#you try predicting a fatal place crash

[shutter-bugger]

Y’all wanna know something kinda crazy that people tend to make fun of me for thinking?

Several years ago I was on a late night flight to Florida with my parents, and I decided to make a wish for 11:11. But just as I was about to make my wish I had an intrusive thought, and instead of making a wish that I actually wanted my brain instead thought “I wish the plane crashes!”

Now I’ve never fully believed in 11:11 wishes but I’ve always done them anyways for fun, but I still panicked because what if it came true for once?!?! So I quickly said to the universe (? idk) “no! I don’t actually want this plane to crash! I didn’t mean it!” And then I thought to myself “great, now a plane will crash.”

Thankfully nothing happened and we got to Florida safely.

Now, it’s the next night and we get back to our hotel room and my parents decide to turn on the news.

Imagine my shock and horror to see that a plane had crashed the day after we landed.

I, remembering the thoughts that were in my head the previous night, couldn’t help but think that I had somehow caused the crash because of my accidental wish. Like I wholeheartedly believed that I had accidentally killed people. And I fully believed that for a few years.

Now not really, but sometimes I have to stop and think about how fucked up of a coincidence that was.

[drmellking]

I've been listening to the prophecy by taylor and i have thoughts, so bare with me on this one.

some people might look at this thing like a superpower, like something cool to trick people with or scare the shit out of them.

tommy thinks of it more as a curse than anything else. a punishment from above— maybe he's done awful, terrible things in some pasts lives and now he's paying the consequences.

truth is, he doesn't know. he can guess, can try to feel his way through the dark like a lost, blind man, but he's probably never gonna know why he is the way he is, why he can see the things he sees.

it started around the time he was nine, he thinks. when he went to hug her grandma, and suddenly he had this vision— like a short movie playing in his head, of how his grandma would die.

tommy hugged her and then there it was in his mind, he could hear her heartbeat and saw her laying in bed, so calm and at peace in her sleep, when her heart slowly stops.

tommy remembers crying out, screaming, pulling away from her in fear, much to the confusion of everyone in his family. his grandma was okay! she was right there! no one believed him when he told them what he saw, what he felt.

(nana june died that very night, in her sleep. just like tommy predicted.)

tommy realized pretty quickly that this was not something he could share with anyone else. not when he ran into his teacher at the grocery store three weeks later and saw how the woman would die in a tragic car crash in just a couple of weeks. not when he kissed a boy for the very first time when he was sixteen and saw he would die from a freak accident at a football game, of all places— a fatal hit to the head would be the end of a life cut too short.

his life became a swirl of death and fear and loneliness.

he pulled away from everyone. what was the point anyway? if he knew the end of their stories? why get atta hed, get close, when he knew the specific details of their deaths and would have to bare that weight on his shoukders all on his own?

(he made the mistake once of falling in love when he was in college. with matthew— a guy who would die of old age, at ninety-five years old. at home, holding the hand of his husband... that was definitely noy tommy.

it was okay. he figured he could have some fun and enjoy whatever time he could. but it only earned him a broken heart and matthew calling him a freak when tommy explained why he couldn't say i love you to him, why he couldn't truly commit.

he has trusted matthew with his deepest secret, with this curse that tommy has no other choice but to live with it. and it ended up in tears and half the campus thinking he was a psycho.)

since then, tommy vowed to never make that mistake again. to keep his distance with people.

and he's been successful, for the most part. he has some friends, of course, but he doesn't let his relationships get too deep, keeping everyone at arm's length.

it's for the best, really.

and he's... not happy, but content. maybe. comfortable.

until evan buckley comes crashing into his life, figuratively and literally speaking.

the guy is— adorable.

tommy has no other word to describe him.

evan is energetic and enthusiastic, passionate about every single thing he says and does. he's reckless and loud and everything's tommy has soent a lifetime running away from.

when buck touches him for the first time, it sends electricity to every one of his nerves. it's intoxicating and amazing and warm, and tommy never wants it to end.

then, the curse kicks in. a little later than usual— as if mocking tommy, almost. teasing him with a tiny taste of what normal looks like and then reminding him he can never have it, not for real.

the first time buck touches him, it's at chimney's wedding— he's drunk and sweaty, cheeks pink and flushed and a boyish smile plastered on his face. he practically draps himself next to tommy's side, leans all his weight against him as he hums the lyrics of the song plahing in the background out of tune.

it's fun and heavenly for a couple of seconds, until tommy gets the vision.

buck in a month, maybe a month and a half. hanging from the firetruck ladder as the sky falls around him, lightning striking him right in the chest and making his heart stop.

[lay-z]

operation killswitch | 1

john 'soap' mactavish x f!reader (call sign Clover)

Summary: Everyone thought you dead; killed in action when the helo of your squad crashed over the Black Sea, caused by a fatal malfunction. The report states no survivors. Soap never believed it.

Warnings/Info: 18+ Only | Winter Soldier AU | canon-typical violence; human trafficking; tw: mention of torture; chemical brainwashing; enemies to lovers; angst; hurt/comfort; dark themes; drinking; cussing; eventual smut

Soap is frozen in place with his blood running cold and his heart skipping beats while his eyes are glued to the gnarly, soundless footage on the big screen mounted in the middle of the wall across from him.

It's like his world is both collapsing and rebuilding itself all at once. The air is knocked from his lungs and his head starts spinning, but his Captain is there to keep him leveled when his large hand clasps his shoulder, squeezing hard to remind him that he's not alone with this.

"Wh -when was this taken?"

His throat tightens, his voice cracks and he clears his throat desperately to gain some control over the hurricane of his emotions.

"Footage reached us four days ago. Laswell sent it to me, but we wanted to be 100 percent sure before -"

"That's her", Soap cuts in with sharp conviction while the footage keeps replaying on the screen. Taunting and torturing him with newly arising hope; a feeling he believed long lost and now set ablaze with crystal clear evidence. He points at the screen, shrugs off Price' hand as he does.

"It's Clover, Captain. It's her! That's her on the screen -"

It has to be; no one else in the world can move that lethal and gracefully at the same time. The way you hold the handgun in both hands only to swiftly switch to the combat blade attached to your upper thigh; he knows that technique because Ghost taught you. There's a short frontal shot of your beautiful face and the lower half is covered by a grotesque black mask, but Soap will forever recognize the shape and color of your eyes, the curve of your eyebrows, and the tiny scar on your left temple. No matter what.

The whole briefing room goes quiet when Soap keeps muttering under his breath. He steps closer to the screen and his words become painfully frantic, desperate, manic even.

Captain Price shares a worried look with Laswell then Ghost, who is standing by the entrance with his bulking arms crossed over his chest, his large frame nearly covering the door while he quietly watches the scene unfold. The Lieutenant predicted this happening, but none wanted to listen to him. Soap is still too emotionally invested in you and your apparent death to act rational now.

"Son -"

Soap glares at his Captain; he knows that tone of his voice by heart now, and he's so sick of hearing it, sick of people trying to gaslight him into believing you're dead when the evidence is right in front of their faces now. Or are they all bloody fucking blind?

"What? Are ye sayin' ye not 100 percent sure now? Well, I fuckin' am, sir -"

"The software only gave us a 78% match, Sergeant", Laswell interjects calmly, holding the tablet containing the Intel close to her chest. "Plus, you saw what happened in the video and what she did. If it is Clover, she might be working with some bad people now. The worst kind."

"78? And that ain't enough?", he huffs, spreading his arms to underline his eagerness. "Where's that video from anyway? What if she was just defending herself?"

Laswell shoots another serious look at Captain Price, urging him to take over again, and he clears his throat before he speaks up.

"We know it's complicated, Soap. Her death...uh disappearance hit all of us hard, but we need to keep a cool head right now and think about how we should handle the situation from this point on."

The Sergeant's jaw clenches so hard, he thinks he'll break a tooth. His nostrils flare as anger and frustration keep building up, up, up to a level he might not be able to control himself anymore. He's at his limit now. Ready to go or ready to give up; it's so complicated. So many words are spoken, but no one seems to take the situation seriously. You're alive. Why is he not on a plane already, following that lead?

"I will try to gather more Intel and we'll discuss our further course of action ASAP once we have the green light from the higher-ups to pursue the lead, Sergeant.", Laswell explains soberly and Soap hates how his questions keep getting blatantly ignored like he's some toddler who wouldn't understand anything anyway.

She taps on her tablet and the big screen goes black before she leaves the briefing room wordlessly.

"That's fuckin' bullshit, Captain, and ya know it. Send me ta...wherever that place is, and I'll find her myself"

Captain Price sighs heavily, shaking his head as he pulls a prepared cigar from his chest pocket.

"Like I said, son, things are a lot more complicated than that", he discloses before lighting the cig between his lips.

Soap fucking doubts that, but he bites his tongue to keep his bitter remarks to himself. The Lieutenant is present after all, and judging by the way Soap can feel his eyes staring daggers at the back of his skull, Ghost would rip him a new one if he decides to continue to act out of line now.

He's miserable. It's not like Soap was fine before, God no, but after today...he feels awful again. Nothing is in his control and no one gives a single fuck about neither him nor you.

His stomach churns and his heart clenches at the thought of you, and Soap doesn't know what else to do but drown his misery and sorrow in liquor; it helps numb the pain for a little while at least.

It is no coincidence that he finds himself back at the local bar after the first shock has passed. Luckily it happens to be fairly deserted on this Wednesday night, he cannot deal with people today. His mind is too loud, too happy, and too hopeful yet he is scared shitless, and worried to no end. What happened to you? Is Laswell right and you've switched sides? Why...did you leave him without saying goodbye? Why did you leave at all?

Soap pinches the bridge of his nose as he takes another drink from the cheap Scotch he ordered. The bar man took one close look at him and simply left the bottle without any comment. It's about quantity today, not quality. The liquor burns his throat, coats his mouth in its spicy, hearty flavour, and it already tastes like regret and bad ideas to come. There's no way he'll get through the night without waking up with major hangover in the morning.

Suddenly, the bar stool next to him scrapes over the old, wooden floor, screeching terribly, and Soap doesn't need to look to figure out whose taken the seat without asking.

"If ye're here ta try an' stop me from drinking tonight then just know -"

"I'm not here to stop ya from doing anything, Johnny", Ghost cuts in calmly then orders a glass of Kentucky bourbon. "I'm here 'cause I know ya can't and shouldn't be by yourself tonight."

A moment of comfortable silence passes between the two until a heavy feeling of nostalgia overcomes the young Sergeant when he realizes the similarities between now and then. He shudders internally and blinks away the traumatic memories, not wanting to go back to the day he first learned of your death.

Soap purses his lips, swallows the lump that has suddenly formed in his throat and empties his glass swiftly before pouring himself another drink. It's the one thing he shouldn't be doing to get a hold of his whirlwind of emotions, but his rationality has long said its goodbyes for tonight.

The jukebox plays some old Fleetwood Mac song; the bartender serves a glass of bourbon to Ghost while Soap is then left speechless by his Lt.'s mindfulness.

"Mexico. Las Almas", Ghost says, breaking the silence once and for all. "Laswell got the clip from Los Vaqueros, and they found it on a hard drive in a cartel hideout."

"Alejandro...El Sin Nombre", Soap murmurs, more to himself, but Ghost nods nonetheless without even looking at him.

"It's been two years...and you never let her go -"

"19 months and 22 days, mate", Soap corrects him, then snorts, because he's that pathetic and the booze is slowly starting to give him a good buzz.

A firm pat on his back surprises him then.

"I bloody admire that, brother. Y'know, I miss her, too."

His leg starts shaking restlessly and in his mind, Soap has already booked a direct flight to Mexico while he can also feel Ghost's intense eyes lingering on him. Ghost drops his hand again and lifts his balaclava to take a sip before speaking.

"Price was right with what he said though, innit. Things are more complex and difficult than you might think."

Soap looks up eventually, and lifts his glass to clink it against the other in a celebrating manner. Ghost's scarred chin and lips are still exposed and Soap notices the slight smirk on his Lt.'s face. He knows he can count on him on this upcoming mission.

"I'm gonna find her, an' I'm gonna bring her back home."

[leviiattacks]

Could I request a Canon levi drabble? He realises he’s in love, confesses, then thinks about how he feels guilty for loving the reader

author note :: this was super quick but here u go !! i’m working on a long fic rn which is why it may not be great my brain hurts from all the writing i had to do for the fic 😞 ANYWAYS, shy levi ahead,,,, :-(

word count :: 1.2k

levi is super shy around you. he has no idea what to do, he has no idea what to say, he’s always stumbling over his words. it’s SO obvious that erwin and hange are able to decipher the meaning behind his unsual body language in a matter of seconds

might i add he’s always trying to subtly get your attention or at least look presentable

sometimes he leans against walls with one hand to look cool but one day he misses the wall completely and falls face first into a patch of mud

not a great experience because he sees you giggle at him

levi just ends up ignoring you and avoiding you a lot in an attempt to shake what he feels away but that’s another thing about levi when he’s in love. his infatuation is stubborn and unfading. unless given a valid reason to stop liking you he literally can’t force himself to stop how he feels

but sometimes there are opportunities where he does have to speak to you and despite avoiding you he finds himself surprisingly running into you more often than he thinks is humanely possible??

he’s in the kitchen making a cup of tea and suddenly you’re there to fetch some water.

he’s in the courtyard teaching some younger cadets and you happen to pass by looking for one of your blades you accidentally left behind

like he genuinely does not understand how he’s able to run into you this much because it makes no sense

apart from that he ends up taking a keen interest in your hobbies. he’ll try to understand why you enjoy specific things because the smile that paints your face is always so bright

you have this thing for strawberry jam and he’s never got why you enjoy it so much really ???

frankly he finds it to be so sweet to the point it’s sickening to digest

but that doesn’t stop him from buying some whilst in town and placing it in front of you one day

you look between levi and the jam jar a little confused

“you’ve been working hard and i accidentally bought this and i think you like strawberry jam so take it. i don’t want it.”

his explanation is UNBELIEVABLE because it’s a big fat lie but despite everyone else in the room being able to see through his facade you nod meekly and accept it with a grateful smile

after the jam incident everyone knows about how he has to feel but even if they do they don’t gossip about it when he’s around

now,,, levi is really in touch with how you feel because most of the time the way you feel impacts the way he feels. if he sees you laughing at dinner his mind is at ease but if your head is drooped downwards looking anywhere but up he makes a mental note to talk to you later

one day at dinner he sees jean whisper something in your ear and you laugh so hard you have to apologize to those around you for creating a disturbance

he burns in slight jealousy because he wants to know what’s so funny

that’s when his resolve starts slipping. he notices he’s stopped trying to ignore you and instead he’s gravitating towards you

and he hates it

vulnerability scares him so he stays away for a while until the next time you pull him in with your magnetic smile

once again, levi’s feelings are stubborn and unwavering.

he’s protective. always checking where you are in the formation. he can’t have any biases ruining expeditions so he never changes your position (despite wanting to on a number of occasions)

however, when the corps regroup he always looks around for a second ascertaining whether or not you’re in the vicinity and safe

one time he noticed you weren’t around and only relaxed when someone informed him you were with hange

he’s confusing when in love. hot and cold. left and right. dark and light. every move he makes he’ll make another that makes no sense. it’s because he’s never certain of what he feels. all he knows for certain is that he’s crashing hard and whatever is going on will end up in disaster if he doesn’t address it

it really does take him a long time to finally become mentally prepared enough to confess to you but he realises he has to push himself to do it otherwise he’ll only end up distracting himself and making a fatal mistake on the battlefield some day

he’s very nervous about it because he predicts you’ll reject him

“i’m interested in you.”

and when you don’t understand what he means by that he has to rephrase it a number of times before you do get it

“your actions concern me.” you still don’t get it

“i think we are jigsaw pieces.” again no nod of understanding from you, instead you ask him if he’s lost a puzzle piece and jokingly you suggest that sasha could have ate it

“if you were cold i would give you my jacket.” at that you say thank you but still don’t get what it is he means

he just doesn’t want to say it outright. he thinks it’ll be unbearably awkward.

but eventually he gives in and goes for it anyway

“fuck, what i’m trying to say is that i like you and i care for you...in a romantic way.”

he’s shocked when you beam, as cheerful as ever you say you like him back. he’s totally prepared for refusal so he just kinda stands there like a statue unsure with what he should do next

you take the lead moving to hold his hand with yours and when your fingers intertwine with his something in that moment makes levi feel whole. he feels full and happy.

from then on everything is smooth sailing, you and levi are happy but as the months pass and the tensions rise within paradis, levi’s guilt kicks in

he feels guilty for loving you and having the opportunity to have you love him back

there’s constantly a seed of worry in his stomach, it forever weighs him down and many of his sleepless nights are spent thinking about how he’ll have to let you go

after all, everyone he’s ever loved has had to face death’s door before him.

his fear gets the better of him and he even reaches the point of rehearsing what he plans to say to you in the case of a breakup

but this is levi we’re talking about and despite knowing you’re safer the further away you are from him he still latches onto you like a lost child

he thinks for once everything will be different. that you’re a positive sign. he chooses to have faith you make it out of this alive with him.

because although you could die you aren’t dead yet.

and that’s all that keeps his fiery hope steady.

he’s the candle and you’re his flickering flame of hope and for as long as he stands he vows he’ll keep you burning alive.

[icy-warden]

What If

What if Zevran showed how capable he is when he's serious about the job well done (and didn’t look for a way to perish)?

Storytelling time with a bit of spice (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

Read on AO3

They said he was bad at planning. But this plan went exactly as he thought it would. 

Well, almost exactly. 

If he put his money on everything being predictable, he’d lose, no doubt. But he hasn’t totally fucked up so far. One can never be sure what to expect when it comes to mages. Two mages, to be precise and one that can turn into a giant spider. He didn't know they could do that, like, for real.

It doesn’t really matter, as he has a few aces up his sleeve. His own apostate is busy with attacking the warriors of the wardens’ party, one a hornless qunari with a greatsword, second a human with shield and sword. Mismatched armors of poor quality do little when they’re overwhelmed by sheer numbers of attacks incoming from different places. 

His archers are hidden well and do a good job with crippling the qunari, who goes down with a roar, but not before he fatally wounds two of his men. The human warrior holds on a little longer, only because his companion shields him with well aimed arrows. 

She’s good, he thinks, as he stealthily darts to her spot. Using trees and bushes to his advantage, the terrain is difficult to defend in when one is ambushed. He glances over his shoulder when a crackle of lightning whizzes past him, catching his crew-woman, her scream short but blood curdling. He briefly watches her shaking wildly before her body thuds onto the ground like a puppet with cut strings, clothes sizzling. Dead. 

His nose wrinkles at the smell of burnt skin, but he doesn’t spare her more than a glance as he moves forward. Shouts and battle noise pierce the calm forest and he’s closer to the redhead, slowing his steps and sticking low to the ground when he gets near, unsheathing the poisoned dagger on his back. One scratch and it’ll be over, the poison very potent. He’d know, he brewed it himself. Another yells and he doesn't look back this time, even with the gust of cold wind at his back. The other mage must have used another spell. 

He holds his eyes on the woman who somehow noticed him. Her face’s sickly white and she favours her left leg when she swings his way, the bow almost colliding with his throat.

Spotted and attacked, he swings to the left aiming straight for her neck. She dodges, barely, and the tip of the bow crashes with his unprotected arm, slowing him down for a second. Swiftly, he backs away, changing the dagger to another hand and just in time - the woman hurls the bow at him. Using the distraction she pushes forward, while he’s busy with the weapon thrown at him. A twist of his wrist and he catches her dagger pointed at his ribs with his own blade.

With the force behind the strike she would pierce his leather armor, though the momentum makes her stumble closer to him. Only now he notices that her right side is covered in dried crimson, wide slash hastily covered with stained cloth. And yes, there it is, a corpse of a man partly hidden in the bushes, one he didn’t see earlier. Did a number on her before Zevran got to her, but it didn’t make her any less fierce. 

