#this old continuity wasn't built in a day and this one won't be either

[sadfruittheatre]

Loss and Lots of Retcons: The Current State of Affairs and Moving Forward

So, now that things have begun to calm down, I want to talk a little bit more about various retcons and what's going to change, both in terms of this blog and the timeline. This is also a to-do list for me, because I have hella ADHD and get very overwhelmed without some kind of game plan.

So, to get the big thing out of the way, several characters are no longer going to exist and will have never existed. You're going to see the things on this list and go "woah, wait a minute! aren't all these guys like, super important to a bunch of things!?" and the answer is yes, but sometimes things happen in real life that affect the plot and that is just a potential consequence of working in collaboration with other people.

So, the casualties are:

Mara

Flann

Veroa

Kuroza (Fish)

Anzu

Carma and Kone

It's a lot of characters unfortunately, but we still have plenty left.

Cayenne

Bragi

Aneas

Tomor

Eugene

Mirin

Coulie

Dulze

Deeji

Letch

Mille

Mento

The character pages will be updated accordingly.

There will also be some new characters introduced in conjunction to the plot things that have been happening in the background, but I will not be elaborating on all that yet until I iron out this other stuff. But know that I am definitely looking forward to introducing you to these guys and their lovely creators!

But Kateh, I hear you ask, how are you going to have concurrent plot things going on when you have to retcon like, everything??? Well, you see, I'm basically doing my best to keep the overall trajectories of my OCs as close to the same as possible in broad strokes, even if there are different characters involved or some things just didn't happen anymore. Some characters are honestly completely unaffected by this (like Aneas, who wins by staying in his lane and loving his wife). Other characters, namely Bragi, and to a lesser degree, Tomor, need a lot of work done to fix the damage.

As for the art and writing I've uploaded, much of it is probably going to be taken down, because I don't feel comfortable having art up of characters I no longer have the rights to use for a continuity that no longer exists. Some things can be edited in small ways, and if I can salvage it, I will; plenty of other things will stay up, though the context for them is largely going to have to be rewritten to fit the new continuity. I'm definitely bummed that so much of this entire project has to be gutted, but I'm hoping to be able to slowly rebuild things going forward. Honestly not sure if it would be easier to delete and start over, but I'll try to fix things as they are before I do all that.

I do actually have some establishing comics in the works to get us all adjusted to the new vibes, so we can at least look forward to that!

Now, let's talk plot and characters. We've talked a lot about what's lost, but here's what remains.

Now, while there are still a lot of minor details to work out, the broad strokes are as follows:

Bragi's still being sent to Conton City to atone for his stinky boy crimes. However, the big difference now is that for better immersion in the mortal culture, he's staying with a host family, the already overcrowded teacakes house with Dulze and Yamcha. Deeji is his new best friend. #DeejiSupremacy

He's still going to slowly get his shit together until he's forced to confront Aneas and they reconcile. Details are still hella fuzzy as to how that goes down but Aneas and Coulie (and Eugene) remain largely unchanged. Still happily married. #FlowerBudsSupremacy

A lot of the stuff with Mento probably still happened, though the context of Mirin's existence and what led up to Mento's death is gonna have to change wildly to accommodate it. Bragi's existential crisis will definitely have to be adjusted.

The Anzu shit? Didn't happen. Bragi likely remains unstabbed, unless we find another context to stab him in. With that in mind, he's probably going to revert back to his pre-vest design because like, the whole reason for that is because he got stabbed. At least his godtube channel remains alive and shitty. Coulie can still systematically dislike all of his videos.

At the most recent point in the timeline, Bragi's at least a little more willing to open up to people he trusts because Kuroza/Fish isn't there anymore to fuck it up for him by being weird about his trauma. He's still got some trust and vulnerability issues tho.

Tomor needs an overhaul at least in terms of his own trajectory. Part of this is due to the plot things I'm sitting on, part of it is because he lost his comedic foil in the form of Fish. He will definitely continue to cause problems on purpose tho, probably with New!Mento.

The Mento with Mirin goop in her brain is still very much a thing btw. She's so silly and I love her. #MentoSupremacy

Some of this stuff is still subject to change, and whatever does change likely won't be as detailed as it used to be, but we're doing what we can. It's a hot mess right now and it's gonna take a lot of time to fix it, so uh, thanks for bearing with me 👍

[solomonish]

Ok, it's about time I talk about this blog for a little bit.

Don't look so scared! There's good news ahead!

Alright, so it's obvious by now that I've kind of fallen out of the Obey Me! fandom. Before Nightbringer came out, I just burned out with the constant events and the difficulty in progressing through the main story and levelling up cards. Plus, I had gotten pretty invested in Twisted Wonderland and Genshin Impact, so my attention just never stuck with Obey Me. Eventually I drifted away to other blogs for other fandoms, leaving this one in the dust. I may have said that I wasn't leaving for good, but inspiration never struck me, so it was kind of like I had given up anyway.

I've been playing Nightbringer casually since it came out, and I'll be honest...it has the same problems as OG Obey Me. However, I am still kind of interested in the main story, and my love for Solomon has been reinvigorated <3 (Not that I ever stopped, of course.) I was hoping I'd get at least a few ideas to toss into the void, but alas...that didn't happen either, and I'm not the kind of person who can or wants to force myself to write.

So, where's the good news?

Well, I'm not ready to say I'm done with Obey Me for good. I'll be honest with you right now: any Obey Me fics will probably be few and far between. This is due to a variety of factors, including but not limited to a general decrease in fixation and the simple fact that I'm older and have a lot more to focus on in my life. But I do still have a soft spot for these boys (mostly Solomon. It's like 99% Solomon.), and I miss you guys! I still get notifs every day and I'm honored and astounded that people still like my works. Even though I have a LONG list of complaints with Obey Me at this point, being in this fandom has never been boring or negative for me. I've genuinely missed the experiences and connections I made here that I lost with my dwindling presence in the fandom.

So, FINALLY, here's where the good news is: I don't think I'm finished with Obey Me. I will still be pretty absent on this blog for a while, but I've decided on a plan that will help me feel less stressed to write whatever I want.

Sometime in the future - so, not right now (and in fact it will probably be a while) - I plan on remaking my blogs. I'm going to start an all-new x reader blog, much like this one, but multifandom. That way, when I feel like writing for a fandom I'm not all that present in anymore, I won't feel guilty for resurrecting a dead account and potentially giving you all false hope.

When this time comes, I'll be a little annoying with the promo to ensure that you won't miss it. There's no guarantee, but I'm really hoping that this blog will be permanent for my reader insert writing, rather than my trend of making a new blog per fandom.

I don't expect you to follow it or even really care, of course. Even though I have built a healthy separation between myself and my online presence, I did still feel a little bad about leaving you all hanging. I'm sure it gets annoying when I'm constantly promoing blogs and changing my URLs, but......well, I apologize for the inconvenience ^u^

Before you leave, let me tell you two more things!

1.) My old NSFW blog, solomonish-afterdark, is no longer a NSFW-only blog. I haven't removed any of my fics, but I reblogged a lot of my old fics on various blogs to that account. It's now sort of a fanfic archive! I was originally planning to use that as my catch-all fandom writing acc, but I just didn't like the organization of that. I can't explain it lol but it was just STRESSING ME OUT. So I changed the url (it's now @/sampologist) and it'll probably stay as an archive forever. Sorry :(

2.) I've gotten a lot of notes and asks about Love Disconnection. Thank you so much for reading it, enjoying it and talking to me!! I do actually really want to continue it, but if/when I do, I'm going to warn you that I'm probably going to rewrite the first part before I add any more. Don't worry, it'll keep the same plot, premise and vibe! I just think I've improved a little bit since I wrote it - and, TBH, there was already a big plot hole I wrote myself into that I was dreading explaining my way around. I'm making no promises! But it does still occupy a slice of my brain, even after all this time.

That's it for now, I think. Sorry if this wasn't as good as I may have gotten your hopes up to be, but I'm looking forward to this change! I'm going to wait until my interest in my current fandoms fades a little bit before I start the arduous transition, so if I get that divine inspiration for these boys in the meantime I'll be sure to post it here! Until then, I hope you understand why I've left and why I've been so reluctant to leave permanently. And I hope you can stick with me through one more move, if that interests you when it's time.

Thank you for reading this far, and thank you so so so much for all of your support! My time on this blog has been endlessly fun, and I really do hope I can add to the Solomon pool once more. You've all been so incredible, supportive, fun, and so much more. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time in this fandom, from drunkenly posting about catboy Solomon a few days after my 21st birthday to the day we finally got to call him our boyfriend in canon. You're always welcome to drop by my ask box and chat if you want! Until then, thank you all for everything.

(and if you're interested in keeping up with me now, but somehow missed these announcements: my main is @/kusemai, my twst blog is @/ridhearts, and i have a touchstarved blog @/kurasthetic. you can also find me on twitter @/KARANO1A if the site doesn't crumble into a thousand pieces.)

[girl8890]

R Town | Ch.10

3.1k

POV: M

Warnings: Domestic abuse, Rape/Non-con, Blood, Mental health issues.

Index | Ch.11

。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。

R Town.

The only place I considered home, but a place I never felt the need to return to again. It's funny, really. I remember crying endless tears the day I left this town. I was eight at the time, clutching onto my older brother's hand and begging my parents not to leave this place. Not to leave the only place that felt safe and secure to my child-like brain.

Now, standing next to Felix at the podium as he continues to introduce his new Sex and Strip club, I don't feel safe at all. Maybe I would have in different circumstances. Like if I came back here without him next to me, with a new last name, and no pain between my legs from Felix fucking me into submission in the limo.

No. I don't feel safe here because he's with me. He's in the town that I've always loved, and just his presence in this town is turning the sky a dark gray. Probably because it's actually going to rain soon, but I blame Felix for anything bad that's yet to come.

I don't voice these options. Fuck, no. That will just lead me to have a broken arm, or wrist, or whatever body part he could get a hold of.

Like now, as he's saying to the crowd, "Welcome... to the Lee Club," he's grabbing my hand like his goal is to break my fingers. I get the hint, and so I smile like I'm actually okay with my husband having a Sex and Strip club under my and his name.

It's not my choice to have it under my name, however. And it's not his either. My parents made sure of that when our marriage contract was written up. The day my life came to an end, my voice was lost forever. Not my real voice. The voice that allowed my opinions to be heard when it came to my life.

The tarp on the business falls, and I watch with the same fake smile as the lights flash on. "Lee Club" is plastered in bright pink letters above the front door. The whole building is decked out in black and red. All the colors that get people's juices flowing and ready to fuck the first person they see when they enter the building.

I don't want to look anymore. Why would I want to look at a place that my so-called "amazing" and "caring" husband built? I won't give him the satisfaction of me looking at it for long. This much I can do. His eyes are more focused on all the prostitutes and strippers that are walking out of the building, anyway. Ready to welcome all the people and hope that whoever wants them for sex will be quick and pay them well.

I feel bad for the new hires. They don't know what type of boss Felix truly is...

That's when I glance at Daisy. She has her blond hair slicked back and in a high ponytail. Wearing a similar pair of lingerie as the rest of the girls. I insisted she come with us, and she was happy to tag along to this new town. Not enough excitement or need to stay in the old place we lived in for her, she said.

She was the only girl in the last club that wasn't either using drugs or trying to get on my husband's cock at the old establishment. Not that many of the girls or guys at the old establishment wanted to get on his cock, to begin with, but not many had a choice either.

No... Daisy is different. She stays out of view from Felix and only converses with me when it comes to any problems. She learned that coming to me instead of Felix with concerns about what's supposed to be a "safe" sex and strip club environment very early on.

We ended up building a connection, and a few tequila shots later one night, we spilled our sorrows into each other's laps. Now she's the only person on this entire planet that probably knows every little thing about me.

That role, of knowing all about me, used to belong to my brother. But once the contract was set and the marriage date was picked, I wanted to tell him nothing. I didn't want him to know his little sister was being groomed for a life of misery. So, I distanced myself.

The night I... told him to leave... I hoped he would start over somewhere fresh. Leave our family to the dust and actually have a chance at a good life.

It's then I skim my eyes over the town folk, feeling lucky that no one looks familiar. Then again, I haven't been here since I was eight, so if anyone is someone I know, then they are now all grown up and unrecognizable.

It's when my eyes go to the back of the crowd that I have to hold my breath not to gasp. There were a hundred people in front of him, but with only a split second of visibility, I saw him. With his dyed dusted-purple hair peeking out of his black hoodie and face full of shock. Exactly how he looked last time, I saw him.

My brother is here, and he shouldn't be. He shouldn't be anywhere near Felix ever! Felix has never done anything to him personally, but I know Jimin. He's not someone that easily hides his emotions.

I look away from that part of the crowd and glance back at Felix. He's starting at the girls that were hired at the new club like they're ready for the taking. New girls to crush their souls and teach them that any guidelines they were promised he'd follow, that he's not actually going to follow.

God, I fucking hate my husband.

The place is not officially open, and people start pilling into the club. Which of course, Felix follows the crowd. He is one of the owners, after all. I started following after him since I am the other half of ownership of this stupid club. But Felix has other plans. Once Felix spots me following him, he pulls me by my wrist to get me closer to him and whispers with his deep voice into my ear, "No, no. Your going home."

I stare up at him, confused. "But it's the opening and I'm-"

"Your going the fuck home."

No one around us heard this little exchange. Hell, if anyone was looking at us, they probably just thought we were whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears. Because that's what "perfect couples" do. Too bad Felix and I are far off from being a perfect couple.

I nod my head because I know if I say anymore, it will be hell to pay for me later. I begin my descent down the stage stairs and walk past Daisy before I get into the car.

"Leaving already?" Daisy says to me, a little upset that the only person she knows in this town is already leaving her own reveal.

"Yeah." I glance over at Felix, making sure he's a safe distance away and out of earshot. "Fuck face told me I have to go home."

Daisy scoffs and shakes her head. Staring at the man with eyes that wished they could kill. "Figures. He can't let you have one day? What about the girls?"

I understand Daisy's concern instantly. When I was at any of our past clubs, Felix laid off the girls and guys. I make sure everything is kept up to code, and for some reason, he acts like the perfect boss when I'm there.

"You'll look after them, yeah? I'll be back here tomorrow."

Daisy nods her head, but even after my reassurance of me being here tomorrow, I can tell she's worried. I'm worried too, but I can't save everyone.

I can barely save myself.

As I get into the car and think those exact words, I already start preparing myself for what is yet to come.

。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。 。・°°・°°・。

You know that feeling when you are in an airplane, and you are so high in the air that your ears start to feel funny? They eventually ring because the pressure from the atmosphere is too much on your ears.

That's what I hear when Felix touches me. Never-ending rings in my ears, and the prayers in my head for this to end already.

The second he got home - earlier than usual, but who knows why Felix does half the things he does - reeking of alcohol, cigarettes, and sex. He burst into our room, acting like the door was heavy, and stumbled as he walked over to our bed. I watched the entire embarrassing occurrence from underneath the sheets. Hoping he would think I was asleep and leave me alone tonight.

That was a dumb thought, though, because, of course, he doesn't.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know your up, M." Felix says and grinds his already half-erect cock against my ass.

I curse under my breath and try to remove his hand that's going up my nightshirt. "Please, Felix. Not tonight. I'm still in pain from earlier."

Without warning, Felix flips me over and lays his weight right against my back. I feel the pressure of his entire body on top of me. Caging me between him and the mattress. "And you think I give a fuck, why? The whores here are to loose for my taste. I want the tight pussy you got."

I struggle against him, as always. Get hit in the side of the head for doing so, as always. And I always wonder why I never leave this conciseness. Even as he forces his dick inside me, I question why I don't allow myself to just completely shut off from the world. As he fucks into me so violently that I smell my own blood, I wonder why I don't just be the "submissive wife" he wants me to be.

And then it's when he cums into me, no more than five minutes later, that I remember, because I'm a Park. A stubborn, strong-headed, high will powered Park. No legal name change will ever change that in me. It doesn't matter how many times Felix fucks, hits, or kicks me. I'll always fight him. I'll always have something spiteful to say.

Because that's what M Park does and will always do.

Luckily, after Felix is down with me for the night, he's out like a light. My favorite part of the entire exchange. I can't tell you a single time, not even on our honeymoon, that I enjoyed having sex with him.

