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fu-aki · 4 years

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Chapter 5

So this is going to be my attempt to summarize part 1 of the beginning part of chapter 5 (episode 1 to 21) of twisted wonderland.

Again, spoiler alert since I’m about to write out everything that happened, and I apologize for my grammar and horrible French in advance.

You heard someone singing -> it was the scenes from snow white when the evil queen asks the mirror on the wall and snow white singing into the well -> player choice: a beautiful women was watching from the window…/ I felt like I’ve meet that beautiful person before… -> you woke up from dream -> in the main street, you meet up with Ace and Deuce -> after seeing the statue you realized you’ve seen them in your dreams before

In classroom -> Ace felt it wasn’t weird to have dreams like that when you see those statues everyday -> you mentioned about in your dream “mickey” appeared in the mirror -> Ace and Deuce never heard of that name before -> Ace suggest to take a photo of it with the “ghost camera” you got from Crowley since it can even take pictures of ghosts

Crewel showed up and explained about “nationwide sorcerer training school culture festival” -> it’s a 2 day event with representative students from all the sorcerer training school, a festival with speeches and debates all about magic related music & art topics -> for NRC, all the 4th year students will be send all across country for internship and research study -> they will all come back on that day to share their experience and result -> end of the homeroom -> fight Crewel for the defense magic class

In the dorm leader meeting -> Malleus is not there again -> Lilia mentions how he couldn’t find Malleus anymore after class so he’s here instead -> Idia questions if Malleus is missing meetings on purpose -> Lilia talked about how fairies feels time different from humans, and how Malleus have some troublesome karma on him as well

The meeting starts -> Riddle started reporting everything about the event -> but the “vocal & dance championship” has surprising amount of media focused on it -> Riddle was surprised since he thought it was just a chorus competition -> because of the time change and consideration for different types of music, now it includes singing, dancing, and performance -> and because of how popular it got, it becomes one chance for students to professionally debut -> and now it’s getting extra notice because the famous influencer Vil and Neige are in it -> Lilia commented how Neige is getting really popular online and on TV -> Idia surprised that people in Diasomnia actually go online -> Lilia “kuhuhu, of course, we are still just students in high school, we watch dramas and play games.” -> Crowley “Vila and Neige, 2 world known famous celebrity are going to appear in VDC, it won’t be an exaggeration to call it the highest degree of attention we are going to get in this event.” -> Crowley ask Riddle to make preparation in case of troubles -> Azul offered to help since he learned all about it from magic shift event -> Leona “hey octopus bastard… do you want your flappy tongue to turn into dried food or what?” -> Azul “oh my how scary” -> Riddle refused Azul’s help since he don’t want Azul ask for something later -> Kalim “just tell us if something is bothering you, we’ll help you anytime.”

-> Kalim “I can’t wait for the day of festival~!” -> Idia “sign~~~… the popular guys just looks so happy everyday. I had to think about the day to announce our research result… if I just step on stage, everyone would be like ‘hey isn’t his hair burning?’ ‘could he be Shroud family’s…’ ‘what kind of dark research is he doing?’ aah I can’t… for person like me to do a speech on stage is just challenge level EX.” -> Riddle mentioned how the rules said student have to go on stage themselves and offer to train Idia for speech after school -> Idia said he’ll manage something himself (whispering) “I really don’t wanna have a farming event with demonic trainer Riddle.” -> end of meeting

In Vil’s room -> Vil “Mira, Mira” -> Mira “what can I help you with?” -> Vil “who is the fairest of them all right now?” -> Mira “the account with the most mention of fair in web currently is… Neige.” -> Vil “Neige…! Finally… this time have arrived.” -> Mira “sorry, I couldn’t quite hear you. Could you please repeat what you said?”

Few days later in cafeteria -> Ace, Deuce, Grim, and you saw the poster for the VDC audition -> the reward for wining the championship is 5 million Madollar to spilt among the members -> Crowley popped up and explained many corporation sponsored this event -> Grim wanted to join for the money so he can buy tuna cans

The song for audition is “piece of my world” -> Ace wanted to try so if he got accepted he don’t need to help set up the places anymore -> Deuce wanted the reward money to help his family -> but he never did singing or dancing before so he didn’t want to join ->

In courtyard you heard someone singing beautifully -> you saw Epel ->Deuce remembered the time he bumped into Epel last chapter -> He asked Epel why is he practice singing here -> it was because Vil told Epel to practice singing to the well so Epel can hear his voice clearly -> Deuce “does Pomefiore have some rules where you have to be good at singing?” -> it was because Epel has to take the audition for VDC and practice for a more lovely voice -> Epel (whisper) “event like that should just disappear…” -> “oh my Epel, are you skipping practice and talking with pigeons now?” -> it was Vil -> Grim “that guy’s leg looks like it’s 1 meter longer than MC’s!” -> Vil “there’s only 2 month left till VDC, Epel have no times play with muddy potatoes like you people.” -> “Epel, you too, if this keep going on you won’t be able to become the ‘red poisoned apple’ let’s go.” -> Epel “…But I actully don’t!” -> Vil “did you forgot the promise with me? Just come here already.” -> Ace and Grim was pretty mad and wanted to fight -> Vil “It’s not bad for a walk after meal. Come at me, I’ll make you into mashed potato.” -> fight time -> you are beat up by Vil -> and he only gives you 5/100 for the fight since you lacked the beauty when fighting -> Epel has to go back with Vil and Vil mentioned how it ends up like this because Epel skipped practice in break

The next day -> Deuce decided to try the audition -> so if they are accepted, Epel might got eliminated and don’t need to practice anymore -> Deuce “as a honor student, I can’t just watch him being forced into the things he don’t like.” -> Ace “I don’t think it’s very honor student of you to call yourself honor student.” -> dance practice time

Kalim and Jamil showed up practice for audition too -> Kalim “honestly you guys are pretty bad at this, you look like a panicked elephant trying to stand on 2 legs! Ahhaha!” -> Deuce “man this really hurts when he’s not even try to be mean.” -> Ace asked Jamil to teach them how to dance -> Kalim “oh sure! Jamil is really good at singing.” -> Jamil “why are you replying for me! … well it is also review for me when I’m teaching someone, fine I’ll do it.” -> teaching time -> Kalim “hey, how about we practice together tomorrow too? Jamil is really good at singing, we’ll show you.” -> Jamil “! You just decided that yourself too…!” -> Kalim “it’ll be fine, besides isn’t it more fun when you have more people for dancing, singing, or partying?” -> Jamil “fine, just don’t expect me to be so kind.” -> Jamil “for now, let’s just clean up, take some mops from the storage room -> Deuce, Ace, Kalim “okay.” -> Jamil “Kalim, you don’t have to do it… sigh.”

Azul showed up -> Grim mentioned how Jamil’s evil plan was streamed worldwide last chapter.” -> Azul “why do you think the merciful me would end my classmate societal life like that?” -> Jamil “…you would.” -> that day Azul was just on phone with Jade -> Azul “different from Leona, I don’t have an interest to beat down someone more than necessary, besides it’s a secret that I’ve finally got, I won’t do anything to make the price fall like that.” -> Jamil “hate to say it, but thanks to Azul’s mercifulness, my parents and Asim family didn’t know the real reason I overblot. But the dorm students…”

Flashback -> Scarabia students questioned why Kalim don’t change the vice dorm leader after what happened

-> Kalim “are you guys worried about me? Thank you! But… he was not the only one wrong this time, I’m also at fault. Besides, is there anyone in Scarabia that have not received help from Jamil?” -> student “that, that is true… if there’s something going wrong we would always just ask him…” -> Kalim “I know right? He is an excellent vice dorm leader. A lot better than me, the dorm leader. His judgements might be clouded back then, but he is still great at his work. He did try to expel me by manipulating you guys but… up till that incident, he has never hurt me even once before. He has many chances to do other much more horrible things to me, but he didn’t. Not once, in 17 years. I won’t call him a good guy but… it’s hard to explain but would you please give us more times?” -> students “…if that’s what you said so…” -> Jamil “…” -> end of flashback -> Jamil “the chance I had for holiday was once in a lifetime, thought my life would be over if I failed, but in the end it didn’t change that much… surely something to be ‘grateful’ for. So unless I’m fired by Kalim, I’ll continue to serve him. And I’ll continue to show everyone how useful I am.” -> Grim “Jamil… your character really changed a lot after the holiday.” -> Azul “if you are fired by Kalim, Octavinelle will always welcome people like you with open arms.” -> Jamil “thank you for the offer, but no matter what happened I would never go to Octavinelle.” -> Kalim “Hey you guys~ if we don’t head out soon we are gonna be late for class!”

3 days later -> everyone is getting better at dancing and singing -> Jamil reminded them to sign up for audition with Rook in class 3-A -> Grim saw Leona and called out to him -> Leona: angry lion noises -> Grim asked where is Rook Hunt -> Leona “why are you trying to find that weird guy.” -> Rook suddenly popped up from behind -> Rook “hahaha, did I surprised you? Pardon. Conceal my footstep sound was a habit I had. I am Rook Hunt. The hunter of love that set his life theme as looking for beauty, helping beauty.” -> Leona “tsk, there it is, that weird guy.” -> Rook asked where is monsieur dandelion -> Leona “no way we are together 24/7, just take those herbivores and go.” -> Deuce questioned who is monsieur dandelion -> it was Ruggie -> the reason why Rook calls him that is because last spring, Rook saw Ruggie picking dandelion in the sports field. Ruggie plans to eat those since his budget is a little tight this month -> so Rook calls him monsieur dandelion out of respect -> Leona “that guy… is he really fine with eating everything that’s not rotten? He didn’t make me eat dandelions too, right…?” -> Rook “non non, it’s not poison, it’s not good to be picky like that lord lion.” -> Ace brought up the audition for VDC, we almost forgot about that because of what happened -> Rook “I apologize, so you guys are, human species Ace Trappola, height 172cm, from class 1-A with student number 25. Human species Deuce Spade, height 173cm, from the same class 1-A with student number 24. And human species MC with demon beast species Grim, height 70cm. right?”

