#this is why dispatch was the least fun part of False God

[verdantspringcourtyard]

Protecting YinYang / Onmyoji Guardian Event

Yet another event part of the Ootakemaru invasion story. It is the same as the Sea Voyage event but with least fun part of the False God event - the dispatch quests. The event consists of 4 portions; Kyoto Purification, Hidden Realm, Kekkai Dispatch and Boss Challenge.

Kyoto Purification: Progress through a board by banging a drum to move across tiles. At the start of each board you choose what type of bonus rewards you’ll get from most tiles - exp, gold, random evo materials or random mitama/souls. There are 6 types of tiles you can land on - bosses (can be done solo or co-op), reward, move forward x amount of tiles, drums, quizzes and mystery deals (offered an item to buy with jade). Each day you start out with 15 drums and you get 5 more from completely your dailies, buying 10 for 100 jade per day, get 1-3 special drums by completing daily event missions or be sent a special drum by a friend. Special drums can use 3 times per day and let you choose how many spaces you want to move to. Both types of drums only let you move across a maximum of 3 tiles.

Hidden Realm: It’s basically Kyoto Purification but with a little bit of a twist. To access hidden realm boards you need a scroll which is obtained via the daily event quests or be bought for 50 jade (price increases by 25 jade per purchase). There’s an easy and a hard mode, easy mode must be cleared to unlock hard mode. After selecting a difficulty you’ll have 9 drums and 3 special drums to reach a boss, these are separate from the ones you use in Purifiation and each one add 1 extra minute to fight the boss. Fighting the boss will give you all the rewards you accumulated on the board. At the top of the board there will be 6 empty spaces for buffs to be shown. The buff are obtained by simply progressing through the board and choosing a 1 buff out of 3. Buff range from boost to stats, extra time to challenge ths boss to additional mitama/soul effects for your entire team.

Kekkai Dispatch: Cost 10 sushi/AP to send up to 1-6 teams of 5 shiki out on a 24 hour dispatch quest. Depending on which shiki you selected, you’ll get a certain score and there are rewards that will unlock depending on your total accumulated score. Dispatch quests give you guild medals, event currency and some random rewards like orochi scales and exp mitama/souls etc. Clearing dispatch quests to unlock rewards like the random SSR/SP in the exchange shop, however, requires the entire server to work together. To recall a team early costs jade, but how much jade will vary eg; recalling with 23hrs left costs 100 jade while recalling with 16hrs left cost 68 jade.

Boss Challenge: Fight the 5 bosses (solo only) within 3 minutes. They are unlocked by clearing the event story and 1 purification board. Bosses are Sealand Youkai with a treasure box, Sealand Youkai on a seahorse, buff Sealand Youkai holding a club, Kani-hime and Kujira. Only your fastest clear time is recorded for ranking. Recommend you do not attempt boss challenge until you have 10-30 blessings first, it’s best to wait until the last 1-2 days of the when you have as many blessings as possible. Same advice applies to people interested in ranking.

Boss Blessings are really important for boss challenges. Blessings are obtained via the point exchange, you can use jade or “tokens” to buy them. Each blessing gives you +3% ATK and HP.  There are also powerful effects for having 10-30-50-70 blessings which are; 10 -  Start each round with 8 onibi and ATK is increased by 40% for 3 turns 30 -  Shikigami skills cost 2 less onibi 50 - After taking an action, own HP is restored by 25% 70 - Enemies’ DEF is reduced by 50%

Notable rewards from the point exchange: new Juzu skin, an icon frame, special kekkai/realm cards, 3-5* white daruma, black daruma, random SSR/SP, blue summon tickets, skin tickets, lots of gold and orochi scales. There are also quests that give you more event currency, “tokens”, a loading screen pic and unlock certain items inthe exchange shop (eg the random SSR/SP).

Notable rewards for total accumulated score from dispatch: 4* white daruma, special kekkai/realm card, bio affection items, a lot of gold and a lot of sushi/AP.

Rewards for clearing boss challenges are a total of 25 black daruma shards, jade and lots of gold. Although there is ranking for boss challenge and hidden realm (hard mode only), there are no rewards for ranking besides bragging rights and providing examples of shiki teams to use.

What Shikigami/Teams to Use

Dispatch

Five 6* SSR/SPs

One 6* of the three required shiki + two dupes of any grade or two 6* SSR/SPs

Try to use the required shiki or max level 6* SSR/SPs for the dispatch quests. If you have any dupes of the required shiki, use them instead of max level 6* SRs or Rs because they will give you a slightly better score.

Even if you don’t many high level shiki, you need do these dispatch quests if you want to unlock the random SSR/SP in the shop for the entire server.

Purification

3 AOE attackers + Oitsuki/Zashiki + Yama Usagi/Maki/Ushi

2 AOE attackers + snow spirit Kiyohime + Oitsuki/Zashiki + Yama Usagi/Maki/Ushi

As for what attackers to use, any mix of AOE and ST with hasei/shadow, shingan/watcher or kyoukotsu is ok.

The recommended bonus reward to choose is gold. Although you can pick mitama/souls, 6* only drop from SR/SSR/SP bosses and the drop rate is rather low.

Hidden Realm

Ryoumen + 190 SPD snow spirit Kiyohime + 170 SPD Ushi + 140 SPD Oitsuki + HP-HP-HP Shoyou

Shiranui + 2 Shuten + 190 SPD snow spirit Kiyohime +170 SPD Ushi

Recommended buffs to get; crit DMG +60%, SPD +50, HIT +200%, splash damage, 30% chance to double crit, extra 30 seconds to fight boss, 200% damage up outside of turn, splash indirect damage, shingan/watcher, hasei/shadow, and kyoukotsu. Multiple of the same type of buffs will stack.

Even if you can’t reach the boss after using up all your drums you can still challenge it, you just won’t have extra time to fight it. The battle itself is in the boss defense format, ie only your highest damage score matters and you’re not really expected to defeat it.