They tell you your first time is supposed to be "special" and that you're supposed to feel like a "whole new women" afterward. Well, whoever first said those words can suck my ass.

Organisms? Never heard of them.

Bleeding that won't stop until I take a shower? Pain that lasts a whole day and keeps me up at night? We're good pals.

And that's what I do - shower, I mean. I waddle my way into the bathroom, trying not to hiss as the pain sets in down south, and I take a shower to wash away the blood and disgustingness he left behind inside me. Scooping that shit out because there's no way I'll ever have a baby with him.

I wanted to get on birth control after we first had sex, but Felix canceled my appointment when he found out. I don't think Felix actually wants us to have a child together, but it's just another way he can control me.

And, because I fucking can, I leave the new mansion we just bought. Felix won't be waking up until late hours tomorrow, and this is always when I decide to make my life worth it. To get away from all things Felix and forget at night how terrible my daily life is like. Nightlife is better anyways, even if it's three in the morning.

We're back in my town, after all. I know I was saying before how I wished we never came here, but now that I'm here, exiting the front door and smelling that familiar fogged-up air, I'm loving this. Feeling a peace for the first time in a long time.

A flashback of Jimin and I coming outside of our childhood home at late hours of the night come to mind. The smile I gained for being in this town again falls as soon as that moment comes to mind. I know I'm going to have to talk to him, my brother, Jimin, eventually. It will start off sweet with a bunch of "I missed you so much" kind of things, but then Jimin will eventually bring up the obvious.

The wind blows my hair into my face, and I consider it a slap in the face from the universe. The universe telling me to stop worrying and run. Run and find the life you're always wishing for.

So I run.

I run down the driveway, past the neighboring mansion Felix was talking shit about earlier today, and straight into town. The street lights are lightening up the road I remember racing down in my youth. I'm glad to see the familiar coffee shop is still standing from all those years ago, although it has a different name now.

Kim's Coffee.

Now that I'm glancing around at all the shops and restaurants, most of them have names that either say "Kim" or "Park." Park because this town used to be named Park town, and technically still is on paper, but I guess once our moving truck left this town, they took my family's last name right off the sign. Only leaving the 'R' for some reason.

Damn, that was a depressing day. I wonder if you could consider it a second Great Depression, just without the low funds of money? Whatever.

The Kim stores, on the other hand, I don't 100% understand. I know my husband dislikes the man that has that last name, but I never listen to Felix's opinions. That, and I just don't understand how one person owns all these businesses within one small town.

It's then, as I'm walking down the middle of the road, that a lit-up game store catches my eye. It seems, besides the Lee club next door, it's the only business open late.

I walk up to the store and read on the front door a sign that reads in bold letters, "OPEN 24/7."

Back in the day - ew, that sounded like I'm old - back when I lived here the first time, I remember coming to a similar game store like this with a friend. We would come into the store on the days we didn't have school and play any and every game from open to closed.

My favorite game was always Dance Dance Revolution. I kinda feel bad for my friend now because I would play that game over and over again with him, and he would somehow never complain. I know he was bored of the game, but for some reason, he would play it with me anyway.

When it came to closing time, we always tried to beg the store owner to keep it open for another hour. This usually ended us with a broom almost hitting us in the heads as the guys chased us out.

I hear myself laugh at the memory and cover my mouth like it can keep the sound inside. Luckily, no one is around to hear my embarrassing laughter of the memories I have with a boy I used to cherish. I wonder what happened to him.

I then look up at the game store sign, and I'm surprised to see it's the only place that doesn't have a "Kim" or "Park" word in the title. Instead, it reads, "Jeons Games."

Why does that name sound so familiar?

I've met too many people with big names to try and remember. Without a second thought, I walk into the game store.

The smell of new and old game machines blasts my senses. I walk around looking at every machine with the biggest smile on my face. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've been in a game store like this, probably since I left this town originally.

The store is covered in all different shades of blues and pinks. The lights on the ceilings are LEDs to hue the entire place in a shade of purple. The wallpaper is black to let all the mixing colors vibe together. It's honestly a really cool-looking game store.

I skim my fingers around the joystick of a game that looks like its theme is wrestling and find myself giggling with joy for touching the plastic. When I look away from that game, is when my heart nearly stops in my chest. Right there in the middle of the store, basically, the crown jewel of the place is the game Dance Dance Revolution.

I speed walk right to the game and grab onto the bar in front of the arrowed floor. Feeling so youthful as I stare at the game that used to be my treasured favorite. I look around the store to see if anyone is there, and fortunately, no one is around to see what I'm about to do.

I dig a quarter out from inside my jeans pocket and put it in the game slot. I let the game do its magic and shuffle for a random song. It ends up picking the song Dancing Queen by ABBA, and I'm too excited to play the game to pick a new one.

It ends up being the perfect song because I'm dancing my fricken heart out! Feeling on top of the world as I hit each arrow on time and pat myself on the back for still having the skills to get a high score in this game.

By the time the game comes to an end, I'm out of breath, sweaty, and having to hold myself up by the handlebar. I watch the screen load up my finale score, and I'm happy to see it's a pretty high one.

It's when the screen highlights the top scores that my smile falls, and I actually have to do a double-take at the person's name who's claiming the top score. I say the name out loud, emphasizing each syllabus as I read it to myself, "Jungkook."

I'm flooded with so many forgotten emotions and memories that I could cry reading his name, but that doesn't stop the emotions I feel next when I hear the owner of that name say my own name.

"M."

-

-

-

Index | Ch.11

[angellesword]

MAGIC SHOP | JJK (02)

Description: You and Jungkook were best friends who were in love with each other. What would happen when Soojin, your half sister who you’re trying to impress, told you she’s in love with Jungkook too?

Alternatively,

“Would you believe me if I said that I was scared of everything too?”

Genre: childhood best friends to lovers, family drama, angst, fluff, slow burn, pining, slice of life au.

Pairing: Architect!Jungkook x Architect!Reader

Word Count: 3k

Warnings/Note: child abuse (physical and psychological/emotional violence) , psychological manipulation, infidelity.

SERIES: CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 3

Your relationship with your father used to be a secret.

You were an illegitimate child and your mother was a mistress. Taemin obviously didn’t want the world to know about his dirty secret.

So he hid you.

He hid you from his wife and your siblings.

"Mom, is dad coming?" Seven year-old you asked. This was the question you uttered once a year.

Your father was never late with any of his appointments with you. He would always show up on time, sometimes earlier. But there's always that one day of the year wherein he was either hours late or he wouldn't come at all.

That day was your birthday.

You were four years old when your mother made you understand that Taemin couldn't stay at your house since he was busy with work. You didn't question this even though you wanted to know why.

Why couldn't he stay for more than an hour a day? Why didn't he kiss your mother or tell her he loved her just like what you saw husbands did in children's books and movies?

"He's not coming because he doesn't love us. He doesn't love you." Your mother was glaring at you as if it was your fault your father couldn't come to your own birthday party.

Everything was prepared according to his liking, even the food she cooked were his favorites. It was your natal day but it looked like your mother wanted to please somebody else.

It was never about you.

"That's not true! Dad said he loves me the most! I'm his princess—"

"Enough!" She slapped you right across the face, your cheek instantly turning red.

Your eyes brimmed with tears. You also didn't understand why your mother always acted so hostile. What did you do to make her hate you this much?

You followed everything she said. You didn't like sketching but your mother forced you to do it. She kept saying that you needed to be good at it so you could beat Sin-ae's daughter.

You didn't know it that time but your mom was actually referring to Soojin. The latter was a prodigy when it came to drawing. Your mother wanted you to surpass Soojin's talent since it was the only way to become the best architect.

She was wrong though. Being able to draw beautifully wasn't the key to succeeding in the mention field. It was only a bonus.

"You have to be the best if you want your father to stay with us. Do you understand, huh? Be a good girl so your father wouldn't have to look at Sin-ae's daughter." She caressed your cheek after slapping you.

"You can do it, baby girl. You are my leverage."

You were. Your father couldn't leave his obsessive mistress because of you. Your father loved you and didn't want to abandon you, but most importantly, he didn't want Sin-ae to know that you existed.

Your mother threatened Taemin that she would expose his infidelity if he tried to abscond from his responsibilities to you.

Taemin was a powerful person, unfortunately he couldn't control your mother. She was richer and stronger than him.

Your mother's only weakness was the love she claimed she felt for your father.

At this point, you didn't know if it was love. Did she really love your father or was she just lonely?

Was your mother scared to be alone? Just like you?

"I'm not going to leave you." You remembered seven year-old Jungkook's promise to you.

You were six when you first met little Jeon. He was the son of Jong-in, another influential architect.

Taemin and Jong-in were best friends. The latter was the only person who knew about your father's secret.

Jong-in knew you. He knew your mother as well. You lived in a small world after all. Jong-in and Taemin built Castle Architectural firm. Your mother was one of their investors.

She saw the potential of Architect Kim and Jeon, but it didn't end with that.

Your mother didn't just see Kim Taemin's potential. She also saw a future with him. She acted based on desire, ignoring the fact that Taemin was already a married man with three children.

Taemin didn't seem to mind the advances of your mother. In fact, he seemed to like it. Because if he didn't, then why were you existing?

Why did he fuck a baby into her?

He wanted this to happen as much as your mother did.

And now, they weren't the only one paying for the price.

You were paying too.

You were suffering because of them. You suffered abuse from your mother and at a very young age, you came to realize that people, no matter how many times they assured you they loved you, would still end up hurting you and breaking the promise they made.

"You are!" This was your response to Jungkook when he said that he wasn't going to leave you.

You two were seven years olds. What did you know about promises and keeping them? You drilled it in your head that Jungkook was just like your father. He would end up breaking his promise.

He was going to leave you too.

"You're a liar, just like my dad!" Tears cascaded down your cheeks.

You were very upset. Your father promised to take you to an amusement park, a simple way to make it up to you for not being able to attend your birthday party. Again.

The promise was made yesterday. Taemin told you to wear your favorite onesie because you were going to Lotte World with him and Jungkook.

Taemin was true to his words. You were at Lotte World with Jungkook, wearing your favorite onesie. However, the adult accompanying you was not your father.

Taemin said he had to work so he sent a nanny to look after you and your best friend.

You found it stupid and annoying. You wanted to spend time with your father. You missed him so much. He hadn't been home for weeks now.

"He keeps saying things he doesn't mean!" You sobbed, continuing your rant.

Jungkook was only staring at you using those innocent eyes. He felt bad. His little heart was shattering.

"I hate him! He doesn't love me!" You were slowly believing what your mother told you.

Were you hard to love because you weren't good enough?

"He doesn't love me." You said again and again. "I'm not a good girl. He doesn't love me—"

Jungkook pulled you into an embrace, cutting your absurd thought.

"That's not true. I love you.." His voice sounded genuine.

You sobbed once more, breaking the hug.

"Really?" The thing about kids was that they were easy to reassure. Buy them an ice cream and voila! They’re okay again.

Jungkook didn't give you an ice cream but you believed him. You guessed you love him too, and also because the stars in his eyes were enough to make you believe that he would never ever leave you.

Nineteen years later, Jungkook was still keeping his promise.

He stayed with you through thick and thin.

"We are baking cake today, Tiger." Jungkook announced.

He sometimes called you Tiger, when you asked him why, he simply said 'because I can.'

You stopped questioning his reasons a long time ago; however, you couldn't stop yourself today.

"Bake a cake? Why?" You creased your forehead.

"Because I want to." Was his answer once again, causing you to roll your eyes.

Why did you even ask?

"Do you know how to bake a cake?"

"Nope," he grinned. "But it won't hurt to try. I've read before that baking is a good way to relieve stress..."

Jungkook brought out an apron from the kitchen cabinet and then he went near you, carefully helping you to put on the garment.

He was standing in front you, buckling the D-ring neck that was on the apron. After that, he pulled you closer, your head hitting his chest.

Jungkook encircled his arms around your waist, reaching for the strap behind you as he expertly tied it.

"I can do it, Kook," you slightly pushed him away, chuckling.

He grinned at you.

"I know...but I want to help you."

Of course he did. Jungkook had always been thoughtful and kind. This was why he invited you to his apartment.

You had been staying with him since yesterday. Today was Saturday. You slept here last night. Jungkook didn't mind. He had a spare room and even if he didn't, he wouldn't mind you staying over.

He could always sleep on the floor.

Jungkook was used to sleeping in the same room as you anyway. You used to live in the same house together.

When Jungkook's father died, he officially became an orphan at the age of fifteen. His mother died giving birth to him so no one would look after him now.

All of his relatives were living abroad, this was why Taemin decided to adopt him. Jungkook didn't change his last name. He was still a Jeon. Taemin was simply his legal guardian.

Sin-ae didn't mind that there was an additional member of the family. She could never deny Jungkook since she also treated Jong-in as a dear friend. Besides, the Kims didn't have to worry about the increase of their expenses.

Jungkook was the only heir of Jong-in. The former would inherit his father's share at Castle. Taemin was Jungkook’s fiduciary guardian. He gave Jungkook his share as soon as he reached eighteen.

Jungkook tried to compensate Taemin but the latter didn't accept the money. Instead, he urged Jeonguk to work at Castle as soon as he graduated college.

Your best friend agreed. He could never say no to Taemin. He even stayed at the Kims' mansion despite having the ability to live on his own.

Taemin asked him to stay as per Soojin's request, but two months ago, Jungkook finally moved out of the house because Kim Taehyung, the third born son of Taemin, went back to Seoul after studying and working in New York for years.

"You wanna try baking banana chocolate chip cake? I have all the ingredients here," Jungkook was waiting for you to answer.

You shrugged nonchalantly, helping him prepare.

"Fine by me."

Jungkook asked you to prepare the wet ingredients while he took care of the dry ones.

"You think this is enough?" He was sifting flour.

You coughed.

"Kook! What the hell?" You covered your nose because he was tapping the strainer grimly.

"Oopss..." His lips curled up. "Sorry!"

He wasn't sorry. Not at all. You could tell he was doing this on purpose because instead of stopping, he only used more force while tapping the strainer.

"You ass!" Gritting your teeth, you grabbed a handful of flour from the bowl and started throwing it at Jungkook.

He stopped sifting the flour, eyes widening because of what you did.

"I-It's your fault! You're pissing me off!" You stammered.

You were supposed to be mad at him, but it was you who felt shiver running down your spine when he just stared at you.

Was he mad? Was throwing a handful of flour on his face uncalled for?

"I'm sorry—what the fuck." You hissed when Jungkook also threw flour on your face.

You ended up squinting and coughing because the powder went to your eyes and mouth. It tasted like shit.

"Jeon Jungkook!" You were so annoyed you threw flour at him again.

Jungkook bursted into laughter, clearly having fun.

You two ended up having flour fight—if this was even a thing.

You had to admit that though annoyed, you couldn't help the smile gracing your lips. You liked playing with Jungkook to the point that you didn't want to stop.

You were only forced to end the fight when someone banged on his door.

"Jungkook! Open up!"

Soojin.

You were certain she was on the other side of the door.

"Is that Soojin?" Jungkook furrowed his brow, the smile on his lips was slowly disappearing.

"Yeah. I think so..."

"Huh." He furrowed his brow more. "Did you invite her?"

You shook your head.

Jungkook shrugged. "Okay. I'll ask what she wants. Stay here..."

You nodded, frantically running towards the sink so you could wash your face.

You didn't know why your heart was beating fast or why you felt as if you had done something you shouldn't have.

Maybe you had.

It was the only reasonable explanation why Soojin was glaring at you, her jaw tensed because of annoyance.

"What the hell were you two doing? I've been banging the door for so long! Didn't you hear me!?" This was the first thing Soojin said the moment she took a step in Jungkook's kitchen.

She didn't like that you and Jungkook were staying under the same roof.

"I'm sorry." You bit your lower lip, trailing off.

You didn't know what else to say. You knew your sister. Her question was rhetorical. She would only get madder if you tried to reason out.

When she was pissed, all you had to do was shut up and take the shit she would give you.

"The door is literally a few steps away! I don't understand why you can't hear me!"

Soojin continued to rant as you watched Jungkook enter the kitchen. He instantly stopped your sister's mean remarks because he could feel that it was making you uncomfortable.

