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because-i-can-stuff · 3 years

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Life will always find a way

Dick Grayson x Y/N Roth

A/N: I haven’t written something like this in a long time and I just started watching Titans on Netflix (been a year since then) and been reading a bunch of fics and I kind of had this one stuck in my head. So tell me what you think and enjoy.

I forgot this even existed and was just sitting in my drafts so I guess I am posting this now

-Flashback-

It was one of those rare rainy days in San Francisco, you were just closing the small café you were working at. It was a busy day and the shop closed a little later than usual, meaning it was already beginning to get dark outside.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, you pulled the hood over your head trying to protect yourself from the weather. Today was just a day that couldn’t get any worse you thought to yourself.

It started with an alarm that didn’t go off, making you late for the first lecture of the day, the day at USF seemingly lasting forever and instead of heading home, you still needed to work. Life was dull and the universe was testing you, first your best friend passed away, then essays and other projects piling up and the excessive amount of work hours, happiness just wasn’t an option at the moment.

And now this, the rain, the darkness and the constant feeling of being followed.

Picking up your speed in hopes of getting home faster you took a shortcut not really thinking of the consequences but being reminded in a second, as somebody slammed you into a wall from behind, shocking you for a moment before regaining your composure and getting ready to defend yourself.

When suddenly a figure appeared behind your nightly attacker and ripped him off of you and started beating the crap out of him.

Your nightly saviour appeared to be some kind of masked vigilante , at least that’s what you guessed from the costume adorning a cape and the mask covering his eyes. Watching the fight scene unfold before you, the vigilante overpowering your attacker with ease, resulting with the stranger running away, yelling profanities.

The vigilante focussed his attention onto you, looking you up and down and you doing the same, noticing the wet mop of brunette hair framing his face and the chocolate brown eyes peaking from behind the mask., as well as the well-toned body adorned by the costume.

“Are you alright? Did he hurt you?” he asked sincerely.

“I’m alright, maybe a bruise or two but nothing I can’t handle. Thank you by the way”

“Robin” he interrupted

“Well, thank you, Robin. But it was nothing I couldn’t handle. I’m sure you have more pressing matters at hand so why don’t you take care of these and let me take care of myself.” You stated rather annoyed, not only annoyed by him but this whole day.

“Oh, well, okay… then I guess I will just leave you be” Robin stated quite unsure and disappeared within a moment.

Sure, you felt kind of bad about your behaviour, but you just wanted to get home, get cosy and cry yourself to sleep, the usual routine since your best friend passed away.

The next day promised to be a better one, with the alarm actually going of, the sun peaking from behind the clouds and you being on time for the lectures that day with the prospect of not having to work today and finally getting started on some essays.

Making your way to your favourite coffee shop, ordering a cappuccino and sitting down in a quiet corner, you unpacked your notebook and started typing, tuning out the world around you, therefore not noticing that somebody joined you at your table.

Only noticing your company after a small cough, looking up a young man around your age sat in front of you, with deep chocolate brown eyes, well styled brunette hair and a smile to match his handsome face.

“Can I help you?” you ask the mysterious stranger

“Hi” he answers with a charming smile “I just noticed you sitting by yourself and I don’t know… Obviously you are doing work or something, but I don’t know… there is something about that I just thought I really want to get to know the beautiful woman behind the notebook”

Normally you would turn down such advances, but today, you were feeling a little bit better about yourself than the last weeks and he wasn’t that bad looking, charming on top of that. And maybe he was just what you needed to distract you from the grieving and the stress.

“Well, thank you for the compliment, you are not so bad looking yourself.” You tried to flirt “My name’s Y/N, by the way.”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful lady” he charmed “It’s very nice to meet you Y/N. I’m Dick Grayson”

“Finally, a name and a full face to the alias. I didn’t think I was so intriguing that a vigilante had to get to know me, but I am flattered, Robin” I whispered making sure nobody heard what I was telling him.

Dick looked shocked and started stammering, before asking “What are you talking about? You are making no sense.”

“Look, I am not going to tell anyone, but I’m quite good with remembering faces and I got a good look at yours and the only difference between yours and Robins is the fact that you are not having a black mask over your eyes. Same hair, same eyes, same smile, same face structure. Just face it, I figured it out and that pretty fast.”

Thus, began a fast forming friendship which evolved into friends with benefits really quick and after some time even into lovers pursuing a serious relationship, finding an abrupt end with no explanation, just a last night filled with love and a morning after with an empty bed and a note saying

Goodbyes are never easy, but this is one of the hardest. I knew I couldn’t tell you face to face and I know it’s cowardly to tell you this way, but I just know that you would’ve somehow changed my mind. By the time you’ve read this, I will already be on my way out of this city on the way towards a new destination. I am really sorry. I love you and I’ll miss you and hope you somehow understand.

- Dick

-Flashback end-

“And you tell me all of this now, Rachel?! I knew I should’ve just taken with me as soon as Mom died. I can’t believe I let you do all this to find your real parents just because I thought going with a detective would be a good idea. You could’ve gotten yourself killed, I could’ve somehow helped you. And I am furious that you lied to me, that everything was fine and just now you’re telling me the whole truth. I don’t know what to say Rachel…” you told your sister agitated over the phone.

“Y/N… I was fine and I am fine. I made new friends and they protected me just fine. And I didn’t tell you because I knew you would’ve been there in a second to protect me but you also have a child to think about and I rather know you and Ricky are safe…”

“And I rather know that you are safe, Rachel. I would’ve figured something out.” You interrupted your little sister

“I know, I know… but there is nothing we can do about that now. Everything is fine. Well, anyway… What I originally wanted to tell you was that we are actually on the way to San Francisco. Apparently, there is some safe house where the Titans used to stay and we get to live at. So, I finally get to see my big sister and my cute little nephew” Rachel told you excitedly

“I am so happy to finally see you again and so is Ricky. But are you sure you don’t want to move in with us?” you were still being vary of Rachel living with a bunch of guys

“Yes, I am sure, it’s safest for me and also for you two, I don’t want to get you in danger because of me. I have done that a lot these past few weeks and I really don’t want to risk it. She assured you

“Okay, I understand. Even though we both know that I could handle it.” You told her with a smile “Come visit us as soon as possible. We miss you”

After your phone call with Rachel you went into your 3-year-old sons’ room to tell him, that his aunt would come visit soon. Ricky sat contently in the middle of the room surrounded by a bunch of toys playing with his favourite car. You admired your little angel with his brunette locks and chocolate brown eyes, reminding you so much of his father. Ricky looked so much like him, but he still got your gorgeous smile and good-natured spirit.

#dc titans #titans imagine #dick grayson #dick grayson imagine #titans imagines #dick grayson imagines #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson x you #dick grayson x y/n

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findingarcadia · 3 years

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Made For Him

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26818468/chapters/65965942

Chapter 3 : Restless

Following Shouta’s departure and my calling out the eavesdropping children that were my family and friends, I set about making the rest of this day as normal as possible. Turning away from the people slowly trickling out of the surrounding forests, I took a deep breath.

“Mongrels, really Izuku?” a familiar voice washed over me. The words were issued from directly behind my left shoulder. Vaguely my brain thought how creepy it is that most of the time everyone around me was relatively silent when they crept close by or lingered around. There were times they were so stealthy that I had no idea they were around. Frustratingly stealthy. Mysteriously so.

I whirled around to face the one boy who I had known since day one of being adopted. He was my first friend when Aizawa brought me home. Shoto Todoroki. “Yes, you all scatter when the going gets tough, like puppies. Besides it was the first word that came to mind.” I said sheepishly as I scratch the back of my neck.

“You realize, you called us dogs.”

“You realize, you and everyone else ran with your tails between your legs when Aizawa ran upon us.” I whined. As my best friend, Shoto was morally obligated to listen to me whine. His laughter rang out and I couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“I guess we are dogs, we did come back though.” He chuckled as he gestured to the others that had wandered out of the woods. I rolled my eyes and began to leave our current spot. “Come on Izu, let’s head back to the house.”

Back to the house, he says.

Pouting, I stopped in my tracks, letting my toes scrunch into the grass. “Is this the curfew thing?” My eyes slid toward my best friend. I wanted time to be outside, I wanted to run and be free. The urge so strong it made my skin itch. It was something I had wondered about since becoming a part of this family. It was one of the many things that remained a mystery to me though, due to Shouta Aizawa never answering my questions.

“I want to stay outside. I don’t care when curfew is…” I was taking full advantage of the best friend obligation and whining till my heart was content.

Shoto didn’t bother to expend the energy by disputing my words or acknowledging my whine in any way. He just shouldered up to me with a small smile and steered me toward the direction of the many houses on our land, silently waiting for my ranting to subside.

“You do realize if Aizawa is serious about having someone on Izuku duty, it will be most likely be me and my family.” He stated softly, ending my rant of having a curfew and a ‘babysitter’. My eyes locked onto him, wide with shock.

“You…” my mouth gaped like a fish struggling for air. “No way…” Shoto had already begun our journey back, the others have long gone to escape my verbal rampage. Shaking my head, I groaned out of frustration.

Shoto sighed. “When Aizawa tells you to do something, you kinda obey.” His hand on my shoulder was comforting, but it did nothing to quell my frustrations. “You know it helps that the babysitter is me. Best friend and all. Anyone else and it would have been more difficult.”

At that moment I reached over and smacked him.

Shoto just smiled at me. He was my best friend, my partner in crime. He was absolutely not my keeper. I was not going to put up with this from Aizawa. The man was playing games, games that if I tried hard enough, I could win. Ok probably not but who am I kidding, I wanted to be strong and that meant not taking this crap for starters. For crying out loud the man was using my best friend to keep me in line.

Insert four-letter word here.

“Have I mentioned, I hate you today?”

“Not today, but you’ll get over it, princess.” Shoto said as he steered me closer toward the house. Familiar laughter echoed around the yard and my eyes caught the figures of long-time friends of this family, of those that were of this family, all blending in the yards. Playing and laughing and just having a good time.

“Fine, if this has to happen at least it’s you.” I said. Shoto was just looking out for me, he did not entirely deserve my frustration.

A moment ticked by, and Shoto managed to maintain his serious expression. “Indeed.”

Before we neared the front porch of Yua’s house, Shoto stopped his arm around my shoulders. “Any idea why Aizawa is being so….extra?” My voice was soft as I spoke.

Shoto lifted an eyebrow and smirked, on the verge of laughter. “You’re lucky he’s let you live past childhood.” He let a chuckle slip past his lips as we moved toward the porch. “I can’t imagine anyone else talking about Aizawa like that.”

There was a pause where for a moment the crunch of grass just beyond us could be heard, and the birds' midday songs were dimming down.

“Nevermind, you’d be the only one to talk like that about anyone…”

“Todoroki!” I growled and rolled my eyes, pulling away from his hold to stomp my way to the porch and climb into my favorite egg chair.

Feigning hurt, with a hand delicately and dramatically placed against his chest, Shoto spoke. “And we resort to last names. I’m crushed Midoriya.”

“Knock it off, drama queen.” I mumbled as I draped myself with the gray throw blanket that was on the chair. This blanket had been through many nights of laughter and sadness and right now it was helping me through frustrations of feeling trapped.

Out of all of my friends and family that were in the same age group as myself, Shoto was the tallest, the strongest, and most likely the next person to become a leader of sorts when it comes to this family. God, it sounds like the mafia. Are we the mafia? Nah…

Rolling my eyes as Shoto sauntered over to my spot and planted himself just in front of my chair, I was brought back to when he and I first met. Almost everyone overlooked me, the tiny shell-shocked boy with dark hair, but Shoto declared he adored me from the moment he’d set his heterochromatic eyes on me, shivering in Aizawa’s arms, blood-splattered and wild-eyed. I can remember that day clearly but everything else before that seems fuzzy. Shoto and I, we became inseparable, it was to Shoto that I finally opened up and spoke to for the first time. It was with Shoto that I became sassy and mischievous. It was always Shoto.

Now Aizawa has given me to him as a charge. A burden to keep an eye on.

“I hate this.” I blurted out as I shuffled into my blanket a little deeper, leaving my hand out to lightly touch the dual hair adorning my best friend’s head.

“I know you do. You’re a free spirit, but I can’t have you being in any danger or getting into too much trouble.” It took me a moment to notice that Shoto had changed his voice and was trying to impersonate my adoptive father. The impression was downright hilarious.

“You’re as stubborn as a mule, you know that Izuku.” He continued as I let my finger lightly brush his dual-colored hair, the colors constantly reminding me of a candy cane.

I let the laughter bubble up and spill over finally. “Fine, fine. You win. Happy now?”

“Ecstatic.”

I bite back my giggles and continued to brush through his hair. “My point…” he shuddered and held back laughter making me pause. “My point, Shoto – I wish-you-had-a-middle-name Todoroki, is that if Aizawa has you and your family on Izuku duty – then there is something going on.”

A pause in breathing was my response.

“Just leave it alone, Izuku.” Shoto’s voice was soft but that underlying serious tone was not missed and it made me even more curious as to what exactly my family was. The whole response itself made me realize that Shoto knew something I didn’t. And Aizawa was making sure, somehow, that he would not tell me.

“Todoroki!”

“Midoriya.”

I was running low on the comebacks. I needed new material to work with. “You suck.”

#madeforhim #ao3 #chapter 3 #ao3 fanfic #werewolf au #bakudeku fic #BakuDeku #bakugo katsuki #midoriya izuku #todoroki shōto #aizawa shouta #BABIES #enjoythestory #fanfic

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themattress · 3 years

Video

youtube

Using this video as a segue into this post, which ignores the dregs of the Fandom Menace who were never going to like this movie and just distills the five main points made by critics.

1. It threw away what The Last Jedi established. 2. It's too chock-full of stuff and with too rushed a pace. 3. It has no deep themes and nothing insightful to say. 4. It lacks imagination and is all rehashing and nostalgia-bait fanservice. 5. It's a disappointing ending to both a trilogy and a nine-film saga.

1. This criticism seems to recur the most, since critics didn’t just like TLJ and Rian Johnson’s vision for the franchise, they loved it; they were blown away by it. So naturally it cuts deep when they see TROS set back a lot of what TLJ established (Rey actually does come from a noteworthy lineage, actually does have to undergo true Jedi training, and even ends up becoming a Skywalker. Finn is back to hanging out with Rey rather than Rose, and Rose herself has a minor role. Poe is prone to being reckless and hot-tempered again. Luke isn’t a grumpy old man anymore. Kylo Ren, after reforging his old mask, is redeemed while a decrepit old wielder of the Dark Side is the Big Bad. Hux doesn’t get much of a role and is killed off midway through. The Force-sensitive children like that “broom boy” don’t factor into anything. The story takes a familiar path rather than subverting audience expectations.) Honest Trailers even joked that the film was the long-awaited sequel to The Force Awakens rather than to The Last Jedi. And I can understand this critique, it’s a valid one to make.

But I’d also have to argue that not only is J.J Abrams entitled to bring the story back in line with his old ideas from his time making TFA since Disney and Lucasfilm specifically reached out to him to direct TROS (and c’mon, Rian Johnson threw out TFA’s establishment first, if it’s wrong of J.J then it was wrong of Rian too), and that a film that exactly followed TLJ’s establishment like Colin Trevorrow’s unproduced Duel of the Fates would feel too bleak and wrong for the franchise, but that the movie doesn’t ignore TLJ as much as it’s made out. The events of TLJ still happened exactly as we saw them, they are still acknowledged, and they are even built upon in interesting ways. I loved seeing Luke no longer a grumpy old man because that’s what TLJ’s climax set up with him: he learned the error of his ways and re-embraced his status as a Jedi and as a legend. The galaxy coming to the Resistance’s aid in the final battle is the perfect pay-off to them not doing so in the Battle of Crait and shows how Luke’s last stand really did inspire hope once more. I loved the three-way power struggle in the First Order between Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Hux and (representing Palpatine’s interests) Pryde. I thought Palpatine being behind Snoke made perfect sense. I’m glad Rose was still present at all. I though Kylo Ren’s redemption was handled very well. And I loved Rey becoming a Skywalker in the end, that just felt like such a right conclusion to me.

2. There’s an easy explanation as to why it’s chock-full with stuff - Kathleen Kennedy didn’t require Rian Johnson to adapt any of it in TLJ even though much of it was conceived by J.J Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan when making TFA. J.J literally needed to fit two movies’ worth of content into this one movie because TLJ spent too much time wheel-spinning and navel-gazing (and keep in mind that I like TLJ; but I’m not going to pretend like it didn’t screw the pooch on multiple fronts). As for the pace, I definitely agree when it comes to the first act and whoever thought it was a good idea to excise so much of what was filmed for it needs to be slapped upside-down the head. But things start to improve after the big Pasaana canyon race, and once they get off Pasaana altogether the pace settles down into the usual SW film groove. I think critics were so burned by that first half-hour that it colored their impression of the rest of the film, even when looking at it objectively the rest of the film does have a lot more breathing room and calmer, introspective moments between the big action set pieces.

3. I see this a lot from critics and am all...?????? I’m sorry, did we watch the same movie!? “They win by making you think you’re alone, but there’s more of us”. “Your mother’s gone. But what she stood for, what she fought for.... that’s not gone.” “We had each other. That’s how we won.” “Your spirit...your heart...some things are stronger than blood”. These themes are every bit as spelled out as the themes from TLJ that critics praised so much...but then, critics thought that one of TLJ’s themes was the villain’s justification of his own atrocities (”Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to”) so maybe them missing all of these themes isn’t so surprising.

4. First off, the “lacking imagination” criticism will always astound me when The Force Awakens is one of the most critically praised films in the series and it literally ripped off the entire plot structure of A New Hope. None of the “member berries” in this film came close to that level of rehashing. Secondly, Star Wars has been all about nostalgia and pleasing crowds (”fanservice”) since its inception, and recycling various set-ups and tropes and sequences has been a thing for a long time (to quote George Lucas: “It’s like poetry, they rhyme.”) And lastly, this is the finale to the Skywalker Saga, so of fucking course it’ll be full of nostalgia and fanservice and sequences reminiscent of all the previous films! It’s a celebration as well as a send-off! Avengers: Endgame is a critical darling, and it literally traveled back in time to several of the past movies that led up to it! So what’s the problem here? I, for one, thought it was very cleverly and seamlessly done for the most part, and being done in the framework of a dumb, goofy blockbuster (which was all Star Wars was originally meant to be; it was never meant to be taken as seriously as it unfortunately has).

