#and Kro...sometimes calls

[softquietsteadylove]

I have this idea for the Parent/Teacher AU!

So Thena and Gilgamesh have been together for quite some while now and spent a lot of time at each others places with Druig. Gilgamesh takes care of Druig like a dad! So one day Druig calls him „mister dad“ on accident and you can decide how they react! Just a sweet, soft moment!

(*whispering* happy belated, Butterfly 🦋❤️)

"Okay, buddy, ready to go?" Gil asked as he packed up his bag, ready to leave with Druig in tow. Thena was getting off work a little early, but she had told Gil that if she wasn't there by pick up time, to simply come meet her at her ongoing shoot.

"Almost!"

Gil shook his head with a grin, fixing the strap of his satchel on his shoulder. He walked over to the reading corner, where Druig was procrastinating (like always). "Don't you wanna go see Mum, pal? We can pick her up from work, and then I'm making spaghetti for dinner."

Druig sighed, closing his book and getting up from his position of lying on the floor. "Okay, Mister Dad."

Gil looked at Druig, who stared right back at him. Gil made sure to keep his face neutral, though. He wanted to see what big feelings Druig might be having over what had just happened, and the last thing he wanted to do was make the kid feel like he'd done something wrong.

Druig hugged the book to his little body, doing his little stomping dance of anxiety. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Gil was quick to reassure the boy, dropping his bag and kneeling before him. "I'm not mad, Druig."

He looked at Gil, though, as if trying to see if it was a lie and by how much.

"Here," Gil sighed, sitting down completely and settling in for a good talk. "Can we talk about it?"

Druig, recognising the body language of when a calm, safe discussion was about to be had, automatically followed his lead.

"Now," Gil patted his knees, looking at the boy in front of him.

He and Thena had been together a few months already, and were playing things by ear on how to proceed with Druig. They had explained that they were 'special' friends, and that they would be spending some time together. Thena kept a close eye on how Druig was feeling at all times, but he had shown no resistance to any changes in their relationship from his perspective.

Gil was still his teacher, but also spent a lot of time at their house, just not specifically to play with Druig (to his occasional annoyance).

Gil didn't want any pressure to be put on Thena or Druig, though. Kro was technically still Druig's father, no matter how seldom he was in the picture. And Gil was happy with however they chose to include him things as they desired.

"It was an accident," Druig mumbled out, still looking embarrassed as he crossed his legs, poking the part of his sneakers that could light up in the dark. He was getting a little better with his 'a's and 'an's.

"I know, and that's okay," Gil nodded, watching the kid closely. "How did you feel when you said it?"

Druig squirmed a little.

"It's okay to feel embarrassed," Gil said gently, to which Druig nodded. Gil leaned his elbows on his knees, "can you name another feeling?--or something you thought?"

Druig exhaled, unfolding a little bit. Gil couldn't help but smile; he really was the spitting image of Thena, if not in looks then behaviour. "Will Mum be mad?"

Gil gave Druig a smile, "you can ask her. But I don't think she'll be mad. Are you worried she will be?"

Druig looks down at his feet again. "Dad'll be."

That made sense. Not that Druig was worried about what his father would think, but that he was anxious about the temper his father had. Thena had done her best to keep him protected from it, but clearly Druig wasn't ignorant to it.

Gil sighed. This was a delicate situation, and certainly there were going to have to be some discussions about it. But he always felt strongly that he didn't believe in lying to the kids unless it was for a greater good. "How about this?"

Druig perked up.

"We'll tell you mom, and we can talk about how we all feel about it," Gil suggested gently, to which Druig still seemed resistant, "but you don't have to tell your Dad if you don't want to. If we have to tell him, then you can let Mum and me worry about it, okay?"

Druig pursed his lips (also a Thena habit). "What if he yells at 'er?"

Gil drew in a breath, still trying to keep his face neutral. "I promise I won't let him, okay? We can talk about it nicely, like grownups."

"Okay."

Gil tilted his head at Druig's resignation. He didn't seem to feel any better about the situation. "Is there anything else you wanna talk about?"

Druig eyed Gil, coming off as much older than his mere six years. He picked at his shoelaces. "Would it hurt Dad's feelin's?--if I called you Mister Dad?"

Such a sensitive kid. Gil considered what to tell the little old soul. He was glad that he had reservations about hurting others' feelings, even if it was for a father who didn't necessarily deserve his consideration. "Well, I don't know, Druig. It's nice that you don't want to hurt his feelings, though."

Having it phrased back to him actually seemed to make him less inclined to be. He frowned, desperately trying to sort out his young feelings and put them into words. "Is...you're not mad?"

"I'm not mad," Gil smiled.

"Not at me?"

"I'm not mad at you."

"Or Mum?"

"I'm not mad at Mum."

Druig accepted the truths given, filing away the new information.

"Druig," Gil scooted a little closer.

He could have guessed this might arise. He and Thena had no way of spending their time together completely away from Druig's attention. Neither of them had any intention of lying to him, and it wasn't as if Gil was a stranger to Druig before their relationship began, anyway.

He was quickly becoming one of the most prominent presences in Druig's life, alongside Phastos and Ben. Ajak and Thena were already like a co-parenting dream team with how sewn together their kids were.

Kro was probably - understandably - far from Druig's mind when he thought about his family and who comprised it.

"When we're in school, everyone calls me Mister Gil, because those are the rules, right?" Gil proposed, to which Druig nodded. "You call Uncle Phastos Mister Stoss, don't you?"

He nodded again.

"But, when we're at home, or out spending time together," Gil offered a gentle smile, something in his chest aching, "it's okay with me if you want to call me Mister Dad."

Druig, no matter how much he had learned to be hard to read from his mother, was still a 6 year old. And the smile that came over him lit the whole classroom.

Gil felt his chest tighten. Past his degree in child psychology, and his teaching certifications, and his experience as an educator--even past his fondness for Druig as his student, he loved this kid. His attempts to intellectualise his way around the feeling always ended up with him just adoring the sweet little boy who seemed so much like his mother.

Gil blinked as Druig ran over to him, receiving the boy in a hug that was almost alarmingly out of character for him. Druig wasn't affectionate by nature, and only Thena and Makkari were ever on the receiving end of hugs from him.

But Gil ruffled Druig's hair, letting him bury his face in the arm of his sweater.

"Everything okay?"

Gil smiled as Thena knelt down next to them. Druig didn't even look up, immediately moving from Gil's embrace to his mother's. She curled around her son instinctively, cradling him against her and kissing his hair. Gil met her eyes, "we're okay. Talking about some big feelings."

Thena nodded; that meant that they would have plenty more to talk about later. She ruffled Druig's hair, "are you ready to go home, Darling?"

He nodded, rubbing his teary eyes and runny nose all over her nice blouse.

"Okay," she just smiled, letting him make as much of a mess of her as he wanted. She stood, holding Druig to her as Gil picked up his bag and collected Druig's backpack and jacket. "Mister Gil is going to make spaghetti, Darling. Does that sound good?"

"Yes."

At least it was something, and even just the one word was enough to comfort Thena. She looked up at Gil, who leaned in to kiss her cheek. "How was your day?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle," he assured her, his free hand naturally finding the small of her back as they made their way out of the building to his car.

"Mum?"

"Yes, Darling?" Thena looked at Druig, brushing away some tears from his eyes.

"Can Mister Dad read me a story tonight?"

Thena looked up at Gil with wide eyes, but he just nodded. This was what they were going to have to talk about more later. Later, because this was not the time nor the environment in which to try it. She ran her fingers through Druig's hair, "if you like, Darling, of course he can."

"M'kay."

Gil gave Thena a smile and a shrug. He really was fine with it, maybe even further endeared to them. Thena blushed faintly; not only did they have to talk about this as Druig's mother and teacher, but also what it meant in the context of their relationship.

"Mum?"

"Yes, Darling?"

"Is Mister Dad gonna sleepover again?"

Thena's blush doubled, although she buried it against the top of Druig's head. "Let's just get through dinner first, okay, Love?"

[scribblermish]

20th July 2022

9:35 P.M.

Day 2

Today I've learnt something really interesting, that is, money is not everything, obviously money is really very important to complete all materialistic needs but something which is way beyond this money is respect, love and most importantly values which we only and only can earn or inculcate in ourselves and these things are truly very important for leading a successful life.

Some people in life will value you, always love you, respects you, as you are sometimes get angry with you but at the end of the day they are your people. Trust me, the best way to identify people is how they are with you (their behaviour), they leave you alone in your bad times or they are with you?

If they are still with you and love you the same then never ever leave those kind of people (but a very harsh and bitter reality is that only parents and a very few people are there who are actually yours)

And others are just... pretending to be yours....😂🤭so you also just pretend...be an actor betuu...❤️🤭 and baki samajh jao na....suno sabki but kro man ki (Listen to everyone, do your mind) ....that my father taught me..!

Today my mentor, my teacher, my guru, bought a PC for our workplace (coaching where I used to teach students biology) he was the owner of our institution he called me and said Manisha see our new PC for coaching..I said congratulations sir..he said wait this is everyone's PC your PC so..Congratulations to you madam...and said okay sit on this chair and see it's all functions and do whatever you want to do with it..learn my child...And I am like just what really?....that I am just a 19 year old girl still he is giving me so much of respect...yes obviously I am good at my work and working hard for coaching but still..this whole incident shows that how respectful and good hearted person he is...which taught me so many things

1. Be respectful to each and everyone around regardless of their status this will make you more humble and good as a person.

2. Remember them who are with you in all your good and bad times.

3. A little off track point but... always try to be dedicated towards your work.

And now a beautiful poem written by none other than..me..one and only 🤭❤️.. Manisha Mehta...for all those who thinks that money is everything....

