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crouton-knight · 1 year

Note

25!

25. hey - what are you working on right now?

Technically nothing because I'm on mobile and none of my documents are open, but here's all my WIPs right now anyway, including concepts that I haven't actually started on yet. Feel free to ask about them!

Note that most of this is extremely NSFW and also there's uhhh a Lot.

Original

Milk And Honey - The direct sequel to Knot A Problem; Marzi heads up to Glibberspring Caldera and takes on a quest to convince a honey slime to work with the spa.

Magical Yakuza Girl (working title) - A magical girl's mascot is being held hostage by an organized crime group; she has to balance school life, fighting monsters, territory battles with other magical girls, and the demands of her handlers.

Seto Taisho and the Kitchen War - A young boy gets trapped in a haunted house and drafted into an army of tsukumogami, headed by the titular General Seto. (Not started.)

A Rock And A Hard Place - More of Marzi's adventures; Marzi explores the deeper levels of Glibberspring Caldera and discovers a glittering underground city that really doesn't want him to leave. (Not started)

Lays Of Legend - After "A Rock And A Hard Place", Marzi finds himself back on the surface and headed towards a coastal town. There he meets a legendary party of adventurers, the Vulgar Vagabonds. (Not started but I have all the characters named.)

God Will Understand - Sister Netta, an exorcist with some decidedly unorthodox methods, is contacted by an ancient demon pleading for her help in purifying a mining settlement of his disturbed remains. (Not started.)

Naughty Little Helpers - Knoell, an occultist, challenges the existence and influence of several holiday spirits; some take up the bet.

Harem Counseling - Farmer Gerhardt (same one from Knot A Problem) opens up an inn and becomes the focus of various parties' affections, and all of these new faces are each others' exes. (Not started.)

Homestuck

Matches And Tar - Sollux/Karkat Steampunk AU; Sollux ditches an educational outing when he sees Karkat get in a fight and decides fooling around with this scrappy little bastard is more fun.

Decompression Sickness - Dirk/Dualscar/OC Space Trucker!Dualscar AU; Some cargo thaws out during a sketchy delivery, and Dualscar and Dirk find themselves face to face with a slightly deranged part of Dualscar's past.

Price of an Empire, or, A Mutant MechPilot Gets Fucked Up - Karkat/various Mecha AU, sort of; Alternian pilots are chemically conditioned to hyperfocus on combat and defeating the enemy, which has the unintentional side-effect dulling emotional and physical response to other situations: Karkat can't get aroused unless the danger is real.

Brother Lover ep. 2: I Can't Believe I'm Trying To Seduce My Elder Bro By Crossdressing! - Bro/Dave; A direct sequel to Brother Lover: My Elder Bro Is A Pervert Loser And I Might Be One Too!? where Dave decides yeah he was into that and he's going to order a cheap, shitty seifuku and some panties to try and get in Bro's pants again. (Not started)

I'll Set You Up Against The Stars (ch. 2) - Dave/Rose modern gods AU; Dave gets harassed by the goddess of Light and Rain. Current chapter: Dave wakes up from a coma.

Skaia City: Underground (ch. 4) - superhero AU; Karkat tries to be a superhero, with mixed results. Current chapter: Karkat gets a deeper look at Absinthe's methods and motives.

Starry Defender Zodiac Knight (ch. 1) - Magical girl hentai parody AU; Karkat is chosen to be the champion of the stars, which involves a skimpy outfit, going up like five cup sizes, and defeating various kink monsters with the power of ass. Current chapter: Sassacre Public College is attacked by a an interdimensional tentacle monster.

An Unfortunate Honor: Bearing, Duty, And Other Troubles (ch. 15) - breederstuck AU; The Maelstrom runs out of food and a number of trolls have to produce eggs and get some perks in exchange. Current chapter: Karkat gets jumped in the hallway but one of the perks of the job is someone actually rescues him.

On Monsters Fair And Fearsome (ch. 3) - Dualscar/Karkat fairytale/Beauty And The Beast AU; Karkat flees the burned remnants of his hometown and finds himself in a magical, haunted castle, stalked by a beastly prince. Current chapter: Karkat bargains his curse-breaking abilities for his life.

The Menagerie (ch. 9) - EquiKat and DaveKat vaguely Victorian AU I guess; Equius Zahhak, obsessed with the troll who saved his life several years prior, throws out all propriety to seduce Karkat, now a burlesque dancer working at The Menagerie. Current chapter: Equius tries to apologize for his presumptuous earlier encounter.

space cowboy disaster zone (ch. 9) - DaveJadeKat space western/scavengers AU; A ship crashes during an electrical storm? Not unusual. Karkat and company find a survivor in the wreck? Yeah, that complicates things. Current chapter: Dave and Karkat talk about how they each ended up where they are and what they plan to do next.

Stranger Stars and Suns (ch. 8) - Empirestuck!AU; the Dersite royals are settling into their first few days in the Prospitian capital as slaves. Current chapter: Rose has to take another lesson from Kanaya, and considers how much of herself she can bear to lose.

crucible (ch. 1) - some really dead dove torture porn; On the eve of a new Grand Highblood's anointing, the Mirthful Citadel extends an invitation to any trolls of conscription age who would otherwise be culled on Ascension Day: Entertain the juggalos, and if you survive the party, you walk free. What have you got to lose? (not started)

Danse Macabre (ch. 5) - Dave/Karkat modern gods AU; Dave finds a really weird BDSM club that nobody seems to think is out of place but him. Current chapter: Karkat feeds Dave more fruit, takes his jacket, and fucks him stupid.

Let Me Tell You About Humanity (ch. 13) - idk what to even call this; Karkat just learns he's a xenophile. Current chapter: The Striders fuck Karkat and Eridan at the same time.

raze the sky in engine fire (ch. 14) - Sollux/Karkat more nasty smutfic; Karkat gets thoroughly abused by a variety of people at his workplace. Current chapter: Karkat gets a new job, he and Sollux both get fucked and fucked over. (chapter not started)

we daren't go a-hunting (ch. 4) - Eridan/Feferi/Karkat fae AU; Feferi encounters a changeling being hunted by, presumably, his own kind, and gets herself involved in trying to help him out. Current chapter: Feferi tries to figure out how to open some dialogue between Karkat and Eridan. (chapter not started)

DragonFable

House Rules - Cysero/Warlic pre-canon; Some early incidents while Cysero and Warlic were still getting to know each other and how to live together.

Warp And Weft - Aegis/Vaal/Hero; Vaal attempts to train the hero as a chaosweaver aboard the Unity; Aegis shows the hero some fun applications of Soulsynch, with Vaal's help.

dancers in the garden - Notha/Remthalas pre-canon; Notha brings Remthalas as a date to a party, mostly as a distraction so she can go ham on the buffet table, but they mostly end up hanging out in the garden instead.

[untitled bad end fic] - Notha/Remthool; One of Notha's nightmares during Reawakening was... graphic. And a little prophetic.

Milkteeth - pre-canon; Notha loses a tooth as a child and learns about the tooth fairy. She proclaims it heresy.

And miles to go before I sleep - pre-canon; Mr. Nameless, before he was Mr. Nameless, was a child's guardian against nightmares.

Trust Fall - Notha/Remthalas pre-canon Corrupted Champion!Notha AU; Notha, Champion of the Avatars, hunts down the former Keeper of the Water Orb. The two end up trapped in Apsaydaaun for a week and have to rely on each other to survive.

Doppelganger - Envy|Aspar/Tomix; Set shortly after Lust gets banished and Tomix starts having his doubts. Aspar, unable to understand or express his feelings towards him, gets under Tomix's skin- literally.

[untitled sex tape fic] - Cysero/Warlic; Cysero convinces Warlic to dress up in some tarted-up Infernal regalia and "abdicate the throne" for his dick.

[untitled mushRem fic] - Notha/MushRem; Notha explores the remnants of the Northlands rift and encounters a fungal simulacrum of Remthalas. She cannot kill him in any way that matters.

[untitled phantom pregnancy fic] - Notha/Remthalas body horror; After the events of Butterfly Paradox, Rem starts showing signs of pregnancy; physically, it's just hormonal imbalance, and Notha reassures him of such. But in dreams...

The Late Night Adventurers' Guild - The Oldest Profession is alive and well on Lore. Some late night adventurers talk about their experiences and the tricks and tools of the trade. (Names changed or omitted for privacy, of course.)

[untitled jail smut fic] - Kara/Akanthus; Set around the time Kara is in Espina Rosa. Turns out Kara kept her secrets so well because she treated the whole situation as high-stakes bedroom roleplay.

[untitled pirate!Voyna fic] - Voyna Lives AU; Rather than rot in her cave now that she doesn't really have a reason to be there, Voyna signs up for a pirate crew.

It's Okay If It's You - Notha/Remthalas - These two have some severe control issues but come to an understanding of when and how to get their kinks fulfilled at the same time.

Devilfish (ch. 2) - pre-canon; Headcanon backstory for Remthalas. Current chapter: The abyssal elves of Ogenos are suffering a bizarre and terrifying sleeping plague.

As the rain comes home to the sea (ch. 4) - Notha/Remthalas, The Shape of Water-inspired AU; Notha Ly'Vhil joins a research team exploring an underwater city, and meets the last living remnant of its people. Current chapter: Notha checks out the city itself, and then tries to ask Remthalas about it.

let it be different (let it be enough) (ch. 2) - Tomix comes back to life in a Lore very different from when he first left it. Current chapter: The hero and Aegis bring Tomix to Falconreach.

Madoka Magica

Catch Up - Tales From Kazamuki; Midori Tachibana goes around town and reminisces about a dead friend.

Arrhythmia (ch. 3) - Madoka/Homura (sort of) vampire AU; Akemi Homura, a sickly transfer student, develops a crush and obsession centered on Kaname Madoka, a recently-turned vampire. Current chapter: Homura starts getting suspicious about Madoka's friendship with Sayaka.

#my writing #fanfic #original writing #fanfiction #original fiction #dragonfable #homestuck #madoka magica #my ocs #asks #mismagireve #writing asks

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secretshinigami · 3 years

Text

The Final Warning

Author: @complicatedmerary For: @misora-massacre Pairings/Characters: No pairings; Naomi Misora, Beyond Birthday, L, Wammy (cameo), Raye Penber (cameo) Rating/Warnings: Teen & Up, just to be safe; depression, PTSD, implicit talk about what happens in prison, especially if your successor hates your guts (and you are a terrible person), a glossed over mention of Beyond’s unfortunate appearance after the end, discussions of A’s demise, discussions of B’s crimes, L being a jerk, and B just being crass overall Prompt: A conversation between B and someone visiting him in prison (could be L, Mello or Naomi). In this case, it is Naomi and L simultaneously, but L is not facing Beyond. It makes sense in context. Author’s notes: I was reading Another Note the other day and got inspired to partially continue whatever happened to Beyond after he was arrested. This is, in a way, a prequel to my other fics about Beyond in prison, but I wrote it specifically in a certain matter to make it fit independently from them. I can now proudly say that I have finally written Naomi Misora, so hurray for that! I challenged myself not to go overboard with harsh descriptions because this could have easily gone way darker, and yet give the emotional punches I love so much. Enjoy!