-> Deuce “how did you know our class and student number!?” -> Ace “and even height too!?” -> Rook “huhuhu. As a hunter, I have to at least know the species and heights about the students.” -> there’s no need to write anything to sign up, you only need to show up to the audition 3 days later in Pomefiore’s ballroom -> Rook ask why don’t Leona try for the auditions too -> Leona “who would go to a game event like that, besides, that annoying Vil is also there. I would never go.” -> Rook “the Vil with the beauty of metropolis, and Leona kun with the beauty of wilderness. If both of you dances and sings together it would definitely be beautiful. The competition between different types of beauty, it’s just tres bien!” -> Leona “this guy really doesn’t listen to other people at all…”

3 days later -> in Pomrfiore dorm lounge, you saw around 50 students who’s also trying for audition -> Cater was also one of it -> since he wanted to go to the event with the famous celebrity Vil -> Ace “isn’t that reason a little too light hearted?” -> Cater “really? I thought everyone is like that, I mean look.”

-> pointed at Ruggie who’s clearly here for money -> Lilia popped up again -> you recognized him as the person who handed you the holiday card -> Grim “he wasn’t the sender?” -> Lilia “the initials are different from mine right?” -> Lilia is here since he’s in light music club and it just makes sense for him to try -> he tried to invite Malleus too but he said he don’t want it to become the exhibition of some kind so he refused -> Lilia “that guy is kind of shy” -> Cater “I feels like that’s a little bit different from shy…” -> Lilia asked why didn’t Cater brought Trey along -> Cater tried but Trey has to help Riddle with all the works

they saw Ortho by himself for audition too and was surprised -> Ace commented on how Ortho looks like an elementary school student -> Cater said Ortho is accepted into this school with Idia, and they always take classes together -> Grim “how much of a brothercon is Idia…” ->Ortho “don’t talk bad on my brother!” -> Ortho explained how everything was approved by the principals, and is not like Idia brought him just because he’s lonely by himself -> Cater “sorry sorry, we kinda got to excited while talking about it since the Shroud brother is like the 7 mysteries of this school.” -> Ortho “I want to apologize for getting too upset as well, I just don’t want you to misunderstand my brother…” -> Cater asked if Ortho is also here for audition -> flashback -> basically Idia made a software with his voice to read out everything he typed -> for the speech since he just can’t talk in front of everyone -> but Idia also got pretty interested in the sound editing world -> Idia “since virtual idol is getting popular, should I put vocal synthesizer in Ortho too?” -> Ortho “sounds fun! I wanted to sing too.” ->Idia “alright~ let big brother handle everything.” -> so to test how far the vocal synthesizer can go, Ortho is here to take the audition -> Ace was surprised that they can just make singing sounds from programs -> Cater said those got quite popular and he likes it too, and wanted to show Grim a video of it -> there was an ad

Neige is promoting in the ad -> Cater mentioned how popular he is getting -> Vil, Rook, and Epel kicked in with sparkling effects -> Vil started introducing himself and explains how he will be the producer for the members appears in VDC

Auditions starts -> Ruggie sung and danced

-> Rook “monsieur dandelion. Such a light step and bright smile. With manliness and loveliness combined perfectly. Beaute! 100 points!” -> Vil “his way of moving isn’t bad, but his dancing and singing is still messy… next!”

Cater -> Rook “monsieur magcam. Your voice sounds just like the elegant sparkling diamond! I wanted to listen to it forever. Beaute! 100 points!” -> Vil “singing and dancing wasn’t bad, but I can’t feel any passions… next!”

Lilia -> Rook “monsieur curiosity. Such a lovely form and singing voice with an alluring aura… Beaute! 100 points!” -> Vil “I don’t know why… but I can’t feel any freshness of a high school student from Lilia. Next!”

Ortho -> Rook “monsieur doll. What a brand-new style…! Your robot dance and singing voice, will be sculpted into my eyes. Beaute! 100 points!” -> Vil “no matter how genre-less this event is, there’s a limit… next!”

Kalim -> Rook “lord gold! Your dance were just like the breeze that blow through the hot sand! And the singing that make me felt like flying. Beaute! 100 points!” -> Vil “hmm, it’s a little bit better than the vegetables that’s just rolling around.”

Jamil -> Rook “monsieur mulch. As expected… I can feel your buring soul underneath your cool mask! Beaute! 100 points!” -> Vil “not bad, he’s the most normal one out of all of them.”

Epel -> Rook “monsieur crabapple. So lovely! Beaute! 100 points!” -> Vil “that kid, misstep again, no matter how good was his rehearse, it would be meaningless if he can’t do good in the real deal. Also, Rook. aren’t you giving out nothing but 100 points? Are you judging seriously?” -> Rook “of course, but it’s so hard to pick a first when everyone are so wonderful. There’s beauty in the neatness, and there’s also beauty in the twisted. Don’t you think so?” -> last group -> Ace, Deuce, and Grim -> Rook “…I see I see.” -> end of the audition -> result will come out tomorrow -> Rook recommend the trio to Vil

Next day, Ace, Deuce, Grim just got off from class -> suddenly an arrow flies across barely missed Deuce’s nose -> Ace realized there’s a piece of paper on the arrow -> Deuce “what!? Is it a challenge to fight!?” -> Ace “stop connect everything to a fight, let me see…” -> both Ace and Deuce are accepted -> you are also asked to go with those two

You all headed towards Pomefiore -> you saw both Kalim and Jamil -> they are accepted as well -> but after going in Pomefiore, students keep showing up asking for fight -> finally you arrived to the ballroom

-> Vil showed up with sparkling effects again -> apparently the students are fighting with you because you are accepted members, it was a warm up Vil prepared for all of you so he can start the lesson right away -> Vil “listen up, start from now on we would be the representation for NRC, and aim for the first place in the VDC. The members that can’t even win a fight like that is not needed. The battle has already started and all of you should be prepared to be whipped to shape!” -> Kalim “I don’t really understand but okay!” -> Grim asks why are him and you here when you are not accepted -> Crowley showed up and explained, in order to practice for the team work, all of the members will live together in Ramshakle dorm -> Grim wanted to refuse -> but Vil and Rook said they will give you all of their reward money since their goal in this event is not money -> which is around 1.42 million -> you decided to accept the deal after all ->Vil “now let’s start the lesson!” -> Ace “I thought the lesson starts when we starts living together?” -> Vil “don’t get a big head, new potato number 1. You are still an amateur at singing and dancing, we can’t waste a single minute.” -> practice time.

End of this update.

Oh man it tooks me a whole entire day to do this… and to think this is just like part a of part1. The chapters are getting so much longer…

I Honestly felt like I missed up half of Rook’s nicknames since I don’t know French at all, basically got everything from google so please correct me if I’m wrong.

Also, Rook’s nickname for Epel is kinda weird, he call Epel hime ringo which directly translate to princess apple, but it is also a type of apple. In English it’s called crabapple, which kind of feels different then the Japanese text.

Can I just say I love the fact that we can fight Crewel now? And I just love how he call us zasshu while fighting, it probably referenced to like mixed blood dogs and all but it only reminds me of Gilgamesh lol.

Ahhh I really want Crewel to slap me.

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deafchild2000 · 3 years

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Things I think about:

• Miriam goes by "Mira K." Or "Mira" now.

• Charlotte is shocked to know Miriam already knows about mermaids and who they are.

• Miriam was shocked to find out Charlotte was a mermaid and angry as to how it all started

• (She ends up wishing she'd been more stealthy stealing that locket during that sleepover)

• Charlotte finds it hysterical when she learns why Miriam named her brand, Land B4 Seas

• Land B4 Seas becomes very popular over time and unknowingly, Kim Sertori becomes obsessed with Miriam's designs and wants to mentor under her.

• Back then (referring to 1x02), Miriam did heavily consider using the video of Cleo as a mermaid and Rikki's powers as collateral blackmail. But despite multiple opportunities, including being frozen alive, she decided to save it for a future favor.

• All the girls more or less have Bi panic hearing Bella sing for the first time.

• When Tiffany found out Bella once lived in Ireland, she said her beauty must come from being a Selkie, which caused Bella to choke on her drink because of how close it was to the actual truth.

• Bella outs herself to the girls and the only one surprised is Tiffany.

• Tiffany almost found out by accident prior

• None of the girls are a fan of Will Benjamin (a cheap, knock-off, dollar store Chris Hemsworth - Miriam)

• Miriam owns a licensed gun and knows how to shoot.

• Meaning if Will pokes his head around Bella again, she will use it.

• Charlotte becomes more of a part of Miriam's career when she introduces some of her handcrafted jewelry made from sea glass found on the beach, which inspires Miriam to start a jewelry line.

• Bella is encouraged to go into the model business by Tiffany

• Tiffany finds herself catching feeling for Miriam and doesn't know how to process it

• Miriam finds herself back in town and runs into an old flame, Zane Bennett

• Charlotte finds herself meeting Lewis under mysterious circumstances

• Miriam encourages Charlotte to get her tail back (because they made her the Bad Guy/no one's stopping her/her art is lacking and Miriam needs inspiration)

• A brush with paranoia leads Bella to take self-defense classes with a no-nonsense trainer

• Miriam finds herself questioning herself after a photoshoot with Tiffany

• When Land B4 Seas takes off enough that Miriam can open her boutique, she gets a surprising offer.

• Bella finds herself falling for her trainer and reuniting with her ex.

• Charlotte considers if she could handle being a mermaid once more.

• Tiffany and Miriam finally confess to one another.

• The girls band together when Bella finds herself in a dangerous situation.

(Actually, looking at this list, these might as well be episodes or chapters in a fanfic that I may never write!)