Itna paise lekar khan jaoge

Basta chahe sone ke banva lo

par pencil to aj bhi lakdi ki hi chalaoge Itna paisa lekar khan jaoge

Is moh maya men rakha hi kya h jo tum paoge

itna paise lekar khan jaoge

Kitni bhi mehngi botal ho

Pani to tum bhi utna hi pee paoge Itna paisa lekar khan jaoge

Jitna bhi kamaoge apne bad kiske upar lagaoge

Itna paisa lekar khan jaoge

Ha paisa jaruri h khane ke lie chahiye

ye nahane ke liye chahiye

cheez ye bhot zaroori h

magar lalach ke nam par

ise kha paoge

Itna paisa leker khan jaoge

Ant to itna hi h ki lalach karna chod do varna bhoot banke yhi kehte nazar aoge ke itna paisa lekar kha jaoge...!

The first copy of this poem handwritten in my diary.... don't know the exact date of writing but maybe last year in 2021...

And here's our new PC.....🥳❤️💫

Hope you've learnt something from my this day 2 blog and thoda jyada lamba ho gya ho to sorryyyy...me baatein thodi jyada krti hu...but kaam ki sachi me..🤭🤭🤗🤗

Hope you'll get what is correct for you in life..

Best wishes & Regards

Manisha Mehta.

[frostyalpines]

just a couple doodles.

it’s kinda cringe but I’ve decided to make my skykid an OC. His name’s “Khosmic“, often called “Kro’s” for short.

The “Kho” is pronounced how you’d pronounce “so” or “no”.

He likes sitting for hours on the glowy mushrooms in the forest and chilling. The sound of the rain soothes him and sometimes he falls asleep.

[deerlyloved]

grief

under cut: a story of mei’s friends coping with her death, at least until...

There was no average time for how long it took people to grieve. Every mind processed loss differently, mourned differently, so there was no way to actually tell how long it would take someone to get better ‘usually’. 

Maybe it was a few weeks, a month, a few years, never. Everyone did it differently. So when the entire unit was placed on mandatory bereavement leave for an undisclosed amount of time after the loss of Private Amari, they all found themselves at different points at different times, coping entirely differently.

Jonas couldn’t bear to look at his workspace, and more often than not he laid in bed or on the couch when he was dragged out by Ana, who’s only understanding of how to grieve was to help others around her. She was the eldest sister, so she saw it as her job to make sure everyone took care of themselves while she barely stopped to take care of her. Get Jonas up, make him eat, calm Rea down, call Icka and get no response, find Kro, offer to cook H something and get no response.

Clockwork. The unit always, always ran like clockwork, even when things were the most chaotic and unorganized. Rea didn’t wake them up anymore, so Ana did it instead. After an hour, she’d go knock on the captains door and pretend she didn’t notice how shaky he looked when he opened it and pretended to be annoyed with her. They rarely saw hide nor hair of H anymore, but that was expected, right? So Ana left food outside their door three times a day, talked to them through the walls, reminded them that the others would always, always be there for the Kayojin, and that they could stay on the unit or leave at their own will.

Kro’asha didn’t skitter through the vents because most of them passed Amari’s room, so Ana fetched things here and there that he had stashed… before. 

Iggy was contained. Major’s orders. He was getting some great treatment, but apparently it was hard for the not-dog to rebond with someone like he did Mei. Ana got it, she’d feel the same way if she were a poor little alien canine.

The carpet was singed from the dogs last outburst before he was deemed a health hazard.

Karen disappeared. The moment they got back to base, the android disappeared, took a ship out of the Citadel and had gone completely off the grid. That made plenty of sense too, of course, Mei made Karen so of course the robot would be similar to her. Maybe it was good that they had left… the witty comebacks would have sat heavy on their hearts.

Her feet slid against the carpet as she carried a mug out to the living room, leaning over the back of the couch to offer it to Jonas. The man was curled up, silently watching a movie on the TV. He sighed, though, and took the cup offered to him with a quiet thanks.

“No problem, Jonesy.” Ana replied, teasingly, though her tone made the real hollowness of her words stick out like a sore thumb.

They both went quiet again, and they stayed that way for a few minutes before Jonas spoke up this time. The engineer leaned forward, setting the mug of cocoa down and locking his hands together. “I think we need to clear out Mei’s room.”

“Wow, first thing you’ve said today and you’re already off to a bad start.”

“No, no, I…” Jonas sighed and rubbed his face roughly before he spoke again, “Ana, it’s just… It’s just there. Full of everything that she was, and would be, and it’s like a fucking ghost just staring all of us down. I think it’s why H doesn’t leave their room. Hard to look across and see Mei’s room, ya know? And I…” He scanned the room around them, “I don’t think we should trash it, just… I think we should pack it up. Get rid of all the little ghosts that she left.”

“You wanna just erase our friend out of our lives?” Ana scoffed, “No. No! We’re not just going to pack everything away! Mei belongs… She belongs here! She can’t just get pushed in the back of all our minds!”

“She won’t be!” Jonas retorted, “It’s impossible to forget Mei even if you want to, and none of us want to, Ana. We also don’t need constant reminders that she used to be here, and now she’s not. I’m not saying today, or tomorrow, just… Eventually. Eventually we need to accept that it’s okay to put all her stuff away and move on.”

“I’m sure Icka’s gonna have a ton to say about that.” Ana mumbled to herself.

“If she ever comes back.”

“I…” She had lost this argument, she already knew it. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, Jonas was right. They didn’t need to leave Mei’s books out, or her shoes, the cat keychain she had imported… Those could all be put away, for their sake, and they wouldn’t stop thinking about Mei.

…But there was no way in Hell she was going to be the one who presented the idea to Rea.

The man was a bit of a hard-ass before he started the grieving process, but now? When he could be bothered to interact with his friends at all, he never followed schedule. He’d show up, ask how they were, then leave. Headed back for the training room. If you asked him anything between that, whether a general question or a request, you were going to get told to do it your own damn self.

Everyone grieves differently.

Rea worked, and got frustrated, and didn’t want anymore responsibility because he knew, knew, knew that he was the reason Mei died.

Jonas couldn’t work, and he was quiet and sleepy because he never slept anymore, hard to when all he could think about was how he could have stopped it from happening. Maybe if he’d just moved the sensors here, or made them stronger, or gone further up with the metal, or…

Icka formally resigned from her position as a medic and unit psychologist and went back to her home planet. She never talked to the unit anymore. Sometimes you just need to get as far away from your issues as possible.

H was mourning in their own way that was certainly frustrating for the rest of them. Ana cared for others to never think of her feelings. Kro’asha left the duplex and spent most nights in the general bunks so he wouldn’t have to see Mei’s things. Karen left the CCF entirely. Iggy bit people.

Clockwork. The unit ran like clockwork. Get Jonas up, make him eat, calm Rea down, call Icka and get no response, find Kro, offer to cook H something and get no response.

 Get Jonas up, make him eat, calm Rea down, call Icka and get no response, cry in the bathroom, find Kro, offer to cook H something and get no response...

Get Jonas up, make him eat, cry in the bathroom, calm Rea down, call Icka and get no response, cry in the bathroom, find Kro, offer to cook H something and get no response, cry in the bathroom.

Get Jonas up, cry in the bathroom, make him eat, cry in the bathroom, calm Rea down, cry in the bathroom, call Icka and get no response, cry in the bathroom, find Kro, cry in the bathroom, offer to cook H something and get no response, cry in the bathroom.

Cry yourself to sleep, then get Jonas up, then cry in front of him, then make him eat, then cry in the bathroom, then…

Ana was given mandatory meetings with another therapist as opposed to the grief counselor the unit was talking to already.

Three months, fourteen days, Kro’asha rejoined the duplex. Four months, three days. Jonas got up and made his own food. Five months, sixteen days, Rea woke everyone up at 7am. Seven months, eight days, Ana went through and packed away everything of Mei’s. Seven months, twenty days, H came out and joined them for dinner. Eight months, nine days, Icka called the unit.

Nine months, ten days, Karen sent them coordinates.

“Mandatory bereavement leave is mandatory.” Rea said as he followed his friends through the docking bay of the Citadel ship, “If they know we’re leaving for a possible mission, we’ll get added therapy, and I don’t think any of us want that.”

“Maybe you don’t, but I think Icks could use it.” Jonas replied.

Icka didn’t reply. The avian had come back just to investigate the coordinates sent, and she was certainly not the same alien who had left. None of them mentioned it.

“Listen, as far as we know, this is Karen just inviting us out to their cool new house!” He said, “No need to go worrying, okay?”

“When is anything that simple when it comes to an Amari?” Rea replied.

“He has a point.” Ana said as she stopped in front of a ship and turned, “This is the one we got, real clunker, but it’s not for fighting anyway so if we get in trouble… We’re thoroughly fucked.”

“We should not get in trouble.” H pipped up.

“Yeah, ‘cause Mei--ehhhhhhhhsnevermind.” Jonas quickly pushed past Ana to clamber onto the ship.

Everyone boarded quickly, got settled even quicker, and soon enough the on-leave unit was off with a rented pilot. “So, where are you guys headed? These are kinda in-the-middle-of-nowhere coords…” She asked.

“A friend invited us out to them, we figure they’ve either decided to go all mad-robot on us finally, or they have some cool party planned.” Ana replied.

“Cool, cool, but uh… Why on this place?”

“What place?”

“Do you guys not know?” The pilot cocked an eyebrow, leaning up to flip down a holographic screen that projected the area they were headed to, “It’s some little rinky-dink dwarf-planet set up, real seedy place. Mercs love the area.”

“Sounds like Amari territory…” Rea grumbled.

“Yeah, well, just be careful out there, it’d be a shame if I had to go home empty handed. Major’ed be all over my ass…” She sighed, her long, curled ears flicking.

The trip didn’t take much longer until the on-leave-unit saw the planet in the distance. The cities built on it clearly took up most of the area, the geography was all over the place but mainly seemed to be plains and hills, and as they approached the ground and actually broke the cloudline into the city it became very clear that this place was, in fact, ‘rinky dink’. The buildings were in poor condition, the streets were packed, the ships parked in the bay all looked stolen or like they were about to be hauled off for scrap. Rea sucked in air and sighed.

