#pillar 95

[skybluelatte]

Happy Birthday Johnny!!!💚🐱💚

#johnny #nct #95 line #nct 127 #johnny suh #seo youngho #what a fine man #nct’s sweet and funny pillar #much love #HappyJohnnyDay #SUHweetest29th #020924

[weyrleaders]

perhaps the first lynel i fought should not have been the silver one in the colosseum, but well,

#my entire strat was keeping a pillar between me and the lynel 95% of the time #i just got done cookin a bunch of stuff because that fight took just about everything i had #i didnt realize that the silver ones were the strongest

[tobiasdrake]

The three pillars of ambiguity.

1 - The explanation is there if you're willing to search for it. It's kinda cool that they didn't spell everything out but left it for you to think about!

2 - The creator deliberately left this open to interpretation. There isn't an answer, and there isn't supposed to be. It's designed on-purpose to make you really sit back and think about the themes of the story and what you personally believe.

3 - Plot hole. There is no answer. The fandom has a comprehensive 4000-word essay as a substitute for a canon answer but they made up like 95% of it so take it with a grain of salt.

Always be wary about mistaking one for another.

#media #writing #fandom

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

House Tour (not the house we wanted, but the house we have)

Fandom: Poppy Playtime.

Synopsis: Angel (referred here as "you") introduces their house to the toys after the events of the game.

---

"It's not much", you hurriedly tell the group. "And it's not very big, we'll have to get a bigger house as soon as possible, can't forget to immediately look for what's on sale around here".

You stop on your tracks to face the door to your house, hearing the others stop just behind you. Searching for the right key, you add:

"Also please don't mind the fact everything's a big mess, I'm more organized than that but last time I was there it was a week or so ago and I left in a rush".

"Don't apologize, Angel", Poppy replies back, as gentle as ever. "I'm sure it's not even that bad! And, look, even Kissy agrees with me! Right, Kissy?"

The taller girl mutters a quiet "hm-hm" sound.

"Nothing will ever be as bad as the factory, Angel", Dogday adds. You turn around to see Huggy still holding into the dog's poorly-adapted wheelchair, smiling in return. "Besides! You're here with us now! That alone makes things a lot better".

"You guys give me too much credit", oh, finally, you found the key! "I'm just doing what I have to. Anyone else would do the same".

"Li-ar", Mommy Long Leg's voice echoes. "No one never ever took care of Mommy when she was hurt".

"I was the one who tore your arm off, I kind of had to help".

"Li-aaaar".

You sigh, finally opening the door and stepping inside: "C'mon, everyone, it's pretty small but it should do the work for now".

You counted the toys one by one as they entered: Bunzo, PJ, Poppy and Kissy, Dogday and Huggy, a very bubbly Miss Delight guiding Catnap inside, all the mini huggies, all the mini critters, all the other mini toys, then Mommy Long Legs. More than 80 in total.

Thankfully the money you got from that case was enough to cover a house and finances and medical expenses for at least an year for every single one of you. You still didn't know how the court case against the remains of Playtime would go, but with all the evidence against them, it should be enough money for a lifetime, right? You would never be able to pay for everyone's treatment with your current job...

"Angel, dear?", Miss Delight calls. You smile, give one last look outside, and close the door. "What an interesting house you have!"

"Oh, it's nothing much", you put the keys in a small counter, taking off your jacket and throwing your bag in a corner. "Huggy, can you help put Dogday in the sofa?"

"Angel, I'm very sure I can-"

"You need to wait two weeks before you can do any big moves, don't you even think about moving yourself only using your arms again unless you want another emergency surgery, big dog", you immediately cut him off. Dogday sighed, Huggy happily offered his hands to help the big puppy. The mini critters mischievously laughed. "Same thing for every single one of you. Medical orders".

The house's clock pointed at 8:44 PM. It wasn't late, thankfully.

The toys all gathered around the living room, curiously staring and exploring its corners. Someone - Bunzo, maybe? - had entered the kitchen, probably just wanting to take a good look at this new weird place. You decided to let them be, turning the TV on and trying to pick up a channel:

"So, uhm", you mutter. "This is the TV. Didn't change much since '95 except for maybe image quality. We now use CDs and DVDs instead of just cassette tapes, but I'll show that to you guys later. You can grab anything from the kitchen, I don't mind".

You blinked, hearing the sound of your Windows XP computer turning on. Somehow, PJ Pug-a-Pillar had figured out how to use it. You would be proud if not a bit worried:

"You found the computer", you announce to the group. "Okay. Don't mess up too much with that thing, I need it to work. I'll show you guys how to use the internet later, I think you would like it".

Long Legs decided to sit next to the TV, stretching her neck so she could watch it better. The mini critters seemed to really like her, as they still haven't let go of her arm.

"Angel, do you think the news are all still about us?", the spider doll asks.

"Well..."

You sit on the floor so Dogday can see the TV from the sofa. Bunzo immediately jumps to your lap, making himself comfortable. You pet him as images of the abandoned factory covered with cops and investigators appear, headline written as "PLAYTIME CO. INVESTIGATION STILL UNGOING".

You sigh. Bunzo seems to look up at you, confused.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?", his ears move. You stop petting him.

"It's not good nor bad. If the news aren't screaming how the investigation found out how you guys were made, then we can assume the Prototype is doing a good job".

"He always did".

Everyone, including you, turns to stare at Catnap. He decided to sit next to the sofa, lying his back against the wall. The ceiling was too low for him to be comfortable like that...

"Mommy cannot agree with you", Long Legs groans. "Would you want to know hy?"

The feline simply stares uncomfortably at the pink toy. She rolls her eyes, muttering something about him denying the evidence before turning her attention back at the tv. You're glad these two didn't get into a fight again, but you still don't feel comfortable. Most of the bigger toys are sitting on the floor, with the smaller ones either using Kissy, Miss Delight and Dogday or the sofa as a sitting spot.

The images in the TV then cut to you, eye bags and all, staring at the camera and politely answering a question.

"Look!", Bunzo points. "It's mom!"

"I'm not your... Nevermind", you put some of your hair behind your ear. The you in the TV keeps talking:

"No, I didn't see any guards or cops when I came in there", you shake your head, tired.

"No security at all?"

"I mean, the factory is full of weird machines you need to use a thing called a 'grabpack' to make them work, but there wasn't anyone who stopped me from grabbing one and going inside. I bet even a child could have gotten themself trapped in there from how lonely things were outside..."

"Do you think one of the monsters escaped the factory before?"

"The toys, is that what you mean?"

Your eyes finally showed some light as you bit back at the word choice. You lifted your head, now more determined than before:

"If any of them escaped, they are either dead or locked away somewhere by whoever knew about what Playtime was doing. Or do you really think these kids wanted to stay inside that prison? They were fighting each other over what to eat, for God's sake!"

"Angel...", Poppy muttered. "You didn't tell anyone about the..."

"Cannibalism? Hel- heck no. You guys will be regarded as monsters by a lot of people if i do that. Until things calm down, no one outside the investigators of our case will know".

You decide to get up from your spot, much to Bunzo's dismay. You pet his head before stretching yourself, hearing some bones pop:

"The kitchen is right there. Bathroom is there, and my room is there. I don't think there's any clothes good enough for you guys, but we'll see. You must be hungry, right?"

You step into the kitchen, followed by some of the toys and Long Leg's head stretching head. Miss Delight excitedly walks close to you as you look for what you have.

"Well...", you mutter. "I have some snacks and food, but not enough for all of us. Maybe we should get some pizza today, and tomorrow I'll rush to the grocery store".

"... Pizza?", Bunzo asks in the big toy pile that formed at the kitchen's entrance, his head between the smaller huggies. "What's that?"

"It's an italian dish made from bread dough and topped with plenty of ingredients!", Miss Delight answers in her cheerful tone before turning to face you: "But... You have pizza, Angel?"

"No, but I can just ask someone to deliver to us. I have the money", you grab the kitchen's telephone, searching in the drawers for the number of that one very good pizza place your friend worked at. "Since no one here ever ate a pizza I'll just ask for five of each flavor. Might do the job, seeing how many of us are in there..."

You turn, lying against the kitchen's corner, only to realize that everyone was staring at you. Even Catnap had gotten out of his spot, curiously watching, and you could see Dogday's head as he was trying to take a good look at what was going on.

"You guys can explore the house, y'know. It's our house now, not mine", you tell the group, going back to the living room, telephone in hand so the poor giant puppy could be included. Another door was opened, and the mini critters and huggies were now conquering your bedroom. Good for them.

You sat on the floor again. Bunzo proclaimed your lap, and Poppy decided to also sit next to you.

"I don't have to eat, Angel", the doll told you, watching TV. "Prioritize the others, alright?"

"Neither do I!", Dogday replied. "I ate at the hospital, don't worry about me".

You roll your eyes and pet Poppy's head. "I know you don't have to eat, doll, but you, young sir, have to eat. A freaking lot, actually! Didn't I tell you guys food isn't a limited supply anymore?"

A mini critter screamed and something was knocked over. Long Legs immediately got out of her spot, coming out of your room with a mini craftycorn trying to chew on a blanket.

Dogday, however, was whimpering. He lowered his head and fidgeted with his hands: "Are you sure? You did so much for us, Angel..."

"And I'll do even more. I'll be your legal guardian if everything goes well, remember?"

"But..."

Catnap then "accidentally" bumped his tail against Dogday's face. The pup's eyes widened, and you laughed at how offended he looked. The feline pretended to watch television as Dogday stared at him.

"Catnap!"

"I didn't do anything this time".

Now the pup was looking at you for answers. Poppy was laughing as well, all the while Catnap's tail kept bumping into Dogday.

"Listen to what the Angel has to say", he simply told him. "And eat".

You were smiling. Never in a thousand years did you think your life would become this weird, but you were glad it was like this nonetheless.

Then you realized something, and crossed your arms:

"Catnap, you do realize you'll also have to eat a lot instead of giving your food to the mini critters, right?"

The feline's tail stopped moving.

"What".

