#former-slash-current like i still stream

[fiannalover]

To/be seen

John gasped for breath, having caught up to his companion at last.

His guide for Floor 51 had left him by now, having argued his presence would probably only put the boy further on edge. It was fine. He should do this by himself.

His savior had ran away from him. He would not allow that. Chasing and searching across great perils, he would get his voice across.

“Lancelot! Wait for me!”

The adventurer in question froze, turning around to look at the other eye-to-eye. John had seen a fair variety of expressions on Lancelot’s face, most of which carried a smile, even if insincere.

This one was unmasked. Fear and panic. A primal urge to escape to somewhere, somehow. “No. No no no no! Just go away! You don’t wanna come with me!” He cried out.

“I do! Since we first met, I have wanted to travel with you.” He shouted, the wind carrying his words. “I still want that. Please, listen to me!”

The chase over a land functionally untouched by civilization neared its end, everything on the Floor tinted dark green by the unending woods and the dead of the night. The only colours that stood out were the bright yellow of one’s hair and the clear blue of the brunette’s eyes.

The ground was unstable on the floor. It wasn’t uncommon for the people of the hill to move it all over during the season. Ravines and deep pits had covered the landscape John traversed through to get here, one of the former standing right behind Lancelot

“You saw me! You saw I’m a monster and dangerous and you saw what ‘those like me’ are meant to be! Get away! STOP REMINDING ME OF THAT!”

Slashing his sword forward, currents of water, transparently dark under the color of the night, streamed towards John, who managed to plant his staff on the ground at the last moment, manifesting a glowing, ethereal curtain of light to protect himself. 

He knew what the man was capable of. This attack was nothing. If the adventurer truly wanted to harm him, the farmer wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop him, and that was why-

“I don’t care about that! You’re Lancelot! You saved me and taught me so much of the world, with such attention and care. You changed me for the better and you’re my friend! That is all that matters to me!”

The blue eyes went empty. “You do not… mean th-”

His foot stepped back into thin air. John dashed forwards.

Throwing himself to the ground, he managed to grab both wrists of the falling man. Lancelot didn’t fall very far, thankfully. Getting back up would be easy, as long as he helped himself get back up.

“Don’t lie! You’re not my friend, no one is! No one could be a friend of a freak like me! Ever since I was born, people have only looked for me to make fun of me or make use of me! You’ll discard me, like everyone else has!” He shouted, trying to squirm out of the hold.

“I won’t! I promise I won’t! And I promise there are other people who care for you. But right now, let me do so. Please.”

“Why should I believe you!? Tell me!”

Both of them pleaded, though one of them didn’t know he was doing so.

“I love you.” John confessed. “That’s why.”

Lancelot froze again. He looked at John with equal amounts of disbelief and pure want -  a desire for a joy not meant for him. “No… please, stop taunting me. Stop saying all that just to reveal it is not true.”

“It is. You don’t have to feel the same, but you have to accept it. So-” Threatening their precarious situation, John impulsively, pushed himself a couple inches forward, while pulling his savior towards him.

Meeting halfway, the adventurer went limp. 

Then, accepting the aid presented to him, he let himself find a foothold and pushed himself up.

—----------

Floor 51 during Mayday was rumored to be dangerous. Fortunately, none of the spirits and fairies floating around seeked to harm them. And so, John set up camp, preparing a small fire and their tent.

“Sorry. For making you do all this.” Lancelot said, speaking with a softer, lower tone than ever before, clear exhaustion behind his words.

“No no. It’s fine. You have to rest right now. Well, both of us do, but, you know.” He replied, making them chuckle a bit. “Sorry. For kissing you like that. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s ok! It’s ok! I… I probably wouldn’t have stopped if you hadn’t shocked me into listening to you.” He admitted. After a moment of silence, he asked. “Did you mean… everything?”

“I did. I see you as a great friend. There are people besides me who care for you. I want to keep traveling with you.” John recapped, blushing as he did so. “And I love you. It is not something you have to reciprocate, though.”

Lancelot hugged his own knees, seeming to want to make himself smaller, another new emotion seen on him. He muttered something under his breath, making his companion raise his eyebrow. “You were my first kiss.”

The farmer let out a small ‘ah’ of understanding before starting to internally panic. He was what? Oh no. Oh no no no no no no-

Luckily, a small giggle snapped the farmer back to reality. “Now that's more my John.”

Blinking and recognizing his own ridiculousness, he began laughing as well, the atmosphere lightening just a bit. “Can we talk tomorrow, after we return to Curupira and the others? I think I want to rest before deciding anything else.” Lancelot requested.

“Sure. No problem.”

The two entered their sleeping spot, laying down on the floor. It was quiet, cool and serene. The perfect chill after a storm.

“John? Can I request one more thing from you?”

“Of course. What is it?”

“Hold on to me. Please. I feel like this will fade away into seafoam.”

The man agreed, carefully enveloping Lancelot in his arms. As the spiky-haired adventurer got closer, resting his head on the other’s chest, John closed his embrace.

One could feel the other’s breath on their body. Quietly, together, they fell asleep, salt water melting away.

—-----------

“I’m sorry. I caused a lot of trouble for you.” Lancelot said, bowing to the guardian of 50’s forests.

The fae looked at him with as neutral an expression as possible before bluntly replying. “What are you apologizing for?”

The human blinked. “Erm… environmental damage?”

“You mean your little water spouts? Hah! I mend more dangerous floods all the time. It was nothing.” Curupira boasted.

“T-then… the fact I bailed on helping you and the others keep the spirits and rogue beings at bay?” He pointed out.

“Me and the kids deal with them by ourselves every year. It was a bit of a shame that the extra help quit halfway through, but the end result wasn’t particularly out of the ordinary.” He explained.

“I-I see. But…”

Sighing, the protector decided to speak a little more. “You know, a forest is never the same as they were a couple seconds ago. Trees fall, animals die, new seeds sprout. Everyday, it decays and sprouts anew. At times, you have to burn away some of it to open space for new stuff.” He explained, playfully punching Lancelot’s shoulder. “I think I’m gonna add some more guava trees this time. You figure out what you want to add to yours.”

As the backward-footed man left, the black-haired man thought that over. What he wanted…

… What did he want?

—---------

The sun was high up in the sky. 

“So this is-”

“My father’s grave, yes.” Lancelot replied. The ‘ua Duibhne’ carving on the stone faded at some spots, but remained legible. “He considered himself a man with no homeland, always on the move. Because of that, he asked to be buried at the place he died. This spot is rather stable in comparison to the rest of the floor, so it was just about the only place it could be put.”

The orange-haired man nodded. He remembered Diarmuid’s weapons proudly displayed on the orphanage, and Maria mentioning they rested there in place of someone else.

If they hadn’t ran into yesterday’s troubles, they would have returned to the road by now. As it was, though…

“John. Yesterday, you saved my life. Also, it was the first time someone said they loved me since my father died… at least, the first time since I believed in that as truth. I don’t know what ‘love’ means to me.” Lancelot admitted, the supportive gaze of his travel companion upon him. 

The wind blew by, ruffling their hair and the humble blades of grass. The sunlight kissed John’s skin, making Lancelot feel like he was glowing on his entirety.

John believed in him. A true light through the darkness.

“You said traveling with me taught you many things you didn’t know. So, right now, would you help me learn and rebuild myself as we keep traveling?”

The farmer smiled. “I think I'm still gonna rely on you more than the other way around. But you can count on me, no matter what.”

Yesterday was nice, they thought. 

This journey began so they could see the world in its entirety. 

“Come on! We're heading off to Floor 52!” Lancelot said, grabbing John’s hand and breaking out on a run like he did many times before.

Now, to figure out how one was seen by it.

[ligbi]

With the news of Discotek taking on AnimEigo reminding everyone that there's them, amc (sentai), ponycanyon, gkids, the rare crunchyroll/nozomi/funimatiom disc, and media blasters for anime on home media in the u.s., I have to wonder

Does Media Blasters still have the home media rights to Invader Zim? Due to the length of contracts I'd guess no and Nickelodeon would probably re-release it through Paramount like with avatar. Media blasters just did such a great job on it back in the day and I'd love to see them... how do you nicely say get a win so they don't look like the stray dog of anime licensors?

I'm mostly just lamenting capitalism and monopolies but also somewhere between confused and frustrated that companies leave money on the table by not (re)releasing shows on disc. Yes this is partially about netflix and partially about zim and partially Sony being allowed to absorb and destroy every decent sized anime company that was left 5 years ago and partially about how you need to buy things on home media if they're available because I actually don't support piracy when you can buy something but companies have been making that so hard and there will come a time in not even 20 years when you think back fondly on a show you streamed that never had a disc and whose torrents are dead and its not on any backwoods cryptomining streaming site so your options are import an old japanese disc for hundreds of dollars or nothing.

Happy discotek is taking over animeigo instead of them quietly shutting down do not mistake that. But i think if sony died today we'd have a small boom of new licensors crop up to feast on its corpse in a year. May be. Other things that are worse that happen when one of the only corporations left dies but on the anime side I'd like to hope that would be good.

The best thing would be anti monopoly legislation that forces all a limit on all companies to how many other places they can buy. That company is a merger and you already bought up 3 others? Sorry that makes you 6 companies in a trenchcoat and the maximum is five. Merge denied. Oh this is retroactive? You have to split your people and profits off and you're not allowed to just shut down the businesses. You want to make a new company under your existing one? That's fine and doesn't count towards your total but if company x is already made up of three studios and a game company, studio y which is a former independent network and three studios, cannot buy x to merge them.

None of this would happen under our current stock market and the way a company is legally forced to do whats best for the shareholder, but good news. You slash the military budget in half so you're...still the largest military in the world by far, put that money into goverment supported retirment funds, and overhaul the stock market so you can enter it for growth as a smaller company, but once you git a certain size you pay out investors who only made a modest about and invested because they believed in the company and not because they like rich person gambling, and then you kick them off the market to fend for themselves.

✌ Some asshole blogger whose primary platform is more home media 2028 ✌

[gaymooshroom-archive]

any other former 5sosers losing it

[asknarashikari]

Minific idea: The Saber riders fighting against Master Logos, but the fight becomes more difficult, Ren decides to give a cup of starbucks to Touma, and the latter ends up fighting (and winning) against Solomon.

Oh... Oh god, it’s the unholy continuation of this minific

Takes place before he gets X-Saber. Because trust me, he doesn’t need to resort to this with that thing around

These close calls with this guy were getting a little too repetitive for their own good, Ren thought bitterly, as he and the other swordsmen struggled to get to their feet, overwhelmed by the sheer power of the power of the former Master Logos. 

“You damned swordsmen... why can’t you just accept that you are no match for a god?” he said, laughing madly. 

He gritted his teeth as he pulled himself to his feet. Everything hurt like a bitch, but he wasn’t about to lose to give up now. 

Ren looked around his friends (and some reluctant allies), who were in various states of injury. Touma was the worst off, appearing completely drained of energy, since he was the one engaging with Solomon the most. Ren knew that the Swordsman of Flame wouldn’t be able to hold off for much longer, even with Primitive Elemental Dragon powering him up. 

Then... out of the corner of his eye... he spotted it. It was a crazy idea, but... if they can pull this off... 

That abandoned cup of coffee would be the key to the world’s salvation... at least for today.

Ren shuffled closer to Rintaro and Kento, careful not to call attention to himself as he whispered into their ears. “I think I have an idea... but I need your help to pull it off.”

Rintaro and Kento gave him a bewildered look, but both nodded subtly. “What exactly do you have in mind, Ren?” Kento asked, keeping his eyes on the enemy.

Ren gestured to the grande iced coffee somehow sitting upright on a park bench, a few feet away from where Rintaro was, after it’d been abandoned in the wake of Solomon’s attack. Rintaro and Kento stared at it for a long moment, then both of them grimaced as they got his meaning.

“I can’t believe we have to resort to such tactics but... we have no choice...” Rintaro sighed in resignation. “I’ll get the coffee to him... and Kento...” 

“Yeah, I got him,” Kento sighed, already prepared for the inevitable crash.

Fortunately for them, Isaac had chosen that moment to gloat about his supposedly-assured victory. He didn’t notice Rintaro snatch the coffee from the bench and crawl towards Touma, who was panting from exertion.

“Touma...” he hissed in the other’s ear, pushing the cup into his hands. “Quickly, while his back is turned.”

“What... Rintaro, you know that stuff makes me go crazy,” Touma protested.

“Exactly. What better time to go mad than against a madman?” Rintaro pointed out. 

Touma grimaced, casting a side-eye glance towards the Shindai siblings, Ryo and Tetsuo. “This is gonna be humiliating... but, fuck, whatever.” Touma took the lid off and downed the entire cup of coffee while Master Logos was still monologuing.

Rintaro moved back slowly as Touma dropped the cup, the expression on his face changing from exhaustion... to manic gleefulness. He giggled aloud, causing Solomon to stop in his tracks and stare at him in apparent confusion.

“Touma...?” Ryo asked. “Kid, what are you...?”

Without warning or preamble, Touma let loose a battle cry reminiscent of Tetsuo using Bremen no Rockband, Kaenken Rekka glowing brightly in his hand as he recklessly charged toward Isaac. “What is the meaning of this...?” growled Isaac, displeased, but before he could catch his bearings the swordsman had him caught in a relentless flurry of strikes and slashes, all while shrieking in laughter.

“You’re so funny, you know that? Thinking you’re good enough to be a god,” Touma taunted, tongue apparently loosened by the caffeine. “You’re not even good enough to keep your swordsmen in check!”

“What... argh!” Isaac drew back as Touma didn’t let up with his attacks, alternating between flames and streams and currents and earth and gales, as if he couldn’t decide which to hit him with.

“What... what is this...?” Reika said in wonder, as Touma started breaking the stalemate, forcing Isaac back more and more, until he got a well-placed strike that threw the former guild master back and forced him to drop his transformation.

“You’ve bested me... for today. But only just.” Solomon vanished into nothingness.

“Is this... Touma’s...” Tetsuo began.

“Nope, it’s just him high on caffeine and sugar.” Everyone turned to gape at Ren, who huffed out a laugh.

“This is Kamiyama. On a sugar rush,” repeated Ryouga incredulously. Ren, Rintaro and Kento nodded seriously. “Unbelievable.”

Touma turned back to them, the manic smile still on his face. “Did you see that? Did you see that? I-”

His eyes rolled to the back of his head, but before he could fall and faceplant on the ground, Kento caught him in his arms, lowering him gently. “Geez, this guy...” he sighed, shaking his head as he heard the other already snoring.

“...Can someone explain to me what just happened?” Yuri asked, looking sincerely baffled.

“It’s... complicated,” Mei sighed, patting his back and shaking her head.

[annieslibrary059]

Preview of a new chapter 📚🥰

***

“Halbarad.”

"Mmmnnfbr..."

"Halbarad! For the love of Manwe, be up!"

"WHAT?!!!" He jolted awake and swung his fist blindly in the direction of the voice, though the reaction was more drunken than menacing, given that he missed Legolas' face by about five feet. The elf easily side-stepped and laughed.

"Oh, look. It speaks."

"Shut up. I'm awake already."

