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joezworld · 4 years ago

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Silverliner Cults and Pet Cars

So this is what happens when @rise-comics and I are left mostly alone in a discord server.

Most of this is canon.

I like to think that the one speaking english is the metroliner cab car

[12:15 AM]and all the acelas speak french just to annoy the rest of the NEC

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:18 AM Buzz(in a Roz voice): I have not a goddamned clue what y’all are saying

📷@Jz1 and all the acelas speak french just to annoy the rest of the NEC 📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:19 AM Then they meet the one Charger who sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger

📷@Jz1 Every charger has a different accent, which really does not mesh well with the rest of Amtrak, most of whom were built in Pennsylvania or Indiana and therefore have the blandest accent possible 📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:21 AM It’s called variety

[12:22 AM]- The one Long Range Charger, currently drunk off their ass(edited) 📷Jz1 — Today at 12:23 AM It's called One train with four accents. They send a Genesis to pick up the new Chargers and he spends the entire ride home regretting ever making fun of the Acelas because at least they don't speak with an accent jesus christ this isn't in english

[12:23 AM]He gets to beech grove and is visibly twitching

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:24 AM When they’re at Chicago, the Genesis has started contemplating murder

[12:25 AM]Until one of the chargers offers up their stash of acid as a bribe

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:25 AM "No one would blame me" [Queens accent from the back] What? "Nothing!" [California Accent from the back] Sounded like something man.

📷@Rise Comics(she/her) Until one of the chargers offers up their stash of acid as a bribe 📷Jz1 — Today at 12:26 AM There's not enough acid to make this bearable

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:26 AM At some point, there probably has to be trolling involved, from the POV of the genesis

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:27 AM By the time they pass through Iowa the Genesis is spreading baseless lies about how Amfleet cars work

Jz1 — Today at 12:27 AM

The Chargers take him at his word and start setting up shrines

Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:31 AM Oh god, Amfleet shrines

📷@Rise Comics(she/her) Oh god, Amfleet shrines 📷Jz1 — Today at 12:32 AM [Chargers] - We must leave offerings to THE SILVER FLEET

[12:32 AM][SEPTA Silverliner parked nearby] - The what now?

[12:33 AM]That acutally would be even funnier - they have no idea what an Amfleet looks like so they Cargo Cult the Silverliners

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:33 AM [The NJT F40s watching this happen] - dying of laughter, hard enough to derail without moving(edited)

Meanwhile the ACS-64 fleet is growing more and more CONCERN with each passing day

[12:34 AM]it is unclear whether they feel that the Chargers are nuts, or if they've missed a memo Jz1 — Today at 12:35 AM

They try to worship one of the Metroliners. It ends badly

Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:35 AM

The Genesis that instigated it is either laughing, terrified, or both

Jz1 — Today at 12:36 AM That Motherfucker hopped on the first Empire Builder west and made this mess someone else's problem

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:36 AM Lol

NEW

[12:38 AM]Then an F59 just gets fed up enough to pull strings and get that guy back into Philly to beat his ass in the most Philly way possible. Jz1 — Today at 12:40 AM Poor sap arrives in Philly and the Entirety of Philly yard is like the locker shrine scene from MIB2 except they're all trying to worship some poor silverliner who is scared out of his mind(edited)

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:41 AM I can only imagine how scary it’d be to be in that situation(edited)

[12:42 AM]Or how funny it is for the SEPTA AEM-7 watching this happen(edited)

📷@Rise Comics(she/her) Or how funny it is for the SEPTA AEM-7 watching this happen(edited) 📷Jz1 — Today at 12:43 AM The entire AEM-7 fleet is laughing so hard they reverted to Swedish

[12:44 AM]The Acelas are laughing in French

[12:44 AM]The entire yard sounds like a fucked up version of Ellis Island

[12:44 AM]A single CSX engine rolls by on the bridge that goes over the yard, stops dead in his tracks, and runs the other way

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:45 AM Lmao

[12:45 AM]Woe be anyone who has to be in the yard at that moment

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:46 AM At that exact moment a Northeast regional shows up with a trainload of Amfleet coaches and a schism forms

[12:46 AM]An vainglorious RDC tries to get his own cult

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:46 AM Lol

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:47 AM No work is accomplished on this day

Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:49 AM

Ah yes, the Amfleet Cult incident of 2016 is one acid trip of a comedy

Was Franz Kafka one of the staff?

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:50 AM He only wishes he was

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:51 AM Lol

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:51 AM From that point on, The Charger deliveries were done by BNSF

[12:51 AM]Surely this will cause no problems ever

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:52 AM It’s either four different accents or everyone sounds like a slightly different surfer

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:53 AM It's either very german, very california, very New York, Or very Florida (because brightline)

[12:54 AM]I also like to imagine that the brightline engines turn into Florida Engine the moment they crossed the state line

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:54 AM Yep lol

[12:54 AM]Complete with alligators

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:54 AM Fought a Gator (and won)

[12:54 AM]Fought a Gator (and lost)

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:55 AM Lol

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:55 AM Florida Engine does 'industrial quantity" of Methamphetamines, breaks land speed record Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:56 AM Florida Engine swims across port

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:56 AM Florida engine learns to swim, fights boat

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:57 AM Florida Engine accidentally kidnaps entire Panama City Police Department

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:57 AM Some guy in Lake Okeechobee says he doesn't like trains - the water bubbles and a Charger erupts from the water "I heard you were talking shit"

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:58 AM Lol

[12:58 AM]Florida Engine busted for selling fake golden bricks

📷Jz1 — Today at 12:58 AM Florida Engine arrested for selling stolen fake golden bricks

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 12:59 AM Florida Engine derails, orders Wendy’s in a nearby drive thru

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:00 AM Florida Engine steals his own wheels, puts himself up on blocks Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:02 AM

Florida Engines accidentally welded together in one consist.

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:02 AM Florida Engines try to recreate Baldwin Centipede, accidentally create a different kind of Centipede

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:04 AM Florida Engine gets drunk, tries to fly

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:04 AM Lmao

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:05 AM Florida Engine vows revenge on airplanes - claims "they've had it too good for too long"

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:05 AM Florida Engine arrested for attempted arson via spaghetti

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:06 AM Florida Engine arrested for screaming about "noodle incident" at 4AM

Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:07 AM Florida Engine consumes too much NOs, recreates 2 Fast 2 Furious

��Jz1 — Today at 1:07 AM Florida Engine jumps drawbridge - claims it was late for court

Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:08 AM

Florida Engine breaks world record for fastest and longest sustained multi track drift

📷Joseph R (he/him) — Today at 1:09 AM and hits a signal

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:09 AM Florida Engine steals house - claims fourth amendment

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:10 AM Florida Engines steal shed to avoid rent(edited)

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:11 AM Florida Engine crashes off end of line - claims he was going to Orlando to "see that rat mickey"(edited)

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:12 AM Florida Engine bites gator - claims it tasted like chicken

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:13 AM Florida Engine invades NASA Cape Canaveral - swears vengeance against SpaceX and Elon Musk

Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:16 AM

Florida Engines steal SpaceX rocket, dunks on Musk

Jz1 — Today at 1:16 AM Florida Engine Hacks Elon Musk's Twitter, Causes Dogecoin Pump and Dump

NEW

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:17 AM Florida Engines block port of Miami in world’s longest consist Jz1 — Today at 1:18 AM Florida Engines claim this act of sabotage was to support the container ship Ever Given "in her hour of need"

[1:19 AM]Florida Engines seemed unaware that Ever Given was freed two months ago Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:21 AM

Florida Engine spills fruit train, creates jam

Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:22 AM Florida car cosplays as train, wears cone as a hat

Jz1 — Today at 1:24 AM Florida Airplane lands on Train Tracks, offers Florida Engine "a fair fight"

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:25 AM Florida Engine and Florida Plane fight in world’s largest Wawa, Florida Boat wins

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:25 AM Hahahaha

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:26 AM A gator was shoved where the sun don’t shine

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:26 AM Florida Engine attacks John Deere Dealership, fights gators

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:28 AM Florida Engine throws pet gator at John Deere dealer(edited)

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:29 AM Florida Engine steals Car, claims he was 'adopting it'

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:31 AM Florida Engine sells stolen cars as ‘pet cars’ 📷1

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:32 AM Florida Engine and Florida Boat conspire to traffic in exotic "pet cars"

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:34 AM Florida Semi-Truck roped into exotic ’pet car’ scheme by Florida Engine and Florida Boat.

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:35 AM Florida Crane arrested in increasingly-large "pet car" bust

[1:35 AM]Florida Submarine also under suspicion

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:38 AM Autoracks stolen by Florida Train

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:38 AM Florida "pet car" bust increases - multiple Florida Engines suspected

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:39 AM Florida East Coast Railway Indicted In ‘Pet Car’ Scandal

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:40 AM Florida Plane denied bail in "pet car" arrests - deemed a flight risk Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:45 AM Florida Train acquitted on all charges relating to ‘pet car’ scandal, still fined for public exposure.

📷Jz1 — Today at 1:46 AM Florida Train thanks Florida Lawyer for proving innocence - Florida Boat and Florida Crane to go to trial next week

📷Rise Comics(she/her) — Today at 1:48 AM Florida Boat was actually Egyptian fishing trawler. Florida Boat still at large.

#pet cars #headcanon #extremely specific headcanon #sentient vehicles #sentient vehicle headcanon #sentient trains #shenanigans #amtrak #florida engine #transcript of a discord chat

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mythicamagic · 4 years ago

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@missidiotmakka

AN: Ayy last prompt! Time for me to get back to other stuff I have planned lolol thanks for joining me on this little distraction. Thanks to @shastuhh for the sword name idea!

(I know Satsuki is more of a girl's name but it can be used for a boy. I don't think Sesskag would care too much about particulars like that anyways lol)

52: kiss on the ankle

---

The sound of metal meeting metal rang out harshly, the blades singing.

Kagome grit her teeth, staring into smiling golden eyes. Easing back, she wrenched her sword away and swung for his left side, grunting when he parried with a smooth sweep of his arm. Seeing an opening- Kagome ducked in close, ghosting soft lips over his neck.

Sesshoumaru jolted and growled lowly, grabbing her around the waist. "You cannot afford to be distracted," he quietly reprimanded.

Kagome smiled, "mhm and neither can you," she pressed a previously concealed dagger against his side with a little more force.

Golden eyes flashed and darkened, lips lifting to expose a fang. "Good," he muttered.

Kagome preened, giggling and putting her dagger away- content to pull back- until he tugged her in close and scraped hungry teeth down her neck, sucking at the mating mark branding her skin.

Their training sessions usually ended like this. Sesshoumaru was firm and disciplined for the majority of the time but she could always worm in a makeout session or two by the end of it. Kagome bumped his side playfully with the flat of her blade- which had been lovingly named Seinaru Bakuhatsu- or 'Holy Explosion', to link with his Bakusaiga. Before they could get too wrapped up in another round of heavy petting, however, a telltale sound reached their ears.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru broke apart, noticing Inukimi sigh as she walked out onto the wooden porch, carrying a wailing bundle. "When I said I'd be pleased for the gift of grandchildren, that was not an invitation to thrust them upon me every time you require a sparring match."

"It is not as if you attend to them alone," Sesshoumaru snorted dryly as Rin followed after her into the midday light, carrying another, much quieter bundle.

Their babysitters tended to be rotated; Shippo or Kohaku often accompanying Rin from the village. Even Inuyasha had babysat though he only tended to hold Satsuki, claiming their quieter son 'freaked him out.'

Kagome cooed and took the plump weight of Satsuki into her arms, grinning down at the crying boy and sitting down to nurse him. Their eldest barely looked Hanyou- instead resembling a full-blooded youkai. He had a headful of white hair, chubby cheeks, pointed ears, markings and bright golden eyes. A big baby. Pushing him out had been murder.

In comparison, Syuya was far too tiny. It were as though Satsuki had stolen all his nutrients in the womb they'd shared, right down to most traces of youki. Syuya was a quiet little thing, with puppy ears poking out atop his head of white hair. He blinked baby blue eyes up at Sesshoumaru, unimpressed. It was only when Kagome took hold of him did his disgruntled expression change into something resembling warmth. Kagome tried not to dote on him too much and noticed Sesshoumaru trying not to do the same in his own quiet way.

It was difficult, considering it had taken another day to push the little one out after his brother. They'd feared for a long time that he'd been lost to them, a complication in the birthing process making him linger too long.

Feeding the runt of the 'litter' Kagome smiled down at the boy, stroking his thinner hair. Syuya caught her finger and squeezed it with plenty of strength. He'd be fine.

Sesshoumaru held Satsuki, sitting next to her and sighing, sitting their plumpy son against his shoulder and patting his back. "He cries too much," he half-heartedly complained.

"Maybe it's because everyone worries about little Syu-Syu so much that Sat-Sat wants attention too!" Rin giggled, creeping behind Sesshoumaru to make funny faces at Satsuki, who sniffled and watched, ears perking.

Kagome smiled, wiping Syuya's chin when he was finished. "You might be right, Rin."

"Mn, you should nip that in the bud or you'll end up with a similar rivalry to the bigger cretins."

Sesshoumaru's lip lifted into a silent sneer. "Always a pleasure to have you visit, mother- but perhaps you have overstayed your welcome."

"Oh I do not think so," she waved off, smiling sharply. "Your home is so very charming, it would be a waste not to enjoy it to its fullest," walking elegantly away without another word, Inukimi hitched up the edge of her silken robes to hop over some stepping stones in the water, seeking the refuge of a tiny lakehouse further away.

They'd chosen a place further away from the Stronghold. An isolated, idyllic place situated not terribly far from Bokuseno, a tree demon Sesshoumaru was familiar with. Their home had been constructed to overlook a large lake, and trees located on higher ground gave the entire area a secluded feel, their traditional mansion bathed in gentle shadows. They didn't plan to stay there forever, but it was perfect for while the pups were young and Kagome got back on her feet.

It didn't feel like she was being kept a secret, more that Sesshoumaru's protective instincts couldn't handle another scare after Syuya.

Allowing Rin to take Satusuki- which she grunted with and cooed, hurrying over to the far reaches of the garden to go bother Jaken- Sesshoumaru knelt by Kagome's feet. Exchanging small smiles, the miko watched as he lifted tiny Syuya's foot.

Giving his ankle a small kiss, Sesshoumaru tipped his head to observe the boy, who blinked and nestled against Kagome, hiding his face in her locks.

The demon lord hummed. "He prefers you."

Kagome giggled, petting fluffy white hair. "I love all my boys equally- don't fight over me."

"It is your destiny to be fought over, miko."

"Oh hush, he's just latched onto me because I held him for so long after he was born," she hummed, grinning and softening her voice. "Look," she gestured slightly to Syuya, who was peeping out from her nest of dark hair. He wriggled his small legs a little.

Sesshoumaru smiled and obliged, understanding the silent request and kissing his son's ankle again. Syuya squeaked and hid again.

Giggling, Kagome slid an arm over Sesshoumaru's broad shoulders and leaned forward. Bumping and brushing noses with him in a sickenly sweet way that would disturb an onlooker, she smiled.

"We're all okay," she murmured.

Pale lashes lowered, falling shut as their foreheads met. "Hn."

"Maybe we should lay off any funny business for a while though."

Those golden eyes snapped open once more. "Hn?"

"Well, you more than proved that your swimmers are way too strong. They managed to get through our attempts at birth control. Only sure-fire way to ensure no more babies is to have a dry spell."

He opened and closed his mouth, before clicking it shut and exhaling hard through his nostrils. "That was a poor attempt at humour," he grumbled.

"Who says I'm joking?" blue eyes danced.

Sesshoumaru tsked, curling long fingers through her dark strands and wrapping them around his digits, lifting them to his lips. "Go ahead and try. You could not last long- your appetite is larger than mine."

Kagome grinned impishly, flashing white teeth at him. "Yeah, you're right," her attention fell back to the slumbering pup in her arms. "But I don't want to rush into any more of these little guys after how quickly they came along."

"Hn, we will find a way to have more...'funny business' with that threat reduced," he teased, tilting up her chin and ghosting his lips over her jaw. "Do not worry, miko. Nothing could keep me from massaging your ego for long."

Smiling a little gentler, Kagome nestled herself against him. "Mn, fancy taking the flying carriage out for a spin once we do?" she murmured, lips grazing his ear.

Exchanging a smile with her that bespoke of an eagerness for things to come, he leaned in to share a single kiss that was chaste in comparison. Mokomoko curled around them, Sesshoumaru letting out a deep rumble. "Of course," he purred in a velvety tone.

"Okay," Kagome hummed, grazing teasing lips over his ear before abruptly standing and walking away to go save Jaken from Rin and Satsuki's terror. Flashing Sesshoumaru with another less than innocent smile that elicited a pleasant shudder from her mate, she left him with some parting words;

"Wear the earrings too."

---

End

#Sesskag #sesshoumaru x kagome #Prompts

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imagine-loki · 4 years ago

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Pride and Prejudice

TITLE: Pride and Prejudice CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter 52 AUTHOR: wolfpawn

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki was raised on Jotunheim as Laufey’s son after the war, but an agreement was then made that he would wed Odin’s daughter so Odin could secure the alliance of Jotunheim through the marriage. Loki, in turn, was raised to be king of Jotunheim, but how he views Asgard is far different from how Odin’s daughter is raised leading to a clash of cultures as well as uncertainty between the pair of betrothed youths. RATING: Mature NOTES/WARNINGS: Forced Marriage, not all fun and games. My first real step back into the Loki scene in over a year.

We are at 52 chapters and 100,000 words today. I never envisioned this getting so big, I really didn't and I have plans yet for it, so we have time to go. The amount of comments I have received this week have really fed my inspiration to get my ass in gear and write. Thank you for them. The more I get, the more I love to write.

Tags - @skulliebythesea @asimovethroughthisworld @blackcherry26-blog @we-shadowhunter2901

Loki felt overwhelmed. He could not recall ever seeing so many beings in one area in his life, much less in his home. Looking around, he felt as though he was being watched by too many, even though none were currently able to see him from his high vantage point. He did not know what to do. He swallowed at the thought of it all.

“For one so ready to be king, you look more like the infant I found in the temple when I arrived here, many many years ago.”

Loki turned to look at Odin.

“Why are you fearful now? You are ready for this.” The ageing king walked over to him, looking at the gathering masses below.

“You seem so certain.”

“My boy, I am always watching Thor, to see when he will be ready. He surpasses you in age by close to six hundred years, yet I know truly that the role of king is still a long time from being bestowed upon him, yet you, one so young, you will carry it so well in comparison. You were born for this, but of course, any grandson of Njall the Resourceful would be.”

Loki frowned. “Who?”

Odin shook his head and tutted. “You never were taught of him, but of course, how could you, with your mother not able to tell you. Your grandfather, your Vanir one, was a decorated warrior in Vanaheim. A powerful man, not only of body but more deadly still, of mind. He saw so much more than himself. He was always able to think of a manner to deal with a situation, no matter how dire. A great mind to stand beside. He fought alongside my father Bor in the great war with the Dark Elves, he was young then, about your age. But even by then, his great mind shone through.”

Loki did not know what to say. He had never heard such before. His father never mentioned his maternal family to him. He wondered what Laufey knew of Nal’s family, as he never shied from speaking of her. He recalled his father reference time and again that Nal met him in mind more so even than his other mates. That her knowledge of the realms and different cultures made him enjoy their conversations no end. “Thank you, I never knew that.”

“More’s the pity. I will have what we have on his achievements brought to Jotunheim at the earliest convenience. You should know of your heritage, as I have little doubt you will want my grandson to know of his.”

It did not take much intellect to see how Odin viewed their news of a child. He clearly looked forward to it, though with the manner in which Asgard dealt with childbirth and child-rearing, he wondered how the Allfather’s opinions were so drastically different to that of his realm.

“You speak so highly of me now, what changed?” In truth, Loki was fearful of the answer he would receive, but he felt he needed to know.

“I stated since I gave my assessment of you, that you would be a great king. I always stated that. My opinion on such is not altered in any manner.”

“But…”

“With regards to Ella, I am still not entirely certain if you are as honourable. If it is the child or her that has you so attentive to her now, I cannot tell. Her fulfilling some of that agreement…”

“I never wanted that,” Loki interrupted.

“It is. When Ella was sick, you asked me to list her attributes, I could barely list any, now I can list for days. She is incredible, so strong and able.”