#poppy playtime #dogday #catnap #poppy playtime angel #poppy playtime poppy #kissy missy #huggy wuggy #mommy long legs #miss delight #save everyone au #poppy worldwide #garca writing

[gil-estel]

a massive structure

gtn, 69

Rearing up before them was a palace, a fortress, of white and shining stone. It spread out on the surface of the water like an island. You couldn’t see over it and you could hardly see around it.

ntn, 440

The tower was so big—as the megatruck approached she began to realise how big, as big and as broad and as tall as any crane or building in the city—stretching higher than their Building at home, even. There was a clear mark where the water reached up it, where the stone was wet black rather than the dry-stone grey above. From inside the megatruck, she could not see how high up it went

fairy tale beauty

gtn, 68

Gideon got the impression of a hundred spires rising, choked with green stuff from blue-and-turquoise waters

gtn, 69

It lapped back in terraces of what must have once been fabulous gardens. It rose up in gracious towers that hurt the eye with their slenderness and precision. It was a monument to wealth and beauty.

htn, 110

“The base of Canaan House dates back to before the Resurrection. We first built upward, to get away from the sea; then we built outward, to strive toward beauty

ntn, 439

Nona thought it looked like something out of a picture book

the birth of canaan house

gtn, 148

"It’s pre-Resurrection—or made to look pre-Resurrection, which is just as curious."

ntn, 219

On the new plank of land, all cut up from the water and the damage, there was a broken concrete building guarded by enormous shards of cracked bone.

htn, 110

“The base of Canaan House dates back to before the Resurrection. We first built upward, to get away from the sea; then we built outward, to strive toward beauty

gtn, 325

“How I hate the water,” he said, as though this conversation was one they’d had before and he was simply continuing it. “I’m not sorry that this has dried up. Ponds … rivers … waterfalls … I loathe them all. I wish they had not filled the pool downstairs. It’s a terrible portent, I said.”

htn, 111

The laboratories. The original body of the building—a place steeped in the death of ages—the quietude of the last sacrifice … that is where Lyctorhood was begun, and that is where Lyctorhood was finished.

gtn, 95

Once she paused on a blasted terrace outside, gazing at the rusting, hulking pillars that stuck up in a ring around the tower. The sea on one side was broken up with flat concrete landings like stepping-stones, set wet and geometric in the water, mummified in seaweed: the sea had covered up more structures long, long ago, and they looked like square heads with long, sticky hair, peering up suspiciously through the waves.

ntn, 219

He was scared of that—he was always scared of the water—and he made the waters go away for a while, and he raised up some parts of the earth that had been covered by sea. She watched them explode upward, shedding tonnes of water back into the soup

where are the people?

ntn, 410

“Where did you put the people? Where did they go?”

ntn, 435

"I want to understand the mathematics, now that I have seen them for myself. I want to know how many of the Resurrection are left, and how many you began with, and what the discrepancies are. I want to know where you put them. They didn’t go into the River. I want to know why she was angry … and why you were terrified.”

ntn, 440

“He left them too long—you left them too long, my salt thing.”

htn, 110

For the Resurrection did not resurrect every broken thing, you understand, and nor did it create anything new.

htn, 36

But at that time … I set many aside, for safety … and I’ve often felt bad about just keeping them as insurance. They’ve been asleep all this myriad, Harrow, and it’s frankly a relief to my mind to wake them up. I’ll begin the process of bringing them to the surface before they’re shipped off to the Ninth.”

htn, 98

“Being separated from your soul won’t kill you,” he said. “Not immediately. But—”

gtn, 68

“It’s gorgeous.”

“It’s a grave,” said Harrowhark.

gtn, 152

“Down there resides the sum of all necromantic transgression,” she said, in the singsong way of a child repeating a poem. “The unperceivable howl of ten thousand million unfed ghosts who will hear each echoed footstep as defilement. They would not even be satisfied if they tore you apart.”

gtn, 280

“Bodies were brought into here—a long time ago. A lot of bone matter. The First feels like a graveyard all over, but this is worse. I’m not faking.”

gtn, 303

"These experiments all demand a continuous flow of thanergy. They’ve hidden that source somewhere in the facility, and that’s the true prize.”

gtn, 303

"Including the facility, we’ve got access to maybe thirty percent of this tower."

gtn, 376

“Because Teacher was afraid of Canaan House and the facility most of all,” said Harrow. “I need to go back and check, but I suspect he was incapable of going down that ladder at all. He was a construct himself. But what was Teacher the mould for?

htn, 395

At the bottom of the stairs, glass doors showed the space where the pool had once been—filled now with bloody water, dark, bobbing shapes within. River water.

flow of time, flow of water

htn, 310

“You cannot build in the River! It is a dimension of perpetual flux—defined space is nonsense here—you might as well try to wall off time with bricks and mortar.”

htn, 328

“Time means very little … mastery does. This temple stood for ten thousand years untouched by all but time’s clumsiest pawing … but then its master was the Master, for whom even the River will part. Time is nothing to the King Everlasting.”

htn, 328

Oh, but it is a tragedy, to be put in a box and laid to wait for the rest of time. It happened to me, but I was only a man, or perhaps fifty men … Reverend Daughter, your whole House treads upon a knife’s edge, as keepers of such a zoo.

htn, 397

Something has gone terribly wrong in the River, Harrow, and I wish you’d find out what.”

htn, 461

“It’s the River. It moves. You’d have to pick the revenant’s path and travel along a thanergetic link, and that’s just madness again: sitting inside— I don’t know— a teapot, clinging on without sense or understanding, going slowly insane.

the hole in the tower

gtn, 426

Cytherea crooked her fingers toward the massive hole torn in the side of the tower. There was a cry from within, followed by an awful cracking, tearing, breaking sound.

ntn, 393

“Their justice is not my justice. Their water is not my water. I came to help. I am made a mockery. The danger is upon you, and you do not even know … they are coming out of their tower, salt thing. There is a hole at the bottom of their tower."

i have no idea what any of this means but I AM rotating it in my brain

(now updated post-harrow reread!)

#nona the ninth #gideon the ninth #the locked tomb #tlt spoilers #ntn spoilers

[riacte]

Life Series False manifestation from HC10 False [UNSERIOUS] [clownery]

Open up the clown tents! I was going to give up after October 2023 but y’know 🤡 if you watch certain parts of HC10 False with your eyes closed you can pretend it’s the Life series 🤡🚦

I know this is 95% stretching. I know this is unserious and a pipe dream from 2021 fueled by two clips from False and half of a clip from Martyn (of all people). But whatever, we’re having fun 🎪

1) Fun little red name display? 👀

False’s HC10 E1 starts off with a quick explanation of the new Demise game. And there’s this screenie which is basically identical to what a life series player would show the audience to introduce the lives gimmick. But we all know Demise is Life series 2.0 and Life series is Demise 2.0. Still, visually, it’s a nice little touch.

2) Interactions with red name Ren

False E1 33:45. False said Ren’s red name suited his outfit and then she said about herself:

“Reckon I can get a different colour, yellow, to match my hair?”

Ren, damningly enough, said in reply:

“Sure! That would be cool!”

And then False repeated “that would be cool”.

— Which, I know, I know, means nothing. Yellow is just coincidentally a colour of a life in Life series and also the colour of False’s hair. And it would be cool. Like, hypothetically.

Ren then suggested killing False to bring her down to yellow, which is not how it works in Demise because yellow doesn’t exist, but it’s okay, his brain is stuck in Life series, we get it. And I know this means nothing, but for a second, Ren’s brain thought of False in the Life series in which it was possible to get her to yellow.

Then False, Stress, and Iskall tried to lure Wels in for Ren’s red kill and got extremely disappointed when he failed. This is not the first time False has brought Ren human sacrifices. She was also really good at it during the cursed burning box segment with Ren and Martyn.

I think this got cut from False’s ep, but there’s a bit more in Ren’s E0, 1:11:57.

False: While you’re red, you need to be using it to your full advantage.

Ren: That is true.

False: Threaten people, you could have someone else do it for you.

Ren then discussed his killing choices with her. If you close your eyes, this is basically a convo between a green name and their allied Boogeyman / red name. False is even coming up with fun red name strategies even though she’s not a red. And giving Ren advice while standing on her pillar of safety.

(There are also some nice parallels between Ren sorting resources at the hillock while being bullied by everyone + green person comes up to him // Ren doing enchanting stuff at a hill while being bullied by everyone + green person comes up to him.)

Regardless, you can tell False’s put thought into this whole death game / red name thing, and in a hypothetical situation, it “would be cool” to see her strategies / alliances go down in Life series.

3) Irrational fear of salmon Pearl

Going into full stretching territory now. In False’s E1 29:30, (white name) Pearl comes by, armourless but with a salmon head.

False: Pearl is still not wearing any armour.

Pearl: You didn’t have to call me out like that, False!

False to Stress and Iskall: Guys, don’t move, she might not have seen us

[Hermits chuckling]

Pearl: Thanks, that’s fine!

False: Don’t move. If we don’t move, she won’t attack, guys. Stay calm.

…

[Pearl runs away]

False: We stood still enough, she’s run off. We’re almost safe. Okay, we’re safe, good.

…

False: She was AFK on top of a tree, watching us, getting ready to go caving! I don’t know what was going on!

Iskall: It’s kind of scary.

False: It’s kind of freaky, yeah. I feel like I’ve made an enemy now if Pearl’s name turns red.

…

False when Pearl gets close to Iskall: She’s a dangerous being, don’t move, just don’t move Iskall, you’re fine.

And this bit about False being randomly scared of Pearl and warning others about her goes on. Which, at least to me, is strangely reminscient of everyone being scared of Double Life 5am Scarlet Pearl for no reason. Something wicked this way comes indeed.

Anyways, does any of this mean anything at all? Probably not. But it’s a fun bit of clowning 🤡 like it’s as realistic as HC Martyn.

#hermitcraft #falsesymmetry #ria.txt #long post

[notlevifromobeyme]

How the pillars would text you

No smut (wow!!1!)

Warnings: cussing, Tengen being a weird little shit with emojis

Giyuu

Now he’s not really good with tech

Please don’t judge him

He’s trying I promise

A few errors at first but he gets the hang of it

Still stoic in his texts though

“Do hou mind if I join you on your missson? It’s okay if npt.”

“Yes, you’re welcome to!”

“Okay.”

You’re just kind of used to it but the other pillars are mean to him because of it

Kyojuro

Can’t find the button to turn off caps

Difficult

Types really fast and no one knows what the fuck he’s saying 95% of the time

Doesn’t bother fixing them unless people get the wrong idea

Turned on caps because he tried to be his authentic self but now he can’t find it

Lots of emojis

Please teach this man how to use emojis

“YOJRN3 WELOCKE TO JOIN ME IN MY MISSI’N IF YOU WNAT TO 😀👍!!”

