#cid: not at all freaky

[masschase]

I'm sure every single one has been overdone but I'm still tempted to write a series of all the SRIV romance scenes xD

[silver-wield]

Adding to my recent post about Cid...

Aerith was out of character too. What the heck was that singing part 😭 I never seen or heard her sing. It didn't fit her at all. Tifa would be out of character too if it was her, but Tifa at least is known to be musical and it's canon.

If they'd said Aerith was lip syncing I'd believe it more than she suddenly turns into some frigging opera singer with a vocal tone so much deeper than her speaking voice that it looks as weird and freaky as when you look at Zack overlaid with Cloud in the Nibelheim flashback.

At no point in the entire compilation has it ever been said she can sing. At least when Nojima threw out that whole painting bit in picturing the past it was a skill he said Aerith lost which is why she can't still draw or paint in the present. This is just so random and off it gives me and a lotta other people icks.

[hargrove-mayfields]

Day one of the Horror on Cherry Lane Challenge! I’ll be participating this month as a writer! The prompt for today is Knife!

warnings for mentions of suicidal ideation and attempts, death, child abuse, and blood.

Billy met Steve in the psych ward.

Well, they met officially at Tina’s party, but that wasn’t the real Steve. That was the King Steve. Deeper than that though, even the Steve Harrington everyone else saw even after the breakup and the fall from grace still wasn’t the real thing.

That was fake smiles, overdone nonchalance to cover up the wound from his fallen status. Now he was stripped down to himself, all bloody bandages and tired eyes, the boy he was pretending to be finally broken down to reveal this.

Apparently, Ruthie Harrington found her son with his grandfather's switchblade- all the other objects in the house sharper than a spoon and with less sentimental value had already been tossed -bleeding all over her freshly polished linoleum floors. She dropped him off at the hospital a night ago and nobody’s been by to see him since.

Now, it’s by pure coincidence that Billy’s already in on the same day Steve’s admitted.

He’s been locked up the past three days compared to Steve’s one. These small town hicks are jumpier (ha) than he thought, and don’t think doing the walk and turn test on the edge of the quarry after downing a bottle and a half of fireball is as funny as he does. Whatever. Cid would’ve thought that was badass as hell.

So he was admitted, on suicide watch for a stupid joke that wasn’t really worth it, or even really a joke. Max came to visit once. She punched him in the chest as hard as she could and cursed him out for an hour. She’d never done that before. By the time she left they were both in tears, and maybe Billy realized a thing or too about his carelessness. Realized for the first time that someone cared.

But he’s still in here for another week and a half by law, so. He’s not going to mope about it. And while Steve Harrington showing up is about the last thing he’s expecting, he decides that’s at least something he can work with. Definitely brings a little life to the place.

He waits until Steve’s intense watch period is over to bug him, once they’re out of their cramped little rooms for a couple of hours to “socialize” (see, the more sound of mind keep an eye on the other patients while the nurses take their smoke breaks) Billy goes straight to Steve. Him and Harrington are far from friends, but that’s pretty much irrelevant when the only other choices for company are kids younger than them too scared to approach them and people too deep in their midlife crises to bother with teenage drama.

Throwing himself down in the blue plastic chair across from where Steve settled in, Billy kicks his feet up on the table,, “What’s up Harrington? Didn’t expect to see a familiar face in here.”

But Steve, poor Steve, takes one look at Billy with those haunted brown eyes, and his face just falls completely apart. There are tears on his way too pale cheeks before Billy even has a chance to breathe.

The smile drops off of Billy’s face, “Jesus Harrington, I know m’not looking my best surviving on hospital food and cigarettes without a hairbrush, but that’s a little unwarranted.”

“Shut up. Not everything’s about you, Hargrove.”

“Oh I disagree with that. But I get the point. I’ll let ya be.” Billy hums, scooting his chair back and getting up. He stops when Steve starts to speak, “Y-You outta be careful saying that kinda stuff in here.”

“What?”

“That the world revolves around you. They’ll come up with a diagnosis for that and keep you here forever. Drug you ‘til you forget your own name, let alone your status.” Steve tells him with humor, wiping the tears off his face.

Billy nods in understanding, sits back down with an interested smirk, “This ain’t your first time here, is it?”

“Is it yours?”

“Nah. I’ve done some shit on purpose, some on accident. Once it wasn’t even me. But s’never done anything to help so far.”

Steve puffs out a sigh, “Don’t I know it.. I’ve been in and outta this place since I was like, ten. Clearly nothing’s changed.”

“Why? What’s your dirty little secret, Harrington?”

“I cut myself, dumbass.” He deadpans, looking at Billy with a bluntness in his expression that reads more concerning, more like indifference to what he just said than matter-of-fact.

“No shit. But that ain’t the secret.” Billy probes further, can tell he’s getting under that mask Steve wears, “Why do you do it?”

“Legally, I can't tell you. And I don’t think I would anyways.”

“What about if I tell you all about me first? I got no reservations ‘cept the one that got me a bed here.”

“It’s not a hotel, Hargrove.”

“Eh, might as well be. Feels like the damn hotel California.”

“Is that why?”

“Huh? Oh no, I been pullin’ stunts like this long before we left Cali.”

“Like what?”

“Like downing two full bottles of my mother’s meds after she left. Not at the same time obviously, or I wouldn’t be here. Mostly ‘cause my dad didn’t even wanna take me to the hospital either time.” Billy doesn’t look at Steve while he elaborates. Not because he cares, he’s an open book, if a random old woman at the grocery store asked about his last attempt, he’d tell her.

But. He doesn’t like watching people’s faces. Seeing sympathy and concern there. It makes him feel all stupid and guilty. It’s usually not like that with other kids like him, but Steve’s different. He’s got a big heart. Even if there’s no room for himself.

And Billy hurt Steve before. He doesn’t want to see someone he caused pain caring so much about him. He already cracked when Max came to see him. This could be what splits him open, spills out all the things he’s covered up.

So he keeps going, “And like runnin’ out in front of traffic with my friends. They thought we were just playin’ chicken ‘til I stopped dead in front of a station wagon. Metal rims’d done me in for sure if one ‘a the older boys hadn’t pulled me outta the way. Damn near ripped my shirt in half how fast he grabbed me.”

“I’m guessing your parents are the reason why then?”

“Yessir.” Billy deflects, not good at getting deeper into it, “You wanna tell me yours then?”

“I started cutting because Tommy Hagan told me about it. He thought it was freaky, but when he ran his mouth about how they found the neighbor kid in his room, drained of all his blood from his wrists, I wanted to try it. I’ve tried liquor and drugs and all kinds ‘a shit I shouldn’t, but nothin’ stuck like cutting.” Steve pauses for a long time, his eyes going blank, staring right past Billy, “When my mom found out she.. she.. Forget it.”

“Hey, you seen my skeletons. Can’t I see yours?”

“No. I don’t wanna fucking talk about it anymore.” Steve answers, despite his assuredness, his tone wobbling with some unidentifiable emotion.

Talk about mood swings. Billy doesn’t get how nobody would’ve noticed something was up before Steve started carving into himself. Really, he knows someone would have seen it and just ignored it.

It only gets worse though, the reservedness turning to sadness and frustration. None of the words are coming out, but he can tell Steve’s thinking of the stories, reliving all that got him to the here and now. Billy can also tell there’s nothing he can do no to stop him from doomsdaying.

So when Steve is inevitably in the thralls of a panic attack, he tries to hug him tight, to try to get it to stop maybe, that always worked for him at least, but Steve swats him away. Judging from the way he winces, it’s not easy for him to do either, with those thick ass bandages constricting his wrists, but the tears and the pain on his face are buried behind his resolution.

He’s hiding something from Billy.

In hindsight, talking to a new patient about past attempts probably wasn’t his brightest idea anyways, so he switches the subject while Steve works on coming down from his panic attack. He brings up Max and her little nerds, trying to bridge the healthier connections between him and Steve that they’d both been ignoring since the fight. He mentions basketball too, another something they have in common other than trying to kill themselves.

It doesn’t really work, though Steve does stop shaking as bad, just curling up in his little chair and sniffling, pretending not to listen while Billy rambles on and on. But he doesn’t talk. It’s probably better for him not to anyway. Billy himself has been known to say some dumb shit when he’s in distress.

Ultimately, even once the conversation runs out, he stays with Steve until dark. He can tell from the way his gaze sticks to the floor that Steve recovered from his fit a while ago, but he’s embarrassed by having a breakdown in front of him, as if he isn’t in here for the same reason. It helps that he gets it though, and they sit in a comfortable, albeit very prolonged, silence.

Long after Steve gets xanned up and knocked out though, while Billy is still free to wander until the midnight curfew as a low risk patient, he decides to stick with him in his room. Billy’ll never admit it, but he gets nightmares, and he doesn’t want to face that just yet, so with a new friend as an excuse, he’s up half the night watching Steve sleep.

He remembers what happened earlier, how focused Steve was on keeping him away from him, despite his panic, and decides, with a glance at how deeply Steve is sleeping, his greasy hair all strewn about on stiff pillows, that he’s going to figure out what it was.

