#the deep state’s plan to eliminate humans failed

[awesomecooperlove]

— QUANTUM HEALING MED BEDS TECHNOLOGY — HIDDEN BY THE CABAL FOR HUMANITY IN THE WORLD — 1. NQ MORE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE — 2. NO MORE ARTHRITIS — 3. NO MORE AUTISM — 4. NO MORE CANCER OF ANY KIND — 5. NO MORE FIBROMYALGIE — 6. NO MORE PARKINSON'S DISEASE — 7. NO MORE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES —

#hidden technologies #healing humanity #med beds #end of diseases #health #health care #gift to humanity from the stars #longevity #the deep state’s plan to eliminate humans failed #please share #truth #wwg1wga #god is great #cool #great news #coming soon near you #get ready for the greatest gifts to humanity of all #gratitude love light peace to all #God bless Q #truthers #freedom fighters #veterans #patriots #soldiers #digital soldiers #thank you

[chiconisroc]

Was Not The Hero

Summary of story:

He lost…

Many years of planning and sacrifices for nothing.

He has failed to eliminate the dangers that his fellow humans may face in the future…

Now he’s back home after living centuries in a wicked world full of monsters, yet he has not realized he was the monster of Boiling Isles all along.

Note:

(Yes, a Philip redemption story. Well... is it redemption? Up to you guys along the way I guess. And a bit reality check for him. More information about this story in the notes section.)

Chapter 1

He felt as if he had been in a daze of darkness for a long time…

He felt completely exhausted and weak.

There were moments when Philip became aware, and his instincts took over to keep him safe… to keep him alive…

He wasn’t sure how long it had been since his failed attempt to destroy the Boiling Isles and its wicker inhabitants, but he knew that days had passed since he returned home.

Home…

Despite the walls falling apart, with old newspapers and garbage scattered across the cracked, stained, wooden floors, he recognized it as his own. The place he hadn’t seen for many centuries. The very one that he was born in and grew up with his brother…

He had thought that upon returning home, he would feel something reminiscent of joy or sadness, but instead, he felt empty.

Completely empty…

His glowing blue eyes gazed at the living room, barely lit up by the moon, for a few more minutes before he turned to the worn-out couch, then to the darkened chimney, and finally to the stairs across from him. All he saw were fragments of a past long forgotten.

He tried to stand up but collapsed instead.

Slowly, he raised his right hand, revealing a long, thin, brown limb with very long fingers. He lifted his left arm, which looked the same but mostly green.

He looked down at himself and saw that his frame was sickly, green, brown, and sludgy looking.  

His hands went to his face and instantly could feel exposed teeth, confirming his suspicion that he was in his cursed form. Well, half the usual size, which explains why he didn’t take so much space in the living room.

He tried to curse under his breath, but instead a growl made its way from his mouth.

If he could, he would have frowned at the sound he just made. Unfortunately, his mouth was in such a state that it couldn’t make any human expressions.

He tried speaking again, and again, and only the sounds grunts and growls kept coming out.

Panic began to eat him up, but he took slow, deep breaths to calm his nerves.

He mentally told himself that he would be okay. There was no way he would be stuck in this grotesque form, unable to speak properly. He reminded himself he was still recovering from the Collector’s attack.

But then he wondered, how was he recovering?

Earth had no magic.

Perhaps the magic form the countless talismans he had absorbed was still affecting him.

Magic…

His mind went back to the Boiling Isles.

Oh, he was honestly enraged at what happened to his plans to destroy the wicked island and its people. For Christ’s sake, he had lived for centuries and worked so hard for everything to fall apart.

Years of suffering and sacrifice to protect humanity, and he had failed…

And all thanks to a human girl.

A human girl who had been bewitched by those foul creatures of the Boiling Isles, just like his brother…

Luz and her friends somehow freed the Collector who had stopped the draining spell…The witches and demons continue to live… even if they were now stuck with the Collector in the Boiling Isles.

He could hope with the Collector in the Boiling Isles, there was no way any of the witches or demons would come to Earth, but he felt a feeling it was of no use.

They will somehow come to Earth and infect human society.

If only he had taken more decisive actions against Luz and her friends. He could have gone out to the owl house and killed Luz and that blasted witch of hers himself. He could have done it. He could have killed them easily in their sleep and no one would have known it was him.

He was a fool… that was what he was… so stupid to have shrugged her off simply because she was human.

Yes, he wanted to help her get back home - after all, she was from Earth - but the mercy he gave her was his undoing. A huge mistake on his part.

He shook his head from the frustration that was gradually building up.

‘Let’s go eat dinner, Philip!’

An ancient memory flashed through his mind as he stared at the stairs. He could see a young boy with short blonde hair running downstairs.

No…

Something deep inside of him twisted painfully, which made him quickly turn to the door as his heart raced.

He had to get out of there now.

He yanked the door open so he could dash out of the house, but something struck his chest before wires latched around his limbs, crushing them against his body.

Suddenly he let out a screech of agony as countless bolts shocked through him.

“I got him!” someone yelled out as Philip struggled against his restraints, he felt he was burning alive.

He stumbled back before he felt the world turn sideways. His body hit the ground hard. The electric shocks from whatever was binding him stopped and left him panting heavily, and in pain.

“Hurry, before it’s too late!” another voice called out, both sounded feminine.

Philip did his best to stay conscious, but unfortunately, his weakened form did not last long before he was met with darkness again. 

And yeah, it's me, Nisroc Chico. I'm kind 'new' to tumblr. Just going to post up my owl house fan fiction here and probably going to write some poems and other writing stuff here too. (Warning, I'm not that great of a writer, hahaha, but I am learning.)

#philip wittebane #the owl house belos #the owl house #luz noceda #amity blight #willow park #gus porter #hunter owl house #vee noceda #vee owl house #camila noceda #the owl house fanfiction #masha the owl house #luz x amity #hunter x willow #vee x masha #emperor belos #luz owl house #nisrocchico #chiconisroc #belos

[rafor]

Chapter 9 - What's the matter? - The Glitch

I was ready to move on. I had made up my mind and prepared myself for the inevitable. I even confided in Perx, but he brought up a crucial point that halted my plans: “Does he know how to do a merge?” He was referring to the human Raphael, who was clueless about his wings but somehow proficient with a holy bow. He had little knowledge of his own powers, let alone how to fuse them with mine. I admitted to Perx, “No, he doesn’t have a clue.”.

Perx then pushed for the alternative: “That’s too bad. I think the risks are too high. We should just eliminate him. I can do it for you, you know? I can strike his core and head at the same time. He won’t feel a thing, even if he wakes up at that moment.” I snapped at him, “No! He’s not going to die. Besides…” I remembered something important. “If he’s the one with the strongest powers, that means he might not die at all but regenerate a new body instead. And then he’ll run away from us, knowing we tried to kill him.”

Perx had a counterargument for everything. He knew my story and past so well that he could use them to persuade me. “You could block his powers with time locks, like you did with the other archangels, then kill him and absorb them from the lock.” That was partly true and partly false, so I clarified what was wrong with his logic. “Yeah, I could do that, but what if the lock fails? And what if I can’t absorb the powers from the lock successfully? They’ll be gone forever.” Perx said, “This lock would be different. The others didn’t have your signature, so maybe that’s why you couldn’t absorb their powers. Maybe this time, with the same signature, it will work.” He had a point, but it was still a gamble. “It might work, but it’s never been done before. And I’m not willing to risk killing someone and losing a large portion of my holy powers forever. That could have disastrous consequences.”

Perx fell silent. Maybe I had convinced him that it was a bad idea, or maybe he just ran out of ideas. We lapsed into a deep silence again, both lost in thought to the point of mental exhaustion.

Perx asked me, to change the topic slightly, “What exactly happened that made you put him to sleep?” So I told him, “He was acting so strange. I thought he was breaking down. He almost fainted, then he started staring into space, completely disconnected from reality.” Perx replied after a brief pause, “I don’t know what could have caused that, but it doesn’t sound good.” I said sarcastically, “Oh really? What gave you that impression?” He didn’t answer right away. He wasn’t expecting sarcasm from me. Then he realized and said, “Sorry about that.”

I changed the subject completely and asked him why he seemed so scared of Gabriel, Michael, and the supposed devil sinner, or at least that’s what I assumed he was scared of from what he told me. And I was right. He was afraid of them.

He explained that he hated how Michael and Gabriel would assign him endless missions of all kinds, usually just to monitor some area, which he found boring and beneath him. He preferred to be a striker who would target specific and dangerous enemies that no other angel could handle, or hunt for them with his Caelestis when he had them.

He had lost his main purpose and his faith, but now he hoped that with my return he could regain them. However, seeing me in my current state, he was more than willing to find a way to help me first and then resume his old role as soon as possible.

I was everyone’s priority. I felt so weak that I wished I could just wake up the human Raphael and teach him how to do a merge, but that would take decades and still be risky. The outcome was uncertain. Especially if his mind resets and he relapses into his previous condition by chance.

#chapter #dragon #dragons #elements #fantasy #literature #mystery #story #poetry #adventure #the_glitch #the rise and fall of raphael

[theundyingmermaid]

Levi x Reader

Also published it on Wattpad 😅

- 📚📖

Photo not mine

Source: Pinterest (Ctto)

_________________________________________

I'm still thinking about a story title :). If you have an idea on what should I call this fanfiction let me know ✨

I'll edit the book cover once I got a story title, for now it'll be just plain "Levi x Reader"

Hope you'll like this story ☺️

had this story in mind for four years and I badly wanted to write it but my laziness gets a head of me. I just suddenly had the urge to write it. 😳

Reminder :

I do not own Attack on Titan nor any of the characters.

If I made a grammatical errors please consider that my first language isn't English.

This is a work of fiction. Fanfiction to be exact.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

CHAPTER 2 •A THREAT?•

It was the Survey Corps' 36th expedition, another month in which they are required to leave the walls.

For other citizens their jobs are mostly viewed as useless. Going back to walls redundantly after a failed expedition is something the residents are used to. Most of them think that they are just a waste of budget for the government, which their taxes are taken for their sustenance.

Once a month they are dedicated to undertake an operation in which they hope to be the key to humanity’s freedom. Every expedition, more than half of the survey corps barely made it back inside the walls, most says that their job is considered as suicidal. But the corps has a different view, they have this igniting hope deep inside them that pushes them to fight further for their freedom.

A black colored smoke flared up into the sky. The sound of the rushing stomps are heard including the calls of the alarmed soldiers.

“There’s an abnormal titan spotted!” One of the soldiers screamed, alerting their comrades.

“Prepare your gears!” Said another.

The soldiers ride their horses in a gallop, spreading along the fields as they try to confuse the abnormal titan. Luckily the titan shifts it’s focus into another soldier and quickly ran after them, the other soldiers took this as an opportunity to go after the titan’s nape.

One soldier fired a grapple hook at the titan's feet, slashing its flesh and causing the titan to stumble down the ground. Another soldier quickly appeared on its back, aiming at its nape and killing it before it could regenerate.

The dead titan starts releasing hot steam from it’s body the reason why the soldiers immediately backed away. As they climbed back onto their horses, they continued on their way.

The corps entered the forest, moving according to their plan they continued their tracks deep inside the greens. The forest greeted them with huge trees, swaying and dancing along the wind.

"Do not turn back if a titan is spotted," said their squad leader. They must carry out the commander's instructions. Whatever is necessary.

Flash Back

“We must found out weather this person is a threat or not”

“The plan must be done smoothly or we cannot identify the identity of the people behind this incident”

“If they do not intend to cause any harm, they will not conceal themselves” Levi stated in a bored tone, he was sitting on a dark colored sofa with his arms resting on the couch. Hange changed her gaze from Erwin to Levi.

"You're correct! But if they're a threat, they won't kill something we oppose." Hange defended.

“If the titans are also a threat to them they won’t hesitate to eliminate them” The man’s gray colored orbs stared sharply at the brunette.

"Then, if we are a threat to them, why didn't they attack us during the 35th expedition? They had a chance when we arrived, but they didn't take it! ” Hange walked closer to Levi, towering over him with a silly expression on her face.

"Believe what you want Hange, you've never met them anyway," Levi said as he raised one of his leg and pushed Hange by the stomach with his boots.

“Enough of you two” Erwin interjected. “The person behind this act sure knows a lot about the outside world, we needed them”.

“So, What’s the plan now Erwin?” Levi said, pushing Hange away from him as the four-eyed woman attempted to tackle him playfully.

“aw….”

“Set them in a bait” The tall, blond man spoke while gazing out the large window on his side observing the soldiers practicing outside the building.

Hange rose from the ground, wiping the dust from her uniform.

“Then, the 36th expedition is due next month; we must get ready.”

End of Flashback

Four titans emerged from behind the trees, sprinting towards the corps. The soldiers stared in horror at the approaching titans. One soldier took a flare gun from his pocket with a shaky hand. The soldier raised his hand and fired a red flare into the air, but a fast moving titan bit the man's arms.

One soldier screamed because of the sight. The titan completely devoured one of their comrades

"We must keep going! Don't engage!" The squad leader shouted.

The titan grabbed another soldier from the team, gripping the body with it's big palm. The soldier keeps on screaming and crying for help.

Even though the other members wanted to help the pour soul they cannot stop. They cannot let their emotions get ahead of them. They swore for this.

This is the path they have taken. It's a suicidal job anyway, their mind was set that sooner or later it's their turn to face the terror of this world.

The titan crushed the head of the screaming soldier, the blood scattered all over the forest floor.

Three of the titans continued on running towards the grouped soldiers. One of them made it's way closer than the others grabbing another person with their hands and hungrily swallowed the screaming body down to the Titan's throat.

"We're all gonna die, we're all gonna die" a man with a short light-colored hair cries while holding tightly on his horse. His eyes are blurry, making it harder for him to see things.

"Cadet! Focus on your way!" Yelled their squad leader, his voice are trembling.

The young soldier no longer listening to his squad leader's order and continued crying.

Because of their quick movement, the younger boy failed to notice the rock in front of him. The horse jumped higher to get over the rock that was in their way.

Unintentionally, he loses his grip on the horse, falling down the hard ground. The man broke his one of his arm and cried because of the extreme pain. He tried to run after his horse but unfortunately they were moving too quickly.

"Help!!" He shouted. The poor man was about to scream for help the second time but realization hit him as his body turned frozen.

He can hear his own heartbeat, his chest moving up and down exaggeratedly. Cold sweats drips down from his forehead as he slowly turns his head behind him.

His face was greeted by a three grinning faces hovering towards him. His body shaking intensely as one of the titans started lifting it's arms, on it's way to grab his body.

"H-h-help!" A supposedly screamed phrase becomes a sobbing whisper. He is completely powerless. He will undoubtedly die in the most horrible way.

As he was lifted from the ground, he felt his feet lose contact with the soil beneath them. In front of him, the Titan's massive mouth opens, ready to devour him.

'this is it huh? They give up too easily'

Just as the male soldier was about to be devoured. A strange figure leapt into the air, just In the blink of an eye, the unknown person slashed the titans' nape.

The soldier fell down to the ground, as he lift his gaze up, the 15 meter titans collapses to the ground with their napes releasing hot steams.

He tried to wander his gaze around, hoping he could spot his rescuer but all he saw was a dark cloak leaping away from the tall trees.

"W-wait..." He whispered. He didn't even had the chance to say thank you. The exhausted man collapsed to the ground. He was panting heavily and resting both palms on the side of his head, still trying to process what had happened.

He just escaped a horrifying death. No! He was saved! Thank God! He was saved!.

He remained in his position for several minutes until another group of soldiers approaching his way noticed his location.

"Cadet where is your squad?" A tall blonde man asked the still trembling young soldier.

The light-headed man didn't respond to his question.

Erwin jumped down from his horse, he looked at the man's side and saw the dark marks and bones of a deceased titans. He approached the scared man and was about to praise him because of his braveness for killing the titans until the man spoked.

"Someone saved me" he whispered. Erwin's eyes widened for a second and kneeled down infront of the man.

"What's your last name?" He questioned. Placing his hands on top of the young man's head.

"B-Berner, Berner sir." He respond with a low voice.

"Tell me Berner" Erwin said in a firm voice.

"Who saved you?"

#levi ackerman #snk levi #levi x reader #aot #captain levi #levi aot #levi x you #levi x y/n #levi attack on titan #fiction #fanfiction #attack on titan #levi fluff #slow burn #leviackerman #shingeki no kyoujin eren #shingeki no kyoujin erwin #snk x you

[itsagrimm]

imperial!tech has melted my brain

Can’t stop thinking about the imperial tech idea. It is implausible yet alluring. So here we gooooo. would love some feed back since I am not sure if that feel is right.

CN insults, violence, murder, discriminatory behaviour, treats, very toxic behaviour, soldier life in a fascist state, tiny bit of fluff or Manipulation depends on your perspective, blood, pain, talk of injury

Imperial!tech X they*them Y/N reader, afab but does not really matter unless I write a part 2

“Welcome on Kamino!”, the officer declared striding into the hall, “I hope you are motivated and up to the task to serve the galactic empire.”

A few laughs and murmured words from the crowd arose. The officer in front of the newly recruited soldiers waited patiently for them to quiet down.

“You-“, he pointed at them,” have been selected from the best bounty hunters, fighters and planetary defence forces in the galaxy. This-“ another pointer into the air ”- is your moment.”

The anticipation in the room was tangible.

“We are ready, sir”, someone said. Other “yeahs” and “bring it on” voiced agreement.

“We will see.”, the officer smiled, “You are here as new recruits for the imperial army elite squad. A most unusual and experimental force. And may I point out, you are not the first to attempt and fail to join this most extraordinary unit.”

Again, the silence was unpleasantly deafening. Y/N looked around but this time no one dared to speak up. Hard, human, mostly men* had come with Y/N to Kamino, the most secretive of worlds where all the now imperial clone troopers came from. Y/N knew some from their time as a bounty hunter. But looking at these tense men* now, these identical uniforms, these faces Y/N didn’t recognize any of them.

“Allow me to introduce you to your commander. Clone Commander Tech will assess your performance and decide on your -” a last pointed gesture ”-fate within the imperial forces.”

With this the door opened and a single trooper walked in. Calmly and collected, giving not a glance to the newly recruited.

“Are these new soldiers, sir?”, the trooper asked quietly.

“I am afraid so.”

The trooper puffed, turned around and took his time looking at the recruits.

“What a disappointment.”, he finally stated while fixing his googles, “Listen up! I am your commander. You on the other hand are barley sentient, oxygen consuming, shit generating bags of meat.”

He looked down, his voice now lower. It was an odd moment. The hall was full of assertive and hardened fighters. Yet this skinny, pale, four eyed clone berated them.

“You think you are smart and impressive. But trust me – you are not. All you can hope to accomplish is following my precise order. Do you think you can do that?”

Silence.

Someone started to laugh and clap.

“Woooooowww”, the recruit stated, “What a show. Is this a joke?”

Others started to snicker.

The commander turned his head like an owl and fixed his eyes on the rebellious troublemaker.

“It really was quite impressive. But listen here googles – I am not following orders from a clone. You are nothing but brainless cannon fodder. So where is the real commander, officer?”

