#exactly because i knew I would have to deal with The Kin later on

[bonefall]

How will you handle the breakup of ShadowClan? While the rebellious apprentices made sense always felt that Darktail should have done more to actively help the rest of ShadowClan and appeal to them as a better leader choice, because in canon it seems they completely arbitrarily decide that they like him as a leader better without explaining why the older cats are going against their xenophobic culture. 

@halogenwarrior

I don’t have a STRONG direction for ShadowClan breaks yet besides knowing that every problem ShadowClan faces, should be related in some way to WindClan refusing to help them. I have strong ideas for how it ends, but the rising action is a bunch of puzzle pieces I haven’t put together yet.

But I DO know that there is a specific problem I want to fix with the rise of the kin; that the ShadowClan apprentices were completely inconsistent.

Darktail first courts them with ANTI-xenophobia, then, a book later, those same apprentices were totally on board with the usual Evil Atheist messaging that WC keeps doing; not feeding elders, training kits, killing indiscriminately, blah blah blah.

One could argue that’s because he started them off on something good, then lead them to bad ideological positions... but I think that’s a stretch. It was weak writing. It’s more of the narrative propping up the Warrior Code as this bizarrely infallible guideline that, without which, cats descend into total lawlessness.

So... what AM I thinking?

WELL, I think I actually want to start the apprentices out as being completely right. Their grievances are probably rash, DEFINITELY not well-spoken, but they ARE born out of compassion. A hard bend towards the Fire Alone ideology. They’re sick of not helping other clans, and of not being helped in turn. When Darktail shows up, he exploits this compassion to get the power he wants.

And by EXPLOIT I mean that he never believed this in the first place. He tells them he named The Kin for being an antithesis to Clans and their emphasis on bloodlines, when he only did that for his own daddy issues. He doesn’t want to take care of the weak and vulnerable. He just needs more cats for his army.

A bunch of cats with similar grievances from other clans join him. Ex-DF trainees, half clan cats, even outsiders who previously would have been excluded from Clan society... and, of course, find themselves unable to leave.

So, many of his ex-followers, like Berryheart, end up taking away the WRONG message here. That outsiders are dangerous. That their institutions will fail them unless they re-commit to their old traditions, reviving the popularity of Thistle Law and setting the stage for The Broken Code.

(and on that note several ex-kin members will probably end up joining the various clans, I do want to try to be clear the problem in this case WAS Darktail and his enforcers, NOT a systemic issue... barring that Onestar’s utter failure created him of course)

[hockybish]

"Duck, come on, stop it" Jamie asked his daughter when she "accidentally" smacked him the face again. It turning into one of those days were nothing was going right.

"No" Kinsley said her new favorite word as of late. She flopped in her father's arms pretended she didn't hear him.

"Can you please not do this right now?" Jamie's head was spinning with everything that has happened. The last 24hrs were crazy to say the least. He knew exactly why duck was acting out and he couldn'r help but blame himself.

He had just been dealt to Philly the day before and he had to pack enough things for the both of them to last until he could get someone to ship out the rest. In his hurry, he forgot Larry the Lobster back in California.

Of course this wouldn't have been a big deal, since out of her favorite stuffies Larry was the least loved, but today for some reason Ducky really wanted the stinking lobster. He didn't have it and she began to throw a fit.

On top of the lobster situation, they were running behind. The father and daughter arrived in Philadelphia later than expected and Jamie was supposed to be at practice with the new team right now but he didn't have anyone to watch his child. When he expressed this to management, they told him to bring her they would take care of it.

"Nooo!" Kinsley leaned backwards, trying to get out of her father's arms. The small child wasn't watching what she was doing and let go of her Wild Wing stuffy and it hit the lady passing by.

"Kinsley Jo, that wasn't very nice." Jamie lightly scolded his daughter. Duck gave him a face when he made the suggestion that she should apologize.

"It’s no problem.” The lady sincerely reassured Jamie, but it didn't stop him from feeling embarrassed and frustrated with his child.

“This must be yours. He's very adorable." She retrieved the toy from the ground, brushing the imaginary dirt off it. Holding it out for the little girl in the man's arms, she smirked when the child snatched it out of her hand.

"I'm so sorry about that. She's not normally like that. It's been a long day, and it's only 9:00 am" Jamie took the toy away from the child, if she wasn't to be nice with she couldn't have back yet. This made Duck even more frustrated and Duck became frustrated again when he wouldn't give it back.

"Oh no. It's really okay." Mia watched the father and daughter interacting. The father was not having any of the attitude his daughter was giving him.

He was handsome and looked awfully familiar. He must be the new guy. Mia knew they had acquired some player in a traded that had just happened, but she had no idea who it was since this was the first day she was returning from vacation.

She studied him a little longer when it hit her, literally because the little girl threw the stuffed animal at her again.

"That's it Kins. You can't have it back. I said no throwing it and you threw it again, so it's mine now." Jamie tucked Wild Wing in the bag he brought along. Duck stuck out her bottom lip, she was sorry now that she got the toy taken away.

"Jamie?"

"Yeah?" Jamie finally looked over at the speaking to him. It was his ex-girlfriend, former media girl for the Erie Otters way back when he was playing there. "Holy shit. Mia? Mia Lewis? What are you doing here?"

"Oh good Jamie you're here, we were starting to get a little worried, and I see you've met Mia. She's going to watch the kid today for you." Danny said plucking Kinsley out of Jamie's arms and into hers.

"Danny, I have actual work that needs to be done today. I can't watch the kid." Mia and Kinsley looked each other over sizing each other up. She readjusted the kid on her hip, and looked to the gm. This wasn't her job.

"Mia, we are a team here and we all need to help out when necessary. Okay?" Mia rolled her eyes accepting the change in plans for today.

"We'll talk later" Jamie handed over the bag of Ducks' things before he was escorted to the locker room to change for practice.

"What are you two doing for dinner? Want to come over?" She offered, Jamie shrugged agreeing, Cam probably wasn't going to be cooking up anything anyways.

[izroulia]

Izroulia bonus chapter

This is a little bonus backstory that I couldn’t really fit into the actual book. It goes a little deeper into Aries’ parents and Momo.

July 1st 1990

“Lana shut the fuck up, are you kidding?”

“Nope! I’m pregnant, MOMO I’M HAVING A BABY!”

Screaming in joy, the best friends leapt into each other’s arms and squeezed each other in a tight hug. Lana wasn’t exactly actively trying for a baby, but she and Cynthus had decided that if it happened, then it happened and they’d roll with it. But something about it actually happening made it seem so much more exiting and joyful. It was much too early to tell the sex of the baby, but Lana didn’t care what her kid was. She just wanted a healthy and happy child.

“I better get to be the cool god mother” Momo said.

“Duh, that’s why I’m here. To tell you you’re going to be the godmother. If for some reason me and Cynth are out of action you’re the next of kin” Lana replied.

“That I can do. Holy shit Lana you’re having a freaking KID!”

“I KNOW!”

The siren was already thinking of names, nursery ideas, looking for patterns to make baby clothes. And her fiancé was already out getting wood to make a custom crib with. They were thinking a sailor themed nursery, perfect fit for a siren. So a crib shaped like a little boat? That’s be the cutest thing ever.

“Did Cynthus have a heart attack?” Momo snickered.

“In a good way yes, you should have seen that absolute baby. Literally sobbing he was so exited” Lana replied.

“Seems like deep down he really did want that baby”

“I think he did, hey got his wish. 10 weeks in”

Momo still wasn’t in a relationship, and she didn’t really feel the need for one right now. Not when she was going to be on full time baby helping for her two best friends soon anyway. She was overjoyed for them, she’d known Lana since highschool and Cynthus joined the group only about a year later. They’d all be so close, Momo didn’t mind being the third wheel because they all got along so well and were genuinely such deep friends.

“Any names or too early?” Momo asked.

“A few. Rhiannon, Tessa, Lux for a girl. Maybe Lucian or Atantic for a boy. But honestly I have a soft spot for gender neutral names” Lana explained.

“You know how they say mothers can tell the gender before the baby is born? Maybe that’s why. Maybe they’ll end up both” Momo joked.

Oh how ironic that joke would end up in the years to come…

“Haha, maybe. I don’t really have any guy feelings but then again, it’s early. But for androgynous names there’s Fawn… or maybe Aries” Lana said.

“Ooh Aries is good” Momo replied.

“Cynthus did the math, they’ll be born in Aries season so he thought it’d be a good candidate”

“It is, I say Aries. Or maybe Rhiannon if it’s a girl”

There was so much to do. Get all the supplies, tell the family, pick a name, go to all the check ups, build the nursery… but even with all the work and pregnancy symptoms to deal with. Lana was still practically jumping out of her skin. She was going to be a mother, and the father was the love of her life. And the godmother? Her best friend. She felt like absolutely nothing could stop her, being her down or wipe away her smile.

July 1st 1991

“Everything is in the crib, we didn’t have much time so it’s a bit if a mess. But it’s all there… everything you need to raise a baby” Cynthus said, a numbness in his voice.

“Cynth there has to be someth-“ Momo said.

“There isn’t… it’s too dangerous to take a newborn through a portal. Let alone an unstable one. If things work we will be back… promise”

Momo looks over at Lana, clutching the sleeping baby to her chest, sobbing her eyes out. It’d only been 4 months. 4 months with her baby, and now she has no choice but to say goodbye. She knew Momo would take care of her child, but she’d gone through 9 months of pregnancy and excitement waiting for the day she got to meet her baby. And after all that… only 4 months together.

But she had no choice. At the rate Merfolk wee being killed, it was either run or die. And a newborn just can’t go through an unstable portal… it’d kill them instantly.

Cynthus turned to his fiancé, tears in his eyes as he pulled her and his baby into a hug. He wanted to scream, but he tried to keep it together for Lanas sake. He placed a kiss on the babies cheek, threatening to break down.

“Daddy will be back ok? I promise…” he said.

Lana took a breath, she look one more look at her baby and kissed their forehead.

“Be good for mama Momo ok? I love you guppy, I’ll come back one day. I promise” she sniffled.

With tears in her eyes, Momo took the sleeping child, and pleaded with her gaze at her best friends to stay. She knew they couldn’t, but she wanted them to stay so bad. If Agnemetra didn’t cease the throne… this never would have happened.

“Momo, I love you. Take care of my baby” Lana said.

“I will… I promise” Momo replied.

The group hugged one last time, and hardly able to keep it together Lana and Cynthus got into their car and pulled out of the driveway to the portal centre. Hoping that if they were lucky, they could get out with their lives.

Momo took the baby inside, on the table was a basket of supplies. Bottles, clothes, formula, pacifiers. Next to the table the handmade crib with the rest of the supplies. She needed to set up, she had a baby to care for now.

She wrapped the child up in a sling, so she could keep them close and move stuff around at the same time. She packed all the supplies into her cupboards, and pushed the crib into her room next to her bed. She set up the mobile of sea creates she gifted to the parents at the baby shower, put the blankets with little fish and anchors on it over the mattress. And she placed the sleeping baby in their crib.

They had Lana’s black hair, Cynthus pale skin and blue eyes. A true mix of their parents. All warm and cosy in a knitted onesie, something Lana made while she was in the late stages of pregnancy and couldn’t move around as easy. Hanging off the railing of the crib was a necklace chain that held the family signet ring for the child to wear when they were older.

The boat shaped crib was pained red and navy, had a little life raft and sail on it. Where the name of the boat would be, was the name of the child.

Aries Nautica.

Momo sat on her bed, looking down at the baby who was completely unaware the danger they were in and how painful this was for their parents. Momo had a sinking feeling she may never see her best friends again, and now she had to take care of their child.

Aries would always be Lana and Cynthus’ child. But right now… Aries was her child too.

Aries was the only thing she’d have left of Lana and Cynthus… and every day they were alive in Izroulia, their life was in danger because they were born to two sirens.

Momo sighed, and everything just broke.

All she could do was cry.

[lunarscaled]

"I wish you could have met kechizu and eso.... they would have loved you." choso murmurs somberly, dark maroon-violet gaze sweeping over the ruins of shibuya, but unseeing & near fish eyed with how dull the light of his eyes have gotten. the oldest of the cursed wombs have not really had time to properly mourn any of his brothers deaths, especially the most recent two. yuuji was the only blood relative to he had left. how depressing.

but at least lyric felt like kin to him now.... although with his track record, it was only a matter of time until he couldn't protect either of them from danger. what a pathetic big brother he was...

-> Lyric hadn't thought about their own siblings recently. Which wasn't to say they didn't think of them, but that things had been such a complete disaster lately that they didn't have time to while everything was seemingly falling apart. They hadn't seen them since they left home---long after their father had started accusing them of being the reason their mother got sick and their brother died, because they were talking to things that shouldn't be spoken to, and that was the Devil's work. How unpleasant he would find it if he knew that later down the line his now-oldest child had been swindled by a real devil, disguised as a priest to not trip wary sorcerers passing by of its nature, so well adjusted and blended into facets of human society that they almost missed when his eyes weren't quite right. And when he made them a deal. ( that deal has kept them alive this long but not without it's steep cost. the pursuance of more and more curses to feed the beast drives them from place to place as spirits grow wary of their presence. without spirits to speak to they can't accumulate abilities to use in battle, but exorcisms didn't exactly fund a luxurious lifestyle. not for them, anyways. )

"... Well. Not as much as they loved you, I'm sure."

-> It's a poor attempt at comfort. Shibuya is in ruins and Lyric can't even begin to parse together all the pieces why: why there was such destruction, or why there was a flood of curses they couldn't speak to right, or why Choso had told them to keep their distance until now. They rest beside him on the top edge of a building that is still mostly intact, and down a road strewn with debris and body parts they think they see another fight brewing; two groups of sorcerers that have locked eyes like mountain lions in overlapping territory. It seemed so senseless to them, even though they were aware of the game. The only right thing seemed not to play, but maybe even that was impossible. ( they wonder how they can comfort Choso in it, though. a hand comes up to pat the top of his head---something that they wonder if it has ever been done for him. it feels like all they can do right now, with more fighting on the brink of arising. )

"... I'm sorry you lost your brothers. But if you spend too much time thinking about it now, you won't be able to protect Yuuji. I can handle myself, so you should go on ahead."

-> They didn't know if that was the truth, but it felt like the right thing to say. That they should be some kind of full body sacrifice for whatever was waiting around here. From what they understand, Yuuji was also alone---all his family passed by some means or another. Him and Choso fit together as brothers; they could rely on each other. Lyric ran from the only family they had trying to defend themselves.

"I'll find you later. I promise. We'll all go home together."

[kh4]

why are you on a twitter byf?

hi, youre actually not the first person to tell me this tonight! i Also have no idea why im on a blacklist. i want to clear some stuff up because i was told this three (3) times. i dont exactly like that i have to reply to this publicly because i dont even make personal posts but i think this whole thing is out of hand and has been for a while.

im putting this under a Read More because its long and im finally able to air out some of my feelings about the situation.

TLDR: devin has lurked and kept tabs on me for three years and its exhausting that i have to address it like this of all places. if you need proof or anything feel free to dm me.

this is soooo. okay so i met this person in 2019 from the best of my memory because ive been trying for about an hour to get onto my old blog but i cant remember the login at all, and she and i had done a few dms just about whatever. and then she wanted to make these two kin doubles who hated each other or something be friends again, please note we all shared the same kin, and stirred up some problems.

then, after this happened, her host (or she did? regardless she admitted that she was involved in the creation) had made a callout blog for one of them despite my attempt to steer this off from happening, and i was ignored. i think my last message to her directly, and im not kidding here, was in jan 2020 (three full years ago!).

after this i made the choice, for myself, to soft her on tumblr. i no longer wanted anything to do with the situation, i think kin drama is stupid and im sure it was more personal than kin things from what she had told me, but i had no intention of being involved further. or know any of these people. like at all. after i softed her, she made a post about taking a hiatus after she deleted the callout blog and thats it from what i know about her tumblr because it was deleted soon after iirc.

8 months later she tried to follow my twitter, and i recognized her. i considered it a lottt, but i really didnt want that kind of energy stirring up things again in my life because 2020 was an absolute fucking Disaster of a year enough. so i softed her from my twitter because of this for my own mental health.i havent had a direct message with her since early 2020.

i know nothing about her, her life, anything because i wanted as much distance from that whole situation as possible. i didnt get to know her well enough with her to call her my friend or anything, and everything that happened so soon after we did start talking really made me not feel like i wanted to be friends or get to know her better if this was her vibe. she has made posts about missing me, when i feel as though i never warranted the title of friend at all because she basically just vented to me a couple times before this started and i didnt and still dont have the energy to deal with that kind of person.

i have found out, however, she has fucking LURKED me likely for three years. shes posted about how ensemble stars reminds her of an ex friend (which, she didnt get to know me enough to be my friend, and its pretty obvious this post is about me because my special interest is ensemble stars) and i got into it in mid 2020 so she shouldnt possibly know i ever got into it without lurking me. its some creepy shit ill be honest with you.

she knew and made posts about how my psychotic ass had delusions about being w/ilbur ds-p from nov 2021- mid 2022 because i like. Was in a horrible state and related to how self destructive he was or whatever but i got better and got my life together and dont do that at all anymore. i dropped it and i have most terms blacklisted (and the series itself) because it reminds me of those racist assholes and also of a horrible time in my life im still recovering from.

i have no fucking clue how this could affect her or she would even know. seeing as this was wayyyyy beyond the time i knew her. however this proves she was lurking me to myself and people who know me personally… we're all insanely confused. shes had no reason to keep up with anything about me for three years and im pretty much sick of it haha. ive been quietly freaking out over how scary shes been acting about me and whatever idealized version of what or who i was she had assumed during the very short time i knew her because i didnt want to start anything.

thank you for reading this. i hope this stops soon because i dont want to keep dealing with something thats happened 3 years ago and it happened because i didnt even want to be involved in things. its just unfair and makes me feel insanely uncomfortable im still a hot topic for her even though she hasnt messaged me or anything since following my twitter and being softed. it makes me feel weird and its just weird to me.

