#Then I drew it while hiding in my basement from visitors

[snazzyladreal]

a funny based off a funny

Ft. @jojo-schmo and @eliastheownerof0axolotls with the funny moment a couple(several) hours ago

and without the extra text

og meme below the cut ^^

Enjoy the free jumps are with your meme

[fandomlit]

neutral, chap. 9 (dream smp x reader)

series summary (in game!au) when an exiled tommy finally rebels against a manipulative dream, he finds safety in neutral territory, a place owned and guarded by you. staying in your safe haven opens up the younger one’s eyes to your way of life, while also revealing your deeper past before neutral; a past that involved a war for your love.

chapter summary george presents ghostbur and tommy a letter from king eret, who offers ghostbur the opportunity of his life (or death?). the boys keep you clueless to ghostbur’s dilemma, and you’re instead distracted by an urgent letter from technoblade which leaves you needing to get to him as soon as possible. the boys assure you that they’ll be fine and they’ll protect neutral in your absence, but an unexpected visitor makes an appearance just after you leave..

warnings swearing, mentions of death and war

previous | series masterlist | next

gif cred belongs to @minecraftgifs​

“morning, tommy,” y/n greeted when he finally dragged himself out of bed and into the kitchen. “i was just about to make breakfast. any suggestions?”

“uh..,” tommy hummed through a yawn. “i dunno. ghostbur?”

“i said french toast,” the ghost muttered quietly, a cup of hot tea already in hand.

“sounds good,” tommy nodded, taking a seat next to ghostbur at the table.

“you two are tired this morning,” y/n commented as she gathered her ingredients. “stay up late last night?”

tommy and ghostbur shared a look. “yeah. i guess.”

y/n gave them a curious look over her shoulder but decided not to say anything further. “alright, keep your secrets. i’ll figure it out eventually.” she hummed to herself as she moved to preheat the stove, and tommy drew his eyes to the table.

he didn’t know if they’d ever tell her what happened the night before.

“hey, you two.” the boys looked up from the game they had been playing to see george had entered the kitchen. he held out a letter to ghostbur. “it’s from the king.”

“eret?” ghostbur questioned, taking the letter with confusion.

george nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets as the boys looked to the regal, rainbow seal on the envelope. “he said it was urgent.”

ghostbur nodded. “thanks, george.”

“no problem,” george nodded in return. “take care of y/n for me, alright?”

“yes, sir,” tommy waved before george turned and left the house. wilbur broke the wax seal. “what do you think eret wants?”

“im not sure,” ghostbur muttered, his hand pausing opening the envelope. “they’re kind of unpredictable.”

“you think so?”

“i know so,” ghostbur sighed, finally taking the letter out of the envelope and unfolding it. tommy leaned over to read it with him.

it was two simple paragraphs of a letter, the handwriting neat and the message to the point. when tommy finished, he noticed ghostbur’s grip was tighter on the page. tommy’s wide eyes whipped up to his friend. his brother.

“holy fuck.” ghostbur’s distressed eyes turned to him. 

ghostbur gulped, looking back at the letter. he voiced, as if speaking it would make the idea any more real to them, “eret wants to revive me.”

“holy shit.”

“do you want a cup of tea, tommy?” y/n asked politely, snapping him from his thoughts of the night before. his head snapped up to see her gazing at him patiently. he finally registered her question.

“oh, sure,” he nodded. she handed him a warm cup. “thank you.”

she hummed in response. “you know, there are tales about what terrible things can happen to boys who don’t get enough sleep.”

tommy raised his eyebrows with a sarcastic look. “im not five, y/n.”

“i know,” she laughed as she mixed her batter. “im not either, but i completely believe in the nightwalker.”

“oh, you’re just as bad as phil,” ghostbur chuckled as he took a sip of tea. y/n gave him an amused glance.

tommy sighed, setting down his cup and resting his elbows on the kitchen table. “alright. i cave. what the hell’s a nightwalker?”

“you sure you wanna know?” y/n sighed dramatically. “i mean, you’re not five, tommy.” ghostbur let out a loud laugh at tommy’s deadpan expression.

“i can’t win with you, woman!”

she laughed out as she began to place soaked pieces of bread onto the pan atop the stove. “im just saying-” she cut herself off, looking over her shoulder as her brow furrowed. they allowed the room to engulf in silence, but tommy noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

“what-” y/n shushed ghostbur when he attempted to talk, quickly wiping her hands off. they strained their ears in the silence once more, and that’s when they heard it; the distance whooshing of distorted wind and distant calls.

“that’s the nether portal,” y/n spoke quickly, rushing out of the kitchen. the boys exchanged a look before following her down into the basement.

when they entered the portal room, a piglin was waiting for them. standing at nearly nine feet tall, tommy took an unconscious step behind ghostbur as the piglin swept his intimidating vermillion gaze over their trio. but his eyes locked on y/n, and he presented her a letter. a common theme of the last couple hours, tommy noted.

she took the letter, nodding politely to the piglin. he nodded in return with a soft snort before stepping back into the portal and disappearing back into the world beyond it, leaving only the remnants of a hot breeze in his wake.

tommy finally stepped forward when y/n unfolded the letter. “what is it?”

y/n gasped softly. “it’s from technoblade.” tommy looked back to watch ghostbur frown as y/n scanned the letter. “he’s hurt.”

“hurt?” tommy repeated, turning back to y/n.

“he’s hiding out at a piglin village,” she spoke slowly as she read, placing a stressed hand over her heart. “he says he got hit with a withering effect, took a couple bad hits to the shoulder.. he’s holding up, but resources are low.” she looked up to tommy, and he immediately saw the panic in her eyes. her hands were now shaking, her eyes wide and voice low and serious as she said, “he needs help. i..” she ran a hand through her hair as she let out a shaky sigh.

“hey, it’s fine,” tommy assured, placing a hand on her shoulder. “go help him.”

she shook her head, closing her eyes as she spoke, “no, i couldn’t leave you two-”

“y/n,” tommy cut as she looked back at ghostbur. she looked back to him. “we’re gonna be fine. i can cook now, ghostbur can..”

“tell you what to cook,” ghostbur offered.

“yeah. sure.” y/n smiled at the boys and tommy repeated, “we’ll be fine. go help our guy.”

she nodded. “i’ll go start packing.” she reached the doorway before remembering, “oh my god, the french toast!” her pace quickened.

neither of them spoke until they heard the trapdoor close after her. 

“have you thought any more about eret’s offer?” tommy asked quietly.

ghostbur shrugged, his gaze drawing to the floor. “couldn’t sleep last night, if that means anything.” tommy nodded, pursing his lips. “im not going without telling y/n, though. she deserves to know.”

“i agree,” tommy voiced. “that means you have more time to make your decision, then.” when ghostbur didn’t say anything, he continued, “‘cause who knows how long she’ll be gone with techno.”

“hopefully not too long,” ghostbur grumbled as he turned his body to the exit of the room. “shall we get some french toast?”

“as long as it’s not burnt.”

...

“there’s plenty of food and ingredients in the fridge, but make sure you’re tending to the gardens,” y/n listed quickly as she filled a satchel with potions. tommy tried to internally list them off as she packed them, but he found she had a few that he was unsure of. in any other moment, he’d question her under the sun went down. but she needed to leave. “the potatoes will be ready in a few days, you just need to dig one up to see if it’s ready before you harvest all of them. just make sure you replant, since potato season is nearly over. if anyone stops by, tell them im sorry, but please offer them a meal and be kind, tell them i’ll be gone a week at most. my recipe book is-”

“in the drawer to the left of the fridge, i know,” tommy spoke. “and the gardening book is right next to it.” y/n closed her bag, offering tommy a smile as he continued, “we’ll be fine, y/n. it’s only a few days.”

“i know, just..” she shook her head and guided them to exit the small potion room in the basement, making their way to the portal room. “i worry. i hate that i can’t be everywhere at once.”

tommy shrugged. “would’ve made the war a lot easier, im sure.”

she nodded with a considering look as ghostbur joined them. “probably. i’d rather not test the theory, though.” tommy chuckled and she offered him another smile. she opened her arms to him. “be safe.”