He snoops around in his bedside drawers, in the bathroom, in the locker in the corner. It’s there he notices the knitted jacket Steve was wearing before, hanging heavy to one side, like there’s something in its pocket. He touches it and feels the outline of something small, so he pulls it out.

He regrets checking though, because it’s a knife. Judging from the old looking engravings on its handle, and the coppery stains within the grooves, it’s specifically the very same one that got Steve hospitalized.

He shoves it in his own back pocket and keeps looking, with a quick glance at Steve, finding a note tucked where the knife had been. Written in perfect scrawl on bond paper that’s been folded a dozen times and stained with tears,

“Do it right next time, why don’t you? Your mother is too soft on you. I’m not paying for this again.

- J.Harrington.”

Billy doesn’t know what to do but throw the note in the trash. Not really in shock, but definitely more than a little fucked up from reading that, he sits on the end of Steve’s bed. His own dad, who'd more than once been the one putting him in the hospital, had never even said anything like that to him.

He didn’t get to talk to Steve much today, but they’ve got as long as Billy’s stuck in here together to fix that. Longer if he just pulls something in front of a nurse. And he wants to, really really wants to.

Because he knows he just met the real Steve, can recognize another broken boy when he sees one, and he knows too, that he never wants to meet a pretty boy like this again.

And if that’s his declaration to get clean, then so fucking be it.

But. He never promised not to hurt anyone. Ultimately he’d still need that outlet.

He keeps the knife. To make sure his pretty boy doesn’t get hurt again.

[secret-engima]

Regina speaks quite often in her native tongue (Russian will always be her native tongue, it is something no one, not even Mors or the Astrals, can take from her) especially when she’s irritated (the sheer sass this girl has) or outright FURIOUS (a number of her Rages are accompanied by snarled, guttural and foreign words that only makes Regina more Fae). Claris almost regrets asking to learn, because it’s WAY harder to keep a straight face when he knows what Regina’s saying (again, the SASS).

Russian is actually not this Regina’s native tongue, but it IS a favorite for various reasons and one she reverts to as easily, if not more, than her original native language. Clarus has learned both her native and her favored at some point and is actually glad when Weskham learns it too and Clarus gets to share the misery snicker at her sass with a friend.

Can you imagine how ARCANE Regina sounds? Not just when she yells in Russian because she also yells in her native tongue and like- the hundred or so other random earth languages she knows how to curse in. So she alternates from sounding like thunder made manifest and the high, chittering, birdlike curses of Chinese or clicking, rolling syllables of some African tongue she learned and enjoyed the sound of. She’s a walking language bank basically and she is not afraid to use it, especially when annoyed.

Cid finds it ... freaky. Very freaky. Not that he’s going to let that deter him or slow him down, but the day he finds himself spitting curses at a car engine in like- either Russian or Swahili or Mandarin Chinese (or an arcane mix of all three) he has to just- take a minute to stare into the distance in horror while Regina cackles because BY THE ASTRALS HER MADNESS IS CONTAGIOUS.

Cor. Adores. Sneaking around the Citadel muttering in Russian and Regina’s Native Tongue. Loves it. The servants and Crownsguard NEVER bother him when he does this and always look suitably terrified.

He’s just repeating his shopping list under his breath so he doesn’t forget it.

Who knew milk, eggs, and paper plates repeated over and over again could be so blood-chilling? XP

[vibranch]

Kingdom Hearts Fan Fic - Time Enclosed Within

Pairing: Leon x Rinoa Heartilly / Squall Leonhart x Rinoa Heartilly Rating: T Word count: 17,097 Chapters: 3/5 Entirety on AO3

Summary:  A lone castle in the outskirts of Radiant Garden sits abandoned and neglected. Once the home to a powerful Sorceress, it is now the perfect spot to salvage materials to speed up the Committee’s rebuilding efforts. After all, it’s been ten years since the Heartless ravaged this world. Each member has faced the Darkness and come out on top. And with a Sorceress of their own, what demons from the past could possibly haunt them now.

Dear Sora,

It’s been a little while. I hope everything worked out with finding Riku and the King. No doubt you’ve been keeping yourself busy. Well, the same can definitely be said for us. A lot’s been happening over here at Radiant Garden. We’ve been reunited with a lot of people we’d thought we had lost forever, and everybody from the Restoration Committee has been trekking out further from the castle town you’re familiar with. It’s mostly been to salvage materials that we can use to help us rebuild. One of the places we came across was Ultimecia’s Hollowed Bastion.

The name sounds a little familiar, huh? I should probably take a moment to explain.

Hollow Bastion wasn’t just the name of this world because we couldn’t remember its original name. There was a reason for why we called it that. In fact, Radiant Garden has a long history of Hallowed Bastions. But in order to explain that I should first tell you about the Sorceresses who lived in them.

Sorry… I guess I’m doing a bad job of explaining this. You’ve probably got more questions now. You’re probably thinking I just misspelled Hollow in that last paragraph. But there is a very key difference between Hallowed and Hollowed Bastions.

And there I go again, making it unnecessarily complicated. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to keep throwing these strange terms at you.

You know what? I’ll tell you the important terms as they come up. Instead, I’ll start with my time in Ultimecia’s Bastion. Her once Hallowed Bastion. Her, then and forever, Hollowed Bastion.

Shortly after you sorted out things with Tron and the MCP, me and a few others began a trek towards a Castle once controlled by the Sorceress Ultimecia. Sorceresses were very important figures back before Radiant Garden fell to the Heartless. They were women of great magical power. Often, they would make history. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. But very rarely, would a Sorceress not leave a mark on the world.

As members of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee it’s our responsibility to rebuild the world as much as possible. And Ultimecia’s Bastion was likely to have some materials within that we could use to help with the restoration.

Most Sorceresses had some kind of Bastion to call home after their powers became well-known. It was a place that they could rest away from others who might fear their powers. But Sorceresses didn’t stay in there alone. Most Sorceresses had a Knight.

You see, phenomenal powers alone aren’t enough. Sorceresses have a tendency to be misunderstood, and in those times, many have relied upon another to help protect them. A Knight.  New sorceresses especially rely upon their Knight. No one is born a Sorceress. Previous Sorceresses pass down their powers to others. They allow the power to grow within the Heart of the one they pass it down to.

However, learning to properly use that power takes time, and using too much too quickly can leave the Sorceress exhausted and unable to defend herself. That’s where the Sorceress’s Knight comes in. Not only do they protect their Sorceress, the bond formed between them makes their very presence amplify their Sorceress’s power.

That brings me to Ultimecia’s Bastion. Typically, a Sorceress’s Bastion would be a castle or tower. Basically, a place with imposing architecture to keep people away. And Ultimecia’s Bastion was no different. It was disused even before the Heartless attacked. Its tattered and worn down appearance even made people who had business with Sorceresses want to stay away. Many wondered if Ultimecia was even still alive in there or not. Back when I was still a new recruit, there were many arguments within Radiant Garden’s chain of command as to whether or not Ultimecia’s Bastion was a Hallowed Bastion or a Hollow Bastion.

If a sorceress used her powers for the betterment of the people around her, then her Bastion was considered a place of miracles. But there were women who used the power of the Sorceress as an excuse to flex control over others. These ‘Hollow Bastions’, as they were called, were home to some of the most dangerous individuals Radiant Garden had ever seen. Some Sorceresses would, tragically, go bad after a while, commonly from losing their Knight one way or another, and their Hallowed Bastion was considered to have hollowed.

Regardless of whether or not Ultimecia’s Bastion should be considered Hallowed or Hollow, I lead a party of four towards it. It included Yuffie, Cid, Rinoa, and myself. I figured a small party should be fine. After all it had been ten years since the Heartless swarmed and force the people to flee Radiant Garden. If Ultimecia was a threat, she would almost certainly be long dead by the time we arrived at her Bastion. And besides, we were mostly just checking to see what was still salvageable. We weren’t sure what kind of state the Heartless would have left the place in by the time we got there.

Cid was fired up and ready to go inside as soon as we got there. “Alright already! Let’s get in there and go home.” Or maybe he just had something else he’d rather do back home.

Rinoa was also pretty excited to get inside. “C’mon, Squall! Let’s go inside already!” she said, tugging my arm towards the door.

Don’t think you can start calling me Squall, by the way. Rinoa is a special case. It’s still Leon to you, got it?

You never got the chance to meet Rinoa. She’s not actually from Radiant Garden. I met her back at Traverse Town, back before you showed up. Back then we… We spent a lot of time together, and I think that’s enough that needs to be said.

“So, do you think the front door is just going to be unlocked?” Yuffie asked.

“No, but that’s why we brought Rinoa.” I answered. Yuffie was young when we had to flee Radiant Garden. So, she didn’t know that Bastions were typically magically sealed.

“Really? That’s the only reason you brought me?” Rinoa teased. She likes doing that. She says the face I make when she teases is me is hilarious, and truth be told, I can’t say I hate when she does it.

“Really.” I replied flatly. My best attempt at a poker face didn’t seem to convince her. She was right, of course, and before long I broke the façade and smiled back.

