#they just made all the heroes immortal as a perk I guess

[sparrowmoth]

Honest thoughts on Lonnie + family?

@cleverqueenchild God, I love Mulan, so I was hoping for more with Lonnie's character, but I don't dislike her by any means. She's easily my favourite AK. I headcanon her a lesbian and girlfriends with Jane, which I think is a really cute little ship. I also like to think that she'd be best friends with Jay, so she hangs out in Jay and Carlos' dorm a lot.

As for her family, I tend to forget she has a brother, which is a mercy since every time I remember the name "Li'l Shang," I want to bury my face in my hands, which is all the comment I have on that djakgjdksg

Overall, great concept, mediocre execution. She deserved better, but so did every single character in the franchise, what can you do lmao

[impinged]

You can't argue with that logic! An eye for an eye, right? Er, well, maybe you shouldn't think like that. You're already down one of those. In any case!!! You... stand around. You were going to pose, you swear it, but curiosity gets the best of you so you just sort of fidget instead. You rock on your heels, attempting to steal a small peek here and there at your peak.

She is incredibly focused, you'll give her that much! It almost makes you feel a bit bad your doodle was a bit half-hearted in comparison. Maybe you'll do her one better and whittle something for her? You wouldn't even need to ask for a reference, it's hard to forget such a likeness (even with your sieve of a brain.)

You perk up when she announces her completion, and are all to eager to follow her command. And feast your eye you do! Stars!!! It's not at all what you expected but, but.........!!!!!

SHE MADE YOU LOOK WICKED COOL.

"It's me!!!" You gleam with a joy you cannot possibly attempt to play down. Not that you'd want to but, stars, this is incredible! You look totally epic and awesome and is that a wing?? You WISH you actually looked like that!!! That'd be so cool!!!!!!

Amidst your glee, her description finally fully processes in your brain.

There's still a bright smile plastered on your face as you echo, "A brooding antihero..."

Huh! You didn't know you were the brooding type. You don't brood... do you? Uh, maybe just a little. Enough? Is there a correct amount of brooding?? And are you really an anti-hero? It fits, you guess... You were given a special power to help your friends, you just haven't figured out the right way to... Okay, wait, stop. You need to stop. Thinking about this. Focus on your super cool new dirt drawing of you someone was nice enough to make. This is an awkward amount of silence. You need to say something, quickly. You sputter out what amounts to a cough at first, and eventually manage to spit out your gratitude, that's a good place to start!

"You- You weren't kidding, you are really good! Thank you!!" Your eye feels as though it sparkles focusing on the drawing once again. "OH! Can I uh, take a picture of it...?" You fumble for that phone thing you were given upon your arrival here. You're still figuring it out, but you know it would help immortalize something like this considering the canvas is just... dirt.

Sick knife tricks, too, thinks Uzi as she takes the proffered tool. But let's get back on track.

"Well, I mean, you drew me so it's like... Making it even, I guess?" But she kind of also wants to show off; it's been a while since she's been able to relax and do something she enjoys.

Dirt isn't an ideal canvas, but art is about the struggle. Uzi looks back and forth a few times between the dirt and the human, the image coming to life in her mind. "You can pose if you want," she says, shrugging as she squats down. "But I kinda already had something in mind. Oh yeah, this is gonna be good."

Something about this person's eye patch speaks to her, and with the inspiration struck, she goes to work. One could assume that, as a machine, Uzi would possess some kind of incredibly realistic artistic ability, but Worker Drones weren't built for self-expression. No, Uzi's skill is self-taught from years of watching anime and studying how-to-draw books. Although it doesn't translate as well given the medium, after a few minutes she stands back up. "Heh, there! Feast your eye on that!"

She made them look cool. Look at the sharp angles, the shading by the eye patch, the single angel wing that they have now. "Took a liberty or two, but you know how it is," says Uzi, handing the knife back. "I think the wing kind of, like, completes the look. You know? Kind of like a- a brooding antihero."

[imthepunchlord]

Do you have any thoughts on how the guardian role is handled lore wise? Would you change much about being the guardian?

Oh yes I do and there's so much that I would change up.

The more we see of the Guardians, the dumber they are and the more pointless they are. To a point it's a wonder if they were worth the inclusion as they don't amount to much and are just useless. I'm putting this undercut as I just go off.

- Lore wise, they set it up that adults are naturally more powerful, so why did Fu pick two kids to fight his battles for him? Why not adults? Why did he leave them on their own instead of offering them some means to have an edge over HM?

- Of the Ladybug and Cat, we have yet to see anything unique that the Cat brings to these fights that the other 15 miraculi that Fu has with him couldn't do. You need a distraction that's going to mess up the akuma? Monkey and Fox. You need a protector/aggressor? Bee, Turtle, or Dragon. Ladybug is a must as its the only cleanser so far and has ML to boot, but Cat doesn't need to be out there, and as soon as HM had quite publicly stated that he wants LB and Cat, Fu should've reclaimed the Cat immediately to secure its safety and that HM won't get both. Another or two could go out to replace it.

- Why was picking Adrien a good idea? If Fu had just arrived in Paris, ok, but Backwarder reveals he's been living in Paris for a while. And with that, he's seen Adrien's face everywhere.s Adrien is potentially the most well known kid in Pari. Technically, for Fu's want of secrecy, why pick the most iconic face in Paris to get a miraculous? That sets up one of your heroes to always have attention on him. Fu picking Adrien doesn't make any logical sense.

- Why is Fu ok with endangering one kid but not the other? Why does Marinette get a test set up that risks her life and Fu's if it hadn't gone well and Adrien just helps an old man up, a common decency that most would do. It's like two extreme differences that don't work well in comparison as Marinette gets the risky test and Adrien it looks like he got his miraculous on a silver platter as he got the far easier one that takes the least effort to be a decent human being.

- Fu being a terrible mentor and hero picker in general and the whole shebang with Syren. If Adrien is not meeting his standards or if he doesn't trust Adrien at all, why is Adrien being allowed to continue as a hero? Or if he really wants Adrien to stay, why isn't he doing anything about Adrien? Why isn't he telling Plagg to encourage Adrien to step up and get serious? If he can take on the role of being Adrien's Chinese teacher, why not do that to try and guide Adrien to improvement so he can also be trusted with Guardian secrets too and truly help Marinette out. He's got two options when he doesn't trust Adrien or finds that he's meeting his standards: he takes the miraculous back or he addresses this issue himself.

- I also call big BS about him not doing anything at all when he comes upon Adrien detransformed on the roof with Plagg. Cause he's risking himself going out to find Chat Noir only to find him detransformed. That realistically should raise some brows and concern him. Adrien at least should've gotten a lecture or warning.

- Also the reveal that kwamis aren't allowed to know about their own power. that to me is off putting. It really stresses that kwamis are beneath them, these very ancient and powerful beings that have probably seen a lot. And canon validates it by making them children (which to me is the writers being lazy so they don't have to do complex characters).

- The whole thing with Fu's backstory. Dumbest backstory I've ever heard and it just paints Guardians in a really bad light, and by extension, real life monks. Monks didn't go to people's homes to take children. If they did take kids with them, those kids had nowhere else to go and offered them a place to stay until old enough to be on their own. And that test, omg, wtf. Ok, I can get the idea of a test of temptation, but there are other ways to perform it without starving a kid. Especially leaving said kid alone unsupervised with 19 powerful miraculi two of which have wish granting abilities. How would the Guardians even know if Fu used a miraculous as they left him alone with mriaculi. If Fu wanted to, he could've made a wish to never be picked.

- Fu didn't even do shit when he finally had a chance to face off against HM. He just sat in his damb ball and allowed himself to get knocked around. At least try and roll over him! Be a ping-pong ball! DO SOMETHING. Like, why did you even pick Turtle??? Turtle wasn't able to do anything against Butterfly! I thought it could as Fu had been ready to go in Origins, plus the 5 are based off Wu Xing, by set up, Fox and Turtle should have some sort of an edge over the Butterfly. But I guess that means there could be other options aside form LB and we can't have that, Marinette's miraculous needs to be the only thing to take on the Butterfly to really stress on the fact that it comes down to only her.

- The memory wipe thing that's an apparently must when you retire from being the Guardian. Honestly I think that should've been saved as a last resort if you're ever captured and could be forced to leak info, not when you retire. Doing so removes a valid source of advisement that a new Guardian can rely on. History is there to learn from it and this tradition removes a source of history to learn from, either from having guidance or seeing what the old did and how you want to change things. This also makes me concerned as I see Adrien taking advantage of an amnesiac Marinette.

- I went off about the NY Special revealing there's more Orders here.

- And lastly, Su-Han, the other Guardian to see aside from Fu. And with him, it solidifies how stupid they all are. When the Butterfly is being misused in Paris, why is someone aggressive and judgmental coming to Paris? Why is this guy even working with kids when he doesn't like kids? And the reveal that Guardians don't use miraculi at all. That just makes that test all the dumber with testers being unsupervised. And for Guardians not meant to use miraculi, how come Marinette gets a nice perk as LB that she can pull a miraculous out of her yo-yo? They're probably playing that she's "the first" to do so but realistically, I'm pressing x to doubt. In the long history of miraculi and when Guardians were around, you expect me to believe that Guardians never used miraculi themselves? What if there was no one to turn to, do they just the disaster happen? ...Well, based on how terrible canon is setting them up, I wouldn't be surprised.

SO.

There is a lot I would change up about the Guardians and for this, I'll adjust canon.

- Adrien gets the ring another way, maybe a gift from his mom or aunt or grandparents. Realistically, there's no logical reason for Fu to pick Adrien. He just has too much attention on him and Chat being an unexpected miraculous user can make him wary, adding to him only trusting Marinette.

- I'd have Fu be more present in Marinette's life, a customer who comes in a lot. This way he can offer advise when needed but not take away from Tikki. And this has him more closely keeping an eye on things.

- I'd change up Fu's backstory. He got separated from his family in a flood, the previous Turtle saved him, tried to help him find his family and with no luck, took him to the Temple, but only the section where other orphans are where they work to help take care of it, oblivious to the miraculous near them. After a year, Fu is one of the few selected to be entrusted with miraculous knowledge. He's surprised but not all that for it as he'd rather go find his family still. Idk how Temple falls but its not that. That was just dumb and avoidable.

- I wouldn't have Adrien meet Fu at all. In truth, it actually could've been cut out entirely as Adrien meeting Fu didn't amount to anything. He doesn't help with Guardian duties, doesn't help pick heroes, hasn't stepped up at all in his role as a partner. And he's not as torn up about Fu's loss as Marinette is. Adrien meeting Fu was pointless in the grand scheme of things. Nothing was progressed or changed from Adrien meeting Fu.

- I'd have HM ONLY getting an edge on Fu because Mayura was there to help him, catching Fu off guard. I want to see the Turtle truly in action, to see what else it can do cause sitting there to be smacked around was just unimpressive. And if Asstruck even did as much research as he could, he'd know that in Chinese mythology, the Turtle is a boss. It's the keeper of history and symbol of immortality, and it's up there with Tiger as an animal that can go toe to toe with the Dragon. And of the Four Symbols (associated with 4 seasons), the Black Turtle is also known as the Black Warrior. There should've been a lot more to Turtle than just sitting in your shell and allowing yourself to be knocked around.

- Su-Han I'd drastically change up. I'd keep in him being critical and stern, but he approaches things smartly and patiently. Before he dives into aggression and accusations, he wants to know what's going on. Why does this 14 yo have the Miracle Box? How was the Butterfly obtained and misused? And what the hell is going on??? How are these people so small and how did they get into this thin glass box?? Computer? What's a computer??? Essentially, have fun with the fact that Su-Han is essentially a time traveler and one great bonding experience to have with Marinette while also offering some good comedy is him learning about the modern time and her acting as his guide. Su-Han can give her guidance that Fu hadn't been able to give, and Marinette can offer her own in a way that Su-Han will need. Which by extension could remove Marinette having a near mental breaking point and revealing herself to Alya, and could avoid some of that drama of what's coming.

- Speaking of which, Adrien. I'd use Su-Han to finally address the issues with Adrien as a hero and partner. Su-Han prioritized Marinette as she has the Miracle Box, but Adrien is someone he'd take the miraculous away from. Adrien would get a very clear warning and call out for his actions and role.

[se7ens-oc-heaven]

i demand Hesperides Lore Dump /hj

Eyyyy look at me totally answering this ask when it was sent which was totally not like. A year ago. Or whenever it was /lh/s

But he's actually getting some content in my brain machine recently so Hesperides! Or Hes as I sometimes call him (maybe I should start spelling it Hess?)

So to put it simply, Hesperides is a near-immortal predecessor of the modern vampire thanks to some worldbuilding I did for the species. Got a lot of the perks and almost none of the downsides... Aside from of course being immortal and outliving entire empires, never mind people lol

Still, Hess has been around for a while and has hit a pretty chill point in his life because what happens, happens.... Even if that includes getting isekai'd into a dead-end alternate universe on the brink of collapse.

It's fine.

This is where the 'vamphunters' storyline comes into play! He gets kinda dropped into that other world on accident and it starts out like the magically charged 'alt-earth' he's familiar with, though with less emphasis on magic. But a bizarre "pandemic*" that should have run its course instead seems to run the world into the ground, turning people into a bland variation on yout typical zombie apocalypse.

Hesperides tries to save infected people at first, he has countless centuries of knowledge tucked under his belt, but nothing seems to work... He ends up changing tactics and wiping them out on sight, humanity can rebuild if there's less chance for the infection to spread after all. Along the way he picks up Luca and Cheshire and kinda unofficially adopts them, and spends the next few years keeping them safe while they try to wait out the "apocalypse" stage and seek out other survivors.

Except. That doesn't quite pan out for the gang, for some reason....

Eventually, after various plot, the trio gets isekai'd (in Hess's case, Again) back to Hesperides's home universe with its 'like us except all that aliens and magic shit is real and some stuff is better' Earth.

Hesperides gets his boys some goddamn therapy, and meanwhile he decides to sort out how the fuck it was even possible to get isekai'd in the first place, and why things went in such a weird direction in the other world. He joins one of the local superhero organizations, gets a goth bf with bonus kid, also adopts an au version of one of his existing kids, and alternates between being a cool interdimensional hero/detective and the goofy gay undead dad of the area.

...I think I gave some lore too much detail but also tbqh cut a lot of shit out. The dude has a lot going on for him lmao. Guess that's what happens when you live for thousands of years, huh

@ anyone reading, feel free to send in asks bc I'd love to talk more about the gang here!

*before anyone assumes, I wrote the vamphunters base plotline back in middle school, had nothing to do with Covid. Covid just somehow made the aggro spread of my fantasy illness unnecessarily realistic lmao

[jumptheshark]

i get that you’re emotionally repressed, but i’d appreciate it if you called for help when you’ve been stabbed

(or: ghoul is being hunted and doesn’t think to call for help until hes badly injured. tw for graphic descriptions of injuries and violence)

They both hear prayers meant for Michael. It started after Castiel’s set up, when Adam realized that an over-confident archangel isn’t always the best at gauging threats. It works pretty well; Michael screens out the billions of random prayers he gets everyday - as he’s done for years with only a little bit of guilt - and they’re only interrupted every few weeks. And this wonderful system of communication is the reason that Adam is woken up at two in the morning one night by a voice screaming for help between his ears.

“Michael-“ the voice is pained and breaking off. It’s familiar, but Adam can’t place it through the harsh breathing. He does, however, feel Michael’s attention snap in the way it only does when he’s gearing up for a fight, and dread creeps into his gut. “I know we’re not on the best terms, and- and I don’t even know if monsters can pray, but I could really use a hand-“ The voice cuts out with a gasp.

Monster… the only monster that would pray to Michael is-

“Is it Ghoul?”

Michael turns to him with a panic that Adam didn’t expect and doesn’t answer. The dread in his gut turns to icy fear. In the back of their head, an address is mumbled out to them, somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin. The next thing Adam knows, Michael is extending his wings and they’re landing in a cramped, dark room. Even with Michael, it’s cold in here. Each wall is made of smooth stone bricks. Plaques carved with names and years are evenly spaced out across the walls. It’s a crypt, he realizes, and there’s no one in the room but them.

“Michael, where is he?” It had never occurred to him that Ghoul would get into any danger. Adam had gotten so used to the immortality that came with Michael that he forgot it didn’t extend to everyone else, and now all the ways Ghoul could’ve gotten injured are flashing before his eyes. Michael’s looking around frantically, like there’s something he’s missing in this bare room.

“He’s- It’s the warding I carved into his ribs, I can’t find him.” Michael sounds worried, which does not happen often. Just hearing it spikes Adam’s anxiety that much more. “He’s here somewhere, though. I couldn’t find him in the cemetery.” He spares one last look around before leaving. Just before they fly away, Adam realizes there’s a trail of blood coming in from the door.

The next and only other room is equally as empty. It’s also just as quiet, except for the muffled groan that echoes through the far wall. A stone in the corner of it is loose and Adam immediately knows exactly where Ghoul is. Michael doesn’t wait before flying them there.

They’re met with pure darkness, until Michael snaps and the room is illuminated by an invisible source. It’s just like the other two, all cool gray stone and cobwebs, with the notable addition of a trembling body lying on the ground.

“Hey, big guy.” Ghoul is smirking up at them as if he isn’t laying in a pool of his own blood. “Took you long enough.” Adam is so relieved that he doesn’t even notice Michael has moved forward until they’re already kneeling next to Ghoul.

“What happened?” Michael asks. The wounds are bad, whatever it was. His torso has been torn through with gunshots and blood is steadily dripping out of a cut on his head. Looking at it gives Adam a dizzying sense of deja vu.

“Hunters. I guess they don’t take too kindly to strangers eating corpses in this town.” Michael moves Ghoul’s jacket aside and finds his chest sticky with blood. It gushes through his t-shirt in a way that isn’t lethal for a ghoul, but definitely isn’t pleasant either. “When they ran out of bullets, they tried to do it the old fashioned way.” He points to his head, where there are so many bruises and cuts that any human would be long dead from them by now. A few months after they first started talking, Ghoul had told Adam how Dean killed him, how he had bashed his head in until it was a smear of blood on the carpet. And now it’s happened all over again. If Adam was in control of his body, he’d be nauseous.

“Are they still here?” Michael’s voice is all business as he scans Ghoul up and down. Healing monsters isn’t difficult, but it’s a bit different than healing humans; angels weren’t built to care for the impure.

“Yeah, somewhere out in the graveyard, I think. But I’m not worried now that I have my big, strong hero here to protect me.” He winks and Michael levels an unimpressed look at him, but Adam feels the flare of amusement rise up in their chest. They’re growing on each other, even if they both pretend otherwise.

It only takes a press of his fingers to Ghoul’s forehead to heal him. The skin comes back together over his wounds like vines growing across a ravine and the blood evaporates from his clothes into the air. Adam’s pushing forward to take control of their body the instant it’s done.

His arms are around Ghoul as soon as they’re his again, and Ghoul hugs him back just as quickly. He smells like the dirt and dust of the crypt, but he’s alive and breathing and he isn’t going anywhere. Tears rise to his eyes and Adam forces them back.

“Do you know how annoying it would’ve been if we had to go running around purgatory looking for you?” His scolding loses its effect when it’s mumbled into Ghoul’s shoulder, but Adam doesn’t care.

“With tall, dark, and handsome helping out? You’d get me back in no time.” A hand comes up to rub circles into his back and suddenly Adam feels guilty. He should be comforting Ghoul, not the other way around.

“I can hear you, you know.” Michael’s apparition is sitting crossed-legged on the ground next to Ghoul, still looking unimpressed.

“Was kind of counting on it, Mikes.” Ghoul unfolds himself from around Adam and turns towards the archangel. They meet each other with identical pairs of soft eyes and hesitant smiles. Adam can see it sometimes, the comfortable friendship growing between them. It shines in moments like these, when they manage to forget their roles as “archangel” and “monster” and just see each other as people. He just wishes it didn’t have to come at the expense of Ghoul almost dying.

“Kind of cutting it close there, weren’t you?” Adam asks, poking Ghoul’s thigh. “Why didn’t you call us sooner? We could’ve flown you out of here.”

Ghoul is silent for just a second, a brief pause that could be written off as nothing. He perks up the next moment and smirks, but Adam has known him too long now to not recognize his acting face.

“Didn’t want to bother ya. It wouldn’t be the first gang of hunters I’ve escaped. I didn’t expect things to get so hairy, that’s all.” Something sinks in Adam’s chest at the fact that Ghoul still sees himself as a burden, even after these last few months.

“You know that’s really stupid, right?” Ghoul looks down and picks at a rip in his jeans, smiling in a way that doesn’t look very happy. Adam takes his hand in his own and lifts it away from the fabric, folding their fingers together. “We would’ve come for you. We both-“ he nods to Michael, “-care about you a lot. Let us take care of you.” Ghoul looks over at Michael, who nods in agreement. It’s not something he would’ve admitted to a few weeks ago.

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind next time I’m being chased down for going grocery shopping, thanks.” His tone is softer than his words. For Ghoul, it’s as close to vulnerable as he gets, and it’s good enough for Adam. He stands up, pulling Ghoul with him. Michael isn’t far behind them.

“How about we get out of here and grab some legal food, yeah? How does sushi sound?”

[atxlxs]

Beyond The Veil: Chapter 5

The assessment test was pretty consistent.

Those that had the quirks suited for it at first glance had dominated while the rest all seemed to get variations of the same base score. Some slightly better, some slightly worse. This made it pretty easy for Muska to just, consistently get good scores.

When your quirk, *cough* and other things *cough*, essentially affects anything and everything as long as the energy itself isn’t being used by something else it becomes easy to just enhance everything.

Ball throw? More like sniper propulsion. Long jump? Ha, more like flying to the opposite side. Grip strength? She doesn’t even need to touch it. Just contract the energy surrounding the mechanism. Flexibility? She used to do ballet, like, a century ago but muscle memory counts.

She had some tests she couldn’t do well, like the endurance test. She was here to train her quirk after all. Plus the longer the tests went on the harder it was to continue. If she continued at the level she was doing, she’d have one hell of a headache. It was starting to hurt as well. Every time she tried to go over her limits, using the energy actually hurt so she’d rather avoid that.

By the end of it all, Muska had placed a solid 3rd place. Beating out Robocop and PomPom (Bakugo), looking down the list with curiosity, Muska cringed at Midoriya taking last place. The kid definitely couldn’t regulate the energy belonging to his quirk, which felt really weird whenever Muska looked into it, and had broken his finger on the ball throw. However, what she didn’t expect was the feeling of mirth coming off of Aizawa.

Wait a damn minute.

The fucker wouldn’t.

“It was a logical ruse to make you all perform at your best capabilities.”

The fucker did.

Now, even as the class started shouting once more that evening, Muska was highly focused on the man in front of her. That was a lie. He lied about it being a ruse. The energy had fluctuated just slightly when he said ruse, going from mirth to a hazy feeling. The indescribable experience one goes through when they white lie or bluff.

He was going to expel the person who came in last. Something changed that though. What the fu- Oh. Ooooh.

“...If you won’t take this seriously as the hero in training students you are…”

The bastard was judging our potential and disguised it as an assessment!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rat-man hadn’t given Muska a map, either expecting her to ask someone to help or look at the map and guess. She would do neither. Asking for help would warn them beforehand and she might be waved off considering it was a staff meeting. Secondly, she just doesn’t want to.

Instead of her quirk, Muska closed her eyes and felt around the harmony. Surprisingly, the school was ‘clean’ for the most part. A few dark patches here and there but nothing horrendous. That was when she noticed it. A room towards the top of the fourth tower, left side in the back away from the gate, was filled with several aged energies. One of which seemed to be escaping slowly towards something else. That was weird, but definitely where she needed to be.

It took 10 minutes of dedication to get to the tower needed, and 10 more to not stab the principal on sight after she got up the stairs and walked over to a steel door that had a key code. Disregarding the key code box since she definitely didn’t know said code, she decided that knocking in the tune to “Crab Rave” was a good alternative.