“W”

“What”

“MISSON 😄”

“Okay Kyojuro. I’ll be there.”

“I NEDD TO TURN OFF CAPS HOW FO YOU DO THAT 🤔”

“Don’t worry”

Tengen

Vanilla tbh

Kinda basic

Never thought I’d say that about him

He’d rather talk in person

He’d rather call to hear your “flashy voice”

What the fuck does that mean

Additional emojis

Weird emojis

No context behind them

“You’re welcome to join me on my mission 😉”

“What’s with that emoji?”

“Don’t worry about it 😘”

“Mkay…” scared for your life and pussy

Gyomei

Cannot function

His hands are too big

Needs a goddamn iPad

Settings to listen to what he’s typing

Takes a bit to adjust to the keyboard

Very formal when he does

Pls don’t text him smexy texts people will hear the message ring out

“I wanna ride that huge cock when you come home heart emoji”

“You are welcome to join me on my mission.”

“Okay! I’ll be there.”

“Okay.”

Muichiro

Forgets to respond

If he does he uses absolutely no punctuation and no uppercase letters

Doesn’t give a fuck

Doesn’t text you first

Only texts you if he forgets something

Figure it out

If he makes an error he won’t correct it

Loves you just doesn’t bother

“u can come with me if u wnat idc”

“Okay, Mui.”

“k”

Mitsuri

Very dramatic

SO MANY EMOJIS/EMOTICONS

Kinda role plays in her texts?

Seems to put an exclamation point at the end of everything

“Honey! ｡^‿^｡ You’re welcome to join me on my mission!! ♡♡(ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

“I’ll be there sweetie!”

“Sweetie?! Ohh, you’re so cute! ♡(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)”

Obanai

No fucks given

Doesn’t care who it is

Dry asf

Best he’ll give you is a period at the end of a sentence

Doesn’t start a lot of conversations

“you can come with me on my mission.”

“Okay!”

“mk.”

Sanemi

Surprisingly formal if you don’t get on his nerves

Only texts you if he wants something from you

Doesn’t wanna get bullied like Tomioka

But nobody will because everyone is fucking terrified

If you get on his nerves it’s insults and caps

“You’re going on this upcoming mission with me. Get ready.”

“I don’t wanna. I’m exhausted.”

“The fuck you mean?”

“Shut up. Go with someone else.”

“DONT TELL ME TO SHUT UP ASSHOLE”

“😐”

“IM DRAGGING YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN ROOM AND YOURE COMING WITH ME FUCKFACE.”

Shinobu

Very nice

Formal

Rarely makes mistakes but she’s still new to this

Likes emojis

Thinks there cute

Doesn’t text a lot though

Would prefer in person

“You’re welcome to come with me to my upcoming mission! ☺️”

“I’d love to!”

“Okay! Come to the butterfly mansion when you’re ready. 🦋”

#hashira x reader #texting #tomioka giyuu #rengoku kyojuro #gyomei himejima #muichiro tokito #mitsuri kanroji #obanai iguro #sanemi shinazugawa #shinobu kocho

[letstrythisout4]

Chapter 5: Blaise Zabini and the journey to the Hufflepuff common room

Series Masterlist

Blaise doesn’t frequently feel genuine hatred for people but there was no better way to describe 

how he felt towards Dumbledore when he heard him rumble, “Prefects, lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!” after learning that a troll was in the dungeons.

You know, where the Slytherin dorms are. 

Are you fucking kidding me?

Immediately all the Slytherins turned to their prefects, sixth years William Selwyn and Aliyah Fawley. “Where are we supposed to go?” cried Milicent Bulstrode from further down the table, as William tried to reach Professor Snape and Aliyah did her best to calm the terrified Slytherins. 

They settled on bringing everyone up to the seventh floor to hide in an abandoned classroom, which proved far more difficult than it should have been given the staircases moving at their own accord. By the time Blaise reached the fourth floor he was separated from the mass of Slytherins who didn’t notice his departure in their haste. The staircases then choose to avoid him, moving as far away from him as possible. Blaise rushed down a familiar corridor passing a stack of barrels and running to the portrait of fruit. He was suddenly dragged backwards by a hand pulling on his arm. Turning to see who on earth was holding him back from salvation in the kitchens, he met eyes with Isabella who continued to pull him back towards the barrels. She quickly tapped on the barrels which opened to reveal a winding staircase.

“Go go go go!” Isabella urged as she pushed him down the stairs following closely behind him. 

“Reyes, I’m 95 percent sure this is kidnapping.” Blaise said relaxing now that he was out in the open.

“Blaise shut up and keep walking before I drag you to the dungeons and feed you to the troll myself.” she threatened, keeping her hand firmly on his back, forcing him forward. 

After descending what Blaise could only describe as an ungodly amount of stairs, they reached a large wooden door which swung open as they approached. “Welcome to the Home of the Hufflepuffs.” Isabella sang with a smug tone as she saw Blaise’s eyes widen.

What lay before him was a large room, two stories with a high sloped ceiling. The walls were a light brown and had vines and plants naturally growing on them. Pillars from the first floor all the way to the second, wooden archways connecting them together are also overcome with vines. The second story was adorned with a balcony allowing for an outlook of the entire first floor. The balconies had plants dropping over their edges as well. The first floor had several black couches, armchairs, tables, and desks accompanied with many throw pillows and blankets ( some black others in varying shades of yellow). The second had several hallways which Blaise assumed led to the Hufflepuff dormitories and a vast window charmed similarly to the ceiling in the Great Hall. The center of the first floor had a fire pit with a gold fire that crackled gently providing plenty of warmth for the common room without endangering the plants surrounding the room. 

“The fire never dies, only decreasing and increasing as necessary.”, informed Isabella’s voice as she gently guided him into the common room and to a couch by his hand. “You can hide out here until we get word from the professors saying that it's safe.”

“Right.” is all Blaise could say as he realized he felt more comfortable in the seconds he’s been in the Hufflepuff common room than he’s ever felt in the Slytherin’s.

“I’m going to go let Noah know that you’re here, okay? Just hang out here and make yourself at home.”, with a soft smile she climbed the stairs and disappeared down a hallway. 

Now alone Blaise let himself sink into the couch and reached for a pastel yellow throw blanket, covering himself with it. 

If Malfoy saw me like this he’d make my life hell, Blaise thought to himself as his eyes drooped, falling into a deep sleep.

Blaise awoke to the sound of pages turning and Frank Sinatra's smooth voice declaring his love.

You are my way of life, the only way I know, you are my way of life

I’ll never let you go.

Opening his eyes he saw that he was now joined by Isabella who was reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard on the other side of the couch. “How long was I asleep?”

She looked over at a clock embedded into the wall, “Just over two hours. They found the troll by the way. Noah, that's our boy Prefect, told Professor Sprout about you. Professor Sprout let Snape know that you were here, she told me to make sure you knew you could stay for as long as you like.``

“That’s nice.” Blaise responded, settling back into the couch. 

“If you want you can stay and meet the others tomorrow morning.” 

“Yeah whatever you say Reyes.” he muttered as sleep consumed him again.

That’s how Blaise found himself here, in the kitchens at 6am (an hour before his scheduled wake up time) wearing the same clothes as the day before eating breakfast with some of the Hufflepuffs of his year. “How exactly do you all know the elves again?” Blaise asked as he blew on his porridge.

“Part of the induction into Hufflepuff is introducing yourself to the elves since we are so close to the kitchens.” clarified Wayne Hopkins, a quiet boy that Blaise had noticed was consistently overlooked in class.

“Everybody in Hufflepuff knows the elves.” Ernie Macmillan added unnecessarily, given that is just what Wayne said.

“Do you guys always wake up this early?” he questioned, rubbing his eyes.

“No,” Isabella said with conviction, staring intensely at her eggs with bacon “thankfully.” she added under her breath clearly offended by how early it was.

“Whenever we eat in the kitchens Megan likes to wake us up extra early so that we aren’t in the way of the elves.” Susan Bones explained.

Susan was a kind girl, the type of person to bring people into conversations whenever she felt they were being left out. Blaise could admire this trait… so long as she never attempted to do the same to him.

“It's only fair since we are asking them to cook for us separately from everyone else.” Megan Jones exclaimed indignantly. Everyone grew quiet at this, it seemed as though they had already had this discussion several times before.

“Where is Smith?” 

Zacharias Smith was the kind of person that Blaise didn’t like. Not to the degree of Malfoy but certainly getting there. He was obnoxious and the type of person to insert himself into situations he did not need to be in. 

“Oh, he didn’t want to come with us.” Justin Finch-Fletchley confessed with a mischievous smile that told Blaise he hadn’t tried very hard to convince Smith to join. Blaise quickly decided he didn’t mind Finch-Fletchley.

In fact, by the time they had finished eating Blaise decided he didn’t mind the group at all. He enjoyed seeing the group interact with each other, how the girls defended Wayne when Ernie kept repeating everything he said but louder, how Reyes would lightly make fun of them with no bite to her words and everyone seemed to understand that was just how she was. 

Maybe it wouldn’t have been the worst thing to be sorted into Hufflepuff, Blaise accepted as he dragged his feet back down to the dungeons and away from the welcoming Hufflepuffs.

Author's notes: this chapter is short as hell but I feel it is a good enough introduction to the Hufflepuffs and the common room. We are going to see a lot more of them so hopefully this was a good foundation. As always comment to share thoughts and like if you enjoy, thank you for reading. ALSO thank you for all the support, the comments, the likes and the reblogs are so encouraging so thank you.

#blaise zabini #harry potter #slytherin #hufflepuff #isabella reyes #susan bones #justin finch fletchley #draco malfoy #slytherin boys #pansy parkinson #theodore nott #blaise x reader #blaise zabini x oc #blaise zabini x reader #blaise zabini fluff

[diabolus1exmachina]

Lamborghini 5-95 by Zagato

The Milanese Atelier transformed the model that revolutionized Lamborghini’s history into a contemporary collectible. The Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato is based on the Gallardo LP570-4, the best seller in the Sant’Agata’s company.