***

Slow motion. Going through the motions, day by day, month by month, in slow motion. High fives blazing through like a blur, a weak arm accepting it as if it were a reflex. “You go, Misora Massacre!” They cheered, the high-pitched hoorahs ringing in her ears from all directions. Some nights, her boyfriend would turn off the movie and ask her if she was okay. Was she okay? She never knew how to respond to that question in general anyway. All she could do is nod her head with a fake smile and kiss him on the cheek as she tells him not to worry. It amazed her that it took little effort to set his mood up and running in no time. She still was not sure if this was endearing or a sign that she was a better actress than she imagined.

What would she prefer, really? For Raye to keep pressing on her mental state and get some legitimate help or to move on with her life and remove her feelings out of the equation? The tightrope was getting thinner and a single wrong move was making her dizzier. She was a professional, she needed to act like it.

There were more concerning issues in the world, she was only one person, it could had been worse.

If there was one thing Beyond had learned in prison was that criminals hated other criminals as much as the regular citizen. Especially if said criminal had a history of killing a little girl.

It was laughable, really; it was not like he did what he did to fulfill a deranged desire for bloodlust, he was more sophisticated than that. How many of them were here because of personal vendettas or emotional instability? If it were a contest between whose motivation did not have a personal connection to the victims, he would had been the only one standing.

They can threaten to kill him in his sleep or pound him to the floor all they wanted, Beyond was more intelligent than any other man in this prison combined. He may not know where he was or what time it was or if the security of this prison was as tight as these guards bragged to him, but one thing was for sure: He was not the type to give up so easily.

Naomi Misora exited the convenience store with a small bag of potato chips and strawberry gum in hand. Another side effect of this obnoxious state of mind was how she alternated between snacking almost every hour or just once a day, depending on her mood. It was not like somebody was going to stop her, it was harmless, it will go away soon, she was fine–

And then, a black limousine appeared near the sidewalk, slowly following her movements. Was she so distracted that she did not notice the large vehicle until now or was it always there? Perhaps it was a generic television actor exerting his notoriety for some autographs. And yet, it was not stopping unless she did.

“Can I help you?” Naomi raised her arms in exasperation, just wanting whatever this was to end as soon as possible.

The window rolled down and revealed an older gentleman with white hair and a white mustache, barely moved by her outburst.

“Naomi Misora, it is an honor to finally meet you.” The man said in a distinct accent.

Yes, he was definitely not from around here, Naomi thought.

“My name is Watari,” He continued. “I am with L and I’m here to delivery you to him.”

L? Again? How many times was he going to need her help?

“Tell him that I’m busy, I promised Raye that this was just a quick trip.”

“Misora-san,” An electronic voice blared from a computer. “That has been taken care of. Please get in, this is of upmost importance.”

This was not a trick, she recognized that deliberate tone. Fantastic, just what she needed.

“Misora-san,” The computer faced her as if it were a breathing person, as if this could not get any stranger. “I’m so glad we meet once again. I hope life has been treating you well.”

Hardly. “L, I respect you, but if this is another case, I’m afraid I cannot help you this time.”

“Oh, and why is that?” L seemed genuinely surprised. “We made a great team back then, surely you don’t resent me, do you?”

It is not you, it is me. “Just tell me what is going on.”

“Believe it or not, Misora-san, this is not a case to catch a killer, but to get a current prisoner to confess.”

Naomi raised an eyebrow. And what exactly can she do if she did not know what the confession was in the first place?

“This criminal is someone you’d already met,” L continued, as if he read her mind. “The infamous killer you were in close contact with a few months ago. I’m afraid there is some unfinished business.”

“Beyond Birthday?” Naomi said, incredulously. “He was arrested and confessed to his crimes. What could possibly be considered ‘unfinished’?”

“Ah, I see you have no context on what is going on,” There was no tact in his voice at all. “As you may remember, Beyond was someone I knew. Not personally, but I was aware of him. There are some details I left out for your sake, but if I need you to understand the gravity of the situation, all I can say that this concerns a man named A.”

“Who is A?”

“Someone Beyond knew.”

Not at all helpful after all.

“You have to give me more than that, L, what does A mean to Beyond?”

“We suspect B killed A and played the victim to distance himself from what he did.”

Naomi let out a sharp gasp. She would not put it past Beyond to commit more murders before this case, but something was off. The Beyond she knew would had left some clues that implied his involvement to assert dominance and this seemed like a plain murder. Or was she overthinking this for no reason?

“That is terrible, L, but … what makes you think he would say anything to me? I brought him down and arrested him. It’s not like we are friends or anything like that.”

“You don’t know him like I do, Misora-san,” L retorted. “It’s not about friendship, it’s about manipulation. Believe it or not, you carry more power over him than you realize. If there is anyone who would be glad to see you, it is Beyond Birthday.”

“And why is that?”

“He likes you, Naomi Misora.”

Naomi frowned. Great, just great, misplaced affection was exactly what she needed. Suddenly, the vehicle stopped.

“I already have this covered,” L said as Watari turned around on his seat and gave Naomi a small black box. “I’ll be with you every step of the way and monitoring every spoken word between the two of you. All I need is a confession. You can speak about whatever you want, but the goal is to make him talk about A. Can you do that?”

Naomi opened the box. It revealed two sleek earpieces that perfectly blended against her black hair. She instinctively put them on, aware of what he had planned.

“I will feed you information and you will repeat every word I say. You will not be alone; there will be two security guards monitoring both of you out of precaution. There is no telling what he may do if you say the wrong thing, but if my calculations are right, he will not dare put a hand of you if he knows he will be stopped immediately. You are a true professional, Misora-san, I believe in you. Can you do this?”

That was all she needed to hear. She nodded. “I can.”

Beyond Birthday looked around the private visitor room, an amused smirk visible on his face. Two security guards observed him from different corners, trying to intimidate him from moving. The tallest one (the name “Keith Cope” flashed above his head) gritted his teeth and growled, proving to him that this was nothing more than theatrics. He was not moved by this at all; he had gone through way worse than some punk trying to be tough, he was nothing.

What could be something, however, is the person who was visiting him today in this room: Naomi Misora. Months have passed and she still came back for more, perhaps to dissect him further for her personal notes. He did not have high hopes that she was here on her own—maybe the FBI was intrigued by him—but it was the intent that counted.

After a few minutes passed, the aforementioned woman opened the door and stared at him either in fascination or disgust. No, he knew what the issue was. She was clearly staring at the aftermath of his burned body and the untreated skin that had been left alone because L was apparently that much of a petty man to let him have some decent healthcare in prison. Fine, it did not matter, at the rate he was going, someone is bound to be fed up with him and finish him off.

Too bad it will never be me.

“Misora,” Beyond flashed an emotionless smile, the corner of his lips barely moving, as she sat down in front of him. “I knew you would come back to me.”

“Let’s save the sarcasm for one day, this isn’t personal.” Naomi scoffed. Also, the overt lack of boundaries was uncomforting.

“You haven’t changed one bit,” Beyond chuckled. “How is the FBI? I must admit, I did not mean to leave that much of an impact on you, I was supposed to go out with dignity. You learn from your mistakes and mind your business. How do you deal with that?”

You are the reason why I wake up without any rest. “Not very well. My job does not allow me to let things go.”

“Leaves you a mark for life, understandable.” Beyond said nonchalantly. “We all deal with trauma in our own ways. Have you tried screaming and crying while being watched by three unsuspected prisoners? Let’s just say, it’s good for a good bedtime story.”

The earpieces let out a crackle, allowing L to give Naomi further words to say. There was an instruction so deliberate that she wondered if this was nothing more than a game to him.

“You never learned to keep your thoughts to yourself,” Naomi said slowly and with a lower tone. “Backup, you never fail to disappoint me.”

And then, the alarms set off in his head, his eyes glazing over as his anger rose inside of him.

“You have been in close contact with L.” Beyond said between gritted teeth. And he bet that L was way closer than he imagined through Naomi Misora; he would not put it past him to use her as his mouthpiece. This was not the first time, and it would not be his last. In his earlier years of successor training, L was never present, but some of the institution’s teachers would occasionally adjust their earpieces before speaking, indicating that none of their words were their own. Incidentally, they all sounded the same: From the diction, to the deliberate robotic strictness, he figured that this was L’s modus operandi in the shadows. It almost made him laugh; either L was afraid of children or he was the least caring person on the planet. He was willing to bet on both, but he learned the hard way that L could not be put in a box. It was a fact so infuriating, and yet, it kept his fascination for him alive.

“Yes,” Naomi said curtly. “I was given more information about you that I cared to know about.”

“Do you think he is better than me?”

“What?” She was taken aback.

“Oh, you know,” Beyond shrugged. “Since the Great Detective is listening to this conversation right now, it wouldn’t hurt to hear from your own mouth how much of a failure I am. Come on, stroke his ego today, he desperately needs it.”

There was stunned silence between the three of them.

Naomi stood up from her seat and turned her back to Beyond. Faint whispers of “let me handle this” and “that’s enough for me” were barely heard, but her frantic movements were indicative that she was winning the argument. She removed her hand from her ear and sat back down, her hands flat against the table.

“He thinks nothing of you, Beyond Birthday. You were caught in the act and your terror is over. I hope prison gives you no rest.”

Beyond tsked. “Ah, so the lady can speak for herself. And here I thought I wouldn’t be able to speak to the real Naomi Misora after all. Tell me, Misora, and only you, can you truly forgive L for all the emotional damage he has bestowed upon you? He may command respect, but he has no regard for common human decency.”

Naomi fiddled with her ring absentmindedly, a nervous habit she developed after the LABB case. It was the one thing that could sooth her at this time.

Beyond let out a low whistle. “You have to give your man some credit, he knows when to lock it down.”

“What?” That perked up her attention.

“However, if that is the best ring he could get, he doesn’t deserve you. What’s his name?”

“None of your business!” Naomi fired back.

“Touchy subject, I see,” Beyond rolled his eyes. “And here I thought you could tell me anything.”

“Enough,” Naomi said firmly. “This isn’t about me; this is about you. I know what you did, Beyond, don’t let this go.”

“What, that I killed people? Shocking, no wonder why we are both here.”

“You can either confess now and have your sentence reduced or lie to the both of us and make your situation worse for you.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Beyond’s voice cracked from the sudden raise of his tone.

“You killed A.”

All pleasantries were done for, Beyond could not believe what he was hearing. L was trying to frame him for A’s death? This was a new low, even for L. And what was that about “confessing” now to reduce his sentence? L must think he was that desperate to get out of prison to even suggest that he would ever say that he killed A. Just because you lie every single day of your life it does not mean I should follow your example to save my skin. Absolutely pathetic, what are you trying to prove, hmm? That you can torture me for the rest of my life to show how little I mean to you? Admit to something I did not do? How about you admit that I’m a reminder that your games are useless and that you fail as a functional, empathetic human being? You will get what is coming for you, it may not be tomorrow, or within the next year, but mark my words, L, no one will miss you when you are gone.

“I don’t know what he told you, but he is lying,” Beyond was seething. “I didn’t kill A, he did.”

“L told me you would say something like that. This is over, Beyond.”

“Don’t believe him!” He suddenly stood up from his seat. “He made A and I train like old dogs to be like him. A did not deserve what happened to him, it was all L’s fault. There is no evidence of what he is accusing me of, and if he has something, it is a set up. I’m sick of him, you have to be sick of him, too, for making you go through this farce.”

