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dreamescapeswriting · 2 months

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Dancing In The Shadows ~ LF [MATURE WARNING]

CONTINUATION OF THIS PIECE

WORD COUNT: 5.4K

GENRE: mafia AU, hacker reader, felix technically kidnapping her, insta love (sorry but its fun to write hehe) enemies to lovers? Cute, fluffy, SMUT MINORS DNI, protected sex, public sex (kinda) links into the other stories too ehe

PAIRING: Felix X Fem!Reader

⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - February 2024

⤜MASTERLIST

Felix sat behind his imposing mahogany desk, his eyes fixed on you as you stood before him, pulling on the sleeves of your hoodie nervously as you waited for him to say something. You were the reason for his recent financial troubles...well, not really, Felix had more money than he knew what to do with but you'd been the one with the balls big enough to steal from him. The one who had infiltrated his bank accounts with such skill and finesse that even Felix had to admire your audacity. Felix wasn't stupid though, he'd done his research before he'd "hired" you, taking you from your boss with the impression he'd bring you back but it simply wasn't true.

Once he had you he simply wasn't going to just throw you back, you were a once in a lifetime catch and he wasn't dumb enough to drop that. In the hacking world, you were simply known as Firecracker. No one knew who you were by physical appearance but the jobs you would do told people what they needed to know.

You stole from the rich to give to the poor, a real modern-day Robin Hood. If Felix wasn't so rich he would have been pissed off at you for trying it on him.

"You've got guts, I'll give you that," He finally spoke, his gravelly voice breaking the silence and making butterflies flutter inside of you, you hated them for it. Ever since he'd taken you from work you couldn't stop the tingles in your back or the butterflies whenever he'd touch you or speak to you.

"Hacking into my accounts takes some serious skills. I should be mad, but I'm impressed." All things he'd already told you in the office but was going back over on his own, leaning forward he studied you closely. He wanted to know more about the elusive Firecracker that no law enforcement or underworld man had been able to catch.

"So, what? You're going to kill me now?" You'd seen the man standing outside of his office with guns, he might have promised you a job when you were at work but who was to say it wasn't just some ploy to get you to go with him.

"I gave you my word. I take that seriously," Felix said as he leaned back in his chair, a sly grin playing on his lips as he watched you. While you were faking confidence he could see the nerves seeping out of you and it impressed him more than he would have liked to admit.

"I want you to work for me," He declared, you arched an eyebrow at him.

"You've proven yourself to be quite the asset, and I could use someone with your talents, you already stated my computer security sucks...So fix it." He turned his desktop computer around and you blinked at the screen before turning back to face the man who was watching you closely.

"And if I refuse?" It wasn't like you had much of a choice but you wanted to know the repurcations.

"Then I'll have to resort to less pleasant methods of persuasion. But trust me, you'll find it much more lucrative to be on my payroll." Kissing your teeth a little you looked back at the computer. Despite your better judgment, you found yourself intrigued by the offer. You'd never worked for anyone but yourself in the security way before, but the idea of being affiliated with one of the most powerful crime families in the city was undeniably tempting.

"I have conditions." You weren't dumb, you were going to do this with rules in place. You'd seen enough movies and read enough articles about the underworld that you had to be prepared.

"I would be surprised if you didn't." A slight smirk played on his lips as he watched you scramble to think of something but he couldn't help but think about how beautiful you were, how cute he found it whenever you'd play with the sleeves of your shirt.

"I want full access to your network. I need to know everything about your system if I'm meant to be fixing it." He nodded at you, it was his full intention to give you anything you asked for. Hell, he'd give you a house and a more stable job if that was something you wanted from him.

"Okay. What else?" He got out a notepad, ready to write down a list of everything you wanted but you just stared at him,

"Lastly. Once I've fixed it, I'm out. No strings attached." The pen in his hand stilled as he stared down at the notepad, it had never occurred to him that you would want to leave but he nodded,

"Fine. But I have a feeling you'll want to stick around." He tried to make it seem as though he was joking but you shook your head.

"Nothing will make me stay, Mr Lee." You sounded so sure of yourself and maybe you were but now that Felix had you there was no way he was going to let you go so easily.

"Hmm. We'll see." He mumbled, getting up and readying his office for you to use.

With determination and skill, you set to work. You fortified Felix's digital defences, erecting layers of encryption and implementing state-of-the-art security protocols. It was insane how poor his security was for someone who was supposed to be the best of the best. You thought you would have been working alone but Felix watched you work the whole time. You spent every night in your own room in his huge house, the two of you would eat meals together giving you time to get to know each other which was something you were feeling unsure about.

The more time you spent with him the more you wanted to leave, growing attached to someone was never an option for you and getting attached to a criminal? Never.

But Felix found himself falling for you and hard, every day you'd work he would watch you with a mixture of fascination and admiration, impressed by your intellect and resourcefulness.

But as the days turned into weeks and your job neared completion, Felix found himself growing reluctant to let you go. He had his men ruin some of your work so that you'd stay around longer but it was getting harder and harder to do that with how good your work was. He had grown accustomed to your presence, your sharp wit and unwavering confidence a welcome distraction from the monotony of his daily life.

You pushed your chair away from his desk, smirking to yourself. You were unbelievably proud of how well you'd done your job, despite the obstacles that had been thrown in the way.

"I've fixed your security systems, Lix," You announced, Felix's smile dropped from his lips as he stared back at you. He knew this time would be coming but he thought he would have more time than this.

"It's time for me to move on." You stretched in the chair, your heart breaking at the thought of leaving him but you weren't going to listen to it. Felix's heart sank at the thought of losing you.

"I- I still need your help," He stuttered a little, he hated that he was stuttering but you were the one person who turned him into a nervous wreck with just one look.

"I fixed everything Lix, everything is unbreakable." You weren't going to allow yourself to stay any longer, you'd already felt yourself falling and you wanted to stop it in your tracks.

"Firecracker...Come on, you're the best of the best. I need you around," He sounded desperate but he honestly didn't care, he didn't want you to leave. Not when he was so close to you now. As soon as you were gone he'd be alone and the thought of that terrified him.

"You'll find someone who's just as good." You shrugged, you knew people who could replace you and if he really wanted you could get him their names.

"I can't let you go." He said simply as the door to his office opened,

"You promised." Your voice was strained as you realised what he was going to do.

"I'm sorry."

"You said you kept your word!" You screamed as two of his men stood at the door, holding their guns another led you to the room you'd been staying in.

"I hate you!" You screamed at the door, Felix' stared down at the floor. He knew he could get you to like him, he just needed a little more time with you.

You were trapped, despite your skills, you'd been no match for Felix and his powerful organization. Reluctantly, you resigned yourself to your fate, knowing that you were at Felix's mercy.

It had been a few weeks since Felix had taken you in, every day you were forced to spend meal times with him. You hated him but at the same time, your heart was still falling for him, despite him taking you hostage.

"Yn, you have to speak to me eventually," Felix stated as he watched you walk away from him. You'd spent most of the meals in silence, with Felix taking the conversations and talking about his day mostly.

"Why? You want me to be some trophy in your grasp, trophies don't speak." You mumbled. It was the first time he'd heard you speak in weeks and even though it was a mumble it was music to Felix's ears. In the dimly lit confines of the home, tension hung heavy in the air as you turned on your heels to face him.

On one hand, you hated him for taking you but on another, he had taken you away from everything you hated about the real world. You were given the freedom to explore - with an armed guard by your side. You had no bills to pay, no responsibilities, it was nice...It would have been nicer if it hadn't been against your will.

"Yn, you have to understand," He pleaded, his voice tinged with desperation as he tried to justify his actions as if that was even possible.

"I didn't take you hostage because I wanted to. I did it because... because I couldn't bear the thought of losing you." You scoffed a little, your eyes flashing with anger as you met his gaze, your fists clenched at your sides. He was unbelievable.

"That doesn't excuse what you did," You retorted, your voice sharp with reproach.

"You can't just kidnap someone and expect them to forgive you because you're afraid of being alone." You grumbled at him, folding your arms across your chest, you weren't just going to forgive him for kidnapping you just because he gave you some piss-poor excuse.

Felix winced at your words, the weight of his guilt pressing down on him like a suffocating blanket. He knew that he had crossed a line, and had violated the trust of the one person he cared about more than anything else in the world. Even though he'd barely known you, part of him knew the two of you were meant to be together and he wanted it to work more than anything.

But if he'd let you leave when you were supposed to, he never would have seen you again and this had been the only logical part his brain could come up with.

"I know I messed up," He admitted, his voice thick with remorse, it was now or never to make it up to you.

"And I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, I swear. But please, just give me a chance to prove that my feelings for you are real, that I'm not just some monster trying to control your life." Your anger softened slightly at his words, your heart aching with the weight of his confession.

"I love you...I have a shitty way of showing it but I do." You blinked at him. Love? He barely knew you.

"Your idea of loving me is to kidnap me and force me to stay against my will?" A pang of guilt shot through his chest as he stared at you.

"I'm sorry, Yn, I know I messed up and I'll do whatever it takes to make it right, but please...Just...Just give me a chance to prove to you my feelings are genuine." You wanted to believe him more than anything in the world but it was hard when everyone in your life had used love as a weapon.

"I want to believe you, Felix," You whispered, your voice tinged with uncertainty.

"But you have to understand that trust isn't something you can just demand from someone. It has to be earned, and right now, I'm not sure if I can ever trust you." Felix's heart sank at your words, the realization of his mistakes hitting him like a freight train.

"I'll do whatever it takes," he promised, his voice trembling a little, he was willing to do anything to get you to agree to be his.

"I'll make things right, I swear. Just please... please don't give up on me." You stared at him, biting the inside of your cheek as you thought about it.

"I'll have conditions." If you were going to give this a real chance then you were going to do it with your own conditions and speculations.

"Anything." He breathed out, relief sounding in his voice as you finally agreed to him.

"I want to go out more. Alone." You stated plainly, that all you wanted was time alone. Time to go out without someone watching your every move.

"Anything but that." He bit off a little, his tone unsure of what to make of that. What if you ran? What if you found a way out and never came back?

"You said you want me to trust you but you won't trust me," You snapped at him angrily, the anger bubbling over and finally spilling.

"Yn-"

"That's the only thing I want. Time alone." He sighed a little and rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking back to you before nodding.

"Fine. You'll come back?" You knew running would be useless but part of you didn't even want to run.

"I promise." You whispered as he watched you, his eyes narrowing a little as if he were trying to figure out if you were lying or not.

"There's a ball coming up. A charity one, you can go shopping for a gown and accessories." He told you,

"I don't have money," With that, he handed you a black car with a smile on his lips.

"Buy yourself something nice," You stared down at the black card. Oh, you were planning on buying something nice, but it wasn't just going to be one thing.

You found yourself decked out in silk and diamonds, courtesy of Felix's card that you'd kept on you ever since you'd gotten back from your little trip. Felix carefully walked you through the grand hall and smiled as he looked around, the event was in full swing as people began to mingle with one another. But you were the only person Felix wanted to spend all night talking to. Felix escorted you through the grand ballroom, all of these things had become to the same for him over the years but he would always make sure he came to them to donate a wealthy sum before leaving.

Only tonight, he wanted to stay. He wanted to take you out on the dance floor and show you off in the stunning dress you'd worn and let everyone know that you were his.

"This place is so beautiful." You gasped out, you couldn't believe your eyes. The opulent chandeliers cast a soft glow all over the room, soft music played through the hall and people chatted among themselves.

"You look beautiful," He whispered in your ear, smiling to himself as he looked at you. Ever since you'd walked down to him that night he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off you, not that he ever did before. Your attention slowly turned to Felix who was dressed in a tailored suit, looking as handsome as ever.

"You look handsome," You whispered, part of you wanted to hate him for keeping you hostage but after almost maxing out his card - or so you'd hoped - you were starting to feel a lot better about everything.

Felix began to navigate through the crowds of people and the more you walked the more out of place you began to feel. All of the people in attendance were wealthy and powerful people, you were a hacker who had a chance incounter with a man worth more than you could possibly think about. The further you walked the more aware you were of the curious glances and whispered rumours that were being passed around. Felix didn't even seem fazed by them as he reached for a tray of champagne and handed one of them to you.

"To a wonderful night," He cheered to you, both of you drinking from your glasses until his phone started to ring inside of his pocket, smiling weakly he pulled it out.

"Hello...Yes, this is he," He mumbled into the phone before turning to look at you, and you smirked already knowing what the phone call was about.

"200K...Hmm," He hummed as he stared at you, he had to admit he was a little impressed with how much you'd managed to spend on the card he gave to you.

"No, not to worry. That wasn't fraud, just my future wife throwing a tantrum. Alright, thank you."

"Future wife?" You giggled a little as he licked his lips slowly and shook his head at you,

"200K? What did you even buy?"

"A whole computer system, a whole new wardrobe and some diamonds." You showed him the earrings you were wearing and he couldn't help but laugh to himself.

"You didn't give me a spending limit," You shrugged it off, you expected him to get mad but Felix was quite impressed. He never thought you'd be able to spend that much in one day.

"For you? There's never a limit baby," He smirked before kissing your lips softly. For a fleeting moment, you forgot about the dangers that lurked outside the ballroom walls, or that you'd been taken hostage by Felix. You just allowed yourself to feel happy, wrapping your arms around the back of his neck and kissing him back deeper this time.

Tonight, you weren't just some hacker girl that Felix had brought along to the ball to play Cinderella for the night and you weren't his captive. You were simply a woman lost in the enchantment of the moment, captivated by the enigmatic man at your side.

As you slowly pulled away from one another there was something different in Felix's eyes,

"What's wrong?" You were almost scared your kiss had been bad but he shook his head at you, hesitating for a moment as he thought about what he could say to you. He wanted to let you go, to let you leave the home if that was what you truly wanted but part of him was scared you'd never come back. Taking in a deep breath he reached out, his hand trembling slightly as he cupped your cheek,

"Yn, there's something I need to tell you." Your heart skipped a beat as you stared at him, waiting for him to say something but your heart raced faster with anticipation.

"What is it?" Your voice barely came out above a whisper as you stared at him. With a sigh, Felix searched your eyes, his gaze intense and unwavering.

"I know that our relationship began under... unconventional circumstances," he admitted, making you smirk a little.

"But as I've come to know you, I've realized that you are so much more than just a skilled hacker. You're intelligent, brave, and fiercely independent—a woman unlike any other I've ever met." He had no idea where he was going with this, it wasn't something he'd rehearsed. But your heart was fluttering at his words, your chest swelling with warmth you'd never felt before.

"And...I find myself, drawn to you in ways I can't quite explain." Your hand slowly moved to cup his cheek and you felt how hot he was getting,

"You've become an integral part of my life. And I don't want to imagine a world without you in it."

"Felix..."

"I know I technically held you captive so...I understand if you don't want to stay with me but I needed to let you know my feelings are true." He looked at you, swallowing a lump the size of a boulder in his throat,

"But I'm going to let you go. You can leave the house, you can move out."

"Lix," You whispered, your voice trembling with emotion as you stared at him. His confession washed over you as you watched him closely, you felt the same way for him and hearing him say he was willing to let you go made you only want to stay.

"I feel the same way, I-I never wanted to...I always thought love was just a weapon but you..." You didn't even know where to start with him.

"You care for me more than I ever thought possible." You whispered to him before Felix' blushed,

"Dance with me?" You added before he nodded, taking your hand in his.

As you swayed in each other's arms, the world around you faded into insignificance, leaving only the gentle embrace of the music and the warmth of your shared connection. Your head was rested against Felix's chest, your heart racing with a mixture of nerves and excitement. Despite the lavish surroundings and the curious glances of the other guests, you felt safe and protected in his arms, as if nothing else mattered but the two of you at that moment.

Felix held you close, his touch gentle yet possessive as you moved together in perfect harmony around the floor. With each step, he felt the weight of his past sins and regrets fall away, replaced by a sense of peace and contentment that he had never known before.

"Lix," You breathed out as you stared up at him, your eyes sparking a little as he stared down at you. In a moment of unspoken understanding, your dance slowed, your movements becoming more intimate as you gazed into each other's eyes. The soft melody continued to play, wrapping around you like a cocoon as you drew closer, your breaths mingling in the air.

With a gentle touch, he cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing against your skin as he leaned in, his lips hovering just inches from yours. your heart raced in anticipation, your eyes fluttering closed as you surrendered to the inevitable. You'd kissed before but now there felt a sudden pressure for this one.

