#and his care for the crew! for ed! his fears and his path to finding the courage to face them all

[seance]

STEDE BONNET / THE GENTLEMAN PIRATE / CAPTAIN OF THE REVENGE

[angelfireeast]

Ofmd ep 4 & 5

EPISODE FOUR

- the way the crew chewed Ed out on his walk of shame lol

- The sandwich hitting Lusicus in the face was hilarious and seemed unplanned.

- Ed immediately finds something alive & wants to make it his BBF. He is so needy

- It's Rachel House! I love her. She's hilarious. Really getting some amazing NZ talent now they are filming in NZ

- I'm so glad Ed & Stede worked it out. Ed has it so bad he trusts Stede again to run off after his confession.

- Ed learns a lesson about CHANGING! My heart. Mary & Anne are a cautionary tale but I feel like they both decided not to follow that path.

- Is it crazy that I feel a little hope for Anne/Mary when Anne burn down the house & they decided to move on together facing their fears & showing they love each other. Not saying they aren't still going to be toxic and full of kinks but it's a step in the right direction.

- I knew Bottons would turn into a bird! Yes king!

EPISODE 5:

- So much happened I. These two episodes but can we just appreciate that Roach invented peanut paste aka planet butter & immediately Frenchie was allergic to it

It's the little things honsetly

- Don't think I didn't notice Roach commenting on Frenchie's beautiful body cause that was 100% on my radar

- laughing at making Ed wear a bell

- Lucius was way too into pushing Ed off the ship lol I laughed at Ed yelling "do you feel closer yet"

- Ed hanging on the side of the ship & Fang rowing up and asking him if he wanted to go fishing felt so Marior

- loved Fang calling Ed out. It needed to happen. love that Fang got to tell Ed that those "games" weren't fun. I think Ed delused himself a lot about bad things to live with himself. We know he loves to play pretend & get lost in it. Yet we also know from the gravy bowl that Ed was upset about the way his old Captain hurt his crew & he was talking to himself really...so part of him knows it's wrong, dislikes it & part of him doesn't care or pretends not to care and it's no big deal as way to deal with what is happening.

- The way Olu, Jim & Archie just quietly and quickly rolled into a little united threesome is giving me life. I don't know the state of the romantic relationships and it doesn't matter cause them just being a united them is everything

- Fang is just adorable when he was telling Ed to be quite😂 he's so soft I love him. Kevin Jr lol I want more Fang pls

- Is it possible Ed has ADHD but also has trouble sitting with himself quietly cause he doesn't like himself & feel unlovable.

- the kiss in moonlight🥰

- Buttons & The Swede are off the ship. Archie & Izzy are on

What other changes are to come?

- Black Pete and Lusicus are engaged!!!🥳🍾

[starlitangels]

How They Met

Well, I told y’all I was gonna write how Pandora met Odin. Have fun! 1.9k words (almost exactly!)

—

“Y’know, you’re really good at stuff like this. You should, like, run with a permanent crew,” Huginn said. I scoffed and rolled my eyes.

“Nah. At my level, permanent crews can’t afford each other,” I said with a sarcastic snort. Huginn took a turn to roll his eyes. “Singular contracts are about all people like me can get.”

He turned and kept a lookout while I huddled over the lock, picking it with careful precision. Most locks on Esselheim were easy for me to get past, despite their complexity. A race of biomechanicals tended to over-engineer things unnecessarily. But that didn’t always make them better. This lock, though, was giving me trouble. Not more trouble than I could handle. It just required more time than usual.

“There we go. Got it,” I hissed as the last tumbler clicked into place and let me turn the bolt.

I started to twist—carefully—when I felt something in the lock catch.

“What?” I whispered.

I paused my movements and turned the mechanism back toward its original position, but not quite reaching the place. And then paused.

Nothing happened.

“What’s wrong?” Huginn asked.

“Not sure. The lock hit a catch,” I replied.

“Trap?”

“Possibly. But fitting a trap into a lock’s path would be difficult. Not to mention a pain to disengage for the people who are supposed to be here.”

Huginn made a face. “Hmm. So what’s the plan?”

“Well, I was—”

BWOOOOP! BWOOOOP! BWOOOOP!

The alarm made me jolt.

“Dammit,” I muttered. “I didn’t trigger that, did I?”

“Look who cares? Scatter before we get arrested!” Huginn took off running the same way we’d come in. Not far in the distance, I could hear the clanking of armor. Guards coming to investigate the alarm. Shouting joined the clanking. Along with projectiles being fired.

I rolled my eyes and ducked down a different corridor. Like as not, the guards didn't know the traps. If I could dodge through one, it would slow them down and help me escape.

In theory.

I took corners at random, trying to find my way out and make myself hard to follow.

But one of those corners seemed to take me to the thick of the conflict.

I pinwheeled my arms as I backpedalled. With a sharp curse, I ducked behind some sort of ruined statue plinth.

“There’s another one!” I heard a guard shout. An energy bolt struck the plinth. I swore and crouched low to make myself a smaller target. A few more hit the stone above and behind where I was somewhat hidden.

Cackling laughter rose over the din. I heard the shing! of metal cleaving through weapons.

“It’s the intruder! Get him!” another guard barked.

“Ha-haaaaa! Come and get me you f—” Bzoop! An energy bolt fired and plink!ed off something metal. “—ers!” The voice wasn’t Huginn’s. Nor was it anyone else that had been hired for this crazy scheme. Huginn and I had been the only ones to go inside anyway. Everyone else was on logistics or tech.

One thing was for sure, I was probably not going to get paid after this. Especially after Huginn bailed. No way would I make it to the merchandise on my own in the middle of a shootout.

The sound of energy bolts being fired increased. Whoever had been cackling cried out, “Whoa—whoa!” and started running. Bootfalls weighed down by heavy armor thudded over the stone floor. 

I didn’t dare peek out for fear of getting shot myself.

With a clumsy flop, someone crashed into the back of the plinth beside me. “Whew!” that same voice exclaimed. “Finally—some decent cover!”

I whirled around to see another Joten leaning back against the plinth. There was a massive battle axe, a raven carved down the metal blade and charred in a few spots, in his hands and across his lap.

“Hey!” I protested. “This spot’s taken! Find your own!”

“What? Oh, come on. We can share!”

“We absolutely cannot,” I retorted, pushing at him to get him away from me. Being smaller than the average Joten myself, this guy was absolutely massive and was going to crowd me out of my hiding spot.

He resisted my pushing. “Whoa. Slow down!”

“You’re going to get me killed and I don’t know you. No way am I going to trust you.”

“I’m Odin.”

“I don’t care—that doesn’t make me know you.”

“We’re both being shot at!”

“Yeah, and I assume that’s your fault. ‘Cause it sure as hell wasn’t mine!”

“Were you breaking in too?”

“What are you, a guard? Mind your own business.”

“You’ve got lock-picks sticking out of your wrist pockets,” this Odin guy pointed out.

“Now is not the time!” I snapped, peeking out from behind the plinth before quickly ducking back. “We are getting shot at from three sides and you’re asking if I broke in?” I shoved the lock picks deeper into my pockets so they wouldn’t stick out.

“Hey, I did too. There’s s’posed to be sweet loot in here.”

“Why do you think it’s full of traps?” I narrowed my eyes and slid a tiny mirror out of my bag. The kind that I usually used to reflect laser tripwires back on themselves. With it, I took quick stock of the guards. “By the Twin Gods... There’s at least twenty of them,” I muttered.

Odin looked down and met my eyes. “Know how to fight, thief?”

“I can handle myself in low numbers. This isn’t a low number.”

He gave me a lopsided, cocky smile. “Good thing you have me then.”

“Arrogant much?”

“Only on Wednesdays.”

“It’s Monday.”

“Close enough!” He beamed. “I’ll go right and take as many guards down as I can. You go left and try to get through the trapdoor on the floor.”

“Are you nuts?!” I exclaimed.

He smirked mischievously. “Only on Mondays.”

With that, he leapt out from behind the plinth, swinging his axe and roaring a battle cry.

I sighed in exasperation and rolled my eyes. Using my small mirror, I did a quick sweep of the room again. “Gods above,” I muttered.

I yanked a smoke canister out of my bag, popped the pin, and rolled it away from me, toward Odin.

“Hey big guy! Fall back!” I shouted as the smoke started to spew.

As the area started to get more and more obscured, I dodged out from behind the plinth myself and stole toward the uneven flagstone in the floor that was an obvious trapdoor.

I moved faster than I ever had to pop the trapdoor open—right as Odin slid to a stop on his knees beside me, axe slung over his back. “Going down,” I said, hopping over the edge of the hole in the floor and landing solidly on the metal ladder rungs hammered into the wall. I dropped down several to make room for Odin. He quickly followed. Once he was fully in the hole, he shut the trapdoor on top of us as quiet as he could.

We both went down the ladder as fast as we could. I hit the stone ground first and backed out of the way. Odin dropped off the rungs from right where he was, landing heavily but his knees took the shock of the impact easily. His knee servos must have had better absorbers than mine.

Warrior. Explorer. Adventurer. Probably. He was built for endurance. I was built for stealth. I was quiet, he was hardy.

“Where are we?” I asked, looking around. “This wasn’t on my blueprint of the place.”

“Catacombs. This was a temple, right?”

“Yeah.”

He shrugged. “Temples usually enshrine the dead somewhere.” He rolled his shoulders to adjust how his axe sat in its holster on his back. “Which means there’s a way out somewhere.”

“Problem being most catacombs are confusing.”

“Yeah, yeah. That.”

“So... what? We’re just bailing on the loot?”

Odin glanced up the hole we’d climbed down. “We’ll come back,” he said with a determined nod.

“I’m here because I was hired to be,” I said. “If I go back empty-handed, I don’t get paid.”

He scoffed. “Whatever they were paying you is a pittance compared to what we can lift from this place on our own.” He held his hand out. “Allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Odin. You never gave me your name.”

I shook his hand. “You haven’t earned it,” I replied, extracting my hand from his grip and stomping away.

He had the audacity to chuckle at my attitude before following after me. “How do you plan on getting out of here?”

“Following the scent of the air.”

“Meaning?”

“A surface-level exit will bring in slightly-fresher air,” I grumbled. “Follow the scent of it and we’ll find at least a vent to the surface.”

“Huh. Smart idea.”

I glowered at him over my shoulder. “I’ve been doing this for a while. I should hope so.”

“So you are a thief.”

“Treasure hunter,” I corrected.

He shrugged again. “Same difference.” He leaned forward, closer to me. “Y’know, I’m a bit of a treasure hunter myself. And you seem to be quite the, uh, treasure—”

“Don’t even try it,” I interrupted.

“Worth a shot.”

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. “We’re running away from guards after you got me caught and you’re trying to flirt.”

“May as well try, right?”

“I cannot believe this is how my day is going,” I grumbled. “First the alarm gets triggered by a dumbass and now I’m stuck in the catacombs with him.” I shook my head. “You’d better win me over before we get out of here or there’s nothing stopping me from ratting on you when we get out.”

“Except for the fact that you broke in first.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe I will be too,” he retorted.

“You’re doing a pretty terrible job of winning me over.”

“No. I think I already have. You’re finding me funny, despite being annoyed.”

“Ugh. In your dreams, Owen.”

“It’s Odin!”

“Whatever.” I poked my head down the two prongs of a fork in the tunnels. “This way.” I marched down the left one.

We wandered the catacombs for what felt like hours, occasionally hearing guards running above us. But none seemed to have descended down into the intestines under the building. I couldn’t blame them.

Finally, we made it to a grate made of steel bars and padlocked shut—that led out to the surface. Beyond even the temple walls. “Thank the Twin Gods,” I muttered. I flicked my lock picks out of my pocket and into my hand and reached through the bars. I closed my eyes and picked the lock by feel.

It popped open. I got the padlock out of the pair of holes in the metal holding it shut and creaked the grate outward.

“You are very good at what you do,” Odin remarked.

“Yup,” I agreed. “Now. How about you go left and I go right and we act like this never happened?”

“Sure.” He moved to head down the alleyway toward the populated street beyond. “We should do this again sometime! Come back to this place and actually get the loot.”

“Mm,” I grunted noncommittally.

“See you around, nameless thief.” He raised a hand in an almost wave as he took several backward steps toward the left of the grate.

“Hope not!” I turned sharply and trotted away to the right.

—

Tagging some GB peeps to hopefully enjoy: @palilious @gwenifred @ryn-halo26 @halscafe @monster-scribe-tya @miloeveryday38

[nightingaelic]

Fallout New Vegas companions react to taking the Courier's place in Dead Money.

Arcade Gannon: Following the obligatory panic attack and subsequent state of dejection, Arcade would suck it up and start trying to get the heist done with as quickly as possible. He’d roll his eyes at Dean Domino, set aside Dog and God’s identity crisis for later and check Christine over for basic first aid purposes before trudging along toward the various goals set by Elijah. I think he’d opt for stealth over combat when encountering the ghost people out of a sense of self-preservation, but he would probably pocket some clothing and blood samples from any that Dog took down along the way to the casino. The story of the Sierra Madre would fascinate him, particularly the bits and pieces left behind by jaded treasure hunters and Elijah’s previous teams of victims. Arcade would see it as a microcosm of what’s happening in the wider world, a stellar example of partners turning on each other in pursuit of some perceived bright future attached to the hidden treasures of the old world. Vera’s desperate graffiti in her hotel room would speak to him most powerfully: LET GO. He would probably try to argue with Elijah about the viability of the former Brotherhood Elder’s plans, throwing some Latin phrasing in for good measure. No matter his level of success in this, Arcade would stow away as many gold bars as he could to lug home and use to sparingly and anonymously fund the efforts of the Followers of the Apocalypse. 

Craig Boone: During his first encounter with one of the ghost people popping up again after being downed by his sniper rifle, Boone would grunt in annoyance, swap his ammo for hollow points and switch from aiming at chests to aiming at heads. Ghost people bob and weave admirably, but Boone has a gift, and up until he actually got inside the casino, his main obstacle would be avoiding the noxious cloud. The holograms, on the other hand, would probably strike some fear into his heart. After all, how do you destroy something that bullets can’t touch? I don’t think he would put two and two together about the emitters until Christine or Dean pointed them out: From there, it just becomes a scavenger hunt to find the next piece of wall-mounted tech to shoot. Dean, Dog and God would annoy him, but he’d find a kindred spirit in Christine, and would appreciate her ability to convey meaning without words. Hell, he’s pretty good at that himself. Upon finding Elijah, Boone would immediately put a bullet in his head, look at the pile of gold for a few seconds, then walk away and out of the Sierra Madre without looking back. He’d never breathe a word of the place to anyone, but he’d track down all of the Sierra Madre broadcast systems one by one and destroy them, letting the desert swallow the place and its dangers for good. 

Lily Bowen: Grandma Lily wouldn’t understand why the angry man was so desperate to get inside the casino, but she’s more than familiar with being a forced follower of doomed causes. As such, she would be kind to her fellow captives, assuring Christine that she would be able to talk “when she’s ready,” admonishing Dean for his rude behavior and telling Elijah that he would catch more cazadores with honey mesquite than with vinegar. A trail of wrecked ghost people would follow her to the casino itself, but dealing with the holograms would be beyond her expertise: That part would have to be left to Christine or Dean. Elijah would receive a lecture once she made it into the vault, but she would probably let him live unless he attacked first. Dog and God, however, would earn the most care and compassion and even cause some introspection. Ultimately, I think she would help the two become one through intense conversation and shared understanding about what it means to be nightkin with no master, and once freed, she would take him to find a home in Jacobstown. 

Raul Alfonso Tejada: Upon waking up from being kidnapped by Dog on Elijah's behalf, Raul's immediate reaction would be something like "Again?" followed by "Carajo." Elijah’s insistence on pulling off the heist would annoy him, but Raul is constantly looking for something to occupy his unnaturally-long time on earth, and what is the Sierra Madre if not the Mojave’s most deadly time-waster? He would be sarcastic and exasperated for his entire time wearing the bomb collar, but would find ways to be tender and understanding with Christine, and patient and supportive with Dog and God - after all, he knows what it’s like to struggle with two sides of yourself. Dean, on the other hand, would vex him. Here’s another pre-war ghoul hung up on the promises and mistakes of the past, driven to the point of obsession where he can’t break himself out of the cycle. He can’t let go, and I think that doomed state of being would speak to Raul personally. I don’t think he and Dean would get along, but I don’t think they would have a final showdown in the Tampico either. Instead, I think Dean would watch Raul exit the vault’s elevator, flip one souvenir gold bar in his hand with a wry smile, then pocket it before walking out into the wastes, and the pre-war lounge singer would feel a twinge of kindred sadness before going back to rummaging through the casino’s secrets. 

Rose of Sharon Cassidy: Following a tense standoff with Elijah while refusing to do as he says, Cass would eventually relent and start dragging her feet around the villa to assemble the ragtag heist crew. She’d hold each of them at a distance, intent on getting herself out alive and refusing to be responsible for anyone else. Nods of sympathy for Christine, dry comebacks for Dean and a quizzical comment or two for Dog and God would be her limit, at least until they all encountered their turning points inside the casino. Each of them would grow her disdain for Elijah and his methods, but, like Raul, I think she would be most personally affected by Dean’s story. She might find herself arguing with him like the courier did with her, about moving on from failed pasts and striking out into something new. I don’t think she’d take the time to argue with Elijah, though, and would take the first chance she got to lock him in the vault forever. She’d make off with as much gold as she could, of course. 

Veronica Santangelo: The Sierra Madre would make Veronica's head explode, though whether or not Elijah could stand her mouth going a million miles a minute once she wakes up would determine whether that would happen literally or figuratively. Tons and tons of pre-war tech lying around! But it's all under a haze of collapsed support beams, toxic gas and ghost people that can jump around like grasshoppers. Father Elijah is alive! But he's trying to break into a casino to build an army of holograms, and he imprisoned Christine. Christine is here! But she's been maimed and abused horribly, and is trying to kill Elijah. I think Elijah would try reasoning with Veronica before threatening her into obeying him - though she would probably figure out how to get the collar off or render it useless within the first 24 hours in the Sierra Madre - but I don’t think he would be able to convince her that his plan to get inside the casino’s vault would benefit the Brotherhood of Steel. The revelations that Christine would bring - the Circle of Steel’s orders, Elijah’s crimes against travelers and treasure hunters, his orchestration of their breakup in order to bring Veronica to the Mojave with him - would probably leave her feeling confused and empty about the man she considers a grandfather figure. She would probably do her best to free Elijah from the casino, but would offer him a choice if she succeeded: Leave the treasures of the Sierra Madre behind and walk away from his accursed quest for power, or remain trapped with what he’d sought. Whatever path he’d choose, Veronica would part ways with him once the vault’s elevator ascended. She’d bundle up Vera’s dress, sigh heavily, then take Christine’s hand and walk away from the Sierra Madre forever. 

ED-E: Ironically, I think ED-E would be a good pick for Elijah to use as a pawn in his heist game, though it would be kind of hard for Dog to hook a collar onto the little robot. If Ulysses can speak to the courier through an eyebot’s speakers, then Elijah can probably do the same to his already-assembled team. ED-E doesn’t have a whole lot of personal motivation, so I think the bot would just beep and go along with whatever it was ordered to do. Christine or Dean would probably take the lead, and ED-E would zoom around the villa, dodging throwing knife spears and trumpeting his location without a care. Once inside the casino, ED-E would again defer to his leader’s orders, with the added benefit of being a robot keeping him from the holograms’ notice. If allowed into the vault, ED-E would diligently pick up exactly six of the gold bars and carry them home to the Mojave, where he would deposit them at the bewildered courier’s feet with a triumphant beep. 