“i should be saying that to you,” tommy scoffed, returning her embrace. though tommy could admit, he felt uneasy about her going into the nether by herself, her warm embrace and the scent of sweetness lingering on her skin brought a kind of comfort to him just before she pulled away from him and turned to ghostbur. she was going to be fine; he was sure of it.

“wanna give me the speech about potato farming?” ghostbur joked, holding his arms out to her.

she shook her head with a laugh. “i know you kill every plant you touch. tommy’s in charge of the garden.”

ghostbur’s jaw dropped in offense as she hugged him, giggling into his chest. he couldn’t help but grin down at her, and tommy had to look away before he admitted to himself that the sight was endearing.

“be good, boys,” y/n smiled, shifting her bag and quiver on her shoulder. “treat neutral well.”

“yes, ma’am,” tommy nodded, and y/n offered one last wave before stepping into the portal. she was gone in a quick flash of purple and hot air. “so,” tommy sighed, turning to ghostbur, “what do you want for lunch?”

ghostbur raised his eyebrows. “chicken tacos?”

tommy threw his hands up as they began their walk out of the basement. “i can’t only make chicken tacos! there’s no growth in skill if i make the same thing over and over!”

ghostbur let out a scoff mixed with a laugh, earning him a curious look from tommy as they reached the ladder. “you sound like y/n.” tommy rolled his eyes as he climbed the ladder, ghostbur following after he lifted himself to the floor above. “she really is becoming your mother.”

tommy gave him a curious look when he reached the main floor. “did she say that to you?”

ghostbur shrugged. “she said you’re starting to feel like a child to her.” tommy raised his eyebrows, averting his gaze from his friend. “is that a bad thing, tommy?”

“no,” tommy said immediately. “it’s just..” he felt himself flush and nearly cursed himself. “she feels like a mother to me, so, it’s fine.”

ghostbur grinned at tommy’s embarrassed expression. “aw, tommy!” he slung an arm around the blonde’s shoulder, ruffling his messy hair with his other hand. “you have a mother figure!”

“ow, cut it out, man!” tommy yelled out, feeling his cheeks heat up further.

“no, it’s cute,” ghostbur laughed out, pinching tommy’s red cheek as he tried to wiggle away from the taller man. “you and y/n are an adorable mother-son duo! it’s precious!”

“no, it’s not!” tommy groaned, trying to push ghostbur’s cold hands away from his face. “i take it all back, y/n’s my worst enemy!”

“too late now, tommy! you’ve told me too much!”

“am i interrupting something?”

all motion stopped. the boys turned toward the main entrance of the home, ghostbur’s arm still slung around tommy’s shoulder as they both came face to face with a masked, cross-armed dream.

tag list <3 @vanhakirja @victory-is-here @inkyynki @airiour @sylum @kiritokunuwu @221bee-slytherin @bllatrixcarpnter @soullesstaco @stxrryb1tch @amibismexy @keiarma @akaichi-blog @runningoffofcaffeine @nonetookind @aquilla-favonia @feverish-dove @izuruamme @weeb-bb @bialin @justachillbisexual @kiritokunuwu @natalie-is-a-wall @woman-soot @boyleanti @nostalgic-writes @ahmya-4 @cryinqclouqs @littleliv5 @weeb-bb @truthdaze @dusky-purple-black @sadassflatass @dreamyteam @jaciahbabes @milanienne​ @sleepingalaska​ @valoinnit​ @etheriaaly​ @miavfx​ @aikochan4859​ @spilltheearlgrey​ @keiarma​ @cutiebear45​ @xxtwizztedxx​ @eko-ore​ @denkibutinsteadofpikachuitspichu @yoshirikuxd​

comment or message me if you would like to be added <3

[kaypeace21]

Idk if this is possible or not or if you've done it already but could you list all the rainbow references in the show?

Haha- talk about pandora’s box. Sure, personally i think the rainbows have multiple meanings -3 meanings to to be exact

1) Rainbows being associated with psychics + Will’s powers plot twist

*We see in the stranger thing novel 'suspicious minds' when overusing powers you may hallucinate rainbows (which are also associated with the void/ monsters in the series) .

Terry: “Spots bloomed behind her eyelids. Every color … as the sunlight turned to rainbows” ( p44-45), “streaks of rainbow appeared (p47)”,“The rainbow stayed with Terry for a long while, but eventually it faded and in its place: darkness. A pit.”(p. 48). 

Alice (who sees visions of the future) : “Snarling, snapping monsters,RAINBOW LIGHTS playing in the air around them” (p. 121).

cough Will being in the upsidedown/being chased by “monsters”. And Joyce communicating with Will  via “rainbow lights.”

The rainbow room (from s2) also has a rainbow on the door- according to the novel kali drew that rainbow. Similar to Will's rainbow drawing. Kali in the book also creates a rainbow allusion with sunflowers (Terry ref).

Kali: “field of yellow sunflowers  grew up around them. A rainbow arcing over the golden tops.” (p. 139).  “He noticed she’d drawn up there, a rainbow with her colored pencils. Maybe he’d suggest that for the playroom” (the rainbow room we see in s2) (p. 298)

I also already talked about how Terry saying "breath, sunflower, rainbow " is actually a reference to s1 Will- here (in link including pic of Will and Terry being told to “breath”.

*El in s3 also thinks of papa, her mother , and the rainbow room- cause she sees a cereal box with a rainbow (on it).

Dustin and susie sing a song from the film adaption of the book "never ending story". Which indicates how Will is subconsciously creating the supernatural creatures & people in the series . Before they sing, we also see  susie is next to a ‘wizard of oz’ posters & she reads & talks to Dustin about the book "wizard of earthsea'. 2 of the 3 examples have  rainbow-related songs (in their film adaptions) & all 3 hint at Will’s powers.

* wizard of earthsea:

It’s about a pre-teen wizard named Ged who has a bowl cut (Will) who casts a powerful spell, but the spell goes awry and instead he releases a shadow creature (by opening a portal between the living & dead- Will is a zombie boy remember?)! The new Archmage, Gensher, describes the shadow as an ancient evil that wishes to possess Ged. But the ‘shadow’ turns out  to be a representation of the darkest aspects of his personality. It’ only when he calls the shadow monster by his own name “Ged”(cough mf=will the wise) does the monster stop acting out. The only way to save the world is for ged to then  merge with the shadow(and for Ged to accept himself-and “become whole”).This also reminds me of the “Jungian shadow” 

* never ending story: 

Bastian ( who has a bowl cut- and is from single parent house hold) subconsciously creates a fantasy world being over run by darkness (symbolizing the loss of hope and dreams). One of the characters he creates is Atreyu (El). Atreyu ( was the child deemed the ‘chosen one). “Atreyu is knocked into the sea of possibilities. There he wakes on the shore of abandoned ruins. And Gmorick (mindflayer) then latches his jaws onto Atreyu’s (El’s) leg.”Pretty much what happened to El.”The Empress in the story later tells Atreyu, that despite being told he was the chosen one (he never was). And that it was always Bastian (Will) who was the chosen one-since his imagination created Fantasia (so he’s the only way to stop the darkness from over -running it).”

Will has mental health issues and  accidentally writes a “story” about the shadow monster (reflecting his tra*ma). Bastian is depressed (over his parent) and subconsciously creates a story about darkness over-running everything. Like how Hopper describes his depression- like a black hole.

song Dustin & Susie sing:

 “Written on the pages is the answer to a never ending story” (cough the books susie referenced - are explaining the answer to what’s causing the mindflayer/upsidedown/the lab...this story )

“DREAM a dream. And what you DREAM will be” ( Will’s imagination making his nightmares come true)

“Rhymes that keep their secrets Will unfold behind the clouds.And there upon a RAINBOW Is the answer to a never ending story.”