“She gets that from her mother.”

“I fought alongside Thor, my father fought you and was honest about the event. You fought on, even with a gaping wound in your head where your eye used to be from one of his spike balls. It seems to be something of a familial trait.” Speaking of the warring between his own father and his mate’s father made Loki feel awkward. Beside him, Odin stood, the golden patch on his face a permanent feature from the battle with Laufey.

Odin chuckled slightly. “Being royal forces us all to be something stronger. We do not have the ability to decide we do not wish for our roles any longer. Our duties do not simply vanish, and in some cases, there is even more pressure because those that would replace us if we were to step down would be dangerous for our realms. You and I both have that issue.”

“I…”

“Your brother, the elder one. He is a good fighter, I have seen through my ravens but a leader outside of war...Norns, Thor would be a better fit for your realm than he. The younger...who knows, he is too young to tell. I think him a good confidente, not a leader though.”

“I was not aware you spoke often to them.” Loki was startled by the accuracy of Odin’s assessments of Býleistr and Helbindi.

“I have not, but I watched the war intently, from afar and heard their talking, I saw all that needed to be seen and what I saw tells me everything I ever thought of you as a leader, as a king, was right. I may have been terribly wrong of your species, but I was incredibly right with you, thank the Norns for so much.” Odin smirked. He looked down at the crowds continuing to arrive below. “So, what scares one as capable as you so much that you fear even entertaining your guests?”

“It is not fear, not like that.” Loki toyed with a piece of ice in front of him. “More a concern. It feels too quick.”

“It is incredibly swift, there is no denying,” Odin concurred. “But we have to be realistic. Laufey is no longer in the health to lead. The realm requires someone they can depend on to bring them into a new era of prosperity. With the little fellow due soon, perhaps the sooner the better. I cannot imagine the idea of being coronated as king when Ella is due to retire from court in preparation for the birth is highly recommended. So too would I not recommend waiting until just after the child is born. Beforehand, with time to settle somewhat is the smartest choice.”

“If you had to do such, would you?” Loki pondered, not realising he said such aloud.

“Were Thor as ready as you and were he to have a wife that was bearing, yes, I would,” Odin admitted. “Laufey, as all old kings do, and as one myself, I can confirm this entirely, we worry for the future, for after we leave the realms. Laufey wants Jotunheim to grow, more than ever and to do that, he knows it needs to be secure, under you. He will last longer in the security of that than he would worrying in that throne. It is ageing him no end.”

Loki nodded slightly. Hearing Odin, the Allfather, give his analysis on it from an angle that Loki could not comprehend told Loki a lot.

“I am trying to find my daughter. By any chance, do you know where she could be?” Odin inquired.

“Most likely with my brothers’ mates trying to organise everything,” Loki responded. “They tend to flitter from one area to another to do so. I cannot say for sure where they are. Your best bet is seeing if you can get a message relayed to her about meeting you at a specific time or place or trying to find the most worried-looking individuals as she tends to be what is scaring them so greatly.”

“She has her mother’s ability to organise.”

“She is a very capable woman.”

Odin scoffed. “So I have been informed.” Loki looked warily at him. “I have been told of matters in which some who had issue with her since she became your wife, including your own brother.”

“How?”

“Arden informed me. He and I spoke this afternoon during which he told me of everything regarding her,” Odin informed him.

“There have been some that have seen issue but we informed you of such earlier,” Loki stated diplomatically.

“Including one of your brothers?”

“No, that was a different matter in no way pertaining to her being Aesir, he merely questioned her abilities.”

“Bigger fool him,” Odin chuckled to which, Loki nodded in agreement. “I best go in search of my daughter. I have a matter to discuss with her. Thank you for your recommendation as to how to find her.”

Loki nodded slightly. “Glad to be of assistance. She is glad to have you all here. I suspect she misses Asgard on occasion and your family.”

“Yet she remained here.” Odin contemplated something for a moment. “Though I must ask, when I was about to bring her home, you were somewhat elated at her preparing to leave, then she went back and spoke with you, then was seemingly disappointed while she began to leave. At first, you did not join her, then you rush to do so. I always wondered what happened there.”

Loki was apprehensive to answer such a question. “I was not at my most admirable. Whilst I did not do anything in any manner with another, I did love another, or I should say, I thought I did and Ella found out, through my uncaring. She had informed me before going toward you that she knew and apologised for everything. I felt anger and guilt with myself for that. She left me with an ultimatum, that were I to agree to remain together, then we would be on equal ground.”

“You took a moment to think to consider such terms?” Odin eyed the youth apprehensively.

“I needed to accept something I never wanted to do. I know it looks bad but I will admit, taking that moment and everything that occurred as a result, I never looked back.”

“And the one you considered your love?”

“My brother, the older one?”Odin nodded. “She is one of his mates now.”

Odin frowned. “That must have been very difficult for you to accept.”

Loki found the old Aesir’s empathy startling, he had not thought Odin would be so considerate. “I do not regret it.”

“Good. I would not appreciate my daughter in a position where her husband would be love another and not her. I could not imagine how such a thing would affect someone, especially with children involved. I had half a mind to still bring her home, even after she felt so adamantly about staying. There is no fear greater than thinking you’re leaving your daughter to suffer a long and drawn-out death.”

“Then why let her stay?”

Odin scoffed. “I see you have yet to try and stop my daughter from doing something. You will never dissuade her. But also, it sends out a good message to Jotunheim.”

Loki’s brow furrowed. “What message?”

“That my daughter was willing to fight my order to be here.”

“Doesn’t that makes you sound weak?” Loki asked.

“It makes my daughter, your wife, seem strong. It showed Jotunheim she was willing to do anything she needed to, for them.”

Loki’s eyes widened. “You sacrificed standing, to show her to be strong?”

“She is my daughter, she needed to have more standing here,” Odin smirked. “I returned to Asgard, we all know my standing there, she required hers here.”

Loki realised at that moment what Odin was willing to do for his daughter, including at sacrifice to his own reputation.

#Loki #other #submission #Submitted fic #Pride and Prejudice #chapter 52 #wolfpawn

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halfabreath · 5 years ago

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Holsom, J?

so i can’t find the original prompt list but i’m 80% sure this is “we can’t do this kiss” so that’s what i went with

i know i already did a thing for this prompt but i had to do something again and i’ve been sad lately so here’s a sad thing for y’all

When it happens, it happens slowly. Golden honey dripping down the side of the jar, dragged down by its own weight in a steady path to pool on a pristine tablecloth.

Holster doesn't know everything. He's not like Johnson. He's not sending future tadpoles red pills and blue pills or waxing poetic about what to call Kent Parson's cat over a joint at a kegster. Holster doesn't know everything, but he's the only one who remembers the questions they used to answer online (he's still not entirely sure if he was being chirped but after a few years of thinking about it, it seems likely). He composed the Hockey Shit jingle Shitty still sometimes hums under his breath. Jack asked question after question when they taught Bitty about dibs but he never brought it up again. Holster and Ransom got their scrips, but Ransom never asked where they came from.

I'll pour you out like a milk bag, Ransom's trying and failing to look menacing. Their opponent skates away, unfazed by the attempted chirp. Holster sighs holds up the thick stack of papers that materialized as suddenly as the rink they're skating on.

Just stick to the script, Rans. Holster said. For all Ransom's virtues, he's not an improviser. His hands are soft and his mind is sharp and his kindness wraps around Holster like a weighted blanket and brings him back down to earth when he's toeing the line between raucous joy and being Too Much.

Don't you feel it? Ransom asked on a night so black Holster couldn't even make out the top bunk above him. Ransom was curled up by his side; the ghosts always acted up around the new moon. His breath was warm against Holster's neck, his knees pressed against Holster's thigh, his hands wrapped around Holster's arm. Ransom was always clingy when they shared a bunk. Holster would be annoyed if it was anyone else. But it was Ransom's head on Holster's shoulder, Ransom's whispered question that crawled under their mess of blankets and limbs to burrow deep in Holster's chest.

We have to stick to the - Holster began, but the burst of cool air that swept into his warm blanket cocoon when Ransom pulled away silenced him.

That's not what I asked. It was too dark to see Ransom's face, but Holster could hear his exact expression in his voice. That happens, when you know someone as well as Holster knows Ransom, when part of you is a part of them, too. Holster wanted to make a joke, but nothing about their situation was funny.

I feel it. Holster murmured after his silenced had draped over them in a heavy pall, pulling the darkness down around them. Ransom tilted his head, leaned in to brush his lips against the corner of Holster's mouth; a half-kiss, a compromise. Then he settled back down and rolled over. Then, I feel it was enough.

Adam Birkholtz, Jack announces, and Holster's heart leaps into his throat. His name hangs in the air, suspended in the silence, and all Holster can think is wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong -

And Justin Oluransi - Jack finishes, and Holster's world snaps back into place like a dislocated joint finally pressed back where it belongs.

It feels like hope. It feels like the universe is telling them they're made to be together, to lead together. It feels like it's only a matter of time.

Ransom rests his head on Holster's shoulder on a roadie. Holster takes Ransom's hand in the middle of a kegster and pulls him close so they can dance. It feels like something is building, and it's not the tub juice in their veins or the steady tattoo of the bass pulsing like a heartbeat. There's something electric in the air, something big is going to happen, and for the first time in years, Holster thinks they might happen. He gets bolder. He flings himself into Ransom's arms during cellys. He watches Ransom dance in the locker room, drops of water steadily dripping down his neck and chest and abs and hips and -. He pulls back his blankets on cold nights so Ransom can crawl in the bottom bunk with him.

Then, one morning, Holster finds himself crowded into a booth at Jerry's as Jack and Bitty confirm what everyone's already known for weeks and he realizes, suddenly, that this is it. This is the moment that was building. Everything he felt, the energy swirling through the Haus, brought them to this specific moment.

Jerry's coffee turns to ashes in his mouth. His carefully constructed hopes come crashing down around him but before the dust can settle the debris begins to shake under his feet. The rubble grumbles as it shifts and stacks and builds itself up into three solid pillars that loom over him:

First: Jack and Bitty are in love, and it's wonderful.

Second: This is not his story.

Third: Now, I feel it is not enough.

When it happens, it happens slowly, so Holster's heart breaks slowly, too.

He always thought that when hearts broke, they shattered. Holster pictured broken glass, bleeding hands, tiny shards that burrow under the skin. Lingering glances and wide smiles and joyous cellys and the brush of Ransom's cool fingertips on his wrist when they're both squeezed into the bottom bunk - it would make sense for them to dig into his palms and fingers and ache whenever he reaches out for Ransom's hand.

But when Holster's heart breaks it doesn't shatter - it crumbles. But it's for the best. He knows himself, he knows he'd gather up the shards, hands bleeding, and hold them against his chest as if drawing the pieces near to their old home would knit them together again.

Ransom tries to take his hand as they walk back from Jerry's. Holster lets their palms brush together, but he twists his fingers out of Ransom's grip and lengthens his stride to catch up with Lardo, who somehow walks twice as fast as him with legs half the size. Ransom lets him go. He slows down, matches Jack's speed, and chirps him all the way back to the Haus.

Ransom says, "Why wouldn't I want to hang out with my best friend in Boston for another year."

Ransom says, "Like? We're bros, bro. You're my brother!"

Ransom says, "Ransom and Holster! Holster and Ransom!"

Ransom says a lot of things.

They rush back to Jack's apartment after The Kiss Heard 'Round the World to prepare for the kegster. Holster's got a stack of flyers with Jack's baby picture on them under his arm and Jack's keys in his other hand. He barely registers the sound of the metal clinking as it hits the floorboards when he drops everything he's holding. The flyers slip from his fingers and spread across the foyer, a 52-pickup that leaves baby Jack Zimmermann staring up at them from the sprawl of papers that slide over their shoes. Holster doesn't give a fuck, though, because Ransom is kissing him. He's pressed against the door, Ransom's hands on his face and neck, Ransom's body holding him in place, Ransom's full lips firm and desperate against his, Ransom, Ransom, Ransom. Rans - Holy fuck, is Holster's first thought. Haha, tonsil hockey, is the second. I could do this forever, is the third.

But Holster knows it isn't The Kiss, even if it is for him. The earth moves under his feet, the heatwave burns through him, the key changes as the music swells, and everything changes.

We can't do this. The script -

It's not enough

It has to be enough, Rans. We have to make it be enough.

I'm going to forget again.

I know.

It's going to hurt you.

I know.

I'm sorry.

Me too.

Everything changes, but only for them.

They move into separate rooms in Haus 2.0. There are six inches of cheap drywall between them. Sometimes, late at night, Holster digs his fingers into the hollow space between his ribs. His heart spills out all over his sheets, the tiny pieces slipping through his fingers like sand. He gathers it up, handful by handful, and sweeps as much of the excess away as he can. The pieces grind down, crumbling away until a fine layer of dust settles over his room, his clothes, his hands, his face. He tracks it through the halls and leaves handprints on Ransom's clothes when he slaps his back or pulls him in for a quick bro-hug.

Just stick to the script.

When Holster's heart breaks, it screams you were made to love him in a thundering waterfall, roaring white water tumbling over a sheer cliff.

Yes, Holster replies, the words cool and soft as the mist that drifts across the observation decks at Niagara. His cheeks are wet. But this isn't my story.

#noel writes #long post #holsom #omgcp fanfic #check please fanfic #check please #omgcp #adam holster birkholtz #justin oluransi

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thebiasrekkers · 4 years ago

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Make It Right [BTS Mafia AU]

Plot: “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC

Warnings: Graphic Violence (bloody violence), Heavy Language, Angst, Slow Burn, Smut

Previous Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 3,498

Tag List: @prisczero, @pinkpjmin, @btsaudge, @flowerwrites06, @unoriginal-username15432, @halussali, @shrimpmsg, @ggukkieland

AN: I have nothing. Nothing except for...I’m sorry... T_T

Chapter 58: Killer

“I’m not Buddha but I’m a butcher. I’ll cut away your skin like a...”

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

Namjoon slowly slid the black cotton mask from his mouth and nose, waiting in the shadows of an alcove outside of the building. The small group of men he had with him, former Golden Jackals, huddled in the darkness. They were able to overtake the side entrance hours ago, before the crack of dawn. He made sure that no one of merit within the Jade Fangs would approach the designated area. Even if they did, Namjoon would have made it a point to subdue them completely. He would leave their bodies for the crows out in the muddy fields if he had his way.

But no, this was the moment where they would turn the tides. This was the beginning of the end.

We finish this today…

Lifting a cigarette to his lips, the orange glow of the flame licked at the end of the stick as a light crackling sound emitted itself from the contact. A few hushed conversations were going on beside him, to which he vaguely tuned in. They were out to prove themselves to the fallen brothers and sisters still imprisoned in the world they were forced to live in when adventuring into the light. But it was a life they deserved; a life they fought so hard for. Whether they lived or died after today, it would all be relevant to their future.

Pulling out his watch, Namjoon immediately flipped open the latch that covered the face. He was old-fashioned, so to speak, and a bit of a sentimentalist. Jimin teased him once about still carrying a pocket watch in this day and age, but how could he let it go?

It was a graduation gift Jungkook bought for him just before he moved to attend University in Seoul.

Time seemingly crawled; all of them were prepared to launch their first assault against the Jade Fangs. Namjoon already planned to be the first to cause the strike. He would need to ensure that the blast counted for something, otherwise it was all just going to get mucked up in the end. He would not have any screw-ups. Not while he was in charge of the first wave. Their offense was cut in half with Jungkook and Jimin pulled from the equation.

Pulling his ball cap down further on his head, he slipped the watch back into his pocket. Namjoon took one final drag of his cigarette, the smoke cloud billowing in his face and partially clouding his vision. However, in the shadows it seemed as if he were a dragon on the verge of breathing out a tremendous vortex of flame. One of the men approached him, nodding quickly. Namjoon grinned, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The gas line had successfully been cut.

“It’s time,” he said, his voice deep and commanding.

In sync, all of them slipped their masks over their faces. The cigarette fell to his feet and sparked with the faint light of its embers before finally dying out altogether. They could hear the approaching footsteps growing in time and Namjoon pulled out his hunting knives. As soon as they were in the right position, he disappeared and then reappeared at the front of the room which was in full view of the four different ways that many of the others could enter what was now to be viewed as their battlefield.

Now he had to wait for the show to truly begin.

Yoongi and his team were situated near the back of the factory, hiding in the thick brushes and reeds that were in desperate need of attention and care. Changkyun felt it wasn’t time to tidy up the landscape and that allowed for the perfect amount of camouflage. Namjoon already texted him earlier, telling him that he was in position with his team. Taehyung and his group were hidden within the factory, away from prying eyes. Once all the pieces were lined up, it would be his job to tip the first domino.

He couldn’t fucking wait.

Yoongi felt a dark smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. To think they’d spent the better part of three days planning this out. It almost seemed far fetched and he would never have gone along with something like this. Not until Namjoon convinced him just how solid this counterattack would be. Because they were using Changkyun’s ego against him. He may have broken them by taking their brothers from them and left them feeling demoralized from how thoroughly they’d been ruined. But what Changkyun failed to see was the very thing Hoseok kept hidden away from the Jade Fangs all these years. The thing that he made sure they all kept hidden from them.

Their very own malicious nature.

He felt a buzzing in his pocket and he pulled out his phone, eyeballing the screen. It was time for him to make his move. Slipping out from his hiding spot, he made a point to make as much noise as possible. He wanted to be found. He wanted his path impeded.

His men would remain hidden.

The shuffling of feet reached Yoongi and he was soon surrounded in a semi-circle by Jade Fang lackeys. Pushing his way through the small throng was Kihyun, a curious expression painted over his features. Yoongi pulled out a cigarette and lit the end, slipping the lighter into his pocket. He watched Kihyun place himself in front of him, his back to the window of the factory.

“You should really quit while you’re ahead, Yoongi-ah,” said Kihyun, a baseball bat draped over his shoulder, “those things’ll kill you.”

“My smoking habits should be the least of your concerns,” he replied, cigarette poking out from between his lips.

Kihyun laughed, shaking his dark chestnut bangs out of his eyes. “I thought the meeting agreement was for Hoseok to come. Why are you here?”

Yoongi scoffed. “Did you really think, after everything you guys have done, that we’d trust Hoseok to come here alone with just one of us?”

“And let me guess…” He watched Kihyun as he took a step forward. “…you’re watching the back in case we try to do something underhanded?”

“Nope.”

He tried not to relish in the frown that Kihyun gave him. The heavy thudding of his heartbeat only elevated the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Every square inch of him felt as cold as ice. But he could feel the fire pouring from his eyes.

Yoongi looked at Kihyun, his eyes shifting ever so slightly to the left. He saw the window slowly opening – silent. He would thank Taehyung later for oiling all the windows and doors on every side of the warehouse except for the front.

He pulled the cigarette from his lips, blowing smoke at Kihyun. Flashing his gummy smile, his eyes narrowed as he tilted his head back slightly.

“I’m in the back so I can blow it up.”

And with a quick flick of his wrist, Yoongi threw the cigarette through the open window.

The explosion that soon followed knocked them all back.

Taehyung’s back hurt.

He’d been perched in the rafters for hours – having arrived at the factory long before anyone else appeared. There was an almost methodical madness to how carefully he oiled all the door hinges and window panes that didn’t come from the front of the warehouse. He was wired from both adrenaline and caffeine, knowing full well that today would be the day that everything would end. He knew his brothers were on edge, both from the planning and from the unpredictable nature that he exuded constantly.

But he had to be. Taehyung knew that if they knew what truly ticked around in his mind, they would do everything in their power to keep him from coming along. They would have left him behind.

And he’d be damned if that happened.

There was a single skylight in the factory situated dead in the center of the roof. Taehyung’s team already made short work of the lackeys that tried to come to the roof earlier that morning. No upper tiered members of the Jade Fangs were on rooftop duty. Taehyung already made a mental note of where everyone else was.

Hyungwon and Jooheon were patrolling the left side of the building; the side where Namjoon and his team were. One of Taehyung’s team was already deep inside of the factory, following the blueprint that Namjoon gave him, taking him straight to where the main gas line was. Once he finished cutting the line, he was to head to the boiler room.

Kihyun and Minhyuk supervised the back side of the factory, in case they were flanked. Yoongi was there with his group. He was the “gunshot” that would start the race. He was the only one who would be able to catch them off guard. Besides, he knew that Yoongi was also a bit of a pyromaniac and wouldn’t have been satisfied if he wasn’t the one to set off the explosion.

