special service. Let me show you what will happen if the first killing fails to occur in the next five minutes.]

A giant screen appeared out of nowhere.

A boy bit his fingernails as he muttered. "Is that the school uniform of Daepong?"

Beep, beep, beep- an ominous beeping sound was heard.

Then the high school girls began to scream.

[The given time has run out.]

[Paid settlement will now begin.]

Once the announcement ended, the head of the girls sitting in the front row exploded. One by one, again and again, the heads of the girls exploded until one girl managed to strangle the girl next to her until she slowly ran out of breath and collapsed.

In the end, she was the only one remaining.

[#Bay23515 channel. Daepong Girls' High School, Year two Class B Survivor: Lee Jihye]

The figure of the girl on the screen disappeared. Then the dokkaebi asked, how is it? Interesting?]

The dokkaebi spoke with a smile. Everyone started looking at each other nervously, others turned vicious. Slowly people started spreading out, getting farther and farther away from the others. The only ones who remained in the same area were Lee Hyunsung, Kim Dokja, Yoo Sangah, Lee Gilyoung and me.

I could see Dokja panicking. A flicker of realization passed through his eyes and I felt like smacking myself. He had gotten a PDF from the author but didn't realize that it was the entire novel. And he was still waiting for him to appear.

Yoo Jonghyuk.

My best friend for over ten years.

And the protagonist of 'Three Ways to Survive in A Ruined World.'

(1540)

[howtodisassembleyourdeviant]

[ Comfort ] "For one muse (reader) to stay the night with the other (Connor) after a hard day." But... It's BEFORE they're a couple. You know, for romantic tension 👀

I hope you enjoy this one!

You knew you should have just stayed in bed today.

Nothing had gone right, between stubbing your toe this morning, wearing your coffee, accidentally breaking your datapad, and your computer crashing, deleting the paperwork you had been working on for over an hour, you should have known that it was going to get worse.

"Shit! Grab him!" You hear a voice yell as you walk out of your office. Turning towards the sound, a handcuffed man came barreling towards you, shoving you to the ground. Without thinking, you grabbed his leg, making him fall. Trying to get out of your grasp, he kicked at you, a particularly hard blow to your shoulder making you shout.

Connor, having just come back from lunch with Hank, noticed the commotion. Moving to get a better look, he heard you cry out. His mind went blank, replaced with a blinding rage. The android grabbed the man, easily picking him up from the ground and slamming him into the nearest wall. How dare this filth hurt his... Hurt Y/n?

"I would highly advise you to go to your cell quietly, " the RK800 spoke in a terrifyingly calm voice, "or I will have to use force, and you wouldn't want that, would you?"

The man, clearly scared, only nodded. Officer Miller came up beside Connor, taking hold of the suspect, but he didn't let go immediately. It wasn't until he heard your whimper in the distance that he backed off. In the commotion, you snuck back into your office and closed the door. Connor knocked, but you didn't answer. Worried you might be hurt, he slowly opened the door. You weren't sitting at your desk. He glanced around, until he heard your sniffling, the sound causing a pain to bloom in his chest. Moving to the other side of your desk, he crouches down, finding you curled up, rubbing your shoulder. For a brief second, he could see the large tears rolling down your cheeks before you turned away.

"I'm fine, it just hurt. Thanks for the help. You can go now, " you didn't want him to see you like this, so gross and pathetic. That would just be the topping on your shitshow of a day, to have your crush disgusted by you.

Connor didn't see it that way. He sees that you are hurt, and it's causing him great distress. He doesn't want you to simply dismiss him. You are his... friend. He wants to help, so why won't you let him?

"I'm not going anywhere until I'm sure you're alright, " he spoke quietly. You turned at that, and something about the sincerity in his eyes and the gentleness of his voice cracked your resolve. You propel yourself into him, his arms instantly wrapping around you, pulling you close as you sobbed against his jacket.

Connor wishes you could remain here, in his arms, forever. Here, where he would do everything in his power to keep you safe and happy. He will settle with being your choice of comfort, stroking your back, trying to be soothing. It must be working as you were starting to calm down.

You pulled back, feeling embarrassed, rubbing at your cheeks.

"Sorry. It's just been a terrible day. I'm gonna go wash my face, " you quickly stood, just wanting to escape the situation, but Connor had other plans. He was much faster than you, standing and rounding the desk so he would block your exit.

"Wait. I would like to check your shoulder, " he stated. Your stress was still too high for his liking and he can't leave you like this.

If your cheeks weren't already flushed, you were certain you'd be a tomato now. The shirt you were wearing had a narrow neckline, and you didn't have a shirt underneath.

"It's fine, really, " you tried to reassure by moving your arm, but it did hurt like a bitch and Connor noticed immediately.

"Please, stop lying to me. I just want to help. We are friends, aren't we?" He knew how to make you cave, giving you the 'puppy-dog eyes'.

While the word "friends" bothered you, reminded you that was all he saw you as, you couldn't say "no" to that face. Hesitantly, you worked your arm out of the sleeve and pulled the shirt up.

Connor was sure he started malfunctioning. He was frozen to the spot, watching with rapt attention as it was brought over your body, inch by inch. The only thing that snapped him out of it was the red and purple splotches on your shoulder. He could see the individual marks left by the tread of the man's boot. The bones weren't broken, but it was swollen and likely to be very painful. The sight of it made his anger flare again, both towards the man who caused you harm and to himself, for being unable to protect you. Connor carefully scanned the wound, adding assaulting an officer onto the man's file.

"We should put ice on this, to decrease the swelling, " he speaks. You slip your arm back into the sleeve with a wince and quickly pull your shirt down.

"It's fine. I just want to get through the rest of this day, " you don't want to be fighting with an ice pack while trying to do your job. Giving a wary smile, you move around him and make your way to the restroom.

Connor hates to see you like this, pretending nothing is wrong. Even more so when you neglect your health. He knows better than to try and force you to use an ice pack, you'll just take it off the moment he leaves you alone. He makes his way to Hank's desk.

"Lieutenant, can I ask you a personal question?" Hank looks from his computer screen to Connor.

"Shoot."

"It's about Y/n, " Connor started but paused when the older man leaned back in his chair with a smirk. Of course, he knew how Connor felt. He knew before the android did, and Hank found it to be the perfect way to screw with his boy. Connor sighed. Helping you was more important than the minor embarrassment he will have to endure. "Her stress level is very high today, yet she's trying to play off that everything is fine, even ignoring her injury. I just want to help, but I don't know how." Hank contemplated his words for a moment.

"That is a tough one. She's been puttin' in a lot of hours lately. Maybe try takin' 'er mind off things. You two like watchin' those old movies, why not have a movie night?"

That sounded like a good idea. It had been a while since they had done so, and you do love showing him movies you think he'd like.

"I think that could work, " Connor agrees.

"If not, I'm sure you can come up with some other way of takin' 'er mind off things, " Hank insinuated, confusing the android before it clicked, cheeks flushing a light blue.

"I'll be back in seven minutes, " Connor deadpanned, getting up from Hank's desk and heading to the front door.

You made it back to your desk, cheeks still a little flushed, despite splashing your face with cold water. Your shoulder was throbbing at this point, radiating throughout your entire arm. There should be some ibuprofen in your drawer, but, of course, the bottle was empty. You were so done with this day. As soon as you finished re-filling out your reports, you were going home. If they need you, they can call.

Just as you started back on your last report, a knock came from your door.

"Come in."

Connor opened the door, holding a grocery bag. He sets it on your desk and begins pulling them out one by one. The first one was a medicated adhesive pad, followed by a bottle of pain-relievers. He then pulled out your favorite drink and chocolate. The thoughtfulness of it was enough to make you start tearing up again.

"I care too much about you to allow you to continue to neglect your wellbeing, " he opens the bottle of ibuprofen for you, handing you the pills and watching you take it before handing you your drink. Afterward, he grabs the medicated pads and takes one out, "would you mind showing me your shoulder again?" Once again, you blushed.

"That's okay, I can do it, " you said a little too loudly. Seeing you without a shirt on once today is embarrassing enough.

Connor was a little disappointed, but he supposes he was being a little self-indulgent, even if he really did only want to help you. He laid the pad down and smiled.

"I also wanted to ask if you would like to come to my apartment for a movie night, " you looked hesitant, "we can order whatever you want, and I stocked up on snacks for such an occasion, " he added quickly. He's never felt so desperate for anything, refusing to fail his mission to keep you happy.

"Um, okay... Sure! That actually sounds like fun, " the more you thought about it, the better it sounded than lying in bed by yourself until you eventually cry yourself to sleep.

The RK800 was delighted, "Y-yes, great! I'll be back in half an hour, " he stuttered, suddenly a little anxious. It had been so long since you had come over, he had forgotten how nervous he gets when you do. He left, a goofy smile on his face as he counted down the seconds until he can be with you once more.

...............

Connor has only had his own apartment for a few months, wanting a sense of independence. In spite of this, he still spends most of his time at Hank's, even staying over on his couch from time to time. As much as he values his freedom, he doesn't care much to be alone.

Right now, he wouldn't want to be anywhere else, watching you laugh at the movie playing. Connor doesn't even know what the plot of the movie was, content watching you. Your stress level had been dropping since he guided you out of the department.

Something he noticed, however, is how... Clingy you were tonight. You liked to be close, sitting shoulder to shoulder, sometimes even laying your head on his shoulder. It was something he secretly enjoyed. Tonight, you kept him close, sitting next to him as you ate, holding his arm against your chest while selecting a movie, and partway through, you guided him to lay down, lying down right in front of him and pulling his arm over you.

"Is this okay?" You ask softly.

"Y-yes, " he manages to choke out. As much as he was enjoying the closeness, he was so anxious, certain you could feel his thirium pump vibrating in his chest. This was so intimate. It made his mind wander. Would it always be like this if he was dating you? He hopes so. The buzzing of his nerves was worth the warmth of your body.

Normally, you would be far too apprehensive and embarrassed to make such bold moves, but you were tired. Perhaps you were being selfish, but you just wanted to be held and comforted. You wouldn't do this with anyone else.

You were starting to doze off. Connor checked the time, and he wasn't comfortable sending you home so late.

"Hey, why don't you stay the night?" He speaks softly against you.

"Hmm?" You yawn, stretching until you were reminded of the pain in your shoulder, "Okay." You didn't make any moves to get up, instead, snuggling closer to him. As much as he'd rather stay like this, you would wake up sore if you slept here.

"Come on, you can take my bed, " he sits up, helping you off the couch.

"What? No. I can't take your bed, " you said, but Connor was already pulling you to his room.

"I don't require sleep, " he countered, but you pouted. It was absolutely adorable.

"But it's yours."

"Yes, and I'm choosing to let you use it, " he smiled down at you. You were quiet for a moment.

"Why don't we share?" Your voice was small as you avoided his gaze. While you laid together on the couch, you might be pushing your luck. It just felt so nice to be cared for, to be loved, even if it wasn't the kind of love you felt towards him.

His eyes were wide, looking down at you. Was... Was this a test? Could he say yes? Would it be too self-indulgent? You looked nervous, but it didn't seem like you were joking.

"If... If you don't mind, " he finally answered. You nodded, smiling.

"Do you have a pair of sweats or something I can borrow? These jeans are a little tight, " you asked, fingers pulling at your waistband. Connor's eyes were drawn to it, turning around to his dresser as a heat built in his cheeks. While he knows his clothes would be large on you, he pulls out a black pair of sweatpants with a drawstring and one of his sweaters. You took them and headed for the bathroom.

You came out a few moments later, and Connor couldn't help but stare. His clothes looked so much better on you. The collar of the sweater dipped down, and it was suddenly his favorite.

You weren't faring any better. He had changed into pajama pants and a tank top. It just wasn't fair. Your best friend was eye-candy and you will never know how sweet he tastes.

After a moment, you tore your eyes away, feeling bashful. Your fingers barely poked through the sleeves as you played with your hair. You really know how to distract him. He gestured to the bed, letting you pick a side before joining you. At first, he thought you were going to lay side by side, but instead, you rolled onto your good shoulder, draping your arm over his shoulders. He took a risk, rolling onto his side and holding you closer. You didn't seem to mind, snuggling closer.

"Hey, Connor, " you murmured, "thank you for today."

"Of course, " you were already falling asleep, softly snoozing against his chest.

"I'd do anything for you."