She corrects her stance quickly, one more dagger appearing in her hands. Icy blue eyes hard, lips pulled in a sneer, she attacks, refusing to go down easily. He can respect that, avoiding blows and slashes, pushing on when she steps back, only to kick at his knee. His eyes widen when it folds under him, the sickening pull in his gut telling him he fucked up royally. 

In a blink she’s on him. 

But he rolls away, gathering fist of dirt that he throws at her face. She shifts away, closing her eyes with a gasp, but her dagger catches him on his ear and cheek, a cold slice of steel morphing into a sticky warmth of blood. The pain is minimum and he ignores it, using the distraction and jumping at her, poisoned blade meeting its target. She cries out when it sticks in the meat of her tight, wavering on her feet as he jumps back, pommel in hand. He watches her trying to go after him, but the poison’s already working - her fingers slacken and her weapons clatter to the ground. Blue eyes hold his own when she falls as well, weak hands searching for something around her belt but it’s too late. Quickened short breaths stop after a few more seconds and he sees the light in her gaze dull in death. 

He exhales, the grip on his weapon tightening. Two more to go, though his crew should be already done with them. But as he turns to survey the battlefield, he’s met with two of his men turned into ice statues. The elven mage still stands somehow, looking like he’s one leg in his grave, but still defiant. Zevran looks up when a loud flutter of wings sounds above him, a crow flying away with a bolt sticking somewhere under the feathers. 

He doesn’t bother with it, bending down for the dead woman’s bow, nocking an arrow from the spilled bundle. The muscles in his back pull uncomfortably, arms trembling a little with the effort when Zevran aims at the last mage. 

It hits its target clearly. 

The man stumbles with the force, a short scream caught between a shout of rage and pain. He turns with a struggle, and from the distance he can see the pure hatred on his face. The arrow went through his back, pointed end shiny with blood of his heart. He opens his mouth, lips stained with crimson, pinkish light between his trembling hands and dread licks Zevran’s spine. The mage’s eyes seem to glow unnaturally for a moment before his spell sputters and his body thuds to the ground. 

Coughing wetly, drowning in red until he stills. 

Slowly, he gets closer to the curled body when he’s sure it won’t be moving anymore, the chatter of the rest of his men that are still alive muted when he looks at the fallen mage. 

Cuts littering his skin, tip of his long ear gone in a bloody wound, long black hair tangled around pale face. Unseeing amber eyes half lidded, and he crouches down near him, reaching to brush his fingers on his neck. 

To check, he tells himself. 

A pity, really. Wouldn't mind getting closer to this one when he was still alive, oddly beautiful in his death. He could go with another plan, more discreet. Meet them all in a tavern, start chatting around drinks, spend the night with one of them. Seduce and kill after the fun. But what’s done is done. He shouldn’t be so sentimental about a stranger he just killed.

The skin under his touch is still warm but the heartbeat is gone. Zevran closes his eyes with a murmur under his breath and almost falls on his butt when something yanks at his wrist. 

“You’re forgetting about something,” the iron grip on his arm pulls him forward, slurred words falling from the bloodied lips of a man that’s dead. There’s a noise in his head, louder with every thump of his heart as black-golden eyes stare through him when he trashes in the hold, desperate to get away. 

The small blade he gets from his boot stills with rasped “Zevran,” the mage’s voice laced with something other. Red mist coils around him and-

/////

Vergil winces slightly when Zevran’s chin digs into his chest. 

“‘course you’d say that.” He puffs his cheeks in a futile attempt of blowing a strand of golden hair from his face. Vergil reaches to tuck it away, fingers raking through his hair and Zevran’s eyes close for a moment, a content smile curling his lips. 

Vergil’s low chuckle shakes him a little and one eye peers at him. “It’s only fair to unleash last surprise on my killer. But,” he runs his hand over the long hair of his lover sprawled on top of his naked body, squeezing briefly at his nape, stopping between his shoulder blades. “Thank you for not spilling my guts. I appreciate it, really.” 

Zevran snorts a laugh at Vergil’s dry tone. “You wanted to know how I’d do the contract properly. I don’t play with targets,” he scrunches up his nose, “usually. And it’s not like I’ve met many mages who could do such a trick. Before.” 

Vergil hums, “Any idea of assassins being after us hadn't even crossed my mind at the time. Leliana must’ve had such great fun with bunch of blissfully unaware amateurs.”

“You admit it.” Zevran shifts, dragging his body up until he can brush his mouth under his jaw. He tilts his head back, willingly exposing his throat to the gentle assault of hot, short kisses. 

“Yes.”

The weight of Zevran’s body over him isn’t constricting, not with soft sheets and a mattress under him. Vergil runs his hands over his back, hooking one leg over his hip. He digs his fingers on the small of his back when Zevran sucks at the skin over his pulse point. He arches up with a hiss, twisting his hand in Zevran’s hair, pulling slightly when he doesn’t let go immediately. 

The sound of breathy “Ah” that escapes Zevran’s lips when he finally leans back goes straight to his groin. He smirks knowingly, rolling his hips, trapped between Vergil’s thighs.

“Again so fast?” He teases as they rock together, skin warm and sticky after last time. “It’s my narrative skill, isn’t it.”

“Perhaps.”

“Sit up,” he murmurs between wet pecks to his lips. They rearrange their position, Vergil leaning back on a stack of pillows as he sits on the bed with loosely crossed legs, reaching for Zevran’s waist as he straddles his lap. 

“Tell me about tavern seduction plan.”

Zevran laughs with head fallen back and he nuzzles his chest, feeling the vibration of his amusement under his cheek. Tilts his head into the hold of hands on his jaw, fingers brushing the length of his ear. Gold eyes peer at him curiously as he lets his eyelids fall close under the carres on his eartip. A weak spot that’s thoughtfully exploited with a feather light touch that makes him shudder. Vergil tightens his hold on Zevran’s back as he teasingly grinds on him. 

“Lure you to some dark corner?” He sighs when Vergil’s palm closes over his cock, rubbing slowly. “Can’t imagine it being so hard,” he purrs around a smirk that twists into a soft moan upon goading strokes.

“Work on your insults better.” There’s a smile in Vergil’s voice and he goes easily up and down as Vergil guides him where he wants to. Zevran’s open in voicing his pleasure, sinking down on him.

They both indulge in shared pleasure, their bodies working unhurriedly towards blissful finish. Vergil’s usual silence shattered by soft pants leaving his mouth in between lazy kisses. “How did it go? Dangerous and exciting,” he whispers slightly out of breath, straight into Zevran’s ear. Feeling the muscles under his hands shiver.

“And beautiful.”

“Well thank you.” 

Gasped laugh when he pushes up, raking blunt nails along the arch of tattooed back, “Shameless.”

“You are.”

Zevran shifts and Vergil with him, unfolding his legs and Zevran leans back, hands splayed on his thighs as he chases his pleasure, Vergil watching him greedily. Prolonging his own, the tightening in his gut as he can see him being close. He doesn’t stop him.

/////

Gentle chime of ice charms by the window fills the silence. Vergil sits on the floor, clothes loose and comfortable in the late afternoon, refreshed after a quick bath. Hair pinned up, so he avoids overheating. Again. The weather’s unmerciful here, the seaside helping little. His body really isn’t made to endure so much sun without extra cover and cooling balms.

Open notebook, few small vials of colorful liquids, strings of leather and clear gems are in an easy reach. Focused on pouring bits of his magic into the crystals, he doesn’t pay attention to his surroundings until there’s a presence at his side. 

Zevran hands him a glass and he wordlessly takes a sip, humming at the taste of drink. Sweet with a hint of alcohol, pieces of yellowish fruit swimming in gold. He lets the cold seep into his hand, frost climbing the glass and tastes the drink again. Better. 

“Mine too?” Zevran smiles. He forgo a shirt, loose pants clinging to his hips. 

Vergil gives him his own glass, trading it for the one in Zevran’s palm and repeats the process. Lifting a brow when he drinks, alcohol stronger in this one. He prefers the watered down one.

“Give it back.” 

Zevran’s grin widens, “Too much? I can trade for one magic touch. ”

Cold hand brushes his forearm and Zevran almost spills his drink as he jerks, a gasp turned yelp when he stills him with a well aimed hold on his wrist, the squirm, as he wants to run away from the chill. He recognizes a few colorful words that Zevran mumbles under his breath, strands of hair that escaped his bun sticking to his temple.

A hint of teeth in his smile when he asks, “Better? Now, my glass.”

Zevran rolls his eyes and pushes it towards him, leaning back on the edge of bed. Swallowing a mouthful of his drink, lazily watching Vergil work for a moment. He closes his eyes with a content sigh. “Still want to hear about second option?”

“Tavern?” Vergil looks up from the crystal, gently putting it down as he shifts. Resting arm over bent knee, fingers loosely holding the glass.

“I’d offer you a drink. Given you wouldn’t be suspicious.” Of a foreigner, goes unsaid.

“More like intrigued. What you’re wearing?” Molten gold peers at him, both relaxed and sharp.

“Same armor as we first met.”

“Leather skirt.”

Zevran tilts his head, smirk brightening his face at the sound of Vergil’s voice. “Easiest mark ever. Who’d have thought you’re so reckless?”

Vergil shrugs as he drinks. “It was a weird time and handsome strangers buying me drinks were scarce.”

“Going so willingly.” Zevran says with a tsk. “But, if I had a good time, I’d make it quick. No spilling guts as well.” 

“During or after?” 

“Mhmm... shortly after, most likely. Attention’s lowest.”

Vergil hums, holding his gaze as he licks his lips. Chasing the taste of the drink's sweetness. “I’d deserve it. Still would do it. Hadn’t stopped me before.” 

The warmth of Zevran’s laugh washes over him. Relaxing.

“No it hadn’t. How long was it? Three weeks?”

“Two and you weren’t as subtle as you thought.”

Zevran splays a hand over his chest, “Oh shame on me for seducing a fair man. I’ve heard enough of it from Alistair.”

Vergil snorts, “I know, I’ve been there. Heard my share as well.” He stares at the liquid in his glass before he gulps everything in one go, head tilted back. “Wasn’t so bad.”

They’re silent for a while, the light chime of the charms echoing along the muted crash of waves.

“Another?” Zevran asks, reaching for Vergil’s glass as he gets up. He closes his fingers over his when he passes the glass, holding on for a moment.

“Yes.”

[moonbeamsung]

CRΣΣKS

Love, a second glance, it is not something that we need.

member: jeno

au: guardian angel in disguise!jeno x gn!reader, guardian angel au

word count: 3.4k

genre: angst

warnings: character death/loss, profanity, no happy ending, mentions of religion, questioning/loss of faith

recommended song: 715 - CRΣΣKS by the nor’easters

author’s note: Please be very careful with volume when listening to the song (above) that inspired this story! But even without reading the lyrics/listening, the fic will still make sense, and happy reading :)

network tags: @kpopscape @neo-constellations @starryktown

The wind is whistling, weaving in and out of the tall river reeds like an invisible needle and thread, stitching itself into each and every crevice of the world’s gift called nature.

Another one of its many gifts is the young boy that’s resting beside a rushing brook, toes dipped into the cool water and face illuminated by the sun as it beats down onto the earth with celestial strength.

Well, a gift from the heavens, that is.

Sent from the endless skies above, Jeno is your guardian angel, assigned with posing as a humble peasant boy in the village, all to keep a watchful eye on you from afar. In his human form, he spends his days wandering the cobblestone roads and narrow alleyways between the quaint buildings, with no family to return home to at dusk. A sunny meadow on the outskirts of town becomes his home, and he takes refuge in the shelter that the overgrown grass provides.

Everything is going smoothly, and he’s doing his job just as he should be. It’s routine now, waking up and rising from his earthen mattress, curtains of copious plant leaves letting in the sun’s rays. He finds you, observes at a comfortable distance, and that’s that. At its core, being a guardian is really an easy job. A predictable one.

A monotonous one.

Until one day you approach him, youthful eagerness in your eyes piercing and nearly painful, even to his invulnerable body. He’s never seen you up close before, only on the near horizon as you’ve gone about your daily chores, tending to the housework just like any obedient child should.

“...Who are you?”

Now, Jeno is faced with a decision more challenging than any that us mortal beings have to make in our entire lives. Engaging with one’s assignment is an extremely dangerous path to take. Unimaginable punishments await, should the guardian make a wrong choice. But Jeno was careless, and he had allowed himself to be discovered by the only human on Earth that the divine forces permit him to be seen by.

He makes the fatal error of answering you, ultimately shattering a future he’ll never get to live out, one that he doesn’t even know he would’ve had. Like a sharp rock being thrown at a church’s stained glass window, the meticulously carved pieces of his worldly existence fall to the ground with a deafening crash, broken beyond repair.

“I’m Jeno,” the strikingly majestic cadence of his words is like that of angel trumpets, the sound ringing in your head and making you dizzy with both fascination and infatuation.

And just like that, in three short syllables, you’re both fated to fall before you can even spread your wings.

From the moment you hear his name tumble from those beautiful lips, you’re hooked, and he knows it. He sees it in the way you look at him, in the way you act, the way you talk. A child experiencing a first and a forbidden love all at once.

It breaks his heart, because he knows it can’t, and shouldn’t last. The churning rapids of the creek nearby weep for him, for they know that in a matter of just a few short years, their waters are destined to mix with the salty tears that will steadily cascade from your trembling chin.

Jeno remembers, although vaguely, the brief amount of time he spent living amongst the clouds, being prepared by the heavenly elders for this expedition of a lifetime, quite literally. He remembers the scriptures, the strictures, and all the times he’s been warned of the severe consequences that come with immorality.

But even the purest of young angels aren’t infallible, still susceptible to compulsions that lead them to sin and defy their creator.

Relishing in the fading daylight, you join him by the water’s edge, listening to his soothing tone as he answers your ceaseless inquiries with harmless little lies as white as heavenly robes and cherub wings.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. The first sin.

It’s interesting, he thinks, that despite looking after you in the endeavors of your youth for quite a while now, he knows next to nothing about who you truly are. Actions may speak louder than words, but how can he know that if he’s never heard your voice to begin with?

As the quiet, languid conversation shifts from his purpose there to yours, Jeno learns that you’re very content with your life, taking pride in helping your family with daily tasks as well as assisting your neighbors in the close-knit village with theirs.

Just then, all the smears of dirt and scattered scratches adorning your face catch his attention, gained after hours of hard work. No amount of water is ever enough to scrub them off of your skin at the end of the day, no matter how hard you try. Sometimes, you feel tears prick your eyes as you try to fall asleep at night, frustrated with your lowly appearance and how it never seems to match your relatively optimistic outlook on life.

But Jeno doesn’t care. You’re breathtaking even in his eyes, the eyes that belong to an actual angel. If that fact alone isn’t enough to boost your confidence, he doesn’t know what else possibly could.

Like a fool, he lets himself drown in your sublimity for a moment, marveling at the ethereal glow of the sun on your smooth, ageless face. The faint noise of wisps of air blowing gently through the meadow and rustling the flora makes him drowsy, but the sight of a pure white heron landing gracefully on the opposite side of the riverbank brings him back to full consciousness in an instant.

The bird, an omen of sorts, had been sent down from Heaven, conjured up from a fleeting idea and into a physical reality, by the holy beings looking down upon the earth, indicating that they’re well aware of the threat he poses and just how close he is to making an irreversible mistake in regards to you, his assignment and assignment only.

The heron abruptly unfurls its delicately feathered wings, as if frightened, before taking off and floating away on the breeze, both of your gazes inexplicably drawn to it as it flies until it’s out of sight altogether.

It warns him of just what he’s messing with, exactly.

This is not a part of the creator’s plan for you, for him. Falling in love with the one an angel is supposed to guard is an appalling crime to commit in the eyes of the elders that inhabit the sky, in the eyes of God. Though it doesn’t explicitly go against a commandment or biblical law, it’s just an understood rule. It’s wrong.

Jeno tells himself this, and continues to do so over the many years that he looks after you, never acting on his emotions, only acknowledging them before sending the less-than-acceptable thoughts into the depths of his conscious mind. He only wishes he had a key to lock them up and forget he even felt them in the first place.

Even as an angel, he ages just like anyone else, the both of you going from kids to teenagers and then nearing the young-adult stage of life, with you remaining blissfully unaware of Jeno’s true identity all the while. It’s a miracle he’s managed to keep his secret for this long, honestly, but like grains of sand in an hourglass, your time together is running out, whether you like it or not.

Not even a year before your entire world, your entire reality comes undone before your very eyes, Jeno feels as if his has already done just that. Because you’ve found someone. And that someone isn’t him.

He hates the feeling of jealousy, despises it with every fiber of his heavenly being. But he can’t shake it, can’t bear the way it clings to him like an unwelcome visitor. An unrecognizable emotion, one so foreign that he can’t even put a name to it, is stirred up at the sight of you in their arms, so pure and so unworthy of this person. Boy, if he didn’t know any better, Jeno would swear that you were the angel.

With each day that passes, he begins to feel the final shreds of both his dignity and his self-control slipping away, lost to the familiar breeze that whips through the village, stronger than ever these days. He can no longer contain it within himself. He wants you.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods. The second sin.

How ironic that a Sunday, of all days, is when everything falls apart.

The sun is hanging low in the sky, just barely grazing the horizon with its bright beams of warmth as it steadily rises, bathing the world in a soft yellow glow. You can also see the moon leftover from the night that ended not so long ago, fading fast but visible nonetheless. Two complete opposites, so close but prevented by the laws of nature for coexisting in the same space, at the same time.

Maybe, just maybe, if you knew just how much you had in common with the celestial objects above, you would have clutched the hand of Jeno a bit tighter yesterday, intertwined your fingers a little more closely with those of someone who had become the closest thing to a best friend that you had ever known. You admit that you wish he could be something more, but you know better than to push your limits.

You got tired of waiting to see if he felt the same way, choosing to fill the void with someone else that you liked, yes, but who just wasn’t the same as the boy who had always been there, waiting in the meadow every morning without fail. Still, your emotions are ever-alert and always searching for any sign of reciprocation within Jeno.

He’s nowhere to be found when you reach the water’s edge, the edge of the creek where you wasted away endless summer days and frosty winter nights, colorful spring afternoons and brisk autumn evenings.

This morning would seem no different than the rest if not for his absence. The knot in your heart loosens, but not by much, when you spot him at the forest’s edge, looking weary.

Jeno notices you and calls out your name with a smile, but something about it isn’t genuine. It’s pained, desperate, like he wants to hold onto this moment forever, unwilling to carry out the plan he’s already regretting. It’s too late now, he thinks to himself, but he’s wrong.

It’s been too late for years.

“Jeno?”

“This way!” He chokes out. It’s somewhere between a sob and a plea, but there’s no time to figure out which is the more appropriate term. He disappears between the trees and amidst their mossy branches, blending in with the shadows cast by the thick canopy of leaves, and you break into a sprint, afraid of losing him to the merciless wilderness and what lies within.

Thankfully, he’s not too far gone. A small clearing greets you less than a dozen strides in, and in the very center of it stands a glass gazebo, run-down and covered in so many twisting vines to the point where the small structure is almost fully consumed by the nature surrounding it.

The scene is beautiful, so much so that it makes you uneasy. What’s going on? Why did he bring you here? Why does he seem so sad? Jeno is never sad, maybe he could be described as brooding or solemn on the rarest of occasions, but never this melancholy, never so utterly hopeless in his expressions and his aura.

None of these questions are answered, even as he takes your hands in his own and leads you inside of the gazebo, its see-through panels catching the light with elegance and ease.

“I need to tell you something.” Just like it did the first time you heard it, his voice still shocks you like a bolt of electricity, your blood pressure and heart rate skyrocketing. All of this is heightened, though, by grim tone he’s speaking to you with.

“What is it, Jen?” There it is. The nickname you made up for him that, although simple, makes him feel like he’s on top of the world. Actually, scratch that: it makes him feel like he’s floating in the sky, up past the clouds and even further away from this cruel planet than the heavens are from Hell.

