#all pathologic fest works

[pathologicfest]

Digest for Day Eighteen of PathoFest: «House On The Outskirts»

✨ #PATHOLOGIC_FEST ✨

Digest for Day Eighteen of PathoFest: «House On The Outskirts», with all works from ALL platforms (Twi, Inst, VK, Tumblr) 🌾

Let's enjoy!

P.S. If suddenly you participated, but you are not in digest now - please write to us, we'll be happy to add you. We ourselves, for example, are sometimes ignored by our own tag :)

Art in post by Shaidis

#pathologic fest #pathologic_fest #моросентябрь #art #info post #pathologic fest digest #pathologic works digest #all pathologic fest works #Day Eighteen:House On The Outskirts #House On The Outskirts

[penguino713]

Pathologic Fest Day 1: For Three

“All is set, we are only waiting for you to choose your role.”

(Decided to try working with colour palletes for all the art for this, let’s see how it will (not) work out)

#pengi art #pathologic fest #pathologic_fest #pathologic #мор. утопия #pathologic mark #mark immortell #can you tell I love classic hd mark so much #well let’s hope i can keep upwith all this #i would be very happy

[andypantsx3]

Happy early anniversary to one of my favorite bnha authors ❤ (ok but like deadass if you were to write for a fandom i know nothing about, i'd still read it 💀💀) for the deleted scenes questions, how did ad intra's first meeting go from Shinso's perspective? I'd love to know what was going through his head especially since he TRIED TO PRY INTO READERS THOUGHTS that smug bitch what did he find there, i love him so much UGH

Ahhh thank you my love!! I hope you like this little shit’s POV lol. 💕 

You were a hellcat. Shinsou could tell instantly. 

If it wasn’t the dismissive once over you’d given him the second you’d made note of his jumpsuit, it was the immediate denial that he be included on your case.

Shinsou had worked a lot of investigations in partnership with the police before. His quirk was built almost exactly for this purpose—pulling information from unwilling mouths, prying up the floorboards of stubborn memories, slipping in and out of sensitive situations with no one the wiser to his presence or his machinations. But never had he been met with this kind of instant unwillingness to accept his help on a case.

It piqued his interest. There was a story there, underneath the slash of your eyebrows, the obstinate set of your jaw as you talked back to your captain, a man even he would think twice about crossing. You had some kind of history with heroes, and probably some kind of history with men in general. There was, after all, no shortage of men in law enforcement with a pathological need for control but no skill to back it up.

Shinsou smirked. How soon you would find he was not one of those men.

He could back it up.

“I can work faster on this alone,” you’d said, when Captain Nagumo insisted Shinsou be added to your investigation. “How about we call Shinsou in when I’ve found something and he can help with the apprehension?”

Shinsou settled back in his chair, letting his eyes flick over you. He watched the pretty little pout that curled your mouth, the swell of your chest as it heaved in anger in the confines of your uniform shirt. You were dressed plainly, and you obviously did little to play up your own charm—likely disinterested in any kind of attention from any of your colleagues on the force (and having met some already, Shinsou couldn’t blame you). Despite that, Shinsou could easily see the simple appeal in your features, in your fiery little temper.

A hellcat indeed.

Oh, he was going to have fun with you.

“This is not a request,” the captain said firmly. “Shinsou will be working this case with you.”

You opened your mouth to argue, but the captain’s look shifted into something angrier and your teeth clacked together audibly. 

Shinsou leaned forward languidly, relishing the way it drew your eyes to him. He didn’t need a mental quirk to tell that for all you were clearly annoyed by him, you were having a hard time keeping your eyes off of him.

“Why don’t you bring me to your desk and show me what you were working on?” he asked, activating his quirk. He could tell you didn’t really want to acknowledge him, but he was aware that his quirk held some level of compulsion, even before one met the conditions that triggered its true activation. It made you want to respond to him, and it was very satisfying to watch you hesitate under its pull.

“I—” you began, looking a little dazed. Then your temper clearly caught back up with you, and you exhaled through your nose. “Fine. If you don’t want to get left behind, let’s go.”

You shot to your feet, quickly exiting Captain Nagumo’s office like you could lose him if only you moved fast enough. Shinsou smirked, and rose to follow you. You led him down a long hall and into a cramped stairwell, starting up the stairs without pausing to check if he was following.

“How much did Captain Nagumo tell you about the case already?” you asked as you climbed.

“Not too much,” Shinsou said, careful not to betray how much he was enjoying the view as he followed you up. “Just that there had been break ins, multiple suicides, and a lot of missing memories.”

You pushed open the door to your floor and gestured him through, then stalked over to your desk. Shinsou could see case files scattered all across your desk in small towers. You shoved a bunch over and dragged over a chair from a nearby conference table.

“Sit and let’s chat, then,” you said.

He dropped into the chair, legs stretched out in front of him, and you sat across from him.

“So why did they send you?” you asked.

Shinsou weighed his answer. “To help.”

You looked annoyed. “Obviously, but why you? What interest does the Public Safety Commission have in this case?”

Your tone was clearly suspicious. “Dozens of people show up without their memories, and you think the police force can handle this without help? I’m here to provide support.”

“So why you, specifically? What are you bringing to this case?”

Even if he wasn’t forbidden to answer that question, Shinsou thought he might have withheld the answer just to watch you squirm angrily. “My good looks and big brain.”

“Fascinating,” you replied flatly. “Well that will be a huge help, no doubt. Good thing they sent you.” 

You looked like you wanted to reach across the desk and strangle him, and Shinsou was not entirely opposed to you trying. He let his smile widen. “You don’t think much of me, do you?”

His quirk wove itself lazily through his voice, and he sat back in his chair with some satisfaction as you replied, unknowingly handing over the keys to your mind.

“Listen, I don't mean to disrespect your profession. Heroes are great and totally needed for patrols and raids. When it comes to investigations, though, you slow things down, and I don't have time for you to hold things up.”

Shinsou was only half listening, letting his quirk wash through you. It twined sinuously through the space between your thoughts, ready to wrap around your thought patterns and pull you under his control.

He watched you frown, eyebrows drawing together like you were trying to remember something, and he suppressed a smirk. So, you were perceptive enough that you could feel him.

Interesting.

He pulled your attention off of the feeling with a lazy, “Is that so?”

You found your annoyance again instantly. “What’s your background?” you demanded. “And your quirk? I’m assuming they didn't add you to this case for your charm and social grace.”

He smiled. “I’m afraid that’s above your clearance level.”

You stared at him in disbelief. “Fine then,” you said hotly. “Let me guess. You’re an emitter type—astounding levels of absolute bullshit.”

This surprised him into a laugh and he leaned forward in interest. A feisty little handful, if ever he’d encountered one.

“You’ve got quite the set of claws for such a little kitten,” he said, reveling in the way it made your gaze turn white-hot with anger.

 “Then I suggest you work with me here, if you don’t want to get stuck with them, Shinsou,” you grit out.

And there it was. A challenge. An invitation, really, to play with his food before he ate it.

Captain Nagumo had described you as one of his best, a compliment Shinsou sensed he didn’t give out lightly. Shinsou liked a woman with a brain, and he liked a woman with a stubborn streak even more—and yours was the widest he had ever seen. He doubted you had ever had any occasion to give up control in your entire life, meaning that if he played his cards right, he might be the first ever to see you come undone.

“Oh I’ll work with you, kitten,” he purred, letting his quirk linger for just one moment longer before pulling away from your mind, already resolved.

He wasn’t going to take control, but he would have it nonetheless. 

By the time he was done with you, you were going to give it up willingly.

Garbage Fest masterlist & schedule

#garbage fest 2021 #garbage fest questions

[mackeydoodledoo]

I Wasn’t (Thinking)

Pairing: Sarah Reese x Rory Laine (Fem!Doctor)

Summary: You’re assigned to mentor Sarah Reese in her studies to become a doctor. You have a ball however, little did you know, you began falling in love with your 4th year student. When a Pathology worker interrupts your love fest for Reese, you immediately regretting not telling her how you feel about her sooner.

Warning: Hospital shooting, Blood/Blood mention

A/N: Okay I recently started watching Chicago Med as I watch the other two Chicago shows, I’m all for Sarah Reese! btw, Rory Laine is my OC for Chicago Med!!

------------------------------------------- As you file down some paperwork, you feel a hand gently caressing your back. As you look up it was your med-student trainee; Sarah Reese. The two of you had built a strong bond compared to her first day as your trainee. 

"You paged me doctor?" You knock on the door frame 

"Yes, our handful of 4th year students have arrived," he explains, "I'm assigning them to a doctor such as yourself. I'm having you mentor Sarah Reese." 

"Sounds like a plan doc," you answer 

[...] 

"Hi I'm Dr. Sarah Reese," she introduces herself, shaking your hand, "4th year med student." 

"Dr. Rory Laine," you introduce back, "Emergency Medicine." 

[...] 

"Reese, help the patient with their airway, they aren't breathing properly!" 

"Dr. Reese code blue!" 

Reese presses the code blue button right behind the patients bed as Dr. Choi began CPR, the two of you helping around as much as you can. 

[...] 

"Sarah? Hey hey, it's okay," you comfort her, "just let it all out. It's okay." 

You noticed how Reese was hard on herself. You wanted to be there. You HAD to be there.

In all that time you had spent with her, you didn't notice you began to fall in love with her in the process. It wasn't until Maggie pointed it out. 

"Girl, you're totally head over heels for Reese!" Maggie teases 

"What?! No!" You try to stop her, "I don't even think she's into girls... or even likes me back..." 

"Dr.?" Reese calls from behind you 

You turn around to face her, "What’s up Reese?" 

"I just wanted to ask you, if you wanted to get coffee right now?" She asks 

"I'd love to," you smile, following her

As you two had went to the coffee area, you made her coffee, she smiles as she happily begins to make yours. You turn around to look at the city scape. You inhale the crisp, fresh air. You turn to Sarah to check on how she was doing. You notice a guy standing right next to her. 

"Hey Dr. Reese, I just got paged," you lie, happily taking your Reese-made coffee, "You page me if you need me at all." 

You didn't like the guy. You've met him before, a little bit of a creep. He tried to make a move on you but you straight up told him that you were a lesbian. You weren't sure how to tell Reese, you adore her, you enjoy her presence, you strongly believe she is the best Med student you have ever partnered with. You couldn't do that to her.

"Earth to Laine," Sarah smiles, waving her hand into your face, pulling you out of your thoughts 

"Yeah?" You ask, sighing 

"I got my match back!" She smiles 

"Well don't keep your mentor waiting what was the result?" 

She opens the envelope and unfolds the paper and shows it to you. You were heartbroken... But you couldn't show her that. You wanted her to be happy after all. 

"Oh my gosh that's amazing, where you wanted to be yeah?" You force yourself to say, but you sigh, "You know, I’m going to tell you this. Of all med students I have mentored in my time here, you were the best med student I could ever work with. Good luck. Doctor Reese." 

You walk away, forcing yourself to smile until your back was turned to her. You didn't want her to see you cry. But you watched her date Joey, one of her Pathology colleagues. It pained you to watch it. Each time you were saving loves, doing paperwork. You did it all to get your mind off of her. But to no avail.

One night post shift, you were seated at the bar at Molly's. Notebook under your right hand, a drink in the other. 

"My favorite kid doctor looks sappy," Stella Kidd comes over 

"The girl-my former med partner is dating someone else... I like like her but.... I'm too late..." you sigh, scribbling something into your notebook 

"What do you have there?" Stella asks, taking the notebook 

You try to get it out of her hands, but you failed that task. 

“Oh how I wish I could have made my feelings known sooner. Maybe we could have been something. My colleague. My partner. The greatest one I have had. ED for me wasn't the same. I'd always call for your assistance however I look up to see nothing but an empty space.”

You watch Stella read out your sappy poem as you continue drinking. 

"How have you not told her yet?" She asks 

"I wasn't sure if she was into girls too, let alone me." You sigh, "Most important of all, I don't want her to run away if I tell her." 

"From the stories you tell me from your time at Med, you never sounded enthusiastic about any of them until you got an ED partner. Tell you what," Stella starts, "March right up to her apartment and talk to her. The most thorough conversation you can do." 

You sigh, but straightening yourself out. You slide Stella a hefty tip as you grab your jacket and run out of the bar; rushing over to Reese's. She asked for your help on a test she had to take and you went over there once to help her study for it. 

Once you reach her place you compose yourself and you gently knock on the door. Joey opens the door... 

"Laine." He says, coldly 

"Hi Thomas. Is Sarah here?" You ask, trying to look past him 

"In the bathroom," he says 

You try to brush past him but he stops in your direction. 

"What are you doing?" He asks 

"I need to talk to her," you only say before he places a hand on you to place you back into the hall 

You slap his hand away as you realize what he's doing. 

"Fine," you sigh, "Can you tell her at least, that I need to talk to her?" 

He nods, not saying anything else. You turn your back to him and leave. As you go down a decent amount of stairs, you stop... You slumped against the wall and looked up to the upper stairs. 

"I'm such an idiot!" You growl at yourself before finally leaving

You return back to Molly's as it begins looking thinner the last time you were there. 

"I'm guessing it didn't go well?" Stella asks, passing you a drink, "On me." 

"I couldn't talk to her," you say, slumping down onto the bar, “Joey refused to let me talk to her.”

“You want me to talk to him? Stella asks, “I could drill into his head like Chief Boden does while on shift.”

“No, not worth it, and I think Sarah will be mad at me if I let you,” You sigh, taking another sip of your drink, “Thanks Stella.”

"Hey Rors," Sarah calls 

You look up from a supply box you were supposedly invested in. 

"Here's the results you requested," she says, handing you the paperwork 

"Thanks Reese," you sigh 

"So- how's your new partner?" She asks 

As you begin walking to Treatment 7, Sarah follows you. 

"What new partner?" You ask, "There's no 'new partner' for me. I told Charles that I'd only work with you, should you come back." 

She smiles. You wish that moment lasted an entire lifetime. However you look toward the entrance and see a man with a gun.... You look over and realized it was aimed at... Sarah Reese.... 

"GET DOWN!!" you scream to the ED department 

As everyone else does so, you look over at Sarah. Panicking when you hear a shot ring out. 

"SARAH!" you scream as you push her into the empty treatment room right next to the two of you 

You accidentally knock into the supply box in front of treatment 4 and knock it over, sending you with it. You roll over it and slide across the floor, leaving a blood trail on it. You gasp for air, trying to reach for the same supply box you knocked over, wanting to cover your bullet wound immediately. When Sarah gains her consciousness, she launches herself over to you, trying to stop the bleeding. 

"Choi! Rhodes!!" Sarah calls out for, "Rory." 

She looks up and notices the shooter being handcuffed by the CPD. 

"Re-Sarah," you sigh looking up at her, "I just want you to know, that... If I don't make it-" 

"No no no, stay with me Rory, eyes on me okay? Eyes. On. Me." Sarah tries to comfort you as Rhodes and Choi lift your body into the empty room 

Many of your coworkers nearly cried as you were taken to the OR for suture and possible surgery, as Choi looked for the bullet. Worried you might need surgery for possible bullet lodged in your body. 

"Are you hurt?!" Joey comes running over to Sarah 

"No but- but Rory took the bullet.." Sarah cried as Joey pulls her into a hug

After crippling hours of adjusting to a hospital shooting and with you in the ICU, Rhodes game of from the room as Sarah immediately stands up. 

"Rory?" She asks Rhodes 

"Laine's stable, but she's unconscious. Not sure when she'll wake up," he gets to the point, "She really misses you over at ED. You should see her when she tries to do paperwork. Do you know how many 'bathroom breaks' she goes on? Just to cry? You should be there for her. She wouldn't just take a bullet for their colleague. Unless there was something else going on with her." 

Rhodes makes his leave from your ICU room as Sarah follows. However, Joey stops her. 

"What is it Joey?" She asks 

"Can we talk?" He asks 

"Okay," she sighs as he follows him 

"You and Laine had something," he concludes 

"What?" She asks, "I have no clue what you're talking about." 

"Oh come on you don't think I see a lesbian that likes you when I see one?!" He asks 

"Rory's a-?" She asks 

He nods. 

"We that doesn't phase me that she's one of the best doctors to have mentored me, her sensuality has nothing to do with how she mentors me and how she sees me." Reese states 

"She’s only jealous and she only took that bullet to-" 

"SHE TOOK THAT BULLET FOR ME!" Reese screams, supposedly for her whole department to hear, "It should have been me instead of her, but now... But now she's my patient!" 

"Come on Reese she's been avoiding you," Joey states, "If she hadn't tried to come over the other night we-" 

"She what?!" She asks him 

"She came over to see you," he says, sighing," I told her to leave." 

"You did what?!" She asks 

"I told her to leave," he says, "She's getting in-between our relationship."

"I don't need you to decide that for me," Sarah screams, "Laine told me herself; I was one of her best med students she's mentored. And if you see her as a 'threat' to our relationship, you can leave. So leave." 

"Reese-" 

"LEAVE!" She raises her voice 

So he makes his leave, Sarah looks around and notices people staring, she rushes into your ICU room where you were resting; your shoulder healing from the gunshot wound. 

"Rory.... Oh my God I'm so sorry." Reese whispers, "You goddamn took that bullet for me and for what? It should have been me instead. Me in the bed where you are...." 

Sarah leans over you and puts her forehead against yours. 

"Sarah Reese..." you manage to say, "You are so blind..." 

She lifts her head to see you with your eyes open, slightly smiling. 

"I am so goddamn into you Sarah," you sigh, leaning into Sarah's touch, "I just couldn't find the courage to tell you." 

"Well, I wish you would have told me sooner," Sarah smiles, "Because I would have thought about it." 

You smile as you try to sit up but feel Sarah's hand gently press your uninjured shoulder. 

"Not yet," she whispers, "I'll go get Dr. Manning and-" 

Before she could stand up she feels your hand on hers. 

"Stay, please," you sigh 

She sighs as well. She sits back down and continues checking on you.

As you stand up with the assistance from Sarah, you see everyone applauding for you. 

"Who coordinated this?" You ask, looking at Sarah 

"I did, you saved another Doctor Rory," Maggie smiles, "Give yourself some credit." 

"That I did and that I shall," you smile

By the end of shift you were in the break room getting your post-work clothes on, however when it came to your jacket, you forgot you still had some stitches on and you drew your left arm back. 

"Here let me," Reese says, as she puts your right arm through the jacket sleeve 

"Thanks Sarah," you say, "Have you ever been to Molly's?" 

"Can't say I have," she smiles 

"Do you want to grab dinner?" You ask, "on me." 

"I'd like that Rory," Sarah smiles, "I'd like that a lot." 

"Meet me at the entrance when you're ready," you say

When Sarah meets up with you, the two of you take your cars to Molly's. 

"Hey it's doctor Savior," Hermann teases 

"Ha ha very funny Hermann," you sigh as you hear Sarah laugh 

"What'll it be?" He asks 

"You know my usual," you smile 

"Just a water for me," Sarah says 

"Oh by the way Rory, you finally got your girlfriend to finally come in here huh?" Hermann teases again 

"W-what?!" You ask him, blushing, "Well, I mean she knows I like her." 