#h2o just add water #charlotte watsford #Brittany byrnes #miriam kent #annabelle Stephenson #tiffany h2o just add water #Alice Hunter #indiana evans #bella hartley

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thesevenprincess · 3 years

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𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏𝐒 | #2

Warnings: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes.

" 𝐌𝐈-𝐒𝐔𝐍.

Her.

Members.

Family.

Sunghoon.

Mi-Sun is a shy person, her shyness is lovely and you can't do anything, just melt and accept. Even during her career as a gamer, she wasn’t used to interacting with many people, only with her parents and her agent who did this for her. She could just stay home and train. But when she gave up everything to become what she really wanted for herself, Mi-Sun saw this opportunity as a chance for a fresh start, and even though she was shy, she struggled to interact with her members.

Violet was the first person she met, and asked her a lot of questions about her life in New York. And they became intimate quickly, in the beginning they shared the same bedroom. As stated earlier, Mi-Sun is referred to as the "mother of the group", and this is really true. She takes care of everyone, including her leader, scolding them when necessary. Mi-Sun is loving to all of them and likes to teach them how to play videogame, but Seulgi and Amira are the only ones who have the patience to learn.

Her family is a little complicated, they always worked hard for the image of Mi-Sun and rarely had time to "be parents". When she decided to become an idol and work hard to make it happen, Mi-Sun moved to Seoul and lived with her brother during that time. He supported and helped her whenever she needed a second plan, but now she's really happy and he is very proud as their parents.

One day, Mi-Sun randomly decided to go to Sunghoon and talk to him, obviously that left him surprised and a little reluctant about her, she told him how she liked his videos of him ice skating, and he just ran out of words, which made her a little embarrassed at first, but after a few days they start to talking like normal people usually do. It took a while for them to get more closer of each other. And now, they are very closer and know how to enjoy each other's company better. Sunghoon keep teasing her by saying, "you were so desperate to approach me" and "You are certainly in love with me", and she just blushes like the cutest thing she is.

" 𝐌𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐄.

Her.

Members.

Family.

Sunoo.

Taehyun.

Mirae is a very special young girl, and even though she is one of the youngest, she is very mature and intelligent. She prefers to read in a quiet room rather than going to a party. She is not very outgoing like Violet or Seulgi; she allows them to do that for her. Her mother taught her to read people's body language and not to interpret words, this helped her many times. But about her friendships, she is usually always sincere and objective, she would never lie to anyone close to her about something, when she introduces herself to someone, she tries to study how the person behaves. She is usually a little sarcastic and can seem to be meddling at times, but her intentions are always the best.

The first member she meet was Mi-Sun. They got along well at the beginning, and but it was not difficult for her to get close to all of them. She likes to study with the younger members and teach them the things she knows. Fun fact: she usually picks up the members' snacks and habits without them noticing.

Her father has a music school in her neighborhood, so she learned a lot of things before she started her training, but her favorite instrument is the piano, and she is very good at playing it. Her mother is a psychologist and has always helped her when necessary, although her parents are her best friends. She always had their support when she decided what she wanted to do.

Well, she and Sunoo are partners in crime, they are always together when they can. After a while, they became good friends and a had a dynamic of a savage duo, where they usually tease Jake, Violet, Mi-Sun and Sunghoon and make jokes about their relationships.

Mirae and Taehyun have mutual friends, that's why they approached each other. In the beginning they did not speak outside the company meetings. So, Destiny encouraged her to talk to him more, to make new friends, and after spending time with him on simple dates, they are now friends and often exchange books to read.

" 𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐑𝐀.

Her.

Members.

Family.

Jungwon.

I think I can say that Amira is "neutral", she doesn't mind to take the first step towards someone, she can be quite interested and has good ideas for starting a productive conversation. You would never tire of hearing her speak about something she like. At school she is a little more closed, she has always prioritized her studies and this did not change when she became more popular and started to draw more attention from others.

The first membet she meet was Destiny, and she knew that girl was the perfect choice for the leader in the instant she heard her speak and learn about her. She may be very welcoming, friendly and patient with the members, but she would hate if one of them not to take her seriously about something (but it never happened). She acts like a older sister to Seulgi when they are at school, waiting for her so that they can leave together and always have lunch in the company of the other.

Amira never heard anything about her biological family, she was adopted at a very young age and does not remember almost anything. But her adoptive parents always treated her with all the love they could give, invested their hopes in her and were a little bit afraid of her decision to become an idol, but they feared only her protection, and after much discussion, they accepted her wish and sent her to Seoul where she lived for a few months with her mother's friend. They talk almost every day and she always updates them on everything she does.

Amira LOVES to tease Jungwon, which is one of the things likes to do the most while talking to him. She really teases him a lot, approaching him randomly and smiling at all the things he says. She loves to act like she's in love with him and it makes him shy and awkward moments. But despite that, she respects him and treats him as the good leader he is. And even though they are just good friends, she feels a little jealous of his relationship with the other girls. (She secretly likes when he takes care of her.)

#enhypen imagines #girl group oc #fairy tale #mi-sun #mirae #amira

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furidojasutin · 4 years

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Title: Demon’s Cove

Pairing: Fraxus (Freed x Laxus)

Universe: Modern AU

Rating: K+

a/n: Fraxus Week, Day 1 - He likes guys. I guess I simply like the idea of Club/Coffee Shop/etc. AUs. I also enjoy either Laxus or Freed having a brotp with Mira and Cana. And I also like having more content of Laxus POV about Freed around, so that’s what I do. I hope you guys enjoy it!!

He always needed a few moments to adjust when he entered the building. From the outside it was a weird but appealing mixture of classy and shady. Or perhaps it was just his own odd taste that classified the look of the building as 'appealing'. Then again, attendances and the overall success of this place entirely spoke for themselves.

The 'Demon's Cove' was a damn popular destination for various night-life activities.

Right after setting foot in the main hall there was an influx of effects. He was right there by the dance floor, neon lights of different colors tinting the area and moving along of the beat of the music. It was loud and drumming on his ears and he knew it would only be a matter of time until his hearing would be duller. The music that the DJ was playing right now wasn't his favorite genre, but it wasn't horrible either. And really, he didn't come here for the music or dancing in the first place.

If he thought about it, it was odd enough that a place with so many people and such a boisterous energy had become one of his favorite places to distract himself at and, occasionally, even relax. Huh.

Laxus didn't linger in the main dancing area for long and instead began to slither through the crowd of people. It wasn't exactly an easy task for a man of broad stature and with people crowded even on the sidelines, but he was kind of used to it by now and could manage. It still wasn't comfortable and he didn't like doing it, but he could handle it better by now. The accidental random touches, dancing bodies, loud and chaotic people.

Yea... it was really odd that he would choose such a place for his free time, voluntarily.

Sweat and alcohol wafted off the people near him and he crinkled his nose at the invasive scent. He would get used to it while being and staying here, and he also fully planned on having the one or other drink for himself.

Once he reached the bar, he immediately spotted the familiar faces that he had come here for. Working here meant busy shifts, a high stress level and exhausting people. And damaged ears, probably, honestly. It meant little free time. That's why he would often come here on Friday or Saturday evening; to visit some of his friends and catch up on some stuff that happened, have the one or other conversation or just listen while he had his drinks. He was really more of a listener than a talker, really.

“Hey, man!” A tall girl with wavy brown hair strutted towards him, a wide grin on her face.

“Cana, what's up,” he greeted back casually, lips barely giving away the hint of a grin in return. Cana Alberona. She had been one of his longest friends and they still had a good bond with one another. They had also been through some shitty stuff together... Her alcohol problem had been one thing. She had made quite some progress and usually, logically one might argue that she absolutely shouldn't be working at a place like this if she wanted to see progress with her addiction. Oddly enough though, working here gave her less time to drink and helped her get a more healthy connection to alcohol. Huh.

Thinking about this kinda stuff gave Laxus the feeling that this night club was some special place for real.

“Been pretty busy.” She handed two shot glasses over to two guys who were laughing loudly before she walked away from behind the bar and towards him instead. They shared a fist-bump and then she brushed some stray strands of thick hair out of her face. Pearls of sweat were on her forehead. “You missed Bixlow, he stopped by here for an hour or so. Said he had some shit to finish until tomorrow so he couldn't stay long.”

Ah, right. “Yea, told me somethin' like that, too. I think it was something for his theater performance.”

“Sounds about right,” Cana agreed with a small nod.”Will you go see it?”

“The play?” Laxus raised a brow.

“No, his stripping performance,” she retorted and then elbowed him in a friendly manner when Laxus gave a gruff huff. “Of course I mean the play.”

“I guess.” He would. He just felt like, for some stupid reason, he couldn't seem all too excited about it. Display of feelings had never been his strong suite anyway.

“He did invite all of us, huh? Anyway, bet it's gonna be awesome. Should be good entertainment. Bix has a fun taste.”

She definitely had a point. Knowing Bixlow, this wouldn't be some boring, old-fashioned play. Theater wasn't exactly his thing but Laxus truly didn't believe that it was gonna be all too horrible to experience.

Cana's eyes darted around the hall, then back to the bar and then to Laxus again. Apparently there was more to take care of. “Say hi to Mira, I bet she's happy to see and talk to you. She's on the other side of the bar.”

With a bump to his shoulder she left his side to pursue her work.

He didn't really know the other three bartenders he spotted on this side of the bar and they seemed distracted anyway. He kept walking around the large, round bar until he spotted the familiar head of white hair.

Much like Cana predicted, Mira's face lit up the second she spotted him. “Laxus,” she practically beamed and waved him over to her after handing two freshly mixed cocktails to a girl and a guy. “I didn't expect you here tonight.”

She was clearly happy to see him, though, and sometimes Laxus wondered how he had even managed to make solid acquaintances or even friends, and such great ones, too. “Yea, had some stuff to take care of,” he explained curtly once he stood in front of her with the bar counter between the two of them. He didn't have to shout here at least, and the neon lights didn't reach this area as strongly. All in all the bar was definitely the more complacent area.

