#put this beast in a glue trap

[micromime]

oh yeah my animal. Return of Wes fursona

[collectorcookie]

@rebelscythe123 this is for u <3

Loooots and lots of spoilers for everything caiowe for anyone reading this btw

Ok so a lot of cain's roles in the narrative focuses on him sacrificing himself. He's a knight so he should put his life in danger to protect others. He's a sage's wizard so he should, again, put himself in life-threatening danger to save the world. He is arthur's personal knight so, you guessed it, he should protect arthur at all costs, including himself. He's so kind and sweet and he made being a shield to others his meaning of life <3. This isn't a good thing, duh. He has no sense for self preservation and is very suicidal, maybe not in the depressed way, but in the extremely willing to throw his life away way. Like, in central ballad, he immediately puts himself between akira and oz throwing a rampage KNOWING ozzy can instant kill him, accidentally or not. And in central prelude, he also just throws himself at a beast with no consideration for his own safety.

Now, owen. Owen is the complete opposite of cain. If cain is generally puppy sunshine who's willing to die for anyone, then owen is depressed and thorny and puts his own survival above anyone and anything else.

Owen is the first person in cain's life that DOESN'T require cain to sacrifice anything for him. If anything, owen is the first person to offer cain something. Freedom. Cain, up until that point, had to keep himself hidden away. Now of course, owen defeating cain and stealing his eyeball was very traumatizing for cain, but it ends up in a net positive development for him because he doesn't have to hide anymore. I think cain even thanks him for it eventually. And another thing owen offers cain is a goal to strive towards. Now that owen has defeated him, cain has to work hard and train himself to become a better wizard. Wait i have two screenshots from anni2 that kinda

Just. Them. Ugh.

Now back onto owen, obviously everyone knows that owen latched himself onto cain because baby owen was locked up in a basement with nothing but a picture book with a knight. And cain is number one picture perfect knight. But another thing to consider about owen's character is that....kizu owen isn't owen himself, he isn't the real owen, he is just a trauma holder for owen's past memories. Wait holup i have more screenshots somewhere surely.

Yeah like in north ballad, owen wants to cure his injury because he wants to stay as himself. He's no longer the helpless small child calling out for anyone to save him, he crawled outta that hell himself, he saved himself, he's strong now. I don't like the way people treat kizu owen as the "real owen" or whatever because that kid just straight up isn't, i like the idea of the real self of a traumatized character is the self that overcame the trauma, not the one haunted by it.

And for kizu owen, anyone could have been kizu owen's knight in shining armor, as we see in ms2, where he sticks to oz like glue instead of cain. This fucks up cain severely. Because the reason why cain stuck to owen is because of his kizu self. Because his kizu self straight up says things like "save me" and "don't leave me alone" and what could a knight like cain do but respond? Yeah sure there's this other real owen that's a brutal murderer but let's ignore that for now because see! There's this other him calling out for help! And all of cain's identity is helping others despite the risks so trying to help kizu owen in spite of real owen potentially hurting him is such a cain thing to do.

But kizu owen will stick to anyone willing to respond. He's not a person. He's doesn't form bonds. He doesn't learn. He's just a trauma holder. In ms1, even when cain shows him over and over again that the door is open and it isn't locked and you can literally open the door, you aren't trapped, i wouldn't do that to you, kizu owen still ends up scratching and hitting at the door because he👏doesn't👏learn👏or👏move👏on. That's his thing. It doesn't matter to him if it's cain who is protecting him or if it's oz, he wants anyone.

And now cain is feeling like shit because arthur doesn't need him, owen doesn't need him, his knights don't need him, nobody needs or chooses specifically cain for anything, he has no space to exist. This is why he changes himself 180 degrees in ms2 because in his mind it's "well manipulating people is something only i can do so i will sacrifice myself and all of my morals for it." Are you. Are you seeing it yet?

BUT who does end up choosing cain specifically, over and over again? Owen. The real owen. He goes and fetches arthur aaaaall the way from central country to check up on cain. And ms2 isn't the only instance for this. He teaches cain magic and then later also prays his name in anni1. Owen ends up helping cain even when oz gave up on him in the knights event. Hell, even in central prelude, the only reason cain is alive is because owen's eyeball protected him. I don't remember where but i think there was once a convo between owen and mithra where mithra was like "that guy will take a 1000 years before he gets on your level" and owen was like "i'll wait". Owen WANTS to see cain grow, he wants to see him succeed.

Owen is the only character in the narrative that pushes cain to grow, cain is the only character in the narrative that pushes owen to see the world for what it is instead of the traumatized version he is holding onto.

All in all, caiowe is an EXTREMELY HEALTHY relationship, they literally make each other better, they just need a lot of communication, and they deserve each other, and i love them <3

[siberat]

Prompt idea: Belly motorboating/kissing. Bonus if that belly is painfully full after being stuffed to the gills lol

It felt like an enormous bowling ball was resting on his midsection, pressing down on his frame as he lay on the berth. His frame felt so heavy. Every move felt damn near impossible! It was as if he was trapped in the stickiest glue that refused to give up its hold. Thankfully, the berth was soft and cozy. Silk sheets definitely added luxurious comfort.

Just how did he end up in this predicament?

Swer/ve groaned. He knew the answer: his big mouth. This time, he didn’t talk himself into trouble but ate himself into trouble. All because of some stupid bet. And his pride. The bet: a bunch of ‘B/ots at the bar claimed that one of his advertised dishes was a scam. You know, if you can eat this whole meal, it’s on the house! Now, why would the minicon offer something he didn’t stand behind?

The meal can be consumed in one sitting.

And the bets were made. Credits slammed on the table, and mechs jeeringly told the barkeep to put his mouth to good use then and prove it.

Usually, he’d talk his way out of it, but upon seeing Blu/rr place his bet, the red and white bot changed his mind.

Blu/rr was betting in his favor, claiming he could devour this whole meal in one sitting.

How could he back out now that his crush was cheering him on?

So, Swer/ve gobbled up the large turkey feast, which consisted of an extra-large portion of cyber turkey, twice-baked lithium potatoes, creamy mac and cheese with little slivers of bacon sprinkled on top, stuffing, and, of course, two generously sized dinner rolls.

It was a struggle to get that smorgasbord of a meal down his throat, and he had the food sweats to prove it as he set the silverware down on the empty plate. He was about to gloat when a large slice of cherry pie sat before him. Suddenly, he remembered this menu item included dessert.

No one knew who groaned louder: Swer/ve of his belly.

But now he lay, painfully stuffed belly up on a silky-smooth berth. He was a richer mech tonight! But that’s not what revved his engines the most. The fact that he laid in Blu/rr’s berth was the best reward possible.

All throughout the feast, his idol was the only mech rooting for him, giving him encouraging words and adoring smiles as his optics raked up and down his rounding frame. Pri/mus, it looked like Blu/rr would rather use his servos to touch and fondle his flab!

Swer/ve wouldn’t have objected, but he did have a bet to win.

He felt the berth shift around him. Peeking up, he received a wondrous sight! Blu/rr was crawling over him like a cybercat, engines purring as a trail of kisses traveled down his chest and onto the belly’s crest.

Swer/ve couldn’t stop staring. Seeing those lips pursed as they kissed at the taunt paunch was ever so alluring! Seeing those doe-like optics stare up at him just ground his gears! Feeling that tongue dart out to have a taste of that bloated belly nearly fried his circuits. Soon that mouth sucked gently at protoform- licking where it was taunt and sucking where adipose accumulated.

And for good measure, a few bites were added in.

And those servos? They kneaded at the soft, dough-like flab along his sides. Fingers dug in and gently pinched, slapped, and groped at love handles as if they were stress-relief toys. Thick thighs were tickled and traced. Swer/ve’s cooling fans whirled to life. This touch sent electric-like pulses to surge throughout his scorching frame, causing him to wiggle and squirm. Suddenly, the minicon felt so alive… and on fire!

Pri/mus, when was the last time the barkeep felt so cherished? No one ever paid him any attention- aside from demanding another drink. Yet here he was, laying in his crush's berth, getting all the compliments his spark could desire. Hearing Blu/rr gently moan as his mouth worshiped the now grumbling beast while hands lavished was just too much! And seeing a sly smile appear on the racer’s face was too good.

However, that should have been a clue. The other’s helm dropped out of view as the servos smooshed the flabby underside of the tummy together. Swer/ve squealed in laughter (and a few burps) when that face shook within his tummy flab.

Pri/mus. He can now say he had his tummy motorboated

…….

sorry I didn’t get into more detail about the painful aspect. I’ll have to make sure I copy the prompt to my laptop when I write. Hope you like! I had to take this down a bit for tumblr. lol.

[amoirsetpacis]

★ --;; A heavy sigh fills the relative quiet, only otherwise gently punctuated by the occasional sound of debris tumbling, crumbling in on itself.

Some mess he'd found himself in now, Vash thinks, staring down at the mass of feathers lying still in his arms.

At first, Vash hadn't even thought about participating in any of the challenges that the Stars had constructed. From nearly the moment he'd woken up to the sight of the little menace curled up in his and Wolfwood's bed, on their pillows, the creature had seemingly made it his singular goal to beat it into Vash's head just how much it hated him.

It stuck to Wolfwood like glue, whenever it could; skittering around the priest's ankles as fast as possible, demanding with ever-louder squawks and shrieks to be cradled in the bend of an arm, sitting on shoulders and the top of his head. The second Vash tried to tell it anything to do, or catch it, or pet it, it immediately began to puff up at him and swipe with its tiny claws. And the first time Vash had managed to pick it up it had gone and electrocuted him.

Point taken.

At least Wolfwood had found the whole thing funny, unable to stop from laughing at Vash's plight. ( Never mind how he had had the same troubles, that overgrown beast made of mist and smoke hardly even looking Wolfwood's way without the promise of food. ) But if this thing was to be Vash's responsibility, he figured he may as well try and at least somewhat get a handle on it.

It's been so frustrating that he still hasn't gotten to name the damn thing. Wolfwood had joked and called in an over-dramatic chicken, so all Vash has been able to associate it with has been poultry. Go figure.

It's unconscious, now, cradled in the curled nest of Vash's legs. It's done something stupid and gone and run off without him again, and managed to poke and prod its head where it shouldn't have again, and now there's a very high likelihood that they're trapped down here, beneath that crumbling city, with only a finite amount of time left before the whole structure comes tumbling down on top of them.

Man, he's gonna have a lot of angry people to answer to if he goes and gets himself killed so soon after the last time. That, and even if the creature tap danced all over his last nerve, it wasn't Vash's place to decide its fate. ( That won't stop him from getting furious with the little bugger, though. )

Looks like choosing the challenge that's literally out in the middle of nowhere isn't exactly the best of choices. But, hey, he managed to get the thing out here with him at least, so that should be considered at least good enough for a silver medal. A gold star for the attempt, or something. In retrospect, it obviously hadn't been the best of ideas. He's not even sure why he'd decided to try it. To prove they could?

At the very least, ten shocked-still little Oficotots lie at his feet. They're victims of the same thing that's put him in this predicament as well; the creature being shocked or startled or frightened or angry or all of the above. The shock had even gotten Vash a little bit with its intensity-- and that was a surprise. Every time it had let loose on him it had only ever been a bit of a shock, enough to set his hair on end; sending the entire remains of a building down on the lot of them was an entirely different ball park.

Now, if only they could get out of here with the proof of their little round-up. Instead, the little beast is lying unconscious while Vash is left to try and formulate a plan, because he's one again being forced to be the responsible one when it comes to duos he keeps finding himself in in this city. He's kind of gotten spoiled to not having to be the straight man. Using so much energy must have knocked it out entirely-- he hadn't seen any debris fall down onto it, despite how still it had gone just after the shock, and its breathing is slow and even as though only sleeping.

Why did this thing hate him so much? If it hadn't gone and run off on its own, if it had only listened, then they wouldn't be in this predicament.

... Ah.

Vash sighs, the nails of is organic hand absentmindedly absentmindedly scritching at its side. " 'S like you're supposed to be some big flashin' sign, huh?" he murmurs to himself. "Listen, I've already got enough a' that from the little guy, I don't need you squawkin' in my face too."

He's not stupid. Stubborn and set in his ways, maybe, but not stupid. And the younger Stampede may be a great deal different from him, but all that guilt and self hate for every mistake stares back at him like he's staring in the mirror. Only difference is that this thing stays mad at him-- doesn't want anything to do with him. Hell, he hadn't even bothered to give it a name.

Can't say he blames it. Sometimes Vash doesn't want anything to do with himself, either.

Maybe this whole thing had been some twisted way of trying to prove himself wrong. A subconscious attempt at trying to wrangle a modicum of control over the guilt, the horrible emotions clawing at him from the inside out more often than not.

He'd always thought he'd deserved that hurt. Penance, or something, for the sins latched to the yolk around his neck. But, looking down at t h e little creature in his lap-- it had gone and hurt itself. Done this to itself, trying to run off and do everything on its own.

.... Apologies are owed to a great many people, he supposes. Even if his propensity for running off still probably won't be going away any time soon.

Another groan as structures settle further into themselves, as dust settles from their movement. Vash sucks in a breath, eyes hawk-like as they watch the structural remains that make up their little alcove, counting slowly up to ten in his mind as he waits.

" .... Okay," he finally murmurs, once the sound of rocks shifting stops completely. "We gotta get outta here."

It's not safe to light a match in here; there's no way to hunt for a breeze except for to listen for it, to hope to feel it against one's skin, but Vash had been sitting here for a while now and hadn't heard anything, and the only exposed part of him was his face and the tips of his fingers. Just his luck. But there had just been movement, so he gives it just a few moments more, meditative and senses sharp.

There.

It's faint, but he catches it. Off in the corner- the possibility for an opening. Hopefully it'll be big enough for him to weasel his way through. Hopefully it won't collapse as he's trying to do so.

Movement is slow; he gently sets the little beast on the floor before sticking each of the tiny robots in the bag he'd been given and throwing it over his shoulder, then goes back to cradle the creature in the cowl of his coat. It tickles his face as it breathes, but at least this leaves his arms and hands free. Hopefully it won't wake up just to bite him, or something.

Carefully, listening to every shift in concrete and rock, Vash pries debris away piece by piece. Luck holds his hand today, at least for now, and nothing crumbles or falls apart to pin him to the ground. There's a very thin line between moving too slow and moving too quickly, either end of the spectrum threatening to leave him a brief corpse here, and the thought occurs to him that he doesn't know what would happen to the feathered fiend asleep at his collar bone if they died here.

He doesn't want it to die.