"Yes," Sarah calls 

You turn to her, looking at her like she's crazy 

"I'll be your girlfriend Rory," she smiles 

"Really?" You ask 

She nods. You wanted to kiss her. But you remembered you wanted to be smart about her. You wanted to wait until she was ready for you. 

"Hey after this do you want to go to my place?" You ask, "I want to show you something." 

"Okay," she smiles 

"We aren't rushing anything I promise you that," you smile as you sip your whiskey 

As you lead her into your apartment, your hands over her eyes. 

"Keep those pretty eyes closed," you whisper into her ear 

You pull out your phone and press a button to play Photograph by Ed Sheeran. 

"Open," you say as she does 

You watch her look at the photographs in awe. They were strong up along, what you call them; fairy lights, spread out in an orderly fashion hut not in order. 

"Did you take all of these?" She asks 

"Yeah," you smile, "Some I took on our first couple of weeks as partners. And..." 

You trail off as you turn around to grab something. She turns around as you're on one knee, acoustic guitar in arms. 

"I look like I’m about to propose to you but no, let's not rush into things," you smile, beginning to strum along to the song. 

So you can keep me, inside the pocket of your ripped jeans. Holding me close until our eyes meet. You won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home. Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul. And it's the only thing I know, know. I swear it will get easier. 

You continue looking up at her, strumming along to the song and looking into her eyes. You'd occasionally look away from her to look at your fret markers to know what note to play next. 

We keep this love in a photograph 

You reach up and pick a photograph off of your display and hand it to her. It was actually your favorite one; Herself and you were acting goofy in the bathroom. Her arm slung around your waist and yours around her shoulder. 

We made these memories for ourselves. Where our eyes are never closing, hearts were never broken, and time's forever standing still 

You sing the chorus again as you go back to playing for her. 

And if you hurt me, well, that's okay baby only words bleed. Inside these pages you just hold me and I won't ever let you go. When I'm away- 

You stand up, meeting Sarah's eyes, still singing to her 

Hearing you whisper through the phone; "Wait for me to come home" 

When you turn away from her to put your guitar down. But when you turn back to her; tears filled her eyes as she tries to viciously wipe them away. 

"Oh babe," you sigh, wiping her tears gently for her 

"You prepared all of this for me?" She asks 

"Actually, it was on the fly," you chuckle lightly 

"Oooh that’s even hotter. Adding that you're also a musician?" She laughs 

You laugh with her, "Before deciding to become an ED resident, I wanted to play music, sing it even! So I learned nearly all instruments. But I got bored.... But I still use my music skills for outside of Med, like this." 

"Can I stay here tonight?" She asks 

You nod, with a smile, "Of course you can." 

Noticing she didn't have any clothing, you rummage through yours and hand her one of your band hoodies and a pair of your shorts. 

"I don't know your shorts or pants size. Why would I need that for? But I hope it fits." You say, nervously 

You wait for her to come out of your bathroom. You were reading a book and you didn't hear your bathroom door open until you feel someone straddling you and taking your book away. 

"Impatient are you?" You joke 

She only looks down at your shoulder, the stitches. Oh.. Right.. I got shot at this morning... 

"Goodwin gave me a couple weeks off for it to heal," you say, "You can come over as much as you want. But if I'm not here, I'll leave a note at the door." 

She doesn't answer but hear the gunshot in her head. 

"Goddamnit Rory what were you thinking?!" She only asks 

You paused for a minute, trying to think on that moment earlier that day. 

"I wasn't" you answered, "when I know your life is in danger I don't think. I do it with no questions and no question of the consequences." 

"So... you did all of that for me?" She asks, gently stroking your injured shoulder. 

You nod, "I'd rather take a bullet for you than watch you become a memory." 

She doesn't answer but leans her head down for her lips to meet yours. You meet her halfway and kiss her. At first you believed that you were able to tell Sarah Reese how you felt. But with Joey Thomas that used to be in the way, you regretted not telling her sooner. But, taking the bullet to the shoulder instead was one way to tell her how you felt about her.

#sarah reese x reader #female reader #one chicago #chicago med #sarah reese

[10kiaoi]

A special to kick off Villain Day. ;D

And for the 007 Fest Anon prompt:  Hannibal 00q AU

Notes: Unbetaed as always. Canon typical violence. It’s a Hannibal AU- mentions of murder and stuff, no blood. Art of a tableau under cut. 

His guest is running late, table placement set yet seat left empty. It’s an unforgivable rudeness to be left wondering if he’s been stood up after all, he’s rather miffed about it in all honesty. 

There are no messages or missed calls left on his cell. 

Accepting the offer of a wine list, he picks one that won’t demolish his palate entirely before the meal even begins. He’s determined to make the best of the outing- it hasn’t been easy getting a reservation at this particular establishment.  

He considers the likelihood of his guest meeting an unfortunate fate- the tube breaking down, an accident on the road, perhaps a regrettable mugging. Even a last minute call to duty by Scotland Yard.    

Distress is an unusual affliction; he finds himself loathing the depth of it.  

The yelling starts out small, an indignant exclamation that quickly morphs into uncontrolled outrage.

He wonders how such a beast has been allowed to step foot into the restaurant at all.

Such rowdiness isn’t his purview and given the establishment, staff will no doubt be along soon enough to see to it. No reason to ruin a perfectly good night with such uncouth displays despite an overwhelming desire to put the table knife to good use.  

A quick glance at the reflection in a fortuitously placed wine glass stretches his patience to its ends. It’s endurance of the highest magnitude that prevents him from acting rashly.  

The maître d' goes waltzing past his table briskly and he takes a moment to spare the courteous and hardworking man a sympathetic glance.  

----

“They found a tableau.”

The young man slides smoothly onto the bench next to him. He pauses, his graphite study momentarily losing all draw. The pencil is all too heavy in his hand though its point is pathetically dulled by use. 

As far as he can tell, Q has come completely unarmed. 

He obediently passes both sketchbook and graphite pencil over when Q motions for them. 

“It was quite the dreadful scene down at the docks. You can’t imagine the chaos when the Mister and Missus of the vessel turned up after getting the call,” Q states glibly. 

Amusingly, Q starts correcting his study. A shade darker here, a warped line there. Slowly, the warship starts looking less like a jumble of scribbles and more like a black and white photograph. 

The stern comes into sharp focus, then the masts and hull. Finally, Q etches out the bow, paying loving attention to the bowsprit.

His eyes follow the pencil strokes, enthralled by the graceful movements.

“They were utterly infuriated- poor Missus fainted right on the spot. I dare say the vessel won’t be in their hands much longer, not with a Double Oh having graced its decks,” Q continues.   

He tilts his head in askance. 

Q remains silent for a moment, gaze distant.

He wonders what Q is reliving that very moment when it’s clear his mind is no longer here, in the museum where his physical self sits. 

Finally, Q whispers with no small amount of trepidation, “I think it was Seven making a statement.” 

----

“A figurehead?” he queries later in the privacy of his office, reaching for a bottle of Merlot.  

Q nods. “Why,” Q gripes, “why a trust fund baby with his hands in several of the biggest rental agencies with exorbitant rental rates at that -” He cuts himself off with a frustrated groan, sprawling messily over the sofa. 

He pours two glasses, offers one to Q who accepts it gratefully. 

“It’s just, he was a toff and a powerful one too, offshore accounts would do that- hardly worth the effort and risk of capture,” Q mumbles, biting his lip, “it’s not pathological to Seven- what has he got to gain?”

“Besides satisfaction from the act of killing?”

The look Q shoots him is particularly venomous. He hides his smile behind his glass.  

Back in his own sofa seat, he drinks in the view before him. Of an aggravated young man, wonderfully brilliant and oh so enticing. Marvels at Q’s state of mind- how desperate he is to understand, to see, to empathise.  

All it takes is a little nudge and he’s perfectly posed to help Q come unto a higher comprehension.

He sets his glass on a side table, leaning forward on his sofa. It earns him Q’s full focus, hazel eyes eyeing his motion attentively as if he has answers to all of Q’s questions. 

It’s more than a little intoxicating to be the one person Q looks to in his time of need. 

“The people of the past used to dedicate many hours to carve figureheads out of solid wood,” he offers, “They believed the figureheads were powerful symbols of protection that would guide their vessels through treacherous seas.”   

“Seven believed… The benefits outweigh the risks?” Q ventures uncertainly, brows furrowing in deep thought. “The tableau was left there for us to find...” 

“A message,” he interprets, blood rushing with anticipation, “think Q, use that big brain of yours. What is the tableau saying?”

“It was meant to be found, to be seen, be celebrated.” Q lunges up from his seat, pacing anxiously between the window and the sofas. “He’s absolutely elated, he’s found something, no, someone- a safe harbour.” 

His eyes follow Q’s frantic pacing around the room. Close, so close- 

“Chester’s slaughter was just the cherry on top- well deserved for his injustice against society by not paying his dues. It’s justice wrapped up in a nice little package, like a message in a bottle-” Q grinds to a halt in the middle of the room.  

“Oh, oh, ” Q flushes, eyes impossibly wide, “It’s a declaration of courtship.”  

He eyes the way Q’s tongue pops out to wet his lips, throat working through several false starts. He savours the flash of realisation in those lovely irises, even as he sits primed to react. 

“I appreciate the sentiment, if not the delivery,” Q breathes wryly.

----

Q slides into the unoccupied seat at the table with an aggravated sigh, having finally escaped the poorly behaved fellow diner. 

The plain little business card he hands over slips into the depths of Bond’s suit jacket, with the other diners none the wiser.    

“He thought I was a waiter and took offence at my refusal to serve him.,” Q grumbles when he looks at him in askance, “I could feel your distaste a mile away.”  

He smiles, absurdly pleased by his partner’s consideration.

#00q #007 fest #007 fest 2020 #teambondvillains #quartermaster #james bond #007 #art by op #fanfics #what's the tag for villains day again #look nbc hannibal led me to 00q #it has a special place in my non existent heart #:'D #hms 00q

[soyouareandrewdobson]

Alex ze Pirate Mini Review 4: The EED: Emotional Exposition Dump. Or why THIS is not friendship

So here we are. The last part of this 45 page three parter, meant to be about what Sam really means to the crew. And what have we seen so far in the previous parts? That Sam is not just their underappreciated, but downright exploited slave (yeah, did you know that in ancient Greece slaves supposedly had more rights than Sam in this one? At least they could buy out their freedom one day), that Dobson has no idea how to genuinely pace a story, turning what could have been a decent 100 page story if planned out and presented with more care into a 45 page short snore fest and that Hat Andy’s idea for jokes are either based on abusing token buttmonkeys, turning annoying memes into even more unfunny jokes or making dark comedy with dead orphans.

At least when South Park makes jokes about children dying, they are appropriate in that dark setting and the death is still in some way handled or refered to as a horrific event. In Dobson’s case however, it just leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

Sorry, I just can’t get over the orphanage thing. If Dobson wanted the reason for Sam leaving be that he finds out someone he cared about from his old life is dead, that is one thing. But did this asshole have to destroy an entire building with countless victims to do it? Couldn’t he just have one person die and the rest be still at that place? Honestly, I think it would have been funnier and more meaningful emotionally, if Alex and Co actually interacted with people from Sam’s past and in doing so learn more about him as a person, by genuinely visiting a still standing orphanage. Give the comic some meat on the bones and in doing so actually create the impression this comic is truly about Sam and not just about characters doing random stuff in relation to finding him. Instead Dobson goes for a literal overkill, which he then does not even treat as a tragedy but as a joke.

Dobson, THIS is a better and more dignified joke about orphans than the shit you did.

You got outclassed by Chuck Lorree of all people on this planet, you disgrace of a storyteller. A storyteller who can’t even keep his own barely existing continuity in the Alex-verse straight, now that I think of it. After all, according to Legends, the orphanage was closed and all the orphans were sold out to others, with Sam being the last of the litter

Which again is just unintentionally more horrific than Dobson likely intented. But you know, dumb people don’t know when they do dumb shit.

But I digress Let us just get into the last part. In which we finally see the “emotional” pay off of everything that happened so far.

 Spoilers, this is my reaction to that pay off.

And here is what everything led up to now.

 Sam ran away, because he wants to say his final farewell to his sister figure, we never knew about at all and about whom we do not learn one single thing really.

 Where do I begin with how this revelation fails?

Let’s start with the fact that this in execution does not have the emotional impact that was intended. And why is that? Because Dobson doesn’t bother to actually introduce us to the sister as a character.

If I may digress a bit to talk about One Piece here: In the manga, oftentimes Oda will “interrupt” an ongoing story arc to feature flashback chapters, through which he tells about past events referenced in the “present” chapters prior. Through those flashbacks he further gives meaning to why in present time the characters facing certain foes or having to win in their current situation, is so important, even on an emotional level. In short, those flashbacks are no interruptions, they are integral in giving those story arcs emotional weight.

Because now we are not just “told” why we should care about things and people, we have been shown why we should care. The old rule of “show, don’t tell” being followed on.

A good example from a more “recent” storyline I can think of, is through the flashback chapters of the Dress Rosa story arc, where we are not only being shown how De Flamingo took over the kingdom of Dress Rosa and brought pain and misery over its people for years to come, but also the past of characters such as the gladiator Rebecca and Mr. Soldier, her father figure that raised her up from the time she was 10 and De Flamingo took over… only for the flashbacks to also reveal properly how Mr Soldier is not just a father figure for her that took her in, but her biological father Kyros, who had been turned into a toy by one of De Flamingo’s henchmen via a power, that also took Rebecca’s memories of her dad away so she never identified the toy as her dad.

This way Oda achieves multiple things at once; Among other things, he establishes how evil De Flamingo is, how tragic Mr Soldier and Rebecca’s lives really are, adding to us the readers wanting to see them and Luffy beat De Flamingo into a pulp and it makes the later “present day” moment when Mr. Soldier and many other victims turn back to normal and Rebecca regains her memories and is reunited with her dad so much more sweeter. Cause now we care.

Truth be told, I myself believe that Oda is one of few storytellers on this planet, who truly has “mastered” the technique of emotional flashback storytelling.

A technique Dobson could have used in this part of the story, but didn’t. Cause honestly, the way he tells how Sam’s sister was “important” to our poor cabin boy is not emotionally engaging from a storytelling perspective. We are told she is important, but we learn genuinely nothing about her, not even what her name was and what she looked like except from that one picture in the locket from over 15 pages ago. Nothing about how “close” she and Sam truly were is revealed through showing, only telling and as such we don’t even begin to care for her relationship with Sam and how her loss is genuinely important to him. So the main goal of this story, to make us the readers feel something for Sam aside of pity for how he is treated by his supposed friends, has not been achieved.

 … Dobson, you are a hack. You can’t even use flashbacks, a basic technique in the realm of storytelling, to show us why we should “care” more, heck, even at all, about Sam and his loss.

If you just had adjusted a few things, you could have had something good here.

By adjustments I mean the following: Take the first page of this chapter as well as the first panel of the second page, and combine them into the final page of the previous chapter. In doing so creating a proper cliffhanger for part two. Then start chapter 3 of with a few pages (lets say 6 or so) showing young Sam and his sister interacting in the orphanage in doing so turning her from a nameless plotdevice into a genuine person to care about. And then use content of page 2 and 3 of this chapter, to elaborate on their relationship, potentially with small cuts always between present day Sam at the grave explaining himself and saying his farewells, with pictures of the past showing what they meant to each other.

 But nope. This very basic idea a fanfic writer now has come up with, a fanfic writer who never studied literature or took writing classes by the way, something I doubt you did at college the more I read your work, has never crossed your “superior” mind.

Also, I find Sam’s text on page 3 really, really backwards in a way. Like, I get that we are meant to consider it a good thing Sam is this way. You know, being genuinely selfless and wanting to make others happy. And don’t get me wrong, generosity and selflessness are virtues I hold in high regard. But the way Sam talks about how he just wanted her to be happy while sacrificing any fulfillment of basic needs for himself feels more like a pathological disorder in that case than something to reach for. In fact, psychology speaks from different forms of generosity and the thing Sam describes here is likely “compulsive giving” or “unrelenting generosity”, a pathological variant that can be highly toxic for all people affected by it.

Funny how Dobson, a person who wants to claim he is all for mental healthcare, is essentially “promoting” the positivity of a psychological disorder via Sam.

 Then again, this also feels more like Dobson putting words into Sam’s mouth (in a literal sense) to retroactively make Sam’s treatment look less horrid. Cause now Sam doesn’t just do all the work because he is ordered around, he deep down is “happy” doing all of the work and gain not even some basic respect in return, because he cares so deeply for his friends.

… I feel myself get livid again here.

And the next few pages don’t really help me “calm down”.

 Cause now the “justifications” just go on. The thing that is meant to be a heartfelt farewell turning into Sam “justifying” that hey, it must be good that he ended up with Alex and her crew. Cause after all, by being abducted years ago and being treated as a slave who in the ginger’s eyes is worth less than lint, he likely avoided dying of shitting his pants and a crushing roof. Ignoring the fact that he was going to be sold out anyway back then and would have potentially ended up with a more generous master than the crew of non Captain Syrup.

Also, just all of the shit going on in page 6. Sam asking his “sister” to be at peace, when likely, if the girl could still talk, she may even just ask Sam the following: Who the heck are you. Cause really, if you think about it, if Sam did all the nice things for her in secret, did the girl even realize she had a “big brother” figure to watch over her? Also, him saying he is happy and he is doing quite alright for himself?

All the pictures of him sighing and looking in misery in this story alone, plus the cavalry of strips I posted about how Sam is abused in the first part of this post series tells me another story.

Finally, Sam’s message “At least now, we are both free”? Sam, she is dead, likely having died in pain when a house crushed on her, weakened by a deadly disease and traumatized by other children around her dying of said disease. And you are stuck with a bunch of people that haven’t shown to care for you up until this story and the only reason they may even care for you now is out of “sympathy” because you lost your sister figure, not because they genuinely love and care for you as a person. As far as I am concerned, you would be better off being the slaveboy of some nymphomanic pirate princess in the world of Berserk than you are on this plane of existence.

And now that the “emotional” farewell is out of the way, Dobson can go back to focus on the characters he really cares about in this shit anyway: Little Bitch Annie, lesbian chocolate rain Miroku and Deadpool’s pubes.

 Oh Alex, you are such a rascal. You really make me want to shoot you with a crossbow, stab you in the eye, hurl you out a window and shove explosives where the sun won’t shine.

Yeah yeah, you are a pirate, but that doesn’t mean you need to be that awful as a person or even protagonist.

Christ. For someone who complains how toxic Walter White is to the point he believes “sympathizing” with the character turns you into a nazi, Dobson certainly is blind to how awful Alex really is, particularly as protagonist in a comic series intented for little kids. Compared to her, I can think of freaking slasher movie villains with more of a moral compass. Like say what you want about Jigsaw, at least he never victimized genuine children or teenagers.

And Talus, thanks for ruining the “emotional” moment Sam “earned” by pointing out how weird it is he kissed a gravestone. Also, I am glad I know what happens in the next pages or else I would assume Alex’s great idea includes to dig up his sister and turn her into a life sized doll for Sam to cuddle.

