#Universal Exposition

[rabbitcruiser]

The Eiffel Tower was officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris on May 6, 1889.

[phoenixkaptain]

Really all three of the Sonic movies are a masterclass in making films geared towards fans while still creating new stories, but Sonic 3 especially because like. They listened! The fans said “we don’t like all these human parts” and the movie went “alright” and there are almost no scenes starring solely the human characters. Even in scenes prominently featuring them, Sonic and friends either show up (making the scene no longer solely focused on humans) or they’re focused in some way on what Sonic’s doing. Like damn man, they really… Listened? And accepted the criticism they received?? And improved??? And they even technically made the wedding subplot in 2 relevent to the plot????

I really liked the movie! Part of that is my fondness for Shadow, who I will never ever get over being the saddest little ultimate lifeform in the whole world. And movie Shadow really ticks all the boxes, I mean- the way he talks so stiltedly? The way he skates? The way he teleports? The fact that he doesn’t even initiate the majority of fights? The fluffiest little ultimate lifeform in ever, truly, 2024/10 for the year of Shadow-

I like this Shadow. The opening scene of him escaping is just beautiful. Him being all drenched filled me with an urge to blowdry him so he could puff up like a lil angry cat. He’s so legitimately awkward and confused watching the Eggmans that I watched his expression more than what either Robotnik was doing. He looks so confused! He’s over there like “somehow, the human has grown weirder with age… and here I thought humans were supposed to grow wiser…”

Also Maria’s face when Shadow gets sad because the movie they’re watching is called “Alien Freak” or whatever??? Beautiful, amazing, outstanding, give this lady an Oscar.

Sonic’s relationship with Shadow throughout the movie is so fun to watch progress. He just canNOT stand this guy!!! This new hedgehog who has definitely been around longer than him!!! Let Sonic be angy, it is so cute.

Tails and Knuckles are also very cute, though they feel a lot more sidelined. Which, I mean, literally every single character aside from Sonic, Shadow, and Robotnik have no character arc. And that’s fine! That’s good, even! Side characters don’t need to be focused on so intently! It only feels strange because Sonic 2 was so different in where it focused, but it isn’t a bad thing! Do I wish there was more Tails? Always. Do I think Knuckles was great just because he could have punched through the barrier really at any moment? Absolutely. I think the characters fit their roles in the movie very well.

All in all, I like Shadow. He is the saddest little ultimate hedgehog lifeform in the history of ever. He isn’t even all that angry for most of the movie. He’s just sad and lost and hopeless and it’s very depressing! Guy really tried to taunt his way into being killed, and I just think him trying to irritate Sonic into committing murder is funny, especially since it very nearly worked. Also, the scenes of Shadow jumpscaring everyone makes me assume that he has been jumpscaring people for years, which causes me to imagine that there were many occasions of GUN agents finding a Shadow where there was not a Shadow five seconds before. When did he get into the cupboard? How long has he been standing behind that door? Can we put a bell on the hedgehog, please, this is getting out of hand!

In my imagined future Shadow series where Shadow becomes friends with Sonic and pals, Maddie makes him wear a little bell so he stops giving everyone heart attacks. He still manages to give everyone heart attacks. I like to think they will occasionally wake up to find him standing at the foot of the bed ominously. Shadow is a eldritch cat monster, I’m pretty sure that was made canon-

Anyway. TLDR: 10/10 movie. The creators listened to the criticism they received on the second movie and made changes. Shadow was perfect. Sonic being taken off guard by Shadow will never not be funny, nor will their banter grow old. The dog has subtitles and I can only assume it’s because Knuckles and only Knuckles can understand him. Stone’s love was reciprocated in the very end. And yeah, I’m with the menacing hedgehog, Gabriella should have just killed Juan and Pablo both and been done with it.

[algebraic-dualist]

Universal Algebraic Geometry, Part 1

In this post I recall a number of basic ideas from universal algebra in order to start setting up a framework for studying the algebraic geometry of arbitrary algebraic objects.