Rex: While much easier to slap a collar on than ED-E, I don't think Rex would fare better than the little robot in terms of leadership abilities. As an ally to whoever gets put in charge, though, he would also be invaluable at sneaking around the Sierra Madre’s various threats, particularly the ghost people. He would take a special shine to Christine and God, who would recognize the canine as a fellow being exploited by powers out of his control. Rex would absolutely hate the holograms, who smell of nothing, and Elijah, who smells of desperation and indifference. He would completely ignore the gold bars. Once freed, he would whine and beg and nudge Christine until she relented and left the city of the dead, leading her home to the New Vegas strip and another woman whose scent told him of metal bunkers and longing. 

[crystalgirl259]

How to Train Your Dragonblood 3: The Dragonblood Alpha Ch4

"Ground all dragonbloods!" Cliff shouted at the top of his lungs as he ran through the underground stone corridor to the hanger. Jay and Kai were trailing after the chief as he ran ahead, bellowing orders to anyone who would listen. Cole and Ed were also following them, also concerned about Cliff's fear. The others were following Cliff's orders and locking down the island, even though some of the dragonbloods weren't happy about it. They hated being controlled and ordered around, especially after all those years of being enslaved by that monster at the nest.

Unfortunately, as they were living on Cliff's island, they had to live by his rules.

As soon as Jay confirmed Iron Baron's name, it was like Cliff suddenly became a completely different person. One not seen by his family or anyone in Ninjago. As he was growing up, Jay had seen his father in chief mode, father mode, over-protective mode, and sometimes he could just be an insensitive and condescending jerk. This Cliff was very different, however. He looked downright terrified as he ran around the hanger, and it was very unnerving for Jay to see.

"What?! Why?" Jay cried in shock, but Cliff ignored his son.

"Seal the gates! Lower the storm doors!" He shouted as they entered a bigger cavern. Jay tried to keep up while Kai followed him, just as bewildered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait, wait, what is happening?" The brunette asked as everyone rushed around.

"Come on, you heard the man, lock it down!" Ed echoed around the underground cave with dragonbloods and humans milling around as the group climbed down the stairs, one-half alert and the other half confused. People began to pull down levers and the gate that led outside slowly closed.

"No dragonblood or man sets foot off this island until I give the word!" Cliff bellowed and dragonbloods and humans start running around in near panic at their Chief's sudden alarm. Cliff ignored the stairs and jumped down the platform along with Kai and Ed.

"Wait, all this because some weird guy you knew is stirring up troubles on some faraway land?" Jay asked in shock. He had never seen his father run from anything in his life. Without warning, Cliff suddenly got into his son's face, a look of fear, anger, and determination plastered on his face.

"Because Iron Baron is a madman, without conscience or mercy, and if he's built a dragonblood army... Gods help us all!" He muttered in horror before he started to scream orders at his men again as he paced around. Jay wasn't discouraged by this and caught up to him, cutting off his path. Ed had to give the kid some points for audacity. He had always known the lad had it in him to stand up to his own father.

"Let's ride back out there," Jay suggested, trying to be positive. "We'll follow those trappers to Iron Baron and talk some sense into him."

"No! We fortify the island!" Cliff insisted.

"It's our duty to keep the peace!" Jay argued.

"Peace is over, Jay! I must prepare you for war."

"War!?" Kai exclaimed in shock. He could tell Cliff was scared of the Iron Baron, so was Kai, but the brunette didn't expect it to go so far.

"Dad, if this Iron Baron is coming for the dragonbloods, we can't wait around for him to get here! Let's go find him and change his mind!" Jay pushed, but the chief was too stubborn to listen.

"No, some minds won't be changed, Jay; Ninjago is what you need to worry about! A Chief protects his own!" He snapped at the young man before turning back to the panicking humans and dragonbloods running around the hanger. "Secure the stables! Latch every stall!" He ordered as he ran ahead, leaving Jay and Kai alone in the middle of the hanger. As he left, Jay looked at Kai and gave his hotheaded boyfriend a comforting look, sensing his unease.

The Fire Dragonblood then went and gently touched his arm, already knowing he was up to something from his determined look.

"Jay, don't!" He tried to reason with his boyfriend, but Jay was just as stubborn as his father.

"I have to baby, you know that." He replied as he leaned down for a quick peck on Kai's cheek and that was all it took to convince Kai into transforming into his dragon form. Cliff saw the flash of Kai's transformation, but before he could turn around completely, Jay was already on top of Kai's dragon form and then they were in the air and swooping underneath the closing hanger gate. The couple tried to find a way out as the windows and other openings of the cave were closing off.

Luckily, they managed to get into the open air before the last gate was closed.

As the Chief and Ed watch him go, another dragon swooped down behind them and takes after them. When they saw what was happening, Pixal also transformed and she and Zane chased after the pair. Zane frowned as the gate slowly rose and the light was blocked but in the last second, he and Zane were out right before the entrance was locked. Cliff sighed and shook his head as he watched his son and Zane fly off into the distance...

****************

As the sun began to set, a ship was sailing in the icy sea near some huge cliffs. At the front of the ship stood Clutch Powers, watching the horizon before he walked back on the deck where his men were working and pulling ropes. They all had to keep their eyes peeled. With this wind, they would reach Iron Baron by daybreak so they had to fill up the ship with dragonbloods and quick. It was no time to be picky. Not with riders showing up to rescue their targets almost every night.

He just couldn't understand how anyone could like those flying, murderous, monsters.

As Clutch examined his maps, trying to pinpoint the most recent dragonblood sightings with their route, one of the sailors looked in the sky, and Clutch noticed that and followed his gaze. Everyone was watched the two dragonbloods appeared in the distance and flew towards them. Clutch brightened up at the sight of two healthy-looking targets.

"Get them, lads! Take them down! He ordered as he aimed the crossbow with a satisfied smirk. It was wiped off, however, when he realized who the dragonbloods were. The same riders and dragonbloods that they had met earlier that day. As the men around him yelled and prepared themselves for capture while Clutch frowned and pulled the machine.

"You're not getting away this time!" He shouted at the riders.

"Jaybird, please tell me you have a plan at least." Kai gulped mentally as they flew closer to the ship. The ginger-haired man didn't say anything to his boyfriend, however. He wasn't confident enough to even look at him. "YOU DON'T HAVE A PLAN!?" He roared, catching Zane and Pixal's attention.

"Is everything alright?" Zane asked in worry, but Jay gave him a comforting smile.

"Yeah, we're good, Kai's just being paranoid as per usual." He reassured as he petted the Fire Dragonblood's head. Kai only snorted in disbelief, but before he could respond, Clutch started firing net at them. The launched nets were gracefully avoided and Kai got closer to the ship until he could leap on the deck with Pixal following seconds after. Jay removed his helmet while Zane spun his large shurikens and Clutch takes out his blade.

"And here I was worried I may turn up empty-handed," Clutch smirked as he prepared for the riders to make the first strike.

"Nope! It's your lucky day, we're here to give up." Jay chirped as he held out a hand for Zane to put down his weapon and for Pixal and Kai to return to their human forms, which they all did. The hunters and Clutch were shocked to see the dragonbloods transform into humans. They knew dragonbloods could do this, but they rarely saw this. When they all finally registered Jay's words, everyone blinked in shock. Even Kai and Pixal were confused, and Kai practically shared a mind with him.

What was his human boyfriend up to?

Zane looked at him like he was crazy as Jay put his arms up in surrender. Everybody else was too busy gawking to even remember to pick up their fallen jaws. Clutch also almost dropped his knife as he raised a confused eyebrow. Jay and Zane walked away from their dragonbloods and Jay leaned down to take a net.

"That's one Fire Dragonblood, one Ice Dragonblood, and two of the finest riders from the sunny island of Ninjago; that ought to make the boss happy, right?" He smirked as he suddenly threw the net over his three friends all froze in shock. Kai really hoped Jay did have a plan or else the human would be sleeping outside for a week. Mutters of insane and worried rumbles flew in the air around them. Pixal mentally begging the crazy boy who apparently was willing to sell them to a bunch of hunters to explain himself faster or she would happily freeze him right where he stood.

Jay said nothing to his friends as he pushed Zane's shurikens into Clutch's hands, who was still rooted to the spot and watching Jay in disbelief. He backed off when Kai bared his fangs at him to follow.

Jay then shoved out of the way the weapons of the dumbstruck crew while Zane, Kai, and Pixal finally got the net off. They all climbed down in a cage built below the ship while the men are still watching.

"What are you doing Jaybird?" Kai hissed at his boyfriend as Jay followed after him, pulling down the barred opening. This only made Kai more worried as he was a bit lost by his boyfriend's actions. They were among enemies yet the boy and Zane were not aggressive. Granted he somehow doubted Jay would ever intentionally be aggressive. He just didn't seem to carry that type of intimidating aura like his fellow humans. He was also concerned that he willingly entered a cage.

He whined in his throat at Jay's confusing gestures that made a dragonblood as mighty as he behaves like a mother watching its hatchling from falling out of the sky.

For the life of him, Kai just couldn't understand his human, boyfriend, rider sometimes.

"Kai, just relax." Jay pleaded as he turned back to the hunters. "Dragonbloods don't really care for cramped spaces, but they won't be any trouble." He promised, but this had a very opposite effect to what he was hoping for. The people suddenly pointed all of their weapons at the Fire Dragonblood, making Kai jump in fright as he transformed, eyes like needles and back arched like a cat. Pixal quickly followed his lead, also feeling incredibly threatened.

She had spent many long and grueling months locked up in a cage in the arena back in Ninjago, so this was all brought back some very painful memories.

Zane seemed to sense this and gently rubbed her head to help her relax. It worked, but only a little bit. Kai lowered his body to the ground and growled. Jay resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he poked his head through the bars. Clutch stared at him with a flat look. Beside him, a hooded man fidgeted with his weapon. After a short staring contest, Clutch rolled his eyes to the sky when a sword sticks out of the cage. The crew jumps back when it lit up in flames.

Jay popped out again, hitting his head as if reprimanding himself for not remembering.

"Can't have armed prisoners." He smiled as he gave the sword to a man while down below Ka, Zane, and Pixal watched everything unfold with trepidation.

"How is this a plan?" Kai mentally glared at the back of his head. But Jay was more focused on the trappers and gaining their trust.

"Just what every dragonblood trapper needs." He smiled as the men inspected the device he made curiously. One end coated the blade in saliva from Kai's dragon form and the other sprayed gas from Tox. As the men looked at the weapon, they accidentally activated the gas. They desperately tried to shut it off, and Clutch stepped away while another man clicked the lighter by mistake. Jay ducked below as an explosion rocked the deck. The two men that caused the explosion were covered in soot and coughing.

A spark was floating around and glided into the cage.

Without thinking, Kai and Pixal leaped onto their back legs and played with it, trying to be the first to catch it with their paws. Jay almost squealed at the sight and Zane smiled. Despite being intelligent, powerful creatures, dragonbloods were still animals deep down. Jay would even use light reflecting off his knife to make a little dot for Kai to chase like a cat. When he finally regained his senses and the spark faded, Kai moaned and covered his face with a paw.

He hated it when he acted cute when he was supposed to be daunting and remarkable.

He always told Jay and anyone that he was a fearless creature, not some cuddly toy. Having enough of the show, Clutch stomped to the men and grabbed the sword before he turned to Jay.

"What game are you playing?" He demanded.

"Eh, no game, ee just want to meet the Iron Baron." He shrugged innocently.

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to change his mind about dragonbloods." He replied, looking more serious than Clutch had thought the small man was capable of and the crew started to laugh. Zane sighed in disagreement but said nothing.

"Some minds cannot be changed, Jaybird, you really have to understand that." Kai mentally mumbled with a tired thought when Jay caught his eye he shook his head and that visibly hit the ginger-haired man judging by his surprised look. The teen was silent as he stared back until he finally gathered his thoughts.

"Well, you changed yours, so did my Dad and all of Ninjago." He shot back just as determined but a tad more subdued, and Kai looked away. Zane and Pixal shared a look, knowing that the couple were having a private talk, and were feeling very uncomfortable at being in the middle. When he knew he had won their short argument, Jay slowly climbed out of the cage and was joined by Zane and the two dragonbloods. The trappers raised their weapons but waited for Clutch's command.

"He can be very persuasive," Zane added, trying to help his friend.

"Once you gain their loyalty there is nothing a dragonblood won't do for you." Jay smiled as he scratched the Fire Dragonblood's ear fondly, demonstrating their close bond and showing Kai he wasn't upset with him. But Clutch was still not convinced.

"You won't be changing any minds around here." He snorted.

"I can change yours right here, right now." He promised as he reached for Kai's flying gear, pulling a lever that spread the prosthetic tailfin.

"You sure about this Jaybird?" Kai asked nervously, but his boyfriend sent him as much love and reassurance as he could through their link. Once he was sure Kai would be alright, Jay turned back to Clutch.

"May I?" He asked as he extended his hand for Clutch to take. Only he didn't get the chance to do anything because all of a sudden, a dark green shape moved across the ship and snatched him away. Another dragonblood flew by and ripped the sails. Within seconds, the trapper's ship was surrounded by a few dragonbloods. The sailors tried to stay on their feet as Clutch glanced around at the sky for the assailants. Fearing for his boyfriend, Kai leaped onto the mast and sails growling loudly, until he stopped when he saw they were the other riders from Ninjago.

He was relieved to see Jay in Morro's claws.

"Put me down! Harumi, what are you doing?!" Jay screeched as he struggled in the Wind Dragonblood's claws, but Harumi and Morro had to suddenly duck with everyone else as the trappers started firing nets at them. As most of the riders managed to dodge the nets, Dareth and Tox weren't as fast and one of the nets wrapped around them. They would have fallen into the icy sea if Rocky hadn't caught them in the air. The Earth Dragonblood hovered in place as Cole climbed down and cut the net away with a knife, freeing the pair.

While they were all distracted, Jay finally managed to push his legs up and released himself from Morro's grip.

As he fell headfirst he looped his hands through the bands around his legs and unfolded his wings. On the deck, Zane rushed Clutch and pushed him away from the catapult, but the net was still fired. Luckily, Jay avoided it as he glided back down to the ship. He grabbed a rope from a sail and slid down on the deck. Kai jumped beside him as he took off the wings and nuzzled the human affectionately. He would have transformed and hugged Jay, but he still didn't feel safe enough to do that yet.

"What are you guys doing here?!"

"We're here to rescue you!

"We don't need to be rescued!

"Enough!" A voice suddenly boomed and a large dragonblood made of metal landed behind a sail, with Cliff Gordon as the rider and Ed as a back passenger. This was Karloff, a large Metal Dragonblood. A couple of years ago, Jay finally convinced his father to partner up with a dragonblood like almost everyone else in Ninjago. After many failed attempts to connect with a dragonblood, Cliff met Karloff in a local tavern and the two of them hit it off right away.

They were now regular drink buddies and partnered up whenever Cliff needed a dragonblood.

Karloff roared in agreement with his rider and Jay turned just as the Chief hopped down with a thud on the floor.

"Well, you just picked the wrong ship!" Clutch sneered as he gestured angrily at them. Cliff just heaved a sigh in frustration. Before the lead trapper could say another word, the chief grabbed his face without a word and pushed him away, being in no mood to deal with other people with attitude problems. He slid down and as he tried to stand, Zane hit him in the head, knocking him back down. Before he could get up again, Pixal suddenly pinned Clutch down, her icy breath leaving bits of frost in his face and hair.

Clutch was smart enough to stop struggling.

"Does anybody else want to try anything?" Cliff growled and the crew reluctantly lowered their weapons. They may be skilled in the art of Dragonblood hunting, but they weren't stupid enough to take on eight different Dragonbloods and nine humans. "That's what I figured." Cliff huffed and turned to glare at Jay. "You, saddle up; we're going home."

"No." Jay snapped. It was so blunt that Cliff almost fell over. That ungrateful, idiotic son of his! What had he done to deserve so much grief from his family? First Libber and now Jay? It must have come from her side of the family, no doubt about it.

"Of all the irresponsible–"

"I'm trying to protect our dragonbloods and stop a war! How is that irresponsible?!"

"BECAUSE WAR IS WHAT HE WANTS, SON!" Cliff shouted louder than he had in his life. The exasperation in his voice had Jay freeze and Cliff realized he had to explain. With a heavy sigh, he began to tell the story of Iron Baron. "Years ago there was a great gathering of chieftains to discuss the dragonblood scourge we all faced." He started and Ed gripped his friend's arm tightly. The Chief was rubbing his eyes and frowning. Ed had a feeling that by the end of this his friend would have aged decades.

Who could have thought that something so old and gone would surge from the folds of the past and haunt him so much?

As Cliff recounted his encounter with the Iron Baron, his mind flashed to the past. A younger Cliff looked around at the other chiefs sitting on high chairs as a pale, hunched figure was stepping in their middle.

"Into our midst came a stranger from a strange land, covered in scars and draped in a cloak of dragon skin; he carried no weapon and spoke softly, saying that he, Iron Baron was a man of the people devoted to free mankind from the tyranny of dragonbloods." He said as he remembered the man speaking to the chiefs and Cliff leaned down in his chair, scratching his chin as he listened with the others. "He claimed that he alone could control all the dragonbloods and that he alone can keep us safe if, we chose to bow down and follow him." He sighed sadly as the sound of the other chiefs laughing rowdily at the man's boldness still ringing in his ears.

In the present day, the teens all started laughing too, Dareth and Plundar the loudest.

Ronin was laughing so loud that he had to wipe a tear from his eye.

"Yeah, we all laughed too; until he wrapped himself in his cloak and cried out: Then see how well you do without me." Cliff shuddered at the memory. "Then the rooftops of the meeting hall suddenly burst into flames and from it armies of dragonbloods descended, burning everything to the ground!" He hissed angrily before it melted into a look of sorrow and regret. "I... was the only one to escape." He muttered and everyone on the deck fell silent at the confession.

Jay still wasn't convinced, however, and everyone could see it.

"Men who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with." Cliff tried to convince him, but as usual, his son was stubborn.

"Maybe, but I'm still going to try." Jay insisted as he walked away. Clutch followed Jay with his gaze as the younger man Jay hopped onto the Fire Dragonblood, just as surprised as the chief. "This is what I'm good at, and if I could change your mind, then I can change his too." He added, sounding sincere but determined at the same time. Ed smiled at his apprentice's courage while the Chief shook his head. With one thought from Jay, Kai took off and Cole runs over to Rocky to follow.

"Let's go!" He ordered to the other riders, but Cliff grabbed his arm.

"No, lead the others back to Ninjago; I've had enough mutiny for one day." He growled as he stepped away from the Earth Dragonblood and his rider. Down with Clutch, Pixal still had him pinned to the deck until Zane managed to pull her off. As quickly as they had appeared, the riders all flew from the trappers' boat, with Ed and Cliff chasing after Jay and Kai and the others heading back to Ninjago. Clutch couldn't move from the deck, too shocked and confused by what just happened...

[chroniclesofalonewolf]

A SHOUT OUT TO MY FAVE ANIME GUYS - PART 1 (Because they also deserve it, you know....)

SPIKE SPIEGEL (Cowboy Bebop)

His Deal: Main protagonist of Cowboy Bebop. Bounty hunter born on Mars. A skilled martial artist that practices Jeet Kune Do. Well acquainted with guns. Owns a mono racer Swordfish.

His Criminal Past: Before teaming up with Jet Black aboard the Bebop, he was part of the Red Dragon Criminal Syndicate. But after being tangled up with his former colleague Vicious (and fell in love with Julia), he decided to leave the life of crime. Unfortunately, his past kept on creeping back to him during the course of the series.

RYUUJI TAKASU (Toradora!)

His Deal: Looks mean but he's actually a good guy. Can make a good house husband since he does all the work in their household. Takes good care of Taiga Aisaka, his eventual love interest.

