#tragedy of innocence being snuffed out and all that

[fullscoreshenanigans]

Oh little children of fate, what grand prizes you make Made by lemonjuiceday

[mirage-of-the-virtuoso]

Because I've been thinking about it again: there is an au that lives rent-free in my head about Chrysallus becoming a courtier.

NMC!Chrys (who will be referred to as "Siren") deals a lot with staying detached, with seeming wild and chaotic (to the point of off-putting other courtiers), and generally just making himself out to be the villain for Dreamers and Courtiers alike.

When he first awoke after the whole debacle with the Dream getting attacked on the day of his awakening, Chrys did have a lot of people eyeballing him, gossiping about him, suspicion in their eyes because what sapling would stand there and try to connect with something that is very clearly trying to kill them?

With the new fascination with observing duality among their kin, Chrysallus then heard whispers in the shadows. He heard their hushed murmurs about him being a courtier spy, about him falling to Nightmare, how he reminds them too much of other sylvari who turned against the Court.

They decided his identity before he even had a chance to forge his own. The Grove painted him as a monster, as a villain.

And for a while, he tried to prove he wasn't. Chrys did everything he could, helped other Dreamers, protected the innocent, anything to help others see him as a person.

But it grew quickly into rampant people-pleasing, believing him near obsessed. And now, they thought his offers for help were false, only there to perform and make him look like something he's not.

As Chrysallus was a mesmer, it certainly didn't help when others made their accusations based on their bias against him.

Aurienal tried their best to help. But before they could stop him, Chrys had fled the Grove, clearly distraught and flowers scattered to the wind when he vanished.

Then, reports trickled in, both Wardens and Courtiers were turning up dead in Caledon. Patrols went from 3-4 to about 8-10 to prevent more from dying. But all that did was leave more bodies.

There were some who came back physically unscathed. Mentally, however, they were traumatized.

Those that returned, they spoke in panicked breathless voices, paranoid about the things they were currently seeing.

A mesmer - voice distorted to sound like they were two different people, completely covered and face hidden behind a full mask and wielding a staff - was luring people deep into the forests where monsters lurked, then hit with illusions so powerful that they couldn't help cowering in fear.

When other Wardens demanded answers from the attacker, all they said was "You wanted to see me as a monster so badly. You should be more careful what you wish for."

Even a Courtier had sought temporary refuge with a Warden patrol, clearly shaken and saying "I didn't sign up for this" before delving into a similar story that the Wardens had reported.

The Courtiers began referring to this attacker as "The Mad Siren." Other veteran warriors believed this "Siren" to be Soundless, since they could not be felt in the Dream, and the Courtiers were clearly fearful of them.

Auri, meanwhile, searched desperately for Chrysallus. He had been missing for this entire debacle, and was afraid that his mentee, the one with the fate of the world on his shoulders, had been snuffed out by this attacker.

So, they ventured into the woods where the Siren was rumored to be hiding out.

"Of all people I expected to see here, you are not one of them," came the whisper on the wind. Auri didn't receive the same treatment as the others. "Why are you here?"

"I want to know, Siren, if you have seen a young student of mine. Blue, has white leaves, a mesmer like you."

It was now that the Siren had appeared for Auri to see. Dressed as a human noble, face hidden behind a mask (half-comedy, half-tragedy), hair hidden by a feathered hat, hands covered by gloves.

"... I fear you have come too late, Aurienal. That Dreamer you seek no longer exists."

Auri was shocked to hear the news. Chrysallus was dead?

"Do not misunderstand," Siren had said. "I did not lay a hand on him. But, he is not the same person you knew. Do not blame yourself, you did not drive him away. But for this reason, he will not be able to return to the Grove."

"He... he's fallen to Nightmare, hasn't he?"

Siren sheathed their weapon, then removed the hat and mask in one movement.

It was Chrysallus, but his bark had darkened and shifted color from pure blue to having patches of faded purple, green, black, and brown along the blue bark. His eyes had altered somehow, to having black sceleras to outline his white irises. But somehow, still recognizable. At least, to Auri.

"Chrys-"

"No. Chrysallus is no more. They killed that Dreamer the moment the condemned him as a spy and refused to hear anything other than their own bias and beliefs," he growled. He stopped at the expression of pain on their face. "He was too weak for them, not good enough for them. They wanted him to be the villain so bad that they drove him out with gossip and rumor to see if he would."

He teleports to the branches above, surveying the land. "They wanted drama to give their own lives some excitement, some adrenaline. A drama needs a tragic hero. A drama needs a villain who will push them so far to near hopelessness, regardless of outcome. Who am I, a mesmer, an actor on this stage of life, to disappoint a crowd like this? They need someone to despise. They got what they wanted. They should have considered the cost of this desire."

Aurienal was livid. They wanted nothing more than to take Chrysallus away from here, make sure he was safe, help him come back to himself. But there was little that could be done. There were few that truly fell to Nightmare that could be saved.

"Promise me that you will be safe, that no innocents will be harmed if I leave you be."

He looks at them solemnly. "I only attack those who strike first. I will not harm one that is unarmed."

The violet mesmer nods, then asks, "Will I ever see you again?"

Siren sighs. "It would be wiser if you didn't. But, I will not stop you. I can promise that you will not be harmed."

"What will you do?"

"I will be joining the Court," Siren had said, shocking Auri once more. "I will make it clear who's side I'm on, no matter where my allegiances lie in the moment. Just because I am with them does not mean they are safe."

Siren replaces the mask and hat. "... Forget about me, Auri. If they ask, say that he was lured by me and killed. Let his name die as one who tried to protect the Grove, no matter the cost. It's all he has left."

When he does join the Court, he has the same energy as an unhinged jester, and one that became a mender for the Court. Though, anyone that tried him usually ended up poisoned or dead. They left him to his devices until he later left and joined the Priory, then eventually joined with Trahearne to defeat Zhaitan.

The rest, currently, is history.

[monstershearts]

Adam "The Creature" Frankenstein

Nationality: German/Swiss, English (verse dependent)

Gender: Cis Male

Sexuality: Demisexual, demiromantic

Age: 25 (verse dependent)

Appearance: Brown eyes with yellowed sclera, 8 ft tall, strong and large build, pallid skin with multiple scars from where his parts were sewn together, a once handsome face now also marred by scars from his construction and from the lab fire, yellowed fingernails and teeth, rarely smiles but it's big and somewhat shy, usually wears all black, but prefers to make himself look as elegant as he can when possible.

FC: Adam Driver

Personality: Vindictive, eloquent, intelligent, has trouble controlling both his temper and his strength at times, obsessive, curious, eager and quick to learn, often wears his heart on his sleeve, quiet and softspoken when he isn't angry, longs to remember his past life. He believes himself to be an irredeemable monster, and he resents Victor for creating him and then abandoning him to such a cruel world, but knows deep down that he would be willing to forgive his creator if the man only asked for it. He loves just as deeply as he hates. He can be just as gentle as he is violent.

Goals: To either get revenge on Victor, forgive him, or avenge him (verse dependent); to become someone worthy of love.

Strengths/Powers: Superhuman physical strength and endurance, intelligence, immortality, immunity to lightning damage(in fact, it makes him stronger for a brief period).

Weaknesses: Fire(burns him, but it also triggers his PTSD), large bodies of water(he can't swim, he'll just sink right to the bottom), lack of control, obsessively vengeful, can be easily hypnotized.

Likes: Warm and cozy homes, poetry, fantasy novels, observing the natural world, classical and baroque music, opera, theater, other fine arts, learning foreign languages, traveling leisurely.

Dislikes: Traveling under duress, Victor, vampires, werewolves, Fae, supernatural bullshit in general, fire, large bodies of water, being called ugly or a monster, pitchforks, archaic lab equipment, being hunted, being used as a weapon.

Languages: German, French, Italian, English (picked up quickly and spoken with a London accent as a result of lingering memories of his past), rudimentary Spanish, rudimentary Russian, rudimentary Romanian, Latin.

Background: Before he was framed and executed for murder in Ingolstadt, the main body and brain Victor Frankenstein experimented on and turned into his Creature belonged to an English poet and world traveler by the name of Dante Alexander. Dante was an intelligent and soft spoken man, though his towering height (well over 6 ft, even without enhancement) and strong build seemed intimidating upon first sight. He came from a noble family, though he would much rather explore the many wonders the world had to offer than take over his father's business and aristocratic duties. He'd left home at 18, roaming all over Europe with what small fortune his father had allowed him, and by the age of 25, he'd arrived in Bavaria with five languages learned and several countries lived in. He'd intended to rest in Ingolstadt for just a week or two before finally back to his home in London, but his third day there brought tragedy and ruin. No one listened to his pleas of innocence to the brutal murder of a local girl. Justice, they all cried, must be carried out! Dante's pleas turned into vengeful curses, and finally a prayer sung with equal measures of spite and despair for the keeping of his soul. His light was then snuffed out, accompanied by chorus of cheers and jeers.

Frankenstein

When next the Creature awoke, he barely remembered anything. He could not speak the multitudes of questions on his mind, for his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. He could not move, for he was tightly strapped down to a metal table, but even if that weren't the case, his limbs felt far too leaden and long for him. What had happened to him? What had he become? He heard a startled yelp, the same voice who he vaguely remembered cursing at him while he slumbered, urging him to live. Yellowed brown eyes fixed the young man with a curious glare, but he'd scarcely looked over before his creator fled. Distressed and weak, the Creature fell back into unconsciousness. Hours later, he awoke again, screaming in pain as flames licked at his face and body. Thrashing about, he managed to free himself from his restraints, and as he fled the lab, the inferno, he caught the name printed on a placard by the door: Victor Frankenstein. Mind already working faster than perhaps it ever had, the Creature filed that name away in his memory and ran from the university to the nearby woods, seeking respite. He could feel his wounds healing as he ran, though they left their scars. The next months were spent running, observing, and learning. He learned to feed himself and seek water rather quickly by watching wildlife, surviving on nuts, berries, roots, and what small game he could catch for himself. He learned to speak again by closely observing a blind innkeeper and his family from the cover of the trees and the night, practicing to himself while they were sleeping. Thus, his first language in this form became German, though he found that he could not pronounce the words exactly as they could. In return, out of gratitude, he brought them firewood and what gathered food he could spare. It took several months for him to gather the courage to approach the old innkeeper, who spoke kind words to him and embraced him. When the Creature returned the embrace, however, he knew not his own strength, and accidentally killed the innkeeper. Lamenting his cursed body and the creator who inflicted it upon him, he fled, chased into the woods by villagers with torches and pitchforks, and swore to get his revenge on Victor. Tracking the Frankenstein name brought him to Switzerland, where he decided to get his creator's attention by murdering his younger brother, William, and framing the boy's governess for it. They met in the forest shortly before Justine's trial. The Creature told his tale and made his demands, and Victor resisted at first, but eventually gave in to the allure of a second chance at his great experiment. Their deal did not last. Victor's friend, Henry, interfered, and from there, their relationship devolved into traded revenge and trails of blood and bodies. Victor chased him all over Europe, vowing to end him, and the Creature took sadistic delight in the hunt.

Meeting Dracula

When they finally met again in the frozen Arctic, both the Creature and Victor had grown tired of their decade-long blood feud. Still, the Creature resolved to not relent until his creator apologized for casting him into a living hell. Shockingly, Victor did just that. The two embraced, tears slowly freezing as they wept, and the Creature apologized for inflicting so much pain and death. At Victor's suggestion, he took the name of Adam Frankenstein, both a gift and a shared joke between them. Victor's new companion, however, did not take too kindly to their amicable reunion. It was then that Adam witnessed the cruelty and jealous heart of Count Dracula. The vampire's fangs sunk deep into Victor's neck before Adam could stop him, and, believing his creator to be dead, the Creature swore his revenge, attacking the Count with reckless abandon. They fought relentlessly, with Dracula finally finding himself physically outmatched by an opponent. Both living dead eventually fell through the weakened ice, with Adam sinking quickly and Dracula being dragged by the ocean currents. Darkness followed. Months later, Adam found that the currents had taken him, as well. He was able to claw along the ocean floor until he found a coastline, though he had no idea where he landed. He spent decades wandering aimlessly, mourning his creator. Time became a blur to him. When he wasn't wandering, he was running or being hunted.

House of Frankenstein

Eventually, in 1944, a catatonic Adam was found by Dr. Niemann and his assistant, who desired to revive the Creature using both Victor's notes and his lab, which they had already refurbished. When he awoke, he remembered his anger and despair at the loss of his creator, both of which were only fueled by the callous saviors who sought to use him. Naturally, he rebelled, only to be fought off by a furious Wolfman. Their battle killed both mad scientists in its wake, ending with the monstrous pair falling from the parapets and plummeting into the river below. Adam, revitalized by the shock but not quite at his full strength, found that the Wolfman was a human by day, and saved him from drowning. He was determined not to end another human life, and vowed as much to an unconscious Lawrence Talbot before leaving him to be discovered by what friends the Welshman had made. Unfortunately, Adam didn't make it very far from Ingolstadt before Dracula hypnotized him, forcing him into service as a bodyguard.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Adam's second drowning had weakened him greatly, as did his constant fight against the Count's influence over his mind. Over the next four years, he grew even weaker as the pair dodged war, hunger, and daylight. Eventually, he was sapped of the last of his strength, and was reluctantly forced to trust Dracula to find a way to revive him again. He remained dormant while Dracula partnered up with Dr. Sandra Mornay to find a solution. The next time he came to sustained consciousness was in a House of Horrors in Florida in 1948, when he and Dracula scared the living daylights out of Wilbur Grey, much to Adam's chagrin. He hadn't the strength to protest, however, and followed Dracula and Dr. Mornay to an island castle in the Floridian swamps. He drifted in and out of consciousness for the next few days, though he was startled to awake with Wilbur sitting in his lap one night. Before he could properly apologize for frightening the man, Dracula ushered him out of the hidden room, insisting that they could not afford to be found by Wilbur's friend, Chick, as well. They took part in a rather comical chase, with Adam growing more and more suspicious. When they were able to get back inside, he decided to fight sleep, though he pretended to go dormant once more, biding his time until the castle was empty. He didn't have to wait long. After about an hour, Wilbur and Chick left with Joan and the young professor who so reminded him of Victor, and Dracula and Dr. Mornay left shortly after. Adam took the opportunity to explore the castle without hesitation. Everything he found enraged him more and more. The lab and equipment. Victor's journal. Dr. Mornay's own notes detailing her plan to transfer Wilbur's brain into his body. Dracula wanted a more compliant monster, it seemed. He cursed the Count's name, swearing to defend Wilbur Grey with what remained of his life and end Dracula once and for all. Thinking quickly, he used the equipment in the lab to give himself a few revitalizing jolts, knowing that he would need the energy. It was the most he'd felt like himself since losing his creator. He had to make it count. Hearing the commotion of Dracula and Dr. Mornay returning with their victim, he quickly stole back into the lair to lie in wait, knowing that he'd never be able to take on two vampires and keep a human safe at the same time. He had to divide and conquer. Surrender and lure them into a false sense of security. The next hour was a blur. He was led into the lab. There was a commotion that meant Wilbur's friends must have freed him, but it didn't last, as the terrified human was wheeled into the lab, strapped to a gurney. The professor stormed in with Victor's notes and a furious expression, distracting Dracula momentarily. It was just the window Adam had been waiting for. Roaring, he broke his restraints just as Talbot broke in to do the same for Wilbur. Adam threw Dr. Mornay through the window before expressing his pleasant surprise at seeing Talbot again, though his transformation into the Wolfman quickly complicated things. He took over freeing Wilbur while Dracula fought Talbot, leading him out of the lab...only for Wilbur to run, screaming for Chick. Exasperated, Adam chased after both of them, attempting to explain himself. Eventually, he managed to get them to listen, insisting that he wasn't going to harm them, but that they had to find their friends and get out while they could. They heeded his warning, thankfully, though Professor Stephens did wind up burning down the castle. Adam found Talbot the next morning, unconscious on the ground below another shattered window, and resolved to nurse the Wolfman back to health and make him a companion rather than an enemy. They soon made the journey to Talbot's home up in Boston before parting ways amicably.

Verses:

Modern - Adam now floats from state to state, working odd jobs to earn a living for himself. His scars, though still present, have mostly faded. He looks healthy, eyes and teeth relieved of their jaundice and skin reclaiming a much more natural tone. He has to regularly give himself a jolt of electricity to continue the healing process and keep himself strong, but that's gotten easier and easier as time went on. The inventions of man have become a marvel to him. He writes poetry in his spare time, publishing books of it under multiple pseudonyms. He is still insecure about his appearance, but tries to pay it no mind. Humans have gotten less judgemental, after all, or at least more tactful.

Marvel - After learning about the Avenger known as the Hulk, Adam seeks him out, desiring both to learn from and aid Bruce Banner in any way he can.

Stranger Things - Adam arrives in Hawkins, Indiana to accept a fantastic construction job, only to find some very strange goings on. Kids disappearing. A shocking murder. Still bearing lingering trauma from what he remembers of his past, he tries to keep a low profile, at first, but the more he hears, the more he wants to help. He joins the search party, staying out much later than any of the mortals, tromping through the woods and calling out for Will Byers until his voice grows hoarse. His life only grows more complicated from there.

Past Life - Takes place during Dante's life as a human, before he was executed for a murder he didn't commit in Ingolstadt. Late Georgian Era, can do threads taking place in Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Spain, or Ireland. Pirates, sirens, and merfolk always welcome!

[mrmcribs]

Ok, gender, here's some here's some oc emoji asks

🔥, 💥, 💧, 💔, 🙈, 🙉 Cassi for uhm no apparent reason haha

🌌, 📎, 🍀Serpa

🕷️, 😭 Athens

got it, only PEPN member I’m not married to

CASSI

🔥 Self destructive habits? - Cassi, a lot of the time, can seem like and usually is a bitch that doesn’t really care about your average person, and while they shrug it off 99% of the time, the fact that they know their very hatable kinda nibbles on the vibe, y’know?

But besides that, she doesn’t really do anything to negatively affect herself. Despite doing a few bad things here and there, the worst habit she constantly has is eating fine China and having grudges against nearly all other beings of her strength for one reason or another

💥 Emotions they have trouble with? - Cassi doesn’t really have much trouble with her emotions, BUT she does have trouble with her feelings with Adm. Fanto, with it being kinda awkward that she’s a godly being that is dating a short little jellyfish man. But besides that, she’s usually able to deal with her feelings one way or another, either problem dumping on Fanto or just ignoring them until they go away

💧Random angst headcanon - I have no idea what to put here, like, Cassi doesn’t really have anything ANGSTY to write about. I guess she like. Kinda beloved Fanto would leave her but like. That’s it

💔 what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart? - Cassi would be ruined if their partner just…. started ignoring them. She can be okay with them living their own life and stuff, but after a while of them refusing doing stuff with her, she’ll start getting a bit upset about it. After being ignored for a while, they’d go back to their normal self, but behind the scenes, they’re still pining and searching for their partners attention.

🙈 What side of themselves do they not show to other people? - Cassi doesn’t show it often at all, but she occasionally goes to worlds in tragedy and going through apocalyptic events, and watches and laughs while an entire universe of innocent individuals are snuffed out, like a single pixel going black on an infinity large screen. (Flashback to the “She deserves an Oscar for that” joke, I think that’s the only time she’s ever shown herself engaging in that pastime in front of others)

🙉 what is the worse thing they could hear from someone? - “your mom” I have no clue, lmao, yeah, uhhh, just something mean and she’ll either overreact or just laugh at you

The one that smokes (Serpa)

🌌 Character Inspiration - I already knew I wanted a character with the main focus being a big ‘ol eye, and I came up with the idea of it being hidden behind a TV screen, similar to a Mimic. Originally, Serpa was gonna be more mechanical and medical based, but I just so happened to be playing RoR2 at the time of Serpa’s creation, which has a character that is a plant and robot in a symbiotic relationship. I though, “hey, plant tech character”, and soon enough, the basis for what would become Serpa began

📎 Random Fact - originally, Serpa was gonna go by She/Her pronouns, before I realized “it’s a eye covered in vines inside a TV screen, why does it need a gender?”, and then I They/Them’d them

🍀 Do they believe in luck? Are they lucky? - They don’t believe in luck, and I’m willing to bet their luck is pretty 50/50

The one the lights what Serpa smokes (Athens)

🕷 Biggest Fears - Athen sorta fears isolation, not from other organisms, but just in general. being tied to their spine-blade has caused there to be moments in time where they’re just left in the ground or hidden away somewhere where they can be stuck and sentient for extended amounts of time, and it isn’t a very good time for him

😭 What makes them cry - Ignoring the fact their head is made of flames, so they can’t physically cry, nothing physical can do the trick. Every time this bitch takes over a new body, he has to experience its nervous system fry and boil from his own heat causing his blood to become super fucking hot, literally charing his brand new body charcoal black, making him slightly brittle, and leaving all his new pain receptors already burnt to the point they no longer function. Athens gains a little bit of the identity of the every person he’s ever taken over, basically making him slightly change for every body they take, so if he were to take over the body of someone who was horribly depressed or traumatized, it could possibly force him to “cry” because of the new bits of personality he’s obtained. Besides that, good fucking luck making him naturally tear up, you’ll need it.

