#western yellow bonnets

[seabeck]

Wow there’s some awesome mushrooms here.

Scaly chanterelle, purple spindles, purple edged bonnet with a globular springtail, man on horseback/yellow knight, hedgehog mushroom, western matsutake

[mycoblogg]

FOTD #106 : yellowleg bonnet! (mycena epipterygia)

the yellowleg bonnet is a saprotrophic fungus in the family mycenaceae. it has been recorded in western europe, & the pacific northwest in north america :-) it grows in a variety of habitats, & often fruits between patches of moss & grass. interestingly, this fungus's mycelium is bioluminescent !!

the big question : can i bite it?? yes !! this mushroom is technically edible, despite having little culinary value.

m. epipterygia description :

"the cap is striate, bell-shaped at first, but becoming convex, or occasionally nearly flat with the margin turning up slightly. the cap has a sticky surface from which the cuticle can be peeled, & measures 1 to 2 cm (3⁄8 to 3⁄4 in) wide, with a colour varying from yellowish brown to grey-brown. the margin is somewhat irregular, & the flesh white & fragile. the stipe is long & slender, about 4–9 cm (1+5⁄8–3+1⁄2 in) tall and 1–2 mm wide; it does not taper, & is yellowish to yellow-green, the colour serving to distinguish the fungus from other species. the gills are white to cream, sometimes tinged with pink when older; they are fairly widely spaced, adnate, or slightly decurrent."

[images : source & source] [fungus description : source]

[merryfortune]

(dis)Respect the Routine

Day 3: Routine | Unexpected

Title: (dis)Respect the Routine

Ship: Swiftshipping | Rin/Ruri 

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,223

Tags: Alternate Universe - Dance, Rivalry, Getting Together, Developing Relationship, Classist Themes

   Ruri could almost understand where city planning was coming from when they placed a fine arts school across the road from an alternative arts school and adjacent to a skate park. It made sense. Just down the road from all these locales was a traditional fine arts school and related facilities and then the rest of the cultural precinct could be dedicated to western talents or anything else similarly eclectic.

   However, in the practice, the very one that Ruri lived, she would like to send city planning a VERY strongly worded letter on why this was a terrible idea. 

   The ballerinas, like herself, did not get along with the skate park rat pack as well as the other strange lot they attracted. Like the interpretative dancers or the punks or the hip-hop kids. Both sides of the street - more like cliques - were very tight knit and very obnoxious over it.

   Ruri and her company wanted to prove they were grace and fidelity incarnate. The kids from across the street wanted to knock them off their high perch using their loud and dirty, expletive soaked music. It was a constant back and forth with a prickly rapport. 

   However, there was this one miscreant, in particular, whom Ruri was all up in arms with a bee in her bonnet over, however: Rin.

   Rin was from the wrong side of town and embraced it. She had a wild side and was unafraid of getting up into people’s grille. She always had a friend or two by her side because there was strength in numbers but make no mistake: she was large and in charge. 

   She had fluffy green hair and sharp yellow eyes and really nice cheekbones, too. That didn’t matter, however, its just that whenever Ruri thought about Rin, in a bad mood or not, those things about her appearance, baggy overalls and tight leather pants, occurred to Ruri as well but whatever.

   Not only did she have a bad personality - she was a loudmouth and enjoyed scolding people - but she was an excellent dancer.

   Inside her own discipline, anyway. Ruri would love to see her slut drop to Beethoven. It simply was not possible. She could do all these headspins and get down on every level, use her hands or her feet. Rin was a good hip-hop dancer but she was all self-taught and it boiled Ruri’s blood.

   Every now and again, they would encounter each other and usually went like this:

   “Hey Swan Princess.” (Or some other similarly condescending cat call)

   “Shut up, Rin. as if you know your Odette’s from your Odile’s.” (Or some other clever rebuke which stood Ruri’s ground).

   “Blegh!” 

   But it would end with Rin poking her tongue out at Ruri. Seriously! The girl had no manners. Didn’t matter what Ruri said, if she ignored her or if she rebuked her, it would always end with Rin pulling down her lower eyelid (gross!) and then sticking out her tongue. It was so childish and it always got on Ruri’s nerves every single time. It was Rin’s ultimate trick to tick Ruri off.

   That was the dull and trite routine that they went through every single day. 

   Ugh. Why couldn’t the artsy-fartsy kids be scattered through the city rather than be concentrated on this one particular block. Ruri genuinely dreamed of when she could go to university or go on a world tour as part of the national ballet, dancing in opera houses and other theatres of renown and importance. All the capital cities! Tokyo, New York, London, Sydney,  and more! 

   That would be amazing. That was very much her dream. She was all tulle and tutus and she wouldn’t have some rat pack kid make fun of her for it.

   However, until that glorious time in which fourteen-year old ballerina Kurosaki Ruri became an adult and a primadonna, she had to put up with all the weirdos from around her hometown. Hence why Ruri didn’t particularly think much of it when she and Rin got into yet another altercation. That was just another day for her but there was a different outcome to all their other petty squabbles than usual.

   It started the same way.

   “Hey leotard-in-a-knot.” Rin called out to Ruri as she tried to walk past her.

   The sun was setting, there was a crisp, summer breeze in the air and it felt like sunset could last for hours, as they usually did in the early-summer, late-spring. Rin was perched up on one of the skate ramps: not the tallest but not the smallest either. She leered out from over it, like a king on a castle looking down on the peasantry.

   Not that Ruri would consider herself a common in such a metaphor but whatever. Her attention was piqued and already, her brow was furrowed.

   “Oh buzz off!” Ruri spat. “Go and buy some clothes that actually fit you.”

   “Girlie, you know I only thrift.” Rin winked at her.

   Great. Now they were locked in a duel, a battle of wits. Ruri huffed. She stamped her foot.

   “I really need to go.” Ruri said.

   “You got a spare minute?” Rin asked.

   “Literally, what did I just say?” Ruri asked in turn, more than a touch irritated.

   “Go where? To another hoity-toity party or what?” Rin asked.

   She got up and spun on her heel. She looked like the Fool in a tarot deck, dithering on the edge and it gave Ruri a heart attack just to watch but Rin was lackadaisical and laughing. 

   “Just… Home.” Ruri got out through her clattering teeth. “Now, would you get down from there?”

   “With pleasure.” Rin said and she swung the other way. “On one condition.” She swung the other way again and Ruri hiccupped out of fear. “Since it sounds like you have a minute.”

   “Just get down from there!” Ruri yelled.

   Rin laughed but she did get down. In the worst way Ruri would consider possible. Rin jumped off the edge of the skate ramp, it was at least metre taller than Ruri and Rin nailed the landing. Completely walked off anything she might have jarred as she circled Ruri.

   “We have a lot of fun, you and me.” Rin spoke like she was lecturing Ruri.

   “That’s news to me.” Ruri sourly replied, she folded her arms in front of herself as she watched Rin go to and fro. She was as loose as the breeze that fettered them both.

   “We do!” Rin said. “Which is why, I want to propose, a truce.”

   “A truce?” Ruri sceptically echoed.

   “We can do our usual back-and-forth all we like, til the end of time and the sun explodes,” Rin said, “but I realised something. You’ve seen me dance-”

   “Uh-huh…” Ruri interrupted her to show Rin that she was listening. She simply wasn’t impressed with what she was listening to. After all, she wouldn’t exactly call what Rin did “dancing”.

   “But I’ve never seen you dance!” Rin exclaimed. “So, I want to change that.”

   “There is a reason why I’ve never danced in front of you,” Ruri stuck her nose in the air, “and that is because I only want to dance in suitable environments. On the side of the street is not a suitable environment. I could get hurt or-”

   “It’ll be a dance battle. You win, me and my crew will leave you alone forevermore.”

   Ruri’s eyes went wide. Well, okay. That changes things. If only slightly. Her piqued attention, however, was like an open book for Rin. She grinned, hungry for attention and a duel.

   “What’s in it for me if I win?” Ruri asked. She tried - and failed - at sounding too interested.

   Rin hummed, she tapped her chin thoughtfully, she really chewed on the noises she made before she came to a decision, “I’ll do whatever you want. For one whole day or thing. Absolutely anything.”

   “Deal.”

   Ruri didn’t even have to think about it. She could have Rin grovel on her knees or surrender some money to her. There was plenty of humiliating and gratifying things Ruri could do if she could just trounce Rin and trump her once and for all. It was simply too delicious. 

   “Awesome. Then, let’s get into it, Angelina Ballerina.” Rin taunted her.

   “Whatever you say, Little Miss Baggy Pants.” Ruri attempted to trash-talk Rin back buuuuut it just made her laugh instead.

   Not a great start but the glares they were exchanging were pretty fierce so that was fine. From there, they figured out how exactly they wanted to do this: Rin had a boom box and Ruri had her MP3 player. So it was mostly going to be a thrown down of tinny, acapella proportions but it was better than nothing since Rin barely knew her Sugarplums from her Fur Elise and Ruri couldn’t keep a modern beat to save her life.

   With a one, and a two, and a three.

   Ruri went first. Because of course she did.

   She went through her own routine. From the practice of getting herself limber all the way through to the end of what was, like, a six minute song of pianos and violins. Ruri was nothing less than excellent - or at least close to it. The cement side walk wasn’t exactly the stage she was used to, cracks were potentially deadly but she did her best in front of Rin.

   She portrayed all her favourite heroines. Clara and Odette, Coppelia and Sleeping Beauty. A mix and match of every story she had ever danced a ballet of, her favourite moves and story beats to the beautiful, silvery music as it came out of her device.

   Rin watched, admittedly entranced.

   She didn’t want to be but Ruri was skillful. She had been mentored and configured, it was showing in her beautiful, movements. Every hand, every foot, it was all so precise in what she was doing and by the end of it, Rin applauded her. Begrudgingly, of course.

   Ruri smirked, “See, even you have class.”

   “Every once and while.” Rin replied.

   “Your turn,” Ruri said, “but I’d like to see you top that.”

   “Well, you're in luck. ‘Cause I am.” Rin smirked in reply.

   Rin stretched out and she looked all cheeky as did so. It would have been adorable if it wasn’t so annoying as her expression was so tinged with arrogance. Not that Ruri could talk.

   Rin took a couple steps back and then she brought it down.

   Her beat and enthusiasm was contagious. Her music sounded like all noise to Ruri (but hers had sounded like elevator music to Rin) but Ruri couldn’t deny that Rin didn’t have rhythm. The routine that Rin went through was natural and organic, coming and going with every new idea that she had, evolving with inspiration. She built up from something small until it got bigger and bigger and yes, did involve some spinning on her head which made Ruri’s head spin, too, just from watching.

   Rin finished up with a grand finale which had her begging on her knees. Her chest thudded, up and down, as she panted. A drop of sweat glimmered on her brow as she grinned.

   “So. What do you think?” she asked.

   Rin got up and she was like melted rubber. All loosey-goosey, easy on her feet as she rose up to her full height to meet Ruri’s mean girl, discerning gaze. One which was unreadable but the quibble in her lower lip betrayed her. 

   She was on the cusp of saying something nice. Heaven forbid. But she simply couldn’t help herself. Credit was due where it was due.

   All because, in the end, neither girl was unbiased enough to come up with a conclusion of who won over won. 

   Ruri thought she did. Rin thought she did. But they both thought the other girl had put up a good fight. 

   Ruri’s dancing was elegant; Rin’s dancing was eclectic. For every virtue, there was a vice, for everything they knew they got wrong but the other didn’t, there was still plenty they both did get right and could acknowledge. Not just in themselves but each other.

   Simply put, both were exhausted and there was begrudging respect between them.

   “So… truce?” Rin suggested. “No one won but no one lost either, don’t you think?” She extended her hand to Ruri.

   Ruri nodded and accepted, “Truce.” she said. “But since we both still won, I don’t want you or your friends making fun of me anymore.”

   “Okay. Deal.” Rin agreed. They both shook hands on it. “And what about me, what do you want me to do? Grovel on my knees? Give you my lunch money?”

   “Not quite.” Ruri said, feeling a little flustered, all too aware of how Rin’s hand felt against her own, not to mention how discerning Rin was as she had thought about that as a possibility, too. “I thought I would request that we spend more time with each other. Maybe without quite so much competition. What else do you like, aside from dancing? We can do that, so long as its not dirty, dangerous, or unsafe.”

   “You're such a priss.” Rin laughed at Ruri’s expense.

   She frowned.

   “But,” Rin continued, “that doesn’t sound too bad. It's a date then.”

   “It is.” Ruri smiled, pleased that Rin was picking up what she was putting down.

[stylishforge]

Cowgirl Fashion Hats To Complete Your Look

Cowgirl bonnets play a significant role in a woman's closet. These fashion accessories are great to flaunt at country music concerts, test rides, fashion shows and competitions. Ladies can also wear them when in the countryside to have their share of fun. After all, why should boys have all the fun! Modern cowgirl fashion hats are not just for the purpose of keeping the sun's rays off your face, but also to add that extra sparkle to your outfit.Your bucolic countryside look shall never be complete without these fascinators of varied shapes, colors and adornments. There are several varieties to choose from like straw bonnets, satin made materials, silk head covers and felt fedoras. You can find eye catching boaters at some of the reputed online specialty stores at unbelievable prices. In this article, we are going to read about stunning cowgirl hats to complement your looks.It's true that these accouterments for ladies have a bold and daring look. However, there should be a touch of femininity with the inclusion of stimulating color scheme and captivating accessories. The gypsy type fedoras are embellished with silver colored stud accents and vividly dyed flowers. The brim is further beatified with uniquely shaped cut-outs and brilliant hues. So, revel in the beauty of fashion fedoras in any party or gathering with a fashion statement and the right attitude!And, as far as bright red bonnets are concerned, these styles will make your look and style complete with a broad hat band with a silver-hued heart accent. Moreover, a brim with a wire edge gels with your inimitable style. Then, there are styles made of wool that are beyond good looks and appeal. With fashionable trimmings, stylishness and superb finishing, a brilliant red hat have a magnificence of its own.Women who love flowers and intricate details can opt for floral embroidery on silk fabric. Even chapeaus with brass toned conchos and turquoise colored beads will accentuate the anterior position of the hat band. Cool colors to complement your attire and looks are brown, blue, magenta, and coffee brown.Do you love the boldness of gaudy feathers and shimmering stones? If so, you are free to sport a custom made fascinator in shades of brown. The crown is adorned with multi colored plumages and a rhombus shapes at the front. The center of the rhombus takes your bonnet to the next level with red and yellow colored stones that sparkle when direct light hits it at the perfect angles. The edge of the rhombus is titivated with floral conchos. The sides of the bonnet have an extra bend to attract the attention of an onlooker. You are also free to choose a cowgirl hat from shades of black, purple, pink and blue.Women who have a penchant for cool denims can opt for a western cap decorated with stylish beads, shells and hemp. The center of the piece can draw people's attention with a large flower with conchos surrounding it. As to the color, yellow will look great with blue denim. Source by Laurent Eddie Read the full article

[grizzledyoungimpact]

Pairing: Lance Archer/Jill Perry Quote: Point that peashooter the other way. Verse: Western Mentions of character death

Lance Archer knew he hadn’t always been a good man.

After all the formidable giant had once been a member of a small posse of men, using his size for intimidation. He was a sure shot with a gun on top of his massive size. The group had robbed trains as well as stagecoaches, but those weren’t the crimes he regretted the most. The crime he had regretted the most had been a murder that left a son and daughter without a father.

It had sent Lance into a self-isolation that he had thought would keep him away from those who knew about that crime. He had never expected to be faced with the moment that he saw himself staring down now.

Lance had traveled into town to get a few supplies when he chose to stop in the saloon. He wanted to see who was still in town, but what he had not wanted to see was that damned board. Every year the town liked to pose a challenge to its townsfolk. It would allow young men and women, sixteen in total, to enter a contest to see who the best shot was. He himself had never entered, his past not allowing him to wield a gun for anything other than hunting. He sipped his whiskey, eyes watching the crowd when the blonde sat next to him.

She was pretty, in an innocent way, and he couldn’t help but wonder why she was here in a place like this. “Ya lose your way, miss?”

“Not as much as you have lost yours, Mr. Archer,” the young woman spoke up, her voice soft. She didn’t turn to face him and Lance felt just a twinge of worry. Did he know her?

“That’s a cute trick, miss. Which of these nice fellas told ya who I am?” he gruffly grunted, turning to face her fully. Golden curls were tucked into a pretty yellow bonnet that matched the dress she wore. Her cerulean blue eyes never once took him in, giving her a certain aloofness that did not match her otherwise youthful composure. He briefly noticed someone taking a seat to his right, but paid no mind to it.

“My daddy always told us about ya, but I could never forget them eyes,” she spoke again, gently.

“Can’t quite say I know who ya are, darlin’,” Lance admitted, feeling a little shameful in doing so. He felt something press against his back and took a deep breath, glancing over his shoulder. It was like looking at the woman who stood in front of him all over again.

The young man behind him had the same bouncing curls, the same bright blue eyes. There was no mistaking the two for siblings, twins even. The young man had a small gun pressed to Lance’s back and, at that moment, Lance knew who the two were. “Point that peashooter the other way,” grunted Lance, “ain’t no need for all that.”

“I reckon you remember us now, Mr. Archer,” the young woman spoke, her face calm. “If my brother Jackie and I let you go, are you gonna run?”

“If I do, ya’ll just have me shot,” Lance shook his head, “You’re Jill, ain’tcha? Must be if that’s Jack P-“

“I reckon you’re right,” Jill spoke, her voice sounding a little amused, “We’re gonna make ya pay for what you did.”

“You wanna kill me?” Lance licked his lips before his eyes landed on the board. It was a long shot, but it was a shot to save his skin. “I’ll tell the two of ya what. Tournament is comin’ up. Winner gets some money, enough to be well taken care of. You enter. I…I enter. When we come up against each other, I let you have that fatal shot. No questions asked.”

“There’s a lot of variables, Jackie,” Jill spoke to her brother, “Are you sure…”

The young man gave a quick nod, not speaking his approval of the situation. Lance knew he had bought himself some time. And hopefully, in the meantime, he could atone for what he had done to the young siblings.

[lettersnorth]

Faux Memory: Animosity

FAUX MEMORY: ANIMOSITY

Heartwood and co arrive after answering a distress call from Ileana. Following a commotion that leads them to the Aleport docks, they discover that the judge had gone over to the Isles of Umbra to meet with some of the Saviors. However, something had happened and a fight had broken out thanks to a strange artifact going rogue. Heading deeper alongside one of the Saviors going by the name of Rhae Bhowsu, they arrive to yet more trouble and mysteries. Ileana had apparently managed to hold the strange artifact back alongside a Viera dressed in red magitek armor. However, they'd finally hit their limit. What was more shocking was the fact that the floating artifact clearly displayed Haila's image as she spoke like a person completely devoid of any kindness. A fight ensued and, while the party managed to come out alive and with three new fragments claimed for themselves, Rhae had been killed in cold blood in a similar manner than the girl, Myne. Grabbing a gravely injured Rising and an unconscious Titor, a 'friend' of Haila, Heartwood decides to regroup back at the estate while agreeing to meet the red Viera there. Whom has been discovered to be Haila's daughter, Meam Rhua.

Logs Below the Cut!

As people gather, time seems to be of essence. While the judge had barely gotten to communicate through the linkpearl she’d left behind, it was evident that it was an emergency. With the words “”Another murder—- Can’t hold it back—- Help from—-” going through for everyone before it went silent. While the process had been in no way simple, a location had been pinged among those with tech skills. The judge was stuck somewhere in the Isles of Umbra in Western La Noscea.Whether it be out of personal interest or to see what is truly happening, everyone gathers with haste at Aleport, where a commotion seems to already be taking place by the dock. There’s sailors trying their best to calm down each other. And the presence of a few Yellowjackets trying to keep order. 2/2

Riylli Aliapoh stepped out onto the docks with a golem core in hand, having been dragged out here by the alert but not entirely willing to dedicate her full focus to the mission. The only reason she came at all was simply for the groups connection to Haila's disappearance, but she did not exactly trust them and was not in a huge hurry to help them out either

Rising Lotus raises an eyebrow as she sees Riylli taking one of her cores with her. "You really think it's good idea to bring that, what if you lose it?" she shrugged, surely readying herself for whatever complaning would come if the core fell into the water. "Wonder what all the noise is down there, think it has somethin' to do with the folks we're goin' to see?"

