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paintingwhiteceilings · 7 months

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❃Seventeen and surviving the Titanic❃

a/n: this prompt was suggested by a good friend of mine. As much as I love writing more serious prompts, I live for these idiotic scenarios. The serious prompts will come, but for now, CHAOS!

Scoups/Seungcheol: Dead

❀ He wasn’t having a good time even before the boat began to sink. Instead of enjoying the luxurious holiday he deserves, he was too busy running around the deck trying to get the members to stop doing cannonballs in the community pool. DK and Hoshi had been such nuisances that they almost got banned from the upper deck, leaving Coups to smooth things over. Thus, when the ship starts to sink, he can’t even feel stressed about it; it fits perfectly with how the rest of the holiday had been going.

❀ Despite being absolutely done with everyone and everything, he remains perfectly rational. He knows he has to act fast; he will stress about his situation later. His eye hasn’t stopped twitching, though. Ever since he realized that he would have to find all twelve of his members on the massive ship, he has been on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

❀ Coups will be running across the boat, searching every nook and cranny to retrieve each member. Nobody on the ship dares to talk back to him when he picks the members up by the scruff of the neck to throw them into one of the dinghies. He is about to snap, and nobody on the ship wants to be the one who receives the brunt of his rant. Truly, with Coups on the boat, the members actually will have a decent chance of making it out alive.

❀ He ultimately doesn’t make it to a dinghy because someone tries to argue with him. A Karen pops up next to him and demands that one of the members should switch with her. The moment she insults Seungkwan for being ‘selfish’ when he quietly tells her that he doesn't want to give up his seat, Coups grabs her by the hair, ready to tie her to a pole so she and her rudeness can die with the ship. Who does Karen think she is, insulting his children? Unfortunately, in his anger, he forgets to put his safety first, and as he is tightening the knots to ensure she won’t be going anywhere, the ship sinks.

Jeonghan: Alive

❀ Why do you think the ship is sinking in the first place? He has been brewing this plan since the moment he set foot aboard. Do you think he wanted to go on an expensive boat ride, stuck with twelve energetic children? He made sure to puncture a hole in the hull of the boat the night before, hoping for the journey to be cancelled. Nah, I am kidding, but yeah, he definitely survives this. He is too clever not to, and with his quick thinking, he will make it out alive. He won't feel too responsible for the others' safety either, prioritizing his safety before anyone else's.

❀ Mr. Gaslight-Girl Boss-Gatekeep convinces everyone around him to let him onto the dinghy. He made up an entire backstory that makes him look like a saint. If they had to believe Jeonghan, he is currently working on a ground-breaking treatment against Rat Hallucinations. It is a very serious disease for rats, as when they hallucinate, they tend to mistake people's fingers and toes for food. He reveals that he has stumbled upon a massive finding in his research. Apparently, certain cheeses can induce hallucinatory effects, but before he was able to share it with his fellow scholars, he had to leave for this trip.

❀ Hey, he had very little time to come up with something, and all he could think of was rats after he saw one scurry past him as he made his way over to the dinghies. If he had had more time, he probably could've come up with a more believable story.

❀ Surprisingly, the people waiting for their turn to board the dinghy actually believe him; most of them find the prospect of rats gnawing on their toes scarier than drowning.

Joshua: Dead

❀ Joshua finds himself stuck in a loop when the ship starts to sink. He made his way to the dinghies just fine, arriving at the correct side of the boat just as the crew began disembarking people.

❀ Initially, Joshua was fully prepared to Gaslight-Girl Boss-Gatekeep himself onto a dinghy, ready to make up some ridiculous background story that would give him priority. However, once he saw people's desperation to get their children onto the dinghies, he couldn't get himself to lie.

❀ He starts helping the crew load the children onto the dinghies, doing his best to save as many people as he can. He doesn't take a single break until most of the children in his vicinity are aboard the dinghy. However, even when spots do open up for adults, he still refuses to disembark the ship in favour of letting others go first. In Joshua's opinion, it would be rude of him to leave the ship before everyone else has done so. It wouldn't be very gentlemanly of him.

❀ Everyone around him agrees that he deserves to leave; he acted so selflessly and helped so many people that it is only fair that he gets another chance to live. One lady, in particular, tries her best to convince him to board the dinghy. It turns into a "no after you" loop, where Joshua and the lady keep trying to get the other to disembark first.

❀ Yes, Joshua wastes precious time being too polite, and it gets him killed in the end.

Jun: Alive

❀ It is genuinely a miracle that Jun manages to survive the sinking of the Titanic. You see, he remembered a single survival tip and decided that now was as good as any time to try it out. He once read that fridges are great to hide in during nuclear attacks; surely, they can protect him from drowning as well.

❀ He spends a considerable amount of time walking around the ship, selecting the most promising-looking fridge. Somewhere tucked away in the corner of a kitchen, he finds one that looks like it would work. It is big enough for him to fit in, but small enough that he can maybe get it to the upper deck. He is feeling very optimistic about it.

❀ It takes him a considerable amount of time to drag it up to the upper deck, getting help from a confused staff member passing him on his way up. They have asked him whether he wants to try to get on a dinghy instead, but he maintains that his fridge plan will work. The only reason they help him move the heavy fridge is because, well, they are going to die anyway. At the very least, his insane plan might work.

❀ They lower it into the water before Jun gets on. For those of us who are not aware of this fact, fridges float. Jun didn't even know that they did until he saw it casually float on the surface of the sea. It is not the most functional impromptu dinghy, but it works well enough to allow him to drift to the nearest piece of ice.

❀ Yeah, he survives by sheer luck and insanity.

Hoshi/Soonyoung: Dead

❀ In his never-ending quest to convince everyone that he is a tiger, Hoshi has decided the best moment to prove his theory is when the Titanic starts to sink. He reasons that being a tiger and all that, he must be skilled at swimming, considering that tigers are naturally born swimmers. Thus, in all his stupidity, he jumps straight into the ice-cold water. He regrets it immediately as the cold chills him right to the bone, realizing that the waters in which the tigers swim are probably considerably warmer.

❀ Luckily for him, that is the moment when he meets DK in the water, floating aboard a door. He is just as soaked, but at the very least, the door is keeping him afloat despite his exhaustion. In the true Jack-and-Rose fashion, the two try their best to share the door. However, when Hoshi tries to climb aboard, their collective weight results in the door sinking beneath the surface. In order to save his best friend, he tries his hardest to cling on to its side, hoping that he can stick it out until rescue arrives.

❀ DK has a death grip on his arms, and the two keep making stupid jokes the entire time, trying to keep each other awake and distracted. Some of the jokes might be made a bit too soon, like "What do you get when you cross the Atlantic with the Titanic? About halfway." or "Titanic, sorry, that was a terrible icebreaker." At the very least, DK and Hoshi are having a great time, giggling at their stupid jokes.

❀ Despite Hoshi's sheer motivation, even he won't be able to deal with the hypothermia. Even when DK and he take turns resting on the door, Hoshi has been in direct contact with the water for much longer and will ultimately succumb to hypothermia.

Wonwoo: Alive

❀ Well, technically, Wonwoo is screwed. Wonwoo has admitted before that he can't swim, so if he ends up in the water, he is most certainly dead. At the very least, he will not chance his life by jumping overboard, hoping that maybe he can swim ashore. No, he will try his chances with the overloaded dinghies instead.

❀ What ends up saving Wonwoo in the end is his knowledge of boats. He has been researching the Titanic ever since Coups mentioned they would be taking a trip on it; it is a technical wonder, after all. He has been recounting fun facts about the Titanic the moment they stepped aboard, but the other members found them boring and told him to shut up. Well, guess who is having the last laugh?

❀ He knows that something is wrong with the boat even before the crew does. When the other members wave away his worries, he decides to take action in his own hands. Even before the first alarm sounds, he has already reached the dinghies, ready to leave the ship.

❀ He is one of the first ones to board the dinghy and part of the first batch of people who leave the sinking board. Thanks to his Titanic facts, he was able to be first in the queue and, therefore, made it out alive before the crew realized they needed to prioritize who would be leaving the boat.

Woozi/Jihoon: Alive

❀ If it had been up to him, he would've given up on surviving long ago. The moment the boat started to sink, Woozi had accepted his fate, ready to go down with the ship. Why bother running around in a panic, trying to save yourself when you could use that time to enjoy your last moments?

❀ Woozi is in no rush to make it off the boat; he even pauses in front of the orchestra, which has continued to play music as the ship sinks. It is a beautiful scene in his eyes; despite the chaos aboard, music continues to fill the night air, trying to tame the rising panic. For a moment, he feels overwhelmed by the strong emotions, before inspiration hits him. He has such an amazing idea for a song that he needs to write it down somewhere. Well, pen and paper are hard to find on a sinking ship, forcing Woozi to make his way to the dinghies.

❀ The only reason why he can make it out on one of the dinghies is because people mistake him for being a child. He is so tiny that he won't take up much space anyway, and the crew argues that it doesn't matter whether he is a child or not. Woozi considers arguing with them before realizing that they are practically giving him a way out, so he lets the short comments slide for the first time in his life.

❀ He is grumpy the entire time, sulking that what saved him was being vertically challenged. When he meets up with the other surviving members, he will lie and tell them he was let on, as they trusted him to take care of the other children aboard. He will take it to the grave that they thought he was pocket-sized and a child.

DK/Seokmin: Alive

❀ Ah yes, the other member who finds himself floating on top of a door. DK survives by pure luck. Immediately when the boat started to sink, he grabbed onto the first object within his reach, and he still hasn't let go of it. That object happened to be a door. He blacked out for most of the sinking; he blinked twice and suddenly found himself in the water, floating on top of the door that he initially grabbed onto. Fortunately, he isn't too soaked; somehow, the door has been keeping him dry, for the most part, that is.

❀ He is just as lucky to find Hoshi as Hoshi is to find him. DK has been panic crying the entire time, and Hoshi has been able to divert his attention from the disaster that the two have found themselves in. Hoshi is the one to suggest cracking jokes about their situation, knowing that DK could do with a cheering-up. The jokes are stupid, which is precisely what makes them funny. DK is the one to propose switching positions on the door, feeling bad for Hoshi having to float next to him in the cold water.

❀ Once Hoshi drifts away, DK considers floating away with him. By some sheer luck, it is precisely that moment that a dinghy floats nearby, and they hoist him aboard. Huddled between all the dry and warm bodies, DK warms up in no time and gets some much-needed therapy from the sweet older ladies who sit on either side of him.

❀ After that night, they practically adopted him. After the rescue efforts have passed, they stay by his side, helping him find what is left of his members, before heading off to find their own family. He still visits them every other weekend and he makes sure to write them weekly letters to let them know how he is doing.

Mingyu: Dead

❀ Welcome to the tales and woes of Kim Mingyu's time on the Titanic. He wasn't really having fun, to begin with. The rocking of the boat constantly made him lose his footing on the deck, as he couldn't find his balance on the ship; he couldn't remember how many times he had tripped so far. Even worse were the waves, making him either fall over or drop whatever he is holding in order to steady himself.

❀ When the ship started to sink and slowly tilted to one side, Mingyu found himself in a tiring game of evading rolling objects. So far, he is miserably losing, getting repeatedly hit by random things. He can't even make his way up to the dinghies; he hasn't even been able to move from the spot he was first in when the ship started sinking. For every step he is able to take, he ends up tripping and falling five steps back. He doesn't even understand how every object seems to hit him; he has somehow managed to trip over fifteen rolling cups and stepped right into the path of a sliding beach chair.

❀ He finally gets taken out by a flying parasol that hits him squarely on the head, successfully knocking him out. Instead of stepping out of the way, he manages to step right into its path. His limp body rolls, together with everything else, off the side of the ship, and he hits the water, unconscious.

❀ If he doesn't die from the head injury inflicted by the parasol, he will definitely die from drowning or hypothermia. Nobody bothers hoisting his unconscious ass aboard a dinghy; he is too tall to fit on the already overly full rescue boats.

The8/Minghao: Alive

❀ Minghao has meditated so much that he simply levitates above the surface of the sea. Why worry about floating when you can fly? This is the moment he has been training for, to let go of all his worldly ties and, quite literally, ascend. Consequentially, as the chaos ensues around him, he can be seen sitting perfectly still on top of the deck, meditating.

❀ All jokes aside, his meditation does allow him to keep cool, calm and collected. Compared to some of the more stress-prone members, he can stay level-headed, understanding that it will do him no good if he starts freaking out. He is the only one who notices when Wonwoo slips away and does not hesitate to follow him; he knows that regardless of whether his warning is unfounded, it would not hurt to follow Wonwoo to the dinghies.

❀ As a result, he finds himself happily next to Wonwoo when the ship starts to sink. Wonwoo feels incredibly touched at the trust Minghao put into his deduction; in reality, Minghao didn't really expect the boat to sink but partly wanted an excuse to take a break from the other members. Still, he will pretend for Wonwoo's ego that he definitely thought that Wonwoo was onto something.

❀ He will be the type to point around, trying to spot the other members, judging them for how well they managed to escape the sinking boat. Honestly, he and Wonwoo are having a bit of a blast with it.

Seungkwan: Dead

❀ Seungkwan is so incredibly scared when the ship starts to sink. Not because he feels like he will drown, but because he feels like he has made so many enemies aboard who would want him dead. He should've known better than continuously nagging the crew and other passengers, but could you really blame him? The coffee they were serving was atrocious, and if he didn't suggest changing it, they would all still be drinking dirty bean water instead of quality crafted Iced Americano.

❀ He regrets it now, as he hurries towards the dinghies, constantly watching his back. Despite his paranoia and vigilance, he doesn't notice the dark figure slowly creeping up behind him, following him closely like a shadow. Seungkwan does feel a chill running up his spine, and he can't shake the feeling that someone is watching him, but every time he turns around, he can't figure out why. Unfortunately, that is the last time that Seungkwan is seen alive.

❀ Before he knows it, he suddenly gets ambushed as someone grabs him from behind. Nobody knows where he went or whether he made it off the boat for the longest time. It's only when the rescue team recovers his body, floating face-down in the water, that it becomes apparent that foul play is involved in his death.

❀ To this day, his death has gone unsolved; his story is hugely popular in conspiracy communities. He would be proud of the countless videos discussing his death and how he managed to inspire decades worth of conspiracy theorists.

Vernon: Dead

❀ Vernon was never in any danger to begin with. As an alien who travelled back in time from his planet to observe how humans deal with catastrophes, he is rather enjoying his time aboard the sinking Titanic. He looks completely out of place as he wanders around, humming a tune under his breath as he observes the absolute chaos around him.

❀ Okay, I know I have used the Vernon-is-an-alien-joke way too often, but, in reality, Vernon will not survive whatsoever. Vernon isn't even aware that the boat is sinking; he decides to take a relaxing bath after dinner, and he is so absorbed in his own world that he doesn't even notice that the boat is dangerously tilting to one side. Even when he does, he gaslights himself into believing that it is part of the experience or due to some rocky waves.

❀ Even when it slowly starts to dawn on him that the ship is sinking, he can't move fast enough to get to the deck, let alone the dinghies. Vernon doesn't run; he is not about to change that for a life-threatening situation. At most, he is jogging up the many flights of stairs, trying to make his way to the upper deck. Nobody knows where he is, either, leaving him to figure out what to do all by himself.

❀ He arrives too late on the upper deck, noticing that all the dinghies have already left and that most people have already taken whatever object might help them stay afloat. Instead of trying to jump into the water, he will simply sit down and accept his fate. He finds some left-behind food, which he nibbles on as the ship sinks, taking him with it.