Regardless of which difficulty you choose, if you just want your rewards then challenge the boss and immediately exit. It makes no difference to your accumulated rewards if you actually deal damage to the boss or not. But if you want more event currency, you should try to do more than 500000 damage.

For reference; - leaving without dealing damage gives you ~250 event currency - dealing 500000 damage gives you ~1000 event currency - dealing 40mil damage gives you ~1800 event currency - you only get 50 tokens regardless of how much damage you do

Boss Challenge

Boss 1-3: 2-3 AOE attackers + 0-1 ST attackers + Kamai + Aoandon

Boss 1 & 3: Kuro Douji + 1-2 Youkinshi + 0-1 Orochi + SP Shuten + Ushi

Boss 1-3: Ryoumen + snow spirit Kiyohime + Ushi + Oitsuki/Maki + Shoyou

Boss 1-3: SP Tamamo/SP Ibaraki + Orochi + 2 Youkinshi + Aoandon

Boss 1-3: AOE attacker + 2 Youkinshi + Ushi + Aoandon

Boss 2: Yuki Douji + snow spirit Kiyohime + Kamai + Ushi + Kosode

Boss 4: 1-2 Ibaraki + 1-2 Sanbi + Ushi + Oitsuki + Shoyou

Boss 5: SP Tamamo/SP Ibaraki + 2 Youkinshi + snow spirit Kiyohime + Aoandon

Boss 5: SP Tamamo/Takiyasha + Ryoumen + snow spirit Kiyohime + Shoyou + Ushi

For the first 3 bosses there’s a lot of flexability with the teams, so just use what works for you.

Please don’t underestimate blessings. Doing boss challenge without them can be extremely difficult.

To reiterate; there are no rewards for ranking besides bragging rights and providing examples of shiki teams to use.

More details about the event Post for Sea Voyage Event Transcription of Mt Oe event (helpful for answering the quizzes)

[the-darklings]

innocence died screaming (ask me, honey, i should know);

pairing: ruthless!connor x reader

summary: Between the violence and the blood, you were in harmony with death incarnated.

word count: 3.2k+ (when will I learn self-control??)

warnings: canon typical violence and gore, mentions of torture, bamf!reader, strong language

request:

I kept it as gender neutral as I could. I hope you don’t mind! Thank for the request and I hope that you like it (even if it’s slightly lighter on the relationship side, I love angst too much)! Also the title of this fic comes from a song by Hozier (my man!) called From Eden. I do recommend listening to it!

— — —

“Never trust silence.”

That was the first lesson Connor taught you.

Silence was deceiving; it gave you false sense of security, lured you into compliancy before the hunter struck. If silence prevailed you were either dead or about to die. A quick death would be a mercy, he always told you, consider yourself lucky if you die quickly. But was there mercy in death? No, most certainly not.

Although, this might be worse.

“It’s adorable how CyberLife thought they could keep you out of reach,” the pale haired man spoke mockingly as he sipped on his drink. “I always get what I want.”

Yes, this was definitely worse. You preferred silence, and the smothering darkness of the rucksack over your head to this man and his yammering. You stared blankly at his shoes, trying to drown him out the best you could.

“Let them underestimate you, let them think you weak,” a memory of Connor whispered in your head. “Human arrogance is its downfall, and you can always use that to your advantage.”

Even though Connor always spoke of human nature mockingly, you couldn't help but to be comforted by his phantom. You wished he was here though. You wouldn't be tied up to this rickety chair if he was. He would have already killed everyone in this room with that same calm ruthlessness you’ve seen him display so many times before. But you had no idea where he was. They split you up after the attack, and the last thing you could remember was Connor demanding you to stay awake.

“I have ways to make you work for—”

“W-Where is Connor?” you cut the man off, your voice a dry croak.

The man’s eyebrows shot up and he sauntered closer towards you, a mocking tilt to his mouth, “Oh, so you do speak? Figures the first thing you would ask about is that thing. It has a name though? How sweet.”

You kept your head down even though you felt your eyes narrow, “Where is he?”

“He?” the man echoed coyly. “I have a bone to pick with that fucker. He killed a lot of my men. CyberLife really went all out with him, or so my people say. A unique model. His parts will fetch me a nice price.”

Raw, primal sort of fear tore through your heart and your head snapped up, your arms pushing against the binds. “Don’t touch him. If you hurt him—”

Any trace of coyness on the man’s face was gone in a flash, and he grabbed you painfully by the throat, his grip bruising. “You listen to me carefully. The only reason you’re still alive is because I need you to do something for me, understood? Disobey me and I slit your throat. Oh, and I plan to do a lot more than just hurt it. I will tear that stupid android apart and gift you its eyeballs. ”

“You will die for this,” you promised him fiercely, your heart battering in your chest. “I will kill you myself.”

The man laughed loudly, an ugly, unapologetic sound that made your skin prickle. He released his grip on your neck, and you knew the impact was coming long before it connected. Your neck snapped to one side from the power behind the punch and your ears rang. Burning sort of pain numbed your right cheek and you felt hot blood dribble from your lips. It steadily pooled in your mouth from the cut inside your cheek, and you felt your vision swim.

“Keep that up and I’ll kill you before I’m finished.”

No, you thought deliriously. No, death would mean that you were gone. Death would mean that Connor failed his mission. Something told you that he would drag you from dead himself, if only to kill you again for making him fail.

“Don’t ever let your fear control you,” you felt his phantom whisper harshly against your ear. “Use it as fuel.”

I will. I promise.

Oblivion took you mercilessly.

|-x -x -x -|

“I’m afraid Connor.”

The android paused in his rifle assembly to glance at you briefly. “You should be. We’re surrounded and have limited options.”

You leaned against the ratty sofa, ignoring the way his blunt words scraped against your skin. You knew it was bad, but it was also foolish to hope for comfort from someone like Connor. He was too...he simply was. An unbreakable, unmovable presence by your side.

“Hey, do you remember the first time we met?” you asked curiously. His face shifted like he was irritated by the question.