——————————————————————

Y’know, I’ve recently realized if anyone were to look at this blog, they’d only be able to figure out how Cassi looks, because Cassi is the only one I’ve posted an image of, and it’s on fucking Fanto’s tumblr

I think that’s kinda funny

[samanddean76]

The Mark Of The Gods

By: SamandDean76

Ship: J2 (Jensen Ackles / Jared Padalecki)

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 17K

Tags: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Bottom Jensen Ackles/Top Jared Padalecki, Jensen is 19 - Jared is 24, Consensual Sex, Will Get Schmoopy, Happy Ending, Freckles Save Lives, Mystery to be solved, God Like Powers, Hurt Jensen Ackles, Protective Jared Padalecki, Canon-Typical Violence, Non-Graphic Violence, First Time, public bedding

‘Into this land will be born a peacemaker this day. He himself will not know peace in this time, but his actions will guarantee it for the prosperity of the Kingdom. But for the mercy of the Gods, he will know death on the day he reads this scroll.’

Jensen had been born under a prophecy into a shattered kingdom. He knew death could be waiting for him, unless the Gods showed him mercy.

Jared had been working towards peace between the two kingdoms when his life is saved by a mysterious stranger. But the manner in which he was rescued has only one consequence - death. Unless the Gods showed mercy.

Excerpt from story:

Pain.  Jensen was to know pain, and then he would know the peace that came with death.

Not a quick death.  No, never that.  He would be made to suffer for his transgressions and sins.

The old crone had told him he would know nothing but brutality.  It was to be the one constant in his short and miserable existence, up until the moment that he ceased to be useful to the Gods and he was snuffed out.

Jensen’s birth had been heralded with prophecy.  And tragedy.  The death of his life-giver as she had slowly bled out.  The old crone had never told Jensen her name, only that she was beautiful, loved, and that Jensen looked like her.  The grief his father had felt then manifested in Jensen being wrapped in swaddling and left on the steps of the temple. 

Unwanted.  Unloved.  A burden that would be carried by someone willing to court the anger of the Gods for even daring to care for him.  The old crone had watched the seal of the scroll being broken.  Had heard the ancient words spoken and then waited.  The crowds had departed but the baby had remained.  No one had dared to invoke the anger of the Gods.  The child was both an offering and a sacrifice.  To appease those same Gods who had failed to save the beloved Queen.

The old crone walked closer and watched for a moment before she bent down to scoop up the innocent babe.  She had never been given the gift of children.  She could never bring herself to suffer the touch of a man long enough to catch from their seed.  So instead, she had lived a life of solitude.  Deep in the woods.  Far from the castle and the protection it offered to the people of the kingdom.

Jensen realized as he looked at her lifeless body that she had never told him her name.  In all of the years that she had cared for him, he had never uttered a name or endearment towards her.  She had sheltered him, fed him, clothed him, taught him all of her knowledge of herbs and healing, and yet, the one thing he did not know was her name.  He had only ever heard anyone address her as the Crone.

Jensen had awoken late and realized that the fire had died down in the night and that no food waited for him for the breaking of his fast.  He had dressed and approached her mat on the floor.  At first, he had thought she was still asleep, but there was no rise of her chest or slight wheeze as had become common when she tried to draw breath.  The only person he had ever really known was dead.  And Jensen was alone.

Jensen found the scroll on the table along with the note in the crone’s handwriting.  He drew a deep breath as he let the scroll unfurl to reveal his destiny.

‘Into this land will be born a peacemaker this day.  He himself will not know peace in this time, but his actions will guarantee it for the prosperity of the Kingdom.  But for the mercy of the Gods, he will know death on the day he reads this scroll.’

Jensen dropped the scroll as though burned.  He saw the second scroll then.  It was worn more than his own.  He picked it up and watched it unfurl with bated breath.

‘A life of solitude will greet the mother of peace.  She will raise up the greatest peacemaker to ever dwell in this land.  But she will not live to see the peace and prosperity her selflessness ensured.  She will be condemned to greet death on the day that war and pestilence is conquered.’

Jensen again dropped the scroll as soon as he was done reading it.  The old crone had always told him to go to the market if anything happened to her.  That he would see a great danger and he would prevent a greater tragedy.  But the cost for his actions would be his life.  Unless, unless the Gods were feeling merciful that day.

Jensen packed quickly.  The market was a half days walk from the old crone’s hut.  He would need to hurry.  He picked up both scrolls and wrapped them in a ragged piece of cloth.  He also folded the old crone’s note and placed it in his pack.  Jensen pulled the blanket up and over her body as he left the hut to fulfil his destiny.

[daisy-day-dreams]

Eternal Twin Flames: Gypsey's

A/N: Here it is! Finally, the first part of Eternal Twin Flames is out! I’m so excited for this world and can’t wait to share it with all of you! I only hope you love the characters just as much as I do ❤️ A huge shoutout to @carlaangel86 😘 I couldn’t have done this without you! Thank you so much for all the love, support and encouragement. It means the world to me. And thank you so much for helping bring life to these characters and their world! It wouldn’t be what it is without you and all your support and help and love for them 🥺❤️ Thank you so so much. I’m so excited to bring to life and share what we’ve created 💜

*gif not mine*

EZ followed Angel into Gypsy’s, the quaint little diner just on the outskirts of Santo Padre. He immediately caught Mikaela’s attention the second they walked in. Flashing a grin her way he was happy to be seeing his girl again after just being on the other side of the border with the club. She smiled back at him, his favorite sight in the whole world. Grabbing a couple of menus she met the two at the booth in the corner of the retro-style diner.

“Hey, baby.” She said as she leaned over to kiss Angel.

He wrapped his arm around her waist in the middle of their kiss, pulling her down onto his lap. “I missed you.” He murmured resting his forehead against hers taking in her scent.

Her smile grew as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “You just saw me this morning.”

“You two do realize we’re in public right?” EZ interrupted the two love bird’s moment. Even after all their years together they were so in love. It was annoying to him but also endearing.

“You’re just jealous Ezekiel.” Mikaela teased using his full name. She resituated herself and wrapped her arm around Angel’s waist settling back into his lap more. “You know if you would just man up and talk to her,” she motioned to her coworker wiping down the counter across the room, “maybe you could have this too.”

EZ had a very not-so-subtle crush on Mikaela’s coworker and friend, Jenny. It was obvious to almost anyone who had seen the two in the same room. Obvious to everyone except maybe Jenny herself.

Every time Angel and EZ stopped in since he got out he was always watching her, admiring her. He’d observe her as she worked the whole time they ate, taking in every detail he could get but would never get the guts to approach her.

It was sweet and cute but at some point, enough was enough.

“You know she doesn't bite.” Mikaela went on. “Unless you’re into that then I’m sure she’d make an exception.” She sent him a wink.

EZ chuckled as he buried his face into his menu to hide his blush. He knew it should be easy enough just to go up and talk to her but he was so damn nervous and incredibly rusty. He just didn’t know how to approach her. As silly as it seemed he was terrified to even entertain the idea of dating after his stint in prison. And his deal with the feds only complicated things more. It was probably for the best he hadn’t and just kept his distance from her.

Jenny glanced over to where Mikaela and the Reyes boys were seated. She caught EZ chuckling as he buried himself into the menu. She smiled to herself as she continued wiping down the counter. She wouldn't lie, she had a slight crush on the younger Reyes brother ever since she first saw him come in with Angel and Felipe the day he got out.

Of course, she knew his story, everyone did. When she had heard the news of the tragedy that struck their family her heart broke. It seemed as everything was stacked against the family and now, here they were back together again, getting a second chance to be a family once more.

Mikaela took the menus back from the boys, snatching the one from EZ to stop him from hiding.“I’ll just go ahead and get you two your usuals.” They could look all they wanted but she knew they’d go for the same things they always did.

“Thank you, mi amor.”

Mikaela slipped off Angel’s lap using his thigh to help steady her. She let her hand linger just a little longer then gave his knee a loving squeeze. He grabbed onto her hand before she could pull away, keeping her until she gave him one more kiss. “I think you’re forgetting something, mi dulce.”

“Nope, I don’t think so,” she teased leaving him hanging, “I’ll be back.” She promised sending him a wink before she spun around walking away from them.

Angel shook his head at her not being able to help the smile. She was something else and she was all his. He sat back in the booth licking his lips as he watched her walk away from them in her sinfully short red skirt she had to wear as part of her uniform. He hated to see her leave but he sure loved to watch her go.

“You really have no shame do you?”

“At least I’m watching what’s mine and not just creepily staring at some girl I won’t even talk to.” Angel shot back giving EZ a look.

Mikaela swung by giving the two’s orders to the cook along with four others before coming back around the corner settling down on a stool on the opposite side of the counter from Jenny. She rested her elbow onto the sparkly white countertop resting her head in her hand as she watched Jenny waiting until she’d give her her attention as she would always do when she wanted something from the younger girl.

Jenny left the damp rag down on the counter. She looked back at her as she wiped her hands off on her skirt.“What do you want?” She playfully narrowed her eyes at Mikaela with a hint of a smile.

“Why do you just assume I automatically want something?” She played innocent even though both of them knew exactly why.

“Because you are you.” Jenny stated matter of factly, “and you always want something.”

“Fine,” Mikaela gave in. “Take a break and come have lunch with us, Quinn and Coco should be here soon. It’ll be fun.”

“I really shouldn’t,” Jenny tried to protest. She still had two other tables to clear off and wasn’t due for a break for another hour or so.

“Oh come on don’t make me beg. It’ll be nice,” Mikaela insisted, “I’ll help you with your tables before. The place is pretty much dead right now anyway. It won’t hurt anything to take your lunch a little earlier.” She knew how Jenny was and that she’d give her a little push back but the girl worked too much. She needed this. “Plus I already put in an order for you so unless you come to eat with us all that food will just go to waste and I know for a fact a certain someone would really love it if you did.” She added singing as she glanced EZ’s way.

Jenny tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear glancing over at EZ herself. She felt silly and childish with her little crush but she couldn’t help the butterflies and hope she felt when Mikaela hinted at EZ. She didn’t know whether that part was true or not but knew she couldn’t let the food go to waste or say no to Mikaela. Mikaela was just the kind of friend she needed in her life, someone who pushed her out of her comfort zone and took care of her, made sure she took care of herself too.

“Okay, fine.” she gave in, “but I’m holding you to that part about helping me finish clearing tables.”

“Wouldn’t let you do it yourself anyway babe.”

Once the tables were cleared the two girls brought the orders back to the guys who scooted over making room for them. Mikaela slid in next to Angel with Jenny opposite her next to EZ. She and Angel exchanged a knowing look as EZ and Jenny began making small talk.

“If Coco and Quinn don’t get their asses here soon I’m going to eat their food for them,” Angel commented after having sat waiting on the two for a few minutes now. Mikaela had told him they had to wait before they could eat but he was getting impatient.

“Just give them a few more minutes.” Mikaela squeezed his thigh. She knew how Angel could get when he was hungry. “They can’t be that much longer.”

Coco and Quinn finally entered the diner with a ding of the door. Coco followed her in letting her lead the way to the booth in the back where they had spotted the rest of their party.

“It’s about damn time. You two better have been fucking or something good to keep us waiting, the damn food is going to be cold.” Angel grumbled.

“Oh I wish,” Quinn slid onto the bench next to Jenny pushing her further in causing her to bump into EZ. “Unfortunately though it’s because we had to chase Mia all through the house to get her to put some clothes on.”

Angel relaxed laughing at the image of his goddaughter running around. He could picture it perfectly, having had plenty of time to witness the very same scene happen while they had been staying with Quinn and Coco.

“Something she learned from the fucking encouragement of her tio Angel,” Coco added pulling a chair up to the end of the table. “She only does it because she knows you think it’s so fuckin’ funny.”

Mia learned many things from her him, usually things that would irritate her parents later. She was always very attached to Angel and became even more so ever since they had been staying with them after moving out of Angel’s small apartment. They needed a place to crash until they could get into a new house of their own. The latest thing Mia had picked up was running around naked giggling as she refused to put on any clothing for the day.

“It’s not funny, asshole,” Quinn couldn’t help laughing a little herself as she threw a napkin over at him. It was a little funny, especially seeing how worked up Coco could get.

“Just wait until you two have kids,” Coco chimed in, pointing his butter knife at Angel and Mikaela. “Then it’s going to be your fuckin’ problem and then we’ll see who’s laughing.”

“We can handle it, right babe?” Angel turned to Mikaela.

“I think we’ll be just fine.” She agreed, snuffing in closer wrapping her arm around his waist.

The group had finished their meals and were now just enjoying the little amount of downtime they had left before the guys had to head back out and the girls had to go back to work. There was lots of chatter, teasing, and laughing during their conversations. Having these types of normal, quiet moments were crucial to keeping Angel grounded and sane amongst the chaos of the club and the rebels. Really it was crucial to every one of them.

Mikaela and Jenny had begun gathering the dishes when they couldn’t prolong their break any longer. “You’re still going to pick up some paint for us this weekend, right?” Mikaela asked EZ as she grabbed his basket from him and then his glasses stacking it on top.

“Yeah, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Jenny you should go with EZ,” She suggested, seeing a perfect opportunity for the two to get some one-on-one time. “You know better than anyone what I have in mind. And quite frankly there’s no one I trust more to get it right. And it has to be absolutely perfect.” She had been meticulous about her decorating plans for their new home and needed a very specific shade of green to complete their kitchen.

“I literally have a photographic memory.” EZ piped in. “You don’t trust that?”

Angel wanted to smack his brother across the back of the head. For someone who was so damn smart, he could be really stupid at times. He was going to blow his shot with Jenny before he even realized he had one.

“Not as much as I trust Jenny,” Mikaela said with a smile knowing exactly what she was doing. “You don’t mind going do you?” She asked her.

Jenny felt a little put on the spot but didn’t mind. She didn’t have anything else planned for the weekend. “No, I don’t mind at all. Unless of course, you’d rather go alone or with someone else.” Jenny added nervously as she turned to face EZ. She didn’t want to be that person throwing themselves into plans where they aren’t wanted.

“No, of course not, I’d love it if you came with me.” EZ stumbled as he tried to get the words out a little too quickly.

“Great!” Mikaela clapped her hands together. “It’s a date then!”

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! If you’d like to be added or removed from the tag list please just let me know 💖

Eternal Twin Flames Tag List: @carlaangel86 @starrynite7114 @jasminee97 @dark-twisted-and-mechanical-mind @queenbeered @chibsytelford @toni9

[monchikyun]

17. creature most vile and despicable

(this is a sequel to “The Sun, the Moon, and all the stars”, the one when they are married with children and Connor is missing, aka the usual)

Time has stopped moving, for all the seconds Gavin has to live through have lost their purpose. He’s stuck in a void where the only thing that means something is the numbing pain that threatens to stop his heart and the only escape is through the girls and their sad faces that need to be comforted. Which is insurmountably worse. He wonders where he finds the strength to wake up and repeat the same torment of waiting. Waiting for the news that would put an end to this agonising uncertainty. It would be a million times more tortuous if the hope he so desperately clings to got ripped away from him, the hope that keeps them from breaking completely. But it has been three weeks already, and with each day the chance that Connor will safely return to them gets slimmer.

He wants to scream that it isn’t fair, that it should have been him who leaves first, for the sake of the children if nothing else. Connor is so much better at taking care of them, at making them smile and keeping them happy, and although they don’t say it, Gavin isn’t the favourite parent. Maybe it’s because he has little to no fond memories of his childhood and therefore has difficulty showing the good of the world to the girls, or perhaps it’s the fact the android is vicariously experiencing the joys that come with being a child for the first time, but the truth stays the same, everyone loves Connor a bit more than they love him. Other than the android himself, but he has Gavin to compensate for that. That’s why he has to try extra hard to prevent his family from falling apart during these testing times. He cooks a dinner every day, takes the girls to the park, reads them before bed, all the things he usually sucks at. These are Connor’s specialties, he’s the one who can handle the domestic stuff the best after all. And it’s not that Gavin is absolutely terrible at it, that he has abstained from these things, it’s just very painful to do it alone. It doesn’t feel right. It is supposed to be the four of them forever, no matter how unattainable this plan might be.

For how hard this is on Gavin, he can’t even imagine what the little ones must be going through. Their household has been lacking the usual sounds of life since this all began. No more laughter, no more friendly yelling over each other, no more out of tune singing being heard from the girls’ room. It’s like they’re living through a terrible nightmare, trapped in eternal sleep.

He puts away the leftovers and washes up, waiting for his daughters to finish cleaning themselves so he can put them to bed, to provide them with the only relief they can get while this bad dream lasts. It has been yet another day of barely surviving, empty of signs that they might get closure soon. It’s easier when he’s at work, he can busy himself with his case and lower the volume of the screaming ache. But here in their home, he is always surrounded by things that remind him of what they’ve lost, no matter how temporarily it might be.

 “When is pappy going home?” A question that haunts him every single day. One that doesn’t have a right answer. Because they’ve decided to never lie to their children, as their relationship itself is built on honesty.

“Is he dead?” Ellie is the bravest seven-year-old he’s ever known, always looking after her younger sister. And Annie… she’s just the biggest sweetheart, a true definition of innocence. They deserve a much happier life than what he alone can provide.

“We have to hope he isn’t.” He dims the lights and sits by their shared bed. They’re too scared to spend the night apart, especially Gavin. “Tell you what, I’m gonna make a story about what might have happened to Connor, sounds good?” It really doesn’t, but that’s the best he can do right now.

The girls nod and huddle together under the blanket, making a space for their father to join in.

“Okay, let’s see… Once upon a time, there was a robot so kinds and so beautiful that the stars shone a little brighter when he walked under them.”

“Who’s that?”

“That’s Connor, you silly.”

He can see their lips curl up and the sight makes him lose about one pound of the weight he has to carry.

“And all the people in the land vied for his attention. But one person held so much affection for him, that none could compare and the robot had no choice but to grow close tho the raggedy man who would not give up on pursuing him. As time went on, the two of them became a proper family and eventually welcomed two pretty princesses into their home.”

“Is that us?”

“Obviously, princess Annie.”

They giggle and his heart is about to implode on itself. 

“But one of those who were left ignored by the handsome robot wasn’t satisfied with the current state of events and planned its cruel revenge. It was a creature most vile and despicable, not afraid to do anything to have the robot for itself. It stalked his every move, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. One day, the vile creature succeeded. When no one was looking, it kidnapped the robot and ran away with him far, far away. And because it was so very large and so incredibly fast no one was able to stop it.”

The wide eyes focusing on his every word almost make him want to cut the story short and put them to sleep, but he owes the girls something that could manage to calm them down, at least for tonight.

“It took the robot to its secluded abode, locking him to a room the creature had prepared for him. But it didn’t want him out of malice or because of its evil nature, it just simply fell in love with the robot and was compelled to stay in his proximity. It didn’t treat him badly, but still, it did hurt him terribly. For the robot was denied the most important things in the world – freedom, and mainly, his family, who suffered tremendously from the loss of the person who lit up their lives. But they never gave up their hope, believing that the day would come when they would be reunited once more.”

“So how did it end? Was the robot saved in the end?” The younger one looks like she’s five seconds from slipping into dreamland, but her curiosity never relents.

“I… I don’t know. Maybe the raggedy man should go and defeat the despicable creature in order for the story to have a happy ending. What do you think?”

“Hmmm, I think he has to. The princesses are strong enough to take care of themselves and they would want to do anything to have both of their parents home again, no matter how long it takes.” He doesn’t doubt it. There are people who would be willing to look after the kids in his absence - friends, colleagues, his brother if there were no other options.

He kisses their foreheads and tucks them in tightly, praying for a better tomorrow.

Maybe he should take the risk and help with the search. Maybe he’s the missing piece of the puzzle of finding out what really happened to Connor. And if it the worst came to pass, Gavin wants to be the one to put his hand on the most vile and despicable creature that snuffed their light out.

@convinseptember maybe I’ll write a proper ending to this tragedy one day xD

[httyd-grimmelsgirl]

Readers,

I want to do fanfiction in the future, and it's taking me forever to finished what I started bc I am very (not literally) OCD when it comes to my writing. So, here are some of the ideas I had going.

Edit: Forgive me for how silly it sounds. I don't know a lot about what a young, more innocent Grimmel would be like.😊😊 Enjoy!

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{ Stories Lost to Editing }

"...When I was a boy"

Grimmel's father was the most important person in his life, and the ideal father, as well as an ideal warrior. He encouraged his son to perdue his desire to become something greater. Grimmel lived with his father and mother. He was smart, energetic, friendly, imaginative, and crafty. Solving problems was fun for him, and creating was his passion, so he wanted to find an impactful way to use his skills. Grimmel's settlement lived much like other civilizations at the time, like problems with dragons. In this village raids were common, and during each raid in Grimmel's village, Night Furies were with the other dragons. Grimmel was haunted by dragons. It deeply saddened and angered Grimmel that the safety of the village and the world around him could any day go up into flames.

During a raid, Grimmel's father was killed, and he became overwhelmed with grief and hatred, then he became intensely worried about what the future held. He swore he would prove his worth by killing the monsters that plagued their village, especially the exceedingly feared Night Furies. This was because he loved for his family, but he hated the bloodshed more, and he became determined to make a difference.

Later, he found a Night Fury asleep in the woods, afraid knowing it could wake and kill him. He remembered the pain it inflicted on his people, then proceeded to fulfill his oath. When he did, his fear was quenched, and he thought of killing it as a huge victory. His mother eventually found out, and she saw that he was growing to become successful, and was proud that he was the first to kill a Night Fury. Grimmel was instantly praised by the people. He understood what he did right, then sought to use his crafting skills to better his people. 