Emelin Blackstone was in the process of tightening her gauntlets as she watched the chaos unfold in front of her. She wasn't sure when was the last time she watched the Yellow Jackets to be spurred into a frenzy and it was enough to cause Emelin to start haunching her shoulders. "We at least know it's not pirates." Emelin answered, both hands moving to the hilt of her blades.

Heading down the pier to catch the next ferry to Umbra, Aislinn hears the raised voices before noticing the excitement going on further ahead at the docks. "Wonder what happened up ahead." she jerks her chin towards the commotion. "Running around like they've bees in their bonnets."

Titor Jaraba arrived at the scene after a linkpearl call. He was armored enough that he could defend himself and hopefully the party should anything happen to attack them. He stood silently, but gave a gentle wave and nod of greeting to those around him.

Riylli Aliapoh: "S'okay, this is one of the empty ones... Or at least, one I can't get a response from. I aint ready to give up on them all yet though, I don't see any cracks or nothin' to explain why it's not responding..." She murmured back to Rising, still never taking her eyes off the core despite the hectic energy around them

M'shara Rhaz sighs, "It's too noisy here. I imagine it has something to do with why we've been summoned here. Always seems to work out like that or Heartwood."

Aislinn North murmurs in agreement

Aislinn North "Aye, but best go see." She keeps walking down to the docks, trying to listen in on the conversations going on around her.

Riylli Aliapoh follows along behind the officer

Titor Jaraba waved back to Emelin before the vanishing.

Upon approaching sailors and the like, the group would see a not so familiar face. A rather tall Au Ra man with a wooden mask resembling that of a deer (and probably the smell of one) had just managed to get to shore, with several condensed silhouettes of different forest animals following after him. Their figures floating above water until reaching the dock as a few rattled sailors got off their backs. It seems they were evacuating the nearby island. 1/4

Haila Wetyios The man nodded in silence towards all the people thanking him for his help as he threw a few large rock carved runes at the ground, with the animal shapes each disappearing into their respective rock.Spotting the group, he immediately offered a curt wave at them, as if knowing the group, or at least being familiar with them. “Tch… No sign of the bitch at all yet? ” a disgruntled woman, a Keeper of white hair and tribal facepaint asked the man as she approached from among the sailors of a nearby boat. The man grumbled, taking a single step forward as if wanting to strike the woman before stopping in his tracks. You could tell he was truly holding back from any sort of violence as he settled back and merely shook his head no. There was clearly some bad blood between them. 

Riylli Aliapoh was honestly far too used to weird stuff happening around her at this point, but the stone carvings drew her attention and brought her forward. "Oo, what are these..? Familiars? Elementals? Somethin' in between?"

Titor Jaraba blinked at the scene, looking over the runes, then at the two new individals. This seemed like some form of magic, of which he was terribly not adept at. He decided to keep his watch and try to better analyze the situation before speaking or acting.

Aislinn North looked on in interest as Riylli peppered the individual with questions.

Rising Lotus held back from the commotion, watching for not, and maybe a tad disappointed it wasn't a dock brawl. She looked between everyone, seeing what they made of the strange people, guessing they were related to the judge since they seemed so odd.

At Riylli's questions, the man turned to her all too eager to distract himself as he waved his hand a bit, almost as if trying to say "something in between" .

M'shara Rhaz scratched at her face with a finger, "Doesn't really explain all the commotion."

Riylli Aliapoh grins up at him, immediately becoming rock buds with the stranger. "I'm workin' on a lil' somethin' in between myself right now too!" She says with a grin, proudly showing him the golem core in her hands. "Though before I get distracted, what's goin' on around here? We got some vague news of trouble in the area and came to help!"

Before the poor man could up and say any word, the Keeper bumped past him on purpose and stepped forward with crossed arms. While tiny in stature she clearly was not intimidated by sizes as she eyed the group with a half glare. Patience running low despite the people still arriving in boats to safety. "You bunch with the Judge?" Of course, this earned a rather loud grunt from the man, clearly not wanting her to take the lead of anything regarding this case. "What? Are YOU going to speak up and tell them the situation?" the Keeper snarked at him. Powerless and with gripped fists, the man stepped back to allow the group to speak with her instead.

Riylli Aliapoh paused, then glanced back to the officers. WERE they with the Judge?

Aislinn North steps closer "Aye, we received a message from her. Seems there's trouble?" she asked, seeking more information

Rising Lotus inhales sharply through her nose, glad that she doesn't do the talking in these situations. She moved in a bit closer to hear of the situation, eyeing up the agitated keeper.

"Aye. .. She asked for a meeting with us out in our usual spot before things went to shite." the woman explained as she pointed back towards the island, a distant explosion going off as she did. "Some weird creepy artifact showed up and started attacking. The Judge insisted on staying back and keeping it distracted while people fled the scene. Completely worthless if ye ask me. We told her to leave it be since we could use to to finally kill our prey and stop any more trouble coming our way, but she wouldn't listen." she finished. Her words confirming that she was in fact one of the so called Saviors. Though it was easy to assume there was more to that given the fact that she didn't stay behind herself to protect her own people.

((Riylli Aliapoh)) Thats a whole bunch of red flags right there

((Emelin Blackstone)) Boss Fight

((Haila Wetyios)) kekekeke

Riylli Aliapoh: "Uh... Artifact? Prey?" Riylli couldnt help but ask, getting super bad vibes from just about every word the lady said and looking to her rock friend for a hopefully brighter explanation

Rising Lotus: "Always some sort of dangerous artifacts ain't it?" she watched the explosion fade away in the distance. "Aye, what kind of artifact?"

Aislinn North glances out over the water in the direction the woman was pointing. As she spoke, Aislinn listened, inhaling a decidedly deep breath. Explosions and strange creatures. Of course.

Titor Jaraba: "What manner? A construct? A sword? Something else?"

M'shara Rhaz glances about, looking towards the island with the explosion. Yep. All par per the course.

"Machine of course. Some other lady that we didn't know of jumped in and joined the judge in holding it back. I think all her weird floaty robots contained the artifact's signal to keep it in the island instead of it calling back up. Or doing whatever it is that it came to do." the Keeper said. With the deer like Au Ra merely nodding with defeat behind her. The explanation was crude, but it was what was taking place at the time.

Titor Jaraba sighed in relief. "Oh, good, I'm optimized against mechanical entities. I can help with its containment or eradication if needed."

Aislinn North "Right. Suppose that's where we're heading, then. Not like we're going turn around and head home." she says, accepting the inevitable. She turns her attention down the docks. "Wonder if the ferry'll still haul us, all things considered."

Rising Lotus looked to Titor for a few moments, he looked so familiar..."OH! You're that door closer from when we met that lady!" she nodded, finally satisfied she had remembered. "..probably ain't your name, but I knew I seen ya before." getting back to the ask at hand she turned her direction to the docks and situation at hand, dangerous boat rides ahead!

M'shara Rhaz hummed, "I'm sure if the bag of gil is big enough the ferryman will at least consider it." She remarks to Aislinn.

"Don't really care what you do. But if ye lot came for the judge, you better hurry, I think she'll get herself killed if she stays there." the woman said despite clearly not caring about Ileana's wellbeing. If anything, the man was the most concerned as his body language told everything that was needed of how worried sick he was for having gone ahead of her. He did though, tap his rocks as more deer like creatures peeked out of it. Ready for another ride back into the island this time. "I don't think i need to say it. But he's urging you go to too. .. We'll follow after you, we still have business there.." the Keeper stated. 

Titor Jaraba: "Indeed, it is I. I am Titor."

Rising Lotus: "Nice to meet ya proper, shame it's here an' not at bar night or somethin'. Name's Rising." she gave him a nod before turned her attention to the strange craetures coming out of rocks. "Hmm, so we're ridin' across then?

Titor Jaraba: "It is nice to meet you, Rising. We shall have to converse at a later date, if you wish."

Aislinn North nods to the woman before making her way to the ferryman, murmuring over her shoulder to Shara. "Didn't happen to bring a hefty sack of gil with me." She then turns and speaks with the ferryman about passage to Umbra.

((Haila Wetyios)) Lemme know if some of the DM posts are going too fast, I wanna give peeps enough time for posts but also type pretty quick

Riylli Aliapoh gives the deer man a hopefully comforting pat on the arm as she passes by and follows Aislinn towards the boat, but turns to mutter to her when she arrives. "Hey... You pick up on how they're talkin'..? They didn't want to hunt whatever their prey was, they wanted to kill it... I dunno, this doesn't really feel right..."

Aislinn North nods in agreement with Riylli. "They just wanted to let that artifact kill whatever this prey of theirs is, so can't exactly let it run all over the island. Aye, it doesn't feel right. But we can't exactly leave the judge to die either." she sighs.

Riylli Aliapoh tilts her head back and forth in thought, but doesnt seem to come to any satisfying conclusion and decides to step away to focus on her core instead. Better to be productive than paranoid

While reluctant, with some nudging and extra coin a ferry man agrees to take people on his boat. The Keeper woman also takes a boat alongside two other people to follow after the party. With the option to take the floating animal like creatures if one was feeling fancy (and confident) enough in making it to the other side.

M'shara Rhaz mutters to Aislinn, "We should keep an eye on that one."

Aislinn North tips her head in silent agreement.

Emelin Blackstone tapped the au'ri man on the shoulder before climbing aboard one of the floating animals, reappearing to be in complete view. She turned towards him and gave him a mischievious wink. "I'll be grabbing one of these if you don't mind?"

Titor Jaraba went for the normal boat. He couldn't swim and the animal looked unreliable.

Reaching the island reveals a rather grim outlook, there’s sounds of explosions nearby. A casual drone being seen flying up and about before being shot down by something else. Several pings requesting emergency backup going off before possibly being shot down as well. The fight that’s ensuing ahead is truly a fierce long lasting one if it’s still ongoing despite the time that has passed. However, nothing is eternal, perhaps it would be a good choice to hurry before something happens to the Judge and whoever is with her. All this time, the Keeper continues to follow you with two of her henchmen to her side. There’s a scepter strapped to her hip, though you can almost feel as if it isn’t meant for whatever is ahead but for you. 

Emelin Blackstone turned towards the sounds of the fighting and drew her swords. "Right, let's be quick about this!"

Riylli Aliapoh had spend the boatride over prodding the stone totem with aetherial energy, curious to see if she could figure out how it worked. She would set it aside as they arrived at the island to the sounds of explosions, grimacing at the feeling in her gut that this was not going to go well at all

M'shara Rhaz waved a hand, "Quick about what? We don't even know what we're facing yet other than the fact that there are explosions and such. Let's get eyes on the judge first."

Titor Jaraba seemed to be distressed by the emergency backup ping calls, as well as the signals the drones would emit as they went down. He held his head for a moment. "Nnn, their noises...."

Rising Lotus hopped off the strange creature as they hit the shore, keeping a brisk pace with other others as she slipping a purple crystal into her spear, spark coursing over the blade for a moment. "Well let's keep on then, we don't gotta rush in blindly, but we ought not to dawdle niether."

Emelin Blackstone nodded towards Rising as the Roegadyn got the meaning she was trying to say before turning towards the Keeper. "Anything you want to tell us about this thing before there isn't a chance to ask?:

Aislinn North keeps moving ahead but her attention is behind them towards the Keeper, though she doesn't turn her head. She draws her firearm, keeping it lowered at her side. "Aye, probably best to be quick about it but let's not run in blind." She says, turning herself to get the Keeper in view now that Emelin had stalled her.

The Keeper merely came to a halt, keeping a safe distance from the group as she did so. ". ..What is there to tell? Creepy floating spike shows up and attacks one of ours. The judge tries to stop this and protect everyone while we tell her to just wait for our prey to get there and let the spike and it fight it out. ..You lot have business helping the judge, mine is getting rid of my prey, not even the Savior's prey, our goals just align..."

M'shara Rhaz looked over the keeper and her goons out of the corner of her eye, obviously not trusting her.

Riylli Aliapoh: "Y'wanna tell us a little more about this 'prey' of yours incase they show up mid fight?"

At last, she did seem more compliant at that. "A Xaela bitch, has a red and blue eye. You leave me to kill her, and I leave you be and save the day, maybe even help you. You scratch my back, I scratch yours."

Emelin Blackstone could taste the venom that was spat from the Keeper. "Think she'll attack us too midfight?"

Titor Jaraba had a red and blue eye. He just hmm'd at that.

"Beats me, you got beef with her as well?" she asked, gripping her scepter some. "If you do, she's still mine. Gotta repay a favor or two."

Riylli Aliapoh: "She got crystals all over her?"

Emelin Blackstone: "Never met her, just needed to be sure if we have to deal with more problems?:

Aislinn North turned to Riylli and Rising. "Wasn't it a xaela keeping Haila in that cave?"

"I want an actual person dead, not some fantasy shite you may be thinking." at the mention of a Xaela keeping Haila though, she frowned. A cord had clearly struck with her, however, she chose to stay quiet about it. At leas the fact that she'd not attacked the group was a good sign right?...

Rising Lotus nodded "Aye." she motioned to Riylli. "Crystals all over her...then the griffin took her off, don't remember her eyes though..." she rubbed her chin.

Riylli Aliapoh winces a bit at Aislinn's choice of word and slowly brings her hand to her staff so as not to attract notice

Aislinn North watches the woman's response to the name with interest. It confirms her thoughts. "Maybe she managed to get away." she says, her eyes still on the Keeper

The Keeper merely huffed before continuing her paces towards the spot where fighting had been happening. Which, by now had grown increasingly quiet when compared to the lively explosions from before. With the emergency pings also having come to a halt, an aftermath if one would say of the encounter.

Riylli Aliapoh removes her hands from her staff and follows behind the other Keeper

Aislinn North "Either way, can't sit here chattering about it. If it is, least you'll know what to expect. We should try and find the judge." She lets the woman move ahead.

Emelin Blackstone nodded and shifted back into the shadows again, "I'll scout on ahead. Whether we engage is up to you." She whispered to the redhead's ears before follong the Keeper.

At last you arrive to see a scene unfold. There is a strange spike artifact that is floating in the distance. A shocking revelation happens as it makes a projected image the spitting image of Haila. A deadpan gaze looks down at the two people before her, the judge and a Viera in RED magitek armor. Both seem exhausted beyond their limits as craters and scraps are spread all around the place. Shot down drones beside the red Viera are on fire with only two left hovering weakly by her side. It seemed Ileana and this other woman had been fighting Haila’s image? Or perhaps the artifact she was using to project herself? Regardless, the once motherly figure before the group is clearly devoid of any warmth or kind intentions that she would usually have as her usual self. “This is your second warning to step aside Rhua. A third will not come. ” Haila stated, looking down at the other Viera rather expressionless.

Riylli Aliapoh takes a step forward. "Is that... Haila..? Somebody please explain what in the seven hells is goin' on!?"

Rising Lotus grunted as she looked at the floating thingie, tightening her grip on her spear. "It can't be the real one...right?" she cocked her head "Some sort of I duno, fake or somethin'?"

Emelin Blackstone whispered behind Aislinn, "Seems like the Viera in red is the ally of the Judge. How do you wish to proceed?"

Aislinn North shakes her head, damned if she knew. "If it's not I'm impressed with how quickly Haila recovered. She was still comatose before we left." She shoots a flat lipped look in the direction of Emelin's voice.

Aislinn North glances towards Shara. "I'm thinking whatever that is, ain't -our- Haila. And I'm thinking the judge could explain this."

Riylli Aliapoh: "But we cant just attack it... What if it's important to Haila..?" She asks, before the smartest idea ever pops into her head. Taking a step forward she shouts up to the projected Haila image. "HEY! HAILA! WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING HERE!?"

((Emelin Blackstone)) F in chat for Riylli

M'shara Rhaz looks back to Aislinn, "Odds are good. You think we could incap-" She watches Riylli step up and rolls her eyes. "Never mind, line up a shot. Perhaps even if we can't hurt whatever is making the image we could distract it enough to extract the judge."

Titor Jaraba moved to stand next to Riylli, just in case some sort of attack was inbound.

Rising Lotus "R-Riylli wait!" she tried to grab a hold of her but she was too quick to run in. She Readied herself for the worst, spear at the ready not too far behind her, while hoping for the best, eyes darting to the fallen judge once or twice.

Aislinn North weighs the options before them and raises her weapon. "Right. Well, let's see." She pauses, waiting to see if the artifact even heard Riylli over the noise of battle.

As everyone took their moment to asses the situation. “Haila” stretched her hand towards the defeated Viera, causing a familiar looking compass to stutter from the woman’s hip as it started to suddenly float rapidly towards the spike and it’s projection. But just as it was about to reach “Haila”, it was shot away from reach by a stray bolt of thunder. The Keeper finally stepping in as she walked in slowly. “This ain’t why we wanted you here bitch. We want the Xaela.” she stated. 

The judge meanwhile saw the group finally arrive, but just as she heard the statement from the Keeper, she yelled “Wait! No! Don’t come back here! Get away while you can! ”. But it was too late. The projection flickered briefly alongside Haila’s image as her body was suddenly shown like a Xaela with the exact same features that the crystalline Xaela had had during Heartwood’s encounter. “Ah, Rhae Bhowsu. Long time no see. ” the projection paused briefly to offer a smirk. “How did it feel to burn down your own brother alive in front of his own lover? ” she said, causing the Keeper to scream in rage as she was the first to send a fireball towards the artifact. The projection flickered back to Haila’s Viera image before stopping it with a blast of fire just as strong. Riylli’s call outs barely ringing with her, but enough to draw her attention briefly as she also threw a stray thunder at Riylli in return.

Riylli Aliapoh 's eyes go wide as the image flickers to the xaela woman they had met before, and though her arms come up with staff in hand to erect a defensive wall of earth in front of her, her reaction time was far too slow. The lightning bolt blasts against the half formed wall, the discharge throwing Riylli back and sending her tumbling into the sand

The strange occurrences among Heartwood start to manifest once more. The following statuses have been applied to some people.

Rising Lotus: All rolls will have the following applied: -50.

Titor: All rolls against machines will have the following applied: +50 for attacks, -50 for defense.

M'shara Rhaz watches Riylli take a tumble and glances about the battlefield as she moves into a more favorable position. "Alright, melee keep lines of fire open for those of us in the back."

Rising Lotus raised her arm to shield her self from the explosions, cursing as she sees Riylli get blown back. She charges in soon after, blade of her spear crackling with lighting as she goes to to stab the haila(?) in the abdomen, leaving the head open after hearing Shara mention lining up a shot.

Aislinn North As the viera discharged the lightning bolt at Riylli, Aislinn squeezed the trigger and let the shot fly. To Shara's point it might do nothing but buy them some distraction.

Emelin Blackstone was startled by the sudden explosions as Riylli flew past her. "Shit!" She cried out, drawing her daggers while everyone else moved on ahead

Titor Jaraba decided to return lightning with lighting. He held his hands out and attempted to shoot some ball lightning towards the target.

Riylli Aliapoh pops her head up from behind the rock and shakes her hair free of sand. "T-That aint Haila at all!" Riylli shouts. Who coulda guessed.

Rising's attack would, by all means go through Haila's projection, however her lance would briefly hit something glass like within? The projection flickered for a moment, giving the perfect mix of lighting and a headshot to hit the artifact head on. While "Haila" did not even react to the aggression plus the few stray arrays of fireballs that were intercepted with quick lightning strikes, the sound of more glass shattering was heard as four fragments looking exactly like the ones that had been around Heartwood spilled out from her. Each one landed on both of her sides as they remained still. With the first one glowing a bit until a sudden mist of poison was launched at the group.

Emelin Blackstone teleported towards the fragment on the far right to "Haila" and slashed against the strange entity, feeling her blades impacting hard on the shell."

Riylli Aliapoh: "Gah!" Riylli shouts furiously, an explosion of golden aether enveloping her as she covers herself in a protective spell and tries to run back into the fray. "After all this is done SOMEONE better explain this shite!"

Rising Lotus grits her teeth as she made contact, but it felt wrong. After seeing her spear sitting in the Haila as if it were mist or a cloud and the strange glass floating about, she figured out what she had hit. She twists around, trying to swipe at one of the shards, overcoming the current dragging her down, but the things were squirrely and she missed as it moved away.