(the lyric “rhymes that keep their SECRETS” purposely pans to Will both times the song is sung). Because the ‘SECRET’ is -he’s causing everything. And thus he’s the only way to stop it- or they’ll all be stuck in a never-ending story. The only way to stop it is for Will to face his shadow/the mindflayer (aka the other Will) who is always shown within the STORM CLOUDS . Will needs to create a RAINBOW (out of those storm clouds). Like rainbows that show up AFTER a storm.He’d do this by accepting himself , his tra*ma/mental health relating to his dad, and or his gay identity- then the story will be able to end.Dustin even says “ defeat his RAINBOW of DARKNESS” (and later says a “rainbow is the answer ”(to the story). st book:”The RAINBOW stayed with Terry for a long while, but eventually it faded and in its place: DARKNESS. A pit.”AKA: Will has to face his symbolic darkness and the storm/and than create a rainbow from it- for the story to end...

When Dustin says ‘rainbow of darkness’ he talks about my little pony- where one of their friends became a dragon.  in d&d wizards can become dragons &Bastian also summons a dragon with his imagination powers in ‘never ending story’. And Will is associated with dragons: s1he  has dragon comic & drawing, s2 Will has dragon poster in his room + watches his friends play dragon game. And again... dungeons & dragons.

Also tw for s.a/parental ab*se (so skip to ‘wizard of oz’  if you prefer ). In the 4th book of wizard of Eathsea (20 years after the original, where ged was the protagonist). The new main  protagonist - was r*ped and burned by her father as a child (and in the sequel she became a dragon as a form of empowerment ). which goes with my lonnie theory-sadly.

*wizard of oz: 

it’s about a Dorothy creating a mythical world based on people she both likes and dislikes . Dorothy sings in the movie a song about a ‘RAINBOW’ and references ‘DREAMS’ coming true in a mythical land -much like the ‘never ending story’ song (referencing “rainbows”/”dreams” coming to life).

“There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby Somewhere over the RAINBOW, Skies are blue, And the DREAMS that you dare to dream, really do come true...”

We see in s1 Hopper cop-partner calls the lab “emerald city”. Murray in s2 says people “don’t want to look behind the curtain” (to see what’s causing the supernatural -in the film what was literally behind the curtain was a wizard-cough like Will). We also have -lion, tiger, and bear stuffed animals (as a ‘lion, and tigers, and bears-oh my!’ quote )from the film. And David harbor (Hopper) when referencing the s4 rainbow room (quotes the song)  and he also quotes a speech from Dorothy-when posting about the cabin the mindflayer destroyed.

2) Rainbow cups (hinting at Lonnie’s return) 

We see 2 rainbow cups in the series. 

in s2) when Mike & Will are sitting together & saying they’re “crazy together” . This cup next to them says “happy birthday” in rainbow. Later that season- they talk about Will’s birthday-rainbow drawing, Mike&Will meeting & Lonnie leaving. And in s2, we also see in Will’s room a card that says “sorry, I forgot your birthday”(most likely from Lonnie). So both Lonnie & Mike are associated with Will’s bday.

in s3) We see a woman yell “I don’t want her in my house!” (while she sits next to a rainbow cup). reminiscent of Joyce saying to Lonnie “get out of my house”. We also know there are rumors s4 takes place during Will’s birthday & Lonnie’s actor may have been spotted on set.  Along with the fact (it’s pretty much confirmed) Mike will be visiting the Byers in s4. However, the woman (next to the rainbow cup)  also says “2 visitor only. 2!″

THE 2 VISITORS ARE MIKE &LONNIE (for Will’s b day). 

Also, in s3, when El is drinking from cup- she sees a rainbow. And what’s the first word she thinks of? “Papa.”

so rainbow+cup= shitty dads (lonnie & brenner) probably returning

*And of course if that’s the case -Lonnie (the same guy who called Will h*mophobic sl*rs) will not be supportive of Mike & Will’s “friendship”. And will not be nice to Mike (to say the least). Like... imagine Hopper in s3 - but we know he’s not bluffing and the audience won’t have the option to take it as a joke... and yes the s4 movies hint at that...

3) gay symbolism

First we have Mike wheeler. He in s1 has rainbows sheets, rainbow bedroom blinds , and in his basement there’s a heart propelled by a rainbow. This is like how in s3 Mike kisses El and there is a drawing that says "Mike'. And on the drawing is a heart propelled by a rainbow. I already explained how its symbolic of him trying to be straight/fighting his feelings for Will, but wherever he goes a rainbow still follows (even when he tries being romantic with El). He’s trying to hide his “rainbow heart” by dating  El- why in s3 (the rainbow-heart in his basement) mysteriously disappeared from his room (but a similar symbol follows Mike even when he kisses El). 

Even in s2 when talking about Will (in the AV tech room): Mike is placed in the center of 2 objects : an object with 11 on it & on the right a rainbow apple (this apple is supposed to be an ode to the gay father of computers- but also about the forbidden apple). Hinting at the love triangle of Mike (with El/Will). PLUS, in the ST book ‘worlds turned upsidedown’ they literally show Mike in the AV room- and  put the caption “FALLING IN LOVE- with tech” (and placed rainbow flags next to the caption). And of course we have Mike & Will pose next to the rainbow apple- in the AV room.

 We also see when Mike and Will says they’re “crazy together” (aka LOVE-as Flo stated) and they’re next to a rainbow cup that says Happy birthday .

And later that season they ref the rainbow ship Will drew for his birthday-which Joyce was "proud" of.  And while dancing with a girl (Will according to the script was looking at Mike instead of her) . That girl is wearing a rainbow heart hair pin. This is essentially a parallel to Mike . Will (next to a rainbow heart) is dancing with a girl, but is secretly thinking of Mike. Mike (next to a rainbow heart) is kissing el but secretly thinking of Will (and immediately goes on a movie double date with Will after this). The lyrics of both these scenes indicate they're not happy pretending to be straight. The lyrics for Will are "every smile you fake". And Mike while kissing el is "just a little uncertainty can bring you down" (and during this lyric is when El puts her hands on him-and he removes her hands from him *aka he’s not as confident in the relationship as he pretends to be.

We see in s4 bts that the rainbow heart hair pin (worn by the girl Will dances with) is also worn by nancy while standing next to Robin (who is gay). So being near a  ‘rainbow-heart’ is prob a hint a character is gay. Aka robin & Will & Mike.

tumblr user “awhstrangerthings” pointed out the nancy -hair clip detail.

In s1 when troy is calling Will h*mophobic sl*rs (in front of Mike) he wears a rainbow shirt. And max while often critiquing m*leven (in s3) (to Mike) often wears rainbow shirts. I talked about how I thought Troy and max subconsciously remind Mike he isn't straight - so they're associated with the rainbow iconography-post here. Like we see Max with rainbow sheets (like Mike) and than she immediately talks to him on the phone. I mean she could be queer- but I lean to that theory at the moment. 

The whole being near rainbows when associating with a queer character makes sense (it’s like a ‘gay-dar”). Similar to Nancy’s hair clip when being near Robin/ that Girl having the same rainbow hair clip when dancing with Will. If we assume this theory than see a pattern with other characters (when speaking about/being near queer coded characters)....

it’s similar to how : When lucas (via subtext) criticizes m*leven- he is also next to a rainbow (in Erica's room). I explained here- why it’s about m*leven.

or when Jonathan says he’s going to hang out with Will (it’s near a rainbow).

This Jonathan moment -Is similar to when Steve ( who has a rainbow bandaid-from the Byers’ house) calls Mike “Nancy” (which is slang for a gay guy)

*another addition: you see in the comments of this post ghostgirlsatin mentioned Dart has a rainbow blanket. But, I noticed a couple of other things. 

notice Dustin says "we have to talk- its about my friend ,Will". As Dustin is near rainbow lights and a rainbow bed sheet. Like how

A) rainbows are associated with the supernatural creatures + Will

B) rainbow lights associated with Will

C) rainbows near straight characters when talking about /near queer characters... similar to how Jonathan is near a rainbow when talking about Will

*also can’t tell if that is a ‘rainbow ship’ poster?

We also see Erica has a sunflower & rainbow drawing in her room... at the moment not sure if its just a random easteregg , foreshadowing something supernatural we're not aware of yet? or just for the m*leven diss?