After what feels like both seconds and an eternity, Vash is finally able to squeeze himself and everything else along with him through a hole just wide enough to fit, and the sigh of relief he heaves makes his entire body sag. Here, that slightest of breezes picks up just a bit-- enough that his head is able to turn and pick out the direction it's vaguely coming from. Endless underground paths branch here, but everything looks vaguely familiar from where he'd run down here chasing after his beast. All of the collapsed structures sit behind them-- for now, at least. Best to move quickly, while the iron is hot and there are no more ancient buildings waiting to flatten him.

"Really oughta' give you a name, huh?" he murmurs after a while, footsteps echoing. Not so far off, the light of day sits bright at the end of the tunnel.

[translightyagami]

New Collab Lawlight Fic

me and @seventhfracture aka TrashKing wrote a fic together! it's a hypnotism fic with our usual signature "more beneath the kinky surface" vibe. first chapter is up, and should post every Friday/Saturday (we're in two v opposite timezones lol). Hope y'all enjoy!

Scar Over the Wound | chapter 1

“What will it take?” Light stands, big shoulders, big chest, puffed into a great beast of a prisoner. “What will convince you I’m innocent? A lie detector test? A background check? Because being around me all the time has done nothing to assure you, or maybe you’re just too up your own ass to admit that you simply enjoy being cruel.”

Silence, true silence, lays over the room. L blinks, coffee caught in his lashes, and stares into the venomous hole that is Light’s anger. He tilts his head, catches where the corner of the other man’s lip trembles, and forms a plan. How does one catch a brat? Why, you put out a glue trap. Or was that rats? Index and thumb dug into the flesh, L worries his bruising jaw with a slight grin.

“Let me hypnotize you,” he says.

(Tensions are running high during the Yotsuba case when Light privately consents to being hypnotized. What better way to prove his innocence, right? L’s keen to jump on any blood in the water but things take an unexpected turn.)

[mickstart]

what do you think are some iconic/memorable schumi moments? i just got into f1 and would like to know more about him bc somehow i can’t really find anything like that about him.... just stats which are incredibly impressive but i can’t find anything about how he behaved or just anything about his personality..... thanks <3

:) Hi anon, thank you for unleashing the beast.

Ok I love you for asking me this thank you SO MUCH. Welcome to the circus I’m glad you’re here! Also yeah, Schumi is often talked about in terms of statistics and not as a human, Which is a shame bc like! Schumi is fascinating and the dynamics on the grid in late 90s F1 is so much fun! Also, this is mainly going to be late 90s -> early 2010s stuff bc I was born in 98 so uhhh I didn’t properly witness ANY 90s stuff and had to learn about it.

OK so I got super carried away but I’ve divided this into 3 sections: Drives/races that I think showcase some of his talents, human moments we need to talk about more, and Chaotic Little Bitch moments. The key thing to remember w/ Schumi is that he personally tends to be nice but as soon as you put him in a competition, Bastard Mode activates like a cat’s pupils going wide.

I am so sorry for the following short essay. Also some crashes are briefly mentioned but only ones with absolutely no injuries and there’s no details.

Chaotic Little Bitch Moments

Schumi debuted as a SUBSTITUTE driver for Jordan when one of their drivers was in police custody (yes. really.) The highest a Jordan had qualified all year was 10th and in his DEBUT at SPA, one of the toughest tracks, in the middle of the season, Schumi qualified that Jordan 7th! THEN his clutch failed before the first lap was even complete, but Benetton and Jordan WENT TO COURT to fight each other to sign him for their team before the next race in Monza. He couldn’t debut normally he HAD to cause a scene and set the tone.

The Red Strings of Fate: He qualified 7th, his iconic 7 starred helmet, his first victory next year was ALSO at Spa - his first complete race would be at Monza, Ferrari Holy Ground, and he finished 5th which 👀 1) he was immediately racing with The Greats. 2) Mr 5 Championships With Ferrari.

Winning a race by taking a stop and go penalty on the last lap, crossing the finish line in the pits, and making such a complicated argument about said penalty that in a hearing that was SUPPOSED to be Mclaren protesting the race result the stewards scrapped the entire penalty and the 3 who awarded it handed in their licenses??? Iconic.

Austria 2002 where Rubens was ordered to give the win to Michael. And then Michael fucking made him stand on the top step on the podium like “oh no no no RUBENS deserves this” and made a big SHOW out of it and its like “Michael stop you’re not making it heartwarming you’re making it WORSE Michael STOP” The Tension of germany 2010 podium VS the theatricality of THIS podium.

Team orders were banned because of this which also makes this indirectly responsible for Fernando Is Faster Than You having to be a coded message. You can’t escape him,

Blocking Alonso in Monaco qualifying and then, years later in 2010, overtaking Alonso technically illegally at Monaco (the race was ending under safety car, but the safety car doesn’t lead them over the line it pits and they’d crossed the safety car line and the regulations were NOT specific about the rules) and getting a 20 second penalty bc Damon Hill was a steward. Haunting FERNANDO specifically at Monaco like the ghost of christmas past? Getting a harsh penalty because ANOTHER driver he’d fucked over was a steward? Forcing the FIA to rewrite the rulebook to account for his nonsense when he was in his FOURTIES? I don’t know another chaos king.

Winning the 1995 championship by crashing into Damon Hill, getting AWAY with it for some reason, and then trying to do the same thing in 1997 to Villeneuve, failing to do so and simply rebounding off of him harmlessly, almost COMICALLY, and beaching his own car in a gravel trap at which point the FIA said “I have had ENOUGH of you Wacky Races Man!” and disqualified him from the entire championship

Forcing Mika off the track so bad at Spa 2000 that Mika realized the only way he was gonna be able to get past him was to re-invent the overtake and go for it whilst they were passing a backmarker. (The overtake itself is at 2:05 in the video but the build up to it is Important bc the key part it’s not just badass, it only happened bc Mika knew who he was dealing with.)

Spa 1998 was a Ridiculously Chaotic race it truly was the Mugello 2020 of its year, and after a crash at the start that took out almost the entire grid Schumi accidentally collided with Coulthard later in the race. (The teams used to have a spare car at every race then, so the race was able to continue after a restart.) This wasn’t a racing thing, Coulthard was getting lapped. So something in Schumi SNAPS, and he storms down the pitlane and tries to fight Coulthard while the mclaren and ferrari mechanics both hold him back and finally drag him away. He projected into the future, saw Coulthard was gonna talk non-stop shit about Seb, and acted accordingly.

Monaco 2012 Pole don’t talk to me about this I still can’t believe the audacity of this man to get the only pole of his comeback, at MONACO, at the ONE RACE where he had a 5 place grid penalty to take!!

In general, I know Cheating Bad but. I HAVE to admire the brainpower it must take to have the rulebook so memorized that whilst driving an F1 car Schumi could spot a loophole the size of the eye of a needle and then dance through it, forcing the FIA to add ANOTHER page to the rule book specially for him bc nobody else even REALISED that loophole existed.

Human Moments

A quick rant about Mika and Schumi’s entire friendship. After Spa 2000 Mika goes up to Michael, says something like “Don’t ever do that again” then they’re friends again. They had this mutual understanding that Racing was not Reality. This goes all the way back to their F3 days they were rivals AND friends for their entire career. They truly were the Sewis of the era if Sebastian was like 50% more evil. Their entire dynamic is “You’re the only motherfucker in this pit lane who can handle me”. Schumi would do some bullshit and every other driver would throw up their hands in frustration and Mika would just go “Okay” and drive better to put him in his place bc he was the only one who could keep up, and Schumi very visibly LOVED that he’s grinning after Mika owns his entire ass with that overtake at Spa. They were unstoppable force meets immovable object and I’m so sad their rivalry isn’t more talked about bc the way Mika is the only driver who can get him to behave like a normal human being is SO entertaining.

This is a sad one so I won’t link it but he started crying in the 2000 Monza press-conference with his brother and Mika when he equaled one of Senna’s records. The press kept trying to ask questions about it and Mika just has this death grip on his shoulder and tries to get them to stop or let them take a break and it’s so sad but also important to know about.

Once said he didn’t want Mick to race in F1 bc the pressure of his name would put Mick under so much stress and he wanted his son to be happy. (He fully supported Mick in his endeavors! But only after making absolutely sure it was what Mick wanted, and making sure he knew he could just race for fun if he wanted and it didn’t have to be F1)

This whole interview just after Mick was born with the Schumacher family. Special shout out to Gina on his head the entire video and also Corinna talking to the press while Michael is captivated by Mick. Me too Michael.

Once allegedly pleaded to take a stray kitten home from the track?

I reblogged this yesterday but. Sticking like glue to Sebastian at an F1 test and immediately being like “This is my new son he’s gonna go far”. There’s a lot of pictures out there also of Michael being a guest at the karting races Seb went to as a kid and baby Seb visibly losing his fucking mind at being given a trophy by his idol. Every day of my life I think about him trying to ruffle Seb’s hair through his helmet at Brazil 2012

WInning the championship in 2000. Him thanking the entire team individually and pausing mid-celebration to kiss his wife Corinna so tenderly it’s in the F1 opening. Also, the way it literally cuts from the rest of McLaren looking like they’re attending a funeral to Mika grinning at him and hugging him fucking SENDSSSSS me.

Schumi was a little shit in all the 2010-12 press conferences like, lowering Lewis’ chair, playing with a microphone wire, but ESPECIALLY corrupting baby Seb and getting him to mess with Nico Rosberg.

He’s just GOOFY! Like I refuse to let him be remembered as a terrifying force of nature he was so goofy kind of similarly to Seb. PLEASE watch this incredibly awkward interview he did with Coulthard on a golf buggy where they both had to pretend they hadn’t thought about murdering each other at least once. I think Sky F1 should force Brocedes to do this when covid’s over. “Do you mind if I drive?” “Yes.”

EDIT: I CANNOT BELIEVE I forgot the 1999 Canada press conference where Eddie Irvine and Mika Hakkinen get into a water fight and Schumi immediately grabs a towel and hides behind it and is like “I had NOTHING to do with it” 🥺 adorable, actually

A lot of people at Ferrari, including Rob Smedley (who was on the other side of the garage with Felipe Massa so not in his inner circle) have said that a lot of the success of the team came from Schumi’s LEADERSHIP more than anything, that he’d make the team get together to bond all the time. When Schumi moved to Ferrari in 1996 they were NOT dominant. He did the same thing Lewis did - went to a team that everybody said would be a huge mistake and helped build them up behind the scenes.

THIS bit of the Canada 2011 Rewind where his engineer gives him the strategy and he’s like “... OkaAaAaAay?” and then when it turns out to be the wrong strategy he cheerfully tells them it’s too late. Little shit.

Speaking of Mercedes I also wanna say that like. They were a MESS in 2012 and his car DNF’d because of a failing on their part MULTIPLE times. (In Canada qualifying his DRS was stuck open and they couldn’t close it.) He did not say a single bad word about them EVER even though the press used this to attack him non-stop as washed-up and bad without Ferrari to cheat for him. At Ferrari he was the exact same with the team, any bastard antics Schumi had for his rivals did not extend to the engineers and crew.

OK this one is soured bc Top Gear is trash BUT if you were like, a kid in England who followed motorsports? Schumi’s fake reveal as The Stig on Top Gear was like the coolest, sickest thing,

Please view this image of Schumi and Mika when they were young and stupid

Iconic Races

ok so I have limited myself to a few races that show off some of his key strengths!

Hungary 1998 / France 2004 - STRATEGY/SPEED - Schumi switched to a 3 stop strategy in 98 and a FOUR STOP strategy in 04 and won both races. In order for the strategy call to work he’d have to basically make every single lap a qualifying style ‘flying lap’ and you best fucking believe he DID THAT. God I fucking miss when Ferrari was the king of strategy.

Argentina 1998 -  has it all. Talent, battling Mika, pit lane mind games with mclaren, and bullying coulthard xxx

Spain 1996 / a majority of the wet races - RAIN - One of Schumi’s nicknames was Rain Master bc he was so fucking good in the wet. If it started raining and you were a Schumi stan you were cackling evilly before the red lights even went out. I single out 1996 bc it was his first win for Ferrari and it was unexpected but in most wet races, even Canada 2011 post comeback, you can see Schumi thriving.

Malaysia 1999 - Schumi missed pretty much the entire second half of the season with a broken leg, came back for the last 2 races with everybody murmuring about whether he would struggle, and immediately put the Ferrari on pole. Also worth noting is that he was the number 2 driver for these 2 races bc his teammate Irvine was fighting Mika for the championship and he went along with that without complaint, allowing Ferrari to win the constructor’s championship if not the driver’s.

Monza 2002, 03, 04, or 06 just because it has the energy of the tifosi kneeling at the feet of an idol to their red god.

Brazil 2006 - Fuck All Y’all - Schumi’s last race for Ferrari. He got a puncture and ended up almost lapped, and then drove his way back from that to 4th bc he couldn’t go out without reminding us he’s a bad bitch.

Monza 2012 - Defending - Don’t tell F1 Twitter that there’s actual footage of Lewis and Michael having a genuine lengthy battle on track but DO watch Michael defending like a motherfucker and Lewis breathing down his neck for half the race we need to talk about this more.

Valencia 2012 - This isn’t necessarily anything special but I cried in my living room over the only podium of his comeback so it goes on here. It doesn’t have the same impact if you haven’t been watching him struggle with the car for years, DNF-ing from car failure most of 2012, and having BBC F1 telling you he’s washed up every single weekend, but you can just enjoy one of the best drives of FERNANDO’S entire career as he DRAGS that Ferrari by its hair to a home grand prix win and then watch the crowds embrace him like jesus and also Schumi being happy on the podium. Also, the very start of this clip from the press conference: him forgetting what language he’s supposed to be speaking 

Basically, Schumi was a hyper-competitive ambitious bitch who turned into a goofball as soon as he switched the engine off. This is by NO MEANS everything if I was making an exhaustive best races guide I’d do more research and another post but I hope this is what you were looking for?? THANK YOU SO MUCH for letting me go MAXIMUM SPECIAL INTEREST and I apologize.

[irrelevantwriter]

Feral

Pairing: Chief Jim Hopper x Female Reader/You

Rating: Explicit, NSFW

Warnings: Language, unprotected vaginal sex, mention of bodily fluids, touch starved Hopper (he just wants to be held), allusion to PTSD but not stated explicitly, Hopper going full beast mode (bc we deserve)

Word Count: 2K

Summary: Jim was trapped in the Upside Down. He made it out and back to you. But all that time away without you means it’s only a matter of time before he snaps.

A/N: I miss my thicc Chief and this is me finishing a fic I started last year to exercise my Hopper muse. I had the idea to have Jim trapped in the Upside Down after season 3, but we’ll see if that’s going to be true or not. As long is our boy is still alive, I don’t give a fuck. So, this idea was bred from one of a million convos @negansdirtygirl22​ and I had about Hopper being a beast in the sack and was very much based on the scene in season one of him ransacking his own trailer. This went a little softer than I anticipated, but he’s still going HAM on that pussy so I don’t think you guys will mind. Enjoy and share with your friends! Feedback is that good shit.