No, their ideas to assure he is emotionally save and to redeem themselves for years of taking him for granted/hurting him, is to throw him a surprise party.

… you know, I think you may be the only individuals in fiction, that Pinkie Pie would think do not deserve to throw a party or get one thrown for.

 But I guess Sam is just so nice, he even throws you a party for no apparent reason.

Either that or now that his “sister” is dead he will overcompensate even more and this is the next destructive stage of his compulsive generosity.

… Sam, I am sorry for your loss. But you need to get help. Once by the authorities who will hopefully get rid of Alex and then by some psychologist who helps you redefine your own self worth.

By the way, I find it funny that the banner he made also actually only mentions Talus, Atea and Captain Daphne with a bad hair day. It just confirms that Peggy either never bothered to join the others or that Dobson developed an early onset of dementia and totally forgot about the fact that the midget is a genuine character in this trainwrack. And I am convinced the later is the case, which really just makes me wonder how someone is able to do that. To forget a major character of the thing they create and want to turn into a money making franchise. Imagine if Disney did e.g. a sequel to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, only to forget about the god damn dwarves themselves.

At least Talus finally realizes he is unworthy to get a party thrown or be Sam’s friends. Good. Now jump into a wood chipper and free ourselves from your existence you dog beaver thing.

Content of the next page in a just alternate universe… Alex: You are a better human being than I could ever be and this is all because my creator is a hack who does not know how to create genuinely likable personalities.

The reality:

 FUCK YOU, ALEX! FUCK YOU AND THE BIKE PUMP YOU FLEW IN ON! Atea and Talus have learnt more than you about what it means to be a friend and they don’t even bother to punch you in the face for still being the biggest red haired  raging cunt since Asuka from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

If this is how Dobson thinks “friends” should treat each other, it is no wonder he has a friendless background. Hey, Hat Andy, if you want to emulate manga, may I suggest you just become even more blatantly about it and simply copy paste One Piece? Cause Luffy at least knows how to be a friend. How much does he care for his friends, strangers and even at times former enemies of his?

He cares so much, that e.g. when a special military force that beat the crap out of him got hands on his crewmate Nico Robin, he did THIS:

He declared war on the world government. Fuck, even Jack Sparrow, who is an opportunistic jackass, in a movie where everyone stabs the others at least three times in the back, was less selffish than Alex, when he gave up his chance on immortality as Captain of the Flying Dutchman, just so Will would live in some form.

Metalbeard from the Lego Movie cared more about doing the right thing than anyone in Alex the pirate did. You created the worst friends and “heroes” I have ever seen in a webcomic since the entirety of sinfest. Congratulations for that accomplishment, Dobson. It really takes a special kind of anti-talent to show such level of not understanding the power of friendship as one of the most basic tropes in storytelling, to the point a show about pastel colored equines managed to profit of it for nine years.

 WOOOOO! We are the worst, we are the worst!

And look, Uncle Pennywise’s scrotum is back.

Anyway, here are the last two pages of this thing, to end on what is meant to be a whimsical note because Sam actually gets something from Alex that is not a beating or verbal abuse.

 Too bad anything that would feel heartwarming about this is drowned by a) me actually remembering all the shit Alex, the crew and the writer pull to get to this point (from abusive neglect of the characters to pathetic emotional manipulation on a narrative level) and b) the weird rapey face Uncle Peggy makes in the picture. Like Jesus, did Dobson try to emulate the Burger King here?

But hey, this story is over. And who knows, perhaps from this moment on, Sam will actually be treated better overall in the comic and Dobson will spend time actually developing an overall plot and the world of this com-

Tom Kenny: ONE COMIC STRIP LATER

And it is back to business as usual.

... How much would I need to pay for someone on the internet to write an alternate ending to the story where it turns out Sam actually poisoned the food at the party and while Alex is slowly dying, a now evil Sam who has finally broke under years of abuse, is going to become a genuine threatening pirat? that is after he villain monologues to Alex how much she sucks before scalping her?

Wow, I am entering a dark place right now. I think I need to take a break.

So I am going to give my final verdict on this story with the next post around the weekend most likely. Cause that is how much time I will now spend rereading One Piece and watching the Pirates of the Carribean movies in addition to playing the Pirates level of Kingdom Hearts 3, in order to forget this shit and remind myself why I think pirates are cool.

#andrew dobson #alex ze pirate #fuck you #hat andy #tom preston #so you are a cartoonist #syac #comic #webcomic #pirates #sam the cabin boy #atea #talus #one piece #magic of friendship this is not

[stabletwooriginals]

CHAPTER THREE: Guidance

LittlePip wakes up to a brand new day. Which she never experienced before and we get some fun observations from her about.

I knew this was coming but I’m so relieved LittlePip finds one of Rarities dresses in perfect condition inside a locked chest.

The comment, that the dress is the prettiest and most cheerful thing she has seen since leaving is striking to me. She has had one terrible string of bad luck so far, but there are amazing things still waiting to be found.

Which is undercut somewhat by her discovery of the dead cats hung over where she slept. Absolutely terrifying. That doesn’t seem just for shock value, as it preoccupies our (and LittlePips) mind as she accidentally activates a land mine. Oops.

Watcher making his first appearing here, giving LittlePip life saving advice.

Raiders attack again. And we get LittlePips naive interpretation of grenades through a childhood memory of someone bullying her. This explains to us why she focuses on throwing the granade back next… killing her first pony.

We don’t get a lot of rumination on that yet though, as we get a scene break and LittlePip has managed to sneak out of Ponyville. What are these segmenting parts called, actually? Is it “Dinkus”? That’s a fantastic name.

The retelling of escaping Ponyville sounds like a stealth sequence in any video game, which I find amusing.

After a brief first encounter with a Bloatsprite - the mutated version of the Parasprites from the show - we reunite with Watcher and LittlePip get’s to have her first friendly conversation so far. (You might wanna count Velvet at the very beginning, but that’s up to you.)

“A friend.” I raised an eyebrow. “Okay, a passing acquaintance. But one that doesn’t mean any harm.”

This back-paddling is interesting. Why isn’t the “Friend or Foe” distinction enough here? My interpretation is that FoE takes friendship quite seriously. Since it is adopting “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic”, in which friendship is the key to change the course of history, just the word “friend” has a lot of worth and meaning that can’t just be thrown around lightly. We don’t know it yet but the core mechanics of MLP, namely friendship and the Elements of Harmony, are still intact in this story.

Finding my apple, I levitated it up. “Thank you. And thank you for the warning about that… thing in the ground.” “Mine.” I blinked. “Y-you want my apple?”

I just want this on here.

We get some info on the Bloatsprite - mainly it’s name and that it is the result of something called Taint. Which, uh– and Watcher’s name. He is not a Spritebot himself, but located somewhere else and just hacks into them to interact with remote places of the world.

Finally he gives vital advice any newbie RPG player can use: Find better gear, learn about the world and make some friends! What? Yes, there it is again. Friendship.

For guidance LittlePip returns to Ponyville. Watcher told her a copy of the Wasteland Survival Guide should still be at the Ponyville Library. Twilight’s home! (Remember, we’re sticking strictly to the first season.)

I was convinced The Wasteland Survival Guide was a reference to an older piece of post-apocalyptic fiction, but nope, it seems to come from the famous quest line in Fallout 3. At least, that is what dominates the search results when I try to google it.

Quite some time is also spend on the horrific decoration, namely desecrated ponies. Mutilated and in pieces, stuck to the walls and hung from the ceiling. These displays of gore are reminiscent of how Super Mutants tend to gather in places with such bloody decorations in Fallout 3. That game reduced the Mutants personality from a faction, as they were in the previous titles, to little more than orcs. Which is a shame, as they mostly exist as canon fodder now. And help us get over killing them, it shows us with lootable sacks of gore that they deserve it.

The raiders here get painted in the same light and fulfill a similar role. As clear bad guys and somewhat as cannon fodder. Their psychology never gets explored much beyond “the Wasteland drove them mad”. They often even have ridiculous cutie marks, implying they have been born into being raiders and that being cruel is their special talent. Which, besides painting the saddest existence, is a shame, since they clearly form groups among themselves, can talk just fine and are/were, by all accounts, just ponies like anyone else. Except, they’re not. They have gone insane, mind you. They live in their own shit and sleep under fresh, dripping intestines. Because they’ve gone mad, you see!

My point with all that is, that the excessive gore in this scene takes away from my immersion, as it raises questions with no answers, and raiders holding slaves and killing ponies (without putting their corpses on display), again, would be fine enough to convince me of their evilness.

Watcher was playing LittlePip a little, as he knew it was also where a couple slaves are kept in cages. One of them is implied to have been sexually assaulted, which - while still despicable - at least makes more sense for raiders to do than the gore fest described earlier.

LittlePip glancing over the bottle caps the first freed slave offers her without a second thought is a fun touch.

Then a fight breaks loose!

I hadn’t just killed a pony–these raiders had given up any right to the title! These were not ponies, they were sick monsters that needed to be put down!

Which implies choice. Something I can’t imagine, choosing to be a raider like this, but fine. I’m sure plenty of FoE side stories go more into detail with raiders, FoE itself seems mostly comfortable portraying them as orcs most of the time. Until it doesn’t. But we will cross that bridge when we get there.

I didn’t realize until that moment, but I was mad! The pure evil of this place had shaken me to the core… and my core was furious!

Regardless of my feelings towards the raiders, Littlepip’s reaction to them has always been inspirational to me. I know, it leads to… problems later on. But joining in with unbridled rage of LittlePip is cathartic in ways I haven’t yet seen replicated somewhere else.

(what do you know, they do shoot with their tongues!)

Figuring out how horses shoot firearms is… it’s own entire discourse I am not very interested in. But it’s fun to see what ideas FoE brought to the table. And it’s even more fun to see high quality concept art of tongue-triggered pistols for the Fallout: Equestria fan game Ashes of Equestria.

The fight is fun, with brisk and clear descriptions and punctuation of humor (“Shouldn't you ponies be smarter than this? You live in a library!”).

LittlePip gets shot but finds the Fluttershy branded medical box. Love that decision. Also our introduction to healing potions – they work like Stimpaks from Fallout, but are actually more believable because magic actually exists!

I was even more pathetic with melee weapons than I was with guns.

Love that RPG progression being set up here.

It was a zombiepony!

Don’t be mean to ghoul Ditzy Doo. Don’t ever be mean to ghoul Ditzy Doo.

I can’t really place the note about why someone might need binoculars in a library. I assume it’s a MLP reference but I’m lost on that one.

After another short lived meeting with mines the fight is over and LittlePip decides to loot the bodies for armor. The bloody, tattered armor. To be fair, it is the best armor she has come across so far and we do stuff like this in RPGs all the time.

She finds bottle caps again and chooses to ignore them this time. Great tease. Love it.

She finds and identifies radigator meat. I’m not sure she should know their name at this point, but whatever. The narrative framing allows it.

Lastly, she confronts the sniper that has been on the balcony of the library the entire time. Here we get a better glimpse at AngeryPip, surprising herself with her audible confidence and malice. It feels like a different character, but since this is portrayed as a extreme situation this seems more adrenaline fueled to me, rather than pathological.

Leaving the library, LittlePip has a combat shotgun, an assault rifle, a revolver (which gets lost in the next scene), a knife and now a sniper rifle. Impressive for this early in the story.

An alert flashed on my PipBuck. Checking it, I discovered that it had labeled the gazebo in front of me: The Macintosh War Memorial.

First, harrowing. Love it. Secondly, I love the inclusion of the gazebo, which has to be the one we can see in the show. It’s cool to see how many elements of the show actually made it in here. Pretty unobtrusively too.

The Memorial specifically names Big Macintosh and his sacrifice. It’s obviously unclear how much of the story was prepared in advance, but the way the war started 200 years ago must have been among that. We get to learn later what Big Mac’s role in the war was.

And we end with LittlePip picking up “The Wasteland Survival Guide. By Ditzy Doo…”

Level Up! New Perk: Bookworm. Kinda nice how we went to the library this time, got a book out of it, the quote at the beginning was “Books! I’ve read several on the subject.”… So, this one feels more than earned.

#fallout equestria #reread #reading #fan fiction #kkat #ponyville

[lilmajorshawty]

Lilith Through The Houses : The Fallen

(Carpenter Brut - TURBO KILLER)

Lilith In The First House : The Demon you can see

Lilith in the first house is about more than just the dark aura or the seemingly endless gazing eyes and petrified reactions from outsiders, rather it’s a accumulation of the natives energy focused so tensely in the area of the “self” that they seem like some powerfully dark entity. the face can have a darkness to it be it in color or in it’s appearance. the hair is often dark and depending on how close to the ascendant Lilith truly is it can even overwhelm any lightening affects of planets like Jupiter or Venus here. the eyes are often stunning, and a very harsh quality lies behind the gaze. the demeanor can seem quite detached and intense even if they are standing in an idle position. the natives also carry a strong energy, one that can seem a bit repugnant or erotic. these natives often can be completely opposite of the energy they’re expressing but it can be so atmospheric that they can be accused of “seducing” or “corrupting” their siblings, co-workers, step parents, friends lovers and so on. They have a mysterious nature to them that creates a sort of fearful nature in others, as many often ponder on if they are secretly moving or plotting in silence. These natives are POWERFUL and the scary aspect about them is their ability to dominate a room, a crowd or any relationship by sheer force of will and by existing. to many they are a threat, a bully, a sharlton, a whore, or some wicked vile beast of temptation. early life can be hard especially if Lilith is afflicted from this house and sadly these natives can receive quite a bit of sexual objectification as people often worship and lust after them as if they were a demon of sexual appetite. Lilith here is dangerous as she projects the inner animal in all of us onto the native making the native a target of primal behavior in others. People can act downright like wild animals towards these natives, snarling, kicking, biting, spitting, roaring, and so on just to strike them down and make them feel as small as the native makes them feel just by existing. once mature these natives are physically astonishing, as Lilith’s dark energy courses through the body’s constitution. staying fit is usually fairly easy here. and the mental and emotional faculties are very highly attuned making them incredible readers of character and intent. as these natives age they walk into their Lithuanian image and become truly intense and immovable objects, the men can seem like the devil, like some sly creature, some harmonious gale that weights you down with a simple glare. The women are fierce, and silent, passionately observing the world like a emperor of their bloodied kingdom. she is dangerous and cold, her intentions are far from emotional and her reactions are everything but sympathetic. this can be the coldest and unnerving of individuals to meet.

(Carpenter Brut - DIVISION RUINE)

Lilith In The Second House : The Blackest of Sheep

For Lilith in The second house natives self worth can be a guessing game, sort of like a constant pendulum swing. hatred of the purest and most carnal form can be exhibited towards ones body, whilst at another moment worship and unforeseen pleasure and joy can be derived from ones own body, their sense of self and place in this grand shit show called life. as you can imagine their appetite for the finer things is unmatched, but in many cases these natives love the ruined parts of beauty. This can be the ripped jeans, the broken stilettos. the old and cracked rusty crimson lipstick or the runny eyeliner, the spiked belt or the bareness of skin pale and lifeless after a cold shower. These natives are cold to the touch and tend to have quite the intense relationship with intimacy and touch. in many ways they loathe closeness and lingering intimacy, seeking to keep a mighty far distance from close ties or entanglements that last longer than they should. the other side of this is that once they do let someone in they can be so drawn to touch and sexuality, its sensuous and amorous nature that they become a gluttonous demon for it, eating their lovers alive. they can wear plenty of silly pretend tones, and soothe anyone into a manipulative tactic and make it seem like it was all a misunderstanding. These are the robbers and thieves willing to take and bleed everything and anyone dry if it brings them closer to their obsession “having what they cannot.” These natives are magnetic and their earthy bare beauty lies in the fact that Lilith here is reflecting on her time with Adam, the sex they had, his touch and the stranious and rather euphoric state she enjoyed until she was cast out and betrayed, thus as she lay nude and bare flying in rage in an unknown sky she dammed the world, the world she believed she had once had, now telling her she could no longer own it. these natives don’t value money or materialistic objects rather they value what is not their’s, what has been created, what is so fondly gazed upon by others, they seek to tear down it’s beautiful glow and to in-turn be made beautiful in it’s downfall. These natives by nature are sacrificial and have a almost godly relationship with the plants of the earth, many are gardeners in their pare time or actively partaking in medicinal herbs and many are even inherently nomadic easily reading climate patterns and environmental signs. these natives are also amazing in the field of medicine for their ability to scope out bodily dysfunctions and emotional imbalances. that being said these natives also have the most dangerous singing voices one could ever here do to it’s magnetic and often eerily moving tone. a rejection of the sensuality or body is common with this placement by the self or by others.

(Carpenter Brut - MANIAC cover)

Lilith In The Third House : The Rumors Of Shepard

Lilith in the third is a very subtle yet remorseless position, here Lilith has a free tongue and is delighted at the intricate yet magnified level of mental mind games and manipulation plausible in human nature. These natives may have had a parent or an early influence who was a pathological liar, a schemer or in some ways a com, and false prophet. the children often were fascinated and found novelty in the weakness of the brain and sought later in life to play into this more weakened aspect. Lilith sees weakness in the expression of sympathy and compassion and often preys into these aspects via communication or even things as subtle as certain movements/mannerisms, speech patterns and eye movements to throw off their desired target. Sometimes the lies are harmless while other times they are dangerous and toxic although none of this really matters to the native. These natives aren’t heartless per say but their is an inherent disconnect in the manner that the mind and the heart interact; they don’t. you see Lilith places an almost tar like cable separating the two so she can have her fun, as emotions would interrupt her spiritual mingle so to speak. These natives enjoy vocal banter and sparring as they get to test out their new tactics(subtly of course) on others and test the efficiency. These natives are brilliant writers and can often easily decorate a paper with words and diction that would make a literary scholar and professor of 99 years drop to his knees in astonishment and awe. they can color their words in such a way that can both woo you and terrify you with it’s effect. Many with this placement have seductive voices and can easily charm your clothes off in such a way you could even feel taken advantage of. both sexes are dangerous in this regard because although they can create a pretty little portrait for you, they are secretly knitting you in their twisted and often thoroughly planned web. these natives aren’t plutonion the sense that they actively seek to control their conversations or interactions, rather they do so in such a quiet and sincerely relaxed way that it’s as if it’s instinct to naturally swirl a mass into a a joyed get together, a fight into a compliment fest, or a tragedy into a miracle. They are intellectually 100 steps and 100 lifetimes ahead of you which is what makes being in their presence such a sincerely scary thing as they tend to be alphas in any interaction with everyone around them taking the place of common folk, in the presence of a lord. A rejection of ones thoughts and ideas and even knowledge by the world is common. the arms tend to either be hairless or sporting some dark moles, and scars here and there that seemingly seem to curve into a moon like shape. Lilith working positive here awakens premonition and cerebral awareness that far exceeds the normal person.

