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n0v4t33z · 9 months

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The Syndicate - Chapter 6 : Un-Killable

Pairings: Choi San X Female Reader, Park Seonghwa X Female Reader, Ateez X Female Reader

Genre: Lots of angst, Romance, Crime Fiction, Psychological Drama

Word Count: 5.8k

Tags/Warnings: For Mature Audiences, Language, Graphic Violence, Mentions of Illegal activities (i.e Kidnapping, extortion, assassination etc.), y/n gets roughed up by Wooyoung like twice , Slow Burn, Fluff sometimes, Work In Progress, Non-Idol AU, Mafia AU, Very suggestive at times, y/n cries alot, y/n having inner turmoil, Ateez being bad boys, Wooyoung and Yeosang are a little mean in this story tbh, Guns, Gunshot wounds, Assassination attempt(s), mentions death and acts of violence

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!

Spotify Playlist🎵 | Series Masterlist📝

Author's Note 💌: Hi, It's been about two weeks since I posted the last chapter so I'm here to keep my promise about posting at least twice every month! Unfortunately I didn't realize how short this chapter actually is. Either way it's a good one though, there are also some parts I may fix and add onto later since I'm posting this close to 2 am and I'm exhausted so I hope you guys still enjoy it either way! ^^

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A whole 2 months passes by and I notice San has become somewhat distant and has been spending most of the time either in his office by himself or in the conference room with the rest of the guys. Although Seonghwa, Jongho, Yunho and Mingi still interact with me they become very vague anytime I ask them about San. There were a few occasions where I wanted to try and see what exactly they were talking about but because there's always a goon outside the door now keeping a lookout so I could never get close enough to hear. One day I asked Seonghwa why they spent so much time in the conference room and the only thing he told me is "We're sorting things out." As for me, this whole time after I ran the 3 people’s names in the police database and nothing came up I realized these people are basically ghosts with no paper trails on the database meaning I’ve been having to investigate on foot and tailing them. The only thing San left for me as a place of reference and a place to start was a club on the east side of the city which actually turned out to be a club named "Enigma" that they own under a fake identity but another thing San left on the note is that these 3 people are brothers who run an underground black market out of it. So far everything is fine with them, no meetings with any other rival groups. If anything, these brothers definitely know how to treat their allies by providing them with weapons and other resources that are otherwise considered inaccessible to which I'm assuming this is the reason San wants to work with them. Which leads me to where I am right now, heading home after a long couple of days of consecutively tailing and observing these people. What's been really weird is that San called me at least once everyday to check in on me in the beginning but it's been 2 weeks and nothing. I sigh while I look at the dark road ahead of me, taking in the scene of complete emptiness with a beautifully glittery night sky which left me feeling a bit emotional. I slowly begin to tighten my grip on the steering wheel. I’ve had so many chances to leave but why aren’t I taking them? Have I seriously grown attached?

I reach for my phone and very anxiously I glance at the screen while I keep my eyes on the road and look at my recent calls, the last time I called San was two days ago. I stare at his name on my screen for a few seconds and decide to just hit the call button. The ringing starts and by the 4th ring I'm sent to voicemail immediately making my heart sink. He didn't answer, again. My vision begins to blur the bright headlights and the road ahead of me slightly begins to distort until warm tears stream down my cheeks then I let out a small sigh “Why? What did you do to me?” Why do I have to make things more difficult for myself? The original plan was to have San trust me enough to let me leave his headquarters, but now that he's given me that permission I can't seem to leave. Why?

I try to compose myself and wipe my tears away with one hand while I keep my other hand on the steering wheel. In the distance I see the headquarters, and realize that most of the drive home I spent it worrying about him and questioning myself. When I arrive I walk inside headquarters I notice it seems empty, and by empty I mean too quiet. There's almost always someone in the building, whether it's Seonghwa drinking his tea in the lounge, Hongjoong on his computer in the server room, Wooyoung playing cards with Mingi, Yeosang and Yunho in the living room, even Jongho's occasional little breaks after he's been working all afternoon. So when I walk over to the lounge and notice it's completely empty my stomach feels like it flipped upside down. Where is everyone? I walk around the building and no one was there except of course the goons who keep watch on the building 24/7 now so I decide I'm going to just ask one of them as to why it's so empty because this is weird.

There’s a very tall and heavy build goon outside of San's office, he was so scary looking. Although his suit made him look a little less scary. "Um excuse me but where is everyone? Why is it so empty here?" Without flinching the man simply responds with "They're sorting out a few things they'll be back soon Miss y/n." I exhale then I run my fingers through my loosely curled hair "Okay yes, but where are they? What are they doing?" Keeping a straight face without even looking at me he responds "I'm sorry Miss y/n but that's all I know." I narrow my eyes in disbelief. Does he really think I’m that stupid? "That can't be, you have to know where they are. You were given orders by San not to tell me anything weren't you?" The man stands there looking straight ahead pretending he didn't hear me. I look at him for a few seconds more waiting if he'll say anything but he never does then I clench my jaw and say through my teeth "Fine, I'll take that as a yes." I scoff and walk away to my room, when I get there I throw myself onto my bed. I lay there in bed for a few minutes until I fall asleep.

A few hours later I hear commotion downstairs, it was San and the guys. ”I’m exhausted. Now all we need is to kill that old bastard.” Wooyoung comments. ”Well at least we’re done now, I thought it was going to take a lot longer to pull this off.” Hongjoong responds. I look over at the clock and it was around 4 am then I get up and hurriedly head downstairs and notice they’re all dressed in black like they were in a robbery of some sort. All the talking stops and becomes dead silent when everyone notices I’m in the room then Seonghwa walks towards me and nervously smiles “Hey, what are you doing here? Weren’t you on an errand?” I shrug with a straight face “I just got back a few hours ago, what about you guys? Why’s everyone dressed like this? Did I miss something?” San walks up to me and pats my back and smiles “Nothing, we just went to go handle something don’t worry about it.” I furrow my brows and look directly into San’s eyes “Let me guess you still went even after I told you not to…” San shakes his head and reassuringly pats my head “Didn’t we agree to forget about this? I said I wasn’t going to..” Seonghwa, MIngi, and Yunho look over at San with a very odd facial expression then Wooyoung says “You have your jobs and we have ours. San’s allowed to do what he wants it’s not like you’re his girlfriend.” I slowly nod and give Wooyoung and San a fake smile “Of course, you’re right. I was just wondering considering I've barely seen any of you at all I was just a bit worried.” Yeosang stares right at me with a deadpan face “Why do you even care? It’s not like we’re your friends.” Gosh, I know he’s right but wow that hurt. San's expression grows dark and Seonghwa puts his hand on Yeosang’s shoulder causing him to ease up a bit then I let out a frustrated sigh. Here we go again. “Well, maybe you might not be my friend but if you haven’t noticed there are other people I am friends with.” Wooyoung lets out a mocking laugh “Oh really? They’re your friends? If they were your friends they would have told you what was going on but clearly no one trusts you. You’ve only been here like what? 3 or 4 months and you already want to be let in on everything we do? Sounds just about right for an entitled cop.” San pushes Wooyoung and angrily says “Can you ever shut up?!” Yunho and Jongho rush over to separate them, Yunho holding San and Jongho holds Wooyoung respectively. As much as I’d love to be petty with Wooyoung and drop the bomb on San that his best friend thought it was a great idea to nearly kill me, I’ll keep that to myself. All in due time I guess. I don’t want to create anymore issues for these people. I bite the inside of my cheek trying to recover from that verbal jab. This is embarrassing, maybe Wooyoung is right they do have a right for not trusting me. Just because I gave them access to all these things doesn’t mean anything, for all they know I could be leading them to a trap so I don’t blame them for not trusting me. San angrily stares at Wooyoung "Oh come on San, calm down. I was just expressing everything in everyone's mind." Wooyoung fights back a smirk and San tries to reach over to him causing Yunho to tighten his grip on him.

"You don't speak for everyone here." Seonghwa speaks up looking directly at me reassuringly. Jongho speaks from behind Wooyoung "I agree with San and Seonghwa. You really don't speak for everyone here." Hongjoong sighs and nods "She's not so bad Wooyoung. You know this. You're just being hard headed and paranoid over this situation not to mention overtly territorial over San." Wooyoung lets out a laugh "Me paranoid?! Territorrial?! I know what these cops are capable of doing?! Did you guys forget what happened to San's father?! They easily get into your head and mess with it, they're master manipulators just like Lee. She's just like him and I'm only trying to protect him from things repeating themselves." There's a long silence, evreyone awkwardly looking at eachother. That's when I step in between San and Wooyoung causing evreyone's gaze to shift over to me. I slightly part my lips to speak but then a knot grows in my throat and press them shut. Maybe it's a good idea not to say anything right now and keep the peace. All this fighting isn't going to be worth it in the end. I can't change someone's mind whose already been made. Wooyoung can think anything he wants, I just don't want to hear it anymore. I turn my back to them and walk in the direction of my room.

