#and then when someone has the same deformity were grouped together

[mwolf0epsilon]

I saw your original clones post and I was curious to know more about each of them if that's ok? I really like the one with purple hair

You're the first Anon of 2023. You're also lovely for asking me about my blorbos, thank you :')

This is gonna be a little long so I'll keep it under a readmore, but like, I'm keeping batchmates together because it's easier to explain who's who if I do it like that. I'll also be addressing them each through order of appearance so it's less confusing.

Anyway, lets do some clone talk!

---

First lets start with my 104th ARCs, Bully and Jawbreaker. They were former members of Krell's Battalion and two of his favourite punching bags, which is where they got their scarring from.

They were pulled into the 104th by Maeleen Eppa, a natborn engineer that noticed their fearful and distrustful nature when Plo Koon's battalion ended up working with Krell's on the same mission.

They're the hard-ass older brothers because, back on Kamino, they lost two batchmates during training exercises, and then had two much younger cadets (Tup and Dogma) introduced into their squad to even out the numbers. It's become second nature to be protective of Shinies, and even if they don't trust very easily they are loyal to a fault (unless they feel like they've been personally betrayed).

They sadly don't make it post Order 66.

Next up we have the tragedy that are Pox and Syrup.

Pox was a clone medic trainee on Kamino that got along brilliantly with his batchmates. Despite the hardships of training, he was always kind, reliable and willing to drop everything to help someone else along the way. Syrup was no different from his batchmate, and while he was training to be a simple foot-soldier, he was going to be acting as a reserve medic as well for whatever battalion he ended up in.

They were finishing training during the last leg of the Clone Wars, when suddenly Sulu Ra called for Pox's squad to partake in some kind of a training exercise. Syrup was, at the time, in medbay for an injury he'd sustained during training, so he wasn't brought along for whatever mystery exercise they were being tasked with.

Long story short... It was a bioweapon test... One that killed several clone troopers that hadn't even graduated yet; left Pox as a carrier of a highly infectious disease that continuously mutated within him, while he went on the run; and which left Syrup essentially without his closest brothers to rely on...

While Pox eventually finds a group of vode to connect with post Order 66, Syrup isn't as lucky. His inhibitor chip was faulty and began to rot inside of him, much like Tup's had, and it obliterates his sense of self to the point where he doesn't consider himself a person. Just a tool to be used by the Empire.

Next up Hyena, a medic of the 104th.

Like with Bully and Jawbreaker, he wasn't originally with the 104th. He was assigned to the 501st with his squad from Kamino, which he never got along with because they were a bunch of unrelenting bullies that thought they were better than everyone else. The disagreements got so bad that eventually he grew fed up enough to request a transfer, and managed to get into the 104th where he felt much more at home.

There's not much to say about Hyena other than, he has quite the sense of humor and love for terrible jokes/puns.

Still unsure what happens to him post Order 66.

We're missing one of them (Goch) due to his face being a little harder to draw than your average clone due to several facial deformities, but next up comes the Long Name Squad.

Lichtenberg, Pretty Boy and Olly are in the 501st, 212th and Coruscant Guard respectively, while Hippo and Cala were never in battalions due to the two of them (and Goch) being confined in Sulu Ra's private lab.

Lich is the accident prone but often optimistic and carefree older brother of the batch, PB is the token pretty boy with a bit of a sassy mean streak, Olly is the responsible but heavily traumatized one, and Hippo and Cala are still getting used to being free at all.

Side-notes: Hippo's goggles are technically a visual aid because her cyclopsia has left her vision severely impaired. Cala needs a cane to walk due to her polymelia making her a little top heavy (she has four arms). Both used to be conjoined twins before being surgically separated.

They have a relatively happy ending post Order 66, even if getting to it is an absolute hardship that tests their bonds repeatedly.

Next up, Seafood Squad! And boy howdy these ones are such a burning trash-fire of a mess...

In order we have Geoduck, Conch, Crayfish, Jelly and Sponge. All of them were in the scuba trooper program before Sponge (who had always been a target of Kaminoan scrutiny, due to a set of circumstances that still make them very uncomfortable) was ultimately pulled from it and forced into the medical training program.

This seemed to cause a sizeable rift between Sponge and the three eldest members of their batch (one that grew overtime due to Conch's pettiness and Crayfish's indifference). Jelly, the most amicable and compassionate of the batch, stuck with them for the long run and refused to grow distant. The two of them were so inseparable to the point where Sponge begged Jelly to come with them into whatever battalion they got assigned, rather than go with the others. Jelly accepted, pulling out of the scuba trooper program and worsening the growing contempt a certain member of the batch felt towards Sponge.

Ultimately, Geoduck, Conch and Crayfish were assigned to Kit Fisto's battalion, while Jelly and Sponge were assigned to the 501st. Jelly then died in an incident that heavily traumatized Sponge, and from there on out the rest of the batch (mostly Conch) blamed them for the death of their favourite vod'ika, and stopped contacting them at all. This left Sponge alone to deal with their trauma, which they didn't do very well...

A lot happens to them throughout the war itself and, at some point (likely driven by guilt and shame of being such a poor excuse for an older brother), Geoduck decides to try to mend the relationship between the batch and Sponge. But, due to his rather unique issue (face blindness so severe that he honestly has trouble recognizing anyone), he never managed to do so during the war itself. Mostly due to Conch actively sabotaging his attempts, and Crayfish simply not caring enough to help because he'd rather not stick his nose into any drama.

Side-Notes: Geoduck, Conch and Jelly have sea creature themed names which they decided on when they first began their scuba training. Crayfish has a freshwater creature themed name instead, because he may or may have not eaten a live crayfish that he pilfered from the Kamino Kitchens during the night.

Meanwhile, Sponge is not named after sea sponges at all. They are instead named after surgical sponges due to a... Rather unfortunate incident during their training... In an ironic twist it just fits their batch's theme in a way.

What happens to the great majority of them post Order 66 is still a WIP, but I know how Sponge's story ends and I'm very pleased with it.

These three next ones are fun... Introducing Medic Canivete of the 212th, Officer Incognito of Krell's Battalion, and Ordnance Specialist 8-Ball. The one batch who can't decide which is the sane one of the group (none of them are).

Cani is essentially a Swiss army knife in terms of skills. She's officially a medic on record, but she also does a lot of flight crew tasks and a spot of engineering here and there. A girl has to keep herself busy after all! And she just likes to learn new things.

Incognito is an anxiety-riddled mess that wishes he wasn't often so unlucky with what life throws his way (he cannot get a break the poor sod), and has a lot of self-doubt that plagues him during his introspection sessions. He's living with a lot of survivor's guilt due to the situation he's stuck in (pretending to be a droid while trapped in a Venator he's trying to stir away from Republic space so the seppie droids that took over don't slaughter any more of his brothers), but overall seems to be in relatively safer hands with the droids than when he was under Krell's command.

8-Ball is a bit of an enigma to most. He's a happy go lucky sort, lover of anoobas of all shapes and sizes, and also a force sensitive clone with a predisposition for precognition that he doesn't recognize as anything else other than "gut feelings". He's a fun guy who doesn't have one mean bone in his body, and who's predictions have earned him both his name and a bit of infamy among other clones, since he mostly seems more attuned to "guessing" less than positive events to come...

I'm not entirely sure what happens to them post Order 66...

[REDACTED]

Before Fox became the Marshal Commander of the Coruscant Guard, the title belonged to Sturm... His predecessor who was met with a terrible fate for caring too much and trying to investigate things he should have averted his gaze away from...

Lets just say there's more than one reason why Fox keeps his mouth shut about what goes on on Coruscant, and Sturm's unfortunate fate is one of those reasons.

Order 66 doesn't much matter in this case. Sturm was already doomed from the start.

Finally we have Mythos Squad, a squad of clone commandos who deserted the GAR after their Jedi General (Vikerius Kwinde) was killed by Grievous.

In order we have Dragon (the defacto leader), Komainu (the designated medic), Basilisk (the sniper), Gremlin (the designated technician) and Kerberus (the demolitions expert).

There's not much to say about them because unfortunately Kerberus is the last one standing post Order 66. He was deafened during torture, so while listening to the GAR radio chatter the others heard the order being called out while he could not (thus they attempted to terminate him for disobeying the order, and he had to kill them in self-defense, something that will never stop haunting them).

#star wars #the clone wars #clone ocs #infodumping about the blorbos

[goldfizzle]

You know what’s rly shit? I feel super uncomfortable talking abt my sexuality to my friends, even though they know I’m asexual and aromatic. bc when I first came out, if someone asked abt my sexuality one of my closest friends would say “oh they’re an eglantine” bc that was another ace aro. And I got added to this lgbtq+ group chat bc and I quote they “felt they were lacking aces” and I just felt like I was only being included to up the diversity, which is shit. Then I’ve noticed my bisexual friend tends to talk abt all the biphobia (which is perfectly valid) but never in my entire time hanging out w this supposedly “woke” friendship group have I ever heard someone mention aphobia. And I’m scared to start talking abt it myself bc one of the things I hear the most abt aces and aros on the internet is that we’re not oppressed and shit, so now I feel like if I talk abt aphobia it’ll be like I’m trying to be oppressed and I don’t want that bc I hate ppl who r like that.

#so yeah #that’s where I’m at rn #it’s not fun #and all my friends ever talk abt is their crushes #and then they’re like #oh well u wouldn’t know #and idk it just makes me feel so left out #I feel like ive got some kind of deformity that’s so rare #and bc it’s so rare no one rly takes it srsly #and then when someone has the same deformity were grouped together #and the only reason ppl hand w me is so they can act woke #cuz oh look here’s my friend with a deformity #but when it come to actually talking abt the shit I put up with bc of my deformity #they just don’t give a shit #and they want to talk abt their deformity which is fine #but loads of ppl talk abt their deformity #and they’ve never rly experienced anyone being mean to them bc of their deformity in person #they’ve just seen it happen to other ppl w the same deformity on the internet #meanwhile they’re making subtle jokes abt my deformity #and saying shit like #oh you wouldn’t understand what it’s like to bend down bc your deformity doesn’t let u #and then they continue to talk abt bending down and how great it is but also how bad it is #and then they say shit like #I wish I couldn’t bend down #you’re lucky your deformity doesn’t let u bend down #and it’s like then why don’t I feel lucky #why do I feel like a fuckin freak #anyways #sorry needed a bit of a rant

[flautistsandpeonies]

You ever think about how dirty Jiang Fengmian got done?

You’re a sect heir to what is supposed to be the most “free” sect of all the great sects. Expression, play, and ingenuity are literally built into your teachings, and all of a sudden your father wants to set you up into an arranged marriage.

You meet your perspective betrothed, and you don’t like the way she conducts herself. You tell her and your family multiple times that you don’t think that you two would be an appropriate match for one another. Your betrothed, however, wants to marry you- it doesn’t matter what you think apparently- and her family starts pressuring you into marrying their third daughter. You try to hold out and keep denying, but then your best friends want to get married and travel the world together so you are left all alone to fight an entire sect and your father’s wishes by yourself.

Needless to say, you find yourself getting married to the Violet Spider.

So, Yu Ziyuan moves to Lotus Pier and one of the first things she decides is that she doesn’t like her new home and has an entire pavilion built to cater to her needs and brings a bunch of people from her natal sect sect and barring Jiang from the premises.

There are Jiang disciples that have lived in Lotus Pier long than Yu Ziyuan that can no longer access a part of their home because their new madam forbade them from coming there.

She also decides that she isn’t going to take on your family name. She refuses to take the mantle of Madam Jiang and wants to be called Madam Yu despite the fact that she is the one that wanted the marriage in the first place.

Thirdly, she refuses to take care of the household of the Jiang sect. Instead of doing her duties as the Madam of Lotus Pier she would rather go on night hunts and she’s barely home.

So, now you probably have to not only take care of duties as sect leader, you also have to take care of the household cause your wife is almost never home.

Despite all this, you manage to perform your marital duties and you have your first child together! A baby girl who was born frail and with a weak constitution. You decide to name her Jiang Yanli.

Your wife informs you that since she and Jin GuangShan’s wife Madam Jin were the bestest of friends since childhood and made a promise that their first born children would marry one day, your daughter is now in an arranged marriage with the heir to the Jin sect.

With that, you no longer have a sect heir as men do not marry into the woman’s family. You’ve simply had a child to further the Jin sect rather than your own.

Since that’s done, you end up performing your marital duties again, and three years later you end up with a boy this time! You decide to name him Jiang Cheng.

Life is pretty normal, your wife is still never home, Yanli, while not good in cultivation seems to enjoy cooking, and you get your son three puppies to play with.

Four years later, you get the news that your best friends are now dead from a night-hunt and their little boy, just a few days older than your son is missing.

You spend five years looking for Wei Ying and miraculously find him eating the trashed rinds from people who bought watermelon. You buy him food and clothes and bring him back to Lotus Pier where you find your son playing with his puppies, Princess, Jasmine, and Love.

At the sight of them, Wei Ying starts screaming and crying, he’s shaking and sweating and doesn’t seem to be able to perceive the world around him. You see it’s a panic attack induced by the dogs, so you pick him to get him from the same level as the animals and try to calm him down.

Since you doubt the panic attack will be a one time thing, you decide that the best course of action is to send the dogs away. This devastates your son as he really loved his furry friends, so you decide to replace his animal friends with Wei Ying and set them up in the same room.

All this infuriates your wife, and she starts to accuse you of having an affair with your best friend. She accuses you of not loving your son, of being unfaithful, and having a bastard son from a woman who has been dead for five years.

There is a new normal in life with Wei Ying at Lotus Pier. While Yu Ziyuan still night-hunts alot, when she’s home she’s constantly accuses you of favoring Wei Ying over your own son, and claims that Wei Ying is your bastard. Yu Ziyuan has also taken zidian and whips Wei Ying with the spiritual weapon whenever she wants. Some days you come home late at night and find Wei Ying trapped in your family’s ancestral hall kneeling for hours.

Your wife has taken a spiritual tool that has been passed down the Jiang family for generations and she uses it to whip the child of your two best friends. She traps him in the ancestral hall, without medical attention, for hours, until you let him out late at night.

Your wife constantly tells your son that you don’t love him, that you wish Wei Ying was your legitimate heir, that he will never meet your expectations.She berates your daughter for her hobbies and looks down on her. Wei Ying gets whipped for simple things such as not wearing a shirt on a hot summer’s day.

Life passes on like this. Before you know it, you are sending your son and Wei Ying off to the Cloud recesses for study. Three months later, you are called to the mountain headquarters because your head disciples beat up the Jin heir.

Lan Qiren tells you that Jin ZiXuan disparaged your daughter in front of every eligible male in the cultivation world. You understand being betrothed to someone you don’t love, but Yanli didn’t cause the arrangement and even if Jin ZIXuan didn’t want to marry her didn’t mean he didn’t have to talk down about her to any other boy who you could possibly try to set her with. So, with that, you get Jin GuangShan to recede the arrangement and you take Wei Ying home.

I wonder if you will be able to find your daughter a husband after every heir that studied at the cloud recesses heard about how weak in beauty, smarts, and cultivation she was.

For the next two years, you deal with the new normal and your wife cursing you for ending your daughter engagement.

The Wens host an archery competition and then weeks later demand your heirs and disciples as hostages. They demand an heir so you are forced to send your son. Wei Ying volunteers and your wife accuses you of favoring Wei Ying despite the fact that Jiang Cheng really has no choice in the matter.

One month later, your son and disciples come home from a near death experience with a deformed beast and second Wen heir. You are informed that your head disciple stayed behind so you go to retrieve him and find that he and the second jade of Lan killed a hundreds year old beast.

Wei Ying is suffering from an infection from a brand, arrow wound, and a lack of spiritual power and stays in a coma for an entire week. As soon as he wakes, you congratulate him on this rare feet.

Your son is now saying that Wei Ying should have let the sect heirs to two other major sects die and and you try to make him see why that sort of mind set is wrong.

It probably reminds you of being a teenager and almost dying on a night hunt due to Lan Qiren unchangingly following his sect rules, and the only reason you are currently alive is because your friend CangSe SanRen saved your life.

Your wife bursts in and again accuses you of favoring Wei Ying. She claims that you don’t love your son again because she is his mother. It’s the same old argument and she storms out as angry as she came in.

Days go by and you and your wife are still arguing. It gets so bad that you leave your home to go appeal to the man who ordered your son to be a hostage to give you their swords back. You fail.

You’re going home when you find your son and Wei Ying tied together with zidian on a boat. Your son tells you the Wen sect is attacking and that your wife is fighting the core melting hand. You send the boys away; you tell your son to be well, and tell Wei Ying to look after him.

You go home to fight for you sect.

Your core is melted.

You are killed.

Your home is burned to the group.

All your disciples are killed.

All your treasures all stolen.

YunmengJiang is now the Wen Sect Supervisory Office of Yunmeng.

JC Stans Don’t Clown on my Post - Madam Yu Stans Don’t Clown on my Post

#i hate madam yu #jiang fengmian #mdzs #the untamed #if i was jiang fengmian i would have put madam yu and jiang cheng on a boat and pushed them over a waterfall #this was longer than i thought it would be #but i have feelings about this #Jiang Cheng #wei wuxian #wwx #lan qiren #jiang yanli #jin zixuan #did i include everything #i dont think i did #but you get the point #cangse sanren #wei changze #jin guangshan #jzx #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #grand master of demonic cultivation #gdc

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

HASO, “Dye and Diversity.”

Hope you guys enjoy the story today 

Yeb stared.

She tilted her head this way and then that, and then continued to stare on the other side.

A soft sigh, “My eyes are up here.”

Yeb looked up to where the human was staring at her ascance his head slightly tilted.

“What?”

“Sorry dumb joke.”

He pulled to a stop, and the strange wheeled chair below him pulled to a halt.

She stared some more, “That is so strange! It looks so fun!”

Her interjection seemed to surprise him, and he glanced down  at the chair, “Um, I suppose I’ve never thought about it. It’s kinda fun sometimes. I don’t use it much.”

Yeb waddled behind the chair and clambered up on two little pegs she saw jutting  out from behind, “Why not?”

“Well usually I can walk, and it is generally frowned upon to use a wheelchair if you don’t need one.” 

Yeb felt a rush of wind as he pushed the chair forward, and they began to roll slowly down the ramp, “Well why not?”

He laughed and shook his head, his earlier sour demeanor lost behind grim amusement. A few of the others came to join them as they rolled downward and off the platform. Yeb lifted her eyes  wide-eyed in shock as she stared at her strange and unusual surroundings, and the massive interior docking bay of the space station…. To think! An entire city built in space! Looking around she could see ships of many sizes and designs, and other unfathomable and strange creatures hurrying this way and that.

A thought came to her, “Why aren’t you using the arm sticks?”

“Arm sticks…. Oh the crutches?”

“Yeah.”

“My arms are sore from using them, and plus the wheelchair seems safer on the station. I'll Be less likely to trip and get hurt.”

“Oh ok!.”

It still surprised her to no end that the human had even managed to survive without a leg. At first she thought he might have been born with that deformity. On her planet, while it was possible to survive with an issue like that it was not very common at all. She could think of only one Tricar she had seen live to adulthood in such a condition. There were always complications, plus, while Tricar were semi-social they tended to live only in mating groups and abandon their pups at a very young age. 

If you couldn’t survive to adulthood in the cold metal mazes  of her planet than that was a personal problem.

She climbed up higher onto the back of the human’s wheeled chair to get a better look. She wobbled dangerously in her excitement, her hands and feet not exactly built for climbing with her stubby fingers and large flat feet.

With wide eyed excitement she looked all around them marveling at the diversity of lifeforms. There were so many of them!

She pointed to one, eyes wide, “What alien is that!”

The human turned his head to look then frowned “What do you mean?”

“That one right there!”

He frowned and looked again then laughed, “Oh well Yeb, that is a very tall human.”

“Oh, she frowned.” It sure didn’t look like any of the other humans she had seen, sure it was the same general shape, but it just looked so different that she couldn’t have been sure. But she supposed now she could see the resemblance. Like a stretched human.

“How about that one!”

The human continued to smile, “That is a human with a lot of fat, Yeb.”

“Oh….  what is that?”

“Er, like blubber but not really.”

That translated better and her ears flipped back over her head in mild understanding, “Oh, I get it, so those humans must be from cold climates, and that’s why they have insulation?”

“Not exactly.”

Her head turned and she pointed to another group, “Are all of those humans too!”

“Yes all of those are humans.”

“So pretty!” She exclaimed, they came in such interesting and new color combinations, ice white to stone ebony. Granted they all looked human, but the diversity in them was so astonishing that it was hard to believe they could all be the same species. As a biologist herself she might have assumed that maybe they were under the same classification, like fish, and how fish all sort of looked the same but that didn’t mean they were in the same biological category.

“Are they all the same subspecies?” she wondered.

“Yes.”

“Really? But they all look so different!” on her planet while they did tend to be diverse in height, their fur was generally always the same color, a grey white.