More snickering in the hall. Y/N got cold. Something bad was about to happen. They knew it.

“Don’t-“, they tried to voice something but a glance from the clone commander silenced Y/N.

Helplessly they watched as commander Tech took off his glasses.

In a fraction of a moment the commander lunged at the troublemaker and hit the frame of his glasses on his head. It took 3 few precise and fast strikes with the doomium frame before the skull shattered.

No one spoke as the commander cleaned his glasses with the uniform of the dead troublemaker before putting them on again.

“You “, he pointed at Y/N and their back went cold. “You anticipated my attack. Well done. I consider you bearable for the elite squad. Congratulations.”

XXXXXXX

The elite squad had a variety of tasks. Whenever necessary they got deployed to guard, assassinate, or downright slaughter. Y/N felt nothing. Life in the outer rim was hard enough without a war. Killing had been a necessity for survival for too long and Kamino had numbed what was left in Y/N to care.

Y/N was given a number within the unit. ES-01. There had been another ES-01 before Y/N but nobody liked to talk about that. And since the number was impractical, their squad members had shortened it into the moniker “ONCE”.

ONCE was fine with the squad. There was little talk between them. At night ONCE heard the others cry or whisper to each other about the commander and the horrors the had to endure. But ONCE did not want to talk and pretended to sleep.

Sleep was a rarity for the elite squad due to their deployments.

And Tech – their commander – never slept. ONCE saw him twice in the bunk room to get something or give out orders. But never had they witnessed their commander asleep. He was always off somewhere, either working on the squat space craft deep into the night or in the little lab were he meticulously planned out missions. He laboured like a mad man but nobody objected.

It was early. ONCE had woken up from a nightmare. The other members of the squad were still asleep. The bunk of the commander empty of course. ONCE got up. There was no point in staying here.

The long corridors were nearly empty. A few guards and droids patrolled or performed cleaning duties. But nobody paid attention to ONCE wandering around with a cup of caf.

Commander Tech was in the hangar, working on the ship.

“Commander, you are up already.”, ONCE stated.

“Still. I wasn’t finished.”, Tech replied. His voice was raspy as if he had talked to himself for hours, “What do you want?”

“Nothing. Just wanted to check on the insomniac commander.”

“Oh.”, it sounded like a treat, “There is no need for you to assess my sleeping pattern, soldier.”

He looked up from the bottom of the ship at ONCE and got up.

“But thank you for bringing me caf.”

“I didn-“

“I said thank you, soldier.”

Before any protest Tech took ONCE hand, twisted it with surgical accuracy for them to let go of the cup of caf and took it.

That kriffin clone.

ONCE inhaled.

“Hey, with all due respect commander, if you want a caf I can get you some. No need to take some by force from me.”

Tech just calmly sipped from the cup.

“How nice of you. How considered, dear ONCE.”, he said in a sweet voice, “But no, I do not require any more caf from you. Thank you very much. Tell me, is using the caf machine a task the little head of yours can process? Sooo many buttons… Sooo complicated… You must be so proud.”

ONCE did not flinch. Living in the outer Rim, spending time among killers and criminals had teachable effects. It did not pay off to go against bigger fish, but limits had to be set.

Without a second thought ONCE licked their finger and dipped it into the caf of their commander.

Tech – the clone commander who even talked over grand moff talkin once - was speechless.

For a moment ONCE thought he might hit them, already bracing for the impact of an armoured fist. Instead, the commander put down the cup.

“I should whip you for that.”

ONCE stayed silent and starred forward, at the side of the ship.

Tech moved closer. He was taller than them and his dark armour enhanced his shoulders. A dark bird of prey with big eyes starring down on measly prey.

“I will whip you for that.”

His fingers scratched over ONCEs pauldron upwards until he reached their neck, pocking painfully into the skin.

“But not now.”

Tech moved away.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Bracca had been a disaster. The elite squad was tasked to track and eliminate some deserters. But before they could implement commander Tech’s plan, contradictory orders came in from Kamino. Good soldiers follow orders. But what does that help with in the field when one order is to kill and the other to capture.

Now the commander was injured.

Alone in the med bay.

ONCE starred at the wall.

Tech was an unpleasant commander. The respect he commanded was gained by violence and constant critique of those he considered lesser.

But he deserved not to be alone when in pain, right? And back then in the hanger he had not hit ONCE. ONCE was aware that what they considered adequate or even caring behaviour was twisted by a life spent in danger, the imperial brain washing and the maddening time with the elite squad. But they didn’t care. Tech had all the chances to punish ONCE for their discretions. Yet he didn’t. That was nearly good behaviour from a man who had killed a recruit for disrespecting him. Wasn’t it?

ONCE head spinned. The other squad members whispered in their bunks about the mission. About their commander and how he got burned by an ion engine. Apparently, the deserters were the commanders former squad members. And they had left him. Twice.

Once he had a squad.

Once he was unharmed.

Once he was many things of which they did not know about.

ONCE got up. Checking on a wounded commander should not be such a loaded and complicated question.

The med bay was as sterile and uncaring as the rest of the kaminoan architecture.

The commander was laying on a cot. The bacta had worked well on the burns on the side of his head. But he still locked weak and hurt. Without his glasses, Tech starred at the ceiling, not even a holopad to distract himself.

“hello commander, I got you some caf.”

part 2

#the sad batch #the bad batch #star wars the clone wars #thebadbatch #imperial tech #tbb #the bad batch tech #tbb tech #toxic traits #tbb toxic tech

[defendersoftheearth]

Episode Reviews: “Flesh and Blood” and “The Ghost Walks Again”

Most writers have certain interests that they tend to explore, certain topics that pop up continually in their work, either consciously or subconsciously.

“Flesh and Blood,” “The Ghost Walks Again,” and part 2 of Krotan’s arc all have something in common. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that they were scripted by the same person.

In each installment, David Wise explores the concept of a Defender having forged an exciting new bond with someone who ultimately breaks the hero’s heart, usually after a scheme is revealed. The question is: How will our stunned protagonists respond?

The most emotional reaction comes from Flash during “Flesh and Blood.” As the tale begins, we meet a trio of androids who are literally flying around and destroying machines — having been programmed to do so by hateful humans. Flash takes a romantic interest in the female ‘droid, initially unaware of what she is or what she’s been doing. In the strangest part of the episode, people get a good look at these robots in action, but fail to realize that they aren’t human, even though their abilities should make it pretty obvious. There are some interesting commentaries on bigotry in this one, and Flash, in particular, has some very emotional moments. All in all, we get to see his loving, compassionate, and driven nature, which truly serves to deepen his character. This is similar to what we witnessed in “Like Father, Like Daughter?”, but the content here might be even stronger, especially when you consider Flash’s statements toward the end.

In “The Ghost Walks Again,” it’s Jedda’s heart that gets broken by a potential suitor. However, the episode is more about her reaction to the apparent loss of her father.

When a powerful madman raids a hidden village, the inhabitants get help from their ally, the Phantom. The invader is after a mythical elixir, and he’s borrowed some destructive machines from Ming.

Amidst the ensuing battle, the Phantom gets blasted by a vehicle-mounted laser weapon, one that looks significantly big and strong. Somehow, this only does minor damage to his arm (?), but is enough to send him hurtling deep into a river. His belt washes up, and he’s presumed to have perished. Then Ming begins planning his own assault, wanting the legendary elixir himself.

Of course, the highlight here is Jedda’s emotional journey as she spends time grieving, then becomes the new Phantom. We get some odd but engaging action scenes while she leads a battle against the invading machines. She also learns that a villager she’s befriended, Partha, is the guy who brought the invaders in, hoping to become the new village leader. Naturally, Partha’s ambitions create a rift between them, almost mirroring Jedda’s relationship with Krotan. Toward the end, the Phantom arrives, alive and well, and uses some shots from his copter to destroy the elixir. It’s a little strange that he eliminates it without much fuss, or even remorse, but this ultimately has the intended effect of driving Ming away. Afterward, Partha collapses in a state near death, the villagers use the last bit of elixir to save him, Jedda decides that the two of them are still friends (never mind the fact that he nearly got her father killed), and the Walkers go home.

This is another fascinating concept with so-so execution, and some very nice acting. I think it’s a decent episode overall.

[route22ny]

By CALVIN WOODWARD, ELLEN KNICKMEYER and DAVID RISING

September 10, 2021 GMT

In the ghastly rubble of ground zero’s fallen towers 20 years ago, Hour Zero arrived, a chance to start anew.

World affairs reordered abruptly on that morning of blue skies, black ash, fire and death.

In Iran, chants of “death to America” quickly gave way to candlelight vigils to mourn the American dead. Vladimir Putin weighed in with substantive help as the U.S. prepared to go to war in Russia’s region of influence.

Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi, a murderous dictator with a poetic streak, spoke of the “human duty” to be with Americans after “these horrifying and awesome events, which are bound to awaken human conscience.”

From the first terrible moments, America’s longstanding allies were joined by longtime enemies in that singularly galvanizing instant. No nation with global standing was cheering the stateless terrorists vowing to conquer capitalism and democracy. How rare is that?

Too rare to last, it turned out.

___

Civilizations have their allegories for rebirth in times of devastation. A global favorite is that of the phoenix, a magical and magnificent bird, rising from ashes. In the hellscape of Germany at the end of World War II, it was the concept of Hour Zero, or Stunde Null, that offered the opportunity to start anew.

For the U.S., the zero hour of Sept. 11, 2001, meant a chance to reshape its place in the post-Cold War world from a high perch of influence and goodwill as it entered the new millennium. This was only a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union left America with both the moral authority and the financial and military muscle to be unquestionably the lone superpower.

Those advantages were soon squandered. Instead of a new order, 9/11 fueled 20 years of war abroad. In the U.S., it gave rise to the angry, aggrieved, self-proclaimed patriot, and heightened surveillance and suspicion in the name of common defense.

It opened an era of deference to the armed forces as lawmakers pulled back on oversight and let presidents give primacy to the military over law enforcement in the fight against terrorism. And it sparked anti-immigrant sentiment, primarily directed at Muslim countries, that lingers today.

A war of necessity — in the eyes of most of the world — in Afghanistan was followed two years later by a war of choice as the U.S. invaded Iraq on false claims that Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction. President George W. Bush labeled Iran, Iraq and North Korea an “axis of evil.”

Thus opened the deep, deadly mineshaft of “forever wars.” There were convulsions throughout the Middle East, and U.S. foreign policy — for half a century a force for ballast — instead gave way to a head-snapping change in approaches in foreign policy from Bush to Obama to Trump. With that came waning trust in America’s leadership and reliability.

Other parts of the world were not immune. Far-right populist movements coursed through Europe. Britain voted to break away from the European Union. And China steadily ascended in the global pecking order.

President Joe Biden is trying to restore trust in the belief of a steady hand from the U.S. but there is no easy path. He is ending war, but what comes next?

In Afghanistan in August, the Taliban seized control with menacing swiftness as the Afghan government and security forces that the United States and its allies had spent two decades trying to build collapsed. No steady hand was evident from the U.S. in the harried, disorganized evacuation of Afghans desperately trying to flee the country in the first weeks of the Taliban’s re-established rule.

Allies whose troops had fought and died in the U.S-led war in Afghanistan expressed dismay at Biden’s management of the U.S. withdrawal, under a deal President Donald Trump had struck with the Taliban.

THE ‘HOMELAND’

In the United States, the Sept. 11 attacks set loose a torrent of rage.

In shock from the assault, a swath of American society embraced the us vs. them binary outlook articulated by Bush — “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists” — and has never let go of it.

You could hear it in the country songs and talk radio, and during presidential campaigns, offering the balm of a bloodlust cry for revenge. “We’ll put a boot in your ass, it’s the American way,” Toby Keith promised America’s enemies in one of the most popular of those songs in 2002.

Americans stuck flags in yards and on the back of trucks. Factionalism hardened inside America, in school board fights, on Facebook posts, and in national politics, so that opposing views were treated as propaganda from mortal enemies. The concept of enemy also evolved, from not simply the terrorist but also to the immigrant, or the conflation of the terrorist as immigrant trying to cross the border.

The patriot under threat became a personal and political identity in the United States. Fifteen years later, Trump harnessed it to help him win the presidency.

THE OTHERING

In the week after the attacks, Bush demanded of Americans that they know “Islam is peace” and that the attacks were a perversion of that religion. He told the country that American Muslims are us, not them, even as mosques came under surveillance and Arabs coming to the U.S. to take their kids to Disneyland or go to school risked being detained for questioning.

For Trump, in contrast, everything was always about them, the outsiders.

In the birther lie Trump promoted before his presidency, Barack Obama was an outsider. In Trump’s campaigns and administration, Muslims and immigrants were outsiders. The “China virus” was a foreign interloper, too.

Overseas, deadly attacks by Islamic extremists, like the 2004 bombing of Madrid trains that killed nearly 200 people and the 2005 attack on London’s transportation system that killed more than 50, hardened attitudes in Europe as well.

By 2015, as the Islamic State group captured wide areas of Iraq and pushed deep into Syria, the number of refugees increased dramatically, with more than 1 million migrants, primarily from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, entering Europe that year alone.

The year was bracketed by attacks in France on the Charlie Hebdo magazine staff in January after it published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, and on the Bataclan theater and other Paris locations in November, reinforcing the angst then gripping the continent.

Already growing in support, far-right parties were able to capitalize on the fears to establish themselves as part of the European mainstream. They remain represented in many European parliaments, even as the flow of immigrants has slowed dramatically and most concerns have proved unfounded.

THE UNRAVELING

Dozens of countries joined or endorsed the NATO coalition fighting in Afghanistan. Russia acquiesced to NATO troops in Central Asia for the first time and provided logistical support. Never before had NATO invoked Article 5 of its charter that an attack against one member was an attack against all.

But in 2003, the U.S. and Britain were practically alone in prosecuting the Iraq war. This time, millions worldwide marched in protest in the run-up to the invasion. World opinion of the United States turned sharply negative.

In June 2003, after the invasion had swiftly ousted Saddam and dismantled the Iraqi army and security forces, a Pew Research poll found a widening rift between Americans and Western Europeans and reported that “the bottom has fallen out of support for America in most of the Muslim world.” Most South Koreans, half of Brazilians and plenty more people outside the Islamic world agreed.

And this was when the war was going well, before the world saw cruel images from Abu Ghraib prison, learned all that it knows now about CIA black op sites, waterboarding, years of Guantanamo Bay detention without charges or trials — and before the rise of the brutal Islamic State.

By 2007, when the U.S. set up the Africa Command to counter terrorism and the rising influence of China and Russia on the continent, African countries did not want to host it. It operates from Stuttgart, Germany.

THE SUCCESSES

Over the two decades, a succession of U.S. presidents scored important achievements in shoring up security, and so far U.S. territory has remained safe from more international terrorism anywhere on the scale of 9/11.

Globally, U.S.-led forces weakened al-Qaida, which has failed to launch a major attack on the West since 2005. The Iraq invasion rid that country and region of a murderous dictator in Saddam.

Yet strategically, eliminating him did just what Arab leaders warned Bush it would do: It strengthened Saddam’s main rival, Iran, threatening U.S. objectives and partners.

Deadly chaos soon followed in Iraq. The Bush administration, in its nation-building haste, failed to plan for keeping order, leaving Islamist extremists and rival militias to fight for dominance in the security vacuum.

The overthrow of Saddam served both to inspire and limit public support for Arab Spring uprisings a few years later. For if the U.S. showed people in the Middle East that strongmen can be toppled, the insurgency demonstrated that what comes next may not be a season of renewal.

Authoritarian regimes in the Middle East pointed to the post-Saddam era as an argument for their own survival.

The U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq killed more than 7,000 American military men and women, more than 1,000 from the allied forces, many tens of thousands of members of Afghan and Iraqi security forces, and many hundreds of thousands of civilians, according to Brown University’s Costs of War project. Costs, including tending the wars’ unusually high number of disabled vets, are expected to top $6 trillion.

For the U.S., the presidencies since Bush’s wars have been marked by an effort — not always consistent, not always successful — to pull back the military from the conflicts of the Middle East and Central Asia.

The perception of a U.S. retreat has allowed Russia and China to gain influence in the regions, and left U.S. allies struggling to understand Washington’s place in the world. The notion that 9/11 would create an enduring unity of interest to combat terrorism collided with rising nationalism and a U.S. president, Trump, who spoke disdainfully of the NATO allies that in 2001 had rallied to America’s cause.

Even before Trump, Obama surprised allies and enemies alike when he stepped back abruptly from the U.S. role of world cop. Obama geared up for, then called off, a strike on Syrian President Bashar Assad for using chemical weapons against his people.

“Terrible things happen across the globe, and it is beyond our means to right every wrong,” Obama said on Sept. 11, 2013.

THE NEWISH ORDER

The legacies of 9/11 ripple both in obvious and unusual ways.

Most directly, millions of people in the U.S. and Europe go about their public business under the constant gaze of security cameras while other surveillance tools scoop up private communications. The government layered post-9/11 bureaucracies on to law enforcement to support the expansive security apparatus.

Militarization is more evident now, from large cities to small towns that now own military vehicles and weapons that seem well out of proportion to any terrorist threat. Government offices have become fortifications and airports a security maze.

But as profound an event as 9/11 was, its immediate effect on how the world has been ordered was temporary and largely undone by domestic political forces, a global economic downturn and now a lethal pandemic.

The awakening of human conscience predicted by Gadhafi didn’t last. Gadhafi didn’t last.

Osama bin Laden has been dead for a decade. Saddam was hanged in 2006. The forever wars — the Afghanistan one being the longest in U.S. history — now are over or ending. The days of Russia tactically enabling the U.S., and China not standing in the way, petered out. Only the phoenix lasts.

___

Rising reported from Bangkok; Knickmeyer and Woodward from Washington. AP National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.

https://apnews.com/article/911-20-years-world-affairs-cc497f11743fcbd48b0b3e0c3ed2da5f

#vladimir putin #two decades after 9/11 #new world order #historical turning point

[autisticadvocacy]

Organizations condemn and urge extreme caution after movie team fails to address recommendations to protect autistic people

WASHINGTON, D.C. – CommunicationFIRST, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, and the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint today expressed grave concern about the soon-to-be-released, Golden Globe-nominated movie MUSIC, directed by singer-songwriter Sia. Following a widespread outcry by the disability community, Sia’s team reached out and briefly engaged CommunicationFIRST before restraint scenes from the film were leaked on Twitter. But communication broke down after the MUSIC team failed to respond to and address CommunicationFIRST’s key recommendations – including cutting the restraint scenes – after a committee of nonspeaking and autistic people were invited to screen the film last week and provide feedback.

“MUSIC’s restraint scenes will undoubtedly cause harm to autistic people. Because many autistic people have experienced restraint, some will be traumatized by watching the film. The movie also irresponsibly suggests that people experiencing meltdowns should be restrained, which could not be further from the truth,” Tauna Szymanski, Executive Director of CommunicationFIRST, said of MUSIC, which received two Golden Globe Award nominations today. “By not removing the restraint scenes or even providing a warning, those behind the movie are promoting a traumatizing and potentially deadly form of restraint that is illegal in over 30 US states. We provided several concrete recommendations aimed at protecting people who may be imperiled by this film. We are saddened that the MUSIC team does not appear willing to take even the most basic precautions to mitigate the likely harm and deep trauma the movie may cause many nonspeaking and autistic people.”