"Good, because we set out in a quarter of an hour."

"Bloody hell." Halbarad passed a hand over his unshaven face and peered resentfully around the campsite. There was Aragorn, already wearing his travel cloak and stooped over the fire, warming his hands. And Gandalf, already smoking his first pipe of the day and filling the chilly air with wreaths of pipe smoke. The wizard appeared, as usual, to have been awake for hours; but that was questionable, for there was only a pale suggestion of pink staining the skyline, and the chill of the previous night still lingered in the morning air.

Halbarad ran a hand through his tangled hair, more brown than golden now from weeks' accumulation of dirt and sweat. His leather tunic, boots, and once-green leggings were likewise filthy, but he cared little. The beasts and birds gave no heed to his appearance, and his travel companions were likewise oblivious, accustomed to long weeks of neglect themselves. But it occurred to him that perhaps Phantom was unused to such rough company, or at least she must have been on their first meeting. A time or two, Halbarad had caught her running fingers through her dark hair and pulling back the tresses into a tidy braid. And on one occasion, she had been splashing the dirt from her face with a little water from her flask, back turned to him. That was in Moria, just days before.

Halbarad frowned and then chuckled under his breath, realizing the turn his thoughts had taken. The woman had greater concerns than preening like an elven maid, surely. And besides, why should he bother about his own appearance when there was sure to be fresh mud splattered on his boots within the hour? What foolishness!

It was a full quarter of an hour before all the Company were prepared to set out, and by that time, Gandalf had smoked himself into a halfway pleasant mood. Good, Halbarad thought, eyeing the rising sun impatiently. We will cover more ground if the wizard does not delay to grumble about every branch fallen across our path. Gandalf was one of those odd creatures who remained immune to pain and great setbacks, yet grumbled unreasonably at the slightest inconvenience.

"You look eager and ready to be going," Aragorn commented, coming to stand beside the other ranger.

"If we lose no more time, we can cover thirty miles today," Halbarad answered, drawing his hood over his head. "Depending on where the orcs' tracks lead us, we may cross the Bruinen before nightfall."

"But not by the ford. They would not dare to venture so openly into the realm of the elves of Rivendell. My guess is they will either stay very close to the mountains or make a detour to the west and pass through the Trollshaws."

"The former, I hope. If we are lucky, the elves may intercept or at least delay them. As it is, we are about two days' journey behind them." Halbarad glanced over towards Gandalf; the wizard was putting away his pipe. Standing and grasping his staff in one hand, he walked over to join the two rangers. Legolas, who had been standing a little distance away and staring fixedly into the distance, followed and joined the group.

"Aragorn," the wizard instructed, "you take the lead today. We will need your tracking skills to pick up the trail of the orcs and follow it. The rest of us will follow." Aragorn nodded and set out without further delay. When he was clear of the copse of trees, he continued walking, switching directions several times until he had covered all the ground within a small radius of the thicket. Seeing nothing, he went further and continued searching until he picked up the trail about half a mile from where they had passed the night. It was hard to miss. A broad swath of trampled grass clearly marked where the orcs had passed. With a low cry of satisfaction, Aragorn bounded forward and started following the tracks at a brisk walk, the others following close behind him.

For some fifteen miles, the orcs' tracks led northwards parallel to the mountains, only swerving a time or two to avoid large boulders or clumps of trees that stood in the way. Well into the afternoon, it became apparent that the band of orcs had chosen to simply follow the mountains all the way around Rivendell, not bothering to take a detour after all.

At last Gandalf called a halt, concerned that their strength not give out before nightfall. Halbarad started to protest, feeling well able to continue without rest, but stopped himself when he saw the sweat beading on Aragorn's forehead and noticed Legolas rolling his shoulder as though his wound was paining him again. He could not entirely ignore the pain from his leg either. The wound ached dully, and only the distraction of constant movement had made him half-forget that it was there.

The four waited long enough to catch their breath and eat a little bread from their supplies before striking out again with renewed speed. After a few more hours of brisk walking, they could hear the murmur of water a little way ahead. Drawn by the sound, the men increased their speed slightly and soon caught sight of a body of water on their left: the river Bruinen. The slash of silver intersecting their path a little way ahead was a tributary branching from the main river. And although the ford lay to the west, the orcs' tracks did not lead in that direction, but directly to the banks of the tributary. Here, Aragorn stopped and gathered his bearings.

"They did not attempt to travel around," he mused aloud, shading his eyes against the sinking sun with one hand and pointing ahead with the other to where the tracks stopped at the river bank. "They must have crossed somehow, though; I can see their tracks continuing on the far side." "Perhaps they concealed a boat or two near the river?" Legolas suggested, scanning both banks with his sharp eyes for the orcs' means of crossing. "Or they may have attempted to swim across." Halbarad knew it was unlikely, but orcs had been known to do such things before. Besides, the level of the water appeared low for the time of year, so shallow that it was just possible that the party had attempted to cross without the aid of a boat. "We may have to do the same ourselves," Aragorn answered, seeing Legolas' look of disappointment when his search revealed nothing. "Even if they had a boat, it is on the far side now and can be of no use to us. Gandalf?"

The wizard did not answer but lifted his robe and waded a little distance into the river. About a third of the way across, the water had reached his knees, and he stopped. Turning around, he called back to them over the rushing of the stream.

"The water is low enough to wade across if you carry your weapons on your shoulders. It does not appear to run more than waist or perhaps chest deep at its deepest point."

Following his example, the men removed their sword belts, bows, and other weapons and lifted them onto their shoulders where the water could not reach them. Halbarad caught his breath when the icy cold of the water struck his legs but waded forward without pause. The cold was a welcome respite after several long days of climbing and walking under the hot sun. Midriver, the water rose to their chests, and the strong current made it almost impossible to keep moving forward, but they pushed on until at last they set foot on the other bank, where Gandalf was waiting for them.

"We can make camp there tonight," he told them, pointing to a group of trees growing a little distance away. "At daybreak, we must set out again, but a good night's rest will do all of us some good."

"Likely, but it irks me to know that the orcs increase the distance between us with each stop we make," Aragorn grumbled as they walked towards the place. "The creatures are always blessed with unnatural endurance when going about their masters' evil business, it seems."

"Patience, my friend," Legolas said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I have just been able to hear the sound of their marching all day, and it has grown louder rather than fainter."

"Oh, for the ears of an elf!" Halbarad intoned dryly. "What price will you take for them, Legolas?"

They had reached the shelter of the trees by this time, and the elf tossed his knapsack to the side and leaned against a tree, smirking at the ranger. "I can accept nothing less than the heart of the beautiful black-haired maiden," he declared, tilting his head back and peering at Halbarad with twinkling eyes.

Halbarad snorted. "Are you too cowardly to speak to her yourself, then?" he goaded, grinning a little. "I will not be your matchmaker, Legolas. Surely two thousand years have taught you how to speak to a woman."

Aragorn, who had been listening while arranging his gear, gave a sudden snort of laughter. "Admit it, Legolas. He sidestepped you nicely there."

Legolas reddened a little, but Gandalf quickly came to his rescue. "Enough of this foolishness, children. You banter like schoolboys, and grown men, all of you. To sleep, then, or suffer my wrath!" He really did look menacing, leaning on his staff in the shadows with half his face lit up by the dying sun. Legolas and Halbarad looked at each other almost sheepishly, realizing the turn their bantering had taken so quickly. Aragorn merely looked on and smirked behind his hood.

"I would not dare to brave the wrath of a wizard," Halbarad said, laughing lightly. "As you wish, then." He hurried to spread his cloak on the ground and stretched out on it. Legolas did not lay down but remained standing,his eyes eventually becoming glazed as he sunk into the trance-like sleep of an elf.

"I fancy you need rest, friend," Aragorn said quietly, coming to stand beside Gandalf. "My thoughts trouble me somewhat; I will take the first watch."

"Wake me for the second, then," Gandalf conceded with a shrug, but he peered sideways at the ranger. "What troubles you, Aragorn?"

The ranger met his gaze, and there was a hint of foreboding in his expression. But it passed quickly, and he shook his head with a humorless smile. "It is nothing, I will say no more tonight."

"Mmmm," the wizard growled genially, "very well. I will leave you to your thoughts, then. Good night."

"Night."

Before five minutes had elapsed, the wizard's gentle snoring was the only sound to break the stillness. But Aragorn's pipe cast a red glow under his hood, and his face was turned toward the east in deep thought.

[shinobirain24]

Water and Ice- Chapter 6: Let me Protect You

Back in Beacon, I have met a boy, then everything dawned on me. He may not have remembered me when we first met in Poseidon Island. The land of seas. There, he has eyes, blue as the deep ocean. Blue hair as bright as the morning sky. The moment I held his hand when we gazed at the meteorites, I can feel the warmth through his aura. Such a funny and cocky personality. What I feel fond of him for is that he never asked for my name, nor did he came after me for my status as an heiress. I have one desire, and one thing only. To let him know how I feel for him. But how can I if I am not the right person he can choose? But now, all I saw was a struggling soul beneath his own cockiness. I knew he lost someone important to him. All I want to do now is to stay by his side, until the very end. But will he feel the same for me? After my sister is about to go after him? For what his brother has done? Either to help Winter catch Neptune, or to help him escape and find his brother? I love my sister, but I cannot let her bring him to justice. I think he's already suffered enough as it is. Neptune, I know you asked me not to follow you. But please give me a sign you're still around the island. I don't want you to die. Let me be there for you. Weiss is sitting in front of a firepit to warm herself up for the night.

Her thoughts began to roam in her mind. Now that her sister deemed the man she holds dear as a suspect. First he teamed up with her to find the answers about the Thunderbolts. After the lies Winter spread in the news. Meant to lure the Thunderbolts. Winter had been there for her when their mother couldn't. Defended her from their father. But when she left for Atlas Academy, Weiss has never felt lonelier in her life. She cannot meet eye-to-eye with either of her family members. Until she went to Beacon Academy to get away from it all. There she met Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. They became a team and the best of friends any girl can ask for. Standing by them to fight for freedom and peace.

Currently, her younger brother is working things out with their mother after she put their father in jail. Starting little by little to his recovery from what their father have put them all through. Still, the siblings are still not yet in speaking terms. Now that her elder sister is clenching to her duties as a general. Weiss cannot seem to bring herself to talk to her due to their differences.

Still, she does not want her to arrest the man who melted her frozen heart. Then the thoughts went on, tears stream from her eyes. She left her team to recuperate from the events; the Fall of Beacon, Battle in Haven, and Atlas. Who will she choose, Winter, or Neptune? She cried herself to sleep. Chills blew on her spine. But it didn't matter to her.

"Hey Schnee, wake up." She is then shaken awake when somebody is talking to her. Her eyes fluttered when she felt like someone is placing a hand on her shoulder. She roses up from the log she used as a pillow and rubbed her eyes. Hoping it was Neptune. Her vision went blurry at first. But when she blinked, she sees Drey. "Looks like the snowflake awakens."

"Oh no, not you." Weiss gasped. Hastily drawing her Myrtenaster and leapt backwards. But Drey raised his hand in defense, showing that he surrenders for a moment. "I'm not here to harm you." He assured her. But Weiss did not seem to believe him. But puts away her blade to hear his side of the story.

"Cut the act, Brandwood. I already know you and Rick are spying on us." She snarled.

"I came here to warn you. I saw you with Neptune earlier, and it looks like you're the only person he can trust."

"Why are you telling me this? What does that have to do with him?"

"What I'm saying is that you need to get Neptune off this island right now. Ricks' going to hunt him down and kill him to end his bloodline." Weiss eyes widened when she heard this. Another person hunting him down. But why would an enemy like Drey warn her? Then she has a theory that he has a soft spot. Not willing to do what Rick says.

"But why would you follow Rick? For all I know, you and him attempted to torment Neptune. And what do you mean ending his bloodline?" Drey turns around before he could spoke a word. He sighed to brace himself for the revelation.

"I cannot give you the full details about Neptune. But I can tell you this. I only followed Rick because not only he's my best friend. But he's also my cousin. My mother and his father are siblings. When we were young, he used to stood up for me. We make trouble together. I wasn't willing to do anything bad to the guy. But I go along with it because I owe everything to him. But as we got older, he changed. I don't know what he has against Vasilias, but it started when my uncle got killed in a cruising accident. The same day his brother, Jupiter Vasilias, disappeared along with his huntsmen team. After his semblance was unlocked, it's like his eyes are burning with pure hatred. And he blamed him for a reason." Drey explained, feeling ashamed to ever be related to the arrogant huntsman.

"Why didn't you report him when things got this bad? Why not giving him the help he needed?" Weiss glared. Wishing that he would've done it sooner.

"It would mean losing the best and only friend I ever had. He'll hate me for it." Drey responded in sadness. The he turns back to her. "I have to go, or Rick will find out. Get Vasilias off the island while you still have the chance. I'll try to stall him while you're at it." He begged. Leaving Weiss in desperation to save Neptune from the would-be assailant. Drey puts out the fire to not leave any traces that would led his cousin to kill his rivals. Weiss begins to understood the fact that being close to a family member would mean a sever bond, between parents, siblings, and cousins. And she and Drey are one of those people who're not willing to betray their loved ones.

Sorry Rick, but I can't let you do this. What else can I do to have you let this hatred go? He thought. Staring at the former heiress as she runs. Pulling out her Myrtenaster once again.

The next morning, Weiss keeps rushing through the island. Everywhere around is all too quiet. Since the other huntsmen and huntresses are petrified and taken to the Atlas Hospital for recovery. Neptune, where are you? Please. She thought pleading to herself for his safety. "Neptune, where are you!" She shouts. Needing the response. But all she hears is nothing but silence. To the point that Neptune has already decided not to involve anyone he cared about because of his reasons of searching for his brother. But this got Weiss thinking if Jupiter is truly a Thunderbolt. Why was Neptune blaming himself for his vanishing? It could've been an accident, at least not on purpose. She then questions herself about his bloodlines. And why would Rick wanted to end it? Could it be that there is a connection between Rick's father and Jupiter. As they both got caught on the accident on the same night. Nevertheless, she has to convince him to let her help him connect the dots.

Meanwhile, Neptune is back into the Colosseum, where he was still trying to touch the water before he can look further for his brother. Until he heard footsteps. He could tell somebody is following him. "I know you're out there. Come out." He said coldly, Weiss didn't hesitate to come out for his sake. "I've been looking for you, Neptune!" He looked up to the upper right corner to see Weiss standing on the pillar. She then jumps off and lands in a perfect form.

"What are you doing here? I told you to go back to Atlas." Weiss ignored this and shook her head in response.

"Never mind that, Neptune. We need to get off the island immediately." He turned away again.

"I can't, I have to find..."

"I know. I could already see how you felt. But you need to listen. Rick Argo is coming to kill you if we don't escape."

"Fine by me. I can take care of him myself."

"You're never going to stand much against him. Drey have me fully aware of how dangerous he is. You should know that there is a reason he has a grudge against you. And he won't stop."