You’re only making this harder for him. He might as well just spit it out, because all this waiting is agonizing for the both of you.

“We... we can’t be together.”

The sentence that leaves his lips is two declarations wrapped up in one singular statement, the first being that he wants to be with you in the same way you want to be with him. It’s much too hopeful, misleading your emotions down a path of elation instead of dread. The second is unpleasant, a bitter taste lingering on his tongue once he says the words.

“...Yes, yes we can, Jen, because I don’t really love them and all this time it’s been you—”

“You don’t understand,” he tries to stop the confession spilling out from your heart before it overflows, drowns you. “I’m not who you think I am.”

Stunned to silence, he gives you a moment to drink in the implications of his words. “...I’ve known you for over half of my entire life, and you’re trying to tell me I have no idea who you really are? Not a chance,” you laugh softly, shaking your head and glancing down at the wooden gazebo floor, old white paint peeling under your feet.

“But haven’t you ever wondered why I’m always there by the creek every morning? How I turn up throughout your day at the perfect time? How I’m suddenly right by your side when you need me the most?”

You have wondered. Many times, in fact. But the possibility of him being anything other than human was not at the top of your very rational list.

“...Don’t you see? I’m your guardian angel.”

He sees you blink, realization dawning on your face like the sun and stretching your features. “There are laws—” He begins, but your reaction is not the one he anticipated you would have to that information.

Too overwhelmed, you can’t respond with anything other than physical actions, no matter how unreasonable, and you press your dry lips to his soft ones, sealing your fate. Standing there, with beams of golden light infiltrating the space and illuminating your unsteady figures, Jeno is petrified not by your kiss, but by the fact that he doesn’t push you away, and his hands hold onto yours even tighter than before. Nothing has ever felt so right in his entire life. Not when he was in Heaven, and not in all the years he’s spent on Earth, either.

You’re his Heaven, this moment is his eternity. Jeno has endured enough temptation, the undeniable thrill that a deliberate sin promises has become too much for him. If he pulls away now, everything would still be okay, you could both go back to normal and pretend this never happened. But alas, he was doomed to kiss you back from the beginning, and so he does, and you have no idea what the universe has in store when you feel his lips finally respond to yours in the most unholy way possible. For the first and last time, you indulge in each other’s touch and taste, and it does not please the ones watching from above.

The third and final sin, one sin too many for him to remain in this world without consequence.

Several things happen all at once. A clap of thunder sounds overhead, though there are no clouds in sight. Jeno is painfully ripped from your grasp and thrown out of the gazebo by some invisible force of nature, into the grass and dirt on the forest floor.

And inside of you, a piece of your soul is torn from your being, bile rising up in your throat as you comprehend the excruciating sensation that racks your body with pained whimpers.

Stumbling to his feet, Jeno heaves, hunched over and close to tears. Suppressing the agony you still feel, you hurry over to him only for the boy to charge away, heading back towards the open meadow. With a broken shout of his name, you follow.

You didn’t notice before, but now the blinding light reveals the condition he’s in. He looks almost normal, but the edges of his form are becoming fainter by the minute, blurring with the rest of the world around him. He’s fading away before your eyes, and it’s all your fault.

It’s a torturous experience, watching him slowly meld with the emptiness of the air. Making him disappear into thin air in an instant would have been an act of mercy, a mercy that’s apparently beyond the capabilities of the spectators in the sky.

Struggling to maintain your composure, you force a question out. “What’s happening?” You ask, though you know he doesn’t have an answer himself.

He’s obviously panicked, though he tries not to show it. “I... I don’t know, I knew that it was forbidden for us to fall in love but I didn’t think I’d be robbed of my existence like this...”

“What?! No, Jeno, please don’t go...” You beg the gods and angels above, if any exist. You don’t know anymore.

If there is a God, how can he be good if he’s taking Jeno away from you like this, depriving you of the one constant source of joy and comfort in your life?

It’s far too cruel to bestow such a kind and generous heart upon someone who isn’t allowed to love in the first place.

Even Jeno’s touch is faint, making you feel like he’s not there at all. You just barely detect the pads of his fingers smoothing over your cheeks, trying to stop the water spilling from your eyes. He smiles sadly, “Don’t cry for me. I’m not worth the tears.”

“You’re everything to me, Jeno. You’re worth every drop.”

“Remember me like this, okay? By the creek,” he gestures to the turbulent waters a short distance away. Walking slowly, he begins to take steps in its direction, but as he speeds up you’re no longer able to match his pace. “Jeno, turn around...”

Glancing back at you for the final time, he whispers a goodbye that the breeze carries away with it, the sound something only the two of you would hear, one that could never be replicated.

“Goddamnit, Jeno, don’t you dare leave me!” But you know you can’t hold on, you’re not strong enough. A greater force wants you two apart, unable to be overpowered by one human, a relatively insignificant being in the grand scheme of the universe. He vanishes completely.

You fall to your knees, the pain from the pebbles digging into your legs and feet underneath the surface of the creek numbed by your sorrow. The water drenches your clothes, splashing up onto your skin and becoming one with your relentless tears. You’re left all alone, with only the cattails to keep you company. You wish the waves would just swallow you whole so you don’t have to feel this suffocating isolation.

In an unnecessarily harsh trick of the light combined with the dancing shadows generated by the water, you swear that you see Jeno again for a second, sitting on the riverbank like always. You sob louder.

It takes forever for you to find the strength to stand up again, water running over your soaked shoes and threatening to topple you over. You wouldn’t mind if it succeeds.

Inconsolable even to your closest friends and family, you reluctantly return to the village, unwilling to leave behind what you’ve just been through and unable to explain just why you’re crying so hard. Maybe if you stay there forever, spending each day and night waiting among the reeds and the flowers and the grass, he’ll come back someday, but no. He’ll never return, but you simply can’t bring yourself to accept this fact.

You’re never quite the same after that. Part of the curse that haunts you for the rest of your life is this: no matter how hard you try to retain your memories, you’re destined to forget Jeno eventually, leaving vast gaps in your brain when it comes to the years of your youth.

You’re left with only a feeling of inexplicable nostalgia at the sight of the meadow and the creek running through it, the waters still as violent as they were on the day you lost him.

[samdeancass]

Troubled

Requested by: _stellastyless on Wattpad

Pairing: Derek x Stella (OC character)

Genre: Angst/Fluff

Characters: Derek, Stella, Scott, Stiles

Before her parents died in a plane crash, Stella was a very traditional girl. She always obeyed the rules, never stepped out of line and always had the best grades. All of that changed, however, when the fatal incident happened. Her life came crashing down around her. She had no siblings, nobody to turn to apart from Stiles. Stiles and Stella became super close and he became the only one she would confide in, especially since she was a closed book around everybody else. Her parents deaths changed her in a way that nobody could have predicted. Stella went from the perfect girl with a perfect life to an independent woman, stubborn and sarcastic just like her younger cousin. Stella has had a number of fake friends and flings that ended badly which crumpled her trust with anybody apart from Stiles.

There was one thing that she didn't trust Stiles to do though: take himself and Scott home without being harmed. It seemed that Stella wasn't the only one with these doubts as Sheriff Stilinski also didn't trust Stiles enough to reach home alone which is how she found herself parked outside of Beacon Hills High School. Stella was sitting on the hood of her car, tapping her fingers impatiently on the hood when she noticed a guy standing a few feet away staring at her. She hopped off the hood and began to walk further towards the schools entrance. Looking back behind her, Stella noticed that the guy had begun to follow her. Anger was building up inside of her, but she really didn't want to kick this guys as in the middle of a high school parking lot, so it was lucky that she spotted another guy heading towards her, Derek Hale. Stella giggled internally as she remembered a conversation she and Stiles had had not so long ago involving Derek.

"There is absolutely no need for how angry he is, Stella. He just sulks in the corner of a room, not saying a word. I can always feel his eyes on me, li,e he wants to eat me or something." Stella chuckled at Stiles' description of Derek. "Are you scared of him, Stiles?" His head shot up as his eyes widened. "No, definitely not." Stella shook her head and went back to reading her book.

Stella headed towards Derek and grabs his arm, interlocking their fingers together. "Play along". Stella whispered in his ear, only to leave Derek even more confused. This feeling soon went away when he spotted the guy that had been following you. Derek's eyes turned into slits as he slid his arm around Stella's waist, pulling her close to him. The guys eyes widened at what was playing out in front of him and soon walked away. Derek's arm fell from Stella's back as she stepped away from him.

"Thanks for that. Really didn't want to make a scene in front of a high school." She gave Derek a sheepish smile as they both walked towards her car. "Anytime, Stella. I always enjoy rescuing a damsel in distress." He began to laugh as Stella dug him in the ribs. "That will only happen once, I can promise you!" Stella could feel a familiar feeling brewing in the pit of her stomach as she carried on the conversation with Derek. Stella and Derek didn't really know each other so it was hard to gauge how much she could trust him, but she really couldn't resist the flirtiness of her old self. "Wanna go out for some drinks later?" Derek stared at Stella a little taken aback. He knew that she didn't really talk to people that wasn't in her inner circle. He thought for a second before accepting the offer. Stella smiled at him before she spotted Scott and Stiles heading down the path in front of them. "I'll meet you at the bar at 7." Stella waved at the two teens before walking towards them, leaving Derek slightly confused but amused at the situation he found himself in.

Later that night at the bar after dropping off Scott and Stiles, Stella and Derek were sat at the bar having a light conversation. "So I know about all of the werewolves and supernatural creatures in Beacon Hills, but I just wanna know how in the hell you cope with it all? I'm not around here all the time, but when I am it always seems like you, Scott and Stiles are always out trying to fix the town." Stella took a sip of her drink as Derek laughed slightly. "To be honest, it's quite hard trying to keep this town safe. The amount of things that these people have witnessed over the years is horrific. I'm actually surprised there are people still living here." Stella laughed in response as she downed the rest of her drink. "Another?" Derek smiled and nodded as Stella hailed down the bartender. "So, Stella, I've sort of noticed that you don't really talk to people who you aren't close to, so I'm just wondering why you decided to invite me out?"

The question took Stella by surprise as she downed the drink that she had just ordered. "Well, I think it has something to do with the fact that you helped me, practically a stranger, scare off a creepy dude who was following her." She took a deep breath as Derek smiled in response. "The thing is Derek, I'm sort of broken. I never used to be like this, I was a totally different person before...." Her voice stuck in her throat as she tried to finish the sentence. Derek placed a hand on hers and nodded. "I understand. Something happened to my family when I was younger that changed me in ways that I didn't even know, so trust me I know exactly how you're feeling." Stella smiled gratefully and ordered two more drinks.

A lot more drinks later, Stella and Derek found themselves hooking up together. For Stella, it was partly accidental but partly intentional as well. She really felt that Derek and her had a connection with each other and she wanted to feel closer to him. Stella awoke and looked around her, finding Derek asleep next to her. She smiles softly at him before quietly getting out of bed and getting dressed. She looks back at Derek one more time before creeping out of Derek's loft.

When Stella is in Beacon Hills, she stays af Stiles' house. She was hoping that nobody would be there when she arrived in order to escape staring eyes and awkward questions. That hope quickly faded when she spotted Scott's motorbike parked outside of the house. Stella sighed inwardly and readied herself for the interrogation that was sure to come before putting her key in the lock.

When she opened the door, footsteps sounded from the upstairs of the house. She rolled her eyes as the footsteps came closer and closer to her. "Where have you been?" She turned around to see Scott and Stiles leaning against the wall, arms folded across their chests. "You don't need to know." As Stella began to move around the kitchen and dodging Stiles' questions, she could hear Scott sniffing slightly and she knew he could sense a change in her scent. She swung around and brought a finger to her lips when Stiles wasn't watching, silently asking him to hush. He nodded softly before Stella headed upstairs.

A few days later the pack had gotten together to discuss another supernatural threat. Frustration was evident between Stella and Derek but nobody wanted to admit it. Both Stella and Derek had feelings for the other but they didn't know if they were ready to admit it to themselves, especially Stella. She was so afraid of being hurt and putting all of her trust in somebody she barely knows, but somehow she knew that Derek was worth it. Throughout the meeting, Derek barely looked at Stella and the frustration that she felt began to build inside her, along with a little sadness. Stella thought that Derek had feelings for her but with the way he was acting now, she wasn't so sure. At the end of the meeting, the frustration had turned into bitterness as her mind dwelled on hers and Derek's relationship. Before he left, letting the bitterness get the better of her, she pulled Derek aside to confront him about the situation.

"Alright Derek, I need to know. Where do we stand with each other? I thought you hooked up with me because you had feelings for me, but obviously you didnt. I cared all along for you, Derek." You breathing became rapid and angry as he gave you no verbal response and shook his head. Stella's anger got the better of her and she slapped Derek across the face before walking away.

The rest of the packs meetings resulted in Stella defending everybody's reasons and plans apart from Derek's. Stella was still very bitter about what happened between them both and felt that Derek didn't acknowledge or appreciate the hard work the rest of the pack puts into putting the plans together.

At one of the meetings, Isaac sensed a change in Stella's scent and decided to talk to her. "Hey, Stella. You Ok? I can sense something's wrong." She sighed a little and reassured him that she was OK. He could still sense her discomfort and engaged her in a mood lifter conversation which Stella became fully indulged in. Throughout the conversation, Isaac could sense Stella's discomfort leaving her body which brought a smile to his face. Stella walked away and sat down, taking Isaac with her.

"The thing is, Isaac. I sort of have feelings for Derek but he doesn't feel the same way." Stiles overhears the conversation and walks over to Stella. "Seriously Stel, Derek? I get what you're saying, I really do, but Derek?" Isaac looked up at him and shook his head before kicking his shin. "Go away, Stiles." Stiles groaned in pain as he hobbled away towards Scott, who he undoubtedly will tell. "Dont listen to Stiles, he's a moron." Stella laughed in response and begins to talk to Isaac some more.

After that, at another meeting, Stella found herself having to contradict Derek. Isaac could sense the change of her emotions and immediately pulled her close and hugged her, which oddly calmed her down. Every time this happened, Stella could feel herself mildly enjoying the attention. Throughout the meeting, Derek was unconsciously waiting for Stella to snap at him like she has been. He becomes a little confused when Stella isn't contradicting him anymore and actually agrees with him. Derek looks over in your direction and sees Issac and Stella cuddling together.

Anger rose through Derek's body at the scene in front of him. "Isaac, would you please concentrate and leave Stella alone!" Derek gritted his teeth together to keep himself calm before Stella jumped to Isaac's defense. "Hey, lay off. We're talking about the plan." You frowned at Derek before turning back to Isaac, throwing her arms around him. At this point, Derek was seething with anger. He absolutely hated the way Stella seemed so comfortable with Isaac and how quick she jumped to his defense but he chose to act like it didn't bother him.

A few days after this, Stella's phone lights up with a text from Isaac asking her to hurry over to the loft for a meeting. She hopped into her care and drove to the loft. Stella opened the doors and walked inside, only to find herself with Derek. Stella groaned inwardly at how awkward this was going to be.

"Erm, how've you been?" Derek looked over in Stella's direction and cast a small smile. "Absolutely fine, and yourself?" Ste,,a looked over at Derek and kept a straight face showing no emotion. "Fine. What are you doing here?" "Isaac told me to meet him here for a pack meeting or something." Silence filled the air for a few moments before Derek walked towards Stella and gave her a questioning look. "So, I've noticed you and Isaac have been getting pretty close lately and I'm just wondering how it's going."

Stella stepped back slightly in confusion and raised her eyebrows. "What on earth are you talking about, Derek? Me and Isaac aren't a thing, we're just good friends." Derek let out an angry huff. "C'mon, Stella. Dont give me that shit." Stella threw her hands up in the air. "What are you going on about?"

"With all the cuddling and giggling and whispering, it looks like you two are a thing. You seem so comfortable with him, I just assumed that you were both together." Stella gave him a deadpan look. "We're just good friends Derek, nothing more. We just get along really well and we understand the things that we have both been through. That's it, purely platonic. I'm way older than Isaac anyway, so having a relationship with him really doesn't seem practical in any way."

"Why are you both always co,fy with each other then, always cuddling each other?" Derek's frustration was starting to show at how naive Stella was being. He placed around the room as Stella shrugged in response. "I'm like that with everyone." Derek stops and over to Stella, stopping right in front of her. "You're not like that with me, though." "I would be if you hadn't of been such a jerk and played me." Derek scoffed. "What is your issue with me?"

"I like you, OK. I have for a while now. All of the little things that you do, like taking on the big bad by yourself, putting your life before anybody elses. It's things like that that allowed my feelings to develop, Derek. I haven't felt this way about anybody in a really long time and I get that you dont feel the same way, but you really shouldn't be interfering in my personal life."

Derek's head hung low as she finished her sentence. "I do admire you, Stella. So much. It's just, my past still haunts me to this day. I've lost so many people and I don't want to lose you to." Stella huffed in annoyance as tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes. "Please stop pretending, Derek. Its hurting me more than you know." She turns away from Derek but stops in her tracks when he grips her wrist.

"I love you, Stella. So much, please don't leave." Stella looked up into Derek's eyes to try and find any sort of uneasiness but all she found was genuine love. Stella tries to push Derek off her but her fights back and places his lips on hers, engaging her in a passionate kiss. As time goes on, the kiss progresses into something more.

Stella and Derek pull apart when they notice that Isaac is skipping around them, throwing rose petals along with Erica. In the background, a soft romantic song played. Stella and Derek looked up to find Boyd and Peter looking smug as hell. "What in the hell is happening here?" Derek looked around the room at each person before the door opened, revealing Scott and Stiles.

"GET A ROOM AND HOOK UP ALREADY!" Isaac shouted from where he was standing as Scott and Peter looked at Derek and Stella. "That was step one, guys. Just wait until step 2." They both wiggled their eyebrows at the couple before Stiles piped up.

"Derek Hale, if you hurt her, so help me. I will grab some wolfsbane, wrap it in mistletoe and mountain ash and shove it up your furry ass."

[cosmopoliturtle]

The Forest Mother

A series I did inspired by “Elden Ring”, Fromsoft’s enigmatic next title, believed to carry on the Soulsborne legacy. The entire family tree from Demon’s Soul to Sekiro are easily among my favourite titles in the entire medium, and have inspired my own work intensely. 

The bear and the woman are part of a 2-phase boss concept I submitted to VaatiVidya’s art contest to design a fake boss for Elden Ring. The first piece is the enemies I imagined would reside in the area the boss inhabits, but are not part of entry itself. 

I was inspired by bear worship throughout European culture, descending back to Palaeolithic times. The crux of my design is focused primarily on the pagan worship of bears in ancient Finland. 

The Journey:

You, a lone rider, braves the haunting wastes of a world left broken after a great war. Your only source of companionship is a horse you’ve ridden with for what feels like an eternity, though despite countless hardships, has remained a stalwart friend. The land you roam together has been claimed by beasts who hunt upon old battlegrounds, and husks of lost souls left to sleep in beds of soot and ash in forgotten ruins. Howling, frigid winds echo between creaking trees, and combined with the beat of hooves, provides a dull but eerie rhythm to the empty roads you travel. What almost looks like a dream phasing into reality is a far-off forest bathed in rays from the Sun, where the clouds allow for dappled light instead of an intense shroud above. As you approach, the trees slowly become more vibrant and lush, the flora sparkling with an emerald sheen as dew drops and a constant, light rain provide them with an ethereal lustre.

The deeper you venture, you begin to find surprising signs of life. Tents of animal hide, wooden totems, and clean cut stone altars create a makeshift village within the dells of the forest. Aside from the occasional fresh deer kill laying upon tables and animal skulls hanging from trees, there are few signs of anything insidious happening. The people who live here sing, pray, and dance together, or hold processions led by a wise-woman, who guides them around the forest. They are all dressed from head to toe in simple, white garments with a few accents of bright colour. They look nothing like the depraved wild men or the harrowed warriors you have battled with before, and they are somewhat ghostly and meek in appearance, most of them stopping what they are doing to shrink away or cower at the sight of you. Some lunge out unceremoniously with knives or spears, trying to get you to turn back, but they are easily felled, their cloth garments not meant for battle. The greatest threats here are the crowds led by the wise-women, who are emboldened by her presence and arcane words. Among the feeble worshippers are occasionally hulking guards, covered in bandages and adorned with animal hides, who wield tools like cleavers, saws, and hammers as weapons. The further you travel, the more resistant the forest folk become to your presence, and despite death after death at the hands of the frenzied mob, you persist forward, as you have before.

