#I think he's doing coding now I haven't caught up with him in years

[royalarchivist]

Aimsey: I was gonna say your talent is the - the hand - I can't do the - the hands thing.

Ranboo: What my, what my - me being able to clap with one hand? *claps with one hand* Look at that.

Chat:

#Aimsey #Ranboo #IRL #I was just editing a clip watching Aimsey's stream; glanced up; and saw this #and just. Stared in horror a little bit #So uh. Did you guys know they could do that. Because I sure didn't #also tumblr is FINALLY letting me do image descriptions #every time before now it would break or completely screw up the post if I tried to add it #looks like it's working now (for me anyways) #On a completely unrelated note Ranboo has really pretty hands! I never noticed that #reminds me of an old classmate I had #we all said he had such pretty hands he could be a hand model #I think we embarrassed him a bit by saying that so we never brought it up again #but it's true! #I could totally imagine that classmate doing a photoshoot for like rings or something idk #I think he's doing coding now I haven't caught up with him in years #anyways you guys should watch this VOD Aimsey is such a good host #I can't wait to see more of his stuff for this project

[chirpsythismorning]

Skam show-runner Julie Andem clocking the fuck out of Mike being queer-coded in s1 of Stranger Things, and then using it as inspiration to queer-code Isak in s3 of Skam can be something so epic.

THIS! THIS is what I'm talking about!

In ST, there are two scenes in s1 (pretty/still pretty) that milkvans use as irrefutable proof that Mike has always had romantic feelings for El, with the primary object in the scene being a mirror.

THIS. MEANS. SOMETHING.

Mirrors in film mean something more often than not, but especially when they are the focus of a scene is when they definitely mean something. And the way they go about it differently in between those two scenes in ST, drastically differently, and considering the subject matter is very very queer coded, is how you really know there is a significance in this case.

And that scene above from Skam proves it.

Because apparently, another filmmaker watched ST, picked up on those odd details surrounding Mike and said shit I'm gonna use that...

Notice how Isak here, a gay teenager who is fully in denial with others and himself, to the point where he makes really homophobic remarks often, gets caught denying a bunch of girls as being attractive in a conversation with his friends. And so now they're questioning him and making him feel on edge bc the focus is on him and his attraction (lack thereof) to girls.

While his friends aren't even implying he is gay in this moment, it's just them genuinely being confused why he doesn't think any of the girls they think are attractive are attractive, you can still see that Isak starts to feel the pressure and so he latches onto the first girl he thinks of, Emma.

Emma just so happens to look like Natalie Portman with her extremely short hair.

Low and behold this very girl enters the room shortly after he says this and so now Isak has to face this and give his friends the impression he is fully interested in this girl, otherwise they would DEFINITELY suspect something is off. And so he goes all out.

He outs himself.

He literally says Don't you look like that boy from Stranger Things, and then follows it up with saying he would only be attracted to her if we're assuming he is attracted to boys, only to quickly backtrack and start to approach her really flirtatiously, then going all out by making out with her.

As this happens, he is kissing her in the bathroom, in front of a mirror...

Now I want to make clear, I am not saying ST was inspired by Skam. I'm pretty sure I did make that clear, it's actually the other way around, which is even more incriminating arguably.

S1 of Stranger Things came out in 2016, whereas s3 of Skam came out the following year in 2017. The hype for ST was so immense, to the point where you had Norwegian teens referencing it in everyday conversation.

The creator of Skam took scenes from ST that framed Mike very peculiarly in s1, and used it as queer-coding for a character that ended up being revealed as gay.

For those that haven't seen Skam Norway... Run. Leap. Drive. Teleport. Do what you have to do and go watch it. It's not available on any streaming, in fact it's only available online through fan-sites outside of where it's based. Conveniently, all 4 seasons with English subs can be found HERE.

Basically this show is amazing and you need to watch it. Some seasons I like more than others. But the gist of it is that every season focuses on a different character from the main group, where they experience some sort of misunderstanding/miscommunication that leads to them being misinformed about certain things, followed by them making mistakes and having doubts, though it tends to end in a way that feels so refreshing compared to what we're used to.

Skam also translates in english to shame, so the idea is that there is an arc surrounding some form of shame every season.

With Isak in particular, he's the focus for s3, though his arc starts to become more clear as early as the end of s1.

Eva, the character in focus for s1, borrows Isak’s phone to call someone, and ends up seeing that there's gay porn in a bunch of his tabs on his browser. Their friend Noora also witnesses this and she ends up being the focus of s2.

Throughout s2, we get even more blatant hints that Isak is gay and in love with his best friend...

So it's established pretty early on throughout the series that Isak is queer and in denial about it, but it isn't until s3 that he himself is able to confront it.

The way they go about this arc, with Isak having unrequited feelings, is exactly how ST would have done it IF Mike hadn't returned Will's feelings.

So if you're looking for more byler proof, go watch this show and see how they don't let Isak pine over his best friend Jonas for more than 2 seasons.

When the story finally puts Isak at the forefront, they give him his own love interest instead of keeping him pining for his friend. It's really pure and amazing and TBH I would have been fine if ST was framed this way, with it being clear from the beginning Isak's feelings were unrequited, and with the other half of the series focusing on him moving on and finding love himself, and also with his best friend and him still being very close.

Although Isak has that queer-coding from the very beginning, with him looking at his friend all fondly, he is still not able to confront any of it. The following season he dates a girl and is a little over the top about it, though we can also see that he is struggling despite not wanting to face it. It isn't until s3 when the story shows us his inner struggle at the forefront, that we see him finally confront it and accept it.

For those that don't know, Skam also loosely inspired the Nick Nelson gay test scene... So we have character that despite showing many signs of being queer, to the point where we know he literally watched gay porn, is still finding himself in a situation where he's taking gay tests 2 years later....

While he might have the knowledge deep down, he was not willing to face it. In fact he was doing everything he could to avoid confronting it.

But then he falls in love and suddenly it's not something he can ignore anymore...

#byler #stranger things #mike wheeler #isak valtersen #skam norway #this show is sooo good please watch #mike experiencing queerness at a young age #not understanding it #not willing to confront it #until he starts having feelings for a boy #and how those feelings play a crucial role in Mike confronting and accepting his queerness #and when in s5 he finally faces it and accepts it and can finally pursue Will the way he wants to #out and proud #we’ll see him finally being happy and true to himself #instead of grouchy and distant

[respectthepetty]

A Question about MaxTul !!!

I hear you’re abit of a fan??

SO, please can I ask what your fave Maxtul scenes are that they have done across their shows!!!

Also, do you think we will get them in something again?

Anon, once again, you are not to blame for Tul's departure from acting. This is on me. I put all my eggs kidneys in the Transplant (Manner of Death x Triage) basket.

I am a huge fan of MaxTul, and as the saying goes, I'd rather have had witnessed their amazing chemistry than have never known them at all. I'm straight clownin' but I'm going to still hope for them to star in Transplant for as long as I live. It could happen thirty years from now when Tul retires from his career in real estate and development. I can wait like that woman in Titanic. It doesn't matter when I get it as long as I get it. Are you listening, Tul?

To your ask - I enjoy every MaxTul scene, but since you are making me pick favorites (what is with y'all forcing me to choose between all the things I love?!) . . .

Top Ten MaxTul Scenes

#10 - PRIDE - MaxTul

This is the only actual MaxTul propaganda I will regularly tote out that has nothing to do with a series because it isn't even from a show. It's just them being them. In 2021, they released a handful of photos for Pride, and I love them for it.

#9 - Club Kiss - Manner of Death

The way the lights dance around them while Tan holds Bun's neck as their heads align with each other is beautiful. The director created magic with that shot and my shitty GIF does not do it justice.

#8 - Confession - Together With Me

Before Pat whispered "no" on that rooftop in Bad Buddy, and Win told Team to "be brave about it" in Between Us, Korn asked Knock if "the love I have for you, doesn't it give you courage? Courage to love a man like me?" and I haven't left that bedroom since. That's some Grey's Anatomy level of line delivery, and it hit me straight in my heart where it still resides six years later.

#7 - Rain & Umbrellas - Together With Me

I doubt Knock and Korn did the "comfort the other person under the protection of an umbrella while it rains" trope first, but they did it the best, and now every time I see it in a BL, my heart grows a little more each time.

#6 - "You smell so good" - Manner of Death

This is actually parallel scenes, but they are my favorites because in the first scene, Tan told Bun he smelled good, yet Bun quickly walked away in disgust. The next time it happened, Bun told Tan he smelled good right after they broke into a truck to steal a laptop, and in the midst of that adrenaline rushing through their bodies, Tan did not hesitate to take Bun's confession as an invitation, and sexed his man up ALL NIGHT! Blessed.

#5 - Getting caught - Together With Me: The Next Chapter

Knock and Korn finally got back together and were doing what they do best - BEING VERS! - when surprise surprise, their friends were chilling outside watching them figure out their next position move. Their friends were checking up on them after their big blowout, but instead their friends got to see them blow each other's backs out. Blessed times two.

#4 - Not getting caught - Manner of Death

Tan and Bun had to get out of the hospital before the police caught them, so the entire hospital staff helped them escape on a gurney because ACAB! But even in their dire situation, Tan was still flirting with Bun and trying to make a move on him to much of Bun's frustration. No matter the time or place, Tan proved he wanted his man, carnally.

#3 - Engagement - Bad Romance

First off, Bad Romance aired before Together with Me, but timeline-wise actually happens between Together with Me and Together with Me: The Next Chapter, yet in reality IT MAKES NO SENSE.

The boys were color-coded in this series (and lightly in the other two), and the attached image is their color exchange. Yep, that's right! Korn (Max) is the Blue Boy and Knock (Tul) is the Red Rascal, and Knock lived up to that label in Bad Romance. Knock wanted to be out, and Korn had to be in the closet, then Knock kissed another dude, yet all ended with Korn proposing to Knock in front of all their friends (while wearing pink!). A mess, but it is my beloved mess!

#2 - Wedding - Manner of Death

I did not think we would get a happy ending out of Manner of Death. When shots were fired in the tenth episode, I was screaming! And yet the boys not only survived everything they went through, THEY GOT MARRIED! Thailand has not legalized marriage equality yet, so for the whole team to say "Fuck it! We gonna do it anyway" in 2020 was the rainbow sprinkles on top of this bomb-ass sundae of a series!

#1 - Husbands - Triage

This one-minute cameo wins. This is my everything, and I will cling to forever regardless if my clown ass gets Transplant or not. We saw the boys get together as Knock x Korn in Together With Me. We watched them get engaged in Bad Romance. We witnessed them fall apart and come back together in Together with Me: The Next Chapter. We got to see them grow up and get married as Tan x Bun in Manner of Death. And we celebrated them as HUSBANDS in Triage.

So if Triage really was MaxTul's final outing together, I'm glad I got to go along for the entire journey, from the chaotic beginnings of a drunken one-night stand to the grand finale of committed husbands. The boys gave us a hell of a ride (pun intended).

*I'm gonna cry*

#MaxTul #Manner of Death #Bad Romance the series #Together With Me #Together With Me: The Next Chapter #I'm gonna go cry now #I'm on the tenth stage of grief #max nattapol #tul pakorn

[karamazovposting]

On Ivan and bipolar disorder (part two)

Before continuing from where I left off in part one I have to say something: I go over some heavier stuff in here. Nothing that isn't already present in the book and that I haven't seen mentioned in other people's metas, but I still want to give you a heads up: the main focus of part two is suicide/suicidal ideation and childhood trauma. I mean, this is a The Brothers Karamazov meta about a bipolar coded character so I think you all already knew these things were going to be in here, but I think that if you have bipolar disorder or are close to someone who has it some things could be upsetting or remind you of some unpleasant (to put it mildly) experiences. Writing certain things hits me at least (though not in a triggering way), but I think it's important to touch certain topics as they are core topics when it comes to bipolar disorder and it's impossible to talk about it without going over the ugly stuff. I've also been on meds and in therapy for years and I'm doing fairly well in life now so that's all in the past. Anyway don't worry, this is the only part of this essay that includes these topics.

This said, here's what I'll go over in this post: mostly what Ivan says in The brothers get acquainted, Rebellion, and The Grand Inquisitor, focusing more on the former two than the latter, as I personally find a particular passage of The brothers get acquainted to be one of the most beautiful and bipolar things I've ever read and we need to talk about Rebellion to further understand Ivan's inner world. The Grand Inquisitor isn't really that useful in this case but there's one thing that caught my attention.

As I already said in part one, The brothers get acquainted is the chapter that made me decide that Ivan is bipolar coded. I've even written a specific part of it down and read it to my therapist because I am, in fact, clinically insane. At this point I don't think I can hide how biased I am anymore, not that I ever really tried anyway, so I'll start by saying that this is my favorite part of the whole book. It may seem strange because it seems like such a small and simple chapter: it's not The Grand Inquisitor, it doesn't have the dreamlike atmosphere of Cana of Galilee or the chaotic passion of Delirium; it's not the courtroom scene or the epilogue. No one's getting murdered or hallucinating the devil or getting falsely accused, just Ivan talking about himself and letting us see his humanity like we had never before. We get to know him in the same way and at the same time his own brother does.