"You can leave if you want to, Weiss. I'll take him down by myself." He shot a cold glare at her. Acting tough for a man with aquaphobia. Weiss isn't having it, so she has to take drastic matters. "If you won't listen to me, then you left me no choice." She then spun her revolver on her Myrtenaster. Summoning a platform to form earth objects from the ground underneath Neptune. But he jumps backward and lands near the walls. And Weiss stikes lunging. Neptune avoids her again by flipping back into the air.

"I guess there's no other way to convince you, huh? You know the strength of my glyphs!" Weiss gave him one final warning. "Don't you understand? I don't want you to die, Neptune!"

"Oh, yeah?! Try me, Snow Angel!" He called her by that nickname. But with no effect. Despite that his weapon is at a disadvantage, it's still enough for defense. Blocking her slashes.

Weiss has the upper hand by summoning her Armored Gigas. The projection then swung its sword at Neptune. But he transform his guandano into a trident in his Tri-hard. Stab it on the back of its head and making a huge electric barrier to make it dissipate. He then lands on the water. Which he wasn't aware of, since he's too busy fighting.

Weiss landed there to collide her blade with his spear. "I'm tired of fighting with you already, just give it up!" She said.

"I have to find Jupiter one way or another. I am not afraid of death! Now get out of the way!" He pushes back.

"No!" But she also pushed back holding him on the position. "That's enough!" Neptune didn't realized that the water is reacting to his body for defense. Catching her off guard, and pushes it at Weiss, knocking her to another pillar. "Ahh!" She screamed. He then realized what he has done, and rushes towards Weiss to see if she's okay. "Weiss...Weiss!" He held her into his arms. She felt her head hurt for seconds before regaining consciousness. Opening her eyes and gazed at him sadly.

"I'm sorry for being so selfish, Neptune. After Beacon, and Haven fell, anybody we knew and cared about has either lost their minds, or their lives. The truth is, I don't want to lose you." Weiss does not hesitate to cry onto his shoulder. Neptune felt guilty for hurting her, and not letting her help him when he needed it.

"Oh, Weiss." Neptune said softly. Wrapping his arms around her to console Weiss. He has no idea what she has been through over her journeys. How traumatic those experiences must be. "Neptune." She sobbed. "There's nothing for you to be sorry for. If anyone's apologizing, it should be me. I am an idiot, okay? I don't like to let anybody get hurt or killed because of me. I should've told you this a long time ago. I wasn't honest with myself." He felt her body shaking from all the sobbing, still in fear that he could get hurt. He never saw her cry before. Weiss has been very composed and more focus, sometimes bossy, she has yet to show any emotion towards him. But this time, she did.

Weiss looked up at him. He wiped the tear from her left cheek. Calming her down. To assure that he'll be fine. He lifts her up and asks her, "Why don't we get back to Argus and take a break?" Much to her relief. She nods. He held her hand to lead her back to the bay and waited for the ferry to come. Weiss looked back at the island, worried what might come to Drey since he warned her of his cousin's insanity. Then she and Neptune boards the ferry and went back to Argus.

[woolspun]

         kiss drabble meme idk // not accepting // music inspo.

@yamausa​ said: (▰˘◡˘▰)

     kith but fantasy au.

     they’d been beaten down some earlier during a scuffle with a bunch of brigands, said robbers likely being ex ( or even current ) members of the local baron’s forces. the uniforms they donned were recognizable by the house emblem, though the clothing was... dirty. ruined, really. pockmarked just as badly as the outermost edges of etsu’s wings.      the most humiliating part of it was that the dragon hadn’t even NOTICED them at first, though looking back, there’d been proof everywhere. remnants of houses and huts alike, burned till only the skeletons of the structures remained. the stench of death, though faded, clung to the air-- and with it, the choking smell of charred flesh.      given that the dragon is a NATURAL fire-breather, she’s well aware of the damage that can be done with the element... but so many have decided to use it for EVIL. against the innocent. against people just trying to live their lives.       as the sun overhead made its descent, the party’s cries to land grew louder and louder, the indignant squawking of a particular member causing a thundering rumble to roll through her body, scaled skin shuddering in response as the warning sounded. harpies. so ANNOYING. and so DEMANDING, too.       she chooses a clearing within the woods to land within, limbs hitting the ground with a hefty-sounding thump, talons digging into the mixture of leaf litter, twigs and various plant life. a deep inhale of the air confirms that nothing is skulking about, though the scent of magic hangs within the air. it’s stale, so perhaps a nomadic grove of druids ? this sort of place looked like an area they’d want to travel through, perhaps using their abilities to try and heal the damaged land ? likely just a comforting thought. but also etsu KNOWS that she’s on high alert from the surprise attack earlier.      ❝ here. i do believe that this area will be the safest. any survivors from that group we ran into earlier, they shouldn’t be able to find us here. i think we killed their only mage, meaning no surprise attacks again. ❞      as always, the others accept and set about making themselves comfortable. etsu gathers sticks and clears a spot, a singular exhale within her mortal form being all that it needs for a fire to jump to life.       the others make themselves useful by gathering food or scavenging, if possible.       might as well do the same. her sensitive nose could probably find something useful.      a nasty cut to her cheek has already began sealing itself up, a thin line of scarlet being the only hint that something had happened. had etsu been slashed at in her true form, the blade likely wouldn’t even of gotten through her scales. pathetic.       her feelings had distracted her.      eyes like citrine stones were honed in on snow-colored hair, the strands long and straight, if not a little windswept at the front from the day-long flight to get to this part of the land. the over-sized lizard had been so caught up in admiring the one who practically WORSHIPED the ground she walked on, when really it should’ve been the other way around.      etsu can feel it. the power that emanates from rumi’s form at all times of both the day and the night. it’s not NORMAL. no regular mortal gave off such a strong sensation, even a powerful mage couldn’t hold a flame to the barbarian queen. there was no doubt about it that rumi was something else, something... both mortal yet NOT. careful monitoring of the harpy ( hawks, his name was hawks ) confirms her thoughts on the matter, the bird man’s own behavior unique when around the woman. not in a ‘ oh, you’re beautiful and i want to kiss you ‘ sort of way, but more ‘ something isn’t right about you ‘ manner.       metallic greaves clack against boots of the same make, the former-knight’s armor clattering here and there as she navigates through the thicket. it almost feels like home, though should she turn and glance behind her there’d be stone walls to greet her. etsu can’t help the weary exhale, but as the dragon inhales once again...      wildflowers. close. several, if not hundreds.      pupils dilate to allow as much light in as possible, splashes of color speckled betwixt the trees that lie just up ahead. would it perhaps be too cliché to snag a bunch and... deliver them to rumi ? the woman in question wasn’t a princess to be wooed, no, no. she was a queen. but then again, the last king that etsu had served, he’d send servants out ( she’d sometimes have to accompany them, for protection purposes ) to gather flowers to be made into arrangements for his wife.      maybe this... this would work.      or so etsu hopes as she meanders back into the makeshift camp that the others made. she gets a few eyebrows raised in her direction, but the cursed knight merely lifts her head and resumes her determined march to where rumi had wandered off to.       it’s no surprise she’d settled at a nearby stream, tending to her weapons and washing the dried blood from her armor the best that she could. the rabbit woman’s ears twitched as etsu got closer, but the barbarian was familiar enough with the sound of her footsteps that she didn’t bother turning around.       even as etsu settles herself down beside the queen, she stays focused on her task.      ❝ i uh. i brought these.      for..... you. ❞      a bundle of flora is offered out, the colors varying and clashing, but still managing to look... aesthetically pleasing.       ❝ i thought that maybe they’d uh, they’d cheer you up ! you know, w-with everything we’ve been through these past few weeks. and i know that hawks has been getting on your nerves too — mmph ?! ❞      lips. they’re — they’re pushed against etsu’s own, easily melding together for a few seconds until the warmth is gone. the woman beside her is grinning from ear to ear, eyes crinkled shut in that way that etsu had gotten so fond of.      ❝ did... did it work ? ah, haha, uhm.      my lady, i...  ❞      there’s a murmur of ‘ quit talking ‘ before the barbarian’s kissing her once again, though this time the duo’s lips don’t part save for the occasional breath of air. 

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Pluralistic: 13 Mar 2020 (The third Little Brother book, Where I write, stream global news, AT&T's CEO gets millions for his failures, Chelsea Manning freed, Katie Porter vs CDC, Trump's scientific nihilism, Covid-malware co-evolution, Siennese solidarity)

Today's links

Announcing the third Little Brother book, Attack Surface: And a new Little Brother/Homeland reissue, with an intro by Ed Snowden!

Where I Write: A column for the CBC that's really about how I write.

Stream 200+ global news channels: Each hand-picked, no registration required.

AT&T's CEO fired 23,000 workers and gave himself a 10% raise: Life on the easiest setting.

Chelsea Manning is free: But she's been fined $256K for refusing to testify to the Grand Jury.

Rep Katie Porter forces CDC boss to commit to free testing: Literally the most effective questioner in Congress.

Trump's unfitness in a plague: It's not because he's an ignoramus, it's because he's a nihilist.

Malware that hides behind a realtime Covid-19 map: Peter Watts' prophecy comes true.

Locked-down Siennese sing their city's hymn: A cause for hope in the dark.

This day in history: 2015, 2019

Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading

Announcing the third Little Brother book, Attack Surface (permalink)

Attack Surface is the third Little Brother book, coming out next October.

It's told from the point of view of Masha, the young woman who is Marcus Yallow's frenemy who works first for the DHS and then for a private spook outfit. It's a book about how good people talk themselves into doing bad things, and how they redeem themselves. It ranges from Iraq to the color revolutions of the former USSR, to Oakland and the Movement for Black Lives.

The story turns on cutting-edge surveillance and counter-surveillance: self-driving cars, over-the-air baseband radio malware, IMSI catchers, CV dazzle and adversarial examples, binary transparency and warrant canaries.

This week, I did a wide-ranging and deep interview with Andrew Liptak for Polygon about the book, the Little Brother series, the techlash, the tech workers' uprising (and #TechWontBuildIt), and the future of technological self-determination.

We also revealed the cover for Attack Surface, which was designed by the incomparable Will Staehle (who is eligible for a Best Artist Hugo – nominations close today!).

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

Not only that, but Staehle has also designed a cover for a new omnibus edition of Little Brother and Homeland that comes out this July, and as you can see from that cover, the book has an all-new introduction by none other than Ed Snowden!

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

(In 2017, Staehle also designed all-new covers for my adult backlist)

https://www.tor.com/2017/10/18/cory-doctorow-will-staehle-covers/

The Little Brother books are neither optimistic nor pessimistic about technology: instead, they are hopeful. Hope is the belief that you can materially improve your life if you take action. A belief in human agency and the power of self-determination.

The message of Little Brother is neither "Things will all be fine" nor "We are all doomed."

It's: "This will be so great…if we don't screw it up."

Where I Write (permalink)

I learned to be a writer while my life was in total chaos. Decades later, I have a beautiful office to work in, but I still do my best writing typing hurriedly on subway trains, in taxi-cabs, and airport lounges.

https://www.cbc.ca/arts/finding-comfort-in-the-chaos-how-cory-doctorow-learned-to-write-from-literally-anywhere-1.5489363

My CBC column on where I write is really a primer on how I write: what it takes to be able to write when you're sad, or anxious, or wracked with self-doubt.

Unquestionably the most important skill I've acquired as a writer.

"Even though there were days when the writing felt unbearably awful, and some when it felt like I was mainlining some kind of powdered genius and sweating it out through my fingertips, there was no relation between the way I felt about the words I was writing and their objective quality, assessed in the cold light of day at a safe distance from the day I wrote them. The biggest predictor of how I felt about my writing was how I felt about me. If I was stressed, underslept, insecure, sad, hungry or hungover, my writing felt terrible. If I was brimming over with joy, the writing felt brilliant."

Stream 200+ global news channels (permalink)

TV News is an Android app that pulls like Youtube streams from 200+ global news channels in 50 languages, each manually selected by the app's creator, Steven Clift, whose work I've previously admired.

http://tvnewsapp.com/

You can filter the feeds by country and language and watch them as floating windows that let you continue to use your device while you watch. No registration required, either.

They're shooting for 1000+ channels soon.

AT&T's CEO fired 23,000 workers and gave himself a 10% raise (permalink)

Randall Stephenson is CEO of AT&T. Ajit Pai killed Net Neutrality so that Stephenson could legally slow down the services we requested to extort bribes from us. Then, Trump gave his company a $20B tax cut.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/nepxeg/atandt-preps-for-new-layoffs-despite-billions-in-tax-breaks-and-regulatory-favors

Stephenson used that money to raise exec pay, buy back his company's stock to juice its price and to pay off debts from earlier, disastrous mergers. He cut 23,000 jobs and slashed capital spending (America has the worst broadband of any rich country).

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/05/att-promised-7000-new-jobs-to-get-tax-break-it-cut-23000-jobs-instead/

After all that, Stephenson congratulated himself on a job well done by giving himself a 10% raise in 2019, bringing his total compensation up to 32 million dollars.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/03/att-ceo-pay-rose-to-32-million-in-2019-while-he-cut-20000-jobs/

I mean the guy earned it. He blew billions of dollars buying Warner and Directv, and then lost billions more on the failed aftermath. If that doesn't warrant a raise, what does?

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/10/att-loses-another-1-3-million-tv-customers-as-directv-freefall-continues/

Chelsea Manning is free (permalink)

A judge has ordered that Chelsea Manning be released from jail, a day after her latest suicide attempt. She was jailed last March for refusing to testify before a grand jury, held in solitary for two months, then jailed again a few days later, in May, She's been inside ever since.

The judge ordered her release because the Grand Jury had finished its work.

https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.412520/gov.uscourts.vaed.412520.41.0.pdf

It's fantastic to that Manning got her freedom back, but she has been fined $256,000 for her noncompliance. I just donated to her fund:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-chelsea-pay-her-court-fines

(Image: Tim Travers Hawkins, CC BY-SA)

Rep Katie Porter forces CDC boss to commit to free testing (permalink)

I am a huge fan of Rep Katie Porter. Her outstanding questioning techniques and unwillingness to countenance bullshit from the people she questions are such a delight to watch.

Here she is demolishing billionaire finance criminal Jamie Dimon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WLuuCM6Ej0

Oh, Ben Carson, you never stood a chance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVWy3q2kmNM

Steve Mnuchin always looks like a colossal asshole, but rarely this comprehensively:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78zpa0hQ1aw

I almost feel sorry for this Trumpkin from the Consumer Finance Protection Board as she faces Porter's withering fire.

Almost.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBaCc5VUHS8

Porter – an Elizabeth Warren protege – doesn't do this to grandstand. Like AOC, she uses her spectacular skills to elicit admissions and get them on the record, and to hold Congressional witnesses to account.

Today, Porter attained a new peak in a short, illustrious career. That's because today was the day she questioned CDC assistant secretary for preparedness and response Robert Kadlec, asking him to clarify Trump's televised lie last night that insurers would pay for Covid-19 testing.

https://twitter.com/RepKatiePorter/status/1238147835859779584

Porter doggedly held Kadlec to account, forcing him to acknowledge that the cost of a Covid-19 test – $1,331 – was so high that many would forego it, and then to admit that these Americans could go on to transmit the disease to others, making it a matter of public concern.