For our purposes, an algebra is just a set equipped with some operations. We assume that the set of operations has been fixed. Given an algebra A alongside an operation ♡ we write ♡ᴬ for the definition of that operation on the algebra A, or just ♡ when ambiguity does not result. Our notion of a homomorphism is as follows:

Definition: A homomorphism f from an algebra A to an algebra B is a function f : A -> B such that for each n-ary operation ♡ alongside elements x₁, ..., xₙ ∈ A it follows that f(♡ᴬ(x₁, ..., xₙ)) = ♡ᴮ(f(x₁), ..., f(xₙ))

Kernels and Congruences

Definition: A congruence θ on an algebra A is an equivalence relation such that for any (x₁, y₁) ∈ θ, ..., (xₙ, yₙ) ∈ θ and n-ary operation ♡ it follows that (♡ᴬ(x₁, ..., xₙ), ♡ᴬ(y₁, ..., yₙ)) ∈ θ. We write Cgr(A) for the set of congruences on A.

Example: The maximal congruence ∇ on A is just A × A.

Example: The minimal congruence ∆ on A is just { (x, x) | x ∈ A }.

Example: Any arbitrary intersection of congruences on A is a congruence on A. In particular, we can form the intersection of all congruences on A containing any arbitrary subset R of A × A in order to obtain the minimum congruence containing R. In particular, choosing R to be the union of two congruences, we get a meet of congruences.

In the case of a group, it follows that (x, y) ∈ θ if and only if (x - y, 0) ∈ θ hence a congruence is completely determined by the set { x | (x, 0) ∈ θ }. In other words, by a normal subgroup. So congruences are just the data of a normal subgroup. Similar remarks apply to ideals of rings.

Kernels of homomorphisms are a particularly important source of congruences on algebras:

Definition: The kernel of a homomorphism f : A -> B is denoted by ker(f) and defined by setting ker(f) := { (x, y) | f(x) = f(y) }.

Lemma: Given a homomorphism f : A -> B it follows that ker(f) is a congruence on A. Proof:

Given x ∈ A it follows that f(x) = f(x) hence (x, x) ∈ ker(f).

Given x, y ∈ A such that (x, y) ∈ ker(f) it follows that f(x) = f(y), which is to say f(y) = f(x) hence (y, x) ∈ ker(f).

Given x, y, z ∈ A it such that (x, y) ∈ ker(f) and (y, z) ∈ ker(f) it follows that f(x) = f(y) = f(z) hence (x, z) ∈ ker(f).

Given (x₁, y₁) ∈ ker(f), ..., (xₙ, yₙ) ∈ ker(f) and n-ary operation ♡ it follows that f(xₖ) = f(yₖ) for each k, thus by the homomorphism property f(♡ᴬ(x₁, ..., xₙ)) = ♡ᴮ(f(x₁), ..., f(xₙ)) = ♡ᴮ(f(y₁), ..., f(yₙ)) = f(♡ᴬ(y₁, ..., yₙ)) showing that (♡ᴬ(x₁, ..., xₙ),♡ᴬ(y₁, ..., yₙ)) ∈ ker(f).

QED.

Theorem: Given a homomorphism f : A -> B alongside a congruence θ on B it follows that the preimage f*(θ) := { (x, y) ∈ A | (f(x), f(y)) ∈ θ } is a congruence on A. Proof: 1. Given x ∈ A, as θ is reflexive it follows that (f(x), f(x)) ∈ θ hence x ∈ f*(θ). 2. Given (x, y) ∈ f*(θ) it follows that (f(x), f(y)) ∈ θ. As θ is symmetric it follows that (f(y),f(x)) ∈ θ, thus (y, x) ∈ f*(θ). 3. Given (x,y) ∈ f*(θ) and (y,z) ∈ f*(θ) it follows that (f(x), f(y)) ∈ θ and (f(y), f(z)) ∈ θ. As θ is transitive it follows that (f(x), f(z)) ∈ θ hence (x, z) ∈ f*(θ). 4. Given (x₁, y₁) ∈ f*(θ), ..., (xₙ, yₙ) ∈ f*(θ) alongside an n-ary operator ♡ it follows that (f(x₁), f(y₁)) ∈ θ, ..., (f(xₙ), f(yₙ)) ∈ θ, hence as θ is a congruence (♡(f(x₁), ..., f(xₙ)), ♡(f(y₁), ..., f(yₙ))) ∈ θ. Being that f is a homomorphism, this means (f(♡(x₁, ..., xₙ)), f(♡(y₁, ..., yₙ))) ∈ θ showing that (♡(x₁, ..., xₙ), ♡(y₁, ..., yₙ)) ∈ f*(θ). QED.