“There used to be other subspecies of humans a long time ago, but then they slowly started to die out. At the end it was only the Homo Sapiens and the Homo Neanderthalensis. Both of them coexisted for a while and even interbred but then the Neanderthal died out leaving only the Homo Sapiens with some Neanderthal DNA in certain cases,so we are all that's left, and our diverse lifestyles have given us different adaptational traits despite being the same species.”

She stared at him enthralled by this strange revelation about humans.

“For instance, in the middling areas towards the equator, things are a lot warmer and the light of the star hits the Earth directly, so humans kept their original dark skin color as protection against UV rays which can cause DNA mutations leading to cancer. A lot of times humans towards the equator tend to be taller and leaner which helps them to not overheat.”

“Your planet has a climate that diverse?”

“Yes, we can be as cold as your planet, or more than twice as hot.”

She stared wide eyed and shuddered at the thought.

“In fact, where I grew up we had seasonal changes in temperature. In the summer it was about thirty degrees hotter than the comfortable level I keep on the ship, and in the winter it could plunge to temperatures well around your home world.”

“How does anything survive in a climate so varied?”

“With air conditioning and heaters.” he said smiling, “Anyway, humans slowly began to move north, and as they did the rays of the sun couldn’t cut so easily through the atmosphere, as they were angled. That meant less UV light actually making it to earth. Problem is, humans need the sun to create certain vitamins used in the body. Darker skin helped to block the sun's rays when they become too much, but when there is less sun it isn’t so easy, and so humans developed lighter skin tones that were more vulnerable to sun damage but more easily allowed for the creation of those vitamins. In addition humans in higher climates tend to be shorter and stockier to conserve heat.”

“So…. you can tell where a human comes from?”

“You can tell where their ancestors come from.”

“So your family is from a cold climate?”

He smiled, bright white teeth showing the light above, “Yep, my ancestry stretches back to Russia, Norway, and other assorted parts of north eastern europe, but my family has lived far away from those places or the past few thousand years.” He smiled, “And yes, I can trace my lineage that far back. We’ve had pretty good record keeping for the past few thousand years considering we have internet databases stretching back about that far, and massive archives.”

“Wow/” She muttered quietly, “And I don’t even know who my mother was.”

The human raised an eyebrow at her, but by that time she had already transitioned to looking and pointing at something or someone else. She loved looking at the humans, they were so diverse and strange, and there was always something new to see. Sometimes it was their clothes sometimes it was their skin, sometimes it was their hair,

Sunny, the big blue Drev, placed a hand on the human’s shoulder in a quick gesture, “I am going to go look for the parts, I’ll get back to you in a minute ok?”

“Cool, bring me a working leg when you do.”

“She snorted but nodded and walked off,while he and the others continued onward.”

Yeb lifted her head in wide eyed wonder watching as they passed down a dark hallway from the docking bay, and then out, into an absolutely massive room. It was so large they might as well have been outside, a huge curving room in the shape of a doughnut that went around for miles and miles in either direction. Much of the ceiling above the mwas covered in some sort of see through glass structure giving her a view of space outside,and the rest of the expansive station highlighted by thousands of stars and hundreds more blinking lights.

Voices echoed and warbled all around them as hundreds and thousands of people filtered through the station like slow moving ice water. The room was so large that they had even built structures on the inside, which rose up many stories into the air glittering with colorful neon lights. She saw hundreds of aliens slipping in and out of these buildings and passing overhead on catwalks high in the air, talking, chatting and walking together.

It was all so alien and she was so excited.

She almost fell off the back of the chair as her unfit feet and hands slipped off a climbing surface. A hand steadied her from behind, “Don’t get too excited.”

She was pleased to find after that that the humans were very interested in bringing her around and showing her all of the new things. WIth her ability to eat a wide variety of food, she even got to try and taste some of their more strange concoctions, both excited and repulsed by some of them.

They walked past another shop whose brightly glowing lights attracted her like a moth to a flame and she backpedaled. Sounds pulsed and throbbed around inside her head and brightly colored pictures decorated the walls. On the inside, she watched in wide eyed fascination as one human sat patiently arm exposed, as another inked a pattern onto their skin with a whirring machine. The colors they used fluoresed under the strange blue light above.

A hand on her shoulder, “that is probably a human tradition you don’t want to experience.”

“What?”

“Tattoos, injecting ink directly into your dermal layer through use of tiny needles.”

She cringed a bit, “Why?”

“Because you can get cool pictures.”

There was a hum from beside her as one of the other humans walked up, “Maybe not the tattoo, but…” She trailed off and pointed to the other side of the room where humans were sitting in chairs leaning back as other humans painted strange chemicals on their fur. One of them stood up, and when she did, her hair was long and blue.

Yeb stared, “You change your fur color!”

“Yeah all the time.”

Adam rolled up behind them, “I don’t know if that's a good idea, we don’t know what kind of chemicals….”

“Well there is only one way to find out.”

They turned to look at her, “Want to dye some of your fur a cool color?”

She was so excited all she could manage was a squeak. The thought was so strange and exciting. There was only one fur color on her planet, to think that she could just go and change it!

Why hadn’t her people thought of this!

“YES!”

Her enthusiasm seemed to surprise them, but with smiles they were very encouraging and walked in with her as one of the humans came to greet them, “What can we do for you.”

Maverick patted Yeb on the shoulder, “Our alien friend here would like to go a different color.”

The human looked down and started with a frown, “Er…. what…. What are you. You don’t look like any Tesraki I’ve ever seen.”

“That's because she’s not. A new species, just coming into the galactic community. Anyway what do you say?”

The human paused then shrugged, “Long as you sign a waiver saying that we aren't responsible for any allergic reactions or damage to the hair of an unknown species, then sure.”

They glanced at Yeb, and she waved it off, “Let's do it!”

It was probably a horrible idea to have a team of humans not exactly known for their good life choices cheering on a naive Tricar as she chose bright neon green which was supposed to be at its brightest on the top of her hair and fade down slowly to the furn on her back.

The humans were excited all around, and she drew a small crowd as they began the process.

She probably should have been more concerned not sure what the chemicals would do to her, but nothing ventured nothing gained: that was a human expression she had learned just a few minutes ago, and she really liked it.

Warm water ran through her fur, and then a strange sticky paste was applied to it. Shehad to sit around and wait for a little bit as the color set, and then sit around some more as they washed the residual color out. When they were finally finished, she was turned to face the mirror, and her eyes went wide again.

Her grey white fur, against the bright neon green!. She turned back and forth watching the light glitter over the bright color.

“Wow.”

“Wow.”

“Wat have we done.”

“I love it!” She exclaimed, leaping out of her seat to look at herself more readily in the mirror.

She watched as Adam leaned over in his seat and passed his arm over some sort of device.

Se assumed he was paying for it and was quite pleased walking out of the shop with her new fur enjoying the eyes on her as she passed.

It wasn’t long before some of their other companions returned. Sunny turning to look at Adam with a frown, “What did you do.”

He raised his hands, “Oh come on, its harmless, na look at how happy she is. Come on.”

Sunny rolled her eyes..

“Spirits give me strength.”

Yeb capered around the group, rubbing her paws through her newly colored fur. It didn’t feel any different, but she sure FELT different.

She was sure she was going to really enjoy all these strange human things.

Then again.

She had really only experienced the good things.

It would remain to be seen if she was going to be able to handle the darker side of humanity. 

[carriagelamp]

April l was apparently the month for me to revisit some children’s authors who are steeped in controversy at the moment. So here’s my hot (well, lukewarm) takes on issues that absolutely do not need a single other person talking about them. Also some actual good books that I read this month!

Badger in the Basement

The Animal Ark books are a childhood classic — though I recently found out that apparently there’s a difference between American and British publications, and the American versions didn’t include a lot of actual COOL animals which is… bizarre. As a Canadian stuck in the middle of this, this nonsense drives me nuts. This one was about the main character, the daughter of pair of vets, trying to protect a local badger sett from men wanting to participate in badger digging and baiting. These books are always feel-good, and it was a nice single-day-read while I waited for a library book to come in.

Chi’s Sweet Home

The cutest manga series about the misadventures of a little kitten, Chi, who has been adopted by a loving family. I’ve never bothered to read them in order, but apparently this time I stumbled across the last in the series -- whoops! Still, stood on it’s own pretty easily, and it was a fun read! Things get tense when the family realize that they may have found Chi’s original home… and may have to give up Chi forever.

Earth Before Us: Dinosaur Empire!

This was an odd graphic novel, I feel like I’m not sure who the target audience was exactly. It was a nonfiction comic done in a Magic School Bus style, with the purpose of teaching current, up-to-date facts about the animals that lived in the Mesozoic Era. If you’re into dinosaurs, you’ll probably enjoy this! The art is absolutely adorable, I love the dinosaur illustrations, and I learnt some really neat facts. That being said, the pages are really dense, and there’s a lot of info crammed in… some of it will probably go way over a child’s head without specific additional teaching or a very strong personal interest. But that being said, a dinosaur obsessed kid is still probably going to really dig this… as would a dinosaur obsessed adult. It wasn’t my cup of tea exactly but I’m sure it is someone’s.

assorted Dr Seuss Books

I love these types of controversies because it means getting to listen to every moron who has never had an opinion on Dr Seuss ever start generating a mile of them out of the aether. So many people are so mad about the six books that are getting retired and I bet most of them haven’t even read them. These are not the friggin Cat In The Hat or The Lorax or even the likes of Yertle The Turtle. I was raised by a grade one teacher, was a voracious reader who loved Dr Seuss, and wrote my university thesis on children’s literature, and I still only knew two of the six books on that list. So by all means, if you want to write an essay explaining why those specific books are worth clinging to, feel free, but if you haven’t even heard of them maybe it’s not a big deal. *grumble*

Anyway, my grousing aside, it gave me the urge to reread a bunch of Seuss books, including the two retiring books I personally knew: McElligot’s Pool and To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street. I do still enjoy both, especially McElligot’s Pool which always sparked my imagination, but it’s obvious why they’re being retired and I personally think it’s the right choice. There’s so much good kidlit out there, we can survive without these.

Goodbye, My Rose Garden

A f/f romance manga, fairly standard fair though cute if you’re looking for some historical angst, pretty dresses, and mutual pining. A young Japanese woman moves to England in the hopes of meeting a writer (Mr Frank) who she has long admired. Along the way she is employed by an enigmatic woman with plenty of money, rumours, and melancholy following her. I’ll be honest, uncut romance isn’t really my genre, but I’ll probably still try to the second book to see if the story picks up.

From The Holocaust to Hogan’s Heroes: The Autobiography of Robert Clary

It’s no secret that I’ve been on a Hogan’s Heroes kick. This is the autobiography of Roberty Clary, who plays my favourite character in the show, Louis Lebeau. And holy shit what a life this man has had. He was a Jew growing up in France before the start of the war, and who was one of many children taken away from his family and sent off to the concentration camps in Germany. This was an amazing, intense, inspiring, and heartbreaking read… it has Clary’s voice all over it, and it tells everything from the charming childhood he had, to the horrors of the concentration camps, the brutality of survival, and then about his exciting journey into the entertainment industry afterwards. It’s an experience, would recommend if you’re a fan of the show.

The Ickabog

The second controversial author I read this month. Originally I was going to give Rowling’s new book a miss, given everything that’s been going on over the past few years, but in the end my curiosity got the better of me. Politics aside, it was a fun read! Not groundbreaking, but enjoyable enough and written in an interesting style. It didn’t read the same as a lot of modern kidlit, it felt more like a cross between a classic fairytale and a Dahl book. Perhaps a bit like Despereaux. It tells the tale of how an idyllic country gradually falls into ruin through the ignorance, inaction, and greed, and how a supposedly fictional monster hides the very real, human monsters at the heart of the country. It was cute and pleasant and I’m glad I decided to get it from the library, though for anyone who is choosing not to engage for political reasons: you aren’t missing anything major.

Franklin In The Dark

A Canadian classic. I don’t think there’s a single person my age who hasn’t read or been read a pile of these books, and the nostalgia is so comforting. I found this on Youtube and listened to someone read it to me, and honestly 10/10 would recommend for a calm evening.

The big reason I decided to seek this one out though, was because I finally got to the M*A*S*H episode that inspired this entire series! In the episode C*A*V*E, in which Hawkeye is freaking out over his claustrophia while the camp is forced to take shelter in a nearby cave during some intense shelling, he mentions that if he had been born a turtle he would have been afraid of his own shell, and that the other turtles would make fun of him cause he’d be forced to walk around in his underwear. And so this first story about a young turtle who’s afraid to sleep in his own shell and drags it around behind him. So if you were ever curious, Franklin the Turtle is in fact named after Dr Benjamin Franklin Pierce. (this is also why the French version is named Benjamin!)

Wolves of the Beyond: Lone Wolf

I loved the Guardians of Ga’Hoole books as a kid but I never read the Wolves of the Beyond series. This first book was an interesting read, Lasky does a great job creating worlds and societies for the animals that inhabit them. Lone Wolf is about a deformed wolf cub who was abandoned in the wilderness to die. And he would have, if a desperate mother bear, who had recently had her only cub killed, hadn’t stumbled across him and saved him, vowing to raise him as her own...

Petals

A “silent” graphic novel. It has beautiful artwork and is told entirely through pictures, no text at all. It’s loves and heart-wrenching, though it left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied… I felt like there should have been more. Still, a neat story.

The Southern Book Club‘s Guide To Slaying Vampires

What a banger of a novel!! I can’t recommend this one enough. It’s about a group of suburban mothers in the ‘80s who form a book club out of a shared need for community and a love of grisly true crime novels. But when a strange drifter appears in town and starts setting down roots… and when children begin disappearing… these women need to band together to confront the horrors that have invaded their neighbourhood, and face down not only a terrifying monster among them but the patriarchal system that allows it to flourish. To quote the preface:

“Because vampires are the original serial killers, stripped of everything that makes us human — they have no friends, no family, no roots, no children. All they have is hunger. They eat and eat but they’re never full. With this book, I wanted to pit a man freed from all responsibilities but his appetites against women whose lives are shaped by their endless responsibilities. I wanted to pit Dracula against my mom.    As you’ll see, it’s not a fair fight.“

The Weirn Books: Be Wary of the Silent Woods

I love Chmakova’s graphic novels, though I’ve only ever read her slice-of-life middle grade series before. This one is pure fantasy and very fun. It’s about two cousin “weirns” — witches with demon familiars — who attend the local night school. Things get strange though when an ominous figure appears outside the old, abandoned school house deep in the Silent Woods, and begins tempting children down its path…

I’m very much looking forward to word of a second book and was honestly kind of surprised that I haven’t heard more about this book given how popular her other series is. This has all the same charm and quirks but for those of us who prefer stories based in fantasy rather than reality.

And A Bonus...

For some masochistic reason I got a Garfield book out of the library. Jeez, if I didn’t love these as a kid, I found them absolutely laugh out loud hilarious, and now I just don’t see it anymore. But here I will share the one strip in the book that actually made me laugh

#book review #book reviews #chatter #dr seuss #hogan's heroes #robert clary #the southern book club's guide to slaying vampires #animal ark #dinosaur empire #the weirn books #svetlana chmakova #canadian literature #canlit #kidlit #children's literature #wolves of the beyond #mash #franklin the turtle #chi's sweet home #manga #goodbye my rose garden #kathryn lasky #the ickabog #jk rowling

[coochiequeens]

Bogota, Colombia – “Ya es ley.” Now it’s law.

That was the chant that echoed outside Colombia’s Constitutional Court building Monday in a sea of green handkerchiefs.

In a landmark decision, the court decriminalised abortion procedures up to 24 weeks of gestation, paving the way for greater abortion access in the largely Catholic country.

For 15 years, Colombian law allowed for abortions only under three circumstances: if the mother’s life was endangered, if the pregnancy was a product of rape or if the fetus was fatally deformed. After 24 weeks, those same three exceptions apply.

“There’s not a single woman in Colombia who doesn’t know someone who has had to get a clandestine abortion,” said 29-year-old Marisol Rivera, who stood outside the court building Monday with a green handkerchief symbolising the pro-abortion rights movement.

“But little-by-little, we’re changing that.”

The case came as a feminist “green wave,” referring to the bright green bandanas pro-choice advocates sport, sweeps across Latin America.

While it is built off of decades of work by feminist activists across the region, the recent wave first gained speed in Argentina, which in December 2020, passed a law to legalise abortion and Mexico, which decriminalised the procedure in September.

Other countries such as Ecuador also recently loosened laws to decriminalise abortion in situations of rape.

Advocates said it represented a major step forward for women’s rights across the region, especially as other Latin American countries consider similar cases.

“It’s an awakening of women’s rights,” said Paula Avila-Guillen, executive director of Women’s Equality Center. “We’ve arrived at a moment in which we were tired of being left behind … and just started reclaiming our rights. For many years we were just waiting.”

Conservative ex-President Alvaro Uribe and other anti-abortion groups decried the decision with Uribe saying on Twitter “this ruling deeply offends the highest group of (Colombian) citizens.”

Jose Jaime Uscátegui, a conservative congressman, tweeted a video standing outside the court Monday throwing toilet paper rolls at the court building.

“This is a crime. Why do Colombian citizens have to sit here silent … while five judges make a decision on behalf of 50 million Colombians,” he said in the video.

Colombia’s case was based on a lawsuit filed by an umbrella group of 100 organisations, called Causa Justa Por el Aborto (“Just Cause for Abortion”), which sought to eliminate abortion from Colombia’s criminal code, and have abortion regulated under health laws instead.

Previously, women could face anywhere from 16 to 54 months in prison for interrupting a pregnancy that did not fall under the three exceptions.

For decades, the procedure was completely banned in the South American country.

Beatriz Quintero, the co-founder of La Mesa por la Vida y la Salud de las Mujeres (“Table for the Life and Health of Women”), one of the organisations signed on to the case, got a clandestine abortion she was 18 years old in the 1970s when the procedure was criminalised.

Quintero, now 69, said she was lucky to have sanitary conditions during her procedure, but was scared knowing that she could face criminal charges and that she had no safety guarantees.

“Many women don’t have the same conditions [in their abortions], and they suffer for it,” she said. “There are women who scrape together resources, who hide it from their families, who don’t have any support.”

Annually, 760,000 women in Latin America are treated for complications from clandestine abortions, data from the Guttmacher Institute shows. Such abortions account for one in 10 maternal deaths in the region.

In 2006, Colombia’s Constitutional Court overturned that ban and partially decriminalised abortions under the three conditions as above. On paper, Colombia’s laws appeared more liberal than neighbouring countries.

But women – especially in poorer and rural areas – face a labyrinth of legal and physical obstacles, and stigmatisation that make access to the procedure virtually impossible.

While women in more left-leaning urban centres like Bogota have easier access to the procedure, in more conservative rural areas, women often do not know their rights and restrictions are often interpreted far more rigidly.

Some worry that access and enforcement of the regulations will continue to be split down that divide.

Most abortions carried out in Colombia are done clandestinely, according to Causa Justa, making them unsafe.

Criminal cases of abortion have only gone up since the law was changed in 2006, according to a recent report by La Mesa por la Vida y la Salud. Criminal cases of abortion jumped 320 percent from 130 in 2005, when there was still an all-out ban, to 416 in 2018.

Minors and women from rural areas were disproportionately criminalised, the report said, and at least 42 percent of those prosecuted were victims of gender-based violence.

The court decision on Monday marked a symbolic step forward for the region, and could ripple to countries like Chile, where abortion is highly restricted and whose president-elect, Gabriel Boris, has promised to make the procedure freely available.

Yet the issue has still been divisive in Colombia and much of the region.

About 60 percent of Colombians support the legalisation of the procedure, but only a fourth believe abortion should be completely legalised without limits like the ones currently in place, according to a September IPSOS poll.

In 2020, when the court was last considering another abortion case that maintained previous law, the country’s right-wing President Ivan Duque said expanding abortion access would be a “very hard change”.

“I’m pro-life. I believe life starts at conception,” he said.

Despite Argentina’s legalisation, many doctors in the country have continued to refuse to perform the procedure on moral grounds, spurring on concerns by observers that the same could happen in Colombia or Mexico.

“There is always going to be a doctor that is going to exercise conscientious objection,” said Paula Avila-Guillen of the Women’s Equality Center.

Still, for Quintero, who had a clandestine abortion decades ago, the decision marks a sign of change not just in her country, but across the region.

“These decisions show that the world is moving forward,” Quintero said.

#Colombia #reproductive justice #Abortion access #Ya es lay #Causa Justa Por el Aborto #Just Cause for Abortion #La Mesa por la Vida y la Salud de las Mujeres #Table for the Life and Health of Women

[dragonrajafanfiction]

The Trieste Venture (End) - S Nami Bolg

In this entry, the MC sings a song that is commonly heard in Russia around Christmas time though it’s not necessarily a Christmas Song.

"We actually survived." Lu Mingfei gasped. "I thought several times that I should start chanting poems."