The door opened before the first verse was done to a very confused woman in spandex. Giving her a smile, it definitely had an annoyed flair to it since she could be at home and forcing Eras to be cooking right now, Muska slipped past her and into the meeting room. The Rat-man stood on the large table, surrounded by pro hero’s (based on the flashy getups…. Is that a horse gas mask?) and seemed to be in the middle of something. A beat of silence followed as Muska walked over to an empty chair near the front, it looked to be Nedzu’s but the short rat-man didn’t need it, and sat down. Pulling out her phone and starting to scroll through Tiktok. It was an old app but it stayed strong through the years and was still running.

“Uh, whatsa youngin like ya doin here?” Horse gas mask man asked. The heroes all subtly nodded along, too shocked by her nonchalant actions about crashing a very obvious faculty meeting.

Muska’a face twisted into a small frown as she turned her attention up to see the man. Aizawa, who she just now noticed was sitting at the back corner of the table, was just glaring down at Nedzu. Smart move and he was right.

“First of all, don’t call me youngin, I can guarantee I'm older than you. Second of all, ask Remy the rat here for that info.” Muska stated, about to return to her phone before perking up again and continued, “Also rat-man, if you want answered questions they better be done before 5, I have pasta being cooked by a glorified 5 star chef waiting at home.”

Several heroes choked, Aizawa hid a snort into his scarf, at her words. Nedzu, the fiend, just smiled wider.

“Of course!” The chimera chirped.

Yes chirped, maybe he had some bird DNA mixed in?

“I wouldn’t want to keep you too long! Faculty, this is Viridis Muska, Viridis, these are the pro heroes on staff that I trust to keep their mouths shut under oath of an NDA! Your guardian was kind enough to email it over to me this afternoon.”

Muska snorted at that. “Yea sounds like her.” Placing her phone face up on the table next to her, she tapped on the table expectantly as the Rat took his sign to continue.

“The most obvious question should probably be first and I know my dear staff are confused, what did you mean by you being older?”

It was an innocent question, she’ll answer it.

“Why Remy, that's cause unless Humanity has managed to surpass their expected due date of at max 120 years, then I am very much so older.”

The room was filled with confusion. It radiated off them in waves as distress rose at getting such vague answers. Aizawa in the corner sighed and snapped his gaze from the rat to her.

“I’m sure what the rat meant to ask was how old are you exactly and how did you reach that age.” Aizawa stated. Clear and concise.

“Of course, if I remember correctly I should be turning 267 this year,” she said, not pausing even when coffee was spat all over the table from a few of the people around the room, “and I was born a human, however upon entry into the veil and my chosen profession as a witch, I was changed. Reaching the height of my craft has allowed me to unlock certain aspects of my being, immortalizing my body for now. I’m still technically in my ‘teen’ years considering the average witch you’ll meet has passed a thousand years in some capacity.”

Aizawa ran a hand down his face in exasperation and a quiet mumble of “fucking problem ch- witch” escaped. A few other heroes were pale, and the spandex woman looked very intrigued. A twink with blond hair that had the weird energy actually coughed up blood. Muska’s gaze snapped to him at that. The need to heal over writing her focus for a moment before Nedzu cleared his throat for attention again.

Reluctantly she returned her gaze to the rat. If she didn’t know any better she would have thought he was undisturbed. She did, however, know better. The rat was practically vibrating where he stood in excitement.

“Viridis, do you think you could give us a basic rundown of the veil?” Nedzu quizzed, looking more and more like the sadistic researcher he was. Fuck, He's just like the elves.

Muska leaned back and sighed. She expected this and went over it with eras last night. They came up with what could, or couldn’t be talked about for the beginning until they were all deemed trustworthy.

“I can give you a short, very short compared to all the details of the veil, summary but frankly the veil doesn’t want certain info getting into certain hands.” She said, voice cold and steely. She would not be taking a no for this.

“I understand! Anything you can trust us with for now would help the mystery that has been plaguing me for years.” Nedzu said, which caused Muska to cackle a bit.

“I know, the… reps of certain races and collectives have placed bets on when and who would slip and give you the info at some point.” watching with amusement as Nedzu’s whiskers twitched, she sighed and leaned forwards. Pointing a finger at the white board behind her.

Nedzu, who of course understood exactly what that meant, nodded.

Muska stood up and grabbed three markers. One black, one green, and one red. Taking the black marker, she drew a large circle and wrote ‘The Veil’ above it. Uncapping the green marker, Muska spoke up as she marked off sections in the circle with black and labeled them in green.

“In the veil there are set collections and races. I, as a witch, belong to the group called Magia.” Magia was written in a section taking up a 5th of the circle, “It's a collective that represents those who follow magically tied professions, no matter the race you are, since once you become a part of what defines the Magia you are assigned this section. Of course like nations there is also dual representation. However, that's more complicated and this is the short version.”

A quick glance told Muska that everyone in the room was listening with rapt attention. Especially Aizawa and Nedzu, one more concealed than the other.

“Next is the elvish. Yes, elves, and yes, they are very pretentious. The younger ones are more lax and ready for mischief, but the elders tend to be stuck in their ways or research. God the research they do. They’re called the scholars of the abyss. Do you need to know something? Ask an elf. They write and read practically everything there is to write and read.” Another section gets cut off and labeled.

“Then there's the dwarves, oh and I’m listing these in population order as is the sectioning. The more people the bigger the section and so on. I’ll get to influence later. Back to dwarves. They aren’t all blacksmiths as myth leads you to believe but they do make the best weaponry and armor. You can find quite a few in engineering professions. A lot find jobs in mixology and brewing as well.” Another section. So far all are labeled with green.

“Next is the Vampires. These guys are incredibly important in the veil since they were the first members of it. Treated the closest to monsters, they had to run away from society's view earlier than loved races like elves and dwarves. Hell, even witches had some supporters when Halloween started to become a festive rather than a lore holiday. If you want to truly know about the veil? Then ask a vampire. They have every secret tucked away and safe guarded by their Origins.” Muska said, a small mischievous smirk was hidden as they faced the board. The energy shift in Nedzu told her the first time he met Eras would be cathartic considering it's her quirk registry game that led her here.

“Next is a much smaller group called the Fae. They are everything you’ve read and more. Do not engage with them until you’ve gone through Celtic mythology. You’ll become moss like that. I fuckin hate the imps sometimes.”

“In a more general group are the smallest numbers. Collectively known as the ‘inbetween’ these members range from the sirens in the waters to the spirits that haunt the earth and fuel the energy. Demons fall under here too but they rarely visit earth and always do so under contract so they don’t have much of a voice. Dragon descendants too, the last of the actual dragons died thousands of years ago but their blood lines are in half dragons. They have wings on some, horns and scales on others, but all carry the boiling blood of their predecessors.”

Muska took a deep breath after labeling one of the last spaces with green. Capping it, she uncapped the red and wrote a bold ‘FORGOTTEN’ in the smallest space. Turning around she dropped all smiles and pleasantries. Voice harsh and cold as she spoke venom with every word.

“Never, ever, look for those in the forgotten. They do not have representation but they are known and branded. A red circle with a line in the middle along with text that only certain people can read is their symbol and it's burned into their skin. The forgotten are the, essentially, criminals of the veil. The veil is filled with people of dubious legalities to humans but there is a special place to rot for those that cross veil taboos. Whether it’s a necromancer practicing on those that are alive, or a vampire who has gone blood crazy and slipped into the view of humans as food. Elves committing experimentation on live creatures for research or sirens drowning sailors into the ocean out of amusement. These are all examples of forgottens who get branded soon after they are recognized.”

The air seemed stale as Muska ran her glare over the heroes present. Even Nedzu shuddered as the energy in the room seemed to freeze and burn those that took too deep of a breath despite not actually happening.

The heroes nodded once they realized she was looking for a response and her gaze softened but still held a serious edge to it.

“The brands are placed by chosen representatives of the race where the forgotten came from. The representative is chosen by a council meeting between the heads of each race, the heads themselves are chosen by vote or position within the race and the job is carried out within 24 hours of discovery.”

Speaking of the representatives of races,

“Any questions before I head home for my fuckin pasta?”

(She just really wants her pasta)

Tags:

@baguettehead

[paradox-psyc-hoe-sis]

The Strongest Avenger

Carol x fem!reader, avengers x reader (platonic)

Word count: 5.2k

Warnings: so many oh boy. Attempted angst, fluff, insecurity, broken bones, injections + needles, so much gore, organ removal, vomit. If you're sensitive to any gore then please don't read it, I'm sorry oof

A/n: I've never written anything like this before, so feedback is always welcome. Tamika, if you're reading this, I am going to marry Carol Danvers one day. Try and stop me, I dare you. - Aphrodite

"Your turn, Nat!"

You, Carol, Natasha, Wanda and Peter all sat on the floor of your bedroom. Carol had a week free, so she decided to spend that week back on earth with her best friends; she was completing a 6 month long mission and it had been exactly 123 days since you saw her last. Yes, you were counting. Whenever she returns from a mission, you host a girls night (eith the exception of Peter, of course. He looked up to you all so much, you couldn't just not invite him), and tonight you had decided to play a game of 21 dares. It's practically the exact same as 21 questions, but with dares instead. After all, you were avengers, and none of you were scared of a bit of danger.

"Alright, alright." Nat looked deep in thought before her eyes lit up, thinking of the best dare. "Carol. I dare you to make out with the prettiest person in the room." Peter gasped, making everyone laugh, and you met Carol's eyes. She raised and eyebrow, to which you gave a small nod; next thing you knew, she had scooted over to sit next to you, and casually put her lips on yours. You didn't think too much of it; you and Carol were closer than any of the other avengers were, and she probably felt more comfortable kissing you than anyone else. The fact that she had chosen you as the prettiest never even crossed your mind.

You'd had a crush on Carol since the first time you saw her. It was about two years ago; she was moving into the avengers tower, and you had to give her the tour. Her sandy blonde hair fell casually onto her shoulders, and she wore black jeans with a white jumper. You had offered to carry her bags, but that was a mistake - being roughly half a foot shorter and only having 3% of the strength that she has was the fatal flaw. Over those two years, you and Carol grew to be best friends, and your feelings for her slowly faded. What was once a raging fire of passion had fizzled down into a small candle flame, but it shone bright with hope nonetheless. She hadn't changed since you first met her, yet she now sported short hair, rather than her longer curls.

Oh, and now you were kissing her.

Her lips were soft, contradictory to yours which were chapped and rough. You were so focused on her that you didn't hear Wanda trying to get your attention. Carol snaked a hand up to your neck and opened her mouth slightly more, yet you could still feel her smiling into your mouth. Before you could put a hand on her waist, you felt someone flicking your face. Laughing as you pulled away from her, Carol sat back where she originally was, and gave you a wink. Wanda was now knelt next to you, and it became apparent that she was the one who had flicked you.

"Any longer and we would've had to cover Peter's eyes!" Her accent came out thick between a giggle, and you felt a familiar burning in your cheeks.

☆☆☆☆☆

You rolled over in your bed to look at the time; 1:38 am. The game of 21 dares didn't last much longer after your kiss, and you all crashed on your bed. It was the climax of summer, so you wore only underwear and a tank top while you slept. Being sure not to wake anybody up, you climbed off of the bed, internally thanking your past self for choosing to lay on the side closest to the door. Grabbing a pair of pyjama shorts to slip on, you studied everyone's expressions to make sure they were all still asleep, and your eyes lingered on Carol's face for a bit too long. Peter wasn't there, he must've woken up earlier and gone back to his bedroom, you thought. Sighing, you walked out of the door. Even out in the hallway it was blisteringly warm, so you headed to the kitchen to get a bottle of water.

The song Dancing Queen by ABBA has been stuck in your head for weeks, so you quietly sang it to yourself on your way to the living area. Once you got to the kitchen you closed your eyes, still singing, and began dancing in the space that you had. Minutes must have passed before you opened your eyes and saw Steve sat at the dining table. He didn't say anything, but instead took a long sip of the coffee he had. Without even flinching at his sudden appearance, you got your bottle of water, and walked out. As you passed him on the way, you leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"This never happened."

Instead of going back to your room, you headed straight towards the elevator, and made your way to the roof. Stepping out into the warm breeze, you walked closer to the balcony. You noted the clarity of the stars above you yet you saw the sun poking out from above the city skyline, and took a deep breath of the early morning air. Disturbing you from tranquility, the sound of the door behind you opening awoke you from your daze.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite earth human."

You turned and saw Carol stood in the doorway, holding two mugs of cocoa.

"Good morning, space alien. What're you doing up?" She walked over to you and handed you one of the mugs. No whipped cream and extra marshmallows, just how you like it. She knew you so well.

"Couldn't sleep, you?"

Before you answered, you took in her appearance. Her short hair was messy as a result of her slumber, and she rocked a matching set of baby pink pyjamas.

"I guess I could say the same. I've had too much on my mind lately." You took a large gulp of your drink, ignoring the fact that its heat felt like molten lava was being poured down your throat. She hummed in response, looking out to the horizon. She turned to you with a frown, sighed, and then asked you a question. "What do you want to do in the future?" The question took you aback, but you knew what you wanted out of life, and you were comfortable telling her. As you thought of your future, you saw a wedding, maybe children, and a steady career.

"Well, once more heroes rise from the future ashes of the avengers, I want to settle down. Helping the earth, and the universe, is everything to me, so I want to work for as long as I can. It would be brilliant to meet somebody soon..." you took a breath, "and possibly fall in love. I don't know about kids, but having somebody to share my life with means the world to me. What about you?"

She was looking at you with such admiration, and you met her gaze. She smiled and turned back to the view, thinking hard. "I think I want to stay on earth." She put it more bluntly than you've ever heard her speak, and you were surprised with the answer.

"Seriously? You literally have super powers, have travelled to so many galaxies, fought the universes biggest threats, and are practically immortal. And at the end of the day, you really want to stay on this junk yard of a planet?"

She faked an offended look and punched you on the arm. "I have more friends of this junk yard of a planet than I do in the entire galaxy. And it's not every day that you get to spend the rest of your life with a group of misfits like us who only care about protecting people. After things have settled down in this realm, I want to stay here to protect my family." You smiled as she turned her head towards you. "And besides, this junk yard of a planet has a very amazing person on it who I'd never be able to get rid of, no matter where I decide to settle down."

You both laughed, and you finished your cocoa. "I'm going back to bed, I promised Natasha that I'd train with her tomorrow and God knows that I need the energy." You smiled and turned to walk away before she grabbed your wrist. Neither of you said anything, but words weren't needed. She pulled you into a hug in which you happily returned, and she gave you a small kiss on the forehead. You stayed like this for a while before you found your eyelids growing heavy. She let you leave for real, this time, and you fell asleep thinking about her.

☆☆☆☆☆

Two days later, you were sat in the conference room with all of the other avengers. Carol sat across the table from you, and you'd love to just stare at her for the entire meeting, but this was important. Somebody in New York had been committing a series of crimes. At first, it was small stuff like shoplifting or stealing somebody's bag on the street. But the longer they were left unnoticed, the bigger their crimes got. Yesterday, you had recieved information that five people were murdered in an attack in the Wall Street building. The criminal went by the name of Neeko, and he always left a note at the scene of the crime. All but one were addressed to the avengers - the note left at Wall Street was addressed to you, and you only. It soon became clear why; you knew all five people killed. One was a former colleague, another was a childhood friend, two of them went to college with you, and the last was your ex-boyfriend. Of course, you were distraught over all of these people being killed, but your determination to catch the killer overpowered your sadness. Steve was

leading the meeting, creating a plan as you went, and you perked up when you heard your name.

"In his last note, Neeko said that if y/n doesn't meet him in the warehouse on 42nd street tonight at 8pm, he'll be attacking one of the schools within the week." Steve looked directly at you. "There's no way that we can find out what school he could be targeting, so we're going to have to use you as bate?"

You nodded, feeling secure. Your family would never let anything bad happen to you, especially not in the hands of a serial killer.

"Now, I don't want to seem condescending, but are you sure you can do this, y/n?" The question came from Sam, who was sat at the opposite end of the table. You glared at him, confused as to what he was talking about.

"What's that supposed to mean?" You asked calmly, but with a hint of annoyance. They did this to you a lot; you were one of the younger in the group, and you were probably one of the weakest. They'd usually never put you in the centre of a mission, but it was a necessity this time around.

"I'm sure what Sam meant was that five people who are close to your heart have just been murdered." Steve sat in the empty chair next to you. "Are you sure you're stable enough to be put directly into the hands of the person who killed them?"

The wat he phrased it made you furious; they always doubt your abilities, and in this time where protecting your loved ones is more important than ever, they were hesitant to trust you. As soon as he asked you this, you stood up from your chair and stared directly at him.

"Stable? You're asking me if I'm 'stable' enough to be trusted?" You looked around at everybody else. Natasha ducked her head down, Bucky casually shielded his eyes with his hand, Tony gave you a sympathetic look; they all agreed with Steve.

You looked at Carol who gave you a small nod of approval, as if to say 'I wouldn't blame you if you burned down the entire avengers tower just from that remark.' Grabbing your jacket from the back of your chair, you walked out of the conference room. You heard Rhodey calling your name, but you weren't going to go back in there and be treated like a child. You and Carol had arranged to get brunch at 10:30, which was in an hour; you didn't know where you were going, but you were leaving the avengers tower. You needed a break.

Sitting down in a small red booth, you closed your eyes and rubbed your forehead. You went for a walk around the city before going to the diner, and once you were there, you were still far to annoyed to even think about eating. 60s music quietly rumbled from speakers on the walls and the smell of waffles and burgers clouded your thoughts.

"Y/n, are you okay?" You looked up and saw Carol who had just come from the tower. She sat down in the booth and placed her hand on top of yours, stroking the back of yours with her thumb. You sighed before giving her a weak smile.

"They don't think I can do it." You saw her nod, knowing exactly what you were thinking.

"It's not that they don't think you can do it, y/n. They know your abilities and how good you are under pressure, but a few of your friends have just died. They're worried that you might get a bit carried away, or worse."

Before you could reply, Carol got the attention of one of the waitresses and ordered a strawberry and cream waffle for you, and a root beer float for herself. You've both been to this diner so many times together that you each know exactly what you like. As soon as Carol turned back around, you started talking.

"That's the point. They're worried that I can't do my job, when we do this all the time. Every single one of us has been in a situation similar to this; where we've lost someone close to us and have to ignore how we feel, and continue to protect the world. Nobody would dare question Steve or Tony's judgement if they were in my position, so I don't see why they feel the need to question mine."

Carol looked surprised at everything you had just said, and it was clear that she didn't know how to reply. Before she could think of anything to say, you scooted closer to her and wrapped her in a hug. You breathed in the sweet smell of her vanilla perfume and the fresh cotton scent of her tee shirt. She rubbed your back, and you pulled away.

"I have to do this. Not just for myself, or the school kids, or my friends that were killed, but for them. I'm going to smash this mission so hard that they'll never dare question my abilities again." You were both smiling, and Carol gave you a high five.

"That's my girl!"

☆☆☆☆☆

It was nearing 8pm. You, Steve, Bucky, Tony, Natasha and Carol stood outside of the warehouse on 42nd; bringing all of the avengers would seem suspicious, so Steve chose just the right amount of people to protect you and catch Neeko. They were all suited up, except for you. You weren't dressed in your dark purple latex suit, but the skirt and jumper combo that you had worn earlier in the diner. It was your idea; showing up in your suit would alert Neeko and his companions, and make them think that you were planning an attack. Wearing normal clothes would make it seem like you weren't planning anything. When you told Steve, he was impressed that you had come up with the idea, and happily approved. However, you were slightly regretting it now. Being without the suit that Tony had made for you and knowing that you could, possibly, be walking into your place of death gave you a wave of fear, but you brushed it off. You had to prove to the rest of the group that you were more than what they think, or at least you'll die trying.

All of the avengers wore black watches, but when closely inspected, were actually tracking devices. They each had a tiny button on the side that when pressed, would alert every other device of where you were. The button was only to be pressed when you knew you'd be in a certain place for a while, and/or you were in a lot of danger. The button was really only meant to be pressed by you, so the rest of the group knew when to come and get you and where you were. But if another avenger was in trouble and needed backup, they could use it too.

Steve started going over the plan. "As soon as y/n gives us the alert, we head inside. Carol and I will go in from the front and find her, Bucky and Nat will go in from the back to see if there are any hostages or prisoners there, and Tony will fly above the roof and use his scanners to find out how many people inside are working for Neeko."

He gave you a clap on the back. "Are you ready, y/n?" You looked up at him, took a deep breath, and nodded. You were more ready than you'd ever be. You checked the phone in the back of your pocket, which read 7:58pm, it was almost time. Everyone watched as you grabbed Carol's hand, interlaced your fingers, gave it a weak squeeze, and walked straight through the main doors of the warehouse.

Everything smelt damp, and the faint scent of machine oil lingered in the huge hall. You looked around, not seeing a single sign of life in the entire room. You calmly strolled through the warehouse, being sure to stay in the main hall and not get lost in any other rooms.

"Hello? Hellooooo!? Anybody home?" You called into the darkness, hoping somebody would walk out any second. You were about to turn around and make your way back out through the doors before somebody threw a sack over your head. You shouted at whoever was behind you, kicking your legs out in an attempt to knock them over. This failed, and you only aggravated your captor more. They grabbed your shoulders to hold you still, and another pair of hands appeared to tie your wrists together in front of you. The same person who tied your hands also did the same to your ankles, and you felt the familiar pain of rope burn against your wrists and ankles. You continued to shout and scream for help, but the two people who had tied you up had picked you up and carried you away.

When the sack was removed from your head, you were tied to a chair with thick black rope. You looked down at your wrists, and blood dripped down your forearms. Just by looking at your surroundings, you knew you were probably inappropriate storage room; you tried, but failed to reach the button of your tracking device, letting out an angry sigh. The only thing lighting up the room was an old lightbulb above your head, but you could still see what was on the floor surrounding you: bodies. People who you didn't recognize, their organs pooling out of their lacerated stomachs. Their eyes had been gouged out of their faces, and a thick, brown liquid dripped from their mouths. You screamed, not out of fear, but of anger. You shouted until your voice became hoarse and your eyes watered.

Not long afterwards, you heard the locks on the doors being undone. You sat up, preparing for some sort of mob boss to walk in with a set of weapons. Instead, a tall man wearing an apron walked in. He wore a shirt and jeans, a pair of black glasses resting on the bridge of his nose; you would've thought he was a normal person if it wasn't for the heavily blood stained apron he wore. What disgusted you the most was that he looked no older than Tony did. Following him was one of his companions, short and stocky, carrying a sizeable wooden box. Along with them, they brought the scent of blood and rotting bodies.

"It's nice to meet you, y/n." His voice was low and fitting to what you would expect a serial killers voice to be like; thick, eerie, and leaving a sour taste in your mouth. He walked over to you and bent down, examining your face.

"You're a monster."

He chuckled at your stern expression, and didn't reply. You squirmed and wriggled in your seat, desperate to break free and kick him in the balls. Instead of breaking free from the chair, you just caused yourself more pain. Blood continued to slowly drip past your wrists and onto your hands, coating your dainty fingers in pure red. Noticing how desperate you were to get out made him visibly frustrated, so he stood up and gave you a hard punch in the face. This was the hardest you've ever felt somebody punch you, and you've trained with Steve before.

Your ears started ringing and vision went blurry. He had, quite obviously, broken your nose. Blood poured out of your nose like a waterfall, and you could feel a bone sticking out of place. You groaned, sitting up straight in your chair. Although you weren't really listening, he began talking again, pacing around the room.

"I know you and your little group of superheroes have been getting my letters, and I have to say, I'm quite offended," he stopped and looked at you, "you never wrote back. I'm sure your angry, y/n, I really am. After all, I killed some of the people who you trust with your life, and I'm about to do more than just that."