Titor Jaraba rushed to the shard directly in front of him, he swaped at it with his claws.

Emelin Blackstone: "You'll find you around the same time as we do! Someone get the Judge and the red one out of the front lines!" Emelin yelled, keeping her eyes on the fragment.

Emelin Blackstone: *out

Too many coincidences, Aislinn thought as the glass fragments appeared. But as one began to spew poison, she tosses her security node out from her pack. That done, she swings her gun towards the poisonous shard and fires while backing away from the mist.

M'shara Rhaz drew her rapier and focus, the sharp sound of metal on metal as the combined into a scepter from which she cast an aero, the gust aimed at blowing the mist away in support of the others.

Both fragments showed a brief crack on them. A sudden frequency going off as if they synced with each other. Haila's projection still remained unamused as her attention went back to also continuing to fend off the Keeper's ireful attacks in the background. However, Haila's voice rang after taking the three consecutive hits. "Year XXXX: I was threatened by my father to influence the frontlines and put him at the front for the fight of Carteneau. Despite the clear signs that I could have denied him and sent him to jail, I watched in silence as a fragment of Dalamud finally crushed him to death. But. .. Was I truly free when my life was also over thanks to this?" Suddenly the fragment closest to Titor started to glow a fiery red, getting ready for a simulation of a blast. While the one Rising glowed an earthy brown, trying to encase her in rock being raised from the ground. The fragment before Emelin meanwhile, glowed an eery green once more, getting ready for another blast of poison.

Emelin Blackstone Tried to cover her mouth as poison was blown towards her, but she had already inhaled a bit of it. In the midst of coughing, her slash failed to deliver the same amount of force as it did prior

Titor Jaraba looked down at his blades as he realized the impact with the shard had caused them to deform slightly. He retracted and re-extended them, repairing them somewhat, but they still seemed a bit damage. Despite that, he was up close to the shard. Instead of attacking as individual claws, he formed the blades into one large blade and thrust it into the shard like a sword.

Riylli Aliapoh: "The hells is she... 'it' talking about?" Riylli mutters, conjuring up a clump of earth to yeet at one of the crystals... Only for it to fall apart as it struck. "Dammit! WHY DO WE ALWAYS FIGHT IN SAND!?"

Aislinn North the jarring sound of Haila's voice ringing out momentarily distracted her, sending her shot wide and off to the side. She's distracted enough to notice the attacks thrown at those attacking other shards. "Try and focus on one and we can get them down faster." she calls out as she reloads. "Right now we've got one spewing poison."

Rising Lotus was poised to strike again when the earth itself tried to entomb her. With a mighty swing of her weapon she shattered it to pebbles, not slowed down in the slightest. She quickly retaliated with a upwards stab, though missed by a few ilms, the fragment was a small target, the current had dragged her off course slightly.

M'shara Rhaz quickly looks over the targets before her and spots the one about to belch poison, launching another veraero, this time in the form of a large ball of violent air.

The poisoned fragment shuddered once it was striken enough times. Haila's voice screamed right from it saying "NO MattER HOW MuCH I said HE WAs A GooD PERSon ON THE inSIDE, HE KEPT FOrcING THE PoiSON DOwn MY THroatT!" before it finally shattered. A familiar source of aether seeping from it as it sought it's next host, slowly making it's way over to Aislinn. However, it was as if something repelled it from being fully taken like it had been with everyone else. With green trails instead flowing in a circular motion around Aislinn like a starglobe would. Those too close would feel the effects of the poison, however, it would not reach the hyur herself. The one untouched fragment started glowing white, sudden flashes of concentrated energy shooting out at the group like a gunshot.

Titor Jaraba staggered and muttered out a string of profanity in a strange accent. The miniature explosion nearly staggered him for a moment. However, an orange aura pulse over his body to let him keep fighting. He retaliated against the fragment before him, bringing his singular hand-blade down upon it with all the force he could muster, using his heavy weight to add extra force.

Emelin Blackstone Watched as the "Bullet" fired off towards her. She moved her head to the side, but didn't expect the explosion and let out a cry as fire and shrapnel flew at her. The veil that she wore around her face turned to ash and the Highlander crouched with her back turned.

Riylli Aliapoh: "S-Shite!" Riylli cries out in pain as the heat strikes her, her stoneskin doing nothing to protect damage of this kind. She quickly shoves the burning areas of her skin into the cold sand, unsure if it would do anything but desperate to try

Rising Lotus was about to strike again when the shriek came out of the broken fragment, turning her attention to it only to have the far one fire off a shot and luckily hit the armored part of her right arm, though she still let out a grunt of pain as the explosion scraped up her arm and side a bit on impact. In a blind fury she tried to grab the shard to drive it to the ground, and missed completely.

Aislinn North the poison circling her was concerning. Moreso because it affect those around her more than anything. But the sound like a gun shot had her instinctively hitting the ground but not before the aether bullet grazed the side of her ribcage, tearing through her coat and leaving a burning trail across her skin. "One down." she muttered before catching sight of Riylli and tossing her a cooling potion from her pack."Take that. Should cool the pain a bit. Better than getting sand all in it we're gonna have to clean out later." she said as she pulled herself to her feet.

M'shara Rhaz huffs as the bullet whizzes past her head, reflecting on the phrase 'it's better to be lucky than good.' She turns her attention to another shard, a dark bolt of levin firing from her scepter towards it. "Stay focused! We're not done yet!"

Riylli Aliapoh absolutely CHUGS the potion before climbing back to her feet. "T-Thanks..." She grumbled, before using her magic to repel the sand stuck to her skin off of her. Aislinn was right after all, and she didn't want an infection

Titor's added attack and weight work well to wear down the fragment as it started cracking at last. The voice going off once more as Haila said "I wake up in complete darkness, my hands and feet chained to this huge creature that came out of Dalamud. It stares at me in silence as I'm too overwhelmed to move. .. Just count the seconds. .. 100. ...2000....500000....Just keep counting in this purgatory for my sins..." . Then suddenly, Shara's lighning finally shattered it. More strange aether seeping out of it as this time it went into Titor. However, unlike the effect it had on Aislinn, it did not seem to stay on the outside nor affect him physically. At least. .. Not as far as everyone is aware for the time being. "Please. .. Just stop doing this mother!" Rhua the Viera finally called out from behind the group as she was still trying to help the judge stand on her feet. Of course, her pleas went to deaf ears as "Haila" merely said "I just came to fulfill my purpose of so long ago, nothing else" . One last distant blast finally defeating the sailors and the Keeper that had been fighting her as well, though not actually finishing the job. The fragment that had eluded Rising so much started glowing once more, this time calling upon two slabs of earth to squash the whole party together as the projection started walking towards the defeated Keeper and sailors. 

((Haila Wetyios)) everyone rolls for defense

((Emelin Blackstone)) These random rolls before the defensive ones are sucking up my good mojo

((Haila Wetyios)) Em and Aislinn get squashed together, Aislinn might melt Em?.... my condolences, everyone else is fine. Shara avoids with style

Titor Jaraba was distracted by the voice, something about it resonated in his mind. He held his head for a moment, not able to act or move, seemingly stunned by the situation.

Emelin Blackstone felt the earth shift under her feet before she was suddenly slammed and thrown towards Aislin. The Highlander, in a span of a second, spun just as she collided with the other Hyur. Seconds passed before a bolt of lighting struck the final silver fragment. Emelin was standing, barely, with blood covering half her face and one eye was shut. How damaged it was, she couldn't tell but right now Emelin was on adrenaline and spite.

M'shara Rhaz wall jumps her way up the slabs of earth before finally vaulting over the top of one and landing on her feet, combing her rapier and focus into a scepter once more and flinging a fire spell that goes wide. She mutters to herself as she adjusts, reminding herself to remain calm.

Riylli Aliapoh pauses and stares at the viera. 'Mother'? The hamster wheel in her mind working at full capacity, Riylli finally figures it out and runs to Rhua's side to help the two of them out. "You're Haila's daughter?" She asks, just to be sure. "Well... Guess that means we're on the same side after all!" She continues with a grin despite that not meaning that at all

Rising Lotus finally got a lock on the crystal, gritting her teeth as lightning crackled at the tip of her spear once more. She drove it upwards with a furious shout, pushing right through the pull that hindered her movements and making strong contact with the spear, spark exploding around the area at the impact.

Aislinn North Aislinn is sent tumbling to the ground as the much larger Highlander crashed into her small frame. Bloody hell. How many times was she going to greet the dirt this day. She resolutely pulls herself back up.

The two hits from Rising and Emelin found their target, however it seemed Haila was almost done having to deal with them. As the group continued fighting, "Haila" finally stood before Rhae the Keeper. Her image switching once more to that of a Xaela as she asked "How did it feel to burn your brother alive in front of his lover?" . The Keeper just raging once more despite her injuries as she lashed out one last time. "IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE YOU-" before anyone could react, more bullets of concentrated energy fired everywhere. Several finding their mark and killing the Keeper with small explosions being heard within her as the rest of the bullets were aimed at the party. In the nick of time, two drones swept in to protect both Riylli and the judge, while everyone else was left to fend for themselves.

Titor Jaraba took even more damage. Another orange pulse wrapped around him, it seemed to be trying to keep him consious and alert. However, the bullets seemed to be doing particular damage to his internals. There was a small spurt of strangely colored, pale bluish-red blood. He was unable to attack yet again.

Emelin Blackstone cried out again as another bullet explodes, this time on her left rib. Sucking in air despite the burning in her lungs, Emelin manages to perform a singular hand movement before apparating a large shuriken and throwing it towards the silver fragment.

Riylli Aliapoh decides totally of her own will to step forward and erect a wall of earth in front of the wounded group, hoping to prepare them somewhat from any further attacks. It wouldn't be perfect, but hopefully it could be enough to keep them safe while Heartwood takes out the threat

M'shara Rhaz is struck in the flank by an aether bullet which pops and shoves her to the left, grunting as she attempts to stabilize herself before she ends up eating sand as well.

Aislinn North Grunts out in pain as the bullet lodged in her shoulder as she's knocked back in the sand. Yet again. Only she's not so keen to get back up this time as she hisses in a sharp breath and presses a hand against the pain. Her node races into range of Haila and splits apart to show a violently glowing orange core. It sets off a electroaetheric wave blasting from its core towards the shifting image of Haila.

Rising Lotus turned to see the keeper get iced by the shots, only to take one directed to the gut, wind getting knock out of her from the impact as she dropped her weapon, the explosion buring away her armor and heavily damaging the skin on her abdomen and un armored arm. Before she could do anything however, she was nail once more, hitting her right thigh. The blast knocked her off her feet several paces away, armor and skin just as torn up as from the first shot. She crumpled along the sand, laying motionless and bleeding quite heavily. Her spear remained near the HAILA-GRAM in the sand, while her feather ornament had been blown off in the blast, a couple ilms away from her on the ground.

As the dust started clearing. Another pained grunt was heard. Rhua had also taken a bullet to an arm in Riylli's place before the earthly wall was erected. Except all that was seeping from her left arm were wires and short circuitry. She panted some, staring off at the floating artifact. Aislinn's blast had actually interfered with it, causing it to chug for a moment as energy coursed through it, ceasing to display Haila's image. Emelin's attack meanwhile, had finally been the last nail needed in the hypothetical coffin to shatter a third aetherial fragment. It's trail this time flowing into Emelin, however this was perhaps not a good outcome. Despite having lost three fragments, the artifact eventually snapped out of it's lag as it displayed Haila's image once more. "You are all in the way. My best option would be to skip my warnings and kill you." she said as she stared nonchalantly at the group. "But, I've achieved what I've always wanted. .. So I shall let this pass." she stated as a similar aether trail flowed out of the dead Rhae's body and into the artifact in itself. Lost three yet gained one in the process. Offering a brief smirk at the group. Haila's image disappeared alongside the remaining fragment that had shot everyone before the floating artifact floated off into the sky. At least everyone had lived another day. .. Right? 

((Haila Wetyios)) FIGHT DONE

((Riylli Aliapoh)) Riylli did not land a single attack all fight lmao

((Riylli Aliapoh)) Shes here for morale support

Riylli Aliapoh stares at the wires and such that hang out of Rhua's arm. "Uhhh..." She looks around awkwardly as shes unsure what to say, before noticing Rising laying on the ground. Immediately she takes off to her side, barely hesitating before shoving her hands onto the bleeding wound to try and apply pressure. "H-Hey! Aislinn! Somebody! Rising needs healing NOW!" She shouts around to anyone who could help her

As people assessed the damage done to themselves. The dark haired Viera that had remained with them, Rhua slowly stood up and looked down at Riylli. "She is my mother." she stated, trying to push through the pain. Her expression souring. "But I'm not on anyone's side." saying that, she instead went over to help the judge up. Ileana meanwhile seemed rather ashamed of herself as she looked at everyone. "I am sorry. .. I couldn't stop it..." she expressed, biting her lip a bit as she picked up her staff from the ground. "I know how to mend wounds. . Let me at least do that..." she said as she rushed to Rising's side. 

Emelin Blackstone was breathing heavily, watching as the aetherial trail had seeped into her. All she could feel was the pain of the fight: the toxins in her lungs, the burning sensation across her face and ribs. She groaned while sheating her daggers and lumbered her way towards Rhua and offered her hand, "We need to get back to the Estate and I would prefer if you came with us."

M'shara Rhaz sheaths her rapier

Titor Jaraba had been shot twice, and he was starting to bleed out a little bit now. He was kind of staring with a rather blank look on his face forward, before he unceremoniously plopped to the ground with a thud.

Aislinn North at the sound of Riylli's yells, Aislinn painfully pulled herself up into a sitting position just in time to see the artifact take flight. Cursing under her breath, she sets her gun down and pulls a small pouch of white powder across her wound before heaving in a breath and going to see to Rising, not content to leave it to Ileana.

M'shara Rhaz sheaths her rapier and tucks her focus to her side once more before clutching the same side, that bullet had definitely knocked something loose or at least it felt like it. She huffed and fixed her hair, she really wanted to throttle Haila right about now but now wasn't the time as she turned her attention to the wounded.

Rising Lotus was unresponsive, her abdomen and right thigh having most of the damage, with a good amount on her left arm as well. Her skin was burnt and bleeding from the explosions, seared in some places and busted open in others.

Aislinn North kneels down next to the bleeding Roe and pulled one of gloves from her hand. Leaning forward, she seeks to set two fingers along Rising's neck, keeping track of the pulse as she kept an eye on Ileana's work.

Rhua merely stared with a rather similar hostile gaze than what her mother had had before at Emelin. Wordlessly, she reached with her right arm to tap at some buttons on her armor, only to hear a short circuit right after, followed by something clearly having clearly burnt out on her back. "Shit-" she muttered, her B plan having failed as she was left with no choice but to address the strangers. She took a deep breath before saying. "Just to make it clear, I don't trust any of you. Nor do I know your relationship to my mother." the plopping sound near her though, caught her attention. Ears barely flickering as she pointed at Titor. "Your rob-. .. Your " guy" needs immediate attention..." Meanwhile, despite the exhaustion, Ileana was actually proving to be a decent healer. While her magic was not resembling too well of conjury despite carrying a staff, she seemed to at least be able to stabilize and stop the bleeding from the Roegadyn. 

Emelin Blackstone: "Listen to me, we are trying to help your mother or a version of your mother..." Emelin coughed harshly, "Look she was one of us, a valued member of our Company. We want to help her, but we are bumbling in the dark here against foes whose power is immense. You seem to have a better idea than we do so if its not trust, can we at least join hands in solidarity in trying to keep Haila safe?" Emelin pleaded weakly.

[3]<P'tajha Kett> so who's dead, sound off

[3]<Haila Wetyios> Rising definitely is

[3]<Emelin Blackstone> Rising lost a lot of blood.

M'shara Rhaz turned her attention to Rhua and Emelin, making her way over to that coversation while clutching at her side. "We don't trust you either. That said, I don't think any of us here know much about what you are he is made of...maybe Aislinn." She looks back to the triage happening on Rising. "But she's a bit busy right now."

Aislinn North expression tight but entirely on the task as hand, she lets go a breath before noticing Riylli beside them. "She's alright for the moment but we need to get her back to Heartwood. Get these injuries properly looked at." She murmured, attempting to keep the worry from her voice  as she pulled her hand away and tapped the side of her glasses. The node at her side rolled up and began shielding the coagulated wounds against elements. "Teleporting back is the quickest." she turned to Riylli.

Aislinn North Hearing her name, she glanced over her shoulder and then back to the Keeper. "Not a great porter at the moment. Can you do that part?"

At Emelin's plea, Rhua did not seem convinced too much. "I'd beg to differ on the helping her part." she commented as she slowly walked over to Titor to have a brief look at him while nodding in agreement with Shara's words, she liked this one. "I'm not as much of an expert as my mother. But I can see what I can do." she merely stated, already seeing if there was anything she could do to stabilize Titor amidst the talking taking place.

Riylli Aliapoh had clearly been fretting, having been uncharacteristically silent as the healers around her worked. "Y... Yeah, lets head back." She agrees with a nod, glancing around the beach to find Risings feather nearby. With that secured, she returns to Rising and places her hands on her as she begins to channel the teleportation spell

Titor Jaraba seemed more cybridized than a full robot. He had blood, though it was pale and a bit modified. The blood, should anyone be attuned in biological processes, seemed to be rather anemic. However, it's structure seemed to facilitate working with his augment. The augment replaced his entire spine and connected into his brain directly. Part of his augment had been damaged, but the majority of his problem right now was his blood loss.

Emelin Blackstone: "Look, I don't know want this means but my lungs hurt and I'm not sure if most of my eye is still functioning so I wouldn't mind a bit of transparency here?" Emelin whined as she goes to turn Titor around, albeit gingerly"

Aislinn North gets to her feet and stands back, knowing Kevin and Lewra would be on the other side waiting.

Riylli Aliapoh poofs away with Rising in tow

M'shara Rhaz leers at Emelin, "Emelin take care of yourself and let the woman work, she clearly knows more than we do about this sort of stuff." She began to sound annoyed.

Aislinn North frowns in concern as the pair disappear but she quickly pushes it aside and turns to the other group gathered around the fallen Titor.

Emelin Blackstone chuckled, "Sorry, just need to make sure that our man is going to be fine first. I can teleport him to the Estate once that's done."

Rhua frowned upon noticing just how intricate these augments were from just a few glances. She clearly was not up to the task of a full treatment, but at least she knew enough to help with the bleeding. Everything else would come after. "I don't guess you have a lab to look him over? I lost all my tech in that fight..."

Aislinn North "Little busy to be getting into it." she says as she takes in the bleeding body. THe augments give her pause but oddly, she doesn't seem overly shocked. "Lot of blood. Need to take care of that first." She looks at Ileana. "Can you do the same thing you did to RIsing? Stop the bleeding."

Aislinn North nods to Rhua "We do. Can give him a once over when we're back at the House."

M'shara Rhaz: "Long as we can at least get some stoppage on the bleeding we can teleport him."

Haila Wetyios Hearing someone actually needing her work, Ileana immediately nodded as she rushed over to the group. Once more, her staff did not even glow upon casting her spells, but rather let out a soft sound each time she used it. Whatever she was doing, was at least good enough for the bleeding and stabilizing the body despite the augmentations. Once satisfied with her work, she brushed her forehead a bit, the long fight before everyone had arrived and the constant spending of mana finally getting to her as she slumped back on the ground. "Please, taking him somewhere safe. .. Ben should be here soon." she said, referring to the large man that the group had met at the docks. Rhua meanwhile did a double check on Titor just to be safe as she stepped back. "You better take him with you." she stated, pausing only to add a very reluctant "I'll. .. need to borrow some of your facilities too. .. I need answers." 

Titor Jaraba 's wounds could be healed, but due to the anemic structure of the blood and his alterations, it would be a bit harder than your average heal.

Emelin Blackstone: "That makes all of us." Emelin quipped, still having enough strength to throw such a remark. "I'm Emelin Blackstone. It's an honor to meet you, such as it is."

Aislinn North snorted at that. "We don't have much of those. But come on, then." she says with a nod as she waits for Ileana to finish, her eyes never roaming from wounds on the man in front of her. When the woman steps back, Aislinn once again taps the side of her glasses and directs her node in creating shields to protect the somewhat stabilized injuries.