5. The main reasoning behind this criticism is that TROS fully exposes and embodies Disney and Lucasfilm’s lack of planning when it came to the Sequel Trilogy, which is so disheartening that it makes this finale a disappointing one to both the trilogy and the whole saga. First of all, every finale has been considered disappointing in their times: ROTJ was possibly even more loathed by fans and critics (while still enjoyed by general audiences) than TROS, and while ROTS got middling reviews from critics, it was still considered to be flat-out bad just like its predecessors by fans - being the least bad of them wasn’t high praise (even the general audience enjoyment seemed more tepid compared to ROTJ and TROS). On all fronts, the perception of the movies only improved with age, so that will likely be the same case here.

More importantly, anyone who did their homework or even some simple critical thinking not only could have realized that there was no plan for the Sequel Trilogy from the days of TLJ, but from the days of TFA. From the moment that movie rehashed the plot of A New Hope and relied heavily on Mystery Boxes to hook viewers, I knew there was no solid plan for this trilogy and that they were making it up as they went along. When you’re aware of this fact well in advance, I think that you end up being more impressed by TROS for being able to wrap the trilogy and saga up in the tight, definitively close-ended way that it did. I know that I certainly was. Much of this had to do with J.J Abram’s idea to bring back Palpatine. People whine that he was brought in with no foreshadowing at the last minute and that he was nowhere near the Sequel Trilogy beforehand and that him being here makes ROTJ pointless, and yet not only was Palpatine everywhere near the whole saga from the very beginning (which, as J.J has said, would make it bizarre for it to end without him), but ROTJ was already made pointless by TFA by its decision to reverse all the heroes’ victories and bring back the Empire. If Palpatine, the Emperor, the very creator of the Empire, did not find a way to return from his defeat in ROTJ and was thus not behind the Empire’s resurrection, how fucking cheap would that be? Some random other decrepit, all-powerful Dark Side wielder just came along and brought it back to the point of reversing all the heroes’ victories? And then he gets supplanted by Han and Leia’s son, which would make the Sequel Trilogy and whole saga’s Final Boss the guy who humiliatingly got his ass handed to him in both previous films’ climaxes? IMHO, the Sequel Trilogy really would suck if that was what it amounted to! That would be a true “disappointing ending to both a trilogy and a nine-film saga.” When it comes to the film series (the Skywalker Saga), the only valid excuse for not ending the conflict with the Empire in ROTJ is if the Emperor wasn’t truly vanquished in it. Period.

It ain’t J.J’s fault that he was actually looking at the bigger picture while critics were not.

Bonus: another video plug, because this guy is a Star Wars fan that truly deserves it.

#Star Wars #The Rise of Skywalker #Opinion #Analysis #Defense #This has been a PSA

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bratzs12345 · 4 years

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So, I’ve been working on this VERY long bkdk fanfiction, and I’ve been losing some creative spirit, so I’ve decided to post one of the chapters to brew up some more condidence.

BTW, for context, Izuku is walking around in a world he already knows and interacting with people he has already seen, he ust can’t remeber it. ;) The song is Black Sheep from the movie Scott Pilgrim vs the World.

LOADING…

START?

The bar seemed to be overly swarmed for a Thursday night. Dancing bodies take up the middle of the room, and conversing couples and groups stand on the outskirts. Both of which make it almost impossible for Izuku to make his way to the bar. However, he does manage to grab a seat and takes a look at the possible drink options in his hand. An empty glass slams into his field of vision.

Izuku blinks and looks up to see a frowning middle-aged man glaring at him. His eyes are tired and irritated, and his mouth seemed to be set in a permanent frown. “I said, ‘What’s your poison, kid’? The bartender reiterates.

His face flushes, and he lowers his head in embarrassment. “Sorry, I must have not heard from you. Tequila?” With that, the bartender walks away leaving Izuku to give a sigh of relief. He looks around dazedly at the distracted masses. None of them seemed to be the person he was looking for.

“One shot of Tequila. The bartender says tiredly. His tone of voice triggers something inside of Izuku, and he tilts his head in confusion. The bartender raises his eyebrows in response, “Can I get you anything else?”

“No…Aizawa?” He says. The name almost feels familiar coming out of his mouth. Almost like he had said them before or seen them.

Aizawa does not share his sense of confusion because he rolls his eyes and says patronizingly, “Yes, that is what my how you read my nametag.” Izuku looks down at the nametag on his chest to see that the kanji for his name is indeed printed the same way. He flushes in embarrassment once more as Aizawa walks away mumbling something about not getting enough pay.

Izuku sighs into his drink and throws it back. The only thing worse than crowds is interacting with them. Though he can’t seem to pick out any faces, he does have to admit the various people are realistically detailed and unique. It really does feel like he’s in a real bar.

“Alright! Who is ready to party?” The host shouts from the center stage. The crowd answers back enthusiastically. Izuku turns around intrigued.

“We’ve got some fan favorites here ready to grace the stage today. Everybody, give it up for the Ground Zero!” The cheering gets louder at the name of the band, and the host quickly makes his way off the stage to give them some room.

The cheering only gets louder as the members become visible under the building’s soft lights. In the back-center, a sandy blond man takes his place behind the drums. He smirks at the audience as he picks up the sticks, and Izuku can feel his chest tighten at the familiar face. A pink-haired woman in a purple zebra pink dress takes the mic. “What’s up, Tokyo! I’m Mina, and behind me are my associates, Kirishima, Jirou, and *******. As you probably already know, we’re Ground Zero.”

Kirishima, a man with spiky red hair and sharp-toothed grin, and Jirou, a woman with a short cut bob and bored expression, come from behind Mina to stand at her side with guitars in both of their hands. They continue waving to the audience until the unnamed drummer rolls his eyes at the introduction and yells something at Mina that Izuku can’t hear from where he stands. Whatever he yells makes Mina laugh and she gives her bandmates a signal for the song to begin.

Izuku couldn’t help but shake in excitement. Not only did they sound amazing, but they were playing one of his favorite songs.

Black sheep come home, black sheep come home Black sheep come home, black sheep come home

Jirou works off the crowd’s energy and provides beginning background vocals and harmonies for the chorus. Her guitar’s bass shakes the walls of the bar, and her harmonies reverberate throughout the walls of the bar. The energy she gave off undercut her seemingly uninterested demeanor. As the established frontman, she led the group throughout every melody and note change with ease, just as a prodigy should.

Hello again, friend of a friend, I knew you when

Our common goal was waiting for the world to end

Mina’s voice is soft but airy enough to give the rock ballad a seductive sound. She sings the words while bouncing on around the stage with the beat. She seems to be the one having the most fun under the attention striking flirty poses along with some of the more risque lyrics. Looking to her left, she kept in time with Jirou and Kaminari while occasionally looking back to the obscured drummer.

Send you my love on a wire

Lift you up, every time, everyone, ooh, pulls away, ooh

From you

Kirishima keeps up in step and strumming in time to Jirou’s notes. He hypes the crowd in between chords and keeps them moving throughout the track. He looks to the crowd shouting out some of the lyrics while occasionally losing himself in a few of his own dance moves. His position on stage allows him to keep his strumming on beat with the drummer while hearing any switch ups from Jirou, so that the group stays in sync.

Though he’s in the back, the audience seems to automatically be drawn to Bakugou. His low vocals work with Jriou’s higher voice to create the perfect harmonies on the chorus while keeping time with the beats of his drum. From the looks of the signs, many of the crowd seems to be carrying, it seems as though he’s a fan favorite.

It's a mechanical bull, the number one

You'll take a ride from anyone

Everyone wants a ride, pulls away, ooh, from you

Izuku can say the same. He hasn’t been able to take his eyes off of him. The way his hair moves as he bangs his head up and down in time, the way he closes his eyes and seems to be lost in the music and his aura seems to scream for attention over the already loud room. Izuku can safely say that he is hooked.

The song ends with roaring applause, and Mina wishes the crowd a good night as they take their leave. Izuku’s eyes widen at the retreating figures, and he knows he has to act fast. Without thinking, he begins to push his way through the tightly knit crowd, almost getting crushed for his efforts. Without looking back at the people he nudged a little too hard, he made his way to the back of the stage. The backstage entrance isn’t hard to find as much as it’s hard to get to, but the green-haired man manages to make his way. The guards at the door were already having a rough time calming down a horde of fans who had the same idea he did.

One burly man was speaking with a blond woman in front of all the others, and he overhears their conversation as he approaches.

“Please…Please! Why can’t I see Kirishima-Kun?” The blonde pleads with the apathetic security guard, and his frown deepens. She was one of the audience members carrying a sign, although hers seemed to be dedicated to the guitarist.

“No one is getting in, by direct orders. If you have a problem with it, take it up with the manager.” He says dryly. The blonde continues her pestering to the increasingly annoyed man who looks to be about three seconds away from giving her the boot.

Izuku slowly approaches the two and clears his throat. The squabbling pair look back at him. The blonde’s face is curious, and the guard seems to be annoyed. “Is there any way to ask permission to get backstage?”

“Take it up with Aizawa. All of you.” He waves them off. “Now, get out of my face before I call the police.”

Aizawa? He quickly turns to head back toward the bar, barreling his way through the dance floor this time. He reaches the seat he was previously in and looks around. While the patrons seem to be good and drunk, there was no bartender in sight. Izuku sighed in disappointment. The groupies at the door seem to be ready to call it a day and walk off from the guards with scowls and curses. Izuku himself sighs while taking a seat in the exact same place he was in before the show. He wishes this wasn’t so difficult. He just needed to-

“What’s your poison, kid?” Aizawa appears in front of him suddenly as if answering a prayer. Izuku can hardly believe it.

“Can you help me? I mean- I need to get backstage,” he says hurriedly. His heart is pounding out of his chest, and his breath comes out in short pants.

Aizawa looks back at him as if he had grown a third head. “Calm down, Izuku.”

But Izuku is way past the point of calming down. He runs his fingers through his hair and grits his teeth. “I’m sorry. It’s just really important that I get backstage and talk to Kacchan before he leaves tonight.”

Kacchan?

“I mean…” Izuku stutters with a flush. He takes a deep breath and plops down in the seat. “What am I talking about? There’s no way I can talk to him. Everything about him screams confidence and I- I just… You know how you meet someone for the first time and instantly feel a connection. I know it sounds crazy to say but I just felt like if I talked to him for a second, then maybe I could tell him-I dunno. Forget it, just bring me another tequila.” He lowers his head in embarrassment.

For a long minute, there’s nothing but silence between them. Izuku keeps his head down expecting the bartender to walk away. Soon enough, he does, and Izuku lets go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Another group had taken the stage, and while most had left after Ground Zero’s performance, a good number of them were around to cheer while the next singer performed. Izuku sighed, knowing that the band was pretty popular. It was pretty stupid of him to think-

A calloused hand slammed down a twenty-dollar bill beside him. “Hey, nerd,” Izuku turns around to see Ground Zero’s drummer standing behind him.

He stares at him with an indiscernible look in his eyes and makes sure he got into his space. Before Izuku could say anything, the blonde pulls him forward and presses his lips against his. Izuku’s mind goes blank as he registers lips moving against his, and by the time he pulls away, his mind is sufficiently fried. A smirk comes back to his face as he sees the look in his eyes, and he leans forward once more to huskily whisper in his ear,

“What’s my name, Deku?”

Please be nice It’s just a first draft.

#bakudeku #katsudeku #bakudeku au #izuku midoriya #bakugou katsuki #mha #fanfic

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bandyisdandy · 3 years

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Persona 4 Golden - The Rainbow Connection (2/10/21)

Anyone who knows me within the space of gaming knows that my favorite game of all time is arguably Persona 5 Royal. The game just oozes personality and fun from the get-go. It is easy enough to pick up and check out, but also deep enough to keep you engaged for hours upon hours, hungering for more even after the credits roll on your 80 to 120 hour experience. Saying this, I also have to admit that, while it is the fifth entry in the franchise, I had never played another Persona before vanilla 5. Whenever hardcore players of the series I met over the years heard this, they insisted I play 3 and/or 4 before I go on saying that 5/Royal is my favorite in the franchise. This past January, I decided to finally pull the trigger and check out Persona 4 Golden on Steam. After playing the game for about 70 hours, I defeated the true final boss and finally put the controller down for a bit. All I can say is... what a god damn magical experience this was.

Persona 4 is a JRPG (Japanese Role-playing Game) that puts you in control of Yu, a high schooler living in the middle of Tokyo who is moving in to the country with his police officer uncle and young cousin while his parents go away for a year on business. While there, you meet a young man named Yosuke and a girl named Chie who tell you about a mysterious phenomenon known as the Midnight Channel that shows up when a heavy fog rolls into town and the clock strikes midnight. One night, while viewing this phenomenon, a girl appears in the screen who looks an awful lot like a senior to the students at their school. The next day, her corpse is found strung up on a telephone pole, baffling the police due to the fact that a similar death took place around the time of Yu’s arrival. While investigating the murder of their senior, Yu and Yosuke discover they can enter a special television at a department store, where they meet Teddie, a living teddy bear who can lead them through the fog-dense world within the TV. Upon finding a space where their senior once was, they fight beings known as Shadows and awaken Persona, living embodiments of their fighting spirit as well as their own belief and acceptance of themselves in order to do combat with the Shadows. After their victory, they figure out that someone pushed the upperclassman into the world within the television and the Midnight Channel prophesizes the deaths of those who appear on it. Using this knowledge, Yu and Yosuke continue to make friends, investigate the case, and do their best to uncover the culprit before a year is up and Yu must return home.

... That seems like a lot, right? Well, crazily enough, that is probably the first 5 hours or so at most, and there is another 65+ to go in your first playthrough. Now, this game, at first, is a tough sell especially if you are like me and played 5/Royal first as those games have spoiled our perceptions of what the franchise is and can be. Persona 4 Golden is definitely a step down visually as well as design and music-wise in comparison to 5. It just does not have the same substance that game does and the gameplay, in comparison, feels a bit dated here. The Shadows you encounter in 5′s dungeons are also the enemies you actually fight this time around and the Tarot Card system makes collecting and recruiting Persona much more annoying than the way 5 handles it in combat. However, while it sounds like I am being quite harsh on the game, in reality, this is by and far one of the best JRPGs I have ever played and cannot be recommended by me more. Since I got all the negatives out of the way, let’s look at the heaps of praise I have for this triumph of a game.

First and foremost, what really sets this game above and beyond a lot of others, maybe even doing this better in many respects than Persona 5/Royal, is the characters. Every character is just so damn interesting, and really adds so much charm to what is already a rather charming game. They bring the story as well as the countryside town you now find yourself in that much brighter and bigger. Each one has goals, values, idealizations, and realizations that flesh them out more than most games I have played, all of them having incredibly satisfying conclusions to their stories. Some stand outs for me are your young cousin Nanako, who is lonely due to her father always working as a police officer and her mother passing away in a car accident a few years prior to the start of the game, Kanji Tatsumi, a punk who uses violence and fear to mask his incredibly soft, caring side that enjoys arts and crafting more than he would care to admit, and Naoto Shirogane, a young detective hiding her femininity in order to find power and prestige in the world of private investigation which, in Japan especially, is a male dominated field - these are just some of the memorable characters you will meet. I am currently doing a second playthrough and have already met two characters I never encountered in my first playthrough that are honestly becoming some of my favorites in the series! Building relationships (yes, even romantic ones with your female classmates) is key to not only finding out more about them, but also key to getting stronger, unlocking abilities and weapons for you to use in your playthrough that will seriously make the game not only easier but I would go as far as to say more fun in regards to what possibilities open up to you in combat. Growing the bond between you and your friends within your party is also the only way to strengthen and evolve their Persona to bigger and better forms, making combat flow easier but also giving one a true sense of power, purpose and meaning in the memories you create with Yosuke and the gang.

The other thing that really made me fall in love with Persona 4 Golden is its story and location. While the bustling cityscape of Tokyo and Shibuya really makes Persona 5 and Royal feel big and grandiose in its vision of what a modern JRPG can be, Persona 4 Golden, while feeling smaller in comparison, feels much more unique and, weirdly enough, nostalgic - at least for me. The town of Inaba is small with little to do at first, but it still has some beautiful and honestly quite intriguing sights to see (I’m looking at you, Greedy Shrine Fox). As you become more accustomed to the town and what it offers, it surprises you and opens up even more based on your time within the game, the weather outside, and even the time of the day you are out and about exploring. I grew up in a small town outside of Boston and while it’s not exactly like Inaba, the parts I spent most of my days remind me of it - areas covered in trees near streams with small restaurants and bars nearby, nature trails to walk, seeing mostly the same people each and every day - it really sent me back to life growing up when I was the age of the characters and truly made the game something memorable and instantly connected me to what was happening. As for the plot, I am a sucker for a murder mystery - I love true crime and have always loved police or detective shows growing up. Being able to work towards a case and have your decisions, investigations, and choices up to certain points have merit and weight behind them in regards to what ending you get is absolutely amazing and really sets the tone for a game that shrouds you in mystery and keeps you at the edge of your seat at all times, all the while still finding the time to help you enjoy the ride with laughter, tears, and dialogue that just really gets to you from beginning to end, sticking with you even after you’ve beaten it. Throw in some seriously fantastic boss fights, great music, and top notch voice acting for the time and it all adds up to a package with so much content and so much to tell you along the way that you just can’t help but keep playing until you absolutely have to put it down, only to continue for hours and hours later on.

All in all, Persona 4 Golden is a seriously fun game. While I still think Persona 5 Royal is a better game than it, I cannot stop thinking about the journey it took me on. The places I saw, the people I met and became friends with along the way - it’s a surreal, dream-like game that really gets you thinking right from the beginning and keeps you on your toes until the bitter end. I found myself engrossed in the lives of these characters, worried for them anytime something happened to them within the context of the game’s narrative and only hopes to see them come out on top, and thankfully this was usually the case in my playthrough thanks to the choices I made. I can only wonder what would have happened if I chose things differently - where would my characters have ended up at the end of all this? Would things have gotten worse for them? Who knows - all I know is that once the game was over, I had nothing but smiles and happiness going through my head as I saw my friends say goodbye and I loaded up my stuff onto the train. All those precious moments, etched into my mind forever; the hardships of the dungeons, the toughness of the Shadows, the mystery of the killer - that’s how you create a great game narrative, and finish it with an even greater, satisfying ending. Check out Persona 4 Golden on Steam TODAY if you liked this review! https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/1113000/

#persona #persona 4 #persona 4 golden #persona 5 #sega #atlus #smt #pc #pc gaming #gaming #steam #review #retrospective #video games #gaming blog #blog

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emmaofnormandy · 4 years

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~Two worlds collide: when Odin visits Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk~

It had been a long while ever since Odin had visited Earth. Such visits were rare, but contained the purpose to keep an eye on humankind. Throughout ages, he accompanied different tribes with different beliefs in different times of Midgard’s history. Knowledge’s a purpose there should be no limit to hold him from achieving it, it was his favourite saying.