"Let it go, Soojin. We apologized, didn't we?"

But Soojin just scoffed. She was about to speak again; however, Jungkook cut her off.

"There's an apron in the cabinet. Wear it if you want to join us..."

You were surprised when Soojin didn't protest. Rolling her eyes, she stomped towards the hanging cabinet to get an apron.

"What are we making?" Soojin crossed her arms.

"Banana chocolate chip cake." You simply said.

Soojin nodded, refusing to look at you.

"I'll mash the bananas." When she said this, you were expecting her to peel the bananas and use a fork to mash them.

Soojin didn't do any of this. Instead, she threw the bananas in the trash bin.

"What? The bananas are overripe." She reasoned out when you and Jungkook groaned.

"It doesn't matter. We can still use—"

"I said I don't want overripe bananas!” It was her turn to cut what Jungkook was saying.

"There's a grocery store across the street. Go buy some bananas, Jungkook."

It was hard to fight Soojin. She would just continue insisting what she wanted until you relented.

Jungkook didn't have a choice but to follow your sister, leaving you in the kitchen with Soojin.

You were thinking how to break the ice when your sister suddenly spoke.

"You didn't go home last night..."

You stopped weighing the butter, your heart skipping a beat.

"Yeah. I stayed the night here..."

Soojin clenched her jaw and you wondered if you should have lied instead. It looked like she didn't like your answer.

"You know, dad asked where you are and I told him you were in your room, working..."

Silence.

"I told him not to disturb you. You're obviously still moping because of what happened yesterday..."

You didn't know what to say. You knew you should be thanking her. Your father was strict. Jungkook was a friend, yes, but Taemin would go feral knowing that you were out here, doing God knows what with a boy when you should be in your own room, working and fixing your mistakes.

"I covered for you because I care about your feelings." She scoffed once again. "But it turns out you don't care about what I feel, huh?"

"Soojin..." You called. "What are you talking about?"

Why was she getting mad at you? You covered for her countless times! Meanwhile she only did the same for you once.

"I'm saying I like Jungkook, sister." She confessed, emphasizing the word 'sister.'

Your heart sank, face growing pale.

"Y-You like...Jungkook?" Saying this felt like a stab in your chest.

"I've been in love with him since we were sixteen. I tried telling him how I feel but I can't do it because of you." The way she said this made you feel like it was your fault.

"Me?" You blinked, shocked.

"Yes. You..." She inhaled deeply, like she was trying hard to stop herself from lashing out on you.

"You were always with him. I can't find the perfect opportunity to tell him the truth because I feel like you're preventing me!"

"Soojin..." You tried to reach for her hand but she swatted it away.

She was upset.

"I'm sorry..." You apologized. You honestly had no idea why you're saying sorry.

You guessed you felt bad.

She was right. You were always with Jungkook, always monopolizing his time that you didn't realize that you were hurting Soojin—preventing her happiness.

"I don't need your sorry. I need you to stay away from Jungkook for a while. Can you do that, huh? Will you let your sister confess first?" Just a few breaths ago, she was swatting your hand away, but now, she was taking it, gently stroking the back of your hand.

"Please? I'm not saying that you should stop being friends with him. I get it. You met him first. You were friends before I came into his life....but please, please give us time and space. I really, really like Jungkook..."

Soojin was looking at you as though she would die if you didn't say yes.

So yes.

You said "Yes. I won’t stop you from telling him how you feel..." just to make her happy.

Soojin's happiness mattered to you.

You could live without Jungkook for a while.

She couldn't. She had waited long enough.

It was her time to be with him.

You were allowing this.

You were allowing her to be happy with your best friend.

"Yay!" Soojin embraced you. "Thank you, sister!"

You smiled and hugged her back, reminding yourself that you made the right choice.

After all, it should always be family first, right?

[fakeikemen]

The "Cave of Two Lovers" foreshadows the Zutara interactions in "Crossroads of Destiny"

[And maybe after that too; (yeah this part will be purely based on speculation)]

(See also: A meta that everybody has already written but I haven't because I was living under a rock and watched Avatar very recently)

Like seriously, it is so obvious? I see people try to interpret "The Legend Of Oma and Shu" in so many other ways; like yeah, you're free to interpret it however you want but— most people try to make sense of it while thinking that the tale is just a random occurrence? But it's not.

And here's why:

(I'm so sorry, I tried to add the "keep reading" link here because this gets kinda long but it just won't work) (Also click on the pictures if you want better resolution).

The tale of Oma and Shu is about two lovers who belonged to villages that were at war against each other. To continue meeting each other, they learnt earthbending to create caves in the mountain that divides the two villages. But one day Shu didn't come to the caves. He'd died in the war. So Oma unleashed a terrifying display of her power. And then when people were willing to listen to her, she called off the war and strived for peace between both the villages. As a result the city of Omashu was created— as a monument in remembrance of their love.

So in comparison:

1. Two people belonging to the opposite sides of the war

(Other than the 100 year old war that has been going on, Zuko and Katara are involved in a very fundamental conflict: Capture the Avatar Vs. Protect the Avatar.)

2. With the same colour scheme:

3. Share intimate moments in a cave lit by green crystals:

A popular argument for this comparison is that; Oma and Shu had a positive impressions of each other when they first met. Unlike Zuko and Katara where Katara's first impression of Zuko was pretty negative because he invaded her village.

Zuko and Katara's first proper conversation happens in "Crossroads of Destiny" i.e.; the scene I'm talking about here. After this interaction that they have, I think it's safe to say that they did have positive impressions of each other. (Until Zuko made the wrong choice.)

Other than that, about the colour scheme being a coincidence: Here and here are posts by @marsreds about how the colours are definitely not a coincidence.

But seriously guys? Oma and Shu were the FIRST EARTHBENDERS and yet, instead of greens and yellows they were designed with RED and BLUE?!? (I'll take about Oma's green dress below.)

And on that note, why were Zuko and Katara the only ones who were thrown into the catacombs when everybody else was being held at the dungeons? The dungeons wouldn't have been easy to escape, neither for Zuko nor for Katara.

It's because Zuko and Katara were meant to share an intimate moment in a cave that was supposed to jog our visual memory to remind us of the caves built by Oma and Shu.

(Seriously though, I wasn't really paying attention during CoTL and thought that the Omashu legend was just put in to consume screen time, so I missed the red/blue thing. But then I watched CoD and saw the catacombs and I was like: "Isn't this like that cave made by the lovers?" And then I proceeded to have an oh shit moment because, I knew that Zutara was not canon so I never even considered the possibility of the narrative hinting at anything between them but then this happened. I mean, it's pretty darn obvious).

The colour of the crystals being the same in both caves is no coincidence either— if they just wanted two random caves with crystals, then they could've used a different colour because crystals of different colours exist:

Moving on,

The Visual Cues:

According to the colour coding Zuko = Oma (red) and Katara = Shu (blue).

So,

EXHIBIT A:

I feel like this one speaks for itself.

(I personally think that in this parallel Oma is in red because Katara at this point still sees Zuko as the face of the Fire Nation.)

EXHIBIT B:

This sequence of frames show Oma (dressed in green, like Zuko was in the catacombs) and Shu (dressed in his usual blue), standing on neutral territory and reaching out to each other and then being torn apart by the war.

Pretty much like:

The first time they are in each other's presence without the cause of their conflict (i.e. the Avatar), Zuko and Katara reach out to each other empathetically and attain bone deep understanding of each other within a matter of minutes. This whole encounter is in Ba Sing Se, which counts for the neutral territory because it hadn't been completely taken over by Fire Nation at that point.

And honestly? The raw vulnerability and intimacy of this scene and the high emotional energy of their powerful dynamic is just— wow. (I put off my binging spree for a whole day because I didn't have the heart to see Zutara not become canon after all of this.)

And soon after, Zuko and Katara face each other in battle, their tentative friendship torn apart, as they fight from their respective sides of the war.

EXHIBIT C:

Whenever Oma and Shu appear in the same frame during the visualization of the legend, Oma is always on the left half of the frame and Shu is on the right.

Similarly, throughout all their interactions in the Catacombs, whenever the frame exclusively includes Zuko and Katara, Zuko (like Oma) is on the left half of the frame and Katara (like Shu) is on the right.

The parallels (or foils rather):

#1

In CoTL, we see Song who is a healer (cures Iroh of his poisoning). She mentions that she hasn't seen her father since a Fire Nation raid took place in her village. Zuko empathises with her and says that he too hasn't seen his father in a long while. But then he refuses to say anything else about it.

Later Song tries to reach out to Zuko and tries to touch his scar— which Zuko prevents her from. She shows Zuko her own scars to show that she understood him.

And yet, Zuko doesn't open up to her.

After a while of life-changing and eye-opening experiences, in CoD, when Katara has her meltdown and cries while saying that her mother was snatched away from her by the Fire Nation; Zuko sees an opening to offer an olive branch and he takes it, he empathises with her and tells her that how his mother was snatched away by the Fire Nation as well.

Then Zuko opens up to Katara in a show of complete vulnerability. He openly talks about his scar and what he feels about it. In response, Katara offers to heal his scar and then Zuko lets her touch his scar.

It was nothing but a deliberate choice to make Song slightly parallel Katara (a healer, lost a parent because of the war) and then making Zuko not open up to her and not let her touch the scar, only for Katara to be the one he opened up to and allowed to touch the scar.

#2

After being trapped with Aang in the cave in CoTL and sharing an intimate moment with him, as soon as they find their way out, Katara runs straight ahead without looking back.

But after her time with Zuko, trapped in the Catacombs in CoD, while leaving she turns back to look at Zuko.

Judging by the amount of time the animation puts into showing us Aang's disappointment at Katara running off and into making it clear that Katara did look back at Zuko and that Zuko looked right back at her, to me, it feels like the choice to show this was pretty deliberate.

(Turning back to look at a person while leaving is a romantic trope that has been overused to death? Or is it just bollywood?)

Also I wouldn't have paid this much attention to this small detail if not for the fact that just a hint of the Omashu legend theme is played here?

No, I swear I'm not making it up.

The Omashu legend theme is used in CoD:

The Omashu legend theme is largely dominated by the music of a stringed instrument (forgive me, I don't know what it's called) alongwith a steady melody playing in the background.

In CoD, when Katara and Zuko start conversing for real, (i.e.; when Katara says: "I'm sorry I yelled at you.") what sounds like a variation of the background melody in the Omashu legend theme, starts its subtle ascent as the background score, but sans the music of the stringed instrument.

It is when Katara says: "Maybe you could be free of it." [About Zuko's scar], when then first hint of the stringed instrument is heard. It is only a single note of the strings but it's there. And this "single note" sound keeps on repeating at regular intervals with the melody building up until Aang and Iroh burst into the catacombs.

But then, when Katara is leaving with Aang and she turns back to look at Zuko, this time the music that plays for a few seconds at best, is dominated by the stringed instrument again and this time it's unmistakable.

Also I don't think this music is used anywhere else in the course of the whole show? So it can't really be a coincidence? But I don't really know. I'm saying this on the basis of as far as my memory can reach.

And this is as far as canon stands testimony to what I am trying to say here.

But what about the second half of the story yk, the dying thing, you say?

Well this is where the speculations come in.

Speculation Time:

#1

As a thumb rule, a romance foreshadowed by a tragic tale is meant to have a happy ending.

So this time when Katara's (Shu) life is in danger (Azula's lightning bolt), Zuko (Oma) steps in at the nick of time to save her life (by jumping infront of Katara to intercept the lightning).

(Since I have crossed the limit of images in a post, here is a post by @araeph which illustrates this point.)

Yes, I am completely aware that Zuko taking the lightning bolt for Katara is not his declaration of love for her. What I mean to say is that the whole scene was so very painfully obviously romantically framed (the immediate change in music when Zuko realises where the lightning bolt was headed, both of their expressions, Zuko's agonized "Nooooo", the slow-mo throughout the shot).

I am also aware that Zuko would've taken the lightning bolt for anyone. But it is the narrative that demands that Zuko take the lightning bolt for Katara and Katara only. Because this has atleast 10 different payoffs (a direct callback to the Book 2 finale where Azula had shot Aang with the lightning; the grief of which was for Katara to bear but this time Zuko himself stands between the lightning and Katara instead of being the silent spectator, the culmination of both Zuko and Katara's personal character arcs, Zuko's scar would parallel Aang's: Aang got it because he chose Katara over the world and Zuko got it because he was willing to give up the world to save Katara, etc, etc).

Tl;dr: The lightning scene wouldn't hold all that much weight if it wasn't Zuko taking the hit for Katara because the narrative literally demands it.

#2

This is where we start wading into really murky waters.

From mucking around on Tumblr due to Zutara feels™, I came across this post where some of the ideas for Book 4 were written:

• The Southern Water Tribe experienced the longest series of attacks from the Fire Nation. Zuko and Katara become political partners and work together to help end the animosity and repair relations between their two nations.

• Just like how Zuko learned to appreciate the Earth Kingdom, he would learn to appreciate the Water Tribes. Katara also learns to respect the complexity of Fire Nation culture. There is no such thing as an “evil” nation.

And that basically means that Zuko and Katara would've been working together to de-escalate the hostility between their respective nations and improve the relations between the two nations, while learning about each other's cultures simultaneously as the world would be in the process of being rebuilt after the war and they would be major role-players in shaping the new world.

Which is quite similar to how Oma strived for peace between the two villages and then as a result of the improved relations between the villages, the city of Omashu was built as a monument to the love story of Oma and Shu; which might just be symbolic of building a new world where both the villages could live in peace due to the initiative taken by Oma on behalf of herself and Shu.

The story would've come a full circle; that's all I'm saying.

If you've stuck around for this long, thank you for taking the time to read this long ass post with points that you may already have read ♥️

[hawksugarbaby]

Fatgum x reader- Atlas

Fluff + Greek mythology AU.

You were nothing more than a simple human, roaming the built up world to find something new and interesting, something no one could see but you, a secret for you and the universe to hold together. You needed to find something special is what you thought, taking a break at the atlas mountains in the scorching Morroccon sun. sweat bead down your forehead and your skin was hot to the touch but the adventure and experience, the trials to find something undiscovered was worth the peeling skin on your shoulders being soothed by aloe over and over.

Your persistence to find the unknown secret may have started genuinely, you wanted to find what the universe wanted you too, but eventually it gave you a reason to travel the world. You've travelled to 28 countries in 4 years, beginning at 18 and now you're 22, you skipped uni and college, you made money from ad revenue on youtube since your vlogs became popular, and you were incredible when it came to saving money.

Of course, you were still searching, but now you felt like you had even bigger reasons. Exploring the world, drinking in fountains of culture and knowledge, that was perfection enough. But the secret was missing.

You stood up rolling your neck and started your walk up rocky paths of mud and stone to the sandy houses forming a village and your senses lead you to a vendor, golden couscous with colourful, roasted vegetables mixed through smelled amazing and glasses of fresh mint tea lined up for you to drink while eating couscous at the vendors stall. You requested a glass of the tea, sat down, and drank it too quickly, burning your tongue from the hot water. You sucked in sharply and hummed in pain. "Thank you!" you said paying for the drink and continuing to the mountains past the beige buildings with terracotta tile roofs.

You felt like if you walked between the fingers of the mountain grabbing the earth with their hands you would find something unknown. You walked around the spurs peering into the joining point of each interlocked section but none tugged you in, pulled you towards them with mystery.

Apart from one. The sun was on the opposite side so technically there should have been no light, but it seemed perfectly visible to you? Was it a trick of the light? Possibly an illusion? Either way your heart longed to investigate and so you did. You trudged forward kicking a stone out your way and looked at the joining line. "You have to be something right?" you muttered and put your hand between the drack. You drew a triangle, mimicking the shape the spurs made and as quickly as you could blink, the mountain began to shake, not violently, but it trembled like being coerced into sharing it's deepest secrets.

"Okay... mountains don't usually do that" you say with wide eye's as the seam rips apart and balls of moss and rock tumble into a pile on the floor. Was it a doorway for you? Who knew, you didn;t care, whatever it was you were finding out one way or another.