Zagato maintained all the technical constraints of the original project but has re-interpreted them according to its philosophy oriented towards functionalism and rationalism - typical values of the Milanese school.The Zagato body expresses the typical key values of an “instant classic”: fascinating, rare and a pure expression of the brands it stands for. The 5-95 was created with the only limitation of active and passive safety witch are the value of the donor car.

On the front end a floating spoiler takes inspiration from the Lamborghini Raptor Zagato, coming to a firewall in carbon fiber that conceals the front air intakes. Continuous glass surfaces – a technical and stylistic theme launched by Zagato in the end of the 40s on the Panoramic bodies and re-applied in the 80s – surround the pillar-less body and, similarly to aeronautical cockpits, reduce noise and improve aerodynamics.

The side intakes, following the Lamborghini Raptor, have been visually reduced to the minimum thanks to an air scoop on the roof as well as additional apertures concealed in the glass surfaces. The air scoop is functionally integrated with the double bubble roof, a signature of Zagato design, directing the cooling to the intake manifold. The monolithic rear volume is chopped off by the typical truncated tail and reveals the brutality of mechanical components protruding from the area such as tail lamps heat release, aerodynamic features and the active spoiler.

There isn’t a sole gram of fat in a Lamborghini. It is thin and athletic, having a lot in common with the surfaces of a Zagato body, true to the rule that a car is as much efficient as it is compact.

Zagato designers and engineers aimed to press the rear towards the engine and to increase the proportion of the front. As a result, the 5-95 Zagato’s volumes express a sense of energy through fluid and organic surfaces that recall an animal’s muscles as it is ready to leap forward.

The volumes intersect each other and suggest a jump, as if the central part of the front is ahead of the fender. To accentuate these proportions some solutions were introduced: in fact a new wind deflector was inserted at the base of the windscreen in order to increase the perceived length of the bonnet - this has a very precise aeronautical function because it improves the wind flow in the windscreen wiper area. In the same way, the rear volume has been slightly reduced introducing a “coda tronca” (truncated tail) to emphasize the perception of the leap.

#Lamborghini 5-95 #Zagato #Gallardo LP570-4 #Lamborghini Raptor

[etirabys]

(the following tags are by someone else who reblogged the post)

This sentiment ("our world has problems, 95% of the global population lives in miserable conditions, and the way to fix it is to abolish [fundamental pillars that sustain the good parts]") disturbs me deeply and I thought I might as well capture it to have a real instance to point towards in the future. I'd rather use real examples than fabricate composites when I want to complain about this attitude.

#rambl #/ #// #/// #crap how do I tag this so that I'll remember it #reference #bitchy post #the person who added these tags is. THIRTY. years old #this kills the the korean protestant...

[unlimitedtrees]

the level design of the Sonic Overture '95 demo

been wantin 2 show da level design idid 4 sonic overture .. startin with granite act 2. altho some tiny tiny bits were referenced from sly's level design concepts , and lake did his own edits and added decorations , idid everything else

this level is oneof the largest levels ive ever made , andit was really fun makin it and playtesting it .. i like making HugeAss levels , but with this one i tried 2 make sure to make it have both engaging ,difficult platforming and high speed sections. i wanted 2 make it Feel like marble zone without bein as tedious , and i like how it came out (even if i didnt intend on makin it as huge as it was ... in fact it was actually goin to be Even Larger ,but cus of clickteam limitations and also the level being nearly 5 minutes long , it had 2 be cut down , LOL ! its probably 4 the best tho , cus the level already has tons of very intricate stuff goin on (especialy with the stuff it does with the marble and the pillars)

next is granite act 1 , which is mostly based off sly's level design concepts , but is heavily changed and expanded both to flow more how iwanted it to and to make it more complex .. i had a lot of fun with da later half of da level , makin all sorts of silly challengez...

something i did for fun was hide a bunch of hidden Silly Areas.. these are at the Very , Very top of the level , and require you to be very precise to even Access them , so they dont get in the way of the rest of the level ... but i did it cus i Love making silly dumb kaizo stuff

lake added decorations to granite act 1 as well ,but he also added his own silly secret areas at the very very top of the level that are difficult to get to , which i really like LOL !!! i think more video games need silly parts of the level skilled players can discover

last thing 2 talk about is sunrise gate zone , which is just based off the original demo. act 1 combines the 2014 demo's act 1 and act 2 , only addin a few tiny extra routes and little changes to make it flow a little more

act 2 has a bit more done to it , with it being based off act 3 from the original demo , but has a few new routes at the very top of the level , including ones that make heavy use of the totem pole mechanic. somethin we decided to do is to make the blocks on the walls into top-solid platforms , so i specifcally designed the level so that , if youre clever , you can use the blocks on the walls to get upto places or find secrets...

anywayz thats all 4 this post. i like sonic cd and i hope thats apparent in my level design , LOL !! sonic overture is a game that inspired myart forYearz and its been rlly fun workin on this so far .. this game is pretty and pixys art is gorgeous ohmy lord

#TreesThinks #sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sonic fangame #sonic overture #game design #gamedesign #gamedev #game dev #indiedev #indie dev

[spicychickenyang]

The Emperor and the BNF

Hi everyone. I came across this short story a while ago and was so amused I knew I had to translate it into English to share with more folks. It's not MDZS, but I think those of you who are danmei fans will get a kick out of it nonetheless 😄

《皇帝与同人圈大手》 作者：吕天逸 The Emperor and the BNF Author: Lü Tiansu

Rating: M (sexual content, non-explicit)

Once upon a time, there was a scholar who flunked his exams.

The scholar came from a poor family, plus he was a scrawny weakling, with no skills beyond reading and writing.

In order to make a living, the scholar set up a small booth where he scribed letters, sold calligraphy and art, and helped copy books.

One day, a young woman arrived stealthily at the scholar's booth. Based on her clothing, she seemed like a lady from a wealthy family; based on her expression, she seemed to have snuck out from her home.

The young woman pulled a book from her bosom, and held it out to the scholar. "Make an identical copy for me. I'll pick up seven days from now."

Having said that, she tossed a piece of silver at the scholar.

The scholar took the book, and flushed red. "And the cover?"

The young woman: "Draw it too; exactly the same."

The scholar: "..."

The cover blatantly depicted two nude men in a tender embrace.

The scholar, at a loss: "This... this is pornography?"

The young woman's eyes flashed with a piercing light, and instinctively she put on a sales pitch: "No way, this is an illustrated fic for the sitting Emperor and the High General of Zhennan. It's a super hot ship, and this is an entry piece; it's super rare. I missed the preorder, and it sold out before I could get my hands on one, so I had to borrow one from my girlfriends to make a copy for my own collection."

Tremulously, the scholar flipped open a page, and—

The Emperor: "Does Our Royal Pillar please you?"

The General moaned, "P-please..."

The scholar snapped the book shut as if he'd seen a ghost. "This, this is sacrilegious! We'll lose our heads!"

The young woman waved her hand. "Aiya, what's so sacrilegious about it. His Majesty is clearly the gong, he's on top."

Scholar: "..."

Young woman: "There's also the Emperor/his right-hand attendant, the Emperor/the Royal Architect, the Emperor/the Chancellor, Emperor/the imperial exam valedictorian, tons of ships out there, but His Majesty is always the gong, may he live forever. There's no problem."

Scholar: "..."

The current emperor had taken the throne at age sixteen. Young and handsome, he's well-loved amidst the common folk.

Young woman: "Aiya, I'm done talking to you; I've been out for too long. Take care copying the book; be careful not to get it dirty, each book costs two ounces silver!"

The scholar's hand quivered.

Two ounces of silver for a single book!

Holding back a headache, the scholar read through the book cover to cover.

Apart from the Emperor and the General's names, the entire work was smut, up to 95% smut content.

Scholar: "..."

I can write this crap too!

Yours truly's prose is even better than theirs!

Thinking again of two ounces of silver per book, the scholar's mindset cleared up.

With a clench of his teeth and a cross of his heart, the scholar stepped onto the path of sin.

He wrote up a little novella of his own.

The scholar is an academic, with more rigorous standards for himself. He felt it wasn't sufficiently literary to write pure smut, so he added some soap opera dramatics as well.

In the story, the scholar wrote that the High General of Zhennan went down south, bearing imperial orders to put down a rebellion. In the chaos of battle he was heavily injured, lost his memory, and was staying at a civilian household while his wounds healed. The emperor, having waited long for the general's return, personally set out to find him, but the general no longer recognized him. The emperor brought the general back to the palace and, in order to help the general recover his memory, would ensure daily that the general was helpless to leave his bed. The writing was refined and intricate, savory enough to cause nosebleeds.

Seven days later, the young woman came to pick up her order.

The scholar delivered his goods, then took out the book he wrote and passed it over, clasping his hands to bow towards the Emperor's palace and at the same time saying, "In the past few days, this one made an attempt at writing a story about His Majesty and the High General of Zhennan, if it would trouble Mademoiselle to give an evaluation."

The young woman accepted the scholar's novella.

A stick of incense's time later, the young woman was a puddle of tears in front of the scholar's booth.

The young woman, through snot and tears: "Hiding blades within the smut, it's too cruel!"

The scholar was frozen, scared out of his wits.

The young woman dried her tears, calmed her expression, and gazed at the scholar with a face full of adoration. "So you are actually a grandmaster of angst."

The scholar was befuddled. "Angst? Grandmaster?"

The young woman: "Aiya, it's all just terminology, you'll understand later. How much for this fic of yours?"

The scholar was slightly confounded. "If... This one only has the one draft; it's gone if I sell it. If Mademoiselle desires it, please allow this one to make a duplicate copy."

The young woman flicked her hand. "Aiya, how long is it going to take you to copy it on your own. I'll help you contact a copy factory and make like eight or ten hundred copies. Grandmaster, you write so well, it'll definitely make a killing! If you don't have enough money I'll make up the starting cost for you!"

Overjoyed, the scholar clasped his hands in thanks. "I shall remember this favor and generosity to the end of my days. May I ask how to address my benefactor?"

Young woman: "My family name's Gong; why don't you call me Gong Zuoshi."

Following the address Gong Zuoshi provided, the scholar found his way to the copy factory.

In that day and age, there was no printing press, so everything had to be copied by hand. A mid-tier copy factory has at least a few hundred scribes, each with god-tier speed and skill at the brush, and can even imitate many different script types. But they don't accept small batch orders; minimum is five hundred prints to start.

The scholar passed the book and the silver voucher Gong Zuoshi lent him to the copy factory's foreman.