*Masterlist in bio.

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

Jim eyed you closely, barely able to contain himself as you drew the curtains in your bedroom. The lamp on your nightstand offered a subtle glow, but it was enough for him to appreciate what he’d been kept away from for so long. You were blanketed in one of his flannels, the long wool socks your wore stopping just below your knee. It was a sight he never thought he’d see again.

Being trapped in the Upside Down was shit. It was a terrifying place that he had yet to really even put into words since he’d been back. He felt like time had stood still and yet, he felt like he’d been away a hundred years. In reality, six months had passed. Every second there he was on alert, fighting for his life in some capacity. It was not unlike the time he spent in the war, although even then he had better chances of making it back than he did in that warped universe. It was a place that looked so much like home, and yet it was the farthest thing from it.

A tease for what could be.

Home.

He felt his heart stutter at the thought. He was finally back with his girls, a notion that had been so far away and intangible only a few short days ago. You’d been at his beck and call since he’d returned. You were by his side constantly, a byproduct of thinking the love of your life had died. You always seemed to be touching him in some form or fashion, the skin-to-skin contact a comfort to his touch starved body. He could see what the loss of him did to you…and he felt like he’d been punched in the gut because of it. You’d clearly taken his “death” hard and his sudden reappearance had everyone suffering from whiplash, you especially.

Jim grunted when you bent across the bed to turn down the covers. He caught the barest glimpse of your ass encased in white cotton, the visual making his libido soar. He’d been without your touch for six long months…it was starting to show.

“Jim?”

Your voice pulled him from his lustful thoughts, slamming him back into reality.

“What’d you say?” He asked as he scratched at his newly trimmed facial hair, eyes flicking from your face to your exposed legs.

“I asked if you were ready to go to bed?” You smiled warmly up at him. It was a smile that made his chest feel tight, in the best way possible.

“I, uh…” He found himself at a loss of words looking down at you, the glow of the lamp highlighting you in the most heavenly way.

“You okay?” You prompted with a slight laugh, but he could tell you were worried by his hesitance.

He reached for you, pulling you close. It was the first time since you’d both been reunited that the two of you had been so close without anyone else around. El had been stuck to him like glue and it’d taken a shit ton of convincing from Joyce to get her to sleep at the Beyers’ home for the weekend. Joyce had tried to delicately explain the need for “adult time” while both you and Jim had looked on with a mixture of gratefulness and embarrassment.

Jim was feeling especially grateful at the moment.

“Never better.” He replied lowly, encasing you in his embrace. You let yourself become surrounded by him, snuggling your face into his bare chest.

“God, I missed you…” You whispered against his skin, hands resting near his beating heart. That wasn’t the first time you’d expressed that sentiment. And he could hear the grief less and less each time you did.

He cradled your hips in his hands, positioning his mouth near your ear. “I missed you more.”

He felt the delicate touch of your lips on his chest and he pulled you closer. He didn’t bother trying to hide his aroused state. Instead, he let you lead…he let you dictate where this was going to go because he was a man already on the edge.

“Jim…” You moaned as you rubbed against him, feeling his need for you push back in kind. He dug his fingers into your hips, pulling the fabric of his shirt with it. Your hands were suddenly on his face, pulling him towards your desperate lips.

That was all it took.

Jim moaned at the taste of you, your essence cloaking him in a desire-fueled fog. His body warmed from the inside out, his nerves feeling like they were vibrating with pent up energy. His tongue dominated yours as you struggled to get closer than humanly possible to him. He ripped at your shirt, buttons flying. The garment was removed immediately, allowing bare chests to meet. Your hands tangled in his hair and he swore he felt you shiver when he ran his hand down your naked back.

“Bed.” You gasped against his lips.

Jim grunted in response, lifting you from the ground and forcing your legs to wrap around him. His mouth attached to your neck, sucking with wild abandon. He could feel the heat radiating from your core, the pull for him to get lost inside you. It was almost too much for him.

Moans and groans filled the room as he threw you on the bed, your back making contact with the soft blue sheets. Your legs opened instinctually and Jim admired the view, a view he’d missed deeply. He could see a darkened patch of moisture on the fabric of your panties, the evidence of your hunger for him making him delirious. He had the sudden urge to mount you, to own you once again after so much time apart.

He slid off his sweats, exposing himself to the electric air of the room. You closed your legs at the sight and shifted helplessly against the mattress, eager to create friction. He moved forward wordlessly and parted your legs. You allowed him to do as he pleased, letting him rip the cotton from your body like a barbarian. He growled at the sight of your glistening lips, already burying his fingers inside you.

“Fuck.” You cursed with your head thrown back. You squirmed against his hand, coaxing him further inside you. He panted as he watched you writhe against his touch, your back arched and your mouth parted in a portrait of ecstasy. You were soaking his fingers, your body more than ready for his entry. He was thankful for that because he didn’t think he had it in him to be gentle. It felt as if he’d reverted to some sort of primal beast while away and he had yet to make the switch back to reality. His only concerned was feeling you wrapped around him, painting your walls with his cum.

He pulled his fingers from you with an obnoxious slurp and coated himself with your spendings. You rubbed your legs together as he jacked himself off to you. Just the sight of you sprawled out and as desperate was enough to nearly send him catapulting into space.

He stopped himself before he got to that point, already seeing the tip of him leaking with precum. He pulled at your ankle, practically impaling you on his cock. He covered your body with his own, biting and sucking along your nude body with animalistic fervor. Your nails pierced his skin as you thrust your hips up, attempting to catch him in your folds.

“Goddamn,” He cursed as he squeezed your breasts in his large hands, pushing them together so that he could devour your peaked nipples. He moved along your curves, settling between your legs. The position felt like home as much as the cabin did. The warm clutches of your body was his true home; it was where he belonged.

He nipped at your ear and buried himself against your neck as he finally thrust up into you. You accepted him, though he could feel the tight stretching of your walls as you did. Your whole body tensed around him, sucking him further inside. His breaths got faster and more ragged, the struggle to retain some sort of control slipping by the second. The sensation was too much and not enough. He could practically feel your heartbeat pulse against his throbbing cock, your walls encouraging him to move. His forehead rested on yours, the both of you taking a moment to both savor and ease the satisfying tension.

Jim gave no thought to anything besides the feel of your body connecting with his. He began to move fast and deep, grunts and growls accompanying each thrust. He transformed from man to brute as he pounded into you. He could feel the barrier of your cervix, his cock hitting it in an intense rhythm. The bed moved with his actions, the headboard a soundtrack for your coupling.

“I can’t…” He rasped, hands going to your throat. “I can’t last. Fuck…”

Your nails dug into his back, your legs wrapping around him as he set a brutal pace. You didn’t hide the moans and whimpers that escaped your lips. He could hear every inhale and gasp as he fucked you with wild abandon.

“It’s okay…” You breathed out, chest rising and falling in rapid movements. The sound of his cock assaulting your pussy was obscene, the growing wetness between your bodies a signal that both of you were close.

He felt your hand wiggle between your bodies, your fingers rubbing feverishly at your clit. His hips only moved faster, clutching at that blissful force that threatened to take hold. Your back arched, sending your chest up and into his. He gripped at your thighs as you begged for more and pulled away in overwhelming desire. He followed your body, not letting you escape his wrath.

“I’m cumming, Jim…fuck.” You cried out, features contorted into a myriad of emotions. Your nails pierced his skin as your pussy clamped down and didn’t let go. His cock had no choice but to stay immobile as your walls spasmed with almost painful intensity.

“Fucking Christ, baby…” He cursed, trying not to succumb to your body but knowing the effort was fruitless.

You soaked him, the evidence now painting both him and the sheets below. Your body shook with aftershocks of pleasure, but he resumed his thrusting, his cock now sliding almost sloppily against you. His hands dug into the mattress as he watched your face go from lustful torture to peaceful serenity in a second. He’d missed your face, envisioned you there with him as he struggled to stay alive. Now that he was back with you, he never wanted to part from you again. If he had it his way, he’d be balls deep in you every day. You were his solace, his peace.

The thought of having you like this forever set him off and he came with a violent thrust and growl. He bit into your shoulder, but still not hard enough to break the skin. He used your body to accelerate his climax, pumping you with cum and sucking harshly into the flesh of your neck. You accepted it all, widening your legs in a silent demand for more. His muscles tensed and contorted in blind passion, his mind blissfully suspended in that moment. His fingers dug into you flesh, anchoring him to you as his entire being sailed into the clouds.

He collapsed onto you with a grunt, his chest heaving and skin sticky with sweat as he listened to your heartbeat beneath him. Your fingertips danced along his broad back, your legs tangling with his. He felt the biggest wave of exhaustion overtake him, his eyes barely able to remain open.

“I love you, baby girl.” He mumbled sleepily, your touches only adding to his lethargy. He shifted his hips slightly, his cock still very much connected to you. The unmistakable feeling of cum overflowing from your lips and soaking you both comforted him, his body in no hurry to separate.

“Love you too, baby…” You mirrored back, your voice soothing him into a nightmare-free slumber, a state of rest that he’d been chasing for six months but was never able to achieve.

The man was home.

[andrewmoocow]

Steven Universe: The Fantastic Mutants chapter 6: Frightful Finale (originally posted on April 7, 2021)

AN: It's been far too long since I entered the world of Marvel Gems. What with Steven Universe: Alternate Future, the holiday season and my return to college, I've just kinda got distracted from my big crossover universe. But no longer! I will resolve Fantastic Mutants and maybe get to work on the next stories in this trilogy, no matter the cost.

Also, one disclaimer before we start. My deepest concerns go out to the family of Tom Kane, who I imagined voicing Magneto in here in a reprisal of his role from Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Wolverine & the X-Men. Keep in mind that I came up with the cast long before he had that possibly career-ending stroke. Anyways, let's get a move on at last.

--

The moment that the Blackbird landed in Doomstadt, the Ultimate Alliance immediately charged to Castle Doom, ready to rescue Steven and stop Doctor Doom & Magneto.

"Hang on Steven, we're coming!" Connie yelled while riding atop Lion. Deadpool was behind her on the big cat, hoisting a boombox over his head that blasted 'I Need A Hero' as the heroes drew closer to the castle.

However, armies of Doombots dropped from the tops of the castle walls to defend their master from the invaders. The robots began firing lasers while setting up protective shields around the entrance to their namesake's palace, to keep them from breaking in.

"Oh great, Doombots." The Thing groaned, but then began getting himself pumped up. "But then again, I've been waiting this whole adventure to say this! Y'all know what time it is?"

"It's only 2:50 pm, Ben. Why?" Pearl answered quizzically.

"Dumbass, he's gonna say the thing!" Deadpool yelled excitedly.

"You got it!" Ben grinned as he turned to the Doombots. "IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!" Right off the bat, the ever-lovin' blue-eyed beast began tearing Doombots apart, which excited Amethyst greatly.

"Now this is more my style!" Amethyst cheered, and she joined Ben in tearing the robots apart.

"Good, you two keep them distracted while we break down the doors!" Wolverine commanded as the rest went to beat down the entrance. However, with every Doombot taken down, more began popping up.

"They don't seem to be stopping!" Amethyst said. "Can this get any worse?"

"As a matter of fact, it possibly can." Garnet predicted with her future vision, just as the castle entrance went down and the Frightful Four emerged from behind it.

"The doctor has ordered us to keep you from getting in his way." The Wizard announced. "But it seems we might have our work cut out for us with this many intruders."

"Just as long as he still does whatever he wants to do with that dumb kid he had captured." Mole-Man responded.

"We'd rather die than let you harm Steven!" Peridot yelled, taking up arms with the remains of some Doombots nearby to form a massive sword.

"Ah, who cares?" Trapster shrugged. "He's got more where they came from anyway."

Even more Doombots emerged to fight the Ultimate Alliance, and they seemed stronger than those before them.

"Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and I will take care of these villains!" Connie began planning. "The rest of you take on the rest of the Doombots!"

"You got it!" Lapis obliged. "Hey, where's the Professor?"

"I am staying behind in the Blackbird, but I shall assist in any form I can from here." Xavier announced from the plane using his telepathy.

With a nod to each other, Connie and the primary Crystal Gems prepared for battle against the Frightful Four.

--

All around the operating room that Steven was forced into by Doctor Doom, various medical devices surrounded the boy as Victor experimented on his hybrid nature. Doom had taken blood samples, X-rays, extractions of saliva, but it was nothing short of a breakthrough.

"There has to be something I could use." Doom muttered to himself as he examined his gathered data. "I've been working tirelessly, yet still nothing is working!"

"You'll never win Doom." Steven said weakly. "No matter how hard you try, my powers will never be used for your evil deeds."

"Famous last words Steven." Doctor Doom scoffed scornfully at the boy, but then he began gazing upon his gem. "Wait, that's it! I'll just have to take out your gemstone! I have yet to decide on what to do after that, but I believe I just made a breakthrough!"

A dull thud sound was then heard throughout the operating room.

"What was that?" Doom asked quietly.

The thudding got even louder and louder until finally, Juggernaut's fist broke through the wall and allowed Kitty Pryde & Mystique to leap through the hole.

"Kitty!" Steven cried happily. "And Mystique?"

"No time for questions." Mystique said to Steven. "Creed, now!"

On Raven's command, Sabretooth leaped into action and used his adamantium claws to break Steven free from the operating table he was restrained to.

"Wait, why are you helping me?" Steven asked the Brotherhood members as he lifted himself off the table.

"It's because of you, squirt." Sabretooth answered. "Magneto was all like, 'Ooh, we can't let him harm a fellow mutant even if he promised to help us with our cause', all thanks to you. But then again, he did basically have the same endgame as your X-Men friends anyhow, just with more violent extra steps."

--

Back outside the castle, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl & Connie were all pitted against the Frightful Four, one of them fighting one member each.

"So what's your origin Wiz?" Amethyst asked the Wizard. "Were you laughed at because of your poor fashion sense?!"

"Oh haha, very funny." Bentley Wittman scoffed. "I'm merely jealous of the Four's fame, especially that infernal Human Torch!"

"Oh, so classic jealousy then?" Amethyst replied before using her whips to tie up the Wizard and spin him around. "Geez, grow some dang humility!"

Meanwhile, Pearl was pitted against the Puppet Master, who had decided to defend himself with animated statues of his current boss.

"My puppets are unstoppable!" the Puppet Master boasted, but Pearl proved him wrong by cutting them down with her spear. "What?!"

"You should consider thinking before you speak." Pearl snidely replied before the statues simply put themselves back together. "Wait, how?!"

"It's puppetry, I don't have to explain it!" Phillip Masters shrugged.