In his mind, dragons were a danger because of what they caused and the aftermath. There were many villages that were struggling in some way due to dragons' existence. He didn't see any value in dragons. He only witnessed the pain they caused, and that they didn't preserve anything other than their own, who burned, crushed, and feasted on the world. He saw no reason for the world to be destroyed under dragons' reign. 

"...Smartest dragon hunter I've ever met…"

He decided to turn his skills into his career, and he left to work alongside trappers at twenty years old. From here, his life was a long evolution from a boy to a man that made drastic changes. His trapping skills took time to perfect, and the beginning of his career was trying, but he was eventually very successful. Grimmel enjoyed victory and his career was his passion. He didn't enjoy the action of killing, rather what less dragons will result in. He always found fun in a chase and being challenged. He has had his fair share of tragedies, so found joy in little things such as how much easier his job was coming to him, the things he would accomplish, and the friends he had with him. 

If Grimmel ever formed an alliance, he would let the relationship remain mutual, and in some people gained a good reputation. However, if the situation gets testy, he will take courses of action that will eventually help the situation, but look and work like personal goals. He has a worry free attitude and much confidence. His confidence makes him an achiever, but unreserved and seem insolently fearless. He forgets his actions aren't easily accepted, even if with a justification. If he feels taken advantage of, he doesn't care how he comes across to people and can cause his allies to resent him or presume treachery. 

Grimmel was always working to fight dragons and do it better. He created better weapons and traps, and later revolutionizing them. He always thought of a better way to tackle any problem when dealing with dragons, by learning their abilities and how to better combat them. After creating a mind control serum and seeing that it fulfilled its purpose, he wanted to use it, so he would have dragons power as his own. He knew he could improve hunting by applying better use of dragons' abilities to his knowledge and skill. Deathgrippers were some of the most vicious dragons. They were widely known for working in packs, their agility and aggression, they were mindless predators to the extent they never surrender the way most dragons do when overpowered, and their abilities, most notably their venom. Knowing this, he was inspired. Such potential shouldn't go to waist. He eventually utilized their unique venom to numb their minds enough to more easily train and control them. With consistent work and patience, he was able to train them, using them for their natural aggression and abilities for better use then. Grimmel had done greatness in the Trapping Community that other trappers never even dreamed of.

Grimmel earned his title [the Grisly] from being one of the greatest trapper ever, and for his monstrous might and courage. On occasions like when he succeeded in fighting a pack of Deathgrippers and stunning a few by himself. And when he was a boy, he approached a sleeping Night Fury which was unsafe and something no one before him ever dared to do.

"Grimmel! My old friend."

Grimmel never endangered his life, but was not foriegn to taking risks. On many missions, he was comfortable with tackling jobs alone, and often took on tasks that were dangerous. When he had a partner, almost never was a human caught in the crossfire. He was mindful that not only he needed his allies, but they also needed him, and that they were human lives just as just as easily lost as the most innocent souls in the world.

At some point, he met a Tradeswoman, and they encountered each other several times while working in many places. They slowly became friends, eventually fell in love, and joined in marriage. They loved each other tenderly, and she was one other reason he must spare mankind from dragons. His wife revealed the gentle, beautiful, and innocent side of humans. Her compassion, gentleness, and love further solidified his belief that the world needs to live healthy, happy, and in peace. To him, she was like mankind: talented, understood morality, and was able to create, but not without vulnerability. Any day, she could die to a dragon, just like any other innocent person. Several years later, she happened to be shipping dragons, and something came and freed the dragons. The ship was burned down simultaneously, with few survivors, and she died. Grimmel was forever broken by his loss. 

He developed a positive view on all mankind. He met many people with varying personalities and views, learning to appreciate humanity's potential to do justice, aside from obvious exceptions. He met various trappers and warriors who proved the capability of humans, and knew of some people that used their knowledge and skills to attempt helping people and other creatures. Even if it was an occupation he didn't understand fully, he respected it, understanding the importance of their choices and the way they chose to utilize their skills. While his wife revealed a reason to love humanity, the warriors revealed reasons to respect the might and importance in it. He believed whether someone fought for self gain, or for others, whether to destroy, or to protect, if the dragons were being defeated, a brighter future was to come. 

A dragon trapper named Eir Stormheart formed a partnership with Grimmel. She was attempted using chemistry and making a concoction to control dragons. He provided dragons for her experiments, and perfected the serum for her. Eir believed it was her creation simply because it was her idea. Later, they went on an exploration, and stumbled upon a Changewing nest. Grimmel ran knowing there was no chance of survival, and he has a mission to complete. In Eir's mind, she was betrayed, and she believed her serum, bridles, and dragon was stolen. Grimmel was disappointed to have left her, believing she had died.

Grimmel is a well spoken, talented, unorthodox man with well developed strategy building, gentlemanly attitude, and a courtly sense of authority. He stands tall, and speaks with emotion and in metaphors. Grimmel is also a very observant individual, and is satisfied with many things in his life. He has always found fun in a chase and being challenged. He was living for something more than killing dragons, but his claims and determination were the only proof of that, for he evolved into a hardened, less sympathetic man bent to eventually freeing the world. It was the pain and struggle of himself and others that led him to kill dragons in order to resolve most problems that people endured. 

"...This young chief will bring me the Night Fury."

By the time he had ended his quest to eliminate the Night Furies, he had earned the respect of the commoners for his "contribution". He was widely known in the dragon trapping community, Even at sixty years of age he was active in the trapping business. Many people respected him and his talent, which is what led the Warlords to acquire his assistance. He did what the Warlords requested, to rally the dragons, to kill the Night Fury, and to put Berk in their place for their insolence against what his father fought for and all the pain they caused the world by helping dragons.

When he discovered that the Berkians were dragon savers, he didn't respect them at all, especially after apathetically risking the lives of others for the dragons. He knew they would eventually be noticed and snuffed out by their many enemies. To him, they spit in the face of his ancestors and those that fought for the safety of the greater things in the world. Anyone that was proven to be an enemy of his, he has no respect for and is careless of how or why Berk should be recognized. He may attempted being friendly to his enemies, but can't help being scandalous.

He knew the Berkian's would act aggressively towards him before having a chance to begin a negotiation, because the Berkians past actions were enough to prove that they were intolerant of outsiders and would strike. He simply waited for them to strike. He saw no need to explain himself why he hunts dragons, he wasn't one to explain apologetically or change his beliefs, for he understood his justification. much less to Hiccup, an enemy, who asserted his way on others, and Grimmel knew of the chaos Berk spread by releasing dragons. He so only mentioned that killing dragons was widely accepted as an "act of courage" among those that haven't yet accepted dragons. So was comfortable with killing dragons, and was only faced with harming people when someone was a direct threat.

Grimmel believed in eliminating the threat before irreversible damage was done. Grimmel was not one to betray for self gain because what is to gain when there is no alliance to gain from. The Warlords didn't know this, but knew of his unmatched talent in the art of trapping. When he came to Berk, taking a Night Fury wasn't hassle. He knew of the Night Fury's nature and capabilities. When he had Berk's Alpha, he knew that if it had human friends, it was trained, and could even in it's most vulnerable state, escape or order an attack. Grimmel pointed a weapon at the beast, ending the reign of the unholy offspring. But before he could, the Dragon Riders unexpectedly came and saved the dragons.

When the end came, he was not going to let Hiccup live to protect dragons. He wanted to be very sure Hiccup's vision would die with his own, and for the safety of mankind. For his people, for his father, and the one he, Grimmel, loves...

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~Swan Grisly

[cannotgiveafuck]

Of Perfect Afternoons and Purposeful Encounters

(Aka, I've been in Good Omens and Constantine bliss for several weeks and this is what my brain made. I may upload it to ao3 later, but here, have a fic. I hope the read more worked, if not I'm sorry.)

-

They are arguing about ducks.

The spring weather is perfect. Blue sky just clear enough, the sun shining bright and warm, and fluffy clouds rolling by like a true Pareidolia effect. It is a picturesque afternoon only heard of in fairy tales and children's books, and John Constantine trusts it as much as he does the blokes he's watching.

Which is to say, not at all.

Dropped off from the Waverider, he returned to present day London not a week ago when he was accosted by his once feathery shadow. John would have paid a pack of smokes to see Manny as ruffled as he was, if it did not come with the news there that had been an Apocalypse while he was away.

"Almost an apocalypse," Manny had corrected, though he was being rather tight lipped about everything else concerning the near destruction of planet Earth.

It irritated John more than usual, partly because he lived on said planet, but mostly because he worked very hard - read: scammed, murdered, sent to Hell, tricked, etc - to keep Earth from being destroyed, let alone overtaken by a bunch of feather minded twats.

"I couldn't disobey orders, Constantine," and of course that was his excuse, all pompous righteousness and conviction. "We could not let Hell win."

But what about Earth?

John was fairly sure his bland look said as much and kept it steady as he lit his cigarette and blew smoke into the berk's face. "So, what made it almost an apocalypse instead of a real Apocalypse?"

And really, he did not think Manny could be even more ruffled, but boy, was he in for a treat.

An angel. A demon. And an Antichrist.

It sounded like a set up for some terrible joke a youth minister would tell his teenager audience as he tried to seem likeable to the younger generation.

Oddly enough, John found himself greatly amused by it. Or maybe by the fact that Manny was so unamused by it. Either way...

After a titch more prodding and being generally annoying, John was able to get enough information to find the culprits who helped avert the almost apocalypse. He thought it would be difficult, that they would have been in hiding or off world and into the stars.

But, nope. Here they are. All three of them enjoying the perfect afternoon out at St. James Park. The antichrist, literally just a child for Chri- Someone's sake, is running around playing fetch with his dog, whilst the angel and demon, looking incredibly human if not for their aura, are arguing on the proper diet of ducks.

"Because bread isn't what they eat naturally, my dear. They need the nutrients of oats and corn and the like."

"I don't think bread is naturally consumed by anyone, it's just consumed, angel. And where did you get all this from, all this duck knowledge?"

The angel - Aziraphale, Manny had called him - flusters under the scrutiny, but holds his head high when he says, without an inch of irony, "The interwebs!"

"Oh, for Some-!"

"You kept insisting I try the dreadful thing and now-!"

"And the first thing you did was look up what to feed ducks?"

John can think of several better uses of his time than listening to them bicker like an old married couple. As of right now, he is having a complicated time wrapping his head around the fact that these two are even here right now.

Not that they are an angel and demon that disobeyed orders. Not even that they did so because they vastly prefer each other's company. He can understand all that, see, ecause it happens all the time. John's even known a few of outliers much the same.

It's the fact that these two are alive and well and not utterly snuffed out.

John knows this star-crossed lovers bollocks doesn't last. That it doesn't end so much in Shakespearen tragedy as it just ends, painfully and no lesson learned besides the cold truth of Love Doesn't Win. There are no happily ever afters, no driving away into the sunset, not for Tali and Ellie, and not for these three currently on both Heaven and Hell's shitlist.

John regards them with cool distance as he places a cigarette between his lips and snaps his fingers to light it. He almost feels sorry for them, if sympathy didn't mean getting his own neck-

"Those are bad for you, you know."

"Jesus Christ!" For how much he has been watching them, John is surprised the kid snuck up on him. But then again...

"I reckon I'm the opposite of him, actually." The boy, and he does look just like that, a human child, stands next to him under the tree's shade. His small dog yaps at John as if he poses a smidgen of a threat to the Antichrist. Manny said his name is Adam.

"Yeah," John starts as he settles himself back down, taking a deep inhale and blowing it away from the boy. "Suppose you are."

"Like I said, those are bad for you. My dad tells me all the time never to pick one up, they tar your lungs and smell bad." A thoughtful expression passes through on his deceptively charming face as he finally quiets his dog. Then he continues, in that blunt, oversharing way children do. "But then he sneaks off sometimes when my Mum's parents are over. My name's Adam, by the way, Adam Young."

"I know. John Constantine, petty dabbler of magic," he says before he can stop himself from being honest. Something tells him he can trust the kid. John doesn't like that. Still, he talks, "Plenty of ways to die out in the world. I don't believe this will be what does me in."

"No, Mister Constantine, I reckon not. Still, they don't seem like they taste good." And there is a strange tilt to his head, his golden locks shifting as he stares curiously at the trailing smoke.

"I'm not letting you try it," John says. He doesn't know what he expected when engaging with the literal Antichrist, but it's become pretty clear to him that a brat is a brat, no matter their stock.

Adam pouts. "I didn't say-"

"Didn't have to."

The boy crosses his arms and glances towards the angel and demon couple, who have switched topics of conversation but are still very much bickering.

"Well, it's bad for everyone else around you," he says petulantly and the embers at the end of John's cigarette suddenly die out.

"I was enjoying that, you little-"

"And I'm supposed to be enjoying an afternoon with my Godparents. Not getting second hand smoke."

Bright blue eyes pin John in place. He feels himself stuck like stone, unable to move away from under the child's accusing stare. Immediately, his mind starts racing, trying to grab onto enough of a distraction that he can make his escape mostly unharmed.

He should've known stalking the Antichrist was a bloody stupid idea.

"Godparents?" John tries not to let on how terrifying this is. "Those two your Godparents?"

Adam blinks before glancing back at his supposed Godparents. John can breathe again. "Of course they are. I already have human parents, but never Godparents. It's like having some really wicked uncles. They bring me gifts from all over the world, and Mister Fell let's me read in his shop and Mister Crowley let's me ride front in his car, and they both help me out when things happen and I don't rightly know what to do." Adam says this seemingly all in one breath, but he isn't gasping by the end of it.

He stands there, with his perfectly curled hair and his scuffed shoes and his ripped jeans and looks as at ease as ever. The dog sits dutifully between him and John, and they paint a lovely innocent picture. Except John knows who, what, he is and the deeper meaning to his words hidden just beneath the surface. Adam is a child, yet can already dominate a conversation, persuade you to be honest, and can hold his audience's attention just as easily as he can slip away in a crowd.

John knows he is going to be a dead ringer when he's older. If he gets older.

"They stood with me that day, said they'd stay and they meant it." When John doesn't reply, Adam looks up at him and that intense awe that struck him before resurfaces again. Adam is as every bit supernaturally charged as the Antichrist has every right to be, no matter disowning his own Father, and he finally says "I won't let nobody hurt them. Not the other gangs, not their bosses, and not some nosy magician. Nobody."

John stares back at Adam and understands where they stand now. He understands why it took so long for him to get close, why Manny refused to join him, why Adam is talking to him now, why Aziraphale and Crowley get to have their happily ever after.

"Alright, alright," John says, hands up in surrender. "Message delivered loud and clear, boyo. I'm not here to cause trouble, I won't bother you lot none."

Adam stares at him some more, the creepy little bugger, before nodding his head in confirmation. Like either John is being truthful, or it doesn't matter if he isn't because Adam can make it true.

Strangely enough, or probably not, given his situation, John is telling the truth.

"That's fair. I gotta go now, they won't be distracted much longer, and Mister Fell will wants to take us to a fish place for lunch. He calls it shew-sea or something, but he swears by it and I like trying the new foods he shows me," Adam says in that casual long windedness of his. The youthful bounce in his step carries him away in seconds, but not without allowing him to wave back at John, like this was a friendly conversation, like John is some friendly neighbor. "Goodbye, Mister Constantine! Don't light your smoke again till you're outta the park, please!"

And just like that, the Antichrist - Adam - is gone, returning to his safe little world that he guards and protects.

John watches as the angel and demon break from each other to gather their ward, their Godson. He doesn't move from his spot until they've walked out of sight. And even then, he remains under the tree's cool shade from the perfect afternoon's sunlight.

Depite what he was told, or really, in spite of it, John places his cigarette back between his lips and snaps his fingers. It relights to his delight. And just in time for Manny to appear beside him.

"For Go- Someone's sake! Can you lot not sneak up on me?"

"Well?" Manny leads, having absolutely no remorse for his actions.

"Well, what?"

"What did you learn, Constantine?" Manny tries again, exasperated of the human's bullshit.

John stares at him sidelong as he takes a deep inhale. Mixed feelings turn in his stomach, feelings he doesn't want to sort through, but still bubble to the surface as he thinks of an answer. They burn bright in his mind.

He thinks about what Adam said, about Crowley and Aziraphale chattering to each other like love sick fools, about their odd little family. John thinks about almost apocalypes and how despite Manny saying he couldn't disobey, there were clearly some of his stock who did, who stood up for Earth against Heaven and Hell. John thinks about Cheryl and Gemma, about Chas and Zed, about the Legends. He remembers Tali and Ellie and their stolen child.

Finally, with an exhale of smoke to the angel's face, John says with distinct human stubbornness, "Fuck off, Manny."

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Devil’s Temptation pt20

Warnings: Mob Styling warlords, Strong Language

Masterlist

---

Chapter 20 – Void

The calming breeze outside combined with the soft babbling sounds of the large koi pond. He had been told it was unusual to place such a thing on the roof of a building. But then again, he was also told when he worked with the architect and landscaper to design the whole garden and living space that it was an impossible ask. Nobunaga smiled to himself as he was once again reminded of someone telling him something was impossible and proving them wrong. 

He had been called many things behind his back as he worked to get to where he was today. He had been called a Devil by his enemies, a Demon, a Fool. Not once had any of those names meant a single thing to him. Was it arrogance? He didn’t think so, he had always been sure of his idea and his plan. Always managed to make it all happen against the odds. The Devil King of the upper East side… the man with the impossible dream.

Nobunaga watched the colourful bodies of the fish shimmer below the surface of the clear water and then turned his attention back to the document he had brought outside with him. Nominee Application. He had been sent the papers to consider as it was hoped by his campaign staff that he would choose to return to politics once things regained control. He looked at the papers that he once felt he desired. That other platform he wanted to climb, the larger stage he wished to perform on.

If he had learnt anything after joining the governing ranks it was that everything was boring. The same daily routine, the same daily tasks, nothing changed, nothing to divert his attention and hold his imagination. He was aware of the number of people around him that had guilty little secrets. Even the innocent ones had a few skeletons in their closet. It was easy to exploit them had he wished too. There was little by way of a challenge and that was something that bored him above everything else. 

Now back in his old position reigning over his hard-won dominion he felt that rush he had dreamed of. He had never noticed how much of a buzz he got from his old life until it was gone. Now though he was back, that spark lit the dry tinder that was in him bringing that fire back to life and he felt alive again. Stay or go?

“I was never one to ignore temptation.”

---

It had been easy to trace the location. Seriously this man was little more than a kid playing at being a gangster. He talked the talk and looked the part but he really was so far out of his depth it’s a wonder no one had called him on it before.

Takahiro had always been an ambitious little upstart. His natural charisma packed a punch and saved his neck a few times. If it had not been for him teaming up with a partner who was just that bit more capable then he would have failed in everything after his family had cast him out. You can do a lot of things but confronting your brother at a dinner table that was surrounded by the heads of house was not a smart plan, pulling that gun on him had been even worse. There were some things you just didn't do even the underworld had their own form of etiquette. 

Then there was [Name]. Sweet girl, smart and had a bright future marked out before her. But after the tragedy struck her house and rocked its foundations to the core, that future was snuffed out before her eyes and a new one was planned out for her in its place. 

She had fought back, she had run and been caught. After that, she had almost looked as if she had given up… almost. The old gentleman smiled as they recalled the day, she was successful in running, how they had felt witnessing such a scheme be pulled off by one so young. Faking obedience, playing the part of the good daughter before bolting out of there never to be seen again from right under her own father’s nose. Yes, it had been a pleasure to witness such an event. Now there was a kid with promising talent.

To think that everything that had happened should lead them all here to this point. Life was certainly interesting. Now all the ghost had to do was wait for the opportune moment. Sitting in their vantage point, patiently overlooking the venue with rifle poised.

---

It was a small but beautiful church. There was no organ music playing, instead, Takahiro had requested string instruments to perform. The fresh flowers on display and the decorative hanging flowers at the end of each row of seating were breathtaking. This should all have been a dream, it felt like one. But when [Name] looked at the man standing at the end of the centre aisle she felt like the world around her was crumbling. It wasn’t so much a dream as a nightmare. 

That cold, hard tangle of emotion that had started the moment she had seen her father in the hospital had grown into a much larger web. Spreading through her, connecting parts of the past to the future and she felt like she was suddenly back to being a little girl again. No say and no power, she hated that. Did I seriously come all this way just to have my history go full circle and put me right back at the start again?

There were only a handful of guests, the only reason for having such a lavish display in the venue was Takahiro’s unwillingness to do even a rushed plan without showing off. Ever the showman. It reminded her of the room he had prepared for her. Everything was just as if it had been dreamt up out of a children’s picture book. Childish dreams and images of the ideal life created in reality with almost obsessive attention to detail. [Name] made it to the end, the eyes and murmurs of the audience followed her every movement. This isn’t what I want. I am not what they are seeing, this “man” is not my future.

“Takahiro… I … I’m not sure about this.” Her voice came out as small and fragile as she felt. Takahiro leaned down closer to her ear, his fake smile unmoving.

“What you thought you had to be in love to marry? You don’t. Just as you don’t have to be in love to have a child.” His words were even more chilling. He intended to bring a child into this as well? [Name] tensed at the idea, the air in her lungs disappeared as she looked into Takahiro’s cold eyes.

“I still don’t…”

Takahiro continued disregarding the woman next to him completely. “Consider it a contractual obligation.” His voice was louder than intended. He was frustrated and angry, everything he had done to make this day as close to perfect as he could. Fitting it into the ideal wedding that a lot of little girls had said they desired, including [Name] at one point. 

It was the end of the line, he was about to get everything promised to him. The ability to take over a new family. He could rival the old ideals, take on his brother and he would be free to make more choices. He would change the future and carve his own path forward. She would be his. 