Your lips met in a tender, electrifying kiss—a silent declaration of the feelings that had been simmering beneath the surface for so long. Time seemed to stand still as you lost yourselves in each other, the world around them fading completely as you shared a moment of pure, uncontrolled passion.

"Follow me," You breathed out, grabbing his hand in yours as you made your way through the crowds, ignoring the people who were staring and mumbling. Right now you needed Felix and you didn't have time for pleasantries as you made your way through the hall.

"Here?" He chuckles as he lifts you up onto the countertop of the bathroom you'd just dragged him inside of, your heart racing as you watch him closely.

"What if someone comes in?" He arches a brow at you before you drag him closer to you by his tie. He knew no one would come in, his men had followed him to the door and were no doubt waiting outside refusing anyone entry if they tried.

"Then they'll see we're busy and leave." You grumbled before kissing him, this time the kiss was deeper and more intense as you pushed off the blazer he was wearing onto the floor and worked on the buttons of his shirt.

"Someone's very needy." He chuckles to himself as you glare at him, you weren't in the mood for any games, you needed him and you weren't afraid to show it.

"Shut up and do something about it then,"

"Gladly." He groans, his hands rolling up your dress until he exposes your bare core and he smirks to himself,

"No panties?" He arched his brow at you and you giggled spreading your legs for him to get a better view. His eyes run down your body, his tongue darting out to wet his lip.

"You're so fucking beautiful," He groans, his hands drifting to your thighs, his knuckles catching on the edge of your pussy making you whimper.

"You take my breath away," He tells you breathlessly,

"Prove it." You demand, spreading your legs, his eyes drop to your pussy and he groans instantly falling to his knees. You were the only woman he would ever drop to his knees for like this. Having the great Lee Felix on his knees for you sent a power trip through you like no other. You grab his head as he trails his tongue along your slit making you whimper a little at him,

"Please." You plead with him, your hips bucking a little toward him as he chuckles softly sending vibrations all over your body. His tongue touches your clit, circling it, then tracing it down your centre and dipping inside of you, lapping you up hungrily. Your hands tighten in his hair, pushing his face closer to you as you grind against his tongue. Your eyes fluttered shut as your head rolled back against the mirror behind you.

"D-Dear God, Lix, please." You moan out as he removes his tongue, licking his head to look at you as he licks his lips.

"You taste like paradise," He groans before dropping his head and eating you out like a man starved, His eyes meet yours as he keeps his face buried between your thighs, your hips trying to get more friction as you cry his name out loudly.

"Felix!" You scream, his teeth gently biting on your clit as he sends you over the edge. Ecstasy washed through you as your hips shuddered beneath him, a giant smirk toyed on his lips as he got up from the floor.

"That was fucking hot," He moans out before kissing you deeply, your legs wrapped around his waist as you yanked him closer to you. The kiss was desperate, raw, filled with a need so strong you began to grind against his pants.

"You'll make a mess, firecracker," He chuckles softly before you pull away, unbuckling his belt and kicking his pants down leaving him bare in front of you. Felix was quick to reach for his wallet, grabbing a condom from the inside and rolling it onto himself as you wiggle your eyebrows at him.

"This is going to be quick," He winks at you, he could hear a commotion happening outside but you smirked at him. The two of you were at a ball filled to the brim with rich people and you wanted them to hear you getting fucked by him.

"Lix, don't make me beg," You whine before he slams into you, holding you tightly as you groan, throwing your head back against the mirror so hard you were afraid it was going to break. You scream his name out as he pulls back and thrusts into you again, your legs wrapped around his waist as you bring him closer to him.

"Felix!" You cry out as the door handle jiggles, making you giggle as Felix chuckles to himself.

"Felix! Is that you?!" A man yelled from outside the door, you whimpered a little but Felix only continued to plow in and out of you.

"I'm busy fucking my girl, we'll be out soon!" He calls out before slamming into you again, your head rolling back as your hips bucked toward him. You dig your heels into his ass urging him on and his hand presses onto the mirror behind you, the other on your hips as he fucks you. His thrusts wild and hard as he groans your name out.

"L-Lix." You moan out as he continues to drive into you, your hands digging into his shoulders as you yank him closer to you, your release drawing closer as you cry out his name.

"I've got you, you can come, firecracker," He moans out, reaching his hand down and rubbing your clit roughly. Your release rushes over you unexpectedly as you cry out his name loudly, whimpering and bucking uncontrollably. Felix chuckles to himself, completely in love with the way you come undone around him but he doesn't stop.

He continues to fuck into you, one leg over his shoulder as he hits you at a different angle,

"G-God, YES!" You cry out as he smirks to himself, his fingers rubbing your clit as you whimper his name out, your third orgasm of the night already fast approaching as you whimper his name again and again.

"Come for me, firecracker. One last time," He grunts, thrusting harder as you cry out his name, your stomach clenching as you cum around him once again, clenching so tightly you send him over the edge and he spills into the condom.

The two of you stay like that for a few seconds until Felix carefully lowers your leg down and leans his forehead against yours, panting heavily as you let out a tiny giggle.

"Think people will stare when we go out there?" You leaned back against the mirror and watched as Felix smirked and nodded.

"Who cares?" He chuckled before slowly dressing himself. A loud banging sounded on the door as you rolled your eyes, someone was clearly desperate for the toilet or for Felix's attention and you hated them for it.

"I've got info for you!" Someone yelled from outside the door as Felix stuffs himself back into his trousers, did himself up and checked that you were dressed before opening the door he wasn't going to risk anyone but him seeing you.

"Minho," Felix greets with a smirk on his lips, the man glances in your direction before looking over his shoulder.

"Kitten, take Felix's date to the girls for a chat. The men need to talk business." You glanced at Felix to make sure it was okay first and he nodded, kissing your cheek quickly before you ran off with the woman Minho had spoken to.

The girls you'd been standing with were all so friendly and each of them had been telling you about their dates, you since learnt that all of them were with a criminal madman which had made you feel a lot better about yourself and Felix.

"I hate you," You grumbled, jokingly as Felix stood behind you, his lips brushing against the skin on your neck making your body shiver. The bathroom sex wasn't enough, you wanted to go back home and fuck until you saw the morning sun,

"I hate you more, my little firecracker" Felix smirked down at you before you swatted his hands away from you, but he successfully managed to get his hands around your waist and he smirked.

"Excuse us, ladies but we have some making up to go and do." Felix chuckled before dragging you away without a second to even say goodbye to them all.

"Hey I was having fun, who knows when I'll see them again?" You pouted a little, but Felix spun you around and pulled you into a tight embrace.

"You'll see them at our wedding no doubt." He shrugs as if it was the most casual thing in the world for him to say and you roll your eyes at him,

"You're that sure I'll marry you?" You quipped, he was. In fact, he was willing to put money on it.

"I'm sure I can convince you after a few more orgasms," He winks before you shove against his chest and make your way out to a car.

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cevansbrat0007 · 1 year

Text

The Lonely Hearts Club: Part One

Summary: You decide to press pause on your relationship with Andrew Barber. Too bad your hotshot attorney of an ex-boyfriend doesn't understand the meaning of the word. Takes place directly after the events in Photo Shoot Faux Pas. Read Part Two!

Warnings: Angst, Break-ups, Cursing, Andy Being a Menace, Insecure Reader, Eventual Smut, Manhandling, Punishments, Minors DNI

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day! This multi-part fic will feature a combination of requests from the likes of @writer84, @lexivass, @moejdaw, as well as several other anonymous readers. Part of my ongoing Growing Pains Series. All mistakes are my own. Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

___

“Come on, girl. You can do this.”

“Yeah, but maybe…” You trail off as you approach Andy’s front door. Fishing the key out of your pocket, you insert it into the lock. Thanks to your shaking hands, it actually takes a few seconds longer than it probably should. “Maybe I oughta wait.”

“Babe.” Your friend blows out a breath, the noise coming across the other line like static. “We’ve been over this like a dozen times already. Today is just another day; it’s no different from any other.”

Your friends had been quick to remind you that Valentine’s Day didn’t really matter. At its core, it was nothing more than a cheap gimmick big corporations used to upsell mediocre chocolate and subpar rom-coms. Right?

“I know, I know.” There really wasn’t much more you could say beyond that. Not after the two of you had painstakingly broken down every detail of this very scenario just last night. During which time you also managed to consume several bottles of wine.

You’d been all up in your feelings from the moment you’d arrived at your best friend’s house. And Sara had spent a good hour sitting with you on her living room floor, gently rocking you back and forth while you quietly sobbed into her sweater.

Andy hated it when you cried. But when you did, he was always so good at using his big body to comfort you – to calm you down. He’d been the one that you’d really wanted last night. You’d been so tempted to call him, even before the alcohol had started flowing.

However, all your girls had said “no”. And when they couldn’t get you to listen to reason, they’d instructed Sara to remove the temptation by swiping your phone and hiding it away. At the time you’d been highly upset. But now you were grateful for their interference. Because this was something you had to do.

Provided that you could make yourself stick with the fucking plan.

“Are you in yet?” Sara asks, her voice briefly snapping you back into the present.

“I am. I–I’m just gonna leave it on the table. Along with the muffins.” Squeezing your eyes shut, you brace for the sound you’re pretty sure is about to viciously assault your eardrums in three…two…one…

Here it comes.

“YOU BOUGHT HIM FUCKING MUFFINS?!” She screeches, her tone rife with stunned exasperation. “Are you being serious right now?!”

Yes, you did that. It didn’t seem right to just drop the note and run. At least not without leaving a little something else to go with it, apparently in the form of cinnamon spice crunch.

“Don’t judge me, bitch. This shit is hard enough as it is.” You growl into the receiver, setting the box of delicious smelling baked goods onto his kitchen counter. “I just wanna make sure he has something to tide him over until we – until we, um…” Gripping the edge of a chair, you force yourself to take a series of deep breaths.

“Shit, Y/N, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, baby.” Your friend immediately backpedals. But it doesn’t matter. It’s not like you can hear her anyway over the sound of the distant roaring in your ears. “I know this is hard, honey. But you’ve got to pull it together.”

This whole thing was making you feel ill.

Fuck! Like it or not, she was right. The last thing you wanted to do was start crying again. Because you knew if you allowed yourself to break down here, it would be impossible to stop. And that’s exactly where you could not afford to let Andrew Stephen Barber to find you right now.

Standing in the middle of his kitchen, openly crying. Desperately wanting to be held by the one man who had the power to shatter you into a million glittering pieces with nothing more than a simple touch.

And while that might seem a bit dramatic, it also didn’t make it any less true. Which meant that you needed to get out there, fast. You couldn’t allow yourself to forget that you really did have somewhere else to be. Standing up straight, you tuck Andy’s house key into the folded up piece of paper and then place it on top of the muffins.

Time to go.

Turning on your heel, you make a beeline for the exit. Hopefully you’d feel better once you were on the road. As you leave, you make a mental note to worry about everything else later. Until then, you just had to focus on the now.

“Fuck!” You hiss as the door slams closed behind you.

“What? Is Andy home? Did he –” You cut her off, feeling frustrated even as the sickly-sweet taste of regret threatens to claw its way up your throat.

“No. I just forgot to grab that stupid fucking album is all.” With a huff, you jog over to your car. “And it’s not like I can go back in for it or anything since I left him his key. Fuuuuck!” You close the driver’s side door before turning on your vehicle and putting it in gear.

“Girl, who gives a shit!” Sara snorts, clearly relieved that your activities weren’t interrupted. “Look at it this way, whether you like it or not, you just gave that ungrateful bastard something to remember you by.”

Good point, Sara. That’s exactly why she had been designated as your emotional support person for this entire emotionally draining escape.

“True.” Time to focus on the road. If traffic cooperated, you had just enough time to get yourself to your next destination without risking getting a ticket.

Not that that mattered much anymore. The days of anyone giving a shit about your potentially reckless activities were most likely a thing of the past. Oh well. You looked forward to no longer having to stock up on aloe. Yeah, the price of that stock was about to go way down.

A tiny giggle bubbles up, escaping before you can stop it.

“Are you okay, Y/N? I know that was rough back there, but I really think you did the right thing. Plus, I’ve been updating everyone on the group chat, and they all agree.” You resolve to check the thread later so that you can provide everyone with an update.

See that Andy Bear? This whole damned thing had been workshopped from start to finish. You can’t possibly accuse me of being impulsive now. You let out another burst of laughter, this one sounding a touch more hysterical than the last.

“Also, Rhea really wants to know where you got those friggin’ muffins…”

“Tell her I’ll message her with the name of the bakery later.” You merge onto the highway as you head towards downtown. “Thanks for all your help today, Sara. Couldn’t have done it without you girls.”

“Hey boo – you know we love Andy’s fine ass. We just happen to love your ass a hell of a lot more. Now drive safe and text us when you land.” You know she’s telling the truth. All of your girls were pretty darn fond of your man, but you were their girl first. And their loyalty was to you.

Something for which you were exceedingly grateful.

“You got it – talk soon.”

You end the call before settling in for the remainder of the drive. Not wanting to be alone with your thoughts, you quickly decide to turn on the radio – only to be surprised when Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” begins playing over the speakers.

“Wow.” You whisper with a shake of your head. “That is so not fair.”

Sometimes the gods possessed a real fucked up sense of humor.

Your bottom lip quivers as the lyrics hit home, hot tears blurring your vision. You let out an audible sniffle before dashing at them with your sleeve. But you don’t change the station. And you no longer try to stem the flow. Instead you finally give yourself over to the pain that was your heart breaking – piece by piece.

You’d talk to Andy in a couple of weeks. He’d give you space. He’d give you time. And if he didn’t want to work things out when it was all said and done…then you would have to find a way to live without him. And you would find a way.

But first, you had a plane to catch. And then you were gonna get yourself a margarita and – no – scratch that.

Make that a bottle of tequila.

___

Five hours later…

Andy shoulders his way into his house from the garage, absentmindedly toeing off his shoes as he sorts through his mail.

Bill. Bill. Junk. A Postcard from his Dentist. Another bill. And more junk.

With a grunt, he tosses the stack of unwanted papers onto the table. And then he spies the pink box resting on the counter. A smile curves its way across his handsome lips when he realizes that you must’ve stopped by at some point during the day.

But he does find it rather odd that you wouldn’t have let him know. Sure, it was Valentine’s Day, but the two of you weren’t supposed to get together until this weekend.

Still smiling, Andy makes his way over to the box of treats, humming a little tune as he goes. While he had a feeling something was going on with you lately, he’d simply chalked it up to stress. But he also knew that once he got you in his bed and settled himself between those gorgeous thighs, it was only a matter of time before he’d have you speaking in tongues…

Which would hopefully lead to you spilling your pretty little guts. So that he could finally try to fix whatever it was that kept making you seem so sad.

He picks up the note, his head tilting to the side as he tries to make sense of the meaning behind your interesting dessert choice. Confused, he decides to read your message. With a sigh, he unfolds the piece of paper. Only to be caught off guard when a key falls out and onto the surface below, the sharp clatter making him jump.

“What the fuck?” He snarls as his eyes quickly scan the tear-stained piece of paper. “No. Oh no, baby girl…fuck no…”

He could not fucking believe what he was reading.

Andrew grips the edge of the counter as his legs threaten to give out underneath him. However, it’s not until the fourth reread that it all finally clicks into place.

You'd just tried to break-up with him. On fucking Valentine’s Day of all fucking days. But if you thought that leaving him a “Dear John” letter and a box of muffins before running off to god-knows-where was going to be the end of it, then well…the joke was on you. Because there was no way in hell he was ready to let you go. At least not without one hell of fight.

"Alright." A dark chuckle escapes as he crumples the note in fist. Part of him wished that he still carried a lighter so that he could go outside and burn your fucking letter. “But make no mistake, sweetness, we’re not done here.”

However, Andrew Barber could be patient until he saw you again. He’d give you a couple days to get your mind right. But when he found you – and he would – he wasn’t going to stop until he had you back in his life and in his bed, right where you fucking belonged.

You could count on that shit.

END

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crusherthedoctor · 1 month

Text

Sonic Stellar - Intro

What if you could catch the impossible?

What if you could obtain the unobtainable?

What if you could go beyond yourself?

It's a thought we have all shared from time to time. The allure is tempting, tantalizing, but some have more drive than others, and we have seen it across generations. Times change, societies change, but opportunity has always been there. Always waiting for the right person to seize it.

...

What?

The Emeralds?

No. Not this time. This is something else. Something more.