The foreman was suspicious. "Who referred you?"

Scholar: "Mademoiselle Gong Zuoshi."

The foreman breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. These days the imperial guards are cracking down; for sacreligious smut books we only accept orders from known customers."

The scholar wiped away his sweat. "Understood, understood."

Foreman: "How many copies do you want?"

Scholar: "One thousand."

Foreman: "What fonts?"

Scholar: "Two hundred sans-serif gothic, two hundred brush script, two hundred comic font, two hundred bubble letters, two hundred curly cues. We'll do a variety of fonts so that the customers have more options. Thanks a lot."

Foreman: "What about targeted marketing and publicity? Will you be using our services?"

Scholar: "Mademoiselle Gong will help with all these; no need for you to trouble yourself."

Foreman: "What's your pen name?"

The scholar pondered for a moment.

For some reason, the first thing to flash across his mind was that mountain thirty leagues outside of town. When he was young and stupid, one time he drove a government official's horse carriage up the mountain, and became the joke of the town...

The scholar smiled lightly. "Just call me Mt. Qiuming's Driving God."

Foreman: "All righty."

One month later, one thousand books of sacrilegious smut rolled hot off the presses.

With its juicy drama, detailed love scenes, and a solid literary foundation, the scholar's zine sold like hotcakes. A thousand copies were snatched up in just a few days.

Nearly all of the Emperor/General fandom's fujoshi came to know of the grandmaster by the name of Mt. Qiuming's Driving God.

At two ounces of silver a book, minus the production costs, the scholar was loaded to his gills.

It was the first time he'd ever seen this much silver in his life.

And it wasn't even someone else's.

Holding the silver voucher, the scholar's hands trembled, tears gathering in his eyes.

Gong Zuoshi, having snuck out from her home again: "Aiya, what are you even doing with yourself. First print an additional three hundred copies for mail order, then hurry and write a new one while the iron's hot."

The scholar listened obediently. "Okay."

Gong Zuoshi: "This time we can commission some top-tier artists in the fandom to make a few illustrations, then add some merch on the side; it'll definitely be even more fire."

Blinded by greed, the scholar clasped his hands and bowed in the direction of the palace. "Very well, this time this one will write a few extra smut scenes for His Majesty."

Gong Zuoshi clapped her hands. "Yes yes, add a few rounds of kink-play."

The scholar bowed towards the palace and at the same time groveled, "All right, then this one will write a bondage scene for His Majesty and the High General of Zhennan."

Gong Zuoshi: "You can use white silk to do the tying."

Scholar: "Got it, in this book the general has a fiery and stubborn temper, and refuses to submit, so he tries to hang himself with white silk..."

The scholar paused, and made another bow toward the palace with hands clasped, then respectfully continued, "His Majesty arrives just in time to cut him down and save him."

Gong Zuoshi's eyes shone with giddiness. "Yes yes yes! And then a scene of unspeakable things!"

The scholar was flushed with excitement. "Okay okay, just like that!"

—The writer and co-conspirator unearthed their brain worms together.

Very soon, the scholar's second book was out of the oven.

Since this time there was no lack of funds, the copies were beautifully designed and bound with gold thread, with an add-on bonus of a potpourri pouch embroidered with the High General of Zhennan's nickname. Those who preorder one hour ahead of time can even receive an extra gift - a folding fan with a romantic verse scribed by the scholar himself.

This time the scholar's zine sold wildly, over four thousand copies. Within the fandom, the hungry readers waiting to be fed swarmed at the news - "Mt. Qiuming's Driving God has brought the smut train around! Everyone, get on board!"

This time, the scholar happened to publish his zine just in time for the doujin convention in town. Respected creators of various fandoms flocked to attend, each at their own booth, selling their zines and wares. Young ladies and housewives, baskets in hand, scooped up their favorite publications. Certain ladies of big-name households were even wearing veils over their faces, trailed by their own escort of guards, shopping from the east end of the convention to the west end - such a display of wealth!

Of course, the scholar who recently exploded in popularity became the focal point of the convention. The scholar's stand was one of the most mobbed, encircled in layers upon layers of fangirls.

"Train conductor, take me with you!"

"Grandmaster, I love you!"

"Beep—Swordswoman Card."

"Beep—Esteemed Lady Card."

"Beep—Nunnery Card."

"Beep—Grand Princess Card."

The scholar, who was busy signing autographs with a brush in hand: "..."

Hold on, was something not right about that last one!?

The scholar raised his head, and got an eyeful of a troop of fully-armed imperial guards.

The imperial guards were tightly clustered around a young woman.

The young woman looked around sixteen or seventeen years of age, beautiful and stately as a goddess descended from the heavens, bedecked in finery and jewels.

This was the sitting emperor's younger sister, the Grand Princess Difu.

Scared out of his wits, the scholar hurriedly prostrated into a kowtow. "This humble peasant greets Her Royal Highness."

The Grand Princess was not stuck up at all. Kindly she spoke, "Grandmaster, please rise."

Trembling, the scholar lifted himself, thinking he was about to be taken away to "have tea": "..."

The Grand Princess swept a glance over the scholar's stand, as if too lazy to look closely, and asked, "Whose fic are you writing?"

The scholar swallowed nervously, and tried to avoid the whole truth: "This peasant wrote about... the High General of Zhennan..."

The Grand Princess's eyes lit up slightly. "What'd you write about him?"

The scholar nearly fainted dead away. "This peasant wrote about... the High General's bravery on the battlefield, and his glorious appearance riding upon a galloping horse."

It was actually his glorious appearance lying on the bed, being ridden by the emperor!

But he can't say that!

Princess: "Is the general in a ship?"

The scholar's head shook like a rattle-drum. "No!"

The Grand Princess smirked. "Very well, then I will take a copy. Please pack up all the included merch."

The head of the imperial guard tossed two ounces of silver at the scholar. With a head full of cold sweat, the scholar wrapped up the book and merchandise.

A potpourri pouch, plus a folding fan hand-signed by the scholar.

Even though it's been two hours past the preorder period, and therefore should not include a bonus folding fan, but...

Not giving the Grand Princess a full set of merch - does he want to lose his head right there and then?!

Satisfied, the Grand Princess turned to other booths to collect more books.

Carrying bundles of books large and small, the imperial guards followed behind.

As soon as the Grand Princess left, the scholar closed up his stand and fled, discarding even the unsold books. He's already sold over four thousand copies anyway, there's not much left over.

Not only sacrilege, but deceiving the Grand Princess on top of that.

Returning home, the scholar scurried to gather his valuables, and at the same time imagined the scene after the Grand Princess returned to the palace—

Grand Princess: "O dear Royal Brother, someone wrote a fic about you and the High General of Zhennan, and they drove a smut train too."

Emperor: "..."

Grand Princess: "Hey Royal Brother, this person wrote that your Royal Pillar is a foot long, and normally wound around your waist..."

Emperor: "Someone, arrest this vile scoundrel, and off with his head!"

The scholar shook in a cold shudder, his own imagings nearly scaring the piss out of himself.

Having packed his things, the scholar wrote a small note, explaining the events today of how he met the Grand Princess at the convention and must flee for his life.

The scholar went to the Gong residence and passed the note to the servants, instructing them to make sure it landed in the hands of Mademoiselle Gong.

After sending his message, the scholar fled.

He fled all the way to Dali, which was renowned as "Shangri-la" for its scenery, as well as being very far from the Capitol city.

These days, all kinds of eloping princesses/princes/young masters and mademoiselles all loved to head to Dali.

It was a top destination for eloping.

Little did the scholar know, the day after his departure, the capitol city was completely locked down. The Anti-Obscenity Division of the imperial guard swarmed over all the notable publishing copy factories in search of the fugitive with the pen name "Mt. Qiuming's Driving God", but they returned empty-handed.

Having dodged this bullet, the scholar settled down in Dali.

After this scare, the scholar no longer dared to write fanfics anymore. But that was fine anyway, because he'd already earned plenty of silver from selling zines, and no longer needed to worry about how to make a living.

Now with money and time on his side, the scholar began remembering his old dream - to properly study, become valedictorian, and earn a high-ranking government position.

As mentioned before, Dali was a place that many people eloped to.

Including the previous imperial exam's valedictorian.

This valedictorian had a brilliant education, a solid family background, an elegant handsome face, and was the dream catch of thousands of young women. Supposedly, he shouldn't have had to do something like elope.

The problem was, the one who caught his eye was the Minister of Finance's son...

That's why he had to elope.

So the scholar requested the tutelage of the valedictorian.

From then on the scholar hit the books and burned the midnight oil every day, from "CliffsNotes" to "Princeton Review", from "The Annotated Classics" to "The Road to Valedictorian". It was long and arduous.

At last, two years passed.

Heaven rewards the diligent. In the new round of local exams, the scholar qualified to return to the Capitol for next spring's round of exams. In the series of qualifying exams he barged through all obstacles, achieved top ranking, and won eligibility to participate in the imperial exam.

The scholar was very excited.

The emperor was also very excited.

The day of the imperial exam.

Dozens of applicants were arranged in rows in the grand hall, each seated and writing at their own desk.

After the noon hour, the emperor personally attended the testing hall to survey the exam.

Having gone through two years of baptism by literary fire, the scholar had a speedy hand and a quick wit at his disposal. He was already pretty much finished, and was currently kneeling with his head bowed, resting his eyes.

Just then, the emperor walked up before the scholar, and paused, seemingly looking over the scholar's paper.

The scholar's heart thumped wildly.

After looking for a while, the emperor said, "Raise your head."

Unsure what was going on, the scholar very carefully, very slightly lifted his head.

Just then, a folding fan lightly landed upon the scholar's chin, and with an upward flick, the scholar was forced to raise his face and meet the emperor's gaze.

The emperor was indeed as handsome as the common rumors told, with blade-tipped brows and star-lit eyes, his face like crown jade.

The scholar was not bad looking either, with slightly wing-tipped almond eyes, flushed lips and bright teeth, and a thin waist.

The two stared at each other. For a moment, time seemed to stall, the great hall seemingly about to ring out with BGM at any minute.

The emperor gradually leaned down.

The scholar's palms were filled with nervous sweat.

The emperor's lips nearly brushed the scholar's ear, his voice ringing out low by the scholar's ear: "Beep—Emperor Card."

Scholar: "..."