(New Order - Elegia)

Lilith In The Fourth House : The Nomadic Evil

Two things should be mentioned be for we carry on, This is Lilith And what we are speaking on is how her presence can effect that particular area of your life by infusing it with her darker scheme but make no mistake where she lay is often the area of life that needs her power the most as to protect the native from being dogmatically bulldozed over by the treachery of the world, she is both a blessing and a great evil. In the case of the fourth house Lilith can make the home life practically non-existent. It can create detachment or loose ties with ones heritage or familial upbringing. In both men and women this aspect can show that the families history is often dark and full of lose of power and regaining of it in darker ways through sexual and emotional expression and this can involve much of the female side of the family. their can be an innate disdain for other women or MEN especially with this but it’s more common to have a disdain for the conventional Mother and  Father dynamic if anything. This can make the native feel rejected when home, or as if they don’t really belong, or in some cases like home is not a real conceptual desire. the family itself can seem almost alienated and far, and much of the early interactions may have been tense, overwhelming or the women in the family could've been survivors of dark acts such as rape, murder, abuse, violence, and or anything that would’ve likely been the result of a man or society failing to give them aid. When Lilith rest here positively the above is still true but the connection to the divine feminine and women in general is passionate and endearing and instills a lot of inner will power and drive in the native. the chest can be very boney and rather tight with the way the nerves and organs coil together. so sharp chest pain, and chest compression is common due to anxiety or strong emotions. the heart can also suffer from palpation and sloppy rhythm yet miraculously the heart is in amazing condition and seems to do well enough on it’s own to fix any potentially fatal issues(still go to the doctor if any symptoms get worse though!) the native tends to express emotions in a cold and rather aloof manner and can have a very hard time flowing into their more nurturing qualities mainly because they were never really exposed to nurturing in the same sense most people are, they attribute caring and compassion to being sturdy, independent and steadfast anything other than that is useless and unnecessary. overly emotional or overly clingy types and unfortunately even children can be a very hard battle for these natives as it clashes with their essence. these natives despise intimacy and tend to prefer being alone as opposed to having to connect and get intimate with others. that being said these natives are emotional, and deeply so but this is hidden behind a wall of trauma and a very well created mask. the thing is though the mask isn’t to protect them or anything rather it’s an instinctual action to create distance and to raise themselves above those who would try to dig past their facade. They are rather powerful in nature and have almost demonic/fallen angel like emotions, often feeling wrath rather than rage, feeling pride instead  of courage and feeling lust instead of love, these natives emotionally exist on a darker emotional plane than anyone would ever be able to fathom. They are by no means fiction and i tell you this because these natives are genuinely so hard to understand, like a complex myriad of fluttered wings and bloodshed, navigating their pain, and their hardships is nearly impossible and this only worsens the older they get as they periodically build more and more mazes. the mind set is often attentive but far away, they can seem like passerby’s and have a extremely closed of nature making things such as friends or lovers seem a bit difficult. they are caring but rarely ever feel as if anyone is worth the expression, they are warm, but very rarely are they willing to create a sun. these natives are mysterious but not for the “look” of it, mainly because they live in their darkness so much so that it is who they are, and if anything thats the beauty of this placement they are an innocent angel with the whitest glowing wings dancing in the dark all alone, in peace far away from the commitments of the world.

(Big Black Delta - Huggin & Kissin )

Lilith In The Fifth House : The Volcanic sin 

Lilith in this house is a vortex of madness, she swarms and dances in the highways and the swamps, in search of god. She’s so angry and filled like a wine glass with sorrow and lament shouting endlessly for him to hear her pleads. She’s grieving constantly, for what seems never ending. always, constantly in pain, constantly burning her wings and re-birthing over and over each time becoming something else, something more, something darker than before. These natives are seemingly passive and bothered by the world around them, critiques of art, disgusted by the things humans passionately wave their fist in the air for, they always seem disappointed or lacking in amusement at the creations of man. these natives can brim with an almost colony of souls the moment they see that desired star power, that human pitfall where all seems lost and someone surpasses their own abilities and broken bones, and armless and all rises even still. these natives value fearlessness in the face of ones own demise and destruction, rising above adversary without wasting a moment to dwell in the sadness of the situation, art littered in pain or trauma and it’s massive weight or the intensity of someone being able to vocalize that pain and it’s darkening wave excites them. they adore man at it’s weakest moments and the fight it takes to come above those heavy waters once more. These natives can be almost demonically cold to weakness in others, turning a blind eye to someone crying or complaints of a hard life, they tend to ice out people with sob stories and even more so they tend to find complete disgust at those who sell their sob story to the masses and are worshiped for their own self pity. these natives are true seekers of sorrow and strength and it’s often why Lilith in this position is almost at the same strength as the Descendant in deciding whom these natives marry. The lover often is a cold one, dark, intense and one whom has witnessed their fair share of sorrows hence their more stoic and serious nature. the love life of these natives can be pure hell, as the romantic partners especially when younger may be attracted and even obsessed with the natives but upon the natives seeking to consummate or initiate the bond past the courting stage the lover can reject the native, coldly as if they were dirt and openly choose another, or avoid the native all together and in some extreme cases the lover could be abusive or monstrous all due to the fear and powerful emotions the native drudges up in the lover. much pain will be felt but many re-births will be the result, the natives get far more cold, far more intense and even more selective as they age. much of the rejection is due to the native unconsciously turning a blind eye to what Lilith is trying to show them within themselves. Lilith seeks to help these natives process their own pain, and to love from within rather than seek it through another person which is often why up until that is learned these natives are given nothing but hate, mis-treatment, and sorrow. The relationship with children can be healing surprisingly, Children often are afraid of these natives (at first) but as time progresses and these natives get older and harness their inner love children naturally gravitate towards them, seeing them as a source of fun and excitement, children are often very protective and fond of Lilith in the fifth house natives often showering them with love and support. the deeper alignment here is that the natives are constantly carrying an energy of sadness and are often disconnected with the world around them due to their incredibly high standards of what counts as passion, they don’t just want love they want to feel it like a raging fire in their souls until it leaves nothing but ash. they want to feel sadness like a suffocating and deafening tsunami on a deadly storm in the sea. they want to love heir children with the force of all mother united, to feel sex like a turbulent storm of water and fire crashing into the earth like molten rock and icy cool. Sexually keeping up with these natives is impossible, they move like a wrathful archangel and can be practically insatiable. Often times these natives tend to find their suitable lover sometimes between their early 20′s or mid 30′s in most cases it’s early 20′s during college or ladder adolescence as the sun is progressed into the incoming sign and its often mid 30′s following the Saturn return due to the fact that these two will be in a close interaction. the back can have moles, beauty marks or freckles or even just sport a few scars and a more darker skin tone than the rest of the body. the Body of these natives is AMAZING. these natives can seem to have model figures or have very naturally erotic bodies that can make even the most innocent person look like a sultry, she- witch the second the clothes come off. Dancing and writing tend to be past times for these natives and they can be some of the most erotic, and talented dances you could ever have the blessing of seeing. Singing and physical activities are also past times and these natives are very obsessed with the body and tend to gravitate towards more physical and martial art like sports, due to their inherent flexibility and natural stamina and vitality. the overall health is deviously good and these natives tend to have impeccable recovering abilities often mentally dealing with sicknesses. These natives can seem like they are constantly bored or unamused which can make them seem intimidating or hard to please which is often why people feel so uncomfortable or as if they must be on their best behavior around them, this includes people above them and children. many people may seem stiff or cautious around these natives due to how stoic and carnal their eyes can seem in disapproval. these natives internally feel a endless state of heartbreak and can suffer from drastic bouts of depression to episodes of euphoric highs only to come crashing down with the speed of a collapsing wave. things don’t necessarily improve rather these natives learn to take these up and down pitfalls and rise and even stronger version, a darker one than before.These natives are not easy to connect to and can be very hard to gain the time of but assuming you have what it takes they are extremely loyal and deeply sown to the ones they give their hearts too. Be careful how or what you say or do to their family, husband or kids they will annihilate you with the scorn of a trillion dead and their are no lengths they fear crossing. 

(New Order - Blue Monday)

Lilith In The Sixth House : The Burning Lambs 

This Position of Lilith can seem like a backdoor or a darkened curtain off to the side in the natives personality. They can demand an almost unrealistic and un-sympathetic tone to the less then polished things in the world around them. These natives crave perfection and this isn’t something that’s a simple as the clean room, and perfectly tucked shirt, or carefully honed smile, these natives need and desire perfection at it’s core in a almost spotless representation of themselves to the point of which they would rather annihilate all around them that fails to meet this high expectation. these natives condemn the more instinctual sides of man, preferring to use the mind as their highest calling. many find it difficult to work with others, preferring not only to go in alone but they enjoy the weight of taking on a duty even if it leaves them in shambles. These natives have a furious tenacity that makes them bloodthirsty for positions at work, and trying to compete with them will be a fruitless effort as much of their being and dark intellect come into the matter. in many ways they are beautiful, innocent and contrasting as much of their allure lay in their seemingly angelic and pure nature. these natives have a strong level of discipline and self restriction only second to their Lilith in Capricorn and 10th house brethren. These natives can have billions of fires and storms raging within yet present the polished car, sleek black dress and rose-marry scented smile in the phase of an entire gathering as if they weren’t impaled in the deepest of depressions moments before. a certain level of seriousness and intensity cloud these natives as more often then not they make it a point to remain objective, detached and eerily focused on the objective at hand. ignorance is blasphemy to the natives and often a source of immediate disapproval and disgusts. These natives are very intolerant of many things especially those whom are overly dependent on instinct rather than logic. These natives are incredibly sensual and pleasures can be multi-faced much like their minds. they tend to be their most sexually powerful in sexual situations of inequality. They may prefer more dominant or submissive sexual partners and have a strong need for their darkness to be expressed through sex on a constant basis otherwise frustration and mental agitation is the result. the problem here is that this can cause the underdeveloped types to get into relationships mainly for the sexual outlet rather than the emotional growth. They are immensely loyal, but very rarely ever do they commit to someone as many prefer to be alone. the masturbating tends to be aggressive and volcanic in nature and often times these natives have such an earthy and tense sexuality their co-workers and even people in their everyday lives may feel uncomfortable or sexually aroused around the person due to the power of projection. The stomach can have scars, or moles upon it in some cases or may be the source of frequent emotional upsets. the health can fluctuate and reach moments of life or death both figuratively and in reality. feeling reborn after fighting a illness is common even if it’s something as small as a cold. the animals that the native deals with can be Lilithian in nature and have darker more dangerous attributes. the animals will have powerful personalities and will be treated as an equal by the Lilith person. Hunting animals for sport or having a more grudgingly relationship with animals is common here. These natives are incredibly resilient and steady but have a very inner ward pestilence that causes them to despise reliance or support of any kind.

(Hozier - Dinner & Diatribes ) 

Lilith In The Seventh House : The God In we, The Devil In Me 

This position of all Lilith in the Houses is One of the most paradoxical and the most devastating. These natives are like a violent wheel of chance, filled with endless possibilities of both malefic and benevolent inclination. These natives can be the sweetest drop of honey, the warmest embrace and the lover of your fantasies dressed as human. They can be your wickedest nightmare, deepest wound and most prolific demon inhabiting your body and mind. They have a level of control on their environment that would put Scorpio to shame, a level of cunning that would silence Virgo and Gemini and an almost biblical like understanding of the human brain and it’s reactions, it’s fears, it’s pitfalls, and it’s quiet longings in such a way that Sagittarius and Capricorn would fall prey. the manipulation can be quiet and a bit hidden in it’s expression but it happens, sometimes unconsciously, other times in the light of day. these natives no matter how lighthearted their chart or how many grand trines and castle of Davids will have a very unbalanced inner world, fluctuating from nun to sinner. to many outsiders these natives are adorably understanding and patient, arguably the most giving and sacrificing person you’d ever meet but behind the sweetness these natives are deeply self invested and in many ways this isn’t a bad thing but it’s also a means of self preservation at the expense of others. These natives seem closer and more intimate then they actually intend and are one of the most difficult people to get to open up or trust you as they prefer to keep much of their interactions superficial and easy. Deeper connections are usually saved for potential love interest or marriage partners but they more than most people get to meet an entirely different beast. these natives can attract heavily Lilith aspected lovers whom are dark, tantric, intense and downright possessive and sexually demanding like hungry animals. The native themselves can project their own shadow side onto the people they interact with platonically or romantically which can create a hypocritical “why are you acting like that” mentality when the truth is that they themselves are the source of the heavy seated Lilith energy. This house is most dangerous as the natives tend to get that much more intense and dark when married, expressing their “real” self, the sinner, Persephone, the black witch, the fallen angel free of shackled purity. They can end up with marriage partners or lovers who seem completely opposite of them or rather a complete 360. the lover may have tattoos, work in a taboo field of work or the music industry  funeral homes, a rock-star/musician, porn,martial arts, or drug trafficking and money laundering, running a prostitution rink, selling drugs, or things like hunting, poaching, lucrative work, government work, FBI, Military and so on. The partner is often serious and Intense but LOYAL. The native can be co-dependent and attract co-dependent relationships which are more dangerous here because of the Lilith like theme. The natives can be seductive and so sexually provocative that many people who may not even be that sexual are actively aroused or turned on by the Lilith in the 7th person, often caught up in their sultry atmosphere to the point where many may be in fear, or disdain of the natives effect on them. The other lot, married, committed or otherwise who cannot help themselves develop strong obsessions with these natives. Love is death for these natives and it needs to be littered with obsession, paranoia, possession, hate, love, intensity, pain, loss, rebirth and struggle for them to truly value it, although they may intentionally reject this and seek more peaceful unions, deep down in their heart of hearts they need that chaos to mend the woes and trios of faces and inhibitions tied to love and romance for them. The buttocks and back can be incredible. the natives may have birthmarks on the butt or darker skin on the area, men may have a hairy buttocks while both sexes may have a mole or scar of some sort here. the waist and hips flow like water and can make these natives excellent at riding or rather make cowgirl-reverse-cowgirl positions their favorites.  these natives are dangerously seductive and can set a whole room of men and women in under their spell as this is a gender less sexuality expressed here often sucking up any unlucky fool who dares to gaze their way. the tell tale of these natives is their deep stare, it can feel like god is looking upon you, as if the devil is entrancing you, they seem like a taboo decision that will change your life and leave it in tethers. 

( Allan Rayman - Crush)

Lilith In The Eighth House : The Way we speak to the fallen

Lilith is happy here, she resonates with Hades and Pluto, she understands their loss and contempt, their lament and dutiful weight. These natives can seem magnetic without much effort. much of their movement and reaction is stalled and cautious, yet never in a way that brings to much attention to them or their actions. They are observant and still much like a spider knitting it’s web and patiently waiting for that one impulsive mistake or haphazardly movement. They are cunning researchers of human nature, often playing fortuneteller when it comes to mingling with others. Their sexuality can feel like a heavy wave devouring you in a atmospheric way. they can be around you, next to you and above you all in one instant without moving an inch. Their personality is deep but mysterious as much of their real feelings and sexual desires are hidden behind screen doors and cleverly manipulated traps set to seduce or adhere those around them. These natives prefer the -nonchalant and rather un-bothered  mode of emotional expression as much of their darker or more wild nature is focused and centered only on sex.Lilith here grants these natives the ability to use their darker more traumatic experiences as an  battery for their rebirth. The worst in life slides of these natives like tar and from the tar rises a new silky smooth pair of wings with an even tougher exo-skeleton. the ability to heal the pain in themselves and in others is one of their best qualities as they are strongly sympathetic and patient with the darkness and pain in others. Lilith in the 8th house more than most people are deeply aware how trauma and pain can make us lash out or self destruct as a means of regaining control and as a result these natives are the least reactive to emotional displays or darker manipulation or coercive tactics by others. In all honesty these natives feel pity for such people and do what they can to rise above them. These natives aren’t as manipulative or as power hungry as Lilith in Scorpio and tend to prefer love unions built on respect and equality, they just prefer to have control in the bedroom, but have a very open and ardent nature to the sexual ventures in general. sex is VERY important to these natives but they don’t mind waiting years or decades if it means they could find the right person who satisfies their inner sexual need of being respected and recognized as a sexual being and “loved” for it. Here we see Lilith desire to be seen and recognized for her sexuality rather than cast out for her pride in it. these natives are very sensitive towards sexual partners and tend to have deep marriages as they work very hard to maintain the sexual chemistry and love in the union all the while force-ably putting the relationship through upheavals and moments of spiritual and emotional rebirth. These natives are mainly gifted with matters of inheritance and joint business dealings but can still attract money in rather taboo or off the script like fashions. The sexual partner may be the only person these natives share their money or savings with and the family may come second or not at all depending on the relationship with the mother. Many outsiders can be obsessed with the energy of these natives often acting like fan-girls/boys at the acknowledgement of the native which typically puts them off and rather disgust them. These natives fall for the unassuming or the lighthearted free spirits who see the light in everything. the ones with Lilith towards the end of this house prefer more stoic and intense lovers. The genitalia is FIRE! quite literally, men and women with this position have sexual organs that can bring the crazy out of a mountain. They can be very passionate and deep sexually, and will be one of the most biblical experiences you’ve ever had. 

( Das Rocs - Maybe, I)

Lilith in The Ninth House : The God You Did Not Believe In

Lilith in the 9th is as massive as the solar system, seeking to spread her wings over all the neatly tucked books, and scriptures, digging her nails in the spoken word and rearranging it’s tones and vibrations to her sense of grandeur. Lilith here is the grand passion and the mighty mind of man. she sees fun and joy in the merriment of dancing in the knowledge and origin of the world and very rarely will you ever catch these natives poorly informed about any subject matter as they do much work to ensure that they know the where,why, how and when of the worlds history. They can seem arrogant or entranced in their own knowledge to the point of stepping on the ideas and thoughts of others. They can have an air of supremacy and carry an air of resistance or loathing of universities or higher schooling in general deeming it as a barrier to delving deeper into knowledge. others tend to dive head first into higher schooling to an almost obsessive quality, treating it like some insatiable candy they cannot get enough of, often returning to get multiple certifications and degrees just because they know they can. these natives have a strong dislike of strings attached or chains of obligations which makes them very unreliable and rather arms length in many of their interactions. to them sex and romance, life and death, love and hate should be experienced like an expansive adventure, a gift from the demons gods of hell to live as you please and grow beyond measure. The emotions can fly UP and DOWN, HERE and THERE but they are never consistent as these natives are always heading to the next spiritual obsession. Lilith here is free, SO endlessly free and she hates being all cooped up in a boring, stagnate environment which is often why these natives can seem like birds, and many share a strong understanding or compassion of winged creatures. The thighs can be darker than other parts of the body, have scars or moles or in many cases the thighs are often plump and thick depending on how deep Lilith sits in this house. the sexual arousal can be VERY fast for these natives, especially the men. they are turned on by the uncharted and many men with  this placement love sex so much that they fuck men and women, anyone that has that sexy air of inhibition is everything they’ve been begging for. the foreign travels can be to darker lands, and might involve danger, death or turbulence of some kind so its advised to be safe, and very aware of yourself and others when ever you head out of the country. Lilith is VERY bubbly here so it’s no surprise that this Lilith is one of the hardest to spot. 