"Kinda like how no one can explain your girlish features!" Deadpool jeered the puppeteer's appearance, which caused a puppet to punch him in the face.

"So your gimmick is that you have this gun you use to trap people with?" Connie asked the Trapster while expertly dodging his special glue.

"Yeah, I mean, it's in my name." Petruski replied and aimed his paste gun at her.

"Didn't you go by a different name in the past?" Connie remarked, making the Trapster frightened and then furious. "I think it was Paste Pot Pete, right?"

"SHADDUP!" the villain formerly known as Paste Pot Pete yelled angrily, and he wildly fired his paste gun everywhere he could point it at, covering random spots with his glue. "DON'T CALL ME PASTE POT!"

Connie thought quickly and just as Pete was about to fire his paste at her, she cut the gun in two, disarming him.

Finally, Garnet was pitted against Harvey Elder, aka the Mole-Man, who despite his abnormal height and poor vision, he was able to keep up with her with a fighting style resembling bojutsu that he used his staff for.

"We won't let you keep us from Steven!" Garnet yelled while the leader of the Moloids ran circles around her. "Why are you throwing your lot in with Doom, anyways?"

"He promised us things in exchange for our services!" the Mole Man declared. "Very special things, riches, glory, our own castles!"

"Well, my future vision tells me he won't actually give you those things." Garnet informed Harvey. "Instead he'll just run and hide once defeated while you're left to be arrested."

"WHAT?!" Harvey exclaimed in shock, leaving him open to get punched in the face.

--

"I thought I could trust you Erik!" Doom exclaimed as he stared down the master of magnetism. "Now you dare turn on Doom for that boy?!"

"He is essentially a mutant, just like I." Magneto boldly declared as he defended Steven and Kitty. "And I refuse to allow you to do him any harm."

"This is my land you mutated ingrate!" the doctor roared. "I can do whatever I please here, and you are powerless to stop me, lest you incur the people's wrath for endangering political immunity!"

"When has political immunity ever stopped the Brotherhood?!" Magneto boomed, floating up as a show of power. "Men call me Magneto, master of magnets! And I welcome you to die!"

Using his mutant abilities, Erik made everything in the operating room float in the air with a raise of his arm, and threw that arm down to launch them all at Doom. "Go children, find your friends! I shall handle things from here."

"Right." Steven obliged before he and Kitty fled the battle, leaving the leader of the Brotherhood to combat the king of Latveria.

Doctor Doom burst from the pile that Magneto had trapped him in, and retaliated with a powerful electric shock and that sent Magneto flying into a wall.

"Damn you!" Lehnsherr growled, creating a barrier around him to defend from further damage and unleash electromagnetic shocks from the barrier.

"Come here!" Doom roared, lunging at the mutant terrorist.

--

"The Gems have got to be outside the castle!" Steven exclaimed as he and Kitty ran from a slowly growing army of Doombots chasing them down.

"How would you know that?" Kitty asked.

"I remember when the Doombot said that the castle had intruders, that must be them!" Steven reminded his mutant pal while a Doombot tried to grab him. Suddenly, that same Doombot was stabbed through the neck by Lady Deathstrike's claws.

"Can't believe we're resorting to this." Deathstrike muttered before turning to the children. "I suppose you are looking for those Gems, correct? Go, we'll handle things from here."

As the pair continued running, Avalanche and Pyro appeared beside Yuriko to fight. With a confident nod, Avalanche stomped his foot and caused the castle to cave in on the robots, crushing them to bits.

As for Pyro, he was busy melting more Doombots into liquid metal, which gave the Blob an opening to run them all over with his immense girth.

"Oy, wait up ya squirts!" Juggernaut yelled as he bolted through the wall, covered in Doombot remains. Behind him, Toad and Mystique joined the massive mutate as Steven & Kitty finally reached the front of the castle, where the Crystal Gems, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the X-Force, Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver were waiting.

"Steven!" Pearl yelled excitedly as she wrapped her arms around Steven, and Garnet, Amethyst & Connie followed suit. "We were so worried sick, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Steven answered. "He just took some samples of my blood and saliva, that's all."

"Steven, long time no see!" Spider-Man cried, giving the half-Gem a high five.

"Peter, Wanda, Pietro!" Steven replied, seeing the web-slinger along with Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.

"Ah, so you brought my children along?" Magneto asked as he suddenly appeared behind Steven with the Brotherhood behind him. "How quaint."

"Magneto!" Wolverine yelled, and he and the X-Men got ready for a fight, but then Xavier strolled in on his wheelchair. "Uh, Chuck?"

"Erik." Charles politely greeted his archrival.

"Charles." Erik replied in kind. "It seems we are once again at a point where we must align our interests for a common good."

"Indeed it is." The Professor examined thoughtfully.

"Uh, I guess this is pretty common, right?" Amethyst asked the pair of elderly mutants.

"Quite so Amethyst." Xavier declared. "Now then, what brought you to turn on Doom?"

"It was that boy there." Magneto revealed while pointing at Steven. "He convinced me that I could never allow a fellow mutant to be harmed, and I allowed him and Ms. Pryde to flee while I contended with Doom."

On that topic, the Frightful Four rose up to strike back against the Gems. "Et tu Magneto?!" the Mole Man yelled. "Well, we'll see who has the last laugh when the doctor comes for you all!"

Just then, loud mechanical wheezes and groans came from deeper within the castle. Everybody gathered turned back to the front gates and decided to go inside, hoping to see what was up.

--

"That helmeted fool shall rue the day he ever crossed me!" Doctor Doom muttered hatefully to himself as he tended to a massive machine until a security screen brought up the Ultimate Alliance making their way through his castle, now joined by the Brotherhood of Mutants. "Excellent." Doom purred before he pressed a few buttons on one of his metal gauntlets, causing the machines to turn on. "If Steven won't let me have that gem, I'll rip it from his corpse!"

Four gigantic purple and blue robots slowly stood up straight as their eyes began glowing four different colors, blue, red, green and white. The Sentinels Victor had been waiting to complete were finally ready, and he couldn't be happier to unleash them on his foes.

--

Phew, so glad I finally finished this! This took ages to write, since I intended to finish this chapter in February but then Alternate Future and college got in the way, plus I'm starting to get a little burned out since I have to balance two massive Steven Universe fanfictions. Hopefully I can at least get the next story started in the summer. But I'm getting ahead of myself, sorry to keep you waiting!

[askmalal]

Traitors of the 37th Cohort:

Mastodon type Super Heavy Siege Transport “Pallida Mors”

The Mastodon was the largest ground assault transport regularly utilized by the Legions during the Great Crusade (at least until the fluff changes next time). It could carry half a centuria/century (50; historically speaking roughly 52) Astartes or a full talon of Dreadnoughts. The Stormlord could carry the same number of Astartes but was incapable of carrying Dreadnoughts. (One assumes that the Furibundus, not much larger than a Terminator, would be an exception.)

These were massive vehicles, armed with dedicated air defense batteries, four sponsons, a Melta equipped breaching prow, and a magna Melta array specifically designed for burning a hole through... pretty much anything. In addition, the Mastodon was designed as a mobile Fortress, with an interior designed to be fully defensible. (If “destroyed,” rules count the Mastodon wreck as a fortification.) Production cost of each and the resources required were nearly equivalent to those used in the construction of a Warhound Scout Titan. The Mastodon saw heavy use during the Heresy and was mothballed in the Codex era given the need for smaller transports amongst the new Chapters. However, they continue to be used in the post-Heresy era from time to time, such as in the case of the War of the Beast.

“Pallida Mors” was IX Legion Super Heavy Vehicle #066 among an unknown number of Mastodons in Blood Angel’s service. Assigned to the Siege Maniple of the 37th Cohort, it was not deployed to Cygnus Prime, though several vehicles of the type were used there. However, it has seen hard service in the years since.

This is essentially the final piece of my Revenant force, at least for now. The model is absolutely huge, easily longer and taller, though narrower, than a Baneblade or Fellblade chassis, though only slightly larger than a Gorgon (which is ironic given the Gorgon should theoretically have more troop capacity.) I acquired this used as a sort of roughly painted “glue bomb” by someone who put it together just well enough to use at an event, with detail bits for another Legion. I had to remove these, reinforce the construction, and replace the forward sponsons with third party Iliastus pattern Assault cannons (FW makes no Iliastus cannons beyond those it makes for Blood Angels Terminators) I took my time to make it look used, and I’m genuinely pleased with the result. The track configuration is a natural mud trap, and so I may have been slightly over zealous with mud application, but I think it works a treat. A truly huge miniature; I’ve painted many tanks in my day, both historical and otherwise, and this may be the largest and heaviest. Ironically, though large, the proportions are far more realistic than those for other FW vehicles!

Ritual blood markings can be seen on the helmet “ears” of the crew, along the lining of the armored viewports, on the gunshield of the anti-aircraft battery, and the hull sides. The intent again was to make this look deliberate rather than overtly gorey.

I am particularly proud of the “We Are Theophany” inscription! The faded, messy “IX” is semi accidental. I wanted it to look like a recent retouch and used a technique for small scale spray paint. It’s messy, but pretty much standard for armored vehicle markings retouched in the middle of a campaign.

[writing-the-end]

WS Chapter 39: Alone

Previous Chapter

Masterpost

Sorry yinz, I just had to leave you all at a cliffhanger! Red and I were so excited to leave you on this- and I won’t say that this is the last time either. For those wondering, the world the wanderers are from doesn’t have respawn mechanics, but thanks to Xisuma the hermit world does. Boy those world wizards are useful!

Ecto belongs to @cooler-cactus-block  (Still can’t @ D:)

Red belongs to @theguardiansofredland​

Warning: Contains mention of death, character death (respawn), language, and mentions of blood and violence

Red gasps for air, grasping at his chest with one hand and the ground with another. His fingers dig into sand, warmed from the sun. A shuttering cry is caught by the wind, pain just now coursing through Red’s body. 

But the bolt is gone. The pain remains, but the deadly arrow is no longer skewering Red like a fish-kabob. Red looks down, gasping for each breath of air like it’s his last. It should be his last. He should be dead. 

He was dead. Was. But now, by some miracle, he’s back. He remembers the fight. He remembers freezing the vindicator right before he let his axe swing. He remembers the pride when he saw Ecto and Avon’s relieved faces. And he remembers the shock of being shot. He didn’t even have time to experience the pain before he was gone. 

And then nothing. Nothing for infinity, nothing for a second. And now he sits in the warm sand, a cool ocean breeze playing with the curls of his black and orange hair. There’s no blood on his vest, no arrow through his chest. But the pain remains, slowly dying back with every breath, every step away from death. Every moment of being alive again. “Wha-what happened?” 

Red’s voice cracks, carried away by the wind. But no one hears her question. She’s alone, on a tiny spit of land in the middle of the ocean. There’s no distant sound of horns and fighting, no massive towers built in the plains. Her pockets are empty, all the potions and potatoes missing. Wherever Red is, it’s far away from the battle. Far away from all her friends. Far away from everyone. Alone. 

He did it again. Utterly useless, always in the way. Red thought he was helping, and for a moment he felt like he actually was. He managed to freeze a whole line of illagers in their tracks, and he was able to deliver much needed supplies to the hermits. He was able to do something actually productive to the team, actually be a part of the fight. Be a part of the solution. 

But Red was a fool to think he was anything but worthless. That he could do anything to help. Instead, he just got in people’s way. He got into his own friends’ ways. They had to worry about him, and his safety. Potentially ignoring their own to make sure Red wasn’t in harm’s way. And in the end, Red’s own inept efforts got him killed. 

He’s not observant or clever like Ecto. He can’t use his surroundings like her, turn plants into tools and the very ground into her traps. He can’t see solutions in the problems before him, or alternate paths that no one would think of. 

And he’s not determined or fierce like Avon. He can’t stick through a fight, even when all the odds are against him. He can’t take on half a dozen enemies and grin about it. He can’t survive the harsh reality that she has taken on. 

Red’s weak. Sensitive. He always chooses the wrong path, makes the wrong friends, decides the wrong fate. He’s no fighter, he’s not sure if he could ever kill someone. He’s not a survivor, he can hardly even start a fire. Red never should have left the safety of his ocean, his monument. The safety of his family. He never should have gone with Avon, he only slows them down. Gets in the way. And now, his home could be gone. And he’ll be alone. Just like he is now. 

The battle has quieted, the raid vanquished. Blood mars the green grass, and in a few rains the field will be filled with poppies. The hermits are celebrating their victory, and the sudden popularity with the nearby village. But amongst bodies, shot down pillagers and defeated ravager beasts, Avon and Ecto mourn the loss of something more precious than any emerald or armor. 

Red is gone. Dead. Shot through the heart, and they can only blame themselves. They should have done more to stop her. Done more to protect Red. She was the only one that kept the team together. She was the heart of the team, the glue that kept everything from falling apart. Ecto and Avon would’ve killed each other a thousand times over if it wasn’t for Red and her peaceful nature. How will they go on? 

“Alright, we came here to ask questions, not fight pillagers.” Xisuma strikes his diamond sword into the dirt, cleaning away the blood as he pulls it out. 

“Though that was loads of fun.” Stress adds, looking up and repositioning the flower crown on her head. Their voices carry closer to Ecto and Avon, huddled close and holding onto the bolt that struck down Red. Both are fighting a losing battle against their anguish, tears welling up in their eyes and threatening to spill over. 

“Thanks for the help, guys. Guess in all this farm construction I didn’t notice I had the deep dark bad omen thing.” Tango flexes his arm, looking at his pale skin. He should’ve seen the effects on his body, but he was so busy he didn’t take heed. Tango puts his bow away, rubbing the back of his neck with a smile. “What can I do ya for?”

Ecto looks up, shocked that the hermits can be so...so...nonchalant about this. Avon and Ecto just lost their friend, the sweetest, kindest person they ever knew. And the hermits are acting like nothing happened? Mumbo wipes the sweat from his brow. “We were hoping to ask you about your work in the nether. Did you see anything strange?” 

A strangled hiccup escapes Avon’s lips, swallowing the cries and trying to keep it down. Ecto’s eyes narrow at Mumbo, watching as he leans against a tree. Xisuma continues the questioning, but both of the remaining wanderers are hardly listening. Mourning has morphed into anger, furious that the hermits aren’t bothered by the sudden death of their friend. What kind of monsters are they? Ecto stands, vision blurred by tears she refuses to let fall. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Aren’t you fiends even going to acknowledge this?” 

Mumbo raises an eyebrow, looking at the bloody bolt clutched in Ecto’s hand. He notices that Red isn’t with them. The littlest wanderer isn’t fluttering around anywhere. She must’ve died. Didn’t he see her with a totem before? But rather than fall into grief with Ecto and Avon, he just shrugs. “What’s the big deal?”