So far, Middle Ages had been his favourite days to look upon when he was not busy with his own doings back at Asgard. There were plural faiths, struggles in between but also a considerable advancement from here and there. However, ever since a king of England won a battle in Agincourt, France, some day in the 15th century, Odin’s attentions had been drawned to that small, but far from insignifant island.

The year now was 1554 and there were no more Plantagenets to occupy the English throne or interesting wars to wage upon. Nonetheless, there was a new dynasty in the power, responsible for new changes here and there. It was the reign of it’s first reignant queen, Mary Tudor, but the reason why Odin was going to Earth in such days was not because of her, her past or anything of the sort. He was going to take away the soul of a character who was seen with very few good eyes by most people who knew him.

Nonetheless, Odin was eager to hear history from that man’s eyes. Thomas Howard, the 3rd duke of Norfolk, was ailing at the Kenninghall’s palace. His servants and family were aware that he was dying, but Odin managed to get close to the old duke without notice.

It was close to twilight by the time Odin arrived at Kenninghall. Thomas, in the meantime, was found in his bed, staring at the nothing, completely unaware of his surroudings. The comfort of his pillow was all he held onto, as the blankets, too heavy and warm, were pushed down his belly to ease the unbearable heat that troubled his body. The candle light was swift and the wind coming out of the windows seemed to suddenly make the bedchamber too cold.

Thomas sighed, but even doing so hurt his lungs. He wished he could sleep, but there were too many memories, voices of people who were there no more, left to haunt him. A small moan escaped his lips, for death would be very welcoming right now... and there would be no need for the cold or the heat to struggle over for his body.

“I see my lord is in pain”, a male voice captured Thomas’s attention for there had been none lately who would distract him from the swings of moods that dying made of him. But also because it was a voice he could not identify, which was interesting.... And yet disappointing when he saw this was just a servant.

Odin saw there was distrust in those green eyes, which amused him. Disguised as a poor peasant man who worked in the household of the duke, there was no surprise that he would be received with unspoken hostility. Nonetheless, even so he managed to make the duke more comfortable. Once this was done, Odin took a seat nearby and said:

“I am aware I am in no place to speak with your lordship”, he thus began at last, “but forgive me sire, for there’s something in you that makes me forget my forwardness.”

“H-How so?” the duke managed to speak, too tired to hold onto hostility as he knew he was in no position to act so arrogant.

“You are History in itself, my lord. I’d like to hear some of your memories concerning the past”, said the peasant lad, who was the Norse deity.

Thomas seemed to enjoy the compliment. No one cared about this anymore...of who I once was, of what I brought that shaped me who I am... or was.

“The past is past for a reason, young man”, he spoke in a melancholic mood. “Why would you like me to dwell on it?”

“Not to dwell, sir, but to pass forward your wisdom. Surely there are rich experiences you must’ve taught your children, for example. I carry no importance to you whatsoever, as I am merely a servant, but one who seeks the knowledge in any opportunity.”

Thomas managed to smirk.

“Even as if comes from a dying man?”

“Especially so.”

As if recovering strenghts the duke thought to have long lost, he adjusted on bed and said:

“I told my children, but alas... I don’t think they listened.”

There was a pause. Odin noticed the man’s eyes sparkling briefly, a flush painting those cheeks, only to pale again.

“I loved her, you see. I never admitted this publically, there should be no reason to do so. But I did love her.” He began.

Again, another pause. But Odin, knowing no bounds, said:

“Whom are you referring to, sir? Your lady wife?”

“Not Elizabeth, nay!” Thomas ardently protested, before softening. “I’ve meant dear Anne. At the reign of her uncle, Richard III, we were betrothed, an arrangement made by this king as he favoured my family very dearly. However, the battle of Bosworth happened and we were no more the darlings at court. Those were difficult days, but by the 90′s, we were back at the new king’s grace. He favoured this betrothal and we were thus married. She was very gracious, the most beautiful lady I’d ever put my eyes on.”

Odin smiled.

“Was she like her sister, the queen?”

Lost in days that would not go back, so said Thomas:

“Every inch like her if not the better. She was kind and good, loving and dutiful. I could have not asked for a better wife. I do not speak only in terms of rank. As you may see, what was I if not the son of a duke and she, the daughter of a king? She was meant to be archduchess of Austria!”

“Did she love you, though, sir?”

Thomas smiled down at him.

“Aye, she did, in spite of everything. She did give me children, whom we named firstly Henry, after the generous king. Our second boy received the named of me, Thomas. There was even a third boy, whom we named Edward, after his maternal grandfather, the English king, and then we had a little girl whom we named Elizabeth, both after the queen and the queen dowager, even though she was not living in those days.”

But the smile did not last long, so Odin waited to hear more of such a man. Thomas, after quietening a bit, sighed, even with difficulty, and casted a glance to the man who gave him more ears than his sons ever did. He proceeded:

“But none of our children survived infancy. Anne was desolated. It saddened her good heart and soul, those losses were too much. She shared her birthday with a brother... a brothe she too lost. You surely must have been told of the tale of the princes in the tower?”

Odin nodded.

“Good. You have a wit for a peasant, young man.” Thomas smirked. “Well, as I was saying, Richard III, however kind he may have been, took the crown from his nephews. It’s a mystery that remains until our days of what happened to Edward V, the true king, and his brother, the duke of York. Anne panicked when a pretender, whom we later knew him to be an impostor named Perkin Warbeck, announced to be Richard Plantagenet. Her own dear brother. She did not wish to believe it, and even when the impostor received the death penalty for what he did, it shook her spirits.”

“Did she believe it was him?”

“To be honest with you? No. She told me that Edward, her oldest brother, was never one too healthy. So she thought he may have died in the Tower, although she blamed Richard for it nonetheless. As for Richard... Anne believed him to be alive, however, not turned into a man like Perkin.”

“How so?” Odin asked, intrigued.

Thomas smirked.

“Richard would not have behaved like a beggar the way Warbeck did. And Warbek was proud, but messy in many, many ways. I don’t say that only because I’m a Tudor supporter by all means.” He shrugged his shoulders.

Then it occurred to Odin and he said:

“Do you know where he is, sir?”

Thomas narrowed his eyes at the blunt servant who, against his own will, had made him like him.

“What’s it you speak of, man?”

There was something different in the lad when he responded the duke, or perhaps he was just fearless when he did:

“I think you know where Richard Plantagenet is, and your lady wife knew it also.”

Thomas opened his mouth to protest but began to cough violently. Odin calmly offered the duke a glass of water, aiding, with his secretive powers, him in the proccess. Suddenly feeling better, Thomas adjusted himself on bed and replied:

“You are very presumptuous to assume that we’d know such a thing.”

“Even if the late duke of York was alive, he could not pose any threat. England’s a Tudor now and the queen...”

“...is possibly barren and will be succeeded by her half-sister”, interrupted Thomas, dryly so.

Odin arched his eyebrows.

“So do you admit the duke lives? Otherwise, you’d not say such a thing. The queen is young, she could produce heirs...”

Thomas rolled in his bed uncomfortably.

“I am admitting nothing.”

Odin gave the duke another glass of water. Although suspicious of such a lad, Thomas sensed he could trust him.

“I am a keeper of secrets, sir.”

Thomas knew the other was not lying, but even so...

“I’ve kept this with me for long years. Even from the king himself.”

“Which king do you speak of, my lord?”

“Henry the Seventh, of course”, retorted the older male, impatient. “Who else could have been?”

But unnaffected by the duke’s humour, Odin said:

“Well?”

Thomas did not like his impertinence, although at the same time... it was a fresh welcoming. The servants in general usually avoided his presence and even his children feared him.

“Richard was, indeed, alive. He was sent to live in the North of the kingdom in the Augustinian priory.” He took a deep breath. “Two weeks after Richard III had the young duke to accompany his regal brother at the Tower, Edward V died of natural causes. There was already growing a great deal of panic of the children being dead, the two legitimate sons of King Edward the Fourth, and people comprehensively blamed their king for it. Well, he trusted my father, as I’ve said, we were in great favour at the Yorkist court. My father was the responsible for taking the duke in security back to Norfolk and then to the lands of Northumberland.”

“Why so far North if they were loyal to the Yorkist cause?”

Thomas frowned. He knows too much for a peasant lad. But Odin was unimpressed by the old duke’s suspicious. So he added:

“I ask it because it’s common knowledge that the North is more traditional, and that King Richard III was kept in great esteem by the northerns. So my father told.”

“I see...” Thomas was partially convinced. “Well, then you know that this was why. The Northerns were more reliable, but even so it was not something that would go out simply as that, for they could have used young Richard as their pawn as it happened with Lambert Simnel. As I was saying, there were agreements from both parts that Richard would live quietly. Every now and then when the Queen and her sisters had the opportunity to go in pilgrimage, they would visit the duke without the king’s knowledge. Turns out that Richard adopted another name and enjoyed a quieter life, so he really never became a trouble for the Tudors.”

“A secret that died with the queen and her sisters, eh? The key to solve the mystery...”

“It’s for the best.”

“But your lordship claims that the said duke is alive?”

Thomas smirked.

“He was. How did he outlive the king’s swift change of faith? Don’t bother asking me.”

“He must be a sad person, though. Outliving all of his family only to see what this came to be...”

“Politics can be cruel when given to the wrong hands.” Thomas shrugged. “We all do wrongs when in power. But Richard was a good man. I’ve seen him only twice, if that’s what you like to know.”

“So he is not alive?”

“Nay. He died only two years ago. We were born the same year and they say it’s the Plantagenet blood that keeps us living too much.” He chuckled a bit. “But even so... Anne had good recollections of him. She would have named one of our children after him too... and yet she died before...”

He cleared his throat and glanced away. It was night and the wind began to blow cold again. There were signs of an upcoming storm, but Thomas was too lost in his memories to bother with that.

Odin, in turn, waited. He was patient.

“I thought you’d leave”, he heard the old man say. “They all do.”

“I don’t, sir. You are a good man.”

He laughed, but the sound of it was sad.

“I’ve seen two nieces, blood of my blood, condemned to death on false charges. I’ve lost many relatives because of my damn pride. I am no good man, lad. Far from it.”

“Your lordship sounds bitter.”

Thomas grimaced at how freely he was being spoken to.

“It’s because I am. How could it be otherwise?”

“Many men claim that the death of a beloved one changes a man’s nature.”

“A philosopher now are we? Although that could well be said of Thomas Seymour, if what I was told is correct. But no matter, I am responsible for what was done. I did not work alone on any schemes, my man.”

“How so?”

Thomas sighed, impatient, his eyes filled with scenes that, without his knowledges, Odin could see.

“Men like Cromwell, Wolsey, Gardiner, Dudley, Seymour... Well, they were no lambs either. Cromwell was a friend of the Boleyns, if my memory is not betraying me, and yet he was the first to turn his back off when they needed the most. He too has his share of guilt.”

“But he died.”

“He was executed. Fairly so”, Thomas corrected him. “But I was almost. I was this close. The boy king reigned and yet I outlived him.”

Silence stood between them. Odin knew was almost time, but it was when Thomas said:

“I do wish things were different. That she was not foolish.”

“Who?”

“Both my nieces. Katherine’s crime was her youth. She was not well advised, was not even prepared for the damn role”, he spoke with remorse.

“It was the other queen whom you judged, sir.”

Thomas’s felt the wound open at those words. They were true, and he was but an old man, a reminiscent of the past and glorious court of Henry VIII...However, being reminded of was entirely difference. He was accostumed to have to live with people pretending and lying at his face. Odin knew that, but he was not scared of the old man and the duke knew it.

“If I were possessed of my judgement, you would have been killed.”

“And I would have gladly gone to death”.

That was the response Thomas hoped to hear.

“What? Are you mad?”

“I might be, good sir. I am one filled with a thirst for knowledge.”

Thomas did not keep the eye contact too long. He knew there was something odd in that man, and there was this feeling he was not a merely servant. When he began to make the sign of cross, Odin stood and decided it was time.

“Why are you so fearful, sir? What is done is done. There is nothing you can do to repair that. Even if you could get rid of me, what I say remain it so. You did lot of wrongs, indeed, though I believe you were mostly motivated by circumnstances. I can tell you that when it comes to human being, there’s no black or white and no one, absolutely no one, is right in judging one another. You are proud as the day you had been when you were told you’d espouse a daughter of York. You remain proud as the day you sentenced your own niece to die. But you did what you could. And that’s that.”

Thomas stared wide-eyed at the peasant who stood before him.

“W-Who are you?”

As Odin revealed his true self, night turned to light. A smirk crossed his lips:

“It does not matter who I am, when I know who you are. It’s time to come home. Your wife and children await. So do your nieces and the rest of your family.”

“B-But...”

“They forgive you. You are, after all, a man of your own days, Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk.”

And on that day, Odin gained more knowledge, acquired more secrets, but also befriended a man often judged by the times of men. Thomas Howard, cleansed of his sins, gladly joined Anne of York in a heavenly place where their children surrounded them and all was what was meant to have been: happy and chill.

#Odin #Thomas Howard #3rd duke of Norfolk #crossover universe

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toreii · 5 years

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Hey, if you still have room in your requests, would you mind doing a Fae AU Mitsuhide? Thanks!

First off, I apologize for the late response. Despite asking for five requests to celebrate my 1,000 follower milestone, I ended up with six requests. So, I went ahead and accepted them all. But, I must admit, your request stumped me so bad. It gave me a major case of writer’s block. I looked into Faes and Fae AUs, and it’s a genre that I fail to grasp. Still, I didn’t want to ignore your request. So, I went ahead and wrote something else. If we’re talking about mythical creatures, there’s only one Mitsuhide embodies well. I hope that you along with every one else enjoys this little snippet.😊

— toreii

It was a silly little dare—nothing more than a test of wills. The Azuchi princess ascended the moss covered steps carved into the cliff side with a lantern in hand. The proof of her courage rested in the white bellflowers growing at the very top of the mountain. Her maids issued her a challenge hours prior. In a sense, Mai had it coming to her. She had taught them the game of truth and dare. Normally, every dare that had been issued was usually a nonsensical request. However, one maid had challenged her to go to the abandoned shrine on the outskirts of Azuchi's castle town.

Mai questioned her fellow maids every step of the way. According to them, there was a report of rumored fantasmal lights seen from the top of the mountain where the ruins of the shrine were located. However, there was no definite proof. It was all hearsay according to the locals. Fabled tales to scare unruly children. Mai was told to pluck a handful of the flowers at the shrine, and return all within the hour from her estimations.

Despite the setting sun, her surroundings glowed a fiery red as leaves spiralled around her and crunched underneath her feet. It had taken her roughly fifteen minutes to reach the base of the mountain having borrowed one of Lord Nobunaga's best horses. Surely, his vassal, Hideyoshi, was turning the castle in an uproar at her absence right this instance. Although, the maids promised to cover for her as long as possible. Mai only hoped Hideyoshi would not come chasing after her soon.

The weathered and abandoned jizo statues tucked along the side of the mountain indicated that the path was hardly ever traversed with human life. The further she ascended, the more Mai began to feel a chill in the air. She gulped as a knot began to form in her stomach. As far as she knew, she was all alone. Yet, there was always that hint of danger. An abandoned shrine could also be home to bandits. Nobunaga had bequeathed her with a tantō, but Mai hated the thought of using a weapon. For a brief moment, she cursed herself for not bringing it. The thought of at least carrying the tantō would have perhaps provided a slight modicum of relief despite her wishful thinking.

The walk had felt eternal and her thighs ached once Mai reached the summit. She brushed the sweat from her brow as her eyes landed on the decrepit state of the shrine. Holes peppered the paper doors, cobwebs stretched all over in every nook and cranny. A pillar supporting the awning of the main entrance had buckled in barely sustaining it. Stone tiles had fallen and shattered all around the shrine. It was an unsafe environment to be in. The only thing that seemed to stand tall and proud was the tōri gate. The stone path that led from the stairs had been overrun with weeds. However, growing beautifully along the path were the famed bellflowers.

With her goal in sight, Mai crossed the threshold reaching a patch of bellflowers blooming ethereal beneath the bright moon. She reached down plucking a single white flower from the ground. In a split second, a powerful gust of wind blew throughout the compound. It blew out the candle in her lanter diffusing her only light source aside from the full moon. The chill she felt before seemed to have intensified as the temperature suddenly dropped. As Mai brushed back her hair and opened her eyes, she was met with five fiery white flames. She dropped the lantern in her shock—too stunned to move or do anything.

The white flames merged together, and soon rushed towards her in a large fireball. Mai screamed as the flames rushed past her enveloping her entire body. She could feel the flames, but strangely did not feel any heat. She opened her eyes again seeing a figure on the other side of the raging flames. The flames vanished a second later, and Mai was met with a tall figure who smiled deviously at her. His golden eyes glowed eerily, a long finger pressed to his thin lips, and his white hair framed his angular face accentuating his sharp features.

What Mai found most peculiar about the man were the white fox ears at the top of his head. Behind him, a silky white tail flicked to and fro. It seemed to have a life of its own.

“My, my. Whatever do we have here?” The man spoke, his voice deep and baritone. It sent a shiver down her spine.

“A little mouse has scurried into my domain. Tell me, what is your name?”

Her lips parted, yet Mai was unable to respond. She clutched the bellflower firmly against her chest as her knees gave in. She fell in a heap on the mossy cobblestone path. The mysterious man arched a delicate eyebrow at her shivering form. He made his way over to her, every step of his taken with pointed grace. Upon reaching her a mere step away from her body, he met her at eye level as he propped his head with his hand.

“Tell me, little one. What brings you here?”

Mai snapped out of her stupor feeling her nails digging into her palm. Remembering her task, she glanced down at the blooming bellflower. She had definitely crushed the stem in her grip, and the flower would soon die. Connecting the pieces, Mai realized that this ethereal being only appeared because she plucked the flowers. Was that the mystery behind this abandoned shrine? Was this mountain really cursed by a spirit? Her frightened eyes met his, and he entertained her with another devious smile.

“I am what you were looking for,” he answered.

She cried scooting a bit backwards. How had he read her mind?

He stood up, glancing up at the dark canopy of trees. “Only the foolish come here. The flowers beckons them.”