[percontaion-points]

Court chapters 172-175, Epilogue

Click to see the rest of the snark & image descriptions

Chapter 172

I release his string. And that’s when he realizes he has been played. And he is furious.

Chapter 172 summary: When Grace freezes the enemy army, Jikan shows up. He starts to yell at her, but she’s quick to dish it back. And the entire thing feels like the author wrote herself into a corner, because when Grace asks “Why?” Jikan can’t give a legitimate answer. YOU ARE THE GOD OF TIME; YOU TELL US! Anyway, Grace is done playing nice, and commands him to sit down or leave. So he does.

Grace then tells Chastain to get into position, but then realises that he’s badly hurt. So his second in command, Artelya, gets the army position instead. She then unfreezes time. 

Chapter 173

Totally, completely, and utterly human—for one thousand years. Because I left his immortality.

Chapter 173 summary: When Cyrus becomes unfrozen, he’s surrounded by angry gargoyles. Grace tells him that as punishment for starting a war and for hurting so many people, she’s going to take his power. So she does that. And for a brief moment, she thinks about stopping and letting the gargoyle army take him. But decides that death is too merciful. So she keeps taking from him until the literal only thing left is his immortality. He’s basically an immortal human now. 

Chapter 174

Then I take a deep breath and look down at the tattoo that appeared on my arm after Cyrus was dealt with, and I know there’s one last thing I have to deal with. The Bloodletter.

Chapter 174 summary: After that’s done, Artelya bends her knee to Grace, and says that her queen dealt with Cyrus in the most dignified, mature way imaginable. Grace asks about the gargoyles who died, and Artelya and Chastain say 27 fell, and more are injured. Grace asks about giving next of kin notifications, and then begins to issue clean-up orders. Everybody starts to move around and do things. 

Chapter 175

Hudson looks over at me with a huge grin and holds out his hand. I take it, of course I do, and we walk through the portal. Together.

Chapter 175 summary: Grace has Remy portal them to the bloodletter’s cave. In there, they find the bloodletter and Alistair necking on one-another, in both meanings of the word. Grace gives the crown back, and the bloodletter says that she’s free. She goes on to say that she knew that if Cyrus caught her, he would torture the information out of her, and she would have given up the gargoyle court and the godstone. So that’s why she hid both and then hid herself. 

They also tell Delilah that her punishment for her involvement in all of this is to be imprisoned with Cyrus for the next century. She’s confused, but then delighted once Grace explains what she did to Cyrus. 

Everybody goes outside; the bloodletter for the first time since all of this shit started. She gives Grace the crown back. The others then start making plans. 

And I have to say, it kind of seems like the author is wrapping up the series with this. I’m seriously debating not finishing the last two books. (Especially if they’re long like this.) 

Epilogue

“We know how to reach the shadow queen —and how to get her to cure Mekhi.”

Ah yes, exactly what I was curious about… How Mekhi got poisoned and then it was literally never mentioned again. 

Now that we know where the shadow queen is, everything feels more urgent.

I don’t even know who this is, or even where this stupid shadow queen bullshit came from. Clearly the author’s half-assed attempt to drag us to read the last two books. 

For a second, my stomach starts to sink—I was right. It was too much, too soon. But then she reaches up and cups my face in her trembling hands. And whispers, “I remember. Oh my God, Hudson. I remember everything.”

Epilogue summary: Three months later, Hudson and Grace are attending the university in San Diego. She’s also working to rebuild the court there as well, to the surprise of literally nobody. 

Heather interrupts their lovey-dovey moment. And then Eden shows up, to drag the readers kicking and screaming into the last two books. 

To which I respond… NO THANKS, I’VE SEEN ENOUGH. I’m not going to read those books. Especially because several reviews on the last book say that the author seemed to have given up. This series ended here, and you cannot convince me otherwise. Goodbye. 

[ganymedesclock]

What do you think are Hornet’s thoughts are on her relationship with Ghost/THK/the vessels? I got the distinct impression that Ghost was the first vessel since THK (if they ever met, the parry and lunge attack theory still lives in my heart) she encountered alive, and to me she feels very distant to vessels in general, initially treats their eldritch nature as all they are which like, understandable to an outsider as we’re biased to Ghost’s pov (and they Care her if nosk is to be believed)

My personal timeline of events is that Hornet didn't overlap directly with Hollow, because she was living in Deepnest with Herrah at that point. After Herrah became a dreamer, that was when White Lady took Hornet in as a "favor" / in the other queen's memory. It may or may not have been an actually kind action.

So Hornet was... kind of in Hollow's shadow, when it came to relating to her father. She knew PK personally at a point when he was basically dead in the water and going through motions progressively shutting down because ostensibly he'd succeeded at everything he'd set out to do, but at a pyrrhic price long before it became obvious that PK's theory was flawed from inception and Hollow's sacrifice was meaningless.

So that's a lot of how I feel like Hollow was to Hornet; she 'came into' the world that they ostensibly saved, at the part that she was paying attention to Hallownest politics at all rather than staying safe in the deepest shadows of the nest where she was born- and was told that they were a Hero, if they were spoken of at all- certainly the fountain has a message- but there was nothing but grief. Nothing but a curse.

I think this affected her strongly once the kingdom fell and she started to view other vessels, and come to begin to understand what PK did exactly. Something rotten to its root. Nothing she has the skill or understandings to make right. She may have tried a lot harder to demand the first vessels stand down, which, of course, would've been completely futile. The vessels aren't empty, but any of them that would've crawled their way out of the abyss would have built up their resolve. They'd be able to hear Hollow screaming, understand or remember that one of their siblings was taken away by the light, that someone's not accounted for, even if Hollow might have been suffering in silence then.

I feel like it's entirely possible Hornet's responses to them, varied. She may have found some of them dying. Others may have seemed strong enough to make it, only for her to later find them gone or not find them at all- who knew if she knew the Broken Vessel, which seems to have become rather accomplished as a warrior and wanderer- before they died at the bottom of the world. Certainly they seemed to have gathered enough memory/dreams to themselves that a part of them lingers for a rematch as the Lost Kin.

Hornet is... not a quitter. But she is someone heavily shaped by grief and loss to the point that it's hard not to start to see those things as inevitable. If every home you've ever had crumbled out from underneath you, why would you bother to try reconnecting, either to the White Lady who still thinks of you fondly or the Midwife who wishes you'd just come home even if home isn't what it used to be? The Weaversong charm is meant as a farewell and a talisman to Hornet, who her people clearly knew or expected would be lonely with the nest ravaged, lost among bugs she only sort of relates to- but while Hornet is clearly flourished enough to make it through all of Deepnest with no problem- she comes to talk to you at the heart of Beast's Den after all- it's obvious she made no attempt to go into the Weavers' Den. The Weaversong as a charm Ghost acquires is evidence of a certain degree to which Hornet is not really trying to go home.

She's tough. She can deal with it. It's fine and warrior protector princesses don't get lonely we promise. (she lies to herself)

So I feel like Hornet is distant, but a lot of her distance is a product of trauma and conflict, and, to a lesser degree, a product of being "stern", as she defensively puts it before insisting to Ghost that she's not completely cold. Metatextually I find it fascinating that while it's inevitable she'd grieve Herrah either way, you have to be either lucky or careful in how you line up events to actually get to see Hornet grieve, and have her talk to Ghost about it.

A conversation that, no less, makes clear by her dialogue Ghost is actually prodding her, in their own way, about it- they give her a look that she reacts to when she opens up about Herrah.

Ghost is like... not exactly a champion at relating to other people. Disability aside they are a very stoic, overly-serious little soul with morbid curiosity and a sense of humor they are hard-put to explain to others. But I feel like there's evidence they are trying to understand Hornet, and their desire to prove themselves, including by force, meshes maybe a little too well with Hornet's long-burned sense that it's futile to trust or open up to anybody, leading to her outright trying to kill them before she lets herself hope for their survival at all.

(And in the Sealed Siblings ending... if that faith is unfounded she'd rather not be there to find out)

This is rather dark, but like... I admittedly do think Hornet and Ghost come to care about each other quite a bit? Both of them seem like once they can click to a point where they're actually, on good terms, they'd end up ferociously protective of the other or the idea of what that other cares about. And of course there's always the good, slightly painful moment of concern or panic Hornet would have the first time Ghost genuinely opens up a vulnerability to her because what are you doing, she barely handles her own vulnerabilities,

[stxleslyds]

Red Hood and the lost art of telling Joker to shup up.  

Okay, I know that I talked about Jason and Joker in a recent post but this is something different, I promise.

I really want to talk about how different Jason has been written since UtRH when it comes to him confronting Joker. Jason hasn’t been put in that position a lot but the times that he has, he lets Joker talk for far too long and actually pays attention to whatever he has to say.

The Jason vs Joker thing is basic in on itself and letting Joker talk isn’t exactly the problem here, the real problem is Jason letting Joker’s thoughts shape his future thoughts and decisions, I do understand that that’s exactly what writers want though, they want to build the problematic of: “Jason is just like Joker and the fact that he uses the name Red Hood only proves that Joker made who Jason is now”.

But the thing is that THAT problem is overdone at this point and the only time it worked was the first time it was brought up and it worked because Jason shut the Joker down.

Let’s see all the times (that I remember) the Joker and Jason have had a little chat and/or the times Joker’s words actually influence Jason’s thinking and decision making.

 Under the Red Hood – Batman (1940) #649

This is the first real confrontation we get to see between Jason and Joker after Jason’s death and it is beautiful. It's absolutely amazingly written, Joker goes on and on forever about how he killed Jason about how Jason is just as bad as him but that he is also just like Batman because he hasn’t killed him yet.

“You let me live after everything I did, you couldn’t pop my balloon. You just couldn’t. The apple doesn’t tumble too far from the paterfamilias. You are just like daddy-kins”

Jason lets him talk, yes. But he absolutely destroys Joker with what he tells him next.

“You couldn’t be more wrong about me. If right were a country on earth you’d be circling on the edge of the milky way. Yeah, I let you live but like always, every damned minute of your addled, posturing, psychopathic life, you think this is about you. You’re a worm. I’ve pitched you on a hook and dropped you into the brine. And I will beat the hell out of you Pagliacci because it was too much fun not to.”

“Listen to me Joker, I’m not you. I´m nothing like you. I know what I do and I know why I do it. You, you are, clinically speaking, a whack-job. But I know a secret, a good one.”

“You are not nearly as crazy as you would like us all to believe or even as crazy as you would like to believe. It just makes it easier to justify every sick monstrous thing you’ve ever done when you play the part of the mad clown. You are crazy, bubba, but you ain’t that crazy. Look at that. I wiped a smile off of Joker’s face. I have been waiting a long time for that.”

Everything about this is perfect, Jason gives Joker no room to mess with him. Whatever the Joker had planned on saying he had to eat because Jason wasn’t playing games and he was ready for any kind of lie the Joker had ready to tell. This is Jason Todd. He won’t let the Joker get under his skin because he knows the Joker and he, also, knows better. 

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #15

Here Jason comes across Joker during the “Death of the Family” event. In this issue the Joker has information about all of the members of the “Batfamily” and he uses that to mess around with each one of them, in Jason’s case he insinuates that he was present in very specific moments of his life when Jason’s father got shot, when his mother overdosed and when he was on his own before joining Batman.

Jason doesn’t quite believe that Joker was there but as the reader, we can see this sort of sense of doubt in Jason. He hesitates a few times before resolving that the Joker is playing with him.

But as far as this issue goes let’s just say that what the Joker says doesn’t get to Jason, this changes though in the issue that follows up this story.

Teen Titans (2011) #16

This is where that story continues and where Jason starts to buy the story that Joker is selling.

Joker convinces Jason that he has his father and Tim’s father and that the only way for Jason (or Tim) to save their dads is by killing the other (Jason or Tim). Tim doesn’t believe it but Jason is ready to shoot Tim almost immediately.

However, Jason changes his mind about killing Tim just as Tim comes up with a plan for them to not actually have to kill each other. Here is where Lobdell’s writing shows all of its flaws, Lobdell is so desperate to show that Jason and Tim are besties that he forgets that Jason had no reason to stop trying to kill Tim to save his shit father because it is later revealed that Jason truly believed that Joker had found his father and had him captive. It wasn’t until Tim explained his thought process as to why those men weren’t their dads that Jason just goes “you realize, of course, the only reason I didn’t kill you right off is that I knew your big brain will figure out some way out of this” HA, nice save Lobdell but I see right through your bullshit.

Jason bought what the Joker was selling and that is the beginning of Jason’s downgrade when it comes to not playing Joker’s games.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #17

Well, in this issue Lobdell goes back to Jason kinda not believing what Joker told him, and Jason asks Bruce of all people if he thinks the Joker truly “made him or not”. Bruce says that he doesn’t believe that and that he didn’t have anything to do with the man that Jason has become either. For some reason, Jason is actually happy with what Bruce said and for a couple of moments, Jason goes back to being sure that the Joker knows nothing and that he is his own man.

It doesn’t last long though. At the very end of the issue, the trap that Joker had set up in Jason’s helmet triggers and Jason gets his face fucked up with acid or something.

But that’s not all because a hologram of Joker has something to say: “you were supposed to be my masterpiece from start to finish. But you were too stubborn to stay dead. So here is what we are going to do… You’re so determined to be your own man? Fine, let’s start with a clean slate”.

Basically, the Joker insinuates once more that he had something to do with who Jason was supposed to become and that Jason isn’t truly “his own man”, This is all a setup for a very dense storyline that will be continued in this run later.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #18

In this issue, Jason is in a coma after he is dosed with that gas in the previous issue. The Joker isn’t really present in this issue but he does make an appearance as part of Jason’s “nightmare” while he is unconscious.

That’s not all though, Jason has an illusion of Ducra (someone that he appreciates a lot), telling him that “after you left the All-Castle after you went back to the world you continued to let your life be defined by the actions of that man. You became a killer, lashing out at people who may or may not have deserved it. Eventually, you will hurt all those you have cared for. In that way, how are you any different from the Joker?”.

In this statement, there is a lot of wrongs that can come from two places, either bad writing on Lobdell’s part or just Ducra telling lies as a plot point.

“Let your life be defined by the actions of that man” is a sentence that horribly simplifies Jason’s thinking during the events of UtRH, because while he did resent the Joker, his real problem was with Bruce who had not avenged his death by killing the Joker himself. Also, Jason was doing other things back then, like being a pain in the ass for Black Mask and disrupting the drug trade in Gotham as well as trying to control the drug dealing to children. So that little sentence is just a gross misinterpretation of the true events which means that Ducra was wrong, and “she” continues to be wrong when she says that there might be no difference between Jason and Joker.

Luckily Jason thinks the same because he tells “Ducra”: “…don’t you dare compare me to that monster Ducra. I am nothing like the Joker! Nothing!”

Once again please don’t be fooled by Jason’s thinking because in the next issue it turns around really fast and really bad.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #19

Just a heads up this issue has a change of writer, Lobdell isn’t writing this arc, the writer that gives us this hellish story arc is James Tynion IV.

All that talk about Jason not being affected or not believing what the Joker told him is yeeted out of the window and it’s not a fun ride.

In this issue, Roy and Kory find a Jason that doesn’t know who they are or who he, himself, is. This is because S’aru that little floaty little shit took his memories away after Jason asked him to do so, well Jason asked S’aru to erase every memory that darkness has touched (Joker) and he does that. But him doing that is apparently erasing everything which, holy shit, how messed up is that?

But let’s take a look at what Jason says before he gets his memories taken away: “Not only did the Joker almost take my face, but he tells me he might have manipulated my entire life from the beginning! Even the good is tainted by him now. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t have that kind of doubt. If you take it away, I can go on living. I can keep fighting”. So, yeah that was a pretty emo speech. But the thing here is that if Jason is asking this dude to erase every memory that has been tainted by the Joker and he erases all of them then we might be facing one of two situations, either Joker has been messing up with Jason’s life from the beginning or S’aru is just a little bitch.

We will later find out in #20 that S’aru and Ducra planned the whole thing, meaning that they took all of his memories for ulterior motives not because the Joker had actually tainted all of them.

For many issues Jason has no memories and now that I am revisiting these issues, I now remember the twisted and completely insane plot they came up with for the “League of Assassins” and Jason being the “Chosen One”, everything was happening in this run, my god, it's like they wanted Jason to be the center of every single trope in writing history.