“MUSIC doesn’t just promote harmful stereotypes about autistic people – it shows restraints that have killed members of our community as necessary and loving acts,” said Zoe Gross, Director of Advocacy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. “This film should never have been made, and it shouldn’t be shown.”

“Physical restraint is an outdated crisis management technique used in schools, psychiatric facilities, hospitals, and prisons. Physical restraint is disproportionately used on disabled and marginalized populations. Physical restraint is dangerous and can lead to significant trauma, serious injuries, and even death. There are far better ways to work with people that need compassion and support,” said Guy Stephens, Founder and Executive Director of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint. “The depiction of physical restraint in the film perpetuates the idea that physical restraint is an acceptable practice. It is not. The film contains at least two scenes in which prone restraint is used on an autistic character and it is implied that it is safe and therapeutic. It is not. We recommend that these scenes be removed from the film as they will cause harm to autistic people around the world.”

As a counterpoint to help humanize nonspeaking autistic people in the public eye, CommunicationFIRST plans to release a short film in February featuring actual nonspeaking autistic people. In addition, the three organizations will make available a toolkit with resources about nonspeaking autism, augmentative and alternative communication, what to do when you see someone having a meltdown, and the dangers of restraint.

The three organizations also recommend that Sia pull the film, apologize to the autistic community, and partner with advocacy groups to promote adequate services for disabled people and raise awareness about the need to end the institutional bias in disability services.

###

CommunicationFIRST is the only national, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of the more than five million people of all ages in the United States who, due to disability or other condition, are unable to rely on speech alone to communicate. Run by and for people with expressive communication disabilities, CommunicationFIRST advances its mission by educating and engaging the public, advocating for policy and practice reform, and engaging the justice system to ensure access to effective communication, to end prejudice and discrimination, and to promote equity, justice, inclusion, and opportunity for our historically marginalized community. https://CommunicationFIRST.org

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) is a disability rights organization run by and for autistic people. ASAN believes that the goal of autism advocacy should be a world in which autistic people enjoy equal access, rights, and opportunities. For more information about the organization, please visit: https://autisticadvocacy.org  

The Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint is a highly diverse grassroots coalition comprised of neurodivergent and neurotypical parents, grandparents, autistic self-advocates, attorneys, educators, and others. The group is dedicated to changing minds, laws, policies, and practices so that restraint and seclusion are reduced and eliminated in all settings. For more information about the organization, please visit: https://www.endseclusion.org  

[eloquent-vowel]

Part 2 "I am" Bucky x OFC (#043)

Description: #043 is Dr. Leeb's greatest success. He took immense pride in raising her to be the perfect combatent and it was finally time for her skills to be put to use. His only worry is bringing outside variables into his perfect equation but when the heads of Hydra give you orders, you follow them. #043 is sent on her first mission and things do not go as planned.

Tags: Angst, Fluff, Slow burn, very much a slow burn. Bucky Barnes x OFC, Winter Soldier X OFC.

Warnings: Canon typical violence

Here is the second part of #043's story! I'm sorry there is no Bucky yet but I can promise that he will be coming in soon! (I did say that this would be a slow burn). Enjoy! <3

Part 1

Dr. Leeb sniffed again, those damn cleaning products always set him off, he had tried his damn hardest to get used to the smell of the sterile facilities but even after thirteen years his nose would not stop running, it was so embarrassing. Especially at a time like this, when he was in conference with the very head of Hydra. They had contacted his lab about using #043 in the field, he had agreed without hesitation- he knew his project was ready and he could hardly contain his excitement as the General laid out the mission briefing. It was finally time to show the whole of Hydra just what he could achieve, they would finally respect his mind.

"Dr. Leeb we have read your reports, #043, code name Eris, sounds very promising. Can you back up your claims?" The man known as The General spoke, his voice although tinny through the speakers of his office carried a deep undertone of threat. If Dr. Leeb was not sweating before he was now, he had rehearsed for this moment all he had to do was speak. He cleared his throat, sniffed and dapped at his forehead with his handkerchief.

"Well, General." He cursed his voice for coming out higher than normal. "As you know former experiments for the Eris project came up negative but #043 is different, whether this is due to her age or her biology I do not know, there is a possibilty-"

"Dr. Leeb, cut to the chase, what can she do?"

"Ah, right" He loosened his tie a bit, were the fans even working in here? "Yes, #043 is the perfect blend between technology and humanity. She arrived to us in a... less than ideal state this has meant that her left leg had to be amputated above the knee and her right leg was amputated below the knee, her legs were replaced with advanced prosthetics, based upon the Winter Soldier project. These were replaced to grow with her, it was a marvel really how we managed to make them grow perfectly wi-"

"Doctor!"

"Ah, sorry, yes, well. These legs allow her to run faster than the average human being, she has reached over speeds of 60mph - this of course is helped with the super soldier serum that she has adapted to perfectly. The serum, of course, has made her taller, stronger and altogether better. She is only 16 and has already grown to be 6 feet tall, it is likely that she can grow more, she can lift her body weight easily. She has also received the benefits of advanced healing, there has yet to be an injury that has not healed within the day. #043 is trained in Muay Thai, Judo, Comat Sambo to name a few, she has mastered firearms and the use of close combat weaponry- being most proficient in the use of brass knuckles. Her senses are enhanced by the serum have given her a great skill in prediction. She is brutal, cold and most importantly, loyal to Hydra."

Dr. Leeb nervously pushed up his glasses, it was impossible to read what The General was feeling. The man's face was eternally stuck in a position of serious anger- it was rather intimidating.

"This sounds promising Dr. Leeb. I read that she was trained intellectually as well?"

"Yes, yes #043 can speak Russian, English, German, Chinese, Japanese, French, Romanian and Spanish fluently and has been taught how to use the most advanced technologies. Her physical training has always taken priority, however, but I can assure you General that if you have a wall to break through she can do it."

There was a beat of silence as the General seemed to mull something over, there was a rustle of paper on the other side of the monitor. Dr. Leeb took in some deep breaths as he waited for the General to say something, dabbing at his forehead once more to try and get rid of the sweat dripping down his brow.

"Is it true, Dr. Leeb, that you believe she could take out the Winter Soldier?"

"Yes." Dr. Leeb answered without hesitation. "We are waiting for confirmation from the scientist on the Winter Soldier project but we are scheduling for them to meet. Remember she is has yet to reach full maturation, there is no doubt that she could best the Soldier when she is fully formed, we just wish to... encourage her to see him as a threat and enemy."

"Your faith is evident, Leeb, very well, here is the details of the mission- if she fails it will be on your head Doctor."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

#043 was training, as usual, she was in the middle of combat training facing of against a large group of hydra soldiers. While she knew she could defeat them one on one, having six of them attack at the same time was proving much more difficult. It was practically impossible to dodge and block every hit coming her way, much less think about landing a punch. She currently unarmed so at least two hits on vital areas would be necessary to knock one soldier unconscious. As she was dodging she began to form a plan, she would have to spread the soldiers out, she could tackle one down and run through them but they would see that coming a mile away, she could try throwing one away but that would take far too much time. There was only one option left, to jump.

#043 stopped dodging and planted her feet, she doubled her efforts to block incoming blows and began to tense her knees. The mechanical legs clanked and whirred as the cogs inside them tightened- the only warning any of the soldiers got was the hissing of hydraulics as #043 released the tension within her legs and shot straight over the heads of the group of soldiers. She twisted in the air and landed heavily in the ground with a loud cracking sound as the concrete broke below her. She was now facing the bewildered looking group of soldiers, she smirked, as they began to run to her. Just as they reached her she jumped once more, landing right at the back by the slowest member. They were down in two swift blows to their kidney's and temple. This unfair game of cat and mouse continued until it was only two soldiers remaining.

The following fight was easy to her. One of the soldiers was taken out by a high kick to the head from her left leg and a solid stomp to the sternum cracking numerous ribs and collapsing his chest. The other was simply ended by a push kick to the chest to put them off balance and #043 swiftly grabbed one of their legs and threw them into the far wall where they impacted with a harsh thud, leaving a rather large dent in the plaster. #043 drew in a deep breath and relaxed, letting her hands fall to her sides just as the voice of Dr. Leeb entered the sandpit.

"Well done, #043! You continue to improve day by day." She felt her eye twitch as he sniffed once more. "I have some good news for you, you are to go outside."

"Outside?" Her voice was gravelly from lack of use.

"Yes, you are about to go on your first mission, it is a rather simple one mind you- I think the General is just trying to test me with this- I have no doubt that you will succeed with flying colours, you are my perfect equation."

"What will I have to do?"

"You are to infiltrate the home of a Mr. Hugo Malet, a prominent figure in the arms trade. Hydra has a target on his head and you, my dear, have the honour of being the gun who aims for it." Dr. Leeb began walking away, gesturing for #043 to follow. She eyed her trainer waiting for permission. The stern woman just gave a nod and #043 was off walking just behind Dr. Leeb, peering over his shoulder to the files he held in his hand. He continued to brief her all the way to his office.

"Mr. Malet here has a holiday chalet in the French Alps, a rather modest six bedroom, five bathroom ordeal, wholly unnecessary for his family of four but if you have the money. Such a shame he got that money by selling weapons to the wrong people. Here." Dr. Leeb sat in his desk chair before sliding the file over to #043. "Look at him, memorise his face, his family is meant to join him in the chalet in a week but if there are any others witness you must eliminate them as well- do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Repeat it to me."

"Hugo Malet, Chalet, French alps, no witnesses, no traces left behind."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the helicopter over to the Alps #043 did not know who was more nervous, her or Dr. Leeb who had insisted on monitoring the mission in person. The plan was simple, she would parachute down to the drop zone two miles away from the chalet and run to the chalet where, under the cover of night, #043 would erase the traitors.

"T-10 mins until deployment."

The announcement over the intercom spurred her into action, she began triple checking her harness and parachute, placed the night vision goggles over her eyes and ensured that the mask covering the lower half of her face was secure. Once she was sure she was ready she took her position. The side door opened to reveal the pitch black, snowy exterior of the alps, the temperature was immediately freezing . Dr. Leeb piped up behind her.

"Do not disappoint me #043, once this goes successfully the Eris project will be a reality. You know what will happen if you fail."

#043 shivered at the threat, memories enclosed walls, electric chairs and sore flesh flickering in her mind and with a single nod she jumped.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The run to the chalet had been uneventful and soon the chalet was in view. There was a warm glow coming from within and through the window #043 could see the figure of her target walking around the lower floors.

"Status report" The voice of Dr. Leeb crackled through her earpiece.

"Target sighted, moving to engage."

Armed only with a silenced pistol and her brass knuckles she moved stealthily through the pine trees until she found the backdoor. Much to her joy it was unlocked and she entered silently. There was the faint sound of some sort of soft music playing in the front room, following the noise she crept towards the slightly ajar door down the corridor.

She entered the room, pistol first, to see Hugo Malet sipping wine on the couch, sitting in front of the fireplace a woman - presumably his wife- under his arm. Without hesitation #043 shot both figures through the back of the head, killing them instantly. She approached the bodies, turning them both over to confirm their identities.

"Target is dead, his wife also."

"Great job, #043, no witnesses. Return to Location Alpha"

#043 stared at the two bodies for too long. They were slumped, still cuddled against one another, their eyes dull and lifeless. If it wasn't for the bullet hole through their foreheads'. Their lives had so easily been ended, they had not even seen it coming. She had taken lives before, but they had always been fighting her- it was her or them. This was new, the easy kills. The easy killing felt wrong, she felt wrong, her hands began to shake. Her mask began to feel too tight, the air in the room was too dense for her to breathe- desperately she made her way to the window- opening it to let the fresh air hit her face.

"Mummy? Daddy? Can I have some hot chocolate?"

#043 froze, the voice was high pitched, a child's voice, her head turned in horror to watch the door to the front room open and the Malet's youngest son enter the room. His face immediately creased into confusion, too young to understand why his parents were slumped, motionless on the couch. He was so small. #043 knew about the concept of children, she was certain she herself must have been one at some point, but she had never realised how small they are. This one must have only reached her knees, his small arms were reaching for his parent's until he caught #043 in his sight. She slowly raised her pistol.

"Who are you?" The small child asked

"I am..." she stuttered, who was she? A number? How old was she? Was she once this child, this small, this helpless, this clueless, this... innocent? The boy's eyes shone with tears and fear.

"Are you a friend of Daddy's?"

Such innocence, so small, every fibre of #043's being was screaming at her- no witnesses- but her hand was shaking, her hands never shook, there was some p[art of her that refused to harm this child. The longer she looked into his eyes the farther down she pointed her pistol.

"I am..."

But if she left this child alive she would be put in that chair again, she would be hit and placed in that tiny room, she would be a failure and Dr. Leeb would be disappointed in her. She slowly began to walk towards the small child who simply looked up at her, wide eyed and teary.

"Who..." The child's voice faded away as #043 was looked directly down at him.

"I am... Eris."

With that Eris hit the child over the head with the butt of her pistol , enough to knock him unconscious but not enough to kill him, then fired a shot into the ground by his head, she hoped that an ambulance would arrive soon. She took a deep breath before climbing out the window, leaving the crime scene behind.

"Returning to Location Alpha, No witnesses remain."

Part 3

#marvel #hydra #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky x original female character #bucky x oc #bucky fic #angst #avengers #eventual fluff #winter soldier #winter soldier x oc #bucky barnes one shot #sebastian stan #hydra are assholes #eloquent-vowel #043 #slow burn

[sashawhite1]

The Truth Untold

Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 9

Pairing: Isabella Swan x Paul Lahote x Quil Ateara

꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷

A/N: So, I made a Poll on quotev, and if you have the time, you can follow the extended link at the bottom of this chapter. The purpose of the poll is to come up with two-thirds of the genes running through Bella and the twins. If you are interested and have the time, I would appreciate the help and input.

꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦The same day꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦

Pairing: Isabella Swan x Paul Lahote x Quil Ateara

Chapter 1  Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

Isabella Swan Pov

" You got to be kidding me, Bella. There is no way that that shit is real," Sabrina yelled as she rolled her eyes at me.

" You want us to believe that vampires walk the earth among us without humans knowing of their existence.....HAHAHA......This joke is not funny, Alpha, and there is no way that what you are saying is remotely true. The supernatural world is an enigma that you are trying to pass on to us as a joke to get back at us for all the times we rebelled over the years."

I sighed and rubbed my face with my right hand, exhausted by the lengths I would take to protect my family.

I had decided that I needed to tell them everything that I knew of this new world that I found myself being a part of for the last seven months. It wasn't because I was scared that a vampire might still be chasing after me because of the James fiasco that happened five months ago. If Victoria ended up coming with the bright idea to eliminate those that I care about, well, just in case, the team would know the possible danger surrounding this town and me.

Even if Victoria wasn't after me, there were many more human drinkers than animal drinkers, so the danger was still at large, and knowing what a vampire looks like was better than continuing being in the dark about them.

If only the gang would believe me like they usually do instead of fighting and undermining my words for the past two hours, which was way too long. Maybe then we could get on with the rest of our lives and start planning an assassination gig that we have coming up.

I took a deep breath, trying and failing not to lose my shit at how difficult they were being. I understood that this made no sense to them because they were never a part of this world, to begin with, but this was overkill.

I've always been the type of person to be careful and skeptical when in a new environment. It's how I was able to find out about Cullen's secret so easily and fast, something that has helped me survive thus far, and why I'm such a good leader.

" Ruby, I'm not joking around here," I moaned, knowing that the only way for them to believe me, is with proof, and it was a good thing that I had just an item that might persuade them.

"When have you ever known me to lie to you guys about something. Would I put this much effort into trying to get you to take this seriously, especially if I was joking around with you?"

I knew that it wasn't my place to be spilling the Cullens secret out to other humans, but I couldn't help it. I've known these guys for as long as I can remember, and we've done and seen things that nobody should experience or live past.

We've had each other backs in the stickiest situation, so of course, I was loyal to them like they are with me.

I couldn't just sit by and not let them be a part of this new world without me.

I couldn't keep something this important, and maybe life-threatening, that could endanger their lives.

" I think Bella is telling the truth," Sabrina stated, catching all of our attention.

" You do," declared Dakotah looking confused about how she could believe such a ridiculous thing.

Sabrina smirked at me, flipping the pages of her book, "Yeah. Didn't I tell you guys that I was half fairy?"

I picked up the first thing that I could get my hands on, which happened to be a book on the coffee table, and I chucked it at her, hoping to hit Sabrina in the face with it.

It ended up missing her and hitting the wall behind.

I hated when she tried to be a smart ass like this when I was trying to be serious.

"I'm trying to be sincere here," I screamed at them, getting up off the couch.

I recognize that it was time to use extreme tactics, and these measures were something that I had a hard time not getting caught doing by a bunch of vampires.

It wasn't easy to calculate my chances of success with them not seeing the cameras, but I ended up getting the results I needed.

" Wait here for a second," I indicated as I made my way up to my bedroom.

As soon as I made it to my room, I ran over to my bed and lifted the mattress.

Under it was a black and blue hollowed-out book that kept all of my secrets for the past few months.

Inside the book were pictures of Edward and his family and a DVD.

As I left my room to go back to the living room, I made sure to go to Sabrina's room to grab her laptop.

I headed back downstairs and to the living room, not knowing what this evidence might cause.

Sitting back down in the seat that I was priorly sitting in, I held the two items close to my chest.

I sat the laptop next to me and picked up the book taking out the pictures I had taken or stolen from the Cullens house.

I spread them out on the coffee table and let them examine the images while I set up the laptop.

Before, I, too, sat it on the coffee table to be looked at after they looked at the pictures.

Marlayne grabbed a picture looking at it in stunned," They look so inhumanly beautiful."

" Being extremely beautiful is one of the things that is added to a vampire while they are under the change, and unlike an ability, all vampires have enhanced beauty, hearing, speed, strength, unnatural eyes, and a hunger for blood. Everything that makes them into monsters is used to their full advantage to hunt and lure their prey that they will later consume. If you watch the video on the computer, you will see what I have been dealing with for the past few months."

I watched as Nijel grabbed the laptop and played the video.

If what I was saying with the pictures couldn't convene them.

Then the video would do a great job at making them believers. It was a little hard to get most of the evidence on it. A lot of it was surveillance videos from places that I hacked into, but a lot was me trying to sneak videos of the Cullens.

The truck accident at school, the old ballet studio, the baseball match, and my hidden video of my birthday were all on that DVD.

I also had a shitty video of Edward confirming that he was a vampire, and everything that he did that day, down to the nail, it was all there.

I waited for the video to be finished as I took the time to watch the way their faces morphed as many different emotions overcame them. The most that I could tell is that they were shocked and horrified at the same time, and I couldn't and wouldn't blame them if they ended up passing out at the gruesome parts in the video.