“I could recommend a good lawyer.” A calm voice called out from the main church doors. Takahiro and [Name] turned at the same time as the guests to see someone slowly approaching the altar. The bright light from behind them had turned their image into a dark silhouette but the closer they came the clearer that image became. [Name] didn’t need to wait to see who this was, the unbridled rush of relief rolled over her as she looked at the one that should have been here to start with. He really knows how to make an entrance, doesn’t he?

“Traditionally you wait to interrupt a wedding until the Priest calls out.” Takahiro was still smiling but it was in no way comforting. His eyes were searching past the lone figure approaching him. Shin?

“It is also a tradition for the bride to look happy on her wedding day. I see you decided against that.” Mitsuhide taunted as he stood close enough for [Name] to see him clearly as he gave her a wink. The guests in the church had all been sitting quietly now began to murmur and gossip.

“What would you know of it? Can’t you see we are deeply in love.” Takahiro raised his voice enough to be sure to let the words travel to the observers. Whatever had happened to his partner he was not wishing to be told right now. They say ignorance is bliss and something told Takahiro that he would not enjoy the information he would be given if he asked right now. He had to focus on the task at hand whatever had happened he would deal with it later after he had secured their futures. He told himself this, he tried to be as convincing as possible in his own mind and ignore the weight he felt in his chest. But as the old saying goes you can lie to everyone but yourself. 

“You are indeed deeply in something.” Mitsuhide sneered. I cannot let someone who acts like such an idiot have her. You have no intention of trying to make her happy. She was never more than a pretty little object to you. “You cannot take what is already taken Takahiro.”

“What is that supposed to mean you pathetic little pack animal?” Takahiro was turning a violent shade of red as he began to boil over. His concern for his absent lover was the last incident to put pressure on his troubled mind. This was supposed to be the day everything worked in his favour. It was supposed to be the first day of a new future. I was not meant to be a display in the centre circle of a circus.

– Thump –

“How dare you!”

“…[Name]?” Takahiro was holding his jaw, lip broken and his eyes were locked on the woman standing in that crystal gown as if he had never seen her before in his life.

“Mitsuhide is not some spineless moron like you!” Her seething anger in her voice just dripped disdain. Takahiro didn’t like it. He liked a bit of fight but this, this was too much. He hated when things didn’t go his way, he always had. Why did no one ever just do as they were told?

“Hold your tongue wench or I’ll make sure you never say anything again. AH!” Takahiro cried out in pain as the arm he had raised to slap [Name] was twisted violently up his back and his knees were kicked in order to get him to drop. Crouched on the plush church carpet Takahiro hissed in pain, his torso bending in an attempt to keep his bones from breaking.

“You did not seriously expect to be allowed to make such a declaration and not have it come with consequences, did you?” Mitsuhide hissed in the groom’s ear.

“Mitsu-” It was all so fast [Name] marvelled at the sight. And you say you are not a good man?

“That was a nice punch, my dear. Remind me to show you later how you can improve it, then next time you might just manage to knock the bastard out.” Mitsuhide recovered from the sight before him quickly. He had been on the receiving end of one of [Name]’s passionate slaps. He had no idea she would strike as she had done, certainly no idea that she would do so in his honour. You keep on surprising me, little mouse.

“This is not happening!” Takahiro roared.

---

Curiosity. It was something that meant you were always promised the discovery of new things, what those new things were was part of the adventure. He could see the spectacle clearly through the scope of his rifle, he had not expected the girl to throw a punch in what looked like someone else’s defence. What was said? And who is that outsider?

There was no room for error here. Clicking the sight into thermal mode a small red light appeared travelling through the air and landing on the floor between the target and the others near him. Whatever the circumstance he had a job to do and he had no issue at all in carrying it out. Whoever the stranger was he didn’t seem to be a threat to the girl. This might require further investigation, but for now...

“Agreement revoked.”

---

Mitsuhide saw it before anyone else did. The laser sight marker casting its deadly red target on the ground briefly before disappearing again. Someone was here. It seemed very crude to bring a gun to a wedding. It was clean and efficient sure, but there was always something about such a display in a place like this that made him feel a little uneasy.

The irony of him feeling like that always made him smile. To have such a view on a subject as appropriate locations for violence and displays of marksmanship, and here he was twisting a man’s arm up his back like he was a pretzel.

His heart began pounding like a jackhammer in his chest as he looked up at the would-be bride. She looked like an angel, the light catching that obscenely ornate dress she was in, making her glow even more in his eyes. It was clearly not in her tastes he had been familiar with her style and this was obviously not it. The idea that another man had chosen a dress for her and she was wearing that made his blood boil more. But now was not the time for displays of jealousy to rear their heads. Just because you are an angel my dear does not mean I have any intention of seeing you go back to heaven yet.

Mitsuhide released Takahiro’s arm shoving the man forward and grabbed [Name] around her waist pulling her with him in his arms as he shouldered most of the pain of tumbling over a hardwood bench to some sort of safety on the floor behind it. He had no idea who was the target but he did not wish for her to be anywhere near the danger. Honestly, it’s like you attract bullets little mouse. He could feel her, her warmth and weight as she was pressed against him. The scent of her jasmine infused hair tickling his nose, not exactly the best time for his mind to start wandering but that didn’t seem to stop it from wishing to.

“Mitsuhide what the hell is…?”

– Smash –

---

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

5th April >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 28:8-15 for Easter Monday:  ‘And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus’.

Easter Monday

Gospel (Except USA)

Matthew 28:8-15

Tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee: they will see me there.

Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples.

   And there, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings’ he said. And the women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.’

   While they were on their way, some of the guard went off into the city to tell the chief priests all that had happened. These held a meeting with the elders and, after some discussion, handed a considerable sum of money to the soldiers with these instructions, ‘This is what you must say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.” And should the governor come to hear of this, we undertake to put things right with him ourselves and to see that you do not get into trouble.’ The soldiers took the money and carried out their instructions, and to this day that is the story among the Jews.

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 28:8–15

Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

   While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.

Reflections (12)

(i) Easter Monday

Today’s gospel reading suggests that just as Jesus’ enemies did away with his earthly life, they also tried to do away with his risen life. A meeting of the religious leaders was held at which it was decided that a story would be put out to explain why the tomb was empty early on the first day of the week. Jesus’ disciples came during the night and stole his body from the tomb. Not only was Jesus crucified as a criminal but his disciples were to be labelled as body snatchers. However, all of these efforts to suppress the good news of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead were in vain. Jesus appeared to the women who had come to the tomb early with their spices. He went on to appear to his disciples in Galilee and, according to Saint Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, there were many more people to whom the risen Lord appeared, some of whom were still alive at the time Paul was writing that letter twenty five years or so after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Those to whom the risen Lord appeared, including Paul himself, went on to preach the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection to Jews and pagans alike. In today’s first reading we find Peter and the other apostles preaching the gospel to the Jews in Jerusalem. Jesus’ risen life cannot be snuffed out the way his earthly life was. Jesus’ enemies had some control over his earthly life; they had and have no control over his risen life. The Lord’s risen life is a glorious flame that no human power can extinguish. The risen Lord is present among us, present within us through the Holy Spirit, in season and out of season, in good times and in bad. He is present to us every day as light in our darkness, as strength in our weakness and as loving communion in our isolation. For this good news, we can all give thanks this Easter Monday.

And/Or

(ii) Easter Monday

The mood of Easter is very well captured at the beginning of this morning’s gospel reading, ‘Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples’. Easter is a feast that fills us with great wonder and joy because it tells us that God’s love is stronger than human sin, and the life God gives is more powerful than the death humans often inflict on each other. Easter also tells us that we do not walk through life alone. As the risen Lord says to the women in today’s gospel reading, ‘Go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there’. As the risen Lord went ahead of his disciples to Galilee, so he goes ahead of us to all the places that we journey to and find ourselves in. Yet, there will always be people who will try to deny Easter and all that it means. That was so from the very first Easter Sunday, as is clear from this morning’s gospel reading. The chief priests and the elders put out a story, to the effect that the disciples of Jesus stole his body while the guards were asleep. You will find modern versions of that anti-Easter story in our newspapers today at times. There will always be those who want to deny what God has done and put something trite in its place. This Easter week, however, we rejoice what God has done, the story of Easter, of life’s triumph over death, of love’s triumph over evil.

 And/Or

(iii) Easter Monday

In this morning’s gospel reading we find two very contrasting responses to the news that Jesus had triumphed over death and was no longer confined by the tomb. The woman came up to risen Lord and, falling down before him in worship, they clasped his feet. They then set out immediately, in response to his call to proclaim the good news that he was no longer in the tomb but was on his way to Galilee to meet his disciples. In contrast to the women, the chief priests and the elders of the people gave money to the soldiers to proclaim the lie that Jesus’ body had been stolen. The women proclaimed the truth of the Easter message, a message of hope, of the triumph of life over death, of love over hatred, of grace over sin. The religious leaders of the people proclaimed a lie which simply compounded the tragedy of what happened on Calvary; not only had an innocent man been put to death but his body had been stolen. This Easter Monday we are being asked to identify with the women’s response to the risen Lord. We are all called to be heralds of the truth of Easter, messengers of hope, disciples who announce by our lives that the light of the risen Lord shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it.

 And/Or

(iv) Easter Monday

Two journeys are described in this morning’s gospel reading, the journey of the women to the disciples to tell them the good news that Jesus was alive and had appeared to them, and the journey of the soldiers who guarded Jesus’ tomb to the chief priests to tell them the bad news that the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb because he had been raised from the dead. The momentous events of that first Easter Sunday were not experienced as good news by all. For those who wanted Jesus dead, news that he had risen from the dead was very bad news. This morning we identify with the women and the other disciples, rather than with guards and the chief priests. Like the women, we are filled with awe and joy at the news that Jesus has risen from the dead; like them our instinct is to worship the risen Lord; like them we hear the Lord say to us, ‘Do not be afraid’; like them we are sent from our worship as messengers of hope. Some people can hear good news as bad news, even the good news of Easter. We, however, are invited to savour the good news of Easter, and the church gives us seven weeks of the Easter season to do so. During these weeks we have an opportunity to keep on absorbing the momentous good news of Easter. This news gives meaning to our living and to our dying because it assures us that we are brothers and sisters of the Risen One who is also the Life Giver for all who seek him.

And/Or

 (v) Easter Monday

There is a strong contrast in this morning’s gospel reading between the actions of a group of women and the actions of a group of men. The women fall down before the risen Lord and clasp his feet; they then respond immediately to the Lord’s command to go to the disciples and announce to them that he is going to meet them all in Galilee. Matthew portrays them a worshipping the Lord and then going out as his messengers in response to his call. They model for us our own Easter calling. We gather to worship the Lord, to fall down before him like the women. We go forth from our worship to proclaim the good news that the Lord is risen and wants to meet us not just in Galilee but in all the places where we live and work. In contrast to the women, the group of men, both soldiers and elders, conspire between them to spread a false story about Jesus’ disciples stealing his body. They are not open to the good news that Jesus is risen; they cannot take seriously anyone who says, as Mary Magdalene said, ‘I have seen the Lord’. There are versions of that false story around to this day, pouring scorn on the central core of our faith, ‘the crucified one has been raised from the dead’. It is a counter story to the story of the gospels, the women’s story in this morning’s gospel reading, the story of Peter, the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, the story of Paul. It is in and through those stories that we continue to meet the risen Lord. It is to those stories we give our minds and hearts and souls, so that we may have life and have it to the full.

And/Or

 (vi) Easter Monday

This morning’s gospel reading falls into two very distinct parts, each part standing in contrast to the other. The first part is full of the joy of Easter. Having heard the message from the empty tomb that Jesus is risen, the women are filled with awe and great joy. Their joy is deepened when the risen Lord himself meets them and commissions them to share the good news, the gospel, with Jesus’ brothers and sisters, his disciples. We have a sense of a joy that is ever expanding, beyond the circle of the women, to the wider circle of the disciples, and beyond them to that much wider circle of all those who will become the Lord’s disciples. We all belong in that wider circle and we are invited to taste the joy of the good news of Easter this Easter Monday. The second part of the gospel reading has a much more sombre tone. There is a conspiracy to suppress the good news of Easter by spreading a false story, that Jesus’ body was, in reality, stolen. Just as money had been used to procure Jesus’ betrayal; it is used again to promote this lie. The second half of this morning’s gospel reading reminds us that there are always forces at work to suppress the Easter story, because this story is so significant and so much depends on it. Easter placed God’s seal of approval on all that Jesus said and did. In raising Jesus from the dead, God raised up all that Jesus stood for. To suppress the Easter story is to suppress the whole story of Jesus from his conception to his death. We are all asked to keep bearing witness to the Easter story even in the face of those who try to suppress it. We are to keep bearing witness to all that Jesus stood for, to his attitudes and values and we are to keep announcing God’s power to transform all our tombs into places of new life.

 And/Or

(vii) Easter Monday

This morning’s gospel reading suggests that right from the very first Easter Sunday efforts were made to explain away the empty tomb of Jesus and his rising from the dead. According to Matthew the chief priests and elders put out the story that the disciples of Jesus came and stole his body during the night, and they were prepared to spend a lot of money to ensure that this story took hold. A story of Jesus’ empty tomb and of his resurrection from the dead did not suit their purposes and, so, it had to be suppressed. Efforts to suppress the truth, when the truth turns out to be uncomfortable, have always been a feature of the human story. Yet, the truth has its way of breaking free from all attempts to suppress it. The truth of Easter could certainly not be suppressed. God had done something powerful and wonderful in raising his Son from the dead. Such an extraordinary happening could never be covered over. The transforming impact of the risen Lord could not be hidden. Because of the resurrection a group of fearful disciples became courageous witnesses of the gospel before the world. Because of the resurrection the church was born in earnest. Our presence here this morning witnesses to the truth of the resurrection. The proper response to the resurrection is not to find ways of explaining it away. Rather, like the women at the beginning of our gospel reading we respond to this good news ‘with awe and great joy’. We stand amazed, in awe, before what God has done on that first Easter morning and what he has continued to do ever since, working to bring new life out of every death. We allow something of the joy of that triumph of life to touch our lives, so that even in the midst of the sorrows and struggles of life we remain a joyful, hopeful people.

 And/Or

(viii) Easter Monday

The gospels indicate that Judas was willing to betray Jesus for money, thirty pieces of silver. In this morning’s gospel reading the soldiers are willing to propagate a lie about the resurrection of Jesus for money. They are paid to say that Jesus’ disciples stole the body while the soldiers slept. The story of Judas and the story of the soldiers demonstrate the power of money and how that power can be abused. Money, while not harmful in itself, can be made to serve purposes that are contrary to God’s purpose. In this morning’s gospel reading money is being used to silence the good news that God had raised Jesus from the dead, that God had triumphed over the religious and political forces that conspired to put Jesus to death. Money is being used to cancel out the gospel. Yet this was a doomed effort to muzzle the gospel. The lie that the soldiers spread about why Jesus’ tomb was empty is no match for the truth of the gospel. The good news that Jesus has been raised and that Jesus is Lord was proclaimed, despite the lie that was put about, and that good news continues to be proclaimed today. We are being reminded that the Easter gospel has a dynamism that no human power or conspiracy can overcome. God is always at work in and through the risen Lord, accomplishing far more than anything we can imagine, in spite of the best efforts of some to silence the gospel.

 And/Or

(ix) Easter Monday

In the gospel reading from Matthew that we have just heard, the women, who were first to the tomb on Easter Sunday and found it empty, are also the first to whom the risen Lord appeared. This group of women are the primary witnesses to the resurrection, the first to proclaim the good news that Jesus is risen and that he will meet his disciples in Galilee. In contrast to this group of women, the gospel reading presents the chief priests and the elders of the people paying off the soldiers who guarded the tomb so that they would propagate the lie that Jesus’ body was stolen by his disciples. The women proclaim the truth of the gospel; the group of men in the gospel reading proclaim a lie. We are all being asked to identify with the group of women. They were faithful to Jesus; they were present during his public ministry, at the cross and at the tomb. Because of their faithfulness, they are sent out as messengers of Easter joy. Our faithfulness will prompt the Lord to send us out too as messengers of Easter joy and hope, proclaiming Easter good news, the triumph of life over death, of God’s love over human sin.

 And/Or

(x) Easter Monday

We have been hearing a lot about ‘fake news’ recently. There is an example of such fake news in this morning’s gospel reading. When the soldiers who had guarded the tomb of Jesus went to the chief priests and told them what they witnessed, the chief priests, with the elders, told the soldiers to spread a fake news story, according to which Jesus’ disciples came during the night and stole the body of Jesus while the soldiers slept. This story, false as it is, nonetheless presupposes that the tomb of Jesus was empty on the morning of the first day of the Jewish week, our Sunday. In yesterday’s gospel reading, when Mary Magdalene saw the tomb was empty, she came to the conclusion that someone had stolen the body, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they have put him’. This was simply a misunderstanding, which was clarified when the risen Lord appeared to Mary. There is a big difference between misunderstanding and the propagation of a deliberate falsehood. There is nothing false about Easter. It is the truth that grounds all other Christian truths. As Paul declares in his first letter to the Corinthians, ‘if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain’. An essential part of the Church’s mission is to proclaim the truth of Easter and all that it implies. In raising his Son from the dead, God demonstrates his faithfulness to his Son and his faithfulness to all humanity, in spite of its sinful rejection of his Son. Easter announces, again in the words of Saint Paul, that ‘God is for us’. This is a truth which the world needs to hear.

 And/Or

(xi) Easter Monday

Money features in Matthew’s story of the passion and death of Jesus and in his story of the resurrection of Jesus. The chief priests paid Judas thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus to them. Judas subsequently regretted his actions and brought the money back to the chief priests who used it to buy a field to bury foreigners. In today’s gospel reading, the elders of the people handed the soldiers a considerable sum of money to spread the story that Jesus’ disciples came during the night and stole Jesus’ body, and that is why the tomb was empty early on the first day of the week. The money given to Judas served its purpose. Judas’ betrayed Jesus to death. However, the money given to the soldiers did not serve its purpose. The story the soldiers were told to spread did not have the desired effect. The risen Lord appeared to his disciples on several occasions. They knew that the reason the tomb was empty was because Jesus had been raised from the dead, not because his body had been stolen. No amount of money could suppress the extraordinary work of God in raising his Son from the dead. Easter is God’s ‘Yes’ to his Son’s life and death. It is a ‘Yes’ that no human conniving or resistance can silence. Easter is also God’s ‘Yes’ to all of us. Having sent his Son into the world, a world that crucified him, God then sent his risen Son into the world.To all who responded in faith to the gift of God’s risen Son, God poured the Spirit of his Son, the Holy Spirit, into their hearts. Easter is the feast of God’s faithfulness to his Son and to us all. Saint Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians, says of Jesus, ‘the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you… was not “Yes and No”, but in him it is always “Yes”. For in him everyone of God’s promises is a “Yes”’. It is because Easter is God’s ‘Yes’ to us in Christ that it is the most celebratory season in the church’s year.

 And/Or

(xii) Easter Monday

It has often struck me that in all of the gospels whereas men are largely to the fore in the story of Jesus’ passion and death, it is women who are to the fore in the story of Jesus’ resurrection. Nearly all of the men in the story of Jesus’ passion and death fare badly, whereas the women in the story of Jesus’ resurrection are portrayed in a very positive light. The strong association of women with Jesus’ resurrection reminds us that so often it is women who have proven to be the guardians and protectors of life. In Matthew’s gospel, a group of women are the first to hear the good news of Easter from an angel in the tomb of Jesus, ‘He is not here, for he has been raised’. It is to these women that the risen Lord first appears, as in our gospel reading. ‘The women came up to him and, falling down before him, clasped his feet’. It is these women who are the first to be sent by the risen Lord to proclaim the Easter gospel, ‘go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; they will see me there’. All of this is happening against the background of a group of men, chief priests and soldiers, conspiring together to spread a false story about Jesus’ disciples stealing his body during the night. Today’s gospel reading might prompt to thank God for all those women who, in our own lives, have revealed the risen Lord to us in a whole variety of ways. It is time that women’s profile in the Easter story was reflected more clearly by their profile in the structures of the church. All of us as followers of the Lord, men and women, have a vital role to play in proclaiming the Easter message of the triumph of life over death. We are all called to be life-givers in some way, people who care for and protect life, the life of each other, the life of the vulnerable, the life of our common home, our environment. This mission of proclaiming the Lord of life, the God of the living, by our lives is all the more vital in a world where the taking of life has become more commonplace, as is evidenced by the shooting of that young female journalist in Derry last week. The world needs the life proclaiming ministry of the risen Lord now more than ever.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[head-under-water]

the compass.

A sleeping village waited, blanketed under a layer of winter’s kiss. Smoke rose from chimneys and the air hummed quietly with the sleepy breaths of villagers who knew not what fate had in store. Knees huddled to his chest, Cetus said nothing, but instead observed his comrades, sharing their silence as they sat in the four cardinal points around their fire.

Nestled across the hearth in the north position, Corban lounged languidly, one leg draped over the other. He leaned back, an effort to seem extremely comfortable. It made up for the fact that he was not in the least. Just as summer’s heat faded, their fragile camaraderie shattered and the brotherhood all but disbanded. Embarrassment to budding egos and rocks thrown at glass hearts culminated in shame their golden boy dared not to acknowledge. Their shining star made it seem as if he could not be bothered and that being here with his brothers was simply checking a box. One step closer to forging his own path, visage lost in the darkness, too far away for the flames to illuminate.