(although given the fact i think some characters were created by Will- and given all the Max &Billy/Will & jonathan parallels ... the rainbow stuff may be a hint Will created them? I mean they even made a Troy comic just to show his dad is a bully.) But, at the moment, i still lean to (some) characters having rainbow iconography because they’re referring to/are near a queer character.

[thevindicativevordan]

Why I Like Superman

This is a post I’ve been going over and over in my head, trying to suss out my feelings. The simple fact is I love Superman, and I have for as long as I can remember. I wore Superman pajamas as a kid. I watched cartoons like Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Legion of Superheroes, and was hyped as hell when he showed up on The Batman cartoon. I drew variations of the S-shield all over the sides of my school notebooks, and I tied a towel around my neck and pretended I could fly.

One of my favorite Xbox games to play was the Superman Returns tie-in game (remember those?), because it was the only game I could play that let me fly around, shooting off heat vision and freezing people with arctic breath. I still remember the opening that had you destroy asteroids, and being absolutely wowed as a kid by the big finale which had you slam into the largest asteroid at supersonic speed to destroy it. Took me forever to beat the Warworld arena level though because I didn’t know how to block.

Because there were no local comic shops near my home for me to go buy issues at (not that I even knew what a local comic shop was at the time), I kept up with his, and the rest of my favorite DC heroes adventures, via reading the DC wiki. I spent so much of my time waiting for my mom to get off the computer so I could go online and catch up that my parents installed parental blocks because they were worried about what I was doing.

In short he’s been a constant favorite of mine throughout childhood, through my teenage years, and straight on into adulthood. I never developed the dislike or distaste for him that some people did, and he never dropped out of the top spot for me like he did for others. There were times when he shared the top spot for me with Batman and Spider-Man, until One More Day wrecked my relationship with Spidey and I grew bored of the endless cycles of Batman being a dick to the Batfamily and then learning he needs them. But even throughout his lowest points (and God have there been so many of those in the last decade), he’s remained the top guy for me.

But why? I think it’s in part because of the type of genre he embodies. He is of course The Superhero, and he lives in the genre he founded, but he also lives in a type of optimistic science fiction genre that’s downright extinct nowadays. As a kid I was a massive science fiction fan, and my dad was friends with a guy who was also hugely into science fiction. This guy had a basement full of science fiction books written from the Golden Age of Science Fiction, up until the cyberpunk era kicked off in the 1980s. He was happy to hand novels off to me, and his private library beat the hell out of our public one. I devoured stories of fearless heroes in space exploring new worlds, first contact with alien races, mindbending new technologies that seemed like magic, about transcending our mortal flesh and becoming part of a universal, transcendental whole, stories that didn’t just talk about technology but about the human condition. Stories that while sometimes bleak, painted a positive picture of the human ability to overcome our inherent flaws and be a powerful force for good. And ultimately Superman speaks from the same source.

It’s not just about the powers, although those who completely dismiss their appeal are making a mistake I believe. It’s about humanity, about our ability to transcend our base natures, reflected in this Strange Visitor from Another Planet, who embodies our virtues and our vices, who is torn between the fear of doing too much and the fear of doing too little. Who hides his true self behind a pair of glasses because he craves the fellowship of humanity more than any amount of glory or riches. His no-kill rule a firm affirmation of the value of life, all life everywhere no matter it’s form. His greatest love, Lois Lane, is his co-worker and greatest rival as a reporter, who has everyone’s number in her phone, be they crime lord or living saint. His greatest friend, Jimmy Olsen, is the guy everyone else ignores or bosses around, but is a rich kid weirdo who gets up to all sorts of bizarre adventures that keep the Daily Planet afloat. His childhood friends are superheroes from the future, his home City of Metropolis is 10 years ahead of everyone else in terms of technology, his dog can shatter concrete via barking at it, his home den is a ice crystal castle situated at the North Pole, like Santa’s Workshop. In short his life is one where even the mundane corners hide fantastical attributes. By living among us, he helps to elevate us, to make our daily grind interesting by seeing through the lens of his life. As others have said, we walk our dogs around the block, he walks his around the solar system.

But it would be a mistake to assume that Superman doesn’t tackle the darker sides of life too. Even the most optimistic sci-fi novels that I read as a kid had dystopic elements in them, intended or not. His home planet of Krypton was our technological superior, yet ignored the warnings of it’s chief scientist, and died a victim of it’s own greed and arrogance with Kal-El as the Last Son. His birth parents died in the fires of self-perpetuated genocide, his adopted parents the Kents often fall to mundane heart diseases or accidents, which even his power can not save them from. His greatest enemy Lex Luthor, is the one person who can understand his loneliness, his need for the public’s approval and acceptance, and yet the shared enmity between the two has ruined any chance of them forming a friendship that could have been. The shining City of Metropolis venerates Luthor as well as Clark, reflecting the greed, selfishness, and callousness of it’s other favorite child. Suicide Slum stands as a testament to the limits of how much Superman can improve life. The Phantom Zone is a spinechilling example of the inhumane treatment of prisoners. His foes ran the gauntlet from greedy businessmen out for money at any cost, to victims who have suffered at humanity’s hands and seek revenge, to sociopaths who treat other peoples pain and lives as a source of amusement, to murderers who care not from where the blood flows, only that it does, to tyrants who seek to crush all resistance underneath their heel, to gods who wish the elimination of free will itself. Each of them force Superman to confront the fallibility of human nature and wrestle with whether or not his faith in both them and himself is justified.

In a sentence? I love Superman because he’s a character you can do almost anything with, from comedic hijinks, to serious dramas, to distributing horror stories, to exciting adventure stories. He reminds me of the best type of science fiction stories, ones that explore people and existence from all sorts of angles, that never lose sight of the emotional human core at the heart of all the high concept existential concepts. He’s made me laugh, cry, think, get motivated, get angry, and sometimes just get writing. He brings the big ideas and the human emotions that keep me reading comics throughout all the Big 2′s bullshit. He still believes in the human capacity for good, in spite of our flaws, in spite of how few of us seem to believe in that capacity ourselves, and he shows us that it’s still there by touching our hearts through his stories. That’s why I like Superman, and why he’s my favorite superhero.

[rhysismydaddy]

The Bodyguard Pt. 2 (Elorcan)

I didn’t really edit the ending of this whoops. 

Part 1 | Part 3

______________________________________________________________

Elide turned over in bed for what had to be the hundredth time, practically strangling herself in her bed sheets. The idea was more than a little tempting at this point. 

She glared at the ceiling for a moment, then sat up with a yell. “Get out!”

A deep, unaffected sigh graced her ears. “Go to sleep, Elide.”

Lorcan Salvaterre, her supposed-bodyguard-but-more-like-pain-in-the-ass, was sitting in a chair in the corner, long limbs sprawled in front of him, head resting against the wall of her room. 

Her bedroom. 

She couldn’t remember the last time she had a man in her bedroom, intent on staying the night. Oh, wait, yes she could. 

Fucking never. 

“I’m trying,” she spat back, exhaustion weighing heavily on her shoulders. “I can’t sleep with you in here, mouth breathing all over the place.”

That was such a lie she almost laughed. His even, deep breaths were the last thing keeping her awake. 

He peered an eye open at her. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

I don’t know. “Just sit outside the door or something.”

Lorcan closed his dark eyes again. “The picture was taken from inside the room. I will stay inside the room.”

She groaned, and the corner of his lip quirked up. 

“Would you feel more comfortable if I were in the bed with you?”

His eyes were still closed, but she pressed her palms over her cheeks to hide the blush anyway. “No, of course not.”

“That’s what I thought, so shut up and go to sleep.”

She was about to tell him what she’d do to him if he ever told her to shut up again when a loud bang sounded against the wall. Elide sat up, curious about what the hell had hit the side of the building hard enough to cause such a loud sou-

The glass window exploded before she could find out, a thousand razor sharp shards shooting across her room. But she wasn’t exactly concerned about that. 