It’s in issue #26 that Jason asks for his memories back but the Joker having tainted his memories or not isn’t important anymore to anyone, including the writer (because he is too focused on telling this messy story), Jason (because he has enough problems at the moment) and the reader (because this book makes zero sense and it changes the story and motivations every single issue).

But there is another truth to be revealed in the next issue.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #27

Jason has planned along Ducra and S’aru to give up all of his memories to be cleansed so he could defeat Ra’s Al Ghul. But (there is always a but) Ducra says this: “Your greatest enemy returned and nearly took your face away from you. And in the process, shook your sense of identity to the core” “The final battle here will take place in the Well of Sins, and with all the doubt and fear clouding your mind, it would eat you whole”.

So yeah, now we have confirmation from Ducra that Jason had indeed let what the Joker told him cloud his sense of self and made him doubt who he was and if he really was in control.

All that back and forth for these many issues just to say, yes, Jason let Joker’s words affect him.

So here it is, let Joker get in Jason’s head to build the plot of a story, fantastic, the story was a mess because it had so much information, the mischaracterizations of Roy and Kory were at their maximum potential, and in this particular story arc not only are the events of Red Hood: The Lost Days officially erased from Jason’s canon but something quite out there is added to Jason’s canon from before he was even Robin (that’s a whole different story that I won’t be talking about here).

What an insane ride this arc was. Definitely not the kind of story I enjoy in a Red Hood book but that’s just my preference.

*This whole arc was written by James Tynion IV.

Red Hood/Arsenal #11

Joker is dead during the events of this run but the person who has something to say to Jason about how the Joker made the person that he is now is Duela Dent (“Joker’s daughter”, she isn’t his daughter she just found Joker’s face somewhere and she puts it on and “becomes” crazy, she is an incredibly weird character).

She says this, “You’re a lot like dad in that way” to which Jason says “He is not my father. He’s not even your father” but Duela continues by saying. “You’re kidding yourself if you genuinely believe that. Yeah, he took your life but look what you got in its place, you ingrate. You got your freedom. You were reborn.” 

Jason doesn’t fall for it or anything of the sort but once again writers are bringing up the Joker as the maker of the Red Hood and “suggesting” that what Jason has been doing and who he has become is all thanks to Joker. The idea of Jason having no free will is still present in this narrative, even when Jason doesn’t believe it.

Red Hood/Arsenal #12

I talked too soon because in this issue Jason is having some weird thoughts.

“Funny, isn’t it, so easy to call Duela “crazy” because she wears a dead man’s face. Because isn’t that what I’m doing? Before he was the Joker, he was the Red Hood. So maybe the line between men and the Joker’s daughter is a lot thinner than I’d like to admit.”

Here he is comparing himself to Duela and to the Joker to an extent, writers often bring up the fact that Jason uses the code name that his killer once had and they have people or Jason himself questioning why he uses that name.

Personally, I don’t think there is much to build from it (at least not from the perspective of Lost Days and UtRH), it was just a joke, a morbid one if you will. He wears the mantle of the person that destroys Gotham and fills its people with fear while he is trying to control the city’s drug trade and trying to keep the people safe in his own way. And the way he wanted to do it is almost the complete opposite of the way that Batman does things.

I just think that he is being ironic and acidic about the whole thing. He has obviously moved on from the fact that Joker killed him but he has issues with the fact that Batman has yet another child working with him while the Joker is still alive. And Jason really wanted to make Bruce suffer, so him taking the name and a similar appearance to how the joker used to look is also done to get a reaction from Bruce.

I really don’t think there is any sort of connection to make between Jason and Joker beyond that, much like there is no connection between the name Nightwing and the Court of Owls. Even though Lincoln March tried to convince Dick Grayson that he chose the name Nightwing because Owls fly at night and that meant that he was supposed to become a Talon and all that Dick still didn’t believe it because he knew why he chose that name and no one can twist his reason.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #10

Finally, I can stop re-reading New 52 books, I don’t enjoy it but I have to do it if I want to talk/complain about stuff.

This one is a little different because while Jason does talk with the Joker, the Joker isn’t really there he is just part of Jason’s imagination just like the Robin Jason that he is also seeing.

In this story, Jason is helping Artemis discover who she is but he gets captured in Qurac, yup that place, and worst of all from where he is being held, he can see the place where he died. All of that is helping Jason have some very vivid memories/illusions. He does actively hold a conversation with the imaginary Joker and Robin Jason though, and he is also having a lot of thoughts that let us know how the Joker affects Jason.

“This is why it was stupid of me to come back to Qurac. Even to help Artemis, even if I thought I could handle it. Physically, I am alone, but in my head? I’m drowning in memories of the worst day of what was my very short life. The day I was murdered.”

That’s what Jason is thinking but what I write next is what Jason’s saying as he talks to the imaginary Joker.

“Not interested in replaying this over again, like I have every night of my life since it happened Joker”

So, we are told that Jason thinks about that day very often, the Joker might not be involved much in Jason’s books but he definitely has a bigger role inside of Jason’s head. They chat for a bit up until Jason decides to “kill” the Joker, he knows, of course, that it is not real but it does give him satisfaction. (If only they would have let Jason actually kill the clown for real, or at the very least chase him just to show the reader that Jason does actually want to finish the job since the Bat won’t do it himself).

Having said all that, Joker’s imaginary death doesn’t last long because Jason is trapped in his mind and the Joker is basically functioning on a loop inside of it.

That is where the problem lies in this issue because Jason is letting us know that he is still heavily influenced by what happened that day and that he hasn’t been able to walk away from it. But once more that’s not the worst thing, because all of these thoughts have led Jason to think that he (in the present and as a fifteen-year-old) is the one to blame for having ended up dead. Yeah, it is messed up.

This is what Jason says to imaginary Robin Jason, “He is never going to die, Jason. Not here. Not in my mind, not if at some point I don’t stand up and walk away from my memories. From you.”

This is a major downgrade, from the Jason that we had in UtRH because that Jason had moved on from the fact that he had been killed what he was looking for was for Batman to avenge his death. He had other things in mind as well, like I said before in this post Jason had a lot of things going on, killing Joker wasn’t his only plan.

And this situation (written by Lobdell) is also very different from what was going on in New 52 where Jason being influenced by the Joker was used to build a plot. This is just a writer letting us know that this “new version” of Jason hasn’t worked out his problems when it comes to his death and his killer. That means that we are going backward.

After he realizes that he was unconscious all that time and that he was being tortured he does get his shit together in order to get out of captivity and go help Artemis.

The Joker and that whole thing that happened in his mind aren’t mentioned again, it was just for the reader to know that Rebirth Jason has unsolved issues with his death.

Batman: Three Jokers #1

Oh yes, here we are, we have arrived to that dreaded book, awful writing gorgeous art. In this book, the “Joker made Jason as he is now” trope is at its full potential; Johns drives this hellish truck of a book at full speed into our homes and then ends it by giving us one of the worst takes on Jason Todd’s characterization ever.

But first, let’s talk about the Joker and Jason interaction in the first issue. As Jason and Barbara are left alone with the Joker that they came across moments ago the Joker begins talking because that’s what he does.

He says this, “I’m the loop-de-loop, the hamster-wheel-of-doom. The cycle of pain each one of you is trapped in. Take “Red Hood” here, for example. Have you ever wondered why he uses my former moniker? Who in their right mind would take on the identity of their killer? Am I right?”

He is obviously being a little shit on purpose and is waiting to see if somebody will take the bait. Jason is the first to talk and he says this: “I took it because I’m owning what you did to me. You made me into this. I will be your destruction”.

Congratulations Jason, you took the bait, and now Barbara will fight with you over it.

Jason raises his gun to “break the cycle” and Barbara is like “please don’t do it” and boy is Joker having the time of his life! Both of these idiots are playing his game, Johns really did both Jason and Barbara dirty with this.

Here is where THE problem with letting the Joker talk is. This Joker got under Jason’s skin in seconds and Barbara did nothing while it happened.

This is what the Joker had to say. “Let’s look at the facts here bat-people. I bashed this boy’s skull in. I killed this Robin” to which Jason says “You didn’t kill me, you only made me stronger” which is weird because the Joker did kill him so I don’t know what kinda comeback that was supposed to be but Joker wasn’t done because he continues by saying “Yes, you crawled from the shallow grave I left you in. You lived on to fight another day. Hurrah! You survived because of your tenacity! Or maybe… maybe I beat you to a bloody mess… I took you right to the edge… because I wanted to leave you alive.”

Great that’s where the clown is going, just fantastic, more of the “I made you” but that’s not all because the Joker tells Jason that him having hurt Jason wasn’t because he didn’t like Jason, it was all about Batman, Jason doesn’t matter.

But that’s not the worse thing that was written in this awful book, Geoff Johns seems to have felt that the trauma that Jason went through in the original “Death in the Family” story wasn’t enough because he decided to add something new.

That’s why the Joker says this next, “Do you recall what you said to me while I was breaking your head in with that crowbar? As your blood streamed into your eyes and your skull cracked? Because I cherish those words. I’ll always cherish them. ‘Please stop! Please! If you let me live, I’ll do anything you say. I’ll be your Robin’” “And look at you now my little “Red Hood” shooting up people and making Batman’s life miserable! You are my Robin!”

What a nightmare Johns decided to put Jason and Jason Nation through huh? I hate this, this is the worst thing that has ever been written in a Jason Todd story (although I can say that about many things that were written in this three-issue book).

Jason kills the Joker after he says all that, Barbara does (for some reason) try to stop him from doing it but luckily, she can’t stop Jason.

But here is the thing, Jason killing the Joker doesn’t make me feel as satisfied as I would have liked, and it doesn’t feel that way because Jason let Joker talk for far too long and what Joker said ended up getting in Jason’s head and messing with him.

Batman: Three Jokers #2

Yeah, there is no rest for us, Jason Nation, in this issue Jason goes looking for another Joker to kill and he finds one but he gets captured. Johns really had to get Jason naked for Joker to torture him mentally and physically? Johns is, himself, a major red flag but that’s not what I am here to talk about.

In this issue the Joker that captures Jason has the same things to say as the other one, DC writers really have no imagination when it comes to building conflict between Joker and Jason, huh?

Anyway, Joker says this, “tell me something. Why would you put on that helmet and call yourself Red Hood after what we did?” Jason of course replies “Come on, is every one of you copycats gonna ask me the same thing? It’s a joke” the answer isn’t enough for Joker (the two of them that are here with Jason) so he continues talking. “A joke? We left you with brain damage and permanent nerve pain. Physical and emotional trauma so severe that the only relief you ever find is when you inflict pain on others. You and me, boy, we’re more alike than you’d care to admit. But you know that already. You nearly died and you blame the Batman. You hate him for it. Me too. You hate him most of all don’t you?”

Now, here is the thing, that whole thing is bullshit, none of it makes sense. From Jason having permanent nerve pain to Jason hating Batman the most, everything is a lie. And my confusion here is that I don’t know if I have to feel like Joker is doing it on purpose to be a little bitch or if Geoff Johns was on crack when he wrote this and he had actually never heard of Jason Todd in his life before.

The whole thing is a mess, it feels like he is writing Jason from an origin and story that we never read. I don’t know how to explain it, but the whole thing feels cheap, it’s a cheap trope and it’s a cheap take on who Jason Todd is, was, and will be.

The nightmare doesn’t end Jason Nation because these two Jokers have something else in mind, you see, if they said that they made the Red Hood when they killed Jason the first time, maybe if they kill him this time then he could possibly come back as the Joker. Yeah, this book did nothing for Jason.

Let’s make something clear, Jason does NOT hate Batman/Bruce for not being able to save him, he hates the fact that Batman/Bruce didn’t kill the Joker to avenge him. That simple thing doesn’t exist in Three Jokers and that’s why things like the ones that happen next are allowed to happen in this story.

Bruce and Barbara find Jason and when Bruce asks if he is okay Jason just goes berserk, he says: “Am I all right? What do you think Bruce?! You did this to me. You put me on this path. And I do hate you for it. For leaving me in the dirt. Replacing me one Robin after another without a thought.”

This, everybody is what you get when you mix bad writing with Jason being mentally manipulated by the Joker.

It's a shame that Jason is being treated this way at this point in time, in a book that came out in 2020 when Jason was able to shut the clown up with a knife and a couple of words back in 2005. What a downgrade.

At the end of this issue, Jason is safe and recovering but he still is in the same mindset, he says, “What the Joker said about how I’ve been on the path to being like them for years… they are not wrong. I don’t want to be like them though. I really don’t.”

It’s like a never-ending wheel of pain with this book. Jason is talking to Barbara when he says that and he is trying to look for comfort in her. And here is where the Jason/Barbara subplot begins and I only bring this up because something that happens in the next issue is based on the kiss that Barbara gave Jason but then was like “that doesn’t mean anything, I was just trying to comfort you”. Johns shouldn’t be allowed to write Barbara and Jason ever again.

Batman: Three Jokers #3

It’s in this issue that we find out the big subplot that Johns has prepared for Jason, are you ready for it? Yup, Jason should stop being the Red Hood because if he keeps it up, he will eventually become the Joker.

I know, I know! Jason would never stop being Red Hood, he is not on a path to become the Joker, that’s crazy! Jason’s Red Hood is a character on its own and he is amazing and just because he has different morals from Batman doesn’t mean that he is a bad guy! Right?...

“I’ll give up being Red Hood for us. I can be something else. Or I can be just Jason.”

To this day I cannot believe that those words supposedly were written by Jason Todd to Barbara Gordon after Barbara rejected him three times. The level of “what the fuck is this” is incredibly high with this one…

This whole book was a mess and I am so glad that it didn’t last longer.

Anyway, that’s it. In conclusion, Jason didn’t let the Joker get under his skin the first time they interacted after he came back from the dead but later when DC decided that UtRH was just too good of a book they came up with stories where Joker does get under Jason’s skin and Jason becomes convinced that he has no free will (or at the very least he doubts his free will) when it comes to him becoming his own man.

As I have said before, that for Jason Todd is a major downgrade. And it's one of the many things that hurts Jason’s characterization in current comics.

[irenadel]

So I recently read the short story “An Unwilling Apprentice” and found it all sorts of unsatisfying and intriguing, mostly because in canon we are given completely contradictory hints in regards to how old exactly Maul was when Sidious took him and in what circumstances he was taken.

1) Maul seems to remember nothing of Dathomir. True this can happen both if he was taken as a baby too young to remember or by sheer, ornery self-defense against remembering something less shitty that current circumstances.

1) a) Maul’s name: Maul says in Rebels that he used to have a name long ago, that was forgotten, which is just... I’m... it kills me okay? That just outright destroys the fuck out of me. Because it means he’s acknowldging a Dathomir he doesn’t remember, but now knows existed (thanks to Savage and that bitch Talzin, whom I stan), a Time Before Sidious. And also because... I don’t think “Maul” is actually a sithly soubriquet. “Maul” sounds too much like other nightbrother names, which sure, all sound sithly but that’s because Dathomir is neck deep in Dark Side Aesthetics. It’s entirely possible that “Maul” is his actual birth name. Talzin and Savage never call him anything else, though Talzin would have a vested interest in restoring to him any sort of lost name, maybe not in the immadiate aftermath of dragging Maul out of the pit of raving insanity, but at any point afterwards... maybe? a little? Mother Talzin if you named him something less metal please speak up...

2) There is that one depiction of Maul in Son of Dathomir, presumably at the time Sidious just got hold of him.

And like that’s absolutely adorable but he IS too old to not remember anything because of age (then again comic book artists are notorious for drawing weirdly adulty kids), so that means he did not remember because he blocked most of his memories? Well.... my problem with this is that you create a sort of phantom (ha!) preMaul where you have to imagine Maul sans Sidious’s influence and that’s.... strange if you’re not thinking about a baby or a toddler who have just the beginning of a personality. It’s unsatisfactory for me at least, because you strip Maul of all we know of Maul and chase after the shadow of a kid who no longer exists.

3) We have two accounts of how Maul ends up with Sidious, one of them Talzin insisting he was stolen (what does that mean? furtively? or by coercion like Asajj) and the other being Sidious’s account from the comic Son of Dathomir “a not so appreciated gift” or some old sithly nonsense like that. One must consider that both parties are liars, who is the worst liar of the two? who the fuck knows? So it’s entirely possible that both accounts are wrong or one is right or both are bogus.

3) a) Then there’s also that thing where apparently Talzin wanted to be Sidious’s apprentice and like... for what? and how? and why? and how did you think this was gonna come out okay!? You’re already either clan mother or poised to be clan mother, what do you need this shmuck for!? (Wait! did she become clan mother because of what he taught her? Intriguing new possibility) Like with all competent, older dark siders (I see you Dooku) I am always left baffled by how anyone who is both powerful and saavy ever gets roped into siding with Sidious. The dude is like Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: The Movie. There is nothing about him that says Trustworthy... unless he actually has the chance to groom you since childhood. Like I get Maul, Anakin and Ben Solo.... but WTF Dooku and Talzin?! You guys knew better!!!!

3) b) This is happening when Sidious’s own master is still alive right? Whether you take that to be Plagueis or else... So, so, so.... is Sidious hanging around Dathomir to find out a way to kill his own master? Doesn’t he say something along the lines of “I was learning from her when she thought she was learning from me”? I dunno, sounds like a shitty Sidious thing to do.