“Alright, we’re going to stick together out there, no need getting lost. H, try and stay somewhere in the middle, you’re incredibly small.”

“Kro’asha is smaller than me.”

“That’s why he’s going to be jumping on my shoulders. We aren’t that close. So stay close to me.”

The group unfurled themselves from their seats and piled out onto the streets. It definitely smells like a city, despite how cramped and busy it seemed the air was clean, the water was clean… Good ol’ Citadel influence.

“Coordinates are up ahead, a little to the right.” Rea announced as he led the group through. He was certainly an intimidating figure, and the crowd seemed to begrudgingly part for him as he walked through with little concern for who was in front of him. 

“What, in the apartments?” Jonas asked from the back of the group, “Shit, Ana, you might be right, Karen’s inviting us to their house.”

“Never that easy.” Rea retorted as he cleared a path towards the clearly labeled apartment complex, opening the gate and letting his friends file through. “No one make a scene, okay?”

“Yeah, ‘cause I was planning on doing some fuckery.” Jonas replied.

“I mostly meant Kro’asha and Icka, but I do appreciate the energy.” 

“Can we please just go inside?” Icka replied, a harsh tone to her voice. That was definitely knew for the group, and all of them seemed to share the same discomfort as they nodded and walked quickly for the entrance. As soon as they had all filed in, a young alien at the front desk turned to them, and went pale. Their hands were webbed, but they still typed at the computer in front of them quickly as they stared at the group with large, completely pink eyes. They almost looked like a frog, honestly.

“Karen Amari is in 247, they’ve been expecting you. They said you’re late.” They said, motioning for the group to head towards an elevator.

“This is terrifying.” Ana stated.

“We are on time, I don’t know why Karen said we’re late.” 

“Focusing on the real issue as always, H.”

Still, despite the obvious discomfort that the building held, the feeling that they were walking into a trap, the unit persisted. What else were they going to do, ya know? They’d already made it all the way out here, and knowing Karen, they’d kill the whole group if they never showed up.

The large group managed to cram themselves into the elevator, then down the narrow, twisting hallways that led to Karen’s apartment. That they somehow got… The Amari’s really were an enigma, weren’t they?

H was the first to spot the door, stepping over to it and giving a simple knock. Before they could rapt their knuckles against the wood a second time, though, the door swung open to reveal Karen, staring out at them all. Their stickers and bow had been peeled off, and they seemed to have acquired some new… stains that definitely-were-not-blood… But it was Karen.

“Hello.”

“Hello, H.” Karen replied, “It’s nice to see you, I’m glad you all made it, I’m going to need as much help as I can get with this.” The android stepped back and motioned for them all to come in, “It’s easier to have familiar faces here, reduces time spent in a natural state--”

“Karen, I’m begging you, begging you,” Icka said, “To please, those above, not waste our time mumbling vagueness and incoherent sentences, and just tell us why we’re here. I came a very long way, and I’d like to get back to my pottery and mourning in peace, thank you.”

“I see grief has left its mark on you.” Karen replied quickly, “A shame that it was all for not.”

“Charming as always when it comes to opinions on emotions, K.” Jonas murmured.

“All for not, because you had no reason to grieve. Mei is alive.”

Nine months, eleven days, and Karen had gone fucking insane.

H was the first to reply with a grimace and a firm shake of their head, “No, she is not.”

“Yes, she--”

“No, no, Mei died in my arms, she is not alive. You can’t tell me she is. You can’t make me believe that. You can’t.”

Ana reached a hand out to put on the Kayojins shoulder with her own grimace, “Karen, you should come with us, okay? You obviously aren’t doing well out here, and… Listen, I know it’s easier to believe--”

“Would you like to see her?”

The silence that overcame the group was deafening and instant. H’s breath hitched, Icka’s feathers puffed, Rea simply closed his eyes and shook his head almost disappointedly. Despite their pleas, how desperately they wanted to not fall for something so impossible, H spoke up, breathily, “Yes.”

“Over here.” Karen turned and walked towards the other side of the apartment, where the walls had been carefully cut to reveal the apartment next door. They walked through the gap they had clearly created, and stood off to the side to reveal a large room that was clearly better taken care of than the rest of the building. A soft lighting shone into a covered box that was connected to different canisters and boxes with long, thick hoses, and Karen carefully stepped over them to reach a screen just on the other side of them.

“She took the idea from her father, he wanted to use Talvak genetic research to help heal injuries, but never perfected it before his death. She had an endless supply of Talvak DNA, however, which made it easier.” Karen was intensely staring at the screen as they typed in various things, “The base idea was there, but Mei also never finished the project before her death, which left it in the very capable hands of me, her firstborn.”

Silence. 

“I don’t know why I was expecting a response.” The android murmured before carefully pushing the curtain that draped the box off to the side of it’s rod, revealing a UV light shining down on a metal capsule. The top of it had a glass window, though the group was too far away to see inside, wires and the likes connecting it…

“Come here, H.”

They were moving without a second thought, nearly stumbling over to the robot and hopefully moving to their toes to peer into the container in front of them. They had an aching feeling that it would be empty, that they wouldn’t see whatever they were expecting… Mei, or someone like Mei, or...or… Something. Anything to remind them of her. But they still looked, just in case, just in case Karen hadn’t truly lost themself in the grief.

And wouldn’t you know it…

Black hair, pointed ears, sharp features… No scars, but still so very much Mei Amari, and H’s heart skipped a beat, their breath stopped. This couldn’t be real, could it? No, no, she was dead, so very dead, and she didn’t look like this when she died, but here she was and… And she looked just like her old pictures. With her dad. 

H spoke in Kayojin, and the unit each had their own hopes as they crept forward.

It was… a loud few minutes.

Finally, Icka lurched forward and grabbed Karen’s shoulder with a frantic look in her eyes and a wide, sharp-toothed smile, “How. How did you do this? Is that her? Really her?”

“Mei was careful to have a constant digitization of herself both mentally and physically. She often scanned and mapped out the salient features of her brain, and then stored and copied that information state into a harddrive that just so happens to be me.” Karen explained it like it made sense, like it was absolutely nothing.

“The day before the mission, she uploaded, and using what DNA I had from her I was able to facilitate a regeneration of a biological body with the information I had. Of course, I also needed her actual body so I… Listen, is it important? She’s here! And I broke intergalactic law, so I would rather not tell you every detail.” The robot gently removed Icka’s talons, “I spent months perfecting her body and keeping it alive, and her brain was no help, always trying to rebel against the process. I tried releasing her once,” Their yellow hand brushed up against an obvious dent in their chassis, “It appears that when initially released, she’s reverted back to her Talvaa instincts until her brain can properly cope with what’s happened.”

“So… You… You brought us here to make her remember us?”

“Correct. Step back please, all of you. Please be warned, she is very naked, and given her last physical scan was after her amputations… While she can’t walk, she’s still very fast.”

It’s an odd thing, standing back so a robot can open up a metal box that contains a reconstructed version of your girlfriend. But H did it, nervously, hopeful, hands clasped as the lid raised with a hiss and Mei sat straight up with a cough and a sputter, leaning right over the side of the container with a dry heave and a shudder.

“Mei.” Karen called.

Mei flinched away from the noise, snarling as she jumped back further into the box she sat in. Everything about her seemed wrong in that moment, the way her body moved, the look in her eyes, and that’s why H stepped forward. They couldn’t help it, they saw Mei and she looked so scared and the last time she had looked like that… It made H’s stomach churn, and when they stepped forward Mei’s head snapped towards them.

It was a tense few seconds, silent seconds, and Rea also moved forward to put a hand on H’s shoulder, just in case… Listen, he didn’t want to boot a friend he’d missed for months across the room, but he would if she was about to bite someone.

Thankfully, that moment never came. The confusion and fear on Mei’s face slowly faded, and she blinked rapidly before she shook her head and looked back up at H. Then, a smile. A stupid, crooked, fanged smile as the Japanese woman leaned forward and motioned for H to come forward.

“Shit, I feel like I died.” She joked as the Kayojin stumbled forward, throwing their arms around her as soon as they could and pulling her into a tight hug. “Least I don’t…” Mei tightly hugged them back with a grin, “Least I don’t look like death, right? ‘Cause I know my ass looks great naked.”

[sistersofthelightforce]

Facing Facts: The Mission (P2)

Truly, it seems to be going too well. Anakin reckons Queen Karee sent them here as more of a holiday than a mission. Padme and Ahsoka seem to be arguing a little though, obviously in languages he doesn’t understand.

“Ota, kri ne ma ata, pe ki ne ma ota!” Ahsoka protests. 

“Mi prad, cer ki lotay versa kip kri sa jera,” Padme seems to reply firmly. 

“Mi isan kro, pe mi isan ko,” Ahsoka murmurs somewhat sadly.

They argue like this for a time, but it always seems sad, instead of angry. It ends when one of them sighs and rests their head on the other’s shoulder (more often this is Ahsoka than Padme) or when Anakin tells them to knock it off.

Sometimes they just stare very angrily at each other and Anakin has to remind them to talk out loud.

(Sometimes it’s not even during a fight, they just stop talking midway through a conversation and Anakin knows they’re talking telepathically, so he has to remind them that he can’t hear them. He wonders if that’s the point.)

They spend their days together, playing a family, and Padme doesn’t seem to hate him, not anymore. She has seen that he loves their children, and that is enough, he hopes, for her to begin to forgive him.

Ahsoka comes to them with a grin on her face. “Baast showed me a secret tunnel, leading to a data server! He says it’s stuff for his father’s business, but I’m sure it’s for the gang!” She exclaims.

This is exactly what they’ve needed. Access to the gang’s servers will get them a chance to put in the chip without needing to get access to a main room.

“That’s wonderful, Anata!” Padme chirps. Anakin gives her a sidelong look. If Ahsoka is able to announce their plan to the room, using her real name is less likely to get them caught than that.