“I know it is a human custom to make idle and useless chatter while distressed,” he stated coolly. “But I was rather hoping that you would not be so foolish to indulge in it.”

Stung, you looked away, deciding to leave him to his work. He was in battle mode now. That’s when Connor was at his most merciless, when he was meticulously calculating how to dispatch his enemies with least effort. This Connor still made you shiver sometimes.

A perfect, unfeeling machine designed to accomplish any task.

That’s what Elijah had told you once. Long before this, and long before Connor became anything but a machine to you.

“Yes,” he spoke suddenly, and you looked his way to find his gaze focused on the door instead. “I do remember meeting you. My memory cache is the most advanced ever created by CyberLife. I did not forget.”

You grinned silently at him, “I called you a metal Pinocchio.”

His dark eyes finally looked at you, and although his stare remained level, you could almost feel his annoyance. “A completely inappropriate comparison considering the fact that I am not a wooden doll.”

You laughed weakly, recalling the memory fondly, “Yeah, but it was hilarious to see you try and process that.”

His eyes fluttered shut and you knew that if he breathed, he would have released the deepest sigh of his existence. You took a quiet moment to observe him, tracing the edges of his face and lips almost longingly.

But he was unreachable. A distant and cold star that you could watch with longing—appreciating its beauty and magnificence—but never being able to reach out and touch it.

Maybe it was better this way.

A loud bang came from the hallway and you tensed, jumping to your feet as you moved closer towards Connor. His eyes opened slowly; gaze focused and distant, as whatever faint touch of amusement slid off his face.

“Can we—will we survive this?” you whispered with a shiver. “Can we make it out of here?”

Connor lifted the rifle in his hand, looking both harsh and unforgiving, like a vengeful God about to spill blood. “They can’t kill me,” he reminded you icily. “And statistically speaking—”

“I’m not asking about your damn statistics,” you snapped hurriedly, your voice hushed. “I’m asking you okay? What do you think?”

He turned to you unhurriedly—like you both had all the time in the world—and were not about to be attacked by a bunch of terrorists. Looking at you seriously, his lips drew into a firm line as if he could sense your genuine panic. “I think that I taught you everything you need to know,” he said softly, tone frigid. “And that you have one thing they don’t.”

“I know they need me alive—”

He didn’t let you finish. He moved closer to you, so close, that for one irrational moment you thought he was going to kiss you. “That’s not what I meant,” he breathed lowly, dark eyes pinning you down.

Another loud bang broke his stare and his focus shifted to the door. He raised the rifle in front of him with an unflinching expression on his face. There was a stretch of silence so deafening you could barely breathe.

Connor’s body was angled in front of you, covering you from immediate line of sight. There was another booming crash, wood splintering in every direction. He didn’t turn to you, but you heard him just fine.  

“You have me.”

And then the chaos began.              

|-x -x -x -|

Your wrists were bleeding.

And the arrogant asshole refused to shut up.

“You know it was really fun,” he told you as he sat in front of you, turning the detached finger in his hand. “It’s true what they say about androids not being able to feel pain. The fucker didn’t even flinch.”

He sighed dramatically as if it was some great inconvenience for him. Sickness turned your stomach at the idea of him removing one of Connor’s fingers. Your face, bruised and swollen, was throbbing dully but you grit your teeth, continuing to keep your silence.

“It’s also sad,” he chirped, almost gleefully. “When I told him that I was turning your skin into ribbons—just to see what he would do, you know—he didn’t so much as blink. Now that’s cold. Clearly your little robot guard doesn’t care for you that much.”

You almost rolled your eyes at him but you needed to stay awake and not get punched again. That was the only way to get out. If he managed to find a way to contain Connor for so long, you were in serious trouble.  

“So why don’t we work this out, eh? Just work for me and make your life easy.”

You stared at Connor’s finger in his large hand and suppressed a harsh laugh fighting to break free.

“You have one thing they don’t. You have me.”

Your face burned when you smiled at the blonde man dutifully. “I’m listening.”

His face lifted into a smug grin. Brushing invisible dirt off his fancy shirt, he rose from his seat, casting an appreciative look your way. “See, I’m a man of my word. If you are willing to work for me we can work something out.”

“You—you said that thing didn’t care,” you spat roughly, “I thought we had something. I thought it cared about me but clearly not. I just want to s-survive. I don’t care who I work for. But...can—can I watch? I want you to remove that bastard’s head and give it to me as a welcoming present.”

Those words slid down your throat like acid but you could see the effect they had on the man. He grinned widely, pearly white teeth gleaming. “Oh, I think we got off to a bad start,” he practically purred. “I’m glad to see someone not afraid to get their hands dirty to survive.”

He faced his guards, still grinning, “I’ll go prepare our little prisoner for the party. Make sure our new colleague here arrives in, what, ten minutes?”

The guards nodded at him obediently, and he turned to you with another sly smile. “This is a start of a beautiful partnership,” he called out before he left the dark room.

Your wrists were bleeding.

But they were also free.

“Better to make a sacrifice than lose your life.”

Connor.

That had been the only thought going through your head as you tore and tore at your bindings. Until your wrists were raw and bloody but free. He taught you better than to cower down and cry.

You spent so long hating him for putting you through various rigorous training sessions. Now, you had never been more grateful for his unrelenting harshness. You waited patiently, time stretching far slower than you were used to. You could get up, try and attack. Connor taught you how to shoot, how to take down opponents both smaller and larger than you.

“Cower, make yourself feeble if you must, but attack only when you know you have the absolute edge.”  

“I will,” you mumbled faintly, swallowing painfully and staying still. The guards shifted but you knew they were too far away to hear you. But it didn’t matter because few minutes later they made a move towards you anyway. They wore no security gear that would protect them from bullets or even fists.

Foolish, Connor would say.

Lucky, you concluded shortly.