So all this to say “An Unwilling Apprentice” presents us a scenario where Maul is in Dathomir long enough to be a boy taught by his mother, who is sometimes bullied by other, bigger boys, and old enough to understand fishy things are happening between his mom and the creepy dude (Sidious). And the manipulation is spot on, don’t get me wrong, Sidious does that thing he does with Anakin where he tells Talzin to do horrible things to herself to gain more power and all these things do is drive a wedge between her and her son, all the while he is stoking anger and resentment in Maul, so that when the time comes Maul goes with him willingly even though that was not the deal he and Talzin had struck. So it is true both that this boy is being “stolen” but also given as a sort of gift to Sidious...

It’s just that this author does the thing authors in Star Wars always do, where they ignore previously established canon, because we can’t actually have one coherent galaxy can we? Because... one, Maul is old enough to remember everything... and like okay I can go with him just blocking those memories.... but this also means Maul was taken old enough for Savage to remember and Savage doesn’t seem to in TCW. Let’s grant that Maul is an unreliable narrator who may be supressing memories or lying about how much he remembers.... but SAVAGE doesn’t remember him. How much Savage actually remembers of his brothers and life is also up for debate, given the Dark Side Steroids and brainwashing he underwent, but still.... STILL it seems the only one who fully remembers Maul is Talzin.

But then we have this in “An Unwilling Apprentice”:

“Matters, however, were only to get worse, for later that night, having been hauled from the pit, the boy found himself introduced to those his keeper claimed would become his kin: a tall, wiry boy of a similar age and a stocky, broad shouldered boy at least a year older.

‘These two boys had for too long been starved of the love and attention all children crave, for the keeper was a stern and self-righteous man, and their mother had long before been taken from them to join a mysterious order from which she had never returned. It seemed fitting, then, that the two of them resented the new boy as much as he resented them, for he represented another mouth to feed and another who would vie for the keeper’s scant attention.“

Are the boys bullying Maul, Savage and Feral??? What the hell kind of jump in characterization is this? Because Savage and Feral seem to be adorable bros who just bro around being bros and not harming anyone until Asajj shows up to fuck their whole shit up... And like I get people can change a lot growing up but...... come on, you don’t have time to take me through such a radical change in personality, this is a short story! Or maybe these bullies have nothing to do with his brothers. (There’s another brother mentioned as a “weakling”? Is THAT Savage? But then Savage is definitely Force sensitive and not a weakling.... is it Feral? Why mention weakling brother if we don’t get enough information on him to place him or have him do enough to affect the story? AUGH!)  And there’s the line, “their mother had been taken from them”.... So nightsisters grow up with nightbrothers? What? Is this keeper brother Viscus? What is going on? What insanity is this?

This is what I mean by ignoring canon. Dathomir is presented as a society violently segregated by gender. You never see any young boys with the nightsisters or any young girls with the nightbrother. For all intents and purposes they all live apart until Violent Breeding Ritual of Rapey Undertones ensues. Any story where you want Maul to be raised at least partially by Talzin must account for this segregation and in that sense you don’t actually... need.... the bullies.... they are kind of superfluous.... You have a whole caste system beating down on babyMaul and his mother wanting to keep him besides her. But then once more you have to account for olderMaul remembering nothing of this. Which okay, fair enough, Savage seems not to remember either. Neither of them seem to be scared or even wary of women... though by all means Savage should definitely be....

I just think it was a good plot with a weak setup that ignored a super useful canon setting and does not account for Maul remembering nothing of all of this! 

When considering all of this I wonder if the most interesting explanation is that Maul did spend enough time in Dathomir to remember but he does not from sheer trauma. I think adult Maul seems to depend on Sidious a lot but... he also seems a lot more... I’m not going to say rebellious, but I’ll say “aware” than Anakin. He goes behind Sidious’s back much more than Vader and is way more resentful of his position as a subordinate (and ready to lord his masterdom over Savage as soon as he gets it... but.... harmlessly.....like siths but for babies, babysiths).

Maybe the more interesting view is to think that Maul remembers nothing and it is only upon encountering Savage and Talzin that, little by little, he begins to remember pieces of it. It would explain his sudden loyalty to Talzin. It would explain his desire for a long forgotten name that Sidious never gave him... it would explain... a lot...

[tricksters-captain]

Weasley Twins/Cedric Diggory Imagines - Accidental Meeting - Part 4

AN: As you read this take into consideration that things are changed from the books/movie plots in order to fit my storyline together. This chapter is quite short but I’ll have another up soon!!

Overall Summary: (Y/n), is a young witch who always kept her head down due to her complicated past; one day she bumps quite literally into one of the most popular boys in Hogwarts, Cedric Diggory, and that’s when (Y/n)’s plan of keeping her head down seems to go up into the air. Things only seem to worsen when two redheaded twins start to take notice too...

This Chapter: Remus tries to talk to (y/n) about her Boggart experience but  when news is out that Sirius Black is inside the castle there are other problems at hand...

(MASTERLIST HERE)

Pairing(s): Cedric Diggory x Reader, (Eventual) George Weasley x Reader, (Platonic) Fred Weasley x Reader, (Platonic) Oliver Wood x Reader

Word Count: 2,606

Warnings: Some language, angst 

Lupin guided you to his office, his arm comfortingly wrapped around you still. 

He offered you a seat and a glass of water which you took. 

“Now, (y/n), I’ll admit I was curious to see what the boggart would turn into for you but I didn’t expect to see what I did.” Lupin confessed, sitting on the edge of his desk as he folded his hands on his lap. 

“What? My mother?” You scoffed, taking a sip of the cool water. 

“Not exactly.” Remus’s eyes flickered from his hands up to your face. “I believe that what you fear is not your mother or your father, (y/n). I believe you fear becoming like them.” 

“Excuse me?” You were taken back by the professors bold confession. 

“The boggart may have taken the shape of your mother but it was very clear that the arm that the boggart reached towards you with was the arm that usually bares the dark mark.” Remus started to explain his theory. “I may be new (y/n), but I do hear the whispers that go around the students. Now, your parents were very impressive dark wizards and they did terrible things but just because you are their blood, does not mean you are like them.”

“It’s easy enough to say that but people don’t understand. They hear my name and all I see is fear.”

“You are in charge of your own path, things may happen that will change things sometimes but at the end of the day, when it all comes down to it, you are who you choose to be.” Remus’ words only passed through your head, you were still too shaken from the experience to really absorb his advice. 

“May I be excused, sir?” You didn’t know how to respond to his previous speech and wanted to just be alone for a little while. 

“Think about what I said.” Remus opened his office door for you, leaning on it as he waited for you to walk out. “Your parents are far away from here, don’t let them control your life, (y/n).”

You sent the professor a forced smile as you left. 

You didn’t want to be around anyone which didn’t exactly help as everywhere you could go people would be; the common room, your dorm, the library etc. 

“Miss Seyler!” McGonagall’s voice echoed down the staircase as she saw you start to descend them. “Miss Seyler, may I have a word?” 

You slowed and waited for your head of house to reach you. 

“What can I do for you, professor?” You asked her politely even though you just wanted to run off across the grounds to avoid any more confrontation. 

“It’s not what you can do for me, Miss Seyler, it’s what can I do for you...” She corrected you, “I heard about the incident in class with the boggart from one of your fellow students and I wanted to know if you’d like me to speak with the other professors about talking to the students and telling them to stop discussing your kin?” 

You knew she meant well but the last thing you needed was for students to think you were weak and pathetic by getting the teachers to practically ban any talk about your parents.  

“Honestly, Professor, it wasn’t that great of a deal. I’m fine.” You tried to convince her but her glasses shifted on her nose as she scrunched her brow in disbelief. 

“Miss Seyler, now I know you prefer to keep your head down and out of things but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that your fellow students are talking about you, spreading false rumours and if I’m being honest almost scaring the younger years and I won't have it.” McGonagall confessed. 

“Professor, whilst I appreciate the fact you care about what’s happening. I’m sure it won’t be long until somebody else takes the limelight for a little while. Most likely, Harry Potter and his two friends.” You were trying to sound positive but you weren’t sure it was working. 

“I’m going to discuss this with Albus and mark my words, Miss Seyler, this bullying will not be tolerated.” And with that McGonagall excused herself. 

You audibly groaned at the thought of Dumbledore suggesting that students should be told not to discuss your family but you had some relief in knowing that Dumbledore would be the last person to stop people having conversations especially about people they should be worried about like your parents and the Dark Lord. 

You watched McGonagall rush down the stairs most likely to try and grab Dumbledore before supper. 

You tightened your grip on your book bag as you decided where was the safest place to avoid people for the next couple hours and you settled on one of the archways near the schools entrance. No one would be leaving the castle with supper so close and it was a weekday so students would have to return to their common rooms afterwards to study for the evening.

You swiftly found a place inside an arch, pulling out your uncles letter and reading it again. 

You sighed, lowering the letter as you thought about your uncle and the stress he must be under at home all alone. You looked out across the grounds as the wind softly blowed past you, it was cold with it being the end of October but you weren't bothered too much by it as the arch sheltered you somewhat.

The smells from the kitchens and great hall filled the wind and made your stomach rumble. You knew you’d have to dig into your stash of treats later on and possibly harass Wood for some of his trunk full of snacks.

 As you scanned across the grounds, you spotted a large black dog off to the side of the school.

You thought it must've been one of Hagrid's new adoptions but Hagrid was no where to be seen. 

You watched it sneak along a wall until it stopped and looked towards you. 

You knew it was looking directly at you. You could feel it. 

The black dog narrowed its eyes at you before slipping round a corner and disappearing. 

A strange shiver rolled down your spine but you shrugged it off as you tucked your letter away and pulled out one of your potions books. 

“Blimey, Miss Seyler, what are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be in the great hall for supper like everyone else?” Hagrid’s voice brought you from your book and as you looked towards the clock tower you saw you had been sat there for an hour already. 

“Guess I just got sucked into my book.” You lied, you didn’t need to tell him you didn’t want to be in supper. 

“Well, you best run along, it’s getting dark out. Don’t wanna be getting into trouble now.” Hagrid gestured towards the sunset and you gathered your things to do as he said. 

“Hagrid?” You suddenly remembered the large black dog, “Do you have another dog? Besides Fang?” 

“No, why?” Hagrid shook his bushy head, 

“Its just I saw a large black dog on the grounds earlier. I just thought he was yours.” You explained, pointing to where you saw it. 

“It’s prob’ly a creature from the forrest, I suspect. Sometimes, they get too close to the castle, I’m sure Dumbledore will sort it out if it happens again.” Hagrid didn't seem too bothered by the news so you felt more relaxed at the sighting. 

“Okay, see you later, Professor.” 

“I’m still not used to the sound of that.” Hagrid beamed as you bid him goodbye.

As you went further into the castle you could hear the chatter and footsteps of students leaving supper so you just took yourself back to the common room. 

When you started to climb the stairs, you noticed some kind of backlog. 

“What's going on?” Harry Potter stood in front of you with his friendship group. 

“Probably Neville forgot the password again.” Ron grumbled, 

“Hey.”Neville Longbottom spoke up from behind the boys.

“Oh, you're there.” Ron didn’t exactly apologise for the remark.

“Let me through, please. Excuse me! I'm Head Boy! Get back, all of you. No one is to enter this dormitory until it's been searched.” Percy Weasley announced from the top of the stairs by the common room entrance.

“The Fat Lady! She's gone!” Ginny Weasley, the twins youngest sibling, rushed through the crowd to tell Ron, Harry and Hermione. 

“Serves her right. She was a terrible singer.” Ron remarked, 

“It's not funny, Ron.” Hermione scolded him. 

“Keep calm, everyone.  Be quiet.” Percy continued shouting above all the muttering. 

“Excuse me.” Dumbledore passed you as Percy announced his arrival. 

“Make way. The headmaster's here.” 

You watched the headmaster reach the top of the stairs to see the painting was torn and the fat lady really was missing. 

“Mr. Filch? Round up the ghosts. Tell them to search every painting in the castle to find the Fat Lady.” Dumbledore told Filch as Filch clung onto his cat, scanning around at the surrounding paintings. 

“There's no need for ghosts, Professor. The Fat Lady's there.” Filch found her quickly as he pointed up the wall. 

There was a sudden commotion of people rushing to see followed by Dumbledore dodging his way through students to reach her. 

“Dear lady, who did this to you?” Dumbledore asked as she hid behind a hippo in a safari painting. 

“Eyes like the devil, he's got, and a soul as dark as his name. It's him, headmaster. The one they all talk about. He's here, somewhere in the castle!” She rambled, still frightened out of her wits. “Sirius Black!” 

The name sent ripples through the surrounding students as they began to panic. 

“Secure the castle, Mr. Filch. The rest of you, to the Great Hall.” Dumbledore summoned all students to the great hall. 

“There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you.” Oliver grabbed hold of your arm as he squeezed his way through some third years in the great hall. 

“I was––”

“Silence! Now, as you may have heard, Sirius Black has been sighted inside the castle. Now, the castle is going to be searched by the staff but for now, I wish all students to remain in here until further notice.” Dumbledore waved his wand and all the benches began to stack themselves to the side as a stack of sleeping bags and pillows piled in the corner. 

“Guess we are spending the night in here.” One of the third years whispered to their friends. 

“No one shall leave this hall unattended. Anyone who requires the use of the bathrooms will be accompanied by a teacher or prefect.” Dumbledore finished his announcement before leaving the great hall with Snape, McGonagall and Filch.

You noticed Percy and Penelope had taken it upon themselves to start handing out the sleeping bags and pillows so you and Oliver got in line for one. 

“Why weren’t you at dinner this evening?” Oliver didn’t waste any time with the questions. 

“Something happened, I didn’t feel like being surrounded by gossip.” You muttered to him, keeping your voice low so no one could eavesdrop. 

“I heard something about––” 

“––Can we not discuss it right now?” You cut the boy short, sending him a look of warning. 

You took your bedding and made your way over to a space in the hall. 

You pretended not to notice the small gatherings of people discussing both your classroom incident and Sirius Black from each corner of the hall. 

“Are you actually going to tell me what’s going on with you or do I have to get the twins to annoy you so much you have to come and talk to me?” Oliver cocked his eyebrows at you as he laid his sleeping bag down and sat on top of it. 

“It’s a long story.” You sighed, doing the same.

“Well, it looks like we are gonna be here all night so I’d start talking now.” 

You were thankful you still had your book bag with you as you dug through it and pulled out Demetrius’ letter. 

“Well I guess we’ll start with the beginning of the day.” You handed him the letter so he could read it whilst you eyed around the hall to make sure no one was paying too much attention to the two of you. 

“He thinks your parents could escape? Do you think the Ministry could be hiding something from him?” Oliver whispered, handing back the letter. 

“I’m not sure. He’s always been paranoid but it doesn’t seem quite right. I feel like they could be lying about their new security being so high.” You put the letter away quickly before anyone could spot it or someone nosey like Snape.

You quietened down when the twins came over with several other Gryffindor boys to join you and Wood. 

You were thankful you had a book with you so you could ignore anymore conversations. You didn’t want to think about Sirius Black or how he even got into the castle in the first place. It only made you feel more nervous. 

As the hours passed, the chatter died down and soon the snoring started. 

You lied beside Oliver, both of you still awake but tucked into your sleeping bags. 

“I heard about the boggart.” Wood whispered, moving onto his side to face you.  

You pursed your lips into a thin line and sighed quietly, moving onto your side to do the same. 

“It was her. My mother.” You whispered back, “It seemed so real.”

“That’s why they’re scary bastards but it was just a boggart.” Oliver reassured you. 

“I know. Professor Lupin spoke to me after I ran out of the room. He was telling me something about how I shouldn’t listen to what everyone says about me being like them. He told me the boggart wasn’t even my mother but the fear of being like her.” You leant closer to Olivers pillow to speak as the light snores of surrounding students weren’t quite loud enough to hide your discussion.

“And what do you think?” Oliver asked, 

“I don’t know. I just know I never want to see her in front of me again.” You confessed, your eyes growing dark with anger and concern. 

“You won’t have to.” Oliver tried to say confidently but after Sirius Black, who really knew what could happen. 

Both yours and Olivers heads turned when one of the doors opened, letting in the light from the corridor outside. 

You spotted Cedric guiding some first year out of the hall and towards the bathroom. You almost forgot he was a prefect.

“You know what I also heard today?” Oliver had more amusement in his voice now. 

“What?” You whispered, turning your head back to face him. 

“I heard that Diggory walked you to charms earlier. I also heard you two were tucked away privately in a corner of the library.” Oliver wiggled his eyebrows at you and you reached across to pinch him. 

Oliver hissed, rubbing his arm before laughing quietly at your actions.

“He’s not who I would pick for you but at least, he’s a good quidditch player, I’ll give him that.” Oliver’s comment made you roll over with a quiet groan. 

“Who said you even get any say in who I choose to spend time with?” You whispered over your shoulder. 

“Well I am your closest friend after all.” Wood swiftly replied. You couldn’t help but know that was the truth. 

“Goodnight Oliver.” You didn’t want to admit he was right so you ended the conversation there. 