Finally, at the heart of the forest, there is a wide glade which has been blessed by a gentle breeze. Compared to the tight alleyways made by the forest folk’s tents and the natural overgrowth, this woodland prairie feels like a welcome place for your horse to stretch their legs and enjoy the soft wind, but it is also feels like a vulnerable place, where one may be caught in the open. As the centre of this field is reached, the ground quakes and the trees rattle as a gigantic, haggard bear emerges from the darkness of the deep woods. The ridge along her back still gleams in the sunlight, but her mane gives way to spots of mange and old scars, transitioning into what looks like hardened, scale-like calluses. She eyes you up and down sternly before she braces her legs and roars. Her bellowing cry is so loud it feels as if your chest is about to explode and the world around you will be shattered into dust. The rain stops, a ring of mist forms around the trees of the valley to halt any idea of escape, and the sun shines down upon your duel with the Forest Mother.

The Battle:

Despite her worn look and heavy frame, the Forest Mother makes it apparently clear how fast she can chase you down, charging and lunging at you with unnatural speed. Her movements will completely control how you fight if you choose to combat her on foot, but you can match her better on horseback, turning the battle into a deadly jousting match. She attacks using her entire body: swiping from either side with her claws, pouncing towards you with her full weight, rearing up to slam her column-like limbs down on you, or simply using her entire front half to ram you into submission. Some of her strikes dig into the ground, and fling dirt, grass, and rain water into the air, these attacks having more of a wind up but easily being fatal if they land against you. Any attacks behind her often result in a quick turnaround sweep of her claws, but she can also let the full weight of her massive body simply fall upon you as she disrespectfully crashes her backside atop your head.

You strike her again and again, whittling her down bit by bit. Eventually, she will slow down to stand on her back legs, only going on all fours to either crash her limbs downwards or to quickly leap and readjust her positioning. Her attacks become somewhat more predictable as she slashes at you, but are still incredibly powerful. This short phase seems like a desperate reprieve from the whirlwind you had to face moments ago, but the Forest Mother is using this time to test you, as you shockingly have managed to last as long as you have. As the battle reaches its midpoint, the Forest Mother’s proud stance begins to hunch, and she starts writhing and shifting in odd, unsettling ways. Her convulsions cease when the blade of an axe splits open her throat from the inside and tears down her gut. From the slit a giant, woman-like figure forces her way out of the bear’s hide, but keeps it sitting upon her like a cloak. She readies her axe and lets loose a passionate but monstrous battle cry, causing the breeze to pick up tremendously and the trees around you to burst into autumn colours. The fight with the Forest Mother resumes with red and gold leaves flourishing each gust of wind.

With her new form, the fight has become an entirely new affair. In a silent frenzy she charges forward, easily keeping up with you on horseback if you choose to remain mounted. Her axe sweeps across the ground and is brought down in a mighty overhead strike. Her strength is so overwhelming that some of her strikes bite into the earth, and the heaving motion of dislodging the axe deals heavy damage and creates a blinding geyser of dirt. After frenzied lashes and heavy strikes, the force of her axe moving through the air creates slicing winds that stampede towards you, able cut into you from a distance. Despite her massive frame and equally large weapon crashing against you, she will also inject quick hits with hand strikes and kicks to try and catch you off guard and throw you off balance. If she wishes to try and fell you in a single hit, she will dig her axe into the ground and charge towards you, ending with a massive upwards sweep, or in a rare moment of stillness, she will let the winds whir around her and plant her axe into the ground, resulting in a phenomenal tornado of razor winds and burning, scarlet leaves. Fighting the Forest Mother on foot or horseback is viable, and it takes an incredibly keen eye to find the right moment to parry any of her colossal attacks. Despite her connection to the forest, she is resilient to fire magics, but ice or raw arcana can pierce through her hide now and again. The Forest Mother is enduring and belligerent, with few counter measures to truly turn the tides. It is a true battle, one that requires a mastery of both ferocity and patience.  

Once her frenzy is finally quelled, she falls to her knees, clinging to her axe to keep her from collapsing entirely. Despite her best efforts to stand up again, she crumbles and withers into ash. Falling into a heap, the wind dies, and the forest quickly begins shedding all of its foliage and colour. You have absorbed her essence, and gotten what brought you here in the first place.

The Aftermath:

Below the Forest Mother’s remains, a frost has spread through the ground and into the now barren trees. This place has become as desolate as the rest of the world. What forest folk remain in their village are now either huddled against the cold earth or are praying at their altars, sobbing and shaking violently, too overwhelmed to bother noticing you. The patrolling assemblages lay cut down by the larger forest folk, who now feed on their remains. They are the only ones left to challenge you, discarding their tools and fighting with bare hands in a rage. If not eating their former neighbours, they can be found on the fringes of the woods, skirmishing with wild boars and packs of dire wolves that have encroached into the forest. The empty edges of this place that once bewildered you with its idyllic glow and the gentle pitter-patter of rain on full-blooming trees has been replaced with barren twigs and stagnant air filled with the howls of hungry animals and the cries of demented brutes, joining the dismal state of everything it sought to hide from. You have found what you were looking for, and with the power of the Forest Mother seeped into your soul, you ride onwards. You are much stronger for coming here, though whether it was an essential step on your quest eludes you. There is a greater toiling in this world that you must become a part of, and whatever must be sacrificed to reach those ends will be. You persist forward, as you have before.

[lady-of-nightmares-and-heartache]

Dark Angel: Chapter 1

Summary: Hiding from Imperials, Aria accidentally discovers that Moff Gideon is alive. Just when she thinks her life is over, an unlikely hero arrives. 

Rated PG: Mentions of violence

Word Count: 2.247k

Aria had lived on Nevarro for the past couple of years and did her best to stay under the radar. She had fled Coruscant after Imperials made it one of their stronghold planets. Her parents worked their way up the ranks as Imperial officers, and just being in their proximity didn’t sit right with her. When she was eighteen, she left. Her parents knew that she didn’t agree with their ideals, and when they found out she ran away, they informed the entire Empire that she was to be returned unharmed. They wanted to… persuade her to join the cause. Besides, having a daughter that was considered a rebel wasn’t good for their image. 

Aria had to lay low and bounced from planet to planet every couple of months. Eventually she settled on Nevarro. Attention was never something a girl on a planet full of less than stellar characters wanted. Nevarro was full of bounty hunters (who thankfully were uninterested in working with the Empire), and more recently, stormtroopers and other Imperials have had a heavy presence on the planet. Imperials always meant bad news. Aria stayed anyway, making sure no attention was drawn to her. That all changed when word spread of a former rebel shocktrooper, a hunting droid, the infamous Mandalorian, the leader of the bounty hunters Guild and a baby taking on Moff Gideon and an entire company of stormtroopers. She was smart and stayed inside her small apartment when all the action was happening. Somehow the small group of… vigilantes, for lack of a better word, made it out alive. Some stormtroopers started to hunt for the offenders when it was announced that Moff Gideon had perished in a TIE fighter crash. Life returned to normal, although the remaining stormtroopers continued to try and assert their dominance over the citizens of Nevarro. Aria was no fighter by any means, but she was a decent shot with a blaster. 

Long story short, Moff Gideon was still alive and Aria had found out the hard way. Walking to the market, a few weeks after the showdown, she could’ve sworn she was being followed. Not willing to chance anything, she switched up her route, cutting through an alley. That was her first mistake. She tensed as a distinctive hum echoed in the tight space. Turning around slowly, her eyes widened as she saw Moff Gideon standing there, with a black lightsaber pointed at her. Aria was too stunned to speak, but Gideon had a reputation for his tendency to talk.

“It’s Aria if I’m not mistaken. Your parents were wondering what became of you.” Gideon broke the silence. Aria’s heart raced. How the hell did he find her? “You’re probably wondering why I picked you of all people, for this task.”

She swallowed. “Picked me for what?”

Gideon smiled. “You’re going to tell me where the Mandalorian is, or I’m bringing you back to Coruscant.”

Aria tilted her head, nervousness replaced by genuine confusion. “What are you talking about? The one with the bounty on him? I don’t know where he is, and I’ve never even met the guy.”

The false pleasantness Gideon had displayed melted away quickly. “That won’t be an issue. You’re going to seek him out. He’ll never expect some random girl from Coruscant to be hunting him.”

“He’ll never expect it, because it’s not happening.” Aria gave a sardonic grin. “Why in the galaxy would you think I’d help you? Not only are you Imperial, you took everything from so many people. The least I can do is to take something from you.” She glared at the Moff. “You’ll have to find the Mandalorian on your own. Am I free to go? Because I promise you, I’ll die before I go back to Coruscant.”

Moff Gideon hid his surprise well, shock distorting his facial features for a fraction of a second. Any boldness that she had moments before melted away instantly. Gideon raised an eyebrow and then smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. He repositioned his hands on the lightsaber.

“So be it,” Gideon said darkly.

Gideon swung the weapon back and Aria closed her eyes and flinched, anticipating what was sure to be a fatal blow. Time stood still. Figuring she should’ve been dead by now; she cracked an eye open. She straightened up when it appeared that Gideon was stuck. He was definitely trying to swing the weapon forward, but his arm just wouldn’t move. Whatever had a hold on him didn’t last long. As he swung down in a perfect arc, a cable wrapped around Aria’s wrist and yanked her backwards. Aria screamed, the hot blade just missing her chest. Barely regaining her balance, the cord retracted from her arm, and a shiny figure pulled her back, and stepped in front of her.

Moff Gideon adjusted himself and looked smugly at the Mandalorian.

“Din Djarin, just the man we were looking for! So nice of you to stop by. My friend here was just about to help me.”

The Mandalorian turned his head the slightest fraction as if he wanted to look at you. Gideon laughed and the Mandalorian went rigid.

“I see the little asset is doing well.”

At the mention of another being, Aria glanced to the side and saw the cutest little green goblin that she had ever seen, standing on a small stack of wooden crates left in the alley. The man in front of her and Gideon had exchanged more words that she didn’t quite catch. The Mandalorian aimed his pulse-rifle at Gideon, and the baby made grabby hands in her direction. Carefully, she took a few steps over and picked up the little green bean, who cooed adorably.

“I don’t think you want to do that Djarin,” Gideon warned. “You know now that I am in the possession of the Darksaber. Anything that you fire at me will deflect right back at the rest of you.” Gideon looked so smug, that the Mandalorian wanted to put a hole in his head right here and now.

The Mandalorian didn’t waver once. Calmly he angled his head back to Aria, keeping his eyes trained on Moff Gideon.

“Take the kid and go to the Razor Crest. If you can’t find it, get Greef Karga or Cara Dune. They’ll help.”

Not in a position to question the guy that just saved her life, Aria gave a quick nod in acknowledgement and took off in the direction that the Mandalorian had come from, the kid secured tightly in her arms.

The Razor Crest wasn’t difficult to find. The kid lit up in excitement when he saw a ship, so she figured that had to be the one. Aria found a little panel that opened and closed with a blanket in it, so she placed the kid there and shut the panel. She had a bad feeling and did a quick sweep of the rest of the ship. She came across a mini armory stocked with weapons of every kind. Grabbing a small blaster, Aria went down the ramp to check the outside of the ship. Beyond thankful for trusting her gut, she removed a tracker that she found on the underside of the ship’s ramp. She dropped it on the ground, stepped back and shot it twice. Maybe a little over dramatic, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. 

Her head snapped up when the unmistakable sound of blaster fire in the distance reached her ears. Scrambling back up the ramp she tried to spot the Mandalorian in the sudden sea of white. When she didn’t see the shiny flash of silver, her stomach twisted into knots. It just occurred to her that she had no idea how to fly this ship. Before she could dwell on the fact that both she and the child were going to be taken by stormtroopers, the Mandalorian literally dropped out of the sky and onto the ground a few feet in front of the ramp. Aria jumped up and had a mini-heart attack at his surprise appearance. Quickly recovering from being startled, she started shooting at the rapidly approaching stormtroopers. The Mandalorian fired off a few shots himself, before slowly backing up the ramp.

“Get in, I’ll cover you!” Aria shouted. The Mandalorian turned around and reached the interior of his ship. He slammed the panel on the wall and the ramp slowly started to close. She kept firing, hoping to keep the rest of the troopers advances at bay. One stray bolt shot from outside slipped through the crack of the almost fully shut door. The Mandalorian was only a foot away when he shot his arm out in front of Aria’s neck. A small grunt slipped through his modulator. 

The bolt was absorbed by whatever material his vambrace was made out of.  Aria was breathless and looked at the Mandalorian with wide eyes. The Mandalorian said nothing and disappeared into the cockpit. Aria found something to hold on to as she could feel the Razor Crest ascend from Nevarro. Her mind was racing, but her heart was racing faster. She had almost died twice today. The most recent time, a blaster bolt was literally less than an inch away from burning a hole in her throat. Too many close calls. Then she thought of the Mandalorian. There’s no mistaking that he is the one that’s got a bounty on him. 

Based on Gideon calling the little green baby an asset, that had to be right. The first time he saved her life, she swore he was her knight in shining armor- literally. The second time, well, no knight that Aria had ever heard of would be able to predict where such a precise shot was aimed and react quick enough to block it. He was more like a guardian angel. Lost in thought, she didn’t hear the Mandalorian exit the cockpit and enter the cargo hold. The Mandalorian announced his presence simply by clearing his throat. Aria snapped back to reality and turned to face him. The silence was more than uncomfortable. The Mandalorian held out his hand, palm up, as if he were expecting something. Aria looked down and realized that she still had one of his guns in her hand. Oops.

“How do you know it isn’t my own?” Aria asked defensively.

“You would have grabbed it out of your waistband in the alley.” The vocoder distorted his voice slightly giving it a mechanical crackle.

Ah. Yeah that made sense. He is a bounty hunter and a Mandalorian so he probably trained to notice little things like that. She gave the weapon back to its rightful owner. He placed the blaster back in the armory, and headed back up to the cockpit. Not entirely sure what was safe to do, Aria checked in on the baby and saw that he was awake. Scooping the kid up, she climbed the ladder and followed the Mandalorian.

Aria would never get tired of how stunning hyperspace looked. Eyes shining in awe, she silently sat in the co-pilot’s seat. The kid saw the Mandalorian sitting just in front of them and squealed, clambering out of Aria’s arms and into Mando’s.

“I guess I should thank you for saving my life twice back there. I appreciate it.” Mando swung his chair around and cocked his head to the side. Aria could swear that she felt him staring. “I’m Aria, by the way.”

Mando dipped his chin in acknowledgement.

“Gideon?” she realized she never found out what happened back there.

A sigh slipped through the Mandalorian’s helmet.

“Escaped.”

Aria wanted to blink out of existence. “Damn it,” she muttered.

“What were you doing with the Moff anyway?”

Aria told the truth. “He followed me through town. Asked me to tell him where you were. I had no idea, obviously and then he said that I’m supposed to find where you were and let him know immediately.”

She noticed his shoulders tense as she spoke. Putting both hands up in mock-surrender, she had to reassure the bounty hunter. “Hey Mando, relax. I told him that I’d rather die than help him. I’m not about to start playing ball for the Imperials now.”

“Good.”

The duo sat in silence for a long time, sans the occasional coos and squeals of the child. Figuring that the Mandalorian was unlikely to start speaking, and she wasn’t likely to break the uncomfortable silence, Aria decided that she should go.

Aria stood up to leave, but she hesitated. She wasn’t sure where she planned to go. Before Aria made it to the ladder, she was graced with verbal communication from the Mandalorian.

“Second door on the left.”

Figuring that must be where he expected her to stay for the time being, she didn’t ask for clarification.

“Thanks.”

On her way down, she passed a thick stack of carbonite chambers, all full. Based on their facial expressions, their captor seemed ruthless. A shiver ran down Aria’s spine. Maybe he was darker than she had originally believed. Best to stay on his good side, just in case.

When she arrived at the second door on the left, she peeked in. Sleeping quarters. Shuffling into the small space, she plopped down on to the barren cot. She was absolutely exhausted.

Her head hit the pillow, and her eyes fought to stay open. She fell asleep wondering how her day had ended up with her traveling on a Mandalorian’s ship.

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, October 12

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Queen Elizabeth’s 73-year sham marriage to Prince Philip collapses

Page 2: Kanye West is in top-secret talks to launch his own TV network and is crowing it will be bigger than the Kardashians -- he wants it to reflect his lofty vision of what the world should be and to provide a spiritual awakening for the masses but he doesn’t realize there aren’t a lot of people who want to spend hours a day listening to him rant about how the world would be a better place if he was in charge -- meanwhile Kim Kardashian is at the end of her rope again 

Page 3: Furious Angelina Jolie is tearing into Brad Pitt’s new girlfriend Nicole Poturalski blasting her as a scheming psycho and as a borderline stalker who is dating Brad just to get famous and it’s going to end in disaster for the whole family not just him so she’s already told Brad to keep Nicole away from their kids and she’s looking to make this part of their ongoing legal case 

Page 4: Newly single Kelly Clarkson has enlisted fellow country star Maren Morris to help her find a new man -- Maren advised Kelly to use her talk show to connect with men she admires but Kelly may have taken her advice a little too literally when she had her crush Keanu Reeves on the show and was drooling all over him though she knows it’s probably wishful thinking 

Page 5: Ellen DeGeneres kicked off her new season by publicly apologizing for allegations of misconduct on her talk show but body language experts blasted her remarks as tone deaf and missing the mark totally 

Page 6: Jimmy Fallon’s wife Nancy Juvonen is furious over the time he spends nurturing his bond with close pal Kathie Lee Gifford -- Jimmy loves to reminisce about the old days at NBC with the former Today yakker especially during today’s challenging times and he worships her and he’s the only late-night host who treats Kathie Lee like an A-lister but Nancy can’t stand Kathie Lee’s constant self-obsessed talk and considers her a squeaky third wheel 

Page 7: Cher keeps trying to turn back time with plastic surgery but the results have been disastrous and although she insists her most recent work is a facelift her kisser is frozen and packed with Botox and fillers and lip injections -- she also appears to have had a nose job and a face and neck lift to achieve a smooth jawline and neck and the results have left Cher barely able to move her face and even made it difficult for her to speak let alone sing, disgraced chef Paula Deen had emergency eye surgery this summer in a desperate bid to save her sight -- Paula had been suffering from declining vision for months and was shocked when doctors told her the cornea was dying and going under the knife was necessary to save her sight 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Tiger Woods took a brief break during practice, Leighton Meester caught some waves in Malibu, Kristen Taekman in a New York Jets bikini, Dolph Lundgren doffed his mask after leaving a lunch date in Beverly Hills, Dominic Cooper took his electric bike for a spin in London 

Page 11: Cash-strapped Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott are back in couples therapy and on the verge of filing for bankruptcy -- they’re in counseling for the same old stuff which is their constant fighting and spending money and work that isn’t happening -- the parents of five were hit with tax liens totaling nearly $1 million and were also sued by American Express over an unpaid credit card bill of almost $90,000 which Tori asked her mother Candy Spelling who is worth about $600 million to pay but Candy refused and after Candy revealed her plans to leave her fortune to animal charities Tori and Dean may file for bankruptcy because they both love to spend, Bravo bigwigs are hoping hotel heiress Kathy Hilton will fill the vacancy left by Denise Richards and Teddi Mellencamp on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and producers are trying to keep ratings high by getting veteran Kyle Richards to recruit sister and former castmate Kim Richards and half sister Kathy -- Kathy is said to be high on producers’ wish list because of her wit and humor and is also considered old-school Beverly Hills and show brass want her to bring a certain glamour and sophistication to the show 