[iantojonesthebetta]

Fish Update

I just feel like giving a little update on the fish and the aquariums while I have the energy to do it:

Nimbus - Still doing good! Rests more but he’s an older fish and that’s to be expected. Still flares at me at least once a day, regardless.

Vegas - Still doing good! He’s not as interactive as the other bettas but his gorgeousness makes up for that, haha. His colours are still holding true.

Jo - The internal tumours are starting to take their toll on her. She’s quite irregular in shape, rests more, and is starting to have trouble swimming. I reduced the water level to let her get to the surface with less effort. She’s still eating well and is interactive, so will make the call when I really see her quality of life decrease.

Pandora, Orion, Comet - Still doing good! They’ll be celebrating their 2nd birthday August 9th.

The Betta albimarginata parent group - Doing good! Curiously, I see a female holding some eggs right now, haha! The plan is to move them into the 23G with the males I kept from the spawns. Just waiting a few weeks since the males are small and I don’t want them to get bullied/out-competed by the larger adults.

The Betta albimarginata spawns - Unfortunately, I lost a handful of them to jumping incidents. Even though I had netting over the tub, they jumped through. I captured everyone to see if I could spot an issue and discovered one very large female that was likely harassing them to the point of jumping. I separated her out and haven’t had any issues since. This is a reminder for future!me to be more vigilant and separate out larger fish earlier. I’m still experiencing and learning. Still, I managed to save one of the jumpers that I thought was gone by putting her in tank water with an extra dose of Prime and a pinch of aquarium salt. I had lost hope after 10-15 minutes of no movement but then she started to move. I gently dabbed her with a q-tip to get cat fur and dirt off her once she started swimming around. It was touch and go for a couple days but she’s fully recovered! She just needs to regrow some fins. I’ve started selling them and at least 6 of them will be gone by the first week of August. I think I’ll have them all gone in August but it’s proving to be a bit trickier because I’m not selling dedicated pairs. I love breeding them but hate the rehoming/selling process.

The corydoras and Amano shrimp  Still doing good! I love the corydoras and can’t wait for the day I have an even larger tank so I can have more of them. They’re 3 years old now! 

The tanks - Once I move the albi parent group (and when Jo eventually passes), I plan to up my design game. I want to break down both tanks and redo them as paludariums (half-land, half-water setups). I’m looking forward to it but gathering all the items I need is proving to be trickier since I’m still not comfortable going to stores. Been doing a lot more online shopping, which is always hit or miss, especially with anything like live plants, rocks, and driftwood.

So, yep! There you go, if anyone’s been curious about what’s been going on.

[atinytokki]

𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐙𝐞𝐫𝐨

Chapter 12: The Sunken Island

“It’s not the ATEEZ.” Yeosang lowered Hongjoong’s spyglass, shifting his injured limb off the side of the boat.

“It’s the Navy.”

Wooyoung’s heart sank. There was almost no chance that they would get out of this one. He collapsed back into his seat, flailing his arms in frustration, and was suddenly grabbed by Yeosang. “Stop waving your arms around! Do you want them to see us?” He hissed through gritted teeth.

“Haven’t they already?” Wooyoung argued back. Yeosang handed the glass over. “Look, we’re in their blind spot. The sun’s only just risen so visibility is low, and we’re a much smaller vessel so it’ll take them longer to spot us.”

Wide-eyed, Wooyoung turned from the enemy ship to his fellow officer. “But, Yeosang, we have nowhere to run! They’ll see us for sure if we get out the oars to row back where we came!” Yeosang snapped his fingers suddenly, face lighting up.

“Hang on! They don’t know who we are! We’re the two most recent officers to join the ATEEZ and neither of us— as far as I know— have had any major run-ins with the Royal Navy! Am I correct?” Wooyoung was already shaking his head. He could see where this was going.

“Yeosang, it’ll never work. This is the Eastern Sea, we haven’t the faintest idea how things work out here! Even if we pretend we’re some random fishermen and they somehow buy it, what if we’re trespassing in Navy waters? No one gets exemption from that, even if they aren’t pirates!”

Yeosang was already searching the boat frantically for anything to help their ruse work. “We don’t have a choice, Wooyoung. You’re going to have to go with me on this. Just stay in their blind spot and buy time, and if it comes to it let me do the talking. Got it?”

Wooyoung’s face screamed protest and he knew this was going to be a crazy level of risky but he swallowed his fear and simply nodded to his superior. “We don’t have any fishing equipment,” Yeosang reported. “What are we going to say then? All we have is your average nondescript longboat,” Wooyoung kept his eyes trained on the frigate they were slowly drawing closer to. Yeosang set his jaw.

“I have a card I can play if I have to.”

...

The sun seemed to be taking its time, sauntering up out of the sea and into the sky. The pain flooded in before his eyes had a chance to open.

“Seonghwa?”

It was Jongho’s voice, tentative and distant in the swirling blackness. He must have made a noise, because now Jongho was speaking to someone else. “I think Seonghwa is waking up, go get San and the Captain!”

Rustling and movement to his left startled him into cracking open an eye. The sliver of early morning light seeped in, and gently Seonghwa allowed his lids to open.

“How are you feeling, Seonghwa?” Hongjoong asked, brushing a sandy strand of hair out of his own eyelashes and leaning into view of the injured Seonghwa. The patient wondered distantly about the state of his own hair.

“Hurts,” he finally bit out. “Sharp pain or dull?” On his other side appeared San’s green head. Seonghwa started and then sunk further into his bed sheets.

An image came into his mind of San pointing a gun directly at him. He swallowed and croaked out, “Dull.” Hongjoong and San made eye contact over him before both looking back down.

“Do you remember what happened?” It was Hongjoong again. “Uh...” His voice came out almost like a sigh, mind racing back to the last thing he remembered. The maze, the hallucinations, San pointing the gun at him... there it was again. Why did he keep seeing that?

“Someone shot me,” he realised the pain in his abdomen was indeed from a gun. San took a step back, and Seonghwa could swear he saw a drop of sweat on his forehead that had not been there before. Again Hongjoong looked over at him, this time with his “calm down” glance.

Seonghwa observed their silent conversation as closely as he could, but his eyelids were being tugged down. “The bullet passed right through, and San says you’ll recover.” Hongjoong. Seonghwa’s eyes blinked back open. San was nodding at him in confirmation. “But who...” the invisible force was pushing his eyes closed again and a yawn escaped his mouth. “Who shot... shot me?”

Hongjoong smiled through the shrinking crack of Seonghwa’s eyelids and whispered, “It’s alright, get some rest. We’ll explain later.”

Seonghwa was out like a light. San sighed in relief, hesitant to do what Hongjoong had just said and explain exactly what happened to Seonghwa. “He’ll figure it out himself soon enough if you don’t, you know,” Hongjoong said like he was reading his thoughts again and made his way to the door, Jongho in tow.

San slumped in his chair. “Come get me if he wakes again.”

...

“Approach her port-side,” Yeosang quietly instructed. The Navy ship had certainly spotted them, judging by the decreasing distance between the two, but had remained neutral thus far. “We need to veer two points to port to stay on course for Sunken Island anyway.” 

Wooyoung silently obeyed, keeping a shrewd watch on the approaching deck of the Navy ship. Sure enough, the captain had been summoned and stood at the railing, yelling down a courteous but brusque, “Commercial vessels aren’t allowed in this area. What are you doing here?”

Yeosang held up the rolls of maps as their boat pulled alongside the frigate. “We’re astronomers. Plotting sky charts.”

“Who is your employer?”

Yeosang didn’t miss a beat. “You are. Or at least, the Navy. Head Navigator Kang.” Wooyoung kept his confusion off his face.

“And why, if you don’t mind, are you half a day’s journey away from the nearest harbour in a longboat? Shouldn’t you be on Navigator Kang’s ship?”

Again Yeosang waited just the right amount of time before answering. “Navigator Kang is on the mainland. This is just a small research exploration, it didn’t require his ship.”

Narrowed eyes lingered for a moment more. “Very well, move along. You know where we are now if you need anything. And may I remind you, it would be proper for you to fly your colours.”

Wooyoung didn’t release his breath until they had moved well out of the captain’s earshot. “Head Navigator Kang? Who is that? How on earth did they believe we were working for the Navy?”

“That’s my father. He works for the Navy.”

Wooyoung’s eyes widened. “Your father is the Head Navigator? Yeosang! What are you doing on a pirate ship? You could’ve had a whole career in the Navy!” Suddenly the gunner was brimming with barely contained jealousy.

“I know,” Yeosang sighed, repositioning himself to have his foot elevated again. “I almost did. But I don’t think I ever could’ve been truly happy in the Navy. It’s not the life for me.”

“You had a chance like that...” Wooyoung spoke slowly, the temperature of his face going up as his emotions bubbled to the surface. “And you didn’t take it?”

Yeosang was stunned into silence. Wooyoung’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he continued, “Do you know how many people would do anything for a shot to get in the Navy? Especially in a high rank? And set for life!”

“You’re one, aren’t you?” Yeosang finally said, cool under fire as always. Wooyoung was too ashamed to admit it, still steaming from his seat at the tiller. “I didn’t forget what you said about your brother when we were all drunk that time. You wanted to be like him, you were expected to be like him. I’m sorry to crush your dreams, but Wooyoung, you don’t know what the Navy is really like. I gave up that path for a reason.”

“Why? Humour me,” Wooyoung was losing some of his firepower at this reveal of Yeosang’s backstory. Perhaps he had judged sooner than he should have.

Yeosang cracked a half smile. He had been waiting for the right moment, and it had sauntered over to him like a piece of driftwood. “I was never in the Navy, but my father is and so of course the plan was always for me to be. I had an apprenticeship that made me change my mind.”

“Who were you apprenticed to?”

“Bang Si-Hyuk.”

Wooyoung gasped. “Privateer Bang Si-Hyuk? The same one I worked for? I never saw you!” He was baffled why Yeosang hadn’t shared this when he knew all along that his cabinmate was a powder monkey for the same Si-Hyuk.

“That’s because I was in navigation and you were on the gun deck. And let’s face it, he never allowed any of us younger ones to go where we pleased. ‘No wandering the ship, now, you rats!’ You never really interacted with him, did you?”

Wooyoung shook his head, intrigued. “That’s good for you. You wouldn’t want to.” Yeosang’s face gave away his feelings easily.

“Was he really that awful?” Wooyoung was beginning to feel sick to his stomach as memories from the last ten years resurfaced.

“The man is impossible. Sure, it got on my nerves that I could never do anything to his satisfaction, but the way he treated his crew, ran his ship. That’s what made me realise if I can’t stand this, how much worse will the Navy be? Si-Hyuk is a Navy man, he was trained to behave like that. I don’t think I could allow myself to be under those same people who trained him into a monster.” Wooyoung was piecing things together. “So you joined the ATEEZ?”

“Eventually,” Yeosang punctuated it with a shrug. “It definitely took some adjustment but when we had a battle with the Royal Navy, I was proven correct. They’re ruthless and incredibly power-hungry. They mauled our powder monkeys like they were animals instead of children. It’s disgusting. But that’s why we have you.”

Wooyoung still didn’t quite swallow it, this claim that the Navy he had been striving for was mortal enemies, and with good reason, with the crew he was now a part of. Yeosang detected the struggle behind his eyes.

“Let me tell you that to be part of the ATEEZ and yet agree with what that Navy stands for is a complete contradiction. You simply cannot do it.”

Wooyoung took in a shaky breath and watched the grey horizon. “But I didn’t ask to be here,” he pointed out, quietly at first. A little scared to be so vulnerable about the doubts that had been plaguing him since that day he joined their ranks.

The tension between them was thick, both boys thinking back to Wooyoung’s moment of weakness in the doldrums. Yeosang had silently convinced him to stay then, and he was trying again now. But Wooyoung still had a choice to make. “So why should I be risking my life for someone I don’t even know looking for a treasure that probably doesn’t even exist?”

“Wooyoung, if that’s what you believe we’re doing... just stick around and you’ll see. This isn’t a crew, it’s a family. We’re all lost and rejected together.”

Wooyoung’s eyes were damp now but he kept them still, focused on the patch of light that was growing into the sun. Yeosang was smiling at him again. “I know you don’t want to admit that you’ve been rejected, but it’s alright. We want you. Who knows where I’d be if you hadn’t showed up last night.”

