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#Wart removal success stories
ganitsoni · 4 months
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Finding the Best Wart Removal Clinic in Hyderabad
Warts are common skin growths caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). Although warts are usually harmless, they can be unattractive and uncomfortable. If you want to remove warts effectively, it’s essential to find a reputable clinic with experienced professionals. Hyderabad has many dermatology clinics, but choosing the right one ensures you get the best care. This article will help you understand what to look for in a wart removal clinic and why Dr. Venus Institute of Skin & Hair is an excellent choice for consultations.
Why Choose a Specialized Wart Removal Clinic?
Warts can appear on various parts of the body, such as the hands, feet, face, and even genital areas. While over-the-counter treatments are available, they often aren’t effective for stubborn or large warts. A specialized wart removal clinic offers:
Expertise and Experience: Dermatologists with extensive experience in treating warts.
Advanced Treatments: Access to the latest and most effective treatment methods.
Personalized Care: Customized treatment plans tailored to your specific needs.
Higher Success Rates: Professional treatments are usually more successful than home remedies.
Key Features of the Best Wart Removal Clinics
When looking for the best wart removal clinic in Hyderabad, consider the following factors:
Qualified Specialists: Ensure the clinic has qualified dermatologists or skin specialists experienced in wart removal.
Range of Treatments: The clinic should offer various treatment options like cryotherapy, laser treatment, and electrosurgery.
Reputation and Reviews: Look for clinics with positive patient reviews and a good reputation.
State-of-the-Art Equipment: The clinic should have the latest technology for safe and effective wart removal.
Hygiene and Safety: High standards of hygiene and safety should be maintained to prevent infections and ensure patient comfort.
Why Choose Dr. Venus Institute of Skin & Hair for a Consultation?
Dr. Venus Institute of Skin & Hair is a top choice for wart removal consultations in Hyderabad. Here’s why:
Qualified Specialists
Dr. Venus Institute is led by Dr. Venu Kumari, a renowned dermatologist with extensive experience in skin treatments, including wart removal. The clinic’s team of dermatologists is skilled in the latest wart removal techniques.
2. Personalized Consultation
During your consultation at Dr. Venus Institute, the specialists will thoroughly examine your warts, discuss your medical history, and consider your preferences to recommend the best treatment plan. This personalized approach ensures you receive care tailored to your specific needs.
3. Advanced Treatment Options
The clinic offers a variety of advanced treatment options for wart removal, including:
Cryotherapy: Freezing the wart with liquid nitrogen.
Laser Therapy: Using laser technology to remove warts with precision.
Electrosurgery: Removing warts with electrical currents.
4. Positive Patient Reviews
Dr. Venus Institute of Skin & Hair has many positive reviews from patients, highlighting the clinic’s effective treatments, professional staff, and excellent patient care.
5. Modern Facilities
The clinic is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and maintains high standards of hygiene and safety. This ensures you receive effective and safe treatments in a comfortable environment.
Making the Right Choice
Choosing the right clinic for wart removal involves considering your specific needs, the type of wart, and the treatment options available. Here are some steps to help you make the best choice:
Consultation: Schedule a consultation at Dr. Venus Institute of Skin & Hair to discuss your condition and treatment options. This will also give you a feel for the clinic’s environment and staff.
Ask Questions: Inquire about the specialist’s experience, the success rate of treatments, and potential side effects.
Check Credentials: Verify the qualifications and certifications of the dermatologists or skin specialists.
Read Reviews: Look up patient testimonials and reviews to gauge the clinic’s reputation and patient satisfaction.
Conclusion
Finding the best wart removal clinic in Hyderabad can significantly improve the effectiveness and comfort of your treatment. Dr. Venus Institute of Skin & Hair offers expert consultations, advanced treatments, and a patient-focused approach, making it a top choice for professional wart removal. By considering factors like the qualifications of specialists, range of treatments, and patient reviews, you can choose a clinic that meets your needs and ensures the best possible outcome for your wart removal treatment.
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alexanderwales · 3 months
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TV Review: Dark Matter
This should be a short review, because it's a show that I felt was pretty short on ideas.
Spoilers follow.
Dark Matter is another Apple TV scifi show, and so far as I'm concerned, Apple TV has had a really good track record for scifi. Severance was one of my favorite shows of whatever year it came out, I thought they did Silo justice, and while For All Mankind has its warts, I have been happy to watch it.
Dark Matter is a multiverse show, and the multiverse is a difficult concept to work with, especially if you're taking it to its logical extremes where there are infinitely many universes. The show is based on a book by Blake Crouch, which I haven't read, and don't plan to.
Most of the plot revolves around a professor of physics, his wife and son, and the alternate version of him who takes over his life. It felt like it took way too long for the basic premise to be revealed, but there it is. Early on, Jason1 got removed from his own universe by Jason2 and placed into Jason2's original universe, sort of a Prince and the Pauper situation. In Jason2's universe, they have created "The Box" which, with a brain chemical, can put a person into a state of "superposition" that allows them to travel an infinite hallway to find other Earths that are always geographically identical but might vary wildly from each other. If the first episode is almost pure setup, then episodes two through seven are 1) Jason1 discovering what happened to him and 2) Jason2 trying and failing to slip into the life he thought he wanted.
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Here's one thing I wanted to start with: it makes zero fucking sense that Jason2 would put Jason1 into Jason2's original universe. He obviously could have killed Jason1 and then dumped the body in one of the alternate universes, but he could also just as easily have dumped Jason1 anywhere else. In fact, he does this later on to a different character. If there's a justification, which I think there isn't, it's that Jason2 is not really a killer, and really did feel bad about taking over his alternate's life, and then ... I don't know, wanted them to do a swap, I guess, rather than putting Jason1 in a place where he would thrive.
The whole plot hinges on this decision, but I'm willing to move past it, even as dumb as I think it is.
The reason I love speculative fiction is that it gets to swing for the fences and set up all kinds of scenarios that make metaphors or thought experiments into realities. I have always been a sucker for time travel stories, and branching timelines aren't quite that, but they're close. The thing that this show is most interested in exploring, for most of its run, is "what would it be like for this character to have made a different choice". The choice in question is leaving his then-girlfriend Daniella when she discovered she was pregnant, and this is the main thing that separated the two Jasons: in Jason1's universe, he has a wife and a teenage son, and in Jason2's universe, he builds The Box after some investment from a side character who was really unimportant for how much screentime he got (setting up for a season 2 that almost certainly will not happen unless this show is way more popular than it has any right to be).
As the core of the show, this difference between Jasons is ... fine. It's a very middle-aged sort of question, and a very particular sort of question, since I have to believe that not a lot of people ever had to choose between a successful career as an engineer working on quantum physics or a job as a professor. But there's something about "the one that got away" and "the road not taken" that resonates even with some of the plot beats being a bit meh.
For a show that's including the entire multiverse though, it sure does seem to be shy about showing us other Jasons who had even more different life paths. Jason1 ends up visiting a lot of worlds while trying to get home, and there's not a lot of interaction with other versions of himself. I wanted to see him in different professions, married to different people, with different children. I wanted them to take the "road not taken" inquiries to their logical conclusions. If it's the full multiverse, then there have got to be truly miserable and truly exceptional Jasons, and come on it, it's a character study, you can show us new and interesting things about the character.
The most egregious of these was when he went to a universe where that Jason had gone to prison and his wife was afraid of him, and they don't even tell us what he went to prison for. Come on! This is the bread and butter of an alternate universe story, a real character revealing moment, and they just skipped over it. The show takes the understanding that all these Jasons are, essentially, the "same" person in some way, that the things one Jason does reflect the things that another Jason could do, given the right circumstances, but it mostly does it for a "not so different" message.
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Alright, let's talk about the universe traveling, which is the main gimmick of the show. It's only really relevant to Jason1 trying to get back, but there's at least one clever twist: the doors in the infinite hallway that expands when you take the drug do not actually matter, as any door can lead to any world, and instead, the world that you end up in depends on what your mind is doing at the moment you open the door.
This is obviously pretty dumb and not how we would expect this thing to work, but I am going to forgive it because it ends up being really neat in terms of what it allows in the story: any door Jason1 opens leads him to a world that reflects his psyche. If he's worried about the life his wife would leave without him, he'll find a world where she's completely fine. If he's worried about her death, he'll find a world where she's dying. Unfortunately, the show doesn't do all that much psyche-exploring through this mechanism they've set up, which is one of my main problems with the show: it doesn't seem like it wants to go that deep.
There's an upcoming game called The Alters where you're an astronaut on an alien planet who uses some quantum machinery to pull in "alters" of yourself from other timelines. You're doing this because you need people with different skills to repair your ship or whatever, but they have a whole map of every life choice the protagonist has ever made, and look, I just played the demo so maybe it's shit, but they did seem to have mapped out multiple points of divergence.
In Dark Matter we mostly just get Jason1 and Jason2. Jason1 is trying to get back to his family and does not really even have that much of an arc. Jason2 does an absolutely hack job of becoming Jason1 and realizes that this is actually not the life he wants (but partly this is because he keeps fucking up).
Starting around episode 8, we get some plot events that I thought did redeem the show a little bit, if only because they were interesting things to do with the idea. Jason1 finally comes back to Universe1 ... and we find out that he's not the only one. There are lots of Jason1s, because through the power of quantum or whatever, they've been multiplying with every decision made during the universe-hopping trip. I don't think it was necessarily handled all that well by the writing or cinematography, but it was interesting, and I found myself re-engaged.
Unfortunately, the show didn't seem to really know what to do at that point. When there are two Jason1s, they can have a conversation with each other, but when there are thirty ... they set up a chat room where the hundreds of Jason1s talk with each other, and we get some fun stuff like them having identical lines of dialogue, and his wife and son get their phones blown up with identical text messages from all the variants. For what seems like a tenuous reason, Daniella decides that one of the Jason1s has special privilege and gloms onto him as the "real" one, which is not supported by the show's rules, and after some thriller stuff, they eventually leave through the Box and go to another universe where they can presumably have normal lives or whatever.
I thought the "hundreds of Jasons" stuff would have made a good story, or maybe a movie. It's "wouldn't it be fucked up if" scifi, "wouldn't it be fucked up if there were three hundred of your husband and they were all fighting to be the one that's married to you". I kind of want to write my own basic version of that story, with the other stuff stripped away. Actually, now that I think about it, I did write a story like that, but about a man who got his brain uploaded and ends up linking up with the others, who gets an automated response from his college girlfriend saying "I know this is unique for you, but versions of you contact me at least twice a day". I wrote that fifteen years ago or something like that, so it's probably not very good.
The problem for Dark Matter is that they don't really care about the mechanics of the scifi, and it makes the whole rest of the story feel less substantial than it might otherwise have. The hundreds of Jasons thing ends up being a pretty substantial plot hole, on top of a few other gaps.
The rest of this review is just going to be me working out the shape of these holes, sorry.
To start with, the Box is created in universe 2, and when it does its superposition thing, it seems as though the Box gets placed in new universes at the point when the door opens. From what we know, the Box is always in the same location, sometimes underwater, sometimes underground, but usually in the facility where the box was made, or an abandoned warehouse in universes where that company didn't exist. In a few cases, the Box ends up in a park or something, right out in the open. This isn't really explained, and I got the sense the show creators didn't care about it, but it felt like it should be important, especially when Jason exits a Box in the middle of a park and then just ... leaves? As though there's no risk that someone is going to come along and cordon this artifact off, at the very least?
There's also the issue that the box supposedly only works if the door is closed (something something observer effect) but this does sort of not work well with the mechanics of what happens later. Leaving the door open would mean that no one could enter that universe through the Box, unless traveling to a universe closes the Box, but for there to be hundreds of Jasons in the final episode I think it's pretty much a requirement that you can come into a universe even if the Box is closed. It was one of those small things that irritated me because it had implications for how it all worked and was never clarified. (Jason2 does at one point encase the Box in concrete to prevent entry, which I guess he wouldn't do if you could just leave the door open, but ... what happens if the center of the box is filled? What happens if there's stuff in the way? Very unclear.)
The biggest problem for the show is that it's got the Whole Damned Multiverse, and logically, you should be seeing tons of Jasons even before the eighth episode. It should be happening before the start of the show, in fact, because by their logic Jason2 should have shown up eighty different times. (It would have been cool and clever for Jason2 to have some kind of solution to this that Jason1 was ignorant of, but nope.) Having a bunch of Jasons show up is cool, but it essentially nukes the rest of the show. The whole premise of Universe 2 is that no Jason2 ever came back, and that two other test subjects went out and never came back, and ... that shouldn't be the case, right? Funny enough, there's a part where they run into one of the test subjects who's been traveling the multiverse and ended up in a hellish supermosquito world, and ... there have got to be tons of her out there too, right? So they didn't run into her, they ran into a version of her. That's not a plot hole, just a funny bit of recontextualizing, and it makes what felt like a weird random coincidence a bit more logical.
When episode eight came out, and it was revealed there were multiple Jasons, I actually had a different theory about where they were coming from. You see, obviously there's not just Universe 2, there are infinitely many variants of Universe 2, which means infinite variants of Jason2, who had traveled around to get to variants of Universe 1 and Jason1. But assuming that all those Jason1s put Jason2 in Universe 2, I thought it would be a neat twist for all the Jason1s to come back to a universe that wasn't their own, but instead, the idealized version of home. There are billions of Jason1s, all with their small variations, but they're seeking out universes through force of will and mental models, and those probably aren't as varied. There must necessarily be a universe where Jason1's wife cheats on him and he never knew about it, but that's not the universe that he would go back to, he would go back to one where his wife is as perfect as he's been thinking this entire time. But no, it's that the Jason1s were multiplying.
The show somewhat ambitiously sets up a bunch of things for a second season. There are people lost in the multiverse, and at least one scene that had an "I want to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative" vibe. Jason's story felt like it was over to me, but there are at least four secondary characters that could potentially have some kind of plot happen involving them.
Is it good scifi? I would say that it's not. They don't care about the mechanics of multiverse travel, and by the standards of the multiverse, there's nothing that really wowed me. Even the apocalypse planets felt dreary and unimaginative: nuclear fallout, plagues, rising waters, frigid cold ... the supermosquitos were the only one that I really liked. There are two utopia worlds, and the one we spend the most time in is pretty lame. Funny enough, they say that they've discovered cold fusion and Jason just ... doesn't seem to care about that, or about bringing back the technology to his own world. Say what you want about Sliders, but at least it showed a lot of creativity.
So the show that I'm left with is one that cares a lot about its characters and all their varieties, and that's also not everything it could be. I wanted more backstory on Jason, more understanding of how he became the person he is, more on who he could have been, given the right pushes at the right times.
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vivaaestheticclinic · 6 months
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Unlocking Radiant Skin with Dr. Deepam Shah: The Premier Skin Specialist in Mumbai
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Transformative Care in the Heart of Mumbai
Are you in pursuit of flawless skin and stunning locks? Meet Dr. Deepam Shah, the luminary of dermatology, cosmetology, and hair restoration in Mumbai. Nestled in South Mumbai, Dr. Deepam Shah The Premier Skin Specialist in Mumbai at Viva Aesthetic Clinic offers a beacon of hope for those seeking expert care and remarkable results.
Dr. Deepam Shah: A Journey of Excellence
Foundation of Expertise: Dr. Shah's journey began with an MBBS degree, leading to advanced qualifications in Dermatology & Venereology, MD, and DNB, followed by specialization in Aesthetic Medicine and Hair Transplantation.
Viva Aesthetic Clinic: Where Beauty Meets Precision
State-of-the-Art Facility: Spanning 1000 sq. ft., Viva Aesthetic Clinic is equipped with cutting-edge lasers and medical devices, providing a sanctuary for beauty and rejuvenation in Opera House, South Mumbai.
Unveiling Exceptional Results: Dr. Shah's Promise of Excellence
Personalized Care: Dr. Shah and his team deliver unparalleled results in skin treatments, hair restoration, slimming solutions, and aesthetic procedures with a focus on personalized care and minimal medication.
Dr. Deepam Shah's Expertise: Tailored Treatments for Radiant Skin and Luscious Locks
Aesthetic Treatments: Addressing pigmentation, anti-aging, skin tightening, and more.
Acne Treatments: Comprehensive solutions for acne and acne scars.
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Signature Treatments: Medi hair spa, medi facial, and IV infusion therapy for holistic rejuvenation.
Dermatological Treatments: Managing conditions like psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo, and more.
Dermatosurgery Treatments: Scar revision, wart removal, and mole removal among others.
Specialized Treatments: Including Xanthelasma, ear piercing, keloid scar treatment, and dermaplaning.
2500+ Success Stories: Testimony to Expertise
Dr. Shah's track record of over 2500 successful hair transplant procedures and numerous aesthetic triumphs speaks volumes about his commitment to patient satisfaction.
Beyond Boundaries: Educator, Speaker, Trusted Advisor
Dr. Shah engages with his audience through social channels and serves as an expert faculty at conferences and seminars, sharing insights on skin problems and treatments.
Education & Accolades: A Legacy of Excellence
Recognized as the Best Post Graduate Student by Galderma Institute, Dr. Shah's commitment to continuous learning and innovation sets him apart as a pioneer in the field.
Embark on Your Journey to Radiant Skin and Luscious Locks
Experience unparalleled expertise, transformative results, and personalized care with Dr. Deepam Shah at Viva Aesthetic Clinic, where beauty meets precision in Mumbai!
For more information visit Viva Aesthetic Clinic or Contact us on 022 3573 1556 | 93245 89084. Dr. Deepam Shah, Skin Specialist in Mumbai will help you understand your problem and guide you through every stage of your treatment.
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drvenus · 11 months
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Best wart removal dermatologist in Hyderabad
Title: Achieving Flawless Skin: Unveiling the Expertise of Wart Removal Dermatologists in Hyderabad
Introduction
In the bustling city of Hyderabad, where the pursuit of flawless skin meets advanced medical expertise, individuals seeking wart removal treatments have found solace in the hands of skilled dermatologists. Warts, although benign, can be bothersome and impact one's confidence. Fortunately, the realm of dermatology has witnessed remarkable advancements, providing safe and effective solutions for wart removal. This article delves into the expertise of wart removal dermatologists in Hyderabad, exploring the cutting-edge techniques, transformative results, and renewed confidence experienced by their patients.
Understanding Warts and Their Impact
Warts are skin growths caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). They can appear on any part of the body, varying in size, shape, and texture. While warts are generally harmless, their presence can cause discomfort and self-consciousness, especially if they appear in visible areas. Warts are a common concern, affecting people of all ages. Many individuals in Hyderabad and beyond seek professional dermatological assistance to address these pesky growths and regain clear, smooth skin.
The Expertise of Wart Removal Dermatologists
Dermatologists specializing in wart removal in Hyderabad are renowned for their expertise and precision. These professionals possess in-depth knowledge of various wart types, allowing them to determine the most suitable removal techniques for each patient. Leveraging advanced procedures and state-of-the-art equipment, they ensure safe and effective removal, minimizing scarring and promoting optimal healing. Patients benefit from the specialized skills of these dermatologists, trusting them to deliver transformative results.
Cutting-Edge Techniques for Wart Removal
Hyderabad's leading wart removal dermatologists employ a range of cutting-edge techniques to address different types of warts effectively. Some of the most common methods include:
Cryotherapy: This technique involves freezing the wart using liquid nitrogen, causing it to blister and eventually fall off. Cryotherapy is a quick and relatively painless procedure that is highly effective for many types of warts.
Electrosurgery: In electrosurgery, the wart is burned off using an electrical current. This precise method allows dermatologists to target the wart tissue specifically, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy skin.
Laser Therapy: Laser therapy uses focused laser beams to vaporize the wart tissue. This precise and controlled method is particularly suitable for larger or stubborn warts, ensuring minimal scarring and quick recovery.
Topical Treatments: Dermatologists may prescribe topical treatments containing salicylic acid or other active ingredients to gradually remove warts over several weeks. These treatments are often used for smaller warts and are convenient for at-home use under professional guidance.
The Impact of Wart Removal on Confidence and Well-being
The removal of warts extends beyond the physical aspect, profoundly impacting an individual's confidence and overall well-being. Patients in Hyderabad who have undergone successful wart removal procedures have shared their transformative experiences. For many, the removal of visible warts has led to increased self-assurance, allowing them to face the world with renewed confidence. This newfound confidence often translates into improved social interactions, enhanced self-esteem, and an overall better quality of life.
Patient Testimonials: Transformative Stories from Hyderabad
Asha's Journey to Clear Skin: Asha, a young professional in Hyderabad, had struggled with a large and persistent wart on her hand for years. Despite numerous attempts with over-the-counter treatments, the wart persisted, affecting her self-esteem. After consulting a renowned wart removal dermatologist, Asha underwent laser therapy. The procedure was quick and virtually painless. Within a few weeks, her wart disappeared completely, leaving behind clear, smooth skin. Asha expressed her gratitude, highlighting how the treatment had not only removed the wart but also restored her confidence, enabling her to pursue her goals without inhibition.
Raj's Experience with Cryotherapy: Raj, a teenager in Hyderabad, had developed multiple warts on his face, causing him considerable distress. Concerned about scarring, he sought the expertise of a skilled dermatologist specializing in wart removal. After careful evaluation, cryotherapy was recommended for Raj's warts. The procedure was performed with precision, and the recovery was swift. Raj's warts vanished without a trace, leaving him with a clear complexion. He shared his relief, emphasizing the professionalism and compassion of the dermatologist, which made the entire experience positive and empowering.
Sarita's Enhanced Self-Confidence: Sarita, a middle-aged woman, had a cluster of warts on her neck, making her self-conscious about her appearance. She decided to undergo electrosurgery under the guidance of a trusted dermatologist. The procedure was remarkably effective, removing the warts and leaving behind minimal scarring. Sarita spoke about the immediate boost in her self-confidence, noting how the removal of the warts had transformed her perception of herself. She felt liberated and more at ease in social situations, embracing her newfound confidence with a radiant smile.