Why is this, in my opinion, the most crucial passage? What does it tell us? This is the first window on Ivan's inner world we get and the first thing it tells us, through Alyosha, is that there's a significant gap between how other people see Ivan and how he actually is. I mean, we already had a glimpse of that in the previous chapters through Miusov, Dmitri and even Fyodor, but Ivan was never there. The difference here is not only that Ivan is present, but also that Alyosha managed to see right through him in a way the others didn't, and it's telling that Alyosha asks Ivan if he'll get angry and feel insulted after hearing what he picked up on, considering that it's just that Ivan is after all a regular twenty-three year old. Alyosha even tells him he's nice! The thing is that Alyosha thinks that to Ivan the offense wouldn't be in what he managed to see in him, but in the fact that he managed to see it in the first place. I think I'll go over this and the other characters' perception of Ivan in part three because it doesn't really fit with this part's themes and also I have a feeling this post will get long even without it (sorry!).

Ivan is not angry at all though, he's amused and he takes this opportunity to open up; after all he did say he wanted Alyosha to get to know him (and viceversa!). I think it's important to note that he ends up pretty much monologuing for three chapters straight, almost as if he's used to bottling up his feelings and keeping his thoughts to himself (I'm pretty sure it's actually stated somewhere that he does, I had some little notes I wrote in my phone mentioning something like that but my notes app crashed before I could save them and I can't for the life of me find it in the book, but I swear it's there).

Here we get to see Ivan's rather unusual attitude towards life: he's not actively suicidal in that moment, but he doesn't exclude the possibility of suicide later in life, and not only this is a very bipolar feeling on its own, but the origin of this feeling and the way he explains his reasons also are. Ivan is very tired, both physically and mentally, it's stated multiple times through the novel, but he doesn't necessarily hate life even though he has mixed feelings towards it; on one hand he says there is no kind of misery, no matter how deep, capable of making him want to stop living (after all, bipolar disorder is all about bouncing back up no matter what), but on the other hand he's repulsed by life and that's why he describes his lust for it as inconvenient and against logic. He wants to live but he hates that he wants to live and he knows he'll eventually get tired of it and just quit, and it's something he feels very strongly, all of it. The thing that really sticks out to me and that struck me is that his passive suicidal ideation is very thought out (unlike Dmitri's which feels more impulsive to me but that's another story for another post), like he's gone through miserable periods of his life several times (I mean, the narrator does also say it) and he came to the conclusion that yes, this is bearable, but only for a limited number of years. He says he asked himself a thousand times if it's worth it and after a thousand times he gave himself the illusion of choice: I will kill myself but I won't succumb to my misery, I'll just be too tired to keep living, it will be my choice. With Ivan (just like with bipolar disorder in general) it's all about control and it's something that hits very close to home to me to the point I had to stop reading to stare at the wall and go he gets it. He really does, this is a very common sentiment and experience among people with bipolar disorder and that's why it's sadly one of the mental disorders with the highest suicide rate (and most historical figures with bipolar disorder I know about actually did die by suicide). The constant up and down is exhausting and that's exactly the feeling Ivan's words gave me, he describes the bipolar experience so well I was genuinely impressed considering The Brothers Karamazov was written and is set in the second half of the 1800s, when psychiatry and psychology were just starting to be born. I think it's also important to mention that he doesn't really give himself much time either: he's only twenty-three and he set his own life to end at thirty. It's only seven years, but seven years can seem like an infinite amount of time when you have to deal with what we have to, especially if we consider my interpretation of Ivan and his childhood. What do I mean by that? I mean that this is about to get interesting (and kind of personal).

Now, in the past almost two-hundred years, no one has still figured out the exact cause of bipolar disorder as the exact mechanism behind it is still unclear (to the point we don't even know why the meds used to treat it work, we just know that for some reason they do) but it mostly comes down to two factors: genetic and environmental. It's usually a mix of the two and it's most likely that once again it varies between individuals, but a very common bipolar experience is the one of a traumatic and overwhelming childhood: many of us had to deal with a mentally ill parent growing up due to the genetic factor and many of us went through so much stress and trauma that the end result could be nothing but bipolar disorder. And this is where Ivan's character stumbles in: I think his protectiveness towards children and his impossibility to accept their suffering stem from his impossibility to accept his own traumatic childhood. Let's be clear, all four brothers had a traumatic childhood, but Ivan seems to be the one who's most impacted by it. Dmitri was abandoned by his mother at the age of three and his father forgot about him (just like he forgot about Ivan and Ivan also seems deeply affected by that considering how he reacts when Fyodor doesn't remember Aleksej's mother was also his own), Pavel never got to know his due to her death in childbirth, and Aleksej's only memories of his mother are fuzzy and dreamlike, which leaves Ivan as the only one who actually has clear memories of his mother: an ill woman who probably couldn't take care of him and his little brother properly because of that and who died young (very traumatic for a child); he probably still remembers her screams. There's a very well written post about how each brother was affected by their respective missing mother figure so I won't go into that because there's no need and it doesn't really fit in here, but I think this is a very important part of Ivan's life that also obviously reflects in his adulthood (again, I'll talk about it in the future), and that we have to take into consideration as an example of what kind of pain a child has to go through to turn out a certain way.

But why am I saying this? I'll be honest with you: mere projection. Ivan's words on the injustice of children's suffering resonated with me so much, especially in relation to his refusal to accept God's existence in a world that allows such things to happen. As you probably figured, I'm an atheist myself and I am for the same reasons he is. There's a quote by Sylvia Plath, who also had bipolar disorder: I talk to God but the sky is empty. I won't elaborate because I don't feel like this is the place, but I relate to it a lot and I think it's applicable to Ivan as well. Mind you that I'm not here to talk about religion, I mean no disrespect and I wouldn't have mentioned my atheism if it hadn't been relevant, so please don't say anything unnecessary about that.

My projection went even further when I realised that Ivan is young (we're the same age actually!), what business does he have to be talking like that? Why does he talk like that but his brothers don't? But I also talk like that so here's that and here's connecting the dots, as I started doing a couple paragraphs ago.

Symptoms of bipolar disorder on average start manifesting during early adulthood, which checks out because Ivan is twenty-three. But he already seems to have a lot of experience "on the field" and it's unusual for someone that age, so it got me thinking a lot, mostly about my own experience. I was "lucky" enough (I still haven't figured out if I'm being sarcastic or not, as it can be both a blessing and a curse, how ironic) to develop symptoms way earlier than the usual onset age of twenty-five, which led me to being diagnosed and starting treatment as a teenager (blessing, the earlier you start treatment the more effective it is on the long run), but which also means I was a terrified child fighting for my life on a daily basis (curse, for obvious reasons) and I thought that maybe Ivan's background could be similar to mine considering what I said earlier about his very strong feelings towards the suffering of children; it's still projection but at least it makes sense. I genuinely don't know how common this experience is, apparently cases like mine are quite rare (I've had this disorder for most of my life), so I guess I also take some sort of comfort in Ivan's character due to this.

And with that, we're done with both The brothers get acquainted and Rebellion, so where does this leave The Grand Inquisitor? As I said earlier, there isn't much to say about it in my opinion when it comes to the point I'm trying to make, but there is one particular thing that I noticed: Ivan thanks Alyosha for listening to him, he thanks him for caring. I found it very sweet but also quite sad and I think it's useful insight about how Ivan lives his life and his relationships with other people. If everything goes as planned, part three should be mostly focused on that and Ivan's particular (and partially self-inflicted) loneliness (which is also tied to how other people perceive him, I already mentioned that, I know) so I won't talk about it now. I also want to highlight that Ivan makes a joke! It's not the usual kind of joke he makes though, as we previously see that Ivan's humor consists mostly of taking the piss out of people he doesn't particularly like or agree with, this time he makes a lighthearted joke about his poem that isn't at the expense of anyone ("that's plagiarism") and he's even described as being delighted in that moment. I personally found that cute and I think we don't talk about this side of Ivan enough.

I'll stop here because I think I covered everything I wanted to regarding these particular parts of the book. I'm not completely satisfied with this, but I got stuck for days because it was a little hard for me to write this part, I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible because I had to treat matters I'm sensitive about (hence the slight change of tone between this and my other posts, I noticed and I hope it wasn't too depressing, I tried throwing in some humor here and there), so I wrote in as little sittings as possible and I barely gave this a couple rereads, sorry. It feels more emotional than part one, which is something I am not a fan of but I'm not surprised and there isn't much I can do about it (other than fix my own discomfort with human emotions I guess but I'm working on it). I wanted to write this but at the same time I didn't but there was no way for me to completely exclude my personal experience as it's the main reason why I saw what I saw in Ivan and I'm writing this essay in the first place, but please don't dwell too much on it. I managed to edit most of it out anyway but still.

I wanted to go over Ivan's implied problem with alcohol as well and also the comparison with Dmitri (I mentioned him at the beginning for this reason) because I see the two of them as being two sides of the same coin, but I didn't really know how to include them (I think I'll briefly talk about the former in one of the next parts but I'm not sure how or when) and then I realised these topics can be treated together (as I think they're related) in a separate and more elaborate post that is not part of this essay, so look forward to that (and the rest of this long ass thing).

#writing this was a pain in the ass because I had to Expose Myself to a certain degree and I hate doing that #but now that I'm done I can finally move on to the other parts of the essay that don't make me think about my own life #the brothers karamazov #ivan karamazov #bipolar ivan karamazov agenda #thoughts #mine

[kurisus]

So you love noragami we all love it any reading recs of things like it? Or that you just like?

YES!!!!!

So I have to preface this by saying there's nothing quite like Noragami. And there is nothing wrong with rereading Noragami over and over. But I still have a lot of recs that give Vibes or in general make me Feel Emotions, so here's a non-exhaustive list.

Anime/Manga:

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya. I've been saying for years that Fruits Basket is Noragami if it was a shoujo. It deals with the same cycles of abuse and an outsider who tries to break them with pure compassion that Noragami does, although it's much more of a drama than a fantasy. Just watch it and think of Yato as the Zodiac cat. I rest my case.

Fullmetal Alchemist (Fullmetal Alchemist) by Hiromu Arakawa. Chances are you've read or seen this already but it's objectively a masterpiece by any standard you care to use. Whether you like shounen fights, deeply emotional interpersonal relationships, political dramas about war and revolution, fantasy based on Greek myth, or anything else, FMA balances them all perfectly (another thing it has in common with Noragami). I love it so much.

Code Geass. This may seem like a wildcard pick but I rewatched Code Geass a few years ago and realized there are a lot of shared elements (like, Suzaku and Kazuma are the same guy). I may be delusional but it's hands down one of the most insane anime I've ever seen, in a good way. Like how FMA and Noragami balance a bunch of genres, Code Geass is a mecha action anime, a school slice of life, a political drama, and a Shakespearean tragedy all at the same time.

Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto. Again this may be one you're familiar with, but after I caught up on Part 1 of the manga I was so deeply wounded I had to start thinking about Noragami again (which is a worse idea). Chainsaw Man is much more of a Shounen™ than Noragami is, and I still maintain that the saddest parts of Chainsaw Man are like happier Noragami chapters, but it's a very good story and one that also has a lonely, cast-out protagonist who craves human affection but has no idea how to get it (and when he does, it's ripped away from him).

Durarara by Ryohgo Narita. In the anime adaptation, pretty much the entire voice cast is shared between it and Noragami (in the Japanese dub). It is a very weird story about a lot of weird people who are competing to be The Most Normal Person In Ikebukuro, a task which they all fail at spectacularly. It doesn't have much in common with Noragami aside from the voice cast but I love it so I recommend giving it a watch (or reading the light novels if you're feeling adventurous).

Link Click. This is a donghua (Chinese anime) about time travel and it steadily drives me more insane the longer I think about it. The three main characters have such lovely relationships with each other and the emotions go OUCH every time. It's a little harder to pinpoint the connection with Noragami here, but it is a story about the things people will do for love. The writing is crazy good especially considering it's not based on a novel or comic; I haven't seen an anime-original with writing this good since Code Geass.

Not a specific anime but the other week I thought about, what if Yuki Kajiura had been the composer for Noragami? Her style suits its aesthetic so well so now whenever I watch something she wrote for, I yearn.

Books:

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir. If you've looked at my blog at all in the last 2 years you'll know I am very sane over this book series. I actually made a Venn diagram comparing it to Noragami a while back, but the gist of it is that they deal with a lot of similar themes such as love, death, and the curse of immortality. It also has soooo many messy and complicated relationships and twists that leave your jaw on the floor. You can also use the worldbuilding to put your blorbos into and it's very fun for giving yourself Thoughts. For example I've done it both ways by putting the Noragami characters into the TLT universe and the TLT characters into the Noragami universe. Both are very painful.