Surprised? Yes, you would be. I assure you, this is no fairytale. Let me explain.

Somewhere in this world lies a place like no other. It has its communities and landmarks like anywhere else on the planet, but not many people on the outside know about it. Those who do have been curious... and fearful. And you know what? They're right to be.

Beyond it hides a force. A force like nothing else that has been documented. Despite overwhelming evidence of its existence, it has never been witnessed by any living person, and it cannot be found through conventional means. Not without reason: the barrier is not designed to be broken. Should it ever make contact with our plane of existence, reality would dissolve into sludge before you could even blink. It is not a being... but it is alive.

The few who learned, who weren't dissuaded by the consequences, have tried to exploit it. Oh, they've tried... and none of them succeeded. For all their efforts, the prize would always elude them. Some of them counted their losses. Others lost their minds... or paid with their lives. It did not want to be found. And so it remains that way.

It's a lesson of caution, to be sure. To not tamper with what you can never hope to comprehend. If anyone were to try again, they would need to be serious. They would need to plan to the very last detail. They would need to be quick, and ruthless.

And above all else, they would require a very special kind of genius.

Like, say...

MINE.

------

It was over before it could even begin.

What was once a day of hope, a declaration of strength and unity, had swiftly escaped their grasp before they knew it. To think so much effort could have went down the drain in an instant, after all they had learned. Yet this was the fate that befell the Guardian Units of Nations. They couldn't have predicted it. They were simply no match for it.

G.U.N. had spent the past year recovering. Their wounds had left a lasting mark, and they knew better than to assume otherwise. They certainly had more work to do before they could restore their former glory, but ever since the rest of the world started healing, they too had made significant progress. They had come so close to marching onward, with no more weakness to shackle them. And today, the Commander had given one of his most passionate speeches to date, one that was sure to inspire these brave people for decades to come.

Was.

All of that seemed like a distant memory now, as the Commander collapsed onto his knees, his uniform tattered and dirtied. As he looked on helplessly at the blazing ruin that was formerly their headquarters mere minutes ago, the sweat dried up on his hands, and dripped down his forehead. His breathing was slow, and deliberate. He couldn't tell if anyone else was alive. How did this happen? How could this happen?

He didn't need to guess who was responsible for the mayhem. They were standing right there, staring him dead in the eye.

It was true that they had been taken by surprise, as uneasy as it would be to admit such a thing. Yet it was far from a whole army that they had been forced to take an unforseen stand against. With their training, and their experience, this would have been in their favor. A single, miniature entity should have been quick business, even if it were a robot of that very same description.

But this was no ordinary robot, was it?

Its speed was firmly its power. Throughout G.U.N's history, they had only known a select few who could match it. One of them even worked for them. However, it should be noted that they were also people. This, on the other hand, was a monstrosity whose sheer lack of respite flipped the scales beyond what they could have imagined. Many of them were not given the chance to open fire, and those who did had aimed at where it no longer was. Their weapons meant nothing. Their armor meant nothing. Their legacy, memories, camaraderie... meant nothing. It was no concern for this creature, if you would call it one. It reduced them to square one all over again, and somehow even further if that were possible.

It was a threat in the past. The Commander knew that. This was not a new face, they had seen it before. They should have stood a chance with that fact in mind, even without the benefit of adequate preparation. Yet, as he looked up at the azure automation, in its familiar, angular form... there was something different in the air. He couldn't estimate what it was, and he suspected this would not differ even if he weren't overcome with a raging inferno of inner turmoil, but whatever it was... it wasn't there before. It wasn't with it before.

Metal Sonic held its gaze for what felt like an eternity, as its left hand gripped the Commander's collar so tightly that it had partially torn a hole through it. Though he glared right back at the machine for the sake of his fallen comrades, as his hands curled into fists at the reminder of this injustice... it simply continued to stare. The Commander's breathing grew, and his anger followed suit, but it could sense the fear sealed within, and the vacant visage made it all the more unclear as to whether it was holding off from finishing right away so that it could savor this private moment of despair.

All of these competing debates in his head would soon subside, as he noticed the robot's right hand had slowly begun to rise. He knew what he was in for, yet his composure held on, despite the confusion, fury, and shame he had felt simultaneously. As it prepared for the killing blow, the Commander closed his eyes, for the dignity of not himself, but for his crew.

It was at this point, however, that a voice finally spoke up from afar.

"Don't finish him off just yet, Metal!" The merriment was unmistakable. Painfully unmistakable. "Let me have a man-to-man with him for a precious moment!"

It held onto his collar for a couple of seconds longer, as if it were reluctant to let go... but eventually, it complied without a word. Slowly, the robot released its grip... and threw him to the ground as if he were garbage. As it coldly stepped aside, allowing for its superior to take center stage, its gaze never left the Commander. It continued to stare right at him, like a preying vulture. After recovering from the sudden and heavy blow, the man took a moment to open his eyes, and in spite of knowing full well what he would see, he braced himself all the same. Sure enough, as if by magic, the disgust immediately began to overwhelm his senses as he saw...

Him.

The deranged mind who brought Metal Sonic and countless other tools of destruction into existence.

The elusive maniac who had been a blight on the world at large for so, so long.

That round body. That wild moustache. That devilish grin. It was him alright, no doubt about that. It was all too familiar... except for a single, yet incredibly significant detail: it would appear that the good doctor had decided a change of wardrobe was in order. As he proudly strutted his way towards the two, with his common toothy smile, the Commander was able to get a better look... and it didn't take long for sheer puzzlement to set in.

The goggles he had been accustomed to resting atop his head were not present this time around. Instead, his characteristic round glasses seemed to be mildly thicker than they were during past endeavors. Covering his upper body was a simple black shirt, buttoned all the way to the top, and tucked into his matching pants. Covering further was a bright red waistcoat, more than a little reminiscent of his more recognizable jacket: fancy to say the least, yet it remained conspicuously unzipped, revealing a small amount of the golden yellow lining from within. Fitting his outrageously sized feet were a pair of what looked to be comfortable dinner shoes, which had pointed black tips as normal for his taste in fashion, but were otherwise completely white.

Among all this, what really got the Commander's urgent attention - not necessarily for the better - were the doctor's hands. They were colored white, as usual, but not because he was wearing gloves. Rather, they looked to be... gauntlets? Perhaps that was not the right word to use, as they looked too compact to be sufficiently clunky for the description, so much so that they could tuck into his black cuffs without much cluttered space... However you would choose to name them, they were visibly made of metal, and they were clenched fiercely, in sharp contrast to his jovial mannerisms. The same mannerisms that had already stood above the Commander before he knew it, his shadow having consumed the other man's entire being.

"Sorry for the check in on such short notice," Eggman began, and not even a second in, he had betrayed his apology with an intoxicating glee that failed to match with the utter carnage that surrounded them. "I would have notified you in advance, but I'm afraid my plans have went along a little faster than expected!" He couldn't help but wiggle his eyebrows, as a not-too-subtle nod to his cruel joke.

"Wha..." The Commander had to let out a strained cough before he could start over. "What... what is the meaning of all this? What are you here for?"

"What am I here for?" Eggman shook his head, as if the answer should have been apparent from the very start, even to such lesser intellects. "To check everything's good, of course! Metal and myself have booked a much deserved holiday for... myself! We couldn't head off without doing a teensy little test run beforehand! Just in case, you know?" Eggman stretched his arms without a care in the world, as if he hadn't just sicced Metal onto the entire military. "No use going straight to Viridonia without a clue, after all!"

"Test run...? Viridonia...?" The Commander could barely choke out his words, as the after effects of Metal Sonic's prior assault had started to take their toll on his weakened body and mind. "What are you talking about? For what reason did you attack us this time?"

The scientist did not respond at first. Instead, after a pause, he began to walk clockwise around the other man. One hand was clasped behind his back, while the other opened up in front of him, revealing more detail of his brand new gauntlets in the process. Their fingertips, painted with the same coat of white as the rest of the device, were ever so slightly pointed, where you could mistake them for small claws if you were further away. It seemed excessive to the Commander, though for all the doctor's notoriety when it came to design, he suspected it had a purpose beyond merely looking intimidating. It was also noted that the palms appeared to have a small selection of buttons on them, though their purpose remained unknown. Perhaps that was for the better.

"Oh, nothing," he shrugged, and glanced at Metal, who predictably maintained his stone cold glare at their mutual enemy. He flexed his shoulders casually, as if daring for someone to put him in his place. "You did absolutely nothing, ho ho! There's no personal strife between us, your little band of merry men didn't cause any trouble for me this time! But between you and me..."

As Eggman continued to monologue, a rookie soldier had slowly crawled into sight, careful to not attract the doctor's attention. He had suffered some damage from earlier, but held on tightly to his semi-automatic rifle, determined to avenge his comrades. Eggman kept at it all the while, even as he stopped in front of the Commander once more. He knelt down, and clasped the man's head with one hand, to which the wounded individual slightly jolted from how icy the gauntlet's touch was.

"I couldn't let you interfere," he said matter of factly. He remained casual, but there was an edge in his voice. The soldier was creeping closer to him from behind. "I've experienced a lot in my lifetime, and now I'm putting all of that experience to use. As I should."

"You won't win," the G.U.N. leader muttered, only half conscious by this point. "You're just a lunatic, a disgrace to humanity..."

This would be the part where Eggman's anger took over. The part where Eggman would get offended by such a dismissal of his unparalleled prestige. Yet it never came. Eggman's smile did not disappear, though the corner tip of his mouth might have twitched. He took a moment to continue.

"Things are going to be very different this time, Commander." He talked as cheerfully as ever, yet it also sounded as though he gritted his teeth towards the end. "This time, there won't be any miscalculations. Allow me to demonstrate with..."

Without warning, the scientist leaped back onto his feet, swerved in the opposite direction at frightening speed for an ordinary human being, and unhesitantly aimed his left gauntlet with a sneer. Before the rookie could fire his rifle, a surge of electricity was unleashed upon him, courtesy of the gauntlet's clawed tips. The assault was swift, though the agonized scream that followed was not friendly company. Even Metal Sonic had taken time off from its intense staring to look to its right at this pitiful sight. Within seconds, the rookie had collapsed.

"Worm," Eggman growled, insulted by the brazen stunt he had just thwarted. For a chump to believe it would really be that simple... the great Ivo Robotnik would never be put down so easily. Not then, and definitely not now. People really ought to know better. He'll make sure of that when they bow before him.

"He thought he could get the drop on me? What a load of..." As he returned his direction to that of the Commander's, he was quick to notice that the veteran had collapsed onto the scorched ground himself. It would seem that the injuries were finally too much for him to persevere through. This actually seemed to disappoint Eggman, as his moustache promptly drooped in acccordance with the frown on his face.

"Are you kidding me? He didn't see that awesome move I just did?" He placed his hands on his hips in annoyance. "I didn't even get to finish my speech! Couldn't he have let me finish BEFORE he passed out on me? Bah!" He raised an eyebrow at Metal, who stared back in return, waiting dutifully for any further orders, preferably of the cutthroat variety.

"I guess we were too much for this geriatric to handle," he lightly nudged the body with his foot in frustration. "Ah well, them's the brakes. I know another audience that's out there waiting for me. I'm sure THEY'LL be much more willing to hear me discuss the important things in life."

"Did you... kill him?"

Metal's vision turned to its left, and Eggman quickly looked up and straight ahead, as a new voice called out to him. It was not a voice that would have been recognized by the Commander, had he still been conscious, but Eggman's knowing raise of the chin indicated this was far from the case with him. This voice was a lot smoother than Eggman's, a lot younger than his... maybe a little effeminate as well, yet no less decisively masculine.

"Normally I would," the rotund one mused, as he looked back down at the fallen leader. "Less pests to spray, the better. But with this one..." His smile slowly returned. The idea was just too good to pass up on.

"Leave him," he insisted. "If he dies, then I won't care, meaning no one important will care. If he doesn't, he'll undoubtedly tell all that he saw, and then..."

"You know their best agents will come after you if they find out about this, sir."

The person who the voice belonged to emerged from the shadows. Whether he had been there the whole time was a mystery that only he and his conversation partner knew, but what was arguably more surprising, however, was that he was neither a human like Eggman, or a robot like what he was famous for. Rather, he was a platypus.

A white platypus, to be exact, albeit with a grey beak, as well as grey streaks that ran through his curls, which as it turned out, were slicked all the way to the side of his head. He wore a waistcoat similar to Eggman's, though unlike the taller specimen, his was buttoned tightly shut, and it was colored a disarming deep pink, in contrast to his pointed shoes. The sleeves of the shirt that he wore underneath were purple and puffy, and a single black glove was on his right hand, complete with a slot that remained empty... currently.

"Of course they will, Starline," Eggman replied, as he smugly crossed his arms. "Exactly what I'm counting on."

"I see. My apologies," the platypus bowed out of respect. "It was not my intention to doubt your... magnificence, sir." He seemed to have had some minor trouble completing his sentence, as he focused perhaps too intently on the subject of his field of vision.

Eggman simply grinned back at him, not dismayed in the slightest. Not openly, anyway, which was rather unlike him. For anyone else, his jolly countenance would be a sign of misery to come. For this new recruit, it was an honor to see in person... though he was less keen on being judged by Metal's frozen scowl.

"You still have a lot to prove yet," he started, as he clasped his hands in front of his chest. "It's not often I employ someone, not when my own insight is all I ever need, but I brought you along because I could tell you've got a talent! Let it be known that in this great wide world of ours, out of all the drooling imbeciles that run rampant within it, your knowledge and devotion elevates you so far above them that you can be confidently described as... average... so your contributions will serve my audacious and brilliant plan well! I'm sure you understand what a privilege it is to be recruited by the greatest genius who has ever lived, yes?"

"Absolutely."

"And you'll make sure to obey my every command, exactly as I wish for them to be carried out?"

"Indubitably."

"And what else?"

"...Destroy anyone who opposes you."

"And pray tell, mister Starline... who shall dare to oppose me?"

To the untrained ear, this would seem like a downright foolish question for a man with a history as his to ponder. Surely he would never need to ask, for he should know the answer before it could even register in his memory banks, nevermind all of the relevant associates that have only multiplied over the years.

However, as the doctor's roaring cackle echoed throughout the freshly decimated G.U.N. headquarters, it was all too clear that he was no fool. He said it with full intent. He knew exactly what he was doing. And Starline knew it too.

He didn't forget about him. On the contrary, he had him specifically in mind. And as the three of them finally began to walk away, with Metal throwing one last hateful glare at the now-unconscious Commander, the doctor's laugh never slowed down, and continued to echo in the distance even as the crackling of fire took over.

It was time to pay Viridonia a visit.

#Sonic Stellar #Crusher's Fanfiction #Sonic the Hedgehog #Fanfiction

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moonlight-if-knight · 7 months

Text

Prologue - Max POV ~ MC Female

Keep it together.

I stare blankly as my brothers exit the room.

Keep it together. Hold your smile.

My eyes go to the woman on my right for a split second. The mere sight of her is enough for my slow heartbeat to almost stop. What the hell am I going to do?

Keep it together. Hold your smile. Don’t look at her.

Looking back at my brothers, I see all three have just stepped outside the room, all three pairs of eyes looking at us. Derek’s eyes, curiously enough, are set on the woman, no trace of frustration left in them. Since I’ve known him, his eyes have always said the truth that his mouth cannot. It may annoy him when I say it, but it’s a trait I’ve always admired of him. His honest eyes.

And speaking of eyes, Alex’s are the most insistent, demanding that I look at him. When I relent and gold meets gray, he pins me with his stare, promising to not let go until I answer his question. The way he stands, arms crossed and the tension on his shoulders, as well as the squint in his eyes as he examines my face. All of them are a clear sign of his worry and a vow to intervene if I so much as hesitate to answer him.

Do you want to do it?

He’ll do it. If I say no, hesitate, or show fear... he’ll take my place. And honestly, it’s a very tempting offer.

But with just one glance at Jere’s face, I know I can’t take Alex’s offer.

I can’t take away that joy from him, that excitement he feels knowing he has helped another person. It’s written all over his face. More so knowing his big brother has supported him, as always.

And I’ll first be stranded alone on the sea than take that away from him.

So, I will do the only thing I know. What I am best at.

I’ll hide behind a smile and lie.

Instantly, Alex’s stance relaxes, and his eyes soften. He believes me.

Just before Father closes the door, I see the teasing smile Alex shoots at Derek and how the latter, feeling Alex’s stare, avoids his eyes at all costs. And Jere’s bright smile as he’s lost in his thoughts, surely thinking about how he’s happy we got to help this person.