Titor Jaraba would stop bleeding, but he was still passed out from the bloodloss.

M'shara Rhaz would grow increasingly frustrated. "Emelin, not the time and place."

M'shara Rhaz: "Let's get our man back to the house."

"Meam Rhua." the Viera stated with a half shrug as she gave people space to take the unconscious Titor. "If your lot is the one with that blue miqo'te who has my mother's surveillance system. .. Then I'll find yo and get there eventually. Teleports won't do me any good right now. . Go."

Aislinn North satisfied that Titor had stopped bleeding, she looked up at the others and nodded in agreement with Shara. "Right. Let's get back."

Emelin Blackstone noting Shara's annoyance, nods and starts teleporting back.

M'shara Rhaz: "Good enough, the rest of us should be off."

[honeysuckle-mc]

Outfit 1

The challenge of this outfit was to use lace thigh-highs without creating an overly-sultry look. My favorite item here are the red leather heels, which really make the outfit with their glossiness and vibrant color. Their red is echoed in the sunglasses and handbag. The look corduroy blazer lends a dignified modesty to the look. The yellow top gives it a mod touch, and the blue of her necklace ads a cool note to the otherwise entirely warm toned outfit.

From top down: Vinyl Round Star Sunglasses, Millionaire Mansion Sunflower Turtleneck Top, Epiphany Eye Necklace BP, Bonjour Bizou Corduroy Blazer, Bonjour Bizou Houndstooth Skirt, Velvet Orchid Archived Reds Puzzle Bag, Callie’s Pop Up Shop Lace Thigh High Tights, Rio Archived Patent Red Mules.

Outfit 2

I styled this outfit around a very distincvtive black denim and plaid skirt.

I was a bit dissapointed that the studded belt on the skirt didn’t show more, but the fringed vest continued the Western theme the best out of all the alternative layers I looked at. The high white leather boots add glamor that’s echoed in the jewelry, but the star glasses bring whimsy. The outfit is completed with a bonnet with an oversized under-chin bow that feels like a risque choice, but it adds freshness that diverts it from falling into the typical “glammed country” look.

From top down: MS.TG Bonnet Hat, Spectacular! Star Glasses, The Jetset Gold Chain Necklace, Callie’s Pop Up Shop Klingon Vest, Velvet Orchid KISS T-Shirt Black, Fallen Angel Checked Denim Skirt, Epiphany Leather Arm Braclet Black BP, The Jetset High White Leather Boots

Outfit 3

This outfit was inspired lightly by the 1930s and 40s period murder mystery shows I have been watching lately. The earrings, neck scarf, and belt have a warm vintage feeling that is balanced out by the chunky geometric neutrals of her shoes, skirt, and bag. I loved the circular bag, and it is complemented by the orb earrings that actually have a scarab beetle at the top.

From top down:  Epiphany Bug Gold Earrings BP, Pearls Yellow Scarf, Royalty V Checked Top, Trails Dancing Queen Leather Belt, Limited Adiciton Gray Skirt Man, Epiphany Richie Bracelet, Bonjour Bizou Archived Moss Green Chloe Inspired Bag, Vinyl White Socks, Bonjour Bizou Laced Up Heels

[damndaehyung]

First Impressions

Daniel Choi Hogwarts Era - Year Six (2016) - Fall Included : Emily Choi, Tyler Lee, Tara Lee, Minah Delacroix, Sungjae Lee Mentioned : Lucas Zhang

September 1st. D day.

“Is there a reason you are still here?” Daniel asked as he pulled the last of his luggage out of the hire cars boot. His sometime friend and full-time rival pushed himself off the hire car’s bonnet and turned to look at him, plump lips turned up into a smirk his bright pink hair blew slightly in the wind.

“I am here to see my dearest friend off,” Joshua said, taking his sunglasses off. “You know i am going to miss you.” Daniel rolled his eyes finding that hard to believe if anything Josh seemed to be in a terrific mood since hearing the news. “I even had a going away party planned but i got the dates mixed up,” he said. Daniel snorted, oh he sure Joshua had a party planned ready to celebrate, just one Daniel wasn’t invited to.

“What a shame,” Daniel said mockingly. “Well we are here so -” he said gesturing to Joshua and the car hoping this heartbreaking goodbye would quickly come to a close.

“Andrea told me to stay with you until you are actually on the Hogwarts Express,” Joshua said pulling his sunglasses off. “Maybe I’ll sneak on with you,” he said. Daniel watched as Joshua played one of his favourite tricks, in Joshua’s place stood a replica of himself. Not a perfect one, of course, Josh’s metaphoric skills were subpar at best. “How do i look?” he said running a hand through his now silver hair.

“Better than usual,” Daniel said dryly, no matter how many times Joshua pulled this stunt it still made him feel uncomfortable. “Now stop with this identity theft, i need to find Emily and the other two,” he said pushing past Joshua.

Joshua jogged to catch up to Daniel. “Who is that? Emily? Don’t tell me you are experimenting now?”

“Eunha,” Daniel snapped. “We have western names now, Daniel, Emily…. Jennifer? I don’t know what Jinsol is going with,” he shrugged.

“Daniel Choi?” Joshua said testing it out on his tongue. “I don’t like it, i am gonna keep calling you my little Dae bae,” he said. Daniel’s nose scrunched up he didn’t particularly like either name but Dae bae was another level of cringe. “So Eunha is going to be there?” Joshua questioned. “I haven’t seen her in forever maybe i should say hi -”

“Maybe you should stay the fuck away from my 14-year-old cousin,” Daniel snapped. “Can you control your creep fascination with my family to yourself, it’s bad enough that you hooked up Jinsol and flirt with my aunt every time you see her,” he said not even bothering to hide his disgust.

“Aww Dae you forgot to include yourself, you know you are my favourite,” Joshua cooed. “Don’t be jealous,” he said wrapping an arm around Daniel’s shoulder. Daniel was quick to shrug it off, he never forgets about Joshua’s interest in him, how could he when it was so incredibly obvious, he just prefers to ignore it.

“Aren’t i lucky,” he drawled.

“The luckiest,” Joshua said. “Though you never seem to reciprocate my affections,” he pouted, at least he was self-aware. “Though i can’t expect better from a man who once had a crush Ahn Dohyun?” Joshua teased. Daniel scoffed his cheeks heating up; he didn’t have a crush on Dohyun he just respected his contribution to the Asian modelling community. So what if he under the influence said he would ride him like a broom? That didn’t mean he had a crush on him. It just meant his hormones were working.

“So you are really going to follow me to the train?” he asked as they walked into the bustling Kings Cross train station. Daniel had never been to a muggle train station before, either travelling by magic or by hired cars, it was a new experience for him, one he wasn’t particularly enjoying yet. “You really don’t have anything better to do?”

“I told you Andrea told me to make sure you get on the train, something about making sure you fulfil your contracts,” Joshua shrugged. “Plus, i get to check out the Pigfarts crowd, I’ve always been curious about Harry Potter’s old school beside you never know someone might catch my eye,” he said. Knowing Josh several somebodies would have caught his by the time they made it down the stairs.

“What is there to be curious about, its a school?” Daniel pointed out.

“I am home-schooled Daehyung, there is plenty to be curious about.” Daniel shook his head, finding that extremely hard to believe. School to some people could be interesting sure but to someone like Joshua who enjoyed his freedom to the full extent, not so much.

“Well, you can always go to a school if it is eating away at you so much, just not this one,” Daniel said. “I hear muggle schools are pretty accepting.”

“If only I wasn’t a world-famous model with obligations to fill,” Joshua sighed dramatically. “Unlike some people, i stay busy and booked so I can’t just decide to go to some boarding school,” he continued. Daniel wondered how Joshua would react if he knew the only reason he was booked at all was due to his associating with Daehyung Choi, probably a temper tantrum to rival the great Givenchy fit of 2013. “Guess I’ll just have to live vicariously through my normal best friend.”

“You have a best friend?” Daniel asked with a surprised chuckle. “Since when?”

“Funny Dae, seriously maybe after your stint as a high school student you can become a comedian,” Joshua said dryly.

“Some people can be multi-talented Joshie, I know it’s hard for you to understand,” Daniel pointed out. “But since you know so much about Hogwash maybe you can tell me something about it?”

“Hmm,” Joshua paused. “I mean i could but considering you’ve been so ungrateful of my company and insulting me i don’t know if i want to.” He trailed. “Maybe if you gave me something in return,” he said eyes gleaming with trouble. Trouble Daniel wanted no part off.

“Okay then you can go and before you say Andrea told you to make sure i get on the train my aunt will do that,” he said quickening his pace.

“Rude,” Joshua said a little puffed from struggling to keep up with Daniel. “Fine, i don’t know too much, but i am pretty sure the houses are Gryffindor, Evil, Smart and Yellow,” he said listing them off with his fingers. Daniel paused looking at Joshua trying to figure out if he was joking but to his surprise, he seemed serious.

“What?”

“The last three aren’t the actual names but it’s pretty much a summary of them,” he shrugged. “Apparently the only one that matters is Gryffindor and we both know what house you will be in,” he said with a laugh. Daniel hummed in agreement, out of the four options it seemed he was destined to be in the evil house.

“I can see my family,” Daniel said spotting the three of them ahead standing near a vending machine. “You should go before my aunt see’s you,” he said to Joshua. “She can be quite the vengeful bitch when she wants to be and you hurt Jinsol, i know i am shocked my aunt cares i thought we all agreed her first attempt to procreate was a failure but -” he shrugged.

“Fine,” Joshua rolled his eyes. “Don’t miss me too much and don’t forget to write to me every day,” Joshua mocked. Daniel stared at him blankly. “Oh come on i don’t even get a hug, I mean i am the closest thing you have to a best friend and it isn’t like anyone at Hogwits is going replace me not that they would want to, you are not exactly…” he trailed, Daniel rolled his eyes, biting back harsh words consoling himself that Joshua needed to think that, it’s the only way he’d survive. “It’s your last chance at some physical contact,” he said stepping forward-leaning up to whisper that he saw an empty bathroom stall.

“I think I’ll survive,” Daniel drawled stepping away from him. “Don’t get into too much trouble without me,” he said to Josh before running over to his family.

Daniel snuck up behind them, towering over his younger and favourite relative. “9 and 3 quarters?” Eunha questioned looking down at her train ticket lip pulling through her lip. “What does that even mean?” she continued, looking up only to find Daniel standing behind, her big bambi like eyes wide and surprised. It was enough to wipe the permanent scowl off his face. “Dae!” she exclaimed throwing her arms around him. “I mean Daniel,” she said after hearing her mum tut in disapproval. “When did you get here?” she asked.

“And here i thought he got lost,” Jinsol muttered just loud enough for Daniel to hear sounding far too disappointed than someone like her had any right to be.

“Just then,” Daniel answered Eunha ignoring Jinsol’s existence.

“Do you think it’s an Arithmancy test like we have to figure out the length and the platform and figure out where three quarters would be?” Eunha said going back to her ticket.

“Eunha,” Jinsol spoke only to be shushed by her mother coughing and sending a pointed look. “Emily,” she said sarcastically, her eyes narrowed and glaring daggers at their mother. “You are giving these people too much credit, plus what about all the muggle-borns who go to school here?”

“Maybe we should just follow them?” Daniel interjected pointing towards a family wearing the gaudiest of wizarding robes, broomsticks and cauldron on full display for the curious muggles. The apparent disregard of secrecy was in stark contrast to their previous school which sat on top of a Volcano. Maybe Hogwarts had really moved on from their old reputation, that or the tackily dressed people didn’t regard muggles as notable in which case they lived up to their old reputation to a tee.

His Aunt’s nose scrunched clearly unimpressed with the family but nodded anyway, following them would be better than standing around looking like fools. Daniel strutted forward, schooling his face into one that came across as welcoming and cute, a boxy smile on his face, just in case someone decided to look at him. He could only imagine what his aunt would be like if she knew he was rolling his eyes internally.

‘You need to impress these people Daehyung, do what you need to do, smile if they want you to, listen to them like they actually matter, you know how it is.’

“Oh, Sol i was doing you a favour, look at them, ugly style and a bit nuts. I am pretty sure i found your real father and your half-siblings,” he sneered.

“Daniel, Jessica,” His aunty glowered. “Look maybe we can -”

“Why is that girl running towards a wall?” Eunha cut her mum’s off, transfixed all of their eyes followed the family’s eldest daughter ran towards the wall at full speed. Daniel tilted his head to the side perhaps it was a weird rite of passage for British Wizarding families. Just as the girl was going to hit the wall, much to Daniel’s disappointment, she disappeared through the wall.

“So, to get to platform 9 and three quarters -” Eunha started to speak, her normal deep voice going up an octave as registered what just happened.

“We need to a run at a wall,” Daniel finished, “Because nothing says inconspicuous like running towards a wall, are the muggles here under a spell or are they just that oblivious?” he asked with a shake of his head. Hordes of teenagers, some in ugly robes, with broomsticks and owls and half of them aren’t even sparing them a glance.

“I bet a man came up with this,” Jinsol said a disgusted look on her face. “So how should we do this? I nominate Dae- Daniel to go first,” she said turning to him.

He scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “You know i would say ladies first,” he said. “But that means my dear Emily would have to go first so how about untalented los -” he started but was cut off by both Eunha and his aunt shouting at him to stop.

“Emily, my dear,” His aunt said to Eunha, placing a hand on her back. “Since your sister and cousin are squabbling as kindergarteners would-, you, as the most mature one here, go first?” she asked. Daniel craned his neck looking at his aunt incredulously. Eunha looked at her mother shocked before looking down, her hands trembling ever so slightly, a muttered okay escaping her lips.

“I’ll go,” Daniel said glaring at his smirking aunt, she knew very well that he would step in and that pissed him off. It was her fault they uprooted their lives yet she was about to send her youngest and favourite child to run into the unknown. All because she ran out of Asian families to try and gain favour from and now needed fresh European money. Eunha opened her mouth to protest but Daniel stopped her squeezing her shoulder lightly before walking up to the white weirdos.

“Uh excuse me?” He asked his accent heavy because if there was one thing he learned over his travel, people find broken English adorable. The family turned to look at him, the husband seemed weary perhaps he thought Daniel was a muggle, it makes sense a walking cliche like himself would think that “How did you? How do you get to platform nine and three quarter?” he asked widening his eyes and jutting his lip trying to look as innocent as possible. It seemed to work because the wife’s eyes softened as she looked at Daniel.

“Oh, is this your first time going to Hogwarts?” she asked. Daniel nodded cursing this woman for answering his question another dumber question. “My son Alan is just starting as well,” she said pointing to one of her spawns. Daniel plastered a fake smile on his face and nodded once again hoping that it would speed this conversation along, he didn’t want to know about her son.

“Me and my cousin transferred,” He said pointing to Eunha and the other two. “Can you show us please?” he said nodding to the wall. The woman coo-ed waving at Eunha, his aunt and Jinsol. His aunt looked at Daniel who shrugged, if they wanted to know how to get to the platform they might as well get this lesson as well. Reluctantly they came over, Daniel noted with annoyance the way the son’s eyes widened when he spotted Eunha and Jinsol. He hoped little Andy knew his place, he really did.

“Hello,” the woman said. “Benjamin say hello,” she said smacking her husband lightly across the chest. The husband grumbled out a greeting. “Oh aren’t you a beautiful family,” she said looking from Daniel to Eunha and then Jinsol finally settling on his aunt. “Oh you must be their mother, I can see where they get it from,” she gushed. His aunt plastered her what Daniel had realized is I am setting fire to you with my mind smile on and nodded.

“Your family is charming,” His aunt said.

“Arigato,” The woman responded with a laugh. Daniel looked at her and the train tracks wondering what would happen if she just accidentally happened to fall onto the train tracks.

“The platform?” Daniel asked his patience running thin. He had enough of these people and he just wanted to get on the train already.

“Oh right, all you have to do is walk into the wall between platforms nine and ten, best do it at a bit of run since it’s your first time,” she said. “Here watch Alan,” she nodding to her son he grabbed his trolley before taking a breath and sprinting forward. Just like before the child vanished through the wall.

“Your turn now,” The woman said turning to Daniel. Daniel ground his teeth together, fist-clenching around his luggage. If this went wrong at least it would ruin Andrea’s day which would make his. Counting to three he ran forward, ignoring his senses which told him to stop he kept going, closing his eyes as he was just about to hit the wall.

When he opened them he was on a completely different platform, he turned to look at the wall and then back to the platform that was in front of him. It really worked. Stepping away from the wall he took in his surroundings, while the other platform was busy this platform was downright chaotic. Whistles blared and the air was filled with steam from the train. He walked forward, every inch was full from emotional parents saying goodbye to their little brats to teenagers running towards their friends. A few almost running into Daniel as they did so.

“Dae,” He heard Eunha call out to him, he turned around expecting to see her right behind him but unbeknownst to him, he had wandered too far away from the wall. His eyes roamed through the crowd trying to find her. “Over here,” he heard barely spotting Eunha jumping up and down, waving frantically. He nodded waving back before making his way over to her and the others.

“So this is it?” Daniel said looking at his Aunt who nodded.

“Don’t mess this up,” She said to Daniel before turning her attention to Jinsol. “Don’t do anything stupid,” she said dismissively. Daniel shook his head, he was and will never be fond of Jinsol but surely his Aunt could at least say goodbye to her properly, don’t make it too obvious she had a favourite. “Be good and write to me okay,” she said to Eunha who nodded, her eyes watering ever so slightly. “It will be fine sweetie. Dae and Sol will look after you,” she said rubbing at Eunha’s arms. “Okay, remember that you only answer to Daniel, Jessica and Emily from now on,” she said stepping back.

Daniel rolled his eyes nodding, “Come along Emmy,” he said wrapping an arm around Eunha’s arms. “You can come to i suppose,” he said to Jinsol who flipped him off before following along. The trio made their way over to the Hogwarts Express, a formidable large red train, it huffed and puffed as the conductors tried to control the onslaught of students. “Shall we?” he asked looking at both his cousins. Neither looked particularly optimistic but a shrugged sure and nervous nod meant they were on their way.

“Do you think we can get our own compartment?” Jinsol asked as they pushed through the crowded cart. A few curious eyes landed on them, Daniel had no idea how often transfer students were at Hogwarts but he got the feeling it was few and far between.

“It’s pretty close to eleven,” Eunha said checking her brand new watch, a gift from her father for her first day at Hogwarts. “I am going to guess most of them are already full,” she frowned. “We could always just stand out here?” she offered.

“Let’s just find an almost empty carriage and hope that no one wants to start small talk, I am tired after dealing with Andrea and Joshua all morning,” he said rubbing at his temple. “One telling me what pants to wear and the other trying to get into them -”

“Please shut up,” Jinsol muttered a look of disgust on her face. Daniel hummed it must be humbling to never be someone’s first choice. What a pity.

“Well that is one full,” Eunha said standing on her tippy toes to peek into one of the compartments. “Makes sense the one near the exit would be full right?” she offered. “Maybe we should try the back?” she said looking down the hallway with a frown, it was full of students, friends yelling out to each other, hugging, sharing stories of their Summer.

“It will be fine,” Jinsol said. “Let’s just keep looking,” she said. The three of them continued down the hall searching for an empty or practically empty compartment eventually finding one near the end of the train. It wasn’t empty, a girl sat alone with her cat. Daniel figured something was incredibly wrong with this girl considering she was alone but he couldn’t care less.

“Hello,” Eunha said as they entered the compartment, the girl looked like she was Eunha’s age, surprisingly enough Korean, straight dark hair and cat-like eyes. Judging by her outfit she was either a very rich muggle-born or came from an upper middle wizarding family. The girl placed her book down, her dark eyes darting from Eunha to Jinsol and then finally Daniel. “I hope you don’t mind if we sit here, it’s just everywhere else is packed,” Eunha explained.

“You are new,” The girl pointed tilting her head.

“Is it obvious?” Eunha asked smile falling. Daniel glared at the girl, hand instinctively reaching down to his pocket considering whether he should send a jinx her way for upsetting Eunha.

“Well kinda,” the girl said. “Not that you look odd or anything,” she added quickly. “We just don’t usually get many new people, other than the first years of course,” she said. “Though last year there was that French girl,” she added.