I felt terrible that this was how far I had to take this conversation to get them to acknowledge that I was telling them the truth, but like I said before, nothing was going to stop me from protecting my family and that also meant I was going to protect them from themself as well.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard a sob echo through the room.

I tried to see who was crying, but I soon felt a body hurled at me, wrapping their body around mine, trapping me into the couch. I tried to pry the arms wrapped around me, but to no avail was I able to do so.

The arms were too quick because as soon as I got them from around one part of my body, they ended up grabbing a different part of my body to hold on to.

In the corner of my eyes, I saw that the person that now had me in a suffocating grip was no other than Marlayne.

I was about to say something to calm her down, but I felt two more bodies join the suffocating Bella party.

"C-C-Can-Can't Bre-bre-eath," I tried to say as I could no longer withstand the iron grip surrounding me.

It felt like a bear, or a gorilla was squeezing me to death.

I tried to push them away, but they were a little bit too strong for me.

I saw out the corner of my eye that Dakotah got a hold of what looks to be a crying Nijel, ripping him off of Marlayne.

He pushed Nijel onto the living room's only love seat and took the chance to wrap his twin brother in his arms. He was trying his best to calm Nijel down, but he was not getting any closure after witnessing the gruesome scene on that DVD.

Sabrina did the same with Bliss and Marlayne, grabbing them off me and trying to calm them down.

Things were kind of quiet, counting out all the crying that was going on.

The only one that wasn't a sobbing mess was Dakotah, who was glaring down at the computer. I could see that his body was shaking, if it was anger or him holding back his tears. I couldn't tell which it was, but he held onto Nijel very tight, almost to the point that I knew that Nijel would have bruises by the end of the day.

I got up out of my seat and started to put my evidence back into the false book that I had it in.

Soon I would have to invest in a better and stronger hiding mechanism that would stop even a vampire, which I knew was impossible.

I didn't want it to be able to get into anyone's hands or have the Volturi find out that I knew about what they were.

It wouldn't end well for my family or me if it did.

While I was doing that, I felt the hairs on my arms, and the back of my neck start to stand up.

They only did that when something dangerous nearby or something life-threatening was about to happen.

I quickly turned around, making sure to grab my gun out of its holster, preparing myself for an ambush in my own house.

The girls did the same thing, quickly jumping off the couch pulling out their weapons.

A growl cut through the air, making a lot of the things in the room shake.

I didn't know where it was coming from, and I started to panic a little at the chances of a vampire sneaking into our house undetected.

Again, a growl ripped through the house, making me jump in freight.

I looked over at the twins and saw Dakotah's body was shaking a lot harder than when I lasted looked at him.

His body was unrecognizable because of how hard he was shaking.

What caught me off guard was that Nijel's body was also shaking at a fast rate, just like Dakotah.

It was hard to see where one body began and where the other ended but what struck me as weird was the boys were shaking as if they could not control it.

It looked unnatural, and I knew that it was not humanly possible to look like you were having a seizure and not be in episode.

I didn't understand what was happening to my baby brothers, but I wanted it to stop.

Soon the shaking came and went from a level 8 earthquake to a calm trimmer which looked like a level 2 earthquake.

The growling continued to spill from their mouths, making the girls take a step back when all of a sudden, a hiss came out.

As if they heard Bliss, Sabrina, and Marlayne taking a step back, they looked up from glaring at the ground.

What I saw made me hold back a gasp in shock.

No longer was I glancing at the blue eyes that I was used to staring at when looking at Dakotah but something that I could only describe as being a part of the supernatural world.

What was staring back at me were a set of Jet-black eyes, which could be considered normal if it wasn't for the fact that the white sclera, typically seen in someone's eyes, no longer existed in his.

That wasn't the weirdest thing that I was experiencing while looking at Dakotah, and I knew that something deep down was letting me know that this wasn't going to be the end to him changing into whatever this was.

I sucked in a large amount of air, wondering what that shit was because I could not explain what else was happening to this boy.

No, the thing that took the cake as the weirdest thing that I could experience was leaking out of his eyes, and it looked filthy.

While his eyes were now wholly jet-black, there was also some bizarre black liquid spewing  in tremendous amounts out of the bottom and corner of his eyes.

Somehow the sight of Dakotah's eyes did not horrify me too much as I took the chance to look at Nijel, and because of what I saw with Dakotah's eyes, I was not surprised to see that his eyes had also changed colors.

Nijel's eyes were no longer the cute brown eyes that used to stare at me all the time, begging for attention.

I was gawking at the change of his eyes and couldn't help but be hypothesized by the amount of color that I saw swirling around his irises. They may have been unnatural, but they were a beauty to glimpse at.

At least with Dakota's eyes, the color was on a balance of being humanly possible even though they were a freakish site to look at.

If someone was to see Dakotah's eyes for a second, they could say that they imagined seeing an all-black eye or that it was the trick of the light, but no way could Nijel be sneaky with the eyes that were staring back at me.

No, these eyes may be weird, but they were the most colorful eyes that I have ever seen because I was looking at a set of swirling rainbow eyes consisting of only purple, blue, and orange.

As I looked into my brother's soulless eyes, I started to come up with the hypothesis that I wasn't human myself since we share the same genes.

The longer I stood there, the more I started to notice a stinging sensation in my own eyes. It began as a soft feeling, but soon I felt like someone was stabbing me in the eye with a hot poker.

I tried to lift one of my arms to grab at my eye as it began to feel too painful, but I couldn't feel my body anymore.

Luckily, a mirror was hanging on the wall behind the couch that the Twins were sitting on.

I wanted to see what was going on with my eyes, and with my body no longer in my control, I had to have other means to see if my eyes were any different.

As I was staring into the mirror, I could see that just like my brothers, my eyes were no longer the typical dark brown color that I had growing up.

Unlike their eyes, my mines seemed to be the most normal looking.

Where my eyes were now a black color, at least I still had a white sclera, and I might have what looked like bright lightning bolts shooting through my Iris, but I was glad that the tone of my irises stuck to only two colors.

I could hear the others still backing away from the intense stare coming from the twins. I knew that they didn't know what to do with the situation that they were witnessing.

They had just learned about Vampires, and now something supernatural was happening right in front of their eyes.

Nijel looked up at me and let a snarl out of his mouth in anger, and I felt and heard a growl come out of my mouth in response.

It felt like Nejel was challenging me, and the thing sitting dormant inside didn't like it. I let another Growl come out of my mouth as I glared down at him, making him a coward in fear.

As soon as the growl finished echoing through the room, Dakotah jumped out of his seat. My head snapped in his direction, and the loudest and somehow most powerful growl ripped through the room from my mouth.

Things in the room started to shake, and I heard a scream come from someone around me. The sound startled Dakotah from whatever he was thinking about doing, dropping back into his seat.

"If the Cullens ever show their faces to this family," he said in a voice that was not his, and it was a deeper voice that sounded unusual coming from his mouth.

It sounded dark and malicious, but it was on a whole new level than what I used to with him.

The beast inside of me, at this point, had finally taken control of my body.

For what it wants or why it was taking over, only it knew, but it wasn't like I would be able to stop it.

I watched as I moved towards my brothers and stuck my right hand out to Dakotah in the back of my mind. He quickly got up and grabbed onto it with his hand, Nijel standing behind him with his hand on Dakotah's shoulder.

" Then, you can kill them in cold murder with the hottest fire that you can summon," A terrifying voice coming out of my mouth said.

I watched as my brothers looked at each other and turned back to me in agreement.

When the entity that had taken over my body had seen them both agree.

It went the same way that it came, and I was forcefully pushed back to the front of my mind again.

We all stood in our places, not saying anything nor moving an inch too shocked with the events that had co-inspired at this moment.

" Whelp, I think we now know that there has to be more than vampires in this world," Whispered Bliss in awe.

I dropped Dakota's hand to look back at her, nodding my head because I could no longer trust my body or voice.

I felt my brothers grab onto me and pull me into the loveseat behind us.

" I'll try to see if I can find anything about what had just happened just now," Sabrina said, walking over to her computer.

Bliss ran into the kitchen and came back with multiple snacks and drinks.

" There is a legend in the Quileute tribe that has to do with vampires," I told her, making her look up at me.

"It was the story of the tribe having ancestors that could shift into wolves that did it for me. I was able to tell that there were vampires because the story said that the tribe's ancestors created the wolves so that their people could be protected from vampires. In hindsight, I should have tied the pieces together. That if the vampires from the stories were true, then maybe the story is real, and werewolves run among us. Start with the legend to see if that is what is happening to us and branch out from there if that is not the answer."

She smiled at me," Give me until Thursday and I will have the information we are looking for."

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

A/n: I hope that this chapter lives up to the other chapters. I didn't know if I should create it without fully understanding the Tribrid sibling's supernatural gene. However, I thought I did well with this chapter and portraying that the Cullens were still messing with the tribe even though they left Washington.

If you have any input on this story or have an idea that you think I should add. I would appreciate it if you left a comment down below letting me know.

W/C: 3,637

#twilight #bella swan #paul lohote #quil ateara #jacob black #the twilight saga #edward cullen #the cullens

[dramaticironyoflife]

Exam Escape

Ignis adjusted his glasses and shifted his weight slightly. So slightly that it didn’t appear that he had moved at all. He was surveying the mess that was the prince’s apartment. Bags of trash lay absolutely everywhere. He wasn’t sure whether to be appealed or astounded by the amount of litter that had accumulated over the course of a few short days. However, it was exam week for his young charge and it was natural that chaos would dramatically increase in such a time of stress and panic.

But that didn’t mean Ignis had to like it.

He sighed and set about trying to straighten the mess. He wasn’t quite sure where to start though. The advisor was decidedly off this Friday. Perhaps it was the daunting reality that, after today, Noct would be home for the whole of the Summer. As long as he had not managed to fail any exams, that was. The long hours of chasing the prince down and running through practice exams had worn Ignis down over the last few weeks. Even last night Noct has called him up in a frenzy and wouldn’t settle until Ignis had drilled him on at least half a dozen practice questions. Not the oddest activity he’d done at 3:27 in the morning but the prince’s excited state had left him unable to drift back off. He thought of this as he took a gulp of Ebony. His fifth can of the afternoon. Gladio had absolutely refused to let him train for their full session. He instead led Ignis through a series of stretches to attempt to get him to relax. He probably would’ve let the advisor sleep through a portion of the session as well if Ignis had not so stubbornly refused. Gladio had a small victory in the end though. He’d made Ignis promise not to drive himself home that night as his sleep deprived state was hardly considered safe. This was a point that Ignis not only couldn’t argue but flat out didn’t want to. Gladio brought a certain amount of peace into Iggy���s life, taking on a good portion of the responsibilities that came with watching over the future heir.

Ignis finished piling the trash together and began to sort through the rest of the mess. Magazines and comic books had been mixed in with the important reports and briefings that Noct had, most probably, neglected to read. Future king or no, the prince procrastinated better than anyone Ignis had ever met. He sorted through the papers, making different piles before sitting back on his heels. The time was ticking by far too fast for Ignis’ liking. He wasn’t needed to make Noct’s dinner tonight, thank heaven, and would rather like to leave before he and Prompto began their celebrations that came at the end of each exam period. There would most likely be shouting and cheering and all sorts of merry making that sounded absolutely dreadful to Ignis’ blossoming headache. Still, he couldn’t help but come by the rooms and see exactly how bad it had gotten over the past three days. Once he’d witnessed the pigs dye, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He cursed his instincts to help the prince and resisted the urge to sweep everything left on the floor under whatever available spaces lay before him. Honestly, he was almost sure that Noct would never realize the difference. He swept the floor carefully, picking up odds and ends he’d missed as he went. He shifted the sofa out of the way and grunted as he bent to retrieve a few magazines and marbles that had taken up residence there when the door slammed open.

“FREEDOM!!!” The shout was so loud that Ignis jumped. He lost his footing and landed none too gracefully on his behind. It seemed though that neither of the boys had heard him.

“YEAH!!” Noct joined in the blond’s excited squealing and tore off his jacket, tossing it in the direction of the kitchen. Ignis peered over the edge of the sofa, unwilling to get dragged into the celebration. Prompto slipped of his satchel and grinned definitely at Noct,

“We did it! We’re done and you wanna know what I think about school?!” Noct applauded, waving his hands like an impromptu rapper,

“What’d you thing about school?!”

“You wanna know what I think about books?!!”

“What about ‘em, Prom?!”

“YOU WANNA KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS SATCHEL?!”

“WHAT?!”

“I’LL SHOW YA WHAT I THINK!!!!” With this and a somewhat pathetic war cry, Prompto slammed the bag down on the ground and began jumping on it repeatedly. Noct cheered and began some odd dancing ritual around the excited teen. Ignis blinked.

He was definitely not coming out now. He sunk lower behind the sofa and tugged out his phone. He scrolled quickly to his contacts and located Gladio’s name. He pressed call before he could over think anything.

Gladio was lounging on the sofa in his dad’s office. Clarus was sifting through some papers, allowing Gladio to scroll through his phone undisturbed. Gladio grunted as Iggy’s contact lit up the device and pulled himself upright. Clarus glanced at him, cocking an eyebrow.

“Hey, Iggy,” Gladio announced the greeting and his dad nodded before resuming his work. “You ready for me?”

“Six, yes, come get me.” Gladio tensed. The words were whispered in an almost desperate voice.

“Iggy? Where are you?” His dad noticed the change in his son’s voice and dropped his paper. Gladio was tense, ready for action.

“At Noct’s...” Ignis peered quickly at the boys to see they were now throwing assignments into the air like makeshift confetti, still shouting in jubilation. 

“What? Why are you at Noct’s? I thought you said...”

“That I wouldn’t go over to his chambers today, I know! I tried, Gladio, believe me. I just knew that his apartment was a mess and I thought it would be nice for him to come back to a clean apartment-”

“Just so he could mess it all up again?” Gladio chuckled and Clarus relaxed. Gladio rose from the sofa and grabbed his jacket. He raised a hand in farewell to his father before slipping out into the hallway. “Hang tight, Iggy, I’m on my way.” 

Ignis heard the call disconnect and sighed, hunching further in on himself. Being tall and lean was a disadvantage in this moment. He felt dread sink into him when he heard the boys approaching the sofa. 

“You wanna order pizza while I set up the game?” Noct’s voice was followed by the sound of someone throwing themselves onto the sofa. Ignis flinched as it shifted slightly with the force of the prince’s body. Prompto’s giddy response was followed by some tapping.

“Whoever made apps for ordering pizza is a genius.” Prompto commented, his voice now also sounding dangerously close to Ignis’ situation. “They eliminated one of the most awkward conversations in human history.”

Noct hummed in agreement as the noises of the TV hit the room. Prompto cheered and then the sounds of the two gamers settled on the apartment. 

When the noises coming from the boys were grunts, shouts, and explanations that would’ve made any well spoken individual cringe and no longer intelligible words, Ignis deemed them invested enough in their game for him to start his escape. On top of this, Galdio had texted that he was less than five minutes in his estimated time of arrival. Ignis huffed silently and set his eyes on the bedroom, mere feet away. 

The journey to the bedroom wasn’t a long one but it wasn’t one that Ignis would ever want anyone to see him perform and not one he wanted to perform again himself. Although it was almost comical to see that he could slip past the boys without their knowledge due to their distraction. He lay on his belly and slid himself neatly across the wooden floor a good portion of the journey. The remainder of his mission was merely going the rest of the way without being seen. He crouched at first, creeping along like some common criminal. Once he was near the door however, he was forced to reassess his situation. The door was open but only just enough for him to slip through if he stood. Eyes never leaving the boys, Ignis slowly inched himself to his full height. Noct stood at the same time, shouting at the TV and tossing his remote off to one side. Unfortunately, the side that was closer to Ignis. Prompto was laughing at the prince’s tantrum and teasing him relentlessly. Noct, vowing revenge turned to pluck his remote off the floor. 

Ignis had never prayed harder in his life that he would remain unseen. Or turn invisible. Or that the floor would swallow him up. Instead, it was the well timed delivery of the pizza that saved him. The doorbell was the diversion Ignis needed to slip to safety. Once in the bedroom, he forced himself to ignore the mess that was taking over the prince’s personal space. He pulled out his phone.

In Noct’s bedroom, near the window. Gladio texted back a few minutes later.

Here. What’s the plan? Ignis sighed before sliding the window open and peering out. Gladio was standing below him, looking up with an amused expression. Noct’s window wasn’t very high off the ground, Ignis had no doubt that he could make the jump and role the landing to prevent injury. Assessing the height once more, he nodded.

I’m going to jump, stand back. Gladio’s eyebrows rose and he looked up at Ignis then pocketed his phone. Ignis nodded and pulled his long limbs through the window. He took a deep breath and then pushed himself off the edge; only to land in Gladio’s arms. 

“What in the Astals?!” He gasped. Gladio grunted and deposited his catch onto his feet. 

“What? You’re wearing nice clothes. Didn’t want you to ruin them.” He shrugged and began to wander back towards the street and their get away car. Ignis followed, grumbling and straightening out his outfit. 

----

“Gladio!” Noct and Prompto looked up from the campsite at the squeak they hardly recognized as Ignis’ voice. The Shield was holding the Advisor in his arms while the thinner man struggled.

“Nope! You’re going to rest or I’m going to tell Noct and Prompto about the ‘Exam Escape’.” The two boys blinked, whatever the ‘Exam Escape’ was, it made Ignis freeze in his attempts to free himself. He stared at Gladio with wide eyes,

“You wouldn’t.” Gladio cocked an eyebrow,

“Not if you rest.” Ignis groaned and resumed struggling,

“I can walk myself to the tent, thank you!” Prompto and Noct exchanged expressions and shrugs. 

#ffxv #ignis scientia #gladiolus amiticia #prompto argentum #noctis lucis caelum #fanfiction #My writing

[buzzdixonwriter]

ALPHAVILLE

Alphaville is a film you must watch.

Not “watch” in the conventional sense, where you passively sit and let sound and image wash over you, the type of slickly made / often entertaining mainstream factory pap that explains the plot points every fifteen minutes for anybody who went to the bathroom / checked their phone / nodded off in the interim.

“Watch” in the sense you must follow it close, actively paying attention to what unspools before you.

It is not a difficult film to follow, but you’ll be lost if you blink.

Alphaville the motion picture can be described several different ways.

One way -- the most common way, the easiest to reduce down to a simple logline -- is the producers of the Lemmy Caution movies (a European version of the Sam Spade / Philip Marlowe type of private eye character) threw caution to the wind and asked then La Nouvelle Vague wunderkind Jean-Luc Goddard to direct the next installment of the character’s adventures, resulting in a weird / off beat combination of film noir and sci-fi.

This would be like the Shaft franchise asking David Lynch to direct an entry.

Another way -- and in my view, far more accurate yet more difficult to explain -- is that Alphaville is a series of discussions on philosophy / theology / poetry covered with a dream-like patina of surreal tough guy antics.

Goddard, a film and pop culture maven since childhood, wisely mixes science fiction with stereotypical private eye tropes to bring these discussions to life.

The science fiction aspect is the first and foremost element, but the world of the private eye is needed to make Alphaville complete.