NEXT PART

Tag List 

@viirgobbyy​ @itsfangirlmendes​ @obsessedunicorn24​ @rye-li​ @thealienplace​

[oss-crime]

Chapter 2-Project “Ma” –Eve–; Scene 6

Original Sin Story: Crime, pages 56-69

One of the cities that made up the Twelve Royal Capitals was the city of Asmouse.

This town, managed by senate member Ceci Vaju, was the place where the historical backing of the Twelve Royal Capitals was most pronounced.

The people who had once began the excavation of the god’s legacy in this area—Senator Vaju was a descendant of theirs, and he was also a very passionate researcher of artifacts.

Fumbling for a way to more effectively utilize these artifacts, Senator Vaju founded the Royal Research Institute in Asmouse with permission from the previous queen. He entrusted the position of first director to a friend who shared his passion, Horus Solntse.

As their initial goal implied, the Royal Research Institute’s research wound up contributing greatly to the development of Leviantan engineering, weaponry, and living wares. The artifacts could be made to work with magical power, but Horus and the other researchers progressively discovered more effective operating procedures, and brought yet more glory to the Magic Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Senator Vaju and Horus also used the institute to pursue a different avenue of research.

That was “to deliberately create people who have strong magical abilities”. In other words, it was to make a candidate for the next queen be born under the domain of Senator Vaju, and was also necessary research for him to obtain the position of the next senate head.

But that research had proved to be much rougher going than anticipated, and Horus had passed away from illness before they could achieve any results.

Horus had an adopted son named Adam, and he was, too, a skilled scientist. For that reason he was hired on by Senator Vaju as the new head of the institute, and he also inherited their research—the “Next Queen Project”.

--That “Next Queen Project” had now changed its name to “Project Ma”, and was proceeding under the supervision of Head Senator Miroku.

.

…Most of that was inconsequential to Eve.

The important thing was the fact that Eve was, at present, the strongest candidate they had for “Ma”.

Not having much interest in science herself, Eve could only conclude that the Royal Research Institute was a cold, unappealing place.

“Wish I could have had a more comfortable chair.”

Adam gave a slightly troubled smile at Eve’s complaint, handing her a cup with a liquid in it.

“We’ll give that a fix the next time we’re making a device to test magical ability. But for right now this is all we’ve got…Well, anyway, give this is a drink if you like.”

“…What’s this?”

“It’s a drink called coffee. It’s not spread much outside the capital, so it’s understandable if you’ve never heard of it.”

With Eve’s mood souring more under the impression that she was being made fun of as a country hick, she brought the brown liquid to her lips.

“—It smells good. But it’s a little bitter.”

“It’s got a lot of milk and sugar in it. Drinking it should help you calm down a bit.”

“I think I’d be a lot calmer if I could get these wires off my arms and legs.”

“We need them to get an accurate reading of your magic. …It’ll take a little bit of time, so please try to be patient.”

The measuring device they’d used in the village of Nemu was a simpler, portable model.

Though, it wasn’t the fault of that device that they hadn’t gotten an accurate result back then.

“That spoon…is also extremely curious to me, as a scientist,” Adam said, brandishing the blue spoon that Eve used instead of a staff.

“At a glance it looks like a normal, bland item….But it can increase or decrease the magical ability of its owner at will. In other words it can amplify magic and also temporarily put a seal on it—”

“My mother gave it to me.”

“Did she make it?”

“I don’t know. I never learned that.”

“This might also be a legacy piece…Well, we’ll deal with that later.”

Adam set the spoon on a nearby table, and then drew closer to a large box that was next to the chair Eve was sitting in.

“Well, let’s get started.”

He pushed up a lever that was attached to the box.

Suddenly feeling slightly dizzy, Eve fell back a bit in the chair.

“I’m…a bit nauseous.”

“It’ll go away. We have to check to see if that powerful spell you used in the forest…was because of the spoon, or your own magical ability.”

“How…long will it take?”

“Hmm…About an hour, I think.”

“That long!?”

“It’s not like you have to keep perfectly still the whole time. Though you can’t leave the chair. You can drink coffee, or if you’re hungry I can bring you something to eat.”

“Then—” After looking up at the ceiling for a moment, Eve continued, “Can I talk?”

“With me? …Of course, I don’t mind.”

“Then…I want you to tell me something.”

“What is it?”

“About the ‘Witch of Merrigod’.”

Adam’s expression stiffened. “Why would you want to—”

“She’s the one who murdered the father who raised me. Isn’t it only natural that I would want to know about her?”

“What will you do with this information?”

“…Not sure.”

Eve herself didn’t know the answer to that question.

But—

“I can’t just go on not knowing.”

“…”

“Assuming I’ll become queen someday, I mean.”

“…I see. Yes, perhaps…so.” After gazing fixedly at Eve’s face, Adam steeled himself and then started to talk. “The ‘Witch of Merrigod’—Meta Salmhofer was originally an ‘Ma’ candidate.”

“You told me that earlier. But you said she was discarded for being cruel?”

“Yes. If you go southeast of the capital—far, far further east than the village of Nemu where you live, there is a place called Merrigod Plateau. That area is a dangerous region, used as a stronghold by a certain group.”

“…You mean the ‘red devotees’?”

“No, to be accurate those are little more than a single unit of this group. The name for them as a whole—is ‘Apocalypse’. There are some people who say they’re a simple crew of bandits, and there are others who caution that they’re an anti-social organization that seeks to overthrow the kingdom.”

According to Adam, not even the royal capital’s information bureau knew the true situation.

“What we do know is that the leader of Apocalypse is named ‘Pale Noel’. And that he and Meta are lovers.”

“Pale Noel…”

“His age, his appearance…all of it is unknown. Actually, we don’t even know if he’s really a man. Whatever the case, she’s this person’s girlfriend. We needed to exercise extreme caution even to go see them.”

At the time, Adam, Seth, and a few other researchers had gone to Merrigod Plateau with a peacekeeping force led by Gammon following along.

“But…that was a mistake.”

Adam heaved a great sigh.

“We just ended up provoking them. As a result…a small war broke out on Merrigod Plateau. Though that wasn’t what we scientists had intended at all.”

“But that wasn’t the case with the peacekeeping force and Apocalypse…Right?”

“Indeed. Gammon is always looking for glory. It’s like he’s a big bundle of ambition. Even more so after he became the head of the peacekeeping forces. He likely figured he could use his position as bodyguard to crush Apocalypse.”

But his plan ended in failure.

“Meta is an ‘Inheritor of Gilles’. She controlled the soldiers of the peacekeeping force with her power, and they all started firing at each other. Even us researchers, who they were supposed to be guarding, got caught up in it….We had heavy losses. That’s why the institute is still completely understaffed.”

Eve had come along to the institute with Adam, but now that he mentioned it she realized that she hadn’t seen anyone else up to coming to this room.

“How…many scientists survived?”

Adam spread his arms in a grandiose gesture and replied, “Don’t be surprised. Just me and Seth! Though this facility wasn’t very heavily staffed to begin with.”

“I see…How awful.”

Eve had the home where she’d lived destroyed by Meta.

But Adam too had had his friends murdered.

“Yes…Some of them I got along with quite well, and some I frankly didn’t much care for. But none of them deserved to die like that.”

On seeing Adam’s bitter expression, Eve was reminded of her own grief.

“Hey…Just what is an ‘Inheritor of Gilles’ exactly?” she asked, trying to change the mood.

“R-right…An ‘inheritor’ is, well…To put it simply, it’s someone with ‘supernatural powers’.”

“’Supernatural powers’? Unlike magic?”

“In this country there are people who possess ‘special powers’ different from magical power. For example…the white army. We know from our reports that clan has the power of ‘Inheritors of Salem’, able to wield fire.”

“I see…So that was it.”

Eve had always thought that the white army’s usage of fire was through magic, but it appeared this wasn’t the case.

“Among the white army there are people who are magically impotent—that is, they were born without any ability to use magic at all. And yet despite that they are able to use their fire powers just the same as their fellows. …Though I’ve heard that research into the fundamental theory behind it hasn’t progressed very far at present.”

“Is that research conducted here?”

“No. Research into ‘inheritors’ is the purview of Lighwatch Temple. Sir Yegor Asayev, the head priest, is the expert on it.”

“Wow…”

“So, honestly I don’t actually know that much about ‘Inheritors’. Just that they’re divided up into categories by ability, like ‘Gilles’ and ‘Salem’, and that those are based on the names of the god kin—”

At that moment, the box set next to Eve—the magical ability measuring device, started to faintly shake.

“Hey…Is this working okay?”

Eve pointed to the box.

“Hm? …Oh, that’s fine,” Adam replied, gazing at the symbols that popped up onto the box’s screen. “Would you like some more coffee?” he asked her, turning around and noticing that Eve’s cup was empty.

It was a peculiar drink; Eve didn’t find it all that tasty, and yet she kept bringing it to her lips for some reason.

“Yes, please…But before that, one more question.”

“What is it?”

“…Why did Meta go after my father?”

“…That I don’t know.”

His eyes looked somewhat shifty.

Still, Eve couldn’t tell if Adam was playing dumb or not.

“Well then, a different question.”

“You’ve quite a lot of those. I actually have a lot of things I want to ask you, you know.”

“What does the royal capital…or rather, the military, plan to do about Apocalypse?”

“What do you me—”

“They’ve killed a lot of people, right? The people of the village of Nemu, and the people from this institute…’Sin must be punished’…Even I know the laws of this country.”

“…”

Adam took the cup from Eve and left the room without a word.

--In hardly any time at all, he had returned once more with a cup full of fresh coffee.

“Here you go. I put in more milk than last time.”

“Thanks.”

“…They are to keep careful watch over Apocalypse—That is what the military…or rather, the senate, decided.”

“--! Why!?”

“At present, Apocalypse has done no damage to the Twelve Royal Capitals. For the kingdom, the white army and the others are little more than barbarians at their border. The capital’s protection would be imperiled if they moved their security forces against them any further than they have.”

“So you’re saying that as long as the royal capital is alright, it doesn’t matter what happens to the others?”

“…I’m just a mere scientist. What I’ve told you now is just what I’ve heard from Gammon.”

Even if he was involved in a project of great importance to the country, he wasn’t in any position to say much more on the government outside of that—That’s likely what he meant.

Eve could tell that.

She could, but…

“That’s unreasonable. The ruler of a country needs to understand the suffering of its people…I think now I understand why my father hated politics,” Eve muttered, frustrated.

“…”

Adam looked upon Eve in silence for a short while, but eventually he shifted his gaze to the measuring device.            

Then he took up the piece of paper and quill set on the desk and started to write something down.

--Midway through his work, Adam said, still not looking at Eve, “In that case…You should become the ruler.”

“…”

“It seems you have the qualifications for it.”

“So you mean…I can become queen? Has it come up with a result?”

“No, it’s still measuring, but…At this point I’m already seeing some impressive numbers. I think…your magical ability is much higher than that of your father.”

Even so.

No matter how gifted she was, Eve was still just a simple girl who knew nothing of governance.

Would anything change by someone like her becoming queen?

--Appearing to sense her anxiety, Adam set down the paper and quill and drew close to her.

“It’ll be fine, I know it.”

“…”

“I’m sure you can do it.”

“Can I do anything alone?”

“You’re not alone.”

“My father is dead. And the people of my village are gone. I don’t have anyone—"

“—You have me.”

Adam clasped Eve’s hands in his own.

…She couldn’t bring herself to brush aside the warmth in them.

“Do you dislike me?” Adam asked.

“…If I did, I wouldn’t be cooperating with all this…But, what about you?”

Adam had gotten close with Eve just because she might have had strong magic.

She was just a candidate for queen to him.

That was surely the reason for him being so kind to her like this—

“I wouldn’t be trying to have someone I disliked selected as queen,” Adam said plainly. “You’re an enchanting woman. I’ve thought so since the first time I met you.”

“…Didn’t you stab at me with a sword at first?”

Adam burst out laughing at Eve’s reply. “Pfff…Ah haha, that’s true. Please forgive me for that. I was desperate back then.”

“Are you good with a sword?”

“I’ve only learned enough to defend myself…Ah yes, speaking of swords.”

Adam shifted his gaze to a sword that sat in the corner of the room.

“We ended up bringing that over here.”

It was Raisa’s sword, the one that Gammon had thrown to him in the forest.

“It’s an unusual shape…Its current owner is currently in prison. Not much point in returning it.”

“Raisa is…alive?”

“Just barely. Though even if her wounds are healed, thinking on what she’s done…She’s not likely to avoid an execution.”

“…”

It wasn’t just Raisa.

The Witch of Merrigod Meta, and Pale Noel.

In this world, so much—

Evil had spread.

Even if Eve continued to fire lightning as the “Witch of the Forest”, she could never get rid of it all.

It was impossible for one person.

She would need—much more power.

And for that…

Eve chewed her lip.

.

--As though to mock the resolve that had begun to sprout in Eve’s heart, several days later something happened.

Raisa, the white fiend of Jakoku, escaped from prison.

There was no way that she could have accomplished this herself, being near death.

It was likely that an outside person with influence had pulled some strings.

.

Meanwhile, the magical potential measurement result…was suitable for queen candidacy, just as Adam had predicted.

Her M count was over 350…Eve didn’t know how much exactly, but at the very least it was more than enough to secure the agreement of both Adam and the senate.

And with that result, Eve could smoothly become queen—or so she had thought.

<<prev------directory------next>>

[ak47stylegirl]

Little brothers do what they have to do.

Okay, I had this scene in my head for a while now, and I just need to get it out, so I hope you guys enjoy this snippet 😄 (Also this is why I been so silent today, I been writing lol 😅)

---

Alan pov

He laid on one of the sunken lounges, already carded in his pyjamas, his leg bouncing every so often as he watched YouTube gaming channel videos on his tablet.

"Don't you think it's time you get to bed, young man?" Grandma asked, standing behind him with her arms crossed, looking at him with a raised eyebrows. "It's past your bedtime..."

"Five more minutes, please?" He gave her the puppy eyes, his blue eyes wide as can be, "this video is almost finished anyway, just five more minutes...pretty please?"

His grandma hummed disapprovingly but nodded, saying "five minutes only..." as she walked over to Dad's desk, opening a comm to thunderbird five. "How are the boys, John?"

"Virgil and Gordon are still dealing with at tanker, but they should be finished soon..." John reported, his attention slightly divided as he multi-tasked, his hands flying across multiple screens. 

But there was something in John's voice, an undercurrent that made him pause his video and listen in.

"And Scott?" Grandma asked tensely, having heard the same undertone in John's voice. 

And now that he thinks about it, he knew what it was. It was worry, but why was John worried? he thought as he straightens up, his eyes locked onto John's hologram.

John grimaced, "He's on his way home now but...the mission didn't go to plan, there were casualties..." John glanced over at him and lowered his voice, but he could still hear him, "one of them was a kid, about Alan's age..."

"Oh, dear..." Grandma gasped softly, gripping the desk lightly. "Is Scotty okay?"

The same question ran through his mind as he stared at John, his video wholly forgotten. Was Scott okay? He had to be okay, right?

"Scott's isn't answering his comms, Grandma..." John sighed tiredly, running a hand across his face. "He's still on course, he should be home in fifth teen minutes, but other than that I...I don't know..." 

John typed something on a screen, before looking at grandma again, his green blue eyes filled with worry, "He never takes losing children well and this kid, well-" John lowered his voice again, "-to add insult to injury, he looked like Alan..."

He felt an electrical change run down his spine, as he realised exactly what John was saying, tuning out the rest of the conversation. 

Scott wasn't okay, not even a little bit, he thought to himself, his eyes wide with worried and a good dose of fear, because this was his big brother they were talking about here. 

He didn't think he was going to get much sleep tonight...

Not unless he did something, he thought as his eyes filled with determination, a plan coming to mind.

He may be the little brother in the equation, but that doesn't mean he couldn't help in his own way, and maybe what he was planning was just what Scott needed.

---

Okay, this was going to be trickier than he thought, he thought as he laid in bed, pretending to be asleep. Instantly after Grandma's conversation with John had ended, she has herded him up to bed. 

So, here he was pretending to be asleep, waiting for Grandma to come and check on him before he could sneak down to thunderbird one's hanger.

He heard his door creak open, and then after a couple of tense minutes, close. 

He waited a couple of minutes before opening his eyes and getting up, making his way to his bedroom door on his tippy toes. He peeked outside his door, finding the hallway clear of people, and he took that as his cue to keep moving.

He was just about to enter the comms room when he heard Grandma's voice coming closer, freezing in place briefly before backtracked up the stairs slightly, hiding out of sight. 

He held his breath as Grandma passed him, not noticing his hiding spot as she made her way down to the kitchen.

He didn't dare breathe a sigh of relief until he was standing inside Scott's launch lift, having to jump to reach the lamp poles.

He activated the lift to take him down to thunderbird one's hanger, disabling the suit up function. There were easier ways of getting down to thunderbird one's hanger, but he would have to go down to the kitchen level, and that would be nearly impossible with Grandma down there. 

He was surprised John hasn't appeared yet to scold and ask him why on earth was he using Scott's lift.

But he wasn't going to call John up and ask him why, because one that would be stupid and two, he was going to take John's silence as the blessing it was. 

If he had timed everything right, Scott should be home in five or so minutes, so all he needed to do now was wait and hope he wasn't caught before Scott got back, he thought with a sigh, sitting down on the floor, facing the area where thunderbird one would rest while not in use.