Which left Shownu, Wonho and Changkyun on the inside. Hoseok and Seokjin were sent in not as bait, but as a distraction. Then it would be time to bring the entire building down on top of their heads. Blood would be spilt. Lives would be lost.

Taehyung would eviscerate them all.

The building shook violently, causing Taehyung to grip onto the metal rafters. He leaned forward; one knee pressed into the beam beneath him. Shouts of confusion were heard from below him and he flashed a manic grin where no one could have the pleasure to see. Screams of pain resounded as glass shattered from below, his eyes searching for Seokjin. He was already making his way around a set of crates, having swiftly dispatched several Jade Fang members during all the chaos.

More glass broke and metal doors were slammed wide open. Dozens of Golden Jackal members flooded the factory, tangling themselves in a fight. The glass covering from the skylight also shattered, raining down into the factory. Several ropes dropped from the ceiling and Taehyung stood to his full height as his team descended from the open hatch. Some dropped to the ground while others swung from their ropes, landing on top of unsuspecting lackeys. Blood spewed as knives plunged into bodies from both sides.

Taehyung ran, jumping out as far as he could and stretching his arms out. He grasped onto a rope, swinging around until his leather gloved hands allowed him to slide down. He shoved his body around, changing his trajectory in mid-air so he was heading straight for the manager’s office.

His legs extended out as he watched Shownu scrambling to his feet. Taehyung crashed his heels directly into Shownu’s chest, knocking him back. As he straddled the older man’s hips, he quickly unsheathed the large hunting knife from his back – aiming it straight for Shownu’s chest.

He grunted when Shownu used his arms to block the blow – their forearms crashing into one another. Taehyung’s arms shook violently as he tried to force them down, watching the blade getting closer and closer to Shownu’s throat. He could feel the capillaries in his eyes exploding, his vision blurring momentarily, before a scream erupted from his lungs.

Releasing one hand from the hilt of the knife, Taehyung punched furiously at Shownu’s rib cage. The older man attempted a counterattack, using his knee to slam into Taehyung’s back. The force of the blow caused him to fall forward and he felt Shownu’s fingers closing in around his throat. Taehyung continued to punch him even as he felt the air being choked from him.

He punched him one more time, using his fingers to dig into Shownu’s side. He buried them, like he was digging through mud for shells. He twisted his fingers and pulled, tearing through the fabric of the other man’s shirt.

Turning his head and leaning forward, Taehyung snapped his teeth into Shownu’s knuckles. He bit through the skin, blood spraying into his mouth. The older man screamed but he could barely hear it over the noise of battle being waged all around them. He pulled his hand from Shownu’s side, gripped his other hand, and put all his weight down.

The blade slowly buried itself into Shownu’s chest.

Hoseok’s knee crashed into the ground as Changkyun struggled to maintain his own footing. The two men glared at each other just as the noises from outside became more and more prevalent. Hoseok smirked as he saw Changkyun race to the window, peering out to the factory floor below. He managed to get back onto his feet just as the Jade Fang’s leader turned to glance over his shoulder at him. Hoseok took pleasure in seeing the snarl forming on the man’s face.

“You,” he snapped, turning around to face him again.

Hoseok dusted off the backs of his pants, his arms going up into a defensive stance as his hands curled into fists. “Yes. Me.”

Changkyun quickly raced to the other side of the room, his hand sliding under the table. Hoseok narrowed his eyes when he next turned around, a knife held in his hand. He scoffed. Maybe he would have been surprised if Taehyung hadn’t already told him what was hidden there.

“So, you expected me to come unarmed, but then have a knife hidden away?” Hoseok shook his head. “I’m so fuckin’ disappointed in you right now.”

“Shut-up!”

Changkyun ran at him, his arm striking out to slash at Hoseok’s neck. But he was faster because he was thinking clearly. He wasn’t about to let anyone stop him from accomplishing what he wanted to do on this day.

He dodged, side-stepping Changkyun at the last second. Reaching up to his lips, Hoseok pulled out the small razor he had hidden in his mouth. Ducking the next blow, he slung his arm upward and slashed over where Changkyun’s right eye was. A stream of blood sprayed and Changkyun moved to cover one hand over his eye as a trail of crimson leaked from beneath his palm.

Dropping the razor, he closed the distance between them as Changkyun attempted another assault. But with his depth-perception thrown off, he swung blindly. Hoseok slammed his elbow into his chest, aiming a backfist to his throat, and used his other hand to quickly disarm him. Before the knife could fall to the floor, Hoseok was already snatching it out of the air.

Spinning around on his back heel, he roughly slammed his back into Changkyun’s chest – forcing his body to bang against the door. Hoseok pulled his arms forward, then swung them back. A sickening squelch noise followed as he plunged the knife directly into Changkyun’s gut. He felt the younger man struggling against him, but he put all his weight backward – his shoulder blades pressing into his chest so that Changkyun wouldn’t be able to wriggle himself free.

“H-Hyung,” he heard Changkyun choke out, his hand reaching out to grasp onto Hoseok’s shoulder, “don’t do this. We…we can help each other…”

Taking a step back, Hoseok buried the knife further into Changkyun’s stomach – watching the blood forming a small puddle by his feet.

“…you can fucking die is what you can do.”

Seokjin swore under his breath, eyeballing the small cut on his leg. He hadn’t meant to get caught off guard, but there was so much happening around him. Things got less hairy when Namjoon’s team managed to make it inside. Even in the middle of all the craziness, Seokjin was glad they weren’t having to deal with guns. This would have ended bloodier than it needed to.

His eyes darted in every direction and he barked orders when he needed to as Taehyung’s team swept down from the ceiling. Namjoon was in the thick of it with his people and some of Yoongi’s squad managed to make it inside. There was a hint of worry when he hadn’t been able to locate Yoongi, but he knew he had to trust his brothers to be able to take care of themselves.

If he couldn’t at least do that, then what good was their bond?

The door to the manager’s office flew open, the loud bang rattling throughout all the noise of the fighting. Seokjin’s eyes followed the sound and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Hoseok stumbling out of the door. He nearly tripped on something, seeing Taehyung catching Hoseok at the last second before he could fall. The two of them exchanged words before Taehyung jumped from the catwalk, his arms grabbing for the ropes so he could swing down to the main floor to join the fight. From what Seokjin could tell, Hoseok hadn’t sustained any injuries.

There was movement in Hoseok’s blind spot. Seokjin wasn’t sure if it was one of their people or a Jade Fang member. Not until the very last second.

“HOSEOK-AH!”

Their eyes locked momentarily, but there wasn’t any time. Running from his hiding spot, Seokjin scooped up a discarded knife. He slid to the center of the bottom floor and flung his arm out and upward. Hoseok jumped out of the way just as the knife buried itself in Changkyun’s throat. They watched the Jade Fang’s leader fall backward, presuming that he would not be getting up a second time.

A grateful smile passed over Hoseok’s lips, but soon snapped to surprise as he looked back at Seokjin.

“HYUNG!”

Suddenly, Seokjin felt his body flung to the side. His head hit the ground and the rest of him followed suit. The pain erupted seconds afterwards, his hand reaching up to grasp at the area where his nerves were screaming at him. Fingers caressed something cold and slender. When he pulled, his pain receptors went off like alarms and he screamed, looking around at who was responsible for the assault. As he craned his neck around to see, he spied the rod-like object poking out from his side. Something dribbled from his mouth and he didn’t have to guess to know that it was his own blood.

When he searched around in desperation, his eyes locked with Minhyuk who was holding a crossbow – watching him already reloading the next bolt.

Bodies moved around him in a blur – all of them screaming and fighting for their own lives. They were distracted. None of them realized what was happening.

No one except Hoseok.

Seokjin grinned, crawling to his knees. He could hear Hoseok’s feet thudding along the metal stairs, but he knew he wouldn’t make it in time. He was ready to face this head on. However, what he hadn’t expected was Minhyuk to shift his aim.

To Hoseok.

Eyes wide, Seokjin quickly scrambled to his feet and lunged forward in Hoseok’s direction. He knew his brother wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around him. He was too focused on getting to Seokjin. But by doing so, he was putting himself in danger.

Seokjin knew he had to block his path.

It was like he could sense it. He jumped up and out to the left. Pain blossomed over his back and all feeling from his legs down seemed to disappear. He collapsed into the ground, dirt filling his nostrils, and he cried out in agony as he dug his fingers into the concrete. Soon, he could feel the texture of his own blood mixed with the dirt under his fingernails.

“HYUNG!”

Seokjin couldn’t see, but he knew it was Taehyung’s voice. He blindly reached out, grabbing for what he assumed was Taehyung’s ankle. “H-Hoseok-ah,” he choked out between coughing up blood, “…get him out of here.”

“B-But Hyung—”

“DO IT!”

He felt the ankle leaving his grasp and Seokjin prayed that Taehyung would listen to him. Hoseok had to get out of there. They all had to go. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that he was going to make it. Not now; not when he was coughing up blood. Something was internally damaged. He was most likely hemorrhaging already.

Curling onto his side, he grasped at the bolt protruding from him and gripped onto it as hard as he could. As he pulled, visions of Anastasia flashed through his mind, giving him pause. For a moment, he forgot about the pain; he forgot about the world around him.

All he could see was the woman he loved standing in the far corner of the factory as she held their beautiful son. He stretched his arm out, reaching for them as if he could touch them. Tears leaked from his eyes as he smiled – the world blurring and getting just a little bit darker.

…I’m sorry, Ana, he thought, the weight of his arm starting to get heavier, …I’m not going to be able to keep this promise…I love you… He felt his elbow hit the concrete, followed by his head.

I’m going to see my brothers now. Forgive me…

Everything grew quiet around him.

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wolfpawn · 4 years ago

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Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 52

Story Summary - Based on an idea I had that I submitted to Imagine Loki. Imagine Loki was raised on Jotunheim as Laufey’s son after the war, but an agreement was then made that he would wed Odin’s daughter so Odin could secure the alliance of Jotunheim through the marriage. Loki, in turn, was raised to be king of Jotunheim, but how he views Asgard is far different from how Odin’s daughter is raised leading to a clash of cultures as well as uncertainty between the pair of betrothed youths.

Chapter Summary - Loki feels the pressure as he watches beings arrive to Jotunheim for the coronation. He feels a tad overwhelmed but someone talks to him of his concerns, someone he did not expect. While also instilling new knowledge on him.

Previous Chapter

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NOTES - We are at 52 chapters and 100,000 words today. I never envisioned this getting so big, I really didn't and I have plans yet for it, so we have time to go. The amount of comments I have received this week have really fed my inspiration to get my ass in gear and write. Thank you for them. The more I get, the more I love to write.

“For one so ready to be king, you look more like the infant I found in the temple when I arrived here, many many years ago.”

Loki turned to look at Odin.

“Why are you fearful now? You are ready for this.” The ageing king walked over to him, looking at the gathering masses below. “You seem so certain.” “My boy, I am always watching Thor, to see when he will be ready. He surpasses you in age by close to six hundred years, yet I know truly that the role of king is still a long time from being bestowed upon him, yet you, one so young, you will carry it so well in comparison. You were born for this, but of course, any grandson of Njall the Resourceful would be.”

Loki frowned. “Who?” Odin shook his head and tutted. “You never were taught of him, but of course, how could you, with your mother not able to tell you. Your grandfather, your Vanir one, was a decorated warrior in Vanaheim. A powerful man, not only of body but more deadly still, of mind. He saw so much more than himself. He was always able to think of a manner to deal with a situation, no matter how dire. A great mind to stand beside. He fought alongside my father Bor in the great war with the Dark Elves, he was young then, about your age. But even by then, his great mind shone through.”

“You speak so highly of me now, what changed?” In truth, Loki was fearful of the answer he would receive, but he felt he needed to know.

“I stated since I gave my assessment of you, that you would be a great king. I always stated that. My opinion on such is not altered in any manner.” “But…” “With regards to Ella, I am still not entirely certain if you are as honourable. If it is the child or her that has you so attentive to her now, I cannot tell. Her fulfilling some of that agreement…” “I never wanted that,” Loki interrupted.

“That was clear from the beginning. The look on your face at the mere thought was indicative of such,” Odin scoffed. “But it is clear, by the manner you stand beside her, the way you interact, it is far different between you both now.” “It is. When Ella was sick, you asked me to list her attributes, I could barely list any, now I can list for days. She is incredible, so strong and able.”

“She gets that from her mother.”

“I…” “Your brother, the elder one. He is a good fighter, I have seen through my ravens but a leader outside of war...Norns, Thor would be a better fit for your realm than he. The younger...who knows, he is too young to tell. I think him a good confidente, not a leader though.” “I was not aware you spoke often to them.” Loki was startled by the accuracy of Odin’s assessments of Býleistr and Helbindi.

“It is not fear, not like that.” Loki toyed with a piece of ice in front of him. “More a concern. It feels too quick.”

“If you had to do such, would you?” Loki pondered, not realising he said such aloud.

Loki nodded slightly. Hearing Odin, the Allfather, give his analysis on it from an angle that Loki could not comprehend told Loki a lot.

“I am trying to find my daughter. By any chance, do you know where she could be?” Odin inquired.

“She is a very capable woman.”

Odin scoffed. “So I have been informed.” Loki looked warily at him. “I have been told of matters in which some who had issue with her since she became your wife, including your own brother.”

“How?” “Arden informed me. He and I spoke this afternoon during which he told me of everything regarding her,” Odin informed him.

“There have been some that have seen issue but we informed you of such earlier,” Loki stated diplomatically.

“Including one of your brothers?” “No, that was a different matter in no way pertaining to her being Aesir, he merely questioned her abilities.”

Loki nodded slightly. “Glad to be of assistance. She is glad to have you all here. I suspect she misses Asgard on occasion and your family.”

“I needed to accept something I never wanted to do. I know it looks bad but I will admit, taking that moment and everything that occurred as a result, I never looked back.” “And the one you considered your love?” “My brother, the older one?”Odin nodded. “She is one of his mates now.”

Odin frowned. “That must have been very difficult for you to accept.” Loki found the old Aesir’s empathy startling, he had not thought Odin would be so considerate. “I do not regret it.” “Good. I would not appreciate my daughter in a position where her husband would be love another and not her. I could not imagine how such a thing would affect someone, especially with children involved. I had half a mind to still bring her home, even after she felt so adamantly about staying. There is no fear greater than thinking you’re leaving your daughter to suffer a long and drawn-out death.”

“Then why let her stay?”

Odin scoffed. “I see you have yet to try and stop my daughter from doing something. You will never dissuade her. But also, it sends out a good message to Jotunheim.” Loki’s brow furrowed. “What message?” “That my daughter was willing to fight my order to be here.” “Doesn’t that makes you sound weak?” Loki asked.

“It makes my daughter, your wife, seem strong. It showed Jotunheim she was willing to do anything she needed to, for them.”

Loki’s eyes widened. “You sacrificed standing, to show her to be strong?” “She is my daughter, she needed to have more standing here,” Odin smirked. “I returned to

Asgard, we all know my standing there, she required hers here.”

Loki realised at that moment what Odin was willing to do for his daughter, including at sacrifice to his own reputation.

#Loki fic #wolfpawn #pride and prejudice #Chapter 52

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soradragon · 5 years ago

Text

Saving You

The first prompt from the 52 week challenge, hosted by the amazing and wonderful @sdavid09. I’m honestly very proud with this one! My first Kili fanfic I hope you all will like it just as much as I did making it^^

Kili x reader

prompt: The answer was written in her eyes

Warnings: Angst with a happy end

Tale Teller´s 52 week writing challenge masterlist

Anyway, enjoy^^ ~~~~~~~

The answer was written in your eyes. You knew what had to be done, you knew it was the only way for the others to escape. You couldn't and didn't want to risk the lives of the others. It was the only way. And he knew it. He saw it in your eyes clear as day, shaking his head in denial as a soft broken whisper left his lips, making the others turn their heads, wanting to know what's going on.

"No..."

Taking a step forward to get to you, he didn't notice when or how his uncle grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back. He reached out towards you in a desperate attempt to catch you and pull you into his embrace. And protect you from the undeniable fate that was about to engulf you in an abyss. An abyss of pain, horror and uncertainty.

Kili let out a scream, which was muted by a hand and a harsh shush from someone. He watched with tears in his eyes while you were abducted. Taken away to who knows where and he couldn't do anything.

You were afraid, he saw it in your eyes, but you still put up a brave front. Perhaps to reassure everyone, everything will be fine. But Kili knows you put up a brave front to convince yourself everything will be okay, even though you know it's a lie.

He broke when you mouthed three little words to him with a quivering smile before you were knocked out. Three little words that would've brightened his entire day, made butterfly's flutter inside his stomach, made his heart do summersaults and burst from his chest, made his whole body feel flushed and loved, three little words he never heard from your mouth, yet craved for without knowing.

'I love you.'

Three little words that would've made him so happy, if...they weren't said in these conditions.

Fire surged through Kili's veins, fueling his blood with searing hot rage. He struggled against his uncle and brothers' hold on him, shouting and roaring against the hand, pushing against his mouth. Hands from different angles grabbed him as he thrashed in their hold. Hushed concerned commands were thrown about the cave.

Kili watched as the orcs fled into the forest, like cowards. From what exactly he didn't know, not that he cared anyway. His eyes never wavered from your limp body in the filthy hands - he so badly, wished to cut off, of an orc as it made you gradually vanish in the forest, away from him, ripped from a safe place full of camaraderie, you learned to call home, ever since the journey started.

The moment you disappeared from the brown-haired dwarf's view, was the exact same moment when Kili felt a sudden pain invading his body from within his heart. Spreading down his legs and up to his neck, shoulders and arms. The fire within his veins ceased to exist, leaving behind tired protesting limbs.

He broke out of the barricade of hands that held him in place, running out of the steep cave, scanning the area, trying to find a trace of you or the scum who caught you. Nothing but paw prints of the wargs and hoove prints of horses. Kili sunk to the ground, his legs giving in, unable to carry the sudden weight and pain within his chest A scream full of agony and fury cut through the air before he penetrated the dirt with his bare fists.

"Kili! Kee, stop! Stop, that's not going to bring Y/N back!" Fili grabbed his brothers' shoulder with a trembling hand. Kili glanced towards his brother, wanting to give him a piece of his mind, but the comments that were about to leave his lips were silenced when he saw the sorrowful pain in his brothers' eyes. His brother was hurting just as much as he did. Kili glanced behind him, everyone was staring at him or at the path the orcs took, with a distant look in their eyes.

Thorin studied the path with stern eyes for a moment before marching forwards, the others looked at him with bewildered looks. "Thorin, where are you going?" Bilbo asked, hesitantly going after him, "isn't it obvious? We're going!" Thorin replied, moving past a baffled Fili and Kili who looked like he was about to murder someone.

"You're going to leave Y/N behind!!? AFTER EVERYTHING!!??" Kili yelled, glaring at his uncle's back, not believing what Thorin said. Thorin turned with a frown on his face. "Who said anything about leaving her?"

*(*)*(*)*

The company had followed the tracks towards the orcs camp, Bilbo had scouted out the area, telling them that the wargs were nowhere to be seen. He guessed that some orcs took them to report what they found. Bilbo said you were held captive inside a deep hole with two orcs keeping guard.

"Alright, Bilbo said there are about twenty orcs around this camp. You all know the plan?" Thorin asked the others nodded. "Good, to your positions, Fili Kili with me." The brothers followed after Thorin, sneaking past the bushes as quietly as they could, Bilbo would distract the two orcs by the pit while Thorin, Fili and Kili got you out of the hole. The others would distract and kill the orcs by the fire.

Everything went how it was supposed to... until a loud roaring sound of a horn was heard. And hell broke loose. Kili rushed in between the fighting men and jumped over the falling corpses of orcs, trying to get to the pit where you were supposedly being held imprisoned, Fili followed close behind him.

"Y/N?" Kili called out as he peered into the pit covered with wooden bars. "Kili...?" You questioned, looking up to see the beautiful brown-haired prince above you. "And Fili!" The golden prince's head appeared above the bars, next to Kili.

"Y/N, stay there! We're going to get you out!"