Dino/Chan: Alive

❀ You might be thinking, "Wait, Dino survives? How? Do you mean to tell me he survives his members, all whilst a boat is sinking? Do they suddenly baby him?" The answer is no; he survives because they forgot to bring him in the first place. In his hurry to leave on time, Scoups miscounted, and Dino, who was still on the toilet, got unceremoniously left behind. Honestly, he doesn't even mind it that much; being home alone was better than any holiday where his members would bully him.

❀ He is thriving back home. Suddenly, his skin has cleared, and for the first time in a long while, he doesn't constantly feel hopeless. He gets to do and eat whatever he wants, not getting out-vetoed by his members. Sure, eating pancakes drenched in syrup and a mountain of whipping cream for breakfast every single morning for weeks might not be good for you, but he is young; his metabolism can handle it.

❀ Still, when he hears about the Titanic sinking, he makes his way to the dock where the survivors gather. Initially, he is worried sick, praying that his members make it out okay, but when it becomes apparent that they hadn't noticed he was missing for the past few weeks, that worry melts away really quickly.

❀ Honestly, as he listens to their stories, he can't help but wonder whether he can stage another maritime disaster where the remaining members accidentally perish. Maybe he can drown them himself in the harbour when nobody is watching.

masterlist

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saltnpepperbunny · 12 days

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SPB's Webcomics: Masterpost

This masterpost is an assembly of my webcomics, all of which can be read on Tumblr! You will find links to each comic here, as well as links to story navigation and the original comic sites (which are a great place to binge). My comics are all heavily thematic and focus on things like queerness/LGBTQ, neurodivergence, disability, etc. Some are Pokemon comics and some are original stories. Enjoy!

Finding Your Roots is a pokemon nuzlocke comic depicting the story of Cedar, a mudkip from Littleroot who sets out on a journey to save the life of an orphaned egg. The region of Hoenn can be a dangerous place, especially to pokemon like Cedar and her friends. But together, Team Hearth can overcome even the greatest challenges. FYR explores themes of identity, race relations, disability, and queer existence.

Started in July 2018. Updates Tues.

@findingyourrootscomic First Page Story Navigation Comic Site

Children of the Light is an original comic featuring a dysfunctional family of light spirits. The second-youngest child, Tashi, wants to prove they're capable of being a forest guardian just like the rest of their siblings. To do so, Tashi must pass the Spirit Tree's test and successfully raise their newborn sibling Ru, who hears hallucinatory voices from plantlife, into a proper forest guardian. As fellow defective spirits, can Tashi and Ru overcome the odds? COTL explores themes of neurodivergence, ableism, abuse within families, and queer identity.

Started in October 2022. Updates Thurs.

@childrenofthelightcomic First Page Story Navigation Comic Site

After losing their mate in an accident, one young rabbit must navigate the challenges of the wild, bear the loss of their closest friend, and endure the cruelty of the herd's superstition. What becomes of the rabbits who have faced the unimaginable and endured the greatest suffering? What does it mean to lose your soul? TTWH explores themes of grief, trauma, mental illness, and survival in a cruel, uncaring world.

October 2020 - February 2022

@thethingswehavecomic First Page Story Navigation Comic Site

Little Lapses is a PMD comic about a trio of friends: Holly the yungoos, Cinnabar the scorbunny, and Blue the phanpy. It's the last day of school, and things should be perfect... so why does Blue seem so sad? Holly and Cinnabar team up to cheer up their friend and make today the best day ever! But good intentions pave the road to trouble, and this trio of friends may be in for more than they can handle. LL explores themes of childhood, forgiveness, femalehood, and friendship. This is a collaborative project with co-author @zeropro.

August 2021 - July 2023

@pmdlittlelapses First Page Story Navigation Comic Site

Pipe Up is an original comic about Piper the rabbit, a teenage girl in high school, and her best friend, Kai the fennec fox. PU explores themes of adolescence, queer identity, and neurodivergence. This is a collaborative project with co-authors TinySweetBunny and @thetruegge.

Started in January 2024. Updates Sat.

@pipeupcomic First Page Story Navigation Comic Site

#spb's comics #webcomic #comic #pokemon comic #original comic #graphic novel #pmd comic #nuzlocke

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magicschmidt · 4 months

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LIVE DEMO

mike schmidt x fem!reader gif creds: klausbens a mix of pure fluff + antagonizing pining ՞• ཅ •՞ bleh!

this came to me right when i had to go to sleep. i did not go to sleep.

have this that's so raven girl next door vision of becoming abby's diligent babysitter who refuses to take the title of her favorite - even if the schmidt household is breaking your own charts - BUT ALSO mike's daytime college passenger princess who gets dropped off after abby has - positive this is the least he can do while he hasn't paid you + that he's up to ALL good getting to know who abby never shuts up about, right?

your free ride is actually mike's test run on you - your live demo.

PLEASE READ UNDER THE CUT & SCREAM WITH ME please 😥 im begging you 😓

whatever the boymath, you don't turn him or your guys' world record coffee runs down. it's convenient! caffeine is inevitable for you both: him to steer the wheel as high-alert as can be, & you who lies through her teeth about the couch being cozy - mike wants to make up for the neck pain by painfully obviously sliding the barista an extra to double-shot your cup, but you swat at his arm and claim the gas he's using on you is more than enough - ways ahead that pizzeria of his.

oh, in addition to their television as background asmr teensily tinily running up the electricity bill.

you've never been, but whenever you do zoom past freddy fazbear's, you make it a point to ask what was up that shift, and by that i mean squeeze absolutely everything you can out of him.

you don't take 'uh... it was interesting' for an answer, it leaves too much to the imagination - sometimes its begging mike to do his best impression of a very hallucinatory?? very sinister?? balloon boy laugh which you echo, and he pretends to find chilling - or bombarding him with unserious ass questions like 'did that ominous cupcake gnaw at the iron bars of the vent again yesterday/today?'

you throw all time expressions out there, having lost track of it when you're with him anyway.

mike racks - ransack's his brain for when you've gotten so curious. why he can't let the yawning do the talking instead. or music you both hate. why he's so bothered by your persistence, but not in a bad way. he used to guess it was fair game you wanted to get to know him too. he likes that you always, always seem to be having fun with both him and abby, despite the inconsistency of your payroll.

now, the change from interviewer to interviewee is just common sense - just a touch more rare to you. he appreciates you.

& don't even try lying to yourself; you wake up in the morning for mike's reactions. you tuck abby in bed like your life depends on it, improv story-telling your heart out with her sticky-note flipbook per her request; it's a team effort.

with her turn up first, abby usually sits at the backseat with her headphones on and music off to take note of the dopey looks you guys exchange. she thinks 'it's too early for this', and not in the 'non-morning person night owl' way, but to nag at herself to 'stop already shipping y/n with mike they don't know e/o that well yet!!!!!!' way.

it is almost as if getting the worst night's rest ever on the thinnest cushions even earlier compels the sun to rise and shine faster;

you fucking grind!

once your university not finally and moreso unfavorably comes into view, you touch up in your side's visor mirror. mike takes this as his cue to sneak what he counts as glances through the car's, and shockingly, you never catch on that he can't get enough of doing so - his attention divided with students scattered and stupidly j-walking outside.

your live demo has gotten a bit out of hand.

is mike kidding himself?

you are too presentable.

there isn't a need to babysit with mike there, snoring appropriate in position of cheery radio hosts. you don't need to remind abby if she brought her crayons after coloring with you all night the night before, or loan her your airpods when her headphones die.

this is overtime. you're just about hanging out on a time crunch.

you're beside him, barely awake but busying yourself with a tangled id lace. mike grounds himself, reminded your whereabouts was compensation enough.

that relief is temporary when you briefly flash him a sheepish smile, breaking it with a yawn and a nose scrunch for unintentional added measure.

you're overqualified, and a month's actual pay can't cover this! if this goes on, can he just sit idly by and allow you to take the bus home? the red alarms go off in his head.

mike is so screwed.

he scoffs when you flip the mirror up - what's light-hearted mockery to you fixing your hair up is him letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

he stares and yet, he never remembers to trace your features.

everytime mike looks at you, it is the first time; whether it's from the corners of his eyes with most of them on the road, or even the other way around on days he would morph everything else into a blind spot. he'd willingly run over a professor for seconds; in hopes its the one teaching you at ass o'clock & you'd maybe get a free hour to tail him to the station for probation and twirl a telephone cord in your fingers with a glass panel between you two just so you're face-to-face.

if luck strikes him, vanessa would be on perimeter, and you'd sit as you are right now but in her police car all together. mike, of course, sticks to the former, focusing so that none of you have to get in trouble. those are just thoughts that keep him up at ... well, noon, when he gets home.

so give him a break!

when he hazards infront of the main entrance after multiple repeats that you could walk there from the gate - he genuinely wishes you a day much much better than his shift, which you always giggle at.

you know today's already been granted when your back is off the seat, but your butt isn't!

this accidentally prompts mike to unbuckle your belt for you. his arm is not reached over across you in some cheesy romcom meetcute for one, because his car is actually practical and has the buckles and latch plates in the middle.

but your head whips to thank him a little too quick - you end up bumping foreheads.

you unapologetically giggle again, to which he groans an 'ow', and a sly 'what? want me to step out and grab the door for you too?' all while that damn seat belt on your shoulder is replaced with the strap of your tote bag - courtesy of mike slinging it back on for you.

your eyes twinkle with mischief; at how this kinda proximity isn't forced, but natural.

the tint on mike's car does not save for how flushed you are.

his tongue dances with a follow-up question to take you right there as well as out on a date, but for now a smile plays on his lips.

"jeez, i got it this time!"

you yell, and you're rushing off with your heart fluttering out of your chest.

mike just rolls his eyes when you manage to leave your door behind wide open - the cherry on top of the lack of sleep-induced ditziness, but just as he's about to do your single duty as passenger princess?

you come back to gingerly give him a kiss on his cheek.

"a tip as my chauffeur! be grateful i didn't fire you for getting out before me! i'll let it slide just this one-hundredth time!"

of course by tip you mean* payback* for what you are only now realizing are growing feelings for your new knight in airbagged armor - and you're off for real.

mike could care less what you mean though, now that he knows you voicelessly wished him the same thing. aren't you just the showcase of grace?

no way in hell mike has it in him to chat you up to the neighbors now. it's time padlocks get a price hike! and maybe you a promotion to girlfriend ... if you'll accept him?

... it's safe to say he has to avail more of your services 😵‍💫

bonus: mike's a puddle of a man in his seat, and the honks from the line that has formed behind him are music to his ears - if a puddle had any?? what an odd way to loudly encourage him to get a 'honk if you love love' bumper sticker 🤭

a/n:

YES we r on Christmas Break but as a college girly, abby isn't the only one who needs bedtime stories to knock tf out ... my go-to scenario @ specifically 6 AM was to imagine PINING, yea ewww

yearning

or worse yet: admit we r head over heels for our fictional cute neighbor whose favors never run out. they aren't even ones he asks us for, we just go the extra mile which cld srsly fit better on our resumes - to which he somehow returns tenfold - & no one feels like they acc owe each other, we just all-around GAIN A 2ND CONSCIOUSNESS IN THIS 1 CAR RIDE that we ARE IN FACT crushing on e/o VVV unprofessionally! just went in the direction we simultaneously literally + friendship-wise got so close all of a sudden!

AGAIN i wrote sleep-deprived for the ULTRA HD 4K STINGY YOUTUBE PREMIUM EXPERIENCE so clearly the act of 0 proof-reading has been perfected! feel free to point typos out - out typos ?!?!?!? whatevs so we can laugh @ them TOGETHERRRR & i wish you the polar opposite rest u had in this ficlet! great GREAT night everyoneeeee! 💤

#SPOT LINES I STOLE FROM THE MOVIE HEHE!#mike schmidt #mike schmidt x reader #josh hutcherson #josh hutcherson x reader #mike schmidt x you #mike schmidt imagine #mike schmidt fluff #josh hutcherson fanfic #five nights at freddy's #fnaf

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lollytea · 9 months

Note

Gus's dad is a reporter so Gus is constantly having to save him from dangerous situations and interacting with him as if he isn't his son in a very Miles and Jefferson way, just with much less hostility.

Boscha gets superpowers but just fucks around instead of being a hero or a villain.

Yeah that's all I got for ya chief sorry.

YES YES!!! Superhero kid and reporter parent is SUCH a trope, I love it. Especially when the parent is REALLY nosey and all up in the Superhero's business because they want that good story. While their kid is under the mask, SWEATING

I imagine that all the kids have their own stereotypical comic book superhero origin story. Some are born with powers, some gain them because of an incident. Initially, I was thinking Gus was born with his powers, but it that was the case, Perry would definitely know about them.

But hmm, okay, here's an alternate concept. Gus grew up as a brilliant child prodigy, though he struggled with a morbid imagination that resulted in horrible nightmares, anxiety attacks and hallucinations. It severely negatively impacted his life. And then when Gus is twelve, he reads an ad in the paper of a doctor who uses experimental methods to quiet the mind. So Gus goes to see him without telling Perry, the doctor turns out to be a crazy mad scientist and his experiment on Gus results in him getting insanely powerful hallucinatory abilities to reflect the horror movie type shit that bounces around in his own brain nonstop.

Gus never tells Perry about his new powers because he doesn't want to get in trouble for following weird ads he saw in the paper. He's twelve, his priorities are a little skewed.

Considering canon Boscha is in potions track, I imagine that she doesn't really have powers but she has a lot of mad scientist potential. She's a chemistry whizz and she can throw together concoctions that real supervillains would kill to possess. Stuff like poisons, explosives, some that mutates your body. But she has no interest in dumb supervillain stuff and would prefer to be just a normal teenage girl and bully other students. But she is in contact with tons of villains because she sells her potions to them as a side hustle.

It's very funny to me. She's just casually a scientific prodigy but she really doesn't gaf.

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sakura-samsara · 9 months

Text

Shigehira Main Story: Chapter 13

← Chapter 12

✦ part one

Yasuchika: So it seems Yoshino-san has safely returned to Kamakura!

Yasuchika was holding an audience with one of his subordinates in an elegantly furnished room.

Yasuchika: Those two were lovely test subjects. I’ll have to thank them for giving me such a great research opportunity.

Yasuchika’s Subordinate: If I’m not mistaken, you had the woman exterminate a hallucinatory ayakashi… correct?

Yauchika’s Subordinate: Such ayakashi are rarely seen near human settlements, but they are hardly a serious threat. I am certain that its appearance would not incur suspicion towards you, Yasuchika-sama.

Yasuchika: Oh, I’m not worried about being seen at all! I just wanted to conduct some research for a new technique.

Yasuchika’s Subordinate: O-Of course…

Yasuchika: I’m so happy I got to see Shige-chan get injured, too.

Yasuchika’s Subordinate: …Hm?

Yasuchika: Shige-chan seems like such a disciplined warrior,

Yasuchika: But as soon as the ayakashi turned into a little girl, he immediately hesitated to attack it. How wonderful.

Yasuchika squinted as he stretched with the languor of a cat lounging in the sun.

His gaze, however, was not heavy with sleepiness—it gleamed with a sharp, cold brilliance.

The subordinate stiffened at the chill in the air from Yasuchika’s change in demeanor.

Yasuchika: I suppose the next time I’ll see the two of them will be on the battlefield. I’m really looking forward to it.

Yasuchika’s Subordinate: Yasuchika-sama, isn’t it…

Yasuchika: Hm?

Yasuchika’s Subordinate: Isn’t all of this business with the shogunate and the rebel army rather frightening to you?