The Tiger and the Dragon: Taiga and Ryuuji crossed paths on their second year of high school when the latter accidentally bumped into her. Thing got even more interesting when one night Taiga "attacked" Ryuuji in his home to retrieve the love letter intended for Ryuuji's friend Yusaku Kitamura. What's more, Taiga discovers that Ryuuji has a crush on her friend Minori Kushieda. The two then decided to help each other out with their respective crushes. And then chaos ensues... 😅

ALPHONSE ELRIC (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)

His Deal: Younger brother of Edward Elric. After performing human transmutation with his brother to revive their mother, he lost his physical body in the process. His soul is retrieved by Ed, though it is now enclosed in a suit of armor.

Polar Opposites: While his more famous elder brother is a bit stubborn, Al is kinder, more patient. Amidst battling his own insecurities, Al cares deeply to the people closest to him, even risking his own life in the process. Cases in point: Al protecting Xing princess May Chang and his ultimate sacrifice to save his brother Ed, both happened during the Promised Day arc of FMAB.

ASHITAKA (Princess Mononoke)

His Deal: Former Emishi prince. Have to leave his village to find the cure for the curse bestowed upon him by a demon he faced (in a shape of a wild boar). A skilled archer and sword fighter.

Caught in the Middle: While traveling far and wide in search for the cure, he was caught in the crossfire between to warring factions - the people of Irontown led by Lady Eboshi (one of the most complex antagonist in the Ghibli canon) and the forest creatures, spearheaded by San.

MAKI SEIJI (Bloom Into You)

His Deal: The Student Council's resident aromantic (though he admires people in love and even gives love advice). The one who first to discover what's going on with Touko Nanami and fellow freshman Yuu Koito.

Yuu's Lifeline: Maki has been a key figure in guiding through Yuu's journey especially regarding her relationship with Touko. His shining moment came in Episode 39 of the manga, during their day-off at the batting range. While Yuu admitted that she does not care about romance anymore, Maki made her realize that: 1) they are not the same (aromantic) as Yuu claimed to be; 2) she's been in love with Touko all this time (as Maki repeatedly telling her beforehand); and she's just running away for the fear of getting hurt. That moment became a turning point for Yuu, as it sets its stage for the fateful Episode 40.

TOMOMI MASAOKA (Psycho-Pass)

His Deal: Former Detective of the Public Safety Bureau then was demoted to Enforcer after his frustration on the Sibyl System. He was assigned at Division 1, working with the likes of Shinya Kogami and Nobuchika Ginoza. He also has a prosthetic left arm.

Daddy Issues: As he appears to be the father-figure of Division 1, he's actually the biological father of Inspector Ginoza. Although their relationship can be a little strained at times, they do care about each other, esp. when Ginoza seeks advice to her father. Tragedy struck when Masaoka fell into the hands of Shogo Makashima, in an attempt to save his son's life.

SHUN KAZAMA (From Up on Poppy Hill)

His Deal: Student at Konan Academy. A regular contributor to "The Latin Quarter Weekly", the school's newsletter. Have a bit complicated family backstory (I won't spoil it here for those who have not seen the movie!).

Jackass Moment: In one of the attempts in voicing out their disgust on the impending demolition of the Latin Quarter, the clubs made a bit of a scene during the school's lunch break. Shun - an active supporter to the cause - jumped from the Quarter's rooftop, hit a tree, then fell on a pool full of water. Umi Matsuzaki - the heroine of the movie - lended a hand to help Shun out.

DUTCH (Black Lagoon)

His Deal: Former US marine that fought in the Vietnam War then went into hiding and become a mercenary. He is the leader of the Lagoon Trading Company.

A Lover Not A Fighter: Dutch is more into negotiating to clients in a peaceful manner and giving orders to the rest of the crew. But he can be one dangerous fellow if the need arises (he's an ex-Marine after all!). But 'til then, he leaves all the dirty work to their resident trigger- happy colleague, Revy.

NAGISA "NAGI" AMANO (Weathering With You)

His Deal: Hina Amano's younger brother. And he's pretty much a scene stealer in the movie.

Ladies' Man: At a very young age (elementary school age?!?), Nagi has been pretty smooth with girls. This came in handy, when he seeked the help of her girl friends to escape on the foster care facility, and also save Hodaka as well.

JET BLACK (Cowboy Bebop)

His Deal: The captain of the Bebop. He can be one hell of a tough guy but he knows how to do house chores as well. On occasion, we may see him either cooking or tending his bonsai trees.

The Black Dog: In a series that deals about the past, Jet's backstory is no exception. Before living a life as a bounty hunter, he is a detective of the Inter Solar System Police (ISSP). But during his years as a cop, his girlfriend Alisa left him (as shown in a flashback on Session 10: Ganymede Elegy) and was betrayed by his former colleague Fad during a case against Udai Taxim (another flashback, this time on Session 16: Black Dog Serenade) that cost his left arm (hence why it is in prosthetic) and ended his career in law enforcement.

[sctanic]

『 dove cameron. twenty-one. cis woman. she/her. 』 oh heavens, is that THEODORA ‘THEO’ KENNEDY from SYCAMORE WAY i see roaming around mapleview? minnie may’s always calling them -BEWILDERING & -EXTEMPORANEOUS. i happen to think they’re not that bad! they’re a pretty cool PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR and every time i’ve seen them, they’ve always been +BEWITCHING & +UNBIASED. i hope i see them around again!

hi everyone! i’m nico and i am so happy to be here. it’s been so long since i’ve played theo and i’ve been searching for a place she’d fit in for ages. i apologize for the length of my intro and fully do not expect anyone to actually read the entire thing but if you do and you like what you read, don’t hesitate to give it a like or send me a message to plot!

trigger warnings; parental death, murder, sexual assault, abuse, alcohol, drugs

S T A T I S T I C S

full name : theodora jane kennedy nickname: theo, t.j, teddy to a select few   date of birth  :  september 1, 1999 age : twenty-one height : 5′1″ sexuality :  pansexual   relationship status : taken by sonny deluca children : river and regan deluca, twins, nearly two years old. occupation  :  paranormal investigator for ghost adventures aesthetic  :  dried blood, cigarette smoke, spilled red wine, ripped jeans over fishnets, abandoned houses, late night walks through cemeteries, combat boots, smudged mascara, bruised skin, leather jackets, old film cameras, black lipstick, nightmares, dried out flowers.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

positive traits : bewitching, unbiased, passionate   negative traits : bewildering, extemoraneous, impulsive likes : the occult, rebellion, horror movies, the smell of fall, cinnamon   dislikes : pizza, romcoms, gender norms, willy wonka, early mornings myer-briggs : ISFP enneagram : type 8

B I O G R A P H Y

╰     ‘  theodora kennedy was born on september 1, 1999 in a small town on long island, new york to a young couple. daniel and christina kennedy already had a six year old son when they welcomed their daughter into the world and although she had not been planned, they were happy to have her. for the first five years of her life, theo had everything, but that all changed on christmas eve of 2004.

╰     ‘  what they thought was an attempted robbery gone wrong left the kennedy family broken. as theo and her older brother hid in the closet and watched from the crack between the door and the frame, christina was shot 4 times repeatedly and left dead. — it would take one whole year for authorities to find out that her own husband was responsible for it.

╰     ‘  no, daniel kennedy didn’t pull the trigger. and no, he didn’t break into his own house but his past life of crime brought upon the tragedy. before meeting and setting down with christina, daniel had been involved in a sketchy lifestyle — drugs, alcohol, parties and crime. he bought, he dealt, he stole and he owed a lot of money. when he didn’t meet his deadline he was warned what would happen, and they had been true to their word. if he couldn’t offer them the money they would take something else, something money couldn’t buy. his wife, and the mother to his two children.

╰     ‘  that christmas was a dark one. there were no celebrations and the kids didn’t open their presents. the new year just brought dread and slowly the kennedy’s began to spiral. daniel began to fall back into his olf lifestyle of partying and crime as a coping mechanism. he became involved with the wrong people once more, people he called ‘old friends’ and more times than not his son jack, who was only eleven at the time, was left to care for his sister, theo.

╰     ‘  the death of a mother would be hard for anyone, but witnessing it had really ruined theodora. she stopped socializing, stopped speaking. her father still swears that she didn’t speak a single word for 3 years, and that may have been true. night terrors and flash backs took over her once pleasant dreams.

╰     ‘  after falling back into his prior way of life, mr. kennedy found himself unemployed. it was really no surprise, he would miss shifts at the auto body shop and when he did show up he was under the influence of something and incapable of doing much of anything and with no steady income, they lost their house. however, with every storm comes a rainbow and although they lost nearly everything they did get to move in with daniel’s parents, theo’s grandparents who she absolutely adored.

╰     ‘  grandma and grandpa kennedy weren’t your everyday grandparents. they didn’t knit blankets and play bingo, no, they owned the town funeral home, situated on a graveyard and lived atop of it. grandpa was a funeral director and grandma a mortician. while daniel had grown up in the funeral home, he wasn’t much phased and his new habits left him home rarely. jack hated it. he avoided the parlor at all costs and refused to tell his friends where it was he was living but theo had never felt more comfortable, surrounded by death.

╰     ‘  at only six, she began tagging along with her grandparents while they worked. she learned how to embalm bodies and prepare them for their final rest. of course her interest in the dead and the fact that she lived in a funeral home was a subject of ridicule in school. even in kindergarten she was picked on for it. she instantaneously became the ‘weird girl’. as she got older the bullying got worse, but it made her tough. she didn’t need friends, she had her interests to keep her busy and she liked to believe the dead were her friends. she’d often spend time in the morgue or out in the cemetery, making up lives in her head for the deceased and searching for answers.

╰     ‘  her interest in the occult began very early. she loved anything mysterious and dark. her first report in elementary school was on ed and lorraine warren, her biggest inspirations even back then and ever since she has longed to be the next lorraine. her intuition to the dead is strong and her sensitivity is high. she was told early on by a psychic friend of her grandparents that she had a gift and although they told her that she would one day be able to use it to help the living, she knew right away she wanted to use it to help the dead — the souls not at rest.

╰     ‘  by sixteen theo’s relationship with her father was nonexistent. he was absent most of her life, in and out of jail and always under the influence of drugs. and when he was around, he was abusive. she spent her whole life fearing him and while her brother jack strived to be everything their father was not, to make him proud, theo found herself slowly becoming everything her father was. she was skipping school to smoke in the cemetery and drinking alcohol from her fathers stash alone in her room. she tried to drown out her demons by self medicating. she found herself at house parties and in strangers beds regularly. she was her own worst nightmare. she was becoming the person her peers had made her out to be, a monster. she was mean and bitter and mad at the world, and so very young.

╰     ‘  at seventeen her world turned upside down one more time. a small town murder made the news and left the locals panicked. was there a serial killer on the loose? were they in danger? would the killer ever get caught? a witness met with the police and a sketch was made of the suspect and shared with the world via the local news — and theo knew instantly who it was. she had spent the last week hearing about the brutal murder of a young seventeen year old girl. she had been drugged, sexually assaulted and eventually choked to death. it was ugly and it was inhuman — and it was her father. she was sure of it. with shaky hands and the approval of her grandparents, she called the police and reported her father. after 3 months and a very long trial, he was sentenced to life in prison and for the first time in years, she could finally breathe.

╰     ‘  at eighteen, theodora applied for an internship with the ghost adventures team in vegas and by some miracle she was accepted. it only took six months for them to welcome her to the team full time, making her the youngest member of the crew. she found a family in her ghost adventures crew, looking up to zak bagans like the father figure she never had. her new job and new found family really helped pull her away from the dark path she was going down.

╰     ‘  she soon after moved to vegas, the glitz and glam and partying was dangerous and tempting but her work crew did their best to steer her in the right direction, it was there — in vegas that theo met sonny deluca.

╰     ‘  sonny showed up at theo’s door one morning with his mission partner, asking to talk to her about the book of mormon. one day later he showed back up alone. four days later he was leaving his mission and moving in. it happened quick and they fell fast. theo didn’t think she was capable of loving anyone, especially not in the way that she loves sonny. it only took four days for him to knock down her walls and expose her soft interior. 

╰     ‘  it did not take very long into their relationship to learn that they were expecting, not just one baby but twins. both scared and excited, they decided to keep the babies and make the impulsive decision to move. mapleview was their destination, the perfect place to raise a family. they got a house and prepared for the birth of their children.  

╰     ‘  still together, sonny and theo now have a set of twins, almost two year old son, river and daughter regan. they are the light of theo’s life and everyday she strives to be better for their sake. without her family, she would be in a very bad place. she’s positive of it.

[247onlinemarketing]

Why I Got Started In Marketing

13 years ago I was lying in the bed listening to my daughter read her book to me... “Daddy wake up she said.”

“I’m sorry sweetie, Daddy is tired it’s been a long day at work.”

You see 13 years ago I was a single parent. I would take my daughter to daycare early so I could drive to get to work by 7:30 am. My commute was 35 minutes with no traffic, but because of the morning rush… it would take 41 minutes.

So, as a result, my daughter would be one of the first to arrive and because I had a long workday and had to deal with an even longer commute back home, she would be one of the last to be picked up.

So we would get home, I would cook dinner, usually a pasta dish…. that was quick and simple. Cooking is not something that I enjoy doing. I can do it, but I have no desire to cook, I would rather bake.

I enjoy baking the family recipe pancakes and apple pie. But we can’t eat pancakes and apple pie every day… So I was forced to cook pasta and the occasional salmon or tuna.

I remember putting my daughter to bed that night, thinking I have to find another way to earn the same amount of income but with less time spent.

As Robert Kiyosaki said in his Top Selling Book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” the pathway to wealth and financial freedom is operating in the Right Side of the Cashflow Quadrant. You can either be a business owner or an Investor. I’m currently on the left side, Employee

Well, needless to say, I started out as an Investor. Based on my default introvert personality… I figured investing is the better path to start. And plus I really didn’t have a business idea to start in the “Business” quadrant.

But man I lost money trying to invest…

So now, I have to find a way to make up the money that I lost…

How am I going to do that?

A second job is not a solution. My daughter is already in daycare for the near-maximum time allowed. The only solution I could think of is starting a business. I could start a home business and work on it at night and a few more hours on the weekends.

In my research in searching for a home business, I came across ways to market your business using internet marketing techniques. Which peaked a desire to learn more.

Around this time a buddy of mine was looking to start a race team and race shop. He’s been a racing fan all of his life. New every NHRA top dragster and crew chief. He grew up building engines with his father.

I volunteer to help market his race shop as a way to test this new-found knowledge of marketing online.

So once or twice a week, I would write a blog article talking about an upcoming race and the results of the past race. Also, I would write a press release article each week during racing season, announcing their attendance in the weekend race event. After about six weeks of consistently writing blog articles and press releases, I received a phone call from a local newspaper writer. He wanted to interview the race team owner.

I asked how he heard of the team.. and he mentioned he find out about us through one of the press release sites. Wow… that was amazing… This actually works.

The editor featured the race team in the local newspaper, which jump-started my buddies race shop business.

Now I had proof that this online marketing thing can work.

So I thought to have a business where I can help people market their business online would be a great business for me.  

So I created my business in October of 2009. To help entrepreneurs market their business online.

By the time I finished planning my first marketing campaign using SEO strategy. The Google Slap occurred in 2010. Adwords cost increased significantly, the rules changed and now my plan that I created was obsolete. Old news, it would only work if I had a bunch of cash to invest in Google Adwords.

Which I did not, have the cash. And the credit cards were already maxed out from the multiple business and marketing training courses I purchased to accelerate my learning.

Thus entering me into a challenging period. The bright side is I was getting married in July of 2010, to a wonderful, God Fearing, Proverbs 31 women.

But at the same time, internally this added a lot of stress. I put all of my eggs in this business and now, I have no income to support my new wife and daughter.

You see in October of 2009, I left my current job to focus on starting the business and spend more time with my daughter. I had savings for 6 months and a passion. But guess what… savings was depleted and now, I have no income, savings, or credit to extend the venture.  

My new wife was supporting us with her income from a new job.

But this just added more stress, because I desire to support my wife and family. And the end game was for her to be able to be at home and raise our children. We believe in having a parent at home to nourish and teach the children in the way they should go so when they get older they will not depart from it. And naturally, my wife is a better nurturer than me, so having her working while I was at home was depressing for me. But I was not ready to give up and quit the business.

I was on the verge of getting a new client, which occurred through good old fashion networking.

And to be honest, this bugged me as well, because how can I be an online marketer getting clients through means outside of online marketing. This was just more of a confidence deflator, which intern I didn’t feel worthy of pricing my service where it needed to be to support my family.

I lowered my price significantly, so when I did get a few new clients, the price barely covered my expenses and wasn’t much leftover to support the family.

However, the online strategy I did implement for them did work, which boosted my confidence, but it still didn’t boost my price.

And by this time my wife was 6 months pregnant and I had to make the decision, to put the business to the side and return to the workforce as an Employee.

It was a good decision, because it provided cash, health care, and allowed my wife to stay home with our children.

That stress was gone, but the reality is I failed at getting the business to the point to support us. I was unable to achieve the goal of generating enough income without sacrificing all of my good working hours as an employee.

That sense of failure wade on me, but as a husband and father, I had to make the sacrifice.

But the question was still in the back of my head… how do I make this business work, grow it to the point where I can eventually have it as my main source of income.

I know all of the tactical marketing strategies, but when I try them, I’m still not getting the results I need online. By this time the internet is saturated with online marketing agencies. There is a lot of competition.

However, when I get in front of my ideal client in person through networks, I usually get a client, but how do I get in front of them.

Networking organizations usually meet during the day, while I’m working. and I don’t have enough vacation days to use them for monthly or bi-monthly meetings. Plus this still is going against my one rule… to generate the majority of my leads through online marketing campaigns.

So that’s out. So how do I get my message in front of my ideal customer?  

SEO is working, but it takes a long time. And it is extremely harder in the B2B niche, because of the high competition.

Paid advertising works, if you have enough money and a good funnel to offset the cost of acquiring a customer.

Then I remembered a common message my mentors shared, Mike Koening, Ed Rush, Frank Kern, Russell Bronson, and Rich Harshaw about positioning. It’s about how to position yourself as an authority so you can attract highly qualified buyers.

People are attracted to gurus… the person that is influential in helping people solve their problems.

The fact of the matter is I ignored this message because I was scared to do it. I didn’t believe I was an expert or an authority. Even though I knew more about digital marketing than most business owners. And I had proof to show it, but because I didn’t know more than my mentors, I didn’t have the confidence to do it.

Going back to my first marketing campaign for my buddy with the race team and shop. Their success started with an influential person, local newspaper writer, finding my press release and blog, and writing a featured article on my buddy in the local newspaper.

The local newspaper is perceived by the local readers as a guru… Authors of news articles are perceived as gurus even if they have limited knowledge in the subject matter. They receive this status, all from interviewing people in a certain niche.

So if you are not a guru, but use a medium that people perceive as a place where gurus hang out like a newspaper, podcast, Amazon, YouTube, the Internet, etc. and you are featured in the media then you automatically are perceived as a guru.

I was so close to the promised land back then, but because of my lack of faith… I’ve spent 9 years in the wilderness going in circles, similar to God’s people when they left Egypt and spent 40 years in the wilderness because of their lack of faith in God.

Man what a valuable lesson learned though… I know have faith and confidence.

So I have created a plan which I call Oracle Position, which will position you and me as an authority in our industry, so we can attract highly qualified clients ready to purchase our products and services.

The strategic plan starts with drafting and creating your offer.

Second, drafting and creating your messages.

Third, creating a sales funnel to capture, connect and convert leads into loyal customers.

Fourth positioning your messages and offers everywhere online, to lead through your sales funnel.

Fifth, accelerate the plan with paid advertising.

I failed in the past because I did these steps out of order or in no order at all.

I know this plan will work, which is why I am inviting you to join me on this journey to witness it for yourself, so you can have the faith and confidence in believing it will work for you too.