To his right, Marcus’ sea-green gaze honed in on the dancing tips, disappearing into the darkness between them all. Their rising prodigy, hand picked by their lord, covering them all with his brilliance like the sun spilling its light into the waning night sky. His mark peaked out from the end of his sleeve, so stark in contrast against his alabaster skin. The only one amongst them who possessed it cast envy amongst the others and he knew it. Long digits folded over each other. None of the outside elements could disturb his trance. He’d been chosen. The stakes were highest for him. It was one thing to stumble along the climb, but another to fall from the apex. To entertain these minor squabbles, in Marcus’ eyes, would ruin them all.

Perched to the west, Cetus looked upon Alek. Silent and intense like the looming dusk. Rich with color, he needn’t make a sound to convey the heaviness that lurked beneath his beautiful palette. His light was deceiving for their was darkness crept behind it, carrying a weight none of them could bear. Not properly. But he used his churning tragedy to wreak havoc upon innocents, providing cover for unholy deeds that would not be welcomed under the unforgiving light of day.

Cetus studied them all. Each one tethered to the other in one way or another, though none of them would say it was friendship. There was something far greater than that. Yet the boy within him desperately wished to salvage that somehow. But there were wounds he could never heal, rivalries that could not be won. Such trivial pettiness and the solutions required to squash them meant nothing in the face of their purpose here tonight. So Cetus sat on the cold ground with his comrades, silent, running the tips of his fingers along his wand’s hilt, waiting…waiting.

“It’s time,” Marcus spoke as he clicked his pocket watch shut. It quickly disappeared beneath his cloak before the boy stood and smoothed out his clothes. “You all know what to do. No need to go over it again.” His voice was sharp, cold. He only looked at Cetus to give a nod which Cetus promptly returned. Of course they knew what to do. This was their moment. Ever since they were eleven years old, they’d dreamt of this even though they couldn’t fathom the importance of it at the time.

Hoods pulled up, casting shadows over their faces and with a wave of Corban’s wand, the flames were snuffed out. He didn’t dare look west even though Alek was already gone. Off to his perch for the aerial vantage point. They were mechanisms of war, as dysfunctional and destructive as they’d ever be, and they were prepared to wage it.

[linkspooky]

Tsukiyama and Furuta: Two Moons Heading Towards an Eclipse

If you flip this number down it’s.... absolutely nothing. If you flip and reverse it, ie what would happen if you were to place it in a mirror than you get a backwards nineteen. If you just flip it it looks sort of like a 16 in the wrong order. If you take the numbers as individual, an upside down six can be the lovers in reverse while an upside down 1 could represent Hide as he was just mentioned in the last chapter. They could also not even be numbers but representative of a moth’s wings instead. They could also be moths wings as depicted at the beginning of the chapter. 

They could also just be a pun on the word orgasm [x] with japanese numbers. My point is things can have many possible interpretations so try not to refute the assertions I make in this post with ‘that’s a nineteen’ or ‘that’s representative of the sun’.  Anyway, continuing forward read under the cut for the explanation and yes I actually do get to Tsukiyama. 

Generally if you want to put a tarot number in this manga in reverse it’s been upside down. Not reversed and then mirrored, that’s not really anything to do with tarot that’s just... da vinci mirror code. 

The sun in reverse sort of relates to this situation: 

The Sun reversed indicates that finding the positive aspects to a particular situation may prove to be difficult. The clouds may be blocking out the warmth, and preventing you from feeling as though everything is on track. You may have experienced setbacks that have damaged your enthusiasm and optimism and have perhaps led you to question whether you can really achieve what you have set out to achieve.

However I find it too positive, and as usual I sure do love being negative about things. It doesn’t make sense to me, the sun being in reverse would indicate that the moon arc is ending, but having sex doesn’t really resolve any of Kaneki or Touka’s issues. Sex isn’t really a net positive or a net negative, it’s just neutral. 

Nonetheless, the Sun is never a negative card, so this is only temporary. The obstacles you see can be easily removed if you put your mind to it. It may just take a little more effort than usual.

Having sex, or advancing their relationship might solve their relationship arc, but it’s tangential to their individual character arcs. The sun is too much of a net positive here for me to see it as appropriate. For imagery reasons, Kaneki crying and then sitting in Touka’s lap could be a connection to the naked baby on the sun that is in itself a symbol of rebirth.

The child playing joyfully in the foreground represents the happiness of our inner spirit when we are in tune with our truest Self. He is naked, having nothing to hide  

 Kaneki isn’t really experiencing a happiness of his inner spirit though, considering he started crying in the middle of sex and could not explain why. This isn’t to say that Kaneki felt worse after having sex with Touka of course, but that the act of having sex with Touka doesn’t really have much to do with finding commune in his inner spirit. He literally, couldn’t explain why he was crying. The line “Why, indeed?” is a parallel to when he could not explain why he was crying to Touka.

There’s also the fact that they’re having this sex in the darkness, with black borders around the panels and constant cut to black. I hope this makes a good case for why I think the sun isn’t exactly the perfect fit for this scene. The sun in reverse doesn’t indicate darkness, or the moon, it’s still the sun just in reverse. That leaves two more possible tarot interpretations, the lovers and the tower both in reverse.

The lovers reversed indicates that you are avoiding responsibility for the consequences of your own actions. You have made a rushed decision based purely on your desire for instant gratification and now you are trying to lay the blame on others or on fate. 

The lovers can also indicate inner conflicts being at war with external forces. It suggests disharmony and difficulty in being able to balance your own inner union. The lovers reversed may also reflect that feelings within a relationship are not mutual. One person in the partnership might have stronger feelings than the other, and may be more emotionally involved. 

This is closer, Touka and Kaneki are basically ignoring the whole outside world to have sex right now. The timing is pretty spectacular considering they’re both on the run from the law, and they’re not really Bonnie and Clyde. There’s also allies they have to meet up with, and the Oggai are a real pressing threat for every ghoul that the two of them claim to be fighting for. 

A real and pressing danger which outsiders like Takizawa seem to acknowledge but neither Touka nor Kaneki really do. Which is in line with both of their characters as they’ve always fought for personal relationships rather than the big picture affecting all ghouls. The problem with taking a siesta to boink therefore being that Touka and Kaneki’s lives no longer belong solely to themselves. They themselves have made the choice to accept the responsibilty of this revolution, and it’s not something that only Kaneki wants, but also something that Touka wants to fight for.

Ayato makes the point that they’ve all chosen to make everyone rely on them, so to go back now and act on personal feelings like their life solely belongs to them at this point is betraying that choice. In Ayato’s words it makes them half assed, because it means they care less about their committment than they presented themselves as having done so. 

Which is part of why Kaneki’s flaws seem so much more stagnant in Tokyo Ghoul Re: than original Tokyo Ghoul. Tokyo Ghoul was Kaneki’s story through and through, it was the tragedy of how he failed to change in time to survive in the ghoul world. Re: is the story of a king, a king’s story is not as personal by its nature because it has ramifications that affect the entire world. 

Therefore yes, Kaneki and Touka’s decision to have sex is an ignoring of consequences just for the simple logical reason of rendering themselves vulnerable right now while they’re being sniffed out by the oggai, if both of them were to die then the revolution would be snuffed out before it could ever truly have begun. It’s also okay to judge them for this because Touka and Kaneki both want to be important figures in this fight. It’s different than two people just trying to have sex on their own time. 

Inner feelings being at war with the outside world... that’s obviously the moon arc so no need to dwell on that. The final part is interesting though, it indicates that one may not love another as much as the other. Now to get this out of the way, of course I think their affections are mutual to an extent. You have to be blind to not acknowledge that Touken is canon by this point. 

In this case though, I actually think Kaneki’s feelings might be stronger than Touka. At least when you look at the way that Kaneki uses people he is close to.

You look like you’re about to die. Between the two of us, the only one who thinks it was okay for you to just up and leave.... was you. 

Touka says it outright, she would be willing to have sex with him to prevent him from wanting to go off and die. Kaneki says it indirectly a few chapters earlier. 

Kaneki wants somebody to attach himself to, and Touka wants to be that person of attachment. It’s a reaction in opposite directions to the same basic problem, they’re both afraid of people leaving them. In a way it’s an unequal love because Touka can never value Kaneki the way Kaneki wants to use her, as a reason to live, as a symbol for all the good things that make life worth living. 

There are criticisms of Touka’s character that she bases herself entirely around Kaneki’s actions and what will make Kaneki stay around, or what is good for Kaneki’s well being but tha’ts not entirely true. A more nuanced view is that Touka since losing everybody at the Anteiku Raid, has shifted her priorities to try to ensure that her loved ones stay near her. Kaneki is just the crux of this issue, the symbol of all the important loved ones who left her, he himself inserted himself into that position by making that promise.

“Don’t leave me alone.”

That being said, defining yourself entirely by the relationships you have in your life and trying to keep them around is in and of itself a flaw. That is unless you think Touka has some secret agenda she has been running entirely offscreen when it comes to managing Re:, but even in that case we haven’t been presented any of that onscreen so until it gets focused on in the narrative it might as well not exist. 

So we have two characters with flaws that render their love unequal, Touka wants to be a point of attachment and Kaneki wants someone to attach himself too. Just because the way in which they are codependent weirdly complements one another however =/= a healthy relationship. However since we are in the arc of people finding refuge in one another and using that as an excuse to hide from the truth, it’s understandable why the characters would make this mistake. Touken is a bit of a sad and tragic relationship, it’s always been. At it’s core it’s a struggle of people from two different worlds trying desperately to connect. 

The snake in the fruit-laden tree behind the woman suggests the story of Adam and Eve, the fall of humanity from grace, and the temptations of the world.

The couple in the garden also have strong connections to the story of genesis. Something Touka and Kaneki parallel heavily right now. Think of it, Re: and Anteiku before it was a place where both of them were sheltered and allowed to be mostly innocent to the world. To them it was like a paradise. Both times it was completely destroyed and they were ejected from it however. When Adam and Eve lose their innocence they look at each other naked for the first time and begin to make love. 

The story of Adam and Eve is much like one of Touka and Kaneki, a fall from innocence but at the same time they gain knowledge of right and wrong and self actualization. At some point theoretically the idea is that Touka and Kaneki will decide for themselves what they view as right and wrong, rather than following simply what Yoshimura or Arima told them, or endlessly substituting new parental figures to guide them. 

Another clear parallel is that Kaneki and Touka are placing themselves as male and female figureheads of a new revolution. Ignoring the pregnancy thing, if Kaneki and Touka were to succeed in their revolution they would be the figurative parents of an entirely new world, one where their descendants both humans and ghouls would be able to coexist. 

Touka is pictured with the apple several times, but different from Eto and Furuta who are both tempters offering the apples to others, it is Touka who bites in making her the eve in this situation. The manga has already given us a good summary of Eve’s actions, and her reason for biting into that apple.

Sound like Touka and Kaneki at all? Surely she did that because she wanted to love a man, yet you say she wanted to be loved. It’s a good summary of their relationship and the tragedy of Touka’s own self conflicting selflessness. 

Which is finally where I can start talking about what I think the most accurate tarot number to be read from that imprint in the bedsheets is, the 16 in reverse or the Tower. At first these situations seem only superficially connected to the tower arc, but allow me to make my case on how all the dangling plot threads from the tower are finally going to come to roost this next arc. 

First off, the meaning of the tower in reverse compliments the moon arc well:

Upright, the Tower indicates a time of great turmoil and destruction, which will eventually bring with it change and regeneration.

 Reversed, however, the Tower card indicates that you are simply delaying the necessary ‘destruction’. You need to go through this difficult time in order to learn an important lesson. Do not resist it. Even though it is shocking and hard to deal with, it is a very important part of your life journey.

Similarly, the Tower reversed suggests that, while you consciously want change and transformation, you seem to be afraid of these two things. You may feel that change and transformation may bring with it destruction and pain, and thus you are resisting this.

Characters consciously wanting to change but being unable to do so is basically the theme of the past ten chapters. 

Every character has had their moment to show how they haven’t changed at the core despite everything they have gone through, because to them change is too painful a thing to face head on, and now we are finally getting to the lowest point of that with Kaneki and Touka. That’s not to say sex is a bad thing, but it is very primal in a jungian sense. There’s almost no better metaphor for characters acting on their most basic desires, no wonder both Jung and Freud lenses are so sex obsesed. 

In seeking comfort in each other, both of them prioritizing their fear of loss over their duties and the change they want to make to themselves and the outside world Kaneki and Touka both stagnate the necessary change they need to go through. The tower is a scary card yes, but it’s also an optimistic one. People have a tendency to dwell on the loss, but after loss comes rebirth. That’s the entire point of Kaneki’s supposed goal of breaking the egg and transforming the world, but he himself shies away from it. 

Just like in the lover’s card, it’s also specifically a man and woman who are falling. Quite morbidly you could say this is the result of their sudden spiritual awakening, the two of them are thrown off the tower together and lose control upsetting all our old notions about the relations between subconscious and self consciousness. 

If it’s truly invoking the tower here, then this connects back to an old scene in :RE. That time when Kanae and Tsukiyama were experiencing their own version of the Tower as they attempted to find enlightenment of themselves in the clumsiest and most disastrous way physically possible. 

1) The building that the final Tuskiyama Raid took place in was called the Lunar Eclipse

(Imperial scans translated it weird, it’s supposed to be Luna Eclipse). 

2) It’s the first place where Furuta showed his true nature as a moon character

Furuta as a character is one who exists to bring about an eclipse and invoke the moon card. At the moment he stands as the biggest obstacle in the background to the characters own enlightenment while at the same time encouraging them to indulge in their own shadows. He’s also been physically invoked with the moon before. 

3) It set up the major incidents of trauma that are driving key character’s right now, namely Urie’s loss of Shirazu, Haise’s leaving of the Q’s, and Ui’s loss of Hairu. 

Furuta calling back to Hairu’s loss is a deliberate callback to that time, and I believe he’ll repeat this temptation again and again for the point I am about to make later. Let’s continue with listing these parallels though. 

4) It’s the last time Tsukiyama had an arc in regards to his family, and Karren’s final words to Tsukiyama are the same kind of emotional openness that Touka and Kaneki are experiencing now. 

The same way that Touka and Kaneki are now falling off the tower, Kanae and Tsukiyama were in their own arc. However they are not given the same resolution that Kaneki and Touka were, mainly because of one active interfering participant.

Which is ironically enough, Kaneki himself is the direct reason why Kanae died before either of them could get proper closure or growth to finish off the great conflict between the two of them. Kaneki made a deliberate choice to sacrifice Kanae at Tsukiyama’s expense, one that he has yet to face any consequences for in the narrative. 

Clearly there are a lot of loose ends both emotionally and plot and character wise from the tower arc, and this arc is the continuation of them. Which is why from this point forward this post will be dedicated to where I think Tsukiyama’s arc will lead him next and why it is going to be an important continuation of his character arc which has been left in suspension since the raid arc. 

As to the image above, Tsukiyama just deciding to forgive Kaneki before he even apologizes is obviously not the proper way to resolve a conflict. If anything it avoids conflict so Tsukyiama can pretend everything is as it always was. This is what he thought he wanted after all, a false return to those days when he was a member of Kaneki’s kru.

In a way it’s what he always wanted, but Tsukiyama is not satisfied from what we see in the omake. We already know he dislikes being treated as a wallet, to the point where he gets jealous over somebody who Kaneki basically treats like a servant.

Chie has a point though, the way that Tsukiyama views relationships si that he can simply just be important without putting any of the actual work in. It worked with Chie because Chie doesn’t really care, she has a fondness for Tsukiyama yes but she’s not driven by closeness or loneliness the same way Kaneki is. Kaneki is difficult as a person to navigate, but Tsukiyama then doesn’t really see him as a person to begin with which is a major reason that stops them from getting close. 

It’s from the start of their relationship, Tsukiyama refers to Kaneki as his gourmet food which belongs only to him. Chie acknowledges that part of Tsukiyama doesn’t really feel that way but there is a distinct difference between Tsukiyama’s conscious and subconscious minds. 

In other words he’s an excellent example of a moon character. He has, all of the symptoms of the moon that others characters are exhibiting in this arc. His main method of satiating himself is obsession and pursuit of aesthetic reasons to live when in reality he’s quite emotiionally distant and lonely. Most of his actions are in trying to satiate those actions by, in a nihilistic way, moving from obsession to obsession. Chie even comments on this.

Which is what makes his connection to the only other moon character, Furuta, even stronger.

Furuta even drops him by name, which is a pretty major signal that the two of them are going to have a connection at some point. After all our first introduction to Furuta is when Tsukiyama brought Kaneki to the gourmet club. 

The way they present themselves is even similiar. Early Shuu Tsukiyama is close to a clown in motivation, where he only seems to care about living life for the pursuit of aesthetic desire rather than forming substantive relationships. We later learn that’s not the case but it’s also Shuu himself who has to learn this lesson. Also talk about unsubtle, there’s a moon directly drawn on his face. 

While Furuta/Souta are introduced similiarly, most of the details of their character deliberately contrast each other to set up a foil. 

Furuta is actually quite good and intelligent at shutting down his emotions and only ever wearing masks, and Shuu is the opposite, he thinks eh’s only reacting to the aesthetics and passion for food but actually he ahs real emotional issues that are super uncontrolled and also transparent.

They both quite clearly deviate from the actual clown mentality in different directions. Shuu’s “I care about the aesthetics” is a lie he’s convinced himself of because he can’t process his own emotions. 

Furuta’s clownish nature is a kind of repression and a really bleak coping mechanism for being born into a tragic life. They’re both at removing themselves from their emotions, but Shuu genuinely believes it and Furuta knows it’s a sham. 

These two are both moon characters, they experience emotions they athey don’t understand but just assume they are about aesthetics and comedy because that’s the only framework they can deal with their actual emotions. Tsukiyama even pretends his attachments to people are purely aesthetic when they are so obviously not. 

There’s also situation parallels, they were both born to families that have a great deal of influence over the ghoul world. The Tsukiyama’s however primarily use their influence to give other ghoul’s a place in society, while the Washuu stomp out ghouls from society. Tsukiyama himself is an unwitting heir like Matsuri who cares more about personal freedom than his responsibility, while Furuta is closer to Karren a cousin who is instead treated like a servant to the family and loses their sense of personhood because of it. 

Even their birthday poems are total and complete opposites. Shuu’s is one of calm reassurance that life is going to work out okay, while Furuta’s is telling you to laugh because the world is awful and then you die. 

Then the question is, if Shuu is a character heavily associated with the moon why has he done absolutely nothing this arc of note so far? My answer is that Ishida likes to play with his cards close to his chest, but there are a couple of hints as to what might happen next.

I think it’s important that Shuu was the one to interrupt the initial Touken talk, and also he does so with news o the real world, that thing that Kaneki and Touka oh so conveniently avoid a lot.

This was also shown a few chapters ago, a clear and obvious “Behlit” and in the same chapter a deal with the devil happens. 

If you take this entire brewing arc as a parallel to Berserk, a certain scenario can be mapped out. In Berserk Bejlits are stone fetishes of unknwon supernatural origin said to govern the fate of humanity. They are primarily used for summoning the angels of the God Hand, at which point the owners are granted a wish in exchange for a sacrificed. 

The most major activation of a Behlit we see in Berserk, is one where Griffith chooses to sacrifice his comrades in order to pursue his goal of being king. The strongest parallel we have right now is that in Berserk the main characters Guts and Casca, finally connected and had sex right before the Eclipse happened. 

This is just going to be summarizing Berserk for a second so let me just, Kaneki and Guts have several parallels that can be drawn between each other. In particular Guts tastes happiness for the first time in the band of the hawk and then leaves it because he is unsure of himself. This is a repeating thing with Guts several times, he’s unable to grasp happiness because he’s generally lived a miserable life up until this point and is afraid of losing him.

Gut’s abandonment of the hawks sends Griffith into a downward spiral which culminated in him becoming an emaciated husk of his former self (Tsukiyama) and having his tongue cut off (Kanae). What drives Griffith over the absolute edge though is overhearing Casca and Guts make plans to leave Griffith eventually and start a family of their own. Hearing Casca and Guts act of their own free will especially when Griffith is so close to losing everything impacts him greatly because he viewed them as objects that belonged to him, so them leaving is the final nail in the coffin of his own downfall. Griffith attempts suicide. 

When they rush to find him though, they encounter the eclipse. Which is when the godhand descend and slaughter the band of the hawk. I don’t think an exact parallel of this is going to happen in TG of course, but there are parallels that can be drawn between the main character.

Tsukiyama in the past has seen both Kaneki and Touka as objects of interest, and any emotional attachment to them has always been framed in this lens. Rather than a love triangle, their decision to confide in each other to that extent could be what pushes Tsukiyama to the edge. Especially when he wants to be close to Kaneki and seen as more than a wallet. A solar eclipse is also what is happening metaphorically in the manga, when the moon blocks out the sun and the characters lose all of their insight causing their shadows to grow even deeper. 

Griffith of course is a character who is willing to stand atop a pile of corpses and climb their in order to become king. The same blind and destructive ambition is reflected in Furuta as he climbs to the head of the Washuu family and declares himself Washuu king, building his pathway there on the bodies of dead ghouls and humans alike. 

In this case Griffith the betrayer can be represented in two persons, Tsukiyama for his complex emotional relationship that exists on the outside of Touka and Kaneki’s own relationship, and then Furuta who propels forward with blind ambition. Tsukiyama is also defined by his selfishness in his own relationships as Touka points out. 