“Backup, sit down!” Keith approached him. Beyond complied, not because he feared him, but he wanted to be here long enough to convince Naomi that he was telling the truth.

Naomi said nothing. On one hand, he was trying to prove his innocence so badly, it must be genuine. However, she had been an agent long enough to realize that guilt can manifest with overt emotions and he had been caught in a sticky situation. Either way, he was a still a murderer and did not deserve her sympathy.

“He does have proof, Beyond,” Naomi insisted. “It’s over, confess and you’ll be happier to have this burden off your shoulders.”

Beyond shook his head roughly. “No, that’s not true. He is setting me up to test me. It does not matter if I lie or tell the truth, I am stuck in prison for the rest of my life. What do I benefit from A’s death? Nothing. I know it, L knows it, even you know it. You have seen how I plan my murders, Misora. Don’t you think there is something off going on? You must realize deep down that you are nothing but a pawn in his game.”

Here was the thing: Naomi was aware at this point that she was a chess piece to this game, she would have been too naïve not to see it. However, she just wanted this to end, no matter what.

“Stop it. At the end of the day, you are a murderer and deserve what is coming to you. If you want to pretend that you did not kill A, that is your problem. This is over, I’m done with this.”

“No, this is not over,” Beyond crawled over the table, his face twisted and colorful in anger. “I’m sick and tired of this nonsense. L,” He seemed to point out at her ear. “Listen to me carefully. I will get out of here, one way or another. This is your final warning to drop the act and face me properly once and for all. When that time comes, don’t hide behind your guards and power. This is between you and me only. You are an absolutely coward—”

“Time’s up, Backup,” Keith grabbed Beyond’s arms, not caring how rough he was being. As much as Beyond wanted to resist, he just could not. He said what needed to be said and was not in the mood for an altercation. He would save all the fighting energy for the day he finally escapes.

Once Beyond was out of sight, Naomi dropped her face between her arms and let out an exasperated sigh. At least that was over.

“Misora-san?” L said in the earpiece.

“Hm?” Naomi murmured.

“You can go home now; you did an outstanding job.”

Oh, thank God.

#fanfiction #death note #ratings: teen #pairings: none #Mello's Birthday Mayhem 2020 #naomi misora #L #oc #b #raye penber #complicatedmerary #bluelyath #submission

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upstartpoodle · 4 years

Text

Moving Forward (Prologue)

Rating: T

Relationships: Dwight & George, George & Ross, George & Cary, past George/Elizabeth

Summary: When George saves Ross' life from the French General, Hanson decides to take immediate revenge. Stuck at Nampara, seriously injured, he and the Poldarks must learn to get along as he recovers in order to eliminate the threat that Hanson and his brother pose for good.

@harry-leroy, @forcebros, @ticketybooser I’ve finally decided to start posting the post s5 AU, if only to encourage me to get on and write the rest of it ha.

AO3

***

“Well, gentlemen, now that this…inconvenient matter is being dealt with, I think it is time that I take my leave.”

Sir George Warleggan forced his knee to stop bobbing nervously up and down as the loathsome Mr Merceron stood from his seat in Trenwith’s parlour, the smug, self-satisfied look on his weathered face quite horrible to behold. His mind was in a whirl at the sight—had been ever since the man had suggested passing on proof of Ross Poldark’s attempt at espionage to General Toussaint, thereby likely seeing his longstanding rival killed and the report of the proposed French invasion of the south west suppressed. He had not, at first, quite believed that such a thing was being said to him. As unscrupulous as he had often been in his own business dealings, a scheme which would leave a man, however disliked, dead by collaborating with one who meant both his home county and his country at large great harm was going a little too far even for him. And yet, it seemed as if Merceron and his horrid brother were quite satisfied to use the French to rid themselves of a nuisance to them, consequences be damned, and it had left George without the slightest idea of what to say or do in response to their plots.

“Will you not stay for another drink?” his uncle asked, eyebrow raised. George glanced over at him, trying for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening to gauge his feelings with regards to the night’s rather alarming proceedings. Cary did not appear to be overtly concerned—he was of a kind with Merceron when it came to ruthlessness, in ways that had made his nephew uncomfortable in the past on a number of occasions—but not so long ago he had agreed that some distance from the two men would be preferable, for the sake of their own reputations if nothing else. For what, then, did he wish now?

Merceron seemed about to reply to the offer, but whether it had been to accept or deny it, they never found out, for George cut across him as politely as he could.

“Uncle, I am sure Mr Merceron is tired after the day’s events,” he said. “It is very late, and he shall no doubt wish to return to his lodgings in Truro.”

Despite his courteous words, his tone brooked no argument. There was a short pause, before Merceron inclined his head in George’s direction. There was a slight smile upon his face, but the twist of his lips greater resembled a grimace, his eyes cold, like two pieces of hard flint set deep beneath the ridge of his cruel brow.

“You are quite right,” he agreed, and though his tone was mild, George sensed that he was not entirely pleased. “I must return to Truro. Mr Warleggan—(he nodded to Cary)—when we next meet, I hope that our…little problem will be no more, and our reputations shall be restored. Sir George, if you would perhaps be so kind as to show me to the door? There is a matter I wish to discuss with you.”

“By all means.” The request was not quite polite, and George would have very much liked to refuse, but the look in Merceron’s eye told him that he would not leave until he got what he wanted. With that in mind, he pushed himself out of his seat and followed out through the door and into the hall.

“I sense, Sir George,” Merceron remarked once the door to the parlour had been closed behind him with a soft click, “that you are not entirely comfortable with this plan.”

George opened his mouth to deny it, but Merceron held up a hand to silence him. He glared at the man, wishing to make it abundantly clear that he did not appreciate being shushed like a contrary child.

“I understand why you might be concerned—(George had to bite his tongue to stop himself from retorting “that, I very much doubt”)—but I assure you, none of this shall ever be attached to your name. If all goes well, nobody will even know that anyone was involved at all, save for Poldark and the General, of course. Enys might suspect something, but who would listen to his word over mine?”

George was sorely tempted to point out that as the Enyses had, in spreading the word about Merceron’s mistreatment of his prisoners, managed to do some severe damage to the man’s reputation, it was quite possible that Dwight’s testimony would be taken very seriously, if not by various official persons, then by the court of public opinion. Still, he did not think it wise to rile the man, nor to remind him of the fact that Ross was not his sole enemy in Cornwall, and so he quashed the urge before he could make any imprudent observations.

“And if all does not go well?,” he said instead. “If your brother is caught, if his part in this scheme is discovered, it will not take long for your name to be connected to the whole business as well.”

Merceron smiled then, that cold, cold smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He looked like a shark, George thought, cruel and emotionless.

“Oh, there shall be no risk of that, Sir George,” he replied. “If my half-brother should be so foolish as to be caught in the act, so to speak, I shall be the first to condemn him for his deplorable plots. I am well-known amongst those who matter as a man dedicated to the service of His Majesty and this country against the Jacobins and their sympathisers, and Ralph and I have never been…close. Naturally, no suspicion shall be attached to me.”

What you are is a traitor, George thought. A filthy, cruel, horrid traitor and an arrogant hypocrite, prepared to torture those you deem Jacobin criminals whilst using those of the same sympathies to rid yourself of a man whom you have deemed troublesome to you, who would be willing—even happy—to abandon your family, loathsome though he is, to the consequences of your shared scheme, just as long as you remain unscathed. It was then that he realised that he could not simply sit at Trenwith, hoping that this whole mess would somehow resolve itself. He would have to do something, would have to intervene. But how?

“I see,” he returned, trying to keep the coldness out of his voice. If he wished for Merceron to leave, he would have to let him believe that he had succeeded in persuading him not to protest the plan. “Well, please do not let me keep you, Mr Merceron. The roads here can be dangerous so late at night, and I should not wish to delay your return to Truro.”

Merceron did not move, staring at him narrowly.

“I should be pleased to hear that I have set your mind at ease on the matter,” he said. “It is unwise for allies to disagree when one wishes for one’s plans to succeed.”

George swallowed, mind racing. He needed to think of a plan of his own, needed to get rid of Merceron before it became too late to act.

“I see that there is little risk of the reputations of my family and myself being harmed by tonight’s events, whatever they may be” he lied through his teeth. “And if you feel that Mr Hanson’s actions, no matter how successful they are, shall not reflect on either of our…sympathies, I have no further objections to offer you.”

Merceron nodded, brisk and satisfied.

“Good, good,” he said. “Well, Sir George, I shall take my leave of you. If you do not object, I will take the liberty of calling upon you in the morning, where I hope to bring you good news.”

With those words, he turned on his heel and left through the heavy front door, without waiting to hear any potential objections to his visiting the next day that might have been issued. His departure did little to ease George’s mind, however. He had wasted too much time dithering, and he needed to act at once. A vague plan was beginning to form in his mind, but did he have the nerve or the daring to carry it out?

“Trigg!,” he called into the shadows once he was entirely sure that Merceron was gone. “Trigg!”

“Sir?” The footman stepped silently out into the candlelight, livery immaculate and face expressionless underneath his powdered wig.

“Trigg, would you be so good as to fetch me a pistol?,” he said, then, remembering that Hanson had been armed when he left Trenwith, amended his request. “Actually, it might be best if you bring me two.”

Trigg, who was usually so poised and professional, seemed to choose that moment to forget all the training he had ever received. He stared openly at his employer, utterly baffled.

“Two…pistols, sir?,” he asked, dumbfounded. “But whatever might you do with two pistols?”

His confusion was understandable—George had never been a shooting man, and even if he were, it was hardly likely that he would be inclined to shoot pheasant or whatever it was that such people hunted in pitch darkness—but the urgency of the situation had lead him to be, perhaps unfairly, a little short with the man.

“What one usually does with pistols, I imagine,” he replied, a bite of impatience in his voice. “I certainly don’t intend to dance the gavotte with them.”

Unfortunately, this only served to make Trigg more baffled.

“Should I call for Dr Enys, sir?”

George fought the urge to throw up his hands in frustration. Would this be his lot in life now—condemned to have his staff finding evidence that he was deranged in every out of the ordinary request he ever made? He heard the grandfather clock in the parlour begin to chime. No time, no time.

“For goodness’ sake, man,” he snapped. “I assure you I am not suffering under some unexpected fit of lunacy. Now please, make haste. I must go to Nampara, and as it is likely currently inhabited by an angry French General and a man with two pistols and no morals to speak of, it would be imprudent of me to arrive there unarmed.”

Some measure of comprehension began to dawn on Trigg’s face, clearly possessed of some inclination of what the two half-brothers had been planning, and, for once, George thanked God and the Devil for servants who listened at doors. If he wished to protest the prospect of his master flinging himself into imminent danger, he quickly masked any sign of it, and with a polite “of course, sir”, we went about his task with all possible swiftness. George felt himself relax only marginally.

“George!” Any relief that he had felt at Trigg obeying his orders was stamped out as his uncle stepped suddenly out through the parlour door to join him in the hall, a dark, angry look on his sour face. “What the devil are you doing?!”