Finally, Wooyoung turned his head and smiled back, blinking back the moisture in his eyes before announcing, “Who knew you were such a sap.” Yeosang punched him in the shoulder, a little harder than he was expecting. “Hey! I never talk like this with anyone, you should consider yourself lucky. You’re the sap for crying.”

“I’m not crying!”

“Those are tears in your eyes!”

“It’s just the sea salt, look— there! I’ve blinked it away.”

Yeosang backed off before it became a full fledged fist fight. The captain of the Navy ship was no doubt still spying on them from behind as they floated northeast.

“Well, what do you have to say then?” He crossed his arms and gave the younger boy a prodding look.

Wooyoung rolled his eyes but stilled for a moment to consider. “I’m not used to everyone yet, and there’s a lot I haven’t seen. But I’ll follow you, Yeosang. You can count on that.”

...

Hongjoong had been getting a few peaceful moments of sleep at his desk, feet propped up on the table and head tilted back, when Jongho suddenly burst into his quarters, breathless.

The noise jolted the Captain out of his sleep and out of his chair, blinking rapidly. “What is it, is Seonghwa—?”

“No, no,” Jongho panted before approaching and resting both hands on the desk. “We’re here. I can feel it.”

Hongjoong took a seat again, skeptical. “Yunho didn’t call ‘land ho’ and no one’s seen anything... are you sure?”

Jongho nodded fervently. “We’re headed for Sunken Island, right? So it won’t be above water! And Maddox said there were sirens, hyung I can feel them here. Trust me!” His eyes pleaded with Hongjoong and his hands gripped the smooth surface of the desk beneath him.

“Well, let’s do a depth sounding,” Hongjoong shook his head, trying to hide his smile. “Go get Yunho.” Jongho was gone before the words were out of his mouth.

“But it’s so time-consuming!” Yunho whined when the sails had been furled and the officers were assembled with the equipment at the starboard side.

“That’s a good thing,” Hongjoong reminded him. “It gives Yeosang and Wooyoung a chance to catch up. I don’t want to go any further without them.” Yunho sighed and began unravelling the knotted rope.

It wasn’t until he called out “by the deep 1000” that the plummet made a hit. “Ah! Sooner than I expected.” Suspicious, Yunho thought to himself.

The lead returned with a strange shiny substance covering it. It was white as pearl and not quite solid or liquid, and Yunho was baffled by it. Jongho reached his hand out to feel it.

“This is it,” he whispered, almost reverent. All five of them leaned over the bulwarks to try to get a closer look through the unnaturally glassy surface.

A faint voice drifted toward them from the other side of the ship. “Ahoy there!” The five officers came back up again, turning to each other in confusion. “Anyone else hear that?” Mingi asked. “Down here!” There it was again.

The men crossed the ship to the port side and peered over the bulwark to discover what was in fact a longboat approaching.

“Wooyoung and Yeosang! It’s them!” Yunho broke into a massive smile and waved his arms. Mingi was jumping up and down.

“Your timing is impeccable as always, Yeosang,” Hongjoong quipped before ordering for the boat to be pulleyed up. The two bedraggled floaters were met with hugs and claps on the back once they emerged from their stolen boat.

“We had to do a double take,” Wooyoung admitted, dodging Mingi’s attempt to ruffle his hair. “Last time we thought we found the ATEEZ, it was the Navy.”

San gasped and gripped his arm. “How did you get away?” He asked, wide-eyed. “We’ll explain later,” Yeosang reassured him, meeting eyes with Wooyoung in a prompt warning. “Where’s the Sunken Island, then? We’re at the coordinates.”

Everyone sobered at the change of topic. “We’re sitting right on top of it,” Yunho explained. “I just did a depth sounding and it’s under the water.”

“About that!” Wooyoung caught Hongjoong’s eye. “We met Maddox and he wanted us to tell you; the Sunken City can only be entered by one man.”

Thoughts raced through the Captain’s head. Maddox’s warning called him back to the single man who had escaped but lost his voice. It was going to be dangerous for anyone to go and face the sirens on their own ground.

Jongho took a deep breath and straightened, turning to the Captain. “Sir,” he began. Hongjoong couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at this professionalism. “I’d like to volunteer.”

“I’m hardly surprised,” Hongjoong smirked in response. “But how are you going to get down there?” Jongho brushed it off. “I learned a few tricks in Mermaid Cove, there’s nothing to worry about.” Hongjoong didn’t look convinced.

“I promise!” Jongho tugged on his arm imploringly.

“Alright,” Hongjoong finally agreed, quiet and reluctant but decisive. Jongho wasted no time in running off to the bow to prepare himself, leaving the others on deck. Wooyoung noted the absence among them. “Is Seonghwa...?”

“Resting,” San was quick to reassure him before casting his eyes on the floorboards, afraid Wooyoung would bring up the incident in the maze. Wooyoung didn’t respond but gave him a quick pat on the back to say he could trust him.

“I want to know everything that happened while you were gone,” Hongjoong dismissed everyone else back to their duties and focused his attention on the two escapees.

Yeosang nodded. “It’s a bit of a story...”

...

Jongho secured a rope to the damaged bowsprit and cleared his throat to get Hongjoong’s attention. The Captain excused himself from his conversation with Yeosang and Wooyoung and, after a slight moment of hesitation, pulled their youngest into a hug.

“Oh come on, not in front of the crew!” Jongho was squirming to get out. “No one’s looking,” Hongjoong laughed before letting him escape. “Now listen, you’re going to have to keep your wits about you down there—”

“I can breathe underwater.”

“...What?” Hongjoong was shocked by this sudden revelation. Jongho sighed before launching into an explanation.

“The mermaids that raised me taught me how. Just like they taught me to sing. I’ll be fine, hyung, really.” Hongjoong could still see a spark of uncertainty in Jongho’s dark eyes. “What is it, Jongho?” He questioned, tilting his head and examining him.

“It’s my curse,” Jongho finally admitted, staring holes into his feet. “When I was in the maze, I had a hallucination of mermaid song. That’s what triggered my nightmare.” Hongjoong nodded and looked overboard again at the water below, concealing the Sunken City.

“You’re afraid their song will cause another dream.” Jongho didn’t answer, but met eyes with his Captain. “Jongho, I want you to be careful. Get the glass and get out. Taking on an enemy ship is one thing, messing around with supernatural creatures is another.”

With a nod, Jongho disappeared over the forecastle deck, lowering himself into the sea with his rope, and then taking a deep breath and diving under.

Soon the source of silvery substance came into view. It looked like a city of lustrous white, pools of pearly water scattered throughout and a town that spiralled up to a shimmering palace.

As he descended on it, the massive size of the Sunken City became evident. It wasn’t your average lost city but a place that was regularly teeming with life. It looked like an abandoned paradise to the eye’s first scan, but Jongho recognised the shadow of his own frigate overhead and knew its residents were most likely hiding from it. He became lightheaded as his feet touched down on the sea floor outside the impressive front gate.

Clearing his mind, Jongho let his body remember how to breathe and exhaled gently, bubbles floating up and away. As he fell into a rhythm, music wafted toward him. He opened the gate and began to walk to the city.

Notes descending in crystal harmony wove together a breathtaking song. Jongho found himself captivated, until out of the lilting melodies the words of the song were revealed.

“Another precious sailor boy, discovering for himself the stuff of legend.” He stopped in his tracks. “Legend? Hold on, can’t you recognise one of your own?” His mouth immediately snapped shut. He had already given himself away by not falling into the seduction trap.

A voice drifted to him. “You may be raised by our kind, but you are certainly human-born.” Jongho bit back a response and peered into the homes he passed by while he had a chance, wondering where a magic magnifying glass might be. He was so focused on his task he almost bumped into a mermaid in the middle of the road.

She floated there silently, watching him. Jongho pulled away in horror. This siren looked nothing like the mermaids from his childhood. She broke into a sweet smile that revealed fangs. “We’re Cursed too, young one. Only our misfortune extends much further into history than yours,” her eyes flashed at him.

Gills fluttering in the current calmed as Jongho sputtered. “I didn’t say anything about a curse-!” 

“You didn’t need to. I sense that you’re missing something. In fact your heart is set on finding it.” She somehow knew about his memories, and he was itching to ask if she could tell him more.

“Listen, that doesn’t matter." Jongho knew his answer was weak, but the creature before him kept smiling. “Why are you here, child?” There was a hard edge to her voice. Jongho got the feeling she was a gatekeeper of some kind.

“I wanted to find more of you. My sisters in the mermaid cove told me of the Sunken Island. They always wished they hadn’t lost contact with you... they want to be reunited,” Jongho’s voice was remarkably steady this time, especially for thinking on his feet.

The siren’s smile was unwavering, but her piercing eyes narrowed. “So they sent you? An interesting choice. Come along, let’s see what the Queen has to say.”

Having no say in the matter, Jongho followed behind her and all around him sirens emerged from their houses to watch him go by. The palace was foreboding yet magnificent. The beauty of the architectural design screamed power and confidence, and made Jongho’s heart beat a little faster.

Still, wanting to keep his head, he did as he was told and entered the ornate royal hall alone. The Queen was stunning and terrifying at the same time, and her eyes remained fixed on Jongho while she questioned him.

“What a coincidence to have a newcomer on our steps at the same moment that a ship of men loiters above us.” Jongho played it safe and told the truth. “The ship that brought me here to meet with you.”

A grating laugh danced in his ears. “You hired the scum of the earth to bring you to our glorious kingdom!” Jongho kept his mouth shut, ignoring the urge to protect his friends.

The hideous creature before him pretended to think for a few minutes. “I would like to overlook your human characteristics,” the siren Queen suddenly frowned. “But I do have a reputation to keep. If your mermaid sisters want an audience with me they’ll think better of sending a man and come themselves.”

Jongho could tell from the glint in her sharp eyes that she was playing some kind of game with him, and enjoying it very much. “I have my rules. Don’t worry about delivering the message to them, we’ll take care of that ourselves.”

It hit Jongho like a ton of bricks. She was going to kill him. She didn’t care what he said or did, killing humans was simply the siren way. Her webbed hand shot out and clutched his arm in an iron grip, digging into his skin. But before he could retaliate, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

Her clear, entrancing tone penetrated his ears and he began to panic. He struggled to get out of her grip, frantically looking around for anything he could use as a weapon. Suddenly he spotted it; the centrepiece in her crystalline crown, a jewel of magic glass.

...

All was unnervingly quiet on deck, eyes fixed on to the spot where Jongho disappeared for a good thirty minutes, until a sound made its way up through the glassy water and filled the ears of everyone on board.

It was siren song. Immediately Mingi was at the forecastle, spinning Hongjoong around to face him.

“You know what sirens do to sailors?”

“Yes, Mingi, I know—”

“They sing them into madness and make them drown themselves! Or, even more fun, sink their ship and then eat them alive and steal their voices. How does that sound?”

“Mingi!” Hongjoong shook his quartermaster out of it. “Get everyone below and lock all doors and gratings. Officers included. No one is drowning themselves on my watch.”

They were interrupted by a splash. A man had jumped over. Hongjoong’s eyes widened.

“Where is he?”

Yeosang came down from the quarterdeck and leaned over the starboard bulwark before he spotted him. “There! He’s about to dive!”

Yeosang ascended the rail, ready to retrieve him, before being yanked back on deck by his captain.

“You’re still injured! What are you thinking?” Hongjoong shed his coat and climbed over the rail. “Get everyone below, now!”

And with that he dived overboard and swam at a steady clip towards the escaping crew member. Yeosang and the other officers ran off to secure the lower decks but Mingi stayed put, watching the scuffle in the water with bated breath.

Hongjoong caught up and grabbed the man’s arms to keep him from going further. The crew member kicked and screamed but Hongjoong held on tightly, doing his best to bargain with him. The man suddenly drew back his head and smacked into his Captain’s, squirming out of his arms and trying to get away again.

Hongjoong was still reeling from the blow but shook it off and grabbed the man again, this time by the head. He clamped his hands over the sailor’s ears until his struggling finally calmed and he passed out. Hongjoong hauled his dead weight onto his back and turned to swim back to the ATEEZ.

...

Jongho was crumbling under the voice of the siren Queen, tears leaking out of his eyes and floating away. His arm was turning blue from the pressure of her claws and he wasn’t sure if he could take it much longer.