Mai threw the flower aside. She didn’t care about the challenge anymore. This place was really cursed! She wanted to leave, run down the steps, and go back to the castle. Yet, the moment she tried to get up, she found herself being bound by an invisible restraint.

The mysterious spirit shot her a disapproving frown. His golden gaze glowered at her diminutive form as she struggled to free herself from his entrapment. He took the discarded flower in his long fingers bringing the damaged stem to his lips. “Whatever will you do to repay this damage?”

“I-I’m s-sorry. I—”

“Ah, she speaks!” He interjected.

Realizing her folly, Mai clamped up again. She had to get out. She had to leave. This was nothing more than a strange and ugly nightmare.

“It is no nightmare,” the spirit continued. “I have been watching you from the moment you arrived.”

“What do you want?” Mai asked.

The tricky spirit laughed. “I should be asking you that, little one. You trespassed my domain, desecrated this site, and stole from me. Why should I let you go?”

“Look, I meant no harm. I thought—”

“That this place would be unprotected?” He contested. “Like so many others. You take what does not belong to you.”

Mai halted. What does not belong? She questioned.

“Um, what do you mean by that?”

“This place has been frozen in time long forgotten by the people who sought divine intervention. Instead, they got me. I have protected these lands for centuries, watching as humanity tore itself apart in countless bloody wars. They ravaged and pillaged everything within sight,” he explained.

Mai could not argue with him. This day and age was soaked with the blood of many. Innocents waged war under the name of a single ruler, and they did not stop until the opponent was decimated. It was their cruel reality. The harshness of their world. It had become unforgiving irregardless of who it took with it.

“Surely, you came here for something of mine,” the spiritual being continued.

“I…” Mai began, clearing her throat momentarily. “I came for a flower.”

“Whatever could you use it for?” He inquired mockingly.

“To prove that you are real.”

He froze. Prove his existence? What reason could she have to do so? He narrowed his golden eyes as he crossed his arms. He did not believe her. Judging by her clothes, this meddlesome girl was a court noble. The embroidered crest on her obi gave her affiliation away.

“Oda princess.”

Mai flinched. For a spirit, she was surprised he knew of her ties to Nobunaga and the Oda clan. Mai gulped shrinking away from him.

“Dare I guess your lord sent for me?”

She furiously shook her head. “No! It was I who sought you out!”

“Oh?”

Mai gazed dejectedly at the mossy path beneath her. She was trapped, unable to do much in her state. This being—whoever he was—would not let her go. Not after summoning him. If she told him the truth, would he believe her?

“People have said that mysterious lights appear in the middle of the night on this mountain. The maids… They dared me to come here.”

“To prove these lights were true,” he surmised.

“They asked I bring back a bellflower as proof,” Mai continued.

“Well, dear princess, you’ve gotten your wish. My fox fire has certainly captured your attention, no?”

He held out his hand as a white fireball manifested above his palm. Mai could only watch entranced by the ethereal flame as the man moved closer to her. He held the flame between them, the white glow casting shadows upon their faces.

“You may have your reasons, Oda princess, but the fact remains. You have trespassed.”

“I mean no harm,” Mai assured.

“Tell that to the flowers. They suffered more than I.”

“So, what then? Will you kill me?”

He smirked. He moved his hand drawing closer to her. Unable to move, she could only watch in fright as he closed the distance. His breath ghosted over her lips briefly before claiming them in a deep kiss. Mai’s eyes widened as her vision flooded with images of her life. From birth until now, her entire life flashed before her eyes. By the time she came to, she saw the man lick his lips as if he had savored her.

“Mizusaki Mai, was it?”

She perked up upon hearing her name. So far, he had referred to her as ‘Oda princess’. How had he uncovered her name?

“I’ve left my mark on you. From this day forward, you are mine.”

He snapped his fingers, and Mai suddenly felt freed. She scrambled to her feet placing distance between herself and the mysterious man. He ran a hand through his hair as he grinned in amusement at her. Mai was nothing more than a naive girl. And from what he had gathered, she posed no threat to his domain. Humans often came and he merely chased them off with a ghostly attack. However, he felt like he could approach Mai differently. Afterall, she was not of this world, either. They at least had one thing in common.

“Run along now. Oh, and if they ask, be sure to tell them I will be waiting for them.”

“Um…” Mai began, clutching her arm with one hand as she stared at him sheepishly.

He could tell she was debating her words. Yet, he saw what she wished to ask. Turning his back at her, he spared her a brief glance over his shoulder.

“Call me Mitsuhide.”

As Mai looked up, her mysterious spirit had vanished into thin air. A calming wind swept through rustling the flowers and trees. A warm presence seemed to envelope her, and Mai’s fear vanished as calm finally took over. She could still taste him upon her lips.

“Mitsuhide.”

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen #mitsuhide akechi #mai mizuzaki #nighthunterhime #1000 followers gift #fanfiction

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kygo-keigo · 4 years

Text

• MDZS ONESHOT FANFICTION • MODERN X ANCIENT AU •

Two worlds apart, Xiao Zhan meets a mysterious man in his dream, Lan Wanji. Who is this man wearing an ancient costume?

Two worlds apart, Lan Wanji saw Wei Wuxian inside of a bizarre man's clothing. Is it Wei Ying? Why does he look exactly like Wei Ying?

Two souls separated from different eras, bonded by unknown incense burner.

Art by: 陆离-popo

https://m.weibo.cn/u/1974871217?uid=1974871217&luicode=10000011&lfid=1076037266317551

for wattpad link, visit: https://my.w.tt/qs7X83uah8

•••

Inside the Cloud Recess Pavilion, disciples of Gusu Lan Sect often hear Lan Wanji's inquiry. It is like a morning ritual for Lan Wanji to play his guqin, every day for 10 years, without skipping any day. Many of the disciples know the notes he's playing. It is a solemn melody full of agony and longingness. In Gusu Lan Sect, it is forbidden to talk about the person behind their back. But it is rumored that song is dedicated to his long lost lover. As to know whether it is true or not, no one dares to ask.

Today is a different day. It is Wei Wuxian's birthday. Lan Wangji places his guqin on the table and stares outside the window. It is autumn now, the Ginko trees outside fills the whole pathway with its yellow leaves. He strums the strings on his hands and plays the tune he composed years ago. When the one who heard it was still here, beside him in the cold and desolate cave, asking what's the title of the song.

Wangxian, he said. But that person can no longer hear it.

Lan Wangji turns his head up in the sky as he plucks the chords out of his guqin. Begging the heavens to answer his most ardent prayer.

"Wei Ying, where are you?"

Lan Sizhui turns his head towards the melody he's hearing. Although it is faintly heard, he notices a different melody from what Lan Wangji usually plays.

"Jingyi, have you heard that melody? It is different from what Hanguang-jun usually plays."

Lan Jingyi shook his head. He's struggling to reply as the long tips of his headband were on his lips while doing a handstand, copying all of the sect rules. "Focus on your work and stop distracting me. If we are caught loafing around, we won't be able to have our dinner."

---

"Zhanzhan, are you dizzy again?"

Xiao Zhan turned his head and shook it. "Just a simple headache." Xiao Zhan presses his temples and massage in between his eyebrows. He shakes his head the continues to rummage inside the garage sale.

Mei Hui grabs an incense burner and places it on top of the table. "I'll give this to you, you just need to buy some calming oil and place it inside. It will help you with your headache."

It is an old ceramic incense burner with intricate design holes where the smoke goes out. Using the tip of his finger, he touches the incense burner, he felt the electricity flow on his fingers and immediately remove his finger away.

Mei Hui laughs, "It has not been used for a while, why do you react as if you're scalded?" She immediately stuffs the incense burner in a paper bag and shoves it to Xiao Zhan. "Use it well."

It's almost midnight when Xiao Zhan finished his portfolio. He's a dedicated and hard-working student. It is his last semester in university, so he just needs to endure countless sleepless nights before he graduates. That's why he often caught a headache because of a lack of sleep.

He stretches his whole body to ease those tensed muscles from prolonged sitting, suddenly caught a glimpse of an incense burner from earlier. He already bought a lavender-scented incense oil to help him sleep tonight. It doesn't matter if he wakes up late tomorrow since it is the weekend.

After he lits up the incense burner, Xiao Zhan finally rewarded himself under the quilt as he snuggles his body into the soft mattress under him, ready to meet his deep slumber.

Bright noonday welcomes Xiao Zhan in his dream while walking in a pathway covered with yellow leaves. Although the sun is on its peak, he didn't feel any heat in the air. A sense of familiarity envelopes his body as he takes long strides in this place. Maybe he's already been here before?

At the end of the path, there is a small hut located in the middle. There is a man inside the hut, wearing a long white dress with clouds design on his lapels, a white headband on his forehead, and a guqin on his lap. Xiao Zhan feels like he's on an ancient drama, Who is this man wearing an ancient costume?

As soon as Lan Wanji sets his gaze on the man under the tree, his heart skips a beat.

Lan Wangji knows deep in his heart that this man is certainly Wei Wuxian. He exactly looks like Wei Wuxian, but his hair is short and wears bizarre clothes that he never saw in his life. Is it Wei Ying? Why does he look exactly like Wei Ying? His heart starts to waver, but it didn't stop him from going outside of the hut.

"Wei Ying?"

When Lan Wanji was a meter close to Wei Wuxian, he disappeared. A glimpse of Wei Wuxian vanished in thin air, all of a sudden Wangji wakes up from the dream. Tears start to fall from his eyes when he opened his eyes.

Xiao Zhan fell from his bed and wakes up. He turns his face to the large mirror in front of him, and tears start to roll down from his face. He didn't know why he is crying, maybe he dreamt of something sad but he can no longer remember.

—-

After that hellish exam, Xiao Zhan finally can rest peacefully on his bed. Just as he walks out, Mei Hui invites him for a couple of drinks with their friends as they successfully finished their final exams. Just a couple of requirements to make and they will graduate a few months from now. Although Xiao Zhan doesn't like to socialize, he agreed. He didn't know why but he's in a good mood and a couple of drinks won't be a bad idea.

They enjoy good hotpot meat and a couple of drinks. This place is full of students that also came from finishing their exams. From different departments, although they did not know each other, as they sang their alma mater's hymn, they unite as one. Some cried and some drank as they sang their final song. Eventually, someone plays a graduation song and everyone must state their name, age, and department after that take a one-shot of alcohol. They can also add witty remarks if they want to.

All of the students are on their high spirits with an alcohol-induced body, so everyone is willing to do this nonsense.

After their friends and Mei Hui introduced themselves, it is now Xiao Zhan's turn. Xiao Zhan is a bit tipsy now but can manage to stand up. "Hello everyone, my name is Xiao Zhan, 24 years old, from the modern international art design department. For the future of Chongqing university, Gānbēi!"

Everyone also raised their cups and drink. Xiao Zhan slightly slipped from the corner of his chair. Luckily, someone grabs his arms to find his balance.

"Thank you," Xiao Zhan didn't shot a glance at the person as he drops his head on the table. That last shot knocked him out.

He didn't know how he managed to go back to his bed. Xiao Zhan can hear Mei Hui's voice and some strange yet familiar voice of a man. He tries to open his eyes, but all he can see is their shadow. The last thing he saw is Mei Hui putting something on his incense burner then he passed out.

---

Lan Wanji strums his guqin inside the hut. He solemnly plays the notes while picturing Wei Wuxian in his mind.

Once again, Xiao Zhan goes back to the last scene on his dream, but this time he heard an ancient guqin plays. Like he was calling from the past. He followed the sound until he saw that man again playing his guqin while softly whispered the word, Wei Ying.

"Wei Ying?"

Lan Wangji suddenly stops playing. When he opened his eyes, he saw that bizarre man that looks like Wei Wuxian.

"Wei Ying!" Lan Wanji immediately stands up and reached his hand to the man.

Xiao Zhan panicked and raised his two hands, "So... Sorry. I.. I am not Wei Ying."

Lan Wangji stepped back.

"I'm afraid you recognized the wrong person."

Lan Wanji's eyebrows furrowed. He hides his face from the man with his hand, I am wrong.

Xiao Zhan saw the man's sorrowful face, he felt guilty. "That person... I mean Wei Ying, is he your friend?"

Lan Wanji pressed this thin lips, "He is..."

Lan Wanji didn't finish his sentence when Xiao Zhan interrupts him, "Oh, you also have that incense burner?"

Lan Wanji picks up the incense burner, "You also have the same kind?"

Xiao Zhan nods.

Now Lan Wanji finally understands the situation, "The incense burner brought you into my dreams, I was calling for his spirit and you came here. You don't belong in this world, that's why I don't recognize your clothing."

Xiao Zhan quickly lift the hem of his clothes, "In your dream? Is it kind of magic?"

Lan Wanji slightly smiles. He explained that incense burner they both use is an ancient treasure, maybe it was passed down for generations. Lan Wanji didn't know it is capable of meeting two souls from a different era, until now. What bothers him is that he met Wei Wuxian from the other world, is it really him or not?.

Lan Wangji, "What's your name?"

Xiao Zhan, "My name is Xiao Zhan, you?"

"Lan Zhan." Lan Wanji didn't know why he easily gave his birth name.

Xiao Zhan chuckled, "Lan Zhan? I'm Xiao Zhan, we're both Zhanzhan."

Lan Zhan saw Xiao Zhan's bright smile. In a split second, he looked like Wei Wuxian from where they were young. His sweet smile that can brighten up any gloomy day. A smile that completely conquered his heart. They stayed there for a couple of hours, asking about their world, how people live from Wanji's time, how different is Xiao Zhan's generation.

"Lan Zhan."

Lan Wangji's heart pounded so hard when he hears his name.

Xiao Zhan, "I'm glad to see you. Even if it's a dream, I can feel we're both knew each other. The next time we see each other, teach me how to play that some from earlier."

Lan Wanji, "Mn."

Xiao Zhan, "See you in my dreams."

---

It continues for three weeks. Xiao Zhan always meets Lan Wangji on his dream. He learned that Lan Zhan's real name is Lan Wanji. That he's a cultivator in Gusu Lan Sect and people call him Hanguang-jun. He also has a brother that looks like him. He also learned about Wei Ying called Wei Wuxian by his real name. Also a cultivator like him.

Even if there are so many things to comply with their graduation, Xiao Zhan manages to sleep whenever he can. That's why among their group, he's the only one who looks fresh while everyone carries a black bag underneath their eyes.

Mei Hui, on the other hand, noticed something unusual from Xiao Zhan. Unlike last month which he really looked like a dead fish, now he looks vibrant even his skin looks plumper than hers. Envy rose from her, he never saw Xiao Zhan this happy before. From the looks of it, people might see it as the excitement from the graduation, but in her eyes, it feels like he's in love.

Mei Hui, "Zhanzhan, you look so happy these past few days. Are you dating someone?"

Suddenly, Lan Wanji's face crossed his mind. Xiao Zhan slightly smiles in a fraction of second, but it did not escape from Mei Hui's eyes.

"Nope, I don't have time to date someone, " Xiao Zhan nonchalantly said.

Mei Hui didn't bother to dig deeper from his personal life and focused on other things. She just silently wished that when one day, when she falls for the other person too, she'll glow brighter too just like him.

Each day they're getting closer to his graduation, each day Xiao Zhan almost perfected Lan Wanji's melody score using a flute. Though he only plays on his dream, Xiao Zhan silently wished he could play it in real life too. So the next day, Xiao Zhan bought a Dizi (Chinese Flute) from a shop referred by Mei Hui. He wants to test his conjecture to play the flute just like what he plays in his dream. Although it wasn't as good as what he did on his dream, he's still happy that he remembered all of the notes.

Xiao Zhan wants to play the melody after his graduation.

—--

Lan Wanji waits for Xiao Zhan to appear in his dream. He noticed a man wearing a black coat and a hat. That man walks towards him while waving his hand. His heart nearly escapes from his chest. It is pounding so loud and hurts each time it pumps blood. He didn't know if he was hallucinating as he saw Wei Wuxian in front of him.

"Lan Zhan!"

Wei Wuxian smiled at him and began to press his mouth towards the flute that almost looks like Chengqing and plays Wangxian. Lan Wangji's world stopped right in front of him. His eyes only glare at the man in front of him. Maybe he's delusional but if he can only wish to live inside his dream, he's willing to give up everything just to be with him. Only with him.

"Lan Zhan, what is the name of the song?" Wei Wuxian asked.

Now, Lan Wanji can say the words that he wanted to say a long time ago, "Wangxian."

"Wangxian..."

Lan Wanji noticed some changes from Wei Wuxian's face and quickly turn his body away from him. He grabs his shoulder only to see Xiao Zhan's bloodshot eyes. Lan Wanji quickly retracts his hand that was resting on Xiao Zhan's shoulder. He just imagines him as Wei Wuxian.

Xiao Zhan, who wears graduation clothes just to play the melody he's been practicing for weeks in front of Lan Wangji as a surprise was defeated by Lan Wanji's past lover. He never knew that the song was named after their combined name.

He silently clenches his flute as he speaks, "Is this song... For that person, you called Wei Ying?"

"Yes."

"But you've been waiting for him for 13 years now. How can you sure you'll find him again?"

"I don't know."

Xiao Zhan swallowed the invisible lump he feels on his throat. He quickly suppresses his sour feeling and said, "Lan Zhan, I... I like you."

Lan Wangji remained stoic. He takes 3 steps away from Xiao Zhan and looks into the sky and closes his eyes. Xiao Zhan's personality is somehow the same as Wei Wuxian, but Xiao Zhan isn't Wei Wuxian.

"I've been waiting for him for more than a decade now, how much more if I wait another year for him?"

Xiao Zhan just received an indirect rejection from Lan Wanji's rhetorical question. He silently accepts it as he twists his feet against the ground.

"What you are wearing?"

"Oh this, I just graduated from the University."

Lan Wangji pats his head, "Congratulations."

Xiao Zhan paid him with a smile too, "I wished to receive that same kind of love like you have for Wei Wuxian."

Xiao Zhan, "I don't want anyone if it's not you."

Lan Zhan, "You're still young Xiao Zhan. I can't accompany you in your world nor you can in my world. I have my life in Cloud Recess, you also have your life in your world. Maybe he's waiting for me somewhere in the underworld and there are people waiting for you there. We can only move forward with our life. We can't be stuck in a dream no matter how much we wanted to. So this will be the last time we'll see each other."

Xiao Zhan finally broke down, tears came falling down from his face as his body slowly fades away.

Xiao Zhan, "I'll never get to see you again?"