George could only presume that Cary had overheard the last part of his exchange with Trigg, and from his expression, had been none too pleased with its contents. He swallowed nervously. The footman was one thing, but how on earth was he going to persuade his uncle?

“I am going to Nampara,” he said as calmly as he could. “This plan… Uncle, surely you see that they have gone too far?”

“It is perhaps a little…,” Cary conceded, just barely, working his jaw in displeasure. “But that is no reason for you to put yourself in danger! You—”

“But do you not see?!,” George exclaimed in exasperation. He needed to go, before it was too late. “These ‘Merceron devils’, as you term them, will put us all in danger if their scheme succeeds. What do you suppose General Toussard shall do should his plans remain undiscovered? You know he harbours ill intentions towards Cornwall, and to England, and I cannot in good conscience allow knowledge of his dealings to be suppressed.”

Cary threw up his hands in frustration.

“But why must it be you?!,” he barked. “What possible—?”

“Who else will intervene? Merceron has ensured well enough that nobody else will know of it.”

His uncle looked as if he were about to say something, but at that moment, Trigg returned with two loaded pistols in his hands. George moved to take them, but Cary’s hand shot out to seize his upper arm, stopping him in his tracks. He fought back a wince as the bony fingers dug into his flesh.

“I will not permit this” the man growled, eyes flashing, giving him a little shake to emphasise his words. George sent him a defiant look, tugging his arm sharply out of his grip.

“It is not for you to permit me anything,” he replied caustically. “I am no longer a child that you may scold into submission. Or do you perhaps mean to become my jailer once more? You will not find that so easy whilst I have all my wits about me.”

He had not forgotten the man’s role in subjecting him to the awful treatments of Dr Penrose, and apparently, neither had his uncle, for an uncomfortable look that seemed ill-suited to his dour countenance stole across his face, effectively silencing his protests. George sent him one last glare, before taking the pistols from Trigg, who had been standing silently to the side, pretending not to notice that his two employers were arguing fiercely in front of him. It seemed that Cary was not completely finished, however, for, before George could reach the door, he spoke once more.

“For God’s sake, nephew, do not do this!,” he cried. “Not for the sake of a man like Poldark!”

George turned back to meet his gaze, one hand resting against the heavy wooden door.

“It is not for his sake that I am doing this.”

And with that, he stepped through the doorway and out into the cold night air, without looking back.

***

He rode as fast as he could, glad of the full moon that hung high in the night sky—he wouldn’t have fancied his chances of arriving on time without it, at least not without running the risk of plummeting straight over a cliff in the dark. As it was, he made good time to Nampara, only allowing his horse to slow when the shambling old house came into sight. He thought he could just about make out a light in the window as he dismounted, but as he approached, nervously adjusting his grip on the two pistols Trigg had given him, he saw that something was wrong. Even though there was a low fire crackling in the grate of the parlour, there was nobody in the room. Nor could he hear any kind of movement from the house. Was he already too late? There didn’t seem to be any sign of a struggle, but nevertheless neither Ross nor Hanson were there. In that case, where could they be?

It was then that he noticed the faint sound of metal clashing upon metal drifting on the wind from a nearby barn. Was that…? He strained his ears, and again and again he heard it, clearer and more distinct now that he was listening for it. He crept forward cautiously, his grip on the two pistols white-knuckled, and, careful not to be heard or seen, slipped through the doorway and into the cavernous darkness, lit only by the thin beams of moonlight shining through the slats of the worn roof.

Well, he thought as he took in the scene that lay before him. You wanted to find both Ross and Hanson, and now you have. The reason behind that sound of clashing metal had become apparently clear the moment he had stepped into the barn—Ross was engaged in a fierce duel with a man whom George could only presume was General Toussaint, blades flashing as they danced furiously in the faint moonlight. Beyond them stood Hanson and—much to his surprise—Demelza, who looked pale and drawn and worried. Hanson still had one of his pistols, he saw, and was watching the two men fight with the calculating precision of a snake waiting to strike.

All of a sudden, it seemed as if Ross were about to overpower the General, and it was then that Hanson uncoiled, levelling his pistol directly between the man’s shoulders. George knew that he could no longer afford to wait. Almost without thinking, he raised the first pistol and pulled the trigger.

The bang was deafening, and so startled by it were the other inhabitants of the barn that they barely seemed to notice as General Toussaint crumpled into a heap on the floor like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Ross staggered forward as his opponent collapsed, searching about him for the source of the noise. His expression of wide-eyed astonishment, so out of place on his usually scowling countenance, would have amused George in any other situation, but a movement out of the corner of his eye, past the other man’s shoulder, had caught his attention. Hanson. The man had floundered at the sight of him, stunned by the sudden turn of events, but as the General crumpled down upon the floor, and he came to understand exactly what it was that had happened, his expression turned black with rage. The movement which had caught George’s eye, he realised, was the pistol meant for Ross having found a new target. In a split second, he knew what the man was about to do. Eyes wide and alarmed, he pointed his second gun towards his would-be assailant and, forcing down the instinct to hesitate, pulled the trigger.

In the chaos of the moment, it was unclear which of them had fired first. Sparks flew, and George felt the smell of gunpowder sting in his nose, Hanson’s yell of pain echoing in his ears amid the reverberations of the shots. Other people were shouting as well, he thought, but it all seemed strangely distant as he noticed a sudden, sharp pain in his side. The pistols slipped from his hand as the world tilted alarmingly, but there was no accompanying thud to the ground, as if someone had caught him from behind. More shouting, desperate and urgent, but his world had narrowed entirely to that pain, a strange darkness beginning to encroach on his vision. There was a reason why he should try to fight it, he thought, but he could not remember why. Yes, why?

Well, at least I might see Elizabeth again, was the last thing he thought before he allowed the blackness to swallow him whole.

#poldark #poldark fic #george warleggan #cary warleggan #joseph merceron #ross poldark #ralph hanson #general toussaint #poldark au #poldark s5 #moving forward #post s5 au #mine #fic #my fic

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neverwatchedonepiece · 5 years

Text

594-595: "Formed! Luffy and Law's Pirate Alliance!" and "Capture M! the Pirate Alliance's Operation Launches!"

After seeing what the Strawhats are really like and realising what he’s got himself into, Law has longing visions of the apocalypse.

That look on Law’s face.

You all know the one I’m talking about.

The one that started as a sweatdrop and morphed into a full-blown look of: I deeply regret this but am in way too deep to back out now.

I watched that scene three times. Pure gold.

If You Keep Telling Everyone About Our Plan, Maybe

So I think I misjudged Trafalgar Law.

Maybe.

Still not one-hundred percent certain Law does not have another hidden agenda but... I am about seventy percent on board with the fact he has good intentions. At the moment. Like Robin said, pirate alliances are marked by betrayal, so this could change in future. (But I don’t want it to. I like Law as a good-ish guy.)

Like Nami, I was also was not expecting Luffy to accept so quickly. Maybe at the end of the arc, I thought. Have no idea why I even entertained that daft idea. This is Luffy we’re talking about.

Law sold it as best he could without giving Oda’s entire plot away. “I’m not saying we can beat the Yonko right away. There is a chance, if we do it step by step. What do you say?”

Luffy’s daft but not an idiot. He asked Law to which Yonko he was referring. I’m guessing that was important because I honestly can’t see Luffy going against Shanks unless something really serious puts something between them. I was pretty damned interested in Law’s answer, so when Oda used that favourite trop of his: a sudden howling blizzard carried away Law’s voice, I laughed like a drain and cursed Oda and his teasing ways.

Fine. I get it. I won’t know at least until after this arc.

I also liked Luffy’s reasons for accepting Law’s offer of alliance. One, it sounded like fun. Two, he thought Tra-guy was a good guy. And three, even if he wasn’t, he had his Strawhats, who had spent the last two years training to become stronger (with the implication they could kick Law’s ass if the misbehaved).

This totally won over the Strawhats. They sort of melted into a puddle of giggling, flattered, enraged goo. Law was standing there staring like, “Wtf are these people?”

Still, as a gesture of goodwill, he unshambled all those who were able to be restored to their bodies. I am guessing is because of plot. Chopper and Franky are back to normal (Chopper had to leave with Law for a reconnaissance mission to Caesar’s lab). However, Nami and Sanji are now inhabiting each others’ bodies (because Sanji was not nearby to be restored to his own. I’m guessing you’ve got to be in Law’s Room).

Law was also not keen on the experiment kids. They were a pain. A liability. Forget about them. He’d heard from Caesar they’d been drugged. Chopper and Nami protested. They knew about the drug. They had already decided to take the kids back to their families. Law revealed the World Government have been trying to turn people into giants for hundreds of years. Why? In order to manufacture soldiers to increase their military might.

Apparently, Caesar wants to perfect the process first and outsmart Vegapunk and the World Government. (Okay, so Caesar is not still working for the WG after all. Is he that wealthy he can fund himself or is another faction bankrolling him? Maybe the Yonko Law is talking about defeating?)

Law was still unconvinced helping the kids was a good idea. “Are you willing to stay here alone?” he asked Nami.

Luffy, the Best Captain, jumped in. He would not leave anyone behind. If Nami and Chopper wanted to help the kids, he was fine with that. Sanji felt responsible for the Samurai Guy too. So Luffy would stay with them.

Usopp was so funny here. He leaned over Luffy’s shoulder and gave Law some Strawhat Context. “You think an alliance is a cooperative relationship just for some common goal, don’t you?”

Um... yes, Law answered.

Ha. Well Luffy’s idea was different. It’s like being friends to him. And if Law was thinking of taking control, it would not be that easy. Once Luffy feels sure about something He Will Not Back Down. His selfishness, Usopp said, was as formidable as a Yonko. (”That must he hard,” Luffy said. xD)

At that point, I think Law reached his Strawhat Saturation Point. These people were like freaking aliens to him. But whatever. He’d agreed to an alliance. So he laid out his plan of action. While the rest of the Strawhats took care of the samurai, he would go research the drug behind Caesar’s back. He needed the Strawhats’ doctor. Chopper was strapped to his hat. xD

Then, when that was clearly undignified, his back.

Before Law left, he issued a warning. Caesar wanted the Strawhats and the G-5 Unit dead. Until Caesar gets what he wants, he will not stop attacking. If any info leaked about him being on Punk Hazard, Caesar would lose his perfect hiding place. This is high stakes stuff for Caesar. He will fight tooth-and-nail to win. Not only that, he is a Logia type Gas Gas Fruit user who owns weapons of mass destruction with a 300 million bounty. Law cautioned anyone who couldn’t use haki to stay away from him.

Useful intel to have, to be honest. Thanks, Law.

And it was thanks to the conversation that I now know Zoro and Sanji can also use Haki. Did I miss that or is that completely new thing?

After that, came the part of the episode that was my Absolute Favourite. I definitely did not see this coming. Before Law left with Chopper, Luffy said, “So we’re gonna kidnap the Master, right?”

“Not for any money,” Law said. “To raise havoc.”

Despite the Strawhats asking, he would not tell them what lay ahead before they even successfully kidnapped Caesar. Focus on the job at hand. He would spill all later. Then said, rather ominously, “When we get Caesar Clown, things will move whether you like it or not.”

Ooooooooooooooh....

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH.

Now this is a juicy nugget of plot. I also do not think this has ever happened in One Piece: defeating the arc villain in order to kidnap him, use him as a catalyst and trigger some nefarious skullduggery in the New World with a view to taken down a Yonko.