No, because faster than she could even track, Lorcan had thrown himself across her room, tackled her back down to the bed, and covered her body with his. 

He was on top of her, legs covering hers, strong chest pressed against her, arms cradling her head. 

She knew this was the last thing she should be thinking about while someone was trying to kill her, but good Lord the man was tall. And built like a freaking slab of concrete. His deliciously heavy weight was pressing her down against the mattress, allowing her to feel every inch of his body against hers. 

“Don’t move.”

Move? She could hardly breathe. “I can’t, you heavy son of a bit-”

“Don’t speak, either.”

Repressing a smile, she did as she was told.

Eventually, when he’d deemed it safe enough, he rolled off of her. “Stay on the bed.”

Holy sweet- he should not say things like that.

She stayed still. 

He searched the room, then picked something up and held it out to her. It was a brick, and a note was attached. 

Elide,

October, 2016. 

Elide read it again and again, praying the words would change but knowing they wouldn’t. 

“What happened in October of 2016?” Lorcan asked, peering over her shoulder. 

Ignoring him entirely, she shot out of bed and sprinted to her bathroom, barely making it before emptying her guts into the toilet. 

Once she was done, she just flushed and leaned against the tub, not having the energy to get up. He leaned in the bathroom’s doorway, unperturbed. “Tell me what happened.”

“It’s not important.”

He narrowed his eyes, making him look a little like a predator about to swoop in for the kill. “Tell me.” 

She shook her head. Lorcan pinched the bridge of his nose, then suddenly slid down the door frame to sit across from her. “No judgments. I promise. But I need to know what he’s talking about so I can protect you from it.”

A harsh laugh forced its way out of her at that. The man across from her just tilted his head and waited, his face uncharacteristically lacking its scowl. 

“In October of 2016, I ran away.”

Lorcan nodded, so she continued. “It was really stupid, honestly. I didn’t have money or clothes or food, and I could hardly walk because of... I was hurt. Somehow, I managed to make it to the docks across town.”

“I thought I made it,” she scoffed, remembering how stupid she’d been. “I thought I was safe. Especially when one of the fisherman’s wives brought me food. But Vernon has everyone in that town on lock down. I never made it onto the boat.”

Elide had to clear her throat before saying the next part. “When he caught me and brought me back, he locked me up. In the basement, in the dark. The only time I’d see a light was when he opened the door to come down and punish me for being so foolish.”

“How long?” Lorcan asked, his voice holding a shocking amount of rage.

Wiping her face clean of tears, she smiled sadly and said, “Six months.”

His jaw was clenched so tight she worried he’d break a tooth. 

“That was for when I ran away for less than a day. I’ve been gone for almost two years now. So if he catches me...” Steel made it’s way into her voice. “I’ll kill myself before I let him bring me back to that place.”

Lorcan’s eyes blazed at that statement. “That’s not going to happen. He’s not going to get to you.”

“He can get to me anywhere.” That was beyond true at this point. 

“Not anywhere,” he growled, scooping her into his arms and standing up like she weighed nothing. He sounded a little pissed, a little remorseful. 

“Um, what are you doing?” When he walked out into the hallway and slammed the door behind them, she amended her question. “Where are we going?”

He seemed to resent even saying the words, but replied, “My apartment.”

~

About thirty minutes later, she sat across from Lorcan in his living room, holding a cup of hot water.

She’d asked if he had tea and he’d given her the most affronted look and asked, “Why the hell would I drink dirty water?”

Men. 

“Why are we here?”

He sighed. “We’re here because you’re not safe at your place.”

Elide glanced around. “And I’m safe here?” I mean, sure, it looked a bit safer, considering there were four deadbolts on the door, but that didn’t mean much. 

“Believe me, it’s safe.” She raised an eyebrow, and he rolled his eyes. “I have bulletproof windows, the door’s made of steel, and no one’s allowed in the complex without a security code. Compared to your place, this is Fort Knox.”

“Oh.”

He nodded. 

“Um, thank you, I guess.”

Lorcan cringed, clearly unused to having visitors. “You can have the guest bedroom.” 

Taking his more than obvious hint, she walked down the hall and into the room. Like the rest of the place, it was painfully in need of a woman’s touch. Gray walls, black furniture, and a bed covered in a white comforter. 

No art, no color, no anything. 

The windows overlooked the city, but she took him at his word that they were bulletproof. She still yanked the curtains closed before flopping down on the bed. 

And even though she felt completely awake, it wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep. 

~

Something nudged her shoulder, and she swatted whatever it was away. 

It dodged and bumped her again. 

Elide ignored it. Something important was flaring at the back of her mind, but she was too tired, too comfortable to do anything but nuzzle further into the pillow. 

A gravelly voice interrupted her goal of falling back asleep. “You’re drooling on my pillow.”

She could recognize that ever-annoyed growl anywhere. 

Peeking an eye open, she practically jumped out of her skin. Lorcan stood next to her, towering over the bed, wearing low-hanging sweatpants and no shirt. He sipped his coffee and cocked a brow at her, seemingly unaware of the fact that her position hanging off the bed put her face directly in front of his crotch. 

Blushing like crazy, she turned over and sat up, making sure her sleep shirt and shorts was covering everything. 

“It’s seven thirty,” he informed her helpfully. 

Elide tried to ignore the fact that he was shirtless when he said it, but her brain didn’t listen to the order. Well-defined muscles she was pretty sure she didn’t even possess covered every inch of him, and it was all she could do to stop herself from reaching out and poking one. 

“You’re drooling again,” he teased, making her blush. 

She jumped out of bed, rushing to... oh, shit. “I don’t have any of my clothes! I don’t even have my toothbrush!”

Before she could start pacing, he nodded to the floor. A black duffel bag was below her, and when she glanced inside, she saw a pair of jeans and a grey turtleneck. And a toothbrush. 

“When did you grab this?”

He certainly hadn’t packed a bag before carrying her out last night. 

“I went this morning. Not all of us sleep in.”

She would’ve pointed out that anything before noon was the opposite of sleeping in, but she had to get to work. “Okay, thank you, now get out!” She pushed his shoulder, but he just shrugged her off, rolled his eyes, and walked out of the room. 

So stubborn this morning.

Once she was ready, she stepped out and asked, “Ready for another day of therapy, Mr. Salvaterre? Maybe we can finally get you to open up and talk about your childhood.”

He just glowered and jerked his chin for her to follow him. 

It was only her first day of staying at Lorcan’s place, but she could already tell he was regretting his decision to take her in.

~

By the time Friday rolled around, she and her new roomie had developed a pretty easy schedule to follow. But even without the stress of being kidnapped in her own home, it had been a long week. 

She was beyond ready for the concert tonight. 

“This is reckless,” Lorcan pointed out from his position leaning against the bathroom door. 

Elide finished her mascara before replying. “It’s not reckless to have a life. What was the point escaping if I lock myself in my apartment all day, anyway?”

He glowered, but she noticed his eyes followed her movements as she drew on her lipstick. Repressing a smug grin, she took more care than usual, making sure it was just right. 

When she was done, he got back to his point. “You have a life. A... career.”

A few days ago, she would’ve been annoyed at the resentment in his voice, but she’d gotten used to the idea that therapy wasn’t his thing. “Yes, but I need a social life. You know what that is, right?”

“I have acquaintances.”

She peered over her shoulder, eyes raking over his tall frame dressed in head to toe black. “No girlfriend?”

His eyes narrowed, just a fraction. “No girlfriend.”

That made a horde of butterflies parade through her gut, but she ignored them.

“Makes sense why this place has zero decorations, then,” she teased. 

Lorcan looked at the ceiling, and she had a feeling he was praying for sanity. “I have a rug. This discussion is pointless, just like the concert. Let’s go.”

She rolled her eyes, but she was ready anyway, so she followed him downstairs. After a tense taxi ride--during which Lorcan glared at the driver so intensely he practically flew down the crowded streets--they were at MSK, a usually quiet bar on the opposite side of the city. 

Lorcan eyed the place like it would be home to the toughest criminals alive, but she’d been here enough to see that the harsh exterior didn’t really matter. 

