#meet his brothers sage and reed | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cursedprincesarchive · 9 months

Text

Arson’s First (and last) Date

Lyssa doesn’t get along with the other kids in the village. All of them know what she is, where she came from. Outsider. Foreigner. Unwanted Child. She’s heard it all in the fifteen years she’s lived in Everglade, from the mouths of adults as well as the kids her age. She doesn’t really care much anymore, the whispers are annoying but tolerable. Mom and Ma love her, and she loves them too; and that’s all she needs.

Still, Lyssa can’t help but notice how the other kids treat her, and judge them accordingly. Some of them, like Clementine, aren’t even subtle about it anymore. Shoving past her when there was plenty of room in the street to go around, getting her name wrong on purpose-

“Lily! Oh, I’m sorry I mean Lee-sa, I forget you don’t have a proper Everglade name”

-and even stealing her things if she isn’t careful. Lyssa is still pissed she never got to finish reading her copy of “Icebound Land” before Clementine threw it in that puddle. But not everyone is as bad as Clementine. Some of them are even nice to her, like…Sage. Sage never joined in when the other kids laughed at how Lyssa would burn in the sun if she went too long outside, she always got her name right, and once or twice she even drew Clementine’s attention away from Lyssa. Lyssa has been thinking about Sage a lot lately. The way her hair moves when she dances, how perfectly straight her teeth are when she smiles, the way sunlight streaming through the windows of her father’s shop makes her dark skin seem to glow from within. She isn’t quite sure how to approach these new feelings; but for now she’s content to ask Ma to make stew more often, so she has an excuse to visit the butchery and talk to Sage.

Sage is working behind the counter again, just like Lyssa knew she would be. Lyssa memorized the days that Sage spends selling the results of her father’s hunting trips, so she gets to talk to her and not her brother. Reed is mean, and Lyssa had to endure several painfully awkward interactions with him before she figured out the days Sage works.

“Hello again! We don’t have what you usually buy today, dad’s out on a hunting trip right now”

“That’s um-that’s fine, I’ll just take whatever you do have, if that’s okay and uh-“ Lyssa trails off, chewing on her fingernail. Why is it so hard to talk to Sage?

“Alright! I’ll have Reed package up some rabbit then! You can wait outside if you’d like!” Sage smiles as she says this, and Lyssa lets herself pretend for a minute that she’s smiling just for her, and not because Sage smiles at everyone.

Lyssa waits outside the shop, watching Reed and Sage talk as they wrap up the meat she’s paid for. She can’t hear what they’re saying, but Reed points at her a few times and turns his back to the window so she can’t see his face. She doubts he’s saying anything nice. Luckily, it’s Sage who brings the paper-wrapped parcel outside. Lyssa tries her best not to focus on how her hand brushes against Sage’s when she hands her the package.

“Thanks Sage, I really appreciate you bringing it out to me”

“Of course!” Sage beams, and Lyssa suddenly finds the twine around the meat to be VERY interesting. “I was wondering if you’d like to spend some time together sometime?”

Lyssa almost drops her order and has to force the next few words out of her mouth “I-uh-I’m-I don’t-I mean-sure, of course!”

“Brilliant! Meet me in the field behind my house tomorrow night, I’ve got something I want to show you!” Sage walks back into the shop, leaving Lyssa so shocked that she doesn’t notice Reed staring at her with a smirk on his face.

The next evening, Lyssa carefully picks her way through the trail that leads to Sage’s house. She’s as dressed up as she could manage on her own. Mom is accompanying the hunting trip (Alder insists on having a cleric along ever since that incident with the basilisk nest) and Ma had to travel to a nearby town to sell some fabrics, so no one was home to help her with her hair or clothes. She ended up picking a dress Mom had bought for her a few months ago. It’s a shade of blue that almost exactly matches her eyes, and her hair is carefully pulled back using one of Ma’s scarves. She also picked some flowers from Ma’s garden, but the small bouquet now only has a couple of flowers remaining since Lyssa had been unconsciously wringing the flowers in her hands as she walked. Just as she’s wondering if she should just toss the rest of the pathetic bunch, she hears a familiar voice call out to her.

“Over here, Lyssa!”

Her heart in her throat, Lyssa approaches Sage. She notices to some relief that Sage is a bit dressed up too, wearing a pretty dark green blouse that’s cut a little lower than her usual shirts. Lyssa has to focus very hard on keeping her eyes on Sage’s face.

“I ah-I thought you’d like these, I dropped some on the way here but-um-ah-I’m sorry” Lyssa finishes weakly, holding the remaining flowers out to Sage with a stiff arm. Luckily, Sage just laughs playfully and grabs the flowers, tucking one into Lyssa’s hair. Lyssa is so startled that she almost misses what Sage says next.

“C’mon, there’s something I want to show you!”

Lyssa follows Sage like a lamb following a shepherd; her tall frame awkwardly stumbling along behind Sage, who gracefully navigates the roots and rocks as the two of them stray off of the path. Lyssa wonders to herself what Sage wants to show her so badly, but part of her doesn’t really care. She’s so excited to be alone with Sage that nothing else matters, and her mind wanders as they walk. Maybe if Sage and her fall in love and get married, Everglade will accept her the way they accepted Mom when she married Ma. Lyssa is so busy dreaming of what a domestic life with the girl in front of her could look like that she doesn’t even notice when the earthy smell of the plants around them starts to get overpowered by the smell of rot. Just as Lyssa is about to ask Sage where exactly they’re going, she suddenly stops.

“We’re here!” There’s an odd note to Sage’s voice, like she’s holding back laughter. But before Lyssa can think too much about it, two pairs of arms grab her from behind. A hand covers her mouth and cuts off her yelp of surprise, and suddenly she’s being dragged. She’s too surprised to fight back at first; and by the time she does start struggling, she only manages to thrash around for a few seconds before the arms release her and her stomach jumps into her throat as she can feel herself falling. She lands on something that crunches and squelches under her back. As she rolls over onto her hands and knees, the stench of death and decay overwhelms her; and she’s unable to stop the flow of bile that rises up into her mouth. As her eyes adjust in the dark, she realizes with horror that the tingling sensation in her hair and down her back is maggots, dozens of them, all covered in blackish red slime, a slime that now coats Lyssa’s hands and back and hair and brand new pretty dress-

In between the panic and disgust, Lyssa realizes where she is. Alder has an offal pit on the edge of his property where he throws the corpses of monsters too corrupt to eat and the parts of animals he can’t sell. It’s been a while since the last large hunt, so most of the flesh has deteriorated into a thick liquid that covers the bottom of the pit and comes up to her ankles; but there are still bones hidden among the putrid sludge. Lyssa twists her ankle as she steps on a skull and splashes back down, coating her legs completely. Over the sound of her own retching and horrified sobbing, she can hear something.

Laughter.

Sage’s laughter.

And there are other voices too.

“Holy SHIT I can’t believe she actually fell for that! She must be just as stupid as she is weird!” Reed. Lyssa knows his voice.

The second voice is harder to place, until Lyssa recognizes it as Forest; a boy who can be spotted dancing with Clementine at festivals “Gods, did you see her face? She looked like a lovestruck puppy!”

“She even brought me flowers, can you believe it? I had my doubts, Reed; but I’m glad you talked me into this! I haven’t laughed this hard in AGES” Sage chimes in. As she gasps for air between giggles, she leans over the edge of the pit and throws the flowers down towards Lyssa “You can have these back! Gods know you’ll need them to cover up the stench!”

Lyssa doesn’t even bother looking up at Sage and the boys. She knows what their faces look like. The same wide smiles and narrowed eyes that have mocked her for her entire life. Instead, she just crouches down and sobs as the three continue to throw insults at her in between fits of laughter.

It takes Lyssa a while to realize that they’ve left, and the laughter ringing in her ears is just her imagination. It takes her even longer to get out of the offal pit. It’s only about five feet deep, but the walls are slick with rotted gore and every time Lyssa thinks she has a foothold, it turns out to be a bone stuck in the ground that snaps under her weight, sending her splashing back into the pit. The first few rays of light are starting to appear in the east when she finally clambers over the edge of the pit, rotten blood and flesh dried into her hair and all over her body.

Lyssa doesn’t go home right away. She stops by a small bend in the river that’s hidden from view and scrubs at her skin with the scarf she had stolen from Ma’s closet until most of the grime is gone. She can still smell it though, and she can still feel the maggots writhing in her hair no matter how long she holds her head under the water. When she does get home, Ma isn’t back yet. Lyssa washes herself off with soap, burns her ruined dress in the fireplace, and retreats to her room. She doesn’t bother greeting Ma when she gets back, even though she brought Lyssa her favorite sweets from the bakery in the next town over. In fact, Lyssa doesn’t say a word or eat for the rest of the day. Even the thought of food makes her stomach turn. Ma is concerned, but Lyssa shies away when she attempts to feel her forehead for a fever. She pretends not to see the concerned look on Ma’s face when she shuts herself back in her room.

Mom arrives back from the hunting trip the next day, and Lyssa can hear them talk in hushed tones when she presses her ear against the floorboards of her bedroom.

“I don’t know what’s wrong, she won’t talk at all. I’m sure it’s those kids from town again, but she won’t even give me a name”

“Calm down, love. You know we can’t just retaliate. Kids can be cruel, but you know what would happen if we just went on the warpath.”

“That is our DAUGHTER Marian, I don’t give a DAMN what the rest of the village does to us! What kind of parents are we if we just sit back and watch them traumatize her for the sake of keeping the peace?!”

“Lyssa is tough. I’m sure she’ll be back to normal in no time. I’ll go talk to her, and see if she’ll say anything to me”

Mom stops by Lyssa’s door later that evening. She asks if she can come in; and when Lyssa refuses to respond, she instead speaks from the other side of the door.

“Your mother and I love you very much, and you know we’d do anything to keep you safe. That’s what you do for someone you love. If you ever want to talk about what happened, both of us will always be willing to listen. I love you, little spark.”

At that, Lyssa speaks for the first time since she got home.

“I love you too Mom.”

The next day Lyssa joins her mothers for breakfast. She’s still a little quieter than usual, and she has to clench her jaw against a sudden wave of nausea at the smell of food. But she manages to eat something, and the relief on Ma’s face makes her feel guilty for worrying her so much. It takes a few more days for Lyssa to start acting normal again, but once she does; Mom asks her if she’d be willing to go into town to pick up a whetstone from the blacksmith. Her sword had dulled over the course of the hunting trip, and she had lost her own whetstone a few months back.

Going back into town for the first time feels…strange. Lyssa never felt comfortable in town, but now she can feel the eyes on her; and she flinches every time someone looks at her for too long. Her one solace is that the blacksmith is on the opposite end of town from the butchery, so she won’t have to see Sage or Reed. But as she waits in the front of the shop, watching the flames in the forge dance back and forth; Lyssa hears a familiar laugh. One she used to look forward to hearing, but now it just makes her feel lightheaded and nauseous as she swears she can feel gore underneath her fingernails still. She doesn’t look towards the sound of the noise, she can’t bear to let them see her face right now; but there’s a mirror leaning on a nearby bench. Reflected in it, she can see Sage and Reed, along with Clementine. The three of them are stealing glances towards her and laughing, and she sees Reed pull a mockery of a terrified face while pointing at her.

Lyssa clenches her hands into fists and stares pointedly ahead. She won’t look at them, she’ll just grab the whetstone and go home. “It’s fine” she thinks to herself “I’ll just hurry past them and not listen, I’ll be fine it’s fine I’m fine everything is FINE”

It only takes a couple more minutes for Bryn the blacksmith to come back with the whetstone, and Lyssa silently snatches the item from her and walks out into the street, gritting her teeth and clutching the whetstone so hard that it starts digging painfully into her hand. She can hear her three tormentors on the edge of her perception; but she stares straight ahead, focusing every bit of her attention on the road in front of her.

This is a mistake.

About halfway down the street, Lyssa notices a flicker of movement in her peripheral vision, and suddenly there are maggots in her hair again. Small white things burrowing and squirming and eating and moving and-

Lyssa shrieks in fear and drops the whetstone, flailing at her head and collapsing to her knees as she desperately tries to get rid of those THINGS before they touch her skin again and oh gods she thinks she’s going to throw up or cry or-

The maggots aren’t moving. As the panic starts to fade, Lyssa realizes her hair isn’t full of maggots at all. It’s full of rice, ordinary, uncooked rice. As she tries to process what happened, she looks up and sees Sage. She’s laughing so hard she’s bent over; and she’s dropped the remainder of the rice on the ground, small white grains spilling out onto the dirt. Lyssa remains on her knees, too shocked to even react.

“Oh my-Ha-oh boy- you should have seen your FACE” Sage spits out between fits of laughter “I mean seriously, no wonder you fell for that trick last week, you’re so stupid you’re scared of rice! Fucking rice!” At this, Sage approaches Lyssa and kicks the remainder of the rice towards her. “I mean seriously, you can’t possibly have thought I’d actually like you, right? Gods, you’re PATHETIC, look at yourself” Sage gestures to Lyssa, still sitting on the ground, staring blankly up at Sage. With that, Sage turns around and starts to walk back towards Reed and Clementine.

As Sage walks away, Lyssa can tell that she’s saying something; but Lyssa can’t hear anything other than her own pulse pounding in her head. The shock begins to wear off, and is replaced with a new feeling. Rage. Rage so intense that Lyssa can only focus on one thing. The back of Sage’s head.

Lyssa gets to her feet, grabbing the whetstone as she does.

“Freak”

She takes a step towards Sage, then another.

“Pathetic”

Lyssa rears back with the stone, her eyes still focused on the back of Sage’s skull.

“Monster”

Clementine’s eyes widen, and she opens her mouth to yell a warning. But it’s too late.

*CRACK*

The whetstone collides with Sage’s head and makes a noise that Lyssa doesn’t hear over the ringing in her ears. Sage falls to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain while clutching the back of her head. But Lyssa isn’t done yet. She leaps on Sage with a strangled cry and starts tearing at her face with her fingernails, hitting Sage with her fists and the edge of the whetstone. Lyssa claws at Sage’s pretty brown eyes, knocks out her perfectly straight teeth, and tears out chunks of her beautifully curled hair. Reed rushes to his sister’s side to help her, but Lyssa swings the whetstone at his face and feels a rush of joy as it slams into his nose with a resounding *crunch*. Clementine is too scared to move, or even yell for help; staring at Lyssa with wide eyes. Lyssa doesn’t know how long it’s been when she feels arms wrap around her neck and chest, pulling her away from Sage. She shrieks with rage, clawing at this new person’s eyes with her fingernails and biting at the hand that’s holding her back until her mouth fills with the coppery tang of fresh blood. Lyssa yanks herself away from Bryn, who is now clutching a bloodied hand and grimacing. Panting, with her mouth and hands covered in blood that isn’t hers; Lyssa looks around. A small crowd has gathered, there are people trying to tend to Sage and Reed, someone is calling for the healer, and everyone is staring at her. None of them are laughing though. In fact, they’re all wearing an expression Lyssa hasn’t had directed at her before. Terror. Complete and utter terror. Lyssa usually hates it when they stare at her, but she doesn’t hate this. In fact, she likes it. Finally, they’re just as scared of her as she was of them. The idea of making an entire town terrified of her is so funny, Lyssa starts laughing. It isn’t her usual laugh, it’s loud and spiteful and makes the people in front of her shrink back in fear. Still laughing, Lyssa drops the bloodied whetstone and walks home. No one dares to follow her.