He could wait...

---

He must have dozed off for a minute or two because the next thing he knew thunderbird one was pulling onto her hanger and the launch platform was extending out to meet Scott.

He stood up and watched as Scott dismounted, his uniform dirty and filthy, but it was the truly drained, sorrow-filled look on Scott's face that took his breath away.

Scott looked like hell; he thought, biting his lip, tears gathering in his eyes. Scott's eyes filled with confusion and concern as he spotted him, stepping off the platform. "Alan? What ar-"

He launched himself at Scott, wrapping his arms around Scott's waist and clung on tight. He felt and heard Scott gasp in surprise and maybe something else. 

A second later Scott was hugging him back just as tightly, perhaps even more so. Scott's face was buried in his hair, his big brother trembling slightly as he held him, like he was scared to let go.

He felt more tears gather in his eyes at the thought. He didn't realise how badly seeing Scott like this would affect him...but he really should have known, Scott was the closest thing he had to a father and what child wanted or was okay with seeing their parent in this sort of state?

But maybe he could make these emotions work in his favour, he thought with a muffled sob, pulling away from Scott. 

He didn't know what exactly happened on Scott's mission, but he knew Scott had lost a kid, a kid that had looked like him and if he knew his big brother as well as he thought he did, 'What if that kid had been Alan?' would have been on his mind all the way home.

There was no way he would leave his big brother alone tonight, Scott needed him close, even if big brother would never outright say it. So he had to go about it in a way where Scott thought he was helping him, not the other way around...

"What the matter, sweetheart?" Scott asked, bending down slightly, so they were eye level, his tired eyes filled with concern. Even when Scott was barely holding himself together, he had the strength to care for them, for him. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

He hated what he was going to do next, lying to his big brother just felt wrong, even if it was for a good reason.

"I...I had a-" He sniffled, roughly rubbing at his nose with his palm. "-a nightmare, can...can I spend the night with you?" He brought out the tried and tested puppy eyes; his tear-filled eyes make it ten times more effective.

Scott's eyes softened, "Of course..."

---

He sat on the bench in the change rooms, idly swinging his legs as Scott took a much-needed shower. He hadn't been technically entirely lying to Scott, because seeing that look on Scott's face was almost kin to having a nightmare, except while he was awake. 

He looked up as Scott came out of his change room, rubbing his hair with a towel, wearing an old shirt and pyjamas pants. Scott's eyes were filled with anxious energy as he looked around the room, his big brother only relaxing when he spotted him.

He jumped up and latched himself to Scott's side as he spotted that brief fear in Scott's eyes. He pressed himself against his brother in a side hug, cheek resting against Scott's chest. He could hear Scott's heart still beating faster than normal, the hidden fear not so hidden.

Scott gave him a small, slightly concern, smile, looping an arm around him, gripping him tightly. "Come on, let's get you, and me to bed..." Scott whispered, his voice only shaking a little bit as he leads him over to the lift that would take them to the upper levels.

He had a mental facepalm moment as they stepped into the lift and Scott hit the button for their bedroom floor. Why didn't he just take the main lift instead of Scott's launch? It would have made avoiding Grandma or getting busted by John nearly obsolete. 

If he could facepalm right now without giving himself away, he would be.

"What's the matter, kiddo?" Scott asked, looking down at him. His realisation must have shown on his face, not good. He didn't want to tell Scott how he had used his launch tube to get down to thunderbird one's hanger, that was sure to get him in trouble.

"Nothing..." He mumbled, snuggling deeper into Scott's side.

Scott raised an eyebrow, but decided to it wasn't worth it, especially at this time of night, "You're very cuddly tonight..." Scott mused softly as he nudged him forward and into his bedroom. "You're sure you're okay?" Scott laid the back of his hand against his forehead, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

He shook Scott's hand off as he flopped down onto Scott's bed, crawling to the side of the bed. "I heard that your mission went badly..." He mumbled, giving Scott a half-truth, looking up at Scott with sad puppy eyes. "It scared me..."

The skin around Scott's eyes creased, "That wasn't what your nightmare was about, was it?" Scott asked as he laid down next to him, pulling him close, shifting the blankets of they covered both of them.

He didn't answer, because one, he felt terrible about lying about having a nightmare, and two his 'nightmare' in a way was precisely that. That exhausted, drained, anxious look on Scott's face, the way that even now Scott was clinging to him, afraid that he'll disappear if he let go. 

It was worse than a nightmare...

His silence must have been enough for Scott because he felt himself being pulled closer. "Oh sweetie, I'm alright..." Scott whispered, kissing his hairline. "I'm right here..."

"Then I'm alright too..." he whispered, unable to stop himself but Scott needed to hear it. He looked up at Scott, his eyes filled with love for his big brother. "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere..." He snuggled deeper into Scott's chest, wrapping his arms around Scott's middle.

"I...." He felt Scott startle slightly, before relaxing, "-yeah, yeah you are..." Scott wrapped himself around him, burying his face into his hair as he held him close in an embrace. "Thank you..."

---

No one's pov

Grandma Tracy stood in the doorway of her eldest grandson's room, taking in the sight in front of her. Both youngest and eldest entangled in an embrace, both sleeping peacefully when, in reality, one of them really shouldn't be...

Grandma smiled, taking a photo for the family photo album.  

"Good job, kid..."

She left them to sleep, closing the door behind her with a secretive, proud smile. "Good job..."

[bondsmagii]

Regarding what was lying in mom's bed three months after she had passed.

ARCHIVIST

Statement of Bonnie Jennings, regarding a discovery made in her mother’s bed three months after her mother’s death. Original statement given May 18, 2009. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London.

Statement begins.

ARCHIVIST (STATEMENT)

Mum and I… we weren’t close. That’s probably an understatement. I suppose the correct word for it is that we were estranged, but that’s always seemed far too gentle for my liking. If I’m being honest, Mum and I hated one another. I know you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but my mother was a difficult woman to get along with. She drove everybody away in the end, but not even in the tragic, oh, she can’t help it kind of way. No, she knew exactly what she was doing. She revelled in it, I think. Well, I know she did. I’m not sure what she got out of it, but she liked to… to hurt people, I guess. She got a kick out of it. She was never quick about it, never in-your-face, because that wasn’t fun for her. She was so insidious. She would draw it out, let it take its time, ensure you never had enough to directly confront her about it. She never had a kind word for anyone or anything, and especially not for me. You know, I absolutely hate it, because whenever I mention that my mother and I didn’t talk much people always assume it’s because of well, you know. Somebody like that, you don’t expect them to be accepting of these kinds of things, do you? They always assume I had the classic story of coming out and being booting into the street, but no. That’s just a tragic story that gets parcelled up and delivered out as sad little stories meant to tell everyone how brave we are, and how much we endure, and it always ends with a reconciliation or with us getting back on our feet, stronger for it. Really, that’s not what happens most often. Of course it still does, and I’m not denying that, but I think people need to talk more about the more subtle kind of dismissal we might face. When I told Mum I was trans, all she said was “alright”. That’s it. Just the one word. She didn’t want to know anything more about it, she didn’t want to ask what it meant. She was completely disinterested, but not even in the way that some parents might be – struggling to deal with the fact that they’ve lost a child or whatever crap they come out with. I’m charitable about it – I know it is a shock. I have a lot of trans friends with good relationships with their parents who reported that their parents did need some time just to get used to the idea, but I think that’s normal. When somebody has an idea of you and you tell them they’re wrong, and that you were never that person, it’s a shock. But Mum was so self-centred, so absorbed in her own existence, that she really didn’t care about anything or anyone else. It didn’t matter that her son was actually her daughter. It didn’t centre on her, so who cares? It was infuriating, because on the surface she looked like a model mother. She began using the correct name and pronouns immediately and didn’t slip up once. She advised me on clothing and hair and makeup and gave me beauty tips. She looked so supportive, but really it was just her controlling criticism repackaged. I think, in a sick way, she loved having a daughter. Now she was the expert, as the older woman, and she could boss me around and condescend to me even more. It was an absolute nightmare, but I’m not here to talk smack about my mum – even though I could quite happily do so all day. No, this is about what happened after she was dead and gone. You hear that? Dead. She’s dead, and she’s still causing me problems.

I hadn’t spoken to Mum for over a year when she passed. She never even told me she was sick. None of my business, I guess. It was just Mum and me growing up, and there was no extended family. As I said, Mum drove everyone away in the end. There was absolutely nobody there at all, and that’s why her body rotted in her house for months before anyone found her. She died in the winter, and it was so cold her body basically froze  – she never left the heating on a timer, always turned it on manually so she could have more control over the cost. It wasn’t until the weather started getting warmer that neighbours noticed all the flies on the window, realised they hadn’t seen Mum for a while. They called the police, the police broke in, and they found the putrid mess that used to be my mother. Pretty messed up, right? Somehow I was still her emergency contact, because I guess there was nobody else, and so the police called me and broke the news and I was shocked but not really that upset. I mean, that sounds bad, but she’s been dead to me for some time, you know? Really it was sort of nice to know she was actually dead, because grieving for a living person – especially a person you never really had – is a very complicated business. Now she was dead, I thought I could finally just close that chapter. Of course it’s never that easy.

As her next of kin, I was responsible for her… estate, I suppose. That sounds so grand considering it was just a small semi-detached in rural Lincolnshire, but little though it was, it was mine. She never made a will, as I found out when I expressed surprise she’d left me anything at all. She hadn’t actually bothered, so by default it had all gone to me. I was living in Peterborough at the time, and Mum’s house was only in Spalding, so we didn’t live that far apart at all. It didn’t take long for my then-boyfriend and I to get in the car and head down there to see what all we needed to do. I wasn’t interested in keeping the house for myself, because why would I want it? Not to mention Henry and I had been considering buying a place together – later, when he proposed to me, he confessed he had been planning to pop the question that weekend but then they had to go and find my mother’s corpse, which was kind of funny in a morbid way – so we figured if we could sell the place it might be good money to put towards our own first house. Of course, there was the small matter of trying to sell a house where somebody had died, but I figured it wouldn’t be that hard. It wasn’t a brutal murder or anything like that. If we could clean the place up nicely, I didn’t think it would matter too much.

Well, they hadn’t exactly told us how bad it was going to be. Did you know that the family are in charge of cleaning up a house after a death? I didn’t. I thought that would be something that would be covered, you know? By who I’m not sure, but I didn’t think it would be down to family members to scrub up blood and worse from the carpets or the walls or whatever. I at least thought the police would warn us, and maybe it just slipped their mind, but whatever happened or didn’t happen ended up with Henry and I walking into that house not knowing what to expect at all.

We soon got the idea. The stench was abysmal, even just walking up the garden path. Of course, the body itself had been taken care of, but a body that’s been laying in the house for three months leaves behind a lot of evidence, even if it did spend most of that time mostly frozen. Mum’s bedroom was just… it was a nightmare. Words cannot describe the stretch. Sweet and sticky and sickly; you can taste it more than you can smell it. Cloying. That’s the word that came to my mind. I always thought it was a stupid word, but in that moment I understood exactly what it meant. Cloying. I could feel it in my throat and in my nose, thick and viscous, like having a cold and needing to cough up phlegm. Thank God I hadn’t had anything to eat or I would have thrown up. Poor Henry wasn’t so lucky – though he just about made it to the bathroom. I suppose I’m just morbidly curious, because despite the stench I walked right in there, holding my cardigan over my nose. The covers were pulled right back from the bed and there was this incredible stain on the mattress, almost like a bruise in the way it faded into different colours and shades. Sort of like a bruise meeting a patch of rusted iron, black and deep red and dark purple and then lighter shades of brown and grey, all in the vague outline of a prone body at the darkest parts, spreading out like some messed up halo as it grew lighter. It was absolutely vile, but fascinating in its own way. At the very least, she had done us the favour of dying in the bed rather than on the floor, because the carpet would have been a lost cause. With this, I reckoned we could throw out the bed and everything on it, air the room out, and it would be good as new.

I needed a little fresh air myself, so I opened the windows wide and then went to see if Henry was alright. He was still retching pretty badly, so I snooped around the spare room a bit – nothing much to see, if I’m honest – and then decided to wait for him in the back garden, where I’d be able to take advantage of the breeze. I was sure I could smell that heavy stench clinging to my hair, and do you know for weeks afterwards I still thought I could smell it? It doesn’t come out, no matter how much you wash it. Anyway, I obviously glanced into Mum’s room on my way out, and immediately I saw something was wrong. The covers were all back on her bed.

Now, I know for a fact they weren’t there before, because I saw the big stain on the mattress. Now the covers were back in place, not tucked in or even overly neat, but definitely covering the bed and tossed around like somebody was curled up under them, asleep. Strangely I didn’t feel scared or even very confused. I kind of… stood there for a moment, wondering how I was seeing what I was seeing, and then quite quickly I just accepted that I was seeing it and there was nothing I could do about that, so I decided to check it out. It’s not something I would ordinarily do, I don’t think – I’m curious, but I’m not touch a bed covered in decomposing body juices curious – but for some reason I just walked in there and pulled back the covers. One fluid movement, like a mother trying to get her teenager up for school. I just yanked it back from the top, near the pillows, and then I finally felt the horror that should have come much sooner.

It was… maggots, obviously. They were everywhere, writhing around in a huge pile, twisting their way over the stain and out of the bedsheets and even crawling up my arm, where I was still holding the covers. I screamed and shook my arm frantically, sending maggots flying in all directions, and immediately they began making their way back to the mass on the bed. It was like there was some kind of gravitational pull dragging them back to that pile of wriggling, twitching creatures, and as I watched I became convinced there was some kind of method to their movements. They were arranging themselves, forming into a shape, and I only dragged my eyes away when Henry appeared in the doorway, looking alarmed. I realised then that I’d screamed, and I tried to play it down – in that moment I wasn’t overly surprised, now I’d had a second to think about it, because yeah, of course there are maggots. They like dead bodies, right? I guessed that after the body was removed there were probably a ton of them in the mattress itself that had wriggled up in search of food, though thinking about it again, I didn’t recall seeing any holes in the cover sheet or anything. I tried to calm down, but something drew my eyes back to the maggots – I think it was the way Henry was just staring at the bed, horrified in a way I’ve never seen before – and I saw that the maggots had… how do I even describe this?

They had sat up. They were sitting, and they were in the vague shape of a person. I could see a head, shoulders, the arms limply by the sides. There was a torso that joined on to the bend of hips and legs stretched out in front, over the bed, the feet disappearing into the covers that were still left. I could see the slight rise in the covers where the feet were. The maggots were still moving around, so the shape was constantly shifting, but I could distinctly see details beginning to emerge. Hair. The sunken pits where eyes should be. A gaping mouth that was opening and closing, a black void behind it, as though the figure was trying to say something. And it was. I could hear this strange voice, like an exhale of air, a voice that was barely there at all – but I knew it was saying my name. Bonnie. Bonnie. I could hear it as clearly as anything. In that moment, it was the loudest thing in the room.

I stumbled backwards, but it was as far as I could go. I was frozen, even as I watched the figure swing itself out of bed and get to unsteady feet. It stumbled towards me like a drunk, wheezing deep in its throat, and I thought it sounded like a laugh. I’m not even saying that with hindsight – it was laughing at me. It was my mother’s laugh, and in that moment I knew she was doing this. I mean, I don’t know if she was, because how could she? But in that moment I thought I knew she was doing it, anyway, and I was so angry at her. I was so damn mad at her, for dying in such a horrible way and leaving me with the mess, for all the stuff she’d pulled on me growing up, for every single thing she had done to me, the big things and the petty things, and now this! She couldn’t even die properly, she had to come back and terrify me and traumatise me and ruin everything! I screamed again, but this time it was just pure, animalistic rage – I’ve never heard myself make such a sound. I looked around and I saw the chair sitting in front of the mirror and I picked it up by the back and chucked it into the air, catching it by the back legs and swinging it at the maggot figure with everything I had. I don’t even know what good I thought it would do, because it was just maggots, but the figure disintegrated around the torso and the maggots scattered to the floor. The figure half-collapsed, just a pair of legs wobbling towards me, and I let out this manic laugh before I saw the maggots were already regrouping. Finally I gathered some of my senses and I turned for the door, yelling at Henry to run. He didn’t need telling twice. We both sprinted down the hall and I think we both jumped clean down the entire set of stairs – or it at least felt like that. We ran out into the street and I pulled my cardigan off and started jumping on it, because I was sure I could feel all those maggots crawling on me. Henry finally grabbed me and pulled me away, and we got into the car and drove off. Left the cardigan right there on the street.

We didn’t really discuss what had happened. I hired a cleaning company that specialised in that kind of clean-up, and they never reported any problems. The house was cleaned up good as new, aired out, all Mum’s stuff either sold or thrown away. Eventually the house sold too, even if it did take a little longer than I’d like. Henry and I got married, managed to buy our first house, and while we’ve mentioned it vaguely a few times we’ve still not really talked about it. I think we both probably mutually agreed that we must have been seeing things, and to be honest I let myself believe that for a while. I mean, there’s no way, right? But recently it’s just been bugging me, and I’ve been dreaming about it. It’s just been on my mind, and I can’t pretend that I didn’t see what I saw any longer. I don’t know if this will be of any use to you, or even if it’s the kind of thing that you go in for, but I thought I would write it down nevertheless. I do feel a little better now, weirdly. I thought reliving it all would make me feel worse, but I’m not going to complain.