Join me on this journey by following me on this media by subscribing, liking or whatever means it has for you to get notified of my next publication.

[temptation-narnia-chronicles]

From Upon the Golden Thrones

Episode 4: Outbreak, Part Two

      Galma was a land of antique charm with cobblestone roads and cozy little buildings backed right up against one another. Once the Splendor Hyaline docked, memories of childhood visits flooded Eilonwy's brain. Unlike those happy times, however, now all she saw was disease and despair. I guess the trouble living in such close quarters, she thought to herself, is the increased contagion. People wailed in the streets, faces pale and bodies bruised, as they clung to one another and prayed for a miracle. A collective silence spanned across the deck as the ship's crew began preparing the luggage for unloading. Eilonwy glanced to the kings and queen, instantly aware of exactly what they were thinking: we never should've come here. But Lucy. They had to get Lucy.

     Swallowing hard, Peter straightened his back and turned to his men, ordering them to lay down the plank so that they may depart. The wavering in his voice only emphasized his fear and uncertainty.       Peter clenched his hands at his sides as he and his confidantes waded through the sea of dead and dying. A cocktail of fluids puddled and trickled through the streets, swirls of crimson and pale yellow and snot green. Puss oozed from blisters and blood dribbled past chapped lips. It was a wonder how anyone would come here voluntarily, but Lucy did.       "I'm beginning to regret not wearing pants" Susan muttered, gathering her skirts in her arms so as not to stain the hem. Eilonwy rolled her eyes and trotted past her. Despite her cool exterior, however, inside the huntress was constantly restraining the urge to vomit. Not only the sight but the smell-- oh god, the smell!-- was enough for anyone to keel over and die. Galma was transforming into a mass graveyard of unburied bodies left to fester and rot in the summer heat.       Something churned inside Susan's chest at the sight of such terror, something far less brutal than disgust. Though the scene was hardly bearable, the gentle queen forced herself to see past the sores and the screams to the people behind them. She saw mothers cradling lifeless children, husband's crying over dead wives, children wandering aimlessly without a parent to steer and hug them. This is why Lucy came here. This is what Lucy needed to do: to help them. And perhaps it was what Susan, and even the others, needed to do, as well.       As they walked along steep, residential hillsides toward the estate at the very top, Edmund did his best to steer clear of everyone as best he could. The last thing he wanted was to contract the disease himself. The higher they climbed, however, the narrower the streets grew and soon Edmund's plan faltered, his elbow bumping into a mass of body on his right hand side.       "Oh! S-sorry!" he murmured, eager to rush off as quickly as possible. A gasp echoed from behind him as a hand reached out to grab his arm, keeping him trapped in his space. Edmund panicked, struggling to break free, but when he turned around, was met by a pleasantly familiar face. "Nefyn?!"       The young centaurette smiled, though it was clear she was incredibly weary. Her caramel skin had grown dull and dark circles had formed beneath her eyes. "I didn't expect to find you here, in such a place!" she exclaimed. She leaned in to hug him but then thought better of herself at the last minute. If she was a carrier, she didn't want to put Edmund at risk.       "...and then the duke ought to think rather highly of us by then, don't you think?" Susan spoke as her and the others trekked upward. "If anything, I'm sure Edmund can negotiate some sort of alliance, right Ed?" As she turned to face her younger brother, however, she panicked to find him gone.       "Oh, great" Peter muttered. Instinctively, he barreled back down the pathway in search of the just king. First Lucy, now Edmund. As is the apparent pattern. Finally, a wave of relief. "Nefyn?!"      "Good day, your majesties!" she greeted with a slight bow. "Edmund was just telling me of your journey here in search of Lucy."       Peter's attention was instantly captured. "Lucy! Have you seen her? Where is she?" he demanded.       Nefyn laughed coolly and shook her head. "Don't you worry, your highness. My father and I have had her well looked after. She's been of great assistance to us these past few days. Last I saw her, she was with my father down on the other side of the island" she explained.       Peter wasted no more time. Like a bullet, he scaled the mountainside to the very top, pausing to catch his breath at the summit. From the patio of the duke's estate, he could see all the way to the desolate beaches. His eyes frantically scanned the village below in hopes of finding any glimpse of Lucy but to no avail. If he was to have any luck finding her, he'd have to search on foot.       By the time Susan and Eilonwy reached the estate, Peter had already disappeared into the east side of the island, leaping over body after body and calling out Lucy's name. "Shouldn't we go after him?" Eilonwy inquired.       Susan shook his head. "Peter would only get frustrated if we imposed. I say we stay here and wait for his return" she said. Though she tried to keep her voice steady, it was obvious she was insanely worried. Perhaps she didn't have the strength to do anything but wait and pray. Clasping her hands together, she scurried into the estate to briefly greet the duke himself and alert him of their arrival. Eilonwy gazed out into the vast expanse for a moment before sighing and shaking her head.       "Please let her be safe..."       Down in the fray, Nefyn led Edmund through the tight alleyways talking of her adventure. "This is probably the worst epidemic I've seen, well, ever! I wish there was more we could do, though. It seems like all we've tried is never enough. Lucy's cordial has been of great use to us but even then, it doesn't prevent them from contracting the disease again. And unfortunately, the second hit is often worse than the first" she explained, motioning to a small pile of bodies heaped up against the wall like firewood. The centaurette pursed her lips and knitted her dark brows together in pity.       "Do you know what it even is?" Edmund asked, careful not to step on anyone. Nefyn shook her head.       "I wish we did, Ed. I truly wish we did. Even my father said he's scarcely seen a sickness the likes of this before and he's seen everything. Perhaps it's some new kind of disease taking hold, maybe contracted from the livestock here. That seems to be a common cause of these sorts of things-- pigs and chickens and the like" Nefyn explained. Ed nodded slowly. He had remembered reading about the Bubonic plague in history class, the way it spread through Europe from infested rats and wiped out nearly half the population. A shiver ran down his spine. In the midst of his thinking, however, his care in watching where he stepped faltered and he tripped over a rogue leg spread out across the path. In one swift motion, he went tumbling to the ground, extending his arms out before him to at least break his fall.       Nefyn squealed and whipped around, pounding her front hooves against the cobblestone in shock. "Ed, are you alright?!" she exclaimed. The just king sucked in a breath as he used Nefyn's flank for support in lifting himself up.       "I think so..." he mumbled. There's something significantly disorienting about tripping over a dead person's body part into the stickiness of unidentified bodily fluids. The smell as it stuck to his skin like mucus amplified his disgust.       Kicking into work mode, Nefyn cautiously checked the just king once, twice, even three times over to ensure he was truly alright. However, she was rather displeased to find a scrape on his knee that tore right through his hose.       "Bollocks!" she whispered to herself, immediately ripping a scrap of cloth from one of her saddle bags. "Here, we need to treat this immediately" she demanded, wrapping the wound in a panic.       "It's just a scrape. I'm fine, really" Edmund tried to reassure her, but she was unconvinced.       "Ed, if that scrape gets infected-- especially by all this gunk in the streets-- then I guarantee you, you will be in a world of pain. We need to get you out of here now" Nefyn explained. The urgency in her voice forged a lump high in Edmund's throat, as if highlighting the severity of the situation. His eyes panned to the heaps of bodies, their puss filled buboes and blood stained lips. His stomach flipped. Before he could dwell on his circumstance any longer, however, Nefyn had grabbed his wrist and hoisted him up onto her back in one swift motion. "Hang on tight!" she commanded. Edmund nodded once, dazed, and instinctively wrapped his arms around her bare waist. A shiver ran up his spine but not necessarily the bad kind. He could feel the hard muscles in her abdomen flex as she galloped toward the estate, determined to keep her friend safe.       From the other end of the island, Peter weaved his way through the narrow streets, cursing under his breath that apparently Galma wasn't build for quick pursuit. He swore he saw Lucy in every little girl he passed, his heart pounding at the sight of emaciated children who reminded him so much of the valiant. But Lucy wouldn't get sick. She'd be fine. She was fine. He had to be sure of it, constantly reassuring himself so as to not drive himself mad. Not that he wasn't already going mad. By now his lungs ached, numb legs forcing him to stop for a breath. The High King leaned against a pillar, gasping, scanning the hillside down toward the sea desperate for any sign of his baby sister. His thoughts were clouded with the horrendous coughs of nearby victims, blood spluttering from their mouths and contributing to the sea of fluid pooling in the streets. This was not the place for Lucy. Absolutely not. He had to find her if it was the last thing he did. There were only so many places on this island where she could be, anyways. He glanced back toward the estate, a beacon of safety and hope atop the hill, before sucking in a deep breath and proceeding down through the dirtied streets.       "Oh yes, we plan to do all we can to help your country retaliate from this terrible tragedy" Susan spoke, words cool and collected as she grasped the hands of the Galman duke. Eilonwy nodded vigorously, hands clasped tightly behind her back. Unlike the gentle queen, the maiden had remained silent nearly the entire time, unsure of what she even could say in such an instance. International affairs were never exactly her forte, after all. And besides, she was far too preoccupied with more pressing matters at hand. Eilonwy found it hard to believe Susan was so composed when her baby sister was down in the wreckage among so many diseased and dying. The huntress gazed down at the village below, the red streets cluttered with bodies, and shuddered at the thought of sweet little Lucy weaving through such a scene. Surely Susan was thinking about it, too.       As they spoke, the duke's eyes shifted from Susan to the doorway, then instantly interrupted with a "Miss Nefyn! What a joy to see you! How are things down in the fray?"       "No time to chat, your regency. We've got an urgent matter at hand" Nefyn said quickly, and as she galloped closer it became very clear that Edmund was upon her back.       "Ed, what on earth do you think you're doing?" Susan instantly exclaimed, rushing forward.       "We had a bit of an accident" Nefyn replied.       Susan's eyes instantly drifted down to Edmund's injury, eyes widening and a gasp escaping her lips. "Ed, what the devil--?! How?!" she panicked.       "Well..." the just king began. "I may or may not have tripped over a dead guy's leg and scraped my knee." The gentle queen stared at him with wide, panicked eyes for a moment before sighing and slapping her palm to her face.       "I suggest quarantine. That's the only certain way to ensure the scrape remains well cleaned and void of any risks of infection" Nefyn replied matter-of-factly. All the color drained from Susan's face as she slowly sunk into the nearest chair. It was bad enough she had Lucy to worry about, but now Edmund, too? Fantastic.       "Wait, what about the cordial?" Eilonwy finally spoke up. All eyes turned to her, surprise painting the duke's face. By now he had probably just assumed the huntress was a mute.       "We can't do anything until we find Lucy" Susan added. Eilonwy nodded slowly, eyes drifting from the gentle to the just. Nefyn gave a single nod before turning to the duke, who ushered the centaur and the king back to the residential hall.       Edmund rested a hand on Nefyn's back for comfort, staring at the abundance of oil paintings in hopes it would get his mind off of what was to come. No matter how many serene scenes of pottery and verandas at sunrise, however, all he saw were corpses and blood.       "It isn't much" the duke stated, swinging open the door to a guest suite, "but it should suffice." Great windows lined the far wall, the rest of the room occupied by frescos and potted plants. It was nothing like the marble beauty of Cair Paravel-- rather, this place was more earthy and warm. It reminded him of photographs he had seen of Venice and Tuscany, an old world charm filled with hospitality and seasoned culture.       From upon the balcony, Susan gazed across the island and to the horizon. "Peter ought to love this" she murmured.       "When do you think he'll return?" Eilonwy inquired. The gentle simply shook her head. They both knew well enough that Peter wouldn't stop until he found Lucy, but he had been gone for so long that the waiting had given them each ample opportunity to overthink. What if Lucy had disappeared? What if she was kidnapped? What if she was dead? They both willed away the thoughts.       As they stood in silence, suddenly an idea sparked in Eilonwy's brain. She turned to face the balcony itself, the little mosaic dinette and their most significant belongings. On the back of one of the chairs hung Susan's bow and quiver and, along with it, her horn. "Hey, Susan..." Eilonwy said slowly. "What did Father Christmas say again about that horn?"       Susan furrowed her brow a moment before piecing together what Eilonwy was getting at. "Oh, no you don't!" she exclaimed.       "But why not? He said to use it if we're ever in danger, correct?" Eilonwy argued.       "Yes, but--!" Susan began but was quickly interrupted.       Eilonwy skated toward the table and ran a finger along the length of the horn. "Well, you would classify this as an emergency, wouldn't you? Your baby sister gone, your younger brother hurt. Peter is bound to respond...and so should Lucy."       It was a tempting offer, certainly. The quickest way to get everyone back together, but Susan couldn't help but fear it was a misuse of power. They weren't in any danger as far as she was concerned. If they were to blow the horn, then Peter and Lucy would surely think there was some imminent emergency, a life or death situation. Not that Edmund's injury was any less important, but certainly not life or death. Or at least Susan prayed it wasn't.       Eilonwy eyed the queen expectantly, eyebrow raised and finger lightly caressing the ivory. "Well...?"       Peter huffed as the sun set on the island, reaching the edge of town with little success. His eyes burned from the sweat dripping off his brow and the stitch in his side made left his lungs screaming for air. Dammit, Lu, he thought to himself, if this is meant to be some sick game of hide and seek, you win. In his effort to track Lucy down, he quickly realized the trouble with little girls: they had a serious inability to stay in one place. Surely if she had rooted herself in one spot, he would've much more easily found her but he knew Lucy well enough to know that's never the case, especially when on a mission. She was no doubt overflowing with determination to heal every person she could find, meaning she'd be buzzing through the streets with cordial in hand like a hummingbird, impossible to catch.       As he leaned against the dock and sighed, an alarming sound suddenly reached his ears. Faint, echoing from a higher altitude, but distinct all the same: Susan's horn. Without a second thought, Peter's immediately jolted back through the streets toward the estate. Maybe Lucy went back, maybe she was hurt or ill and needed immediate attention. Peter didn't know and he didn't care. All he was certain of was that he needed to follow the sound.       "Where's Lucy?!" the High King gasped, skidding to a halt at the estate's entrance.       "I thought she was with you!" Susan shrieked. Her dark hair was in minor disarray, a surefire sign of her distress.       "I've been looking for her all afternoon but she's nowhere to be found" Peter replied. His voice wavered at the admission, hating the way the words felt in his mouth.       "Well, now we've got more than just Lucy to worry about" the gentle said. Peter's heart skipped a beat, looking Susan over before turning his attention to Eilonwy and then back. The huntress twisted her arms around her waist in anxiety, shaking her head softly and averting her eyes. Unhurt.       "Edmund...?" Peter murmured. Susan nodded. The magnificent cursed under his breath before barrelling toward the hall.       "It's no use. He's on quarantine" Eilonwy called after him. Her words stopped Peter in his tracks, whipping around to face her in terror. "It's not as bad as you think. Promise. He just got a little scrape and Nefyn suggested quarantine for his own safety" she continued. She figured someone might as well give him the full story, and Susan didn't seem in any condition emotionally to explain.       "Not as bad as I think? Lucy is still missing, Edmund's sick, and I'm losing my head!" Peter shouted.       "Peter, please try to calm down..." Susan murmured, hesitantly skating forward. A bejeweled hand reached out in comfort but at the last second, the gentle thought better of herself and retracted.       "I can't calm down! This was all a huge mistake. Lucy never should've come here" Peter raged. Then, much quieter, voice strained: "This is such a mess." Defeated, he sunk into the nearest chair and buried his face in his hands.        "What's a mess?" a small voice then called from the doorway. Everyone recognized it immediately. Lucy.       Without a second thought, Peter and Susan unanimously leapt from their seats to take her in a massive embrace. The valiant was drenched in shouts of Don't ever do a thing like this again! and Thank Aslan, you're alright! and even an I can't believe you'd do such a thing! You had us worried sick!       "If I knew I'd come back to this kind of celebration, I'd run off more often!" Lucy joked, wrapping her arms around her siblings. They both stared at her unamused before she shook her head and pulled them close. "I'm kidding! But it is such a relief to see you all here. But...where's Edmund?"       Peter and Susan's faces fell at the inquiry. How were they supposed to tell Lucy her big brother was sick? Or at least at a higher risk of getting sick, that is. After a moment of silence, Lucy knew something was definitely up, cocking her brow in suspicion.      "Ed had a bit of an...accident" Susan said cautiously. Lucy stepped forward, urging her to continue. "He was out helping Nefyn when I guess he fell and...scraped his knee. He's perfectly fine! Just kind of...on quarantine for the time being. Nefyn was scared the cut might get infected if he doesn't stay put."       Tilting her head to the side, Lucy looked at her siblings in great confusion. "I don't understand. I can just use my cordial on him and he'll be fine! You're all so dramatic" she chuckled, swatting away their insecurity. Peter nodded, dumbfounded, as Lucy then asked, "I'll go take care of him. Where is he?" and with that, Peter, Susan, and Eilonwy led the littlest Pevensie back to Edmund's chamber.       A light knock and the door creaked open to a rather indulgent scene. Edmund laid back in the luxurious bed, pillows abound, as Nefyn sanitized the scrape with utmost precision. A silver platter of fruits and cheeses rested beside the just king, sucking grapes off the vine and sipping a goblet of the finest wine.       "Is this what happens when you get hurt in this country? If so, count me in" Eilonwy joked, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorway.       "Ed, what the bloody hell is going on?" Susan exclaimed. Edmund paused mid-chew to look up at them, a cheesy grin spreading across his lips.       "The duke felt so bad about my getting injured that he offered me this great room with around the clock service and all I can eat!" Edmund gushed. Susan narrowed her eyes.       "It's a minor scrape!" the gentle shouted.        "It's an unexpected injury at risk of infection" the just corrected. Susan rolled her eyes and groaned, yet again slapping a palm to her forehead.        "Don't you worry, your majesties. The duke has appointed me Ed's personal servant and nurse. Anything he wants or needs, it's my duty to give it to him. Bandages, sponge baths, snacks. Anything!" Nefyn stated, raising a hand in salute.       Peter rolled his eyes, exclaiming "No sponge baths!" before Lucy rushed forward, cordial in hand.       "It's alright, Ed! I'm here. One drop and you'll be good as new!" the little queen reassured. She uncapped the bottle and tilted it toward Edmund's lips but there was serious panic in his eyes as he covered his mouth and shook his head. "Edmund, what's wrong?" she asked in great confusion.       "It's just..." he stammered. "Your cordial! Look how low it's gotten! Do you really want to waste a valuable drop on a kid with a little scrape on his knee?" he explained.       "I thought you said it was 'an unexpected injury at risk of infection'?" Peter prodded. Ed glared, whispering at him to shut up, before softening his gaze to Lucy.       "But you're my brother! It's no trouble, really!" she protested.       "No, Lu, I wouldn't dream of it! I'll be fine. Save it for the others. The ones who need it far more than I do" Edmund replied. He rested a hand on Lucy's and smiled softly, but Peter knew better.       "You're just doing this so you can get the royal treatment, aren't you?" he accused. Edmund's eyes widened, a dramatic gasp spilling from his lips.       "Peter! I am offended you'd think such a thing!" he began but before he could say more, Lucy interrupted.       "It's alright, Edmund" she said. "I understand. I understand completely." Underneath the sweetness, there was something conniving about her tone, eyes glancing from Edmund to Nefyn and back. "Take all the time you need to get better and rest yourself." She kissed him on the cheek before backing away from the bed, motioning for the others to follow her, explaining that they had lots of hard work to do and were wasting time. Ed watched wide-eyed and, to be honest, slightly unnerved, as the door creaked shut. Once fully alone, his cheeks burned bright red, a nervous chuckle escaping through his awkward grin.        "Little girls. They're just so dramatic!" he joked to Nefyn, as if it would ease his discomfort. Nefyn eyed him suspiciously before slowly turning back to her cart of lotions and salves to reorganize the bottles. When she wasn't looking, Edmund buried his face in the pillows and sighed.       Moonlight cast the island in an ethereal glow as the Pevensies sat around the balcony in collective defeat. "What are we supposed to do now?" Susan asked, glancing to each of her present company.       "What do you mean 'what are we supposed to do now?' I think it's very clear what we're supposed to do" Peter replied.        "Peter's right. We really only have one option" Eilonwy spoke. "Edmund can't leave until the quarantine is lifted. The quarantine can't be lifted until the epidemic is cured. And the epidemic can't be cured until we find the source of the sickness and beat it from the root." It was this last sentence that truthfully took everyone by surprise, fully capturing everyone's attention.       "Where did you come up with that plan?" Susan questioned. Eilonwy shrugged.       "What about my cordial?" Lucy asked. "I've been rushing around the entire island trying to cure everyone, you can't tell me all that effort has gone to waste!"       Eilonwy shook her head. "It hasn't, Lucy. But if we don't defeat the source of the sickness, no matter how much you use your cordial, people are just going to keep getting sick over and over again" she replied. Lucy frowned, eyes downcast, at such a harsh slap of reality. Perhaps all her effort had gone to waste, then. Perhaps this entire trip was a waste. All she wanted was to help people, but hearing it that way, she began to feel like nothing more than a hamster on it's wheel: constantly running but getting nowhere.       "Alright, then. So how do we find the source of the sickness?" Peter asked. Now this was a question Eilonwy didn't have an answer to. She averted her eyes, studied the grout in the flooring, chewing on her bottom lip.       "Face it, Pete, she has no idea. She's all talk" Susan then said. Peter didn't want to believe her, but as Eilonwy's silence dragged on, it became harder and harder to have faith in the huntress.       "You really don't know, do you...?" he finally asked, quietly, cautiously. Eilonwy glanced at him, unable to maintain eye contact, with a sorry shake of her head.       "Oh, well that's just brilliant!" Susan erupted. "We've come all this way only to get stuck here without any idea of what to do! Perfect! We should've just grabbed Lucy and gone back to Narnia while we still had the chance."       "Hey!" Eilonwy shouted, finally breaking. "None of this is my fault! It's not like I cast some sort of curse across the entire island like some sort of witch! Maybe if I wasn't the only one coming up with ideas, then we'd be getting somewhere!"       "Stop it!" Lucy interrupted. All eyes turned to her. "Arguing isn't going to help anything."       "Lucy's right" Peter sighed. "If we yell and fight, we're just going to make matters worse. We need to work together to figure this out. All of us." A small smile touched Eilonwy's lips as her and Peter locked eyes for a split second. Something fluttered inside her at his defense, a notion of care and respect. She shoved it deep down inside of her. There were more important matters at hand.       As the sun peeked over the horizon, the Pevensies suited up to enter the fray. Lucy babbled on about protocol and all that she had already experienced alongside Nefyn and Aesop, but deep down she was terrified. All she could think about was how low her cordial was getting and of all the sick, helpless people in the streets below. What if she really couldn't save them all? Her breath hitched.       Wading through the streets absentmindedly was one thing but diving straight into the sea of death and disease was another entirely. Rather than just bodies, now they saw people. Real, living people with lives and hopes and dreams and families. Eyes clouded over with mucus and cold hands clammy to the touch. The Pevensies were like angels to those desperate for their help. As they wandered through the streets, the beggars reached for them in desperation.       I can't believe Lucy voluntarily immersed herself in this, Susan thought in disbelief. The stench was what tortured her the most, the smell of dead bodies hanging in the air and constricting her throat until she thought she'd suffocate. But the further they walked, the more saddened Susan became. So many pale, sickly faces and tear-stained cheeks. So many children left to fend for themselves, naked and emaciated and afraid. One bumped into her as he crossed the street, eyes wide as he profusely apologized to the woman he could only imagine was an archangel herself. Susan's heart broke at the sight of him and she instinctively just wanted to wrap her arms around his frail little body and hold him close, show him the comfort and care he so desperately deserved. How many more children were like this? She choked back her tears.       Back at the estate, Edmund gazed out to the village below. Something within his chest began to stir, an unsettling feeling like an itch you can't scratch. He thought of his siblings down there among the dead and dying, of how helpless he felt trapped up there in that room. The novelty of it all had worn off rather quickly, much to his displeasure.       "You alright?" a voice called from behind. Ed turned around to find Nefyn at bedside, pouring various liquids into a small beaker and stirring with a glass stick until the colors combined into a dark sludge.       "I've been better" Edmund replied, trudging back toward his friend. "And apparently so has that. What is even in that?" The closer he came, the more powerful the smell grew until he had no choice but to cup his hand over his mouth.       "I've been working on a new remedy for those god-awful buboes. This is just one of the many attempts" she explained. The centaurette stared at the beaker with great concentration, as if at any moment it would explode or vanish into thin air. "Fingers crossed this time it actually works!"       Edmund chuckled as he sat adjacent, crossing his legs at the edge of the bed. "How many other mixtures have you tried?"       "Eighteen" she said bluntly.       "And none of them worked?"       Nefyn shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. Buboes seem to be a rather tricky thing to get rid of. Not that there isn't already a way to get rid of them. I'm just trying to create something more...effective."       A small smile graced the just king's lips. "I'm sure you'll get it this time, then."       "You think so?" Nefyn asked, finally looking up from her work. Edmund nodded. The sincerity in his eyes made her heart skip a beat, filling her with great joy. "Thank you, Edmund. That really means a lot to me" she then said, resting a hand on top of his knee. Blood rushed to Ed's cheeks but he tried his best to hide it. "You know" she then continued, "I'm really grateful the duke assigned me to look after you-- and that my father approved. It feels nice to be in charge of something for once."       Edmund cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"       Nefyn cheeks reddened as she shook her head. "It's nothing. Just that...sometimes I feel like my dad doesn't trust me enough to take care of things on my own. Like he doesn't think I'm good enough, always needing constant supervision and strict direction. He doesn't believe in new achievements in the medicinal community, which means my experimentation really ticks him off. My father is very...by the book, so to speak."      "But what about illnesses without any cures yet? I thought finding treatments for stuff like that was a good thing" Edmund inquired.       "It is" Nefyn nodded. "I guess with my father, that sort of stuff falls into a bit of a grey area. For ailments without any known cures, he tends to focus more on treating the symptoms rather than the cause, as if that's going to cure people. He tries his best to stick to the ancient ways which is great and all-- if it's not broken, don't fix it, you know? They've worked well enough for centuries, so he doesn't see any point in changing them. What he doesn't understand is that there are so many better ways we can do things, so many great advancements and more effective medicines to mix. After all, we can't live in the past forever, you know?"        Edmund nodded. "I know what you mean. There are people who think the exact same way in my world, too. Or at least, the world I came from. People who hate progression and want to keep living in the past."       "It's so frustrating!" Nefyn replied. "It's one of the many things my father and I disagree on. I think my passion for it all makes him rather nervous."       "How so?"       The centaurette sighed and ran her hands through her thick, dark hair. "I'm my father's only child. He's getting older and I know he's grooming me to take over the family business after he's gone. I'm the only possible heir, he's counting on me to carry on the family tradition. But in his eyes, progress and tradition don't mix. I think he fears I'll screw things up, ruin the constant plateau of a reputation we've upheld for centuries. I don't know, I just wish I could make him understand. I just want him to see that change isn't necessarily a bad thing."        "Then prove it to him" Edmund replied. "Show him you know what you're doing, and that what you're doing is for the greater good. He can't argue with something that benefits everyone. If he does, he's not very good at his job then, is he?"        Nefyn smiled and grasped Edmund's hand in hers, squeezing it lightly. "You're right, Ed. I need to really show him what I've got." Resting her free hand at the back of his neck, she leaned in close and rested her forehead against his. "Thank you again, Edmund. For being such a good friend. I really cherish your companionship."       By now, Edmund's cheeks were burning hot. With Nefyn's face so close to his, he could feel her breath on his bottom lip and fingertips against his bare skin. A strong tingle filtered down from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, like nothing he had ever felt before. He pasted a cheesy grin against his lips and laughed softly. "I'm glad to have been of service" was all he could say before Nefyn pulled away.       In a flurry of inspiration, she began gathering up her potions bottles and jotting things down on scraps of parchment beneath her cart. "When my father returns for the night, I'll present him with this medicine and the recipe for it and show him what I'm really worth. If it does actually work, there's no way he can deny me!" she rambled excitedly.       "Why stop there?" Edmund replied. "Why not try to treat the whole sickness, not just a part?"       Nefyn's face grew sallow. "Oh, Ed, I don't know if I could do that. It's too huge. I'm not skilled enough to manage a task so great."       "Nonsense!" the just king explained. "I think you can do it."       "...I think you must have a fever" Nefyn replied, jamming the back of her hand against Edmund's forehead. The just wrinkled his nose and ducked his head out from under her hand.       "I don't have a fever, Nefyn. I feel fine. And I know you can do this!" he said. The centaurette eyed him suspiciously. "You can do this. I'm sure of it. You're smart. You can figure it out."        Nefyn sighed and rolled her eyes, not convinced. "Will you be alright here on your own if I leave you for a while?"        "Where are you going?" Edmund asked. Panic suddenly bubbled up from deep within his chest, terrified he had upset her in some way. He really didn't want her to leave because of something so petty and stupid.        "I have some things to sort out, Ed. I'll be back soon, though, I promise" she replied. "Unless you don't think you'll manage alright on your own?"       "I'll be alright. After all, it is just a scrape" Edmund replied.        With a roll of her eyes, his friend replied, "I know that, smartass! I mean mentally. Are you going to be bored if I leave you?"       Edmund blinked and shook his head. "I think I can manage. I'll find somehow to keep myself occupied. You seem to forget you're talking to the same person who spent a good chunk of time in the White Witch's prison. At least this place has a fully stocked bookshelf, and I can always sneak out to the common room to take a crack at that chess table" he replied.       A half-grin graced Nefyn's lips as she nodded. "Good, I'm glad. I wouldn't want you getting too bored and trying to break out of here or something. I don't plan on losing any patient of mine, runaway or otherwise!"       As the days wore on, the Pevensies committed themselves to helping Galma. They rose and set along with the sun, spending many an hour in the heat trying to treat the sick and properly dispose of the dying. Peter's heart broke for the loss of so many people, getting to know some of them personally. He began truly rooting for them, encouraging them to stay strong and keep going. Despite the grin pasted on his face, however, he had a hard time encouraging himself to stay strong. Every day was filled with grave tragedy and it was slowly beginning to chip away at him.       In the privacy of the duke's estate, Peter didn't have to be strong for anyone. He let himself crash into nearby chair and buried his face in his hands, exhausted.       "Long day?" a voice called from behind. Peter picked his head up to find Edmund in the doorway, a book tucked under his arm.       "Yeah" the magnificent nodding, ushering his younger brother to join him. "I thought you weren't supposed to leave the room?"       "Well, technically it's the estate I'm not supposed to leave" he explained. "But being stuck up here has given me a lot of time to think about things and, well, I might be able to help you guys without actually going down there with you all." Peter cocked an eyebrow in interest, urging his brother to go on. "Eilonwy said the only way to really cure everyone would be to get to the root of the sickness, right?" Peter nodded. "Well, Nefyn said her father has never seen a disease like this before--"       "That's concerning" Peter interrupted.       "--But that doesn't mean we haven't!" Edmund exclaimed.       "What do you mean?" asked Peter.       "Think about it, Pete: the Galmans have puss-swelled buboes, fevers, and lethargy, right?" Edmund began. The eldest nodded. Edmund rose his brows, waiting for the magnificent to catch on, but to no avail. Peter was far too tired for critical thinking. With a sigh, Edmund explained, "Those are the same symptoms as bubonic plague. The plague was transmitted through rats, which there are apparently a lot of on Galma."       "Okay..." Peter said with uncertainty. "So what are we supposed to do? We can't just get rid of the rats, there's too many. We'd never be able to pull that off."       The just king shook his head. "Of course not. We need to kill this at the source. The source being fleas. Infected fleas live on rats which spread the disease to the people who then die. In order to stop the death, we need to stop the fleas."       The High King simply nodded, furrowing his brow in thought. "What about pesticides?" he asked after a moment of contemplation. "Pesticides should work, right? Spread them through the island, kill the rats and the fleas on them, then cure the people."       "Nefyn is going to work on something like that" Edmund added. "I've shared my findings and talked with her about it in the past few days while you've all been gone, and I fully put my trust in her. She knows a lot about medicine, maybe even more than her father does. I'm sure she can come up with something great."        "Good" Peter nodded. "I'll go find the others and see what they think of all this. I'm sure they won't be able to argue with your research. Thanks again, Ed." Peter spoke as he rose and made his way toward the hall. Edmund simply nodded before settling into a nearby chaise and propping open his book.       As the Pevensies returned from another day of making the rounds, Nefyn rushed out to the common room, face painted with urgency. "Lucy! I need you to do me a massive favor" she exclaimed, skidding to a halt beside the valiant queen. "I need you to bring me a rat."       "A rat?" Peter questioned. Nefyn nodded.       "I need a live rat to test on. The only way I'm going to find out if my concoction really exterminates the source of the problem is if I test on a live, infected rat. We're just that much closer to ending this epidemic once and for all" the centaurette replied. Peter was wary, but her tone was so full of hope he had a hard time denying her request.       "I'll do it" a voice interrupted, and Eilonwy stepped up. "I'd rather risk my own health rather than Lucy's. She's done enough hard work, she doesn't deserve to go into the fray and nearly kill herself like that. Let me do it."       "Whoa, wait, Eilonwy--!" Peter shouted but the huntress cut him off before he could finish.       "It's alright, Peter. I'm a big girl. I can do this."       Lucy looked up at the huntress with wide eyes. "Eilonwy, you don't have to do this. I can manage just fine on my own."       Eilonwy rested a hand on the valiant's shoulder and shook her head. "Don't worry, Lucy. I want to. Please, do I have your permission?"       Reluctantly, Lucy nodded and wrapped her arms tightly around the huntress's waist. "Please be careful, though!" she replied, voice muffled in the huntress's skirts. "And here, please take this" Lucy then added. She unfastened her cordial from it's spot on her belt and handed it up to the maiden with gleaming eyes.       "Oh, Lucy, I couldn't possibly--" Eilonwy protested but the littlest Pevensie insisted.       "I'd rather you keep it just in case. You don't deserve to nearly kill yourself, either" said Lucy. A soft smile spread across Eilonwy's lips as she leaned down and hugged the young queen, awkwardly but a hug nonetheless, murmuring a thank you in her ear.       "I'll be back by sunrise. Don't wait up for me" Eilonwy replied, fastening her cloak around her neck. The red hugged her body as the exterior cloaked her completely, thinking it best she try to be as invisible as possible. The darkness could only do so much.       "You're sure you want to do this?" Peter asked. His blue eyes were filled with worry, hands unsteady as he gifted her the cordial.       "Sure as ever" the huntress replied.       "Stay safe out there" Edmund said, arms crossed in concern. He knew this wasn't the most ideal mission-- for anyone-- but he had great respect for Eilonwy's volunteering. And from what he had seen of her ability, he had faith she could certainly handle this.         "Remember, Eilonwy: all we need is an infected rat. You'll likely find them in sewers and lurking through allyways. Dark places. Use as little light to navigate as possible" Nefyn instructed.        "Believe me, with this cloak, I don't think I'd be stupid enough to draw attention to myself like that. I've spent way more years than you can imagine hunting things. I think I'll be fine" Eilonwy reassured. She glanced to the centaurette and each of the Pevensies before sucking in a deep breath and giving a single nod. "Alright then. Here goes nothing. I'll be back by dawn, and if not, don't search for me. I'll either make my way back on my own or you'll find me dead in the streets. Either way, you'll see me" she spoke, only half joking. Not knowing what else to say, Eilonwy awkwardly smiled, saluted goodbye, and turned to depart into the dark village below.       As she descended the stairs, however, a voice behind captured her attention. She whipped around to find an all too familiar figure rushing toward her. Before she could reject the advance, a strong pair of arms embraced her, warm breath on the back of her neck. "Please stay safe..." Peter whispered, squeezing her tightly before withdrawing.       "P-Peter, I'll be fine. Don't...don't be such a sentimental idiot" she whispered back, but not because she was afraid of making noise. She whispered more because she had no other choice. The surprise encounter left her disgustingly breathless-- she didn't have the strength to speak any louder. She prayed he couldn't feel her heart racing from against his chest.       The high king reluctantly released his grip but before leaving, she felt his breath against her skin and then, hesitantly, his lips brush against her cheek. All the blood rushed to her face as he whispered a soft "Take care of yourself" and then ran off.       Fucking great, Eilonwy thought to herself, watching his shadow saunter off in the moonlight. Just what I need: a big, fat distraction. Heaving a sigh, she turned on her heels, threw her hood up over her head, and descended into the abyss of death and darkness.       "Why hasn't she come back yet? What could possibly be taking her so long? How hard can it be to capture a stupid little rat?" Peter argued, pacing the room.      "I'm sure Eilonwy's fine" Susan reassured. She extended a hand to rest upon his shoulder but he walked away before she could reach him. Lucy peered back over her shoulder, frowning at her brother's panic. She, too, was worried about Eilonwy's safety, but knew the only thing they could really do was wait. Like Eilonwy said, she'd return or be dead but either way, they'd find her again. She truly hoped for the former.       Peter's eyes crossed the room to land on his younger brother leaning back in a dining chair, one hand stuffing pastries in his mouth while the other held a worn leather book. "Ed, how can you eat at a time like this? And what on earth are you reading?" he asked, almost accusatorily. Edmund glanced up from his novel, eyebrow raised.       "I can eat because I'm hungry and I'm reading because there's not much else to do when you've been on lockdown" he replied sassily.       "Edmund, what are you reading?" Lucy asked, tone curious, cocking her head in hopes of making out the title. Her efforts were to no avail, however. The title had worn off long ago, nothing left but the imprint of words she couldn't quite decipher.       The just king shrugged, licking the powdered sugar off his fingers. "Some spy novel. Not nearly as good as the ones in England, though. The detective is some mole who can't even see. Kind of like Sherlock Holmes but blind and stupid" he replied flippantly. The littlest Pevensie chuckled softly before gazing back out upon the village below. It was then, however, that she noticed something approaching from the distance.       "Peter! Susan! Edmund! Look!" she shouted excitedly, pointing toward the base of the stairs. The three rushed forward to find none other than Eilonwy trudging up to them, cloak hanging off her shoulder and face pale with exhaustion. Peter immediately pushed past everyone and raced down toward his friend, elated to see she was really alive.       "Cut the happy tears, Peter. I'm sick and I'm tired. Just take the stupid rat and let me sleep" Eilonwy muttered as she ascended. Despite Peter's desperation to just wrap his arms around her and hold her close, she shoved him away and didn't even so much as look at him. As she reached the top of the stairs, she unfastened a little cage hooked to her belt and threw it toward Nefyn in aggravation, the little rat squealing from inside and gnawing at the wooden bars.      The centaurette grinned wildly as she inspected the little beast, the perfect specimen, before thanking Eilonwy profusely. "There must be some way I can repay you!" she rambled, but Eilonwy simply shook her head.    "Just let me sleep for fifteen billion years and we'll be even" she replied tiredly, uncapping Lucy's cordial and taking a dramatic sip for good measure. She handed the bottle back to the valiant as she trudged toward the residential hall, slamming her chamber door shut at the end of the corridor. Curled up in bed, she prayed that she would never have to hear of or speak of such a night ever again.     Nefyn spent the entire rest of the day monitoring and experimenting with the little rat in her chamber, logging the medicine's effects in hopes that she was successful in her scientific endeavors. As night fell over the island, she took one last test and...   "YES!!"    Uproarious shouts and the pounding of hooves echoed down the hallway as Nefyn barged out of the room squealing in a half-horse-half-human manner. Her shouts and bellows woke up everyone in the estate, some to much chagrin, all trudging sleepily into the common room.      "Mmm...Nefyn? What's this all about?" Susan murmured, rubbing her eyes awake. The centaurette grinned wildly, stamping her hooves. In her hands was a blue glass bottle with a wooden tag tied around the neck.      "I've done it! I've finally created something that works!" she squealed.       Edmund's eyes lit up and a soft chuckle broke free from his lips, overflowing with happiness and pride.       "But how do you suppose you'll manage to administer it to every rat on the island?" Eilonwy questioned. Nefyn's smile quickly dimmed.       "Oh...okay, well I didn't think of that" she muttered, eyes downcast. Edmund shot the huntress a glare before slowly approaching his friend. He hoped he'd figure out some comforting gesture on his way over but by the time he reached her, he still hadn't come up with anything, so he settled on just standing beside her somewhat awkwardly.       "What about the sewers?" Lucy proposed. "Rats live in sewers. You could spread the medicine through the sewers, or in whatever it is that rats eat, and then when they consume it, it should cure them of whatever disease they're carrying, right?"       Now the centaur's smile brightened and she tightened her grip a bit more on the bottle. "That might just work, your majesty!" she spoke. Chocolate eyes leapt from each of the Pevensies tired faces in search of approval but all she really received was exhaustion. "You know what? Why don't you all go back to sleep? I'll have a plan to present to you all by breakfast" she added. Without hesitation, everyone nodded and headed back to their chambers but as they departed, Nefyn reached out to grasp Edmund by the forearm. The just king gazed back at her in surprise, unsure of what she was going to say. A soft smile unlike the one before touched her lips as she whispered a tender, "Thank you, Ed, for believing in me" before kissing his cheek and releasing him from her grip. Edmund floated back to bed in a haze, his skin tingling where her lips had touched. As he fell asleep that night, he dreamt of nothing but happy things.