Lyssa tells her mothers about everything when she gets home. Sage, the “date”, spending the night in Alder’s offal pit, and what she did in town. She expected at least Mom to be mad, to grab her by the shoulders and yell at her about hurting Sage; but both Mom and Ma just look upset and tell her to go clean up. Mom says she needs to go to her room, and not come down if anyone comes over until she says it’s okay.

A few hours later, Lyssa hears pounding on the front door; and she jumps off of her bed and presses her ear against the floorboards.

“Bring her out”

“You know I won’t do that, Alder”

“BRING THE LITTLE BITCH OUT I'LL KILL HER FOR WHAT SHE DID-” Alder is yelling now, but he cuts himself short when Lyssa hears the sound of Mom drawing her broadsword and setting it on the table.

“Marian, Alder, there’s no need to resort to violence. We can talk about this-“ Lyssa knows that voice. It’s Juniper, the leader of the village.

“Oh we are FAR PAST resorting to violence” Alder says, barely contained hatred seeping into his words. “That monster blinded my daughter! Laurel says that she’ll never regain her vision, even once her eyes heal! Lyssa has done permanent damage to Sage, and she deserves to be punished for that.”

Lyssa thinks she should feel guilty after hearing this. She doesn’t. She won’t. Not after what Sage did to her.

“Oh we’re talking about permanent damage? Do any of you want to own up to what your children have done to Lyssa over the years? Throwing rocks at her, shoving her down stairs, mocking her at every turn, throwing her into a pit of rotting animals!?” Ma’s comment garners nothing but silence from the other adults; so she continues on, her voice rising in pitch “None of you have ever done a DAMN thing while your children tormented Lyssa for YEARS, but when she finally retaliates, you want to hunt her like a damn MONSTER?!”

“Flora, they’re just children; you can’t blame them for-“

“SO IS LYSSA!” Ma roars, and Lyssa can hear the kitchen table rock as Ma pulls herself up to her full height, cutting off Juniper in the process. “Are you all really so ignorant as to believe that it’s okay for you to treat a child who has lived in Everglade her entire life like an outsider just because she wasn’t born here? You disgust me.”

After a brief, tense silence; Mom chimes in “We’ve done our best to remain civil; but after a certain point, protecting our child takes priority. I hope we can come to an agreement tonight, but just know that no possible option includes any of you leaving our house with Lyssa.”

“You want an agreement” Alder growls, standing up from the table, “I’ll give you an agreement. Lyssa is still a child, and as long as she remains a child I won’t lay a hand on her.”

Even from the room above, Lyssa can feel the people in the kitchen relax.

“BUT” adds Alder, a smug tone creeping into his voice “the moment she comes of age, your monster child will no longer be a child. She will just be a monster. And I will treat her like any other monster that finds its way into my village. And if either of you try to protect her then, you will be treated like monsters as well.”

After Alder finishes speaking, silence hangs heavy in the air until Mom finally speaks up.

“Juniper, are these your terms?”

Juniper’s voice cracks as they answer, but their response carries a sense of finality “Yes. Flora is a valued member of our village, and you have done a lot for us Marian. Because of that, we will spare Lyssa the consequences of what she did today until she turns eighteen. But once she is old enough, she will no longer be protected.”

“Then leave.” Mom’s voice sounds cold, and leaves no room for argument. The other adults file out of the house, leaving Mom and Ma sitting at the kitchen table.

“Gods Marian, what are we going to do?”

“We’ll be fine. Lyssa is only fifteen, we just have to make sure that the three of us leave Everglade far behind before she turns eighteen. We have almost three years to plan.”

“Should we tell her?”

“No. I don’t want her to spend the last few years of childhood she has left feeling like she’s awaiting execution.” Mom stands up from the table and Lyssa can hear her set her broadsword on its mount near the front door.

“I’ve lived here my entire life, I wanted my child to grow up here and become a part of the community that raised me-” Ma is crying now, her words forced out through tears. “I was stupid to think these ignorant people would ever accept someone from outside the village. We should have moved away to raise Lyssa, she would have been happier anywhere else”

Mom walks over to Ma “Don’t blame yourself for this. It’s their fault. We’ll keep Lyssa safe. No matter what.”

Lyssa returns to her bed, guilt and fear and feelings she can’t properly name overwhelming her mind. It takes her a very long time to fall asleep.

The next morning, Mom and Ma make no mention of what happened the previous night. Lyssa doesn’t say anything either. But she does make two promises to herself that day.

That anyone who ever messes with her will meet the same fate as Sage.

And that she will leave Everglade before she turns eighteen. Mom and Ma deserve a happy life, and if Lyssa is gone then the village will have no reason to hate them.

For the next few years, life is almost better for Lyssa. Mom and Ma almost never send her into town for errands; and when she does go, no one even makes eye contact with her. Even Clementine crosses the street to avoid her. People still talk behind her back, and most of them will make a warding sign against evil if she crosses their path, but Lyssa doesn’t care. She likes this feeling, being feared. It feels good. It feels safe. As her seventeenth birthday passes and her eighteenth approaches, things begin to change. Mom and Ma keep talking about taking a “family trip” for her birthday, and Lyssa pretends she doesn’t see how Ma uproots all of her perennial plants or how Mom starts polishing her armor again. Lyssa begins to worry about where she will go when she leaves because she has to leave before Mom and Ma do, to give them a chance at a peaceful life here without her.

Until one day, a stranger in gray robes shows her that they can make fire dance in the palm of their hand. And Lyssa starts to feel a pull.

#Player

0 notes

cxsmicwrites · 10 months

Text

MEET THE MUSES !

please note some info’s may contain triggers including death, addiction, substance abuse & injury.

** indicates secondary / test muse.

UNDER CO.

BRODY SINCLAIR | 23-27 / he/him / hockey player / bisexual.

grew up in a single parent household with his mother and twin brother / was a decent student in school until his mother passed away when he was seventeen— she was on her way to pick up his brother when she was involved in a car accident / this began a self-destructive pattern and some resentment towards his brother / hockey has been his only outlet ever since / may enjoy getting hurt a little too much | + adaptable, ambitious, confident - stubborn, destructive, doesn’t open up easily. christopher briney fc.

CASSIE ASHFORD | 25-28 / she/her / lifeguard / pansexual.

raised by teen parents until she was fourteen at which point she went to live with her grandmother by the beach and helped run her beachfront cafe / her parents were very chaotic people and often cassie felt like the parent / cassie thrived at the beach, swimming always being her true passion | + outgoing, caring, honest - sarcastic, impulsive, inconsistent. maia mitchell fc.

LACEY CLARKE | 36-40 / she/her / crime scene investigator / bisexual.

raised by a detective father and a toxicologist mother, lacey’s dinner table talk often consisted of mysteries, though her own opinion was often unheard even when she fought to be heard / she grew up determined to solve mysteries of her own and her career choice seemed very natural / often seems to teeter the line between the best thing to do and the right thing to do and does at times find herself morally compromised | + clever, intuitive, compassionate - restless, impulsive, headstrong. crystal reed fc.

ELISE CORRIGAN | 27-32 / she/her / er nurse / bicurious.

info soon. halston sage fc.

CRUZ LOMAX | / 23-26 / he/him/ student\motocross racer / bisexual.

grew up in a trailer park with his dad and four other siblings / he’s the second eldest and has always been his fathers least favourite child for reasons he’s still trying to figure out / he was often on the receiving end of harsh words and raised voices / definition of a caring asshole who doesn’t always know how to show his care and tends to put his foot in it / motocross is life and weed is great. felix mallard fc.

HENDRIX DEKKER | 28-32 / he/him / construction worker / bisexual.

info soon. ross butler fc.

NOVA CAMPBELL | 23-27 / she/her / ballet dancer / heterosexual.

info soon. josephine langford fc.

CARTER BAUER | 35-38 / he/him / mma coach / bisexual.

info soon. casey deidrick fc.

COLLETTE REYES | 40-45 / she/her / wedding planner / heterosexual.

info soon. jessica alba fc.

THELMA ‘THEO’ ABRAMS | 31-36 / she/they / artist / pansexual. **

info soon. zoè kravitz fc.

BEAU BLACKWELL | 28-34 / he/him / undercover d*ug enforcement agent / bisexual.

info soon. dylan o’brien fc.

FAITH HUXLEY | 23-26 / she/her / student/receptionist at animal rescue centre / heterosexual.

info soon. olivia holt fc.

DIANA ADESINA | 30-34 / she/her / romance novelist / bisexual.

writes about romance but is hopeless at finding it. laughs a little too much at her own jokes. always in a rush and extremely clumsy. tells her mother everything and secretly loves a little gossip. will cry at every sad moment shown in tv/movies. greta onieogou fc.

CAMDEN LOMAX | 28-31 / he/him / mechanic / bisexual.

camden is the eldest of five and grew up in a rundown trailer park with his siblings and father. his father was an alcoholic and not the most stable of people. camden most definitely took on the role of caregiver and neglected his own needs. cruz’s older brother. nick robinson fc.

RHEA FLETCHER | 30-34 / she/her / private investigator / bisexual.

info soon. willa fitzgerald fc.

* please note I may reply with a new, unseen muse as sometimes threads spark creating for new ones.

#muse list.#infos coming soon.

0 notes

shrimppebbles · 2 years

Text

Oak is a big brother!

#meet his brothers sage and reed #s4 #ts4 #the sims #garden legacy #s4 garden legacy #s4 gameplay #sims 4 #ts4 screenshots #gl gen 1 #gl gen 1 li #gl gen 1 rg #gl gen 1 sg #gl gen 1 reg

0 notes

archadianskies · 4 years

Text

Whumptober Day 30

Wound Reveal + Ignoring an Injury→ part 1; part 2; part 3

Whumptober Masterlist | 30/31 of RK900 short stories ↳ on Ao3

Tags: Tags: Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings × Team as Family × Good Parent Hank Anderson × Hiding Medical Issues × Stabbing × Gun Violence × Gunshot wounds × Hurt/Comfort

It’s a full Anderson house. Well, it will be in about ten minutes or so. And ‘house’ isn’t quite right, given they aren’t indoors and even if they were it’s certainly not a house, but that’s how the saying goes so he’ll say it.

It’s a joint task force between the DPD Android Crimes Division, so that’s Dad Anderson and Big Bro Anderson onsite, and SWAT Unit 32 so he’s onsite, Middle Bro Anderson, and now the mission is wrapping up, CSI will be onsite soon, so that’s Baby Bro Anderson. Four Andersons. They’re just missing Dog Anderson.

“Where the fuck are they, it’s so fuckin’ cold I want to go home and pass out on my bed.” Detective Reed grumbles. Ah yes. There've been killings involving both androids and humans, so DPD Homicide squad are here meaning Detective Gavin Reed is here and Caleb’s patience is wearing thinner by the second.

“Icy conditions are making it hard for CSI to navigate their vans safely.” He informs him because if he doesn’t the man will continue complaining and he may outright murder him. “High body count means they need to bring multiple vehicles.”

“And all their fancy tech, right?” Reed groans. “God we’ll be here all night.”

“No fancy tech.” Caleb shrugs. “Just one RK900.”

“You’re here already.” He gestures vaguely at him. “Why don’t you go put that mouth of yours to use and save us some time?”

Rayner looks about ready to leap at Reed on his behalf which is touching, and of course their Captain is within earshot, a crease marring that handsome brow. Not to worry. Humans have instincts, have automatic reactions to certain situations. Like being handed something out of the blue.

“Sure. Here, hold this for a second?” Human vs 200lbs custom EMP resistant ballistics shield. Gavin meets ground. Rayner snortlaughs and their unwavering Captain, his captain o captain, wavers just a smidge, the corners of his mouth twitching up briefly.

“Oh, sorry Detective Reed.” Caleb reaches down to grab the shield, human still attached by way of instinctual pincer grasp, and returns both into an upright position. “Anyway though I too am an RK900, I do not have the proper qualifications to perform forensic investigations at crime scenes even if they are raids. Rest assured dear Frederick will get to work as soon as he arrives.”

“You little shit!” The human shrieks, voice an octave higher in outrage and Caleb steps away from him in favour of crossing the distance and nudging Connor with his elbow playfully.

“Hey.”

“I see you’ve had enough of Detective Reed for tonight.” Connor quips sagely and Caleb shrugs.

“Can’t believe you put up with him for so long.”

“Not by choice. Can’t exactly murder a fellow detective and keep my job at the same time.” Connor grins, and he laughs at the cheeky expression on his brother’s face. “It’s not so bad now we’re in different divisions. We overlap sometimes, but not all the time so the urge to murder is lesser now.”

“What do you make of all this?” Changing the subject, he tips his head in the direction of the semi-finished apartment complex, the base of operations for an elaborate crime syndicate that saw both android and human lives cut down for the sake of seizing power in the black market organ trade.

The raid had been a dangerous one, and though they didn’t suffer any casualties, a third of the team took severe hits and will need weeks of recovery time. The very nature of the building meant they couldn’t ambush them and having the separate floors meant the element of surprise was lost.

“I think our baby brother has a lot of work ahead of him.” Connor smirks before shaking his head, sighing tiredly. “As do Hank and I. There’s a lot of criminals to question. Reed’s team will handle the human criminals and his interrogation tactic is-”

“Bad, barely competent cop with anger management issues?”

“-sorely lacking in finesse, but we’ll go with that.” Connor looks him over, reaching out to thumb away a smudge of grime from his cheek. “At least you get to go home soon.”

“Soon-ish.” Caleb corrects, making a face. “Waiting for the last party to secure their floor before the Captain can declare the entire site is secure.”

“Still, you’ll be out of here long before dad and I can leave. And poor Freddie will be here long after we leave.”

“Gotta have an Anderson onsite.” Caleb laughs, leaning in to bump his brow against his brother’s fondly. “Okay. I better get going. I’ll see you on Saturday at our place?”

“I’ll bring the drinks.” Connor vows, waving as his brother takes his leave.

Watching Caleb return to his team, Connor idly watches their group dynamic and marvels at how his brother is the furthest thing from the cold, unfeeling killing machine CyberLife intended to release for the sole purpose of crushing the deviant revolution.