Scholar: "..."

Scholar: "..."

I must've been hallucinating from nervousness.

The emperor straightened up, and opened the folding fan in his hand with a swish.

It was the merchandise the scholar had gifted the Crown Princess Difu two years ago, hand-scribed with the romantic verse written by the scholar himself. The handwriting was identical with the essay currently spread on the desk before the scholar.

The emperor's lip quirked ever so slightly.

A darkness fell over the scholar's eyes.

The scholar's lithe body swayed, and toppled over with a plonk.

The scholar woke to find himself lying upon the Royal Bed.

The reason he knew it was a Royal Bed as soon as he opened his eyes, was because the Royal Body was lying upon it—that is, by the scholar's side.

The emperor gazed steadily at the scholar.

The emperor's eyes were bottomless wells of black.

The scholar cleared his throat, shakily lifted the blankets, and knelt on the Royal Bed for three heavy kowtows, stuttering, "Greet, greet, greetings to Your Majesty!"

Each kowtow was accompanied by a stutter, very rhythmically.

The emperor wore an expression that may or may not be a smile. "Grandmaster, please rise."

The scholar nearly fainted again.

The emperor reached beneath the Royal Pillow and pulled out a booklet bound in gold thread, and asked leisurely word by word, "Mt. Qiuming's Driving God?"

The scholar wailed, "This peasant deserves a thousand deaths!"

Emperor: "Our Royal Pillar is a foot long, and usually wound around our waist?"

The scholar's tears twirled endlessly within his eye sockets. "It was all nonsense written by this peasant..."

The scholar's teary-eyed appearance was unexpectedly appealing. The emperor gave him an extra glance, quirked an eyebrow, and snatched the scholar's right hand.

The scholar's vision went black. "..."

I'm finished, His Majesty must be about to chop off my writing hand!

Then the next second, his hand, guided by the emperor, was pressed upon the Royal Pillar.

Scholar: "..."

Emperor: "Get a good feel."

His face beet red, the scholar took a tentative grope.

Emperor: "How long?"

Scholar, trembling: "Three inches."

Scholar: "No wait, it got a bit longer, four inches."

Scholar: "A, a bit more longer, five inches."

Scholar: "...It stopped. Five and a half inches."

Emperor: "From now on write five and a half inches. Strive for realism, understand?"

The scholar's head bobbed like a pecking chicken. "Understood."

Scholar: "May this peasant... be dismissed?"

Emperor: "We say you may."

The scholar breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he gained back a life.

But then the emperor pointed at his five and a half inches, and said, "It says you may not."

Scholar: "..."

With a flip, the emperor pressed the scholar beneath his body.

And so, this life that the scholar just got back was nearly lost again on the Royal Bed.

After a ride on the Royal Train with the emperor, the scholar's world view was completely destroyed.

It's not that he was entirely unwilling.

After having written two whole books of m/m smut, the scholar had succeeded in un-straight-ing himself as well. Besides, the emperor was handsome and a skillful flirt, not even to mention his position of wealth. Being laid once by the emperor is not a bad deal, theoretically speaking.

But in the end the scholar was an academic, and felt this was too contrary to custom. His heart full of shame, he felt he had no dignity left to face his ancestors.

So, sobbing and blubbering, the scholar yanked three feet of white silk, and went to hang himself.

Halfway through his hanging, the emperor (who had been on the side watching the theatrics) casually strolled up, and cut down the scholar just like how it was written in the novel.

And then conveniently used those three feet of white silk to engage in a bit of bondage play.

The scholar, tied up like that in white silk: "..."

Not good, not good! This scene is a bit familiar!

Another hour passed.

The scholar sprawled limply across the Royal Bed like a broken puppet.

The emperor caught his breath, then stated, "Again."

The scholar was scared white, and rushed to guard his ass. "No, no, this peasant cannot withstand any more."

This train has been driven nearly to pieces by the emperor!

The Emperor sighed with heavy regret. "Then come back tomorrow."

Scholar: "If this peasant may dare ask..."

Emperor: "Mm?"

Scholar: "Why is Your Majesty so, so..."

Thirsty.

The emperor's eyes narrowed slightly. "You still have the nerve to ask?"

Scholar: "What?"

Emperor: "In your little book you wrote that Our Royal Pillar is a foot long, normally wrapped around the waist, causing the High General of Zhennan - who did not grimace even when cut open to the bone during surgery - to cry to the heavens, unable to leave his bed for half a month. And then your book became a bestseller, in addition to pirated copies circulating amidst the masses. In total some tens of thousands of copies have been spread far and wide."

The scholar's business mind took over, and silently calculated how much silver those ungrateful pirates stole from what should be rightfully his. His chest clenched painfully, more painful than even his ass.

If those tens of thousands of books had been sold rightfully, he could've even put himself on last year's List of Wealthiest Scholars if he wanted to!

The Emperor, gritting his teeth: "In all the cut-sleeve circles in the Capitol, no one dared to consort with Us, thus cursing Us to long lonely nights with only Our left and right hands for company."

The scholar's scalp burst with a layer of cold sweat, feeling as if he were finished.

Emperor: "We certainly cannot announce to the masses that We are actually a standard five and a half inches."

The scholar flashed upon the image of the emperor making this announcement to the masses. The corner of his mouth spasmed, nearly laughing aloud.

Emperor: "..."

The scholar hurriedly restored his face to an expression full of deep pain.

The emperor grasped the scholar's chin and turned him toward himself. "The Grand Princess said you were pretty good looking, so We wanted to see for Ourselves whether that was true."

Emperor: "If you were truly attractive, then We would have you, to vent Our heart's lust."

The scholar felt a retroactive fear. "And if it had been false?"

Emperor: "Then you'd be dragged out for fifty paddles, to vent Our heart's hatred."

Scholar: "..."

Either way his ass would be wrecked all the same.

Emperor: "From today on, you belong to Us. Stay with Us wholeheartedly, and We will ensure you win valedictorian."

In the imperial exam rankings, the emperor's opinion was very important.

The scholar felt a bit unfair. "In truth, this peasant had spent many years of hard work studying, with the guidance of a renowned instructor, and performed pretty well during this imperial exam; I had a pretty good shot to begin with..."

The emperor nodded. "Indeed, your answer was not bad. It was to Our liking."

The scholar's eyes lit up.

The emperor smiled with malice. "But if We do not allow you to win, then you can not win."

The scholar, tragically struck by a hidden rule: "..."

Emperor: "How about it?"

The scholar bowed his head and pondered, his hesitant expression gradually growing firm. After a moment, he jumped to his feet bare-assed, and stated, "This peasant fears he may not be able to obey."

The emperor furrowed his brow. "How so?"

Bare-assed, the scholar's face was resolute. "This peasant just remembered, Your Majesty had long ago wed the Chancellor's daughter as queen, and later also took the daughter of the High General of Weiwu as consort..."

The emperor's eyebrow quirked slightly.

Bare-assed, the scholar flicked a nonexistent sleeve, and cited with his head high, "If this peasant submits himself to Your Majesty in this situation, not only is it unfitting for custom, but it would be unfitting for morality."

His words concluded, the scholar climbed off the bed bare-assed, and searched for his clothes all over the floor.

The Emperor chuckled lightly. "You mean the Queen and Consort Jing?"

Continuing to bare-assedly look for his clothes, the scholar grumbled, "Correct."

The emperor bore a half-smile on his face. "Accompany Us to the rear palace, and you will understand."

The scholar declared, "This peasant has already made up his mind; I'm not going."

And so, the scrawny weakling scholar was hauled off by royal guards on his left and right to the rear palace.

The Emperor waved his hand, and the royal guards withdrew.

The Emperor led a mopey scholar in a few circles around the rear garden.

Turning a corner in a twisty corridor, the scholar caught the sight of two women pressed together.

The beautiful, haughty queen had the doe-like Consort Jing thrust against the wall.

Scholar: "..."

This must be the Queen having a jealous bout with Consort Jing!

The Emperor gave a light cough.

But neither the Queen nor Consort Jing seemed to hear, not even glancing in their direction.

The Queen tipped up Consort Jing's chin. "Little one, did We not feed you enough last night?"

Cheeks flushed red, Consort Jing shyly turned her head away.

Emperor: "..."

Scholar: "..."

And then, the Queen and Consort Jing resumed their PDA like no one was around, then went off hand-in-hand to fly kites.

Emperor: "Understand?"

Scholar: "...A little, perhaps."

Emperor: "The Queen and Consort Jing have felt this way for each other for a long time. The night before Our wedding, the Queen had originally planned to elope with Consort Jing to Dali."

Scholar: "..."

Dali again; why do you people have it out for Dali?

Emperor: "But the road is long and treacherous, and who knows how much hardship and danger two lone women would meet along the way. Furthermore, Consort Jing's constitution is frail from birth and may not withstand such turmoil, plus the Chancellor and the High General of Weiwu would be after them."

Emperor: "So We told the Queen that We were cut-sleeve, and they needed not escape. After a false wedding to Us, they could remain together long-term in the palace, and We would no longer be continuously urged to marry by the court. Everyone wins."

At the mention of being urged to marry, the emperor looked ready to cry tears of blood.

When members of the court bring up the topic of marriage, they will all do so in the format of a submitted petition, each petition bloated with tens of thousands of words, rambling from the ancestral customs to the kingdom's welfare, and then they'll kick up the dramatics to the point of threatening suicide, their power levels hundreds of times greater than a houseful of aunties gathered for the New Year.

Since it's been established from antiquity that the monarch cannot execute loyal advisors, the emperor is obliged to listen. He can only dream about dragging those old bones out the gate to be chopped a hundred times over.

The scholar came to a realization. "So then the reason Your Majesty has not sired children..."

The Emperor nodded. "We have never touched so much as a finger of theirs, and never will."

Emperor: "We prefer to touch you."

The scholar blushed red. "But if Your Majesty does not have heirs, you will still be urged by the court to do so all the same."

Emperor: "If We do not bear progeny, what of it?"

Scholar: "..."

In a flash the Emperor's countenance changed, his eyes glaring with authority. "All of you are so capable; come come come, you do the birthing, you come birth for Us."

The emperor's expression grew soft once more. "And then they dared not speak again."

Scholar: "Pfft."

A breeze swept past a flowering tree, as if tinted with a streak of soft light, and then right away, the fragrance-filled wind stole away between the two of them.