Conclusion
The expertise of wart removal dermatologists in Hyderabad has revolutionized the way individuals perceive themselves, providing them with the opportunity to regain clear, smooth skin and renewed confidence. Through advanced techniques, compassionate care, and transformative results, these professionals have become pillars of support for those struggling with the physical and emotional impact of warts. The stories of individuals like Asha, Raj, and Sarita reflect not only the effectiveness of wart removal procedures but also the profound positive influence they have on the lives of patients.
In Hyderabad, the journey to flawless skin is guided by the hands of skilled dermatologists who understand the importance of not just removing warts but also restoring self-assurance. As the city continues to thrive, so does the expertise of its dermatological professionals, ensuring that individuals facing the challenges of warts can step into a future filled with confidence, empowered by their transformed appearance and a newfound sense of well-being.
As an article publisher I wholeheartedly recommend visiting Dr. Venus to explore the endless possibilities of non-surgical facial rejuvenation and embark on a journey to a more youthful and confident you. Dr.Venus Institute of Skin and Hair Clinic offers advanced dermatology where we offer a comprehensive range of trichology services, aesthetic treatments, including painless skin rejuvenation, anti-aging therapies, skin lightening procedures, hair transplants, and more. Led by the highly acclaimed Dr. Venu Kumari and her skilled team. Their expertise, personalized care, and recognition as the "BEST DERMATOLOGIST" on National Doctor's Day demonstrate their commitment to transforming lives by addressing skin and hair concerns with exceptional medical.
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healthcare92 · 1 year
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So Smooth Skin Tag Remover
Wrinkles and fine lines occur on our skin as we age. So Smooth Skin Tag Remover has potent anti-aging chemicals that aid in the reduction of wrinkles, fine lines, and other aging indicators. Many people suffer from dry skin, especially during the winter months. So Smooth Skin Tag Remover has moisturizing and nourishing elements that moisturize and rejuvenate the skin, eliminating moles, warts, dark spots, and tags from the skin. Click The Link For Read More:
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Remedy Skin Tag Remover: Superior Skincare At a Budget
Skin blemishes such as warts, moles, and skin tags aren't anything worth being ashamed over. But, at the same time, it can weaken your self-confidence when you know they're showing. There's an unique product designed to assist eliminate them without costing a fortune. It's called Remedy Skin Tag Remover. We've been interested in covering this serum for some time now. After investigating it with the help of volunteers from our staff, we can finally give the attention it warrants! Once you've read our Remedy Skin Tag Remover Review, you could possibly make an informed selection for your skin. If you are looking for pursuing this product, you will have to hit one of the red buttons surrounding this text. When you do, you'll find the Remedy Skin Tag Remover Website, where the best price awaits! This could work end for the marks marring your skin's elegance!
If you're already interested in this product, the biggest question for Remedy Skin Tag Remover Where Decide to buy it? We put these red buttons on our page to make finding them easier. This isn't to say that the Remedy Skin Tag Remover Cost is unreasonable any place else. But, why pay more for the exact same product? More importantly, pay out anything for a product that doesn't work? We're here to tell you not wearing running shoes does work, as shown by the results our volunteers enjoyed. And, they are not even the only ones proclaiming the formula's great results. Below, you'll find a number of reviews that we collected from existing consumers. They echo the same sentiments our staff has described. And, if you decide you want to become another Remedy Tag Remover success story, you'll click any link, and pay that discounted Remedy Skin Tag Remover Expenses! It's not available anywhere else!
How Remedy Skin Tag Remover Ingredients Work
In order to have this formula, we should discuss the core ingredients. There are two key players here: Bloodroot and Zincum Muriaticum. We'll examine both of these in detail, then let you know that they work in tandem to deliver the serum's remarkable effects!
As you might conclude from the name, Bloodroot affects your blood flow where it's applied. You the serum on your blemish, obviously. Then it seeps through the offender and reaches the underlying skin beneath. This causes white blood cells to populate the area. And, while there, they begin to scab over and heal the blemish. It's connected with like what would happen if you simply removed the mark externally, other than it leaves no scar behind.
While these blood cells do their job, the other Remedy Skin Tag Remover Ingredient, Zincum Muriaticum, acts a great antiseptic agent. Developing original content . the healing skin from infection, while accelerating its rehabilitation. This is how the serum is able to finish its work in as little as eight hours. We weren't ready to look at above reviews at face value. But, after seeing outcomes for ourselves, day-to-day activities confirm that the seemingly preposterous claims made by the are accurate in almost all cases.
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silverlab101 · 2 years
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Sovereign Silver Bio-active Colloidal Silver
The capability to simultaneously assault cells at varying ranges of cellular metabolism explains the wide-spectrum antimicrobial effect of silver and silver compounds. If your skin infection or burn doesn't enhance within a few days or even weeks , or if it becomes worse, check with your doctor. To assist clear up your skin or burn an infection fully, maintain using this drugs for the total time of remedy. You should hold using this medication till the burned space has healed or is ready for pores and skin grafting. Numerous kinds of approaches for wart management are there.
Consumer Reports lists colloidal silver as a "supplement to avoid", describing it as "probably unsafe". The Los Angeles Times stated that "colloidal silver as a cure-all is a fraud with an extended history, with quacks claiming it could cure most cancers, AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes, and quite colloidal silver for warts a few different illnesses". Alternative therapyLegalityNot to be offered for consumption or for disinfection in Sweden. Not to deal with or prevent most cancers (UK, Sweden, and so on.) Illegal to be marketed as a dietary complement or drugs in the us
I only saw one point out of coconut oil, however in Bruce Fife’s guide Coconut Cures, he says to keep the wart constantly moistened with the coconut oil. One superb story within the guide is about an individual with a quarter-sized cyst on his scalp. He just sat and watched tv for a quantity of hours whereas keeping some CO massaged into the growth with a little pressure. By the end of that point small pores had developed within the progress, and the liquid inside released through the pores and the lump was gone. It will work over a longer time frame, however works quicker should you stay after it for a quick while. I use to work at a fish market and you must deal with whole fish.
However this infection can have a real financial toll if you're a working mother or father dependent upon a daycare accepting your baby. Many doctors are taught that it'll clear up on its colloidal silver for warts own and to not deal with it. I still hear this point of view from in any other case very caring physicians. Molluscum is very contagious and has important social and monetary implications for households.
And but more electrical generation functions, this time in gasoline cells that use chemical vitality to generate electrical energy. If so, it could have contained silver chloride, noted for its antimicrobial properties that help prevent these unhealthy, odour inflicting bacteria. Silver diamine fluoride is a topical therapy for tooth cavities and hypersensitive tooth, whilst dental fillings were historically created from a combination of mercury, silver, copper, and tin.
But you can see in her eyes that she knew she was wrong. After three weeks the ugly warts began bleeding, scabbing and reducing. Two weeks later they are principally gone with just a bit scarring that will hopefully disappear fully . In the surgical removing of warts, warts are either cut out or cauterized . Success rates are relatively high at 65-85%, however recurrence and/or scarring are recognized to recur as much as 30% of the time. I’d like to send you a 7-day “Quick Start Guide” e-mail mini-course to give you Health Agency!
O. Nørgaard, “Investigations with radioactive A111g into resorption of silver through human skin,” Acta Dermato-Venereologica, vol. A. Routledge, “The toxicology of silver nitrate,” Adverse Drug Reactions and Toxicological Reviews, vol. T. Karlsmark, R. H. Agerslev, S. H. Bendz, J. R. Larsen, J. Roed-Petersen, and K.
We examined research and asked veterinarians for their thoughts about each topical and supplemental colloidal silver for canine. As always, communicate together with your veterinarian earlier than giving your pup any new product containing colloidal silver. Was controversial even prior to the pandemic, nonetheless. Proponents declare it’s a panacea for a variety of human well being circumstances, whereas medical specialists level to an absence of credible research and safety colloidal silver for warts issues. New reviews are emerging in regard to the therapy of various cancers, difficult infectious diseases, and a wide range of bodily disturbances. These reports should be checked out and verified, and the role of colloidal silver clarified in the treatment of those severe circumstances, nevertheless it does seem that silver has a constructive role to play.
Lethal oral concentrations of silver nitrate in humans have been estimated at approximately 10 g, but that is largely attributable to the sturdy acidity of the nitrate anion launched and never Ag+ absorbed . Several other instances are reported the place intentional or unintended oral consumption of silver nitrate led to gastrointestinal lesions but where the precise amount of silver ingested is not recognized . The low systemic toxicity of oral metallic silver is illustrated by a examine of 30 healthy volunteers who consumed silver leaf (50 mg/day) for 20 days . Apart from transitory modifications in hepatic enzymes, the treatment was well tolerated without symptoms of argyria. Silver has had medicinal makes use of since historic occasions.
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jadelotusflower · 3 years
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July 2021 Roundup
Discussed this month: The Once and Future King, The Good People, The Secret of Kells/Wolfwalkers/Song of the Sea (aka "Irish Folklore" Trilogy), The Matrix Trilogy, the John Wick Trilogy, Space Jam: A New Legacy
Reading
The Once and Future King (T.H. White) - I've actually read this before, but it was a long time ago and I remembered very little of it so it seemed time for a revisit. Written between 1936 and 1942, this is a surprisingly meta retelling of Arthur and Camelot, very obviously and heavily influenced by WWII, with much academic pondering on the concept of humanity and war and ongoing conflict against Might=Right - looking to the past to try and understand the present. Some familiarity with the legends is assumed, White occasionally making reference to Malory, and there is a strange anachronistic feel - Merlin lives time backwards and talks of Hitler and other 20th Century references, White frequently refers to Old England and the way things were "back then", but also calls Arthur's country Gramarye, the narrative taking place an a kind of alternate history/mythology where Uther was the Norman conqueror of 1066, and yet reference is also made to the Plantagenet kings.
Comprising five volumes (the first four published separately at the time, and the final posthumously), it struck me on this read how each of the first four are structured around the childhood of a major player -Arthur (The Sword in the Stone), Gawain and his brothers (The Witch in the Wood), Lancelot (The Ill-Made Knight), and Mordred (The Candle in the Wind), and how their upbringing played a part in the inevitable tragedy of Camelot. In the final volume, The Book of Merlyn, it comes full circle as Arthur on the eve of his death is taken to revisit the animals of his childhood for much philosophising (at one point Merlyn argues at length with a badger about Karl Marx and communism.)
The Sword in the Stone is the most engaging, with young Arthur (known as "the Wart") and his tutelage under Merlin, being turned into various animals like an ant, a goose, and a hawk to learn about each of their societies (political allegories), and meeting with Robin Wood (Hood) and Maid Marian to battle Morgan le Fay, and the climactic pulling of the sword from the stone. This was of course the source material for the Disney film, although missing the wizards duel with Madam Mim (appearing in the original publication, but removed for the revised version).
The Ill-Made Knight is the longest volume and was honestly a slog to get through, because honestly Lancelot is pretty dull/terrible, and the Lancelot/Guenever love affair less than compelling. Ultimately it's Lancelot's hubris that dooms them - he is warned that Mordred intends to catch him out in Guenever's room, but he goes anyway, and doesn't leave when he tells her to, because he is stupid.
It’s no surprise that the female characters are given the short shrift, but there’s an uncomfortable vein of misogyny running through the book. To wit:
Elaine had done the ungraceful thing as usual. Guenever, in similar circumstances, would have been sure to grow pale and interesting - but Elaine had only grown plump.
And then later:
Guenever had overdressed for the occasion. She had put on makeup which she did not need, and put it on badly. She was forty-two.
Morgause (the eponymous witch in the wood/queen of air and darkness) is a negligent mother whose sole motivation is revenge, Elaine rapes Lancelot by deception, Guenever is hypocritical and shrill (but achieves a sliver of nuance in Candle), Nimueh is a nonentity, and Morgan le Fey is a monstrous fairy. If only White had turned his academic pondering inward and in order to examine the role of women in his worldview other than as damsels or instigators.
But Arthur also gets the short shrift - after all the focus in his childhood, he becomes almost a peripheral figure in the rest of the story until the very end, and we're not actually given much to show why he is the once and future king, other than that he tries to institute a slightly less brutal system.
Ultimately, White is more interested in philosophy than character, and so Camelot's inevitable tragedy feels more clinical than visceral.
The Good People (Hannah Kent) - If the Irish Folklore Trilogy (discussed below) is the beauty and wonder of Irish myths and legends interacting with the human world, this book is the cold danger of superstition and the devastating affect of folklore used as an explanation for life's ills. Set in 1820's rural Ireland, Nora is widowed and left with the care of her young disabled grandson Michael, believed to be a changeling. The local wise woman Nance, who feels the touch of "the good people" sets about to drive out the fairy from the child, believing that the "real" Michael will return, much to the growing dread of Mary, the teenage girl Nora has hired to care for him.
Here fairies are seen as a malevolent force, "sweeping" away women and children, causing bad harvests, and bringing death to the village - to be respected and feared. And then there's Nance, bartering traditional cures for ailments and troubles - some work, some do not, and some pose great danger. On the other hand, this is a remote village where a doctor must be fetched from Killarney, and only one priest who is less than charitable. Neither provide any help or support to Nora.
SPOILERS It's an upsetting read dealing with dark subject matter - grief trauma, child abuse and accidental infanticide, a kind of slow burn horror. If it takes a village to to raise a child, it also takes one to kill a child, as mounting fear and superstition moves through the population like a contagion, heightening Nora's desperation for the "return" of her grandson, and Nance's to prove her knowledge. It's an impeccably researched novel (based in part on a true event) but very unsettling - poor Michael is never really given humanity, and I feel this book would be hugely triggering in its depiction of disability and neurodivergence.
Watching
The Secret of Kells/Song of the Sea/Wolfwalkers (dir. Tom Moore) - I've been meaning to watch these films for absolutely ages, and I finally got to them this month. I’m pleased to say that the many people who recommended them to me were absolutely correct, because they appear to have been made to specifically cater to my interests. Some mild spoilers ahead.
I watched these in internal chronological order as suggested by @ravenya003, starting with The Secret of Kells, set in 9th Century Ireland where the young monk Brendan helps illuminate the to-be famous manuscript and befriends a forest sprite Aisling, under the threat of a Viking raid. Next was Wolfwalkers, jumping forward to 1650 Kilkenny where the English girl Robyn, daughter of a hunter, is drawn into the world of the forest and Mebh, who turns into a wolf when she sleeps. And finally we go all the way to 1980's in Song of the Sea for the story of Ben, who must help his younger sister Saoirse (a selkie) find her voice and bring back the faeries who have been turned to stone by the owl witch Macha.
Although the stories are completely separate, they've been described as Moore's "Irish Folklore" trilogy, and it’s easy to read a through line from Kells to Wolfwalkers in particular - both deal with fae of the forest, and Aisling appears as a white wolf at the end of the film (having lost her ability to appear in human form). I like to think that Aisling is in some way the progenitor of the wolfwalkers - after all, Kells and Kilkenny are less than 200 kms apart.
Song of the Sea is distant from the other two in both time and subject matter, dealing with selkies, creatures of the water. In many ways, Kells and Wolfwalkers feels like a duology, with Song more its own thing. On the other hand, an argument could be made for common fae spirit/s in different forms across all three films - Aisling is a white sprite, Robyn takes the form of a white/grey wolf, and Saoirse a white seal.
The strength of these films other than the folklore is the visual style - I really love 2D animation, and while I appreciate the beauty of cg animation, I often find in the latter’s focus on hyper-realism the artistry can be left by the wayside. These films not just aesthetically beautiful, but the art is used to tell the story - from the sharp angles that represent the darker or harmful elements (Crom, Vikings, the Town), to the circles and rings that represent safety and harmony (the Abbey, the forest, Mebh and her mother/the wolves healing circle, the holy well). The exception is probably the home of Macha, the owl witch, where circles are also prominent and represent magic, and this is often the case in folklore (fairy rings, fairy forts, etc).
Kells is the most stylised, resembling tapestries or pages and triptychs from medieval manuscripts, playing with perspective. I actually saw pages from the real Book of Kells years ago in Dublin, and remember them being very beautiful. We only get glimpses of the Book and the stunning Chi Rho page at the very end of the film, but the style of art is present throughout the film and particularly in the forest where Brendan finds inspiration for his illumination, and on the flipside his encounter in the dark with Crom Cruach, represented as a chalk-drawn primordial serpent.
This style is also present in Wolfwalkers, particularly stark in the way the birds-eye grid of the town often looms over Robyn in the background and in her work at the castle. The depiction of the forest has more of a storybook quality however, as does Song, where almost every frame resembles a painting, particularly the sequences of Saoirse's selkie trip through the sea and Ben's fall through the holy well.
Rav points out in her review that there is the ebbing away of myth and magic in each successive film, contrasted with the rise of Christianity/modernity. But there's circles and rings again, because while the ultimate power of the faerie world is fading away, the interaction between our human protagonists and faerie actually increases with each film. In Kells, we have only Aisling and Crom, in Wolkwalkers, we have Mebh and her mother whose ranks grow to include Robyn and her father, and finally in Song we have Saoirse, Bronagh, Macha, the Na Daoine Sídhe, and the Great Seanachaí.
Watching in the order I did, it does give the impression of the mythological world opening up to the viewer, gaining a deeper understanding and exposure as time progressed. On the other hand, that is also because the human world is gradually encroaching on the world of Faerie, from isolated settlements like the Abbey of Kells, to growing town of Kilkenny and the logging of the surrounding forest, to a modern Ireland of motorways and power lines, and industrialised Dublin where the remaining fairies have moved underground. It makes the climax of Song, with the fairies restored but returning to the land of Tír na nÓg, rather bittersweet.
I also credit the strength of the voice acting - the adult roles are minor but with greats including the dulcet tones of Brendan Gleeson and Sean Bean, and the ethereal Maria Doyle Kennedy (who I wish had gotten to do more). But the child roles are all performed so well, particularly Honor Kneafsey as Robyn, whose growing desperation and distress is just heartbreakingly palpable.
The Matrix Trilogy (dir. The Wachowskis) - I usually don't post rewatches in the Roundup, but I really, really love these movies. I will never forget seeing The Matrix at the cinema as a young teen, knowing nothing other than the tease of the enigmatic trailers, and just being completely blown away by it, and then becoming completely obsessed a few years later in the leadup to Reloaded.
It wasn’t my first fandom, but it was probably the first time I took fandom seriously. I was very invested in Neo/Trinity in particular as well as all the mythological/literary references that fed directly into my interests. I haven’t however gone back and read the fic I wrote, for fear that it is very, very cringe. I know where is is though, so maybe one day before the ff.net is purged.
This is Keanu Reeves at his most handsome, and while he doesn't have the greatest range (as many actors don't, although they don't get as much grief for it), when he's in the zone there's no one else who could do it better. He just has a Presence, you know? A vibe, and it compels me.
This is particularly present in Neo, a character whose conflict is almost entirely internal, burdened by the weight of his responsibility and destiny, both before and after he learns it is a false prophesy. He’s not your typical quippy macho action hero, but much like my other fave Luke Skywalker, is a character who is ultimately driven by love and self-sacrifice. I definitely have a Type of male hero I adore, and Neo fits right in there.
I also really love the sequels, flaws and all, because you know what, the Wachowskis had Ideas and they weren't going to deliver Matrix 2: Electric Boogaloo. Each film goes in an unexpected direction, and not in a subverted expectations ha ha silly rabbits way, but one that does have an internal logic and pulls together a cohesive trilogy as a whole, and how often does that happen these days?
The sequels are so…earnest, with none of the cynical cool detachment perhaps some would have preferred - at its core a trilogy exploring philosophy and the nature of prophesy vs choice, determinism vs free will, and the power of love. Maybe it can be hokey, and some of the dialogue a bit overwritten, but I don't care, there's so much I still enjoy even having seen the trilogy many times over the years.
Not to mention the great female characters - while I'm not sure any of the three strictly passes the Bechdel Test, we have Trinity and Niobe in particular who I love with all my heart. It does kind of annoy me that the Trinity Syndrome is so named, because it only applies in the most reductive reading possible, and Trinity expresses agency (and badassery) every step of the way, saving Neo just as much as he saves her. I mean..."dodge this"/"in five minutes I'll tear that whole goddamn building down"/"believe it"? Niobe piloting the Hammer through the mechanical line in Revolutions? Iconic. There are criticisms that can be made, sure, but the trilogy ultimately loves, respects, and appreciates its female characters (and important to note that the avatars of The System, the Architect and the Agents, are all white men).
Then we have the Oracle, who ultimately holds the most power and is the victor of the human/machine war. There's so much going on with the Oracle I could talk about it all day. It's that fate vs free will question again (“if you already know, how can I make a choice?”), but with the wrinkle of manipulation (“would you still have broken it if I hadn’t said anything?”). Choice is the foundation the Matrix is built on, the unconscious choice for humans to accept the system or reject it - the Architect can't control that, he can only manage it, and the Oracle can't force Neo onto the path she has set out for him, only predict the choices he will make based on her study of the human psyche ("did you always know?"/"No...but I believed"). But she plays with the concept of fate in a complicated web of prophesies for outcome she wants and trusting the nature of Morpheus, Trinity, and Neo to bring it about.
And then there's the visual storytelling - there is so much meaning in almost every frame and line of dialogue. The mirroring and ring cycles not only in the constant presence of reflective surfaces and central metaphor of the Matrix as a simulacrum, but the androgyny of Neo and Trinity, bringing each other back from the dead in successive films (and ultimately both ultimately dying in the third), Neo and Morpheus’ first and last meetings, Smith who is ultimately Neo’s dark mirror, the Oracle/the Architect, just to name a few. I just…really really love these movies? Maybe I’ll do a full post rewatch sometime.