"It's not like I can go anywhere, but okay." You muttered quietly, watching as the two brothers got rid of the thin wooden bars. Kili jumped into the pit as soon as the bars were removed. He rushed towards you and scooping you in his arms.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you? I swear if they did!" Kili rambled, cradling your face in his hands with the uttermost delicacy, his brown eyes examined your face, looking for any kind of injuries. He paused when he found the badly looking cut right next to your right eye. You saw how Kili eyes became darker, full of guilt and anger, he softly stroked the skin next to your wound with his thumb, he looked sad.

Kili snatched you into a hug, pressing his head against your shoulder as he shook.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry you had to go through all this! This is my fault, I should've protected you better." He whispered, his voice cracking as he held you tighter. You wanted to tell him everything was fine he but cut you off.

"Y/N, by everything above, I swear I won't let anyone touch you or harm you in any way ever again! I promise with my entire being that I will protect you. Properly this time, I promise you, my ghisvashel."

you were stunned, eyes wide as you tried to make sense of what he just said. Kili. The adorable and sweet dwarven prince. The one who you got a big crush on for ages, called you his treasure...Surely you were dreaming. You let out an involuntary squeak.

"Even though I absolutely love that you finally proclaimed your undying love for each other, I really do, but could this I don't know, wait a moment "after" we got out of here without orcs surrounding us!?" Fili shouted.

"And brother! I can see from here that Y/N is alright!! Don't tell me you're turning into Dori now."

You and Kili let out a snort, "ready kick some arse, my ghisvashel?" He reached out his hand for you to take, with a mischievous grin. You laughed, taking his hand. "Always, my dear prince under the mountain."

Fili lifted Kili and you out of the pit before giving you one of his daggers, "can't fight without a weapon now, can we?" He winked, before raising his hands up in a mock surrender when you gave him a playful glare.

The three of you rushed into the battle, slashing down the few remaining orcs with the others.

You stabbed the dagger into the head of an orc before turning around, watching as Kili took down an orc that was close by. He stayed close to you, striking down any orc that came too close for his liking. You gave him a quick smile before glancing behind him, an orc was sneaking up behind him without him knowing.

"Kili! Duck!" you shouted Kili reacted immediately, ducking as you threw your dagger at the orc behind him. "Right in the eye!" You called out in victory as the dagger dug into the orc's left eye. Kili looked behind him with wide eyes.

"You sure know how to get yourself in sticky situations now, don't you, dear?" You said smugly.

"What can I say." Kili grinned, "I was never meant to fight on my own, amrâlimê~"

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doodlebugsandbumblebees · 5 years ago

Note

You are straight-up a very sweet Hufflepuff whom I would be delighted to know any and everything about, so is it alright if I go ahead and ask EVERY question for the question meme?

Awww, wow!! That really means a lot, thank you so much!

Alright here we go then! We’re going to get to know me a whole lot better lol because these questions are pretty fun. Obviously this will be a pretty long post so I’m putting it all under the read more

weird asks that say a lot

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

Coffee mugs I think. I have a pretty big collection of those.

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

This one is hard! Probably chocolate bars though.

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

Cotton candy 100%.

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

Hmmmm, I think hardworking and sweet came up a lot? I was very much a teacher’s pet and the perfectionist anxiety set in early lol so I was a busy, over-achieving bee.

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

I prefer soda bottles. Glass bottles especially.

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

It really depends? But I guess I’m more tomboy style than anything else.

7. earbuds or headphones?

Earbuds because I like to have one in and one out so I can still hear what’s going around me.

8. movies or tv shows?

TV shows because I like having more time to get to know the characters (and domestic/casual situations for overpowered or zany characters are way more likely to happen in a show than a movie and I live for those lol).

9. favorite smell in the summer?

Rain on pavement because it just storms and storms in the summer and it’s so nice.

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

Hmmm I was good at anything that involved running? And games that involved those wheely board things you sat on and scooted around on were always fun.

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

It varies? Bagels or toast most often I guess.

12. name of your favorite playlist?

Sick beats.

13. lanyard or key ring?

Key ring with a little stuffed animal on it. Right now mine has a bee on it and I love it.

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

Jolly ranchers.

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

Tuesdays with Morrie was pretty good.

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

Criss-cross.

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

My plain white sneakers. They’re not real pretty or anything but they’re very comfy and I don’t have to think about whether they match things.

18. ideal weather?

Partially cloudy all day, storm in the afternoon, cool in the evening.

19. sleeping position?

Always on one of my sides.

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

Notes on my phone or on my laptop with my typewriter keyboard.

21. obsession from childhood?

The Lion King and anything related to it.

22. role model?

Jane Goodall has been at least one of my role models since I was ten, but my mom is a big one too.

23. strange habits?

I’m still getting over periodically chewing my fingers? Does that count? I also have a quirk when it comes to touching certain metal things but especially coins so when someone hands me change I do everything I can to avoid touching it and hold it in the bills if I can.

24. favorite crystal?

Kinds of crystals I presume? I’ve always liked rose quartzes and amethysts (especially amethyst geodes since I have a couple of those).

25. first song you remember hearing?

Probably something from Tarzan or Mary Poppins since those were my childhood movies. So Stepping Time from Mary Poppins would be a good guess.

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

Swimming.

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

Walking around in it because it’s hardly ever truly cold here and I like to savor it.

28. five songs to describe you?

I change music taste every five minutes so I’m going to say songs that describe me right now are brand new by ben rector, just a quail by louie zong, turning out by ajr, everything stays by olivia olson, and hooked on a feeling by blue swede.

29. best way to bond with you?

It’s all in the time. I get attached to people pretty easy as long as they’re nice and we can goof around, have fun, and talk about whatever. So putting time in to hang out means a lot to me.

30. places that you find sacred?

Hmmm, being deep in forests feels sacred to me so there are certain waterfall hikes in the smokey mountains and along the blue ridge parkway and in Hawaii that seem very special to me. And then disney world and disneyland will always have a sacredness to them for me because they’ve meant so much to me and the happiness it brings people is pretty magical.

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

My comfy jean shorts and either my yellowish flannel or my guardians of the galaxy shirt with my rebel jacket.

32. top five favorite vines?

Caterpillar Rave

I Smell Like Beef

I Could’ve Dropped My Croissant

Michael with a B

This Is The Comedy Police

Honorable Mention: FR E S H A VOCA DO

33. most used phrase in your phone?

Probably “okay cool” because I say that a lot.

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

We are farmers, bum bud um bum bum bum bum.

35. average time you fall asleep?

1 AM.

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

Oh gosh the first one… probably one of those vines up there. It might have been fre shavocado. This was a long time ago though.

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

Suitcase.

38. lemonade or tea?

Tea because I can’t drink citrus without it setting my mouth on fire lol.

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

Lemon cake but I don’t have it often for the reason listed above.

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

Some kids in elementary did something weird in the trees behind our school because the teachers weren’t watching them (I never knew exactly what it was but it was Bad tm) but the teachers didn’t know exactly who it was so they punished the whole grade and we were forced to only play kickball during recess for like 7 months and it was the worst. It’s not exactly weird per say but I always found it wild that the only conceivable thing they could think to do to solve this problem was force a bunch of scrawny, socially awkward, miserable children to play ground baseball with a permanently half-deflated rubber ball.

41. last person you texted?

My brother.

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

Pants pockets but only because I don’t get to use jacket pockets as often as I would like to.

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

I’m completely tied between hoodies and bomber jackets.

44. favorite scent for soap?

Ocean.

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

These are my three faves, not fair!! Sigh, probably superhero because even with sci-fi and fantasy my faves tend to be my faves because they have superhero elements. The colors, the Drama, the angst, the powers?? What’s not to love.

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

Baggy t-shirt and athletic shorts.

47. favorite type of cheese?

Smoked gouda.

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

Watermelon.

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

“Keep moving forward.” from Meet the Robinsons most, but I also like “The bottom line is if you take a chance in life sometimes good things happen, sometimes bad things happen but, honey, if you don’t take a chance nothing happens.” from Dorothy in Golden Girls.

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

I don’t know about the hardest I ever have (because I am very lucky and have a very funny family so I laugh a lot) but watching vine compilations for the very first time with my siblings made me laugh really hard.

51. current stresses?

Fitting everything in. Days just don’t feel long enough and social situations plus school stuff always get to me but I’m doing okay.

52. favorite font?

I do like times new roman even if it’s used a lot but I’ve been using the font yananeska for calligraphy stuff lately and it’s a cool one.

53. what is the current state of your hands?

They’re always a bit dry and on the warmish side but they’re pretty good.

54. what did you learn from your first job?

Have never had a job job but I volunteered in a library for like three years and it taught me to enjoy the details, slow down and enjoy the quiet, simple tasks, appreciate really excited kids, and try to help people whenever I can.

55. favorite fairy tale?

Aladdin or beauty and the beast I suppose? I like that there’s multiple ways to interpret those stories and that they can be played with in some fun ways because they’re such interesting concepts by themselves.

56. favorite tradition?

How cities all over the world string up lights on things in the winter. It means something different to everyone and some do it and some don’t which is totally fine, but this idea of lighting up the world during the bleakest month, and how some people go all out with colors and patterns and synced to music, and how everyone does it a bit different, and how entire cities are just smothered in lights means a lot to me. I think it’s a very cool and very human thing to do.

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

The tough year before my family moved, getting through my really intense anxiety years where I couldn’t travel in cars for more than fifteen minutes without throwing up, and my month away at art school.

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

Hmmm, I guess I’m pretty proud of my writing ability, my singing voice, my art skills, and my ability to talk to anyone.

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

Probably something goofy like “YEET” or some variation of “That’s bonkers” because I do say those a lot.

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

Superhero.

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

“That’s all it is, a leap of faith.” from Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse is still pretty special to me. As is “I never thought I could do any of this stuff, but I can.” same movie.

62. seven characters you relate to?

Aaaaaaaa another hard one. Whoo boy, right now my gut instinct is probably: Judy Hopps (Zootopia), Miles Morales (Into the Spiderverse), Raph (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Spiderham (Into the Spiderverse), Hagrid (Harry Potter), the firbolg (the adventure zone), and Sam-I-Am (Green Eggs and Ham).

63. five songs that would play in your club?

At the moment I would want you make my dreams by hall & oates, cantina band by John Williams, the bones by maren morris and hozier, hooked on a feeling by blue swede, and backflip by rivers cuomo to play.

64. favorite website from your childhood?

Coolmathgames.

65. any permanent scars?

I have a round scar on my elbow from when I skidded across the ground after crashing my bicycle.

66. favorite flower(s)?

I like lotus flowers, gardenias, and plumerias.

67. good luck charms?

My DnD dice, rocks (like my obsidian, sodalites, and amethysts), and my ten little lucky owl statues in different colors.

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

Beverly soda is the worst but a specific flavor I really don’t like is pickles.

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

Mantis shrimps punch so fast that the water around their punch boils. Also they have seventeen color receptors compared to our 3.

70. left or right handed?

Right handed.

71. least favorite pattern?

I’m not quite sure? I’m not crazy about optical illusions that look sort of smeared and are all black and white because they hurt my eyes so probably those.

72. worst subject?

I’m not great with math or sports, but I’ve gotten a handle on math as of late.

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

I’m not sure if they’re weird but I’m willing to try a lot so ketchup and mayonnaise is great, barbecue sauce and cheez-its is very good, and apples dipped in nacho cheese or salsa is not bad.

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

I think 4.

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

I think I was five? Not sure.

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

Baked potatoes but fries are very close.

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

Aloe plants.

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

I don’t eat sushi so coffee from a gas station.

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

School id photo.

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

Jewel tones.

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

Lightning bugs.

82. pc or console?

Console.

83. writing or drawing?

Probably writing because it’s more straightforward to me but it depends.

84. podcasts or talk radio?

Podcasts.

84. barbie or polly pocket?

Barbie.

85. fairy tales or mythology?

Mythology because it gets wild so fast and cracks me up sometimes.

86. cookies or cupcakes?

Cupcakes.

87. your greatest fear?

Being annoying or mean without realizing it and driving people away. I’m constantly scared I’m going to mess everything up which I need to work on because it’s hard to live that way.

88. your greatest wish?

Going to get a bit cheesy but to someday be a zoologist with some fun hobbies, travel often, feel satisfied with my life, and spend my days with someone I truly love and have a lot of fun with.

89. who would you put before everyone else?

Anyone in my family because we’re really close and they would do that for me.

90. luckiest mistake?

Probably going to an up-ity art school for a month a few years ago because while I was extremely depressed, homesick, and felt like a big failure the whole time, if I hadn’t done that and had my dreams crushed by some mean professors I might have gone there for a whole semester and spent a bajillion dollars to learn the same thing. And it inevitably put me at the school I’m at now which I’m very very happy with and suits me so much better.

91. boxes or bags?

I like boxes.

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

Fairy lights because I’m a sucker for colors.

93. nicknames?

Doodlebug is the biggest one.

94. favorite season?

Fall. Colors, halloween, thanksgiving, cooler weather, I love it ALL.

95. favorite app on your phone?

Spotify.

96. desktop background?

A painting of a whale shark from the Georgia aquarium because going there was a big deal for me and it’s very pretty.

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

Maybe 3? I don’t have to memorize them much anymore lol.

98. favorite historical era?

I kind of like the 1920s aesthetic these days but I love very scattered things about history so picking one era is tough.

#thank you very very much for the ask!#I had fun doing this and it was way more than I expected when I reblogged that post so I appreciate it #sorry its so long I have no restraint lol #asks #about me #long post

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chisie12 · 5 years ago

Text

Kisame Week Day 3: Blood in the Abyss

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20036536/chapters/47871880#workskin

The worldbuilding is going crazy but I don’t know if I’m ever gonna use them all. Sorry it took a while. I hope you enjoy!

Rated: Teen/Up for swearing

~*~*~

“I never thought such a random quest will trigger this.”

“Mm.”

“Are you really getting slack-jawed at this, Beast? It’s a fallen kingdom, a pile of rubble and stones.”

“A golden rubble. How much money can I get if I sell that?”

“You sell that and NPCs will stab your ass.”

A scoff. “As if.”

“Those mermen with shiny stabby sticks might.”

“What mermen –!”

It was a step too near, too close for the comfort of the NPCs. A breach of their borders, even if their sacred kingdom had fallen, they would protect it till their last breath!

Seeing danger approaching, Tailless Beast quickly swam to the side, dodging the valiant charge by the NPC Mermen. As they tried to escape, he couldn’t help but wonder how she had been able to catch sight of the mermen when he was unable to. Ducking under the rubble, Akira and Tailless pushed off the fallen pillar with their legs, briefly increasing the distance between them if only for a little, and with the small extra distance, the two players could finally observe the pursuing NPCs.

Grieving Merman Guard (Level 52)

HP: 280,000/280,000

Tailless Beast pursed his lips, bringing his broadsword up to his side, sick of running away while Akira furrowed her eyebrows. That word was nagging at her mind, magnified and dancing teasingly. Normal NPC monsters would not be named as such, unless...

“Beast, stop!” A forceful tug at Tailless Beast’s large arm interrupted his skill and he shifted his glare from the returning Merman Guards onto the smaller, human figure by his side. His jaw opened, pointy teeth bared in a snarl, the urgency rising higher within him but Akira simply returned it with a deadpanned. “Calm down, will you? You’re always looking for a fight!”

Before the furious Blade Master could retort, Akira had already pulled him out of Atlantis borders and the pursuing Merman Guards immediately halted their bloodthirsty pursuit, stopping a couple of meters shy from them. Up close, they could see the smooth skin of the Mermen, darkened by the black circles and bags under their dull eyes. Scales gleamed, though dull, under the dim shine in the sea from their waist down, revealing hips entirely covered with the same scales that ended in long, thick fish tails instead of legs. In the lore of Eden, it was said that the Merfolk were humans blessed by Suijin, the Water God that presides over all things water, a manifestation from the people’s beliefs of a benevolent presence that resided in the element. And water to them, was the source of life!

With intruders beyond their borders, the Merman Guards relaxed their stances and started to swim back to their positions when a gentle voice called out to them.

“There are no words that I can offer you to ease your grief, but the great land of Atlantis will always be remembered and revered in my heart,” Akira solemnly said. When the two Merman Guards turned around, they saw the Elementalist bow at the waist, long hair softly waving in the water at her lowered head. Moving their spears to their left hand, the guards held out three fingers with their right hand, thumb and little finger folded in, and placed it over their hearts before also lowering their bodies into a low bow, returning her respect with one of their own: The Trident’s Heart, where their king and the land of Atlantis would forever remain in their hearts. Seeing the situation, Tailless Beast gave his respects and bowed as well, but the guards blatantly ignored him and addressed Akira.

“We thank you, kind traveller, for your words. If I may so bold to ask, what is your purpose in visiting Atlantis?”

Akira was silent for a moment as she contemplated her words carefully, before deciding to risk it with the truth, praying that Mermaid Knight Rie was at least someone respected in their ranks since they were both of a similar profession. “I was guided here by Mermaid Knight Rie with the hope that I could uncover the truth behind her death.”

Like a crack on the dam slowly spreading outwards, the guards’ smiles slipped away, eyes widening in agonised disbelief as words tried to crawl out of their trembling lips. “Y-You know... of Her Highness – M-Mermaid Knight Rie?”

Akira sneaked a glance at Tailless Beast, who had turned to look at her too. That little stumble caught their attention, piquing their interest. The Merman Guard was pale as he lowered his head, his friend edging closer and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Before, Rie had been just a mere Mermaid Knight. A Mermaid Knight that, to Akira, was not anyone special, that this quest would be simple enough to complete. Now, however, that simple Mermaid Knight turned out to be – possibly – a princess. A new turn of events, a different perspective. The quest was no longer as simple as they expected. Because in the end, it was different if a mere Mermaid Knight died; her death most likely insignificant, definitely not enough to affect Atlantis’ downfall. But a princess? That was on a whole different level. A princess was, could be, reason enough for the entire fall of the kingdom. And then, thinking about it, if it was a princess... Akira turned to Tailless Beast.

What was a simple quest, now turned to be a complicated plot – their two quests, likely related.

“There’s probably a big boss to fight. Yay for you.” The edges of her lips curled while she sent him a whisper.

And he happily returned it with a toothy grin, “That makes things interesting.”

A soft chuckle under her breath, a small shake of her head and she turned back towards the guards before lowering her head slightly. “I do not personally know of Mermaid Knight Rie. I’ve only been tasked to find out the truth behind her death.”

The two guards stiffened, tails waving in the sea ever so slowly, but Akira noticed that they were inching back bit by bit. “By who?”

Her mouth clammed shut, forehead creased. She couldn’t exactly tell them it was a quest given by the game, but she couldn’t not answer them either. If this continued, the conversation wasn’t going to end well. Unless...

Akira’s head perked up, eyes bright with hope and she lifted her hand, deliberately slow while she observed their reactions. The guards’ faces twisted back into hostility, the grip on their spears tightening as they in return watched her hand suspiciously. They knew of Elementalists, of the magic they hold over the elements, that a mere wave of their hands can control an element’s will and bend it to their desires. Even if the one before them wore red coloured robes that indicated her control over fire, it wouldn’t be surprising if she knew a water spell or two.

Akira’s fingers inched closer to her chest, still agonisingly slow, but extremely careful as they slipped into her robe, little by little, until a cold smooth surface tickled her fingertips and her fingers gently wrapped around it. Words were stuck in her throat, the silence tense and suffocating and heavy, sparking with hostility and wariness, and she looked into the eyes of the guards as she slowly tugged the item out, fingers uncurling to reveal the pearl on the necklace. Mermaid Knight Rie’s Tear.

“T-That...” The Merman Guards had their eyes and mouths dropped open in stunned silence, before they started to tremble, mournful gazes shifting from the pearl to Akira and they swam a little closer, as if to confirm what they saw was true, that it wasn’t the light in the water playing tricks with them.... But the iridescent gleam on the pearl, a shimmering ivory tinted with the colours of the rainbow dancing together, it was real.

It was definitely real. Genuine. Only hers and those of the royal blood could produce that pearl. But was it really Rie’s?

Steeling his resolve, the other guard that had remained silent lifted his head to look at Akira and spoke up, “Kind traveller, may I perform a test to determine its legitimacy?”