Chu Zihang was next to you, checking your blood pressure. You were still far too weak to participate in the conversation. Or even get annoyed at Mingfei again. All your strength reserves were completely exhausted. Caesar was strapped into his seat but still out cold.

So he prattled on. "I used to read a book and said that Japanese generals would recite a death poem when they died." He rolled his eyes up to the sky. "What is "Heaven" There must be light at the end, and the clouds and mists are scattered. There is only a bright moon in the heart. Forty-nine years of prosperity, a dream, a wine cup in the first phase of glory, and what else is there? When I wake up, I will go to sleep", he recited. "I thought that was particularly sensational."

　　"It wasn't that they started chanting just before they died," Chu Zihang said. "In fact, most Japanese military commanders have a mediocre level of education. They used to find someone who could write poetry to do it well, and they just chanted before they died. "

　　"That’s what I said. What if I only say 'Heroes forgive me, there are no poems left?’"

Chu Zihang let the air out of the blood pressure cuff and held up his blade. "I need to check your blood. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." You turn away but can help but flinch when the blade scores your skin.

What comes out is a mixture of crimson and inky black ooze. It seemed to be a fifty fifty ratio. 

"Is it bad?"

"It's not good. If you use Blood Rage again there's no saving you. I'll have to kill you."

"Thanks."

Chu Zihang suddenly stared at you, unsure of what you're thanking him for. If he asked, you're not sure you could answer.

"I feel dizzy."

"We're low on oxygen… but also Something else survived," Chu Zihang said.

You looked at the screen, thousands of black shadows were floating up from the bottom of the sea at high speed, gathering together like black vortexes. The group of mermaid hybrids, the last group who escaped from Takamagahara, was exceptionally large; they were not affected by the nuclear explosion. A huge figure appeared in the black whirlpool formed by the mermaid group. Every time it swept the sea with its long tail, it was accompanied by countless undercurrents and countless whirlpools. The mermaids floated around it, because when the thing was swimming, an upward high-speed current was formed around it, just like fish schools like to migrate with giant whales sometimes. The fastest were already approaching the Trieste, and under the spotlight, their ice crystal-like tusks reflected dazzling light.

"Do you still want to chant poems now?" Chu Zihang asked.

"Like a hero!" Lu Mingfei sobbed.

The depth is about 3,000 meters, and when the inertia brought by the nuclear explosion shock wave is exhausted, they will have no way to accelerate.

Chu Zihang might be able to release Royal Fire again, but the submersible could not withstand the impact. The outer shell was making a frightening tearing sound, and the resin porthole was deforming at a speed visible to the naked eye. Royal Fire and the nuclear explosion shock wave caused irreversible damage to the shell of the deep submersible, so it would be nice if they could float to the surface in this way. The remaining hope is the safety rope. You're just waiting for Chisei's safety rope to pull.

"I seem to hear the sound of cracking eggs." Lu Mingfei whispered.

"This is our shell cracking." Chu Zihang said.

It did sound like the sound of an eggshell breaking, and the cracks slowly extended on the surface. The sound of metal tearing and curling was sickening, and it was followed by a "pop", and then the sound of fluid surging.

"It is leaking, but the water has not intruded into the cockpit." Chu Zihang said, "Trieste has a double metal shell, with light kerosene between the two layers. Now the shell is perforated and the kerosene is leaking."

"Hey Sumeru! Sumeru! Hurry! We need the support of a safety cable!" Chu Zihang yelled.

"They're not answering." You whisper. You're feeling sleepy. At any moment, your eyes will close and you won't open them again. Exhausted from the fight, Blood Rage and the serum, the lack of oxygen won't allow you to regain strength.

The Trieste stopped ascending, and now it was surrounded by a group of mermaids.

The behemoth floated in the observation window. It was a black dragon swinging its long tail in the sea. That was the thing that was struggling in the crack in the seabed just now. At the last moment it finally broke through the seabed and escaped. Its golden pupils are like giant candles, and its decayed body is draped with ancient armor. The armor is connected by layers of bronze chains. Between the bare ribs, swimming in the abdominal cavity, were a swarm of ghost tooth dragon vipers! It turns out that the body of this thing is the nest of the ghost tooth dragon viper. As if thousands of lights were lit at the same moment, the eyes of the sleeping fish all awoke. Endless numbers press to chew their way into the cockpit. The king of these mutants opens its mouth in a silent roar, and his teeth are as transparent as crystal.

To your oxygen starved brain, the lights of their eyes and the silvery flashing of scales and teeth become mixed with the dreamy memory of Christmas lights and falling snow.  You suddenly feel warm inside and smile. It was irritating, but Racoon Boy is right. You really want to sing right now.

S Nami Bolg, ‘God is With Us’ was that old Christmas song, a triumphant challenge to opponents. The lyrics said that if they so much as dared come against them, they would be met with a resounding defeat. But it was easy for children to learn, because all they needed to know were the words “God is With Us” to sing along after every verse.

In your mind, as you sing the lyrics in the mix of a voice and a hoarse whisper, you can hear the voices of your friends, older and younger, singing with you as you stare into the eyes of the decayed dragon without a trace of fear. You can almost feel Renata standing beside you. She always had a sweet voice and you worked to match the way hers sounded in your mind. You imagine her glancing at you with her coquettish, mischievous manner. Your attempts to match hers weren’t a challenge but what was friendship without at least a little rivalry?

So your voice grows stronger with hers trembling in the soprano range.

“God is with us! Understand this, O nations, and submit yourselves! Hear this, even to the farthest bounds of the earth. For God is With us… God is with us…”

Chu Zihang sat back in his seat with a soft sigh. By the third lyric, he could mouth the words, God is with us, in Russian.

The dragon slowly opened its ribs as to though answer this challenge, and the ghost tooth dragon vipers leaped out of their nest. They pounced on the Trieste. It was like the sound of millions of silkworms chewing on mulberry leaves, violently biting. Outside, the portholes are densely packed with the golden eyes of the fish and the teeth marks on the plexiglass are growing deeper. There were terrible sounds in all directions. The fish were not only biting the plexiglass, but also drilling holes in the metal bulkhead. Thousands of them are now swimming between the outer shell and the inner shell. These fish that can chew through anything, are eating the fiber optic cables and the insulation as though it were food.

The lights on the control consoles went out. The water pressure meter and the ampere meter swung to zero.

The last layer to protect them was the metal inner shell.

Chu Zihang reached out his hand to you and it closed around your fingers. “It was nice meeting you.” He said.

“Same.” You replied.

You turn to Lu Mingfei who took your other hand. “I’m also… very happy.” His voice was choked. “I’m sure… the Boss would say something heroic but… I’m sure he’s happy he met you too.”

You let out a breath. “It’s weird… I’m saying good-bye ag-...”

You never finish that sentence. The porthole collapsed and the sea filled the cockpit like a sledgehammer, breaking the supports holding your seat to the deck and then tearing you out of the seatbelts themselves. You’re violently sucked out of the cockpit and into the swirling ocean with nothing to protect you from the frigid water or the debris. Things are striking you and you’re filled with fear, but your eyes are squeezed tightly shut.

You feel a sudden burst of heat and the debris striking you is blown away. Royal Fire? You open your eyes but you can’t see anything but blue ocean and a bit of shining light. Your mind, finally starved completely, mercifully shuts down before you can even start to drown.

#Dragon Raja

[the-art-of-styles]

Pick the. . .

✧ After Raine's chosen by Harry, that handsome boy with green eyes and curly hair while playing a game that everyone can know the answer but not always the question, she's intrigued. And, looks like he spilled some of his drink on her favorite t-shirt, oh no!

Word count: 2934

Warnings: —

A/N: this is my first ever OS (that probably—most likely will have a part 2) so I hope whoever reads this likes it! :)

  

✦

The soft music danced its way between the walls like the two or three bodies that had no shame in dancing in front of a not so massive group of people since that was what there was now: a meeting with a few people with peaceful college vibes.

Raine came with Marinette, an acquaintance with whom she came to form a strong bond all this first year of university, something that she's completely grateful because she would not know what she would have done if she didn't have any hand to help her get out of the well in which the teachers and homeworks and grades induce her, so Marinette now has her hand and pulled her out of that disgusting swamp-like pit to take her to the beach. This was what Raine needed: a few beers, an occasional cigar (perhaps a magical one, out there), and living with people who do nothing more than wrap her heart in large arms of steam made of some rainbow reflected in the sky after a storm.

   "Hey, hey, everyone, let's get together and play something, what do you think?" A girl whose name is Celeste if she remembers correctly called everyone's attention, turning down the volume of the music and changing it for one that is low energy — slow rhythm.

   Everyone got together, there were about ten or a little more people in the room, some sitting on the couch, others brought some chairs and finally, people like Raine sat on the floor, although they were the minority.

   "Let's play this game where the person next to you asks you a secret question about someone in this room and you must say the name of that person, but not the question. The thing is that, after giving the answer, the person must toss a coin: if it comes up heads, the question is not revealed, if it comes up tails, they have to say it. For example; Sofia, who is next to me, asks me who I would kill from here, I would say... Jonas, I throw the coin and there it is dictated whether the question should be revealed or not. Otherwise, the named person will never know what was asked."

   "Hey, thanks for killing me," Jonas said.

   "You're welcome."

   "So bold questions?" A guy over there asked, taking a sip from his beer can and rearranging the black cap that covered his hair.

   Meanwhile, Raine also drank her alcohol and ate a few fries that were in the white bowl, this resting on the small glass table in front of her and everyone.

   "Any question. Okay," Celeste brought her palms together and rubbed them creating friction of warmth in them. Her gray eyes fell on Raine and then on the person next to her, Marinette. She immediately swallowed. "So, Mari, ask Raine something secretly and she has to answer, alright? Let's start!"

   Raine slowly turned her torso to see her friend with a mischievous smile threatening to explode on her lips, her face deformed to one of pity so that she doesn't ask her something embarrassing or that could cause conflict because with Raine's luck she knows well that she will have to reveal the question.

   Marinette leaned over and placed her hands as a shield over her ear, her warm breath smelling of beer, cigar and a bit of calm sending shivers down Raine's spine until she murmured, "Of all the people here, who would you fuck?"

   Her jaw almost dropped to the hottest hell as the corners of her lips rose a little, squinting at Marinette who flashed eyes of naive innocence.

   If she thinks about it, saying who she would fuck from here is not that serious, it wouldn't cause a nuclear war, nor would it be so embarrassing; after all, sex is not a taboo in this group of people. Unless the person she says makes a disgusted face at being named, then it—

   An abrupt sound interrupted the train of Raine's thoughts and cut the harmony of the game as hard as a sharp knife.

   A boy in his twenties or around came in, drawing everyone's attention. He wore black skinny jeans that still formed wrinkles in his knees and when they reached his ankles and a green flannel rolled up a few centimeters, where one could wonder why he buttoned it in the first place because it only covers half of his stomach, revealing part of a tattoo of a butterfly and some birds near his clavicles.

   "Yo Harry! You're late to the party, mate!" Jonas exclaimed as he clashed fists with Harry.

   "What party?" He looked to all the people, making a face with his lips. "What'd I miss? I was doing some stuff."

   "You know what? Because you're late you gotta have to be asked a question. Raine, you are safe for now. We're playing a game. . ." Celeste explained the plot of the game and Raine let out a sigh because she had come to the conclusion that she wouldn't fuck anyone in here.

   Well, before he appeared.

   The person next to Harry asked him a question and he nodded. His knees were bent and his arms rested on them, then he raised his head and scanned everyone present with his eyes, these stagnating in Raine's silhouette. From his left corner, a smirk was born. "You."

   She looked both ways, confused, and then returned to make eye contact with Harry while subtly pointing at herself. He nodded.

   "Aaalright! So Raine is the chosen one. Harry, throw the coin."

   A seed of nervousness was planted in the bottom of her stomach and droplets of water fell sporadically for each turn the coin made in the air, causing the plant to grow and grow and the petals to bloom, invading her lungs and not allowing her to breathe correctly, because what she wants the most now is that the question they asked him to be revealed but. . .

   "Heads. You're safe." And Harry smiled at her, his dimple being meticulously chiseled into the art of his face.

   The game continued until everyone was bored and the soft music became exhilarating, turning off the lights and starting to dance or just have a good time. Luckily, of all the rounds there were, Raine didn't have to reveal any questions, she was relieved, but there was one question she wanted to be revealed: Harry's.

   Suddenly, something cold touched her back and it spread like a plague poisoning a village: an epidemic. She arched her back, feeling how the liquid was draining more and more and more. . .

   "Shit! M'sorry! I'm so sorry!" A deep voice shouted over the music, causing her to turn around, and, with a bit of difficulty due to the low light, she could recognize Harry who had a "sorry" face but at the same time wanted to laugh.

   She took a deep breath, getting ready to say something to him because this is her favorite shirt but Harry stopped her by taking her hand and practically dragging her to the bathroom, where he turned on the white light and now she could see that Harry isn't like a Monet painting, by far he's fine and up close he is even better. His face is pretty, his skin, despite the acne marks left to remind him of his teens, were pretty, his eyes are pretty, and his rosy, rosy, oh-so-cherry lips are pretty. Everything about him looks pretty.

   "I'm sorry, it was dark and I didn't see you—"

  "It's fine I just—" Raine looked at herself in the mirror, placing her hands on the sink table and turning her torso a little to see the growing stain on her back "—I don't have nothing to change."

   Harry frowned but then relaxed, grinning at her, which now caused her to contract the muscles of her eyebrows until they shot up when he finished unbuttoning his shirt and handed it to her.

   The truth is, Raine's mouth cried at the sight in front of her. His torso was slightly tanned, a cross from a necklace resting between his pectorals, if she looked down at his hips, leaves were born from his pelvic line and tiny love handles were noticeable between his sides.

   She swallowed, the action making Harry's confidence rise when he noticed the effect he had caused in her, since Raine, without revealing so much skin, already had him with a racing heart and with words stuck in his throat. "Um, I, you don't — you don't have to—"

   "It's okay. Take it. It's my fault, anyway."

   "And what are you going to wear?"

   "Nothing," He smirked, the color of her eyes turning white. "Please, wear it." Honestly, Harry knew of other solutions to the problem he caused, but for some reason, he wanted — no, he craved seeing her wear his clothes.

   Suddenly, a crazy idea crossed Raine's head, and the words she formed slid so easily down her tongue. "I'll wear it if you tell me what the question was."

   Harry threw his head back and laughed, she crossing her arms in front of her chest and looking at him dead in the eye, trying to suppress the fun she was feeling and the heat she was feeling because, well, the bathroom was not the biggest and now she was supporting herself in the sink, Harry with his hands on either side of her hips (but not touching her), his bare torso helping nothing due to that he was repelling heat. So much heat.

   "You want to know the question?" Raine nodded. "Alright then. But first, put on the flannel for me, sweetness."

   To say that her stomach ached from the knots that were being made and undone was not enough, since a tingling crossed her entire body, dancing to the surface of her skin, extending to the tips of her fingers.

   "Fine. Turn around."

   Harry's lower lip was caught by his teeth, releasing his hands from the sink and turning around. Raine curled her fingers into her shirt, taking it off to drop it on top of the toilet, staying only her baggy jeans and a simple white bra.

   The idea that seemed to yell at her inside her head was that she should turn Harry around and start a hot make up session because one: she is in a reunion/party, two: they both are alone in a bathroom, three: he is bare-chested and she is half-naked, lastly, four: he's smoking hot. If Raine gathers enough confidence she would, but another intruder came to argue with her and now she thinks that if she does that, Harry might reject her and make her look ridiculous.

   "Why are you taking so long?"

   She breathed. She will not see him anymore, in the end, if he rejects her, it's his loss. Although he couldn't do such a thing, because he's attracted to Raine. Nothing can explain the reason for his immense and instantaneous attraction, it only exists and must be, because she is certainly one of the most beautiful people he has ever seen. Perhaps the most beautiful of all, she carries an unimaginable beauty where even the sun hides, because when it sees her, it gets scared of dying. So, this happened:

   "Hey Harry?"

   "Sweetness." She smiled at the nickname.

   "Can you help me put this on? My arms hurt a little." Raine internally slapped herself for the silly excuse she made for him to see her in a bra and maybe kiss her, but what difference does it make?

   Harry turned slowly on his own heels, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of her in one of her highest glories, his eyes not knowing where to look if her stomach or her boobs or her face or her lips.

   Now he swallowed, "Uh, y-yeah, sure."

   She smirked and turned around for him to help her. Suddenly, time started to move slow and deep breaths where the only type of breaths Raine could take (and honestly the same for Harry). She turned around so slowly, the heat emanating from Harry's chest dancing its way to warm up her cold back, goosebumps starting to arise when he, taking all the time of the world, started putting the flannel on her, sliding the sleeves on her arms, his fingertips lightly burning her skin, making her stomach contract and butterflies to bat their wings inside her.

"Want me to button it for you?" He mouthed, his deep, raspy words crumbling down his chin and melting on her shoulder.

It was getting harder and harder to stay sane, so she spun around and with a (not so) naive look, she smiled and nodded. His eyes started to go lower and lower, first, maintaining eye contact, then, going down to her lips, making him lick his, leaving them with a slight shine, and now he entered the space where her chest was uncovered and there was a galaxy in there, with her moles and some acne scars. To her stomach they went, that was so tight because she was just so nervous and was trying to control her breathing. His fingers mocked her, taking the piece of clothe between his index and pulgar one, going up, up, up, barely touching her skin to start button it from the top.

   When he was done, a long breath came out of Raine's mouth, making him giggle and smirk.

   "Will you tell me what the question was now?" She hissed, still being so close to Harry.

   He pursed his lips, "Maybe. Can I ask you something first?"

   "That's not fair—"

  "Would it be fair if I asked your permission for me to kiss the shit out of you?"

   This is it. This moment seemed to be the peak of Raine's entire existence, never has she felt like she was apart of a movie or a book and now with this proposal thrown out there, flying besides the bubbles of steam created by the pair, she feels like the fucking main character.

   "Depends how good the kiss is, though," she mumbled getting closer to Harry, their lips barely brushing each other, breathing the same air, chests going up and down, up and down, up and down.

   "Better make it worth it, then. Shall we?" And when she lifted one of her mouth corners, he could not resist it anymore and ended the close distance between them, pressing like a true gentleman his lips on hers.

   Man, fireworks were everywhere. The booze on both of their blood system making the room spin and the music outside of the bathroom blur.

   Slowly, their lips detached, almost not wanting to. They had their eyes closed, and when they opened them for a split second—that moment, everything got heated up and now Harry wasn't a gentleman and Raine wasn't a lady, they were animals with a immense hunger for each other.

   Their lips crashed again and now hands were roaming and exploring each others bodies, heavy breathing.

   Harry's hand snaked from the curve of her neck, to her waist, to land on her hips, his fingers caressing the top sides of her thighs. She had her hands on his belt, pulling him in every time, driving him completely nuts because now everything he could see, hear, and think was sex.

   He started walking to the front, making her walk back and crush on the sink, where he lifted her up, her legs surrounding his hips, so now Raine was sitting on the marble counter, and Harry's lips were on her neck, his hands slowly going up on her ribcage.

   "Oh. . . god. . . Harry," she barely said, not managing to even breath properly, while he was spreading wet kisses all over her boiling, soft skin.

   "Feels good, does it?" His voice was even deeper, chills running down Raine's spine because of it.

   "So f'ing good."

  "Mmm."

   His hands ghosted on her inner thighs, massaging them, and leaving, and going back.

   In a moment, Raine opened her eyes and saw the toilet and something inside her took control, because she shoved Harry away, making him look at her confused and preoccupied, a mix of both. She jumped from the counter and made Harry sit on the toilet, to then, with the most angelical face ever, she straddled him.

   He was. . . so turned on. "Fuck me, sweetness. Your pretty face is going to hell for that."

   "I'll meet you there," so desperate, she kissed him again. His tongue was testing the waters, trying to see if he could come in or not, so Raine opened a little bit more her mouth, that simple message making him smirk.

   His hands were on her hips and ass, and hers were grabbing his hair and lightly tugging it, making him groan against her.

   But, Harry doesn't know what drove him to completely lose his mind: the fact that she started grinding her hips against his, so softly, barely noticeable at first, or that when she started doing that, someone stormed in to the bathroom and vomited on the sink.

   "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he blurted, running his fingers on his hair in frustration while Raine was already up on her feet, reality hitting her back with a good slap. "Raine—"

   "I should go."

  "Bloody hell," Harry said to himself, dropping his head and taking his fingers to his lips, a small smile forming. His eyes landed on a very dead-looking Jonas, "dude, that's disgusting and you fucked up everything."

   "I shouldn't had eaten those magic brownies."