Pulling him inside, she walked up to the bar and winked at the woman behind it. 

Manon Blackbeak, the most insanely badass woman she knew and her absolute best friend, gave her a smile. Then glanced at the man next to her. 

“Boyfriend,” she explained quickly before the man himself could say something stupid like the truth. 

Said man glanced down at her and raised a brow, but she ignored it. 

“Hm. You could do better,” Manon told her. 

Elide ignored that, too. “You excited for tonight?”

MSK was her bar, so the concerts were a good way of bringing in revenue without having to do much. Plus, Asterin and her had been friends since they were toddlers, so they worked well together. 

Manon shrugged. “I hate the new album, but the bar will make some money, so whatever. Want a drink?”

She could feel Lorcan’s eyes on her now. It had been his one big stipulation for “allowing” her to come: no drinking. 

She shook her head, thankful the band started playing something loud and obnoxious so she didn’t have to explain. Asterin made her way on stage, and the crowd went crazy. 

“This is the kind of music you like?” Lorcan leaned down to ask in her ear. “Metal?”

She laughed at the almost comical look of disgust on his face. “No. I just love Asterin enough to put up with it.”

After four songs, even Elide was doubting that statement. A look at Manon confirmed it. The album was worse than usual. “How much longer?” 

Her best friend put her head on the bar and groaned. “God, I hope not long.”

She laughed, then glanced at Lorcan. He was sitting at the bar, glaring at anyone who tried to come close to her. 

“I’m going to the bathroom,” she yelled. 

He gestured for her to lead the way, and she rolled her eyes but walked down the dark hallway to the ladies room. She opened the door, glanced back at Lorcan, and shut the door between them before he could insist on coming in. 

Absolutely ridiculous. 

Even if his attention made her feel safe. 

Ridiculous. 

She washed up and used the bathroom, trying fruitlessly to fix her ruined makeup. Eventually, she figured the eyeliner was staying smudged and the lipstick was pretty much a lost cause, so she decided to just go back to the concert. 

When she opened the door, Lorcan wasn’t waiting outside in the dim hallway like she expected. Maybe he went to the bathroom, too? Or maybe he had to take a call?

Both seemingly good options, but the little voice that had kept her alive this far screamed at her that something was wrong. Her fight or flight instinct activated, and like the other times that voice had saved her, she listened. 

And bolted for the back door of the bar. 

She’d get outside, make sure she was alone, and call Lorcan. Nothing was wrong. 

The back door swung open, revealing two things and she stepped outside, relieved to see the alley empty. 

That relief vanished as harsh hands wrapped around her shoulders and pushed her against the side of the building roughly. 

Elide looked up frantically, her inner voice screeching warnings and now-helpless advice as she stared into the face of her uncle Vernon. 

“Hello, Elide.”

______________________________________________________________

Part 3

@cursebreaker29 @studyliketate @over300books @justgiu12 @maastrash @a-bit-of-a-cactus @aesthetics-11 @bamchickawowow @b00kworm @sleeping-and-books @musicmaam @savemesoon8 @hizqueen4life @maybekindasortaace @ladywitchling @sjmships @superspiritfestival @stardella @keshavomit @illyrianwitchling13 @lord-douglas-the-third @blackjacks-donuts @hufflebird89 @sensitiveillyrian @towhateverend17 @empress-ofbloodshed @dottieadot @idontlikekale @se-ono-waise-ilia @tswaney17

[jinniesxlamp]

Goodbye, Hello - Chapter 8

LIST OF CHAPTERS –> Masterlist

Y/N’s POV

The succeeding days had gone by in a blink of an eye, a few adjustments were made to cater Min Yoongi’s absence due to a conflict of schedule. His agency had formally asked for him to join his members in Japan, which we granted with no hesitation. It was BTS after all. Most days were uneventful, occupied with field work and paper works to say the least. Although things did get better in terms of my interpersonal relations between my colleagues, the staff and my seniors. Tension was less, and the power struggles had slowly diminished between them and I. It was nice to have mutual trust and respect established within my workplace.

Upon Yoongi’s return the subsequent week, he personally apologized, taking advantage of the privacy we had in the elevator on the Monday of that week. I accepted right away. A mutual, though unsaid agreement was made on both ends—that we remain civil and professional towards each other for the remaining days we have left working on this show. That was that. For the both of us.

Lee Jooheon however, had seen me walk towards the bus stop a day after my vehicle was sent to the shop after the hit-and-run, offering to give me a ride home. I did not allow it though, for his own sake. Who knows who and what follows him around. He was an idol after all. Even so, I did not decline him of a meet up. I still owed him an apology for that night. I offered to buy him dinner which he ended up paying for, creating an excuse for a second meeting, then a third. Since then, I had to constantly remind him that our meet-ups were strictly social and non-romantic. He seemed to have accepted my terms, while we continuously, casually saw each other for dinner, if not, a drink or two. Nothing more, nothing less.

Eventually, the show had to end. Today was the last day of taping. I was stuck in my office the entire day, with five piles of contracts, scripts and whatnot to review, it was not even possible for me to peek down the studio for a full five minutes. I did however, make sure to attend the season-end-party later this evening. While I was busy flipping through the pages of terms and conditions, Soojin came in to inform me about a visitor whom I allowed to be brought in.

Jooheon’s POV

“How could you be so cruel?” I snarled at the lady who wasn’t even paying attention to the stranger walking inside her office.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be downstairs?”

Her eyes flickered at the sound of my voice, finally closing the folder she had been reading for who knows how long.

“Aigooo, is that how you greet your guests gwangjangnim?” Again, I teased earning a glare in return. 

There was something about her gusty stare that made me smile beneath my exterior affect. It didn’t intimidate me nor anger me, but it simply drew me to her. It wasn’t intended to scare people off, just to protect herself from anything or anyone that can strip her vulnerability off of her. That’s the last thing this woman wants.

“Anyway, you didn’t answer my question” she snared at me with eyebrows raised.

“We finished earlier than expected, so everyone else went home to freshen up before the party”

“So...why exactly are you here? Shouldn’t you be doing the same?” 

I patiently watched as she began to flip on the folder again, waiting for me to respond.

“I wanted to see you” I said. This time, with a different tone. One which she picked up right away.

“Y-you could’ve waited until the party...pabo” flustered, she managed to execute her sentence, purposely mumbling the last word.

“I’m leaving tonight.”

Y/N’s POV

“Don’t miss me too much” kept repeating itself inside my head as I stared across the studio-turned-dance floor at the ground floor of the building. 

This wasn’t the farewell party I expected since we usually just went out for barbecue and drinks to celebrate. But somehow, Chairman Byeon was generous enough to dispense a more decent amount for this party. Perhaps it was the show rating which gained the highest among all stations that caused this big celebration to take place. Or was it to please the influential personalities involved in this project? Who knows.

Amidst the dinner tables where everyone else socialized, I stayed seated at the minibar on the left corner at the back of the room, barely finishing my first glass of wine. There were times when thoughts of Jooheon flashed through my mind. Scenes of earlier, when he bid goodbye. A few weeks ago he had told me he was leaving for a two-month world tour which I had completely forgotten about. Though our relationship was nowhere romantic, I did enjoy his company. He made me feel comfortable and safe whenever we spent time together. And frankly,  it did make me feel a certain way. I wouldn’t exactly call it love though.

As I was about to grab the second glass of Chardonnay passed by the bartender, another hand managed to sweep it away from my grip.

“Eonnie” 

I cleared my throat, wishing I could hide from Soojin whose arms folded towards me. She sighed, taking the seat right next to me.

“Eonnie” she repeated firmly. 

Of all people, she knew me the most. Happy or sad. Well or ill. Sober or drunk. I knew what she had to say. I wasn’t allowed another glass. 

Since I was under Myunghwa’s care, I had been sober. And because of that, my resistance to alcohol had become very weak to the extent wherein a second glass of lightweight champagne would be too much for me.