You waited till they both approached you, one of them standing in front of you while the other moved behind you to remove your bindings. Glancing discreetly at the gun the guard in front of you held, you tensed, readying yourself for the perfect moment.

The guard behind you bent down, and you sprang forward.  

You snapped your hands forward, grabbing the gun the man in front of you held. You knew trying to pry it from him would waste time, so you used momentum to shove his hand towards his leg before squeezing the trigger. The man screamed, his grip on the gun loosening as he fell back, and you immediately shoved the gun behind you, firing another two shots. One missed, while you heard the other connect.

Your hands shook slightly while you watched the man behind you fall over dead, red thick blood pouring from his neck. For a moment you only gaped at him blankly before you focused on your own bleeding wrists. They looked worse up close. But you had no time to focus on that.

Standing up, you approached the bleeding guard, examining the way he tried to ebb the flow of blood from his leg.

“How many of you are there?” you questioned harshly.  “How many?”

The man whimpered shallowly, peering at you hatefully, “E-Eight.”

Kicking him in the leg, you glared at him angrily. “Where is the android?”

“I’m not tellin’ you shit,” the man spat between gritted teeth.

Not bothering to hide your impatience, you cocked the gun, levelling the nozzle on his other leg. “If you don’t think I will shoot, you’re wrong,” you warned him grimly.

“I won’t talk—”

You pulled the trigger.

The man howled, red pouring from his other leg as he twitched on the floor. “T-Take right...end of the hallway...t-turn left...last door..please…please...”

“If you’re lying to me—”

“I’m not lying! P-Please…” he sobbed wetly.

Keeping your eyes on him you nodded. “I know.”

You pulled the trigger again.

Exhaling shakily, you lowered your arm, trying to gather yourself before you moved to check the other guard. You took his gun quickly, knowing that time was against you.

Mumbling the guard’s instructions under your breath, you cautiously checked outside the room you were held, finding the corridor mercifully empty. You stumbled your way along, taking appropriate turns where you needed.

“You know I’m really going to love this,” the man from earlier spoke distantly, underlying smugness in his voice. “I know you feel nothing, but it makes me joyous when I think about peeling—”

You didn’t let him finish his idiotic monologue.

The shot hit him with a satisfying bang. He fell noisily, crashing on the floor with a yell as you walked into the room. He turned to look over his shoulder, face manic as he gawked at you wildly.

“You—what—”

Striding up to him, you did not hide your disgust. “Me.”

You raised your arm, and pulled the trigger one last time.

“If you bring someone down, make sure they never get up again.”

Connor’s last, and most important lesson.

Speaking of the android, he was strapped down to a gurney, his jacket shredded and multiple wires attached to him.

“Connor,” you breathed horrified. His eyes, so very familiar to you, stared straight ahead unblinking. “Connor.”

“Panel...green button…” he rasped suddenly, his voice heavy. You jumped at his strained words and immediately followed the wires connected to him to a panel next to him. You stumbled towards it, looking for the green button. Your eyes erratically sought it out before you spotted it at the bottom left corner. You pressed it cautiously, not sure what it was supposed to do.

A low humming you hadn’t realised was in the air disappeared the moment you did, and you saw Connor’s rigid body suddenly relax.  

“Connor,” you repeated again, urgency straining your voice.

His fingers latched onto your hand, and he stared at your bloodied wrists before his gaze moved to the shot man.

“God, are you okay?” you asked. “He—he brought me your finger—”

“I am, surprisingly, still functional,” he stated, his voice skipping a few times as he sat up carefully. “They used low electricity charge to disrupt my biocomponents and disrupt my tracker. It was...efficient,” he added with displeasure.

You choked on a laugh, relief no doubt clear on your face.

“You killed him,” he voiced sharply, and you busied yourself with removing the remaining wires still attached to him.

“He was going to kill you,” you said without looking up, and you felt his firm fingers grasp your chin, lifting it up. His gaze lingered on your swollen cheek before flickering to your bruised neck.

“Is this love, (Name)?”

You flinched away from him, not saying anything. Because did it need saying? Of course you did. You had for some time now even if you refused to face your feelings. You liked who you were with him. How strong and capable he made you feel. He pushed you, but only because he knew you could keep up. He made you feel good about yourself. Like you could rely on yourself before anyone else.

Somewhere between the violence and the blood, you found harmony with death incarnated.

“Does it matter?” you said bitterly, a tight smile on your lips.

“Sir! We’re under—”

Connor’s forearm appeared in front of your face, a shot hitting it before you could blink. You felt him press against your back as he raised you hand with his to shoot the guard in front. The man collapsed dead, not moving again, his rifle falling on the floor next to him.

You stayed like that for a moment, neither of you moving. You could almost feel the tip of his nose brushing against the shell of your ear. Feel the strong grip of his fingers as he gripped your hand in his.

The sound of a helicopter could be heard in the distance and you stiffened. “The guards—”

“I manually sent out a tracking signal,” Connor explained, voice low. “It’s a CyberLife response team coming to collect us.”

“I’m never going to see you again, am I?” you asked softly.

For a second you could have sworn you felt him exhale. “The man after you is dead. It is logical for CyberLife to reassign me.”

He finally released you, moving away as he gestured towards the door, sparing a brief glance at his bleeding arm. “Let’s go.”

“If this is it,” you interrupted shakily. “Can I ask you something?”

He paused, glancing at you over his shoulder, expression taut.

“Did you ever—was it ever—” you trailed off suddenly incapable of forming words.

“Are you expecting me to indulge you in your human fantasies, (Name)?” he wondered callously, lips twitching into something taunting. “Besides...it doesn’t matter.”

And then he walked away.

You glanced at the body of a man who tried to kill you. “Doesn’t matter, huh?”

Maybe you weren’t the only one who couldn't say it.

Trying and failing to control yourself, you laughed till you cried at that thought.

- - - - -

an: boy, I love angst. Please let me know how you liked it? I really appreciate your feedback guys. I loved this idea so much that I was seriously starting to go off lmao, so I had to stop myself before this turned into 10k. Is this the end? I just don’t know. I might expand on it if you guys like it enough. 