Then she forced CDC Director Robert Redfield to admit – as she had informed him in writing the week before – that the CDC had the authority to simply pay those fees, universally, for any American seeking testing, under 42 CFR 71.30:

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2019-title42-vol1/xml/CFR-2019-title42-vol1-part71.xml#seqnum71.30

Having laid this factual record, Porter insisted that Redfield commit to using that authority. Not to consider it, study it, or consult on it. To use it to help save the country. Whenever Redfield waffled, she reclaimed her time and forced him back on point.

KP: Dr. Redfield, will you commit to the CDC, right now, using that existing authority to pay for diagnostic testing, free to every American, regardless of insurance?

RR: Well, I can say that we're going to do everything to make sure everybody can get the care they need –"

KP: Nope, not good enough. Yes or no?

RR: What I'm going to say is, I'm going to review it in detail with CDC and the department —

KP: No, reclaiming my time [repeats the question]

RR: What I was trying to say is that CDC is working with HHS now to see how we operationalize that

KP: Dr. Redfield, I hope that that answer weighs heavily on you, because it is going to weigh very heavily on me and on every American family

RR: Our intent is to make sure that every American family gets the care and treatment they need at this time in this major epidemic and I am currently working with HHS to see how to best operationalize it.

KP: Excellent! Everybody in America hear that — you are eligible to go get tested for coronavirus and have that covered, regardless of insurance

[Curtain]

Trump's unfitness in a plague (permalink)

In this editorial, Science editor-in-chief H Holden Thorp makes a compelling case that Trump is not capable of leading the American response to Covid-19.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6483/1169

Trump has spent years denigrating and ignoring science before taking office, and it's only gotten worse, since.

As Thorp writes, "You can't insult science when you don't like it and then suddenly insist on something that science can't give on demand."

His policy track-record is even worse: "deep cuts to science, including cuts to funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the NIH…nearly 4 years of harming and ignoring science."

This reminds me of an argument I often have with digital rights activists who attribute bad technology policy to the inability of clueless lawmakers to understand the technical nuance. I think that's wrong. The fact that we're not all dead of cholera, even though there are no microbiologists in Congress proves that you don't need to be a domain expert to make good policy.

Good policy comes from truth-seeking exercises in which experts with different views present their best evidence to neutral adjudicators who make determinations in public, showing their work in explicit, written, public reasoning. These processes are made legitimate – and hence robust and reliable – by procedural rules. The adjudicators – regulators, staffers, etc – are not allowed to have conflicts of interest. Their conclusions are subject to the rule of law, with mandatory transparency and a process for appeal.

It has to be this way: there's no way that – say – a president could be an expert on all the different issues that might arise during their tenure.

This, then, is the problem with inequality and market concentration: it merges the referees with the players. When an industry only has a handful of players, they all end up with common lobbying positions – a common position on what is truth. That's because the C-suites of these five companies are filled with people who've worked at two, three or four of the competitors, and are married to others who've worked at the remainder. They're godparents to one anothers' kids, executors of each others' wills.

There's no way for there NOT to be collusion in these circumstances.

And when an industry is that concentrated, the only people who understand it well enough are those same execs, so inevitably the regulators are drawn from the industry.

That's why Obama's "good" FCC Chair, Tom Wheeler, was a former Comcast lobbyist, and why Ajit Pai, Trump's "bad" FCC chair, is a former Verizon lawyer. Apart from Susan Crawford, there's not really anyone who's not from the top ranks of Big Telco qualified to regulate them.

So many of us saw the photo of Trump meeting with all the tech leaders and were dismayed that they were throwing their lot in with him.

But we should also be aghast that all the leaders of the industry fit around one modest board-room table.

https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/14/donald-trump-meets-with-tech-leaders/

The problem with Trump's Covid-19 response is that he does not believe in a legitimate process with neutral referees. The refereeship, in trumpland, is an open-field auction, a transactional process that works best when it enriches Trump and his party.

The problem of Trump taking charge of the epidemiological crisis of Covid-19 isn't that he doesn't understand science: it's that he doesn't believe in evidence-based policy.

He is part of the cult of "Public Choice Theory," the belief that there is no one who can serve as referee without eventually colluding with the players for their mutual enrichment, a cynical, nihilistic philosophy that holds that there's no point in seeking to govern well. These people project their own moral vacuum onto all of humanity, a kind of cartoon Homo Economicus who is incapable of anything except maximizing personal utility.

For these people, the existence of bridges that don't fall down and water that doesn't give you cholera are lucky accidents, not results of sound policy and careful truth-seeking. They reason that since they would take bribes to poison the water of Flint, so would everyone.

Trump isn't just a non-expert, he's an ignoranamus, but that's not the problem. The problem is that he is a nihilist, someone who doesn't believe that truth-seeking is even possible.

Malware that hides behind a realtime Covid-19 map (permalink)

Hackers have developed a malware-as-a-service that packages up realtime Covid-19 maps with malware droppers that infect people who load them.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/03/live-coronavirus-map-used-to-spread-malware/

This reminds me intensely of Peter Watts's 2002 novel Maelstrom, in which Watts uses his background as an evolutionary biologist to posit an eerily plausible and devilishly clever way that a digital and a human virus could co-evolve.

https://rifters.com/real/MAELSTROM.htm

This has stuck with me! In May 2018, I wrote about it in Locus Magazine:

http://locusmag.com/2018/05/cory-doctorow-the-engagement-maximization-presidency/

Maelstrom is concerned with a pandemic that is started by its protago­nist, Lenie Clark, who returns from a deep ocean rift bearing an ancient, devastating pathogen that burns its way through the human race, felling people by the millions.

As Clark walks across the world on a mission of her own, her presence in a message or news story becomes a signal of the utmost urgency. The filters are firewalls that give priority to some packets and suppress others as potentially malicious are programmed to give highest priority to any news that might pertain to Lenie Clark, as the authorities try to stop her from bringing death wherever she goes.

Here's where Watt's evolutionary bi­ology shines: he posits a piece of self-modifying malicious software – something that really exists in the world today – that automatically generates variations on its tactics to find computers to run on and reproduce itself. The more computers it colonizes, the more strategies it can try and the more computational power it can devote to analyzing these experiments and directing its randomwalk through the space of all possible messages to find the strategies that penetrate more firewalls and give it more computational power to devote to its task.

Through the kind of blind evolution that produces predator-fooling false eyes on the tails of tropical fish, the virus begins to pretend that it is Lenie Clark, sending messages of increasing convincingness as it learns to impersonate patient zero. The better it gets at this, the more welcoming it finds the firewalls and the more computers it infects.

At the same time, the actual pathogen that Lenie Clark brought up from the deeps is finding more and more hospitable hosts to reproduce in: thanks to the computer virus, which is directing public health authorities to take countermeasures in all the wrong places. The more effective the computer virus is at neutralizing public health authorities, the more the biological virus spreads. The more the biological virus spreads, the more anxious the public health authorities become for news of its progress, and the more computers there are trying to suck in any intelligence that seems to emanate from Lenie Clark, supercharging the computer virus.

Together, this computer virus and biological virus co-evolve, symbiotes who cooperate without ever intending to, like the predator that kills the prey that feeds the scavenging pathogen that weakens other prey to make it easier for predators to catch them.

Locked-down Siennese sing their city's hymn (permalink)

In times of crisis, we typically pull together, but elite panic's pervasive mythology holds that these moments are when the poors reveal their inner beast and attack their social betters. That libel on humanity is disproved regularly by our everyday experience. As common as these incidents of solidarity are, they still warrant our notice.

The Song of the Verbena is the hymn of the Italian city of Sienna, currently on lockdown.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canto_della_Verbena

This video of Siennese people singing their hymn from the windows of their houses, into their empty street, is one of the most beautiful, hopeful things I've seen this week.

Truly, it is a tonic.

https://twitter.com/valemercurii/status/1238234518508777473

This day in history (permalink)

#5yrsago NYPD caught wikiwashing Wikipedia entries on police brutality https://web.archive.org/web/20150313150951/http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/03/8563947/edits-wikipedia-pages-bell-garner-diallo-traced-1-police-plaza

#1yrago Gimlet staff announce unionization plan following Spotify acquisition https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/13/18263957/gimlet-media-union-spotify-recognition-podcasts

#1yrago With days to go until the #CopyrightDirective vote, #Article13's father admits it requires filters and says he's OK with killing Youtube https://www.golem.de/news/uploadfilter-voss-stellt-existenz-von-youtube-infrage-1903-139992.html

#1yrago Spotify's antitrust complaint against Apple is a neat parable about Big Tech's monopoly https://www.wired.com/story/spotify-apple-complaint-warren-antitrust-issue/

#1yrago A critical flaw in Switzerland's e-voting system is a microcosm of everything wrong with e-voting, security practice, and auditing firms https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/zmakk3/researchers-find-critical-backdoor-in-swiss-online-voting-system

#1yrago McMansion Hell tours the homes of the "meritocratic" one-percenters who allegedly bought their thickwitted kids' way into top universities in the college admissions scandal https://mcmansionhell.com/post/183417051691/in-honor-of-the-college-admissions-scandal

Colophon (permalink)

Today's top sources: Empty Wheel (https://www.emptywheel.net/), CNN (https://cnn.com), Memex 1.1 (https://memex.naughtons.org/), Slashdot (https://slashdot.org).

Hugo nominators! My story "Unauthorized Bread" is eligible in the Novella category and you can read it free on Ars Technica: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/

Currently writing: I've just finished rewrites on a short story, "The Canadian Miracle," for MIT Tech Review. It's a story set in the world of my next novel, "The Lost Cause," a post-GND novel about truth and reconciliation. I've also just completed "Baby Twitter," a piece of design fiction also set in The Lost Cause's prehistory, for a British think-tank. I'm getting geared up to start work on the novel next.

Currently reading: Just started Lauren Beukes's forthcoming Afterland: it's Y the Last Man plus plus, and two chapters in, it's amazeballs. Last month, I finished Andrea Bernstein's "American Oligarchs"; it's a magnificent history of the Kushner and Trump families, showing how they cheated, stole and lied their way into power. I'm getting really into Anna Weiner's memoir about tech, "Uncanny Valley." I just loaded Matt Stoller's "Goliath" onto my underwater MP3 player and I'm listening to it as I swim laps.

Latest podcast: A Lever Without a Fulcrum Is Just a Stick https://archive.org/download/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_330/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_330_-_A_Lever_Without_a_Fulcrum_Is_Just_a_Stick.mp3

Upcoming books: "Poesy the Monster Slayer" (Jul 2020), a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Pre-order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=socialpost&utm_term=na-poesycorypreorder&utm_content=na-preorder-buynow&utm_campaign=9781626723627

(we're having a launch for it in Burbank on July 11 at Dark Delicacies and you can get me AND Poesy to sign it and Dark Del will ship it to the monster kids in your life in time for the release date).

"Attack Surface": The third Little Brother book, Oct 20, 2020. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

"Little Brother/Homeland": A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

[elizabethemerald]

Dreams of Drowning: Chap 7

Jim desperately wants to rest. But he can't. A shadow is hanging over his head. A shadow he can't shake. Please Reblog if you like!

AO3

Jim fell face down on his bed. He wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week. He had gotten home from work, more exhausted than he's ever been in his life. He had managed to call his mom and assuage her fears somewhat. He felt a little bad for not telling he the complete truth. He would need to soon but right now it was easier to lie. 

As he lay there in his bed thinking about the day he remembered one last call he had to make before passing out. He pulled out his phone and tried to not sound as tired as he was as he dialed. 

"Ah, Young Atlas. To what do I the pleasure?" Strickler's voice on the other line sounded just like Jim always remembered. British accent with the slightest hint of smug prick. 

"Hey Mr. Strickler. I was hoping we could meet up sometime this week. We've got a lot to talk about."

"I understand Jim. Please know I will do everything in my power to assist."

Jim hung up soon after. He hoped he politely said goodbye to his former teacher but he couldn't remember. Did Strickler somehow know about what Jim was thinking? Could he know about Claire? No. He was just being polite. Jim was asleep before even one more thought crossed his mind. 

He didn't dream of Claire. At least not in the way he usually did. Instead he dreamed of her magic. He could see the flow of purple water of Claire's magic mix and dance with his blue flames. 

Rather than the water extinguishing the fire or the fire boiling the water the two streams of magic seemed to feed each other, both growing. His flames grew from a blaze to an inferno. Claire's water grew from a trickle to a torrent. 

More colored magic joined. Orange flames danced among the blue and purple. A darker blue light, so like his own fire circled. Even more filled his vision until he couldn't tell one color from another. Each growing and feeding the others. 

Then the lights trembled. A shadow crept into the edges of the dream. The colored magic's shook and fled one by one. Soon only his blue fire and Claire's water remained. Jim circled his raging fire around Claire to protect her from the darkness. Slowly he burned out as Claire drew in on herself, shrinking down. 

A hand with gold talons on the fingers knocked his blue flame aside and ripped into Claire. Jim felt himself burn away to cinders as he watched Claire's magic get torn apart. 

Jim woke up shaking and nauseous. He tried to steady his breathing as the memory of the dream faded rapidly. Shortly he couldn't even remember what he had been so afraid of, but his fear and loathing continued. Eventually he returned to sleep and returned to dreams that unsettled and terrified him. 

Much of the next week was spent in a state of near constant fatigue. Jim came into work and tried to pretend that nothing was the matter. But each night his dreams were restless, filled with strange imagery that didn't linger in his mind. His unease grew each day, a shadow on his mind. 

To make everything worse, he hadn't heard from Claire since he stopped her torture. He was worried about what else they could be doing to her. He was afraid of reaching out to her again with his current exhaustion, he didn’t want her to worry about him. 

It was Thursday before he felt anything from Claire. He was in the middle of cleaning the dishes when the building started to tremble again. This time the tremor felt weaker than it had in the past. He couldn’t hear her screams at all. 

Jim turned off the water and briefly considered having Toby knock him out again. But with his constant fatigue he might not wake up again if he put that kind of magical energy out. He stepped out of the kitchen, pulling the Daylight Stone from his pocket. 

“Daylight is Mine to Command!”

Fire flowed like water down his arms, covering them in his armor. The rest of his armor appeared around him, including his helmet with a face plate. He jogged down the hallway away from the kitchen as quickly as he could. He kicked open the door of the mechanical room, his massive blade appearing in his hand. 

He looked around briefly, the room had the massive pump, as well as a bunch of generators, and other stuff he didn’t recognize. Whatever it was, it looked important, and breakable. 

Jim swung wildly with his sword, slashing cleanly through different machines in the room. Sparks flew and smoke billowed out as he hacked at them. Eventually the lights in the room failed, but Jim found he could see perfectly with the light shining from his armor. He clenched his fist, forcing the fire there to glow white hot. When he opened his hand a powerful beam of light blasted out, melting the machines into slag. 

He allowed his fire to dim. Some of the machines were still glowing with a dull red light. He ran back to the kitchen, his armor disappearing from his body. He pocketed the Daylight stone as he reentered the kitchen. 

“What happened? I was gone for five minutes?” Jim asked as he walked in. 