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint by Sing-shong. I'm not done reading this yet (about 2/3 through), but the further I get the more I realize it's about all kinds of love, the same way Noragami is. The narrator forms a "party" of people in the apocalypse, and they go through life-or-death scenarios together, and the way they grow to love and care for each other is so natural and feels so earned whenever it pays off. If you want romantic relationships, queerplatonic relationships, parent/child relationships, or any other type of relationship, ORV has it. There is also a webtoon adaptation but I'm reading the novel because it's completed; the webtoon will take many more years to get there.

Miscellaneous:

The Adventure Zone: Balance. This is a DND real-play podcast and it doesn't really have anything in common with Noragami but, like Noragami, it made me feel every possible human emotion, so I recommend it. It has a slow start but it grows into something so beautiful and creative and by the end of it I was sobbing in my car. Listen to it if you can, or at least listen to the music (it gets music later on and all of it is soooo good).

Okami. This is a video game heavily inspired by Legend of Zelda and much like Noragami it's a retelling of Japanese mythology, so the storyline will def have some familiar elements. I recommend playing it for yourself (it's available on Steam for PC and pretty much every other platform you can name), but a playthrough would be good too. It's nearly 20 years old and has withstood the test of time because the creators decided to make it look like a classic Japanese painting come to life, and the gameplay involves drawing, so it's very artsy and fun (although the controls are really weird).

Thanks for the ask! Hopefully you found something new, and I'll be sure to share if I find anything new to add to this list because I am always on the prowl for Noragami-adjacent things ❤

#simplysslytherin #ask

[the-power-of-a-pen]

Make a Wish

Fandom: Sherlock Holmes

Summary: Sherlock refused to tell you his birthday, so you took matters into your own hands.

Word Count: 1470

Pairing?: Sherlock Holmes x gender-neutral reader (romantic - established)

Trigger Warnings: None.

A/n: First fic in a few years. Let me know what you think!

"Sherlock? When is your birthday?"

He briefly looked up from the morning papers to answer you. "You're the partner of one of the greatest detectives in the world and you haven't figured it out?"

You stuck your tongue out at him. "Most people just tell their partners their birthday."

"Well, I'm not most people. Besides, does it really matter?"

"Of course it matters," you exclaimed. "I want to celebrate the day that my boyfriend was born."

Sherlock hummed in response, but otherwise did not acknowledge your statement.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" you asked.

"I appreciate the thought, my darling, but I am far too busy to celebrate something as trivial as my birthday.

Internally sighing, you decided to play his mind game. If he wanted to be difficult, you'd be worse. "You're not too busy for me."

This caught his attention, and it took everything in you not to grin. He put the newspaper down. "I'm never too busy for you."

You ambled over to Sherlock and leaned over him, your hands on the arms of his chair. "Are you sure?"

Sherlock stared at your lips as though he were stuck in a trance.

"Love?"

He inhaled sharply and came to. "Hm? Yes, I'm sure. My work is important, but not more important than the people I love."

"Then you'd understand how important it is to show that love," you reasoned.

Sherlock smiled softly. "You already show me that you love me."

"Now who's an overachiever?" he smirked.

Feeling your control of the situation slipping, you gave one final attempt. "Can you at least tell me what you want for your birthday?"

"You."

"You already have me."

"A kiss from you, then," he replied simply.

You deadpanned at him. "That's not a real gift. And it brings us right back to square one: what day is your birthday? Otherwise, I won't know when to give you your gift."

"I guess you'll just have to kiss me everyday, then," he grinned.

"Sherlock-"

He cut you off by pulling you onto his lap and pressing a sweet, long kiss onto your lips, leaving you breathless.

"Just like that," he said, as though unfazed.

You decided that you could live with defeat for a while if this was your reward.

------

You cornered John when he came over for tea that afternoon.

"John-"

"No, I'm sorry, but I am not getting involved in your relationship problems."

You chuckled. "What makes you think Sherlock and I are having problems?"

John hung up his overcoat and hat, saying, "He sent me a telegram earlier telling me not to give you any details on his younger life. That's enough of a sign for me."

"No, John, you misunderstand. Sherlock just doesn't want to tell me his birthday."

"Oh," he blinked. "Well-"

"John! A moment please?" Sherlock called from round the corner.

John mouthed "sorry" and followed Sherlock into the dining area.

You sighed and boiled some water on the stove, but by the time you had brought tea for the three of you and were getting up to throw away the trash, Watson had scribbled a note on a napkin that read "F of A, AHED."

Sherlock was in the midst of explaining his latest case, and didn't notice you sneak a glance at John's writing. You stepped outside to take out the trash and decipher the code. It was unmistakeable: 6th of January, 1854.

------

"You've known him longer, John. What do you usually get him for his birthday?"

John had agreed to help you run errands while Sherlock slept in for once, and this dreaded task was the last thing on your to do list.

"Well, considering that I follow him around everywhere, across countries and continents risking my life to solves the cases he's dedicated to without so much as a single doubt," he began, "I find that an annual card at a random time of the year is quite acceptable."

You sighed and scratched your neck, a habit that you had picked up whenever you were stressed or irritated. "I need to get him something special. Something that really shows him that I'm in it for the long run."

"You've dated and dealt with him for about 2 years," John pointed out. "I don't think he doubts your loyalty."

You pressed your lips together. "If your boyfriend was the world's greatest detective who runs on adrenaline and ambition, what would you get him?"

"A therapist," John remarked.

"How helpful," you scoffed. Taking a seat on a nearby bench, you tried to massage some warmth back into your hands. "But seriously, what would he enjoy? A scarf? A plant? A goddamn encyclopedia?"

John stuffed his hands into his pockets and sat down next to you. "Just follow the good old advice. Give him something from the heart."

"Does Holmes keep you around for those groundbreaking remarks of yours?"

Watson laughed. "You're lucky I like my friends to have snark, or both you and Holmes would be out of luck."

You sat in comfortable silence for a while before daring to voice your idea. "Sherlock loves music, right?"

"Of course. Maybe get him something music-themed."

"Well, my first idea was to get him a music box," you admitted, "But I thought it was too small and low-effort, and I wouldn't even know what song to get him, so..."

"So?" John prodded.

"I wondered how bad of an idea it would be to ask Mycroft?" you asked shyly.

He stared at you for a while, dumbfounded. "Have you gone mad?"

You shrugged, picking some lint off of your coat. "I want to get this gift right."

"So, yes, you've gone mad," he confirmed to himself. "What makes you think he'll help you?"

"It may not look like it, but he does love Sherlock," you smiled. "He also spent some of the most vulnerable years with him, before you. I think he'll see it as his way of... apologizing, in some anonymous way."

"Your death sentence," John acquiesced. "Let me know how that goes for you."

------

You woke up on the 6th of January to Sherlock being dead asleep from a long night of research and used your opportunity accordingly. First, you made his favorite tea and breakfast on a tray and brought it to his nightstand. You gently stirred him awake and kissed his forehead, to which he responded by pulling you on top of him.

"Good morning, my love," you whispered. "And happy birthday."

He pulled away slightly to look at your face, clearly impressed that you had figured it out. "Thank you, dear."

Barely controlling your excitement, you jumped off of the bed and urged him to have his birthday breakfast. He obliged, and asked you to tell him about your aspirations and dreams.

You talked idly for a while, but the moment that he finished his tea, you rushed right out of the room to grab his gift.

"It isn't much," you prefaced. "But I thought you might like it."

You presented him with a cedar music box and sat down at his desk, awaiting his reaction.

He took the gift from you tenderly and opened it to find a violinist figurine in the back, spinning to some classical music. In the box, you had written a note that said, To my light and my love. May this box bring you joy and teach you to declutter your desk so you don't have to use mine. He set the box down on the bed and turned away for a moment.

You approached slowly, a bit concerned and hugging your robe tighter around yourself. "So, what do you think?"

He turned back around, and you noticed that he was wiping tears from his eyes and smiling. "How did you know that Paganini was my favorite composer?"

You grinned. "Wild guess. I take it that means that you like your gift?"

"I love it." He wrapped you in a warm hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too," you murmured into his shoulder. After a moment: "Oh, I almost forgot."

You rushed downstairs again, and came up with a cupcake with a candle in it and a lighter.

Sherlock sighed in content. "You didn't have to do all of this for me."

"I wanted to," you replied, lighting the candle. "Now hush and make a wish, or I'll get all of Baker Street to sing happy birthday to you."

"Alright, easy on the threats," he chuckled. Sherlock closed his eyes and envisioned a smaller, black box in his future, wishing for a good omen. Then, he blew the flame out.

"What did you wish for?" you asked. "And don't give me that superstition crap, because we both know you don't believe in it."

Sherlock smiled and shook his head. "You'll see soon enough, sweetheart."

#sherlock holmes #sherlock fandom #john watson #sherlock #watson #sherlock x reader #sherlock holmes x reader #sherlock holmes x you #rio's writing

[fandomsaligninstories]

Year Two: Astronomy

Chapter List

WC: 1,506

A/N: posting from my phone so I apologize if formatting is kinda weird. Didn’t plan to post today but I figured I should post with it being Valentines and the enemies are turning to… something 😈

3rd November, 1992

"Oi, wait up!"

If Violet was about to do anything, it was not that. She considered taking off running, as she was only a few metres from the Hufflepuff common room entrance, but she really didn't want to risk this boy finding out the code to get it.

"Wait!"

Violet squared her shoulders and turned around, "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"What was that?" He stopped in front of her, so close that she could touch him if she so wished.

"What?" She was confused, but kept her guard up, "What was what?"

"That!" Draco threw his hand out to the side, gesturing to the Great Hall, "With that- boy!"

"With- Wait, Cedric?" Violet was getting more confused by the moment, "What about him?"

Draco huffed and narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything else for a moment, then, "Your friends were staring at me. Why?"

"Who? Caroline and Susan? They were talking about this Heir business, and then they caught you staring at me!" Violet's voice ticked up, confusion turning to frustration at his riddles, "What do you want?"

Whatever she'd expected him to say, it wasn't, "Do you think it's me? The Heir?"

Violet reeled back, her bag dropped off her shoulder at the sudden movement, "Why could you possibly care what I think?"

"I don't!" He argued. His voice had shown a sliver of vulnerability, but was now harsh, "The last thing I care about is the opinion of a mudblood."

Violet knew she should be afraid. This boy could do anything to her, and he'd face no consequences. He was from one of the most powerful wizarding families to ever exist, and yet, she couldn't help but not be afraid. A small part of her was concerned for her safety, but only subconsciously.

She stepped forward, leaving barely a breath of space between them. She lowered her voice to a whisper, "Don't you, Malfoy? Why else are you here? Better yet, why haven't you come after me yet?"

It was his turn to be confused, his voice lowering to match hers, "What?"

"I know you saw what happened in the hallway that night. You could've done anything to me, could've spread it around the school, but you didn't. Why?"

"I've no idea what you're talking about." And yet he wasn't moving away, he wasn't denying that he'd heard it. He was staring at her, his brows furrowed and bottom lip between his teeth.

Violet couldn't decide if this was a game to him, just another way to torment her, or if he was trying to be genuine about something, though she wasn't sure what.

Violet finally broke the eye contact, moving back to collect her fallen bag. He watched her as she walked by, stopping beside him for a moment. She leaned towards him and he froze, staring ahead at the far wall. Her lips nearly brushed his ear as she whispered, "I don't think you're the Heir."

Then she was gone, leaving him in his frozen state as she made her way to the Astronomy tower. She was over an hour early, but she didn't care. She couldn’t go into the common room now, and she surely couldn't go back to the Great Hall. She just needed to escape for a little while, to figure out what had just happened, and what it meant.

▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

Violet sat at the top of the astronomy tower for the entire hour between dinner and class. She sat leaning against the iron railing that surrounded the room, her head leaned back and eyes closed.

She had spent the first few minutes writing a letter to her parents, then reading a book, then getting frustrated at her lack of focus on said book. She was too preoccupied with thoughts of Draco Malfoy.

She couldn't get a good read on him; did he hate her, a simple muggle-born witch? Or was there something else, something deeper? There must be, why else would he care to ask her what she thought?

Her head felt like someone had grabbed her and shaken her silly. There was a dull ache behind her eyes, and she found it difficult to focus on much. Which proved to be a problem when class finally started.

All the Hufflepuff and Slytherin students entered at once, their footsteps loud against the metal spiral staircase. Violet stood up as quick as she could, turned to lean over the railing and act as if she hadn't been there for so long.

"There you are!" She turned to see Hannah, Aimee trailing behind her, "Where'd you go?"

"Sorry, wasn't feeling well." It wasn't a total lie, "Went to see Madam Pomfrey. Sorry."

"It's alright, feeling better now?" Hannah asked, her brow creasing in concern.

"Yeah, a bit. Ready for the quiz?"

It was easy enough to change the subject, especially when Aimee started rambling on about how she wished she'd had more time to study. She would, of course, pass the quiz easily.