[Ruthless!Connor HCS this fic was mainly based on] 

LOVE YOU GUYS! 

[joylessholland]

Forbidden (Part Two)

VAMP!TOMXVAMP!READER

(2,387 words - i had a lot to say)

Warning: Swearing, Mentions of fighting and death.

A/N: I love writing fantasy so i think i went a little over board but why the hell not!

Masterlist  Request  PART ONE

“You can’t keep me here forever!” you screamed at your father “Oh, Yes I can. See our little gift” he hisses “Make’s eternal imprisonment very easy. Now I’ll let you out when you forget about that reached Tackwood.” He walks to the door “Never” you spit as he slams the door leaving you in the room alone. You were in the highest room of the tallest tower, the most protected room in the whole manor. Scanning the room to try to find something that can help you escape, your father was a foul man and this was a cruel punishment but the thought of whatever Tom was enduring made the need for freedom even more urgent.

Little did you know Tom could wait, he could wait forever. His father was so disgusted with his eldest son’s actions that he banished him, but not to a faraway land, no. Baron Tackwood banished his son to the very depths of his own mind, while you sat in an empty tower planning your escape Tom was being spelled. Not spelled cursed, cursed to spend three hundred years in forced hibernation where he would be trapped in a constant loop of his worst nightmare. Vampires were the dramatic type.

“Open up, Groman have her dinner” you heard a muffled raspy voice say from the other side of the door. Grabbing the shard of glass, you broke from the window, you quickly dart up the wall landing on one of the rafters on the ceiling. The large mahogany door creeks open and a small green goblin waddles in. “Groman not in mood for games” he huffed scanning the room. When the door closes behind him you jump for your place on the celling beam tackling the small creature holding the shard of glass to his throat. “I... work…with” the goblin choked, pulling the makeshift knife away from his throat you give him a glare that says “Talk or die”

“The Baroness, Groman is loyal servant of her greatness. She say I get in if Groman act like slave. She right, always right” the creature begins mumbling to himself “Did she send you here to kill me?” you ask holding the glass tighter “No, Groman protect pointy teethed girl. I give her this, are you pointy teeth girl?” he asked holding out a small envelope “Yes, I am” you say dropping the shard of glass “Oh, here you take, will you tell her greatness Groman did good job?” he asks walking to the shard of glass “What are you planning” he walks to the door “Get pointy teethed girl out” he say before knocking three times on the door “Just Groman” turning he gives you a wink. When the door slowly opens Groman jumps on the head of the guard stabbing him in the neck before jumping to the other guard hitting him in the head.

Running from the room the bleeding guard grabs your ankle, stomping him off you pick up his dagger throwing it to Groman, he dispatches the last guard “Nice job” running down the hall another soldier rounds the corner, before he can draw his sword you use your powers to throw him against a wall. Stopping at a hallway “Go meet me in the woods” you grab the knob to a door but Groman stops you “We get out now, Groman protect…” “I need to get something just go, I can handle myself.” After a moment he turns and runs down the hallway screaming “Hey look at Groman, I pointy teeth man killer”

The closet was dark and damp, walking to the back wall you pick up a small dagger slicing your hand you place it onto the brick, the wall shudders and splits open revealing an armory filled with any weapon you could ever need swords of all different lengths, spears, shields, bows, daggers. Going to the case in the back of the room you stare at the glass for a moment before it shatters “Try a better spell next time father” you grab the contents of the cabinet, a sword with symbols carved into the blade, a bow with a sort of golden glow to the string, under a false bottom a long wavy dagger with a purple hilt. Taking a double take you see a bit of fabric, pulling it out it is revealed as black leather coat, placing it on your shoulders feels right somehow.

Running hard you slide around a corner just in time to see Groman getting ran through by a young guard, spitting a quick spell the man’s helm begins to crush in. “You are a brave creature” you whisper kneeling to the fallen goblin “Take this to her greatness” coughing he takes off his ring and places it in your hand “You have my word” you whisper angerly as you hear loud footfalls coming down the hall. As you jump over the railing you hear you father yell “Do not let her escape.”

Throwing the large front door open you see the sun peeking over the horizon “You’ve nowhere to go girl.” You father growls now standing just ten paces away with the entire coven behind him “Come with us now and I won’t make your punishment more severe” laughing you pull the bow from your back “Don’t” your father warns his eye lighting up a bright red “Oh, but Daddy that won’t be any fun” drawing the string back an arrow appears notched on the bow, aiming at your fathers head you draw the sting back even further but right before you release you tilt it up and it lands right between the eyes of his portrait hung on the wall “Nice shot, girl. Get her” he commands “Oh but father that is what we call a diversion” you snicker before stepping to the side revealing that the sun had risen just enough to shine right into the great hall where the entire coven was gathered. The sound of hissing and burning flesh filled the air, running out of the house the coat your wearing emits a black fog that shields you from the sunlight. Smirking you bolt with great speed into the woods.

[Y/N]

My husband is a cruel and horrible man, he has locked our son away in a forced hibernation as punishment for his treason. The gods only know what he is going through in there, you must save my son, no matter what. Take him and go west, far west. Live a mortal life, do whatever you want just save him. Inside this letter I have enclosed a map to my son’s location in our castle. I also took the liberty of returning you the moonstone necklace he gifted you, the power it holds should power at least one transformation in the sunlight. Use it wisely, Groman will show you the way to our castle and a secret entrance. If Groman doesn’t make it, you will need to find a way. Please do this, not for me but for Thomas, and for you.

Lana Tackwood

You read the letter and looked over the map many times to make sure you remembered placing the necklace over your head you begin the journey to the Tackwood castle.