In a blink and a breath, Mumbo’s own life is a hair away from death. He tips his head back, trying to escape the weapons brushing against the skin of his neck. Daring to press into his adam’s apple. But the further he backs away, Avon’s trident and Ecto’s sword only follow. Mumbo jumps as his back bumps against the bloody corpse of a ravager, and he has nowhere to hide from the seething anger before him. 

He looks down the shafts of the blades, for once both Ecto and Avon in perfect sync with one another. Completely different people, unified over the loss of their best friend. Anguish lashes against the fury on their faces, teeth bared and gritted. Square jaws as still and ready to strike like their weapons, each and every breath laden with anger and loss. Mumbo raises his hands to try and ease the anger, but it only snaps Avon. “You didn’t protect him! Why weren’t you there for Red? Why weren’t you strong enough, why wasn’t I fast enough to stop him? Why didn’t I do anything?”

Avon’s anger whips across Mumbo, but her words are more for herself than him. She doesn’t even realize she’s begun berating herself, yelling at him because she can’t yell at herself. It wasn’t Mumbo’s fault Red’s perished. Avon swore to protect him, and she failed. But she is furious at him for a whole different thing. Avon’s hands begin to quiver, tines of the trident brushing against Mumbo’s neck. “Red is gone...and there was nothing I could even do.” 

Avon remembers the last moments Red spent in his home, at the ocean monument. He didn’t pack a weapon because he didn’t think he’d need it. And he promised Mama Gummi he’d be back. But he won’t. He’ll never go home, never keep his promise with the elder guardian. Never see his bed, or his girlfriend, or his family. Ever again. 

Silence has fallen across the field. None of the other hermits dare to step closer, to interfere with such a delicate situation. One wrong step, one wrong move, and the wanderers will turn on them. Mumbo watches as the tears overflow in Ecto and Avon’s eyes, and rivers fall across their clenched jaws, falling like heavy drops of rain against the bloodstained grass. One release leads to another, and Avon’s trident collapses to the ground with its wielder. The weight of the blade, the weight of the loss has taken away all of Avon’s strength, anger breaking down into its core form. Grief. Ecto kneels a moment later, a thin trail of blood falling down the edge of her iron sword. 

Mumbo falls too, grabbing at his neck and gasping with relief. A thin scratch mars his skin, no deeper than a papercut. Any deeper and it could have killed him. The sword and trident cross in the bloody grass, left unattended by their owners. For once, not fighting each other. Fragments of words fall from Ecto’s lips in between sobs. Avon’s crying is a silent anguish. How much more can she lose? How many more people could Avon fail to protect?

“Red is dead, and you… you bastards don’t even have the fucking hearts to e-even give condolences?” Ecto sobs, hand grasping for her mouth. For once, it seemed someone cared about Ecto. Wanted to stay around. But ultimately also left her. She tries to stop the crying, to just be one emotion. To just be angry, without the sorrow. But one fuels the other.

Xisuma remembers to breathe, looking at the scene before him. Ecto and Avon are collapsed amongst the blood and death, weapons discarded as they try to fight off an enemy no blade can defeat. Trying to hold back their emotions, the anger that bites at the heels of Mumbo and the loss that claws at their own throats. Tearing sobs out, ragged and lost. Mumbo’s neck bleeds, but he managed to keep the two from killing him on the spot. Xisuma steps forward, slow and cautious. He’s dealing with rabid animals. “I think….I think we have a big misunderstanding.” 

“What kind of misunderstanding?” Avon whispers, a person so normally reserved suddenly overflowing with emotion. “What the hell is wrong with you people? Don’t you care?” 

“I think our world is different from yours. Death works different here.” Xisuma keeps his voice just quiet enough to be heard over his helmet. “Just...hold on. It’s better to show you.” 

Xisuma stands, pulling out his enchanted diamond sword as he walks to Tango. He takes his friend’s hand, grasping it tightly and offering a relaxed smile. 

And plunging the sword directly into his gut. Glimmering crystal pierces Tango’s torso and shredding through his armor, red blood dripping from the blade’s tip. Staining the grass the two stand on. Blood blooms, dual flowers on either side of Tango. Tango’s form begins to dissolve, flecks of starlight fading into nothingness. Returning to the stardust that formed him, formed the entire world. 

Ecto and Avon are horrified. These hermits aren’t just crazy- they’re butchers. Completely unaffected by death. Killing for no reason, even their own friends aren’t safe from being cut down. 

The starlight glimmers, dancing through the air and recollecting atop a white bed near the brightly colored towers. Luminescent light fades into shades of yellow, red, and blonde. Reshaping into a person. For a brief second, he’s just asleep. Tango gasps his first new breath, clutching at his side and immediately sitting up from his bed. “What the fuck, man! At least give a guy some god damn notice!” 

Ecto blinks, rubbing away the tears in her eyes. She makes sure she’s seeing what’s right. Tango walks past her, picking up the supplies left behind. She reaches out, stumbling to her feet and grabbing at the collar of his grey vest. The fabric is real. He’s real. Tango is alive, albeit somewhat pissed off. Ecto turns, looking to Avon for an answer. She always has an answer.

“World magic.” Is all that Avon manages to gasp out, trying to regain her breath as her mind struggles to realize the incredulous news. 

Xisuma nods, offering a comforting smile. “Red is very much alive. And I’m pretty sure I know exactly where she is.”

[severalspoons]

“Wolfwood Mood” quotes

To be updated as I find more.

God may judge you, but His sins outnumber your own. --  @afabbaeddel

“Cynic, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.” ― Ambrose Bierce, The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary

“That's one of the remarkable things about life. It's never so bad that it can't get worse.” ― Bill Watterson

“An encouraged person will eventually get his drive from encouragement; he becomes more dependent. A person that never really receives encouragement learns to move out of spite; he becomes more independent.” ― Criss Jami, Killosophy

They're going to have to glue you back together, IN HELL! -- Demoman in Team Fortress 2

Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” ― Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”- Epictetus

“When you love you wish to do things for. You wish to sacrifice for. You wish to serve.” ― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms 

I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me. --Fallout New Vegas NPC

“We all have strength enough to endure the misfortunes of others.” ― Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Man can get used to anything, the scoundrel. --Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

“And what's strange, what would be marvelous, is not that God should really exist; the marvel is that such an idea, the idea of the necessity of God, could enter the head of such a savage, vicious beast as man.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

“To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

“The soul is healed by being with children.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky

“People speak sometimes about the "bestial" cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man, so artfully, so artistically cruel.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

“We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment

“Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Killing myself was a matter of such indifference to me that I felt like waiting for a moment when it would make some difference.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Dream Of A Ridiculous Man

“Destroy my desires, eradicate my ideals, show me something better, and I will follow you.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky

“The whole work of man really seems to consist in nothing but proving to himself every minute that he is a man and not a piano key.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground

“One man doesn't believe in god at all, while the other believes in him so thoroughly that he prays as he murders men!” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot

“Scratch any cynic and you will find a disappointed idealist.” ― George Carlin

“Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!” ― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967

“You only live twice: Once when you are born And once when you look death in the face” ― Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice 

“There is no ideal world for you to wait around for. The world is always just what it is now, and it's up to you how you respond to it.” ― Isaac Marion, Warm Bodies

My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

“Freedom is what we do with what is done to us.” ― Jean-Paul Sartre

“Better to die on one's feet than to live on one's knees.” ― Jean Paul Sartre 

“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.” ― Jean-Paul Sartre

“There is no reality except in action.” ― Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism

“Life—the way it really is—is a battle not between good and bad, but between bad and worse.” ― Joseph Brodsky

“mankind is resilient: the atrocities that horrified us a week ago become acceptable tomorrow.” ― Joseph Heller

“Do you know what it means to be a survivor? It means that not only do you have to live through things, you have to live with them as well. The second part is much harder and sometimes it takes the rest of your life to learn how to do it. But at least you have the rest of your life…” ― Josephine Angelini, Firewalker

“Someone has to be stoic, for the sake of, in spite of, and in the face of all those who are, not. Someone, has to be serious. Someone has to choose to forgo choice, so that there is an option left for others to consider. Everyone can't be, someone.” ― Justin K. McFarlane Beau

“Loving someone always requires you to not love others.” ― Koushun Takami, Battle Royale

“Dignity is as essential to human life as water, food, and oxygen. The stubborn retention of it, even in the face of extreme physical hardship, can hold a man's soul in his body long past the point at which the body should have surrendered it.” ― Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption

“We are not defined by the things we do in order to survive. We do not apologize for them,” she says quietly, eyes never leaving mine. “Maybe they have broken you, but you are a sharper weapon because of it. And it is time to strike.” ― Laura Sebastian, Ash Princess 

“People are petty, spiteful creatures. What they can't use, hurt, steal, or control, they'll usually destroy.” ― Lorna Reid, Darkwalkers

“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.” ― Lucius Annaeus Seneca

“If someone puts their hands on you make sure they never put their hands on anybody else again.” ― Malcom X

“Think of it! We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it.” ― Mary Ann Shaffer, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“Does anything in nature despair except man? An animal with a foot caught in a trap does not seem to despair. It is too busy trying to survive. It is all closed in, to a kind of still, intense waiting. Is this a key? Keep busy with survival.” ― May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude 

"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." ― Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter

You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise.

--Maya Angelou

You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes, You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise.

--Maya Angelou  

“Somehow, even in the worst of times, the tiniest fragments of good survive. It was the grip in which one held those fragments that counted.” ― Melina Marchetta, Finnikin of the Rock

“Show me somebody who is always smiling, always cheerful, always optimistic, and I will show you somebody who hasn't the faintest idea what the heck is really going on.” ― Mike Royko

“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.” ― Rabindranath Tagore, Collected Poems and Plays of Rabindranath Tagore

“Survival," I said softly. "It's selfish, and it's dark, and we've always been a species willing to do anything to satisfy our needs.  ― Rachel Caine, Total Eclipse

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson  

“To have endured horrors, to have seen the worst of humanity and have your life made unrecognizable by it, to come out of all that honorable and brave— that was magical.” ― Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

“We'd stared into the face of Death, and Death blinked first. You'd think that would make us feel brave and invincible. It didn't.” ― Rick Yancey, The 5th Wave  

“I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent—no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.” – Seneca

I will fight you in Hell upon a mound of bones. -- @shitmygaywifesays

“As long as there’s two people left on the planet, someone is gonna want someone dead.” -- Sniper, Team Fortress 2

"If God had wanted you to live, he would not have created me!” -- Soldier, Team Fortress 2

babies cry because they are alive and that is the saddest thing to be. — spencer madsen (@spencermadsen) December 15, 2011

Do you think God stays in heaven because He, too, lives in fear of what He’s created? --Spykids 2nd movie

“No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side.  Or you don't.” -- Stephen King, The Stand

“The only thing that matters in the end is your own survival. It's what humans and cockroaches are best at.” ― Susan Ee, World After

If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn’t as cynical as real life. --Terry Pratchett, Guards, Guards!

“I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are good people and bad people. You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides.” ― Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards! 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." -- Theodore Roosevelt 

I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees. --Unknown

if you stay alive for no other reason at all, please do it for spite. -- Unknown

Hell is empty, and all the devils are here. -- Unknown Tumblr post

“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” ― William Goldman, The Princess Bride 

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.” ― William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

...I WILL FACE GOD AND WALK BACKWARDS INTO HELL— wint ( @dril ) May 22, 2012

#Yes I will put Shakespeare side by side with Dril #fight me

[luthiferx]

Pink watermelon gum in your eyes Whispered truths with homemade pies We are one; To never part flung like a poisoned farrowed Dart

Blinding lights surround the feast Hiding us from that beast Tonight's party will last forever But the last light will go out, Slowly we'll fall wherever

So follow the wisps to the circus of dreams Fear the one holding your seams For tonight between crystal eyes and silly highs We'll laugh once more while the core burns out and dies

You'll hold my hand with painted fingers While they surround us; it lingers Remember that feeling of someone behind you? That's me, that's you, that's them stuck like Glue

Under the covers is not as safe as you think In fact you're trapped in here, trapped to sink The carnival glee is higher than the bubble shrooms The Masquerading hides the toxic plumes

Put your hand into the glass tank Trust in me is like lies you've drank I jest, pushing us through safety snares Nothing like this comes from downstairs

Repair your loss with jokes of the crowd The faceless ones clap so proud Smashed mirrors under your feet, You've lost reality And tonight once again I will test your Morality

[honeyjaez]

Maze of Miroh-Chapter 8 “Derailing from the Plan”

  Seungmin grunted as he was pushed forward, a gun hard-pressed on his back. Both he and Hyunjin had been blindfolded as if they didn’t already see all of The Order’s base and they were being escorted somewhere. Seungmin grit his teeth in annoyance. Their guns had been taken away, they were captured by the enemy and had no plan of how they were going to get out of this mess.

There was a cough next to him and Seungmin sighed in slight reassurance. They only thing keeping him even remotely calm was the fact that Hyunjin was here. Hyunjin was with him. He wasn’t alone in this mess.

If there is one thing in this life that Seungmin hates more than stupid people it’s that Seungmin hates being alone. 

Ever since his childhood, growing up with his cruel hearted asshole of a father. The man never hugged them, he never said that he loved them. Who never gave an ounce of love to his two children. And it’s not like their mother could due to the account that she died giving birth to him. Seungmin almost grew up not knowing the pure emotional feeling of love and being loved. Thank god he had his brother though.

Wonpil was his light. His only real family. The two of them grew up in that hell hole of a home but unlike Seungmin, Wonpil had experienced the feeling of their mother’s undying love for her children. Seungmin had not. So Wonpil made it his mission every single day to make Seungmin feel loved. To let Seungmin know he wasn’t alone.  They clung onto each other like glue.

But their father saw that as a sign of weakness.

Seungmin would always cry when their father would separate them. Locking both into different, soundproof rooms so that they couldn’t even talk to each other. How long they would be locked away always depended on their father’s mood. Could be a day. Could be a week. 

But no matter what it drove Seungmin insane.

He remembers day after day, crying for his brother, crying to talk to someone….all falling on deaf ears. Because of this inhumane form of torture Seungmin had developed somewhat of a condition. 

He hated be alone.

You wouldn’t have guessed it if you saw his interactions with his friends. Coming off like an egotistical bastard who couldn’t imagine spending a second with anyone. But what do you do when you are in so much pain and fear about your flaws? You push those who care about you away. And it wasn’t like he was clingy. Not anymore. But he needed to be around people.

A feeling of a hand on his own snapped the younger boy out of his down-spiraling thoughts.

“Minnie” Hyunjin said quietly, low enough to where the Agents couldn’t hear. “Minnie it’s alright. I’m here”

Seungmin let out a shaky sigh, nodding despite knowing that the older couldn’t see it. Seungmin hated being alone, but also hated people having to comfort him. It made him feel weak. Yet somehow he managed to find a group of 7 asshats who stubbornly wouldn’t let him go.