“I see,” she replied and the smile didn't leave her face. “So, what can I get you to drink?”

“I take the usual.”

“The usual it is. And it's good to see you,” Mira added swiftly and then proceeded to prepare his drink.

Mirajane Strauss. She was a romantic and a dreamer... and an aspiring singer. Her voice really was something. But the rational part of her had made sure that she had a secure income, so she finished an education first and had now been working at the Demon's Cove for a year.

Somewhere in the crowd he saw Cana slithering through the people with a tray in her hand and it was so much more skillful than what he would ever be able to do in that regard. Hibiki as well as Eve and Ren and Jenny seemed to be off duty today. And...

“Loke not here today or is he turning innocent people's heads again?”

Loke was probably the biggest flirt he knew and for a long time he just hadn't been able to become comfortable with the ginger. Laxus had learned that he was actually a genuinely good guy, but they would never become best friends, he didn't think.

Mira seemingly hadn't heard him and when he turned his head back towards her she was talking to another customer. His drink was almost ready, though.

Then the next moment happened and if Laxus was to give that very moment a title, then it would get the title 'doom'. How very fitting, wasn't it? He was in the Demon's Cove, after all.

A new guy walked into the picture and his presence immediately caught Laxus' attention. Not very subtly, too. For this entire moment, he found himself unable to rip his orange gaze off this other man. His brain turned off, all noise disappeared into the background. He had never been a fan of clichés and sappy shit... and he had never thought that he of all people would become victim of such a cliché moment. Him. Laxus Dreyar. Staring like some teenage boy.

The moment was over and Laxus blinked once before his expression instantly turned into a frown. Thick but defined eyebrows drew together and he looked over towards Mirajane who was thankfully handing him the drink now. He noticed that he wanted to catch another glimpse of the other bartender again.

He thought he was in full control of himself again and absolutely didn't notice Mira's sneaky, knowing smile.

“So...,” Laxus began, making his best effort to sound as disinterested and casual as possible. “Who's your new Incubus, huh?”

Mira chuckled at that and he really didn't understand what was so funny now. Deciding that she had a moment, she rested her elbows on the counter and leaned in a bit so Laxus could hear her better. “Oh? Do you mean him?”

She nodded towards the man and he just knew that she wanted him to look at him again. Thus, he just grumbled and made a vague, annoyed gesture with his hand. “Yea, Yea. Him.”

“That's Freed.” At least she was really answering now, without more teasing. “Loke will be busy with some traveling for two weeks, so Freed will help us out during that time. He has worked at a bar before and,” She paused. For a split-second there was a spark in her blue eyes. “He's quite popular among our customers.”

“Uh-huh.”

Laxus wasn't sure what else to answer. He wasn't dumb and not oblivious (most of the time) but he had now noticed the little change in Mirajane's behavior and he knew exactly what she was doing.

The thing is, she was right to do so. Because apparently he was already feeling some kind of interest towards that guy, Freed, without even knowing him.

And when he dared to look over a second time, just a quick once-over, he noticed the group of three women practically hanging on his every word. He couldn't hear what they were talking about and he couldn't be sure if that absolutely charming, smirky-like smile on the man's face was real or fake, but... Damn.

It made him feel things and he didn't exactly like it.

Before he could think twice he had already downed half of his drink. It was great but his mind was suddenly too occupied to really enjoy its taste.

“Do you want me to introduce you to him?” Mira rested her chin on her folded hands.

He absolutely didn't like her look and his frown only deepened. He knew he would have to be careful what to say if he didn't want to catapult himself deeper into this situation and Mirajane's possible teasing, so all he did was to glare at her.

Of course it didn't faze her. At all. But he still felt good doing it.

It quickly turned out that 'doom' had been a fitting title for that moment, though, and Laxus was... conflicted. Because suddenly, Freed was near by.

When had he left the bar? When had he walked towards him? Shit, he'd been too occupied with Mira and now she got what she wanted anyway.

Or maybe he wanted this too?

Fuck.

Either way, it didn't look like Freed actually wanted to walk towards him. He was just about to walk past him when Mira beckoned him to stop.

“Freed, wait a second!”

The addressed man turned his head towards Mira's shouting voice and blinked once. Then his gaze landed on Laxus for a brief moment and he demonstratively looked away and grabbed his drink.

Wow, very mature.

“That's Laxus, a good friend of mine,” Mira started to introduce and smiled. Laxus wanted to curse her right then.

Freed's attention was back on him again and he stubbornly took another sip of his drink. It didn't seem to unnerve the bartender.

“Laxus? Well then, it's nice to meet you. Mirajane has told me a lot about you.” His voice was deep and smooth. It was nice to listen to and Laxus almost hadn't heard the second part. Almost.

He threw a small glare at his friend. Told him about him? Did she now?

But much as expected, Mira only smiled.

And Freed was still waiting for a response.

“Uh, yea. Nice to meet you, too.”

He was half tempted to ask what Mira had told him but then decided that he probably didn't really want to know.

Freed was just acknowledging that with a nod and a smile and apparently he was ready to pursue his work again when suddenly somebody bumped into Laxus from behind. The impact was so hard that he stumbled forward against Freed and... spilled the rest of his drink on his white dress shirt.

“What the hell?!” Mira's eyes had gone wide and Freed jumped back in surprise. There was a lot going on in that scene. Somebody was frantically apologizing and then disappearing into the crowd, Freed was cursing under his breath for a moment and Laxus was cursing as well. With his voice. In his mind. He wanted to curse everything. “Fuck!” He shouted and then looked over at the bartender.

After Freed had released his own quick series of cuss words, he was seeming very calm and actually not bothered so much. Perhaps this kind of thing happened often. It didn't make Laxus feel better for spilling his own fucking drink on the man that worked here, was an acquaintance of Mira and the man he was apparently interested in.

He hadn't dared to look before, but now he kind of had an excuse. The white-dress shirt was hugging Freed's body very nicely. The sleeves were rolled up exposing his forearms, he could see arm muscles play under the fabric and overall he looked like a fit and healthy guy. Two buttons were loose. His long, striking hair was tied up into a ponytail and it suited him perfectly. Bangs covered one of his eyes, the other had an intense, light-blue color. There was a mole under it, as well. He was attractive.

That man was hot.

And Laxus probably owed him an apology now. Or did he? Before he even got the chance to say something, Freed was already waving him off.

“It's fine, don't worry. It's not the first time that this happened, after all.” He gave a soft huff as he tugged at his drained shirt but when he looked up there was an assertive, reassuring look in his eye that made Laxus believe that it was fine.

Mira mumbled agreement and Laxus handed over the now empty glass. What a waste.

“I'll go to the bathroom to wash some of it out and then I'll be back as fast as possible,” Freed announced and Mirajane didn't hesitate to give her agreement. He gave both Laxus and Mirajane a nod before already turning around and making his way through the laughing, discussing, drinking, dancing people.

Well, if that wasn't absolutely shitty.

Doom.

Perhaps he should just go home again.

To Laxus' surprise there was a small frown on Mira's face now and he felt a comforting touch of her small hand against his shoulder. “It's like he said, this happens all the time and it wasn't your fault.”

With a snort, he was quick to retort and avoid her gaze, “Don't be ridiculous, I don't care.”

Mira removed her hand and was suddenly out of his sight. He couldn't hear her rustle over all the other, much louder sounds so he was more than a little surprised when she popped back up in front of the counter and had a navy blue dress shirt in her hand. She practically forced the clothing into his hand and gave him a firm squeeze. “I have to keep working. Bring this over to the staff bathroom so he can change.”

He looked at the fabric in his hand, then back up. He really wasn't sure about this. Narrowing his eyes, he studied her face. “You want me to give the shirt to Freed?”

“Yes. It will be more comfortable for him to wear a clean shirt rather than the ruined one, don't you think?”

Clearly, he couldn't argue with that logic. Was it coincidence that they had a spare shirt behind the bar? Did they have multiple ones and Freed just didn't know about it?

One way or another, Laxus knew that he wasn't going to decline. With a remaining spark of undefined resentment he shifted and was about to make his way to the staff bathroom where Freed would be. Fortunately, he had been there once before so he knew exactly where to go. And his known presence wouldn't raise any questions as to why he was entering it. Having friends here did have its perks.

Before he was out of earshot, however, Mira threw a couple of final words at him.

“Oh, and he likes guys, by the way.”

Laxus stopped in his movement abruptly. He hadn't wanted to because that meant Mira would know that he had heard him. Clearly. He refused to turn around, refused to look at her.

But these words undeniably did something to him.

He likes guys...

So entertaining the group of women with his charming smirk had only been part of his job, too, right?

And Mira had introduced him to one another.

He had spilled his drink on the man's shirt and he was now going to supply him with a dry shirt to change into.

His thoughts were a mess but he was moving again. Hopefully, none of those thoughts would show on his face when he entered.

Admittedly, not much of that hope was left when he joined Freed in the bathroom, explained why he was here and handed the new shirt to him.

Because not only did Freed seem much more content with that solution and thanked him for the piece of clothing, but he also started unbuttoning the wet shirt immediately and slipped out of it, revealing his bare torso, and Laxus discovered that he had been correct about the earlier impression that this man seemed quite fit.

He was doomed.

#fraxus #fraxusweek #fairy tail #freed justine #laxus dreyar #freed x laxus #Sel writes #Long live the Queue #my stuff #have some GAY PANIC #mirajane strauss #cana alberona

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shanyyhermosoxoxo · 3 years

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My Top 5 Manhwa List

5. Omniscient Readers Viewpoint

Status: On going

Chapters: 52

Reviews:

The first time I read this, it caught my attention. The Chapter 0 was written well. I was writing this after reading chapter 22 and like the others say, at the beginning of the story, it has a slow paced story but the growth of the MC is what I like about these types of manhwas. How to use the knowledge of knowing what will happen is what makes you continue this manhwa. The scenario and art are similar to other dungeon related manhwas but I really have high expectations from this.