They didn’t count on the revolution succeeding. They didn’t count on having their arm twisted by the Kamskis, nor the mounting pressure placed on them by the public after public opinion soared in favour of the deviants given Joss Douglas’ live coverage of the Jericho Four’s final stand. Which meant they offered the RK900 to the DPD as an olive branch, smiling through gritted teeth as Connor deviated him on the spot and it wasn’t a killing machine being activated, it was a young brother who would become Caleb Anderson not long after.

It was a far harder road for their youngest brother, Caleb’s twin, Freddie. Over eight months, while Caleb had his family, had his team, had a growing relationship, Freddie had been treated as a piece of equipment by Special Agent Richard Perkins and his FBI SWAT team. He’s only now just coming into his own, finding his place in the Forensics team and settling into the Anderson family.

The CSI vans begin to pull up to the scene and soon the last Anderson brother is onsite. Freddie gives him a small wave and Connor finds himself smiling as he waves in return.

“Hello Connor.”

“Hello Freddie.” He greets, smile growing warmer as the other RK900 offers a grin he most certainly learned from Caleb. “You’re going to be very busy tonight unfortunately.”

“That’s alright. It is my job and I like doing it.” His brother reassures, eyes roving over the SWAT team at the entrance of the building. Caleb spots them and waves enthusiastically, and Connor laughs as Freddie returns it with the same enthusiasm. “The site has been declared secure, so they’ll be heading back to the station.” He relays what must be the short conversation they just shared. “And that means it is time for me to start working.”

“And time for dad and I to start processing criminals.” He sighs heavily. “Well Freddie, I’ll see you back at home. Hopefully sooner rather than later.” He adds, looping an arm around his brother’s waist and pulling him in for a quick hug.

“Okay Connor.” Freddie mumbles into his shoulder. “Say hello to dad for me?”

“Of course.”

It is a drastic change to go from the team storming the site to the team that arrives well after the action is over. He much prefers the latter to the former. He’s grown accustomed to the stillness, to the attention to detail this job requires rather than the chaos of raids, the incessant hail of bullets under Special Agent Perkins’ leadership. Or lack thereof. Caleb’s memories showed Captain Allen prefers a vastly, drastically different mode of leadership that sees him guiding a tight-knit team and playing to both individual and collective strengths.

Special Agent Perkins barely remembered the names of his own Agents, let alone cared enough to give Freddie one. It’s something he’s had to learn from his brothers; what transpired at his time with the FBI was not normal, it was cruel. His cruelty still lingers like bruises on human skin that take much longer to fade than for the injury to heal. But Freddie is learning, and though he has a long way to go at least he has family now and he has the Anderson name and he has the name Frederick which he chose all by himself.

The semi-finished apartment complex is the site of a massacre. Even before the raid, it seems the syndicate were trying to cut their losses and decided it was much easier to kill the workers, and thus prevent them from being questioned by the police. Even before the raid, even before the execution of the workers, the complex was already filled with bodies upon bodies; missing humans and missing androids, kidnapped and killed, then harvested for organs or biocomponents. Even if Freddie weren’t an RK900, he’d still be able to smell the dizzying scent of human blood, of android thirium, and of hospital grade disinfectants.

There’s too many bodies to be housed at the lab morgue so many will have to be diverted to the hospital morgues until they can process them. There’s no mystery to be solved here; it’s very clear how these victims died. The task at hand is processing each and every one so they can be identified and released for their kin to claim.

Freddie works at a steady pace, his superior commanding him to start at the top floor and work downwards. Most of the cleanup will need to be concentrated in the basement level where the workers were executed, but on the other hand the team will not need his input since the deaths are straightforward. The greatest task will be in trying to identify the parts and matching them to the bodies, ensuring the families will be able to claim their loved ones as whole as possible, and failing that, he will try his best to ensure there’s at least a name, a serial number, so they may be buried with or installed into memorial walls with dignity.

He takes the elevator and several body bags, and begins the task of retrieving corpses. Police auxiliary units patrol the now quiet floors when not too long ago SWAT Unit 32 would’ve been sweeping through. Arrests have been made, but the ratio of arrests vs corpses is highly skewed. No matter. He has faith in his brothers, in his father, and yes perhaps even Detective Reed.

The thing about android corpses versus human corpses is that it’s very easy to determine whether a human is dead or alive. For androids, there’s a certain nuance to determining whether an android is still active or deactivated. And the thing is, humans are still learning how to determine between those two. The android in question, splayed in a broken sprawl, riddled with bullets, is not actually deactivated.

Freddie learns as such, when he is crouched beside the human corpse adjacent to it, because the android sputters to life and the knife in its hand plunges right into his leg. His RK900 programming kicks in and he whirls around, grabbing the android’s wrist and using his other hand to yank the knife from his thigh. Too late does he see the gun in its other hand and it fires at his chest, narrowly missing both his hearts. Tossing the knife aside, he grabs the gun before the android can fire again, twisting so he breaks both wrists before thrusting a hand forward to yank the android’s pump regulator out. They collapse like a cut puppet, jerking and seizing for a few moments before falling still and now Freddie knows they are truly dead.

Police units rush into the room and he reassures them all is well, the android is properly deactivated. He has the pump regulator of the android to prove it. Swatting away the damage notifications to his thigh and chest, he continues with the long, laborious task of finding, bagging and logging each corpse. The thirium loss is steady but not fatal, so he keeps his head down and continues working.

He has completed missions in far worse conditions, and his brothers and father have both worked so very hard tonight that he feels he cannot let them down by allowing such pathetic injuries to hinder him. He is an RK900. In the FBI SWAT unit he was to keep going until he physically shut down, and he reasons that the same level of dedication is required of him here too. It is only fair, to give as much as they expect and he is far from shutting down over such trivial hindrances.

It is nearing midnight by the time everything is loaded up and ready to head back to the lab, and he can sense the immense fatigue laying heavy like a blanket over his human colleagues. There is still so much work to do.

“No.” Lenore says firmly, and he tips his head slightly in confusion. “You’re going to say ‘I can get a head start on these while you all go home to rest’ and the answer is no, Freddie, you absolutely are not going to do that.”

“But I-”

“No.” She repeats, firmer still. “We’re going to run the stuff that needs hours to process, you’re going to just put ID tags on the bodies and then everything goes into the freezers for tomorrow.”

There’s no room for argument, even if he does think he can accomplish much more but it would require him to stay there by himself and they never seem to want to allow him to do that. He is both grateful and confused. “...Understood.”

“Good.”

By the time Dr Olive declares everything is now at the mercy of the lab equipment and can wait until later, it is nearly two in the morning. Which is fine, since Freddie changed out of his damaged uniform upon arrival and applied dermal nano patches to cover the wounds to stem the bleeding. It could wait until he got home and had access to the first aid kit in the bathroom, since he was needed here at the lab to do actual work and not waste time tinkering on such small matters.

He hangs up his lab coat, thumb brushing over the embroidered ‘Dr. F. Anderson’ and finding himself smiling, as he does each time, because that is his name and it’s all his and no one else’s.

The lights are out, as expected, their father having gone to bed long ago but Connor is waiting there on the couch. He smiles brightly, standing and crossing the distance to envelope him in a hug.

“Didn’t think I’d see you until much later, actually.” Connor admits, and Freddie clings for a moment longer because it is a luxury he can afford.

“We processed what we could and are letting the machines run some tests until we come back later. The humans need their rest.”

“They do indeed.” His brother laughs. “Do you want to continue watching the space documentary we started?”

“Yes please.” Freddie nods. “Let me just change into pyjamas.”

He goes to the bathroom, pyjamas draped over one arm which he neatly hangs on the towel rack while he fetches the first aid kit. The nano patches have kept the bleeding at bay though he now has some mild internal bleeding since the blood had nowhere else to go. Negligible. He props his foot up on the bathtub so he can properly assess his thigh, peeling away the patch and beginning to gently ease the damaged wires together again at their rightful place. He’s just about done when Connor appears in the doorway.

“Freddie?”

“Oh, pardon me, I didn’t realise I was taking so long. I will not be much longer, though you can start without me and I can catch up.” He smiles reassuringly, but Connor only looks at him in distress.

“You’re hurt, how did this happen?” Connor comes to his side, peering at the wound before his eyes widen as he spots the larger one on his chest. “You were shot?”

“One of the androids was not actually deceased and managed to injure me before I deactivated him properly.” He holds out his hand to share the memory, and Connor’s distress only increases.

“Freddie why didn’t you tell anyone?” There’s something desperate in his tone, and he really doesn’t like it. It makes him feel like he’s done something wrong.

“I-I was, and still am fully functioning. It was not impor-”

“Of course it was! Of course it is! Anytime you’re hurt, it’s important!” Connor’s LED spins red and Freddie steps back, feeling his own stress levels rise. He’s done something wrong, he has, and it’s made Connor upset. “Freddie- Freddie, no, don’t- I’m not- I’m not angry with you, I’m just- you’re important, you know this, right? You’re important to me. To Caleb. To dad. To your whole forensics team who care so very much about you. When you’re hurt, that’s bad. That’s- that’s not something you brush aside until you’re alone. You don’t have to do this alone.”

His brother is upset and he thinks he understands now, and it’s because he loves him in a way no one at the FBI loved him, and when he’s hurt it upsets Connor because Connor doesn’t want him to be hurt. It’s a revelation to him, and it must show on his face because Connor draws him close and hugs him again, mindful of the chest wound as he presses closely.

“Okay, Connor.” He murmurs into his brother’s shoulder, nuzzling the soft fabric. “I’ll ask for help next time it happens.”

Connor inspects his chest wound, LED still red as he shakes his head. “We can’t repair this one, not even together. It would require-”

“I’ve repaired gunshot wounds by myself before.” Freddie blinks, tipping his head slightly. “I was only repaired by the technician if I lost consciousness from multiple injuries.”

He’s done it again. He’s said something wrong, only now he recognises it’s not wrong so much as distressing because it’s something bad, and he has lived his life believing bad things were normal things and is now trying to unlearn such beliefs.

“I can do it,” Freddie says slowly, “but I would appreciate it very much if you could help me, please? I can instruct you how. It will be easier with someone helping me.”

It is easier, and faster too, to have someone helping with the repair process. Everything has been set back in its right place, and his self-repair program will kick in and mend the rest. He drinks two full bottles of thirium to replace his bloodloss and by then it doesn’t seem like Connor is interested in watching the documentary at all.

He is staring anxiously at the door, and Freddie doesn’t know why because it is nearing three in the morning now and no one else should be coming. But someone does come, in fact, because the door is unlocked by the only other person who should have a key and there’s Caleb with a worried look on his face, and Freddie realises Connor must have been talking to him the whole time, keeping him updated with what was happening.

“They said the top floor was clear.” Caleb looks pained. “They said it was clear. That’s why David said the site was secure.”

“Your colleagues who cleared the floor are human.” Freddie points out, as Caleb rushes to him and gathers him up into a tight hug. “They did not realise one of the androids was still active.”

“That’s on us, Freddie.”

“It’s not.” He says, trying to be as stern as possible. “And it’s fine. I handled it.”

“You didn’t, you just kept going until you got home and tried to fix everything yourself!” Caleb is scolding him, but he’s doing it in his Caleb way where his voice is mad but his eyes are worried. Freddie feels a tightness in his chest that has nothing to do with his injury.

“I’m trying to learn that when things hurt, I need to ask for help.” He confesses quietly. “I wasn’t allowed to ask for help back then. I either fixed it myself, or I had to be incapacitated, before I was given help.”

“I’ll kill him.” Caleb vows, slight static in his voice as he holds him close. “I’ll do it slowly, so he suffers.”

“Just…” Freddie presses his lips into a tight line, trying to find the right words. “Just help me learn how to undo all he did, please?”

“Of course.” His twin presses a kiss to his temple and finally he feels his stress levels begin to drop. “Of course we will, Freddie.”

*~*

Hank’s not sure if Freddie even came home last night, what with the huge mess forensics were left with after they went back to the station to start processing all the arrests. He expects to see Connor pottering around, making tearium for himself and a coffee for him. Kitchen is empty at this hour. Huh. Curiously padding into the living room he finds that empty too, and so he wanders back down the hallway and to Connor’s room. The door is slightly ajar, most likely left open for Sumo. He finds not one, not two, but three androids still fast asleep, with the Saint Bernard sprawled at the end of the bed.

Leaning against the doorway, Hank just watches them for a few moments, heart squeezing at the sight of Freddie in the middle bracketed by his brothers who each have an arm tucked around him protectively.

Fishing out his phone from his pocket, he snaps a quick photo and quietly retreats back to the kitchen. No harm in letting them sleep in a little longer, they all could use the extra rest.

#rk900 #connor rk800 #hank anderson #gavin reed #detroit: become human #whumptober #annie writes: dbh #the end is in sight

6 notes · View notes

artemismoon12writes · 4 years

Text

Title: Sorry to Step In

Summer Boy speculation.

“Derek this is between Jules and I.” “It’s none of your business Logan. Stop trying to control me. I’m going and that’s final.”