(Just leave the other aspects of Griffith’s character aside for now). 

Therefore if Tsukiyama and Furuta were to ever come together, a disaster and a betrayal quite like the eclipse is likely to happen. We know three things about Tsukiyama’s character arc going forward, one that his character arc should have him letting go of the idea of Kaneki he clings so tightly onto.

In his great moment of character development he even rejects Kaneki and fights against him. If Shuu is ever able to move forward he first must let go of this idea of Kaneki in his head. 

Second he has yet to properly mourn Kanae. Part of the reason why is because after they died, he was immediately told that Kaneki did so for his sake which must have complicated his feelings on the matter. Repressed feelings are never a true way of dealing with them though, so Kaneki’s direct hand in Kanae’s death is something that should boil to the surface sooner or later. Especially considering the unacknowledged hypocrisy that Kaneki is a once Dove who slaughtered ghouls en masse now claiming to fight for them. 

This could also tie into Furuta’s way of tempting Tsukyiama away from Kaneki. If he still has Hairu’s body, then it’s likely he could still have Kanae’s as well. Kanae’s even already had Noro’s kagune inserted into them. Furuta could offer Kanae’s revival as a way of bringing Tsukiyama over to his side, especially if the alternative is working with somebody who doesn’t regret much less care about killing Kanae.

Third and most important is that Tsukiyama is basically Kaneki’s second in command at this point. If there was anybody who could bring a devastating fissure to the group spiderweb of delicate bonds which holds Goat together at this point it is him. He acts as defacto leader when Kaneki is gone, is in control of gathering assets for them, and even knows the codes. 

There is no better point of infiltration than Tsukiyama, and also considering that Tsukiyama saved both Naki and MIza’s life, and has a close relationship with Hinami he might even be able to take a few key members with him. Hinami I think is most important because like any youth she needs some form of rebellion against Kaneki, because watching her repress all of her emotions for Kaneki’s sake is just getting painful at this point.

Notice how, quite predictably her and Akira’s supposed reunion had no emotional growth for Hinami or acknowledging of Hinami’s feelings and centered entirely around Akira. It’s almost like Hinami’s too selfless for her own good or something. Her time in Aogiri, her decision to join them was pretty critical for her move to grow up and towards her own independence but now she’s back to attaching herself to Kaneki again. 

There you have it, my long and far fetched guess of how Tsukiyama will factor into the moon arc and also the big explosion that might finally get these characters motivated. 

[moonsandstar-s]

The Final Warning - Chapter XXVIII

Chapter XXVIII - Alone and Apart 

Summary:  As the year draws to a close, peace has finally dawned. The time for unity has arrived. In the Vytal festival, it is time for heroes to rise, bringing glory to their kingdoms. But as autumn dies, the first winds of winter blow over Remnant, chilling the hearts of the people; breathing doubt into their souls. Long-buried secrets will triumph, and every action will have a consequence. Ruby must reconcile herself with her own fate. Weiss struggles to escape her legacy. Blake cannot erase memories. Yang’s search leads her into more peril than ever— but none of them can outrun fate. Shadows turn on shadows, and bonds shatter as they are tested to the limit. For in dividing them, they will fall and burn; at the eye of the storm, no peace lasts forever. In the end and beginning of time, there is a place where the sun never rises, and the dead delight to teach the living. A great danger is rising from the darkness. It’s time to take sides. The final warning is coming. The first chill of winter is the most deadly; it is the chill that kills more than any other. The first betrayal is the most damaging; it is the act that shatters bonds of love and trust, crushing even the strongest heart, tearing teams apart. AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/7745314/chapters/22506284 Yang 

The sun was setting outside, rays of tawny fire spilling across the great white drifts of snow. The trees clawed at the steel gray sky, and birds called mournfully outside her window. Yang had been lying here for what seemed like forever, though she knew dully that it had only been four days, so long she’d memorized the cracks in the walls, the peeling paint, the smudged glass.

She was numb.

An ice had settled in her bones, wrapping around her heart, tightening each day. She knew— distantly, very distantly, like an echo that she had long-forgotten— that the world was still going on, that reparations were being made, that life went on. But not for her. She had lost so much: Penny, Pyrrha, Ozpin, Weiss— Blake— and in this, a part of herself had died, too. So many people had left her, that, at this point, she couldn’t pick up the pieces anymore. Her fight had drained, her fire snuffed to ash. She couldn’t break out of this kind of vicious cycle.  

Blake is gone, Taiyang had said, almost hopefully, not dead, not missing.

Not dead. But gone.

That seemed to be the case with everything; that it was all gone, forever out of reach, and yet so tantalizingly close. It was a joke, really. Yang knew what had happened. No amount of optimism from her father, or encouragement from Sun, would change reality. Only months ago, she had sat here in this very room with Blake before the tournament. And in this very house, she had offhandedly mentioned how Blake was like Raven, in some ways— and now, apparently, she was exactly like Raven in the way Yang had never wanted her to be.

“I don’t want to alarm you,” Yang had said, on that day all those months ago, “but I think Dad wants to talk to you.”

Blake had looked taken aback. “Me? Why?”

“You read a lot of books, you should know this! All parents talk to their kid’s significant other, brainless. Besides, it’s not your fault at all and it’s totally dumb, believe me, but I think you remind him of Raven a little, and he’s worried.”

“Why would I remind him of Raven?”

“Raven was his partner, and she ran off on him soon after they married. You’ve run off on us, too, even if it is in the past now, and you almost resemble her a bit, with the way you look; I mean, I can’t deny that there are some similarities, even if I disagree with him, because I do… I mean, God, Blake. He’s never in his right mind when it comes to her, and neither am I. She broke his heart.”

“History repeats itself,” Yang murmured aloud, her voice gravelly. She knew Blake had abandoned her as carelessly as Raven had seventeen years ago. And, despite her father’s words of encouragement, she knew that others had died— Pyrrha, Penny, Cinder, Cardin, Roman, Fox, Neon— leaving emptiness in their wake. She had felt a flicker of guilt when he told her— remembering how she and Neon had quarreled— but it was quickly buried by numbness once more.

She knew that it must be selfish to mourn for herself in the midst of tragedy, but she couldn’t help it. It felt like a punchline to a cosmic joke, that everything important had been somehow taken away: Raven, vanished; Blake, run away; Weiss, taken; Ruby, a shell of her former self. And her own physical form was now ruined; her weapon, her arm. Gone. It was gone. They said that those who lost a part of themselves could feel the missing part, sometimes, giving phantom twinges of pain. Yang supposed it was true. She could feel the hollowness of where her heart used to reside, as well as her arm. But her heart hurt worse, by far.

Her sister didn’t give up. Despite everything, she still forged ahead. Yang knew it took a lot to break her. Underneath her innocent exterior, there was a warrior tougher than steel. Ruby didn’t give up— and Yang knew she’d been forced to grow up. They all had. The fifth time Ruby visited her, Yang forced herself to look away from the window, to associate, to forget about the fading sensation in her right half.

To forget about the fading sensation in our Bond.

Ruby walked in, just as she thought it. There was something different about her sister’s gait now; she had used to walk around in a trotting, stomping manner, but now there was a hesitance and fear there that almost hurt Yang. They’d all been changed by the Fall of Beacon, in some ways that they were only just beginning to comprehend.

“I brought you a sandwich,” her sister said brightly, failing to hide the undercurrent of anxiety in her tone. “Turkey, remember? It’s your favorite, and Dad and I thought maybe you’d be hungr—”

“Put it down on the nightstand.”

“Oh,” Ruby said, deflating like a balloon that had been punctured. “Okay.” There was a gentle clatter of glass against wood as she set it down clumsily, skirting the bed to sit at the footboard, the bed sagging slightly under her weight.

There was a long silence, before Yang heard Ruby let out a rustling breath from her lungs, shifting around. “Are you ever going to talk to me, Yang?”

“Talk about what?” she asked stiffly. “If you want to talk, talk. No one’s stopping you, are they?”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it. I’m done having one-sided conversations with you. You can’t pretend nothing happened,” her sister snapped. “Look. Look up here at me. In the eyes.”

Yang looked, and flinched as Ruby’s eyes met hers. They were bright, angry silver, and she had heard Qrow and Taiyang whispering about them, late into the night— she had heard what her sister had done, what she was capable of, how she had killed three people. How Ruby wasn’t just Ruby Rose, small and simple, but a girl straight out of a legend. Much as she missed Blake, the reality of her sister’s power scared the hell out of her. The idea that Ruby wasn’t just Ruby anymore was more frightening than anything. “I’m looking.”

“You’re worrying me and Dad,” she said without preamble. “And you— Yang, you know there’s a huge difference between healthy mourning, and cutting yourself off. You’re not living. You’re just a shadow, sitting here, not doing anything to fight back against what happened—”

“Maybe I’m done fighting,” Yang snapped. “Don’t you get that? I fought Mercury, and I got framed. I fought for Beacon, and it fell. I fought to find my mother once, and I almost got you killed. I fought Adam for Blake, and I—” Her throat closed up, constricting all the words that had welled up inside of her, and she choked on them, tears streaming down her face. “Even after trying my hardest and doing my best, I still lost her, too…”

The bed creaked as Ruby came over and hugged her silently, her arms going around Yang as she sobbed, because she had forgotten that, without a Bond, there was no outlet, nowhere for her emotions to go, and they were drowning her, clamoring in her mind and threatening to send her spiraling into insanity. “Oh, God,” she croaked. “She’s gone, she’s gone and she left me here and she’s not coming back…”

“I’m not Blake,” Ruby murmured,  “and I’m not going to lie, or anything… I don’t know why she left. But what I do know, and what I’m sure of, is that Blake loves you.” Her voice was soft and sincere. “I know that as much as I know that my name is Ruby Rose. Don’t ever think she doesn’t. The way she looked at you, the way she said your name… I know what love looks like. I saw Mom and Dad, and I remember that. I always will. I remember how she would do anything for you— anything, anything you ever wanted— and sometimes, when I woke up the middle of the night and looked down at your bunk bed, she was awake, just lying there and playing with your hair and looking at you.

“And she loved you, sis. I’m not saying this to hurt you, Yang. I would never do that. But you need to know the reality of it; she didn’t leave because she didn’t love you. That’s not to say she doesn’t still love you— but what you should remember is that while Blake was, and is, a huge part of you— she’s not all of you, okay? A part of you existed before you ever met Blake, before you ever knew her name, before she was ever important to you… and a part of you should exist after Blake, because you’re more than just Blake’s Yang.” Ruby’s hand squeezed on her shoulder, insistent. “You’re so much more than that. You’re my sister, my best friend, and you’re a fighter. I’m not saying you should forget about her… but separate yourself from what you’ve lost and don’t let it consume you. Don’t repeat what happened with Dad. When Raven left and Mom died, he… he shut down. I can’t stand it if you do the same thing.”

Ruby ran her hands through Yang’s hair, calming her wrenching sobs to quieter, broken sniffles.“I lost my partner too,” Ruby continued quietly. “And do you know what happened before I saw Pyrrha get murdered?”

“What?” she asked, her voice flat, without inflection.

“Weiss kissed me,” Ruby said abruptly, making Yang straighten in shock. She sounded calm, but there was a tension like live wires running underneath her words, and when Yang looked over in astonishment, she saw that her sister’s hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists on top of her knees.

“Well,” Yang breathed, her exhale hoarse. “That’s unexpected.”

Ruby looked thoughtful, something flickering in her silver eyes. “Is it?”

“I knew she had feelings for you, and I told you as much,” Yang said shortly. “You didn’t believe me. Why so shocked now? Of course Weiss would have done something; she knew you were running up to the Tower’s top and risking your life… she’s not the type to stand idly by, you know. I wouldn’t think it was a big thing out of the blue.”

“Because she also said something else,” Ruby told her. “She told me that she loved me.”

Yang’s eyes widened. “Did she?”

“Yeah,” Ruby said, looking Yang in the eye and squeezing her single hand between her own. “And I think that if someone loves you, that’s worth fighting for.”

There was a long silence. Ruby seemed to be struggling to formulate the right words, before she said, “Dad always told us that love is the most powerful force on earth. That no matter what, love would find a way. Even after Mom died, he believed that, you know? And he has a point. Love is worth whatever it might cost you, in the end. So many people have lost the people they loved, and they were left behind. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “Jaune lost Pyrrha. Dad lost Mom. Qrow lost Ozpin. You lost Blake, and I— I lost Weiss.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I know it can seem impossible, but we can’t lose ourselves, too.

“Yang, I understand that you’re grieving, and that’s okay. You need to grieve, or else you’ll never heal right, you know? But you and me— we can get through this, no matter how hard it is, no matter how much we feel like just giving up. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, really, but I can get an idea. I’m never going to be your innocent little sister anymore, and you’re not going to be the overbearing older sister… we’re new people now, but maybe, just maybe, we can keep going. But we can’t do that at all if you don’t talk to me, and at least try to start healing.”

“I lost everything because of one stupid decision,” Yang whispered, her voice trembling. “If I hadn’t charged in there like an idiot, like some sort of savior… I could have saved Blake, and myself, and I could have killed Adam for touching her. Ruby, I… I’m afraid if I make another stupid choice like that, I won’t be able to heal, or to come back— not ever.”

“You’re scared,” her sister whispered. “I’m scared too. Qrow told me I almost died on top of the Tower because of—”

“I know about your eyes,” Yang croaked. “Qrow came in here and told me even if I didn’t talk back to him… he just came in here and said it and left…” Her voice abruptly hardened. “So, it’s a legend, and you’re the subject of a legend. Your power wasn’t enough to save everyone. It was only enough to keep you alive, and to murder Cinder. That doesn’t do anything—”

“Yang, that’s not the point—”

“—it’s a legend!” she shouted, twisting away from her sister, rage bubbling up inside her as she made as if to grip the bedpost before realizing she couldn’t do it, because her arm was gone, further igniting her anger. “Legends don’t help anyone; they didn’t help you or me! They’re just stories made to explain people people who don’t understand themselves.”

“Tell me if this isn’t real,” Ruby said, glaring down at her, and Yang could almost feel the frost and coldness from her gaze, like dark, cold water had filled her heart to the brim, and was trickling over, sending a chill through her veins, weighing down her stomach with dread. “Because everyone in Vale that night felt it. Like it or not— and trust me, I’m not sure I like it at all— I’m separated from all of you by something as simple as the color of my eyes, because I’ve got the power to destroy even the strongest with only a look. If you want to sit here and give up, I can’t stop you, because that’s what you’re determined to do. But I’m going out there to fix my world, because I have a duty to protect Remnant, no matter how I might feel about it.” She rose from the bed, and Yang noticed, detachedly, that her sister had gotten taller and leaner, her gaze holding a new, haunted shadow. As she turned to go, she whisked around, scrutinizing Yang through narrow eyes. “And maybe do a little considering about why Blake ran away, and what Adam was to her.”

Yang flinched.

“You’re not the only one who’s scared to death of what comes next. You’re not the only who who has no idea what she’s doing or how to move on! And trust me, you’re not the only one who lost everything that night.”

With that, she left the room, the door clicking shut behind her.

/ / /

“What do you mean she’s gone?”

Yang lifted her head dully as two loud, quarreling voices intruded upon the silence enveloping her room. It sounded like her father and uncle were right outside her door,  bickering with each other.

“Well, she’s damn well not hiding under the bed, Tai. I mean her room is empty, and there’s a trail of footsteps leading away from the house. She’s gone. She left a note saying as much—”

“You told her about Haven, didn’t you?” There was the sound of displaced air, a thud of impact, and a scuffle, followed by a loud crash and a flurry of swearing. “You— told her— and she— left! This is all your fault!”

Yang slid out of her bed and fought off a wave of dizziness from hunger and lethargy, slowly padding to the door, and peering out. Her eyes widened in mild shock as she saw what had happened. Taiyang had caught Qrow off-guard by tackling him to the floor. The thudding noise had been Taiyang tackling him, the scuffle had been the moment where they both fought to stay upright, and the sound of the crash had been when they’d hit the ground and continued to scuffle there. Tai was lobbing clumsy punches at Qrow, who was easily avoiding them, a look of irritation on his face. That annoyed expression convinced her that the argument wasn’t out of hand.

“Well,” she said drily, making her father pause mid-punch, “I wasn’t expecting to see this, Dad. Mind telling me why you’re using this old bird as a punching bag?”

Taiyang clambered off Qrow and got to his feet, still looking pissed off, and Qrow straightened up, dusting himself off.

“He let Ruby run off on some idiotic mission for answers,” Taiyang hissed. “Your sister is gone, already fled Patch on a boat, and it’s his fault!”

“Ruby’s… gone?” Yang stumbled back, her heart giving a constricting pang, but neither of them seemed to notice; they were still bristling in fury at each other.

“You knew this would happen,” Taiyang accused him. “You knew she’d run off because she felt responsible, like she feels responsible about everything—”

“I won’t lie to you,” he said. His face was flushed an angry red where Taiyang had slapped him. Yang remembered what Ruby had said to her last night— Dad lost Mom. Qrow lost Ozpin— and she frowned, brows knitting together. Grief expressed itself in different ways, and if this was the outlet they had— beating up on each other— she didn’t think it was a very good one. “Yeah, I did think that. But I also know that she’s not some pansy. If you ever want her to heal right, Taiyang, this is the only way it’ll happen. Staying here will just break her. She needs answers.” His gaze softened and he looked between them both, Taiyang and Yang. “And that’s something you both should understand.”

Yang flinched away— the comment was barbed, no doubt he was hinting at the time he had saved her life after she’d endangered it with her stupid hunt after her mother— but Taiyang just looked more enraged, his blue eyes nearly black with anger. “You let a fifteen year old girl run off without supervision into the wild? She could get killed by Grimm, or by some rogues, or— or God knows what else—”

“The Grimm don’t pose a threat to her,” Qrow said irritably, “and they never have, as you damn well know— and now she knows, too. And she’s not alone. I can tell you that with certainty.”

“What do you mean?” Yang broke in. They both looked startled at her intervention, their eyes flicking to the bandaged stump of her arm, and her mood blackened. “Stop staring at me like I’m an injured animal and spit it out,” she prompted, the faintest hint of a snarl embedded in her voice. “Ruby’s gone, but I doubt she went alone. So who’s she with?”

“I think you know them,” Qrow said, looking wary. “Those kids, the team of the girl who died. Team JNPR. Scrawny blonde boy, a girl with a hammer, and a boy that rather reminded me of your Blake.”

“She’s not my Blake,” Yang growled, eyes narrowing, and he seemed to realize he’d made a mistake, an expression of guilt shadowing his face. “But— so she went with Jaune, Nora, and Ren? How the hell did they get to Patch? I mean, she told me she was leaving, but I thought she would—”

“Ruby told you she was leaving, too?” Taiyang stared at his daughter, his eyes filled with betrayal, and Yang backed away. “Am I the only one who didn’t know my own daughter was fixing to leave?”

“‘I’m going out there to fix my world, because I have a duty to protect Remnant, no matter how I might feel about it’,” Yang quoted, lifting her chin and eyeing her father right back, a bitter, twisted voice in the back of her mind, egging her on, even though she knew what she was about to say would hurt her father. “That’s what she said to me. I didn’t know. I suspected, sure, but who’s going to listen to me? I’m just the crazy girl, or so the world thinks, after I almost killed Mercury.”

Taiyang looked like she had slapped him in the face, but he fell quiet, his mouth working.

“None of us think you’re crazy,” Qrow informed her drily,  “but if you keep up the dark comments, we just might.”

Yang flipped him a gesture that heavily relied on her middle finger, and Taiyang scowled, before whirling around and jabbing an accusatory finger into Qrow’s chest. “Why don’t you use your semblance to go after her, or— or stop her, or something? Anything!”

Qrow barked a laugh, roughly knocking Tai’s hand away. “Why don’t you trust your own daughter?” His voice lowered, and he shoved his face forward, a vein standing out in his neck. “Is it because of Summer? Is that it? Are you so controlled by your fears that you can’t even realize that your own daughter is not Summer Rose?”

“Watch your mouth,” Taiyang snarled back, his eyes smoldering with fury.

“Watch what? The truth? Or are you so scared of it that you can’t admit it to yourself?”

“God forbid I try to protect her!” Taiyang exploded, his voice bouncing off the walls. “God forbid I try to protect her from meeting the same end as her mother!”

“Dammit. Taiyang,” Qrow whispered. “I miss her too, more than you’ll ever know… but Ruby isn’t Summer, do you hear me? She’s not.”

Yang left them to argue and trudged back into her room, slamming the door behind her. She fell into her bed, taking a deep breath, before it hit her, and she sucked in a sharp breath.

Ruby’s gone, she thought blankly. She’s really, really gone… gone for as long as she can stay away… Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha, Penny, Ozpin, my mother, the school, my sister… it’s all gone. Everything is gone.

And there in the emptiness of the desolate room, snow beginning to fall outside and obscure the footprints of her sister’s flight from home, Yang succumbed to her tears.

/ / /

“Can I come in?”

She didn’t reply as her father’s quiet voice rang into the silence, and he took it as a yes, moving into the room with a hesitancy borne from the days of her cold silence, her dead stare out the window. “Yang, sweetie,” he said softly. “I know you’re hurting. It’ll probably hurt for a long time. But I understand, honey, you know that I do.”

She looked down at her hand dully, and he sat on the edge of the bed, letting out a long sigh. “Qrow’s gone,” he said finally. “He shifted and left a few hours ago to follow after your sister. She’ll be alright, you know. She’s strong, stronger than either of us really realized… she’s got the heart of a lion, your sister. She won’t let her grief stop her.”  