I thought I’d lost her for far too long to bother pretending to be above it all. I was just glad to see she was safe most days. The only reason I knew she was even alive was because of a letter she sent me not too long after you’d last left Radiant Garden. But, even if she hadn’t returned, we’d have thought of some way to get inside. After all Ultimecia’s Bastion should have been safe. There should have been no one inside.

“So, who was Ultimecia?” Yuffie asked as Rinoa got to work defusing the magic on the front door.

“She was a witch. She exceled at time magic but had a habit of abusing her powers on others.” I responded, recounting the few times I’d run into her.

“The preferred term is Sorceress, Squall.” Rinoa said. It wasn’t the first time she’d told me that. She didn’t like it when I called a Sorceress a witch.

“Hey, I agree with Leon.” Cid said. “As far as Sorceresses go, Ultimecia was the worst.” It wasn’t often that Cid would jump to my defense. Usually he’d be the first to line up and start finding a way under my skin. “One time back when Leon was still in training, she riled up one of his fellow cadets. He tried to demonstrate why she shouldn’t mess with him. So he charged and took a swing near her. He wasn’t trying to hurt her or anything. Hell, he purposefully missed by a wide margin! But she used some sort of spell and you’d never guess who appeared behind him!”

“Who?” Yuffie asked, fully absorbed in his story.

“It was himself!” Cid jumped to emphasis his point. “Or a copy of himself, rather. She replayed the event, so a copy of himself ended up cleaving himself from behind! It was pretty freaky to witness. Just one moment ago there was only one of him, the next there was another. With his ownblood on the blade!”

“Woah, that’s creepy.” Yuffie whispered, as if Cid had told her a ghost story by a campfire.

“I still don’t like you using that word.” Rinoa pouted. I couldn’t blame her. Witch was a loaded word in Radiant Garden and Traverse Town. More than a couple of fights have broken out because one person accused someone else of being a witch.

“…Fair enough. I’ll try not to say it again. Sorry.” I added the apology at the end, an attempt to make sure Rinoa knew I didn’t think of her as a witch.

Eventually Rinoa got the door open. Proudly, she pushed the door open, revealing the inside of the building to human eyes for the first time in nearly a decade.

There was something wrong with this place almost immediately. The place was spotless. It wouldn’t even need dusting let alone a restoration committee.

“What in the-?” Cid ran inside, examining the place for some kind of trick.

“This isn’t right.” I announced quietly to the group. I couldn’t understand what was going on.

“You guys said she was good with time magic, right?” Yuffie asked. “So maybe she made it so the inside of the Bastion doesn’t age?” It was a fair idea. But a spell like that would usually end a little while after the Sorceress had died.

“I don’t like this. But I also don’t like the idea of leaving after only just getting in here.” I told the group.

“How ‘bout we split into groups of two?” Cid suggested. “We can explore the place faster that way.”

The idea had merit, but it left me uneasy. But we came all this way, we might as well see what was inside. “Very well, but we meet back here in fifteen minutes. Yuffie, go with Cid and explore the East side of the Bastion. Rinoa and I will explore the west side. If anything out of the ordinary happens, even if you think there might be some ordinary explanation for it, you run back here and wait for us to get back.”

I guess I must have been lecturing again. Because Yuffie shot up to her feet, excited as ever, and practically exploded with energy. “Yeah, yeah. We get it Leon! C’mon Cid, Let’s go exploring!”

Cid laughed as she pulled him along “Hah! You sure you ain’t scared of running into the big bad Sorceress?”

“Nah, I ain’t afraid of some long dead spook!”

I had to force myself not to smile as they bounded down the East side hall together. I get envious of them sometimes. I don’t know how they can be so open all the time. How they can just laugh at themselves whenever the catch themselves acting dumb and not let it eat away at them.

“You ready, Squall?” Rinoa asked, pulling me away from my thoughts.

“Yeah, how about you?” I said, turning to face her.

She just flashed me a smile, “of course! Together we have nothing to fear.”

We walked down the hall together, checking each side room in the hall that we came across. Aside from the fact that all the rooms appeared to have been cleaned recently in an otherwise abandoned castle, everything appeared to be normal.

Then as we opened the door at the end of the hall. I saw something strange within. Inside this room was everyone, Cid, Yuffie, even Rinoa. I turned back towards the Rinoa behind me and gave her a confused look, hoping she’d confirm what I saw.

“What’s the matter, Squall?” She looked at me worriedly. Was I in the way? I pointed into the room. She followed my direction and looked in. I expected her to react with surprise, the same way I was. “Looks like another empty room to me. Is there something I’m missing?”

I looked back inside the room, it certainly wasn’t empty. Cid, Yuffie, and the other Rinoa were still inside. “Yuffie and Cid are in there. Can’t you see? What about the other person?” I was nervous about mentioning that the other person inside was Rinoa, I wasn’t sure how she’d respond to that.

“It’s an empty room, Squall.” Rinoa answered, she looked at me with such concern I almost wished I hadn’t said anything. “Do you recognize the other person?”

“No, it’s clearly not empty. Look, there they are!” I said, trying to avoid the question. I should have told her it was her in the room. I guess I was worried she wouldn’t believe me.

“Maybe we should go back…” It was the right thing to suggest, those were my orders after all. But something inside me told me I had to do something

“Hey! Yuffie, Cid! Look at me!” I shouted into the room. They didn’t even react, like they couldn’t hear me. “Damn it, don’t ignore me!” I shouted again. I had enough of this insanity, I was going to get to the bottom of this now.

I marched into the room. I had to know who these people really were, they couldn’t have been what they looked like. This hall didn’t curve far enough for it to have connected with the East wing yet, so it had to be some kind of trick. And marching right in there to get a closer look was might solve what was going on. Rinoa shouted my name as I walked into the room.

Cid was the first to notice me. Just as I crossed the door frame, he instantly jumped in shock. “Leon?! Where the hell have you been?! I looked around. Yuffie looked just as shocked as Cid. But the Rinoa in this room looked like she was on the verge of tears.

“What’s going on? Who are you people and why do you look like that?” I gripped my Gunblade just in case things got violent. Instead they looked even more surprised.

“What do you mean, who are we!?” The Yuffie look alike yelled at me, offended.

“Leon, we’ve been looking for you.” Cid looked me over as he said it. It was a pretty convincing display of concern. “Say, are you okay?” I almost believed it was really him, but the real Cid wasn’t so touchy feely.

I decided that now would be a good time to see how my Rinoa was reacting to all of this. I twisted around, hoping that she might be able to help figure out what was going on. But when I turned around, the door I had come from was closed.

I ripped the door open, hoping to find her behind it, but instead of the side of the hall I’d come from. It was the beginning of the hall Rinoa and I had started from. My blood ran cold. Looking back at the room I was currently in, it looked exactly like the entrance from when we first entered. I was worried I’d lost her. I made a quick promise to myself that I wouldn’t let that happen. Not again. I cupped my hands and shouted for Rinoa.

No response.

I prepared to do it again. But the Rinoa of this room wrapped her around me. I tried to shake her off, but she clung onto me.

“I’m right here, Squall. I thought I’d lost you!” I had no idea what she was talking about, so I tried to explain to them that illusions like them wouldn’t work on me. After all, that’s what they must have been, right? Some sort of trap left behind by Ultimecia before the Heatless got her.

“You’re not the real Rinoa! Let go of me!” She clung on to me as if I were a life preserver that she’d fallen overboard with. “She was right behind me when I came in here!”

“C’mon Leon, what happened to you?!” Yuffie asked.

“Nothing happened to me.” I responded.

“The hell you talkin’ about, Leon? You’ve been missing for two days.” Cid said, sounding offended enough to almost make me believe him. “These two have been worried sick about you.”

“Don’t you remember?” The Rinoa from this room asked, “You started talking about seeing people in a room at the end of the hall. Then when you walked in you disappeared.” She looked up at me, her eyes were glassy as she squeezed me again, as if to check I was really there. “I thought I lost you! And now you act like I’m a stranger!” The mix of anger and sadness in her voice certainly sounded genuine…

No! I couldn’t let her trick me! Somewhere in this Bastion was my Rinoa! “How do you know about that?! I yelled. “Have you been watching us?! You are not tricking me! I would know if I’ve been here overnight, much less two days!” I had to get this Rinoa off me. I tried to shake her off again, this time much more forcefully than before. She yelped as she fell to the ground. “I don’t know what’s going on here. But I’m not falling for your lies. I need to find the real Rinoa. So just tell who you all are before I get out of here! Are you some kind of illusion? Manifestations of Darkness trying to trick me?”

“We’re not an illusion! But you’re a jerk like always, Leon!” The Yuffie look alike yelled at me. “Why’d we even bother coming to find you if this was how you were going to treat us!”

I was so fed up with these ‘people’. If they were even that. I ran through the door I’d come from, leaving the three fakes behind. I had to find the others. The real others. Yuffie, Cid, and most importantly, Rinoa.

They shouted and chased after me. The one that looked and pretended to be Rinoa was the closest one behind me. But she was also the first to give up. She fell to her knees from what I assumed was exhaustion, or maybe whatever magic conjured her wouldn’t let her go too far from the room I’d found them in. After that, the other two quickly gave up on the chase as well.