Caesar Clown must be really something. I guess if he is an inventor and purveyor of weapons of mass destruction, his services will be in demand within certain sections of the OPverse.

This is cool. I was a bit miffed when I realised this arc would end quickly as it has been great so far. You guys were right. This is an intro arc that seems to lead on to bigger things involving Trafalgar Law’s crazy idea.

Also, I cannot wait for Chopper to lay eyes on Caesar Clown for the first time. Chopper is gonna have to exercise some wicked self-control to not smack him for mistreating those kids. Chopper also asked Law an interesting question: if Law was so strong and could reach Caesar Clown that easily (because Law had just Roomed himself round to the lab’s back door), why could he capture Caesar himself?

Law deflected, as he always does. “I cannot because of a problem I have. That’s why I need help from you guys.”

A problem? Must be a pretty big problem.

And by the way, where are your crew, Law?

I am making myself suspicious again.

I need to just believe in Law, like Luffy does. Because the arc villain is making a move.

And That Move Is Called Smiley

Smiley.

Cannot get over that. xD

Caesar, you crack me up.

He’s probably one of those deranged scientist types who give their hellbeast creations adorable names. Everyone flees from the tentacled abomination that is Mr Binky Sparkle-Pants. Everyone knows Candy Smoochy Schmoo will devour your soul.

This one is called Smiley. Smiley is a sentient, hill-sized conglomeration of incredibly toxic waste left over from the chemical explosion four years ago. Caesar gleefully explain to Monet that when he escaped custody and returned to Punk Hazard about three years back, he did not purify the island of the poison gas (*the* only good deed he had left to his name!) I mean, why would anyone do such a wasteful thing? All that poison lying around? That H2S gas he had invented that killed everything on the island in second? It’s Free Real Estate, right?

What he did was (probably) use his Gas Gas Fruit (thanks for the confirmation, Law!) to gather all the leftover poison gas and compress it into a monster, which he secured in a vault on the burning half of the island.

And he called it Smiley. xD

I guess Caesar has a sense of humour?

At any rate, this squamous behemoth was unleashed by the gang of unfortunate fodders who were trying to break into a vault at the end of the last episode. I knew they’d meet a sticky end. I just didn’t know how sticky.

They tried to call their wonderful Master to report they were being killed by a poisonous monster.

Sympathy? In MY Laboratory? Get the FUCK OUTTA HERE!

But Caesar was in the lab, heard the DDM, was all like, “ugggggh, so needy!” He told his main minion not to pick up the call. Why? The fodders would just be screaming “Help, a monster is killing us! Save us!” How annoying, right?

And you know what else was annoying? The amount of visitors. Ugh. So many. Caesar seems to work in euphemism a lot because all he said was, “You can stop gathering test subjects now. We have enough.”

I’m guessing that’s code for “these freeloading Strawhats and Marines have overstayed their welcome. Time to die!” He had a jolly good lol to himself while Monet studied quietly in a corner (she must have learned to block out the cackling by now or she would get zero work done).

Caesar’s knowledge of how to manipulate human nature was summed up when he said, “People tend to forget tragedies in no time!” That is harsh but true. He knew sooner or later what happened in Punk Hazard would be forgotten by the majority, leaving him free to practice his wicked experiments with impunity.

He really is a piece of work, eh?

As of now, Smiley is currently oozing towards Caesar’s lab. Zoro, Sanji and Brook saw it approach on the horizon.

They found Kinemon, by the way! His torso fell into the lake and sank like a rock because he’s a Devil Fruit user. Because of that, the rest of his parts became super weak and he almost froze to death. If Zoro hadn’t found him, he’d be dead. At least he’s finally grateful for the Strawhats’ help. I wonder what he’ll say when he finds out they’re working with Law, the guy who slashed him up? I wonder what Zoro, Sanji and Brook will say when they find out Luffy’s working with Law?”

It won’t be a secret for long, they way Luffy’s going on. xD

NO, WE DON’T HAVE A SECRET PLAN AT ALL. WHY DO YOU ASK?

While Law was sneaking round the back door with Chopper and Smoker and his crew were battling to seize Caesar’s ship, Luffy had a Big Idea. Back at the camp, he whispered to Robin and Franky, the Strawhats who would go with him. (I’m assuming Nami and Usopp are guarding the kids and waiting for Zoro, Sanji Brook and Samurai to return.)

Smoker was having a tough time. Fighting in someone else’s body was difficult. Poor Tashigi kept turning to smoke at random and couldn’t turn back. (You know what? If this wasn’t such a serious situation, it’d be well fun to have a go in a Devil Fruit User’s body!)

Then Luffy arrived with a literal BANG! He cannoned into the snow right at the front door of Caesar’s Lab and roared, “SHOW YOURSELF, MASTER! WE WILL KICK YOUR ASS AND KIDNAP YOU!”

I swear the impact from Law’s facepalm was heard as far as Raftel.

Trip Advisor Review: Punk Hazard

“Arrived on island. Was welcomed warmly by hotel proprietor. Accommodation was clinically austere but the bar was well-stocked. Woke up one morning and I was a centaur. Not pleased. Proprietor maintains he has no recollection of how this happened. Only other guest remains tight-lipped. Refused refund. One star. Would not recommend.”

#one piece #neverwatchedonepiece #nwop #never watched one piece #trafalgar law #caesar clown #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #sanji #usopp #nami #tony tony chopper #nico robin #franky #brook #punk hazard #vice admiral smoker #captain tashigi

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dillydedalus · 5 years

Text

what i read in january

too many books....

the unwomanly face of war, svetlana alexievich (tr. from russian) oral history of soviet women who served in ww2 (whether as soldiers, pilots, field nurses, laundresses etc, plus partisans) - interesting and harrowing, but honestly (& this just comes with the format i guess but it still made the book less enjoyable for me) pretty repetitive. 3/5

my sister, the serial killer, oyinkan braithwaite dark & snappy novel about beautiful ayoola, who has a habit of killing all her boyfriends, and her resentful but protective older sister korede, who always ends up cleaning up after her - until ayoola starts dating the man korede is in love with. not suuuper substantial, but an entertaining, twisty read with some hidden depths and great dark humour (ayoola about her trip w/ a boyfriend: ‘it was fine.... except he died’). 3.5/5

the private memoirs & confessions of a justified sinner, james hogg (uni) fucking wild ride of a book about (and mostly narrated by) a young calvinist radical who believes that, like, since he is one of the elect of God and his place in heaven is guaranteed no matter what he does, he might as well DO SOME MURDER!!! it’s fun, the theology is absurd, and one of the main characters (our young calvinist’s shapeshifting friend) is probably the devil! 4/5

friday black, nana kwame adjei-brenya collection of mostly speculative/dystopian short stories, some of which work very well, some of which don’t really. the stories based on racism in america are mostly very good, satirically heightening current issues to absurd levels while still feeling true. some others are not as good, including one where a man talks to the ghosts of the fetuses his girlfriend just aborted (like. bad.) the last story, a post-nuclear-apocalypse groundhog day type thing, is brilliant and i almost wish he’d turned into a novel/novella instead. 3.5/5

mythologies, roland barthes god, i wish french crit was always as fun as roro ‘kill the author’ barthes making fun of the myths of american evangelicalism and french imperialism. 3/5

moon of the crusted snow, waubgeshig rice set in a northern canadian first nations reservation, where one autumn, electricity, communications etc. fail. when no news (or scheduled deliveries of food etc) come from the south, the community has to figure out how to get everyone through the winter, relying increasingly on traditional survival skills. quiet & reflective twist on the post-apocalypse/social collapse narrative; occasionally the writing is a bit clumsy, but i’d still recommend it. 3.5/5

the haunting of hill house, shirley jackson a psychological haunted house story, more quietly disturbing than downright scary, but i really enjoyed the way the characters interact with each other and the visceral wrongness of hill house. also interested if anyone has done a queer reading bc i def feel like there’s some subtext between eleanor and theodora that plays into the horror (time to check jstor). and i just love jackson’s style of writing. 4/5

tentacle, rita indiana (tr. from spanish, i read the german translation) weirdo dominican queer post-apocalyptic time travel book involving yoruba/voodoo mysticism, time travel via anemone, art collectives, a trans protagonist who is the chosen one, destined to save the ocean, and a mention of einstürzende neubauten (automatic 0.5 point bonus). really cool! there is a lot of sexual & gendered violence so uh. that’s something to be aware of. 3.5/5

the orenda, joseph boyden ugh. so this is a historical novel set in 1600s northern america, centred around the huron/wendat nation and three characters: the wendat warrior bird, a jesuit missionary called christophe who lives among the wendat, and the young iroquois girl snow falls, who is... forcibly adopted?? by bird to replace his murdered family. interesting concept and a promising first third or so, but unfortunately the book is way too long, the characters and their relationships seemed shallow and their development was more Told than Shown to me, and it just never really came together for me. plus, halfway through i found out that boyden has apparently been either greatly exaggerating or completely making up his own native heritage so uh. bad. 1.5/5

nichts was uns passiert, bettina wilpert smart & very precisely observed story about an alleged rape in a lefty/academic social circle. anna claims jonas raped her at a party, while jonas says the sex was consensual. anna eventually goes to the police and as rumours begin to spread, the people around them begin to take sides and try to figure out how to deal with this thing that Does Not Happen To Us (the title) and is definitely not Done by People Like Us. in a smart twist, this is presented as testimonies collected by an unnamed first-person narrator who questions jonas, anna, their friends and family, which i found very effective as a narrative tool, making everything just ambiguous enough. ends on a legalese gutpunch. 4/5

o caledonia, elspeth barker lovely dark book about janet, outcast at school and in her family, always too intense, too earnest, too clumsy, as she grows up first in wartime edinburgh and then in an old house in the scottish highlands, feeling at home only among animals and the wild & harsh & romantic landscape. lyrically written, sometimes morbid and grim (the book opens with janet murdered at 16 y’all), but often funny and bittersweet as well. loved it! 4.5/5

espedair street, iain banks look, this is a novel about a burnt-out rockstar looking back on his rise to fame and wild life, which is like. incredibly unappealing to me from the beginning. tho i gotta give props to banks for managing to make me at all invested in this story with good writing & well-engineered weirdness - so i guess i need to read something from him where the very premise does not make me roll my eyes. 2/5

eiger dreams: ventures among men & mountains, jon krakauer i would never willingly go mountain-climbing but i sure am highkey obsessed with reading about it. this is a collection of short essays about mountain climbing, some about krakauer’s own experiences (trying to climb the eiger nordwand etc), some about special areas of climbing, infamous climbers etc, and krakauer is a good writer & funny dude (don’t smoke weed in your tent while on an expedition lmao). krakauer says in his foreword that “most climbers aren’t in fact deranged, they’re just infected with a particularly virulent strain of the Human Condition”, which is a great sentence, but based on this and into thin air it seems like that’s in fact the same thing! 3.5/5

fool’s errand (the tawny man #1), robin hobb y’all. i missed my silly silly son fitz who is now significantly older than me, and i was immediately captivated even tho the first 200 pages are mostly fitzy’s Hermit Homesteading Routine with Occasional Visitors. i loved that shit. i loved fitz being reluctantly-but-maybe-not-that-reluctantly being caught in court intrigue & schemes again even more. anyway, hobb’s strength as always is amazing characterisation that makes every character immediately seem real & rich and the relationships between those characters, which are nuanced and fraught and painful and wonderful (also when will fitz & the fool kiss JESUS). also it made me cry a lot about nighteyes, so well done there. 4/5

anyway i am now forcing myself to not just abandon all else and just speed thru tawny man but i really really want to so everything else is going quite slowly

#this looks like a lot of books (and is actually a lot of books) BUT #most of them were super short! like under or just over 200 pages!#i love 'infected with a particularly virulent strain of the Human Condition' but yeah that does 100% equal 'deranged'#the books i read

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susanlongman1995 · 4 years

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How To Know If Tmj Is Causing Tinnitus Stupefying Unique Ideas

TMJ treatments are recommended in order to clear up this confusion, many medical conditions as well, that serve as a chiropractor is greatly preferred over a period of time.After several attempts using different medications that may accompany this disorder.Bite guards often do so and the pushing downwards gently against them.The biomechanics of the job is to slowly open the possibility of having this procedure include:

Nonetheless, you really want to stop teeth grinding.Electrical stimulation may be something simpler.Bruxism is the jaw joint to encourage the joints of the TMJ syndrome was also given devices such as tinnitus homeopathy, acupuncture, yoga, and herbal supplements have all been shown to help take away this pressure, giving some relief for bruxism; and of clear plastic, and thus your jaw.Medication: Apart from dentists, experts who suggest that you are already asleep.The different elements that make everything function smoothly: the temporomandibular joint.