I am however reserving judgement on the Matrix 4 - already there are a few things making me uneasy. Lana is the sole director for this one (Lilly is not involved), and Laurence Fishburne apparently wasn't even asked back, even though Morpheus actually survives the trilogy (as opposed to Neo and Trinity). But I’m interested, and don’t want to go in with any expectations, but rather ready to be surprised again like I was when I watched the first film (and hope I can stay away from spoilers).
John Wick Trilogy (dir. Chad Stahelski) - It was a trilogy kind of month! This genre is generally not my thing, as I don’t have a high tolerance for graphic violence and pure action bores me after a while, but I was in a Keanu kind of mood and I'm always hearing people go on about John Wick so I wanted to know what (if anything) I was missing. While still a bit too violent for my tastes, if nothing else I could appreciate the dance-like fight choreography, even if the worldbuulding is absolutely ridiculous - I mean, literally thousands of assassins across the world chilling in sanctuary hotels, supported by a vast network of weapon suppliers, tailors, surgeons, spy networks, etc? It’s silly, but hey, I was happy to go along with it.
What I do appreciate about Keanu Reeves, and this seems to be a common thread, is that even when in action hero mode (Matrix, Point Break, John Wick, and to a lesser extent Speed), he consistently plays a man who is completely in love with his partner/wife - like, completely, unapologetically devoted to them, and I think that is a big part of the appeal - it's that Keanu energy that is often the antithesis of toxic masculinity, even when in roles that would ordinarily rely on those tropes.
Wick is in many ways the spiritual successor to Neo - insular, taciturn, and even as he's dispatching death with clinical precision. Much like Neo, Wick is a character who is somehow Soft (tm) despite all the violence. I once listened to a podcast where they amusingly discussed the Reeves oeuvre as simulations of Neo still trapped in the Matrix, and it’s very easy to make the case here and imagine John Wick as Neo plugged back in after Revolutions, mourning Trinity and set on mission after mission to keep his mind active (and it would certainly explain why the guy hasn’t dropped dead after being stabbed, beaten up, strangled, hit by a car, shot, and falling off a building). It’s a fun little theory.
Stahelski was Reeves' stunt double and a stunt coordinator on The Matrix and there's plenty of homages in the visual style and reuniting Reeves with costars Laurence Fishburne and Randall Duk Kim (who played the Keymaker).
I did also find it amusing that Wick is also often referred to as babayaga (equated in the film to the bogeyman). Well, Wick is in many ways a witch who lives in the woods, just wanting to be left alone with his dog, and there is a supernatural energy to the character, so...I guess?
Space Jam: A New Legacy (dir. Malcolm D Lee) - I took my niece to see this at the cinema and it was…pretty much what you would expect. I thought it was fine for what it was, even if a bit slow in parts (it takes a looong time for the looneys to show up) and I wonder if they have the same cultural pull they had in the nineties (the age of Tweety Bird supremacy). But the kids seemed into it (my niece liked porky pig) and that's what counts I guess.
This time, the toon battle royale takes place on the WB servers, where evil A.I. Don Cheadle (having the time of his life chewing the cg scenery) wants to capture Lebron James for...reasons, idk. James and Bugs have to find the rest of the looneys scattered across the server-verse, a chance for WB to desperately remind people that they too, have media properties and a multiverse including DC comics world, Harry Potter world, Matrix world, Mad Max world, Casablanca world etc. Some of it feels very dated - there is I kid you not an Austin Powers reference, although it did make me smile that Trinity was on James’ list of most wanted players (skill: agility).
Unfortunately, nothing it really done with this multiverse concept except “hey, remember this movie? Now with looneys” six times, and the crowd for the game populated by WB denizens including the Iron Giant, Pennywise, the monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, Scooby Doo and the gang, etc. But still, it's fun, and hardly the tarnishing of a legacy or whatever nonsense is driving youtube clicks these days.
Writing
The Lady of the Lake - 2335 words.
Against the Dying of the Light - 2927 words, Chapter 13 posted.
Total: 5272 this month, 38,488 this year.
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game-boy-pocket · 3 years
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Well, now that they're all finally out... my feelings on each of the new Smash Bros characters is this.
Inkling was inevitable. But that doesn't mean I wasn't thrilled to see them. Splatoon is a great new IP, though I personally worry about how similar the games seem to be 3 main entries in, but that's nothing to do with Smash. Fun to play but hard to learn. A- ( the minus is for no Octo alt ).
Ridley felt like he should have been inevitable, but was fighting against some pretty strong biases. But he finally made it and i'm very happy. I do think he could have been a tad bit bigger though. Even if they had to slow him down a bit. A
Simon very happy with this character, and honestly surprised he didn't get in sooner. Castlevania may not be as strongly associated with Nintendo as it used to be, but it's one of the first games that come to mind when you think of the NES as well as the SNES. He was in a TV show with Megaman and Pit for goodness sake. And I enjoy using him. A- ( minus is only for no chronicles alt )
Richter was a cool addition, if there was one other Belmnot to be added, i'm glad it's him... but I am more of a Simon guy. Side note, I wish they took the echo fighter character a little further. It seemed like branding clones as echo fighters is all it took to make people more accepting of the idea, only for them to just stop short of three or four new ones, and not even include super obvious ones like Shadow the Hedgehog or Blood Falcon. Anyway A- ( minus is for no symphony of the night alt )
King K. Rool being revealed was one of my top five Smash moments. Donkey Kong is not a neglected Nintendo franchise. But it has undergone some changes that long time fans don't care for, including the removal of the main antagonist, this guy, who has a gigantic personality. He's a very fun character and it's so good to see him come back ( pls appear in the next DK game pls pls pls ) He also happens to be very fun to play as. A++
Isabelle is where Smash reveals kind of started to lose me a bit. Animal crossing is a big series and all but I really felt like the one villager is all the game really needed to properly represent the entire series. You don't need a lot for Animal crossing. And the fact that Isabelle was a relatively new character, who seemingly snatched the role of series mascot from Tom Nook, well it kind of rubbed me a little wrong. She seemed unnecesary... but she is actually more fun to play as than villager, and she's cute. So I don't totally hate her. B
Incineroar was a poor way to end the base game lineup for me. Pokemon just isn't a very respectible series anymore in my eyes and Sun/Moon was the first game in the series that I found too boring to finish. Pokemon just doesn't excite me, and with each new announcement, I'm becoming actively disgusted by it. I would have loved a wrestler character in the game, but the fact that it had to be a pokemon kind sullied it for me. Yeah, I just can't pretend to like this inclusion even if it is a huge Nintendo IP. C-
Dark Samus is a character I am kind of indifferent too. I didn't think we needed her, but I think she's a cool addition to the game. A bit of a waste to make her an echo though, her abilities are very different from Samus in the games if I remember right, I honestly don't remember much of Metroid Prime besides the first one. Still, she's cool. B+
Daisy is an oddball for me. I know she is in Super Mario Land, but her main identity comes from the Mario Spinoff games, and I just don't play those games. They don't appeal to me. I like Mario platformers. And to me, if a character is in spinoffs almost exclusively, they don't count as core Mario cast members. And frankly it's a little odd to me that she's plucking turnips and summoning Toads. The citizens of Sarasaland are not Toads. And she wasn't in Mario 2... but she's not hurting anything I guess so B+, needed "Hi i'm Daisy" taunt.
Chrom is a Fire Emblem Lord alright. He's also an echo. So I don't care. C
Piranha Plant honestly felt like a little bit of an insult to me. I've always hated when Mario games start featuring low level mooks without names as playable characters in the Mario spinoffs while ignoring the likes of Wart, Tatanga, E. Gadd, or th extended DK/Wario cast or RPG characters. It's part of why I don't care about Mario spinoffs. That being said... it is, at the very least, extremely fun to play as. B-
Joker may very well be the most out of place character in this series. He's certainly one of them. Maybe I would feel different if I played Persona, but I don't. So to me he's like the worst thing they added to this game. D-
Hero felt like he should have been in Smash Bros before cloud did. Dragon Quest may not be as popular in the west as it should be. But it's definitely the most important and influential JRPG to the history of video games... that being said, I wish the DQ3 hero was the default costume. I really enjoy playing as him. A+
Banjo and Kazooie finally getting in is without a doubt my favorite moment in Smash History. Not even Sonic got me as hyped as they did. I wish there was a way to make younger fans see this character the way us old timers do without seeming like we're trying to force them to like him, but it is what it is. I love these guys and they're my most played character. A+++
Terry is a character i'm not familiar with. He just kind of looks like a bootleg Ken to me. I think they could have picked a better SNK rep. Metal Slug would have been nice, shooters are sorely under represented in Smash. Do we have anybody besides Samus representing shooters? And she barely qualifies. C
Byleth is a Fire Emblem Lord alright. But you know what, they're honestly the only FE character that feels like they're representing the gameplay of Fire Emblem particularly well while the others were just kind of generic sword slingers... that being said... was this the best way to end fighter pass 1? B-
Minmin was not a character on my Radar. I thought it would have been Springman or no Arms character at all... I am just happy ARMS made it in at all... but really, it should have been base game content. If only to support the new IP. A-
Steve was a character I was opposed to at first. I saw him as a rival to Banjo. And I also saw Minecraft as a dumb zoomer game. A joke. But people made compelling arguments for the importance of minecraft, how successful it is, I actually downloaded Minecraft on my Switch, played it, had a relaxing time, I still play it, and I was actually able to play with my friends who don't own Nintendo consoles. It has cross play. The cross play is really what won me over as it being really cool to have in Smash, as it really brought me together with friends. Steve is tough to use, but great fun, as long as it's against a computer. I can't fight humans for shit, hah. A- ( the minus is for that cursed short enderman alt )
Sephiroth rubbed me the wrong way. Another Final Fantasy character wouldn't have been so bad, but did it have to be another FFVI character??? Couldn't it have been something from before FF made the jump to total steampunk/sci-fi to better represent the series roots? He's fun to use but idk, I just take no joy in him... at least we got more FF music I guess. C-
Pyra/Mythra is a character I have zero opinion on. B ( for booba )
Kazuya is not a character i'm familiar with, and if there had to be another fighting game character, one from Namco, I feel like Soul Calibur should have been it. Bring the Link crossover back around. It seems Tekken has no presence on Nintendo as well... but whatever. I have no strong feelings. He's fun to combo with but I suck as him. B-
Sora makes me sad. I don't dislike Sora. He has a fun design. I like the idea of Kingdom Hearts... I just think the story of those games is very weird and dumb and confusing, so the games themselves are kind of overrated. I really think people only like it for the pretty character models and intricate costumes. I thought people liked it for the Disney stuff but I'm suprised to hear most KH fans seem to want more FF stuff and less Disney stuff??? The only thing that makes the game unique??? Should be dialed back??? That being said... I don't like Disney. It is an evil company. And Disney getting in bed with Nintendo makes me very anxious. D
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straykidsscribbles · 5 years
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Little Red Robbing Hood
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Summary: Best thief in your generation. Heiress to a powerful mafia family. And kind of, on and off best friend to one Seo Changbin, who knows you way too well.
Fairytale AU, based on Little Red Riding Hood; Mafia Au; Female reader; Fluff with the lightest hint of angst 
Genre: Seo Changbin x reader 
Word Count: 11,878 words
Warnings: Violence, profanity, and a bit of blood. 
Happy very belated birthday to her majesty Queen Ruby @changbeanie, I adore you to the stars and back again.
“The line’s secure. You’re free to jump, Red.” 
A small smirk crept over your lips as you took a few quick steps away from the edge of the open window. This would be the easiest heist you’d ever pulled. Pride always goes before a fall. If they wanted to keep such a pretty, pretty painting, they should have guarded it better. 
“Thought you’d never give me the all clear Black.” 
“Oh, you know me, triple checking the wire that’s holding up your whole weight. Your grandmother would murder me if I let you die Red.” 
“She has faith in my skills. You’re just the worry wart.” 
A deep breath. 
In. 
Out. 
You took off, legs pumping until you hit the edge of the window and soared out into the air, nothing between you and the ground.
Nothing that is, except for the wire attached to the climbing harness you wore. 
The wire jerked as it took your weight and stabilized, over five hundred feet in the air. You swung around and grabbed hold of it with your right hand. Tapping the goggles protecting your eyes, you scanned the wall in front of you. 
The goggles immediately flashed, and a number popped up in the corner. 
43. Perfect. 
“Black, I’m good to go. You can get the engine running for me.” 
“Copy Red. Driver’s seat for you?” 
“Well, you do have good taste in wheels. Why not? Now shut up and let me concentrate.” A plate of inch thick glass stood between you and the security system protecting your target. It was the first obstacle in your route to the final piece of Van Gogh’s Wheat Field with Cypresses left in private collections. 
The other two would be easy to steal; museum security was nothing to a professional thief. This one required a little more finesse, which is why you were tasked with the job. 
“I didn’t know master thieves needed to concentrate. You were born into the mafia; weren’t you stealing your dad’s gold cufflinks off his suits for fun at four?” 
Who had even told him that story? You gritted your teeth as a gust of wind buffeted you. This was not the time for distractions; the glass cutter in your hand was sharp enough to cut off a finger if you weren’t careful, and you weren’t in the mood to be bleeding all over whichever fancy car your partner picked out for you. 
“If I lose a finger because of you I will make you pamper me for my entire convalescence,” you hissed, the sensitive microphone on your earpiece catching your words over the rushing of the wind. He really just does not know when to shut up does he? 
Your partner simply hummed in response, clearly abiding by your request for silence. You bit your lip as the glass cutter made its way back around and completed cutting out a circle from the window. 
Slipping the glass cutter into a pocket on your belt, you pushed off from either side of the little circle. Your body swung out into the air, suspended only by the wire disappearing into the open window a few floors above. Like a pendulum you swung back, legs out and braced to hit the glass. 
A surprisingly soft tinkle of glass shards filled your ears as you fell into the room. Taking a few steps forward to maintain your balance, you pivoted in the center of the room. No one in here with me, both sides clear. Looks like our intel was right. 
“I’m in. Give me three minutes to make the switch and drop it down to you.” 
“Yes Red.” 
You padded over to the wall looming at your right, dim lighting making the painting hanging on it glow softly. “You are one elusive little picture aren’t you.” You whispered as you unclipped the large frame that hung from your hip. 
Small metal discs imbedded in the wall where the bottom two corners of the painting were resting acted as pressure sensors. Once the painting was removed, you’d only have five seconds to press the other one in place at exactly the same pressure. Even the slightest millipascal of extra pressure and alarms would fill the entire building. 
Still, you were the best thief in your generation for a reason. Some of it was genetics and family talent, yes, but the rest of it? Pure skill and practice.
Light fingers swept over the beautiful canvas, tracing the edge of the frame as you took one quick breath. Then, in the space of a heartbeat you pushed the edge of the Van Gogh away from the wall and onto the ground, cushioning its fall with your left toe. With your right hand you slipped the replacement frame, carefully measured to be the exact same weight and size, into place. 
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. 
Your heartbeat was racing in your ears, but you still heard the slight click of the pressure plates locking back into place, as though absolutely nothing had happened. 
A slow smirk spread over your lips, one sharp canine digging into your lip as you bent down to pick up the painting and slide it into a carrying case. You’d be gone before they even realized anything was missing. 
You sauntered back over to the open window, shoes making only the slightest crunch as you stepped on the shattered remains of the windowpane. Reclipping the harness, you tapped a button on the winch and let it yank you upwards. 
This is the best feeling in the world. The thought came to your mind unbidden, but the more you considered it the more you realized it was true. The wind rushing through your hair, the exhilaration of a successful mission, the adrenaline of an escape waiting for you–this was the life you were meant for. 
“Black, target acquired. My car better be ready.” 
“I knew you’d get it. And please Red, when have I ever let you down. Your car is waiting downstairs, the valet has the key. And I’m up on the roof to get rid of anyone who might try to follow you.” 
You slipped into the open window of your own suite and began untangling yourself from the harness, pushing everything back into a small black suitcase. “Thanks Black.” 
“Only the best for you Red. Can’t wait for our next date.” 
“Me neither. Always a pleasure working with you. Red out.”
You pulled out the earpiece and squished it between two fingers before burying it inside a tiny house plant resting on the desk. The tech would degrade and disappear within a few hours, leaving no trace of your whereabouts, and nothing the police could gain any evidence from. 
Suitcase in one hand, painting in the other, you swept out of the suite and down to the bottom floor, where the car your partner had promised you was waiting. The sleek black Audi shone in the light from the lobby’s chandelier and you suppressed a little sigh. 
He really does have good taste in cars. 
Taking the keys from the valet, you slipped into the driver’s seat and sped off towards the airport. 
Mission accomplished. 
---
Four hours later, the unfortunate owner of Wheat Field with Cypresses reentered his suite only to find glass on the floor and an entirely different painting sitting in the middle of the wall. 
Four stark red letters on a plain black background stood out as the man stared in horror. 
L R R H
Little Red Robbing Hood. 
He’d been robbed. 
---
“Mother, it’s too early for this!” you grumbled as you picked up the phone lying next to your bed. “I just gave you the painting yesterday!”  
“Yes, well, this can’t wait. I have another assignment for you.”
You sat up and rubbed your eyes tiredly. The planning for the painting heist had taken ages, and you were completely ready to just sleep for the whole day. 
Unfortunately, your mother had other ideas. 
“Lately, NCT has been gathering far too much power. They’ve set up different accounts all over the world to split up their finances and make sure that no matter what happens they have something to fall back on.” 
“What does that matter to us? We’re way stronger than they are.” 
“____, what have I always told you? Overconfidence is why so many mafia families fall. We know better than that–it’s why we’re so powerful years after our contemporaries died off.” 
Your family had started their network almost three hundred years ago, and every other mafia family from that time had slowly lost their power or been absorbed into a new family that rose up and took them over. Yours had survived because of their adaptability and attention to minutiae–no detail was unimportant enough to overlook. 
When most of the other mafia families had been patriarchal, yours had become matriarchal when your great-grandfather only had a daughter. Rather than bringing someone in from outside, he trained his daughter to keep the traditions of the family alive. 
Others had scoffed, saying there was no way a woman could handle the day to day running of the mess of madness, backstabbing, and treachery that was the underground crime network. But your grandmother had thrived in it, and your mother after her. 
And now here you were, best thief of your generation and heir apparent. 
Adaptability and meticulousness. That was what kept your family alive and in power. 
That and a few carefully placed assassinations, take overs, and thefts when necessary. All for the greater good of course. 
“Alright fine Mother, what do you need me to do?” 
“Well, after your little painting heist this should be easy enough for you. There’s going to be a tradeoff with information regarding the accounts and plans of NCT in Singapore. I want you to be there for that tradeoff.” 
“And I take the information, which I’m assuming is on some sort of flash drive?” 
“Yes. If you somehow manage to cause a little dissent within their ranks and make it seem like they betrayed each other, well, so much the better. From Singapore, you have a flight straight to Rome, and then from Rome to London where you will deliver the information to your grandmother. She’s expecting you in five days.” 
“When is the tradeoff?” 
“At nine pm, near the Elgin Bridge. You’ll see them.” 
“Alright Mother. I’ll check in once I have the drive.” 
---
The flight to Singapore had been short, and the use of your family’s private jet certainly had made things easier. You were completely prepped and ready to go; touristy outfit to blend with the crowd, tiny stun gun hidden in your pocket, and a set of earrings that could be pinched together to act as a miniature explosive. 
Gadgets were a bit of a weakness for you. But they had saved your life on numerous occasions, so could you really be blamed? 
You scanned the crowd, looking around for anyone who might seem out of place. No one yet, maybe I’m early. 
You dug through your bag, pulling out a large camera with a zoom lens; naturally, it would look as though you were just taking pictures when in fact you were watching the area under the bridge for suspicious activity. 
Ten minutes passed without anything happening, and you were beginning to feel a little nervous. Had your mother’s intel been wrong? Had someone set you up? The rushed timing had ensured you came without backup; what if this was an ambush?
And then, you saw two men standing at the edge of the bridge, hands held protectively over their waists where presumably they had guns hidden away. 
You rolled your eyes. This is almost too easy. 
One of the men began walking towards the middle of the bridge, where a third man in a black suit stood, a briefcase leaning against the railing of the bridge. You watched carefully through the zoom lens as the third man shook hands with the first, slipping him the small flash drive. 
Target acquired. Now for a little pickpocketing. 
The first man walked back towards his companion, slipping the flash drive into a pocket without pausing. You put away your camera and began walking towards them as well, hands swinging carelessly as though you were simply enjoying the fresh air and light breeze after a humid day of sightseeing. 
Three. 
Two.
One. 
You brushed against your target, slipping your fingers gently into his pocket and slowly withdrawing them, the flash drive tucked into the palm of your hand. You kept walking naturally, hands swinging still, before you passed through a crowd of tourists which blocked you from view. 
Time to disappear. You slipped the tiny yet extremely valuable piece of metal into a side pocket and twisted your jacket inside out so that the red lining was now on the outside. If anyone was looking for a thief in a black and white jacket, they’d never think it was you. 
However, you didn’t see the third man watching from his side of the bridge. The flash of red from your jacket caught his eye and he stared as you made your way over to the nearest bus stop and clambered onto the first bus that passed. 
He couldn’t be sure, but there was something very familiar about you. 
Familiar, and suspicious. 
---
“Hi mom, I picked up a nice new silver mirror for you! I’m on my way to the airport now actually, so I should be on the flight home really soon.” You started speaking before your mother could, making sure that it was obvious you were out in public. 
“Alright ____, thank you. What time is your flight leaving again?” Or rather, do you know what flight you’re taking?