I scoffed that those fakes had ever tried to trick me. Each of them, the real ones, could have run miles before needing a break. Well, maybe Cid would need a break. But regardless, I kept going until the slight curve in the hallway eventually obscured them from my sight.

Now that they were out of my sight, I allowed myself to slow down. I was surprised at just how heavily I was breathing. I walked slowly, catching my breath as I tried to make sense of everything that had just happened.

There was something strange about this Bastion, Sora. The unnatural cleanliness of it was one thing, but now this? Ultimecia might have left some spells and traps behind when the Heartless consumed this world, but surely most of them would have been sprung by now. Regardless of the cause of the strangeness to this place. I had to the Rinoa I left behind, the real Rinoa.

A thought occurred to me. What if those people who looked like Rinoa, Yuffie, and Cid weren’t the trap? I was so preoccupied with getting back to the Rinoa I left behind that I hadn’t considered that something else could have happened. Ultimecia specialized in time magic after all. Maybe somehow, I was thrown through time…

I leaned against the wall as I considered what to do next. Should I turn back and find the others I’d just run from? Maybe… But first, I had to return to the door at the end of the hall. If those others really were illusions or fakes or anything, then Rinoa might still be waiting by there. I began walking again when I heard a voice.

“How interesting… Two of them call you Leon. But one calls you Squall.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as the words formed in the air. I searched the room, trying to find who was speaking. It sounded like a woman, but I couldn’t see anyone. “Who’s there?” I called back.

“Which is it, boy? Leon or Squall? Who are you?”

The voice’s tone sounded amused, but there was something dangerous about it too. It had an almost enchantingly threatening feel to it. “It’ Leon. Now it’s your turn. Who are you?”

A response didn’t come. Instead a door on the other side of the hall creaked open. I told myself I should leave. That I should run back to the others, apologize and get out of here. Something was going on here and I was convinced that being by them, real or not, was safer than staying separated. But curiosity got the better of me. I moved towards the open door and peeked inside.

Unlike the rest of the Bastion, this room was built primarily from brick, and, somehow, this room alone was exposed to the open air of a night sky. Millions of stars shone in the inky blackness overhead. It took me second before I realized where I was.

Somehow, I was back in Traverse Town. I looked back at the door I’d emerged from. The old Accessory Shop that Cid occasionally ran stood with a single door ajar. The room inside was not the usual one however. Somehow squeezed inside the Accessory Shop was the hallway I had been running through earlier.

I stared in confusion at the door, but also relieved to see that unlike last time I walked through a door here, this one wasn’t a one-way trip. I only turned around as I heared the sound of a high heel click against the pavement behind me.

Just down the steps of the Accessory Shop, standing in the middle of the square, was Rinoa. She stood alone watching the stars and wearing the same pale dress she’d once worn years ago

“Rinoa.” I spoke. But she didn’t seem to hear me. “What are you doing here?” Again, no response. I called out to her a few more times, all to the same effect, when a familiar voice drew both my and her attention behind me.

“The stars are beautiful tonight, aren’t they?” I couldn’t believe it. It was another me. Although he looked a deal younger than I was, most notably the scar on my face was missing from his.

“Did you see?” Rinoa asked, pointing at the sky. “There was a shooting star just a little while ago.”

“Is that a good sign?” The younger me asked as the two of them stood there smiling at each other.

Rinoa playfully hummed. “I like to think it is. You’re not usually the one staying behind while others go flying off to other worlds. But every time a Gummi Ship flies off, I always see a shooting star go by. And just before you land another shooting star will go by, like clockwork. I like to imagine that each one I see is you. Flying around amongst the worlds, helping save others from the Heartless.” Rinoa looked back up at the sky, searching for more moving stars. “Who knows, maybe that shooting star that just went by was another Gummi Ship piloted by someone else. Or maybe it was the worlds wishing us a safe journey.”

The younger me chuckled. I remembered thinking at that moment, that she was such a romantic. Expecting everything happening in the night sky to have some greater meaning to it. “Maybe you’re right.” The younger me then stepped forward and took her hand and began leading her in a silent dance.

The silence was short lived as, just before Rinoa could ask what he was doing, the younger me let loose a carefully rehearsed aero spell behind her. Moving the needle of an old phonograph he’d placed the day before, causing it to begin playing an old song from Rinoa’s home world.

I watched them whisper sweet words to each other. I couldn’t hear them, but I remembered them well-enough. If I could, I would’ve watched the two of us move to the song forever. It was nice to be able to relive this moment from the past. But the woman’s voice from before interrupted my watching of the past.

“How cute. A Sorceress and her Knight, sharing a dance under the stars.”

It was the same voice from before. Like before there was no one around who spoke the words. I turned back to see the two of us still holding each other and moving in a lazy circle to the song. Apparently, they hadn’t noticed the interruption. Well, I guess I would have remembered if there was an interruption from a disembodied voice at this moment.

“Tell me, Knight. What happens next? For such a happy moment, it is trapped under the shadow of the darkest part in your timeline. What makes this moment so dark to you?”

There was something… frightening about this voice. I couldn’t speak. It spoke with such malice. It didn’t speak with genuine interest or curiosity about what happened next. No, it relished each word, as if it took glee knowing that each word was a knife being thrust into my heart and each next word was just a twist of the blade. It knew that there was a reason why I didn’t think about this very often.

For a moment the voice spoke sweetly. “Speak, my dear child. Tell me what happened.” I still couldn’t bring myself to speak to it. Eventually it lost its patience. The voice broke into a commanding tone. “Do as I say! Or I will reveal it for myself.”

Finally, I found my voice. “I lost her.”

The voice returned to the mockingly sweet tone from before. “What happened?”

“She insisted on coming with me to another world. She’d become a Sorceress and wanted to come with me to make sure I’d be okay.”

“Would you like to see your final moments with her again?”

“Please no…”

“I suppose I could grant you that one request…”

I let out a sigh of relief knowing that I wouldn’t have to face that day again.

“Leon, I want to go with you.” Rinoa said to him. I gripped my chest as soon as I heard the words.

“Rinoa, it’s not safe on that world. The Heartless have been tearing it apart looking for the keyhole. We can’t save it. We can only get people off it before it’s too late.”

Rinoa pulled away from the dance. “C’mon Leon! You know I can take care of myself. I’ve been defending Traverse Town from the Heartless with Yuffie and Aerith when you guys are away.”

“And I need you to keep doing that and making sure they’re safe. As much as Yuffie thinks she’s some great ninja, she’s still little, and Aerith isn’t a fighter. She’s a great healer, but if they get separated, they could get hurt. You’re a sorceress, you have more than enough power to keep everyone safe.”

Rinoa rolled her eyes. “They’re just small fry,” She complained. “None of the Heartless are interested in taking the Heart of Traverse Town. Most days they don’t even show up.”

“Rinoa…” I tried to think of something to say that could convince her, but she cut me off before I could say anything.

“And besides, my powers are stronger when I’m near my Knight.” The mischievous grin spread across her face. It still had the same effect on me now as it did back then. Us two Leons matched her with a smile of our own.

“Why are you being so insistent this time?” He asked.

“You’re not the only one talking about how dangerous this world is. Everybody that’s going is nervous about this mission. Especially Brom, its his world that’s on the brink That’s why I want to come, to keep you safe. From now on, wherever we go, we’ll go together.”

“Is that a promise or a threat? Please don’t follow me into the bathroom just because we have to ‘go together’”

Rinoa’s attempt at seriousness broke as she giggled at my response. “Shut up, Leon! You know what I meant.” Rinoa took a moment to compose herself. She looked back at me with the seriousness she’d momentarily lost. “I lost my world, you know. I’m not going to lose you too.”

I watched myself sigh and rest his head in his hand. “Alright, alright. But I’m going to make a request too.”

She peered into the old me’s eyes, trying to guess what he was about to ask. “Alright what is it? Just know, that if I don’t like it I’m not going to do it, Leon.”

The other me looked directly into Rinoa’s eyes. “Call me Squall.”

“Huh?”

“My real name. It’s-”

“I know.” Rinoa interrupted.

“Huh?” I stifled a laugh as I watched the other me pull a confused face. I could finally see why Rinoa always liked to pull my leg. It was kind of a funny face.

“It’s not exactly your best kept secret.” Rinoa said with a wink. “Yuffie is always calling you that and Aerith explained where ‘Leon’ came from shortly after we started to spend time together.”

“Those two…” He groaned. “Listen, after we lost Radiant Garden it didn’t feel right that Squall Leonheart got to survive while so many others were lost. I was training to be a soldier, but I couldn’t save anyone. For a long time, I thought I should’ve done more, gotten someone else onboard, I should’ve just done something of use. So, I refused to be Squall. In my opinion, Squall died that night. But Rinoa, I want you to call me Squall. I want to hear the name come from you.” For moment she was quiet, I remembered worrying I’d said something wrong. I looked away for a moment, but when I turned back and saw her face, I knew I was alright.

I thought my line was sappy, but the face Rinoa was pulling was putting that to shame. “Oh Leon, would you like a little wine to go with all that cheese?”