A/N: don’t know why the format looks weird i hope it doesn’t bother 🥲

#harry styles fanfic #harry styles writing #harry styles blurbs #harry styles #harry styles one shot #oneshot #fanfics

[yea-no-thank-you-nope]

The Philosophy of Dr. Stone

  My intentions for this essay are not to try and persuade you into thinking Senku is an awful person and whoever thinks like this is selfish and childish. I’m very sorry if I did come across as that. I do believe Senku is right in some aspects like the whole “leveling the playing field” thing and the curiosity humans naturally have towards science. I just think that everyone should not be unpetrified, that there should be laws in place on science to make sure it’s not unnecessarily cruel or harmful, and that in this situation it would be better to try and rebuild humanity better than in the past. Both Senku and Tukasa are flawed in their way of thinking. Humanity cannot survive with only one in power, shaping the world to what they want.

Now I wanted to say this at the start but I absolutely love Dr. Stone, this essay is not a barrage of the story and how it’s garbage or anything or that anyone is. This is not an attack but an invitation to a discussion. I’m making this essay because I appreciate the story and think it is so incredibly interesting. This essay is constructive criticism so the story can be better and so people can discuss the topics and the opinions they have of them, basically just an excuse to make people talk about this awesome story. I also have not read the manga, I’ve only watched the anime so if you decide to respond please do it very vaguely. I’m fine if you talk about the new arguments brought up but not ok if you spoil the show so please be careful.

I’m going to begin with psychology because that’s my jam and I obsess over psychological topics and discussions. I am by no means a professional but I haven’t heard anyone point out or talk about the ideas and opinions I have, so I’ll just do it. The psychology in Dr. Stone is incredibly thought provoking and makes the audience take a close look at their society and the people around them. What would you do if all of humanity was turned to stone and when you wake up all evidence of humans has corroded away except for the statues of said people scattered everywhere? What would you do if the world was basically reset, including humanity? What would you do?

That in-and-of itself is exiting. It's fun to think of what you would do in such an radial situation. With that the audience can automatically empathies with the cast of characters and their versions of how they decide to handle the situation. Senku’s choice is to unpetrify everyone and bring humanity back to the modern age. This may be what most people would do, I don’t know for sure but I haven't heard a lot of people who actually disagree with his point of view so I’m just assuming. This is like the textbook, basic ideology a human could have. All humans have that basic instinct to save as many people as possible, it just makes sense. This and the fact that Senku is google reincarnated makes him the perfect protagonist for this story. People may not be able to empathies with a scheming scientific genius but they can empathies with his desire to save everyone just like in any other Shonen anime. It’s easy to think this way and it's understandable, but that doesn't mean it’s right.

On the other hand we have Tsukasa. He is, to put it simply, the complete opposite to Senku. He is still smart but is not a walking talking Alexa and is incredibly strong. He believes that they shouldn't bring back everyone and instead pick and choose who to unpetrify. He thinks that bringing back humanity to the way it was will only cause destruction, war, power imbalances, and greed. Now you may call this a “hot take” but I came across some misunderstandings on Tsukasa’s stand. He does not disagree with science, he disagrees with Senku. He does not think that science itself is the root of all human evil, he thinks humans are. Now you may be asking “How do you know that for sure?”, well, why would he compliment Senku on his knowledge of science if he hates it? The only time I can remember him saying anything bad about science is when he was talking about guns, bombs, and other weapons of mass destruction. But it’s clear that he only brought that up to persuade Senku in not reviving the greedy and the ones who will use them to oppress and kill others. Again, just like with Senku, the audience can sympathize and understand this character and their actions. No one wants to see another in pain and surely does want anyone to die, they want to save everyone.

Senku and Tsukasa are on the absolute opposite side of each other but are still on the same coin. They both want the best for humanity but have 2 conflicting viewpoints. Now it would be incredibly easy to just pick a side and argue for that side and why it’s right but I don’t think people see that both of those are very flawed ideals and although in theory they could work, in practice both of them fall apart. If Senku gets his way and everyone is revived and basically back to the way the world was, humanity will get right back on track to the destruction of the world. We were already on that track before the petrification. Scientists predict that 2050 is basically the doomsday year. In 2050 there will not be enough food to feed us all due to overpopulation and global warming is getting worse and worse by the second. If we don’t take drastic steps to stop it then the world is on track towards an early ice age and even the destruction of the entire planet. But in this universe that exact thing happened (the drastic steps not the destruction of the world). With all of humanity frozen in an instant all pollution creation stopped, the furnaces burning coal died out, and over hunting/ over deforestation ceased in an instant. I’m not a professional scientist so I don’t know if 3,000 years is actually enough time for the world to completely reset but I do know that with the sudden halt on human activity could allow the earth to completely heal.

So the issue with Senku’s viewpoint seems to be that he viewed the modern age as a utopia of sorts which makes sense, it’s the peak of science and he loves science. Senku was born physically weak and preferred to use his brain over his muscles. He viewed science as a way to “level the playing field”, and he’s not wrong. It definitely levels the playing field but that’s only if they have access to it, it does not work if the people who don’t need it are the only ones who can have it. In primitive society (I’m mainly going to focus on Native American culture and history because that’s the one I know the most) many people were born with deformities or any other phenomenon that now-a-days is seen as a disability, but they were just as important as anyone else in the group. Back then it didn’t matter. Yes you were more likely to be killed or die by natural occurrences but not by other people. By eliminating the dangers of nature, people shift their hatred onto other people. This is exactly the reason that in so many stories 2 opposing groups come together to defeat a common enemy. That's where the phrase “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. Now to be fair the show never really touches on the topic of nature being dangerous, it always seems to just be humans. It only ever sturs away from this in situations like the acid lake that gives off toxic fumes, but the show doesn't really want to focus on that aspect, which is fine, if they want to tell a story about the people then they can, I mean that's what I’m writing about now.

Senku wants to bring back everyone because he knows that that is the fastest way to create all the technology. If you remember from before I touched briefly on how the world was going to shit was in part due to overpopulation. I think you know where I’m going with this. Even with the earth reset and nature covering all, that is still not going to be enough food for all of them. It has already been proven that there is no way to sustain this large of a human population. The reason we are not all dying of starvation right now is because most of the food produced can barley be considered food at all, the other food is genetically altered, and it all goes to only one group of people. You see, when I asked “why are we not starving to death” I was technically lying, we are. Not counting the small percentage of the population that can afford all the food, we are starving to death, and it is by our own hands. The world we live in today is not a utopia. Yes we have science that can save lives but those are made by the countless deaths of rats, monkeys, and so many other animals we use as “lab rats”.

I’m not saying all this to make you feel bad, I’m bringing it up to try and explain why what Senku is doing terrifies me. I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to wake up to a fresh new start on life only to find out someone wants to rebuild it all again. He is not learning from history, he is repeating it. That is why Senku’s idea of what he wants the world to be is great on paper but crumbles apart when put into practice.

  I have also heard that the reason Senku wants to bring back the modern age is because he just wants to go to space, making it a selfish act on his part. I thought this was incredibly interesting and relatable and really made me look at his character differently. This would be another way of thinking about the petrifying if humanity, some would see it as this horrible event that ruined their lives and again, this makes sense. All Senku ever wanted to do was go to space. That’s why he learned science in the first place. He spent his entire life working towards that goal and right when he could have had it, it disappeared. I don't blame him for wanting everything to go back to where it was and now I really want to see if this is addressed or challenged in the story. I want to see Senku come to terms with this and finally get closure, not only on the situation but also his dad. Basically I just want him to cry god dammit! Let him cry! Let him be healthy and accept his emotions!

Speaking of emotions, it’s well known that he hides his and if you have been screaming at me about that fact, I know. I understand that until this point I may have been portraying Senku as this selfish greedy and mean person who doesn't care about humanity at all and I’m sorry if it did. That description does not fit him at all. It’s subtle but when you see it you can’t unsee it. As mentioned before he was born very weak and so couldn’t really protect himself from others, this is by no means a disability but close enough to where he can understand the pain and struggles that people who are disabled face. When he made glasses for the 2 villagers he stated that science levels the playing field. That little interaction reveals that he does care about helping other people and hoping to fix their problems with science. He also further elaborated on his idea with Magma when they were mining. He stated that everyone has a job to do and neither job is better than the other. This shows his understanding of everyone's roles and how, as a species, to thrive we must all work together. This further drills home the point to me that it’s not that Senku is stupid or that he doesn’t care about humanity but that his still a little kid who never really had to go through or see the awful and corrupt side of the world. I hate using this word because I feel like it’s used too much but by all intents and purposes, Senku is privileged. He only seems to know the science of today as this life saving, world altering and fundamentally good concept, not the steps in which it took to get there, how many lives and dead ecosystems it took to get where we are today, and what we are still doing. Don’t forget about the whole global warming thing, mass deforestation, and pollution.

I am going to give 2 examples of how science can be cruel and how it doesn't need to be. I’m going to get into deep stuff here so it’s ok if you skip it. I’m talking about slavery and the experimentation of animals. Do you remember when the U.S.A was tearing down statues? One of them (I don’t know if it was torn down. I just know that it’s in front of a university and people wanted it gone) was a statue of a man who progressed the field of medicine and healthcare immensely, but did so at the expense of specifically black women. He believed that they were incapable of feeling pain and so performed many horrific surgeries and tests on them with no pain killer. Yes he greatly furthered the field of healthcare, but that doesn't make it right and especially not humane. He should not and did not need to do that. We would figure it out on our own. Sure it would probably take a lot more time but that doesn't justify the actions of that man. The other example is an ongoing process that is still in practice today, the experimentation of animals. If you don’t know, before a beauty product or medicine of some sort can enter the market it needs to be checked by the government to see if it is safe for us to use. So companies use monkeys and other animals to test their product on. It is horrific. The scientists treat those animals with no respect or care for the lives of them. It is unnecessary and cruel. We would figure it out on our own. Sure, it probably would take longer, but that doesn't make it right. It’s an excuse.

Senku doesn't seem to know this seeing as how he basically learned everything from scratch with experiments. That’s why I’m saying Senku is naïve and not a cruel monster who doesn't care who gets hurt, as long as it satisfies his curiosity and expands the field of science. I do hope that later down the line the story confronts that fact and we see first hand that he is not willing to do whatever it takes to go back to modern civilization as much he wants us to believe. I want to see him come to terms with this and decide that, with everything, there are rules and boundaries. This is also why I keep harping back to how I want to see this explored in the story. Senku clearly wants to help humanity and cares for others. He has morals and so has boundaries. I want to see him pushed to the edge, to see just how far he will go in the name of science and for the bettering of humanity. At the end of the day he is still human, everyone is.

Tukasa’s turn! The issue with Tukasa’s view point is simply because he thinks all young people are good people. This is not true. Old people can be good and bad. Adults can be good and bad. Children can be good and bad. It all depends on the person. This is not even mentioning the fact that children can not raise other children. No matter how wise Tukasa is for his age, he can not raise children (and yes teenagers count as children). There's a reason why in every culture all 3 stages of life serve a purpose and depend on each other, one cannot live without the other. He needs good people, not young people to restart humanity.

At first I saw it unfair and one sided how the story constantly depicted Tukasa as an evil person and that he is a tyrant. This was until it was pointed out to me that the reason for that is because Senku is the main character so the audience sees through his perspective, so if he sees Tukasa as evil, the audience will too. Even with that I understand why people will not like Tukasa and so in extension not listen to his argument. I want to give him a chance because he, and by extension the people like him, deserve it. I understand why people don’t though. He smashes the statues of people because he genuinely believes that all are bad and so takes action to protect others, just like Senku who seemed ready to kill Tukasa with the crossbow he made and the gun he was going to use on him, they both thought what they were doing was right. This does not excuse either of their actions, no one to be clear can use this as an excuse, I still want to bring up a fact that I personally think people forget (including myself). The show is set in a post-apocalyptic world. Yes, characters can unpetrify other characters but some are too far gone. In the background we see statues missing limbs and body parts. I was actually surprised and skeptical when it was shown that there were so many perfectly intaced statues Tukasa was able to find. They must be made out of harder rock than I thought. Either way, I know people can survive without certain body parts and I’m not saying they can't. It's just as far as we know, if they attempt to unpetrify someone missing a body part (especially if it’s a leg) they might bleed out instantly and without all the proper equipment needed. Or will the stone heal the stump? If so what if they find the missing part later? Can they reattach it? Can they attach body parts from other people and unpetrify them? What would happen? Would the stone merge the parts together or reject it? The stone is explicitly stated to have healing properties so what would happen? It’s still too early to know and with knowing that information comes from human experimentation and could lead to many lives lost. It was ok with the birds because they were small and still intaced so there was no danger. The point that I’m getting to is that the line is incredibly blurred and the drastic life-and-death situation everyone is in, I wouldn't jump to say Tukasa is a monster. He may be killing people or they could have been dead in the first place, not to mention like I said before it would be impractical and deadly to revive every human being on planet Earth.

This is why I think Tukasa’s plan is flawed. He is only one person and so is limited in his ideas. He thinks that only the young are good people and if only the characters would actually TALK to each other then both of them could see the flaws and work together instead of jumping to conclusions. I hope now that Senku and Tukasa are friends of sorts that they finally get to do that but again, I don’t know I have not read the manga.

I have also heard (mainly from video essays on YouTube) that, uncoincidentally, people think that Tukasa’s ideals are naïve when I think Senku’s is. I find it amazing that both of us thought the same thing but of the opposite philosophy. The opinions they expressed made me realize something. Because humanity discovered science, it will do so again and again. While I thought it was naïve to simply return to the way things were and not carry any of the emotional baggage needed to at least try and better humanity and learn from the past, someone else thought that it was futile to hinder the scientific process of humanity and go back to hunter-and-gatherers. I did disagree with some things they said, that is to be expected, but I also realized that that is what we have been doing since as far back as the history books go. It was called different names but the idea is still the same. We try to make sense of the world around us. In cultures across the world gods represented the natural world and phenomenon that occurred, it was just by a different name. Those religions and science try to explain the world around them. Why does corn grow? Quetzalcoatl makes them grow. Chlorophyll provides the nutrients necessary to sustain the plant and make it grow by Photosynthesis. Why does it snow? Frau Hole shakes her sheets and some feathers fall out, causing snow. With the evaporation of water leaves the gaseous form in the sky and if it gets cold enough will freeze and fall. It’s all the same thing. Humans are curious by nature and will always be.

The things that I disagreed with was that they didn’t really seem to think that science can coexist with nature, like it’s either one or the other. They explain that Tukasa believes humanity should be more naturalistic but also calls him stupid. I understand his side in thinking there is no way to revert back to being hunter-gatherers and that no matter what, over time people will rediscover science so the effort is futile. What I don’t seem to understand is why we can’t have both? It might seem naïve at first considering everyone only knows a society of science that destroys the world for progress but with a world altering event like the one in the story and a good leader to boot, it is absolutely possible. The world has already changed so much so I don’t see why people wouldn't (not talking about those greedy people and politicians, I’m talking about the average human being). It just seems so cynical of humanity as a whole to give up before even trying. I understand we are all depressed but still. It’s no excuse not to try.

My ideas for what they can do is to live both with nature and science. First set up rules and laws. Everyone can pitch in to create them and vote on which ones should be reinforced so that not one person has too much power and so the people collectively can understand the importance of those laws. Everyone can choose their job to do like black smithing, building, hunting, sewing and other jobs that are needed. With that they can either choose to have a form of currency or not but under no circumstances is anyone allowed to own land. The land is for everyone and the resources are to be shared accordingly. With the issue of the statues, it could be voted on who can be unpetrified. This way we don’t raise the issue with Tukasa and Senku. One thought too narrow minded and the other was too broad. With the voting system everyone gets to assess the needs of the society as a whole and if the person unpetrified turns out to be bad, the blame would not fall on one person but everyone. This eliminates one person having too much power and subsequently the people would not revolt and kick them out of power, putting another in their place and the cycle starts anew. There can still be science, there will just be restrictions on what is acceptable to do or not.

I understand the flaws in my ideas. I know that making everyone agree to certain things is incredibly hard especially when there's no way anyone can really stop people from doing what they want. There is no government already put in place. They need to build one from scratch and make it so that everyone is down with it and will follow it. I also understand that people can be lazy and not know what they want. Some people will choose to be lazy and either not do their job or choose a job that is specifically lazy in nature. People also probably don’t know what job they want to perform, this is especially prevalent in the young. People could also fight over who will be revived. I know many people, including myself, who have people in their life that they love but are not good people or who will probably not survive in the new world. I mean who’s going to tell Becky that we all know she loves her grandfather but he’s racist, a known sex offender, and already has a diet of 20 hamburgers and 50 Gatorades, there is no way we can provide that much food, we don’t even know if he’ll eat it considering he’s use to junk food and we just reinvented bread a week ago. It tastes awful and the bakers are trying their best but no one can make 50 Gatorades . No one sure as hell wants a sex offender or racist around either.

My intentions for this essay are not to try and persuade you into thinking Senku is an awful person and whoever thinks like this is selfish and childish. I’m very sorry if I did come across as that. I do believe Senku is right in some aspects like the whole “leveling the playing field” thing and the curiosity humans naturally have towards science. I just think that everyone should not be unpetrified, that there should be laws in place on science to make sure it’s not unnecessarily cruel or harmful, and that in this situation it would be better to try and rebuild humanity better than in the past. Both Senku and Tukasa are flawed in their way of thinking. Humanity cannot survive with only one in power, shaping the world to what they want.

If you want to use my essay in a video or something you are welcome to as long as you credit me. If you want to respond or just talk about this topic feel free to, this is a discussion, not an argument.

#Dr. Stone #drst #dr stone #drs #essay #philosophy #tukasa #senku #senku ishigami

[intoanothermind]

The Glue - Part Six

T H E   G L U E

Word Count: 3.5k words

Synopsis: Glue or Variable? This is the big question about Frankie’s existence. Assigned to the same role as Newt in WCKD’s Lethal Experiments, Frankie suddenly realizes that she will become just a variable to activate brain reactions in her former Group A friends. Without memories and being the only girl among several boys, she has the feeling of already knowing some of them. The new question that matters to WCKD is: will Frankie play her role as a variable correctly?

- Newt x OC (Frankie)

Masterlist

<Part 5 | Epilogue>

(One more chapter to go and then there will be a spin-off!)

—

P A R T   S I X

“I know you're holding yourself back from crying.” Said Newt, and the girl smiled yellow; a single tear running down his red cheek.

“Perhaps.” She whispered, biting her bottom lip when she felt it tremble.

“Hey.” Newt caught her eye, holding the girl's chin and forcing her to look at him.

The girl felt her heart sink, a feeling of discomfort, fear and insecurity being poured over her like a bucket of cold water. She knew she wouldn't be able to stand there long without Newt and Minho, who had already said goodbye to her. They were selected for the first group of boys who would enter the Clearing of Group A. And she, as a variable, would only enter in two years. It would be the longest two years of her life.

“It's gonna be okay.” Newt assured and the girl felt that deep down he didn't even believe it.

“No, Newt, it won't, and you know it.” She said, her voice cracked and her heart squeezed.

“Yes, it will!” He insisted, forcing her to look him in the eye. “We'll meet again, Frankie.” He said confidently.

“But our memory will be erased!”

“Doesn’t matter.” Newt said, holding the girl's face and looking with such affection that she felt the tightness in her chest easing. “No matter how many thousand times they erase my memory, I will not stop loving you. We will meet again and we will be together again.”

“But we won't remember.” She murmured.

“No,” he agreed, overwhelming sadness filling his eyes. “But we’ll build a new story.”

“Promise?” She asked, beginning to relax and give up so easily.

Before Newt could answer, the door to room GA1-10 opened. Minho stuck his head into the room, his expression devastated and upset.

“Newt, it's time.” He said.

The girl felt her heart racing and her breathing becoming irregular. She wasn’t prepared psychologically and emotionally for this. Minho approached the couple who started to consider their best friends from the moment they entered that place. He turned to the girl, finally realising that, even if he saw her two years from now, he wouldn't remember her.

“Goodbye, shorty.” he murmured, in a choked voice, and the girl could no longer hold back the tears. She hugged him tightly around the waist, knowing she would miss that friendly and comforting hug. “I'll miss you.”

The girl remembered that she would still spend two years watching them, being the only one with memories of the past years together, and she tightened her arms around Minho.

“I will miss you more, Asian boy.” She said before they left.

“Come on, man, Thomas is already waiting for us.” Minho said to Newt, who just nodded, turning to the girl.

“Promise?” She asked him again.

“I promise, Frankie.” He guaranteed, holding her face in hands with all care and affection. “My heart belongs to you, that won't ever change.”

The girl smiled, tears still streaming down her cheeks, and closed her eyes at the feel of Newt's soft, thin lips touching hers. She moved her body closer to his, feeling his natural warmth and enjoying the calm and intense kiss. When Newt was about to walk away, the girl pulled on the back of his neck and didn't let him break the kiss. When they finally pulled away, the girl noticed that Newt had a trail of tears running down his face.

“I love you, Frankie.” He said, walking away.

The girl opened a small smile on her lips.

“I love you too, blondie.” She said, finally letting go of his fingers and watching the closed door where Newt had passed seconds before.