Science fiction enables Goddard to bring deep philosophical questions up to the surface by couching them in sci-fi terms that let them be treated as concrete concepts instead of abstract ideals.

Alphaville isn’t the first film to do that, not by a long shot, but the challenge in using sci-fi to discuss big ideas is that the spectacle of the genre may overpower the theme, the form triumphing over the content.

Metropolis, as superlative as it is, is a prime example of that.

Goddard’s stroke of genius lay in double filtering his message through the stereotypes and cliches of private eye fiction.  Eddie Constantine’s Lemmy Caution is brutish and confrontational but uses that as a physical shield to protect a very human soul.  This enables Goddard, through the character, to anchor the flighty intellectual aspects of the story in a grim and gritty reality that filmgoers could readily identify with.

Even at its most grim and gritty points, Alphaville continues to play with pop culture, tongue firmly in cheek in the manner in which it examines its questions, but like a prophetic parable carrying a far deeper and more profound meaning than apparent on first blush.

The plot is very pulpish, suitable for either Planet Stories or Black Mask Detective.

Caution, posing as a journalist for Figaro-Pravada but actually secret agent 003, arrives at Alphaville, the capital of a far distant planet (or galaxy; Goddard either not knowing or not caring about the difference and using the terms interchangeably throughout the film).

Alphaville appears identical to Paris of 1965, and indeed references in the dialog suggest the story is taking place in the very near future.

Ostensibly there to do a story on Alphaville, in reality he’s tracking down two men:  Professor Vonbraun (Howard Vernon), an American scientist formerly known as Nosferatu who has gone to Alphaville and established himself as the de facto human face and hands of Alpha 60, the computer that runs the society; or failing that, locating Henri Dickson (Akim Tamiroff), a previous Earth secret agent sent after Vonbraun who apparently vanished.

Caution’s mission is to return Vonbraun / Nosferatu or kill him; his superiors are aware Vonbraun is guiding Alpha 60 to launch a massive war against the rest of the galaxy.  (Why Alpha 60 thinks this war is a good idea comprises the true heart of the picture.)

Caution is met soon after his arrival by Natacha Vonbraun (Anna Karina), a computer programmer for Alpha 60 and the (apparently adopted) daughter of Professor Vonbraun.  She unintentionally manages to arrange an encounter between Caution and Vonbraun, resulting in Caution being targeted for first interrogation then recruitment by Vonbraun and Alpha 60.

If you’ve never heard of Alphaville before this, you may be imagining this in grandiose Blade Runner style, but Goddard wanted his film grounded in reality so he shot using real locations, no special effects (other than the screen images turning negative in a few instances), and no elaborate props or costumes.

Alphaville literally is Paris of 1965, and the soulless laboratories and indoctrination centers and police stations are what was then mid-century modern architecture.  

What makes Alphaville the society so alien is that Vonbraun through Alpha 60 turned the world into a completely logical / unemotional civilization.  Goddard combines nods to Russian Communism, Orwell’s 1984, and French existentialism to shape the society of Alphaville, at first glance seemingly so like our world, but soon revealed in word and gesture to be radically different.

Gene Roddenberry got logical civilizations all wrong with the planet Vulcan.  A logical civilization would not become a world of high minded aesthetics but rather of haunted, empty human souls using sensuality in lieu of spiritual values.

Despite its supposedly logical / non-individualistic nature, Alpha 60 acts to preserve itself.  It relentlessly controls the population through language and censorship, hammering down any outbursts of individuality or spiritual leanings (spiritual here expanded to more than conventional religion).

This desire for self-preservation, fueled and guided by Vonbraun, manifests itself in its plans for galactic war aimed at subjugating all other planets so that they may never threaten Alpha 60 (the film leaves as a far question which came first, the egg of Alpha 60’s antagonistic plans, or the hen of the other planets sending agents like Caution to thwart them).

Goddard was no computers expert and he made Alphaville long before artificial intelligence research moved from the theoretical to the practical, but he nonetheless raises an interesting issue:  Alpha 60’s oppressive nature is clearly hardwired into its cybernetics by Vonbraun, yet Alpha 60 displays enormous curiosity in the very human traits it strives to eliminate while Vonbraun feels so sure of himself as Alpha 60’s chief architect that he fails to realize his creation is truly thinking for itself, not following the guidance he programmed in.

Much of the philosophical inquiry in Alphaville centers on religion, but here Goddard doesn’t use “religion” in the conventional term of a set of dogmas and creeds too often followed blindly and slavishly by the uninquisitive and the superstitious, but in the difference between philosophy and theology.

Theology is best described as a sub-set of philosophy dedicated to things of the spirit (i.e., abstract, not necessarily supernatural).  It reflects how we think and feel about unknowable and unprovable concepts. 

Philosophy and ethics can be tested; we can see if the golden rule is a viable philosophy to follow, we can judge if one view of how the world works is more accurate than another.

As stated, the key difference is that philosophy never presumes to postulate a final answer, and when it offers an insight it never claims that insight represents absolute reality.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is philosophy because it reflects a view of reality never meant to be taken literally; far too often religious devotees insist their parables be taken literally and at face value, not any deeper, more meaningful one. Caution defeats Alpha 60 in the end by luring the computer into a trap of its own devising.  Unable to grasp why humans value love and emotion and things of the spirit, it searches for meaning where it can find none because as advanced as it is, it cannot intuitively grasp their importance.

Alpha 60 realizes it is a little tin god, and in its futile attempt to elevate itself to the next level ends up destroying the very fabric of Alphaville’s social order.

Caution drives Natacha away from Alphaville to safety in the end, cautioning her like Lot’s wife not to look back.  Natacha responds with a tentative expression of emotion:  "Je vous aime" (and notice the use of the formal vous instead of the more intimate tu, she is starting to regain her humanity but a long road remains ahead of her).

In terms of execution, Alphaville is an extremely economical looking film (as well it should be since everything was shot on existing locations using the light weight cameras the French New Wave loved so dearly).  The alienness comes across in the societal mannerisms, the elliptical dialog, and the odd juxtapositions found in the city.

Case in point:  The phrase "I'm very well, thank you, you're welcome.  Don’t mention it" is repeated frequently in the film.  

At first it sounds like a typical social bromide, but as it is used again and again it takes on a more ominous, then sinister meaning.

It is not a polite thanks and dismissal but a warning, both to others and the speaker, not to entertain certain ideas.

Alpha 60 tries to control the citizens of Alphaville by controlling the language, banning certain words, changing the meanings of others.  Characters refer to looking something up in the Bible more than once in the film, but only later is it revealed the Bible of Alphaville is a dictionary, and the salvation found within is the accepted language of the day.

The film maintains a dream-like quality throughout.  Like most dreams, it certainly carries a strong, realistic feel yet at the same time is populated by surreal events and juxtapositions.

This dream-like quality plays well off the stereotypical private eye derring-do.  Hard boiled shenanigans pop up almost randomly yet oddly not unexpectedly throughout the film viz Caution getting involved in a fist / gun fight with a hotel detective trying to spy on him as a “seductress third class” attempts to seduce him.  It’s less than a minute of wild slam bang action and then it’s dismissed as if it never occurred, with Caution and the seductress continuing their cat and mouse game.

The film juxtaposes the opulent hotel lobby where Caution first checks in with the seedy rundown hotel lobby where he finds Dickson.  The latter seems scarcely larger than Dickson’s seedy room, yet is crowded with its own staff (each engaged in some impossible to define task) and its own seductress third class waiting for clientele.

One of the most iconic scenes in Alphaville are the executions.  Rebels against Alpha 60 (i.e., people who read =gasp!= poetry) walk out on a diving board over a swimming pool and are shot while making their last statement.

As they fall in the water a line of bathing beauties dive in, swim over, and drawing knives administer the coup de grace to the victim by repeatedly stabbing them underwater.

Which, incidentally, brings us to another point we need to acknowledge:  How Goddard, Alphaville the film, and Alphaville the society treat women.

From our perspective almost 60 years later, we can look back at Alphaville and excuse its depiction of women by saying it was simply parodying the style of private eye movies of the era.

Which is true…but not enough.

Both French culture at that time and movies in general did not present what we’d consider an enlightened view of gender politics, and the females of Alphaville are all there for eye candy.

In some cases it works:  The aforementioned synchronized bathing beauty executioners are so ludicrous as to be funny in a grim way, yet there are no other non-eye candy female characters to balance them out (there is a female cab driver, certainly unusual casting for a mid-1960s film, but she’s as gorgeous as all the other women).

And while one gets the idea behind each hotel employing professional seductresses (as an amenity in the world of Alphaville, as a commentary on the commodification of human relations in the film), today our reaction is more along the lines of “Is this really necessary?”

Far be it for me to tell Jean-Luc Goddard how to make movies, but it seems there could be half a dozen or more alternative ideas that would get the same point across without reducing women to this role.

Even Anna Karina’s Natacha gets subjugated to this mindset, serving mostly as a tour guide until the end of the film where she finally starts engaging more directly with the central conflict.

It’s not a comfortable look today, but we can live with it when viewed as a commentary on the style of the era.  Compared with the Bond movies or almost any counter-culture film of the 1960s, it’s hardly the worst offender.

Here’s where I’m supposed to wrap things up and tell you to go watch the movie.

Okay, go watch the movie.

I’m not going to be hyperbolic and proclaim Alphaville a great movie because it’s a film set so far apart from the mainstream of cinema and the genres it mashed up that it’s not even an apples and oranges comparison but more like apples and the sound of autumn rain on the roof.

But seriously, you need to watch this movie.

    © Buzz Dixon

#Alphaville #Jean-Luc Goddard #Lemmy Caution #science fiction #sci-fi #film noir #cinema #French New Wave #philosophy #theology #poetry #religion

[queenxxxsupreme]

Burning

A/N: just a little something I’ve been messing around with. 

Warnings: mentions of blood, religion talk, 

Word Count: 3.3k

Summary: Michael finds a strange being he can’t explain. 

18 Months Before Nuclear Destruction of the Earth

Michael wasn’t sure how long she had been there, sitting on her knees in the center of the fallen trees. The ground beneath her was scorched. Her hands were held in front of her, crimson-covered palms facing the sky like she was waiting for fall into her grasp. Her head hung, her chin tucked to her chest. Unruly blonde waves blocked her face from his eyes. Blood was splattered on her face and up into her hairline, speckling her porcelain skin with the red substance. Her eyes were closed, dark and full lashes resting up rosy cheeks. Pink lips were parted but Michel couldn’t hear her heart beating or hear her lungs fill with air. 

Curious, he stepped forward then decided he’d have better luck transmutating to her side rather than walking through the maze of fallen trees. He came to stand by her side, his hands clasping together behind his back. 

“Who are you?” His tone was firm and demanding. He knew he was dreaming, it was a sense he got from the surroundings. But she didn’t belong here. 

Now that he stood beside her, he could see the trail of charcoal gray feathers behind her. They were spread out, almost like they’d fallen here and then as she moved to where she currently rested. 

“I don’t know.” Her voice was sweet and gentle. He inhaled softly, studying her carefully now that he was closer to her. 

There was blood dripping from her nose and her lips were busted. There were scratch marks on her cheek. She had been in a fight. 

“Who did you kill?”

“We’ve all killed someone, haven’t we?” She murmured gently, her eyes opening to reveal vibrant blue eyes. He had been told before that his were an icy blue but hers were the color of the sky on a cloudless day. “We kill who we truly are to be who others want us to be. You killed who you are to be who your father wants you to be, just as I did a long time ago for my father.”

Michael’s lips parted. He wanted to say something, whether it be a snarky comeback or a question he wasn’t sure. But for the first time in his life, Michael Langdon found himself speechless.

She turned her head to look at him, her hair falling out of her face as she looked at him. 

“You have humanity in you, Michael. You just ignore it because your father has plans for you.”

“You don’t know a damn thing about me.” He growled at her, his hand flying out to grab her throat. Just before he could make contact with her, she was gone. His eyes widened as he looked around the little clearing.

He could sense her behind him. Instead of turning to face her, he decided to close his eyes and feel her energy. She felt like the embodiment of warm vanilla and honey. It was oddly warm and welcoming. 

“Violence is only the answer when you have no other way out, Michael.” 

“How do you know my name?” He glanced over his shoulder to her.

“I know everything about you. My father has told me about you for centuries.” Her eyes remained on the back of his head, studying his long golden locks. 

“Your father?” He repeated, turning to face her. She was nearly an entire foot shorter than him. Her figure was slim but her hips were thick and the little white dress with thin straps she wore threatened to reveal her backside should she bend over. “Who is your father?” Michael inquired, tilting his head to the side just slightly.

“He’s told me you’re dangerous.” She took a step towards Michael, bringing her hand up to stroke his cheek. The crimson blood on her palm was delicately smeared across his flawless skin. “But you wouldn’t hurt me.”

Michael almost laughed at her words. She’d be a fool to think he wouldn’t hurt her. He’d have no problem snapping her neck. But a part of him was curious about her. Who was this girl? Why was she covered in blood? And who was her father?

MIchael jolted awake, bumps rising across his skin as he blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes to clear his vision of the trance-like state he was just in. It was too real to be a dream. Perhaps it was a vision. 

A knock on the door to his office reminded him that he was still in his office at Kineros. He sat up in his seat and straightened his suit jacket.

“Enter.” 

“Mr. Langdon, sir?” One of the interns poked her head in, pausing for a moment to bite her bottom lip. “Your driver is here and ready to take you to Outpost Two.”

“Good.” With his flat reply, the door closed behind her. 

Michael stood to his feet and moved towards the windows of his office that overlooked the courtyard. He watched the people move about, hurrying to get last minute things together. In a matter of a few days, the world would be ending. 

The image of the blood covered blonde woman flashed through his mind. His nails dug into his palms as he curled his fingers into tight fists. 

**

There weren’t many things that Michael let bother him. He usually got rid of anyone who irritated him or fixed the problem that was vexing. But in the months following the end of the world and even after, he began to see the blonde woman frequently. 

Every ‘dream’ started the same as the very first one. She would be standing in the center of a clearing, surrounded by trees that appeared to have been knocked over by some sort of wind storm. Each time, she would be on her knees with her head hanging and her hands held out in front of her. The only thing different each time was the amount of blood on her. Sometimes, there was so much blood on her that Michael barely recognized her. Other times, the only blood on her was on her fingertips. 

Eighteen months passed and Michael had had the ‘dream’ a total of sixty-three times. Outpost Three was his last stop before he could start rebuilding the world. He already had a plan for what would happen at the old school for warlocks. 

He moved through the hallways, surveying the empty halls and scowling at old memories. The moment he arrived, he could feel something was different about this outpost than the others. This one contained someone different, a being different than the others occupying it. Whoever it was, their life-force felt like the embodiment of electricity. His skin pricked and tingled and bumps rose on his skin. When Michael tried to look further into the being, the harmless tingle turned into a scorching burn. His teeth vibrated and his entirety felt like it was trembling ever so slightly. 

Just before entering the library full of the last survivors, he took a quiet deep breath and forced the painful sensation away. He recanted his invisible touch from the being’s life-force, thus ending the burning sensation in his chest. He couldn’t lose his composure in front of these people. 

He entered the library and almost instantly, everyone’s eyes were on him. He focused on Venable, a smug smile on his lips. He came to a stop next to her, waiting patiently for her to move out of his spot. She met his gaze, putting on a fake friendly smile. 

"My name is Langdon, and I represent the Cooperative. I won't sugarcoat the situation. Humanity is on the brink of failure." His eyes flickered around the room. His voice was powerful and strong. 

Icy blue eyes found the blonde girl sitting between Emily and Andre. She was the girl he had been seeing for the last year and a half. She was sitting right there, right in front of him. His lips parted and he wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn’t think of anything. He couldn’t get his mind to work. 

Her eyes lingered on his for a few heartbeats before she looked down to her hands, her dark eyebrows furrowing together just slightly. 

“Mr. Langdon.” Venable said his name firmly, catching his attention. He turned his head to her, raising his brows just slightly, as if to question why she’d dare say his name. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” He answered smoothly, the facade taking over his features once more. “As I was saying, my arrival here was crucial to the survival of civilized life on Earth. The three other compounds in Syracuse, New York, Beckley, West Virginia, and San Angelo, Texas have been overrun and destroyed. We've had no contact from the six international outposts, but we are assuming that they, too, have been eliminated."

"What happened to the people inside?" Timothy asked.

"Massacred." Michael looked to him. "The same fate that will befall almost all of you."

"Almost all?" Mallory asked. No one said anything to her. Michael eyed her but remained silent. The blonde girl paid close attention to the interaction. Mallory muttered a quiet apology and looked down. 

"In the knowledge that this very moment might occur, we built a fail safe. The Sanctuary."

"The Sanctuary?" Coco squinted her eyes. It sounded like she didn't believe Michael.

"The Sanctuary is unique. It has certain security measures that will prevent overrun."

"Excuse me, sir?" Ms. Mead spoke up. "What measures? Why weren't we given them?"

"That's classified." He put his hand up. There was a shift in his tone for a brief moment, almost like he was irritated. But it immediately disappeared and his calm and collected tone returned. "All that matters is that the Sanctuary will survive, so the people populating it will survive, so humanity will survive."

"Who are the people populating it?" Andre asked.

"Also classified." Michael answered. "However, I've been sent to determine if any of you are worthy and fit to join us."

Quiet murmurs began to fill the room. Michael paused for a brief moment to inspect the Purples, his eyes lingering on the blonde woman. She remained silent but nodded at something that Emily whispered to her.

"The Cooperative has developed a particular and rigorous questioning technique we like to call 'cooperating.' I will then use the information gained to determine if you belong."

"What is this?" Coco furrowed her brow together. "The Hunger Games? This is bullshit. I paid my way in here, and that is the only cooperating I plan on doing."

"You don't have to sit for questioning." Michael shook his head.

"What happens if we choose not to?" Andre looked up from his hands.

"Then you stay here and die." Michael’s answer came out sharp.

"I volunteer to go first." Gallant put his hand up.

"No, you won’t.” His words were smooth. He clasped his hands together behind his back. “I’ve already decided who I want to go first.”

“Who is it?” Emily asked, furrowing her eyebrows together. Michael looked to her and then his eyes flickered to the blonde next to her. 

“You.”

She stiffened up under the man's dark gaze. Her stomach knotted up. She couldn't look away from him.

"The process should only take me a couple of days, so you won't be kept in suspense forever." He reached into his jacket. "For those who don't make the cut, all is not lost. If the worst should happen and feral cannibals come knocking, down one of these. One minute later, you fall asleep and never wake up."

Silence fell around the room.

"I look forward to meeting each and every one of you."

***

She followed a safe distance behind the golden haired man as he led her through the halls of the Outpost. His hands were behind his back. She admired his rings, taking note of the way he brushed the pad of his thumb across his fingertips.

She wanted to ask him why he chose her first but now didn’t seem appropriate. She’d wait until they were in the room he’d be doing the interviews in.

He pushed two large black doors open and stepped aside. He turned to her when she stopped moving. Her bright blue eyes surveyed what they could of the room before flickering up to him. She was cautious, uncertain of him and his motives.