Yasuchika: Well, in my opinion, someone who views his work in terms of whether it’s frightening or not wouldn’t be fit to be an onmyōji at all.

Yasuchika: Especially when you work at the palace. You get asked to do all sorts of crazy things, but you can’t exactly turn down the requests, so you just have to get used to it!

Yasuchika’s Subordinate: I understand… Well said, Yasuchika-sama. It is only natural, given your superior skill in onmyōdō.

The subordinate’s polite words hardly concealed his eagerness to curry favor with Yasuchika.

Yasuchika’s Subordinate: I sincerely hope that you will demonstrate the new technique you are developing to us when it is ready…

Yasuchika: You know, I think I will.

Yasuchika nodded, the gesture somehow childlike and elegant at once.

Yasuchika: I’d really like it if lots of people got to see it.

(So this is Kagetoki-san’s mansion…? Somehow I’m starting to feel on edge just by being here.)

Shigehira: This way, Yoshino-san.

Yoshino: Okay!

Shigehira confidently led me towards Kagetoki’s estate, seeming as though he'd taken this route many times before.

Yoshino: Do you visit Kagetoki-san’s place a lot, Shigehira-kun?

Shigehira: I guess I do.

Shigehira: Kagetoki-san mentors me in my studies, so I often borrow books from him.

Shigehira: At some point, he started letting me come and go whenever I wanted.

Yoshino: Really…?

The image of Kagetoki—staring cold, sharp daggers from behind his spectacles—popped into my mind.

Yoshino: It’s a little hard to think of Kagetoki-san being any sort of teacher…

Shigehira: You’d be surprised. He’s a pretty good mentor, since he’s so knowledgeable and logical.

✦ part two

Shigehira: You’d be surprised. He’s a pretty good mentor, since he’s so knowledgeable and logical.

Shigehira: But I doubt he would spare his time to teach just anybody, unless they give him a good reason to.

Yoshino: Then what’s his reason for mentoring you?

Shigehira: I give him koto lessons in return. We're really just exchanging services.

Yoshino: Really?!

Yoshino: I didn’t know you could play the koto too!

Shigehira: I just know the basics, that’s all.

(But he’s such a skilled biwa player… I’m sure he knows more than just the basics of the koto, too.)

I felt a surge of admiration for Shigehira as I looked at him.

I admire you (Romantic +4, Dramatic +2) You’re a prodigy (Romantic +2, Dramatic +4) You must love it (Romantic +4, Dramatic +4)

Yoshino: You must really love playing music.

Shigehira: I’ve always enjoyed it. I try to make time to practice every day, no matter how busy my schedule gets.

Yoshino: That's amazing! I bet Kagetoki-san must be a wonderful koto player if you’re his teacher.

Shigehira: Well… I don’t know about that.

I turned my head towards Shigehira to see an uncharacteristically dodgy expression pop up on his face.

Shigehira: Teaching him never fails to remind me that, uh, everyone has unique talents.

Yoshino: What do you mean?

Shigehira: Um… Anyways, Kagetoki-san should be in here.

Shigehira stopped in front of the door to the main room to call out to Kagetoki.

Shigehira: Kagetoki-san, are you home?

He didn’t wait for a response before opening the sliding door, when…

Woman: …Oh! E-Excuse me!!

Shigehira: …?!

(Huh?)

A woman stumbled out of the room in a panic. I glimpsed a flustered expression on her face as she shot past us.

Then I caught a whiff of a heady, sensual fragrance—there must have been incense burning inside the room.

Kagetoki: You’re too impatient, Shigehira. Did you never learn not to invite yourself into a room?

(O-Oh…)

When I finally looked past the mountainous stacks of books blocking most of the view into the room,

I saw Kagetoki straightening the lapels of his robe, looking uncharacteristically relaxed as he raised his gaze to us.

Shigehira: W-Well, you’re usually too wrapped up in your reading to respond when I knock, so I just assumed—

Kagetoki: I suppose you’re not wrong.

Kagetoki: I did tell my retainers to ask any guests to wait to be received. There must have been a miscommunication for this to have occurred.

Despite our sudden intrusion, Kagetoki hardly seemed bothered.

(Well, now I definitely know what was going on in here before we arrived…)

Yoshino: …I’m so sorry for the intrusion. We wouldn’t have bothered you if we’d known that your lover was visiting you.

(If anything, I’m just a little surprised.)

(Kagetoki-san is quite good-looking, and I’m sure that he wouldn’t have any trouble finding a partner if he wanted one,)

(But he doesn’t seem like he lets people get close to him very easily. I can’t imagine him being interested in romance at all.)

Kagetoki: Lover? She and I have no such relationship.

Yoshino: R-Really?

Kagetoki: She made an offer to me, and I accepted it. It wasn’t as if I had any reason to refuse her.

Kagetoki: Unfortunately, thanks to you two, our rendezvous ended before it could begin.

(...This is so awkward.)

Shigehira: …Disgusting.

I could only stand there speechless, but Shigehira didn’t hesitate to mutter his displeased response under his breath.

Kagetoki: Are you still too young to understand such things, Shigehira?

Shigehira: It doesn’t matter how old I am or how old I get! I will never engage in this debauchery for a single day in the rest of my life!

Kagetoki: What an uncouth thing to say. It’s hardly debauchery.

Kagetoki: If you’re not in the mood for it, you can simply refuse.

Kagetoki: You don’t eat when your stomach is full, do you? In that sense, it’s no different than satiating hunger.

(That sure is an interesting way to think of it.)

Yoshino: Personally, I’m inclined to disagree…

Kagetoki: That’s a rather foolish opinion.

Shigehira: No, I agree with her.

✦ part three

Shigehira: No, I agree with her.

Kagetoki: Is that so?

Kagetoki: I would expect nothing less from a man who receives countless love letters and rejects every single one.

(Love letters, huh…?)

Yoshino: Well, I’m sure it wouldn’t be feasible for him to accept every letter…

Yoshino: Haven’t you considered at least one of the people who’s written to you, though, Shigehira-kun?

Shigehira: No. I don’t have the time to bother with my love life right now.

Yoshino: …Oh. That makes sense.

(He’s trying to reestablish the Heike, after all, and the shadow of the past is still hanging over him.)

(When he’s on a mission that’s so important to him, he probably thinks that pursuing love would just be a distraction.)

I was sure that my guess was correct, and if so, it would be a perfectly rational reason not to be interested in a relationship. But, for some reason, I felt a sharp prick deep within my chest as I thought it over.

Shigehira: It’s a pain to be barraged with letters from people I barely even know…

Shigehira: But it’s not like I can stop them, so I still reply to all the letters.

Kagetoki: If you’re truly not looking to begin a relationship with anyone, then why do you bother with responding to any of the letters you receive?

Shigehira: It’d be rude if I didn’t. Not receiving a response would imply a rejection, so it’s better that I tell them the truth outright.

Kagetoki: I’d think that receiving an implied rejection would be less emotionally damaging than an explicit one.

Shigehira: Do you think so…?

Shigehira: I don’t know. I feel like it would be more stressful to someone if I kept them waiting for a response that they were never going to get.

(He thinks of others so much…)

Kagetoki: That's very earnest of you.

Shigehira: …You’re being surprisingly prudent now, Kagetoki-san. But you’d better be careful not to slip up and say the wrong thing, or else you’ll definitely regret it.

Kagetoki: I would never make such a grave mistake.

Kagetoki nonchalantly pushed a pile of books to the side, gesturing for us to sit in the space he'd cleared off.

(Even beyond the initial surprise, I'm genuinely shocked by how cluttered Kagetoki-san's room is. Everywhere I look, I see books.)

Shigehira: Be careful, Yoshino-san.

Shigehira: If you knock over one of these bookstacks, you’ll set off an avalanche. You might never make it out alive from underneath all the books.

Yoshino: …Got it.

(I think I finally get why Shigehira-kun said that Kagetoki-san’s place was dangerous to visit.)

Yoshino: Um... I don't mean this to be rude, but I don't suppose you're particularly keen on organizing your books?

Kagetoki: My arrangement is organized by my own standards. Your opinion that I am untidy is of no importance to me.

(Huh.)

Shigehira: Alright, fine. Sure. There’s no need to quibble over this.

Shigehira: Your room is even messier than usual today, though...

Kagetoki: War is on the horizon, after all. In times like these, it’s not unreasonable to give a bit less care to the trivialities of daily life.

Shigehira: Just a bit less, huh…?

Kagetoki turned towards me, almost as if he was physically deflecting Shigehira's doubtful look.

Kagetoki: Now, I assume you’ve come to discuss our medicine reserves and the proposed combat medic system?

Yoshino: That’s right.

Kagetoki: Then why are you here, Shigehira? Is Yoshino babysitting you?

Kagetoki: I didn’t know that you were such a pampered child. She’s spoiling you rotten.

A teasing smirk tugged at Kagetoki's lips as he removed some documents from a drawer.

Shigehira: I just wanted to borrow a book from you! That’s the only reason why I came with her!!

Kagetoki: Oh, really?

Shigehira: Can you quit being facetious and actually listen to what I’m saying for once?

Kagetoki: I’ll see what I can do.

✦ part four

Kagetoki: I’ll see what I can do.

His tone did not indicate in the slightest that he intended to stop. Once he had made his way back to us, he handed me the stack documents he'd retrieved.

Yoshino: What’s this?

Kagetoki: They detail our estimated rations, the route for our troops' march, and other such matters.

Kagetoki: The information in them will be used to calculate an estimate of the amount of medicine we will need to stockpile, and the format in which they are written will be used to document it.

Shigehira: ...These must be the documents that Yoritomo-sama asked you to compile last night.

Shigehira: Have you already finished them?

(Does that mean that Kagetoki-san finished all of this paperwork in less than a day?!)

Kagetoki: Of course. I wouldn't accept a woman's invitation just to make her wait until I finished my paperwork.

Shigehira: ...I can't believe this.

Shigehira: You can write all of these documents in one night, but you can't even clean up your own room?

Kagetoki: These documents and the state of my room have nothing to do with each other.

Kagetoki responded curtly before presenting us with another document.

Kagetoki: This here is a summary of the structure of our field medicine system.

Kagetoki: We'll use this as a basis upon which we can develop the details. Shall we begin?

Yoshino: Y-Yes. If I may ask, when did you happen to write this document...?

Kagetoki: I had some spare time while preparing the documents I gave you previously, so I used it to write this one.

Shigehira: Seriously... If you were capable of cleaning up your room, and you stopped treating women the way that you do,

Shigehira: And you stopped teasing me so much, I'd defer to you without a single complaint.

Kagetoki: How cute, Shigehira.

(Shigehira-kun said that he and Kagetoki-san were just exchanging services with each other, but these two must be fairly close if they're speaking to each other like this.)

From then onwards, we began to discuss our medicine reserves and our field nursing system, using Kagetoki's documents as our reference.

Once our work was winding down to an end...

Kagetoki: Our discussion has gone on for quite some time now. I think I’d like to have something to drink.

Shigehira: I’ll call one of the maids to make some tea.

Shigehira quickly rose to his feet.

Kagetoki: Much obliged.

Yoshino: Thanks, Shigehira-kun.

Now, I was alone with Kagetoki...

Kagetoki: It seems like Shigehira has been getting along with you quite well.

Kagetoki: You’re far more persuasive than I expected you to be, Yoshino.

(What?)

Flustered, I felt my gaze dart around the room, landing everywhere but on Kagetoki himself.

Yoshino: That’s not true. I didn’t persuade him into doing anything for me.

Yoshino: It’s really just that Shigehira-kun is a kind person. That’s the only reason that he’s being so nice to me—in his own way, of course.

Kagetoki: Is that what you think?

Kagetoki: You should know that Shigehira only takes such interest in people whom he approves of. Especially when it comes to members of the shogunate.

(I guess I can see what he means… I know Shigehira-kun comes across as quite uptight to a lot of people.)

Yoshino: …Did you know Shigehira-kun before he joined the shogunate, Kagetoki-san?

Kagetoki: In a way, I did. After Shigehira had been taken as a prisoner of war, I was the one who escorted him to Kamakura.

✦ part five

Yoshino: …Did you know Shigehira-kun before he joined the shogunate, Kagetoki-san?

Kagetoki: In a way, I did. After Shigehira had been taken as a prisoner of war, I was the one who escorted him to Kamakura.

(Really?!)

Yoshino: I wonder what Shigehira-kun was like back then.

I couldn't help but let my curiosity win over me.

Kagetoki: He was the same at heart as he is now. He was stubborn, straightlaced, and terribly oblique—yet everything he did was for others' sake.

Yoshino: That certainly sounds like the Shigehira-kun I know.

The sentiment brought a slight smile to my face.

Yoshino: But I bet he must have been especially full of resolve when he was on his way to Kamakura.

Yoshino: …His intention in coming here was to negotiate with Yoritomo-sama, after all.

Kagetoki: Oh? Shigehira has told you about that?

Kagetoki's gaze, usually so cool and unconcerned, seemed to sharpen with interest.

Kagetoki: In any case, you would be correct. Back then, Shigehira was…

—flashback

Yoritomo: Unfortunately, our negotiations are now off.

Shigehira: …I take it the Imperial Court has intervened.

Yoritomo: Do you have any last words, Taira no Shigehira?

Shigehira: None in particular.

Shigehira: I no longer have anything to say for myself now that I am captive.

Shigehira: For one who has lived their life on the battlefield, there is no shame in dying as a prisoner of war. Just behead me quickly.

Yoritomo: ……

—flashback ends

I was silent as Kagetoki quietly recounted the past to me.

Kagetoki: His honor and resolve astonished everyone in the room, myself included.

Kagetoki: Even Yoritomo-sama was moved by it enough to spare Shigehira’s life and offer him a place in the shogunate.

Yoshino: I see…

(Shigehira-kun told me that Yoritomo-sama formed an alliance with him on a mere whim.)

(It seems that Yoritomo-sama’s true reason for proposing the alliance was because of Shigehira-kun himself.)

Kagetoki: Yoshino.

Yoshino: …What is it?

I was caught off guard by Kagetoki’s hushed voice, and my response came out nervous and hesitant.

Kagetoki: I’m sure you’ve realized that Shigehira is a pitifully honest man.

Kagetoki: It would be far too easy for someone to take advantage of his most glaring weakness and hurt him.

Yoshino: …Right.

The memory of Shigehira interacting with the nobles of the Imperial Court, their honeyed words masking poisoned sentiments, came to my mind.

Kagetoki: But Yoritomo-sama approves of him nonetheless…

Kagetoki: …Because Shigehira possesses a special quality.

Yoshino: Special? What do you mean?

Kagetoki: I won’t tell you that.

(Huh?)

Kagetoki: If Shigehira truly cares for you, then you will eventually learn what I mean for yourself.

(Well, that doesn’t answer any of my questions…)

I must have looked exceptionally confused; Kagetoki studied my face for a moment before he smiled.

Kagetoki: Do my words truly puzzle you so much?

Yoshino: W-Well, I just…

Kagetoki: Then allow me to put it this way, Yoshino.

(Uhh...)

Long, deft fingers trailed down my jaw before tilting up my chin.

(What is Kagetoki-san doing??)

His eyes narrowed, and his intense gaze from behind his spectacles focused on me as though he was sizing up prey he’d caught in his clutches.

Kagetoki: I’ll make myself clear to you, if you’re willing to take the place of the woman who was visiting me earlier.

Yoshino: Huh…?

My eyes widened in shock at the sultry timbre in his voice, but at the very next moment—

Shigehira: Wh—What are you doing?!

Chapter 14 →

Notes:

The koto is the national instrument of Japan—a long, many-stringed zither that’s played by striking the strings with one’s fingers or with plectrums.