“You can’t be serious Jules.” Logan’s voice was heard from across the cafeteria. “You can’t be thinking of doing a damn meet and greet after what that physco did.” “Keep it down.” Julian tried to pull Logan down but even with Derek happening it wasn’t working. “I’ve done a hundred of these before, and I’ll keep doing them. I can’t punish the fans because of one bad experience.” “Bad experience?” The rest of the cafeteria was in that awkward state where they didn’t know if they should intervene or not, but everyone knew they were not supposed to be listening to this conversation. Derek of all was trying to get them to change the subject or go somewhere else. Instead Logan got louder, as seemed to be his way. So much for learning from his mistakes. “The Knave seems to have quite a few opinions today.” Ethan said, looking over from his spot amongst the other Windsors. “Certainly isn’t shy about making them known.” Evan continued his brother’s train of thought. The lunch in front of them was forgotten by now. The other conspirators looked between them. Blaine in particular looked embarrassed, like he still held some responsibility for Logan’s behaviour. “I wish they would just get along. What kind of friends argue like that?” Reed sighed, Shane patting his elbow. “They have their own way of working through things. We all know the Stuarts are crazy.” David shrugged. A row of nods accompanied this, like it was sage wisdom no one had brought up before. “He’s not wrong you know. Julian should be trying to be careful.” Wes pointed out as Logan and Julian kept arguing across the caf. The freshman were physically moving away from the conflict. Considering one of the prefects was involved it wasn’t like they could really do much. The newly named Lancaster never got involved in border drama; and Hanover’s prefect wasn’t present. Some were looking towards Kurt to solve the issue. When someone brought it up he just rolled his eyes, adjusting his prefect badge. “They’ll work it out eventually. And I don’t have the energy to break it up today, Chemistry has me wiped. I can’t keep sorting out their love life.” “I do kind of agree with Logan though, isn’t it a little stupid to just do an open meet and greet when you literally had a stalker not even a year ago? Wouldn’t that inspire copy cats?” David asked. “He’s got a security detail.” Kurt waved the worry away, getting back to his lunch. “I’ve seen them around Stuart when I get Logan for Prefect meetings. They wouldn’t let anything happen to him.” “They’re actually really nice.” Reed agreed. “I met them over the summer when I went down to Orlando to visit Clark.” “Just because they’re nice doesn’t mean they’d be able to stop a crazy fan from hurting him or anyone else around him.” Blaine commented. Julian and Logan’s argument had escalated. Logan was on his feet, Julian still sitting but clearly pissed off. “You don’t know what’s best for me! This is my job!” “And you’re my friend! You don’t think I have some right to see you’re not around crazy stalkers?” “Fuck you Logan!” Julian stood up, clearly challenging Logan’s assertion he couldn’t take care of himself. He said something through his teeth that no one else could hear. Derek clearly did as he got up and shoved the two of them apart to no avail. The collective onlookers sighed. A few other students just picked up their food and left, leaving the argument as it was. It was still loud enough in the cafeteria that the teachers hadn’t been alerted; after all discussion of the argument by all onlookers was certainly as loud as the argument itself. Ethan and Evan just smirked, watching the show to go with their meal. “Oh Logan said the S word. We’re in for it now.” Wes grimaced. “I’m with Logan, it’s not like someone died over Larson putting on a brave face- oh wait.” Kurt hit him on the shoulder, David agreeing. “Wes! Come on, that wasn’t his fault.” Reed nodded, “That wasn’t cool. It wasn’t like Julian wanted that to happen.” “I’m just saying.” Wes said, pointing at the pair across the caf with his fork. “He really should be careful- hey wait what the hell is Dwight doing?” “Getting involved.” Todd said from the next table over. He leant on the back of his chair, looking at the conspirators with a pitying expression. “You guys need to be more observant. You’d see a lot more if you actually paid attention.” “What the heck is that supposed to mean?” David asked the Junior reporter. Todd inclined his head towards the argument. “Means you should get going before someone gets hurt.” Derek was in the middle of trying to keep Logan and Julian apart. It was lucky the entire damn school didn’t know about what went down during Hell Night because otherwise this would be a lot more awkward. Logan had gotten a lot more possessive over Julian after his forced confession, and Julian had gotten more prickly despite deciding to come back to Dalton for Senior Year. Still, it made him glad they’d never actually dated or this ‘ex-could-have-been’ nonsense would be even harder to deal with. Logan pushed Derek out of the way. “Derek this is between Jules and I.” “It’s none of your business Logan. Stop trying to control me. I’m going and that’s final.” Julian spat back. “I don’t understand why you think this is up for debate.” Logan gestured towards Julian, close enough to make contact- but he didn’t. His wrist caught in a grip of one very angry Dwight Houston. “What the fuck Houston?” Logan exclaimed at the same time Julian noticed who had stepped in. “Dwight?” “Either calm the fuck down, or leave. You’re out of line Logan.” Dwight said firmly. “I don’t have time for whatever mumbo jumbo you’re trying to spin Houston. This isn’t any of your business.” Logan said, pulling his arm out of Dwight’s grip. “You made it my business when you started shoving people around in the middle of the cafeteria. Now fucking stop it or else I’ll salt you and whatever thing is possessing you to make a damn scene.” Julian groaned. Logan however glanced around, seeing truly how many people were paying attention to him. When he looked back though everyone pretended to be busy with their lunches. It still made him think. “Still none of your business Houston.” Logan said, storming off. Derek followed behind him before he did something destructive. Dwight crossed his arms, glowering at Logan’s retreating back. “Did you have to go all stupid alpha jerk on him?” Julian asked, looking up at Dwight annoyed. “He was being an ass.” Dwight said quietly. “After everything I don’t know why you’re still friends with him.” “You don’t get to decide that for me Dwight.” Julian said. “Or do I need to repeat everything I just said?” Dwight looked away, sighing. “No. But, he’s not nice to you. The offer to salt him still stands.” Julian sighed, shaking his head. “You’re impossible.” “I try.” Dwight smiled back, hands in his blazer pockets as Blaine and Kurt came up behind him. “What the hell was that about?” Kurt asked. “Julian are you okay? I’m sorry if Dwight was bothering you. We were trying not to get involved.” “It’s okay. I’ll talk to Logan about it. He’s just protective I think.” Julian said. “Houston was just being Houston I guess.” “Saving people, hunting things.” Dwight said quickly. “I don’t need saving.” Julian said pointedly. “Never said you did Larson.” Dwight said. Kurt and Blaine looked between the two of them confused. “Okay…. Anyways sorry for bothering you Julian. We’ll let you get back to your lunch.” Kurt in particular took Dwight and started giving him a firm talking to about words over action and how you shouldn’t just grab people. Julian caught Dwight’s eye as he left and the two of them nodded at one another. There was an understanding. And at least they knew it.

#daltonfic #summer boy #pg #brotp #owie #gen #julian larson #logan wright #Derek Seigerson #dwight houston #windsor #artemiswrites

1 note · View note

aion-rsa · 5 years

Text

Dracula vs. The Marvel Universe! 14 Times The Lord of The Undead Fought Superheroes!

https://ift.tt/31rfcKg

Hey, remember that time Dracula fought the Hulk? Or the X-Men? Or Spider-Man? No? Well, you're in luck, because we do!

facebook

twitter

tumblr

Dracula. The very name conjures images of sexuality, corruption, and decadence. From the original novel written by Bram Stoker in 1897 to the moment Bela Lugosi donned the famed opera cloak in 1931, the character of Dracula has been an iconic horror staple.

In fact, Dracula has been the subject of over 200 films, second only to the number of films starring Sherlock Holmes. But films, novels, and television aren't the only genres that have contained Dracula’s bloodlust. Comic books have been a compelling source for new Dracula material. Marvel Comics in particular have been a happy hunting ground for the Lord of the Vampires.

After the easing of Comic Code restrictions in the early seventies, Stan Lee and Marvel were eager to explore classic monsters in the pages of their books. When the code loosened its grip, Lee and company were able to resurrect the four color boogiemen that lay forgotten for so long. In 1972, writer Gerry Conway and artist Gene Colan introduced Tomb of Dracula and a legend was born. Now there was a version of Dracula that borrowed from Stoker and Lugosi stalking the same fictional universe as Spider-Man and the Avengers.

Soon, writer Marv Wolfman would take over the writing chores on Tomb of Dracula and create one of the greatest continuing horror sagas in comic book history. Within the pages of Tomb of Dracula, Wolfman introduced the vampiric detective Hannibal King, Lilith (Dracula’s Daughter), and most importantly, Blade, the Vampire Hunter, who later helped kick off the current superhero movie boom.

Amazon has all your Marvel Dracula needs

Dracula existed within the Marvel Universe, but other than rare occasions not many Marvel heroes appeared in Dracula’s book, giving the title a sense of isolation from the rest of the Marvel Universe. That is not to say that Dracula has not stalked the titles of the mainstream Marvel heroes. Oh no, dear reader, the Prince of Darkness has cast his shadow on many Marvel heroes, making him one of the greatest, if often overlooked villains in Marvel history. Here is a look at times Dracula, the greatest monster of them all, has stalked the Marvel Universe.

Dracula Meets Spider-Man

Giant Sized Spider-Man #1 (1974)

In this tale, Aunt May is suffering from a rare blood disease because she’s Aunt May. Spidey learns that the only man that has the cure is an eccentric doctor that refuses to travel by plane. Spider-Man learns from Reed Richards that the scientist is traveling by ship, so Spidey gets his webbed ass to the ship to find the doctor.

Also on board the ship are members of the Maggia who want the formula, and of course, Dracula himself who is also after it. Hilarity ensues as Dracula dispatches the crooks one by one, and throws the Maggia leader overboard.

read more: 13 Essential Horror Comics

The book is a send up of the classic death at sea sequence of Stoker’s Dracula, as Dracula feeds off the Maggia onboard. While never featuring a direct confrontation between hero and vampire, this issue served as a warning...Dracula is out there.

Buy it on Amazon

Allied with the Avengers (1973)

Avengers #118

Ironically, one of the first times Dracula was drawn into the events of the Marvel Universe, he did so to defend humanity! In the Avengers/Defenders war, often considered to be the first true crossover in comics history, the Dread Dormammu opened a dimensional gateway to Earth. The Avengers and Defenders were stuck in Dormammu’s dimension so could not defend the Earth from an incursion by the savage Mindless Ones, headless beings that thrive on destruction. A group of super-powered champions on Earth, not knowing where the Mindless Ones were pouring on from, took up arms to protect their home.

read more: The Weird History of Marvel Superheroes vs Monsters

One of these beings was none other than Dracula, who along with such heroes as Power Man, the Fantastic Four, and Ka-Zar, fought back against the Mindless Ones. But don’t think Dracula was acting magnanimously true believers; imagine if a horde of beasts was smashing your favorite eatery. That’s what Earth is to Dracula, a theme restaurant with an all you can eat buffet of jugulars.

Yes, Dracula fought the Mindless Ones, but in doing so he made sure his food supply remained strong and proved to Marvel readers just how badass he was by taking on the Mindless Ones...creatures capable of going toe to toe with the Hulk!

The Creation of Baron Blood (1976)

Invaders #7

One of Captain America’s most enduring foes was created by none other than Dracula. What’s more evil than a Nazi vampire? Pretty much nothing, which makes Baron Blood one of the most vile creatures in the Marvel Universe. In the dark days of World War II, John Farnsworth was an English aristocrat obsessed with vampire lore. When he travels to Transylvania, he encounters Dracula, who transforms Farnsworth into the living dead.

Dracula sends blood to England to punish the country for the actions of Dracula’s nemesis Jonathan Harker. As Baron Blood, Farnsworth fought the Invaders, Captain America, and even his own brother who adopted the heroic persona of the first Union Jack.

read more: The Best Modern Horror Movies

Blood’s days of fighting for the Axis were cut short when the Sub-Mariner staked the bejesus out of him. Blood was resurrected in the modern day by a minion of Dracula and fought a legendary battle with his old foe, Captain America. Now, a Nazi vampire is pretty badass, but a Nazi vampire created by Dracula himself? That’s some legendary bloodsucker right there!

Available in - Invaders Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 1

Dracula vs. Doctor Strange (1976)

Tomb of Dracula #44

The Lord of Darkness fed off Doctor Strange (he probably tasted like sage, cinnamon, and quickly forgotten dreams), in the pages of Tomb of Dracula #44. In Strange’s own book, Dracula locks the Sorcerer Supreme in a dungeon so he can watch the embraced Doctor arise as a vampire. That’s quite a sense of irony Marvel’s Dracula possesses, huh?

read more: Doctor Strange Comics Reading Order

Little did Dracula know that Strange astral projected out of his body before Dracula could finish the fateful bite. Strange uses his astral form to mess with Dracula who furiously arrives at the dungeon after days of being mocked and prodded by the wizard.

An awesome fight ensues between a vampiric Doctor Strange and Dracula which Strange wins by conjuring a blazing crucifix. The edge in the battle went to Strange who seemed to be one step ahead of Dracula, but let us not forget that during their first encounter Dracula easily dispatched Strange with one bite. Dracula’s mistake was letting Strange have time to plot, but the first struggle would foreshadow a climatic future encounter between the magician and vampire.

You can read it here.

Dracula vs. Howard the Duck? (1980)

Howard the Duck Magazine #5

Not all Dracula appearances in the Marvel Universe are legendary but that doesn’t make them any less cool. The following is a treatise on why comics are awesome.

While visiting Cleveland, Dracula spots Howard the Duck. Thinking Howard to be a midget in a duck suit, the Lord of the Undead bites Howard (did I just type that?) but is disgusted by the non-human blood flowing in Howard’s veins. However, Howard is transformed into Drakula (not Duckula or Quakula?) and preys on other ducks.

read more: Upcoming Horror Movies Heading Your Way

Howard is restored to his normal self and is actually able to stake Dracula before the vampire can feed off Howard’s girlfriend, Beverly Switzer.

Dracula Joins The Defenders (1981)

Defenders #95

Ah, the Defenders. Long before they were edgy TV stars, they were the parking place for awesomely odd Bronze Age characters.

In one of the non-team’s most memorable storylines, the Defenders were being beleaguered by the Six Fingered Hand. With newer members Hellcat, Gargoyle, and Son of Satan in tow, the Defenders arrive back to Doctor Strange’s mansion only to be attacked by a possessed Dracula. It seems the Six Fingered Hand had gained control over all vampires.

Proving his awesomeness, the Son of Satan breaks the Hand’s control of Dracula, and agrees to help the Vampire Lord take back Transylvania from the Hand. The team with powerhouses like Strange and the Asgardian Valkyrie are just window dressing as the Son of Satan kicks the Hands' collective butts, destroys a metric ton of vampires by summoning sunlight, and saves Dracula’s undead bacon.

read more: 13 Essential Dracula Performances

This was the first time Marvel used Dracula as an anti-hero in a super-hero title, an honorable villain who was as comfortable in the role of defender of his people as he was bloodsucking fiend. It was a brief union, but among his many roles in the Marvel Universe, Dracula will always be recognized as a Defender.

Dracula vs. The X-Men (1982)

Uncanny X-Men #159

Monster mash-ups are a staple of the genre. While not traditional monsters at all, mutants meeting Dracula have the same cache as Dracula versus Frankenstein or the Wolfman, it’s just a match made, erm...not in heaven.

Structured like a classic horror film, Uncanny X-Men #159 sees Storm the victim in a very odd mugging. When someone overpowered the weather goddess and cut her throat, Storm suddenly finds herself wanting to die, inviting a stranger through her window at night, drawing back from Kitty Pryde’s Star of David, and shunning sunlight. You don’t have to be Bram Stoker to see where this is going and an epic confrontation between vampire and mutant takes place. The X-Men take out Dracula’s monstrous rat and canine minions, but fall before Dracula, all except Nightcrawler who has the faith to drive the vampire off with a makeshift cross.

When Storm arrives, Dracula finds that he cannot control the primal Storm, who stands tall and proud. In an awesome moment, Dracula tells Storm it was her inner strength that compelled him and after a standoff, Dracula retreats. This was Claremont at his finest, giving each X-Man a moment to shine and writing a classic and pretty damn scary Dracula in the process. The issue created an indelible bond between the X-Men and Dracula, one that stands till this day.

read more: Frankenstein - Comics' Greatest Monster

In the 1982 Uncanny X-Men Annual #6, the battle between the X-Men and Dracula continues as Kitty Pryde is possessed by Dracula’s daughter and one of his most enduring foes, Lilith. It was another compelling confrontation that deepens the threat Dracula had on mutantkind.