The room seems to freeze as his confusion is seen. 

Ahsoka looks down, almost sheepishly. “It’s my nickname. It means angel. I’ve been called it for the last ten years, longer even, by my family. It's why Karee chose it.”

So Ahsoka could hear him say it without ever having to explain why.

“Well, Anata,” Anakin ventures carefully, “I’m very proud of what you’ve achieved.”

The room seems to breathe again and they begin to formulate a plan.

Parton Grevils invites Padme and Anakin to dinner with his associates, while Ahsoka spends the evening supposedly “having free time”. She will spend this “free time” sneaking into the data servers then contacting them and teleporting them there. 

“Welcome, welcome!” Parton exclaims, ushering them in with a cheery smile.

“Thank you for inviting us,” Padme says with a false smile of her own.

“Thank you for coming. Your company is very… invigorating.” Parton eyes Padme in a way that makes Anakin want to punch the sleemo.

“Ah! Ben, Kira, come, have a seat!” Parton’s wife comes over, pulling them both into chairs quite near the two Grevils.

Anakin has forgotten how much he hates fancy dinners. People weren’t exactly tripping over themselves to invite Darth Vader for a bite to eat.

He’s almost relieved when he hears his commlink go off, the signal from Ahsoka that everything is ready and she will teleport him to the secret base so he can code in the chip.

He gets up quickly. “That’ll be Anata, I’ll be back in a moment. She probably just wants to know if she can order a holovid or something.” He rolls his eyes playfully before leaving.

“Dad? I found somewhere I shouldn’t be. Do you remember that time on Zygerria? It’s a little bit like that,” Ahsoka says quietly, her voice small.

Zygerria. Where they had to pretend to be slave and master, then the plan went wrong and they were-

Oh. Ahsoka has been caught.

“Your mother and I will be there in just a moment, don’t go anywhere,” Anakin instructs her.

Padme is looking at him with concern when he returns.

“She told me what happened. Give an excuse and she can teleport us there,” Padme says firmly. When Anakin glances at her, he finds she hasn’t moved her mouth.

“Sorry folks, Anata is feeling sick. We should be with her.” Anakin shrugs, and Padme gets up, not having to feign concern.

“So soon? Anata is a teenager, surely she can look after herself for a little while?” Parton’s voice is steely. He knows.

“She gets very sulky when she’s sick, she’ll be very grumpy if we don’t come home pretty soon,” Padme explains, turning her “diplomacy voice” on. “Goodnight, thank you for having us.”

She pulls them both out of there before anyone can protest further, and teleports them to just outside the room that Ahsoka is in.

They burst in, not having to pretend to be worried. 

“Anata, are you alright?” Padme demands. Ahsoka glares back at them, tied to a pole. She can’t escape, for the risk of blowing her cover. She has to pretend ropes would hold her down.

A gang member has a blaster pointed at Ahsoka before they can blink. “Tell us why you are here, and we may let the girl live.”

Anakin genuinely isn’t sure of what to do. He doesn’t want to blow their cover, expose the Jedi as returned by using his lightsaber, or expose the Sisters by letting them shoot Ahsoka, only to discover she can be brought back (if she wouldn’t let it go through her).

Luckily Padme makes that decision for them and shoots the gang member.

Anakin looks over at her and she shrugs. “He was going to shoot our daughter.”

Ahsoka steps out of the ropes and hands Anakin the chip. “You’re up, Skyguy.”

He’s halfway through installing the chip when the door slams open, and Parton Grevils storms in. “What is going on here?!”

“Well, looks like our cover is blown,” Ahsoka says casually, and pulls out her lightsaber. “Parton Grevils, you and your associates are under arrest for money laundering, theft and corruption. You have a right to a fair trial and a lawyer.”

“Jedi?!” Parton exclaims in astonishment.

Ahsoka looks around at the two people behind her. “Eh.” She shakes her hand from side to side. 

The arrest goes easily, as none of the gang members are truly a match for any one of them with one hand tied behind their back. They are kept by the hotel security while they send for New Republic ships to take them to prison.

They quickly return to their rooms and call Queen Karee to inform her of the news.

“Well done, Sisters,” Karee pauses, “General.”

“Thank you, Karee. It was an easy job,” Padme reassures the Queen.

“Well, nonetheless, I insist you three stay another day, simply to enjoy yourselves, before you return to the palace. Spend time together as a family.” Queen Karee gives Padme a look.

“As you wish, Queen Karee,” Anakin says quickly. Padme steps on his foot, but it is too late for it to be taken back.

“Excellent. I will see you in two days. Minta ki seta-” Queen Karee begins.

“Jin minta ank erant.” Padme and Ahsoka finish, while Anakin just kind of nods, and the holocall ends.

“So… another day by the pool sounds great,” Ahsoka says sheepishly.

“Tomorrow, ma tana,” Padme retorts firmly. “For tonight, we need to debrief. Tonight almost went wrong. What would have happened if you hadn’t gotten a message to Anakin and I hadn’t been here to hear you?”

“Ota, I’m not a child,” Ahsoka protests.

“But you had to act as one, an untrained one!” Padme is scared, Anakin realises, scared of harm befalling her daughter.

“I wouldn’t have allowed anything to happen. I would have escaped, fought back, pretended to be hurt, something like that,” Ahsoka points out.

“You should have waited, brought one of us with you. It would have been safer,” Padme retorts.

“I would have been fine, what matters is the mission-” Ahsoka begins.

“What matters is you, Ahsoka,” Anakin interrupts quietly.

Both women turn sharply to face him. 

“We don’t want anything to happen to you. Padme is just scared of what could have happened to you. I was scared of what could have happened to you. The concern when we came in wasn’t fake, Ahsoka. We really were worried,” Anakin explains gently.

Ahsoka seems to deflate, and reaches out for both Anakin and Padme. She pulls both of them into a hug. “I’m older than both of you were in the first war. Have faith,” Ahsoka murmurs.

“Okay,” Padme says gently, placing one arm around Ahsoka, and the other around Anakin. “I will have faith.”

------

Ota, kri ne ma ata, pe ki ne ma ota!- Mum, he is my dad, as you are my mum! (Boona)

Mi prad, cer ki lotay versa kip kri sa jera- I know, but you must remember what he has done (Boona)

Mi isan kro, pe mi isan ko- I love him, as I love you (Boona)

Minta ki seta- Sisters in arms (Asna)

Jin Minta ank erant- Are Sisters for life (Asna)

Ma tana- My dear/My darling (Boona)

[shreyamishra06]

So easy for all of us to say, "Hey! If you ever need to talk to someone, I am always there for you." But when they really need to talk, how many of us are actually available? Very few or sometimes none! It's always easier to say these comforting words "I am always there for you" than to prove that we literally are there for them. Only if our words are convincing enough, it would never let the people having suicidal thoughts turn them into reality. No! They are not cowards. It's not that they never tried. They do try alot. Maybe sometimes they fail to try their best but they definitely try to overcome all this before taking this extreme decision of taking their own lives. Sometimes you will not even know that they need someone to talk to because in most of the cases, they are afraid to share their problems with anyone or maybe they just don't want to bother any one of us or maybe they think their problems are something not worth addressing and people will end up calling them an "attention seeker" or in the worst case "mentally unstable". So, they silently try to deal with their issues on their own without creating any trouble for anyone. But deep down, they know that they need someone to hold their hands and help them in the whole process. But sadly, even though if we try to talk to them, most of us talk just for the sake of formality or we tell them "Chinta mat kro. Sab thik ho jaega."(Don't worry. Everything will be okay). This is not the answer they are actually looking for! They already know that everything is not okay and that's why they came to us seeking for a proper solution. Even though, if we don't know what a proper solution could be for their problems, it is so wrong to leave them alone to deal with their problems and simply back off when they need us the most.

Few months back, I was reading a book called "13 reasons why". A 17 years old girl after being constantly bullied by her schoolmates finally decided to take her life. But, despite facing the disappointments again and again, she kept on giving herself a chance everytime any suicidal thought crossed her mind. Yet, she never tried to talk to those few friends who could have actually helped her to deal with the situation because she was not sure that they could ever actually help her. And finally when she talked, it was too late! She was already gone. I wish if she could have talked to her parents about everything she was going through. Anyway, what I was trying to tell her is that the people going through the depression need help from someone they can totally confide in. And we are required to win their trust at any cost. Also, don't connect somebody's mental health with their money or status or their appearance. That prettiest girl or the richest boy or maybe even the topper of your group might be having some suicidal thoughts but you will never realize that because we never think that privileged people like them would ever be facing any depressing issues. But good looks, money or status means nothing to anyone until they have achieved some true mental peace. Try to talk to them, even though if they appear to be the happiest person from outside. Because when you will try to have a genuine conversation with them, little by little you will understand what they are going through but are hesitant to show the world. Let them know that they aren't alone. Because at the end, it's not a suicide. It's actually a murder committed by everyone who ignored and abandoned the people who needed them the most!

[pingnova]

I spent a lot of my youth at a place called the Kro Bar which is shockingly classy in my humble opinion despite being a tiny no-stoplight-town sometimes-biker bar. they had $1 burger nights and the most entertainment you could get in town. they played lady gaga and prince music videos over the bar. I was too short to get onto the stools without a lot of embarrassment. they had a vending machine full of cigarette cartons which is probably illegal but hey. there was literally no other place to socialize in an area that rural that wasn’t a church, so it was weirdly like a community center. I haven’t been in a long while since I got caught up with college but damn I miss it lol. it weirds my dad out to hear I miss a bar (and that I went to one enough as a kid to warrant nostalgia) but that’s life bro.

[ainawgsd]

The dusky eagle-owl (Bubo coromandus) is an owl species in the Strigidae family that is widespread in South and Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The dusky eagle-owl occurs from Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh to Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia into China.