Story - 9/10

Art - 10/10

Characters - 9/10

Overall - 9/10

4. The God of High School

Status: On going

Chapters: 509

Reviews:

THIS WEBTOON IS AWESOME!! The plot, art style and the character development is top tier. Characters with great personality, these martial artist, some genuin fighters (Mori Jin) some power borrowers (Daewi Han, Mira Yoo), are some exceptional characters in GOH and the main protagonists. Their will to achieve their goals, their loyalty to their friendship and all the mysteries of their pasts that they in tern did not even know about. They go through ups and the even higher ups while staying true to themselves and they pass your love for them like a batton to each other throughout the story.

Storyline is great, it's funny and always keeping you on your toes. To be honest when I had just started I had no clue to where it was going, I just knew that it was about martial arts... and a lot happened in the manhwa that I cannot comprehend. After reading it, all the details and informations are still processing to me. I thought it was all about MARTIAL ARTS and SCHOOL and stuff but man, it was a roller coaster ride. I‘m sure you’ll be hooked as well. The plot twist is giving me anxiety lmao so yeah, if you like a lot of fighting, great characters and detestable villains then what are you waiting for?? I’m sure it is perfect for you and you’re gonna like it.

Story - 9/10

Art Style - 9/10

Characters 10/10

Overall - 9/10

3. Eleceed

Status: On going

Chapters: 136

Reviews:

I really really love this story so just read it and don't read useless reviews. But I made one anyways lol. Sooo...

I clicked on Eleceed by mistake and I don't regret it at all. The cover picture looked very boring to me but the story is amaziiing. What are you still waiting for? Art will also get better with time and characters. I don't know how this is possible but I love almost every character in this manhwa. Like yeah, first you won't like everyone but there is this thing called character development. I am an avid fan of solo leveling so I made it in top 3 but solo leveling is still higher tho hahaha yes I do have favoritism. The protagonist will also become OP but you can see that he worked hard and well KAYDEN-SAMA (he's proly not japanese but I had to show some respects) is his teacher. Kayden is not the protagonist (sadly) but he's also the OP from the beginning. On the top of that he's very cruel and the tsundere type (which is really popular in the manhwa), haha. In the first chapter, he got seriously hurt by his enemies so he decided to turn into cat and hide. Meanwhile in this time, Jiwoo will find him (this manhwa is full of cat lovers, I love it) and take care of him. That's when they will get to know each other and build their beautiful father-pupil relationship. In next chapters, we will encounter many difficult situations with many different characters but seriously - I LOVE THEM ALL. They will turn into such babies, I swear, you will love them too.

This manhwa made me cry so many times. But not because it was sad. It was sooo funny! I don't normally read comedies but this is a gem. Yeah, so if you liked Solo leveling or The beginning after the End, you will most likely like this too. I feel like this is way too underrated, so let's change it! Let's make it into a well-known manhwa!

Story - 9/10

Art - 10/10

Characters - 10/10

Overall - 10/10

2. The Beginning After the End

Status: Ongoing

Chapters: 101

Reviews:

This manhwa which is about a king being reborn in another world. The protagonist Arthur, short Art(pre-rebirth: King Grey), is learning magic and fighting from a young age and is good at it since he can use his experiences from his former life in swordsmanship and the KI from his previous world is similiar to the mana in the world the story is taking place in. The characters have nice backgrounds that are getting more clear as the story moves on. Also the characters are developing over time. The story is very interesting: Not only is it very exciting but it also has a lot of events that make sense and dont just come out of nowhere like it often happens in such mangas. If u don't read this you will really miss a lot of joy and exitement. I have put this on top 2 because I can? Haha lol jokes aside, I just really really love the storyline so much as it progresses, in recent chapter I just gosh my sail just sailed. I don’t know author-nim is focusing on more action/adventure/isekai genre but no hun, romance is in it as well!

As for negative things about the manga...The art isn't the best. Art's family loves fem heartily, but at times it can come across as a bit too gooey. There is homophobia in chapter 40.

Story - 10/10

Art - 5/10

Characters - 9/10

Overall - 9/10

1. Only I Level Up - Solo Leveling

Status: On going

Chapters: 148

Review: I put this on my top 1 because duh?? The plot/ storyline is top tier, I know this is overrated by some of you but this manhwa is the defenition of a perfect masterpiece.

Well to be honest it is the best manhwa so far that i ever read and i love to know more so please author dont stop this manga for atleast a century and also waiting for when it is going to release its anime version.

Solo Leveling is a manga with the leveling aspect similar to ''the gamer or shield hero'' where we follow the breathtaking journey Sung Jin-Woo who is at the weakest amongst all hunters ''E-Rank'' fighting his way through many life and death experiences and hardships.

Story - 10/10

Art - 10/10

Characters - 10/10

And so.. that’s it!! I just wanna share my experience while reading these Manhwas. I am so glad that I found these masterpieces and so thankful to be born in this era hahaha. Author-nims’ I hope you won’t stop giving and feeding us this type of story. <33

#manhwa #top tier #manhwalist

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shinahbee · 3 years

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November Favorites 2020!

Hello!

So as you may have seen I have been uploading a bunch of art all of November, not every week because of my crippling job at the moment taking away my sanity.lol. But i did try my best to update whenever I can. I do have so much more to complete so please look out this December for more digital art being pumped out

How are you all doing? I'm holding up decently, I'm trying to avoid talking about covid since that's all i've been hearing from work and home and it's really making me anxious since i'm not able to work from home due to the nature of my job. I hope you all are holding up hope and taking care of your selves, let's all remember that there is a time after this and we will get through this.

with that being said I will have a lot more time to spend on my art after January since my work term is going to end and I don't plan to stay for an extension, so maybe then I'll catch up on all of my previous art that I was supposed to upload, a.k.a my hero academia ones.lol

also I'm still chugging along reading more manhwa (web toons ) from korean and chinese artists, i'm so disappointed in myself for not discovering these sooner, these stories are really good and so much effort was put into the art panels, as I have said all I've read was manga so i'm used to just seeing black and white panels, so i never really dove into web toons though I have appreciated the work put into it, now that I'm down the rabbit hole I am discovering really good story lines that are different from the manga I've read thus far and I'm really enjoying it!

so i'm excited to share my thoughts on everything I've been liking

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Manhwa/Manga/Webtoon

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so previously in last months recommendations I have talked about a few of the manhwa I've been reading so I'll briefly list those below since they are all still ongoing

1) who's baby is it

2) to be or no to be

3) social temperature

4) salad days

all of them are still ongoing and i'm still in the process of reading them so I can't give a full review till it's completed but so far I am still enjoying them, that's definitely a good sign since i tend to just drop something after I don''t find it interesting anymore at some point in the story. If you have not read my October favorites journal please do so for my initial thoughts on these manhwas. Now i'm actually going to talk about some of the ones that are completed , so you can definitely read all of them without waiting for the an update from translators, lol

this is in no particular order, just fyi

1) Path to you

"When almost college dropout Jensen attempts to drink away his problems, unemployed Nathaniel( Neil ) suddenly pukes on him and ruins his night. As an apology, Nathaniel offers to help Jensen with his studies. Despite Jensen's difficulties in getting along with people, the two become friends and something deeper begins to grow between them...”

this is the summary from one of the manga websites I was able to find, it does not even describes the emotional plot line that goes along with this later, this is ones of my absolute favorites! I love this manhwa so much, its a great depiction of a coming of age story for collage students going through their life journey and slowly getting though life's difficulties and challenges, one character is going though emotional trauma and trying to over come it for years and another character is going through anti social disorder and discovering his sexuality, it's a plot line that portrayed human aspects in life quite well. I love the relationship between the two main character and how their relationship developed over time from being friends to being a couple. there is a lot of relationship building and minimal drama, which is really refreshing from mangas that I've read, so if you are just starting to delve into BL webtoons, please read this first! you will not be disappointed

with that being said, I love Neil, so much.... you don't even know. lol. He's so precious, literally like an actual cinnamon roll. LOL. i'm exposing myself ...so i'll leave it at that, i’m also wondering why his name is neil instead of nathan or nate...? lol.

2) Here U Are

"Orientation of the newcomers is a task for YuYang, and he ends up helping the unsociable and towering LiHuan, the kind of person that does everything to be disliked. But after better knowing each other, he discovers that the giant isn’t that bad of a person at all...”

I really wish I could find better summaries, lol. but it's to the point without giving away too much so i'll take it. This is one of the most popular series and I can totally see why after reading it, this story has every possible human aspect and relationship building between the two main leads, I actually teared in some parts of this manhwa and I've never done that before! such a good story and plot line, if I were to pick any series in a web toon to be animated then I would choose this series hands down. There's also sub plots between different characters as well and how they deal with their interpersonal relationships and relationships between the two main leads, I love it! This is everything I want in a story, so please check this one out

also yuyang looks a lot like miyuki Kazuya from Daiya no ace and that just made me drawn to him.I really liked his personality and in the manhwa he has girls and guys in love with him and dude...I get it.

3) BJ Alex

"Every night at 10, Dong-gyun locks himself up in his room, grabs a box of tissues, and watches a live cam boy show hosted by Alex, a BJ (broadcast jockey). Timid Dong-gyun admires not only Alex’s ripped body, but his candor in sharing his sexual experiences with viewers. One night, Dong-gyun downs too many drinks at a school networking event and passes out. When he wakes up, he’s in bed staring up at a shirtless hunk. A hunk who looks an awful lot like...Alex.”

so um...this is more yaoi than shounen ai cause of all the graphic scenes in the manhwa, if you are veteran you may have already read this one cause its really popular. It also has a lot of comedic elements to it too so it's not too serious, but the relationship developed between the two characters later on is really sweet despite the infinite amount of sex scenes. Not much else to say about this story, it's easy to follow and the only abuse in here is the emotional kind

I'm not really entirely sure how i felt about it in the beginning but the end is really good

4) No way, vampires don't exist

"Four college housemates — Juwon, Eunho, Seongjae, and Gyumin — are in desperate need of a fifth person to fill a vacant room in their place. But their main concern isn’t about paying rent: they’re ravenous vampires, dying to sink their teeth into a fresh, live human! So they can’t believe their luck when Dongha, who grew up isolated from society, eagerly moves in with no idea of what awaits him. To the vampires’ dismay, however, Dongha doesn’t weigh enough for them to suck his blood! As they shower their unsuspecting new housemate with food and attention to fatten him up, have they gotten too attached to their would-be prey? And is there more to sweet, naive Dongha than meets the hungry vampires’ eyes?”