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, Rinoa. But it’s Squall. Also, I’m pretty sure that line usually goes the other way around.”

This caught Rinoa’s attention. “Oh really? Does Squall Leonhart get told that a lot?”

“N-No. Listen this isn’t what I’m trying to talk about, okay?”

“I don’t know…” Rinoa smiled. “I think I’d like to meet this Squall. Were you a whiny kid?”

“I feel like I’m losing control of this conversation.”

Rinoa giggled again. “I bet you hate that feeling. Don’t you, Mr. Leader?” I watched myself press a palm against his face.

“And yet, it seems like everyone I know is constantly trying to make me feel that way.”

“That’s not true. You just make it so easy to push your buttons.”

“Alright, fine. I’ll talk to the other about brining you along. Just try to be careful okay?” The younger me finally relented.

“Yay!” Rinoa cheered. “Don’t worry, Squall. I’ll be careful.” We both looked so carefree at this moment. But I could feel my stomach tying into knots.

“Come on, we’ll go talk to the others about bringing you to Sleepy Hollow.” The knots in my stomach tightened as I heard my younger self say those words. I couldn’t take it anymore. I knew how this story would end. I screamed into the sky, hoping the voice following me would hear.

“That’s enough!” Silence followed, so I tried calling for it again. “Please let me out of here!”

“The exit is right behind you, Knight… If you want to leave this memory then all you must do, is leave.”

I ran through the doors of the Accessory Shop. I ran away from the scene behind me, I couldn’t bear to watch any further knowing what would happen next.

I stood bent over and panting outside of the room containing Traverse Town. I felt sick, like at any moment I throw up from what I’d witnessed. I hadn’t thought of that night in years. I tried not to think about it. Because of what happened the next day. What happened to her on that other world was my fault.

“I have to find the others…” I said between deep breaths. “Once I find the others we can get out of here.”

“You tried so hard to get in my Bastion and when I let you in further all you want to do is leave?”

“Your Bastion? Who are you!?”

“Quiet boy! If this is my Bastion and the Bastion belongs to Ultimecia, then you already know who I am!”

“Ultimecia? But you should be dead by now! The Heartless should have swarmed this place along with you nearly a decade ago!”

“Oh, they tried. They tried to enter uninvited, much like you… And you will share the same fate as those creatures did! You and everyone else who has entered here. I tried to be generous. I took their leader and allowed them to leave. But they returned, and now they must also pay. I will make them a part of my Bastion once I grow bored with them.”

“Let me explain!” I yelled into the air.

“I already know! You dare enter my home and try to steal from me, boy?”

The words dripped with malice. I looked all over the room hoping I’d find where they came from.

“This is my Bastion! Do not think for a moment that I will tolerate trespassers in here!”

I shouted at the walls. “Where are you!” The woman’s voice seemed to come from everywhere. As if I were trapped in the middle of a dark cave and the echo of her voice was closing in on me.

“Behind you, Knight.” The words whispered from where I couldn’t see. My heart stilled as I slowly turned around. For the first time in years, I saw Ultimecia. She stood there almost casually. “Of course, isn’t a Knight supposed to protect his Sorceress? You’re just a boy with a complex.”

“You Witch!” I screamed at her. I drew my Gunblade and ran at her, ready for a fight.

She didn’t say a word. She simply smirked at me, and with a snap of her fingers she vanished. A moment later I began to hear a voice. It was low and quiet at first but as it repeated it started to grow. It took me awhile to recognize it. But no doubt about it, it was Rinoa’s voice!

I still don’t like you using that word

It began again just as soon as it finished.

I still don’t like you using that word

                I still don’t like you using that word

                                I still don’t like you using that word

It wouldn’t end! I covered my ears, I tried screaming. Nothing would drown it out. It couldn’t be drowned out because the sound wasn’t in the air. It was in my ears. Ultimecia had replayed on loop the moment I heard the words, it was my own eardrums constantly repeating that mantra to me. The moment they should have stopped, they looped in time and beat those words into my mind again

I still don’t like you using that word

I still don’t like you using that word

I still don’t like you using that word

It wouldn’t end. I apologized to the air. I begged for Rinoa’s forgiveness. I looked for Ultimecia to demand she make it stop, but she wasn’t there. She was gone, vanished into thin air.

I still don’t

                  like you

                                  using that word

Through the noise I heard something behind me. It had to be Ultimecia! I couldn’t think straight. In that moment it could be nothing but that. Turning around I didn’t even register what was behind me as I swung. I heard my Gunblade cut through flesh between the brief pauses of the words. The words began to quiet down in my head. Feeling a bit calmer I finally opened my eyes, expecting to see the witch and my blade stuck in her.

But it wasn’t her. It was a male figure wearing black leather, with a pair of red angel wings embroidered on it. The words began to thunder in my head again.

like you

           still don’t

                           using that word

Finally, it occurred to me what I was looking at. It was my back. It began to fade away just the realization occurred to me. A moment later, I felt my own Gunblade swing into my back, cut through the leather jacket I’d been looking at.

I stood there, not sure how to react. The words wouldn’t stop! I just wanted them to stop! After standing there for a while, I’m not sure how long, but just as I felt the sword in my body begin to fade from time. I heard the words once more. Low and distorted, a cruel parody of Rinoa’s voice with none of her personality or charm.

I STILL DON’T LIKE YOU USING THAT WORD

I fell to the ground after that. The words finally going silent. There was a sense of relief when they ended. A moment later I could hear footsteps approach me as I laid on the ground. My energy bled from me, stopping me from getting up to see who it was. But the voice was recognizably Ultimecia’s.

“An idea has occurred to me, boy. Perhaps I can still get more entertainment from you and your friends.” I didn’t say anything. The wound in my back was large and deep. “Don’t worry, boy. Your friends will find you. But will they recognize you?” Ultimecia laughed as she asked the question. “I will even let you see them again, but only if you can solve a little riddle for me.”

I could feel something changing. It’s difficult to describe. It was as if I was being slowly pulled away from my own body. I feared I was dying. I hoped that, if anything, I was somehow losing my Heart. At least I might have the chance to recomplete myself the same way you did, Sora. Fuse my Heart back with my body.

I started to lose consciousness as I bleed out and the Rinoa’s borrowed words began hammering in my head in my head again. I was growing numb to everything. The feeling on my skin, my worries, I even started to stop caring about the disappointed words in my head. In the distance, somehow piercing through the words Ultimecia forced me to listen to again and again, I heard an ear-piercing scream coming from Rinoa.

[spy-in-the-house]