You stepped into the cavern, dripping stalagmites made your head turn in the direction of every 'plop' into the puddle and your hands brushed against the side of the wall for stability and a sense of surrounding. "These feel like bricks?" you whisper in a questioning tone as your eye's begin to adjust to the dark and you found that you were going aimlessly through a long, triangular corridor. The bricks were a muted clay colour with green moss and algae blanketing them, the grout in the walls was black and viridian unidentifiable as something anyone had ever known of.

The terracotta sparsely began to cut into black white and grey granite eventually forming a whole wall as if the bricks had never been there to begin with. The marble was just as unkempt and ruined as the bricks but the walls got wider, further and further away from each other until they opened into a wide, white cavern, glowing and inhumanely clean. In the middle was a statue of a hulking man, holding the sky. He wore no shirt and had a pair of orange shorts on and black sandals, sandals that looked real and hyper-realistic looking shorts that flowed with the draft and skin you could see the detail of every pore in. hold on... fabric made of marble should not flow in the wind and should not be such an even orange no matter how much paint.

You slowly looked up, the chest rising and falling with a huffing breath it had to take, the hands trembled and the lips quivered. The hairs on his leg and arm stuck up with the chill of the wind and his elbows dropped slightly making the sky move. Finally, you dared look at the eye's of the giant, who was looking back at you confused as a bee trying to escape through a shut window. Mustard yellow eye's with sunken bag's looked right back at you and you backed up letting out a girlish scream.

"Hey hey wait!!" he shouted, wishing he could reach out and shake your hand or reach after you to emphasise that he wanted you to stay. "Please! Please don't go. I don't have anyone to talk to, I promise I won't hurt you!" he begged, glancing at your figure backing up and starfishing against a wall like it would absorb you and push you out the other side. "Y-you you're talking! And moving! But you, you're a statue?" you shook your hands in front of you and he laughed lightly. "I'm not a statue, I'm a titan. I'm just a big God to be honest, big God doing his job" he nodded his head at his rhyming ability and you slid down the wall grazing your burnt back. "Don't do that you'll hurt yourself" he said.

You took a deep breath to calm yourself then blew out, another deep breath and blew out, another deep breath then blew out. "Okay. so... what you're like atlas or something? He was... he was a titan right and he just held up the universe forever and that looks like something important like the universe" you pointed at the sphere on his back constantly shifting and changing colours and he made a whiney voice at the back of his throat. "Sorta? I'm Taishiro, nice to meet you" he greeted with a nod and you nodded back glancing again at the exit.

Could you trust him?

One look from him and it wasn't hard to tell he was overjoyed to finally talk to someone so you stood in front of him with your hands on your hips so he could see you while he was looking down. "Should I know who taishiro is, not to sound rude but everyone's heard of atlas, who is taishiro?" you asked biting a nail and the titan nodded understandably, fair enough, you would ask valid questions.

"so like, zeus wanted to do something cool and like "oh look i'm redeemable" se he basically said hey all the titans weren't so bad and just did what dad told them to so they all got freed or whatever but someone still has to hold the sky so they gave me the job" he said in one breath which was impressive to you but he wasn't finished. "which is okay, I don't mind it here but it's boring and lonely and my arms have cramp and God I miss food. And like they just made me a titan, they just chose me off the street after work and were like yo we need a new titan and I thought, hey y'know what i'm a hero, i'd be doing good for the world but i'm bored and hungry" he finished his ramble and you giggled.

You opened a packet of pistachios and a muffin and looked at him. "Can I climb you?" you asked gripping the pistachios in your teeth and pulling the muffin in a travel cup that clipped to your belt. "Sure! Not like you're very heavy to me" he joked and you laughed quietly grabbing the threads of his sandals and pulling yourself up like a climbing wall. "Oh you're so small. It tickles" he laughed. Resisting the urge to twitch and jerk you off his leg. You climbed quickly like the ropes in gym class then when you got to the shorts you pulled yourself up until you rested on his knee, flat as a table.

"Uhh, I think this should be good" you nod and balance cautiously to sit down pulling out the muffin and tapping his knee. "Hey open your mouth" you ask and he does so without question. You throw the muffin like a shot put and he grins, savouring the sweet, chocolatey taste "sorry their human sized" you sigh and shuck the pistachios for yourself, chewing on the green nuts with hundreds of questions buzzing in your head.

"So you were a hero?" you question flicking the pistachio shell into the bowl below you where taishiro's feet stood rooted to the ground. "Mhm. BMI hero: fat gum. I was like 46th, the world thinks I retired, that's what I told them but to me i'm still being a hero" he explained and you hummed agreeingly. "It's pretty hero like to give up everything to hold the weight of the world" you smile up at him and he blushes lightly. "Aw, you sound like one of my old interns. I miss it sometimes though, and I miss talking to people so much, it gets lonely here" a breeze flew past you and he shivered, but didn't lose an ounce of balance on the sphere, it was firmly rooted above him, it could have been suspended for all you knew. "Yeah, I bet, especially since being a hero is a pretty team focused job right?"

He smiled sadly and looked up at the tiny exit. He couldn't fit through doors like that anymore, he was the height of the eiffel tower and with one step he'd crack open the crust of the earth. "Yeah. you sound like you know what your talking about" you smiled tucking your hair behind your ear and shrugged "I do. I went to shiketsu to be a hero but when I left I was like... nah, that ain't my purpose. I wanted to like, find a secret the universe had that no one else knew about so i've been travelling for 4 years and I guess you were the secret right?" you thearised and he agreed happily. "It's cool knowing the universe wanted you to find me!" "heck yeah it is!"

You stayed with taishiro for a few days before having to leave and you had never felt so sad before. It was finally over, you didn't have a reason to travel anymore, you found the secret and had solidified a friendship with him but now you were leaving? Despite the snacks and drinks and stories shared about what you'd seen. You felt guilty leaving him again but he looked overjoyed. "I'll visit soon okay!" you shouted and he nodded "I'll see ya around. Say hey to little red riot for me, and suneater!" he instructed and you saluted exiting the cavern back into the dank corridor.

You kept your eyes trained on the ground until you left the mountain. A shimmering rainbow was directly in front of you and you swiped your hand through it like a cloud of smoke you tried re-directing.

The rainbow fizzled and formed into a human with long white hair and pasty skin, a long sundress with rainbow accents and black eye's. "Hi, (y/n) (y/ln) am I right? Oh I know i'm right don't worry, i'm iris Goddess of the rainbow and a messenger for the Gods of sorts. See I'm here to offer you a fast pass from wherever you are to right here in Morocco, next to our dear friend Tai whenever you please" she said with a smile, arm around your shoulder and walking away from the entrance like a car salesman.

You crossed your arms and raised an eyebrow interested but cautious. "What will it cost me?" you ask bluntly and she laughed, slapping your back lightly. "Your hilarious kid. No it costs you nothing more than a prayer or 2 to me and my dear friend Hermes, see he's the God of travel, he's my partner in this see, and what we'll do is just zip you over here faster than you can think!" she exclaimed. You nodded and thought. A free service from 2 Gods? Were they typically that kind? No not really so...

"Oh I see. Zeus wants a fuck doesn't he" you jeered and the sky's went pale grey, like the colour your skin would go if you;d seen a ghost. Iris choked and looked up. "Um... the God of the sky does take an interest in you, yes." you rolled your eyes and stuck your tongue out at the sky. "Keep it in your pants buddy! I want the fast pass for free or I tell yo wife!!" you bargained, though it was hardly a haggle as the king God, terrified of his wifes wrath, told irish to just give you it for free.

"Thank you! I'll be sure to think of you when I see rainbows from now on, maybe we can have a chat! Oh oh or come see me and Tai some time, he says he gets lonely, you should visit him!" you grinned with a wave and said your address, being transported immediately like cargo from morocco to your home.

You crashed into your bed and huffed grabbing your limbs to make sure you were completely there. "DOES THIS WORK WITH OTHER COUNTRIES!" you shouted to no one in particular, your voice cracking while you spoke and then collapsed into bed, falling into a deep slumber.

A/n: Not gonna lie I really dont like thos chapter. It feels rushed and boring, I think I'll revisit it at somepoint. If you have any feedback feel free to comment!

[bccfggffbgv]

(A.N. This just got even more insane)

(Turns out Nix didn’t learn her lesson about having a poor manufacturing process. Her knockoff Ruby Weapons (A.N. I imagine she gave them an “Edgy” name that is so over the top that it makes Infinite look tame) where fairly numerous, but the process to make them was so poor that those that didn’t basically fall apart due to being rushed into action without proper testing where promptly either obliterated by Death Egg Robo Sentinels and other Egg Base defense systems at range or forced to retreat. Nix was actually surprised that Eggman has so many robots already. Then he sent a mocking email to proclaim he has his own space station with robot factories built in. Queue her spotting the Death Egg itself, even more well defended by his machines and constantly producing robots. Nix growled as Eggman was basically able to sit back and sip some tea. Meanwhile, Azem went with Mercury and Sonic to a strange floating city detected by Mercury, who determined that an emerald might be there. The only thing stranger than the city itself is that Sonic opted to ride on one of Landerwaffe’s wings, stating he’s used to it. Elsewhere still, Grey Horde troops found a floating island, and found what appeared to be a MASSIVE Chaos Emerald, and decided to try and take the massive green jewel. All that they got was being punched over the horizon. The one behind that, a Red Echidna, was annoyed at this, as it was about the twelfth time that this happened in the span of just two days. At least the Necromancer was able to hold his own better than most, but he was soon punched away as well. Why where there so many villains besides Eggman going for the Master Emerald now?)

(A.N. Knuckles is stated to be as strong as Sonic is fast, and given how fast Sonic is, it makes sense that Knuckes is able to do these punches over the horizon. Also, I guess I made it The Chaosverse and Knuckes now)

Nix: I'm going to need to get actually good engineers...*She then sees the new JcBlight satellite floating about*...Actually, those abomination worker drone hybrids I've been seeing seem helpful~...I'm sure they won't mind me "borrowing" them~...

*She had then soon began hacking them with her strange prism eye virus*

(Meanwhile with the heroes)

Mercury: I think we have...company? *The group soon spots the mad doctor himself within his Eggmobile*...I wasn't expecting...this.

Eggman: Well if it isn't the stubborn blue rodent that continues to pester me no matter where I go! I take it that these are your new "friends" sonic? Because I certainly have more than enough firepower with this new machine to get rid of you all~! *He then calls upon a Chinese dragon like mech that was surging with electricity* Get a load of this~!

[Boss: Egg-storm]

(Meanwhile on Angel Island)

Eda, while walking with S.A.M, Ross, Luz, and Uzi: Hey kid, are you sure we're on the right track? I haven't seen a single emerald since we got here.

Ross, as he saw a ring by itself: But what about those weird floating rings? I bet they have magic in 'em-! *Just as he had touched it, it had vanished away with an interesting ping*...How does that work?...

(Meanwhile with Victor Hex)

*He had fully healed himself but was still annoyed by having been bested by that red echidna...He soon had discovered an interesting find within an old junkyard...Or more accurately: "multiple" finds*

Victor Hex, as he began charging his ever growing magic on these broken robots and Cybertronians: You will all be very valuable assets to my army~...Rise from your graves and be one with the ascension~!

[joi-in-the-tardis]

So, I spent most of yesterday going back and forth been being angry and feeling detached. And I hate, hate, hate that detached feeling. Well, I don't like feeling angry, either. But, at least it's something.

Anyway, a good deal of it was my work situation. But the other part of it was the things that my supervisor says Wifey said while I was gone.

I can't remember if I said here that Wifey had a heart-to-heart at me before I left. I say "at me" because I wasn't really involved. She spilled her feelings and then she said she felt better, but I did not reciprocate. She did apologize, but it was for something I feel was not the crux of our issues and she breezed right by "The Facebook Incident." If she doesn't want to talk about attacking me in a public space rather than talking to me like an adult, then I have very little to say. And, even if she does, I'm well past the point of forgiveness. At this point it would just show some maturity and clear the air.

That being said, she blamed our supervisor (to her face, mind you) for the dissolution of our friendship- that I had been her best friend and it was her fault that I no longer was. And, in the same conversation said that she was actually glad that me and Supervisor are friends because now there's someone else to care for me and she can move on to work somewhere else.

First off: Breaking off our friendship had nothing to do with our supervisor. What happened was I finally saw what I had been trying not to see for over seven years... That no matter what I do or say, no matter how much of myself I share, she will believe the narrative in her head that she's built about me. She will believe that I am acting against her, despite evidence. And that she will continue to resent me, believing that the only way she's going to get anywhere is to pull me down. That if there's nothing I can do to change that, then I am no longer obligated to try and I need to put my energy- what little there is- into people who actually see me and want to build open, honest relationships.

Secondly: While I do feel that we've stuck it out all this time, through multiple supervisors and store management teams, by looking out for one another... This idea that she's been my carer makes me want to scream. I'm 36 years old. I've lived on my own for over a decade. I joke that I'm a 10 or 12 year old boy, but that's just it... it's a joke. I don't need anyone taking care of me. I don't (as far as Supervisor goes) let people manipulate my feelings. I don't let people tell me what to do. And, all of my choices- up to and including the dissolution of this friendship- are my choices and my choices alone. And I made this choice based on Wifey's actions, not any kind of encouragement by our supervisor. If anything, our supervisor believed for quite a while that I could fix Wifey because I was her friend.

Thinking you have to care for me like a child AND that I make decisions based on what other people tell me to do or think or feel is easily the best way to tell me that, after over 7 years, you don't know me at all. At the end of the day, I am another variable she's trying to control and it frustrates the hell out of her that she can't. And that other people actually like that about me. Or, at the very least, respect it. And, further, that other people won't allow her to manipulate them about in a her-vs-me kinda of way. Other people are not privy to and won't tolerate her narrative because they know me better than that. AND SHE'S KNOWN ME LONGER THAN MOST OF THEM.

So, she's said that she's put applications in elsewhere. Which, fine if she has. Move on with your life where you're "more appreciated." I'm sorry it came to this, but I'm not sorry to rid my life of another stressor. But, she's lied about applying places before so... I dunno if I believe her. I'm leaning towards her doing this flounce to get her ass kissed... which, we're all tired of the drama (management team, included!) and I don't think it's going to go that way for her.

[tallyovie-writes]

Suffocating | t.r.

Tom Riddle x Reader

Summary: you and him have your final parting, last words exchanged

Word count: 1,4k

Warning: angst (if I portrayed it good)

When you caught up to Tom, you grabbed his hand to stop him. His anger was forced back behind his mask. The only thing that revealed his true intentions was his eyes burning a hole in your hand. After all this, still clutching his robes. You slowly let go of it and watched it gracefully fall back to it's place.

"Riddle. Love isn't a weakness. When you are sitting in the Great Hall with your friends and you let a smile creep upon your face at your friends' jokes, that's not weakness. When you take a midnight stroll on the grounds, yes I know you do, and the rapture that comes upon you just to crack your armor isn't a bad thing.

Not all of your deeds have to make sense. Some stuff exist just to expand your insides with warmth, but you surpress it.

But I stand here, begging..." your voice started to falter. The weakness enveloping you made it hard to continue." ...please don't push it away. Don't push Me away. Power is a hungry beast and it serves no master. It doesn't take a break till it consumed everything in it's way. Including you.

Your face might be pretty 20 years from now on, but on the inside I won't recognize the boy inside you that is now cannot catch a breath under your acts. Let go of the rope, bring down your walls, or he will suffocate.

Your future may be Voldemort, but the present is still Tom Riddle. The present is me. Your steps are taking you far away from me. I cannot turn my emotions off like you! Riddle! Tom!...Tom...don't you understand?"

It seemed like for a second that the mask fades away, spiderweb-like cracks spread over the ice that he was. But as the cold wind swept through the abandoned corrider, it built back the pieces that looked ready to fall off. Tom's porcelan face settled, taking up a creepy old doll kind of state.

"That slipped your mind, that maybe I rejoice in blissfulness not because of the stroll, but seeing a predator getting his prey? Or the smile that you take for affection holds a different meaning? A mocking superior gesture that my 'friends'' -a condescending twitch in his mouth revealed the true meaning of this word-"ignorance triggers? And you...wouldn't you agree that my steps might retreat from you for a reason? I don't have anything to turn off, never had one either. Dumbledore might trained you to trust that love overcomes everything in the end, but I will be the one that walkes away when love doesn't protect the gullible. Power protects me. In no case a 17 year old with fortune cookie speeches."