My smile gets easier to hold just by looking at them.

“Maximillian,” Father’s voice yanks me back to reality.

“Yes, Father,” my voice responds on its own.

“Do you remember the first step?”

“Giving her my blood.”

“Normally, yes,” he corrects me. “But in this case, given the state of her injuries, it will be best to clean and close those wounds.”

There’s a glass of water on Father’s desk. I take out my handkerchief, wet it on the water, and walk back to the woman.

Father stands a few steps behind me as I start cleaning the woman’s arms. And the more dirt I remove, the more cuts appear on her arms with only just a few bruises.

Looking closely at the cuts, it’s obvious they’re no mere accident. Someone did this. As for who, I’ve no the slightest idea. But nevertheless, I’m curious. Why would someone end up like this?

No, now that I think of it... I don’t care. It’s not my business.

When her arms are as clean as necessary, I lift up her shirt just enough to clean the deep cut on her belly.

Now, this is more serious...

I’m no expert, but I would bet she was stabbed. A quick thrust with a knife or dagger. But it’s strange, now that I look at it closely, it’s not that deep nor cutting anything important. Could she had survived if we had reached her sooner?

Would she be out of my life now if I had found her just a little bit sooner?

My eyes drift to her face. Unconsciously, I clean her cheeks and forehead.

This face. From now on, I’ll be seeing this face every day. Every single day.

Her eyes remain closed. What color could they be? I swear if she has those same wretched eyes...

“That should be enough.”

Father’s voice startles me. I spring back towards the desk, feigning that my intention was to clean my handkerchief with water.

When I turn back, Father’s kneeling beside her, most likely examining her injuries.

“Did you notice?” he asks.

“That those cuts don’t look accidental?”

“And what else?”

“And it looks like she was stabbed. The wound is not that deep, almost as if it was not meant to be lethal.”

“Perfect,” I smile a little at my father’s compliment. “What a mystery, don’t you think? To know what happened to this girl. But I am more worried at what this implies.”

I know what he means. “Someone is after her.”

He nods. “We cannot be sure until she confirms it, but it could be possible. I’ll give instructions to Alexandre to be alert until she wakes up, in any case. Better to be safe.”

I nod, take a breath, and walk towards them again. Father stands up and gestures for me to kneel beside the sofa.

“Close those wounds with your blood,” he says.

Trying not to think much, I rip open the skin of my index finger with my nail. My cold blood slips slowly from the cut.

“You will need more than that to close the bigger wound.”

I make another cut, deep and longer, on my palm. My blood flows more freely and constantly now. I place my palm on her arm, spreading my blood all over her skin. Then, the other. Lastly, I make a fist and let my blood fall over the cut on her belly.

When I open my hand again my wound has disappeared, as well as all her cuts.

“Your blood has come into contact with hers. Now, she has to drink your blood.”

I make another cut on my hand, letting my blood slip between her lips.

“That’s enough,” Father says, and I take back my hand. “It’s time you drink her blood. Do not take much, or else she won’t survive.”

I was dreading this moment.

Don’t think. Just do it.

I lean in, not daring to look at her face again, close my eyes, and bury my face on her neck. And before my head has a chance to think, I sink my teeth into her skin.

I barely took a sip before I was forced to back away.

“What was that?” I blurt out as I stand up and take a few steps back.

What the hell? That never happened before. That thrill, that feeling, that connection. It never happened before, not even when Father turned me into a vampire.

“That’s what a vampire feels when turning a human into their creation.”

No. I did it. No. No. No.

I fucking did it.

What am I gonna do? I’m stuck with her. For fucking eternity.

“You’re not alone, Maqueas.”

Father’s voice brings me back, his face full of worry. Damn, now I’ve made him worry. I’ve let my mask fall.

“We are with you. I am with you. You won’t be doing this alone.”

I nod and gulp, trying to forget the blasted taste of her blood. Why does her blood have to be so...

“I’m sorry, I’m fine. It’s just... It just dawned on me. All this.”

He doesn’t respond, blink, or look away.

With slow steps he walks to me, standing right in front of me. Before I can do anything, I feel his hand on top of my head.

Even though our skin is cold, my senses tell me his touch is warm. Warm, reassuring, and protective. He has always felt like this to me.

“I know you can do this, but that doesn’t mean you’re alone.”

My heartbeat returns to its slow and almost imperceptible rhythm. I didn’t even realize it was beating fast before.

When he’s sure I’m okay, he takes his hand back from my head and goes to the door. I walk towards the woman and carry her in my arms, just like Jere did before. I turn towards the door, and Father opens it.

Derek’s nowhere to be found. But Alex and Jere are standing there, waiting for us.

Seeing both of them calms my mind. Father is right. I have them. All of them.

I’ll be fine.

Looking at Jere’s smile, I know I can’t let him down. So, I have to be fine for them.

Even if I lie to myself.

#ro:max #max-pov #chapter:prologue #ro-pov

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seangelfish · 10 months

Text

Matching keychains

Ramuda Amemura x Reader

Genre/s: Angst (no comfort)

Word count: 2,788

Plot/Summary: This feeling has always been lingering in the back of his mind, but he knew that this can't last forever. Despite loving you for so long, he finally decides to let you go.

A/N: I recommend you listen to the instrumental of Buster Bros' Re:start whilst reading this as I was listening to it whilst writing this and honestly, it made the angst 10x worse! I might continue this fic because I actually really like it, and I love Ramuda so why not?

[I love Hypmic so much and I've always wanted to write fics surrounding the franchise, but I'm still pretty new to it, so please bare with me on how I portray these characters. I'm trying my hardest to make these accurate to the character as possible. Thank you for understanding and I hope you enjoy reading!]

There was something important that you needed to get done today and it involved you visiting the most popular toy shop in Shibuya. This city was known for its shopping let alone its vast entertainment, fashion, and restaurants, so this task was bound to be easy for you!

You stepped inside the building in awe at the wide range of plushies. They ranged from big to small, from animals to people to even little accessories for them as well! You were already tempted to get something for yourself, but that wasn't the reason why you were here.

You wondered around the shop trying to find a specific item in stock. It was extremely crowded, so you ended up bumping into a lot of other customers.

Hmm, where could it be? you thought to yourself, already overwhelmed. It should be here...!

Thankfully, a shop assistant caught your eye and helped you find the item that you were looking for. Once you were shown the selection of plushie keychains, your worries disappeared just like that. You thanked the worker profusely.

You giggled to yourself as you picked up the two matching bunny keychains. One was pink whilst the other one was white. Both bunnies were wearing bows of the other's colour. It was so cute!

"Ramuda would love this!" you chirped.

Yes, the sole reason you came to this particular area was to buy a little gift for your boyfriend, Ramuda. You saw the two plushies advertised on your Twitter feed and instantly thought of him. You thought it would be so cute to have matching keychains with the love of your life!

You exited the store happily with the plushies you just bought. You can't wait to surprise Ramuda with them, and it was a perfect day to do so because he had asked you to meet up with him this evening.

"I wonder what he has planned for us tonight~" you wondered excitedly.

In his shop, Ramuda was anxiously scribbling in his sketchbook, thinking of ideas on what new clothes to design but to no avail because all he could think about was you.

The page he was currently working on was now filled with messy, indescribable pencil scratches. Whatever he was doodling wasn't pretty and he knew of it. He just wanted to rip everything out, destroy everything until these feelings of his were no more.

"Are you okay?" asked Gentarou, looking at Ramuda's sketches from behind his shoulder.

And as on cue, Ramuda immediately slammed his sketchbook shut and answered cheerfully, "I'm A-OK! I'm just having art block at the moment! Nothing too serious. I'll try again later~!"

Gentarou didn't believe a second of it, but shrugged it off.

"Just so you know," Gentarou began. "You can always tell–"

Ramuda cut him off. "I'm alright," he said slowly.

He jumped up from his seat to give his usual little twirl.

"Well, I'm off to see (Y/N) now~!" he exclaimed. "She's waiting for me, so I have to be there quick! I'll be back, so you don't need to close the shop. See you later~!"

Gentarou watched his friend skip out of the shop hurriedly. Once he was gone, Dice entered.

"I just saw Ramuda run out," he stated. "He wasn't looking too good. Is he okay?"

Gentarou merely shook his head.

You idled around the park, taking in the cool breeze and the amber sunset above. It truly was a beautiful evening and you couldn't wait to spend it with Ramuda.

A thought popped into your head. You should take a picture of the plushies you bought today with the sunset in the background!

You placed the two bunnies down on one of the park's benches, positioning them together as if they were holding hands. You giggled to yourself at how embarrassing this was, but it was such a cute idea! You were thankful that the park was empty at this time.

You quickly snapped a picture and to your satisfaction, it was the most beautiful picture of a sunset you have ever taken. You couldn't wait to post this on your Instagram page with your lover tagged!

"(Y/N)!"

You could hear faint footsteps running towards you. Shoving the plushies back into your bag before Ramuda could see them, you turned around to greet your boyfriend with the brightest smile on your face.

His pace slowed down as he stopped a few metres away from you. Seeing you smile at him like that made his heart ache. He would usually match your expression, but this time, he returned your smile with a look of such emptiness that it just wasn’t hard to miss.

Your smile faded away quickly.

"Ramuda... are you okay...?"

The distance between you two was unbearable, but you knew that you weren’t permitted to cross the invisible barrier Ramuda was holding up. So, you stayed stuck to your spot, and he did too.

“(Y/N),” he repeated, but with sadness to his tone. “Remember when you asked me where my parents were… or what my childhood was like?”

You didn’t know where he was going with this.

He continued, “…or which high school I attended? Who I was before I became a fashion designer? Before The Dirty Dawg? …But I didn’t answer any of it?”

You stared at him. He wasn't the Ramuda you were used to seeing everyday. His demeanour was completely different, but it wasn't too much of a surprise to you. Sometimes, you'd catch glimpses of this other personality, but you doubt he'd ever catch you noticing it.

“…I had none of what you had, none of what the average person has had in their lives. You could even say that I did not even have a life before any of this. You may not believe me, (Y/N), but what I’m going to tell you from this point on is the truth. Unfortunately, I can’t give you too many details as it’s not in my right.”

He watched your expression, the confusion and worry on your face. You wanted to ask him why he was bringing this up now, but you continued to stay in your spot, awaiting his explanation.

As he stated before, he didn’t bring up too many details. Though, he confessed that the personality he presented to others including you was all made up – a lie. He mentioned that he wasn’t the ‘real Ramuda’ and that he could never be the real one. He told you that he merely exists for someone else, not himself, and if he were to disobey them, he would be killed. He described himself as ‘defective’ as if he was a product. He revealed why he was a massive sweet tooth as the lollipops helped him to continue living.

“And that’s why… we should break up,” he said finally. “I’m just going to cause you trouble if I continue to be with you.”

You were speechless. It was so much to take in. He had finally told you about his background, but now he was suggesting that you two should break up. You didn’t know what to say, but all you wanted to do in that moment was to touch him.

“So please–” he began.

You pulled him in, letting his chin rest on your shoulder as your other hand held his head gently. It was getting hard to breathe as tears streamed down your face. Ramuda was frozen, his eyes showing nothing but perplexity.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that all on your own," you whispered. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t too attentive or if I wasn’t there for you.”

Ramuda chuckled with some sort of annoyance.

“It’s not your fault, (Y/N). You were always there for me; I just never made those feelings known. But we need to end things now. You can never truly be happy with me for who I am and what I will have to deal with in the future. Things will get too complicated and not only will it hurt you but me as well.”

Even when he was saying all of that, his arms couldn’t help but hug you back. He couldn’t stop himself from shedding a few tears. Why did you believe him so easily? Why did you trust him so much? Why do you still care about him even after confessing that his whole character was fake?

And as if you were reading his mind, you replied, “I don’t want to end things with you. I don’t care about who you were, I just care about who you are right now… even… even if it’s a lie. I don’t care. I know how kind and passionate you are. We can easily overcome these obstacles, can we not?"

Ramuda was silent, pulling away from your embrace. He shook his head and looked at you sadly.

“(Y/N), I’m going to let you go, and so should you. This is my final decision.”

"Ramuda!"

He smirked. “I’m not going to lie though, I really do love you, and it sucks because I’m going to keep loving you.”

"Then–"

He shook his head, interrupting you. “But we can’t keep doing this. I can’t risk you getting involved and I can’t keep you from being in a better relationship. You can’t be happy with me. So, go find yourself a better man; someone that will always make you feel safe and happy… like Ichiro or something.”

Before you started dating Ramuda, you were close friends with Ichiro. This was during The Dirty Dawg days where the leaders of each division were grouped together. Your friendship with Ichiro was genuine and he was so lovely towards you. You would always laugh with him and shared each other’s stories. People often caught you together by the lake watching the sunset.

Ramuda always felt guilty that he robbed you off a beautiful relationship with Ichiro. But despite knowing your mutual feelings, he still shoved his way through the bubble you and Ichiro had together. He did all he can to pop that little bubble of yours, he’d butt into your conversations whenever he got the chance. He didn’t care whether you liked Ichiro or if Ichiro liked you back, he just wanted you to be his. He liked you too after all! And eventually, with all his attempts of breaking you two up, he succeeded.

“What?! Why are you saying that?!” you cried. "Why would you tell me to go find another lover when all I want is you?! My feelings for Ichiro are in the past now! I don't want him, I just want YOU. Why is this so difficult to understand that I don't care about who you are?!"

“(Y/N), stop!” he shouted. “I’m not going to change my mind!”

He was crying. He was crying as much as you now.

“If I didn’t get in between you two, you would’ve been in a happier relationship. You wouldn’t need to worry about me or the troubles I will cause. You wouldn’t need to worry about where he is or what he’s doing unlike me! He’s genuine and he’s real. He’s probably everything you’ve been looking for in me!” he said as he choked on his words. “I’m sorry for doing that to you two. I should’ve ignored you back then so you wouldn’t need to hear me say all this stuff now.”

The tears in your eyes wouldn't stop flowing, but you were also getting fed up with him. You just wanted to reason with him. You didn’t want to end things like this, not now and not ever.

“I said I don’t care!” you yelled. “Ramuda, I just want to be with you! I will only ever love you!”

Ramuda was stunned at your words, but he laughed even with the tears gushing down his face. He cupped your face with both of his hands and kissed you softly – his last kiss to you.

“Ah, (Y/N), I’m really going to miss you,” he croaked. “I… I really am going to m-miss you…”

"Ramuda, please..."

"It's time for you to forget me, okay?"

How did such a beautiful day turn into something so sad? You just wanted to give him your matching keychains…

He whipped out some sort of device – a hypnosis mic? – and sang something. There was no time to react as everything became a blur. You tried calling out his name once again, but the last image you had of him was of him smiling at you with the glassiest eyes you have ever seen.

A few months from now...

There would be times you would feel some sense of melancholy in the air. That feeling would happen whenever you'd enter a particular shop or area, but you never knew why you felt that way.

Ramuda lived his life as usual. Before he took you home, he erased everything of his existence from your phone, computer, and physical photo albums – anything he could get his hands on. It pained him that he had to do this, but he wanted you to start anew. He hoped that you were still able to fall in love with Ichiro again even if it will hurt him.

"And done!" said Ramuda, finishing off his sketches. "It's perfect. The ladies would love this collection~!"

"Oh, you’re finally done?” Dice said as he munched on his lunch Gentarou paid for. “That was fast.”

Ramuda giggled. He was proud of himself for completing such a task. He couldn't wait to see how the final product will turn out.

"Oh, by the way," he started. "We're going to participate in the Division Rap Battle next week, so be ready~!"

You were convinced by your co-workers to watch the DRB with them after work, so you decided to clean your photo storage. You liked taking pictures whenever you’d attend concerts after all!

As you were going through all your photos, you stumbled upon a photo you didn’t remember taking. It was a photo of two bunny plushies sitting on a bench in front of a beautiful amber sunset; a pink and white bunny who looked like they were holding hands.

"I didn't know I had plushies like that..." you said slowly.

You got up and looked around your room for those plushies. As a result, you made a huge mess, but you were just happy you found one of them. It was the pink bunny with a white bow. However, you couldn’t find the white bunny anywhere, and you searched everywhere for it.

"Weird," you commented, looking at the pink bunny. "When did I buy this again?"

It was fluffy and soft, and the feeling of melancholy washed over you once again. You still didn’t understand why you keep getting that feeling. You shrugged it off like you always did.