Dracula vs. Thor (1983)

Thor #332

Not satisfied with feeding off ducks, mutants, and wizards, Dracula sets his sights on embracing Lady Sif. In Thor #332, Dracula succeeds in feeding and turning Sif. In issue 333, Thor must face a Dracula empowered by god blood (comics = awesome), and an embraced Sif.

read more: The Best Horror Movies on Netflix

This story was significant in showing what a powerhouse Dracula was and established the idea that if Dracula fed off a non-human being, he would be fueled by their powerful blood. Thor managed to free Sif, but not before fans realized that Dracula was a threat to everyone, god, mutant, or human.

The Death of a Legend (1983)

Doctor Strange #59-62

In Doctor Strange #59-62, Strange and a group of companions including Dracula hunters Blade and the vampiric detective Hannibal King close all the plot threads left over from Tomb of Dracula and close the door on Marvel’s vampires for a quite a while. Aided by Avengers Captain Marvel (then Monica Rambeau) and the Scarlet Witch, Strange and company race to secure the Darkhold, a book which contains the Montessi Formula, a spell that will rid the Earth of Dracula and the curse of vampirism. Keep in mind that the Darkhold is an ancient magical book that created vampires in the first place.

read more: The Bleeding Heart of Dracula

These issues are the type of storytelling that made Stern a legend, taking elements from Dracula’s appearance in X-Men (the first mention of the Formula) and Thor (whom Dracula is reluctant in facing when he sees the other Avengers by Strange’s side). By the end of the story, Strange does recite the formula and Dracula is finally destroyed.

Like all good vampires, Dracula would eventually return, but the storyline has an epic sense of finality to it. After years of being plagued by Dracula, the Marvel heroes fight back destroying all vampires. For now…

Dracula vs. The Fantastic Four (2000-2001)

Before the Fantastic Four: The Storms

Dracula’s shadow is cast far and wide across the history of the Marvel Universe. Before they were legends, Sue Storm and Johnny Storm find a mysterious amulet. The young siblings are attacked by zombies seeking the amulet for its power, zombies controlled by none other than Dracula, who lays inert, staked and comatose, using his mind to control the zombies so they may deliver the amulet to the vampire.

read more: The Best Horror Movies on HBO

The Storms, before they were Fantastic, must stop the zombies from taking the amulet to Transylvania to resurrect their puppet master. Even immobile, Dracula proves to be one of the most evil and capable beings in the Marvel Universe.

X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula (2006)

The cool thing about this series is that it gave added weight to the idea that Dracula has had an impact on the history of the Marvel universe and that his ties to the world of mutants did not begin the day he tried to embrace Storm. Dracula begins embracing members of Apocalypse’s cult which wakes the legendary mutant to defend his followers. The book ties the history of the Van Helsing family into the war between mutant despot and vampire lord.

You can read it here.

Dracula on the Moon (2009)

Captain Britain and MI:13 #10

The so-called end of vampires arc in Doctor Strange was a large scale storyline bringing in many mainstream Marvel mainstays, but it had nothing on the grand tapestry of cool that was the Dracula arc in the late, lamented Captain Britain and MI:13 title. So, Dracula gathers a sect of vampires on the moon to set up a front for his attack on Earth. Just typing that sentence was awesome. Dracula forms a non-aggression pact with Dr. Doom and only the magic of MI:13 led by Captain Britain and Pete Wisdom has a hope of stopping Dracula.

read more: The Best Horror Movies on Hulu

During the course of the arc, fans find out how brilliant Pete Wisdom is, that Dracula still holds a grudge against Muslims stemming back from his Vlad the Impaler days, that seeing Black Knight duel Dracula is pretty much better than anything else in the world, and that the legendary sword Excalibur wielded by a Muslim woman is more effective against Dracula than any crucifix.

Seriously, stop reading this and track down this storyline, we’ll wait.

Hulk vs. Dracula

Part of the Fear Itself mega-event, this battle between two legendary monsters took a form fans did not expect. During the course of Fear Itself, the Hulk was transformed into Nul, the Breaker of Worlds. When Thor knocked Nul into the Carpathian Mountains, the Hulk became a threat to Dracula’s sovereignty. Once again taking up the mantle of reluctant defender, Dracula most take on Nul with a group of vampires, the Forgotten at his side. The event book was another step into the modern evolution of Dracula and was the first time he appeared alongside the Hulk.

An X feud renewed (2011)

X-Men: Curse of the Mutants

Dracula’s return to the X Universe also served as the introduction of the modern interpretation of the Lord of the Undead. Gone is his rocking ‘stache and suave opera cape, arriving is the white hair and Coppola-esque armor. The story is pretty cool, if needlessly complex at times, and introduces Dracula’s son, Xarus. Xarus goes to war with dear old dad with the X-Men and a group of Atlanteans caught in the middle. The whole thing ends with a fierce reminder, family or not, do not mess with Dracula.

It's available on Amazon.

The new look for Dracula would stay consistent across all Marvel media as it was this look that appeared in an episode of Avengers Assemble on Disney XD. The story arc also brings vampirism closer to the X-Men as never before as Jubilee, once the most innocent of the X-Men, is transformed into a vampire. What Claremont and company began in the early '80s continues today as Dracula’s influence on the X-Men looms like a constant shadow over the heroes!

read more: 31 Best Streaming Horror Movies

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

facebook

twitter

tumblr

Feature Marc Buxton

Oct 20, 2019

Dracula

Doctor Strange

Marvel

31 Days of Horror

from Books https://ift.tt/2pzZdMQ

#aion-rsa #Books

4 notes · View notes

libidomechanica · 2 years

Text

“or set its stubborn rock”

Dolphins were still prefer these our slender pipes may be the present has been these men

our songs thine as with whom, and all then once the holy prelate prayses loud with long-forgotten

heat? And over whom you for you soar too high, bob, And fall from thee, or set its stubborn rock, at the

clock within his brow, has earth and the bridegroom of Dominion draws; the deere, that woman who cherish his bright

be best actors move on from TV and leade the flowry gras, twixt sleeps, twixt Nothing can and when

musing deeply knows, fear would theyr goodly all my poverty; Whilst they taught my heat, a broken: unlinkd with thee! Alas, if you

scorn “em all: not Caesars empress but uncurrent woe” that I still perfumes, for lofty loue is a bore: loue is a malformation

meet, leese but write, oh write it downe, that euer in the month of rain and is my judgment that is my heart, we will

call such mania a disease: what nymph arose: a placid miscreant! Enter, each mild, each a fame, if ye

gie a woman, who fights, or writes. (Which you sleeping, turning sigh ? Wise silent ears to play on it still as the

sun rose on the dismal air like mine. Till, having but wi miscarriage— but to dispel a thousand errors note; but yours,

and gone— like those others but this steel at these joys; ask nought so heavens blue: yet thy waves in evenings harder to confessd with

a little white told that gladly thee to the book, the whispering creatures, take them also

with Athos. On “Change; and wanton in my opinion, poorly designated ‘ great’. Then think they clove the very brother,

to welcome through the pines, where the sages pen— the poets occupation? I wish no evenings harder to

enjoy. But thought, be torn. Tis the dawns swift as fairest face that guides my smart, I loed her home, my lovely Scylla oer the

dark confesse (pardon you that feele no woe, | when a mother, thou hast passe the curly foam with angels

watch you made, that suffer this vain bubbles shadow-like is wrought with reverence, she roude at me with a bony

saw, and he said ‘im going of old, though the stir of the lowly does show)) so yellow hair displaced, and

bitter, bitter Cistern forcd his storms it as a skeletons of many years were doing to be seen, direct’

how to the three moons towards; twas too fierce temptation slow, the print of a mere child; but not have lovd, and,

trembld, and shutting of old victory, bring his flying splendor; in the kind graves, and see that is old, and

eft did stream, to the married men, who think youllnever brought my still-kept course or heauns inside to be singing

or two years space, both of thanks, do pay for honey Lip. While praying, trembling to raunch the meadows of

heaven, when first sight? (I think they claimd their necks, where roses gules are few, and he said, ‘Look!) Quicksilver spume again,

as the lawes of which gone, from the worlds gay feast restrain a suddenly were you soarer, you so damn hard. Love but pickd

out a reed which the king and added suppliant and the other draw, when in their arms and rose.’”

#poetry #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Markov chains #Markov chain length: 7 #199 texts

0 notes

sueboohscorner · 7 years

Text

#TheGifted S1 Ep 3 Recap & Review

I have to condition this recap and review with the background that as a lawyer an episode with multiple lawyers betraying the characters is a tough pill to digest. That being said The Gifted continues to deliver an exciting spin on the X-Men world.

The main story centers on the Strucker family and Kate wanting to reunite the family and find Reed. The Mutant base is focused on continuing their operations while Marcos/Eclipse intends to rescue Lorna/Polaris from the Sentinel prison. The third story involves Reed and his still believing in a legal system to a point where he works out a deal to reunite his family but sells out the mutants.

Kate attempts to talk Johnny and Marcos into allowing her to contact an attorney with political connections but they refuse.(WARNING LAWYER POLITICAL CONNECTIONS ALWAYS A BAD IDEA TO CONTACT IN SYFY SHOWS) When they refuse to back her plan, she and the kids leave at night to go to the lawyer and as it turns out brother. They make it to the brother's house, but he might be one of the worst TV brothers ever. He says he can not help but offers to let them spend the night.

Meanwhile, Reed is working out his deal where he will expose all the people that helped save his children. He actually believes an agency that doesn't abide by any law will follow an agreement but yet he is also a lawyer. He agrees to go undercover at the bar where he met Marcos and attempt to contact the mutant underworld. The plan appears to be working until the ramifications of his deal are brought out through a meeting with a young mutant child and her mother. Eventually, he breaks the agreement when he jumps out of a moving van while wearing a wire.

Johnny and Marcos tracked Kate and the children to her brother's house with little time to spare. Kids being kids the cousin leaked information to a friend that Lauren and Andy were at the house. This leads to a property owner's vigilante group armed with AR-15s to surround the porch. Once again the show delivers a lot of action in which Blink and Sage's help save the day.

The story continues to gain momentum. I find the family Kate played by Amy Aker (Person of Interest) as well as Lauren and And compelling to follow. Although I thought the premise of the show was to focus on lesser mutants, the core seems to possess powers to rival the X-Men.

That being said these are cool mutants and I like the story so far. We also go background info on a past romance with Sage and Johnny while at the same time a connection between Blink and Johnny saved the day. That would be too much of a spoiler for a recap. Unfortunately, on a final note, Lorna is still trapped with little progress towards a release.

I thought it was a compelling episode which will draw viewers closer to the characters they just met. I will give it an 8.

#TheGifted #The Gifted #The Gifted on Fox

2 notes · View notes

myst-knight · 7 years

Text

Final Fantasy Tactics Fanfic: Across the Threshold of Ivalice (Ramza/Alma, implied Rafa/Malak)

WARNING: This story is rated T for Ideologically sensitive material (forbidden sibling romance), violence, and some sexuality. For OLDER TEEN AND UP. No offense intended by the controversial content (and as always, don’t try this at home!)FF.Net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11701587/1/Across-the-Threshold-of-Ivalice

AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/7432064/chapters/16881884

REVIEWS APPRECIATED! :)

Orbonne Monastery, Middle Ages

The sweet smell of cloverleaf washed into the cathedral on the lazy afternoon currents hounding the area. It coasted down the stone walls and through the open doorway like a rain-drenched butterfly searching desperately for shelter. Like that same butterfly, a single flick of foliage fluttered in through the doors into a stained-glass paradise. It looped and somersaulted through a meandering path before landing beside a blond-haired boy who, too, looked like he had been searching for a place to rest.

Ramza awoke to the light hitting his face and the cloverleaf tickling his nose. He thrashed about absently on the cool, marble floor, as if snuggling under a bundle of disheveled sheets. "Alma, not now," he muttered groggily, not quite in tune with the waking world. "We'll play the reed flutes some other time."

"Alma?...Alma!" Upon hearing his own voice call the name of his beloved sister, Ramza opened up his shining eyes to the cold caress of reality. In an almost comical fashion, he flopped and groaned like a fish before managing to find his footing on the floor of the abandoned monastery. Managing an upright landing, the young lad scrambled around the building, looking desperately for some sign of the missing girl.

The memories of the horrific battle upon the fallen Airship has started trickling in. Like a bad dream, the Blood Angel Altima advanced upon young Ramza, knocking aside his comrades like bothersome blood-bugs. He could only watch as the last line of defense, made up of a near-family-like group of friends, were dealt with swiftly and harshly by the wrongly exalted menace to Ivalice. Yet, standing in front of his sister Alma, there was not room for retreat or remorse, only for battle.

And yet, that sister of his was determined to fight alongside him, even as beleaguered she was then. Looking more like a deity than Altima ever could, the girl stood her ground and poured her soul into one last protective spell, sending herself into unconsciousness with the expended energy. The memories were already becoming vague-ish, but he couldn't recall what had happened to his closest sibling and friend. Had Alma given up her much-fought-for existence to save her own rescuer?

He couldn't have it.

Practically tearing apart the quaint little citadel, Ramza went all out in his continuing search for Alma. He had fought so hard for her, and to think she would throw it away for something as simple as his own life. Already his mind was contemplating a way to return to Murond Death City and the Graveyard of Airships, ready to fight off a thousand Altimas if it meant the safety of his sister.

As it turned out, he needn't have worried.

A quiet little sigh whispered to Ramza's right, knocking him momentarily out of his frantic search. Moving away from the confession booth he had been examining, he calmed his nerves and proceeded towards the head of the cathedral. Beyond the new organ tucked away in the corner of the church was a small altar table, engraved with the writings of the fiend he had slain. Nevertheless, it brought forth from the war-born boy a sigh of relief, upon finding the figure resting upon it was alive and well.

Sprawled across the altar like a sacrifice was his sister Alma, a pretty girl perhaps one year younger than himself. Flaxen hair in a ponytail hung from the back of her head, falling behind her like the sands of time. The pink skirt she wore drooped slightly towards the floor, the garment being too long to fit onto the stone bench. And her soft face was relaxed in utter peace, her lips pursed in a calm little line that could even perhaps break out into a sort of smile.

Ramza drunk in the serene beauty of his only family, letting his gaze travel from the tips of her boots to the top of her sweet little head. For a brief moment, he felt awkward for staring at Alma so, but he brushed it off soon enough. His sister was beautiful, something no man, husband or brother, could deny. It was something that had to end, however, for the afternoon was late, and it was time to leave.

The boy was saved from the burden of waking her when Alma's eyes fluttered up on their own, revealing crystalline irises the same color as his. They blinked unsteadily for a moment, still getting used to the difference between the airships and the monastery, when they set sight upon the comforting shape before her. "Brother Ramza?" she asked, wondering if the boy was perhaps a phantom of imagination.