“No idea. The power’s blown. I doubt they are going  to get it back up today, so I’m checking out.” The other cook took off his apron and tossed it on the counter using the flashlight on his phone to navigate. 

Jim nodded as the other man left. He was exhausted again, but felt better. He reached out with his mind and could feel Claire’s relief. She was tired as well, but she was already recovering.

With the power out, he decided there was nothing else he could do either, so he tossed his apron on the counter as well and left as multiple confused researchers and security guards hurried around. 

* * *

The power at 49B hadn’t been repaired the next day. Jim showed up briefly to make Claire’s meal, then departed soon after. On his way out the door he ran into Toby. 

“Hey Tobes. Are you able to get any work done with the power out?” Jim asked. 

“I can get a little done, but really I was hoping to run into you.” Toby said than handed over a small envelope. Jim opened and couldn’t help but smile at the adorable card. It was an invitation. 

“It’s not the official baby shower, obviously, that won’t be for a couple of months. This is just a party with a couple of our closest. Would you be able to take one of these to your mom as well?”

“Of course, dude! And congrats again.” Jim looked at the card closely. “It says plus one?”

“Well yeah. I had assumed that your mom would bring her wife. And well just in case you have someone you want to bring I want them to feel welcome.” Toby said with a shrug of his broad shoulders. 

“Ha ha, right dude.” Jim smiled and patted him on the shoulder before heading for home. If he could bring Claire that would make things so much simpler. 

Jim spent the remainder of the day sleeping. He slept completely at ease for the first time in a week. And for the first time in a week he dreamed of Claire again. 

Claire looked tired, but not nearly as bad as she had last week. She sat down at the bottom of the massive tank that held her, her legs stretched out in front of her. Her hair had settled down around her shoulders. 

Jim swam down to face her, blue fire swirling gently around him. He settled on her leg looking up at her. 

“I’m so happy to see you again. I was worried since I hadn’t heard from you in so long.”

Claire smiled down at him, even her smile looked tired. “They were afraid of me. Afraid of my power.”

Jim had an image pushed into his mind along with a familiar feeling of revulsion. He gasped as the image of black crystal, covered in foul veins appeared before him. Corrupted Heartstone! He could well remember the foul touch of that stone. Claire started and sat forward. 

“You’ve seen it?” Her eyes widened in fear. 

Rather than try and explain Jim carefully thought of the conversation he had with Toby. He held each moment in his mind for a second allowing her time to process the thoughts. He carefully thought of the different crystals he had touched, ending with finding the Daylight Stone. Claire shook in fear at the image of the Corrupted Heartstone and Jim could feel the same revulsion he had felt when he touched it radiating off her. 

The revulsion turned to joy when he thought of the Heartstone. Claire’s face lit up, and the light that flowed under her skin ran faster. The flow grew even brighter at the thought of the Daylight stone he had found. She smiled brightly at him. 

“The gems can hold and direct our magic. Yours was always to protect others, the stone helps provide a focus.” Claire said. 

Jim thought for a moment about that, then reached out for her hand. She put out a finger that he wrapped both of his arms around. He gently put his face against her finger tip. 

“I need to get you out of here. I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt anymore. You changed into a human earlier. If you can do that again I can get you away from here.” Jim said. 

Claire tilted her head to the side. “I can’t become human. I am what I am. I can’t change that.”

Jim’s eyebrows pulled up in his confusion. In his mind’s eye he could clearly see the woman Claire had become standing opposite him at the lunch table, her hair dripping on the table and her beautiful brown eyes staring at him. 

A quiet giggle filled his mind. Then he felt the image from her. He watched as a version of Claire sat in the tank, seemingly asleep. The water around whirled than collated into the form of a human woman. He saw that the real Claire was still there sleeping even as the human Claire swam for one of the outports of the tank. 

“Oh.” Jim said softly. “I guess getting you out of here will be a little harder than I thought.”

Claire looked at him sadly, while Jim put his head down in thought. Suddenly an idea came to him. 

“Well I may not be able to get you out just yet, but if you can be human for a couple of hours, would you like to come to a baby shower with me?”

She seemed confused for a few seconds, so Jim explained as best as he was able with his thoughts. The party Toby and Darci had invited him to. Claire creating a human form and swimming through the pipes. Meeting him outside 49B, going to the party together. Jim couldn’t help a blush, anymore than he could help the thought of the two of them holding hands as they walked. 

Claire smiled again and nodded her head. Her eyes glowed white and she blew Jim a kiss. He dramatically pantomimed getting hit by the kiss before spinning around and blowing one back to her. Her giggles turned into a full laugh and Jim came awake with the sound of her laugh echoing around in his head. 

* * *

The sound of Claire’s laugh still wouldn’t leave Jim’s mind the next day as he walked the streets of Arcadia towards his favorite cafe. As a career chef he was extremely choosy about where he went to eat. This cafe had amazing burgers, and decent coffee. And it was close to Arcadia High. He had found the cafe while he was teaching a cooking class at his old high school. He and Mr. Strickler would often find themselves here to talk. Sure enough there was his former teacher and former coworker. 

“Mr. Strickler! How have you been?” Jim called to the older man. 

Walter Strickler had looked older than he was back when Jim was in high school. Now his age was finally catching up with his appearance, though outwardly he hadn’t changed that much. Same dark hair, with grey fading in from the bottom, swept back from his face. Same hawkish nose. Same insufferable smug smile as he looked up from the newspaper he had been reading. 

“Ah, Young Atlas. Great to see you. I’ve been managing myself just fine. Getting closer to retirement every year. And we’ve worked together. You can call me Walter now.”

“I feel like you will always be Strickler to me.” Jim said with a laugh. “Though you don’t have to keep calling me Young Atlas. I don’t have as much weight on my shoulders these days.”

Even as he said it, Jim could feel those words were a lie. If anything he had even more on his shoulders now than he did as a kid. Claire, trapped in a research facility that tortured her, was never far from his mind these days. 

“Somehow I don’t believe you.” Strickler’s piercing eyes had always been able to read him like a book. Even in high school. Now after the years they had known each other, Jim felt he might as well broadcast his thoughts like he did with Claire.  

“How are things going with my mother?” Jim asked. He felt it was a safe enough topic of conversation before he brought up the reason for calling this meeting. 

“Barbara is doing as well as can be expected. Bular’s attack shook her up quite a bit. But Ms. Nomura and I have updated the security system of their house and I’ve been spending more time there when Zelda is at work to help her feel safe.”

That basically matched what Jim’s mom had told him herself. She was still nervous, but slowly getting better. It helped that her injuries had healed in a record time thanks to Claire. Strickler watched him squirm over the cup of his coffee. 

“What is the reason you wanted to talk, Young Atlas?”

“How do you feel about doing something illegal?” Jim finally asked after taking a deep breath. 

“No I won’t kill Bular for you.” Strickler said dismissively. “I’m too old to risk jail time and if anyone was going to make him disappear it would be Ms. Nomura.”

Jim held up a finger. “That wasn’t what I was going to ask.” He held up a second finger. “Though that is good to know for future reference.”

He paused again and glanced around the cafe, but there was no one around besides themselves. “Do you have any experience breaking into shady government research facilities?”

“I have a lot of experience. Though only Ms. Nomura and Mr. Scarrbach know the full details of that.” Strickler said, adjusting the placement of his cup. “Would this have anything to do with the new job Mr. Domzalski helped you get? Or with your unexplained collapses? Or perhaps with the mysterious reason a bunch of thugs decided to burst all the pipes in your mother’s house when they attacked her?”

“Uh, actually yeah, all of those are related.” Jim’s eyes were wide. Strickler still was sharp as a tack. “What do you know of the research that happens at Area 49B?”

[dhawkesnest]

Prompt # 25: Trust

“There's absolutely nothing out here!” Ellemeare shouted over the cruel winds outside the cave near a location aptly named 'The Bed of Bones'. An old friend of Kaestian's had indicated to them during an inquiry that he had seen carvings within the cave that might pertain to the answers they were looking for. Stepping within the cave, she noted the place was blissfully devoid of the usual residence, Yeti's- if she recalled from her previous excursions into Coerthas. There were none to be found. Odd. Perhaps someone from a nearby settlement had cleaned them out? She shook her head, grimacing at the surroundings at the mouth of the cave. “I've explored these caverns before in search of ore. I never found anything worth noting except monsters. How could they have found something out here that no one else has?” “Are you implying he sent us on a chase?” Kaestian's silver gaze went to her, his expression a frown that mirrored her own. From irritation or the cold, she could only guess. It was obvious to her he didn't like to think of his friend as a liar, and she understood it. She was prone to thinking the best of those she knew too, but she had learned quickly that giving your trust sometimes blew back in your face. However, she wasn't going to remind him of that fact. “I'm not accusing him of lying. Maybe he was mistaken about the location. The Western Highlands are vast, it's possible he could have been confused during a storm and mistook the terrain. You know as well as I how disorienting the blizzards here can be. Speaking of which, let's get out of this one! Since the way is clear inside, I say we wait this out and then return to Falcon's Nest.” She stepped further into the cavern to take in her surroundings, getting out of the winds just as another brutal gust kicked up. He followed her into the cave system, his expression unchanged as he thought bitterly about the possiblity of his friend being mistaken, or worse, that they had been lied to. Shivering at the gust that swept through his plate and the leathers beneath it, he ground his teeth against them chattering. He was used to the cold of Foundation, but the walls protected from the bitter winds far more than wandering in the wilds here did. A part of him was sure it would take him days to feel his fingers and toes again. Ellemeare stood several feet away, moving along one of the cave's walls as if searching for the carvings. One hand was raised, a flickering flame allowing her to see in the dim light. When she gasped loudly, Kaestian's instincts kicked in and he reached for his sword, only pausing when he noticed she was looking up at the wall in amazement. “Look!” She shouted at him, using her free hand to clear snow from the wall. Carefully, he moved across the ice and snow covered ground to see what she had discovered. “Is it something of interest?” She grunted in disappointment as the large frozen creature came into view with the snow dusted away. Squiting and almost scowling at it as she attempted to make out what it was. “That depends on your interests. Poor creature. It looks like it was frozen right on the spot after the Calamity brought the cold to your lands. I'm afraid this place is a dead end, Kae-” She had turned in his direction, looking towards the mouth of the cave and had stopped just shy of finishing her sentence, her attention drawn to something and her blue-green eyes staring intently behind him. The woman's stillness brought a feeling of unease in him and he shifted to follower the direction of her gaze to see a group of three subjects moving towards them. A quick look by both he and Ellemeare took stock of who was approaching. A swordsman, machinist, and bard. One laughed at her words and nodded. “Dead end is right, pretty miss. I'm afraid you been asking the wrong questions in the wrong places. Shoulda kept your nose out of what isn't your business.”

Kaestian let out a low muttered curse, his hand slowly moving to the long sword at his side, attempting to keep his eyes on the group but glance back to check on Ellemeare. She had moved closer and was standing at his right elbow. In that moment it occurred to him he had assumed she could defend herself because of what she had showed him the night they had met, and now he could only pray to Halone that he had been right. A woman amongst them clucked her tongue at him and raised a gun in his direction, leveling it with his chest. “I wouldn't do that, handsome. Orders are to kill ya quick and be done with it. You put up a fight, it's gonna be the slow and painful way, and a whole lot worse for your lady-friend here.” “Kaestian, I have a feeling they won't be letting us leave here either way.” Ellemeare murmured quietly to him, standing close enough he could feel the tension radiating off her in waves. There was a charge in the air around her and a smell that was akin to ozone.

The freelancer turned his face just enough to give her his gaze, his next words low enough no one but the two of them would be able to hear bove the howling winds outside. “Do you trust me?”

“Don't do anything stupid now!” One of the others warned.

The woman beside him made eye contact, her blue-green eyes filled with a resolve. She made no effort to answer his question, but he saw her hand move in a subtle but curious motion, saw her lips move though no sound came out. The barely perceptible nod she offered him was all the warning he had before she raised her hand in the direction of the woman with the gun and shouted something in a tongue he didn't recognize.