His words made your insides feel like stabbed with a hundred knifes, but you tried to not show it. You gathered your remained poise, straightened your back, chines up and looked him in the eye.

"If we are talking honest truths then okay. I won't talk to you about love because you don't deserve it. The only person who had the faintest idea about who you really are is standing in front of you. You just lost me." You both knew it wasn't that easy. "When you are writhing on the floor, pain and surpressed emotions radiating from every cell of your body I won't be there." You ment it this time. You'd rather give up your magic than to see him in that state. The state that is inevitable. "It will come crushing on you like a kept back wave, if not in this lifetime, then after it. Mark my words. You can still turn your back on the darkness you embrace, but I know you wont. On the other hand I will turn my back on you. The effort I will put in making myself whole again will never be shattered this time. Loving you was the hardest and most painful thing I've ever done. It consumed me, brushing aside my needs. But I will be over you. And I will be happy. Can you say the same?"

The abyss between you that was covered with protective web until now fell away. The opposite sides you were standing at were no longer superable. The battle of the eyes sang the words that your pride held back.

I love you. Come back to me. Change, for me.

I cannot love you. I'm not able. Power fills that inviting void that I'm feeling around you.

With a last nod, you turned your back on the Head Boy. Your eyes, for the last time, took a long look at the angelic face hiding a demon. Burning it in the back of your mind, saving it pieces by pieces. You'll let yourself break for a last time. From tomorrow you won't imagine a mundane life with him. But today you can hurt a little.

He stood there like a perfect statue. His heart beat to the same velocity as the quickness of your steps leaving him.

**

Tom Riddle didn't know suffocating until he met you. The only time he felt the strange weight leaving his chest was around you. Or when power took a hold of him.

It was weird that with you, he didn't feel in power, never knowing who got the upper hand. Maybe that was why he could breathe. The unsure. But he cannot build on 'unsure'. In his plans he had to have the upper hand and not anyone else. But then why was he feeling suddenly out of air?

Falling out of this statue like trance, he went in the other direction as you, not really seeing what was in front of him. His quick heartbeat matched with his quick stride. His controll slipped, and he let this undescribeable feeling paired with anger fall on the world around him.

The windows in the corridor started swinging back and forth with a creaking noise. Wind howeled around him in circles. He stood there numb, unscratched. From the outside you wouldn't be able to tell the difference just from his fast breathing.

But then what was this chaos inside?

Sentences from your speech flew around him, but this once, he couldn't make sense of it.

What was so special in love? Why did everyone come with this word? Where were the deads' loved ones when they die alone?

Who wants to be mortal? Human? Who wants to love? Be ordinary?

Tom didn't understand.

And you. If he was close to loving you, he didn't understand why would anyone go under this torment.

Because it's worth it.

Echoed in his mind a sentence you told him back in the early days.

What's so worth it in this?

Black spots started dancing before his eyes. His hands were shaking, and were white as a corpse. A warmth started spreading in his chest but not from the good kind.

His head buzzed.

Control. He needed control.

Your face flashed before his eyes. But you were the opposite of controll. He finally understood. To be able to breathe again and suffocate his last inner human part for good, he needed to hear two person's retreating steps from the abyss.

As he waged a battle inside, memories started to resurface. Like mosaic pictures they swam in his vision. His own personal hell.

The concentration on your face as you take notes, your knuckles white from clutching the quill.

Your slightly furrowed brow as you are reading in the Common Room, sitting in the old chair by the fireplace, flames illuminating your eyes.

The way you dared to look him in the eye.

Noone will dare to look him in the eye from now on. Launching a last attack against his protesting lungs, he cut off the swift flowing of memories. He hid it in the deepest part of his mind where he won't be able to find it again. Your eyes won't be Your Eyes anymore just eyes. Your lips will only utter nonsense. And you will just only be one from the crowd.

Tom Riddle wrestled his breathing under controll. His long elegant fingers set his tie right, and made a quick motion to fix his disheveled hair.

Winning his inner fight against his remaining humanity, he suffocated the boy inside him for good.

Voldemort confidently went out to the night, leaving Hogwarts behind him.

[dog-day-morning]

THE TRUTH AND SHAKA ZULU WILL KILL YOU

In a once-popular commercial for Calgon detergent in the 1970s, a curious housewife probes the Chinese owner of the local laundry for the answer to one of the world’s eternal mysteries: “How do you get shirts so clean, Mr. Lee?” After peering over his shoulder (so as to be sure that his not-so-discreet wife isn’t standing near) the man turns back around, raises a finger to his lips and says through a smile, “Ancient Chinese secret!”

While the answer to the question posed to the laundry owner by the woman was a closely guarded secret — one that his sweet, no-nonsense wife happily ruined — it was neither ancient nor even Chinese in origin. But the TV spot famously tapped into one of the most enduring legends about the country whose Ming Dynasty rulers had a 16-to-26 foot wall built around it: the age-old traditions of secrecy.

And, like Vegas, what happened in China very often stayed in China, just get the hell out of Alkebulan!!! But if you insist on staying, you and your barbarian invader horde of Ghengis Khan, wannabe warlords can take that beatdown like Hirihito of Japan. You can indulge in Alkebulan's rich resources for a season or get on a junk boat and go back to China and rebuild your own country. If you stay in the Motherland you'll perish🖕🏿🖕🏿🖕🏿🖕🏿. As the saying goes, s**t happens. Wash ya ass. Please, continue reading… my screwed up mind !!!

Take the Black Chinese [Moabites] who once made up the entire population of China prior to Esau's attempt at reclaiming the birthright God decreed would be Jacob's while in the womb through forced miscegenation "Raping of indigenous women." Do not be confused or mislead by this post. My research was sketchy to say the least. The portion of the population before China’s modern era does not register any indigenous Moabites, for example. The fact that you’ve never heard of them proves the point. Here comes the BS. But don’t worry. You’re not alone. China has some 1.3 billion people and nearly all are just as in the dark about them. Well, either that or a billion people all swore to never-ever-never air any [ahem] ‘clean laundry’ about black folks formerly having a place in China’s allegedly homogeneous society. That's a bunch of made up monkey s**t. Frankly, even an ancient culture with the bragging rights to the longest continually recorded history, another myth, is bound to miss a few things like a heart, and some effing genomes. The former presence — up until sometime in the 20th century — of Black people in pre-modern China is one of them. Fortunately, though, old photos taken throughout China around the advent of photography can help us to fill in today some of what the historians missed on purpose. I can't believe I'm posting this. 👎🏿👎🏿👎🏿👎🏿 China’s Qing Dynasty, established by the Manchu people who ruled from 1644–1912, is described as having been a vast multicultural empire. But it appears multicultural could also be a more pleasant euphemism for multiracial. You people are like dogs, stop eating them?! Nothing illustrates this better than the Black and white photos taken by visitors from Europe in the mid-to-late 1800s. Really?!! John Thomson, an Irish photographer was one of the first to capture images that reveal a surprisingly more diverse makeup of then-contemporary China. In one of the most stunning photos taken by Thomson displayed above, six women dine together in a courtyard. Captioned “Manchu ladies at a meal,” the picture was taken in 1869 in the city of Peking (now Beijing). Seated at the center of the photo are two women: on the right sits a typical high class Manchu and on the left sits a smiling Black woman — who could easily pass as the mother of the RZA, the GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, or any other member of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Apart from the physical differences in the women (including the two who were likely seated, but stood for the picture), what’s also remarkable is that when Thomson writes about them, he makes no distinctions — though there were both racial and class differences; some of them were most assuredly attendants or maids. But in the view of Thomson, they were all simply Manchu ladies sharing a meal on a day when he sought interesting subjects to photograph. I saw the photographs. The darker ones were inherently claimed to be lower case workers or servants, while the ones who looked like Lucy Liu were considered affluent, and well off. These racial disparities that evolved from hell are a sad reminder to a wound that won't stop bleeding because of man's inability to stop giving in to his base emotions. I plead cray cray, and insanity. Jacob, they would rather burn in hell for an eternity than let us live in peace for a day. God is coming back for Israel not the Christian Church that has been corrupted by the Evangelical, right wing, nut jobs.

1 Maccabees 3:48

And laid open the book of the law, wherein the heathen had sought to paint the likeness of their images.

If you study history, and read the Bible, you'll see how religion has been used to divide God's people which they're not. Some gentiles will walk into New Jerusalem, the vast majority of them won't. The Bible has been tampered with by people who are shepherds for the Devil. The Catholic Church is Satanic no matter how you cut it. The cathedral of Notre Dame had gargoyles mounted atop the edifice looking over the city of Paris, France. Do you find this to be a bit of a double minded mentality or a slap of defiance in God's face. What god do you worship? We want to know the truth from God. This world can't be trusted with an anorexic T-Rex. You'd call it a crackhead and dump him in the Labrea tar pits unless it was a female, at that point you would attempt to crossbreed it with a Chihuahua, and hope to domesticate this new animal which has disaster written all over his I'm shaking cause I need a fix quick, petrified ass. When Vatican City is destroyed let that be a warning from God to those who still have a sliver of faith in God, get a relationship with Him. Jacob, this writing piece reveals their unwillingness, and froward hearted, lack of sensibility by not telling the whole truth. Instead they give us a revised version of history that wasn't. They have been our teachers for the last 500yrs when we were there's previous. Either you learn from your mistakes or continue to repeat them.

Zechariah 8:23

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.

If you hate being rebuked by a Black professor with a tenure ship, you'll hate being corrected by a Black child who has 5 degrees including a specialist in biochemical, ecological science, and psychology. You're ashamed because you're proud. There were great African kingdoms that educated the anglo European that's been shrouded in history. The book of Maccabees says the people who have mislead, and lied to us are as knowledgeable as a 13yr old using crib notes. I'm nuttier than a can of Planters, the truth is in you Jacob. Utilize the authority given to you. You will have to teach them as it was in the past. Everything from Bible scriptures, to aerospace, science engineering. The educational system is designed to hold back Black children, but the 3 people with the highest IQs in the world at the time was a 10yr old Black male, an 2 Black females under the age of 8. They were the youngest members of Mensa ever. This was about 4yrs ago. You can't stop God's anointing from glowing and glorifying Him and His people. Read the rest of this article and lose your mind. Its a nauseating and frustrating read. The truth will set you free. It ain't in these hood boogers

Written accounts by early Chinese historians tell us that the Tonkin region and its adjacent areas were once a hotbed of various non-Han Chinese peoples, including those from whom the Lao Cai girl descends. But with the southward advance of the Han Chinese, such groups were pushed even further south, or gradually assimilated into the dominant population. Historian Thant Myint-U writes in “Where China Meets India” that during the 9th century, the Chinese ethnographer Fan Cho compiled the Man Shu, or “Book of the Southern Barbarians.” Fan Cho describes there the varied peoples living in and around Yunnan. Included among them were the Wu-man or ‘Black southern barbarians,’ so-called for their dark complexions. And ironically, the French author of the Lao Cai photo had the image annotated with the Chinese word “Man,” and — sadly — with the Vietnamese “Xa” (or Kha), signifying servant or slave.

With this photo of a mother and her two children by John Thomson, taken on the streets of Peking (now Beijing), something finally clicked. For reasons that won’t be detailed here (as it would take far too long to explain) more than a decade of research into the peopling of Asia seemed to suggest that any black Chinese still living in the age of photography would likely all be found in southernmost China. Black Moabites still coexist in China to this day. This is a class study in you must be dumber than an incubator.

In his 1902 book The Boxer Uprising, American photographer James Ricalton includes this photo of several dozen men, many of them likely to be executed the next day for their part in the Boxer Rebellion. The latter was a bloody, anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising that took place between 1899 and 1901; the 2006 Jet Li film Fearless was inspired by events that took place in the aftermath of the rebellion. The same is also true of the 1971 Bruce Lee film Fist of Fury. No actors in the aforementioned films — nor any other martial arts films set in pre-modern China — ever had actors resembling the non-Han Chinese mixed in above. About them, the racist Ricalton writes:

“This is truly a dusky and unattractive brood. One would scarcely expect to find natives of Borneo or the Fiji Islands more barbarous in appearance; and it is well known that a great proportion of the Boxer organization is of this sort; indeed, how dark-skinned, how ill-clad, how lacking in intelligence, how dull, morose, miserable and vicious they appear!” I'm willing to bet you 5 million in Bitcoin that I don't have, a lifetime supply of opium, and 2 happy ending massages daily that this bougie French bastard is rotting in hell praying to white Jesus that Rumiel won't screw him up the wahoo tonight. Tickle his sack!!! Like Thomas Cromwell the powers that be went to great lengths to cover this history in ChinaTown. You can't hide the truth from a people that's tired of being dictated to, oppressed, lied on, abused and persecuted by everybody, and discredited for the contributions they've made to this damnable planet. As previously stated we don't want crumbs [reparations] we want the whole planet Black before you, and the I hate n**gers brigade showed up, that includes Moo Goo Gai Pan. As soon as his Chicken fried, Bat Man eating, pancaked backside came along, and gained some freedoms, he started emulating his zaddy, he became drunk with xenophobia like the rest. If you hate my commentary tell ya boy Biden or his Amerikkka is not a racist country VP, Kamala Harris. She's next in line to preside as Pontius Pilate over this damnation unless Biden loses his dementia. Its a joke, think or buy a vowel. If that doesn't work, swap some Budha, and kiss Mr. Nasty bye bye.

[pink-peony-princess]

Knight to Remember

"Remember when we met?" I murmured, picking at Shawn's scrubs as I lay on his chest. I hadn't been feeling well all day with my monthly cycle so when Shawn had come home he'd sweetly offered to order dinner in and have a movie night, despite having things he probably really needed to do.

"Mmhhh," he responded, hand playing with my hair, massaging my scalp, as he watched the film we'd put on. "I was your knight in shining armour." I could head the playful teasing behind it,but it was true, if he hadn't been there that night,I don't know what would have happened to me.

I could feel the tears welling in my eyes,overflowing and rolling down my cheeks landing on the light blue material attached to Shawn's body.

"Why are you crying baby?" Shawn asked,sitting up. I could see the worry etched into his face as he looked at me.

I shrugged,I didn't know why I was crying. Was it because if my period, was it because I didn't feel well or was it because I would never be able to repay Shawn for what he did for me that night.

...

1 year ago

When I came to, I didn't know where I was, or how long I had been there. What I did know was that I was freezing, and in more pain than I had ever been before. I lay there for what must have been at least a few more minutes before finally building up the courage to open my eyes. When I did, I found myself crumpled at the back of a dark stone alley, but I couldn't remember where exactly I was, or even how I had come to be there.

More than the pain that was now beginning to radiate from every part of my body- my legs, my chest, my head, even my eyes... how can my eyes be hurting? I wondered... I was concerned about the obvious gaps in my memory. Putting this thought aside I tried to take inventory of how bad my injuries were. I tried to wiggle my toes, and was immediately rewarded with a sharp shot of pain that ran straight up my leg, and into my lower back. At least I could feel my legs I thought, mentally sighing.

It was then that it began to rain, blood running from an unknown source into my mouth. I couldn't help but panic at the thought that there was a very real possibility that I may not be found. But how was I going to get someone, anyone for that matter to notice me?

This thought was interrupted by voices, male voices.

"So how was your shift? Mine was crazy, broken bones, crying kids, one of my residents even got bitten by a kid today," one of the men laughed.

"Mine was pretty chilled actually, but I'm not going to lie, I'll be glad to get these scrubs off and switch off 'doctor mode' for a few hours," the other one replied.

Somewhere between the haze of the pain and cold my brain comprehended the fact that this person had just said 'doctor', something which I knew, even with my limited knowledge of medicine- most of which was thanks to Grey's Anatomy- was something I needed right now.

Before I could think, I found myself screaming out for help, granted it was less of a scream and more of a horse grunt, but it got their attention and the two men were soon kneeling beside me. One tall and brunette,with curls the other shorter, but more built with wavy blonde hair.

"Hi honey, my name is Shawn, the brunette one said, and this is Connor, we're doctors at the hospital, we're going to help you okay, but I need you to tell me where it hurts okay" he asked, gently resting a hand on my arm, pulling a bag off his shoulder which I had not noticed.