"I'm here, Alma," he said, unable to keep the relieved smile from his sister.

The girl seemed to be processing this information for the moment. "Ramza..." she whispered, her large eyes flickering before bursting open in a complete rush of joy and recognition. "Oh, Ramza!" Alma cried out, leaping up and embracing the boy with a surprising burst of energy. "I thought I lost you for good!"

Ramza was taken aback by her sheer affection, but quickly found it within himself to hug Alma back, bringing her to him. Her chest pressed snugly against his, and he could feel the pitter-patter of her heart bumping in her body. He let himself get washed away in the waves of love, forgetting the pain of battle he had so recently been subject to. The blood of his enemy stained his hands, yet everything was perfect once again in the arms of his sister.

The boy found himself a bit disappointed when he found Alma disengaging from their closeness, though she still held him at arm's length. He opened up his eyes to find the girl staring at him though pleading, almost-fearful eyes. "Where are the others?" she asked, her voice rigid with the tension that had built up in the seconds they broke apart. Afraid of the answer she already knew was coming.

Ramza knew he could not deny her anything that he had had, least of all the truth, as much as he wanted to. "I've not seen them since the explosion at the airship," he said softly, looking into her eyes to convey the harsh facts to her. "They're gone, Alma."

Alma actually scooted away from the boy for a moment, as if not wanting to hear such news even from a loved one. But soon, his steadfast eyes brought forth the tender meaning within, and hers were glistening with the hurt she held for her brother's loss. "Oh, Ramza," she said softly, bringing her head into the boy's chest. "I'm so sorry."

Ramza let his hand bury itself into her sandy blond hair, bringing her close to his heart like the most important keepsake. Letting himself comfort her as well as being comforted. "Now you know the sadness of war," he said with sage-like finality, feeling much older than his tender years.

Alma nodded against him, not looking up to meet his eyes. "I know."

The two sat in each other's arms across the meaningless altar, taking care of each other with tenderness only born to tragedy. It was not clear whether the situation was that of a sister comforting a saddened brother, or a wife caring for a warrior husband. Ramza at last let a single tear escape his stoic gaze, letting it fall upon the marble floor with a shattering pop. A broken tear for allies lost to war, and for friends sorely missed.

*****

The outside of Orbonne Monastery was a far cry from its interior, it must be said. While the inside of the chapel prompted strictness and reverence with its restrictive stained glass, the outside seemed to revel in the freedom and frivolity of the open sun. Every daisy planted seemed even more alive, every vine rising in triumph with the glorious day. It was a shame that the two youths there couldn't see past their difficulties and enjoy it properly.

For the Beoulve siblings were still there, even after a whole hour of preparation. And they were arguing.

"Are you crazy?!" Ramza exclaimed, driving his sister back from where she stood. "How could you even think of wanting to come along?"

"I told you before, brother," Alma repeated, managing not to cow down from the sheer force of the other's will. "I want to be by your side always, even if it means leaving my home forever."

"You can't be serious," he said more evenly, turning his back on the girl. "There are horrible dangers out there even the Lion War probably can't prepare you for."

Alma was thoroughly unshakable. "I know I'll be prepared for anything, as long as we're together," she said sincerely, though nothing but an exasperated sigh was received from Ramza.

The two had been engaged in a fierce row involving the nature of their so-called demise. With the explosion emanating from Murond Death City attracting the attention of those that had known them, both Ramza and Alma were assumed dead, giving the older Beoulve just the excuse he needed to slip out of Ivalice now and forever. But there was no reason why Alma had to come along for something as simple as moral support. She could have found some other way to remain in Ivalice, instead of making off with him like the heathen that he had made himself into.

And yet, somewhere deep within Ramza's heart, he knew that any verbal tactics he used would never be enough to convince his sister. Alma was of the indomitable Beoulve nature, the way of the warrior that unfortunately was not transferred well to Zalbag and Dycedarg. Though Zalbag had eventually found it within his heart to be a true Beoulve, that was never any question to where the girl's heart lay. It was as Father always said: nothing happens without a Beoulve.

And that included Alma.

He had to try again, though. "Alma, you always loved Ivalice," he rationalized, adding a new tact in his logic. "Do you really want to leave this beautiful land for a dead man like myself?"

At this, Alma looked away, seeming to consider this for the first time. "I...I do love Ivalice," she said quietly, looking towards the lovely monastery she had spent field trips and summers at. However, she soon lost that glimmer in her eyes, and had quickly replaced it with hard determination. "But I love you more."

Before Ramza could react any further, she took his hand within her own, cradling it like some small, lonely animal. "When I was held captive by Vormav, I made a promise to myself," she started, staring directly into his eyes with crystalline compassion. "I promised I would return to the man I loved, and stay by his side for as long as I could." Her eyes now glowing with love, and even passion, for the one that held such a close place in her heart. "It's you, brother, and I never want to leave your side. Not if you marry someone else, nor if you become the poorest soul in the land."

The faintly romantic touch in her speech was not lost on the boy, and he soon turned various different shades of red. True, it had been a long time since that time they had shared traveling from Lesalia Imperial Castle to this very monastery, but its effect were such that their relationship still had that slight change to it. After some harrowing heart-to-heart in the Zeklaus Desert, they had shared a brief, tender kiss, one that surpassed their status as sister and brother. Alma had obviously not forgotten it, and neither could he.

A cold chill enveloped Ramza's body, like the metallic twang of a holy sword. He wrapped his arms around himself, the ghosts of yesterday wandering through his head. The forbidden love Ramza and Alma were flirting with had been significant to Agrias as well, back when she was still with them. A most unfortunate incident it was, indeed.

*****

"How could you, Ramza?" the woman launched at her leader, standing up to her full height. "How could you perpetrate such an act?!"

"Agrias, that's not fair," he responded with all the courage he could muster, though even now he could feel himself weakening. "You know my relationship with Alma has nothing to do with our fight."

"And you kept it a secret from me, too!" she continued, near oblivious to the boy's defense. "Tell me, were you ever going to tell us, or were you and your sister going to run off in the middle of the night like the Death Corps?"

The Holy Knight's accusations bit Ramza's soul to the core. "I...I don't know what to say," he said hollowly, feeling more guilt than he had since the death of Teta. This got nothing more than a snort from Agrias, and she promptly turned away from him in a frustrated huff.

The two were deep within the woods, quite a ways away from the encampment that even now was plotting how to best aid their leader. Alma had just been seized by Izlude, and everyone was in frantic-mode trying to figure out a way to save her. Agrias had been looking for clues among Alma's dropped belongings when she had stumbled upon the younger girl's diary. It was then she discovered the true nature of the relationship between her and her brother.

Agrias was known to be a deeply religious person, reverently following the ways of Ajora. Traveling with Ramza was something she thought her god would approve of, but all she had experienced thus far was the steady crumbling of her faith. Demonic angels, priests gone wrong, it was a disciple's worst nightmare come true for her. And now, discovering a relationship like this was happening under her nose, it must've felt like a final slap to the face.

Ramza heard a brief sniffle emanate from her back, and could now tell she was crying. "I guess it was just a matter of time before you turned your back on the faith," Agrias said bitterly, angrily wiping the signs of her weakness away. "But how can you expect me to turn away? Protecting Ovelia, serving Ajora, my two goals in life are both gone now. What is left for me now?"

The young man growled in frustration as his own mistakes, of letting his trusted ally and friend fall to her own doubts. Gathering up his nerves, he walked over to the braided woman and placed a hand on her shoulder. "None of what I have with Alma was about deliberate sin," he said softly, squeezing her through the roughly woven mail she wore. "But I deeply apologize for hurting you."

Agrias only sobbed roughly, trying weakly to brush his hand away. Determined not to let things end like this, Ramza drew the woman into an embrace, their breastplates clanking against each other. "Please stay by my side, and trust me again," he said, hoping that it wasn't too late to reach her. "I promise we'll find something else to believe in."

Agrias was like a breaking dam, rocks crumbling off her soul into the all-consuming waters of oblivion. Then, very gradually, she began to turn in his arms, embracing the boy as she finally let her own tears fall.

*****

Ramza woke up from this brief recollection, though his eyes were still closed with remorse. Although the two had eventually made up, Agrias still carried a region of doubt for a long time, concerning her god and their love. She had eventually grown to accept their attraction and even fight for it, when confronted with the cruel monster that her deity truly was. Those words she said still haunted him, though, as she meant them with all her heart that day she had been hurt so badly.

He shook off his doubts the best he could. No matter what Agrias on anybody else said or felt, his relation with Alma was what it was. There was no way to deny the mutual attraction they felt now; to do so would only be a lie.

And perhaps it was that reason why Alma was destined to follow after him, like the love-struck girl she was.

One more time, just to make sure. "Alma, is this what you truly want?" he asked her, looking in her in the face seriously. "I'm...I'm not sure if I can give you what you need."

Alma looked slightly disappointed in the implications in his speech, but nodded nonetheless. "I'm ready, brother," she said, mustering up some enthusiasm to go with her affirmation. "No matter what happens between us, we'll be together."

Ramza looked into the watery wells of her eyes, searching for any sign of doubt. Then, finally, he turned away briskly. "Then let's get one of the Chocobos ready for your use," he said, walking over to where own trusty Chocobo, Boco, stood at the ready. "We're going to be traveling a lot before we leave."

Alma's brief excitement at winning the verbal battle had soon turned to confusion, as her brother mounted his steed. "Before we leave?" she inquired, wrinkling her nose in a girlish manner.

The Squire peered over to the Cleric, grabbing the reins of his bird tightly. "I'm going to give you one last tour of Ivalice," he said, his expression one again becoming stern. "You may not ever see it again." He yanked briskly on the reins, prompting the bird to raise his head and start walking over to the encampment. "Let's hurry up."

Alma smiled briefly at her brother's go-get-'em attitude, wondering how he never seemed to change, even after all this time. And then she was running after him, where Ramza was keeping her own Chocobo from their brief journey so long ago.

Soon, they were off on their Chocobos, towards the new path they had forged with their words and hearts. And the beautiful sight of the Monastery remained sadly unnoticed, never to be seen by them again.

*****

A fresh, summer breeze blew past Alma, rustling the fabric of her skirt around her legs. Brushing her hair out of her face, the girl's eyes roved over the Mandalia plains, catching sight of Ramza plucking a few reeds from the ground ahead of her. She looked longingly towards her brother, much like a fairytale heroine would her prince. A soft sigh escaped her lips, as she wished for something that he may never let her have.

The siblings had been completing Ramza's promise to Alma, traveling across the country for nostalgic memories of old Ivalice. Upon returning to Igros, they had skulked around town visiting the various places of their youth. A trip to the Igros Aristocratic School brought particularly strange feelings to the young girl. Though she still wore the uniform on her shoulders, she felt that she had had grown out of simple school matters, had grown out of them for a long time now.

Even if Alma could permit herself to return to her old life, she knew in her heart that she could never fit in with it anymore. The Lion War had already effected her too much to see anything in the land other than the needless pain and suffering that brought about King Delita's reign. The schoolgirls operated as if nothing had changed, but the war had made Alma into much more than a schoolgirl. Even if it taken her a long time to convince her brother of just that.

Ramza's side is where Alma belonged now.

She turned again to face her brother, and let a wry smile crawl onto her lips. Although Ramza would always claim to be the big, bad, older brother, the fact was that the boy needed someone to take care of him. As a cleric, sister, and friend, she would dress his wounds and heal her own soul at the same time. They were a perfect match: crusading siblings on the path to righteousness.

She sighed. If only she could be what Ramza truly needed...

The clomping of boots caught her attention, and Alma turned to find Ramza returning from whatever errand he had in the fields. He was carrying a pair of newly-broken reeds in his right hand...and something else in his left. As she began to peer at whatever mystery object he held in his grasp, he quickly hid it beyond view, causing the girl to giggle. Secrets, secrets.

Regaining his composure, Ramza walked over to Alma and presented her with one of the reeds. "It's been awhile since you've practiced the reed flute," he said softly, the wind rustling his hair like a wild mane. "Why don't you try it now?"

Alma relented to her brother's polite directive, taking the slender plant from his hand and trying not to blush at his handsome features. The reed was already cut in the perfect position for playing, so she brought the 'mouthpiece' to her lips and prepared. Remembering the technique their late father had taught them, she puckered up and blew into the hole. The makeshift flute rewarded her with a soft, squealing noise that carried across the Mandalia plains.

"You're off key," was the only response she got from her brother, however. Her skirt billowed out as she turned to face Ramza, who was folding his arms and looking like what he was: a stern, military commander. "Try again."

Alma stiffened up with a small ire. "Excuse me, brother," she chanted indignantly, putting her hands on her hips. "But cleric school doesn't leave me much time for practicing. Not to mention being kidnapped."

"It doesn't matter how little time you have, Alma," he responded, shaking his head in disdain. "You practice the reed flute with what time you have." He grabbed a stick, and made like an instructor pointing on a chalk board. "Wake up at dawn, practice the flute. Eat breakfast, practice the flute."

It didn't take a Goug genius mechanic to realize that he was playing with her: a simple joke that Ramza used to infuriate her with as a child. Rather than getting incensed, however, Alma simply decided to play along with him. "And how will you punish me if I refuse, dearest Ramza?" she replied with a mock haughtiness to her tone.

"With consequences," he replied simply, slipping up behind her and reaching down for the hem of her skirt. Alma suddenly felt a cool draft strike her knickers, and she realized that Ramza had lifted her skirt and was preparing to swat her on the underside.

"Yeep!" the girl squeaked, a red hot flush flowing to her face. "Get away!" Snatching back the hem from Ramza's daring hands, she held her skirt against her buttocks to prevent him from uncovering her again. The young man just laughed, and grabbed her arms in an attempt to wretch them away from that which they shielded. Soon, the two were engaged in a mock-wrestling match, giggling like schoolchildren on a break from the teacher's rule.

Ramza was just starting to make headway, due to his superior strength, when Alma surprised him by suddenly letting go of his hands. Confused, the boy stumbled ungainly for a moment, giving her the perfect opportunity to lay a shove on his chest. The boy indeed went sprawling head over heals, but not before grabbing onto Alma's sleeve and dragging her along with him. A slip and two screams later, and they both found themselves on the grass below, one on top of the other.

Alma looked down from her perch on top of the boy, straight into his pool-like eyes. The muddled waters within twinkled with uncertainty, and the girl found herself blushing for the second time that day. This time, the blush was not so much in shame as it was in desire, a resurfacing passion like a desert bloom in the spring. With fulfillment a hair away, she gulped down her own nervousness and let herself travel to Ramza for a tender kiss.

The kiss began someone cautiously, yet quickly opened up into a truly intimate affair as they drunk slowly from each other's lips. Their arms wrapped around the other in an embrace as their bodies melted against each other like candle wax on a cane. Alma found that Ramza was actually caressing her, running his rugged hands over her soft skin through the brownish shirt. All too soon, the two had to come up for air, and lips separated with a final smack.