The target of whatever spell she had cast slumped to the ground and sent the other two into a frenzy. Kaestian used the chaos to retrieve his shield from his back and pull his long sword, using the former to deflect arrows from the bard who aimed arrows at the two of them. Then he lunged forward to meet the sword wielder that seemed intent on taking Ellemeare out of the equation. If I can keep this one occupied, he thought, perhaps she can handle the other one. Ellemeare focused her attention on the bard, knowing that the ranged attacks could do them both in quickly. Drawing on her emotions, she called upon her fire, but was forced to abandon the action in favor of sidestepping as another figure appeared out of nowhere. A ninja. There had been four of them all along. Jumping back to avoid the slash of the blades, she gritted her teeth in irritation and called upon another spell to bind the rogue in place before moving out of target range to return her focus to the archer who had continued to shoot arrows at her rapidly. Channeling her abilities again, she focused on ice this time to create shields and ward against the onslaught of arrows, counting them as they lodged into the sheet of ice before her. Annoyed, the bard was beginning to move, when she directed an ice attack at the ranged attacker's feet, binding them in place. Tapping into her fire, she set the bard ablaze. She looked about to find the ninja, turning this way and that when she noticed that he was no longer where she had bound him. Carefully, she checked out of the corner of her eye and saw Kaestian was still holding his own against the swordsman and the gunner was still down for the count. She hadn't heard the man, but the glint of his blades was the first sign he was upon her. Turning to defend herself, she jumped back just as he swung. It would only occur to her later how much the training she had gone through with Aelden had aided her in her own survival that day. Though Ellemeare had less skill than the dagger wielding man, she remembered what she had been taught about disarming an armed opponent in closer proximity. Dancing cautiously backwards out of reach, she focused on their pattern of attack until she saw her opening, reaching out rapidly to catch their wrists. The action caused her to get knicked, but she would be no worse for wear. The man's eyes opened wide in shock and his jaw dropped, but he never got the chance to yell or say anything to her. Ellemeare focused all of her pent up anger and sent current through her hands into the man's body, not letting him go until he was a twitching mass on the ground. Turning back to Kaestian, she saw the swordsman he had been contending with slump to the ground, and exhaled sharply in relief. Catching his breath, he raised his gray eyes to her. The gun went off. His expression became one of surprise as he slumped forward, using his sword to keep him partially upright, raising his shield to fend off more bullets as the gunner began to open fire on him. “Kaestian!!” Ellemeare called out in shock, her attention now directed at the machinist as the woman fired round after round, one more connecting with her comrade's back before he could get the shield up to guard against the volley. Raising her hands at the gunner as she turned, Ellemeare used what strength she had left to draw upon her power once more, burning the woman to cinders just as she was about to turn the gun on her. Swearing profusely, She rushed to the freelancer's side and began digging through the pack she had discarded when the group had approached, searching for what little supplies she had. Silently, she wished she had been able to learn Meallaire's penchant for the healing arts. “Hang in there, Kaestian. Hang in there, you hear me?” Elle removed his cloak rapidly and reached for the closures on his armor only for him to attempt weakly to push her away. “Kaestian for fuck sake this is no time to be shy, I need to see to your wounds!” She swore at him, glaring at him with determination and pushing the issue until he finally relented. Ridding him of his chest armor and the leathers beneath, she did the best she could to support him as she looked at the wounds in his back. Neither bullet had gone clean through, and this meant they would have to be removed. Once more, she let a stream of colorful words flow forth from her lips as she followed her insticnts and reached to activate her linkpearl. “Aelden?? Mea?? Anyone there?? I need advice on how to remove a bullet!” Ellemeare waited with baited breath for the moment it took someone to respond, then sighed in relief when the linkpearl squawked to life from the other end, Aelden and Meallaire both talking at once, firing questions at her. “From you or from someone else?!” “Why are you removing a bullet?!” She grunted in irritation as Talia added in the remark that alcohol should be on hand. Would that she had some. Ellemeare had the feeling SHE would need a drink too after this was over. “From someone else, there's no alcohol, and I don't have time to explain right now, okay? If I don't get these out correctly I know it's going to be bad. I need you to walk me through this, please??” She listened to another set of rapidly fired questions from the two, answering them as they were asked. Pulling tweezers and gauze from her medical kit, she cleaned the area with melted snow and worked to carefully remove both bullets. She was reassured by the fact that the mythril armor that he wore had caused the bullets not to lodge too far into his body. There was no need to cut them out. Pay attention to his breathing, she reminded herself, pausing to listen. Rapid from the pain, but he was still breathing. This brought her some relief. “Kaestian, you still with me? Stay with me, okay?” She murmured at him, receiving a pained grunt as he removed the second bullet and discarded it, applying pressure to the wounds to stop the bleeding. Luckily, the cold would help with that, she had been reassured. “You...were...right.” Ellemeare frowned and shook her head. “Don't worry about that. You just worry about making it through this, okay. You can make it up to me later.” She carefully checked over the wounds before muttering something into the linkpearl. “Yes, the bullets were intact. I'm bandaging him now. What? You're breaking up...can you hear-?” She swore again as static occurred in the other end of the line. With a grunt of irritation, she continued her work, beginning to bandage his wounds with care, her teeth clenched due to anger rather than the cold. A part of her was concerned for her comrade, but the other part of her was a pyre of rage that desperately wanted to seek out and kill the one who had sent them to their deaths. Could they really be sure it was his friend, however? They had spoken to numerous people over the few days since their first meeting. Several of which had politely told them to fuck off. It could be any of them... “The link...pearl?” “Down, probably due to the storm. We'll be here a bit.” “You should...go. Get back to... Falcon's. Seek shelter.” Once more, she shook her head rapidly. “I may know these lands well, but I'm just as apt as others to get lost in this blizzard. It would be suicide for me to try and leave, and I'm not leaving without you. It's safer for me to stay here with you and wait this out. Safer for both of us.” “You...will...freeze.” He spoke with an effort, his teeth chattering with the cold. His wounds and the chill might be the death of him. Elle retrieved his cloak from the ground and the extra she kept in her pack, wrapping both of them about him carefully, but she knew that they would only do so much. Night was closing in, and the temperatures would only plummet further. He was right. They might both freeze. She crouched in front of him, trying to think. He was more likely to freeze to death before she would. He didn't have her abilities to regulate body heat. There was no question about what had to be done, and so she posed the question to him as he had done to her before the altercation. “Do you trust me?” Slowly, Kaestian lifted his gray eyes to meet her gaze, offering the same barely perceptible nod she had given him moments earlier. Having her answer, she pulled her cloak from around her shoulders and added it to the stack about him before opening the cloaks and carefully settling into his lap. Pulling the cloaks closed with her inside, she rested herself back against his bare chest. “Wh-what... are you...doing?” “Rest.” She murmured, focusing what little of her mana pool she had left, thinking of home and Aelden and her family. Elle snaked an arm carefully about him, mindful of his wounds. She could already feel her power warming her skin as she tapped into the reserves of energy she had to keep them both warm. This would only last for so long, but perhaps it would be long enough. With the linkpearl out of commission, they would come in search of her. Or at least send for help. “W-warm. How are you...so warm?” He asked quietly. “Rest. Just rest, and hold on. Help is coming.” Ellemeare said, certainty wavering in her voice. “Help will get here.” All they could do now was wait. (( @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast , @trc-xiv ))

[sleepyfan-blog]

Why this?

your angsty discord request @izzy-the-bizzy dreamswap by @onebizarrekai

warnings: major character death, ds crue, angst, implied manipulation

characters: DS Blue, DS Cross, DS Dream, DS Nightmare, DS Error

word count: 2,048

summary: All Cross wanted to do was bake a cake and enjoy spending time with his boyfriend.

Despite the fact that his former friends hadn't contacted him at all - not since he had come to stay with Blue - Cross had to admit to himself that he... He missed them. He missed the hijinks that the three of them could get up to - even if running for their lives from JR and Nightmare's lunatic brother wasn't always fun. He also... Worried about them, as he did regularly rescue them after they'd gotten captured by Justice Reigns. But his phone with their contacts had broken months ago and he... He had tried to text them with his new phone, using code phrases to tell them that it was him trying to talk to them but...

They never responded. Which hurt, but Blue's steady, calming presence had been a wonderful gift. The two of them  had been dating for about two months, and while... While Blue could get really intense sometimes, he was also very attentive and sweet and Cross didn't understand why Error held a special hatred for the swap Sans. Maybe it was because Blue was a hugger? He knew that the glitched skeleton had a fear of touch... But Cross didn't mind touch - and was more than content to let Blue cuddle him while they watched TV or played video games. The other still talked on his phone a lot and interacted with... Shady people, but as Cross was still wanted by Justice Reigns, he figured that he wouldn't judge anyone else who was on that list.

Sure there were people who deserved to be in the crazy angel's hit list, but as the three of them were innocents... Cross was pretty sure that there were more.  soft sigh left him as he stretched and yawned, glancing at the front door to their home. Outertale really was beautiful, and he... He liked being able to stay in one place for more than a couple of weeks that wasn't the omega timeline as... It felt more real. Blue said that he would be home from a job soon, and Cross was trying not to get worried. He got up and paced around their home, before deciding that he was going to make the both of them a chocolate cake. It would give him something to do other than to stare at the channels that had nothing on - or the video games that he'd played a million times (they weren't as fun by himself).

Humming softly to himself, Cross pulled out the ingredients that he needed.. Another thing he appreciated about living with Blue - he could impulsively decide to make himself something to eat and wouldn't have to go out and steal half of the ingredients because they had to leave behind everything that they didn't have on them or in their inventories three dozen or so AUs ago, because Nightmare's brother was a lunatic.

It was super tempting to just eat the batter, the warm scent of the rich chocolate tempting as he scraped it out into the cake pan. He could almost hear Nightmare's scolding voice "It's better when it's cooked, Cross." Or Error quietly asking for the bowl, so that he could lick it clean. Not that Nightmare was any better at avoiding eating batter. The oven beeped, and Cross grinned, sliding it into the center, humming a little more as he cleaned the mixing bowl and giving into the urge to lick the spatula clean before actually washing it.

He double checked the fridge and danced a little in victory "Yes! We have cream cheese!" Cross celebrated, double checking that it didn't have either of their names on it, before scraping it into the freshly washed bowl, pulling a couple of bars of dark chocolate from his special stash and melting the chopped pieces in the microwave as he measured out the rest of the ingredients for the frosting that he wanted to make, mixing them together, and carefully pouring the melted chocolate in as soon as it was cool enough.

Waiting for the cake to cook took forever and Cross rocked backwards and forwards on his feet, occasionally staring at the frosting, before looking away again. No. He could wait until the cake was cooked... and cooled... before he frosted the cake and had some. Trying to frost the cake while it was warm would lead to a deliciously sticky, melty mess. Which Error and Nightmare appreciated, but disappointed his boyfriend and he didn't want to disappoint Blue. He liked it when Blue was happy with him and this was going to be so tasty. Cross could feel it! He had poured all his love and care into making the cake and the frosting, even though he had danced around like a dork while doing so. But Blue wasn't there to see and tease him about it, so there.

Cross wandered back to the TV, turning it on, mostly for something to distract himself as the cake was going to be a while in the oven and then the fridge (maybe he could put it in the freezer instead? So that it would cool faster? But... There wasn't much room in their freezer right now) and he needed to do something to distract himself from eating handfuls of warm cake and freshly made frosting like a "Godless heathen, goddamn it Cross! At least share, damn it!". He didn't particularly feel like watching any of the metta- or napstaton shows going on - and would have skipped past the Justice Reigns news channel, as it was either recordings of Licht's speeches, propaganda or both mostly, but they were doing a breaking news bulletin about a dangerous and clever criminal.

Grinning a little and curious as to what sort of prank Nightmare pulled on Dream this time, Cross jumped over the back of the couch with a flip, landing on his butt and bouncing up a bit with the force of landing on one of the cushions. The newscaster continued "-nd unfortunately, though Von Licht was able to fully rehabilitate the dangerous criminals Nightmare and Error, a particularly powerful Swap Sans with some Coding abilities that goes by the name Blue has proven himself to be utterly unrepentant."

The camera switched to a live-feed image of Dream, with Ink, Nightmare, and Error at his sides. With Ink and Nightmare on his right and left sides respectively. Error was holding Blue in his strings, the other's soul pulled out, the strings holding them looking as if they were starting to cut in painfully - especially as his boyfriend was wincing a little and shaking. Dream stared down impassively at Blue, who was on his knees.

Panic filled Cross as he desperately tried to figure out which AU they were in - spotting JR's main castle. Determination filled the skeleton and his blade manifested in his his hands. With a powerful burst of energy, he slashed himself a portal into Dream tale, as close to where his boyfriend was being held as possible, running as fast as he could, as he couldn't overcome the anti-teleportation wards. What the fuck were Nightmare and Error doing by Dream's side? Had they been brainwashed? Was that why they hadn't been answering him? Not that he really cared what the answers to those questions were - he and Blue could plan to rescue his idiot friends after the other was safe.

"BLUE!" Cross screamed, tears sliding down his face as he leaped onto the stage, slashing through Error's strings, intent on grabbing the other and continuing to run as fast as he can - and teleporting away as soon as they cleared the wards.

"Cr-Cross no! W-wait!" The love of his life cried out, tears streaming down the other's face "No d-don't!"

A wave of pure despair crashed through the former royal guard, and Cross felt himself crumple down into a heap, weeping inconsolably. There was a restraining hand on one of his shoulders, and he looked up, reaching up to his face and wiping his tears from his eye sockets enough to realize that Nightmare was the one restraining him "W-why?" He asked, his voice cracking in pain and confusion.

"Blue is... Blue is the worst sort of being. This was the only way that Error and I could come up with to rescue you. He's... He's dangerous, Cross. He's vile and manipulative and-" The negative guardian spoke, voice low and insistent "He's been using you for months. The only thing we could do was to go to Dream for help."

"Dream.. Th-the same being wh-who's been hunting you most of your life. Who wants us all dead. TH-that Dream? Nigh... Nightmare I know that you d-disapproved of m-me and B-Blue together but th... This..." Cross responded. If he wasn't so despondent he'd be furious. But he was drowning in his own despair. He stared up at Dream, the only one who could stop this "Please... L-lord V-von Licht... Please spare Blue. He... He's... He's not all bad I-I promise. I l-love him s-so much and I know he loves me... I-I'll do anything!"

"His crimes are numerous and grievous, young skeleton. He is the head of a powerful and widespread crime ring that delves into everything from blackmail and extortion, to illegal substance production and distribution, to name a few. He is also known to be an abuser and mind-breaker. I can sense that your feelings for him are true, but he is too dangerous to allow to continue to live." Von Licht responded, shaking his head a little "While you currently believe that he is a loving and kind partner, after time has passed and you heal from his psychological manipulation and training,  you will realize what he's done to you. While it is true that he does hold some twisted affection for you, he is causing far too much damage to the multiverse as a whole for me to allow him to live, and he has proven resistant and defiant to rehabilitation."

"No... No... Please no... Don't... Don't kill him. Please! Ni-Nightmare ple-please t-talk sense into D-dream... E-error? Please... Please don't let this happen..." Cross begged, still entirely too miserable to do anything but plead. He should... where was his determination to make things better? why... Why was it the only thing he could do was weep and plead.

"That monster twisted me so far around I couldn't tell which way was up unless he told me!" Error  hissed, having already wrapped his strings around Blue's body and Soul again, his eye lights blazing with anger "And I can tell he's done the same thing to you... Don't worry, Cross. We'll help you recover. I thought that Blue was good for me too, before you and Nightmare found and rescued me."

"But Blue hasn't... He hasn't hurt me. He-He's never struck or hit me once..." Cross protested, tears still freely flowing from his eye sockets "Please don't do this..."

"It must be done. For the betterment of the multiverse - and to allow both Error, yourself and everyone else that this monster has ever abused and manipulated to begin to truly heal." Von Licht responded, shaking his head a little "It is a pity how deep you are currently lost in his machinations, but that will pass."

Blue cleared his nonexistent throat and asked, his voice wavering a little, but full of that bravado and cheerful determination that Cross admired so dearly "Dream von Licht, as you are about to have me killed, may I have one final request, before I am murdered before millions after a very fast trial that was held less than an hour ago in one of your courts?"

Dream's wings twitched a little in irritation, the only indication of his true mood that Cross was able to spot "And what is this request of yours, criminal?"

"I would like to kiss my boyfriend one last time, so that he has one final memory of the two of us being close." Blue asked.

"Request denied." The angel growled, flicking one of his fingers in a decisive gesture.

Cross howled as he watched Blue's soul shatter before his very eyes, the other's body dusting slowly.

"Remember me... My love... That way... I'll always be... In your heart..." Blue murmured sweetly, the last thing to fade was his wonderful smile.

[missstormcaller]

CAN’T FEAR YOUR OWN WORLD Vol. II Part 8 Full Translation

This is the first half of part 10 on the app (chapter 9 continued)

Rukongai

Luppi Antenor's fate as an Arrancar, was once completely sealed at the hands of Grimmjow. Thanks to Inoue Orihime's powers which were summoned at Aizen's insistence, Grimmjow's lost arm had been regenerated. In that same way, he urged Inoue to restore the skin on his back as well as the character for Sexta tattooed there. At this point, the situation had evolved to accommodate two Sextas among the Espada, Luppi and Grimmjow —— However, the end had been marked for that overlap in only a matter of seconds. Feeling confused and irritated, Luppi questioned Grimmjow about the intention behind having his numerical digit restored, he received a clear answer by way of an arm running through his chest as a result. —— "That's the way it goes. See ya, 'former' number 6." Grimmjow's words, and the vast amount of Reiatsu gushing forth from the insides of his chest. That is Luppi's last memory as an Espada.

—— I had a thirst.

After regaining his consciousness through the efforts of Kurotsuchi Mayuri, it was Luppi who had somehow displayed a philosophical outlook, but it was impossible to forget the grudge he held when he was 'still alive.' Those who once looked down on him, those who caused him shame, every last one of them could not be forgiven. Watching for an opportunity, Luppi secretly schemed in his mind to one day carry out his revenge.

—— I had a thirst.