~ * ~

I woke up from a nightmare with someone poking me. I felt sweat clinging a few strands of hair to the back of my neck and I had to regulate my breathing and expel images of Greg from my mind before focusing on my vision. Minho was hunched over the bed I was sleeping with his hand still touching my shoulder. I looked around, seeing Newt lying on a blanket on the floor just beside the bed, his hand still stretched out on the floor as it had been while holding my hand the day before.

“Is everything okay, shorty?” Minho asked, concerned.

Images of Greg trying to make me a victim and his Banishment on closing the Doors. I preferred to change the subject.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, sitting on the bed and pinning my hair in a bun on top of my head.

“I came to say goodbye to you, but I found you struggling.” he explained, walking away when I went to get out of bed. “Bad dream?”

I nodded, getting up carefully not to wake Newt. “Does he really have such a heavy sleep?” I asked laughing.

“You have no idea.” Minho said, rolling his eyes as he led me out of the room and Homestead.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked, frowning.

“I'll take you to eat.” He said. “I believe you will not go back to sleep.”

“Not even if I try.” I immediately agreed to remember the nightmare I had.

We entered the kitchen and suddenly I wanted to run. Not many kids were awake at that hour, but as soon as I entered I had the impression that they multiplied. It was uncomfortable with all those kids staring at me and I wished Minho hadn't woken me up from that nightmare. Sooner or later I would have woken up on my own. But I hated those looks on me, blaming myself for Greg being banned the day before.

“Breathe, Frankie!” I heard Minho's voice and let out the air I didn't even realize I was holding. “Let's get you something to eat.”

I followed him quietly to Frypan, feeling uncomfortable about my own skin. Frypan smiled weakly at me while preparing two dishes. I didn't even manage to reciprocate and soon Minho was pulling me between the tables. We sat across from Ben and I almost wanted to stick my face in the soup.

“Are you okay, Frankie?” He asked, looking concerned .

“Not really.” I replied, smiling a little yellow.

I ate in silence, just listening to Minho and Ben talking about Grievers and the Maze. After a while, Chuck came over and sat down next to me. He gave me a quick hug before eating as quietly as I did. I was surprised at first, but I soon opened what was the first real smile that day. I went back to eating, more focused on my thoughts than the spoonfuls of soup. Suddenly, however, a commotion caught my attention. The noise from the kitchen made me realize that something was wrong.

I poked Minho arm. “Aren't you and Ben supposed to be entering the Maze now?!”

Minho looked a little disconcerted and Ben swallowed. Something was really wrong.

“Minho?! Ben?!” I asked, arching an eyebrow suggestively.

Minho opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but Ben stopped him.

“Alby gave us a day off today.” Ben said.

I frowned, suspicious of their explanation. I opened my mouth to ask what the hell would have given Alby to give the Runners a day off.

“We won't come in until later.” Minho said, as if reading my thoughts.

I thought about letting this matter go, until some Gladers passed me and I heard Greg's name.

“What did you just say?” I asked while holding his arm and realizing that it was one of the Builders. “What's happening?”

The boy looked indecisively at me and then over my shoulder. I followed his gaze and saw Minho scratching the back of his neck, as if disguising any movement he made before. The anger that they were hiding something started to grow in me and I was even more determined to find out what it was. I got up from the bench and, despite being shorter than the boy, I looked slightly more menacing.

“Tell me!” I demanded, shooting him a hard glare.

He swallowed hard before answering me.

“They are picking up the  Greg’s body that the Grievers left in front of the East Gate.” He said, looking at Minho as if to apologize. “They'll bury him in the cemetery of Deadheads and cross his name off the wall.”

I took advantage of being already standing and ran out of the kitchen towards the East Door. A group of boys blocked my view. I looked back over my shoulder and saw Minho approaching with Ben; they were Runners, they would reach me easily. I took the only opportunity I could have and infiltrated through the boys, who seemed too surprised seeing me there to have any reaction other than letting me pass. When I got to the Doors, I saw Alby and Newt with some boys kneeling in front of a misshapen heap. When I approached, I realized it was Greg, or what was left of him. Deformed, bloody body, and torn clothing; another scene that I would never forget. I barely noticed when I gasped in terror.

“Frankie!” I heard Minho's voice right behind me and he tried to pull me away, but I was in shock, with a certain amount of guilt filling me little by little, to follow any movement.

Newt turned in surprise, his eyes wide, and stood up to come to us.

“I asked you not to let her see it!” Newt said irritably, and I finally understood why Minho had dragged me into the kitchen.

“I couldn't do anything!” Minho raised his arms in surrender, defending himself. “This little one is fast and it is not easy to hold her.”

Newt sighed, rubbing the tense spot between his eyes, and turned me around, taking me away.

“You shouldn't have to see that...” he mumbled.

I was still in shock. “It’s my fault...”

Newt stopped suddenly, standing in front of me and holding my shoulders to force me to look him in the eye.

“No, it's not!” he exclaimed in a loud tone that startled me. “You are a Glader and it is against the rules to hurt another one!”

“It would be so much easier if I went to the Maze at night and my name was crossed off the Wall...” I reflected, seeing Gally scratching Greg's name.

“Don't say that again!” He said, looking horrified at the idea.

“It would be better if I didn't show up.” I muttered, hoping he wouldn't hear, but it was in vain.

“But if you hadn't shown up, I would never know what is love.” He murmured, and I turned to him, who had flushed cheeks.

“What did you say?” I asked, just for confirmation, because I had heard it in clear and loud sound.

Newt blushed even more, which in particular seemed even more cute and charming.

“No-nothing. You work with me and Zart today to avoid... any other attacks.” He changed the subject quickly. “Let's go!”

He guided me quickly towards the Gardens.

If you hadn't shown up, I would never know what it is love. - I remembered his words, and I couldn't stop a dreamy smile from opening on my lips. I certainly wouldn't forget that phrase and I wanted an explanation for it. I shook my head, not wanting to be more confused than I already was, and followed him to the gardening tools area. Newt took a bag of seeds, a small hand shovel and a not too large watering can and handed it to me.

“Your task is to plant these seeds.” He started to say, but I soon interrupted him.

“Who's in charge?” I asked.

“Zart.” Replied Newt, frowning.

“Then I will ask for a job where I am more useful.” I said, turning to go to the blond boy who was approaching the Gardens.

Newt grabbed my wrist, preventing me from continuing.

“You know he won't change your role.” He said, opening a suggestive half smile that made my heart race.

I rolled my eyes. “And why not?”

“As if I would let you do something with the risk of getting hurt!” He said as if it was obvious.

But it wasn't, at least not for me. I walked away from Newt, angered by the sense of futility taking me again, and looked through the ranks where I would plant the new seeds. I spent the next few hours without speaking to Newt, just watching him cut a few feet of wheat as I crawled across the land - opening a hole, throwing the seed, closing the hole and watering; several times. It wasn't as exhausting as working with Builders or Slicers, but after a while the heat was already punishing me and my body was asking for the bed. I was so focused on my own work that I was startled when heard a scream and realized it was there in the Gardens. I released the spade and the watering can and got up quickly, looking for the source of the sound. When I found it, I wished I hadn't. Newt was grimacing, while Zart and some boy I didn't know held him. I ran up to them, worry blinding my rational thoughts.

“What happened?!” I asked, feeling my heart squeeze when I saw a wide cut in Newt's limp leg.

“It looks like a mechanical beetle attacked him and he ended up hitting his leg with the hoe.” Explained Zart.

I felt a click in my mind and the instructions seemed to come in a jet.

“Take him to the infirmary.” I said, already moving away from them. Newt looked at me as if asking me not to go. “I'll go ahead to warn the Med-jacks.” I explained.

I didn't wait for any answer other than a moan of pain from Newt and I ran off towards Homestead, not caring when Alby and Chuck tried to stop me and ask what had happened. I didn't pay attention to anyone until I got to the room where the infirmary was. Jeff and Clint stood up at once, surprised by my appearance.

“Frankie?!” Exclaimed Clint.

“Newt...” I mumbled, panting for the emotions that were conflicting in my mind. “He hurt his leg and Zart is bringing him.”

Jeff had an immediate reaction: he turned to straighten the stretcher while Clint ran to get cotton and alcohol. Soon after I saw Minho, Alby and Zart carrying Newt inside the door and sweating from him, contorted in pain. He was placed on the stretcher and Alby turned to us.

“Frankie, Minho and Zart, you can leave now.” Alby said seriously.

My legs went weak and when I saw Jeff cleaning Newt's wound I wasn’t able to get out. Zart passed me without paying much attention to me, and Minho squeezed my hand before leaving. I stayed where I was, just taking my eyes between Alby and Newt.

“Frankie...” began Alby, in a warning tone.

I thought about how Newt had stayed by my side the day before, without complaining about my crying, without even leaving once. And now I could reciprocate.

“No, Alby, I will not leave his side.” I said firmly, approaching Newt and sitting on the stretcher next to him.

Alby sighed, giving up arguing with me.

“Okay, just don't get in the way.” He said at last.

“I won’t.” I guaranteed.

Jeff and Clint continued their work, but I preferred not to see what they were doing. I preferred to hold Newt's hand, watching his drawn face every time he shook my hand.

“It's too deep.” I heard Jeff's voice and I turned to him quickly, eyes widening. “We will have to stitch it.”

His words were like a trigger and Clint soon went to a closet in the corner of the room. When he returned, he was carrying thread, needle, gauze band, candle and lighter. I gasped when I didn't see a syringe.

“Without anesthesia?” I asked, surprised.

Clint denied it. “The Creators never sent us anesthesia.”

“Damn it!” Newt swore and my mind immediately started to work, thinking of something I could do to ease his pain.

An insane idea came to mind, but I soon dismissed it, embarrassed. When I heard Newt's scream, I knew that Jeff was already working with the needle and I wouldn't have that much time to think of a better idea. I took a deep breath, not wanting to analyze the consequences of my act, but preparing myself for them. I held Newt's face in my hands and he frowned at me, beads of sweat running down his forehead. I closed my eyes not to see his expression and sealed our lips. I felt his muscles tense, until his hands came to rest on my waist. I shivered when I felt his fingers brushing the bare skin of my hip and scratched the back of his neck automatically. I didn't know what to do, much less how to act from there. When Newt, however, squeezed my hips, I knew that just that wouldn't distract him.

I parted my lips and a whirlwind of feelings flooded me when our tongues clashed. I didn't notice anything around us but the shock of our lips, my fingers in his soft blond hair and his hands on my waist and my face. We parted, panting, and Newt sealed our lips one last time before allowing me to lean away completely. Jeff had finished bandaging his leg and Alby was looking at any place other than us looking extremely uncomfortable.

I wanted to laugh.

“Rest for a few days and remember to change the dressing.” Said Clint.

“In the meantime we will get some crutch, just be careful not to open the stitches.” Jeff recommended, already carrying Clint and Alby out of the room, casting a malicious smile in our direction. “Let's leave the love birds alone.”

I bit my lip nervously, trying to avoid looking at Newt, until he pulled my face in his direction and I saw a sparkle in his eyes and a smile on his lips.

“It was a good distraction.” He commented and I ended up smiling sideways.

“It was, wasn’t it?” That was the only thing I managed to say before he nodded and kissed me again.

~ * ~

Weeks later...

“Look, I don't know who you are, but you better do something decent for once and send anesthesia, new medicines and women's clothing with the next lucky shank who arrives next week.” I howled at the mechanical beetle that was on the wall in front of me.

The beetle left quickly and I turned to Newt, who, even with his leg still bandaged, could now walk with a crutch and was waiting for me leaning on a tree not far from there.

“I don't know if I'm more frightened by the way you spoke to the Creators or my shirt that became a dress on you.” He commented, laughing while giving her a light slap on the arm.

“Silly boy.” I mumbled, taking the hem of the blouse that went up to the middle of the thigh and made a knot around my hip.

Newt laughed, grabbing my waist and pulling me against him, making me hit his chest.

“How much time do you think we still have?” I whispered, touching our foreheads and taking his hair in my hands.

Newt groaned, squeezing my waist.

“Enough time.” he said before sealing our lips and making me forget our reality. But it didn't matter.

I was with Newt.

Everything would be just fine.

#newt #newt x reader #newt imagine #newt tmr #newt maze runner #the maze runner #maze runner #tmr #thomas tmr #thomas x reader #minho tmr #minho #thomas #minho x reader #glade #the glue

[mystech-master]

Just for fun, here is a fight scene I helped write for an old Steven Universe/Digimon Xros Wars crossover I helped write years ago

The creature resembled a giant bear, wearing leather pants and a leather vest with bullet chains across his chest. On his right hand, it bore a strange looking weapon with three gun barrels extending from a circular metal piece. In its left hand was a massive spear, and attached to it was a white flag, with a strange symbol emblazoned on it; One half of it was a collection of hexagons, with the other half resembling half a radar. This circle was on a tilt, and put between what looked like a pair of bat wings. The cyborg bear planted the spear into the ground, and bellowed in a voice that could easily be heard by someone on the next continent.

 “HEATHENS!” the beast yelled, “I, CALLISMON, HAVE COME TO RETAKE THIS LAND IN THE NAME OF THE BAGRA ARMY FROM THE WRETCHED FUSION FIGHTERS!!!” Upon hearing the last part of the bear’s yellings, Garnet tensed, and heard a familiar set of voices in the back of her head.

 ‘Did he just say Fusion Fighters? one voice said.

 It sounded like it, Ruby, Another voice said, But how is that possible? None of the humans seem to have gems, and none of those creatures seem to have them either, so why do they call themselves Fusion Fighters?” Garnet looked on as the humans stared at the giant beast in shock.

 “Did he just say the Bagra Army?!” the red headed girl said in fear, holding onto a small pink rabbit-like creature while a wolf-like creature with orange and white fur which seemed to be covered in drills stood protectively near her.

 “I believe he did.” the wolf said in a deep serious voice before getting into a fighting position while baring his fangs.

 “Oh great.” said the small pink rabbit in the human’s arms, it’s ears pointed down and a scared expression on its face.

 “But they’re supposed to be gone” the younger blonde boy said, holding onto a small white and yellow creature.

 “This is not good, not good at all!” the creature yelled, clearly freaking out about the situation. 

 “Hmm…...it looks like this little reunion just got a bit more interesting huh guys?” said the older blonde with an annoyed expression as the more larger creatures stepped forward around him. A large dinosaur-like creature, a large mechanical bird, and a giant humanoid dragon wielding a two sided spear. While a smaller dragon stood beside the human.

 “It’s been too long since I’ve seen real action Christopher.” The dinosaur-like being said with a gruff voice and an attitude that reminded Garnet of a certain orange gem. “It will be just like old times.”

 “It has been a while since we’ve had a proper battle hasn’t it?” the large mechanical bird said in a much calmer tone while the cybernetic dragon just growled and aimed its spear at his opponent.

 “Shoutmon, wake up buddy we could really use your help right now” the goggle-headed boy said as he tried to shake the red dragon creature awake. 

 “Mikey’s right this is no time for napping!” a large mechanical beetle yelled at the smaller creature while the boy wearing green held onto him for protection. After a few seconds of shaking, the dragon stretched its arms and yawned before sitting up and looking at the human beside him. 

 “What is it Mikey? Can’t a ‘mon get a few minutes of rest for pete’s sake?” it said in a very tired voice before noticing the large threat standing before him. “Oh.” he said finally taking note of the threat. The dragon gestured for the boy, now known as Mikey to come closer and spoke to him briefly in a hushed tone, and the boy nodded and walked towards the bear-like creature.

 What’s he doing?! The first voice, Ruby, said, a tone of confusion entering her voice, That thing is five times his size, and has a giant gun! He’ll be vaporized in a second! Garnet was about to rush in and help the young children. But before she could do anything the human held up a small red device and said a phrase that shocked Garnet to her very gems.

 “DIGI-FUSE!!!”

 The object in the boy’s hand shown brightly, and a small group of the strange creatures were enveloped in a similarly bright light. The red dragon, the blue mechanical beetle, the wolf-like creature, a star shaped being which appeared to be wearing shades, and a collection of creatures resembling guitar picks were lifted into the air, and flew towards each other. When it looked like they would collide, the group were engulfed in a orb of light. It swirled and expanded, until it grew to a massive size. A silhouette appeared, and when the light dissipated, a large figure stood.

 The figure resembled a large mechanical man, with a body resembling that of the mechanical beetle, and legs of a style resembling the wolf. Upon its shoulders were the heads of the wolf and beetle, and a large red V crest was on its chest. It wore a silver helm, with three yellow horns jutting out of the front and back Along with the same yellow scarf that the dragon wore, now enlarged to fit it’s size. The mecha also seemed to wield a sword made from the star and pick shaped creatures, now covered in red hot flames. 

 “SHOUTMON X4!” the mecha announced in the same voice as the smaller dragon creature before it raised its sword, and charged Callismon. Garnet simply watched in shock at this new power. It seemed to emanate power stronger than even Sugilite. The large warrior attempted to slash at its opponent but before it could hit, the bear removed its flag-spear from the ground, and met the blade mid-swing. As the two clashed, the voices in Garnet’s mind began to panic.

 ‘Did they just fuse!?’ Ruby said within the fusion’s mind, ‘But they aren’t gems, how is this happening!?’

 ‘That boy seemed to use the object he held up to force them together’ the other voice, Sapphire, said, ‘And he’s forcing them to fight.’ Those poor creatures. Garnet looked on longer as the giant continued to clash with the bear, as the beast stepped back and aimed its right arm weapon at the large mecha.

 “RODEO BULLET!” he yelled as he fired a series of energy blasts at the mech, which the mech tried to block with its blade. As he did Callismon rushed forward in an attempt to gut the metallic man. However, a blast of energy cut him off before he could reach him. Callismon, as well as Garnet, looked up at the blast’s point of origin. The large mechanical bird was now diving at the Bear.

 “PLASMA CANNON!” the bird announced as he fired upon the beast. The blast hit him right in the face with deadly force. As Callismon held his face in pain the Dinosaur roared and charged at him.

 “HORN STRIKE!” it yelled as he thrust his horns straight into his opponent’s chest and sent him flying into a collection of trees. Callismon simply smirked.

 “Is that all you’ve got?” he said to his opponents. “Nothing will stop me from avenging Lord Bagra.” he said as he got back up and charged at the dinosaur. But before he could reach him he has interrupted by the spear-wielding dragon.

     “DEATH DIVIDER!” yelled the creature in a raspy voice as its spear into the ground and span around its shaft, striking Callismon multiple times with its tail. The two other creatures looked over to the blonde boy who Garnet remembers them referring to as Christopher. They nodded at him and, in a sort of silent agreement, he nodded back before pulling out a device similar to the one the goggle headed boy used only it was a royal blue color.

     “DIGI-FUSE!” yelled the boy as the two large creatures were enveloped in a similar light that created the titan.

     oh no. thought Garnet. Not another one. She watched as the two lights merged and when the light cleared, she could only watch in shock at the new creature. It resembled the large dinosaur like being Garnet saw earlier, but it was covered in mechanical parts. It wore a blue helmet with a red visor and spike on top, chestplate, and thigh guards, which had three red discs on each guard.  A pair of massive mechanical wings stretched from its back, turrets between them. A large metal claw shone on its left arm, and when its tail flicked, the gem noticed the head and neck of the mechanical bird had been added onto the tail of the dinosaur-like creature, extending its length. 

     ‘METALGREYMON!” yelled the newly formed armored creature. Meanwhile, Callismon had knocked the cybernetic dragon down with a powerful strike from his spear. The bear then noticed the new fusion that stood before him.

 “GIGA DESTROYER!” The cyborg dragon bellowed as it aimed all of its gun ports from the ones on its wings, to the two which flipped out from the wings’ bases, to one in the mouth of the mechanical bird’s head on its tail at the bear creature and unleashed another barrage of energy blasts.

 Oh no, Sapphire said, that titan was bad enough, but that poor creature looks even more deformed.

 We have to do something Sapphire! Ruby exclaimed from Garnet’s mind, Those humans are forcing those creatures into unnatural fusion. At this point, the dragon charged the cyborg bear, burying its horn into Callismon’s chest. The cyborg threw back its head, launching its enemy into the air.

 “Sparrowmon, Monitamon, go get ‘em” yelled the girl with the strange pigtails. A creature that appeared to be some kind of yellow jet-like creature with two guns in its hands then flew at Callismon with six small beings that appeared to have TV monitors as heads flew at blinding speeds towards him.

 “RANDOM LASER!” yelled the yellow creature as it fired off blasts of energy from its guns and from another that appeared on its back.

 “LIGHTNING FLASH!” yelled the smaller monitor-headed creatures as they fired off bolts of electricity beside the yellow creatures’ blasts. They hit dead on and created a big puff of smoke. The creatures yelled triumphantly before Callismon appeared out of the smoke screen and slammed all seven creatures back down to the ground with his right arm, creating a larger tower of dust.

 “Oh no, Sparrowmon!” yelled the girl as she looked on in horror. The dust cleared revealing the injured forms of the creatures. The large mechanical warrior saw this and the turned to Callismon, who bore a confident grin on his muzzle.