“I’m just worried about you....especially knowing that Jooheon isn’t here to take care of you”

“G-gabjagi—“ I felt my face blush at her sudden remark. I composed myself right away

“A-arasso, arasso” surrendering, offering the glass to one of the secretaries who arrived just in time. 

Soojin had left early to rest, meanwhile, the rest of the staff were still all over the place, dancing, drinking, laughing. It was a nice sight to watch, but it wasn’t for me. I stood in the same place, not sure of what to make of the rest of the night. Though I loved the comfort of my home, my energy was not fit for bed, not yet. I remembered the remaining last pile of documents that needed to be done in my office.

8:57 pm

“I might be able to finish around midnight if I leave now”

Yoongi’s POV

To my own surprise, I was fairly enjoying myself at the party, mostly due to Loco and Hwasa who I discussed a potential collaboration with if everything is agreed with all three agencies. Had Suran not called me to work on our current project, I would have stayed. Dragging myself to the parking lot, taking all the time I needed, a familiar figure stood by the lobby, speaking to the receptionist. What could she be discussing at this hour? Not long after, their conversation had ended, allowing an encounter for the both of us.

She greeted me with a bow, which I returned right away. This was probably the last time we’ll be seeing each other for awhile, so I gave myself some time—to remember her face, and to say the things I thought were necessary for a proper farewell.

“You’re great at what you do, Y/N. Keep it up.” I said. Hoping she would acknowledge the sincerity.

“Thank you. I wish the same things for you, Min Yoongi. I’m glad to see you’re living the life you’ve always dreamt of. I mean it.” She said, with the same amount of sincerity behind her weak smile.

“Don’t work to hard” I said, she returned it with a smirk.

“I wish I could say the same, but I know you too well.” 

Maybe she didn’t mean to say that out loud. 

She seemed taken aback by her own words. I allowed silence to dominate for just a few seconds, and then decided—it was time to say good bye. For good, this time.

“Geureom“ I bowed, allowing her to reciprocate before going our separate ways.

“Goodbye, Y/N” I whispered to myself.

Y/N’s POV

“Goodbye, Min Yoongi” I whispered to myself.

I was down to the last contract when I noticed the time. 

12:37 am

“Shit” I cursed to myself, recalling the agreement I had with the security department awhile ago. The building normally closes around midnight on a daily basis, however, the last security patrols at 1:00 am. They agreed to let me stay for an extended amount of time, provided that I leave before the last patrol ends. 

Fortunately, there were a lot of pages which didn’t require reading for this packet, allowing me to finish at exactly 12:45 am. That’s enough time for me to grab my belongings and rush towards the parking lot.

The building seemed a lot more sinister at night, with most of the lights off. Chills started building up my spine as I walked down the narrow hallways, leading to the basement. At first I thought it was just the eerie sight that made me feel uncomfortable. But the further I walked, the more uneasy I felt. As if someone was watching me. I quickened my pace, determined to keep myself calm though failing desperately. My eyes searched for any signs of patrol officers around the premises, but to no avail. I continued to walk across the parking lot, not daring to look back at any cost. However, a faint reflection on one of the parked cars confirmed my suspicion. 

I wasn’t alone. 

I only had one thing in mind.

Run.

Three men were following me from behind, all in black, each with a cap and a face mask to hide their identities. I screamed for help, but no one seemed to hear me. I continued to run, desperate to survive. I managed to buy myself some time, trying to lose the bodies that were tailing me, moving as slow as possible. I didn’t have much time, I pulled out my phone with trembling hands, calling the number security had left me earlier in case anything were to happen. 

Ring. Ring.

“Yeoboseyo?” Just my luck!

“Y-y-yeoboseyo? J-jebal”

“Gwangjangnim? Odi isseoyo?”

“P-parking lot” 

Regardless if I had delivered my message clearly, that was the last thing I could say before I felt a strong pull from behind me. The tight hand sealed above my mouth prevented me from screaming as I was dragged across the parking lot, helplessly.

“Gwangjangnim!”

“Gwangjangnim!”

My eyes widened at the sound of hope, my abductors began to panic hearing the patrol guards. I struggled to squirm out of their grip. 

“Be still if you don’t want us to silence you in any other way” threatened one of the men. I didn’t comply.

“Aish. Ya. This won’t keep still” cursed the other man beneath his breath, trying to keep quiet themselves. 

I noticed one of the men pour a substance of some sort onto a piece of cloth while we hid behind a parked car. Whatever it was, I knew I had to do something if I wanted to get out of this alive. The voices of the patrol officers began fading, I had to do something quick. Upon scanning the scene for anything I could use to my advantage, a different hand appeared in front of my face, attempting to suffocate me with a particular smell, a chemical I could not recognize. Observing as I slowly lost my consciousness, the men became lenient, loosening their hold onto me, leaning me freely on the parked vehicle, expecting me to collapse. I struggled to hold my breath, not wanting to inhale the chemical any further. Then, with all the force I had left, I carried my head swiftly, banging it as hard as I could on the vehicle causing its alarm to go off.

Hearing footsteps running towards me, I let go of my breath, allowing the smell to enter my system. Hearing faint voices as I slowly felt my eyes shut

“Aish! We need to leave now! Leave her!” 

“Micheosseoyo?! We’re good as dead if we leave a mess like this!”

“The boss will take care of it! Aish! We don’t have time for this!”

“Ya! We’ll get caught at this rate! Leave her!”

“Aish!”

“Gwangjangnim!”

“Gwangjangnim!”

Hoseok’s POV

I found it unusual how we came up with a decision to watch a drama series all together in this neglected living room. It wasn’t untidy or un-cared for, just that it’s not used as much as it should be. All I could recall was Namjoon watching the local news, complaining about political issues and debates, Jin-hyung and myself were merely accompanying him in silence, left with nothing to do ourselves. Eventually, Taehyung sat in at around eight thirty to watch a program airing his good friend Park Seo Joon. The two maknaes joined in some time after. In the end, we were basically glued to our spots, engrossed in Jun Ji Hyun’s newly aired drama. 

“Aish, why do they always cut it during the climax!?” Gnawed Jungkook in agony.

“At least it’s just a commercial break. Imagine if we were left with that until next week’s episode” consoled Jimin.

Everyone started fiddling with their phones, waiting for the program to resume.

“Breaking News. Sirens were reported to have awakened the residents of Gangnam as they rushed towards Seowon building around 1:00 am today—“

Seowon...why does that building sound familiar?

My eyes widened, turning to Namjoon who had the same reaction on his face.

“Ya, Jiminah, turn it up” I demanded.

“Seowon...isn’t that.....HYUNG!” It wasn’t long until everyone got the idea.

“—reports gathered information regarding an attack that happened inside the parking lot of the building itself. The victim is said to be a VIP, who is now receiving appropriate medical treatment at Samsung Medical Center. The identity of the victim is kept confidential for the time being.”

“He isn’t picking up” Jin-hyung broke the silence, beads of sweat now visible along his temples. 

“Aish! Answer your phone Yoongiah” he tried again, but to no avail. 

This went on for fifteen minutes, only to be halted with the sound of someone entering the apartment. 

We waited anxiously and hopefully to know who had just walked in.

“Wasseo” finally, a voice we were relieved to hear. Jin-hyung and I both collapsed on the couch as the rest of us sighed in unison.

“Oh, you’re all awake” said Yoongi, surprised.

“Ya! Micheosseoyo?! What use is that phone of yours when you can’t be reached at all?” The intensity in Jin-hyungs voice was very well justified with the protrusion of his jugular vein on his neck.

“Hyung, you scared us” sighed Jungkook, rubbing his chest to calm himself down.

“What’s going on?” Asked Yoongi more confused than ever.

“There was news of someone being attacked at Seowon building a few minutes ago.”

“That’s ridiculous. Who on earth would be there at this ho—“ 

Now, it was our turn to get confused, watching his whole body freeze and pupils dilate to its max.

“Ya, kwenchana?” I asked, attempting to redirect his attention. Although, it wasn’t necessary as his phone rang from his pocket.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

“Yeoboseyo?”

[tlatollotl]

Of all the places to discover a lost city, this pleasing little community seems an unlikely candidate.