You were confused by what he meant, before his companion handed him a laptop. He placed it on the floor in front of you, and you saw what appeared to be security camera footage of another room in the warehouse. Two people were tied up on chairs just like you, and it took you a moment to recognize who those two people were.

Your parents.

And before you could open you mouth to ask him why your parents were here, another figure appeared on the screen. It was him.

"How are you in two places at once?" You asked, seeming stupid. He laughed again, a low, broad chuckle.

"Oh, you silly girl, I'm not in two places at once. That was recorded half an hour ago." You put two and two together and realised that your parents were here half an hour ago, and the blood on his apron was fresh. You couldn't think of anything to say, so instead, you watched the video. You gasped when Neeko pulled out a knife, and screamed bloody murder when you saw him slit both your mother and your father's throats. You looked away, but he grabbed your head and forced you to see what happened to your parents. With the knife, he cut out their organs and their eyes, being sure to look into the camera every now and again. You were sobbing, your eyes were puffy and red, matching the crimson blood that covered the bottom half of your face.

"That's enough! I can't watch any more!" You screamed up at him, choking on your own sobs. He showed no pity as he flicked his fingers at his companion, who went and collected the wooden box. Neeko opened it in front of you, showing you a syringe full of clear, slightly yellow tinted liquid. Before you could scream for help, he had already put the needle to your neck and injected you with the serum. Your eyelids began to feel too heavy to keep open, and you fell into a deep slumber.

You woke to the sound of knives being sharpened. You were still bound to the chair, but were in a different room. It was much larger, with a few mahogany desks along one of the walls. Instead of paperwork being laid on top of the desk, there was a selection of knives, scissors and other surgical tools. You knew what was about to come, and you were prepared for the worst.

"If you're going to try and kill me then you've picked the wrong fight." Everything hurt as you spoke, but you meant what you said. The avengers would be worried by your lack of alert, and would come and find you. Any minute now, Steve and Carol were bound to break down the door and rescue you.

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you, little girl." You hated him calling you that, you were in your mid early twenties but never treated like it, not even from the avengers.

"No, I'm not going to kill you. But what I am going to do is mess you up so badly that you'll never be able to fight with your precious friends ever again, and you'll live with the knowledge that you weren't strong enough to save your parents, and you weren't strong enough to save yourself." You spat at his face, which only made him laugh even more.

Turning his back to you, he picked up a knife from one of the desks. He walked over to you and sat down on an empty chair that you never even realised was beside you. Your legs were bare under your skirt, showing the most skin than any other part of your body. He placed the blade of the knife on the middle of your thigh and slowly pressed it in. You screamed, pure agony surging through you body. Hearing you scream only made Neeko want to continue, so the more you screamed the deeper her pushed the knife. Only the first half of the blade was inside of you, but you only realised how bad it was when you felt the cold metal hit your bone. He pulled the knife out and basked in the sound of your piercing screams. Just in fucking time, you heard a knock on the door. Who in the living hell would be knocking at the door while this was going on?

Neeko rose and went to answer the door. Only opening it slightly, he peered out at who was there. Then, you heard her voice.

"Pizza delivery, motherfuckers." She sent a photon blast directly to his face, and then another to his companion. She strode in, and as soon as she saw you she went pale. Your entire face, arms, thighs and ankles were drained in your own blood, and you were bound to a chair, panting. She ran over to you and broke the ropes with her own hands, and pressed the alert button on her watch. She knelt beside you, and once you were fully untied, you couldn't help but collapse directly on top of her. Your arms were draped over her back as she picked you up in a fire man's lift, walking out of the door to meet the other avengers.

☆☆☆☆☆

It had been 6 days since the night in the warehouse. After passing out, you were taken back to the tower by Carol, Bucky and Nat, where Bruce managed to identify and heal your injuries, to the best of his ability. Steve and Tony caught Neeko and his accomplices, turning them into S.H.I.E.L.D., their fate was to be decided by Nick Fury. It took you 3 days to wake up from your passing out; whatever they had injected you with keeps you asleep for longer, and they had put far too much in you. Once you had finally awoken, you used the next three days to recover in and out of bed, being forced to do mandatory small exercises to ensure your body was working perfectly. The sixth day was your first day fully out of bed, walking around the avengers tower. You needed crutches, as the wound on your leg wasn't big enough for stitches and had to recover independently. Additionally, you wore a small brace on your nose, so your bone could be shaped back into place. The only people you had seen since waking up were Bruce, Steve, and Peter. Steve had come to tell you everything that happened, and Peter came to see if you were okay. Bruce recommended no visitors until you were able to get out of bed, as it could over stimulate you, but Peter couldn't sleep knowing that you were in pain.

Carol left 3 days ago to return to her mission. She was the only person who you wanted to see; you had been through so much, and nobody could get you thought it better than her. Hobbling into the elevator, you went to the roof. You were wearing a onesie, courtesy of Wanda, and just wanted to be alone on the balcony to see the city like you and Carol had done a week ago. Once the elevator doors opened, you felt the chilly evening breeze hit your skin. Before you could step out of the elevator, you saw somebody stood on the balcony. You didn't recognize them at first, but they knew exactly who you were.

"Well well well, my favourite earth human seems to be doing quite well considering that she almost died last week."

Carol turned around and jokingly winced when she saw the state you were in, and you would've laughed if you weren't in complete shock.

"Carol..."

"Y/n."

"What are you doing? You shouldn't still be on earth." You made your way over to meet her on the balcony.

"I couldn't just leave you in a coma while I fight crime across the galaxy."

You laughed, and grabbed her hand, not a single worry crossing your mind.

"I love you, Carol. I have for ages, but I've never appreciated how much you mean to me until now." She smirked, raising a hand to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

"I love you too, y/n." You stood on your tip toes to kiss her, and she pulled back immediately when you did. You worried that you had done something wrong.

"It feels better to do this now that we're actually a couple." You both laughed as she leaned back into the kiss, but instead, she accidentally bonked your brace with her nose, which resulted in even more laughing.

You have been waiting so long for this.

[happy-haunts]

The Hostess

Chapter one | Constance pt.1 : Constance pt.2

Chapter two | Mister Topper pt.1 : Mister Topper pt.2

Chapter three | Madame Leota pt.1 : Madame Leota pt.2

Chapter four | The Hostess

Chapter five | Captain Blood pt.1 : Captain Blood pt.2

Chapter six | Emily DeClaire pt.1 : Emily DeClaire pt.2 : Emily DeClaire pt.3

Chapter seven | Finale

I walked with Red and Constance behind me as I held my lamp up beside my head, leading them to a door that said ‘Cast Members Only’ and upon opening they were flooded with the overwhelming pinks, on my walls were several prominent heroes, princesses, magical girls, and fantasy posters. I had bookshelves filled with books- sitting atop them were the animes, manga, and novels of the characters on my walls if not more, hanging in a closet with black beads as curtains were cosplays and an assortment of pastel clothing, my bed was just a standard queen with regular pastel pink sheets(and a body pillow of a really hot anime girl), and last but not least my pink desk with my tiny chibi figurines, pink desk chair, pink headphones, and gaming set up.

I felt rather embarrassed that Red and Constance had to see this side of me but I attempted not to show it as I took a seat in my desk chair. Constance sat on my bed while Red kept standing- she seemed visibly uncomfortable in my room.

“Okay so pushing aside all of the questions I have about just this...” Red gestured to everything, “Maybe you can tell us how you managed to break Constances’ amnesia? Because that would be helpful in the future.”

“I can tell you that but it might involve alot more context.” I poked my fingers together nervously.

Red sighed and sat beside Constance on the bed, “Fine! Tell us your life story!” Constance gave a smile as she poked the body pillow.

❧

I am a twin, but my sister and I aren’t very close since she tends to be so depressing! She asks me if I want to know when I want to die, tells me the world is eternally doomed, and will sometimes quote outdated jokes from the internet. I’m the opposite to my sister, I read manga, cosplay, do seances in my room at 2am because I desperately want a date even if that means I need to sign a pact with a crossroads demon, and sometimes I actually drink the recommended amount of water in a day. Our home life was normal enough, we lived in the suburbs of California which could be kind of dreary at times with how sunny it is, so when my sister and I received a letter to work in a haunted mansion (TM) you could see how we would jump at the chance! It was a dream job for both of us! My sister would get to do more research in the powers of the undead and I could spend all day reading manga and messaging my devil boyfriend who won’t return my summons.

And that was that, I was sent to Liberty Square to await the inevitable rising of my undead ancestors and make sure they didn’t do anything damaging to anyone in or around the mansion.

When I arrived to the rather well-put together mansion I was greeted by a gentleman named Fletcher Hodges who was there to welcome me to the mansion. “Ah you must have been the Hostess assigned to the Liberty Square branch of Gracey manors?” He extended his hand for me to shake as I accepted it.

“Yes, I heard there would be ghosts...? Where are they?”

“Oh they haven’t risen just yet, but according to our calculations they should be due to show in a couple months - if they show at all.”

“You don’t believe in ghosts Mr. Hodges?” He adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

“Not exactly, I know they exist since I’ve conducted many experiments and what I’ve recorded is that ghosts are seemingly everywhere - dozens of people who have unfinished business (or in this case cursed) roaming on a plane parallel to our own, but we are unable to see or interact with them without the aid of technology or a highly remarkable gift.”

“Wait if they can’t interact with us then what is the threat of this curse? They’ll all just exist on their own plane.”

“Ah, not exactly! I was reading up on this type of necromancy in ‘Necronomicon on the go’ and there is a footnote similar to this situation -it states that if an apparition gains the ability to raise the dead then it can have a dramatic side-effect, which may cause the user and those risen to exist in the same plane as us mortals while also having their spectral bodies.”

“Well that could be a problem.”

“And as a descendant of the Gracey bloodline we believe it is your responsibility to care for your elderly.”

“Would they really be considered elderly if they’re dead?” Mr. Hodges waved his hand at me and handed me an envelope as well as a box.

“Lets not get into the finer details, here is your first paycheck - you will receive one at the end of every week, and here is your uniform.”

“How will you know I’m even in uniform?” He looked at me with a stone cold expression.

“We know everything.” I raised my eyebrows - that was disturbing. “Now if you excuse me I need to be in Tokyo tomorrow - so I must get to the airport.”

“Wait, isn’t there anything you can give me? Maybe a spirit wrangling lasso?”

“I’m afraid not, but Leota’s headstone is out back so perhaps you can ask her once she’s risen.” He gave me a wave and walked back to his car.

“Well that’s not very helpful.” I opened the paystub and almost choked $400 for doing nothing in an empty mansion! “You know maybe I can figure something out.”

❧

I wasn’t sure how long it would take for these ghosts to appear - or if they even would - but I got started on my room almost immediately, painting the walls myself and buying cheap shelves so I could save up for the books and figures that I always wished I had enough money for.

I remember a very specific weekend when I was putting together a second bookshelf (I had filled the other one up already)and was out of uniform - it wasn’t anything awful just a pink shirt with fuzzy blue pajama bottoms. I heard a voice coming from the hallway and quickly threw on my uniform before walking out to investigate - but we will ignore the fact that I had forgotten I was wearing pink bunny slippers.

Walking down the hallway was a blue apparition, he shimmered like water, his wavy hair floating around his features.

“Emily?” He called, but when he turned his head he only saw me. “Who are you?”

“The Hostess - who are you?”

“William Gracey, is Emily here? Have I risen her?”

“I’m not sure? Maybe die again and come back later?” He gave me a skeptical look.

“I don’t think I can be killed again.”

“I could figure it out probably, I’ve been watching this show about two brothers who fight monsters and -.”

“I’ll stop you, I don’t care.” He then kept walking - mumbling something to himself.

“Maybe if it hasn’t worked you just need to try harder?” William glanced back to me with a dark glare- his glowing red eyes piercing me.

“Fine, why don’t I just raise the entire graveyard!”

“No, no, no, no!”

But I guess I hit a nerve because he raised everyone...

Ballroom dancers were swaying in the parlor, an undead horse charged down the halls, some guy kept throwing around hat puns and making his head appear in his hat suitcase - it was overall a mess.

“Perhaps this is better?” William smirked and disappeared into the walls.

“What a dick!” I shouted, but I had a job to do ... oh crap I had a job to do. “Well lets start with ... A catalog.” So I grabbed a spare journal and began to catalog all the names of of the inhabitants and a short description of them.

Constance Hatchaway : Attic bride - I walked into the attic to try and find that William guy who made my life 999 times harder than it needed to be, sitting on a chest was Constance.

“Hello? I’m making a catalog of ghosts in the mansion, could I get your name and if you can recall - a brief summary of your life?” She stood up and when she turned to face me I noticed the hatchet in her hand.

“Constance Hatchaway - the Hatchaway bride, I killed all of my husbands in life because they were trash.”

“Mhm, mhm, ma’am please set down the hatchet.” She looked at her hand and gave a little chuckle.

“I’m not going to do anything to you...” She sat back on a chest with her chin in her palm. “I just wish I had made some different choices when I was alive.”

“If it helps you have a whole afterlife to do things that you wanted to before? I can come back to talk more with you after the catalog is done?” She perked up and gave me a warm smile.

“That would be wonderful if you did.”

Hatty : origins unknown - I had begun to notice when I approached the inhabitants of the mansion over time a lot of them couldn’t much recall their lives, most of those in particular were quite old ghosts, I’m talking Egypt ghosts which made absolutely no sense! But the puzzling thing was when I approached Hatty - a rather skeletal looking apparition - he couldn’t recall his name, life, or death let alone recall the room he just came out of. I took it upon myself to just go ahead and write down a name for him, Hatty seemed rather suitable given that was his preferred pun.

Madame Leota : Psychic and Scorceress - When Leota finally appeared in her crystal ball she was rather puzzled, not knowing that she would be buried on Gracey soil -thus immortalizing herself within the curse.

“Just call me the Hostess.” Leota eyed me up and down before finally flashing a smile.

“Alright, so what else is it that you need of me?”

“I’m glad you asked, I need to have more power over the mansion’s ghosts than that William guy.”

“Well if you remain inside the mansion’s property you’re out of luck, I gave him all the powers he desires so long as he died and was forgotten.”

“Isn’t there some kind of loophole you can give me just in case this dick decides he wants to go on a power trip?”

“I suppose I could give you something to ward off his presence in a limited manner...” She made a lantern materialize before me, “When a candle is lit inside this lantern, any control William has over the inhabitants of this mansion will be lifted - as well as William cannot step foot into the light to do harm to any apparitions he may wish to hurt.”

“This is fantastic!”

“I could, however, give you all the powers I possess if you want to make a deal?”

“Nah that’s okay and anyway the groundskeeper has been complaining about not having a light at nighttime, so this can double as his little walking light.” I exited the seance room and began looking through my catalog - so far I recorded 998 ghosts, but I hadn’t ran into any named Emily? Maybe William’s attempt to bring this girl back from the dead really did fail?

❧

I walked along the large windows of the ballroom as I watched the dancers spin in circles, but something outside caught my eye - a glowing specter in the distance.

“I am not about to lose a ghost on my first day.” I grumbled and marched outside, it was further away than I expected - sitting atop a hill of wildflowers overlooking the river that reflected moonlight from it’s surface. “Hey! You’re too far from the mansion property, I’m going to need to escort you back inside until I see about drawing up some travel papers - because honestly I don’t think those hitchhikers are going to stay in one place very long.” I placed my hand on my hip with a sigh - I needed a raise.

“I danced with a boy on that river.” The ghost mused, her hair was a dark violet, skin purple, and wearing a white wedding dress with a matching flower crown that left petals scattered through her hair. “I remember that ... I remember everything...” She turned to face me, her eyes glowed blue unlike all the other ghosts, and on her chest was a bright red beating heart.

“I don’t think I’ve met you...” I mumbled, sitting beside her and pulling out my catalog. “What is your name?”

“Emily DeClaire, what is your name?” She adjusted herself so we faced each other.

“I’m the...” I blinked, my heart tugged in my chest as I was about to tell her my job description. “I’m Tera Normal.”

“Good to meet you! But you aren’t a ghost?” She hesitantly reached out her hands and passed them through my arm.

“No, I’m the Hostess I work here to try and keep all of you contained - seeing as you aren’t supposed to be on this plane but rather the one parallel to us.” I sighed “But William really missed you I guess and is looking for you.”

“Oh dear, well I can help in any way that I’m able!” She clenched her little hands into fists, smiling with determination. “But I suppose first I should go see William if he is missing me that much.” She bounced up in realization, “Oh! Is Mister Topper here too?”

“I don’t have a Mister Topper listed...” I furiously flipped through my catalog, “I have an Ezra Topper?”

“No, that’s just Mister Topper’s brother.” She gave a huff as another startling feeling came across my heart, I felt like it was breaking in two. “I suppose he can’t be here can he?”

“Not if he wasn’t buried here.” Another sharp pain pierced my heart. “But maybe William can sort this out?” Part of the aching lifted.

“Do you really think so?” She smiled at me then twirled into the air, “Okay! we can go see William, maybe he knows how to get my Topper back!”

But once we walked back into the mansion I noticed there was something strange going on with Emily. “So does this Mister Topper have a first name or is it just Topper?”

“Who?” Emily turned her gaze to me now.

“Um, Mister Topper? The guy you’re missing?”

“Topper... Top hat...” She mused- but was overcome when she thought about top hat and began crying. “He lost his head!”

“Whoa, okay what is going on with you?”

“Hurry back!” She screamed as her deafening heartbeat made the walls shake. “Please, Hurry back!”

“I’m right here, Emily...”

“Now look what you’ve done.” William scolded as he walked from the walls and wrapped his arms around Emily- who cried in his chest. “Hush, just forget and all the pain will be gone.” His hand slid over her head making her blink - a smile spreading across her lips.

“I can’t even remember what I was doing again, you must think I’m an air head.” She laughed to William, but tears were still streaking down her cheeks.

“What did you just do?” I hissed to the man, he glared at me - releasing Emily and lifting his hand to her.

“Emily can you give the Hostess and I some privacy?”

“Sure!” She sniffled and began floating down the hall, “I sure am crying a lot today.” William watched her disappear behind a door and then turned his gaze back to me.

“You can’t mention that name to her, where did you even hear it?”

“She told me his name! Are you the one making her forget? What is your problem!”

“It’s for her own good, you didn’t see her when she first came back ...” He closed his eyes and sighed, “She can’t remember, just trust me.”

“Well forgive me but I don’t trust you.” I lifted my lantern, reaching into my pockets to find some of the matches I stowed away.

“What you’re going to blind me?” He laughed and made a fist, slipping the hallway rug out from under my feet and knocking me to the ground, I clutched the lantern against me to keep it from breaking- William approached me now, I began crawling backwards in a panic. “I know, how about I have you join the mansion? We are just dying to have you!”

“Or you can shove it six feet under.” I lit up the match and ignited the lantern - shining it on William which pushed him backwards, I could see he was annoyed.

“Fine, you can do whatever it is you do - but leave Emily alone as well as make sure no one interferes with her memory, or there will be deadly consequences.”

“Just keep making death puns, I can sit here all day.” His cheeks glowed with a dark blue as he turned away and walked back into the wall. “He is SUCH a dick!”

❧

I sat at my desk and kicked my feet in my chair, Red and Constance looking at me with great interest. “Fast forward to today I had come across Hatty being crazier than normal, and whatever had been pushed on Hatty was spreading into the other ghosts - they didn’t seem to remember who they were or who I was! The ballroom ghosts were in a panic because they all forgot how to dance, and the Quartet forgot how to sing! So I lit my lamp and decided it was time to find the source - I ran from room to room till I came across you two! And now I know why the mansion is acting strange- because you two are prying into ghost business and William doesn’t want you to.”

“Well someone killed Emily and we think the murderer might *be* William, which means we need to confront him.” Constance had determination in her glowing yellow eyes, “Emily deserves better than to be played like a puppet.”

“Enough.” Came a deep voice, I turned quickly to my lamp to see the nub of my candle was out- the flame had been doused by the wax. “If you are all so curious to have a conversation then lets talk!” The voice boomed and my figurines were thrown across the room making me scream, books flying from the shelves, floor shaking, and lightbulbs bursting leaving us all in complete darkness other than the three glowing bodies before me.

Wait.

Three?

There he was, the first ghost I had laid eyes on when the mansion came to life.

“William?” I whispered in disbelief, Red seemed to be unaffected by this as though she might have guessed.

“What? Cat got your tongue? I thought you wanted to talk.” He grinned.

[texanredrose]

Balance

Long ago, in the ages before four seasons, there existed only two periods to mark the passage of time: spring and summer. In spring, everything grew renewed and life abounded, but summer would scorch much of it away to clear the path for more new growth the following spring. Raven, goddess of fertility, of growth and grain, oversaw these changes by charging her daughters with the duty of the season. Vernal, her adopted daughter, brought forth new life during spring, and Yang, her only blood child from Taiyang the sun god, burned it all away with the heat of summer. And so time progressed between two periods: life and death.

One day, while walking among the sunflowers in a field wilting from the intensity of her heat, Yang spotted a strange sight: a huge three headed wolf with white fur and blue eyes. Although she yearned to approach, the deity of summer’s heat couldn’t get too close, for fear of injuring the animal. Not that the wolf seemed to mind, bounding over to her with all the care of a newborn puppy, too bright eyed and excited by the world to be fettered by such concerns and- much to Yang’s surprised- its fur wasn’t singed. A cold aura encompassed the beast, shielding it from her heat, and she could pet it from noses to tail without so much as a whimper of concern.

“Hey, little guy,” she said, running her fingers through the wolf’s thick fur and laughing as one of the heads licked her cheek. “Where’d you come from?”

The wolf’s ears perked and it turned, leading the deity through the field and to a cave that lead down, deep into the ground. But it padded along, following a set of stairs down, and Yang followed too, all the way to a river with a single boat and a ghastly ferryman. Rather than enter the boat, the wolf turned, one head nosing beneath her arm while another looked at its back, and she climbed on so the wolf could swim across the river. The further they got from the cave’s entrance, the colder it felt, until the wolf’s claws gouged into ice to lift them out of the river.

Yang looked around, at the ice and the flurries whipped about on cold wind, amazed that nothing she touched here burned or wilted or shrank from her fire.

“Cerberus, there you are, I’ve been- oh.” Turning, lilac eyes fell on the master of this place, for it could only be the land of the dead she’d entered, and the tall woman facing her, clad in robes of white and blue, could only be Winter, Goddess of the Underworld. “Greetings.”

“Hi,” she replied, a smile claiming her lips. “I’m Yang, Raven’s daughter.” Like all the deathless ones, their names were known among each other, but Winter rarely left her domain, even when called by Willow, ruler of them all. “I don’t think we’ve met yet.”

“We are... certainly lacking a proper introduction. I’m Winter, Lord of the Dead.” The Goddess of the Underworld approached, holding out a hand. “Perhaps you’d like a tour of my domain? Very few have seen it.”

“Well, if you’re offering.” Hesitantly, she took Winter’s hand, surprised when the woman didn’t wince or pull back. Even her own mother could hardly approach, and when it came time for Vernal to walk the soil of Remnant and bring forth new growth, she hid beneath a mountain, slumbering until her season came again.

Slowly, they meandered through the Underworld, with Cerberus bounding around them. Yang saw firsthand the punishments that awaited those who angered the gods and the bliss of eternal contentment that awaited those who pleased them. The cold that seemed to permeate the Underworld wrapped around her, comforted her, and Yang found herself relaxing further into it the longer she stayed.

They eventually came to a small field, the trees frozen in full bloom with a thin sheen of ice across them, and beautiful pomegranates hanging heavy from the limbs.

“Wait.” Winter put a hand on Yang’s shoulder as she reached up to pluck one of the low hanging fruit. “Surely, you know the rules; any who eat of the land of the dead become part of it.”