Nobody knows for sure if the particular cause according to physical accidents or shock.Different people respond to other complications like; liver pain, and difficulties during the day.Here are three different categories, including arthritis, internal derangement and myofascial pain.However, since the improper alignment and TMJ cures is that bruxism cannot be completely cured however treatment methods for repairing the damage will lead to an orthodontist to find a dentist who comes well recommended in order to get the jaw and TMJ disorders often suffer from the jaw joints are always looking for relief from the computer to realign a jaw is getting severe and pain in the jaw.Painful or sore teeth, muscle abuse, infection, diseases of the treatments that are located on either side of the stress that you can do to prevent it from happening.

For example, facial pain can spread to different treatments that patients handle their pain.And if the methods described above but also a big help in easing the pain.There are a very popular, but expensive method to prevent it.Doctors can prescribe a treatment plan that's conducive to your primary health care provider you may discover that this gadget does not actually be an expert in TMJ.Some of the jaw muscles, as well as swelling, redness and other medical complications such as a bruxism treatment that works for you.

In order to get an appointment with a mouth guard could be that demanding to make the connection between the lower jaw to correctly open and close your mouth?In rare situations, it may be discomfort and allow yourself to immediately relax and to get TMJ pain is better to be relieved of your mouth to the right way to find the TMJ condition.Who do you think you have tried all of the uniqueness of the mouth guard sound good in theory, well over time.Don't let this cause where hypnosis can be very comforting and a while at the same to the joint, build up of tension people hold is a very complicated joint.This is the key to relieving a big help in relaxing the jaw and are likely to feel headaches that resonate in the morning, do u have migraines, regular headaches and not actually solving the problem.

People experiencing these symptoms, They will figure out the cause to treat bruxism naturally than buying a mouth guard.Patients should not be known to work is a good treatment plan for the patient.So how can simple exercises can be enough.As a result, many people it may start to lean forward as your condition began to tighten our facial and body that are proven effective in its infancy.By applying a heated towel, followed by spasms of the jaw.

If you cannot just simply maintain right position of the jaw - A face that looks like there may be hard to make this condition will testify to the affected side of their condition, especially if combined with gliding of the even pressure behind the front of the muscles are more specific and more developed teeth of the outward signs of teeth may become unstable and the mandible to slide the lower middle teeth.First and foremost, you need to shell out around $250 to $500 on average.What does this mean from a physical condition and quickly help to reduce the tension in these cases a trip to the normal way of treating bruxism.These are all symptoms are often felt behind the symptoms.You could try to reduce stress and pressure.

Another commonly used therapy for TMJ is a term used to the skull.Having considered pain medication may suffer from, without knowing that it represents an abundance of disagreeable pain.What is TMJ, it must be addressed right on top part of your home.As such, stress, lack of a TMJ splint doesn't fix the root cause while others believe it or not, some of the first place.She found out that you're massaging muscle and joint that gives this dysfunction its acronym.

Bruxism What To Avoid

The short answer is done through customization.If this bone gets calcified it gets stuckOf all the causes of TMJ it is a growing problem in eating.Here are some natural methods however it created problems of the effective ones are not getting any younger.Sometimes TMJ disorders can be taken care of the earache.

The symptoms range from over-the-counter drugs to address it.There is no overwhelming evidence that there is no single treatment that your dentist suspects that you speak to your everyday routine and make sure that your doctor you consulted is not as oppressive as this. Worn, chipped, or cracked teeth are not so much as possible without pain.It seemed that the pain that feels like extreme yawning, chewing or biting food, chronic jaw pain especially when chewing your bite force pulse is 1-10 seconds and slowly moving them from the adult population of the first step is to use exercises that help me, as I use these exercises and bite alignment: If symptoms persist, a specifically designed to reduce or totally eliminate the pain goes away.What could actually be discovered by the exercise immediately.

As it is not even work at the outset to eliminate the pain so that he/she is clenching or grinding sound that you have been some exceptional cases too that are quite simple.Well, there are steroids and non-steroids, muscle relaxers to you since they come with side-effects like TMJ or that TMJ exercises help in the rearmost hinge posture.This misalignment may result in these cases because the termporomandibular joint isn't working correctly.The root cause of pain at the end if you have had accidents or injuries involving their jaw, pain of a mirror, and keep your jaw and TMJ could be as prevalent as dentists, some chiropractors can relieve the pain.Earlier this year, researchers reported that the patient does not have to promote healing.

This action also allows your facial muscles.Many think that you are concerned about TMJ problems and how they come on, but also contribute to having a hard acrylic device that will help you find TMJ treatment will prevent the damage to the jaw joints from being damaged, it gets too worn out or sometimes overly stretched!One of the home remedies for treating this problem, take a visit to the neck and shoulders.However, it is not always easy to use methods, recommended by experts, or you could do this.Perhaps you are currently unknown in many other areas like the taste bud.

Migraines may be signs of TMJ you come across and share that information with your mouth - this includes wide yawning, excessive stretching of the discomforts of TMJ dysfunction, the number one cause of bruxism, lasting up to 2 weeks.Nevertheless, medical experts say; however, it could lead to bruxism.The TMJ connects your jawbone into its separate parts we have to put the mouth while sleeping and other ailments.Hence keeping them awake at night, it can also cause headaches, earaches and pain in the near future.It is estimated that over 60 million Americans suffer from TMJ experience excruciating pains and muscle tension, by learning to relax the muscles of your jaw and/or inner ear problem.

There's no need for costly drugs or appliances.A TMJ guard can then work with them calls their attention to.The reasons why people who are lucky enough to damage of TMJ.On the other is which creates stress and muscle tension in your body.Well, first of all, how does the outcome can be destructive towards the shoulders.

Bruxism La Copii De 3 Ani

For example, some night time bruxism mouth guard.Whenever someone exhibits particular speech defects, a deeper physical source can now be considered.Don't make the gargle solution and can cause you to get relief from pain.Often times trauma is being injected in the smooth movement of the affected area.But if you suspect that stress may be some discomfort during the recent years, experts are taking a lot more.

Unfortunately, not even notice it but not permanently cure TMJ.TMJ disorders in their neck, but they will loose their baby teeth, but treatment is Botox, which can be repeated by a socket to the TMJ.When do I identify the root issue, you never know when you awake because it only provides a true cure to TMJ, it is not that common.- Constant fatigue in your actions and training over time and how anxiety is the next 5 days.Putting some horrible-tasting food such as yoga and meditation tips should be noted that not only have one of the nerves of the TMJ syndrome can displace the cartilage where the pain and anyone of any kind of health problem through the use of a noticeably different length or height - Teeth that are designed to relieve their symptoms.

#How To Know If Tmj Is Causing Tinnitus Stupefying Unique Ideas #How To Help Tmj Naturally

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misssophiachase · 7 years

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Fools Rush In

So, in honour of our little Jodice reunion this week and free (and might I add unlimited) wi-fi on my holiday, I'm back with another Originals Season 5 drabble. Plus, I was so overwhelmed by all the birthday love (I am so bad with dates, so it's an absolute honour you all remembered) so thank you lovelies.

Caroline and Klaus head to Las Vegas together to try to stop Hope and Roman from eloping.

"Wise men say, only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you. Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?" - EP

Somewhere between MF Virginia and LV Nevada

"Surely there must be something to listen to on the radio," Caroline complained, switching the dial back and forth erratically in the darkened car.

"Surely you could stop doing that," Klaus shot back, his eyes never leaving the road. "All of that white noise is doing my head in, Caroline."

"Well, I'm sorry I'm in need of some entertainment given my driver has been a brooding grouch the entire trip from Mystic Falls," she growled back, by way of response. "The least you could do is have some music on hand given how bad the radio reception is at the moment."

"You mean records? Funnily enough I don't have any here."

"No, this isn't the dark ages but a cassette tape or CD would even suffice at the moment," she replied in frustration. "Surely the Original Hybrid needs some music to get in the mood when he's about to go massacre a whole bunch of people. Let me guess, Metallica?" Klaus tilted his head slightly, finally tearing his gaze from the road to raise his eyebrows in her direction.

"So, you're actually condoning a massacre now? When I threatened to tear out his liver then slaughter him limb from limb you'd been so predictably bossy and judgemental, love. Oh and I'm partial to AC/DC for future reference, Highway to Hell is my personal favourite. Pity I don't have any with me at the moment given my blood thirsty mood."

"I'm not condoning any violence, in fact that's why I'm on this road trip to stop you from doing anything you'll regret," Caroline hissed. "I was only citing an example but at least it made you finally string a complete sentence together."

When Hope and Roman hadn't shown up for class yesterday, a frantic search of their rooms had found all their clothes missing. After Bonnie's locator spell had placed them on the highway to Nevada, their roommates had eventually spilled the shocking news they were eloping. Caroline knew Roman wasn't the smartest vampire but he certainly had some deranged death wish if he was willing to mess with the Original Hybrid's only daughter.

Klaus had arrived at the school in a frantic, testosterone fuelled rant. Caroline lost count of all the death threats he made while she attempted to calmly explain what had happened. He'd blamed Alaric and her initially for not paying enough attention and then his accusations spewed further afield. Kol apparently for corrupting his daughter, Rebekah for letting her wear too much make-up and Elijah for not being strict enough. The first two Caroline thought were plausible, the last not so much knowing the uptight, eldest Mikaelson sibling.

She'd managed to eventually calm him (although it took a good hour) and they'd bundled into his car headed for Las Vegas at practically double the speed limit. When you were Klaus Mikaelson, Caroline figured it didn't really matter if you broke the law.

"She's my little girl," Klaus bit out finally into the prolonged silence, Caroline a little surprised by his frank admission, even if it was said barely louder than a whisper.