Attaching the pink bunny keychain to your bag, you left the house to meet up with your co-workers to get to the stadium.

The stadium was packed. The girls around you were squealing over a particular figure, Ramuda Amemura, who was currently rapping against Matenro.

You haven’t seen Ramuda in a while despite living in the same city. You were good friends with him when The Dirty Dawg was still around, but after they disbanded, you two never kept in touch. He slowly became distant with you which kind of annoyed you because you had heard from the others how he still kept in touch with Ichiro and Samatoki.

You would see him a lot on social media though. He was super popular with the girls, and he had the best fashion sense that was to your taste. You even purchased some of his pieces online.

He was now active in Fling Posse and his raps were as brilliant as they were before. He seemed more energetic too.

You watched him from the seats attentively as the girls around you cheered him on. But you were extremely confused because as Fling Posse lost against Matenro and was ushered to leave the stage, you spotted it – the white bunny keychain, the same one in the picture that matched your pink bunny keychain you currently had hung on your bag. Ramuda had the bunny attached to his hoodie.

And yet you still didn’t understand why this sense of melancholy came back to you, tugging on your heart strings even more than ever. Even when your eyes locked with Ramuda’s for just a second, even when your eyes began to water, you still didn’t understand why you were feeling this way.

For some reason, you just wanted to chase after him and hold him tight, but all you could really do was watch him smile at the crowd and walk away.

Intro page | Hypnosis Mic masterlist | Requests rules

#hypmic #hypnosis mic #hypnosis microphone #ramuda amemura #amemura ramuda #ramuda x reader #ramuda amemura x reader #fanfic #hypmic fanfic #hypnosis mic fanfic #ramuda x reader angst #hypmic x reader angst #hypnosis mic x reader angst

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themattress · 4 months

Text

And now, I just feel compelled to sing the praises of one of Kingdom Hearts' greatest heroes:

SHIRO. MOTHERFUCKING. AMANO!

The more time passes, the more amazed I am by this man. He's had a hero's journey IRL when it comes to his place in the franchise: jumping at the call but being inexperienced and screwing up, reaching his lowest point before rising, dealing with great adversity only to come out of it stronger than ever, and becoming a beloved hero to many who continues to do good.

KH1 was his first manga adaptation, and for the most part it's your by-the-numbers comic book adaptation of a story from a non-comic book medium, not especially good or especially bad. But Amano showed three weaknesses: he mischaracterized the KH-original characters (Sora, Kairi, Riku and Ansem all start out on point, but once Destiny Islands is destroyed this changes drastically: Sora turns into a spastic moron, Kairi into a bland bystander, Riku into an emotionless tool, and Ansem into an over-the-top eeeevil lunatic who actually gets himself killed without any contribution from Sora, Donald and Goofy!), he sucked at action scenes leading to many iconic battles from the game being straight-up left out altogether, and his gag manga inclinations caused him to turn scenes that should be serious / emotional into jokes.

CoM was his aforementioned lowest point. All those flaws were not only still there, but worse, turning what was once a dark, mysterious and psychological story into an unfunny farce.

Disgraceful. For a good while, I actually disliked Shiro Amano due to this.

But then came the redemption: KH2. The Prologue section of this manga is masterfully done, possibly even better than the game's version. The pace is less sluggish, the events less irritatingly obtuse, and the humor actually works to the benefit of the story's seriousness - because so much of the goofy humor is between Roxas, Hayner, Pence and Olette, you build even more of an emotional connection to them and the tragedy of Roxas learning the truth about his life hits that much harder when it transpires. When Sora returns, Amano is briefly tempted by his old inclinations and kind of backslides, with the resulting trips to Hollow Bastion, Beast's Castle, Land of Dragons and Olympus Coliseum suffering as a result. They aren't quite as insulting as the CoM manga, but still bad. However, true to hero's journey form this period of temptation and backsliding passes and only reinforces Amano's commitment to improving and actually balancing his humor and adaptational changes with drama, emotional sincerity and faithfulness to the game. From Disney Castle on, he returns to quality output. There are still mistakes here and there, but on the whole the manga is an enjoyable one. From the characterization to the action scenes to the tonal balance, Amano had improved.

And then came the hiatus between its first half and second half, during which he worked on the 358/2 Days manga. Take what I said about KH2's Prologue, then apply it x10, and you get this manga, where the writing and pacing is improved from its game counterpart and the humor is rich, well-timed and actively feeds into the drama and tragedy of the story rather than detract from it. To make the contrast to how far he's come most apparent, remember how in the CoM manga where there's an omake short that makes a complete joke out of the Riku Replica, originally one of the story's most tragic characters? Well in this manga, we get an omake short about a Dusk, which starts out hilarious but then ends up being absolutely heart-breaking. It makes me legit sad over a goddman DUSK. Now that takes real talent!

What's also apparent with the Days and KH2 mangas is that Amano had come to shine in a way that Tetsuya Nomura absolutely does not: respect for his female leads. Kairi, Namine and Xion in these mangas aren't primarily sources of support for male characters or there to make male characters feel things above all else; they are their own distinct individuals with vivid personalities and clear character arcs. Even Olette shines brighter than in the games!

Once Amano made it back to the KH2 manga for its second half, he was firing on all cylinders. Again, not everything was perfect, but much like the game itself the narrative flaws were not enough to overshadow the many more narrative strengths. And when the manga finally concluded after so many years, Amano confirmed that it truly was the end. He would not be adapting other KH games. And given that the rest of the KH series never got better than where KH2 ended, this was absolutely for the best. I could very easily imagine the Olympian gods making a constellation in Amano's image, as he had become a true hero.

However, oh no! He got persuaded into adapting KH3 when it came out in 2019! This is going to ruin everything, right? WRONG! The KH3 manga has not only been a shining example of how far Shiro Amano has come, but also a masterclass in demonstrating how acutely aware of the game's problems he is and the lengths he is willing to go to fix them. For example...

- He opens the manga with a direct adaptation of the game's opening scene with the Boy in Black and Boy in White in front of the chess board followed by the FMV intro. By doing things in this strange way, Amano invites the possibility of this being an alternate, diverging timeline from the prior manga continuity so that its ending remains untouched should you desire it to be. Almost as if the Boy in Black and Boy in White reside in some higher plane of existence and the KH3 manga is the "game" that they're playing, so it's not to be taken too seriously.

- The whole opening that semi-recaps stuff leading into KH3 is played off as a joke, and given that the stuff in question was stupid (such as the Mark of Mastery exam through sleeping worlds and Sora failing his Mark of Mastery exam on bullshit grounds), this is appreciated.

- He actually makes Maleficent and Pete more competent; rather than have Maleficent dismiss Pete's idea to take Sora out while he's still weak, he has both of them agree that they needn't bother with Sora because his weakness will lead him to being destroyed by the Xehanorganization anyway. They can find the black box while their foes fight each other.

- 0.2 BBS is adapted after the Olympus visit in a way that also recaps the most important points of BBS and includes stronger characterization for Aqua, Terra and Ventus. Stupid things like Mickey losing his shirt are avoided, and there is actually clarification on how Mickey could not have gone into the Realm of Darkness to save Aqua earlier and all the time between KH1 and KH2 he was building up his strength to obtain the Power of Waking so that he could as he promised to, making him come off so much better than he did in the games.

-Coded is not referenced, ever.

- The "Roxas and Namine ceased to exist when they merged with Sora and Kairi" retcon is completely avoided, with the manga instead saying they do exist within them as was originally the case in KH2. Giving Roxas his own body is less correcting some injustice or "hurt" and more part because he's needed for the battle against Xehanort and part because Sora's just a nice guy like that, wanting to provide his friends with all the basic comforts.

- Xehanort's master plan retcon is also discarded! Here it's said that Ansem and Xemnas' plans remained their own, as they should be, and that since Master Xehanort's return he's embarked on "a new plan" once joined by his time-traveling younger self, who never mentions needing Ansem for his time-traveling which keeps things consistent with how KH2 depicted time travel as simply a magical phenomenon that didn't need complicated rules.

- Not only are Riku and Kairi way more in-character than they were in the game, but most shockingly Axel is too! He actually feels like Axel, character flaws and all, not dumbass Lea!

- Toy Box, Corona and Arendelle, while still filler, are all adapted faithfully, which is nice.

- Various alterations are made for the better: the Riku Replica stuff is kept to an incredibly bare minimum, Ansem the Wise first appears in the scene where he returns to Radiant Garden meaning him still being alive is more of a legit twist plus he never meets Aqua only for there to be no pay-off and the dumbass plotline with him and Xehanort's Heartless is left out, the "secret Keyblade legacy" stuff with Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia and Larxene is cut, the second Kairi and Axel scene is no more, and the big reconvening at Yen Sid's Tower scene and the fallout montage is massively reworked into something far better written and paced.

All this plus maintaining his balance of humor and sincerity, including using the former to support the latter, and even correcting previous flaws (holy shit, Marluxia, Larxene, Vexen...they're all completely in-character now!) If Amano keeps this momentum going and actually manages to make something good out of the notoriously disappointing finale in the Keyblade Graveyard, then he will officially have given us the best version of KH3's story in existence.

Tl;dr: nothing but respect for Shiro Amano, who is a better writer than Nomura will ever be.

#Disney #Square Enix #Kingdom Hearts #Shiro Amano #Opinion #Analysis #Truthbomb #Anti-Nomura #Anti-Tetsuya Nomura #This has been a PSA

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hrodvitnon · 3 months

Note

Got a couple new 'Abraxas' questions, on a shared topic. ;)

(1) Considering how intelligent and sentient the Titans are in Abraxasverse, what do you imagine Hokmuto and Femuto were thinking when they went on their natural order-threatening rampage to hook up and reproduce just after hatching into their adult forms? Did they know what they were doing? Were they okay with it or were they slave to their instincts? Did they care either way? Did they understand the damage that their species breeding would do?

(2) How do Godzilla and Barb feel about each-other?

Ohohoho! Well, the first answer's a big one...

Considering both halves of the couple had only recently hatched, it's unlikely they really understood the state of the world or had anyone to teach them what they should or shouldn't do. I'm tempted to say that Hokmuto and Femuto were the equivalent of teenagers who were kicked out of their houses through circumstances outside their control and forced to deal with the world alone, with no advice or help from anyone. A rather daunting idea.

Teenagers can be impulsive and often imagine themselves invincible if only because the world has yet to humble them; Hokmuto might very well be riding on the high of surviving the Honolulu encounter with Godzilla, who he might only instinctively recognize as a threat and/or potential food, but otherwise doesn't know him from Adam (heh). Teenagers also get horny, and I think it's a common occurrence for one to do daring if incredibly stupid things on the off-chance that someone they find attractive may notice (unless of course sexuality circumstances dictate otherwise).

They weren't stupid, though - if they'd met when the world was more densely populated with Titans and they were naturally taught the ways of the world, Hokmuto and Femuto would've made pretty good parents. They had chemistry, they knew how to work together, they put up an excellent fight against Godzilla, and if not for a certain lucky-as-hell lieutenant blowing their nest sky-high, might've won the day and doomed us all. Unfortunately, they wouldn't realize the gravity of their actions until it was too late. How would they? No one else of their kind was around to teach them. They only had each other. Things might've been different if they had experienced adults like the MUTO Prime or even Barb around, but they didn't. Either way, they weren't stupid; they just didn't know any better.

Speaking of Barb! Tensions between her and Godzilla were certainly high, especially early on. But neither of them were keen on starting a fight that could result in serious injury or worse; it's simply easier to leave each other alone and go about their day. They at least have an accord: Don't start shit and you won't get hit. Plus, Barb is much older and wiser than Hokmuto or Femuto, fully aware of what could happen if she were to mate and start a clutch of eggs. The world in its current state can't handle such an infestation (loathe as she is to refer to hypothetical offspring as such).

Sadly, this knowledge also brings loneliness with it. Suddenly Godzilla has offspring of his own in Ladon and Shin, and Barb remains alone. There could be a surge of resentment. Why does he get to be a father again? Why can't she be a mother? Oh, but she knows full well why. Barb envies Godzilla having a family, but she doesn't take out her emotions on others because that wouldn't help her species-wide reputation as a parasite. Naturally, she develops a melancholic disposition. At times her depression is palpable enough for humans to pick up on it.

It takes time for Godzilla and Barb to be near each other without the instinctive, ancient grudge between their species getting in the way of things. They still don't really like each other, and some days "tolerate" can be a tall order, but the accord still stands. She'll still run to his aid if he calls for it. Privately, Godzilla might actually feel bad for Barb. It wasn't that long ago when he was the last of his kind just like her, after all.

#zerm2v0hg #zerm1v0hg #abraxasverse #ngl i feel bad for barb. girl needs a friend or two.

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lillotte17 · 7 months

Text

Stars Choose Their Lovers

AN: Because I enjoy making myself sad, I liked the thought of Aziraphale and Crowley having a relationship before the beginning, so I leaned into it a wrote a scene of them in the garden of Eden before Crowley manages to tempt the humans with any apples.