Although not completely nocturnal, the Dusky Eagle Owl usually spends the daytime in the seclusion of a shady bough or foliage, becoming active about an hour before sunset. They have been observed on the move and hunting in the day, especially cloudy days, but never during the brightest and hottest hours. They are usually found in pairs, and are very faithful to localities. These owls can be heard calling at all hours of the day, and are most vocal during the rainy and cold seasons.

The facial disc is whitish with dark shaft-streaks of feathers and a distinct, narrow and darker rim. The irises of the eyes are bright yellow. The cere and bill are bluish-lead in colour with a pale yellowish-horn tip. The prominent ear-tufts are a darker greyish-brown colour. The upperparts are brownish-grey with blackish shaft-streaks and dark brown and whitish vermiculations. The scapulars have whitish outer webs, finely vermiculated brown, forming an indistinct scapular row.

The underparts are very pale buffish-grey with prominent, dark shaft-streaks and brown cross-bars. The primary and secondary flight feathers are barred light and darker greyish-brown. The tail is pale brownish-grey with white tips, and has 4-5 broad, dark greyish-brown bars. The tarsi are feathered to or beyond the base of the toes. The sparsely bristled tips of the toes are plumbeous-grey in colour with paler soles. Claws are blackish-brown. Females are larger and heavier than males.

The song is a phrase of resonant, accelerating, croaking notes: kro kro kro-kro-krokrokoikoikokog, with the ending notes given in a rapid staccato sequence, resembling a tremolo. This phrase lasts about 3 seconds. Male and female may be heard duetting during courtship.

Breeding season overall spans from November to April. In Northern India, it is principally December to January, and later in the south. This owl uses abandoned stick nests of larger birds in the fork of a large tree, preferably standing in or near water. Normally two eggs are laid, sometimes only one. They are laid several days apart, so chicks end up being very different in size. Usually, only the larger and stronger one survives. While both the male and female have been observed on the eggs, it is likely that the female does the incubation, and the male will briefly cover the eggs when the female leaves the nest for a short time.

Typical habitat is well-wooded and well-watered country, never in arid or desert regions. The Dusky Eagle Owl is also found in old mango plantations, and in other densely foliaged trees in proximity of water and habitation, normally on the plains. Occurs up to 250m above sea level. Dusky Eagle Owls feed on small mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, fish, and large insects.

[x]

[crowleiii]

[ /chinhands tell me about Kro's blood family, what's the deal with grandpa, Krory? ]

OOC -  alright so i’m going to take it as a question to hijack, because I seriously have quite the amount of feels, thoughts, and abundant yelling done about Krory’s family ( but if anyone feels like asking the poor guy directly about said family, go for it. i hc it as a very, very sore subject, tho ). So I’ll make these into separate points because then it’s easier to argue about just one. I’m gonna limit myself to three here, because… I could write so much…( fun little disclaimer: idk if they’re meant to be theories or just rambling )

          1.  Krory’s the third in line. He was brought up by his grandfather, with neither mother nor father in sight. Now, considering the era, it’s perfectly possible his mom died giving birth, or that his father died of illness or something along those lines, or they were killed off by an Akuma, or you know, any natural cause of death. All of these could be, but then it’s kind of fishy we never hear of Crowley the Second. Or well, I believe? Call me paranoid, but this is d-gray.man and I will worry about where that second guy went unless he’s proven dead.          1.5.  I could also worry about his mom, but she was given no name nor presence at all, and I honestly find it much weirder to introduce three generations of men from a family, and entirely skip one.

            2.  I know it’s heavy on hc that Krory’s real name is still Aleister Crowley, because no one in this manga seems to have a name that makes sense, but Aleister itself isn’t really a name, as it should technically be Alister / Alasdair ( fun fact that krory’s name’s literally alexander ). Alister is a Scottish name, Crowley is a Gaelic / Irish name, so even taking into account the name Arystar Krory in its entirety and as some weird re-writing of another name, these names aren’t Romanian in the slightest. It could just have been overlooked, but most of the other characters do have names that can be tied to their origins. Hell, even Eliade is a Romanian name. What are the odds grandpa Crowley received these lands in Transylvania? He was said to have traveled a lot, and he did have a noble title.            2.5  This is probably also reading too much into this, but what else is a Scottish and Gaelic name in origins? Campbell.

              3.  Sometimes I forget about it, but then I have super nice friends who remind me of it, so I’ll make it the third point: Cross did go out of his way to give the flower to Krory, stating he knew his grandfather. That brings a lot of questions such as, how did Cross know Krory would be an Accommodator? Why, how, when did he encounter Crowley senior? What links did they have? Were they just acquaintances? But then, why would Cross, who clearly has better things to do than remember some old man in a castle in the faraway land of Transylvania, took the time to not only care ( or have Allen care ) for the plant and then bring it back to the surviving grandson? Feed Innocence to the plant, at that? Let it bite a random lad ( that he yeah, somehow guessed would be a good host, since he did warn the village’s mayor about it ) before fucking off in the distance without telling the Order about the fact he had found an Accommodator? I mean, yeah, alright, it’s Cross, maybe it’s normal, every day behavior from him.  It sounds unlikely Cross would have lied about knowing Crowley Senior tho, tbh, unless he just wanted money the easy way, but then you can also tie the second point with this one if you feel like it.              3.5  Or you can tie into in a Krory is the heart theory.

[origcmibird-aa]

"What is everyone talking about? What is a father, or mother for that matter?" (( Teen!Kro is confuzzled ))

     WHAT IS THIS ONE SAYING? That they have never had parents of their own? Kubo’s brows raise with a faint flicker of pity. He wants to ask, but he decides it would be impolite to divert the conversation without answering their question. The brows fall, and he smiles.

       “ PARENTS. Mother, or father, you could call them either one, but they are the same. They are people who care for you very, very much. They are there at your side no matter what. Whether your sad, lonely, scared … they’re there to make you laugh. To make you feel loved. But most importantly, they teach you about life. How it works, and how to enjoy it. Y’know? ”

       “ And … I’m not saying a parent has to be the ones who actually had you. I’ve learned that sometimes your own family can be your worst enemy. You can have a mother and father by choice. Same with a grandmother, a sister, a big brother … I like to think of KAMEYO has the grandmother I’ve never had! ”

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Everybody poops. But we don’t usually like to talk about it. “Normally we flush it down the toilet and get away from it as fast as we possibly can,” observes Ari Grinspan. But, he adds, “there is a richness and goodness associated with poop.”

Grinspan knows what he’s talking about. He is a doctor at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. And he regularly uses poop as medicine. The procedure, called a fecal transplant, isn’t for everyone. But “in the right patient, in the right setting,” he says, poop can improve a person’s health.

That’s because human feces contain trillions of bacteria. These tiny germs live inside all of us, forming communities called microbiomes (My-kro-BY-ohms). Each microbiome is a miniature ecosystem full of different species. These communities exist on our skin, in our noses and elsewhere, especially in our guts. In a healthy person, these bugs cause no harm. They even can help keep the body healthy.

Sometimes, though, dangerous microbes invade or take over. When bad guys overrun the community, they may cause an infection. Or they might make chemicals that harm other systems in the body. In both cases, the human host will suffer.

In many human diseases, the gut microbiome is out of whack. Getting it back to normal might treat or even cure the disease. And one way to do that is to put into the sick person’s intestines a sample of good germs from the feces of a healthy person.

Poop isn’t the only disgusting substance with the potential to promote health. A team of researchers in Canada has found that dogs are good for babies’ health — not because they’re cute and lovable, but because they’re dirty. When babies grow up around dog drool, fur and muddy paw prints, they develop healthier gut microbiomes. And a German research team probing people’s noses found a surprise in the microbiome there. It was a brand-new antibiotic. ‘Snot bad!

[softquietsteadylove]

ok not sure if my last ask went through bc i got an error message (thanks so much tumblr) but i am here to say you FLAWLESSLY executed circus AU, like gave everything i could have ever wanted in that little fic so now i'm sorry to say i'm just gonna have to keep asking for more!! specifically, what happened to angus!

"Come on, boy! Come on, you can do it!"

Thena walked into the ring, left intact just this once between shows due to the short window between the saturday night show and the sunday matinee.

"Good boy!"

She stepped further out of the shadows, her feet completely silent as she moved forward. The place was dark except for a few oil lamps set up around the ring as Gilgamesh led Angus around with just a regular rope around his neck.

Angus cantered around within the circle. He was obviously still healing, a little more slow than he used to be. But he was on his feet--even the injured one. He knickered quietly.

"Atta boy, Angus," Gil cheered for him as he observed the progress of his healing injury.

They had been holding their breath.

She and Gil had, that was to say. No one else cared nearly as much, except maybe Kro, who was eagerly waiting to inflict some punishment on the innocent creature for costing him even a penny in profits.

Angus slowed his pace, bobbing his head as he caught sight of her.

"Mi--Thena!"

Thena walked right over to them, linen nightdress and light robe be damned. She picked up pace until she could embrace Angus' snout, pressing her forehead to it, "look at you."

Angus' tail swished, relishing in the warmth of arguably his favourite person in the world.

She pulled back, still holding the horse's massive head by his chops, smiling at him and leaning to be more in the view of his massive eye, "I knew you could do it."

Angus nodded, in a way.

She turned to Gilgamesh, who had put an appropriate and respectful distance between them since her arrival. He looked younger in the faint light of the lamps. "That means you too."

Gil managed a soft smile dripping with modesty, "it's all Angus, really. Even I had my doubts, but..."

But here he was, up before dawn to help him practice being on his leg? Yes, he certainly was.

Thena ran her hand down Angus' mane over his neck, "like you said, he's young. He's too young and too strong to let Kro put him out of his misery so early."

Gil never offered his agreement too eagerly when she spoke of her husband. Too much to say within too few words, maybe. "Well, hopefully today's show will go well, and we can put this all behind us."

"Indeed," Thena smiled, catching Gil crossing his fingers behind his back. "Truly, Gil, we both owe you more than words can say."

He gave her a somewhat curious look, as if to ask what she could possibly be doing thanking him for something--as if he didn't do so much for her with his mere presence. "Least I can do, Miss."