Lan Wanji, "If you're Wei Wuxian's spirit from another world, maybe you'll meet me there too if fate allows."

After that, there is only an empty dream.

Maybe Lan Wangji was right, or maybe he's not. Maybe he is Wei Wuxian in his past life, or maybe not. In any case, whether he hopes for another Lan Wanji in his world or not, if fate allows it will happen.

Three years had passed, Xiao Zhan never saw Lan Wangji again. Being consumed by his work, he no longer thinks about him. After his encounter with the incense burner, he never used it again. He sometimes dreams about Lan Wangji until he can no longer remember his face. He even dreamt of himself wearing wuxia clothes but never really know what he did there.

One thing is for certain, he still plays Wangxian.

Xiao Zhan fiddled the flute in his hand, smiling at the thought of that dream under the ginkgo tree. That yellow leaves that are slowly covered the road. He didn't know why but he felt like playing the song in his flute.

As he blows his breath, the melody starts to play.

Whether if it's 16 years or hundred years, Lan Wangji still waits for Wei Wuxian. Until the day comes when he hears Wangxian in the air. It is played roughly but he can still recognize the notes. He quickly followed the melody and saw a ridiculous man playing his bamboo flute with makeup on his face. Now he certainly knows, he came back.

He grabs that man's wrist and stares directly at him.

Wei Ying, you came back. It is you. I found you.

Xiao Zhan stops playing his flute when he notices a man in front of him calling out his name, who looks exactly like a man he's familiar with.

'Maybe you'll meet me there too if fate allows.'

It is no longer a maybe. Lan Zhan, I found you.

"You're Xiao Zhan, right?"

"Yes, I am. And you are?"

"Wang Yibo..."

Whether in this life or your life, we are destined to belong to each other no matter where we are.

•••

NaverGirl

#oneshot #wangxian #yizhan #mxtx novels #mxtx fanfic #mdzs fic #mdzs au #pastxfuture #wattpad

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lexibranscn · 4 years

Text

LEXI & MARCEL // A HISTORIC DANCE

After bumping into each other and Marcel giving Lexi a gift the two vampires choose to dance with one another, revealing parts of their past as they do so.

Marcel: Ever since Marcel had been abandoned by Mary who have sneaked away to some other place at the Founders Ball, right after he had told her to be careful — he had been roaming around with a glass between his hand. Marcel was hoping to find a friend tonight, to give her what was promised to her the other day. He had contacted some other witches who owes him a favour and created a day light ring for him, “Hey, finally found you.” He called, “You’re not hiding from me are you?”

Lexi: Though usually the life of the party, Lexi was lingering in the shadows a little that night. The risk of the founding families discovering her was something she couldn't afford. A champagne flute in her hand she glanced over at the familiar voice, her lips spreading into a slow smile. "Marcel." her voice was warm as she acknowledged him, a small laugh slipping from her lips. "Not at all. Simply enjoying watching everyone having a good time."

Marcel: It was unusual seeing how tamed and calm Lexi seemed tonight in comparison to the time they've spend together, but it was understandable consider the venue they are currently at - Mary had warned him of the founding families too. "Good, otherwise my feelings might just be hurt." Marcel chuckled, with a soft nod. "You came here alone?"

Lexi: Her smile was bright at the man, eyes rolling. "Oh, how terrible that would be." she couldn't help but tease, bringing her drink to her lips as Marcel asked who she came with. "No need to sound so pitying." she joked, nodding her head. "Yeah, I came alone. Got a message from someone wanting to meet me here so...I'm here." she shrugged, a small smile on her lips.

Marcel: It would be a lie if Marcel said he didn’t miss the playfulness between the two of them, spending time with Lexi definitely takes the edge of things when it gets tensed. “That sounds pretty shady if you ask me.” Marcel notes, taking a moment to scan around the area as he took a sip from his glass. “Try and be careful alright?”

Lexi: Marcel was fun. It was rare for Lexi to find someone she clicked with so easily, and she enjoyed spending time with him. "Awh, are you worried for little old me?" she teased, eyes gleaming brightly, a smile on her lips. "Don't worry. I doubt anything is going to happen as long as I'm in a public place." she paused, suddenly realizing that Marcel seemed a little...well, unaccompanied. "Wheres your date?"

Marcel: Marcel nodded in agreement, with all these humans around it was like whoever knew of their existence would risk making a scene in the middle of an event like this. “Oh — ah, right my date.” He chuckled, shaking his head a little. “Ditched me the first chance she got, but no I’m just here with the girl I am kinda looking after. So technically, no date.”

Lexi: "What? A handsome guy like you? Shut up." she laughed in shock, shaking her head at this fact. "I will not accept the fact that you are single, and that you didn't get a hot date to come to this thing with you." It wasn't possible. He was a great guy, with a good sense of humor and a generous spirit. "We have got to find you a girlfriend."

Marcel: “Well, I am in fact quite single and definitely no hot date. But says the one who came here alone too, Lexi.” Marcel could only laugh at Lexi’s comments, shaking his head lightly. Perhaps it is time to commit in moving on, no more connections and all these maybes with Rebekah. He deserves the love he longed for too, “I doubt I would find anyone in Mystic Falls let’s be honest.” Marcel chuckled,

Lexi: "Well, I do have the love of my life waiting for me back home." she reminded him with a small laugh, shrugging her shoulders. Though a date would of been nice, she missed Rowan more than anything. "Really?" Lexi blinked, taken aback by his words. "But...you never know what might be here." she pointed out with a small frown, shaking her head. "Give yourself a little more time here. You never know, the perfect girl might be right around the corner."

Marcel: “Hope he’s doing alright.” Marcel was happy for her, having someone back home waiting for you is always a nice feeling. A place where you could relax with your partner and just, call home. “I guess you’re right, honestly I don’t know if I’m ready for a committed relationship right now though. Too much is going on.” He sighed, if given in a different situation he wouldn’t mind keeping his mind open on meeting someone new.

Lexi: "He is. As much as he pretends he's not on the phone." she joked with a laugh, amusement clear in her features. "You know, when I come and visit in New Orleans I'll have to bring him with me. I feel like you two would get along." She listened to him with an understanding smile. It was hard, to open yourself up to love when the risks were too great. "Just know you've got friends who care about you. Me included."

Marcel: It brought a warm smile on Marcel's face, there's been a lot of people coming in and walking out in his life. There wasn't many that stayed aside from the Mikaelsons, "Thanks Lexi, I appreciate it." He said, giving the women a gentle pat on the shoulder before taking a quick sip of his champagne. "Maybe, would love to meet the lucky guy." He chuckled softly at his own comment, "Oh before I forget, there's something I want to give you. Well, something I promised."

Lexi: “No problem.” Lexi grinned, giving the other vampire a playful wink. The friends she held close to her heart were ones that could often turn to her in times of need - and Marcel was certainly one of them. Smiling at his words her eyebrows raised, an entertained look on her face. “Promised me? And what did you promise?”

Marcel: The playful part of Marcel wanted to tease and make it look as if he was going to proposal to Lexi in front of the entire crowd but that might just anger whoever her mystery date would be, so he saved the idea for later. “Here.” The male spoke up, holding a small jewellery casing as he handed over to the girl. “I promised you a day light ring right? Consider this our little friendship bracelet.” Marcel chuckled softly.

Lexi: A sudden realization came to the blondes eyes as he revealed the little jewelry box, lips parted in shock. Of course, he’d said he would find her one - but many had said similar things in the past. “I....” she paused, shaking her head in amazement. ”Thank you” she almost whispered the words as she looked down at the gift. “Marcel this is...” she trailed off, touched by the other vampires actions.

Marcel: “Alright alright, that’s enough thank yous for one night.” The male laughed softly, shaking his head as he smiled at Lexi. Marcel is a man of his words after all, at least to those he trusts and like. He was glad to make her night, “But you’re welcome, I said I’d get it for you and I did. Don’t loose it.” Marcel said playfully, “Not sure if that’s your style but — too bad.”

Lexi: "It's perfect." she reassured him, slipping the ring onto her finger with a wide smile. "And it's not what I would've chosen, but I can make it work." she grinned over at him, moving to take one of his hands. "Right, I definitely owe you a dance."

Marcel: Marcel was glad to see her smile and reaction to his gift, chuckling lightly at her comment. “Wouldn’t want to make your secret date jealous now, but I’ll take it.” He teased before placing his empty glass off to the side, extending a hand for Lexi with a playful smile. “May I have this dance?”

Lexi: "Well my secret date is going to have to find out I'm taken either way, so..." she trailed off, grinning. "Might as well enjoy a dance with a friend first." Looking over at the man she smiled as she took his head, nodding her head. "You absolutely may."

Marcel: “Let’s hope he’s not too heart broken.” Marcel teased before carefully leading her towards the dance floor, arms adjust their position before they danced along to the music. “This might be a touchy subject but, what’s your history?” He asked, picking his words carefully as he know this subject can be touchy to some vampires.

Lexi: "We can only pray." she added with a laugh, letting one hand entwine with his whilst the other rested on his shoulder. "My history?" she repeated, eyebrows raising. "I hope you're not asking my age. A lady has to have some mystery about her." she joked, looking up at him with a soft smile. "I've been a vampire for hundreds of years now...though I didn't know what I'd become. When I caught the plague an admirer of mine had asked if I wished to live forever, to care for my young brother. He was only a child, and our parents had died years before." she paused, a sadness in the blondes eyes as she tried to picture her brother. "All of a sudden I was cured...but I found that the sunlight began to burn my skin, and I craved something other than food." she paused, lost in the memories of her past.

Marcel: There was sympathy lingering Marcel’s eyes as he listened to her story, it must’ve been difficult for her with situations like that. “I’m sorry about what happened.” He said sincerely, it wouldn’t surprise him if most of vampires’ history are dark and emotional. “Sounds like we’re not that far off.” Marcel chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood between them. “Since you’ve shared, it’s only fair if I did too. I was raised by the Mikaelsons, Klaus took me in when I was just a little boy. Years later, he turned me. Everything was good until they ran and left me for dead in New Orleans.” There was a bitterness in his tone, he couldn’t possibly compare their history as everyone have their own darkness to deal with.

Lexi: “It’s all in the past.” she said gently, a sadness in her features as she thought of what had once been. The world was a very different place now however, and so was she. “The Mikaelsons again.” she murmured, deep in thought. “They seem to have a lot of chaos surrounding them, don’t they?” From what she’d heard from Rebekah it seemed as though it was mostly on Klaus behalf, but still. She would never insult someone’s side, no matter how the vampire felt about them.

Marcel: Marcel brows rose at her words, it would seems she had heard of them not long ago but then again — make sense as the Mikaelsons doesn’t exactly cloak themselves from attention, being the original vampires. “That’s an understatement, they’re the definition of destructive.” The male pointed it out, all those years Marcel had spend with them, there were the goods but the bad over rules them.

Lexi: She laughed slightly at his words, nodding her head. From what she'd heard, he was right about that. "And you being in town at the same time as them is simply a coincidence?" she asked, head tilting her head to the side with some curiosity.

Marcel: “Maybe.” Marcels mused, carefully as he twirled the other around before being her close towards him again. “I suppose we will never know, honestly though — wasn’t expecting them to be here.” The male admits, frowning as he wonders why the Mikaelsons are actually in town.

Lexi: She went into the movements with ease, swaying from side to side as she contemplated his words. "As long as they don't harm the people I love...then I'm happy to wait and see what they expect of this town."

Marcel: Knowing the Mikaelsons personally, he wasn’t sure what they would do but Marcel knew there would be casualties in whatever they’re planning. “Hopefully, since there are people that I care in this little town too.” Marcel admits, he would gladly take on the originals if it means to save his friends. It wasn’t long until the music finally came to an end, a smile lingering on his lips as he bowed at her. “Better let you go before your mystery date missed you.”

Lexi: As the music came to an end she smiled at her dance partner, moving to grasp the edge of her dress, curtsying with a laugh. "Thank you Marcel, for a lovely start to the evening."

#c: marcel #mysticliesdiscord

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nightlyarrows · 5 years

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WHAT IS LOVE? BABY DON’T HURT ME, DON’T HURT ME, NO MORE

some alone time was definitely needed after the whole week he spent sleeping out in the woods for no one to find him. even though it had been a couple of weeks since his nightmare marathon, he was starting to think about that more and more. his dreams were real and that was the scary. his dreams hurt silas, hindered the bond that was building up between the two of them. sure the man had powers over dreams and said he didn’t care, but that got tristan wondering. how real were his nightmares about his HEARTBREAK? how relevant were they now even though most of them happened ages ago? he was only a couple of months from turning thirty and yet he was visited by his younger selves, four of them to be exact. if silas could be hurt by his dream egos, then so could he....

it was safe to say that tristan had a hard time sleeping ever since. it wasn’t like anything haunted him in his sleep, his dreams now were actually much more peaceful. yet he remembers the bengal tiger now. he closes his eyes to doze of an he hears, “I AM PART OF HER, AND A PART OF YOU. YOU DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE YET, SO I MAY NOT APPEAR COMPLETELY RECOGNIZABLE, BUT IN DUE TIME I WILL.” a familiar weight fills his chest and brings him down to the ground as he ponders those words. the second line sat with him the most, he really didn’t know who he was. if the tiger was also part artemis, did the part where they know heartbreak connect them? she was cursed, sleeping, so she must have known some type of betrayal. as he pondered to himself in the middle of the night he slowly turned invisible. tristan didn’t even realize, but he wanted to disappear... he wanted to talk to artemis and the tiger about this alone, but he couldn’t be in his cabin...

he continued to think about the vision and everything that happened. “I AM YOUR GUARDIAN. YOUR HEART IS MY DOMAIN.” that’s what made him feel bad for his spirit animal, almost like he had injured her. his heart had suffered too much damage. every single time he thought someone loved him, they broke his heart. they smashed it in a place he called home and tore it apart like a wendigo eating its first meal. like a pack of wolves they stomped on it and wore its scent on their fangs, dripping with success after taking down an enemy. his heart had been used too many times, it definitely wasn’t a place for someone to consider a home. he needed to heal it. if not for himself, then for what was inside of him. tristan was no longer fighting this alone. something was connecting him to artemis and his future self, but it still clung onto his past.

“MOTHER, WERE YOU EVER BETRAYED?“ he looks up at the sky, eyes gluing to the full moon. it filled him up with something, even more energy since before the quest, but it brought him to a dangerous place. he got to thinking about his past, trying to connect him to who he was now. cassandra, trenton, dominic, and valentina all crossed through his mind. they were all the ones to initiate something with him. he went for them because they were safe, he thought that they loved him. yet at the end he realized those were all empty promises. tristan knew someone who loved him wouldn’t treat him that way. he had a hard time hearing those words because they were fake, a predictor of who was going to hurt him. people didn’t love him, they loved the idea of him. they loved the security that he gave them, but at the end they always found someone better. none of those four ever loved him like they said he did, so he didn’t even know if he felt love himself.

another saying from the tiger ran through his head. “EVEN THE MOON, TRISTAN, HAS A DARK SIDE.” true love was supposed to be a two way street, that’s what he was taught. someone loved you and you loved them back. he thought he loved those four because of how their relationship was, but if it was built on a lie then could he ever say he loved them? tristan realize that maybe he was the enemy all along. maybe he was the one that was so in love with the idea of being loved and having someone to love that he didn’t realize his own feelings. he couldn’t say there was a particular moment where he felt in love with cass, val, or dom. with trenton there was, but he was also his best friend. “HOW DO YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ROMANTIC AND PLATONIC LOVE? IS THAT JUST A MORTAL THING?” another question thrown at the woman that was probably tired of having him as a son.

tristan realize he didn’t know what love was, not in the romantic sense at least. they all said they loved him first and he acted how he should have. he was a fraud, a monster, everything people thought about him was true. maybe that even made him unlovable... maybe the reason no one listened to him was because there wasn’t anything to listen to. now he could even turn invisible, maybe it was just a part of his being. his time was running up, but there was no one around him anyways. he could have continued to sulk and think to himself, but now he realized artemis may have actually been listening to him.

“I’M SORRY MOTHER, I DON’T MEAN TO BURDEN YOU WITH MY INSECURITIES. I JUST... IT’S HARD TO KNOW WHEN I START FEELING SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE IF I’VE NEVER FELT IT BEFORE...“ he’s been enamored, in lust, in like, in deep platonic love, but he’s never thought about if he romantically loved someone just for them. not any actions that the person took, now how they acted, not how he thought they loved him. maybe he was more beast than human, maybe all he could feel was carnal. yet as tears started building up in his eyes he quickly tried to get them to stop. one hand curled into a fist while the other swatted the tears away. eyes were shut, darkness surrounded him, he couldn’t be this weak.

even if he was a beast this proved he was capable of emotion. he wasn’t a monster, he was capable of loving someone else. that was clear to him now, even if he didn’t know how people felt about him he was mature enough to admit that he loved them. yet tristan still had one big doubt running through his mind. “AM I TRULY LOVED?” no one had ever shown him that in the romantic sense. everyone that got close was lying since the first day they bonded together and sealed the deal. he was a business transaction, a way up the ladder, a shield to protect them. he was always something to use and not someone to care for. maybe that’s why he was the demigod of the hunt and night. people loved the sun, they loved the brightness, the warmth, the happiness. yet what did night bring?

crime was more frequent at night because people could get away with it. the assassin went after phillip at night because everyone was asleep. the gnolls attacked because no one was alert at night. the wolves took loved ones because he was the only strong one at night. how could tristan expect to be loved when the night scared people, when HE scared people? the answer was that he couldn’t. he hurt silas at night and he was just sleeping. he continued to hurt milo every time he didn’t promise to stay and left for another quest. he hurt corey probably when nugget died because he wasn’t good enough. he hurt axel when he let him go on that bridge and wasn’t fast enough to catch him. the list could go on and on, but like the night he seemed to be a massive void. emptiness that engulfed people in the strangest of ways. maybe no one could ever love him because they were so startled by him, they were lured in by his mystery and what he could provide and nothing else.