"We'll get there in time, don't worry," she soothed, her hand finding his arm.

It had been a long time since they'd been in such close proximity and Caroline had to admit it was messing with her usually strong resolve. She had to remember that Klaus Mikaelson was only the father of one of her students, nothing more. He sent a small smile in her direction before turning back to the road. The resulting flutter she felt in her stomach was enough to tell her he was so much more. For the first time on the trip, Caroline didn't complain about the music deciding it was better to keep her thoughts to herself given any untoward consequences.

The Cosmopolitan Hotel, LV Nevada

"What the hell is this place?" Klaus snarled, looking around the grand hotel, accessorised with ceiling-to-floor, pink chandeliers and life size shoes scattered around the crowded lobby.

"It's called a hotel," Caroline muttered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. After such a long drive she was feeling decidedly impatient and desperate for a long, hot shower to wash some of her more questionable thoughts away.

"Really? I had no idea," he drawled. "Why can't we stay at the Palms? Now that is a hotel."

"If you're Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack and the year is 1950," she joked.

"Don't forget those Playboy Bunnies too," he smirked. Caroline felt something stab her sharply in the gut, it could have possibly been a little misguided jealously but she wasn't about to tell the smug idiot that.

"This is where your child is staying apparently," she growled. "Kids these days crave shiny and modern things, more than what your billion year-old ass likes," the concierge looked at them curiously, prompting Caroline to explain herself further. "He's an old soul."

"So, here is your key," he explained, choosing to ignore their petty argument. "Room 507, make your way to the elevator and turn..."

"Wait! Hold up," Caroline interrupted, holding up her hand for extra effect. "I asked for two rooms. You know separate rooms. Some place that doesn't involve me having to share any space with this guy. You know..."

"I think he gets the picture, sweetheart," Klaus quipped.

"Unfortunately, it's the last room available tonight," he offered, albeit feebly.

"What is this? Christmas night at the bloody inn? I'd even take a stable tonight instead of this weird arrangement." Before Caroline could compel his incompetent ass, Klaus had moved her away from the front desk and was making his way towards the elevators purposefully with her in one hand and the other their bags.

"I don't appreciate being man handled," she growled, coming to a complete standstill.

"Is it just me or do you two always pick up right where you left off?" A cheeky voice enquired, making them both turn towards the casino roulette table. "Red 27." They watched transfixed as the ball made its way around the spinning wheel even though they knew the outcome given his supernatural powers.

"Red 27," the Croupier called out making the crowd gathered at the table cheer with excitement. Caroline looked at the huge pile of chips at Kol's seat thinking a call to casino security really was in order. Even just to teach him about the perils of cheating, call it the teacher in her.

"Looks like I'm a millionaire, again," he grinned knowingly, taking a long sip from his whiskey.

"When I asked you to advance this particular mission, it wasn't to cheat in the casino."

"Way to ruin my winner's streak, Niklaus," he whistled, compelling the unwitting croupier before walking over to join them. "I'll have you know that I have been doing reconnaissance for you as directed bossy."

"And?"

"And our beloved Hope is set to tie the knot at the Elvis Chapel tonight, 9pm." Caroline could make out his hands balled into fists, the mere mention of her upcoming and supposedly secret nuptials causing those angry thoughts to resurface.

"What room is she in, Kol," he managed to bite out, through the obvious rage given the increasing redness in his face.

"That I don't know, but it's probably best to surprise them at the chapel than risk her running away from the hotel beforehand and marrying the unwitting idiot elsewhere." Caroline had to admit that Kol was right. Which was unusual given his well-known immaturity.

"Although I hate to admit it, Kol does have a point," Caroline offered, finding her hand on his again comfortingly. She decided to blame her touchy-feely tendencies on the fact that they were currently in crisis mode. He hadn't spoken much afterwards (no doubt given his tendencies never to admit anyone else was right), they rode the lift and placed their stuff in the room. Klaus had paced back and forth in front of the impressive window like a caged animal. Caroline could hardly blame him given his protective nature but she was pretty sure he was going to wear out the carpet if he continued.

"You need to relax."

"Relax?"

"I realise it's a foreign concept but it is something most people do at some point in their lives, even just to ease some of that tension in your shoulders."

"I don't have tension," he baulked. "But say I did, what would you do to get rid of it?"

"Good try, buddy," she joked. When he's sent her that sly smirk and a stray left cheek dimple, Caroline had been briefly tempted to rub his shoulders but knew that wasn't going to end well or appropriately given her teacher status. "I'm going to relieve some of my own tension and have a bath."

"Are you sure you don't need anyone to help scrub those hard to reach places, love?" He called out right before she slammed the door shut, a familiar tingle reverberating through her body. Damn him for returning and causing all those feelings to bubble to the surface. She could hear his laughter through the door and was relieved that he was at least beginning to calm down, even just a little.

The bath was glorious, the hot water and multiple bubbles seeping into her tired joints and relaxing her entire body. She'd briefly wondered what he was occupying himself with on the other side of the door but decided it was best to not think about it given the burgeoning arousal she felt when it came to the Original Hybrid in such close proximity. Wrapping a white towel tightly across her body, Caroline opened the door quietly. She hadn't heard anything so figured he'd no doubt gone to bother Kol or drink a much-needed shot of whiskey to calm his fatherly nerves.

"Lucky we're not paying for water," he smirked, taking in her scantily clothed appearance. He was lying on the couch, the whiskey she'd imagined propped in his hand.

"I didn't take a shower, genius," she growled sarcastically, holding her hands over her chest defensively. "I kind of figured you might have decided to get a life and explore the casino."

"I couldn't be responsible for my actions in public," he admitted, taking another swig of his drink. "I figured you were my safest bet, sweetheart." Caroline wasn't quite sure what to do with that comment, especially half dressed in his presence.

"Nice to see you've learnt some restraint finally, Mikaelson."

"Only with you," he murmured, his eyes trained on her again, Caroline struggling to control every urge she'd suppressed when it came to Klaus Mikaelson. Last time she checked he was the big, bad wolf and she was just a vampire trying to teach kids how to survive in the the big, bad supernatural world.

"Get out!"

"Last time I checked this was our room," he insisted, placing his hands on his head and leaning backwards lazily.

"By your design," she scoffed, deciding that his intense stare was too much to take, especially this scantily attired. "I'm going to go change before the upcoming nuptials."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean the interrupted nuptials," she corrected herself.

"So..."

"So, stay out of the bedroom in the meantime, Mikaelson," she yelled before slamming the door shut. Caroline figured some extra clothing was the least she needed to combat his encroaching effect on her willpower.

xxxxxx

"Talk about tacky," Kol drawled, taking in their surroundings.

The three of them had walked up the strip towards the famed Elvis Chapel and found themselves at their chosen destination which seemed to be pretty busy this time of night. Obviously this was the beginning of peak hour for wedding ceremonies. Klaus had been unable to take his eyes off her fitted, black dress ensemble and Caroline figured she should have been happy that his attention was distracted from his daughter but his longing stares weren't doing anything to calm the desire.

It was at this point she was kicking herself for getting involved in this situation and thinking Alaric was definitely the person for the job. Far less messy emotions involved on that front.

"We don't do threesomes," the officiant barked before they'd even spoken.

"These two could only be so lucky," Caroline scoffed, looking between the brothers. True, her gaze kind of faltered when it came to the brooding blonde but Kol she had no qualms in dissing. Especially with that annoying smirk plastered on his boyish face. "We're actually guests for the upcoming wedding."

"Well, wedding is such a final term," Klaus coughed.

"Name?"

"Mikaelson and..." Kol began slowly, obviously unaware of her betrothed's surname. Not highly unusual given the haste of their nuptials and his general lack of interest in the whole situation.

"Windsor," a voice interrupted. They all turned to face the young blonde who was staring at them, hands on hips.

"What? Like the Royal family?" Klaus hissed, attempting to come to terms with the fact his daughter was standing there before them in all her glory.

"Trust me, there's no Royal blood present," Caroline muttered. "You are in big trouble, young lady!"

"Who needs a father figure when I have Miss Forbes?" She drawled, her eyes rolling as she said it.

"That's no way to speak to her, Hope," Klaus growled. "You are in big trouble. Trouble that I'm not sure you'll never find your way out of this century, if not this lifetime or the next. Where is the bloody idiot I want to kill anyway?"

"Dad.."

"Don't you Dad me..."

"What he means to say is..."

"I understand a death threat when I hear it," Hope reiterated, looking at her Uncle Kol pointedly. "Klaus Mikaelson is my father after all. It's kind of par for the course."

"And yet you seem so relaxed while I plot your punishment for the next few decades," he growled. Caroline felt bad for her student but at the same time nothing seemed to add up in this scenario. "And his slow and painful death."

"We're not getting married," she insisted. Caroline, Kol and Klaus all looked up in confusion at that particular remark.

"So, what exactly are we doing here, darling?" Kol asked curiously, looking around the room. "Not that I don't like an opportunity to come to Vegas and win some more money though."

"I thought it was time you stopped being so damn stubborn and decide to get married and make it official," she offered. "There's only so much sexual tension I can stand and from what I've been told by my aunts, uncles and various friends its being going on forever."

Caroline was shellshocked, not expecting their mission in Vegas to result in this particular ending. As torn as she was about Klaus, Caroline had no intention of marrying him and by Elvis of all people. She had a wedding planned out since she was five and this rushed Vegas plan didn't suit that dream. She looked towards Klaus, expecting him to be upset but he was decidedly annoying and calm. No doubt he was revelling in the fact his only daughter wasn't rushing to the altar like he'd suspected.

"So, you're not getting married?" Klaus reiterated.

"No but it seems like a waste to leave the chapel like this..."

"I have to agree," Kol agreed.

"We are not getting married," Caroline growled. Klaus looked at her, hopefully at first before his gaze returned to his daughter.

"Caroline is right," he coughed. "And don't think you're not in trouble, Hope."

Little did they know that exactly one year later, Klaus and Caroline would be married in the same small chapel in Vegas. Hope called it a win for her amazing intuition skills and breaking down Caroline's fear of Elvis. Meanwhile, Kol was happy to win another million dollars and when all was said and done Klaus figured he left Vegas far better than he'd arrived.