The frightening creature before him was beginning to get frustrated with the resistance he was putting up to her song and so increased her volume.

Jongho looked up. The glass was only a quick grab away from him, nestled in her crown, but he wouldn’t dare grab it while she had the upper hand.

An idea suddenly dawned on him. Jongho opened his mouth as wide as he could and released a high pitched note. The siren halted mid-song.

Jongho continued singing, growing in volume and confidence as he unleashed a gorgeous mermaid tune with perfect technique. He knew his song wasn’t as captivating as hers but it was at least as powerful, overtaking the Queen and forcing her to shrink back, loosening her grip on him.

He saw his moment and took it, seizing the head of the siren Queen and ripping off her crown. The centre jewel, the magic glass, tumbled out and Jongho caught it one handed before fleeing out the window and darting up, back to the surface.

He clutched the glass in one hand and used the other to swim for his life as sirens poured out of the city in droves to chase him down.

...

The crew had just been locked in when the siren song suddenly stopped, replaced by an equally beautiful but different melody.

“What’s that?” Wooyoung was scanning the ocean again, even though there was still nothing to see. San grew in excitement. “That’s Jongho’s voice! It’s Jongho!”

Right on time, Jongho surfaced, waving around what looked like a transparent jewel and screaming, “It’s time to cast off, now!”

With a speed Wooyoung had never seen from a human being, Jongho scaled the rope that was still attached to the bowsprit and sprinted to his room to grab his gun. The other officers followed suit, drawing and aiming their weapons at the bubbling sea.

“Yeosang, I know I just told you to restrain everyone,” Hongjoong’s eyes narrowed at the heads of sirens popping up near the ship. “But I need hands aloft to loose the mainsails.” Yeosang nodded and released the men, who had all come out of their trance and set to work.

Siren after siren was shot down from the starboard rail as the ATEEZ picked up speed. All had been blown off the sides of the ship except one, the pesky gatekeeper Jongho had first met.

She silently crept up behind him while he was focused on blasting the last of the sirens off the bowsprit, when Wooyoung spied her and put a bullet right through her head. Jongho turned, startled, feeling blood on his back and watched with satisfaction as the body of the siren tumbled back into the sea. He gave Wooyoung a thankful glance and returned to his duty.

Soon the ATEEZ had put plenty of distance between them and Sunken Island. “Do you think they’ll come after us in stronger numbers?” Yeosang’s watchful eye was poised on the receding horizon.

Everyone looked to Jongho who shook his head and followed Yeosang’s gaze. “I hope not. They don’t know who we are, so at any rate there’s no way to find us.” 

It was quiet again for a moment, except the steaming of guns cooling off. “I’m worried they’ll come after the mermaids in the cove where I grew up,” Jongho admitted quietly as he handed the sparkling glass over to his captain. “I used them as a cover to get in.” Yunho patted his arm and thought of some way to change the subject.

“Mingi was scared,” He blurted. San joined in, “Oh Mingi was terrified!”

“Lies. I’ve never been scared once since I’ve been born,” Mingi pouted with his arms crossed. No one was buying it. The six of them laughed, Mingi eventually shaking his head and accepting it. Wooyoung smiled, finally relaxed for the first time in a long time.

“What’s our heading, Captain?”

...

Taglist: @nightynightnyx

A/N: Everyone!! The end of volume one! Don’t worry, the story doesn’t end here, keep your eye out for Zero to One, the second instalment. Let me know what your reactions are and please please comment and especially reblog!! I want to know your favourite moments, chapters, characters and all that! Also did anyone catch the Mingi rap reference? hehe... That’s all for now, thank u!

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[alkaliyogi]

WE ARE CURRENTLY IN HELLS PIT OF FIRE AND MISERY…

How did we get here?

2020 is shaping-up to be quite a year; we lost Kobe an important figure to sports yes, but more importantly a role model for black fathers and especially fathers to beautiful brown skinned girls. Now we have COVID, deaths, social distancing and possibly (and I shudder at this thought) mandatory vaccines in the near future.   

Many people lack the vitality and life-force energy required to participate in a democracy. This is not by accident. It was designed this way. 

There is a long history of manipulation of the human race at the hands of the 1% of the 1%- this is what I predict will happen on the other side of COVID;

Travel will become more of a nightmare than it already is. More abuse at the hands of underpaid/overworked security personnel and undignified body searches. I worked in aviation for over 10 years- if you still believe that Arab men flew those aircrafts into the Pentagon and World Trade Towers you are ignorant of the concept of protected air space. The planet’s only Superpower had comprehensive protected air space before, during and after the “attack” on America. Military and law enforcement of this great land long adopted the motto of “shoot first, ask questions later” long before Bin Laden was a spec in his father’s testicles. Besides, who spends more on their military and the protection of their own country than the world’s Superpower?

Already, we are subjected to unnecessary liquid restrictions- you can’t even bring a tub of hummus onboard with you...pause for reaction. If you choose to believe that restricting liquids has saved your life, I invite you to watch a lighthearted episode of “Adam Ruins Everything” where they covered ‘security theatre’ designed to provide you, the average citizen, with little more than a false sense of security.  And if you look at what constitutes a ‘potential terrorist’-it’s a pretty broad net covering how you wear your baseball cap all the way to facial hair grooming standards. Seems like legalized stereotyping, unless of course you’re a polished white male in corporate America.

But perhaps in the fight against mandatory vaccines- even the average white male may find himself in the trenches with us.

Will it be vaccines passports or vaccines with hardware implanted in our bodies? Will we eventually replace handheld passports for data stored in a fingerprint, retina or swab sample? Is that where we’re headed to already? Let’s keep things in perspective, shall we? Thousands of people died on September 11th. Millions more have died at the end of a gun- but the policy makers are very selective with what tragedies they will amplify and how they’ll pick and choose (based on their own agenda) when to introduce new bills or change laws. So even though innocent children die every single year in the greatest country on earth- purchased votes by the NRA (formerly the KKK) prevent amendments to the Second Amendment. Ain’t that something? An Amendment that can’t be amended. You’d think it was written by God and not men. Illusions of grandeur coupled with idolizing the forefathers of America is the exact opposite of being Christian, spiritual, a person of faith, etc. The is the same type of fandom associated with pre-adolescent girls and boy bands.   

An inside job designed to illicit fear of a common enemy (and weapons of mass destruction) became justification for us giving away many of our personal freedoms (i.e. fingerprints scans, eye retina scans, mass surveillance by our smart phones, email providers, search engines, CCTV, etc.). Does this sound familiar? It’s happened before and millions were executed as a result. Hitler wanted complete control of his people- unwavering compliance and that’s exactly where we are headed if The Gates Foundation and the WHO have anything to say about it. China is already practicing this type of population control with their face-recognition software and social behavioural grading system that assigns citizens a credit score that impacts your ability to navigate everything in your life from career, to housing to who and how one travel. Is this what we want? Who benefits? Not you, not I. 

There is growing evidence that COVID is a man-made (military controlled) virus. To many this may seem utterly ridiculous. I would invite you to research this information as discovered by numerous holistic doctors (who have been censored on Google but are searchable on Qwant, a reliable search engine free from the prying eyes of Google surveillance. If you’re wondering why the government would allow for something like a manufactured virus to be unleased on it’s on citizens let me help you. It begins with big pharma and ends with decreasing the human population.

As it stands today over 300,000 people have died- not from COVID but from underlying health issues. Like an episode of Black Mirror- doctors and health professionals are threatened if they don’t adhere to naming COVID as the cause of death. It doesn’t take a genius to observe that the overwhelming majority of people that contracted COVID recovered because they did not have underlying health issues. The Italian Parliament recently went viral for stating this. I’ll say it again, the COVID virus does not kill. Ask any self-respecting health professional/scientist that is not on the receiving end of grants issued by big pharma.  Even the CDC has been corrupted, pick-up a copy of Marcia Angell’s book; The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It. Marcia Angell was the first woman to serve as Editor-In-Chief at The New England Journal of Medicine, the most influential science journal in the world. She’s done her part to warn us of how drug companies collude not for the benefit of the public, but for their own gain. History will show unequivocally that the real tragedy was not COVID- but the mandatory vaccines that have polluted our bodies for years with unsafe levels of heavy metals, formaldehyde, MSG and more to render your well enough to stay alive and on medications until you die. Newer vaccines will also render you sterile. That is the pandemic we’re headed towards.

Big pharma is greater and more powerful than any government on the planet. And what’s more, they’ve purchased almost every single politician there is to be purchased. In medicine, the first rule is ‘Do no harm’. In Aviation the first rule is ‘if we don’t know, we don’t go’. Thousands of people have had their lives permanently changed when their once healthy children were exposed to vaccines that left them autistic, some children have even died. Unless you can prove without a shadow of a doubt that vaccines are not harmful and toxic (which they have not proven) why do we agree to subject perfectly healthy, clean bodies to foreign matter? And no, vaccines did not eradicate polio- you can still catch that shit. The difference is more people have access to clean food and water today than ever before. As more and more countries develop, more of the planet’s population can practice better hygiene. Vaccines have cured nothing. Measles, malaria, hepatitis are still around!

Fun fact: the US government actually owns more patents of the measles virus than anyone else. Something to chew on.

Are we going to roll over and pretend that the supposed benefits of a vaccine for a non-lethal virus outweighs the damage is can have to the nervous system and reproductive functions of millions of people? We’re already dying a slow death with pollution in the air, water, food and soil we’re consuming. A great portion of the population is already unable to conceive naturally- which is your body’s way of telling you your currently too sick to create new life. So, what do we do? We employee fertility specialists to implant us with embryos instead of addressing the foundational causes and habits for our body’s rejection of bringing new life to our sick planet. 

The world’s population is nearing 8 billion- very few people have died during this pandemic relative to deaths associated to lung cancer, breast cancer, heart disease, medical drug overdoses, etc. It’s sad that we lost anyone. I live in Brooklyn, New York so I’m not removed from the collective loss we’re experiencing. Let’s also take a moment to step back and take a deep breath. This was never a reason to make us anxious, depressed and fearful of each other. This is how they separate and then conquer us.  And it’s certainly not a reason to change our way of living and give away more personal freedoms (that were fought and paid for).

I’m calling on citizens of the world. Stand-up! We are many in numbers- they are few. Don’t let them violate you or anyone else in a way that is not humane.

One last interesting fact to research- the United States Supreme Court or Congress (depending on which article you come across) that vaccines are ‘unavoidably unsafe’. And the kicker? If you or a loved one are damaged from a vaccine you can’t sue the vaccine manufacturers. How’s that for democracy?! Look it up for yourselves, but not on Google.

 Stay up!

Alkali Yogi

[docsamurai]

Policy Breakdown: Elizabeth Warren’s Wealth Tax

So for those of you who follow me for my creative writing, sorry in advance if American politics don’t interest you, but I figured I could add something somewhat constructive to the discourse. Short version: I’m going to break down specific policy proposals by currently announced 2020 presidential candidates. I’m starting with Elizabeth Warren because I’m an active and vocal supporter of hers, but I’ll go ahead and do other candidates at some point. If you have a specific candidate or policy you’d like me to talk about send me a DM since I probably won’t see it in the reblogs (and I definitely won’t see it in the tags). All that said, on with the show.

So what is Elizabeth Warren’s proposal for a Wealth Tax, how would it affect people, what are the stated goals of this policy, and what are the most likely ramifications of it?

To explain it in basic terms, the Wealth Tax is a 2% tax on accumulated wealth over $50 million with an additional 1% over $1 billion. Now 50 million is a number that’s too large for most people who aren’t used to dealing with large numbers to readily comprehend so I’m going to break that down for you into what $50 million in accumulated wealth would actually mean.

The average income in America (according the SSA) is just over $48,000 and the median income (which most people say is more reflective of what the “average” person makes) is a little over $56,000. These numbers vary quite a lot depending on age, location, etc, but to simplify things I’m going to round that to $50k annual income.

So what does a budget on a $50k annual income look like for a single person in a monthly budget? Your net salary (after various taxes) is about $2800/month. Your rent (or mortgage) in a fairly average area is about $6-800. Your utilities (electric, internet, phone, water, etc) probably total around $300. Your food budget is probably around $400 Your transportation budget is anywhere from $200 to $800 depending on whether or not you’re making a car payment or not. Health insurance can vary pretty wildly so basing it off my own, you probably pay about $200 per month in premiums alone.