“Go on.” He gestured for her to walk in. Her energy was astounding. She wasn’t a witch or even human. No, she was much more than that.

Silently, she passed him. The smell of her vanilla shampoo filled Michael’s senses. He closed his eyes for a moment, his mind taking him back to the vision he’d had so many times of her. She was gorgeous, he knew that already, but in person her beauty was unparalleled. She was otherworldly.

A buzz of electricity brought him back to his senses, reminding him where he was and what his mission was. He needed to figure out what this creature before him was.

She stopped a few feet inside the study, messing nervously with her hands as she peered around the room out of curiosity. She flinched when the doors closed with a solid thud. Michael smirked just a little. She was jumpy.

He moved to the desk, opting to lean against the front of the desk in front of the chair he wanted her to sit in.

“Tell me your name.” His fingers curled around the edge of the dark oak in anticipation. She sat down in the chair, her posture nearly perfect as she sat with her back straight and her shoulders squared. It didn’t look forced. He assumed perfection was natural for her.

“Eden.” Her voice matched the one from his dreams to a T. It was velvet smooth and sweet.

“Eden.” He hummed, testing the name out on his tongue to see if it fit.

Her eyes fell to her hands as he continued to stare at her like he was searching for a specific puzzle piece among a pile of other pieces. His dark gaze raked down her chest, lingering a little too long on her breasts. The dress she wore was pushing her bosom in and up, causing what wouldn’t fit into the lilac dress to spill over the top just a little.

“Eden.” He repeated her name. “I’ll explain the rules once. I don’t like to repeat myself. Assume that I know everything. Telling the truth will get you farther than lying. I will know if you lie, and the second you lie, this interview is over and you will stay here to rot. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” She nodded her head once but never met his gaze.

“What is the worst thing you’ve ever done, Eden?”

Her eyes flickered up to meet his through her dark lashes. She took her bottom lip between white teeth.

“What kind of thing are you looking for?” She quietly asked. “Like.... Like bad thoughts? Or-Or wanting something you can’t have? Someone you can’t have?”

“Have you ever killed anyone, sweet Eden?”

Her eyes widened just slightly and he could sense a shift in her breathing. Her heart began to race quicker.

“No.”

“Ah, but that is a lie, isn’t it?” Michael tsked, raising his brows just slightly. Admittedly, this was difficult. Usually, he could get inside anyone’s head and use their fears and desires against them. But with Eden, with this unusual being, he couldn’t read her mind. He couldn’t see into her soul like he could with everyone else. He could only use what he had from his own visions.

He stepped away from his desk towards her and in the same instant, she stood to her feet.

“I told you that lying would not be tolerated, sweet Eden.” He moved to circle her the same way a lion would stalk its prey. With the flick of his wrist, the chair she’d been sitting in was pushed back. She didn’t see him using telekinesis to do so. She was too busy keeping her eyes on the group of lit candles behind his desk. “Tell me about who you killed.”

“I-I don’t know.” She admitted, her voice falling to a soft whisper. “I can’t remember.”

“What do you mean?” He stopped behind her, inhaling her vanilla scent once more.

“I see it when I close my eyes. There’s blood. So much blood.” Her voice cracked. She turned her head to look at him, tears pooling in her blue eyes. Her dark eyebrows were drawn together. “How do you know about them?”

“I told you, sweet Eden.” He hummed softly, trying not to let it show that her words surprised him. “I know everything.” An idea sprung to the forefront of his mind. He brought his hand up to brush her blonde locks over her shoulder.

The second he even made contact with her hair, his skin began to tingle. Then when his fingertips trailed down the side of her bare neck, the electric feeling intensified. He closed his eyes, a soft groan resonating in the back of his throat.

He could see them, winged beings with white lights pouring from their eyes. The sound of metal clanking and clashing together filled his ears, drowning out any other sounds. And then, the fighting was replaced by a mournful cry, a cry of despair. Eden was on her knees, one hand clutching her shoulder while the other reached out for what looked like a charcoal heap of feathers that lay in front of her, dripping blood. Her cries were pained and hysterical. She was in agony. Her hand that was on her shoulder was clawing at a fresh wound.

Michael was suddenly pulled back to reality when he found himself hitting a wall. Eden stood by his desk, her eyes glowing a vibrant blue. Her nostrils flared as she watched him.

“What are you?” He breathed out.

She gave him no answer. She turned and fled. The chair that separated her from the exit was swatted out of her way like a piece of paper.

Michael was left in shock, confused and bewildered. What had just happened?

**

"Father." Michael finished the pentagram beneath him, sealing the circle with the blood soaking his fingers. "I need your guidance, father."

His brows furrowed together just slightly as he stared down at the blood below him. The liquid bubbled and hissed on the concrete ground. He could sense his father.

"She isn't human, father. Is she one of us?"

"Does she feel like one of us?" A deep voice spoke lowly, echoing in Michael's head.

"No." He shook his head. "What is she?"

"She is of Heaven, bred for divine intervention. She is a solider of God."

"An angel." Michael's lips curled into a snarl at the word. It tasted like poison on his tongue. "But.... I wasn't aware they were real, father."

For a split second, the young and naive boy he truly was slipped through. He was weak and unsure, timid. He didn’t have much knowledge of the supernatural world he was so deeply rooted to. 

"I destroyed most of her kind over two millennia ago in the Great War between Heaven and Hell. There are few angels still lingering on Earth, but Heaven was reduced to ash after God and his angels lost the war."

"What was the war about, father?" Michael lifted his head up. Inky black eyes gazed blankly at the ceiling.

"The Great Father didn't like the idea of me creating demons just as he'd created the humans. He sent a few angels after me but they weren't strong enough to stop me. I slaughtered them easily. This started a war. I won the war, but only because Heaven had a traitor. And for that, she lost her wings."

"Eden." Michael breathed out. She was the traitor. 

"I've searched the Earth for her for centuries. God found a way to make it so that I could not sense her soul. But you, Michael, you've found her."

"Where's she been since the war ended?"

"She's been wondering the earth aimlessly, but now she has purpose, my son. She will help you bring about the new world."

The blood ceased to hiss and bubble. His father was gone, leaving Michael with few answers and even more questions than he had when he started.

#michael langdon #michael langdon x oc #michael langdon fic #american horror story #ahs #ahs spoilers #apocalypse #potential series #queenxxxsupreme

[sendin52]

by Denny Hunt for GetWisdom.com

Introduction:

Karl Mollison is a research scientist and psychic medium and has discovered the means through which a tiny percentage of people throughout history have successfully made direct contact with God, Creator of All That Is. With this ability, he has done what any reasonable person in such an unusual and surprising situation would do: ask endless questions! Why is God invisible to us? Why is there rampant evil in the world? Are there dark unseen forces working against us? Why has God not intervened to stop it? Why do good people suffer?

His quest to find the secrets of the Universe led him to real answers for human suffering in the form of a Lightworker Healing Protocol. This protocol is basically a high level prayer to God, for healing; not just any healing, but deep healing from dark spirit infestation, karmic healing from past traumas, and well as emotional and physical healing. The direct contact with God in this case was, and continues to be, in service to healing and not just satisfying curiosity. This fact alone gives some credentials that should be considered seriously before judgment is passed.

Now, it seems, we are about to experience an event being called “disclosure” where allegedly the world’s governments will finally admit to contact with extraterrestrials or the ET’s themselves will make their presence known to humankind.  There are many scenarios and claims about this thing called disclosure.  Karl has asked many questions about this in his channelings with Source Creator.

This is one of them:

QUESTION:

Pres. Ronald Reagan, in a speech to the United Nations to encourage greater cooperation among nations, proposed the idea that if the world were faced with an extraterrestrial invader, we would come together to protect the common interests of humanity. This has been remarked on a number of times as perhaps a telling slip because he has been rumored to have been told there was a large fleet of vessels built by the U.S. military and capable of space travel, so he was aware of the long-standing collaboration of the U.S. government with extraterrestrials. Photos of his typed speech text show this comment was crossed out, which has been attributed to someone in his inner circle editing the speech beforehand, but he rewrote the remark by hand just prior to giving the speech and then delivered it in public. Was this done at the behest of the Extraterrestrial Alliance to test the waters about making disclosure of an extraterrestrial agenda, or was it perhaps divine inspiration to encourage planting a seed about the extraterrestrial presence being a reality?

ANSWER:

“Writers have disclosed that Reagan was told about the Secret Space Program, that creation of many spacecraft developed with the cooperation of the presumed benevolent extraterrestrials was a reality, and that the purpose was for protection of the planet from hostile alien invaders that could become a serious problem. So Reagan was primed with the party line, so to speak, that this Secret Space Program, which you know to be truly the Mercenary Army Program, was not only a helpful adjunct but critical to the future of the world, so he took this to heart and felt quite strongly that it would benefit the world to truly be aware of this. That was the reason for its inclusion in the text of the speech to begin with, as it was a divine suggestion to have this stated openly in order to make people aware, finally, of the reality of the extraterrestrial presence in the world.

So the fact he mentioned this, was not a desire of the Extraterrestrial Alliance at that point in time to make people aware that a Secret Space Program existed, and was far advanced, because they knew it would raise too many uncomfortable questions. This was a divine inspiration for him to include this comment because it was capitalizing on his humanitarian desire for world peace, and the fact that it was edited out was truly an attempt to avoid disclosing, even through inference, top secret information. The impulse for him to override this normal crosscheck to avoid a mistake was divine and the purpose, as you saw intuitively, was to instill the idea of an extraterrestrial presence in people’s thinking. Everyone who heard his speech and everyone who hears a replay of his speech today, is given a divine impulse to pay attention to its true meaning—that there is an extraterrestrial presence, the extraterrestrials are real, they are here, and it is a threat to the world that warrants the world coming together with a common purpose and goal of seeing these interlopers be removed.”

I like to use deductive logic or the law enforcement approach when they are investigating a crime; it is a method of inquiry where I consider motive, means and opportunity. It doesn’t always give me the right answer, but I can sometimes save myself some false moves along the way and also end up with the most plausible answer.

Let’s look at some of the more popular disclosure narratives and see what we come up with.

1) This version of disclosure deals with the possibility that the world’s governments, one or more of them, will finally admit that there are ET’s and they know about them and have interacted with them and obtained technologies. Disclosure will result in the dissemination of free energy technologies with the result being that the state will no longer be able to control the population in terms of labor slavery, taxation, monetary controls, and victimless crimes, etc.  It is kind of utopian speculation about what humans would do if they had free energy and transportation devices that unshackled them from the fascist oligarchs that run the world. A new type of technological freedom will spread all over the world. Manipulative governments and multi-national corporations would subside into the past and become irrelevant. Sober anarchism with the credo - do no harm would rise to the top like cream. In some versions, some form of dimensional ascension would follow.

2) In this disclosure narrative the claim is that ET’s are all benevolent and if they weren’t, they would’ve already eliminated humans so they could occupy earth unhindered.  Perhaps they are just respecting our free will while we work out the kinks. Enjoying the hapless humans as if it were a spectator sport. Rooting for them from the sidelines. Except if we get too far off, like using nukes, they would step in for more direct guidance. They are going to show up because the cabal has gone too far with their enslavement plans or population reduction plans and their disrespect for nature.  When they present themselves, they will let us come to our senses and accept their guidance and assistance. In some versions, some form of dimensional ascension would follow.

3) There are bad ET’s, good ET’s and some ambivalent/observer ET’s and they are all part of what some claim is this large collection of ET races that occupy this part of the galaxy and they are going to make themselves known to humans on earth due to a variety of factors depending on the version within this category of disclosure.  Then the onus is on humans collectively to decide how to navigate within this mass of competing agendas where some ET’s want us dead, some want to exploit us, some want to trade with us and some want to help us. Most of these narratives are quite complex because obviously there are factions of humans who will align with different factions of ET’s and then there might be a political free-for-all where the spiritual aspect is also in play and potentially influencing outcomes. Many proponents of narratives within this category are channelers and/or contactees who portray themselves as academic or providers of lofty and higher-level spiritual concepts. They often fancy themselves as teachers or those in possession of esoteric knowledge. In fact, entire religions and cults are often found within this category of disclosure explanations.

4) There are basically some good ET’s and then there are some bad ET’s and they are both going to appear in some fashion and for some good reason so that we can select which ones to partner with for spiritual/economic alignment and protection. This is a compelling narrative because it is very similar to our alleged history of good vs. evil and prosaic myths of spiritual conquests of light over dark; the good guy/bad guy stories that we never get tired of reading, seeing or hearing. In some ways this is a subset of #3, but I list it separately because of its obvious appeal and the likelihood that this narrative will gain prominence as things unfold. It also works nicely with the savior stories that we find in legends, myths and religions.

Most of these scenarios will put humans in an observer role.  We might have a role in what happens, but it will be along the lines of voting, where whoever gets to count the vote ends up deciding what actually happens. We are constantly checking our beloved smart phones to see what is supposedly happening and what is likely to happen next. One of these versions has to be true, right?

The last one we’ll consider is what we have learned at GetWisdom.com, i.e., the channeling work of Karl Mollison, where he is channeling departed people who have returned to the Light and/or Creator.  In this narrative we are told that there are no benevolent ET’s in contact with humans on the earth plane. They are all evil and have, as their next goal, the elimination of humans once and for all.  There is no particular reason to get rid of us, other than the fact we are unruly and considered high maintenance given the return on investment.  

These evil ET’s upon finding us here on earth again—yes, we were here once before and what we call the Divine Human Free Will Experiment failed the first time around—they set about to genetically modify us such that we would have a poor connection to our higher selves and no connection to our deep subconscious. This made us the perfect hosts for disincarnate evil spirits which infect us humans, AND for the ET cohort that currently runs the earth to control us in the manner they see fit. This cohort is comprised of the Anunnaki, the Arcturians (creators of the soul-less alien grey biological robots) and the Reptilians.  They have a tenuous and strained alliance to control the earth along with all the humans, which they use as a food source, entertainment, and as an energetic host for the evil parasitic entities that infest them and almost all humans on earth at this time. They are atheistic beings with ancient civilizations, incredible technologies and psychic abilities that dwarf most of what us humans can even imagine. Even their soul-less robots can make us fall in love at will and convince us of outlandish things with mind control capabilities and technologies that are quite beyond anything we could currently comprehend. The robotic alien Greys have a peculiar interest in us because they think they can crack the DNA code which will enable them to reincarnate.  This situation has perhaps bought us some additional time. One of these alien races has been engaged with us almost from the beginning of our Creation.  We were created on earth by Creator and the Divine Realm based on the DNA of four races of higher dimensional ET’s, including the Pleiadians and the Sirians. These higher dimensional ET’s have a hands-off policy and are letting this Divine Human Free Will Experiment play out in accordance with the Divine Realm’s rules for this earthly adventure.

So I would claim that this GetWisdom.com version of things is not really a disclosure narrative, because it does not rely on the government or the ET’s doing anything as we see in the other descriptions, 1 through 4 above. In the examples above, either the government(s) are going to admit or reveal something to the general public or the ET’s or some faction thereof are going to present themselves or let themselves be “discovered.”  What is claimed here is not a situation where we are going to wait to see what happens. In other words, we already know what is happening and why.

You could say, we are pre-empting disclosure.  We are giving you the low-down before it really happens. The problem with our version is that it appears to be uniformly bad news.  There is no silver lining in this advance warning. We’ll get to that later. For now, let’s look at these other disclosure narratives and see what they have to offer and whether they can pass the smell test.

1. There seems to be one consistent thing throughout human history; there is always the state or a controlling religion or an upper class oligarchy running the show. What would be the motivation for any of those to reveal something like free energy technologies? How would they be ‘forced’ or compelled to do something like that? How would they benefit?  Some in this camp have claimed that there will be some sort of event where there is a solar flash which results in a higher state of consciousness for humans; an ascension story that goes along with the disclosure.  Perhaps that is how these oligarchs come to their senses and decide that everyone should get access to free energy technologies. Does that pass the smell test?  Where do the ET’s fit in? Do they stand idly by as us humans get intergalactic toys, limitless abundance and somehow a more mature and egalitarian mindset in the bargain? I think there are some compelling aspects to this disclosure narrative, but you kind of have to ignore some other truths when looking at the current state of affairs and the seeming trajectory of human history.

2. If the ET’s are all benevolent what were they doing when the Soviet government was killing more than 60 million of their own people? Or what were they doing when the US dropped nuclear bombs on Japan? Or when Mao Tse-Tung was exterminating his population of Chinese citizens?  Or when the gas chambers in Nazi Germany were running at full tilt in 1944?  Is this just part of the free will experiment as defined by these same ‘benevolent’ ET’s? For me, this is the weakest disclosure narrative of them all. I am surprised that there are still so many people who believe that all of the ET’s out there are benevolent. Some say that this is like a hostage situation where these benevolent ET’s are not going to make their move because the evil human government would do even more damage to humans and the environment.  That doesn’t make sense to me. Does it make sense to you?

3. This might be the most intelligent and thus compelling of all the disclosure narratives competing for our attention and ultimately, belief. It seems to fit the ‘as above, so below’ credo from ancient and wise esoteric principles except for what seems to be only a few minor problems. Some of the more popular proponents of this disclosure scenario will explain that humans have been relatively unmolested by negative ET’s and that these ‘enemy ET’s’ will only present themselves in response to humans expanding into space and asserting ownership claims beyond the earth.  They couch the problems that will confront humans as simply ones of lacking knowledge as opposed to moral or spiritual issues.  The existing problems remain obscure in terms of their causes and the possible cures.  There is the enigma of “out there” representing a place where the answers reside because there is already an established ET community waiting for our mutual discovery.  So some of the big questions related to this ET and disclosure issue remain unanswered. Who can we really count on to have the power to see that truth and justice prevail? There is a danger not well defined and a promise equally obscure and we are left clinging to a source that is, at least, recognizing that there might be a problem.

4. This is the one that might emerge as the leader due to the conditioning that humans have already received over many thousands of years. We call it the savior programming. The probable timeline might look something like this: humans muddle through the next several years with earth’s governments falling into abject idiocy in their attempts to create the ideal Orwellian society to serve the ruling elite, with each turn exposing their hand and their intentions for the global population.  This continues until a crisis like a hot world war breaks out or a ‘citizen’ revolution or a pandemic similar to the current COVID-19 one takes a more significant chunk of the human population out of commission either through death and/or economic destruction and then that would be the turning point for disclosure. Then, the ET’s arrive with a developing offer to assist in a planet-wide recovery, either with or without the cooperation of various so-called governmental institutions (such as the US, Russian and/or Chinese intelligence/military’s) cooperation. That might be what everyone will call disclosure.  Some alien race appears to save us from this mess. Maybe these benevolent ET’s are working with a human faction of white hat operatives to assist?  From that, any number of explanations and demonstrations may follow for the sake of convincing the skeptical. The demonstrations of prowess in technology and healing might make a convincing case that some sort of alliance would be the smart move and the need for this alliance would likely involve an evil ET cohort that may be portrayed as the backing for the old elite and Satanic power brokers and their controlling influence on all of the institutions that have failed human kind. There are other plausible scenarios that could be used that would be equally as convincing. Take your pick.  