As Shawn was rummaging around in his bag, Connor, came over to take my hand. "Hi sweetheart, I'm just going to take your pulse, can you remember anything that happened? Where you are or even your name?" he questioned, before going quiet. "Pulse is fast, but irregular, I'm going to go call for an ambulance, and let the guys know we'll be needing their help. We need to get her warmed up too, she's freezing," he spoke, rubbing my arm, before standing and making a call. Probably calling whoever 'the guys' were.

"I'm just going to test a few things before we get you to hospital and I need you to tell me if anything is painful okay?" The man- Shawn asked with a soft smile. I went to nod, but he reached for my head, stopping the action. "Just keep nice and still for us, we don't know what damage you've done, and we don't want to make anything worse. How about thumbs up for yes and thumbs down for no?" he suggested. I went to nod again, but caught myself, and gave him thumbs up instead.

"Okay, so I'm going to shine this light in your eyes," he explained, holding up what I recognised as a pen light from all the medical dramas I watched. "It might be a little bit uncomfortable, but it's important that we check this stuff out, so we know what we're working with," he finished, smiling sympathetically again, in the half light of the dim alley. "Just follow the light, but remember, don't move your head."

I did so, and he was right, it was uncomfortable, but I put up with it.

"The guys said they'll be here in five minutes, and they've put in a trauma call for an eta of twenty minutes." I couldn't help but jump at the voice that was suddenly right next to me. "Sorry darling, didn't mean to startle you," Connor apologised, reaching for my hand, and giving it a squeeze.

"Awesome," Shawn replied, clearly eager to get me to the hospital. "The sooner we can get her in the E.R.,the better, her pupils are uneven and slightly slower than I'd like."

"While we're waiting we may as well do the rest of her vitals. Have you got the rest of your kit? Normally I leave mine in my locker, but I guess it was somewhat of a happy accident I took it with me," Connor smiled down at me, before grabbing a stethoscope out of a bag which I had not noticed he had either. "Before I check your airways, can you remember your name yet? How old you are?"

I thought for a moment, which was much harder work then it should have been. "Grace..." I started, a little unsure.

"Great, well it's lovely to meet you Grace, can you tell me how old you are?"

"Twenty."

"Perfect," he praised. "Well that's a start." he nodded to himself, before moving to put the metal of his stethoscope to my chest. "Sorry hon," he apologised when I shivered from the cold of it.

They were both quiet for a moment, Connor listening to my chest, and Shawn doing something down by my legs. "Her breathing is shallow and uneven, sounds to me like there could be a collapsed lung, but we won't know for sure until we get x-rays," Connor told Shawn, pulling the metal away from my body.

"Grace," Shawn called, "Can you feel this?" he asked. I could feel him running his finger along the bottom of my foot, though I didn't know where my shoe had gone.

"Um, yeah."

"And this?" he continued up my leg, to a point I felt no pain, and then I was in the most pain I had ever been in.

"Ow! Ow! Stop, stop, please!" I begged, tears flooding down my face, as I tried desperately to pull away.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, I'm all done." he reassured me, moving back to my head, and wiping away the tears that were beginning to soak my clothing with gloved hands. "Connor, she's got a compound fracture to the fibula on her left side. Grace if you had to rate your pain, one being nothing, and ten being unbearable what would you say?" he asked.

"Ten," I whispered, trying to compose myself, before anyone else saw me crying.

"We'll get Brian to check it out when they get here, I can hear them now." Shawn was right, I could hear a faint siren in the distance which rose to an incessant blaring as an ambulance pulled up.

"Hi guys, what have we got?" I heard a new voice ask. They sounded cheerful, and oddly calm. Basically, everything that I wasn't at that moment.

"This is Grace, she's twenty, we found her here, she has no memory of what happened. She's got a slight concussion, with a suspected partially collapsed lung, compound fracture to the fibula- left leg and possible broken ribs. Possible internal bleeding as well, pain rating ten out of ten." Shawn recalled quickly.

"Hi Grace, my name's Brian," the man spoke appearing above my head. "And this guy here is Dave," he added, pointing to another person with tan skin, several tattoos and dark hair. "We're doctors at the hospital and we work with these two guys that you already know." As Brian explained, Dave got up, only to appear seconds later with a massive bag, and a board.

It was at this point that I was starting to become drowsy, which Shawn quickly noticed, tapping my face lightly to get a response. "Grace, we need you to stay awake okay, I know it's hard, but it's important you try. Dave has the spinal board so what we're going to do is splint this leg and then get you onto the board."

I didn't' respond, tiredness sweeping over me like a thick fog. From then on everything was hazy. I could hear the odd thing, but it was like I was under water.

...

When I woke, it was to bright lights and a painful swaying motion. I tried to shift, to alleviate some of my discomfort, but was meet with a hard, cold surface under me.

"Welcome back, we were starting to get worried there, we'll be about five minutes, and then hopefully we'll be able to get you slightly more comfortable." Shawn spoke from a seat at head of the bed I was laying on.

"Let's run some pain meds," I heard someone request, Dave I thought.

"On it," Brian spoke, from where he sat next to me. "Grace, I'm going to put an I.V. in okay, it'll just be a sharp scratch and then it's over,yeah?" he tried to appease me. I wasn't aware of it immediately, but I must have started to hyperventilate, because I found myself getting dizzy, and suddenly Connor was taking a mask off that one of them must have put on me while I was out.

"Just take deep breaths, Brian's a pro okay?" he smiled, taking my hand in a silent act of comfort.

Connor was right,Brian was a pro and soon enough I found some of the pain drifting away.

...

When we got to the hospital, I was metwith more bright lights, and lots of noise. No one ever tells you how loud a hospital emergency department is, and at that point in time, all I wanted to do was sleep!

After several random people, nurses I think had finished hooking me up to monitors, and had changed me into a gown- an embarrassing process in which I'm sure I managed to flash all four of the doctors, Connor insisted on getting x-rays and an MRI and CT scan, to look at the break in my leg. I hadn't seen it, but twenty minutes after the scans had come back declaring I had no life-threatening brain damage, Shawn came to inform me that it would indeed need surgery, which only caused more tears.

He was quick to assure me that he would be there throughout the whole process, something which I found mildly panic relieving, but it didn't change the fact that I was still having to go into surgery. Why was medicine so much less glamourous and fun in real life than on T.V? I wondered as he started attaching me to electrodes,"For an ECG," he explained when I looked at him questioningly from my stagnant position on the bed.

I did find a small ray of hope in the deluge of bad news, in that I didn't have any spinal damage, which meant I could have the stupid collar taken off, and be removed from the back board.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" Dave asked, coming to stand next to the bed after Shawn and Connor had managed to get me back onto the normal bed, somehow doing so without causing me additional pain.

"Ummm?" I started, before laughing meaning that I dissolved into a fit of coughing, resulting in an intense burning throughout my chest.

"Just take a few breaths, no rush," Brian spoke, picking up my hand, taking my pulse again, as Shawn listened to my breathing again.

"Okay, there's definitely some damage, but it should repair itself in time. The important thing will be rest."

"Grace are you feeling light-headed at all?" Brian asked, a slight frown on his face, as he dropped my hand and turned to look at the monitor.

"No,why?" I asked.

"Because your pulse is fast, and your blood-pressure is high, nothing to worry about, probably just the stress of the situation, but we need to keep an eye on it is all."

"Oh okay,"

"So back to what we were saying before," Connor started. "Good news is, there's no signs of internal bleeding on any of the scans, but your leg on the other hand is a little more complicated, you'll probably need plates, and physio for sure."

"How long will it take to heal?" I asked, feeling dread bubbling up to the surface of my thinking.

"It really depends, on a couple of things. How bad it is, what your pain levels are like with the physio, and so on. But roughly, at least six months." He broke to me slowly, looking at me with sympathy in his eyes.

After that it was all a bit of a blur, the stress of the event finally starting to catch up with me. I woke up some time after the surgery, in a cast and traction, something which I was not happy with... especially when I realised that it meant that I would be relying on bed pans and sponge baths for the foreseeable future.

The coming days were easier, except for a particularly bad reaction to a pain killer Shawn gave me on the second night, which caused nasty bed spins, with vomiting thrown in. Luckily for me, he was a pro at dealing with things like this, and it was nothing out of the ordinary for a normal shift as an Intensive Care physician he reassured me, as my face burned in embarrassment when the nurse had to change my gown, due to sick getting on it. It was the absolute last thing I would have wanted to happen in front of someone like Shawn. When I'd first come in,I hadn't realised just how good looking he was, but oh my god, was he gorgeous, tall and muscular with curls that seemed to fall perfectly- a few resting on his forehead despite him constantly pushing them back. He was sweet too, always going out of his way to make sure I was okay, that I was as comfortable as I could be.

---

They pieced together when I was in surgery, that I had definitely been involved in a hit and run, something which they had concluded in my initial assessment unbeknownst to me when they found a series of tyre marks across my abdomen. They were sure to tell me just how lucky I was to get away with the injuries I did. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at this, and so ended up doing some of both.

Each day was easier than the last, and my mood was raised when my parents arrived, from arrived in Toronto all the way from Sydney, my home, which I had remembered after the concussion had subsided.

Eventually I could start rehabilitation, having to relearn how to use my leg, something which wasn't always easy, but they guys were always there to support me, and would supple a constant stream on bad jokes to keep my mind off the pain.

When it came to leaving day, as excited as I was I was also sad, I had formed bonds with these guys, especially Shawn, and they had literally given me my life back, something which I would also be grateful for. Little did I know that just over a year later I'd be laying on Shawn's chest as comfortable as could be, having been dating for a bit over nine months.

...

Present day

"Why are you crying Gracie?" he asked again, wiping away a tear with the pad of his thumb.

"I'm just so tired," I sniffled,hugging him more, craving the comfort and warmth he provided.

"How about a bath and an early night?" he suggested.

"Will you join?" I pleaded with my best puppy dog eyes.

He sighed, he hated baths and I knew it, but I needed him with me tonight, I was feeling emotional and vulnerable and he was the only one that could make it better.

"Only because it's you Princess," he smiled, shaking his head, before bending down and attaching his lips to mine in a long tender kiss.

"Love you," I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me again, creating the cacoon of warmth that I loved so much.

"Love you more."

[pinkpeonyprincessblog]

A Knight to Remember

"Remember when we met?" I murmured, picking at Shawn's scrubs as I lay on his chest. I hadn't been feeling well all day with my monthly cycle so when Shawn had come home he'd sweetly offered to order dinner in and have a movie night, despite having things he probably really needed to do.

"Mmhhh," he responded, hand playing with my hair, massaging my scalp, as he watched the film we'd put on. "I was your knight in shining armour." I could head the playful teasing behind it,but it was true, if he hadn't been there that night,I don't know what would have happened to me.

I could feel the tears welling in my eyes,overflowing and rolling down my cheeks landing on the light blue material attached to Shawn's body.

"Why are you crying baby?" Shawn asked,sitting up. I could see the worry etched into his face as he looked at me.

I shrugged,I didn't know why I was crying. Was it because if my period, was it because I didn't feel well or was it because I would never be able to repay Shawn for what he did for me that night.

...

1 year ago

When I came to, I didn't know where I was, or how long I had been there. What I did know was that I was freezing, and in more pain than I had ever been before. I lay there for what must have been at least a few more minutes before finally building up the courage to open my eyes. When I did, I found myself crumpled at the back of a dark stone alley, but I couldn't remember where exactly I was, or even how I had come to be there.

More than the pain that was now beginning to radiate from every part of my body- my legs, my chest, my head, even my eyes... how can my eyes be hurting? I wondered... I was concerned about the obvious gaps in my memory. Putting this thought aside I tried to take inventory of how bad my injuries were. I tried to wiggle my toes, and was immediately rewarded with a sharp shot of pain that ran straight up my leg, and into my lower back. At least I could feel my legs I thought, mentally sighing.

It was then that it began to rain, blood running from an unknown source into my mouth. I couldn't help but panic at the thought that there was a very real possibility that I may not be found. But how was I going to get someone, anyone for that matter to notice me?

This thought was interrupted by voices, male voices.

"So how was your shift? Mine was crazy, broken bones, crying kids, one of my residents even got bitten by a kid today," one of the men laughed.

"Mine was pretty chilled actually, but I'm not going to lie, I'll be glad to get these scrubs off and switch off 'doctor mode' for a few hours," the other one replied.

Somewhere between the haze of the pain and cold my brain comprehended the fact that this person had just said 'doctor', something which I knew, even with my limited knowledge of medicine- most of which was thanks to Grey's Anatomy- was something I needed right now.

Before I could think, I found myself screaming out for help, granted it was less of a scream and more of a horse grunt, but it got their attention and the two men were soon kneeling beside me. One tall and brunette,with curls the other shorter, but more built with wavy blonde hair.

"Hi honey, my name is Shawn, the brunette one said, and this is Connor, we're doctors at the hospital, we're going to help you okay, but I need you to tell me where it hurts okay" he asked, gently resting a hand on my arm, pulling a bag off his shoulder which I had not noticed.

As Shawn was rummaging around in his bag, Connor, came over to take my hand. "Hi sweetheart, I'm just going to take your pulse, can you remember anything that happened? Where you are or even your name?" he questioned, before going quiet. "Pulse is fast, but irregular, I'm going to go call for an ambulance, and let the guys know we'll be needing their help. We need to get her warmed up too, she's freezing," he spoke, rubbing my arm, before standing and making a call. Probably calling whoever 'the guys' were.

"I'm just going to test a few things before we get you to hospital and I need you to tell me if anything is painful okay?" The man- Shawn asked with a soft smile. I went to nod, but he reached for my head, stopping the action. "Just keep nice and still for us, we don't know what damage you've done, and we don't want to make anything worse. How about thumbs up for yes and thumbs down for no?" he suggested. I went to nod again, but caught myself, and gave him thumbs up instead.

"Okay, so I'm going to shine this light in your eyes," he explained, holding up what I recognised as a pen light from all the medical dramas I watched. "It might be a little bit uncomfortable, but it's important that we check this stuff out, so we know what we're working with," he finished, smiling sympathetically again, in the half light of the dim alley. "Just follow the light, but remember, don't move your head."

I did so, and he was right, it was uncomfortable, but I put up with it.

"The guys said they'll be here in five minutes, and they've put in a trauma call for an eta of twenty minutes." I couldn't help but jump at the voice that was suddenly right next to me. "Sorry darling, didn't mean to startle you," Connor apologised, reaching for my hand, and giving it a squeeze.

"Awesome," Shawn replied, clearly eager to get me to the hospital. "The sooner we can get her in the E.R.,the better, her pupils are uneven and slightly slower than I'd like."

"While we're waiting we may as well do the rest of her vitals. Have you got the rest of your kit? Normally I leave mine in my locker, but I guess it was somewhat of a happy accident I took it with me," Connor smiled down at me, before grabbing a stethoscope out of a bag which I had not noticed he had either. "Before I check your airways, can you remember your name yet? How old you are?"

I thought for a moment, which was much harder work then it should have been. "Grace..." I started, a little unsure.

"Great, well it's lovely to meet you Grace, can you tell me how old you are?"

"Twenty."

"Perfect," he praised. "Well that's a start." he nodded to himself, before moving to put the metal of his stethoscope to my chest. "Sorry hon," he apologised when I shivered from the cold of it.

They were both quiet for a moment, Connor listening to my chest, and Shawn doing something down by my legs. "Her breathing is shallow and uneven, sounds to me like there could be a collapsed lung, but we won't know for sure until we get x-rays," Connor told Shawn, pulling the metal away from my body.

"Grace," Shawn called, "Can you feel this?" he asked. I could feel him running his finger along the bottom of my foot, though I didn't know where my shoe had gone.

"Um, yeah."

"And this?" he continued up my leg, to a point I felt no pain, and then I was in the most pain I had ever been in.

"Ow! Ow! Stop, stop, please!" I begged, tears flooding down my face, as I tried desperately to pull away.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, I'm all done." he reassured me, moving back to my head, and wiping away the tears that were beginning to soak my clothing with gloved hands. "Connor, she's got a compound fracture to the fibula on her left side. Grace if you had to rate your pain, one being nothing, and ten being unbearable what would you say?" he asked.