Shigehira’s “last words” in the flashback are a paraphrase of a quote by the real Taira no Shigehira that was recorded in the Azuma Kagami, which was a historical chronicle written in 1266 that recounted events of the Genpei War and the Kamakura Shogunate. The full quotation was supposedly* spoken by Taira no Shigehira when he was living as a POW, painting him as a warrior of dignified and humble character—even in the face of his impending execution.

IRL Taira no Shigehira was killed shortly after being taken as a POW by the Genji. During the Genpei War, Shigehira served as a Heike commander in the 1180 Siege of Nara, which was part of a revenge campaign against warrior monks from various monasteries who had aided the Genji in a prior battle. Despite being vastly outnumbered by the warrior monks, the Heike won victory by burning down almost every single monastery and temple in the city of Nara, including the powerful Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji temple complexes. However, their methods earned them revile from many (including the Imperial Court) due to the sacrilegious act of destroying temples and the shocking scale of death and destruction that they inflicted on the city—around 3,500 people died during the siege. A great deal of hatred was directed towards Shigehira personally… even though there doesn't seem to be consensus about if he himself ordered the burning of Nara, or if the Heike even intended to cause the level of destruction they did at all. (Setting fires on the battlefield to increase visibility during night time was a common battle tactic of the era, and the weather conditions during the time of the battle may have spread any fires set by the Heike further than they might have intended.) Regardless of the extent of Shigehira’s role in the Siege of Nara, he would eventually pay the ultimate price for it. After he was captured by the Genji at the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani in 1184, he was handed over to the surviving monks of the Tōdai-ji, who executed him in 1185 as revenge for the burning of their monastery.

*Though the Azuma Kagami is considered the most important historical document about the Kamakura shogunate, it’s important to note that it’s not a completely reliable account. It was compiled in the 13th century by the Hōjō clan (which the real Minamoto no Yoritomo married into; after his death, the Hōjō clan took control of the Kamakura shogunate), who were very obviously biased towards their own clan and against the Minamoto clan in their retelling of historical events. Throughout history, the Azuma Kagami has also passed through the hands of many others (most notably including everyone’s favorite shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu) who may have altered it to fit their own agendas. Thus, it’s not certain whether everything that was recorded in the chronicle was completely true to real life, including its account of Taira no Shigehira’s last days.

#ikemen genjiden #ikemen genjiden translations #ikemen genjiden shigehira #shigehira main story #hey friends! once again long time no tl T_T i took 2 8-week college courses this summer… never again #my classes are starting again soon so i still can't promise consistent updates but! i will try!#this chapter was so fun to work on (and read!) and there’s a LOT in the notes!

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1ore · 3 months

Note

smash or pass; subjects of emails i have received in the past week: Uncaught bounce notification, arrival and parking, Registering ASAP, Flicker Film Screening, ITS Ticket #xxxxxx, Re: Water, us, PHYSICAL PLANT WORK ORDER - STATUS UPDATE, Advisor, ADD TO MY 416?, Image, Weather Alert: Frigid Temps Expected This Week; Employee Use of Space Heaters Prohibited, Eternal Waitlist, Undeliverable:, senior needing one class, No Subject, Todd's office door, SWOOP, Hanging metal pipe rods, "Software" update

Uncaught bounce notification

Oh hell yes. lost in transmission. It's not that I can't hear you, it's that I can only make out your unintelligible screaming in the vacuum of space. Verdict: Smash

arrival and parking

no thank you I want to be a nonpracticing motorist again Verdict: Pass

Registering ASAP

The one time i was written up at my old job was because I had failed to develop "a sense of urgency," which was a completely fair assessment and I won't argue with it. Anyway Verdict: Pass

Flicker Film Screening

There are at least 3 different films named some variation of "Flicker" and they all influence my opinion differently.

Verdict if it's "The Flicker" (1966): It's a visual hallucinatory aide that apparently made some viewers vomit. Smash.

Verdict if it's "FLicKeR" (2008): A documentary about a completely different visual hallucinatory aide that employs the same mechanics. (ok, so a trance generator, but still.) Smash.

Verdict if it's "Flicker" (2009): Low-budget horror film about a woman who gets into scooby doo antics with a bunch of cycle paths. Could be fun, but when it comes to horror, I'm more of a "incomprehensible jpegs" kind of girl than a "kooky slasher"-liker. Pass.

ITS Ticket #xxxxxx

If this is a response back, then that must mean something is getting fixed. Sadly time and time again I have been shown to be avoidant even of emails that I know are good. Verdict: Pass

Re: Water

Don't think this needs an explanation. Verdict: Smash

all lower case? TWO LETTER SUBJECT LINE? either the trailhead for an ARG or someone having one-sided problems with our relationship that were caused by projection. Verdict: wait and see

PHYSICAL PLANT WORK ORDER - STATUS UPDATE

Don't think this needs an explanation either. Verdict: Smash

Advisor

Advisor? I barely know her! Verdict: Pass

ADD TO MY 416?

This is either a class code or a government form or a gun. Answer is the same either way. Verdict: Pass

Image

Verdict: Smash

Weather Alert: Frigid Temps Expected This Week

<- thinks chilly and cold are the same thing Verdict: Pass

Employee Use of Space Heaters Prohibited

<- THINKS CHILLY AND COLD ARE THE SAME THING Verdict: Pass

Eternal Waitlist

Are you kidding me. hell yeah. Verdict: Smash

Undeliverable:

The bounce notification implies that the transmission will come eventually, but girls this one's just gone. absolutely Verdict: Smash

senior needing one class

On the off-chance that this is a senior student that only wants to take one (1) class this semester I may reconsider because girl. same. Verdict: Pass

No Subject

The email equivalent of me checking out the symol hole in neopets knowing full well nothing is going to happen. Verdict: Smash?

Todd's office door

I want to open this because I want to know, but I don't want to follow through with whatever it is, you know. Verdict: Pass

Hanging metal pipe rods

Many Are Saying This. Verdict: Smash

"Software" update

Scare quotes doing more than most 2-sentence horror stories. Verdict: Smash

#no foreword we die like men #THANKS i can't believe you receive ARG trailheads 3 times a day

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amefuyuu · 8 months

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Atonement

WARNING: This is a Translation of a draft for an alternate end for the game 'The House in Fata Morgana

Also known as the redemption route

*This is a concept/pilot, not a side story. Please note that it is not written in detail.

*This contains spoilers for the primary and side stories of Fatamoru, so please be warned if you have not played Fatamoru yet.

The route is what would have happened if Jacopo had decided to abandon his plan of keeping Morgana trapped in the tower to use her blood.

Jacopo abandons his original plan at the tower's top floor. (After Yukimasa's line "What then, my lord?")

He tries to take the delirious Morgana back to the Lord's mansion.

*I will not reveal myself as the young man who was a slave.

He tries to shake off Barnier's hallucinatory voice and get Morgana out and away from the tower. Whether he reveals the truth or not can wait.

He then sends Yukimasa on his way, with the understanding that he will be rewarded for his work at a later date.

Yukimasa is sure that he will be stubborn about the issue of the nuns, so that we will talk about that later, too, he said.

Believing Jacopo is Lord Barnier, Morgana vehemently rejects his attempts to touch her.

He tries to convince her to be quiet and that he does not want to hurt her anymore, but his desperate attempts do not work because her mind is already broken, and she continues hallucinating.

She may wear out and die if she continues to rant and rave.

However, if I took her outside in this state, the eyes of the people in town would be focused on her. It would be too late to take her back to the Lord's mansion.

Jacopo chokes up as Morgana continues to scream, "Don't touch me! Let go of me, or I'll curse you!". Then, he takes specific measures to force her to be quiet.

It was to frighten her.

"Shut up!"

He didn't want to say this; he didn't want to hurt her anymore, but he couldn't think of any other way. He only knew how to use force to intimidate and threaten. He used to not be like that, but he doesn't know how to do anything else.

Morgana is frightened by the threat of Jacopo.

Jacopo grits his teeth and continues his threats.

"Rant any longer, and I'll hurt you in worse ways than I did seven years ago!"

Morgana glared at the Lord with hatred. Then, in a low, calm voice, she said, "Go to hell."

As a youth, she told me many times to "go to hell."

But the barbed words also contained a softness that made it clear that she was joking.

There is no hint of softness like that in her words now.

It was a hell of a lot of heartfelt hatred.

Jacopo begins to descend the watchtower with her in his arms. He puts his shawl over her and tries to be as inconspicuous as possible as he exits.

We left the church and entered the carriage waiting for us on the street.

"My lord, you're back earlier than expected--...... eh!"

The coachman was stunned by the sight of Morgana.

"Get the carriage moving!"

Then, they return to the Lord's mansion on the hill.

The entourage and servants are taken aback by the Lord's expression and the state of the girl he is carrying.

"What the hell is going on?"

"I'll explain later. Call the doctor!"

"Ha, ha!"

The doctor stationed at the manor arrives quickly, carrying Morgana into the bedroom.

"What the hell happened to this girl ......?"

"I used to know her! She got injured like this for a reason. Get her treated as soon as possible!"

"Oh, yes, sir."

A cloth is wrapped around the stump of Morgana's severed left arm that Yukimasa had used to stop the bleeding.

The doctor strips off the cloth to check the wound.

Once again, Jacopo despairs that his orders have hurt her so much.

Still, he continues to act nonchalant because he is in front of others.

By that time, Morgana is also exhausted and falls unconscious.

The bedroom remained noisy, with doctors and servants hurrying in and out.

After a while, the doctor tells me there was little he could do for Morgana, with a look of concern on Jacopo's face. Fortunately, the cross-section was clean, and he said that if I kept changing the disinfectant and hemostatic clothes day after day, the wound would eventually close up.

Now we just have to wait and see.

The doctor, his entourage, and the servants all stand back, and Jacopo sits beside her as she sleeps.

How did this happen? What should we do from now on? What should we do?

His heart was filled with anguish.

◇◇◇

Two days later, Morgana regains consciousness.

But as soon as she sees Jacopo - the Lord's face, she shows intense fear and anger and falls into a near panic.

No matter what he says or how much he denies it, she cries out, "Stop humiliating me any further!"

She even begs Jacopo to kill her.

At first, Jacopo tries to speak kindly to her, but gradually, he too becomes cornered by her words and eventually yells back.

Just as he is about to become exhausted from this repetition, Yukimasa comes to seek an audience with him.

He is almost entirely out of his mind, and his face shows his upset at Yukimasa's visit. It's not like him.

Forcing himself to remain calm, he says, "If it's about the reward, wait until we call you here," but Yukimasa says, "It's not about that. I told you there was a mistake. I thought I'd better tell you that."

Yukimasa then tells me he used a third party to capture the witch.

Jacopo is stunned.

"I told you to keep things private!"

"But I wasn't going to be able to catch the witch by myself."

"Then you shouldn't have come back then! Then she wouldn't be in this state!"

"My Lord. You told me that you knew the witch from long ago, but is there more to it than that?"

"......tch......"

"Because you looked more than horrified by her state."

“Ugh, shut up and stop prying into my affairs!"

"If I had known the witch was important to you, I wouldn't have done what I did. Because the witch was a little special to me, too."

"What the hell ......?"

Yukimasa speaks of what happened four years ago. He told Jacopo that Morgana was there when he killed the carriage of slaves. He also told Jacopo of what she told him at that time. She said it was hard for her not to say thank you to the people she cared about.

Jacopo was stunned.

"I don't think that was you."

"........."

I can't even answer that. I wanted to scream back that it wasn't, but it would all fit if I said it was four winters ago. She, too, cherished those days.

And yet, my orders have driven her to this point.

The person who should have done it least had done it.

"............ lord...... hey, lord."

My consciousness jolted back to normal. My heart tightens. My breath is labored. Despite the pain, Jacopo tries to go back to his usual self. But he could no longer make his usual mocking face.

"Who is the third party that you involved?"

"He's a young man. If you need to keep him quiet, order me to do it. It will be no problem to kill him."

Jacopo, unable to think straight, thinks it might be better to kill him. But he stops and asks for a description of the person he is dealing with. He learns that the young man is a noble and becomes increasingly bitter.

"Don't kill him, It could get nasty. Anyway, threaten the man as much as you can. If he has a weakness, make the most of it. Don't let him talk about what happened. I'll give you the money, all right?"

"If it's a job, I'll take it. I need the money, too."

Jacopo nodded and, in a self-disappointed manner, rewarded him for capturing the witch.

"I don't need that," Yukimasa said.

"You're the one who said you need the money."

"I guess we've had our differences on this one," he said. "I realize I'm an outsider, but I still think it's wrong to accept money in this situation. To put the current situation in perspective, I'm talking about this: You almost sacrificed your precious woman for money without knowing it."

"............"

"If you give me the money, you will corner your conscience even more."

"Don't...... talk about me ...... like you know me ......."

"I don't know anything about you, but I can see it in your face."

"............"

"I don't have anyone to tell. I don't even want the nuns to know."

"............"

"My lord."

"What the hell."

"I have to go. I will report on the nobleman later, and you will reward me. Is that clear?"

"Oh"

"You should go back to your room and look in the mirror. You look horrid."

".........."

Jacopo would cut off all his official duties for the day and leave them to his entourage. He would never have done such a thing under normal circumstances because he thought that no one was capable of proper politics. He had to realize that, at the moment, he was more useless than anyone else.

In his interactions with Yukimasa, he is reminded of the magnitude of the sins he has committed. He thought of those important people. In this state, there is no way he can confess that he is the young man from back then. The young man who had once saved Morgana is now dragging her into despair - her heart would break even more if she knew that. What would happen if things got worse than they already were? I don't even want to think about it.

Jacopo cannot tell the truth and continues to deal with the broken Morgana.

◇◇◇

They end up hurting each other. Morgana remains in an abnormal state of mind, her eyes wandering and unsteady, and she begins to hear auditory hallucinations, even screaming, when no one is in the bedroom.

'The nobles are laughing as they drink my blood!' Those blood sabbats of years past are being replayed in her mind.

If I could, I would have taken her hand and told her it would be okay, like in the past, that nothing would hurt her anymore. But I brought this on myself. How could I hold her hand after what I've done?

Still, after nearly a month, Morgana is no longer delirious at the sight of Jacopo. Instead, she looks at him with hatred. Her hatred is directed solely at the "lord."

Now that she can converse, Jacopo tells her that although she hates him as a lord, he has no intention of hurting her anymore. He wants to make amends and has no right to say this, but he wants to protect her.

"What's going on, my Lord? What are you up to this time?"

"I have no agenda. I only regret that I let you become like this."

"............"

"Please, you have to believe me."

"Yet your words change nothing."

"Is it too late to go back? Is it too late for me to do anything?"

"Go back? What do you expect to return to in this state of affairs?"

Morgana's condition was a little better - but she could still not do anything alone. This was even more damaging to her dignity. She once tried to get up and run away but couldn't walk and fell, injuring herself even more.

Jacopo tries desperately to convince Morgana. "If you want to get out of here, so be it. I'm not going to constrain you anymore. I have every intention of letting you go. But if you're going to do that, at least do it when you can move on your own, and let me take care of you until then."

And here he realizes what kind of person he is.

He can only choose one.

At that moment, he decides to abandon the plan to gain power and to continue standing as a lord.

Everything that influences him now is her, the person that she is.

◇◇◇

The opinions of the other lords, Jacopo's entourage, and his vassals also decline.

"He was arrogant, but he was good at his job. But what about now? He has become a coward since he started spending time with that unknown girl."