“Of course you may, esteemed guard,” Akira agreed immediately. Her hands wound around the back to remove the necklace when a calloused hand, marked and hardened from the years of battle, of wielding the spear to protect his home, stopped her gently with a fleeting touch and the guard graced her with a soft smile and shake of his head. With the same hand floating below the necklace, he flipped it over palm up and waved it around fluidly at the wrist, almost like algae twirling with the currents. Streams of water collected at his fingertips, separating from the sea itself and convening in his palm like a second pocket of water, which swirled up to fully encapsulate the pearl and his hand in a mini globe. Tailless Beast and Akira watched on curiously, wondering silently at the lack of reaction when the guard flicked his thumbnail over his second finger, easily drawing blood with the swift cut, blood that was drawn to the pearl like a moth to a flame. The blood stopped short by the pearl, bobbing sluggishly, its movements growing slower and slower when the pearl gleamed a pale golden glow, like a small star in the sky.

As the golden glow gleamed, the blood slowly started to dissipate, dissolve into nothingness, but it was the wound on the guard’s finger that truly held their attention. That little tiny cut upon hardened skin began to seek each other out, one cut epidermis layer to another, like a pair of long lost lovers finally reuniting and the cut flicked gold, the colour emerging strong at one end and tracing along the cut, where the colour passed was where the gap in the wound welded shut.

Tailless Beast and Akira’s eyes widened further with each passing second as they watched the marvel, surprise evident in their attentive gazes, coming out as murmured gasps escaping under their breaths. There was only one thing they could fathom. If Mermaid Knight Rie was truly a princess and she possessed – possibly the only one who did because why else would the guard wish to check? – the ability of healing, she would have been desired by many, by multiple parties that wanted that power, that in a war, she could possibly, simply, turn the tides of war. Was the entire sea their search site!?

“It... it is, H-Her High – Mermaid Knight Rie’s tear. It is. Oh King Aenon, was this your will?” The guard wailed, sorrow rolling off his cries in waves, agony, relief flooding his system, and he was joined by his partner who sobbed and shook, tremors attacking his robust body.

“I apologise for having to interrupt,” Akira voice out, soft and gentle, just barely audible for the guards to hear, melding into their cries like a soft cloud. “But I hope to succeed with the task I've been entrusted to. May you point us into the direction of Mermaid Knight Rie’s tomb?”

“Y-Yes, honoured guest. Right this way.”

“Thank you, brave men. Is it alright if I brought a guest along?”

“Yes, yes. Of course. As long as the person is a friend of honoured guest, he or she is welcomed.”

Akira looked at Tailless Beast, face half angled towards him with a smile, a small upwards tilt of her lips at a corner with eyes half lidded, full of taunt and confidence. “Hehe.”

Tailless Beast scoffed, strapping his broadsword back onto his back and moved to take a step forward.

[Clear Shadow sent a video message. Click to view.]

The corner of his lips twitched. He averted his gaze to glance at her, hearing the giggle echo in his mind.

“Aww, not going to open it, Beast?”

“No.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever you say.”

He watched her walk away, following after the Merman Guards who waited upon her. He glanced back at the message as he fell into step behind her, curious and dreading the content. They swam through the rubble, past the golden kingdom, clean from any red algae that would grow in these deep waters with only colourful corals littering the ground. The journey was in silence, the guards occasionally pausing and looking back, waiting for Akira to catch up before continuing once again. Tailless Beast felt the curiosity return in the endless silence following them.

“Tch.”

He tapped on the message, opening the video and immediately after, a loud, lilt voice blared in his ears as the man started singing: “Never gonna give you up; Never gonna let you down –!”

Akira twitched when she felt a heavy stare on her back, only to find Tailless Beast glaring at her heatedly. With a knowing giggle, she waved and kicked her legs harder to catch up to the guards. A growl rumbled at the back of his throat as he chased after her grumpily.

Soon, they left the borders of the kingdom, leaving the plains covered in red algae and towards a rocky area. Every now and then, schools of small marine life would swim past the group and without fail, they would swim nearer to Akira, butting their heads at her midriff, wishing to be pet, tails wagging almost like excited pups. The guards would always watch with a smile, tinged with sadness as Akira traced her fingers along the fishes, sometimes even letting them nibble on her fingertips. They never rushed her, never voiced out their impatience, only waited wordlessly, almost in obeisance, whereas Tailless Beast scooted further, watching the scene with an unexplainable emotion.

“I'm sorry! I don’t know why this is happening!” Her mellifluous laughter rang clear, glee infectious as the three men felt their lips curving wide.

“We’re going to take forever to reach the tomb,” Tailless Beast grumbled under his breath, fingers itching for a battle.

The guards shook their heads before waving them to continue. “The tomb is not far now.” The light dimmed and tall rock formations appeared in their vision after a few more moments of swimming, and they came upon a small cave’s mouth, dark and cold. An aura of resentment leaked out the entrance in black tendrils, eerily waving them around in a dark welcoming.

[You have discovered The Azure Garden Grotto.]

“This? Is where the tomb is?” Akira was sceptical. The underwater cave didn’t resemble a tomb at all.

“To answer honoured guest,” one of the guards clasped his hands and bowed, “This is indeed where Mermaid Knight Rie was buried. King Aenon had gifted this place to her on her 18th birthday and it was where she wished to be buried at if s-she passed on. As written in her will.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

“Then, we will take our leave.” The Merman Guards bowed and left.

Akira watched the cave, the dark entrance a deep void where no light passed. Tailless Beast frowned. “What are you waiting for?”

“Calling a few friends over,” she replied simply.

“What? Why!” he growled. More people meant more shares, more shares meant that his share will have to be reduced! The area before them was unexplored land, treasure for all to take, mobs to kill, experience to gain.

“You can go ahead if you want.” She bowed slightly and gestured welcomingly for him to go ahead, and he did without a glance back.

He walked past her towards the cave’s mouth, through the darkness, only to be rebounded and forced back by an unknown, unseen force. She reached out a hand to steady his staggering steps.

[You do not meet the requirements to enter.

Party members: Minimum 5 members; Maximum 10 members.

Party level: Minimum Level 40; Maximum Level 45]

“What the fuck?”

Akira shrugged with a mischievous smile when he redirected his wrath onto her. “My friends should be here soon. I've sent them the coordinates.”

Tailless Beast leaned against a rock, scowling at having to wait some more when he remembered something. “Can they even make it here?”

With a shake of her head, she could only smile helplessly. “I hope so. The coordinates triggered the system just now and I think they’re – ” Three separate balls of light suddenly appeared, glowing brighter and brighter as water surged towards the element. Faint silhouettes flickered within. “ – teleporting here.”

Tailless Beast straightened himself while his hand moved to grip his broadsword, a familiar shadow amongst the silhouette giving him uneasy feelings, yet the closer he observed the figures under the dimming light, his lips were pursed tight and muscles taut. “You know them?”

Akira glanced over at him, noting the icy chill in his deep voice, unlike the usual growls and snarls he’s bestowed upon her so far. No, this was a silky, smooth tone, calm and unnerved, almost so calm that she shuddered involuntarily. She turned back to the three men that appeared before them. “You could say that.”

“Wasn’t he chasing you down just yesterday?” Tailless Beast nodded his chin at the Earth Elementalist Misty Forest who now stood wielding his wand at Level 43. The hell happened to him too? How did he power level up?

Akira laughed nervously as Misty Forest – Yamato – found his wand particularly intriguing. “Yes, he was but we settled our differences.”

“And him?”

His tone was flat, unyielding in the slightest as he gestured at the Level 45 Shadow Hunter, the first advancement of the Ninja class, School Beauty King. The man wore a mask that covered the lower half of his face, silvery grey hair spiked up, defying gravity even under water. She and Shadow Hunter exchanged glances. ‘What the fuck did Kakashi do to piss him off?’ With a smile and a tilt of her head, she looked at Tailless Beast in confusion. “What about him? Have you guys met before?”

“Yes,” came the snarl almost immediately. “He goddamn stole my drops!”

Kakashi stared at Tailless Beast. “Ahh, I remember you now. Thanks for the Ivory Shells that time.”

A growl ripped through the large blue man’s throat as he instantly lunged at the Shadow Hunter with his broadsword drawn. Kakashi easily sidestepped the attack and Tailless Beast swung his arm out horizontally, only for a much smaller, more fragile wand to meet its blade head-on. Akira grunted in a grimace as the force of his strength threw her backwards, the wand’s durability dropping to 2.

His small black eyes met her pained blue ones and a phantom image flashed over her countenance; a similar face, the long navy hair tied into a ponytail, the flower kanzashi tinkling with the breeze, and the anger dissipated, a trace of worry flashing through them. “A-Are you...” Words had escaped his lips, soft, gentle, and he then clammed his mouth shut. Uncertain. Confused. But he resolutely shot forward still in that moment, reaching out his other hand and caught onto her arm. He brought her near, steadying her on her feet.

“He can be a little arrogant,” Akira coughed as she gripped onto Tailless Beast’s arm, “But I swear he's a good Shadow Hunter, Beast.”

He pulled his arm back, the warmth of her palm lingering upon his skin and he turned his head. “Whatever. As long as he doesn’t slow us down.”

[Clear Shadow invited you to her party. Accept? Reject?]

Glancing at her wide grin from the corner of his eyes, he shook his head and accepted the request.

[Tailless Beast joined your party!]

[Misty Forest joined your party!]

[School Beauty King joined your party!]

[Good Boy Tobi joined your party!]

Tailless Beast observed the latest member. She was a level 42 Cleric, a branch of the White Elementalist class. The White Elementalist and Black Elementalist, unlike the normal elemental classes, were unique where the former focused on: Summoning magic, Healing magic or Bless Magic, while the latter concentrated on Illusion Magic, Necromancy or Curse Magic. And unlike other classes of warrior, rogue or ranged whose first class advancements were at level 20, Elementalists had their first advancements at level 45 after choosing their first element at level 10.

“Hello!” Good Boy Tobi greeted cheerily with a wave of her hand and grin on her face, but the voice that sounded...

Tailless Beast suppressed the twitch in his eyes. She... Good Boy Tobi... was a he? He looked up and down the female character, dark luscious locks a stark contrast against her white robes, then glanced at Clear Shadow and shook his head. He wished he was more surprised by that fact but with someone as weird as her, it wasn’t all that surprising anymore.

“How long can you guys stay underwater?” Akira asked the three newcomers who were breathing easily underwater.

“We managed to buy only twelve Oxygen Pearls,” Obito, who played Good Boy Tobi, chimed in. “We’re already using three.”

“And they last for two hours each pearl,” Yamato tacked on at the end. “So we have roughly eight hours.”

“They cost us a lot too! Why the hell are Oxygen Pearls so expensive...” Obito grumbled under his breath.

“How close are you to levelling up?” Akira turned to Kakashi, ignoring the grumbling man.

“I just levelled up to 45. It should take a while.”

She nodded, less worried than before. If he levelled up in the dungeon and they couldn’t complete it... ah, it was too troublesome to think.

“Are we ready to go in or not?” Tailless Beast interjected, directing the question at a blankly staring Akira.

“Maa, does it look like we have other things to do?” Kakashi folded his arms behind his head and walked forward while Akira snapped back to reality.

“No one asked you, pretty boy,” Tailless Beast snarled and quickly hurried from behind.

Yamato and Obito smiled, following suite as Akira walked first into The Azure Garden Grotto, unimpeded. Past the complete darkness, a large cavern meters high and wide sparkled, lit by an azure- emerald light, a rare sight of bioluminescence as they swam through the water.

Suddenly, a black shadow flashed past them in a blur, screeching in an agonised, despairing wail.

Avenging Spirit (Level 40)

HP: 15,000/15,000

“The monster isn’t even strong,” Tailless Beast tutted.

That’s when a system notification appeared.

[Stage 1. Kill 100 Avenging Spirits. 0/100 killed.]

A feral grin flitted onto his face as he held his broadsword ready. Pulling his arm back, ready to hack at the taunting monster when a dragon whose flesh and body was made of water slammed directly into the Avenging Spirit. Kakashi released his hands and swam around the monster.

-6,589! A critical hit!

The Avenging Spirit wailed louder, its icy voice piercing their minds and a bright light enveloped Tailless Beast, immediately dispersing the stunning effect. Purification! Kicking his legs, he pulled his arms back, muscles of both his hands taut as he gripped the handle tight. With a cry, he cleaved the Avenging Spirit in two before spinning and slicing the shadow at its head with his second slash.

“Hehe, this is going to be fun.” Akira grinned toothily and waved her right hand just as an entire mob of Avenging Spirits appeared, covering the beautiful cavern in black clouds. Elements of water started surging towards her palm and she brought her other hand forward, running it horizontally before her chest, from her right hand to the left, and water surged together, converging by her palm and it grew, lengthening as though she was pulling a something out from her hand. The sword manifested itself from water, both sides sharp as the water constantly circulated to maintain its shape.

“You gotta work hard, Obito,” chirped Akira just as Yamato started chanting an Earth Spell. “Can’t let those spirits get us.”

“But I don’t have that many blessing spells like a Priest!” Obito mockingly shrieked in horror, hands palming either side of his feminine appearance, only to quickly glance at something from the corner of his eyes and calmly waved his hand out at Tailless Beast, enveloping the man once more in a bright white light, healing him. There was a carefree smile lingering on his face.

“You’re doing a good job though,” Akira grinned as she joined the fray. A thick branch gurgled, shooting past her body and speared through an Avenging Spirit rushing towards her. She lashed out with her water blade and sliced the face, causing it to screech in a dying wail.

“You can count on me!” Obito chuckled, staying close to Yamato.

The quieter man was chanting once again, sets of archaic runes muttered from his lips while his other hand focused on controlling the branch he summoned, swinging and wreaking havoc as he pleased. One syllable, two syllables, and an emerald light shone in the side pouch hanging on his hip. A few seeds floated out, dropping onto the ground right beside where the first branch took root and they rapidly grew. Thick and sturdy, the Branch Dragons took the form of snakes, ready to skewer some spirits. There would occasionally be a flash of white light or two around the battlefield, more healing than purifying the members, but their health constantly danced at the same level, never below 65%.

Tailless Beast glanced over at Akira, more specifically staring at the water sword in her hand. “Aren’t you an Elementalist?”

“I am. Just a little bit special,” she winked as she stabbed at a spirit sneaking up behind him.

He stretched out his arm, piercing the head of another spirit chasing after her. “You’re weird. A sword using Elementalist?”

“Admit. I look cool,” she laughed, planting a foot at the spirit and kicking it away.

He rolled his eyes with a scoff, but she caught a glimpse of a lopsided smile upon his lips when she twirled around, seeing him bring his sword down on another kill.

It took them a little over an hour to fully clear the 100 Avenging Spirits.

The second stage began. And the third, and fourth. Each stage’s killings increased exponentially, each stage the spirits a level higher than before. When the fifth stage came about six hours after, when Kakashi, Yamato and Obito ate their last oxygen pearl, they were all tired and grumpy at the mindless killings. However, despite their first dungeon run together, they worked well together, almost like a good oiled machine (and Obito will argue saying that it’s because of his perfect heals that they’re good!).

The enchanting scenery did nothing to quell the annoyance, even when they saw lights akin to fireflies floating in the water, swimming freely when they finally neared the end of the dungeon. Not only did killing one spirit give such pitiful experience, this dungeon was simply too mind numbing! Kakashi wasn’t even near 50% in his experience bar!

...

[Stage 5. Kill 50 Avenging Spirits. 0/50 killed.]

“Ahhh! Finally!!” Obito cried out. “I don’t have any mana pots left. I just want this over with! I'm not going on anymore special quests with you, Shadow!”

“How many do you have? I’ll give you some,” Akira asked as they tried to catch a breather. “And come on. Without me, you can't even come here. We’ll be getting first clear.”

“Only two intermediate pots and a few basic ones left,” he sighed dejectedly. He had stocked up on lots of potions before he entered as a precaution, but this dungeon had eaten up lots of his mana as he tried to keep everyone’s health stable. Those spirits can be quite annoying to deal with but it was more annoying to deal with his teammates that loved charging into the freeway without second thoughts. “And no, you guys suck.”

If the others purposely ignored him or didn't hear, he didn't know.

“Take some, I’m not using as much mana.”

Obito gratefully accepted the dropped potions, animated tears streaking down his face while the group continued forward, their killings evidently slower when a high pitched screech rumbled through the waters at their 49th kill. The shrill sound stabbed their minds, forcing them on a seven second stun.

Tailless Beast at this moment observed his skills that were on cooldown while stunned and a message popped up from Akira.

[Clear Shadow sent you an image. Click to preview.]

‘Might be a clue to the quest!’ he thought and frantically opened the message, only to scowl at the sad green frog and the words ‘feels bad man’ written below it. He glared at the scene happening before them without moving his head, seeing as he couldn’t move yet due to the stun, all the while pretending that it was Akira getting stabbed at with his glaring daggers.

At the next second of the stun, black tendrils emerged from the corpses of the Avenging Spirits, converging together into a huge lump of ink. At the third second of the stun, they watched as the gigantic Avenging Spirit loomed over them. Unlike the previous spirits that lacked a face on their heads, this one only had a crescent slit that was curved like a bowl, silvery sharp and wide. It grinned, revealing many rows of pointed teeth arranged neatly, and lifted its arms where two claws similar to reptiles flexed. Curling and uncurling its fingers, a maniacal cackle echoed in their minds.

[You've been inflicted with Hatred of the Spirit. All stats reduced by 20%.]

A grey ghostly skull appeared above their heads and the entire party felt their bodies grow heavier, strength and speed weakened.

Avenging Spirit (Elite) Level 45

HP: 200,000/200,000

“Ah, fuck.”

Obito and Akira exchanged bitter smiles at the Elite Boss taunting them; the former worried at how heavy his job would be as his heals would be reduced significantly with the curse while the damage taken would increase, and the latter

At the fourth second, the Elite boss slowly raised its hands as though it was lifting something and a dark murky blob reached out from way below, appearing from the crevices of the rocks, cackling from the shadows while they latched onto the team’s feet, steadily pulling them down into the abyss as they retreated back into their abode.

-100!

A continuous string of damage ticked away at their health but they could do nothing to escape, not with the final three seconds of the stun still in effect. Their hearts pounded loudly in their chest, screams of protest banging loudly in their minds – just how broken was this boss!?

So much happened in such a short span of time and they were forced to be sitting ducks, watching their fate before their very eyes.

‘No, no, no. Like hell I'm falling like this!’ Tailless Beast struggled against the stun, willing his body to move. Robust muscles bulged, taut and defined while veins crawled under his skin. He tightened his grip on the sword, yet his fingers never moved. The fifth second passed. His eyes shifted to the side, catching Akira’s fiery gaze coincidentally, both sides unwilling to give up. No way were they going to be bested by a damn boss. Not when they just started on this quest!

Simultaneously, two gentle lights shone from their chests.

‘The necklace!’ they thought.

Fuelled further by their will, the light suddenly broke, dissipating into tiny shards flickering in the light that enveloped the pair. The tenseness of their muscles loosened, a heavy weight pushed off their shoulders. Akira gripped onto her sword, running a hand over the blade as she called forth another wave of water, making it surge towards her weapon. With a graceful twirl, she lashed out her sword, elongated by a few meters as it sliced the water with a shrill sound. The Elite boss cried out in pain, charging forward in retaliation when a thick silver blade halted its advance. Tailless Beast sliced and slashed with all the strength and brute force of a berserker, his movements oddly smooth in the water, connecting swiftly and efficiently as he took on the boss’ aggro.

With the stun over after seven seconds, Yamato began chanting, calling upon the soggy dead wood lying on the ground. Kakashi turned to face the black tendrils dragging them down while his hands became a blur in a series of hand signs. At the last hand sign, he pulled down his mask for the briefest of moments as he spat out a large water bullet, the force strong enough to knock them astray. The dead wood floated up. Pointing his wand at the tendrils in the abyss, the Wood Arrows swam and pierced the monster, causing it to shriek and run away into the shadows where they couldn't touch it anymore.

Obito held the cross with both hands as he chanted out a spell, the holy light surrounding him growing stronger by the second. The light travelled from his body to his outstretched arm, trailing around it like a coiling snake before it shot forth, a pair of feathery wings unfurling from its back.

Level 40 Healing Angel, his newest skill in his arsenal. It flew around the cavern, continuously healing the entire until the thirty second timer was up, negating the damage done by the Elite boss.

Handing off a few seeds to Kakashi, Yamato watched Akira and Tailless Beast pin the Elite boss down while his senior quickly swam around, planting the seeds in the small crevices of the rock walls. The last location of their fight was at a smaller cavern that narrowed near the end, with an arched roof filled with stalactites and large stalagmites on the bottom.