In the distance I hear Yunho say “Come back just give her some time alone.” followed by fast paced footsteps until a few moments later I feel someone grab my wrist then I look back and it was San. He gently tugs my arm closer to him and I look down still slightly embarrassed for running off in a cowardly way. “y/n, wait… I’m sorry some of them haven’t warmed up to you but I promise it’s not your fault. I know you were just worried.” Beginning to feel drained I shake my head “I’m exhausted, we can talk tomorrow. Right now I just want to be alone.” San gently pushes back a few strands of hair “I understand, but please pay no attention to them especially Wooyoung. Nothing he says has an ounce of truth. I need you here with me, remember that.” I let go of San’s hand and walk towards my room leaving him behind me. When I walk into my room I lay there silently for a few moments until warm tears begin to sting my eyes. Once I get rid of Captain Lee I’m going to leave this place despite how deeply in love I am, or at least try to. I can’t keep putting myself through this.

The next morning while laying in bed I hear Wooyoung shouting in a panicked voice from outside in the hallway “San, they took down all security!” I sit up and quickly change clothes while listening closely to the commotion in the hallways, from what it sounds like someone took down the people guarding the HQ gates which is still kind of far considering we’re in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly San barges into my room with a slightly worried expression and says “y/n, the cops are on their way as we speak. Burn everything you can, everything on your computer wipe it and burn it too.” He hands me a gasoline can and some matches and pats my head “Everything will be okay I promise.” He smiles nervously and before he can walk away I pull on the sleeve of his rolled up dress shirt “Why are the cops coming? Is it because of what you guys were doing earlier today?” San’s smile disappears into a straight line and a serious expression then he runs his fingers through his hair “Please don’t get mad, I know you said you didn’t want me to follow through with breaking into the evidence room but I went ahead and did it anyway. I’m sorry. I genuinely thought everything went well I swear I made sure no one followed us but I guess I was wrong.”

I clench my free hand to the point my knuckles turn white. The silence between us lasted as a long instant, and while the anger welled up in my chest. He was looking at me with his gaze of expectation for me to simply forgive him and move on but as of right now I can’t. I won't. Instead it pisses me off because it seems like everything I tell him Is being ignored. Everything that’s happening right now was because of him but what do I expect from a criminal anyway? If anything I shouldn’t even be surprised, I should have known he was going to pull something like this. I raise my hand back and throw my hand forward as hard as I can, whipping it across his face. The crack of skin contacting skin echoed off the metal walls of my room. His face then turns back to me while he slowly runs his hand along his cheek and without another word I walk away. Part of me knows and is well aware I’m running away from my problems but at the moment I was more focused on escaping the police and wiping the computer of any evidence, I can’t get caught now. Nobody can find out I was kept alive.

I run into my work room and over to the computer and begin trying to reimage it to delete all the data on the hard drive then the screen shows a percentage bar and on the bottom of it read “Time Remaining: 35 minutes” I rub my forehead in frustration and grab the tower of the computer, toss it across the room a few times until it eventually splits open then I grab the can of gasoline and pour most of it on the motherboard and the hard drive. I pull out a match from the match box in my pocket and light it then flick it directly inside the computer case immediately igniting a huge fire. After burning a few papers and files I head down the hallway and I notice Yeosang looking out the window and calmly loading his gun while gazing into the distance then I realize he was looking at the various police cars, a helicopter and a few SWAT vehicles getting in position. Someone taps my shoulder and when I turn it was Mingi, he hands me a gun and says “Good luck” I nod taking the gun making sure there was ammo “Same to you.” Out of seemingly nowhere Yeosang begins to shoot causing me to slightly jump. San immediately runs out of his office with a gun in hand then he grabs my hand and leads me downstairs towards the back exit. “We’re going to head outside, there’s a secret escape route I built in the forest so I hope you have your walking shoes on because it’s going to be a long walk.” While he opens the door I say “Where’s everyone else?” He peaks outside and says “Mingi and Yeosang are going to buy us time. Everyone else is already in the forest.” Suddenly Wooyoung runs up behind us and pats San’s shoulder. “Everything is clear, lower associates were sent to distract the feds.” San nods and says “Did you turn on the self destruct device in the server room?” Wooyoung nods and smirks “Yep, everything is in order.” He steps outside in front of San and hides behind a car outside then motions us to follow behind him and just a few seconds after giving us the signal he motions us to stop and stay low. Then I hear a familiar voice.

“Let the girl go Choi San…” My stomach drops and I look up and see that In the helicopter was my partner Detective Chris and Captain Lee looking over his shoulder and right next to them was a sniper. I tightly squeeze his hand and San turns and looks at me “You’ll be okay, worst case is they’ll shoot me and not you.” Captain Lee speaks into the mega phone and says “Give it up son, you lost and it was all because you’re so reckless. You got so sloppy but don’t worry though I’ll clean the mess you left and I’ll start by shooting your little friend over here.” The red laser from the sniper’s gun points right at Wooyoung’s head “And then you.” Wooyoung looks at San and slightly nods and begins to run towards the forest. Almost instantly he gets shot in the chest instead from the sudden movement. His body falls limply on his side while he clutches onto his chest and struggles to breathe. My stomach drops and San lets out a scream calling out Wooyoung’s name with tears welling up in his eyes in anger “I’m going to kill you bastard!!” I clutch onto San's arm holding the gun in my other hand tightly with my eyes blurring with tears. Captain Lee smirks “You know what, I take it back. I won’t shoot you that’s letting you off easy...I want you to suffer by watching all your little mobster trash die.”

Seeing Wooyoung on the ground didn’t bring me satisfaction, instead I begin to cry at the sight of his breathing slowing down. Despite everything he’s done to me I couldn’t let San suffer again, as angry and pissed off as I am with him right now for putting us in this situation he doesn’t deserve to lose his bestfriend. Wooyoung needed help and fast but the only way to get him that help is if I turn myself in and somehow convince them to step back. I hate the idea that I won't have that anonymity anymore but this is a matter of life or death. If I can prevent someone from dying then I'm sure it'll be worth it no matter how painful it is. Suddenly, an idea pops up in my head, it was one I really didn't want to do but my only hope is that it all goes smoothly. I step in front of San with my back facing the helicopter which causes San to pull me closer to him into a hug. i gently press the barrel of the gun I have onto his stomach and he leans in close to my ear and whispers “What are you doing angel eyes? Whatever is going on in that little head of yours just stop, I don’t want you to get hurt. Please.” He sniffles burying his face in my hair trying to hide the fact that he was slightly teary eyed “Sannie, do you trust me?” He talks into my neck “Yes of course I trust you.” Staying still and keeping my voice calm I say “Keep your head down and shoot the sniper.” His voice goes an octave higher while keeping his head down buried into my neck and says “What?! Why?!” Keeping my calm I press the gun a little more onto his stomach “Do it. Shoot the sniper, trust me.” From the corner of my eye I see San’s arm go up and shoot in the sniper’s direction and as soon as he shoots I move just a bit to where the sniper’s bullet hits my right shoulder. I let out a scream in agonizing pain from the impact of the hot metal burning deep in my shoulder causes me to slightly jerk forward and drop the gun in my hand. I push San with the strength from the adrenaline coursing through my veins back into the building and I run towards the helicopter while I clutch onto my shoulder with tears in my eyes. This was all for nothing, so much for getting rid of this man from the shadows.

“There’s a bomb in there! Please Captain Lee, Chris we have to get out of here and remove everyone from the perimeter!” I look back and see San was no longer in the doorway, both Chris and Captain Lee look at me in awe then look at each other a few seconds. Eventually Chris lets down a ladder, helps me climb up and sit down. He sits next to me and looks over at Captain Lee “Captain, we have to take her to the hospital now!” I lay there growing more exhausted by the second due to blood loss until I manage to mutter “Captain, remove everyone from this perimeter now or we’re all going to die.” Chris looks at me and shakes his head while he keeps pressure on my wound “No, we can’t. We have a warrant for San’s arrest we can’t just let him escape” I grab Chris’s forearm and squeeze it from the pain and slight impatience “Trust me, I know he’s going to fuck up again this won’t be the last time. The bomb, please. We have to get out of here we don’t have much time left..” Chris turns to Captain Lee giving him a worried look then Captain Lee looks down at the building for a few moments that felt like an eternity and eventually looks over at me and Chris “Alright, but only because I trust Detective y/ln and know she’ll be able to catch this scum again.” He looks over at the pilot and says “Take us to the nearest hospital please.”