The two's eyes met for a long moment.

Using the folding fan signed by the scholar, the emperor gently lifted the scholar's chin, and asked softly, "So, are you willing or not?"

The scholar won valedictorian.

Having fulfilled the dream of both the scholar and eighteen generations of the scholar's ancestors, one could say he has honored his ancestors plenty.

From then on, the scholar began a life of attending court during the day, and being courted at night.

The emperor had a mischievous sense of humor. He ordered the scholar to revive the pen name Mt. Qiuming's Driving God, and return to his old work of writing fics.

But, this time the scholar only wrote for the ship of Emperor/newly ranked valedictorian, and none of it smutty; it was all fluff fic focused solely on romance.

The Emperor had a small shelf in his royal library, filled with the novellas written by the scholar.

Different subjects, different scenarios, but the main characters are always the Emperor and the scholar.

Emperor: "When We read these books of yours, it feels as if We had already spent many lifetimes with you."

The emperor was happy, but the Capital's fujoshi circle was full of wails and tears.

It's a disaster! The grandmaster has committed fandom adultery!

Changing ships was forgivable, but he didn't even write smut anymore. It was all fluff fic as pure as water.

The readers were all commenting they were going to die from blandness!

What they didn't know was, the grandmaster Mt. Qiuming's Driving God was still driving the smut train in private on the daily.

It's just that this train carried only the Emperor alone.

Whatever the Emperor wanted to read, the scholar wrote for His Majesty. And after the Emperor's done reading it, he'd put it into practice at night.

"Beep—Emperor Card."

[End]

Epilogue (F/M)

The Emperor arranged a marriage between the High General of Zhennan and the Grand Princess Difu.

He was as handsome as she was lovely, a well-matched couple.

But the Grand Princess was unwilling.

The emperor was puzzled. "The High General of Zhennan had already proved his worth on the battlefield at a young age. He's handsome and well-off, with land and status. Why, Dear Sister, are you unwilling?"

Princess: "I just feel like the High General of Zhennan trips my gaydar hard."

The High General of Zhennan was shocked. "Your Majesty! Your humble servant has been wronged!"

Emperor: "What gives you this impression, Dear Sister?"

Princess: "Maybe from a book I read."

Emperor: "...Could it be that one your brother-in-law wrote?"

The Grand Princess nodded.

Originally the Grand Princess had been fond of the handsome and mighty general...

But a shadow fell over her heart because of a zine!

The High General of Zhennan was as wronged as a blizzard in June. "Your humble servant is straight as a yardstick; I beg the Princess to verify!"

The Emperor waved his hand. "Your brother-in-law was writing nonsense. I've already disciplined him; no need to mention it further."

Later on, the High General of Zhennan spent a Herculean effort to pursue the Grand Princess. The Grand Princess finally agreed.

The two of them began a happy life together.

Aside from the Prince Consort always wanting to strangle his brother-in-law... everything was perfect.

End

#not mdzs #translation #chinese translation #humor #satire #short story #lu tiansu

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

‘Fight waste to fight hunger’: food banks embrace imperfection to feed millions in Brazil

More than 40% of produce in the country is lost or wasted but new research highlights how it could be a key tool in fighting rising food insecurity. One charity is leading the charge

About half a dozen men in hairnets busy themselves with crates of fresh produce outside a food depot in Rio de Janeiro’s northern suburbs. As one reels off a list of products, the others place oddly shaped vegetables into large bags before loading them into a waiting car. The produce will later be cooked and served in soup kitchens, nurseries and other institutions offering free meals to people in need across the city.

The depot is run by Brazil’s biggest network of food banks, Sesc Mesa Brasil. With 95 units all over the country, Mesa – which means table in Portuguese – collects food that would otherwise go to waste from supermarkets, farmers and other suppliers and retailers, sorts it, and then donates it to partner organisations.

“The programme has two pillars, to fight food waste and to fight hunger,” says Cláudia Roseno, an aid manager at Sesc, a not-for-profit private enterprise providing culture, leisure, education, health and aid services across Brazil.

New research published last week highlights how such efforts to reduce food waste can be bolstered in Brazil and used as a key tool for fighting widespread food insecurity.

Continue reading.

#brazil #brazilian politics #politics #economy #mod nise da silveira #image description in alt

[cboffshore]

Situation: it is fall, which means it is almost December, which means it is time to begin my annual installment of my Nya Being A Gotdamb Menace To Nadakhan During Skybound series. (not the actual name, but that's the gist of it.) I am currently in the outline/sandbox writing phase.

Problem: based on the timeline I'm working with and some of the themes I want to mess with, 95% of this installment has to occur in that bridal suite Nya's stuck in during episode 63. based on key points in my outline, this means I need to nail down a solid floor plan, because unfortunately I write fic the same way I used to stage manage, so I must have tabs on all my actors or I literally cannot work.

Solution: rewatch episode 63, which has prolonged shots of the suite.

New problem: upon examining a bunch of screenshots, it appears that this suite is some kind of TARDIS or perhaps an Escher painting, because I can't wrap my head around the layout.

New solution: show you all example screenshots and notes to either get someone to help or just make sure all of us are mad together.

(I would tuck this under a cut to make this more convenient, but I had to try and parse this, and as my followers I insist you all join me, because maybe someone will help me get an answer.Apologies for the potato quality, by the way - I had to Discord myself my notated shots from my phone.)

The first thing hindering me is that Dogshank's big fuckin helmet blocks most of what would otherwise be decent shots of the room. This also includes all shots of the biggest mystery to me: whatever the fuck is happening with the pillars and canopy in the middle. I think there's a better shot of it in 64 that still doesn't clear up what this thing is, besides the fact that it's not a bed or anything actually useful.

Also, somehow, we never get a clear shot of the walls. Like, ever. But in the corners that aren't full of the 'shank, we do get some info about windows!

net info gained: we have two walls of windows and some kind of pointless canopy taking up fifty percent of the floor. also, lots of hexagons.

At the very least, I need info on the windows for Plot Reasons, and boy howdy do I get it! Except it sucks! Pay attention to the notes about the temple shape/weird duplication happening if you want to, but here's my biggest gripe (and I know this is probably because of them reusing the temple assets without thinking too hard about how they designed the interior, but if it's present I feel like I have to work around it): THOSE BARS DO NOT MATCH. That is a DIFFERENT window entirely.

Oh, and speaking of the bars: the only thing consistent between the two shots is perhaps the DUMBEST thing wrong with these windows. Can't see it? That's because it's not even there. Look:

You know that Bionicle movie where the one guy goes "haha makes glass?" That was NOT a sentiment the builders here took to heart. (One plus of this situation: I can make this a plot point. I think. I mean, clearly the Hagemans did it just fine. Tune in in December to find out!)

net info gained: it's probably freezing up there.

Anyway, onto the next issue: unless this conversation takes place at a third wall of windows that I somehow missed (not likely as they're VERY TALL AND OBVIOUS), then this door is either decorative, or it moved, and either way it should open onto dead air. I mean, it doesn't given that Nadakhan waltzes in and leaves with Nya with no incident, but based on the long-distance shot of the mismatched windows... I'm reading too much into this, huh?

Anyway, corporate needs you to find the difference between these two pictures:

net info gained: this is one of the following: some kind of suicide door that keeps moving around to keep Nya trapped inside, me being an idiot, or just really bad foresight on the animator's part.

Also, this isn't part of the suite, but I wanted to include it anyway because... well, why not?

net info gained: Nadakhan's got something against functional windows, I guess. Either this was boarded up to accommodate the giant ceremony space on the ground floor or he's got, like, a darkroom in there where he's got a bunch of cronies trying to replicate that antique photo of Delara, because once again: haha no glass!

JUST WALL.

Anyway: rant over. Send help. I'm giving up and DIYing a floor plan that has somewhere between 1 and 4 walls of windows and furniture that's not just potted plants and weird little side tables.

#ninjago skybound #lila speaks #LIKE SERIOUSLY WHAT #vote for me as Skybound President. I pledge to make the interior design make SENSE

[b3thesda-b3tch]

Fallout 4 Bobblehead Locations

Concord/Lexington Area - NW

Perception bobblehead - Museum of Freedom: On a desk next to a broken terminal in the back of the room where the player character first meets Preston Garvey.

Repair bobblehead - Corvega assembly plant: On the very end of the top exterior gantry (blue balloon), southwest roof section of the plant building on top of a wooden box.

Saugus/Salem Area - NE

Explosives bobblehead - Saugus Ironworks: In the blast furnace, on the second level catwalk behind Slag's spawn, sitting on top of a control panel attached to the wall to the left of a steamer trunk.

Charisma bobblehead - Parsons State Insane Asylum: On Jack Cabot's office desk, close to the elevator, administration area.

Sneak bobblehead - Dunwich Borers: On a small metal table by a lantern, right next to the metal post terminal area #4.

Barter bobblehead - Longneck Lukowski's Cannery: Inside the metal catwalk hut, northwest upper area of the main cannery room.

Science bobblehead - Malden Middle School (Vault 75): On the desk overlooking the subterranean "training" area, within the science labs.

Central East Area (North of Natick)

Energy - Fort Hagen Command Center: In the command center, southwest kitchens, on a small table between two fridges. (Accessible only during/after the main quest Reunions).

Boston Area - Central

Lock picking bobblehead - Pickman Gallery: Last tunnel chamber where one can see Pickman; On the ground between brick pillars and a bin fireplace.

Strength bobblehead - Mass Fusion building: On the head of the metal wall statue/sculpture five levels above the lobby desk.

Speech bobblehead - Park Street station (Vault 114): In the overseer's office on the desk. Found when rescuing Nick Valentine after he goes missing.

Intelligence bobblehead - Boston Public Library: On the computer bank, mechanical room, northwest corner of the library.

Melee bobblehead - Trinity Tower: On a table in the cage where Rex Goodman and Strong are being held.

Medicine bobblehead - Vault 81: In Curie's office, southeast corner of the Vault.

Quincy Area - SE

Unarmed bobblehead - Atom Cats garage: On the hood of the rusty car in the main warehouse.

Endurance bobblehead - Poseidon Energy: On the metal desk with a magazine, near steamer trunk, central metal catwalk.

Agility bobblehead - Wreck of the FMS Northern Star: On the edge of the bow of the ship, wooden platform.