Therefore, every homomorphism f : A -> B induces a map f* : Cgr(B) -> Cgr(A). In fact, congruences organise themselves into a lattice, and this map f* is a homomorphism of lattices. But for the moment, we will not worry about that.

Composite Kernel Lemma: Given homomorphisms f : A -> B and g : B -> C it follows that

ker(g ∘ f) = f*(ker(g)).

Proof:

Observe that (x, y) ∈ ker(g ∘ f) if and only if g(f(x)) = g(f(y)), which is the case if and only if (f(x), f(y)) ∈ ker(g), which is the case if and only if (x, y) ∈ f*(ker(g)).

QED. Corollary: ker(f) = f*(∆). Proof: ker(id ∘ f) = f*(ker(id)) = f*(∆). QED.

Quotients of Algebras

Given a congruence θ on an algebra A it is the possible to construct the quotient algebra A/θ whose elements are equivalence classes of elements of A under the congruence θ. Sending every element to its equivalence class under θ gives a homomorphism π : A -> A/θ which we refer to as the canonical projection of θ.

Theorem: Given a congruence θ on an algebra A it follows for every homomorphism f : A -> B with θ ⊆ ker(f) that there exists a unique injective morphism g : A/θ -> B such that f = g ∘ π.

Proof: Observe that π(x) = π(y) iff (x, y) ∈ θ, which as θ ⊆ ker(f) implies f(x) = f(y). Therefore, it is well-defined to construct g by setting g(π(x)) = f(x). One can check that this works. QED.

Homomorphism Theorem: Given a surjective homomorphism f : A -> B it follows that there exists an isomorphic g : A/ker(f) -> B such that g ∘ π = f.

Proof:

Applying the prior Theorem there exists a unique injective morphism g : A/ker(f) -> B such that g ∘ π = f. Observe that as f is surjective, it then follows that g is surjective.

QED.

Hereditary Classes of Algebras

Recall that the prime ideals 𝔭 of a ring R are exactly those ideals 𝔭 such that R/𝔭 is an integral domain. Notice that being an integral domain amounts to satisfying a universal axiom, namely xy = 0 implies x = 0 or y = 0. Hence, integral domains are closed under moving to subalgebras, and the property of being an integral domain is preserved by isomorphisms.

Definition: A class K of algebras is hereditary iff it is closed under subalgebras and isomorphisms. Given a universal class K we say that a congruence θ on an algebra A is a K-congruence iff the quotient algebra A/θ belongs to the class K.

Theorem: Given a hereditary class K alongside a homomorphism f : A -> B it follows for every K-congruence θ on B that f*(θ) is a K-congruence on A.

Proof:

Consider a homomorphism f : A -> B alongside a K-congruence θ on B. It follows that f*(θ) is a congruence on A, so it suffices to demonstrate that it is a K-congruence. Recalling our canonical projection π : B -> B/θ and our Composite Kernel Lemma, it follows that ker(π ∘ f) = f*(ker(π)) = f*(θ). Therefore, the morphism π ∘ f : A -> B/θ factorises through a unique injective morphism g : A/f*(θ) -> B/θ. This means that A/f*(θ) is isomorphic to a subalgebra of B/θ. As θ is a K-congruence it follows that B/θ belongs to K, which as K is a hereditary class then implies that A/f*(θ) belongs to K, so that f*(θ) is then a K-congruence.

QED.

Corollary: Preimages of prime ideals are prime ideals.

[starsandstarlight]

@soulgathered

Considering the way Loop's wish was granted, Siffrin couldn't exactly say he was surprised at how this one turned out. He honestly wasn't even sure if this one was possible - he didn't know what actually happened to Loop when they disappeared, after all.