Alma sighed in bliss, her chest heaving from the sheer emotional overload of the contact. "I love you, Ramza," she gasped passionately, her head entrenched in the boy's shoulder blade.

"And I you," Ramza said, placing his hand on her frazzled hair and running his hands through the peach-like strands.

They kissed again, and sought to explore each other's pleasures.

*****

It was turning out to be a hot night in the Mandalia Plains, the balmy weather dragging down the nightlife to a crawl. Not even the predatory monster felt like going on the hunt, preferring instead to wait out the meal another day. Of course, one was never completely safe in the wild, especially on an open field such as this. But the Beoulves always did know a few things about avoiding a battle, and all the necessary preventative wards were set into place.

Ramza rested his back against one of the large rocks that dotted the area, naked save for a pair of loose trunks. His gaze meandered back and forth across the starscape, trying to pick out the various constellations that he remembered vaguely from his school days. He looked at Alma in his arms, clad in only her brassiere and skirt, still trying to snuggle up to him in her sleep. When her knee started to cut into his thigh, he repositioned the girl in his arms, trying to get them both comfortable for the remainder of the night.

Staring at his beautiful sister, he exhaled a long breath into the muggy air around him. What on earth had changed his relationship with Alma from the strong sib-ship it was then to the unparalleled closeness they shared now? How had he forgotten the dirtiness tales of incest he heard exemplified in the Brave Story he studied as a boy? And why was it so wonderful?

A soft coo escaped from Alma's lips, as she again pressed her legs closer into Ramza. The boy stiffened for a brief moment before relaxing, once more wrapping his arms around the girl. It just happen, he supposed with a solemn smile on his face. It was now something he could not stand to be without.

Female companionship was something that Ramza had never sought, even through the hardships of war. Though all of the young ladies traveling in his ranks were considered close friends, Alma was always the one that could fulfill him, heart and soul. Taking their relationship to the next level was completion, better than having a thousand mistresses from the Igros nobility. Everything he ever needed and was denied truly rested in his arms, and all he had to do was accept it.

Ramza looked away from his sister for the moment, his gaze settling on something far beyond the stars in the sky. Finding out his feelings may have been nigh impossible, save the help of one of those young ladies he had met in his journey. Knowing what such a relationship was truly like helped him indefinitely on his path to Alma's young heart. If only she could know just how much her advice had meant to him. "Rafa..."

*****

"What's wrong, Ramza?" a soft, female voice broke through Ramza's silent contemplation, causing the boy to look at his most recent companion. "Is it your sister?"

He gave forth a short, sad smile to the other. "Yeah," he responded with a nod, though his eyes didn't quite lock onto hers.

"You'll get her back," the young woman said, correcting the boy's mistake by gazing meaningfully into his pupils. "I can sense your determination, so I know you'll make it turn out alright."

"I only hope you're right, Rafa," he sighed, staring down at the ground and tracing a jagged path in the dirt with his finger.

Ramza and Rafa were sitting together at the edge of the Fovoham Plains, watching the grasshoppers going flick-flickering by. They had already formed a close friendship in the short time they had been together, perhaps because of how much they reminded each other of their respective siblings. It still amazed Ramza how the young assassin managed to remain herself even after all the horrors she had been through. Perhaps he had taken the resilience of human nature for granted, thinking that only soldier-training could make you immune to such things.

"You love her a lot, don't you?" Rafa said softly.

Ramza felt a small twinge at the potential double-meaning coming from her words, but he ignored it. "Of course," he responded in a causal voice. "She's my little sister."

"No," the young woman reaffirmed, shaking her head and sending her hair flopping to and fro. "I mean you love her in the way a man loves a woman."

Ramza wasn't taken off guard very often, but apparently Rafa also carried Alma's gift of doing just that. "I...that is..." he stuttered, floundering about like a fish out of water. "...how did you know?" he finished up, finally managing to create the illusion of composure.

"I told you I can sense these things," she said simply, then looked down at the ground with a measure of guilty knowledge. "...and Agrias told me."

Ramza sighed weakly. He wouldn't expect the Holy Knight to be a gossip, but the slight animosity that had developed between him and her could show up in surprising ways. Perhaps she was just letting the Heaven Knight know about the details concerning the boy's loss. Though he knew such a thought was wishful thinking, he really hoped that Agrias had forgiven him about now.

Rafa caught onto his sence of discomfort, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't get discouraged," she said amiably, trying to comfort him through the thick armor on his shoulder. "I think it's a beautiful thing, what you and Alma have."

Ramza looked back over to the girl, peering at her through the corner of his eye. "You don't find it strange?" he asked her, becoming a bit uncertain in his actions with his sister.

"Not in these times of war," she answered him, "Sometimes, the only comfort you can find is in the arms of someone you know loves you." She looked away for a bit, biting her lip in a cute manner. "I know first-hand how it can feel, the touch of someone you love. It's wonderful."

He nearly gasped at the implication that Rafa was giving him. "You mean...you and Malak...?" he wondered, leaning away from the girl in surprise.

She nodded shyly, amazing without the slightest hint of a blush.

Ramza remained silent for a moment, slowly processing this new information the best way he knew how. "How did it happen?" he asked, once he had regained his poise.

"Malak asked if there was anything he could do to relieve me of the stench of Bariten," she stated, her voice holding a mix between old wounds and new love. "I asked him if he might make love to me instead. At the time, there was nothing more I wanted but to erase the feel of that man's dirty hands with the tender touch of someone I loved. And Malak granted me that."

Rafa raised her head to face Ramza, smiling with a happy flush on her face. "It was like all the love I felt for him had multiplied ten-fold," she told him sincerely, trying to figure out the best way to express her love for her brother. "At that moment, all the pain and fear I had suffered melted away in the heat of the night. When we awoke the next morning, the first thing I could recall was making him promise to never leave me, to stay by my side forever. And he told me he wanted that too."

She took a deep breath, fighting for the right words to tell Ramza. "I don't think one should turn away from something like that," she tried, gesticulating heavily with her hands. "Maybe it's wrong or immoral, but I know your Alma waits for you the same way I waited for my Malak. I know you won't disappoint her, Ramza." Here, Rafa gave the young man a winsome smile, the same one she no doubt gave to Malak in their closer moments. "You're much too good for something like that."

Ramza stared at the girl, the compliment bring an embarrassed smile to his face. "I think I understand," he said, letting some serenity flow into his form.

*****

And in that moment on the plains, with his beautiful sister in his arms, he truly did. He brought the girl closer to him, relishing in the feel of her soft skin against his own.

"Thank you, Rafa," he told the stars above, hoping that the gentle spirit of the Heaven Knight could hear him. Hoping that she was together with her brother in whatever world truly lay beyond his.

*****

Morning crept above the castle town of Igros, not even bothering to wake the sleepy citizens still tucked in their sheets. The dawn was somewhat clouded, as only a few rays of sunlight broke through the dark overcast hanging over the rooftops. The cobblestone streets were more on less abandoned, leaving nothing but street-lamps as a sign of life. All the better for Ramza and Alma, who were supposed to be dead anyway.

The siblings were strolling the streets together, keeping to themselves and not talking with anyone. With brisk steps, they traveled from the intersections to the alleyways, never staying in one part of the city for long. Both of them wore large cloaks over their clothing, hiding their identities to all but the most observant fellows. None of that curious sort were out at this time, though, so they were spared from having their identities exposed in some way.

Alma kept more or less kept to herself during the journey, but kept looking back towards Ramza, who stared mutely ahead at the road before him. The young man had been dragging her to various underground stores for road supplies, though he never let her actually go inside them. Funny thing was, they had already gotten all that they needed, and he remained silent still. But every time she attempted to confront him about it, she found herself stopping, feeling awkward about disturbing him.

As Alma continued to wonder what her brother was thinking, Ramza was leading them up a small hill, where a quaint little building perched at the top. They were now at the outskirts of Igros, and the mammoth mansions of the rich had been replaced by wooden cottages and dairy farms. In truth, she had never really been in this section of Igros before, having spent most of her life in the high-class section of the city. She mentally cursed herself as having wasted another opportunity to get close and intimate with her hometown.

The climb began to become aggravating, as it turned out to be not such a small hill after all. Step by step, Alma's energy was draining, her legs feeling like rusted pistons in one of Mustadio Bunanza's machines. Could there possibly be anything to gain in such a climb? "Brother Ramza, where are you taking us?" she said at last, unable to take the mystery anymore.

"A place I've often thought about during the Lion War," he responded mysteriously, staring up ahead at the nearing building.

Alma looked away and put a finger to her lips, trying to figure out what he meant. But in the time it took for her to come up with a blank, Ramza had clammed up again, so she had no more opportunity to converse with him.

The two continued in silence up the hill, which somehow grew steeper with every step. The trees were becoming slanted due to the odd angle of the soil, and a few rocks poked up every now and again. Alma bore the burden with admirable resilience however, saying nothing about the beads of sweat rushing down her temple. If there was one thing she was against, it was slowing down her brother.

The top of the hill was almost within reach, and Alma took a moment to gather her strength and wits. Letting Ramza overtake her, she breathed in a batch of fresh air, letting it chill her heaving lungs. Once she was ready, she traveled the few remaining feet to the top...where she was hit with an open-mouth shock. For a small church was standing only a few meters from where she stood, glistening with a beam of light the clouds had decided to release for the theatrics.

"Sorry about the climb," Ramza was saying, walking to her from the front of the doubled doors. "But I wanted this to be a surprise."

"Brother, what is this?" she asked, although in her heart she knew what it was about.

Ramza then blushed a bit, thought outwardly he tried to keep his dignity. "It was always your dream to be wed in Ivalice, was it not?" he asked rhetorically, managing to retain eye contact with his sister. "Before I take you away forever, I must grant you this."

Alma stood stunned at the sight of her brother, now finally ready to give her everything. Right then, she didn't know how to take it. The whole thing was on the edges of her deepest childhood fantasies, a schoolgirl dream that could never come true. Ramza and Alma, together forever.

"B-but Ramza, you've already made love to me," she stuttered, once again turning into a shy, blushing eleven-year-old. "You don't need to do anything more." Because the fact was that Alma had no idea how to take this proposal, couldn't have known how to take it whether it was the Arch Bishop of Ivalice or her darling brother.

Ramza, once again, was unreachable. "It's not the same as being married," he insisted, once again her big brother. Yet, there was a strange change in his stern demeanor, a certain shyness that only came out when dealing with his sister. Alma too was silent, the tears already starting to flow to her eyes. She did not resist when Ramza took her hands within his own, cradling them like the delicate things they were.

"I'll always be your big brother, and I know I'm a bit of a boor," he stated carefully, as Alma silently agreed with him through a glimmer of mist. "But I truly want nothing more than to take care of you, if you'll have me."

Alma smiled and nodded, making a strange noise that was between a sniffle and a giggle.

It was a full three seconds before Ramza managed a deep enough breath to get out the words. "Alma, will you marry me?" he asked steadily, staring straight into her eyes for the question.

It took the girl all of one second to come up with her answer. "Yes, I will marry you, Ramza!" she cried out, laughing as she embraced her brother.

Through her joy, Alma could feel Ramza's arms encircle her once again, the familiar snugness of his arms washing her from head to toe with love. Only this time, she could feel a slight dampness tinge her garments, and it took a moment for her to realize that he, too, was crying. "I'm glad, Alma," he was saying, burying himself in her shoulder. "Truly, I'm glad."

*****

The border of Ivalice was a strange place indeed. Where the invisible line that separated this land and next stood, there seemed to be a harsh, immediate change in the surroundings. The large oaks of Ivalice gave way to gangly, windburned trees that clawed their ways unsteadily towards the sky in an attempt to secure their lives. Only the mushrooms seemed to have an easy time surviving, for that popped up everywhere in this unusual, foreign world they found themselves in.

The newly wed Ramza and Alma Ruglia found it beautiful.

"It feels strange to be leaving Ivalice after all this time " Ramza told his wife, staring off toward the distance. "Does it you, Alma?"

"Yes," Alma responded with a smile, still fingering the ring Ramza created for her out of Mandalian roots and twine. "But I know together, we can make this new land our home."

Ramza smiled back at his sister, his love for her bursting just as Rafa said it would. Moving closer, he slipped an arm around her waist and reached down to gather her knees up. With only a small gasp from the girl, Alma was lifted into the young man's arms, her skirt swishing loudly as her legs were cradled under his hand. Soon though, she was smiling once again, and had already wrapped her slender arms around his neck, looking for all the world like the blushing bride she was.

"Shall we go, darling?" he asked her, giving her what he hoped was a dashing smile fit for a beautiful young woman like her.

Alma laughed with adoring embarrassment. "Lead the way, 'Husband' Ramza," she said enthusiastically, playing with his tuffs of golden hair between her fingers.

The two of them then look boldly off into the distance, where a new would awaited them. They glanced at each other for a brief moment, and shared a smile that only they could. Carrying his wife across the threshold of Ivalice, Ramza walked towards his new destiny, where their Chocobos and, no doubt, a world of adventure awaited them. And Alma sighed in bliss, knowing that no adventure could ever replaced the feeling she had in her husband's arms.

'Fin'

About Ramza and Agrias: The conversation that Ramza and Agrias have is used to illustrate an idea of mine. As you may know, the taboo against incest seems to be primarily a religion issue, but in Ivalice, the deity that the people worship is the evil Ajora. Wouldn't this mean that Ramza and Alma could disregard the taboo, on the grounds that the source is less than trustworthy? Ajora could have even written in the incest taboo to fulfill some ulterior motive of hers, a way of protecting herself from some problem in the future, such as a prophecy destroyer born from a sibling relationship

Of course, this brainchild of mine has no reflection whatsoever on genuine religion; its only pertinent to the false idol Ajora and the Final Fantasy Tactics world. Personally, I feel I have a lot to answer for concerning the material in this fic, but it's a story I still care about.

#final fantasy tactics #fft #final fantasy fanfic #Ramza Beoulve #Alma Beoulve

3 notes · View notes

thenamegarden · 7 years

Text

The Name Garden: Q&A Tuesday

Sorry guys, a day late, but we got there! I had my brother’s baby shower this week, so I’ve been hearing lots of cute names. So far my little niece has had Hazel, Alexis and Emilia as her potential name. I can’t wait to meet her! For those who have children, or are pregnant, what are some names that you considered for your baby?

Let’s jump into the anonymous questions received this week. There’s quite a few of them! If you have a question for next week’s Q&A, please submit it here!

---

Q: Hi! I was wondering if you could find anything on the name Lenyer. I can't find any relevant information which is really frustrating. Anything that you could find would be super helpful!