‘This place must have been on land before it was sunken underwater,’ Yamato thought, knowing that stalactites and stalagmites couldn’t form underwater, but could stay underwater for a long time as they slowly dissolved back into the water. He caught Kakashi’s signal as the man planted the last seed and he started chanting. Magic ripples surged around him, robes dancing around him quicker and quicker. Multiple green lights pulsed at different points in the walls, answering to his call. Leaves sprouted out of the seeds, stems unfolding from their abode and they charged towards the Elite boss fearlessly, winding around its large body in a tight grip.

Earth Lock!

The three damage dealers swam back, landing on small platforms in the walls as the sturdy branches tightened the hold, unyielding even when the Elite boss struggled hard against the restraints.

“I can only hold it for three seconds!” Yamato called out. His face was twisted in a grimace, veins appearing on his forehead while he fought to hold his skill.

Akira, Tailless Beast and Kakashi shot forward at the same time, the strength from their calves travelling to their feet as they pushed off the walls on their toes, weapons drawn and skills activating. They unleashed their strongest moves, attacking at the weaker spots like the neck, spine and skull, praying, hoping that the spirit would register the extra damage like ordinary beasts.

-9,731! A critical hit!

-5,054!

-9,352! Another critical hit!

-5,571!

-3,899!

-2,421!

“Can you guys stop critting and making me look bad?” Akira laughed while she flipped back and retreated a distance away, landing solidly on her feet when the Elite boss broke free, large splinters and wood chips flying towards them, and his health firmly dropped below 75%. “This would be much easier if our stats weren’t lowered.”

“Well, you can’t exactly use your fire magic, Shadow,” said Kakashi, “And you are playing with a toothpick.”

“This toothpick can kill you, okay!”

With a cry, the Avenging Spirit swam towards Tailless Beast who sent a blade light crashing into its body but the spirit suddenly turned translucent and the attack passed right through. “What?” Instinctively, he brought the blade up to his face, parrying the claw aimed at his head. A pressure built up in his chest when the force slammed into him, instantly sending him crashing down onto the bottom and he sprayed out a mouthful of blood.

“Beast!”

Akira swam forth, stabbing her sword through the spirit, but like Tailless Beast’s, her sword went through as though it was only water.

“Watch out!

She refocused onto the Avenging Spirit a beat too slow. A sharp pain burned from the inside, spreading out through her veins. Her gaze grew blurry, the lump in her throat hard and heavy as she gritted her teeth. The spirit pulled its arm back, bringing the impaled Elementalist closer to its face. She blinked her eyes with a grimace, forcing her vision to sharpen and she saw, in a slow, slow curl, the spirit widened its grin in a dark satisfaction, the silvery teeth bright against its black face. Its arm was cold to the touch, slimy yet rough when it was pulled out, tips of the claws scratching deeper into her exposed skin and she spat out a fog of blood as the pressure caught in her throat was released.

“Shadow!!”

Crimson blood slithered in the water, a dark red cloud tainting the beautiful waters of the grotto and Akira floated lifelessly in the water. Seeing its masterpiece, the Avenging Spirit laughed joyously while it swam around the blood, occasionally flicking out a tongue to lick at it, tasting the iron taste upon its taste buds.

An earthquake soon rumbled across the cavern. Tailless Beast quickly jumped and swam away, narrowly avoiding the broken falling stalactites. A deep guttural snarl rumbled through the walls, vibrating loud and clear, and the team felt their bodies stiffen. A large silhouette appeared at the end of the cavern, fast approaching the fight. They held their breaths in fear, feeling suffocated by the overwhelming presence rolling off its figure. Out of the shadows and into the gleaming waters appeared a four-meter-long great white shark, its size easily dwarfing the Avenging Spirit. Silver armour adorned its robust body, enhancing the strong aura rolling off its figure.

Spirit of Sharkman Kelo (Elite) Level 80

HP: 760,000/760,000

“Ah, fuck.”

#kisameweek2019 #Day3Prompt2 #modern game au #kisamexoc #gamer!kisame

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imjustthemechanic · 6 years ago

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Natalie Jones and the Golden Ship

Part 1/? - A Meeting at the Palace Part 2/? - Curry Talk Part 3/? - Princess Sitamun Part 4/? - Not At Rest Part 5/? - Dead Men Tell no Tales Part 6/? - Sitamun Rises Again Part 7/? - The Curse of Madame Desrosiers Part 8/? - Sabotage at Guedelon Part 9/? - A Miracle Part 10/? - Desrosiers’ Elixir Part 11/? - Athens in October Part 12/? - The Man in Black Part 13/? - Mr. Neustadt Part 14/? - The Other Side of the Story Part 15/? - A Favour Part 16/? - A Knock on the Window Part 17/? - Sir Stephen and Buckeye Part 18/? - Books of Alchemy Part 19/? - The Answers Part 20/? - A Gift Left Behind Part 21/? - Santorini Part 22/? - What the Doves Found Part 23/? - A Thief in the Night Part 24/? - Healing Part 25/? - Newton’s Code Part 26/? - Montenegro Part 27/? - The Lost Relic Part 28/? - The Homunculinus Part 29/? - The End is Near Part 30/? - The Face of Evil Part 31/? - The Morning After Part 32/? - Next Stop Part 33/? - A Sighting in Messina Part 34/? - Taormina Part 35/? - Burning Part 36/? - Recovery Part 37/? - Pilgrimage to Vesuvius Part 38/? - The Scent of Hell Part 39/? - She’ll be Coming Down the Mountain Part 40/? - Stowaways Part 41/? - Bon Voyage Part 42/? - Turnabout Part 43/? - The Apple Part 44/? - Vesuvius Wakes Part 45/? - Fire At Sea Part 46/? - The Real Jim Part 47/? - Return to Naples Part 48/? - La Mela Part 49/? - A Demonstration Part 50/? - Out of the Frying Pan Part 51/? - Into the Fire Part 52/? - The Last Homunculus Part 53/? - Transmission Part 54/? - Metamorphosis

I told you I’d be back!

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then there was a sudden loud noise, a sharp bang that reverberated through the entire structure of the Scorpio II and made the ship heave on the water. The air filled with an electrical smell. Nat was thrown to the ground on top of Perenelle, then reflexively curled up and covered her head as she heard the musical tinkling of shattered glass hitting tile. The lights flickered and died, and the ship continued to rock back and forth for a moment before the stabilizers finally kicked in to bring it back to an even keel.

One by one, the lights started to come back on. Natasha sat up.

The air was full of electricity – she could feel her own hair standing on end, and when she checked on Perenelle, wisps of hers had come free of her bun. A few metres away, Jim’s long brown hair was standing out around his head like a halo. He was not looking at Natasha, but at what was behind them in the open plaza space.

What looked like lightning was arcing from one side of the metal railing to the other, and from the ruins of the chandelier to the floor below. In the middle, almost but not quite touching the railings, was the philosopher’s stone. It still looked like a miniature sun, with its surface bubbling and tossing off fountains of hot energy as if actively fighting its containment. As Nat watched, one of these spurts touched what was left of the stained glass ceiling. The metal struts immediately began turning to gold, which was not strong enough to hold up the dangling ruins of the chandelier. They snapped, and the entire fixture dropped into the stone, right through, and hit the mosaic tile floor below. With it came a mass of hot plasma, and the tiles, too, were transmuted, spreading out from the middle. The wooden railings around the plaza balconies, and the marble treads of the spiral staircases, quickly started to go as well.

“I’m guessing that’s our signal to leave,” said Nat. The Stone was already getting redder. In a moment it would engulf the balconies as it grew.

“Very observant.” Perenelle took her hand, then grabbed Jim’s, and they ran for the steps further aft. The carpet was turning to gold under their feet as they went, and they heard the pillars that supported the Piazza roof begin to groan, no longer equal to the weight they were bearing.

They burst out onto the Promenade Deck, and Natasha stopped, suddenly confused. She’d turned right… that should have been facing towards the docks, where the cables were connected. Instead, they were looking at open water. She ran to the railing for a better look.

The ship had turned. They weren’t yet far from the dock, but they were facing out into the bay, sailing alongside the Molo San Vincenzo, heading out to sea. The cables they’d brought on board to connect the stone, having done their job, were trailing in the ocean behind them, leaving swirls of liquid gold in their wake. Nat had meant to get the ship away from the shore once the stone was safely on board, but that would have required returning to the bridge. This should not be happening, unless…

“Is there somebody else on board?” asked Jim.

“There shouldn’t be,” said Nat. They’d taken care of Newton’s homunculus and the four others he’d brought along. Did he have another agent on board they didn’t know about? Of course he did, she thought. He’d stayed one step ahead of them at every move so far. Why not now?

“You know what?” asked Nat. “It doesn’t matter.” If they were on their way out to sea they were going away from people, and that was the important part. If there were still a homunculus on board, then he, she, or it could be carried off and turned to gold with the rest of the ship. “Try aft. Maybe our little boat’s been carried along in the wake.”

They hurried towards the stern. Natasha in her stocking feet and Jim in his shoes were able to run, while Perenelle walked as fast as she could in her high heels to bring up the rear. Between the two swimming pools, directly above the piazza several decks down, was a little cluster of restaurants that served drinks, burgers, and ice cream. Their walls were leaning inwards, and parts of them were starting to collapse as the philosopher’s stone engulfed the supports beneath them. It had better be okay to leave the ship moving, Nat thought, because they weren’t going to be able to head forward again.

At the very back of the promenade deck, looking down over the Diamond Class swimming pool, they could see the little boat they’d come in by bobbing and spinning in the Scorpio II’s wake. It was already nearly a hundred metres away.

“We’re just gonna have to swim for it,” Nat decided. She turned to face her companions. “If we jump from here, we might get sucked into the propellers, so we’ll have to…”

She cut herself off the doors of a nearby cabinet opened with a bang. This space was used to store lifejackets, so with the ship evacuated it had been empty – a perfect hiding place. The man who jumped out was soaking wet and furious, and he launched himself at Perenelle and grabbed her by the hair. Nat went for him, but he pulled out a knife that must have come from out of the little restaurants, and put it to her throat.

It was the last homunculus, the one Nat had thrown overboard rather than kill. Somehow he’d gotten back on board.

“You want to be immortal,” he said to Perenelle. “So if you don’t want to die right now, you’re gonna go back in there and detonate the Philosopher’s Stone. You’re going to finish Newton’s work, or I’m going to cut your throat!”

Nat caught Jim’s eye, and saw him nod. He had a bit of elixir left. They’d used almost all of it, but hopefully there would be enough to save Perenelle if Nat could apply pressure to her jugular before she bled out. Not exactly her usual procedure in a hostage situation, but with that in mind, Nat and Jim dashed forward to wrestle the homunculus.

He saw them coming. Whether it was because he could tell what they meant to do, or maybe because he was just an asshole, he dropped his knife and threw Perenelle off the stern of the ship.

Jim was so shocked he just stood there, mouth open. Natasha kept going, and kicked the knife out of the homunculus’ reach. Jim came out of his momentary shock and scooped it up, while Nat threw the man to the ground and pinned his hands behind his back. Damn it, she should have killed this one earlier! Why hadn’t she just killed him? Because she’d thought Jim would be angry with her.

“Look for Perenelle!” Nat ordered.

Jim had been on his way to join her. Now he went and looked over the back of the ship, leaning at a dangerous angle and turning his head back and forth.

“Perenelle!” he shouted. “Perenelle! Mrs. Flamel! Can you hear me? Wave or something? Are you in the water? Hello!”

He stayed there, shouting for her, for what was in this situation a very long time. Several minutes went by, during which time first one, then the other of the spherical radar arrays on the ship’s superstructure crumbled and collapsed. The ship lurched in the water, and the engines failed. From where Natasha was she couldn’t tell if they were riding lower in the water, but she suspected so. The gold was building up and the moment it got to be too heavy, they’d go straight down. Nat got to her feet, dragging the homunculus with her, although again, she wasn’t sure why… were they going to take him along? What would they do with him if they did?

Finally, Jim stopped shouting and slid to his knees, where he stayed for a moment, leaning his forehead against the railing with his eyes shut. He’d been angry with Perenelle for using him and he didn’t rust her, but she’d still been his last hope for a normal lifespan, and a normal life in general. With her dead, there was nobody to even do so much as brew him more elixir.

He got up and picked up the knife again, looked at it, and then dropped it. Instead, he walked over and put a hand on his double’s neck. After a moment, however, he let go and stepped back.

“You do it,” he told Nat. “I can’t.”

Natasha momentarily wondered if she could, either – but that was silly. She’d killed people with a far better claim on humanity than this homunculus, and ones who’d done far less wrong. She squeezed, and he disintegrated, leaving Natasha and Jim alone on the deck.

From somewhere below them there was a deep groaning sound that vibrated the floor under their feet and made Nat’s insides shiver in a very uncomfortable manner. The ship began to tilt to starboard, and she and Jim both grabbed at the railings.

“We gotta go,” said Nat.

Jim shook his head. “What about Perenelle?” he asked.

They both looked over the edge again. The engines were silent now, and the propellers had stopped churning. The ship was just drifting along on the course the homunculus had set it. Nat wondered if it were a good sign that there was no visible blood in the water, but that was a pretty forlorn hope. Perenelle had figured out how to stop her own aging, how to heal injuries that ought to kill, and how to escape the depredations of disease, but she wasn’t indestructible. A trip through the propellers of a ship this size could kill a whale. It could kill an alchemist, too.

Light from the philosopher’s stone appeared through the stateroom windows below, and the ship listed further. There was only one thing they could do.

“We have to go,” Nat said, and put a hand on Jim’s shoulder. “I know what you’re thinking, but there’ve got to be other alchemists. Perenelle said Paracelsus was the expert on homunculi, and if he were dead she would have said so.” Wouldn’t she?

Jim shook his head. “How long do you think it’d take to find him, though?” he asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s our best shot,” said Nat.

Jim, however, reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out Sir Stephen’s locket – the one with the lock of Buckeye’s hair. Nat put her hand over it.

“Newton said that wouldn’t work,” she reminded him. “Anyway, the ship’s sinking! You’ll drown when it goes under!”

“Do we believe anything Newton said?” asked Jim.

“I don’t know,” Nat admitted.

“I’ll be dead before we can find Paracelsus, or anybody else,” Jim told her. “They don’t want to be found, remember? And they won’t help even if I ask. They think I’m…” he hung his head. “Disposable.”

It wouldn’t work, Nat thought. She was sure of it. She had her doubts about her own plan, but surely it stood a better chance of working than Jim’s did. She’d beaten the homunculi in fights before. She could stop him. She could throw him overboard, knock him out and carry him, she could…

But that didn’t mean she should. What Jim wanted, more than anything, was to be considered a human being, and human beings were allowed to choose their own fate – even if the one they chose was suicide.

“Even if it works, you’ll drown,” she repeated.

“Maybe not. Maybe I can swim for it,” Jim said. He squeezed her hand. “I have to try.”

Nat nodded. Then she bit her lip, hard enough to draw blood, grabbed him by the shirt and kissed him. With her lips and her tongue, she smeared her blood around and inside his mouth. He tasted the iron and realized what she was doing, and stepped away in surprise.

“What…?” he asked.

“Human tissue,” she said. “Just in case.”

Jim wiped his mouth on his shirt, leaving a red smear on the white fabric. “You go,” he said. “I’ll catch up.” He reached for her, intending to kiss her again.

This time it was Nat who stepped away. “If that’s really what you’re going to do,” she said. “We don’t have time. Go now.”

“I’ll catch up,” Jim repeated. “I promise.” His adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and then he ran back to the nearest door.

#fanfic #natasha romanov #bucky barnes #steve rogers #clint barton #sharon carter #sam wilson

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practicallyrational-blog · 6 years ago

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A Brief Outline of Some Obvious Things

Let me just start off by making the obvious point that Citizens United was one of the worst things that has ever happened to this country. The other day I was listening to what was formerly known as the "Waking Up" podcast with Sam Harris, who, at the beginning of the podcast was explaining why he continues to refuse to run ads on his podcast and depends solely on individual contributions from listeners:

"If I were taking a lot of money from the New Yorker, would I be free to say that one of it's writers had just published something scandalously stupid? Maybe.

"But ... I don't want to have to think twice about whether something I think is important to say might upset a sponsor. And you don't want me to have to think about that either. My goal with this podcast is to create a forum for honest conversation of a sort that scarcely exists anywhere else ... And there is no way I can do that [while] depending on ads."

This is equally relevant in contemporary American politics which is why I've personally decided that I will never vote for another Presidential candidate that accepts campaign contributions from anything other than individual donors and is completely transparent about every dollar they receive to fund their campaign.

So let's talk about this for a paragraph or three. Currently there is a push for candidates and congresswomen and men to reject corporate campaign donations and, as of my last count, there are currently 52 members of congress who have publicly committed to rejecting donations from corporate PACs right now, and in future campaigns. This is huge. It allows these lawmakers more freedom to legislate without outside pressure from corporate interest groups and donors and this should be an automatic litmus test for anyone running for office. It is for me. So, I got to looking and of these 52 members, guess how many of them are Republicans?

Francis Rooney and Phil Roe.

Every other Republican member of congress has currently refused to give up even a single dollar of their corporate funding, keeping them in submissive obedience to the interests of their donors. This should be all that anyone really needs to know about the motives and intentions of the entire GOP. Excluding, at least partially, of course, Rooney and Roe.

So think about what this means. Because the needs of you and I are often in conflict with the desires of corporate barons and billionaires, when policy creation or changes occur, who do you think is going to get their voice heard and have their needs met? In fact, who do you think is initiating the policy changes in the first place? Honest politicians?

Consider something else. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you were being literally, utterly f ... screwed by a company you worked for? Or a business you no longer wanted the services of? Your bank or a loan shark? An aggressive private towing company that won't take the boot off your car when you have to get to work? How hopeless does it feel to know that you stand absolutely zero legal chance fighting alone against a conglomerate like Wells Fargo or Walmart or Jim's Nice Guy Towing? No matter how right you are and wrong they were? Soak in that feeling for a minute. And let me ask you, and you can answer this for yourself, why do you think it's set up this way? How do you think it got like this?

So we have all this money flying around up there, above the rest of us. And to keep the masses ignorant of this greedy exchange we see an ideological media assault where old men in ties endlessly praise the Divine Virtue of "trickle down" economics and unregulated, Laissez-faire free markets. Why? Because this is the type of market within which this little dance with the devil can occur. This group of television and radio provocateurs, led early on, by Bob Grant and Rush Limbaugh, exploded onto the scene in the 80's after the revocation of the the FCC Fairness Doctrine which required broadcasters to present and report on issues of national importance with honesty and fairness. Rush Limbaugh, for example, moved to New York and started his radio broadcast in 1988 less than a year after the revocation.

The primary focus of the show, at least early on, was to create a boogeyman of what was referred to as the "liberal media" and to demonize any cooperative effort among the people to force the fair taxation of billionaires and establish social safety nets or humane legislation as GASP! SOCIALISM! The slippery slope. Which would actually make a pretty good name for a ride at an amusement park.

So, gradually at first, and then with increasing momentum through the 80's, we see an entire generation (mostly baby boomers) conflating and confusing the concept of Patriotism and the "American way" with supply side (Laissez-faire), trickle down economics, when the reality of our history tells a totally different story. I defer to the post World War II economic explosion and the 91% top marginal tax rate during that time. This economic golden era slowed drastically as the baby boomers began taking over in the 70's and came to a shit spewing halt with the Reagan corporate tax cuts and massive market deregulation in the 80's. I never knew about this growing up.

These heads with ties and mouth have made it laughably easy for policy makers to institute massive tax cuts for the ultra rich and deregulation of their companies because they had our parents and, by proxy, most of the rest of us convinced that of course, this was all being done in the name of good ole' American free market values. And we all knew, from listening to Reagan and watching watching Fox News (which exploded in the 90's) that the extra money would trickle it's way down to the rest of us in the end (wink, wink). Oh, and of course, we can say with confidence that all of this had absolutely nothing to do with the money that was and is being donated to install these cronies into our government in the first place. Citizens United is the culmination of the national corporate economic overhaul.

What's so devious about this tragic and immoral economic decay is that as it's occurring right in front of our eyes, half of the country is defending it. And it's generally the half of the country that is getting screwed the worst. None the wiser.