But . . . Loop should get their happy ending, too. Perhaps, maybe, the Universe would be willing to make up for what it had done to them.

It took Siffrin a while to actually make the wish, after their experiences with their previous one, and the results of it was a possibility they figured could happen, but, if this was possible, and Loop returned home after helping, then Siffrin probably would, too. It'd be fine, wouldn't it? It'd hardly take long, already knowing how to break them.

. . . Unless Loop decided to be really difficult about not talking to their family.

He couldn't exactly say it was pleasant to be back in Dormont, though, even if it wasn't his own. He'd be fine. He'd be fine. It wasn't his loops to be stuck in this time. He wouldn't have to go through the House all over again. He could act for Loop as Loop acted for him.

Actually . . . didn't they say once, that if they were in Siffrin's position, they'd spend all their time in the House? Would he even be able to find them in the meadow? Would they even come to the Favor Tree? Or would helping Siffrin with his own loops change the way they acted with theirs?

They didn't know. But they knew two things: they had to find Loop, and, unless Loop gave them the okay, they could not let their - Loop's? - family see that there were two Siffrins. The Universe didn't change their body this time, after all, and that would be a lot to explain.

Hm. Siffrin looked at his hand. The easiest way to find Loop without letting the others see him would probably be . . .

He closed his first and extended his thumb and pinkie, then brought them to his face as he thought hard about talking to Loop.

". . . Loop?"

[betweenblackberrybranches]

Oh a tail! How are you feeling with it y/n? Is it normal occurrence for humans in fea realm?

How is the work? Did you have any time for yourself? Perhaps made some friends?

We didn't try to send you things in a while so I'm not sure if it's still working but I would like to offer you some gingermans, for homesickness darling

Well... aparently humans start becomming more and more fae like the longer they stay in the fae realm... the tail growing this fast is a side effect of the water i drank.... if i stay here indeffinetly ill become less and less human lookingthough i was told ill always smell human to actual fae...

The tail is actually pretty fun, helps me balance better after i figued it out, took me a few weeks though

The work is not too bad, king Eclipse mostly just sends me out on fetch quests, i definetly have enough time to just sit down in the grass or have fun with Sun or Moon, mostly if they are off duty but sometimes i annoy them at work...

But yea apart from Sun and Moon i didnt really make any friends

Sadly King Eclipse forbids me to take things from you voices unless its an emergency... you know after the trumpet disaster...

Now i should really get to picking the blueberries

[jesseisquick]

Ok so preliminary thoughts about Absolute Flash #3:

I wonder if there's a reason why these issues are consistently shorter than the other Absolute series? I love the idea of Wally gaining the courage to face the Rogues by being given someone else to stand up for (i.e Grodd) and I think it would lead quite naturally into his development as a hero, but the pacing is kind of all over the place. The connection between Wally and Grodd wasn't given room to breathe!!!! It seems like the first arc is over already in 3 issues where the Trinity had 5 or 6, and I feel like AF is worse off for it. Maybe now that the exposition is out of the way the story will settle into its rhythm.

[lennsart]

Hello everyone ! Does anyone remember this post ?

This wip has been rotting my brain slowly but surely for the past year and I never deemed it good enough to post... But sometimes, you just gotta take the plunge !

What could have been (playing out in front of you)

(as always, tumblr's link thing is mean to me)

This work is really important to me, and posting it feels a little scary haha. I really really hope you all will enjoy the ride. It's ought to be a long one, I'm warning you !

@staring-at-a-blank-pagee and @occasionallyprosie, I don't know if you remember me asking for permission to write something inspired by both your fics AGES ago, well, here it is !

I knew it'd take a while, but dang, I wasn't expecting it to take this long lmao. Sorry for the wait !

This is by no mean an obligation to read it of course, just tagging you because you expressed interest in the idea when we talked about it :D

[dayntee]

[Fic] That Year at Arlathan University - Chapter 14: Finals Week*

Summary:

In which Solas and Ellana are puzzling each other out.