Though these are rough numbers (and most people have a variety of ways to save on one or more of those) your expenses are probably leaving you with very little extra room your budget. Keep in mind this budget does also not account for student loan payments, child care, credit card debt, or any kind of entertainment.

Now you might be wondering “Wait, why did we just go over income if we’re talking about a tax on accumulated wealth, I thought those were 2 different things?”. Well you’re right that those are 2 different things, but I wanted to make a point about the 50 million in accumulated wealth number and by comparing it to an average monthly budget I can better explain that point.

If I had $50 million in accumulated wealth that means that in total assets (cash in bank accounts, stocks, properties owned, etc) equal $50 million. For the simplest possible explanation, we’re going to assume that all $50M is in cash, not generating any interest or appreciating in value in any way. For comparison $50 million is literally 1000 times the average annual income. Meaning that if I previously made 50,000 and suddenly had $50M in cash that would mean that I could multiply my previous income by 10 and still have enough cash on hand to last me 100 years.

So what does a budget look like for someone living off of $500k a year, for the next 100 years look like? Your net monthly income would be $41,666.67 because you wouldn’t be paying taxes on it since it’s not earned income. Your other expenses would only increase if you decided to increase them by buying more things, moving into a more expensive home or car. Let’s assume though that with increased income you would want more a more expensive home and car, and with your increased free time (since you would no longer be working for your income) you would want to set aside more money for things like travel, hobbies, and entertainment. We could reasonably assume that with your increase in income your expenses would roughly triple, assuming that your spending habits still followed a reasonable progression. If I tripled the earlier estimates I made you would still have an additional $34,000 left per month to spend on whatever you would want. Again, there would be no point to save any of this money since you already have enough to last 100 years at this level of “income”.

So how does Elizabeth Warren’s proposed wealth tax affect this hypothetical person who has $50,000,000.00 in cash on hand?

It doesn’t.

Even if someone had four times that at $200M, it would still only affect the amount they had over $50M. The tax would only apply to $150M of their $200M and even then it would be 2% of that, so annually they would have to pay $3M in taxes which does sound like a lot of money to pay, but would decrease their net worth to “only” $197,000,000.00.

Alright. So again, in terms of direct impact this tax is only something you have to pay if you are worth at least $50,000,001. In terms of indirect impact, we come to what this tax is actually meant to do and where that money is meant to go. Now in general taxes don’t go specifically to one place. So this means that the federal budget would have extra money to work with, which means the budget could afford to pay for more things that Warren has said she would support like childcare, student loan debt forgiveness, free tuition, etc. How much money? Her campaign estimates that it would be 2.75 Trillion over 10 years. Some economists say that’s optimistic but essentially correct.

Now the stated goal of this Tax is both to address the rampant income inequality in the US and also to pay for the programs that are also meant to address the same inequality.

So what are the most likely ramifications of this? Well if this tax were to take effect we can safely assume that we will see a lot of new techniques the wealthy can (and most likely will) use for disguising their wealth. In addition, since the president doesn’t actively put legislation into law, she would require Congress to draft and approve the law for her. This will most likely mean that special interest groups and lobbyists on behalf of the wealthy will find a variety of loopholes to include in the law to help with disguising or exempting wealth. As is, we could reasonably expect that the bill would only be effective at that 2.75 Trillion number in the theoretical sense and would probably be reduced significantly.

If it were able to take effect in any significant form though, we can expect the bill to increase investment in new markets. If the majority of the “super wealthy” are suddenly having their wealth taxed at 2% (or 3% for billionaires) then most of them will seek to have greater returns on their investments to compensate for it. This will probably see a shift away from more traditionally safe investments (like oil and gas) and into newer markets with greater potential for growth (like renewable energy). Some of those markets are, of course, riskier, but the alternative would be to have their investment income grow at a slower rate.

Again this is all conjecture and speculation at this point as Elizabeth Warren is not president and has not been able to convince congress to implement her proposed policy (at the time of this writing).

Ok, that was a lot so I’m going to give you the TLDR; How does this affect you personally? If you don’t currently have $50 million in assets, it doesn’t directly. How does this affect the economy? It will probably increase the budget significantly and can pay for lots of social welfare programs that can help less advantaged people be more productive. How does this affect the rich? It will pressure them to invest in higher yield investments or to simply accept that their asset will not grow as quickly otherwise. Will the rich be able to get around this? I would frankly be astonished if there weren’t some kind of cottage industry that springs up overnight to help the wealthy hide their assets. So yeah, most likely. Is this a good thing and should we do it even if Elizabeth Warren isn’t elected? Ultimately yes. While those who would be directly affected by the tax would see a slight reduction in their total assets or a slowing of the growth of their assets through investment, they would also see a reinvigorated economy through the social welfare programs that allowed more people to better participate in the economy which would ultimately provide them with better investment opportunities in the long term. So yeah, it’s one of those rare things where everyone wins eventually (the rich just have to wait a little longer than usual to win).

So yeah, that’s the nuts and bolts of Warren’s proposed Wealth Tax. If you liked this and want to see more just let me know.

[theundergrounddrabbles]

KojiYuu (request)

The light seared her skin upon waking up. Her muscles weak. Yuko felt the restriction upon her shoulders as she yanked her hands forward. She grunted endlessly only to the sight of darkness before she was blinded by the rush of sight into the brightness. The figure stood in front of her. The shadow wasn’t the one she had been with but of another person from her past experiences before seeing the face.

 “Morning.” The person greeted.

 “Nyan… why am I handcuffed?” Yuko grunted.

 “Because today is a special day.” The smile came upon the face of the woman.

 “It is your birthday but we agreed to hang out… not keep me in your room. I told my boyfriend that I was with you.” Yuko groaned.

 “Right. Just starting it up early. I usually would be open to what you want but I’d figured to play the role of aggressor.” The birthday girl smirked.

 “You can have that role for the day. Just give me at least a heads up before you handcuff me.” Yuko sighed.

 Unlocking her wrists, Yuko stared at her long-time friend. She was still the same airhead but her body was mature. She couldn’t feel the same since she had explored the world. Yuko returned to be with him yet Haruna was the first to hear of the foreign areas and her challenge with a new language. Still, she was always open to be with Haruna as much as she could with her beau. Even a whole day with her friend wouldn’t be enough but he was also curious of Japan and even a slight grasp was enough in Tokyo to survive.

 “So… you will follow?” Haruna pondered.

 “I’m not against it. Just tell me what’s on your mind?” Yuko grunted, flexing her wrists.

 “Hmm… let’s dedicate a whole day to dominate Yuko. We never did that and even Takamina was a good puppet.” Haruna laughed.

 “Miichan must have been surprised…” Yuko exhaled.

 “She was all in. We told her that we were taking her out and we spent the whole day working on her tolerance. It was fun.” Haruna snickered. “I know you have a high tolerance except for balloons.”

 “Right.” Yuko nodded.

 “Anyways… would you mind wearing nothing before we head to the other room?” Haruna asked.

 “It’s your birthday… yet what else is on your mind… I haven’t had food.” Yuko sighed.

 “Hold off. I have meals set… we can take breaks in between. Although might be a bit stressful…” Haruna added.

 “I have a feeling we may be doing some awkward stuff…” Yuko thought when she felt a sting upon her behind. “Hey!”

 “Right… this paddle… big enough for Mayuyu.” She scoffed.

 Admittedly, Yuko had drawn a smile as Haruna continually paddled her down the hallway to the next room where the light had been turned on from the top to a chain and a hook. Yuko drew her hands forward to get the cuffs back on while Haruna had stripped her down to the bare. She was less active and showed a bit of a tummy in front of her. Haruna slammed the paddle against the backside before clamping the wrists onto the metal. Yuko was brought up as the hips lined with Haruna’s shoulders when she viewed the woman from the front.

 “You’ve told him?” Haruna asked.

 “No.” Yuko answered softly with the paddle smacking her once. “No!”

 “Why?” She tilted her head.

 “Simple. We were together for so long that even he thought we were close friends.” Yuko muttered as the paddle slammed on the backside. “It’s getting raw.”

 “I have lotion and will be careful to not make it raw.” Haruna hummed as her eyes turned to the crotch. “Hairy.”

 “You didn’t mind it.” Yuko groaned when the fingers plunged into the womanhood. “Although… the factor does make two areas you have to keep track of.”

 “This one eventually will get there.” Haruna drew a smirk, swinging her hand to the fleshy back.

 The pain felt different with her hand rather than the tool. Her fingers widened the canal as she moved them slowly within the area. Yuko never felt this way since the last time and it seemed bittersweet to return upon a sense of torture. The cool air layered onto her body with Haruna’s fingers thrusting until a cry broke and the mist trickled down her thighs.

 “Amazing.” Haruna commented.

 “It’s true that I haven’t you know… done it since the last time.” Yuko snarled.

 “Oh? One slap for that type of talk. Another one if you snap back at me.” Haruna twitched.

 Yuko knew little of the dominatrix Haruna. Questions seemed to fill her mind as she stared down upon her when she felt the stinging from another open hand strike to her back side. “Right, Nyan.”

 “It’s Kojiharu-sama.” She growled, delivering another slap to the back.

 Kojiharu-sama… Yuko thought firmly into it. It must have been an awakening from the few years removed from the last encounter. The sensation was rarely felt as she was with others and to lack any toy or motivation had driven her up the wall when she wanted to try it. Staying in the bathroom to breathe was the best way to relieve it still it was barely enough to edge out the lust into the toilet as she would feel the moistness onto her panties and letting it dry during school.

 “Kojiharu-sama… I’m sorry.” Yuko nodded.

 “Maybe not enough.” She snarled, striking her again.

 Yuko stewed upon it. This was the true present to visualize as a partner. Most times she had been sloth-like. Irking Yuko a lot until she was ready but, in her role, it was drawing a metamorphosis when she opened her eyes again to see the toy in Haruna’s grasp. She hadn’t imagined that the lack of intimacy at a lust level it was going to be a challenge when she cried out on the entrance of the intrusion. The waves ran through her body slowly, a dull sensation yet it was satisfying to accept.

 “I’m sorry Kojiharu-sama! I won’t cross you again.” Yuko wailed.

 “Good… how about a few clips for these?” Haruna smirked as she placed them on her hardened tips.

 Yuko winced at the action. It was digging into them but her body was growing numb with the vibrations between her legs. Forcing a smile towards her brought the vibrations to grow. She felt her body quake with the chains scratching the hook above. Her legs were feeling the ooze roll past her knees when she got another one to clamp onto the tip. Her voice cracked with the sharp pain travelling through her body. Yuko shook with another rush as she swung her legs and the body started to sway like a tree on a breezy day.

 “You seem comfortable. Take these.” Haruna cackled.

 The pain radiated back to her fleshy behind. Yuko couldn’t note the item but it struck hard and she couldn’t feel the item with her arms slowly growing numb from the top. Yuko cried out as Haruna had lowered her to the floor and fell to her knees. Her body convulsed with the toy within her sex as Haruna turned it off swiftly. Yuko peered towards the ceiling as her partner forced her up to her feet. She was brought to the next table where the hook was a distance away from her and was lunged forward to extend her body.

 The sharp pricks were opening a wound before Haruna had paused. She felt something being rubbed as the heat grew and Yuko let out a moan with the toy being turned on again. The vibrations began to make her lower half shiver with Yuko’s hand slapping the table. Haruna didn’t allow another pause but she noted the pained look. Yanking the toy from the body, it was a waterfall spilling from her body. Haruna observed the reaction and pushed it back in. Yuko felt the pain slamming onto her butt, fresh from the attacks a few moments prior as she felt the pins turning under her body.

 Yuko wavered in her stance; she couldn’t fall without taking everything with her. Her knees were buckling as the bladder filled up again and pushed her hips away as Haruna rejected the pleas until it became to a peak and the torrents spilled out swiftly from her body before sticking the toy back inside. It was different however the frustration would only create a problem and bit her lip as the toy continued to shake her when she felt the vibrations stop but her thighs shook uncontrollably when she was turned to face the ceiling.

 The clips were released as her legs were bent over the table. Haruna hovered over the body, pinching down on the sensitive tips. Yuko moaned out swiftly upon her touch. She felt the pain from the back to her arms however it was slowly decreasing with Haruna’s movements around the body. Her fingers plunged into the water works as she lowered her lips to the ear of the guest.