(New Order - Vanishing Point)

Lilith In The Tenth House : The Suited Black Paint

Lilith here is operating in the cold black visor, the feathers loose and sparingly dancing cross the corporate office like jet black paint. These natives can Seem like a cold shower, or some devastatingly subtle but violent train crash with a almost quiet disharmonious backdrop. The ambitious nature of these natives is their strong suite but also one of their most dangerous past times. these natives seek the top and can often use their black wings to blow away the competition, sometimes through charm, manipulation, scandals, black- mail, sexual liaisons or downright intimidation. These natives prefer to be in charge and don’t stay in the passenger seat of any corporation, business, activity for very long as their natural desire to sit on top triumphs above all else. Their careers can be of Lilith like nature or just be drenched in Lilith like themes, such as sexual objectification which is especially the case with women or, emotional black-mail, power plays and power trips or downright psycho-analytics. These natives are often seen as a threat by their colleagues and in true Lilith story line fashion the workers can act as god and attempt to cats him or her out of the workplace, in some ways out of fear and in others out of jealousy. Many times over the bosses or corporate peers can be perverted, dubious and false in their intent. The natives tend to have a ridiculously thick skin and easily create emotional block aids and emotional barriers as a means of alienating their issues and problems as opposes to facing them. this is not done out of a fear of what they feel, rather to them the time necessary to deal with their emotional issues is time that could be used getting ahead. these natives can be filthy in the means that they go about rising in the ranks and can be even more cold and aloof to lovers whom fail to showcase ambition or a grounded and realistic outlook on their future. These aren’t the types to marry dreamers or people who spend more time talking about their future than creating it. These natives bare Lilith disdain for the lord and because of this they tend not to place things in the hand of chance or prayer, rather they believe in actively going out to create the destiny and circumstance they desire. These natives often have a hard relationship with the father or one that is strained in some way, this can even be a step father or male relative of some kind.  their is an inability to submit to the darker expression of their sexuality emotionally rather, they remain objective and steady sexually even when it’s something that should be expressed in a relaxed and calm way. Due to this their sexuality can be very BDSM and Power play friendly, they like to feel in control or be completely controlled by their sexual partners and this can sometimes be in such a way that the natives need to feel emasculated or pain in order to feel ‘alive” though this behavior is only in extreme versions. Much of the darker energy of Lilith is projected towards racing to the top, a insurmountable hill that never seems to end. these natives don’t realize that Lilith is trying to overcompensate for her perceived short comings and is on an endless tirade to prove(god) of her worthiness and power but in reflection to the natives this symbolizes a inner feeling of being inadequate or lacking in worth via their environment and their familial upbringing that is to be addressed before the native becomes engulfed in Lilith Dogma. these natives are as harsh as granite and can often struggle with the softer expression of sex and intimacy as they naturally detach and shut down emotionally from these things out of an instinctual need. That said the relationship with the children unlike their fourth house counterpart is not nearly as strained and is actually very close knit and loving. These natives give their children the world almost to compensate for what the native lacked as they themselves grew up. the kids come first in their lives, before the marriage partner and this can often cause a ripple in their marriages and one they don’t typically care to fix. these natives tend to have sharp peaks and ridges in the bone and can have rather great bone structure. under eye bags or just tightly clenched resting faces is common, beautiful smiles but these natives usually try not to smile in public.

(New Order - Leave Me Alone)

Lilith In The Eleventh House : The Millions of Lost Souls 

Lilith here is Many but also few. Here Lilith understands the human psyche, she understands its’s pains because she understand the worlds pain, she sees it’s cycle. These natives are Em-paths and have a very difficult time separating their woes from the woes of others. These natives can feel the emotions of others in such an intense way that it often feels like a shock or jolt that can energize or deplete them. These natives have a keen ability of harmonizing with whatever environment you place them in but can also create chaos there by crowding up the energies. Lilith here is like a battery constantly debilitating and then re-vitalizing the area around her postivley or negativity afflicting her environment. These natives tend to attract Lilith like friends whom are often, serious, sultry, provocative, reckless, anarchist, aggressive, shady, mysterious or downright evil. These natives are not naive, and tend to be very aware of their energy and how it manifest as a great many with this placement take on a very nomadic and free spirit. Many like to wear chakra stones, and jewelry that furthers their individualistic expression. The ankles and calves of the native tend to be darker then the rest of the body or remarkably sturdy. they may still have scars or just a abnormality to them. These natives make excellent runners and many gravitate towards the sport whilst others may pick up singing or artistic expression. Lilith here is more passive than she is a troublemaker, choosing more so to lay low and experiment with her own individual self then that of others. these natives can express themselves in ways that can turn society upside down, or greatly challenge the status quo. Gender normalties are lost on these natives as they don’t really identify themselves as anything in particular, rather they are energy, constantly shifting through the cosmos. These natives have a sharp tongue that can quickly turn poisonous yet they don’t actively rely on it. Due to Lilith being so self invested in this house very rarely will the dark side of this native produce any dangerous or malefic habits, rather they will seem calm and vulnerable to the world around them. sexually they can be very quirky and new-ons. they see intimacy as a gate way to exploring their raw and darker angel and transverse sexuality in stride. that being said these natives are very odd and perplexing in matters of romance and sex and can easily fly back and forth between wants and needs sexually as Lilith is really just testing the waters. the mind is deep but depressive and these natives can suffer mighty highs and strange lows from nowhere but never anything that debilitates them. these natives are very kind and balance self centered and people centered quite naturally through the help of Lilith.

(New Order - Guilty Partner)

Lilith In The Twelfth House : The Clouds where she Scram A Mighty Scream

Lilith in this house is chaos, the reasoning being that Lilith in this house is grappling with the idea of undoing and self manifested characterization. Lilith doesn’t face her actions she seeks to free herself from them and in karmic fashion the evil in her is sent spiraling back at her. These natives are sensual, calm, intimate, healing, clairvoyant, em-paths, spiritualist, pacifist, slaves of justice and human weakness yet they also manifest as unstable, counter-productive, stagnate, false, and stuck in their escapism. These natives are so afraid of themselves that it becomes an unconscious struggle between their Lilith and them as a person. this aspect plays out like a Demonic possession. The person can feel entangled, low energy, or bouts of hedonism, sexual obscurity, impulsive action, and substance abuse that are all out of character. The thing here is that Lilith in her attempt to commit a grand escape has a chain caught on the native causing her woes and anguishes to be randomly transferred to the native. in many ways this can create an alter ego for the native as the native gets hit with personality shifts that progressively deepen as they get older. the dreams can be very LILITH like and the mind itself and it’s inner psyche can feel like hovering voices, paranoia and dreams of sharing or not being in control of ones on desires and feelings or even actions. This aspect can create a person who can seem moody and unpredictable, especially when the urge to detach and disengage pops in, it can be impossible to stop these natives. the sexuality falls on a spectrum like with all humans but with Lilith's inhabitants their can be an unconscious desire to stay celibate or an association of trauma with sex. Men and women here could've been sexually abused or taken advantage of and their can be issues surrounding the “yes” or “no, i don’t want to” in sex that can make it a very blurred area for the native. Lilith may want aggression, passion and complete domination but the person may not truly resonate or desire that and may feel appalled or fear if the personalities switch during sex. these natives NEED a sensitive and compassionate lover who will guide them and nurture them, lovers who are chosen during the Lilith persona tend to worsen and deepen the wounds of this person causing a higher frequency of escapism. I CANNOT stress enough that parents who have kids with this placement, please ensure your child is well aware of the dangers of sex and try to keep them somewhat grounded in the area as some of the emotional trauma can start very early and these natives do sadly attract the worse of the worse mainly due to how violent and angry Lilith is to be resting in this house.  the natives can be seductive but its never intended, they can be provocative but it’s never something they are aware of. these natives are a mirror of the person who views them and can be a dream or nightmare but that is the power of Lilith here, even in her escape she creates a shadow in the clouds that can be anything the heart fears or wishes.  these natives can sleep for LONG hours and have a hard time waking up. The nightmares tend to be hard for them to awake from and can make the natives fear going to sleep all together. Insomnia is another manifestation later in life but is not the norm. the brain is powerful but repressed. the natives can be highly sensitive to hospitals or jails and usually attributes jails to danger and naturally stay away from them and out of trouble. these natives have a natural distrust of hospitals and vice versa as in many cases things go array or seem shadier than they should. that being said later in life hospitals are crucial for the native and therapy in it’s own way is very healing for the native. the desire to use sex as a coping mechanism is a dangerous possibility here and one that should be avoided at all costs. these natives are lovers not fighters and that is their loveliest quality but also their biggest weakness. unlike the other houses whom are fusions between the natives and Lilith this house is the only house besides the 11th house in which 11th and the native are separate and because of the natives emotional nature, Lilith readily devours them. These natives must learn to fight otherwise they will fall victim to Lilith's heavy presence. through their battle with Lilith these natives become remarkably strong, often powerful spiritualist and even stronger at protecting themselves from dark energy in their later years.

#Mine #Lilith in the houses

[itscarlawthac]

PLE Adventure

This is a blog entry to help PLE takers studying for the boards.

It is in the mindset. That powerful thinking that you will pass and so does your whole batch. I was very lucky to pass the PLE September 2019 together with my batchmates. We got that elusive 100%, we were ranked 1st together with Cebu Institute of Medicine and Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health. It was that idea of “No One Being Left Behind” and that mantra at the beginning of your review, will help each one of you. You will pull each other up, push each other to their limits and together you will all emerge victorious because you were in it to win it, TOGETHER.

First things first. How will you go about the studying process? Of course, you need a plan. My plan was of course is getting a slot from Topnotch Medical Review coz everyone is saying that they are the best. They have the highest percentile of passers. Plus, my boyfriend also suggested that to me. Knowing how he does not like studying and yet he passed, speaks volumes haha so choose well. You may opt to study on your own (I have batchmates who did), go with your medical school’s review (we had a refresher but I did not go) or other review centers (UST and Cracking the Boards). But for me, why risk it? This is not the NMAT where I could risk getting a low score (I studied by myself). This is it. It is now or never. Failure is not an option for me. I have been very lucky for every major examination I took (MaSci entrance exam, UPCAT, ACET, USTET, DLSUET, PLM CAT, NMAT) I have always passed. And for this exam, I could not rely on luck alone. I need a solid strategy and Topnotch did strategize well for all of us.

I enrolled in Topnotch and realized that there are a lot of good teachers out there. Different strategies being used in different medical schools. Different materials for studying. Different learning styles and teaching styles. I was amazed. My 2 day surgery lecture by Dr. Loubomir Antonio was enough to cram all 2 years of medschool surgery! The Anatomy lectures of Dr. Vibar were so helpful and organized! Biochemistry became easier and understandable because of THE Ronibats! And my favorite was Ian De Vera’s pedia lecture. The teachers were so good and they imported only the best from different schools. Listen and don’t take the lectures for granted even if you hear poor reviews from other classes! Attend and show up! They are high yield!

I rented a condo at San Juan together with 3 roomies from UERM (recommended by my college friend). They were so dedicated in studying so I was motivated! We did not chat much but instead focused on studying. I think that also helped because less distraction. I walk for 5 minutes to go to the lecture proper. We start at around 8am per session and usually finish by 7pm or depending on the schedule. The schedule was very flexible so you cannot really plot a definite plan. 

MY ROUTINE (Lecture Days): Wake up at 5am, fast shower, fast breakfast + prepare food for class, walk to the lecture place (arrive an hour before so that I can get good seats) then take morning coffee courtesy of topnotch, LECTURE, go home/grocery, dinner, answer 1 chapter of Robbins Pathology (3 hours), re-read lecture for the day til around 2am x repeat til cramming fest. aka PEARLS.

MY ROUTINE (Rest Days): Wake up at 10am, shower, STUDY, eat while STUDYING, sleep at 4am then repeat. Just read and read and read. That is all that is asked of you during these months. You focus and study so that you won’t be that person who won’t be happy at the wee hours of the morning when they release the list of passers. You study so you will have a face to show to your alma mater. So that you can attend the Thanksgiving mass. So that you can have your face placed in a tarpaulin. You study, and you study hard and smart.

Quality Time: Sometimes, I do go on study dates because my boyfriend would surprise me by coming all the way from Manila during weekdays! We go to Rob Mag or to the nearby cafe to study. He would then bring me back to the condo and he will be on duty the next day. That’s how we maintained our relationship for almost 2 months. He was preparing for his Residency In Service Exam while I prepare for the boards. *see my IG stories for my board dates hihi* My parents were very supportive as well. They visited me every week and we would go to different churches (Sta Clara, St Jude, Manaoag) and eat at Rob Mag or SM Sta Mesa whenever I need unwinding aka near breakdown. Because I swear there were moments where I would literally just cry and sulk. They would go to my condo ASAP whenever this would happen and for that I am very thankful to have the most supportive parents and boyfriend. Whenever I am in LP, my bestie would also join me to study. 

My resources: Topnotch reviewers (read it around 2-3x first reading for highlighting and fast reading, 2nd during the lecture, third reading for focused review), Robbins Review of Pathology (answer then check the rationale at the back), USMLE (to fully grasp the correlation between the anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology per system it is discussed in such a way that you would understand it better), IM Platinum (fast checking), Surgery Platinum, Legal Med Question Bank (during mini breaks), FM Platinum, PLM OB transes (best transes!).

At about a week before the actual exam, I went home to Las Pinas to focus so everyday I would go out and study at the nearby Starbs (which is my go to place here in LP). I would start at 10am until 8pm then continue cramming at home. By this time I am already reading the Pearls Handout and Q&As. My clerkship group would hold Q&A nights where anyone would ask questions and anyone could answer. It was our way to support each other and to check on what we might have missed that seemed important to others.

Topnotch would also coach you on how to properly answer the questions plus feed you and give you motivation. They won’t give you leakages but they promise to take care of you so that you won’t think of anything else but to study. 

Board Exam things to bring: your Notice of Admission, Mongol pencils, Stabilo/Staedtler eraser, Ballpoint pen, snacks aka empanada and candies and water, reviewers (for peace of mind when you check answers haha I know it’s not healthy but well...), clear envelope (1 big, 1 small -- trust me!), fan, paracetamol.

So there you have it, my sort of guide and story telling of my boards experience. If you want to ask me for specifics, you can message me here! Remember that this is the last hurdle before you reach your dreams (although residency is so tough!). Pass the boards and you will have the freedom to do as you desire. May it be pursuing residency, work as Doctor to the Barrio, go moonlighting, or starting a family, when you get that MD after your name for real, you can be anyone you want.

That’s it for now. I’ll go on duty in a few hours. Keep safe. Wear masks.

#medexperience #PRC #PLE #doctor #board exam

[heylindragonofmetal]

Muse Playlists!

Not part of the og rules, but the songs I have boldened and italicized (n' have linked as a playlist for convenience >here<) are ones I consider damn near VITAL to understanding my Jack's characterization, and I highly encourage anyone who has the time to listen!!! They're just bops also, groove with me

MAIN:  Who I Am - The Score // Toy Box - Insane Clown Posse // Hokus Pokus - Insane Clown Posse // X - Poppy // This New Shit Is Bananas - Marilyn Manson & Gwen Stefani // Numb 80′s Remix - Linkin Park // Pathologic Classic HD Main Menu Theme - ??? // Informer - Snow // Little Fang - Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks //

SILLY:  Time Warp - The Rocky Horror Show (London 2015) // Turn The Lights Off - Tally Hall // Touch Tone Telephone - Lemon Demon // Chop Chop Slide - Insane Clown Posse // La Vie Boheme A&B - RENT // The Hallowissa Song - Twaims // 

DETERMINATION:  Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes // Back In Black - AC/DC // I Disagree - Poppy // Demon Speeding - Rob Zombie // Fight The War - Kittie Harloe // Phenomenon - Thousand Foot Krutch // Stay - The Score // Sick Individual - Halestorm // Never Going Back - The Score // Na Na Na - My Chemical Romance //

BATTLE:  You’re Going Down - Sick Puppies // Under The Pressure - The Score // Legend - The Score // RISE - The Glitch Mob, Mako, The Word Alive // T.N.T. -AC/DC // Burn It To The Ground - Nickleback // Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine // Final Girl - GraveyardGuy ft. Slayyyter // Lambada - T-Fest X Skriptonite // Asshole - hooligan chase // The Wolf - Saimes //

SAD:  All About You - WARR!OR // TwoTime - Jack Stauber // Crash - Neovaii // Running With The Wolves - AURORA // Meet Me In The Woods - Lord Huron // Cradles - sub urban // Wolf - First Aid Kit //

RELAXED:  The Moon Will Sing - The Crane Wives // Dear Fellow Traveler - Sea Wolf // Thus Always To Tyrants - The Oh Hellos // Soldier, Poet, King - The Oh Hellos // Runaway - AURORA // 

HAPPY:  Cum on Feel the Noize - Quiet Riot // You Can’t Stop The Beat - Hairspray // Off To See The World - Lukas Graham // Don’t Stop Now - Daniel Rojas ft. Michelle Gonzalez // Looking Better - Jackson Breit // It’s All Good - Robbie Nevil // Wild Side - ALI // Thank You - MKTO //

HARD WORK: (same as Determination)

LOVE THEME:  Never Ever Getting Rid of Me - Waitress // Kissing Strangers - DNCE ft. Nicki Minaj // Looking Better - Jackson Breit // Casual Sex - My Darkest Days // Love Love Love - Of Monsters and Men // Crush Culture - Conan Gray // Killer - The Ready Set // Animal - AURORA // Start A Fire - Ryan Star // S.E.X. - Nickleback // She’s a Big Boy - McBaise // One Time - Marian Hill // 

HEARTBREAK:  Just Like You - Three Days Grace // Love Love Love - Of Monsters and Men // Crush Culture - Conan Gray //

FAILURE/DEFEAT:  Miracle - The Score // BAD KARMA - Axel Thesleff // Stronger - Kelly Clarkson // 

FINAL BATTLE:  Glory - The Score // Natural - Imagine Dragons // Rodan - Godzilla KOTM OST //

Tagged by: @heylincorporated

Tagging: steal it steal it!!!!