I might come back and add more scenes if the mood strikes me, because the concept is still good, but for now it's just a one shot. :)

~~~

The garden is nice.

Aziraphale supposes that was the entire point of the place, but that didn’t make it any less true. It hummed and bustled and sighed and rustled with everything new and green and growing. In Heaven every sound sang the same, and it always had, and it always would. Every angelic voice was pitched to match in flawless ethereal harmony forever. It was undeniably beautiful, but after a few millennia, its loveliness began to stagnate a bit in Aziraphale’s estimation. It seemed to sound an awful lot like emptiness.

Especially after the Rebellion.

It had not taken Aziraphale long to realize that he had no great fondness for war. There hadn’t been much of a choice about fighting in it, though. Heaven couldn’t simply roll over and let the demons take control of the universe, after all. He had apparently done his part well enough to get assigned to the Eastern Gate of Eden, but the victory had felt as hollow as their Heavenly choirs.

They had lost fellow angels. To both the Fall and the fight that followed. He knew he should not question the Almighty’s decisions. He knew that Lucifer and his ilk were traitors bent on destroying all of God’s new creations. And yet, whilst all the other angels reveled and rejoiced at the ruin and damnation of their former brethren, all Aziraphale could feel was grief.

Being in the garden is better.

None of the new animals make any serious demands of him. The whole of the Heavenly Host is largely focused on the initial pair of breeding humans and what they might be up to, which means that he has mostly been left to his own devices. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to stand in the vicinity of an apple tree and occasionally waggle his finger at anything that came too close. He likes to sit in the shade and feel the solid realness of the place surrounding him. He likes to smell the sweet freshness of the water and the wind and the plants. He likes that the light shining down on his face is warm and golden, and when the long days finally draw to a close and the sun sinks behind the garden walls, he likes to stand in silence and watch the stars.

He hopes that the humans are enjoying them.

The serpent arrives on the sixth hour of the sixth day.

Aziraphale never worked on the designs for any of the garden’s snakes, but he still knows that this one is different. It’s absolutely enormous for starters, but besides that, it also happens to exude an air of malevolence that none of the other occupants of Eden seem to possess. Its yellow gaze lacks the rest of the animals’ simple-minded innocence. And it keeps staring at him.

A demon, then.

Even with the war and its centuries of battles, Aziraphale has never actually killed anything. He would prefer to keep it that way. The peace between them is still fragile, the ink on the truce they signed still metaphorically wet upon the page, with both sides still bruised and aching. Itching for an excuse to lash out at each other once more. Any other angel might have seen this as a good enough reason to start something, but he does not have any direct orders to attack the members of the opposition, and so he won’t. The plants and the animals here are all still newly-made and delicate, and he is meant to be protecting them. Starting an all-out brawl in Eden would create yet another battlefield, and decimate the garden. But perhaps even more than that, he simply does not wish to fight anymore. Flaming sword be damned.

Aziraphale is to guard the Eastern Gate, and the Tree of Knowledge, and thwart the wiles of Evil. He can do all of that without smiting anything. Besides, the demon has not seen fit to do much more than skulk around, watching the humans and himself and the apple tree without doing much to interact with any of them.

It hardly seems worth killing them over.

He half-heartedly shoos them away with the sword a few times, when it looks as though they might be about to try something, and the snake slithers off without complaint. No words exchanged. No threatening postures. Almost as if the demon is not particularly interested in fighting either.

It feels like a rather uneasy stalemate, but Aziraphale finds it much more tolerable than the alternative. By the end of the day, he is tentatively hopeful that this is the way things will continue for some time. The pair of them circling each other, going through the motions of fulfilling their duties without ever actually landing a hit for either side.

And then the sun goes down, the humans go to sleep, and the serpent unfurls itself into a shape not so different from Aziraphale’s own.

The angel is standing on the wall, looking down into the garden. The demon steps out of the shadows of the trees below and tips their head back, angling their gaze towards the sky. They cut a strange, lanky, angular figure, and they move as though they haven’t used a pair of legs for getting around in quite a long time. The whole of them seems to sway as they walk, black wings stretched wide to help them keep their balance, brushing gently through the foliage as they go. Their robes are as dark as the surrounding night, and the angel might not have noticed them at all if it hadn’t been for their hair. Wild and bright and flickering behind them like the flame from Aziraphale’s sword.

Out in the open, the moonlight paints the edges their features in silver, and if the angel had actually needed to breathe, he might have been in real trouble, because the whole of him freezes on the spot.

Brow furrowed, lips parted slightly, and golden eyes wide with wonder and grief and unfathomable longing, the demon stares up at the stars with a face that Aziraphale had only ever thought to see again in dreams.

He should maintain his distance, he knows. He should hold himself away. But something in the center of his being is raw and wounded in a way he hasn’t felt since before the Rebellion, and when those brilliant yellow eyes finally slide down from the starlight and find him in the dark on the wall, he is fluttering down to join them before he can quite help himself.

The demon tilts his head at him curiously when he lands in the grass a few feet away, but they do not seem particularly afraid. They do not threaten him, but they do not greet him, either. They do not call him by his name.

“What are you doing here?” Aziraphale asks at last, having thought of nothing better to fill the gaping silence between them.

The demon shrugs carelessly.

“Head office just wants to keep the playing field even, I reckon. Prove that even though we lost, we’re not gone. Got to keep the Almighty on her toes. Or something like that, I dunno. She probably doesn’t even have toes.”

Aziraphale manages not to roll his eyes, but it is a near thing.

“No, I meant what are you doing here?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you! Why did they send you here, instead of…someone else?”

The demon laughs, and it is a sharp, mocking sound.

“Who else should they have sent instead?” They wonder.

‘Someone I didn’t know. Someone I didn’t-’

“Oh, never mind!” He snaps at them instead, heat rising in his face. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. You’re a demon.”

“You thought that Hell might send someone up here who wasn’t?”

“No, of course not, I meant-” He nearly bites down on his own tongue to stop the sentence from completing itself. He meets their gaze. Holds it longer than he should. Looking for traces of lost things. A hint of deep brown in a field of yellow. “Do you…know who I am?”

“Course I do!” The demon grins toothily. Aziraphale’s throat tightens as surely as if they had wrapped all ten of their long fingers around it and squeezed. “You’re the Angel of the Eastern Gate. God’s chosen little cherub to mind the Tree of Knowledge. Very important, I must say. Very imposing. You must have made quite an impression with the right people during the war.”

He is not certain if he feels more staggered by disappointment or annoyance, but his wings droop just the same. He glances away. Tugging at the sleeves of his tunic in agitation, floundering a bit as he struggles to think of a reason not to leave.

“You say that, but you don’t seem to be particularly intimidated by me.” He notes glumly.

“Hm, should I be?”

“I am the one with a sword,” he reminds them.

“And are you going to use it on me?” The demon wonders with a wide, curling grin.

Aziraphale makes a face.

“Well, It would serve you right if I did!”

They laugh at him, not sounding the least bit cowed. There’s no meanness in it this time, though. None of their earlier mockery. If anything, they seem genuinely amused. Golden eyes catching specks of starlight, reflecting their delight.

He opens his mouth, their name bright and burning on the tip of his tongue, but he thinks better of it, in the end. Purses his lips tightly and swallows it back down. The fallen angels had lost their names along with their grace and…everything else. It wouldn’t be right to use it now.

“What were you doing out here, anyway?” He asks instead, sounding terse and feeling haggard. “The humans are both sleeping, you’ve got no one to lure in with one of your evil schemes.”

“Oh, I dunno,” the demon shrugs again, still smiling, “There’s always you, isn’t there?”

Aziraphale stiffens, expression souring exponentially.

“That is not funny,” he huffs, sticking his chin out and puffing himself up a little as he turns away. He stretches his wings wide, intending to retake his position up on the wall. The demon takes a half step closer, edging around him before he can get away.

“Look, I didn’t mean it like that, alright?” they say in a rush, holding up their hands in a gesture of peace, “Nothing in my job description involves tarnishing anybody’s halo, I’m just here to ruffle some feathers, that’s all. And…”

“And?”

Their gaze slides back up towards the sky.

“And I wanted to see…”

Aziraphale follows their line of sight. It really is quite beautiful. The colors are not nearly as vivid as the view from the nebula he remembers them making when they first met, but it is certainly nothing to turn one’s nose up at.

“You wanted to see the stars?”

“Nng, well… Yeah.” They grunt, looking a bit uncomfortable about it and scratching a spot on their nose. “Believe it or not, the view from Hell leaves a lot to be desired.”

“You don’t say.”

The stand together in silence for a time. The demon watching the heavens. The angel watching them in turn.

“You know… You can see even more of them from the wall.” Aziraphale mentions casually, finally turning away and spreading his wings again to fly off.

“Was that an offer?” The demon wonders.

“It was a statement,” he replies coolly, “What you decide to do with that information is entirely up to you.”

Without a second look back, Aziraphale flaps his wings and takes off. It is a short flight back to his initial perch, but he makes sure to keep his eyes fixed on the empty wilderness beyond the garden walls. He doesn’t wish to give the impression that he is hoping for the demon to follow him up, after all.

Barely a minute passes before a fluttering of dark feathers has the demon landing deftly on the wall beside him. They give a low appreciative whistle, turning this way and that as they try to look in every direction at once. Aziraphale fights the urge to smile.

“Well, you certainly weren’t lying about the view from up here.”

“I never lie,” Aziraphale sniffs, “I’m an angel.”

“Of course not,” they smirk, “Otherwise you’d be just like me, wouldn’t you?”

“Well…that is…” He trails off, but the demon seems to have gone back to looking at the stars, so it doesn’t seem to matter much that he is lacking a witty reply. The yearning has crept its way back into their expression, and Aziraphale aches to see it despite himself.

“Do you…remember anything at all from when you were an angel?” he wonders.

“Mm, I remember… Not much, honestly.” They confess with a deep exhale of breath they had no need to be holding. “Just enough for it to hurt. Which was the point, I imagine.”

“They said it was meant as an act of mercy.” Aziraphale says without much conviction.

“Did they, now?” they chuckled dryly, “And does that seem merciful to you?”

“I don’t know,” he admits with a shake of his head, “I suppose it is kinder not to remember all the things you must have lost after the war. There are few things I would not mind forgetting.”

“Even if those memories are what make you who you are?”

“Well, it isn’t as though it changes your soul, does it?” Aziraphale asks, giving them a sidelong glance.

“I’m not so sure,” they grunt in reply, “I mean…I know I’m not the same as the angel I was created to be. I can’t be. Not anymore.”

“But maybe someday… I mean, the Almighty could always change their mind.”

“Even if she did, I wouldn’t.” They hiss out, sharp and fierce. Aziraphale flinches slightly, and they relent somewhat. They sound both resigned and determined as they continue. “Choices were made. Bridges burned. The angel that I was before… They don’t exist anymore. They’re gone. Forever.”

Aziraphale feels cold and heavy. As if his wings could not even begin to bear his weight if he tried to fly off to somewhere else. He can tell that his expression is starting to crumple in on itself, so he turns away.

He remembers, even if they cannot. The way their face lit up with unbridled joy and wonder. Wings and arms and hair all bouncing with delight. Always moving, always reaching out with curiosity and optimism. Watching new nebulas and galaxies and solar systems bloom in the empty darkness of space. Watching him.

Soft hands. White feathers. Crisp clean robes. Gold-limed beauty in both word and silence. Questions and hope and creation. Everything gentle. Everything new.

They hadn’t put a name to anything. There was no word for it yet. It hadn’t been invented. But something about their companionship had struck the very chord of their existence, and the resonance of the harmony they made together felt strong enough to shake the very stars.

Or at least, Aziraphale thought it had.

“I…I’m sorry to hear that.” He squeezes out at last.

“Are you?” The demon wonders, peering at him curiously.

“I am.” He says quietly, refusing to meet their eyes.

“Well…stop it.” They say, their mouth twisting up into a frown. “I didn’t ask for your pity.”

“Of course.”

“…”

“…You’re still doing it, aren’t you?” They accuse after a few more moments of awkward silence, narrowing their eyes at him.

“You are not the only one who lost things in the Great War.” Aziraphale snaps.

The demon blinks at him, slightly taken aback.

“No…I suppose I’m not.” They huff, shaking out their wings a little. “And you have to remember all of it.”

“I do.”

“I guess I’m the lucky one, then.” They chuckle darkly. “First time that’s ever happened.”

“How do you know that you are the lucky one if you can’t remember anything?”

“Nnngh, well… That’s…a fair point.” They concede with another long breath. “I still remember the stars, though. That’s something.”

‘The stars, but not me,’ Aziraphale smiles bitterly.

“They are beautiful,” he notes instead.

“I think I might have made them,” The demon tells him, golden eyes scanning across a billion specks of light, as if trying to gather every last one, “Not all of them, mind you, but a fair few. Mine were further out, I think. Hard to find them from here.”

“Well, so long as you don’t cause any trouble, you can look for your stars as long as you wish,” Aziraphale says.

“I think…that they remind me of someone.”

Aizraphale freezes.

“Oh, really?” He asks, striving to sound casual even as his voice rises a full octave. “Who?”

“Hm, not sure,” they hum, mostly to themselves, “I feel like I’d know them if I saw them, though.”

Aziraphale’s eyebrows shoot towards his hairline, but the rest of his features remain remarkably unimpressed.

“Would you indeed?”

“Nngh, pretty sure.” They pause for a moment to consider things. “Then again, might be best if I don’t. Probably lead to something messy. That’s the trouble when you don’t remember people. No way to know what the last thing you said to them was. Don’t much fancy the idea of some angel seeing my face and smiting me on sight because of some row I can’t remember.”

“You know that this person is an angel, then?” Aziraphale presses.

“Well, I know they must have been before, you know, all the fighting, anyway,” the demon shrugs, “We were all angels at one point, weren’t we? But I suppose they could have fallen, too. Doesn’t seem right, though. I think they would have found me already if they had.”

“Perhaps they were lost during the war?”

“…You might be right,” they agree, slowly, “But I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“I think…if they were completely gone, it would feel less…”

“Less what?”

“Less…everything.” They say, making a fluttering gesture with their hands to emphasize the point.

“I see,” Aziraphale says, even though he is not entirely certain that he does, “So, are you going to try looking for them? You star angel?”

They shake their head at him.

“Can’t see much point in it, really.” They tell him, a smile curling up the edges of their mouth that does not reach their eyes. “The angel they knew is gone, like I said. And so are my memories. I don’t even know what we were to each other. Best of friends. Worst of enemies. Annoying workmates. Doesn’t matter. It’s all gone. It’s too late to get any of it back, now. All that’s left is the stars.”

“All that’s left is the stars,” Aziraphale repeats quietly, a tremor running through his voice, “And even they will be fading out soon. It’s nearly dawn. Come on, we should both get back to the garden and go our separate ways before the humans wake up. Don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea. We are enemies, after all.”

The demon grins at him, wide and sharp and toothy, spreading their wings wide before fluttering back down into the greenery.

“Aren’t we just?”

#good omens #good omens 2 #crowley #aziraphale #crowley x aziraphale #fic #reposting this bc i think tumblr screwed it up yesterday when it wouldn't initially let me add tags #i do sort of what to do more with this idea #but i haven't decided what yet #hmmm

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lemonluvgirl · 2 years

Note

I feel like you are a legend in the THG fanfic community. I’ve started posting recently, but do you have any tips for writing fan fiction in this fandom? <3

Wait, I'm legendary?

When did this happen???? 😳 Did I miss a memo or something?

Lol I barely started writing fanfiction 2 years ago 😅 so I guess I don't feel qualified to be called legendary! But hey, thank you so much for the compliment!

Hopefully none of the OG thg fanfic authors will be offended, I just imagine people like:

But on a more serious note, you said you wanted advice for writing in the Fandom. Even though I'm still relatively new to this, I will try my best to give you the advice I would have liked to receive when I started writing and engaging with the Fandom community.

1. Write for yourself: Seriously. Don't write the majority of your stuff so you can get kudos and likes. Write what makes you happy, and invest time in writing stories you enjoy and love. Because at the end of the day social media and statistics are fickle and don't often accurately reflect the impact your writing can have on the world at large.

I learned this the hard way. It was an uncomfortable lesson, but suffice to say that these days I am definitely more focused on the stories that inspire me everyday, the ones that live rent free in my head and are just begging to be put down on paper, or typed out on my keyboard. And I am loads happier because of that choice.

2. You do not have to answer every prompt or ask that finds its way into your inbox. It's OK to leave some things on the backburner and focus on your priorities. Fanfiction is a hobby and most people aren’t getting paid for doing it. (Almost no one I know or have heard of) I personally try to answer all my asks, even if only to say I'm not interested in writing the story the reader is requesting. But I've also just flat out deleted some rude or offensive asks before. I do not obligate myself to respond to rude anons or their questions.

3. It's OK to take breaks from writing. For your mental health, for your well being, and also when you just don't have the time or energy to churn out a chapter every weekend. Again, fanfiction is a free gift, not an obligation. Don't get sucked into the pressure to perform or feel guilty if real life circumstances make it hard or impossible to write.

4. Don't delete your old/first fics. The better you get at writing the more you will be tempted to do this, but trust me, there will be people who love your early stuff, grammar errors and all. Don't deny them the privilege of reading your first story. Even if it is tropey or whatever. Let it stand as a testament to how much you've grown and how much you love this universe. The Fandom will love you for your authenticity and realness.

5. Take chances. Write that dark or slightly weird fic. Write that PWP smut fic. Publish your spotify inspiration playlist. Send your fave author a chat or inbox question. Make connections, laugh at the weirdness or mundane aspects of your hyperfixations. Write 10 stories about the one bed trope. Write 100 enemies to lovers fics. Just do whatever makes you happy and allows you to be creative. Make friends and reach out to your fellow writers. Literally 99% of people I've met in the Fandom are freaking awesome and I do not regret any of the connections I've made in the 2 years since I joined.