 “You’re gonna regret that.” it said as he charged at the beast with the armored dinosaur right beside him. The mecha swung his sword as the cyborg thrust his claw forward. A loud clang echoed as Callismon simply blocked the dragon’s claw with his right arm weapon and parried the sword with the pole of his spear.

 “You are the ones who defeated the great Lord Bagra?” questioned the bear. “This is almost too easy.” He said as he pushed against both creatures with enough force to throw them back several feet and landing very ungracefully with the mecha landing on its back and the cyborg landing on its front

 ‘He keeps mentioning that word’ Sapphire said within Garnet ‘Lord Bagra, Bagra Army. What does it mean? Garnet painfully decided to keep watching to get a better idea of what she’s witnessing. Without her future vision she’ll be running in blind. So she needs to get a good idea of what she’s up against. 

 “HAVE AT THEE BAGRA SCUM!” Garnet looked back at the fight to see the Knight like being charging at the beast wielding a large sword beside a platoon of smaller white armored creatures wielding spears. “CHECKMATE BREAK!” yelled the group of creatures as they became enveloped in energy and charged all together at Callismon. The bear simply chuckled a bit as he simply smacked the group away once they came close, sending them flying back towards the mecha and dragon.

 “Oh no, Knightmon!” yelled Mikey.

 “This is not how I wanted to spend this visit!” Yelled the boy in green clearly not keeping his cool in this situation. “‘Let's go visit the gang in the Digital World’ you said ,It won’t be dangerous at all’ you said.”

 “Oh, would you quit it!” The red-haired girl said, knocking him on the back of the head. “This is NOT the time to be freaking out.”

 “Knightmon! Are you okay?” asked the mecha. The knight, now known as Knightmon had spirals in his eyes as did the smaller warriors.

 “For the glory of the Duke of fruit baskets.” said the knight dizzily. The mecha mustered up all its strength to get up before turning to its cybernetic comrade.

 “Hey, MetalGreymon, get up will ya.” said the large warrior “You’re not starting to go soft on me are ya?” The armored beast stirred at the giant’s teasing before rising from its place on the ground to a standing position.

 “Not a chance, X4.” said MetalGreymon before it faced the bear creature. “You're in for it now, dirtbag!” he yelled as he charged at Callismon at top speed before delivering a strike with his armored claw “TRIDENT ARM!” he yelled as his claw shined with a bright red light before it connected with the bear-like creature’s chin which then sent him flying several stories into the air. “Take the shot!” The dragon snarled at the titan.

 “Right.” The titan turned to its airborne opponent, sword raised. “BURNING STAR CRUSHER!!” it yelled before bringing its sword down. The swing generated a V shaped energy slash which hit Callismon on his way down. Callismon yelled out in agony as he was hit with devastating force. He crashed to the ground in a puff of smoke. When the dust cleared the bear was badly injured, his form fading. With his last breath he uttered these final words: “Long…….live…...the Bagra…...Army.” and then burst apart into a collection of yellow dots. The group below cheered, but Garnet paled at the sight and stared in horror and confusion at what she just witnessed.

I might post the second fight scene between Xros Heart/Fusion Fighters and the Crystal Gems if I feel like it, or people request it.

#fanfiction #steven universe #digimon #digimon fusion #digimon xros wars #writing

[echo-bleu]

straight through the smoke (3)

Summary: After Magnus breaks up with Alec and chooses to align with the  Seelie Queen, pulling the Downworld Cabinet with him, Alec is arrested  by the Clave for high treason. Will Magnus find out in time to save him  from a death sentence?

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

On AO3

Ten minutes left.

Alec stumbles when his guards push him roughly toward the center of the courtyard, struggling to regain his balance with his hands still cuffed in front of him. One of the guards swipes his stele along the cuffs to remove them, and Alec flexes his wrists to help the blood flow back into his hands. He takes a pause to steady himself, then raises his head high and walks the rest of the way.

The large rune carved in the stone of the courtyard hasn’t been used in a long time. There hasn’t been an execution in the New York Institute in over a century. Alec has to fight himself not to look down as he steps in the middle of the rune, instead holding Imogen’s gaze until she looks away.

Beyond the no-man’s-land created by the rune and its safety circle, the courtyard is crowded. They’re all familiar faces, people Alec has led for most of the last decade. There is no hunger, no blood-thirst in their eyes. In fact, the atmosphere of the courtyard is muted and heavy. Disapproving.

Imogen is in front of the crowd, holding an adamas staff. Behind her, the Institute’s core stone of adamas has been set on a small platform, waiting to power the staff. The staff would normally be handled by a Silent Brother, Alec knows, but there must not have been any within the warlocks’ wards. Imogen is taking it upon herself to do the deed, just like she almost did with Valentine – or the man she thought was Valentine. Alec is looking at his executioner.

The anger has settled in him, and then evaporated. There is no time left for bitterness, not when he has mere minutes to live. Imogen doesn’t matter.

He tears his eyes away from her to survey the crowd. Even the youngest Shadowhunters of the Institute are here, some of them barely turned thirteen, and Alec is immensely grateful that his parents took Max back to Alicante as soon as he was stable. He couldn’t stand to look at his little brother today.

He wonders if Imogen has deemed it necessary to inform his parents, if they’re raising hell to save him from this, powerless, in Alicante, or if they secretly think he deserves no less. He’ll never know.

Despite being crammed around the safety circle, his people are standing apart from Imogen’s goons, like they’re showing their disapproval by isolating the Clave’s envoys into a group of their own. The Institute’s Shadowhunters are all standing at attention, in their formal uniforms, the Institute’s insignia on display on their chests. Alec chokes up. Every one of them seems to be wearing the—his Institute’s symbol instead of the more conventional Clave insignia for such an occasion – it’s a deliberate show of support to him, one that Imogen can’t take away from them.

Alec locks eyes with his second-in-command Jens, his mentor, who looks back at him with his gaze full of rage and sorrow. He breaks his stance to place his hand over his insignia, just above his heart. Alec nods at him, trying to make his gratitude apparent in his expression. Jens will handle the Institute until Imogen or the Consul appoints someone else – maybe Jace again, unless his association with Alec has tainted him irremediably.

Alec tries to meet everyone’s eyes, even briefly, in the time Imogen gives him. Sixteen-year-old Kara Svec, a recent transfer from Prague, who Alec has been taking under his wing. She’s crying silently, her head held high, and Alec gives her a tiny smile. Sandra, his favorite IT specialist and Alec’s de facto secretary, since the Clave has yet to assign him a real one. They won’t need to anymore. Andrej, the weapons instructor who replaced Hodge, and his herd of teenage Shadowhunters. Underhill, his brand new Head of Security. Even Lindsay Wayglide and Carson Strongmill, who grumble at each of Alec’s new briefings, are wearing their Institute insignia.

Jace and Izzy are standing at the front, their expressions a mix of horror and trepidation that even their best attempt can’t hide. They’re holding hands tightly, not bothering to stand at attention. It’s clear that they’re still hoping that something will stop the execution, but it’s too late for that now. Alec wishes that he could hug them one last time.

Magnus isn’t there. Alec wonders if he hallucinated his presence yesterday, or if Magnus is out there somewhere, trying to stop Valentine. He has his people to think about. Alec berates himself for hoping that he’d be able to look into his lover’s eyes as he died.

“Alexander Gideon Lightwood, you have been declared guilty of high treason, and sentenced to death by immolation,” Imogen declares, her tone emotionless. “Do you have any last words?”

Alec, turns away from Imogen, clasping his hands behind his back in one last show of respect in the direction of his people. He looks down at the rune on the floor and tries to put his thoughts together, swallowing.

“I was lucky,” he says quietly. The silence in the courtyard seems to grow deeper, expectant. “I was lucky to fall in love with a man as wonderful as Magnus Bane. A man who is a warlock, a Downworlder. Someone that my entire upbringing had conditioned me to despise, and yet the man I met and fell in love with was nothing like what I had been told.”

Alec blinks back the tears coming to his eyes, letting his memories of Magnus wash over him. He can barely remember, now, why their breakup felt so important, why he didn’t run to Magnus and apologize, to spend one more day, one more minute with him. Wasted chances, all of them.

“Nephilim, Downworlders, Mundanes,” he continues, this time raising his head high to meet the eyes boring into him. “We’re all people. When it comes down to it, we’re all the same, with the same faults and the same hopes. I love a Downworlder, and if the Clave is going to execute me for that, then so be it. I am not ashamed, and the only regret I have is that it took me too much time to understand how deeply we Shadowhunters are failing at fulfilling our duty.” Alec turns to look at Imogen, letting his hands fall to his sides. He refuses to show her any more deference. “Our prejudices deform our understanding of the world until it is unrecognizable, and that is how ideas like those of the Circle are born.”

Imogen opens her mouth, but Alec turns away from her again. “The coming times may bring war and grief to our doorstep,” he meets Jens’ gaze. “I am sorry that I will not be there to meet them at your side. But when there comes a time when you have to take a stand, I urge you to think. Is caring for other people a crime that should be punished, just because those people are different from us?

“I love a warlock, and I will not apologize for treating him and his kind like people.”

Alec lowers his head to signify the end of his speech. He traces the rune under his feet with his eyes, once more, then catches Izzy and Jace’s eyes. I love you, he mouths, opening the parabatai bond wide to push through all of his love. They’re the ones who will have to stay behind, and keep fighting.

Jace pushes back fearstrengthlove and Alec nods at him just a fraction. Izzy has tears running down her cheeks. Alec takes all the courage he can get from their gazes and tries to send some back, before he turns back to Imogen. He will not let his siblings see his face as he burns.

Imogen doesn’t look at him as she raises the staff and touches it to the core stone. The entire courtyard seems to hold its breath, watching the tip light up like a stele, ready to activate the fire rune on the floor.

“Pulvis et umbra sumus,” Imogen declares. Her posture tightens when the only ones who repeat it are her Clave soldiers, but she turns her staff to the rune without stalling.

Alec closes his eyes.

This is how his story ends. Burnt to death in the courtyard of his own Institute, under the eyes of his siblings and his people. This is how he dies.

*

Twelve hours left.

“He wasn’t supposed to plead guilty! We were supposed to have more time!”

Isabelle is pacing the length of the small bedroom, while Jace sits immobile on the bed, staring at nothing. He looks in shock, incapable of processing. Clary looks at Magnus with pleading eyes as Jace fails to react to her pats on his arm.

Magnus pinches the bridge of his nose. “The Clave called off the search for Valentine,” he says. “He got through the wards around the city. He’s on his way to Lake Lyn as we speak, and the Consul is going to welcome him with open arms.”

The three Shadowhunters stare at him in shock. “The Consul is part of the Circle?” Isabelle asks with wide eyes.

“Alec said it was the only explanation. I told him during the trial.” Magnus closes his eyes. “Maybe that was a mistake. He pleaded guilty to speed up the trial, so we could get there faster.”

“Fuck!” Jace mutters through his teeth. He rams his fist into the mattress in desperate rage.

“That sounds like Alec,” Isabelle sighs.

“What do we do?” Clary asks, wringing her hands. “We have to stop Valentine, but we can’t let Alec get executed!”

Magnus feels himself flinch at the word once more. Executed. If they don’t find a solution fast, Alec will be burned to death by his own people, for the crime of loving him. Of being a good person, in spite of everything he’s been taught.

Clenching his fists, Magnus forces down the magical outburst he can feel coming and instead conjures a timer. “We have twelve hours,” he says, starting the magical clock with a wave of his hand.

“If Valentine is already in Idris, he’ll be at Lake Lyn long before that,” Isabelle says. Her face distorts before her next sentence. “Stopping him has to be our priority. We can’t let him succeed.”

Magnus shakes his head. “I agree that he’s the priority, but we can’t leave things as they are. This isn’t just about Alec. Even if we succeed in stopping Valentine, if Alec is executed tomorrow and word gets out about why, we’re looking at an all-out war.” He takes a gasping breath, the guilt eating him alive. How much of all this is his fault? He knows, he’s known for centuries that the Seelie Queen can’t be trusted. He chose her side over Alec. And if the war that’s brewing happens, he’ll have doomed his own people as well as Alec.

He leans against the wall, struggling to breathe through the panic. “Magnus?” Isabelle asks, squeezing his arm.

Magnus shakes himself. He can’t give in to the fear. Not yet. “The Seelie Queen betrayed us all. And your Clave is about to execute one of its own Heads for associating with the Downworld. This is a fuse that will blow it up to massive proportions.”

“But what can we do?” Clary asks.

“We need to split up,” Jace breathes, meeting Magnus’ eyes as he understands his intent. “Some of us need to stay behind. To organize.”

“Yes,” Magnus confirms.

They all look at each other for a moment. It’s not an easy decision. “Magnus,” Isabelle says softly. “You’re the best equipped to fight Valentine, especially since Jonathan might be with him.”

Magnus sighs. As loathe as he is to leave Alec, he knows she’s right. “I’ll go. I’ve already spoken to Luke and Raphael, they know where I stand. You can coordinate with them.”

“What about the warlocks?” Clary asks. “There’s still the wards over the city.”

“That’s also why I need to go,” Magnus says. “I’m the only one here who can go through them. I can take one of you with me. The warlocks won’t get involved beyond lowering the wards when I tell them to, unless war is officially declared.”

“The wards are useless now, though,” Isabelle remarks.

“Maybe not,” Jace says. “If you take them down, we expose ourselves to the Clave, and we know we can’t trust them. Right now every Shadowhunter in New York is in the Institute. That could work to our advantage.”

“An insurrection?” Magnus asks curiously.

“Maybe not that far, but Imogen is a minority right now. Our people are loyal to Alec. We may be able to use that to stall, if nothing else.”

Magnus nods. “Buy us more time.” He eyes the timer. “We could use that.”

“Clary, you go with Magnus,” Jace says.

Clary frowns. “You’re a better fighter than I am.”

Jace shakes his head. “You have your runes. And I’m needed here. My name and Izzy’s contacts will go a long way.”

Jace doesn’t add that if Alec is executed, it will incapacitate him and make him useless in a fight, but Magnus can see it on his face.

Clary nods and stands up, checking her pocket for her stele. “Magnus, do you think you could summon me a blade from the armory?” she asks. “I don’t know if we’re still on house arrest, but I’m sure we’ll be watched the second we step out of this room.”

“Of course.” Magnus visualizes the armory the best he can and pulls. The blade he finds in his hand isn’t Clary’s usual one, but Clary doesn’t seem to be bothered as she grabs it and clips it to her belt.

“Alright, Biscuit,” Magnus takes her shoulder. “We can’t waste any more time.”

He watches her hug Jace tightly, then Izzy, and the steel band around his chest tightens a little more at the thought of Alec, alone in a cell, waiting for his execution. He doesn’t let himself wish that they could have had more time, that they could have talked. They will.

“Isabelle,” he says. Isabelle turns to him and hugs him a well, but Magnus can’t quite return the gesture. He’s too tense. “If we don’t make it back in time—”

“We’ll do everything in our power,” Isabelle promises. She doesn’t say what, specifically. She can’t promise more.

Neither can Magnus. “If Valentine succeeds,” he starts instead, swallowing. “Tell Alec that I love him, and I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, Magnus,” Isabelle murmurs. “You’ll get to tell him yourself. Have faith.”

Magnus nods. “I love you, too. Alec is my family now, and that means that so are you.”

“Go kill Valentine for me, then,” Jace says, punching his arm. In another context, it could have seemed callous, even rejecting. But the look on his face says everything, and Magnus suddenly remembers that Valentine raised him. That Valentine is his abuser.

“For all of us,” he chokes out. “Brother.”

They’re brothers in battle now, not just in their connection to Alec. They strive toward the same goal. Jace nods, pursuing his lips in the way he does when he’s trying to hide his emotions.

Magnus opens a portal, layering it with a shield meant to pierce wards, both those of the Institute and the ones around the city. Clary takes his hand, and in a second, they’re gone.

*

Eight hours left.

They’ve set up in the training room. It’s something Alec once started, Izzy remembers, in the first year he took over the Institute. He was sixteen, not even an adult in Nephilim eyes. She remembers that he had to get Jens to sign every single report before he could even send them to their parents because his own signature held no weight, even though he was effectively running an entire Institute.

Their parents still came back for a few days every month back then, and after dressing Alec down for some minor mistake, they’d kicked him out of the Head’s office like his work meant nothing. So Alec had swallowed his pride, changed into workout clothes, and held every single one of his planned meetings in the training room, under the guise of fighting hand-to-hand.

He kept doing that as long as their parents still held some pretense of running the Institute whenever they were in New York. The practice came in handy when first Lydia, then Aldertree and later Imogen took over the Institute and Izzy watched Alec more than once discreetly listen to his people’s complaints and needs while kicking their ass on the training room floor, or letting them pretend to watch him fight Jace or Izzy herself.

Today it’s Izzy and Jace on the mats, sparring without conviction. It’s past midnight, and the benches are full. They’ve had to wait until Imogen retired for the night, leaving only one of her henchmen to watch over the ops center while the Institute works are reduced capacity. They can’t leave the bounds of the city, when they would usually handle calls as far out as New Jersey, and half of the regular patrols have been canceled because of the events of the day. Anything involving Downworlders has been put on indefinite hold.

Izzy straightens with a silent nod to Jace, untangling herself from his grip, and heads back toward the nearest bench to grab her towel. Jens hands her a bottle of water, casually standing up next to her, just outside of the line of sight of the Clave guard in the other room.

“Clary’s training all night,” Izzy says. “I need someone to cover for her. It’s her final exam.”

Jens nods gravely. “Is she on her own?”

“No,” Izzy shakes her head. “She’s getting some help.” She makes a small hand gesture low at her side, imitating Magnus’ style the best she can.

“Good,” Jens nods. “I hope it will be enough.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Izzy sees Jace gesture to her. It looks like he’s got Lindsay to distract the Clave guard, and he has his back to them now. Jace runs his hand across his throat. The sound of the surveillance system has been taken down. The guard won’t notice as long as he’s not looking. They have a few minutes.

She signals the Shadowhunters around her to come closer. They gather around her just as Jace joins them, still looking like an accidental grouping but close enough to listen.

“I think you all know that the crimes Alec is accused of are unfair and that he’s innocent. It looks like the Clave is corrupt far beyond what we thought. I’m reaching out to people we trust to try to overturn this decision, but I need you to be ready.”

“Ready for what?” one of the Shadowhunters asks.

It’s Kara Svec, Alec’s little protegee. She’s at the bottom of the Institute hierarchy, still a trainee, and she’s speaking out of turn, but Izzy doesn’t point it out. She knows it, Izzy can see it on her face. She loves Alec and she’s terrified.

Alec was her age when he took over the Institute, Izzy realizes. She didn’t understand how young that was at the time. They were teenagers, ready to take on the world, and she and Jace must have caused Alec so much trouble with their unruliness. Izzy can barely handle the thought of leading the Institute now, let alone when she was sixteen.

Izzy puts an arm around Kara’s shoulders to comfort her, though the young Shadowhunter is taller than her. “We’re going to do everything we can to get Alec out of this,” she says. It’s looking less and less like they’ll succeed while staying within the bonds of Clave law. Izzy and Jace have tried everything they could already, from calling their parents – they didn’t answer, and Izzy has a feeling that Imogen is purposefully keeping them away – to Jace directly trying to convince Imogen to change her mind. Izzy has been through all of her contacts in Alicante, and the only thing she got was a promise from Aline that she’d call back as soon as she got hold of her mother.

“If we have to, we’ll stop the execution and break Alec out,” Jace says, his voice deep and more confident than he is. “We won’t ask any of you to put yourself in a position to go against the Clave, but we need to know that you won’t stop us.”

Jens steps up at that. “Alec is our Head, and what’s happening is wrong. I am loyal to him before the Clave.” Izzy nods at him. The older Shadowhunter is Alec’s mentor in many ways, the one who taught him how to run the Institute when their parents left. Alec broke traditions when he made Jens his official second-in-command, despite him not being a fieldworker.

“He’s the best commander I’ve ever had,” Underhill declares. “I stand with him. We’ll help in any way we can.”

Kara nods emphatically at that, tears in her eyes, and she’s followed by all of the others. Everyone here has a reason to be thankful to Alec, and that’s exactly why Izzy chose them.

“We’ll do things by the book for as long as possible,” Izzy says. “But be ready. Pass the word to anyone you know you can trust.”

“Time’s up,” Jace signals.

They break ranks immediately, going back to the benches as Jace drags Underhill out to the center of the room. Izzy sits down next to Jens, making a show of unwrapping her hands.

“Whatever happens tomorrow,” she murmurs. “Thank you. For your support, for all these years. Alec wouldn’t have made it without you. None of us would have.”

Jens lowers his head. “I wish I could have protected him more. He took on so much more than he should have had to, and now they’re punishing him for it.”

“Imogen hates Downworlders. Hell, the Clave hates them. Alec knew that when he made his choices, Jens. None of this is your fault.”

“Be careful tomorrow,” Jens whispers. “We’re on the brink of war. If you free Alec and side with the Downworld, you’ll be hunted by every Institute.”