Full chapter on AO3 and a snippet posted below. Going to start keeping the majority of the text over on AO3 to both encourage engagement (fufufu) and also because these are getting really effing long and reformatting them on Tumblr takes for damn ever. If you don't have an AO3 account and want to comment anyway, please feel free to leave it here. Preview below the cut!

*****

When she awoke, she was startled at first at the heavy feeling around her waist. It had been a long time since she had shared her bed with anyone and her sleep had been so peacefully deep that it took a moment for her to fully absorb her surroundings.

But there he was, sleeping blissfully next to her, hair a ruffled mess as it worked its way out of his half-knot hairstyle from the night before. She watched him for a few minutes, still so far away from the waking world, yet anchored to her as his hand rested comfortably on her hip.

‘He likes what he likes,’ she mused, keeping her giggle internal, and gently slid from his grasp and out of bed. He barely shifted; she wondered if dreamers were always deep sleepers or if it was just one of his quirks.

She took care moving about anyway, thinking it likely he rarely afforded himself the luxury of sleeping in. It was a holiday, after all, and while finals week for the semester was rapidly approaching, there was no reason they couldn’t enjoy the day to themselves. A glance at the clock—7:09 AM. No rush needed; there would be plenty of time to worry (and work) later.

She pulled on a pair of underwear and an over-sized t-shirt, a remnant of one of many free handouts from her own time in college. She had traveled out of the Free Marches to Fereldan Community College on an exchange program, and it seemed no matter which region she was in, freebies always came in men’s size large.

A few moments in the bathroom to clean off the makeup she’d failed to remove the night previously, another to remove her contacts, and yet several more to disentangle the pin she’d forgotten in her hair, and she finally looked… well, normal. To herself, anyway, her hair pulled lazily back in a messy bun and her thick-rimmed glasses she very purposefully never wore in public. She’d have left her lenses in if she didn’t know (from personal experience) how horrible the headache would be from wearing them too long.

She gave another peek over at Solas as she made her way to the larger living space. Apart from rolling over and the arm previously draped over her now laying across his face like some tired, inconvenienced cat, he’d barely stirred. She stifled a snort; there was no telling how long he’d be out, so perhaps checking her email would buy her a little time before making some breakfast.

The shared space that stretched from living room to kitchenette (as the simple burner and half size fridge could hardly constitute a real kitchen) didn’t fit much. Beyond a couch that was barely more than a love seat, a coffee table, and a simple entertainment center with a modest TV, she had felt like she had never really left college. In a way, she supposed she hadn’t; building her own space or owning her own furniture just weren’t priorities when the opportunity to come to Arlathan had presented itself.

She opened her university email to several messages; that was never a good sign, especially on a day when no one was supposed to be working. At least three of them were from Josephine, wondering where she and Solas had gone during the dinner last night. She grimaced; while she had every good reason to have gone after Solas, leaving the event when she did likely had consequences and she was going to have to deal with them. She drafted a quick excuse, one that skirted around the truth as much as she could. Solas hadn’t felt well (which was true, in a way) and she needed to get him elsewhere (which was also true, but in a very different way). No one was injured, everyone was fine, and they would both check back in after the long weekend. Hopefully that would be enough to assuage any wild concerns until she could talk to Josie in person.

The next was from Harding. All it said, in all caps, was “CALL ME” and that earned another grimace. Right, her phone. Where was her phone?

She got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen, realizing the stray bits of clothes they’d shed last night remained strewn around haphazardly. She gathered as she went, futilely attempting to smooth out wrinkles, when she spotted her clutch at the bottom of the sink.

Two inches to the left and it would have landed in a dirty bowl of water, left soaking from her oatmeal the previous morning. She let out a sigh of relief; for once, a little luck. She pulled the clutch, then her phone, out and swiped. Dead.

Oh well. A little luck was better than no luck at all.

As she returned to the couch, she did her best to lay out their clothes in neater piles across the back before returning to her inbox. There was one more email from an address she hadn’t seen before, but the domain address was more than recognizable.

Anything from a venatori.inc address couldn’t be good news. Surely the “Future Ellana’s Problems” box had room for one more item; she closed her laptop lid.