 “Thanks.” She whispered. “Takamina tapped out early.”

 “Whatever you want for your birthday.” Yuko replied. “I mean Kojiharu-sama.”

 Her hand struck the breast upon the words. Haruna continued to move her fingers with the love hole, accelerating with every twitch when the orgasm would spurt out onto the floor. Yuko felt the heat of the puddle below with Haruna wiping the residue onto the skin. Even for a promise, Haruna didn’t turn to anything else beyond the toys and return to them as a massager came and placed upon the sex. Her clit sensed the whole impact as the legs were forced close and Haruna pushing her knees apart as the vibration became harder to avoid.

 “Kojiharu-sama! One more time.” Yuko screamed when she sensed another contraction.

 The moment had become instant as the body shook onto the table. Her mind became blank with the room around her going dark. Yuko heard of the condition but never sought to find a way to get one but only her face could tell Haruna had reached it when she sensed the muscles around her cheek flexed towards her. It was different and the white room had composed her when she was thrown back and her chest began to pump.

 “What happened?!” Haruna yelped.

 “It was a blissful experience. I’ve reached it.” Yuko squealed.

 “I thought you died.” Haruna exhaled. “Was it good?”

 “I think so. However, I need to go to the bathroom and we need to clean up below me.” Yuko mentioned as Haruna released the cuffs and guided her to the bathroom.

 Yuko didn’t expect it. It was well beyond what she had been told yet, she couldn’t dwell onto it much, wiping the nether region and the touch of red came upon the paper. The life come onto the item which caught her off guard and with a quick flush and washing her hands, Yuko rushed out as Haruna had mopped the area below, flashing a smile.

 “What’s the meal?” Yuko asked.

 “Just a salad.” Haruna smiled.

 Going on empty added to the stress however it was just the start to a sex-filled day with her close friend.

[nervousalpacahologram]

Skies of Orcadia

My Secret Santa gift for @satanisslacking!

Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, a vast grey submersible sank into the depths, floodlights illuminating the dark water below. A symbol was emblazoned on the side of the vessel, a large circular shape with three inward facing arrows. The acronym ‘SCP’ stood proud below it, the logo of the Foundation standing out starkly in the water. 

The submersible was occupied by only 6 people. The Captain and his assistant, two MTF guards with a red hand pattern decorating their visors, and two oddly dressed people. These last two were the least human of the lot, standing out amongst the uniformity of the surrounding vehicle.

 The first one stood taller than anyone else, stooped slightly to fit into the room. Their smile was much too wide, and they wore a long, brown kimono which trailed behind them. Long leather threads hung from the garment, threaded through the many, many teeth that dangled around them. Their long black hair was held back with a set of hair sticks, studded with even more teeth. Every few seconds, a tooth or two would fall from the folds of their kimono and land on the floor. If anyone noticed, they said nothing.

 The second one seemed more human, a man about six foot and bald. He wore a garment that could be described as a cloak of rags, with bones of human and animal origin sewn and clamped on with metal threads. Blue lights glowed faintly beneath his pale skin, and the faint sound of ticking clockwork surrounded him, forming a broken hymn in the echoey room.

 Tags on their clothes indicated them as O5s Seven and One respectively, code names Teeth and Founder. The two exchanged hushed words as the submersible went deeper, until a massive shape came looming out of the darkness. It had the appearance of a massive, mechanical hermit crab, a giant shell several kilometers across attached to its back. The shell glinted with aurora colors, shining brightly in the deep.

 To any onlooker, it would appear as if it was some alien war machine, but to the two O5s who stood inside the submersible, it was just another SCP. 4700 to be exact. The capital and home of the Finnfolk.

 The Finnfolk were a race of thaumotologically advanced aquatic entities that the Foundation had been helping for the past several years. Neither One nor Seven knew enough about the Finnfolk Dilemma, at least not enough as Four, who was on holiday.

 Founder breathed a sigh of relief as their ship docked on the side of the machine, anchoring them to a semi-solid platform. One hated being underwater, but it was a sacrifice he had to make. A green exit sign began to glow above the ship’s hatch as it began to open, letting in the carefully controlled air of SCP-4700.

 “Ready for our turn at these negotiations Founder? We can hope that time hasn’t tarnished your silver tongue.” Founder rolled his eyes at Teeth’s light jibe, preparing his own retort as they stepped out of the hatch. However, before he could respond, they were greeted by a company of Finnfolk. They recognized the leader in passing. Hege, Queen of the Finnfolk. Her scales shimmered gold only slightly dulled by time.

 Both Overseers bowed, and Hege did the same, before waving them to follow her. As she talked with one of her guards, Teeth and Founder chatted together, commenting on and observing the intricate metal structure around them.

 They soon found themselves inside of a meeting hall, the long, wooden table absent of guests. The Overseers sat across from Hege, who clicked her fingers softly. A large, thaumatological projection appeared behind her, images swirling like silt in the water of a delta.

 “Greetings prophet of Hakhama.” She said to the Founder, his eyes widening as the name of his goddess was spoken in the Broken Tongue. A blurry image of a massive woman of iron and bronze cog-work impaling a writhing red serpent filled the misty projection. “And greetings to you, oh Boundary-Maker, Warden of the Seventh Seal.”

 As they spoke to Teeth, the image changed rapidly. Planets and timelines rent apart by gnashing teeth, gods pinned inside great cages of brass and enamel. Seven smiled widely, hand raising to keep the dozens of forming teeth from spilling out of their mouth.

 “I have called both of you here on the topic of my own fears, and whether you will put them to rest or… Give them reason to fester.” She gestured to one of her guards, who came forward with a small sheaf of papers. It was only a dozen or so sheets thick, but it carried an almost ominous aura. “Let’s see here, contained, contained, contained, contained, neutralized, neutralized, contained, contained,  neutralized… Need I go on?”

 The images on the projection changed to cages once again, bars and manacles holding anomalies of all variety.

 “When this is over, when we’re operational and no longer facing potential extinction, what will you do? Contain us, destroy us? Will you lock us away to never see the light of the Orcadian Sun again?” She folded her hands and leaned forward, raising an inquisitive brow. One and Seven looked to one another, and Seven gestured for One to speak first.

 “To answer your question, I shall put them to rest. In the last ten years, the Foundation has been facing a growing, exponential tide of the anomalous. A ΨK-Class “Crimson Skies” Scenario. It has… Required us to adopt a much less radical stance against the anomalous if we are to maintain secrecy. Containment Breaches have decreased by 6% in the past two years with this decision. So no, we shall not attempt to contain you, as long as you make an attempt to maintain secrecy, you’re safe.” He smiled, iron teeth glistening in the hazy light, “We’re not complete fools after all.”

 Seven then stood up, the clack of teeth falling to the floor echoing. Hege noticed that they were Finnfolk teeth, long yet blunt. She shuddered as she thought of whatever time that the deity could’ve collected them.

 “Now, Friends. As we stand here in the guts of this great machine, we must stop to think for a moment. This may be slightly off-topic… But must be said. To put it bluntly, the worlds going to hell. The people in the light are killing each other without the aid of the anomalous, despite its exponential rise. A new doomsday cult shows up every day it seems. And to top it all off…”

 The hazy projection changed, taking the form of burning planets, dead gods, their domains laying shattered around them. Seven seemed even taller than they were before, teeth falling quickly from the mouths that occupied the palms of their hands.

 “We have several hypotheses, but no concrete facts. Gods killed left and right, and Tamlin’s predictions haven’t helped things. There is a cataclysmic threat on the horizon. It looms over us like a mountain looms over two wayfaring travelers, fleeing the home that caused them pain.”

 “If your worries hadn’t inspired you to call for us, we would have eventually called you. For one of the few times in our lives, we truly don’t know what will happen next. Our request is as follows: We would like an official alliance between the Finnfolk and the Foundation. To share knowledge, technology, thaumatology, anything. If either of us are to survive, this appears to be the best course of action Queen Hege.”

 There was silence for several seconds, Hege contemplating Teeth’s words. The only sounds were the gentle clattering of teeth, and the quiet ticking from underneath One’s skin, filling the room. The visors of the two MTF guards were opaque but everyone could feel their eyes surveying the situation from behind the single red right hand. Everything seemed to stop the instant Hege opened her mouth, a single word escaping her lips.

 “Yes.” Teeth smiled, posture relaxing as One’s mechanism’s slowed to a more mellow rhythm. “If the future is as bleak as you say it is, then we both need as much help as we can get. Let us… forge this alliance at the heart of Guð-Bani.” She stood up and motioned for the two O5’s to follow her.

 One stood, adjusting his cloak of rags and bones to sit comfortably on his shoulders. Him and Seven exchanged a look, the kimono-clad overseer motioning for the MTF guards to stay. Hege gave a similar gesture, her Finnfolk guards standing down.

 The overseers followed Hege in a comfortable silence, Seven and One’s conversation conveyed in hand gestures and facial expressions. As they descended into the heart of the Finnfolk war machine, One’s eyes switched from blue to gold, a new lense to fit the darkness of the lower levels.

 “Tell me friends.” Hege said, turning her head slightly to look back at them. “Are you familiar with the customs of our species?” The Overseers glanced at each other before shrugging and turning back to Hege.

 “Four would know, but he’s managed to convince the Ethics Committee to give him a holiday.” Hege cocked her head considering their words before she replied.

 “Given your line of work, I imagine that that would be some astounding feat of persuasion.”

 “You have no Idea.” Seven chuckled and paused a moment before speaking again. “Hey One, remember when he convinced Eight that you and Three were…” They were cut off as One made a high-pitched series of mechanical clicks and whirrs, a series of curses in his mother-tongue.

 “I’m afraid I don’t understand Broken,” Hege said, eyeing One as he muttered several more mechanical sounds. “What did he say?”

 “Oh, it’s nothing, he’s just flustered.” Seven waved their hand, dismissing the question.

 “Back on topic, as is custom, the Finnfolk forge alliances literally. A scale or tooth is taken from each side and embedded in molten bronze. As long as the bronze is solid, the alliance is still active. The only problem is…” She paused, worrying her bottom lip with a fang, “The only problem is that it requires part of every person present. Finnfolk have scales, but with you…”

 “I’ll stop you right there.” Seven said, placing a hand on Hege’s shoulder. “I have more teeth than I know what to do with, and One over here is almost entirely made of metal. We can work something out.” They smiled and plucked a long incisor from their mouth, gripping it in their hand. “Now! Let’s get going. We accomplish nothing by standing here.”

 When they made it to the heart of Guð-Bani, Seven and One were taken aback. Their own sites were beasts of steel and concrete, grand and grey. But the forge at the Center of the Finnfolk capital was in another league of its own.

 Soaring metal beams framed the domed room, converging along the edges of a massive mosaic in the ceiling. It depicted a great, red humanoid being struck in the chest by a bolt of blue light. A massive forge sat in the center of the room, vats of molten metal and tubes of gasses running throughout the room. It was truly like a heart, almost pulsing with light and sound.

 Hege strode to one of the many workbenches that lay, scattered around the room. There, she picked up an intricate mold and a pair of tongs, leading them to a vat of molten metal.

 “Now, we need the pieces.” She picked a long, curved dagger from her side, and bringing it to her arm, deftly cut a small scale from it.

 One extended his hand, and the Finnfolk queen placed the dagger into his palm. He took a deep breath and began to cut at the skin of his arm. Hege visibly blanched as he peeled skin back to reveal the glistening mechanisms beneath. Cords of metal muscle and softly ticking clockwork filled out his arms. Gently, he plucked an auxiliary gear from its position and handed to Hege along with Seven’s tooth.

 “Now, in the heart of Guð-Bani, I, Queen Hege of the Orkney Finnfolk, solemnly build this alliance between The Foundation and the people of Orcadia.” She raised the three pieces above her head and laid them down into the mold. “Until the day this bronze is recast, let this alliance go unbroken.” She began to pour molten bronze from a crucible into the mold, One and Seven looking on.

 =============================================================

 Hege held up the intricate Celtic Knot, the three items held fast by the brazen metal. Seven and One watched as a prayer was whispered from her lips, sealing the alliance. As her whispering voice faded into silence, she turned towards the two Overseers, the bronze held at her side.

 “The Alliance has been forged my friends. You have our resources as we have yours.” Extending her hand, she shook the Overseers’, her solemn face slowly turning into a smile. “I imagine that you both must be on your way. But if you must ever return here, know that you are all welcome here.”