“I hope it won’t come to that, but it’s better than Alec being executed,” Izzy murmurs. She looks around her and spots Kara with her face in her hands, trembling slightly. “Jens, tonight, will you watch over Kara? I’m worried about her. She’s really attached to Alec.” Izzy doesn’t know all the details of the abusive situation she escaped in her previous Institute, run by her father, but she knows enough to know that Alec saved her life by pulling her out. The fear of losing him could pull her right back to the traumatized state she was in when she first got to New York.

“I know,” Jens says sadly. “I’ll take care of her. What about you? Are you going to be okay?”

Jens is one of the few people in the Institute who knows about Izzy still being in recovery, and how stressful the last few months have been.

“I’ll hang on until morning,” Izzy smiles weakly, touched by his concern. “I have Jace. And I have a mission. I’ll be fine.”

*

Two hours left.

“For the last time, the Inquisitor is not allowing any visitors,” the Clave guard growls, his hand ostensibly on the hilt of his seraph blade.

Izzy fights the urge to roll her eyes. “Come on,” she pleads. “He’s my brother. He’s gonna die tomorrow.” She almost chokes on the last sentence, and it’s far less of an act than she’s willing to admit.

No. Alec isn’t going to die. They’re going to get him out of there.

“I have orders,” the guard says. “I’m not letting you through.”

Izzy sighs. She’s been trying to get to Alec for a while, coming back here every hour, but it’s not happening. She turns on her heels and walks back to the elevator. Jace joins her just as she gets out on the third floor and comes with her to her room. “Any luck?” he asks.

“No.”

“Me neither. Still nothing from our parents, and Clary and Magnus aren’t answering their phones.”

“Fuck,” Izzy swears through her teeth. She throws herself on her bed. It puts her face to face with Magnus’ timer, which now read 2:03. They’ve got two hours and three minutes left to save Alec, and they haven’t made any progress. What are they going to do?

The only positive point so far is that Luke and Raphael are still alive, answering their texts, so Valentine hasn’t succeeded in making the Wish. Yet. Clary and Magnus have been out of contact since they portalled to Idris, so there’s no way to know if they’re even alive.

Izzy’s phone buzzes in her hand, and she brings it up to see the text, only now realizing how tightly she’s gripping it. Jace sits down beside her to look over her shoulder.

It’s Aline.

Mom has got the Council together in an emergency meeting. The Consul is out of reach, so she’s calling the shots. What do you need?

Izzy breathes out. Finally, something is moving. Just as she moves to answer, her phone starts ringing.

“It’s Clary,” she breathes. Jace immediately straightens. Izzy taps the screen to answer the video call.

“Clary?”

“Izzy!” Clary’s face appears on the screen, bathes in sunlight. It’s almost midday in Idris. Magnus comes into the frame beside her, and Izzy lets out a breath she didn’t know she held all this time. They both look okay, if a little out of breath.

“We did it,” Clary says. “We got Valentine. He’s dead.”

Izzy closes her eyes in relief – or maybe just exhaustion. Jace says something under his breath and squeezes her against him tightly.

“He raised the Angel, but I got to him before he could make a wish,” Clary continues.

“Thank the Angel,” Izzy sighs. A part of her registers that the Angel she’s thanking is the one who would have annihilated the Downworld on Valentine’s command. “I mean, thank you, in this case. You’re certain he’s dead?”

“Yes,” Clary answers. “Magnus killed him while I talked to the Angel.”

Izzy chokes on her breath at Clary’s nearly casual tone. “You talked to Raziel?”

“Yeah,” Clary laughs. She sounds more shell-shocked than happy. She’s had a long night. They all have, but Clary and Magnus perhaps more than anyone else. “Not my first rodeo with an angel, remember? I told him that we didn’t want to make the Wish today, and he left. The Wish is safe.”

Izzy takes a moment to breathe and process that. It’s too much at the same time, she doesn’t know where to even start, but she has to keep it together. For Alec. Alec needs her to figure out their next step, and the next. He needs her to get him out of this.

The news of Valentine’s death should feel more earth-shattering than it does, but they still have work to do. Izzy puts that aside for now. They can celebrate and think of what almost happened later.

“What about the Consul?” she asks.

“We ran into him while walking to the lake,” Magnus answers. “We had the element of surprise, since he didn’t know we knew he was a traitor. We had to fight off his goons, but I think we got them all. The Consul is dead.”

“Good. Do you have conclusive proof that they were with the Circle?” Jace asks.

“Is this enough?” Clary asks, switching to her phone’s second camera. It moves for a moment before it stops on what is unmistakably Malachi Dieudonné’s face, the Circle rune prominent on his neck. “I think he had a glamour on it that fell when he died.”

“Definitely enough,” Izzy says, taking a screenshot. She thinks for a moment, as Clary brings the camera back on herself and Magnus. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to get in touch with the Council.” She pauses as Magnus nods. “We need to make sure that you’re untouchable, especially Magnus, in case there are other Circle members in the Council. You record a video of you two explaining exactly what happened tonight. Jace authorized Magnus’ portal as Head of Field Ops and Magnus will get paid for his services, so we’re in the clear on that front. Make sure the video shows Malachi and the Circle rune clearly, and that you don’t implicate yourselves. Then send it to the Institute’s servers. It will make several backups just in case.”

“Okay,” Clary accepts. “We’ll do that. Can we come back now?”

Izzy sighs. “No. I’m sorry, but if you aren’t there when the Council sends a team to the scene, this will all have been for nothing.”

“Alec only has two hours left,” Magnus says, anguish in voice.

“I know, Magnus. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he’s still alive when you get back, okay? But you can’t leave Idris, or you’ll get thrown in jail too, and it will all have been for nothing.”

Magnus pinches the bridge of his nose, but nods.

“Magnus, can you get the warlocks to bring down the wards? We’ll need you and whoever they send from the Consul to be able to come through.”

“Okay,” Magnus says. “I’ll be there the second they let me go.”

“Me too,” Clary affirms. “Guys. We’re gonna make it through. Valentine’s dead. We’re gonna save Alec. Okay? Just hold it together.”

Izzy takes a breath and gives her a small smile, feeling Jace do something similar at her side. “Thanks, Clary.”

They’re all inches away from crumbling, but they need to hold on for a bit longer. One hour and forty-eight minutes left, according to the timer.

It’s a terrifyingly short amount of time that somehow feels like an eternity. Izzy sends the screenshot of Malachi’s Circle rune to Aline, along with a quick summary of what happened, and transmits Clary and Magnus’ video to the Council as soon as she gets it. Jace paces the length of the bedroom, fists clenched. After a while, Izzy takes his hand and pulls him down to the floor, where they sit cross-legged, across from each other.

“I think Alec could use some calm right now,” Izzy gestures to Jace’s parabatai rune, swallowing her tears. It’s almost seven. Outside, the sun is rising, coming through the stained glass windows.

Jace lets out a near-sob. They still don’t have an answer from the Council, and Clary and Magnus aren’t responding to Izzy’s texts. With no official backup coming, all their plans are crumbling one by one until they’re only left with the last resort.

“Breathe with me, brother,” Izzy murmurs, holding out her hands. “Send him strength. And love.”

Jace links hands with her and closes his eyes.

They don’t move until Jens knocks on the door, fifteen minutes before the end of the timer. “It’s time,” he says when Izzy opens the door. “They’re prepping him.”

Clary and Magnus haven’t made it back.

They’ve run out of time.

#shadowhunters #malec #alec lightwood #magnus bane #mine #echo's fanfiction #hm discord #malec discord server #straight through the smoke #angst

[reversemoon255]

Bakugan GeoForge Dragonoid

Yeah I collect Bakugan. Is it that surprising? They’re a bunch of small, semi-complex transforming toys that all have a geometric alternate mode of the same shape. It is absolutely up my alley. I do also have a decent enough amount of knowledge about the game, so I’ll be looking at this as both a toy and as a group of game pieces. Because someone might want to know about these before picking it up >_>

The Good: It’s seven tiny toys that combine into a giant dragon. I own the comparative molds for each of the Geogan, and while none of the combining versions are quite as nice as the non-combining ones, they all actually function like a Geogan should, deploying when they hit a metallic surface. The titular Dragonoid is also unique among current Bakugan, with its core being made primarily of metal.

The combined mode is a little clunky, but does have a tiny bit of posability in the arms and with the transformation points (they’re round pegs in hexagonal holes). It’s more of a novelty than anything, as it serves no gameplay function, but it’s a cool way to package a group of unique game pieces.

The Bad: While the Geogan for the most part work fine, GeoForge Arcleon in particular doesn’t ever fully pop, though it is obvious when it should for gameplay purposes. The combined mode has some balance issues, and it can take a minute more than you’d think to get everyone combined together. Also, my Talan was slightly deformed, which is a bummer.

Gameplay: If you were worried about needing to buy 3 of these to get any full playsets, then don’t worry. Each of the Geogan is marked as a card from the latest set, with the only unique game pieces (apart from the toys themselves) being the GeoForge Dragonoid card and a Gate Card with art of the combined mode. It also comes with a -4D Flame Fist trap Core (most likely because Dragonoid’s effect mitigates it), and a +650B Magic Shield (which I believe is still the highest MS Core?). As for a quick rundown of each of the cards:

GeoForge Stingzer: Most of the Geogan in this set are very powerful to the point that if your opponent doesn’t use a Geogan against you, you’ll win. While Stingzer’s damage is low, paying 5 for an auto-win and draw 2 is nice.

GeoForge Titan King: Probably the best Geogan in the set. On a Magic Shield, it’s 2950, 8 damage, and triggers a Team Attack on victory for the same cost as Stingzer and most of the other cards.

GeoForge Montrapod: The cheapest, but also the weakest Geogan in the set. Breaking 1600 isn’t nearly as hard as 2200, and its on victory is just Scry and draw 1, which isn’t great.

GeoForge Arachnia: I’m torn on Arachnia. Paying 6 for 2200 in comparison to all the great 5 for 2200s in this set feels like it’s too expensive, but that 8 damage and 2 frost is going to stop a lot of Flips, meaning all that damage will most likely take.

GeoForge Arcleon: Having 2800B is incredibly high, but like with Arachnia, when compared to something like Titan King it feels lacking. With that Double Strike, if it had 4 damage instead I feel like I’d appreciate it more.

GeoForge Talan: Talan is just a more consistent Titan King with slightly less damage. I could see you running either depending on the deck.

GeoForge Dragonoid: Might be the best piece in the set in the right hands. Having 900B to start is very high for a non-Aurelus. The 1 damage is low, but having that Flame Fist trigger helps compensate. Also, it’s (probably, because I haven’t compared) the heaviest Bakugan in circulation. While that might seem unimportant at first, it means that if you have a quick shot you can hit your opponent away from their target, or BakuTech-Style Critical KO them without knocking yourself too far out of alignment. It’s a strong and technical Bakugan.

Overall, it’s a fun little toy with some pretty nice gameplay implications. I don’t think I’d recommend it if you don’t play Bakugan, but if you do, and especially Pyrus or Aurelus, then it’s definitely something to consider.

#Bakugan #Geogan #GeoForge #Dragonoid #Stingzer #Titan King #Montrapod #Arachnia #Arcleon #Talan

[150289city]

ILLUSION - SURREALISM

Analyse creative manipulation images.

1. Zdzislaw Beksinski

The canvas, known as "Creeping Death", evokes a lot of emotions and remains relevant all the time. The leitmotif is death, which creeps silently like a spider. This is how he appeared in the eyes of the painter - death comes unexpectedly and destroys everything on its way.

Beksiński's paintings were about loneliness and the inevitability of death. The painter also often presented a vision of Armageddon. This is also the case of "Creeping Death". The end of the world appears in dark, brown and bloody colors. And death takes its toll and disappears unnoticed from the battlefield. The city burning in the background means that death has won again. Nobody survived. Death can take many shapes, it can resemble a human, an animal or a spider. In the painting by Zdzisław Beksiński, he is a terrifying creature that leaves the ruined area on its cramped limbs. Instead of the face, you can see a bandage through which a blood stain pierces. Instead of a torso, there is a hairy abdomen, similar to that of deadly spiders, and they will always flee from impending danger. Just like death, which also has time to hide from fire.

Beksiński's painting is one of the most terrifying contemporary works of Polish painting. Suffering, anger and resignation permeate them. The artist knows that he is unable to change his fate. He only has pain and the awareness that death will come for him. "Creeping Death" can be a universal picture, presenting the world after war, apocalypse or catastrophe. They can also be the darkest thoughts of every human being that circulate through the mind looking for an outlet. Because everyone is struggling with their own demons, which may appear completely different. It is certain that they cause fear, but they are essential in the fight against the suffering that is part of human life.

2. SALVADOR DALI

There are four clocks in the picture. One hangs from a dry tree, the other, with a blue shield and golden edging, flows down from a brown plinth. There is a fly on it, which can symbolize the "flying" and passing time. The orange watch lying next to it seems to be less soft and melting than the others. Ants crawled over him. The orange clock looks like it's about to be eaten by insects. Ants are here a symbol of rotting, decay. The fourth clock is in the center of the painting. It flows down from a deformed, beige-colored form. Only after looking closely you can see something like a nose, eyelid, long eyelashes. The distorted form resembles skin pulled from the face. According to some, it is a self-portrait of Salvador himself.

"Soft clocks" is nothing but a delicate, extravagant and lonely, paranoid-critical camembert of time and space.’’ Salvador Dali

Persistence of memory is perhaps one of the artist's most recognizable works. It was established in 1931. The idea was born when Dali, eating a melting French Camembert cheese, saw clock faces in it.

Dali created works that were supposed to amaze or shock. He did not represent anything directly, but through a vision. Therefore, he is included in the group of surrealists. Obraz Persistence of memory is a dream about time deformed by memories and dreams. Gala - Dali's muse and wife - said about this painting that the viewer's memory would only be the "softness" of the watches, because anyone who saw this work at least once would never forget it. The rocks of Cape Creus are an element of the landscape that appears in many of Dali's works. They have become an example of "hard" forms. The artist, who has a well-prepared drawing and knows the perspective, creates in a surprising way. An example is theoretically correctly painted clocks, but why is one of them hung over a branch, and the other running off the counter? It was this astonishment that the artist wanted to combine various objects in any way. The elements of the painting are arranged on the canvas in such a way that we have the impression of a large space and emptiness. Thanks to vivid imagination, all details have been divided into soft and hard. Clocks are among the soft ones.

3.  RENÉ MAGRITTE

With my popular sympathy for the Belgian painter René Magritte, I have allowed myself to be introduced to you by opening the whole series "Art for Tuesday" with his "Lovers". Together with the blog returning to the expanses of the Internet, let Magritte be the patron of the reactivation of this cycle, this time with her "Son of Man".

The very title "Son of Man" (French: "Le fils de l'homme") is a bit puzzling when confronted with this picture presents itself.

After all, we see an elegant man in a suit and a bowler hat against the background of the wall separating him from the sea, above him there are clouds that announce a storm or storm. And what is very important - it is a self-portrait.

Oh yes, I would ... Before the face of forgotten people (levitating?) A green apple that makes his face invisible, revealing part of the eye and eyebrow in fact. We have to remind ourselves that the Belgian was definitely a surrealist who grew out of the impressionist school. However, he used his symbolic linguistic voice, which was shaped by such tragic experiences as the mother's suicide - hence the motive of the shroud. The motif of a veiled face, or the lack of it, is constantly present in Magritte's painting. Maybe it allows you to stay safe? For both the "covered" and those looking at him? Or maybe these masks and covers allow for proper perception of things (I refer to the author's painting "Rape")?

As for the "Son of Man", a stretched (as always), original interpretation appeared in my head.

The apple ripens with its apple tree represented by the man. He is well dressed, which can mean high social status. Or maybe an apple covering a man's face makes him anonymous? is it just a tree from which society grows? And when he dies, will someone eat the forbidden fruit that he has grown, and will continue this process? Another "Son of Man" ..?

4. Max Ernst

"Day and Night" is a work that Max Ernst painted in the years 1941-1942. It presents a gloomy rocky landscape in dark colors. The image of the night is dominant here - the dark blue sky and the outlines of boulders. On the dark background, however, there are traces of the day, resembling daytime photographs of the same space. In these pictures these places appear completely different - they are sunny and full of bright colors. They do not resemble a barren night landscape.

Ernst's work follows surrealist poetics. Its meaning becomes understandable above all in the historical context in which it was created. It is about the tragedy of World War II, which left its mark on the artist's own biography. He miraculously managed to escape from the hands of the Gestapo and emigrate from France to the United States.

The night landscape is a barren land devoid of color and optimism. One gets the impression that we are dealing with a world completely destroyed by some cataclysm. His memories are only optimistic photographs from the past, which show the old face of the landscape. These optimistic incrustations in combination with the dominant gray and sterility not only do not cheer up the whole, but make it even more repulsive. We are dealing here with a world that will never return to its former glory.

The colorful pictures bring to mind illustrations from children's books. Thus, the artist refers to the myth of childhood as a lost paradise. Children's dreams are triggered here, in which reality seems to be a magical and wonderful being. At the same time, the juxtaposition of colored fragments with a gloomy background is also associated with the biblical Eden, where innocence and beauty are destroyed by sin and evil.

You can also understand "Night and Day" as a kind of puzzle. The picture resembles a puzzle that needs to be matched in an appropriate way so that they form a whole together. In this sense, one should see in Ernst's work traces of hope for rebuilding what was destroyed during the war. It is, in a way, a proposal to organize the world once again so that it becomes a place where a person feels safe again.

5. Pablo Picasso

"Guernica" is a famous painting by Pablo Picasso, painted in 1937 in reaction to the Spanish Civil War. The work is an act of protest against violence and at the same time a great manifestation of pacifism.

The title of the painting comes from the name of a Spanish city bombed by the German Luftwaffe air force in response to resistance to General Franco's group.

"Guernica" shows deformed human and animal figures, forming a chaotic swirl. You can see the bodies in pieces, especially the heads and limbs. The severed hands tighten tightly on the objects they hold: a candle or a sword. The mouths of the characters are usually open in a silent scream, and terror is visible in their eyes. People seem to squirm in deathly groans. Human figures blend with animals.

The whole thing looks like a huge, dynamic swirl. The depressing impression is deepened by the colors of the painting, in shades of black and gray. The central part of the painting is lit by a light bulb in the upper edge of the work. It seems that the situation depicted in the picture takes place in a narrow room, intensifying the impression of being surrounded and threatened.

The painting was painted in cubist aesthetics, which in the case of such a dramatic topic emphasizes the cruelty and tragedy of war. The fragmentation of the solid is here not only an act of artistic deformation, but also emphasizes the essence of any armed conflict, which is the total destruction of the world.

The war appears on Picasso's canvas as unbridled chaos and suffering. People dehumanize, they are reduced to the level of terrified animals, driven by the survival instinct. Human remains are clearly deformed, they resemble meat. Human and animal bodies are fragmented as if after a bomb had exploded.

The symbol of destruction is the Spanish bull emerging from the gloom, which covers the unfolding events with an unshakable gaze. Broken hands clutch at useless objects, among which stand out a candle and a broken sword. The former may symbolize the desire to illuminate the escape route, but it is also a sign of mourning for those who died. A broken sword and a torn horse indicate the uselessness of conventional weapons in a modern war that brings mass death and destruction.

Picasso's painting exudes an atmosphere of fear and terror, the image of a mother lamenting over a child's corpse is particularly poignant. The claustrophobic narrowness of the room in which the characters find themselves emphasizes the non-exit character of their situation.

#preproduction #illusion

[youralternantpersonality]

Bitch

Embry x Reader: Bitch

Warning: N/a

AN: Not my best work, but……

“Bitch” by Bea Miller

***

I hate little bitches. Granted, I am a little blunt, but that’s not my problem if people don’t like the truth. I had just started at Forks High and somehow, I found myself with a group of people on my third day here. I don’t mind, some of them are great people, it’s the other bitches that are bothersome. For example, Mike was hitting on Bella in the most desperate way possible. It was disgusting and I can tell Bella was too nice to say anything.

“Hey, Mike?” I called his attention,

“Yeah Y/n,” he said irritated, bitch you just fucked up.

“You know, I was going to say this the nicest way possible, but because of that attitude, I don’t give a shit. Please, for the sake of all of us, stop flirting with Bella. She is highly uninterested and you’re being a creep. Matter of fact, all of you guys, stop, the girl is too nice to tell you back the fuck up.” I said to all of them. Bella gave me a thankful look, Jessica looked shocked, Lauren looked pissed (like always), and Angela was laughing.

“Oh, what do you know! How are you so sure that we’re all flirting with her?”

“Because the smell of desperation oozes off you guys. End of discussion.” I look over to Bella and Jessica, “Do you have the lab notes from last week. I have no idea what is happening.” I said, ending the conversation. The guys rolled their eyes and called me a bitch.

“Heard that.”