     "It is with great pride and immense pleasure that I issue the highest of honors to our phenomenal new friends" the duke announced. His round cheeks shined in the sunlight, deep creases forming at the corner of his lips from smiling so wide. The Pevensies, in their finest attire, stood beside him on a brick-laden stage before the citizens of Galma, laying eyes upon their newly brightened faces. Flowers fell across Nefyn's collarbone and breast, baby's breath and plumerias braided into her hair, as she proudly watched from the sidelines. The duke extended a hand to the other end of the stage, ushering a small, stout faun to approach carrying a thick pillow in his hands. Atop the velvet sat five gleaming medals embossed with the Galman crest, each strung onto a different colored ribbon. The lord raised the orange one first and motioned for Lucy to step forward, whose eyes lit up as she scampered near.       "For her acts of unwavering valor and compassion, I present unto thee, Queen Lucy of Narnia, our medal of honor" the lord announced. He draped the token around her neck and smiled brightly upon her, his fat face like that of the sun itself, and squeezed her little hands in his. Then, his beady eyes turned to Nefyn, ushering her forward. The centaurette gazed back at her father first, uncertain, but with arms crossed he nodded approvingly and his young protege sauntered up.       "For her astounding scientific advancements and resilience to improve her craft, I present unto thee, Miss Nefyn of Narnia, our medal of achievement" the lord announced, then presented the young medic with her own medal strung along a purple ribbon. Nefyn bowed her head in respect, whispered a soft thank you, and returned to her father's side beaming.       The rest of the Pevensies were presented with generic medals of freedom to signify their new alliance, the crowds cheering in gratitude for all that they had done. Looking upon the Galmans now happy and healthy, however, Peter felt a shred of guilt twist in his chest. He hadn't done anything even remotely heroic. He didn't deserve such an award. It was meaningless to him. Lucy and Nefyn were the real heroes, they were the ones worthy of such praise. As he glanced to Susan and Edmund at his side, they shared a familiar expression, silently signifying that they, too, felt the same. However, there was no way they could reject the duke's gifts. They were signs of respect, tokens of friendship. Should they refuse to accept them, they would be refusing the lord's hospitality and future help. As an executive decision, the Pevensies would shut up for their own good.       The setting sun painted the sky like rainbow sherbet as the duke's men loaded the Pevensie's luggage back onto the Splendor Hyaline. The High King gazed out upon the ocean from the highest deck, Narnia's shores just hazily visible in the distance.       "Well, this was quite an adventure" Eilonwy approached from behind. Leaning against the boat, she looked to Peter in hopes of a response. His eyes were so stony and concentrated, deep in thought. The corner of his mouth jerked upward with a shake of his head as he turned his back to the Great Eastern Sea.       "Yeah, I suppose" he replied, tone stale.       "Something bothering you?" the maiden asked, not skipping a beat.       "I hate how you're so goddamn perceptive" Peter chuckled, rolling his eyes. Then, with a sigh, continued, "It's just all been a very wild past couple of weeks. It's difficult to let sink in, I guess."       "Understandable" Eilonwy nodded. "We have kind of been through hell and back. But no more so than Lucy." The huntress jerked her head toward the littlest queen, still down on the dock saying goodbye personally to a select few people. Peter recognized them as some of the deathly ill she had helped care for on their rounds through the village. It was so strange seeing them all so healthy and bright-eyed now. He desperately hoped things would stay that way. He didn't think he could stomach a repeat of the past fortnight.       Down below, Edmund watched as the men loaded the last of their trunks aboard the Splendor Hyaline. The just's eyes frantically scoured the crowd for his good friend, wishing to see her one last time before his departure. Just as before, Nefyn and her father were assigned to travel elsewhere in order to help yet another needy country. Though he knew it was selfish of him, he was terrified of never seeing her again, especially after all they had been through together.       "Coming aboard, your majesty?" a voice called from behind. Edmund nodded to the crew member on deck, a sigh escaping his lips as he slowly forced himself to come to terms with the fact he may not get to say goodbye. As he trudged up the ramp, however, something soft suddenly thwacked the back of his neck. Turning around, he found none other than Nefyn waving at him from amidst the crowd.       "We have to stop meeting like this!" she called to him jokingly. Edmund shook his head with a laugh and grinned.       "I thought I wasn't going to see you again!" he replied back.       "And miss all this? Not in a million! I couldn't stand not to say goodbye to a friend!" she shouted. The ship's men urged Edmund aboard as they raised the anchor and began prepping to set sail.       "When will I see you again?" Edmund finally blurted.       "Just call on me next time you trip over a dead guy!" Nefyn yelled, now cupping her hands over her mouth to better project her voice. Though growing further and further apart, she could see Edmund's cheeks redden and a wide smile spread across her face.       "Stay safe out there!" the just king shouted back, praying she could hear him. She shouted something in reply but by now was far too distant for him to make out the words. He kept his eyes locked on her until she disappeared, contributing to the mass of faceless shapes crowding the marina. The corners of his lips turned downward as he kicked at the end of a coil of rope, defeated. His scrape, now barely visible, was all he had left of his time spent on Galma with her. Turning toward the bow of the boat, he saw his family gathered together to admire the sunset. Heaving a sigh, he straightened his back and rushed to join them. Though his situation was not ideal, he would never have traded his time in quarantine for anything else in the world. Now that was all finished, however, and as he stood beside his siblings gazing out to the sea, he had to remind himself that this may have been the end of one adventure but was only the beginning of many more.

[domestic-harry]

hiii lisa! so i really love how you've been linking fics to songs and i was wondering if you could do a rec list based off of your top 25 most listened to songs! (i know that's a lot so you don't have to if you don't want to lol)

Iris by Goo Goo Dolls

And I’d give up forever to touch you 

Where Your Heart Is: Louis is ready for his brand new adventure. So what if he suffers from a genetic condition that prevents him from being touched? College is going to be awesome. It has to. Karma kind of owes him right now. Forget about his overprotective mother, or Liam– his entirely too chipper step brother– or his mess of a roommate. Forget about the gloves he has to wear at all times. He’s here to expand his knowledge, write and drown himself in books – No matter how distracting ‘Hallway Boy’ may be– The obnoxious, flirty frat wannabe determined to become the bane of Louis’ existence.

Don’t Let Me Go by Harry Styles

Seems like these days I watch you from afarJust trying to make you understand 

Emperor’s New Clothes : Harry’s a pop star and Louis isn’t, and there’s a non-disclosure agreement where there used to be a relationship.

Somebody to Love by Queen

I just gotta get out of this prison cellOne day (someday) I’m gonna be free, Lord!

Atlas At Last : He doesn’t know what he had been expecting out of the road trip itself besides burping contests and too much shitty gas station food with Oli and Stan, but in the brief moment before Harry ambles up his driveway, Louis idly wonders if this is about to become some sort of Gay Coming of Age story.Maine to California in ten days. In which Zayn’s an open-shirt hippie they meet somewhere in Ohio, Liam’s the pastor’s son running away from home, and Niall’s the number they call on the bathroom wall.It’s 1978. Harry and Louis are just trying to get to San Fran in time for the Queen concert.

Right Now by One Direction

You know I can’t fight the feelingAnd every night I feel itRight nowI wish you were here with me

Love Is A Rebellious Bird : AU in which the boys still make music. Louis is the concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Harry is the New! and Exciting! interim conductor/ex-cello prodigy who “has made Mozart cool again” according to Esquire Magazine (Louis hates him immediately, which is definitely why he internet stalked him in his dark bedroom late at night that one time), and Niall is the best. Zayn and Liam are around too.

Tiny Dancer by Elton John

But oh how it feels so realLying here with no one near

Never Gonna Dance Again : Louis is a spy and Harry is a dancer. The only real thing they know is each other. 

Wait by M83

Give your tearsTo the tide

Into the Blue : AU. In which Louis is Harry’s scuba instructor and quite happy to provide the requested special treatment, pun fully intended. It can’t be all that difficult to convince Harry that they’re on the same page, right? Also, Niall and Liam may or may not be dating, and Zayn is surrounded by emotionally stunted idiots. He bears it with dignity.

Just Hold On by Louis Tomlinson

If it all goes wrongDarling, just hold on

You Are The Blood : A seventh-year Hogwarts AU in which Niall gets all the girls, Liam goes on a journey of self-discovery, Zayn falls in love, Harry wants something more, and Louis tries to figure out once and for all why he, a Muggleborn, was sorted into Slytherin. 

What Kind Of Man by Florence + The Machine 

And with one kissYou inspired a fire of devotion that lasts for twenty yearsWhat kind of man loves like this?

Baby Heaven’s In Your Eyes : A sixth form!AU where Harry is the fucked up bad boy with too many problems, Louis is the perfect rich boy with too much money and their schools are right across from each other. They meet at a party and that’s the last (and maybe the only) thing they need.

I’ve Just Seen a Face by Jim Sturgess

I’ve just seen a face,I can’t forget the time or placeWhere we just met

Nameless Night : For their 18th birthday, every person receives a letter that reads a simple date. That is the date you’ll meet your soulmate. Harry and Louis have different beliefs, live in different worlds and have different dreams, hopes and fears. Yet, they’re not so different from each other when it comes to love. When their paths cross, there is no doubt they belong together. Except for that one, essential difference: they didn’t receive the same date.

If I Could Fly by One Direction

I’ve got scars, even though they can’t always be seenAnd pain gets hard, but now you’re here and I don’t feel a thing

Butterfly Gun : Harry has never been much of a fighter, but—as always—where Louis Tomlinson is concerned, a lot of things stop being true.1940’s AU. Even after six years apart, they can’t forget their shared wartime childhood. 

Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones

I’m Jumpin’ Jack Flash

Escapade : In the grand scheme of things, finding a date for a wedding should be no problem for Louis Tomlinson. He’s rich. He’s handsome. He’s reasonably well behaved. But when the wedding is for his lifelong best friend (and former boyfriend), and is happening in under a month, finding a date for the ceremony and accompanying festivities becomes more of an adventure than he ever could have planned for. 

18 by One Direction

Long before we both thought the same thingTo be loved and to be in loveAll I could do is say that these arms were made for holding youI wanna love like you made me feel when we were 18

Red Brick Heart : Uni AU. Harry had turned up at the halls of residence expecting fun, new friends, and maybe a life experience or two. What he doesn’t expect is a surprise roommate who’s loud and dramatic and obsessed with tea and is maybe, actually, all he’s ever wanted.

Half A Heart by One Direction

I’m half a man at bestWith half an arrow in my chestI miss everything we doI’m half a heart without you

Never Be : The one where Harry Styles moves to Connecticut from England for nine months as a part of a study abroad program, and he just so happens to move in with Louis Tomlinson and family.

Fallingforyou by The 1975

I don’t wanna be your friend,I wanna kiss your neck

Relief Next To Me : AU. What happens when a baker and a graphic designer meet via a very specific Craigslist post? Fate, friendship, food, and maybe more. 

Closer by Tegan and Sara

Here comes the breath before we get a little bit closerHere comes the rush before we touch, come a little closer

The Night Sky is Changing Overhead : Harry is a tattoo artist, Louis is a drama professor, and they meet during an argument at a café.

Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones

Faith has been broken, tears must be criedLet’s do some living after we dieWild horses couldn’t drag me away 

Soft Hands, Fast Feet, Can’t Lose : American Uni AU. Harry Styles is a frat boy football star from the wealthy Styles Family athletic dynasty. A celebrity among football fans, he knows how to play, he knows how to party, and he knows how to fuck (all of which is well known among his legion of admirers).Louis Tomlinson is a student and an athlete, but his similarities to Harry end there. Intelligent, focused, independent, and completely uninterested in Harry’s charms, Louis is an anomaly in a world ruled by football. A bet about the pair, who might be more similar than they originally thought, brings them together. Shakespeare, ballet, Disney, football, library chats, running, accidental spooning, Daredevil and Domino’s Pizza all blend into one big friendship Frappucino, but who will win in the end? 

No Control by One Direction

PowerlessAnd I don’t care it’s obviousI just can’t get enough of you

Switch Out the Batteries : Two years after meeting in a sex shop, Harry’s just returning to Louis from a month-long tour in the States, and they come up with a wholesome bonding exercise.

Ship to Wreck by Florence + The Machine

Did I drink too much?Am I losing touch?Did I build this ship to wreck?

Young & Beautiful : Louis, to his horror, attends an elitist university in which the name Zayn Malik means something, Niall Horan doesn’t stop talking, there are pianos everywhere, and Harry Styles, only son of a drug-addled, clinically insane ex-rocker, has a perfect smile and empty eyes.

Asleep by The Smiths

Deep in the cell of my heartI really want to goThere is another worldThere is a better world 

Here In The Afterglow : 1970’s AU. In a tiny town in Idaho, Louis’ life is changed forever by the arrival of a curious stranger. 

From the Dining Table by Harry Styles

We haven’t spoke since you went awayComfortable silence is so overratedWhy won’t you ever be the first to break?Even the phone misses your call, by the way

These Inconvenient Fireworks : Future AU in which nobody tries out for X Factor but the boys end up finding one other eventually anyway. Louis is a jaded bastard who owns a cat named Duchess and teaches drama to teenagers, Harry is an idealistic aspiring photographer/part-time footy coach, Zayn teaches English lit and wears leather jackets, Liam saves people from burning buildings, and Niall is Niall.

Skinny Love by Bon Iver

And in the morning I’ll be with youBut it will be a different kindAnd I’ll be holding all the ticketsAnd you’ll be owning all the fines

Pull Me Under : AU. As the first British footballer to come out at the prime of his career, it helps that Louis Tomlinson is in a long-term, committed relationship. Even if that relationship is fake.

He’s a Pirate from the Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack

Instrumental 

Resist Everything Except Temptation : The one where Louis is the commodore’s son who is forced to become a part of Harry’s crew when he is captured.

Sunburn by Ed Sheeran

You scarred and left meLike a sunburn 

Empty Skies : For three years, Harry has been running from his past. Now, he is moving to London and pledges to fulfil his only dream – making it big in the music industry. Not everyone has a place, though, and the competition is tough. As is his past catching up on him.Louis is part of the biggest boy band of the world, and getting there had meant a lot of hard work, as well as sacrificing parts of his heart and soul. He’s still happy. Maybe not as happy as he could be, but who is he to complain?

Pine Trees by Jake Bugg

You can sit in the pine treesYou can feel at homeYou can breathe a sigh of silence in the woods

May We Stay Lost On Our Way Home : On March 31st, Harry Styles disappears. Though many speculate, only two people know where to find him: Niall, his former guitarist, and Zayn, who follows where Niall leads.The fact the biggest boy band in the world broke up two weeks earlier might be related to the disappearance. The fact Harry meets a fairy named Louis in the woods is a whole other matter.

Colors by Halsey

Everything was greyHis hair, his smoke, his dreamsAnd now he’s so devoid of colorHe don’t know what it means

Gods & Monsters : The instructions were simple: seduce and destroy Harry Styles. Not once did they discuss the option of Louis actually falling in love. So, naturally, that’s exactly what he did.

[askmerriauthor]

EtheriumAU

Ed scowled down the rim of his glasses as he set his attention outward.  The galley kitchen was quiet for the most part - silent save for the distant bustle of their little port stopover beyond the old ship walls and the rhythmic pulsing of the stove’s gravity-alignment rig.  He was used to every little creak and groan the ship had to offer, so the faint shuffle of unfamiliar footsteps caught his attention as quick as could be.  He stood still as a statue, planted at the only exit in the room as long as he dared.

Silence.

With careful steps the lean captain moved his way along.  The kitchen remained quiet, indifferent to his caution.  But just as he’d cleared the path he whirled at the thud of sudden footfalls, one arm thrust out to catch a figure - briefly hidden as it tried to sneak from behind some crates - about the chest.  Ed planted his weight to his heel and heaved.  His pivot hoisted a young girl clear off her feet with an indignant squawk and she fell to the floor in an unceremonious heap.  She slid and crashed at the base of a table laden with pots to fill the once quiet chamber with a cacophony of clattering flatware and cymbal-like lids.  Though shielding her head from the avalanche of cooking supplies was an afterthought as the girl looked up to find a plasma pistol aimed squarely at her face, held fast in the Captain’s weathered hand.

There were many ways people reacted when put in such a position, he’d learned.  Fear and shock were the most common.  Blubbering for mercy followed quickly enough.  Even grown, hardened spacers quailed when set before the business end of a charging plasma coil.  So as his finger hovered on the trigger and his eyes held the girl’s, there was an unexpected sense of surprise as her gaze stood fast.  It was a hard glare, solid and without a hint of fear.  It wasn’t unfamiliar either.  She glared defiantly up at him with her one good, emerald left eye blazing with indignation while a long-since scarred and blackened socket sat opposite.   He’d seen plenty of dock brats - worked hard in their youth, so often without parents, hardly better than slaves half the time.  It hollowed them out and left an emptiness that resonated from them like an echo by the time they were her age, just into teen years by body while long dead in heart.

But her?

It wasn’t until the sound of lumbering boots tromped down the galley stairs did Ed quickly withdraw his pistol back to its holster.  The girl showed only momentary confusion, though she was still held on her guard as she found herself outnumbered by the arrival of a deck hand.

“S’matter Cap’n?  You catch a stowaway?” the spacer grunted as he spotted the unfamiliar girl.  Ed hesitated for only half a beat before he crossed his arms and heaved a long-suffering sigh.

“Nonsense.  Only crew comes aboard my ship.  This here’s th’new cook in charge of our mess.” the Captain scoffed.  “Figured bringin’ on a new gal was better than us chokin’ down Anders’ piss-poor cookin’ anymore.”  He looked back to the girl, still sat on the floor, and suppressed amusement over how that scathing glare of hers had shifted with open confusion.  “C’mon love, mind yer manners.  Introduce y’self.”