NO. was he a monster? maybe. could he be loved? probably not, but that couldn’t stop him. tristan couldn’t stop fighting for others because then he would have nothing left to fight for. he had to remember who he was doing this for. even if people didn’t truly love him, that no longer mattered. even if he couldn’t say those words out loud because he didn’t know what it felt, that didn’t matter. he was here in mount olympus, he had a purpose now. fully visible again he stood up from the ground and dusted the dirt off of his clothing. he continued to keep his gaze locked tot he moon after opening his eyes again. “I WON’T STOP FIGHTING.” he had to reassure her, he had to know that even if artemis didn’t love him, that she respected him as her legacy. he had to be strong for a lot of people now and he was going to be. “WHATEVER IS GOING ON I’M NOT GOING TO QUIT. I’VE QUIT ON LOVE AFTER VALENTINA AND THAT WASN’T RIGHT. NOW I’M NOT JUST FIGHTING FOR ME. I DO LOVE, I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE, AND I’M NOT GOING BACK. MOTHER, I WILL MAKE YOU PROUD. I, TRISTAN FALCO, SON OF ARTEMIS AND WHISPERER OF BEASTS, PROMISE TO HONOR YOUR NAME. I WILL GO DOWN FIGHTING IF I MUST, BUT I WILL NEVER STOP. PEOPLE WILL EITHER LEARN TO FEAR ME OR RESPECT ME. THEY WILL NEVER FORGET YOU BECAUSE YOU’RE STILL ALIVE, I’M PART OF YOU AND I KNOW THAT’S WHERE MY STRENGTH COMES FROM. I LOVE YOU, MOTHER.” tristan finally said it to one person, but that was easier. his mother wasn’t a tangible being in front of him. “I LOVE YOU AND I WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN.” now to go off and prepare.

#what is love? baby don't hurt me #insecurity tw #sadness tw #negative thoughts tw #idek lmao

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onestowatch · 5 years

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Marco McKinnis Illustrates Love, Growth, and the Beginning of an Artistic Evolution in ‘E’Merse’ [Q&A]

The resurgence of R&B over the past few years is undeniable. Fusing traditional elements of the genre with new textures, artists operating in this surging space have brought life back into a sound that was arguably dormant. Compiling a list of the heavy-hitters emerging in the genre would be incomplete without the talents of Marco McKinnis. The Virginia-based artist may be relatively new but has already generated a cult-like following that heralds his music as the genre’s best-kept secret. Apologies to the McKinnis fandom, we’re about to spill the beans.

Marco McKinnis first gained traction on SoundCloud in 2016 after uploading several original records that highlighted his natural talents. One of his songs, “Beautiful Demo,” generated over 400 thousand plays and ten thousand likes on the streaming platform–safe to say listeners swooned. Partnering with Republic Records a year after the song’s release, McKinnis began showing up on major streaming platforms, effectively delivering two singles, “How I Feel” and “Middle Of The Party.” Both records continued building the mysteriously-sultry persona of the then fairly unknown vocalist.

A year after his signing with Republic, McKinnis delivered a moving body of work in the form of his six-track EP, Underground. The 18-minute exhibition resonated an energy that is lightyears ahead of its time. Despite this being his first official multi-track debut, McKinnis brandished a self-awareness that transcended his “newcomer” status. Standout tracks like, “CPR” and “Stillness” solidified his ability to not only cater to the bedroom but to the brokenhearted as well.

youtube

With consistency in mind, McKinnis wasted no time in sharing his next body of work, a six-track EP titled E’Merse. The 20-minute offering, released on June 14, floods your senses with varying themes of intimacy and romanticism. Built atop a combination of live instrumentation and trap-soul production, E’Merse makes a compelling case for McKinnis’ untapped musicality. Still in the process of discovering his own abilities as an artist leaves us excited to witness his artistic evolution.

E’Merse wastes no times on pleasantries, throwing you into the thick of things with its bass-driven, saxophone-assisted introduction “Energy.” The consoling opener is a shining example of the content and production to be expected on later tracks. Whether pleading to his former love on “Give It Up,” questioning commitment on “Deep” or confidently departing an unhealthy relationship in “On The Market,” McKinnis spotlights his growing self-awareness and natural ability to occupy multiple spaces while remaining concise.

We had the privilege of catching up with Marco McKinnis about his love for live instrumentation, opening up more, future plans, and dance moves that would make Omarion’s character in You Got Served quake.

OTW: First off thank you for taking the time, how are you doing?

McKinnis: I’m doing good man, just had my hair braided up, making me a grilled cheese right now. I got a performance tonight, I’m feeling good!

OTW: It sounds like you are living the life. What does this moment feel like? Your second EP?

McKinnis: It feels good man! I feel like I’m moving along, I’m getting the ball rolling. People are starting to really recognize me for my talent and my gift. It just feels good to just get expressions off–getting it out there in the open–it’s like I got those things off my chest so now I can keep going, keep expressing and keep showing what I’m made of.

OTW: It’s been about three years since you first released music on SoundCloud, when did you make the decision to pursue music full time?

McKinnis: It was around 2015 when I dropped this song called “Clouds” on SoundCloud. Once people started really rockin’ with that joint, I was like, ‘alright, I’m finna keep doing this’ because I was getting looks from certain people and they’re people that wouldn’t say my music is just good for the fun of it. So, I saw people checking for me, people listening to the music and people started hitting me up telling me how my music made them feel and knew I had to keep going.

OTW: Who were your first introductions into music?

McKinnis: I listened to a lot of Gospel, a lot of Chris Brown, I was listening to a lot of Anthony Hamilton without even me really knowing I was listening to him (laughter). He was doing a lot of synchs, so a lot of his songs were in movies and stuff like that, so I would watch the movies just to hear the songs he was singing. Other than that it was a lot of Gospel though, but then I started getting hip to the music that was taking off, so like Ne-Yo, Lloyd, Lil Wayne–that early 2000’s era of music. I was kind of late to it though ‘cause I was raised on gospel. My parents would play it throughout the crib. I had to find my own way, there’s still a lot of music out that I don’t know about that people think I know about, which is kind of funny, but I was rockin’ with all of them but rockin’ with Chris Brown heavy.

OTW: What was your move from Virginia to Los Angeles like? Does location play a factor in your creative process?

McKinnis: It was cool, it wasn’t anything crazy for me honestly. I see LA as a place to give me space, you know? I’m a guy who loves his space, just like everybody else, but it [moving] did give me the platform to think about things, have my own time, to not be rushed to do certain things. As time went on, I’m like ‘man I need to go back to New York, I need to get back on the East Coast.’ The East Coast is very stimulating for me and it’s just different. Both coasts are definitely needed for me, I love both coasts, but each coast has its purpose.

OTW: You released your first EP, Underground, not even a year ago, is there a connection between that project and this one?

McKinnis: The connection between the projects is really just me showing my musicality. I was very, very involved in the musicality of the second project. Trying to get a little bit more personal, in terms of my love life and stuff like that. My second project isn’t too specific, but it updated people on what is going on in my life right now as opposed to the first project where I felt I was a little vague on certain details. Like on “Deep,” I mention a gap in age and little details that I didn’t mention on the first project, but it was definitely a growth musically; lyric wise, writing wise and I think it just serves as my process and my expression and everything I am going through at the moment.

OTW: I think that is definitely apparent when comparing the projects side by side. There is also a maturity to your music and not just content-wise, but sonically it sounds polished, what’s your work ethic like when approaching a new project?

McKinnis: Honestly, I just love music man. I want to hear music the way I want to hear it and I’m getting hip to my gift and my ear for music. So, when I hear certain things, it has to be a certain level – I don’t know how to explain it – I’m just learning more about my gift so going forward it has to be very strategic with the music. I can have an open mind about things, but I have to be very specific with what I want. It’s all about how I feel, if it doesn’t resonate with my spirit, I don’t like to partake in it.

OTW: That’s a great place to be working from. What were you listening to while working on E’Merse?

McKinnis: I was listening to Omarion, jamming to Toni Braxton, a little bit of Carl Thomas. A lot of R&B that was out in the early 2000’s. I just wanted to tap into that and get that off my chest because I feel like a lot of people think that is what I’m going to sound like for the rest of my life, but really I won’t. I’m going to always have those elements of R&B and those old school elements or whatever you want to call them nowadays, but that’s just something I had to tap into so I can move forward and get to that next level of my artistry.

OTW: You’ve spoken about learning new instruments and your connection to live instrumentation, did you play anything on the EP?

McKinnis: I didn’t play any instruments on this album, but I was very vocal about a lot of things. I haven’t made my instrument-playing debut just yet but very, very soon I will.

OTW: Staying on the production side of things, there is a nice balance sonically, like the solo saxophone on “Energy,” was the goal to show a combination of live instrumentation and more trap-soul style of beats?

McKinnis: It was definitely a priority, like when we were making “Energy,” I had it as a demo, and I could hear a saxophone on the joint and I love live instruments. I’ve been playing around with instruments almost my whole life, I haven’t mastered one just yet but I’m in the process of doing that now. I just wanted to stamp that I’m very in love with live instrumentation, so I had to get that sax in there. I had to do a little A&R work (laughter) and find that right one. His name is Kailin Joshua, my homie introduced me to him, and he did that joint in one take, I sent him a little reference of a couple tracks that have sax on it and he sent it back to me, I chopped it up a little bit, did my thing and there it was. I am so glad I put it in there. I love the sax bro when I start playing the sax, when I get a hold of a sax bro, it’s over, it's over!

OTW: Do you have a favorite song off the EP?

McKinnis: It fluctuates honestly, so it goes off the vibe, so right now, I don’t know, I’d say “Energy” because that saxophone hits, it may change tomorrow though or the day after, it fluctuates.

OTW: What do you envision for a live performance?

McKinnis: We’ve been putting together my band and stuff like that for the shows and touring. That is going to be a big, big part of my show. That’s the thing a lot of people have been wanting to see from me, the chemistry I have with live instruments and a band, that’s something that I’m definitely going to be taking with me on stage.

OTW: You showed off some moves on your Instagram leading up to the release of the EP, is that something we can see carried over into your shows?

McKinnis: Definitely! I’m just finding that pocket haha I’ve always danced, I’ve always been a dancer, I was a dancer before everything so that’s second nature to me. I’m just finding that pocket to infuse it with what I have going on. Just trying to introduce people, upload it, show people what I can do.

View this post on Instagram

Me when E’Merse drops tonight. 🕺🏾

A post shared by Marco McKinnis (@marcomckinnis) on Jun 13, 2019 at 5:41pm PDT

OTW: There’s no denying a resurgence in R&B over the past few years, how does it feel to be making this kind of music right now?

McKinnis: It feels great to be honest. I’ve been getting a lot of feedback like, “oh he’s bringing back the R&B, blah blah blah,” which is dope, it’s fire, it’s amazing to see it going down like that because I’m just doing me. I haven’t told myself, “oh I’m going to bring back real R&B” or anything like that, I’m just expressing myself, so the feedback is amazing. I’m just excited to see the feedback as my career progresses because like I said earlier there are going to be more elements that I infuse. As the days go by, I just get more and more expressive, more and more creative.

OTW: What’s next for you?

McKinnis: Shoot, I’m going to drop more music, got to stay consistent, more performances and just getting more in the public eye. Showing my face some more because it’s about that time to be out there and we got tour ideas and all that stuff getting situated too. Visuals as well!

#marco mckinnis #interview #R&B #soul #e'merse

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fantroll-purgatory · 5 years

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World: Alternia

Name: Eunoma Lesedi

(The Greek goddess of law and legislation, name translates to good order/governance according to good laws + the word for light in South African)

Age: 9.5 sweeps

Theme/Story: Law/Politics/Mutation? I think I just thought it was a cool idea for a mutation and liked the backstory I came up with for her

She is a rare fuchsia with an even rarer mutation, which would under normal circumstances entitle her to a culling. That is had she not been taken pity on by her mother. She had no idea why she showed her such kindness. It was probably a combination of the similarity of her look to that of the rainbow drinker and the opportunity for the mother to insure a proper ruler was raised for a change. She was raised in the caverns by her jade guardian with other jades acting as sisters but now that she is old enough to take care of herself she has been sent off to live in an old abandoned desert hive which long ago belonged to a jadeblood who raised a virgin mother grub like Kanaya. It is deep enough in that sandy deathtrap that she doesn’t have to worry about anyone finding her. It gets pretty lonely and she misses her mom and sisters but it also allows her to focus on her work and studies. (There is A L O T going on in this backstory, but I think it’s kind of workable? I think there needs to be considerable intent in why she was saved, however. This isn’t the kind of thing a Jade (especially not many of them) would do lightly. Eunoma might not learn why yet, but there has to be a motivation, a goal they’re trying to achieve. Perhaps the Fuschia blood is part of it? Maybe they’re some Jades who wanna stage a full on rebellion and want to use her as a figurehead? An albino Fuschia taking down the Condesce would be a potent political symbol.)

Goals: One of my ancient OCs I wanted to fix up but turns out I need some help! So a general overview/everything (Alright, here we go!) (As a heads up, I took pity on you and am not deleting the other trolls you submitted in rapid succession, but for future reference- please don’t do that.)

Strife Specibus: 3dentkind

(Uses a trident she made herself with the help of her mother) (I’m really getting “Raised to be a political symbol” out of this. Why would she be raised to be just like an Heiress if there wasn’t a purpose behind it? Logically she’d otherwise be raised to be more Jade than anything.)

Fetch Modus: Idk honestly

Blood Color: Fuchsia

Symbol and Meaning: Pira, Sing of the Visionary

Handle: luminousJurist

Quirk: Ta|k in a ca|m yet cønfident vøice. (Proper punctuation, replaces L with | and O with ø) (Like this. Simple is often the way to go.)

Special Abilities: Her mutation, which would best be described as form of albinism that mimics rainbow drinker looks and abilities (meaning she can stay out in the sun) (hmmmmHMMMM I am unsure how exactly this would work- Kanaya could just go out in the sun before she was a Rainbowdrinker. I guess you can just handwave it as “unlocking dormant parts of the Fuschia genome” or something. Trolls have a tenuous link to biology as it is.)

Lusus/Guardian: Raised by a jadeblood in the caverns with other jades acting as her sisters before she left, mainly because she was always presented as a mutant jadeblood (which is also why she is hiding her sign, wearing it as a necklace under her shirt) by her mother in order to have her be more accepted (My main gripe with this is that it’s very unlikely, unless she never really interacted with the other Jades, that they wouldn’t know she’s not a Jade. Troll tears are tinted, and wrigglers are highly pigmented. Also all it would take is a slight cut and the jig is up. I think you’ve got to make them more complicit in the hiding and raising if this backstory is gonna come off as plausible.)

Interests: The crime, mystery and legal drama genres, whether it be books, movies, shows or games. She is also fascinated by law and the legal system and she loves studying about it, writing reforms and planning how to bring justice and order into Alternia when she claims the throne. Calligraphy is also something she finds fun to do while brainstorming. Her only non work related hobby is collecting plushies. (I like this a lot. I bet she reads about Redglare and gets mad all the time. Maybe she’s a big Summoner fangirl? He was a mutant who raised a rebellion against the culling system.) (I’d ordinarily recommend having more hobbies that aren’t “work” related, but given your character’s history, it makes a lot more sense for her to be fixated on it, even if she doesn’t realize that quite yet.)

Personality: Eunoma is obsessed over making the right decision and being a fair and just ruler. She has first hand seen and felt the cruelty of Alternia and while she is honest to a fault and rather blunt, she does this not to hurt feelings but because she feels it is the right thing to do. She is pushing herself into indifference and molding herself into the perfect middle man, erasing any opinion which might sway her judgement. Still she is disciplined and harsh, mainly on herself but also others, a strict believer in following rules to the letter and always scrutinizing her own actions. She thinks she can always do better, a perfectionist to whom nothing will probably ever be enough. She is uptight and antisocial, awful at working and even just talking with other trolls, as social cues tend to go over her head and even her own emotions very much confuse her, not to mention those of others. But on the other hand lies and motivations are something she understands and sees through all too well. She is good at predicting what people will do and spotting a liar or faker from a mile away. (We got a Mind player here! I’ll talk more about this later but you’ve got a solid character written in here. But I think you’ve got something mixed up in here: You open saying that she’s opinionated and blunt, but latter say she’s indifferent and grey-aligned?) (I think you meant “impartial” as in, “having no bias”, though. Which would make a lot more sense. Obsessed with being equal- having a character flaw of not quite getting the difference between Equal and Fair would help flesh her out, especially given that she’s right at the age where she’d be viscerally learning that difference.) (I think “follows the rules to the letter” is a little... odd? For someone who’s only course of action on the current law system would be to die messily. I think her having her own code of ethics that she strictly follows would be much better (especially with her classpect) than being a blind rules follower. She’s a path-maker, not a path-walker!)

Lunar Sway: Prospit (I think an interest in that “genetic destiny” thing that Trolls love would do her some good with this. Get her a little more going with the flow, taking threads of the past and weaving them into changes today. Seeing herself a bit in The Sufferer and The Summoner and other ancient rebellions would do her a lot of good, I think. Give her some motivation.)

Title: Mage of Mind

(She suffers form being an overly logical outcast and needs to learn to not only let loose but also let people in, she is way too defensive from having to hide her whole life and needs to learn to open up and allow herself to feel emotions) (I do think Mage is the way to go with her. The Active Knower, the Leader and Shepherd as opposed to Seer, the Teller and Teacher. She’s someone who NEEDS to get up on her soapbox and tell the world that this isn’t how it has to be, that we can make other choices, and she’s making those choices right now.) (Pathwise, I think she needs a bit more spirit of her own. Her Dolorosa-stand in needs a firmer hand in her development if she is to grow as well. There needs to be an interplay of “I know you THINK you know what’s right, Mother, but I KNOW what needs to be done, and I’m going to DO IT my way” by the end of her arc.)

Land: Land of Forums and Debate

(The Denizen has devided the people of her land and pinned them against each other. With corrupt politicians, censorship and high tension in the air, this whole place is one wrong word away from a civil war. It is her job to fix the corrupt system, unify the people of the land again and open up constructive discussion.) (She’s gotta win the arguments and lead the people! A pale girl in a world of fountains and marble! It’s pretty classic, but it fits her development as already-being-half-there on her Classpect, but needing the extra push to really do it.) (This was a much easier review than I expected, my comments are mostly for guiding this vision of her to completion as opposed to full overhauls. You’re most of the way there!) -SA

#fuchsiablood #tyrianblood #seadweller #submission #SA Review

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howwelldoyouknowyourmoon · 4 years

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The belief that demons have sex with humans runs deep in Christian and Jewish traditions

Incubus, a male demon, was said to prey on sleeping women in mythological tales. Walker, Charles: The encyclopedia of secret knowledge

Cavan W. Concannon: Associate Professor of Religion, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

https://theconversation.com/the-belief-that-demons-have-sex-with-humans-runs-deep-in-christian-and-jewish-traditions-143589

August 12, 2020

Houston physician and pastor Stella Immanuel – described as “spectacular” by Donald Trump for her promotion of unsubstantiated claims about anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a “cure” for COVID-19 – has some other, very unconventional views.