“So people will be paying attention to us?” Jinsol asked as she sat down next to the window. Daniel couldn’t help but think she sounded a little hopeful, Daniel shook his head as he placed Eunha and his own luggage into the overhead. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

“Maybe,” The girl said pausing. “At least during the great feast you should be but then maybe Gossip Witch will strike with another fascinating blast,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“Gossip Witch?” Eunha asked sitting down beside Jinsol, “What is that?”

“This anonymous blog that suddenly started posting about the elite of Hogwarts,” she said. “It’s kinda a big deal and it’s everywhere, it’s on every social media platform you can imagine even some that probably aren’t even made yet,” she said.

“Hogwarts has elites?” Daniel snorted. “What is it any descendant of the Potter’s?”

“I think they posted about Lily once,” she said, “But no it’s mostly about the French girl and the Lee’s,” she said scrunching her nose up. “But who knows maybe you will be Gossip Witch’s new fave and I will never have to hear about he must not be named ever again,” she said.

“Voldemort?” Jinsol asked.

“No worse,” The girl said with a shudder.

“There is someone worse than Voldemort,” Daniel said, he found it hard to believe that someone could be worse than a pureblood fanatic dictator but what did he know.

“You’ll see,” The girl said shrugging, “Anyway what year will you be in?”

“Oh, I think I am going to be a fourth year,” Eunha said quickly, of course, she knew that she had spent her Summer trying to be ready for Hogwarts. “And that means these two would both be six years,” she said nodding to himself and Jinsol. “I am Eun- Emily, by the way,” she said.

“Eun- Emily?” The girl questioned. “That’s a mouthful,” she laughed. “So what is your real name? Eunbi? Eunsol? Eunmi?” she asked her nose scrunching up at the last suggestion.

“Eunha,” Eunha answered. “But I am Emily now,” she said nodding. “This is my sister Jessica and my cousin Daniel, I swear they aren’t normally this anti-social,” she said apologizing for Jinsol and himself unnecessarily, also lying to the girl, he was only social when there was something to gain from it.

“You could have kept your Korean name,” The girl said. “The school is more racist about blood purity than they are about skin colour, though a guy did ask me how to say wanna hook up in Chinese once.” She said grinning viciously. Daniel raised an eyebrow wondering if the idiot guy is still alive. “Anyway, I’m Eunmi,” she said. “Also a fourth year,” she said. “And that is Meow,” she said nodding to her cat.

“Eunmi and Meow, charming,” Daniel said promptly getting an elbow to the side. “Fine, what about these houses? Do you only get to interact with your own house?” he asked.

“What about them? There is Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin,” she said. “And you can interact with whoever you want, there is no rule against, most people just tend to stick to their own houses because you spend pretty much all your day with them,” she said.

“Which is the best house?” Jinsol asked.

“Well I am in Slytherin so I am biased towards there but if you go by the blatant favouritism then Gryffindor is probably your best bet,” Eunmi explained. Daniel thought back to Joshua’s descriptions of the house, maybe he was onto something when he said Gryffindor was the only house that mattered.

“And the other two Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff?” Eunha asked. “Are they not good?”

“I mean they can be, Ravenclaw is meant to be the smart house and Hufflepuff –“ she said.

“Is yellow,” Daniel cut her off. The girl blinked owlishly opening her mouth to speak was cut off by a great clattering.

An older woman opened the door, smiling a dimpled smile. “Anything from the cart dears?” she asked looking in on them before closing the door.

Eunha jumped up, her tummy rumbling as she did. “You guys want anything?” she asked looking at Jinsol, himself and even Eunmi. Daniel shook his head but tried to hand Eunha some money, if she was going to waste her money on sweets and charity cases she might as well use his disposable income but she shook her head. “I got it,” she said sweetly stepping out of the carriage. Daniel followed her; he’d just pay before she had a chance.

“Can I get-“ Eunha started at the same time as a dark-haired boy who came from the carriage across from them started to list his order stopping when he spotted Eunha. Daniel stepped closer looming over her shoulder but apparently, his presence wasn’t as threatening as he hoped it was. At Mahoutokoro no boy dared look at Eunha for longer than a second in fear of Daniel but this boy was looking and if the smile on his face was anything to go by he liked what he saw.

“You go first,” The boy said to Eunha, who much to Daniel disgust, was blushing. Daniel had enough stepping forward to shield Eunha from this guy.

“Dae what are you doing?” Eunha whispered. Daniel ignored her smiling at the trolley lady. “Can we have two of everything please,” he said to the woman, his signature boxy smile on his face. The transaction was quick thankfully, the boy seemingly got the message and stepped back talking to one of his friends. With his arms full of snacks he hadn’t eaten since he was a child he made his way back into the carriage, Eunha trailing behind. “You didn’t have to pay,” she mumbled. “I am not a kid anymore,” she huffed. Daniel turned towards her raising an eyebrow. That was the problem, he couldn’t have any Hoghash boys thinking they had a chance with her.

“I know but you should save your money,” Daniel said to her. “So you want a Chocolate Frog or Liquorice Wand? I figure we give the beans to Jinsol and the other girl can have the rest,” he said as he tipped to food onto the empty chair beside Eunmi.

“Emily is pouting, what did you do Dan?” Jinsol said eyes narrowing. Daniel bristled at the nickname, Dan, he was not a Dan. Of course Jinsol would say something disgusting. First, she assumed upset Eunha and now she was calling him Dan.

“I did nothing,” He huffed.

“He wouldn’t stop glaring at some poor guy and wouldn’t let me pay,” Eunha pouted notable taking the chocolate frogs.

“So he paid for your food and kept some guy away?” Eunmi asked interjecting herself into a conversation she didn’t need to be in. “I don’t see the problem here,” she said, helpfully, at least someone understood what is going on.

“He is just being overprotective,” Eunha said with an eye roll. “Everyone can have some,” she said nodding the pile of snacks. Daniel watched as Jinsol and Eunmi both moved to get some snacks. Daniel leaned back in his chair, pulling out his phone and scrolling aimlessly. Apparently, some Hogwarts student had managed to modernize Hogwarts into having an internet connection. A student breaking their anti-technology spell? What was even happening at Hogwarts?

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Did you learn anything on your walk?” Eunha asked as Daniel threw on his Hogwarts Robe. Daniel let out an annoyed huff, he didn’t appreciate been exiled from their compartment while they changed. She knew he had no interest in the female anatomy.

“Unless you are interested in some guy named Ashton been unable to keep it in his pants then no not really,” Daniel answered he had heard too much about people he had never met before loves life or lack of love life in some cases.

“I hope someone kicks this Ashton guys butt,” Eunha said with a glare. Daniel’s lip quirked up into a smile. She was adorable even when she was trying to be tough.

“Open,” A female voice said before knocking on their compartment door excessively. Daniel looked from Eunha to Eunmi figuring she’d know what is happening but she shook her head looking at the door confused. Daniel sucked in a breath opening the door.

“Can i-“ he started to say before a brunette girl pushed past him standing in the middle of the compartment, demanding attention. Daniel looked at the girl confused, her brown eyes frantic and her ponytail messy in a way that made Daniel believe that wasn’t her intention. “Are you lost?” he asked her.

“No,” The girl snapped at him. “You are the Choi Siblings, right? Daniel, Eunha and Jinsol,” she said looking at each of them. “I am sorry I didn’t get any information about you,” she said turning to Eunmi who looked at her like she had grown a second head.

“I am not new or related to them,” Eunmi said shaking her head. “I am a fourth-year from Slytherin,” she said as the girl rolled her eyes waving a hand dismissively as if she had done nothing wrong.

“Right anyway, I am Elena, the prefect Professor Headly, put in charge of making your transition into Hogwarts is as easy as possible,” she said to them. “Oh good you are all ready,” she said seeming relieved. “So much better than last years transfer student,” she muttered. “Come with me,” she said. Daniel shared a look with his cousin who seemed just as unsure of this girl as he did. “We don’t have all day people,” she tapping her foot impatiently.

Daniel moved to grab their luggage but was stopped by Elena who tutted. “No need to do that your luggage will be in your dorm once you are sorted,” she said. Daniel held his hands up stepping away, stupid crazy girl.

“Right please follow me,” she said once they were all standing. Daniel and Jinsol followed behind her, Eunha strayed behind saying her goodbyes to Eunmi. “So firstly I would like to welcome you to Hogwarts,” Elena said guiding them back to the front of the train. “I assume you all know the school rules by now, “ she started before going on off a tangent.

“And then they picked Poppy as head girl,” she said as they stepped onto the train station. “Poppy Parkinson, her mum was a death eater? And Cameron as the head boy? He is such a dudebro the only reason he ever got anything done was because of me!” she ranted. “Can you believe it?” she said turning to Daniel waiting for a response. Daniel blinked looking at Eunha clearly confused. The last thing he remembered hearing from this girl was that sneaking members of the other sex into the dorm was strictly forbidden.

“That’s awful,” Eunha said. “But you are still a prefect and that is really good,” she trying to appease the girl.

“Yeah, you are the – what house are you from?” Jinsol asked.

“Gryffindor, the best choice,” she said proudly. “All we need to do is get the quidditch cup back but thanks to Tyler Lee –“ she continued and Daniel went back to ignoring her knowing that he would contemplate drowning if he was stuck in the same house as that girl. He looked ahead eyes falling on the carriages with some hideous creature attached.

“What is that?” Daniel asked pointing ahead.

“The carriages?” Elena said raising an eyebrow.

“No,” Daniel shook his head. “The things in front of it, like a horse skeleton, “ he said, eyes wide as he took it in. The creature was terrifying, a winged skeleton-like creature with a reptile’s face. Jinsol and Eunha both frowned muttering about how they couldn’t see anything.

“Dae are you okay? Did Josh slip something in your coffee?” Eunha whispered. Daniel shook his head, looking at Elena for an explanation. Why did no one know what he was talking about, how could they not see them?

“You can see the Thestrals?” Elena asked, mouth dropping in surprise. “That means you’ve seen –“ she said bringing a hand to her mouth.

“Death,” Jinsol finished her. “Why are you acting so weird about it?” she said to Elena. A rare time Jinsol was looking out for Daniel. “I can’t believe you didn’t know that Daniel, did you ever pay attention in class?” she asked changing the subject. “Such a blonde,” she said climbing into the carriage.

“Right,” Elena said. “Please get in,” she said to Daniel and Eunha. Daniel nodded helping Eunha before sliding in beside her. “So anyway as I was saying Ravenclaw is okay, Hara is great but Sungjae, he is a nice guy but Minah is such a bad influence on him. Honestly he shouldn’t be a prefect anymore,” she ranted. And like that Daniel was back to ignoring her.

“Wow,” Eunha gasped as the castle came into view. “So that is it?” she asked looking up at the castle, eyes wide in awe. Admittedly the castle did make a formidable figure, standing out above the large lake and illuminated by the full moon. The carriage paused a pair of impressive wrought iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boards.

Elena hummed in agreement. “Yup that is Hogwarts,” she said with a soft smile and a wistful tone. He knew school spirit and pride was drummed into people but that reaction was a little much. “I am sorry it’s my last trip here,” she said, Daniel could have sworn her eyes were tearing up.

“Are you dying?” Daniel asked hoping that he didn’t come across as too eager. The carriage started up again, picking up speed on the long slopping drive up to the castle.

“No,” Elena said looking at Daniel oddly. Well, that was a letdown. “It’s my last year here,” she said pouting.

Daniel nodded before going back to ignoring her. He was pretty sure he’d never have to interact with this girl again (and for that he was so thankful) so it didn’t matter what she thought of him. He zoned out taking in the scenery around him, dense forest, sloping fields and a large lake, the closer they got to the castle the more the nerves took over. Beside him Eunha legs couldn’t stop bouncing up and down, Jinsol had started chewing on her bottom lip. Daniel himself was fiddling with the sleeves of his robes, rolling them up and then rolling them down.

“We are here,” Elena said pointing out the obvious as the carriage drew to a stop. “Come along, Professor Goldhorn is waiting,” she said hopping out of the carriage. Daniel followed suit helping Eunha and even Jinsol out of the carriage. They took a minute to soak in the grandness of the Hogwarts castle before making their way up the stone steps.

“The Choi’s I take it?” They were greeted by a stern-looking woman, her dark grey hair pulled up in a tight bun. She looked down her glasses slipping down her rather large nose. “Crowley you can go to the great hall,” she said dismissing Elena, “You three come to my office,” she said not waiting a beat before turning around her emerald robes swishing as she moved down the hall. Daniel and the others moved quickly to catch up with her. They followed her through the entrance hall, up the marble staircase and along the corridor, stopping in front of her office.

“Come in,” she said shooing them into the room. Her office was on the smaller side, at least compared to the offices of the professors at Mahoutokoro. The centrepiece of her office was the large fireplace. “Sit,” she said motioning to three chairs. “So as you know Hogwarts has a special way of sorting its student,” she said pausing for them to nod in agreement. “Now for our first year the sorting ceremony happens in the great hall during the welcoming feast but given your age, I assume you don’t want to be placed with first years,” she said. “So,” she said walking over to the desk and picking up a dirty pointed hat, it was old and tattered, patches and rips covering its entirety. “I figured we could do this in the privacy of my office,” she said as the hat began to twitch its brim opening to reveal a mouth. Daniel blinked mortified as it started singing, he slowly turned his head to look at Eunha and Jinsol who both were looking on transfixed and horrified.

You’re in safe hands (though I have none), For I’m a Thinking Cap! The hat finally finished. “Okay so we will do this by alphabetical order, Daniel Choi,” she said looking at him and picking up the hat. Daniel’s nose scrunched up as she moved to place the hat on his head. He would need to wash his again after having that thing on his head.

The hat barely touched his crown before yelling out a loud and definitive “SLYTHERIN,”, the hat was promptly taken off his head. Not quick enough if his opinion though, he hoped he’d never have to put anymore enchanted ugly headwear on again.

“Emily Choi,” Professor Goldhorn said placing the hat on top of Eunha’s head. Unlike Daniel’s sorting Emily’s seemed to go on for a few minutes. Daniel frowned wondering what the school’s policy on having a hairstylist visit, he needed a professional to fix Emily’s brown locks after having that on top of her head for so long. Daniel didn’t think he could hate that hat more than he already did but when it called out “HUFFLEPUFF!” loudly he knew if he ever got the chance that hat would be burned to smithereens. How dare they place her in the useless yellow house.

“Can the hat –“ He started to ask before Professor Goldhorn shot him a withering look, a quick the hat is never wrong escaping her painted lips leaving no room for argument.

“Now Jessica Choi,” she said to Jinsol, placing that hat on her head. Jinsol’s sorting was longer than Daniel’s but much quicker than Eunha’s. “GRYFFINDOR” it exclaimed as Daniel glared at it. It sorted the useless cousin into the best house.

“Wonderful,” Professor Goldhorn clapped, “Please make your way to The Great Hall,” she said, “It just straight down the staircase, it’s hard to miss,” she added before leaving the office with a swish, the dumb sorting hat in hand stopping in the doorway, gesturing with her head for them to leave. With a tight-lipped smile that was more of a sneer, Daniel stood up, walking past the Professor stopping at the top of the staircase waiting for Eunha.

“So none of us are in the same house,” Eunha lamented, pouting at Daniel and then Jinsol. “Do you think we will be able to interact?” she asked as Jinsol laughed.

“Oh Eun-Emily,” she said rolling her eyes at having to change names. “Do you really think they are going to forbid you from interacting with your big sister and well, him,” she said looking over Daniel, detest clear in her eyes.

“Do you really think some silly school house is gonna stop me from seeing my favourite person?” Daniel asked throwing an arm around Eunha’s shoulder. “Plus if anyone should be exiled it should be Jessica, after all, she is in the favourite house,” he said throwing a withering glance over his shoulder. “Been a favourite for once, you must be so happy Jessie,” he said in a saccharine sweet voice.

“Don’t make me push you down the stairs,” Jinsol spat.

“Oh go ahead, I’d love for you to have pay off the insurance,” He laughed. Sure he wouldn’t get a knuckle off it but it would be fun to see Jinsol scramble around to try and pay the amount his face was insured for.

“So the Great Hall?” Eunha suggested trying to stop the argument. “You know before we get told off or lost?”

Sharing one last annoyed glance with Jinsol, Daniel turned nodding. “Let’s go.”

The Great Hall like Goldhorn had said was hard to miss, especially when hoards of students piling into it. Daniel’s arm dropped down once he stepped into the hall, it was admittedly grand. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles floating in midair over four long tables, which were quickly been filled by students. On the table laid glittering gold plates and goblets. “I guess this where we might need to separate,” Daniel said reaching out squeezing Eunha’s hand. “If anyone causes you any trouble come find me,” he whispered. Eunha nodded, turning to give a quick hug to Jinsol before the three of them made their way over to their respected tables.

Daniel walked down the Slytherin table looking for an empty spot to sit. “Daniel,” a distinctly female voice called out. Daniel whirled around looking for who called out. He frowned looking around the room searching for whoever said it, with a shrug he moved on figuring out that maybe they were talking to another Daniel, it was a pretty common name.

“Daehyung,” This time he froze, that name wasn’t common at all. “Hello,” he heard seeing a leggy girl with coloured orange hair. “Come sit with us,” she said waving her hand at him. He raised an eyebrow as he looked her over, her robe was open showing off a ruched blouse and a skirt that was definitely shorter than the school uniform code. The piece de resistance was her Cartier handbag that hung loosely off her arm. She seemed wealthy enough. Daniel nodded making his way over to her.

“Ah I am so excited you are here,” The girl said smiling at him sweetly before narrowing her eyes. “Move, you are in my spot loser,” she snapped to a boy who was trying to chat to a blonde girl. “I am sorry about that,” she said turning to Daniel. “Some people don’t know their place, anyway as I was saying, I am such a huge fan – I remember last Summer I went to Tokyo to visit family and your face was everywhere,” she said. “Once Gossip Witch posted about you and your cousins, I am so sorry by the way Hufflepuff – tragic,” she said looking in down like she was mourning, “I knew I had to make sure you were integrated with the right crowd,” she said.

“There is a wrong crowd?” Daniel asked. The girl laughed in response.

“Of course there is,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Now come sit,” she said sitting on the bench. Daniel looked at the bench with an eyebrow raised, did she expect him to sit on her lap. He got the distinct feeling that Hogwarts students were weird but surely that would be pushing it. He opened his mouth to point out that there was no room, when the blonde girl next to his new friend turned to the person beside her, daggers coming from her eyes. The girl who was on the receiving end quickly stood up practically running away as the blonde slid down leaving a space. Daniel hummed well that works.

“Ladies meet Daniel Choi,” The orange-haired girl, said tapping the spot beside her. “He is that model I told you all about,” she explained.

“I thought his name was Daehyung?” The blonde girl asked, the glare now replaced with a look of curiosity.

“He changed his name obviously Aspen,” The dark-haired girl across from them answered looking up from her copy teen witch. “You know to appease your kind,” she said to Aspen with a roll of her eyes. “Do you think Giselle’s name is really Giselle?”

“If you want to survive you all better say yes Giselle’s name is Giselle,” Giselle, the orange-haired girl threatened. “Anyway yes Daniel is the model I told you about,” she said rolling her eyes. “You know – “

“The one who was on the cover of Mode and Teen Witch Japan at the same time,” The dark-haired girl said with a laugh.

“The one who has been the brand ambassador for Hex and Helix, Divine Beauty, Chanel and Louis Vuitton,” Aspen continued. “You know with the cousin?” she said. Daniel looked at her confused, what did she mean with the cousin.

“Yeah,” Giselle agreed solemnly.

“Were sorry, it’s bad enough a Gryffindor in the family but a you know,” Aspen trailed off.

“It’s okay, no one will think any less of you,” The dark-haired girl said. “You can’t control them,” she shrugged.

“Anyway, enough about that Priya,” Giselle interjected. “I am sure you don’t want to talk about it, it’s upsetting enough,” she said to Daniel patting his back in what was meant to be a comforting move but was just ignoring his personal space.

“Thank you,” Daniel said, “And uh thank you for appreciating my work,” he added, a bashful smile making its way onto his lips. He wondered if Giselle was part of his fan club or just a social climber.