ARCHIVIST

Statement ends.

Well. That certainly makes me wish I hadn’t eaten lunch before recording. It all seems mostly standard up until the sentient maggot hivemind, and if it had just been Mrs Jennings present I would say it’s possible she might have been mistaken. It’s a fairly specific thing to see, but given the circumstances and the inherent revulsion most people experience when seeing that many maggots at once, I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if the stress of the situation resulted in Mrs Jennings believing she saw something unusual. There is, however, one more thing included with this statement – a brief affirmation from Mr Jennings, which, while he chose not to go into detail, does affirm that everything in Mrs Jennings’ statement is true to what he himself witnessed. Of course, he wasn’t present with his wife for the entirety of the time period the statement covers, but he was there at the most important part. One person having such a highly specific hallucination would be a stretch, but two people experiencing the exact same highly specific hallucination is even less likely.

Tim contacted the current residents of the house that used to belong to Mrs Jennings’ mother, but they reported nothing at all unusual in the time they had been living there. They were aware of the fact a death had occurred in the house – just as well, really, as Tim was quite happy to tell them about it – but didn’t seem overly bothered. In fact, Tim reported that they seemed almost disappointed that the house hadn’t come with a resident ghost, though looking at Mrs Jennings’ description of her mother, I’m not entirely sure that’s the kind of ghost they would want to have to house share with.

Tim also managed to get in contact with John Atchieson, owner and operator of Atchieson Cleaning Solutions, a company based in Peterborough that, alongside general domestic and commercial cleaning jobs, also specialises in cleaning up biohazardous materials – crime scenes, accident scenes, natural deaths. The case of Mrs Jennings’ mother was found in their records, and Mr Atchieson could remember nothing unusual about it. In a rare stroke of luck, the employee assigned to oversee the clean up at the house was Mr Atchieson’s son, also named John; Mr Atchieson Senior was able to contact him and ask if he remembered anything specific from the site himself, but apparently there was nothing remarkable about the job at all – just a standard decomposition job, hauling away the hazardous materials and cleaning the room with heavy chemicals to try to get rid of the smell. Mr Atchieson Junior helped remove the mattress himself, and reported no maggots of any kind.

Given the lack of physical evidence I would like to claim that there is no basis to this statement, but considering the fact there are two witnesses and this wouldn’t be the first time that a being apparently made of some kind of larvae or insect has been observed wandering about, I’m more inclined to worry about where Mrs Jennings’ mother may have gone, if she was no longer in her bedroom.

End recording.

[fullmarvelheart]

Wakanda

Pairing: Avengers x Enhanced!OFC

Word Count: 3,000

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of violence, mentions of past trama

A/N: Welcome to Chapter 5 of Blue Starlight. I hope you all enjoy the story as well as the way I wrote the characters! The gif is not my own. All rights to the original creator. I hope you guys enjoy!

Series Masterlist

The plane lands and I'm almost blinded by the bright sunlight that reflects in off the tarmac as the ramp is lowered down.

Waiting for us is whom I'm assuming is the King, based on what Cap briefed us over, along with his personal guards. When Cap told us about the Dora Milaje, to say I was impressed is a gross understatement. I knew they were the fiercest warriors in Wakanda but seeing them up close, they're almost as intimidating as Natasha is. Even the Kingsguard looks exceptionally deadly.

"Should we bow?" Banner asks Rhodey as they exit the jet before me.

"Yeah, he's a king." Rhodey responds in an almost serious tone. Which apparently Banner doesn't catch onto.

As the Captain greets King T'Challa, Banner clears his throat and starts to bow.

"What are you doing?" Rhodey questions loudly enough to catch the King's attention.

"Uh, we- we don't do that here." The King says, somewhat awkwardly.

I chuckle to myself as the group begins to walk.

"So how big of an assault should we expect?" I go to answer the king but am cut off.

"Uh sir-sir, I think you should expect quite a big assault." Banner says pushing his way to the front while I roll my eyes.

Shut up. You don't even have the slightest idea.

"Thanos will most likely send one of his support ships, like the one that was in New York not too long ago. He calls them Q-Ships. He won't send his full army here, just what is deemed to be enough to overwhelm the forces on Earth, so the stone can be retrieved." I explain loudly but lower my voice as I get closer to the King, who looks at me curiously.

"How are we looking?" Natasha asks softly, diverting attention away from me, thankfully.

"You will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, the Dora Milaje, and..."

"A semi-stable 100-year-old man." A new voice says walking up to us.

I take in a sharp breath and freeze. The Winter Soldier. Please don't let him still be with HYDRA! That's not something else I want to deal with today. But, he's smiling and doesn't look anything like the last time I saw him. He's not glaring at anything and he has plenty of emotions that I notice, just with one glance. He outwardly looks happy, healthy, but I can see pain and guilt still present in his steel blue eyes.

I can see it because I recognize it in myself.

As both Cap and him share a friendly embrace, I see Sam move into my periphery, though I don't acknowledge him.

"Are you alright?" He asks in a whisper.

I blink out of my frozen state and give him a tight smile and nod. As I'm turning back around, I see Natasha give me a curious look before turning back towards the Captain.

"How you been Buck?"

"Uh, not bad, for the end of the world." He says solemnly, yet with a small smile

I swear, this is the most I've ever heard him speak in one go. His voice isn't raspy from misuse anymore either. Maybe he's-

As if he can feel my eyes burning holes into the side of his head, he turns to face me. His eyes widen in recognition as his face changes from shock, to confusion, to anger, to regret, and then suspicion, all within a second.

"It's good to see you again, Blue." He says skeptically.

"You too, Soldier." I say in the same tone, brushing my fingertips over the hilt of a dagger on my thigh.

He glances down, catching my movements which freeze immediately.

"You remember...?" I ask softly, not knowing if I need the confirmation for his sake,... or mine.

"I remember everything." His piercing gaze moves back to me, his features stiff and cautious, waiting for me to make a move.

"Blue?" Natasha inquires, trying to lessen the tension.

"My ability..." My explanation comes out more timid than I would like as I move my hand away from the blade and give her a shrug.

Come on! Surely he's not more terrifying than Thanos! At least this one I know I can stop.

"There won't be any problems, right?" Cap asks seriously, after clearing his throat.

The Winter Soldier, or Buck I guess, says no. I can only shake my head.

"Good. Coms on and Rhodey, suit up. Saddie, I want you out here while we go in with Vision, incase anything happens." I nod in understanding as he, Natasha, and Dr. Banner follow the King and his men inside where Wanda and Vision had disappeared earlier.

I watch them trek inside while a knot forms in my stomach.

"You're nervous."

"Huh?" I turn to find Buck staring at me curiously.

"You used to make that face whenever the men were in the room. Whenever he was in the room." He explains.

I sigh and wrap my arms around my stomach while letting my head hang over.

"Can you blame me? This whole situation is something I was hoping to avoid. Plus, I wasn't exactly expecting to see you and when I did... I didn't know what would happen, or what to expect." I keep my gaze fixated on the pavement below me as I hear him take in a deep breath. Though, I know he was thinking the same thing as I was. "But I'm terrified. Like I was then." I admit with a whisper, looking up at him.

He hums, walking closer to me.

"What should I call you?" I ask suddenly causing him to snap his eyes to mine and stop.

He hesitates looking at the ground before back at me.

"Bucky please, Saddie." He says teasingly.

I roll my eyes but crack a small smile. So Buck is a nickname then. Didn't know he knew the Captain that way...

"Your arm is different." I note as I look at the black metal appendage edged with gold markings. Much different from the previous silver one with the infamous red star.

He hums thoughtfully, looking down at it with a small nervous smile.

"I like it, it suits you." I tell him sincerely as I turn away from him, not waiting for his reaction.

I walk over to Sam and begin to talk to him while Bucky joins us with a rifle one of the Kingsguard gave to him. Rhodey appears in his armor and things begin to click in my head as I remember Sam and Rhodey's hero names. Falcon and War Machine. Definitely not who I'd expect to be next to at a time like this.

At one point, I decide to sit crisscross on the tarmac with my fingertips pressed into the pavement and my eyes closed. It's almost like I'm in a meditative state. I feel the energy running through this city, running under it. There's an endless supply far below me, that I manage to tap into.

It's immensely powerful!

"What ya doing there, Saddie?" Sam calls out. I realize there's probably blue wisps circling around my hands or even arms.

"Recharging and resting." I say, distantly.

"Meditating." Bucky answers at the same time, causing me to huff and send him, where I think he is, a playful glare.

"Are you already tired, kid?" Rhodey jabs humorously through the ear piece.

"I'm a creature that relies on energy for power. If my stored supply runs out and I can't tap into a source fast enough, I have to rely on the power my body holds. Meaning, I'd lose consciousness soon after I'd start pulling from my own life-force. Thanos has an army coming for Earth, and I want as much power as I can hold." I tell them, still in my meditative state. "Plus, relaxing like this allows me to extend my powers beyond Earth."

"Creature?" Sam mumbles in question to himself.

"What does that mean?" Bucky asks curiously in reference to my abilities while talking over Sam. He still doesn't know the full extent.

"It means that I can sense when they arrive." I tell them, ignoring Sam's notice of my slip. Though, with that and what I said in the aircraft, he should be piecing it together soon, if he allows his mind to focus on it.

They don't ask anymore questions after that, and leave me to myself. After what feels like several minutes later, I feel a very strong hum of power moving towards Earth, and quickly. I call my power back to me and absorb as much of the energy as I can from below me, I can see the bright blue growing brighter from behind my eyelids.

"Saddie?" Bucky sounds worried.

My eyes shoot open as I jump to my feet, looking towards the sky.

"Saddie!" Sam calls, trying to get my attention.

"They're here." I say fearfully, not moving my eyes.

I summon an energy ball as I see one of their ships quickly descending straight for us.

"Hey, Cap, we got a situation here." Sam says while looking to where I am.

That wasn't enough time to get the stone out safely!

I prepare to launch the ball in my hands when the dropship pings off the shield, exploding instantly. The force of the strike is absorbed back into the shield.

"God, I love this place." Bucky says in stark amusement while I reabsorb the power in my hand.

"Yeah, don't start celebrating yet, guys. We got more incoming outside the dome." Rhodey warns as the rest fall fast, impacting the Earth.

I feel the vibrations from the impact rattling though my bones and my breathing becomes harsher. The shockwaves bounce off the dome, making me feel only the tiniest bit safer.

"Is this what you were expecting?" Sam asks, looking at me.

I nod slowly with wide and fearful eyes, unable to speak. Though, how do you speak when one of your worst nightmares is occurring before your very eyes and is becoming reality?

Alarms blare through the city and the dread I have been feeling for some time now, grows in the pit of my stomach to the point it becomes nauseating. Unfortunately for me, I joined this fight, so I can't back out now. I swallow back whatever fear I can and focus on the chaos around me.

After several minutes, the Captain, Natasha, Dr. Banner, King T'Challa, and his warriors come running out of where they led Vision and Wanda. Dr. Banner goes straight to where a big red and gold suit had been laid out as warriors rush out to the tarmac.

"You two," Nat gestures to me and Bucky. "Come with me."

We chase after her into a transport ship that is filling up with other warriors of the Kingsguard. I see Cap and T'Challa board theirs with half of the Dora Milaje. When we get in, Natasha stands up front with Bucky right behind her, and me on his right, like it used to be. As much as I hate the memories, the familiarity of a fight and his presence is comforting.

Sam and Rhodey take off and fly above us as we all head towards the front line while we begin to merge with other ships on the way.

"How we looking, Bruce?" Natasha asks through the coms.

"Yeah, I think I'm getting the hang of it." I hear what sounds like rockets through my ear piece and cringe at the loudness "Wow! This is amazing man. It's like being the Hulk without actually..." His loud enthusiastic voice is cut short as I hear him fall.

I try to stop myself from giggling at him but can't help but slightly laugh out loud when I hear Bucky's chuckles beside me.

"I'm ok, I'm ok." I hear, but before I smile again, I actually notice just how many of the dropships there are... and just how big they look from here. I've never seen them in person, just heard stories.

My stomach lurches at the sight. There will be so many. Can we even win this?

"I've got two heat signatures breaking through the tree line." Rhodey calls out.

I move forward slightly, in hopes of recognizing which two of the puppets Thanos sent here. Bucky gently grabs my arm, snapping me out of my head, and gives me a questioning look. I move back to his side but keep my eyes set on the edge of the dome in front of me, not looking at Bucky. I'm not sure if I'd be able to hide my fear if I do. Rhodey and Sam do a fly over as they begin to circle back around.

The Captain, King T'Challa, and the Dora Milaje pile out of a transport. My transport group follows and Natasha, Bucky, and I merge with them. One of the legions begins to chant as we move forward. Though I can't distinguish the words over the sound of my blood pumping in my ears. Natasha comes up next to me and gives me a small assuring smile. I try my best to do the same, though I'm sure it's more of a grimace. We form a line and I finally spot the two of the Black Order that Thanos sent. I scowl and clench my fists at the sight and memory of those two.

"Do you think there's any chance of surrender?" Natasha muses.

"No, it's not the way of the Black Order." I say with a slight growl.

"Well, there's always a chance." Captain says, but it's not reassuring.

He looks at me and motions for me to follow as him, Natasha, and King T'Challa start to walk in the direction of the dome's edge. I swallow the lump in my throat and proceed to fall into line with them.

Cull Obsidian and Proxima Midnight become clearer the closer we move to them, and I try to push back my fear again. While Cull stands several feet tall than the other, with a much broader stance and deadlier appearing body and weapon, it's Proxima I fear the most. This sight of the midnight blue and black hair, brown horns, black and blue war paint, and lifeless grey eyes that make me tremble slightly. Proxima drags her sword along the dome's edge, almost hypnotized by it, watching the power crackle along her blade. She finally stops when we're at the edge, only separated by the dome.

Cull and Proxima snarl once they set their eyes on me and my lip twitches up in annoyance.

"Where's your other friend?" Natasha quips, and I have no idea which other one she's referring to.

"You will pay for his life with yours." Proxima says in the most emotionless tone I've heard her use. Her mechanical voice sends an unpleasant shiver down my spine. "Thanos will have that stone." She moves closer, as to intimidate. But so do I.

"That's not going to happen." Captain says, seemingly unbothered but determined.

"I will make sure of it." I growl.

Proxima directs her gaze to me.

"The traitor... or at least, one of them." She muses, a gleam flashes in those deadly eyes as she smirks at me. "You are nothing without your other half. A child in regards to your abilities. Weak." I know she's trying to get a rise out of me, I know it, but it's working.

Her words stroke the grief and self-doubt I had buried for this fight, making it rear it's ugly head. Before I get the chance to even move, King T'Challa speaks as Natasha moves me back.

"You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood." I look at the King with wide eyes, knowing he doesn't realize just who the Mad Titan is.

"We have blood to spare." Proxima states before striking her sword up into the air.

I scowl at her, but that falls into a frown when the drop ships begin to whirl and extend. We quickly make our way back to the frontlines.

"Are you ok?" Natasha asks as me move back towards the group.

"No, not really. But I'll be able to fight." I tell her, gathering what courage I can. She gives me a hesitant nod, but says nothing else. "I really hate her." I grumble, which earns me a small chuckle from Nat

I try to clear my mind and focus on my powers on the rest of the way back. I focus on what I feel, where it is, and how I can use that to my advantage, like I was taught. We get back to our forces as Bucky looks on edge but doesn't look away from the ships.

"They surrender?" He asks sardonically, knowing the answer.

"Not exactly." Captain breathes as I move to Natasha's side.

I feel the ship release the army that lurches inside.

"Here we go." I nervously breathe.

Falcon flies along the edge, circling as a scout, but I can already feel the pounding of their sharp and deadly paws vibrating against the ground. As they get closer, the thunderous pounding reaches my ears over the sound of my own heartbeat. I absorb the little bits of kinetic energy from them as they run. I feel Natasha's stare on my loose fingers which begin to glow a slight blue.

King T'Challa begins a battle chant as I feel the army slow at the edge of the tree line. Proxima strikes her sword down, letting it fall out of the air, and the army begins their charge forwards. There's more of them, more than I imagined. And they spill out of the tree line like a tidal wave of death, charging towards the dome.

[pheita]

Guild Hunter Sojan Part 16

*dances around in circles* Yeah, more updates. Things slowly start to get into motion. And I promise I will update more regularly I can’t believe this is actually the first story I post on Wattpad. Or even post completely on here. But I have way too much fun with this and I love all your comments on the parts. Hugs for everyone! 