As well as believing that scientists are working on a vaccine to make people less religious and that the U.S. government is run by reptilian creatures, Immanuel, the leader of a Christian ministry called Fire Power Ministries, also believes sex with demons causes miscarriages, impotence, cysts and endometriosis, among other maladies.

It has opened her up to much ridicule. But, as a scholar of early Christianity, I am aware that the belief that demons – or fallen angels – regularly have sex with humans runs deep in the Jewish and Christian traditions.

Demon sex

The earliest account of demon sex in Jewish and Christian traditions comes from the Book of Genesis, which details the origins of the world and the early history of humanity. Genesis says that, prior to the flood of Noah, fallen angels mated with women to produce a race of giants.

The brief mention of angels breeding with human women contains few details. It was left to later writers to fill in the gaps.

In the third century B.C., the “Book of the Watchers,” an apocalyptic vision written in the name of a mysterious character named Enoch mentioned in Genesis, expanded on this intriguing tale. In this version, the angels, or the “Watchers,” not only have sex with women and birth giants, but also teach humans magic, the arts of luxury and knowledge of astrology. This knowledge is commonly associated in the ancient world with the advancement of human civilization.

The “Book of the Watchers” suggests that fallen angels are the source of human civilization. As scholar Annette Yoshiko Reed has shown, the “Book of the Watchers” had a long life within Jewish and early Christian communities until the middle ages. Its descriptions of fallen angels were widely influential.

The story is quoted in the canonical epistle of Jude. Jude cites the “Book of the Watchers” in an attack on perceived opponents who he associates with demonic knowledge.

Christians in the second century A.D., such as the influential theologian Tertullian of Carthage, treated the text as scripture, though it is only considered scripture now by some Orthodox Christian communities.

Tertullian retells the story of the Watchers and their demonic arts as a way to discourage female Christians from wearing jewelry, makeup, or expensive clothes. Dressing in anything other than simple clothes, for Tertullian, means that one is under the influence of demons.

Christians like Tertullian came to see demons behind almost all aspects of ancient culture and religion.

Many Christians justified abstaining from the everyday aspects of ancient Roman life, from consuming meat to wearing makeup and jewelry, by arguing that such practices were demonic.

Christian fascination with demons having sex with humans developed significantly in the medieval world. Historian Eleanor Janega, has recently shown that it was in the medieval period that beliefs about nocturnal demon sex – those echoed by Immanuel today – became common.

For example, the legendary magician Merlin, from the tales of King Arthur, was said to have been sired by an incubus, a male demon.

Demonic deliverance

For as long as Christians have worried about demons, they have also thought about how to protect themselves from them.

The first biography of Jesus, the Gospel of Mark, written around A.D. 70, presents Jesus as a charismatic preacher who both heals people and casts out demons. In one of the first scenes of the gospel, Jesus casts an unclean spirit out of a man in the synagogue at Capernaum.

In one of his letters to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul argued that women could protect themselves from being raped by demons by wearing veils over their heads.

Christians also turned to ancient traditions of magic and magical objects, such as amulets, to help ward off spiritual dangers.

Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism

In the wake of the Enlightenment, European Christians became deeply embroiled in debates about miracles, including those related to the existence and casting out of demons.

For many, the emergence of modern science called such beliefs into question. In the late 19th century, Christians who sought to retain belief in demons and miracles found refuge in two separate but interconnected developments.

A large swath of American evangelicals turned to a new theory called “dispensationalism” to help them understand how to read the Bible. Dispensationalist theologians argued that the Bible was a book coded by God with a blueprint for human history, past, present and future.

In this theory, human history was divided into different periods of time, “dispensations,” in which God acted in particular ways. Miracles were assigned to earlier dispensations and would only return as signs of the end of the world.

For dispensationalists, the Bible prophesied that end of the world was near. They argued that end would occur through the work of demonic forces operating through human institutions. As a result, dispensationalists are often quite distrustful and prone to conspiratorial thinking. For example, many believe that the United Nations is part of a plot to create a one world government ruled by the coming Antichrist.

Such distrust helps explain why Christians like Immanuel might believe that reptilian creatures work in the U.S. government or that doctors are working to create a vaccine that makes people less religious.

Meanwhile the end of the 19th century also saw the emergence of the Pentecostal movement, the fastest growing segment of global Christianity. Pentecostalism featured a renewed interest in the work of the Holy Spirit and its manifestation in new signs and wonders, from miraculous healings to ecstatic speech.

As scholar André Gagné has written, Immanuel has deep ties to a prominent Pentecostal network in Nigeria – Mountain of Fire Ministries or MFM founded in 1989 in Lagos by Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, a geneticist turned popular preacher. Olukoya’s church has developed into a transnational network, with offshoots in the U.S. and Europe.

Like many Pentecostals in the Global South, the Mountain of Fire Ministries believe spiritual forces can be the cause of many different afflictions, including divorce and poverty.

Deliverance Christianity

For Christians like Immanuel, spirits pose a threat to humans, both spiritually and physically.

In her recent book “Saving Sex,” religion scholar Amy DeRogatis shows how beliefs about “spiritual warfare” grew increasingly common among Christians in the middle of the last century.

These Christians claimed to have the knowledge and skills required to “deliver” humans from the bonds of demonic possession, which can include demons lodged in the DNA. For these Christians, spiritual warfare was a battle against a dangerous set of demonic foes that attacked the body as much as the soul.

Belief that demons have sex with humans is, then, not an aberration in the history of Christianity.

It might be tempting to see Immanuel’s support for conspiracy theories as separate from her claims that demons cause gynecological ailments.

However, because demons have also been associated with influencing culture and politics, it is not surprising that those who believe in them might distrust the government, schools and other things nonbelievers might take to be common sense.

________________________________________

On July 27, the president and his son Donald Trump, Jr. tweeted a viral video featuring Dr. Stella Immanuel, in which the Houston pediatrician rejected the effectiveness of wearing face masks for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and promoted hydroxychloroquine to treat the disease.

God, Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han achieved unity inside the womb…. Hak Ja Han was lifted up to God’s wife position.

Sun Myung Moon – Restoration through Incest

Cheongpyeong: Evil spirits stop Korean and Japanese women from having children.

Shamanic Trees and Magical Thinking at the Cheongpyeong Training Center

Shampoo to get rid of evil spirits

“The Angels and Absolute Good Spirits have left Cheongpyeong” says Hyo-nam Kim / DaeMo Nim

Soon-ae Hong (the mother of Hak Ja Han) spent two years in Chuncheon Prison after Ansu beating an 18-year old boy to death.

Moon’s Other Gospel and Immorality

Ritual Sex in the Unification Church – Kirsti L. Nevalainen

The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) was formerly known as the Unification Church (UC). In May 2020 the name of the organization was again changed – this time to ‘Heavenly Parent’s Holy Community.’

#demons #Fall of Man #Divine Principle #Sun Myung Moon #Hak Ja Han #Heavenly Parent’s Holy Community #FFWPU #Unification Church

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kingrii07 · 7 years

Text

Magic Chapter 4

Part 3 here

During the span of seven years, Izuku kept practicing his magic stamina so he can battle along with his Spirits in longer time. A week before, Izuku can call one gold Spirit at a time but his limit when battling is two gold keys.

“Izuku-sama, you’re doing great. Release more of your magic.” Capricorn said as he watches Izuku, his owner, meditate.

Izuku released more of his magical powers, exceeding the level of his previous release, causing the wind to blow stronger around him. Capricorn smiled in amazement at the sight.

After a couple of minutes, Izuku stopped releasing his magic and laid on the grassy ground to catch his breath. “You did well, Izuku-sama.” Capricorn said. While panting, Izuku looked at Capricorn with tired eyes. “D-do you t-think, I c-can now open two k-keys simultaneously?” The green haired teen asked while catching his breath.

“Based on what I have observed for the past week and by feeling your magical powers, yes, Izuku-sama. You will be able to open two gold keys at the same time.” Capricorn said. “But, it would be better if you continue this kind of training. As your Spirits, we knew when you are excited, you always pull unbelievable stunts that really makes us worry.” Capricorn continued.

Izuku chuckled at his Spirit and also his friend. “Well, sorry about that.” Izuku replied while slowly standing up.

“Before I go back, Izuku-sama” Capricorn said getting Izuku’s full attention.

“There is a spell for Celestial Mages that can give them access to our, the Zodiacs, power. The problem is it requires great magic to be able to perform and use it. That spell is called Star Dress. The Celestial mage can also use that spell to fight with his or her Spirit.” Capricorn said.

Izuku’s eyes widened at what the other had said. “Do you think I can do that spell?”

When Izuku asked that, silence surrounded them for a couple of seconds before Capricorn responded with a reassuring smile. “Yes you can Izuku-sama.” After saying that, Capricorn returned to the Celestial Spirit world.

Izuku took the key holder that consists his Spirit keys from his belt and looked at it with determination. He clutched it and placed it close to his heart. “Let’s do our best, everyone” Izuku said in determination.

Izuku is currently walking towards the middle of the woods to meet someone when he started reminiscing his contracts with his Spirits. Izuku definitely will not forget those memories because it was the reason he is able to continue to pursue his dream. His dream to become a hero.

Gemini was the second spirit Izuku had summoned. It was two days after his sixth birthday, Izuku called Gemini out of excitement, thinking that his two-day worth of magic practice is enough. When Gemini came out Izuku felt the same sudden drop of his magical power, but because of his excitement to meet a new Spirit, Izuku immediately forgot his magical powers and beamed at the sight of his soon to be friends.

“Hello! I am Izuku.” Izuku said with wide smile and sparkling eyes at the two small Spirits floating in front of him.

“I am Gemi” said by who wearing an orange short.

“And I am Mini” followed by the other who is wearing black short.

“Loke-san said that we need to have contract, but I only want to be friends.” Izuku said to the two.

When Leo returned to the Celestial Spirit world from being called at the human world for the second time, they were oriented about Izuku’s characteristics and attitude so they were already expecting that the child will avoid getting in contract with them, but to be friends.

For Gemi and Mini, even though they already knew what their new owner will say, it is still unbelievable to hear that kind of words from a child.

And also, Loke and the Spirit King made a decision. If Izuku kept on refusing to be in contract, but to be friends, then they must accept it as a form of contract.

“Then, let’s be friends, Izuku-chan” The two said in unison.

Izuku giggled in happiness and hugged the two floating spirits and let go after a few seconds.

The third spirit Izuku summoned the very same day, five hours after Izuku made contract with Gemini, is Virgo and this contact is really mysterious until now to Izuku.

He was excited and cannot wait two more days to meet his soon to be new friends that’s why he summoned another gold key, which is the key of the Maiden, Virgo.

Virgo is happy and worried at the same time when he appeared in Izuku’s room when she got summoned by her new owner. Virgo can see the fatigue in Izuku’s eyes, but this precious child is doing his best to look that he is alright and not tired. “Hello! I’m Izuku! Can we be friends and can I call you Virgo-san?” Izuku said.

Izuku got amazed by Virgo’s clothes and he didn’t notice that he’s looking at her with sparkling eyes, despite the fatigue he is feeling.

“Yes, you can call me that, Master.” Virgo replied. When Izuku heard what Virgo had called him, Izuku took a loud gasped and puffed his cheeks in dismay. When Virgo saw that, she suddenly had the urge to pinch the cute child’s cheeks, but she controlled herself from doing it.

“That’s not my name! Don’t call me master because you’re not my servant nor by anyone.” Izuku said with a frown on his face.

Virgo stared in shock, just like the previous Spirits, at the supposed to be angry child who didn’t look angry because of his puffed cheeks that makes him cute.

“All right, I’ll call you by your name.” Virgo replied and this time she is smiling at the child. Satisfied with the answer, Izuku let out a bright smile.

Virgo noticed that Izuku’s bright smile is disappearing and saw the child’s eyes closing and his body started to sway, Virgo dropped to her knees and caught the child’s body before he collapses on the ground. Virgo felt that the child’s clothes were damped, maybe because of sweat. She laid Izuku on his bed and returned to the Spirit world to get clothes for the child.

Later that night, Izuku was woken up by her mother who is looking at him with weird face.

“Izuku, where did you get these clothes you are wearing?” Inko asked as she pointed at the clothes Izuku is wearing. When Izuku looked at his clothes, his eyes sparkled because he looks like he is wearing a super hero costume because of the royal blue vest, orange inner shirt, and black cape with gold lining.

“I don’t know, mom” Izuku replied and didn’t even bother to ask where it came from because he started to play around the house and jumping everywhere like a super hero.

A few days later after his contract with Gemini and Virgo, Izuku summoned Scorpio when he felt he is already okay.

“We are!” Scorpio greeted when he appeared in front of Izuku. Meanwhile, Izuku’s jaw dropped at the Spirit in front of him because of the large tail? Behind him.

Scorpio was worried at the gaping child in front of him so he kneeled down and asked Izuku in worry. “Hey, are you alright?” Izuku snapped from his trance and his expression changed from shock, to amazement. “Awesome! You really looked like a scorpion!” Izuku exclaimed in amazement.

Scorpio chuckled at the child’s amazement. After all the stories from the other spirits of how cheerful this child is, he didn’t thought that Izuku’s cheerfulness is contagious. “Oh! I forgot!” Izuku’s said gaining Scorpio’s full attention to him. “I am Midoriya Izuku. Can we be friends?” Izuku continued with beaming smile.

Scorpio gave a cool smile towards the child. “Of course, Izuku! Call me Scorpio.”

Izuku’s gaze returned to Scorpio’s tail. “Scorpio-san, Scorpio-san” Izuku called the Spirit and grabbed the other’s hand and looked at him with sparkling eyes.”Can I touch your tail?” Izuku asked. Scorpio nodded at little Izuku and the child smile more brightly and excitedly touched Scopios tail.

While the child is busy with touch his tail, Scorpio said something which is loud enough for Izuku to hear.

“Aquarius would be happy if you became her owner.” Izuku stopped touching Scorpio’s tail and went to face the man. “Izuku, can I tell you something?” The Spirit asked. Izuku nodded and looked at the Spirit in curious because he felt that Scorpio will tell something very important.

“Aquarius is my girlfriend and long ago, her key was broken.” Scorpio started. Izuku’s eyes widened.”Eh! Then, Aquarius-san will not come out!?” Izuku asked in worry. Scorpio felt Izuku’s worry for Aquarius and that made him smile. “No, Izuku, Aquarius can still come out.The reason why her key was broken was because our dear friend, Lucy, needs someone who is stronger than us to fight for evil mages and that is the Spirit King. Spirit King has no key but to be able to call him, you need to destroy one of gold keys. Our dear friend was forced to destroy Aquarius’ key.” Scorpio continued and Izuku got shaken by what the he said. The look on Izuku’s face was made Scorpio guilty, but he needed to tell this to Izuku.

“Her key was recreated, but her key was never found. We don’t know where it is right now and I hope you will be able to find it. I am sure my girlfriend will be happy to be friends with you.” Scorpio said. Izuku took a deep breath and looked at Scorpio in determined. “I promise to look for Aquaruis-san’s key and all of the Spirit keys out there!”

Scorpio gave a relieved smile at little Izuku and gave him a pat. “Good luck.” He said and disappeared.

Izuku is still holding onto his promise with Scorpio and didn’t stop on looking for the other Spirit’s keys and he even asked his father to look for it and even though they haven’t found any keys, Izuku never lose his hope.

When Izuku saw his destination, a small nippa hut in the middle of the woods, he ran and knocked on the bamboo door. “Marga-san! Open the door!” Izuku shouted and after a few seconds the bamboo door opened revealing a middle aged woman with black and streaks of white hair. Her tall body is wrapped in black cloak and her inner clothes is a moss green frilly dress. Her left hand is holding a wooden staff which is the same height as her.

“What are you doing here, Izuku-kun?” She asked the teen confused. Izuku chuckled at her question. “Marga-san, today is training day, did you forgot? You’re really getting old.”

Marga frowned at the teen and hit Izuku on his shoulder. “How many time did I tell you to respect your teacher? I’m not getting old, you little fool. I was busy with something!” She said in defensive manner.

Izuku only chuckled at her. “Get inside, you have a patient inside.” Marga said with strict face and Izuku followed her with a smile.

When Izuku entered the nipa hut, he saw a bleeding fawn on the table. “What happened?” Izuku asked in worry as he scrambled towards the fawn. Marga followed him and watched her student place his hands over the wound of the fawn. Izuku’s hands started to give a bright white and warm glow and the wound of the fawn started to heal, but slowly.

“Got bitten by an alligator at the lake while drinking water. Good thing I was there and manage to save him in time and decided to take him here and then you arrived so I decided to make this fawn your patient.” Marga explained while she watches her student heal the fawn.

Marga is also a mage. A powerful healer who uses her magical power to heal physical wounds. She’s been living in the woods ever since she was a child and only a few people knew her and those people are also mages and wizards.

Izuku accidentally got lost four years ago in the woods and found her house. She was away at that time and because it was raining, Izuku made his way inside her nipa hut and fell asleep. When she returned home, she almost killed Izuku by stabbing him with her staff, but she didn’t continue it when she felt Izuku’s magical power which is not very common for a child nowadays.

Marga waited for Izuku to wake up and when the child saw her, he scrambled in fear and kept saying sorry like a mantra. Marga noticed the key on Izuku’s belt and felt magic coming out from it.

“You’re a mage, aren’t you?” She asked Izuku who is on the verge of crying in fright.

Izuku stared in shock at the older woman. “Eh.. H-how did you know?” Izuku asked in shock. “Don’t under estimate me you little fool, I am also a mage. A healer to be exact.” Marga said with strict look on her face.

“What!? I thought there are no longer mages in this time other than me?” Izuku asked still in shock.

Marga raised a brow “Seriously? You believe on those rumors? There are mages and wizards out there. Weak and powerful, but they chose to hide to avoid those people who thinks of themselves as super humans or known as quirk wielding people. Those stupid people thinks they are great.”

Izuku stared at Marga in shock. “Then… I’m not the only one?” Marga sighed at the quivering child in front of her. “Yeah. At this time, only those who are quirkless are using magic, but there are some people who has a quirk and magic at the same time. I believe that you are quirkless, so tell me, who is your teacher?”

Izuku gave Marga a confused look. “Teacher? What teacher?” Izuku asked.

“The person who taught you magic, of course. Are you an idiot? Us mages received our Magic from our teachers.” Marga replied.