“Here,” Aspen said handing him a goblet. “Don’t worry it’s not pumpkin juice,” she said winking at Daniel. Daniel sniffed at there was no obvious poisons, deciding to risk he took a sip, wine, a decent red at that, he had no idea how they got it but he was glad they did.

“Trust me you’ll need it to get through the sorting ceremony,” Priya whispered to him. “First years are so exhausting,” she said.

“Don’t forget the headmaster’s stupid speech and the school song,” Giselle said nose scrunching up in disgust. “Hoggy Hogwarts, I can’t believe I used to sing that crap,” she scoffed. “Don’t judge me,” she said to Daniel. “I was young and stupid,” she said.

“So nothing has changed then,” A boy said walking past, Daniel turned to look at who said it to see a tall boy, probably older than them, wearing a skirt.

“Don’t worry about him,” Aspen said with an annoyed scoff. “Caspian thinks he is all that because he is a seventh year and is friends with two prefects,” she said shaking her head. “Everyone knows in that the sixth years run the Slytherin house, especially since Poppy is the head girl now, like the headmaster has pretty much condemned her to the domestic life with a that Gryffindick,” she said.

“Also Aspen has never got along with Caspian because he made out with her old crush,” Priya laughed. “It was this huge thing, luckily it was pre gossip witch,” she said.

“Thankfully,” Giselle said. “Imagine if Gossip Witch was here when it happened, Aspen would have never been able to show her face again,” she said, Daniel was sure she seemed a little too gleeful at prospect.

“Oh right Gossip Witch, I heard about that but the person I talked to said they only really post about the same people,” he said.

“Oh Gossip Witch definitely has her favourites,” Priya said rolling her eyes, “Minah Delacroix and her Lee’s,” she said shaking her head. “Merlin’s beard why does Gossip Witch assume we all care about that not so love triangle.”

“Because we supposedly don’t have anything else to do,” Aspen drawled. “And we are supposed to believe Sungjae Lee is a worthy competitor against Tyler,” she laughed.

“Well you will never hear me speaking ill of Sungjae Lee,” Giselle said. “Thanks to him we have the internet,” she praised.

“So you are saying you’d choose Sungjae over Tyler?” Aspen said looking at Giselle, ignoring Daniel’s presence entirely.

“I am not saying that but I am not going to bash him, he has given me Instagram, Tik Tok and made Hoot until he can get the Twitter batch out,” she said. Daniel blinked, the only word familiar to him was Instagram and even that was a foreign land to him.

“I would,” Priya said with a shrug. “He is decent looking but not hotter than me so he will be an easy catch and is destined to become some sort of Tech billionaire,” she pointed out. “But if I am completely honest I don’t think he beats for my team if you know what I mean,” she said wiggling her eyebrows.

He is friends with Caspian and Siobhan and those two are well….” Aspen said judgement clear in her tone.

“Is there a problem with being… “ Daniel repeated mockingly. He had just assumed these people adopted him so they could have a gay best friend.

“Of course not,” Giselle said as it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You were so brave coming out so young,” she said as her friends nodded in agreement. “It just Cas and Siobhan are losers,” she said. “Hey maybe if Sungjae is interested in boys you could date him,” she said.

“Giselle!” Aspen said. “No Daniel is way too good for him, I’ll find you some more worthy of your affections,” she said.

“Yeah your next boyfriend probably,” Priya muttered under her breath.

“Either way,” she shrugged. “Hey Daniel, you should add us on Insta,” Giselle spoke before pausing. “Or you finsta, I know your company doesn’t allow you to follow anybody,” she said. Daniel nodded, he has no control over his Instagram and he wasn’t sure what a finsta was. “I know this because Joshua Jung slid into my DM’s the other week,” she said proudly.

“Oh wow,” Daniel said pretending to be awed, he didn’t think have Josh slide into any crevice was a badge of honour, it was more like a tramp stamp but she seemed excited about it. He was saved from having to say anything more thanks to a slew of 11-year-olds made their way into the hall, all wide-eyed and bushy-tailed.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Where do you think you are going?” Giselle asked cocking an eyebrow at Daniel, the feast had finished and Daniel just wanted to check in Eunha, make sure she wasn’t been rejected by the Hufflepuff crowd.

“I was going to check on my cousin,” He said as Giselle, Aspen and Priya gasped, all three of them shaking their heads frantically.

“No sweetie,” Priya said quickly, “You can’t go over there, one it’s social suicide and two we do actually have to head to our dorm,” she said.

“The only time you can go to the Hufflepuff table is if you want to huff and puff,” Aspen said. “But even then, I know a guy who has better options,” she added. “Just let me know what you need.”

“Come on,” Giselle said linking arms with Daniel, Priya took the other arm effectively trapping him. “So our common room is in the Dungeons, I know ew right but it’s really the best one out there,” she said.

“And trust her she has been in all of them,” Priya laughed as Giselle let out a scandalized noise. “But it’s true no other common room is more refined than ours,” she said.

“Ravenclaws common room is pretty nice as well,” Aspen said walking backwards. “It’s in the Astronomy Tower,” she said. “I am not going to tell where Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs are, you might be too tempted to try and find your cousins,” she said eyes narrowing.

“I mean i know it’s Gryffindor but surely he could speak to that cousin if he wanted,” Giselle said. “She looks like she has potential,” she said.

“Jessica?” Daniel snorted. “No, trust me, just no,” he said, the idea he would run in the same social cycle as Jinsol was horrifying to think about. “Should I know anything else about Slytherin?” he asked hoping to get some useful information out of them and not just hearing about how they had a plan to make a finsta.

“Hmm,” Giselle pretended to think.

“You are a pureblood right?” Priya asked. “We aren’t as bad about that stuff now but if you are a half-blood or muggle-born maybe don’t let people know,” she whispered.

“What are you whispering about Patil,” A tall boy asked sliding in next to her. Priya bristled next to him, an annoyed scowl on her face.

“Blowjob techniques, got any tips, Stefan?” Priya asked. “No of course not because no one would touch you with a fifty-foot broom,” she said with an eye roll. “Daniel meet Stefan, he is a six-year like us but you know not as important or attractive,” she said.

“You’re a sixth year?” he said eyeing Daniel. “Guess we will be seeing each other,” he said a smirk making its way onto his lips. “See ya later Patil,” he said with a wink before sauntering over to a bunch of other guys. Daniel knew smirks and that one was trouble, that one meant the idiot was going to pull some shit on Daniel and Daniel was just too tired for dealing with it.

“Don’t worry about him,” Giselle said once he was out of earshot. “He is just pissed Priya rejected him,” she said.

“Oh and Tyler kicked him off the quidditch team,” Aspen added with a laugh. “Apparently he missed training last season and you know what Tyler is like,” Aspen said.

“He bought on himself,” Giselle with a nod. “He was dragging the team down, I heard Tyler is going to pull guys up from the reserve side, maybe Zhang,” she said.

“Nah Zhang isn’t making the team for two more years; he is a seeker, right?” Aspen said. “Yeah Tyler isn’t letting on the pitch until he is done,” she said.

“True,” Giselle lamented. “It’s a shame though Lucas would look good on a broom,” she giggled.

“Right,” Priya said rolling her eyes. “What about Kim? She is a chaser and is actually pretty good,” she pointed out. Daniel nodded not knowing who any of these people are and why he would care.

“Yeah, but she did laugh when Sungjae hit him with the jelly legs jinx,” Aspen pointed out.

“He would stop someone from joining the team because they laughed?” Daniel asked with an eyebrow raised. “Should I be worried about this Tyler guy?” he asked. From what he heard he seemed to be in charge of the whole house.

“No,” Giselle said quickly. “You are amazing.”

“What she means is there is no reason to be worried,” Priya said rolling her eyes at her friend. “You probably won’t see him outside of class, he has his own separate room in the boy’s dorm and is very picky about who he spends time with,” she said with a bitter scoff, Daniel had a feeling someone got rejected. “Not that you aren’t worth spending time with,” she tacked on.

“But seriously don’t worry,” Aspen said. “You will have no problems as long as you stick with us,” she said, the threat was there. Daniel bit his tongue but noted to one day ruin this girls life enough that she would want to jump off that Astronomy Tower she was talking about before.

“So the password for our common room is Viper,” Giselle said to him. “It changes fortnightly though so be prepared,” she warned him.

“Why is Hogwarts against elevators,” Priya complained as they made their way down a winding staircase.

“Maybe you should hook up with Sungjae and see if he can put one in,” Aspen joked. Priya tilted her head before shrugging.

“If I did she wouldn’t be able to use it,” Priya whispered to Daniel.

“Well you would have done all the work,” He whispered back to her, Priya giggled happily. Daniel winced as he felt Giselle tighten her grip on his arm, he guessed she didn’t like been excluded from the joke.

“We are here,” she said as they stopped in front of a stone wall. “Daniel you should say the password since it’s your first time,” she said before a bunch of boys ran past shouting the password.

“I guess I’ll have to wait to pop my password cherry,” Daniel said pulling out of Giselle and Priya’s grips. He really just wanted to get into this dormitory, find his stuff and wash his hair. He could barely hide his annoyance as he had to walk down a narrow hallway, he thought he was here.

“Welcome to the common room,” Priya said once they finally got out of the hallway. “It’s nice right?” she said. Daniel nodded in agreement, it looked like it came from the pages of Witch Deco. “It used to be super ugly, you know just after the war but thankfully people with taste came in and made it more modern,” she explained.

“So the boys dormitories are over there,” Giselle said pointing to a staircase. “Normally I would say we should chat some more but we all have to be up early tomorrow to pick up our schedules,” she said with a yawn. “Do you want someone to lead you to your dorm?” she asked. “I can call one of the guys over,” she offered.

“No it’s fine,” Daniel said, “You should all go get some beauty rest,” he said to them, some needed it more than others. Giselle nodded, before leaning up kissing both his cheeks, Daniel blinked in shock as Priya and then Aspen followed suit. “Goodnight,” he said quickly moving up the stairs, desperate now to not only wash his hair but now his face.

Finding the sixth year’s room was rather easy, it was a spacious room with four four posters each hung with deep emerald curtains. To the end of the room was a single door, what he assumed was the great Tyler Lee’s room. His three dormmates stood near one bed, all eyes on him.

“Hey man,” He noted it was Stefan that was greeting him. Daniel rolled his eyes knowing that this was not going to end well, not for these other guys at least. Stefan noticed Daniel seemed less than impressed, “Hey no, we just want to welcome you to our oh so humble home,” he said bowing mockingly.

“Is it true you are a model?” One of the guys asked, a chuckle escaping his lips. “That’s pretty.. fruity you know,” he said. Daniel once again rolled his eyes.

“Can we skip this whole you all pretend to be nice and get to whatever dim-witted thing you have planned, I am a little exhausted, so –“ he said making a hurry-up gesture. The third boy, a burly idiotic looking beast stood up, Daniel’s luggage in hand.

“Hang on pretty boy,” Stefan said. “I think you have the wrong idea, you see I think we can all be great friends, right guys –“ he started to speak. Daniel was always the quickest to draw his wand so before the three of them could notice he already have Stefan flying back against the wall. The two others watched on in surprise before snapping out of their daze.

The second guy started to sending jinxes and curses his way, all of them Daniel had sent back with ease. Did they teach them how to duel at Hogwarts because honestly, a third-year student at Mahoutokoro could do better than this. The burly guy didn’t bother with magic and instead grinned dragging his things near the door, opening it and pushing his things in with a laugh before closing it. Daniel raised an eyebrow wondering what was the point of that. He didn’t get a chance to ponder about it too much as the big guy had decided to go all muggle and try to tackle Daniel, Daniel thinking quickly hit him with a stupefy unfortunately due to him fighting two people at once, the big was thrown at the door with a loud bang. Stefan and the other guy looked over nervously. Daniel didn’t waste time and hit the three of them with a levitating spell, smiling as they floated mid-air.

“What do you wa –“ Daniel heard someone say, he turned to see who he assumed was Tyler looking from him and his fellow sixth years and then back to him. “Nice,” he said chuckling clearly amused by what he was seeing. He walked over to where Stefan was hanging in the air, “Did I say anything about hazing the new guy?” he asked flicking Stefan’s forehead. “Fucking idiot,” he muttered. Without a word the three others dropped, Stefan and the burly one were lucky enough to fall on a bed, the other guy, well he was not so lucky, instead, he fell face-first onto the ground. “Go see Nurse Pomfrey first thing tomorrow,” Tyler said stepping over the guy and walking over to Daniel.

“So I am guessing your luggage was what was tossed into MY room,” he said to Daniel. Daniel nodded, “I am guessing the big idiot was the one to come up with that idea?” he said and once again Daniel nodded. “Can you speak?” he asked raising an eyebrow, “Oh do you not speak English?” he asked.

“Do I need to answer you verbally?” Daniel asked, taking in Tyler Lee properly quick to decide his face, which despite the wicked gleam in his eyes, was cute, he had big eyes and a sweet looking smile, did not match the rest of his body which was thankfully on display. They must have interrupted him mid nightly routine, he was shirtless with low hanging sweats.

“It’s rude not,” Tyler said tilting his head. “And your luggage broke my defence system,” he frowned. “So you kinda owe me,” he said.

“What?” Daniel asked dropping his wand.

“Just come on,” Tyler said pushing him towards his room. Normally Daniel would have no problem with a guy like him manhandling him but right now he was just very confused and a little scared and not in a fun way.

“Look I don’t know what is –“ he started to speak before been shushed by Tyler.

“In,” he said push him in. Daniel stumbled, eyes widening as he looked around the room. It was nice, really nice and Daniel was a little jealous. Why couldn’t he get his own room, did he have to play quidditch was that it? “Sit,” he said gesturing to a chair.

“If you want to me boss me around you could at least buy me dinner first,” Daniel muttered as he stomped over to the chair.

“Winky,” Tyler called as a house-elf appeared. “Could you get me some snacks, you pick, you know what I like,” he said to the elf. The elf let out a quick yes Mr Tyler, bowing and disappearing and then reappearing with arms full of food. “Give it to him,” he said to the house-elf who promptly dumped his haul into Daniel’s lap. “So now I can boss you around right,” Tyler said smirking at Daniel. Daniel’s eyes narrowed. Tyler rolled his eyes, “Relax, I don’t know what those girls have told you but I am a nice guy,” he said. Daniel knew for a fact if someone had to tell you they were nice they were most definitely not nice but he wanted this to be over so he kept that fact to himself.

“From what I’ve noticed they all seem to hate, love and worship you at the same time, it’s pretty impressive,” he admitted. Tyler grinned nodding proudly, seemingly happy to hear that. “Not trying to be rude because I have the distinct feeling I should feel honoured to be in your presence but I am tired and I had to wear that disgusting hat so I am not sure what creatures are currently making a home in my hair –“ he ranted stopping because he didn’t need to be sharing that with anyone. “What do you want?”

“The sorting hat, it’s so unsanitary,” Tyler agreed, “I swear they haven’t washed that thing once since I’ve been here,” he said as Daniel’s hand wander up to his head wincing as he ran his hand through his locks. He would sue this school if it caused permeant damage. “Well firstly, is that your stuff?” he said nodding to a pile of Daniel’s belonging which while neatly stacked was no longer in his suitcase. Daniel jaw clenched as Tyler laughed. “I didn’t go through your things if that is what you are thinking, though seriously sneaking contraband into school, you are so lucky they didn’t check this year,” he said.

“What?” Daniel asked before realization dawned on him. “Joshua!” he said a growl escaping his lips. Tyler quirked an eyebrow at him, as he picked up a box of chocolates from an admittedly large pile. Daniel winced as the overwhelming smell of peppermint and rose wafted through the air. “Don’t eat those,” Daniel said as Tyler looked up at him. “They are laced with a love potion, a poorly made one though since I can smell the ingredients,” he said. Tyler looked at the box curiously before waving his wand leaving the box a pile of ashes.

“Thank you,” Tyler said. “Now I am going to pretend I know and care about what a Joshua is and skip ahead, the big lug threw your luggage in here knowing that my wards would have destroyed it as soon as it crossed the threshold,” he explained. “He was stupid enough to try and get in my room, completely destroyed his wand, burnt all his hair off and left him tinkled pink, literally, with yellow boils – not pretty but for him, it might have been an improvement,” he said. “Anyway apparently your own charms and wards messed with mine, your suitcase is completely ruined but your belongings are completely fine, even stacked neatly by yours truly,” he boasted. Daniel found it hard to believe Tyler has ever stacked a thing in his life.

“Thank you?” Daniel offered.

“Yes,” Tyler said. “You have good taste by the way, in clothes I mean,” he said. “I don’t suppose you play quidditch do you?” he asked appraising Daniel.

“Thanks?” He said again. Daniel didn’t have taste when it came to clothes, he rarely ever got to choose what he wore. He was a walking billboard, more a mannequin than a human being, it used to bother him (it still does) but he hasn’t had a choice in anything that happened in his life, why should his clothes be any different.“And no not anymore, my manager banned me from playing, a bludger to a face would ruin my career apparently,” he shrugged.

“That’s just sad,” Tyler said. “You mustn’t have been very good if your manager was that worried about bludgers,” he said shaking his head.

“I was plenty good, my face is just worth more,” Daniel huffed.

“If you say so,” Tyler shrugged.

“I should go –“ he said standing up, placing the pile of snacks on the chair. “I’ll just grab my stuff,” he said to Tyler.

“I wouldn’t sleep out there,” Tyler said in a sing-song voice. “The three stooges will want revenge,” he said. “Look I never do this but I feel bad for you,” he said placing a hand on his heart clearly touched by his own kindness. Daniel tried not to show how annoyed he was about Tyler feeling bad for him. “Go shower and you can stay here tonight,” he said. Daniel raised an eyebrow, Tyler didn’t ping him but maybe he was curious.

“Uhm?” Daniel said. “Are you sure –“ he continued looking from the bed and back at Tyler. Tyler shook his head a disappointed sigh escaping his lips.

“You failed test one,” Tyler said, “You don’t question me, especially when I am going out of my way to be nice you say thank you Tyler,” he recited. Everyone who mentioned Tyler Lee to him was wrong, he wasn’t intimidating or cool he was just really strange. Tyler coughed pointing to another door. “Tomorrow you’ll have your second test, don’t fail that one – What is your name?”

“Daniel” He grumbled.

“Right well then don’t fail your second test Daniel,” he said. Daniel blinked picking up his things before walking into Tyler’s ensuite. So much for Tyler Lee not noticing him.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The next morning came too quickly and a groggy Daniel was woken up by a house-elf sitting on his chest. “Rise and shine Daniel, we have things to do,” he heard Tyler’s voice from somewhere in the room. “Is this a one of a kind Gucci Sweater? Hmm, I need to get one,” he heard. Daniel groaned sitting up, much to Daniel’s relief and disappointment Tyler had expanded his room enough to fit the four-poster bed from the dorm in his room. “Oh good you are up, come on it’s breakfast time and time for your second test,” he said happily, already dressed for the day.

Daniel sighed standing up. “Accio lookbook,” he said as the lookbook Andrea had planned for him came flying at him, flipping to page one he quickly called for the pieces he needed. Tyler looked on, foot tapping impatiently. “Every day is a runway and I have endorsement deals I have to uphold,” he explained. “You can have the sweater if you want by the way.”

“I don’t need your charity Daniel Choi,” he said with a huff.

“Clearly,” Daniel said looking around, everything in this room was lavish. “I was saying thank you,” he added. Tyler hummed considering what he said.

“Well then I appreciate the offer but I will get my own,” He said. “Good you are ready,” he said clapping. Daniel frowned, was Tyler one of those mythical morning people?

“I am actually meant to be meeting up with Giselle and Pri-“ he started before Tyler raised a hand to stop him from continuing.

“They will understand,” Tyler said. “Now come on breakfast,” he said

. “Couldn’t you just get your house-elf to bring you breakfast in bed?” Daniel asked. “Which reminds me why do you have a house-elf? And your own room? Does Hogwarts really take quidditch that seriously?” he asked. “Also random question but what is a finsta?”

“I don’t eat in bed, and yes Hogwarts does take quidditch seriously,” Tyler answered as they walked through the boys dorm. “But that isn’t why I have my own room,” he said. “Hang on,” he said stopping at the door pulling his wand out muttering spell, Daniel watched as the potted plants on the floor came up over their three slipping roommates and tipped onto them. “Okay let’s go,” Tyler said.