“No, actually, can you check? I think the flight number is CP753.” 
“Oh, you’re leaving at 9:43. If you need anything just call me okay?” 
“I will Mother. See you soon!” You tapped your phone and ended the call. Your mother had set up a flight whose number ended in 943. The time of departure would be easy enough to find out when you arrived at the airport. All you had to do was pick up your things from the airport storage you’d left your suitcase in. 
The familiar routine of heading to the airport, getting your things, and finding your flight on the large tv screens mounted on the wall slowly lulled you into a false sense of security. Everything appeared to be completely normal. The crowded airport was no more empty than usual; there were at least two families and three business executives headed towards the same terminal as you–you couldn’t see anything wrong.
But you couldn’t ignore the chill heading up your spine as you waited for your sandwich at one of the airport bistros. Something inside you, some sixth sense, some weird feeling made you feel like there was someone watching you. 
A malevolent presence, hovering at the edge of your awareness. 
Maybe we shouldn’t have rushed, even if it was important. Maybe we should have waited for a better opportunity, or better backup. 
Paying for your sandwich you grabbed the handle of your suitcase and pulled it after you, continuing the trek to your gate. 
There was no point in worrying now. If someone was following you, they knew where you were headed by now. The only thing you could do was wait and try and lose them in Rome. 
I hope I’m wrong. 
---
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re going through a little bit of turbulence here. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts.” The voice of one of the air hostesses rang out over the speakers. 
You wiped your hands with a paper towel and pushed open the door to the tiny bathroom, making your way slowly down the narrow aisle back to your seat. A loud popping noise broke the silence as the little seatbelt light came on, and it woke up a small baby in the middle row. 
Great. Now I have to deal with a noisy crying baby on top of everything. 
As you brushed past a seat, the man sitting there looked up and his eyes met yours.
A shiver ran up your spine. The look in his eyes was malevolent, cruel, utterly heartless. The man had dead eyes, and the little smile curling the edge of his lips could only mean trouble for you.
Why else would someone like that show up on your flight? A million thoughts racing through your mind, you settled back into your seat and pulled the blanket they’d given you closer to you. 
35,000 feet in the air, what else could you do besides wait. Wait and wait and wait and wait for something to happen. 
Behind you, the baby hiccupped and sobbed loudly. Nausea rose in your throat as the plane rolled, sending your stomach through a whirlwind. 
And now I’m ready to throw up. Wonderful. How the fuck do I live with this? You rubbed the inside of your wrist, trying to force the awful feeling to recede. 
Only partially successful, you settled further into your seat. Right now, you just wanted to get off this plane before someone stuck a knife between your ribs. 
---
The second you stepped off the plane in Rome you knew your earlier feeling had been right. There was someone following you, and it was the terrifying man who’s smile had so unnerved you earlier. 
Oh crap why did this have to happen to me? What do I do how the fuck do I get out of this I have no back up and literally no supplies except for what’s on me. ____, good luck getting out of this you’re in really deep trouble this time. 
You saw a small sign for a restroom up ahead and you immediately took a deep breath and ducked inside. Fingers slightly shaky after the long flight, you pulled out your phone and immediately dialed your mother’s number. 
Four rings later, she picked up, voice clipped with irritation. “Yes ____, what’s wrong? I’m extremely busy right now, things have gotten crazy all over east Asia.” 
“Some of that might be my fault. Because I didn’t have backup or more time to prepare, I wasn’t able to make sure things were secure. 
The silence on the phone was deafening. You cringed a little as you waited for your mother’s response. While you were one of the most dangerous individuals in the criminal underworld, your mother was still more dangerous, and you hated disappointing her. 
“Well. This can’t be helped. Are you in Rome now ____?”
“Yes.” You tapped your foot on the tiled floor, waiting for her response. 
“Alright, one of our best wolves is in Athens right now. He’ll meet you at the Trevi Fountain tonight. You need to make sure you are staying in public spaces and being as unobtrusive as possible. Join a tour group and stay with them, blend in with the thousands of other tourists and appear as normal as you can.” 
“Don’t worry Mother, I’m not hopeless.” Already you felt a little better now that you knew you had backup coming and no one blamed you for your little mistake. The weight on your shoulders felt a great deal lighter, less overwhelming now that you had a plan. 
“I know you aren’t. But a mother worries no matter how capable and smart her daughter is.”
You weren’t sure how to respond to that. Your mother cared about you, yes, but the mafia life wasn’t really the best place for touchy-feely displays of affection. Things must be really bad; that’s why she’s being so uncharacteristically soft. 
“You’ll recognize the wolf on sight, you worked with him on your last mission. He is the only one you can trust at this point alright?” 
Wolves were the secondary leaders in the mafia, right underneath the hereditary leaders like you and your family. They were given the title of wolf once they had proven themselves as loyal protectors and skilled fighters, much like actual wolves. They led in every situation not important enough to require the attention of one of the family, and they were the ones responsible for making sure your family was always safe. 
They were the most loyal operatives, their clan ties to yours stretching back to when your family was first making a name for themselves. 
And this particular wolf was the person you trusted most outside of your immediate family. Having him as a partner again would make everything easier, and you wouldn’t even have to worry about dealing with an unknown player. 
He’s trustworthy and… safe. Always safe. 
“Yes Mother. It’ll be nice to see Black again.” 
“At this point, no codenames as well. Use your real names; someone might have overheard your codenames and your real names are safer. You’re simply ____ to him, and he’s Changbin to you.”
Well. This would be interesting. No more Red jokes. He’s been calling me that for years, it’ll be weird not to hear it. 
“Understood. I’ll check in once we meet.” 
“Only by text ____. You cannot afford to call me again, even now you don’t know who could be listening. Changbin will have access to some supplies for you to restock, and you will have to make your own way to your grandmother, is that understood?”
“Yes Mother. As you wish.” 
“Good luck ____. Stay safe.” 
The phone clicked off before you had a chance to say anything else. 
You shoved the phone inside your bag. As things stood now, you couldn’t afford to get rid of it; you didn’t have the resources to replace it, even if it was a security risk. 
Placing your palms on the cool stone sink you stared at your reflection in the mirror. Dark circles rimmed your eyes, the result of the long sleepless flight and the constant fear that someone was watching you. Even now, inside the bathroom, your shoulders were tense with anxiety. 
What if I don’t last until Black– Changbin– comes? You had to remind yourself that your old color codenames were not to be used. Years ago, you’d decided on those nicknames as a group with a few of your fellow younger agents, each of you picking a color for a heist in Switzerland. The names had stuck long after that mission, and not using them would definitely take a little effort. 
Still, you liked the sound of Changbin’s real name. Using it felt somewhat more intimate than using his codename; many of your friends knew his codename but only those closest to him knew his real name. 
“Come on ____, you got this. You’re the best thief of your generation you can damn well make it to a rendezvous.” Splashing some cold water on your face, you tightened your hands into fists. 
Someone might be after you, but if they expected to get you easily, they were just about to be proven grievously wrong. 
---
Soft sounds of someone strumming a guitar filled the night air as you sat on the cool marble of the Trevi Fountain. Despite your fears the day had passed relatively painlessly; the bus ride into the city and ambling around the cobblestone streets soaking up the history behind a tour group had been almost fun, if you let yourself forget about the reason you were there. 
Unfortunately, the malevolent presence you’d sensed in Singapore was still hovering somewhere nearby, even if you couldn’t see anyone tailing you. 
Where is Changbin and why isn’t he here yet? Is he planning on having me die all dramatically in his arms? 
No, Mama would never forgive him, and he idolizes her too much to do that. Honestly, sometimes it’s like she’s his grandmother, not mine. 
You shook the errant thoughts out of your head, choosing instead to focus on scanning the crowd for Changbin. The sun had set almost an hour previously and the fountain was glowing with lights from within, highlighting both the carved marble and the people admiring it. 
Where was he even? 
The pasta you’d had for lunch seemed like a meal from years ago. You’d been waiting long enough; you needed food at this point. You dug through your bag, searching for the savory pastry you’d bought earlier for a snack. The little packet of dough, herbs, and vegetables was bright on your tongue, giving you a little energy and brightening your mood. 
But the fear that he’d been discovered too, and people were lying in wait to capture you and take the pretty silver drive tucked in your inner pocket kept you from enjoying your food. 
If NCT didn’t capture and kill you, the anxiety would instead. 
---
Changbin stared out from the shadow of a building, cap pulled low over his eyes. His gaze skimmed the crowd, looking for your familiar figure. 
He’d been hiding for a while, having already taken out one of the operatives tailing you. He had spotted you earlier as you were eating, illuminated by the glow of the fountain that seemed to light you up with a glow that made Changbin’s heart stutter a little when he looked at you. 
His eyes, while drawn to you like magnets, still noticed the dark figure in all black that was watching you from the gelato shop opposite. 
Changbin’s wolf training kicked in almost immediately. Someone was threatening one of his teammates, his friends– he wasn’t about to let the man anywhere near you. 
He crept up behind the man and tapped his shoulder to get his attention, smiling benignly before yanking him backwards into an alley and taking him out with two quick punches to the temple and jaw. Surveillance now taken care of; he could focus on making sure the area was secure before approaching you. 
And now, after another half an hour of searching, Changbin was certain no one else was watching you aside from him. He pushed up his cap and let a smirk play across his lips. 
Sure will be nice seeing _____ again. She always looks cute when she’s startled. 
He sauntered up to you from behind, hands jammed into his pockets and headphones swinging around his neck. 
“Hey Princess, made a wish yet?” 
A tiny gasp escaped you as you whirled around and almost fell against Changbin. His arms came up almost reflexively and held you tightly against him, making sure you weren’t about to fall over into the fountain. 
“Fucking finally Bin, you took forever. I thought you were going to stand me up.” Your words were carefree and blasé, but Changbin heard the faint quiver in your voice. 
The hours of stress, of waiting for someone to come, of fear that in the next second a bullet would somehow end up in your skull, of one of the most turbulent flights you’d experienced in a while all swept over you as you stood there tucked against Changbin. His arms cradled you gently, spreading warmth throughout your body, swaying with you as he hugged you like you were the most important person in the entire universe.
“As if I’d ever stand you up. Now come on, we’re staying pretty nearby.” He lowered his head slightly so that his lips were just brushing your ear. “The man who was watching you earlier will have a pretty bad headache when he wakes up, not to mention that he’ll be getting severely punished for losing you.”
Already a grin crept across your face as you reached down to grab your suitcase, still holding Changbin’s arm with your other hand. “Thanks Bin.” 
“Always ____. Always.” 
---
The walk back to the little apartment was quiet; exhaustion poured over you in waves as you tried to stay upright. Changbin clutched your suitcase in one hand, the other clasped around yours to give you some sort of support as you made your way between the brightly colored houses. 
He stopped soon after in front of a door with an ornate bronze knocker. Digging through his pocket, Changbin pulled out a small key and slipped it into the lock, pushing the door open. 
“We’re on the top floor, with roof access in case we need to get out in a hurry. We shouldn’t need to though, this safehouse was set up by my dad.” 
Grumbling under your breath, you climbed up the two narrow flights of stairs that led up to the loft apartment. Changbin pressed his thumb against the doorknob and waited for the fingerprint recognition to work. He then tapped in a quick code on the keypad revealed in a panel in the door and it finally swung open. 
“There’s a shower in there, and I brought some stuff for you if you need clothes to change into.” Changbin went over to another suitcase waiting inside the little apartment and pulled out a plain black t-shirt and gray sweats. 
Taking the proffered clothes, you slipped inside the bathroom. The heat and pounding of the hot water washed away some of the tension still coiled inside your muscles, leaving you limp with exhaustion. You let the water wash over you, losing all sense of time, enjoying the relief of focusing on one sensation without having to worry about who might come after you while your guard was down. 
Changbin was outside, and you trusted him to keep you safe. 
Finally, you turned off the water; sleeping in an actual bed would probably result in a lower risk of drowning that falling asleep in the shower, which you were certainly close to. Drying off quickly, you threw on the clothes Changbin had given you and tumbled out into the main room of the little studio apartment. 
“You look slightly more human.” One corner of Changbin’s lips quirked up as he looked up from the gun in his hand. A small bottle of liquid sat on the table next to him, and a stack of cotton scraps which he was using to clean and oil the metal. 
The smell was familiar in a way; Changbin always cleaned off his twin pistols before he slept, and you’d spent enough time with him to know his routine almost as well as your own. 
“I feel a hell of a lot more human. So, how are we getting to London?” You set down on the bed and leaned back against the pillows behind you, taking a deep breath as you sank into the plush warmth. 
Changbin tucked one gun next to his shoes and put the other on the nightstand on the other side of the bed. He sat down, the bed sinking slightly on his side as he turned to look at you. 
“Well, air travel is going to be a lot harder to manage because it’s a lot more regulated, and even if we call the jet, we’ll still have to file a flight plan. Boat would work but it would also take a long time, so we’ll go by train. We shouldn’t have any reason to get our passports checked as long as we’re within the EU, and then once we get to Calais, we can easily just take a boat over to England. It’ll be a lot more subtle, and we should be able to make it within the deadline.”
“Train? Really? Will it be fast enough?” 
“_____, Europe is tiny. If we take a train tomorrow morning, we’ll be in Paris by evening. From there it’s easy enough to get to Calais.” 
“If you’ve put so much thought into this, then how are we supposed to make sure no one follows us onto the train.” You crossed your arms over your chest, frowning thoughtfully. 
“It’s a risk we’ll have to take. The only thing is, there’ll be less regulation and so hopefully if things go sour, we’ll have an easier time escaping. That and, if we’re on a train we can get off in the middle, and that’s a hell of a lot easier than jumping out of a plane.” 
You nodded slowly, considering his plan. He did have a very good point; it would be easier to escape off a train. 
What choice do we have? At least this way we have a chance. 
“Fine. You’re right. Now come on, if we have to take a train I’m assuming we’ll have to be out of here early in the morning.” 
“Departure’s around 5 am Princess. You can finish up your beauty sleep on the train, I’ll even let you use my shoulder as a pillow.” He pulled one of the armchairs next to the bed and settled into it, eyes already beginning to close. 
“Good night.” 
You let the soft sound of Changbin’s steady breathing lull you to sleep.
---
Dark woods all around you.
Shadowy trees looming every direction you turned.
One path forward.
A break in the tree line, only to reveal clouds obscuring part of the glowing yellow full moon. 
A howl cutting through the air, making the back of your neck prickle with fear. 
A flash of mangy brown, and claws swiping through the red cloak you had wrapped around you. 
The basket in your hand falling, falling, falling.
Red splattering through the air.
Blood red. 
Painpainpainpainpain
Menacing shadows all around you.
Black warmth enveloping you, calling out your name.
“_____! _____! Wake up for fuck’s sake! _____!” Changbin’s voice broke through the dense fog of the nightmare that had captured every one of your senses. Heart racing, you opened your eyes only to make out his face close to yours, close enough for you to see the fear in his eyes. His hands clutched your arms, shaking you to try and rouse you from whatever horror you were seeing. 
The moonlight streaming through the window calmed you as your eyes adjusted and you realized where you were. Changbin was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard and holding you tightly against his chest. You could feel the steady beat of his heart under your ear, a little fast but still helping ground you. 
Breathing fast, you simply lay there for a moment. His arms wrapped around you, his cheek resting against the crown of your head.
Every time you closed your eyes you could still feel the sharp claws of the monster that had attacked you. 
Slowly, steadily, your breathing began to even out and you settled further into Changbin’s embrace. You slipped your arms around his torso, not ready to let him go just yet. 
“_____?” His voice was softer now, a gentle whisper rather than the sharp order it had been. “What happened Princess?”
“Bad dream.” You mumbled, embarrassed now that you were more awake. You were a professional thief and the heir to a mafia family; you were not supposed to get so freaked out by a nightmare of all things. 
“It must have been pretty bad, if you were screaming like that. Do you want to talk about it?” The gentle rasp of his voice was calming.
You sighed. He wouldn’t let this go without you telling him– Changbin was stubborn like that. “It’s probably because of the whole Little Red Robbing Hood thing people have been calling me lately. I don’t even know, it was weird. I was trapped in this forest and all the trees were like monsters. There was this mangy-looking, kind of flea-bitten brown wolf or dog or something that jumped at me and clawed me, and then a bunch more shadows were surrounding me or something and it was like this explosion of pain, I don’t even know.” 
“So, a wolf attacked you? In a dark forest? ____, that does sound like a fairytale. Maybe you need a break from all this. You’ve been going on so many heists and missions lately, no wonder you’re stressed.” 
“I guess.” You trailed off, not sure if you wanted to finish your tale. That somehow there had been a black wolf that had protected you, made you feel safe and warm and comforted and kept whatever pain you felt at bay. 
Changbin tapped the lamp next to you and a soft yellow glow filled the room. He looked down at you, dark eyes meeting yours unflinchingly, without the slightest hesitation. 
“You know, any monster, real or imaginary, would never be able to come near you if I was there. You have a wolf for protection after all.” 
At any other time, you would have felt shy at his direct statement. You might have laughed at his dramatic, even slightly romantic streak. Who used their ridiculous title as an actual declaration of protection? 
However, the way Changbin’s eyes were drilling into you made that all but impossible. 
If anything ever happened, he means it. He really would protect me with his life. 
Unable to muster up the words to respond to him, you simply nodded and curled your fingers into the fabric of his shirt. The little clock on the nightstand read 2:26 am and you could probably squeeze in another hour and a half of sleep before you had to leave. 
With the solid warmth of Changbin curled around you, you actually did have a chance of getting some proper rest this time. 
---
Changbin sighed as your breathing finally evened out, signaling that you were asleep. He traced a finger over your cheek, drawing a little heart on your skin as you slept. 
“What am I to do with you?” He whispered into the darkness. “You’re going to be the death of me.” 
He sighed softly, the puff of air escaping from his lips pushing a lock of hair away from your face. “I–”
I love you. But he didn’t have the courage to utter his thoughts aloud and make them real. 
The night would keep his secret for him; never telling you how much you meant to him. 
He was just a friend to you. Nothing more. He couldn’t aspire to be more with someone of your prestige and rank and skill. 
And if all he could do was give you a safe space to break down in and protect you to the best of his ability? That’s what he would do. 
You were too important to him; he wouldn’t risk the bond between you for anything. 
---
“Rise and shine Princess, you don’t want to miss the train, do you?” 
“I hate you.”
“Yeah I hate you too and look where we are now. If you don’t get up then we’re going to be stuck here for another twelve hours, and that’s twelve whole hours for NCT to get their shit together and find us.” 
“Are you ready?” You mumbled from underneath one of the pillows 
Changbin rolled his eyes. “For your information, I actually am. Unless you want me to show up at your grandmother’s house without you saying ‘Oh, ____ just wanted to sleep and that’s why I had to leave her behind’ I suggest you get going.” 
You grumbled but pushed yourself up, sitting on the bed. “Did you already pack all of my stuff?” 
“Yes, because I’m the best partner you’ll ever have.” 
“Questionable. Orange did a pretty great job last time.” 
“Jisung is talented but he’s got nothing on me.” Changbin threw a sleazy wink at you and laughed when you threw the pillow next to you at his head. 
You splashed water on your face and huffed at Changbin’s grin in the mirror. “His ego isn’t as ginormous as yours either.” 
“You love me even with my ginormous ego, so I think I win.” 
He meant it as a joke. Changbin always says stupid shit like that, it’s nothing new. 
“Keep telling yourself that Bin.” 
Somehow though, his words kept reverberating through your head. Now that the idea had been planted your head, you couldn’t help wondering. 
Would it be that hard to fall in love with him? 
You weren’t sure if the answer scared or excited you.
---
The train station was crowded despite the early hour; no doubt commuters and locals and jetlagged tourists were taking advantage of the cooler weather. You and Changbin stuck close together, hands brushing as you made your way to the platform. 
As you approached the train, you couldn’t help feeling like there was something watching you, something you could sense and feel but not actually see. 
A malevolent presence. 
You tugged on Changbin’s sleeve to get his attention. “Bin, I think our friends from last night might be somewhere around here.” 
“Fuck.” The curse escaped his lips as he glanced around. “Hopefully they don’t spot us, and the train gets away alright.” 
He reached over and pulled the hood of your yellow hoodie up over your head. Your heart gave a little thump as his fingers brushed the side of your cheek. “Come on, let’s go. We’re leaving in ten minutes anyways.” 
Changbin quickly busied himself with putting your suitcases in the storage rack, while you got your tickets out and kept things ready for the conductor to check. The sooner you left Rome, the better. 
Within a few minutes, you felt the train begin moving under you, the acceleration pushing you against the back of the seat. Changbin reached over and patted your hand, twining your fingers together and squeezing slightly. 
“You okay? We seem to be alright so far.” 
A sigh escaped your lips as you looked out of the window, the grand architecture of the city you’d gotten to spend far too little time in looming in the distance. 
“It’s just… I kind of wanted to have more time here. Maybe see the sights, go on more than just the one short day tour while constantly stressing about someone following me. It feels like I got cheated, you know? I came to Rome, of all places, and I barely got to see any of the history and architecture and art.”
One corner of Changbin’s lips quirked up. “Well, who knew Little Red Robbing Hood had such an interest in art beyond what’s easy to steal?” 
“Hey!” You hit his arm, hard. He didn’t have to tease all the time, did he? And mentioning that name in a public place was dangerous!
“How’s this Princess? If we get out of this alive, and your grandmother doesn’t kill me for displeasing her, I’ll take you to Rome for fun. No work, no missions, no targets. Just you, me, and whatever else you want.” 
You gulped at the look in his eyes. 
Warm. Soft. Heartfelt. A little cheeky. 
Loving?
He’s serious.