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Demi Lovato at a NYC screening party (picture), when the ball drops on New Year’s Eve in Times Square Anderson Cooper won’t be there because he would rather be at home with his baby boy, The Bachelor has cut all ties with Colton Underwood after his ex Cassie Randolph got a temporary restraining order against him, Teresa Giudice plans to move to NYC after listing her New Jersey mansion but she still wants to keep her job on The Real Housewives of New Jersey and to get around that Teresa hopes to pretend she’s moved into her brother Joe Gorga’s home in Jersey 

Page 13: John Legend revealed couples therapy helps strengthen his marriage to Chrissy Teigen and said they keep their romance going strong by communicating and being considerate and listening, Jackie Stallone was more than just Sylvester Stallone’s mom -- she was also one of the world top astrologers and psychics who predicted the fall of the Berlin Wall and Kanye West’s presidential run 

Page 14: Crime -- convicted Melrose Place killer Amy Locane is in lockup again for a fatal 2010 drunk-driving smashup that took one life and nearly took another after a New Jersey Superior Court Judge said she got off too easy by serving two years behind bars and sentenced Amy to eight more years in state prison 

Page 15: The gruesome house of horrors where Drew Carey’s ex-fiancee Amie Harwick brutally met her untimely end is on the market for $1.5 million and her family can’t wait to get rid of it, Shannen Doherty is in pretty good spirits amid her ongoing battle with stage 4 breast cancer according to her former Beverly Hills 90210 co-star Jason Priestley

Page 16: Cover Story -- After decades of turning a blind eye to her husband’s cheating Queen Elizabeth’s 72-year marriage has shockingly collapsed and Prince Philip is now banished to a remote cottage far away from the monarch -- despite royal courtiers painting a rosy picture of the couple quarantining together at Windsor Castle since March the truth is their marriage has been a sham for decades and they’ve been living separate lives for over 50 years and all this forced togetherness was simply too much for them -- Philip has been cheating on Elizabeth since before they were married and has several love children; he has rumored to have had flings with actress Helene Cordet and Daphne du Maurier and Pat Kirkwood and Jane Russell and Merle Oberon and Zsa Zsa Gabor and Princess Alexandria and Sacha Duchess of Abercorn and most recently Lady Penny Romsey -- there will be no divorce and they will just quietly continue their separate lives to the end of their days but the queen never wants to see Philip again 

Page 18: Larry King’s estranged wife Shawn Southwick is demanding $33,000 a month in spousal support because she claims she gave up her music and TV career to marry the frail talk show host and then raise their sons Chance and Cannon, Hollywood Hookups -- Halle Berry and Van Hunt dating, 90 Day Fiance stars Ashley Martson and Jay Smith split for good, Justin Duggar dating Claire Spivey 

Page 19: Tom Cruise is set to shoot the first major movie in outer space and he’s headed to the International Space Station in October 2021 with director Doug Liman -- the two and possibly one additional actor will hitch a ride aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule to film the unnamed project, the IV needle allegedly used to administer the fatal dose of propofol to Michael Jackson on June 25 of 2009 is up for auction by the estate of the late singer’s father Joe and the chilling item used by Michael’s physician Dr. Conrad Murray is reportedly still stained with Michael’s blood -- it was submitted to the auction by Michael’s cousin Marsha Stewart who says she took it from Michael’s bedroom days after he died, Sharon Stone has pressed her lips on a long list of Hollywood hunks but picked Robert De Niro as far and away the best kisser but rated her other leading men as kind of like meh 

Page 20: Stars Playing Stars -- how they did it -- Muhammad Ali and Will Smith, Frida Kahlo and Salma Hayek, Ray Charles and Jamie Foxx 

Page 21: Marilyn Monroe and Michelle Williams, Queen Elizabeth and Helen Mirren, Billie Holiday and Diana Ross, Bob Dylan and Cate Blanchett 

Page 22: An adopted son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen has charged it was his mother not his father who was the monster in the family -- Moses Farrow says Woody did not molest adopted daughter Dylan Farrow in 1992 and that he can no longer stay silent as Woody continues to be condemned for a crime he did not commit 

Page 26: Less than nine months after Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash a vicious feud has ripped the family apart -- the row erupted between his widow Vanessa Bryant and her mother Sofia Laine after Sofia went on TV to publicly accuse her daughter of tossing her out of the family home -- Vanessa feels she’s already given her mom so much and then she heard through the grapevine that Sofia complained she should have more -- it does seem cold that Vanessa would take such action against her mother but she’s ready to take on anyone using her husband and child’s deaths as a selfish cash grab and that includes Sofia 

Page 27: Danny Masterson’s rape trial is looming and the Church of Scientology is doing everything in its power to back the scandal-scarred actor -- the church’s leaders have assigned their top lawyers to aid Danny who is a prominent member of the religion and the lawyers are scouring every law on the books to get the case thrown out or get him acquitted -- the church has previously been accused of trying to get the other side’s defenses dismissed or judges thrown off cases and using all manner of tactics to delay due process 

Page 28: American Life -- Bighearted ex-billionaire Chuck Feeney has spent 38 years giving away nearly all of his vast fortune and the generous do-gooder said he wouldn’t have had it any other way 

Page 29: Famed stoner Willie Nelson can’t stop sampling his own marijuana products and now friends fear the 87-year-old music legend is smoking himself to death -- Willie’s a believer in the powers of cannabis and promotes it passionately but years of smoking has done a number on his lungs and he can barely breathe at times, Julia Duffy has been keeping close a tragic heartache for more than a year -- her only son Danny Lacy committed suicide at age 29 after years of suffering from mental health issues 

Page 34: Comic Kathy Griffin has seen her popularity plummet in recent years and it’s played a role in her plans to sell her sprawling Bel Air estate -- Kathy has burned a lot of bridges and concerts and TV appearances have dried up because of her many industry conflicts so she’s trying to unload her massive manor with wine cellar and movie theater and eight bedrooms for $16 million -- she didn’t want to sell it but the cost and size have become too much for her to handle 

Page 36: Health Watch 

Page 38: CIA bigwigs once hired a psychic to determine if there was life on Mars -- the misguided mission was said to be part of Project Stargate which was launched in 1978 and somehow cost an astronomical $20 million after the CIA hired a man who claimed he could see the surface of the planet in his mind -- the unnamed man claimed he could see huge pyramids and an obelisk structure and road networks on the Red Planet as well as living creatures, John Lennon’s killer Mark David Chapman shocked the parole board when he admitted he deserved the death penalty even as he begged for his freedom at his last hearing -- his murderous motive was seeking self-glory -- the board denied his parole saying they found his statement infamy brings you glory disturbing 

Page 42: Red Carpet -- London Fashion Week 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Luke Bryan and his dog Choc 

Page 47: Odd List -- doctors remove granny’s football-sized tumor 

[chippokenabokura]

Hello, I hope this message will not bother you if you already have tons of them ^^ I was just wondering if you intended to continue your translation of World Trigger. Also I wanted to thank you for your "accurate" translations for all this time (I think I discovered you like 2-3 years ago by chance ... I don't even remember how). Thank you again. A French World Trigger fan.

Short answer...yes >.> Long answer, the past month or so have been a busy one (I was on holiday for a chunk of it etc.) hence why I haven’t posted these earlier, but you guys aren’t here for excuses. I’m glad you like my translations! And trust me, compliments are never a burden XD This goes out for all the other nice messages I received as well, thank you so much everyone for taking time out to write such nice messages <3

Also, congratulations to the World Trigger anime for getting a continuation! So far there hasn’t been much official information about it, though the key poster having Hus in the Tamakoma Second uniform is pretty suggestive, I thought. But they’re getting a stage at AnimeJapan 2020 on 23rd March, so hopefully we learn more then.

Now on to the translation!

World Trigger Ch188 ‘Hus 9’, Ch189 ‘Amatori Chika 8′  & Ch190 ‘Yuba Squad 3′ Translation

For this post I have all the chapters that have come out until now:

Panel 1

*wind howling*

Panel 2

Osamu: Chika! Kuga!

*clatter clatter*

Yuuma: We’re fine

Panel 3

Yuuma: Chika protected us with Shield

Panel 4

Osamu: I see…!

Osamu: Alright…first, let’s move!

Panel 1

Osamu: Why did Meteora explode?

Osamu: Did you see anything?

Panel 2

*tap*

Chika: The cube was shotChika: From the back…

Panel 3

Osamu: The back…which means from the south…

Osamu: Were we seen by Yuba squad’s sniper…!

Panel 4

Chika: I’m sorryChika: I…

Osamu: I was the one who gave those instructions

Osamu: It’s my mistake

Panel 1

Osamu: But thanks to you, Chika, the two of you finished up with no injuries

Osamu: We’re seeing the result of your training

Panel 2

Chika: …

Panel 3

Fujimaru: Well done, Tono!

Fujimaru: Your quick wit worked, didn’t it!

Tonooka: No, I didn’t finish her off, can’t really say that…

Panel 4

Tonooka: I’ll keep following Tamakoma

Tonooka: Watch for a chance and try one more time

Panel 5

Osamu: Kuga

Osamu: Can you go take down the sniper in the south?

Panel 1                      

Yuuma: If the sniper shoots one more time for us

Yuuma: I don’t know where he is right now

Panel 2

Osamu: That’s true…

Osamu: Yuba squad’s sniper…Tonooka-sempai

Osamu: Gave the impression of being quite a cautious person

Panel 3

Osamu: If I send Kuga to search for Tonooka-sempai

Osamu: But he stays hidden during all of it

Osamu: Kuga won’t be able to fight during that time

Panel 4

Osamu: …alright

Panel 5

Osamu: Let’s aim towards where Hus is together with the three of us!

Osamu: If there’s a place where the line of sight from the south is cut offOsamu: Kuga will split from us there and hurry to save Hus!

Panel 1

Osamu: Me and Chika will hide ourselves first

Osamu: And then set up at a spot where Chika can support you with her sniping!

Panel 2

Osamu: And take care not to have Ninomiya-san’s group catch up to us!

Panel 3

Yuuma: Roger

Chika: …roger!

Panel 4

Osamu: It’ll take time, but we don’t have any other choice…!

Osamu: Hus…!

Panel 5

*crash*

Panel 1

Mizukami: What was that big one jus’ now?

*wind howling*

Oki: Looks like Amatori-chan exploded

Minamisawa: Seriously!?

Mizukami: But she ain’t dead

Panel 2

Usami: Meteora was shot by Tonooka-kun’s snipingUsami: But with Chika-chan’s Shield, those three are okay!

Hus: I see…Hus: Understood

Panel 3

Hus: It’s predictable that Chika would be marked

Hus: Was my judgement too optimistic

Panel 4

Hus: ShioriHus: Give me a detailed map of these surroundings

Usami: Roger!

Panel 1

Ouji: I said a bit about this earlier

Ouji: But with this kind of meleeOuji: The more you’re on the ‘inside’ the more of a disadvantage you have

Panel 2

Ouji: Because no matter how skilled

Ouji: It’s hard to be on guard for 360°

Panel 3

Ouji: But on the flip sideOuji: Surviving this far makes Huston a badass

Ouji: You could say as well…

Panel 4

Kurauchi: …losing a leg

Kurauchi: Makes the situation a fair amount more difficult

Panel 5

Kurauchi: Since he has to stop moving and concentrate trion on defending

Kurauchi: There’s no opportunity for him to demonstrate his inherently high attack power

Panel 1

Sakurako: So you mean that he has his hands full with defence

Sakurako: And no chance to counterattack…!

Panel 2

Konami: Though there is still a chance for him to take advantage, more or less…

Konami: Since those surrounding him are all ‘enemies’ as well

Panel 3

Sakurako: …!

Sakurako: …by which you mean…!?

Panel 4

Konami: If Hus goes down like this

Konami: Ikoma squad has the advantage with numbers and location, rightKonami: Yuba squad’s gonna do their best to not let that happen

Panel 5

Konami: And on the other hand, Inukai-sempai

Konami: Is okay with the current situation continuing until NInomiya-san’s group arrives…

Panel 1

Konami: The ones doing the surrounding all have different opinions too

Konami: Hus should know that too

Sakurako: I see…!

Panel 2

Kurauchi: The more damage Agent Hus takes

Kurauchi: The more the surrounding sideKurauchi: Is conscious of ‘after Agent Hus is taken down’…Kurauchi: I agree that has merit

Panel 3

Sakurako: Which means, taking advantage of that psychologySakurako: There’s a chance Agent Hus could survive…!?

Panel 4

Ouji: No

Ouji: Now that’s not going to happen

Panel 1

Ouji: Even if they’re calculating the pros and cons at the back of their heads

Ouji: The upper B-ranks are not so soft thatOuji: They would let Huston escape

Panel 2

*machine whirr*

Panel 3

*bang bang bang bang bang bang*

Panel 4

*machine whirr*

Panel 1

*bang*

*light light light light*

Panel 2

*impact impact impact impact impact*

Panel 3

*impact impact impact impact impact*

Panel 4

*bang bang bang bang bang bang*

*dash*

Panel 1

Minamisawa: Hus-chan went that way!

Panel 2

Mizukami: OK, Ah see him

Panel 3

Inukai: You can’t get away with that foot

Panel 4

*impact impact impact impact*

*impact impact impact*

Panel 5

Sakurako: Agent Hus begins his attempt to break through

Sakurako: The mid-range group tightly keeps him in place!

Panel 1

Sakurako: Agent Hus is surrounded once more!Sakurako: Is the difference in mobility having an effect!?

Konami: …ah jeez, it’s making me anxious…!

Panel 2

Konami: Don’t put on airs

*mumble mumble*

Konami: Hurry up and use your ‘secret weapon’…!

Panel 3

Kurauchi & Ouji: ‘Secret weapon’…?

Panel 4

Sakurako: By ‘secret weapon’Sakurako: You mean something like a trump card…!?

Konami: I don’t know, I’m not saying, I won’t tell you!Konami: Because it’s a ‘secret weapon’!

Karasuma: …

Panel 5

Kitora: Karasuma-sempaiKitora: By ‘secret weapon’, she means…?

Karasuma: It’s about Viper

Panel 1

Kitora: …!

Kitora: Making everyone think the bullet he has is Asteroid, but actually…

Kitora: Viper…!

Panel 2

Karasuma: Hus is pretty skilled

Karasuma: Not as much as Nasu-sanKarasuma: But he can draw the trajectory properly every time

Panel 3

Karasuma: No matter the opponent, he should able to get them the first time

Panel 4

Kitora: It’s true…with that trion amount

Kitora: It’ll be a fatal wound for anyone…!

Kitora: …but

Kitora: In that case, then why…

Panel 5

Inukai: I wonder why he’s not using his ‘secret weapon’?Inukai: Hus-kun

*wind howling*

Inukai: You’ve got something up your sleeve, right?

Panel 1

Inukai: There’s no need to be reluctant in the final battle, right

*wind howling*

Inukai: Keep going like this and it’s gonna end without it being used?

Panel 2

*bang bang bang*

*impact impact*

*light light light light*

Panel 3

*clang clang clang clang clang*

*whoosh*

Panel 4

Karasuma: Yuba squad isKarasuma: Moving as if they’re splitting the work of taking on Ninomiya-san’s Fullattack strategy between the two of them

Karasuma: Thanks to their countermeasures against Ninomiya-san, they’re somehow getting through this

Panel 1

Karasuma: Ikoma squad is…

Panel 2

Karasuma: While the attacker presses forward

Panel 3

Karasuma: Mizukami-sempai supports him, the same as usual

Panel 4

Karasuma: And then…

Panel 5

*rustle*

Ikoma: Senkuu…

Panel 1

Hus: Escudo

*machine whirr*

Panel 2

*bang*

Panel 3

*bang bang bang bang*

Ikoma: !

*thump*

Panel 4

*wind howling*

Sakurako: Escudo as a catapult!?Sakurako: Captain Ikoma is tossed into the air!

Panel 1

Kurauchi: So he can even activate Escudo with his foot

Panel 2

Konami: A chance!

Panel 3

Ouji: Take down Iko-san

Ouji: Or aim for withdrawal

Panel 4

*bang*

Hus: Slip through this boxing in!

Panel 5

Ikoma: …kogetsu

Panel 6

*fwoosh*

Panel 1

*turn*

Panel 3

*slice*

Hus: !

Panel 1

Satori: Acrobatic Ikoma Senkuu!

Arashiyama: He can hit a mark like that

Panel 2

*bang*

*impact impact impact impact*

Sakurako: The breakout with Escudo Catapult is halted by Captain Ikoma!

Panel 3

Sakurako: And furthermore, Agent Hus loses his right foot too!

Panel 4

Karasuma: …I seeKarasuma: So that’s how it is

Panel 1

Inukai: The angle of the Escudo used for that big jump just now…

Panel 2

Inukai: At the end of his jump would be…

Panel 3

Ouji: It seems that Huston

Ouji: Wanted to use his ‘secret weapon’ on Ninomiya-san

Panel 4

Ouji: In fact, in the first placeOuji: ‘Huston will defeat Ninomiya-san’

Ouji: Was that Tamakoma’s scenario, I wonder?

Panel 1

Yuba: Obishimaa!

*wind howling*

Yuba: When Hus falls, the 2nd round is gonna start immediately!

*rustle*

Panel 2

Obishima: Roger!

*wind howling*

Obishima: I’ll move to make sure I’m not surroundedObishima: While trying to create an opening in Ikoma squad!

Panel 3

Mizukami: Hus shoulda lost quite a lot of trion by now, butMizukami: Don’t let ya guard down

*wind howling*

Panel 4

Ikoma: Not an opponent ya can let ya guard down with even if he’s on the verge of death anyway

Minamisawa: True!

*wind howling*

Panel 1

Inukai: Even if Hus-kun was to fight Ninomiya-san

Inukai: Ninomiya-san will probably win, but…

Panel 2

Inukai: …risk

*wind howling*

Inukai: Need to be eliminated as much as possible

Panel 3

Computer: WarningComputer: Serious trion leakage

*wind howling*

*crack*

-

Panel 1

*wind howling*

Panel 2

Sakurako: There are cracks in Agent Hus’s combat body…!

Ouji: It’s finally reached this point

Panel 3

Kurauchi: The amount of trion Agent Hus can use in a counterattack

Kurauchi: Is running low too

Panel 4

Ouji: If Huston is taken down

Ouji: The match might move all at once

Panel 1

Inukai: Hus-kun acted as if he’s aiming for Ninomiya-san’s group

Panel 2

Inukai: There’s the chance that those 3 from Tamakoma are heading your wayInukai: So please be careful at least

Panel 3

Hiyami: The one who went after Tamakoma just now should’ve been Tonooka-kun

Hiyami: So it might be better to move in secret right about now

Panel 4

Ninomiya: …understood

*shoom*

Tsuji: Roger

Panel 1

Hosoi: Ninomiya-san and Tsuji-kun jus’ disappeared!

Panel 2

*wind howling*

Mizukami: Can’t take it easy anymore, Ah see

Panel 3

Sakurako: The enveloping formation slowly pressing in!

Sakurako: Which team will bring down Agent Hus!

Panel 4

Ouji: Probably Ikoma squad

Ouji: Yuba squad should be letting Ikoma squad take HustonOuji: And taking advantage of that opening

Panel 1

Konami: Will Yuba-chan use such an indirect move?

Panel 2

Ouji: It’s not Yuba-san’s way

Ouji: It’s Kandata’s way

Panel 3

Obishima: I will make Hus-sempai move and put him in Ikoma squad’s crosshairs!

*rustle*

Panel 4

Yuba: Don’t press in too deeply!

*bang*

Panel 5

*wind howling*

*impact impact impact*

Panel 1

*machine whirr*

Panel 2

Obishima: Escudo!

Obishima: Under my feet!?

Panel 3

*bang*

Obishima: !?

Panel 4

*impact impact*

*crash*

Panel 1

Yuba: That car with Escudo…

*rustle*

*ka-wham*

Yuba: Obishimaa!