SpyInTheHouse 674.fm Podcast 020 28012019

Another regular SpyInTheHouse all-vinyl ride by Psycho Thrill Cologne’s own Claus Bachor through all different Electronica genres like HiTech-Jazz, House, Techno, Industrial, Breaks, Electro/HiTech Funk, Detroit, Chicago and Acid. Live recorded and streamed on Januar 28th, 2019 via 674.fm broadcast in Cologne/GER from 19-22:00 cet. FULL TRACK LISTING 01 DUDLEY STRANGEWAYS [MARK PEARSON]: Intro [ A-side from “Everlasting Treasuries 7” Vekton Black VBLK-007 GER 12" | 2016 ] 02 LAUREL HALO & HODGE: [JAKE MARTIN]: TRU [ A-side from “Tru/ Opal/ The Light Within You” Livity Sound LIVITY-034 UK 12" | 2018 ] 03 MR.FINGERS [LARRY HEARD]: Outer Acid _ Upsammy Hearing Voices Remix [ B2-track from “Cerebral Hemispheres Remixes” Alleviated Records ML-2237-2 US 12" | 2018 ] 04 GONNO [SUNAO GONNO]: Es [ A1-track from “Es / Los Ojos En El Sol” MERKUR Schallplatten MER-001 GER 12" | 2008 ]   05 GONNO: Short Days With The Orchid [ A1-track from “Merkur 3 EP” MERKUR Schallplatten MER-003 GER 12" | 2010 ] 06 STEFFI DOMS & MARTYN DEYKERS: Feet Of Clay [ E-side from “Evidence From A Good Source” 3024-028 NL 3x12" | 2016 ] 07 THATMANMONKZ [SCOTT MONCRIEFF] feat. NIKKI-O [NICOLE COVINGTON]: Ooh Wee _ Norm Talley Remix [ B-side from “Ooh Wee” Classic CMC-279RMX UK 12" | 2018 ] 08 JEROEN SEARCH [JEROEN SCHRIJVERSHOF]: Theory Of Absolute Identity [ A2-track from “Monism” Figure FIGURELP-003 GER 3x12" | 2018 ] 09 PLUTO [RICHARD IAN 'ROLO' McGINTY]: Plutobeat [ A-side from “Plutobeat” Plink Plonk Plk-004 UK Promo-12" | 1993 ] 10 DIVETRAIN [DERRICK THOMPSON]: Inside You [ A1-track from “Honey” Soiree Records Int. SRT-171 US Test/Promo-12" | 2019 ] 12 OMAR S [ALEX O' SMITH] feat. SIMON BLACK: Freaky Type [ B-side from “I'll Do It Again” FXHE Records FXHE-S&O US 12" | 2018 ] 13 GABRIELE MANCINO: Hologram  [ A1-track from “Hologram EP” Future Plans FTPL-001 GER 12" | 2018 ] 14 AUTO SOUND CITY: Modality _ Posthuman Remix [ A2-track from “WOD002 Auto Sound City” Weapons Of Desire WOD-002 UK WL-12" | 2018 ] 15 GABRIELE MANCINO: Moonrider  [ B2-track from “Hologram EP” Future Plans FTPL-001 GER 12" | 2018 ] 16 CLUB M.C.M. [K-ALEXI SHELBY]: It's Me _ Rocman Mixx [ A1-track from “It's Me / Club M.C.M.” Rhythm Beat RB-203/ D.J. International Records US 12" | 1991 ] 17 ADONIS [A.SMITH] pres. HIEROGLYPHIC BEING [JAMAL MOSS]: Isosceles [ A1-track from “If” Mathematics Recordings 003 US 12" | 2002 ] 18 STEFAN REIN: Scan  [ B1-track from “#002” BLAST 002 GER Promo-12" | 2019 ] 19 TREVINO [MARCUS 'INTALEX' KAYE] & ROBERTO [ROB KIRKALDY]: Restoration [ A2-track from “Formacus” Fossil Archive FAUK-008 UK 12" | 2018 ] 20 STEFAN REIN: Mad Energy  [ A1-track from “#002” BLAST 002 GER Promo-12" | 2019 ] 20 DIMI ANGELIS: Crossfire  [ A1-track from “Act IV” Propaganda Moscow PROPAGANDAM-008 RUS 12" | 2018 ] 21 STEFAN REIN: Dark Tunnel  [ A2-track from “#002” BLAST 002 GER Promo-12" | 2019 ] 22 KIRK DEGIORGIO: The Convergence  [ A2-track from “Act IV” Propaganda Moscow PROPAGANDAM-008 RUS 12" | 2018 ] 23 THIRD SON [JOSEPH THOMAS PRICE]: Bach 1750 [ B-side from “Syncope” Sodai SODAI-007 UK 12" | 2018 ] 24 UNBALANCE: Blood Lust  [ B2-track from “Act IV” Propaganda Moscow PROPAGANDAM-008 RUS 12" | 2018 ] 25 ANNIE HALL: Lavandule _ Mattheis Remix  [ A2-track from “Statics” Musar Recordings MUSAR-004 ISR 12" | 2018 ] 26 FOREST DRIVE WEST [JOE BAKER]: Escape [ B-side from “Static / Escape” Livity Sound LIVITY-028 UK 12" | 2017 ] 27 DOPPLEREFFEKT [GERALD DONALD, MICHAELA TO-NHAN BERTEL]: Telomere [ B1-track from “Athanatos” Leisure System ?LSR-022 UK 12" | 2018 ] 28 SURMANN: Untitled B1 [ B1-track from “1” Surmann SURM-001 BRA/US Promo-12" | 2018 ] 29 DOPPLEREFFEKT: Mitosis [ B2-track from “Athanatos” Leisure System LSR-022 UK 12" | 2018 ] 30 ESCAPE EARTH: Bleep Inside _ Jensen Interceptor Remix [ B1-track from “Bleep Inside” Batrachian BTR-001UK Promo-12" | 2018 ] 31 YAK [JON RANDALL]: Lucid Nightmare [ A1-track from “3024 FYE1” 3024-FYE1 NL 12" | 2018 ] 32 SDX [BENJAMIN STRECKER]: MS 04  _ 138 Remix [ B1-track from “Nocturnal” Dusk & HazeD&H-002 US 12" | 2018 ] 33 STRATEGY [PAUL DICKOW]: Forgotten Encounter [ B2-track from “Future Shock” The Nite Owl Diner DINER-011 US 12" | 2018 ] 34 DJ SAM C:  [TOMMY THE CAT]: Alien Agent [ B1-track from “Untitled” Dosis Decibel Records DDB-004 NL Promo-12" | 2008 ] 35 THIRD SON: Bloodsport [ A2-track from “Machine Love EP” 17 Steps 17STEPS-023 UK 12" | 2018 ] 36 TIM XAVIER: UFO Kommt  [ B1-track from “Dust To Dust” BPitch Control BPC-340 GER 12" | 2018 ] 37 HOSHINA ANNIVERSARY: A Cid [ A1-track from “A Cid EP” Jack Dept. DEPT-011 US WL-12" | 2018 ] 38 TIM XAVIER: Dust To Dust [ B2-track from “Dust To Dust” BPitch Control BPC-340 GER 12" | 2018 ] 39 HOSHINA ANNIVERSARY: DZYYY [ A2-track from “A Cid EP” Jack Dept. DEPT-011 US WL-12" | 2018 ] 40 BAM BAM [CHRIS WESTBROOK]: Where's Your Child _ DJ Rush Remix [ A-side from “Where Is Your Child (Archiv #02)” Tresor 165 GER Promo-12" | 2001 ] 41 DJ SKULL [RON MANEY]: Met"L"Gear [ A2-track from “Met'L'Gear” Djax-Up-Beats DJAX-UP-201 NL Promo-12" | 1994 ] 42 JEROEN SEARCH: The One [ C2-track from “Monism” Figure FIGURELP-003 GER 3x12" | 2018 ] 43 LENSON [DJ LENSON]: Nice Town I'll Take It [ A2-track from “REVENGE3” Revenge Techniques REVENGE-003 NL 12" | 2018 ] 44 SYBERIAN [SAIBIRIAN ™]: Lamp Black [ A2-track from “Tales From Outskirts” SYBERIAN SYB-005 RUS/NL 12" | 2018 ] 45 DESERT SOUND COLONY [DSC]: Grabbing The Golden Goose [ B2-track from “Tickle Me Pink EP” Holding Hands HHANDS-006 UK 12" | 2018 ] 46 JEFF MILLS: Abali [ A1-track from “Str Mrkd” Str Mrkd/ AXIS AX-077 US 12" | 2019 ]   47 MONIKER [JOE BAKER & TIM GILGALLON]: Groove Only _ Peverelist Remix [ B1-track from “High Rise EP” Dawn State DS-001 UK 12" | 2018 ] 48 JEFF MILLS: Helix Nebula [ B1-track from “Str Mrkd” Str Mrkd/ AXIS AX-077 US 12" | 2019 ] 49 MONIKER: Morning At Night [ B2-track from “High Rise EP” Dawn State DS-001 UK 12" | 2018 ] 50 PIERRES'S PFANTASY CLUB feat. J.R.JORDAN: Fantasy Girl _ Pierre's Acid Mix [ A2-track from “Fantasy Girl” SRO-750487 US 12" | 1987 ] 51 OMAR S: One Of A Kind  [ B-side from “O.O.A.K” FXHE Records ?AOS-7418/ Detroit Threads US 12" | 2018 ] 52 WAAJEED [ROBERT O'BRYANT]: Strength _ Jon Dixon Remix [ B2-track from “Strength EP” Dirt Tech Reck DTR-014/ Submerge US 12" | 2018 ] 53 RENNIE FOSTER: Detroit City [ A2-track from “Honey” Soiree Records Int. SRT-171 US Test/Promo-12" | 2019 ] //

[jotun-appologist]

Sefikura week, day 2 (puppet) entry.

His booted feet had yet to touch solid ground. All of the rest of avalanche seemed to be suspended in the air alongside him, as though there was no deeper to fall. Or, alternatively, they were held in place by the enemy's sheer will power alone. Probably both. There, in the middle, a heart shaped dias was visible. The planet’s core. A subtle pale glow weakly tried to escape from it. And there, floating above…

Sephiroth stood, green eyes a cold, glowing blaze of insanity. His full height was drawn, arms spread languidly out to either side in a condescendingly grandiose, yet somehow... welcoming, gesture. He continued to hover above them… rather melodramatically

“I'm glad to see you have returned to me already, Cloud.”  He all but purred, as he spoke, the force of his very presence sent them all flying back, smack, on to the jagged cave wall.  Cloud felt his head crash against a hard chunk of cold, sharp stone.

“I came to kill, and, hopefully stop you.” Cloud stated, a little dizzy from the impact.

“Is that what you think, Cloud?” The no longer even remotely human creature began to chuckle at him. “My precious little Cloud.” The purr came, and chuckling grew into fully, deep laughter. “To fight me? You?” The laughter died down, the smirk fading to non-existence. “Come.” The creature beckoned. It's tone was stern. Demanding. Cloud felt himself lifted towards the center dias. The heart of the planet itself. It throbbed and pulsed and beat like a real heart, here, deep within in the green mists of the lifestream.

“The fuck er’ ya doin’ just posin’ like some fuckin’ arrogant piece o’ shit? Leave the moody fuck there alone and fight like a man, damnit!” Cid hollered at the top of his lungs.

“Hmm? And why should I just leave him alone? Especially for you, some meaningless fodder caught up in his little “quest” to find me?” The smug creature replied, smirk turned so razor-sharp it could probably kill.