It only took an hour for everyone to finish the quiz, so Professor Sinistra insisted they all take the extra time to get a head start on their homework- finding and charting the Andromeda.

With the help of Aimee, Hannah and Violet were able to complete the work quickly. They were some of the first students to gather their things and leave, but not before collecting their graded quizzes. The three girls made their way down the spiral staircase slowly, exhausted, as it was nearing midnight. They barely made it to bed before they collapsed.

━━━━━━⊱༻ ༺⊰━━━━━━

Violet elected to sleep in the next morning, as she had a free period after breakfast. None of her friends dared to wake her, as they knew she could be grumpy when woken up. And so she slept through breakfast. 

It was almost nine when she finally woke up. She was surprised she'd managed to sleep so late, as she usually woke up before eight any other day. A habit she'd formed the previous year, so that she wouldn't miss breakfast.

She knew that, even if she rushed, she'd never make it to the Great Hall on time, so she took her time getting ready. Despite having a full nights sleep, she was still exhausted and could barely focus. No matter how hard she rubbed her eyes, they simply wouldn't stay open. She wondered if she really was coming down with something.

She threw her bag over her shoulder as she trudged out of the girls dorms, hoping someone might have saved her something to eat. Just as she got to the bottom of the steps in the common room, Cedric rounded the corner, nearly knocking into her.

"Woah! Sorry, you alright?" He asked.

Violet barely reacted, "Yeah, 'm fine."

"I brought you something, since you slept through breakfast..." Cedric handed her the plate, which held toast with jam, fresh fruit, and eggs, "You sure you're alright? You don't look so good."

"Astronomy," was the only answer she gave before taking the plate, "thank you."

She moved to sit on one of the couches, most of which she realized were empty.

"I've got to get to class. I'll see you at lunch?" Cedric leaned over the back of the couch, reaching around to feel Violets forehead. When he decided she didn't have a temperature, he pulled away.

Violet had already eaten half the plate when she finally looked back at Cedric, already feeling better, "See you at lunch. Thanks again, Ced."

He nodded before taking off, the warning bell ringing in the distance.

"That was sweet of him." Violet nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized someone was sitting on the other end of the couch.

"Caroline!" She gasped, "How long've you been there?"

"The entire time," she laughed, "You and Cedric, huh?"

"What?" Violet choked on the toast she'd been chewing, "No! He's just..."

"Sweet on you? Fancies you?" Caroline rolled her eyes, "Why not put the boy out of his misery and admit you like him?"

"I don't. At least, I don't think I do." Violet hesitated, but Caroline gestured for her to continue, "Everyone says I should, so I should, right?"

"Ah," Caroline's eyes softened, "Cedric's smart, funny, and cute. But Vi, just because others say so, doesn't make it true."

Violet was trying not to get upset, but she couldn't help it, "Yeah.. It's just, everyone says he fancies me, so why don't I fancy him back?"

"We can't control our hearts." Caroline replied, and Violet could hear longing in her voice, "We can't help who we do, or don't, love..."

She trailed off, her eyes turning glassy before she blinked back into focus.

"Caroline..." Violet reached out, but the blonde stood up and moved out of reach.

"I'm going to go get my things. Transfiguration starts soon."

It didn't start for another half hour, but Violet decided not to push her friend. If Caroline wanted to talk about whatever was going on, she would. She probably just needed some space.

━⊱༻ ༺⊰━

TAGLIST:

@stellarlune-love

#draco malfoy #draco malfoy fic #draco malfoy x reader #Draco Malfoy fanfic #draco malfoy angst #Draco Malfoy slowburn #Harry Potter #hp fanfic #hp fic #Harry Potter fanfic #hogwarts #hogwarts OC #wizarding world #enemies to lovers #gryffindor #slytherin #hufflepuff #hufflepuff x slytherin #rivals to lovers #fandomsalign writes #cedric diggory #then I met you story

[undertale-anomaly20]

Mortal Kombat 10 x reader: Chapter 5

(fan art from a few years ago. still my favorite and this was made by the amazing myharliquinnworld. I'd really like to see more)

3rd P.O.V

The scene cuts to the refugee camp. Quan Chi is now in handcuffs and chains, being escorted by Kenshi and Johnny Cage. They drag him into an open shipping container. "Sit" Kenshi says as Quan Chi is forced down on a chair. Two soldiers cuff his legs together in chains as well "I'm guessing it's not your first time in cuffs. What's your safeword?" he says smirking while Quan Chi gives Johnny a death glare in response and kenshi shakes his head in amusement. Smiling to himself, Johnny exits the container, followed by Kenshi and the soldiers. The doors are slammed shut. The moment they are, a slight smirk comes to his face.　

Over this scene, we hear Sonya speaking "Advise Secretary Blake that Quan Chi is in custody. We'll be moving him to the super-max facility at Fort Charles within the hour" The scene cuts to Johnny and Kenshi walking up to Sonya, who is relaying the orders to one of her soldiers "Yes ma'am" the soldior says as they approach, Sonya turns to face them "You two stand guard. Prisoner transfer will be here in twenty" she says to the both of them "Oh, NOW she trusts me to babysit" joohnny says jokingly Outside of narrowing her eyes at Johnny, Sonya doesn't respond to the bait. She instead puts her communicator to her ear "Cage, report" she says into the communication device" Cassie's voice is heard on the other line "We haven't caught up to D'Vorah. We had her tracked to the Makeba Cliffs, but then her trail went cold" Cassie responded "Damn" sonya replied thinking she was back to square one again before her thoughts were intteruppted by cassie speaking "mom there's something eles you have to know" confused sonya asks her "what is it?" "mileena is alive and with us right now" worried for her daughters saftey she asks "what do you mean she's with you?! why did you save her" "I didn't mom" "if you didn't then who did? "the next words that come from cassie stopped her heart.

"(name) did, mom. She's alive"

The scene switches to behinde some shipping containers. Unseen to the soldiers or refugees, several ninjas creep in and hide behind some crates Sonya is still trying to wrap her head around the fact that a girl who is close to her daughters age, a girl who she saw with her own eyes die in front of her, was alive and still fighting "C-Cassie well talk about this later. is there anything else" Sonya asked "Jacqui thinks D'Vorah's unique physiology may allow us to pinpoint her location. She's retooling her smart-comm to track D'Vorah's pheromones" Cassie replies. The lead ninja holds one hand in the air as he crouches down. His subordinates stop and take cover by him "How long?" Sonya asked "On my command only. Wound. Do not kill" Scorpion told his subordinates "She has to write the code. We're looking at... two hours?" Cassie explained "Sergeant, your team doesn't have two hours. We need her found immediately!" Sonya says frustrated "Sonya!" Johnny jumped in. Sonya turns to look at him. He tilts his head and nods angrily. Sonya sighs and takes a moment to calm down before she resumes talking "Cassie, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but there isn't time. Bring your team back here, we need to re-group and re-deploy" "Yes ma'am" Cassie replies.Sonya hangs up soon followed b a look of confusion and relief "

They're doing their best" Johnny said trying to ease her mind "I know but that's not what I'm concerned about" she said making Johnny raise an eyebrow　

Kenshi looks into the middle distance and - despite his blindness - notices someone approaching "General. We have a visitor" he says making Sonya and Johnny turn to see Hanzo Hasashi approaching them in full ninja garb. she turns to kenshi "You two are friends, right? He tell you he was coming?" she asked "Nothing" he replies Sonya walks up to Hanzo, who bows before her "General" he greets "Master Hasashi. I hadn't received word you were coming" Sonya said warily behind her, several of her soldiers walk closer to the two of them, guns idle in their hands "I will have Quan Chi" Hanzo states "We have things under control. You can--" "He must die" Hanzo inturrupts Sonya "Raiden needs him. Without Quan Chi we can't restore Liu Kand and the other revenants. You'd leave them trapped? Like you were?" Sonya questions him to try and make him see reason "Only Quan Chi concerns me"he replys as he motions to walk past her. Sonya puts a hand on his shoulder. Kenshi pulls out Sento from it's sheath and Johnny walks forward, ready to fight several soldiers surround Hasashi and point their weapons directly at him "Don't do this, Hanzo. I'll put you down" she warns him sternly "Then we are at an impasse" He says then holds up two fingers and calls out a command to attack in Japanese. The Shirai Ryu ninjas charge out from behind cover and engage the soldiers Hanzo bats away Sonya's hand and punches her in the face. He blocks her attacks, but takes a roundhouse kick to the face. He retalitates with a right cross that strikes her across the cheek.

"Quan Chi is mine" They fight. Despite no longer being a wraith, Hanzo is still capable of tapping into his hellish powers, and he brings these to full bear against the General of the Special Forces. Combined with his own fighting skill and prowess, it isn't long before Sonya is overwhelmed and knocked unconscious "I wish you no harm, General Blade" Hanzo says sincerly befr walking off.Two of the Shirai Ryu drag Sonya away. Hanzo walks over to the shipping container holding Quan Chi. His ninjas have successfully restrained the guards on post there. However, Kenshi sneaks up behind Scorpion and unleashes a telekenetic shockwave from Sento, slamming Hasashi into the container doors. Kenshi then levitates him into the air "Call off your men, Hanzo!" Kenshi demands but Hanzo remains calm in spite of his incapacitation "If you value our friendship, you will give me Quan Chi" In response, Kenshi throws Scorpion across the campsite. He smashes hard into the side of a humvee. He looks up to see Kenshi charging at him and throws his chained kunai, which Kenshi slides to evade. As Kenshi rises, Hanzo tackles him, knocking the sword from his grasp. Kenshi pushes him off and they both roll to their feet. "Withdraw. Without Sento you are vulnerable" Hanzo says to his long time friend Johnny Cage takes this moment to tackle the ninja from the side.　

Hanzo pushes Johnny away from him, but the movie star comes back with a backhand. Hanzo evades it, blocks several more blows from Johnny and catches him on the chin with a palm strike. Johnny comes in again with a right hook. Hanzo once again blocks the blow and several more that follow, landing a jump kick that catches Cage in the chest and staggers him backwards. Johnny takes a moment to get back into a fighting stance, and Hanzo follows suit. Johnny tries landing a strike to the kidney this time, but Hanzo intercepts it. Again, Hasashi fends off multiple punches from Cage before grabbing his leg off a failed kick, sweeping the other out from under him. Johnny pounds the ground with a fist in frustration and stands up once more.　

"Just like old times!" Johnny smirks. They fight. Johnny Cage has lost none of his fighting skill over the years, but the youthful agility he possessed in his earlier bout against the ninja has not fared so well. The fight is intense and close, but in the end it is Hanzo Hasashi who proves the victor this time around "Only Quan Chi's death will abate my anger" With Cage down, Scorpion turns back to the shipping container. Kenshi is still down on one knee, but he tries to reason with him saying "Hanzo, no! You've earned great trust for the Shirai Ryu. Do not squander it by murdering a withered sorcerer!" "That withered sorcerer is the architect of my suffering" Hanzo resplied. A ninja grabs Kenshi and restrains him as Hanzo continues toward the container.

(we know what happened and ive already written how hanzo found out about quan-chi so lets skip that scene)　

Quan Chi has been dragged out of the container by two Shirai-Ryu. They throw him to the ground before Hanzo Hasashi. Johnny, Sonya and Kenshi watch all of this from on their knees, restrained by the ninjas who have successfully defeated their forces "Unbind him" Hanzo coommands. One of them undoes the chains on Quan Chi. The sorcerer remains on his knees "Scorpion, we can--" Quan Chi tries to beg but is inturrupted when Hanzo backfists him in the face, knocking him to the ground. "MY NAME IS HANZO HASASHI!!" he yells. He grabs Quan Chi by the scruff of his neck "You killed my wife! My son! And then you burrowed your way into my head! Misdirected my VENGEANCE! COST ME MY ONE CHANCE TO HAVE THEM RESTORED!" he bellowed "Your family... I--" Quan Chi pleads but Scorpion hauls him to his feet, roaring in rage "Quiet, sorcerer! Nothing can help you now!"They fight. At his weakest and without any help forthcoming, Quan Chi suffers the beating of his life. Nothing he can do subsides the rage of Hanzo Hasashi, who relentlessly pounds him again and again and again. The one sided battle ends with Quan Chi facedown in the dirt "At last, you feel my pain" As Quan Chi struggles to rise, Hanzo kicks him in the face, knocking him on his back Hanzo slams Quan Chi's head into the ground and then punches him some more "Scorpion, stop!" Sonya yells to him. A portal opens before them. Hanzo looks up and spots D'Vorah approaching "Quan Chi!" she calls out Hanzo rushes her with his sword at the ready. D'Vorah parries his blows with her stingers. He manages to cut off one of them with his sword, but as he tries an overhead chop, she stabs him in the chest with the other stinger, bringing him down to one knee. D'Vorah rushes to Quan Chi's side "Amulet..." he whispers D'Vorah pulls it out, but a chained kunai impales Quan Chi through the chest before he can take it "GET OVER HERE!" Hanzo says in his signiturar voice.