Fortunately, we have a newer, younger generation of internet savvy, fact checking Gen-X, Millenial and Gen-Z snowflake commie cucks who are finally starting to figure out what Mom and Dad didn't. The numbers are in and the old men are making less sense every day. Of course to any competent young google guru (say that 5 times fast) or fact checker, none of this stuff is checking out and the walls come crashing down fairly quickly. So, may I just say, Mr. Sean Hannity, hold on to your red tie, because the first wave of snowflakes were just sworn into congress earlier this month. And I have a feeling that we will be seeing some changes in an office even higher than that in the very near future. Here's to a better future for those of us left over to pick up the pieces.

#aoc greennewdeal thepowellmemo rushlimbaugh

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vam9ire · 7 years ago

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We Could Be Kings

Nygmobblepot Week 2017 Fics - Day 5 - Kings

Summary: Oswald goes to Arkham to make an offer to Edward.

Rating: G

Words: 1,516

A/N: This is set in the new 52 universe, after Zero Year. It’s pretty short, but I wanted to just do something quick and open for this one.

“The gilded bird willingly entering the cage of the condemned. Or, perhaps, just a viewing of the rest of us jailbirds?” Edward queried aloud, his tone almost teasing, or even testing, in a way that made it immediately clear that he was analyzing the situation. Though, that wasn’t very surprising at all, seeing as The Riddler was known for having a detailed plan for nearly any set of conditions. Of all of his trademark qualities—intellect, wit, confident flair, even his drive for theatrics— it was his ability to actively adapt his plans, in the face of nearly any obstacles that happened to appear within his path, that made him so valuable. It was also the reason that he was currently stuck within what was essentially an unbreakable safe.

Or rather, as unbreakable of a safe as the GCPD could put together. It was one of the many cell-like rooms within Arkham Asylum that were designed specifically with Edward Nygma in mind once the Zero Year had come to an end, ensuring that Nygma could be easily moved into a new room before he could successfully figure out an escape plan for his old one. Four walls enclosed The Riddler, three reinforced with steel beams and one of unbreakable glass, with the only door in and out securely locked, with three different locks; one requiring a physical key, one a key card, and one only unlockable with a nine digit pass code.

“Oh good, you already know who I am. That means we can skip the introductions, I hope.” Oswald’s tone carried an inflection of disdain when he responded, though he hummed in amusement towards Edward’s unsubtle word choice. He found it entertaining, for the moment at least, how playfully mocking The Riddler proved to be, regardless of the fact that this was their first time meeting. While he spoke, he casually approached the the large glass panel that was confining Edward within his small cell, until he came to a stop about a foot away.

“You can’t go floating around in your iceberg palace, or sticking your beak into the pockets of nearly any illegal arms holder in the city, for very long without drawing some attention to yourself. Besides that, I’ve known of you and your exploitative dealings for a very long time, Mr. Penguin.” Edward enigmatically informed him, also advancing towards the glass as he spoke in order to sort of mirror Oswald’s actions. He was a few inches taller than Oswald, though that was nothing either particularly cared about, and he leaned in towards the glass as he continued in a more serious tone. “So, I wonder, why exactly are you here?”

“Well, Mr. Nygma, I am here because I have,” Oswald paused for a moment as he began to answer Edward’s question, grinning slightly as he took a second to consider his words before he continued, “A business proposition that I’d like you to consider.” He had thought for a very long time about this plan and whether it would be worth the effort it would no doubt require, and as he stood face-to-face with the key to it all, he was very confident that it was a good move on his part. Even with the risks involved, the results that would come from the plan’s success would definitely be priceless.

Edward shifted on his feet as he listened to Oswald’s purposefully vague explanation, mildly impressed that the man was trying so hard to peak his interest. That ambition, and the fact that Edward had grown considerably bored over the months that he had been locked up in Arkham with no one to interact with but guards and lawmen, none of which were even moderately stimulating to him, was what ultimately pushed him to humor Oswald. “A business offer from the biggest up and coming kingpin of the Gotham City crime underworld? Alright, Cobblepot, color me intrigued.”

“From what I’ve heard, you have a very valuable array of qualities that, when in the correct hands, could really turn an entire city on it’s head. I would like to assist you in utilizing these qualities in a way that would benefit the both of us.” Oswald was careful in how he put across his more detailed explanation, trying to both give Edward enough information, while also withholding on giving away too many specifics, in order to hold his interest in the offer. As he watched Edward, the way he focused on him made it clear that he was succeeding. “Consider that we could be partners in crime; you taking back a city that was once already yours, and me finally staking my claim on a city that should have been mine a long time ago. We both have enemies, a bat and a boy billionaire come to mind, and together we can knock them down a few pegs.”

As Edward listened to Oswald, hanging intently off of each word in order to analyse everything he was saying, he idly began to twiddle his thumbs and occasionally shift his weight on each foot. The Penguin was very clearly being so obtuse on purpose, each word carefully decided, and it made Edward feel as though Oswald was either sitting on a nest of golden eggs or he was just spouting horsefeathers. Knowing that Oswald was a very business professional man, Edward was inclined to believe that it was the former. “Well, you’ve made it obvious that your goal is to wrap your talons around the city and become the real… aptenodytes forsteri of Gotham, if you’ll excuse the pun,” He paused to smile at his own joke, “But what’s in it for me?”

“For starters, I have many connections in this city, especially connections for getting out of sore spots with the law. If you agree to work with me on my little ‘project’, I can get you out of Arkham in no longer than a week, and you’ll be completely free to walk the streets.” Oswald gestured towards him with his cane as he answered Edward’s question, his confidence exuding with each word spoken. It wasn’t very easy or cheap, and there would certainly be a lot of resistance from the public, but Oswald had already made the arrangements for Edward’s charges to be practically dropped from the legal system, and all he needed to do was make the call.

Edward was motionless for a long minute after Oswald had stopped talking, his eyes firmly holding eye contact with the other man’s, as he thoroughly considered this offer. Coming up with an easily conductible, and at least fifty-percent successful, escape plan from the asylum was proving to be more difficult than he would like to admit, with how often his cell was switched and with how closely he was being watched, but as time went on he had been getting closer to figuring something out. It would be nice to have such an easy way out, but if it was something that he could eventually solve on his own, there had to be more to it. “A very tempting offer, but what else is in it for me, Oswald?”

“If you agree, my dear Edward, then I can guarantee you a spot at my side once I have made Gotham as my empire. If everything goes according to plan, we can rule this entire city together.” Oswald’s tone was sincere and he grinned as he replied. It was a very ambitious claim that he had just informed Edward of, but his seriousness on the subject really managed to captivate him. It obviously wasn’t an impossible thing to do, seeing as Edward had actually succeeded in controlling Gotham, even if it was only for a short period of time, and Oswald had managed to do some pretty impressive things to get to where he was, so Edward felt some confidence that it could be done.

“Now, that is an offer.” Edward stated slowly after a second of silence, his eyes never leaving Oswald as he thought. Afterwards, the man fell silent once again, this time for a much longer moment, but eventually he took a few steps closer to the glass separating them and he raised his hands up to press against the cool, perfectly smooth surface before he finally answered, his smile growing. “I think we have a deal, Mr. Cobblepot.”

“Very good, Mr. Nygma.” Oswald’s own grin spread wider as he processed Edward’s positive response, and he removed one of his hands from his cane so that he raise his own hand up to gently press against the glass in the same spot as one of Edward’s own hands, in lieu of a handshake. After a few seconds of comfortably confident silence between the two men, Oswald was the first to lower his hand again, and he turned away to start walking away from the room, but not before he looked over his shoulder to address Edward one last time, “I will be in contact with you very soon, Edward. Right now, I have to go make a very important phone call.”

#edward nygma #oswald cobblepot #nygmobblepot #nygmobblepotweek #nygmobblepositivity #new52 #zero year #dc #e writes

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bluehairedlordwrites · 5 years ago

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What Comes Next

Series: None

Prompt: After suffering a deadly car crash, Matthew finds himself somewhere he can’t explain.

Rating: SFW, PG-13 (violence, death, existentialism, life after death)

Notes: This one is a bit more personal. I wrote this a few months ago on a whim after a sudden rush of inspiration, and this is what came of it. I thought it might be worth sharing. Give it a read mayhaps? I won’t do too many like these (unless you enjoy it) so let me know what you think!

Also no, my name is not Matthew. It’s Kyle. Cheers!

Have you ever been in a situation, or in an environment, that you just couldn’t describe? That’s where I was. I wasn’t hot. I wasn’t cold. It wasn’t bright. It wasn’t dark. I could see, so I guess it couldn’t have been dark. But that didn’t make it bright, did it? I don’t know.

“Hello Matthew.” A voice spoke, breaking the chilling silence. I looked ahead, and there was someone in front of me. I couldn’t make out who it was. Or even what it was. I knew they had a face, so I thought they must be human. But they had no defining features. They weren’t man or woman, white, black, or anything in between. If anyone had answers, it was them. But what would I even ask first? I guess I’d start with the easiest one.

“Who are you?” I asked.

The figure chuckled, as if it was an odd question to ask.

“Who am I? Names are no longer relevant dear child. If you must label me... I am... Me.”

Me smiled back at me, as if they provided an actual answer to my question. All it did was confuse me more.

“Okay...” I digressed. “Well, where are we?”

“I think you already know the answer to that.” Me answered cryptically. “Tell me, what is the last thing you remember before coming here?”

I paused for a moment, having to think that over. All these memories came rushing to my brain, but they felt so distant and long ago. Why do they still feel like the last memory I had?

“I...” I tried to gather my thoughts to convey into words. “I was at my girlfriends house. We got in a fight. I remember having a lot to drink, and I... I remember driving away, but... I don’t remember getting home. Why can’t I...”

A sudden realization struck me.

“W-wait, where... am I... am I really..?”

Me smiled, or at least I think they did. It certainly felt like it.

“Yes.” They replied. “On April 2nd, 2019, at approximately 9:52 PM Pacific Standard Time, you crashed your truck into a tree located about 3 miles from your targeted destination.”

I froze. Words failed to escape my mouth. Feelings couldn’t even be comprehended. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t laugh. I couldn’t feel anything. I didn’t even know if it was possible anymore. There was a burning question left on my mind.

“So... is this heaven then?”

“Heaven...” Me responded. “Heaven is a place where all of your dreams are your own reality, you are always in a state of pure euphoria, there is only one emotion; joy. Now tell me Matthew, do you feel joyous right now?”

I’m not even sure why they would ask that. After all the news they unloaded on me, how could I feel joyous? But if I wasn’t joyous, then...

“... No.” I responded. “So... does that mean I’m in hell?”

After my recent behavior, I guess I’d deserve nothing more.

“Hell...” Me answered. “Hell is a place where all of your nightmares are your own reality, you are always in a state of unending pain, there is only one emotion left; fear. Tell me Matthew, are you afraid right now?”

The question felt so obvious. Of course I would be afraid after hearing what he just said.

But for some reason, I didn’t feel that way. My brain was telling me I SHOULD feel that way, but I just couldn’t comprehend the feeling anymore. I couldn’t comprehend anything anymore.

“I...” I slowly answered. “... No... No I’m not.”

Me chuckled back at me. Out of thin air, they pulled a piece of paper and a pen.

“Now Matthew.” They instructed. “I want you to take this paper and pen. And I want you to write down all of your regrets. Even the most minuscule of regrets, all of the ones you can think of.”

They lay the page in front of me. It was at that moment that I realized I was sitting in a chair at a desk the entire time. Or maybe I wasn’t. I wasn’t paying attention to that I guess.

Now I stared at the blank sheet. All of my regrets... I guess I should start with the obvious one. I regret driving in the intoxicated state I was in. I regret getting in that stupid fight in the first place. I couldn’t even remember what it was about anymore. She was mad at me over something, but I know she was only mad because she loved me. I guess I regret not realizing that sooner.

I regret not seeing my mom and dad as much as I should have. They did so much for me growing up. We didn’t always live in the best circumstances, but they always gave everything they could to keep me happy. Really they worked harder than I ever gave them credit for. I can’t even remember the last conversation I had with them. I think my mom told me to remember to get a congratulations card for my Aunt Lauras wedding. I didn’t respond. I didn’t get a card for her either. I hope they don’t postpone the wedding to have my funeral. I don’t think I really deserve it. I think the last thing I said to my dad was something about the Mariners game. We were supposed to go to the upcoming one together. I guess that ship has sailed now.

I regret not making it to my brothers birthday party. He’s a bit younger than me, and I really can’t stand any of his friends. But I got along with him just fine. He deserved to at least have me there. But I skipped it to stay home, get drunk, and watch a movie alone. I think I told him I had to work overtime. I wonder if he knew it was a lie too.

I started to list smaller things. I regret never trying Baskin Robins. I was always a Cold Stone guy, but my girlfriend always wanted to try Baskin again. We never went. I regret never seeing Black Panther. Everyone said it was good, I just never was really interested in it. I regret not going on that road trip with my best friends. I had to work the days they left. I should have known they took priority over my job. I was too scared of getting fired. My boss and I were already on bad terms as is. On that note, I regret not working harder at work. I could have run that place had I put more effort into it. But all I wanted to do was get by off of the bare minimum. Why did I do that anyway? Why was I so lazy about doing things I felt I could love? That’s probably why my band never took off. I regret never spending enough time writing music. I had a talent for it, or at least everyone else thought so. But now it’s wasted.

I regret never getting a dog. My parents always told me it was too much responsibility, but I still always wanted one. I would have been a great owner. If I made the time I could have been at least. Did I even have the time? Probably. Maybe I wasn’t willing enough to put more time in. Or maybe that’s just what my parents believed. I wanted a golden retriever puppy named Sparky. I was gonna teach it how to fetch, how to roll over, how to sit on command... I never even got the chance for that.

I regret not making it to marriage. We had talked around it but I could never work up the courage to ask her. We had been together for a good 5 years then, I knew she was waiting for me to ask. I regret never being able to become a husband. Never being able to become a father. She always wanted kids, but I was never so sure. Now it’s all I can think about. Ironic, I know. Now all I can think about is watching my kid take their first steps, fall down, get back up, go to school, fall in love, make mistakes, learn from them through my guidance, graduate, live their lives... but because of my stupidity tonight, now they’ll never have that chance. Now I’LL never have that chance.

I regret skipping my grandfathers funeral. I was so broken at the time, I didn’t know how to cope with it. I just didn’t want to be seen in that state. I figured if my family saw me crying, they’d try to help me. But I didn’t want help. I just wanted my grandfather back.

I don’t know how long I was writing. Time didn’t seem to have any meaning anymore. Anytime I ran out of space, Me would hand me another sheet to write on. I kept going on like that about every mundane thing I could think of. My hand never cramped, not sure if it even could though.

Finally, I finished everything I could think of, even dating back to sitting by and befriending the kid in first grade who would end up bullying me later on in life. When I was finished, I handed all the pages to Me. Me took them, and began to look them all over. I watched back, slightly embarrassed by some of the things they may be reading.

“Mm.. yes... I see.” Me commentated. “Very interesting.”

Without another word, me ripped the entire stack in half, and threw it in a waste bin next to us.

“H-HEY!” I yelled, lunging for the trash bin. But when I looked inside, it was empty. I looked back up at them, who just stared back. I sat back in my chair.

“You’re here now. There is no place for regret. You made the decisions you made, and now there is no turning back.”

“Wouldn’t that be a perfect reason to be regretful?” I asked.

“No. Had you truly regretted them, you would have done then sooner, right?”

“Well I didn’t-“

“Think you’d be here so soon?” Me interrupted. “Let me guess, ‘there’s always next time?’”

I didn’t want to admit, but I found myself saying that very often.

“All these things you wrote down, you don’t truly regret them. You only do now that you can’t go back and right your wrongs. You were complacent in making the same choice every second of everyday. I’m sure your girlfriend never pressured you about marriage because there was always tomorrow. Now you’re gone, out of her life forever. And she never got the chance to have her dream family with you.”

I was speechless. Everything Me said was true, and it burned to even think of admitting it. Normally I would have swung a fist at them, but I didn’t think it would matter here.

“But she gets a second chance.” Me continues. “She will learn from these regrets, and she will find someone new to share a family with. Had this happened to you, you would have been broken forever, never trying to find someone new, even if that was the dream you had.”

“Well I never got the chance now did I?” I challenged.

“Yes. You did. Every day you didn’t propose, every day you didn’t go buy a dog, every day you didn’t get your aunt a card, you were making the conscious decision to avoid your responsibilities, even when you knew they would make you happy. Why did you do this? Because you knew you always had tomorrow. Well, now you’re here. You wasted all those tomorrows, and that was your decision alone.”

Everything I said, Me would challenge me and shut me down. It was even worse that they were right about everything.

“So now what?” I asked.

“Now you can only hope that everyone else learns from your mistakes, and lives their lives when they have it.”

“So what, I’m just the catalyst for everyone else to learn from?”

“We all have a role to play in this world Matthew.” Me answered. “Perhaps this is yours to play.”

I sighed, slouching down in my chair.

Out of thin air, Me pulled a monitor and placed it on my desk.

“What’s this?” I ask.

“You clearly still hold onto these regrets.” Me replied. “This will show you the lives of everyone you touched, after you left their world. You can watch them perhaps remedy the mistakes you left behind. Maybe your brother will go to the baseball game with your father instead, and that will be a moment they cherish forever. Perhaps your girlfriend will remarry. This is where you can find out.”

I stared at the screen. I saw a series of moments from my friends and families lives. I saw police officers at my girlfriends house. She began weeping into one of their arms. I saw the same sight with my parents. My friends. My bandmates. My coworkers. They all responded in different ways. Even the people I didn’t think I mattered to responded with at the least a sad face. I couldn’t believe what I was watching.

I watched my funeral. So many people gathered around, talking about me, and how much they cherished me. I saw my own body in the casket. My dad talked about what a hard worker I was. He talked about how he cherished the moments we would go to the shooting range, or work on our trucks together, or watch whatever sports game that happened to be on. My mother praised me for being a goodhearted man who everyone got along with. My brother talked about how good I was at guitar, and how jealous he was that I was so gifted with music. He vowed to learn guitar in my stead. My girlfriend spoke in between weeps about how we were to get married, and how she feels bad for pressuring me about kids. She said she feels it was her fault I didn’t propose to her sooner. After that, she begins to cry, and my mother slowly guides her off stage.

“No...” I say, void of any emotion. I’m not sure what I’m even feeling anymore. “That’s not true. That’s not true! I-I was just stupid! Please, tell her it wasn’t her fault!”

“It’s too late for that.” Me responds. I kind of expected that response anyway.

“Will she ever have kids after this? I-I don’t want to be the reason she...” My words trail off, feeling too weak to finish them.

Me gestures to the screen.

“Would you like to find out?” They say mysteriously. I gaze back at the screen. “When you feel you’re finished, take my hand. And I will take you to where you are meant to be.”

I stared at the screen, watching the end of my funeral, seeing people get in their cars and drive away. Do I want to see all of this transpire? Would it be right? I don’t even feel like I deserve these people.

Looking at the screen, I see my best friend put his arm around my girlfriend, who leans into him. They walk to his car, and he opens the passenger seat for her to climb in. He walks over to the drivers seat, gets in, and begins to drive off.

It was clear after that moment; they’d be better off without me. It would be too painful to watch all of this go on without me. Besides... maybe this way, she’ll be happier. She’ll be happier... without me.

“No...” I respond. “I... I think I’ve seen enough.”

Me stretches their hand out. “Are you sure? You cannot come back here after you’ve decided.”

“Yeah.” I stand my ground. “Besides-“ I reach out and grab Me’s hand “- I saw everything I needed to see from that. They’ll be okay.”

Me responded with a smile. They lifted me off my chair, and suddenly we were gently lifting away. I watched the desk get smaller and smaller by the second. I looked back at me... Me... me... it was me. After that sight, all I can remember is feeling warm.