Thena looked back at Angus. She liked it when he called her Thena. It was sometimes the only time when she was actually able to hear her own name spoken aloud. "On the contrary, this was above and beyond, even for you."

He blushed, and he looked truly sweet when he did. "Anything, Thena."

She looked at him, finding him looking back at her this time. He had such nice and warm eyes.

"Anytime."

Truly, he had such an amazing heart, this sweet and humble man. She had known that from his occupation, of course, but the more she got to know Gilgamesh himself, the more she found herself enchanted with all there was to him.

Her eyes darted down to his lips for just a second.

He didn't catch her. No one ever caught her when she did that. But she was no spring chicken, and she knew very well that her desire to keep him around was no childish flight of fantasy. No, her life was far to coldly rooted in reality for that.

But she far preferred to have him just out of reach than not have him at all.

Gil looked over his shoulder. He was always checking his surroundings whenever they found themselves alone.

He was looking for Kro. All things considered, she probably could exercise more caution than she did. After all, it wouldn't be her whom would have hell to pay, but Gilgamesh. Her mind did reel, sometimes, to think of her husband turning a corner and seeing...something.

She wasn't sure what he would see if that day ever came, but she knew enough to say he would not like it.

"You should rest," she whispered, petting Angus' soft nose again.

Gil knew that it was meant for him anyway. "As should you, y'know."

She smiled directly between Angus' eyes, "sleep often eludes me."

"Thena-"

She turned to Gil, determined not to let herself pull on that thread. There would be no going back if she let herself get up to the knees in him. "You'll need your sleep, Gilgamesh. Kro will have you up as soon as he wakes, demanding to see how Angus performs."

Angus shuffled in place a the mention of his worst nightmare.

Thena turned and comforted her poor steed once again, "I'm sorry."

Gil nodded, putting his hand on the swell of Angus' muscled cheek. "Right, then, but only if you find some rest as well, Thena. You need it more than anyone here."

Exhaustion truly never left her. It was in bed with her far more than her own husband, that was for certain.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," she conceded, more so that he would find some sleep than anything. She inhaled, pressing her forehead to Angus' once more. "Knock him dead."

Angus nodded more certainly this time.

Thena smiled, kissing his nose gently. "And you."

Gil startled but held still as she pressed an equally chaste kiss to his cheek.

She walked past him, not willing to dwell on it, nor able to afford to. She did wave at him over her shoulder, "goodnight, Gil."

He blinked at her, stunned rabbit in a trap, "uh, n-night, Thena."

She turned again as a smile came over her; such a sweet man. She simply couldn't resist expressing the depths of her gratitude somehow. And in some ways, the kiss was better than throwing her arms around him in some way. Because then, what if he had put his arms around her in return?

If he ever did that, there would be no going back, for her.

[hyper-writes]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Race for the Cure: Chapter 6

Hey guys! Just the little reminder to please consider commenting/reviewing this chapter/story if you wouldn’t mind. It’s a great motivator for me!

“C’mon you two, you’re holding us up!” Swellow cawed as she circled back around to the group, having flown ahead to determine the best path for the group to take.

“C-Can’t we rest for a sec? Oooghhh, my stomach’s killing me…” Nuyt whined, his head low as he uttered a half-hearted belch. Kro didn’t look much better themself, they almost looked even more green in the face now.

“Well then maybe you shouldn’t have scarfed down yer dinner last night.” She replied, landing at the front of the pack with a huff. “We’re on a schedule, so pick up your feet and let’s get going.”

“Swellow, it is much better to use positive reinforcement with children.” Doc suggested from his spot on Manetric’s back, a smile on his long snout at the certainty of his statement.

“Alright, be my guest.” Swellow responded, flying up to a nearby tree where she then perched herself. “My wings need a preening anyway.” She then proceeded to run her beak along her flight feathers.

“Yes, well…” Doc muttered, sighing heavily before he turned his attention towards Manectric. “You can rest too, it’d be best if I was on their level after all.”

Manectric gave a stout nod, easing down into the grass with a content purr. Doc hopped off his companion’s back and scurried over to the kids. “How we doing back here? You said your stomachs were hurting you?”

Kro flopped onto their side with a pained moan, holding their belly as Nuyt spoke up. “I feel like I’m gonna throw up..!”

Doc cringed anxiously before laughing it off timidly, “Oh, don’t be silly. I know just the thing for tummy aches.” He glanced around the immediate area before sighing heavily. “Swellow?” She grunted gruffly in response, not looking up from her work for a moment.

“Do you know if we have any heal seeds?” Doc asked, catching Manectric looking over to him before nosing through their bag.

“Shouldn’t you be asking Mani?” She grumbled, and lo and behold the blue pokemon uttered a bark to Doc.

“Oh, excellent! May I see them?” Doc scampered over to the other, though once he was there he noticed that there was only one seed. “Oh dear...is there a way we could cut this in half?”

Manectric moved Doc’s paws so he would be holding either side of the seed; then they rested their fangs over it, pausing for a moment before bringing their maw down around the seed. The heal seed split in half and Doc only flinched a little. “Perfect! Good thinking Manectric!”

But just as the sandile was hurrying over to the duo, he noticed that Nuyt was looking over to the bushes on his left. The pup’s expression was unreadable, but his fin was trembling ever so slightly. “Are you okay son?”

Nuyt jumped a bit, turning his attention to Doc before whispering. “What is that?”

“H-Huh? What’s wha--?” Doc was unable to finish when a blinding light caused him to wince, “What the--!?”

“S-Sorry! My gem does that sometime--” Nuyt looked over as he heard a low growl, finding that it was Kro who was making the noise. They were hunched down and their vines prepped beside their tense body. “Kro, what’s wron--?”

His answer came not from his companion, but from a black figure that launched itself at them. His eyes widened as a memory flashed in his mind; this was just how Gigalith had died.

Though he and Doc were swiftly yanked out of the monster’s path by familiar vines. Kro slid them both back behind them, freezing as the raptor-like creature hissed at them. The massive leaf on its head trembling as those vacant red irises stared them down.

“KRO RUN!” Nuyt screamed as the creature once again leapt, this time aiming for the frozen bulbasaur.

However, the figure never made it. For Manectric was right on it, running at incredible speed before slamming into the monster. Then, the figure burst into flames. But the worst thing, was its scream.

It sounded like a million voices crying out at once, each of them more bloodcurdling and anguished than the last.

Manectric pushed the flailing body away from the group, and in an instant Swellow dove for it. Braking midair before rapidly flapping her wings, the gust of wind from this move put out the fire. Leaving nothing but...bones?

Kro stared at the remains in horror, visions of Gogoat flashing before them before they began to cry. Though no one seemed to notice, Manectric and Swellow were too busy examining the bones. “Hmm, looks like a Grovyle. Weird, all of them went to that one village right? Something about getting back ‘to their roots,’ or some other nonsense.”

Though, Nuyt did finally notice their tears and he nuzzled under their chin gently. He couldn’t help the shocked glare he gave Swellow and Manectric, “You killed them!”

“Geez, you’re welcome…” Swellow growled, this is when Doc stepped in.

“I know it is scary, children. But in his condition, it was only humane to put him down.” He started, flicking his tail which signaled Swellow to fly up and do a quick once around of the surrounding forest. “He was infected. Horribly ill with no known cure. He was suffering.”

“B-But…” Nuyt glanced back to his friend, seeing them weakly wiping the tears from their eyes. They looked towards the pile of bones, then back to Nuyt. “I-I...u-understand..?”

“It’s alright, son. Here,” Doc held out the split heal seed to the both of them. “This will hold you over until we get over the mountain.”

Nuyt sat on his bum, taking both halves in his fore-paws before holding one out to Kro. They both ate their respective piece at the same time, feeling a warmth build up in their chests that broke apart the lump of anxiety that had nested there.

Just then Swellow swept in over them, “All clear!” She called down.

“Come, let’s keep moving.” Doc said deciding to stay on the ground with Kro and Nuyt while Swellow led the way.

“And that was just one procedure!” Doc grinned while all five of them laid around a small fire; it had taken a lot of work to clean all of the snow off the cliff on the mountain, but it was worth it for a secure night’s rest.

“Eh, don’t believe him kids. He’s known for his short tales.” Swellow commented with a smirk, finishing off her apple as Nuyt tilted his head towards her.

“Don’t you mean ‘tall tales?’” He asked, to which he got silence before Swellow and Manectric burst out laughing.

“Oh, very mature you two.” Doc sighed while Nuyt looked between the three adults with a confused expression.

Though once the chortles died down, Nuyt broke the silence once more. “I got a story.”

“Oh, this’ll be good.” Swellow quipped, chuckling when Manectric lightly punched her on her wing.

“Alright, one more story. Then it’s time for bed.” Doc smiled, curling his tail off to his side and shifting his hind legs so that they too were beside him.

“Okay! It’s a really good one.” Nuyt said confidently, he didn’t notice it but Kro opened their eye to look up at him. Only now were they the slightest bit interested in what was going on around them.

“So a long time ago, there were these things called humans--”

“Oh arceus, not this shi--” Swellow started, but she was quieted by Manectric’s paw on her beak.

“Go on, Nuyt. I am very interested in this already.” Doc encouraged gently, shooting his comrade a glare when Nuyt wasn’t looking.

“Um, where was I…? Oh, right!” Nuyt patted his paw onto the stone below before continuing, “So humans were these weird creatures, with flat faces and they like didn’t know how to talk. And they had no moves, but fought all the time!”

“Pfft, what animals…” Swellow muttered, which Doc and Manectric nodded in agreement.

“They were all split up too, not like us. They had different homes that kept to themselves mostly, it was really weird. Like they’d trade and stuff but no tribes liked the others?” Nuyt continued, obviously he was getting off track so Doc prompted him gently. “Anyway, the planet was getting really sick from all the death and gunk in the air. So these big lizard things--”

“Sceptiles?” Doc corrected uncertainty.