"I thought he would return to normal after a month, but I was naive. That man is getting more and more abnormal."

"If things continue as they are, continuing politics is out of the question."

"I've been denied an audience with him for the past month."

"......."

One day, an aide calls Jacopo. By then, he could no longer be as irreverent as he had been. No matter what was said, he could only reply with a sad look and an "ah."

"Please get a grip on yourself. The people are in trouble if you are in such a state."

But even so, just being away from the bedroom like this, I am so concerned about Morgana that I can't think about anything else.

What would Odilon do in such a situation? I was so weak that I relied on a deceased stranger in such a way.

The thought crossed my mind that I should just give up the title of Lord - yes, give it to a distant relative who could claim the title through succession - but if I were no longer Lord, I would have no way to provide her with proper medical care or nourishing food. At the current moment, all of his thoughts were focused on Morgana.

The other Lord and his entourage persuaded Jacopo to come to the audience chamber to discuss his future with him and the other vassals.

On the way down the corridor, I pass a servant.

I suddenly notice something strange as I approach the audience chamber's door. Was that servant the one who had been there before?

The aide said, "He has been here this whole time. The other lords are tired as well. Please refresh yourselves a little before moving on to business."

The aide then opens the door. On the other side, the vassals are waiting.

A bad premonition washes over him. Jacopo quickly turns away from the audience chamber and runs. His aide grabs his arm, "Wait!" but he shakes it off.

He runs through the hallway back to his bedroom. But it is locked from the inside. He kicks it open and goes inside. There, a servant raises a sword and is about to kill Morgana.

He leaps at the servant and draws the dagger he had been carrying. He slashes the assassin's throat, and there is a huge spray of blood.

"Morgana!!!!"

Jacopo tries to check on her, but she is afraid of him, who is drenched in blood, and calls him a murderer. She is scared of Jacopo. Why? I protected you from this man. I drew my weapon for that purpose. Why should I be feared more?

" No, she deserved it! It was you who was the deciding factor in destroying her spirit. It's beyond unreasonable to ask for her gratitude."

Jacopo begins to ponder the situation. Up until now, the assassins had been directed at him. But now it is she who is in the way. It is not safe for her to stay here. Who sent this assassin? Was it his entourage? If so, let's bury that close associate first, and then...

No, that shouldn't be the only reason.

Wasn't that what the vassals waiting in the audience chamber had planned?

Then what should we do? Bury them all? How? You don't even know who to order to do what at the earliest opportunity? Do you think you alone will slaughter them all?

It's a dead end.

There is no ally here!

"Morgana ...... let's...... run away from here."

Jacopo wanders up to her side and reaches for her hand. Of course, Morgana refuses with all her might. He pleads with her, "Please, your life is in danger if you stay here! I don't want to frighten you anymore and force you to do what I say. I don't care if you hate me, so please do what I say."

"............"

"Please ......!"

Morgana's wary and hateful look didn't change, but she shut her mouth. Jacopo told her bitterly, "Thank you," and left the room with her.

Vassals rush in as they exit the corridor.

"My Lord! Please change your mind! You are now betraying us and all the other lords!"

"Please put aside your personal feelings!"

"We did not just unleash an assassin on that girl because of a personal grudge!"

"By extension, for the sake of the people, and--for your sake!"

"Shut up!" he yells, fleeing from the Lord's mansion.

They Go to the stables and take one of the horses.

Then they ride into the city streets.

◇◇◇

When I looked back, the city was a long way away.

Seeing the city in the distance drives me to another level of suffering.

This land has continued to be ruled by my hands despite numerous betrayals. Even now, merchants come and go along the streets. They can devote themselves to business this way because I have led them.

I lost everything I had built up.

No money, position, power, or anything else exists in these hands.

Jacopo forced his gaze away from the city and continued on the street.

All I can do now is protect her.

]No, protecting is a stretch.

Only to make amends with her.

They continue for a while and arrive at an inn. They rent a room and spend the night, but when Jacopo wakes up, Morgana is gone. He hurriedly looks for her and finds her outside. He then releases the horse he has hitched.

Morgana tells him that she refuses to be held by him when she rides her horse, which she dismisses as painful.

He held his head up.

Morgana starts to say that she will walk on her own. But she hasn't recovered enough to walk yet, Jacopo says. Morgana says she will still walk because she doesn't want to touch him, and Jacopo nods and says he understands.

But she was still in no condition to walk alone.

She wobbles and is about to fall. Jacopo takes her hand.

"Only my hand," he tells her, taking in her hatred. "Let me hold your hand."

(Event CG Draft 1)

(Event CG Proposal 2)

They proceeded slowly down the street. If they hurried, they would reach the next inn town, but their situation looked grim. He sold his necklace and rings for money and bought food from the peddlers.

"I'm glad we turned that town into a trading town. You can even get things on the street," he mutters wryly.

Making a fire by the side of the road, Jacopo prepares Morgana a meal of fruit and bread.

"I wish I had something a little more nourishing......"

"You are going to make me eat human flesh again ......"

"Oh! When did I do that?"

"You've made me do it in between feasts."

"............"

Oh, well, in her mind, he is still that Lord. He holds his head in his hands and resents Barnier's actions. 'He did something so horrible.... you're right to hate him with all your heart.'

The voice of Morgana, who shouted, "I will never forgive you!" reappears in the forefront of his mind. It is not wrong to receive that much hatred. 'But ...... I am not that man. The truth is that I am the person who rescued you from those horrible blood sabbats.'

"...... Morgana......I'm really......"

Can you say that now?

Her delirium is calming down a lot. It may be safe to confide everything to her. The man who once saved her from the previous lord has captured her and made her lose her arm - that fact may be too much and cause her to fall back into despair. But that was not his intention, and somehow, if you can convince her of that, you can make amends.

He makes up his mind and confides in her that he is not Lord Barnier.

But what came back was rejection.

“That young man is not an outcast like you."

“That young man would never order someone to cut off my arm."

“That young man was a gentle soul."

“He is nothing like you."

“Stop trying to undermine not only my life but my past!"

His heart is also breaking. What was initially cracked is spreading more and more.

Even if I told her, she would not believe me. His past self and his present self are so different. In her mind, those days and the person he was at that time was kind.

There is no way he can destroy those memories.

There is no going back.

I just wanted to get back to how things were with you.

A moan escapes his lips. Making amends is too high a hope at this point. I thought I could go back and start over - such a shallow wish had taken root in the corner of my mind, but that time had long passed.

Morgana gave Jacopo a fearful look and said, "Why did you start talking like that? Why did you suddenly start caring about me? What on earth are you up to?”

“What's your motive?”

“Without it, there would be no reason for you to treat me this way: ......"

"............"

“What are you up to, my Lord?”

“There's only one reason."

"............"

“I like you."

"............"

"I love you, and I'm here."

He raised his face slightly from his drooped position. Then he looks up to see her face. He knew that his confession would not be received favorably - but still, her cold gaze cut him to his core.

I didn't tell her my feelings for her to look at me that way.

"It is too sinful for someone like you to direct such feelings at another person."

"............"

"How could you do such things to me, and call that love!"

"............"

"Don't ever direct such feelings at me again!!!"

Is it no longer possible to express one's feelings? How could I take it back? How could I have stayed the same?

"Morgana......"

He tries to reach out to her. But she becomes more frightened and distances herself from him. The "love" she held for him was only an object of fear for her.

A catastrophic desire wells up within him.

If you can no longer get the message across, if you can no longer be identified with who you were, then if you are in a position to be hated for the rest of your life--

Right now, at this moment--

If you make her yours, your path will no longer be the same.

“Stay away from me."

Perhaps realizing his intentions, Morgana turns pale and tries to run away. But her legs give out, and she immediately collapses. Unable to get up quickly on one arm, she struggles to stand up.

Jacopo comes right up to her. He puts his hand on her shoulder. Then he pushes her down.

His gaze crosses with hers.

At that moment, he remembers what happened seven years ago. Like a flashback, her screams at that moment come back to him. Morgana was horrified that he had brought her to the brothel. She said she had to be pure as a saint.

Jacopo bites his lip and removes his hand from hers. He mustn't do just that. What a shallow and stupid idea I came up with. I have taken her arm. I have destroyed her heart. And now you want to defile her soul as well. Are you willing to fall that far?

“Don't be frightened. I won't step in any further. I promise. I won't hurt you anymore. Please believe that. I won't even tell you my feelings anymore."

◇◇◇

After a night, they start walking slowly again. However, they needed to figure out exactly where they should be heading or their goal.

I don't even know how long I walked. I don't know how many times she cursed me. I don't know how many times I apologized.

We were both no longer in our right minds.

Soon, the shore of a lake became visible in the distance. He realizes that this is where she used to live.

As I was about to walk in that direction, I heard something fall with a thud behind me.

I turned around and saw Mel with a pale face.

"Oh, oh!"

He suddenly turns his back and flees the scene. What the hell, Jacopo is surprised. (Jacopo and Mel have never met before during this route.)

Suddenly, Morgana shouts, "Traitor!"

Betrayal? What in the world did that man do to her? The questions grow while she suddenly tries to run.

But her vision is still warped, and she soon falls to her knees.

Seeing this, Jacopo runs and tries to catch Mel. He has to get the story out of him anyway.

Catching Mel was easy in itself. But he is delirious. He kept muttering incoherently, "Why?" and "It wasn't my fault," and "I'm sorry."

Morgana, who is unable to walk straight, approaches unsteadily.

He then asks a pale-faced Mel, "Why did you betray me?

Mel frantically shouts, "I didn't mean to do that. I didn't think that man would cut off your arm.

At that moment, Jacopo also understood who Mel was. This was the "mistake" the oriental had mentioned.

Jacopo gets mad, grabs Mel by the collar, and says, "Tell me what happened then.” Mel horrified, tells the story of what happened.

That he was given the blood of Morgana for his sister, and that one day, an oriental man visited him and threatened his sibling, He threatened me, saying, "I can't lure the witch out. You have to call her out with your voice.” So he stood before a hut by the lake with the oriental man and called out to her.

“I'm sorry I've been avoiding you, but I need to talk to you--"

“That's why I opened the door to ......! I would never have opened the door to anyone but you!"

Morgana's shrieking cry echoes.

Jacopo could imagine the scene in his mind. She had lived in that shack since the attack four years ago, trying to hide her existence. She did not know why she had opened her heart to this boy, but she had let her guard down until she opened the door to him.

Because she was so wary, the oriental had no choice but to use a third party. Since he had been ordered to not kill the witch, he probably did not want to force his way in.

Then Morgana asks Mel, "What happened to my arm?” Mel's expression becomes more and more pained.

Her arm? Surely there was some reason that that oriental had cut off her arm?

“My arm must have been your share!"

Jacopo felt his blood boil and anger welled up at the same time.

I realize again that the situation that led to her becoming this way was caused by the involvement of each of the three parties.

“What happened to my arm!"

“Uh, uh, your arm is......"

"What did you do with it!"

"I dumped it in the lake."

you threw it away?

Morgana is stunned.

Then why did they cut off my arm?

What the hell did I go through all this for?

“You did what you did because you wanted my blood."

"So why did you throw away my arm?"

Mel looked desperate and said, "I never said a word to him about cutting off your arm! He threatened me and my sister with his sword! I didn't think this would happen either. I didn't think that guy would do something like that! I thought we'd at least talk it out--"

Mel's voice breaks there. Jacopo had to hold back from punching him. He straddles Mel and grabs him by the shirt, gritting his teeth.

"Did you think you were going to discuss it ......? Did you think that a man who threatens someones sister with a sword would talk things out? You must have known from the beginning what would happen when he opened the door!"

“No, no, no, I didn't, I really..."

“First, Morgana should have been isolated from others! So why have rumors of her miraculous blood been spreading to the city!"

“That's…”

“Uh-uh.”

“Tell me!”

"No, it wasn’t me, it must have been my sister..."

Mel's recollection (narratively).

Feeling better again, Nellie had heard from Mel about the saint by the lake.

That it was a saint with miraculous blood who had cured her illness.

And that person is a real saint who even saved their birthplace with the rain of grace.

Nellie believed him, and she was innocently happy.

Then, they headed together to the trading post in town to make purchases.

There was a merchant there who knew her face. The merchant asked about Nellie's condition, and Nellie smiled and answered.

The saint who lives in the hut by the lake cured Nellie of her illness. The saint with the miraculous blood is a real saint who even saved her birthplace.

She said so proudly.

The rumor became that it was a witch instead of a saint because the rumor of the witch who lived by the lake was well known. Nellie's mention of a saint was forgotten, and in the end, it was conveyed only that "the witch who lives by the lake has miraculous blood.”

“If you hadn’t had anything to do with her!”

Jacopo raises an angry fist.

Mel finally looks cornered and Jacopo exclaims, "--in the first place!"

“The Lord gave the order to capture the witch, didn’t he?”

The raised fist stops.

Mel is oblivious and rants.

“I am a victim! The swordsman wouldn't have threatened me and my sister if the Lord hadn't given that order! I wouldn't have betrayed Morgana! The Lord is the root of all this evil!"

"............"

“I'm a victim of the lord! My life is a mess because of him!”

"......!......"

Jacopo swings his fist down. Mel holds back a whimper. His fist lands right next to Mel's head.

"Yes.... I'm the root of all evil....... I've known that from the very beginning!"

“What? If so, then your-"

“I am the Lord."

Mel is confused. Why is the Lord here, and what is his relation with Morgana?

“It was indeed my order to hunt down the witch! But now that she is before you, acknowledge your crime! Make amends!”

Mel is stunned, listening to Jacopo's cries. Eventually, Mel's face turns into a distorted frown.

"Why should I be told that by you?"

“What the hell is ......?”

“Why do you demand an apology from me? You have no right to denounce me!”

“This is not an apology to me! I am asking you to admit your guilt in front of her!"

“You can't say that to me--I can't accept that!”

“You son of a bitch...!”

“No more."

At the sound of Morgana's exhausted voice, Jacopo looks up.

“I'm done."

She mumbled with a soulless look on her face.

“My lord, don't hit him.”

“But, Morgana!"

“I've had it. Yes, he's right. It's all the lord's fault.”

"............"

Jacopo grips Mel's chest tightly and then lets go, pushing him away. Mel grabs his chest, trying to suppress the pain in his heart. With a pale face, he looks at Morgana.

'Yes, yes, I didn't want to do that either. You understand."

"............"

"The source of all this is the lord! so I'm a victim!"

I said, "Enough."

“Huh?"

"......Go away from here ......"

"...... Oh, that ......"

“I'll say it again. Get out of my sight."

"............"

Mel nods weakly and staggers to his feet.

As he is about to leave, Morgana asks him one question.

“Why did you smile when you first saw me?”

Mel only stammers. Morgana says, "Answer me honestly. Was your smile false? If it weren't for that smile, I would have remained wary. That smile made me think that you were a kind man.”

“It wasn’t fake." Mel said.

“My face is horrible," said Morgana.

"Well, yeah, but I was concerned… I thought You must be living in that shack because of your face. So I thought it would hurt you if I was creeped out by your face."

“So......"

“I just… I wanted to be friends.”

Morgana did not respond.

◇◇◇

Mel walks away, and Jacopo approaches Morgana, who is drooping, unable to stand.

"My lord, you can go away now."

“I can't do that.”

“I'm telling you to go away."

“I can't."

“You are the source of all this."

“I know."

"Get away from me"

“I'd like to at least get you to someplace safe. I can't leave you here in your current condition.

"............"

"I swear, I won't do anything else. So please."

Morgana turns over and begins to shake and cry.

“Everything would have been okay if you hadn't tried to take advantage of the witch."