Cloud growled at him, feet now in contact with the heart's attached dias. He tried to lunge forward, but his feet wouldn't budge. Pressure increased, on his form and in his mind. He fought against it, but his body was firmly planted here, right beside his enemy, faced away from those he held dear.

“You bast-”

Thud

“Why must you speak to me in such a way? Do you not see everything I've sacrificed to have you here?” The taller male hissed. Cloud rubbed at the red handprint on his cheek, eyes wide. “So ungrateful. You'll need to be broken of that.”

“Yo, spiky, I don’ know what he's tryin’a say but, kick in his fuckin’ freaky ass, yeah?” Barrett called, attempting to struggle through the telepathic force that held him pinned.

“Yeah! You can beat that big ol’ meanie!” Yuffie cheered.

“C’mon! I believe in you.” Tifa urged, quieter. Calmly, Vincent added,

“This nightmare is something to surpass. Once you prevail, it will end and the world will be at rest. Keep fighting.”

“Don't listen to them. They're only holding you back from your true place. Your true purpose.” Sephiroth purred.

“Stuff the melodrama up your ass and leave me alone.” Cloud retorted, clearly ...not interested. Long, deft fingers gripped his chin, turning his face. Blue eyes met acid green.

“Mouthy puppet.” The monstrous entity crooned, the corners of his pale lips curling up. From this close, the ethereal and haunting beauty of his rather… effeminate... face was particularly distracting. Or maybe that had to do with the vice grip constricting his mind. The voices saying to look, to stare, to lose himself to that intense gaze. “That's too bad. I was planning to be much gentler with you today.”

The smug bastard grinned, and squeezed the blond’s jaw so hard it left bruises on the chilled flesh. A sharp pain erupted just under Cloud's scalp, another blossomed in his gut. The former caused by a bid for control, the latter a harsh punch that knocked the bitingly frozen wind from his gasping lungs.

“Are you ready to behave now?” The words fell from cruelly twisted lips, soft, almost gentle. The pain under the blond's scalp had burrowed down, deep into the center of his skull, dulled out into a pressure. Warning, caressing, patient. He nodded. Once, twice. “Say it out loud, then.”

“I-I’m ready.”

“To?”

“T-t-to be… behave.” The pressure softened further, gentle and silky and pleasant now.

“Hm. Good. That's very good.” The silver monster slid a hand from the blond’s already healed jaw, up to caress one delicate little cheek. “It's so much easier when you cooperate with me. As you're supposed to.”

“Hey! Let him go!” A voice called. The blond ignored it. It didn't matter as much as the voice caressing the whole of his mind, the shell of his ear.

“You hear that, puppet? They want to come between us.” The voice ghosted out, sending shivers down his spine. “We can't allow that, you know.” The blonde panted. It felt like a vice on his head, but it felt good and he just…

“... Can't…. Allow…”

“Yes, that's right. Now then, why don't you be a good boy and eliminate them?”

[comeonlight]

For that send a title thing my brain is currently like: "What's a title?" But I have two words: Militesi Fluff. :)

Hell yes

Qun’mi stared in unamused disbelief at the monstrosity her coworkers had constructed in Qator’s suite. “You’re joking.” A blanket fort took up virtually all of the Brigadier General’s living space. Did he know about this? “Come on in,” Charon called from inside. “It’s nice and toasty, and we have toast!” Qun’mi rested a hand on her hip. “Ines, I’m not taking another step closer until you tell me who else is in there.” Ines crawled out of the fort’s entrance with a slice of toast in her mouth. She stood and adjusted her glasses, then took the toast out of her mouth and saluted with the same hand used to do so. “Ma’am! Attendees include myself, Sergeant Major Charon, Colonel Faith, Brigadier General Qator, outlaw Morse, and soon, Secundus l’Cie Captain Qun’mi. We are awaiting the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Charlot, Primus l’Cie Nimbus, and Marshal Cid. This concludes my report.” Qun’mi stared for a full minute at her subordinate’s earnest expression. “...I get it. This is one of those freaky dreams.”

“I’m afraid this is the harsh reality,” Qator called. “Come in and have a drink. You sound like you need one.” Qun’mi rolled her eyes. “Fine.” “You’ll be having fun in no time,” Ines assured her. She crawled back into the fort, followed by Qun’mi. The interior was larger than the outside appeared, and it was illuminated by a number of tiny green light bulbs connected to a circuit. The floor was covered by several layers of blankets, and more than half of the blanket space had pillows and mattresses on top. Morse occupied a mattress, reading some report, and Faith lie on the other with a novel in hand. Qator sat on a pillow surrounded by full bottles of White Tiger. There were extra bottles in the corner across from him, and a half-empty bottle in his hand. Charon sat on the blankets, next to a tiny table with a toaster and a speaker on top. “Alright,” Qun’mi sighed. She took a seat on a pillow near the White Tiger in the corner. “What nonsense are you all up to?”

A slice of fresh toast popped out of the toaster, and Charon caught it midair. “Well, we were doing some karaoke. You up for it?” “Hell no,” Qun’mi immediately responded. Charon shrugged. “Alright, Qator can take the aux cord and...Faith can sing this time.” Morse passed said cable to Qator, who plugged it into a small electronic device. “Now let’s see...ah. This is a good one.” A jazzy tune began to play, and Faith cleared his throat. “Oh, brother,” Qun’mi muttered. Faith began to sing:

“Ain’t it a wondrous thing? The way the wind blows? And the places it goes, no one really knows...”

Qun’mi’s facial expression quickly changed from disgruntled to impressed, a tiny smirk even appearing. Perhaps this little get-together wouldn’t be all that bad.

[bitchinscience]

The Guardian

Strange ancient spider with tail discovered by scientists in Myanmar KGO-TV This creepy crawly had a little something extra that its present-day cousin doesn't have! (KTRK). Tuesday, February 06, 2018 05:44PM. MYANMAR --. What has eight legs, fangs and a whip-like tail? If you're not a fan of spiders, this is one fossil sure ... Very creepy crawlies: 'proto-spiders' with long tails discovered in ...The Guardian Spider-like Creature With a Scorpion's Tail Found Trapped in Amber ...New York Times Scientists discover ancient spider with super freaky tailNew York Post USA TODAY -ScienceAlert -KU Today all 127 news articles »

[joangates81]

via health - Google Newshttp://news.google.co.in/news?gl=in&pz=1&cf=all&ned=in&hl=en&q=health&output=rss

[nonviable-hostage]

via Science - Google News

[itsworn]

Sky-High, Hemi-Powered Plymouth Gasser Rules the Street

Ruling the Land in This Sky-Scraping, Hemi-Powered Plymouth

“I’ve always been in love with the street-freak look—you know, the cars so ugly they’re kinda cool,” admits Jeff Bornstein, a lifelong hot rod addict. And Jeff knows firsthand about these bizarro hot rods and “high and mighty” Gassers, as he belongs to the Dead Man’s Curve car club—a group of street warriors known for their bombastic builds and sky-scratchin’ mega-rides. The DMC members build their custom cars in the tradition of the wild and way-out “freaks” and Gassers first glorified on the street and strip battlegrounds of the 1960s.

Jeff’s got a few attention-grabbing rides back in his garage in Livingston, New Jersey. A day-two-styled 1964 Corvette coupe and a 1932 roadster boasting blown Bow Tie power have found permanent residence at his spacious auto abode. But a few years back he got the itch to build something that even the DMC crew didn’t have in its vast inventory of freaky street rides. So Jeff thought to figuratively scratch that incessant itch with an automotive brand he had no interest in.

This “plumb crazy” build started as a rust-free BB-1 Yellow 273 automatic car Jeff purchased from California. Not only was the body in great shape but many of the wearables and trim pieces were salvaged for the next stage in this B-body’s life.

Pentastars

Mopars were like kryptonite to Jeff. Nay a single Chrysler product had ever made its way to his garage over the years. To him, they were just rust buckets waiting for their next breakdown. But a certain body style started to creep its way into his GM-branded heart. His wife, Kathi, started to fancy the B-body offerings of the mid-1960s Plymouths and soon had a yearning for one of her own. Jeff started a hunt to locate a Satellite in decent shape for his next a petrol-fueled project.

That search culminated in 2006 when he spotted a nice 1966 Satellite online. Jeff took the chance and bought the car sight unseen. Luckily, his roll of the dice paid off. When the Plymouth arrived back in Jersey, it looked better than the photos. Once it was sent to Rich Conklin’s “Hot Rod Farm” and torn down, the initial findings were verified: this was one clean Mopar.

It then entered Rich’s world: a place where cars are stretched, pulled, and lifted skyward, receiving the contortions and proportions needed to make them into true Gassed-up street terrors. Rich has undoubtedly become the main East Coast hookup when it comes to creating muscular, jacked-up rides molded in true Gasser form.

When it comes to Gassers, it’s all about the suspension. Rich Conklin designed and built this one to Jeff’s specifications, lifting the Plymouth 1-1/2 feet over stock height at the nose. Add a 572ci, hell-raising Hemi powerplant up front, and you’ve got one crazy street freak.