#《 that's brilliant! why didn't i think of that? 》 {ask memes} #@ i'm still evil right down to my greedy black heart. @ {self} #((i spent a whole afternoon sifting my pirated toons for this and ive come to realize i truely do have the music taste of a crackhead

[lookbackswift]

HI TAYLOR!! i’m in the cook islands at the moment so i can’t say much because data is limited but i thought i’d give you a quick update !! life has been overall getting better over the past two ish weeks !! i got my drivers license!!!!!!!! so now i can drive on my own!! i was super stressed about this holiday because there’s several families here and there’s two other girls my age! i’ve known them since i was born but we only really see them on these 5 year holidays! but we’ve all clicked super well which is so great!! the weather here hasn’t been the greatest though which absolutely sucks! this morning when i woke up it was pouring down rain!! aNd it’s our last full day here sO that absolutely sucks,,,,, school starts back on monday and i’m HIGHKEY stressing. i start year 12 which is my final year of high school and thats just absolutely terrifying! after school i want to be a camp counsellor at an american summer camp for a semester (half the year) and then come back and start my university course degree in hopefully speech pathology!! or possibly a vet nurse !! but i’m not sure if my family will have the money to send me over there and if they’ll let me go to another country and live there for a few months BUT i’m really really really really hoping it all works out!! OMG AND!! there’s a 99% chance i’ll be coming to lover fest at the gillette stadium!!! dani is buying me a ticket and we’re going to go from there because my dad said you can’t go without a ticket but if it doesn’t work out then we can always sell the ticket!! but i have very high hopes that it will all work out because my dad has a lot of customers in america, so he can do a lot of work while we’re over there !!!!!!!! i’m hoping i get to finally meet all the wonderful people i talk to online !!! oh and ! on this holiday, i wore a bikini without board shorts for the first time in like ?!?7years?!? maybe more?!? and i’m so proud of myself! my body is something i absolutely hate and i was stepping way way out of my comfort zone and i’m so glad i did! sOo i think you’re all caught up !!!! how was your day? i hope you’re getting enough rest!!! and eating all the right food !!! hopefully i can see you soon?? @taylorswift i luv u!! and i miss u !!

[pathologicfest]

Digest for Day Fifteen of PathoFest: «Belated Flowers»

✨ PATHOLOGIC FEST ✨

Digest for Day Fifteen of PathoFest: «Belated Flowers», with all works from ALL platforms (Twi, Inst, VK, Tumblr) 🌾

Let's enjoy!

P.S. If suddenly you participated, but you are not in digest now - please write to us, we'll be happy to add you. We ourselves, for example, are sometimes ignored by our own tag :)

Art in post by Shaidis

#pathologic fest #pathologic_fest #моросентябрь #art #info post #pathologic fest digest #pathologic works digest #all pathologic fest works #Day Fifteen: Belated Flowers #Belated Flowers

[wierdogal]

Storybrooke Hyperion Teaching Hospital

Summary: Adam Gold, head of Diagnostic Medicine at Storybrooke Hyperion Teaching Hospital and notorious workaholic, gets a gift. Peaple wonder where it came from.Or a HOUSE MD inspired Rumbelle story.

Rumbelle is Hope time! :) Here's an update to our Rumbelle HOUSE MD version.

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [AO3]

Belle was nervous and excited as the people from the publishing company and the publishing world in general arrived at the last stop of her book tour which the publishers have turned into a sort of celebratory party. The book itself was getting a lot of press and reviews were all positive. It was projected that she’d reach a million sales soon.

Belle just wished she could share the night with someone who was currently working at the Storybrooke Hyperion Teaching Hospital.

“Why the face?” asked her editor, Merida Dunbroch. “Grab a glass and celebrate Belle!”

Belle did just that and Merida gave her an unamused look. “Seriously? You’re about to--”

“I know, I know,” said Belle as she smiled. “Sorry, it’s just--”

“You’re missing your silver-fox Sherlock Holmes,” said Merida as she looped her arm around Belle’s and led her to a table. “I get it. But you’ll see him soon enough and you’ve been what? Video calling each other every night since you went on your book tour.”

Belle glared at her but knew that Adam Gold would have wanted her to enjoy the night. It was just a little too difficult to enjoy something without him.

He was supposed to fly out but the fiance of Elsa’s sister was admitted to the hospital and everyone was pretty stumped as to what could be ailing the young man. Gold kept her updated, and it seemed Elsa was suffering under the pressure of being the doctor for someone she cared about and it was taking a toll.

“Come one then,” said Merida. “The sooner this party ends, the sooner you can call him.”

xXx

“Look at that,” said Gold as he tossed the patient’s file across the table. “Case closed. Anyone buying lunch? Isn’t it your turn Jaf?”

“I just bought us pizza the other day!” complained Jaf as he gathered the different test results of their recently cured patient to write up his paperwork.

“My treat,” said Elsa as they all turned to her in surprise. “What? I insisted we treat the patient--”

“Who happened to be your soon to be brother-in-law,” said Nimue.

“Point,” said Elsa with a small smile. “My saying thanks for saving his life.” She turned to Gold who usually didn’t appreciate those kinds of gestures, but Elsa was a good doctor and an even better person. Gold just nodded and left them to decide what to get as he headed to his office.

He was a bit surprised that Elsa followed him. “I’m just hungry. Get whatever you like.”

“Um, I left that to Jaf,” began Elsa as she refused to meet his eye. “Listen, Gold, I--”

Gold raised his hand. “You were right. If you didn’t push us to keep him for observation, your sister wouldn’t have a fiance.”

“If you hadn’t persuaded Dr. Mills, you mean,” said Elsa, finally lifting her head to meet his eye. “I heard her telling Neal about it.”

“I was curious,” replied Gold with a shrug.

“Thanks all the same,” replied Elsa with a smile. “In all honesty, Anna thinks I’m some sort of brilliant doctor but I couldn’t even keep a steady head when someone I care about was admitted. I guess I needed the wake-up call.”

It had been a stressful case, doubly so for Elsa as she couldn’t separate the role of being a family member and the role of being the doctor. And so she refused to see Anna and Kristoff until she finally had the diagnosis, for fear of letting them down. It had taken Gold’s threat of taking her off the case unless she went and visited her sister to finally make her move past the doubt that she was a capable doctor and finally help narrow down what was wrong with Kristoff.

“That’s the thing about being a doctor,” said Gold as he leaned his cane on the desk. “We’re there for complete strangers and yet we tend to forget to be there for the people that matters.”

Elsa nodded, knowing fully well where Gold was coming from. “Yeah, about that…” She reached into her coat pocket and handed him an envelope. “I know someone from the airline, they rebooked your ticket, free of charge.”

Gold’s eyes widened as he opened the envelope. “Elsa--”

They all knew Gold was supposed to leave for New York the previous day but had stayed on knowing that the team, Elsa more so, needed his input on the case. It hadn’t even been an argument as Elsa found him in the pathology department doing the test on Kristoff’s blood himself.

“We’ve got you covered,” said Elsa with a smile. “You still have your bag and I’m pretty sure Neal wouldn’t mind driving you to the airport.”

“Oh he doesn’t,” said Neal right on cue as he entered the office, tossing his father a folder. “From Regina, she says it’s a gift. All expenses paid by the hospital. Just make sure to attend at least one thing from the conference.”

Gold laughed as he got his bag and turned to Elsa. “You’re in charge.” Gold got his coat and turned to leave the office but stopped and looked back at Elsa. “Thank you, Elsa. Just for the record, you are a brilliant doctor. Don’t let yourself say otherwise.”

xXx

The party was just starting and people were eating, conversing and have the absolute best night. Well, almost everyone.

Belle had been trying to get a hold of Gold for the past half hour and the man’s phone was turned off. Belle tried Neal but again no answer. She hoped Elsa’s brother-in-law (soon to be anyway) was alright. When both Gold men weren’t answering, that usually meant a bad case.

Belle sighed and looked around. Almost everyone that had passed by her had offered words of congratulations and idle chit chat. Not that she wasn’t particularly keen on talking to people, she just didn’t feel like it when all she wanted to do was go home and be embraced by the man she--

“Is this seat taken?”

Belle’s heart skipped a beat as she turned to see a very handsome man wearing one of her favourite suits of his standing by her chair.

“Yes it is,” replied Belle as she offered him the card. “It’s reserved for my plus one, a Dr. Adam Gold.”

“What a coincidence,” said Adam as he gently kissed the back of her hand. “My name is also Adam Gold and I’m also a doctor.”

“A grand coincidence since my plus one was caught up with a case,” said Belle, raising an eyebrow at him.

“You know, we are utter rubbish at this,” said Gold with a laugh as he finally sat down beside her. “Elsa’s future brother-in-law is going to be fine. Solved the case a few hours ago.”

“Glad you were able to get on another flight,” said Belle as she kissed him on the lips, the many months apart finally coming to a close. “Best news I’ve had all day, even better than the book reaching a million sales.”

“Oh I think I have one even better,” said Gold, in between kisses. “Regina has forced me to attend a medical conference here for the week. Room’s been paid for and I only have to attend at least one talk from the damn bore fest.”

“Bore fest?” asked Belle in amusement. “You are spending way too much time with your grandson.”

“How was I supposed to use my time when my girlfriend was too busy being an amazing, successful writer?” asked Gold as Belle thought of it for a moment.

“Well,” replied Belle as she all but dragged him from his chair. “Maybe we should put that hotel room to good use.”

#rumbelle is hope #rumbelleishope #rumbelle fic #rumplestiltskin #belle french #wierdo writes

[mbbsadmissionabroad]

It’s Time You Make an Informed Choice and Secure a Bright Future

Many people are often confused regarding which college to choose when it comes to choosing the best universities in the Philippines. This post tries to clear that out by comparing the top universities in several important factors.

ACADEMICS

In terms of academics, the Davao Medical College leaves no stone unturned to make it innovative and interesting for the students. This is ensured by focussing on the practical. Along with the most updated in-class learning in modern smart classes, students are made to work in: -

Simulation Labs

Anatomy Dissection Centres

State-of-the-art laboratories

It covers disciplines like Pathology, Psychology, Neuroscience, General medicine, Physiology, etc.

On the other hand, the Bicol Christian College of Medicine also possesses the above qualities, while covering the following disciplines: -

Bachelor of Dental Medicine

Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology

Bachelor of Science in Midwifery

Master of Medicine

EXTRACURRICULARS

The extracurriculars that the Davao Medical College mainly focuses on is sports, which include: -

Basketball

Volleyball

Badminton

Athletics

Football

Swimming Pool

It also has a gymnasium to promote a healthy and active lifestyle within the campus. This is in addition to the cultural fests and sports meets conducted almost every year.

As far as the Bicol Christian College of Medicine is concerned, it also has all the amenities available that are mentioned above . Apart from this, there is also an on-campus theatre that also serves as a multipurpose hall for a variety of events (both educational and leisurely).

FEES

In this aspect, it won’t be wrong to say that the Bicol Christian College of Medicine is a more affordable option for the students. It charges a total of approximately INR 15-16 Lakh for the entire 4-year MD course as well as the 1.5 years of the Basic Science Course. Moreover, this is inclusive of all the requisite charges (tuition, accommodation+meals, etc.)

If we take a look at the Davao Medical College Philippines fees, it stands at a total of INR 22-23 lakh. However, this is for the entirety of the 5.5-year MD program offered by this university. One should also keep in mind that this is just the tuition fee; other charges aren’t included.

Neither of these universities take any donations or capitation fees.

RANKING

The Davao Medical College has constantly featured in the top rankings across the Philippines. In fact, it’s national ranking as of late was Rank 6 out of all universities in the country.

On the other hand, the Bicol Christian College of Medicine does not anywhere close to the above as far as ranking is concerned. It’s ranked 84th across the Philippines. However, surprisingly, it’s ranked higher than the above globally (comes under the top 10,000 unlike Davao).

Source: https://bit.ly/2XE7wIQ

#Davao Medical College Philippines #davao medical college #mbbs #mbbsabroad #mbbs fees #mbbs admission

[distant-rose]

A Once and Future Thing (5/7)

Notes: Sorry this took so long! I know I haven’t updated since October but shit has been going on and this took a back burner. I’m hoping to finish this story up by the end of March. This chapter is a complete angst fest. Apologies for the typos and grammar mistakes in this. I was editing this slightly drunk and stoned because I’m on holiday and couldn’t wait for this to be updated. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. Special thanks to be my favorite ladies @welllpthisishappening​  and @katie-dub​.  Summary: Beth’s quest for vengeance against her boyfriend’s killer goes a bit haywire when she and her former best friend Jim Hawkins are sent into thirty years into the past. Now, they must figure out how to find a way back to the future without wrecking the first meeting between Beth’s parents, Emma Swan and Killian Jones. Rating: T+ Chapters: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Epilogue | Coda I  Word Count: 9,100+

Beth Jones felt like she had been through the night from hell; an invisible person had put a jack hammer to her skull and there was a distinct cottony taste in her mouth. It seemed like she had been put through the wringer and her wrists felt like tenderized burger meat. From what she could tell she was still outside due to scratchiness against her cheek and the pungent smell of grass.

She groaned and tried to push herself up; only she couldn’t because her wrists were once again bound with thick rope. She gritted her teeth, anger coiling in her stomach.

It was dark and well into the night considering the chill and the dew forming on her clothes. She was laying on the outskirts of a makeshift camp, judging by the small fire burning and the vague shapes of sleeping bodies not too far from it. A familiar heavy leather coat had been placed over her and she knew just from the smell that it was Jim’s. She immediately scanned her surroundings, looking for him. She didn’t have to look very far.

“Glad you could join us in the world of the living…”

He wasn’t looking at her. He was sitting on a log with his sword resting against his thigh. He was cleaning what appeared to be some sort of decaying matter off of it. His brow was furrowed in mock concentration as he rubbed at the steel with a dirty rag. She knew from experience that he could do it in his sleep. He had been waiting for her.

“You fucking asshole.”

“No need to be nasty.”

“You roofied me, you whoreson.”

“My mother kept inns, but she certainly wasn’t a whore. Kindly keep her out of your insults,” he replied in a light tone.

“Alright. Fine. You still roofied me, you lowlife lying sack of shit warmed over.”

“Much more creative. And I like to think of it more as saving your life rather than, what was it? Roofying you?”

“Saving my life?” she repeated dubiously, pushing her knees for forward and pulling herself into a kneeling position. It was an awkward feat considering her tied hands.

“Aye. You were getting emotional and nearly compromised the en-everything. Knocking you out was the best course of action.”

“Oh my god!” she let out a humorless laugh. “Fuck you.”

“You can swear at me all you like, but you know I’m right.”

“Suck a dick.”

“Bit inexperienced with that, but I’m sure you could give me pointers.”

“I hate you.”

“I don’t believe that for a second,” he replied, tone changing as he regarded her seriously. “I’m probably the only person you haven’t actively tried to push out of your life…”

She flopped backwards, kicking out her legs and staring up at the sky. She was silent for a moment before she lifted up her bound wrists and shaking them.

“And what do you call this? Saving my life still?”

“Nope. It’s saving mine.”

“Right,” she laughed. The sound was bitter and angry. “You realize that this isn’t going to hold me for very long, right?”

“Oh no. This isn’t designed to detain you, love. I wouldn’t be so stupid as to believe that would hold you indefinitely. Just trying to keep you occupied while you cool your heels a bit.”

“Cool my heels? Do you think I’m a child that you can just put in time out?” she spat.

“Do you really want me to answer that honestly?”

His nonchalant demeanor made her blood boil. Her jaw worked silently as she tried not to lunge at him. It was best not to strike him out in her anger. Waiting and jumping him when he least expected it would be the best course of action. Her revenge would be swift and just.

She let out a heavy breath through her nose as she took a moment to collect herself.

“How long was I out?” Beth asked after a moment.

“Two days. You missed a lot. Walking corpses. Kidnapped princesses. Mulan going crazy. I’m pretty sure she fancies Aurora. A new quest.”

She grunted in response; still pissed at him. The mention of zombies did pique her interest though. Jim watched her, obviously waiting for her to comment. She huffed and made an impatient gesture for him to continue with her bound hands.

“We learned that Aurora and somehow Snow are capable of talking to some bloke in another realm named Henry while they’re sleeping? I’m afraid I’m not entirely versed on how that works, I’m afraid…That level of magic is beyond me…. Anyway, there is apparently something in the Dark One’s cell that they need and somehow they think it’s how they’re going to beat a witch named Cora…”

“You’re going to have to rewind a bit on the Wikipedia summary because I’m totally lost. Because of you,” Beth replied in annoyance, fingers twitching. She really wanted to use her hands. It wasn’t until now that she realized just how much she used her hands while talking. The situation was beginning to try on the last of her patience. “All I got was something about zombies, Sleeping Beauty nonsense and a lesbian showdown.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “A lesbian showdown? How the hell did you get that from what I just said?” 
 “I don’t know. You’re the one who brought up people fancying people. I’m just the poor girl who got roofied like she was at her first rush party.”

“Sometimes I think you insist on using such inane language with the purpose of deliberately making me cross. I have no bloody idea what ‘roofied’ means.”

“Yeah, if you’re just catching on to that then I can’t help you,” she snorted. “And, roofied is a term used to describe the act of drugging poor unsuspecting bystanders who trust you and end up with shit memory because you’re a dickbag.”

“That’s definitely not what happened!” he shouted, affronted.

“It is.” Her tone brokered no argument. “Now give me the Sparknotes again.”

“Sparknotes?”

“Jesus Christ, just give me the play-by-play.”

“I swear it’s like you’re speaking Greek every time you talk.”

“And sometimes I think I’m in a Shakespeare in the Park production when you speak but we won’t talk about that.”

“Greek, love. Bloody Greek.”

“Not your love,” she spat. “Especially not right now. Just tell me everything I missed.”

“You really are quite furious with me, aren’t you?”
 Beth grunted as she pulled herself back into a sitting position. Her lips were twisted into a permanent scowl.

“Did you expect me to just move on in five seconds? Fuck no. I’m pissed and I’m going to stay pissed at you for the next…well, not the next anything. Probably forever. Because you’re a shithead who did shitty things.”

“Well, if you’re just gonna stew like a child, I’m not gonna tell you anything. I may have knocked you out, but don’t forget who got us into this mess.”
 “Yeah, Circe.”

“You can’t blame everything on Circe, love.”

“Watch me.”

Jim sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This isn’t getting us anywhere…”

“I’m fully aware of that. Just tell me what happened already,” she snapped.

“Okay, okay. Well, I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that your little tantrum was over nothing. Daddy dearest is alive and well. And apparently, helped rescue Aurora.”

“What?”

“Well, your mom…who is like you except a thousand times more closed off…I wanna didn’t even think was possible, but it is. Apparently, she told some giant to keep him up there for ten hours to give us a head start. So, no. She didn’t leave him to die.” He was using that tone again. The one a schoolteacher used when disciplining an unruly child. It was one of the few condescending things he liked to do that made her rage. She had the strongest urge to deck him.

“There’s an ‘us’ now?” She couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her tone.

“Well, of course. I mean, these ladies are our best bet to get home. They seem like an honorable bunch.”

“They practically hogtied us!”

“Well, considering two of them share genetics with you, it was kinda a given. You lot seem to have that habit,” he replied, raising his eyebrows at her significantly.

She couldn’t stop the blush that rose to her cheeks at the comment, thinking back on the night she met him. He had been gracious; helping her out a tight spot with some rather nasty men and even offering to help her get home for a small fee. She had returned his generosity with suspicion and when he had fallen asleep that night in his chair after giving her his bed, she had tied him to it and interrogated him. He had been calm and collected during her intense line of questioning and she had been secretly impressed by it. He earned her trust and admiration after answering her questions fully and truthfully without once yelling for help.

“Whatever,” she said, banishing the memories from her mind. “What else?”
 “So, after I knocked you out. I had to do some explaining for your freak out. As you can understand they were quite suspicious of your reaction, considering how we denied knowing Hook….”

“Oh Jesus Christ, what did you tell them? You’re the worst liar I know. There’s no way my mom didn’t sniff you out! I barely pass her inspection.”