That box was admittedly starting to get pretty full.

She plugged her phone into a wall charger in the living room and set about making breakfast; maybe it was a diversion, but just like the sleeping man in her bed, it was a welcome one.

Read more.

[lewisarchive]

Sir Lewis Hamilton visits the UK Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo (2010)

[theheartofawinglessthing]

Oh god, I'm (hopefully) finally back to Viva La Dirt League stuff! It has been a while honestly and now I have so many things to catch up on!

[majorproblems77]

OH LOOKIE AT THAT

:D

[rabbitcruiser]

The Eiffel Tower was officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris on May 6, 1889.

[sleepy-the-loz-enthusiast]

Hey' I'm the one who sent the ask about modern au Four. It's fine that you lost the ask. I'm just excited for the you to share stuff about Four.

Aaaaaaa you're too kind thank you-

Here's the Four stuff you've been promised !!!

Just to preface, Four does not have DID or any similar conditions, just for the reason that I don't know enough about it to be able to potray it in a respectful and accurate way. If you do imagine Four with DID, that's valid, but they aren't here.

However, Four does categorise their thoughts into four categories-

Red: red represents emotional intelligence, compassion, and empathy

Blue: blue represents passion, protectiveness, and fury

Green: green represents loyalty, courage, and leadership

Violet: vio represents intelligence, knowledge, and dedication

Four just finds it easier to deal with conflicting thoughts by giving them names to better identify how they're feeling.

Anyways

Four is 15 in this au, though mistaken for much younger. He used to date a mysterious guy who called himself Shadow, but he went missing without a proper goodbye. Four's determined to find the cause of it, and so has developed an unhealthy addiction to true crime podcasts and researching similar macabre things. However on a different note, they also love fairytales and researching old folk stories. They pull a lot of allnighters... and have suffered a few broken toes for it.

Speaking of, Four lives with his Grandfather in a forge. After their father died at war and mother died in childbirth, Four's very close with his Grandfather and often helps out in the forge. Don't be fooled by their height or age; this fella's got biceps for days and is a very proficient blacksmith. He helps his Grandfather make weaponry for the Royal Family.

Four's also best friends with Dot since childhood !!

They have chronic migraines and hate it. Like, to the point where at worst he will be knocked out for days at a time, only waking up to eat, drink, and use the bathroom. They like to hide in the basement when this happens, I know there's nothing in canon about a basement but creative liberties?? because it's quiet, dark, and he doesn't need to move much. Their Grandfather's gotten pretty good at playing nurse while also working. At best it doesn't come to that, and Four's just heavily fatigued for a day and hates being around people. Oh, and he's developed a strong tolerance for most painkillers, rendering them ineffective. Poor guy.

Four's good friends with Wild, Legend, Hyrule, and Ravio at school, despite them being a year older. He's also friends with Wind and acts as a scary older brother figure to ward off anyone who tries messing with him. Despite the fact that Wind is taller and very capable of standing up for himself.

Four's also incredibly smart and fairly athletic, so they're pretty popular with students and teachers alike. People joke about them being able to read minds, but in truth Four's just observant and quick to make connections. He's won the school many prizes for maths and science. Buut Four's attendance isn't the greatest thing ever, and at least where I'm from teachers are kinda assholes about that. At least his grades and general attitude make up for it.

Four and Ravio have gotten into a physical fight over Monopoly before.

Aaaand with that, ramble over !

Thank you for the ask and I hope you liked reading this, have a great existence !!!!

[embcrspark]

apocalypse AU with @grcvityfclls, continued from here.