He speaks into his radio “We’ve got a code 4, change of plans, we found Detective y/n y/ln alive and well. Clear the area, over.” Is he really going to act like he didn’t leave me for dead? Is this a favor that later on he’s going to try to use as leverage to somehow blackmail me? A voice answers back on the radio “Disregarding, all units will return back to the station. Over.” I did it, but this was too easy… Luckily the server room self distructing came in handy so technically I wasn’t lying. Chri’s voice interrupts my thoughts and says “So you’re alive? I’m so glad you’re okay but how? I saw your dead body, how is that possible?” I struggle to breathe then I sit there focusing on my breaths until Captain Lee sits next to the seat where Chris and I were sitting and says “Detective Bang stop asking her questions, can’t you see she has a bullet inside her?” Chris’s voice slightly shakes a bit and says “I’m sorry sir, I’m just in shock she’s alive. I saw her charred body, her police badge, everything." I feel my eyes slowly begin to close, my consciousness felt like it was slipping away until everything goes dark.

When I wake up, I scan the room and realize I'm at the hospital. That’s when it all comes back to me, I hope San is okay and he managed to escape along with everyone else. Especially Wooyoung, I really hope he made it as well. I turn and notice Chris is asleep then In a low whisper I say “Chris?” Immediately I see Chris sit up and say “Oh hey y/ln you’re up, how are you feeling?” I nod my head slightly and look down at the IV needle in my hand while he proceeds to talk “I’m so glad it wasn't anything serious, I waited for you to wake up and ask if you wanted to see your family. I’m sure you miss them. I didn’t call them right away since I didn’t want you to be overwhelmed.” I shake my head and I say in a low voice “Don’t tell them I’m alive... Please.” Chris furrows his brows and gives me an odd look “Why not?” I stare off into the distance trying not to make eye contact with him “Promise me you won’t tell anyone especially Captain Lee.”

Chris leans in close to me then I lean in a bit more and whisper “I’m going to run away. I think it’s best for me to disappear considering AS is going after me and I don’t want my family to get killed.” I still can’t believe I’m lying through my teeth, who am I trying to save? San or me? Maybe both. Chris responds in a worried tone “It’s okay we can get you into the Witness Protection Program., you can get your life back.” I sigh and shake my head “No Chris, I’m doing this without the help of the government or the police.” Chris’s jaw tenses up and sits there looking at the ground for a few seconds. “Please, don’t tell anyone Chris. Promise me. You also have to make sure Captain Lee doesn’t release the news of me being alive to the media as this is going to make it even harder for me.” He lifts his gaze and meets my eyes and smiles “Of course I promise, we’re partners after all. We’re under oath to protect one another but promise, you’ll reach out to me occasionally. I just want to make sure you’re alive and well.” I nod then I sit up “Of course as long as you keep my existence a secret, but I do have one more thing to tell you and this one is much more serious because it’s about Captain Lee.” I hope he doesn’t tell him, but who else can I trust? Besides having someone to lean on he might be of help. He scrunches his face in curiosity then looks at the door “What about him? Is it something bad?” I bite the inside of my lip then I take a deep breath and blurt out “Captain Lee works for The Obsidian Dragon, Aurora Syndicate’s rival. I know this because I saw a whole file documenting him being associated with the mafia with pictures and everything.” Chris smirks holding in a small laugh “What? Are you sure that’s not the morphine talking? Why would he even work for the mafia to begin with?” Oh no, he’s asking questions. “He was a close friend of the Choi family, specifically The Phantom. He’s the reason that the whole shootout happened, he sold The Phantom’s location in exchange for money.” Chris’ hand reaches up to his mouth then says “Wait what? So he knew who was behind all of that? No wonder he would always breathe down our necks and constantly check the leads. How much was he given?” I tap my finger on my chin “50 grand if I remember correctly.” He blinks in shock then says “Okay wow that’s quite a bit of money. Yeah, I get why you’re in a hurry to hide. You know too much.” And I know so much more but I can’t tell you the rest.

“Yep..” There was a long silence but Chris clears his throat and says “So uh I have a question and it’s kind of random...Why was San holding you like that?” I raise my eyebrow “How so? What do you mean?” He rests his cheek on his hand “You know like weirdly close, like he had a thing for you. His hand around your waist.” I shrug and look out the window “I don’t know, maybe because he thought of me as an object more than a person. His meat shield.” Hopefully by telling him everything he wants to hear it’ll help me get him off my back, even if those said answers aren’t how I truly feel at all. He can’t find out I’m protecting San. From the corner of my eye I see Chris’s eyes move from looking at the door back to me “Did he ever do anything to you?” While looking out the window I run my finger along the IV tube “I don’t know I was drugged the majority of the time I was there, I can’t remember anything.” Chris puts his head down and rubs his forehead while gently tapping his foot on the floor “I swear to god y/n if he did anything to you…” I shake my head “Nah, despite how scary he is he never put his hands on me.” He raises an eyebrow “How do you know? You were drugged the whole time..” I look down at the dusty pink blanket on my body “Because he was the one who would make the beatings stop, besides I’m sure if he did anything to me my body would remember it. Instead I just remember that evreytime I was being beat he’d scold the person doing it.” That feeling, that pit in my stomach. My eyes well up with tears and Chris reaches for my hand “I’m sorry, I can’t talk about this. Just remembering it brings it all back” Chris nods giving me a reassuring hand squeeze “I’m sorry, we don’t have to talk about it anymore. You should rest, we'll talk about it later when you feel better.” He adjusts my pillow slightly so that I'm able to lay back a little bit again. "Thanks Chris, you should nap too. You look exhausted." He gives me a weak smile "I should be watching you. It's okay." I shake my head "I insist, it's kind of weird knowing you're just watching me sleep. A nap will most definitely not hurt you." He looks into the distance and slowly nods his head almost like he was thinking whether or not he should do it "Alright, if that makes you comfortable y/ln, just know if I hear the door open I will wake up.." I chuckle nervously "Yeah, I know" I hope he falls into a deep sleep otherwise I'm screwed.

A few hours later I wait until Chris is fast asleep in his seat then I begin taking the tubes and IV’s off of me and I put on my pants and shoes making sure I also take the phone San gave me. I look over and glance over at chris to make sure he was still asleep then I carefully open the door wide enough for me to slip out the hospital. Luckily because of the lack of use my phone still had battery so I enter a gas station restroom near the hospital and call San. I anxiously hold the phone to my ear while it rang a few times then on the other line San answers the phone and excitedly I say “San?!” In a surprised tone he answers “y/n?! Where are you? Are you okay?” Relieved to hear his voice again I say in a slight hushed tone “I’m at the gas station bathroom a few blocks from the hospital, I escaped but um what about Wooyoung, is he okay?” I anxiously brush my index finger over the smooth surface of the back of the phone while I wait for him to answer. “He’s fine now angel eyes. He got a pierced lung but he’ll be okay don’t worry.” I let out a sigh of relief and smile “I’m glad he’s okay. I’m glad your best friend is still here with you.” He exhales a bit before he admiringly says “He wouldn’t have been saved if it wasn’t for you and your quick thinking, I don’t know how you did it but I’m so thankful.” There’s a long silence then he continues “ Do you want me to send someone to pick you up?” Immediately I respond “Yes please, I want to get out of here before anyone notices I’m gone” San answers me reassuringly “Don’t worry I’ll send your location to the nearest Associate just hang tight okay? Their code word will be “snow”, I’ll see you in a bit angel eyes I love you.” I gently bite my lip " I love you too. Sannie” I hear San chuckle on the other side of the line and immediately after the line goes dead. I turn and see myself in the mirror and realize I was wearing my ugly hospital gown so I decide to turn it inside out and make a makeshift tie up shirt out of it.. After I finish I sit on the counter of the bathroom and not even 10 minutes later there’s a knock at the door. I stay silent until a deep voice says “Snow.” I jump off the counter and run to open the door and see an average build man with a buzz cut and tattoos and a dark blue track suit “y/n ?” I nod then he motions me to walk behind him and says “Come on, the boss asked me to take you where they’re in hiding.” I nod and follow him into a black average looking car with dark tinted windows, his car reeked of cigarettes and the seats were pretty worn out, a nice way to blend in. Smart.

After 2 hours of driving we arrive at a parking lot at an undisclosed area since I couldn't tell where exactly we were because of how dark it was, all I know it was far away from both Ulwood and Lulens but unlike the HQ last time this location was in a city. I get out of the car and follow the heavily tattooed man into a weird tattoo shop, the buzzing of the tattoo gun was the very first thing I hear when I enter. Everyone in there (which wasn’t alot) seemed to either not notice or not to care kind of like it was a regular occurrence here. So when we make it to the back I notice a black metal door with a key pad, and as soon as he punches in the code the door clicks open and he motions me to walk inside then closes the door behind me. Which reminds me of this tough pill to swallow, I am once again under San's mercy by coming back..

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phoebosacerales · 1 month

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Are there any other astrology books besides the ones you mention in your master list that you would recommend to read?