Crouching in the bushes you spot a guard “Damn, Day-walkers” you whisper drawing the dagger speaking a magic word the knife flies from your hand and sticks the man in the neck. Running to the wall you pull the knife from his neck “Bitch” he chocks as you wink and grab the moonstone “Please work” you plead feeling for the power of the stone, “Fly my love” you hear Thomas’s voice from inside the stone as you transform. When the smoke clears you try to flap your wings but instead all you do is wave tiny little arms. “Fucking stone” you squeak as you scurried along the ground. “Maybe the Baron is terrified of rats” you think as you wiggle into a crack in the wall.

Scurrying across the ground you come to a table on the map this is where the guards leave a spare key to the lower dungeons, looking around for a way to reach the table it begins to lower to you, no it wasn’t lowering you were raising. The stones power was drained you were reverting forms. Grabbing the key, you pull out a stray whisker left over from your sloppy transformation. Thinking back to the map you follow the root in your mind dispatching anyone in your path. You needed to get to Thomas, he needed you.

Opening the small door, you saw down a long staircase, the stairs seemed endless as you walked in complete darkness until your feet hit solid ground and you hand met a stone wall. The corridor wound with sharp turns, switchbacks and even more stairs. You had to be deep underground before you final came to a locked door. Placing the key in and turning it slowly you open the door you reveal a room light with black candles. In the center of the floor a coffin sat surrounded by symbols drawn on the floor with white chalk. The coffin was made of wood with intricate gold trim decorating the top and sides. Walking up to the coffin you are stopped by an invisible barrier protecting the coffin, powerful magic, a spell woven by many spell casters.

From behind you the lock began to click pushing yourself against a wall to hide. In walks a tall young man with blonde curls and a strong figure, sticking out his hand the barrier melts away. Grabbing the man and twisting his arm behind his back you sniff his neck “Mortal, powerful.” He hisses in pain as you pull his arm tighter “I am Harrison Kerling, wizard of the first order. I demand you let me go.” He commands “Tell me how to break the hibernation spell and this won’t get… bloody” you snarl “I don’t have to tell you anything” he says his voice wavering “Have it your way.” You whisper right before sinking your teeth into his neck.

As the blood touches your tongue you are flung into Harrisons memories. You see Thomas hissing and shouting as he is thrown into his wooden cage, you hear the magical ritual that forced Thomas into hibernation, and then you lock onto a memory and it fills up your senses.

Opening your eyes, you find yourself in a dimly lit room with a fire crackling as the wind howled outside. “How do we get him out, no offense but you won’t be around” a voice hummed as Baron Tackwood swirled into existence next to him warming his hands on the fire was the wizard “Breck the circle of symbols, and prick your finger on the coffin. If that doesn’t awaken him you’ll need to call upon a wizard of the first order to help. But it shouldn’t come to that.” The wizard said calmly as the Baron paced the floor. “How could he do this to us, his own family?” and with that the world melted away and you were back in the small coffin room drinking from the man’s neck.

Licking your lips, the man stumbles a bit “What did you” he asked holding his neck as purple liquid oozes from the bite marks “Break the spell or turn” eyes wide in shock the man proceeds to erase one of the symbols and pick his finger on the coffin. Black smoke fills the room as the wooden lid begins to slowly lift revealing Thomas laying arms crossed over his chest, raising out of the coffin he opens his eye in shock

“[Y/N]” he whimpers stepping from the coffin and falling into your arms “Yes, it’s me, my love” you say placing a tender kiss upon his lips. Crying into you he thanked the gods you saved him, while in the corner Harrison began to sweat and his breath quickened “You said, if i…” he stopped himself with a scream of pain “The change is the worst part, after that it isn’t so bad” you say looking Thomas over “We have to get out of here” you whisper helping him walk “You can’t just leave me here” Harrison yelped knocking over a candle stand. “Do you know a way out of here?” you ask holding Tom up “There’s a secret door right outside, please they kill me if they know I assisted you in rescuing the prince” he pleaded nodding him over he leads you out of the castle.

Loading Thomas and Harrison into the back of the carriage an arrow zips through the air and snapping out of the way it hits the carriage. Blocking your exit is are two young men one holding a bow and the other two short swords “My brothers” Thomas whispered from inside the carriage “Look boys, we just want…” your cut off when Sam lets another arrow fly, this time your eyes glow a deep purple as you catch the arrow turning it in your grip it melts away into dust “Going to have to try a little better than that.” Drawing your sword, you slap the horse at the front of the carriage on the rear end making it run out into the woods. The sound of metal clashing filled the stables as you fought off each the boy one by one, dodging an arrow then a sword strike. With a swift strike your sword is knocked from your hands “Yield” Harry yells pointing the sword at your throat. With a flash of light both boys disappear “Watch your step” a female voice sound. Looking down you see two slugs on the ground where the brothers once stood. “Baroness Tackwood, many thanks” you bow to her “Save breath, child. You’re the one I should be thanking, you saved my son.” Giving her a warm smile you dig into the pocket of you coat and pull out a small silver ring tossing it to the baroness you speak sadly “Groman was a brave little man” smiling back she nods to you “Go now, my husband will be on his way” holding the moonstone in your grasp once more in a swirl of smoke a beautiful black hawk flies off in search of a runaway cartridge.

THX 4 READING

Here are some beautiful KITTENS: @midtownvaledictorian@letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked@tiemeupspidey @captain-katie-xx@panicatttckiss@champagneholland@seilamigliorcosacheabbiamaivisto@mendes-holland @maggie-starz @natalie-kn@vaeyron@wonderyoung @ging3r-fall@louisnholland@little-weirdo-13@calumminter@sunshiineandmoonliight@tomhstories @rosieeemma @societalreject @bibs-fortuna @antisocialoutcast12 @jadabelle @las-civus@oceantostars@tiemeupspidey @dr-tardis-who@hazelgracewatersaugustus@jessica-moon9 @sophietanda @yasstoeverygirloutthere@beccaaahh5711 @emptyy-skyy@parkeretmj  @clairesrainbow

[davidternst]

Black Narcissus

“Black Narcissus” was a classic perfume for men and women produced by Ahmed Soliman in the 1920s. It was based on an oil extracted from flowering plants of the genus Narcissus (daffodils and jonquils) which still is used in perfumes and colognes today. The scent is said to have been dark, musky, sultry and erotic. So why is “Black Narcissus” also the title of a 1947 movie about missionary nuns in India?