“Yeah” he bit back, his defensive walls shooting back up “I know that genius”

Seungmin could have sworn he heard a chuckle coming from besides him, but before he could snap at him a guard took him by his wrist, shoving him and Hyunjin through a door and into a room. Their blindfolds were ripped off, and Seungmin had to blink a few times for his eyes to adjust to the dim lit room. In the center of it was a single table, 3 chairs attached to it. They were forced down in both chairs by an unknown pair of hands. He assumed that the one who shoved them would sit in the chair across from them and start the interrogation. But instead the hands leave both their shoulders, and the sound of footsteps with a closing door hit his ears. He and Hyunjin were alone.

The silence was drawn out for a few moments more until Hyunjin sighed very loudly next to him. “Well this is just shit.”

“This is bad.” Seungmin grumbled. He turned and grabbed Hyunjin’s face roughly, making the older look at him. 

“Look at me Hyunjin. Don’t tell the-“

“Hyunjin hyung” the older boy interrupted, and Seungmin stared at the older boy in disbelief. Finally he just decides to slap the older boys head lightly.

“Idiot!” he hissed “Do NOT tell them your name. Do not tell them our plan. Nothing about S-K-Z. Got it?”

Hyunjin just stared at him, eyes on Seungmin’s, his lips pursed like he was pouting in Seungmin’s grasp. “Well duh.”

Seungmin rolled his eyes and let Hyunjin go, his head falling on the table as he groaned in annoyance and stress. “Hopefully Changbin hyung is doing alright.”

»»»»»»»

 “Not alright. Not Alright. Definitely NOT alright!” Minho heard Changbin yelled from a few feet behind him.  They were currently running down what felt like the hundreth hallway, trying to escape the growling and snapping of the demon dogs that had been released on them. They had discovered rather quickly that it took a lot of bullets to down a single dog, and they soon were outnumbered, so they did the only logical thing, which was to run. 

Minho loved to run. He could do it all day. But when you add the stress of the past few days, his still healing bullet wound and the fact that they were in a life and death situation with monster dogs snapping for their flesh….well let’s just say Minho was done with it all. 

He turned on yet another corner, and saw a slightly opened door. Without much thought, acting purely on his human fight or flight insticts, he grabbed Changbin and shoved the younger into the room, not caring at the moment if it was filled with enemies. The two stumble in and Minho shuts the door without a second though, locking it and crumpling to the floor catching his breath. The room was silent other than the far off sound of constant barking, and he could hear Changbin shuffling behind him, grunting in pain as he caught his own breath. 

“W…What the hell….were..those…things” Minho choked out. 

“I….I “ changbin breathed “I don’t know…..I…didn’t get a good enough look.”

Minho had. But he wished that he hadn’t.

They were nothing like the dogs Minho had grown up around. Nothing like Grandma Yoo’s little terrier Boxer. 

These creatures were sickly in color, almost like a pale green shade. Sure they walked on 4 legs and had a tail, but they also sprouting what Minho could only describe as little horns on its back, jutting out every which way. Their eyes were black and soulless, like holes. 

Just thinking back to them Minho’s heart raced. Nothing about them was normal.

“Greta just great.We wouldn’t be in this mess if you hadn’t had an itchy trigger finger!” Changbin hissed at him. “We wouldn’t be running around an enemy base from fucking dogs!”

“Those…..” Minho gasped out, shaking his head weakly “Those are NOT dogs.”

“Quite right you are” a foreign voice spoke up.

Changbin and much to his own amazement, himself, shot up, taking defensive positions against the new enemy.  Minho watched, frozen as a taller male with jet black hair and glasses stepped out from the shadows. He wore a white lab coat which told Minho that he was some sort of scientist or doctor here, but why would they need someone like that here?

“Who are you?” Changbin growled out.

The taller, older male put his hands in the air as a sign of surrender and peace. 

“My name is Yamako. I’m from the Shuixia branch. I was sent here by The Order a few months ago, but as you can see I am now trapped down here with those beasts same as you.”

Minho and Changbin looked at each other, both trying to silently decide what to do with their new friend. As if the older male could read their thoughts he stepped forward, a look of desperation on his face. 

“Please trust me I mean you no harm!” he gushed out.

“Yeah sure okay. Like I believe that” Changbin growled. He glared at the man but straightened out of his defense position, relaxing slightly. Minho noticed this and relaxed himself slightly, though still on edge.

“Please….” He trailed off, looking at the floor “I didn’t even want to be here. But they threatened me and my family. I had no choice but to obey orders.” At this Minho’s eyes narrowed and he was brought back to his previous question. Why were there Scientists here? His fears were only heightened as he took in Yamako posture. His hands here behind his back and he was shuffling back and forth. He must have been ashamed about something because he wasn’t looking either boy in the eye nor despite being significantly older than the two. This was bad. If they were experimenting on Jeongwoo…..

“What orders?” Minho asked, his gaze darkening.

“Doesn’t matter what he was doing here” Changbin hissed, interrupting the two “We need to get out of here alive. Which means getting passed Fluffy” he glared hard at Yamako “Where are all the Agents?”

Yamako pushed his glasses up, trying to think “Once Phase 2 is in action every employee has strict instructions to evacuate the bottom floors. My guess is that they are up on the first 5 levels, away from the beasts.”

At this, Changbin raised his eyebrows in slight shock “So what? You guys release a bunch of demon dogs that even you’re afraid of? Where is the logic?”

Yamako sighed “Despite our efforts we haven’t found a way to soothe the beasts into submission so as an extra precaution everyone is ordered out of the way.”

“And you couldn’t spread an ounce of that thoughtfulness for us?” Minho heard the shorter boy grumble. Then he sighed and walked towards the door, the barking getting significantly louder. 

The 3 of them stayed silent, no one dare to speak. Then finally it was broken by a quiet gasp of realization. 

“You’re them……aren’t you?”

Changbin turned around, his gaze hard “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Yes you do” Yamako said, a ghost of a smile on his face. “You’re THEM. THE group. The famous group! You’re SKZ-“Yamako’s words were cut off as the air was knocked out of him. Changbin had him pinned up against the wall in a flash, arm against this throat cutting off his air supply. 

“Changbin!” Minho hissed.

“You don’t know what you are talking about” he hissed in Yamako’s face who was flailing widely around needing air. “But if you mention that name again, I will kill you right here and now understand?”

Minho shivered at how ice cold Changbin’s voice was, giving way to the severity of the threat. His eyes burned with a dark intensity and Minho suddenly knew he would never want to be on the other end of that gaze.

He let Yamako go, who landed on the floor gasping for air. Changbin glared at him a moment longer then turned back around and walked towards the door, listening. 

“I’m…Sorry” he managed to get out “I didn’t…I didn’t mean to offend.” Yamako stood up rubbing his throat lightly. “It’s just…where I come from…you guys are legends. Your group….what happened 5 years ago… my people were in awe. My brother….” He trailed off, a fond sadness sparkled in his eyes “My brother actually ran off and joined his own group against The Order. He said you guys inspired him to fight. I actually haven’t seen him since.”

Minho smiled softly, hearing the pride in Yamako’s voice. But his attention snapped back towards the door as there was a loud bang against it. Changbin raised a single finger in the air, signaling them to stay silent. Minho gulped, terrified that even a sound like that was too loud. 

The banging stopped but they could hear the sound of sniffing on the other side, growling ever so slightly. Eventually the sound faded away and the boys all let out a collective sigh. Changbin turned towards the two, eyes hard, face serious. 

“Alright. I have a plan…”

»»»»»»»

 Jisung froze, his breathing completely stopping for the hundredth time in the past 10 minutes. After what felt like hours, Felix who was apparently his backup arrived at the van, now moved farther away to avoid trouble with The Order. The red headed boy held two jackets in his hands as he arrived explaining that he stole them on his way here from a bunch of unconscious Agents and thought to use them. Luckily he had them however because as they walked into the building, dressed up like the enemy they momentarily panicked at the amount of Agents swarming the first few floors.

“Those idiots must have really done a number” Felix had muttered quietly. But Jisung hardly listened to the boy, his ears pounding and his own anxiety grew. “Let’s just destroy the jamming signal and get out of here” he mumbled, moving forward.

That’s how the duo found themselves slowly making their way down the staircase, moveing slowly as to not raise suspicion. Already they had almost been caught a handful of times, both being significantly shorter than most Agents and raising a bit of suspicion. Luckily all attempts were thwarted by the Agents desperate need to capture the intruders down below and so they were left alone. 

“They really fucked this one up.” Felix groaned, walking down the steps with Jisung at his side.

Jisung’ already annoyed just scoffed. “Minho probably is the cause of that. That or he sold Changbin and the others out.”

Felix stopped mid-step, placing a hand on Jisung’s shoulder who also stopped. “Jisung. What the hell is your problem with Minho?”

Jisung scoffed, rolling his eyes “Do I need a reason? I’m sorry, not to be rude but why don’t you have a problem with him? You act like he is your best friend Felix” he ripped Felix’s hand away from him “For gods’ sake, all he did was like your story.”

“He also saved my life remember?” the boy hissed.

“After also endangering it!” 

“He didn’t do anything. I revealed myself out of my own free will so chill the fuck out!”’

Jisung froze. Never in the past year that he has known Felix has he raised his voice like that. Not to anyone. Felix must have realized too because he suddenly pulled back his hand, looking away from Jisung. 

“Look” he said quieter as to not alert anyone nearby. “I know I can’t make you trust him. But trust ME when I say this; Minho isn’t the bad guy.”

Jisung huffed, turning away “I’ll trust him when he shows me that I can”

They managed to get themselves down to the 10th floor where the security camera room was and Jisung gulped at the sheer amount of Agents rushing about. Both he and Felix continued down their path, silently and once they reached the door, they used their stolen name badges on the Security Room Door.  It slid open and immediately they were met which atleast a dozen stressed out, highly annoyed faces.

“What are you doing here?” a short balding man hissed. Jisung narrowed his eyes and saw his name badge read Kwangsoo and without thinking, glared slightly at the man. This was the guy that tried to hurt Lix’. 

Jisung turned to the boy in question who just seemed to stare at Kwangsoo with an uninterested, bored look. “We were sent here from Headquarters Sir. It would seem the President is not so fond that his base was so easily broken into. He asked us to relay a message.”

Kwangsoo narrowed his eyes but did not argue. He motioned towards the others and they all slowly started to pile themselves out of the room. Once alone the old man sat on the desk, his face giving way to the amount of stress that he was currently feeling. “Alright Alright. What does the bastard want from me now? What’s the message?”

Jisung stayed silent next to Felix, knowing that this was Felix’s territory. Hacking things? Awesome. Computers? Great. But when it came to actual field work, Jisung was a lost as a duckling. 

Felix stayed silent a few moments longer, which added stress to Kwangsoo’s already red face. Finally the boy ripped off his hat, revealing his fire red hair and rushed forward head locking the stumpy man and cutting off his airflow. Kwangsoo flailed desperately, but in seconds was getting weaker and weaker. “Y-You!” he managed to cough out.

“Good to see you again Pint Sized Agent Man” he huffed, tightening his grip on him. “Bye Bye now” Kwangsoo’s arms dropped and his head rolled back out of Felix’s grip, now out cold. 

Jisung rushed forward once he knew it was safe, hooking his laptop up to the monitors. 

“That maybe bought us 10 minutes Ji” Felix said while shoving Kwangsoo’s body underneath a table “But eventually the guards will want back in.”

“I know” Jisung muttered. He began typing furiously looking for what he needed. Unbeknownst to him Felix, uninterested in computer work began to look around the Security room. His eyes landed on a single laptop, property of Lee Kwangsoo and he walked forwards scanning the various documents that were scattered on the desktop. One file in particular caught his eye and he clicked on it. His eyes started to scan the document wordlessly, a frown forming on his face. 

“Got it!” Jisung yelled suddenly. “Hello? Hello? Seungmin? Can you hear me?”

Radio Silence.

“Fuck! Why isn’t it working?”

“Jisung” Felix finally spoke up, voice grave.  But Jisung ignored him and continued to type furiously trying to find their friends on the cameras.

“Jisung seriously” Felix said “You need to read this.” He gaze was dark, unreadable, the only emotional seen being that of anger.

Jisung groaned “Fine, but you have to look for our friends while I do.” and the two boys swapped roles. Jisung’s own eyes began reading the document and as he read through it, his stomach began to churn. Once done he looked up from the computer screen to Felix who had been waiting for him to finish. Both their gazes’ were dark as the digested the information. 

“Where’s Minho?” Jisung suddenly asked.

Felix turned around in the chair typing furiously. “I don’t know…”

Jisung ran up to him, placing a hand on the desk and the other on the back of the chair “Well we need to find him….and now!”

 “I know I know….Look!” he suddenly said, pointing up. Jisung’s head snapped up towards a monitor that showed Seungmin and Hyunjin locked in a room, the two of them at a table talking to an agent. Jisung frowned, not realizing how bad the situation had actually gotten. Getting communication back up was one thing, but breaking them out of custody was another. “That must be why they aren’t answering.” Jisung hummed.

“Well what about Binnie hyung?” Felix asked worriedly.

Jisung nodded, sharing the boy’s anxiety, as his eyes continued to scan the various monitors “I don’t see them……..Wait! There!” Jisung pointed upwards towards a screen in the upper right hand corner. There he could see a faint outline of Minho and Changbin hiding behind a corner, poking their heads out to the side to look down a hallway at an unseen force.

They seemed to be saying something but Jisung couldn’t read the lips clear enough to know what. Minho slunked out of view, and he watched as Changbin moved forward, out into the full hallway and put his fingers to his lips in what Jisung realized was a whistle. His heart quickened as he saw the boy then quickly turn back around, running back from where they came. A few more moments passed and then he saw black blurs running past the security camera. Too many to count. That’s when he realized.

They were being chased

“Binnie hyung! Minho hyung!” Felix yelled.

Jisung’s stomach dropped. This was bad. This was really bad. 

“Jisung! I’m-” Jisung grabbed hold of Felix’s shoulder before he could continue, his mind working furiously.

“Felix. I know you want to save your friend but I need you to help Seungmin and Hyunjin. You are the only one that could slip past those guards and break them out. I’ll go to Changbin hyung and Minho-ssi. You have my word” 

Felix didn’t say a word as he was contemplating Jisung’s order. Finally he sighed and nodded in submission “I’ll get those two out before the guards realize their boss is out of commission and we will meet you down there as soon as possible.” without even waiting for a reply the boy turned around and walked out the door, placing his hat back on and ordering something to the guards waiting outside. Jisung grabbed his laptop along with Kwangsoo’s placing it in his uniform to hide it. 