"Ten," I whispered, trying to compose myself, before anyone else saw me crying.

"We'll get Brian to check it out when they get here, I can hear them now." Shawn was right, I could hear a faint siren in the distance which rose to an incessant blaring as an ambulance pulled up.

"Hi guys, what have we got?" I heard a new voice ask. They sounded cheerful, and oddly calm. Basically, everything that I wasn't at that moment.

"This is Grace, she's twenty, we found her here, she has no memory of what happened. She's got a slight concussion, with a suspected partially collapsed lung, compound fracture to the fibula- left leg and possible broken ribs. Possible internal bleeding as well, pain rating ten out of ten." Shawn recalled quickly.

"Hi Grace, my name's Brian," the man spoke appearing above my head. "And this guy here is Dave," he added, pointing to another person with tan skin, several tattoos and dark hair. "We're doctors at the hospital and we work with these two guys that you already know." As Brian explained, Dave got up, only to appear seconds later with a massive bag, and a board.

It was at this point that I was starting to become drowsy, which Shawn quickly noticed, tapping my face lightly to get a response. "Grace, we need you to stay awake okay, I know it's hard, but it's important you try. Dave has the spinal board so what we're going to do is splint this leg and then get you onto the board."

I didn't' respond, tiredness sweeping over me like a thick fog. From then on everything was hazy. I could hear the odd thing, but it was like I was under water.

...

When I woke, it was to bright lights and a painful swaying motion. I tried to shift, to alleviate some of my discomfort, but was meet with a hard, cold surface under me.

"Welcome back, we were starting to get worried there, we'll be about five minutes, and then hopefully we'll be able to get you slightly more comfortable." Shawn spoke from a seat at head of the bed I was laying on.

"Let's run some pain meds," I heard someone request, Dave I thought.

"On it," Brian spoke, from where he sat next to me. "Grace, I'm going to put an I.V. in okay, it'll just be a sharp scratch and then it's over,yeah?" he tried to appease me. I wasn't aware of it immediately, but I must have started to hyperventilate, because I found myself getting dizzy, and suddenly Connor was taking a mask off that one of them must have put on me while I was out.

"Just take deep breaths, Brian's a pro okay?" he smiled, taking my hand in a silent act of comfort.

Connor was right,Brian was a pro and soon enough I found some of the pain drifting away.

...

When we got to the hospital, I was metwith more bright lights, and lots of noise. No one ever tells you how loud a hospital emergency department is, and at that point in time, all I wanted to do was sleep!

After several random people, nurses I think had finished hooking me up to monitors, and had changed me into a gown- an embarrassing process in which I'm sure I managed to flash all four of the doctors, Connor insisted on getting x-rays and an MRI and CT scan, to look at the break in my leg. I hadn't seen it, but twenty minutes after the scans had come back declaring I had no life-threatening brain damage, Shawn came to inform me that it would indeed need surgery, which only caused more tears.

He was quick to assure me that he would be there throughout the whole process, something which I found mildly panic relieving, but it didn't change the fact that I was still having to go into surgery. Why was medicine so much less glamourous and fun in real life than on T.V? I wondered as he started attaching me to electrodes,"For an ECG," he explained when I looked at him questioningly from my stagnant position on the bed.

I did find a small ray of hope in the deluge of bad news, in that I didn't have any spinal damage, which meant I could have the stupid collar taken off, and be removed from the back board.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" Dave asked, coming to stand next to the bed after Shawn and Connor had managed to get me back onto the normal bed, somehow doing so without causing me additional pain.

"Ummm?" I started, before laughing meaning that I dissolved into a fit of coughing, resulting in an intense burning throughout my chest.

"Just take a few breaths, no rush," Brian spoke, picking up my hand, taking my pulse again, as Shawn listened to my breathing again.

"Okay, there's definitely some damage, but it should repair itself in time. The important thing will be rest."

"Grace are you feeling light-headed at all?" Brian asked, a slight frown on his face, as he dropped my hand and turned to look at the monitor.

"No,why?" I asked.

"Because your pulse is fast, and your blood-pressure is high, nothing to worry about, probably just the stress of the situation, but we need to keep an eye on it is all."

"Oh okay,"

"So back to what we were saying before," Connor started. "Good news is, there's no signs of internal bleeding on any of the scans, but your leg on the other hand is a little more complicated, you'll probably need plates, and physio for sure."

"How long will it take to heal?" I asked, feeling dread bubbling up to the surface of my thinking.

"It really depends, on a couple of things. How bad it is, what your pain levels are like with the physio, and so on. But roughly, at least six months." He broke to me slowly, looking at me with sympathy in his eyes.

After that it was all a bit of a blur, the stress of the event finally starting to catch up with me. I woke up some time after the surgery, in a cast and traction, something which I was not happy with... especially when I realised that it meant that I would be relying on bed pans and sponge baths for the foreseeable future.

The coming days were easier, except for a particularly bad reaction to a pain killer Shawn gave me on the second night, which caused nasty bed spins, with vomiting thrown in. Luckily for me, he was a pro at dealing with things like this, and it was nothing out of the ordinary for a normal shift as an Intensive Care physician he reassured me, as my face burned in embarrassment when the nurse had to change my gown, due to sick getting on it. It was the absolute last thing I would have wanted to happen in front of someone like Shawn. When I'd first come in,I hadn't realised just how good looking he was, but oh my god, was he gorgeous, tall and muscular with curls that seemed to fall perfectly- a few resting on his forehead despite him constantly pushing them back. He was sweet too, always going out of his way to make sure I was okay, that I was as comfortable as I could be.

---

They pieced together when I was in surgery, that I had definitely been involved in a hit and run, something which they had concluded in my initial assessment unbeknownst to me when they found a series of tyre marks across my abdomen. They were sure to tell me just how lucky I was to get away with the injuries I did. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at this, and so ended up doing some of both.

Each day was easier than the last, and my mood was raised when my parents arrived, from arrived in Toronto all the way from Sydney, my home, which I had remembered after the concussion had subsided.

Eventually I could start rehabilitation, having to relearn how to use my leg, something which wasn't always easy, but they guys were always there to support me, and would supple a constant stream on bad jokes to keep my mind off the pain.

When it came to leaving day, as excited as I was I was also sad, I had formed bonds with these guys, especially Shawn, and they had literally given me my life back, something which I would also be grateful for. Little did I know that just over a year later I'd be laying on Shawn's chest as comfortable as could be, having been dating for a bit over nine months.

...

Present day

"Why are you crying Gracie?" he asked again, wiping away a tear with the pad of his thumb.

"I'm just so tired," I sniffled,hugging him more, craving the comfort and warmth he provided.

"How about a bath and an early night?" he suggested.

"Will you join?" I pleaded with my best puppy dog eyes.

He sighed, he hated baths and I knew it, but I needed him with me tonight, I was feeling emotional and vulnerable and he was the only one that could make it better.

"Only because it's you Princess," he smiled, shaking his head, before bending down and attaching his lips to mine in a long tender kiss.

"Love you," I smiled as he wrapped his arms around me again, creating the cacoon of warmth that I loved so much.

"Love you more."

[bbrandy2002]

The Breakfast Club

Chapter 9:

Don't You Forget About Me.

Summary: The group has an epiphany. Who really put them together and why? Constantine ensures one member of the group won't be a problem anymore.

One more chapter!!!

The Royal Romance AU

Warning: These characters have potty mouths, read at your own peril. They also belong to Pixelberry.

Henry David Thoreux is quoted as saying, 'Not until we are lost do we find ourselves'. How can five people with differing life experiences, walk into a room as wounded, forgotten souls, and together, discover who they are. If ever the fates aligned, it happened on that particular Saturday. _

Life sometimes gives us what we need... Through hardships we find growth

Saturday 4:00 PM Old Palace Library

Sitting on the floor of the old library, an 18 year old with a cold heart and distaste for the crown. His father gunned down years ago by an assasin's bullet and a mother who left he and his sister, to return to the States. A war was waged in him years ago and bitterness won. All he knew now was trouble, booze and anger. He is the commoner.

Sitting to his left is the stunning Duchess of Lythikos. Nearly 18 herself, she has been raised by the King since she was a child. Her parents, traitors to the crown, died atempting to overthrow the monarchy. Contantine has always treated her like an enemy and took every opportunity to degrade her. The only constant in her life was a prince, whom she loves, but, he has never returned her affections in a manner she wants. She has built an impermiable wall of defense around herself for protection, that includes degrading others for self-preservation. She is known as the bitch to many.

Next to her, a young 17 year old from Ramsford with a heart of gold and the life of any party. On the outside, he is funny, outgoing and, perhaps, too kind for his own good. On the inside, he grieves the losses in his life, both in body and spirit. His inabilty to live up to the Beaumont expectations, weighs on him heavily. He sees himself as a failure.

Also, the new Crown Prince of Cordonia. He will be 18 tomorrow and at that time will become bethrothed to his brother's former fiancee, though, his heart now belongs to another. He has wished death would find him so many times recently that he tried and failed to make it a reality. The burdens that he was left with when his brother abdicated, is too much to bear. His father has caused irreparable hurt, physically and emotionally, that fear, now courses through his veins like wildfire. There are no disappointments allowed when you're The Heir.

Next to him, a perky, 17 year old girl, saved from the streets. She has big dreams of moving to New York and making it big. She is held back by a dangerous, family life that included more abuse than many should withstand. Is a girl with her background, naive enough to believe she can save her new dream from being robbed of his? After all, its said that trash breeds trash.

"Why is everyone sitting on the floor?", a seemingly gleeful and renewed Liam asked as he joined them.

A weary eyed Drake rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, "Trust me...its a long story".

Riley leaned over and playfully tugged at Drake's foot, "You seem somewhat calmer than you did earlier, what happened?".

Maxwell couldn't help himself as he grinned, "Let's just say....well....we got totally fucked up."

Liam and Riley looked between the three, all appearing quite relaxed, still eating on the last remnants of sandwiches and fruit the maid brought them an hour ago.

Olivia, now recovered from her earlier high, couldn't help but notice a change in Liam. Knowing he was with Riley the past four hours left a sour taste in her mouth.

"So Riley", Olivia began, "Maxwell tells us he found you on the streets...will you be returning to your park bench tonight or do you think fucking Liam once is enough for another free night at the palace".

"Olivia!", Liam, quickly shot up, dumbfounded by her callousness.

Olivia looked at him with shock, "What? Hmm, Liam...she's obviously looking for a meal ticket and you are falling right into her grubby little hands".

"You're such a bitch!" A furious Riley yelled back, both fists gripped tightly together.

"Damn straight", she sniped.

Drake laid back on the floor with his hands cupped behind his head, "You just can't stop yourself can you Olivia?"

She raised an eyebrow and straightened her posture, "Who asked you...like your opinion matters anyway".

The air became thick with tension and poisonous words. Olivia was hurting and holding on for dear life. The only person who ever seemed to give a damn about her was slipping away fast.

A normally flippant Maxwell, tried to find a balance, an understanding of what was taking place. "Olivia, why do you berate everyone? Riley's never done anything to you".

Her beady, green eyes readily placed a target directly on him, "Like I care what some moron like you thinks. When you have to deal with the bullshit I go through everyday, then by all means judge away, until then, fucking mind your own business".

Maxwell jumped up and stood with a demeanor that suggested Olivia found his breaking point. With a raised voice and a face painted as red as her hair, "The bullshit you deal with? Your bullshit?...What about my bullshit? What about Drake and Liam and Riley's bullshit? Are you so fucking closed off and hardened, that you don't see we're all dealing with nothing but bullshit?...I have two dead parents, just like you,  and a brother who has a stick so far up his ass...", his voice started to break as he rubbed a stinging tear from his eye, "...just...quit acting like its only you".

Riley stood up and gave Maxwell a comforting embrace, while Drake continued to lay back, eyes closed, struggling with his own thoughts.

Liam noted Olivia's composure, she was tense and hollow, but, her eyes spoke volumes. She was fighting herself, the walls were crumbling and she was trying with all of her might to keep them standing. If there was ever a time to get into her heart, it was now.

Liam raised his knees and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin down.  "We're supposed to write an essay about who we think we are....well, who are we? I sure as hell don't know who I am anymore...looking around at each of you and hearing Maxwell's words, tells me no one else does either".

Riley and Maxwell sat back down with the group, everyone except Drake pondering Liam's words in their minds, but, no one speaking.

Liam raised his head again and lowered his legs, crossing them in front of him. "Okay, I'll go first then....I'm suffocating, I'm losing my mind, at the end of a short rope. I hate my father, my life...who I have to be", he stopped for a second to prepare himself for what followed, "I wanted to die last night, even tried swallowing pills".

He grabs everyone's attention, including Olivia who saw him this morning, at the mention of the prince trying to commit suicide. "Yeah... I wanted it all to end...I just needed, peace".

Drake sits up, claps his hands mockingly and glares at Liam, "Boo..fucking.. hoo..must be real hard to have the entire damn country bowing at your ever present whim...so spare me the sob stories your majesty".

Olivia raises her hand back and slaps Drake across the face, screaming, "You weren't there this morning....you don't know what happens to him, to me... every day is a nightmare where the King dictates who we are or else."

Drake rubs the stinging on his reddened cheeks, seething, "Yeah, you’re right, I wasn't there, I was stuck in a damn basement apartment alone because my father died protecting your sorry, rich ass's and my mother lost her mind because of it"

Dead air filled the room.

"Sounds like your dad was a hero Drake...my real dad bailed before I was even born", Riley mused.

"Yeah Drake, at least your dad didn't die on a friggin boat with a cocaine stained nose, partying his ass off, while your mother was at home dying....it sucks I know, but, of the five of us, your dad was... pretty awesome", Maxwell said with a sympathetic smile.

A hero_? _That word caused a flood of emotions that ran straight to his yielded heart. He was breaking down too, especially when he caught a glimpse of Liam, a member of the royal family, nodding in agreement, showing genuine appreciation for Jackson Walker.

He ran a hand through his hair and held onto it with a tight grip. He tried to hold the moisture that formed like pools in his flustered, brown eyes, but, they poured out anyway. Even Olivia looked at him, envious of the legacy Jackson left for Drake and his sister to be proud of. No one else in the room could say the same of their fathers.

Drake covered his eyes and sniffled loudly, his lips quivering uncontrollably, "I miss my dad", he wailed out.

Maxwell and Riley quickly went to him, rubbing and patting him on the back. Liam crawled over to Drake, holding his head to his chest.

Liam looked at him while Drake tried to stifle his sobs. "Drake, I'd like to personally thank, on behalf of myself and the crown, the son of the man who saved me and my families life".

Drake had held his feelings in for so long, it felt surprisingly gratifying to finally release them. He thought to himself-_Fucking Bastien was right. _He lifted himself up, with everyone except Olivia following his lead. He wiped his wet face on the inside of shirt, "It's all I ever wanted, just someone to appreciate him...to care about what he did". Liam then pulled him into a hug, "I do Drake, I really do", as he clapped his back.

Drake returned a half smile, looking away for moment before turning to face Liam again, "You're already ten times the King your father is.".

Drake inhaled deeply and asked for a minute alone. He walked down the stairs and sat on the bottom step attempting to make sense of everything that just happened.

Olivia, remained still, then grabbed her purse and followed him. She sat down next to him, but, he didn't acknowledge her presence. She reached inside her purse and took  Drake's hand. He watched as she slowly dropped his fathers pocket watch into his palm.

Stunned, he stared at her in disbelief, "how did you...?"

She looked off in the distance, sighing, before meeting his bewildered look, "A courier dropped it off yesterday. It was found in an alley and had the Royal crest on it. Constantine didn't know who it belonged to and tossed it aside, but, I did....I took it and was going to use it against you".

He looked at the watch, clutching it with both hands as if his life depended on, "That's a real fucked up thing to do, even for you".

She swallowed hard, "Yeah...it is...I'm sorry".

Drake quirked his brows, "Did I really just get the Duchess of Lythikos to apologize to a poor commoner like me?".

She smiled and playfully swiped at his arm, "Yes, but, don't expect any more". She then leaned over, speaking in a low voice, "Can I tell you something?".

Drake squinted his eyes, skeptical, "What?"

Olivia looked around, "I actually had a lot of fun with you today, even when you were an asshole....banter aside, I can't say I've ever been on a drug run, climbed in an air duct, fallen through the ceiling and then got very....very stoned", she chortled.