Oh, I should make a list, thank you for asking. I'll first give you these few ones that I use the most, but I'll try to update it regularly, I have many more recommendations than this. If anyone thinks it's hard to find a good version of any of these you can talk to me through chat and I can send a link ;)

Beginner's books:

On the heavenly spheres/Tratado das Esferas by Helena Avelar and Luis Ribeiro is the ultimate beginner book. It covers a bit of everything, it's a great compilation of the most used techniques in different forms of astrology, and they definitely do a lot better than the ancients, who couldn't have done anything with this quality and never cited their sources. The authors are also historians who have great academic research on astrology. You should definitely take a look at the Astra Project website and follow their youtube channel. In fact, I met Luis Ribeiro two weeks ago at a conference at my university (coincidentally my university is the only one in Brazil that has a research group that brings together researchers in astrology, called Academia Celeste), where he gave a mini-course and I was impressed above all by his rare way of valuing astrology as an object of investigation, emphasizing the history of its techniques as well, and the ease with which he can teach about its epistemological debates.

Deborah Houlding's Houses: Temples of the sky is the best book on the subject of houses. I believe you have to go to a book that's specific about houses, because the topic really deserves the depth and it's probably the most important thing to understand in astrology.

Demetra George's Ancient Astrology in Theory and Practice volumes I and II. I haven't read them yet, but it's on my bucket list.

Predictive techniques:

The Seven Stars Astrology blog was actually my first source on this subject, it's easy but very well researched and it was very important for me to find. The articles do a pretty good job at gathering the hellenistic sources and explaining what's important to understand about them, it's the best to have someone to hold your hand through things before you dive into the primary sources.

Astrología Hermética by Eduardo Gramaglia. I'm not sure if there's an english translation of this one, it's one of the best introductory books too, complete and concise.

Astrologia Gallica book 23 by Jean-Baptiste Morin, which is about Revolutions. I always go back to chapter 18 as recommended by my teachers, where he gives universal rules for solar returns that you can adopt.

Ancient sources (from I to IV AD):

Marcus Manilius' Astronomica is just beautiful on a lot of points, you should go to it for the poetry, just to have the delight. And his poetry also gives the best and concise insights on the fixed stars and the signs.

Dorotheus of Sidon's Carmen Astrologicum is probably the first most technical book of the ancients that you should go to. It's the most influential and easiest to find. Dorotheus was a contemporary of Manilius, but the versions we have of his book are influenced by later Arabic translations.

Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos. Even though astrologers are right to be ingrates to daddy Ptolemy we should still read him.

Vettius Valens' Anthologies is one I've never really stopped to read, but I believe is important. Sometimes I go there to specific chapters to see what he has to say about a specific subject and it's always interesting.

Firmicus Maternus' Mathesis is a bummer of a book, his delineations are super dramatic, but it's great to read from the beginning to understand Firmicus' logic and you'll be able to get how he thinks and predict what he's going to say next, and this is a testament to how good of a teacher he probably was.

On philosophy, history, important topics etc:

The Daimon in Hellenistic Astrology: Origins and Influence, by Dorian Greenbaum. This is one of my favorites and I can't recommend it enough, because very few astrologers take much time to understand before talking about the daimon. And it's impossible for you to avoid the daimon in your practice, because it is crucial and predominant in everything in Hellenistic astrology.

On Horary:

William Lilly's Christian Astrology. There's a reason we all go back to him, it's the fact that is such a didactical book, you can always use it as an instruction manual basically. He gives instructions on how to approach any kind of question and gives so many examples, it's a hit.

On the fixed stars:

The Constellations of Words website is still the easiest source for learning about fixed stars, but here are their most cited books:

Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos book I chapter 9-11, of course, because he's the earliest source and it's important to see the difference between how the hellenistics called and understood the fixed stars and how things changed after the arabics.

Vivian E. Robson's The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology (XX AD) is a must have. It's another one that's strictly astrological and plus gives one method on how to interpret fixed stars.

Marcus Manilius' Astronomica book 5. I always make sure to read attentively Manilius' poetry about the constellation I'm researching. It's always incredibly useful, never disappointing.

William Tyler Olcott's Star Lore: Myths, Legends and Facts (XIX AD). This is a great one to get a lot of the different stories and histories of the stars.

#books #sources

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plague-of-insomnia · 1 year

Text

Vatican Miracle Examiner Vocab: Chapter 1

100+ vocab terms from Ch 1, Vol 1 of the 5-part manga series.

Mostly Catholic terms in Japanese and unique usage related to the series.

This list is not exhaustive. I focused on terms that would be unfamiliar (or unfamiliar as used in this series), and/or directly relate to Catholic terminology in Japanese.

I list part of speech, pronunciation, and simple definitions. I have not included additional of these if they are not relevant to this series.

Character names will have titles where applicable and those will be in brackets to minimize confusion; titles will be listed under general vocab as well.

At the end of the list I’ll have a few sources for some of the more obscure terms in case you want to read more or get better context.

As of now I have things listed in the order in which they appear, roughly, in the manga.

Note: This will be a long post since it’s the first chapter in the series and 31 pages long.

~#~

Character Names/Places

Note: I’ve chosen to spell names close to the katakana spellings; keep in mind some may be transcribed with slightly different spellings (like Joseph instead of Josef).

平賀•ヨゼフ•庚 [神父] - Hiraga, Josef Kou [Father], Franciscan order

ロベルト•ニコラス[神父] - Roberto, Nicholas [Father], Franciscan order

良太 - Ryota (Josef’s younger brother)

サウロ[大司教] - Saul [Archbishop] , Franciscan order

ニコラス[枢機卿] - Nicholas [Cardinal], secretary of the Dicastery for the Causes of the Saints (also potentially the head of the miracle examiners), also known as “the prefect (of the Curia)” in English

ドンナ•ドロレス - Donna Dolores, a nun from St Rosario Church

[大天使]ミカエル - [Archangel] Michael

[聖]ペテ - [Saint] Peter

パウロ[大司教] - [Archbishop] Paul, Dominican order

アントニウス[神父] - [Father] Antonius

セントロザリオ教会 - St Rosario Church, a church in South America where Josef & Roberto are sent to investigate

バチカソ市国 - Vatican City, the City state of the Vatican

Other Vocab

奇跡、きせき (n; の adj) miracle

常識、じょうしき (n) common sense, common knowledge, common practice

科学、かがく (n) science

説明、せつめい (n, する v; trans v) explanation, account, caption, legend, description

不可思議、ふかしぎ (な adj; n; yojijukugo) mystery, miracle, something inexplicable, unfathomable

現象、げんしょう (n) phenomenon

神、かみ (n) God, divinity

御業、みわざ (n) the works (of the gods)

真偽、しんぎ (n) veracity, authenticity

確かめる、たしかめる (Ichidan v; trans v) to ascertain, to check, to make sure

神父、しんぷ (n) Catholic priest [Note: this is the term used when speaking to someone , like “Father” So-and-So, as opposed to a general word for priest, 司祭, which you don’t use when speaking TO someone but rather about them.]

害、がい (n) evil influence

礼服、れいふく (n) cassock, vestments, etc

暗号、あんごう (n; のadj) code, cipher, password

解読、かいどく (n; するv; trans v) deciphering, decoding

聖年、せいねん (n) holy year, jubilee [see additional notes below]

大聖年、だいせいねん (n) the Great Jubilee (of 2000)

聖堂、せいどう (n) church

バチカン (n) (the) Vatican

市国、しこく (n) city state (as in the Vatican)

宗教、しゅつきょう (n) religion, faith

ブラザー(n) brother (as in, a monk or priest)

天使、てんし (n;のadj) Angel

悪魔、あくま (n) devil, demon, the Devil (Satan)

骨肉腫、こつにくしゅ (n) osteosarcoma

治療費、ちりょうひ (n) cost of medical treatment

ルルドの泉、いすみ (n) Fountain of Lourdes, aka home of “Lourdes Water” in France

奇跡調査官、きせきちょうさかん (n) miracle examiner

調査、ちょうさ (n; するv; trans v) investigation, examination

聖痕現象、スティグマータ (n) stigmata (phenomenon)

未知、みち (のadj; n) the unknown

知れる、しれる (ichidan v; intrans v) to become known; to be discovered; to be known; to be understood

舞い込む、まいこむ (godan v む ending; intrans v) to happen unexpectedly

大司教、だいしきょう (n) archbishop

キリスト (n) (Jesus) Christ

聖書、せいしょ (n) Bible, scriptures, holy writ

黙示録、もくしろく (n) book of revelation; the apocalypse

悪魔が書いた魔法書 - literally, “magic writing written by the devil” [see additional notes below]

古文書、こもんじょ (n) historical document, ancient manuscripts

断片、だんぺん (n) fragment

読む、よむ (godan v, む ending; trans v) to decipher, to read, to recite (a sutra, prayer)

原文、げんぶん (n) original text

会、かい (n; n suffix) meeting, assembly, conference, clerical order

イエズス会 (n) society of Jesus, aka Jesuit order

ドミニコ会 (n) Dominican order

フランシスコ会 (n) Franciscan order (which Josef and Roberto belong to)

派閥 (n; のadj) faction; used in the manga as in orders of priests

破門、はもん (n; するv; のadj) excommunication

枢機卿、すうききょう (n) Cardinal (title)

執行部、しっこうぶ (n) leadership (for example, the Roman Curia, that is the administration of the Vatican)