All of them in one form or another have been nurtured in our media, in Hollywood movies and in the great science fiction novels and our legends and myths going back to before Biblical times. The fact is that the ET’s have been operating on our planet all through history, without helping us in any way, but rather causing untold harm. Who else is carrying out the countless abductions of humans through deception or without their consent? If it is the dark ET’s who already have the Earth in its grip, would they allow benevolent ET’s to displace them when they have humanity as hostages? Do we want an alien war in our midst?

The unfortunate fact, and this is being demonstrated as I write, is that a majority of the earth’s population can be made to believe and do some things that are demonstrably self-destructive and damaging to their long-term survival.  We have been dumbed down to the point of being easy targets for any number of disclosure scenarios.  This is a green light for any of the above described disclosure schemes. Almost any of them could be made to work.

Disclosure, in practically every one of its forms, is a psy-op.  There is really no clearer explanation.

Right now, the price of disclosure is the final, successful and terminal blow to humanity and the Divine Human Free Will Experiment. The second great failure, if you will. The Divine Realm tells us that the purpose of disclosure is to lull us into a false sense of security, to trust ET’s who have been corrupting and subjugating us for centuries from behind the scenes, and allow them to operate out in the open. This is a modern Trojan horse deception, and if we accept their offer, we will be choosing sides with the interlopers. Because the Divine Realm must allow free will, this will mean the undoing of humanity.

This outcome can be changed, but it will take many more people involved in REAL healing and not lip service to benign and empty platitudes, or political schemes of any kind or appeals to our imaginary space brothers or any of the other scenarios predicated on our savior programming installed eons ago.

One of the most telling questions you can ask yourself right now is “Why am I here?” Do any of these disclosure narratives attempt to give you that answer? Is that question even related to the idea of disclosure? If there are ET’s, irrespective of whether they have positive or negative orientation, does that have anything to do with why you are here?

What we have been told by the Divine Realm is that you are here and I am here and everyone else is here to solve the problem of evil and that we are using an extreme version of a free will environment to do that. We are here to heal our perpetrators; the ones who have subjugated us for thousands of years. That sounds even more outlandish than all the disclosure narratives combined, but I am convinced this is true.  It is really the only truth claim that can be used to make any sense out of what we are seeing.

The key to doing this and the chance we have to do such a thing in the face of such overwhelming odds, is our ability to form a partnership with our Creator and with all of the beings in the Light (or Heaven by some accounts) or what we call the Divine Realm. That is our origin and birthright and that is the secret weapon, if you will, that has enabled humans throughout history to survive such horrendous tragedies in history.  

But now we have to do more than survive. We have to heal our perpetrators to the point where they will take their evil away from earth. This will give us a respite and a chance to heal ourselves. This will create a future, for the first time in human history, where we can thrive and grow and reach our full potential as Light Beings incarnated as Divine Humans.  This reality is not currently conceivable to us.  We can only dimly see what this might be like.  Words will fail to do this reality any justice whatsoever, but that is our potential destiny.  

Remember at the beginning of this article where I wrote, “secrets of the Universe led him to real answers for human suffering in the form of a Lightworker Healing Protocol. This protocol is basically a high level prayer to God, for healing”?  This is what we can use to heal these sociopathic ET’s and their complement of dark discarnate spirits that also infest us.  We are love-based beings. Most of us know this intuitively. In our natural state we do not fight and create wars and willingly kill each other. This is an external disease that can be eradicated once and for all. Even the most extreme cases and most depraved beings can be healed enough to save humanity from the consequences of disclosure and its inevitable fall-out.

[gwenbrightly]

The Gingerbread Caper

Cross-posted from ffnet.

The quiet atmosphere of the monastery was broken by the sound of screaming originating from Kai’s bedroom, waking anyone who still happened to be asleep. Nya groaned in annoyance and covered her face with a pillow. Wu was letting them slack off from Sunrise Exercises and she really didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of that.

“GET IT OFF ME!!!” Her brother screamed again, forming coherent words this time. That was it. Obviously, the master of water wasn’t going to be sleeping in today. She threw her pillow aside and climbed out of bed, eyeing her clock resentfully. It was far too early for this. Not that 10 am was particularly early (but still!). She trudged from her room still wrapped in one of her blankets.

“What the heck, Kai?” Nya demanded when she reached Kai’s bedroom just down the hall. The master of fire sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He tossed something at her in disgust. She caught it with minimal effort. A gingerbread man. Or, at least, what was left of one. The poor cookie didn’t have any head.

“This better not have been you, sis.” he stated. Nya rolled her eyes, tempted to return to the comfort of her bed rather than deal with her over dramatic brother.

“Like I’d ever stoop so low. Seriously, you didn’t need to scream like that. It’s just a cookie.”

Kai gaped at her indignantly.

“Would you wanna wake up with some creepy soulless human wannabe in your bed?”

“Now there’s a quote I should send to your lovely girlfriend right away.” Nya laughed. He glared at her for a moment before suddenly shooting up from his bed.

“Skylor!”

“What?” she asked, confused, “I swear I wasn’t actually planning on sending this to her.”

“No, she’s supposed to be coming over today to decorate cookies with us!” he reminded her. Nya face-palmed.

“I can’t believe I forgot about that…”

“Actually, this is perfect. She’ll be totally unbiased about this whole gingerbread man fiasco.” Kai mused, already deep in thought. His sister frowned at him. It was obvious he had something up his sleeve.

“What are you planning?”

“Don’t look so worried, Nya. This is just like one of Ninja Noir’s mysteries! I just gotta follow the trail of evidence and eventually, I’ll be able to eliminate the impossible and find the truth!” Kai told her, quoting his favorite detective series.

“Kai, no.” she said, attempting to prevent the situation from getting totally out of hand. He ignored her, instead opting to head over to his closet to grab something. When he turned to face Nya again, he was wearing a fedora.

“Since when do you own a fedora?” the master of water questioned. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

“Shhhh,” he cut her off with a wave of his hand, “Just go with it.”

Nya sighed, but followed him to go wait for Skylor to appear.

_________________________________________________________________

“Do I even wanna know what I just walked into?” Skylor wondered when she caught site of the scene playing out in the living room. Her boyfriend stared suspiciously at Lloyd and Jay, who were playing what appeared to be a rather intense game of Fist to Face (Ninja Edition!). It took him a second to register her presence. Nya waved her over, smiling apologetically.

“Someone,” Kai began to explain, holding up the cookie, which he’d gotten back from his sister, “thought it would be funny to put this in my bed and I wanna know who.”

Skylor resigned herself to another of Kai’s chaotic schemes. She already knew he had a problem with gingerbread people (and Christmas elves, and those little expanding bath toys they sold at the dollar store for that matter), though he wouldn’t tell her what it was about the holiday treats that bothered him so much.

“Eh okay. How can I help?”

“Are you sure you wanna do that?” Nya asked at the same time as Kai said, “You can be, like, the insanely hot mystery woman who helps the dashing detective (me) solve the mystery.”

“Real smooth, dork. But sure, why not.” the redhead decided, punching the master of fire’s shoulder lightly to distract from how rosy her cheeks were all of a sudden. He grinned in delight.

“Cool! Oh, and I guess Nya can help too.” Kai added as an afterthought. Nya raised an eyebrow.

“Well, you’re obviously not a suspect, sis! The gingerbread man couldn’t have been in my bed long or it would have crumbled, and you value sleep way too much to have gotten up early enough to orchestrate this.” he stated confidently. She didn’t look like she was taking this as a compliment.

“So, detective Smith, where do we start our investigation?” Skylor prompted. She had no desire to see the siblings get into a debate over their sleeping habits.

“Oh. Uh… We have to interview our suspects!” announced Kai, dragging Skylor and Nya over to the two video game playing ninja.

“Oh, hey guys. You wanna join our next round?” Jay offered, not taking his eyes off of the screen. He rapidly pressed several buttons on his controller at once.

“Yeah, it’ll be way more fun with more players!” agreed Lloyd. He gave a smirk of triumph as his avatar landed a final hit on his opponent. The master of lightning groaned, disappointed.

“Actually, I think Kai had something he wanted to ask you.” Skylor informed them. Jay and Lloyd set aside their controllers, curious. The sight of Kai in a fedora was unexpected; Lloyd was usually the only one who found them fashionable enough to wear.

“Oh, okay. What’s up?” the green ninja asked, wondering what on earth could be so pressing that Kai had gotten Nya and Skylor involved.

“I was wondering if you knew anything about this?” answered Kai he shoved the cookie under his brother’s nose. Taking note of the gingerbread man, Jay demanded, “Hey – how’d you convince Zane to let you have one of his cookies?”

He’d tried to snag one earlier that morning, only to be thwarted by the master of ice, who insisted they must save the gingerbread cookies for Skylor’s arrival. This was rather unfortunate, as they smelled utterly delicious.

“No, I- you’re telling me that you, the two biggest pranksters around, have no idea how this got in my bed?” Kai stated, skeptical. The two ninja shook their heads. It appeared he was going to have to use a different interrogation method to get answers. He judged his sister. She glared at him. He nodded pointedly at Lloyd and Jay. Not wanting to give in so easily, Nya stared at Kai silently for several minutes before finally relenting.

“If that’s true, then you won’t mind telling us what you’ve been doing all morning.” she said in her best police officer voice (and secretly wishing she had a fake mustache on her).

“Oh, that’s easy. We’ve been having a Fist to Face (Ninja Edition!) tournament for the past couple of hours. Just look at the scoreboard,” Jay told them with a shrug, “I mean, it is kinda embarrassing to see how many times Lloyd’s hooped me already today, but if it gets you to stop looking at me like that…”

Lloyd nodded, the picture of innocence. They took a closer look at the screen. Sure enough, the scores for the past thirty or so rounds, along with the times they were completed scrolled across the pause screen.

“Huh. Well, I guess you’re off the hook. For now, at least.” Kai decided, wondering who he should use his detective skills on next if the most obvious suspects had been ruled out.

“Maybe Zane knows who it was. He’s been in the kitchen all morning.” suggested Lloyd as he set up another round of the video game. Skylor grabbed Kai’s elbow and drug him towards the door, saying, “Good idea. I need to give him the extra sprinkles I brought anyway.”

Nya mouthed I’ll be back later to her boyfriend before following them. Instead of heading directly to the kitchen, Kai insisted on examining every nook and cranny of the hallway. He held a magnifying glass he’d somehow ended up with, though no one could say for sure where it had come from, and was doing his best to mutter what he thought sounded like very professional and insightful comments.

“Ahah! A trail of crumbs. Collect that for evidence, Sky.”

The redhead pretended like she hadn’t heard him, sharing a grossed out look with Nya.

“Oh, hey! Weren’t you missing an earring, Nya?”

Kai held out something sparkly and blue.

“Uh…thanks.” Nya accepted it, a look of utter surprise on her face. She’d been searching for this earring for weeks. Could it be possible that Kai was actually… good at this detective stuff?

“The detective and his sidekicks arrived at the kitchen at approximately 11:05 am., wondering what clues they would uncover inside…” Kai loudly announced, interrupting Nya’s thoughts.

“Hello!” Zane greeted them. Bowls of frosting in an impressively wide range of colors lined the counters along with several different kinds of sprinkles. Pixal was currently adding a few drops of vibrant red food dye to one of the few bowls that remained uncolored.

“Yes, welcome! Did you bring the sprinkles?” she asked. Skylor pulled a jar from her purse.

“Yep, here you go.”

“Thank goodness,” exclaimed Zane, taking them from her, “Dyeing sugar crystals by hand just isn’t effective.”

“Tell me about it. We tried it at the restaurant one time when we were in a pinch and… it didn’t work well.” the redhead recalled. Having grown bored with the conversation the others were having about epic fails with sprinkles, Kai examined the trays of cookies stacked next to the oven. Just as he’d predicted, one row of cookies was missing a gingerbread man.

“Hey, Zane, Pixal? You guys have been in here all morning, right?” he asked, casually. The two nindroids glanced at each other. Zane was the first to reply.

“Well, I stepped out for a few moments to bring Master Wu some oolong tea – he claims to be feeling a bit under the weather today – but, other than that, yes. Why?”

“I’m trying to figure out where this cookie came from. You didn’t happen to, say, give one of these to someone, did you?” Kai showed them the gingerbread man, curious to see their reaction. He was a little disappointed when neither of them did anything incriminating.

“I suppose it’s possible that Cole took it when I wasn’t looking. He came in here while Zane was gone to grab some extra tape.” Pixal said thoughtfully. Ahah! Kai’s eyes lit up.

“So he’s wrapping presents, huh,” he mused, “I wonder if he’s gotten to mine yet…”

“Kai! I thought you were being a detective, not some nosy kid!” his sister hissed disapprovingly. He huffed indignantly.

“I’m just curious, Nya. And besides, all the best detectives can multi-task.” Kai defended.

“Suuure.”

“Anyway, thank you for the info. We may be back later.” the master of fire stated in a more professional tone, heading out into the hall once more. Zane and Pixal waved as the others left, not sure how else to respond.

En route to Cole’s bedroom, Kai immediately reverted back to carefully examining every small space, carpet snag, and leafy garland in sight. Nothing escaped the lens of his magnifying glass. Not even his sister’s tennis shoes, which kept blocking his view. If he could just find something, anything, that would prove once and for all who was guilty of this delectable crime… Wait. Kai caught a whiff of something cinnamony wafting off of a wreath hung across the hall from the master of earth’s door. He sniffed the gingerbread man. It was the same smell. Reaching into the wreath, he plucked something small and round from inside. Victory! Skylor stared at him in confusion for a few minutes before realizing what he was holding.

“Is that what I think it is?”

Kai held the two pieces of the gingerbread man together.

“Yep. Looks like we might just have an official suspect.”

“You’re so weird…” Nya muttered under her breath. She was pretty sure nothing would possess her to behave like this.

“Hey, it worked pretty well, didn’t it?” Kai pointed out, slinging an arm around her shoulders. She sidestepped quickly, shrugging it off as she went.

“Well…” she started reluctantly, “I guess we’d better get in there and get some answers.” She swung the door open. They could hear the pleasant tune of the Nutcracker soundtrack playing on Cole’s phone as they entered. The ninja in question sat at his desk, surrounded by wrapping paper. He turned around and blocked their view of whatever else was on the desk before quickly asking, “Do… you need something, or are you just here to enjoy the total masterpiece that is the Nutcracker?”

“Uh, yeah. Though, it is definitely a classic.” Nya told him appreciatively. They would have to pull out the recording of Cole’s 6th grade performance of the ballet that Lou had given them one day soon.

“Let’s cut to the chase. We know why you were really in the kitchen, Cole.” Kai cut in impatiently. Cole’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“Aw, man! You’re not gonna tell Zane, are you?” he stammered.

“…What?” the master of fire attempted to ask.

“This is a one-time thing, I swear! His frosting is just too delicious to resist.” Cole continued sheepishly, oblivious to Kai’s question. Kai, Skylor, and Nya froze. This wasn’t at all what they had been expecting him to say.

“Zane’s…. Frosting?” Skylor repeated, wanting to make sure they had heard him right.

“Well yeah. I’ve been snacking in it all morning,” the master of earth admitted, showing them a mostly empty bowl, “It’s so good! Wait - what did you think I was talking about?”

No one replied at first; they were still processing the unexpected turn of events.

“We… may have thought you put a headless gingerbread man in Kai’s bed to mess with him.” Nya ultimately explained. Cole couldn’t help himself. He burst into laughter at this admission.

“Wow, I guess that explains the looks on your faces right about now. But as totally brilliant of an idea as that prank is, I had nothing to do with it. Sorry.”

“Eh, it’s okay. We probably shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions when Pixal told us you’d been in the kitchen. Or when I found the gingerbread man’s head in that wreath. In hindsight it was a pretty weird hiding place.” Kai said apologetically.

“Yeah.” his sister agreed.

“Almost…. Like someone wanted us to find it…” he continued.

“You think whoever did this tried to frame Cole?” Skylor questioned, finishing his thought. It was all coming together now.

“I guess I do…. Oolong tea not licorice…. Hang on a sec, I think I solved this thing!”

Nya gave him a look, as if questioning his sanity. His ramblings made little sense to her.

“No offense, Kai, but you lost me at tea.” she told him with a frown.

“Me too, honestly.” Cole nodded, equally lost, especially since he had missed a majority of the investigative process. Kai rolled his eyes in exasperation and said, “Just make sure everyone meets me in the living room in five minutes, and I’ll explain then, okay?”

“Even Master Wu?” Cole clarified, not wanting to disturb the old man without a good reason.

“Especially Master Wu.” Kai confirmed before dashing out of the room and leaving everyone else to wonder whether or not the master of fire was going to crash and burn.

He paced back and forth across the living room, earning the occasional odd look from Lloyd and Jay, who had moved on to arguing over the existence of a plot hole in the latest Starfarers movie.

“I’m telling you, Jay. They left that part vague so that it can be expanded on in the sequel!” Lloyd insisted. Jay didn’t look like he agreed with this statement, still stuck on his accusations of lazy writing. He was rescued from having to formulate a convincing comeback by the arrival of the rest of the residents of the monastery. Nya and Skylor had returned to the kitchen for the pair of nindroids, leaving Cole to retrieve Master Wu. The room was suddenly filled with noisy conversations as everyone claimed a seat.

“Okay. Let’s get down to business.” Kai practically shouted over the din. One by one, the others stopped talking and looked at him.

“Alright, let’s get this hare-brained scheme of yours over with so we can have lunch, then.” Cole encouraged, speaking for everyone. While they were curious to see if Kai had actually figured out who had pranked him, they had also gotten more than a little tired of being on the receiving end of his investigative tactics.

“Right. As you all know, I woke up this morning to find a decapitated gingerbread man in my bed,” the master of fire began dramatically, making sure everyone could see the cookie, “at first, it seemed like our resident pranksters, Lloyd and Jay, were the obvious suspects. However, they both had a strong alibi… It couldn’t have been them – they were right here in this room playing video games when the crime was committed.” he crossed over to Zane and Pixal, “next, my lovely assistants and I headed to the source of the cookie – the kitchen, in the hopes that someone there would know what had happened. Our ever-watchful ice ninja hadn’t seen anything suspicious. He stepped out for what, 15 minutes tops?”

“That is correct,” Zane nodded.

“He was getting Master Wu some tea because he was sick,” Kai explained, “more on that later. Pixal told us that Cole had come looking for tape while Zane was gone. We figured maybe he could give us some answers, so we headed for his room, and you know what we found in the wreath across the hall from his door?”

“That’s right,” Nya jumped in, though she still wasn’t sure how relevant it was, “The missing head!”

“Exactly. So obviously that must mean that Cole’s the culprit, right?” Jay and Lloyd looked at each other. Were they supposed to agree?

“Wrong! If he’d taken the cookie, he would’ve eaten the head right away, not hidden it. The only thing Cole was guilty of was stealing a bowl of frosting for a mid-morning snack. And that’s when it hit me. What kind of tea does Master Wu always drink when he’s sick?”