“I don’t have teacher. I teach myself.” Izuku replied.

At first, Marga didn’t believe Izuku, but after telling her the full story, she believed the child. Izuku also used this chance since she is a healer, to teach the healing spells from the book. Izuku rewritten some of the spells from the book and told Marga to help him.

It took Izuku three months before Marga agrees to his pleas.

TBC

Part 5 here

#bnha #fanfiction #crossover with fairy tail #Magic user Izuku #dekubowl

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anexperimentallife · 7 years

Text

Going through some of my older work, and started re-reading the first story I ever sold...

There are some embarrassing things about it (the obligatory cishet romance is unnecessary and comes off forced, for one thing, and I tied things up into much too neat of a package at the end, plus there are some other aspects I think I need to redo), but overall it reminds me that yeah, although I need to up my game, I DO have chops. I can do this. This isn’t bad at all, IMHO, but I can do SOOOOO much better now. If you want the entire anthology it’s in, grab yourself a copy of The Crimson Pact Volume 2. (It’s also available at Amazon and so on, but when you buy directly from the publisher, you get all formats, DRM-free--whether you buy the hardcopy or just the ebook version--and I get a bigger royalty cut.)

And I am going to do better. Now that I have the rights back, I am going to rewrite the fuck out of this,,especially now that I have better ideas about how to fit it into my revised Quiet World setting.

I’ve posted a little of the beginning before, but here’s a much bigger chunk:

Karma (story excerpt)

by D. Robert Hamm

We hit the interstate like an unguided missile. Needles of frozen rain and jagged blades of wind beat my face numb and turned what was left of my dress into a full-body ice-pack. Even with the heater on ‘incinerate,’ I couldn’t stop shivering, but the outside air was all that kept me from gagging on the smell of my own puke and the rusty stench of blood, so the window stayed down. Between the black pavement and blacker sky, the air was wet and gray. It sucked the vitality from my headlights well before their natural time, but that was okay. I wasn’t paying much attention to the little they revealed anyway.

The man in the passenger’s seat either didn’t feel the cold or was too stoic to show discomfort. The dashboard glow turned his short white beard to green and deepened the age lines in his face. Gods, I’d loved that face growing up. It was my grandfather’s face. But right then, I could barely look at it, because this wasn’t my grandfather, just a sad, confused spirit wearing his body. And even though he was one of the good guys, that didn’t mean it was easy to take.

“You’re going to catch cold,” Not-Grandpa shouted over the storm.

“I’m . . . what?”

Since last night I’d been shot at, whipped, and electrocuted. I’d watched a good man beheaded and disemboweled before my eyes, and learned things about myself, my family, and especially my past, that had already driven other people into padded-room territory. I was marinated in a vile concoction of blood and various other body fluids, quite a bit of it my own, and had spent the last however-many hours fighting horrors that should never have existed. In the middle of all that—because I’m an overachiever—I took time out to kill a man I loved.

And this guy was worried that I’d catch a fucking cold?

Once I started laughing, I couldn’t stop. The kind of deep, full-body laughter that doubles you over and makes your stomach muscles ache for days afterward. The kind that shreds the lining of your throat and rises in pitch to rapid staccato squeaks, like sneakers on a hardwood floor. I held back the worst long enough to wrestle the car onto the shoulder, then let go. The laughter turned to howling, the howling into screams, the screams into sobs, and the sobs into a quiet whimper that finally, gods finally, tapered off, and I could breathe again, in great, ragged gulps. I wiped away a rope of snot hanging from my nose and sat hunched over with my eyes closed and my forehead against the steering wheel, shaking, while the rain pummeled my back with tiny, ice-cold fists.

In shock? Probably. Hysterical? Definitely. Look, I make sandwiches at my family’s restaurant for a living, okay? Sandwiches.

Not-Grandpa waited until I quieted down before speaking. “I’m sorry,” he said. It was the dozenth or so time he’d said it. The line of his mouth stayed hard, but his eyes and his voice were soft and broken. I believed him. Had to believe him.

“I know.” I didn’t mean for it to sound bitter. He’d saved my life after all, and he deserved better than that. I just didn’t know if I could forgive him for not being who I wanted him to be.

* * * * *

A little too “in media res” for you? Yeah, me too.

So here are the vitals: My name is Karma Miranda Rodriguez. I’m twenty-three years old, five foot six, with brown eyes, light brown skin, and dark brown hair that I keep boy-short. I claim to be a size five, and I dare you to say otherwise. I like strawberry daiquiris, support equal rights for supernaturals, am indifferent toward long walks on the beach, and . . .

And oh, yeah—Apparently, I kill demons.

* * * * *

Eli’s Borderland Station, my family’s restaurant, has been the only twenty-four hour eatery on the Kansas City Plaza since back before the Jasonites outed the supernatural community (aka, “The Quiet World”) and we had to coin the term ‘daylighter’ to differentiate plain vanilla humans from those touched by the paranormal. During the riots that followed the Jasonites’ little party, and all through the Apocalypse Wars, my Grandpa Eli and Uncle Garston kept the restaurant open as a free kitchen-slash-aid-station for refugees and emergency workers, and turned the upstairs apartment—which is mine, now—into a de facto headquarters for various peacekeeping forces.

So alongside our Absolutely Killer Turkey Sandwich (made from, according to the menu, genuine killer turkeys), we serve up a mean side-order of history. Obviously, a lot of things have changed since the AWs; for instance, the Plaza, always an upscale shopping district, is now a level four Private Patrol Zone with the best law enforcement money can buy. As you’d expect, our main business is well-heeled shoppers whose sidearms are more fashion statement than personal defense, but we try to keep prices reasonable enough for the average college student, too.

No amount of money will buy you a table or a bar stool in our VIP lounge, though, even if every other seat in the house is taken. The lounge is permanently reserved for veterans, proxies, bounty hunters, elites, and so on. It’s where people with code names like Halloween Jack, Lucy D.T., HalluciNathan, and so on come to catch up with one another, trade information, or just relax. Grandpa and Uncle Garston are technically civilians now, but a lot of the VIPs still use their call signs from way back when, so if someone in armored leathers with notched weapons and a stare that looks like they’re counting the ways they could kill you with one finger says they’re going to see The General and Body Mass, they’re not talking about some secret mission, it just means they’re headed our way for the lunch special.

On Tuesday nights we lock up for a few hours of uninterrupted cleaning with my special patented Karma Rodriguez closing procedure. This involves, among other things, lots of dancing around with brooms and mops, and other Weapons of Mess-Destruction, and me in a casual dress singing along with loud music at the top of my lungs. It’s effective. The more I can make work feel like play, the faster and more efficiently I get things done, and as proof of that, what used to take three people on Tuesday nights now requires only two.

At thirty seconds to zero-dark-thirty on a drizzly February evening, when my grime-fighting partner Jayden and I were the only ones left in the restaurant, I locked the front door and hit the music. My mix for the night was weighted heavily in favor of pre-Apocalypse rock—music that was old before I was born. It was a minor tragedy when it cut off about ten minutes into the shift, right in the middle of David Bowie’s Rebel, Rebel. Jayden and I both trailed off a cappella.

“I didn’t hear you singing if you didn’t hear me,” Jayden said. “We stick together, and nobody can prove anything.” He fixed me with what would have been a deadpan stare if not for that quirk at one corner of his mouth that I thought of as his, ‘our little secret’ smile.

I put on my best film noir ‘tough dame’ voice. “It’s always secrets with you, isn’t it? Fine, I’ll play your game.” Staying in character, I headed upstairs with an over-the-top hip-swaying sashay, to reboot the router while Jayden kept cleaning.

I can’t be objective about Jayden, so I won’t try. He was one of a kind. Literally. Part Aosidhe, part Graealfinsidhe, and part daylighter, Jayden was a medical miracle, and he got the best from each branch of his ancestry. Six and a half feet of lean muscle, flawless skin, hair like pale gold silk, and . . . you get the idea. His ears were only slightly pointed, and with his hair down, he could pass for an exceptionally pretty daylighter, if not for his eyes. Whiteless, and bright turquoise in color. They suited him.

And yeah, I know. If only I wasn’t his boss. Jayden had something of a ‘mystery man’ air about him that only added to his status as local lust-object. Among other things, the way he dressed like a wastelander (only cleaner) but acted like a gentleman fueled speculation. He kept his past and his private life just that, though—past, and private. It was like the world was in love with Jayden, but Jayden wasn’t sure how he felt about the world and didn’t want to lead it on.

When I got back from confirming that the router was indeed fried, those exotic eyes of his were fixed on the big screen in the main dining area. I came up behind him and stopped, gaping. “What the . . . ?”

Just north of us, people were fighting in the streets and looting, while Rushville—Jayden’s neighborhood—burned.

“Short version?” Jayden said without turning around, “They busted the wrong guy for the Taylor murders, so they released him. He lasted a whole three hours.”

“They didn’t give him police protection?”

“He was under police protection when it happened. Now everybody has a conspiracy theory, and apparently with every conspiracy theory this week, you get a free Molotov cocktail kit. Speaking of which . . . ” He rewound a few seconds and paused on a burning apartment building that I recognized as his. “Great firebomb, huh?”

“Wow. I’m sorry.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

He shrugged, his back still to me. “I carry everything really important with me.”

“You want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Want me to leave you alone?”

He paused, as if considering. “No.”

“Okay. But know what? Fuck cleaning. Help me get the trash out, then haul your duffel bag upstairs. You’re staying at my place tonight.”

Jayden turned and looked at me as though I were speaking Swahili. “Your place?”

“You just lost your apartment to a xenophobic asshole with a fire fetish, and you need crash space. Friends do that kind of stuff for each other.”

That earned me a confused look. “No, I just . . . Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.” He seemed utterly bewildered. So much for his famed stoicism and unflappability. Ah, Jayden. Such a strange, strange boy. I ran up to get my coat and pull on a pair of jeans under my dress, and Jayden and I dragged the first can out into the alley.

I remember the air tasted of cold grease and wet pavement. I remember the electric buzz of the street lamp, and the way its dirty light turned the drizzle into sparse gray streaks like anime rain. I remember the exact cadence of the trash can’s scraping and banging as we dragged it toward the dumpster. How screwed up do things have to get before taking out the trash is a fond memory worth replaying in your head?

We didn’t hear the patrol team until they entered the mouth of the alley, running hard toward us, shouting at us to get inside. The woman’s name was Lawson. She’d lost her helmet, and a sheen of blood covered the left side of her face. Her partner, Hall, had a crack running down the side of his faceplate, and his body armor was shredded in places. They both carried their weapons at the ready, scanning the roofline as they ran.

Before they’d even finished their warning, a clot of shadow and sickening angles detached from the rest of the dark. The Kasu-Hurun slaughter-spider—How did I know that?—dropped from the roof and—The Kasu-Hurun and the bad people are making us walk a long way again. I don’t say how tired I am because I am almost eight years old, and that means I’m a big girl, and because it would make Mommy feel bad that she can’t carry me that far. Mommy and me are in our nightgowns because we were asleep when they—Where were these images coming from?—landed in the alley behind them. It was an impossible thing, eight or nine feet tall, all mottled ochre-and-black chitin, with eight spiked and bladed spiderlike legs from which it took its name, serrated mandibles beneath great protruding compound eyes, and short, thick, writhing tentacles suspended from the underside of a bulbous, misshapen central body.

I shouted my own warning, but Hall was already emptying his magazine at the thing as he backed toward us. Lawson either tripped or dove in our direction, twisting in mid-air to land on her back. She raised her shotgun, and—grabbed us, and it was really late because both moons were out, but they let us put on our boots before they made us start walking. Mommy tried to fight them and she shot one of them but they beat her up and cut her cheek really bad. But she is still the prettiest lady in the whole wide world. It was real people, not Kasu-Hurun, but they don’t act like real people. Mommy says they have bad things inside them called Qlippoth. I think they are telling the Kasu-Hurun what—made it roar as she hit the pavement.

The monster’s cry was like a foghorn made of cats and feedback, a spike that shoved through both eardrums. Lawson had hurt it, taken out one leg, in fact, but it wasn’t enough, and Hall’s automatic gunfire cut off with a sickening, meat cleaver sound as the spider sliced through his neck. Hall’s head flew from his shoulders and bounced against the alley wall while the spider eviscerated his body before it could hit the ground, as if he weren’t–to do. A man tried to run away today, but they caught him, and instead of shooting him a Kasu-Hurun stuck one of its sharp arm/leg things in him and cut him open and played with his insides until he stopped screaming, and I cried, but I won’t cry anymore, because I’m a big girl, and—dead enough already. Even as far back as Jayden and I stood, hot, sticky wetness splattered our faces.

The monster tried to leap toward us, but its missing leg threw it off balance. Lawson’s shotgun was out of ammo, so she fumbled out her .45 and taunted the slaughter-spider while edging toward the side of the alley opposite the door. Sacrificing herself—big girls don’t cry. The demons usually kill everybody, but now they only kill people who try to run away or stop walking before they tell us to stop or people who fall down and can’t walk anymore, but sometimes when somebody falls down they let somebody else make a travois, which is a kind of sled thing that you drag—to give us a chance to get away. My gun was in my purse inside, but even if I’d had it on me, I couldn’t loosen my grip on the trash can, let alone force myself to move.

I caught Jayden’s eye. I’d never before realized–when I feel like crying I think about Daddy. Daddy is a general, which is a kind of soldier who tells other soldiers what to do. He is a long way away fighting other Kasu-Hurun, but when he comes to save us, the Kasu-Hurun and the bad people are going to be sorry. I am going to be a soldier like Daddy when I grow up and—how much he and I communicated without speaking, but with that look, I knew we’d done the same math. One of us might—just might—make it to the door. If we left the other one to die along with Lawson.

Fuck that.

Once I’d made the decision, the tension drained from my body—I am nine years old, and I have been in the prison camp for a over a year. They tell me it is time for the laboratory again, but if I pick someone else to go, they will leave me alone today. If I choose my mother to go they will leave me alone for a month. They seem surprised when my answer is to hold out my wrists for the cuffs. I am the daughter of a general and a hero. I do not run, or let others take my pain. And no matter what they do to me, I won’t let them see how scared I am—the way the fear had, sublimating into the night and leaving me perfectly relaxed. Jayden gave me that ‘our little secret’ smile, and I knew he got it. He understood. Not just what I was about to do, but why.

When anything you do will end in death, make your final act one of defiance.

And so it was that we, about to die, in the most futile and ridiculous gesture in the history of futile and ridiculous gestures, screamed our defiance in the face of death, and charged the monster that would surely kill us.

With a fucking trash can.

We slammed into the slaughter-spider and fell hard, with the trash can bouncing between those giant legs and spilling its slippery contents out onto the already-slick blacktop. The slaughter-spider screamed at the impact, even louder than when Lawson had shot it, and nearly toppled. A serrated leg missed me by inches, and I rolled away, but I’d only be able to dodge for so long. My only regrets were that since I hadn’t properly prepared this body, I would die along with it—again, where the hell did that thought come from?—and that so many things would go unsaid between me and those I cared about. Including Jayden, if I was being honest.

Something hard in my coat pocket bit into my side as I rolled. I’d forgotten about the taser I almost always took with me when I left the restaurant. Even if it was still charged, it wasn’t salvation, but at this point salvation wasn’t an option. Victory was what mattered, and victory was nothing more nor less than continuing to fight until the inevitable happened. I pulled out the taser, flipped off the safety, and sent 50,000 volts into the center of that mass of tentacles, along with all the fury I could muster. The slaughter-spider jerked momentarily, and Lawson took advantage to pick up a piece of steel rebar from the junk pile in the alley and plunge it glove-deep into one of the slaughter-spider’s faceted eyes. Jayden followed with a sharp piece of broken two-by-four into the other.

And as though someone had flipped a switch marked ‘alive/dead,’ the slaughter-spider fell . . . in slow motion, like those television broadcasts of building demolitions. After one final spasm, it was still, and the alley was silent for several seconds except for the buzz of the streetlight. After barely long enough to begin to accept that we weren’t dead, answering cries to the spider’s death scream split the night.

We staggered inside the restaurant as the first new creature hit the pavement, and got the bars across the door just before another slammed against it. I slapped my palm against the ward sigil and spoke the syllables to activate it, then ran to the front and did the same there. After grabbing my gun and other weapons from upstairs and activating still more wards, I hit the ‘dim all’ switch and met up with the others in the kitchen. Lawson used a cabinet as cover, her shotgun aimed at the door, and Jayden . . .

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

I’d been gone perhaps two minutes, but when I returned, Jayden stood transformed, a grim-faced cross between a modern wastelander and a wild warrior from legend, in a combination of armored biker leathers and Fay armor. The hilts of two matching blades extended over his shoulders, and his jacket sleeves were pushed up to reveal Sidhe archery gauntlets—the real kind, not the department store knockoffs. Other weapons clung to various parts of his body, strategically placed so as not to impede movement—blades, throwing disks, bolas, and quivers and bandoliers of bolts and arrows for the quick-load mini-crossbow in his hand and the compound bow housed in a slender case across his back. He shrugged bashfully—Jayden? Bashful?—when he caught me staring. So this was what he meant when he said he carried everything important with him.

The booming of another hit on the door jerked my attention away from Jayden. After a few more tries, though, the spiders seemed to realize that it was futile, and ceased their efforts.

Now that we had stopped racing time, time slowed to let us catch up. Whether from the endorphin rush or something else, I felt disconnected, an observer watching from inside myself. In the dimness, Lawson and Jayden were pale, oh so pale, and heartbreakingly beautiful against the gray and charcoal shadows. I stood with chest heaving alongside them, seeing and feeling and hearing everything as though for the first time, in love with it all. Because we, who moments before had been dead, were alive and more than alive, were filled with life until we could burst from the pressure as it strained against the insignificant scraps of skin and flesh that could barely contain it.

A single glossy drop of blood formed at the tip of Lawson’s finger, creating itself until it was real enough to float downward and finally join its comrades who had already emigrated to the floor to form a puddle, and Lawson was falling, falling, falling behind it as if to join the puddle herself.

I shook out of my trance barely in time to help Jayden take Lawson’s weight. She was conscious, but weak. “It’s okay,” I told her, “We’re going to get you taken care of. Did you call for backup?” Lawson shook her head weakly, closed her eyes, and made a sound between a chuckle and a sob. “Nobody left to call. Even if the radio worked, nobody left to . . . ” she trailed off and seemed to fold in on herself. I’d seen what that thing did to Hall. I didn’t need her to tell me what had happened to the rest of her squad.

#my fiction #Rob writes stuff

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