A chuckle escaped him as he leaned back against the seat. “Like I said though, that depends on us getting out of this alive. And for that, you’d probably want a bit of a nap. I promised you my shoulder, didn’t I?” 
He patted his right shoulder and you shook yourself out of the reverie that had overcome you. He was just messing around. I’m imagining things. It’s just being with someone who’s sort of cute and hot and knows me well. It’s the proximity is all. He doesn’t actually like me. 
Does he?
You scowled even as you settled into place, head resting against Changbin’s shoulder. He was warm and smelled of pine needles and something else, something you couldn’t place. 
Slowly, your eyes drooped shut and you fell asleep curled up against him, barely noticing the arm he wrapped around you as he pulled you closer to him. 
---
Not even two hours later, you were jolted awake by Changbin shaking your shoulder roughly. “_____, wake up. They found us. We have to move.” 
Your eyes flew open and you stifled a groan as you realized what he was talking about. Behind you, through the glass door connecting the compartments, you could make out two dark suited figures coming towards you. 
One of them looked all too familiar. The man from the plane, who had a bandage on his forehead where Changbin must have knocked him out earlier. He wasn’t smiling now; rather his face was twisted in a snarl. 
All too aware of the flash drive hidden inside your pocket, you reached down and grabbed Changbin’s hand, squeezing it tightly. While you had been asleep the compartment had emptied, and now its only occupants were the two of you. 
And of course, the two men from NCT. 
They approached you slowly, each one making his way down one aisle towards you. You reached into your pocket and pulled out a small knife–a gun’s noise would attract far too much attention.
“Finally caught up with us hmmm? Took you long enough,” you quipped, rolling your eyes. 
“Give us the drive.” 
Changbin smirked at the man coming towards him. “Come and get it, if you can.” 
All at once, the tension in the compartment snapped. The man coming towards you leaped over the last row of seats and bore down on you, stabbing downwards at your hips. You twisted, avoiding the small blade and scoring a long shallow cut along the man’s sleeve, which protected his arm. 
He threw two quick punches at your head and you skipped out of reach, moving around him so that his back was against a window. As you slashed and feinted and blocked his blade, the wheels in your mind turned constantly. 
How do I get rid of this guy?
The red latch on the window caught the edge of your vision, and a little smirk slipped over your lips. Bingo.
You swung out with your left hand, hoping to distract your opponent, and with your right hand you grabbed the red handle and pulled. The window flew open, the glass falling out exactly as expected of an emergency exit. 
Hands flat against the man’s chest you shoved him once, hard, and he toppled out of the window as the idyllic countryside streaked by. 
He was gone in a moment. 
Panting, you turned back to Changbin, expecting to see him standing over the body of his opponent. 
Instead, his opponent had him in a headlock, arm tightening around Changbin’s neck and cutting off his air supply. The man brought his other hand closer and closer to Changbin’s neck, a small knife in his hand. 
He stopped with the cool metal cutting slightly into Changbin’s skin, holding him in place carefully. His eyes though, were fixed on you. 
“Well well well. Little Red Robbing Hood, caught at last.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say ‘caught’, but whatever asshole.”
The man shook his head ruefully. “Tsk tsk. You should be a little more polite. After all, I do have your wolf right here with a knife to his neck. I think I hold all the cards in this situation.” 
The knife in his hand cut into Changbin’s skin a little more, and a thin rivulet of red seeped out of the wound, staining the collar of Changbin’s shirt. Changbin’s eyes were panicked as he met yours, and his lips moved in the same way over and over, as though he was mouthing something to you. 
Leave me ____! Run! Leave me!
“Well, I can’t have you hurting him. So how about you let him go, and then we can talk about this in a more… civilized manner.” Despite your panting, you managed to keep an even tone. 
The man chuckled hollowly. “What’s there to talk about? You have three seconds to pass the drive to me, otherwise I will kill your little mangy runt. Fine job he did protecting you. You should join NCT, perhaps there we can outfit you with talent more suited to you.”
The knife moved closer and closer to the veins in Changbin’s neck, until you simply couldn’t bear it anymore. 
If he got hurt because of you, you’d never forgive yourself. 
“Stop! I’ll give you the drive. Just don’t hurt him.” 
You dug the little metal rectangle out of your pocket and slid it across the floor. The man smiled almost to himself, and then–
Changbin collapse sideways, falling onto a row of seats with a limp thud. The man reached down and grabbed the drive, shoving it into a pocket and immediately slipping out of your compartment.
It galled you that you couldn’t chase after him. 
But as you came level with Changbin’s limp figure on the seats, your heart jumped into your throat. 
The seat was covered in red. 
Blood red. 
Your signature color. 
Quick as a flash you were kneeling beside him, one hand cradling his face even as you tilted it upwards to trace over his neck. The cuts there were shallow, hesitant, only a threat. 
Where’s the blood coming from? 
“_____,” Changbin coughed. “My arm.” 
You unbuttoned the first three buttons of his shirt and slid the soft fabric off his shoulder, only to gasp. The man had stabbed Changbin’s arm and then yanked out the knife at a different angle, leaving blood dripping. 
“Fuck, this is bad.” You ran back to the seat where you’d been only a few minutes previously, digging through your suitcase and pulling out the first aid kit. 
You were not going to lose Changbin. Not to something as dumb as blood loss. Not to anything ever.
“Okay, Bin, I need you to try and sit up, if you can.” You reached around him and grasped his other arm, pulling him upright even as he swung his legs off the seat. “Now hold this against the cuts on your neck, I need to work on your arm first.” 
You quickly swabbed the whole wound with alcohol wipes and began wrapping it with gauze and tape, keeping it as tight as you could around Changbin’s bicep to restrict the blood flow. 
Changbin winced even as you finished up, his eyes soft despite the pain no doubt filling his senses. 
“You shouldn’t have done that _____. I’m not worth that drive, we all know the information on it is incredibly valuable.” 
“Shut up.” 
“I’m serious ______. You can’t tell me my life is worth more than that drive.” 
You tightened your hands, your bloodstained, shaking hands, into fists.
“Seo Changbin how fucking DARE you. Do NOT tell me what your life is worth. You have absolutely no idea how important you are and how much you’re worth to me. So shut the fuck up you idiot.” 
“I—”
“Did you not just hear me tell you to shut up.” Kneeling in front of him, you grasped his chin in one hand, fingers gentle despite the anger still coursing through your veins. You tilted his head up, wiping off the cuts on his neck and placing bandages on each of them as well. 
Changbin winced as you finished, turning back to look at you.
“You know they’ll be long gone with that thing. We need to get it back.” 
“I know we need to get it back. Do you really think I’m that stupid?” 
Changbin chuckled, then immediately raised a hand to his neck as the movement pulled at the tape. “Well, you did just give them the drive.” 
He was infuriating. You were just about to smack his arm when you caught yourself. A pout stole over your lips even as you spoke. “You’re lucky you’re injured; you get a free pass.” You changed the movement to a light brush of your fingers against his skin, tracing the line of his muscles and the edge of the gauze.
The moment hung in the air, tense and yet comfortable at the same time. The banter between you was normal, but the concern for each other that was normally buried under five layers of sarcasm and six of wit was now well out in the open. 
There was no way he could mistake the look in your eyes.
There was no way you could mistake the look in his. 
“Well, I guess I am lucky.” Changbin broke the silence between you. “I mean, I do have a pretty girl basically sitting in my lap, holding my arm, and stroking my neck.” 
You almost choked, scrambling off his lap in an instant. “I was making sure the gauze was in place! And you still have blood on your neck you dumb-dumb. Planning on getting that off yourself?” 
The moment was broken, but you still felt heat suffusing your cheeks. Only Changbin could get you so riled up with such ease. 
“I did say I was lucky, didn’t I? Maybe if I’m luckier you’ll kiss them all better.” 
“I hate you.” 
“Clearly not, you did just save my life and trade an extremely valuable object for my safety.”
“Shut up and put this on.” You dug around in his bag and pulled out a hoodie, throwing it at his head. “You have until we arrive in Paris to start feeling better.” 
“Awwww Princess, you do care. You know what would make me feel better almost instantly?” 
Ignore him. You have work to do.
“A kiss. One right here—” he pointed to his arm like a petulant toddler, complete with pout and all. “—and one here, and one right here.” 
“Your lips aren’t injured Bin.” 
“Damn. Maybe I should have gotten that guy to punch me too.”
“You are so lucky I have to figure out this tracker and I can’t pay attention to you.”
---
Changbin lay back against the pillows in your little hotel room in Paris, finally clean and freshly bandaged after the harrowing train ride into the city. You were still seated at the desk, fingers clacking on the keyboard much as they had been for the past four hours, aside from regular breaks to check on Changbin’s injuries. 
“What are you even working on?” he mumbled sleepily, eyes half closed as he cuddled into the pillows. 
You waved a hand in his direction, trying to get him to shut up before he broke your concentration. A few more clicks and… perfect. 
The laptop hummed as you turned back to Changbin and padded over to the bed, sitting down on a corner. “If you didn’t keep interrupting me, I’d have gotten done a hell of a lot sooner. But anyways, you don’t think I would have given them the drive without some way to get it back.” 
Understanding dawned on Changbin, even in his sleepy, pain medication-induced daze. “You put a tracker on the drive.” 
“Exactly. And, I was also working on this.” You reached into your bag and pulled out a small hard disk. “There’s no guarantee that they won’t have placed a tracker on the drive as well. So, what we do, once we get it back, is move the information on that drive to this one. It’s set up to be automatic. All we have to do is plug the other one in.” 
“Well aren’t you clever?” The dopey smile on Changbin’s face as he looked at you made your stomach do flips.
“People have said that before.” A shy, almost coy smile worked its way across your face in response. You got up from the bed and went over to the chair, pulling it so that it sat next to the bed. 
“You should sleep, we both should really. The computer will finish its search for the tracker in an hour, and we need to be at our best before we try and take on NCT again. 
Changbin patted the pillows next to him. “Come here then. I’m cold.” 
“You have blankets.” 
“Yeah but I—”
“Fine.” You lifted a corner of the blankets and got in next to him. “I guess I owe you after my nightmare.” 
“Thank you.” The soft reply in the dimly lit room made your heart skip a beat. Changbin reached out under the covers and grasped your hand, pulling you closer to him. 
Five minutes later, you were out cold, one hand resting against Changbin’s chest right over his heart, the steady thumping reassuring you that he was alive and safe and here with you. 
---
“How’s your arm?” You asked, searching through the items in your bag for pepper spray and throwing weights. 
Changbin stretched it carefully, moving it in small circles to test its range of motion. “I think we’re good. It’s sore, but I can work with this.” 
“Now remember, I’m doing most of this. The drive is being taken to a music festival in the Latin Quarter. That means they’re probably going to have a handoff there, in the crowd. I’ll be in the mess of people, and I’ll nab the drive and then come to you.” 
“I’ll have the transfer disk waiting, and once we’re done, we simply toss the drive out the window and leave as fast as we can.” 
“Exactly. If we have to run, you make sure they don’t catch you again.” 
“Princess, you do care.” 
“Well of course I care about you idiot!” The words burst out of your mouth. The constant worry about Changbin and his needling had worn you down to the point where you were ready to throw something. “You’re my closest friend. I’d trust you with my life. And I care about you more than you know, so can you please not get hurt again? I don’t think I could handle it.” 
The quaver in your voice was unmistakable. 
Changbin reached over and cupped your cheek, turning your face to look him directly in the eye. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat, if it meant you were safe.” 
Slowly, giving you every chance to back away, Changbin leaned closer and closer and closer until his lips brushed against yours, soft and warm and just the slightest hint of teasing as he traced a heart on your back with his finger. 
You melted into him, one hand curling into his hair and the other holding him against you, solid and steady and unwavering. You weren’t sure why you’d never done this before, why you’d waited so long for something that felt so right. 
Beep beep beep. The computer interrupted you and you fell apart, hands still reaching for each other. 
You leaned your head on his shoulder, arms going around him in a hug. “Be safe. And if you think you can kiss me and then die to get out of doing it again, I’ll drag you back to life myself.” 
“_____? Wake up,” Changbin patted your cheek. Your eyes fluttered open and immediately you felt yourself deflating. 
It had just been a dream. 
He didn’t actually love you. 
He hadn’t kissed you. 
“Yeah. I’m up. We should suit up.” You stumbled out of bed with a groan and padded over to the bathroom, splashing water on your red face. 
“Come on, we should be at the festival before it starts, so we can scope out our getaway.” Changbin tucked his favorite pistol into his ankle holster and slipped a knife into his sleeve. 
He paused as you brushed past him, going to your suitcase. “Are you okay ____? You feel off somehow.”
“I’m fine. I’m more worried about you really, you’re the one who got hurt earlier.” 
“Don’t worry, it’s healed enough that as long as I don’t do anything dumb, we’ll be fine. Thanks for patching me up so well.” 
“It’s fine.” 
“Are you sure you’re—”
“Changbin, we need to go before it’s too late. Come on.” 
The two of you slipped out of the little hotel silently, not a word of conversation between you. Changbin seemed to sense your mood, staying quiet rather than initiating his usual banter. 
But the silence only seemed to cement the fact that, while you might care about Changbin, he’d never said anything about loving you back. 
Even in your dream. 
---
Music filled the air, the crowd moving with energy that easily obscured you and Changbin as you made your way closer and closer to the blinking red dot on the screen. The dot had been stationary for almost five minutes, suggesting that it was about to change hands soon and you wanted to get to it before that happened. 
“I think I see him.” Changbin whispered, the mic in his ear catching his every word. “Look near the stage, left side, three feet away from the big speaker.” 
You followed his directions with your eyes and took in the man standing there in dark wash jeans and a black hoodie. A beanie was pulled low over his head, obscuring some of his face. 
Somehow though, you could tell. He was the same man who had almost cut Changbin’s throat. 
Anger rose up in you, and you fought to keep yourself calm. Losing control would do nothing, and you needed to get to him and pickpocket him without anyone realizing. 
“Okay, I’m going in. Be ready to run.” You wiggled your fingers, ready and waiting for the exchange. Slowly, carefully, you neared the man, head down so that he couldn’t see your face under the cap you wore. 
You brushed up against him, making it appear as though the crowd had shoved you and you had simply stumbled. “Pardon, monsieur,” you muttered, hand slipping into the man’s pocket and out again.
One glance down was all it took to check if you had the drive. 
The little silvery piece of metal in your hand blinked up at you in the brightly colored lights of the festival, and you let yourself take a breath of relief. You had it back. 
“I have the box. Initiating transfer now. Let’s run.” You plugged the drive into the box in your pocket and pushed your way through the crowd, finding Changbin once more. He reached down and grabbed your hand the second you were in reach, tangling your fingers together and pulling you along behind him. 
“Come on Princess, let’s go.” The brisk walk through the crowd became a jog as the throng of people decreased, and before you knew it you were running, running as fast as you could, even as the mechanism in your pocket slowly transferred the files. 
---
Fifty feet away, a man checked inside his pocket, only to pull out a rectangular prism made of simple red glass. 
Gold letters spelled out LRRH on top. 
You weren’t about to let him think just anyone had pickpocketed him. A thief of your caliber deserved recognition. 
The man snarled in anger, pulling out his phone and dialing a number. 
“She’s taken it again. Use the tracker.” 
And sooner than you realized it, you and Changbin were being tailed once more.
--- 
The device had just beeped out eighty percent completion when you felt the first bullet whizz past your head, only missing you by inches. You jumped to the side, pulling Changbin with you as you entered a modern looking office building. 
“They caught up to us already! I didn’t think they’d check so soon, I even switched in a weight so he wouldn’t notice the difference.” 
“Nothing you can do now. Let’s get that thing loaded so we can ditch it.” 
The building was a maze of corridors and cubicles, and you took as circuitous a route as you could, to make things difficult for your pursuers. Still, they kept getting nearer and nearer, closer and closer. 
Your head start was dwindling.
And by now, you and Changbin were both exhausted, at the very ends of your strength. This was your last shot to get away. 
“100% complete. File transfer finished.” The automated voice spoke into both of your earpieces. You exchanged a quick look with Changbin. 
“We can’t get out from the bottom; they’re bound to have it sealed. The roof too probably.” Changbin considered for a moment, panting a little. 
You glanced around frantically, looking for a way out. 
And you saw the floor to ceiling windows opposite you, and office building next door, barely eight feet away. If you jumped, you could enter that building and get out that way. 
“The windows!” Changbin immediately realized what you were planning. 
“Drop the drive now, I’ll get the window open.” He reached down and pulled out the small pistol from his ankle holster. One point-blank shot to the window and it shattered, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. 
You unplugged the silver drive and ran back to the elevator, throwing it inside and pressing the button for the highest floor. Hopefully NCT would think you were heading up to the roof to escape. 
“Let me go first, then you,” Changbin stepped a few paces back, then with a running start he sailed into the night, crashing through the opposite window with a roll to regain his balance. 
“I made it, come on _____!” He called. The wind rushed through your ears, your heart pounding like crazy. 
“Come on! I’ll catch you; I promise _____!” 
You took a deep breath. 
In.
Out. 
Now or never. 
You ran as fast as you could, falling through the air until you weren’t any more.
You opened your eyes, a laugh escaping your lips as you realized that one, you weren’t dead, and two, Changbin had caught you just as he promised he would. 
Hysterical giggles burst out of both of you as you looked at each other, the adrenaline rush finally bubbling over. You’d made it, you were safe, and if you got out of here fast, you could be home within the next six hours. 
“Can you—”
“No way—”
“I didn’t even think we—”
“—we’d make it.” 
Your laughter quieted as you calmed down, the adrenaline seeping out of you leaving you more tired than before. 
Changbin grinned down at you, light and carefree. “You have glass in your hair you know Princess? They look like diamonds.” He reached over and picked a shard out of your hair, flicking it over his shoulder without taking his eyes away from yours. 
“You do too Bin.” You reached up and brushed the mess from his hair, tousling it gently. 
Suddenly, you realized just where you were. Standing barely a hair’s breadth away from Changbin, breath mingling as you calmed down, hand half tangled in his hair. 
It was like your dream all over again. 
You moved to back away, pulling your hands away from him but Changbin reached up and grabbed them both, pulling you flush against him. 
He stared deep into your eyes, his gaze pinning you in place to the point where you couldn’t move, couldn’t think. Changbin filled your senses, his scent the only thing you could smell, the light sound of his breathing the only thing you could hear, the soft touch of his fingers on yours the only thing you could feel, the warmth in his eyes the only thing you could see. 
And then—
The sensation of his lips, his tongue against yours the only thing you could taste. 
He cradled your jaw as gently as he possibly could, holding you against him and kissing you with every ounce of his being, as though if he let you go, he would lose a part of himself. 
You weren’t sure when you broke apart. 
Changbin was still close, close enough that your breath was intermingled with his, your noses brushing every time you moved even the slightest millimeter. 
“What was that?” you whispered. Somehow a normal volume was far too loud for this situation. 
Changbin scrunched his nose ruefully. “Something I’ve wanted to do for a while.” 
“Why didn’t you?” 
“I was a bit scared I’d get slapped. That and I didn’t want to fuck this up. You’re the closest friend I have _____, you’re more important to me than anyone else. I couldn’t risk losing you.” 
“Why kiss me now then?” 
“I couldn’t wait any longer. We could have died jumping just now and I don’t want to die without having given this a shot. Why all the questions?” 
“Last one, promise.” The sparkle in your eyes made Changbin gulp. “Kiss me again?” 
And you yanked him down towards you, pressing your lips to his with a sigh. 
It felt… right. 
He was meant to be yours. And you were meant to be his. 
This time you pulled away first, resting your head on his shoulder for a moment before stepping away from him. 
He smiled shyly at you, the tips of his ears turning slightly red as you blew him another kiss. “Let’s get to our hotel. Now that we don’t have a tracker on us, we can fly to your grandmother and get it to her within the next few hours.” 
“Lead the way Princess.” 
Hand in hand, you made your way out of the building. 
---
Epilogue
The car pulled up in front of your grandmother’s manor smoothly. You hopped out of the driver’s seat and handed the keys over to her butler, who bowed respectfully. 
“Welcome home Miss _____. Your grandmother is in her favorite sitting room.” 
“Thank you.” You grasped Changbin’s hand in yours and began the familiar trek to the sunny room your grandmother ran her empire from. 
“Well _____, Changbin, what took you both so long?” 
“Sorry Mama, we had some mishaps. But here you go.” You handed her the new red disc and she immediately tucked it inside her desk. 
Her eagle eyes, still sharp and perceptive as ever, landed on yours and Changbin’s hands. 
“These mishaps wouldn’t have anything to do with you holding hands with a boy right in front of me, would they?” 
“They helped us get to this stage?” You were a little nervous as she stood up and walked over to you both. 
“It’s about time you found someone _____, you keep a good grasp on this one alright? And you, boy, you look familiar. What’s your name?” 
The little twinkle in her eye suggested she knew exactly who he was. She’d met him plenty of times before, she just enjoyed playing with you both. 
“Seo Changbin, ma’am.” 
“You treat my granddaughter well, and don’t let her get too absorbed in her work. She needs a little teasing now and then alright?” 
Of all the things you were expecting from her, that had not been one of them. 
“Mama! Leave him alone, he’s been a perfect gentleman.” 
“Well maybe he should be less of one, you could do with a little shaking up. You’re far too sure of yourself sometimes _____, let yourself live and enjoy your childhood a little more. There’s more to life than just our work.” 
At this point, both you and Changbin resembled tomatoes. 
“Now go do whatever it is young people do in their spare time, I have work to do.” 
Clearly dismissed, the two of you left the room, shyly exchanging looks as you walked out into the gardens, still holding hands. 
“I wasn’t expecting her to be so…” Changbin trailed off uncertainly. 
“Forward? Pushy? She likes you Bin, that’s all. It’s a good thing.” 