Panel 2

*rattle rattle*

Obishima: …I’m fine!

Panel 3

Inukai: Yuba squad’s co-op has broken down

Inukai: In that case

Panel 4

*ratatatatata*

*impact impact impact*

Inukai: I’ll have to put on the pressure, won’t I

Panel 5

*machine whirr*

*impact impact impact impact impact*

Panel 1

*light*

*wind howling*

*rustle*

Panel 2

Ikoma: Senkuu Kogetsu

Panel 3

Sakurako: Once again, Ikoma Senkuu!

Panel 4

*shine*

Panel 2

*machine whirr*

Panel 3

Satori: Fullguard!?

Panel 4

Arashiyama: The Senkuu was a fakeout!

Panel 5

Konami: …here!!

Panel 1

*turn*

*light*

Panel 2

*bang bang bang bang*

Panel 3

Ikoma: …!

Panel 1

Sakurako: !?

Konami: Viper!

Panel 2

Computer: Combat body active limit reached

*crack*

Ikoma: Kai!

Panel 3

Minamisawa: Yes, yes!

*reveal*

Panel 4

*wind howling*

Minamisawa: !?

*turn*

Panel 5

Minamisawa: Are you Nasu-san!

*rustle*

Panel 1

*machine whirr*

Panel 2

Minamisawa: !

*impact impact impact impact*

Panel 4

*wind howling*

Mizukami: Finally

Panel 5

Mizukami: Checkmate

Panel 1

*impact impact impact impact*

*bang*

Panel 2

Computer: Combat body active limit reached

*crack crack*

Computer: Bailout

Panel 1

*bang*

*bam*

*wind howling*

Sakurako: Captain Ikoma and Agent HusSakurako: Bails out one after the other!

Panel 2

*whoosh*

Panel 3

*machine whirr*

*impact impact impact impact*

Panel 4

Mizukami: If Obishima-chan’s there, then that means…

Panel 1

*turn*

Mizukami: Yuba-san’s over here

*rustle*

Panel 2

*wind howling*

Panel 3

Mizukami: Oh my…

Mizukami: This’s no good

Panel 4

*bam bam bam bam bam *

*impact impact impact impact*

Panel 1

*wind howling*

*bam*

Sakurako: Agent Mizukami, stuck between Captain Yuba and Agent InukaiSakurako: Also bails out here!

Panel 2

Sakurako: This is Yuba squad’s point!Sakurako: Captain Yuba’s quick draw wrested away the point!

Panel 3

Sakurako: Tamakoma Second, Ikoma squad, and Yuba squad

Sakurako: Have all earned 1 point!

Panel 4

Sakurako: So Agent Hus’s ‘secret weapon’Sakurako: Was Viper!

Konami: That’s rightKonami: Though I was so nervous when it looked like he was going to go down without using it

Panel 1

Inukai: Hus-kun’s ‘secret weapon’ was more or less what I expectedInukai: Though the keenness of his proficiency was above what I had thought

Panel 2

*smoking*

Inukai: Now I need toInukai: Make sure not to die before meeting up

Panel 3

*sigh*

Panel 4

Hus: Stopped at 1 point, huh…

Hus: ButHus: I did the minimum that needed to be done

Panel 5

Hus: No…Hus: There’s one more thing to do

Panel 1

Osamu: Hus was taken down…

Yuuma: Well, can’t be helped

Panel 2

Chika: Hus-kun was…

*badump badump*

Chika: Hus-kun was taken down…

Panel 3

Chika: The same as that time

Panel 4

Chika: Because I couldn’t do it well…

Chika: Ah

Panel 1

Hus: Chika

Hus: It’s Hus

Panel 2

Chika: !

Hus: My bad I couldn’t let you shoot like we practiced

Panel 3

Hus: I died

Panel 4

*twitch*

Hus: On the actual battlefieldHus: If Chika doesn’t shoot the enemy

Hus: There’s a chance Yuuma or Osamu could die

Panel 5

Chika: Again, it’s my…

*tighten*

Chika: My fault…

Hus: That’s why, Chika

Panel 1

Hus: I leave Yuuma and Osamu in your care

Hus: In my place

Panel 2

Chika: …!

Panel 3

Izumi: Hmmm…

Izumi: Now hasn’t this turned into an intense development

Izumi: Tamkoma Second

Fight. And prove yourselves.

Panel 1

Izumi: Yo, Kyousuke

Panel 2

Izumi: Didn’t this turn out interesting

Karasuma: Izumi-sempai

Panel 3

Karasuma: You’re not in the upper seats today

Izumi: It’s the special final match after all

Panel 4

Izumi: SoIzumi: How is it, your ‘disciple’

Izumi: Isn’t he troubled with his big game piece taken down

Panel 1

Karasuma: I wonder

Karasuma: He’d been thinking of various strategiesKarasuma: So I think he’ll be alright though

Panel 2

Karasuma: If I have to say, the one I’m worried about is…

Panel 4

*impact impact impact impact*

*bang bang bang bang*

Panel 1

*bam bam bam*

*whoosh*

Panel 2

Minamisawa: Uwah, not good, not good!

Panel 3

Sakurako: With 2 people taken down all at once, Ikoma squad has sudden reversed into a crisis!Sakurako: Will it develop into the 2 from Yuba squad chasing after Agent Minamisawa

Panel 4

Ouji: They would want to take down Kai-kun in this sceneOuji: But they wouldn’t want to let Sumi-kun get away either

Panel 1

Yuba: Wanna turn Minamisawa into a point hereYuba: But if we let Inukai go, Ninomiya squad’s gonna fucking complete the set unscathed

Panel 2

Ouji: Times like this

Ouji: If Kandata was hereOuji: Is what you start thinking…

Panel 3

Obishima: …Yuba-san!

Panel 4

Obishima: I’ll defeat Minamisawa-sempai!

Obishima: Please chase after Inukai-sempai!

Panel 1

Yuba: …aalriightYuba: Go, Obishimaa!

*rustle*

Yuba: Don’t forget the advantage of range!

Obishima: Roger!

Panel 2

Sakurako: Yuba squad splits into two here!

Sakurako: Can it be said that they’ve made a slightly momentous choice!?

Panel 3

Kurauchi: I believe these movements have been seen by the 3 from TamakomaKurauchi: But on Yuba squad’s side, Agent Tonooka is still marking Tamakoma

Panel 4

Kurauchi: Depending on who Tamakoma makes a move on

Panel 5

Kurauchi: The flow of the match will change, it seems

Panel 1

*rumbling*

Panel 3

*ratatatatata*

Panel 4

*impact impact impact impact*

Fujimaru: Distance 20!

Panel 1

*bam bam bam*

Panel 2

*impact impact impact*

*bang*

*fwoosh*

Panel 3

Sakurako: Captain Yuba’s bullets have caught Agent Inukai in their grasp!

Konami: Yuba-chan’s faster in close range

Panel 4

Inukai: A shootout’s bothersome, as expectedInukai: Let’s devote ourselves to running

*wind howling*

Panel 1

Sakurako: Agent Inukai shows movements that aim to outrun by using obstacles!Sakurako: …on the other hand, is Tamakoma joining in from the opposite side!?

Panel 2

Osamu: We’ll aim for Minamisawa-sempai’s group

Panel 3

Osamu: Because there’s the risk of an induced explosion like beforeOsamu: This time you can’t use Meteora

Osamu: Instead, our move will be using Hound to unbalance the opponentOsamu: And me and Kuga taking them out

Panel 4

Chika: …right, got it!

*machine whirr*

Panel 5

Tonooka: She’s alone now

Panel 1

Tonooka: Tamakoma’s gone towards ObishimaTonooka: I’ll aim from the back

Fujimaru: Roger!

Obishima: Roger!

Panel 2

Chika: Hound!

*machine whirr*

Panel 3

Tonooka: Now this isn’t gonna be Meteora, right

Tonooka: But this time…

Panel 4

Tonooka: I can aim for the main body

*bang*

*light*

Panel 1

*clang*

Panel 2

Tonooka: !

Panel 4

Yuuma: He took the bait

Panel 5

*wind howling*

Chika: …found him!

Usami: Changing to Sighted Guidance

Panel 1

*light*

Tonooka: Uwa, they got me

Panel 2

Tonooka: Her left hand side was open

Tonooka: Because she wanted to narrow down the direction she’d be sniped from, huh

Panel 3

*bang bang bang bang*

Panel 4

*bang*

Panel 1

*whoosh*

Tonooka: !

Panel 2

*crack*

Tonooka: Oh my…

Panel 3

*bam*

Panel 1

Sakurako: Agent Tonooka bails out!

Sakurako: The one who nabbed him was Ikoma squad’s Agent Oki!

Panel 2

*rumble*

*badump*

Panel 3

Yuuma: Oh?Yuuma: Did Chika’s ones hit?

Panel 4

Osamu: …noOsamu: It was Ikoma squad’s point

*phew*

Panel 5

*gasp*

Panel 6

*shake shake*

Chika: Wrong, wrong…!

Panel 1

Chika: Next time

*step*

Chika: I’ll hit the mark…!

Panel 2

Konami: That Okky really hid himself well…

Kurauchi: An ambush that put Agent Tonooka to shame

Panel 3

Ouji: I wonder if he had been marking Tono-kun since the Big Meteora Explosion?

Panel 4

Ouji: Because it gets scary later on if you lose Tono-kunOuji: So I understand how he feels

Panel 5

Mizukami: Oki-kun?

Mizukami: Ya couldn’t use those skills ta save us?

Oki: Well, it seemed snipin’ was bein’ guarded agains’ on that side

Panel 1

Oki: Kai

*wind howling*

Oki: If ya run that way, Kuga-kun’s probably there

Panel 2

Minamisawa: Uwah, then

Minamisawa: Would a one-on-one with Obishima-chan be better?

Panel 3

Minamisawa: I’ve only got one arm so it’s pretty tough though!

Oki: Brin’ her this wayOki: Ah’m on my way too

Panel 4

*light*

*wind howling*

Panel 1

Oki: !

*machine whirr*

Oki: Hound!?

Panel 2

Oki: I’ll lead it on then in the opposite direction…

*light*

Panel 3

*turn*

Oki: !?

Panel 4

Oki: Wrong, these’re

*zoom*

Oki: Composite bullets

Panel 1

*impact impact impact impact impact impact*

Panel 2

*bang bang bang*

Panel 3

Oki: I can’t, I can’t, seriously I can’t

*rustle*

Oki: Ninomiya-san’s

Panel 4

*bang*

Panel 2

Oki: Eh, no way

Computer: Combat body active limit reached

Panel 3

Sakurako: Ahhh!?

*bang*

Sakurako: Agent Tsuji had gone on ahead!?

Panel 1

Sakurako: A flash of Kogetsu!

Sakurako: This has become Ninomiya squad’s first point earned!

Panel 2

Kurauchi: This has…

Kurauchi: Really taken me by surprise, speaking personally

Panel 3

Kurauchi: When Captain Ninomiya shoots Composite Bullets, he always

Kurauchi: Had either one to guard him, was my impression, so…

Panel 4

Ouji: Okky probably thought the sameOuji: He sure is composed

Panel 5

Sakurako: …!Sakurako: And on the opposite side!Sakurako: This is…

Konami: Yuuma!

Panel 1

*machine whirr*

Panel 2

Sakurako: Tamakoma Second’s other ace!

*wind howling*

*rustle*

Sakurako: Agent Yuuma encounters these two!

Panel 3

Obishima: Kuga-sempai…!

Panel 4

Minamisawa: …ahhh ahhh

Panel 1

Minamisawa: Kuga-chan showing himself means…

Minamisawa: It’s that pattern with Mikumo-chan in hiding?

Obishima: …!

Panel 2

Obishima: That’s true…if that’s so

Obishima: It’s 2 vs. 1 vs. 1…!

Panel 3

*whirl*

Panel 4

Sakurako: Tamakoma Second, who wants 3 more points for a sole no.2 seat!

*rustle*

Panel 5

Sakurako: Swoops down on Agent Obishima and Minamisawa!

*machine whirr*

Panel 1

*bang*

*light*

Minamisawa: Ugh!?

Panel 3

Minamisawa: Eh~…

*crack crack*

Minamisawa: Just nowMinamisawa: Didn’t it feel a bit like it’s gonna be us two working together…

Panel 4

Obishima: Sorry!Obishima: I want points!

Panel 1

Sakurako: Oh!?Sakurako: Agent Obishima’s Blind Shot has taken out Agent Minamisawa!

*bang*

Panel 2

Konami: Ngh…

Ouji: A good judgement, Obi-nyan

Panel 3

Sakurako: Now then, two teams who both want points!

*wind howling*

Sakurako: Will this become a clash that breaks up the future to come!?

-

1. Any other manga (and I do still do this with World Trigger sometimes), I would have thought this starting placement means Tamakoma 2nd will definitely join the expedition as a team because otherwise we won't get to see them work together. But this IS World Trigger, famous for so many instances of 'oh I kind of wanted to show this but I lost my chance oh well' :/ And Ashihara has said before that he sets up chara positions on the map so he can get the match result he wants without compromising the characters' abilities, so it could very well be that he deliberately surrounded Hus with enemies because he wants him to go down before Tamakoma 2nd can fight as a team and eliminate their chance to go on the expedition as 'Tamakoma 2nd'...

2. I always forget Minamisawa and Hus are the same age and then we get something like 'Hus-chan' ._.

3. Apropos of nothing, I think Ouji's face hearing Konami spoil Hus's 'secret weapon' is hilarious

4. In conclusion, one thing I always love about World Trigger fights is how everyone is always learning new things, or changing up their tactics. It's never just our protags learning about their opponents, thinking up countermeasures and maybe having the opponents counter with countermeasures of their own. So often, World Trigger opponents will do something different right out the gate because the situation calls for it and it makes the fights so exciting.

Coming up next, volume 21 extras! Let’s see how many I can churn out before more chapters drop next week.

[sarah--goff]

Their Dark Materials: Chapter Two; Nevermore

Also available on A03 under Sarah_Goff works

notes: The name 'Sloane' is said as 'Slow-n', ('Ferris Bueller's Day Off' fans will probably recognise this name !)

Enjoy :)

Chapter Two:

The sun on your face wakes you groggily, by some miracle you didn’t oversleep.

You roll over in your bed, sleepy eyes landing on the bird staring at you from its nest.

“Good morning, bird” you say through a yawn, hand under your head.

At your vanity table, you kiss the noir Polaroid of your parents stuck to your mirror, the last one taken a few weeks before they died in a fatal car crash. You’ve lived with your only remaining family- your mother’s sister and her husband- since then. Living in the little room in the large house, in a dreary town.

It’s not that you didn’t get along with your aunt and uncle exactly, it’s just they never seemed to have time for you. You didn’t care so much now, you’d grown used to the deflecting affection. Brian and Kari weren’t terrible people, they just didn’t want kids- it wasn’t their fault they got you, but it wasn’t yours either.

You lived together and that’s as far as your relationship went. They weren’t your parents, nobody could replace them.

You planned to move out later this year after your birthday. You could access the savings your parents left you then. Where to you didn’t know. You probably wouldn’t go to university. Your family wouldn’t be much support anyway.

Dressing, you noticed smugly that the berries and seeds in the dish were gone. Not even crumbs were left.

It was still chilly outside after last night, so you don’t think twice about pulling on your thick scarf with your brown leather jacket.

You look over yourself in the mirror satisfied. You loved this jacket with all your heart, it had belonged to your father and still smelt of him even after all these years.

You re-fill the empty dish again with the seed mix and open the window enough to let air in but not enough for the raven to wander out.

On your way out of the room, you linger at your bedroom door hesitantly, looking at the raven sitting by your bed. Wondering where you’re going.

“Be back around 3, okay” You promise, slinging your rucksack on your back. You feel a little guilty that you were leaving it trapped in your little cell of a room.

You remind yourself that no matter what you can’t let it loose in the house, if either Kari or Brian see the bird -they’d make it leave. It was in no state to fend for itself.

You pull the door closed softly and, noticing the grandfather clock in the hallway, speed down the stairs, nearly missing your footing.

In your rush to put your keys in your bag, you drop your Walkman -which you don’t have time to inspect- bounding  out the door.

                                                                                                                            _*_

Your predictions were right, you sleepwalk through the day.

You spend most of it in the library, scribbling down the essay that was due this morning but you were given an extension until tomorrow. Thank god.

The sun stayed rooted in the sky but the air was still frosty.

You couldn’t get the raven out of your mind.

You wish you had just feigned illness and stayed home. All day the bird harassed your thoughts- you just prayed Kari wouldn’t go into your room if she arrived home before you. God what a conversation that would be.

Next door’s cat was notorious for getting into the neighbourhood homes. You hoped the cat wouldn’t be able to squeeze through the gap in the window. The bird wouldn’t stand a chance.

You feel better when you start walking home, your headphones’ flimsy material keeps your ears fairly warm. You were pretty sure your Walkman had busted earlier – the tapes were all chewed up. Your birthday was coming up, you’d just have to wait it out.

You arrive home earlier than usual. You pocket the Walkman as you walk up to the path leading to the house.

You turn the key in the door, pushing it open straining your ears for the sound of shrill shrieking. Nothing.

“Hello?” You call out.

You notice Kari’s bag and keys were on the table in the living room and your stomach sinks.

You race upstairs forgetting the ‘no-shoes-in-the-house’ rule.

“Hello!” you call again huffing under the weight of your rucksack.

Your bedroom door was ajar. You burst in making Kari start.

It was obvious she had been snooping through your things again.

She clearly didn’t trust you, nor will she ever.

Her faux blonde hair ringlets shake as one when she twists her head.

“No need to shout” she places her hands on her hips to gloss over the fact that she’d just been caught red handed prying. “And what’s this again, dirty dishes left here, Sloane; how many times!”.

On the other hand, you felt relieved that she hadn’t taken a blind bit of notice of the raven. Your eyes skirt around her to look at the where your scarves had been, but they had vanished too, along with the bird.

Had it found some way to escape? Surely it couldn’t carry the scarves.  You notice she’d closed the window. So maybe it hadn’t after all? Next door’s cat clearly didn’t get to it -where was it?

“Are you listening!” she broke off your thoughts “And I had to put your clothes back in your draws again, you’re 17 years old and I’m still putting your clothes away!”

So that solves the scarf mystery.

You just smile tightly at her “won’t happen again”.

Putting my clothes away my arse.

She pushes this morning’s discarded cereal bowl into your hands. “You can start apologising when you wash this and the rest up downstairs”.

Kari made her way to the door hair bouncing in time with her step.  

You stood in the centre of your room, trying to look not at all worried if the raven might suddenly spring out on her.

“Sure”

You closed the door behind her with a sigh of relief.

In a low whisper, “Hello?” scanning the room for any movement

You ducked your head to see if it had hopped under your bed and rested there, but then you reminded yourself you were whispering to a bird and straightened yourself up.

Your eyes immediately fell on your beside table where it sat blinking at you. You grinned back, glad it stuck around.

You were sure it hadn’t been there in plain sight a moment ago. Had it been hiding?

“Clever bird!” you cheered.

You use your index finger to feel the silky feathers. In the daylight you can see the layers of black, inky blue and a hint of purple.

It was quite unsettling that it didn’t caw- or whatever ravens did- once. Maybe it couldn’t for some reason. At least it wouldn’t be at risk giving itself away.

“I had classes today” you tell it lazily looking out the window. “That’s why I had to go. I’ll be finished soon though”.

What were you going to do during the break? They’d push you into getting a tidy job so you wouldn’t hang around the house. Or at least Brian would- Kari would make you do housework, even if she clearly didn’t trust you home alone. You sighed.

“My name is Sloane- Sloane Hazel -in case you were wondering” you comically hold out your hand as if to shake with the raven.

The bird blinks at you cocking its head. “It was my parents’ name. I guess I should probably call you something over than ‘bird’ ”.

You sit at your vanity desk. You quickly straightened the bottles of perfume and make- up bits and pieces.