 Seven smiled, their mouth containing only slightly above the normal amount of teeth. “And You are welcome to the Foundation, within reason. Some overzealous level 2 or 3 might try to put a bullet in your head.” One pulled a blue keycard from his pocket, handing to Hege. “This is a Thaumial clearance card. It grants certain anomalous entities the freedom to traverse our sites unhindered. Use it well.” She took it gratefully, whispering her thanks.

 “Now, we should be on our way.” Founder said, and the two Overseers turned and began to walk. Hege looked down at the cast bronze, wondering if the right choice had been made. Shaking her head, she dismissed the idea for another time.

 =============================================================

Do you think this was a good idea One?” Seven asked as they boarded the submersible, followed by the Alpha-One guards. One stood silently, pondering his answer to Seven’s question.

 “I’m not sure if dealings with the anomalous are ever Good ideas, but I think that this was the best thing to do.” A screen popped up on the metal hatch, asking:

 “Does the Black Moon howl?”

 “When Thirteen O5’s Ride the Rising Tides” One said, stepping through the opening door. Seven followed close behind, quiet before they spoke again.

 “Dealings with the Anomalous? A bit hypocritical One. We’re a Machine and a God, helping to lead one of the most powerful organizations in the observable multiverse. Our colleagues are Gods , Anomalies, and whatever the hell Twelve is. Dealings with the Anomalous is a day-to-day activity.”

 One rolled his eyes, motioning for the submersible to begin it’s ascent. Seven merely smiled and patted One on the back, jostling the bones that hung from his cloak. They chatted amicably as the vehicle rose from the dark into the light, One sighing with relief as they breached the surface.

 “Maybe you’re right Seven. I… I don’t know. I suppose that the only thing we can do is prepare. I just hope that what we’re doing is the right thing.” Seven nodded as the hatch opened, the bright sunlight illuminating them as they stepped outside.

  “I think it is… I think it is.”

[happydelusioncollection]

Dancing In The Moonlight - Steve Rogers

Parings: Steve Rogers X Reader

Warnings: Just absolute fluff

Summary: Steve has a crush on you but doesn't know how to express how he feels to you. He turns to the Avengers for love advice but y’all know how that goes....

Note: This is the crappiest piece of shit ever! Sorry! 

It was another beautiful day and you had decided to drop into Stark Tower before heading off to run some of your errands. When you reached the living room you were met with Thor and Steve doing an arm wrestling match and the rest of the team screaming out Steve and Thor’s name You stopped and looked at the gang, your face contorted into confusion.

Steve had noticed another presence in the room and glanced up to see your face. Immediately after he saw you, his level of concentration on the match decreased and Thor’s arm power overtook Steve’s causing Thor to jump up and celebrate his “victory”. Natasha, Bruce, Sam, Clint and Bucky all gave out a groan and handed fifty dollars to Tony, Peter and Vision. Steve noticed this and gave Thor a pat on the shoulder and muttered a “well done”. You giggled at Thor’s dance moves and that’s when the rest of the gang noticed your presence.

“Y/N! You have arrived at the right time! We were just about to commence round two of the arm wrestling match, place your bet on either one of these guys!” Tony offered, sliding an arm around your shoulders. You chuckled at his behaviour. “Um, no thanks Tony, I just came by to say “hey”.” You replied, rejecting the offer. “Oh and to drop in some of my special desserts that I need approval on.” You held up a bag that contained the desserts. Everyone cheered at the sound of your desserts. 

Steve hadn't said a word since you came in but as soon as you left the building, boy oh boy, did he have some things on his mind. He sat down on the sofa and began thinking about you. Nat had noticed this and began to pester him about it as soon as the gang had left the room to enjoy some of the treats that Y/N had left. “Steve, I know that you have a crush on Y/N, just ask her out.” Steve sighed at this. “You know I’d love to, but I just want it to be perfect for her.” Nat chuckled at this. “Okay, well I would take her out to a fancy restaurant and then maybe to go see an old movie outdoors.” She suggested. Steve thanked her for this and decided to venture off to ask Tony for advice. 

Tony and Bruce were down in the lab working on something that Steve couldn't understand. The pair noticed this and both shared a look. “Tony, Bruce, I need some help.” Tony wiped his hands on a rag he had found and walked over to Steve. “What’s on the mind of our ninety year old virgin?” Tony asked. Steve sighed at the sound of the nickname. “Tony, you know I hate that name, but I need some suggestions on a first date.” Tony and Bruce’s eyes both widened at the sound of this. “Okay buddy, I’m out!” Bruce turned back to his work. Tony on the other hand was not done yet. “Who’s the lucky girl?” Tony nudged. “Y/N, look that doesn't matter.” Tony chuckled. “Well, I would go to great lengths to make her happy. Take her to a fancy dinner, oh, I can host a party.” Steve untangled himself from Tony and ran out of the room. 

The rest of the day was spent asking his friends on advice but all to no avail. Steve sulked up to his room and thought about the 1940′s, eventually falling asleep to the thought of it. The following day, Steve went out to set up what he considered a brilliant first date. 

You had spent the day lounging on your sofa, bored out of your mind. That was until you heard a knock on your door. You knew that nobody was coming to visit you. You rolled off the sofa and hit the ground with a thud. You carried yourself off of the ground and walked to the front door. You found that nobody was there but when you looked down you found a box and a small card on top of it. You looked around and picked up the box. You sat it down on the coffee table and opened the box. You found a knee length, rose gold dress and a pair of blush pink heels. You were slightly confused. You opened the card and read its contents. It read: 

My Dearest Y/N,

You are most likely reading this to understand the reason behind the box filled with a lovely dress and shoes. Well it’s because I have a special surprise for you. Meet me at Mason’s roof at seven thirty. I hope to see you there.

Love from, 

Your secret admirer

You frowned at the secret admirer bit, but looked at the clock on your wall. 5:30 p.m. Better start getting ready then. You shaved your legs and armpits, took a quick shower, got dressed and did your makeup, and did your hair (whatever style of hair you have). You opened up your jewellery box and found one of the necklaces that Steve had given to you on your birthday. You put that on with a pair of golden hoops. You grabbed the perfume bottle and sprayed yourself excessively. You checked the time once again and saw that it was 6:30. You had thirty minutes to get to Mason’s. You walked down the beautiful lit up street to Mason’s restaurant. The waiter noticed you and walked you up the back stairs to the roof. 

You saw that the roof was decorated with fairy lights and candles in little jars. You smiled at that. The figure that stood before you had their back turned to you and you were really confused. You took one step forward. The figure turned around to reveal a smartly dressed Steve. You both gasped. “Hello Y/N, you look amazing.” He breathed. You smiled. “Secret admirer?” He chuckled, nodding his head. “Dinner?” He asked. You nodded your head. “I’m starved.” You joked. 

He helped you sit down. The waiter from before came and brought up one of your favourite dishes. At this point your mouth was watering, you dug into your dinner. Once you had finished your meal, Steve stood up and turned on the radio. “Dancing in The Moonlight” was the song that played. “Would you like to dance?” He asked, holding out his hand. You obliged and began to dance slowly to the music. 

“You know, I love you so much, Y/N.” You smiled at him. “I knew that.” You said, ruining the moment. Steve frowned. “But I love you too.” You said, looking up at him. You were still a little shorter than Steve in heels, so you went up on your tippy toes to reach his lips. He kissed back and held you tight. Then you heard a loud cheer. You and Steve broke the kiss and you look around to see the Avengers on the next roof with a camera. You and Steve both laughed but gave them what they wanted.

A relationship.

[empressxmachina]

by Imperial-Radiance (aka me)

     "Damn, I can't believe I haven't been ambushed, yet. It's a good thing I planned ahead because, whew, that's rough."

    The day had finally come for one of the biggest games of the year - not the Championship and not Nationals, but the rivalry gridiron game of the season. Of course, it was all in fun, but the heat and intensity of all the fans were always at their peaks during these games, especially since the two schools were relatively close to each other. 

    Madeline, or Madi as her friends and family referred to her as such, had already had the experience of what these games were like, but she and the rest of the people there representing her Kingston University Royals were even more happily hyped as they demolished their rivals in score, and she wasn't even on the sidelines to see it.

    Madi and her twin sister Caroline had been the best of friends since birth, and the only time they had ever separated in their lives was their choice of schools. Once diverged, their number of similarities decreased from there, but despite being away from each other, they maintained to share a few commonalities like major choice, clubs, GPA, and more. However, the one main difference that had resulted in Madi running in a panic right to her sister in the middle of the game was Cari's sudden relapse.

Read more on DA, or...

   She was so relieved that her coach was so understanding to let her go and care for her, but the time it took for Cari to return to some sort of stability using her specialized health kit was a lot more than she wanted.

   "The things I do for my sister," Madi sighed, trying to hustle back to her team's temporary locker room to change back into her cheerleading uniform before getting back on the bus to return to her own school. "I'm glad that I got it to her in time. But, God, I am not living for this insanity!"

   While the cheers of the Royals could've been heard from Cari's dorm room as they won and Madi tended to Cari's needs, the groans and yells from the Nash U. Knights' majority surrounding her on all sides and the reputation they had whenever they lost were things that she didn't want to experience firsthand, especially after barely making it out alive after their last clash on her own campus. As soon as Cari kicked her out to care for herself rather than call for help - the immense pride the sisters had was always their downfall - Madi found herself in the eye of an accumulating storm of brawling and spats.

   Only by the grace of God, her sport-influenced speed, and her non-school-affiliated sweats worn over her uniform, she made it back to the stadium's public but reserved, empty, co-ed locker room unscathed, practically collapsing on a bench in exhaustion.

   "Oh, thank God!" she panted, setting a hand on her side and the other over her heart, slipping her backpack off herself onto the floor. "I, uh, better get out of here before some nasty Nashers barge in on me or something. But, why did Coach have to make that cursed policy of having to be in full uniform during all parts of travel? Is she trying to kill me!?"

   With a groan, she stood up, getting ready to disrobe her casual wear until she suddenly felt how dry her throat had become and how tired she was. She was about to go look for a water fountain until she remembered the unopened can of soda she had grabbed from the squad's cooler while they were taking a cheer break. Unfortunately, the jostling of the bag as she ran to and from her sister didn't come to mind, resulting in it exploding upon opening.

   "Oh. Oh, God!" Madi exclaimed, stammering from the flow of carbonation shooting onto her face, the rest of her body, and the floor. "St-Stop! Jeez!" The amount of liquid in and on her person eventually built up to the point where she was coughing some of it out and her hand was too slippery to maintain a grip on the can, causing her to drop it. The spray of soda spread to lower levels of her clothes and doused her backpack before crashing and fizzling out on the floor where the can broke in two on impact. "Shoot, I need to get this mess up, or the school's going to get charged. Wait, my uniform!"

   Trying to juggle two problems at once, Madi took off her sweatshirt and pants as quickly as possible and threw them onto the elongating puddle on the floor before running to a sink to dab the not-as-large stains on her uniform with water. As she focused on her clothing, she was unaware of the growing stickiness and hardening of the soda on her exposed skin and hair. Taking a shower occurred nearly every night, anyway, but having to go into the strenuous and lengthy routine that was treating, washing, and drying her uniform was something that she hoped wouldn't have to happen.

   She had gotten to the point where visible stains on her clothes had faded to half of their previous intensity when the familiar sound of a notification chirping from her phone reached her ears. Knowing how late she was and figuring that her team was probably worried about her, she cut off the sink faucet and ran for it. When she returned to her stuff, she was happy that her clothes were doing what she had wanted - absorb as much of the spilled drink as they could. Much of the liquid mess had retreated into the fabric. Still, seeing how the list of fabrics also included her bag wasn't relieving, bringing another sigh out of her as she grabbed and shook her phone that was poking out of a shallow, brown pool like a rock in a mud puddle.

   Remembering how the captain of the team tended to snap at some of the smallest issues, Madi hesitated at unlocking her phone to see her new message. But, she was a big girl, and if she wanted any chance at possibly being a leader next year or a front-row starter at Nationals, then she was going to have to answer, and so she did. However, the message she read had only little to do with her as it had been sent to the entire team.