He chuckled back, "Yeah, I never expected to do any of those things, especially with you".

"Walker?", she asked, "am I anything besides a bitch...I mean, who do I say I am?".

He thought for a moment before cracking a smile at her, "You're still a bitch....but, like a bad ass, take no prisoners kind, but, you're also one tough girl...you have to deal with a lot of Constantine's shit...that take's guts.".

She stood up, absorbing his words, "I was told as little girl...If you can breathe, you can stand and if you can stand, you can fight....So, I will just keep on fighting", she smiled, ruffled his hair and walked back upstairs.

Drake shook his head in disbelief, "unbelieveable", he said to himself as his enemy just became a friend. He followed her back up.

Liam came up behind Olivia and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek. He knew what she had just done for Drake and was proud of her. He asked her to apologize to Riley, in which she hesitated. "She's the one Livvie", he told her. The words stung, but, she was also glad to see him happy for once..

Olivia apologized and she and Riley sat together talking about make up and different hairstyles Riley could try. She told her she was returning to Lythikos soon and if she ever needed anything to let her know.

Drake and Maxwell caught Liam up on why there was a hole in the ceiling. They each would reminisce about their childhood adventures together. Every now and then, Liam would peak over at Riley, just to see her.

The group made their way down the steps and gathered around Liam, sitting at a table, preparing to write the letter. He looked up at them, "So, who do we say we are?".

Maxwell slumped over on the table, "It's been a long day, I just wanna be Maxwell."

They each looked at one another and knew what they wanted.

"I'm just Riley".

"I guess, I'm just Olivia".

"Drake"

Liam penned it down to the letter, "and I just want to be Liam".

Olivia watched as Riley and Liam sat together, canoodling, as she described it. Drake came up behind her and placed both hands on her shoulders, tugging them. She looked at him with a sad face. "Come on, you can sit with me and Maxwell", he said as he pulled her over to another table.

Some time had passed when the door opened and Bastien walked in. They were all surprised to learn that this whole thing was not actually Constantine's doing, but, he and Regina's. The kids were falling apart and they thought they could use time together, helping one another, in a way an adult couldn't.  Apparently, their plan worked.

"Real fucking sneaky Bas", Drake said as he pulled him into hug, "does this mean I don't have seven weekends of guard duty with the ass clown you sent in here to watch us?"

"We'll see", he chuckled.

Everyone made their way out of the library, with Liam stopping Riley in the hallway. "Hey you".

"Hey you", she replied while pulling him to her.

"I have to go speak with my father, but, I'll meet you at the garden maze in twenty minutes, okay?"

She stood on her tipped toes and kissed him, "Don't you forget about me", she teased.

They parted ways and she made it to the palace entrance. She was met by two officers and a guard, looking specifically for her.

The officer approached her, "Riley Brooks?"

She wanted to lie, but, they obviously knew it was her. She let a shaky response, "yes".

The officer grabbed her and placed her under arrest, "we received word from His Majesty that you are a runaway who snuck into the palace".

Riley tried to explain to them that she was invited by Maxwell and that the Prince knows her, however, it fell on deaf ears.

Constantine met them at the door, with a scour look. He walked up to her, glared at her for what seemed to be hours for Riley, then smacked her in the face. "Don't you ever think about coming back here again.... or you will be sorry."

He motioned for the officers to take her away.

She cried out, "please dont send me back, he'll kill me....please....Liam!!!".

***Let me know if you want removed from the tag list.

@timothygorgeous @lovemychoices @gnatbrain @burnsoslow @choiceslife @stopforamoment @thisperfectmemory @kingliam2019 @moneyfordiamonds @pedudley @emceesynonymroll @romanticatheart-posts @carabeth @dcbbw @ao719 @ladyakwardness

[fanwarriorfictions]

One-

A Stranger Things Fanfic

Chapter Five- Part Two

   Once the Wheeler's got home, Nancy and Phina went to change into more conventional clothing. Phina put on some warm maroon leggings and a long sleeve black shirt, then threw on a grey zip up hoodie with her leather jacket over it. The weather had been getting colder and colder, if they were going to be out in the forest, at night, she wanted to be prepared.

   Phina looked around her room, looked for anything that could be used as a weapon. She thought of an obvious weapon that she possessed, but she couldn't let Nancy, or even Jonathan, see it. So she settled for a nice wooden baseball bat. She'd been in softball during her freshman and sophomore years, one of the best players on the team, but she had quit, because no one really cared for her to be there, mostly, they were afraid of her, due to her reputation.

   Phina had always been called the weirdo of Hawkins, and it was due to what happened when she was five. Hikers had found Phina, almost frozen to death in the middle of the forest. When they had gotten her to the hospital, and warmed up, they tried to figure out where she came from, where her family was, but she couldn't remember. The only thing she could was waking up to the sound of the hikers shouting.

   The Wheeler's had adopted Phina into there family, and they all loved her so much, that they sometimes forget she isn't actually related to them.

   The rumors about her started almost as soon as she began school, everyone either hated her or feared her, and no one hated her more then Carol. Phina never let it get to her, because she knew that she was loved, by her family and the Byers. Even though she had a wonderful family, and the Byers', the bullies still got to her, and one day, she snapped.

   Phina had always been a hothead, but she had always let people push her around, but when Carol pushed to far once in sixth grade, she stopped letting it happen. Carol had smacked Phina on the playground, the first time anyone had actually laid a hand on her, and Phina saw red. When Carol brought her hand down for a second hit, Phina's own hand had shot up and grabbed Carol's wrist, twisting it back so hard and fast that the bone in her arm snapped clean in two.

   Everyone that had witnessed it was to scared to say anything, so everyone had agreed that Carol fell, and Phina had done nothing. This event hadn't stopped Carol's bullying, but it had built Phina a reputation, and no one laid a hand on her, not unless they had a death wish.

   Phina shook her head, leaving her own thoughts and went downstairs to meet Nancy. Her sister was in the garage, taking practice swings with one of Mike's old baseball bats. To say she wasn't good at it was an understatement.

   "How's it goin' there sis," Phina asked her mockingly.

   "Fine," Nancy grunted as she swung again.

   "Don't let your body move so much, you'll fall forward," Phina told her, "get a good strong stance with your legs, only move your upper body enough to get your swing going."

   Nancy continues to practice her swing, improving a little bit from Phina's help. Phina hops onto the hood of her fathers car, and lays back.

   Phina listened to her sister swing, the whistle it made as it cut through the air. She also listened to the noise of nature, the last few birds singing in the trees, the winds accompaniment. Nature was soothing, if you truly took the time to enjoy it, you'd find yourself at home. Phina felt at home when she was surrounded by nature, more than anywhere else, even with the Byers.

   Phina hears Nancy swing again, and then Steve Harrington's voice shout, "woah woah woah, hey!"

   Phina jumps up, her head snapping towards Steve. He has his arms up and was looking at Nancy, but when he heard movement, looked over at her. Her steely glare was set on him, and, he wasn't going to lie, it burned. She was still unbelievably livid about what he did to Jonathan, he knew that she would be, but being under her harsh glare made him squirm.

   "What are you doing here," Nancy askes.

   Steve lookes back at her, "What are you doing?"

   "Nothing," Nancy lies, badly.

   "I hope that's not for me," Steve points at the bat.

   "Her's isn't, mine just might be," Phina grumbled, swing her bat up to her shoulder and hopping of the cars hood.

   Nancy glared at her sister, "no no. I was just thinking about joining softball. Phina was giving me pointers."

   "Oh. Well uh, listen, I'm very sorry. I mean, even before you threatened me with a baseball bat," Steve jokes, walking past Nancy to lean against the car.

   "Ok?"

   "I mean, I panicked. I was a total dick," Steve explains.

   Phina's glare deepens and she pushes away from the car to lean against the wall, "no shit?"

   Nancy ignores her and snorts, "yeah. You were."

   They look at each other for a moment, an awkward silence between them, that had Phina cringing.

   "Did you get in trouble with your parents," Nancy asks.

   "Totally but, you know, who cares. Screw  'em," he says, "any news about Barbra?"

   Nancy shakes her head, Steve continues, "parents heard from her, or?"

Like you care Harrington. Phina thinks to herself, her eyes still burning with fire. Her anger at him was still stoked high and she knew it would not go down for a long time.

   Nancy shakes her head again, Barb was still gone, but she was going to save her best friend.

   "Hey listen, why don't we, uh, why don't we catch a movie tonight, you know?" Steve pushes off the car and walks closer to Nancy. "Just kinda pretend that everything's normal for a few hours. All The Right Moves is still playing!"

   Phina rolls her eyes and Steve catches it. He realizes that he should probably apologize to her too, but he just knows she won't listen to a word that comes out of his mouth.

   "You know, the lover boy from risky business," Steve says to Nancy, pushing Phina away from his thoughts.

   Nancy laughs awkwardly, "yeah."

   Phina can't help it anymore, she can't listen to this. She pushes away from the wall harshly and exits the garage. Phina swings her bat around and takes a few swings, the movement swift and smooth. She faintly hears Steve start singing but she tunes him out. Did he have to be so outrageously annoying all the damn time?

   After being rejected, Steve leaves the garage, singing again. Phina heard him and grits her teeth, swinging ever so slightly harder. Steve looks at the girl and sighs.

   "I know you don't really care, but I am sorry for what I did to Jonathan and his camera. It was stupid," he apologizes weakly.

   Phina swings again and grunts, "yeah? Why don't you apologize to Jonathan, he'd probably actually forgive you."

   Steve's face falls even more, both the Wheeler girl's rejections hitting home, "I'm sorry."

   "Yeah! You said that already Harrington!" She turns to him furiously. "And you know what! I don't really care. You're right, you fucked up bad, really bad. Did you know I bought that camera for Jon on our ten year friendship anniversary? No, you didn't, because you have no care in the world for the people you hurt."

   She hadn't realized that she had stepped closer to him, she didn't care, she leaned in even closer to his face, "now why don't you just leave before I make do on that threat."

   She lifts her bat for emphasis, meaning it completely. He looks at the bat and pales, rasing his hands in surrender.

   "Ok," he nods, "I'll leave."

   Phina spins on her heal and storms back towards her sister. Steve watches as she goes, giving Nancy a little wave before leaving like promised. Nancy opens her mouth to say something, to reprimand her, but Phina gives her a look.

   "Don't start with me right now," she growls, and then sighs, "just don't."

-1381 words-

[susannaprouse]

Five - Quito

Our second breakfast in our hotel was great again, eggs, fruit, cereal, the usual. We got up fairly early as we wanted to get the Teleferiqo cable car up the mountain the city was built under. We got a taxi to the bottom and I was getting nervous. Not just because of the long and high cable car but also because we were going up to 4000 metres in altitude, the highest I'd ever been. I wasn't sure how my body was going to react and since this was how high we'd be climbing on the 3-day Quilotoa Loop in a few days it was a sort of test.

We bought our tickets and entered the long queue watching people get into the cabins and travel up. While we were in the queue my imagination ran wild with images of the cabin falling. But if you imagine it that means it won't happen, right?

Soon we were pointed to some yellow circles in a row that was our designated waiting spot until the cabin came around. As soon as we got on to the circle Mike, being the nerd he is, said loudly 'beam me up Scotty'. We were not beamed up though, we hurridly got in to the cabin worrying we wouldn't make it before it started ascending.

We sat in the cabin with two Americans and two Ecuadorians. Mike enjoyed the view while I periodically turned my head to look down then immediately turned back round again. The journey took quite a long time and all our ears popped on the way up.

We disembarked and felt the cool mountain air, after putting on our matching down jackets (we are officially married) we wandered around taking photos and then started walking to the viewpoint. The walk uphill was strenuous and I could really feel my heart pounding and my head getting slightly dizzy. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't feel ill though. Having made it to the lookout we found a wooden double deck chair so we sat down and enjoyed the view. It was amazing to see a sprawling city right under this huge mountain, we both wondered why they would even build a city there. The scenery is like northern wales on steroids so it's as if Cardiff were in Snowdonia, and bigger! We had a great view of the surrounding mountains too but unfortunately it was slightly cloudy so we couldn't see the largest (currently smoking) volcano in the distance.

Starting to feel cold we continued walking and stumled upon a pair of big swings and so of course had to have the mandatory swing photo. My legs were so short I couldn't start swinging so like a child Mike had to come and push me. After our photos we walked back to the cable car to have our first Ecuadorian hot chocolate (the first of many, I hope!). With a view out to the city we sipped the thick sweet drink, it was amazing and this was just a cheap touristy one. I can't wait to have a famously good one (which I have researched, obviously).

We got the cable car back down the mountain and for some reason going down it was easier to look out and admire the view. Once out we decided to go to the Museo de la Ciudad, a museum I'd read good things about. After buying our tickets a woman proceeded to talk for about 5 minutes in Spanish while we 'Si'd" and nodded like we knew what on earth she was saying. Luckily, there were a lot of hand gestures so we got the jist of where to go and we do know 'banos' so worked out where the toilets were.

We followed the obvious route around the museum learning how the first people came to Quito and how the city was formed. It was a brilliant museum with displays showing what food they first cultivated and what their houses looked like. It even had English translations which we've come to realise aren't common. There were some stranger sections of the museum like the full sized bus experience, which was a room made to look exactly like the inside of a bus. I guess if you've not been on a bus before it might be interesting.

After the museum we headed to the gold church, Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, which we'd tried to get into multiple times the day before but it was always closed. As we walked in the man said it was free as it was Sunday, we saved 5 dollars each and felt very pleased! You're not allowed to take photos inside the church which is annoying, I don't think God would be oppposed to spreading photos of his house but what do I know. The church was the goldest thing I've ever seen, every inch was gilded. Every inch was also covered in scary baby heads. It was so inticrate and had so many baby heads I don't even know how they began to design it. There were also religious paintings everywhere. I've come to realise I really enjoy a hell painting, of which there seem to be many in Ecuador. These paintings are gruesome, dipicting all the tortures endured in hell and with text beside each one showing what they were for, like murder, adultery or incest. Even the usually serene paintings of Mary have a looming monster in the corner, they're much more interesting.

Having walked a lot it was finally lunch time and we decided to get almuerzo, a daily set menu offered at many local restaurants costing a couple of dollars. We found a greasy spoon looking restaurant that was busy with locals and were quickly given chicken noodle soup followed by even more roasted chicken with rice. I can't believe how much chicken they eat here. I liked the soup better than the chicken, I think because I've eaten so much meat recently, but both courses were delicious. We were also given a thick, sweet drink that I think was made from either sugar cane or corn. I wasn't a fan but Mike liked it.

We wandered around the old town a little more, looking at all the stalls before stumbling on the traditional homemade ice cream I'd read about. It's made in big copper bowls and hand mixed. We bought a coconut cone to share, it was nice but I wouldn't buy it again. You could tell it had been hand mixed. After the ice cream we went back to the hotel to get our bags and get a taxi to our hostel. Unfortunately the voucher we had only covered two nights in Quito so our last night was in a hostel in the new town.

After arriving to the hostel we checked out our pod. Instead of traditional dorms filled wih bunkbeds, the hostel is made up of pods, kind of like bunk beds but that are enclosed with a curtain drawn over the opening. They feel like a cosy little private nook. We had a double pod by a window with a view over the city with the mountains behind and it was perfect.

Having got to the new town earlier than expected we ventured out to find the artisenal market. Wandering down the streets it felt like a completely different city to that of the old town. There were bars and restaurants every block but very few people, maybe because it was a Sunday. The market was good, consisting of small alleys with stalls on either side showing the local wears. It was all aimed at tourists and every stall basically sold the same thing but it was nice to look around. I nearly bought a lot of things but decided to wait as we were only on day 5 and I wasn't 100 percent on anything. We did buy some Ecuadorian chocolate to have in the evening though (as we were still full from lunch and didn't want a full meal).

We walked back to the hostel talking about what we wanted to buy later in the trip. We immediately got into our pod and relaxed. It's felt like we haven't stopped so it was really nice to have a full evening to read, watch a film, watch Tiny House Nation (it's rubbish but brilliant, you should watch!) and then discuss if we could live in a tiny house. Sat in our cosy pod, we obviously decided we could.