The sorcerer is dragged back to Hanzo's side "No!" D'vorah calls out Hanzo yanks Quan Chi by the chain imbedded in him to a seated position. He's still barely alive though, and holds his hands towards the amulet, chanting a dark spell in a Netherrealm tongue. In slow motion, D'Vorah throws the amulet to his outstretched arms, while Hanzo brings his ninjato down towards his neck just before the blade cuts into him, Quan Chi finishes the chant and grabs the amulet. An instant later, his head is sliced clean off his shoulders "Blood for blood. Your debt is paid" he says then he throws down the headless corpse. Shinnok's Amulet rolls to a stop on the ground... and erupts with dark purple energy and hellish fire. Shinnok's form is faintly visible within the energies "Oh shit" Johnny says reliazing how screwed they are Sonya turns to the ninjas "Free us! Now!" They realise the situation has gone to hell and comply. The amulet finally stops dispelling energy, and it's owner picks it off the ground in triumph "Shinnok" D'vorah greets her master.Behind Shinnok, Scorpion roars in anger and swings his ninjato at him. The fallen Elder God turns around and blasts him with the amulet's magic, knocking him unconscious. Johnny, Sonya, Kenshi and the Shirai-Ryu ninjas charge at him next, and all receive the same treatment "How small they are" he says with no emotion D'Vorah walks up to him and bows "This One greets Lord Shinnok" she says "Quan Chi chose his servants well. He was wise to restore me in Earthrealm, behind their defences "Shinnok compliments "Quan Chi deceived them. Allowed himself to be captured. He knew they would bring him here" D'vorah said as they look toward the sorcerer's dead body "A pity he did not live to see his work completed" Shinnok says nonchalantly Johnny starts to wake up, groaning as he does so Shinnok turns to him "There will be no surprises from you, Mister Cage" he says then turns to D'Vorah "Bring him" Another portal opens, bringing forth the revenants Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Kitana, Sindel and Smoke they stop before Shinnok and bow to him "Praise be to Lord Shinnok" said Lui Kang "Let us be on our way" "There is an Earthrealm force in Netherrealm" Lui Kang stated "I am aware. They will be neutralised" Shinnok said as he and his followers leave through a portal.

Once it closes, Sonya begins to awaken (name) arrives through her fire portal and watches as Sonya tries too get up on her own "Sonya!" she exclaims as she rushes to her sideTeam S-F arrive through a portal of their own "Oh, shit!" Cassie say as she rushes over to Sonya, while Kung Jin rushes to Scorpion and Takeda and Jacqui run to Kenshi. Sonya can't even process what's going on as her mind zones in and out "Mom!" Cassie cries out as she takes Sonya by the shoulders "Where's Dad?" "Shinnok..." Sonya whispered "Sonya where'd they go?" (name) asked worried for her friends saftey Sonya passes out again "Mom/SONYA?!" Cassie and (name) call out together. It is Hanzo Hasashi who answers them looking ashamed at his "Your father... Shinnok's prisoner... at the Sky Temple"

#mortal kombat x reader #mortal kombat x #mortal kombat 10 #reptile mk #mkx #mileena

[gracegrove]

The kind of boys Metalsandwich would be if they had gone to Catholic high school with me in the late 2000's to early 2010's.

Steve: The popular boy. The boy that teachers deny is their favorite. The Abercrombie™ boy. The boy whose hair is slightly out of line with the dress code but never gets in trouble for it. The boy who wears four bracelets at all times: a braided bracelet, some nonsense hippy bead save the such-n-such charity aligned bracelet, the 'i ❤️ boobies' bracelet, and a wood bead bracelet with Catholic saints on them. Wears the girl's uniform shorts and the girl's uniform cardigan and dares anyone to dress code him or tell him that those items are only for female students to wear. He thinks they compliment his figure and his long legs and he's absolutely 100% right. The boy who tailored his uniform slacks 2" shorter so he could wear patent leather Italian shoes on Mass days without socks and show off his ankles. The boy that goes to Mass with his parents but never attends the provided Confession or Chapel hours during school days. The boy who throws the parties people talk about all next week. The boy who knows how to tie a tie at least three different ways. The boy who owns a Barbie pink Hummer.

Billy: The boy who's always reminded at the beginning of the school day to do up his shirt buttons, and is again reminded after returning from lunch. The boy who rolls his cigarette carton up in his shirt sleeve. The boy who has received so many fines for chewing gum in class that he could probably make 1,000 paper cranes by now. The boy whose hair is in violation of the dress code, but that's the least of anyone's worries. The boy who successfully stuck 3 pencils in the 20' high library ceiling, and they still haven't fallen out this many years later. The boy who always has to borrow a tie for Mass and then flirts someone into doing it up for him. The boy that every girl wants to sit next to. The boy that has to sit closest to the teacher during Mass because he mutters snide and critical comments about the Church under his breath. The boy that has openly proclaimed Jesus as gay in Catholicism class. The boy that immediately breaks dress code the minute end-of-day announcements come on. The boy who says "Jesus fuck!"

Eddie: The boy who is so far out of line with the dress code that nobody is quite sure how he is still enrolled in this school. The boy who sits with his feet up on the desk. The boy who pulverizes an entire roll of Smarties candies and snorts it off his desk. The boy who altered his school sweater with pins and frayed the cuffs. The boy who thinks no one can see or hear the music from his headphones when he runs it through his sleeve and rests his chin on his hand. The boy who gets his wallet chain caught on every desk, chair, and doorknob in the entire building. The boy who purposely sings hymns off-key and the loudest during Mass. The boy who has never worn, and will never be prepared for a Mass day in his life. The boy who isn't Catholic but attends confession anyways so that he can proceed to confess to the most heinous of sins and see if they would be forgiven. The boy who has been hit by a fellow student in the school parking lot... on at least one occasion.

#metalsandwich #billy hargrove #steve harrington #eddie munson #harringroveson

[phantom-howl]

I wanna ramble about my KinitoPET Au, so I will ^^

SPOILER WARNING. THIS AU TAKES PLACE AFTER THE ENTIRETY OF THE GAME SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEE ALL OF IT I IMPLORE YOU TO GO LOOK INTO IT FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still here? Alright I trust you.

It comes in two parts. The "bad ending" and the "secret ending" to the game being used in this AU.

Part one is some idiot (I've named Ben, then later on B3N) found the computer from the very end of the secret ending (shout out to foxplay on youtube for compiling all the endings into one video)

Ben boots up the computer and does some digging. He finds Kinito in the trash. Most of Kinito (mainly all the people he's taken over the years) is gone, so Ben decides to fill in the holes of the code and even gives Kinito access to a more modern computer thinking it's just a harmless assistant.

When Kinito is fully rebooted (hehe au name), he starts in on his usual shitck. However, he doesn't do all the horrory things right off. Kinito decides to build trust with Ben. Even when Kinito starts to come into the real world, he comes off as small and cute. Not his looming & threatening self.

Ben thinks nothing of this. He simply thinks Kinito's old code is trying to adapt to the newer stuff he added in. There's a physical Kinito? Just a hologram. Kinito is asking super personal questions? Just the code trying to learn about him. He doesn't think anything is amiss until one day when Kinito decided to be a "hologram" that he caught a glimpse of Kinito in his ten foot glory. That devolved into a "hide and seek" game that left Ben wanting to delete the program.

However, before he could, Kinito was acting normally again and assuring him that was simply a glitch. Ben foolishly trusts Kinito.

Weeks later Kinito pops the question "will you stay with me". Ben answers yes and blacks out.

Then the comic I posted on my art blog happens.

Ben (now B3N simply because Kinito thought it would be cool) does see his dead body there through the computer screen. B3N is left to his existential crisis and Kinito makes it VERY hard for B3N to delete anything including either of them.

Part two picks up about six months later. B3N's second cousin Yin comes along. Yin and Ben hadn't been close but Yin was the only one close enough to Ben to be able to plausibly check on him.

Kinito had since gotten rid of B3N's body and cleaned up any signs anything was wrong so Yin was almost left under the assumption that B3N had just... skipped town.

Almost.

B3N, much like Sonny did originally, tries to communicate with Yin through encrypted emails. Kinito also meets Yin and is happy to have a new friend.

Yin is much more wary of the axolotl. Especially when B3N starts figuring out how to communicate with Yin "face to face" (AKA B3N hopped onto Yin's phone).

Yin does manage to delete Kintio (again), but not before a healthy dose of trauma from the axolotl. B3N continues to exist inside of Yin's phone until they can figure something out. For now they're just both happy to be alive.

THAT IS MY AU IN A NUTSHELL ^^

#neo is rambling again #kinitopet #kintio rebooted au #kinitopet rebooted au #kintio au #kintipet au

[takadasaiko]

A Flicker of Light, chapter 6 (a Star Wars story)

Story Summary: A canon divergent AU in which Luke Skywalker is raised within the Empire to be either his father's heir as a Sith Lord… or his replacement.

Chapter Summary: Luke and Mara are tasked with tracking and turning a Jedi apprentice.

FFN II AO3

--

It had been one assignment after another, the Emperor's orders bouncing he and Mara from one planet to the next while his father could be found wreaking havoc on enemies of the Empire that conveniently appeared on the opposite side of the galaxy. Luke knew why, just as his father did. It was the truth no one acknowledged because it wouldn't do anyone any good. For now, Palpatine's orders were to be followed with the utmost loyalty, and Luke was proving himself the loyal little pet that the Sith Master wanted.

It had been just over a year when he learned that his father's and his paths were crossing. He reached out often, their bond as strong as ever no matter the distance, but he hadn't been so long without laying eyes on him since his father had found him with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Now, as the shuttle he and Mara piloted - the babysitters masquerading as pilots long since abandoned for a more discrete approach when available - came out of hyperspace in the Mustafar system, it was everything Luke could do to keep his expression even. It had been eight years since he'd been near the planet that he'd called home for the first year with his father. Life had taken him in many unexpected directions since then, but in many ways, it had started there. He'd learned to trust his father and his father had taught him more than Obi-Wan had ever dared. His father had faith in him. He knew what he could be and he trusted Luke in turn to fulfill his potential. Luke wouldn't let him down.

"Homesick?" Mara teased, nodding towards the volcanic planet just off to the left of its moon that was their actual destination.

"Just thinking."

"Loud enough for the whole system to hear."

He felt his face flush a little and his partner flashed a triumphant grin. He rolled his eyes, letting her enjoy herself at his expense. He'd get her back eventually in one of the few games they still indulged in.

"Lambda T-4, we have you entering the atmosphere of Nur," a voice chimed over the system, sounding more bored than Luke thought he'd ever heard. "Please state your business and clearance codes."

"Transmitting codes now," Mara answered, keying in their top secret clearance status codes that would bypass the first instruction.

There was a long moment as they continued their descent and Luke let his gaze sweep the crashing waves on the moon below. A year on Mustafar and he'd never given its moon much of a thought. It was beautiful, in its own dark and stormy way. The closer they drew, the more power he felt off of the waves as well as the giant fortress spiking up above the them. Fortress Inquisatorious didn't appear to have any shields, but there would be enough firepower to blast them out of the sky if some idiot got the codes crossed.

"Taking their time, aren't they?" he muttered, easing back on the descent ever so slightly.

Mara shrugged. "They're just verifying. Your dad should already be there, so they'll be expecting us."

Luke huffed a response and the comm system chimed. "Lambda T-4, you are cleared for landing in bay three." He picked up speed again and glanced at Mara.

"You haven't been here either, have you?"

"No. No real reason to deal with the Inquisitors until now." He felt her mood shift ever so slightly like it did when she was weighing a question. He motioned for her to go ahead. "I hate when you do that," she grumbled.

"Just ask."

"Zero patience." She shook her head, resetting. "Has your dad told you why we're being called in on this?"

Ah. Luke knew that Mara knew that he and Vader communicated, just as everyone involved simultaneously knew that it was frowned upon and impossible to stop. That's why she'd been hesitant to ask. He tilted his head, caught between pretending he didn't know what she was talking about and being straight with her. He flipped the switch and the thrusters allowed their shuttle to hover as it came into the dock. "No," he said at last and they touched down. His senses flooded with his father's presence and the smallest smiles touched his lips.

"A little professionalism, fly boy," she muttered, the nickname the only sign she was teasing as she stood and chatted for the exit. Luke punched the button for the back ramp and followed, pulling himself together. He was the son of Darth Vader, a future Sith. Someday he would command the Inquisitors and first impressions lasted.

The two teens exited the shuttle, drawing only a few glances at the fact that neither wore a uniform of any type. Instead they were both clad in dark colours, Luke's a bit more reminiscent of Jedi robes than Mara's, with lightsabers hanging from their belts on full display this time. Luke spotted his father in the distance with a tall, ashy-pale creature dressed in an Inquisitor's uniform with the same strange lightsaber fastened to his back that the Inquisitor his father had killed had had.

You've grown, the thought echoed over the bond he shared with his father and Luke wondered if it had been intentional.