“Licorice?” Lloyd offered. Kai smiled triumphantly.

“Bingo. But when he asked Zane to bring him some tea, he asked for Oolong tea, which he never drinks when he’s sick because it tastes nasty with honey in it. Master Wu, you’re not really sick, are you?”

The elderly spinjitzu master smiled weakly at him, but did not deny the accusation.

“Here’s what happened: Master Wu asked Zane to bring him some tea because he knew it would distract him long enough for the real gingerbread prankster to put their plan into action. Knowing she only had a short amount of time, Pixal grabbed a cookie and snuck into my bedroom to plant it on me. She also hid the gingerbread man’s head in that wreath in case someone came looking for it later. She only barely made it back to the kitchen before Cole arrived.”

Skylor snapped her fingers, excitedly jumping in.

“I get it! When we showed up in the kitchen to ask Zane about the cookies, she told us about Cole because she knew we’d find the head and think it was him.”

“Exactly! And it would’ve worked, too, if the tea hadn’t made me suspicious. The only thing I haven’t figured out is why….” Kai paused, staring at them, “Why did you do this, guys?”

Wu stood and walked over to him.

“To put it simply, we wanted to help you overcome your phobia of gingerbread people. It gets in the way of you spending time with your family and friends every year. I know it wasn’t a very kind thing to do, but I honestly felt it would be worth it in the end to see you enjoy the holidays a bit more.” he admitted, placing a hand on Kai’s shoulder.

“And I do believe it worked!” Pixal added, “although you were certainly annoyed, you didn’t seem frightened at any point this morning.”

Kai made a funny face as he thought about everything that had happened. However misguided Pixal and Wu’s plan had been… he didn’t feel the disgust and terror he was used to when he looked at the gingerbread man in his hand anymore.

“You know, I think you’re right… don’t get me wrong, I’m still kinda irritated that you thought this was a good idea. But… thanks.” he told them. Out of all the holiday adventures Kai had had, he was pretty sure this was the strangest. Later that day, after they had finally eaten lunch (much to Cole’s relief), he had to smile when Zane didn’t hesitate to hand him a gingerbread man to decorate. He set to work carefully frosting it so they it resembled a detective with a trench coat and fedora, proudly displaying it with the rest when he was finished. It was nice to see that gingerbread people weren’t so bad after all. Ninja Noir would be proud.

Hopefully this ridiculous story made someone smile today :) it was literally so fun to come up with hehe

#Ninjago #Ninjago fanfiction #my fics #ninjago Christmas #Kai loves detective novels #Who put a decapitated gingerbread man in his bed? #Yall are gonna have to read to find out #Pixal and wu just wanna help but are really bad at it #Cole eats frosting by the bowlful but can we blame him? No #You guys I am seriously so proud of this

[aelaer]

Whumptober 29: Numb

This is part of a series (the one with the demon) and if you'd like to figure out what the heck's going on, I recommend reading the other parts first :D

Part One: 20 - Trembling Part Two: 22 - Alt 6 - Lost Part Three: 25 - Humiliation

I apologise for any mistakes; I had no time to fully proof it before posting it here, and I’m sort of nodding to sleep at my keyboard. And somehow I need to see if I can do the same as I did tonight and just regurgitate 3500 words in an evening after work for the next two days. Wish me luck :P

29. Numb 

Stephen managed to make a portal from Fukushima (noting the area to take care of the connection to Mephisto's dimension… later. He'd take care of it later) and stumbled into one of the hallways of the New York Sanctum. He still kept a set of rooms here that he preferred over the Ancient One's former quarters in Kamar-Taj, and he planned to mentally alert Wong of his safe return before quietly cleaning himself up, away from prying, judging eyes.

He couldn't stand the thought of anyone looking at him right now.

Unfortunately, nothing ever worked Stephen's way because at that moment an apprentice rounded the corner and halted, staring at him with wide and somewhat horrified eyes.

The lingering humiliation made its way to the forefront of his mind and Stephen could only imagine what the apprentice— her name was escaping him, and that was a further embarrassment— thought of seeing the Sorcerer Supreme, the one who was meant to lead and guide them, in such a defeated state.

He swallowed; he needed to say something. "It looks worse than it actually is," was what came out.

"I'll— I'll go get help!" she said, and before he could stop her, she ran around the corner, and he doubted he had the energy to run after her. Well, he could fly after her, but he was pretty certain the Cloak wouldn't agree to it.

Stephen pressed his lips together and strode to his rooms. He could at least start cleaning himself up and begin mending himself so he looked less pathetic to the other Masters who were sure to eventually come.

In his bathroom he kept a first aid kit specifically for situations where he wanted to avoid going to the Kamar-Taj infirmary (and honestly, with the feats healing magic was capable of, he was able to tend to himself most of the time as it was; he knew more than enough about the human body to properly do it). However, after he shed his destroyed robes and tried to mend himself inwardly as he cleaned off the blood outwardly, he found that he currently lacked most of the energy necessary for the task. Within Mephisto's dimension— his so-called 'hell'— Stephen had been largely muted from calling upon the powers of the Vishanti that were granted, as needed, to the Sorcerer Supreme. Something within the dimension blocked his easy access, forcing him to draw from his own internal powers for all combat.

Another failure on my part, a bitter voice in the back of his mind whispered. He pushed the intruding thought away for the moment; the reality was, he was left with several nasty, deep scratches and a particularly vicious bite on his leg that were still sluggishly bleeding and he couldn't internally repair it as he usually did, not right away. And he absolutely would not call upon the Vishanti for such a minor thing as these non life-threatening hurts.

Stephen exhaled and held his head in his throbbing hands.

A moment later, he looked up as he heard the door to his rooms open. Without knocking, either; definitely Wong. "In the bathroom," he called as he straightened himself, though his words were tinted with resignation.

It was indeed Wong (and thankfully only Wong). His friend's face remained stoic as he looked him over. "Patil wasn't exaggerating about your current state." Oh, right. That was her name.

"Demons are tricky," Stephen said, attempting to sound lighthearted but falling flat.

Wong shot him an accessing look at the comment, then said, "You should be in the infirmary."

"No," he retorted, then lowered the sharpness in his voice at the equally sharp look from Wong. "I can take care of them properly once I've regained some of my energy."

He frowned. "You're depleted?"

A pang of shame went through him once more. "I— I had trouble connecting to the Vishanti within the dimension."

Wong's frown remained. "That's unusually strong for a demon. Did it ever give you its name?"

"It called itself Mephisto."

Wong stilled and Stephen looked at him via the bathroom mirror; if he had to make a guess, he would say that his friend was alarmed, of all things. Suddenly, he felt a not-so-subtle prodding from Wong as the other sorcerer attempted to enter his mind.

He immediately blocked him from access and scowled. "What the hell was that?" Stephen demanded.

"Mephisto is one of the most powerful demons of the multiverse," Wong stated, "and is well known for his ability to lay twisted seeds of thought in a mind."

"I think I'm experienced enough to know when my mind's been messed with," Stephen retorted dryly. "Now are you going to let me finish cleaning myself up so I can sleep and regain some energy?"

Wong continued to frown at him, but said, "I will start the mending process right now. Some of your wounds are still bleeding and your leg looks terrible."

His voice remained dry as he replied, "Thanks Wong."

Silence fell between them as Stephen carefully cleaned himself up and Wong began the healing process to more quickly mend the physical wounds. The doctor saw to cleaning out and patching up the bite on his leg (and the nice thing about the magic Wong was currently using was that it would eliminate both mundane and mystical issues that could come with being bitten by an imp of all things). He could feel Wong numbing some of the spots on his back and applying sets of sutures made of eldritch energy; physical sutures would only come if there was still need for them after twenty-four hours of magical healing. The fascinating part about it all was that waiting for a day, which would be an awful decision without magic, worked just fine with the dimensional energies they used to help heal physical wounds.

If he wasn't so good at defending Earth against attacks, he would have certainly transitioned to the medical wing of Kamar-Taj.

But you're not that good, are you? ran through his head as the image of the souls he had tried to save, and failed to save, flashed across his memory.

Something of a numbness settled over him as he reviewed his trials against Mephisto and all the mistakes he made time and again throughout the few experienced hours within his company. Stephen realized now, far too late, that he should have pushed his bargaining with each game; the demon liked games, so he should have taken the time to try and save some souls during the chess game, for instance. But he was so caught up in his own hurts and trying to block out the demon's ramblings and the screams of the tortured souls trapped within that dimension that he didn't even consider making something of his win until after he said checkmate. And his performance in the arena was completely inexcusable; if that is what he looked like when relying on his own powers without the assistance of the Vishanti, what sort of poor excuse of a sorcerer was he? In his heart he had doubted his worth to inherit the Ancient One's title, and in one of his first true tests since he received it, he found his doubts had merit.

Such failure was completely unacceptable.

Stephen stirred from his thoughts when Wong stepped back. "Your body will continue to mend overnight," he said, voice stoic and unreadable as ever.

He cleared his throat. "Thank you," he said, this time with sincerity.

Wong made a noise in acknowledgement, then cleaned the mess Stephen had made with a wave of his hand. "I'm surprised that you haven't asked about your friend."

"Fri— oh my God, Christine." How in the fucking hell had that slipped his mind? Of all things? It seemed he was both an inadequate defender and friend. "Did you hear from her? How is she?"

"Doctor Palmer was naturally frantic when she called about twelve hours ago," he answered. "I assured her that she was safe and that you were 'taking care of' the situation. I offered an acolyte to stay with her the rest of the day and throughout the evening, but she declined. She does want you to call her as soon as possible."

The thought of talking to Christine right at that moment left a strange feeling in his gut. "What time is it?" He hadn't even looked.

"Here in New York it's just past four in the morning."

He let his shoulders relax; he could hold off on calling her. "I'll call her in a few hours. I should…" Stephen gestured to the adjourning bedroom.

Wong nodded. "We would be interested in hearing your experience within this demon's realm, Stephen; it may help us glean some insight into what to expect, especially with one as old as Mephisto."

"Yeah," he answered, not meeting his eyes; the thought of relaying his experience to all the Masters of Kamar-Taj left an uneasy feeling in his stomach. In the past he would have been required to; as the Sorcerer Supreme, it was at his own discretion.

But to tell them all about every single one of his failures? Of every inefficiency and inadequacy?

"And Stephen?" He blinked and looked at Wong, who now stood at the bathroom entrance. "If you feel any sort of residual effects from Mephisto's dimension, you need to go to the infirmary."

"Yeah, sure thing," he said, and Wong gave him one last discerning look before departing for the night.

He looked at himself in the bathroom mirror: he had managed to wash off all the blood, but he was pallid and still torn in several places as the magic did its slow work. In the background, he saw the Cloak continue to hover in the corner, silent but steadfast. The silent witness to his failings.

Stephen blinked and rubbed his eyes with a shaky hand. He needed to sleep and get a grip on himself before moving further. He pulled himself up and trudged to bed, not bothering with the work of putting on pajamas.

The uneasiness remained upon him as he eventually fell asleep.

———— 

The next day was no easier. While his body felt much better and his magic greatly restored, his failings from the other day felt no lighter.

What he needed was to be proactive. So Stephen forced himself out of bed and got to work. The first order of the day was Christine.

Christine was… Christine said she didn't blame him. That she honestly was surprised something like that hadn't happened sooner, considering everything. That it really wasn't his fault.

He blamed himself, but didn't say anything. What he did tell her was that he was negligent in not warding her apartment and failing to give her any sort of protection and would remedy the former immediately, and the latter shortly.

She said it really wasn't his fault again, but he started upon the wards on the apartment anyway, and she went off to get them refreshments. She didn't have to go anywhere, anyway; she'd taken the day off. He couldn't blame her.

Once he was finished with that, his next order of business was dealing with the connection to Mephisto's hell in Fukushima. That was easily enough solved, and he was able to do it without bothering anyone else with the mostly minor task. Not bothering anyone seemed a solid plan as he figured out the best way to learn from his failures.

It was one reason he decided to release the (few) souls he managed to save on his own. Besides, Stephen already had a good idea of what needed to be done after Everything with Thanos; there were just a couple elements he wanted to double-check. Thankfully, his new position meant he had full run of the library now. He could even take the books as needed, but Stephen didn't particularly want Wong knowing which books he was reading through, lest it bring up the whole story surrounding the souls entombed in the gems. So he quietly found the material he needed to confirm the steps necessary, slipped the books back on their shelves, and left the library without so much as seeing the librarian.

He took the six souls to the Mirror Dimension in a quieter part of the New York Sanctum, locked the door, and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening properly releasing them. By the time he was finished, he was exhausted and absolutely had no desire to speak with anyone, so Stephen removed the lock from the door and portaled into his rooms. His healing body greedily grasped for sleep.

His next steps involved improvement and doing. He had failures to atone for, which meant he had a lot of work to do. So Stephen settled in the Sanctum library and got started, first looking for more research regarding protective charms and talismans and what went into their craftsmanship.

Some hours into the day, a voice interrupted him. "Doctor Strange." Blinking, he looked up and saw Hamir standing near the library doors.

"Master Hamir." Why was he here?

"I came to see how you were faring; I understand you were wounded in your venturing within Mephisto's hell."

So Wong told him; a pang of annoyance went through him. Did Wong want everyone to know about how he came back, bloody and defeated? "Unfortunately so, but not so much that I cannot perform my duties," he reassured him.

A strange look passed over Hamir's face. "Yes, of course. Of that, I had no doubt. It is fortunate that it did not take a worse turn."

Something of a numb feeling went over him at Hamir's words. If the elder Master knew just how badly he had failed the tests put upon him within the dimension, he would be saying otherwise. And now, he had to make sure that he as the Sorcerer Supreme never failed such tests again. "Yes, fortunate," he muttered. "Please excuse me; I have a lot of work I need to do."

Hamir offered him a polite bow in return and took his leave; Stephen locked the door and put a ward up to prevent any portalling into the library so that he could remain undisturbed.

Some time later, he was pulled out of his studious trance by the cloak tapping his cheek. "What?" he asked it in annoyance. The cloak pointed to the window.

It was dark. Oh. He should… food would be a good idea, wouldn't it? But he had no desire to eat with anyone else, so he avoided the dining halls at Kamar-Taj and scrounged about the kitchen in the New York Sanctum for sustenance. It was rather late on the east coast, so he didn't encounter anyone with meal times that adhered to New York time. That worked well and good for him.

The next few days fell into a very steady routine: wake, grab something quickly from the kitchen for breakfast to eat in the study he still had in New York, spend an hour or two checking the mystical energies for encroaching threats or strange anomalies, then go back to his studies on protective talismans. He'd grab a bite to eat after the rest of the New York dinner crowd was done, and for the most part successfully avoided people that way.

Wong eventually cornered him four days into this routine. "What are you doing?" he asked at the Sanctum library's doors.

"Talismans." Stephen shook his head. "What happened to Christine is inexcusable. I am rectifying the situation."

Wong frowned. "A reasonable concern, but no one has seen you for the last week. What of your other duties?"

He stilled at the question. "I am still monitoring the Earth actively for mystical threats; I do so daily. It has been quiet." I am not failing my other duties. Protection is all I am focused on now. I am not failing.

"It has been," Wong said in neutral agreement. "Still, your presence has been missed in the lessons and out in the training yards. I know some apprentices are missing your guidance."

"I think they can last a few days without me," Stephen muttered, looking back to his books. Surely the apprentices realized that he had more important things that needed doing; once he was complete with this talisman, his next project was more long-term and probably could be juggled with the more mundane routines of teaching and guiding. But still… how was he meant to do those properly if he wasn't where he needed to be as Sorcerer Supreme?

"How long do you believe this project will last?" he asked.

"Not much longer," he assured Wong. "A week at most. I'll show up for some of the lessons again after." Hopefully that got the other man off his back.

Wong gave him one of his indeterminable looks, then nodded once and shouted, "Maybe try to join us for a meal sometime again, too!"

Stephen wrinkled his nose at the comment and made a face to himself; meals wasted too much time. Too much talking, too much catching up, and he was best when he was alone while concentrating on things that needed to get done in a short amount of time. He was the exact same way in during finals in college and throughout quite a bit of med school. It drove the few friends he had absolutely nuts, but it was well worth it.

And this, this would be well worth it as well.

————— 

Stephen gifted Christine a new talisman that only became visible when she wanted it to, allowing for her to wear it while on the job. That would reassure him of her constant safety, and it turned out that if someone without their own set of great powers was friend to the Sorcerer Supreme, they needed that sort of protection.

He considered telling her that he was really not worth the hassle. Her life was absolutely not worth the risk. At one point he almost did say it; the thought of her getting hurt because of him caused a numbness that he could hardly describe with mere words. But at the same time, Stephen knew her and he knew her stubbornness and realized that such a thing would not happen, not with him asking.

With the talisman done, he fell into another routine. There was so much more to learn before he could be the Sorcerer Supreme the Masters of Kamar-Taj expected, and if he didn't bring himself up to snuff soon, they would see him for the failure he currently was. So he needed to bridge that gap as soon as possible, and thus the routine.

In the morning, breakfast by himself. A scan of Earth for mystical threats or changes in the general atmosphere. Studying, creating, practicing, all by himself within the Mirror Dimension. Eating dinner by himself later in the evening in New York time, then going over to Kamar-Taj to observe the first of the morning classes in Nepal— sometimes it was the physical training, sometimes basic spells, sometimes another thing altogether. Get back to New York for bed.

Rinse and repeat. He was interacting with the novices and apprentices (and the occasional acolyte) as Wong requested, and doing everything in his spare time to learn everything he didn't yet know, to practice, to just get better and better and to not be such a failure. He spoke to the Masters as needed, but truly they didn't need much from him; the dimensions surrounding Earth were quiet. It was the perfect time to do this.

Three weeks into this routine, Christine called and asked if he could spare time for lunch. Stephen frowned and gave his apologies; he really couldn't. He had to better himself, first.

Four and a half weeks into his new daily living and Wong pointed out that the ice cream stash was surprisingly not empty yet. Considering the ice cream was usually only touched when they were doing something together (and that 'something' varied from discussions on Chaos Magic theory to Wong's deplorable taste in reality TV), it made sense to Stephen. He simply had not had the time, not with everything he had to do the last month and a half.

"Oh, please go at it; I've just been rather busy," he said apologetically. Wong's blank look in return brought a strange feeling that he quickly numbed by pushing it to the back of his head. He offered his friend a polite smile and got back to work.

There was a Nepalese holiday, the Lunar New Year known as the Nepal Sambat, that Kamar-Taj had always honored, what with Nepal being the country that homed the ancient compound. They even continued to celebrate it when the Nepalese government suppressed the ancient tradition throughout much of the twentieth century. Stephen grimaced at being pulled away from his work for so long to see to the tradition, but he made the required appearance at Kamar-Taj, said the proper words, and let those in Kamar-Taj that were actually native to Nepal continue the rest. When it got to the actual celebrations, he slipped away back to New York.

There was still entirely too much work to be completed to bridge his failures.

#whumptober2019 #no.29 #numb #stephen strange #doctor strange #wong #hamir #doctor strange fanfic #my writing #my fanfiction