“-e is on a very serious phone call with the president. Do not interrupt him until he says it is okay” Felix finished saying to the guards posted outside. Each hesitated for a second and then nodded in submission. 

He turned towards Jisung, an unspoken conversation passing between the two. Then without a second thought Felix turned and walked down the hallway. Jisung nodded towards the guards and made his way to the stairs. 

His mind was clouded with the new information that he bared. Jisung grit his teeth as he made his way downstairs, farther and farther.  The document that Felix found now weighed heavily on his mind and for some stupid reason his thoughts went towards the naïve idiot he was about to save. He had to get to Changbin and Minho….he had to warn them. He just hoped he wasn’t too late.

»»»»»»»

“This can’t seriously be your plan” Minho groaned, looking over Changbin’s shoulder to the hallway that was crawling with at least a dozen dogs dozing quietly. They had given up on the search for them, but were now hanging out, sleeping in various spots on the floor, which wouldn’t be bad if it wasn’t right in front of the only exit.

“Shut up” Changbin hissed quietly as not to alert to the beasts “you have a better idea?”

“No but you’re short. You have short legs. Why do you have to do this?” he hissed back.

“Because princess, as much as I would love to throw you as dog food I told Lixie before I left that I would protect you…begrudgingly. Knowing you, you’ll find a way to fuck this up.”

“If it is running Changbin let me do it.”

“Out of the question now get in position!”

Minho bit back a retort and silently cursed the stubborn guy in his head. He took a step back towards the room they had been hiding in with Yamako, the scientist in question fumbling with his coat in nervousness. Changbin turned to look at them both “Alright now listen, when I start running get ready. While the dogs are chasing me make a break for it and run towards the exit. I’ll roundabout back here and meet you there. Under no circumstances do you wait for me Got it?”

Both souls nodded their heads and Changbin almost sighed in relief. “Alright then get ready”

Minho started to close the door but before it totally closed he stopped and looked out at the younger boy. “Changbin.”

“Don’t die.” He heard a quiet scoff coming from the boy who didn’t take his eyes off the dogs.

‘Don’t intend to.”

And with that Minho closed the door, but left it open enough for him to peak out and see Changbin now standing out in the open. He brought his fingers to his lips and blew loudly, a high pitched whistle sounding in his ears.

“Hey! Hey!” he shouted, flailing his arms. “Come and eat me stupid mutts!”

Without hesitation Minho watched Changbin turned around and start booking it past the room. The Barking sounded loudly in their ears and Minho gulped. The entire room was shaking from the vibrations that the dogs were producing as they were running. Suddenly Minho was cursing himself for not fighting Changbin harder. There was no way he could outrun those things.

As if on cue, Minho saw the dogs bursting through his field of vision, scrambling after Changbin. Foam coated their mouths again and they looked rapid enough to frighten even the biggest of adults. Luckily – or unlucky enough they didn’t take notice of either of them hiding in the room, all their senses focused on Changbin. Once the last one was gone, acting purely on instinct he never knew he had, Minho pushed the door open running straight towards the exit in question with Yamako at his side. He didn’t care if the dogs saw him leaving or not, all his senses were focused purely on the exit, his eyes gaining tunnel vision.  

The hallway seemed to get longer and longer as they got closer but eventually the two managed to make it. Yamako pushed his way through without hesitation, but Minho lingered, halfway through the door. He turned around and looked towards where area that he would soon see Changbin soon. He could still hear the barking but it was faded which meant they were halfway and that Changbin should be appearing soon.

But something was wrong.

He wasn’t appearing.

Minho grit his teeth, his anxiety setting in again. Come on idiot.

The dogs barking started to gain in volume and Minho gulped. Either they caught Changbin and all was lost or-

He didn’t even have time to finish his thought because the boy in question appeared in his field of vision and Minho’s heart lurched in relief.

That relief was short lived however as he took in Changbin’s limping appearance.  He was panting heavily, pain clear across his face even at this distance. Minho looked down and his heart stopped.

He was injured.

He didn’t know how or when, one of the dogs must have caught up to him but blood was rather apparent down his leg, clothes torn from claw marks.  He did well to stay ahead but Minho knew it, and if the look he gave him as he ran closer was to any indication so did Changbin.

He wasn’t going to make it.

Even know the dogs were inching closer and closer towards their target. Changbin himself was starting to run out of steam.

“You can’t even listen to the simplest of directions can you Princess?!” Changbin shouted over the sound of barking. “Go!”

Minho grit his teeth and wanted to scream. Sure the guy was an asshat, but he didn’t deserve to die like this. His hands fumbled in his pants pocket, trying to think of a way to get out of this. Suddenly it felt something small and Minho’s eyes shot open wide in realization. He pulled out the object and opened his hand to reveal a small black ball, similar to the one Hyunjin had used earlier.

He remembered how the younger had slipped this into his hands shortly before they had separated.

“Save this. You may need it” he had said. Minho gulped, knowing that if there was any time to use it, it would be now.

It was a long shot. But at least it was a shot.

Minho ran forward, closing the gap between himself, Changbin and the dogs. He took out his gun, still attached to his body and aimed upwards. He tried to remember Hyunjin’s instructions and took a deep breath before firing upwards. He hit his mark, the sprinkler system, and suddenly the hallway started to rain. Changbin saw this and his eyes shot opened wide. “What are you doing idiot?”

“I don’t know!” Minho shot back, taking stance. He had only thrown a handful of balls in his life, and he had never hit his mark with any of them. But he had to. Now that he had done this, if he failed it would mean death for both of them.

“Changbin!” he yelled “Run faster you idiot!”

“I swear to god” he growled “If we survive this I will kill you myself.”

Minho didn’t respond as he stood still. He waited. And waited. And waited. Trying to calm his breathing.  The hallway was now thoroughly coated in water, he, Changbin and the dogs included.

Finally Changbin was close enough to grab and Minho lurched his hand forward, catching the younger his collar. The dogs were maybe 20 feet back.

Without hesitation Minho threw the black ball forward, towards the onslaught of dogs, and aimed his gun at it. His hand shook slightly as he tried to aim but then a vision of smiling Jeongwoo and Hyunjae flashed through his mind and the shaking ceased.

He fired. Hitting the ball dead on.

Suddenly the water soaked floor erupted in shocks of electricity and Minho felt Changbin shove him backwards as to avoid their own water soaked bodies from getting shocked. It seemed to work however because the dogs barking soon became howls of pain as the electricity coarse through their system. One by one they began to drop like flies, bodies unmoving. Soon all that was heard was the pounding of the water hitting the floor, and the hissing from the electricity currants that were starting to fade. Changbin and Minho looked up from where they had falling on the floor and saw his handiwork. He could hear Changbin panted besides him but he hardly noticed it. All his senses were focused on the light tingling feeling that was coursing through his body, the feeling of pure adrenaline. Never before had Minho been so scared. But he also felt excitement in that moment. Being so close to death but narrowly escaping in the end. His body felt so light and his hands shook as he realized in that moment that he loved the feeling of adrenaline rushing through his body. It was a different form then that when he runs.  Different then when he had a gun pointed at his head. It was adrenaline he caused to himself as he fought back.

Changbin hissing in pain caused Minho to snap out of his thoughts to look at the younger boy.

He panted but looked back at Minho, his gaze hard. He looked down towards the black ball Minho had thrown. “Hyunjin give that to you?”

Minho nodded the adrenaline leaving his body. Changbin nodded once, an unreadable expression on his face. It sounded like he wanted to say something more, but changed his mind and focused back on his leg.

 Slowly Minho stood up, his eyes not leaving the dogs corpses. He picked Changbin up by his waist, letting him use his body as support and looked down at the boy’s leg. Blood coated it thickly he knew after running on it that long that Changbin wasn’t going to be able to walk on it. They slowly limped out of the hallway towards the exit where they found Yamako waiting for them, his expression frantic as he saw Changbin’s leg.

The older male began to fret over the two of them, shouting and flailing his arms, but neither boy responded to his question. They both just continued in silence as they now found themselves walking forwards, not sure of where they were going. Finally Minho heard Changbin let out a long sigh and he pointed his gaze downwards and the smaller boy.

“Thank you.”

[mutantmorphingpotions]

The Invited

Invite a demon into your home and you’ll never know when you’re alone.

Commentary, feedback and notes very welcomed

(1,938)

It had been sitting on top of the wardrobe for the past few hours. Aleksei found himself casting panicked glances over his shoulder every time he heard a sound, a possible noise of a hoof against hardwood. He double checked doors and locked and dead bolted them before trying to relax only to find that god awful THING perched up somewhere, leering down at him with that smile. That sharp tooth saliva shined smile, horns nearly scraping the ceiling, hunched over like some malevolent gargoyle. It kept a rather stable shape, telling Aleksei what he already knew, that it was powerful and had true rank in the hellish community. Tall, towering, it often had to stoop to get thru doorways because of it's stature. He couldn't make out the entirety of it's form, it seemed to be more like a moving shadow at times, but he could see the outlines of it's muscular yet lean body, thick cascading hair that it'd curl around fingers and teasingly tug at times when idle.

He should have never welcomed it into his home; the price to pay for amateur summoning of powerful demons, coughing blood up for weeks on ends, the migraines, the dizzy spells and the demon lingering with him not having a clue how to give it a proper dismissal. The price to pay for his pathetic whims.

Aleksei watched as slid down and moved around the room, curiously, not necessarily interested in the portly skeith at the moment, but rather in the room in general. It slunk past the bookshelves, running clawed fingers across the spines of the books he had collected. Accounting books, architectural texts, novels he kept on hand to read on rainy days. One shelf now dedicated to the things he had collected for the sake of summoning this beast. It took pause and seemed to recognize something among them. Aleksei could see a shine of interest in those damned eyes.

Those eyes, those marvelous eyes. Deep red wine against tar black scelra. Those eyes, always half hooded in a mildly seductive look almost mixed with a sort of sleepy gaze.

It brought a knot in his throat he wasn't familiar with and didn't quite like. Aleksei watched from the corner of his eye, keeping his head trained down on his mindless work, but trying to also mind the creature. It dragged a long finger down the spine and up again, slowly pulling the book out. Its tail flipped about back and forth on the ground like a cat's. It thumbed thru the text, Aleksei could see it's eyes moving slowly, could it even read or was it just looking at the pictures? Of course the creature could probably read, from what he had wearily researched, most of these texts and guides were written by the demons themselves-eager to make themselves useful and available to foolish mortals like him.

"They certainly captured my likeness most pleasingly for magicians with their brains blown to the clouds with herbs and recreational brews." He finally heard it purr. That voice so deep and rich. It was like velvet, reverberating in the room. Aleksei didn't answer it, he wasn't sure if it was a redundant question or not, he kept silent instead. "Perhaps if they're still alive and willing, I can praise and pleasure these artists to show my gratitude. Such talent should not go unnoticed."

Aleksei said nothing. Ignore it and it will go away. Eventually it will go away. It had never worked before, it was a being who knew no real tire when it came to him.

Aleksei quietly cursed himself as he noted an adding error somewhere earlier on in his work and his attention had turned away from the entity for a few moments. That is until he felt that hot breath inches from his face when he finally did look. Arms lazily draped around his shoulders and wrapped around his neck, those soft hooded eyes gazing at him with interest.

"Leave her." It sounded more like a command than anything else. "Leave that wench, she has done nothing to you but break your heart again and again. And you are left here to tape and glue it back together just to obediently hand it back to her." Aleksei felt that thick knot form in his throat again as the subject once again was brought up. His unfaithful wife, whom he had assumed rather happy with the way she had acted and talked and spent money for years, had taken with another not once-but twice. Twice, despite his kindness and his affections for her, twice despite everything he had ever done for her since their union, since their wedding vows, since the beginning of their courtship years ago. Twice and Twice, had given another two children-children who in spite and anger and in fear and panic, divorced themselves from the family, the last command between parent and child being 'Don't ever come near us again'. Children sired by the beast, the entity, the demon that practically sprawled itself on Aleksei's desk, huskily demanding him to abandon his bride of nearly 26 years.

With just those two words, the Demon had made a very compelling argument.

"It doesn't work that way." He finally managed to stammer out and find his voice. He could feel the heat from the demon's body radiating off like a hot piece of iron.

"She betrayed you."

"You tempted her to do so and she found herself weak." Aleksei tried to defend.

He watched as those sharp teeth pulled into a thin closed mouth frown.

"I do not tempt. I simply lay offers down on the table. And if the will is too weak to say no, then who is to truly to blame."

"If a hunter lays down a bear trap and a hiker walks into it, it is the hunter's fault for laying it down the first place." Aleksei huffed crossly.

The demon pulled away it's arms off him, finally giving him space. But rather than pull away off the desk, it crawled further up until it sat right across from Aleksei legs spread and dangling off the table-in a single fluid motion, the demon could easily straddle him and have him pinned against the chair. But it remained stoic, unmoving. He could see more detail in the beast now. He could see the strange stone ornament on the center of it's forehead that resembled and eye, he could see the red gradient from the base of it's black horns that grew brighter and a sharper red color the closer to the base of it's skull. He could see it's powerful thighs and goat like hooves and how sharp the tips were. He could also better see the fact that it was undoubtedly, very unquestionably very very VERY male.

"Need you wander around unclothed all the time." Aleksei inquired, leaning back in his chair away from the demon, afraid it might taint him somehow.

"What is the fun of wearing clothes? You just end up taking them off later." The demon sulked. "Of course, unless you want me to put something on just to take it off for you." The voice was a purr again, silky and seductive, it's hand against it's cheek and biting down on a finger, baring sharp teeth.

"I find that if you insist on following me about in my own home, you should at least WEAR something to give yourself some form of decency."

"That implies I have any decency to begin with." The Demon threw back it's head, laughing. Aleksei felt that knot in his throat again, such rich deep laughter. Almost villain like but so charming. The smell emanating from the demon was intoxicating, almost perfume like, the smell radiating further as it tossed it's thick luscious hair. It smelt so sweet, almost like roses and vanilla, a warmth to it that made him feel at home. Granted, he was home, but the smell made him feel safe, like nothing would harm him.

"You deserve better." The Demon had started up again, grooming his emotions with a different direction. "You don't deserve to be hurt like that again. One time was a time too many and she has hurt you three times already." Aleksei couldn't help but to lean forward as the demon softly cooed and talked so sweetly to him. "You deserve happiness."

"It doesn't work that way." He said again, but there was a tremble to his voice, a weak doubtful noise. The demon cupped his chin into it's hands, those sharp nails barely scraping the vital veins in his neck. "I can't leave her, she's all I have."

"I can be yours. All yours. Just yours." Aleksei was practically on his tip toes, just trying to get his eyes to meet the demons. Those eyes taking on a sort of softer lavender pinkish hue, he could see pupils faintly pulsating with life behind it. A thin frown formed upon Aleksei's face as he let his feet rock back down and his face slide away from the demon's hands.