So no warnings for this part @adie-dee​ @ashen-crest​ @cometworks​ @vivian-is-writing​  More under the cut

As usual with such longer assignments, there was only a quick breakfast from the kitchen while everyone got ready to leave. Sojan knew that in addition to Parin, Neeshah's mare would be coming along. The well-trained workhorse would have no trouble in the mountains and could carry the rest of the equipment and supplies. For now, they expected to be gone at least five days. It was an hour after sunrise when they were all ready in the common room, ready to go. Neeshah looked at Sojan with an urgent look. He knew what she was trying to say and took one calming breath. "Before we go, there's something we need to clear up first." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elaven join Neeshah, a slight smirk on his face. There were two having too much fun at that moment. Yunadeldi and Lyran looked at Sojan in confusion. "What's going on?" she asked with a prompting nod. "You know we're hunting a lust demon. In all likelihood, a woman. But that doesn't mean it only works on men. A lust demon's magic affects anyone who gets too close." "We all know that," she commented, looking to Lyran, who just nodded. "But you don't know that I'm a lust demon, too." It was out. He watched the two with growing discomfort. Yunadeldi raised her eyebrows and nodded with the hint of a smirk. "I know, Marilka had already told me when I started training here." Neeshah snorted in amusement. Neither of them had expected that. Sojan's gaze went to Lyran, who looked at him with his head cocked sideways. "That's why the bracelets. They block it, don't they? And it explains why you've looked like you'd like to run away since yesterday. Are we dealing with kin of yours?" "Why does everyone think it's kinship???" blurted out Sojan, causing the others to laugh. "Could be because of how you act, my friend," Elaven offered kindly as he walked past him. "Now that everything is settled, can we?" followed Neeshah. Yunadeldi took it as a sign to head off, leaving only Sojan and Lyran behind. Lyran tugged at the new doublet, which was still stiff and still a little too big. "Lyran?" "It's all good, this thing is driving me crazy. At least this way it can't rub over the wounds." A disarming smile later, Lyran stepped forward and looked at Sojan seriously. "And besides, I don't care what tribe you belong to. That you're not as human as you look, I figured when it came to the subject of healing the wounds. I'm not stupid." "I didn't say that, but..." "Yes?" Again, Lyran's eyes seemed much greener than they should be. Was he not completely human either? Did he have orc blood in him, perhaps? That would explain the eyes. "I don't know either. I don't like explaining to other people that I'm not what I pretend to be." "Because you think you're lying to them?" Sojan shrugged his shoulders. It couldn't be ruled out that it was one of the points. "Possibly, I'm just not the kind of guy who likes to surround himself with new people." "Didn't seem that way so far." For a moment Sojan considered Lyran was teasing him, but the face said he meant it. "Thanks. Let's go, or the others will think of some reason why we're taking so long." "Well, that would take me more than a few minutes." Lyran winked at him and disappeared outside. This bard would be the death of him yet, Sojan was sure of that now. Either him or Neeshah, if in doubt, both.

As unusual as the reason for the trip was, and as much as they knew exactly where they were going, it was strangely peaceful. There was nothing to indicate that the Putrivines had attacked, although there should have been carcasses lying around. The looks of the others told Sojan that they had noticed it too. With Neeshah ahead on her mare and Lyran and Yunadeldi riding Parin for safety, they made quick progress. Elaven secured the forest side, just in case, and Sojan brought up the rear. With everything that had happened so far, caution was the first order of business. As long as you survived everything you could continue the fight another day. This wisdom had always been drilled into him by his grandfather and so far it had proven to be good advice. By noon, nothing had happened and they took advantage of camping at the clearing where Sojan and Lyran had camped two days earlier. From here on, they would have to continue making their way through the forest to follow the markings. They could still make out fragments of them, which could help them. First, they had to find their people, then they could worry about the river. The group quickly spread out in the middle of the clearing. Neeshah stopped with her horse a bit away from Parin, though it seemed the horse had less of a problem with him than Neeshah did. Her laughter was what made everyone look up. "Marilka really is like a convict mother," Neeshah continued to laugh, taking a bag out of the provision bag. A moment later, sweet rolls appeared. She took one out and tossed the resealed bag over to Sojan. So the bag went around until everyone had a roll. Sojan sat down with Yunadeldi and Lyran, who both sat snuggled up to Parin, stretching their legs. The look Lyran gave him told Sojan he was thinking about something seriously. "Tell me before you burst?" "How long have you been a hunter?" Yunadeldi chuckled with a shake of his head. "What makes you think that now?" As he asked, Sojan tossed him the bag of leftover candy. "If you're a demon, then you're considerably older than you look, and that means you've been a hunter longer than I thought." Lyran rummaged around in the bag while talking until he successfully found a fruit ball. "You've been carrying that around all this time, haven't you?" interjected Elaven into the conversation. "More or less," Lyran grinned teasingly, "So, Sojan?" "Since you ask," Sojan laughed at the fact that it seemed to be the only thing that Lyran was concerned about, "More than eighty years. The first few years I was in Ordgenbridge, and for the last eighty years Lagawood has been my home, so to speak." It was plain to see that Lyran had not expected this answer. In slow motion, his mouth opened. "Wow, that's a lot. That must be a lot of stories you can tell." "Maybe tonight at night camp. If the markers continue in the direction I suspect, we should hit a travel shelter just before sunset." "Ah, that sounds like good food and stories," Yunadeldi exulted between bites. "We'll see about that then." "Sojan?" Neeshah called him and nodded to the side, where the edge of the forest was. From there came a young woman with a strange glow about her. Neeshah fiddled with her dagger, Yunadeldi jumped to the spear at hand, just as Lyran's hand went to the sword. "Easy guys, it's a nymph," Sojan reassured everyone and got to his feet himself. "Nymph?" asked Lyran with a doubtful tone. "Kalia, what brings you here?", Sojan approached the nymph. He had met her a few times before and they had always parted in peace. "Greetings, my friend. I come to offer my help. My sisters and I have seen what has happened to you." Elaven stepped next to Sojan and bowed his head a little. "Dear cousin, perhaps you can also tell us what happened to our comrades." Kalia smiled encouragingly. "Of course, my dear cousin. The man you were looking for was tracking a new kind of creature, similar to the one that lives in the waters. The woman followed him, seeing traces of this creature. They traveled only half a day apart, but their trail disappeared for us at the foot of the mountain." Relieved, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Now they had confirmation that Hjöllborn and Dessielle were still alive and hunting something. "You spoke of help," Sojan reminded them. "Indeed. The Putrivines are being guided. I know my brothers on the other side of the city have already spoken to you." "The tree spirits?" asked Lyran for certain. When he had stepped beside him Sojan did not know. His attention was entirely on Kalia. Even if she had never meant him any harm so far, one could never know what her sisters had in mind. "You are the bard," she beamed all over her face, "We have heard your voice during your travels. I have something for you." "For me?" Lyran's surprise was shared by everyone else. Kalia reached into her bag that hung loosely over her shoulders and pulled out a new lyre. "We would like to apologize for destroying your instrument. This was made from a branch of the mother tree, making it indestructible." "Indestructible?" wondered Lyran, taking the lyre in his hand. His hands slid elegantly over the pages. If Sojan was not mistaken, the strings were made of the silk of the Tasdar spiders, and thus were as indestructible as the wood. The soft tones of the lyre floated across the clearing. "Thank you Kalia, this is a truly wonderful gift." She smiled delightedly and turned back to Sojan. "The Putrivines are being guided. You must have noticed the mist by now." "Was hard to miss. We know that demons and mages are working together. Hopes are high that we'll find clues in the mountains." Again she reached into the bag and pulled out a smaller pouch. "This is Onesilif herb. It should keep them away, even if they are guided." "The herb doesn't grow here," Elaven explained in amazement. Kalia nodded slightly. "The mist prevents us nymphs from returning to Mother, but we still have enough power to grow herbs." "You created them here for us?" added Neeshah. Her voice revealed the respect she had for it. "We did. You know how to use it?" "I know it, I can show the others," spoke Elavan. It surprised Sojan only a little that Elaven knew. Herbs seemed to be his specialty after all he knew so far. "Of course, dear cousin. I'm glad to see that the old teachings are still kept alive," Kalia chuckled a little and raised her left arm. A young buzzard came to her and perched peacefully on her arm. "My feathered friend will guide you to the point where we lost your friends. That way you won't have to go through the forest and expend energy unnecessarily. Whatever is going on in the mountains, you will need your strength." "Thank you Kalia, this is a great help. Let's hope the mountains won't bring the bad news we fear." "Be careful, something big is coming. You will be needed." Sojan growled in agreement. This was now the third time he'd been warned about something big, and slowly he could only hope it wouldn't be as bad as the tree spirits', Shunundas', and Kalias' fears said. "We will." "And thank you again for this wonderful gift," Lyran spoke with a blissful smile. The buzzard took to the skies again and circled over the clearing. "Goodbye, friends. Have a safe journey." Kalia simply walked past them, still briefly stroking Parin's fur, who only looked up briefly, but otherwise didn't move. A moment later, she was gone again. "That was strange," Yunadeldi commented. "You'll get used to that as a huntress," Neeshah laughed, "Even if it was only the second time I've seen a nymph." Slowly, everyone relaxed again. "Alright then, let's move on once everyone has eaten. We should reach the base of the mountain today." The group nodded. They didn't need much longer. It was as if a new energy had come into the group through Kalia's visit.

[blackicephantom]

The black dragon and the coward CH. 12

Note: I know your all waiting for something different, but this needs to happen first. Trust me. Please tell me what you think, because i feel a little insecure about this one......

Please enjoy!

Tagged: @patolemus , @runestarchild

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Somewhere in the ocean

A long, serpentine, figure swam slowly through the water, when it felt a certain kind of vibration. The fins on its head tried to locate the origin, but to no avail. Then something poked him at the back of his mind and he started to surface. The blue scales glimmered in the sunlight and the slim face rose skyward. Just a single moment and he heard the cry, the call to come home.

With a swift jump he dove back into the depths of the water, only to jump back out in a high arch and with his own melodious cry. His main fins spread wide and his tail finished his elegant form.

The Oceanblue Raindragon recognized and answered the call to arms. And in a show of power dark storm clouds started to form and seconds later heavy rain fell upon the earth and the sea.

Once his body was back in the water he took the course back home.

Colonello, the Oceanblue Raindragon, swam swiftly and as fast as he could. His family was waiting for him.

Deep in the mountains

Fon sat quietly near his den, when the wind started to pick up and dark clouds started to form. Electricity shot up his spine and he shuddered. He stood up and watched as all the birds stopped singing and the wind howled louder and louder. Red flames engulfed his form and scales replaced soft skin.

In one smooth movement he circled a few times around the mountain he dwelled in, so that his upper body and head are even with the mountain's peak. His mane and his whiskers danced in the wind and he knew. Just then a roar echoed thru his stoney valley and resonated with his own wish and desire.

He rose up, slightly above the mountain top and sang his own song to join that of his brothers. A rough and yet calm sound left his throat and the winds around him turned themselves into little hurricanes and storms, ready to cut down the land itself.

He knew that he said he would look for Kyoya but it seems that this will have to wait, just a little bit longer. As the last note of his cry faded away, he took to the sky and started in the direction of the forest he had left only days prior.

The Bloodred Stormdragon heard and heeded the call to arms.

Inside a secret lab

Beeping filled the dark room a lonesome and glasses wearing figure occupied. Many monitors showed him just as many sceneries and yet nothing changed. He’s been in this laboratory for years now, researching everything that came to mind, but mostly ways to protect his own, so that what happened on that fateful day would not repeat itself. And he’s been waiting. Waiting for that one moment…… Verde knew that his home underground was anything but optional, but he also knew Reborn….. and all the others…..

Suddenly almost all of his instruments measured impossible data. The displays went highwire and a few displays even broke down due to the sudden intensity. A smirk and a low chuckle escaped him. Of course this would happen shortly after he thought about it.

He stood up, ignoring all his different machines and displays and went to the small lift he built to make his way to the surface. On the ride up he thought about many things. Even about his fellow Arcobaleno….. which was more than unusual. But it has been a few years now. And just as Reborn has said: this years have felt like they went by in the blink of an eye for him.

Once he was back above the ground he took a deep breath and looked around.

Unlike what his instruments had shown him, the world was silent. And that could only mean one thing: he was not alone. But out of all the people that knew him, only two could really find him. The first one is the one to call them home and the other one the silent killer in their ranks.

He watched as mist slowly crawled along the ground, which confirmed his suspicion.

A small rustling reached his ears and he just stood still and quiet, once again waiting. Next came hissing and a long indigo coloured body, only seen in parts. The mist grew thicker with every passing moment and the long body started to draw steadily closer. Then there was someone behind him but he doesn’t turn around. Doesn’t need to.

“I see that you’ve found me, Viper.” A hissed laugh was his answer and just as the mist and the stillness had appeared, it vanished. Suddenly there were howling winds and pouring rain and, most importantly, the still sounding roar of their own kin.

Both Arcobaleno looked up into the slowly graying sky and knew it was time.

With the flash of a single lightning bolt a massive creature stood amidst the green. A long maw and strong legs were the most prominent features, closely followed by the sparking yellow spikes that run along it’s back and tail and its dark green scales. Lightning crashed into the trees and rushed through the clouds above while a thick misty blanket fell over the earth, obscuring the view of all that dared to look.

Around that massive body the other one curled in on himself, his body slowly growing and a pair of thin looking wings sprouting from his form.

And thus two more voices joined the almighty song of the weather.

A low and rumbling growl from the Forestgreen Lightningdragon and a deafening yet silent screech from the Indigoblue Mistdragon. Thous two also heard the call to arms and were ready to take back what was once stolen. Their answer resonated with the cries of their brothers and no sooner were they on their way. One digging his way home and the other silently sliding close behind him.

In a village on the other end of the continent

Chains rattled as another foolish human tried to get too close to him, his tails trashing behind him. It's been ages that he has seen the sky or breathed fresh air. These villagers only caught him by sheer luck and a great deal of misfortune on his part.

The long spikes along his back vibrated gently and he raised his head, ignoring the weapons that were pointed at him. The air was charged with something…..exciting. A familiar tension filling his core and making his heart pound. It was like the thrill right before a battle and he fucking missed this. He wanted to stretch his wings, follow the clouds he was born in but this stupid chains kept him grounded.

Then there was a rumbling, right outside his meager cage. He watched as lightning tore through the sky and rain started up, which got stronger and stronger with every passing minute. His anticipation grew as the wind turned into cutting blades, almost blowing his captors away. A storm was brewing and he knew exactly who started it. So he concentrated on the wind, on the vibrations in the air and every sound that comes from somewhere farther away. And there it was: a melody so long forgotten and yet still so beautiful and familiar. The song of his family! It was time to return!

Clouds gathered all around the Village and blocked the usually bright sun. People were starting to panic and the guards that are supposed to keep watch over him became scared. His tails trashed again right before three became one and his two wings became four. Because of the increased mass of his wings the chains keeping him down broke and because of the decreased number of tails the chains keeping him pinned slipped away. He was almost free, yesssss, he could almost taste it! Only thing left to destroy was the cage keeping him here. Four wings returned to being two and one tail became three again and with the spiked tips he just slashed his way to freedom, cutting through the iron bars like nothing.

Taking a running start he swept into the air, chirping his own answer to the long overdue call to arms. The Violentpurple Clouddragon, Skull, was on his way home. Six feathered wings carried him towards his brothers, his purple scales riddled with scars.

The clouds accompanied him and shrouded his figure from view.

Back with Tsuna and Reborn

As Reborn finished his roar he settled back down and listened while he still supported Tsuna at his side. He too could feel the return of the boy's fire and couldn’t help his smirk. Iemitsu and the other foolish have no fucking idea what’s awaiting them.

From far away both could see dark clouds gathering, followed by pounding rain and destructive lightning. The slight breeze slowly grew into turbulent winds which in turn evolved into a raging storm. The air turned humid and the dragon watched satisfied as mist started to spread through the forest. Then he listened as one after another all their voices came together as a unique and beautiful song. All their specific tunes come together but something is still missing…… That’s the moment Reborn hears a soft humming, a tune that Luce used to sing….. It’s a soft lullaby that she sang for the kids.

Roaring once again the Midnightblack Sundragon completed the harmony.

The sky was once again filled with all the raging elements, waiting to avenge the dragon that’s been slain unjustified so long ago and to take revenge for all this undeserved pain and torment.

Inside of Vongola Nono’s office

Timoteo wasn’t an idiot. When he got the notice that Tsuna was missing, again, he knew that something was up. That thous three other boys were not to be found either worried him beyond belief. But when the weather started to change he clasped his hands together and started to pray, because this could only mean one thing.

The Arcobaleno were about to gather. And where the seven strongest get together, calamity almost always follows. And without a sky to soothe their rage he sees no hope for the village and his people. He saw what they could do while trying to protect someone. Now they didn’t have this luxury. He knew that something like this would happen someday, was even prepared to face the dragon's wrath this time. But he had his own duties to fulfill.

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts and one of his guards entered. “Nono, our mages have returned.” He gave an affirmative hum and sighed. Before the guard could leave again Timoteo called out to him. “Please send in Coyote and the others, it’s an emergency.”

Timoteo, Vongola Nono, hoped against hope and prayed to all gods that would listen that the tragedy would not repeat itself. But when this haunting roar sounds again in the distance, Nono knows that their chances of survival are very slim to none existent. `Please have mercy, oh kind one and spare us the pain. Let us not spill innocent blood, let us not condemn our children.´ It was an old prayer, one that Vongola Primo taught in his time, but Nono has no other option left. A single tear slid down his wrinkled cheek.

`Oh kind one, let us live peacefully and in joy with the dragons harmony, sung in a lovely lullaby.´

_TBC_