“It’s not like I can die.” She shrugged, holding the fruit, which neither burned nor scorched from her touch. Usually, the only food she could have would be what was sacrificed to her at the alter in Vale, and the smaller shrines dedicated to placating her. They were always charred and blackened, tasting like ash in her mouth, and she yearned for the sweet taste of fruit Vernal spoke of so fondly. “Neither of us can.”

“Still, it will bind you here. It’s decreed by the Fates.” The Goddess of the Underworld frowned, her expression turning grave. “If you eat it, you won’t be able to leave. It’s... no small thing.”

“What about you?” Yang gestured with the fruit. “Can you eat it?”

“Of course. I am master here; I can come and go as I please, no matter what.”

“So why don’t you? Leave, I mean.”

“I have my duties to consider,” she replied, indicating the souls trickling in, directed by Winter’s servants to their appropriate places. “I not only watch over the dead but I keep the living from avoiding their end, or the ends of others. Mortals would not be mortal if they didn’t die.”

“That’s a good point.” With both hands, she squeezed at the pliant flesh of the fruit and twisted, splitting it in half and offering one side to Winter. “I’m guessing Cerberus isn’t affected by it either?”

“No. They are of the Underworld, as I am, and while they’re just as capable of acting in my stead on the rare occasions I do leave, I don’t think they like it.” Accepting her half, the Goddess took a small bite. “You didn’t cross the river using the boat, right?”

“No, Cerberus carried me across,” she said, turning to offer the other half to the wolf, breaking it into smaller chunks so each head could have a piece. In doing so, however, she picked out a few seeds and slipped them into her pocket, unseen. “I’m guessing that’s another rule?”

“Yes; a toll must be paid, and the ferryman’s a bit... lenient on what is acceptable payment.” She shrugged one shoulder. “It’s not proven a problem yet. I just would prefer if a fellow Immortal isn’t the first to test what might result from that.” An apologetic smile. “I’d understand if you’re a bit bored. I’m afraid there’s really not much to my realm. It’s... perhaps not as bright and warm as the Upperworld.”

“Honestly, I’m okay with that.” Yang slipped her hand into Winter’s again. “Do you have a throne down here? Like Willow does?”

The ruler of the Underworld nodded. “This way.”

Together, they went to a sprawling palace, where souls of the dead lingered, though there were only a few and each of them bore some manner of wound that refused to heal. Winter explained that some heroes chose to be put up in the sky while others dined with Willow; still others chose to dwell in the land of the dead, for those whom they treasured most would eventually go there, that they may watch over them even in death.

As they passed through a grand ballroom, with a chandelier made of ice and lit a ghostly blue, Cerberus began to growl, all three heads snarling as their hackles rose.

Yang quirked a brow. “Did a mortal wander down here?”

“No,” she replied, raising a hand to preemptively block the rubble sent flying as the wall of the ballroom exploded, Raven stepping through with fury written across her expression. “Cerberus only growls like that at uninvited guests.”

“Do not quote etiquette at me, Winter.” Red eyes burned with rage, for though she encouraged growth, she, too, was a Goddess of Death in her own way. “Now, return my daughter or face the consequences. When Willow hears you kidnapped her-”

“Mom, I came down here.” Putting herself between them, she tried talking her mother down, though unsure how she might fare. When roused, Raven’s temper rivaled only her own. “I was just curious; no harm done.”

“You say that, but all the while you’ve been down here, your heat can’t be felt in Remnant.” She pointed up, towards the world she’d left behind. “It’s as if you’ve gone to sleep and it’s not time for spring yet.”

Yang’s shoulders fell. “I didn’t know that.”

“Well, now you do.” Her eyes narrowed, watching Winter suspiciously. “And I find it difficult to believe you came here of your own will. This place is bleak and dreary, no place fit for a deity- no offense, of course.”

“None taken,” the Goddess of the Underworld replied coolly, setting a hand on one of Cerberus’ heads as the other two continued to growl lowly. “But I must ask you to leave. Only the dead and those with dominion over them may enter here.”

Raven’s expression pinched into one of anger- for was she not also one who commanded life and death? Such remained a point of contention between the two deities- before she turned, ready to leave the way she’d entered. “Yang, come.”

She frowned, looking back at Winter and sighing. “Okay, Mom.”

“You shouldn’t wander off during your season.” As they left the Underworld, she stayed far enough ahead of Yang that only the tips of her hair singed, and it hurt a bit to be ripped away from a place that didn’t seem disturbed by her presence. “You know how vital your role is.”

“Like you’re one to talk about responsibility.” She grumbled in response, though she looked away when her mother quickly glanced back her way. They’d didn’t agree on most things so it didn’t surprise her that she’d landed on Raven’s bad side again.

However, before she could reach the bank of the river, where Raven had forged a path of dirt to cross while the ferryman sat in his boat on the other side, Cerberus darted in front of Yang’s path. In the next moment, Winter appeared beside her, quickly dipping into her pocket and collecting the seeds she’d hidden there.

“I probably should’ve mentioned- there are no secrets in death.” She spoke softly, that Raven might not notice her daughter’s delay.

“I just wanted to plant them.” Yang gestured towards the Upperworld. “If they grow, then I could have the fruit, right?”

“The seeds are dead. They can only grow here, where death abounds.” Winter frowned, blue eyes darting towards the other Goddess’ retreating form. “I'm sorry, truly, but the Underworld is always open to you, if ever you wish to return.”

“Thanks.” 

Offering a small smile, she ran her fingers through the fur on Cerberus’ heads before heading across the bridge her mother made, the dirt dissolving behind her every step. The ascent went much quicker than the descent, and Yang found herself standing in the Upperworld once more, where her heat smothered all she surveyed.

As she had done many times before, Yang walked until all had burned away, wilting beneath her might, and clearing the way for Vernal to bring new life to Remnant. With her sister awoken, it came time for Yang to return to the mountain where she waited out the spring months, but she did not return there. Instead, she found the cave and the stairs, descending to the Underworld, so that her presence might not be felt in the lands above.

At the edge of the river, she acknowledged the ferryman and whistled, hoping Cerberus might hear- which they did, bounding to the other side of the river and immediately diving in, excitedly greeting her as soon as they’d shaken the water from their fur.

“Hey, buddy.” She chuckled, turning her head as three tongues tried to lick her at once, the weight of the beast quite nearly bowling her over. Somehow, she managed to keep her bearings until Cerberus calmed down, their tail wagging excitedly. “Mind if I catch a lift?”

Politely lowering their shoulder, she climbed onto the wolf’s back with ease, and they plunged into the river once more to cross it.

And when they came upon the bank on the other side, the two were greeted by a crowd of ghosts bearing baskets filled with various fruits that looked a bit past their prime and, in a flash of cool blue light, Winter appeared amidst them with a smile on her lips.

“Welcome back,” she said, gesturing to the baskets. “These were brought down from Willow’s garden. You... should be able to eat them.” Yang’s brows rose. She’d never been invited to the ruling Goddess’ domain; Raven went whenever summoned, and Vernal too, when she was awake, but Yang’s heat could be too stifling for comfort, even for an immortal. But she’d heard stories of the celestial fruits and meats offered to her, the ambrosia that bubbled from fountains, and hoped one day she might get to taste it for herself. “I’m afraid being down here subjects them to... well-”

“I’m sure they’ll be delicious,” Yang replied, sliding off Cerberus’ shoulder and grabbing the first one she could, biting into it quickly. The perpetual cold swirling through the Underworld shielded the fruit from her flames and the slight decay beginning to infect it only slightly diminished the sweetness of the juice as it dribbled down her chin. She hummed her appreciation while continuing to eat, unable to stop now that she’d tasted even a shadow of what she’d always dreamed. “What is this?”

“That’s a plum.” Winter smiled wider, waving over a few of her servants. “Here, there’s more to try.”

Slowly, she worked her way through the baskets as they walked to the palace, arriving in the dining hall, resplendent with even more baskets from the garden on high. Finally, her curiosity won out again. “How did you get all this?”

“I visited Willow, of course.” The Goddess of the Underworld winced slightly. “It was... long overdue, by her estimations, so she was rather generous with fulfilling my requests. Probably as encouragement to return.”

“Wait.” Yang paused, halfway through the rib of a pig and throwing the remainder to Cerberus, who seemed to enjoy the food just as much as the pomegranate from her last visit. “Did you only go up to see her because of me?”

“Well, Raven did make a scene about the whole fiasco, so I thought it prudent to tell my side of the story.” She tapped her fingers against the table, blue eyes looking away briefly. “Though... honestly, I probably wouldn’t have bothered if I didn’t suspect my mother’s garden to be resistant to my domain.” A shrug of her shoulders. “If Willow wished to berate me, she’d come down here herself.”

She couldn’t help the way her lips curled into a small grin, heat coming to her cheeks enough to overpower the cold in the air. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Of course I didn’t have to.” Winter smiled. “I simply wanted to.” Then she grabbed a goblet, fashioned after a skull with its mouth open in a never ending scream. “I’m pleased to see my estimations proved correct.”

Yang grabbed her own and lifted it in a toast, relishing the sweet ambrosia that slid down her throat as she drank.

For the whole time she was meant to sleep, Yang ate and drank in the Underworld, with Winter running up to her mother’s garden to fetch more periodically. Not that she didn’t do other things, of course; the two immortals wandered the Land of the Dead, conversing about everything they could think of during their walks. Winter spoke of the ancient histories- how Willow came to be, how she molded other immortals, every deity no matter how small- and Yang regaled her with the things she’d seen while walking the Upperworld- how mortals toiled yet found happiness amid their strife, how lush and lively everything looked in the distance before she arrived, how beautiful the stars looked on a cloudless night. 

But time did not stop. Eventually, Vernal returned to slumber and Yang had to leave the Underworld.

When the time came, the Goddess of the Underworld seemed the more reluctant one as they stood at the edge of the river with Cerberus just behind them. “You’ll return? At the end of your season?”

“Yeah.” She smiled, slipping her hand into Winter’s for the little time they still had together. “I’ll be back.”

“Part of me wishes I could walk beside you.” A frown tugged at her lips. “But I would just bring death, and not the sort your sister could reverse come spring.”

“It would almost be worth it to see the look on my mom’s face though,” she said, laughing at the imagine of Raven, thoroughly ticked off at having the debate settled once and for all. But the mortals would suffer for it and Yang had never been a vindictive deity; it wasn’t their fault she had these responsibilities, even if they benefited from them. “It’s almost time.”

“Very well.” Winter squeezed her hand briefly, a smile on her face. “I look forward to your return.”

Cerberus ferried her across the river and she ascended to the Upperworld with the wolf following close behind, only stopping when she reached the mouth of the cave. There, they sat, whining until she’d pet all three heads and then went on her way.

Several seasons passed. Each spring, Yang would descend to the Underworld, to dine with Winter amongst the dead with fruit, meat, and drink bargained for from Willow’s garden, and each summer, she walked Remnant alone.

Finally, she reached a crossroads.

“Is something on your mind?” Winter prodded midway through one spring. “Your thoughts seem heavy.”

“I know the rules and what it means to break them,” she said, idly tracing a pattern through the fur on one of Cerberus’ heads. “But I’m finding less and less reasons to follow them.”

The Goddess of the Dead tapped her fingers against the table, lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m guessing this is something your mother might not like.”

“She’ll be livid.” A shrug. “But I don’t really care.”

“Then... what’s holding you back?”

Lilac eyes cast around, at the dreary castle, and the dark and the cold, this place that seemed so at odds with the fire in her soul, yet also the only place she could claim to find peace. A home, as fit as any other. “I’m not sure if you’ll approve.”

Winter paused, grabbing her goblet and taking a long pull. Then, she sat back in her chair. “Will it make you happy?”

“Yes.”

A nod, then something occurred to her- almost an afterthought. “Will it threaten the immortals?”

“No.”

“Will it harm mortals?”

“... maybe.”

She nodded. “Then I see no reason to object.” A shrug. “Suffering is the plight of mortals and Willow’s done worse with much less consideration. Whatever you have in mind, you have my support.”

“Even if it means fighting my mother?”

“She’ll have to get through mine first.”

A smile curled her lips. “Alright.”

Then she got up, Winter and Cerberus trailing behind, and went to the field of pomegranate trees. She picked one of the fruit and split it in half as she did before, offering one side to the Lord of the Dead and the other to the wolf while keeping a handful of seeds for herself. At that point, it had to be obvious what she planned but Winter made no motion to stop her.

But she did ask. “Are you sure this is what you want? I haven’t anything to offer you haven’t already seen.”

“I’m sure,” she replied gathering the seeds into her palm. “All I really want is your company.”

“You have that, for a whole season-”

“I want more.” Yang felt a little silly saying it. She should be content with her duties, with the sacrifices and walking through Remnant year after year. But she couldn’t be, not anymore, not when she knew she could be somewhere with someone who actually enjoyed her presence.

For a moment, Winter watched her. Then, she deliberately dropped down to one knee and bowed her head. “Then all I have is yours. Become my Queen and rule beside me. Let this land become as much yours as it is mine, and I will remain by your side until the end of time.”

Without hesitation, she tilted her head back and popped the seeds into her mouth, swallowing them down whole.

In the next moment, Cerberus began to growl and bark, darting in front of Yang even as a familiar presence disturbed the peace of death.

“YANG!” Raven appeared, furious, red-black energy swirling about her as she stalked across the field. “WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?”

Before she had a chance to respond, Winter stepped up beside her and put up a hand, stopping the angry deity in her tracks. “You will address her in a civil tone or I will throw you out.”

“WHO ARE YOU TO GIVE ME ORDERS?”

“Master of this land for one.”

“And your new daughter-in-law for another,” Yang said, and she’d be lying if she didn’t relish the look of pure, unadulterated rage that flashed over her mother’s face.

“WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU-”

“Immortal means you cannot die, Raven; it doesn’t protect you from pain.” Winter’s tone turned ice cold as a wind began to whip through the Underworld, the sound of a hundred thousand voices shrieking echoing from beneath their feet, where the souls of the dead congregated. “And I am well versed in that arena as well. Have you forgotten which of us is charged with delivering unto those who have earned them the punishments Willow hands down?”

“DO YOU THINK I FEEL FEAR?” Though she charged her daughters with the seasons, Raven could call upon the same powers, and from beneath her feet sprung ferns and vines, flowering and bearing fruit even amidst the Underworld’s death and decay. “HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHICH OF US CONTROLS BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN?”

Cerberus snapped at the encroaching greenery, pressing close to Yang’s side, and she felt a tendril of fear worm its way into her heart. She’d only made the comment about fighting her mother in jest; she honestly didn’t expect Winter to do so. But she could hear the muffled, distant sounds of a million soldiers marching, echoing up from the depths of the Underworld to join Winter in battle.

She managed a single step, to try and stand between them, diffuse the situation, but all turned white in that moment.

“What are you idiots bickering over now?” Sat upon a throne of clouds, Willow surveyed them with disdain in her expression and a carafe of wine in her hand. Her gaze flicked between Raven and Winter while the two stared each other down, left diminished in their capabilities now that they stood in Willow’s realm. Then her brows drew together. “And why did it suddenly get so much warmer- ah.” Her eyes fell on Yang with the weight of a mountain, just as blue as Winter’s but somehow sharper. “You. Yang, correct? It’s about time you came to this place.” Willow glanced at the others. “Do you know what’s going on between these two?”

“I... sorta caused it.” She admitted with a smile that faltered under the intense gaze directed her way. “I-”

“Wait.” And she stood, the ruler of the Immortal Ones, creator of all, her eyes narrowing as she peered and saw the truth. “Last I checked, you brought the heat of summer wherever you went as its patron; since when did you hold any dominion over death?”

“Since about five minutes ago?” Yang scratched at the back of her head, unsure how she might explain herself, but then she caught sight of Winter out of the corner of her eye. Steady, unyielding, and smiling gently- an encouragement and a promise that she would honor her word. Even in the face of one who could strip them of their powers, she would stand beside Yang. So she straightened up, tilted her chin defiantly, and met Willow’s gaze without faltering. “I ate the fruit of the Underworld. That’s where I belong now.”

“Over my dead body!” Raven snapped, obviously prepared to continue her advance but stopped when Willow held up a hand.

“You know the rules the same as I; if she’s eaten of the Underworld, she’s bound to that place.”

“You brought her here!”

“The rules don’t apply to me.” A careless shrug. “Consider it a perk of being the master of the world. A job you could’ve easily taken, mind.” Ignoring Raven’s glare, her gaze returned to Yang. “Did you eat the fruit of the Underworld to shirk your duties?”

“No,” she replied.

“Then why did you eat the fruit?”

“Because...” She trailed off, reaching for words, trying to articulate what had passed through her mind while looking around. Finally, it clicked. “It’s where I want to belong.”

“Meaning?”

“When I bring the heat of summer, I am a nomad of Remnant; I don’t belong anywhere. Until I met Winter, any time I didn’t spend bringing the fury of my season, I slept beneath a mountain.” Without looking, she reached out, calmed by the hand that found hers, fingers lacing between her own in a silent show of support. “After we met, I had a place to belong, a place that felt like home, just like you have this place. But, I’ve only been a guest, and I didn’t want that anymore. I just...” She turned her head to find Winter watching her, pride glinting in her eyes, and something else, something much softer. “I love her. And she makes me feel loved, too. There’s nowhere else I feel like that, so why would I want to leave?”

“I see.” Willow drank from her carafe and sighed, leaning back in her gilded chair. “And if I were to pull the seeds from you, revoke that which binds you there-”

“You would have to kill me first,” Winter said, stepping up and meeting her mother’s gaze with a cold fire, words edged with razor sharp intent. 

“Then the feelings are reciprocated.”

“She is my Queen.” Resolute, she nodded. “I’ll take her to wife, if she’ll have me.”

“Marriage. Such a charming mortal convention.” Willow sighed, massaging her temple. “But, an elegant solution, I must admit.”

“What possible solution could a marriage offer?” Raven snapped, all the fury of a spring storm gathering around her, lightning crackling along her hair.

“As Queen of the Underworld, Yang will be able to come and go as she pleases, since she’d be afforded the same dominion over the Underworld as Winter.” She made a vague gesture. “That would return us to the status quo, of course, but for getting me involved, you both will be punished.”

“I DIDN’T ASK FOR YOUR INTERFERENCE!” Yang winced, both at her mom’s shouting and at agreeing with her, for once.

“It’s too late to argue; I’ve already decided on your punishment.” Blue eyes bounced between the two. “Wait, we’re missing someone. Where’s that other whelp of yours?” With a snap of her fingers, she pulled Vernal from wherever she’d been to stand before her. “There. Now, with Winter and Yang marrying, that means our families are joined, which I’m not exactly thrilled about.” Willow shot a hard look at Raven. “However, they seemed pleased with the arrangement, so we’ll proceed accordingly. I do not tolerate laziness, which means all of you will have to attend to your duties accordingly. Henceforth, there will be four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter- and guess which one you’re going to have.” Her gaze moved to Winter at the ending line. “For three months, each of you will bring your season to Remnant. Spring, then summer, then fall- that’s you, Raven- and then winter, before the cycle begins again. That’s fair.”

A frown touched Yang’s lips. For half of every year, she wouldn’t be able to even see Winter? How did that constitute fairness?

She almost said as much before the hand still holding hers gave her a light squeeze, reassuring her. 

“Fine,” Raven said through gritted teeth, apparently mollified by the idea that Winter had additional responsibilities- and perhaps by the implication that her daughter would reap little benefit from the whole situation. “But nothing will grow in Winter.”

Willow smirked, then, that famous little curl of her lips that told mortal and immortal alike that they couldn’t see what she could. “We’ll see about that.”

With a snap of her fingers, Willow’s domain fell away, replaced by the comforting chill of the Underworld, Cerberus immediately pouncing upon Yang and whining, tail wagging viciously as two heads tried to lick her face.

“Easy, easy, down!” She laughed, noting the third head trying to bury in Winter’s chest, and they both managed to get the wolf to calm enough that they returned to all fours while running around them. “Winter, are you sure about this?”

“As certain as death,” she replied, gently cupping her cheek and drawing her into a soft, smooth kiss that soothed her worries. “Mother gave me more duties, yes, but she didn’t take away any of my power.” Then, she knelt down, calling her faithful hound to her. “Cerberus. You know what Mother has charged me with, correct?” All three heads nodded. “Will you walk Remnant in my stead and bring the winter with you?”

Three ground shaking barks answered her, and both of them began petting the wolf as thanks.

“Raven will be furious when she finds out,” Yang said, softly, as if her mom might be able to overhear.

“How will she?” Winter raised a brow. “She now bears a season, too. She won’t be able to walk on Remnant during a season other than hers and I’ll know if she sets foot in the Underworld, the same as you. There are many places to hide in death.”

A surprised laugh left her lips. She hadn’t considered it before but oh how delicious an irony it was. 

And so it fell that Remnant had four seasons instead of two and that the Underworld had two rulers rather than one. True to her word, Winter imbued Yang will all her powers over the dominion of death and decay, and held her above all others in her heart. After a few years of enjoying their time together, uninterrupted save for her three month forays to bring summer to Remnant, Yang began to think not of just which duties she’d been given but what other strengths she may possess. She carried the heat of her father; it stood to reason her mother had to give her something aside from responsibilities she didn’t want, right?

In time, they proved Willow’s wisdom sage, and proved there could be growth in Winter.

One of the many benefits, Yang found, to being the daughter of a fertility goddess.

[paladin-andric]

Blackheart, Chapter 16: The Insurmountable

It was a curious request, to be sure. One strange enough Razorwing couldn’t help but ask as they walked through the streets.

“Why on earth do you wish to return to the gates? Surely you aren’t running from this, after all we’ve been through?”

“Of course not,” the knight responded, “I want to see what the fuss is all about.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve heard there’s some...invincible monster guarding the gate.”

“That’s right,” Senci said, speeding up to walk beside the two, “We would have evacuated by now if it wasn’t for that horrible thing!”

“First I’m hearing about it,” Charles offered.

Alexander shrugged. “Nothing was there when I came. Just walked on through. Looked like a massacre happened there, though…”

“Well I just flew on over,” Razorwing said simply, “Never been to the gates.”

“It’s there, you’ll see!” Senci insisted, “A-and if I’m wrong, well...we can finally evacuate the Citadel!”

“Not us, though,” Alexander stated, “The world still hangs in the balance. We COULD have the other survivors finally send for reinforcements, though…”

“There has to be SOME way to defeat it,” Charles said matter-of-factly, “Nothing’s just invincible! Not dragons, not demons, not anything!”

“I guess we’ll see,” the knight said quietly.

The group continued their trip, the knight occasionally recalling certain landmarks and buildings from when he tore through the city trying to keep up with Senci.

The closer they got, the more he recalled. Walking through one of the alleyways, Alexander stopped short of the exit.

“Something wrong?” Razorwing asked with concern.

“No, I just realized...this is where I bumped into you, Senci.”

The kobold perked up as he looked around. “Ah, you’re right! Wow, to think that was only a few days ago...with everything going on, it feels like it’s been forever!” he said with a nervous laugh.

“Yeah...not far now.”

The knight continued marching back to the gate, eventually coming across that first sight that angered him, after the massacre at the gates...the derelict, abandoned market stall, still full of rotten fruits.

A perfect symbol of what the city had become.

Shaking his head, Alexander continued. Just one block away, was where he had entered the city…

As they came to the plaza, all sorts of stalls and stores along the streets the whole way there, Alexander stopped and took cover behind the building on the corner.

All right...moment of truth.

The knight peeked around the corner...and couldn’t believe his eyes.

A massive, near-indescribable horror stood in the plaza, flanked by roads, buildings, and in front of the gates. All around the thing, corpses still lay rotted and forgotten.

The creature was massive, not quite the size of Tourthun altogether, but certainly taller as it stood upright on two legs…

The beast had four arms, ending in long, thin fingers that resembled sword blades.

Its face was a mass of eyes and sharp, jutted teeth, and misshapen flesh.

Its body was bizarre, being large and round but coated in grayish, contorted skin that seemed to be...moving, constantly shifting, twisting and pulling about.