I been runnin' my mouth around the corner Chasin' it down the street I cash in my words like I'm a billionaire But I don't have food to eat And I keep talkin' like I'm taller than the trees But my eyes never see much higher than five feet And I keep on tellin' everyone the truth But maybe that's not the move And everyone wants to hear a strong opinion If it's the same as you And they say honesty is the best policy If that were true, don't think all of my friends would hate me

I wouldn’t say I was a troublemaker, nor a problem starter, just an honest person. I may have gotten detention for standing up for a girl that was getting picked on by Lauren. The next day, I was in my history class minding my business when said girl decided to get me in trouble again. Thankfully, Rosalie Hale was just as irritated with her as I was.

“Keep talking Lauren and you’ll easily regret it.” If hell had a look, it would be the face Rosalie gave her. That shut her up quickly. I looked over at her and bowed my head towards her saying “thanks” and she did the same. She went back to talking to her boyfriend Emmitt and I went back to doodling. At the end of the day, I was walking towards my car when I heard someone call out to me.

“Hey!” I heard behind me. It was Erick, great.

“Yes Erick, how may I assist you?”

“Look, I just need to warn you. You can’t go around acting like you own the place. Being rude and such, that will get you nowhere girl.” He said, in response to this morning when Tyler came in with new J’s. Everyone was amazed, minus a few of us, and he started to act like he was better than everyone for having them.

“You know, you can have nice things and be humble at the same time.” I didn’t call them ugly, but, in guy code, I did. What-the fuck-ever.

“How do I put this nicely…No. Have a good evening.” I said walking away.

Society is suckin' on your dick And since I got a pussy, I'm a bitch And since you are a dude, yeah, you can tell the truth But as soon as I do, I'm a bitch Society is suckin' on your dick And since I got a pussy, I'm a bitch And since you are a dude, yeah, you can tell the truth But as soon as I do, I'm a bitch

There was a time, this guy, he tried to tell me "Men can cheat, women can't" Then he proceeded to ask me out on a date And I fuckin' laughed If you're a woman, you were made to pleasure me But out in public, hide them shoulders underneath

Overtime, Bella, Angela, and I got closer. One day We all went to La Push beach to meet up with some of the kids on the reservation. Angela had a date with Ben and couldn’t make it, so here we are, riding in Bella’s big pick-up truck, on our way to meet up with “Jake.”

It was awkward being the third wheel. Luckily, some other guys came to Jake's garage. One of them was short and kind of tubby and adorable…like a chipmunk. The other was cute as fuck, lanky, but cute with a nice smile. Chipmunk (later to find out his name is Quil), Embry, and I were talking while Jake awkwardly attempted to flirt with Bella. It was a horror show honestly.

“God, it’s hard watching him flirt with her.” Chipmunk said, Embry nodded and I kind of laughed.

“I want to say something. But I’m too amused at this. Anyone have some popcorn?” I say, Embry laughs and agrees.

“We always clown him about it so if we were to do it now, it won’t be the same reaction.” He looks over at me and gives me one of his cute smiles that seems to be thrown my way a lot.

“You just opened the gates of hell, my friend,” I tell him, look towards Bella and Jake and smile.

“Hey, Jake?” I yell towards him,

“Yeah?” awe, the cute puppy….

“Just ask her out.” We all laughed, Bella turned red like a baboon’s ass and Jake hid his face in his hands that were covered in oil.

“Hey, Bella! I like her!” Chipmunk said,

“Yeah, make sure to bring her around more often,” Embry said, sending a grin my way. I smiled at him and looked away. Bella looked at me, shook her head, but still laughed.

Society is suckin' on your dick And since I got a pussy, I'm a bitch And since you are a dude, yeah, you can tell the truth But as soon as I do, I'm a bitch Society is suckin' on your dick And since I got a pussy, I'm a bitch And since you are a dude, yeah, you can tell the truth But as soon as I do, I'm a bitch

I'm that motherfuckin' bitch (If I have to be, I'ma be that bitch) You should be suckin' on my clit (If I have to be, I'ma be that bitch) I said I'm a, I'm a, I'm a bitch (If I have to be, I'ma be that bitch) I dare you, stop me

Months passed and it was up to me to help Bella. Edward left and Jake disappeared on us. When she was dating Edward, Bella pushed everyone away, but I refused to be ignored. Plus, Rosalie liked me, so I was invited to the table. I noticed some things about the Cullen’s; I knew that they weren’t human, and I knew that they had special abilities. I never asked what they were, and they never asked what I knew. Edward read my mind and knew I knew they weren’t mortal but appreciated how I never went out searching. I was told to not say anything.

“Ha! And who would believe me? Plus, not a whole lot of people like me here anyways. Emmett, let me have your fries.”

After Bella’s birthday, they left. It took a while, but Jake and I put Bella back together. But then he left, and that pissed me off. So, here we are, in Bella’s truck on our way to Jake's place. She knew I was just as pissed, and I would have been more pissed if she didn’t invite me. Who would’ve thought that that would be the day that I’d meet, or re-meet, the love of my life?

Society is suckin' on your dick (on your dick) And since I got a pussy, I'm a bitch (I'm a bitch) And since you are a dude, yeah, you can tell the truth But as soon as I do, I'm a bitch Society is suckin' on your dick (on your dick) And since I got a pussy, I'm a bitch (I'm a bitch) And since you are a dude, yeah, you can tell the truth But as soon as I do, I'm a bitch

Watch me (If I have to be, I'ma be that bitch) I said, I'll be that bitch So stop me

Wolves…they’re all wolves and the Cullen’s are vampires. We showed up at Jake’s house and was turned away by his dad. Bella spots a group of giants and runs to them…the stupid bitch.

“Bella! Get back here!” she continues to be a stubborn ass and walks towards the football players. As we get closer, I notice Chipmunk and Embry.

“Chipmunk? Embry?” I call out while Bella yells at ‘ol boy named Sam.

“Uh...Hi Y/n. What are you doing here?” Chipmunk asked nervously. I looked him up and down then looked at Embry and damn nearly fell over. Hot damn, whatever life did to him, I would like to personally thank. He was staring at me with a look of shock and disbelief. Out of nowhere, I hear Sam yell.

“Get back!” I look over and see a pissed off hulk deforming himself. I back up slightly before a pair of arms wrap themselves around me and move me out of the way. Bella runs and, of course, trips, but outcomes Jake who shifts into a goddamn wolf. I watch in disbelief as the two wolves go at it and I can’t say a damn thing. Well, except for…

“The fuck was that shit! How does the Hulk turn into a wolf?” I said, not moving from the arms wrapped around me.

“Jared, Quil, Embry, bring them back to the house.” ‘Ol boy says and just walks off.

“Come on, let's get you somewhere safe.” The body holding me said, I look up and see it’s Embry and I’m not mad.

“Good, cause you and Chipmunk owes me an explanation.” And they did. Jake and crazy boy Paul come back in as if nothing happened and apologizes. They explain to us in short what was going on and what they were.

“So now that, that’s out of the way; and you see me like this. Y/n, can I get another name besides Chipmunk?” Quil asked. I laughed and laughed and laughed.

“No. Stay humble. Remember your roots. Plus, be thankful I didn’t name you squirrel, that was runner up next to hamster.” He looks sad but slightly smiles when the guys laugh and attempt to make fun of him.

“I don’t know why you guys are laughing. I already named Paul the Hulk, Jared your chicken, and Sam is ‘ol boy.” They all looked at me and I heard Embry laugh,

“What about lover boy over here?” Jared asked pointing his chicken leg towards Jake.

“Ha! Which one?” Hulk says, “We all know Jake's love for Bella, but Embry hasn’t stopped looking at Ms. Blunt over here since we were outside.” I look over at Embry, who is looking at me with wide eyes and slowly turns his head towards Hulk.

“Run.” *beat drops* and he takes off while Hulk sprints away going outside.

“Did he just call you Ms. Blunt?”

“Yeah, I kind of like it,” I say, not a bad name. Better than Bitch, but still. “I take it as a compliment.”

“What? How?” I hear an ‘oh God’ coming from Bella who knows why I like it.

“Because, a blunt makes people happy, hallucinate, and is secretive…by law in some states. It’ll trip you out and your reaction would be unknown. All of which is how I inspire to be every day. A fucking blunt bitch.” I smile.

Masterlist

#embrycallembrycallxreaderembry call x readerembry-call-x-readerembry calltwilighttwilightsagatwilightwolfpackembry call twilight #embrycall #embrycallxreader #embry call x reader #embry-call-x-reader #embry call #twilight #twilightsaga #twilightwolfpack #embry call twilight #new moon #newmoon #eclipse #breaking dawn #breakingdawn #breakingdawnpartone #BreakingDawnPart2 #breakingdawnpart1 #breakingdawnparttwo #edward cullen #edwardcullen #Bella Swan #bella cullen #bellaswan #bellacullen #midnightsun #midnight sun

[silverypurple-rosedlions]

What Do You Want? | T.P.R

      Annual September Mafia Gathering

             12.9.20 - 11:45AM

      Jeonghan walked through the hallway of the large establishment with a stoic face, passing mafias that laughed and spoke with one another, some turning to him and whispering among each other. Glancing to the side, he noticed a woman subtly point towards his hand, causing him to give a small “Tsk,” and shoving his hand into his pocket, hiding the silver, red rose ring that glistened on his finger. At his side, Joshua walked with him, keeping his head held high despite the flicker of irritation in his eyes. But he quietly slipped his hand into Jeonghan’s, holding it tightly.

      “Just a little longer, Hannie,” Joshua whispered to the other, who intertwined their fingers.

      “I should be the one saying that to you,” Jeonghan responded, causing the other to laugh dryly. “You sure you’re alright?” Jeonghan asked, shifting his gaze towards his partner, whose lips pursed.

“I could do better. But this is temporary, isn’t it?” Joshua answered. “I have nothing to worry other than this becoming a catastrophe too soon,”

“It is the plan to make this a catastrophe, remember?” Another spoke up, causing the two to look behind them towards Seokmin. The youngest was in a wheelchair, Wonwoo pushing his wheelchair. Wheeled beside Seokmin was Minghao, his head turned to the side with distaste as Jun assisted him, and Mingyu, wheeling his chair. Jihoon was walking behind Mingyu, looking distant from the group as other members of The Purple Rose followed.

     "It is,“ Jeonghan turned his head, facing forward as his head gave a small jerk. "But we have to wait for the right moment,”

     "Or we could end it now. Spare us from going through this horrendous situation,“ Minghao growled through gritted teeth.

"Minghao. None of us like going through this, but remember why we’re doing it like this,” Jun responded with furrowed eyebrows, his eye twitching. “Besides, if we do it now, then the aftermath will only be worse,”

Entering into the restaurant inside the hotel, they spotted their reserved table and walked towards it. But to their dismay, they were seated beside The Silver Lions. Minghao scoffed, Wonwoo grumbling under his breath as the group followed Jeonghan and Joshua, sitting down at the large, round table. “Good morning, men,” A male greeted with a pleasant tone in his voice. Minghao didn’t respond, keeping his back faced towards The Silver Lions as the rest were begrudgingly greeting them.

     "Good morning, Seungcheol,“ Jeonghan greeted, an empty smile stretching across his face as he turned his head to find the Boss drinking his cup.

     "Slept well?” Seungcheol questioned, shifting his gaze towards Jeonghan, locking eyes.

    Jeonghan stared at Seungcheol, his eyes narrowed as a trace of his chilling soft blue eyes flashed. “Oh, yes. I slept wonderfully,” There was sarcasm in his voice, and he noticed Seungcheol’s eyes waver, knowing that the other Boss had detected it and was reacting to the glimmer of blue that was present for barely 5 seconds. “How about you?”

Seungcheol sighed, nodding with a bitter smile towards Jeonghan, “Fine.” As they ate, the air around them feeling heavy, almost as if it could suffocate them, Jeonghan kept an arm around Joshua’s shoulders. He didn’t look towards Seungcheol again, his other hand tapping the temple of his forehead as he grumbled under his breath. Joshua looked towards Jeonghan, a frown present on his face as he leaned into him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

     "Hannie, you haven’t eaten anything since the waitress brought the food,“ Joshua said.

    "Not hungry,” Jeonghan responded, but he noticed the dissatisfied expression on his partner’s face and turned to him, catching his lips. Joshua was surprised, but returned it, their foreheads touching gently. “I’ll eat later, I swear. For now, eat with the boys,” Jeonghan said softly, looking into Joshua’s dark brown eyes that glistened. “I’m going to talk with Seungcheol,”

     "Hannie. You said-“

     "I know I did,” Jeonghan said, placing his hand on Joshua’s cheek, “I’m going to talk to Seungcheol and see if I can get answers now. What we have planned for later today will happen during the gathering. No sooner, or later, than that,” Joshua sighed, turning his head and placing a kiss onto Jeonghan’s hand, his brows furrowed.

     "Just don’t kill him yet,“ Joshua joked dryly.

"Not yet,” Jeonghan chuckled, causing Joshua to laugh, shaking his head.

Jeonghan and Joshua turned their heads when Jihoon coughed loud and clear. “‘Scuse me, but we’re here too,” Jihoon said, raising his eyebrows. “Eating.”

     "You’ve seen us like this multiple times, Jihoon, and worse. It’s nothing new,“ Joshua argued as Jeonghan chuckled, standing up at signaling for a private table towards a waiter. They nodded, looking frightful as they rushed off to prepare the table Jeonghan requested. Jeonghan then shifted his sharp gaze towards Seungcheol, the other looking towards him with a raised eyebrow. But no words had to be exchanged. Seungcheol already understood when Jeonghan turned his head towards the table being prepared for them, The Silver Lions leader sighing as he talked towards his members briefly.

     As for Jeonghan, he kept his hands stuffed in his pockets, walking towards the table cleared for him and Seungcheol. It was far in the back, hidden from those who were too far away to see it. It was the perfect place to converse about things needing to be kept between selected people. Such as this occasion.

     "How curious,” Jeonghan muttered softly to himself, beginning to tap the temple of his forehead again as the male took a seat across from him.

     Jeonghan sat down with his back to the wall, his leg crossed over the other as he watched Seungcheol maneuver his way around the tables and mafias seated. Instead of being dressed in his typical tight suit, clear of wrinkles, and clean, he wore a white sweater that made his muscular features more apparent as it exposed bits of his shoulders and chest.

His pants were black, covering a bit of ankle as he wore black, shiny shoes, likely the only two things that were similar to his usual attire. It was the first time Jeonghan had seen him clothed casually than resembling as if he was a businessman than a mafia. Of course, when not busy, Jeonghan has seen Seungcheol dress differently, but not out in public.

At first, they didn’t say anything. Jeonghan turned his head from Seungcheol, his gaze trailing off towards the unknown depths of deformed reality while Seungcheol was watching him. And Jeonghan knew that. He knew that Seungcheol was eyeing him anxiously despite his calm exterior. Then again, Jeonghan always found one person studying him, observing his psychotic behavior.

   After the waiter had brought their drinks, bowing with trembling hands and leaving, Seungcheol spoke. Jeonghan didn’t bother moving his head towards him, just listening as he watched his corrupted world take shape within the dining room. He saw the familiar dark figure of a woman smile widely at him, mocking him.

Jeonghan traced his fingers on the rim of his glass cup, shifting his deranged gaze towards Seungcheol, looking disinterested. But it was an odd expression, as usual, a faint twisted smile on his face while his eyes looked clouded. No matter how times he’s done it, it always twisted someone’s stomach to see such a foul expression that held torment of others, and himself.

“You know, I don’t understand why they choose to serve such bland drinks,” Seungcheol said, attempting to start a conversation as he took his cup, looking at the liquid. “What do you think, Jeonghan?”

     “I’d prefer it to be bland. Having it too strong or too sweet wouldn’t be good for many. And personally, it’s best I avoid these types of drinks. Not that it’s addicting like it is for others, but it’s not good for my health,” Jeonghan answered, taking his cup and looking into the clear liquid. “But you knew that already,” His eyes slowly raised from his cup towards Seungcheol, that same faint twisted smile present on his ghostly white face. “Just like you know everything else, right?”

“I suppose,” Seungcheol sighed, taking a sip of his cup. Another long pause, another long excruciating anticipation for the inevitable conversation. And then it was broken, a scoff from The Purple Rose leader.

“It’s pointless attempting to start a friendly conversation. You know this. Yet you try in hopes for something that’s been long gone,” Jeonghan said, taking a swig of the drink. Although he was still mistaking his hallucinations as reality, he could still differ Seungcheol from it, looking deep within his eyes to see the small, fragile man he only saw once. “So let’s get straight to topic, shall we? Makes this less difficult for you and me,”

     “Right…” Seungcheol placed his glass cup on the table, sitting straight compared to Jeonghan who was slightly slouching in his chair, gently moving his glass in a circle, the liquid following his motion.

“What do you want?” Jeonghan questioned.

“Pardon?”

     “You offered me this ring,” Jeonghan began with a bitter voice, pulling out his hand from his pocket, displaying his hand with the ring glistening on his finger. It was shimmering, the chandelier lights reflecting off from it. “You gave me this engagement ring with little details. You gave me NO explanation as to what you want in exchange in my hand in marriage, just to merge our groups together,” Jeonghan lowered his hand, placing it onto the table, letting out a heavy sigh.

     “You have the fucking audacity to ask for my hand in marriage for business. To gain power for whatever you have planned, and make yourselves invincible to any mafia group but mine. And you know fully well that I have been planning for three years. THREE years to propose to Jisoo, and you put me in this position two years later after what you did to my group,” Jeonghan’s body gave a small jolt, his blood boiling as Seungcheol ran a hand through his raven black hair, shaking his head.

“I know… It’s absolutely terrible of me to do this to you in the first place, or to even have the idea,” Seungcheol said. “I would have never chosen to do this without reasoning, but I know the consequences it has is damaging to not just my group and I, but to you and your group, and especially to Jisoo,”

Jeonghan let out a low growl, his hand balling into a fist while he slammed his drink onto the table, cracking the glass just a bit. Seungcheol closed his eyes in response towards his angered action. “Then why did you do this in the first place? Why did you do ANY of this in the first place?” Jeonghan questioned, causing Seungcheol to look at him with furrowed eyebrows.

     “Not only do I want answers as to why you choose to propose to me, but answers to why you abandoned my group when they needed you the most,” Jeonghan said, watching as Seungcheol’s face drained of color, his eyes shifting to his drink. “You can’t run from me this time, Seungcheol. Not after you decided it would be a brilliant idea to propose to him for whatever selfish reason you have.”

     Jeonghan crossed his arms, his leg bouncing impatiently. “Let me remind you that when you left, you abandoned everything of my group, and left them to rot during my absence. During that time I was forced back into the Asylum, my group’s base was blown to fucking bits, and the members themselves were suffering from abandonment, injuries that could have and were severe, and they had no one else to guide them but Mingyu, who was distraught and guilty, and Jihoon, who was stressed more than he already had been at the time.”

“And throughout a whole year when I was gone, you could have redeemed yourself and your group. You had ONE year to come and help my group, or at least send supplies,” Jeonghan grimaced, digging his nails into his arms that made it through his sweater, piercing his skin. “But you did none of that. You were a coward who took your group, left, and was too scared to face me again when I returned. What makes you think you’ll have any chance in convincing me otherwise? What in that damn mind of yours thinks I’m going to accept your proposal willingly?” “I don’t expect you to forgive me. Every single one of your members have the right to loathe me, to curse at me, and to throw dirt on me. But if anything, don’t blame anyone else but me. It was my decision, and my order. No one can take the responsibility of that but me,” Seungcheol began, looking at Jeonghan with something Jeonghan had never seen from him. The look of sorrow that no words could describe, fear that he buried deep within himself, and guilt. It rendered Jeonghan speechless, even silencing the voices within his labyrinth that were dancing around his head, singing haunting lyrics of murder and pushing him to commit the murder of Choi Seungcheol.

     “But what I want from you is help. I need your help, especially now.”

“Help?…” Jeonghan repeated with a raised eyebrow, and suddenly, he threw his head back, laughing. He held his stomach, laughing darkly towards the ceiling as if it was a joke, a twisted joke. Seungcheol’s shoulders shrugged up, mafias shifting their attention towards the psychotic man. “Help, he says! You want my help? Help?” Jeonghan laughed, looking back to Seungcheol as he whipped tears from his eyes, leaning forward, a hideous smirk forming on his face as his eyes narrowed. “What makes you think I’ll help you out of all people?” “Don’t do it for me,” Seungcheol said, causing Jeonghan to freeze. “This is for my members, not me. Everything that I am doing is for the members within my group, and I can’t risk anymore chances… At least do this for Samuel.”

     “S-…Samuel?” Jeonghan leaned back, his jaw clenching.

“Let me explain from the very start, Jeonghan,” Seungcheol said. “A few weeks before you were cornered. I’ll start from there, and every question you have will be answered. All I want you do is listen, and please consider this. Don’t throw this away on my account,” Jeonghan turned his head away from Seungcheol, closing his eyes as his body twitched, but he bit the bottom of his lip, reluctantly nodding. “Go on,”

“A few weeks before you were cornered, my group and I-”

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