◇◇◇

She says she can't move another step today. She refuses to be touched by the Lord, so she decides to spend the night under a tree by the road, even though the lake is in sight.

At night, they converse there.

Why did the lord carry out such a plan using a witch?

Jacopo tells her everything without hiding the truth.

The city has grown rapidly over the past four years. The population had grown, the number of travelers from other countries had increased, and the city had become more vibrant. However, the rapid growth made it necessary to take measures for the well-being of the people. The people tried to unite their consciousness by using their faith. For this purpose, the witch by the lake, who works miracles, was an obstacle. They decided to use her if she truly did have miraculous blood.

In this scene, Jacopo reveals his state of mind. Before he knew it, it had become natural to sacrifice someone else. He had come to think that things could only be done that way. He used to be in the habit of scrambling to free enslaved people, but now he thinks nothing of sacrificing them.

"My lord, I knew you were an outcast."

“I know."

“But I don't understand. Why didn't you keep me locked up when you had already put so much thought into this plan?"

“I should have continued with my plan if I wanted to keep my position as a lord," he said. “But in that moment, who I was as an individual outweighed who I was on the surface."

She replied, "How foolish. By making such a choice, you've lost everything and sealed your demise."

Jacopo nodded his head in agreement, what she had said was indeed true. Perhaps it would still have been easier for him to live if he had chosen to continue with the plan. Still, he wanted to believe that this choice he made could prove that he still had a heart - that he was still a human being.”

*The two are so fatigued by this point that they are no longer able to muster any intense anger or sadness toward each other.

It's exhausting to hold a grudge against someone so vehemently while they're still a person.

◇◇◇

The next day, we started walking again. Eventually, the lakeside hut began to come into view. She said, "I'm finally back," sounding much more relieved than before. Living in a crowded place like the city was already painful for her.

They enter the cabin. Remnants of life remain. Morgana mutters, "Thank God, no one has ransacked it."

There were bloodstains and traces of what appeared to be something dragged at the entrance. It was evidence of the horror that occurred there.

Morgana takes a moment to check out the cabin, then turns to Jacopo and says, "Why don't you sit down?

Jacopo is sincerely surprised. I mean, did she just extend a gesture of care toward him?

“Let me brew some tea and we will take a short break. I'm sure I have some leaves to help with the fatigue."

“Why all of a sudden do you care about me?"

"I hate you, but it's also true that you brought me here. It's also true that you never laid a hand on me on the journey here."

"............"

"I have to admit that does seem like you have changed your mind."

"Morgana......"

He felt saved. In her mind, he was still Lord Barnier, and it would be difficult to change that. The "young slave" has become a gentle presence in her life.

I despaired of not being understood as my old self anymore, but maybe there is hope for me one day, even in this form.

Even if she thinks you are that horrid Lord, if you continue treating her nicely for a long time, her perception will change.

It will surely be a long atonement.

Still, if I can be with her, even in the form of atonement.

It was hope for him.

He finally manages to smile. Then he calls out to her. “What have you been doing in this cabin for four years?”

What kind of life did she lead?

"Nothing special. ......" she told him.

It was as if four years of blank space were being filled in.

“Morgana..... I understand that you hate me. But, as you have said, I have changed my mind. Please let me make amends. Let me help you live your life."

After a long silence, Morgana nodded, "Yeah, okay.”

Thank goodness, Jacopo thinks sincerely. He suddenly tears up while looking at the sunlight coming in through the window.

All my life, I thought that what I wanted was in high places. I felt I needed a lot of power and wealth to get what I wanted. I thought I could protect what I wanted to protect. But I was wrong. I think I finally understand what happiness is.

She turned around and smiled. I think this was the first time i saw her smile>

Jacopo also smiled as if relieved.

Then she served him the tea.

Two people sitting at a small table facing each other.

Jacopo thanks her, takes it, and brings it to his mouth.

He remembered that pungent smell.

No way. No way. That's a lie.

Astonishment and despair fill his insides.

I look at her again. Morgana is still smiling.

But on closer inspection--

Her eyes were not smiling in the slightest.

Do you mean to say that all this time was just to catch me off guard?

He bit his lip so hard that it bled. He clutched the cup, and a shiver ran down his arm, either from frustration or sadness. He grunted, holding back the urge to start screaming.

“You didn't have to do this, if you wanted me to die, I would pay for it with my life.”

She even erases the smile from her mouth and continues to look at him with cold eyes.

"I thought you thought... that I had changed my mind.”

"No matter how you may change Lord, you will always be an abomination to me. It’s just like I swore to you back then. I will hate you for the rest of my life."

“Is it impossible to seek redemption with you in this lifetime?"

“Your redemption is to die by my hand here and now."

“oh…”

"............"

"So that's your choice.”

“Yes."

I had no fear of dying. As he had told her, he was ready to kill himself if she wanted him to die. But he had a concern.

“How are you going to live with that body?”

"That won't matter much to me. I will live in this hut as a witch for the rest of my life."

All by herself.

"Is there anyone else you can rely on?"

"There is no such person.There is no such thing as an ally for me anymore."

He is silent. He is lost. I wanted to think of a way to be with her without inciting her anger. I wanted to insist that I was on her side. But she had said it. My atonement is to die by her hand.

"...... will this save you?"

Morgana nodded.

There, his decision was made.

He wonders, if he could go back in time, what could he have done to avoid this outcome?

But now, he finally understands what he should have done.

It was not good enough for me.

It was someone else who would save her for she could not save herself.

If even my love destroyed her, then she should have left.

I cannot save her, protect her, or make her laugh.

No one can bring her this salvation but me.

He resolves. If it's a decision about death, it was made long ago.

However, he understands that the "death" she needs here and now is to see "Jean-François Barnier, the lord whom she hates, die.

From the previous exchanges, he realizes that for her, connecting the fact that he was the slave boy who had saved her would destroy her spirit.

As such, the memories of the "slave boy" must be kept beautiful in her mind.

We must protect our memories.

That is the last shred of redemption he can take.

“Do you have any final questions?” Morgana says.

He is troubled for a moment. He wants to ask her to call him by his real name.

But he shakes his head. “Nothing”, he replies.

He took one breath and tightened his grip on the cup.

And somehow, he managed to make himself smile. At least smile at her. Let her know that I have no hatred for her killing me. Let her know that I accept everything.

“Goodbye, Morgana.”

Then, in one gulp, he drank the poison.

◇◇◇

Morgana looked down at her Lord, who no longer breathed.

Her vision is still distorted. The ringing in her ears worsens.

She confirms that he is dead and tries to make a cross with her fingers. But realizing she can't, she moves closer to the window and kneels beside the light to beg.

“O Lord God, my loving Father, I have sinned. I have just committed the unthinkable sin of a child of God. I have killed a man with my own hands. I had to do it even in defiance of your noble teachings. My heart was so far from purity. I am no longer your child. I am just a person. No, I am a sinner. I became a mere sinner. I no longer have the heart to live as a condemned sinner. I am going to commit another sin, and I am going to hell. Father, please punish this poor child.”

She looks up at the light.

“Father, hear the sinner's prayer for the last time. I am about to go to hell with my hated Lord. But the young man who saved me and his friends, please lead them to the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, please guide them."

Then she stops praying and pours the boiled poisonous herb into her own cup.

As she picked it up, she suddenly murmured.

"Now that I'm just a person, I can understand such bothersome feelings…”

“I loved that young man."

◇◇◇

At this moment, she has a gentle dream.

The only reason she was able to dream of it was because Jacopo made sure that her tender memories were not harmed.

It was a dream from her days in the brothel.

She headed to the cemetery as usual. Meeting with the young man who is a slave, and back at the brothel, I see Maria and Ceren. Those happy days, just as they used to be.

*I'd like to make it loop-like if possible production-wise. A happy dream repeats itself over and over, and by choosing an option like "I'm done dreaming," she ends the dream and dies.

◇◇◇

Footsteps approach and open the door to the hut.

Looking around the small room, he finds two dead bodies.

"...... heart-to-heart? No, you're too far apart for that."

It was an oriental man - Yukimasa - who muttered this.

He was on a search following the disappearance of his Lord. Not because he wanted to, of course, but because there was a reward for finding him.

He didn't expect to find them alive, but he didn't expect to find them both dead. He checks both the bodies of the lord and the witch.

“But then again, all I find today are dead bodies."

I remember this morning. That flaxen-haired brother and sister also lived near this hut. He had received an order from the lord, and for the first time in a long while, he had also gone to their hut.

On the bed was Mel's sister, who seemed to have died of an illness. Holding hands with her was her brother, Mel was dead due to a knife to the heart.

“I don't know what kind of anguish could cause one to commit suicide”

Muttering this, he begins to pick up the dead body of his Lord. But Yukimasa pauses in silence. Then he turns his gaze toward the witch.

Yukimasa notices something strange as he approaches the witch's corpse.

The witch's face, exposed to the gentle sun, had lost that ugly deformation.

The face of the girl dying in her sleep was beautiful and smiling.

I don't know what happened here, but at least it made me think that the witch's end was happy.

He carried the dead bodies of the Lord and the witch out of the hut. Then, he found a shovel in the shed and began digging a hole.

He was a man who never took pity on anything, but he had a special feeling for the witch. She probably would not have ended up like this if he had not cut off her arm. I understand that. But even so, he did not feel guilty.

However, as long as he understood that fact, he thought he should at least do this.

He threw the two corpses into a makeshift grave. Only the head of the Lord, however, was cut off. The people of the city want to know what happened to the Lord. He must bring back at least the head.

When the two corpses were lined up like this, both seemed like mere mortals. One is a lord who was the ruler of the city. One is a witch with miraculous blood.

(For me, the witch’s voice was more of a miracle than her miraculous blood.)

At that time, she even felt like something personal and special to him. But now she is just a human being. She is just a dead girl.

No, maybe she became a human being just before her death.

He covered the corpses with dirt and then made a cross out of tree branches.

Only the unmarked grave remained there.

Note from Keika Hanada:

I was hoping to add a redemption route to the main story, but due to various reasons, it was rejected.

Even after I rejected it, I liked the story so much (wow, despair! I love stories that only lead to suffering) that I wanted to give it a chance to see the light of day, and I considered adding it to the Vita version.

We had to choose the modern version (Reincarnation) because the characters are too biased, and the Vita's additions are already so depressing. We had the voice actors working with us, but what was the point if neither Michelle nor Giselle were in the game? The depressing part of the story is also not as redeeming as I would have liked.

However, the modern version is also on the current version, and it is not just a happy-go-lucky story, so I think you will enjoy it. It was an absurdly difficult task for me because of the different way of creating the story than I have done in the past. I like this kind of journey-to-doom story, and I hope I can write it somewhere else, even if it's not about Fata Morgana.

T/N: Oh boy, this was an absolute pain to work on, It's been a while since I've done translation work, so I'm more than a bit rusty lmao. I also just got way too lazy to keep going over and editing this time and time again, so this is all I'll do. I did this translation because I saw that no one else had translated this alternate ending draft (to my knowledge) and thought, why not? More people deserve to read it. Anyways, I hope this wasn't too painful, and if you did cry, then know you are not alone.

#the house in fata morgana #fatamoru #Morgana #jacopo bearzatti #Yukimasa Aida #Mel/Mell #Nellie #ファタモルガ��ナの館 #Keika Hanada

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whumpily-ever-after · 1 year

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Whumpy Book List 2

Welcome to my second whumpy book list. This list has been a long time coming. I read a lot but most of the books I read recently had no whump in them. I finally feel like I have enough books to make this list!

I always welcome whumpy book recommendations and/or suggestions. Please feel free to send any whumpy books my way.

List below the cut...

Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Summary: “While the Iskat Empire has long dominated the system through treaties and political alliances, several planets, including Thea, have begun to chafe under Iskat's rule. When tragedy befalls Imperial Prince Taam, his Thean widower, Jainan, is rushed into an arranged marriage with Taam's cousin, the disreputable Kiem, in a bid to keep the rising hostilities between the two worlds under control. But when it comes to light that Prince Taam's death may not have been an accident, and that Jainan himself may be a suspect, the unlikely pair must overcome their misgivings and learn to trust one another as they navigate the perils of the Iskat court, try to solve a murder, and prevent an interplanetary war... all while dealing with their growing feelings for each other.”

Whump tropes: Not the whumpiest book out there, but about half-way through there is a decent hypothermia scene, attempted brainwashing also occurs in the second half of the book

Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds by Brandon Sanderson

Summary: “Stephen Leeds is perfectly sane. It’s his hallucinations who are mad.

A genius of unrivaled aptitude, Stephen can learn any new skill, vocation, or art in a matter of hours. However, to contain all of this, his mind creates hallucinatory people—Stephen calls them aspects—to hold and manifest the information. Wherever he goes, he is joined by a team of imaginary experts to give advice, interpretstion, and explanation. He uses them to solve problems…for a price.

His brain is getting a little crowded and the aspects have a tendency of taking on lives of their own. When a company hires him to recover stolen property—a camera that can allegedly take pictures of the past—Stephen finds himself in an adventure crossing oceans and fighting terrorists. What he discovers may upend the foundation of three major world religions—and, perhaps, give him a vital clue into the true nature of his aspects.”

Note: This book consists of three (3) short stories about Stephen Leeds and the personalities in his head. I don’t remember all of the whump tropes in these stories, but I remember that the third story, “Lies of the Beholder,” had the most whump.

Whump tropes: From what I remember it includes being trapped in a facility and the main character’s “aspects” are forcibly (and possibly painfully) taken away from him.

Guardian by Priest

Summary: “The Special Investigations Unit is a covert organization that no-one in the city knows about, dedicated to investigating bizarre occurrences beyond the comprehension of the living. The Chief Zhao Yunlan isn’t a simple guy either, being the inheritor of the Guardian order, he has always been a righteous conformist, excelling between realms of the living and the dead. While investigating a school suicide case, Zhao is attracted to the calm and reserved Professor Shen Wei, but the Professor seems to be rather fickle towards him…”

Whump tropes: Angst, hurt/comfort, sick character, there is so much more, but I am drawing a blank at the moment

Note: I read a fan translation of this book on the interwebs but I believe it will be available for purchase (in the US) sometime this year.

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance (The Tithenai Chronicles #1) by Foz Meadows

Summary: “Velasin vin Aaro never planned to marry at all, let alone a girl from neighboring Tithena. When an ugly confrontation reveals his preference for men, Vel fears he’s ruined the diplomatic union before it can even begin. But while his family is ready to disown him, the Tithenai envoy has a different solution: for Vel to marry his former intended’s brother instead. Caethari Aeduria always knew he might end up in a political marriage, but his sudden betrothal to a man from Ralia, where such relationships are forbidden, comes as a shock. With an unknown faction willing to kill to end their new alliance, Vel and Cae have no choice but to trust each other. Survival is one thing, but love – as both will learn – is quite another.”

Whump tropes: Arrow wounds, magical exhaustion, betrayal, captured characters

Note: Heed the warnings for this book!

Rescued by the Married Monster Hunters by Ennis Rook Bashe

Summary: “Vessel is a monster living in a dimension-hopping dungeon where his only solace is mercy-killing human prisoners. When one of these prisoners leaves Vessel a diary about his life as a monster hunter, Vessel imagines a new future for himself and takes on a human identity in an attempt to survive. Rescued by married monster hunters, Rhys and Sera, Vessel quickly finds himself overwhelmed by his secret, by the demands of pretending to be human, and by the intensity of falling unexpectedly in love with the pair. But if Rhys and Sera find out the truth, Vessel knows heartbreak won’t be the worst thing he’ll face… This book features a trans character in a setting where being trans is no big deal, badass disabled monster hunters, an enormous gruff swordsman who would do anything for his adorable bard, a back brace that doubles as armor, and a soft bisexual eldritch abomination learning what love really is. Please note, this book contains discussions of assault, cissexism, body horror, and violence.”