“Well, now your grandmother approved of me. You’re stuck with me _____.” 
“Maybe I like having you around.” You weren’t entirely sure where this level of flirtatiousness was coming from but Changbin’s blush was far too rewarding for you to stop. 
That is, until he pecked your nose and then ran off, taunting you into trying to catch him. 
417 notes · View notes
bellemorte180 · 4 years
Text
The Curse of the Sun and the Moon
Once upon a time, there was a girl who was cursed because of the foolishness of others. She quickly befriends a wolf that roams the gardens outside her prison. Soon she comes to learn that she is not the only one with a curse placed upon her.
Written for Klaroline week 2020-Day 2-Scify/Fantasy
Thank you @klaroline-events, for organizing this! 
Once upon a time, there were two brothers. One brother, the younger the two, was noble and true while the elder was reckless and impulsive. While there were many things the brothers disagreed on, one thing that neither fought was the safety of the girl they loved. They would do anything to protect her even it meant locking her away in a tall tower so their enemies could not reach her.
However, our story is not about the two brothers and the fair maiden who was pulled between them. The two brothers and their girl were just the beginning to a far greater love story.
Like most tales, it begins with a witch.
The two brothers followed the path through the deep woods as their directions they had been given. Each held a torch in their hands to guide them through the dark. Ahead, they could see a small circular breach within the trees. They could see the flicker of fire surrounded by a placement of stones. The flame caused their torches to be unnecessary. In the clearing stood a woman who was basked in light. She stood in a circle of salt and when either brother tried to cross it, they unable to. The witch was intelligent for she knew they would try to kill her and thus she would need protection. Her dealings with the brothers thus far have been far less than pleasant.
“Did you bring the girl?” The witch asked. She was not what one would expect from a witch. The assumption was that witches were ugly, had warts and crooked noses. This witch however, was beautiful. She was tall, pale and had sandy blonde hair that was piled high on her head. Despite her beauty, there was something hard and cold about her, something that the brothers both found worrisome.
“No.”
There was loud growl that echoed through the trees. Both brothers turned away from the witch and gazed through the darkness of the trees. There they could see a pair eyes watching them. They were blue and had gold speaks with dark irises. The beast shifted slightly and they could the sharp teeth that would tear them apart if they as simply moved the wrong way.
“Do you think it wise to anger me, Damon?” The witch asked, her eyes darting between the two young men. Her head looked over to where the beast stood, cloaked in darkness. “Or you, Stefan? I need the blood of the doppelganger and one way or another, I will get it. It would be best for you not to stand in my way.”
“You’re not getting her.” Stefan replied. They received this warning before, bring the girl to this location on the night of the new moon or face the consequences. Neither brother was willing to turn over the girl they loved and there were no consequences that could out way her supposed death. “She is under our protection.”
“Very well.” The witch’s eyes shot upward and looked at the sky. Only the stars hung that night for the moon was nowhere to found. It was as though the witch was searching the stars for something; some kind of mystical guidance that could only be solved by what was written in the sky. “You have until the next full moon to bring the girl to me. If you do, I will return to you what I have taken. If you fail, it will be lost to you forever.”
“Taken what?” Damon replied, his eyes narrowed at the witch. While Stefan was more than capable at diplomatic negotiations, Damon was not. He liked strike first, ask questions later. However, the witch was protected, not just by the boundary spell keeping them out but the beast in the woods.
“You’ll discover what is missing soon enough.” With a blink, the witch was gone, leaving the brothers standing in the middle of the forest with nothing but their torches for light. The fire that the witch lit was extinguished instantly, as though it had been dormant for hours. Their eyes darted through the trees, searching for the beast but it was also missing. The brothers made their way back to their family’s manor. While Damon felt that the night had been successful, Stefan could not help but worry for the threat the witch provided. Once they entered their manor, they noticed that it had been completely ransacked. In the middle of the foyer, a body laid beaten and bruised.
“Bonnie!” Stefan exclaimed and ran to kneel down beside the lady’s maid. Damon followed, standing over his brother’s shoulder. Bonnie’s eyes fluttered open and her hand went to her head. “Are you well?”
“Stefan? They took her.”
“Who? Elena?” It was impossible. Elena was not at the manor. They would not be foolish enough to leave her there. She had to be protected at all cost. “How did-“ “Not Elena. Caroline.” Bonnie whispered. “They took your sister.”
                                                           *
Lady Caroline Salvatore awoke with a start. She was in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. It was luxurious with paintings, tapestries and curtains that kept the sunlight out. Caroline slid from the silk sheets and stood from the bed. Her white nightdress fell around her ankles. She made her way across the room towards the window covered by thick purple curtains. Caroline reached to open the drapes.
“I wouldn’t do that if I was you.” Caroline jumped back and turned towards the door. A tall woman stood there with a dress in her hand. She walked towards a small armchair that was placed in front of the large fireplace. “Dawn as come and pasted. The sun hangs high in the sky. Open those curtains and you’ll burn.”
“What?”
“I put a curse on you. If sunlight touches your skin, it’ll burn.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. Go ahead. Open the curtains.” Caroline turned and slowly drew the curtains across the rod at the top. The second the sun hit her pale skin Caroline felt a burning sensation that she never experienced before. She hissed and jumped back from the window into the corner where the shadows could cover her. The witch cocked her head and walked over to Caroline. She took her arm gently into her hands. She waved her fingers over the burn and magically the wound was gone. “See, I told you.”
“You’re a witch.”
“I’m so much more than that. You can call me Freya.” Freya turned turn away from Caroline and walked back towards the dress she just laid out. “I brought you some clothes to change into. I apologize for the way you were collected. My brother Kol is not known for being gentle.”
“You cursed me.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I need something from your brothers that they are refusing to give me. Once I have it in my procession, you will be free to go home.” Freya moved toward the window and peeked through the curtains without letting the sunlight hit Caroline. “I will break the curse on you then.”
“Why the sunlight?” Caroline asked, her eyes narrowing at the woman. “Why keep me inside all day and make me a human torch? If you want something from my brothers, just ask Stefan. He will most likely hand it over. Damon won’t just spite you. No reason to bring me into whatever power struggle you are having.”
“I did ask. Both of your brothers refused.” Freya smiled. “What I need is not something they are not willing to give. As far as the curse it is just to prevent you from running. A guard of sorts.”
“And who says that I just won’t run the moment the sun sets?”
“Because my family’s home is surrounded by mile and miles of land. The nearest town is days away. Your family’s estate is hours away. Leave at sunset, it will take you all night to reach it; just in time to burn on your brother’s front steps.”
“What do you need so badly?” Freya turned away from her and headed towards the door, refusing to answer her. She paused that the big oak door and looked back at her hostage. “The manor is free for you to roam. I’ve instructed the guards to keep the curtains closed at all times during the day. The gardens are lovely at night. A few of the flowers bloom then. I’m sure you would enjoy it.” She opened the door but before she was left, she added one last clause. “I’d be wary of the woods. It’s a wolf’s territory.”
Resigned to her fate, Caroline changed into the light blue dress and pulled her blond hair back into a simple bun. She paced her luxurious prison. She knew that her brothers would come for her even though Caroline had always been one to handle situations herself. She was never one to be considered the damsel in distress. She left that mantel to Elena. However, she found herself a prisoner of the night and she found no way around it. Caroline was never one who could sit still for long periods of time nor was she a coward who would hide in a tower.
So, she didn’t. She roamed where she could without getting burned. The manor was massive and allowed her time to think and plot her escape. However, she found that it would be difficult because where ever she turned, there was always someone watching her.
“I do hope that my sister has been cordial.” A voice came to her when she was in a dark corner of the massive library. She turned to find a man with brown hair and impeccable dress staring at her. “Freya can be harsh but she means well.”
“She cursed me. That does not sound ‘meaning well’ at all.”
“Nothing that can be removed with time.” The man approached and held out his hand. “My name is Elijah. Once Freya has what she needs, she will remove the curse from you and you will be free to go home. I assure you, that you will not be harmed here. You are a guest. Although, I would steer clear of Rebekah. She is put out about the curtains being closed at all times.” Caroline shot him a confused look. She had no idea who Rebekah was. “My other sister.”
“How many of you are there? Are you all witches?” Caroline was unsure if she wanted to know the answer but her father once told her that it was best to know your enemies. He died at the hands of one he never expected so she could only assume he never followed his own advice.
“No. Only Freya and my brother Kol have the gift of magic.” Elijah paused to look at her. “And then there is, of course, Niklaus.”
“Niklaus?”
“My half-brother.” He turned to leave the library. “I do hope you get to meet him soon Caroline. If your brothers bring Freya what she needs, I’m sure you will”
With that, Elijah left her alone. She pondered on his words and the meaning behind them. Caroline always prided herself on her intelligence and her ability to read between the lines. Whatever her brothers had that Freya needed, had something to do with this missing half-brother Niklaus. Whatever it was, she would be used as a pawn until Freya got what she wanted.
She was sick of being stuck in the middle of some power struggle.
Days passed and Caroline roamed the manor. She stayed away from the windows and anything that involved the outdoors during the daytime. Eventually she worked all the way through the library, explored what she could of the manor and found that boredom was her constant companion. She rarely saw Freya or Elijah and had yet to meet this other sister Rebekah but she was followed constantly by guards. Food was given to her everyday as were fresh clothing. She once requested a bath from one of the servants and it was happily provided. Overall, she was treated well, despite the constant fear of being burned alive.
Eventually, Caroline grew sick of the indoors and the moment the sun set, she bolted from the manor. She wouldn’t go far, knowing that she wouldn’t make it to safety before the sun came up again. Instead so remembered Freya’s comments about the garden and roamed the never-ending maze of flowers, vines and stone walls. Within the first week of her imprisonment, Caroline learned that this was her favorite place in the manor. It became her routine that at night, Caroline would roam the garden. It did not take long for her to realize that she was not alone in those moments.
A pair of eyes followed her wherever she went. The first time she saw the glowing eyes peering at her through the trees terrified her. There was something menacing about them but they never moved to attack her. Caroline did not know what infuriated her more, that it left her alive or the lack of action.
“If you want to kill me, just do so. If not, leave me in peace.” Caroline hissed to the blank void. As though following her command and disobeying it all in one motion, she heard the rustle of leaves. Suddenly, a massive black wolf emerged from the trees. He was huge, terrifying but had the saddest blue and gold eyes that she had ever seen. He did not bare his teeth at her or move to attack. Instead it was as though he was curious about her; daring itself to know her better. Caroline could not help but be curious.
Being brave, Caroline stepped forward with her hand out stretched. Her movements were slow and deliberate, hoping to not scare the massive beast causing him to either running away or attacking her. However, the animal seemed intelligent, as though he knew what she was going to do. She reached for him and ran her fingers through the thick black fur. “You are beautiful.” Caroline whispered. She had always been one to see the good in people and in this, she was no different. The wolf admired her bravery and the light that she seemed to have. He became rather found of her.
Night after night Caroline would come to the gardens and the wolf would be there to greet her. He would follow her along the paths. He listened to her rant and rave about everything from being captive to the curse, to her brothers. The wolf huffed in indignation on her behalf as though he understood every word she was saying. And Caroline believed he did.
“I always wanted to be important to someone.” Caroline whispered one night. She was sitting on a bench made of marble while her back rested against the stone wall. The wolf was beside her, his head resting in her lap while she ran her fingers scratched at his head. “My father was disappointed that I wasn’t another son. His first wife gave him two and when she died, he married my mother thinking that he would at least have a third. His disappointment in a girl was vast.” The wolf licked her hands at that, as though to show her sympathy.
“My mother threw herself into charities and everything being a fine lady required. She loved me certainly, but still saw me as her failure. They both died when I was a child. My father was murdered and my mother fell ill.” Caroline rested her head back against the stone. “To Damon, I was nothing more than an annoying little sister who mattered little. Stefan and I were close though. I thought he might have come for me but apparently, I was wrong. Which by the way infuriates me! Why should I have to be the damsel in distress? If it wasn’t for this pesky curse, I would have saved myself by now. But if I even tried, I probably would burn in the sun.”
The wolf huffed at her as though he was laughing at her. She could see the amusement in his eyes and he seemed to be enjoying her anger. Caroline narrowed her eyes in mock fury and the wolf bowed his head, as though he was ashamed at his actions. She just shook her head and continued petting him.
“Well is this not cozy.” A voice came and Caroline jumped. Before her stood a young woman who she had not seen before. By the manor of her dress, posture and tone of voice told Caroline that she was wealthy…and spoiled. She was carrying a basket that was covered by a red cloth. She did not spare Caroline a glance but instead focused on the wolf. “It appears that you’ve made a friend. How nice. I brought you a treat but it appears it was not necessary.”
The wolf moved from the bench and padded over to the other woman. He nudged at the basket and the annoyed look on the woman’s face broke. She gave the wolf a sweet smile and pulled a piece of meat from the basket. The wolf happily took it and began tearing it to shreds.
“You’re Rebekah.”
“And you’re Caroline.” It was clear that Rebekah had no time for Caroline and was irritated by her presence. Elijah had mentioned she was put out by the change in the home but in truth, Caroline wanted nothing more than the curse to be broken. If it was, Rebekah could open all the curtains she liked. Rebekah continued to ignore Caroline in favor of petting the wolf. Once the wolf was done eating everything in the basket, he turned away from Rebekah and padded back to Caroline. Rebekah never looked more insulted. “I see how it is! I’m the one who brings you food! Not Elijah, Freya or Kol. Especially not her! Me!” Rebekah scowled and crossed her arms before turning away. “Fine.”
“Wait!” Caroline called after the other woman and Rebekah paused. “What his name? The wolf?” Rebekah considered for a moment on whether or not she should tell her. The wolf went back over to her and nudged her hand as though he was telling her something. “You really like this one, don’t you?” Rebekah asked the wolf and it huffed in reply; as though her question was foolish. “Don’t take your temper out of me Nik. You know I’ve always been your favorite.” She looked towards Caroline and sighed. “His name is Niklaus.”
                                                           * Within three weeks, Caroline was rarely out of Niklaus’s presence. He was with her constantly when she roamed the gardens. There were times when she would look up at the manor and see the eyes of her captors peering at her. There was something in the way they looked at her while in company of Niklaus. She did not understand why the siblings would be curious about her relationship with the wolf that roamed their grounds. It was clear that the wolf meant something to them but it was something deeper than that of a family pet. What Caroline did not understand was why the wolf was named after the mysterious half-brother that had yet to make his appearance.
It was mid-morning on the day of the full moon when she was contemplating such questions while lying on her bed. Her brothers were to bring whatever Freya needed that night and if they did, she would be able to go home. Caroline was saddened to leave the wolf behind but missed her home. She knew that the siblings were not going to allow her to bring him with her but she wanted to. She had grown attached to him and the thought of leaving him behind tore at her soul. Caroline was pulled from her thoughts as someone knocked on her chamber door. She called for entry and Freya pushed the door open.
“You have a visitor.” With that Niklaus pushed his way into the chamber and hopped onto the bed. Caroline smiled widely and opened her arms. She buried her face in his fur and inhaled. “He was rather persistent. Whimpering and crying on the back patio. Once Elijah let him inside, he sniffed you out. He seems to be extremely fond of you. I think he wishes to remain with you while I am out.”
“Thank you.” Caroline whispered as she hugged the wolf, feeling his black fur against her pale skin. Freya just gave her a rare smile and looked upon her with the wolf. “You’re leaving?”
“It is the full moon; I have to meet your brothers in hopes that they give me what I need. If that is the case, I will return you home first thing in the morning.” Freya paused and just looked at the wolf, who seemed sad all of a sudden. “If this ends tonight and you are free to go, you’re always welcome here Caroline. I’m sure Niklaus will miss you and be a right beast if he is forced to let you go. I’m sure he will seek you out regardless but if would be a kindness to us all if you come from time to time.” “I don’t think I can let him go either.”
Caroline could see that there was something on the tip of Freya’s tongue but she refrained from saying anything. Instead she bowed ever so slightly and left the chamber, shutting the door behind her. Caroline curled up into the chair by the fireplace and pulled out a book. She read aloud to Niklaus as he sprawled out on the rug below her feet. The hours passed quickly and before Caroline realized the time, the sun had set. It wasn’t until Niklaus began to whimper that Caroline noticed how late it had gotten. However, she soon began to care less about the sun setting when she heard the sound of breaking bones.
It was Niklaus. He was whimpering and crying as every single bone in his body began to readjust themselves. She quickly tossed her book aside and kneeled beside him. Tears were streaming down her face, not understanding what she was seeing or why Niklaus was hurting so. She thought he was someone how dying and that she would have to hold the wolf she had grown to love in her arms for his final moments. She quickly gathered him into arms and rocked him as the bones continued to break.
“I’m here. I won’t leave you.” She kissed the top of his head and just held him the best she could. The sound of his cries echoed deep inside of her to the point that she just did not know what to do. She thought of calling for the siblings but she refused to leave him. “I love you. Please don’t leave me.”
“Caroline, you will need to back away from him now.” Caroline turned to see Elijah and Rebekah, as well as a third gentleman standing in her chamber. She did not hear them enter of the sounds of Niklaus’s cries. She refused to let go but Elijah walked over to her and pulled her from the wolf.
“What is wrong with him?!”
“He is changing.” The stranger said and Caroline snapped her eyes to him. It took a moment but she suddenly remembered where she had seen him before.
“You’re the one that kidnapped me!”
“Kol at your service.” He reached for her hand in order to kiss the back of it but Caroline snatched it away quickly. “You’re a feisty one. I see why Nik likes you. I do apologize for the less than ideal circumstances that we met under but I’m sure you understand the reason behind it.”
“What?” Caroline was baffled but stopped when Niklaus let out another howl. She turned away from Kol and tried to rush to him but Elijah stopped her. She just watched as the wolf whimpered and whined. Soon it stopped and something that Caroline was not expecting happened. It was as though the black fur she had grown to adore and his claws began resend into him. The wolf was gone and before her laid a man.
A very naked man.
While Caroline stood there flabbergasted, Rebekah moved quickly and grabbed the blanket that was draped across Caroline’s bed. She pulled it from the bed and wrapped the man with it. He stood slowly with Rebekah’s help. He tied the blanket around his waist and gave Rebekah a fond smile, dimples etched on his cheeks. He was tall with sandy blonde hair- the same as Rebekah’s and Freya’s.
“Nik!” Rebekah wrapped her arms around his middle tightly. “I laid out fresh clothing for you and drew a bath. I know how much you love to scrub the earth from your skin when you turn back.”
“Hello little sister.” He kissed the stop of her head. Caroline’s eyes went wide. The missing half-brother. A wolf with the same name, one that the entire family seemed oddly attached to. A mysterious ingredient that a witch need that was tied to the brother who Elijah hoped for her to meet.
“Sister.” Caroline whispered and Niklaus’s eyes met hers. They were the same blue with flecks of gold that she had grown to recognize. This was the wolf who she spilled her deepest secrets to. Who kept her company and laid with her while she cried? “You’re a man.”
Niklaus pulled away from Rebekah and walked across the room to stand before her. He placed one hand on her cheek and stroked her cheekbone. Despite the change in his form, Caroline could still read the emotion in his eyes, just like she could when he was a wolf. She raised her hand to grip the one on her cheek. Niklaus pulled it to his lips and kissed it.
“Let me bathe, and I will explain it all to you. I promise.” Caroline nodded, still shocked at what had transpired before her. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. It was strange but she felt the same comfort as she did when he laid beside her in wolf form. Niklaus left the room with Elijah and Kol trailing behind. Rebekah stayed behind and just looked at her.
“It is a shock, I know.” Her voice was kind and that was not something Caroline had grown to associate with her.
“Why did none of you tell me?”
“Because…” Rebekah’s shoulder’s sagged. “I guess it just wasn’t our story to tell.” She turned from Caroline and went to the wardrobe. She pulled out a light blue dress. “Here, your dress is all wrinkled and Niklaus will be a moment. It matches your eyes.”
“Thank you.” Rebekah just smiled and left the chamber. Caroline changed quickly and met Rebekah on the landing outside her door. The two walked quietly down the stone staircase and into towards a living area that Caroline typically avoided, because that was where the siblings spent the majority of their time together. The entire time Niklaus was bathing, Caroline paced. She could not sit still and luckily, Rebekah remained silent.
When Niklaus finally made his appearance, Caroline could not help but recognize how handsome he really was. She had always thought that the wolf seemed far to human to be real and having this man stand before her, she finally could see why. Niklaus held out his hand for her.
“Come, my dear. Walk with me.” As though she was compelled, Caroline placed her hand into his and let him lead her away. They linked their arms together and Niklaus lead her outside towards the gardens, the one place they seemed to always spend their time.
“You’re cursed.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I angered a witch.”
“Freya?”
“No.” He laughed at that. He looked down at her and just sighed. “My mother.”
“What?! Why would a mother curse her own child?”
“Magic runs in our family but not all of us are gifted with it. Only Kol and Freya possess the ability.” He stared off into the distance for a moment and Caroline did not press him.
“You spoke to me once of your father and how he was disappointed that you were not another son for him. My father was also a hard man. Never pleased with any of us. Always seeking to find fault when there was none. He stuck us more than once out of anger.”
“And your mother?”
“My mother always seemed so loving. She worked with Freya when it was clear that she had magic. Elijah studied with our father the most since he was the heir to the family fortune. Kol and Rebekah were just young children at the time.” He paused and Caroline could see the distress in his eyes. Caroline squeeze his hand. “The first full moon after my sixteenth birthday, I started feeling this pain radiate through my body. It was the first time I changed.”
“Wait? I thought your mother cursed you to be a wolf?”
“She did. In a way.” He gave a dark chuckled and shook his head. “My mother had been unfaithful to my father. I was the product of that affair. No one had known, not even my father. My true father apparently belonged to a very old bloodline, one that upon each full moon, they turn into a beast.”