“You know most people prize honesty? Being a pathological liar isn’t a good thing, Elizabeth.”

“It is in our line of work. Now, what did you tell her?”

“Well, I said that Hook knew your father and he was your last link to him. And that you were separated from him and trying to one day get back to him.”

“Huh. That’s shockingly not terrible as I thought it was gonna be.”

“Still not sure she bought it.”

“Oh, I don’t believe she did for a second. It’s still a shit lie.”

“I thought it was pretty decent, Elizabeth Swann,” he replied, emphasizing the mock surname. She narrowed her eyes.

“Do you want forgiveness or not? Because that’s not how you’re gonna did it,” she said flatly.

“I’m going to be the adult here and not rehash that argument. Anyway, they made me carried you. For two days. And you’re disturbing light. I’ve carried rum barrels heavier than you.”

“Seriously, save the dad lecture for another time.”

“Don’t think I’m going to forget it,” he said seriously. “But yeah, we found out about the trump item in the Dark One’s cell from this Henry bloke. And that apparently everyone seems to trust his information.”

“Of course, they do. That’s my oldest brother.”

“Sorry, love, you have more brothers than I can count. Forgive me if I don’t remember all of their names,” he replied sarcastically.

“I have four,” she replied with a roll of her eyes. “You’ve memorized hundreds of constellations, but you can’t remember four names? Unbelievable.”

“It’s not like they’re my family, Elizabeth.”

“Yeah, but they’re mine and I’m basically your best friend.”

“You are definitely not my best friend. Maybe I’m yours but you’re certainly not mine.”

“Oh yeah? That who is?”

There was a long pause on Jim’s end.

“Felkin?” She didn’t miss how it came out like a question.

“You mean your first mate? Ummmm, no. Crew doesn’t count. They’re crew.”

“Why does crew not count?”

“Because they’re kissing your ass for favors.”

“They do not kiss my ass. My crew has tried to replace me as captain eight times. Three of them were your fault!”

“That’s because you’re a big softie. I’ve only been challenged once. Never heard a peep of rebellion since.”

“Well, that’s because your crew thinks you’re batshit fucking crazy. And they aren’t wrong.”

“Are you calling me crazy?”

“No, I’m calling you batshit fucking crazy. Huge difference.”

She pursed her lips. Normally she would have tossed a witty remark back at him by now, but she had nothing. There was a part of her that agreed with him. She wasn’t sure how long ago she and her sanity parted ways but all she knew was its absence. She was a mad dog chasing a poison bone and worse, she was aware of it.

“You’re not disputing it….interesting.”

“I just don’t see the point,” she replied with a heavy sigh. “This conversation changes nothing.”

He studied her for a long moment. She couldn’t help but squirm under his gaze. Jim Hawkins had the most intense pair of eyes that she had ever encounter; deep grey and piercing. Sometimes it seemed like they were capable of examining her soul.

“You’re cold,” he said after a moment.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re a liar.”

“I’m not lying,” she hissed.

“You’re always lying, Elizabeth.” His statement was followed by a tired sigh.

She turned away from him, hiding her flinching reaction to his words. It hurt more than she had imagined; a small invisible knife twisted into her gut.

There was movement on his end, but she did her best to ignore it. She didn’t want to talk anymore. However, that option became impossible as he settled right next to her, the hairs on her neck prickling at his closeness.

“What are you doing?”

“Keeping you warm,” he replied, taking his coat off her shoulders and pulling her against him. He rearranged the coat so that it was draped over both of them. Even as his warmth enveloped her, she stiffened at the contact.

“I didn’t ask you to do this,” she hissed between clenched teeth.

“I would never expect you to. You enjoy making yourself miserable.”

“Fuck you, Jim.” It didn’t hold the same heat that it normally did.

“You’re most welcome, Elizabeth.” He placed a faint whisper of a kiss against her crown. “Try and get some sleep.”

“Sleep? I just woke up from a two-day impromptu nap. All thanks to you.”

“We have a long day of trekking to some super-secret Dark One dungeon tomorrow. You’re gonna need all the rest you can get,” he replied, tracing the length of her basilic vein on her right arm.

“Do you have any idea what they’re supposed to be procuring?” She asked, hating how sleepy her voice sounded. Between the warmth radiating off his body, the soothing of the soft patterns he was etching in her skin and the darkness that surrounded them, she was fighting to keep her eyes open.

“I believe a vial of squid ink.”

Beth snorted.

“I have like two vials on me. If you hadn’t knocked me out, I would have been able to tell you that.”

Jim paused in his ministrations.

“It’s probably for the best that you keep your squid ink to yourself, love. There’s no telling what ramifications it will have on the past.”

“You’re not gonna knock me out again, are you?”

“As long as you don’t endanger the future and yourself again. I don’t take any joy from it.”

“Sure, you don’t,” she snarked back half-heartedly. “You realize allowing me to use you as a portable heater doesn’t save you from my wrath, right?”

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

“Good. Because I’m going to punch you in your stupidly perfect jaw.”

“Stupidly perfect?”

“It is. Absurdly stupid.”

“I will take your word for it.”

“As you should,” she replied with a small yawn.

“You always try to take the last word, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

That was the last bit of conversation she remembered before shutting her eyes and snuggling into his warmth. The next thing she knew, she was being kicked awake by Mulan.

“Ouch.” Beth glared up at the warrior blearily. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re a people person?”

“No.”

“Good. Because you really aren’t. You know, most people go for the gentle shake before using the boot.”

“Had to make sure the pirate wasn’t lying about you just being knocked out. Didn’t want us carrying around a corpse. They tend to get ripe after a few days.”

“I’m aware. And as you can see, I’m alive and well, thank you very much.”

“Pity. I was hoping we were finally going to get rid of some dead weight,” Mulan replied with a small grunt before turning on her heel and heading back to talk to Snow.

“Well, if that isn’t the rudest fucking thing I’ve ever heard,” she muttered under her breath.

Beth glanced down at her bound hands again. In the light of day, it was now obvious how raw and blistered her skin was from being constantly tied up for the last few days. She twisted her wrists experimentally to gage the damage, hissing as one of her sore reopened and blood trickled down her forearm.

She turned to Jim, who was currently occupying himself with rearranging the items in the pockets of his giant brown leather coat.

“Hey, J. Mind doing me a solid and, you know, getting these off me?”

He didn’t look up from his work, but the length of his shoulders stiffened.

“Not sure that’s a good idea, love.”

“What do you mean it’s not a good idea?” she hissed at him.

“They may have some fleeting sense of trust towards me, but that doesn’t necessarily extend to you.”

“Well, then put in a good word for me.”

“And risk the progress I’ve made so far?”

“Jim…” There was a sense of warning in her tone. He finally looked up from the coat on his lap and fixed her with a cool look, entirely unfazed by the silent threat.

“Elizabeth.”

“Ask them to untie me.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s painful. And annoying. And is entirely pointless since I’m on their side.”

“I’m not sure I should.”

She gritted her teeth at his response. In her head, she silently counted down from ten to keep from screaming. “And why is that?”
 “There’s no telling what you’ll do when you’re free.”

“I already told you. I’m gonna punch you in your stupid jaw and we’re gonna figure out how the fuck we’re going to get back home.”

“That’s not giving me a lot of incentive to help you.”

This time she didn’t hold back her frustration, letting out a loud angry noise from the back of her throat and slamming her fists against her thigh. When he merely raised his eyebrows in response, she narrowed her eyes at him before deciding to pull out the big gun.

“James Leland Hawkins.”

A look of shock flittered across his face at the sound of his given name. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, but she caught it nonetheless. There wasn’t a person alive who called him that. The one person who did was long gone, buried in a pauper’s grave back in Montressor. Beth watched as his hand immediately went into the base of his throat, fingering the heavy pendant that lay there.

“Elizabeth…”

“James. Ask them. Now.”

He was silent for a moment, fingers tracing the design etched across the silver absently.

“A please would go along way. Manners do maketh man.”

“In the words of Eowyn, I’m no man,” she retorted.

“Sex-wise, you are not but I highly doubt you were raised without manners.”

“Do you realize my father was a pirate, right?”

“So you keep reminding us all,” he responded with a sarcastic smile. “A please won’t kill you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I’m getting quite tired of this game. You want my help, you will ask me properly instead of demanding it of me like a spoiled child.”

She nearly flinched at his tone, but schooled her expression. She wanted to argue against his “spoiled child” comment but it wouldn’t get her anywhere. Her fingers twitched as sh felt another compulsion to run them through her hair.

“Would you ask them to untie me…please?”

“That wasn’t hard, was it?”

She merely gave him a sardonic smile in response. He chuckled humorlessly before standing and placing his coat on her lap, dusting dirt off his trousers.

“I’ll go talk to your mother,” he said. Despite his words, he didn’t move from his spot. He stared at her, waiting for something. It took her a moment to realize what exactly he wanted from her.

She let out a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. “Thank you.”

“Manners, Elizabeth, go long way.”

“Seriously, the dad routine is getting old.”

“Not your father but growing up would do you a world of good,” he replied calmly before turning on his heel and walking back towards where Emma and Snow were packing up.

“I am grown up,” she muttered petulantly under her breath as she watched him talk to her not-yet-mother and grandmother.

Jim had a gift for diplomacy that Beth lacked. Where she was skilled at inciting riots and taking things by deception, Jim could assuage even the most heated of debates. He knew what to say and had saved her ass from the fire more times than she could count.

With that being said, Emma and Snow did not look impressed by his arguments. Beth had long since become an excellent study in her mother’s expressions and the one she currently was wearing did not bode well. It was generally the look she got whenever Wes had made something explode and was trying to talk his way out of trouble. On top of that, Snow had taken her “I’m not buying this bullshit” stance, arms crossed in front of her chest and left foot tapping impatiently.

Beth caught Emma’s eye over his shoulder and a sense of panic she hadn’t felt since she was a teenager took hold of her. She wanted to look away but she froze. Emma pushed Jim out of her way even as he continued talking, heading straight towards her with a determined set to her jaw. She stopped a few feet in front of her.

“You’ve been telling me half-truths since the beginning,” Emma said shortly. “Tell me one thing that isn’t bullshit.”

“I have no intention in harming you,” she replied. “Ever.”

“You want us to let you go. Why should we?”

“I can help.”

Emma narrowed her eyes at her like she didn’t believe her. She crouched down on her knees so that she could look Beth straight in the eye. She pulled out her sword and laid it across her palm. If she was trying to intimidate her, she was failing miserably. If Beth lunged forward for her weapon, Emma wouldn’t have time to hold it correctly.

“I’m going to ask you a series of questions. If you lie, I’m not just gonna keep you tied up, I’m going to tie you to a tree and leave you behind. Understood?”

“Crystal.”

“What is your name? Your real name this time.”

“Elizabeth. That wasn’t a lie. Though some know me by my more colorful moniker. Black Beth.”

“That’s original,” Emma replied sarcastically. “Pirate nicknames don’t seem creative. Captain Hook. Black Beth. Let me guess, your buddy back there is Grey Eyed Jack. Now, what do you want?”

“For you to set me loose.”

“Not what I asked.” Emma narrowed her eyes at her.

“Pardon me but that is what you asked and I answered honestly.”

“Don’t be a smart ass. What do you want most in the world?”

“To kill the bitch who murdered the man I loved. But right now, I would settle to getting back to where I belong.”

“And where is that?”

“My ship.”

“Where is your ship?”

“Far, far, far away from here.”

“And how do you plan on getting to your ship?” Emma responded, gripping her sword now.

“I have absolutely no fucking idea.”

“Do you plan to steal the compass to get back to it?”

Beth blinked. Using the compass hadn’t even crossed her mind. Would it work for time travel as well as it would for inter-dimensional travel? She had absolutely no idea but she refused to follow that line of thought. Her parents needed that compass to go back to Storybrooke. If she took it for her own, there was no telling if they would be able to get back to where they were needed and who knew what effects that would have on the future.

“No. I’m not sure it would work for my purposes.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Because you took us prisoner. I’m not sure if you remember but you’ve kinda been dragging us over God’s green earth against our will. I was perfectly content to part ways without bloodshed.”

“Final question. Are you in league with Cora?”

“I’m afraid I’m not familiar with her.”

“The Queen of Hearts? The Evil Queen’s mother? Witch bitch extraordinaire? That ringing any bells?”

“Vaguely but no. I have never met the woman in my life.”

Emma studied her a moment before yanking Beth’s waists forward. She took the sword and began a rough sawing motion with it that made Beth’s arms shake.

“If you pull anything, we will end you.”

“Duly noted.”

Beth grinned as the rope loosened and she took a moment to touch each wrist gingerly. There was an impressive amount of damage on both wrists, but nothing that a little rum and cloth couldn’t patch up. Immediately her eyes cut over to Jim who had been watching mother and future daughter interact. She pushed his jacket off her lap.

“Excuse me for a moment,” she said briskly to Emma as she got up. “I have some unfinished business.”

Rising to her feet, she made an immediate beeline over to Jim. A knowing look crossed his face but he didn’t move, not even an inch, as Beth rolled up her sleeve and hit him with a closed fist. He didn’t stumble as much as take a step back, giving her an annoyed look as he gingerly touched his jaw to assess the damage. Mulan immediately turned her sword on her and Snow strung her bow but Beth paid them no mind.

“That was a warning,” she said to him a low tone. “Do that to me ever again and I will cut off your balls.”

He scoffed quietly but nodded nonetheless, eyes cutting to where two women had drawn their weapons.

“Relax ladies,” he said, tracing his fingers over the growing bruise. “I knew that was coming. Everything is good. And now that we have that settled, I suggest we move while we still have daylight to burn.”

“He’s right,” Mulan said gruffly, only letting down her guard slightly. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Well then, I suggest we make our way to the Cave of Wonders,” Beth snorted. She mentally kicked herself as Emma and Snow stared at her funnily. She was going to have to watch herself when it came to the pop culture references. She was on thin ice as it was.

She reached for her sword belt to make sure her weapon was secure only to remember she didn’t have it. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she turned to Mulan.

“My effects, please.”

Mulan snorted in response. “Emma might have freed you, but that doesn’t mean we’re stupid enough to arm you. Be glad you’re not getting dragged.”

Jim chuckled and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. There was a warm amusement in his eyes that Beth couldn’t find it in herself to appreciate.

“Don’t worry, love, I’ll save you for any danger about.”

“My hero,” she replied sarcastically.

The trek to Rumpelstiltskin’s former cell wasn’t nearly as long as Beth had expected. When Jim had told her to rest for a long journey, she had been expecting it to last for days. They made it to the inconspicuous dark dungeon in a matter of hours. The entrance to it was well hidden in the barely noticeable fissure within a cave and Beth had to give her grandparents props - without some prior knowledge of its existence, she wouldn’t have ever guessed where to find it.

“Well, this is certainly macabre,” she commented lowly to Jim as they made their way through the dark.

“Did you expect them to keep the Dark One in a regular cell?”

“No, but this…” She couldn’t find the words.

“Well, what did you expect? Them to keep an evil and highly dangerous wizard in a banquet hall with printed wallpaper and frilly window curtains?” He replied, raising an eyebrow at her.

“No, but this is…less humane than I was expecting.”

“Dungeons are dungeons, no matter who owns them. I thought that’s something you would have known by now. Considering how familiar you are with them.”

“Cute,” she snorted.

They stopped at the end of a long crooked hallway. Snow lit the lamps hanging against the cavern walls, revealing a large open cell. Mulan and Aurora immediately entered it, fanatically searching for the squid ink.

“Huh. Rumpelstiltskin’s cell. I haven’t been here since before Regina’s curse. This is where he told us you were going to be the Savior,” Snow said with a small sigh.

“How charming,” Beth remarked sarcastically without thinking.

Both women turned to glare at her. She held up her hands in her surrender.

“Apologies. Go back to your delightful reminiscing.”

“He knew?” Emma asked Snow, turning her attention away from Beth.

“Oh, it was prophesized,” Snow replied with a smile before stepping forward. “Come on.”

Both women stepped forward to join the other two women into the cell. Beth remained behind, watching them. Jim stood behind her, close enough that the lapels of his coat brushed against her back.

“You okay?” He asked quietly.

“This is where it all begun…” she said after a moment. “The whole fucking crazy shebang started here. Imagine what would have happened if the Crocodile hadn’t told them that my mother was the Savior?”

“Best not to dwell on what ifs, love. I find it rarely leads to happiness.” He placed a hand on her shoulder. “We should help them.”

“I thought you were advocating non-interference.”

“I hardly think our assistance here would do much damage.”

“If you say so, time travel expert,” she replied, turning her head to give him a humorless grin.

Jim rolled his eyes at her, removing his hand from her shoulder and pushing past her to join the others in their search of Rumpelstiltskin’s cell. Beth watched them warily. It didn’t seem like their efforts were making much progress. She fingered the bottle of squid ink in her pocket that she had kept on hand for Circe.

“The squid ink…it’s not here,” Aurora shouted fanatically.

“Gold said we would find it here,” Snow said. Beth could hear the underlying panic and anger in her voice.

“Well, was there anyone else in here with him? Could they have taken the ink?” Mulan asked, a pinch of worry in her brow.

“No. He was kept alone. Visitors were forbidden,” Snow replied. “He was too dangerous to allow any human contact.”

“How’d he keep from going crazy?” Emma asked absently as she began her search of the walls.

Beth nearly snorted at the question. As long as she had known God, there had always been a twinge of madness to him lingering underneath the cold polite facade. She didn’t have much interaction with him, her father had vehemently warned her from interacting with the Dark One but sometimes it couldn’t be helped. She and her brothers had grown up with Gideon and that had meant some occasional interaction. He had always looked at her oddly, as if he was trying to examine her insides. So Beth had heeded her father’s words and avoided him as much as possible.

“He didn’t,” Aurora said grimly as she pulled something from the wall. It was a roll of old weather parchment. Almost immediately everyone crowded around her as she unrolled.

“What is it?” Snow asked.

“Is that a message?” Emma frowned.

“Yes,” Aurora answered, smoothing out the scroll so that they could all read it. “I think it’s for you…”

A shiver went down Beth’s spine as she read its contents. She had never been so disturbed in her entire life. It was her mother’s name written over and over again.

“That is the fucking creepiest thing I’ve ever seen,” she commented, taking a step back.

Jim placed a hand on her back in an attempt to soothe her but she remained tense, her eyes never leaving the parchment. An uncomfortable heavy feeling settled in her gut.

Emma snatched the parchment out of Aurora’s hands. She looked just as shook up as Beth felt. She collapsed on the floor, clutching it with white knuckles. Beth honestly couldn’t blame her for her reaction. She was silent as she regarded it and everyone backed away, trying to give her some space. Mulan and Aurora went back to their searching.

“What does this even mean?” Emma asked distractedly.

“You mean aside from the fact he’s obviously psychotic?” Beth said.

“He was obsessed with you,” Snow replied. “You were the key to breaking the curse.”

“And yet you told him your daughter’s name? What did you think would happen? He would get you something monogrammed for the Christening?” Beth asked her future grandmother incredulously.