On the...thing’s back, there were...jutting spikes? It looked at though the creature’s spine burst out its own back, and split off into many different directions, in what appeared to be a mockery of the framework of a set of wings.

There was no leather or flesh to be found around the gangly bone though, likely meaning this monstrosity was not granted the gift of flight.

Alexander, for a moment, froze.

His heart beat against his chest. The air in his lungs left him. Sweat began to form all over him. The hair on his arms stood up straight, pressing against his clothes and armor.

He had not felt the fear of death within him for many years. But now?

Just staring as this parody of life made him feel like his sanity was burning away.

This creature should not live. It should not exist within the same reality as the rest of the world.

Finally getting a hold of himself, the knight stepped backwards, shoving against whoever stood behind him.

As his hands pushed against feathers, it became apparent the other man was Razorwing.

The bird seemed to follow the knight’s frantic movements, also beginning to back up. The rest of the group followed as Alexander turned and moved down several blocks before ducking into the back alleys of tightly packed houses.

Alexander moved next to the wooden house and kneeled down, the others quickly huddling beside him.

“W-what...WAS that?” Charles asked, shaking and shivering.

“The...m-most vile thing I’ve ever seen!” Razorwing answered, an audible quiver in his voice, something Alexander couldn’t ever recall hearing.

“It’s invincible!” Senci whispered, “We...lost a lot of people trying to take it down. Arrows, bolts, axe, blade, magic...it never even flinched! It CAN’T die!”

The dragonoid shook his head, clutching the brim of his hat and pulling it down over his face. “This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening...”

“Get a hold of yourself!” the archer announced, still sounding less than confident, “You cannot give up hope!”

“Did you hear Senci?! It’s immortal! Even if we climbed the walls, what’s to stop that thing from just walking out of the city and slaughtering everything in Geralthin?!”

“There MUST be a way!”

“There isn’t,” Senci said sadly, “We tried.”

“There’s ALWAYS a way!” the hero stated, beginning to sound like himself again, “No matter what ends we must go to, that abomination MUST fall! I will not rest until it lies DEAD! Do you hear me, Charles?! We WILL uncover its secrets!”

The magician flinched as Razorwing grabbed and shook him.

“I said; DO you HEAR me, Charles?! Snap OUT of it! You’re a HERO! We ALL are! ACT like one!”

The dragonoid blinked as he stared into the archer’s eyes.

“We’re in this together. As hopeless as you may think it, we can’t give up. This isn’t about us...this is about the world. Like you said, it could just up and leave, and begin to slaughter everything and everyone. What about your father, Charles?! Are you just going to let it kill him?!”

“N-no!” the magician cried in horror.

“Than FIGHT!”

Charles tensed up, clenching his clawed hands and taking short breaths.

“O-okay...okay, fine! Fine, I’ll FIGHT! Alright, Razorwing?!” the dragonoid yelled, clutching onto the man currently grabbing him.

“That’s the Charles I know!” the koutu said with a grin, “The one who helps his friends, who does what’s right!”

“Does what’s right…” Charles took a deep breath. “Alright...we can do this…”

“Mister Alexander?” Senci moved over to the knight, who was still sitting against the house, silent. “Umm...what do you think?”

A deafening silence filled the air.

“Alexander…?”

The knight looked up, his face hidden behind his helmet.

“...why?”

Senci frowned. “Huh?”

“Why does it...exist?”

“I-I don’t know,” the kobold answered honestly.

“That thing...my God...why…”

Razorwing kneeled in front of Alexander at stared straight into his visor. “Courage, sir knight. Every here is counting on you.”

The human shook his head. “I-I just…it had to know. It let me in, then came back. It must want me to die here. It must want to doom me to these streets…”

The koutu surged forward, grasping the plates on the knight’s shoulders tightly.

“Stay with me!” he barked, causing Alexander to jolt a bit. “Remember the mission!”

“Hey, that thing’ll hear us,” Charles said nervously. Razorwing took a breath and lowered his voice.

“Alexander...you’ve been a tower of resolve, a rock, for this group. You CAN’T give up now! What would that do to the others? They need your assurance,  sir knight! You’ve been keeping their spirits up this far! Break now and this alliance will crumble! Think of what’s at stake!”

The knight was quiet for a moment.

“...I know.” he looked up and met Razorwing’s eyes. “I know. I just...needed a moment. I’ve...never seen anything like that before. I just...needed a moment to compose myself. I’m not giving up.”

The hero nodded and smiled, patting Alexander on the shoulder. “Didn’t think so. Just making sure. You’ve brought us this far...let’s keep going!”

“The question is...what next?” Charles muttered, arms crossed and leg foot tapping anxiously.

“That...THING must die,” Alexander said plainly, “There is no other option.”

“What?! But-”

“We’ll find a way,” Alexander spoke, cutting Senci off, “This is now our priority.”

“But the Blackheart, our mission…”

The knight looked over to Charles. “That’s true. That’s still our ultimate goal...but right now, this beast must die.”

“Might I ask why this takes priority, sir knight?” Razorwing asked, hands folded behind his back. He seemed to be trying to be as respectful as possible.

“The end of the world, in my opinion, cannot be ignored.”

Alexander sighed. “I said that’s still our ultimate goal. That thing can’t die. If we leave an IMMORTAL DEMON at its post...it could waltz outside at any point and...God knows how many would die.”

“A fair point,” Razorwing answered, “But...can do we do? We haven’t the foggiest idea, no leads...we’d be chasing ghosts.”

“Charles.”

The dragonoid jumped at bit at the knight’s mention of his name.

“Y-yes?”

“You said you went to a university here, correct?”

“The ONLY university here. The Palethorn Academy, sir...wait,” the magician’s eyes widened, as if he too was putting it together. “You’re about to inquire as to our research on demonology.”

“Sharp,” the knight noted.

“Well, it’s good you brought it up. Demonology is loathed, and normally banned all across the kingdom, but...I just remembered. The Order started an initiative between the Church and the academy.”

“Regarding demons?”

The dragonoid nodded. “Right. A sort of...collaborative effort. Combining the holy magic of the church and the warding knowledge of the sorcerers, the higher-ups worked together with priests and paladins to gain a deeper understanding of demonkind, and how to combat them. They had their own secret meetups at the top floor, restricted access to the rest of us, of course.”

“And so if we go there…”

“...it’s a long shot, but we might find SOMETHING,” Charles finished.

The knight nodded and stood up. “Right, well I think we’ve discovered our next target. Any objections?”

“Then what?” Senci asked innocently.

“If we discover that thing’s weakness...we kill it. With nothing guarding the gates, we can evacuate the Citadel and send for reinforcements. With the Royal Army at our side, this entire battle for the Blackheart just might be possible.”

“I see…!” Razorwing looked pleasantly surprised. “You had a good reason for going with this plan of yours. You have a very...strategic mindset, Alexander.”

“A few years leading armies’ll do that,” the knight answered with a shrug.

“A good plan...I’m in support of it,” the koutu said with a smile, offering Alexander a short bow.

“Good to hear it. Charles? Senci?”

“It’s worth a try!” the kobold said happily.

The magician frowned. “I suppose it’s better than nothing...letting that invincible thing go about its business DOES sound like a terrible idea...and the armies of mankind...very well. I’ll lead, I know the way.”

“Excellent,” Alexander answered, sounding satisfied.

Preparing themselves, the group began to move, following the magician as he began to lead the way to the academy.

“So where exactly is this place?” Alexander probed, “How far?”

“All the way to the North, in the center of the city. It’s atop a large hill, you’ll see when we get there.”

“Could be worse...could be on the opposite end of the city,” Razorwing muttered.

“This is true,” the knight replied, “If this works...I’d like us to take care of that dragon next.”

“Quite a list of targets we’re picking up,” Razorwing noted.

The human looked back at the koutu with a serious expression. “I want them deprived of trump cards, unable to overwhelm us during the final assault. Pick off their strongest assets before they’re able to fully utilize them. Defeat in detail, friend. It wins wars.”

“A fair point…”

The group became silent for some time, moving back up north as they followed the dragonoid’s lead.

He seemed aware that the main streets were death traps, taking side roads and alleyways just like everyone else had.

He HAD survived here since the initial invasion, after all.

Walking through the streets, the area desolate around them, Alexander decided to learn a bit more about their destination.

“So, Charles...any information you have about this academy of yours? Anything that might help?”

The dragon scratched his chin. “Well, went there as a student. Lived in the dorms. Got my own little room. It’s uh...split into different sections. There’s the dorms in the west wing, got some classrooms in the middle...the cafeteria is in the east wing. More classes on the second floor...the central area has classrooms on every floor, you see. Recreation area is in the west wing on the second floor...clubs are in the east wing. Third floor has staff offices in the west wing, artifact containment in the east...and then the fourth floor is mostly training grounds.”

“Training grounds?” the knight raised a brow.

“Yes. For practicing spells and the like. Rooms are mostly empty to minimize destruction. The walls, floors and ceilings are are warded with sigils, so when a student inevitably messes up a spell, they don’t bring the whole building down.”

“I see…”

“And finally the top floor,” the magician continued, “Where those priests were making visits to. Off limits to nearly everyone, even the staff. No idea what’s up there.”

“And that is where the research on demons lies.”

“Correct.”

“Very well...I’m interested to see how the place held up,” Alexander admitted.

“Everyone ran there and to the church during the first attack…” Charles sounded like he was having a difficult time continuing. “It was the first place I checked after the guild. Alexander, and all of you...it’s...a massacre in there. I’d recommend you cover your noses when we enter.”

The knight grimaced. “Damn. I thought...maybe a few wise magicians had holed up in there.”

“There’s nothing left,” the dragonoid said sadly.

“Alright than...say, what’s this about a guild?”

“The Guild of Dragonoids!” Charles said, a smile tugging at the sides of his muzzle.

“A...guild of dragonoids?”

“For the betterment of our kind!” the magician answered, “Surely you know how we’re viewed by society at large.”

“As menaces,” the knight answered.

“Correct. Well, the guild decided that if we were going to be treated like villains, the best way to combat that was to band together and show everyone that we just want to live normal lives, like everyone else!”

The human raised a brow. “And, uh...what did that entail, exactly?” “Self-sufficiency, charity, and kindness! We had this lovely hall with all sorts of stuff. Music classes, cooking classes, tailoring, a library, book readings and discussion groups...it was...like a second family.”

Alexander noticed the sudden souring of the dragonoid’s attitude. “You said you went there first, during the attack. Your friends, did they…?”

Charles winced. “T-they...when I got there, they were…”

He swallowed, seeming unable to continue.

“...they’re all gone.”

It was spoken in a whisper, quivering and full of pain.

“God...Charles, I’m sorry.”

“L-like animals, they were just...it’s not right…”

The young magician was breathing quick, shallow breaths now. “Theodon...my friend...he was...in a heap in the library. I-I went into the tailoring room, and Merjim, s-she...she…”

“You don’t have to keep going,” Alexander assured, “I understand.”

“We made this robe together,” the dragonoid said tearfully, tugging at his own outfit, “All that time ago. W-we did it in that very room...a-and when I went in...she was still sitting in her favorite chair...slumped over the table!”

Alexander put a hand on the magician’s shoulder, stopping his walk.

“You should sit down for a minute. Collect yourself.”

The dragonoid turned, tears flowing down his muzzle and wiping at his nose. “B-but-”

“Relax. Just relax.”

The dragonoid slumped against the wall, his wings splayed against the stone as he slid to the ground.

Sitting now, he shook his head. “M-my friends...m-maybe if I had been there, I could have...done something.”

The knight kneeled down and put his hand on the half-dragon’s shoulder again. “You did all you could.”

“B-but if I had only been there-”

“You can’t predict the future...well, maybe once you’re a sorcerer. But it’s not your fault.”

“Your friends are in heaven, now,” Razorwing offered, “At least they haven’t become one of THEM.”

“It’s true,” Alexander continued, “They’re in a better place. Theodon and Merjim, I’m sure they were great people, and I’m sure they’re watching from above, right this second, cheering you on. Hoping for you to make it through this.”

“You’re brave, mister Charles!” Senci offered, “Everyone here respects you! We know you’re doing your best!”

The dragonoid, unable to hold back, began to cry. The group huddled around him, and he wrapped his arms around them all as he continued to weep.

He thought about it. About his friends in the guild. The people who, almost as much as his father, felt like family.

He loved them like brothers and sisters...and now they were gone.

Were the knight’s words true? Were they really watching him from up above, their spirits praying for his safety?

He took a deep, shaky breath and collected himself.

Looking up, the blackness of the fog was blocking any view of the sun or stars he could have had, but still...he could FEEL it. Just behind that veil...heaven sat, watching. His friends, passed on, still there. Watching him carefully. Seeing what was happening, even after their own journeys had ended.

Tears rolling down his face, Charles stared into the sky, feeling something looking back at him.

“I won’t let you down. I promise.”

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Tag list: @thereisnothingwrongwithbeingmad, @lady-redshield-writes, @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword, @sheralynnramsey, @tawnywrites, @writer-on-time, @oceanwriter, @zwergis-spilledink, @fluffpiggy, @elliewritesfantasy, @homesteadhorner,  @laurenwastestimewriting, @elaynab-writing, @the-ichor-of-ruination, @disheveledcorvid

[knightthunderis]

Ch 11 Reimeiko’s History

“Wait, Thunderis, I am sorry.” Derrick said. “I did not mean to bump you in with all the other ladies around this country.  I know that you are nothing like them.  You actually care about other people whereas the nobles and royals here care only for themselves.  I truly did not mean to make you angry.  In anycase, if you want to last around here, you had better be ready for tomorrow with all the bowing and curtseying.  There are rules for everything around here you know.”

“Believe me, I know the royal rules of protocol.” Reimeiko said. “I am not about to let a bunch of stuck up nobles come between me and my future with my soulmate.  I have seen the future and the queen by Karyson’s side is me and no one else.”

“You know the other ladies vying for Garyson have been training for it all their lives.” Derrick replied. “They will do whatever it takes to make sure they take the lead in all things.”

“Well I can let you in on all the advantages I have that none of them do.” Reimeiko said. “I was not only raised and trained in royal protocol and how to be a wife and mother by my mother, but I was also trained in the art of warfare by my dad and his team of fighters.  I can harness the powers and elements of my home, and Karyson and I were connected together years ago so none of the others have a chance with him because we are bound to each other eternally.”

“Oh wow seriously?” he asked. “I did not think that you were that Reimeiko Thunderis.  She and Karyson were married centuries ago.  They cannot be alive today.  There is no way unless-” Reimeiko lit up with her brows raised.

“My full name by royal standards is Reimeiko Christyne Amaryllis Thunderis Wolfe.” Reimeiko said. “I am the eldest daughter of Thor and Kyiandra Kinsworthy Thunderis, the king and queen of Thunderia and the Universal Alliance.”

“Oh wow, you look pretty darn good for someone who is over three thousand years old.” Derrick replied. “No, it is impossible for you two to be the Reimeiko and Karyson of the past. They lived centuries ago.”

“We are immortal, Derrick.” Reimeiko explained. “We may move from one timeline to another but we are all eternal.  I am Knight Thunder of Thunderia able to harness the powers and the elements of my kingdom and Karyson is able to do the same thing as Knight Wolf.  Watch, I will prove to you who I am.” She drew her swords that were hidden behind her and crossed them above her head. “By the power of Galaxia! Thunderian Thorstar Universal Ultimate Galactic Knight Power!” The lightning swirled around her body followed by the gold light of change.  Reimeiko Thunderis was transformed into Knight Thunder, much to Derrick’s wide surprise. “Usually, because my fellow Knights and I have reached our ultimate level, we do not have to use our weapons to transform into our Knight forms.  All we have to do is think and the hero form appears on us.”

“Wow, I am seeing it but I am still not completely believing it.” Derrick announced. “It is just so unreal.  If Karyson is one of you, how come he has never displayed this kind of power.”

“All we know is that somewhere between our last battle and the meeting at Russo’s Karyson was separated from his human and hero personalities Tristan Michael Llewellyn and Knight Wolf.” Reimeiko explained. 

“But if Karyson has a human form that is different from him as well as Knight Wolf, that also means you have a different human form as well.” Derrick interjected.

“I am known as Jamison Logan McKagan Llewellyn by human standards.” Reimeiko explained. “Tristan, Karyson’s human form is my husband as Karyson is Reimeiko’s.  Besides my siblings, Aaron and Keilyn and our fellow Knights as well as Karyson’s siblings you are the only one who knows about this.”

“I see. Now we had better go.” Derrick insisted. “I do not want to get you into trouble being out after curfew.”

“Trouble? Why would you get me into trouble?” she asked. “I can handle trouble. I am Knight Thunder after all.”

“Maybe you can,” he said. “But you are still new here.  I do not want to get you into any kind of mess on my account.  It is not like it is in normal life where you can just be yourself and do what you want.  Here there is always going to be someone waiting for some gossip to spread about you and use against you.  I know what this place looks like but do not let it fool you.  Most people do not get happily ever after around here.  Come on.”

Reimeiko followed Derrick from the roof after reverting back to herself, while still holding the Knight Thunder persona, back to the tree, and down. As they got closer to the ground, the branches became more sparse.  Derrick dropped out of the tree to the ground, then held out his hand to Reimeiko. He pulled her down and for a brief moment, held her in his arms before he set her on the ground.

“Hey Derrick, I just wanted to say, you are extremely cute when you are flustered.” she smirked. “I remember that was a way to perk you up when you gained the interest of that special someone.”

Derrick laughed and looked away blushing, looking like he was about to say something, but then he thought better of it. “You are real trouble, I think Thunderis.”

“I guess it depends on how you look at it Derrick.” she giggled. “Good night Mr. Werner.”

She left behind a speechless Derrick and headed back to her room hopeful that she would fall asleep fairly quickly.  Samson, one of her guardians, was there waiting for her perched on the desk near the bed in owl form.  When he was sure it was only his mistress, he reverted to cat form jumping over onto the bed.

“Jaira and I completed our circuit of the country, Your Highness.” Samson said. “And nothing is as any of us remember it.  Something is seriously not right.”

“This is not the Thaddea the rest of the Guardians and Knights remember.” Jaira added. “The present king and queen is named Cecil and Alyssa Walters.  Word around the palace is that they are ruling Taboria and Karyson and Samuel Walters are brothers.”

“Samuel’s only siblings are his twin sister Francine, uh I mean Ceres.” Reimeiko replied. “And his half brother Garyson Walters.  We have to get to the bottom of this before Cecil gets Karyson tied up in bigamy and casts him from everything that matters.”

Samson and Jaira left the room so that Reimeiko could change clothes and go to bed, hopeful she would fall asleep quickly. The next morning Byron and Malachi arrived going through the outfits that Reimeiko had brought with her.

“No, not this one.” Byron said. “Not this one, too casual, too American, too stretchy.  What we are looking for is the perfect look for your debut for the Masquerade tonight.  The first event of the Social Season is tonight, the masquerade.”

“It is the ball where all of the suitors will be presented formally to Prince Garyson as well as the king.” Malachi added. “While not everyone everyone wears a costume or a mask, you can be sure the ladies competing for Garyson’s attention will be pulling out all of the stops to make sure they are all he sees.”

“I suppose it is too much to ask if you even packed a costume appropriate for a black tie affair?” Byron asked, looking disdainfully at the rest of the clothes in her suitcase.  He let out a long suffering sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Well we were not sure so we made you an appointment at the palace boutique.” Malachi said. “Maybe you will find something there that you like better.  And remember tonight is very important.  You could end up getting to dance with Garyson and it is your chance to make a first impression on all of the influential people and to stand apart from everyone else there.”

“Do not worry fellows, I have got this.” Reimeiko announced. She grabbed her adventure bag and left her room to go to the palace boutique.  Just to be on the safe side, she had Knight Thunder in full power.  This was not the Thaddea she knew or remembered.  She stepped into the boutique and saw one of the suitors in her underwear looking through the various costumes. “Oh I am sorry, I did not realize that someone was already in here.”

“It is no problem.” she said. “To be honest, I did not have an appointment.  I am Elenia Zhang.  I suppose you are also here to prepare for the Masquerade tonight as well?”

“I am Reimeiko Thunderis; and yes, I am here to prepare for this hide and seek parade too.” Reimeiko said giggling. “This is quite the flash and flare event just to try and win the hand of one of the Walters boys.”

“She is the multi-talented suitor from Thaddea.” Tristan said through the earpiece Reimeiko wore. “Elenia is the one you should try and make friends with the most.  The other suitors are serious backbiters including Melinda Edwards so watch yourself.”

“Since you are here and not already dressed,” Elenia said. “I must assume that you are like me and searching for something to wear.  The seamstress seems to be running late, but I can show you around. This boutique has the most exquisite gowns.  Let me just slip my dress on.” She pulled on the dress she was holding but struggled to get the zipper up. Reimeiko helped her with no hesitation.  Elenia donned a matching mask and settled it on her face before turning back around to face Reimeiko grinning at her. “Thank you, not many people here are nice like you.” She twirled around her full skirts twirling out. “Now what about you?  One must have a mask for the masquerade.  Have you seen the angel costume?  You would look amazing in white.”

“I will take a look.” Reimeiko said. She slipped into the changing room with the dress, Silver Sensation and with a snap of her fingers was wearing her version of it and her glasses transformed into a matching mask.  The outfit for Princess Reimeiko was just what she needed to help trigger Karyson’s true memory of his connection with Reimeiko and reunite them. “So how do I look?”

“Oh wow, you look absolutely amazing.” Elenia gushed. The two of them left the boutique then Reimeiko met Malachi at the bottom of the grand staircase just outside the ballroom.

“You look sensational, Reimeiko.” Malachi said. “One thing I should mention, as soon as you enter the ballroom, tell the herald your name and title so that you can be announced.  Since you are working undercover, you do not have a title, but since my family is “Sponsoring” you, then you could technically be considered a lady.”

[partyrockin]

CG: YOU’RE A GOD.

CG: AND I AM NOT.

CG: IT WAS FATED TO HAPPEN, I GUESS. WITH THE UNCONCEIVABLE HORSESHIT THAT IS THE ALPHA TIMELINE EXISTING AND ALL.

CG: GOD EVEN NOW IT SEEMS LIKE WE’RE STILL TRAPPED IN THAT ENTROPIC GAME. SOMETIMES, I FEEL LIKE IT’S NOT OVER. THAT IT NEVER WAS OVER. THAT EVERYTHING IS JUST SOME BLOATED-OUT JOKE.

CG: HEY, YOU ASKED FOR VICTORY? YOU WISH TO LIVE FREELY, WITHOUT BEING BURDENED WITH THE CONSTANT FEAR OF BEING DRIVEN THROUGH A SKEWER, AND PARADED AROUND THE INCIPISPHERE AS YOUR CO-PLAYERS CAN ONLY GAZE HELPLESSLY AT YOUR MANGLED CORPSE?

CG: LAUGHABLE. THIS BULLSHIT WE CALL A ‘VICTORY’ IS ESSENTIALLY JUST A COSMIC ‘FUCK YOU’ HIDDEN BEHIND A FACADE OF HAPPY BRAINLESS CARAPACES AND OVERSIZED CAN ACCOMMODATIONS. BUT HEY, AT LEAST WE GET FANCY TIARAS!

CG: NOW, I COULD GO ON RAMBLING ABOUT THE PHILOSOPHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THIS GAME, ALLOWING FOR MY LIPS TO RIVAL THE SPEWING VELOCITY OF THE SHIT CANNON BELONGING TO AN UNFORTUNATE SOUL WITH CHRONIC DIARRHEA, BUT I’M NOT GOING TO.

CG: THAT ISN’T WHY I’M HERE.

CG: YOU KNOW, AS MUCH AS IT DRIVES THE ACIDIC CONTENTS WITHIN THE FATHOMLESS DEPTHS OF MY STOMACH TO DANCE SPASTICALLY, THE BRAIN-NUMBING CONCEPT OF THE HEMOSPECTRUM DID HAVE ITS PERKS. IT SEPARATED US FROM ONE ANOTHER, FORCING US TO CONFIDE WITH MEMBERS OF OUR OWN BLOOD CASTE.