I have to preface by saying that ever since my twilight phase, I didn't consume anything that had to do with vampires for a very long time, for obvious reasons, but this one I just came across after reading path to you and thought I would at least check it out. It started off really comedic and I was like...what am i reading? but it gets really light hearted and wholesome later on in the story. What I like about this is the character juwon, If you look at him he's that type of character that would look like the stoic a-hole of the story and those characters never appeal to me. But turns out he's the sweetest person most decent person of this story, it makes you want to route for him and another thing I like about this story is that it looks like a harem but you can tell that there’s only one person the main character doungha treats differently from the rest and how the two are compatible with one another. in these kind of stories, it’s always treated as every character is a possible route that leads to their own story but in here....there's only one...let's be real. This is one that is an odd ball cause it's technically completed but the translations are not...so i had to read the rest in korean, which makes it a good practice for me since i'm learning korean at the moment, it’s a good exercise...lol

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Anime/ Drama

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Not going to lie this department is lacking...lol. I have only been watching Heavens official blessing as mentioned in the last journal

but I have just found out that there is a remake of Shaman king in the making....and my little girl heart is screaming cause I loved shaman king when i was younger...so I can't wait for that

as for dramas, I've tried watching Start Up but I didn't like it so I dropped it, I might try watching crash landing on you since my best friend was obsessed with it, I watched a little of it but I left it since I was busy so i may get back to watching it from the beginning

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Music

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i'll put together a play list for you when you read these manga/manhwa...lol. cause that's what i've been doing

Playlist

Crush- No words

Sam kim - Breathe

Crush - let us go

Kim feel - falling

Paul kim - Dream

Kim feel - Hallelujah

Davichi - please don't cry

Yoo mirae - say

taeyeon - a poem called you

baek yerin- Here I am again

I wish tumblr has a way to play music on your page, without copy right..lol. I would share all of these songs cause they are so good

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so that's it for the month of November, lets' see what i get up to for December, I will be updating as frequently as possible so please look out for more art from me and follow me on my social media , I will see you all next time

bye!

Sheena

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Social media

Devianatart: she-be.deviantart.com

Instagram: shinb_art

Tumblr: shinahbee

#monthly favorites #november favorites #anime and manga #manhwa #manga favorites #journal #kpop music #kdrama #path to you #here u are #bj alex #no way vampires don't exist

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rycewrites · 5 years

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lookism rant #1

so... it’s spring break. and i’ve spent the entire break doing what any smart ap student would do: ignoring my five looming ap tests and draining my phone battery by looking at webtoons and instagram. since most of my favorite webtoons are on hiatus, i have resolved to rereading my favorites, and one that i’ve reread the most so far is lookism. as spring break comes to a finish in two days, i decided to get my life back on track and instead of simply rereading the comic, i will rant about my most and least favorite characters starting with the fandom’s all-time favorite character (yes, if you check the wiki for lookism there is a poll and it is fact that he is the majority’s favorite), jay hong/hong jae yeol. (also, note that these are my opinions so if you disagree with them don’t be offended but i would be happy to hear other people’s opinions on the webtoon! please comment who would be on your list because i need to talk to more people who read lookism!)

top favorite characters~

1. jay hong/hong jae yeol:

let’s just list off reasons why everyone loves him: he is well-dressed (even plans out other people’s outfits), generous (gives daniel literally everything he wants), selfless (he fricking took in enu’s pups even though he is scared of dogs), RICH (main reason for kouji’s admiration), strong (manz uses his systema well), and CAN RIDE A MOTORCYCLE (yes, i love a man who can ride a bike). he may not be the most dynamic character, but his static puppy status makes it impossible for me to put him lower on this list. we honestly don’t know that much about his backstory and i am super curious about why his family relationships are so strained (except with his sister, joy). for now, he remains a mystery, but like an attractive mystery. overall, me -> ( ･_･)♡

2. zach lee/lee jin sung:

honestly hated this boi in the beginning because he was a big bully to daniel, but he has been through some SERIOUS character development. mira was a big part in this but i feel like overall his morals have changed so much even when mira isn’t around. he does still fight often, but now it’s not meaningless violence as he uses his boxing skills to defend his friends (ex: defending johan during the god dogs arc).

i also hated his eyebrows and hair in the beginning of the comic but like that’s personal preference. however, in the last few episodes, his hair looks SO GOOD (reference image above).

he is second on my list of favorite characters because i feel that his development throughout the story has been the most dynamic. he not only changed mentally as he overlooks lookism more (ex: he is not only friends with big daniel but also little daniel) but also physically as he doesn’t simply depend on his inherent talent for boxing but actually goes back and trains again in order to get better (to defend mira >.<)

in the future, i hope to see more development with his relationship with mira and his friends because i hold a lot of high hopes for this boi! ♥‿♥

3. vasco/lee eun tae/tabasco:

BIG CUTIE ENERGY ♥╣[-_-]╠♥! first off, he may not have as much long-term development over the course of the story like zach, but we do see a lot of his development with his own arc and bullying story. he was always a pure boi and his inherent innocence creates a discrepancy with his appearance which makes him more endearing in my opinion. the idea of lookism is very apparent in his character because most people look at him and see him as a gangster or someone very intimidating, but in reality his personality and mindset are very innocent (showing another way that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover). i honestly LOVED the scene in the god dogs arc in which he defended zach and daniel joins in because that friendship is GOLDEN. i love how he always strives to be stronger and more powerful to defeat the evil in the world because it shows that he truly cares about the weaker people and those impacted by lookism. in my opinion, i think that vasco and zach will end up being the most powerful in the story (but that’s my opinion)

4. mira kim/kim mi jin:

pure! cute! sweet! moral! (✿ ♥‿♥)! mira is just an all-around great gal that makes it impossible for me to find flaws with. although she isn’t super major in terms of daniel’s story, she does impact zach significantly and makes him a better person. like she is the sole reason that zach has become a character that i truly admire and like. (although she did think that daniel was the r-word when he tried hitting on her in the beginning of the story. but throughout the story we see that she isn’t really a person to judge people on looks and stuff as we see that she gives jasmine the benefit of the doubt even after the vasco fiasco)

5. yena/eli jang’s (jang hyun’s) daughter:

honestly too cute for words. like the episodes where zach and mira find her are my favorites so i just wanted to include her in my favorite character list. also, she seems to be a character that really impacts other characters (zach and eli really changed for her ಥ_ಥ)

least favorite characters~

park ji ho:

always doing dumb things and making it harder for the people around him. he tries too hard to be a part of the popular group and as zach said, he doesn’t really think of them as friends because he just thinks about what the benefits are for hanging out with daniel and co. i think we all went from being tolerant of jiho in the beginning and then hating him at the end. i especially hated how he kept blaming other people and yet not accepting when people were being friendly. especially during the fake bank account arc, he just brushed off daniel when he asked jiho if he wanted to go to the convenience store then jiho goes running back to daniel and his friends when he realizes his mistake. overall, -123912830/10.

2. james gong:

don’t even know where to start with this punk. very violent for very little reason! i know i stated before that i hate jiho but i still felt kinda bad for him when he realized that james had sold the bank account he made for him. just overall a very intimidating character that hurt zach (ﾉಥ益ಥ）ﾉ ┻━┻

3. jasmine huh:

needs to get her shit(ake) together. first off, she almost got vasco expelled from the school because of her lies. like big! red! flag! it seems that she really doesn’t care about other people (except james) and is willing to put so many other people at risk to save her own behind. also, i hate how she uses other people. like how she uses mira to make money when mira didn’t do anything wrong ヾ(ﾟдﾟ)ﾉ. i hope she one day realizes that her lies are gonna hurt so many other people and then herself.

4. heemin kim/zeus/creepy dude from the boot camp arc:

sexual assault is a big no in this household. i hate how he thinks that being handsome can defend him of his crimes! also, he broke zach’s arms which made me FLIP OUT. LIKE HOW DO YOU DARE TO HARM MY BOXER BOI. he also attacked mira, an actual angel ლ(ﾟдﾟლ). words can’t describe how much i hate this man but numbers can -> 0/10

5. logan lee/lee tae sung:

big bully energy. he needs to lay his hands off of everyone (especially zoe!). blackmail? big no go in this household. he also dumped his plate of food on mira? BIG NO GO! he needs to get his life together and realize that people don’t hate him because he’s “ugly,” it’s because he has THE WORST PERSONALITY!

6. strong contenders for least favorite: stalker girl, animal cruelty cat mom/hoarder, zoe’s stalker

characters that i need more information about to form stronger opinions about~

vin jin/jin ho bin:

dislike him because he abused enu but also want to know more about him. big bully energy but i feel like he has a deep backstory behind him so i want to know more. why did he quite judo? why does he wear sunglasses? hope he gets over his superiority complex and changes because i feel like he has a lot of potential.