   "Huh? A recall?" she read, confused and worried. "'Due to adverse effects in direct correlation to being exposed to the following drinks, DO NOT CONSUME THEM.' Well, that's not ominous at all. Another health scare, oh boy!" Madi started simply going back to cleaning herself until she thought about the drink company and expiration dates in the text. "Wait, my drink doesn't apply to that, right? I didn't drink my soda since it fucking-erupted on me, but it said just 'being exposed' was an issue. Hmm."

   She turned back to the mess on the floor, and after looking at the can fragments, she felt that something was off.  Nevertheless, she went for the bottom half of the can to check its information. Its size seemed much larger than what she remembered when opening it – looking more like the 12-ounce size rather than the 7.5 fluid ounce type that she could've sworn she picked up – but the labeling was a greater concern because it fit right into the drink batches in question. However, as soon as Madi made her realization, she found herself on the floor, putting all her hard stain removal work in the trash as she fell face first into a soda stream and darkness.

   When Madeline and Caroline were younger, they and their family would frequent to the lake that a family friend of theirs had property on. Each visit was lovely, except for the one where the twins were a bit too confident in their swimming skills and drifted too long and far into the lake. Madi couldn't forget the feeling of water filling every orifice more and more as her appendages gave out over time and the heavy coughing that tested her lungs as their father swooped them back up above the surface to receive air once again. She imagined that Cari had similar experiences, but they had never discussed it - the memories were too bad.

   So, why was she thinking of them now?

   Madi's vision faded in from black as light reached her eyes once again, but in conjunction with the light, a sensation of liquid also came to her, flowing into her slightly open mouth, a nostril, and an ear as a surprise, forcing herself to pop out of lethargy and raise up to breathe. As her sights cleared, she could feel wetness falling from her head, down her curves, and into what felt like a sticky lake around and beneath her. Gumminess and saturation in all her orifices were two feelings that she never wanted to have, and her outfit now being painted in a shade like the fluid surrounding her and stuck to her skin like latex, along with almost drowning, only made it worse.

   "What the hell is this?" Madi screamed, throwing her hands up and down, rippling the aqua around her upon impact. By doing so, she became aware of how heavy all her muscles felt - each one needing more force than usual to move - as if she had been in a twenty-four practice... or trying to keep from drowning. "Where even am I!?"

   To figure out her location, she looked around, only to find blurry white as far as her eyes could see, except for the dirty collection in which she sat. This was something she only saw in movies and creepypastas, and it got her terrified, not knowing where to go or what to do - sitting in a blank, unknown, quiet room alone, almost. It was almost quiet, except for the sloshing noises that her movements made and a faint bubbling that couldn't have been too far from her.

   Madi searched for its source, running her hands through the dark goop and feeling around or anything out of the ordinary. When she detected nothing, she decided to trudge toward the sound, not bothering to stand up as he figured that she would just fall back down. So, she got on all fours and began to crawl.

   With each movement, she could see her optics slowly improve, introducing more and more colors and shapes into view. However, her good news was countered by the difficulty of dragging through the murky goop, comparable to those barbed wire mud crawls she saw soldiers do in a documentary once. As much as she wanted to quit, she knew that locating the sounds were more important, and so she persevered. In not too long of a lumber, she found the origin of the bubbling - her submerged phone vibrating and blinking below the brown surface.

   "What the-? This still works?" she questioned in utter shock.

   Pulling her cellular device out into open air, through the strain it took to do so, Madi saw that the waterproof case she had on it stood up to its claims, along with the tens of messages from her coaches and squad family asking where she was and if she was okay. It devastated her to know how so many people were worried about her, but she was even broken by the fact that her hands were so gluey that she couldn't make precise movements on its screen to respond to them that she was at least alive. Each touch appeared to open every app she wasn't trying to interact with, thus frustrating her to no end. She only had a brief calm when the camera application open, and only a brief calm it was.

   The back camera was on, and through it, she saw that her eyesight had returned to normalcy, seeing her pile of sweats and bag in the distance as she had left them. She sighed in bittersweet relief, understanding that she was still in a Nash University locker room like before. However, she noticed how they appeared to be farther away from both herself and each other than what she last remembered as well as the lockers, floor tiles, and bench being much wider and/or taller, almost comedically large. Intrigued, Madi turned off the camera and chose to look at the bench at her side for herself, just to then find herself awestruck and lock-jawed at not only a wooden bench that seemed to tower over and overshadow her like a building but also a not-as-high yet still twice her sitting height, sliced, metal, hollow cylinder in front of her with jagged edges that could make her bleed infinitely and the same brown slop streaming from it into the pool around her.

   It didn't take long for her to realize the truth, looking back and forth to other spectacles of the room - the other half of the cylinder behind her also pouring liquid, the skyscraping and never-ending lines of lockers, the heavenly white lights way up high, and the walls that seemed impossible to reach no matter how far or quickly she ran - but she just didn't want to believe it.

   "This is some sci-fi shit," Madi mumbled to herself. "There's no way I've... freaking shrunk. How in the-?" She paused her questioning when she remembered the one cryptic message she had received earlier that evening and looked at its reference - the colossal can, taunting her with its girth. "Youdid this!" she yelled at the metal container with a shaken voice, frightened at how in this wide, empty room, her voice neither carried nor echoed at her dimensions. "No wonder there's a fucking recall! This is literal chemical warfare! What the hell!?"

   With the recall in mind, she could only hope that no one else had been affected by it, especially with a whole school full of enraged Knights stomping around. After all, how else would they have known about it, in the first place? But, Madi tried to keep a relatively cool head, hoping by the grace of God that she was the only one, even though there was much greater chance that anyone else would've had someone nearby to care for them in her scenario. Would she ever be that lucky?

   "What do I do?" she wondered, analyzing the situation. "I can't move. My everything hurts. I barely know my way out of here, if I can even get there without passing out, getting lost, or worse."

   Her sentence nearly faltered as she started visualizing the most terrible scenarios, all of which a Nash Knight of any age finding her, a cup-sized K.U. cheerleader, or them coming across her unknowingly, perhaps even literally. Each idea brought its own chills down her spine.

   “I'm totally screwed!" she continued. "The only things I can do are speak and hear, I guess, but who knows how well those would do against a 'normal-sized' person."

   Though, after saying her somewhat positive qualities aloud, she gained a bit of hope and curiosity, looking down at the phone in her hand.

    "Yet, this thing is small as hell, and it still works," she regarded, rubbing a syrupy finger across the screen and seeing how it was more responsive than before, perhaps calibrating to her new touch and feel. "There is no logical reason, I think, that this thing should still have a signal or a working battery, and yet it does! It can't hurt to call for help, but if I can even get through, who do I call?"

   Looking at her contacts, scrolling down the page to the best of her ability, Madi juggled who would be the best choice. Her ICE numbers were her parents and Cari, but with Cari needing to heal on her own and their parents being far away, none of them would be able to get to her before it got dangerous. Her next choices were anyone on her squad and the coaches. They had already shown their unease toward her absence, so it would make sense for them to want to help her in her time of need. However, as she only listed full names of people in the list without prefixes, titles, or grouping, she would have to go at least halfway through before reaching one of them.

   "Jeez, did every single cheerleader this year have to have a name that starts after M!?" she moaned, failing time and time again to use the letter quick scroll on the side of the screen, eventually resorting to flicking her thumbs and indexes to go down the hundreds of numbers, email addresses, and names.      

   As the list grew longer, her fingers became pained, and her head starting to go dizzy, not able to take in so much changing information and action at once as well as her viscid finger pads only allowing bits of movement at a time. So, she had to stop at some point to work out the kinks in her hands. However, when she did, she wasn't aware of where her fingers landed and how they had started a dial tone. It was only when a familiar voice broke the silence did she comprehend that her prospects had come true, even if the way of doing so was unexpected.

   "H-Hello?" a disembodied male voice called out through what sounded like a party. Madi gasped, knowing only a few people that could be that orotund in a crowd but only one with a voice like that. She looked down at her cell and thanked God at the name on its screen. "Madi, are you there?"

   "Yes? Yes, I'm here!" Madi tried to answer back through tears, nearly dropping the phone in anticipation and excitement. "P-Please tell me you can hear me. Please."

   "Uh, yeah. You're coming in fine on my end, even through the craziness on this bus." Madi had to hold back crying out loud from happiness, even though she wanted to express it.

   "Oh, thank God! I honestly can't believe I reached you. Are you nearby?"

   She figured that with nearly a hundred players on the team, including him, and them constantly giving their hardest and being switched in and out during the game for as much as she could remember and hear from Cari's room, that it would take a lot of time for them and the squad to reenergize, grab food, and re-board the buses to go back to the Kingdom aka K.U.'s main campus.

   However, her interlocutor then lowered her sentiments when he continued, "Uh, I'd say 'close' is pretty dependent on where you are. I mean, the team and I are still in the parking lot, but we're going to be heading off soon. Why do you ask? We're all going to end up back at K.U., right? Did something happen to y'all or the bus?"

   Madi realized that the squad's coach bus must've already left. It was the tradition for the cheerleaders to return first to join the JV and smaller squads that were already on campus to support the team, win or lose, but she didn't think they'd just leave without her.

   "Uh, I don't think so?" That was all she could say about them, considering that she wasn't there to know for sure. "I hope not, or do I? I don't know."

   "What's with the lack of clarity? That's not like you." Madi couldn't help but agree. However, it was all that she could be. Nothing was going right or making sense. "What's wrong?"

   There was so much that Madi could say, and she knew that explaining her body issue would've probably been the most logical thing to describe, but there was no way that he would believe her. So, she went on a just-as-true but somewhat indirect route.

   "I-I'm not on the bus?" she admitted lowly.

   "What!?" her friend yelled, most likely being the cause of the quieting background noise. In a more hushed tone, he resumed, "Why? Where are you, then?"

   "I'm in the NU locker room, and I can't move."

   "You can't? They're not keeping you hostage over one loss out of, like, eight games so far, are they?" he asked in a whisper-shout. "No one hurt you, right?"

   "No," Madi replied bluntly. "No one's here, but there's nothing to stop them from doing so if someone does show up. I came in here a while ago, but I passed out, and I'm just coming to." Explaining the horrific doings and possibilities raised Madi's already-high stress levels even higher, and she had to pause to compose herself. "No one touched me, but it sure feels like someone did."

   After saying that, the other side of the call went coldly silent. Madi prayed that the call didn't drop, and she was too scared to look on the phone and check for herself.

   "Jake? You're still there, right?” she tried worriedly.

   A few seconds passed before the man, Jake, answered back,

   “Yeah, I'm here. I'm just moving stuff out of my way. I didn't think I'd have to go back to the front of the bus until we got back, but here I am doing just that. I’ve got to let the coaches know about you, girly - mine and yours. We may need some backup going back on that cursed ground."

   "Wait, what?" Madi cried, not expecting Jake to tell someone. "No, no! Don't tell anyone about this! That's just asking for trouble!"

   "How is a search party for you more dangerous than me going in alone? Sure, a coach makes the plays, but the players do them, and I don't think the one player that scored the turning point of the game that led to their ultimate demise should go in alone on rival turf."

   On one hand, Madi felt that his thought was selfish, but she also understood what he was saying on the other. She hadn’t thought about what would happen after Jake or someone else found her as she was, but having more people dealing with her, especially those she didn't know or trust, was just something that she didn't want.

   "Plus, you know there are, like, five locker rooms in the proximity of the stadium, right?" Jake continued. "You never said which one you were in, so more people looking would make finding you a lot easier."

   "Don't sass me with your valid logic! Jake, I'm having a crisis right now!" Madi shut him down before breaking down herself. "Jackson, please. With everyone I know, and everyone that must deal with me, why would I call you of all people first if I didn't need you and only you?" Of course, she knew him being her callee was a lucky coincidence, but she would never admit that. Her argument was too good.

   It proved to be true as Madi was met with another silence before sighing broke through the phone,

   “Madi, you better be in some deep shit, because I'm not going to risk myself getting suspended for basic pettiness."

   "I swear that this is as real as it gets, as much as I don't want to believe it, myself," she promised tautly. "I can't do this on my own. I'm scared."

   "Don't be. I'm coming for you," Jake assured with a smoky tinge. "Just sit tight unless you have no other choice, and I'll find you."

   "Please do."

   And then, the call ended, leaving Madi alone to collect her thoughts and wait on the sidelines of a soda can for whatever or whoever was going to come with nowhere to turn and nowhere to run.