列聖、れっせい (n; するv) canonization (of a Saint)

列聖省長官、れっせいしょうちょうかん (n) literally, “canonization ministry secretary”; I believe this is intended to refer to the Secretary/Director of the Dicastery of the Causes of Saints; a position in the Vatican overseeing things related to canonization [see additional notes]

祈り、いのり (n) prayer

申請書、しんせいしょ(n) Written application

申請、しんせい (n; する v; trans v) application, petition, request

教会、しょうかい (n) church, congregation

修道女、しゅうどうじょ (n) nun

大天使、だいてんし (n) archangel

神の子、かみのこ (n) son of God (Jesus Christ); child of God (Christian)

処女懐胎、しょじょかいたい (n) virgin birth, such as Mary with Jesus (immaculate conception)

受胎、じゅたい (n; するv; intrans v) conception

聖母、せいぼ (n) Virgin Mary; holy mother

カソリック (n) Catholic, Catholicism, Catholic Church [note there are a couple diff katakana spellings of this word, but this one is used in VME]

受肉、じゅにく(n) (Christ’s) incarnation (as Jesus of Nazareth)

降臨、こうりん (n; するv) descent to earth (of a god); advent; epiphany

罪、つみ (n; なadj; のadj) sin

永遠、えいえん (n; なadj) eternity; immortality

贖う、あがなう (godan v, う ending; trans v) to atone for

最後の審判、さいごのしんぱん (n) judgment day; final judgment (religious sense)

聖、せい (n) Saint (may also be written with katakana, as in 「セント」, like “St Rosario’s Church”

ローム (n) Rome

司教、しきょう (n) bishop (catholic)

代理人、だいりにん (n) proxy, representative

存在意義、ぞんざいいぎ (n) raison d'être, reason for existing

冒涜、ぼうとく (n; するv) blasphemy, sacrilege, desecration

主、しゅ (n) the Lord (God)

カルト (n) cult

教徒、しょうと (n) believer, adherent

法王、ほうおう (n) Pope; aka ローム法王

司祭、しさい (n; のadj) a priest [do not confuse with 神父, the title of “Father”]

大罪、たいざい、(n) mortal sin, grave sin

契約、けいやく (n; するv; trans v) covenant, contract, pact [as in a deal with the devil]

最高責任者、さいこうせきにんしゃ (n) chief executive [such as, of the Vatican Bank]

教皇庁、きょうこうちょう(n) the Curia, the administration of the Vatican

地位、ちい (n) position, such as within the Vatican hierarchy, or in line to be a papal candidate

潜り込む、もぐりこみ (Godan v, む ending; intrans v) to go undercover, to infiltrate

マリア (n) (the Virgin) Mary [sometimes seen as 聖母マリア]

聖母子 (n) Virgin and Child, Mary & Baby Jesus

全知全能、ぜんちぜんのう (n; のadj; yojijukugo) omnipotence and omniscient, all powerful and all knowing

救世主、きゅうせいしゅ (n) savior, the messiah, Jesus Christ (the messiah, savior)

背徳、はいとく (n) immorality, corruption, lapse of virtue

堕落、だらく (n; するv) depravity, degradation, corruption

偶像、ぐうぞう (n) idol, image, statue

天罰、てんぼつ (n) divine punishment, wrath of God, judgment of heaven

主よ、しゅよ (なadj; n) Lord, head (of a group)

信仰、しんこう (n;するv; trans v) (religious) faith, belief

印、しるし (n) a sign

聖所、せいじゅ (n) sanctuary, inner sanctum

邪悪、じゃあく (なadj;n) wicked, evil

~#~

Additional Notes

Holy year, 聖年 ; Great Jubilee, 大聖年

“Devil’s book,” 悪魔が書いた魔法書

I did a lot of searching trying to figure out what book, specifically, was meant here, and came up with 2 possibilities:

the Gigas Codex, ギガス写本 or 悪魔の聖書, a book that is not held by the Vatican but was supposedly written with magical assistance from Satan himself;

the Grand Grimoire, 大奥義書 or 大いなる教書, not written by Satan but that is held by the Vatican.

It’s possibly intended to be vague, but the exact phrasing here is different than used for either of these actual books and I couldn’t find any other possible real option. Note the anime does call a book “the devil’s book” and describe it as a “Bible written by the devil” but it doesn’t seem to really be a reference to Gigas, so maybe it’s intended to be a fictional book inspired by these real texts for the purposes of the story.

Secretary of Dicastery of the Causes of Saints - 列聖省長官

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicastery_for_the_Causes_of_Saints

~#~

As always, I’m human and make mistakes. If you find anything feel free to let me know.

#vatican miracle examiner #bachikan kiseki chousakan #japanese langblr #japanese vocab #バチカン奇跡調査官 #日野杏寿 #hindou anju #english translation #poi translation #langblr #decided not to put this behind a paywall after all #still undecided on the translation itself #or may do first one free and later chapters

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thepatchycat · 5 months

Note

hellooo! 👋

i hope it as okay to tag you in the WIP game!!! 😅😅 you have so many cool projects underway!!

I would love to hear more about your Defiance series! Side stories and spin offs?! What a world you must be creating! 🤩

thanks and have a lovely day !!☀️

Certainly! :D I don't always respond to tag games, but I do always appreciate being tagged in them. This one especially makes for a nice excuse to ramble about projects, and I'm delighted to talk about Defiance~

I'm pretty sure Defiance (the main fic) is the second fanfiction I've ever worked on in earnest and also my first and only longfic (not counting some sort of journal thing for Pokemon X I think I started many years ago, as I quickly lost interest in that project; otherwise, I hadn't really tried my hand at writing fic until 2020, despite reading it for much longer). Back in early 2021, with far too much time on my hands and having recently finished binge-watching all of The Clone Wars TV show, I felt very strongly that Fives needed to live and everyone deserved a happier ending, so I started planning a fix-it (actually the idea may have begun cooking back even before I finished the show, but February 2021 is apparently when I created the first doc).

It, uh, spiraled a little.

The planning/notes document is currently sitting at 102 pages (~46k words) of loose outline, worldbuilding notes, character notes, media notes, etc. The fic document itself is at 127 pages (~49k words) of stuff ranging from rough outline to fully written chapters and outtakes. There is also a Sheets file with timelines so I can track who is where, and when. The Sidestories doc is for ideas that would probably take place during Defiance but not be part of the more central plot, like bonus side chapters, and the Spin-offs doc is for other fic ideas that would take place in the same universe—some of which have graduated to their own documents. Though I've not been making consistent progress in the actual writing and have a very long way to go, I am lost in this sauce.

Anyway, the general plot of Defiance is as follows: unbeknownst to Palpatine and the general public, a timely intervention saves Fives' life. This allows him to actually explain himself to the Jedi, who along with the clones investigate the chips further and work behind the scenes to prevent Order 66 from happening while trying to figure out how to take down who's behind it. Critically, despite their suspicions they do not have hard evidence of Palpatine's involvement, so most events parallel canon up through ROTS with the investigation/preparation taking place discreetly, until the train hops off the rails to avoid sailing off the cliff.

If you'd like a sneak peak snippet, here's the first page or so of the main fic below the cut!

Something is wrong. The Force is muddled with a constant and indistinct unease, as it has been for years now—moreso on Coruscant than anywhere else, to Shaak Ti's perceptions. Its warnings are difficult to discern with any specificity. Even so, it murmurs them now. And Shaak possesses her own instincts, enhanced by the Force but extant outside her connection to it; these, too, whisper to her that something is wrong, as she watches Knight Skywalker leave the Jedi Temple conference room to find Captain Rex and investigate the situation with Fives. They are the best fit to track him down and the most likely to confront the rogue clone without further violence. Shaak warned Skywalker that Fives has been acting differently without his chip, that he may not be the man they knew—though she herself is reluctant to believe it—and the Knight and Captain are plenty capable of handling themselves. They will be all right. Still, something is wrong in a way she cannot yet define, and so Shaak Ti decides to join the hunt. Since the Jedi have not been asked to search for Fives, she does not contact the Coruscant Guard when she leaves the Temple. Instead she steps out of the building, pulls up the hood of her cloak, and makes for one of the speeder bikes kept at the Temple for general use. It whirs to life under her hands, and she rides to the nearest transportation portal leading down into the undercity. As she descends, passing speeders of all makes and sizes, Shaak Ti considers what she knows. She is well aware of her own struggles in becoming emotionally attached to the clones; her role on Kamino requires her to balance her care for them as people with the need to defend the galaxy. But many of them, such as Domino Squad, inevitably leave an impression. She watched Echo and Fives grow from bickering cadets to determined protectors, some of the best of their brothers. Her belief in their character during their final tests had not been misplaced. And yet, over these past few days Fives repeatedly defied the Kaminoan doctors, removed his chip, claimed something about a conspiracy, then attacked the Chancellor and fled. Shaak cannot deny these facts, and she must not allow personal feelings to cloud the truth. Then there are the Kaminoans. Shaak clashes frequently with their attitudes toward the clones, the way they view them as products rather than sentients. Nala Se’s arguments for terminating Tup and assurance that the chips are not a problem fall in line with her position as a manufacturer. And Shaak is well aware that the Kaminoans have not shared all of their secrets with her, as she is not owed them. But the medical scientist's resistance had been… spirited. None of this paints a clear picture. As they concluded in the meeting back at the Temple, the Jedi need more information. The familiar sound of a military engine hums past, and Shaak turns her head to watch a pair of gunships heading down the portal through one of the military lanes. She swerves out of the civilian traffic and dives after them, further and further below the surface of the city.