You begin to wipe off your eyeliner in the mirror, looking between you and the bird.

“That woman you just saw snooping around was my aunt. My uncle isn’t home yet. My parents are dead -so I live here. With them”.

The daylight melted away at the overcast sky, it had started to drizzle softly, the kind of rain that made your hair frizzy.

You pause the wiping to pluck the polaroid of your parents “that’s them” you swivel in the chair to show it to the bird. “It’s okay, I got eight golden years with them, that’s more than some”.

You pull out your wooden draws with a thunk and retrieve the scarves, rearranging them again to make a nest. The raven hopped inside, obviously glad to be warm at last in this dismal cold room it had been subjected to.

“my dad was an actor like my mum. I preform in plays sometimes -maybe I’ll follow in their footsteps, I haven’t decided yet-” You showed the bird your prize camera, remembering the film was nearly all used up “I’m okay at drawing, so I could do graphics or something but photography is my real passion-”.  

You babble on, unable to stop yourself. The raven nestled in the wool- probably asleep. You fill it in on useless details about yourself, as if it would understand anyway. You told it about your friends, the stuff you got up, to what your college was like, the places you wanted to travel, the books you’d read.

You crouch one hand resting on your thigh, in front of the bird who had its eyes closed. Rude bird.

You softened your voice.

“I’m going to call you, Never. Like ‘Nevermore’, right?”

You suddenly burst out with a bubble of laughter at the daft situation and rattled the bird to opening its eyes.

“Not that I’d expect you to understand, but it’s from a poem this guy wrote about a bird like you. He was a bit mad, but then maybe I am too talking to you”

You repeat the word under your breath, glancing at the bird who gave you the impression it was bored.

“Never” you murmur over and over.

Maybe not.

“Nevermore... Ooh what about More, like as in ‘Moore’, that’s a real name at least. It kind of suits you”.

It didn’t protest. “Moore it is”.

“Sloane! Why can I still see dishes?” Kari called from the bottom of the stairs. “what did I say about shoes in the house!” she sounded irritated.

You roll your eyes.

                                        _____*_____

“Hey, Moore, look what I found!” You called out to the raven, who was probably either sleeping or peering out by the window. It often did that nowadays.

The bird seemed to be improving but you couldn’t tell medically, it just seemed- Chirpier? You smiled at your own wit. A true comical genius.

You place your rucksack down with a thud. You’d found some real bird food at the pet store. They’d given you a funny look when you asked theoretically what a raven would eat but they told you anyway.

You pull out the shopping bag you’d hidden inside your rucksack.

The bird was nowhere to be seen. You remember the open window- to give the raven a bit of freedom- and your heart sank. Would it leave already?

‘Caaar’ Came the sound of a squawk behind you. You jump, nearly stepping on the bird.

Your eyes light up “did you just make a noise?!” this was good sign that it will healing.

You closed the window again, not wanting to draw the attention of any cats that might be around.

“Where did you come from anyway?” .

You hold out your arm for it to hope on, since it was apparent that flying was still proving difficult. Moore obliged and when you drew yourself back up you noticed it had something wide and shiny in its beak.

“What’s this? Can I see?” You tested your fingertips near its beak to hold the shiny thing for closer inspection. It dropped it in your palm.

In your hand, you it was a silver bangle with a large glittery blue stone with gold specks in the heart of it. It looked incredibly expensive. It felt weighty. How on earth had the raven managed to carry this!

“Wow, did you rob a jeweller or something?” you turned the item over in your hands and hold it this way and that in the light.

“Here” you placed it in the scarf nest. You never thought ravens would be attracted to shiny objects like magpies were. Learn something new every-day.

It made an effort to shove the item out of the nest- to get comfortable? You put in by the nest again where it pushed the bangle away with its beak. You tried again, not understanding what it was doing. They wanted the treasures by them didn’t they?

You stood in front of Moore puzzled. The bird pushed it in your direction, scraping the bangle across the wood, and when you moved to stand at the other end of the desk, it pushed it towards you again. “Wait” you said, realisation dawning on you.

“Is this, for me?” you said in an awed whisper slowly picking up the weighty piece. No way. The bird didn’t squawk or try to snatch it back so you assumed you were right.

“thank you! This is so cool! I should have started saving birds earlier” you joked slipping on the beautiful piece admiringly. It fitted well on your wrist. The blue in the stone looked to be a black opal of some kind. You wondered if the bangle itself was real silver. You felt a little guilty for the person who had obviously lost this stunning piece.

You cradle the bird “I love it” you say to Moore, feeling along its’ soft wings with the tips of your fingers.

Kari shouts you for dinner.

“Be back soon” You wave at Moore. “Oh wait!”

You forgot the bangle and slipped it off stuffing under your mattress. They’d get suspicious if they saw something as grand as that on your wrist.

“Bye!” you called over your shoulder.

Kari held out the plates for you to place on the table “Who were you talking to just then?” she said eyes narrowed.

Great.

She probably thought you had a secret boyfriend or something. Now she’d definitely snoop through your things, why did she have to be so paranoid.

You mentally reminded yourself to take extra care in hiding your stuff. The bangle for one.

“I was rehearsing lines for a new play” you shrugged, accepting the plate.

It wasn’t entirely a lie, the large theatre in town hosted an annual Christmas production, each year they chose a fairy-tale. You’d decided to go for it this year. You’d auditioned for the role of ‘Cinderella’- and got it.

“You can come along when its out, if you want” you looked between them, “both of you” you weren’t expecting her to say ‘yes’ but you felt a little pang in your stomach when she looked uncomfortable.

“We’ll…see if we can get the time off” she said uneasily.

So that was a ‘no’ then, not that it mattered. They could never seem to “get the time off”. She could at least lie better.

You switched to thinking how proud your parents would be if they knew you’d got the leading role and you felt partly better.

You placed Brian’s plate carefully in front of him indicating it was ready to which he replied with a stern wave of dismissal since he was on the phone.You took your own seat.  Kari informed you that you were running low on bread and juice and that you’d have to go to the corner store before it closed.

“My feet are killing me. I’ve bee-“

You drown her out, sighing internally, prodding the food with your fork, drawing back into reality away from your fantasies.

                                                    _*_

It happened so often you were running out of places to hide them.

You had more rings, earrings, bracelets and bangles of all materials than the Queen of England herself you were sure. The bird never ceased to amaze you.

You wore each piece bit by bit so nobody would suspect.

You tried not to think about where the bird was finding such pieces, the poor devastated people that would miss them.

“I love it all,” you confirmed to the bird with a grateful smile, tucking away today’s topaz necklace in your bag.

“But would you mind if I kept my earrings in? They were the last birthday gift from my parents. I never remove them” you smiled sadly. You ruffled Moore’s head much to its irritation, “maybe you can snatch me a Walkman for my birthday instead”.

You hid it all in your schoolbag so that Kari wouldn’t find it when you were away from the house. The holidays were fast approaching.

You had caught a glimpse of Moore flying last night. It had already been here too long you couldn’t make it stay much longer. You bit your lip uneasily, observing the bird hop experimentally from your furniture pieces in your room.

                                                                                                                   _*_

“We’re having Chinese in town” Kari announced suddenly.

You were leaning against the kitchen counter.

“Oh nice” you smiled at the unexpected plans, ignoring the pile of dishes that glared at you from the sink. Still, at last you were going out with your aunt and uncle.

See? They’re trying. Your head said.

You looked down, pulling at your casual clothing.

“Which restaurant?” maybe a dressy night was what you needed.

Nothing too over the top, a nice dress , hair up, could you get away with wearing the necklace Moore had brought you?

Kari tensed up not looking you in the eye.

“Actually, Sloane, I was wondering if you would stay home this time, you know I don’t like the house left empty…Brian and I haven’t had much time together recently. He’s been very stressed at work”

She turned her back on you to busy herself making some obnoxious soup she’d found in a cookbook and you said nothing.

‘This time’? What did she mean, you never when out together.

The rotten woman! ‘Leave the house empty’? what in the hell kind of excuse was that? It was all rubbish just to make sure they could have another evening without you.

You want to stamp your foot at that exact moment.  

You muster up the courage not to tell her to get fucked and that Chinese food made you nauseous anyway not that she’d know because she never asks. They never ask.

You look at Brian for help, but he was watching TV, not that he would ever defend you over his wife of course.

“Fine” you clomp up the stairs.

“Don’t stomp. The neighbours!” she half- yelled from below.

You close the door firmly behind you.

You threw yourself on the bed, startling Moore. The bird fluttered over to perch in front of you on the bed.

You laid on your front “It’s not fair” you complained to the raven “It’s like they don’t even want to be seen with me! Imagine! Their own niece!”.

The bird cocked its head and bent its head down for you to stroke absentmindedly. It was like it understood what you were saying, or at least what you were feeling.

The softness of the feathers calmed your bubbling anger immediately. You rested your head on the bed, level with the bird.

You lowered your tone.

“Sometimes I think it’s easier to talk to you than to some of the people I know. Like you’re my oldest friend or something. Funny, huh?”

You turn your head sideways so you can stare out the window.

“You’re lucky though, you have wings, when you’re better you can go anywhere. Where am I going? I’m going to be stuck forever. In this dismal town…” you trail off with a tear pricking in your eye at the reality of it all.

It was true. People rarely left the town,  people married their high school sweethearts and settled down, everyone knew everyone etc. It was an awful fate- one you would do anything to escape.

You play with the bangle Moore had brought you, reminding yourself how pretty it was. You felt sorry for the poor person that lost it.

“Sometimes I wish somebody would take me away” you flickered your gaze to look directly into the bird’s eyes “know what I mean?”.

__*___ You were barely listening to Kari listing all the things she expected done when they arrived home “sometime before eleven”.

“No mess, young lady” she warned. Who does she think she is? You bit your tongue.

You watched them leave and the door swing closed firmly behind them.

Head resting on your hand, you listened to the sound of the car pulling away and driving up the street. Enjoy the food.

You felt exhausted from today, you hadn’t been sleeping well lately.

Instead on starting on the chores you were supposed to do, you wearily climbed the stairs to your room where you flopped on your bed, grateful to shut your eyes. You lulled into sleep ebbing away from reality.

…

When you opened your eyes groggily, the taste of a dream you had were still imprinted on your mind. That dream. But you couldn’t remember it properly. Only fragments. None of it made sense to you. A blue coat, a mask and laughter. Lots of laughter. Everything was white.  

You shifted to lie on your side rather than flat on your back as you had been.

Your foot nudged against something rectangular.

You sat up flicking on the bedside lamp to see what it was. You shielded your eyes from the brightness of the lamp.

A book?

You pick it up, red and thin with only a gold title on it that you struggled to read in the cursive writing. The Labyrinth.

“The Labyrinth?” You murmur turning it over in your hands.

No author or blurb, you were sure this wasn’t yours.

You opened it, flicking through the pages, some had illustrations, you skimmed it lazily in your sleepy state, not reading it properly.

“Was this you again?” you hold up the book to Moore who was standing upright completely, no longer shifting its weight from claw to claw.

“First my taste in jewellery is bad but now you want to impose on my literature?” you said in mock-annoyance.

It was always a mystery how the bird managed to get these items to and from the house. It had grown back its strength sure but to carry items like these were impressive.

“I guess you’re a book thief now too, huh”

You stared at it . It felt incredibly alluring like a magnet pulling you in. The gold lettering glimmered in the lamp light. Labyrinth. The word swept away everything else you had clogging up your mind. All that mattered was this book and reading this book and-

Another yawn hit you like a wave. You couldn’t possibly read any now.

You put the curious book in your nightstand drawer and flick off the light again.

“Thanks, Moore” you mumbled putting your head in the pillow.

[nagsale]

15 Places You Shouldn't Visit Because You're Ruining Them

With aviation projected to double the subsequent 20 years, a number of the world's most beloved and well-traveled places are poised to become ruined by tourists. And while we're all for traversing the world and crossing bucket-list destinations off your list, we frequent fliers must believe the impact we've on fragile environments and native communities. So, in an attempt to be more conscientious travelers, we've rounded up the world's most at-risk destinations and all the stunning under-the-radar places you ought to go instead.

1 Cozumel, Mexico

The delicate reefs surrounding Cozumel, an idyllic island off the coast of the Yucutan Peninsula and a frequent stop on Caribbean cruises, are more fragile than ever, thanks to excess cruise liner activity and therefore the four million-plus tourists that arrive annually. In an attempt to guard Cozumel's fragile aquatic habitat, Mexico's National Commission of Natural Protected Areas implemented a short-lived ban on tourism to many areas of the Cozumel Reef park. As an alternative to Cozumel, bring your dive gear to Isla Mujeres, a sliver-size island off the coast of Cancun, where the water is crystal-clear and where you would possibly spot whale sharks and other aquatic creatures.

2 Everest, Nepal

The mighty Everest has never been more popular—and mountaineers and guides are saying that the results might be fatal. More and more inexperienced climbers are making the trip, resulting in overcrowded pathways even at 29,029 feet. Then there are environmental issues caused by such strong visitation, including the piles of garbage left behind on the paths and therefore the accelerated melting of glaciers. As an alternate adrenaline fix, climb a less trodden but no less challenging peak like Cho Oyu in Tibet.

3 Dubrovnik, Croatia

If Game of Thrones helped put the Croatian city on the map, it also contributed to the city's grave overtourism problem. within the city's old town, for instance, there are approximately 100 souvenir shops, 100 restaurants, and additional cash machines than Las Vegas. As a result of the congestion, the town is considering implementing a variety of bans, including a short-lived one that might prohibit new restaurants from having outdoor seating within the city's Old Town. We'd recommend supporting other Croatian towns like Cavtat and Zadar instead.

4 Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia

Home to a number of the richest biodiversity on earth, the Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat comprises quite 1,500 islands. In 2017, one among Raja Ampat's major coral reefs was irrevocably damaged when a cruise liner crashed into it, imperiling an already-sickly aquatic ecosystem. Scientists are now predicting it'll take quite a decade to heal the damaged reef. In the meantime, quell your insomnia on the Togean Islands, a constellation of 56 under-the-radar Indonesian islands where you'll swim, sunbathe, dive, and snorkel to your heart's content.

5 Iceland

With its otherworldly landscapes and road trip-friendly sights, Iceland is high on many travelers' lists. In 2018 alone, quite 2.3 million people made the trip; compare that to the 350,000 full-time residents on the island, and it's clear why the travel industry has voiced concerns over sustainability and environmental preservation. In 2017, the Environmental Agency of Iceland closed one among the country's biggest tourist attractions, the canyon of Fjaðrárgljúfur, after a huge influx of tourists. In an interview with CNN, Hannes Sasi Palsson, the owner of an Iceland tourism company said, "That a part of the country simply can't deal with all those stomping feet." to urge your fix of surreal landscapes, consider visiting a U.S. park-like Bryce Canyon instead.

6 Pig Beach, the Bahamas

The novelty of swimming with pigs draws thousands of tourists per annum to Big Major Cay, an uninhabited island in Exuma, the Bahamas. Sadly, the population of the feral pigs has significantly dwindled thanks to tourist misbehavior. In 2017, seven of the creatures died after being fed alcohol by tourists. Now, the amount of animals on the island hovers around 15. As an alternate itinerary, head to Nassau and check the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, an oceanfront resort with an on-site flamingo sanctuary.

7 Angkor Wat, Cambodia

In 1992, UNESCO officials put Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap on an inventory of endangered sites, citing destruction caused by illegal excavation and pillaging. After deeming the location "reasonably secure" in 2004, Angkor Wat was far away from the danger list— but archeological experts and tour operators claim the traditional temple complex remains in danger . on the brink of 2.6 million visitors visited the delicate site and temples like Phnom Bakheng are compromised due to heavy pedestrian traffic. rather than Angkor Wat, we recommend visiting the Banteay Chhmar ruins, a set of eight temples hidden within the Cambodian countryside that go back to the 12th century.

8 The Maldives

With each passing day, it looks like another new resort opens within the Maldives. The torrent of tourists, including rising sea levels and increased construction, is causing irreparable harm to the tropical paradise, including the loss of habitats of species, the disappearance of beaches, and therefore the destruction of coral reefs. In response, some hotels like Bayan Tree Vabbinfaru are raising awareness through coral rehabilitation programs—but responsible travelers trying to find beach bliss should consider Seychelles or Sri Lanka as alternative options.

9 Machu Picchu, Peru

Getting to the Lost City of the Incas, one among the new Seven Wonders of the planet, requires a four-day hike or taking a 3.5-hour train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. Despite the problem of reaching the Citadel, Machu Picchu has been suffering from overtourism, drawing quite a million tourists annually. As a result, a number of the sacred temples have even been damaged, forcing the govt to introduce measures like timed entry as to how to regulate the tourist flow. For travelers eager to discover ancient ruins within the Sacred Valley, other options are abundant, from Kuélap and Llactapacta to Choquequirao.

10 Venice, Italy

Rising water levels, unprecedented tourist numbers, and an influx of cruise ships are among the factors threatening the infrastructure of Venice, causing historic buildings to crumble and famous attractions, like St. Mark's Square, to flood. As to how to mitigate the damage, the govt has implemented short-stay visitation fees and other restrictions. For all of the culture with none of the crowds, consider other Italian cities like Lecce and Bologna.

11 Boracay, Philippines

The Philippine island of Boracay was dubbed the simplest island within the world by Travel + Leisure magazine in 2012. Fast-forward a few years and Boracay is now a textbook example of the consequences of overtourism. The once-crystal clear waters are crammed with green algae; the streets are suffering from trash; sewage was, until recently, being pumped into the ocean; and quite 70 percent of the coral cover has been destroyed due to unmonitored snorkeling. Give the island time to heal by instead visiting Siargao, a teardrop-shaped Philippine island known for its lush jungles and pristine beaches.

12 Santorini, Greece

This Greek island, known for its world-famous sunsets and volcanic cliffs, is additionally known for its tourists. within the popular summer months, Santorini sees quite 10,000 visitors per day. Those numbers have put significant strain on the island, from traffic jams and a spike in energy consumption to rising water levels. In an attempt to curb the consequences of overtourism, the govt has limited cruise liner numbers to eight,000 a day. If you're keen on living out your Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants fantasies, consider the lesser-visited Greek islands of Milos and Koufonisia.

13 Bali

Water shortages, plastic-filled beaches, and overall congestion are new realities of life on Bali, where tourism has taken a pointy increase following the island's starring role in Elizabeth Gilbert's 2006 travel memoir Eat Pray Love. Disrespectful behavior is additionally, sadly, an issue: tourists have posed inside sacred temples wearing bikinis. Do your part to bring the island back to its former self by choosing another Balinese island—say, the nearby paradise of Lombok—for your vacation plans.

14 Barcelona, Spain

In Barcelona, locals are taking to the streets to decry the consequences of overtourism on their city, which include lack of affordable housing, pollution, and street congestion and noise. Barcelona's mayor has taken a stand, restricting the number of cruise ships that are allowed to dock within the city and stalling the expansion of the airport. Other alternatives to busy Barcelona include San Sebastian and Cádiz, both of which are on the ocean and boast a wealth of cultural attractions.

15 Maya Bay, Thailand

At the peak of its popularity, Maya Bay, on the Thai island of Koh Phi Phi Leh Island, saw quite 5,000 visitors per day. (Blame its appearance within the 2000 film The Beach, which depicted the isle's turquoise waters and limestone cliffs.) Strong visitation resulted in serious environmental damage: most of the island's coral died as a result. Since then, the Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation has closed the bay, and it's projected to be off-limits to visitors until 2021. In the meantime, travelers should set their sights on lesser-known neighboring isles like Koy Yao Noi.

[alabastertouch]

dreaming of you | I

Character/s: Kang Younghyun/Young K x OC

Genre: Angst, fluff

Warning/s: Mentions of death

Summary: Younghyun had always found his supernatural gift a blessing. his visions are usually euphoric.

What is he to do when he sees someone’s life dissipating right in front of his eyes?