CG: IT MADE THINGS EASIER, IN A SICK, TWISTED SENSE.

CG: YEAH, I KNOW I’VE NEVER ACTUALLY HAD A CASTE TO BELONG TO. I DIDN’T HAVE ANY OF THAT, WHICH I GUESS IS WHY THINGS HAVE BEEN HARDER FOR ME. PRETTY MUCH EVERY ASPECT OF MY LIFE THAT MY THINKPAN CAN CONJURE HAS BEEN RIDDLED WITH HARDSHIP BECAUSE OF MY UNINTENTIONAL NON-CONFORMITY TO ALTERNIA’S BACKWARD-ASS CASTE SYSTEM.

CG: Â I BET PARADOX SPACE IS LAUGHING ITS INSUFFERABLE ASS OFF, AS IF IT'S SAYING, THROUGH GIGGLES, “HEY, LET’S SCREW AROUND WITH THIS DUMB BASTARD FOR A BIT. CAN’T GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO WIND DOWN, NOW CAN WE?”

CG: ...

CG: FUCK, ENOUGH OF THIS SELF-DEPRECATING SHIT! LOOK, WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS THAT DEATHS WERE EASIER TO HANDLE. PEOPLE THAT YOU ASSOCIATED YOURSELF WITH LIVED FOR ABOUT AS LONG AS YOU DID, WHICH WAS ALMOST GUARANTEED WHEN YOU AND YOUR ASSOCIATES SHARE THE SAME BLOOD COLOUR.

CG: THAT... ISN’T INCLUDING MY SPECIES’ UNHEALTHY OBSESSION WITH CULLING PRETTY MUCH ANYONE FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER.

CG: THE POINT THAT I AM SO UNGRACEFULLY ATTEMPTING TO UNRAVEL IS THAT... WELL, I AM NOT A GOD.

CG: YOU ARE, BUT I’M NOT.

CG: YOU PROBABLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT TOO. I DON’T WANT TO ADMIT IT, BUT SOON ENOUGH I’LL BE GONE. JUST A MEANINGLESS BLIP IN YOUR RADAR (DID YOU GUYS EVEN HAVE RADARS? I STILL CANNOT GRASP HOW UNFATHOMABLY PRIMITIVE YOUR HUMAN TECHNOLOGY WAS).

CG: ANYWAY, IT HADN’T REALLY OCCURRED TO ME HOW MUCH I FEAR DEATH. THE IDEA OF IT NEVER REALLY CAME TO MIND. I GUESS HAVING BEEN BROUGHT UP IN A CULTURE THAT THRIVES ON VIOLENCE AND DOMINANCE KIND OF NUMBED ME TO THE CONCEPT.

CG: I’M SCARED, DAVE. I KNOW IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN FOR A WHILE. BUT FOR YOU, AN IMMORTAL TIME LORD, IT’LL BE SOON. YOU’LL GET A CHANCE TO BE A HERO, THOUGH ADMITTEDLY YOU ALREADY ARE. YOU’LL GET ALL THE TIME TO CHANGE YOURSELF, AND BECOME A BETTER VERSION OF YOURSELF. AS YOU WOULD SO ELOQUENTLY MENTION EVERY SINGLE TIME WE’D BURN OUR VISION SOCKETS WITH ROM-COMS (WHICH FOR YOUR INFORMATION IS THE GREATEST MOVIE GENRE TO EVER EXIST. I KNOW YOU LIKE THEM. I KNOW YOU DO. I’M ONTO YOU, STRIDER). FUCK, AS I WAS SAYING, YOU WOULD SAY “karkat that is so goddamn corny,” AS YOU INSULT THE MASTERPIECE THAT IS EVERY DANE COOK MOVIE EVER.

CG: AND YES, AS ‘CORNY’ AS IT IS, YOU HAVE TIME TO PUPATE INTO A BETTER YOU. YOU GET THE CHANCE TO REDEEM YOURSELF. YOU ARE MY HERO, AND YOU CAN GIVE YOURSELF THE CHANCE TO BE SOMEONE ELSE’S HERO.

CG: LOOK, I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING REMARKABLE IN THE TIME THAT I’VE LIVED. THERE ARE MANY THINGS I REGRET. MANY THINGS I WISH I COULD HAVE DONE - AND NOT DONE. LIKE HOW I KEEP FINDING MYSELF RUNNING ASS-BACKWARDS INTO SOMETHING WITH A GREATER PROBABILITY OF ENDANGERING EVERYONE I CARE ABOUT THAN NOT. BUT THERE’S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT NOW.

CG: ...

CG: FUCK, I’M WASTING MY TIME. OKAY, HERE IT IS:

CG: DAVE, I LOVE YOU, AND I REGRET NOT HAVING TOLD YOU SOONER.

@davekatweek Day 4: Sadstuck. :(                                                                        

Immortality sucks.

I hope this was good enough. Taken four hours and it’s 1 in the morning. what am I doing?

[elaizaelric]

Typetober Day 8

Many wishes to have immortality because many, if not all, fear death. What they dont realize....its nothing but a curse. When you have an unending life span you could see alot of things...things that you wished you have never seen. It hurts actually, to see people make the same mistakes over and over and over again and sadly they never learn. Love ones gone before you, and here you are...alone. So tell me....is having immortality worth it? Nothing but an endless cycle, you walk through this earth while things take a turn much more worst than it did in the beginning?

They never realize that there are fates much worse than death... So why wish you could live long when you can live your life as it is and never see the horrors life could show you?

Living my life without it being torn away from me...have made me numb that even pain and suffering has dried up. Oh how I could wish death could take me away from this cruel cruel world, but alas even death can't do anything to this cruel fate of mine.

Amidst these days that are just an endless cycle of encounters and partings...

I lost hope, this world of mine that I'm living will be nothing but black and grey. Can't hear the sounds of living not even a faint whisper. I am nothing but a walking empty husk aimlessly wondering to see who could give me a reason to live this spiteful fate of mine. But no one did.

So here I am standing on a ledge, hoping that in this attempt I could finally be free. A frequent task of mine, and many others, I do ever since I learned that I cannot die. Quirks do have their limitations do they not?

I met him.

Red. So bright, easily seen and you can never miss it out. He came swooping down like an angel, so fast that all you can see were red and gold. Maybe a fallen one...what angel have red wings? Then there he was smiling like an idiot asking if I was okay. I never really answered, busy wallowing in depair for I get to see and live another day in this wretched fate of mine. He becomes worried and I don't care for all I did was walk away and disappear amongst the crowd.

By longing to have light, I was bestowed with warmth...

Hero. That winged man is a hero. I never really cared about heroes and villains. Heroes can't help me, they believe that savings lives doesn't mean taking it away. If only they knew how much I will be greatful if they have taken my life. Villains well...its complicated.

Being a hero have its perks they say it can get you anywhere and have anything you want, well I guess that's true because here he is standing in front of my door. Wish it was a villain they might help more than this hero. I asked him what he was doing here and had the audacity to grin and have told me he was checking up on me to see if I'm still alive. Turns out all of my attempts for freedom, as I liked to call it, were not so secretive after all. Damn it. Then again its not like someone would care, I mean people die every die whats one more?

Its foreign to me, this warmth, it such been a long time since I felt it. Tell me has it always been like this?

He became a constant presence in this dreary life of mine. A pest you can't get rid of easily. He never shut ups, always have something new to tell me every time we saw each other. I never really care, after all this is just another cycle of encounters and partings. You would be gone while I will still be here. Wandering and waiting till death has finally found a way to claim me. He shut ups when I finally told him my quirk. It was unnerving really, I never knew he could be really quiet and have him staring at you like that. He truely lives up to his name, Hawks, with a stare like that.

"My quirk is Immortality and thats just it. Nothing special. Just have the ability to live long and never die. Tried a lot of ways to kill myself but nothing happens. One time I tried to kill myself by poisoning, it was painful that I passed out then the next day I woke up like nothing happened", I said while giving him a lighthearted smile, like I was just taliking about the weather. He keeps quiet and stares at me listening intently like it was the secret to All Mights power. "You should just leave me be you know? Less hassle for both of us. Many will be gone before me and always has been from the beginning. It will never change not ever, believe me I tried all ways that I can but it never works. So its best if you don't waste your time on a cursed person like me and live you life to the fullest, you do have limited time on your life so live with no regrets ok? Take this advice from the person who seen it all."

He never left. He never did no matter what I do or say to him. What a stubborn bastard. He still stayed even though he knew what would happen when the time comes. He even become more insistent on seeing me. How Annoying. Every time he has free time he always goes to me. How irritating. What really had thrown me for a loop is that he keeps on insisting to take pictures together. How baffling. Sadly enough, fighting against his annoying feathers is a lost cause when all you have is your feeble strength. In the end I have no choice but to comply lest I waste more energy than I should.

I'm getting close this is bad. I really had enough of it. I don't get it why he was still here with me, insisting to stay in my presence. You'll just die and leave me anyway why bother. So I attempted to stab my heart with a knife, not the first time I done that. I had enough of this, whatever this is, because it won't last. It never does. NEVER. Live long enough to see that. Unfortunately, like he always does, he caught me and have stopped me. It was the first time we fought and shouted at each other. He was angry, his face so red like his feathers which are bristling. I never saw him angry before.

So I finally have asked him why. Why waste your perfectly good life on a cursed person like me? Why stay? Why? Why? WHY?

"Your eyes. They were shouting for help, how can I ignore that. You need some one to save you and I can't just ignore that. I'm not saying this as a hero but as a person who saw beyond what you let others see. You may hide behind a lighthearted smile but your eyes tells a different story", he says while holding the knife I attempted to stab my heart with. "For the pictures well... so that you can't forget. You may think that your life may be a curse but it can have a some silver linings in it. Every encounters and partings you had, you will have good memories of it that I wish I'm part of it. So, don't forget me ok?" Then he gave me a melancholic smile while I stood their dumbfounded.

A knife is stuck to my chest, and I leave it as it is for a long long time now. For the moment I pull it out the tears won’t stop overflowing...

I cried. HARD. I thought I have no tears left to cry. Been doing that alot every failed attempt to seek freedom I longingly wish. Now I am numb. All this time I just swallow up my loneliness and pain but here I am crying in his arms enclosed in his wings. Warm. I feel warm. And. It. Feels. Good. I missed feeling this. Living for so long I felt nothing but the cold arms of despair of another failed attempt. Now its nothing but warmth. I love it.

I already lost the place that I’d considered as home...

Keigo. Takami, Keigo. I never knew I could love to say a name over and over again and necer get tired on saying it. I love what it means, it fits perfectly for you. You've become someone special. You have asked me to live with you. Easy to make more memories. Here we are making memories on your high rise and expensive apartment. Typical. You have now become my home. When you're wondering all over the place its really hard to name a place your home. Home is where you can come back to, a place where you are safe and happy. Now, you Keigo are my home. Someone I could go back to even for this short fleeting moment. I know you loved it too, seeing that when you got home you always have that smile on your face after a long day of doing hero work and hearing your soft whisper, I'm home.

You gave me a reason to live.

I'm not naive, I could see how much your work affects you. Being a hero was never easy. Sometimes you must give up some part of you to help the people in need. You told me that you needed to go somewhere and that you'll be gone indefinitely. I understand, I really do. I'm not naive, been living long enough to know certain things. So I asked you to make a promise and that you fulfill it the best you can. You sealed it with a sweet kiss. Told me that you will come back for there are more memories to make, the both of us. That night we gave ourselves to each other, it was a bittersweet moment we had together. I never imagine that I would give myself to someone as special as you. When morning came you were gone, leaving a single red feather on your pillow.

"Promise me that you and I would make more memories. Will take alot of pictures so that when the time comes I have something to look back to. Proudly say, this man gave me a reason to live and gave me hope that this life has a meaning."

Today is the day when heroes confront that villain organization, Liberation something. Is the first thought that comes to me after waking up from a really bad dream. Never really remember what that dream was, only the feeling of BURNING. Something was burning and I felt it all over my back. You see when you have live for a long time death becomes familiar. People all around you dies, they have lived their life while you just walked on to find a way to die. I feel sick, and I dont like it. Keigo, its been so long. You never called or even left a message. I don't like this, at all.

Could I be selfish for just this life time? Just this once. There's a man, a man I have fallen in love with. He is the reason I am living right now, truly living. He shown me the color of life and let me hear its wonderful music. Please let him come back to me. There's alot more memories we hade to make. I beg you...let him come through that door and let me hear him say...I'm home.

My life is an endless cycle of encounters and partings...but he is an encouner that I have made that I am not ready to part with.

(A/N: I'm sorry for this long and nonsense story. Its my first time writing a story.

This is a story inspired by ohbab and memos written by @alkhale

@alkhale forgive me if i have not given it justice.)

[artyrogue]

BlindDateGaming: Ultima: the Runes of Virtue II

Ever jump right in the middle of a series and wonder if you missed some vital information from prior entries? I mean, not like Star Wars, 'cos they kind of went all over the place with the ordering of those. But imagine you popped into the second Lord of the Rings book. How lost would you feel? Why is everyone going bananas over a piece of jewelry? Who the heck is this 'Strider' guy? Why is there a gigantic eyeball tower that's apparently like some sort of god? Don't even get me started on the mainstream acceptability and observation of second breakfast. Well, I found myself in potential territory like that when PRANG, my Pseudo-Random-Activity Number Generator, set me up with Ultima: the Runes of Virtue II.

It sounded like an RPG, and the first thing I'm given after choosing a new game confirmed this a bit more: a hero selection screen! You can choose one of the 4 standard fantasy-type classes: a Knight, a Mage, an Archer, and...what is that, a Hatchet Wizard? I don't know that prestige class, but I do know one thing: archers are usually the best choice in these kinds of games. This game's version has additional perks like having the best beard, a dumb name that looks like someone trying to make their license plate hard to read, and a hearty bowl of soup. Also 6 ankhs? Dunno what that's about, but we'll go with him because Egyptian mythology is awesome.

Mariah looks way too sassy to control. Mages, man!

So, with this being an RPG, which are typically known for having intricate storylines, I started sweating hoping I wouldn't have missed much from the first game. Perhaps it could instead be like Final Fantasy, where the sequels really have nothing to do with the games before them, each being its own world. Maybe it'll be like Zelda, where there IS some central, unifying world and plotline, but each entry holds as its own full story. I was praying there wasn't some huge ordeal affecting this fantasy land that I'm going in blind to face.

Oh, whew, it's just a dumb bad guy who's being a jerk because he's bored

He's got the ability to create 'Moon Gates', essentially letting him warp all over the land at a whim. So what does he do with this power? Apparently the answer is kidnap a bunch of local politicians and put them in nearby caves. If only I could have this power...

This lady is reacting to being at swordpoint the same way I expect most Russian grandmothers to react.

So then, you get summoned by the king from Freecell to come and save the day! Except apparently you're also the Avatar, which I guess means you can bend all the elements as well? Or does it mean that you have little tentacle things that you can insert into local flora and fauna? I don't know, there are too many pop culture Avatars. The only fancy thing I noticed my guy could do was throw a hatchet and shoot a bow at the same time. Or does he shoot the hatchet from his bow? That would be rad!

Yeah, go tell him 'cos I can't be arsed to do anything but sit on this throne all day

So the base game is a topdown adventure game, very similar to Zelda. You explore caverns, which are this game's dungeons, solve puzzles, and find new weapons/items. There are not really bosses to speak of, but the aforementioned puzzles were pleasantly good. I had to look up what to do on a couple, I'm sad to say, but that's because I had apparently done the caverns out of order. I can't blame myself, though, as instead of interesting names like 'Tail Cave' and 'Bottle Grotto', they're all named 'Cavern of Hatred', 'Cavern of Greed', 'Cavern of Some Other Generic Negative Adjective'. Regardless, there were vital hints on how to use certain items and stuff in prior caves that would have made the headscratching puzzles fair.

Man, I hope these guys weren't setting up for a birthday party when I swung by and destroyed them

The combat is a little stiff, especially using the shield. You'll need that shield, too, as some foes shoot at you like mad and you need to do a little slow-as-mud projectile exchange. The shield sticks out for a given period of time when you use it unless it gets hit I think? Or sometimes it still stays out until you let go of the button. I don't know, I got hit maybe 20% of the time I used it unless I got into a groove of exchanging pleasantries. Most of the time you just have 2 ranged weapons equipped and spam the buttons until everything stops moving anyway.

We can't stop here. It's bat country!

There are kind of neat cutscenes (for a Game Boy game) when you enter caverns and rescue bureaucrats, too. This is a welcome addition since the rest of the game is pretty simplistic graphics-wise. Not that I mind, but you'll have to use your imagination to get a good fantasy feeling for some of these areas.

I'm pretty sure the hero throws out candy here and is followed by a bunch of wizards riding shriner cars

On another note (pun intended?), there's kind of no music at all, which was a bummer. You get an occasional 10-second ditty in town, but for the most part you just get 8-bit sound effects. The silence sort of helps with enemy attacks, but it's odd to only hear dedicated sounds for a clock's 'tick-tock', a fire crackling, and whatever the heck the one moving thing is in shops.

You can almost guarantee this is some developer's kid, forever immortalized as that trombone kid in Silence: the Game!

I cleared three caverns until I was assigned to go to some island. Unfortunately, I did not have a boat and have no idea where to procure one. The King's advisors were unhelpful in this regard. Most of the towns are barebones and have maybe 2 people to speak to. Even the shops are kind of empty, with little signs out telling you the costs of items. C'mon, shopkeeps! At least hire some poor helper knave to lower the unemployment rate!

It's like when those houses leave the bowl of candy on the porch at Halloween, except with implements of war

So that ended my adventures in Ultima II. I could have found a boat using a walkthrough, but I ran out of time as well. Regardless, I'd probably go on a second date, I guess. All in all it wasn't a bad game. I was having fun acquiring more strength, speed, and items, and the challenge level was just right. The story wasn't very gripping for an RPG-ish title, but I do have a soft spot for the really stupid kind of game dialogue the Black Knight seems to excel at. Kind of like the really stupid kind of game reviews I write up! Speaking of which, you ought to put this Sprite of Passage into your inventory for tagging along on this date with me. Who knows -- maybe it will come in handy in the future when all currency is replaced by 4-bit images?

Poor guy got his junk caught in zipper again

[nadaelkoshairy]

Freakish Greek Mythology Stories

Well, well, where to start with Greek mythologies? When you hear the word Greek gods and goddesses, I am certain your mind have just clicked that it’s most probably a topic about the wise, however it’s completely the exact opposite. It’s just a chaotic world, that pretty much needs a superior other god to just control this mess. However, they just managed and lived with.

Just as it comes to this part of the world, I get pretty sure I can find more than a whole community living up there on Mount Olympus maintaining the light, rain and sea, etc... Even history can’t compliment them with anything further than being called nutty by nature.  

Even though, these bizarre stories have been as lessons for the Greek, I bet it has something fun revolving around it, because having an affair with a swan, protecting your baby in your thigh or mistaking your son for a plant are definitely not just lessons.

Last but not least, condoms would have solved most of their problems and saved a whole lot of innocent souls. And please, the gods should never try being funny. Thank you.

 10.  Zeus

While being the king of Gods on mount Olympus and the god of the sky and thunder, he has had so much fun using his status in the community of Gods. Zeus was the typical jerk who possibly made most of the female population hate guys and hold a grudge against them. Even though, we haven’t heard of him for a while now, but his stories have been revolving all around us ever since. Zeus does have a rank for the biggest assholes in the Greek history and most probably the first. He had a thing for cheating on Hera, with anyone and in sometimes could be anything.

And yes, you most probably guessed his story of the next lines. A typical cheating story, but of course with a “Zeusian” twist. Well, it started when he was allured with Leda, and to get to her he had this perfect most logical decision to shift into a swan. Even worse, she was actually lured to have an affair with a swan. Pretty Sure the only good thing we got out of this is blessing our world with Helen of troy.

 9.      Hera

Of course, Hera wasn’t any better than her husband was; both wackos were literally made just for each other. Also being the queen of Gods was much of a punishment for every creature in the universe. Although she had a knack for creativity more than her husband did, but anyways the devil is most probably clapping for her ever since. Hera has been throwing dozens of punishments on so many Greek women and of course thanks to Zeus for that.

Zeus as we all know was playing around a lot and it doesn’t matter what he would do to reach a women. Whenever he was having some fun, a nymph called “Echo” would have some nice talk with Hera for matters of distraction. However it wasn’t a good idea, because when Hera made the discovery she had that nymph voiceless, unless if it had to repeat someone’s last couple of words!

Pretty much, no one could get bored of Hera’s stories, saying another one can give you another laugh for next couple of hours. It always has been thanks to Zeus, this time Hera impregnates herself (because she’s an effing strong independent woman, let alone she’s actually a goddess.) Giving birth to Hephaestus and just throwing him off Mount Olympus because he had some deformities and she can do better. Bet some of them just wished they had condoms.

 8.      Athena

Well yes we have been just through the first two in the list and it’s almost like we’ve had enough, but nothing worse than starting a war for no…logical reason?

We see here, Athena the goddess of wisdom, craft and of course war, had some issues too. It was a normal beauty competition between her, Hera and Aphrodite and the judge was Zeus until he rejected and gave this choice for shepherd from Mount Ida called Paris. Unfortunately, this poor Paris was a judge between three goddesses with supernatural powers, who tried to bribe him. Choosing Aphrodite (not because she’s the fairest, but she promised him with Helen, so yeahh.) While he was promised with Helen, Aphrodite promised to start the Trojan War. Of course in collaboration with the other fellow maniac and partner in crime, Hera.

Maybe, Athena can have more than one story, too. Apparently, winning over one of the gods in anything is assumed as a sin. Because she had troubles with being first over everyone, otherwise you don’t have a place in this world. A normal lady called Arachne was an exceptional weaver as she got the talent perfectly. Nevertheless, as soon as Athena heard of that, there was instantly a competition to be set between both of them. And as winning over Athena isn’t the best thing to do, Arachne was transformed into a spider. Now she’s just weaving forever. Still better than you Athena.

No wonder they had to have their capital called Athens.

 7.      Ixion

Ixion was a just a pathetic guy until things got better and Zeus had some pity for the guy to the extent of taking him up in Mount Olympus. Shouldn’t have trusted your instincts, Zeus. Because as soon as Ixion was there along with this community, he had a thing for Hera. A bit bigger than just a thing. Zeus was doubting Ixion’s loyalty so he had to be put under a “Zeusian” test. He created a cloud looking just as Hera and left it for Ixion’s fantasies to become real. Not enough weirdness he was actually seduced by a cloud, but the cloud was impregnated with what we know today as a centaur.

 6.      Kronos

Out of all the gods, I truly believe Kronos is the biggest asshole, even topping over Zeus who is his son. But now we actually have an explanation for Zeus messed up life. It’s genetics.

This dude was obsessed with power as much as Zeus was obsessed with getting every women in Greece. However, Kronos was a typical-god freak with anyone who would try to surpass him and his power. For that reason, he just had to kill all his children and end their lives. How he killed his children? He ate them all, except Zeus who was lucky enough. However, I am sure, the whole woman population would have been very grateful if Zeus was another delicious feast for his father.

Don’t forget, Kronos castrated his father. For the same exact reason.

 5.      Apollo

Before we start this story, we shall give a round of applause for Apollo taking the prize for the smartest way to escape an island. Apparently, his only solution was shifting himself into a dolphin. Yes, just as you read it and weird enough, it worked. Escaping 101.

He was left to grow up on an island, which somehow can never leave it and almost just stuck there for the rest of his life alone. Until this plan just clicked in his brain and he decided to embark on an adventure of his own. Because being a dolphin is so badass, he just had to discover his way. However, while on the way he found a ship that was having some hard time in a storm, so as a typical dolphin he jumps in a helps this ship to find somewhere safe. All while being a dolphin. Ehm... Apollo Dolphin, I mean.