You have to wait for it, but the perfume figures prominently in a key scene that relates to the budding sexual tensions within the austere religious community. But the discussion of “Black Narcissus” ends with a bluntly racist comment that also fits the film’s underlying themes.

First, it is important to understand that the nuns in question are Anglican, rather than Roman Catholic nuns. In fact, the movie was originally released only a few months before India declared its independence from British rule. The identification with a specific national church, and nationalistic form of Christianity, explains  the nuns’ confusion of the Gospel with British culture, and the taming of a “barbaric” people.

As a result of a political deal, the motherhouse in Calcutta receives property on which to establish a convent, school and clinic in a remote valley of the Himalayan Mountains. The rajah of the region has little interest in Christianity, but he wants to curry favor with the British and also wants his people to have the observable benefits of western European learning and technology, especially medicine.

So a team of sisters is dispatched to the location, led by Sister Clodagh (this was a breakthrough role for English movie star, Deborah Kerr). Yes, it’s also noteworthy that Sister Clodagh is Irish, unlike the others. It turns out that the property is a fortress on a sheer cliff overlooking the village in the valley below. The rajah’s father used it as a pleasure palace, where he housed his large harem. When the nuns move in, the walls are covered with pornographic paintings (what is shown of them is surprisingly explicit for a 1947 movie). That’s interesting, because it is also noted that some monks had previously tried to set up shop in the castle, but left after only five months. No further explanation of that matter is given.

This backstory hints at perhaps some supernatural influence at work in what happens to the nuns. All experience personal breakdowns of varying degrees of severity and their group bond begins to unravel. However, the viewer may interpret this simply as the psychological effects of immersion and isolation within a foreign culture, compounded by repressed sexuality.

It also is strongly suggested that life on the rugged, windswept mountain heightens the women’s five senses, and brings to the surface memories that they had buried beneath a comfortable routine of daily prayer and hard work. The audience only gets a glimpse of Sister Clodagh’s memories of a failed romance in Ireland. These flashbacks feature a radiant, fun-loving young woman in contrast to her severe appearance as a nun. Deborah Kerr, of course, looks gorgeous, even standing in the middle of a stream in flyfishing gear.

Then there’s the movie’s homme fatale, rather than femme fatale. Mr. Dean (David Farrar) is the “British agent” (the local ruler’s liaison with the imperial government). He is a handsome Englishman who has “gone native”. That means most of the time he wears only shorts and an open shirt (in one scene he rushes to the convent without even putting on a shirt). Mr. Dean doubts that the mission will succeed where others have not, and Sister Clodagh considers him “dissolute”. All conversations between them are charged with sexual innuendo.

In a plot twist, the old rajah dies and his son takes over. Unlike his father, the young rajah (Sabu) is sincerely interested in Jesus Christ and what He taught. The sisters fail to understand this. They also fail to pick up on his equally keen interest of another type in 17-year-old Kanchi (Jean Simmons). Kanchi is a, shall we say, precocious orphan that the nuns have taken in. She performs exotic dances when the nuns aren’t looking and otherwise conveys her mutual feelings toward the young rajah. The two elope and are then absent from the movie until the very end.

But there is some dialogue between the young rajah and Sister Clodagh that is worth examining. The sister is explaining to the rajah why the convent is only a spiritual retreat for women and not for men. The rajah points to a nearby crucifix and says, “But Jesus was a man”. Sister Clodagh replies that, “Jesus only took the form of a man.”

Which is not what the Bible and the ecumenical creeds say. The fourth Gospel, that of the Apostle John, probably was written specifically to refute the heresy of the Gnostics. Part of the false teaching of the Gnostics was that the material world, the world of our five senses, is evil. It was not created by God, the Father of Jesus Christ, but by an inferior deity.

The first chapter recaps the account of creation in Genesis, emphasizing how the Word (Logos, a designation of the Second Person of the Trinity) was with God in the beginning and was God. By this Word was everything made and for this Word everything was made. And then the Word “was made flesh and dwelled among us”. The Greek word translated “was made” signifies a change in the nature of something. In this case, what was divine became fully human, although it remained divine, and dwelled among humanity.

After John’s Gospel, the Council of Nicea in 325 AD would reject not only Arianism, the idea that Jesus was a created being inferior to God the Father, but also docetism, the teaching that the human form of Jesus was only a sort of illusion. Thus, the Nicene Creed says that Jesus “was incarnate by the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father.” The story of the ascension shows that Jesus returned to the Father in both His human and divine natures, thus sanctifying forever our human nature.

The Athanasian Creed goes into even more detail. “For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the substance of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the substance of His Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching His Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood. Who although He is God and Man; yet He is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of substance; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ.”

So Sister Clodagh expresses at the very least, a deficient Christology. Jesus became incarnate that he might experience every human feeling and every human temptation; yet at the same time blessing common human experience. So the nuns see human desires and pleasures as a threat to spirituality to an exaggerated degree. They are all the more vulnerable to the sensuality of the natural and cultural environment in which they find themselves

Yet they are not entirely wrong, because in one case, the unleashing of passion raises something darker than Sister Clodagh’s regrets. Again, there is the suggestion of something like demonic possession, although it could be explained away as jealousy and emotional instability.

At any rate, Mr. Dean is not really the serpent in the garden, although what he considers an offhand remark sets a tragic event in motion. And a simple gesture by the most open and friendliest of the nuns is misunderstood and turns the villagers against the mission.

“Black Narcissus” is filmed in beautiful Technicolor and the scenery emphasizes the vastness of the mountains and the dream-like state that overwhelms the sisters.