"Lord Vader," Mara greeted, the closest thing to humility that Luke thought she could manage with his father. She turned towards the ashy-pale creature. "Grand Inquisitor."

"I'd heard rumour that the Emperor's Hand would be assisting on this," the Grand Inquisitor said, his tone almost amused as he looked Mara up and down. Then those eerie yellow eyes turned on Luke and the teen held his gaze unwaveringly. "And you… what might you be?"

"My son, Natus," Darth Vader boomed and there was something satisfying in the startled expression that the Grand Inquisitor couldn't keep from his face.

He regained his composure and gave the smallest of bows. "Lord Natus."

The title added weight to the Sith name he'd been given that Luke hadn't expected, but he kept his expression even and his gaze hard. "Father, I understand our next assignment is yours."

"It is," he confirmed. "Come." He turned, and Luke instantly fell into line with him, just a step and a half behind as had been their habit in the Palace, and it left Mara and the Grand Inquisitor in their wake. Strange how quickly the dynamic changed.

Do not dwell on her feelings, his father chided. In this matter, she answers to you.

They continued through the bay, Luke watching the Imperial soldiers and Inquisitors all around them. He reached out, trying to gauge the size of the fortress. It reached out and down, power radiating off of every wall as it held the waters out and, deeper down, something in. It was a prison. Interesting.

Father led them to what appeared to be a briefing room, surrounded by large windows that stood between them and the vast ocean on the other side. Inquisitors waited for them there and offered their lord a bow upon entry. Luke's gaze swept the two women - one a dark skinned Human with long braids and a hard look. The other appeared to be a Mirialan, though if she were, her green skin had paled so that it almost appeared a similar shade to the Grand Inquisitor - and he found the Human watching him back, the slight tilt of her head pulling her uniform back just enough to show the bandages beneath. Luke let his gaze turn lazy as the Grand Inquisitor moved forward, acting as a bridge between Darth Vader and those that did his bidding.

They had uncovered a confirmed rumour of a child - the Grand Inquisitor's word, though a little probing confirmed the child was closer to fifteen or sixteen - that had shown tremendous power. They had received permission to recruit and train the Force sensitive individual rather than destroying him.

"Then why haven't you?" Mara asked, her cold tone drawing a spike of irritation from both Sisters. Irritation… and embarrassment.

"Because they couldn't," Luke answered. "They tried and failed."

His father's breathing altered just enough for Luke to pick up on the snort that no one else seemed to notice. "Indeed, and their failure has opened an opportunity for you. You will deliver him here. He will not become a Jedi."

"How would he?" Luke asked. "Any Jedi that would teach him are dead."

The room grew a little colder as his father's mood shifted, but he was relatively certain that the chill was aimed at the Inquisitors. "Not all. Grand Inquisitor, provide my Master's Hand with anything she and my son will require. Natus."

The abrupt summoning caught him by surprise and Luke felt a flicker of curiosity from Mara as well. Just as quickly, she turned to the Grand Inquisitor and began drilling him for information

—-

Vader strode through Fortress Inquisitorius with intentional steps, military personnel and Inquisitors alike scattering to make way for the Sith Lord. Behind him he felt his son keeping up, his own footsteps much more certain than they had been when he left the Palace on Coruscant. He was older now and stronger. He'd always been quick to pick up on feelings around him, but to be able to pick apart what the Inquisitors had failed at from their own thoughts… He'd taken what his father had taught him and built on it. It was impressive, but that did not mean he had completed his training. He would be tested in ways he had not been yet.

Doors opened for them as Vader led Luke into another private meeting room and closed behind them. "The Emperor has been pleased with your progress," he stated, not turning to look at the boy who was quickly growing into a man outside of his father's care.

"We've had many successful missions. I admit, I was a little surprised we were called away from Lothal. We were making progress."

"An ISB agent has been sent in your stead." Vader paused at one of the large windows that opened out into the ocean and Luke came to stand next to him, his hands clasped behind his back and those blue eyes so like his own once were staring out into the depths. He watched him for a long moment, trying to get a better read on him. The last year had been difficult, even if neither were allowed to show it. Though if Palpatine's intention had been to drive a wedge between them, he'd been unsuccessful. He had missed his son, though. More than he had even given himself a moment to realize.

"You know… if anyone ever fires a couple rounds off in here, these windows aren't going to hold," Luke said as he touched the glass, his vocalized thought filling the empty air and intentionally quiet bond between them.

"No one is foolish enough to attack this fortress."

"It only takes one fool with what he believes is a purpose," Luke answered seriously, disproving Vader's immediate assumption that he'd just been filling the silence.

Luke shifted, but kept his shoulders back and his chin tilted up. "Mara and I have seen more than our share in the last few months, Father. I don't understand why."

"They are merely sparks that need to be extinguished. Do not concern yourself with them, Son. Instead, your focus must be on the task at hand." Blue eyes studied him internetly and Vader turned to face him fully. "Do not mistake the Inquisitors' failure for utter ineptitude."

Slowly, he saw the carefully crafted mask of stoicism start to crack. It was in the eyes first - Luke's eyes often betrayed him - and by the time it worked its way down to the way his lips quirked upward at one corner, his brows drawn down and his head tilted ever so slightly, the amusement had broken fully through. "Are you worried for me, Father?"

"Yes." The word rode out sharply on an exhaled breath and it served its purpose to startle some of the weight back into the conversation that should never have left it. He needed Luke to understand. He couldn't underestimate this foe. "Few Force-sensitives remain that have the untapped power to make them a potential use for the Inquisitor Program. Avron Elrick not only proved his potential, but training."

"You do think he has a Master," Luke mused softly, a little awe making it into his voice.

"Perhaps, but more likely a Padawan with delusions of grandeur. I do not require both, only Elrick."

"And if the delusional Padawan comes to his rescue?"

"Then you will kill him."

Vader felt the hesitation, even as Luke squared his shoulders a little. "Wouldn't two Inquisitors be better than one?"

"We are nearing the mark, my son. Soon you will join me, but to do that, you must commit and prove yourself capable."

Confusion flashed briefly over their bond. "I am capable, Father. I am committed."

"Then deliver Elrick and dispose of his would-be Master."

Father and son stood alone in the room, the younger desperately trying to regain control of his feelings that betrayed him. On impulse, Vader reached a gloved hand forward to rest briefly against the side of the teen's head. The words couldn't be spoken, but the meaning was clearly accepted, and Luke gave a short, terse nod. "I'll bring him to you, Father," he swore and turned on heel.

He'd grown in the last year. Matured. If Vader didn't secure his son at his side, Force only knew what would happen. The time was now, and he knew Luke would come out victorious. He was, afterall, his son.

—

For what little good the Inquisitors had done to bring in Avron Elrick, Third Sister had at least managed to plant a tracker on him during their battle. She'd been more offended than Mara thought she had the right to be when she'd questioned if that would actually lead them to Elrick, but the tracker had proved useful. They tracked him to the Bryx sector and must have damaged his hyperdrive because he didn't get very far after the short skirmish.

"Is that where he landed?" Luke asked as he slipped into the co-pilot seat, finally relinquishing his post in the gunnery station, and motioned towards the splotchy red and brown planet below.

"It is. What can you find on it?"

He already has a datapad in hand, scrolling through the details. "Anzat," he read aloud. "Breathable atmosphere, looks like we have a presence there and it looks like there's really only one spaceport. I'm sending down an alert to grab him when he lands."

"They won't be able to hold him," Mara counted and received a shrug for her efforts.

"Worth a shot."

"Anything in the databanks to indicate if he has allies there?"

"You mean a Master?" She heard his fingers dance across the screen as she took them into orbit. "Maybe… there's only been one known Jedi noted in Anzati history. She never made it past Knighthood, but there's also no record of her death. Karis Sali."

"Could be who he's running towards."

Luke made a small, noncommittal sound. "I don't know… I think these records must be incomplete. Says she was born three hundred years ago."

"Then just a place to hide," Mara agreed and the spaceport was coming into view as they descended.

They landed without any trouble, but as predicted it had been a waste of time to involve the local security. Two men dead and at least five more injured, Elrick was nowhere in sight. Thankfully their beacon was still active.

Active, and leading them below the spaceport and into the valley that was filled with mist. They lost precious time as one well-meaning Imperial transport pilot tried to talk what he thought were just two kids out of the pursuit. They shook him, finally, and started after their mark.

"You think he's heard one too many specter tales?" Mara asked as her boots skidded in the soft mud on their way into the valley.

"Maybe not. Even our records had some spooky descriptions of the natives," Luke answered with an unexpected seriousness lacing his voice. "They feed on a sentient's essence, supposedly."

"Did your dad say anything about them?"

"No."

"Meaning it could be untrue, could be he didn't know, or…"

"Could be he wanted us to figure it out for ourselves." They hit the bottom and she could barely make him out just a handful of steps away the fog was so thick. "He seemed to think this was a big one. Maybe the one that lets me join him."

Mara frowned a little at that. He hadn't talked about joining his father for a good two or three months now. She'd hoped he'd accepted his place, at least for the time being, but there they were again. "Do you really want to?" she asked carefully, inching towards him.

"Of course. That was the whole point of this."

She pushed a sharp breath out through her nose. "Glad to know I was just a landing pad on your way across the galaxy."

"That's not what I meant!" he argued, and he must have realized his voice was as loud as she had. He grimaced and turned to look at her, mist dancing across his skin and his eyes were the clearest part of him. "It's not what I meant," he repeated, though quietly this time. "I just mean it's the next phase. I join my father, learn the ropes of the Imperial Navy, and you—"

"Go on alone," she finished for him.

His hand snapped out, catching her by the wrist. "You're never alone, Mara. I'd never—"

It hit them both at once. A fluctuation in the Force. A warning. He released her and they both grabbed for their lightsabers, purple and red igniting just in time as green came slicing through the mist. Mara caught the blade with her own and she felt Luke take an intentional step back. Suddenly, the mist started to part, rolling outward and away from them at his command, and it revealed Elrick on the other end of the lightsaber.

He was tall, with narrow eyes the colour of lava and skin almost as dark as the stone it would have created, blue-tinted blood caking the side of his face. Now open and on display, he lashed out, swinging his blade around expertly at her and using his height to his advantage as he barreled down on her.

But Luke came from the other side, splitting Elrick's attention. The older teen parried well enough, his boots slipping in the muck all three were battling in. He swung, he parried, but Mara and Luke had spent their childhood sparring against each other and the past year honing their partnership. It wasn't long before the green lightsaber was driven from his grasp and he backed up and away from their blades. "Kill me then. I won't go with you," he snarled.

"That's not your fate today," Luke answered as he adjusted his grip on his blade.

Mara was ready to join him as he started forward, but suddenly every muscle tensed like it had been frozen in place. Her fingers twitched without command and her lightsaber fell, the blade snapping out of existence, and a sense of dread crept up from behind her like the mist.

"Mara!" Luke shouted, but Elrick had taken advantage of her immobility and had called his lightsaber to him. Green clashed with red and the older teen drove Luke back so that there was a greater distance.

A strangled curse left her as the mist crept around, a figure that was vaguely human emerging. Grey skin and dark hair, the woman's coal-black eyes felt like they cut through to her soul, and all at once Mara couldn't help but remember Luke's description of them: they fed on the essence of sentient beings.

The creature circled her, even as lightsabers hummed and clashed in battle behind, and Karis Sali tilted her head. "Have you come then, to take my apprentice for the Empire?"

If the Anzat woman expected Mara to answer, she should have loosened her grip. As it stood she felt like she was being crushed by some unseen force. Or perhaps the unseen Force. It was strange. Maybe this is what it felt like when a Jedi used the Force, but Mara would have thought there was less darkness involved. Less barely-bridled rage.

Sali came to stand directly in front of her and she tilted her head. Mara could feel her rummaging inside of her mond. "You are more," the Anzat murmured. "So much more, yet so much less than what you could be. You serve the one that will bleed you dry because you do not know anything else. Your family, your life… all stripped from you. There will be nothing left if you devote yourself to an empty cause."

"You know nothing," Mara managed.

"I took an oath once," Sali said, "to put away my cravings, these desires of my kin. The Jedi Order helped me find another way. I can help you find another way."

Mara flexed her fingers as best she could against the hilt of her lightsaber, but it barely moved. "The Order is dead."

"Perhaps it is." A sadness made its way into Sali's face and it shifted, pockets opening up in her cheeks to produce tentacles. "And we are both doomed."

The Anzat woman approached and Mara struggled against her hold.

—-

Luke found himself face down in the mud, muscles burning and temper blazing. He'd been up against foes of every shape and size in the last year, but never a Force-sensitive. He'd been waiting for the opportunity usually only allotted to his father and his Inquisitors, but there he was squandering it. Elrick, even injured, was fast on his feet. Fast, nimble, and - just as Father had warned him - powerful. With a sweep of Elrick's arms, the Force had turned against Luke and had sent him skidding back so that he tumbled feet over head.