“But tonight, is the full moon. Why are you beast every other night of the month?”
“My father, ordered my mother banish me. Calling me nothing more than a bastard son.” With that, Caroline wrapped her arms around him tightly. He held her close and buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent. “In order to keep me close my mother cursed me into wolf form permanently, except for one night a month where I can walk as man.”
“Your parents. What happened to them?”
“When I realized that I would remain a beast. I was angry.”
“You killed them.”
“Yes.” Niklaus was waiting for her to pull from him; to hate him for the evil he committed. She couldn’t hate him for it. It was tragic and heartbreaking but Caroline could see the good in him. He mourned his loss, both of his parents but the time he lost. “I thought that my siblings would turn from me, but they didn’t. Freya threw herself into magic. Obsessed with breaking my curse. When Kol started showing signs of magic, she tutored him. Elijah held this family together and Rebekah…she was my constant companion for all these years.”
“How long?”
“Ten years.”
“I’m so sorry.” Tears were trailing down her cheeks. Niklaus kissed her cheek, tasting the salt of her tears on his lips. She could see why Freya had Kol kidnap her and bring her to this place. Why she would curse her and keep her locked away. She wanted to free her brother and Caroline could not help but forgive her. “How the break the curse? What do my brothers have that could help you? Why would they refuse you?”
“Because it takes the blood of the doppelganger to break my mother’s curse.” Caroline was confused and Niklaus could see it written on her face. “The magic my mother practiced was dark. In order to curse me in this form, she needed the blood of a doppelganger. So, she found her. A young girl from the neighboring village with blood that had magical properties.”
“Elena.” Caroline whispered. “She was taken as a child. Found wondering days later in the woods.”
“Yes.”
“She would give it. If you need some of her blood, she would willfully give it.” Caroline stated, not fully understanding what the term doppelganger meant but she knew Elena’s family was old and had magic in their blood. “Elena is kind and gentle. If she knew what was happening to you, she would help you.”
“It is not Elena who is refusing us, but those who are protecting her.”
“My brothers.” Caroline laughed humorlessly. “Their pride and mutual love for her is why Freya felt the need to take me.” She shook her head. “It is not like you’re asking for a human sacrifice. Just some blood. Right?”
“The blood we need is significant but it would not kill her. Freya would be able to heal her.” They continued to walk through the gardens. “Freya tried to make contact with her but your brothers assumed that she meant to do her harm. Granted my sister is not the warmest of people but she told your brothers that she would protect Elena, they refused.”
Silence fell between them. Neither knowing what to say. They continued to make their way through the garden and Caroline irritation at her brother’s grew. They always jumped to the wrong conclusion and Niklaus was the one who would suffer the consequences. Granted, she would also like to be able to walk in the sunlight again and while that was Freya’s fault, she could not help but lay the blame at Damon and Stefan’s feet.
“Did you mean it?” Niklaus asked and Caroline looked at him confused. “You said you loved me. Did you mean it?”
Caroline paused. She did say it when he was withering in pain. She remembered begging him not to die on her and that she loved him; she had not realized she had said it. But how did one fall in love with a wolf? She felt this connection to him that she could not explain and did not want to let go of. She did not understand how, but she did.
“Yes. I meant it.” He smiled widely and the dimples that Caroline quickly began to adore them. Niklaus leaned down and kissed her lips gently. It was her first kiss and Caroline couldn’t help but relish in it. When he pulled away, she could not help but gaze up at him. She smiled wide and giggled. She was happy and for the first time, she understood all those stories her grandmother told her about falling in love.
“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Niklaus whispered gently and kissed her hands. Daydreams of a possible future between the two of them. Marriage, children and life in this big manner. She thought of feasts and dances were even her brothers got a happy ending. “So brave and full of light.”
“Nik!” They both turned to see Rebekah calling for him. Niklaus walked towards her, pulling Caroline along with him. When they got closer, there were tears streaming down Rebekah’s cheeks and Caroline could tell that they were not happy tears. “They didn’t come Nik.”
Niklaus froze, his shoulders tensing. Freya came into view and peered over her sister’s shoulder. While there were not tears streaming down her face, there were creases etched into her face. There was so much hope for this night for them and even though Caroline just learned of why they needed Elena. It was crushing to see the disappointment on their faces. Kol looked murderous while Elijah just seemed resigned.
However, it was Niklaus who seemed the most enraged. He dropped Caroline’s and walked over to a planter that had bright purple flowers growing out of it. Niklaus grabbed ahold of it and slammed it to the ground with a howl. No Elena meant another month of being a wolf. He was angry and Caroline couldn’t blame him. Slowly, she walked to him and placed her hand on his back. The tension in his back lessened. Caroline wrapped her arms around his middle and kissed the spot in-between his shoulder blades.
“We’ll find a way.” Caroline replied. “I promise.”
“I can’t let you leave Caroline. I hope you understand why.” Freya replied and Caroline just nodded. The siblings filed away, leaving Niklaus and Caroline alone together. They walked along the gardens, Niklaus knowing that Caroline didn’t want to be left indoors longer than she had to be. They spoke about everything that came to mind but there was an underlining sadness to it. She could sense that Niklaus was hoping that he would no longer have to transform into a human once a month and that he would finally break his curse. He was hoping that he could finally begin his life.
And since Caroline entered his life, he wanted that life to be with her.
“The sun is rising.” Niklaus whispered hours later. They were still in the garden, resting on one of their favorite benches. Caroline was in his arms, her head resting on his chest. She listened to his heart and she could hear the steady beat but noticed how it slowly began to change once dawn approached. “You need to go inside.”
“Come with me. I’ll stay with you.”
“No.” Caroline began to protest but Niklaus silenced her. “The change is violent. I know you witnessed me becoming human and the reverse is very similar. Painful and horrible.” Caroline began to tear up at the thought. “I’m hazy when I first become a wolf. Sometimes I can’t control it.” He kissed her gently again. “I would not be able to live with myself if I hurt you. Please. Go inside before the sun hits you.”
Caroline kissed him one last time before running away from him and it wasn’t long before she could hear the howling of pain behind her; but Caroline just pushed forward faster. They were farther into the garden than she expected. She ran as fast as her feet would take her. She could feel the sun rising and when the manor was in sight. She could feel the rays hit her skin. She could feel herself begin to burn and knew that she just wasn’t fast enough.
Out of nowhere, a thick black cloak was thrown over her shoulders and Caroline could feel herself being lifted from the ground. Once she was safely inside the manor, she was laid down upon the marble floor and the cloak removed. She hissed at feeling of the skin being peeled from her skin. There were burns all down her back and the dress was in tartars.
“We really need to stop meeting like this darling.” Kol’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. He looked at her burns and waved his hand over the wounds. Suddenly, Caroline could feel them begin to heal and the pain began to go away. “Next time you and my wolfish brother decide to take a midnight stroll, make sure you’re back before dawn. What would society think? The scandal.”
Caroline just glared at his nonchalant manner. She rolled her eyes at him and that caused him to laugh. Kol stood and held out his hand. Caroline accepted the assistance and took. She brushed some of the ash from her dress and mentally chided herself for not being fast enough.
“Thank you.” Kol just nodded and began to walk away but stopped when Caroline called after him. “Wait. I’m not going to run. I’m staying until Niklaus breaks his curse. You don’t need to keep prisoner of the sun anymore. You can take it away. I won’t leave. I give my word.” Kol just looked at her with sad eyes. There was sympathy there that she just didn’t understand.
“All in good time little one.” With that Kol turned and walked away from her. Caroline made her way to her chamber and changed into a night dress. There was no point in staying awake, she couldn’t enjoy the day anyway. As she laid in bed, something she didn’t realize before came to her. Among the chaos of Niklaus changing from wolf to human and then back to wolf; Caroline forgot to think of herself.
Her brothers never came for her.
                                                          *
Two more months went by without word from either Salvatore brother. Two more full moons that Caroline spent with Niklaus. She grew to know him more and more. Her feelings for her grew deeper and she knew that he loved him in return. When he was in wolf form, he padded behind her; an ever-loyal companion. His siblings even commented on how much more pleasant Niklaus seemed to be; even in wolf form. His temper seemed calmer and he lashed out at them far less. Each took turns telling tales of Niklaus and his adventures over the years; something he did not like.
He only growled at his siblings and would go off to pout in a corner at their teasing.
Caroline eventually formed something of an odd friendship with both Rebekah and Kol. Rebekah was very spoiled and threw several temper tantrums that were fit for a small child. Niklaus would huff and whimper when she did so. But Caroline was patient with her and was able to calm her down to the amazement of the rest of their siblings.
With Kol, he just made her laugh. He showed her magic tricks that both delighted and terrified her. While Niklaus enjoyed Caroline’s friendship with Rebekah, he seemed rather jealous of Kol. Even in wolf form, he made his jealousy easily known; which only made Kol happier for he enjoyed vexing all of his siblings.
Caroline’s relationship with Elijah and Freya was different. They were kind to her but the eldest siblings were far harder to get to know. Elijah was busy most of the time, running the manor and doing whatever it was that he needed to do as lord of his estate. Freya was just far too powerful and focused on her magic to get close too. She could tell that Freya was obsessed with breaking the curse and would not let anything get in her way.
Even if that meant taking down both of her brothers in the process.
It was a typical day, nothing special about it when Caroline heard commotion outside her chamber door. Elijah was due in town for business and promised to take Rebekah with him. He promised her a new dress and Rebekah literally spoke of nothing else. It was three days travel to and from so they were not expected back for a few more days. Freya was gone, meeting with a coven of witches with claims of needing to find a very special ring. No one seemed to question her on it.
That just left Kol in the manor with Caroline and Niklaus. Niklaus, who was still in wolf form, were having a lazy day and had not left her chambers. She read on the fur rug by the fireplace while scratching Niklaus’s ears. The wolf snored and purred in his sleep; something Caroline could not help but chuckle at. It wasn’t until her chamber door burst open that Niklaus was on all fours, growling and baring his teeth.
“Damon?” Caroline stood quickly and looked towards her eldest brother. He was dressed in plain clothes, which was not common for him. He liked to dress like a man of his status, wealthy and noble. Caroline stood and pushed her book aside. “What-?”
“Come on. We don’t have much time.” Damon stepped towards her but Niklaus got in-between them. Damon halted as though seeing the giant wolf for the first time. Damon pulled a sword from his belt as though he was expecting the beast before him. Caroline held up one hand towards her brother and ran the other through Klaus’s fur and whispered to him, calming him. Niklaus backed down but did not move from between the two.
“I’m not going with you.”
“Caroline-“
“Listen to me-“
“No. You listen to me. We’ve spent weeks watching this manor. Learning their comings and goings. This is our only chance of getting you out of here. At night you’re guarded by this wolf and constantly followed by one of those blasted siblings. Today is the only day you’ve been alone.” Klaus growled and bared his teeth again. She knew that he would protect her and his temper might cause to attack Damon if he meant her harm. She could only run her fingers through his thick fur, in hopes of calming him down.
“That is where your wrong mate, she is not alone.” Damon turned and saw Kol standing in her doorway, looking calm and collected. “The lady indicated that she does not want to leave and seeing that she has an open-ended invitation to reside with us, she will be staying.”
“I’m her brother and I say she is coming with me.”
“This is where you always ruin everything Damon. You come barging in with a half-made plan with only half the information.” She gave a bitter laugh and shook her head. “Even if I wanted to come with you, I can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t? Because him?” Damon stated, pointing at Kol.
“No. Because of him.” Caroline looked down at Niklaus and rubbed behind his ears. “And because of this.” Caroline turned from her brother and moved towards the curtains. She paused and took a deep breath before opening the curtains. The sun came streaming in for the first time since she occupied the chambers and she allowed it to hit her skin. The pain was unbearable. She screamed in pain and could smell the stench of her own flesh burning. It only lasted a few seconds before Kol magically had the curtains close behind her. Caroline dropped to the floor in pain and Niklaus crawled over to her; licking at her wounds. Kol strolled across the room and just like he had done months prior, he healed the burns that blemished her skin.
“They cursed you.” Damon hissed out and narrowed his eyes at Kol. “Fix her. Now.”
“Not my curse. Couldn’t if I tried.” Caroline knew Kol was lying. Freya was seeking to undo another witches curse and if Kol really wanted to free Caroline of this burden, he would have.
Or so she thought.
“Just go Damon.”
“You heard the lady. You need leave.” Kol stated and sat down upon on of her armchairs, looking at Damon with expectations. “You know the terms of the deal. Bring us Elena and Caroline is free to walk out of here. In the sunlight. Preferably without burning.”
“I won’t bring the girl I love to her death.”
“Elena wouldn’t be dying. You know nothing of what you speak. They are not going to kill her. Niklaus promised me. I trust him and he loves me.”
“Stop being naive Caroline. Whoever this Niklaus is, he is lying to you. They are playing with you to try and get you one their side.” He looked at her. “You think he loves you. You think that he is some knight in shining armor come to save you. Wake up Caroline, this isn’t some fairytale. He is using you.” Niklaus began to growl, clearly feeling insulted at what Damon was insinuating.
“There are no sides Damon. I love him.” Caroline knew her brother and knew that there was no use in fighting with him. “Go home. Don’t come back unless you have Elena with you. Then maybe I’ll decide to come home for a time.” Caroline moved to stand behind the wolf. “Kol, can you see him out please?”
“My pleasure.”
                                                          * It was the night of the next full moon that everything changed. Everyone was gathered inside, for it was storming and there was not much to be done. Although, it was the first time since Caroline’s stay that the curtains could be open without fear of the sun streaming through the windows and burning her. However, she was sad that her and Niklaus would not be able to take their walk as they had during every other full moon.
Freya was still making her plans to meet with her brothers, as she had ever other full moon, even though none of them believed that either of them would show. Caroline vowed that if neither Stefan or Damon came with Elena, she would tell Kol exactly how to get into her family’s manor and into Damon’s study. He would be able to find where they were hiding Elena there. Damon was foolish when it came to hiding personal documents and anything he wanted to keep hidden. Caroline knew each and every one of his hiding spots since she was a child.
However, Caroline’s planning became unnecessary.
An hour before the sun was due to set, there was a pounding on the front door and Caroline swore she heard a familiar voice. She quickly ran through the archway and saw her old friend yelling at the butler, demanding to let in.
“Elena?”
Elena turned and her shoulder’s sagged in relief. She ran to Caroline and wrapped her arms around her. Elena was drenched from head to toe from the storm raging outside. Her long brown hair was soaked but she did not seem to care.
“I’ve been so worried Care. Bonnie and I have been going out of our minds with worry. Are you okay?” Elena took Caroline’s hands into her and she could see in Elena’s deep brown eyes that she was indeed worried. Niklaus brushed up against Caroline’s side and Elena’s eyes shot down to him, but she was unsurprised. Damon must have told her all about the wolf.
“I’m fine. Why are you here?”
“Damon told me that you refused come home because they cursed you.” Elena stated. “I could not sit by and let you live that type of life when I had a way to fix it.” “Damon and Stefan just let you come here.”
“No.” Elena laughed. “Bonnie helped me get out. She didn’t want to but I was insistent. It is not fun being held against ones will. I suspect that they will be here any moment for it would not take long for them to realize I am missing.”
Caroline smiled at her friend. She knew that Elena was angry at being locked away in some tower with only Damon, Stefan and Bonnie for company. Her brothers would not even allow Caroline to visit because they knew that Caroline was the one most likely to help Elena escape. Apparently, they underestimated Bonnie.
“Caroline? Is everything alright?” Caroline turned to see Elijah making his way down the grand staircase and into the foyer. Freya was just behind him, wearing a very pleased smile. “Everything is perfect. Elijah, meet Elena. Elena, Elijah.”
“I’ve every much aware of who she is.” Elijah replied.
“I’m here to offer myself in exchange for Caroline.” Elena looked directly at Elijah and then over his shoulder at Freya. Elijah stepped forward and took Elena’s hand, kissing the back of it. Caroline looked between the two in amazement. Niklaus snorted beside her, as though he seemed amused. Caroline scratched behind his ears with a small smile. “Freya, can we do this here?” Caroline asked.
“Here is as good as any.” She replied, making her way down the stairs. “But I suggest we do into the ballroom at the very least. The sun will be setting very soon and once the moon is full, we can begin.” Freya turned and made her way deeper into the house and the rest followed.
The ballroom was one room Caroline rarely went into. It was massive and because of the large glass window and ceiling that appeared as though they opened up to the heavens, it made it difficult for her to admire its beauty in the daylight. Freya sent for Rebekah to join them and for Kol to go and retrieve a few items from her chambers. Freya then closed her eyes and the tables began to move themselves. Each and every table and chair slid to the side, leaving the center of the ballroom empty. It wasn’t long before Kol returned, but he was not alone.
“Look sister, what I found lurking about.” Kol had both Damon and Stefan by the arms. He dropped them to the ground and Caroline couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Of course, both of them would come charging after Elena mere moments after she vanished. Yet, it took them months to come to her rescue. Caroline could not help but feel a bit bitter at the fact.
“What are you doing here?” Elena hissed at them.
“Stopping you from being the sacrificial lamb.” Damon snapped right back. Elena shook her head and looked past him. She gazed directly at Stefan. There was something there that Caroline could not understand. The connection between Stefan and Elena had always been far deeper than the one Elena shared with Damon. That did not mean that Damon did not love Elena, it only meant that he was willing to be the villain of her story to ensure her safety.
“This is my choice Stefan. Let me do this.” Stefan just looked at her and closed his eyes before nodding.
“Oh, you cannot be serious.” Damon replied, fury echoing in his eyes. Before anyone could say much more, Niklaus began to whimper and howl. Caroline quickly dropped to her knees in order to pull the wolf to her. Having done this three times already, Caroline knew that rocking him while whispering that she loved him made the transition easier. She blocked out the rest of the room. She blocked out Elena’s cries and her brother’s curses. She ignored Niklaus siblings and anything else that went on around her. She just focused on the wolf in her arms until he transformed into the man she loved. When the transformation was complete, Caroline looked into Niklaus’s eyes and smiled.
“You love him.” Caroline turned to Elena, who had a look of understanding upon her face. Before Caroline could answer, Rebekah came over with a pair of trousers for Niklaus. He took them happily and stood; not caring in the slightest that he was completely naked. Elena adverted her eyes and blushed.
“Let us begin.” Freya stated and magicked a small table to be before her. Kol placed a box on the table and Freya pulled out a very old looking goblet, a knife and small vial filled with a clear liquid. “Elena-“
“Wait.” Niklaus stated. “Caroline first.”
“Nik- “
“Caroline. Do her first.” The look he gave Freya was menacing. It was as though he was ready to rip out her throat if she did not curse Caroline of the curse she placed upon her.
“Very well.” Freya turned to Kol and nodded. Kol strolled over to Caroline who was still sitting on the ground. He held out hand and she accepted it. He helped her to his feet before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small black box. “The spell I placed upon you cannot be broken, Caroline.”
“Freya.” Niklaus hissed. They all could feel the rage pulsing through his body. He stalked slowly to his sister as though he was a predator and she was his prey. “Fix her. Now.”
“I can’t Niklaus. It cannot be removed but there is a work around.” Freya looked away from Niklaus and towards Caroline. “Open the box.” Caroline obeyed and in the small black box was nestled a small ring. The band was silver and in the center was a blue gem that she had never seen before. “It is a daylight ring. It will protect you from the sun’s rays. As long as you wear that ring, you can walk in the sun again. Take off, and you will burn.”
Caroline nodded and pulled the ring from the box. She slid it onto her finger. She felt no different but she supposed that only time would tell. Freya gave her a weak smile and moved to look at Elena. She held out her hand, motioning for Elena to step forward. Damon grabbed Elena’s arm, stopping her from moving forward.
“Let me go Damon.” Elena demanded of him before pulling her arm from his grasp. She advanced forward and stood before Freya. The witch handed her the small vial filled with the clear liquid.
“Drink this. You will fall asleep and you will feel no pain. When you wake up, it will be like nothing happened.” Elena pulled the cork from the vial and brought it to her lips. She hesitated for a moment but then brought the vial to her lips and drank. Her eyes fluttered shut, the vial slipped from her fingers and crashed to the floor; shattering as it hit the ground. Elena’s legs gave out and Kol caught her. He held her upright while Freya brought the knife to her neck and slit her throat. Caroline cried out in fright but Niklaus grabbed her hand, pulling her into his arms. He wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“I promised that she would not die. Trust me.”
Both Damon and Stefan screamed at the sight but Elijah stopped them from advancing. Freya tilted Elena over the goblet to allow the blood to flow inside of it. Once it was filled, Kol gently set Elena on the ground. Elijah let the two men go and they both advanced to where Elena was laying on the ground. When the shook her, she did not move but Caroline could see the wound on her neck was already healing. Neither Damon nor Stefan seemed to be able to process that information. All they could see was the dead corpse of the woman they loved.
“Kol.” Freya held out her hands and her brother grasped them. They began to chant over the goblet in a language that Caroline did not understand. Niklaus kissed the top of Caroline’s head before letting her go. He walked over to his siblings and once they were done chanting, Freya handed him the goblet. Niklaus brought it to his lips and began to drink. Drops of Elena’s blood began to flow down his chin and onto his naked chest.
Once complete, he sat the goblet down and for a moment Caroline thought it was over. In an instant, Niklaus began to scream and clutch his head. He eyes glowed yellow and he was panting. He had trouble standing upright and both Freya and Kol caught him, slowly lowering him to the floor. Rebekah ran to them, kneeling behind her brother and Elijah was not far behind. Caroline began to walk towards him but Stefan caught her around the middle. She had not noticed he had moved.
“We need to go.”