Snow merely glared at her in response but Beth didn’t pay her much mind. The hand on her back tensed.

“Beth…I don’t think your commentary is going to be appreciated in this situation,” Jim said lowly.

Before she could make a reply, Aurora cut her off with a huff. She tugged on her cloak and turned to face the rest of them with a sour expression.

“We’ve looked everywhere. There’s no ink in this cell,” she declared, frustration evident on her face.

“Well, it has to be. He told David…” Snow responded, looking more frantically around the cell.

“You were in a netherworld,” Emma responded. “Maybe something got lost in translation?”

“No,” Mulan said, picking up something out of a small crevice in the cave world. “She heard right.”

“You found it?” Snow asked, sounding excited.

Mulan gave them a grim look as she outstretched her hand. In her palm was an empty ink bottom. Every one of them let out a disappointed sigh. Beth privately slipped her hand back in her pocket, once more fingering the bottle of squid ink she had.

“Son of a bitch!” Emma exclaimed, shoulders sagging.

Aurora turned violently. She let out a loud grunt as she tossed a rock towards the switch, which operated the cell door. Beth was mildly impressed with the princess’s aim. She wasn’t even sure that her younger brother could make such an accurate throw and he was much more athletic than Aurora.

“What are you doing?” Emma exclaimed, rushing forward to try and stop the cell gate from going down.

“Helping me.”

An older woman sauntered out from the shadows and into the light. She smirked at them, flicking her wrist with an air of nonchalance. The compass in Emma’s grasp vanished and reappeared in the woman’s hand. Beth had no doubt in her mind who this woman was. She could see some of Regina and Zelena’s features on the woman’s face.

Cora.

“No!” Emma shouted, shaking the bars.

“Don’t waste your energy, dear,” Cora said with a condescending smile. “Rumpelstiltskin himself couldn’t escape from this cell. It’s enchanted. Thank you, Aurora. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Beth immediately turned to study the princess, shocked that the other woman could pull off such a double cross. Aurora stood stiffly with a blank expression on her face. It was an expression Beth knew well.

“How could you?” Snow asked, looking betrayed.

“She couldn’t help it,” Beth commented, shaking her head. “She doesn’t have her heart.”

Emma whipped her head to look at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Well spotted,” Cora complimented, eyes glittering coldly. “She was only doing what she was told.”

She opened her cloak and pulled out Aurora’s heart, holding it up mockingly. The action reminded Beth of Circe’s taunting. Her hands curled into tight fists.

“How did you know?” Emma asked, looking at Beth accusingly.

“I’m very familiar with the mannerisms of someone operating without a heart and when their heart is being held by someone else,” she replied in an almost hollow tone. “Only experience though. I had nothing to do with this.”

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Emma returned her attention back to Cora.

“Why would you take her heart?”

“Actually,” a familiar voice called. “I did. It was a gift.”

Beth could feel her blood pressure spike as her father made his presence known. She hadn’t noticed him before, the black of his clothing blending well into the shadows. He was looking at his future wife with a look of disdain. All the color drained from Emma’s face. Beth sympathized. Her insides felt cold. This man wasn’t her father. He wore his face, he had his voice but it couldn’t be him. Beth’s father was warm, gentle and caring. This man was callous. Evil. She squeezed her eyes shut, clutching at the hook necklace around her neck and wishing upon all the stars knew that this nightmare would end.

The wicked smile on Cora’s face and she squeezed the pulsing heart in her grasp. Aurora let out a cry of pain, crumbling to the floor. Mulan and Snow immediately rushed to her side.

“Forgive us,” she said lightly, not sounding apologetic at all. “We’d love to stay but Storybrooke awaits.”

Cora then turned on her heel and walked away. The man that was supposed to be Beth’s father peeled off the wall and turned as well. It felt like a thousand knives to watch him follow the witch like a loyal lap dog.

“Hook…Wait…” Emma’s voice was pleading.

The man using her father’s moniker stopped. He looked impatient as he waited for Emma to continue. It didn’t seem to bother him that he was leaving her behind in a cell. The man Beth knew loved Emma Swan more than anything. She had grown up on stories of the countless times her parents had sacrificing everything and anything to be with each other.

“Please don’t do this. My son is in Storybrooke. He needs me.”

Emma’s pleas seemed to only irritate him more. He glared at her, stepping towards her and stabbing a finger in her direction.

“Perhaps you should’ve considered that before you abandoned me on that beanstalk!” With each word that left his mouth, he seemed to get angrier and angrier.

“You would’ve done the same,” Emma replied.

Beth visibly flinched at her reply. No. She wanted to scream at them. Killian Jones would never leave Emma Swan behind. And Emma would never leave Killian. He was supposed to follow her until the end of time and she was supposed to go to hell and back for him. They weren’t supposed to abandon each other. They weren’t supposed to hate each other. They were supposed to be True Loves. That was all wrong.

She was going to be sick.

Hook stepped closer to the cell, jaw clenched. He leaned forward and spoke in a voice that was so angry that it was soft. Beth had only heard him use that tone once before and that was after Wes got something arrested.

“Actually, no.” He regarded her coldly before pulling something from his pocket. Beth had to squint to see it properly. It looked like a black bean attached to a chain. “Do you know what this is, Emma?”

“The bean that the giant kept,” she answered numbly before reaching for it desperately.

Hook pulled it away from her, tsking at her like he was scolding a naughty child.

“Yes, indeed,” he replied with a cold smile that looked so wrong on his face. “A pirate always keeps a souvenir of his conquest, but this…well, this is much more than a mere ticket. This is a symbol…something that was once magical, full of hope, possibility. Mm…Now look at it. Dried up, dead, useless. Much like you.”

Beth shook her head trying to shake the words out of her skull. This was wrong. All wrong. Hot tears leaked fro the corners of her eyes. Her parents loved each other. Her father would never be so cruel as to say this to her mother.

“The time for making deals is done, just as I’m done with you,” he concluded. A cheerless smile contorted on his face as he stepped away from the cell.

This was wrong. This was not how the story was supposed to go. Beth pushed away from Jim’s hold, rushing towards the bars of the cell with a sense of desperation. Emma looked startled by her actions but Beth wasn’t paying attention to her; she was focused on the man who was supposed to be her hero. 
“KILLIAN JONES!” she shouted. “YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS!”

His eyes widened at the use of his name, looking stunned. His shock was quickly replaced with a look of a fury that surpassed his previous anger. He squared his shoulders, stalking towards her. Though there was bars between them, she felt the urge to step back. She refrained however, bristling and meeting his gaze.

“I don’t know who you are and frankly, I don’t give a damn,” he said in a calm, almost conversational tone. “But, little girl, make no mistake, there is only one thing I despise more than cowards and that is hypocrites like you.”

“What?”

“Wearing a flashy coat and wielding a sword doesn’t make you a pirate, love,” he continued. “You know nothing and you are nothing - nothing more than a spoiled welp chasing her father’s coattails. A word of advice, love, go home. Go back to your dresses, your jewels and your pretty things. Forget your revenge. You’re obviously not cut out for it. You don’t have what it takes.”

“You’re so wrong,” she replied. “You have no idea who I am.”

“I don’t need to.” He tilted his head to the side as he regarded her, an unpleasant smile on his lips. “From what I see, you’re just a silly little girl playing pretend. Wake up, love, while you still can because the next time we meet…I won’t be so generous.”

He gave her a slow deliberate mocking bow before finally turning to follow Cora out of the dungeon.

Beth staggered back, feeling like he had physically slapped her. She closed her eyes, turning to hold back her tears.

“Beth…” Jim stepped forward.

“Don’t,” she said sharply. “Just don’t.”

She let out a heavy breath, trying to regain composure but failing miserably. There were very few people who were capable of wounding her so deeply and her father was on the top of that list. She kept telling herself that the man who had cut her down so soundly wasn’t actually her father but his words kept replaying in her head.

“Elizabeth…”

“Just drop it!” She snapped. “I’m fine!”

“You obviously aren’t.”

Her hands curled into tight fists, nails digging into the skin of her palms. She knew that he was pestering her out of concern but it wasn’t her style to accept pity while licking her wounds. She didn’t want platitudes. She wanted to hit something and scream.

“If you have any true affection for me at all, you will leave me alone right now.”

“What the hell just happened?” Mulan snapped.

“None of your fucking business.”

“It is our business if you’re involved with Hook. He took Aurora’s heart!”

“Is that literally the only thing you care about? Because I’m telling you right now, sister, we have bigger problems to worry about than your girlfriend!” Beth snapped.

Mulan pulled out her sword, drawing it on her. Beth sneered at her in response, fingers twitching and knees bending so she could reach for the small knife in her boot. It wasn’t good odds but she had faced worst. Jim placed a hand on her shoulder again.

“Elizabeth, think about this…”

“Don’t touch me.”

“EVERYONE STOP!” Snow stood between Mulan and Beth with a furious expression on her face. It was very clear that she was beyond done with their arguing. “FIGHTING AMONGST OURSELVES SOLVES NOTHING.”

“No but it will make me feel better,” Beth muttered under her breath.

Mulan sheaved her sword but gave her a hard look before turning to attend to Aurora. Snow’s shoulders relaxed as Mulan walked off but she turned to look at Beth with a hard look.

“With that being said, I don’t trust you. She’s right. I don’t know who you are but whatever…thing…you have with that pirate? It’s bad news.”

“Is this the part where I’m supposed to be insulted? Tell you my sob story? Beg for your trust? Braid hair and play bonding games while we slowly starve to death? I’ll pass.”

Snow made a disgusted noise in response, throwing her hands up in frustration and turning her attention to Emma who had been ignoring all of them in favor of trying to pry the bars of the cell open.

“We aren’t going to break it down, Emma. It was enchanted to hold Rumpelstiltskin. We don’t have a chance.”

“This is my fault,” Aurora said miserably, burying her head in her hands.

“No, it’s mine,” Mulan replied, shaking her head. “Cora stole your heart because I failed to protect you.”

She placed a hand on her back and began rubbing soothing circles. For all of her hardness with Beth, Mulan was soft with Aurora. If Beth was the sentimental type she would have found the display touching.

Emma seemed to have a similar line of thought with her because she turned to look at them grimly.

“That’s very sweet but it’s my fault,” she said, plopping down on the ground and leaning against one of the cave walls. “I’m the Savior and I’m not doing much saving, am I?”

“A bit of a martyr complex there,” Jim muttered under his breath.

Beth didn’t respond. She stared at Emma, heart in her throat. She had never seen her look so unsure of herself. For all long as she could remember, her mother had been a strong, powerful and self-assured presence. She held authority as easy as breathing and Beth had always admired her for it. It was so strange to see her so dejected.

Snow sat down next to Emma with a small encouraging smile on her face. At least some things didn’t change.

“We’re going to win this fight, you know,” she said confidently. “Good always defeats evil.”

Beth couldn’t help it. She snorted loudly. Snow whipped her head in her direction, eyes narrowing in anger.

“Oh go ahead,” she said sourly. “Get it out of your system. Come on, give us that oh so witty comment you’re just dying to say.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily call it witty as much as truthful,” Beth replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest and meeting Snow’s angry gaze. “It’s just…that sentence is so naive.”

“Beth…” Jim’s voice held some warning to it. “Come on now…”

“No,” she said violently, shaking her head. “She needs to hear this. I’m just so tired of it. It’s just bullshit. It’s all bullshit. I grew up on that shit, that hope-y change-y nonsense and that good always wins and that True Love literally can solve world hunger and bring world peace and if you want something hard enough you can have it. It’s just shit. It’s all shit.”

“It is not!” Snow snapped back.

“It is!” Beth spat, stepping forward and glaring at her. “Not all fairy stories end in happily ever after. Sometimes evil wins. Sometimes the hero doesn’t get the girl…or the boy…or even the fucking dog. Sometimes there isn’t a white wedding and cake and unicorns with rainbows and a big bouncy baby in a carriage.” Her voice cracked. “Sometimes there isn’t even a goodbye. And sometimes there isn’t even a body to burry….”

“Sometimes you’re alone in prison pregnant and penniless at seventeen,” Emma said softly. “And sometimes you wait two years in Tallahassee for someone who was never gonna come…”

Beth and Emma made eye contact across the cell. For the first time since this whole fiasco started, Beth felt a connection with her mother; not a familial bond but one between two broken and hardened women who had become disillusioned by the world.

“You’re wrong! You’re both wrong!” Snow shook her head, looking at Emma pleadingly. “You should know better than anybody, Emma. You broke the curse.”

“And what have I done since then? I got us stranded here, burned down the wardrobe, let Cora get the ash and now, the compass. The only reason I ever broke the curse was because it was exactly what Gold wanted me to do. I had nothing to do with it.”

“What are you talking about?” Snow looked somewhere between confused and distressed.

“He told you I was the Savior…it was his plan. Once I fulfilled that role, maybe that’s all I was ever meant to do. Everything I’ve ever done…He had it all mapped out before I was even born…I’m not powerful…”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Beth said, shaking her head. “I mean, you might be trapped here but you pack quite the punch.”

“You’ve been unconscious for two days,” Emma replied flatly.

“Yeah. But I call them like I see them.”

“Look, it’s weirdly nice of you to say that but I’m nothing. You’re all about being real and talking about life sucking, but this stupid paper here proves that I’m nothing more than a name. I’m a pawn in a sick game!”

“Even pawns can become queens.”

“I thought that was checkers, not chess,” Jim remarked lightly.

“You’re thinking of kinging but it is possible to make a pawn act like a queen in chess. Trust me, I know my shit. I used to play chess all the time when I was a kid. Wasn’t very good but I played a lot.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Jim chuckled. “Chess involves strategy and you can’t make a proper plan to save your life.”

“I’m an improviser, not a planner. That’s your job.”

“We can’t just sit around here and do nothing!” Aurora said. “There has to be another way out of here!”

“As much as I would like to agree with you, I’m not sure there is,” Mulan said. “There’s only two ways to open this door - the lever that you hit with the rock and the squid ink that dried up ages ago…”

Beth’s eyes lit up and she reached into her pocket, slowly pulling out one of the vials of squid ink she had. She hid the vial in the inner fold of her cuff. She was positive there wasn’t another vial fo squid ink laying around but that didn’t mean

that she couldn’t pretend there was.

“Aurora’s right. We’re going to find a way to get out of here,” Snow said firmly.

“How? By staring at that creepy scroll?” Emma asked, raising her eyebrows sarcastically. “It’s not like its going to magically open a door for us.”

Snow opened her mouth to respond, but Beth cut her off.

“I think I see something!” She shouted, pointing at a small crack in the wall.

She immediately ran towards it, not giving them enough time to investigate. She pressed her hand into the crack, pretending to feel around. She pulled the vial out of her cuff, standing up and presenting it to the others.

“Aurora was right…there was another vial…”

Emma stood up, staring at her in disbelief. Snow and Mulan exchanged confused glances.

“You just pulled that from the wall?”

“Yes,” Beth lied.

“The wall we searched several times and didn’t find anything before?”

“We must have overlooked it.”

“Can I see it?” Emma asked, still frowning.

Beth handed her the vial. She examined it for a moment before handing it off to Snow.

“Is that the real stuff?”

“It appears to be,” Snow replied, uncorking it and giving it a sniff. She immediately blanched and held it away from her body. “It smells like it too.”

She tossed the bottle at the cell door and Beth watched in fascination as the ink transformed into a black mist and the bars began to disintegrate.

“That’s wicked,” she exclaimed.

“Told you,” Snow said, smiling over her shoulder. “Good always wins.”

Beth moved forward, ready to leave the cell when a sword was pressed against her back. She paused, turning to face Emma who wasn’t smiling. She held her weapon to Beth’s throat with a stern expression.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

#captain swan #cs ff #cs fanfic #cs au #captain swan ff #little pirates #little pirates fic #a once and future thing #beth jones #jim hawkins #my fic #my shit

[bookio]

The Diary of a Madman (1835) by Nikolai Gogol

Beautiful art cover, but the story wasn't as good as i imagined. The plot is about a guy who works at some sort of office job, and he has a crush on the adult daughter of his boss. Through journal entries, he makes up the life he want to live with her, kinda creepy, but also how everyone at the office knows of his crush and keep harassing him, calling him a nobody/loser. Eventually he steals a bunch of papers, that belong to the daughter. They are letters of her telling someone, of a man she is planning to marry. This pushes the main character over the edge, and all his daydreamed life of her become weirder. He eventually moves to Spain, but if this is real life or another dream, i can't tell. 41 pages, 3/5 stars

- - - - -

No Longer Human (1948) by Dazai Osamu

Part fiction but mostly biographical, Dazai tells about his upbringing and how he came to be such a suicidal character. He suffers social anxiety, addiction (first alcohol then amfetamin) and depression. He describe these feelings so insanely relatable, it's no wonder this book still works today. There's this constant pressure of having future goals and becoming a person for others, even if he's a douche i can't help wishing he will turn out ok. But he doesn't. 176 pages, 5/5 stars

- - - - -

Betrayed (2006) by Lyndsey Harris

Based on a true story (but i think the names have been changed due to privacy).

Lyndsey and Tanya has been best friends for 14 years. They even bought their houses next to each other, got married with husbands at the same time, worked together, pregnancy adventures and exchanged housekeys. However, when Lyndsey give birth to a daughter and have to put the friendship aside, a lot of weird things start to happen. Firstly, Tanya have always been talking about her "dark past". Like her parents molested her when she was young, that an abusive ex bf named Frank sometimes still comes to visit when her husband is out, just to rape her all over again. Sometimes he brings friends over and it's a complete rape fest. Lyndsey encourage her to call the cops but Tanya never do, instead she given Lyndsey Frank's messenger so that she can tell him to stop. In the chats, Frank tell more stories about Tanya - like they had a baby but it died and serval other miscarriages. One time Tanya even calls her over to be "saved", laying bound naked on the floor, a work of Frank.

When that drama die down, the weirdness start to surround Lyndsey's now 6-year old daughter instead. Razorblades would be found everywhere, sexual written notes in her handwriting, stolen money, destroyed things and medicinal pills brought to kindergarten. Even if the evidence always points to the child, she claims she doesn't know or remembers. Tanya encourage serval times "she should be taught a lesson" by taking away food or gifts, but Lyndsey never does.

Teachers and neighbor's are convinced her daughter is to grow up to be a psychopath. Social services and the cops are now involved and think some of the evidence are too complicated for a child to execute. They blame Lyndsey to have munchausen by proxy and the kids are to be taken away.

Then suddenly Tanya confess everything. She has been creating this fake drama. Her husband and parents tell Lyndsey that Tanya suffers from compulsive lying / is a pathological liar. That she never been abused, raped, had miscarriages. Frank never existed and all the online chats had been Tanya. Due to the severely of the situation, the whole case is taking to court.

Before a judge Tanya confess that she did it because she was addicted to the attention and love Lyndsey would give her when in need of support. She was sentenced to 3 years in prison and to pay for the property and psychological damage she caused.

I enjoyed this book! Getting thriller vibes, but also share the confusion and hopelessness of the mother as she try to solve this crazy problem. Mythomania are a very interesting topic to read about. 255 pages, 5/5 stars