6. Just have fun. Real life is full of so much negativity and hardships, and fanfiction should be about enjoying the journey of the characters and the story. All of this is literally just for fun. Publishing on Ao3 or FFN or here on Tumblr, is simply for enjoyment, its not a job or a career. So enjoy it! 😉 Make memes and gifs and chapter covers and mood boards. Write drabbles and weird snippets of dialogue. Let it all out, and say what you want to say. Somewhere out there, there is a reader who will fall in love with your words if you just have the courage to set them free.

#lemonluvanswers #ask answered #my writting #advice #fandom #thg fandom #community #fanfiction

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lonelyasawhisper · 2 years

Text

Records

Creem, 1st March 1977

Queen - A Day At The Races by Billy Altman

(Elektra)

When Queen was first kicking around the airwaves, one was tempted to giggle at, and possibly even enjoy, their heavy metal meets the National Barbershop Quartet Society sound. "Liar" was lots of fun, especially if you were a devout Catholic and it generally appeared that Queen was well on its way to grabbing Jethro Tull's guilt ridden crown of thorns which lan Anderson had blown by showing his true colors once too often via Passion Play and Queen didn't appear to be too serious about all this stuff either. Of course, A Night At The Opera screwed up that notion completely. A good friend of mine who sees AM radio's biggest value as motivator through pain—not so much that you want to drive with the radio on as wanting to get where you're going quicker so that you no longer have to have it on—just loves to throw "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the jukebox at bars because it used to help us all drink quicker so that we wouldn't care if it was on or not. With that album though Queen ceased to be a joke, trading reservations in the pew for a box at the Met. Uh, uh—that's where I get off fella—the Mothers of Invention's "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" was more than enough for me.

So here's A Day At The Races (what's next? Monkey Business, Room Service or Love Happy?) and there's a terminal cuteness about this album that is, to be brutally frank, as sickening as Chastity Bono. La-dee-dah, "I'm A Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy," "You Take My Breath Away," (hubba-hubba) and, oh yes, "The Millionaire Waltz" (did you know that Freddie Mercury buys rare paintings in his spare time?). It does go on. Plenty of music hall bravura—Freddie Mercury as the King Sisters, except that Brian May is not Alvino Rey. Actually, Brian May hardly does much of anything on this album which means that unless you're a rock 'n' roll pansy you're not going to like this record very much (obviously these guys never got their tickets to Suffragette City).

Now that they're such good buddies with us Yanks they think they can throw in a tune like "White Man" (two words; these clown have obviously never read R. Crumb), about the plight of the Indians. Personally, I'd rather have Mark Lindsay's remake of "Indian Reservation" or "Please Mr. Custer" than this piece of "we're holier than you and besides it's not even our problem." But that's not the topper —the last track is "Teo Terriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" (cling, cling, as in static; somebody should have thrown a sheet of Bounce into the final mix), with chorus in a foreign language, Japanese I think. Now on the cover of this mag it says "America's Only Rock 'n' Roll Magazine" so if you want to do something for your country, cut out the last track and mail it to your Tokyo pen pal from high school who you never wrote back to, namely because you couldn't understand their English. Maybe he or she will appreciate it. In fact, why don't you mail them the whole album? And thank you for being an American.

Bonus:

Mail

Creem, 1st May 1977

Incest Is A Family Affair

I just read your article on Queen by Billy Altman and I hated it, in fact, I think it sucked out loud! I have most of the magazines on Queen and I never read a most rotten [Definitely, sic!—Ed.] article. If you write about a group you should build them up, not put them down. I'm not the only one to feel this way so Billy Altman..."Bite My Ass" 'cause Queen is Num. 1!

Mary Beth Barber

Charlotte, N.C.

(You've got a point...they're "num", all right. — Ed.)

Retrieved from The Creem Archive

#article #review #a day at the races #adatr #queen band #creem #1976 #1977

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beautyandthewarcanons · 10 months

Text

Beauty and the War characters and Melanie Martinez songs!

Hello, everyone! I hope you're enjoying your 4th of July! I've been thinking about this for a while- I love Melanie's music, and I wanted to see if I could decently match her songs up with the @poisonappletales cast! Just a disclaimer; some of Melanie's songs do deal with serious issues and are chock full of curse words. Not recommended for the youngsters! Also, be mindful that I will be referencing some scenes from the Beauty and the War Demo as well as other games, so potential spoilers ahead!

Barium: Play Date

You know I give a f*** about you every day

Guess it's time that I tell you the truth

If I share my toys, will you let me stay?

Don't want to leave this play date with you

Being the King of Virgo Island and having a harem, Barium has to allocate his time between everyone and everything that demands his attention. Though generous, he may come off as a bit too materialistic as well. What's wrong with curling up with a simple movie and a snack? If he's going to have one on one time with one of his mistresses, or a "play date-" it can probably be difficult for those who feel very attached to him to deal with times when he's occupied elsewhere. There's a mixture of longing and bitterness that he only has a fraction of his heart reserved for you, if he even has that much to spare. Who knows what would it take to turn that play date into something more?

Alexandrite: Spider Web

Spinning all your silk and moving all of your eight legs

To build a web that'll spread through the world

Feeding off our highs and lows

And curious to see us struggle

No one can leave once they merge

Very little is known about the "prince we do not speak of." However, the thought of him building a "network" of sorts- one where the Vi clan can operate by taking power from the other clans, seems to align with his implied style from other character testimony and perspectives thus far. As second in command behind his brother, it's no surprise that he would work more behind the scenes. Is he more tactical, strategically discreet, the hub of many eyes which report back to him their findings? Also, if Wildfire's tales of him hold any truth, the idea of a spider draining the life from its prey may be more literal than figurative. If you're not sure what I mean, play War: 13th Day!

Night: Cake

I'm not a piece of cake

For you to just discard

While you walk away

With the frosting of my heart

So I'm taking back

What's mine, you'll miss

The slice of heaven that I gave to you last night

Night has a reputation of being a player- a heartbreaker, and as Ambrosia describes, someone who should not be trusted. Seeing a woman as a piece of cake- something to be enjoyed once before moving on to the next thing, perfectly describes Night's character thus far. There's no deep connection or bonding, and that can be a huge turnoff to a woman looking for something more. Sure, he may offer a short time of thrill and high energy, which to some is extremely tempting. But I have to wonder, what kind of horns is this daredevil hiding? If Ambrosia's behavior towards him alone doesn't raise red flags, I don't know what will.

Onyx: Detention

I wanna go home, and you say "now is not the time"

F*** being all alone in the back of the classroom, ah

Start calling up my phone trying to say that I've been out of line

When all I ever asked was to go to the bathroom

There's no doubt that Onyx runs a tight ship as War Chief and he's a tough cookie to crack- if that's even possible. The idea of trying to reason with, let alone try to have a relationship with someone who is so utterly devoid of emotion, only dedicated to following the orders of his royal superiors can make those who deal with him feel like they're in their own form of "detention." Even asking a simple, harmless request could be easily denied if it's perceived to go against "orders." Get on the bad side of the Prince or the King, and you'll need a lot more than a hall pass to convince Onyx of being lenient!

Arsenik: Light Shower

I was surprised to see heaven in your eyes

I never once was treated right, you're what I'm missing in my life

As bright as the sun, give me your vitamin D

Let's run into another dimension

You make me feel like I'm on drugs

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a soft spot for Arsenik. The song's quiet guitar strumming and the sound of water makes this one of the most soothing and comforting songs on Melanie's Portals album. Arsenik may be a warrior, but there's undoubtedly a gentle side to him- he has a love for poetry, paces with a flower in hand, speaks politely and respectfully... any woman he would give his heart to would be extremely lucky. But as the song suggests, there is a need to be cleansed- there are things Arsenik isn't ready to talk about yet but has implied that he has done or been involved in things he isn't proud of. There's also a certain someone he may view as a "light shower" as well, illuminating his heart.

Viktor: Training Wheels

You've been riding two wheelers all your life

It's not like I'm asking to be your wife

I wanna make you mine, but that's hard to say

Is this coming off in a cheesy way?

Viktor is far more vocal and blunt about his opinions and thoughts than his uncle at times, and it has been implied that although they may be closer in age, Arsenik occasionally acts more mature as well. Though Viktor is more outgoing, he still does have a kind heart. However, in his travels from fun activity to fun activity, some communication and social cues may be missed by him along the way. There is much that is still a learning experience for Viktor, and this is more of a reason why he deserves someone trustworthy by his side. The idea of a woman taking the wheel could spell trouble for him if they don't have pure intentions.

Chase: Carousel

And it's all fun and games

'Til somebody falls in love

But you already bought a ticket

And there's no turning back now

Chase can be difficult to read at times because it's not easy to discern when he takes things seriously, unless a moment arises where he goes from zero to a hundred. Perhaps his motives for saying certain things or acting a certain way toward certain people will be revealed once the full game is released, but I feel that this sort of "tug of war" is portrayed perfectly in this song. You have to be a certain height to ride at the carnival... perhaps it could mean one or the other needs to see more eye to eye. He can be very charming at times, but his impulsive nature can also be hard to keep up with at times. There's a ticket, an emotional investment, that can turn into disappointment if the merriment doesn't live up to expectations. The question is, if his mind becomes set on something, does he put on blinders and go around in endless circles?

Wind: Moon Cycle

Acting like a real tough, furious

Blood swimming turn him amphibious

He says he doesn't care, that he's into this

It happens every time the new season hits

Wind was difficult to find a song for- and although much of this song in particular wouldn't apply to him as it covers a different topic entirely, some of the lyrics like the ones above have a "primal" feeling to it. Wind is an Imugi, with animal-like instincts. This means he is probably very in tune with nature, the "turning of the seasons," so to speak, with more heightened physical senses than members of the other clans. I can imagine that intimacy wouldn't bother him so much if it was engaged with someone he was in a relationship with. Also, the "acting real tough" lyric could speak to his "tsundere" type personality!

X: Gingerbread Man

I'm frosting

I don't need a man to make my life sweet

Prince charming

Just isn't the one that I think I need

Indeed, X is no prince charming! He's a tough cookie to crack- but not in the same way as Onyx, whom I used this phrase with earlier. He's a man who knows what he wants and isn't afraid to get it. You're not getting a hopeless romantic with him, and he'll make sure you know just exactly what you're signing up for! Lyrics later in the song paint the picture of a more intense sort of love, and that is certainly accurate with X. If you're not living as his prison buddy, then you'd most likely be on the run- possibly being an accomplice to any and all antics he chooses!

Unknown: Teddy Bear

I threw you out, I didn't outgrow you

I just didn't know you

But now you're back

And it's so terrifying how you paralyze me

Now you're showing up inside my home

Breathing deep into the phone

I'm so unprepared, I'm f***ing scared

It's an eerie coincidence how this song has made me think of Unknown for a long time, being that it's an extra track from Melanie's first album, Crybaby- and then this past March, Unknown placed a great emphasis on teddy bears for his White Day responses! That aside, many of the lyrics do describe behaviors which are consistent with Unknown's bizarre and borderline obsessive personality. He certainly knows how to put on the charm to lure his kittens in- but once you think he's warm and fuzzy, things become... uncomfortable, to put it mildly. There are a few songs I had considered for Unknown, including Spider Web, but ultimately decided this was the most closely relatable to him.

Ambrosia: Pluto

I'll bathe in my ashes

Rise like a phoenix

Show me who I am becoming

Pluto, transform me

Turn off my lonely

I'll sit with my silence

Fix all my conflict

The above lyrics are from a part of the chorus, and I feel they relate closely with Ambrosia. Not only from the mention of a Phoenix, but being Ambrosia is central to the story Crown Ruler is creating, we may witness a great deal of growth- a "transformation" throughout all the games and from interactions within them. The first verse of the song gives me major Death Room and DTTR comic vibes- "walls closing in," and "friends that I thought were forever." It is my hope that Ambrosia is able to overcome all obstacles and pain and live a happy life as she deserves!

Rosemary: Orange Juice

Ooh, I wish I could give you my set of eyes

'Cause I know your eyes ain't working, mmm

I wish I could tell you that you're fine, so fine

But you will find that disconcerting

Aside from the fact that Rosemary dyed her hair orange and that oranges seem to be one of her favorite fruits, this song from Melanie's K-12 album discusses a very serious topic- eating disorders. Indeed, being unhappy with how one's body looks is an everyday struggle that can lead one to cope in mentally and physically damaging ways. In the game- spoiler ahead- in a conversation with Ambrosia, Rosemary implies that the reason she dyed her hair and wears concealing attire is to draw attention away from her body. It's a vulnerable moment for the typically outspoken Phoenix, and anyone with a soul would chime in with Ambrosia to remind Rosemary that she's amazing and adorable!

Jasmine: Pity Party

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to

Cry if I want to (cry, cry, cry)

I'll cry until the candles burn down this place

I'll cry until my pity party's in flames

We don't know as much about Jasmine yet as we do some of the other characters. However, we have seen that like her cousin Rosemary, she can be very opinionated and is probably why they butt heads so much. She tends to be very invested in her appearance and becomes very annoyed if say, her hair is messed up. She also can become distressed by overall rowdiness. I ultimately settled on Pity Party for Jasmine because I can see her being very upset over not getting the recognition she feels she deserves. Her social investment also seems a bit exclusive, only being "inviting" toward certain people and clans she finds "advantageous" for herself and her family.

Bo Peep: Mrs. Potato Head

If you want a little more confidence

Potatoes turn to French fries, yeah it's common sense

All you need's a couple more condiments

And a hundred thousand dollars for some compliments

Bo Peep is fun, bubbly, and loves to go out with friends when not spending time with the King. As a mistress, she spends much of her time glammed up, adorned with the many jewels and other accessories that Barium gifts her with. Mrs. Potato Head, from Melanie's Crybaby album, is another song that addresses a serious topic- the need to feel "beautiful" through unnatural, often harmful means. Though plastic surgery probably doesn't exist on Virgo Island, just how far would Bo Peep go to maintain her "beauty?" How important is beauty to her above other traits? There's no doubt she's kind and is willing to lend a hand, but without all the makeup and shine, would she still feel like a star and worthy of love?

Wildfire: Pacify Her

I can't stand her whining

Where's her binky now?

And loving her seems tiring

So boy, just love me, down, down, down

Wildfire is by no means warm and snuggly. She's rough around the edges, and can be vindictive and quite cruel at times. There's no denying the love triangle between her, Arsenik and Ambrosia- Crown Ruler even posted this in a relationship chart at one point! Though Wildfire often won't even admit how she truly feels to keep up the image of being tough as nails, she takes any opportunity she can to lash out at the kindhearted Phoenix perceived to stand between her and what she wants- a man who is a fierce warrior with a gentle heart. The finer details of these relationships have yet to be seen, but in the meantime, there's certainly a lot of jealousy and resentment on display.

Brooks: Mad Hatter

I'm nuts, baby, I'm mad

The craziest friend that you've ever had

You think I'm psycho, you think I'm gone

Tell the psychiatrist something is wrong

Over the bend, entirely bonkers

You like me best when I'm off my rocker

Tell you a secret, I'm not alarmed

So what if I'm crazy? The best people are

Fellow Valkyrie and Wildfire's best friend, she's the more talkative and lively of the two. While Wildfire is usually more serious and sharp with her words, Brooks is often the spark to get her best friend going- or to spark some trouble around her. Brooks has absolutely no filter and will dive head first into something without a second thought, having fun while she's at it. Once she gets going, it's pretty hard to reel her back in- and she's not really concerned with how she's perceived by others, she'll laugh it right off! She's a free spirit through and through, and just like the energy bunny, she can't be stopped!

And there you have it! So, what do you think? Do these song choices make sense to @poisonappletales ' characters? Don't forget to check out their page and give Crown Ruler some much deserved love! In the meantime, happy Independence day to all who celebrate!

#poisonappletales #beautyandthewar #beauty and the war x playing pieces #list #x playing pieces #beauty and the war #donttakethisrisk #ambrosia #dont take this risk #unknown #melanie martinez #crybaby #k-12 #portals

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the-altered-sequence · 8 months

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Language is powerful, and I’m targeting it at myself

I started writing because I had a cool dream once. I dreamed of genetically altered people hiding underground from some sort of hateful enemy, and it was compelling enough to make it real. I was in love with post-apocalyptic stories and settings but hadn’t yet found an example that embodied all the traits of the genre I wished I saw more of. So I wanted to be the change. I wanted a story where the main character wasn’t a ultra-traditionally-masculine action hero, the women don’t shave their pits, there are major queer characters, and a dog that doesn’t die. I wanted to write characters that felt real, traumatized by their world, but strong enough to keep going, because when I wrote it, I needed that strength to push through my own life.

Bound to Ashes went through so many drafts and changes, it being my first serious attempt at fiction writing. I printed copies at the library to hand out to friends for feedback. One of them even mailed the binder back to me from Italy where he was WWOOFing. I also learned how to format it for eReaders and self-publishing, which I did in 2014.

I think it’s a pretty okay book. If you want to read it, it’s available on Amazon and where you get most other ebooks.

After I finished it, I got really into NaNoWriMo, and wrote other stories. Sequels, new settings, different worlds. But around 2017, I basically stopped writing. Submitting BtA to publishers and querying agents was fruitless and discouraging. I started re-focusing on my visual art instead. Visual art has always been my passion and where I do my best creations-- and it was much more financially viable than writing. I began encountering traumatic responses to things in my life and wanted to address them-- so I turned to writing. I wrote The Plunge, book 4 of The Altered Sequence, in 2022 for NaNoWriMo. Not only did it help with my own life, but I realized I really missed writing. And I benefited greatly from having a true hobby, something I couldn’t be tempted to monteize. Writing fiction about these characters I’ve had with me all these years was the ticket.

I write for myself first and foremost. If I want to write a fun and indulgent scenario, no matter how unrealistic, I lean into it. (Within my own tolerances of cheesiness, of course.) My characters have become like real people in my mind, and thinking of them gives me repose and relief from the stressors of day-to-day. I write (through metaphors) my own problems and conflicts into my stories so my characters can solve them to prove to myself they’re solvable. A bit like art therapy. Language is powerful, and I’m targeting it at myself to help myself out. Writing these has been a present for myself. Re-reading them, I’d forget passages, and experience them for the first time. Reading a book that’s explicitly written for you is a rare experience. It rules. You should try it.