Whump tropes: Chronic pain, torture, monster/nonhuman whump, conditioned Whumpee, hands-on magical healing

Note: I have not read this book myself but it looks to be plenty whumpy!

The Starless Crown by James Rollins

Summary: “A gifted student foretells an apocalypse. Her reward is a sentence of death.

Fleeing into the unknown she is drawn into a team of outcasts: A broken soldier, who once again takes up the weapons he’s forbidden to wield and carves a trail back home. A drunken prince, who steps out from his beloved brother’s shadow and claims a purpose of his own. An imprisoned thief, who escapes the crushing dark and discovers a gleaming artifact- one that will ignite a power struggle across the globe.

On the run, hunted by enemies old and new, they must learn to trust each other in order to survive in a world evolved in strange, beautiful, and deadly ways, and uncover ancient secrets that hold the key to their salvation. But with each passing moment, doom draws closer. Who will claim the starless crown?”

Whump tropes: Attempted kidnapping, trapped in a dark mine with no light while bound at the ankles, betrayal

Antrax by Terry Brooks

Summary: “Brave explorers led by the last Druid, Walker Boh, traveled across unknown seas in search of an elusive magic. But now it seems that Walker and his team were lured there for sinister, unforeseen purposes. As the crew aboard the airship Jerle Shannara is being attacked by evil forces, the Druid’s protégé, Bek Rowe, and his companions are being pursued by the mysterious Ilse Witch. Meanwhile, Walker is alone, caught in a dark maze beneath the ruined city of Castledown, stalked by a hungry, unseen enemy. It is alive, but not human, coveting the magic of Druids, elves, even the Ilse Witch. It hunts men for its own designs. It is Antrax: a spirit that feeds off enchantment and traps the souls of men. And with it, the fate of the Four Lands hangs in the balance.”

Whump tropes: Captivity, voice stolen, chased, dramatic rescue

Note: This is the second book in a series. But it has one of my most re-read whump scenes that I couldn't resist including it.

Note: The next two entries have teenage (minor) whumpees. If this is not your thing, stop reading here.

The Extraordinaries Series by T.J. Klune

Summary: "Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right? After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City’s mightiest hero (and Nick’s biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he’ll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick’s best friend (and maybe the love of his life).”

Whump tropes: Kidnapping, emotional whump, betrayal

Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora

Summary: “Sixteen-year-old Nate is a GEM – Genetically Engineered Medi-tissue created by the scientists of Gathos City as a cure for the elite from the fatal lung rot ravaging the population. As a child, he was smuggled out of the laboratory where he was held captive and into the Withers – a quarantined, lawless region. Nate manages to survive by using his engineering skills to become a Tinker, fixing broken tech in exchange for food or a safe place to sleep. When he meets Reed, a kind and fiercely protective boy that makes his heart race, and his misfit gang of scavengers, Nate finds the family he’s always longed for – even if he can’t risk telling them what he is.

But Gathos created a genetic failsafe in their GEMs – a flaw that causes their health to rapidly deteriorate as they age unless they are regularly dosed with medication controlled by Gathos City. As Nate’s health declines, his hard-won freedom is put in jeopardy. Violence erupts across the Withers, his illegal supply of medicine is cut off, and a vicious attack on Reed threatens to expose his secret. With time running out, Nate is left with only two options: work for a shadowy terrorist organization that has the means to keep him alive, or stay – and die – with the boy he loves.”

Whump tropes: I have not been able to get my hands on this book, so I don't know the exact tropes. But the summary makes it sound pretty whumpy.

#books #whump books #whumpy books #book list #whumpy book list

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kaelio · 11 months

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slightly longer cactus chat about what might be our favorite watering hole for anne rice discussion (the end of TVA)

kaelio: well there is a little clip going around that reveals the only thing she said she KNEW going into TVA was the benji and sybelle bit

And I'm like GIrL WHaT

----that---- what is the part you were set on and had planned out?????

thecactifindahome: Lmao that is fucking iconic. Insane but iconic.

kaelio: I sincerely appreciate the number of curveballs. Again, finding out that she had siblings was genuinely shocking.

thecactifindahome: I'm sorry that's so fucking funny I'm cracking up

kaelio: It's hysterical tbh

I had assumed that the book was too sad, and she decided that it needed some positivity or something!!!

thecactifindahome: I would never have guessed that in a thousand years, I thought she was like, hmm how to walk back the suicide thing and came up with a bonkers fix

kaelio: not "he Must meet a precocious child and an overly saccharine 25-something blonde lady in a cliche soap opera situation"

"BUT I can add some S&M on the way in"

I. KNOW!!!!!

"i've got a vision in my mind, but it's going to take at least two hand jobs to get there"

thecactifindahome: What a fool I was. Of course she was like "Human pets are the key to this guy, who should have wacky hijinks with them, now I have to come up with something to say about Armand that isn't cute, hmm 🤔"

kaelio: Thank you!!! When I heard that I was like

NO WAY

thecactifindahome: "You know what would ease this tonal transition? Hallucinatory visions of like, eggs and the Eucharist and his parents. Perfect."

thecactifindahome: God, that horse had some fucking WORK pushing that cart

kaelio: And???? I guess???? That's why it works out???? Still one of the most incomprehensible decisions in the entire canon. to me.

kaelio: Literally in blood communion like benji is the equivalent of the puppy that keeps an elderly person from dying from grief when their last friend at the hair salon finally kicks it. Oh master master don't go master, benji still needs kibble every morning 🥺

-Anne Rice: see, nailed it. this was a great idea I executed perfectly

thecactifindahome: Omg fgdshhk that is literally exactly it

kaelio: The absolute audacity tbh

kaelio: because yeah my impression had been VERY much the same "ehhh let's actually take a swing here and end this differently." it's like writing happy days by starting with wanting to have a guy waterski over a shark

thecactifindahome: Like, I always did love that it was such a bizarre left turn out of fucking nowhere, but knowing that that was supposed to be the main story...!

kaelio: The icing on the cake is that the very opening of that sequence doesn't make any sense, and even he himself admits that!!!!! so somehow, that's both the one part she had planned, and also the very opening of it is very hard to parse in terms of what's fucking happening

thecactifindahome: And the fact that she doubled down on "yeahhh there was no way for that to happen, but it did so who cares really" in that Facebook post years later just means that nope, she intended it to make no sense and never second guessed it, good lord

Again, I love that. Would never have the nerve for a stunt like that.

kaelio: Which is also incredible because it absolutely didn't have to happen that way, she didn't get boxed into a corner. She decided to do that.

he falls down on the roof, he's in the snow on the roof for a little bit and overhears what's going on, he himself manages to crawl into the building at some point and attack the brother. No problem.

thecactifindahome: Or hell, they see him burn and are like 'what the fuck' and go check it out, bring him home, events ensue from there!

There are a thousand rational ways it could have gone down and she didn't like any of them

#cactus chat

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yurisorcerer · 15 days

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I read this today! Let nobody ever tell you that there's no interesting stuff on Mangadex.

This is a very short Pixiv comic (split into nine chapters but they're each very brief. I think this totals to 30 pages or so?) about a guy who gets in a car crash and starts hallucinating that a girl is following him everywhere. It's....an odd one.

I'm not necessarily sure I'd call it the most sensitive handling of this material, but it turns out a lot better than what I think many would be inclined to assume from its oddball premise. It goes some places in a way I think is actually pretty arresting, I wouldn't mind reading a full series of this and I think the author is talented enough that I hope they continue pursuing art.

I'm going to spoil the ending now, which I think is best experienced for oneself, so if you'd prefer to get the authentic experience go read it quick and then read the next paragraph.

OK, so!

The case turns out to be that there actually was no guy at all, the girl is the real protagonist and what she's been experiencing is some kind of brain damage symptom where she doesn't recognize herself as herself, and thinks she's a man. By the end of the comic, she's been hit by a car *again* (!!) and improbably, this seems to return her to her normal condition, and she can recognize herself again.

This is quite an interesting place to take a story like this and I have to be honest in that I did not see it coming *at all.* Like I said previously, this isn't a terribly sensitive handling of this material (I don't think the solution to recieving brain trauma is to get more of it, if I had to guess), but it being....sort of a metaphor for self-acceptance in the end? Is pretty cool. It's far from a perfect comic but as a rough draft from someone who clearly has a lot of ideas (and a knack for character design, shout out to the absolutely gorgeous polyamorous queen in chapter 6), I think it's solid. As I already said, I hope they continue to make comics.

#yurisorcerer talks about media #A Story About a Hallucinatory Girl #short manga #mangadex #Genkaku Shoujo ga Tsukimatou Hanashi

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snowfuls · 9 months

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district two's floor during ambrosia's death with @subsiist .

boredom during the games isn't a notion enobaria is familiar with. at least, not personally. she had cut down her competition within the space of a week and the arena's dry, savannah heat had taken care of the rest. no one could ever fault her efficiency nor her skill. much of which is often credited to the old man sat beside her. really, she had always possessed raw talent and all he'd done is refined it ( he hadn't even been the only one doing so ) but the capitol adored the pair of cutthroat victors together so, spun all matter of touching stories about the two. the validity of said stories often fluctuating but their bond, once brokered, was unbreakable. that much was set in stone.

it's why they can sit in comfortable silences such as this one. not that today's quell viewing was making anyone feel too comfortable at all. the caps were surely revelling at the sight of district four's pair losing it to a sector filled with hallucinatory mushrooms but as lucky from one shortly falls victim to his partner's knife ( a very real stab in the man's back ), the mood inside the tribute centre turns sour and unbeknownst to them, that's only the beginning. what follows appears to harken the end of this year's career pack, ambrosia taking the lead, acting with a voice of reason which only fills enobaria with pride... but ezra fucking klair objects. of course, he does! and like the sheep they all are, the rest fall in line, leaving ambrosia on her lonesome. the spat is a catalyst, causing her to cut and run. smart girl, enobaria thinks. they're nearing the final ten now, safer to watch what's left of the careers tear themselves apart from afar and swoop in for victory at the end than waste even more time entertaining their precious whims. she'd have likely done the same and there's a smile beginning to pull at enobaria's lips to prove it but such evident pleasure at ambrosia's decision is short-lived.

it unfolds so quickly. too quickly. a stunned ❛ what... what the fuck? ❜ uttered in reaction, not directed at her companion for she dare not tear her gaze from the screen but transfixed, lips part in what must be the most genuine sense of shock enobaria's felt in a long time. flashing rows of sharpened enamel without a second thought. claws flying out too, her deft fingertips tensing around the bright velvet of their couches as she's rendered helpless to stop the inevitable. watching on helplessly as a tidal wave, some great colossus of a thing, comes ripping through its forest sector, washing her tribute away in an instant. the sheer force of it appearing to break the young girl's body, prompting a cannon to sound on the spot as it contorts gruesomely inside the rushing water. a lump in enobaria's throat comes with it, staggering her breaths but there's little time for tears when all she can see is red. pure rage beginning to course through the victor's veins, for what had just occurred was through no fault of ambrosia's and that is perhaps the worst part of it all. she hadn't lost a fight, hadn't come up against a mutt. there was no weapon involved. she'd wanted separation from the idiots holding her back and recieved what appeared to be... petty, karmic retribution from the gamemakers for such a bold, unapologetic move in response.

seething and all but glowering at the man, enobaria finally turns to face brutus. knowing him as well as she does, what awaits her is likely an onslaught of smug, biting comments but the girl is quick to cut in first, rising from her seat in exasperation. ❛ brut, what the fuck was that?! ❜ she yells, the storm one might glimpse gathering in her brown eyes growing ever darker by the second, ❛ they practically begged us for a victor from two after last year's nightmare and then, they go and kill her off using a wave?! ❜ now, with ambrosia's vitals gone ( blackened out to indicate death ), the holo promptly displays that she's placed twelfth. for district twelve? she thinks, unable to help but notice the coincidence. someone in the gamemaker's room must have a sense of humour. how fucking quaint. enobaria wonders how funny ambrosia's death'll seem to them once she's using teeth to tear flesh from limb again. ❛ i'm going to kill them. ❜ she concludes. hyperbole... probably. she can't even be sure of just who she means yet, only that they'll pay for this. fists are clenched, her sharpened nails digging into skin, tempting the breakage. altogether craving the violence that will settle her.

#death tw #drowning tw #violence tw #self harm tw #𓂅 ⋆ ⧽ ㅤ 𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆 ㅤ ╰ ㅤ ⋆ㅤ enobaria .#featuring brutus steele .#subsiist #eventideevent03 #storm eno has arrived

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rockislandadultreads · 1 year

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Fantastical Wintry Stories: Book Recs

Ice by Anna Kavan, Kate Zambreno (Afterword), Jonathan Lethem (Foreword)

A dazzling and haunting vision of the end of the world, Ice is a masterpiece of literary science fiction now in a new 50th anniversary edition with a foreword by Jonathan Lethem. In a frozen, apocalyptic landscape, destruction abounds: great walls of ice overrun the world and secretive governments vie for control. Against this surreal, yet eerily familiar broken world, an unnamed narrator embarks on a hallucinatory quest for a strange and elusive “glass-girl” with silver hair. He crosses icy seas and frozen plains, searching ruined towns and ransacked rooms, all to free her from the grips of a tyrant known only as the warden and save her before the ice closes all around. A novel unlike any other, Ice is at once a dystopian adventure shattering the conventions of science fiction, a prescient warning of climate change and totalitarianism, a feminist exploration of violence and trauma, a Kafkaesque literary dreamscape, and a brilliant allegory for its author’s struggles with addiction—all crystallized in prose as glittering as the piling snow.

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

From Kevin Brockmeier, one of this generation's most inventive young writers, comes a striking new novel about death, life, and the mysterious place in between. The City is inhabited by those who have departed Earth but are still remembered by the living. They will reside in this afterlife until they are completely forgotten. But the City is shrinking, and the residents clearing out. Some of the holdouts, like Luka Sims, who produces the City’s only newspaper, are wondering what exactly is going on. Others, like Coleman Kinzler, believe it is the beginning of the end. Meanwhile, Laura Byrd is trapped in an Antarctic research station, her supplies are running low, her radio finds only static, and the power is failing. With little choice, Laura sets out across the ice to look for help, but time is running out. Kevin Brockmeier alternates these two storylines to create a lyrical and haunting story about love, loss and the power of memory.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe be C.S. Lewis

They open a door and enter a world NARNIA...the land beyond the wardrobe, the secret country known only to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy...the place where the adventure begins. Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of her adventures in the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund and then Peter and Susan discover the Magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. In the blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

On the planet Winter, there is no gender. The Gethenians can become male or female during each mating cycle, and this is something that humans find incomprehensible. The Ekumen of Known Worlds has sent an ethnologist to study the Gethenians on their forbidding, ice-bound world. At first he finds his subjects difficult and off-putting, with their elaborate social systems and alien minds. But in the course of a long journey across the ice, he reaches an understanding with one of the Gethenians — it might even be a kind of love.

#Fiction #fantasy #science fiction #Booklr #booktok #tbr #reading recommendations #Book Recommendations #books to read #library books #winter #winter reading #dark fantasy

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learnthisphrase · 2 years

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Best books of 2021

10 12 favourites*

*This was supposed to be a top 10, but I couldn’t quite narrow it down and also had a last-minute entry to my favourites list. Here we go!