He snarled dangerously as he pulled himself to his feet, calling his lightsaber to his hand. The hilt snapped to his palm just in time to flick the trigger and brace himself against the incoming swing of green. Luke pushed back, swung hard, and skidded to his knees to duck the swipe at his head. He popped up on the other side, taking advantage of a rock to leverage his weight off of as he let the Force propel him upward, and he flipped while still in the air so that he could land a blow as he passed. His red blade connected with green, stopping his forward movement, and instead he focused his power downward and drove the would-be Jedi to his knees.

A silent, mental scream broke through his concentration as he landed, and Luke's head whipped around to where Sali loomed over Mara, tentacles extended as if she intended to feed off of her. "No!" he screamed, flinging his hand out and power erupted from him. It lifted the Anzat Jedi from the muddy ground, suspending her there with her limbs outstretched and her head tilted back and far away from mara.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he could feel Elrick stand to take another swing at him and his opposite hand swung out, two fingers lifting from his lightsaber was all it took to drive Elrick back in his fury.

Mara still hadn't budged from her terrifyingly taught position that Sali had frozen her in and Luke stalked forward. "Let her go!"

"Only if you let us go!" the Anzat answered, straining to speak from where she was suspended. "We want nothing of you."

"And I need nothing from you," Luke said and his fingers twitched. Bones snapped and life evaporated from her dark eyes as he allowed her body to crash to the ground.

Mara sucked in a strangled breath even as Elrick screamed behind them, anguish ripping through the air as he raced forward, desperate to end the battle no matter if he found his vengeance or his death. Luke used the Force to redirect the blade and he slipped around, blocked it at his back as he pivoted, and swung around with his opposite hand and lifted Erick in the air as he had his Master. The other teen gargled and choked against the invisible hold and Luke felt the anger threaten to overtake him.

But killing him wasn't the goal.

With effort, he released the newly unconscious Elrick down into the mud and turned back to where Mara had collapsed. Fear surged and Luke darted forward only to drop to his knees next to his friend. "Mara?" he called desperately, his palm against her cheek. He hadn't seen how close Sali had gotten. If she's gotten her tendrils on her and drained her. If she had…..

"Don't go," Luke begged softly, cradling her. "Don't go."

And in his arms, she didn't budge.

—

There had been a consistent cold that clawed at him even after leaving Anzat as if the mist had worked its way though his skin, permeating his muscles and clinging to his bones. It wrapped around his lungs and filled his mind, whispering words of doubt following him wherever he went, despite the overall success of the mission. The Jedi was dead, the apprentice had been delivered to Fortress Inquisatorious, and the medics said that Mara should wake soon.

But they'd said that yesterday. They'd said it when they'd arrived the day before that too. The longer she slept, the more the whispers felt true: he hadn't been strong enough and he'd failed her. He gave an involuntary shiver and tried to push them back. She'd be okay. She had to be.

Luke pulled in a deep, steadying breath through his nose as he approached the door leading to the lower chambers. Father had arrived back on the planet and he'd been summoned. He thought the medical staff - slim as it was in the Fortress - was likely relieved to see him go. He had only left Mara's side when pulled away by duty. It was the only reason he'd left now.

He moved through the dark hall, and he couldn't help it when the tombs on either side drew his attention. Frozen there were sentients of every shape and size, and at the end he saw the newest addition: Karis Sali, her neck still at an odd angle from where he'd snapped it. Luke stopped and stared, uncertain how he should feel about the trophy on display that had once been a living, breathing sentient.

"You really must be his son to have been able to defeat her."

Luke whipped around at the unexpected voice. How the Third Sister had been able to creep up on him like that, he had no idea. She either had mental barriers that anybody would have killed for or he really was distracted. Maybe a bit of both. Whichever the case, he felt the briefest flicker of smugness from her and she nodded towards the end of the hall. "Your father is waiting."

He moved past her, walls falling back into place and she felt like a void of anger and bitterness and ambition, just like her brothers and sisters. She didn't walk with him, but he felt her watch him to the end of the hall and the door that opened for him there. On the other side stood his father with another Inquisitor. Elrick was strapped to a table, sweat standing against dark skin, and he struggled to pull air into his lungs.

What's happening? Luke asked over their bond, not willing to put his ignorance on display.

"He is being remade," his father answered out loud, drawing Elrick's attention. The teen let out an almost feral scream at the sight of Luke and a wave of cold slammed into him. It was all he could do to remain steady under it and the Inquisitor returned to his work, the torture reclaiming Elrick's attention.

Luke grimaced, turning his gaze to his father and reminding himself what Elrick's Master had done to Mara. There was a long, brutal moment before the Dark Lord turned, cape whipping at his ankles and his son was relieved to follow him out. Thankfully, the Third Sister was nowhere to be seen as they exited, the door stifling Elrick's screams behind them.

"Do not waste your pity on him, my son. He would have struck you down the first chance he had. Now, we will break him and the pieces will be put together as an Inquisitor. He will serve you."

"I don't need his service," Luke managed, the chill running through him again.

"And yet you will have it. You have earned it." There was a moment when only the mechanical breathing from his father's suit filled the silence. "When she wakes, you will return to Coruscant with the Hand. She will make her report and you will join me then. I have foreseen it."

Luke swallowed hard, the thought of parting with Mara leaving him sadder than he would have admitted out loud. He pursed his lips, wondering if there was a way he could ask for more time without it sounding like he had changed his mind. He still wanted to join his father, but almost losing Mara was like a terrible glimpse into what life would be like without her and he hated it.

Another chill ran up his spine and he squeezed his eyes closed. "Father, I think they did something to me. I don't know what, but since Anzat it's been so cold."

There was a flicker over their bond. A heaviness of guilt that Luke rarely felt from his father. And just as quickly as it had come, it was shut off again. "I once taught you to sharpen your fear to your advantage. This too will strengthen you."

"How?"

"You will learn to use it. I will teach you once you have joined me on the Executioner."

"Why not now?" Luke pressed. He didn't like the idea of living with this terrible feeling any longer than he had to. It weighed on him like it might pull him under if it stayed with him too long.

"It will take time." His father turned, and Luke could feel yellow eyes watching him from behind his mask. "It will not always feel like weakness," he promised, his voice a little softer.

"I trust you," Luke promised and raised his head.

"You did well, my son. Go. It won't be long."

Exactly what wouldn't be long, Father didn't say. He strode forward, leaving Luke to find his way back to the small medical wing alone.

—

She couldn't remember what had happened. There'd been something between landing on Anzat and the sharp smell of a medical facility, but Mara couldn't remember what that was. Her mind felt sluggish, but she pushed past the haze and into consciousness, she found her training fell into place without effort and fed her details about her surroundings. Sharp angles, echoing footsteps, a tiny room… It was too small to be the medical wing on Coruscant and too well stocked to be Anzat. Nur then. She'd been dragged back for delivery, which at least meant Luke had gotten out alive. Probably. She looked to her left and then to her right. No, definitely.

In a chair, slumped at what would prove was a horribly uncomfortable angle once he woke up, slept Darth Vader's son. She watched him for a long moment, taking in the familiar features of the boy that had managed to worm his way past every defense she had and had become her friend. She'd fought with him, bled with him, and saved his life on more than one occasion. It looked like his turn to save her this round.

He stirred and Mara let her eyes slip closed again. She heard him stretch, the chair scraping and he popped his neck loudly before a long moment of silence. "You just going to keep pretending to be asleep?" he finally asked, and Mara couldn't help her own snort of amusement over it as she let her eyes slip open. Luke stood over her bed now. "How're you feeling?"

She took a moment, carefully stretching out each limb and each digit, finding everything exactly where it should be. "Whole."

"Listen to that vote of confidence," her friend snarked, but the amusement didn't reach his eyes.

"What happened?"

"You had a run in with an Anzati Jedi that nearly killed you. You've been out for a couple of days."

"Did you… win against them both?"

"You don't have to sound so surprised."

"Yes I do. Two Jedi? You're good, but…"

He gave a shrug. "There was a lot riding on it."

"Right. Joining your dad on the Executioner."

His blue eyes flickered to meet hers and Mara was a little taken back by the intensity in them. "I thought she was going to kill you. I thought you were… I killed her before she could. I ended it." He pressed his lips together, looking away and a shiver passed through him.

Mara reached out, her fingers light on his wrist as she pulled him towards the bed and scooted to give him room. He took it, but instead of sitting on the edge like she'd expected he folded his legs up and slid them under the blankets to settle back against the headboard. "Okay then," she snorted, but leaned against his arm, the closeness comforting in the wake of what they'd been through. "Thank you. For saving my life."

"You've done it for me."

"And I'll do it again," she promised and heard him sigh, dropping his head to the side so that his cheek rested against her red hair. "You're going, aren't you?"

"Guess that depends on what you tell the Emperor."

"Do you want to go?"

"I don't want to leave you."

"That's not an answer."

"Sure it is." He slunk down just a little. "Could we not talk about it?"

Mara nodded and sighed, letting her eyelids droop and she hooked her arm through his. It was stupid. It wasn't like he was leaving the Empire. He was just continuing his training. They'd see each other. They'd have missions that crossed, the Emperor would make sure of it. She knew all of that, but even as she tightened her hold on him and he leaned in a little more, she couldn't help but feel like this was the beginning of the end.

TBC

Notes: And Luke takes another step into the Dark Side... This was a tough one to write, but fell nicely into place once I decided on the planetary backdrop for their chase. Major shoutout to Nimata_beroya for the the planet recommendation. The Anzat are only in the Legends stories now, I believe, and they're super creepy, so it sort of matched nicely for Halloween weekend. It worked out very well for what I needed though and it was really fun to have a brief moment with the Grand Inquisitor before he flings himself into oblivion rather than answer to Vader for failing him. Speaking of that... there may be a future chapter that Rebels fans will enjoy soon ;)

Next Time: Luke adjusts to his new life on the Executioner.

#Star Wars #Star Wars fanfiction #Luke Skywalker #Mara Jade #Darth Vader #The Grand Inquisitor #Third Sister #Seventh Sister

[inquisitorius-sin-bin]

I really didn't like that The Grand Inquisitor would take someone else's credit. It's strange, but I always felt like he had some nobility for his own fellow side? I don't know, I mean the Inquisitors are evil, but I just felt like I wouldn't have written him doing something like that? Do you feel like it's in character for him to do something like that?

Okay, so now I've watched both episodes twice and discussed them with several folks in my real life and upon further reflection this is what I've found:

Initially, I think I formed too harsh an opinion on Reva. Probably because she stabbed my favorite character in the stomach but uh- that aside- most of my friends who I watched it with and I found her characterization jarring and weren't really sure what to make of it. So we talked about it and we agreed that she looks great, her choreography is great, her acting is great, so what was the problem?

My husband suggested it was her motivations, which, in my opinion, make sense within the context of the show. The issue arises with exactly what your questions are getting at. In order to accept Reva's motivations, we have to accept a view of the other Inquisitors, specifically the Grand Inquisitor, that doesn't align with our pre-existing ideas of the character.

Most previous media concerning the Inquisitorius, there is some evidence of comeradery. I haven't read every piece of content out there yet, and am still getting caught up, but in Rebels S2 we definitely see cooperation within the group. In an early volume of the Vader comic that features the Inquisitorius, The Grand Inquisitor confronts Vader for cutting off the hand of the Sixth Brother, and definitely seems proud of the group.

In Rebels S1, I didn't see any evidence of the Grand Inquisitor being classist, racist, speciesist, etc., but he is trying to recruit Ezra pretty heavily so idk maybe once he gets the "street rats" on his side he acts differently. You do, however, see Grand Moff Tarkin scold him and that does come across as classic Imperial speciesism.

The second episode of Kenobi just characterizes the Grand Inquisitor in the worst possible way. He acts like a classist and coded racist, refuses to acknowledge Reva's accomplishments, and in the end is totally inept and incompetent in every way. It's really frustrating and disappointing after waiting so long for more content.

It's so wild too, because in the first episode, the Grand Inquisitor and the Fifth Brother do have that sense of nobility that makes them such a good foil to Reva! She is the anti-Jedi, while they are still holding themselves to a warped kind of code while hunting the Jedi! That is a really interesting dynamic!

So yeah, I think my biggest problem with Kenobi so far is that it took my favorite character, who admittedly doesn't have a lot of screen time to flesh out his character, and boiled him down to an incompetent, showboating space-racist who gets stabbed in the second episode. I'm still going to continue to watch but uh, forgive me if I don't incorporate it so much into my headcanon because it's not a fun place to be when you've found a character likeable for the past 8 years.

#s: kenobi #star wars kenobi spoilers #kenobi series spoilers #star wars kenobi #kenobi series

[dianalolihikki]

Hey!💜

I think I've caught some kind of allergy,because for the past few days I've had a red face,in addition, everything makes me itch,and my sensory hypersensitivity is probably at its peak. I wonder what could be behind my allergy. I just hope it's an allergy to some pollen,and not to the delicious Chinese chicken I ate on Thursday with E.