Yang opened her mouth to speak and was greeted by a stale, brittle puff of air. In a brief, flitting moment of terror, she wondered if she’d been silent so long that she had forgotten how to speak, but in a moment, she realized her fears were unfounded. “Is that an insult to me? Because I’m letting my grief stop me? You of all people should know that everyone leaves me eventually,” she said hoarsely, looking bitterly outside the window. “Raven. Mom. Qrow. You. Ruby. Weiss.”

“And Blake,” Taiyang said gently, and she caught his glance of worry as her hands tightened on the sheets, knuckles whitening. “You must spill your emotion, Yang, or it will drown you. Not acknowledging it won’t change the fact that it happened, believe me.”

“What do you want, Dad?” She snapped, feeling thoroughly put-out by his dodging the issue. “I told you that I don’t—”

“A letter came in the mail today. There’s no sender address, but…” He shrugged weakly. “I think we both know who it’s from. And you deserve to know.”

Her head shot up so fast that her neck popped, and she took a deep inhale of breath, the world suddenly spinning around her, as if tipped on its axis, sending her sprawling. “Can I— do you have it?”

Wordlessly, he held out a folded piece of paper. The front of it was scrawled in loopy, spidery handwriting that was hard to read, but Yang would know that sleight of hand anywhere. She’d spent its countless hours with its owner, watching those words move across the page as their writer frowned down at them, and she’d seen them in class, on little notes of sweet nothings left lying around for Yang to find, of essays and books and—

Yang took a deep breath to steady herself, and reached out with her shaking hand, gripping the paper. The edges were timeworn and ragged, but all she could see was Blake, Blake’s face, as if it was tattooed on the backs of her eyelids. Her slightly lopsided smile, genuine like Yang had seen it in the Emerald Forest. Her burning amber eyes that glowed in the night, the way they were dark like syrup in shadows, and glowed like fire in sunlight, flecked with gold and rich brown. The barest hint of freckles dusting the bridge of her nose. The way the edges of her eyes crinkled when she grinned. The seriousness of her expression. Her raven-black hair with just the slightest touch of brown scattered through the strands. The white scar on the edge of her jaw from when she was very little. Her expressive ears, always pricking or flattening with the rise and falls of her mood. Blake’s terrified face, bloodied lips shaping her name, before everything went black as Adam struck. The face Yang loved more than any other in the whole world, the face she would know even if she was blind, and the face she would never see again. Thoughts clamored in her mind, threatening to pull her down and drown her, and a flurry of shadows raced through her mind.

Clutching the letter so tightly she was afraid it might tear, Yang looked up at her father. “Dad, go,” she whispered. “Please.”

“You need to be alone, I got it.” He gave her a wavering smile, brushing back a lock of her hair and tucking it behind her ear. “I’m always here for you, sweetie. If you need to talk, just call me, okay?”

With that, he padded out of the room, and Yang, her hand shaking, fumbled with the letter, a mixture of pure anxiety and anger at her arm— only having one was still so, so hard— racing through her, and with a quiet flutter of paper, the letter opened to a cramped page full of words. Blake’s voice, small and matter-of-fact, began to talk in her ear, and still, Yang could only see her face, and now she knew why they called it heartbreak, now she knew why people wrote songs and cried and tore themselves apart with the agony of love lost. Pain burned in her chest, something uniquely horrible, and nothing could douse the blazing agony in her heart at the thought of Blake, her voice, her face, her eyes— her.

“Yang,” the letter began. “My love, my light, the dearest to my heart.

I don’t know where this will find you, or when. I would not blame you, if I were you, if you ripped this letter to pieces without reading it, for what I’ve done is unforgivable. I know that. I was given a letter from a dead man once, and now it seems cruel to do the same to you, for the Blake you knew, and the Blake I was— she is dead, surely, back in the ruins of Beacon. Except my father was driven to do what he did by a quiet courage. My motives aren’t nearly as noble as that. Fear is not noble. Fear is for cowards, and a coward is all I am.

The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said, never explained, and I’d never wish more pain upon you than I’ve already caused… so I hope this is an adequate explanation. It pains me more than anything to have left you, to not be by your side. And it made me want to die when you almost did perish for me. For we all have lost everything for one another. That is a sacrifice I could never ask you to make for me, and it is a debt I will never be able to repay. Parting from you makes every other pain I’ve ever suffered seem like a drop of rain within an ocean. Leaving you in the shadow of ruin that I brought upon you makes me want to give up, to lay down my weapons and surrender to what darkness has been haunting me ever since I saw your light die. But it is not just about you or me, and we were fools to think it was, ever since we first Bonded. We are all extinguished, for now. And I am afraid, most of all. I’m scared, Yang. I thought I knew fear before… but I didn’t, not really. What I feel now: this is fear. This is what makes your blood turn to ice. It makes everything uncertain, like you’re hovering before an endless abyss. So I chose to turn and walk away, preserving myself— and in some other ways— you, as well.

I don’t know where I’m getting the energy to keep going on, much less to write to you, but perhaps it is knowing how ashamed you would be if I didn’t that drives me on. I want to be with you, Yang, but how selfish of me would it be to remain by your side when my very presence would only bring you to destruction? How selfish would it be to love you when to love you is to kill you with my past?

So we lived in a dream for a while, in happiness and— I know this more than anything— in love. But the poison was still there, waiting to split us up. There have been enemies at so many turns, waiting to rip us apart, to tear us away from each other: Ayran, Adam, the ghosts of the past, Roman and Cinder and all those with darkness in their hearts. But we managed to pull through, until now. How cruel is it, that it was I who succeeded in dividing us, and how ironic is it that— out of the one Bond I have lost and all the people I’ve let go, that this is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done? I’m sorry. I am so sorry. As in regards to all else, you must believe me when I say that. I will never stop regretting that I had to go. Never.

Maybe it was too much. Our Bond was strong. I can’t help but be focused on you when we’re together. If you’re in the room, I want to be next to you. If you’re gone, I think about you. You’re who I want to talk to. In a fight, I want you at my back. When we’re together, the sun is shining. When we’re apart, everything is in shades of gray. I hope you’ll forgive me someday for turning our worlds into shades of gray —at least for a while.

Yang, you promised me something once, on a day that seems like an eternity ago. On the cliffs of Forever Fall, when you first extended that olive branch and we became friends, you promised you would never leave me. And now I’ve taken that choice away from you. So— hate me. It would make it easier for you to move on, and I would never wish to cause you more heartbreak then you have already endured. And I would hardly blame you if you did hate me already. I won’t be so arrogant as to ask for your forgiveness. But should our paths ever cross again, know that I loved you, and still love you, more than I ever have loved anything in the duration of my life. You were not the first dream of my heart, Yang. But you were the most important, and you are the one I will never forget. You were the only dream I was unable to stop myself from dreaming of. There is a part of me that wants you and will always, always want you, no matter what.

Three words don’t really mean much, but they are all I have. I love you. I’ve said it before. But it’s not enough and it never will be enough. I love you more than I have ever loved anything. I love you like I love the sun and the stars and every beautiful thing in life. I love you catastrophically, and I cannot untie you from my heart, blood, mind, flesh, or soul. And isn’t there some law in life that says love must be given freely, and that it must not be selfish? And isn’t it selfish to want to stay by your side, whatever cost it might take, whatever you might owe to heaven or to hell if I were to do so?

I believe that once, we were a fairy tale, you and I. And I was the idiot who was foolish enough to believe I could escape my past so easily, with barely a whimper. There’s always consequences— always repercussions— mine are just a little later in coming, that’s all. You gave so much of yourself to me— too much, I know that, so much more than I deserved. Because this is a fairy tale no longer, and happy endings are nothing more than a myth. I was told that, once. I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. But I believe it now— after I saw you lying on the ground, unconscious, wounded because of my own folly— I have no choice but to impose exile upon myself because if I can give my life to one last cause, it is to protect you. You are not safe with me. Everyone I love will die. I destroy everything I touch. That’s my legacy, Yang. That is who I am, no matter how I might try to deny it. I have nothing to show for the life I have lived, nothing except failure and pain. And I have nobody in my life who’s better off for having known me.

We are all ashes right now— ashes and fires that have been doused to nothingness. The CCT has fallen. Penny was destroyed. Pyrrha has died, too young. All these people who were my friends have suffered. Weiss has returned to a nightmare of her own. Your sister, who I began to love as my own flesh and blood, has grown up, but I think you know that already. I saw her silver light explode from the tower that night, Yang, and she is on a path none of us can venture down. We are all separated… and I do not think it is possible to be united again. Not without all hurting each other, and I have hurt you more than I ever wanted to. More than I ever could forgive myself for.  

So what do I ask of you? I’m not sure I’m allowed to ask anything of you… but please, for me… live. Live on, and survive. That is all I want out of this life, out of this life and all the lives I may ever have. There is happiness before a tragedy… there must be happiness after tragedy, too. Goodbye, Yang. I am so lucky to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye too… and I realize it now. I had everything with you, and I will never, ever stop being thankful for it.

Always yours,

— Blake

Yang wasn’t aware of the letter falling from her hand, of the cry that worked its way up from some visceral place inside of her, her hand scoring red lines against itself as if she could tear out the grief inside of her. All she could feel was the way everything inside of her felt like it had been shattered, the way she now truly knew the meaning of heartbreak, because what she felt before was nothing compared to this, nothing at all, for she could not be angry at Blake. At Blake, the love of her life.

She was gone. And now, Yang knew for sure, because even that slightest flickering flame of hope had been extinguished, she was never coming back.

The reason it hurts so much is because our souls are connected.

Blake loved her, still did love her, with a quiet sort of fierceness, and that fierceness and the pain of silence had nearly killed her. She loved me, Yang thought, really, truly understanding the depth of it for the first time, and the last. Enough to leave me, enough to put my safety above however she felt, above all the pain it brought her to even think of letting go…

And then: Blake loved me more than she loved her own life.

And it was true, wasn’t it? Blake had been completely destroyed by Adam, all the parts of her that Yang loved had been scattered. Even if she met her again, which was more unlikely than her magically regrowing an arm, Blake would never be the same. She had given her life up, her whole life and who she had once loved, to save Yang, when she could have just given up, let her die, and kept every part of herself intact. Blake had loved her enough to leave behind her home, her friends, her dream of becoming a Huntress, to keep her safe…

Yang pushed herself up, half-hiccuping on a sob, and tried to fold the letter again. She struggled, anger bubbling under her skin as her useless stump of an arm wiggled slightly, before she flung down the letter with a frustrated scream that dissolved into hot, furious tears. She cried, hot, angry tears that gradually subsided into misery and quiet keening, a keen of grief that felt like it wrenched straight out of her bones, pain wracking every cell in her body.

Hours passed, and the sun fell outside; the log cabin in Patch grew dark as the fires died and night settled in. The house that had once held a laughing mother, a doting father, and two innocent children was now empty, devoid of everything except a broken man and his broken daughter. Miles away, over the violent ocean, a crow was struggling against the buffeting gales of bitter winter wind, and in the house, the broken man slept, troubled by dreams of his daughter. But one girl lay awake long into the night as the shattered moon kept sentinel over an even more shattered kingdom, her eyes searching the darkness for someone who was not going to come back.

There were only two three-word phrases tattooed on the backs of her eyelids, one after the other.

I love you.

                                                                         Everything must go.

[theaksarben]

Left Behind, Chapter One

I don’t normally write fanfiction, but here’s an attempt at what I hope will be a much larger story. It was brought on mainly by rewatching Operation Z.E.R.O. and looking at AU fanart for C:KND. So in the end, I decided to throw my collander-helmet into the ring. It’s an AU fic that takes place fairly early in the main series timeline,  but takes several creative liberties. Without giving away too much, the Delightful Children From Down The Lane as you know them are absent from this universe.

Fanfiction.net link:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12399557/1/Left-Behind

Characters: Monty Uno, Numbuh One (A.K.A. Nigel Uno), Numbuh 5 (A.K.A. Abigail Lincoln), Benedict Uno 

Set: Pre-Series timeline /AU. 

Summary: When the members of Sector V all go missing under mysterious circumstances, it is the families that take it the hardest. Monty Uno finds himself reflecting on the events that led to this tragedy.

“What happened, Nigel-Old-Bean? I was only trying to be your friend…” Monty Uno looked down at the floor as he sat down in what was once his son’s bedroom. He would often do so in his spare time when he wasn’t occupied with his job as a band director at one of the local schools. He read the “Do’s and Don'ts” section of the newspaper religiously, he’d take Nigel out fishing with him, he’d done everything is his power to try and be a better father to Nigel than Pappy was with him. Monty wondered if it had something to do with the incident that happened with Nigel not long ago. He thought back to that very day.

It was an ordinary afternoon. Monty was in the music room directing his students when he received a phone call from the hospital. Dr. Lincoln told him that Nigel was there, and that was all he needed to hear. In a hurry, he quickly dismissed his students and drove straight for the hospital. He found his wife Katherine trying to comfort Dr. Lincoln’s youngest daughter. They were sitting outside the emergency room where Nigel was being operated on. The little girl was bandaged and was shaking terribly. She saw one glance of him and pulled her hat down to cover her eyes.

“I…I…I’m s-s-sorry, Mistah Uno” she sobbed “I tried to help Nigel, b-b-but…” she trailed off and shook again. “Its all my fault” she sniffed and tossed her red hat aside.

“No, no, sweetie, Nigel just had an accident. It wasn’t your fault.” Katherine was trying her hardest to soothe the distressed child and looked up at Monty.

Monty’s heart ached for the little girl; whatever it was that happened to Nigel, he wasn’t going to blame her for it. He kneeled down so he could talk to her at eye level.

“It’s alright,” said Monty “I’m sure you did all you could. You did the right thing bringing Nigel here. I just need to know what happened.” Abby nodded and started to speak.

“Well, I found Nigel, and he was hurt real bad, and…and…” She paused as her mouth suddenly became agape. To Monty it looked like she knew what she wanted to say but something was keeping the words from coming out. Monty was beginning to worry that Abby might need to be hospitalized herself.

“Are you alright dear? Do you need anything?” Abby didn’t speak a word, she just pointed her finger in his direction, shaking. “It’s alright, I’m not upset with you,” he said softly. Abby shook her head furiously and pointed her finger again. Monty was getting nowhere, but he didn’t want to say anything that might upset Abby further. Quickly he changed tactics and put on a smile, and pretended to furrow his eyebrows as if in concentration. “Oh, I know, this is one of those guessing games isn’t it? Oh, don’t tell me…is it something behind me?” he asked. Abby relaxed just a little bit and nodded. She still had a look of terror on her face, but she wasn’t shaking. A ghost of a smile crept across Monty’s face “Now there’s a step in the right direction.” he thought. Now just what or, perhaps who was behind him that was making Abby so uneasy?

He turned around and saw his brother Benedict in his usual dress shirt and suspenders looking at Abby with an annoyed look on his face. Though for a moment, Monty thought he might need his eyes checked. Ben’s eyes seemed to glow like two burning coals behind his spectacles. When Monty blinked, they were their natural blue again. Monty wasn’t sure what it was about his brother that made children so afraid of him. He remembered something similar used to happen with Pappy when he was a boy and figured his brother also had that effect on children. It wasn’t a particularly good explanation, but it was one. There was an awkward silence that felt as if it could be cut with a knife.

“It’s not polite to point, dear.” said Monty as he rose back up to his feet. He turned his attention to the other man. “Hello, Ben. What brings you here?”

Benedict’s annoyed look quickly changed into one of concern.

“Monty, I heard about what happened to Nigel; is he alright?” Monty couldn’t place his finger on it but something wasn’t quite right. Maybe it was that Ben sounded a little too…rehearsed, or maybe it was the fact that Abby was still hiding behind Katherine, but his thoughts were interrupted when Dr. Lincoln came out of the doors.

“Dr. Lincoln do you know if Nigel will be alright?” asked Monty pointedly.

Dr. Richard Lincoln sighed. “Well Monty, it’s a good thing Nigel came here when he did. He’ll probably end up losing his hair, but from what I can tell it could’ve been a lot worse with the bleeding and the scarring and the…awww, you know what Ima’ talking about.” Again, a ghost of a smile crossed Monty’s face. Richard was a good man who always seemed to lift people’s spirits with his upbeat personality. Richard placed a reassuring hand on Monty’s shoulder “He’s gonna be alright.” He turned his attention to Abby, then to her red hat lying on the floor. He picked it up off the floor and placed it back on his daughter’s head. “Nigel will be okay, Abby. Promise you’ll put on a brave face for your Daddy, okay?” His daughter smiled and threw herself into her father’s embrace.

“Katherine, would you mind taking Abby back to your house? I’ll call Cree to walk her home.” Katherine nodded and Monty watched as she led Abby towards the elevator. Abby’s gaze not leaving Benedict who looked back out of the corner of his eye. Monty still couldn’t understand what that was all about.

“Richard, did Abby have anything to say about what happened to Nigel? Abby tried to…” He paused and sniffed the air. “Do you smell smoke?” He turned his attention Benedict who was lighting his pipe, as if he suddenly became disinterested in what was going on. Now it was Richard’s turn to be annoyed.

“You! No pipes near the emergency room! With the second hand smoke, and the threats to sick patients, and the risk of igniting flammable materials, and the awww, you know what Ima’ talkin’ about!” said Richard, who was making several exasperated hand gestures. Part of Monty was trying not to laugh, while the other part was questioning Ben’s sudden shift in attitude again.

Ben quickly snuffed the flame and feigned surprise “Oh goodness, I do apologize Doctor. With all the excitement I needed something to steady my nerves. I’ll go outside. I hope Nigel gets well again soon.” Ben left and Richard went back into the emergency room, leaving Monty all alone…

“Monty? Monty are you awake?”

Monty opened a sleepy eye. Dr. Lincoln was standing in front of him. Monty looked down at his lap and saw a copy of the newspaper sitting in his lap. Last thing he remembered he picked it up to read in a bid to “steady his nerves”, as Benedict put it. It appeared he had done just that and dozed off through Nigel’s operation.

“Well, I am now. Is it about Nigel?” He yawned.

“As a matter of fact, he’s sleeping right now. I can take you in to see him as long as you don’t make any noises.” replied Dr. Lincoln

Monty agreed, trying to put on a brave face for when he finally saw what had become of his son. The last time he had been this nervous was when Nigel was born. While he couldn’t remember part of his childhood for some strange reason, one thing he always remembered was that Pappy was anything but a good father. Sure, as Pappy’s first born, he received more favor, but Monty didn’t recall having it much better than Ben or the other kids. Sure, Monty did the bookkeeping for his father’s business while Ben and the others were working on the factory floor making tapioca (wait, how did Pappy get away with child labor?) Then there was his birthday cake…oh the cake. So delicious, and Pappy always forced him to eat every last bite himself without allowing him to offer it to Ben or the other children… while they were tied to chairs? “I must’ve been having strange dreams while I was sleeping” thought Monty.

While Monty didn’t have many fond memories of Pappy (hazy though they were), he was nervous at the prospect of becoming a father. If Monty’s scattered memories served, that had been when he picked up his habit of reading the “dos and don'ts” section of the paper. Monty wasn’t entirely sure what made his side of the family so dysfunctional, but now he had a chance to break the cycle.

He’d never forget when the doctor directed him to his wife’s room. There, in his wife’s arms was his newborn son, Nigel. Little Nigel was in his wife’s arms, sleeping softly while wrapped in blankets. He was so serene, so innocent, his skin unbroken, a blank canvas, a story yet to be written…

And a sharp contrast to the boy lying in bed before Monty.

His head and left arm were bandaged, his right arm linked to an IV, his breathing ragged, and the only sound besides being the heart monitor’s beep. Monty pulled up a chair next to the bed and carefully held Nigel’s good hand. Just what had happened to his son that left him like this?

Then Nigel jolted up screaming and caused Monty to recoil. The boy looked around frantically screaming the word “Father” repeatedly before a violent cough cut it short. Monty reached to calm his son down. “It’s alright Nigel, I’m here…I’m here” He gently patted his son on the back as he looked up with tears welling in his eyes.

“W-Where am I?” asked Nigel, trembling.

“You’re in the hospital, Nigel. That nice Dr. Lincoln over there operated on you after Abby brought you in” said Monty gesturing to the man. Nigel calmed down a little, but there was still worry etched into his features

“Where is Abby?”

“She went home with your mother. Abby will be all right, Nigel.” Truthfully, Monty wasn’t so sure about that last part, but he didn’t want to worry his son further. Nigel was still tense.

“What about Cree? The others?”

Monty was puzzled. He knew Cree was Dr. Lincoln’s eldest daughter, but these “others” were unknown to him. Friends from school perhaps? He wasn’t quite sure what they had to do with any of this. Dr. Lincoln perked up.

“Oh, I think they were hanging out with Cree before I called her to pick Abby up. But they should be all right. You on the other hand need your rest. With the sleeping, and the snoring, and the…awww you know what Ima’ talkin’ about!” and gave a good-natured laugh. That left Nigel feeling a little better. As Monty was about to leave, the boy was ready to protest. Monty assured him that he’d be back to visit him again tomorrow with his mother.

It was a slow recovery for Nigel. Abby would frequently stop by the hospital after school to check up on the boy and Monty sometimes found them talking about something called the “Kids Next Door”. Though what that was he didn’t know…maybe it was some kind of special club?