Something New Under the Sun by Alexandra Kleeman (4th Estate, 2021)

What it’s about: A dissatisfied writer and a former child star investigate a conspiracy involving artificial water in LA. Simultaneously a satire of the film industry, near-future SF, a thriller and a cautionary tale about climate change/consumerism – and also nothing like any of that.

Why I loved it: Kleeman is a genius, and Something New Under the Sun exists on its own plane: a bizarre, wild, colourful odyssey through a version of California that seems to be melting. As in her debut, Kleeman is breathtakingly adept at taking symbols of capitalism, celebrity and consumer culture and warping them beyond all recognition in order to reveal the horror within. Yet no matter how bizarre the plot gets, an ever-present undercurrent of humanity means that, against all odds, it doesn’t feel detached from reality at all. The narrative style – which mixes dreamy, weird writing, deliberately (and hilariously) absurd dialogue, and really effective perspective switches – is brilliantly unique. The result is the best, most ingenious book I have read this year, with a title that is wholly apt. (Full review)

Read if you enjoyed: The isolated writer-protagonist and suggestions of conspiracy in Red Pill; the hallucinatory LA setting of We Play Ourselves. But really, Kleeman’s vision stands alone, and only she could have written this book.

Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt (Cipher Press, 2021)

What it’s about: Three years ago, three girls – Alice, Ila and Hannah – entered the House, a corrupted, haunted place. In the aftermath, Hannah is gone and Alice and Ila’s relationship is radically transformed. Ultimately, the two survivors must go back.

Why I loved it: This book left me haunted. Rumfitt turns the haunted house trope inside out (and then some) with a story about fascism and trauma and guilt and gender and what it’s like to try and perform an acceptable impression of a functioning human being after bad shit has happened to you. It’s electrifying. It’s disgusting. It’s hot. It actually made me THINK. It’s the best book about what it is to be a woman (specifically in modern Britain) that I’ve read in years, possibly ever. It’s the most radical horror novel of the year and probably the decade. (Full review)

Read if you enjoyed: The punk spirit of Gary Budden’s London Incognita. Again, though, this book is a true original.

Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki, translated by various (Verso Books, 2021)

What it’s about: Short sci-fi stories from a little-known Japanese author, written in the 1970s and 80s but only now translated into English. Unusually for a collection, each story has a different translator.

Why I loved it: This is one of the best short story collections I’ve ever read. Terminal Boredom isn’t just prescient, it’s prophetic – over and over again I was thrilled by the fact that these stories featuring video calls, reality TV, robot vacuum cleaners, live streams, celebrity politicians, screen-addicted people, and very 21st-century perceptions of gender, date from 40 years ago. Suzuki has a startling ability to pin down a character’s worldview in just a few lines: the book is packed with observations so acute they sting; so modern they’re unnerving. ‘You May Dream’ – a story about grappling with loneliness and detachment in a society that prizes technology above community – is an instant classic, ‘Terminal Boredom’ and ‘Women and Women’ are also outstanding, and the entire collection represents a stunning body of work. (Full review)

Read if you enjoyed: Anna Kavan’s short stories, Sayaka Murata’s Earthlings.

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley (Bloomsbury, 2021)

What it’s about: London, 1898: a man named Joe steps off a train and realises he has lost all his memories. Then he receives a postcard written to him before he was born... This all takes place in an alternate version of 19th-century Britain in which France won the Napoleonic Wars.

Why I loved it: On paper, The Kingdoms shouldn’t have been my thing – I don’t usually enjoy fantasy, I’m ambivalent about alternate histories, and I actively avoid romantic fiction. Yet I fell head over heels in love with it. The world of the book is fantastically complex and vivid, the character development builds slowly until you’re properly obsessed with these people, and I found myself unexpectedly invested in the central romance – to an embarrassing extent (tears were shed). Missouri Kite has to be my favourite character of the year hands down. Pulley’s writing epitomises emotional excellence, and this is a sweeping, enthralling story with tons of heart. (Full review)

Read if you enjoyed: Cloud Atlas, Crossings, The River of No Return or The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters.

Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe (Mantle, 2022)

What it’s about: An unnamed woman leaves London to ‘start a new life’ in rural Scotland. She settles in the tiny community surrounding a country estate, where it soon becomes clear the locals not only believe in witches, but also regard them as an active threat.

Why I loved it: I underestimated this book at first, fearing it might be derivative. I couldn’t have been more wrong: Hare House, in its essence, is a true original. Any cliches in the plot are made entirely new by masterful plotting, a uniformly fascinating cast of characters, sparing deployment of tension and eeriness, and, most of all, VOICE. This is Hinchcliffe’s second novel (and you’d better believe I’ll be reading her first soon), but she writes like an author at the absolute top of their game – sharp as a knife, not a sentence wasted. Employing landscape beautifully, making the story just uncanny enough, it’s note-perfect all the way to the bravura ending, which made me almost squeal with glee. (Full review)

Read if you enjoyed: Devil’s Day, The Little Stranger, voice-driven dark character studies like Notes on a Scandal and The Woman Upstairs.

The Brimstone Wedding by Barbara Vine (Penguin, 1995)

What it’s about: 70-year-old Stella, who has terminal lung cancer, confides in her care assistant, Jenny: the tale that emerges involves a secret house and a forgotten film star called Gilda Brent. The story is narrated by Jenny, who’s dealing with some secrets of her own.

Why I loved it: While it starts quietly and requires some patience (Vine’s writing is nothing if not replete with description and detail), The Brimstone Wedding transforms into an enthralling tale whose brilliance made me increasingly dizzy with joy. Everything I have loved about Vine’s other novels is realised to its full potential here: the rich, almost fussy language; the slow-burn intrigue; the multidimensional characters. Throw in a perfect narrative voice (we learn so much about Jenny from the way she tells the story) and you have a truly spellbinding book that is literary triumph, gripping mystery and tragedy all in one. (Full review)

Read if you enjoyed: Strangely, this is the hardest book on the list to find comparison points for; I’d really only liken it to Vine’s others. But if you like getting stuck into a long, detailed, involving mystery, chances are you’ll enjoy this.

The Coming Bad Days by Sarah Bernstein (Daunt Books, 2021)

What it’s about: A woman leaves her partner, moves to another town and lives in solitude – until she forms an odd, intimate friendship with a woman called Clara. Around the same time, she starts to receive strange anonymous notes.

Why I loved it: Bernstein’s debut is very much driven by style and language rather than plot and character; I read the book marvelling at its style first, and taking in its events second. The writing is remarkable: reminiscent of Fleur Jaeggy’s style, but imbued with its own cool economy and wry humour, full of ambiguity and the cold thrill of pessimism. I couldn’t stop noting down lines I loved. It can, however, be abstract and difficult, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to everyone (if you want everything in a story to be resolved and made clear, avoid). The cover suits it perfectly: icy and ambiguous. (Full review)

Read if you enjoyed: Anything by Fleur Jaeggy; the mood of Signs of Life; the setting of Communion Town.

Among Others by Jo Walton (Corsair, 2011)

What it’s about: Morwenna, a 15-year-old girl from a magical family (she’s the daughter of a powerful witch), goes away to boarding school. Told in diary entries, the story charts her coming-of-age journey.

Why I loved it: This is a unique sort of fantasy novel: one in which the fantasy is largely incidental. It’s really the story of an inquisitive, precocious, naive girl discovering her identity, largely through reading science fiction and meeting others who share that passion. It’s lovely to read – the literary equivalent of a big warm blanket – yet it’s also unusually compelling. I was hooked on Morwenna’s voice, finding her excitement infectious, and loved the way magic was woven into the story. I came away from it feeling delighted to have discovered Walton’s work. (Full review)

Read if you enjoyed: Nina Allan’s novels and stories; the narrative form and style of The Moth Diaries.

Professor Everywhere by Nicholas Binge (Proverse Hong Kong, 2020)

What it’s about: Newly arrived in the UK from Hong Kong, Chloe Chan finds life at a British university dissatisfying until she starts working with the reclusive Professor Roland Crannus. It quickly becomes clear that Crannus’s research is more unorthodox than anyone imagined, and Chloe’s dragged along for the ride.

Why I loved it: Speculative fiction about multiple worlds that also has a captivating academic setting and a narrator I felt attached to almost instantly… This was a book I’d always wanted to read without even knowing it existed. What worked best for me about it is something that perhaps should have worked against it: its world feels so small, so cosy (even as we’re presented with the possibility of countless realities). I just felt so at home in it. Written as Chloe’s memoir, Professor Everywhere is such a likeable and absorbing story that even its flaws only made it more charming to me. (Full review)

Read if you enjoyed: The combination of collegiate setting and speculative elements in Catherine House.

The Art of Space Travel by Nina Allan (Titan Books, 2021) / The Good Neighbours by Nina Allan (riverrun, 2021)

Disclaimer: as some of you will know, I am a huge fan of Nina Allan. At this point, I’m so deeply entrenched in my love of her work that it’s arguably impossible for me to be objective. We were blessed with both a novel and a collection this year, and I couldn’t not mention them! But I’ll try to keep this brief...

The Art of Space Travel is an outstanding collection of short stories. Some are sci-fi, fantasy or horror; some are literary fiction; many blur the lines between these genres. All are written in a rich and engaging style that makes every character feel like a fully-formed human being. The stories chosen for this book are, for the most part, quiet and thoughtful, rarely dealing in extremes, though incredibly powerful when they do. They include the stunning ‘Four Abstracts’, the story that made me fall in love with Allan’s writing: a perfect horror story that is also a beautifully nuanced exploration of friendship, art, grief and guilt. (Full review)

The Good Neighbours is a novel about a photographer who revisits the island she grew up on and becomes obsessed with an old murder case. She uncovers the incongruous fact that the killer – her childhood best friend’s father – believed in fairies. This is a story about the fragile and capricious nature of the human mind, and the dangers of making assumptions; it’s sensitively crafted and compassionately written. And as it’s the least genre-inflected of Allan’s major works to date, I also think it would make a great introduction to her writing for those who don’t usually enjoy SF or horror. (Full review)

They by Kay Dick (1977, reissued by Faber 2022)

What it’s about: In a series of interconnected stories, we follow an anonymous narrator trying to survive in a society besieged by the ‘they’ of the title – a group who seek to destroy art, independent thought and even love.

Why I loved it: They is resolutely cryptic, with so many things remaining unknown throughout: the background of the world it depicts; the identity of the narrator; whether the narrator is even the same person from one story to the next. Dick’s prose moves swiftly and covers much ground in a few sentences, shifting between matter-of-fact description and startling emotional depth. The style made me sure I would love it; the story ‘The Fairing’, an extraordinarily tense and ambiguous sequence, confirmed that. I enjoyed They most for its mysteries – it’s most powerful when little is explained – and love the fact that I can now see echoes of it in the work of so many of my favourite writers of speculative fiction. (Full review)

Read if you enjoyed: Anna Kavan’s Ice, basically anything by M. John Harrison, Piranesi, Christopher Priest’s Dream Archipelago books/stories.

Honourable mentions

Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor (Daunt Books, 2021): I truly believe that Taylor’s books are classics in the making, and this collection of short stories is further proof of that. The subject matter (young people navigating intimacy, desire and loneliness) is not new, but Taylor’s prose hums with a power beyond what fiction typically possesses.

Intimacies by Katie Kitamura (Vintage, 2021): Kitamura’s writing epitomises the phrase ‘deceptively simple’. This, a short novel about an interpreter trying to build a life in an unfamiliar city, does exactly what I want literary fiction to do: capture reality in a way that makes it new.

Laura Blundy by Julie Myerson (Harper, 2000): This Victorian murder story is propelled by the blunt, sly voice of its antiheroine. Both a brilliantly effective piece of historical fiction and an uncanny triumph of ventriloquism – read if you enjoy transgressive fiction and unreliable narrators.

Come Join Our Disease by Sam Byers (Faber, 2021): If I had to pick one book from this year that should’ve been massive, this would be it. A story of ennui in the underbelly of London that transforms into a transcendentally disgusting ecstasy of filth; a fearless excoriation of capitalism and wellness culture. Lurid, sickening, fun, impassioned, provocative and brilliant.

The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2021): I never feel properly equipped to talk about Cohen’s writing; his intelligence and wit are so powerful they kind of terrify me, and while not easy to sum up, this novel of campus politics and Jewish identity is masterfully written, involving, surprising and very funny.

Spider by Patrick McGrath (Penguin, 1991): In this gothic novel of 1950s London, a young man’s identity and sense of self slowly unravel as he writes the story of his life. A masterpiece of psychological horror, full of ratcheting tension and powerfully disturbing imagery.

Fifty Sounds by Polly Barton (Fitzcarraldo Editions, 2021): One of the most readable and compelling memoirs I’ve ever encountered, cataloguing the author’s lifelong obsession with Japan and what it’s like to live in another language.

Whiteout Conditions by Tariq Shah (Dead Ink, 2021): The lean prose of Shah’s novel – about a man returning to his hometown for the funeral of his friend’s younger cousin – is as bare and and unforgiving as the bleak urban sprawl its characters traverse. To be read in a single sitting.

Also...

Even more honourable mentions

Savage Appetites by Rachel Monroe: four tales of notorious crimes and the women obsessed with them, made unputdownable by wonderful writing. Daniel Kehlmann’s Fame (trans. Carol Brown Janeway), a surprising, exciting collection of interlinked stories – a bit Ned Beauman, a bit David Mitchell. Damon Galgut’s ostensibly simple, ultimately gripping The Impostor. A Lonely Man by Chris Power, an effortless story about stories that’s also a wildly tense cat-and-mouse thriller. The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas by Daniel James: I have repeatedly described it as ‘Daisy Jones & The Six written by Borges’ and I stand by that.

Dennis Cooper’s transfixing, terrifying, indelible The Sluts. Patrick Redmond’s The Wishing Game and its bone-chilling ending. Virginia Feito’s clever Mrs March, for which the publisher’s attention-grabbing tagline (‘Shirley Jackson meets Ottessa Moshfegh meets My Sister the Serial Killer’ ) was, for once, accurate. The audiobook of Joseph Knox’s True Crime Story, which – thanks to its excellent voice cast – was the only audiobook I managed to truly enjoy in a year of trying to make myself like them. Matt Wesolowski’s Demon, the sixth (and final?) entry in the Six Stories series of horror(ish) novels about a true crime podcast – books I will be rereading forever.

Short stories

Richard V. Hirst’s beautifully crafted, sinister, complex ‘Oblio’ and Gareth E. Rees’ funny, poignant ‘Meet on the Edge’ (both from the anthology Out of the Darkness). Andrew Michael Hurley’s powerful ‘The Hanging of the Greens’ (from the otherwise mediocre The Haunting Season). The title story from Lucie McKnight Hardy’s Dead Relatives, a triumph of voice, full of the narrator’s slyness and angst. Jia Tolentino’s snappy, acerbic I Would Be Doing This Anyway. Online, everything by Brandon Taylor – especially ‘Prophets’ and ‘Otto’ – and ‘Cancel Me’ by Honor Levy.

Notable rereads

I revisited The House at Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse for the first time in 12 years, with some trepidation; I discovered that not only is it just as good as I remembered, but my relationship with it now feels deeper. I read Dark Echo by F.G. Cottam for something like the sixth or seventh time; it’s still my favourite ghost story. Tasha Kavanagh’s twisted, vividly rendered coming-of-age tale Things We Have in Common was even better second time around. Ditto Andrew Michael Hurley’s Devil’s Day, an enigmatic pastoral laced with horror (Hardy meets Aickman) which remains my personal favourite of the author’s novels.

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