He was supposed to be thinking towards that — However, when he was deployed to actual combat as a member of the Kurotsuchi Corpse Unit, Luppi began to cast doubt into his own heart. Hitsugaya Tōshirō. That was the name of the opponent who once gave Luppi his first taste of defeat during the battle in Karakura Town. Luppi came to learn that name only after he was resurrected.

He still distinctly recalls the deceleration he made the moment he was withdrawn from Hitsugaya's location. —— "Don't forget my face." —— "Because the next time we meet, I'll definitely twist off that tiny little head of yours… and crush it!" This wasn't just a sharp parting remark or an act of bravado, but rather words that were loaded with hatred stemming from sincere feelings. Though he was careless, even Luppi himself acknowledged that his opponent was a formidable individual. Nevertheless, even on the basis of having understood that, he decided it must be done. In order to allow himself to continue to exist as himself, he decided that the captain who had the form of a child, must be shredded to pieces. —— Thirst which can not be cured. The opportunity to meet again came sooner than imagined. Thrown into the battlefield as a game piece under the control of the Quincy, and in opposition to himself who was acting as a member of the Kurotsuchi Corpse Unit alongside Dordoni and the others, Hitsugaya Tōshirō made an appearance before them in the most unexpected way. Becoming a corpse puppet kept alive through the ability held by one among the Quincy, he stood in the path before the Shinigami as a brutal and peerless enemy. Yet for all that — the moment he laid eyes on that scene, Luppi realises that the destructive impulses in his heart had began to subside. —— What the heck is that about? —— How is it, that he's broken already? —— He may be just my plaything. But I am the one who was supposed to break him! The Shinigami who appeared next, was a woman whom he also recalls battling. Matsumoto Rangiku. An opponent he described as having a "killer body" and attempted to skewer with a countless number of needles during their past confrontation in Karakura Town. Although Luppi's preference of physique hasn't changed since then, she had been reduced to a walking corpse all the same, her mind in a state of complete ruin. He had taken her as an opponent under Mayuri's orders, but neither the thrill nor the destructive urge, and not even that ecstatic feeling the moment he crushingly defeats an inferior opponent, could surge its way to the surface like it did in the past.

—— Unquenchable thirst.

—— The Corpse Unit huh?

After the war against the Quincies had come to an end, even though Luppi had heard stories that Hitsugaya and Rangiku had returned to their original states, he was not driven once again by the urge to go and kill them. —— Sure, perhaps that suits the current me. —— Why the hell is it, that I feel as if I haven't truly experienced being alive? Spending his days as a lackey working behind the scenes of the Department of Research and Development, he was tasked with things such as the capture of newborn Hollows possessing peculiar abilities. Although he was no longer confined at times other than work these days, that's purely due to the fact that Kurotsuchi Mayuri's surveillance system had become flawless. Judging from Mayuri's character, Luppi knew it wouldn't be unusual for the man to have even implanted a self-detonating bomb inside him. However, even without it — if for instance he was told to "engage in battle with Hitsugaya Tōshirō" under Mayuri's instructions, it appeared unlikely that he would be thrilled at the prospect.

—— The thirst. —— The thirst is constantly expanding.

Whilst fulfilling the instructions he was assigned with, day after day he would feel an unquenchable thirst. Nevertheless, his thirsting is not consequent upon that. There is nothing that can fill that nothingness as empty as a Hollow's hole. Withered away, is it not that very desire itself which is one of a Hollow's roots? Despite such misgivings crossing his mind, for Luppi it was a trivial matter. In this way, he was merely used a tool for the Shinigami, probably until both his body and mind dries up and evaporates. He even entertained such discouraging thoughts. —— Argh, but I've been thinking, to thirst, to dry up, to feel absolute nothingness and then eventually become one with the sands of Hueco Mundo, I don't want it. What was the point of carrying on with life day after day whilst continuing to thirst in this way? On this day, just as he pondered such thoughts that were negative to the point of being unimaginable to his former self —— The moment he caught sight of Grimmjow's form, all his 'thirst' disappeared. It was fear towards the one who killed him. It was hatred towards the one who looked down on him. It was delight at the discovery of the one who must be 'destroyed'. The emotions which had supposedly ran dry before now, came spewing out with fierce momentum from the deepest parts of his body. It's as if water was overflowing from a part of the body which should have been empty -- from the depths of his 'hole'.

Due to the "Gran Rey Cero" fired by Grimmjow, some of Luppi's tentacles had taken severe damage. Even though blood was also streaming out from Luppi's body itself, he didn't flinch from it in the slightest. Rather, it was as if the fury which was cutting into him had caused his Reiatsu to amplify further, the motion of each and every tentacle increased in speed. Grimmjow who continued to take the barrage of hits, daringly utters more words of provocation even in a situation where he was at a disadvantage with the frequency of attacks. Blood went flying around from the tentacles which rebounded off his vigorous slashing attacks, a spurt of blood clung to Grimmjow's cheek. As soon as Luppi had transformed each of his eight tentacles in their current conditions into either a mountain of needles or a pointed blade, he rotated them at high speed resembling the propeller of a helicopter and then thrust them towards Grimmjow. "Don't be… so slow!" Meanwhile Grimmjow boldly weaved his body through the gaps between the flurry of blows. In this way Grimmjow was able to kick Luppi himself away, he planned to unleash "Gran Rey Cero" a second time in order to pursue him, but then —— " ! " From the tips of all eight tentacles belonging to Luppi who went tumbling down, Ceros are shot in quick succession. As expected, one after the other they did not possess power as formidable as that of a "Gran Rey Cero", but perhaps emulating Grimmjow's technique in which one's own blood is mixed in to boost Reiatsu, the flashes of light which were much stronger compared to an ordinary Cero, charged towards the rival Arrancar with vigour similar to a Bala. (TN -- as a reminder, Bala is 20x faster than Cero.) "I told you, you're too slow!" Grimmjow ceased repelling those continuous strikes, remaining unconcerned as he sustained the injuries too, he then unleashed these words. " —— Grind, Pantera!"

Hueco Mundo "Is Harribel really going too? Are things going to be okay with you away from Hueco Mundo?" "…I'm merely going to gauge Soul Society's true intentions. I'll leave the task of bringing back Grimmjow to you." While responding to Nelliel's words, Harribel opens up a Garganta under the dome of Las Noches. As a result of continued investigation following his disappearance, they were able to confirm that remnants of Grimmjow's Reiatsu were heading towards Soul Society. Despite the need to bring him back before things develop into a large-scale dispute, moving into operation with a great number of people, can in itself be taken as an act of hostility towards Soul Society. Understanding that it was pointless to trigger a conflict to no avail at their current fighting power, Harribel intended to keep the headcount to a bare minimum, in other words, she would proceed towards 'negotiations' with Soul Society unaided. Three individuals known as Apacci, Rose and Sung-Sun who are Harribel's Fracción, refused to back down saying "we will also go", but in the end they were made to stay behind as an essential part of defence in her absence. "Please leave it to us to take of things here. Harribel sama, please don't push yourself too hard either…" The anxiety that swayed in the depths of Sung-sun's words which sounded serene, is likely caused by the fact that Harribel was taken prisoner by Yhwach in the past. Concluding as much, Harribel extended heartfelt apologies for her own shortcomings, at the same time she spoke in order to put Sung-sun and the others at ease. "…I'm sorry. In order to not allow a situation like that to occur again, it is necessary to act now." Facing her Fracción, Harribel revealed a glimpse of the speculations which had piled up inside her. "Because that Shinigami child… if we leave it to chance, sooner or later it may become an 'enemy' the likes of Yhwach."

While Harribel and Nelliel disappeared into the Garganta, a girl who was observing the flow of their Reiatsu from a separate location, muttered her words in a detached manner. "…They're finally on the move." In contrast with the girl - Liltotto Lamperd - who had a serious tone of voice, Giselle Gewelle who was playing around with a zombified Bambietta Basterbine in the background, raised her voice with no air of tension. "Huh? Really?" "Uuh… Candi… Meni… where?" As she listened to Bambietta's mumbling which were an indistinct assembly of words resembling sleep-talk, Lil speaks of a speculation which leads to an answer to that incoherent gibberish. "Their destination could either be the Human World, or Soul Society…. If that strange Shinigami is involved, then it's probably the latter. Assuming that is really the case, this may be a chance to meet up with Candi and co." "So, what are we gonna do? We should at least go and check it out right?" "Yeah, but we'll wait until after they've made a huge scene. While the eyes of the Shinigami are distracted by that Hollow bunch, first thing we have to do is get hold of Candi and Meni's whereabouts." Thus, the Quincy survivors also began to move into operation. Little did they know that their rescue subjects, Candice and Meninas, were in the midst of being drawn into the conflict caused by that "Hollow bunch".

Soul Society - Squad 1 Barracks. "Well then, I'll just be going out for a bit too, can I ask you to take care of things for me while I'm gone, Nanao chan?" Faced with Kyōraku who had just uttered that while putting on his braided hat, Nanao posed a question out of curiosity. "…? Where will you be heading out to? There's nothing of the sort scheduled for today…" "It's just a little trip to the Central 46, and the Kinin Noble Assembly." "……!" Realising the significance behind that destination, Nanao watches Kyōraku with a nervous expression. "Don't make such a grim face. It's not like I'm going to die." "But… we haven't made any arrangements for that yet have we?" "Ah, it was my intention to make the necessary arrangements properly. But hearing Momo's report, I got a bit of an uneasy feeling." Quietly casting his eyes down, Kyōraku then smiled in order to reassure Nanao. "Anyway, Ukitake would probably scold me." "Ukitake san…would?" At Nanao's words, Kyōraku smiled wryly as he continued to speak. "Because that guy was a good-natured person (i.e. gave people the benefit of the doubt/saw the good in others). Well, I think that was one of Ukitake's qualities which I do not possess." Whilst reminiscing about his deceased friend, Kyōraku turned his attention to memories further in the past. "It was a long time ago, me, Ukitake and that Tokinada fellow were all classmates at the Academy. Tokinada was an individual who didn't particularly stand out, he was neither praised nor admonished by Yama-jii, he passed the time almost like a shadow… but as for Ukitake, he would quite commonly make conversation even with a guy like that. Maybe on Ukitake's side he was considered a friend. That's how it was until a certain incident occurred post-graduation.… No, perhaps Ukitake was like that even after it occurred." The 'certain incident' likely refers to the case in which Tokinada had slaughtered his own wife and comrade. Without asking for details, Nanao who presumed as much patiently waited for Kyōraku to continue speaking. "For the mere reason that they were cherry blossoms of the same year*, Ukitake was even willing enough to have faith in that Tokinada guy. If only he had a change of environment, if only he was given some kind of opportunity, then one day he would surely be reformed. That man will definitely come to confront the crimes he has committed from the bottom of his heart, Ukitake would say." (*TN -- "Cherry blossoms of the same year" is a way of saying "classmates" here, but it has more connotations in that it suggests one would fall and die like the petals of a cherry blossom for the sake of one's peers.) "That's…"

"I on the other hand, was not able to place that kind of faith in him. Having said that, in those days I was not able to kill Tokinada either. The time has come to finally put my foot down regarding those issues I have been sitting on the fence about. It's as simple as that." Despite sensing a turbulent air from the implication of the words "in those days", Nanao did not question his intentions by the hunch that Kyōraku's resolution was present among those few words. "Considering the fact that not only has an unpleasant task been forced upon him, but that he may also have been sent on a fool's errand on top of that… it's possible that I have wronged Hisagi kun." Just as Kyōraku was saying that, Okikiba who had finished delivering instructions to squad 2, had returned. "Hey, Okikiba san. I'm just about to run a few erra-… what's wrong?" In response to Kyōraku who noticed that Okikiba's expression had become stern, the second vice captain presented his report with a tense countenance. "It appears that a request for a Gentei Kaijo has been put forward from Hisagi Shūhei who left for Karakura Town." "…Gentei Kaijo? That's pretty drastic." "It seems this decision is based on the grounds that unidentified hostile forces have appeared… but according to the observation unit, when a reply was issued in order to grant permission, the correspondence was interrupted midway. Furthermore, all equipment that was observing Karakura Town has had their communications entirely cut-off, at present Karakura Town is said to have entered an isolated state…" Confronted with this report which was a matter of far greater concern than originally imagined, Kyōraku pulled a frown, despite this he responded without losing his nerve in the slightest. "…What about squad members Yuki Ryūnosuke and Madarame Shino who have been deployed to Karakura Town?" "Yes, in the same way, communication with them has been cut-off." "Please make contact with the Shinigami stationed in neighbouring towns and instruct them to report on the current situation… Nanao chan, I'm sorry but, since the number of matters which must be dealt with has increased, can I ask you to go with him?" "Understood!" With a firm nod Nanao and Okikiba exit the room in order to prepare, after following them with his eyes until they were out of sight, Kyōraku muttered to himself with a more serious expression than usual. "This is a troublesome turn of events huh…" . . . "…That guy Tokinada, may have gained the initiative by striking first."

[thatmfnobody]

A Tale of Betrayal

“A Tale of Betrayal”

A Short Story by J.I. Lorn

On the distant planet of Akarat Prime, the Cyclone Oligarchy thrived in their resource-rich tropical planet. The Oligarchy had stood firm for over three hundred years of almost constant war and opposition with the other Empires & Republics within their Galaxy that wanted the worlds they controlled for their strategic value and limitless amounts of rare resources. But, after a war that lasted almost a decade with the Republic of Causrat, the people of the Oligarchy demanded change. They desired to be rid of the many Governments that had kept them at war for Three Centuries. But their pleas, demands, and outbursts of rage were rejected by the current High Councilor of the Oligarchy, Vicarso Jinx. He, too, had enough of his fair share of war but refused to fight without being provoked by the other Empires, which was what nearly every Councilor before him had vowed to do. The Cyclone definitely had enough power to win a war if they wished to take over the Galaxy. As a matter of fact, they had the largest Navy in the entire Galaxy, with millions of ships all spread out between their primary territories and occupied worlds won during the wars. Alas, the Councilor had refused to start a war that would cost more lives than it would satisfy. He would not allow himself to become the very same warmonger that the Oligarchy had been fighting against for its entire existence. His eldest son, however, had different ambitions. 

Vicarso Jinx’s oldest son, Lord Damon Jinx, was the one who started the riots and cries for war. He was also in command of the Elite Military Force within the Cyclone, known as the “Cyclone Knights”. They were blade and magic-wielding warriors who stood unopposed among all of the Elite of the many Empires. Damon was among the best of the Knights, bested by only his father, who also Commanded the Knights before ascending to the rank of Councilor. And although he was only the age of Nineteen, he was already the next candidate for their new Leader in the eyes of the people. Even though the Council of Nine, headed by the Grand Councilor, opposed this idea, there was no stopping the masses of Civilians without ordering a full-on massacre, which would villainize the Councilors and cause a Civil War, something that would tear the fragile Oligarchy apart, leaving nothing but broken pieces that could not be fixed.

On the Thirty First of the Month Valar, only minutes before the Cyclone New Year, Lord Damon Jinx walks the halls of the Council building, behind him followed four of the best Knights the Cyclone had to offer. Their goal?