Stiles should’ve known better. Why these revelations only ever came to him after he’d already landed himself in such catastrophic trouble would forever remain a mystery to him. Today he’d simply lost track of time altogether, wandering off further than he ever had before, landing him in a part of the city he hadn’t explored yet. Equipped with nothing but his worn-out backpack—now heavier than when he’d left, weighed down by a handful of canned goods he’d picked up along the way—and with his gun strapped to his right thigh, he had been woefully underprepared for what awaited him. And yet, he’d found himself unable to turn back—each cautiously placed step led him closer to the danger lurking in the entrance of a nearby building.  Stiles sensed a flurry of movement from the corner of his eye, and a split second later, the rhythmic drum of footsteps picking up pace shook the dusty, weed-choked ground he had so carefully tread upon. All previous caution abandoned, adrenaline jolted through him, and Stiles took off running at a pace that nearly sent him tripping over his own feet, staggering on the unfamiliar ground. He knew that every glance he risked over his shoulder at his pursuer could put his life in jeopardy. But soon, the echo of footsteps behind him multiplied; it wasn’t just one infected chasing him anymore, but two—then three—and when a fourth joined, realization dawned on Stiles. He’d come across enough FEDRA posters detailing the stages of infection of Cordyceps virus to recognize the Runners for what they were: As members of Infected stage 1, they couldn’t have been bitten more than a few days ago, leaving most of their human characteristics intact, though distorted—especially their eyes, which turned into horrific, hollow pits as the infection progressed. They typically traveled and attacked in hordes, and Stiles briefly recalled the warning scribbled across the posters beneath a sketch of a Runner in bold, red letters: DO NOT LET THEM SWARM YOU. 

Not planning on it, he thought, running so fast that his feet barely touched the pavement as he wove through a line of abandoned cars, ducking between them to lead the runners on his heels through a course of obstacles in hopes of somewhat slowing them down in their pursuit. His gun remained tucked into its holster, rendered practically useless. Stiles estimated that his chances of landing a targeted shot while running full speed and aiming over his shoulder were smaller than zero. Stopping to shoot seemed an even worse idea. He kept running until his lungs were burning, ignoring their dire need for air. Rounding the next corner, the buildings that previously lined the streets suddenly disappeared, the city spitting Stiles out into the open space of what must have once been the ramp leading up to a highway. By now, Stiles’ vision swam with exhaustion, its edges blurring. His chest heaved with quick, shallow breaths that failed to provide his lungs with the much-needed oxygen. He knew he couldn’t keep going much longer. Despite not hearing the echo of footsteps behind him for a while, Stiles refused to give in to a false sense of security, fearing it might betray him. If he stopped now, assuming he had outpaced the Runners, it could very well be the last mistake he ever made. 

That’s when he spotted it: There, in the distance, a silhouette sat perched up on the roof of a truck, legs dangling over the edge with a carefreeness that Stiles himself hadn’t felt in years. It was a split-second decision that prompted him to change course, gathering what little remained of his strength to force his legs to carry him further still, putting more distance between himself and the horde of Runners that he feared somewhere behind him still while simultaneously bridging the space between Stiles and the silhouette on the truck. But the closer he got, the more frantically the silhouette—which, on closer inspection, turned out to be a young man with dark, tousled hair—seemed to be trying to get away from Stiles. He could hardly blame him; had the roles been reversed and Stiles had been the one faced with a complete stranger bolting towards him at full speed, his index finger would’ve long lingered above the trigger of his trusted Glock, itching to release a round of bullets into the nearing figure. Yet, when the man suddenly spun around, dim light reflecting in the sharpened blade of the knife he’d drawn Stiles staggered to a halt, something akin to surprise flashing across his features. He’d been so consumed with the thought of fleeing the Runners that he hadn’t stopped to consider that in approaching a fellow human, he might be subjecting himself to an entirely different, arguably worse threat of danger. 