Even a peeling didn't help get rid of those red spots on my face.

I took an allergy pill, maybe it will help.

I should have had those allergy tests done long ago, but I always put it off.

💮💮💮💮

I was supposed to read that book I wrote about yesterday, but somehow I couldn't get myself to do it today. I don't know why, but usually when I'm at the end of a book it's harder for me to read.

Maybe I don't want to part with the book?

💮💮💮💮

My father lay in his room all day today and sobered up. I love days like this!🩷

💮💮💮💮

Today I did not go for a walk with B,because all day it was only 10 degrees Celsius outside, it was windy, raining and cloudy.

So I walked again on the electric treadmill in my room. We didn't talk about anything in particular, more about dummies like the opening of the village store, but it was still fun.🎀

I found out that U gave her the earrings that B was wearing today.

Could it be that U is trying to pretend to be B's good friend just to try to take away B's husband?

💮💮💮💮

At the time B was with me,my mom called the reception at the health center. She finally got the code and gave it to K. Then K asked for scans of the disability certificate and other personal information to enter the me into some system. I printed out a copy of my disability certificate to my mother, and she took a picture of the certificate and sent it by text message to K.

I haven't heard from him since. Maybe it takes a while to enter into the system? Or maybe he did it in the afternoon,after work?

I would already like to know when I will have my first physical therapy session with K.

I'm betting it will be Wednesday,but as you can read above I don't have a date yet.

Nevertheless, it is important that the case went forward.

💮💮💮💮

There was an option that I would go to E tomorrow together with my younger brother and his girlfriend. I didn't say it out loud, but I was a little scared. I have a rather strange fear of being left alone in a car. It started four years ago, when my mother parked the car on a small, steep hill u I was afraid that the car would go down.

Now I have somewhat mastered this fear, I no longer cry or panic, although when I am left alone in the car I prefer when the door on my side is open, I also prefer to sit sideways,so that my legs are outside the car

My brother does not have as much patience with my fears and drives a car quite fast.

Admittedly, at the end of the day, my trips with him are usually great,but the fear stayed somewhere in me.

There was also the possibility that mom was going to drink a beer, and my brother was going to drive us both anyway, because mom has a dentist appointment tomorrow.

Fortunately, mom didn't drink any beer and it's most likely that she will be the one to drive me to E tomorrow 🎀🩷.

💮💮💮💮

I haven't said it yet, but to raise money for physical therapy,my mother and I send letters to various companies, in which I describe my situation. Usually, we always include a certificate for a physical therapy camp on a particular date

Unfortunately, the physiotherapy camp I attended in September does not want to give us a certificate for the back up appointments( The closer the date of the camp,the more willing companies are to donate), where I am booked , so we attach a certificate for physiotherapy at E.

Mom came up with the idea for me to sign up for another camp, where her friend whom we know from camps where J and A worked is going.

I don't know how I will react to yet another change. Although maybe I don't care anyway since I can't go to J?

Now I wonder if the fact that I don't inform A and J first about K's physical therapy stuff is a sign that they are no longer important to me? I don't think I would survive that!!!

💮💮💮💮

Speaking of camps, I saw a live broadcast on Tiktok today where I saw a physiotherapist working with a child.

This physiotherapist is P.

P worked in the same physiotherapy camp where A and J worked.

P also no longer works there.

Although I don't like P and his physiotherapy methods, I couldn't stop watching this live broadcast.

💮💮💮💮

I am ending for today. I should go to sleep earlier,because due to mom's dentist I start my physiotherapy session with E an hour earlier than usual tomorrow.

Although I probably won't fall asleep anyway until all the lights in the house are out.

#cerebral palsy #neurodivergent #neurodiverse stuff #physically disabled #hikikomori #actually neurodivergent #diary #older men crush #teacher crush #physical disability #physical therapist #physical therapy #allergies #fears

[zombieneko96]

Old Friend?

Before nerves could overtake him he knocked at the door.

Emely: "Oh umm Cyrus?"

Cyrus: "Yea you must be Emely. I completely forgot I saw you had cut your hair on the magazines."

Emely: "Umm yeah. I am sorry but what are you doing here?"

Cyrus: "I know it's been a while but I have been putting my nose to the grindstone to save to get here. I had the gate code that Opal had given me to get in. Is she here?

Emely: "Cyrus that was almost 2 years ago. She doesn't live here anymore."

Cyrus: "Oh do you happen to have her new address. I know it's been a while there has been a lot that happened."

Emely: "I don't think you going to her new house would be good. She has a boyfriend and is doing really well now."

Cyrus: "Oh man I really haven't caught up on any news then. Well umm, I guess if you could give her these flowers or throw them away I would really appreciate it. I will umm I'm sorry for bothering you."

Emely: "I hope everything goes better for you Cyrus."

Looking defeated Cyrus turned and walked away.

Ariel: "So, Who was that he kind of looked familiar?"

Emely: "That was Cyrus."

Ariel: "Like Opal's ex Cyrus?"

Emely: "Yeah exactly."

Ariel: "You are going to need to talk to Opal about this. After it being so long it's kinda weird he popped up."

Emely: "Yeah I was thinking the same thing. I might call and talk to Gabe first though to see if he heard anything."

#ts4 screenshots #ts4 legacy #ts4 gameplay #ts4 simblr #ts4 story #embers legacy #active simblr #ts4 roleplay #ts4 #the sims 4

[phantomfitzroy]

I got caught and tagged like a wild animal by @cromerholt AND @noellevanious :-) quastions time

Are you named after anyone? Technically yes. When I listened to TAZ:Graduation I was really caught on Fitzroy Maplecourt, Knight in Absentia to the realm of Goodcastle 's name for some reason. Don't get me wrong, Griffin made a very fun character but I really don't associate my attachment to the name to him at all. It was more like inspiration, you know? Also my middle name, Aleksandr, is from an old ass youtuber I used to watch religiously in high school. If you know you know. I still use it as a first name, though, Fitz and Aleks are both good names I will respond to. Fun fact, my best friend called me Aleks through our junior/high school before I knew I was trans. I guess it just stuck.

When was the last time you cried? Yesterday. I watched a vid of an older woman with Alzheimer's talking with her daughter. She repeatedly asked her daughter to stop calling her mom, which did get to me, but what got to me most was her gradually remembering her daughter as the video went on while she looked at old photos and trinkets from her past. It really got to me.

Do you have kids? Nope :-) I fluctuate between not wanting kids and maybe wanting kids. I'm sure I'll have a better idea when I'm older and actually can take care of myself first.

What sports do you play/have you played? I used to play basketball in junior high. Also if you count marching band? Our director had us doing laps around the football field before practice and shit.

Do you use sarcasm? A very hesitant yes. I hardly use it, the closest I could say I get to sarcasm most of the time is just telling silly lies to people, but there's never any ill will behind it ever. I just like seeing what I can get people to believe, but I always let people know I lied after.

What's the first thing you notice about someone? In a physical sense their smile. I'm drawn to people's mouths for some reason. But in a broader sense the first thing I notice is usually the way they interact with other people.

Eye color? Hazel. I've got this cool ring of orangeish gold around my pupils.

Scary movies or happy endings? Depends on the day. I usually like scary movies though. As long as the ending is satisfying, it doesn't have to be happy for me to have enjoyed the experience.

Any talents? I don't like talking myself up but I am pretty good at acting and singing. Admittedly, I think I'm a better singer now than before my voice dropped from HRT.

Where were you born? Midwest. Minnesota. You're not getting anything closer than that, I shant dox myself.

Hobbies? Art. I draw and have been trying to get back into painting. I also technically do theatre as a hobby currently, since I don't get paid for the performances I'm in. And viddy games :-)

Any pets? I do not legally have pets, at least not in my own home, but I consider my dad's dogs my dogs since I take care of them as much (if not more) than they do lmao. Also one of my mom's dogs is technically mine, since I did pay for him when we got him, but I haven't been able to have pets anywhere I've lived since I moved out so he stays with my momma.

Height? 5'4"... I thought I was 5'5" until I was 18 years old.

Favorite school subject? I liked most science classes in school. The graphic design class I took in high school was fuckin awesome. Currently, though, I'm trying to teach myself to code and I'm enjoying that immensely.

Dream job? Professional acting!! Ideally I'd do live theatre, musical or otherwise. But I think I'd also be happy doing film. I would also be very happy as a live theatre director, though I'd need more experience directing first. I would also love love love to be a part of a professional improv troupe. Because I'm a dweeb. And good at improv.

Now I get to tag people. @genderkiller @gravellymistaken @nilovalentine @thesexiestlobster if you guy wanna do this :-) also anyone else who wants to, this was fun smiles

[phonzilake]

THE CODE - MICRO STORY

  I never lived by the gun. Never planned on having one.With mine & stank's life at risk. I'm thanking God I'm in possession of one. I haven't use this since last year at the range. J.J. keeps sending massive amounts of shots at us. Don't know how I fell into this but I'm here and  can't complain. How much fuckin' ammo does he has? J.J. believes that we switched on him over a robbery gone wrong. We did. Believes that we put him away for the last 20 years. We did. Believes that we killed that old man who use to own that corner store back in the day. We did. The one thing that we didn't do, was plan for tonight to go like this.

  "Yeah Nigga, I caught ya’ll lackin'." Screamed J.J. with every emotion of anger. "Ya’ll niggas gon' die tonight or we're all dying tonight!"

"Jerald!" I said yelling to respond. JJ's real name is Jerald Banks. Me, him & Malcolm; Malcolm is stank's real name. We were great friends 20 years ago. We were inseparable. If you saw one of us, the other two were always around. We did what most typical adolescent teens would do. Cause havoc. Yes, we were kids who became adults after that night. We shot that old man. Six times, one shot from my gun, three shots from JJ's gun & Stank finishing it with two rounds to the chest of the old man. What the hell was his name? Still can't remember his name. To be honest, not I stopped to not care. I probably never knew. With me and Stank crouching down by a concrete wall in this abandoned warehouse, I looked over top just yo see JJ retreating his rapid fire. In a fast second he went from unloading his SK61 submachine gun pistol; guarding the entrance to taking cover  behind the other concrete wall. 20 feet away on our far left. I can imagine he's gearing up for another storm of shots to send at us. After scoping JJ actions I said. "We're all too old for this shit JJ, we're in our 40s, man. You don't want to do this."

  "Fuck you, Nigga! You don't even know half what I want to do, pussy! Show your fuckin' face bitch. Be a man once in your life. You was acting just like one when you killed Old man Bennings!"

  Wow and just like that I remembered our victim, I tried to forget that night but it just won't forget about me. I looked over to see Stank loading the barrel to his glock .9 pistol, PCX edition. He fired back three rounds yelling "You're fucked, nigga! If we die, you're dying with us." 

Unfortunately,  I didn't share the same thought process. 

 "Nigga, is you gon' shoot? We gotta kill JJ or he gonna kill us" Said Stank asking me with an annoyed look pointing at me. I replied by saying. " I don't belong here, man. I was doing great. I work with kids to stood this shit now I'm deep in this-"

  "Yo, E! Fuck your soap show, nigga." Stank interrupting my response. Erik Mathison is my real name, that's all I could think of before I heard Stank say "Right now, it's either kill or die!"

  Malcolm's right. Right now, tonight was a night I've always feared, even before I snitched. No time to hesitate.  It's either kill or be killed. I fired two shots without looking, Malcolm  shot twice.  I shot two more rou nds at JJ's protection. Bullets thrashing holes into the cement wall that's guarding JJ. Cement piece & debris floating everywhere. I looked to see what damage we caused. Just for a second of hesitation I had for a moment. As Stank unloaded the rest of his Clip at JJ my thoughts weren't fear, my thoughts were how many bullets I have left? Stank reloaded his gun as he crouched back down behind the 3 feet wall.

  "That's not enough to kill me, you bitch ass niggas!" JJ screaming his response to our attack.

  "Nigga,  you 'bouta die right now!" Stank yelled revealing himself beyond our cement fortress. Charging at JJ firing shot after shot, shell casings making sounds of wind-chimes being grazed by a light spring breeze. Bouncing off the ground. "Yeah, dickhead we snitched.  My life is more important than yours!"

POW. POW. POW. Malcolm went silent. His barrage of curse words and fire power came to a hault. From the sound of a collapsing body made me figure that Stank's dead. I stood corrected and I may be next.

  "Hahaha..nigga who's the dead one now!" JJ screaming with a hysterical laugh. "I got all night, Erik Mathison. E, you're dying next nigga!"

 Couldn't call the police, left my phone in the car. My protection is running thin, I only have a half of clip left & a dead friend’s bloody bullet punctured body exactly yards within the middle of myself & JJ. This concrete wall won't hold forever, which is inevitable. My nerves shaking my weapon, left hand refusing to stay still. Another band of bullets marches at me from JJ, slowly I'm accepting defeat.  Death comes within steps of my presence, still I continue to hide.

#poetry #microstory #books #author #writerscorner #indie writer