Author’s note: This is also posted on ao3!! Updates will be slow so please be patient!

Kang Younghyun is a dreamer.

Literally, that is. Every night when he sleeps, he has a smile on his face knowing that he is about to watch a happy ending take place, and all only for him to witness.

The first of these series of dreams was with his father, who was in a comatose during that time after falling down from three flights of stairs. Younghyun was only nine, and he doesn’t know what those dreams meant. What he can recall was that his father went downstairs to watch the football game on the living room.

The next day, his mother received a phone call that his father had woken up after a month of sleep.

Once is a chance, twice is a coincidence, and third time is a pattern.

So, when Younghyun continues dreaming of returning to his hometown in Ilsan to visit his relatives with a feast as a surprise and his older friend Sungjin getting married in the middle of winter, he is not surprised anymore, for he knows it was all about to happen.

He even predicted that Sungjin was going to propose to Nayeon.

“You’ve bought the ring already, hyung?”

Sungjin did not ponder anymore, believing that Younghyun just has a knack of knowing things earlier from the others.

Younghyun had used his power to tease his friends. There were rare moments that he had dreamt of them, and if he ever did, he just kept it to his advantage. He knew that Wonpil will win the talent show, beating even the best performers of the university, and that ex-lovers Jinyoung and Jisoo will get back together after said talent show. He had seen it all, and even if a heads-up would have been nice, he still left fate in its own hands.

Younghyun was nineteen when his parents had bought a house in Seoul. It was solely for the sake of him going to college, and even if he had tried to stop his parents by telling them he could have stayed in the school lodging, they did not let him. Younghyun is their only child, and letting him go would be too difficult for them to handle.

And that was the time when he was introduced to Kim Jiae.

Younghyun remembers that day like it was yesterday. Jiae was shy, but he also watches how independent she was from an early age. Although two years younger than him, she had always been the leader between the two of them, and because their parents always hanged out together, they stuck together like two peas in a pod.

That was, of course, until Jackson heard (key: eavesdropped) that Jiae likes Younghyun.

“Hey, stop that!” Younghyun remembered eighteen-year-old Jiae trying to deny, yet her crimson cheeks gave it all out.

“You told Nayeon that you like Younghyun hyung!” Jackson was a prankster, and this one prank of his had taken things too far.

Jiae did not really make it a secret that she liked Younghyun. She would always go out of his way to buy him carped bread, and she would always him to eat street food with her. Younghyun found her enthusiasm a breath of fresh air, but he could never see her as anything more.

He told her exactly that, so she distanced from him.

It had been five years since then, and while it is inevitable for them to find each other judging that they are neighbors, they still choose to ignore each other’s existence. One always intentionally lag behind just so they won’t have to ride the subway together, and if Jiae found Younghyun walking on his way home, she would walk slowly on purpose, avoiding him like he is bearing some type of a disease.

Younghyun thought he was giving her time to recover from the rejection, but with her taking too much, their friendship had already been greatly affected.

“You might want to go to Mr. Jin right now, Mark,” Younghyun warns his friend as soon as he arrives in the classroom. “He has your grades, and he’s not looking very amused right now.”

“Oh, shit,” the usually composed Mark hurries on his way out, and once he is back, he will probably beat the crap out of Younghyun. Those grades will determine whether Mark will be graduating with his friends or not, and with Younghyun’s sweet dream last night, he is sure that everyone will be in a festive mood.

“He passed, right?” Jaebeom is one of the few believers of Younghyun’s premonitions. The guy’s exterior might seem rough on the edges, but he is a softie who listens to his friends’ every word.

“Oh, yes,” Younghyun smiles widely. “We’ll be drinking tonight, alright.”

“Finally,” Jaebeom claps victoriously. “Should we call the others tonight, too?”

“Why not? They’re all in vacation mode already, anyway,” he laughs as he remembers how Dowoon had hit his drumstick all over the hallway, almost breaking some glasses, and how Wonpil innocently threw all of his French readings on the trash bin, clearing his locker out with a bright smile.

“Are Jae hyung and Sungjin coming?” Jaebeom questions. “Or are they too busy living their lives as adults?”

“Oh, you know they miss uni,” Younghyun sighs longingly. “And it seems like Sungjin hyung can’t miss uni at all. His wife is still a student after all.”

“They look so happy, don’t they?” Jaebeom flashes a gummy smile, and Younghyun’s response to it is interrupted by Mark’s howls as soon as he enters the lecture hall.

“I’m graduating, y’all!” Everyone applauds him, because after all, used-to-be delinquent Mark Tuan is graduating. It shows that it will never be too late to change just as long as you pour your heart out to it.

“We’re all happy,” Younghyun smiles. “I hope it will always stay that way.”

“Oh, come on, Jiae, it would be fun!” Jimin convinces the homebody Jiae inside the library. “Mark is graduating, finally, and you’ll just stay in your room?”

“I’m happy for Mark,” Jiae groans as she shuts the book close. “But you know Younghyun would be there, right?”

“Jiae, that was centuries ago!” Jimin complains.

“It was only five years ago,” Jiae clarifies.

“My point is, that was a long time ago,” Jimin scoffs. “You should have gotten over that by now, and I bet he had forgotten about it already! It’s time for you two to start anew.”

“Well,” Jiae swallows bitterly, knowing that Jimin is right. It’s time that she looks past the teenage crush she had harbored on her good-looking neighbor-slash-college senior.

It was natural for them to go to the same university of course, as it was the nearest to both of their houses. Yet, it only made it difficult for Jiae to move on from Younghyun fully.

“Fine,” Jiae grumbles as she takes her eyeglasses off.

“Great!” Jimin exclaims in delight. “How are we going to go there, by the way?”

“Well,” Jiae ponders. “I guess I can borrow Dad’s car.”

“Sweet,” Jimin claps in excitement. “We’re getting our own ride!”

Younghyun is awaken by sirens from outside his home. In panic, he jumps off the bed, peeking outside the window to see Jiae’s parents talking to a police officer. Her mother runs back inside the house, and Younghyun could see that Mr. Kim is trying his best to stand firm.

He turns to the digital clock on his bedside table. 10:52 PM.

“Had I missed Mark’s party?” He shuffles back to bed in confusion, checking his phone to see the barrage of messages and missed calls.

Jae | 9:31 PM Dude, where are you?

Wonpil | 9:45 PM Hyung, are you home, right now? Pick up the phone

Mark | 10:01 PM Dude, stay wherever you are. Don’t go anywhere.

Jaebeom | 10:27 PM We’re coming over to your home right now

He does not get the context of every message. It appears that each of them are in a strange sense of urgency to which he needs answers to.

The last message he had received was from Jimin, but it was still sending him mixed signals.

Jimin | 10:38 PM I shouldn’t have let her drove alone. This is all my fault.

“Younghyun!” Jae is the first to barge in his bedroom door and finds his younger friend’s shell-shocked expression.

“What is going on?” His voice quivers, questioning everything that is going on.

“Have you been sleeping all along?” Mark exhales sharply.

“Yeah, I was,” Younghyun replies. “What’s up?”

“Jiae,” Nayeon looks down on the floor, tears brimming her eyes. Sungjin has to coax his wife into calming down, still unable to feed Younghyun’s confusion.

“What happened to Jiae?” Younghyun’s voice grows higher in anxiety. His mind is not at ease, because how can it be when everyone is crying as if Jiae is gone?

Wait…

“She suffered a fatal car crash,” Sungjin answers in Nayeon’s stead. “Ji is gone.”

Younghyun blinks, everything finally making sense to him. His eyes detect everyone’s faces. There is no hint of humor at all… only regret, sorrow, and pain. Younghyun feels his body collapse back to his bed, his consciousness slowly seeping away from.

“Hey, Younghyun, wake up! Don’t do this!” Jaebeom tries to pull his arm up to no avail. He is being eaten alive by guilt of not talking to Jiae for the past five years, and his strength had advancedly lost.

“Younghyun, wake up!” Jaebeom’s voice begins to fade into nothing, no matter how many times he repeats.

“Kang Younghyun, wake up!”

“Younghyun, get up!”

“Younghyun!”

“Kang Younghyun!”

His eyes open alertly, shooting up as soon as the voice succeeds in getting him up.

“Finally!” Younghyun’s eyes turn vigilantly to the one who woke him up, who is not Lim Jaebeom at all.

“Jae hyung?” Younghyun mumbles in astonishment. “What are you doing here?”

“Taking you to Mark’s party! What else?” Jae throws a leather jacket on him. “Hurry up, it’s getting late.”

“Wait,” Younghyun whispers to himself, grabbing the clock on the bedside table. 8:25 PM.

“What the actual—” Younghyun hops out of the bed, checking the vicinity outside his house.

No police cars or anything, just the silver sedan of Jiae’s father.

“Dude, you’re sweating,” Jae points out. “What’s going on?”

Younghyun ignores Jae’s calls as he clumsily hurries downstairs, hastily wearing a pair of flip-flops before trudging to the house across the street.

He heads to the door, pressing the bell impatiently and in apprehension.

It finally opens, revealing Jiae’s mother looking at Younghyun in worry.

“Oh, hello, son, are you okay?”

“Auntie, is Jiae here?” Younghyun breathes shortly.

“Yes, she’s actually just on her way to your friend’s party. Do you want to go there with her? She’ll be driving her father’s car.” Just after Mrs. Kim says that, Jiae walks to the entryway of their house.

“Mom?” Jiae looks at her mother, and then to the guest present. “Younghyun? Shouldn’t you already be at Mark’s party?”

Younghyun shakes his head as he feels an impending ache.

“Please,” he coughs as he holds onto his head.

“Younghyun? Younghyun, will you please calm down?” Jiae tries to calm him down before calling Jae from across the street.

“Don’t drive to the party,” Younghyun finally manages to say out loud, perplexing Jae and Jiae.

“What?” Jiae tilts her head in question. “Why not?”

“Don’t,” it was all Younghyun can say to her. She will not believe him if he told her, anyway.

“We can just bring Ji along,” Jae suggests cautiously, trying to ease his friend from whatever it is that is causing him to be like this. “Let’s just go together on the party, alright?”

“Sure,” Jiae shrugs as she fishes for the car keys in her bag and returns it to her mother.

“Would that be fine to you, Younghyun?” Jae slowly inquires, knowing the odd position he and Jiae are having for the past few years.

“Yes,” Younghyun calms down at last. “That would be for the best.”

[swensonconsulting]

Keeping Safe While Driving in a Snow Storm

Driving in a snow storm can be terrifying and dangerous. According to studies by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, winter storms, unfavorable weather, and poor road conditions contribute to more than 2,000 fatal wintertime accidents and over half a million crashes overall. Drivers need to be ready in advance to handle crises on winter roads. Swenson Consulting advises motorists to exercise caution when traveling in bad weather.

Driving in snowy and icy conditions? Keep this advice in mind:

Cold Weather Driving Tips

Keep a variety of winter survival supplies in your vehicle, including additional food and water, warm clothing, a flashlight, a glass scraper, blankets, prescription drugs, and more.

Never preheat a car in a garage or another enclosed space.

Make sure your tires have enough tread and are properly inflated.

Maintain a minimum of half a tank of petrol in your car at all times.

When driving on a slick surface, such as ice or snow, never utilize the cruise control.

Tips for Driving in the Snow

Stay home. Only leave the house when absolutely essential. Even if you can drive safely in inclement weather, it’s best to stay inside rather than taking unneeded chances.

Drive carefully. When driving on snow or ice, you should always reduce your speed to take into consideration the decreased traction.

Slowly increase and decrease your speed. To regain traction and prevent skids, gradually increase the gas. Avoid trying to accelerate quickly and allow yourself enough time to slow down at stoplights. Keep in mind that slowing down on icy and snowy roads takes more time.

Keep a following distance of five to six seconds. If you need to stop for any reason, it will require this additional time to come to a complete stop safely.

Be cognizant of the condition of your brakes. If you don’t have brakes in good to great condition, don’t drive your vehicle in icy or snowy conditions. Keep the heel of your foot firmly planted on the floor when you press down on the brake pedal with the upper part of your foot.

If you can prevent it, don’t stop. The amount of inertia required to begin moving from a complete stop versus the amount required to begin moving while still rolling differs significantly. Do your best to slow down but keep moving until a traffic light changes.

Do not try to accelerate up hills. On snow-covered roads, adding more gas will just cause your wheels to spin. Before you get to the hill, try to generate some inertia, and then let that inertia take you to the summit. Reduce your speed as you near the top of the slope and move more slowly as you descend.

Never let off the gas when ascending a hill. Nothing is worse than attempting to move forward up a hill on an icy road. Before tackling the hill, gain some momentum on a level surface.

Tips for Long-Distance Winter Trips

Be Prepared: Before embarking on a lengthy journey, have your car inspected by a reputable auto repair shop.

Stay Alert to the Weather: If poor weather is predicted, check the weather along your route and, if at all feasible, postpone your travel.

Practice Good Communication: Before you leave, let others know your route, destination, and anticipated arrival time.

If you experience an emergency while driving in inclement weather:

Continue to be in your car since it offers temporary refuge and makes it simpler for rescuers to find you. In a strong storm, avoid attempting to walk. In blowing snow, it is simple to lose track of your car and get lost.

Avoid overexerting yourself by paying attention to your body and stopping if you are fatigued when digging out your car.

Being seen: To signal for help, fasten a piece of brightly colored cloth to your car’s antenna or place it on top of a rolled-up window. If at all feasible, leave the dome light on at night. It will make it simpler for rescuers to find you and just consume a minimal amount of power.

Clear the Exhaust Pipe: Check to see that snow, ice, or mud are not blocking the exhaust pipe. When the engine is operating, a blocked exhaust pipe can allow lethal carbon monoxide gas to escape into the car’s cabin, creating a dangerous situation for the occupants.

Keep Warm: Protect your body from the cold by wrapping it in everything you can find. Paper maps, floor mats, and newspapers all fall under this category. Prepare thick clothing and blankets in advance for use in an emergency.

Conserve Fuel: If at all feasible, only operate the heater and engine for as long as necessary to dispel the chill. This will promote fuel efficiency.

For slip and fall lawsuits and incidents involving snowstorms, ice storms, and other severe winter weather, Swenson Consulting, a snow expert, offers snow removal expert witness services.

[yuexuan]

Fiction Recommendation 15

It’s been a year since I did a fiction recommendation. As per tradition, I wanted to introduce some fictions related to Chinese mythology, supernatural and horror in lieu of the oncoming Halloween. Note that these fictions are mainly marked as BL and represents my own tastes.

My previous recommendation for Halloween can be seen here: http://yuexuan.tumblr.com/post/166774362411/fiction-recommendation-14

+++++++++++

1. 不科學唯物主義秘密檔案 by 石頭羊 (*R15)

Genre: Slice-of-life, supernatural

Synopsis: 

Huang Li Shi (Master of the Chinese calendar) refers to those with the ability to make predictions and change the heavenly seasons using the deities sealed within the Chinese calendar.

Xiao NanZhu happened across an old calendar left behind by his late grandmother. Suddenly he found himself responsible for warning people about bad tidings and helping them resolve troublesome supernatural issues.

Comment: A truly unique idea that combines light-weight daily snippets with a deep cultural backdrop. Highly recommended.

+++++++++++

2. 挖墳挖出鬼 by 君子在 (*R18 at some parts)

Genre: Romance, Horror

Synopsis: 

During his archaeology internship, Lin Yan accidentally brought back a vengeful ghost. In order to stop the ghost from killing him, he had to embark on a journey to re-unite the ghost with the ghost’s ex-lover.

Comment: The story draws one in at the start with the frightful atmosphere and plot mysteries. That said, unless you are into romance, the middle to the end of the story drags quite a bit.

+++++++++++

3. 鬼说 by 帝君

Genre: BL(?), Horror

Synopsis: 

Qiao Gang joined his high school classmate - Song Yuan's funeral. Thereafter everything changed as people around him were murdered.

When a love got twisted, how does one escape from it? 

Comment: Recommended for the scary atmosphere.

+++++++++++

4. 蝴蝶 by 罂碧

Genre: Horror, Mystery

 Synopsis: 

Qiu Feng decided to move out of his lover's abode after a disagreement. Thereafter, he quickly found another apartment to rent. On the first night, an old woman from next door told him that she saw a woman frantically trying to get into his house the night before. The kid living a few units away claimed that he heard a young woman crying in Qiu Feng’s apartment at night. It seems that everyone save for Qiu Feng is aware of this non-existent woman who is keen on tailing him…

Comment: The story had a nicely laid-out mystery that kept me wondering what the truth behind the hauntings was. However, I felt that the relationship between the two characters were weirdly out-of-place, as if the story could’ve been better told without them as lovers =/

+++++++++++

5.桐花中路私立協濟醫院怪談 by 南琅要減肥

Genre: Horror

Synopsis: 

"There is a place known as the 'Xue' (Abyss) in every city which contains all the city's hatred and sins. Those who enter, may never get out." Enter our two young protagonists, one bumbling unwittingly into the Abyss whereas the other is on a quest to search for his long-lost brother. 

Comment: A rather memorable fiction for its queer, fragmented narrative. The logic may not flow, and certain things may seem illogical or jumpy, but as you read along you'll start to understand what the writer is attempting to get at.

+++++++++++

6.提灯映桃花 by 淮上 **R18

Genre: supernatural, romance

Synopsis:

 From the appearance Chu He looked like any other wealthy person. However, when night comes about, monsters roam and the past re-surfaced. A story featuring Chu He, the ex-phoenix who lost his real body, and his ex-husband Zhou Hui - the demon from hell. This is a story of past lives that spanned into the current, filled with references to other mythological/religious concepts.

Comment: I read this fiction mostly for its concepts rather than the plot itself. The relationships between the characters might be a bit disorienting for those who are not familiar with the whole idea of reincarnation and Chinese myths. 

+++++++++++

7. 幽靈酒店 by 酥油餅 (*R15 at the end)

Genre: Supernatural, humor

Synopsis: 

Shi FeiXia finally found a new job as the front desk manager of the oldest hotel in the world. The hotel tailors to strange customers: fallen angels, dwarfs, Titans, elves, vampires, invisible men and werewolves...except humans. The name of the hotel? Noah's Ark. 

Comment: A highly comedic story of a human interacting with the staffs and customers in the hotel.

+++++++++++ 

8. 重生之有家花店 by 聞香識美人

Genre: Supernatural powers

Synopsis: 

After experiencing a fatal car-crash, Shu Jing was reincarnated back to the day his parents died and he graduated from high school. In this life, he wanted to take charge of the flower shop his parents left. To his surprise, he found a secret heirloom that taught him how to train in the Taoist ways and awaken his powers to grow…well, beautiful flowers.

Comment: A simple, yet sweet and delightful story.

+++++++++++

9. 惡靈系統 by 涼蟬 (*R15)

Genre: Supernatural, mystery, humor

Synopsis: 

Fang Yi reincarnated into another body after a car accident. Quickly he realized that this body has the ability to...detect spirits that want to woo him. Hence, he was more than happy to receive the help from the spirit exterminator Ye Han to remove lusty spirits that pined after him. 

Comment: Part comedy. Like a lot of other mystery novels, the beginning was good, but then the way the problem was resolved seemed rushed and lackadaisical. =/

+++++++++++

10. 古術封鬼 by 皇城幽火

Genre: mystery

Synopsis: 

In the ancient art of tomb raiding there exist different talents: controlling ghosts, summoning tomb beasts, herding corpses and the likes. Chu Yang belonged to a family of ghost sealers. Together with other tomb raiders they set out to solve a family-related mystery from 70 years ago. Why were some of the members of their families that seemed to be immortals? And why were some of their family members unable to reincarnate once they died?

Comment: This was one of the classics recommended by others on Tieba. At first, I couldn’t understand the appeal because the story seemed disoriented and jumpy, but the writing improved significantly as the story progresses. I like how the writer worked strictly with the main cast, which is different from a lot of other long tomb-raiding stories that tend to introduce a lot of characters but then pushed them aside in subsequent raids.