Jagged, wheezing breaths billowed from his parted lips as Stiles panted, “Jeez, dude, fuck! Put that thing down!” Hazel eyes dropping to the knife that still glistened threateningly between them, he slowly raised both hands in front of himself as if to demonstrate he posed no threat, remaining rooted in place despite his trembling legs threatening to give out underneath him from sheer exhaustion. A low, rumbling sound drew Stiles’ attention towards the dog by the man’s side, and despite the animal’s growl a brief flash of emotion struck Stiles’ face. Memories flooded his mind, images so distorted by pain, grief and loss that he dismissed them before they could take root and poison his mind with the ache of what once had been, but now no longer was. And never would be again. Never could be again. Focus. This wasn’t the right moment to dwell on the past. “We don’t have to be friends,” He wheezed, still gulping for air. “I’d already settle for you not stabbing me.” After he spoke, he quickly took in his opponent with measured precision, sharpened gaze assessing his height that allowed him to tower slightly above Stiles but finding that other than that, they seemed about equal in terms of size, build, and strength. If things went south, Stiles felt confident enough that he’d be able to take him on. But for once he thought better of it than to escalate the situation. To say that diplomacy didn’t come naturally to him would be an understatement. Stiles found himself entirely out of his depth. “Think you can do that?” He asked now, one eyebrow quirked up in question, almost daring the other man to answer. Can you? But Stiles being Stiles, instead of pausing long enough to allow for his counterpart to actually answer, raised his voice anew, breathlessly spilling words into the silence that unfolded between them. “It’s just that I saw you, and you looked human-ish enough from a distance—you are, right? Human, I mean. Not bitten?” He didn’t see any obvious signs that the man in front of him had fallen victim to the virus—his skin appeared free of the telltale lesions of early infection, and his full head of dark curls showed no evidence of thinning. But there was no way of telling what may lie hidden beneath his clothes. For all Stiles knew he might be concealing a fresh bite underneath the layers of fabric. Time had taught him to be cautious, always, and his already wary nature had started bordering on paranoia over the years. 

But right now his best chance of surviving, and maybe even making it back home unharmed seemed to have materialized in the shape of the man in front of him who seemingly shared Stiles’ wariness of strangers, if the knife still drawn between them was anything to go by. ”I ran into a horde of Runners—I don’t even know how many miles back,” Stiles explained, his chest aching with the effort of forming words as his lungs still screamed for air. “And I’m pretty sure I managed to lose them but I’ve never been out this far and have no idea where I am. Or how to get back.” The logical result of his circumstances and the reason why he’d chosen to approach the stranger in the first place lingered unspoken in the air, with Stiles tongue-tied by stubborn pride: I need your help, is what he couldn’t bring himself to say. He’d never been one to ask for help, not before the world had fallen apart and certainly not since. Being indebted to the wrong people in a fallen society ruled by the survival of the fittest could get him killed long before a Runner had the chance to sink its teeth into Stiles’ pale skin. Just as the stranger’s lips parted as if to finally speak, passing his verdict on Stiles’ fate, a noise far too close for comfort had Stiles’ head whipping wound, widened eyes frantically darting across the vast open space behind them. His heartbeat spiked in his chest, the simmering spark of adrenaline reignited when Stiles’ gaze caught sight of a shadow in the distance, peeling out from inside the last building before the highway ramp. “On second thought,” His voice sounded strange to his own ears, eerily calm and hollowed out by the realization, “I might not have managed to lose them after all.”

[inkburnt]

The Witching Hour

Chapter 11: A Matter of Trust

Fandom: Devil May Cry Mature // Gen // In-progress // Chapters: 11/? // Words: 93,783 Characters: V, Griffon, Shadow, Nightmare, original characters Warning(s): Graphic depictions of violence Additional tags: V is not part of Vergil, V’s name is Vitale, witch V, canon divergence, post-Devil May Cry 5, canon-typical violence, sorcery, witchcraft, clairvoyance, magic, magical bullshit, childhood trauma, referenced loss of parent(s), friendship, bonding, many boss battles, elements of Norse mythology, musical elements, very slight Girl vs. Boy but it’s not harmful, tentatively tagging with, rivalry, there are tones of misandry but mainly coming from the antagonist, which is to be expected since she’s cracked and Evil AU info  //  Series on AO3

Months following the fall of the Qliphoth, a childhood villain reappears in V’s life and descends upon both him and a city still licking its wounds. Armed with dark sorcery and a menagerie of resurrected boss-level demons, she wreaks her own brand of havoc as she goes on the warpath. Meanwhile, another sorcerer interferes with questionable motives, all as V and his familiars find opportunities for growth—and a chance for V to tie loose ends and make final amends.

(Updates slowly, on Sundays or Mondays.)

Masterlist

[doggytail-duck]

So is there a reason the sports team is called Shadyside Wolves instead of Witches in Prom Queen...?