“What?! No, I can’t. I can’t leave him.”
“Caroline. Listen to me. We need to go. Now.”
“Stefan. Don’t. Please. Damon! Let go!” Stefan, ignoring his sister, reached down and tossed her over his shoulder. She screamed at him to put her down. She beat and clawed at his back but Stefan did not stop. Damon, who was still kneeling by Elena, stood and walked towards them. The two brothers left the ballroom; taking Caroline by force.
“Niklaus!” No matter how hard she tried to fight, Stefan would not put her down. All she could see as she left the ballroom was Niklaus’s body withering on the floor.
*
“Are you certain she is alive?” Bonnie asked her days later as they walked the halls. The Salvatore manor had been draped in black. Ever mirror covered by a black cloth and the curtains changed to black. Everyone was dressed in mourning, the loss of Elena in the forefront of all their minds. Damon locked himself in his study, refusing to speak to anyone. Stefan just sat in the library, with a brandy in hand. Neither brother was willing to listen to their sister, nor would they allow her to go back to Niklaus’s manor.
“I’m certain of it. Niklaus promised she would survive and I have to trust that.” Caroline looked down to the ring on her finger. While the curtains remained closed, the ring Freya had given Caroline worked. Caroline had been able to walk in the sunlight for days, however while she was gifted with the sun back, she felt as though she lost the moon.
“Then why the dress?” Bonnie motioned towards the long black dress that Caroline wore.
“Because it is not for Elena.” While she was sure her old friend was alive and would be returned to them shortly, she was not certain that Niklaus survived. Seeing him in such pain after drinking Elena’s blood caused him an enormous amount of pain and Caroline could not be sure he was alive. He would have come for her if he was.
“The magic they performed, that you described, was black magic. If both Elena and Niklaus survived, it would take time for them to gather their strength.” Bonnie pulled Caroline into a hug. “Do not lose hope. There is still time.”
“I hope you’re right.” Caroline pulled away and Bonnie gave her a gentle smile; but then her smile changed and her eyes widened. Bonnie moved toward the window and looked out into the bright and sunny day. Caroline turned around and saw a coach pull in her family’s gravel driveway. The driver stopped the horses, halting the carriage. He hopped down and opened the door. He held out his hand, helping someone down from inside.
Elena.
And she wasn’t alone.
Caroline turned and ran. She ran faster than she ever had before. She ran through the corridors she played in as a child, down the stairs her mother used to scold her for going too fast down and towards the front door. She burst through the already open door with tears streaming down her face and marched directly into the sunlight. She did not see Stefan kneeling on the ground in front of Elena, dirtying his pants or Damon who was pale and looked as though he had seen a ghost.
The only thing she could focus on was Niklaus, who was standing in the sun; enjoying the rays against his very human skin. He came for her. He stood before her in the sunlight and Caroline thought that she had never seen something so perfect. She had only seen him in the moonlight but seeing him as the sunlight beat down upon him made her heart burst. He was whole again.
“I always knew you would be beautiful in the sun.” Niklaus whispered to her. Without another word, Caroline launched herself into his arms. Niklaus held her close and lowered his lips to hers. They kissed slowly not caring about the scene around them. It was chaos, Damon and Stefan were yelling in anger at the sight of their sister kissing a man while Elena and Bonnie just laughed; hugging as they went. Neither Caroline nor Klaus cared because all that was left in that moment was the two of them.
One could say that Niklaus and Caroline lived happily ever after but that would be misleading. In the end they were happy, certainly. They married, had children and grew old together but they had their trials. Niklaus still transformed at every full moon and Caroline could never remove the daylight ring from her finger for fear of burning in the sun. He had a temper and she was stubborn. Damon and Stefan hated him and the feeling was mutual on Niklaus’s part. It did not help matters that Elena chose to marry neither of the brothers, instead running off to marry Elijah; a move no one expected.
In the end Niklaus and Caroline lived long life filled love, magic and curses.
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dansysgroup-blog · 4 years
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How cryosurgery is made simple with Freezpen?
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thesportssoundoff · 5 years
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“A very weird card for a very weird month” UFC Fight Night: Weidman vs Reyes Preview
Joey
October 14th, 2019
It's Octobr and the UFC's scheduling usually goes like this in my estimation:
Jan- New year, we're all excited, folks get injured, overpacked shows in December hurt the new year but we deal with it.
Feb- Injuries/cold means makeshift cards, people get mad.
March- Shows are a bit fatter, big title fights are coming around, people are excited.
April- The "set up" for the summer months, usually really good fight cards on paper with little to no name value.
May- Normally the "bad" PPV month, free events are good.
June- The last month before things get wild and wooly. PPV's tend to be damn good, free cards tend to be pretty balanced.
July- Everything has to be BIG so you get BIG PPV and then an event or two after the PPV that drag down the blocks average.
August- The end of the summer, injuries get heavy because of the seasonal change, focus is on prepping for November and December.
September- OH MY GOD EVERYBODY IS HURT! EVERYTHING IS REALLY WEIRD! THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON!
October- The down month where they're scrapping and salvaging just to get to MSG. Shows are pretty much whatever they can put together without working too hard. Usually where they do some kind of weird Canadian card. The cards tend to bounce between "This is surprisingly good" and "I don't have the time or the energy for this".
November- IT'S MSG! IT'S LOADED! What about the rest of the month? Ah, okay then. Carry on.
December- The end of the year where they try to end with a bang. Normally a lot of drama, prep for 2020. We get fights announced for next year that usually top what we're being offered this year. Big PPV to end things on the right note.
This card is pretty much 100% October. You have a kind of weird but kinda good main event at the top of the bill, a really good yet weird co-main event under it, a really weird but kinda good HW fight and then a bunch of Northeast projects and prospects. If you remove the top three fights, finding the next good fight that is objectively good might depend on how you feel about Gillian Robertson vs Maycee Barber. Me personally I think you can do far, far worse than Barber vs Robertson and actually quite like the fight as a good test for Maycee Barber. After that? You have some highly touted prospects coming off losses (Manny Bermudez, Randy Costa, Boston Salmon), some guys off the Contenders Series trying to find their niche (Brendan Allen, Sean Woodson, Jonathan Pearce)  and a bunch of filler. It's kinda not bad filler though? Everything about this card is just weird, folks. Bare with.
Fights: 13
Debuts: Tanner Boser, Brendan Allen, Sean Woodson, Sean Brady, Diana Belbiţă, Ben Sosoli, Jonathan Pearce
Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: (Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Calvin Kattar CANCELLED/Eric Spicely OUT, Kevin Holland IN vs Brendan Allen)
Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 5 (Greg Hardy, Jeremy Stephens, Yair Rodriguez, Chris Weidman, Joe Lauzon)
Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 1 (Joe Lauzon)
Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 6 (Dominick Reyes, Chris Weidman, Greg Hardy, Gillian Robertson, Maycee Barber, Kevin Holland)
Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2017 (in the UFC): 24-15
Chris Weidman- 1-2 Dominick Reyes- 5-0 Jeremy Stephens- 3-3 (1 NC) Yair Rodriguez- 2-1 (1 NC) Greg Hardy- 2-1 Ben Sosoli- 0-0 Joe Lauzon- 1-3 Jonathan Pearce- 0-0 Gillian Robertson- 4-1 Maycee Barber- 2-0 Deron Winn- 1-0 Darren Stewart- 3-4
Fights By Weight Class (yearly number here):
Featherweight- 3 (52) Women’s Flyweight- 2 (31) Middleweight-  2 (40) Heavyweight- 2 (31) Welterweight- 1 (62) Light Heavyweight- 1 (39) Bantamweight- 1 (53)
Lightweight- (66) Women’s Strawweight- (26) Flyweight-  (15) Women’s Featherweight- (8) Women’s Bantamweight-  (18)
2019 Number Tracker
Debuting Fighters (33-55-1)- Tanner Boser, Brendan Allen, Sean Woodson, Sean Brady, Diana Belbiţă, Ben Sosoli, Jonathan Pearce
Short Notice Fighters (28-35)- Kevin Holland
Second Fight (52-34)- Randy Costa, Boston Salmon, Deron Winn
Cage Corrosion (Fighters who have not fought within a year of the date of the fight) (20-37-1)- Charles Rosa, Joe Lauzon, Daniel Spitz
Undefeated Fighters (35-37-2)- Dominick Reyes, Sean Woodson, Maycee Barber
Fighters with at least four fights in the UFC with 0 wins over competition still in the organization (11-8)-
Weight Class Jumpers (Fighters competing outside of the weight class of their last fight even if they’re returning BACK to their “normal weight class”) (29-20)- Chris Weidman, Manny Bermudez
Twelve Precarious Ponderings
1- Why is a New York vs New York fight taking place in Boston? I know that might not matter from a lot of folks but as the guy who grew up with boxers headlining in their home markets, this irks me.
2- I feel like this main event almost depends entirely on how you view Volkan Oezdemir as a fighter. The last time we saw Dom Reyes, he was given a really hard tough fight against Volkan Oezdemir in London. I don't think "robbery" is fair but I do think if you scored it for Volkan then you have a justifiable grumble about him losing that decision. What has gone under the radar is that Reyes did a tremendous job to adjust to what wasn't working and mix in more work to the body to keep it close and then the general rule of "win the third round, win the fight" wins out. I think there's no shame in a young prospect getting tested on his way up the ranks and managing to get by. You'd rather see warts now than in the middle of the first round of a title fight. Also Volkan Oezdemir is proving to be a pretty good quality 205er who even in his losses has moments of success. As such, I'm left to wonder if folks are a bit too harsh on a dude who iced Jared Cannonier, had no issues with OSP and remains the most exciting LONG TERM prospect at 205 lbs.
3- Is it too late for Chris Weidman? Despite the calls of folks to move up in weight, Weidman held off until seemingly all options were exhausted at 185 lbs. The fact of the matter and the unbearable truth is that Chris Weidman's style was based all on his durability and versatility simply fell apart when he needed it the most. He couldn't withstand the wars he was putting himself in at 185 lbs and his wrestling isn't as advertised anymore. At the same time, he still subbed Kelvin Gastelum, has a Hall of Fame worthy resume and enters a division where mid tier MWs are having breakout runs to title shots. Weidman can still crack, has a variety of offensive tools in his backpocket and in SPURTS he's still a good wrestler. Weidman's biggest problem for me as a wrestler has always been his lack of control once fights hit the turf but maybe cutting less weight will help. Then again Luke Rockhold didn't get much help in that regard either.
4- Here's how I'm beginning to feel about guys from 185 lbs going up to 205 lbs. If you're an athlete (Thiago Santos, even Anthony Smith to some degree) then it can work because the athletic barometer at 205 is better than HW but lowert han any other weight class. Guys who are fast at 185 lbs will remain fast at 205 lbs because that travels. They're also likely to hit a lot harder given the increase in weight. That said, if you're slow or clunky, no amount of weight cutting is going to fix that. Luke Rockhold simply looks and perhaps may just be a slow and clunky guy. Against Jan Blachowicz, he LOOKED like a heavier version of his usual self. What makes me worried about Chris Weidman and his chances at 205 lbs is that he's slow, clunky and kind of sort of broken. I don't think his body and his (lack of) speed will travel much at 205 lbs.
5- So who is hurt more by having to cut weight again for this fight, Yair or Jeremy Stephens? I kind of think it'll be Yair but I also saw him show up on two weeks notice to fist fight the Korean Zombie.
6- I really hope there's a chance, honestly and truthfully, that Joe Lauzon calls it quits win or lose. Lauzon feels like one of those guys who would be better suited in his personal life giving up the ghost and embracing the next phase.
7- This feels like the first real card to roll out the Contenders Series for season 3 so I'll break down who is whom and how they got here:
HW Ben Sosoli faces Greg Hardy- Sosoli is an Aussie kickboxer who made the MMA transition, fought on TUF and emerged on the DWCS in season 3. He had a "no contest" but was on his way to winning the fight before an eye poke (by him) ended the fight. Sosoli is being brought in to have a slugfest with Hardy.
LW Jon Pearce has a pretty crazy story. He was in a coma after getting jumped by somebody at his gym after hours. He recovered and fights like every southeastern dude who has ever fought in the UFC; basically scrapping when he wants to and wrestling out of trouble when he has to. I would say "He's the kind of guy who can give Joe Lauzon trouble" but I think at this point anybody with a working pulse gives him trouble.
FW Sean Woodson is REAL interesting. He took on a super prospect in his DWCS fight and struggled with the consistent wrestling----then he hit one of the cooler flying knees ever and scored a walk off second round KO. Dana even admitted that his finish was TOO good to not get signed despite the concerns he had about his wrestling.
MW Brendan Allen is your yearly "LFA has a middleweight champ and we gotta sign him" guy. He's accomplished-ish at 12-3 with some losses to good competition (Anthony Hernandez and Eryk Anders are both having solid runs). He's a violent kinda dude but I think he's a step below Ian Heinisch and Anthony Hernandez IE: he's kinda sketchy.
8- Boston Salmon was a really hyped L(R)FA prospect, the kind of guy who the UFC normally signs before he's ready and rushes out there. Salmon won on the DWCS in Season One and disappeared, re-emerging this year before losing in ugly fashion in his first fight with the organization. We've detailed here how badly debuting fighters struggle but also how much better they do in their second go around. Of course the same could be said for his opponent Boston Salmon. I guess win or lose, I think Salmon's going to look worlds better than he did in his debut. It couldn't in theory have looked much worse?
9- I wish I knew about Molly McCann's opponent so I could somewhat excited about her fight upcoming. Diana Belbita lost to Ariana Lipski who Molly McCann beat so....I dunno dudes.
10- I wonder how many fighters people would know off of this main card. 4 or 5 tops? Manny Bermudez, Molly McCann, Kevin Holland  and then?
11- So let's talk about Kevin Holland briefly, shall we? Holland's UFC run has been weird to say the least. Holland debuted on short notice against THIAGO SANTOS (!), took all of Santos' best offense and somehow lived to tell the tale about it. In large part, Holland's ability to just talk copious amounts of shit no matter the circumstance endeared him to UFC fans and supporters. In the end, Holland got his best opportunity and since then the UFC has taken it slow and steady with him. Holland has wins over John Phillips, Gerald Meerschaert and most recently a close decision win over Alessio Di Chirico. Holland's rep as an action fighter is overstated (as is most of his game) but to go 3-1 in the UFC under any circumstances is pretty solid. He's the sort of guy who doesn't like to work too hard theoretically but lacks the middle ground to carry himself beyond that point. Yet he's so gifted, long and determined that he tends to be able to get by doing the bare minimum. Brendan Allen is probably going to give him plenty of opportunities to be offensive if he wants to be but that's entirely up to Holland and his mentality.
12- The last time we saw him, Deron Winn was having a FOTN style war with Eric Spicely on short notice. Winn has a lot of "poor man's DC" about him which is a really unfair comparison but I can't think of a guy that short in a weight class who prioritizes the same arsenal of strikes that he does other than DC. He gets a kind of risky step up in competition with Darren "The Dentist" Stewart. Stewart has a bit of a funky UFC record, he started his run 0-3 and then hit a stride of sorts since then, going 3-1 with the sole loss being a super close split decision to MW prospect Edmen Shahbazyan. Stewart hits really hard and has found some tremendously timely resolve with his takedown defense, creating a sort of fight that should be closer on paper than some folk might realize.
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Dr Anita Rath
Dermatologist & Trichologist , Laser Specialist Doctor in Bhubaneswar, only available at Ashu Skin Care, the best dermatology Clinic &
Best Skin Clinic , Hair Clinic, Cosmetology Clinic , Laser Treatment Clinic & Hair transplant clinic in Bhubaneswar,  Odisha, India.
•          Member International Academy of Cosmetic Dermatology (IACD) (USA)
•          Member European Society for Cosmetic & Aesthetic Dermatology (ESCAD) (PARIS, FRANCE)
•          Member European Academy of Dermatology & Venerology (EADV), Switzerland
•          Member International Society of Dermatology (ISD) (USA)
•          Member International Society of Pediatric Dermatology (ISPD), Madrid, Spain
•          Life Member Association of Facial Aestheticians & Aesthetic Surgeons of India (AFAASI)
•          Life Member Indian Association of Dermatologists Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL)
•          Life Member Pigmentary Disorders Society (PDS)
•          Life Member Cosmetic Dermatology Society of India (CDSI)
•          Life Member Association of Cutaneous Surgeons of India (ACSI)
•          Life Member indian Society for Pediatric dermatology (ISPD)
•          Life Member Nail Society of India (NSI) i
•          Life Member The Hair Research Society of India (HRSI)
•          Member Association of Hair Restoration Surgeons of India (AHRS)
•          Life Member All India Association for Advancing Research in Obesity      (AIAARO)
•          Life Member Indian Medical Association (IMA)
•          Life Member The PCOS Society India (PSI)
•          Life Member Dermatopathology Society of India (DSI)
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Syndicated strip or graphic novel? Lynn Johnston on doing For Better or For Worse in the internet age
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In honor of the Library of American Comics' publication of For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library, Vol. 1 (Volume 2 is out this summer), we are delighted to publish this essay by Lynn Johnston, contemplating the nature of writing a serial for decades and how she might approach her life's work today.
  When I was barely 20 years old, I got married. My husband and I settled into an old apartment in Vancouver, near English Bay. He was working for the CBC as a cameraman and I was an ink and paint artist for Canawest Films. I wanted to be an animator and was learning the industry from the ground up. We did commercials, public service announcements and piece work for Hanna Barbera. I was one of 16 young women hired to hand colour acetate cells. Having signed an agreement to not join a union, we took shifts and worked around the clock for $1.50 an hour. It was hard work, but I learned quickly and I realized that an animator makes other people's drawings, other people's characters, other people's dreams come to life. With no children to occupy my time at home, I decided to try my hand at creating stories and characters of my own. I have always been more at home with realistic scenarios, so I decided to tell short stories about my childhood. Within a few weeks, I had a few tall tales worked out and perhaps, 15 coloured drawings. I wondered if they might even be published some day. It was 1968 and I was creating a graphic novel.    
 If I was starting out today, knowing what I do about the internet vs syndicated comic art, I think I would choose to become a graphic novelist. Having said that, I need to add that the very thought of writing a novel and illustrating it is daunting. Even as a young and fairly driven cartoonist, I was as lazy as anyone else! If I had a really good idea, I was immediately inspired to get it on paper, but a long, focused page-after-page production would have had its serious ups and downs. At the moment, I am working with a friend on a graphic novel of his. I'm his editor and he is doing all the work. Even so, it's such a long process that we have our times of great progress followed by times of exhaustion and self doubt! The project continues, but it's far from an easy task. A graphic novel is serious work. I admire all the artists who stick with it and see the sweet success of publication.
  A syndicated comic strip, though hard work and long hours, can be like a graphic novel, I think. Mine certainly became a chronicle of family life – a story that had a beginning a middle and an end. Since it was produced over 30 years - a day at a time, the process was certainly different. Strict deadlines and censorship played a significant role in the way story lines evolved. Timing was important, too. In a graphic novel, the reader can skip forward or back, read the volume entirely or savour it one piece at a time. A syndicated comic strip has to hit a target every day with a gag or a philosophical point; something to make it worth a reader's time. It takes less than 30 seconds for a reader to suck in your message, which has to be good enough to warrant another review the next day. If the reader misses Monday's strip, the strip he reads on Wednesday has to engage and also continue the story line if there is one. There is a steady dance between funny and poignant, serious and satirical. In order to create something that held MY interest, I kept juggling comedy with reality and serious stuff with every day happenings. There was a kind of science to it. I thought a great deal about how dialogue was written. It had to flow like poetry. I thought long and hard about when to stop a serious story and how to start another. Sunday pages were a refuge in that I could make up something fanciful or goofy or honest without having to fit it into a series running on the daily page. Some of my best work was done on the Sunday pages because I had the space to time the action and to craft the commentary. The name "For Better or for Worse" was an honest title; an appraisal of the work I did for so long.
  Andrews and McMeel published “For Better or for Worse” in an annual collection for many years. As a collection, the strip became easier to digest; easier to remember. You could read a year's work in one sitting. I was proud of these books and even more so when readers began to collect them and then pass them on to their kids. The first collections were incomplete, as I had removed strips I didn't think were my best work. A&M gave me that privilege and I edited my books rather savagely. Now, almost 10 years after I retired, IDW books has begun to publish my syndicated work as it originally ran, warts and all! This is a beautiful product. Large, hard cover books, (9 eventually), will be out there on library shelves and will contain everything I ever did for Universal Press Syndicate. This is an honour and a gift. There will be thousands of drawings in these books, representing many more thousands of hours of thought and scrutiny. These volumes will be in their entirety an enormous graphic novel!
 I do think of “For Better or for Worse” as a huge graphic novel, but ironically, the thought of writing and drawing a graphic novel in the modern sense stops me cold. I think of the story arc, the writing and the drawing, the criticism, the editing, the publishing and marketing and it makes me tired. I look at the aisles of graphic novels in the bookstores and all of the work available on the internet and I marvel at the talent. But I also admire the intense perseverance that goes into completing every one of these books. I might have produced a giant graphic novel, but I did it one day at a time. This is a new age with new ways of doing everything. It's a new world, but hard work is still hard work!  Despite the frustration of making ends meet, despite the time it takes and the competition we face, cartoonists (who are also writers, performers and comedians) will always produce, create and be "out there" because it's something we are driven to do. Graphic novel or comic strip, we open our veins. We keep few secrets. If success happens to come, that's wonderful, but most of us would work for free. With this in mind, comic art continues to be one of the richest of art-forms. It's also one of the oldest. Internet or Gutenburg's Press, we're driven to draw and the reward is in knowing that there will be silent but sincere applause.
https://boingboing.net/2018/03/15/syndicated-strip-or-graphic-no.html
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