The more I write, the better I get. Bound to Ashes had almost eight full drafts, all very different. It is completely unrecognizable from its first draft. Now, I’m on book 5, brainstorming stuff for book 6. And the draft count is 1-2 now. They’re writing themselves. My prose is becoming tighter, less confusing. It’s almost a shame that to get into the story, one must first read BtA, now the most amateur-sounding of them all. But if you do read it: I love you. And I hope it helps you as it helped me, or at least offers you a refreshing take on post-apocalyptic sci-fi.

The purpose of this blog is to have a place where I can put my Writing Feels and hopefully connect with other fiction writers. I love characters that feel real and I love the authors passionate about them. And I’ll be doing NaNoWriMo again this year, so there will be some shenanigans in November to look forward to.

Stay tuned for Wattpad links to the sequels. If you read this, you’re awesome and I appreciate you.

♥M

#writing #fiction writing #original story #original characters #post-apocalyptic

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nickgerlich · 1 year

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Can You Spot Me A 20?

The last two months have witnessed one of biggest free publicity bonanzas I have seen in a long time. It caused intrigue, produced headlines the world over, even instilled fear, and all because of a new service that will revolutionize the world. It was free for the taking, a supposed answer to all of our linguistic needs, apprehensions, and inabilities.

  Of course, I am talking about ChatGPT. Once more, I might add, because we already hashed this one out not long ago. It’s just that with what happened a few days ago, I am beginning to think the last two months were one of the most carefully orchestrated and staged acts of the digital era. Why, it’s almost like we have been played.

Because, as many already know, and I found out from several weeks of being locked out because of server overload—read: such extremely high demand—the company needed a way to resolve matters. Turns out the company has a solution: the freemium model, so typical of websites and apps for many years now. For just $20 a month, you too can have prioritized access to the writing tool of the century.

That’s another way of saying the last two months were the free introductory trial period, as any good marketer should do. And Open AI, the company behind ChatGPT, needs to have a revenue model. Everyone needs one. You don’t operate such a massive undertaking without some money coming in. I mean, unless your last name is Musk, Cuban, Gates, or Zuckerberg.

If anything, the fee will sift the casual freeloaders from the serious users. So I decided to let ChatGPT tell you about it all:  

Query: Write a short essay about ChatGPT's new $20 subscription service.

ChatGPT: As a language model created by OpenAI, ChatGPT has been providing customers with valuable language-related services for years. Its latest innovation is a $20 subscription service that offers a more comprehensive and personalized experience for its users.

The new subscription service provides access to a more advanced version of the model, which enables users to generate more complex and context-rich responses. This means that users can expect higher-quality and more relevant answers to their questions. Furthermore, the subscription service provides users with the ability to interact with ChatGPT through a private chat interface, making it easier and more convenient to use.

Another benefit of the subscription service is that users will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the model, allowing it to improve and adapt to their specific needs over time. This feedback mechanism is critical to the model's ability to learn and evolve, leading to even better results in the future. In conclusion, the new $20 subscription service from ChatGPT represents a significant step forward in the development of language-related technologies.

The ability to interact with the model through a private chat interface, provide feedback, and access a more advanced version of the model make it an excellent value for anyone looking for a more comprehensive and personalized language-related experience.

  So there you have it. A better, more personalized experience, all for $20 a month. Which then raises a question I am betting some of my students have already wondered: When will DrG use ChatGPT to write all of his blogs?  

The answer, in a nutshell: Never. As tempting as that may be, you can easily see a shift in tone from me to ChatGPT. I intentionally write in a conversational, relatable style, while ChatGPT’s is decidedly more polished and clinical. It’s not that I cannot write that way, because I have about a hundred academic journal and conference proceedings to prove it. But I would much rather insert some of my personality in my blogs. ChatGPT has no personality, no soul. Heck, even Alexa has some wit and sass when you ask her the right way.

But for companies who need to create a lot of content, ChatGPT may be the new Excel spreadsheet. Heck, it will even write Excel formulas, but you get the point: It is a tool to be leveraged for frequent tasks that otherwise would take a lot of time, and do not need a personal element.  

The evolution of all this is something that has sparked an invite to a colleague to be on a future podcast episode of BuffSpeak. We go into the studio on the 7th of March, with a drop date of 3rd April. She has dived into ChatGPT head first, and has some keen insights on how this tool can be leveraged and not feared. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, the bigger takeaway in a class like Digital Marketing is that the freemium model lives on. Every company has to have a revenue model, and while it is OK to give away some content, if you want the top-shelf stuff, you have to pay. It explains why we have free and subscription Spotify, two-tiered plans on Netflix, Peacock, Paramount+, and others, mobile games with and without ads, and so forth.

It’s just that few companies ever get the massive free PR ride that OpenAI got since late last fall. Spotify’s launch in the States was a big deal, and indeed revolutionized the way we listen to music, but it did not get this kind of attention. Streaming video services get big media play whenever they sneeze or make an important announcement, but nothing in comparison here.   

It just makes me wonder how much content we read in the future will have really come from a human or a machine. You can count on me writing my own material, but I bet a lot of social media posts, blogs, and web content we see in the years to come will be written by a machine.

All for $20 a month.

Dr “Don’t Take My Money Yet“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

#marketing #AI #ChatGPT #subscription

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titoist · 2 years

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watched seinfeld on my lonesome for the first time in around 2 years, on a whim, eating dinner while doing so. it had a big impact on me, when i was a tad younger. &...it was nice! but, of course, i may be biased, as i generally have not really consumed media for rest & relaxation in months & i feel that my instincts for it have totally atrophied - anything that isn't horrible will seem, to me, subjectively, pretty good. i laughed harder at the performance of the actor for newman than i have at any show in the last few years, i think. but there also existed this strange sense of... casual cynicalness to it i can't pinpoint - which, while watching, really sharply pricked at me! at least, once or twice... it's the firsts episode of season 7 - inwhere george & jerry make a pact to "grow up" & get married, with the hope of finally ridding themselves of what they perceive to be childish behavior they haven't grown out of... rejecting women for silly little things, being pessimistic, selfish, cruel & unfair, lonely, etc.... george perceives their mutual agreement as being a tacit pact to marry, while jerry thinks nothing of it. the central conflict is that jerry immediately goes back on his resolution, whereas george takes the foolhardy & comically ill-advised choice to impulsively propose to his ex-girlfriend, who says yes. when george finds out jerry broke the pact, he realizes that he does not really feel any love for his fiancee... instead, seemingly having gotten a kick out of jerry's approval. hilarity ensues. thought: it seems to accept & propagate the pop culture norm of "annoying bitch wife" in a way that i found unpleasant - or, rather, maybe it's not how they portrayed george's fiancee... i feel it's just generally the image of love that's presented. kramer and jerry talk amongst one-another how marriage & love is a self-imposed prison, having to wake up to the same woman every day, to sleep with her every night, to be forced to spend time with her, to have to take her considerations into account.... it's enough to make jerry reconsider the whole "love" thing entirely, and the central bit is that george doesn't realize the folly of his love sooner - since, now... well, buddy, he's "trapped" with it. & it seems unpleasant, to me, personally, to entertain the "ol' ball and chain!" conception of love in the way that it's done here - a robotic, unthinking pop culture cliche. love shouldn't hurt, it shouldn't be painful, nor should it feel tantamount to torture. i don't think i ever, ever understood it... because, to me, personally, spending time with those i've loved is the closest i've ever gotten to a heaven on earth. watching it produced a weird feeling of embarrassment, like i was being humiliated by my old-fashioned conservative parents' anachronistic beliefs. i was tempted to say, as a continuation, that i get this feeling... that, the more we just unthinkingly surrender to these media tropes & depictions, it will, conversely, reduce our own capacity to love & to be human. but i'm not completely sure it's that serious - upon reflection, i feel it's much more likely i was just quote unquote Wigged Out by a depiction of love that struck me as obnoxiously mean-spirited, & i'm simply attempting to justify it with a scrawl that is... ostensibly sensical, but really over-reactive. hrrmmm. it could, certainly, be that the episode was in actuality making fun of the exact mindset that it, to me, seemed to totally & unconditionally reflect... and i'm just too dumb and/or tired and/or other likeminded adjectives to have fully processed it. that might be interesting, though. i've always perceived Seinfeld to sort of... purposefully be a show about terrible people, a la "it's always sunny in philadelphia". but it feels like... where IASIP frames its horribleness as uniquely disgusting and inhuman, Seinfeld seems to portray that these banal habits are all extremely normal & commonplace, an exhibition of casual cruelty. & maybe that - that idea of casual cruelty - is actually what is, to me, viscerally discomforting

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thearchivistsjournal · 2 years

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Day 72,

Maiko was gone again when the rest of us got up this morning. I volunteered to go check on her. I’ll admit, it was partly because I wanted to take some time to watch the view from the edge myself. It’s a profoundly weird sensation using these bracelets to track one another. The best thing I can think to compare it to is remembering where you left something but when you actively think about it there’s no cause and effect of you ever having left it there. Or if you’re actively trying to get to them, then just sort of thinking about them and letting your body go on autopilot as if you were navigating a route you walk every day to the point where you no longer have to think about it. Familiarity without history.

Figuring she might not take well to inquiries about how she’s doing given yesterday’s exchange, the first thing I said once I found Maiko was to ask if she’d seen anything interesting. She said that an hour or so ago she’d seen another floating island lift off from being docked at a regular one, much like this one had when we boarded it. It was headed southwest while we’re still going north (and judging by our angle to Cloud Tower, actually north, not northwest like yesterday), so I probably wouldn’t be able to see it anymore even if I went to the appropriate side of this island.

I pointed out that the sun hadn’t been up an hour ago.

She said the chickens woke her up again. And even with the sun down there’s enough light from the stars to make things out, especially big chunks of land contrasted against the reflective water. She was getting tempted to just eat one already. Of the chickens that is. Maybe the rest would get the message that she’s not a safe warm place to sleep.

I asked if that’d be raw or cooked.

Too many feathers for raw. Besides, things that live on land aren’t as clean as things that live in the water. And if you’re going to go through the trouble of plucking and cleaning, may as well go the extra step and cook it.

I couldn’t argue with that logic. Except maybe the eating whole raw fish at all part, but I wasn’t going to say that.

A while of silence.

She asked me why I was out here with her and not poking around the house with the others.

I said I wanted to take some time to see the view too. When you’re toward the center of the island it feels just like being anywhere else. That rather detracts from the wonder of, you know, being on a floating island flying through the sky defying all logic of what I know should be possible and a part of me feels like it should be freaking out about that, and another part of me wants to study it and figure out how it works even though I have no idea where I’d even start, but the larger part of me is too caught up in just how cool it is to care. I mean really, just stand up here and look out at the horizon and down at the world and tell me you don’t feel at least a little excited? More like a fantasy than waking reality.

She made a noise bordering on a chuckle. Said I reminded her of Lin just then. All quiet and serious most of the time then sudden great bursts of emotion.

My turn to laugh. Said Lin’s not normally quiet or serious. Not from my perspective of knowing her anyway. If I had to guess she just gets that way when she feels like she has to.

Maiko observed that Lin apparently feels like she has to around her.

I didn’t know what to say to that. So I said nothing.

More time passing along with the world below us. It occurred to me that we were very gradually descending. At any rate, we were lower than yesterday.

My curiosity got the better of me and I asked about that pouch she had hanging from a strap over her shoulder. Pointed out that I hadn’t seen it before she showed up asking to go on this trip.

The humming noise of one considering how to answer a question about something personal.

She said she normally keeps it at whatever camp she has set up so she doesn’t accidentally lose it or its contents while out and about. That she only takes it with her when expecting to set up somewhere else for a long time.

An acknowledgment of an answer from me followed by a mutual silence.

She asked me if I wanted to see the contents.

Only if she wanted me to.

Moving further away from the edge first, she unslung the pouch from her shoulder and carefully removed the contents one by one, placing them on the ground between us. A stone knife. Another stone for sharpening it. The cracked crystal I’d given her. A small wooden figurine of an animal I didn’t recognize.

I asked about this last one.

She said a word that didn’t “translate” and I have no idea how to spell. She’d never seen one herself but her mother had told her about them. Fierce, smart, loyal, protective. Good companions.

I said it sounded like a dog.

Maiko had never heard of dogs.

It occurred to me that I’d not seen any dogs in the Village, nor heard mention of them in my time here. I think I’m getting used to this sort of revelation. My existential freak out was considerably shorter this time.

We returned to the edge and went back to watching for islands while I tried to explain dogs.

Eventually we realized that the small island we’d been seeing for a while was actually large and far away. And we seemed to be heading straight toward it. As we got closer, we realized it was probably nearly the size of the main island with the Village. At least.

We guessed that if the floating island was going to dock there, it’d be doing so in a few hours, maybe sometime around sundown. We decided to return to Lin and Cass to fill them in on this.

When we got back we found that they’d found Cass’s hypothetical tool shed and spent the day doing something with a shovel, a spade, a hammer, and the pipes around the cistern that got the water flowing to the outdoor pump again. I’ll need to get a more detailed accounting of that later.

Apparently Cass had also asked Lin a lot of questions about “doctoring” as she called it. It sounded like over the course of the day Lin went from not wanting to think about her work, to getting worn down and acquiescing, to enjoying being the one to instruct someone else for a change instead of being repeatedly reminded of everything she didn’t have exactly memorized right.

Now we’re all back at the arch waiting to see if we’ll dock at that big island. We put all the food inside the tents before leaving to keep the chickens from getting into it. Sun’s going down and I’m not sure I feel like writing by crystal-light this close to the edge so I think I’ll cut it off here for now. One thing that is striking me even from this distance is how big the trees are. They must be hundreds of feet tall. Already we can tell that we’re floating at a level below their canopy.

*******

Our island has docked with and left that primeval forest.

It was after dark when we arrived, but we had unclouded stars and lantern light to go by. There had been a fair bit of discussion while we waited on whether or not to set foot on that approaching solid ground. We decided that as long as we didn’t get out of sight of the docking point we’d probably be safe to walk around for at least a few minutes. Assuming it was anything like the docking at the main island.

The docking point was another protruding cliff, much like Siren Overlook. Similar enough to make me wonder if both of them were artificial. This one however was overgrown with creeping vines and broadleaf ferns. (They looked like ferns to me anyway.) There was another matching arch here as well, but it had collapsed and shattered, now easy to miss except as raised blocky patches of greenery.

This rampant growth stopped as it met the treeline at the landward end of the cliff. Gazing into that forest was more like peering into the mouth of a cave. Little grew from the ground other than the great trees. Each of them was nearly big enough around at the base to fit my cabin inside, and it easily could have fit in the spaces between them with room to spare. I wouldn’t have expected such tall trees to be able to stand with expansive branches, yet up at the edge of our lantern light we could make out the bottom of the canopy and the branches of the trees tangled together with their neighbors in a dense web. A web that helps them hold one another aloft perhaps? But certainly a web that catches the sun. It would not surprise me if the forest floor is as dark at noon as it was while we were there.

As much as Cass wanted to, we did not walk beneath those branches this night.

While that choice was mostly a matter of not wanting to get stranded if the floating island left unexpectedly, part of it was the noises. Even at that hour we could hear a constant distant din of animal cries. Most came from the canopy far above, but at least one came from the murky depths and whatever it was sounded large.

And as a quiet compliment to that wild melody was another siren’s song. Quieter here than the one we were used to, even accounting for how that one dimmed in the presence of the floating island. But while the song back home was soothing, this one was energizing. Not a lullaby but a chant. Pounding, pulsating. A rhythm to run to. A song to hunt by.

All too soon the floating island started to shift and take off again. Lin and (surprisingly) Cass had already re-boarded again by that time. I was close behind. I wound up briefly stopping to turn and call to Maiko. For a moment, I thought she was going to stand behind. In the next moment I saw what she had stopped to stare at. Half-concealed by the shadows at the edge of the forest stood the Wandering God. Or else another being of the same essence.

That moment too passed and we ran back to the floating island, Maiko grabbing my wrist as she passed me and practically dragging me behind for all I tried to keep up. Needless to say, we made it. It wasn’t even that far of a jump, even if it felt like it in the moment.

Panting, we asked Lin and Cass if they’d seen anything beneath the trees. They did not.

We’re back at the camp in front of the mansion now. Lin and Cass are in their tents already and the chickens have already congregated where Maiko’s lying in the grass. She’s still refusing a tent.

I’ll be turning in soon myself. I can’t help but wonder if I’ll get the chance to explore that place for real someday. To hear that song for longer.

Then again, Pat said the Endless Abyss appears in dark places, and I’ve seen nowhere darker than that primeval forest.

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