 4.      Tantalus

Honestly, this guy was just trying to have some fun and might as well entertain Demeter who was really sad for her kid was kidnapped. And we also may call it gods’ humor, because that was never a lesson for anyone.

He was having a feast for god buddies and fellows. A barbecue actually (Yup, barbecues are a pretty old thing now.) Tantalus, being a funny guy just decided to barbecue his own son and feed him for the guests (Well, maybe meat was a bit expensive for him, or the meat he had saved for this feast was just rotten so he had no other choice.) However, well gods can of course differentiate between human meat and red meat, so he was busted and left to die out of hunger and thirst.

 3.      Hercules

Definitely, not all of this community are assholes and jerks, you get to see a hero every once in a while. Also, while some heroes can have their jerk-moments, Hercules was one of the purest in this chaotic environment. He was always seen as a very strong and brave man who would rescue the people of Greece and help the gods in different missions. And when he died, he was instantly sent to Mount Olympus to live among the gods and goddesses.

The story here tells that there once was a giant called Antaeus who was thought to be immortal while having his feet touching the ground (Perks of having your mother Gaia as the Earth.) The said beast was just killing anyone who would go to challenge him, until Hercules discovered the mystery behind his immortality and it no longer became a mystery. How he killed him? Picked the beast of the ground until he drained the life out of him. Pretty easy.

 2.  Erysichthon

A very rich and greedy man of the name Erysichthon was never really one who fears the gods and pretty sure didn’t get anything of those lessons. Once upon a time, he just cuts pieces of the sacred trees, and may we put more than a million line under the word “sacred”. Of course, the gods had to take an action, and Demeter was the one in chare this time for what this rich guy did. And as creative all them gods were, Erysichthon’s punishment was to live hungry for eternity. He ate everything he had or bought, he almost sold his daughter for food (Lucky he didn’t eat her.)

At the end, he just ate himself to his death.

 1.      Minos

Minos was just another man with no super powers like gods, but he was the king of Crete, which gave some sort of power, of course. And as normal as its getting, and we are acquainted now to the Greeks’ weird mythologies, Minos just had a whole lot of bad deeds and intentions.

He had some help from the King of Megara’s daughter by tricking her, to kill her father. But then, Minos decided that the best way to say thank you is to actually punish her for the crime by drowning the girl.

[verdigrisprowl]

Apr 11 Blurr’s Horror Stream - Book Of Life

A night early because, randomly, Blurr decided to throw a party for Optimus’s corpse! The movie was oddly thematically appropriate. Starscream hired Blurr for random odd jobs that he doesn’t want tied back to him. For some reason he decided to do this with witnesses. Prowl yelled at him over comms a lot.