There are no vine-covered temples or impenetrable jungles here — just an old-fashioned downtown, a drug store that serves up root beer floats and rambling houses along shady brick lanes.

Yet there’s always been something — something just below the surface.

Locals have long scoured fields and river banks for arrowheads and bits of pottery, amassing huge collections. Then there were those murky tales of a sprawling city on the Great Plains and a chief who drank from a goblet of gold.

A few years ago, Donald Blakeslee, an anthropologist and archaeology professor at Wichita State University, began piecing things together. And what he’s found has spurred a rethinking of traditional views on the early settlement of the Midwest, while potentially filling a major gap in American history.

Using freshly translated documents written by the Spanish conquistadors more than 400 years ago and an array of high-tech equipment, Blakeslee located what he believes to be the lost city of Etzanoa, home to perhaps 20,000 people between 1450 and 1700.

They lived in thatched, beehive-shaped houses that ran for at least five miles along the bluffs and banks of the Walnut and Arkansas rivers. Blakeslee says the site is the second-largest ancient settlement in the country after Cahokia in Illinois.

On a recent morning, Blakeslee supervised a group of Wichita State students excavating a series of rectangular pits in a local field.

Jeremiah Perkins, 21, brushed dirt from a half-buried black pot.

Others sifted soil over screened boxes, revealing arrowheads, pottery and stone scrapers used to thin buffalo hides.

Blakeslee, 75, became intrigued by Etzanoa after scholars at UC Berkeley retranslated in 2013 the often muddled Spanish accounts of their forays into what is now Kansas. The new versions were more cogent, precise and vivid.

“I thought, ‘Wow, their eyewitness descriptions are so clear it’s like you were there.’ I wanted to see if the archaeology fit their descriptions,” he said. “Every single detail matched this place.”

Kacie Larsen of Wichita State University shakes dirt through a screened box to see what artifacts may emerge. David Kelly / For The Times

Conquistadors are often associated with Mexico, but a thirst for gold drove them into the Midwest as well.

Francisco Vazquez de Coronado came to central Kansas in 1541 chasing stories of a fabulously wealthy nobleman who napped beneath trees festooned with tinkling gold bells. He found no gold, but he did find Native Americans in a collection of settlements he dubbed Quivira.

In 1601, Juan de Oñate led about 70 conquistadors from the Spanish colony of New Mexico into south-central Kansas in search of Quivira in the hopes of finding gold, winning converts for the Catholic Church and extracting tribute for the crown.

According to Spanish records, they ran into a tribe called the Escanxaques, who told of a large city nearby where a Spaniard was allegedly imprisoned. The locals called it Etzanoa.

As the Spaniards drew near, they spied numerous grass houses along the bluffs. A delegation of Etzanoans bearing round corn cakes met them on the river bank. They were described as a sturdy people with gentle dispositions and stripes tattooed from their eyes to their ears. It was a friendly encounter until the conquistadors decided to take hostages. That prompted the entire city to flee.

Oñate’s men wandered the empty settlement for two or three days, counting 2,000 houses that held eight to 10 people each. Gardens of pumpkins, corn and sunflowers lay between the homes.

The Spaniards could see more houses in the distance, but they feared an Etzanoan attack and turned back.

That’s when they were ambushed by 1,500 Escanxaques. The conquistadors battled them with guns and cannons before finally withdrawing back to New Mexico, never to return.

This bluff overlooks the spot where many believe Spanish conquistador Juan de Oñate met a delegation of Etzanoans. David Kelly / For The Times

French explorers arrived a century later but found nothing. Disease likely wiped out Etzanoa, leaving it to recede into legend.

Blakeslee enlisted the help of the National Park Service, which used a magnetometer to detect variations in the earth’s magnetic field and find features around town that looked like homes, storage pits and places where fires were started.

Then, relying on descriptions from the conquistadors, he discovered what he believes was the battle site in an upscale neighborhood of Arkansas City.

Volunteers using metal detectors found three half-inch iron balls under the field. Blakeslee said they were 17th century Spanish cartridge shot fired from a cannon. A Spanish horseshoe nail was also found.

It all lent credibility to the detailed accounts left by the conquistadors.

The battlefield sits in Warren “Hap” McLeod’s backyard.

“It’s a great story,” he said. “There was a lost city right under our noses.”

McLeod, 71, offered a quick tour of the area.

He started at Camp Quaker Haven overlooking the spot where Oñate would have encountered the Etzanoans. McLeod then drove up to the country club, the highest point in the city of roughly 12,500 people.

“Lots of artifacts have been taken from here,” McLeod said.

In 1994, thousands of relics were unearthed during road construction. In 1959, the renowned archaeologist Waldo Wedel wrote in his classic book, “An Introduction to Kansas Archeology,” that the valley floor and bluffs here “were littered with sherds, flints, and other detritus” that went on for miles.

“Now we know why,” McLeod said. “There were 20,000 people living here for over 200 years.”

Local rancher Jason Smith, 47, said he had seen collections “that would blow your mind.”

“Truckloads of stuff,” he said. “Worked stone tools, flints. One guy had 100 boxes at his house.”

Russell Bishop, 66, worked at the country club as a kid.

“My boss had an entire basement full of pottery and all kinds of artifacts,” he recalled. “We’d be out there working and he would recognize a black spot on the ground as an ancient campfire site.”

Bishop, who now lives outside Denver, has coffee cans full of arrowheads. He spread some on his counter.

“I don’t think anyone knew how big this all was,” he said. “I’m glad they’re finally getting to the bottom of it.”

Kansas State Archaeologist Robert Hoard said that based on the Spanish accounts and the evidence of a large settlement, it’s “plausible” that Blakeslee has found Etzanoa.

Still, he would like more evidence.

The early Great Plains had long been imagined as a vast empty space populated by nomadic tribes following buffalo herds. But if Blakeslee is right, at least some of the tribes were urban. They built large towns, raised crops, made fine pottery, processed bison on a massive scale and led a settled existence. There were trade connections all the way to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan in Mexico.

"So this was not some remote place. The people traded and lived in huge communities," Blakeslee said. "Everything we thought we knew turns out to be wrong. I think this needs a place in every schoolbook."

And that may just be the beginning. Blakeslee has found archaeological evidence in Rice and McPherson counties for other large settlements extending for miles, which he believes existed around the same time as Etzanoa.

He has published his findings in the peer-reviewed journal Plains Anthropologist, and next spring he will present his evidence for Etzanoa at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. A bigger excavation is planned for next summer.

The Wichita Nation, based three hours south in Anadarko, Okla., is watching all of this carefully. Experts believe the Etzanoans were their ancestors.

“The accounts of Oñate and Coronado have been interpreted for years,” said Gary McAdams, cultural program planner and historic preservation officer for the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, which number about 3,300. “We had a suspicion it was settled like this, but now it’s starting to be documented, which makes it feel more real.”

In the meantime, Arkansas City is trying to determine how to promote its new claim to fame. Etzanoa remains mostly underground or on private land. Yet that hasn’t deterred interest.

“We get about 10 calls a day to see the lost city,” said Pamela Crain, director of the Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The vision is to have a visitors center. The other key is to persuade landowners to allow people onto their property.”

Professor Donald Blakeslee of Wichita State University shows a black pot unearthed by student Jeremiah Perkins, behind him. David Kelly / For The Times

Russell Bishop still has the arrowheads he collected as a kid in Arkansas City. David Kelly / For The Times

Limited tours began last spring, focusing on key historical and archaeological sites. Town leaders are hoping for a UNESCO World Heritage site designation.

Back at the dig site, all eyes were on Jeremiah Perkins as he lifted the hefty black potsherd from the dirt.

Blakeslee dropped into the pit for a closer look. It was the largest artifact of the summer, perhaps 12 inches high.

“That’s a nice big cooking pot,” he exclaimed.

Yet many mysteries remain about the people of Etzanoa.

“How were they organized? How did they farm the bluffs? How did they maximize bison herds?” Blakeslee asked. “The questions go on and on and on.”

And the thought of that made him smile.