“No, like they were kind of like Salamences but more like a snake too? But yeah, these creatures united together and brought balance back to the planet. And everything was getting better, the humans slowly disappeared and the first pokemon started to arrive.”

“Uh, huh. Very interesting, now can we go to bed?” Swellow yawned, though Nuyt shook his head quickly.

“I’m not done yet! It gets really good!” He insisted, to which Doc once again shushed Swellow and prompted the mudkip to finish. “Ok, so everything was going great. But then the leader lizard got in a fight, they died in that very battle. After that the ancient pokemon built a statue to honor their savior.”

Swellow scoffed at the choice of words, what a joke. Like some creature could have saved all pokemon, but the glares from her fellow adults kept her from interrupting any further.

“Many years went on, until one pokemon predicted that a terrible dark age would cloud the planet. All pokemon would fall victim to a horrible plague, and the only way they’d survive it is if that great creature returned to bring balance back once more.” Nuyt said the last part with stars in his eyes, Kro smiled up to their friend before uttering a soft chuff.

“Huh, that’s a great story, Nuyt.” Doc praised the shiny pokemon, earning a proud grin from the pup. “But, now we should all be getting to bed.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Night Doc, Manectric, Swellow.” Nuyt said, nuzzling up to Kro’s side and sighing contently when the bulbasaur rested their paw over his side. “Night Kro.”

Kro purred gently, the two of them falling asleep within minutes of closing their eyes. Swellow watched them for that time and five extra before turning towards Doc. “What a load of garbage, as if pokemon need help from some freak.”

“Swellow, I think Nuyt is just projecting. He wants to believe that something is out there that can stop this disease,” Doc retorted. “He’s young, let him and Kro believe. This is a terrible time to grow up, these little things make all the difference.”

Swellow paused for a moment before resting her head on her back, “Yeah whatever you say, Doc…” And with that, they too fell asleep. Comforted by the gentle crackle of the fire.

[cormetria-blog]

It’d been a simple assignment; reconnaissance on Earth for the rumored existence of The Blue Lion and what Marmora operative failed at reconnaissance? It was the core of their organization, intelligence gathering, if nothing else. Far from enemy lines, Earth was an easy target, too; there weren’t any nearby Galra to try and intercede and Earthlings were considered primitive beings against the bulk of the universe.

There should have been no resistance. And for a while there wasn’t.

She’d been on Earth for a handful of weeks. Dry and particularly barren, she wasn’t all that impressed with the terrain. A disappointing fact given the circulating stories of the planet; the land itself was depicted as impressively large and diverse in its show of elements, and while her confining strip had been rather wide, sands that stretched farther than the ability of her vision, there wasn’t much in the ways of diversity, though.

Maybe it was just the limiting nature of her assignment. She’d been set to land on coordinates provided by Kolivan; This is where the energy is coming from. You’ll go in and scope the area to try and pinpoint the Lion’s location. Report anything that seems strange, and remember, our priority is to keep the Lion hidden out of Galra reach: do not try and engage it.

Krolia respected Kolivan; he was a level man firmly devoted to his cause, playing all cards with a seeming mercilessness, stitched expertly by wisdom, that granted his every whim. He’d taught her a lot, too, and so she tried her best to abide by his law.  

She supposed the wildlife was interesting enough; little critters that skittered across dusty surfaces and winged beasts that glorified a shockingly blue sky with piercing song.

The sky. An absolute treasure.

She’d been used to atmospheres that absorbed the grizzliest of hues; reds, yellows, purples, and a never-ending array of dark. Wearing at her hopes with its signal of a galactic tyranny, planets mined and festering with the commands of poisonous regimes, it’d been a palette she’d learned to despise.

Earth, though, offered something lighter, clearer; that shocking blue. A confection of powered clouds that swung free against endless light, steadily escalating to an explosion of momentary red, breathless climax of the day as sunshine pulsed with its last glows, until finally, an inevitable cooling towards a navy that glittered hypnotic, moon shine and stars. She’d come to place great value on this sky; image blessed with a fleeting gift of freedom, an absence of toxicity.

Inevitably, she’d encountered something else that gave her freedom, too.

“So. The weapon you’re lookin’ for… is a lion—” he starts, tone rough like the sand crunched under the soles of their shoes. Sometimes it seemed like Tex was born from the fine-grained terrain, conceived by the canyon’s salted core. He was a compilation of rough sediment; dark eyes, chipped features, and calloused touches that made one shiver. His stares could be the dry patches that exhausted breath on long days, and his words the prickled skins of cacti. He had an attitude as malleable and moveable as a rock worn ridge, and a smile that gleamed more blade than her own weapon when pressed.

But there were little utopias between his seams, unhidden yet tricky; the buried streams that sometimes drummed like rivers, offering a rich and rare vegetation she couldn’t help but pick from.

“Yes, a lion,” she repeats, exasperated. And with that simple smack of her lips she’d broken Marmoran law, had revealed the depths of her mission—only after he’d proven his worth, of course. The two had met a few days after her crash through Earth’s atmosphere; she’d been camping out in her craft, tangled in a myriad of lively technology, when he’d stumbled into her territory.

“Shit—wait, I ain’t trying to start anythin—!”

“Who are you?” She’d growled, her every last demeanor an imposing threat, daring him to give her the slightest cause.

“Tex—argh—Kogane, I’m—I’m a engineer at a nearby school…Swear, I was just passin’ by, Miss…”

She’d been viciously skeptical, cautious, and released him after a thorough assessment had revealed that his person posed not a single danger. His ensuing reaction had been a wide-eyed wonder, and she was mildly impressed that he hadn’t scurried off screaming, or worse, attacked—she wasn’t fond of killing, but if the mission called for it…

“You ain’t from around here,” he’d hummed after gathering his wits, expression relaxing into something easy and thoughtful; a lazy smile and curious, wondering, eyes.

“Isn’t that obvious?” She’d shot, arms folding over a glowing chest plate.

“—A magical lion,” he elaborates, following the narrow path gutted into a cool and moist cave.

“It’s not magical. It’s powerful. Very powerful. That’s why I need to find it—”

“So the enemy don’t. ‘Cause if they do, bad things happen. That about it?” Tex concludes, reaching the end of the cave, bristled over by unyielding stone.

“…Yes,” She concedes, touching a dusty wall. There’s a tremor of a pulse, energy she can feel at her fingertips. We’re so close, she thinks desperately; the end of this war. It rattles in her chest.

“…You ever gonna give me anymore than that, Kro? Or is that gonna be it?” The words bounce firm off the cave’s dim interior, pull her hand back as she tenses, looking at him.

He’s done so much for her. Given her food and shelter, fixed the communications on her craft, and helped her map this endless, foreign land in more than just geography. He’s done so much, and she’s fashioned him with scraps of information.

But it’s still more than she’s allowed, and so she settles.

Her gaze holds steady as it’s used too. “Don’t waste our time by asking questions you already know the answers too.”

Tex turns back, catches the ethereal glow of unnatural eyes, and smokes with flashing brown like cinders. “Only time I’m wastin’ is mine. The hell’s the point of me doin’ all this if you can’t give me the basics? For all I know, you’re playin’ me into some kinda trap—”

Krolia growls, the accusation slicing sharp at her core, and the distant echoes of energy fade. “If you don’t trust me then leave.” It’s short and sharp and final, but there are a thousand things floating through her mind, the height of which resound; the truth is danger. The truth makes you a target, Tex.

She turns to leave.

Her feet carry her out of the cave, deliver her into the crisp of twilight. The sun radiates heat that percolates the canyon’s deepest corners, and she basks in the touch of gold. It soothes her hurt, soothes her worries, reminds her of the fires from home.

To the side rests Tex’s bike, fresh and black paint that glimmers under the dying sun. Moonlight does it better.

Inevitably, strong arms encompass her waist. They drag her back into a frame that barely reaches the breadth of hers, but she settles after a pulse.

“Let’s get home,” he says easily enough, the dim of the cave swallowing their worst. “Don’t think we’re gonna find that magical lion tonight, anyways.”

The cutting breeze of the ride back, set against the display of a melting sky turning towards celestial dark, brings her a rush of freedom, intensified only by the man she molds too.  

[belore-invictus]

A Mother’s Nightmare

“KROST, NO!” 

- 

          (( *** DISCLAIMER: before I continue this story, please know what you are about to read might be a trigger to some people. It involves death.****** ))

 It all began early on Wednesday morning. Phaeith awakened in the arms of her loving husband. Showered, made breakfast for the both of them, and then made her way into the city. The air crisp with the winter chill that dragged seasonal scents off of the dried leaves, acorns, and grass. The fresh spring water creating beautiful symphony’s all over the forest, adding to the already living life among the grassy green blades that were crushed beneath the heavy paws of Lynx. Sometimes, nibbled at by the babe Dragonhawks as they grew..

 “Today is going to be a good day.. Today, is going to be a wonderful day!” She screamed happily, prancing and waltzing along the matte roads that guided her through the forest, nearing the city. The wind blew through her golden locks, kissing her face with refreshment. Pout lips upturned into an open-lipped grin, white teeth resilient. Sadly, the woman’s fate was nowhere near good, this morning. Instead..

 Before she knew it, a group of bandits stopped the Matriarch in her footfall. A low growl escaped the woman, reaching over her back for the golden hilt blade that slung over her shoulders, left arm raising in front of her chest as a golden hued shield appeared in front of her. “It takes a group of you cowards to take kill one woman?” 

 “No, Lady Ven’torum. We do not want to kill you. We want to take you.” One of the men spoke. 

 As he did, the circle of bandits began to break, creating an opening for someone to walk through. That someone was a female Magus, dressed in all dark linens. Her face covered in an opaque grey veil, the only thing able to pierce such translucency were piercing green eyes, and a deadly grin with a hiss. “My, oh my, Sister. The rumors are true, you are the Matriarch..?” A femininely raspy voice croaked out from behind the veil. “Too bad you forgot the way of our mother. You would have been much stronger.” 