“So,” Tyler said as they ended up in the great hall. “We will be having breakfast at the Ravenclaw table,” he said.

“I thought going to other tables was strictly forbidden,” Daniel said as Tyler turned to him looking at him as if he said something so incredibly dumb.

“Who told you that? Wait don’t answer,” Tyler said shaking his head.

“So you can go to other tables? great I need to go see my cousin,” he said trying to make his way over to the Hufflepuff table.

“What are you doing?” Tyler asked grabbing him and pulling him back. “Oh is your cousin in Hufflepuff?” he asked, Daniel nodded. “Oh no, Daniel, I am so sorry, why didn’t you tell me that no wonder you failed the first test, don’t worry I will strike it from your record, “ he said patting Daniel’s back. “But no you can’t go to that table, ever, anyway test time,” he said, dragging Daniel to three people dressed in blue.

“Hello, ladies and trolls how are we this morning?” Tyler asked. Daniel frowned wondering what this test was until he noticed, the troll in this equation, a boy with mostly black hair with blue streaks through his bangs, cat-like eyes and what seemed to be permanently pouted lips looked at Tyler with a scowl, his lips barely moving but Daniel noticed the incarnation he was muttering. Daniel muttered his own defence protecting Tyler from whatever the boy was trying to do. The boy blinked looking surprised and then finally settling on Daniel, Daniel smirked cocking an eyebrow challenging this guy to try again.

“Daniel,” Tyler said looking between Daniel and the guy. “Ignore him, this is my lovely little sister, Tara,” he said pointing to a girl, Daniel nodded he could see the family resemblance.

“Hello,” he said with a wave. Tara muttered her own hello before looking at her brother. Tyler was staring at Daniel intently which was odd. “Your brother’s really nice?” he offered trying to get Tyler to look somewhere else. He nodded seemingly happy with his praise. Maybe he wanted to prove he was a nice person. “And this is my girlfriend Min-“

“I am not your girlfriend!” The girl snapped.

“Minah,” Tyler sighed. “Don’t be rude to my friend, say hello,” he said. “She is just keeping it on the down-low,” Tyler informed Daniel. “We are actually en-“ he started before an apple was thrown at his head, luckily he managed to duck.

“Hello Minah, girlfriend not girlfriend of Tyler,” Daniel said. “Wait Minah, oh this is the love triangle, I got told about,” Daniel said. “You must be the internet guy,” he said pointing to the guy. “Sunghae,” he said nodding. “Can you make an elevator?” he asked.

“Don’t talk to him,” Tyler said pulling Daniel away, Daniel pouted he wanted an answer. Once they were away from the table. “So what do you think?”

“Well Sunghae was better at spells than Stefan and his friends but I blocked it,” he said. Tyler tilted his head. “That’s what we are talking about right?” he asked as Tyler shook his head.

“What did Sungjae try and do?” he asked, “No, never mind, what do you think of Tara and Minah? Do you think they are pretty?” he asked.

Daniel blinked, maybe he wanted to make his sister and girlfriend models?. “Yeah I guess?” Daniel offered. “I mean objectively of course, wait are you trying to set me up with your sister, oh no, sorry but that isn’t –“

“No!” Tyler snapped. “Wait why are you saying no, do you think you are too good for my sister?” he asked his eyes narrowing.

“You’re confused, I am saying I am a little too gay for your sister,” Daniel deadpanned as Tyler froze, he had to bit back a laugh as Tyler seemed to malfunction. “Is that a problem?” he asked.

“No,” Tyler said quickly, “It’s good,” Tyler nodded curtly. “Right,” he muttered. He was about to say something when a girl in a Gryffindor uniform leapt on him.

“Tyler, come have breakfast with me, I haven’t seen you all Summer,” she said, not sparing Daniel a second glance as she dragged Tyler away. Well, that was fun.

“Daniel,” He turned to see Giselle, Priya and Aspen racing towards him. “Why didn’t you wait for us in the common room?” Giselle asked with a pout. “You look cute,” she said fixing his Gucci felt cap and pulling on his tie. “Priya can charm this, it’s not the right colour,” she frowned. “Also fix his cap, make it green instead of red, we don’t want people to get confused and think he is a Gryffindork,” she said tutting.

Priya stepped forward, speaking her spells and waving her wand. “Much better,” she said. “So we were told Tyler Lee stole you away,” she said.

“And we knew they were lying,” Aspen said, Daniel glanced over at her, nose scrunching up the sight of bare skin. Crop tops were apparently a part of the Hogwarts uniform. Charming.

“Right,” Daniel rolled his eyes. “So food then and schedules, right? I am starved,” he said patting his stomach. Giselle nodded once again linking arms with him.

“So what classes did you pick?” Giselle asked as they walked back over to the Slytherin table, Daniel smirked as once glance from her once again cleared the table. She sat down pulling down beside her as Priya and Aspen sat across from them. “I hope we are in the same classes,” she said pulling out her phone. “Ugh this stupid app isn’t working,” she frowned.

“Oh, so we got our schedules by phones?” Daniel asked.

“Not really, they bought this app in last year but they can never get it working so we all end up getting it the old fashioned way,” Aspen said. “Leave the muggle tech to muggle-borns, the professors can’t do anything,” she said rolling her eyes.

“Daniel, time for a first-day selfie,” Giselle said sliding closer and taking a photo. “Oh we look so good,” she hummed as she turned her attention back to her phone. “Remember to add us to your finsta today,” she said. “I want to be able to tag you,” she said.

“Why is Sungjae Lee staring at you?” Priya asked.

“Giselle is very pretty why wouldn’t he?” Daniel asked looking at the picture of Giselle’s shoulder. “Maybe the internet god appreciates people enjoying his work,” he said as Giselle looked up beaming at him. It would seem a little bit of praise goes a long way with her.

“He is looking at you,” Aspen said.

“Oh,” Daniel said looking up to find Sungjae looking at him curiously. Daniel winked at him smirking as Sungjae suddenly looked away. Cute. “Why wouldn’t he?” Daniel asked turning back to his ‘friends’. “I am very pretty right?” he asked as the three nodded furiously.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“So we took your results from your old school,” Professor McKeon said looking down at Daniel’s results. “Exchanging them match our OWL levels, I have to say I am surprised, you have so many O’s,’ Daniel had no idea what O’s were but he nodded. “You are cleared for Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions, Ancient Runes, Divination and Muggle Studies,” he said tilting his head as he read the last class out, handing Daniel his schedule.

So what classes are you in?” Giselle said bouncing over to him. “Are you taking Astronomy?” she asked as Daniel shook his head watching as she deflated. “Give me your schedule so we can check,” she said as Priya and Aspen crowded around as well.

“Can I look at it first,” Daniel laughed, he had a class – well now, he was looking further when his schedule was promptly ripped out of his hands. Daniel looked up ready to tell Giselle off only to find Tyler looking over his schedule humming and hawing as he did so. Daniel looked at him annoyed as the girls watched with wide eyes.

“Switch Muggle Studies and Divination for Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy,” he said handing back to Daniel. Daniel blinked looking at the girls for some help but they were to busy staring at Tyler. He coughed trying to get them back to a normal state.

“Yeah you should totally change it, Daniel,” Aspen said. “Who even does Muggle studies these days?” she asked. Daniel glared at her, if she kept this up by the end of the year she would be at the bottom of the lake. Beside her, Giselle and Priya nodded.

“Hmm,” Tyler said looking at the trio with an eyebrow raised. “Ladies I believe potions is about to start,” he said to them. They nodded giggling as they scampered away, Daniel raised an eyebrow, Tyler was dismissing them and they were completely fine with it, even thankful.

“So the powderpuff girls?” Tyler said looking at them as they hurried down to the Dungeon.

“The what?” Daniel asked. “Is that what they call themselves?” he said scrunching his nose up, he could believe it. It was probably Aspen’s idea. “What does that mean?”

“It’s a muggle cartoon,” Tyler said. “I call them that and if I said they should call themselves that they would without questioning it,” he grinned. “So classes – don’t worry I’ll do it for you,” he said rolling his eyes.

“Uh you can’t,” Daniel said. “I have to take Muggle Studies, my manager said I need to be more aware of the muggle world since I work in it,” he shrugged. Tyler Lee didn’t need to know about the Bazar incident. No one did.

“Nope,” He said popping his p. “I’ll teach about the muggle world, don’t worry,” he said waving a hand dismissively.

“And why would I listen to you?” Daniel asked.

“Because –“ Tyler shrugged. “Plus it’s what friends do right? Help each other,” he said.

“We are friends?” Daniel asked. “Because you seemed kinda freaked out before,” he added.

“I don’t spend this much time with people I am not friends with and I am going to ignore how ungrateful you seem right now because I guess I didn’t handle your news that best,” he said. “You should have told me earlier instead of just springing it on me,” he said.

“I’ve known you for about what? 8 hours, when exactly would I have had time to have a heart to heart, or should I have just slipped into a conversation?” he asked.

“8 hours is a long time,” Tyler said. “And it doesn’t matter right, we are friends, you aren’t attracted to me, right? Like it’s not going to get weird?”

“Right, I am not attracted to you,” Daniel said simply, it wasn’t entirely the truth, Tyler was a good looking guy but it did seem the quickest way to end this conversation.

“Good, wait, why aren’t you attracted to me?” he asked suddenly baffled by the prospect. “I mean I saved your life last night – shirtless might I add,” he said.

“Do you want me to find you attractive?” Daniel asked.

“No, I mean – you should be though, I am hot,” he huffed.

“You’re cute and i am not sure I am into guys who try to pimp me out to their little sisters so,” Daniel shrugged.

“I did not try and pimp you out to my sister,” Tyler exclaimed. “And stop lying, I am the most attractive guy in the school but i appreciate your commitment to pretending you are not attracted to me for the sake of our budding friendship,” Tyler nodded.

“Someone is lying to themselves and it isn’t me,” Daniel said with a laugh. “And can I have my schedule back, I have classes to attend as well you know unless you got some more tests for me, which by the way what was the other test and did I pass?” he asked.

“You did but you cheated,” He huffed. “I’ll have to think of another one,” he said. “And no I need to go fix it, go to the Dungeon’s I’ll see you in potions,” he said.

“I saved you from that Sungjae though so that has to count as well,” Daniel pointed out. “Why was he trying to hit you with a jinx anyway?” he asked. “And I don’t need to change classes,” he said. “So how about give me my schedule and you go to potions,”

“I’ll let you keep Divination if you let me change Muggle Studies?” Tyler offered. “And because he is jealous of me and in love with my girlfriend,”.

“Fine and really? Priya said that Sungjae plays for my team,” Daniel said.

“You don’t play quddi- Oh you mean – no, or maybe, do you think he does?” Tyler asked.

“Well he was starring at me during breakfast, I should have eaten a banana to see if he liked the visual,” Daniel said.

“Hmm,” he said tilting his head. “If that’s true – I mean he is aiming higher than he should but –“ he said, gears turning in his head. “We’ll talk about it after class, once you sign the roommate agreement, it’s just standard rules and an NDA nothing to worry about,” he said to Daniel. “You should go to potions, if you see any guy try and sit next to Minah stun them,” he instructed before walking through the crowd that seemed to part as soon as he appeared.

Daniel hummed pulling out his phone, messaging Josh to let him know he was wrong. Daniel had made a new friend now, atleast he thought he had.

[desertdollranch]

(Mostly) DIY Addy’s accesories

For as long as I’ve had Addy by now, I’m not sure why I didn’t do this sooner, but I’ve finally managed to complete her accessories set! I decided that I really like having a full set for each of my historical characters, although it doesn’t have to be the original items. So it took a little bit of brainstorming and a few rough drafts to come up with Addy’s accessories. 

Her necklace and bonnet are the original pieces, and came with my Addy doll. I’m glad they did because I’m not sure I could reproduce her adorable straw bonnet. 

Cowrie shell necklaces and other jewelry have long been popular in western Africa. Addy’s mother mentions that this cowrie shell came all the way across the Atlantic ocean with Addy’s great grandmother Aduke. Momma puts it on one of Sam’s shoelaces for Addy to keep around her neck as a reminder of her family’s love. 

When Addy and Momma made their journey north to Philadelphia, they carried their food and water with them in kerchiefs. Mine is made with a scrap piece of this pretty rose-print cotton. I cut it into a square and hemmed the edges. It’s secured to Addy’s wrist with a clear elastic band.

Addy carried drinking water in a hollowed out gourd. I made mine by enclosing a ping pong ball with clay. I copied the original piece by painting it yellow with green streaks on the bottom. Then I glazed it with super glossy Mod Podge. 

Did you know that Addy’s accessories used to come with a real gourd? I looked at some listings on eBay to get an idea of what this should look like, and I ended up finding a few that included a card that said basically “sorry we couldn’t include the gourd, the farmers lost a lot of their crops this year, but we’ll send it as soon as we can”. Then at some point after, the real gourds were replaced with plastic ones.

One last thing in her accessories: a half dime from Uncle Solomon. “Freedom’s got its cost,” he told Addy. This was a lesson that Addy learned well, and she remembered his words when she donated the half dime to the freedmen’s fund at her church. She and Momma were doing all they could to reunite their family. Maybe it would be Poppa, Esther, or Sam who would be brought home to them because of Addy’s donation.

In Addy’s time, half dimes were made of silver and had the value of five cents. The image on one side was that of Seated Liberty, which was printed on half dimes from 1837 until 1873, when production of silver half dimes was stopped. The nickel had been introduced in 1866 as a five cent piece, and eventually fully replaced the half dime. 

My half dime was made by printing out pictures of both sides and then gluing them to a circle of foam core that I flattened out a bit. The sides are painted with silver metallic acrylic paint. I probably could have made it a little bit bigger--it’s tough keeping track of very small items! 

[drsilverfish]

15x03 Coda - Castiel in the Desert

Cas drives through the night and into the pale morning.

He has the things Sam thrust into his hands; fake IDs, credit cards, a change of clothes, a bag of weapons.

His own few possessions, the things from his life in Lebanon, Kansas, that he’d treasured: a “Welcome Home” card with a bee on it from Claire Novak, sent after he got resurrected from the Empty; the music tape Dean made him; a polaroid of Jack, leaning on the bonnet of the Impala, smiling; the T-shirt Sam printed for him which read (in Enochian) “It’s funnier in Enochian” - these, he’d left behind, a small pile on the bed in the room that had, sometimes, been his.

Sedona, Arizona, a place of red rocks and juniper trees. He doesn’t want to think too hard about why he picked this town. But, he can’t lie to himself. Some of the Westerns he watched with Dean, back when Dean seemed eager to be in his company, were filmed around Sedona. Angel and the Badman, starring John Wayne, he remembers particularly, because Dean had looked at him before they pressed “play” and said “That’s kinda you and me, huh?”.

He figures a semi ex-angel who still has some healing powers can get lost here, amongst the spiritual seekers and ley-line tourists.

It’s fall, and the yellow-greens of the oaks, the reds of the maples, against a blue sky heading into noon, are almost psychedelic in their bright potency, as he drives along the road into Oak Creek Canyon.  

Being “Steve” back in Rexburg, Idaho, after the great angel-fall, had given Cas some life-skills outside of hunting. He plans to head to the library in Oak Creek Village to create a resume. There are coffee houses, and artists’ galleries and crystal shops in this part of the world. He’s pretty sure he can find work.

He promised Sam he’d keep his phone, but its silence feels like a lead weight in his pocket. He stops the car by the creek, watching a cascade of leaves fall onto the hood, and takes off the trench coat and tie, bundling them into the back seat.

“And what visage are you in now, huh? Holy tax accountant?” he hears Dean’s voice, from long ago.

I don’t know what I am, he thinks, but not this anymore, not Heaven’s soldier and not the Winchesters’ angel - just... Cas, whoever that may be.

...........

A week later, Cas has settled on Flagstaff, thirty miles north of Sedona. His shifts at Coffee and Bagels on the NAU Flagstaff Mountain Campus don’t make rent, but he has begun to establish a lucrative side-line in tarot card readings. Although his powers crap out at odd moments, he finds he can still look into a person’s soul. He remembers his lesson, from the brothel that night before he and Dean trapped Raphael in a ring of holy oil; no sudden mentions of absent fathers. Dean’s laugh from ten years ago echoes in his memory, as if a moth has become trapped in his chest.

He still doesn’t need much sleep, so Cas’ solace becomes night-hiking in the surrounding Coconino forest and the San Francisco peaks.

The first time he decides to walk through the night, he heads for the highest point on the mountains, Humphrey’s Peak. Beneath his feet are dark roots. The pines and aspens shiver in the night air. Cas can taste the copper of the fallen leaves, hear the worms blind and joyous in the mulch underfoot, brush the sleep of Calliope hummingbirds, resting under cover of darkness on their winter migration south to Mexico.

As he reaches the treeline, there is snow and basalt underfoot, and finally, the gasp of stars he is searching for. The Milky Way, that glittering stairway to Heaven, casting her fishing net across the shoals of light in the pitch sky.

There, as the canopy of the world arches over his head he finds, heretic that he is, a voice for prayer.

He prays to his dead son, once so golden and eager in Kelly Kline’s womb.

“I’m sorry, for all the things in this world I never got to show you; roses of Jericho like desert sculptures in Judea; dancing revellers in red pvc at Battle Hymn in New York, golden monkeys with blue faces in the forests of southwestern China.”

Cas prays, not to Chuck, whom indeed he has cursed bitterly, over and over. But, as if otherwise they will shake him apart, rather, he hurls his prayers into the black holes of God’s expanding universe.

“If it is blasphemy, to have gravitated to the particular calluses of one pair of human hands; if it is blasphemy, to have carved my name onto bright bone, remade in Hell; if it is blasphemy, that no thousand-year command of garrisons in Heaven could ever compete with a single year’s savage nights in Purgatory; if it is blasphemy, I have been no more, and no less, a blasphemer.”

“And yet,” he whispers, into the cold solitude of the mountain, “if many waters cannot quench it, and neither can the floods drown it, is it not, also, holy?”

Cas stays there with his question, like some modern Prometheus, a piece of quantum infinity on the edge of finite time, until the rocks bleed out in the dawn.     

[tramptravellercom]

Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary View [  Idukki,  Kerala, India ]

Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is located 18 km north of Marayoor on SH 17 in the Marayoor and Kanthalloor panchayats of Devikulam taluk in the Idukki district of Kerala state in South India. It is one of twelve wildlife sanctuaries among the protected areas of Kerala. The Western Ghats, Anamalai Sub-Cluster, including all of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site.34 species of mammals live here, including many panthers and spotted deer, 50 -60 Indian elephants, gaur, tigers, sambar deer, common langur, bonnet macaque, Hanuman monkey, threatened Nilgiri tahr, vulnerable rusty-spotted cats and about 240 of the only vulnerable grizzled giant squirrels in Kerala. 245 species of birds including yellow-throated bulbuls. 52 species of reptiles including 29 species of snakes, Indian star tortoise and the largest population of vulnerable mugger crocodiles in Kerala live in the sanctuary. Most common of the 42 species of fishes observed in the Chinnar and Pambar rivers are Garra mullya minnows, river-carp baril, giant danio and the endangered hill stream game fish Deccan mahseer. 22 amphibian species live in the sanctuary. There are 156 species of butterflies. Recently, 101 species of spiders were discovered here.

[itswildlifesafari]

Travel Guide for Nagarhole National Park (Kabini Wild Life Sanctuary)

Travel Guide For Nagarhole

Nagarhole National Park or Rajiv Gandhi national park is located in Kodagu district of Karnataka. It is a part of Nilgiri biosphere reserve and is now under the consideration for recognition as a heritage site. The park is filled with waterfalls, hills, valleys, streams and forests. The park is famous for its rich population of animals and birds.

The park is located to the north west of Karnataka’s Nagarhole national park. The two parks are separated by the Kabini reservoir. The park gets its name from the streams. Naga means snake and hole means streams. Many wriggling streams are found in this park and, thus the name. The park has 47 streams, 41 artificial tanks, four lakes with water throughout the year, 4 perennial streams, a reservoir and a dam. There are several swamps in this region. This diverse landscape promotes the population of various species of animals and birds in this region

Nagarhole national park has the highest density of herbivores in Asia. This park is best for spotting Black panther, elephants, guar, tiger and bear..