Onward and Upward

As with any Gasser, it all starts with the suspension. The front end of the Satellite took shape by first removing all the stock components. The original K-frame was salvageable and reused, then Rich went to work. Frame connectors were added to the Plymouth’s unibody to stiffen the ride where it was needed most. Next, Rich lined up a pair of Speedway straight-axle leaf springs and mocked them up using a Tinny’s Rod Shop Zero Drop tube axle. He then modified the spring hangers to work with the K-member due to fitment issues. It started looking good at that point.

But issues arose when the Hooker headers were installed, as they interfered with the springs. Rich modified the spring setup to fix the issue. He called upon Jensen and Mitchell out of Jersey City, New Jersey, to build a new set of extended springs. Once that was accomplished, Rich installed a set of early Chevy spindles and Speedway GM intermediate disc brakes. A pair of NOS chrome spiral shocks, made for an early Corvette, handle the jounce duties.

Out back, the original 8-3/4 Sure Grip rear, stuffed with 3.91 gears, gets the power to the pavement. Rich reused the original heavy-duty B-body drums for added stopping power. But there were also spring issues out back. To get the height this ride needed, Rich mounted the original leafs on top of the axle instead of below it, but the springs soon went flat. So Rich ordered a new set, and they also went flat. Finally, he had the springs reinforced and re-arced. That was the ticket for getting the Satellite’s hind end up and in control.

Arruzza High Performance built the outrageous 572-cid Hemi, adding a few vintage touches along the way. The mighty 2×4-bbl polished tunnel ram is a mid-1960s Offenhauser casting. Once delivered to New Jersey, good friend and Mopar guru Todd Berghorn helped Jeff shoehorn the Elephant into the engine bay. He then went on to redo the electrical system and much of the mechanicals to get this beast situated and running in its new form.

Hemi King

For motor motivation to send this high flyer into orbit, Jeff went to the Hemi master, John Arruzza, to whip up a “King of the Hill” Street Hemi. The goal was to make at least 750 hp to the back meats on typical pump gas.

The Hemi started with a World Products 572 block, custom-machined at Arruzza’s, sporting a 4.5-inch bore and stroke. The cylinders were filled with Ross Firestone pistons, bringing the compression up to 10.5:1. A set of modified-aluminum Indy Hi-Po cylinder heads with 2.40/1.94 stainless-steel intake and exhaust valves help this big-block breathe.

An Engle cam with 0.539/0.521 lift and 282 degrees of duration gets the valves jumping. Isky springs, Maxx rocker shafts, and Rhoads lifters add to the high-caliber build. A custom set of high-clearance Arruzza valve covers keep it all under wraps, giving an original 1960s look to the build. To keep the vintage feel, an original Offenhauser tunnel ram topped with two 750-cfm Edelbrock carbs feed this beast the fuel it needs.

A Borgeson steering box was also used, but because it’s a Gasser, steering geometry had to be calculated—and then recalculated. Rich worked extensively on this issue, building custom steering arms. When it was all said and down, this Plymouth enjoys the real “high life”—it’s almost 18 inches up over stock!

Painter Rob Pillone sprayed the Satellite in PPG Perfect Purple, which is a more modern take on the Mopar hues from back in the day. The top was sprayed in Pearl White, accented with a panel paint pattern using Misted Silver highlights.

Jeff really wanted the body to look stock, so there were few modifications done, except the big opening for that immense tunnel-rammed Hemi. When it came to the exterior, he kept it simple. “I wanted to stick with the colors of the era, but add a little bling with it,” Jeff says. Good friend Rob Pillone finished the bodywork and sprayed the appropriate hue: Perfect Purple by PPG. He also managed some nice panel paintwork on top. Once the car was back from the shop, A&M interiors handled the new gut on the car. Amazingly, those are the original panels and seat skins, with just the carpet and headliner needing replacement. Jeff had the seats re-foamed, however.

The behemoth Hemi was installed with good friend Todd Berghorn, who also handled much of the tricky Mopar-based electrical work and mechanicals. Rob Johnson and Pete Griffin helped install the powerplant. USA Wheels took on chroming duties on the bumpers and other trim. To make this period-correct, Jeff sourced a set of period Ansen Sprint wheels, polished to a mirror finish. They are shod in true Gasser skins: those are Radir 1200 Slicks out back.

The donor car was in great shape and much of the interior was saved, including the seat skins and door panels. Jeff decided to keep the interior basically stock, only adding a vintage Sun tach to the steering column and some Moon gauges under the dash to keep an eye on vitals.

After eight years of toiling in the garage, the Satellite—aka “KatMobile” (named after Jeff’s wife)—is alive and on the streets. It made its first appearance at the Wild Hot Rod Weekend thrown by the DMC last September at the Sheraton in Mahwah, New Jersey. It was met with rave reviews and has joined the fleet of club freaks. Jeff’s special thanks go to Larry at Fatsco, John at A&M Interiors, and also Jeff at USA Wheels for all the chrome work. And, of course, special thanks to Kathi for her support during the build.

A set of period-perfect Ansen Sprint wheels keep up with the mid-1960s look. When it comes to Gassed-up rides, nothing looks more correct than a pair of piecrust Radir slicks to put the power to the pavement.

The things that “geardriven dreams” are made of. Jasper Hooks is ready for a showdown with his own “Hemi” ride.

The most notable part of any Gasser build is the straight axle. Gasser master Rich Conklin chose a Tinny’s Rod Shop Zero-Drop Axle for maximum height. Steering geometry can be a major problem with so much altitude, but Rich designed the right system.

What’s next for Jeff? How about another Mopar to add to his stable of rides? Maybe a lowrider this time around? Who knows: the answer is still up in the air––just like this crazy, sky-piercing Hemi ride.

Purple is the color of royalty, often associated with nobility, so it’s only natural this Gasser reigns over the kingdom of street-freak customs and sky-high Gassers.

The post Sky-High, Hemi-Powered Plymouth Gasser Rules the Street appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network http://www.hotrod.com/articles/sky-high-hemi-powered-plymouth-gasser-rules-street/ via IFTTT

[ladydollx-blog]

TEAM ROCKET ARE ABOUT TO BLAST OFF!!! On left 4 dead 2... and by team I mean me... JESSIE ❤️ and left 4 dead because all my games has bosted 🙄 BUT IT’S FREAKY FRIYAY!!! ❃♛{Links}♛❃ Twitch● https://www.twitch.tv/Ladydollx Humble● https://www.humblebundle.com/?partner=ladydollx Kinguin● https://www.kinguin.net/?r=53159 New Merch● https://shop.spreadshirt.co.uk/ladyskingdom Old Merch● https://teespring.com/nl/ladydoll#pid=389&cid=100019&sid=front ●Ask to join my discord kingdom● ❃♛{Creator}♛❃ LadysKingdom ❃♛{LadysKingdom Partners}♛❃ @SquidsFromSpace @thecultoffialteam @spiritanimalsurvival ❃♛{Communities}♛❃ @beautygamers_xo @tms_merchantsquad @female_gamers_unite @sgs_community @amazinggaminggirls @gamergirls_club @les_plus_belles_gameuses_ @shoutouttothegamers @lovelygamergirls FOR SHOUTOUTS JOIN @PROJEKTSUMPERK ❃♛{Hashtags}♛❃ #ladyskingdom #ladydollx #Beautygamers #inceptionesports #merchantsquad #twitchgirls #supportwomengamers #pcgamer #twitchaffiliate #girlgamer #ladydollx #queenbee #prettyinpink #level24 #subemotes #corgis #queenie #merch #communities #summerloving #prettyinpink #freakyfriyay #horrorstream #teamrocket #jessie #left4dead2 #modtime

[bitchinscience]

The Guardian

Strange ancient spider with tail discovered by scientists in Myanmar KFSN-TV This creepy crawly had a little something extra that its present-day cousin doesn't have! (KTRK). Tuesday, February 06, 2018 01:34PM. What has eight legs, fangs and a whip-like tail? If you're not a fan of spiders, this is one fossil sure to give you ... Very creepy crawlies: 'proto-spiders' with long tails discovered in amberThe Guardian Scientists discover ancient spider with super freaky tailNew York Post Ancient arachnid: 100-million-year-old spider found trapped in amberUSA TODAY ScienceAlert all 87 news articles »

[bitchinscience]

Popular Science

Sea spiders use their guts to pump oxygen through their freaky little bodies Popular Science It's certainly a strange way of doing business, but not entirely unheard of in the animal kingdom. Dragonflies use contractions and relaxations of their rectums to pull in, er, maybe not-so-fresh air. The study authors note that Cnidaria (a group that ... Nightmarish Sea Spiders Pump Their Blood Using Their GutsGizmodo Australia all 21 news articles »

[bitchinscience]

Science Daily

Sea spiders move oxygen with pumping guts (not hearts) Science Daily Woods and colleagues made that discovery after an Antarctic mission to explore a phenomenon known as "polar gigantism." Scientists had long observed that polar species, including giant sea spiders, have larger bodies than their more temperate or ... Sea spiders use their guts to pump oxygen through their freaky little bodiesPopular Science Nightmarish Sea Spiders Pump Their Blood Using Their GutsGizmodo all 17 news articles »