#Thanks for asking! :D #I'm really excited about this 'verse even though it's quite far from getting published #I want to finish at least the first draft of the whole thing before starting to post but that's gonna take quite some time #It'll probably be somewhere between 35 and 50 chapters #Out of which I have...maybe 10-ish written (and around 20 more vaguely outlined). So. Long way to go.#But by golly we're gonna get there!#Patchy Babbles #Patchy Writes #Tag Games

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beechicory · 2 years

Text

"The cherubic Seb" standing up for Lewis in (another) press conference

You know how, back in 2018, Sebastian Vettel infamously 'defended' Lewis Hamilton during a press conference? How a reporter asked Lewis about calling Verstappen a 'dickhead', and Seb intercepted and answered the question [video here] saying such a question wasn't fair, etc.?

I just came across an article that describes another instance of Seb standing up for Lewis during a press conference, this time back in 2015.

For backstory: Lewis won the 2015 Monza GP, and Seb came in 2nd. However, right after the race, Lewis was investigated due to questions about his tire pressure: if he was disqualified, Seb would've been promoted to 1st place. But Seb didn't want that. And he didn't want journalists jumping on Lewis, either.

An excerpt from the article:

In the top 3 drivers’ press conference that immediately followed the podium the matter of the victor Hamilton and his tyre pressures had only just come to light, to the point that when James Allen told Lewis about this at the start of the conference he in fact was breaking the news to him. And as one of the journalist present sought (for some reason) to press Lewis on the matter Seb came to his opponent’s defence, gently reprimanding the journo. “I think it’s not fair to hand that question to Lewis because he doesn’t know what’s going on, so that’s that” he said.

He even sought to defend Lewis on the subject of whether he’d have got a performance advantage from the lower pressures: “In principle, the tyres last a bit longer, but as I said, I don’t think [there’d be much benefit].”

All of a sudden the realisation hit that in a room full of grizzled and (in some cases) getting-on-a-bit hacks the cherubic Seb was by far the most adult and dignified person in the place.

He indicated further that even as a Ferrari driver at Monza he would not be happy to win this one by default: “In a lot of respect and fairness he [Hamilton] did a very good job today and you have to accept that.

“[The prospect of being given the win] doesn’t change anything, emotions. I was second on the podium and that’s the emotions I got and I’m grateful for them. I had a great car today, not good enough to win but good enough to just finish second.”

(Ultimately, the investigation was dropped, and Lewis kept the win).

I can't get over, especially, how in both instances - in 2015 and 2018 - he used the exact same phrase: "I think it's not fair".

He speaks up when he thinks things aren't fair. I think that's a big truth behind why he has become what he is now: someone speaking up for us.

Anyway, I just have extreme emotions about Lewis and Seb and their constant reciprocal care and respect for one another, and their mutual dedication to fairness, to justice.

#Sebastian Vettel #Lewis Hamilton #F1 #Sewis #I am going to explode with emotions about them #I literally repeat that phrase in my head sometimes - 'I think it's not fair'#Weirdly inspiring

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ladypeonies · 1 year

Note

Do you think BOC will survive as a company? They have a lot of stuff going on from the fan info leak to the abuse scandal. Also, I’m sure this situation is turning off sponsors. What’s your opinion…

I think they will survive because as I also stated here, they have what fans want, Mile, Apo, Bible, Jeff, etc. As long as those men stay with them, fans will stick with them. And the fans are the fuel they need. Never underestimate a fan’s ‘love’ for their idol, actor, etc. Some are ready to compromise their morals, beliefs, principles as long as BOC has under their wing their ‘faves’. Trust could be diminished but not entirely lost. Some will forgive BOC anything. It’s the ugly truth. It will take more than what they have been through.

The sponsors are probably annoyed but they can see the potential, so I think for now they will stay, they will be appeased, promises will be made, other actors will step in, etc. Also as long as there isn’t any inertia and BOC seems in control of the narrative, sponsors won’t panic yet. They know how managing individuals isn’t an easy task. The live conference shows that, ‘see we managed to have both parties agreed to talk and make statements, etc.’

For me the only possible outcome for the live conference, is both parties apologising for the stress, pain they caused the company, fans and co-workers, etc. And for both of them to resign him as a BOC actor and her from any attachments, role she has within the company and affiliates, and settle the rest of their dispute in court or not.

His fans are hoping that she comes out and says she lied about everything, etc. Let’s speculate for a second, it’s the case. Still, him staying will be untenable for too many, because he was (as he himself confirmed in his post), in a relationship with her (an unhealthy and unethical one). And no one would believe for one second, he didn’t take advantage of that position or she didn’t favour him above others, knowing her role with BOC and before. It’s a great stain on his reputation and the company’s. For everyone’s sake, he needs to go and BOC needs a thorough investigation within their walls. These kinds of messes can’t keep happening.

There are also variables we don’t know and it’s BOC, anything could happen. But to go back to your question, BOC still stands, and it seems will keep doing so. And I feel for the cast and also too often forgotten, the employees like Gift and others working their ass off to make things work having to deal with that kind of mess.

#lpanswers #boc

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cosmicpuzzle · 1 year

Text

5th Ruler and What you Love 💞

The 5th lord or 5th ruler shows what you love. This house is traditionally associated with sign of Leo and thus symbolizes your heart, what touches you most deeply.

The 5th ruler brings heartfelt joy, love, keeps you alive, inspired and refreshed by doing those house things it influences.

5th ruler in 1st : You love children, you love to express yourself through some art like dance, music, painting etc. You are likely to keep a youthful disposition throughout your life.

5th ruler in 2nd: You love money, the things it can buy, you love your family, you love food. You love being heard.

5th ruler in 3rd : You love sibling interactions, cousins, you love to do short trips with partner, you love writing, you love to read, you love playing games and sports.

5th ruler in 4th: You love your mother, family. You love spacious homes, cars, comforts, furniture. You love learning, education. You love gardening.

5th ruler in 5th: You love having fun, watching movies, sports, games. You are in love with love. You love attention, fame, politics, celebrities and fashion.

5th ruler in 6th: You love exercise, diets, nutrition, small pets, your uncles and relatives. You love to compete, so sports and adventure. You love working on your inspirations as well

5th ruler in 7th: You love to form relationships, you love your husband/wife, you love public and getting famous, you love foreign travels, bureaucrats, foreign relations, international politics, doing business and shopping.

5th ruler in 8th: You love crime novels, detective stories, crime movies, fiction books, occult, astrology, metaphysics, psychology, medicine, trauma healing, shamanism, reseach and investigation, complex mathematics.

5th ruler in 9th: You love long travels, foreign journeys, your father, attending ivy league universities, flight trips, religious ceremonies, weddings (where you can dress as per culture), foreign music and movies, grandparents, elders, you love commitments, philosophy and spirituality.

5th ruler in 10th: You love working on creative projects, you love status and authority, you love being known for your work, you love politics, power and ambition, you love your public image.

5th ruler in 11th: You love your friends, elder siblings, socializing, networking, attending conferences, seminars, you love joining groups, social organizations, social media, you love the stock market, gains, your father's siblings.

5th ruler in 12th: You love solitude, watching movies in your bed in dark, web series, you love making love, sex, you love imagining things, contemplating, spirituality, God, romance, past lives, music, and reading literature.

For Readings -DM

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commonwealthoccurences · 1 year

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Back To Eden - Ch 2

Summary: Sole is a journalist and independent investigator who worked with the famous Detective Nick Valentine before the bombs dropped. They stumble out of Vault 111 with hazy memories of a case gone awry, a sense of desperate yearning, and the bitter experience of already having had to fight for their life to survive against the odds. What's a little nuclear wasteland to a (newly) seasoned investigator?

See masterlist for warnings.

Fic-long tags: Hurt comfort, angst, pining, flashback scenes, noir detective show meets post-apocalyptic chaos, Preston Garvey is a sweetheart, Sole is doing their best and living out of pure spite, slow burn (Nick/Sole), etc etc.

Back To Eden Masterlist

On the walk to the first victim’s family's house, Detective Valentine and Sole quietly went over their notes separately, other than an occasional murmur to confer about details.

The serial killer they were tracking had an obsession with Halloween and had sent a series of notes to the BPD promising that he would be leading up to the big day and it would be “well worth the wait.” Unfortunately for the BPD, it was still the beginning of September, so that meant plenty of time for their mystery killer to go after people and they had made little progress since he had started killing in August, having already claimed four victims.