2. eli jang/jang hyun:

so far, very cute and strong is all i have to say about him. also, he is a good dad like that scene where he put out that god dog’s cigarette? MAJOR PROPS TO YOU ELI. i’m very curious about his backstory as well because it seems that he was a contender for gun’s successor but he changed drastically to take care of yena. i also just love a man with good hair sooo…

3. jong gun + joon goo:

i want to know more about these two! like what’s their backstory? why did gun create the 4 big crews? why was goo sent to the juvenile detention center before? (look at vasco’s bullying arc for reference) why did gun leave goo alone with the money collection? overall very mysterious and i want to learn more.

random characters that just deserve appreciation~

crystal choi/choi soo jung:

we stan a strong female character. however, i don’t like how she is immediately prejudiced against handsome men in the beginning of her appearance. i think over time she’ll realize that her prejudice isn’t right and her experience as someone who has to deal with lookism doesn’t justify her immediate judgements. however, we need more female fighters in this story so she is a big yes.

2. duke pyeon:

WE STAN A MAN WHO FOLLOWS HIS DREAMS DESPITE BEING BULLIED AND JUDGED. yes, we stan.

3. daniel park/park hyung suk:

honestly, he’s a great character and all, but i don’t know if he could ever reach favorite character status. i just have a mindset that makes me unable to pick the protagonist as a favorite character because i feel like they are sometimes created specifically to just bring the story together. don’t get me wrong, he’s a great person, defends his friends, and doesn’t fight for no reason, but i feel like there isn’t anything super special about his personality (other than the fact that he has two bodies but like so does crystal). he also looks like kim seokjin in his new body which is a big plus.

4. inu/enu + inu/enu’s pups:

i love dogs

5. mary kim/idk her korean name someone help me:

strong female character? i think yes. honestly such a fav. she doesn’t take sh*t from vin jin and i honestly want to know more about her character and background. *spoiler alert* i read ahead in the korean version and saw that she can beat people up too so like… she’s a bada**.

6. kouji:

as a person interested in computer science, I STAN. i also love a man with good hair. his cocky personality is sometimes off-putting but honestly his confidence is endearing at times. also we both love money!

7. jace park/park bum jae:

during vasco’s bullying story, i was so sad when he left vasco, but i love how he realized that he should’ve been a better friend and has stuck with vasco after all of this time. also love how he listens to vasco and tries to make him happy even when he knows that vasco does some silly things (like planting durian seeds in korea)

8. zoe park/park ha neul:

i love her development! she still fights with herself over whether she should like big daniel or small daniel, which displays her internal conflict with lookism. over time she has stopped judging people solely on their appearance and she is even able to distinguish between daniel and his cousin! (in my opinion, if daniel doesn’t end up with jay he better end up with zoe instead)

9. daniel’s (hyung suk’s) mother:

ICON! WE NEED TO APPRECIATE OUR PARENTS MORE! I AM A BIG STAN! SHE WORKS HARD FOR DANIEL AND IT BREAKS MY HEART WHEN DANIEL DOESN’T REALIZE!

10. song johan:

deserved better. he was just trying to help his mom which makes him so pure! but i feel like he should realize that he has friends (zach and mira) that could help him get through his problems! overall, want to see more of him and i hope he develops even more.

#lookism #daniel park #crystal choi #zach lee #vasco #jay hong #kouji #johan #webtoon #zoe park #logan lee #jace park #mary kim #vin jin #eli jang #james gong #mira kim

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natsubeatsrock · 5 years

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“Lisanna meant more dead than alive.”

This statement is one that I've seen pop up very often. This always comes up whenever the discussion comes to her in-series role post-Edolas. As the argument goes, she was important to characters before she was thought to be dead. But when she came back, she had little to do with and was pushed to the sidelines.

A few years ago, I would have probably made a different post than this. What I would probably have done is defend Lisanna's usefulness in series to characters after her return. I'd maybe even blame the fandom for how things ultimately went down and point out the hypocrisy of this statement.

However, I've thought about this particular statement more as I think more about changing the series as a whole. One of the tricky things about what I want to do is make stuff that didn't happen in any form of Fairy Tail seem at least plausible. To do anything important, I have to justify my decisions with

I want to (and plan to) give her more stuff to do, but there's kind of a limit. Like, I could absolutely do stuff like make Lisanna about as important as Lucy to the series if I wanted to. She could be a member of Team Natsu who gets her own major fights and substantial screen time. However, at that point, I feel like I'd go too far past what could have happened.

And, after the whole thing with Mashima in France, I started to ask myself a different question: Would we, as a fandom, actually want Lisanna to do more in the series after coming back?

Off the bat, part of me is skeptical of this question because of the reaction to stuff like additions to the anime. Shinji Ishihara and his team added a ton of stuff about Lisanna that wasn't in the original manga. While I think that they're all amazing additions, especially when they deal with her impact on other characters, this isn't the consensus opinion. To many people, this is exactly the kind of thing that drove them to believe that she was going to do more stuff in the future. They wish this kind of stuff wasn't added so they wouldn't get their hopes up for the future.

But, that might just be me being pessimistic. I mean, after all, that's the anime. Any changes from any manga into anime usually are met with some level of hostility by fans. It would be insane of me to think that they could just add more moments for Lisanna and it not get ripped apart as stuff that didn't happen like most other anime-only moments.

And, of course, it's not like every addition the anime made was treated well by fans. Some (usually the Nalu-oriented stuff) are well-liked, but fans considered the anime-only arcs to be among the worst, usually citing Daphne arc as the worst arc in the series. (Not for long, though.) And Gruvia fans aren't too happy with how Juvia was treated in some of those arcs.

What about if Mashima himself decided to incorporate more of Lisanna in the manga? That's definitely worth thinking about for a bit.

After all, we apparently almost got a love triangle between her, Natsu, and Lucy. Would we be able to handle the implications of Lisanna getting enough time for fans to genuinely be convinced that she might end up with Natsu? (Not that what we got stopped fans like me, to begin with.) What's more, would this fandom be okay with the possibility of her actually ending up with Natsu?

And I know some of you may be thinking, "That would be weird, Natsu and Lisanna wouldn't be that popular." What if it were? What if Mashima actually wrote the series so that more people were convinced that Nali was going to happen over Nalu? Heck, what if that wasn't the case and it just happened that Nali ended up actually being the more popular ship?

Of course, that's only ships. There's plenty of other ways Lisanna could have been more important in the series after her return. For instance, what if she actually did join Team Natsu? Yeah, what if probably of the only things I like about those "Lucy leaves" stories actually end up happening and Lisanna actually gets to work along with Natsu, Lucy and the rest of the main gang?

What would that be like? How would she stack up against some of the more serious threats in the series? (Hopefully, her Tartaros matchup would be better than Lamy.)

But that's not the only way she could have become more important. What would it be like if Lisanna were to actually get more important moments as a side character?

Here's a simple one: What if she were the one to take Wendy's place in the Grand Magic Games, instead of Elfman? That would mean she takes them up to compete in Labyrinth, she's the one who gets to fight Bacchus (for herself and Mira, no less), and she'd still probably end up severely injured after the fact. Is that something that would honestly be seen as okay for Lisanna to do?

Now, I'm not going to pretend that I absolutely know how the fandom would react to these questions. However, I don't want these to be questions that the fandom as a whole considers. I feel as though you should ask yourself some of these questions. I think it would be irresponsible for me to do this and not give my own opinions on this.

I'd absolutely love to see more of Lisanna. I'd love to see how a potential romantic relationship, successful or otherwise, would be written between her and Natsu with a love triangle in mind. (Though, I'm absolutely not disappointed that we didn't get a love triangle.) I'd love to see what it would be like if she were an actual member of the strongest team. It would be cool to see how she would act in a fight post-Edolas. I mean, she showed more progress in her magic than Elfman.

On that note, I don't know that Lisanna going instead of Elfman is that insane an idea. Obviously, it didn't happen, but it's not like it couldn't have happened. Lisanna proved to be better than Elfman at Take-Over magic before going to Edolas. With enough training, she could probably outdo Elfman again in terms of skill. Of course, I say that and I'll probably make it so Elfman goes like in canon proper.

The one thing I would be worried about is that I'm not sure how getting more of Lisanna would impact her character. As the series went on [insert specific characters here that we all disagree got worse over time] were written as worse than they were introduced to us as. Of course, the rest of the series fell off after [insert point when the series fell off we can't seem to agree on]. However, it especially hurts to see characters act against established motivations of and learned lessons from previous arcs.

With Lisanna, we didn't have as much time to establish her character as, Juvia or Levy, secondary characters fans argue got worse as the series went on. However, a basic idea for her character was set in the moments we got. I'm afraid that Mashima would either turn away from her gentle side and turn her into just a prankster or turn from her playful side and only make her a sweet character.

But it's not like I'd expect the majority of the fandom to catch on to that anyway. I don't see a lot of good fan characterizations of Lisanna. That's not just from the perspective of "I can't believe that you idiot Nalu shippers would write Lisanna as even close to how you do when she kicks Lucy off Team Natsu" I took well over a year ago. Like, I can count on one hand the number of writers I've seen give good, canon-based portrayals of Lisanna Strauss in fanfiction. Everyone else usually writes Lisanna as “Diet Mirajane, with a twist of Lucy” or just “Diet Lucy”. Then again, half of the writers who write Lisanna in a way I like ship Nali and agree with a lot of the stuff I've said about it over the years, so take that for what you will.

And this goes back to the main question at hand: would the fandom actually want more Lisanna Strauss in canon? From what I can tell, most people don't even know that much about Lisanna in the first place. Of course, a good part of that is exactly why the argument for more of her happens at all. However, you're not getting a whole lot of it from the perspective of wanting more of her. You get it from the idea that she shouldn't have been brought back or existed in the first place.

The difference between the two is important. One is seeing how awesome a character could be or already is and wants to see those interesting things brought out more. The other is comes from wondering if something could somehow be made to be more useless than it already seems. One of these mentalities results in a character like Levy getting more screentime than originally intended. The other results in characters taking pot shots when the anime gets abridged.

There goes me being pessimistic again...

In Conclusion:

Regardless of how you feel about Lisanna's handling in canon, it's interesting to think about how she could have gotten more of a chance to shine. Still, I'm doubtful if the fandom wants more or less of her.