She pushed up to her bare, dirty feet with a hesitant wobble.  For a moment it seemed as though she might try and make another break for the door, but Ed’s softened gaze seemed to register with her.  The girl squared her shoulders and took in a breath before she spoke, as if she needed to brace herself to even get it out.

“Marilyn Wuthers.  Most just call me Mary.” she managed in a voice cracked by overexposure to docked ship’s engine fumes.  Mary bounced her gaze between the two men and let it settle on Ed once more as she finally managed a nod and, to his satisfaction, a hint of a smile.  “Cap’n.”

[the-master-cylinder]

What are you doing with Ghoulies II? Charles Band: That should be fun. Ed Naha’s writing the script. It’s still a bit early to talk about exactly what the plan is , but we’ll shoot this year and have it out next year. We’ll have some fun with it. Ghoulies not only did well at the box office not a blockbuster, but it did well but it has done huge videocassette business. It’s one of the top 10 or 15 video releases of ’85. and it has been sold to cable and syndication. That just means that for whatever reason, people like it. In my opinion, it’s a very weak film, but it had a few redeeming moments. I hope that in the sequel, we’ll be able to take what was good about the original and do that throughout the entire picture.

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Vicious Lips (1986) Sometime in the distant future, a fledgling band gets an opportunity for a breakthrough, if they can make it in time to a faraway planet to perform in a very popular club.

Ghoulies II (1987) Ghoulies are shanghaied by a priest who intends to exterminate them, but they manage to escape to a low-rent carnival. There they take up residence in “Satan’s Den,” a foundering, old-fashioned haunted house attraction run by Royal Dano, who fears he may lose ownership of the show due to sagging attendance. The presence of the ghoulies at first gives business a much-needed boost … until the slimy little buggers start dining on the patrons.

At first, Empire Pictures president Charles Band couldn’t find anyone who would touch the project unless changes were made in the script. something he was adamantly opposed to doing. Finally, he took it to the one person he knew he could trust to make the movie exactly the way he wanted it, a man with both the talent and experience in low-budget filmmaking to pull it off, the same man who had, in fact, taught him everything he knew about the motion picture business: his father, Albert Band, an old hand at horror.

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Ghoulies II, the director is completely in charge, seems quite happy with the results and expects that the sequel will do even better than its successful predecessor. Not that he really has the time to sit and worry about it; Empire Pictures has 12 more movies due before Christmas, which means everybody at Empire has to hustle. And nobody hustles with any greater enthusiasm or verve than Albert Band, the company’s executive vice president of production.

“Albert has as much energy as any of the teenagers in my crew.” praises John Buechler, whose ability to whip up monsters faster than a short order cook flips burgers has made him an integral part of Empire’s operation. Buechler has worked with Papa Band a number of times. “He has a strong background in filmmaking and he knows exactly what he wants.”

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He should, having been in show business for four decades as a producer, writer and director. “Actually.” confesses Band, producing is what I enjoy the most. I only became a director to save myself a director’s salary.”

“Albert wrote a helluva good script,” says Royal Dano, one of the cast members. In Ghoulies II, Dano portrays the drunken operator of a sideshow attraction who accidentally picks up the dreaded title creatures.

To that end, David Allen, whose special FX have enhanced many of Empire’s pictures, was brought onto the project. According to him, the reason the FX succeed is that Band was willing to spend whatever it took to make them that way.

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“I’ve never actually worked with him on the set.” Allen reveals, but I know he cares about the pictures. If he didn’t there have certainly been times, especially on Ghoulies II, when he could have made more economical choices.”

As with most Empire movies, the principal photography was completed in Rome, where near-freezing temperatures gave birth to one of the fastest-moving crews in movie history. “They wanted to get the hell out of there,” confirms actor Dano, who had the foresight to pack long thermal underwear.

Directed by Peter Manoogian, produced by Band and distributed by Empire. Enemy Territory (1987) Barry (Frank) is a formerly successful insurance executive whose career and life are being destroyed by alcoholism. As the day ends, he is sent to a notorious New York City housing project, the Lincoln Towers, to try and complete a life insurance policy sale to a nice elderly woman named Elva (Frances Foster). Meanwhile, a man named Will (Parker), a soft-spoken but tough employee of the telephone company, also heads to the building to hook up with his girlfriend and repair the phone lines. Unfortunately for Barry, while inquiring where Elva’s apartment is, he taps a boy, Decon (Theo Caesar) on the shoulder and quickly becomes the hated target of a savage, fanatical gang called the Vampires, who run the Towers. They’re led by their ruthless but charismatic leader the Count (Tony Todd), who runs his gang like a cult and is seen to be indestructible by himself and his followers. An attempt to kill Barry leads to the deaths of the building’s security guard and Decon. With Barry’s entrapment inside the building, he crosses paths with Will and makes his first reluctant ally willing to help him. They take safety in Elva’s apartment, but escape when the Vampires trap them. Leaving Elva behind, they find Elva’s determined granddaughter Toni (Stacey Dash), visiting with her neighbors. Toni suggests they go to the apartment of Mr. Parker (Vincent), a bigoted, crippled and unstable but yet still vicious Vietnam vet the gang fears (along the way Barry is forced to kill one of the gang members leaving him with mild PTSD). Paid for his help, Parker lets the trio in (revealing he’s modified a wheelchair with an arsenal of concealed weapons). Then Toni leaves to check on her grandmother, but when she arrives, she discovers Elva had been beaten and forced to reveal where Barry and Will are.

The Vampires, holding Elva and Toni hostage, arrive at Parker’s apartment with Barry surrendering himself to save them. As Barry and Will exit, Parker and the Vampires engage in a shootout. In the midst of the gunfire, Barry, Will, and Toni escape. When Elva and Parker retreat back inside his apartment, Parker is shot in the chest and a short time later dies as Elva struggles to save him. Next, the trio head to the apartment of Chet Cole (Deon Richmond), a little boy, living with his mother, whom they heard is the only one who knows a way out of the building that no one else knows, not even the Vampires. According to Chet, the way out is in the building’s basement, with Chet offering to show them, but his mother sends him to bed, leading him to sneak out.

After saving them from being killed by Psycho (Robert Lee Rush), the Count’s crazed relative (by knocking said gang member down a elevator shaft with a baseball bat), Chet joins the trio as they descend to the basement through said elevator shaft. In the basement, Chet shows them the way out, but the opening is too small for either Barry or Will to fit through. Toni however is able to fit through (but as she is leaving, gets grabbed by a badly injured Psycho who Barry forcibly finishes off with some power tools) and runs to get the police. But when she arrives at the station, the officers refuse to help, due to two cops being shot on a previous visit to the building.

While Barry and Will wait, Will comes up with another plan. Using the money that Elva gave Barry earlier in the film, they send Chet back upstairs. With sunrise approaching, Chet litters the money out a window to the Vampires guarding the basement door to the outside. At the same time, the Count and other Vampires realize that after checking every apartment in the building the basement is the only place left to look (on entering said basement the Count is stunned to see Psycho is dead). When the money distraction works, Barry and Will escape just as the Count and his remaining Vampires arrive, and Barry is shot in the ankle.

Outside, Will and a wounded Barry start running as they are being chased and tormented by the last of the gang (with the Count ordering his followers to let him avenge Decon and Psycho). Cornered, Will uses the one shot he has left in his gun to protect Barry and himself, he does this by having a final showdown with the Count. As the Count closes in, Will shoots and struggles with him, until he knocks him briefly to the ground. The Vampires are momentarily demoralized when they see the Count is not invulnerable, despite his claims he still is, with Barry using this distraction to slam a swing seat into his head repeatedly until the Count collapses and dies while the other Vampires, now enraged at their leader’s death prepare to gun down Barry and Will. But Elva, using Parker’s machine gun, fires shots at them from the apartment window to hold them at bay. Seconds later, Toni and the police finally arrive, with the remaining gang members fleeing back into the apartment complex. Having survived a deadly night against a vicious gang, the film ends with Will and Toni accompanying Barry as he is taken to an ambulance.

Catacombs (1988), Concept Art

Catacombs (1988) In the 17th century, an order of monks in Italy capture and entomb a demon that has possessed a member of their group. 400 years later, school teacher Elizabeth Magrino (Laura Schaefer) visits the monastery in order to do some research. What she and the current monks do not realize is that the evil hiding within the catacombs has unwittingly been released.

Despite a somewhat hackneyed story, an ancient evil buried in the title location beneath a remote monastery, and the utterly insane casting of Timothy Van Patten as a monk, this is a pretty good little film. Emphasis is on mood instead of gore and there is an honest attempt to develop the characters before they become victims of the revived terror. Director Schmoeller makes good use of his European locales and piles the atmospheric visuals on thick to make a film that could almost pass for genuine Italian semi-classic from the heyday of Mario Bava.

The film was the last officially completed film by Empire Pictures before the company was seized by Crédit Lyonnais for failure to pay on loans. As a result, the film’s release was delayed for five years. It was eventually given the new title Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice by Columbia TriStar Home Video, and was released direct-to-video on VHS in 1993.

Transformations (1988) Wolfgang is traveling in outer space when a monster, which he sees as a beautiful woman, appears in his spaceship and makes love with him. Then the ship is forced to land on a planet which is a penal colony. Here he meets Miranda who falls in love with him. A group of prisoners uses him and his spaceship to fly away from the planet. But the monster which is by now inside Wolfgang arouses and only Miranda’s love can save him.

Arena (1989) Steve Armstrong (Paul Satterfield) is working as a short order cook on a space station somewhere in the galaxy. Overwhelmed by the volume of orders, he repeatedly fouls up and soon finds himself in a confrontation with an alien patron named Vang. After a fight which smashes up the diner and leaves the alien injured, Steve and his friend and co-worker Shorty (Hamilton Camp) are fired. As it turns out, Vang is an Arena fighter, and his manager Quinn (Claudia Christian) confronts Steve. Amazed that a human could beat one of her best fighters, Quinn offers him a contract, but convinced that humans no longer have a place in the Arena, Steve refuses, intending to make his way back to Earth.

Lacking sufficient money for a ticket, Shorty attempts to raise the cash by gambling in an underground casino. The game is raided by the authorities and in the confusion, Shorty pockets the money. Caught in the act by crime boss Rogor (Marc Alaimo) and his enforcer Weezil (Armin Shimerman), Shorty is held for ransom. Steve promises to pay off the debt, so he reluctantly returns to Quinn and agrees to a contract. Remarkably he wins his first match with an alien named Sloth in an upset. He continues fighting, determined to prove that a human has what it takes to be champion, and soon becomes a top contender. Despite Rogor’s multiple attempts to cheat, Steve ultimately wins the championship from Rogor’s top fighter, an alien named Horn (Michael Deak).

Deadly Weapon (1989) A teenager named Zeke, who fantasizes that he is from outer space, is bullied by some other teens at school and deals with a drunken father, runaway mother and a sister who delights in being nasty to him. He finds a lost experimental military weapon in a river near his home. The weapon fires anti-gravity X-rays. Zeke uses it for self-defense as a means to deal with his persecutors, both at school and at home.

An army team led by the overzealous Lt. Dalton, responsible for originally losing the weapon, is sent to recover the weapon before its unstable reactor overloads and causes a meltdown. The situation degenerates into a siege.

Michael Miner

Although planned as a sequel to Laserblast, while writing the script – and partially due to financial constraints, Band and Miner decided to make an original film, based on the central idea.

Michael Miner,  who had just finished co-writing RoboCop with Edward Neumeier, saw in that Deadly Weapon poster the chance to “blast the Spielberg mythical suburbia and the warmth of childhood,” to create a “neo-Lucas, neo-Spielberg flick.

More than that, it was a chance to direct, an opportunity Miner missed out on when his then in-production RoboCop blossomed from a low-budget picture into a big-budget, extravaganza that the studio felt had to be given to a veteran director.

So, Miner called a physicist friend, quizzed him about the kinds of weapons scientists have on paper these days, and found his deadly weapon-an anti-matter pistol powered by a “backpack reactor about the size of two shoe boxes.” Then, he and writer friend George Lafia started thinking-what if the transport train carrying this hi-tech weapon derails, and the gun is found by “a 15-year-old, heavy metal loser?”

They had their movie. A concept that Miner’s RoboCop partner Ed Neumeier neatly boiled down to four simple sentences: “He’s 15. He’s got nuclear capability. He’s got 24 hours to live. He’s the kid with the ray gun.” Charles Band was sold.

The film was shot in May and June of 1987 at various locations around Southern California on a budget of $2 million. Although the budget restricted Miner somewhat, he doesn’t resent the limitation. “Empire gave me the permission to make a dark film with a dark ending. I think it takes a little company like Empire to make a picture like this –people who want to make interesting pictures and are willing to allow the freedom necessary to do it.”

“The upside was I could pretty much do what I wanted,” says Miner. “I had a pretty long leash. The downside was I could only work with $3 million.”

The budget obviously limited the scope of the special effects used, but Miner made do with what he could afford. Whenever Zeke shoots the pistol, he’s hit by an air cannon and a reactive light, with the desired effect being that of an exploding concussion grenade. The pistol is used several times in the film, setting the target on fire each time, and there’s one particularly notable shot of a head bursting into flames and writhing (an articulated puppet head was used for this).

Miner sees Deadly Weapon as “science fiction meets Badlands” and insists it’s not just another exploitation flick. “At its root, it’s a personal film, but there’s a mean edge to it,” he says. “I’m very proud of Deadly Weapon. I think I did a good job.”

Miner hopes to reach a young audience with the picture. “The film starts off being a Charles Bronson type revenge picture and then takes that desire for revenge and puts it into the mind of a 15 year-old who is still wavering about what to do,” said Miner.

Spellcaster (1991) Orphaned siblings Jackie and Tom are elated to be chosen to participate in a treasure hunt alongside other players, for a prize of one million dollars. Set in an Italian castle owned by the mysterious Diablo, all they must do to win the contest is be the first to find the check. Also hunting for the money are several others that are highly competitive and willing to do anything to win. The contest is to be recorded for a MTV-esque music channel and sponsored by the recording company of pop star Cassandra Castle, who is to accompany the contestants throughout the hunt along with VJ Rex. Cassandra, however, is unwilling to spend any time with the contestants and prefers to spend all of her time drinking excessively in her private room. Upon a whim Cassandra makes a deal with Rex to hide the money on her person so none of the contestants can find it. Upon the end of the competition the two will split the winnings.

Once the contest begins the contestants begin a frantic search for the check, unaware of Cassandra’s duplicity or that supernatural forces are picking the players off one by one. Cassandra’s plans are waylaid when the forces begin to torment her and cause her to lose the check, which is carried throughout the castle on a magical breeze. Eventually only Jackie, Cassandra, and Tom are left, upon which point they are unable to ignore that something is very wrong. As Jackie frantically searches for answers she discovers a room at the top of the castle containing a crystal ball and Diablo, who reveals himself to be a demon. He also tells her that he has captured the souls of the other contestants in the sphere and will take them all to Hell, as well as that his next victim will be her brother. Meanwhile Cassandra and Tom have romantically connected with one another. He also discovers the check, which has landed near him and Cassandra. Tom is shocked when Cassandra chooses to burn the check and warns him that the money comes with strings attached that he wouldn’t want. She throws the check into a fireplace, only Diablo to magically summon her to his room and chastise her for ruining his plans, revealing that Cassandra had formed a contract with him and that he will be taking her soul to Hell as well. In exchange for her soul she gained fame and wealth, which she quickly realized was not worth the bargain and took to alcohol and drugs to numb herself to her reality. In order to save both Tom and Cassandra Jackie tries to bargain with Diablo, offering her soul in exchange for the both of them. Horrified, Cassandra chooses to destroy Diablo’s crystal ball, which puts an end to his evil plans and brings all of the contestants back to life. This also frees Cassandra, who reveals that she convinced Diablo to give her back her soul and to instead VJ at the music channel. The film closes with Diablo hosting a music broadcast and announcing a new contest that will bring him all new victims.

The film began shooting during July 1986 near Rome, Italy. Executive producer Charles Band allowed the filming to take place in a 12th century castle he had purchased for filmmaking, Castello di Giove. Spellcaster’s script was written by Dennis Paoli and Ed Naha, frequent collaborators with Stuart Gordon. The film was produced by Band’s Empire Pictures, which went defunct in 1988, and Spellcaster’s release was delayed until 1992, when it was released through Columbia TriStar Home Pictures.

Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989) The U.S. government, eager to protect the nation’s avacado supplies, recruits feminist professor Margo Hunt to make contact with the Piranha Women, an all-female tribe who believe men are only good as a source of food. Accompanying Dr. Hunt on her trip are Jim, a guide of questionable competence, and Bunny, a student of unquestionable incompetence.

Robot Jox (1989) Retrospective The reasons for the prolonged delay for Robot Jox (1989) are numerous, all related to the toppling of Band’s Empire beneath the weight of a staggering $46 million in debts. Empire ran out of money when the company saw the film’s budget balloon from $7 to $9 million. Whether due to inferior product or the company’s attempt to distribute its own films, Band was forced to relinquish control of Empire and regroup under the banner The Band Company (its video arm called Half Moon Productions), where Gordon has an office on a film-by-film arrangement. (TWE now owns the Empire catalog, including films that were not yet complete at the time of the takeover.)

Gordon scoffs at the industry talk that Robot Jox was responsible for the fall of the Band Empire. “I don’t believe that this picture sunk Empire, though it certainly didn’t help,” he admitted. “It is true, however, that it was the most expensive picture Empire ever produced-three or four times their normal budget. It also had the longest post-production schedule. But even if everything had gone like clockwork, it would still have required a year of post. Charlie had envisioned that Robot Jox would put Empire on the map, financially speaking. Unfortunately we were not able to get the movie done in time to save the company.”

Even though Empire was clearly in the midst of severe financial woes by this time, Allen insists that he was never pressured by Band to finish. “He understood what we were battling, which was the weather. Empire’s loan money was costing them interest, but we weren’t that expensive-our effects came in at less than 25% of total budget.”

But Band’s video Empire was about to fall. Explained Band, “Basically, in a nutshell, we had some bad timing. We’d just set up a big operation in Italy and suddenly the dollar absolutely fell apart and the cost of living in Italy quadrupled, so suddenly we were in the wrong country in terms of getting a shop set up and making movies. We were there to save money, and the last few pictures we made at Empire cost 20 or 30% more than it would have to make them in this country, which is totally insane considering that just to shoot the picture offshore there is an awful lot of effort that goes into traveling, etc.”

Added Albert Band, “In the beginning, you got 2000 lira to the dollar. When we left, it was 600. The whole Italian experience marked us for life, me and my children, because those years were very formative, not just in growing up, but growing up in a different culture, living with a different language, making movies we liked, building an empire.”

What happened to Empire Pictures? Charles Band: The problems really were two-fold. There were all the normal problems with all the independents because the business has changed radically. These independents, including Empire, became too big too fast, driven by a worldwide home video fever that dried up. The fever mainly for B movies in the home video markets was very forgiving; anything sold. Today, it’s just not the case. It’s an A-driven market, but the occasional B movie will work. The premise of Empire in the early ’80s made sense, but in the late ’80s, it makes no sense. Control your own distribution? That’s not necessary today. Make 4,000 movies a year? You can’t do that anymore.

The other thing that happened to Empire is that in the early days, when we made a dozen or so video hits, pictures that did very well internationally as well, we sold the rights to several video distributors at a bargain price. Had Empire been able to control its own video destiny while the video world was exploding, and reaped the benefits of its video successes, it would not have had any financial problems.

Typically, we would make a picture on a small loss, assuming we would see overages from video, but the deal we made from video, which would sometimes help get the picture made, just didn’t have a chance of showing us overages because it was written in such a way that we would have to sell truckloads of tapes to make any money beyond the advance. It doesn’t take too many of those kind of movies to ultimately create a deficit. Empire never had any huge amount of debt, but the only way it would have been able to turn itself around would have been to get a lot more money to make bigger movies and do business differently. It got to be very wearying at the end, as well. You have to be on call morning and night to the banks you’re involved with, and that’s just not what I wanted to do.