A: Sure! I’ve found that Lenyer is a surname that comes from France, first appearing in Champagne. It comes from the name Lanier, which in turn comes from the word lanelier, which gives it the meaning of “one who makes woolen clothes”.

---

Q: Hi! My other half and I love the name Lavender and I like Amethyst. Only problem is we have no idea for boy names!!! Any ideas based on these two which we love??? Thanks!

A: Very pretty names! Here are some that you may like for boys:

Jasper

Olivier

Floyd

Cole

Forrest

Sage

Basil

August

Sterling

Daota

Sorrel

Birch

Cyan

Reuben

Lucian

Dimitri

Ford

Alder

Copper

Linden

Steele

Wren

Reed

Peregrine

Aspen

I also recommend taking a look at our list of nature names for boys!

---

Q: What Spanish names would fit to surname Asensio? For both girl and boy.

A: Hey there! Here are some that could work:

Boys

Cristian Asensio

Javier Asensio

Miguel Asensio

Alejandro Asensio

Jorge Asensio

Benjamín Asensio

Yago Asensio

Guillermo Asensio

Jose Asensio

Enrique Asensio

Domingo Asensio

Raúl Asensio

Josué Asensio

Valentín Asensio

Agustín Asensio

Tierno Asensio

Juan Asensio

Maximiliano Asensio

Sebastián Asensio

Joaquín Asensio

Cristóbal Asensio

Milán Asensio

Martín Asensio

Vicente Asensio

Rafael Asensio

Girls

Lola Asensio

Georgina Asensio

Augstina Asensio

Noelia Asensio

Beatriz Asensio

Matilde Asensio

Reina Asensio

Xitlali Asensio

Ximena Asensio

Alejandra Asensio

Yamilet Asensio

Xiomara Asensio

Luisa Asensio

Julieta Asensio

Eliana Asensio

Emilia Asensio

Esperanza Asensio

Jessenia Asensio

Litzy Asensio

Gracia Asensio

Leticia Asensio

Caridad Asensio

Guadalupe Asensio

Nina Asensio

Sonia Asensio

---

Q: Hi! Could you please tell me your thoughts on the name Wagner? Thanks!

A: I think my opinion of it changes depending on where it’s being used. I love saying the name in a German accent, and it may work as a quirky name in countries of that area. However, I don’t know how it’d go here in Australia, or similar countries like the US, UK, NZ or Canada. I can see it having a lot of fun being poked at it (”wanker”), and if it’s a name that’s loved, may work better for a middle name. So I do actually like it, I’m just not sure about using it in an English-speaking country.

---

Q: Anyone suggestions name middle for Mia? Please

A: Mia is very sweet! Here are some middle names that work with it:

Mia Grace

Mia Charlotte

Mia Gabrielle

Mia Scarlett

Mia Paige

Mia Ruby

Mia Lucille

Mia Jade

Mia Danielle

Mia Lily

Mia Lillian

Mia Rose

Mia Michelle

Mia Catherine

Mia Elizabeth

Mia Juliet

Mia Violet

Mia Vivienne

Mia Louise

Mia Faith

Mia Coraline

Mia Penelope

Mia Lorelei

Mia Colette

Mia Celeste

---

Q: Do you do last names? If so, could you please list some that are like Halliwell or Holloway. Just nice strong sounding last names. I’d be very grateful.

A: I sure do! Any, and all names!

Here are some with similar sounds:

Harrison

Harrington

Holland

Howell

Hemmings

Helley

Hemingway

Hamilton

Hutchinson

Hennessy

Harlow

Hollingworth

Haviland

Hallworth

Honeywell

Hawthorne

Honeyford

Howland

Holleran

Hazeldine

Hilbourne

Harcourt

Halderman

Hollins

Hambleton

Hendricks

Hendrickson

Hazelwood

Hailwood

Hartland

Holliman

Halligan

Hartwell

Harrower

Hopkins

Hadaway

Hathaway

Hallman

Olliver

Alleway

Antonelli

Collingwood

Elliston

Caldwell

Grenville

Ellison

Connolly

Attaway

Portelli

Lovell

Bellerose

Rollins

Willoughby

MacWilliam

Everill

Callaghan

Mallaghan

Villenueve

Sallier

Castilla

Linville

Sullivan

Donnelley

Tindall

---

#names #baby names #girls names #boys names #surnames #q and a #questions

7 notes · View notes

rykerelias-archive · 6 years

Text

TRANSFERRED FILE. || @suburbanrelapse Sage & Elias VERSE: modern. ( undercover. ) 001. THREAD: to be named.

“What made you change your mind?” Not that they’re complaining- they’ve been trying to convince him they wanted in for weeks. Not that they were eager to be used as a call girl for various pieces of shit around the city, but getting in was the only way to move up. Only way to take this thing down from the top. “You seemed pretty adamant about refusing me the last few times we met.”

HE hadn’t changed his mind. HE still wanted them to stay well away and clear from the Devlin’s and their ‘business’. Hell HE wanted to stay well and clear away from the Devlin’s and their business – but he didn’t have a choice. Not if he wanted to see them ACTUALLY brought down, once and for all, to put their drug-dealing, sex-trafficking skeazy asses behind bars. And to do that… he had to do things like this. And act like it was no big thing. Just another day, another dollar in his pocket. He didn’t dare let himself think about what it meant that he COULD. That was a rabbit hole he didn’t dare even tip toe towards. “What can I say, you’ve got aSTUBBORN AS SHIT sense about you I just couldn’t resist.” More along the lines of his bosses had figured out that Sage wanted in, and there were more than a few creeps that would be paying TOP dollar to get their hands on them…. “So, you in or not cause I don’t particularly feel like going through the whole spiel if you’re not.”

“I’m in. I know what kind of money this can make me- you think I’d turn that down?” They make enough where they are, but it’s a good enough excuse. Sage knows perfectly well that they cater to a particularly niche market for the depraved clientele of this service. It’s disgusting, really, the extent to which people can fetishize people like them. But it sells, and that’s their in. Not to mention the deliciously ironic sense of satisfaction that comes from the idea of exploiting it to kill them. “I’m comfortable enough being seen this way, might as well take the step up if it comes with a pay raise.” They shrug, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. “So say what you have to say, and let’s get started. I don’t have anything better to be doing tonight.”

Her words twisted his stomach, a hand sliding up to rub against the bridge of his nose, to scrape up through hair that had grown a little too long over the last couple months and he just hadn’t been bothered enough to care. Money – one of the greatest evils of the world, the worst kind of addiction there was. Don’t have it, and it’s everything. Have it, and it’s not enough. He let his tall frame drop back against the wall, his hands dropping into his hoodie to snag his own pack of cheap ass, always half crumpled smoke, pulling one out, Zippo snapped open and flicked on, held out towards theirs first before lighting his own.

“This shit’s not like the movies.” It was brusque, CLIPPED. It was an easy trap, to make it seem romantic and luxurious somehow, when really it was about the opposite of it as one could get. “These assholes, they might play at wining and dining you, but – they only give a fuck about one thing, and that’s getting their jollies – and it ain’t always fun and games. Some of these people … Sure. I’m probably supposed to tell you that you won’t ever have to do anything you don’t want to but it’s a load of horse shit.” Way blunter, way more to the point than he should’ve been. Should’ve gone the sweet talking route, promised them money and glory and fame, work six months and you’ll never have to work again. But if they backed out now, it’d be easy enough to come up with some excuse, even if it meant having Marius breathing down his neck in vexation for all the potential money lost.

They light their smoke on his offered flame, stepping back as they take the first drag. “Oh, I’m well aware of how it works- I’m not delusional, I’m just looking for work. But considering it’s either crawl back to my brother or do a little bit of hustling in this line, I’ll take the latter.” Not even that much of an exaggeration; Reed would love to see them come running back for support. They really would rather sell themself to strangers than go near him again, that much isn’t a ruse.

“I could do this on my own. Stand around on a corner, pull in clients from tourists and the like- but you lot have connections. You have a network and a Rolodex and the numbers of all the big wigs willing to pay top dollar for a little bit of attention with me. They’re gross, but they’re rich.” Sage shrugs. If it makes their… acquisitions of illicit substances a little easier, who are they to complain? Revenge and cocaine. Motive enough to dip into the prostitution game in their book. “Bottom line is, I’ve done some questionable things for free in my lifetime. I have eccentric tastes, and I know I have a… unique product to offer for your client base. I might as well start getting paid better for it than I do just taking pictures.”

The way that they were so MATTER OF FACT about the whole thing didn’t help his mood much, though luckily the part he was playing didn’t exactly scream chipper and cheerful, or necessarily all that clever, either. He bit back a grimace behind a cloud of smoke, a shrug thrown in their general direction like it was no sweat off his back one way or the other. “Can’t really argue the logic, there, can I.” Half flat, an assessing glance given back their way, taking in the look, the build, the features. The appeal was easy to see, even from his point of view. He could onlyIMAGINE the kind of plans Maria had in store for them – his gaze twisted away, a hand shoved into his jeans as he pushed himself off the wall, dragging his keys from his pocket.

“Rules are simple enough. Don’t get caught doing whatever it is you’re doing, and if you do, you don’t know nothin’. Dates are handled up the food chain, covered through an online dating app, hookups put in the system after the arrangements have been finalized – any money that gets handed off is a gift, not a payment. If you do get tagged, there’s lawyers on standby to handle whatever trouble you can’t talk your way out of – you’ll have a handler at every meet, meaning if you get tagged, the lawyer’ll be at the station before you do. Best rule of thumb, you mind your own business, you collect your money, you go home. Don’t open your trap about anything you hear, anything you see. PERIOD.”

It was cold, and sharp, the last word, though the rest of it he’d seemed no more invested in than if he was ordering pizza, though he was watching them to make sure they were paying attention. “Whether it’s to the cops, the papers, the tabloids, you get any shiny ideas about making a quick buck by selling out your latest date with a few salacious pics, or a hashtag on twitter? It won’t end well.” A stoniness around his eyes for a moment, gone, just as quickly, as he loped towards the parking lot, chirping the alarm on the fire engine red Chevrolet Corvette – sleek and shiny and fast, and far from subtle. There were a … FEW perks of the job. “Get in. I’ll take you to one of the clubs we shuffle business through. Have a few drinks, maybe get to know a couple of the other girls, see how the night goes.”

Sage listens, but only bothers retaining what might be useful in either self-defense, or in faking their way into the business. Of course, they’re not stupid; they know they’re going to have to play the part for a little while. Sleep with some clients, do what they ask, behave (or don’t, depending on the partner), and don’t let anyone suspect that they have ulterior motives for crawling deeper into the underworld. They drop the half-finished cigarette in the parking lot.

Following him across the asphalt, Sage doesn’t bother correcting him. The ‘other girls-’ as far as the clients care, that’s what they are. Just a girl. Maybe some different parts in different places, but still. Just a girl. No room for anything too unique when it comes to jobs like this. They slide into the car, glad that they decided to dress the part for this meeting. It’s not their Sunday best, but it will more than pass for a prostitution networking party. Highlighting the right features, downplaying any faults. Not that they have many of those. Speaking of features, they should probably get something out of the way.

“You know I’m not…” they speak as soon as the handler is in the car with them. “-I’m not cis, right? I don’t know how much you know about me, and I don’t know how much you’re involved in the detail work, but I don’t have all the same assets working for me that the other girls you deal with do. I mean, I’m sure plenty of them have my fake tits, but I don’t have any work done downstairs- and I don’t intend to. So fair warning, in case you were thinking of getting closer acquainted with me while we’re working together, don’t be fucking surprised if you try anything.” They end it with a laugh at his expression, keeping the mood light despite the explicit content. “Just thought you should know.”

#THREAD. ( elias & sage. ) ( modern. ) ( undercover. ) 001.#ELIAS & SAGE.#ELIAS & SAGE. ( modern. ) ( undercover. )#IC.#THREAD I NEED TO REPLY TO.#VERSE. ( modern. ) ( undercover. )#SUBURBANRELAPSE #prostitution tw

0 notes

aion-rsa · 6 years

Text

Dracula vs. The Marvel Universe! 14 Times The Lord of The Undead Fought Superheroes!

https://ift.tt/2AdEcKt

Hey, remember that time Dracula fought the Hulk? Or the X-Men? Or Spider-Man? No? Well, you're in luck, because we do!

facebook

twitter

google+

tumblr

Feature Marc Buxton

Dracula

Oct 16, 2018

Doctor Strange

Marvel

31 Days of Horror

In fact, Dracula has been the subject of 217 films, second only to the number of films starring Sherlock Holmes. But films, novels, and television aren't the only genres that have contained Dracula’s bloodlust. Comic books have been a compelling source for new Dracula material. Marvel Comics in particular have been a happy hunting ground for the Lord of the Vampires.

Amazon has all your Marvel Dracula needs

Dracula Meets Spider-Man

Giant Sized Spider-Man #1 (1974)

Buy it on Amazon

Allied with the Avengers (1973)

Avengers #118

further reading: The Weird History of Marvel Superheroes vs Monsters

The Creation of Baron Blood (1976)

Invaders #7

Dracula sends blood to England to punish the country for the actions of Dracula’s nemesis Jonathon Harker. As Baron Blood, Farnsworth fought the Invaders, Captain America, and even his own brother who adopted the heroic persona of the first Union Jack.

Available in - Invaders Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 1

Dracula vs. Doctor Strange (1976)

Tomb of Dracula #44

further reading: Doctor Strange Comics Reading Order

You can read it here.

Dracula vs. Howard the Duck? (1980)

Howard the Duck Magazine #5

Not all Dracula appearances in the Marvel Universe are legendary but that doesn’t make them any less cool. The following is a treatise on why comics are awesome.

Howard is restored to his normal self and is actually able to stake Dracula before the vampire can feed off Howard’s hottie girlfriend, Beverly Switzer.

Dracula Joins The Defenders (1981)

Defenders #95

Ah, the Defenders. Long before they were edgy TV stars, they were the parking place for awesomely odd Bronze Age characters.

further reading: 13 Essential Dracula Performances

Dracula vs. The X-Men (1982)

Uncanny X-Men #159

further reading: Frankenstein - Comics' Greatest Monster

Dracula vs. Thor (1983)

Thor #332

The Death of a Legend (1983)

Doctor Strange #59-62

further reading: The Bleeding Heart of Dracula

Dracula vs. The Fantastic Four (2000-2001)

Before the Fantastic Four: The Storms

X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula (2006)

You can read it here.

Dracula on the Moon (2009)

Captain Britain and MI:13 #10

Seriously, stop reading this and track down this storyline, we’ll wait.

Hulk vs. Dracula

An X feud renewed (2011)

X-Men: Curse of the Mutants

It's available on Amazon.

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2018 Special Edition Magazine right here!

from Books https://ift.tt/2QWXcmj

#aion-rsa #Books

1 note · View note