"The summoning book said that 'those who bed with Asmodeus do not belong to him, as Asmodeus claims no property of those who partake in him. Asmodeus belongs to no one as no one belongs to him. For he is a freed creature who loves all but must never be chained.' "Aleksei recited, practically from memory. He had taken weeks spilling over those books picking apart every paragraph, every sentence regarding the beast he had summoned, not wanting to make a single mistake. Not wanting to be a statistic.  "You would never truly be mine. Just as I would never truly be yours. You give your love to the world, but you offer no permanency. No security."

Aleksei had been looking at the ground before he had realized he had taken his eyes off the demon again. He had jerked his head up to see the demon not on his desk, but rather the center of the room. He could see it better now, the skin more defined, the hair thicker and darker, more defined and more THERE rather than an obscure shadow in the corner of his eyes.

It was well dressed, a faded light grey vest and crisp pressed black pants, a deep red shirt of a silken variety and a nice tie. He looked refined, better. If he didn't have a ridiculous looking fur coat draped over his shoulders like it wasn't the middle of spring, early summer. Aleksei could almost feel a laugh bubble out of his throat out of the sight of the ridiculous coat. That is until the demon shrugged upward and let it fall down to his shoulders, in an almost oddly seductive fashion.

"The offer is always on the table." Was the last velvet purr before it dissapeared. It hurt Aleksei's eyes to watch the demon vanish from reality, to lurk elsewhere in the house, his eyes watered and blurred painfully like someone had poked him right in the eye. He slid back down into his chair, heaving a sigh of pent up relief. The air still smelt sweet.

"I'm going to have to burn everything on this desk." Aleksei sighed quietly shifting a hand to rub between his eyes. He could feel a burning migraine forming in the back of his head and his throat burned again. He immediately ripped out the handkerchief, gagging and coughing up more thick blood clots. He frowned at the blood, now ruining his once clean handkerchief.

He should have never welcomed that demon into his home.

[despaireverafter]

Iseph’s Intel: Heroic Souls

It has come to my attention that there’s a phenomenon in our realm that not all our human guests understand: namely, the names by which we fae refer to you. There is in fact a reason for the names we call you. Names are powerful things. Knowing a person’s true name can give you great influence over them. We do not wish to manipulate you in this way, and as such we have instead opted to call you by names which reflect the natures of your souls.

With our magical insight, we fae can see that every student who has been brought here possesses the soul of a great hero of legend. The hero tied to you grants you great strength, but their story may also rise up to overtake your own, dictating your fate. To make the greatest use of the power within you, this guide seeks to teach you all about the heroes you embody, and what their fates mean for your own.

((Heroes here are listed in the same order as their corresponding students on the roster page, and for the sake of completion deceased students’ motifs are listed as well.))

Gretel - The Guide

The soul of Gretel is one which seeks to protect and guide her loved ones. Prone to spontaneous bursts of intuition, Gretel can formulate clever plans, but often lacks the foresight to account for complications, like birds devouring a breadcrumb trail. You work best in environments where all factors are predictable and accounted for, but require outside help to work effectively in less stable surroundings.

Ariel - The Determined

The Little Mermaid is a soul who sets a goal for herself and rarely deviates from it. She knows what she wants, and will do what it takes to make it happen. You are willing to make great sacrifices for your heart’s desire, but are also quite stubborn, and your ambitions can blind you to the needs and concerns of others. Even a seemingly impossible goal won’t always deter you. You’ll be happier if you take a step back, assess the costs of your decisions, and actually show some concern for others. Better to become a Daughter of the Air than to return to being a Mermaid with blood on your hands.

Siren - The Alluring

Your soul possesses the unique gift of charm. When you speak, others are prone to agree with you, and in this way, you can speak things into being. However, you should be careful not to get lost in your own head. Stating your own judgments may get you far socially speaking, but if you’re caught in an echo chamber, your personal growth will stagnate. Try asking more questions and opening yourself up to input from others, rather than speaking your own mind right away.

Peter Pan - The Outsider

The soul of a boy who never grows up gives you a unique viewpoint on life, having come from a place outside of “normal” society. You’re bold, cunning, and prone to thinking outside the box, and your unusual perspective can make child’s play of challenges that stop others in their tracks. However, you also struggle to “grow up” socially, never quite fitting in with others. There’s no shame in being unapologetically yourself, but don’t forget to come down from your pixie-dust-powered flights of fancy and hear people out once in a while. Just because you can get up higher than others doesn’t mean you have the best view of the situation.

Pinocchio - The Hedonist

The soul of a puppet brought to life, you’ve just been freed from the strings that bind you to another’s will, and the world feels limitless. Carefree and adventurous, you find pleasure from unusual sources, not letting social conventions stand in the way of you having a good time. Alas, this can easily be your downfall, getting you into messes you struggle to find a way out of. What you really need is a conscience to guide you on a safe path. Listen to others around you and try to be aware of how your actions affect them, and you may just be a “real boy” yet.

Magic Mirror - The Revealer

Mirrors are traditionally used as tools for self-examination, allowing one to see both good and bad points and address problems that need correcting. A scrying mirror is similarly powerful, providing insights that people might have trouble reaching on their own, and allowing one to tackle problems from unusual angles. Your wisdom is greatly helpful to others, but you can sometimes end up not sharing it effectively. This is because mirrors reflect what is around them, and you likewise find it easier to agree with others around you than to tell them something they don’t want to hear. Mirrors can also become distorted, magnifying flaws and obscuring virtues, leaving you doubting yourself. It may help you to take a step back, get an outside perspective, and make sure your views of yourself aren’t being distorted by your own biases. Ultimately, honesty is what you need to strive for, both with others and with yourself.

Princess Kaguya - The Fleeting

The soul of the lunar princess is difficult to pin down, not in the sense of being hard to describe, but rather in the sense that she simply doesn’t linger for long. You are a restless soul who knows that there is always something greater waiting for you. Your grace and charm win you great success in this world, but you’re hard-pressed to acknowledge it. The trouble is that you yearn so much for the future that you fail to appreciate the present. Perhaps you should stop and smell the roses for a while.

Dorothy - The Beloved

Dorothy’s is a soul with great potential, but that power can easily go unused from sheer lack of awareness of its presence. You have a knack for making friends and allies who can help you make your way along in life, and your own strong will and moral compass can get you far. Just remember to show your friends how much you care. You’re easily the heart of the group, holding everyone together like glue, but without that circle of friends around you, you can easily fall prey to those who would wish you ill.

Snow White - The Adoring

Yours is a soul overflowing with love and kindness for everyone around you, and your compassion lights up the world in turn. However, your loving heart is also fickle, being both easily swayed and just as easily broken. You think less with your head and more with your heart, and it can get you into great trouble as you rush into things, only to run away just as quickly when they turn sour. Remember to stop and think before you act now and then, and take care not to let the hurt you experience destroy your kindness. The world would be a far bleaker place without your warm and loving demeanor.

Big Bad Wolf - The Guardian

Wolves are pack animals by nature, and fiercely loyal to other members of their pack. Likewise, you take great care to do what’s best for yourself and your loved ones, putting your all into protecting the people you cherish. Your strong heart, mind, and body make you an invaluable ally, but also a truly terrifying enemy. Take care that your crueler side doesn’t chase away people who could help you, and be sure to give your loved ones a little breathing room now and again, lest you consume them with your own dependency.

King Midas - The Generous

Perhaps once your soul held a certain amount of greed, but it seems you’ve since overcome that, having learned a harsh lesson. That said, you may now be going too far in the opposite direction in a misguided effort to atone for your mistakes. You give freely to others and bring them peace of mind, certainly, but you neglect to take care of yourself in the process. What’s more, you aren’t truly solving your problems simply by giving so much to others with no explanation. Acts of atonement mean little when nobody knows what you are atoning for. To find true, lasting happiness, you need to be honest with others about what happened, and be more sincere in your apologies. If material possessions didn’t make you happy, what makes you think they would do so for your peers?

Rapunzel - The Lonely

Yours is a closely guarded soul, hardened by fear of pain and suffering. You struggle with feelings of isolation, trapped high up in a tower where nobody can reach you, but you fail to consider that the walls that keep you separated from the rest of the world are largely of your own making. To escape that loneliness, you have to make an actual effort to escape. Come down from your tower, or even just let down your hair so someone can climb up to see you, and you may yet find that the world isn’t so frightening as you imagined.

Adam/Beast - The Tormented

The soul of the Beast is one filled with anger, and is harshly punished for same, although that anger may well be justified, and the punishment need not be. Such is the case with you, having seen a truly cruel lot in life. Even worse, yours is a cursed soul, doomed to turn monstrous when engaging in the behavior being punished. Many mistakenly believe you will have to change your behavior and “become lovable” in order to break the spell, but this is a great misconception. In reality, the requirement for breaking the Beast’s Curse is merely the will of one who will love you as you are. That said, you have to show your true colors if you really want to be loved for them. The key to your salvation is to open up and let yourself be truly known, so have a little courage and shared what’s in your heart.

Little Red Riding Hood - The Adventurous

Your soul embodies that of a young lady who knows no fear. Time after time, you’ll venture into dark forests full of monsters, a carefree spring in your step as you run your daily errands. You are sweet and charming, and your willingness to step off the beaten path lets you find things that others miss, but by the same token, you often miss the warning signs of danger around you. Taking the long way around instead of the tried-and-true shortcut can be rewarding, certainly. Just try to be more mindful of the red flags in your environment. They may match your cape, but they’re there to protect you, not just look pretty.

Slit-Tongue Sparrow - The Guest

You’ve been through your share of rough times, and your weary soul reflects this. People are attentive to your plight, but not everyone will be happy to have you around as a guest. Overstay your welcome and take excessive advantage of the hospitality of those around you, and you may quickly find yourself being chased away in worse shape than you were in on arrival. Like the bamboo cutter in your tale, you would do well to content yourself with smaller rewards in life.

Alice - The Trailblazer

The soul of Alice burns bright with insatiable curiosity about the world around her. Day in and day out, you ask questions nobody else would ever even think of, and go out of your way to find answers to same. Unfortunately, not everything you desire can be obtained, and chasing after the elusive White Rabbit in your life will only leave you heartbroken and hopelessly lost in uncharted territory. Sometimes, you simply have to let go and accept that some things are unattainable. It’s better to go home disappointed and move on than to lose your head over something you’ll never have.

[datshq]

DATS’s Insanely Long Hiei Meta Part 1/3

Childhood and Joining the Spirit Detectives

Starting chronologically, in terms of Hiei's personal timeline, his first memory is of him being rejected, unwanted, as he was tossed off a cliff because the ice apparitions thought everyone would be better off with him dead. Right after this event, he was discovered by bandits, who saw his potential to be useful, due to how powerful he was even as a baby. Then, when Hiei became too violent for their tastes, the other bandits turned their backs on Hiei. Once again, Hiei was rejected, despite being useful. He wasn't wanted even here.

This explains why Hiei often behaves hesitant, even over things he wants and knows he needs. He knew he needed to recover after his Jagan surgery but by this point he'd learned that, no matter what, he'd wear out his welcome eventually. Even if someone offered to put him up, they could rescind that offer at any point when they decided they didn't want Hiei around anymore. Shigure saw Hiei's hesitation and he saw through his blustering, which is why he offered Hiei the sword lessons as an added incentive/excuse. Because Shigure promised Hiei sword lessons, it didn't matter if he suddenly decided he didn't want Hiei around anymore, he'd still owe Hiei those sword lessons. This also gave Hiei a safety net of sorts; he knew he'd be welcome for as long as Shigure was still in the process of teaching Hiei these lessons.

As soon as Hiei recovered, he tracked down the floating island of the ice apparitions and discovered that his mother was dead as well as that his sister had disappeared. At this point Hiei was no longer burning with hatred, as he spared Rui's life even as she voiced her desire for death. Here Hiei first starts truly showing his new defeatist attitude. He has clear memory of his birth, so he remembers his mother pleading for his return. Now the only person who ever wanted Hiei was dead, and he felt that his arrival at the village was purposeless. His new goal then became to find his sister and make sure she was safe.

Then complications arose. Hiei got into trouble in the human world, which sidetracked him from his main goal. Hiei mentioned he didn't join the Spirit Detective squad for a pardon, but because he wanted to fight Yusuke again. However, at this point he must have discovered that, in the human world, the Spirit World had power and resources that he could use to locate his sister. Playing nice with them was the logical thing to do, even if it left him as a babysitter to the fledgling human warriors.

The Saint Beasts arc is the most important arc for Hiei's character development. During this arc, Kurama gets visibly surprised by how different Hiei starts acting partway through. This is because, during this arc, Hiei discovered emotional openings in himself that let the human teammates in. First was the gate challenge, where the point was to create a trap that tempted one of the group to betray the others. It was designed to create distrust and to break apart any group coming in to invade the castle. And then Yusuke defies their opponents', and Hiei's, expectations by placing his trust in Hiei. A lack of trust was what caused Hiei to be abandoned for the second time in his life, and now Yusuke offered his trust to Hiei without needing anything from Hiei first. It was almost like being wanted.

And then there's Kuwabara. You all know I pay special attention to how Hiei acts towards and around Kuwabara and in this arc we get all the reasons for it. Hiei started off barely acknowledging Kuwabara's presence. He didn't know anything about him but that he was human and so Hiei has no reason to think too much of it; powerful psychics are rare in this day and age. But then they encounter Byakko, who brings out a lot of the stronger and more admirable aspects of Kuwabara's personality. Hiei had been expecting him and Kurama to do most of the fighting, but Kuwabara stepped up, wanted to carry his own weight and wanted to contribute to the group effort. And he didn't stop until the fight was done, even when it dragged on and exhausted him. The Byakko episodes are the ones where we first really see that Kuwabara simply doesn't tire out completely. Ever. He always manages to find more energy to keep going, although it's only around the Dark Tournament that the other characters start to notice this.

I will also point out that before the Byakko fight is the only time in the entire show where Hiei implies that the group doesn't need Kuwabara's input. After that Hiei never voices that Kuwabara shouldn't fight due to being the least lethal member of the group. It's true, but Hiei doesn't think it diminishes Kuwabara's value to the team. In fact, Hiei even contributes to Kuwabara's training regime for the Dark Tournament, before Kurama takes over because Hiei was too "soft". During the Saint Beasts arc, Hiei grows protective of Kuwabara, but not overly so. This is because Hiei can relate with Kuwabara's desire to fight, to be useful to his teammates and friends, not because they'd drop him if he didn't, but because he wants to do this for them, because they all want to be together. Kuwabara's living the kind of life Hiei wants and, rather than be bitterly jealous about it, Hiei sticks to Kuwabara like glue, observing him and interacting with him.