To Kill Councilor Vicarso.

As the five Knights entered the Councilor’s personal office, they found him facing his window, looking out at the Fireworks that consumed the sky like an inferno. The only thing separating them was his glass desk and office chair, the former of which had some holographic tablets and even written documents stacked atop it. Vicarso knew his son would come for him and make an attempt on his life, so he prepared himself, resting his hands on his two energy swords in preparation.

“Damon, welcome home,” Vicarso said without turning from the window. “I thought you’d be with your betrothed on such an occasion.”

“High Councilor Vicarso Jinx, through the demand of the citizens of the Cyclone, I hereby order you to step down as Councilor and allow the people to chose a new leader.” Damon’s voice was harsh and smug as he drew his sword, igniting the energy field that made the sword glow a dim red. His Knights mirrored this, with all four igniting matching red blades that showcased their intent. Upon the buzzing sound emitted by the activation of the weapons behind him, Vicarso turned from the window. His eyes flicked around, taking note of the five aggressors before him. His face changed from pleasant to condescending as he drew his own weapons.

“You don’t know what you’re doing, son,” He stated as his own swords activated, sparking a bright white light from both sides of each blade that illuminated the dark room and gave off a contrasting aura to that of the Knights. “Turn back now, we don’t have to do this. You don't have to do this…”

“On the contrary, I have to do this,” Damon replied as his Knights began to fan out behind him. “The people cry out for change, and you sit here doing nothing. I am their champion, and I will be the one to make their cries heard.” He entered a combat stance, gripping his sword with both hands and bringing it up to his right shoulder.

Around them, the hands of the four Knights were crackling with mild fire, sparking with electricity, and swirling with ice as they readied spells. As Damon stepped forward toward his father, Vicarso’s expression turned from condescending to saddened.

“So be it, my son…” With that, Vicarso threw his hands to the sides, sending a shockwave around the room that flung the four Knights backward.

Leaping over the table, Damon went on the offensive. Slashes and strikes were countered by swift parries and deflections as Father dueled Son. The Knights were still recovering, with only one of them being able to stand upright, hardly capable to enter the fight. The two combatants slowly circled the room, with Damon keeping his father on the defensive but never being able to get close to landing a hit. Vicarso seemed to be trying his best at wearing his son out before attacking, resorting to just deflecting each attack. This angered Damon slightly, but he hadn’t lost yet. His left hand dropped to his belt, coming back up with a much smaller offhand blade that ignited with yet another red hue. Surprised by this, Vicarso skipped backward, mumbling something under his breath.

“I command thee, forge a link to the otherworld and grant me,” His voice crescendoed as he got closer to the end of the incantation. “Divine Fury!” He yelled as his swords began to flame white-hot, blazing with the fury of a sun.

Damon would respond in kind, drawing backward himself and muttering a spell of his own.

“Under the order of the Lord, my power is exercised, grant me, Hellish Might!” His own sword erupted into a deep red flame.

The two began to circle one another, the blades of both warriors held at the ready. However, neither struck first. Instead, two of the Knights had recovered enough to enter the fray.

“Arc!” One of them yelled, resulting in a stream of electricity springing from their hand, bringing a sudden flash of light to the large room.

The second didn’t utter a word, however, he did let out a battle cry as he charged at Vicarso. In a flash, the bolt of electricity had been deflected to the floor while the sword was parried, leaving one Knight open. As Vicarso slashed at him, Damon’s blade blocked the strike. Once again caught off guard, the Councilor was on the back foot and being driven towards the window. As the four blades clashed, Damon yelled an order at his followers.

“Leave! It was a mistake bringing you all here, you’ll only be risking yourselves if you stay!” 

The two who made the attack sheathed their weapons and helped their comrades up, making their way towards the door. All the while, father and son engaged in the most furious duel ever fought in the history of the Cyclone. However, once the door shut behind the four Knights, the two ceased their battle, moving back from each other. Damon seemed unsure of something, while his father took a few breaths as he stepped towards the window.

“Are you sure about this?” Damon asked, the flames on his blade fading somewhat.

“Of course,” Vicarso replied as he looked out over the masses that had gathered for the holiday. “For the Cyclone to live on, their greatest enemy must cease to exist. And that enemy is me.”

The clock on the desk began to chime. It was one minute until the new year.

“But I need your wisdom if I’m to lead these people to a new age.”

“No, you don’t,” Vicarso turned from the window, sheathing one of his blades and stepping back towards his son, placing a hand on Damon’s shoulder. “You may be young, but you’re plenty wise enough without my counsel. You don’t need me anymore.”

Damon smiled warmly, returning his father’s action as the clock chimed again. Thirty seconds to the new year.

“Now, son, do it,” Vicarso stated, removing his hand from his only child’s shoulder. “And remember, the spirits of your ancestors are with you.”

Damon nodded and held up his blade, pushing his father violently towards the window as tears welled up in his eyes. Upon impact with the window, it shattered, and Damon’s blade went through his father’s chest. The two fell from the tower, straight down.

Ten seconds.

Vicarso smiled as his son’s tears were dried by the wind, and his own sword was set loose from his palm.

Five seconds.

The two were but a blur to the citizens as they dropped to the ground, slamming into the concrete and sending a shockwave that knocked down the front line of the crowd, their impact sounding at the same time as the gong that signaled the new year. Once the dust cleared, citizens gathered ‘round the crater. As they peered over the edge, they witnessed Damon Jinx standing over the body of his father, gripping his right arm, his sword still protruding from his father’s robes. When he realized that people had begun to take notice of him, he wiped his eyes and looked up, grinning with his smug, confident smile that gave off the air of a man who stood proud in his victory. But, if one was perceptive enough, they could see the shine of sadness and regret in his eyes. Vicarso Jinx died with a smile on his face, knowing that the nation he cared so much for was in good hands.

From that day forth, the Cyclone answered to a new master, the first in a new Imperial Dynasty: Emperor Damon Jinx, who would lead the Cyclone Empire towards a balance between peace and territorial rule.

[yvghv]

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[fireflysinmystomach]

How to break a Mind - Chapter 2 “Tricked”

Summary: There is something new in Thomas’ Mind and it want’s to come out and play.

Warnings: Blood, slight gore, fear.

Please note that this story has chapters that are a little bit more graphic. This is one of them. Tell me if you need anything tagged.

—

Thomas had been slacking off for a few days now. He lost all of his motivation at once. He was eating cereal straight out of the box and ordered three pizzas for himself yesterday, because he wasn’t able to decide what kind he wanted to have. He wasn’t feeling like showering or  working or, well doing anything at all.

He has had one of those episodes once before, but it didn’t last as long as now. Not knowing, but also not caring why he was feeling this way, no steps were taken to change anything.

Just as he walked past a wall  decorated with pictures in colourful frames, one particular photograph caught his attention. His boyfriend of two years and himself were lying on a picnic blanket and they looked with bright smiles back at Thomas. It was the day of their third date and he remembered being hopelessly in love back then.

When was the last time he felt like this? He couldn’t remember. It has been… rough for them lately. The realization  hit him with full force. Suddenly he could feel his heart pound against his ribcage and he gasped at the almost physical pain that returned to him all at the same time.

His boyfriend had not came over, called or even texted him in the last three days. Thomas was supposed to go over to his house last Saturday but he forgot due to his episode. He had not canceled it. If something like this would have happened to Thomas with one of his friends, he would have been worried out of his mind. Didn’t his lover fear that something happened to him? Did he cared at all about Thomas? Or was he glad that he had a break from him for a while?

He must have been really annoying lately. Thinking back to all the times, he had tried to talk seriously about their relationship and the problems they had been having, Thomas remembered how he was met with harsh dismissal.

A quiet sob escaped his lips and he had to sit down on the floor. He took out his phone and checked their text conversations.  It was almost always Thomas himself who texted first, who asked for dates or who wished him a good night. The replies were often short and took up to a few hours.

Tears were streaming down his face now. This wasn’t good.

He didn’t love Thomas anymore.

 —

 Logan just stared. He couldn’t look away even though it hurt. Oh God it hurt so much. In this moment he felt the most intense feeling he ever had. He wasn’t even aware that he was able to form this kind of emotion. But there he was. Only faintly acknowledging Patton’s screaming.

It was just all too much to process for him right now. “How…?” he whispered, for once left completely without any explanation for the situation.

Virgil was back.

He was hanging from the ceiling, his arms spread and head hanging back so that they could not see his face but it left his throat on display.  

It was slashed. That seemed to be the source for the blood dripping down his body and soaking through the carpet.

And if that would have been all there was to it, Logan might have even been able to still function. But no. The longer he looked, the more gut wrenching details sprung to his attention.

The deep cuts along his wrists, the claw marks in his chest and the burns along his collarbone.

Who… no, WHAT did that to him? And how could one of them even die? How was all of this possible? It could not… it could simply not be possible!

Roman seemed to have a similar thought because he just mumbled the same phrase over and over again. “This is not real. It’s not. It can’t be. Just fiction. This is… not real.”

The Prince reached out with a trembling hand and slowly closed the door, for which Logan was so thankful for. He knew, deep inside, it would not solve their problem but at least he wouldn’t have to look at it anymore. At what was left of their Friend.

“Roman…”

“No.”

“Roman, we have to- “

“NO! I refuse to believe this! This is just a nightmare, purely fictional! Nothing more than that. It can’t be real…”   He grabbed the door handle again and forced the door open again. Logan closed his eyes because he simply could not stand this sight anymore.

“what… Virge? VIRGIL! Oh God”

Logan could hear the other side run the few step distance and fall to his knees. Then silence. He still did not dare to open his eyes but then…

“He is… Logan I think he’s still breathing! You have to help me Logan!”

The logical side did not move. He didn’t open his eyes and he didn’t even breath for a few moments.

“Logan I swear to God! Get over here and help me! It was a trick, he’s alive. Do you hear me? Virgil is alive!”

His eyes snapped open and finally he saw it for himself. The anxious side was slumped on the floor in front of his bed. His Jacket still neatly wrapped around his body, the hood covering his head which had fallen onto his chest.

The blood was gone, the carpet clean. No trace of the former picture was left in their reality.

Logan somehow managed to step forward and sink down next to the unconscious side. He had to push Roman aside because he had started to frantically shake Virgil and scream at him to wake up.

He quickly checked his vital signs and ran his hands over Virgil’s skinny jeans covered legs. As he could not feel any sticky moisture that might have indicated a larger wound, he continued to unzip the trademark hoodie.

“Mhh…s-stopp…” Virgil still had his eyes closed but his lips definitely moved just now.

Roman let out a choked sob and cupped the younger Man’s face in his hands.

“Virgil oh my stars you are alive! Look at me, buddy. Please Virge open your eyes and tell me that you are fine, please…”

Logan glared at him. “Would you please let me finish examining him? We need to find out if he is severely wounded somewhere. Virgil can you tell me where it hurts the most?”

“M-My head…”  his words slurred and were barely understandable but Logan nodded. He swiftly pulled the Hood down and turned Virgil’s head carefully. He could not find any wounds other than a slight bump at the back of his head, which was too small as to cause any concussions.

Logan let himself take a long, much needed breath to steady his hands and get his thoughts in order.

“I believe his health condition is not alarming he is just a little roughed up. Well, maybe more than a little but he should be okay for now. Help me lift him up so we can place him in his bed.”

Roman got to his feet immediately. They grabbed him under his arms and placed him carefully onto the black and grey blankets.

Virgil only muttered slightly but did not move.

“Roman, you need to stay here for now, alright? I have to take care of Patton now. He might have suffered a shock reaction of some sorts and that is potentially dangerous. But you have to try and wake Virgil up, be gentle though. Refrain from touching him and just talk, try to figure out as much as possible about his current physical state and when he is ready to stand up again, call out for me immediately. Do not leave him unattended, do you understand?”

The Prince looked overwhelmed but nodded nonetheless. He sank to his knees and began to talk softly, trying to get a reaction from his friend laying before him.

Logan sighed again heavily and turned away. It was hard for him to just leave but there was nothing left to do regarding the anxious side and he had more important things to attend now, than to just stand and think about the image that, without a doubt, will haunt him from now on.

Patton was still laying on the floor, his hands clutching at his own hair and little sobs and whimpers continued to escape his mouth. He needed some rest before he was able to comprehend the situation again, Logan decided.

He struggled a little to lift him from the ground, especially because the emotional side was not at all cooperating but after a while he managed to bring him into his room and lay down with him.

He knew by now how to comfort people, he had seen it enough times with Patton. He still didn’t know what to say though. Logical reasoning didn’t appear to be the way to go but in this moment, it wasn’t important what he said as long as he was there with him. Logan tried to go through the motions he had learned in a repetitive fashion, stroking Patton’s hair and mumbling sweet nothings into his ear until he could feel him slip into a quiet slumber.

[davidraudalesuk]

Apple iPhone 12 launch event – date, start time. predictions and how to watch

Apple Hi, Speed event – what is it?

Hi, Speed is the name of Apple's next major launch event.

We're expecting to see brand new gadgets, including the long-awaited iPhone 12.

Apple hosted a special Time Flies event last month, where it revealed a new Apple Watch and two iPad models.

But fans were disappointed by the total absence of an iPhone.

It's believed that this year's global health crisis meant the iPhone launch had to be moved back slightly.

However, fans are still expected to bag the latest iPhone just in time for Christmas – with the new device showcased at Apple's Hi, Speed event.

Apple iPhone launch event – date, start time and how to watch

This year's event takes place on October 13, kicking off at 10am in California.

That means Brits can tune in to the live web stream at 6pm UK time.

The stream will be free to watch and available globally for all Apple fans to watch.

It will go live on Apple's website closer to the start time.

Apple Hi, Speed iPhone event news and rumours – what to expect

Apple's slogan for the event is "Hi, Speed" – a clear play on the phrase "high speed".

It could mean that speedy computing performance and/or 5G internet will be centre-stage.

High on the agenda is likely to be the iPhone 12, which is technically coming a month late.

It's expected to come in as many as four versions, reportedly named iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Max.

At least some of those models are expected to support super-fast 5G mobile internet speeds.

Apple still hasn't launched a 5G iPhone – unlike rivals Samsung and Huawei – so all eyes are on the fruity firm.

Other improvements will likely come in the form of battery life, performance and camera improvements.

But it's not all iPhone: plenty of rumours suggest we'll see other gadgets too.

A location-tracking Tile-style gadget you stick onto real-world objects is one such gadget. It may be called AirTags, though the jury is still out.

Apple is also tipped to be working on a pair of AirPods-style over-ear headphones.

These wireless cans are currently rumoured as Apple AirPods Studio, and would be a clear rival to Beats – Apple's own headphone sub-brand.

And other likely gadgets include new iPad and MacBook models, though it's possible these may come in November instead.

We''ll be covering Apple's big event live here at The Sun, so be sure to check back regularly for all the latest.

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In other news, this impressive iPhone 12 concept video could show off Apple's secret design ahead of time.

Apple recently released a new "cheap" version of its iPhone SE.

The iPhone 12 could be the thinnest ever thanks to new screen technology.

And the new phone could also see through mist and fog thanks to rumoured 'Spectral Edge' camera integration.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk

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