“Black Narcissus” was a classic perfume for men and women produced by Ahmed Soliman in the 1920s. It was based on an oil extracted from flowering plants of the genus Narcissus (daffodils and jonquils) which still is used in perfumes and colognes today. The scent is said to have been dark, musky, sultry and erotic. So why is “Black Narcissus” also the title of a 1947 movie about missionary nuns in India?

You have to wait for it, but the perfume figures prominently in a key scene that relates to the budding sexual tensions within the austere religious community. But the discussion of “Black Narcissus” ends with a bluntly racist comment that also fits the film’s underlying themes.

First, it is important to understand that the nuns in question are Anglican, rather than Roman Catholic nuns. In fact, the movie was originally released only a few months before India declared its independence from British rule. The identification with a specific national church, and nationalistic form of Christianity, explains  the nuns’ confusion of the Gospel with British culture, and the taming of a “barbaric” people.

As a result of a political deal, the motherhouse in Calcutta receives property on which to establish a convent, school and clinic in a remote valley of the Himalayan Mountains. The rajah of the region has little interest in Christianity, but he wants to curry favor with the British and also wants his people to have the observable benefits of western European learning and technology, especially medicine.

So a team of sisters is dispatched to the location, led by Sister Clodagh (this was a breakthrough role for English movie star, Deborah Kerr). Yes, it’s also noteworthy that Sister Clodagh is Irish, unlike the others. It turns out that the property is a fortress on a sheer cliff overlooking the village in the valley below. The rajah’s father used it as a pleasure palace, where he housed his large harem. When the nuns move in, the walls are covered with pornographic paintings (what is shown of them is surprisingly explicit for a 1947 movie). That’s interesting, because it is also noted that some monks had previously tried to set up shop in the castle, but left after only five months. No further explanation of that matter is given.

This backstory hints at perhaps some supernatural influence at work in what happens to the nuns. All experience personal breakdowns of varying degrees of severity and their group bond begins to unravel. However, the viewer may interpret this simply as the psychological effects of immersion and isolation within a foreign culture, compounded by repressed sexuality.

It also is strongly suggested that life on the rugged, windswept mountain heightens the women’s five senses, and brings to the surface memories that they had buried beneath a comfortable routine of daily prayer and hard work. The audience only gets a glimpse of Sister Clodagh’s memories of a failed romance in Ireland. These flashbacks feature a radiant, fun-loving young woman in contrast to her severe appearance as a nun. Deborah Kerr, of course, looks gorgeous, even standing in the middle of a stream in flyfishing gear.

Then there’s the movie’s homme fatale, rather than femme fatale. Mr. Dean (David Farrar) is the “British agent” (the local ruler’s liaison with the imperial government). He is a handsome Englishman who has “gone native”. That means most of the time he wears only shorts and an open shirt (in one scene he rushes to the convent without even putting on a shirt). Mr. Dean doubts that the mission will succeed where others have not, and Sister Clodagh considers him “dissolute”. All conversations between them are charged with sexual innuendo.

In a plot twist, the old rajah dies and his son takes over. Unlike his father, the young rajah (Sabu) is sincerely interested in Jesus Christ and what He taught. The sisters fail to understand this. They also fail to pick up on his equally keen interest of another type in 17-year-old Kanchi (Jean Simmons). Kanchi is a, shall we say, precocious orphan that the nuns have taken in. She performs exotic dances when the nuns aren’t looking and otherwise conveys her mutual feelings toward the young rajah. The two elope and are then absent from the movie until the very end.

But there is some dialogue between the young rajah and Sister Clodagh that is worth examining. The sister is explaining to the rajah why the convent is only a spiritual retreat for women and not for men. The rajah points to a nearby crucifix and says, “But Jesus was a man”. Sister Clodagh replies that, “Jesus only took the form of a man.”

Which is not what the Bible and the ecumenical creeds say. The fourth Gospel, that of the Apostle John, probably was written specifically to refute the heresy of the Gnostics. Part of the false teaching of the Gnostics was that the material world, the world of our five senses, is evil. It was not created by God, the Father of Jesus Christ, but by an inferior deity.

The first chapter recaps the account of creation in Genesis, emphasizing how the Word (Logos, a designation of the Second Person of the Trinity) was with God in the beginning and was God. By this Word was everything made and for this Word everything was made. And then the Word “was made flesh and dwelled among us”. The Greek word translated “was made” signifies a change in the nature of something. In this case, what was divine became fully human, although it remained divine, and dwelled among humanity.

After John’s Gospel, the Council of Nicea in 325 AD would reject not only Arianism, the idea that Jesus was a created being inferior to God the Father, but also docetism, the teaching that the human form of Jesus was only a sort of illusion. Thus, the Nicene Creed says that Jesus “was incarnate by the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father.” The story of the ascension shows that Jesus returned to the Father in both His human and divine natures, thus sanctifying forever our human nature.

The Athanasian Creed goes into even more detail. “For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the substance of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the substance of His Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching His Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood. Who although He is God and Man; yet He is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of substance; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ.”

So Sister Clodagh expresses at the very least, a deficient Christology. Jesus became incarnate that he might experience every human feeling and every human temptation; yet at the same time blessing common human experience. So the nuns see human desires and pleasures as a threat to spirituality to an exaggerated degree. They are all the more vulnerable to the sensuality of the natural and cultural environment in which they find themselves

Yet they are not entirely wrong, because in one case, the unleashing of passion raises something darker than Sister Clodagh’s regrets. Again, there is the suggestion of something like demonic possession, although it could be explained away as jealousy and emotional instability.

At any rate, Mr. Dean is not really the serpent in the garden, although what he considers an offhand remark sets a tragic event in motion. And a simple gesture by the most open and friendliest of the nuns is misunderstood and turns the villagers against the mission.

“Black Narcissus” is filmed in beautiful Technicolor and the scenery emphasizes the vastness of the mountains and the dream-like state that overwhelms the sisters. It may be intrepreted as a cautionary tale against sending missionaries to remote areas without proper knowledge and appreciation of the local language and culture, and a false sense of spirituality.