So you were operating on a kind of brinksmanship policy that worked fine when the market was flush, but when the market went away, you toppled over the brink? Charles Band: Yes. Some companies went down in flames, other companies went bankrupt. Neither of these things happened to Empire. It was a graceful end to a five-year history of making 50-odd movies. And I left with an enormous amount of experience, hopefully some of it useful to me now, and with a rare opportunity in a whole new world to start again, in a sense, but doing things the right way. I’ve been very, very lucky. 1988 was a great year for me. I’ve no regrets.

The quality of the Empire movies varied, and tended downward somewhat over the years. Charles Band: I don’t know how to say it without sounding like I did everything over there, which I clearly didn’t, but the less time I spent involved in a production, the less the picture showed any real magic. We had good filmmakers and bad filmmakers; we took chances with a lot of new filmmakers, and some of those worked out real well and some were disappointments. The earlier pictures, even though they were all modest efforts, were better than the later ones, because for the last year and a half of Empire, I barely had five percent of my time and energy left to deal with filmmaking. That’s why with the new companies, I plan to do just one thing, and that is to make these pictures.

At Empire, I spent most of my time dealing with things that were outside what I love doing, which is making movies and being on a motion picture set. So I decided to set up my new life in a way that would really divide the two areas I wanted to concentrate in. I set up Bandcompany and Full Moon Productions. Bandcompany basically will be making one or two larger-budgeted films a year, the first one of which is Pit and the Pendulum , which Stuart Gordon is directing in Italy. There are a couple of others in preparation that will probably wind up being deals directly with studios, where we won’t be involved in any of the sales or marketing, but those movies are few and far between. Sometimes, seven or eight months go by between projects. Sometimes years, if you’re really unlucky.

Why were so many films still on the shelf when Empire was sold? Charles Band: Because for the final four or five months, the president of Empire, the chief financial operator and myself were trying to convince the banks to allow Empire to change course. There was a whole list of things we wanted to do, and it required more money. During that period, we had films that would have fit nicely into that new Empire; we didn’t want to give every last film away to various home video companies. We wanted to start off with a bit of a head start. So there was a kind of moratorium put on finishing certain pictures, selling certain pictures. We kind of kept everything to try and make this deal. When the deal didn’t work out the way I wanted it and this other offer came about, another four or five months went by, only because it takes that much time for new people to come in and figure out what they’ve got. So the pictures are being finished, and now through God knows what convoluted deal they are coming out. There were about seven or eight of them, the best of which, the absolutely last picture Empire made, was Robot Jox. It would be ironic if’ it became a big hit.

CREDITS/REFERENCES/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY love-it-loud.co.uk Cinefantastique v13n06 Cinefantastique v12n02 Cinefantastique v15n04 Cinefantastique v15n02 Cinefantastique v16n01 Cinefantastique Vol 08 No 2-3 Cinefantastique v18n02-03 (March 1988)3 DELIRIUM#01 DELIRIUM#03 DELIRIUM#04 DELIRIUM#05 FANGORIA#30 FANGORIA#202 FANGORIA#190 FANGORIA#54 FANGORIA#56 FANGORIA#57 FANGORIA#215 FANGORIA#69 MONSTERLAND#39 MONSTERLAND#10 GOREZONE #8 starburstmagazine#03 mjsimpson-films Famous Monsters of Filmland#161 tomboftheunproducedhorrormovie comingsoon.com Starlog#127 Rue Morgue#136 Horrorfan#03 Femme Fatales v09n07 Draculina#14 The Dark Side#28

The History of Empire Films Part Six What are you doing with Ghoulies II? Charles Band: That should be fun. Ed Naha's writing the script.

[ecotone99]

[SF Thriller] Flavour I

Pale and milky was the moon that night. The night had an eerie glow to it that cast cold light and dark shadows about the countryside. Yet even so it was a type of night that Mikey Joe looked forward to. The type of night he could walk outside his house and stare with great wonder at the marvellous moon. Always he had loved the moon even as a young boy. He would walk slowly about the yard toking gently on his joint. He often felt anxious out there in the dark a the dead of night and this was no different yet his fear was quelled by his old companion the moon.

Mikey Joe had done his moonlight ritual for many years puffing as he sauntered aimlessly about the yard and down the path to the farm below. Sometimes he listened to music sometimes to the silence of the night. It was only on the clear nights of the palest purest moonlight he would dare to have his little dalliance with his lunar lover, for the nights that were dark cloudy and black as nothing filled him with a terrible dread. Even on this night with the light beaming from the moon and the brightest stars he had flashes of dread which he soothed by looking at the moon and saying “It's alright now” or some other stoner’s mantra.

That dread came to him most nights and tonight was no different he did as he always did and toked on his joint.

“It's almost finished” he thought as he looked at glowing red dot that was very near his finger now.”Soon back inside to comfort and a nice round of toasted cheese sandwich.”

He he began walking back up the path to the backyard and his house, stepping slowly and carefully as to not trip on the brambles and briers growing all over the ill kept path. He meandered across slowly and gently till he could see the yard light through the trees. He continued on and the light became bigger and bigger until he was almost blinded by it.

He froze dead it was surely not his yard light it was far to strong he became rigid with fear. He racked his brain frantically to figure out what he was seeing but after a few seconds the fear truly had him he didn’t care the fear had him. He turned on his heel and ran down the deep dark path straight into blackness. He ran until he heard or thought he hear something up ahead.

“ A figure? A man?” he wasn’t sure what he saw but something moved past him up that dark path. He stopped in his tracks panting, hes wild eyes darting everywhere. Forward to the blackness of the path back to the growing light towards his yard.

“Get to my house and the phone” he thought in a second of clarity. He ran back at full sprint towards the every growing light. But after no more than 5 steps he tripped on a bramble and fell head first into a bush. He looked up from the bush scraping his head on thorns as he did so. He saw the black figure still away down the path and then suddenly blackness.

He awoke to a dim light flickering above his head. He arose to find himself in a small empty room with a candle hang on the wall. There was no door but an open entrance led to a narrow cramped passage. The walls of the passage and and room where made of a red soft substance not unlike play-dough he observed. When he pulled at it seemed to stretch for a moment then go back to its original shape. After a minute of exploring his new environment he was struck with by his new dreadful predicament. Questions raced around his head a thousand a once going 90 miles an hour. He had no idea how to begin to understand what was going on and he felt overwhelmed and fell to his knees and began sobbing pitifully.

“I’m some kind of prisoner or I’ve lost my mind or worse” he whispered as he sobbed.

He felt a hand on his shoulder he stopped crying. He was dead still. He knew he had to turn around to face what was touching him but he couldn’t bring himself to.

“Are you sick?” asked the voice of the man that put his hand on his shoulder.” You seem very weak and you are crying out in pain are you OK?”

He knew now he must look, he must turn and see he captor. He turned to the left side slowly to see the mans had on his shoulder, but it was red! He turned in horror to see his captor and there he was an ordinary looking man dressed in a white robe but with bright red skin! This was too much for him and he fainted on the floor in a heap.

After some time he awoke again, his eyes staring directly at the cavernous red ceiling above he was lying flat red table which was oddly soft and comforting. He felt it move slowly as if it were breathing or pulsating. He jumped to his feet and looked about the huge cavernous room. The ceiling was visible only barley in the dim light that radiated from the floor. The walls or entrance couldn’t be seen as it disappeared into the eternal blackness encircling him. A figure came from out of the darkness slowly walking towards him, it seemed to him to be quite far away. He noticed he wasn’t gripped with fear this time but with a dopey fascination with the figure. As it approached it seem to change shape and suddenly grow taller and longer until before him again was the red man he had seen before. But this time he was different, he wore a old style suit and spectacles.

“How are you feeling now?” he asked “ You were quite distressed. I had to give you some medication to calm you. I hope it makes you feel better.”

Mikey Joe nodded in answer. The red man smiled.

“ You will have many questions, and I have many answers to give now that you are more calm and sociable”

“Are you gonna kill me? Or do crazy experiments on me?” blurted Mikey Joe, his body was calm but inside there was still a little fear, despite his dopey drowse state.

“No, No of course not I am not cruel I’m here to help you and your planet its so primitive even the forms you take are so unusual…. But we can solve all that, teach you to do great things navigate the stars as we have. Here let take this it will relive the drowsiness.”

From nowhere as far as Mikey could tell a cup appeared in the red man hand and he reached out and gave it to Mikey.

“Yes, drink deeply yours is most interesting species bipedal, hi level intellect and highly adept at communicating but so developmental lacking… why? Much lower intellect lifeforms have achieved higher levels of civilization in this…..” as he talked Mikey drank and became more alert and fearful his situation seemed hopeless he needed a way out of this nightmare.

“Ah more alert I see, but anxious too perhaps one of your own medical treatments might help” a syringe appeared in his hand. It was full of a clear liquid he moved closer to Mikey Joe gentle grabbed his arm and smiled.

“Is this it” Though Mikey “I am I really going to let this red bastard kill me and eat me or something, no I have to make a move!”

Mikey punched him hard in the face he dropped the syringe.

‘Why?’ he groaned “ I bring you only love”

Mikey hit him again and again crying manically as he did so. The man made no attempt to defend himself or fight back.

Mikey's hands where covered in blood, tears were rolling from his eyes he went to dry the tears from his eyes but a drop of the blood landed in his mouth. The taste was pure pleasure to Mikey he had tasted nothing like it it was the most savoury sweet orgasmic taste he ever had. A madness took him he began to lick his hands clean his tongue orgasm-ed with each lick. When his hands were clean he looked down at the body his eyes ravenous with hunger for that taste. He picked up one red and began to chew on the fingers.

“No stop I bring you love, I am your friend” the red man said feebly.

Mikey took both hands and strangled him till the stopped hes polite protests.

After eating half of the red man hand Mikey remembered his situation and the danger he got up and ran into the darkness but it only stretched on and on with no end so he ran back to the man near the table searched him for a key or remote, but nothing.

“How will I get out of here, what kind of monster have I become I’ve killed and eaten this poor man” he cried aloud in a desperate howl. Then the craving came over him maybe if I eat more ill feel better” He thought “he's not human, It was him or me! I had to do it!” He grabbed the other hand and pulled at the index finger when suddenly a large wall and monitor came darting out of the blackness. It was beeping and whirring flashing in with and black the deepest black he had ever seen then suddenly there was enormous roar and then blackness.

Mikey Joe, woke up strapped to a bed unable to move any part of his body he head fixed at white ceiling and a fluorescent light. “Mikey” a voice asked through a speaker” are you able to answer our questions?” “ What happened?”

Mikey eyes watered at the memory he was so sad and ashamed, to his horror hes tongue watered as well.

“ I ate him” he sobbed “ I ate him”

The doctor behind the screen wrote his diagnosis and handed it to the team of men in suits. “From what I can observe from here that's my conclusion gentleman” he said in thick Austrian accent.

“ What do you mean, in plain English bud?” asked one man in the far corner of the room with hes eyes squinting at the paper that was passed to to him.

“Vell….. the patient is completely insane”

“Well I could have told you that and I’m no doctor” laughed the man “ saying he ate one of those aliens I’ve never heard of something so ridiculous”

It had been week since the ship had crashed into the desert in Wyoming and special agent Jack Turg was heading the background investigation. It was a sensational case the U.S. Government had of course found alien tech and parts of spaceships before but never a maned vessel with such a large living crew! Jack remembered when he first saw the remains it was the size of a stadium and inside the investigation team had found 50 live “alien creatures” he had seen the classified videos they were strange stupid horrible things no limbs or features just black and grey blobs pulsating formlessly.

“How in the hell could that freak even consider eating one of those disgusting things” he though “They are repulsive!”

He decided his team would have to get a firsthand look at these things to decide next course of action. It made really no logical sense why would you eat something you're terrified of?

The next morning Jack was briefing his C.O. in his progress so far. At the end of the report he paused.

“Was there anything else Jack?” he C.O. probed

“Well sir it's just… we … my team and I…”

“Come on Jack speak your mind!”

“We like to get a look at the live specimens to help make sense of the actions of the detainee”

The C.O. exhaled loud and slow”Quite frankly you and everyone in anyway involved with this whole operation would. But that's impossible it's not even being handled by this agency.You should count yourself privileged to know what you know.” click* the call ended. But Jack a veteran agent 20 years with the agency never question orders, who turned a blind eye to the darker side of the C.I.A. now began to feeling a itch forming an itch he could ignore for now but not for long……

submitted by /u/whiskeypriest1212 [link] [comments] via Blogger https://ift.tt/32tX5p1

[creativesage]

(via 4 Things You Need To Build An Innovative Culture | Digital Tonto)

By Greg Satell

In the late 1960’s, Gary Starkweather had a serious spat with his boss.  As an engineer in Xerox’s long-range xerography unit, he saw that laser printing could be a huge business opportunity. His manager, however, was focused on improving the efficiency of the current product line, not looking to start another one. 

The argument got so heated that Starkweather’s job came to be in jeopardy. Fortunately, his rabble rousing caught the attention of another division within the company, the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) which wasn’t interested in efficiency, but inventing a new future and they eagerly welcomed Starkweather into their ranks.

Within a decade, Xerox’s copying business declined sharply, but the laser printer took off and soon became the firm’s main source of revenue. In effect, the work that was squelched in one culture, thrived in another and saved the company. We tend to think innovation is about ideas, but it depends on people even more. Here’s how you create an innovative culture.

1. A Focus On Problem Solving

When you think about an innovative culture what probably first comes to mind is a bunch of fast moving hipsters guzzling down energy drinks and pulling all-nighters, pausing only to play a quick game of foosball or frisbee. Or maybe Steve Jobs on stage with a devilish grin just before he wows the audience with “one more thing…”

Yet in researching my book, Mapping Innovation, I found that very few of the organizations I studied looked like that. Some were fast moving startups, but most of the successful ones were led by executives that were mature and thoughtful, not brash or erratic. Others were large corporations and world class labs that tended to be fairly conservative.

The one thing I found in common in every fantastically innovative place I looked at was a disciplined passion for identifying new problems. Unlike most organizations, which are content to struggle with everyday issues, the enterprises I studied had a systematic method of finding new problems to work on that would take them in new directions.

The approaches vary considerably. IBM creates grand challenges, like building a computer that can beat humans at Jeopardy. Experian set up a Datalabs division to find out what’s giving its customers “agita” and launch new business off the solutions they build. Google’s “20% time acts as a human-powered search engine for new problems.

We tend to think of innovation as fast moving, but the truth is that it usually takes 30 years to go from an initial discovery to a measurable impact. So the “next big thing” is usually about 29 years old. If you want to innovate effectively, don’t chase the latest trend, find a problem your customers will care about and solve it for them.

2. Create Safe Spaces

In 2012, Google embarked on an enormous research project. Code-named “Project Aristotle,” the aim was to see what made successful teams tick. They combed through every conceivable aspect of how teams worked together — how they were led, how frequently they met outside of work, the personality types of the team members — no stone was left unturned.

However, despite Google’s nearly unparalleled ability to find patterns in complex data, none of the conventional criteria seemed to predict performance. In fact, what they found mattered most to team performance was psychological safety, or the ability of each team member to be able to give voice to their ideas without fear of reprisal or rebuke.

Interestingly,  highly innovative teams can be safe for some ideas, but not for others. For example, two of the scientists at PARC, Dick Shoup and Alvy Ray Smith, developed on a revolutionary new graphics technology called SuperPaint. Unfortunately, it didn’t fit in with the PARC’s vision of personal computing, the two were ostracized and eventually both left.

Smith would team up with another graphics pioneer, Ed Catmull, at the New York Institute of Technology. Later they joined George Lucas, who saw the potential for computer graphics to create a new paradigm for special effects. Eventually, the operation was spun out and bought by Steve Jobs. That company, Pixar, was sold to Disney in 2006 for $7.4 billion.

Xerox PARC is now a shadow of its former self. As it turned out, anything that didn’t have to do with the researchers’ vision for the future had no home there. So if you want to innovate consistently for the long term, you need to create a “safe space” for all ideas, not just the ones that fit with your initial mission.

3. Foster Informal Networks

In 2005, a team of researchers decided to study why some Broadway plays become hits and others flop. They looked at all the usual factors, such as production budget, marketing budget and the track record of the director, but what they found was that what was most important was informal networks of relationships among the cast and crew.

If no one had ever worked together before, both financial and creative results tended to be poor. However, if the networks among the cast and crew became too dense, performance also suffered. It was the teams that had elements of both — strong ties and new blood — that had the greatest success.

The same effect has been found elsewhere. In studies of star engineers at Bell Labs, the German automotive industry and currency traders it has been shown that tightly clustered groups, combined with long range “weak ties” that allow information to flow freely among disparate clusters of activity results in better innovation.

So before you embark on your next reorganization designed to “break down silos” you might want to think about how informal relationships develop within your enterprise. The truth is that innovation is never about nodes. It’s always about networks.

4. Promote Collaboration

All too often, we think of innovation as the work of lone geniuses who, in a flash of inspiration, arrive at a eureka moment. Yet the truth is that research shows that the high value work is done in teams, those teams are increasing in size, are far more interdisciplinary than in the past and the work is done at greater distances.

Just as importantly, there is growing evidence that it is crucial how these teams function. A study done by the CIA performed after 9/11 to determine what attributes made for the most effective analyst teams found that what made teams successful was not the attributes of their members, or even the coaching they got from their leaders, but the interactions within the team itself.

In another, more wide ranging study, scientists at MIT and Carnegie Mellon found that high performing teams are made up with people who have high social sensitivity, take turns when speaking and, surprisingly, the number of women in the group. There is also a wealth of research that shows diverse teams outperform more homogenous units.

So the evidence is both abundant and clear, if you want to make your organization more innovative, don’t go searching for hard driving “A” personalities spouting off big ideas and interrupting others, but rather seek diversity, empathy and to network your organization so that teams interact more effectively.

As MIT’s Sandy Pentland has put it, “We teach people that everything that matters happens between your ears, when in fact it actually happens between people.”

[Entire post — click on the title link to read it at Digital Tonto.]

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We are proud and honored to have had our @CreativeSage company Twitter account chosen for the fifth year in a row now (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016), for the Top 50 Innovation Twitter Sharers List! We want to thank Innovation Excellence and everyone in our community who voted for our account again this past year.

Additionally, Founder/CEO/Chief Imagination Officer Cathryn Hrudicka maintains a multidisciplinary artist account at @CathrynHrudicka that some of you may want to follow, too.  She has served as an Artist-in-Residence, and can recommend other Artists-in-Residence in all artistic disciplines, for companies and organizations.

At Creative Sage™, we love to work with clients on social innovation, educational innovation, healthcare innovation, civic and government innovation projects, as well as corporate innovation projects. Our core capabilities include creativity training and coaching, and the design and facilitation of innovation programs, including in the areas of design thinking, arts-based processes, applications of science and neuroscience tools when appropriate, change management, and business model innovation.

We have been very effective in helping organizational leaders and employees move through transitions and cultural changes. We work with for-profit, nonprofit, B-corps, trade associations, and other types of organizations.

In addition to offering our services in creativity and innovation program design, consulting, leadership coaching, and training, we may be able to help your organization define and choose a Chief Innovation Officer (or another innovation management role)  — or our founder, Cathryn Hrudicka, may be able to serve in that role for your organization, on a contract, part-time or limited full-time basis.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to discuss your situation and how we can help your organization move forward to a more innovative and profitable future. You can also call us at 1-510-845-5510 in San Francisco / Silicon Valley.

We look forward to helping you find the path to luminous creativity and continuous innovation!

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