Luck bobblehead - Spectacle Island: In the 2nd deck pilot house of a green tugboat located at the southern end of Spectacle Island, on a locker shelf near the steamer trunk.

South Central Area

Small guns bobblehead - Gunners plaza: On the broadcast desk in the on-air room, first floor, west side of the building.

Big guns bobblehead - Vault 95: In the living quarters area, northern most room, on a radio.

#fallout 4 #fo4 #fallout 4 bobbleheads

[xerith-42]

yo yo could i perhaps have a crumb of your rewritten storyline for s2 ep 95? luv ur stuff

I always love people describing art in a fandom as crumbs. Makes me think I'm sitting on a park bench throwing out crumbs and bird feed to the local crows but instead of food I'm just tossing out pieces of paper with my inane ramblings about block people on them.

This is a segment of my rewrite of Season 2 Episode 95, titled Fool of a Muse. Said rewrite is the one with my oc Haven in it, so she's there because she's one of Laurance's emotional pillars, and I change Aph's name to Irena because I like fucking with her. I actually re-rewrote this scene a few weeks back to include some of the original dialogue to prove that aspects of the scene could work given the right context.

Fool of a Muse

Laurance tried to keep his head straight, but it simply wasn’t possible. Not there. Not while hearing her speak of secrets of the deceased. The voices of the calling were always louder when reminded of death, and staying in a tomb was practically asking them to start acting up. He left in order to get some space to clear his head, walking towards the beaches, hoping the ocean waves would drown out the sound.

Instead he found the opposite of what he wanted. Standing on the sands was Irena, a hand over her stomach, who turned at the sound of Laurance approaching. Clutched in her other hand was Aaron’s bandanna. The voices only got louder at the reminder and the sight of their target.

“Laurance? Is everything alright?” She asked softly. Laurance stepped back, which only worsened her concern.

“I-I’m fine,” He lied. Irena simply laughed, turning around to admire the sunset again.

“You don’t have to lie to me Laurance, I know that look.”

“You needn’t worry about my well being.” Laurance finally stepped closer to her, standing at her side and hesitating at the urge to try and hold one of her hands. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m doing… alright.”

“Now who’s lying?” Irena chuckled a little bit, and Irene help him if that wasn’t one of the most assuring sounds Laurance had heard. Even if it was shaky, she could still laugh.

“What makes you say that?”

“Dante told Garroth about what happened to you the other day. And Garroth couldn’t help but tell me.” Irena sighed, tucking the bandanna into her pocket.

“I told him to keep that between us. It was just an imp playing a trick on me.”

“Why are you trying to hide from me?”

“I’m not—”

“Yes you are.”

“I just don’t want to talk about it. Not while the wound is still fresh.”

“You know that Dante told Garroth because he’s your guard, and that’s why Garroth told me. It’s our sworn duty to take care of and protect you. We can’t do that if you refuse to tell us what’s happening.”

“I wasn’t going to keep it from you for long. This is a security issue on our island that would be brought to light in due time. I just… I needed time to process what I saw.”

“You mean who you saw.” Irena let out a sigh.

“Why did you run?” Laurance turned away.

“You know why.”

“I want to hear it from you.”

“Irena, I… I couldn’t be around you like that. The calling never ends, not in my waking hours. If I had seen the way you were immediately after his passing, I don’t know if I would have been able to hold myself back.”

“Are you sure that’s what this is?” Laurance finally looked to his side and saw Irena’s pitiful expression. They were alone. She was weak. He could just do it now.

“I told you, I’m not your problem to worry about.”

“I'm going to worry regardless. I know you aren’t proud of it, but you are prone to jealousy. I just want to ensure that’s not what this is.” Laurance looked away as his hands clenched into fists. Why was she pushing this?

“And what if it was?” Irena went silent. “Look, I’ll never pretend I understood Aaron, or why he did any of what he did. And I didn’t trust him entirely either, not after he hid he was the Lord of Falcon Claw from us.”

“Laurance, it’s not that simple—”

“What I want to know is why you cared so deeply for him. What made him so special he was worthy of your love?”

“I-I don’t want to talk about that.”

“Well I do.”

“Laurance, regardless of my feelings, he proved himself trustworthy to us. Remember when you turned? He saved my life without killing you.” Laurance held back rapidly growing tears.

“And I’m ashamed he had to do such a thing. But you’re avoiding the question.”

“Maybe it’s a question I don’t want to answer.” Irena’s continued refusal had Laurance already losing his patience. The voices had enough too.

“Why not?!”

“Laurance!” Garroth suddenly snapped. “That’s enough.”

“Stay out of this!” Laurance suddenly roared, his head jerking so he could snarl at the intervening guard. Irena moved back when she saw the flash of red in his eyes.

“It’s not our place to question her on personal matters.”

“Don’t pretend like you aren’t upset over this too.”

“I’m only upset I couldn’t protect my lord adequately. You should be grateful you have the opportunity, not throwing it away over your jealousy.”

“You weren’t here, Garroth! You didn’t see the way he acted around her!”

“I only wish I could have been. He made the ultimate sacrifice for her, and in turn did the same for me. You should understand that. You were lucky enough to come back from it.” Too far and Garroth knew it, but there was nothing he could do now. Anger flowed through Laurance faster than he could keep up with, the voices of the calling louder than his own thoughts. Garroth was right, he was taking this too far, he knew that, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“Don’t speak as if you understand the hell I’ve been through! The hell I went through just to get back to her! I’m here now so why care about him?!” Laurance’s eyes flashed back to their normal state, but by the time regret came to his expression, the damage was already done.

With those words, Haven finally moved from where she’d been watching the conversation, racing forward until she was a step away from Laurance, before slapping him across the face. Irena groaned, nearly falling over which made Garroth rush to her side while Laurance stood there in shock. When he finally could hear his own thoughts over the voices, he saw the tears building up in Havens eyes.

“Would you listen to yourself?!” Haven nearly screamed. “Would you think of saying the same thing if I had followed through?! If I had used my own life to break the realm barrier either of the two times I almost did it, would you be stupid enough to be enraged with someone for grieving over me?!”

“Y-You’re different–” Laurance couldn’t even fully remember what he said.

“Am I?! Aaron loved Irena the same way you love me! Would you accept someone yelling at you for mourning my death?!” Laurance opened his mouth, but closed it after a second. Then he noticed Haven’s hand on the handle of her sword, her sheath undone. “Whether you realize it or not, your selfish words have begun to harm Lord Irena. If you continue to do harm to my lord, I will not hesitate to strike you down.”

“Irena, you need some rest,” Garroth insisted as she groaned again. She just nodded, letting Garroth half pick her up and carry her over to her home.

“Will you stand down, or are you finally going to fight me?” Haven could see the battle in Laurance’s features. Streaks of red flashed through his eyes, and his pupils had begun to shake. There was a clear conflict about what the hell to feel and how to act on it. It went against his nature to wish harm on Haven, let alone Irena, but the calling was almost jumping at this chance. The voices in his head started to demand it.

But he couldn’t. Laurance’s shoulders slumped, and he stepped away from Haven, his humanity clearly winning. Haven still didn’t remove her hand from the handle of her sword, not until Laurance finally fell to his knee, tossing his sword aside, and hanging his head in shame.

“If you see it fit to punish me, do it now,” He insisted. “I have acted shamelessly, and allowed my emotions to cloud my judgment. Only a fool would ask for forgiveness, yet I throw myself at your feet to beg for it.” Haven sighed, finally buttoning up her sheath and taking her hands off of her sword.

“I will grant you what you ask, but in exchange you must promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“I need you to promise me that you won’t keep running away from how the calling making you feel.”

“Haven, I didn’t run today, and look what happened.”

“And look at how Irena didn’t even have the strength to yell at you to leave. Your Lord is in frail condition, both emotionally and physically.”

“The calling will tempt me.”

“And if you ran from it, she could die without you there to protect her.” Laurance groaned at the thought of it, something that clearly ran through his mind every day he was away from them, and Haven knew it. She knew Laurance frustratingly well. “And if Irena were to fall, not only would the grief of losing her begin to take hold of your mind, the calling would latch onto me next. Would you really risk that happening?”

“I would fall on my own sword before I ever considered hurting you.”

“Well you’re no good to me dead.” Haven glanced down at him. “Pick your head up.” Laurance raised his head to look at Haven, and she saw nothing but love and oh-so-human fear in those beautiful eyes of his. “I want you to promise me you won’t run from this. And if you do, know that I will follow after you.”

“Haven–”

“I didn’t before, remember?”

“And I told you–”

“I don’t care what you told me! Laurance–” Haven rolled her eyes and groaned as she tried to formulate the best way to word this to him. “Look, I know you guards struggle to understand this, but the people you’re protecting care about you. Even if you’re willing to go to ridiculous lengths to protect us, we’re willing to go to the same lengths to ensure you don’t die in the process.”

“Seems like an exhausting thing to do.”

“It is! If I were able to, I’d just stop caring about you sacrificial idiots! Unfortunately–” Haven looked down at that frustratingly charming smile of Laurance’s. He loved seeing Haven riled up and frustrated, and he was clearly enjoying the way she kept pausing to try and get through to him. They were both furiously stubborn, and he loved it. “Unfortunately, if I were in the Shadow Abyss that day, I would have thrown myself into whatever danger I had to in order to save your life.” Laurance froze for a moment, a chill going down his body.

“Haven, don’t say stuff like that.”

“What I’m trying to say is that you aren’t going to get away with this again. You can’t just keep running from the consequences. You wanna run off into danger, try to satiate yourself with isolation so you don’t want to kill somebody?! Too bad, cause I’ll be right behind you!”

“But I don’t want you to be!”

“But that’s not how the story goes.” Haven smiled as she knelt down in front of Laurance. “The poet will travel to hell and back just to get another glimpse at their muse.” Laurance sighed, finally relenting, taking his hand off of his knee and holding it out to Haven, who took it tenderly.

“And their muse will always follow, in hopes of hearing just one more note of their song.”

“So, darling muse, will you make this poet into a soldier who fights the fates for you?” Laurance looked up into Haven’s eyes, before pulling her hand closer and placing a kiss against it.

“My fabled poet, you need not do such a thing. They already fear you.” Haven giggled, before pulling Laurance into a kiss. It was slow, not about feeling particularly good, rather just about cementing in that promise. And the fact that Haven was easily the more stubborn of the two.

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