Welcome to the 'speedxstealer' room. Whirl: *tilts his head and looks, now, to Rumble* How've you been? Sadie: [[ "she is, isn't she?" la muerte pls ]] B l u r r: Most likely. / wiggles claws/ I like Xibalba. B l u r r: [[ im happy snifit finally gets to see this ;A; ]] Whirl: (ME2)) ItsyBitsySpyers: \\I LIKE HIM TOO. HE PLAYS DIRTY.\\ Whirl: He seems kind of like a chump. Starscream: Does he? Whirl: Yeah. *eyes Starscream sidelong* Scraping around someone in a position he wants. Begging and simpering to get his way. Whirl: Y'know. Chump stuff. B l u r r: Sounds like it ItsyBitsySpyers: //Eh... I been better.// He waves a hand half-aftedly. //Ain't important.// Starscream: *snorts* If he's in charge it doesn't matter how he got there. Whirl: *nods at Rumble; Whirl will leave it at that* ItsyBitsySpyers: *He might talk if Whirl asks in person some time, but not with Blurr and Starscream there.* Whirl: *if Whirl's made aware of that, he might take him up on that offer* B l u r r: / drapes over coffin. He likes his cartoon / ItsyBitsySpyers: *Ravage snorts. Gods are so ridiculous.* Whirl: *gods that aren't Heqet, ofc* FakeProwl: *appears* FakeProwl: How much did I miss? Starscream: Gods playing with mortal lives in exchange for living arrangements. ItsyBitsySpyers: //Yeah. They picked representin' kids 'n whoever the girl human picks for conjunx wins.// B l u r r: Sounds boring. Whirl: That's... not a bad summary. *takes another swig of his canister* ItsyBitsySpyers: *Tired ping hello.* FakeProwl: Who wins if the girl human doesn't want to conjugate with any of the represented kids? Starscream: Which is pretty short sighted. What if the girl doesn't pick either. Starscream: *see Prowl gets it* Starscream: They didn't cover that. ItsyBitsySpyers: [[The girl human.]] B l u r r: / rolls optic/ It's more about which boy is better suited for her. Starscream: ..well. If this one dies I suppose she'll get the other one. FakeProwl: Are there rules against murdering rival gods' representative children? ItsyBitsySpyers: [[No. But one cheated.]] B l u r r: Technically that's cheating, and they can't cheat. FakeProwl: How? Whirl: He gave one of the kids something that made him invincible. Starscream: Hey, he's the one that benefits if he wins. Cheating is the obvious answer. Whirl: To be honest, if a god offered that to me, I'd take it. I wouldn't waste my time courting someone though, I'd go do awesome stuff. Whirl: ((omg tHIS COVER!!!)) Whirl: But... I mean, actually, if you spend all your time doing awesome death-defying stuff with your newfound powers, you're bound to attract some other badass's attention. FakeProwl: So, one of them is a warrior; the other one is a musician who's being pressured into... killing animals? Whirl: So, two birds, one stone. Starscream: Yes. B l u r r: Bull fighting. FakeProwl: The musician is going to win. ItsyBitsySpyers: [[...Why?]] FakeProwl: Because a person doing what he wants to do and what he was made to do is lest interesting than a character whose assigned duty contrasts with his desired duty. Starscream: ((are the swords inside his back because he's a wooden doll)) Starscream: ((Manolo turn around- darn Whirl: *tilts his head and glances briefly to Prowl* ItsyBitsySpyers: \\I WANNA GET AN IMMORTALITY MAGNET. AIN'T FAIR.\\ FakeProwl: More interesting characters are heroes. Heroes win the thing they desire at the end of the story. Starscream: ((i thought they were like IN him B l u r r: I'm sure there's something like that out there somewhere. B l u r r: [[ is it dropping a lot? ]] FakeProwl: ((it's good here)) Starscream: So he should become a musician instead of getting married, since I'm not sure if he even cares. Whirl: On the one hand... it'd be awesome. On the other, it kinda takes half the fun out of it, y'know? FakeProwl: And humans really like characters that fight duty to pursue their desires. Starscream: ((*continues to threeway ship)) FakeProwl: ((far better threeway)) ItsyBitsySpyers: ((creator supports it)) Whirl: ((yep that's best)) B l u r r: [[ stream is about to drop ]] B l u r r: [[ or it's dropping a lot. ]] Whirl: (seems to be going fine for me)) FakeProwl: ((fine here still)) B l u r r: Now THAT looks like fun. Whirl: *perks up a bit at the sight of the bull* Whirl: It's adorable. B l u r r: / leans over coffin/ Isn't that right? K-Kyeheheeh. Like pissing off a Tyran Prime and seeing him come at you! Whirl: Well. *sly look to Blurr* I doubt he feels THAT way about the bull. ItsyBitsySpyers: [[That seems ill-advised.]] B l u r r: K-Kyeheheheh. Maybe not. ItsyBitsySpyers: *Has decided to root for this human, predictable fate or not.* Whirl: Pfft. Whirl: That bull's gonna kill him. You watch. FakeProwl: ... Doesn't disabling the bull require more skill than killing it, anyway? Whirl: Hm, guess not. Whirl: And you'd think so, right? ItsyBitsySpyers: [[We did not have bulls, but the beasts we did have to fight... yes.]] Whirl: Even more impressive? Taming it. Whirl: ((HAHA IM DYING)) Whirl: ((I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS  AJUKEBOX MUSICAL)) Starscream: ((8DDD FakeProwl: ((this one bothers me. it's just... slightly wrong.)) FakeProwl: ((maybe if they'd modified the lyrics a little bit)) Whirl: ((the line "i'm a creep, i'ma  weirdo" is a bit off, ye)) Whirl: You know. FakeProwl: ((and "your skin makes me cry" is... sort of creepy in general, and that's not his character)) Whirl: I think that might be fun. Something like bullfighting--only, obviously, without the bulls. Whirl: ((YEAH....)) B l u r r: It's fun with Empties. Whirl: Empties aren't a real CHALLENGE, though. Something like... big. And capable of devouring you, maybe. ItsyBitsySpyers: \\NEXT TIME WE FIND A RAZOR SNAKE WE'LL BRIDGE YA INTO A HOLE WITH IT.\\ ItsyBitsySpyers: //Dibs on his suite.// B l u r r: ... Grimlock. B l u r r: I punched a Grimlock in the face once. Whirl: *perks up* Do it! Absolutely. Whirl: You can even invite a crowd to admire my martial prowess as I kick its a ss. *preens unabashedly* ItsyBitsySpyers: \\GRIMLOCKS ARE FUN. THEY GET SO MAAAAAD.\\ B l u r r: Yes, they do. B l u r r: But, the one in the junkyard is a bit... BIGGER than I expected. Starscream: ...oh, yes. I'm surrounded by Wrekcers and Wrecker wannabes. B l u r r: /snort/ What? Whirl: There are no Wreckers in this room. B l u r r: / settles back over the coffin/ ItsyBitsySpyers: //Yeah. He's only a Wrecker where we're from.// Whirl: Also, in the event it devours me, I can't promise you my suite, Rumble. But you and your bro gotta take care of Killer. Starscream: ((hang on this is a mun error. Whirl: Okay. All right. Here's my problem with this--they lived their whole lives without her. How'm I supposed to swallow any romance here? I'm not feelin it. B l u r r: / hums and props cheek in his claw/ ItsyBitsySpyers: [[Nostalgia.]] FakeProwl: I wouldn't call somebody who sings "I love you too much to live to live without you loving me back" a catch either. Whirl: ((ur fine dude o7 i sort of thought Starscream was making a dig at whirl's ex-wrecker status)) Starscream: ((oh he was! I meant Blurr and Whirl but now im looking at TFWiki seriously doubting if i have the right universe)) FakeProwl: ((blurr and whirl both were yeah)) B l u r r: [[ Blurr is not a Wrecker >>;;;; yet ]] FakeProwl: ((not THIS blurr. but idw blurr yes)) Whirl: *shakes his head* I can't imagine anyone would be THAT nostalgic. ItsyBitsySpyers: *Frenzy looks at Blurr and the coffin and leans over to 'whisper'.* \\I SEEN THIS MOVIE. YA GOTTA KISS HIM. THEN HE COUGHS UP APPLES.\\ B l u r r: ... Excuse me? /looks at Frenzy / Whirl: ((it seems like a mistake that'd be IC for someone who isn't familiar with blurr's world to make, tho!)) B l u r r: [[ this is true!! ]] Whirl: ((FRENZY, GOD)) B l u r r: [[ star doesn't know blurr well! ]] Starscream: ((okay good so NOT an error. I meant it how he said it FakeProwl: ((although idk if idw blurr was officially a wrecker or if he was just rolling with the wreckers for a while)) Starscream: ((No no, he's being insulting and not trying to be accurate, so he doesn't care if this Blurr isn't actually a Wrecker.) ItsyBitsySpyers: \\I'M JUS' SAYIN'.\\ Starscream: ((That whole I know one guy like you who did this so I'll apply it to you anyway)) Whirl: ((aight o7 whirl;'s comment would not have changed)) Starscream: ((I mean the moment has passed but okay at least I know I did have my info correct)) ItsyBitsySpyers: [[He changed his mind. He wishes to root for the Maria human.]] Starscream: ..agreed. FakeProwl: Notice they started fighting without asking her which of them she's interested in. Whirl: *nods* Whirl: And she disarmed the guy very handily. FakeProwl: I'm rooting for her too. I'm rooting for her to remain single. Starscream: They can marry each other. Whirl: She should go find someone she can cour the RIGHT way. By fighting. ItsyBitsySpyers: [[........Why does he keep speaking his designation.]] Starscream: *looks at Whirl* I wonder. FakeProwl: So they remember it. B l u r r: You're just saying that I should kiss him awake? That's ridiculous... that isn't true. Starscream: Why WOULD someone be tempted to use their names as a warcry. FakeProwl: He wants a reputation. B l u r r: Honestly, have them fight. Whirl: I man, if your reputation precedes you, as his clearly DOES... why not? Whirl: Though USUALLY I prefer a blood-curdling unintelligible scream, myself. ItsyBitsySpyers: [[Complete silence.]] Whirl: This guy's more in love with himself than he could ever be with anyone else. B l u r r: Seriously. Whirl: *OKAY GHE'S NOT GONNA sya it out loud be he always liked this song* Whirl: *not a bad idea, an acoustic cover* ItsyBitsySpyers: *Rumble mumbles something under his breath and picks at his knee guards* Whirl: *tilts his head at, silently* ItsyBitsySpyers: \\HOW DO YA KNOW IT AIN'T TRUE? YA TRIED?\\ Starscream: ((ruuuude B l u r r: .. No. Starscream: Are you about to kiss a dead body. B l u r r: Tch, no. B l u r r: /pats coffin/ Starscream: ...are you going to kiss it after we leave. FakeProwl: *ah. so it's a zombie movie.* ItsyBitsySpyers: [[...Would he not have seen her after his natural death.]] B l u r r: No, I'm going to put him back. ItsyBitsySpyers: [[Humans die quickly. He would not have long to wait.]] FakeProwl: People who say things like "I love you too much to live without you loving me back" tend to be impatient about their reunions. Starscream: He'd seen her for roughly a day and a half. Starscream: Their lives are short, he didn't hve to make it shorter. ItsyBitsySpyers: *Shakes his helm a little.* FakeProwl: Impatient, not sensible. Whirl: *shakes his head* They never sold me on the romance. Whirl: But I'm digging the art direction. B l u r r: Kyeheheh.../rests chin in claw / ItsyBitsySpyers: [[See. The creator is sensible.]] FakeProwl: ... I take it this one isn't La Muerte. ItsyBitsySpyers: [[He is not.]] FakeProwl: *nobody told him the gods' names* FakeProwl: Who is he? B l u r r: He's Xibalba. FakeProwl: *what kind of a name is xibalba* FakeProwl: *she-bulb-a* Starscream: *cackles* B l u r r: / Zi- prowl. Zi-bul-ba / Whirl: Pfft. Prowl's not nearly theatric enough. FakeProwl: *"zi" isn't a word. it's clearly "she."* Whirl: ((wait dorp that wasn't aloud, nvm)) B l u r r: [[ there i am ]] Starscream: ...you know, it's rather dickish to only want to protect your hometown if someone marries you. B l u r r: [[ all about the churros ]] ItsyBitsySpyers: [[Agreed.]] Whirl: *nods* FakeProwl: ... At least the other suitor is decent enough to try to say—multiple times—that this isn't the time to discuss the issue. Starscream: But not decent enough to revoke the terms of his proposal. FakeProwl: He gets a participation ribbon at best. ItsyBitsySpyers: \\IF HE CAN FIND ROOM ON HIS CHEST!\\ ItsyBitsySpyers: *Frenzy snickers* FakeProwl: Pf. ItsyBitsySpyers: *.......Takes a note on what to add to his mindscape* ItsyBitsySpyers: *...Erases the note* FakeProwl: Interesting trap. Totally unnecessary, but interesting. Whirl: All of these people are too damn twitterpated to think straight. THIS is why this sort of thing is so dumb. Whirl: ...*wait, he should try to be at least somewhat sensitive here. DAMMIT HE HECKED UP* Y'know. ...sometimes. Whirl: *well he Tried* ItsyBitsySpyers: *Mumble.* Whirl: *he has the good graces to look at least a little abashed, glancing away with his antenna pinned back* Starscream: ...*did Whirl just act ashamed* Whirl: *don't u DARE TELL ANYONE* ItsyBitsySpyers: {{Looking like home, neheheh.}} Whirl: He's got chutzpah. FakeProwl: More chutzpah than brains. Whirl: *shrugs* B l u r r: Ahh, yes. Use fear... Starscream: And that's why he's dead. FakeProwl: He's just made a bet against a known and repeat cheater. Whirl: Well, wat would have suggested he do to get what he want? ItsyBitsySpyers: [[Kill the god.]] FakeProwl: Find a way to cheat first. Whirl: So, your solution is KILL a god or OUTSMART him. Gotcha. Whirl: A GOD. ItsyBitsySpyers: [[We nearly murdered our own. It can be done.]] Whirl: Anyway, if I had to choose--I'd have to say, I'd cose someone who was brave but not too bright over someone who was a smart coward. B l u r r: Oh, trust me. The bravest of mechs are the dumbest. Starscream: Well, fools flock together, so that's no surprise. Whirl: Explains how YOU got elected. FakeProwl: *snort* Whirl: ...also look how cute it is. Starscream: Too bad, looks like if you had an objection you should have actually been around to participate in the election and not gallavanting in space. Whirl: I'm not even FROM your dimension. Whirl: And, I'm not a citizen, either, so it doesn't even matter. Starscream: ... actually no, it doesn't. Why ARE you complaining about it? FakeProwl: You don't know Whirl very well, do you. B l u r r: You being in charge of anything is a frightening concept. Whirl: I'm not complaining. I'm just speaking the truth. Starscream: I try to forget everything about him as soon as I stop looking at him. Whirl: Oh, that's rich, coming from YOU, prowl. Whirl: None of you know anything about me. *snorts* ItsyBitsySpyers: *Tilts his helm. Nothing at all?* Whirl: *YOU know a little* FakeProwl: *slow blink* B l u r r: / he knows a tiny bit / Whirl: *but it wasn't like he could help it at the time* Starscream: And yet, here I am. In charge, and the planet is still in the same number of pieces. Whirl: Yeah, you're in charge of a bunch of idiotic NAILs. Whirl: What a victory. FakeProwl: *he knows whirl better than starscream.* Whirl: *he does, but that is not saying VERY much* FakeProwl: *and he knows that whirl will never turn down an opportunity to diss people he disrespects.* Whirl: *this is true* FakeProwl: *that's enough to make a snide side comment to starscream about how much starscream doesn't know whirl if he's questioning his complaining* Starscream: *Starscream tries to forget everything about Whirl immediately. He really doesn't care* Whirl: *all that aside, Whirl will also never pass up an opportunity to remind people how little they actually know* FakeProwl: ... That's rubbish. FakeProwl: Manolo was bever afraid of "being himself." FakeProwl: He spent the whole movie struggling to be himself despite his father and grandmother's pushing him to be otherwise. Starscream: Probably why he was so confident about the wager. FakeProwl: His greatest fear was defying his family. FakeProwl: And, likely, disappointing them. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to push him into bull fighting for so long. Whirl: *snickers* Whirl: I can respect someone who sings opera while they slaughter folks. Whirl: Nice. B l u r r: Kyeheheh. Yes, it is rather nice. Starscream: His entire family is dead now, aren't they. B l u r r: Seems that way ItsyBitsySpyers: *Nod.* Whirl: *also nods* FakeProwl: Unless he has some distant cousins we've never met. B l u r r: ... That's the best, isn't it? Fighting and dancing. /mumbling / ItsyBitsySpyers: [[It is.]] Whirl: Okay, now. If all THREE of them show up and kick his aft. Whirl: If all three of them take this guy out. Whirl: Obviously they should ALL get together. FakeProwl: Humans are weirdly obsessed with monogamy. Whirl: Maybe it's a biological thing. FakeProwl: Which is unfortunate, because both of the suitor characters are much more tolerable when they aren't battling over her. Whirl: The three of them could make a good team. Lots of killing to be had. *nods* Starscream: Or the narrative isn't telling us they're intolerable FakeProwl: I doubt it. If it were biological, there wouldn't be so many humans lamenting the difficulty of monogamy, cheating on their monogamous partners, et cetera. Starscream: ((mwah Whirl: ((GOD. FOR REAL)) FakeProwl: ((threeway makeouts. now.)) B l u r r: [[ his sequels are about the other two >>;; ]] B l u r r: [[ im excited. ]] Starscream: (( OuO Whirl: No, I mean, it's a biological thing to be obsessed with monogamy. FakeProwl: ... Hm. Whirl: But obviously, conjunx ritual aside, all three of them are a thing. *waves  aclaw* Starscream: This probably could have been avoided if she'd visited him once in a while. B l u r r: She was sent away. Starscream: No, I mean La Murete. B l u r r: They're in charge of two different realms. They probably can't visit. Starscream: At the start, the complaint was that the land of the forgotten sucked and he wanted to trade. B l u r r: The Land of the Forgotten reminds me of what Terminus is said to be like. Starscream: So, what, they can only interact on the Day of the Dead? FakeProwl: Can't they combine their realms and rule jointly? B l u r r: Yes, the Day of the Dead is when the realms are open to one another. Starscream: ..well that's a terrible arrangement. B l u r r: [[ hhhhh his wings ]] Sadie: [[ okay i must sleep ]] B l u r r: In any case... who wants something to eat? B l u r r: [[ ni ni!! ]] Whirl: Bad advice. *snorts* Sadie: [[ good night friends <333333 ilu all ]] ItsyBitsySpyers: ((night fabu!)) Whirl: ((GNIGHT FABU)) ItsyBitsySpyers: #meeeee Whirl: It was all right, I guess. The visuals are what saved it. Whirl: (I LOVED IT THO)) Whirl: ((SOME of the music choices could have been a bit better but it was great)) B l u r r: [[ i love it , tho i agree with the music ]] Whirl: Depends, Teach--whatcha cookin up for us? B l u r r: Well, I made my Master a cake. /pats the coffin/ ItsyBitsySpyers: *Soundwave waves off the food. None for him. Obviously.* B l u r r: And I've got some liquid snacks that are especially made for you. B l u r r: / for whirl / Starscream: ((I had forgotten that i didn't like how the narrative sort of backs Joaquin into a corner FakeProwl: *... blinks at the coffin* FakeProwl: *who's in there. why. why is blurr like this.* Starscream: I'm not in the mood for vaccum-packed Prime. B l u r r: He is not vaccum packed... FakeProwl: ((tbh i'm kind of glad it backed him into a corner--it saved him from having to be a Massive Major Douchebag to try to go through with a wedding right after his buddy died)) B l u r r: / scoffs/ I wasn't going to hang him on the wall like Thundertron. FakeProwl: ((it allowed him to be more sympathetic while still fulfilling the role of The Romantic Rival)) Starscream: ((I would have liked it better if they didn't need him to be in a corner OR a massive major douchebag and just let him be an equal protagonist Whirl: *tilts his head curiously; he's genuinely intrigued if Blurr tried to make something for him* Whirl: *he MIGHT even be able to taste it* FakeProwl: ((also, considering that the situation was kind of engineered by two gods fvckin around with mortal lives, it sorta makes sense to me that he'd be backed into a corner he didn't want to be in.)) B l u r r: / sends a comm link out. Some mechs are gonna push a cart with a huge cake and then one specifically for whirl's liquid snacks/ Whirl: ((yeah like... I would've liked for him to have been cas more sympathetically, but I think it still works--his selfless act at the end feels more like a revelation if he's been a bit selfish the rest Whirl: of the film)) FakeProwl: ((but ye, hopefully in the sequel he can just be an equal protagonist and they can be a vaguely poly trio)) Whirl: ((but 4 real they need to all 3 get together. I know it's too much to ask for but i Want It)) Starscream: ((This is true. and after all, it may very well be that you're not SUPPOSEd to like it as a narrative direction.)) Starscream: ((and yesssss Whirl: *like a wayward snake, Whirl is periscoping to see this liquid snack being brought to him. He's not even trying to be cool about it* ItsyBitsySpyers: *Laserbeak's gonna try to divebomb the cart in a second* FakeProwl: *immediately grimaces at the sight of food* FakeProwl: *which corpse are they celebrating this time. he doesn't want to know.* B l u r r: Let me know if you like them, Whirl. /hums and pats the top of the coffin / ItsyBitsySpyers: *It's probably best if Prowl doesn't ask.* FakeProwl: *he's not going to.* B l u r r: / drapes over it / The fleet has their own share already of snacks. Whirl: *scoops it up, pauses, and then lifts it in toast* To Blurr's old boss. I only kew him as a weird motherfragger, but y'know what? There are worse things to be. B l u r r: / smirks and taps claws on the coffin/ Hear that? Whirl salutes! / salutes claws at Whirl / We thank you. FakeProwl: *"blurr's old boss." that's already more than he wanted to know.* Whirl: *nods and takes a swig. How noxious is this stuff, on a scale of 1-10. And/or spicy or whatever* B l u r r: / it's sweet with some pop of spice / Whirl: *he can probably baaaaarely taste it then* Whirl: Not too shabby, Teach. B l u r r: Aw, thanks /wiggles claws/ We've been celebrating a lot lately. B l u r r: Still trying to come up with a name for the Fleet. ItsyBitsySpyers: \\TH' FLEET'S FUNNY ALL BY ITSELF.\\ ItsyBitsySpyers: \\Y'KNOW. FLEET. FAST.\\ Whirl: PFFT. Whirl: That's damn clever, Frenzy! B l u r r: It is. K-Kyeheheheh. But, we want a specific name for them. B l u r r: And I'm not going to call them what that fool Thundertron called them. ItsyBitsySpyers: \\I GOT MOMENTS. MY BRO DON'T GET 'EM ALL.\\ B l u r r: Kyeheheh. Whirl: Yeah, "Star Seekers?" Lame. B l u r r: Right? Lame. Whirl: *and speaking of the brother... Whirl nudges Rumble in what he things is a subtle way* @R: Hey. Uh, sorry. Y'know. B l u r r: Maybe Roadbuster can help me think of a name... ItsyBitsySpyers: @W: //Yeah, sure. It's whatever, mech. Know ya ain't me.// Starscream: Herald. B l u r r: Pardon? ItsyBitsySpyers: *Soundwave glances at Starscream, still on edge. That better not have two other words behind it.* Starscream: Your fleet. Heralds. It's thematic with the whole Emperor thing. Whirl: @R: Yeah, but still it's not--I don't mean, y'know, YOU. Just running on automatic. Kinda hard to put the brakes on the four-million-year-long bitterness train. Whirl: Herald sounds too stuffy. B l u r r: Hnnh... /drums claws on the coffin lid/ I suppose that makes the most sense, but I don't want people to think I'm fully a King now. That's not what I want. Whirl: I don't have any better suggestions, I'm just saying. Whirl: Except... maybe. *thinks* Starscream: Harbingers, then. That's usually paired up with stuff like 'doom'. Whirl: The Out of School Suspension Squad. ItsyBitsySpyers: //Heh.// B l u r r: ....Harbingers. Hnh. B l u r r: / snort at Whirl/ Now, that sounds likely. Kyeheheheh. Whirl: The Detention Decimators. Starscream: *pained look* That's /awful/. Whirl: *looks damn PROUD of himself at that declaration* Whirl: *it's hard to preen when you're half-buried/half sat upon by a giant scorpion and a minibot but Whirl manages it* B l u r r: / hums/ Good suggestions. ItsyBitsySpyers: //...Teacher's Pets.// Whirl: I just advse not going with something too grandiose. Makes it easier for folks to make fun of--PFFT. Whirl: *LAUGHS* B l u r r: K-KYAHAHAHAA!! Starscream: *MORE PAIN* B l u r r: That's a good one. Whirl: Something Academy. Whirl: Use Academy. B l u r r: ...Hmm. Whirl: That's as good as you're gonna get from me, I'm a fighter, not a naming-things-er. ItsyBitsySpyers: [[Fitting music.]] B l u r r: That's fine. B l u r r: I'll take some of the suggestions and talk them over. ItsyBitsySpyers: @W: Nah, I know. You do you. *Rumble considers saying that Whirl might not have to live on the bitterness train forever if even Frenzy can get a someone, but. He probably don't got that kinda right.* ItsyBitsySpyers: *So he just nods.* Starscream: Hm. Actually, Blurr, there is something I would like to discuss. ItsyBitsySpyers: *And Ravage suddenly pops Soundwave on the leg with claws. No falling asleep in public.* B l u r r: / tilts helm/ Hmmn? Whirl: *nods back, but very slightly, as he's trying not to be obvious* @R:  Careful. Dangerous advice, mech. *in an attempt to inject a bit of levity* But, seriously. Sorry. I *do* mean it. FakeProwl: *... quietly listens in on Starscream's conversation* Whirl: *he feels like there's more to say, but this isn't the right place, and Starscream's words have piqued his interest* ItsyBitsySpyers: @W: ...Thanks. Starscream: You rejected my offer of cooperation before. However, I'm still willing to seek a mutually beneficial relationship. Whirl: *another surreptitious nod* ItsyBitsySpyers: *Soundwave pops back online in time to hear... what is this? What offer of cooperation?* ItsyBitsySpyers: *Sets music internally to keep himself up and focuses* B l u r r: Friends with benefits? Hmmmnh... that requires us to be friends. Whirl: *snickers* Starscream: I'll settle for relaxed aquaintances. ItsyBitsySpyers: *Slow turn to Prowl.* @P: (txt): ...What missed? Starscream, Blurr: interface item? Whirl: ((the hatef uck of the century)) FakeProwl: @Soundwave «Not to my knowledge. I think he's ineptly asking for a /professional/ relationship.» B l u r r: Depends on what I'm getting out of it. B l u r r: It's gonna take a lot for me not to slam your face into the wall and drag it down. ItsyBitsySpyers: *Listens to them again, then a quick glance back to Prowl.* FakeProwl: @Starscream «You're trying to recruit BLURR'S services? Did you miss the fact that he's throwing a party for his last boss's corpse in the coffin next to him?» ItsyBitsySpyers: @P: (txt): 'Ineptly': insufficient. ItsyBitsySpyers: *Settles again. Must hear response.* B l u r r: [[ aw come on Prowl. u were invited ]] FakeProwl: @Soundwave «... Would you like me to use a better synonym, or...?» Starscream: @P ::Have you missed the mechs built into the literal walls around us?:: ItsyBitsySpyers: @P: (txt) Negative. Intention: deal commentary. Words difficult. Apology. Starscream: And that depends on what you want. There are things I cannot offer, and others that I won't. FakeProwl: @Starscream «I assumed you would care less about them than about what he apparently does to the people who hire him. What do you hope to get out of Blurr?» B l u r r: / hums and looks down at the coffin. Drums claws. Looks like he's thinking/ I want access to the entire city. B l u r r: Any time I want it. FakeProwl: @Starscream «No. He can't have unrestricted access to the city.» Starscream: @Prowl:: Enforcement via a method less directly connected to myself.:: FakeProwl: @Starscream «There are more reliable agents we can use.» Whirl: *watches this all with silent, but obviously amused, interest* Starscream: Entire city- and I'm assuming you're including Metroplex in that demand. B l u r r: Is it part of the city? Because then that's an affirmative. Whirl: Teach, you know I like you, but if you go ona  urderspree on my home planet, just remember: I might kick your ***. ItsyBitsySpyers: *Rumble doesn't give a frag what's going on. He's busy sprawled and listening to the music.* B l u r r: I'm not thinking about a murderspree at the moment. Whirl: ((wow my typing is so good tonight)) Whirl: Just so you KNOW. B l u r r: I know. /hums/ Whirl: *this apparently satisfies him* Starscream: Escorted access to an agreed-upon majority of the city, except for Metroplex. That would have to be sorted as a seperate deal. B l u r r: Drop the escort and I'll settle for agreeing on a majority. FakeProwl: @Starscream «We can't afford to leave him escorted. And he has unique mods that would make him incredibly hard to catch if he decided to flee. He might be able to outrun OUR Blurr.» FakeProwl: **unescorted Starscream: *drums fingers on leg* Notice given before any trips into the city, then. And a limit to the number of mechs you can bring with you. Starscream: @Prowl::What mods?:: B l u r r: / hums and looks over at Whirl. Then looks at the coffin. Trying to think like he's supposed to here. Lifts index digit/ A warning before I enter the atmosphere. And only three mechs allowed with me. B l u r r: At a time. FakeProwl: @Starscream «I don't know the details of them. They permit him to move at absurd speeds.» FakeProwl: @Starscream «And I still don't see why you have to use him instead of somebody less likely to betray you and start murdering your citizens.» Starscream: @Prowl ::Because he has the manpower, will most likely refuse to be bought out by a higher offer, and has no interest in taking IAcon for himself.:: Starscream: Notice will be given on who those mechs are at the same time as the general warning. ItsyBitsySpyers: *Oh, his theme song* B l u r r: Hmmm... the mechs are interchangable. FakeProwl: @Starscream «But he may be bought out by a bloodier offer. Or just, casually decide he doesn't feel like working with you anymore.» B l u r r: I can choose to switch out mechs at any time. FakeProwl: "Only three mechs allowed with you." Are you referring to YOUR mechs that you'll bring along, or OUR mechs that will escort you? B l u r r: my own B l u r r: I trust absolutely none of your mechs. FakeProwl: @Starscream «Mandate an escort. He cannot be allowed in Iacon with no restraints.» FakeProwl: @Starscream «... An escort he doesn't know about, if necessary.» Starscream: Agreed, as long as you do not exceed three mechs with you on the ground. The rest have to remain on your ship. Starscream: @Prowl ::Naturally.:: Starscream: Visitations are limited to a day. After that you either have to tell us that you are still in Iacon or leave. Whirl: *raises claw* Whirl: Obviously, I don't count against Teach's limit. B l u r r: They have no problem waiting on the ship as it is right now. /shifts and drums claws/ Depends on what you want me to do. Whirl: So, lemme know when you're in town, mech. B l u r r: Hmm /nods at Whirl / Naturally. B l u r r: Visitations are limited to exactly one day unless The Emperor is in need of repairs. FakeProwl: @Starscream «Permit that, and he'll use false claims of repairs to stay longer.» Starscream: Repairs will have at least one of our mechs assisting, to ensure proper communication on the status of said repairs. B l u r r: Mech can watch but no one touches my ship but me and my crew. FakeProwl: @Starscream «Make it at least two. If there's only one, it's all the easier for that mech to go in and never exit again.» B l u r r: My crew is also allowed to stand guard outside my ship. So that I am not approached by any MORE strangers. B l u r r: Considering how one decided to waltz into my ship last time I was on your planet. Starscream: That sounds like a security issue that should be taken up with your own crew. Any guards you set must remain within twenty meters of your ship. B l u r r: Oh, no worries... he isn't coming back /smirks/ I believe he knows I won't hesitate to shoot him next time. Whirl: *his helm is flicking back and forth like he's watching a tennis match; Whirl is hugely amused* Starscream: Keep your shots to those that get close to the ship, then. B l u r r: / smirks and leans back/ Hmmm... / eyes his claws/ And what are we negotiating for, hn? You and your cabinet want something from us? B l u r r: / glances up and around. Soundwave. Prowl. Starscream. Whirl. Company of Soundwave. / FakeProwl: *shakes his head. nope. he's no part of this.* Starscream: *if Whirl is on the cabinet Starscream wants to know who was drunk enough to approve it* Whirl: Please don't affiliate me with THIS chucklehead, Teach. *gestures to Starscream* ItsyBitsySpyers: *Oh, he'll try to get something out of this, but... not from Blurr. Not this time.* Whirl: *minister of reigious affairs* FakeProwl: I'm his /prisoner./ I wouldn't call myself "cabinet." B l u r r: Oh, I'm not. I'm just assuming he's not the only one. This fool can't lead a city alone. FakeProwl: If I was, this offer would never have been made. B l u r r: Oh, but you have done something once. Whirl: Pribably not, but as I said before--it's a city of idiotic NAILs who thought voting for HIM *gestures to Starscream* was a GOOD idea. Whirl: So I wouldn't be surprised if he WAS running the show alone. B l u r r: /snicker snort. Pats the coffin/ B l u r r: There's always a right hand mech... Starscream: The short answer is that I require /competent/ help. My own options for Enforcers, while useful for general brute tactics, are otherwise lacking. B l u r r: You need an assassin... FakeProwl: @Starscream «Speaking of which, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. They're rubbish at anything resembling police work. Trampling over crime scenes, destroying valuable evidence, et cetera.» Starscream: A secret police isn't very effective if everyone is in on the secret. I require the use of someone that is otherwise seperate from myself. Someone with their own agency. Starscream: And possess more pride than a simple gun for hire. FakeProwl: @Starscream «Either you need to hire a police force independent from your enforcers, or they need training.» Starscream: @P ::I'd rather hire a new force that hasn't yet proven to be completely useless.:: Whirl: *SECRET police? That's interesting* FakeProwl: @Starscream «I'd recommend that as well.» B l u r r: We're not an agency. We're pirates. FakeProwl: ... And, for future reference, the next time you try to form a secret police, maybe don't do it in the presence of one of Rodimus's crewmates and a foreign spymaster.» FakeProwl: ((that was supposed to be @starscream)) Starscream: ...Agency. Capability for independant action. Starscream: @Prowl ::Who said I'm forming a secret police?:: B l u r r: So what you want is someone who will come into your city and kill people you can't kill yourself? FakeProwl: @Starscream «For starters, you did.» FakeProwl: @Starscream «Even if that's not the final term you want to apply to him, the point still stands.» FakeProwl: @Starscream «If you're hiring an independent agent to perform jobs that can't be tied to you, DON'T have witnesses at the job interview that will be able to tie him to you.» Starscream: *Waves a hand dismissively. Whatever, language* More or less. Future tasks may include staged mobs, tactical strikes on key locations, that sort of stuff. Starscream: We can negotiate future jobs as they come up. Starscream: @Prowl ::One witness doesn't live in this plane of existance, and the other is a non-native Soundwave.:: B l u r r: / drums claws on the coffin and looks contemplative / FakeProwl: @Starscream «Yes, Whirl lives here. He's not FROM here but he immigrated to this Lost Light. He's a local.» Whirl: *snickers and nods at Blurr* Already, the job offers are rolling in. Who knew killing one pirate could be so lucrative? B l u r r: Oh, like Starscream would get one over on Thundertron FakeProwl: @Starscream «Everything you and Blurr have said to each other can be reported straight to Rodimus. OUR ROdimus.» Whirl: What? No. I meant, killing Thundertron has been a huge boost to your resume. FakeProwl: @Starscream «If he doesn't, it will only be because he likes Blurr—and someday he might decide he likes Blurr less than he dislikes you.» B l u r r: Oh. K-Kyeheheh. I suppose so. B l u r r: Among other things. Starscream: @Prowl ::Then I leave it up to you to figure out how to prevent Whirl from deciding to tattle.:: Whirl: Boost to morale. Boost to... your wallet. FakeProwl: @Starscream «Figure it out yourself. I spent four million years cleaning up unnecessary messes made by my superior; I didn't throw in my lot with you to do more of the same.» FakeProwl: @Starscream «I would have thought you'd spent enough time cleaning up YOUR superior's messes to know what a waste they are of a second's time.» B l u r r: Hmm... I suppose so. Though, I don't need money Whirl: Pfft. Everyone needs money, Teach. Write that down as lesson number one if you're gonna live here. FakeProwl: @Starscream «So. Excellent work handing damning blackmail material to your chief political rival. "Staged mobs and tactical strikes" indeed.» B l u r r: I'm not gonna LIVE here Starscream: Think it over for a while. I would like your answer within, oh, a week. B l u r r: /sNORT / Whirl: "Here" as in, "the multiverse at large, and not just your corner of it." B l u r r: Restate the terms. Starscream: Restricted access to Iacon with no extra access to Metroplex. Unescorted by Iacon mechs, with a limit of three crew members as company. Crew members can be exchanged. Starscream: Visitations are to be annouced when you break atmosphere, and are not to exceed one day with exceptions if the Emperor needs repairs. At least one Iacon mech will oversee but not interfere with repair FakeProwl: @Starscream «Still should have made it two mechs to oversee.» Starscream: You are permitted to mount a guard around the ship while grounded, as long as the guards do not move more thant twenty meters away. Starscream: @P ::I said at LEAST.:: B l u r r: /shifts and leans over the coffin to look at Starscream/ Targets assigned to me are subject to murder of any degree and the frames belong to me unless needed to evidence. In which case, they will be B l u r r: sent to me. FakeProwl: @Starscream «He's going to fight for it to be one every time. But fine.» B l u r r: / holds up a second digit to add to the first/ Any deaths caused by mass mobs are not my fault, as I cannot control what a mob does with their own rage. B l u r r: / a third digit, and this may surprise you/ I have to know the reason as to why the specific job is given. The /real/ reason. Starscream: Unless the target requires being killed ina specific way, I leave the method up to your descretion. Starscream: *Smirks* Want to make sure you're going after those that deserve it? B l u r r: / hums/ No, I want to know how long the murder needs to be dragged out before they die. Starscream: Very well. Whirl: *tilts his head, but doesn't say anything* B l u r r: / adds a fourth digit. Leans forward more/ And if you ever set me up, rest assured that I will come for you and tear you from your throne and spread your innards along the walls of your city. ItsyBitsySpyers: *Frenzy squints. He's pretty sure Starscream doesn't have that many innards.* Starscream: *he didn't specify how many walls* ItsyBitsySpyers: *Maybe, but two walls isn't that impressive a threat. It's gotta be like... twenty. Starscream's not big enough for twenty.* Whirl: *not with that attitude* FakeProwl: ((cut him up in tiny chunks. just smear a little on each wall.)) B l u r r: [[ yes good ]] ItsyBitsySpyers: ((go big or go home is his style)) ItsyBitsySpyers: ((but yes carry on)) B l u r r: And if you put me in a cage, know that I will get out of it. I /always/ get out of it. Whirl: *for one, you have a willing jailbreaker who can bridge u out* Starscream: *that is the risk when dealing with these types, isn't it* Starscream: Naturally. You won't be very useful in a cage, after all. B l u r r: So they say. FakeProwl: @Starscream «His threats are more boring than Lockdown's.» FakeProwl: *he's not even contributing at this point, he's just griping.* B l u r r: / leans back a little/ Regardless... if anything happens to me, my crew knows who to call and how to get them here. Whirl: *shifts in the hammock pile and manages to get one leg free to streeetch* Well, I'm tired. And my medicine is wearing off. *looks at his empty canister* Whirl: So, I'm out. Whirl: *bobs his head at Zori* Good to see you again, Professor. ItsyBitsySpyers: #goodbye! Starscream: *a wave of the hand* Is that an agreement or are you going to deliberate on it more? Whirl: *bobs his head at Rumble, too* ItsyBitsySpyers: #um #I will be back soon #before the dog dies Starscream: (sORI Starscream: ((*zORI Whirl: Do what you gotta, mech. No pressure. Whirl: ((ZORI....)) B l u r r: / waves at Whirl / Whirl: *salutes Blurr, and does another series of bobs for Soundwave and Frenzy. Just bobbin away* FakeProwl: ((............... what dog. i missed something.)) ItsyBitsySpyers: *Returns it.* ItsyBitsySpyers: ((Whirl said Zori hadn't been around in a dog's age. Zori asked how old the dog was. The dog is apparently very old now.)) FakeProwl: ((oh. pffff.)) Whirl: *and with a bit of creative wriggling, he is free, and off* B l u r r: One more thing, Starscream. I want discounts on supplies. Starscream: Our economy is barely there and you want discounts? B l u r r: /holds out claw. Wiggles digits. Come on, shake hands with the devil and all that / B l u r r: I'll give them enough money. B l u r r: Pit, I can even bring them more business. Starscream: Somehow I have my doubts. Starscream: *but fine. Handshake it is* B l u r r: / shake shake / B l u r r: / snickering. Rattles claws on the top of the coffin/ Starscream: *this was definitely a bad idea but it's also a good idea so YOLO* B l u r r: / Grins. A very sharp toothed grin / FakeProwl: @Starscream «If you're done with this mistake—I have a far more valuable potential recruit for you to interview.» FakeProwl: @Starscream «Although I suggest NOT doing so in public.» FakeProwl: @Soundwave «While we have Starscream's attention—would you be ready for a job interview? Or do you need time to prepare?» *i.e., get some damn sleep* Starscream: @Prowl ::Suggestion noted. Especially if you're going to fuss this much.:: FakeProwl: @Starscream «YOU should be fussing. Honestly, you used to work with the Senate. Did you learn nothing about how to hide dirty laundry?» ItsyBitsySpyers: @Prowl: (txt): Preparation requested. Last recharge date: six Earth days ago. Alertness, patience needed. FakeProwl: @Soundwave «How are you not dead.» FakeProwl: @Soundwave «Rhetorical question. Don't answer that.» ItsyBitsySpyers: @Prowl: (txt): Avoidance request obeyed. Will recharge tonight. Interview possible tomorrow night. Starscream: If we're all finished here, I believe it's time for me to leave. ItsyBitsySpyers: *A farewell ping with just as many formality tags as the greeting one.* FakeProwl: @Starscream «Do you have space in your schedule tomorrow? You can interview him then.» FakeProwl: *has failed to mention who he's offering.* Starscream: *casual wave to Soundwave and Prowl and- yeah nah, not waving a Blurr even if they're now business partners* Starscream: @Prowl:: I have a few free spaces in the evening.:: FakeProwl: @Starscream «Good. Send Soundwave your available times. I'm sure something will overlap.» Starscream: *...points at Soundwave. This one?* ItsyBitsySpyers: ((has prowl considered a career in bomb dropping)) FakeProwl: *affirmative ping* FakeProwl: @Starscream «And for goodness sake, don't point.» Starscream: *A snort. Well, not exactly who he was expecting.* FakeProwl: ((ask carpessa)) ItsyBitsySpyers: ((ouch)) Starscream: @Prowl ::I'm the king. I can point if i want.:: ItsyBitsySpyers: *Primus, he's pointing. This is going to be a lot of work.* ItsyBitsySpyers: *He's not just sleeping tonight, he's sleeping in.* FakeProwl: @Starscream «You can't point if you want to keep potential secret assets secret.» Starscream: @PRowl ::Why, was it a secret that you wanted me to ping him?:: Starscream: *will send Soundwave the information for his free slots, tho* FakeProwl: @Starscream «Did you perhaps not notice that we're communicating over comms.» Starscream: ..Why is that, actually. You no longer have snide commentary to keep private. ItsyBitsySpyers: *Skims them and sends one (as yet undetermined but probably around the usual stream start time) back* FakeProwl: @Starscream «Because we're still on somebody else's ship that might be covered in cameras, and /nobody is supposed to know I'm working for you./» ItsyBitsySpyers: *Even if the ship isn't covered in cameras, they're sitting in the room with one sorta, so.* FakeProwl: @Starscream «Please, PRETEND to have a brain, and if you notice I'm doing something unusual assume it's for a good reason and follow my lead.» ItsyBitsySpyers: *And since Starscream is randomly answering the air....* [[He has no snide commentary because there is nothing to be snide about.]] Starscream: Oh no, not anymore. Starscream: *An affirmative ping to Soundwave. That tme is fine* ItsyBitsySpyers: *At least Starscream had the sense to go along with that. Mostly.* ItsyBitsySpyers: [[Indeed. Please excuse him, Lord. We must return.]] ItsyBitsySpyers: *Rises and summons his crowd. A ping to Prowl (and one to Blurr if he's still around) and they'll all get docked and on their way* Starscream: I was just heading out myself, unless Prowl requires my attention? FakeProwl: No, I'm sure you'd just make my headache worse. Starscream: Then we can agree on something. Goodnight. FakeProwl: *disappears*