Different Areas in the ParkThe park is located in a place where the Deccan plateau joins with the Western Ghats. The park’s altitude ranges from 680m to 1,454m.

North

– This region is bordered by Kabini river. This is the main water source of the park and many mammals can be spotted near the banks. The region receives heavy rainfall and is covered with forest. Moist deciduous forest are common here. Large herbivores are spotted easily.

South East

– This part of the park is dry and excellent spot for finding predators and also for birdwatching.

Center

– This region is famous for the Kabini backwaters. It is the best spot for finding elephants and other wildlife. Gaur and deers are common here.

West

– This region is covered with mountains, streams, waterfalls and valleys. Bamboos and sandalwoods are common in this region. Tree dwelling animals can be easily spotted here.

Flora of Nagarhole National Park

The Northern part of Western Ghats form a predominate region in the park. This region is filled with moist deciduous forests. Rosewood and teakwood are found very common in the southern part of the park. In the central part of the park, dry deciduous forests are found. Pala indigo is very common here. In the swamp regions, Eugenia trees are very common.

Other main trees found in this park are silver oak, sandalwood, teak, crocodile bark, Indian kino tree, axle wood, kadam, cotton tree, ficus, beechwood, Indian gooseberry and others. Top conspicuous tree species are clumping bamboo, flame of the forest and golden shower tree.

Fauna of Nagarhole National Park

Top animals to spot here are Bengal tiger, leopard, sloth bear, ussuri dhole, antelope, barking beer, sambar deer and elephant. You can find many jungle bison here. In places where bamboo trees are found, elephants are very common. Other common animals to spot are jungle cat, leopard cat, gray langur, civet, mongoose, bonnet macaque, Indian giant flying squirrel, hare, pangolin and others.

Nagarhole national park is famous for birdwatching too. More than 250 species of birds are found here. The birds are commonly found near the KabiniRiver. Top birds to spot are blue bearded bee-eater, Malabar whistling thrush, common osprey, duck and herons.

The park is an important bird watching spot during summer season. The artificial lakes and rivers dry into puddles, which attract many birds. Top birds to spot are white backed vulture, greater spotted eagle, Nilgiri wood pigeon, red headed vulture, blue winged parakeet, oriental white ibis, Malabar grey hornbill and others. In the dry region of the park, top birds to spot are painted bush quail, ashy prinia, Indian robin, yellow-legged green pigeon, Indian peafowl and others.

Top reptiles found in the park are muggers, common vine snake, bamboo pit viper, Indian rock python, Indian monitor lizard, common wolf snake and others. There are 96 species of dung beetles and more than 60 species of ants in the park. Most interesting ant species in the park is the jumping ant, which can jump up to one meter high.

Climate of Nagarhole National Park

Summer

: Summer starts in March and ends in May. The temperature can go higher than 30-degree C. Dehydration during trekking and other activities is very common in this season. During the summer, the artificial lake dries into puddles of water. This attracts many birds, which feed on fishes in the puddles of water. Excellent time for birdwatching.

Monsoon

: Monsoon stretches from June to September. The place receives heavy rainfall. Leeches are common in this season. Thus, keep caution while enjoying safari. The land becomes mushy and sticky during rainy season making transportation, harder. Certain safaris might be temporarily stopped during this season and certain regions would be blocked for entry.

Winter

: Winter starts in November and ends in January. The temperature can go as low as 14 degree C. Migration birds are common during this season.

Best Season to Visit Nagarhole National ParkThe best time to visit is from October to May. During this period, spotting animals and birds is easy. Travel within the park is also easier. It is better to avoid monsoon season. During heavy rain, the park might be closed for visitors.

Wildlife Safari in Nagarhole National ParkNagarhole national park provides many different types of safari experience.

Jeep safari

is the best for spotting large herbivores and predators. Top animals to spot during a jeep safari are leopard, elephant, tiger and others.

Boat safari

is available on the river Rabini. This safari is the best to spot aquatic wildlife like water birds, crocodile and others. Coracle ride is also available in the river. Coracle is an Indian round boat that is best for slow drifting. During the ride, the coracle is kept along the river to spot land animals too.

Bus safari

is available in the morning and evening. The possibility of spotting animals is higher with the bus. The bus fee is 150 INR per head. 16-20 people can travel in a bus. During peak season, the route of the bus would be shortened to avoid long queue.

Book Online Kabini Safari

Wildlife Safari Timings

Jeep safari

: from 5:30 am to 10:00 am and, from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Coracle ride

: from 9 am to 11 am and, from 5 pm to 6 pm

Bus safari

: 6 am to 9 am and, from 3 pm to 5 pm

How to Reach Nagarhole National ParkThe nearest airports are located in Mysore and Bangalore. Bangalore is the nearest international airport to the park. It is located 236 km away from Nagarhole national park. Mysore airport is located just 96 km from the park. Tourists usually enter India via Bangalore airport and then take up a connecting flight to Mysore. From Mysore airport, a lot of cabs, buses and other transportations are available to reach Nagarhole national park.

The nearest railway station is located in Mysore. The railway station is just 80 km away from the Nagarhole national park. There are train services from various parts of the country to Mysore. From the railway station, one can hire cab or bus to reach the park.

Buses to Nagarhole national park are available from Mysore, Bangalore, Madikere and others. Taxi services are also available. A taxi ride from Bangalore to the park would cost around INR 5,000 and from Mysore, the cost is approximately 2000 INR.

Why Wildtrails

Distance between major cities and Nagarhole National Park

Madikere and Nagarhole national park – 90 km

Mysore and Nagarhole national park – 80 km

Bangalore and Nagarhole national park – 220 km

Coorg and Nagarhole national park – 75 km

Coimbatore and Nagarhole national park – 288 km

Palakkad and Nagarhole national park – 235 km

Kutta and Nagarhole national park – 10 km

Book With Confidence With Wildtrails:

[original-syn]

Your Monkey Level is:

-4499 to -4000: Ring-Tailed Lemur

-3999 to -3500: Ruffed Lemur

-3499 to -3000: Indris

-2999 to -2500: Avahi

-2499 to -2000: Vereaux's Sifika

-1999 to -1500: Slender Loris

-1499 to -1000: Slow Loris

-999 to -500: Potto

-499 to 0: Bush Baby

1 to 25: Thick-Tailed Bushbaby

26 to 50: Aye-Aye

51 to 75: Western Tarsier

76 to 100: Pygmy Marmoset

101 to 125: Cotton-Top Tamarin

126 to 150: Emporer Tamarin

151 to 175: Golden Lion Tamarin

176 to 200: Goelidi's Marmoset

201 to 225: Bare-Face Uakari

226 to 250: Mat-Faced Saki

251 to 275: Black Howler Monkey

276 to 300: Red Howler Monkey

301 to 325: Spider Monkey

326 to 350: Humboldt's Woolly Monkey

351 to 375: Douroucouli

376 to 400: Tiki Monkey

401 to 425: Squirrel Monkey

426 to 450: Brown Tufted Capuchin

451 to 475: Abyssian Black & White Colobus

476 to 500: Dusky Langur

501 to 525: Hanuman Langur

526 to 550: Douc Langur

551 to 575: Silver-Leaf Monkey

576 to 600: Golden Snub Nosed Monkey

601 to 625: Proboscis Monkey

626 to 650: White-Collared Mangabey

651 to 675: Patas Monkey

676 to 700: Grey Cheeked Mangabey

701 to 725: Talapoin Monkey

726 to 750: Bonnet Monkey

751 to 775: Stump-Tailed Macaque

776 to 800: Pig-Tailed Macaque

801 to 825: Lion-Tailed Macaque

826 to 850: de Brazza's Monkey

851 to 875: Savanna Monkey

876 to 900: Long-Tailed Macaque

901 to 925: Japanese Macaque

926 to 950: Black Ape

951 to 975: Yellow Baboon

976 to 1000: Hamadryas

1001 to 1025: Mandrill

1026 to 1050: Gelada Gibbon

1051 to 1075: White Handed Gibbon

1076 to 1100: Capped Gibbon

1101 to 1125: Moloch Gibbon

1126 to 1150: Siamang Gibbon

1151 to 1175: Orangutan

1176 to 1200: Chimpanzee

1201 to 1225: Gorilla

[aquacai]

more bts retweets

FANART:

run bts! cafe

run bts ep 45 aagain

chimmy airbender

namjoon (thenoosh22)

hobi and mang cafe

bucket hats

mang catching stars

euphoria group shot

euphoria jk

shooky blue water-bottle bonnet

LY: Her on 4x4 canvas

bts coffee art!

tae singularity

tae her

michael angelo amio’s OT7 drawings

rm LY:Tear ‘R’ version

so u kno how i said (Fake Love teaser) reminded me of a video game cutscene

jin o version

shooky height lol

i like puppy

euphoria group shot

intros

spring day group shot

DNA outfit chibis

THE HOLY TRINITY IS COMPLETE!!

yoongi calmly sipping tea

i'm a new superhero AnPAnMaN

don’t fight don’t fight

Serendipity/Euphoria/Singularity

BTS - Airplane Pt.2  (her other BTS fanarts)

RM transforming JK into Cooky

JK in yellow  (more pics from OP)

180601 제이홉 hobi

lookin' good  hobi

I'm a new superhero Anpanman!

yoongi

tae, yoongs, yeontan

FANCAFE:

Hobi’s best friend note

what’s in Jin’s bag

what’s in Jungkook’s bag

what’s in tae’s bag

what’s in jimin’s bag

what’s in hobi’s bag

what’s in yoongi’s bag

what’s in namjoon’s bag

171129 Yoongi - 4th ARMY Room II Secret Note (college dropout)

180414 emotional suga 1, then 2, and then RM replying

love yourself --RM

4th ARMY | Unit Interview w/ Suga and J-hope   (Jin and RM)

CONTROVERSIAL STUFF:

formoftherapy

but namjoon

2017 army twt was so iconic lmao

One is what BTS RTed, the other is what Bang PD RTed.

ARTICLES:

review of B.T.S.

Rolling Stone: Inside BTS' 'Love Yourself: Tear,' the K-pop sensations' new LP

Korean Herald:  BTS says ‘competition within group’ is its driving force

Pitchfork album review for LY:Tear (7.1/10)

Why We Need To Rethink Our ‘Criticism’ Of BTS And K-Pop

Another article analyzing BTS's road to success in great detail

OFFICIAL TWEETS:

BIGHIT’S RESPONSE: Thank you for your kind words.

BTS you’re our shining star, arigato, otsukare (ft. v+hope)

FUNNY/CUTE ARMY TRENDS:

#WeArePartofBangtan

#BTSGlitchParty

#iARMY_We_PURPLE_U  (K-Diamonds thanking us for BB200)

THEORIES:

TV, cameras, recorders, viewing pieces, etc.

sma 2018 dragon + koi fish symbols

smeraldo

Glitches in RUN MV

My guess is this will be the order for the intros.

Reset Theory (kookminvasion) [pacheck nga kung kasama nato]

할매님 unison_twt 's theory on BU logo translation

Jin’s earpiece

Jin left Jimin alone so the others can be happy

They are in deep sleep & these are experiments for on their consciousness

LY:WONDER:

this time is Jungkook the one who run to his hyungs and reach them

Euphoria x Prologue parallels

Jin told them about everything but he didn’t tell them about hitting jungkook with the car

Smeraldo is a flower that can induce Euphoria: a theory

Everything is connected

so after everyone died in the original timeline jin meddled with some form of timetravel...

fuck does this scene explains why jimin woke up to an empty bed next to him in lie teaser?   because hoseok left the hospital without him?

the flower hasn’t bloomed yet in love yourself: wonder...

I was really surprised to find Hobi (in this scene that was Taehyung's) so I went back to look at the personal teaser; Taehyung and Hoseok's symbols merge

theres two cups , so yoongi was not really alone

BTS & ‘The Butterfly Effect’ Lesson: Happiness At A Cost?

I think Euphoria was the sensation that Jin felt when he first "fixed" things...

SINGULARITY:

OK BUT THE CONTRASTING INTROS WERE FORESHADOWED IN DNA

bang pd-nim in the MV HAHA

If you look closely, you can see that it's just paint at the start

TEA:

hypocrisy re:BBMAs performance

“BTS sound is westernized”

SK president’s letter to Bangtan and ARMY

LY:TEAR

So 'O' concept seems to represent, at least in part, performance or the stage.

love yourself tear, literally

the 3rd track’s name translates to “sincerity that couldn’t be delivered,”...

It means that the highlight reels are all ‘fake love’

"People bring behavioral samples of the kinds of things they want to PURCHASE or to DISPOSE of."

Are the boys in Group Therapy and the Magic Shop is the therapy model used for them?

i finally got around to typing out the FULL breakdown of the editing behind the teaser

Fake Love Teaser Theories/Analysis

Their fears from 'fake love'

A sadder and scarier interpretation of #FAKE_LOVE : a thread

FAKE LOVE is their moment of realization that the love they've received was not real.

jungkook was the one controlling everything that went on in fake love

magic shop’s role in the album

YEONTAN

1800606 vid

[lindoig1]

Driving to Tehran   Day 27

Did I speak too soon?

We had a pleasant drive to Tehran today. It took almost 7 hours, but an hour of that was caused by our poor driver getting lost again in the chaotic maze that seems to be normal here. We eventually arrived after circumnavigating most of the city a couple of times and the driver was probably as relieved as we were. I hope he manages to find his way out to wherever he intends to stay tonight.

A couple of ad hoc observations largely unrelated to the drive, but prompted by our drive out of Isfahan and into Tehran. Right through Asia, I have been really impressed with the extensive parkland beside the roads in the cities, with sometimes very extensive gardens in the middle of divided roads too. In Australia, we have plenty of parks, but they are destinations - you have to go to them. Here, they are more in the nature of routes - they are just there, right on the main roads into the very centre of the cities. They are well-patronised and are wonderful cool green oases amid the turmoil of daily life, lots of big shady trees, water features (not sure where the water comes from in the deserts), lawns, gardens and paths, always spotlessly clean and tidy. Listen up Australia!

In several places we have been, particularly Isfahan, there are more than enough steps, but the risers are enormous, making them very steep - quite impossible for anyone with a mobility issue and even a bit of a challenge for us young people sometimes. We asked about it and were told that it was a deliberate policy to save on construction materials - but if they saved much more, they wouldn’t need to build anything at all because anything they built would be inaccessible anyway.

We also commented on the almost complete absence of safety gear - crash helmets, use of seat belts, etc., but also larger things like no protective scaffolding around high rise construction sites. It turns out that helmets are compulsory so we asked about enforcement. It is pretty weak and helmets are at the bottom of the heap. The fine is trivial, but the vehicle is confiscated for a week. For most other traffic offences (and driving/riding against the traffic is very common), if you happen to be the unlucky one in a million that gets pinged, you lose your vehicle for at least 3 months. Not sure about speeding, but there must have been a pair of cops with a radar gun every 15 or 20 clicks right along the 400+ km drive we had today. Everyone seems to speed excessively, but maybe the radar guns are faulty. I only saw one vehicle that had been stopped.

We actually saw lots of cars stopped, but not by the police. Most had the bonnets up with sad-looking people peering inside. But the saddest one was a Blue Mule that lost a front wheel and careened into the retaining fence, spilling the mountain of watermelons he was carrying all across the road. Most had burst open causing a horrendous mess that they were trying to sweep off the road with hundreds of cars screaming past at high speed. It could well have been some poor farmer’s entire year’s crop and I felt very sorry for him and his family.

Did I hear someone ask what a Blue Mule was? There are probably millions of them in Iran. They are mainly Nissan Zamyad pickups - big utes or small trucks invariably painted bright blue. They are the workhorse of Iran and you are very rarely out of sight of at least one or five. They mostly look to be wrecks, but carry absolutely ginormous loads, often towering more than twice the height and extending well beyond both sides of the vehicle. They started out as Nissan Juniors in 1953, but they eventually went out of production and Iran took up the challenge and now builds them itself under various brand names, but they are ubiquitous clapped out jalopies that keep the national economy in business. Just happens that they are all painted bright blue.

Back to the drive today..... it was through very dry desert with just occasional areas of irrigated green. From horizon to horizon it was dead flat except for the mountains! I mentioned this on the train into Isfahan, but it was even more marked today. There were no trees and where there was any vegetation, it was all less than half a metre high. It must be some of the least productive land we have seen since we left home. Did I say that it is flat, totally flat. But the mountains were spectacular - can we come up with some better words? We drove right through the mountains for an hour or so, but nearly all the way to Tehran, there were huge areas of quite high mountains, serried rows one behind the other lost in a whitish-grey haze that blanketed everything all day. The colours were remarkable from total black through every conceivable shade of grey, brown and yellow, creams, beiges, fawns - all those fancy colours that I can’t identify, through to some occasional white areas. Never saw much red, very little green and the only blues were in the sky and the thousands of Blue Mules. But the mountains took every shape imaginable, bulging and bristling, rugged and rocky, jagged peaks, bladeless for the most part with just an occasional straggly bush, dramatically dead, horribly harsh, a little alliteration the only thing sprouting! The rock strata was often so convoluted, one mountain had an almost circular twist of hard rocky strata adorning its side, but there seemed no end to the twists and turns the mountains and valleys formed. One could not help but wonder at the ancient forces that wrought such astounding formations and the eons of erosion that brought them to their present shapes. And they went on astonishing us for hundreds of kilometres.

We stopped about midway for lunch. It wasn’t quite MacDonalds, but its Iranian equivalent. Heather had fries, I ordered a hot dog - it was a Mastiff or a Russian Hunting Dog, I think. It was mammoth and with the best will in the world, I managed about half of it. Be careful what you wish for! It was the first western food we have seen, but it was huge even by western standards. We have been totally uninspired by the food, particularly since we left Beijing. It is OK, but the choices are narrow and tend to replicate themselves. They are all pretty bland too and we are hanging out for something quite different so lunch was a taste treat, despite the very few choices and difficulty in selecting from an Iranian menu. Dinner tonight will be a local version of spag bols - I wonder how they will corrupt that!

Anywhere there is a town, even a tiny village, there are domes and towers. Not sure that they are always mosques, but they stand out from all the single storey buildings around them. We have certainly seen many substantial shopping centres, down to quite small roadside stalls that appear to use them as ornamentation, perhaps for advertising, marketing differentiation, signs of (false) piety to attract custom, or whatever. The domes are usually silver or gold, some are ‘turquoise turbans’, but I also saw a couple that looked like terracotta today. The towers are more varied, usually towering (naturally!) over their surrounds with a variety of tops. Some are obviously minarets, but there are many different designs - the spice of life. But anywhere there is more than a handful of houses, there seems to be this reflection of Islam, whether as a symbol of Islam or a take-off for baser commercial purposes.

The traffic in Tehran is perhaps even more crazy than we have seen so far. The main roads seem mainly to be 3 lanes, each perhaps 2.5 or 3 metres wide and it is sometimes difficult to get the 7 or 8 cars and trucks abreast to fit into the space, causing great consternation on the part of the more aggressive. It constantly amazes me how fast and smoothly traffic flows. Everyone must know the exact width of their vehicles because passing at speed with less than a centimetre or so on either side seems almost obligatory. They must also have boundless confidence that when they move from one chaotic line of cars to another 4 or 5 lines across, all other vehicles will give way - and they do! In traffic travelling at 80 or 90 kmh, the distance to the car in front is rarely more than half a car length and the two-wheelers take constant advantage of that and zip through at great speed. We saw what looked like two very minor scrapes today - but there should have been at least 2000.

Exceedingly poor internet here again. Spent an hour or so trying to find a better arrangement this arvo, but alas, no go. Interestingly, the hotel’s instructions on how to get online if you have trouble say to go online to their server site and do it from there. How do I go online to do that if the reason I need to do it is because I can’t get online? And one additional little factor is that their server site is blocked by the great Islamic Firewall.

Have now eaten and are back in the room. The spag bols was OK, but uninspiring. Maybe we need to look for a Maccas?

There is some rather violent thunder happening outside at present. It would be nice if it rained to cool things down and banish the worst of the fog, but the forecast is still for fine and 32. Oh well, we can’t change that!