 Beginning to speak, Phaeith was immediately cut off with an empty potato sack being pulled over her head. A blunt object slammed into her temple, knocking her out cold. The only thing left behind was dots of blood that trickled from her onto the cobblestone, and even that.. Was something many locals could easily miss. Anything bled out here..

 Distinct whining and crying of a familiar voice began to awaken Phaeith, something that sounded both foreign, yet so familiar to her. The voice itself, forced her to fight the blistering headache that pounded her skull, eyelids batting quickly. “Wh.. where.. am..”

 “Mom..? Mom! Mom!! Mom, wake up!” Krost cried. His cry followed by the gut-retching sounds of a body being beaten. “M-Mom..” He wheezed.

 Still, her gaze was disoriented for the time being. The potato sack was still over her face, and her body bound to a chair. Wrists tied by thick ropes, and her ankles as well. She slumped forward, trying to regain her energy and strength. Krost’s crying and tears gave her the strength to push forward- and that, did nothing. Her light flared, glaring off of her. “IF YOU WANT TO PICK ON SOMEONE, YOU PICK ONE ME- NOT THE CHILD! HE IS BUT A BOY!” 

 “SAVE IT, SISTER!” Oliriah snapped at Phaeith, signaling for her men to leave the boy alone. She stepped closer to the Matriarch, ripping off the sack that was over her head. A hand cupped her chin, jerking the blonde’s head up, to look her in the eye. “HE IS AN ORPHAN! HE WAS TOO OLD FOR THE ORPHANAGE, HE IS NO BOY! HE IS NOT YOUR BLOOD! I AM! YET, YOU TREAT HIM WITH MORE RESPECT AND LOVE, THAN YOU HAVE EVER GIVEN ME?! You never once left the sands to visit me, Phaeith. YOU LEFT ME IN PANDARIA, TO FIGHT AND DIE ALONE! NEWS OF MY DEATH? YOU BURIED AN EMPTY CASKET, AND REFUSED TO COME AND FIND MY BODY! THEN.. THEN.. YOU TAKE THE MATRIARCH CROWN FROM, -ME?!- IT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE, AND YOU KNOW THIS! Phaeith, you are a fraud. You do not deserve that crown, and you do not deserve the Ven’torum last name. YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE WEAKEST LINK! ALWAYS BENDING TO OTHER RULES, BUT YOUR FAMILY’S OWN! Remember this?!” She shoved her hand over Phaeith’s mouth, forcing her shadow magic to suffocate Phaeith. “You have taken the one thing that I loved most from me, and it is time that I do the same thing to you, Sister.” 

 Panicking for breath, the woman’s face grew bluer, and bluer as the seconds ran by. The veins in her throat and eyes began to ink black, pulsating hard. Blood trickled down her nostrils- yet still, she kept her eyes locked onto Krost’s own. Tears filled them, sadness. She assumed that this was how she was going to die, in front of her son. Anything else was out of her mind, even logic. She was calling for the light within her heart, but that call? It was null and void. She barely believed in it. The only thing that allowed her heart to beat for the Light, was love. Love for the people in her life- everyone was dying, or leaving. So in turn, the Light within the woman began to fade. Right now, it was fading. Like time in an hourglass, it ticked by. 

 Oliriah sashayed towards the young adult boy, gripping his chin to look up at her. She forced him onto his feet, snapping her fingers to release the void magic within Phaeith’s throat that was suffocating her. After so, the hand that snapped, moved to her right hip to pull out a shiny, sharp silver dagger. “My dear boy.. You are not my blood nephew. You will never be...” She hissed as she ran the blunt side of the dagger along his cheek, barely drawing blood. 

 Phaeith continued to try to find a way out of the chair, struggling and growling. Her breathing grew hard. Whispers left her, likely calling for Symmaril. The sad part about this, was that her comm was gone. Symmaril, and the House, had no way of knowing what was happening at this very moment. “Sy-Symmaril!” She cried to herself, somehow getting her wrists free from the back of the chair. Her next move was to undo her ankles. 

 “Your mother is a fighter, hm? Look at her, she will be the last thing that you see, before you die, ‘Nephew.’” 

 Krost shook like a timid dog, staring at his mother. “M-M-Mom! H-Help! Mom.. Mommy?!” He cried out to his mother, still bound by the men holding him down.. 

 Right as Phaeith freed herself from the chair and stood, prepared to run into Oliriah- she slammed her dagger right into his gut. Turning it, dragging it out, only to do it a second time. Devilish laughter left Oliriah, blood splattering all over Phaeith.

 “M-Mo.. Mom..” Krost whispered, eyes wide as his knees buckled beneath him. “...I.. I.. m.. misse..d y-..” His breath left his body, as did his entire life. 

 “KROST! KROS-- OLIRIAH!” Phaeith growled, tears staining her eyes. She charged into her twin sister, dropping her onto the hard, wooden floor. “HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO MY OWN CHILD?!” She screamed, slamming her sister’s head into the wooden panels. More blood spilled, and her skull broke. The dagger within her hand slipped out, and she laid there limp. Once Phaeith realized what that Oliriah was no longer an issue, she scurried towards Krost. The group of thugs who followed Oliriah ran to their dying Don’s aid, leaving the bewildered mother with her dying- dead, son. 

“Kr-Krossie.” She whispered quietly, holding him close to her chest. Both hands managed to maneuver in the position she was in, palms rested over his wound. Light spiraled from her- though, it did nothing. It was too late to fix the wound, or to bring her son back. The Light user yelled and screamed, carefully resting Krost back onto the floor as she rose onto her feet. Heaving with deadly breaths, the light aura that once sparkled around her body.. Completely shattered. It was gone, nonexistent. Her faith in the light, died with her son. 

Anger consumed her soul, as did revenge and vengeance. She reached forward for her sword scattered on the ground, turning around to face the group of men that huddled behind her. Silence took over her form, and the holy runes on her body flared with a deadly, and sickening, crimson hue. Her veins pulsated in her neck, lips coiled into a snarl as her eyebrows furrowed. On the morning of Wednesday, January twenty-fourth, Phaeith lost her son, her faith in the Light, and temper. On the morning of Wednesday, January twenty-fourth, Phaeith had killed a group of Mafia members, including her own sister.. On this deadly morning, she buried her son. With him, she buried her fate in anything magical at all. A woman who was null and void, came from the ashes of a dead Phaeith.

(( @aminth-elnonore - @symmarilshatterunwra - @house-ventorum ))

[micheldevries73]

LIBERATION DAY IN HOLLAND

Years ago, sometimes it seems like an eternity, sometimes it feels like it only happened yesterday. But years ago when I was still working for Dutch television, I had the utter privelige to participate in the filming of an episode for the Emmy Award nominated series "De Reunie" (The Reunion) by the KRO, where the then still living class mates of Anne Frank were invited to talk and remember Anne Frank on that very popular television show. I won't ever forget that day as long as I live because it made a considerable impact on me. It was over ten years ago, so most of those people we filmed then are probably not alive anymore as they were obviously of a very elderly age. For their peace and innocence maybe that is a good thing.

Today is the 5th of may. It is Liberation day in Holland. We are supposed to celebrate that 75 years ago the allied forces drove the Nazi's and therefore fascism out of our country. But today is a very sad day indeed. There is no reason to celebrate freedom and democracy and anybody who does is, as far as I am concerned, being disgraceful to all the victims, including Anne Frank, that we honoured yesterday on the 4th of may which is the Dutch National Remembrance day.

Fascism has put on a new jacket and has taken over the entire planet, including Holland, at an incredible rate. Freedoms that were fought for during WW2 and were taken for granted after that, have been stolen from us in a matter of weeks and more restrictive, basic human rights demolishing legislation is fast on it's way. Fear has been pumped into the population by the mainstream media in a manner that makes the Nazi propaganda machine look like an amateuristic highschool newspaper experiment. Yesterday a friend wrote to me that it is extraordinary how more and more people accept that the media is deciding for them what the truth is. Most people seem to accept this so blindly that no one bothers to ask how utterly strange this global mass hysteria actually is. Nobody, including the bulk of the medical profession, is questioning the fact that the most basic established medical, virological, epidemiological  and immunological science has been thrown out the window for the last two months. And those doctors and scientists who do point out this madness are ignorered and more and more of them are actively being silenced. Almost nobody is seeing the similarities with the control methods of the Nazi's. It has become the norm that you can rat out your neighbours to the police. Folks shrug their shoulders when one of those neighbours calls the police on a musician who, with 6 feet distance,  is giving a uplifting musical performance to a severely handicapped boy who has been stuck inside for six weeks because of the lockdown. The boys father got a 400 euro fine. People are getting used to this very unnatural 6 foot distance that has no scientific basis whatsoever and will probably last for the next two years. They will also blindly accept that artificial intelligence face recognition camera's will monitor this distance and check if they are behaving like the state wants them to.

The massive amount of fear and propaganda that has been pumped into them over the last couple of months is making them wish for, no even demand a mandatory vaccin. A mandatory vaccine that will not only violate the sovereignty of your own body but will leave a quantum technology digital ID mark beneath your skin that will have scary similarities to the tattoos that were forced upon the jews who were shipped off to the concentration camps. What Dutch highschool history classes so often conveniently forget to mention is the fact that an incredible large amount of jews were ratted out to the Nazi's by many 'respectable' Dutch citizens. Anne Frank was one of those jews that was ratted out. Will similar things happen to us who absolutely refuse to have this vaccine forced upon us? Do we have to go into hiding like many jewish families had to do? Will we be put in quarantine facilities if we are caught?

Do you think I am over-reacting? I truly hope I am, because then I will just go down in history as a paranoid nutter. And that is just fine with me because then we will still be enyoing our free society. And if I am not overreacting then this is my small contribution to counterbalance of what I feel to be a complete under-reaction of the population. Time will tell quite soon I reckon.

I shall raise the flag today. But it will be half-staff.