It was clear the guy loved attention, so they’d been asking the media to keep quiet about it, but when five different people drop dead in the same way in Boston and your head Detective has the reputation he has? Well, word gets out. Sole did feel a little bad for Detective Valentine; between Eddie Winter and their mystery killer, he was going through quite the media ringer. They didn’t acknowledge that they would’ve been part of that media ringer if they weren’t working with him.

The first interview was with Jess Hardy’s parents. She was the first victim. They trashed their disposable cups and quickly ascended the few stairs that led to the Hardy family home. Detective Valentine gave no pause before he knocked at the door. Usually, when they worked on their own, Sole gave themself a minute or two to catch their breath and go over the details of the case in their mind. What to say, what not to say, the questions that were off-limits and the little details that made the family feel cared for, things like that. However, it seemed that once one spent enough time building up their reputation like Detective Valentine had, there was no need to give pause. He was ready no matter what.

Sole took a deep breath and braced themself and Detective Valentine spared them no glance. Shoulders squared, and a soft but not overdone smile. They all knew what they were there for, this was not a smiling situation, but Sole hated the grimness of these interviews. They hated the way that everything about these people was turned into the way they died and not who they were and what they loved. They wished there was a way they could convey all of that in an expression, but there wasn’t, and so they opted for a warm, and hopefully reassuring, smile.

Detective Valentine didn’t seem to share the same concerns. His expression wasn’t flat, but it wasn’t whatever Sole was attempting. His eyes were warm, Sole noticed. Silently, they noted their approval, and squared their shoulders as they heard footsteps behind the door.

It opened a little at first, and then all the way when the woman locked eyes with Sole. The door swung open and, to both their surprise and the surprise of Detective Valentine, the woman flung her arms around Sole’s neck. “Thank God you’re here.”

Finally, Sole and Detective Valentine made eye contact over her shoulder. They couldn’t quite read the expression on his face, but they knew it wasn’t one of approval. Sole returned the hug with a gentle pat on the back. “Hello, Mrs. Hardy.”

The woman pulled away and gave a wry smile. “Oh, it’s Miss Hardy now.”

“Ah, I understand. Apologies.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She turned to give Detective Valentine a once over, though it seemed a bit dismissive. “Detective.”

“Miss Hardy. I’m sorry we have to meet again.”

“As am I. Come in.”

Miss Hardy’s house was a bit tidier than the last time Sole had visited; they had conducted an initial round of investigations after the first two victims had died in an attempt to get ahead of the killer before he could get the reputation he so strongly desired. The one advantage (or disadvantage, depending on the person) Sole had was when the police failed to do their jobs, families often saw Sole as a hopeful alternative. The backup plan.

The house had been a disaster when Sole first visited. It looked like a stranger had ransacked it, but it had been no stranger. Mr. Hardy had torn the house apart looking for some sort of answer. In what form, Sole wasn’t sure. Maybe some clue as to why Jess Hardy had died so unfortunately; she was a college student who had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time around the wrong man. Unfortunately, with these cases, there was no explanation for why the parents had to lose their child so young, and this often created extra issues with the parents finding closure. However, it had only been a month since Jess Hardy was found, and this was no time to think about closure. There were answers to be found.

“They’re still cold, I’m not sure if we’re gonna be able to get their temperature up.”

“We have to try.”

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t plannin’ on givin’ up anytime soon.”

“You didn’t tell me you knew the victim’s family already.”

“You didn’t ask.”

Detective Valentine raised an eyebrow. Sole sighed. “I did some interviews of my own after the second victim.”

“Right.”

There was an unspoken acknowledgement of the frenzy that the second murder brought on; that was exactly when the media threw doubt onto the police department’s abilities. Sole really didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that they hadn’t exactly disagreed with the sentiment. Detective Valentine, to his credit, wasn’t stupid and probably knew already.

“Well, since we’ve only sorted one interview for today, I guess I should get going. I’ll review my notes and message you when I get home about what we’re doing moving forward. I’d like–”

“You’re not going home.”

“Pardon?” Sole’s mouth was agape.

“We’re partners now. Temporarily. This needs to get solved as soon as possible so I can return to lead the Eddie Winters case. We eat, live, breathe this case until it’s over, and that means we join each other everywhere. You’re coming back to the station with me.”

Sole stared. They knew they weren’t exactly popular with the station, but there was no wiggle room in the firm look Detective Valentine had on his face. “Right.”

“Would you do me a favor and get them another blanket? Their body temp isn’t risin’ as fast as I’d like and we’re lookin’ at a few blisters that I need to treat.”

“Not a problem, Sturges. Do you think they’ll be awake anytime soon?”

Sole wanted to see what was going on, but their eyelids were so incredibly heavy. They weren’t as cold as they had been earlier, didn’t feel so shaky, but it seemed they had been wrapped up tight, their arms pinned to their sides. Everything felt cloudy. Foggy. They didn’t want to be cold anymore. They were home, but they wanted to go home. “Sturges, they’re waking up.”

Maybe this was another occasion for Sole to make their miserable little noises. Maybe this time the Vault Tech staff would help them– obviously something had gone wrong. They weren’t supposed to be awake yet. It wasn’t supposed to hurt this badly. Their fingers and toes felt like they were on the verge of falling off, and Sole wished they just would so maybe the pain would ease. Pins pressed themself into their skin at all sides. It was impossible to escape. They wanted to go home. Something sunk deep into their skin and they felt the cold rush of calm rushing through their bloodstream, and it all went quiet again.

Sole propped their chin on their elbow, leaned against the surface of one of the spare metal desks Detective Valentine had found them, as they wrote their notes out. By hand, he had insisted. If they hadn’t slept properly that night they probably would’ve made fun of him for hating the development of technology; everybody was converting to the terminals nowadays. It was so much faster than writing things out by hand. But the Detective had insisted, said he needed to be able to have everything in his hands, and Sole merely nodded and complied.

They wanted to save the potential for them to clash for something more important– if they argued with him all the time, he wouldn’t take them seriously if something more important came up that they disagreed with. Then again, maybe he wouldn’t take them seriously at all. They were, after all, just an independent investigator. They resisted the urge to roll their eyes.

The metal was digging into the bone of their elbow and Sole straightened up to rub at the sore skin. With an audible groan, they cast a glance at the clock that hung on the brick walls. It was nearly eight at night, and they had been writing out their interview notes, theories, and mindless ramblings for hours.

Sole’s back protested at every movement as they hauled themself out of their chair to stand. The department was a ghost-town now, with only the sparse night staff milling around or sitting at their desks quietly. Sole laced their fingers together and stretched, suppressing a jaw-splitting yawn. They supposed they would turn their stack of papers in to Detective Valentine and then head home– he really couldn’t protest to that.

The clack of their boots was normally quiet, but interrupted the persisting silence as they click-clack click-clacked against the black and white checkered tile. While the Detective wasn’t far, is office space was tucked away in the corner, and with all of the walled cubicles Sole found themself a little lost. Eventually, they found their way back and peered through the window of his office.

Detective Valentine very much mirrored their earlier posture; slouched against his desk in an unguarded stance of exhaustion. The weak, yellow lighting of his office lamp emphasized the bags under his eyes and the harsh cut of his cheekbones. In fact, his eyes looked so heavy, they couldn’t tell if he was awake or not. Either way, the pencil in his hand had ceased its movement, and if he was awake, it was hardly willingly.

Sole averted their eyes to their shoes and tapped their knuckles against his door quietly. There was a beat of silence before the Detective cleared his throat and spoke, paper-shuffling accompanying the sounds. “Come in.”

Sole pushed the door open and stepped in. “My notes, Detective. I included some of the findings of my research prior to myself joining the official investigation. I understand that you have the police department’s budget, but I do have the advantage of being less… noticeable. I would, of course, understand and recommend you reading those notes after the first round of interviews so we both get the fresh start on the case we discussed.”

Detective Valentine blinked. “Yes, of course. I will put them away for when they are necessary. Are you headed home?”

“Yes, aren’t you?”

“No.”

There was no explanation, no further words spoken. Sole stood there for a moment before nodding. “Goodnight, Detective.”

No response, other than the pencil resuming its scratching against his notepad. Sole pressed their lips together and stepped out of his office and began their walk home.

#back to eden #fallout 4 fanfiction #gender neutral sole survivor #nick valentine #slow burn #angst with a happy ending #friends to strangers to lovers #found family #fluff #angst #hurt comfort

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asimperingswannsong · 1 year

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Larissa’s Reluctant Romance

Part 3 of my messy shitposting…I’m determined to do a part 4 ADHD be damned…we’ll see.