Nigel still didn’t like being left alone, especially in the dark. For him, every shadow was large enough to conceal some sort of boogeyman out to snatch him up. Monty remembered when Katherine brought their son a nightlight. The minute she plugged it into the electrical outlet, it bathed Nigel’s nightstand in a red-orange glow. Nigel still seemed tense when he and his wife left despite the light dispelling the sinister shadows. Then one night when Katherine went to plug in the light again, Nigel insisted that he didn’t need it anymore. Monty was pleased at his son’s recovery.

Then, when Nigel finally left the hospital, his personality changed completely. Monty and Katherine were surprised to hear that Nigel wanted to go to a summer camp like Abby. His reasoning was that after talking with Abby, he realized that he couldn’t hide forever. He’d have to rise up and overcome his problems. “I’m only a kid once, Dad.” Katherine and Monty were skeptical, but agreed.

And so Nigel went to summer camp, keeping in touch with his parents every so often, telling them about how Abby had his back and how he had made friends with Chad Dickson from across the street. For a time, it seemed like Nigel was managing to make something positive come out of his accident.

What followed was a rather bizarre turn of events, and that was putting it lightly. Looking back, it was highly likely that the incident that caused Nigel’s hair loss had something to do with it.

He recalled the first warning sign came at the start of the new school year after a boy named Wallabee Beetles moved in. On the boy’s first day of school, Katherine received a phone call from Gallagher Elementary. Nigel had apparently gotten into a scuffle with a group of kids and was covered in bruises. To hear Nigel resort to violence like that was out of character to Monty. When questioned about it, his son claimed he was trying to protect Wallabee because “the Kids Next Door save kids, it’s our job.” Monty didn’t know what this “Kids Next Door” was, but he could tell Nigel had good intentions. So he was firm with Nigel that he should tell a teacher the next time it happens. He tried not to be too harsh on the boy, and called the Beetles residence to invite the family over for dinner.

The dinner was mostly uneventful; Monty tried to remain attentive to Sydney Beetles and his long-winded stories about his job working for that Fulbright fellow from down the street. After that, Nigel and Wally were playing video games and chatting up about Nigel’s kids-on-the-block-or-whatever-it-was until it was time for desert. Liza Beetles was talking to Katherine about how she couldn’t remember the last time she had seen her son play with another child.

Nigel and Wallabee were kindred spirits as far as Monty could tell. Both were kids from foreign countries who felt alone in the world. Perhaps it was fate that they both found each other, much like how it seemed when Nigel himself met Hoagie Gilligan in kindergarten.

Monty himself had also hit it off with Sydney Beatles over their mutual love of “footy”. He was sorry when the family had to leave, but offered the invitation to pop over for a visit whenever they liked. Monty decided that perhaps some good could come out of Nigel’s little club.

Then there was the time Nigel had been invited to Kuki Sanban’s birthday party. Nigel didn’t think too much of it at the time. Kuki was a bubbly little girl and had invited their whole homeroom. But as Monty would later learn from Nigel: most of the other kids wouldn’t give her the time of the day. When Monty brought Nigel with him to the party, he was amazed by how extravagant the whole affair was. Monty wouldn’t admit it, but he and Ben were very much children of “old money”. Whereas Ben would flaunt his wealth in that fancy mansion he lived in down the lane, Monty chose to live a more modest lifestyle. When he talked with Genki Sanban, she spoke with a sad smile how she wanted to give her daughter nothing short of the sun and the moon. She was born into a much lower social class than Monty, and had to work her way to the top as a C.F.O. for a Fortune 500 company.

When Monty looked over to her daughter, it was clear something was amiss. Kuki’s party had everything a child could want: bouncy castles, a large birthday cake, colorful balloons, and all the presents she could ever want. Yet Kuki was sitting all by herself while the other kids were playing. It seemed like there was one thing Kuki wasn’t getting for her birthday. When he looked back, he noticed Nigel wasn’t at his side any more. Somehow the boy had slipped away from his sight and was walking towards Kuki with his brightly wrapped gift box.

Even Kuki was surprised to see Nigel go out of his way to seek her out and personally wish her a happy birthday without prompting. She was very happy when she saw her present: a bright red Rainbow Monkey (though Monty couldn’t truly tell one of these dolls from the other). Next thing Monty knew, Kuki was hugging Nigel and all but cutting off his oxygen (not that his son seemed to mind too much). It wasn’t long after that Nigel introduced her to Hoagie, Wally, and Abby. And so Kuki ended up getting the one thing she really wanted for her birthday after all.

When Nigel met Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr. in kindergarten, the two were inseparable. Monty had the boy to thank for giving Nigel a mild interest in hobby kits. Though, if the still unfinished one on his desk was anything to go by, Nigel didn’t have the knack for building that he did designing. Whenever they were building models from scratch, it was always Nigel who drew out the designs with pencils, crayons, or whatever else they could find. But it was Hoagie who always saw the designs through to completion. It wasn’t unusual to see Nigel in his bedroom with Hoagie, a mound of crumpled papers, and several schematics sprawled across the floor. Nigel and Hoagie called them “two-four-technobobs” or something of the sort.

Monty thought back to the time when they tried to sneak some of Katherine’s cookies from the kitchen before dinner. Monty had a particularly taxing practice session with the band students (that sousaphone player’s sharps were awfully flat). He was surprised when he walked in the house and saw Nigel and his friend ducking behind the kitchen wall with a remote control. Monty looked up and saw they were controlling a modified toy plane with a claw attached to the bottom. Nigel looked over at Monty and quickly shushed him before he could speak. Monty decided there was no harm in watching his son’s attempts and gave the boy an encouraging wink. After all, not even he succeeded in sneaking one of his wife’s cookies before dinner.

Monty watched as Hoagie pressed a button and lowered the claw to grab the lid of the cookie jar. He was certainly impressed when the boy operated the toy with such skill as to lift the lid off without alerting Katherine, who was busy preparing to boil some asparagus. Though Hoagie didn’t succeed at getting a hold of even one cookie before Katherine caught them with the claw in the cookie jar. Quickly, the boys withdrew the plane and made a hasty retreat up the stairs. Katherine called up to them cheekily applauding their creativity for the failed attempt. It looked to Monty like it would be back to the drawing board for Nigel and Hoagie. Parents one, kids zero.

And of course, Monty would be remiss if he didn’t mention Abby Lincoln. Abby had become something of a safety net among their group of friends, especially for Nigel ever since his accident. While Nigel was the leader of the pack as far as Monty could tell, Abby was the second in command. She still hadn’t forgiven herself for what happened to Nigel, no matter how many times everyone else insisted it wasn’t her fault. Abby was a good girl, an honor student, and sometimes left Monty wondering why she wasn’t the leader. There was the time Nigel was screaming about how they were under attack by “kid-eating leeches”. The other kids went along with Nigel, though it was unclear whether it was because they believed him or were just humoring him as his friends. Nonetheless, Abby convinced Nigel that he was just imagining things and explained that it was just snowing. Which brought Monty to his next point.

His son became far more paranoid. Looking back, there was a connection: everything seemed to happen all at once after whatever incident caused Nigel to lose his hair. Though what this incident was, Monty could never get a straight answer from his son.

Nigel still trusted Dr. Lincoln, for all of his bluster. But every other doctor was met with great suspicion. Monty remembered the attempt to file a restraining order against Nigel by that one doctor the boy was spying on. He knew his son could get carried away, but surely a restraining order on a kid was a bit excessive. But Nigel was still convinced that all other doctors were up to anti-kid activity. Every shot he was given was an attempt to infect him with all manner of toxins. Not toxins to stimulate immune responses, just regular toxins to poison him. He thought back to the recent fiasco with that Dr. Sharpe fellow. Katherine regaled Monty with one of Nigel’s fantasies about the doctor chasing him like some big-game hunter. Granted, that same doctor ended up being arrested for quackery and was ousted by an anonymous individual as a criminal named Chester Banks. Alright, Monty would let Nigel have that one.

Then Nigel ranted about how every dentist trying to implant sub-molar tracking devices. Nigel like most kids was suspicious of dentists, and Katherine blamed it on watching too many cartoons. Then that same week the local dentist, a man named Jasper Jelly, was found on the floor the dentist’s office with several of his teeth missing. The police thought it looked like they had been punched out. It turned out that Jelly was working as an unlicensed dentist by day, and by night he ran around in a strange costume calling himself “Knightbrace.” The man made himself out to be one of those American comic book superheroes like Major Glory or Vallhallen. Of course, many would describe Jelly’s actions as anything but heroic. Among the other things he did, Jelly performed forceful (and often painful) dental procedures on random children. The real dentist, Dr. Sigmund Teeth, was later rescued from a broom closet, having been bound and gagged by the self-proclaimed “Enamel Avenger.” Teeth was unable to confirm the identity of his rescuer, but gratefully extended a free checkup as token of appreciation over the local news before the anchors cut him off.

First there was that Chester character, now Jelly. It had to be a coincidence, Monty told himself at the time. Dentists were supposed to be out to help children. He couldn’t understand why so many, including Nigel, thought that they delighted in nothing more than torturing them. Not that this Jelly character would help Monty’s case, though. What was this town coming to?

And then there was the day Katherine told him about how she had received another phone call from Gallagher Elementary. Nigel’s history teacher, Mr. Frybingle (such a silly name), complained that he disrupted class to rant about how the buzzing fluorescent lights were “adult-microwave-cranial-jellifiers turning children’s brains into milkshakes.” Monty tried not to laugh at this one in front of his wife. Nigel had a vivid imagination…Monty thought that might make a good science fiction story. “You need to do something about this, Monty. No son of mine is going to disrupt class with some rigmarole!” She rolled the “r” sounds and waved her hands for emphasis. While Katherine was clearly bemused, he on the other hand, was very amused. Nonetheless, he decided to humor his wife. Monty suggested that Nigel might improve his behavior if he got to know his family a little better. Katherine agreed.

So Monty took Nigel with him to visit Pappy at the Surewood Retirement Home on Saturday. He remembered when he first introduced Pappy to his new grandson. Nigel cried like any other infant, but Monty didn’t think too much of it then. Katherine calmed the child and everything was fine. Now when Nigel saw the man, he looked almost…unnerved by Pappy. He wasn’t overly afraid, but he cringed slightly whenever Pappy tried to pat him on the shoulder. Nigel looked at the man like he was a terrible demon ready to steal his soul (Not that Pappy could tell.) Monty never really liked visiting the man much anyway. He almost wondered why he still bothered doing that. Monty shook his head and watched Nigel run off to meet his schoolmate Hoagie Gilligan, who was visiting his grandmother.

When visiting hours were over, it was raining so hard that Monty could barely see the road in front of him. Monty called his wife to tell her that they were going to stop for cheeseburgers on the way home until the storm blew over. Nigel was quiet, and didn’t seem to respond to Monty’s attempts at conversation. He put on the car radio and tried playing a game of “twenty questions”, but to no avail.

They walked into the restaurant, got their table and went through the motions. Nigel ate his bacon cheeseburger quietly, and didn’t respond much beyond simple yes or no questions. Monty decided to order the signature ice cream bombs for dessert. Blurpleberry for himself and for Nigel, his favorite flavor of pistachio. Nigel picked at his dessert, which worried Monty. Normally the dessert was his favorite part of the meal. “Now Nigel-Old-Bean, I’ll confess that I don’t much like visiting Pappy anymore than you do, but it wasn’t all bad was it?” he asked. Nigel mumbled something under his breath that Monty couldn’t understand. “I’m sorry, son, could you please repeat that?”

“You don’t believe me, do you?”

“Eh, what?” asked Monty “What is it that I don’t I believe you about”

“About the dentists, the shots, the fluorescent lights, adult tyranny, everything!” Nigel stopped short when he realized the waiter was looking at him surprised before setting the bill on the table and leaving. Mortified, Nigel slunk back in his chair.

“Surely all adults can’t be ‘tyrannical'…there’s me for example!”

“But you’re my dad, of course you’re not!”

Part of Monty was pleased that in spite of whatever happened to Nigel, he still trusted his father…at least that’s how he interpreted it. Though he would never admit it to Nigel, he had noticed a spike in crimes targeted at children in the paper during the last few months. There was nothing in the “Do’s and Don’t’s” section of the paper to prepare him on how to broach the subject to his son. So Monty decided that he would try being frank with Nigel.

“Look Nigel, I know you have a lot of fun with your 'kids-on-the-block’ buddies, but…”

“Kids Next Door” corrected Nigel.

“Right, right. And I know things are…shall we say…topsy-turvy?” Nigel’s expression darkened. Monty had to react quickly and hoped whatever he said next wouldn’t upset his soon too much. “But understand, Nigel-Old-Bean, there is an adult right in front of you who wants to help you very much. But you have to tell me first, instead of flying of the handle and…oh dear” Only now had Monty just realized what he had done when he saw Nigel looking down at the ground.

“I’ll go wait in the car” said Nigel.

Without another word, Monty unlocked the car outside and his son walked out into the pouring rain. He made a mental note to write a letter to the editor for The Daily Neighbor.

Nigel was becoming more and more distant now, even from his own family. Sure there, was their annual family vacation to Hap-Happyland, and even in his current state Nigel couldn’t resist riding the rollercoasters. But then there were times when he’d go out and seemed like he’d rather be somewhere else. Nigel was now going out of his way to avoid going fishing, something they both used to enjoy so much together. And sometimes when he did go, one of his “kids on the block” buddies would interrupt their quality time and Nigel would just leave.

At first, Monty figured it was all a great game of pretend like how children would pretend to be Yipper or a Pretty Princess Rainbow Monkey on the playground. He offered to join the game once, suggesting that he could be “Numbuh Zero” to Nigel’s “Numbuh One”(why did that seem so significant?) In any case, this was met with a response about how there are no adults in the kids-on-the-block and Monty relented. It was all fun at first, but Nigel continued to become more and more distant.

Then, when his schoolwork started to take a turn for the worst, Katherine decided it was time to intervene. So she looked into finding a child psychologist for Nigel, figuring it might help them work out what was wrong with their son.

And finally, came That Day.

That Day, Katherine took Nigel to the psychologist, and despite initial protests had relented at the promise of pistachio ice cream. After Nigel was directed to the doctor’s office, that was when things went wrong.

Katherine had been in the waiting room when she heard a loud crash and Nigel’s scream. She told the police she ran into the office and found it was set alight. The last thing she claimed to see before being knocked out by the smoke was Nigel in the clutches of a strange man. When she was asked what the man looked like, she said his face was shadowed despite the whole room being illuminated by the fire. By the time the fire department got there, the fire was already put out and everyone inside evacuated safely. Monty hurried over as soon as he heard the news and felt his heart shatter when he saw Katherine clutching Nigel’s favorite sunglasses, now cracked and scorched. Any leads the police could’ve used were lost in the fire, and there was a very distinct possibility that if Nigel wasn’t already dead… Monty didn’t want to even think about that.

One of the witnesses went on the local news and provided a testimony that supported Katherine’s version of the events. He also claimed to have seen a group of little people wearing samurai armor and combat fatigues facing the “shadowed man”. Almost no outlets, not even the local newspaper covered the events in depth. A few of the seedier publications had ran with this version of the story and added that these “little samurai people” were using household appliances modified into weaponry to fight Nigel’s captor before being knocked out themselves. Of course, these were the same tabloids that claimed there were multiple sightings of the Grim Reaper in a town called Endsville. Then again, even a broken clock was right twice a day. That same witness was later hospitalized after his house exploded due to a gas leak in the night. All sorts of rumors had begun cropping up about how this “shadowed man” might be behind it or that it was some pyromaniac who escaped from the happy hotel wanting vengeance on the town.

The next day, Senator Samuel Safely called Monty and Katherine to an emergency assembly at the school gymnasium. Safely, who would normally fret over every potential threat to kids, became dead serious now that an actual threat had surfaced. Safely urged all children to keep their eyes open for any suspicious characters and never talk to strangers before opening the floor to the Unos. Katherine nodded and took the microphone.

“Please children, if you see any sign of Nigel, please tell us. We just want to see our son come home safe and sound.” Monty remained silent and nodded in agreement. He spotted Abby and the rest of Nigel’s friends among the crowd. Wally and Kuki were holding hands and trying to comfort one another. Hoagie was still like a statue, and any emotion in his eyes hidden by his aviator goggles. Abby’s head was held low at first, but then surprised Monty by looking directly at him from the bleachers. He couldn’t tell from where he was standing, but it looked like Abby was mouthing something to him.

“I’ll find him”

Abby and the others wouldn’t be coming home from school that day.

And so the police now had four more missing child cases to solve on top of Nigel. At first, the police told the parents to keep close to the phone. Since there was a kidnapper, there was a possibility that it could’ve been a ransom case. Within a few days and no calls, the police began looking for the body, rather than the child. After a few more weeks of investigating, the police declared Nigel a cold case, and told Monty and Katherine to assume the worst.

To make matters worse, Benedict’s mansion had burned down the night after Abby and the others went missing. No trace of the man’s body was found in the ruins, but Monty’s hopes weren’t high. While he had never been particularly close to his younger brother, he couldn’t handle losing him, too. More rumors of the “shadowed man” and his involvement surfaced, but Monty didn’t pay much attention to them.

The car ride home from the police station went on for what felt like an eternity. Katherine remained silent with her head held low while Monty kept his eyes on the road. Neither of them spoke a word as they entered their silent home.

He looked over at a pile of newspapers on his doorstep. Not one issue of the paper held any information about what to do when your child was abducted…

Then Monty looked up. The large tree fort above their house cast a shadow over the married couple, as if it were trying to protect them. And if they knew what would await them all in the coming days, they were going to need it.

On his way upstairs, Monty peered into in Nigel’s room, looking around at his possessions. A blue Rainbow Monkey from when he was little, a model kit on his desk that would remain unfinished, his telescope and a large number of other items. What caught Monty’s eye was an old family photo. It had been taken on their first vacation to Hap-Happy Land as a family. Back when Nigel still had his hair and was sitting on Monty’s shoulder’s looking like he was having the time of his life…what happened? There was a distinct possibility that it would be now and forever unknown.

“What happened, Nigel-Old-Bean? I was only trying to be your friend…” Monty Uno looked down at the floor as he sat down in what was once his son’s bedroom. He would often do so in his spare time when he wasn’t occupied with his job as a band director at one of the local schools. He read the “Do’s and Don'ts” section of the newspaper religiously, he’d take Nigel out fishing with him, he’d done everything is his power to try and be a better father to Nigel than Pappy was with him…

But it wasn’t enough.

[weopenviews]

Most democratic governments would fall immediately if they were found to have shot down a civilian airliner and then tried to cover it up. Iran, however, is not a democracy, and despite Saturday's humiliating admission that it did, in fact, shoot down Ukraine Airlines flight PS752, there is little chance of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or his acolytes stepping down. Instead, the strategy appears to be blame low-level officials for the tragedy. According to President Hassan Rouhani, all those responsible for the "terrible catastrophe" will be identified and prosecuted, be it the military commanders who fired the fatal shot on Wednesday or the hapless media spokesmen who peddled denials for three days afterwards. Everyone, in other words, except Mr Khamenei - who, by virtue of his very title of Supreme Leader, is where the buck should surely stop. Still, having to perform such a rare act of public contrition may well inhibit Iran from further retaliation over America's assassination of General Qasem Solaimani. What is more, this dreadful and hugely embarrassing episode may also ruin what remains of the regime's credibility with its own people.   Where Flight PS752 disappeared from the radar in Iran Iranians have long been used to their rulers peddling lies and state propaganda. But for them to be caught out telling such a whopper in public fashion is almost unprecedented. After all, if they can fib to the world about manslaughtering 167 innocent people, what else have they been covering up? As Siamak Ghaesmi, a Tehran-based economist, put it to the country's leaders in an Instagram post: “I don’t know what to do with my rage and grief. I’m thinking of all the ‘human errors’ in these years that were never revealed because there was no international pressure." Already, the regime has tried to create a degree of wriggle room for Mr Khamenei by claming that while Iran's armed forces had known that a missile had hit the plane "minutes after the incident", he had not been informed until Friday night. Flight recorder recovered from Ukranian airliner Credit: Wana/Reuters That though, simply underlines the government's own dysfunctionality. Why was the Supreme Leader kept in the dark about such a key piece of information? And are Iran's missile defence forces really so inept that they can't distinguish between a marauding US B52 bomber and a civilian plane leaving their own airport? The question now is whether the fiasco may also re-galvanise Iran's opposition movements into taking to the streets again. Last November, the government raised fuel prices massively to offset the drain on its coffers caused by Donald Trump's sanctions on oil sales. It sparked huge anti-government protests, which the security forces eventually snuffed out by shooting dead up to 1500 people, a massacre not much short of Tiananmen. Yet no amount of brutality can stop ordinary Iranians' weariness at being impoverished by international sanctions and hugely costly military adventures abroad. In the past decade, Iran's Revolutionary Guard have expanded their network of proxies all over the Middle East, waging majors in Syria and Yemen and continuing to meddle in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq. As The Telegraph reports today, Tehran's agents have even been trying to set up terror cells in the Central African Republic - 3,000 miles from Persia, and a world away from the concerns of ordinary Iranians. What forced Flight PS752 to crash in Iran Can the regime really continue to afford do that, when its own people are struggling to afford food for the table? After all, it is now also facing the prospect of a massive compensation pay-out from both Ukraine and Canada over the deaths of those killed on Flight PS752. Whether Iranians will now return to the streets to protest, only coming days will tell. Either way, though, the regime may have finally twigged that it is time to focus less on killing "enemies" abroad, and more on the welfare of its own people.

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