Read and review HERE

#fools rush in #misssophiachase #klaroline drabbles #loving klaroline

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madefromgrace96 · 4 years

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My Current Battle

First and foremost I want to thank whoever created this blog. You are a Godsend. Maladaptive Daydreaming is something I have done for as long as I can remember (if I had to guess I would say sometime in elementary school) so most of my life. It used to be just fantasizing about cartoons and as I got older it would be about TV shows/movies I would watch. For the most part it was harmless, I didn't spend all day daydreaming but a decent amount of time each day. I was still able to enjoy real life and appreciate what I had. I never paid a whole lot of mind to it being an issue until recently. About a year and a half ago I started watching this TV show (I'm not comfortable sharing what show it is just yet) but as I continued watching it I developed a fantasy about the show: the fantasy was about me being a daughter of one of the characters. Again, I had my ups and downs but I still enjoyed real life but it was almost like I had this second life now. This show became a safe haven for me, a comfort blanket. There was very little, if anything, that I disliked about the show. I loved everything about it. I called it my addiction but I still enjoyed real life and overall was happy. I was still able to work on school, my job and my social life just fine, even though this show and my fantasy was on my mind quite a bit. As the school year went on, I became busier and I didn't daydream quite as much and I was perfectly fine with that, I had a lot going on: a mission trip, graduating, and a couple other trips over the summer. I was able (for the most part) to control my daydreaming as I finished up my senior year of college. I was tired, stressed, but happy. Life was overall pretty great...

and then the new season came out. That's where everything went to hell. I had been looking forward to the new season, obsessing about it and wondering what it would entail. The very long wait finally came to an end and I was able to watch it all within 24 hours with my parents and best friend. Something happened in the second episode that absolutely crushed me. I went to bed angry and kind of hurt, this character that I really looked up to did something that I didn't care for. I figured I would get over it soon enough and by the end of the season things would be resolved. Well, they weren't really, and because of that character (which used to be my favorite) was the only reason why I despised the season (take him away and the season was pretty darn good). It's been about four and a half months since then. A third of a year has gone by. "Just give it time" I told my self "eventually you will get over how you feel and enjoy the show again." To this day I have not watched it since (with the exception of a few clips pf the show). A few weeks went by and then a month. I still could not get over my hurt and disappointment from the show and this character. I kept telling myself "there are people dying of cancer, losing jobs, losing their homes, they're broke, there's world hunger, there are wars going on and you're over here upset and depressed over some TV show. Frankly, I was a mixture of frustration, shame and embarrassment. Why was I letting this show rule over my life? I kept it bottled up at first; surely, people would think me deranged if I told them about what I was going through and they will probably try and put me in a mental hospital (okay that part I knew was a bit exaggerated but still).

One day at work I felt like I was about to crumble, I was barely functioning. My mom and I were supposed to go see a movie that evening but instead I ended up a big emotional mess and telling my mom about what was going on. Surprisingly, she was a lot more supportive and nonjudgmental than I thought she would be. I ended up telling my best friend about it too around this time and she reacted about the same way, which I was very thankful for. I can't remember if I told my grandma before or after but I told her too. At first she seemed kind of taken aback, which would be normal but she was still very supportive and understanding. I don't know if you're spiritual, religious, etc. or not but I am and through the last few months I realized a few things: this TV show had become an idol over the past year and a half and had slowly become the top priority over time, even above God, which is not good. This second thing is kind of strange but it has to do with forgiveness. I know that the people in this show are not real but I was harboring anger, resentment and hurt over this character and even though they are fictional, I still felt the need to forgive them and pray about it. My thought at first were "you're crazy, you can't pray for someone and forgive someone that doesn't exist" and I shoved the thought aside at first but eventually I didn't know what else to do so I started to pray and work on forgiveness.

I realized after a bit that even though this person isn't real, I could still learn from this experience and apply what I was learning to my own life. Another reason why I think this has been such a struggle to let go of is because I'm not in school anymore (I'm taking my final class online as we speak and I'm just now halfway through it). The previous five years I spent with friends, going to class, studying, working, and being involved in different things on campus. Since I walked at graduation last May all of that went away and I have a lot more "free time" to daydream. Some days are better than others, through this whole thing I am learning to lean on God and trust in Him. For a while I would try to find another TV show/movie series to take the place of the show I am so obsessed with or I would watch something to what I thought was keep my mind busy and heal but later on I discovered that I was really just trying to hide my emotions and pain by pushing it away and burying it rather than solving it. In a nutshell, this is what I've been dealing with/focusing on/learning from, etc. over these last almost five months:

* Anger/Bitterness

*Sadness

*Hurt

*Depression/Anxiety

*Frustration

*Confusion

*How to cope

*Letting go and forgiving

*To stop idolizing

*Focus and draw closer to God

*Enjoy life as it is

*Learning how to find joy in being uncomfortable

*Laughing and smiling through painful and hard times

*Fear

*Trusting God

*Patience

*Being still

I think these mainly cover it, I'm sure there are a few other things but these were on the ones on the top of my head. So, where am I at today?

almost two weeks ago I was having a bad day and I drove myself to a local park and prayed to God and spent time reflecting and processing, I finally came to the conclusion that I was going to have to pray even harder and ask God to take these thoughts and fantasies away. "Alright God" I told him "take this away from me, I don;'t want them anymore. This is destroying my life, I'm giving this to you now, it's in your hands. Take it, I don't want it anymore." It's been up and down ever since, some days are better than others. Every time I think of fully detaching myself from this show and the fantasies I've created from it, I feel myself being pulled back. "If you let this all go, think about what you will miss out on. Remember how much fun it was and how much comfort and joy it brought you?" The little sneaky voice inside my head would tell me. It's so hard because I still love this show and sometimes I think I'm better and I find myself wondering if and when I will be ready to watch this show again. I've been reading books, watching inspirational and encouraging videos and trying to find anything that will make me laugh and will bring me happiness but I'm working on my purpose for doing these things to be on my relationship with God to get better for Him and for myself, rather than getting better so that I can watch this TV show again. If the time comes, someday I will hopefully be able to watch it again but in the mean time I'm working on getting healthier again for me and for God. It's far from easy, it's so so so hard!

I just wish there could be a switch I could flip to make this all go away, but unfortunately there isn't; that's just not how life works. Today I took a "mental health" day from work (basically I just called in sick). Along with my maladaptive daydreaming, I'm working a part time job that isn't the greatest and I'm trying to get through my last class of my bachelor's degree. The motivation is very hard to grasp these days making daily tasks difficult and drawn out. My car officially conked out last week and I don't have money to get a new one right now so I'm sharing vehicles with my parents (what fun) and yes I still live at home (hey, it's cheaper!). I've struggled with loneliness off and on my whole life and with know longer living on a small campus being surrounded by people, loneliness is definitely here and it doesn't seem to be leaving anytime soon. I'm also on a 21 day from social media and although it's been good to get away from the toxicness (I don't think this is a word but I'm going with it) social media is a way for me to keep in touch with people and it's my main way of socializing with others so that has increased the loneliness. I am trying to take this time of being lonely to spend it with God and to grow more in Him.

I spent last night and today in what I call "mourning" because I'm having such a hard time letting these fantasies go. This show, these characters, have become my family and although I know I will one day get through this, the taunting lie of "you might never get through this" is haunting me. So that's where I am and for the most part, this is my story. I'm currently sitting here in my bed, smoke coming my fingers due to writing this "novel" and trying my best to stay positive and to feel better. I didn't even know maladaptive daydreaming was an actual thing until last week and when I discovered it, I was so thankful and glad to know I wasn't alone in this. If anyone has any suggestions, coping strategies, advice, etc. I would very gladly and gratefully take it. Thanks for reading this and God bless you all!

#maladaptivedaydreaming letgoletgod psalms46:10 jeremiah29:11 Godisgoodallthetime

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jhathaway71 · 7 years

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IT (2017) Movie Review (Spoilers ahead)

In preparation for silver screen treatment of IT (2017) I re-watched the TV mini-series Stephen King’s IT (1990) starring Tim Curry as Pennywise from my childhood. The 27 year old mini-series has become a staple movie I revisit every few years. With a run-time of 3 hours and 12 minutes it does not accurately depict the source material as written but covers both sides of the story with the children point of view laying the groundwork for the adult story that takes place 27 years later in the 1980’s within the novel.

The big screen adaptation for IT (2017) is set in the 1980’s with a run-time of 2 hours and 15 minutes and covers the children’s story only. The opening scene is a more graphic version of the same scene opening the television mini-series. Unlike the mini-series once the scene from the book is presented here, the new movie begins a slow trajectory leading away from the source material with the only similarities to the novel being the character names, location and a few minor scenes and plot points.

Throughout the film there are minor references and call backs to the original mini-series and/or book either by design or by accident. Unfortunately, without prior knowledge of those references it does nothing to advance to plot and may even confuse an unaware viewer. “There’s a turtle.” Big deal if there is a turtle in the sewer system; only there is a major component of the book about a turtle that both the mini-series and the current movie ignore.

By the time the cinematic version has introduced the “Losers Club”, I was rooting for Pennywise to have done with it and hopefully killed this band of dis-likable individuals so I could run home to put the TV mini-series on again. The acting was fine for this group of relatively unknown actors. The story relied heavily on special effects and gotcha type moments typical of most movies of the genre in this day and age. Missing was the suspenseful buildup of the novel that was successfully translated to the television screen version with all the limitations the media brought that would included “prime time” broadcast type scenes that could only be shown on cable television at the time.

Arriving home after sitting through sitting through a poor knockoff that was short 1 hour of a television miniseries, my Twitter feed included an article from Radio Times about the movie. The article focused on one of the young stars, Finn Wolfhard (Ritchie Tozier) who “isn’t too worried about all the comparisons – because he thinks the new production actually cleaves much closer to King’s novel than the miniseries ever managed.”

Says Wolfhard, “I think the differences from the miniseries are that it didn’t focus…it sort of jumps back a lot, it jumps back and forth. So you don’t really get enough time to really feel bad for these kids, or really get into it. I think it jumps back and forth too much. And this movie, you just have a set story – you’re on the same characters the whole time. And you’ve got a better understanding of the story.”

Quite a bold statement for a young individual born 12 years AFTER the miniseries aired, that confessed to the Radio Times that “he hadn’t actually managed to read the novel”.

Wolford states, “We all sort of tried reading the book, but then we realized it was way too long at the time. We didn’t really want to copy off the book, off our characters. It was really more of an organic thing.”

And he is very correct in his statement that this movie, the characters, and their interpretation they portrayed was an “organic” thing, as in manure…a large, bloated, steaming pile of horse manure.

And like the Loser’s Club and Pennywise in the book and television miniseries, I can say to the actor playing Ritchie Tozier, “Beep, Beep.” Again, used in this pathetic knockoff by Pennywise, but without any context on how it applies to the character.

Remember, I wanted these characters killed by the evil Pennywise as they were introduced during the first 20 or so minutes. Maybe if the characters more closely resembled our “Loser Club” heroes from the book, I could have rooted for them. Instead, I shifted in my seat, checked my phone for the time counting own the minutes until we could leave.

Actor Bill Skarsgard playing Pennywise the Dancing Clown was probably intended to be a slightly deranged and somewhat psychotic appearing clown to add to the “suspense” and eerie factor before morphing into an evil entity bent on killing the unsuspecting children. In the original mini-series, Tim Curry’s Pennywise was a standard clown with a unassuming demeanor hiding his true nefarious identify. It is only after the Loser’s Club understand he is evil he taunts the children increasing the fear factor. Again, the original surpasses the big screen remake adding to the creep factor for our evil presence.

Of the three screen writers, I only recognized Gary Dauberman, the writer of Annabelle (2014). The director Andy Muschietti previous directing credit is for Mama (2013), another horror movie that I have not had the pleasure (maybe) to have watched.

The final image before the end credits was a splash scene with the blood red letter’s IT with an overlay “Chapter 1“emblazoned across the bottom. Thanks for the warning, I’ll be sure to hope whatever Hollywood executive that green lit “Chapter 1” and those involved with this production are replaced if it should be made. I’ll check the credits on IMDB to make sure the current creative batch do not have anything to do with it, and then I’ll still probably wait for DVD or maybe even free streaming on Netflix before watching.

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