Larissa/Wednesday

The school year quickly began to draw to a close after Larissa returned from her weekend trip. She’d resumed her normal routine and accordingly one evening around 7pm she was buried in paperwork at her laptop when she noticed the door dividing her office from her apartment slowly swinging open. She thought that was very odd so she got up to investigate. She saw the flickering of a flame coming from her dining room doorway and entered to find a spring bloom scented candle lit on the table next to a plate of her favorite pasta and a glass of red. She took that to mean that Wednesday disapproved of her missing dinner time. She decided since it was already there and it smelled delicious she may as well make time to enjoy the pasta.

This became something of a routine with Wednesday leaving dinner plated on the table once or twice a week next to a small arrangement she’d collected from the grounds - Larissa feigned ignorance when her groundskeeper noticed the missing blooms and complained. Sometimes it was dinner and a new book, usually poetry.

Finally the last week of school arrived. On the day before the students were set to return home, Larissa found dinner accompanied by a soundtrack coming from her record player. Wednesday had recorded some of her pieces. This was the best gift so far. Larissa adored Wednesday’s cello playing. She looked forward to being able to play it when she liked.

The year ended and the students left in a mass exodus. At first Larissa stayed busy scheduling in service meetings for staff over the summer. Eventually though things settled down and she started to notice herself feeling lonelier than usual. She hadn’t previously struggled over the summer. She caught herself thinking she was missing her ‘dinner dates’ and then immediately recognized how bizarre the thought was.

She decided she needed to find ways to occupy her time. She started by planting a small herb garden in containers on her balcony. She took another weekend trip, complete with too much shopping. Finally she settled on painting workshops she’d seen a flyer for at the local bookshop.

Larissa used to love painting but she hadn’t allowed herself the time to indulge in it in years. She thoroughly enjoyed herself for a little over a month before she started to pull back as she started interviewing and hiring for open positions for the upcoming school year. This was followed by a few weeks of helping the new hires settle in and acclimate.

One morning, Ms. Thurgood, one of the new maintenance workers stopped by her office. “Good morning Ms. Weems.” “Good morning Ms. Thurgood. How are you? Are you settling in nicely?” “I’m doing good thank you.” “What can I do for you?” “I had a question about one of the rooms in Ophelia Hall. I was cleaning in there and noticed a closet with a hasp and padlock on it. Do I need a key for cleaning it?” “I wasn’t aware there were any closets locked in that manner either. It maybe something a student did without permission. I’ll check into it. Where is it?” “It’s in the large double room on the top floor with the balcony facing the quad.” “Thank you Ms. Thurgood.”

Larissa made her way to the room that Wednesday shared with Enid. It had been years since she picked a lock but she’d spent enough time with Morticia that she manages after awhile to unlock the closet. Inside she found dozens of bags and boxes with luxury items: sunglasses, purses, heels, perfume, etc.

She knelt and dug through the packages. She started finding receipts. One of the purses and the sunglasses were dated within a few days of her birthday. These heels were bought just before she’d left for an educator’s conference out of state; and they perfectly matched the dress she’d worn. Apparently, Wednesday had continued buying her lavish gifts, but she’d started storing them here instead of giving them to her after Larissa had reprimanded her for it. Larissa stayed knelt down in the closet contemplating the shrine that had been built to her.

She replaced the lock, asked Ms. Thurgood to ignore the closet, and resolved to speak to Wednesday about it when she returned. Finally the summer ended and the students returned. Larissa was busy getting everyone and everything in order.

A few weeks in and things started to settle. One evening Larissa noticed Enid and Ajax making their way across the quad. No doubt they believed they were being discreet on their way to a make out session. Larissa made her way to Wednesday’s room.

She stopped outside and listened for awhile to the sound of Wednesday playing. This was a new piece she hadn’t heard before. Eventually she opened the door and stepped inside. She crossed the room and stepped out onto the balcony behind Wednesday. She noticed the title of the music she played started with LTPW; her initials.

“Wednesday?” She stopped playing and turned. “Good evening Principal Weems.” “LTPW?” “Your initials. I wrote the piece while thinking of you.” Why had Larissa half expected her to try and lie? Wednesday never shied away from the truth in its bluntest form.

“I thought maybe you’d forgotten about me over the summer.” “I’m afraid I must disappoint you.” “I found all of the items you bought and locked away in the closet.” Wednesday broke eye contact, turning away. “I stopped giving them to you after you said you were made uncomfortable by them. But I found that continuing to buy things as I thought of you provided me with an outlet for feelings that I was otherwise unable to process.”

Larissa felt a tightness in her chest. She sympathized with Wednesday. She’d spent her school years here in an entirely one sided relationship as well. She hated that she was the cause of Wednesday’s unhappiness. She wished she could fix it. “Darling have you thought about trying to take your mind off of these feelings? Maybe you could try dating someone? There’s a new siren named Cleo who’s very pretty.”

Wednesday felt patronized by Larissa’s unsolicited advice. She felt she was trying to pawn her off on someone else; she was an unwanted burden from which Larissa wished to be rid.

“Has that worked for you?” “What do you mean?” “Have you been able to cure yourself of being in love with my mother by dating other people?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about Wednesday.” “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve found a sort of twisted cosmic humor in the knowledge that you’ve spent years pining over Morticia without her acknowledging it and now her daughter is doing the same with you.” “What makes you think I’m in love with her?”

“I’ve seen visions of the two of you together,

making love in the moonlight, in this room; right over there.” She pointed to Enid’s bed. When Larissa’s jaw began working properly again, she said, “I think we’ve already discussed how unreliable your visions can be Wednesday.” After a pause, “Besides that was a long time ago. We were teenagers.”

“But you weren’t teenagers when your breath hitched, your pupils dilated, and your pulse increased when you greeted her the day I was enrolled. All signs indicating that your feelings remain very much intact.” Larissa stared at Wednesday dumbfounded by the intensity of her scrutiny. She knew her to be intelligent and attentive but she’d failed to appreciate exactly how observant she could be. She flushed at the thought of how much she’d unknowingly given away.

She then pictured Wednesday seeing Larissa and Morticia in bed together. She was sure that her cheeks, ears, and neck had to be glowing in the darkness. “Wednesday I’m sorry if you’re unable to manage your feelings as much as you’d like but I want to be clear that I expect this relationship to be one of educator and student. I don’t want you to embarrass me in front of faculty if they see music you’ve titled after me or gifts you’ve bought and carelessly left for anyone to find.”

Larissa left quickly, fleeing into the corridor, and all the way back to her office. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She was shocked at how harsh she’d spoken to Wednesday, but her telling Larissa that she knew of her feelings for Morticia had ripped open an old wound. Larissa had convinced herself that it had been so long ago that no one was aware of what had happened anymore, but now she knew Wednesday had seen part of it and pieced together even more. Larissa was deeply unsettled.

She started to avoid Wednesday. She even went as far as having other staff convey messages to her or reprimand her when someone complained. She felt restless. She’d sit and stew about it. She’d resolve to try and speak to Wednesday, but then change her mind. Eventually she decided she had to do something, and she figured if her advice was good enough to try and give to Wednesday, it was good enough for her to take herself.

With the help of the young lady at the bookstore in town Larissa finally managed to set up a profile on a dating app. She agreed to a date on Friday. They met for dinner. He was a perfectly nice, perfectly fine, perfectly boring accountant from in town.

She tried to let him steer the conversation. She really did. It’s just he didn’t seem to have a lot to offer. It wasn’t long before she fell in to her usual topic, work. It was all over from there. That’s all they discussed; well she discussed, he listened. She realized afterward that she really should have pulled back on work talk. It had to bore anyone not associated with the academy. That’s why she was surprised to receive a text a few days later asking for a second date.

She sighed and thought it sounded like sort of a waste of time. She had plenty of paperwork other tasks to do but she’d promised herself that this time would be different. She agreed to meet. They went for a movie and he chose a college based comedy with juvenile humor that he guffawed at throughout. She felt herself repeatedly rolling her eyes.

Afterward they went to the Weathervane for coffee, hot chocolate, and pastries. They walked back to her car from there and he surprised her by leaning in for a kiss. Just as she started to return it she opened her eyes briefly and caught sight of Wednesday exiting a shop across the street.

For the briefest moment she saw a look of pain on her face that she recognized immediately. It was the same look she saw in the mirror of her dorm mom’s bathroom where she’d gone to gather herself after finding Morticia and Gomez together in their shared room.

The look was covered quickly by Wednesday’s usual blank expression as she turned and walked away. But it had lasted long enough to take the wind from body like a punch to the gut. She pulled away from her date who was confused. She apologized hastily by telling him she spotted one of her problem students whose town privileges were currently revoked. She left him staring after her as she went to try and track Wednesday down.

She was unsuccessful and returned to school still bothered by the look she’d seen on her face. They occupied the same school together but Larissa could not for the life of her track Wednesday down over the next few days. She’d see her in her classes through the window but if she tried to catch her in the hallway afterward it was like she’d melted into the crowd completely. The gifts and the dinners stopped. Larissa was surprised by how hurt she was by it. She declined the accountant’s third date request.

#larissa weems #principal weems #my fic #wendesday addams

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