END

#my writing #not sure what else to tag this #real life #no series #that'll do

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dwestfieldblog · 5 years ago

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IT SEEMS TO BE NOW OR FOREVER/ A NEW DISORDER OF THE AGES

(Or is it only ancient and unjustified?) Hail Eris...I escaped England on the day Boris Johnson became the newest puppet of masters, vested interests, donors and manipulators. The evil of of two lessers. 23rd of July, Sirius day (The sun behind the sun). British people prefer characters these days more than actual character. Put it down to the Reality TV facebook twitter lifestyle. A loveable eccentric eh? Blonde and bumbling, good for a laugh huh? Despite the fact that he is a serial barefaced liar, was a very dubious lord mayor of London with highly expensive/ridiculous ideas and utter bollocks at being Foreign Secretary. Boris wrote in 1999 'I am a raving Euro federalist...a pro European of the most violent, dyspeptic and incurable disposition'. (That was until he saw 52 percent of Brits wanted to leave the EU and thought AHA! I smell a way to power.) We all forgive a rogue with boyish charm don't we? Let's see how long the United Kingdom survives. On the day I flew back The New York Times front page had a column: 'Is Johnson how Britain will end?'

Depressing advert seen on the side of of red London bus...'Bucket Life (KFC) delivered'. Buckets of antibiotic pumped peculiar half 'chicken' type chemicals straight to your door. Good to have the empty bucket handy after one has consumed a feast fit for vomiting straight out again. Obesity well on the rise over there, he says, wolfing an entire packet of chocolate waffles with half a litre of cold milk.

Religion/politics...Nice quoted headline from a Taliban spokesman last month: 'We will not bomb schools or hospitals'. How very decent and noble of them after all these years, perhaps there aren't enough left to bother with. Today on the BBC news their spokesman said they 'never targeted civilians'. Well quite a lot seem to have been accidentally blown up by roadside and suicide bombs...Hard to imagine a decent future for the non fanatical people of Afghanistan, especially the females and shameful that the west is withdrawing because 'peace' is so near. Fnord. Perhaps they will get a cut in the opium profits/prophets. 'Mission accomplished'. Really? Saudi Arabia will now allow women to go out without permission or a guardian. In '2019'? Surely they will microchip them under the veil and have them followed by drones. How long did it take the sheiks just to accept female drivers? Nice folk who agreed to release a woman's rights activist only IF she said she hadn't been tortured. Swine.

'Can Christians in the US survive without bibles? The answer is probably not'. Thus spake the Global Times newspaper, run by the allegedly communist party of China. This, in response to hearing of new US tariffs on Chinese goods...guess where their bibles are made? That's right. 'The spiritual world of most American people is based on China's industrial capability'. Fascinating sentence on many levels. Take five seconds and think on the implications of that, if you will...

I watched several Trump debacles on CNN this summer. As usual, the 'fake news/liberal media' (etc etc) doesn't actually need to make any stories up, he provides a limitless supply of verbatim goodies with which to play. And then tries to deny he ever said them by using outright lies and obfustication (exactly the same as Boris's 'dead cat on the table' idea.) The four congresswomen of colour Trump ranted about...the chanting crowd 'Send her back'....'I didn't like that they did that and I started speaking very quickly'....Live TV coverage showed it took him 13 seconds before he spoke over them, while he turned left and right...and just for a second got that look of shiny eyed pride. His sentence that he had been 'down there' with the first responders on Nine Eleven. Surely his supporters (apart from QAnon who is either a moron, brilliant comedian or Kremlin sock puppet) must know he is lying in their faces..perhaps they really don't care. Like Melania's coat.

One of the congresswomen (Born in Somalia and a naturalised citizen) had made a non racist comment that some congressmen appear to have received money from Israeli businesses to promote their interests. Well..seems likely and fair enough, that is how it usually works everywhere. Those with money pay politicians to dance and the dosh is gleefully accepted. Not just Israel. It looks as if Trump seized on this as a useful way of stirring up manure. Criticising the state of Israel and her government is not racist just because they are Jewish. Corruption is corruption, whatever the colour or creed. And a prostitute is a prostitute. How many of Trump's KKK followers and Republican Christian haters of abortion actually support Israel? Take a calm guess on the percentages of probability. How many 'acting' people has he around him now? (One way of keeping them on their toes...) 'Fat tangerine racist with the brains of a McNugget' indeed. Hopefully he will continue to take no unhealthy exercise and maintain his cheeseburger diet.

And Yet Another mass slaughter by a man/boy with a gun. In protest at the 'Hispanic invasion'. In Texas. That's right Texas, which used to belong to the Mexicans before the old land grab in the name of oil. Trump rambling that bigotry, racism and white supremacy have no place in America. Well apparently they do and are not diminished by your former and continuing outright lack of total condemnation over the last few years. Although they have been strengthened by your petulant little blonde boy Hitler youth type attitudes towards blacks, Moslems, Native Americans and Mexicans. Germophobia because of colour? (unless the showers are golden) Does darker skin seem dirty to you? You approach black sportsmen and musicians with a type of benevolent fascination rather than actual friendship.

Extinction Rebellion...Hmm..'And yes, some of us may die in the process', as one of the English leaders of the movement said. Unlikely the 52 year old with a PhD meant himself. However, a placard I saw held aloft by a young protester read; 'WHY AM I BEING EDUCATED IF YOU DON'T LISTEN TO THE EDUCATED' was a highly salient point (albeit without a question mark at the end.) Scientists amass careful evidence of global warming and the politicians, being paid regular large sums by oil, gas, precious metal companies etc, ignore long term survival for the sake of all following generations. Leave it for the kids to inherit a wasteland. However, in the XR handbook, it mentions the protests causing the 'necessary material disruption and economic cost'. Costs which will be mostly paid by those on average to minimum incomes...doesn't really square with XR also seeking the 'redistribution of wealth'. Marxist twats masturbating their egos. Personally, I am far more on the side of the rebellious, always have been and will be, just seems a shame XR seem so full of smugness, radical unbalanced vegans and hatred. (and I would like to know exactly where their funding comes from) Not possible to be a quiet, determined but peaceful fanatic. I have always liked Jaz Coleman's old quote that 'Fanaticism is the only way of dealing with a situation of overwhelming odds.' At last reason makes perfect sense! And speaking of those who love Mother Earth...

Who didn't love Putin's wonderful speech to a manufacturing and industrial forum in Yekaterinburg?....Hilarious stand up comedy as he asked 'How many birds are dying?' (By flying into wind farm turbines.) And followed that heartfelt classic up with 'This is no joke, the worms crawl right out of the ground' (due to the shaking...) 'This is the consequence of these modern forms of energy production'. In other words, keep buying oil and gas and sod clean solar and wind power because some worms and birds have a problem with it. How does the universe not laugh him into a Siberian gulag? Trump had said that wind turbines 'are killing all the eagles'. He didn't mention the worms. Don't mention the worms! It is lovely to know Mr Putin cares so much about our feathered and slimy friends. (Good to see Russia welcomed back into the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe after 5 years out in the howling wilderness for its invasion of Crimea. Well, the PCE were running very low on funding and Russia owed them a lot of well needed roubles. These assemblies cost money...and souls for Yog Sothoth)

Many hundreds of protesters have been arrested in Moscow over the last couple of weeks. They had been asking a fair question of where all the opposition parties and leaders had gone for the local elections. And the main opposition leader was moved from prison to hospital (and then back again) due to having had 'an allergic reaction'. Well, poison can do that to a man. Especially when he thwarts the Kremlin in any way. Whoever described Russia as a democracy? Not Solzhenitsyn. 11th August, one week after it told America that it is watching its missile programme VERY closely and will 'match every step with one of our own', Russia tells Google to stop advertising 'illegal demonstrations' or it will take action against it. Lovely news.

Meanwhile in Hong Kong...How long before the veritable Mrs Lam 'invites' the tanks in to help? Good luck with freedom people, be careful. At least Li Pcheng is dead. (one of the minds behind the June 1989 massacre of students in Peking) As one newspaper over here said 'One butcher is gone, others remain.' Detention Centres/'Vocational Schools' have been set up in Tibet where lucky students 10-20 years old can 'learn law (!) language and employable skills' and renounce the Dalai Lama. The latter is non optional. And the former. China has said the camps are 'all expenses paid humane boarding schools'. Humane is not a word for semantic realists to associate with their regime. One more time, Tibet is NOT China in any way whatsoever and certainly not spiritually. A fair number of Huawei workers were educated at and worked with and for China's varied military agencies. Enough to be worrying that Britain has yet to refuse them contracts involved in building the 5G mobile network. Smart phones for foolish people. Are these really the folk to have linked up to a telecommunications network in a democratic country?

Speaking of which...Seems that most folk in Britain have not got the smallest idea how much they have been manipulated. Direct links between Boris, (still in close touch with Steve Bannon) Farage and Trump. The well interwoven threads of populists pandering to the lowest common denominator in the name of self gain. The democracies of the western world are being turned against themselves in the name of foul hearted demagogues. Lack of balanced education has made a deep mass unawareness of actual facts. Human emotions are being weaponised to make choices based on wrong information. It has always been so but it is far easier now due to false twitter accounts/facebook et al. Trump's entire vision is based exactly on genuine false news and what he and the other similar familiars are promoting is a virus of illusion and outright lies.

Psyops..(psychological operations) have been used for centuries. There is much wrong with the EU, but they are way closer to us (Britain) in spirit and democratic culture than Russia and China. Those voting for more control of borders will eventually be gifted with less and less freedom but at least it will have been their democratic choice. Arf. The majority of Britons believe they are making patriotic choices. They are not. They are assisting in the break up and destabilising of friendships based on level headed, pragmatical agreements. And into this weakness will move those whose only interest is mass control. We are serving our enemies.

But that said, it is good to be aware that 'Opinions result from perceptions and perceptions reinforce opinions which then further control perceptions, in a repeating loop that logic can never penetrate.' Stasis and decay result unless a little shock of the new is introduced one way or the other to 'startle the brain enough to re-frame its experiences'. So there you have it. Or as Buddha said, 'We are the result of everything we have thought.' Makes you think, doesn't it? Ha. How do you know you are thinking? So...You knew that would happen but you did it anyway...

Back to normality....

While in London, I played with my band and after we had played a fast song called Natural Chaos, (a classic) the bass player told me I had shape shifted and looked like a reptile. No drugs involved. Very disturbing to be told this as I have various theories about those who look reptilian. Oh well, perhaps cold rage and evil are still within. Shame. I spent three and a half hours one afternoon freeing a bumble bee from a large black spider's web in the garden. Got it out, gave it a couple of flowers to suck from and get energy, some rain drops of water to help clean itself, tiny tiny bits of hedge twig to gently attempt to get the web off like a careful brain surgeon. Got two legs free, very gently helped clean one half of the head (it didn't fight or try to sting me) Put it in sunshine for some seconds to power it up, then back into cooler shade and back to work. Absolute focus of three hours. Web is VERY difficult to get off. I left it alone with some more rain drops from a flower tray to drink from. Went back, tried again until darkness fell. Had to leave it by side of flower bed, still half covered by binding web. In the morning found the bee was dead but had managed to remove the rest of the web itself and die clean. The energy it must have spent would have been massive. Wondered about attempting to mess with nature and whether it is justified but I could not have left it wrapped up and trapped. So, I am a hippy reptile. And according to someone in my family I am also a Socialist and cynical. Cynical I can live with (having checked the exact meaning and origin) but bollocks to Socialism. Labels are truly ridiculous...Libertarian anarchist is closer to a useful definition. Or failed mystic. Arf arf arf. The wizard without any whizz. Maybe.

'Whatever is done for love is beyond good and evil.' Hmmm...First, try define Love. What do you seek? Happiness and learning, Freedom and magick...Balance? Between the I and the AM, there sparks the relay of Will and vision and so, creation. 'Not until the male become female and the female becomes male shall ye enter the kingdom of Heaven, Jesus (Yeshua ben Yosif) in the Gospel of Thomas....So, All together now..Yod-He-Vau-He...(To couples too withdrawn to truly open their hearts, fearing pain or too guilty to express their inner nature to their partner or themselves.) Sex without true passion leads to orgasm but without connection by those who have been taught or who have learned to be afraid of love. Chasing orgasms is a fraction of the colossal energy and brain change possible. When Earth blends with Heaven, the astral is born and all take on aspects of the other, empowering all. Merge the fields, unify the forces and don't rush before the fields are charged. Open and focus.

I read in the New York Times today about various problems with tumblr...would be a pity if it vanished. All I have seen in the years I have been on, has been of far more heart and good spirited humour and care than other sources of individual expression on line for free. All the best back to school...All Hail Discordia and see you with Love at Halloween. Keep expanding your reality labyrinths until now or forever....

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investmart007 · 6 years ago

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CLEVELAND | The Latest: Warriors lead Cavs heading into 4th quarter

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/y8n2U1

CLEVELAND | The Latest: Warriors lead Cavs heading into 4th quarter

CLEVELAND — The Latest on the NBA Finals from Wednesday’s Game 3 (all times local):

11 p.m.

Kevin Durant has Golden State a quarter away from a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

The Warriors have an 83-81 edge heading into the final period, surging ahead with one of their patented third-quarter runs even while Stephen Curry continues to struggle.

But Durant has been brilliant, with 34 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. That has more than compensated for Curry’s 1-for-11 outing, including 0 for 7 from 3-point range.

LeBron James has 21 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers, who were outscored 31-23 in the third.

___

10:35 p.m.

Good news for the Cavaliers: They finally got a free throw attempt, after LeBron James’ basket early in the second half.

Bad news for the Cavaliers: Golden State has all the other points in the third quarter.

The Warriors opened the third quarter with an 11-3 spurt to take a 63- 61 lead.

James was fouled while scoring after Cleveland didn’t attempt a free throw in the first half, when it led by as many as 13 points.

___

10:15 p.m.

Cleveland has a 58-52 halftime lead in Game 3 of the NBA Finals that would be much bigger if not for Kevin Durant.

Durant scored 24 points, the only Warriors player in double figures in a foul-plagued, poor-shooting first half for Stephen Curry.

LeBron James has 14 points, nine assists and six rebounds, and he’s getting more help than his counterpart Durant. Kevin Love had 15 points and 10 rebounds, J.R. Smith scored 10 points, and Rodney Hood made a nice contribution with six.

Cleveland led by as much as 13 in a half where Curry committed three fouls and was 1 for 8 from the field.

___

10 p.m.

LeBron James is on. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are way off.

James is up to 14 points, six assists and five rebounds midway through the second quarter, leading Cleveland to a 44-34 advantage. The Cavaliers also are getting a strong performance from J.R. Smith, with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Curry is just 1 for 8, missing all five 3-pointers, a game after making an NBA Finals-record nine 3s. Thompson, his backcourt mate, is 1 for 6.

___

9:40 p.m.

Cleveland’s strong start was almost entirely erased, thanks largely to Kevin Durant.

The 2017 NBA Finals MVP had 13 points and was 4 for 4 from the field as Golden State cut a 12-point deficit down to 29-28 after one quarter. Durant also grabbed all of the Warriors’ seven rebounds.

That helped Golden State overcome a combined 2-for-9 start for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Curry also picked up two fouls.

Andre Iguodala entered midway through the period for his debut in this series and made his lone shot. LeBron James had six points and five assists for the Cavaliers.

___

9:30 p.m.

The Cavaliers quickly made seven of their first 13 shots — and throw out one of the misses, because it was on purpose.

LeBron James’ pass to himself off the backboard for a slam dunk was the early highlight as Cleveland raced to a 16-4 lead and are up 22-14 in the first quarter.

The 12-point margin represented the biggest lead of the series for the Cavaliers, who were ahead by 11 in Game 1.

J.R. Smith and Kevin Love both made 3-pointers and scored five points in the strong start.

___

9:10 p.m.

JaVale McGee remains in the starting lineup even though Andre Iguodala is available for Golden State, which is trying for a 3-0 lead in the NBA Finals for the second straight year.

The Warriors could become the 14th team to win the first three games of the NBA Finals. All of the previous 13 have won the series.

The Cavaliers are used to being in this position. This is the fourth time in their five NBA Finals appearances that they’ve come home to host Game 3 staring at a 2-0 deficit.

They are the last team to get swept in the finals, dropping four straight to San Antonio in 2007.

McGee started in Game 2 and scored 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting

___

8:30 p.m.

Andre Iguodala has been cleared to play for the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Iguodala has been dealing with a bone bruise around his left knee. He has not played since Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against Houston, and the Warriors have gone 4-2 since he got hurt.

Iguodala’s return figures to be another big boost for the Warriors, who lead the Cavaliers 2-0 in this series and now get the 2015 NBA Finals MVP back into their rotation.

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8:25 p.m.

The Cavaliers’ next-door neighbors were planning to attend Game 3.

Indians manager Terry Francona and more than a dozen of his players were scrambling for tickets in the hours leading up to tip-off. Francona, a Cavs season-ticket holder and avid hoops fan, has been excitedly counting down the days before the game.

Francona ended his postgame news conference after the Indians beat Milwaukee Wednesday by saying, “Go Cavs!”

The Brewers considered staying, but the team’s travel plans to Philadelphia were already set and the players were going to convene at their hotel to watch the game. Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw, who went to Kent State and grew up in Northeast Ohio, wore a LeBron James jersey in the clubhouse the past two days.

Manager Craig Counsell joked that he was going to let Shaw break the team’s dress code and wear the jersey on the plane.

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8 p.m.

Rodney Hood’s insertion into Cleveland’s rotation won’t catch the Warriors off guard.

They know the forward well.

Hood is expected to get more playing time in Game 3 of the NBA Finals after barely getting on the floor during the first two games at Golden State. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue needs some kind of spark with J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver struggling and he’s planning to give minutes to Hood, who began the postseason in the starting lineup but has seen his role reduced.

Before he was traded by Utah to Cleveland in February, Hood scored 26 points in a game against Golden State.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr says Hood is a talented player, noting that “he’s a 3-point shooter. He’s a good driver. So we know he’s very capable of coming in and being productive.”

Hood had a rough go against the Warriors in the playoffs last year, making just 1 of 15 3s for the Jazz.

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6:05 p.m.

Golden State’s Draymond Green is about to break one of Wilt Chamberlain’s records.

No one in Warriors history has more postseason rebounds than Chamberlain, who grabbed 922 in his time with the Philadelphia and San Francisco Warriors. Green has 921 playoff rebounds so far in his career.

Of course, it bears noting that Chamberlain grabbed his in only 36 games.

Wednesday night’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals will be the 100th playoff game of Green’s tenure with Golden State. He’ll be the second Warrior to play in 100 postseason contests, joining only Klay Thompson.

And if Stephen Curry makes one 3-pointer in Game 3, he will become the first player in NBA history with a 3-pointer in 43 consecutive playoff road games. He’s currently tied with Reggie Miller as the only shooters to do that in 42 straight postseason contests away from home.

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5:20 p.m.

Game 3 of the NBA Finals gives Cleveland an opportunity for its ninth consecutive home playoff win, which would be a franchise record.

Cleveland is 8-1 at home in these playoffs, losing Game 1 of the first round against Indiana but being perfect — sometimes dominant — since. The Cavaliers have outscored opponents by an average of 12 points per game in their last eight home contests.

There are also some milestones awaiting LeBron James in Game 3.

When he takes the floor, it’ll be for the 238th playoff game of his career. That will give him outright possession of fourth place in NBA history, breaking his tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in that category.

And if he scores 30 in Game 3 — or any postseason game for the rest of his career — he will break a tie with Michael Jordan for the most 30-point playoff games in league history. James and Jordan both have scored at least that many 109 times in playoff games.

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1:15 p.m.

The Golden State Warriors expect Andre Iguodala to play in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night.

Iguodala has been dealing with a bone bruise around his left knee. He has not played since Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against Houston, and the Warriors have gone 4-2 since he got hurt.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr says Iguodala will warm up with the intention of playing in Game 3.

Iguodala’s return would be another big boost for the Warriors, who lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 2-0 in this title series and now get the 2015 NBA Finals MVP back into their rotation.

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7 a.m.

For LeBron James, losing is no longer an option.

With Cleveland down 2-0 to Golden State in the NBA Finals, James knows better than anyone that he and the Cavaliers are facing a must-win situation in Game 3 on Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. James acknowledged the Cavs are facing a “tall task” as it is against the Warriors, who are seeking their second straight title and third in four years.

Stephen Curry made nine 3-pointers in Golden State’s Game 2 win, and the Warriors, who live by a “Strength In Numbers” slogan, could get back forward Andre Iguodala for Game 3. Iguodala has missed the past six games with a knee injury but practiced Tuesday.

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue plans to switch up his rotation and play forward Rodney Hood, whose role has been reduced since the start of the postseason.

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (A.S)

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