Oh, by the way, I participated in r/anime’s 750k writing competition a while back. I wrote in defense of the idea that Fairy Tail is a series that has good ideas with bad execution. If you’re interested, especially if you aren’t following my rewrite series, check it out. Be warned that I was a bit “stuffier” writing that essay than I normally am here and I don’t think it’s some of my best writing (as some people commented).

#fairy tail #lisanna strauss #fairy tail fandom #anti fairy tail fandom #ish? i guess?#ft rewrites #well not really #this was queued

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petri808 · 6 years

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Charmed Affliction

Lol, this was a HW assignment but I might as well post it here too :). 4500 words

FT Next Gen main characters of parents Gajeel/Levy (Sage Redfox) and Mira/Laxus (Isla Dreyar), with Erza/Jellal’s child (Andesine Fernandez) in a smaller role; Nashi Dragneel is mentioned. For pictures of the kids, please go to @petrischronicles, more character background and synopsis check out the AO3 link :)

“Just think about it, Isla, you don’t have to become a doctor, how about an EMT, or a surgical nurse…”

“Moooom just drop it already! Why can’t you understand that I don’t wanna work in the medical field!”

“But with your magic, you could help people. That’s why your sister…”

“Ugh, Please don’t compare me to her, mom I hate it when you do that.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to but, Isla honey I wish you wouldn’t sell yourself so short. You’re a lot smarter than you realize.”

Isla rolls her eyes, she was over having this same old debate, “Can I go? I gotta get to school already.”

“Do you need a ride, I could drop you off on my way to work?”

“Nah, I’ll walk.”

“Alright, well good luck on your test dear.”

“Thanks, mom.” Isla gives her mom a half wave as she walks out the door.

In a world where only about 1 in every 5,000 people are born with the capacity to wield inhuman powers, it was seen as special to be one of those few. But not everyone used their abilities for good or were even happy to have them. They couldn’t live an ordinary life and were expected to behave with a higher degree of acumen. But try explaining to a child why they couldn’t go to the same schools as the other kids in the neighborhood, or why they needed to attend a special school just for their own kind. All Isla Dreyar wanted to be was a normal teenager, with normal problems, but unfortunately, being born with magic meant the shy young girl would face a whole ‘nother set of stressors that could drive her to the brink.

Great, just great, as if things couldn’t get any worse in this class she just had to get an F on her quiz. Isla rolls her eyes, lets out a lengthy groan, and drops her head onto the desk, burrowing it between her folded arms, ‘I really, really… hate this class!’ A month ago, she had been warned by upper classmates, that told her Elemental Studies was one of the toughest subjects anyone with her type of magic would have to go through; and now she knew why because it thoroughly and utterly sucked!

In this realm, elemental magic was the most common type because it revolved around anything to do with nature, such as fire, water, plants, rocks, and well electricity just to name a few. But for Isla, that meant having to study several scientific topics such as chemistry, biology, and meteorology which were her weakest fields. Plus, it didn’t help that the teacher, Mrs. Aquarius was, let’s just say not very friendly.

Sage ducks into the room to check on his friend, knowing this was a difficult class for her, “Hey Isla,” a hand on her shoulder and a voice she knows all too well raises her from lamenting on the current situation. “You okay?”

A false smile quickly morphs onto her face. “Yeah!” Standing up and shoving her belongings into her school bag, “totally fine Sage, just a bit tired I guess, stayed up to cram ‘n all.”

The young man, moves out of the way as Isla shoulders her bag, giving her space while they head out of the classroom. “How’d you do on the test?”

Shrugging, “Average I guess…. Hey, wanna get something to eat at the caf?”

“Nah I’m cool, supposed to meet Nashi in the library so we can work on our group assignment for Mr. Capricorn’s class,” he reaches out to put his hand on her shoulder, “how ‘bout…” but she shies out of his reach.

“Oh…” her breathing falters, “I’ll just catch ya later then.” Isla walks away abruptly, leaving Sage a bit baffled by her sudden shift in attitude; not even giving him a chance to say goodbye. Still confused but now late for his meeting, he heads in the opposite direction towards the library.

Isla’s head is spinning, berating herself for being rude to Sage when all he had done was simply mention another girls name. Of course, it was a rival in her view, but he didn’t know that… ‘and, didn’t deserve the attitude,’sighing and plopping down under an old willow with her lunch. Sage Redfox, cool and collected Sage, or Tatsuo as some of his buddies called him was the one friend Isla had stayed close to since they were little kids. While his tastes eventually developed into the more gothic scene, fueling her own shift towards that genre, his personality was always open and charismatic, never dark or angry. Not to mention she found him very attractive, tall and toned, with long dark blue hair that he kept up in a ponytail most of the time. He was the one friend she could count on…. Releasing a long exhale, ‘I should apologize to him later.’

She rubs at her inner left wrist, closing her eyes to the realities surrounding her for the moment, and leans against the withered trunk. School, studies, acquaintances going about their day oblivious to one girl sitting all alone. They didn’t even notice her presence, Isla assumes, since she wasn’t one of the popular girls or in any real clique for that matter, able to count her real friends on one hand. Not that she minded so much, in fact she preferred it that way. Isla portrayed a tough girl image to keep people away and hide her real emotions not bring them closer, only those she trusts are ever brought into her inner circle.

But right now, those emotions are playing havoc with her mind, running wild down the darkest of paths and Isla wasn’t sure how to get off it. Isla raises her hand, watching the flickering white energy sparking off her finger tips, reminding of her of the so-called gift she should be thrilled to have. It was inherited from her father, a powerful ability he would often remind her, dangerous and yet lifegiving at the same time. Sure, it would be an easy thing to electrocute an enemy or restart a heart that had stopped beating. But she wasn’t interested in either, at least the going into the medical field part because that would require a lot more schooling than the young girl was willing to consider.

After releasing the built-up energy into the ground around her, she closes her eyes once more. It was unfair as far as she was concerned, that her sister inherited their mother’s transformation magic which was much easier to learn and deal with, and quite frankly a lot more fun. Imagine being able to turn into any person or animal you wanted to, even grow wings to fly away, ‘far away from here.’ Last Isla had overheard, her older sister was aiming for a career in law enforcement just like their father, ‘such a kiss ass!’

She notices a pair of boys creating and throwing snowballs at each other, hitting a girl on accident who retaliates by sending a stream of water to drench them. One of her friend’s waves as he flies through the quad with leathery wings kicking up some dust and pollen. Ugh, it was making her envious to see them having fun. Isla checks her watch, 7 more minutes of lunch, two more classes and it was back to her one sanctum in this world where she could hideaway in solitude.

Three hours later, the bell rings signaling the end of classes for the day. Isla packs up and heads straight for home without speaking to anyone she passes, simply intent on holing up in her bedroom for the rest of the night. She hears her name called out from behind as she steps through the front door of the school, but there’s no turning back today, not today.

Sage can see his friend at the front of a throng of students rushing for the exit. He calls out a couple of times, but Isla never turns around. A slight frown mars his face, could she not hear him? Not a remarkable notion when you consider the volume of chatter in that narrowed hallway. But ever since they had parted ways outside of Elemental Studies, he could tell that Isla was hiding something and now this only fueled his assumption that something was truly upsetting her.

“Oi! Tatsuo!”

He turns to see one of his buddies ambling towards him, “Whoa whassup Ande!” clapping his friend’s hand with an exaggerated handshake and quick shoulder bump type hug, “Where the hell were you last night, I thought you was gonna stop by my house?”

“That damn test was hell to study for, but I bet you breezed through it, last year.”

“Even more reason you should’a dropped by, idiot I could’a helped ya.”

“Eh,” Ande shrugs his shoulders, “I passed with a C.” The two boys head out along the side walk towards the parking lot and their cars. “You got plans or just going home?”

“I do, was gonna swing by and check on Isla ‘cause she seemed upset earlier.”

“Probably did bad on that test, she looked miserable when we got it back from the witch.”

“That’s what I thought too but I think it’s something else.”

“Oh.” Stopping at his car, Ande throws his bag on the backseat then turns again to his friend. “By the way… so, I’ve been meaning to ask,” peering around to see if anyone was nearby, he lowers his voice, “what’s the deal with you two?”

Shifting his stance, Sage’s eyes narrow and he crosses his arms in a defensive posture, “What do you mean?”

“Pfft,” rolling his eyes, the mocha colored hues flashing in amusement, “don’t give me that look. I know you like her, so what, you gonna stay in the friend zone forever or make a move any time soon?”

Sage sighs, “It’s… complicated okay? I just… She’s always been, like, shy about this stuff, so I don’t wanna push anything with her unless she’s ready for it.”

Andesine laughs and shuts his door, “I don’t know why you fuss over that one, especially after what you went through with Midori, so good luck man.”

“Midori wasn’t that bad, I just wasn’t as into her as she was of me.” Exhale,“But yeah, thanks anyways.”

The pair share another friendly handshake. “Catch ya tomorrow.”

“See ya Ande.” Tipping two fingers at his buddy before walking towards his own car.

It was only a few blocks from the school to her house, quicker with a few shortcuts so within 20 minutes she had made it, and even more pleased to see no one was home. Isla looks at her phone, 3:27pm, that meant her parents wouldn’t be home for at least a couple more hours. ‘Perfect!’ First order of business was to throw on some mind-numbing music and second, her version of therapy…

When he pulls alongside the curb fronting Isla’s house, it wasn’t immediately apparent if his friend was home, but he parks anyway and takes the chance. With his long legs, Sage traverses the short footpath to the porch in just a few strides and ascends the two-step staircase. “Isla?” knocking at the door and trying the handle. After finding it unlocked, Sage opens it and sticks his head through. “Isla are you home?”

He can hear music coming from the direction of her room but other than that, the house was quiet, no movement or sound, letting him know she was the only person home. Well, he’d come this far, so he makes his way down the hallway. Louder and louder the angsty blends of grunge alternative intensifies the closer he gets to her room, blaring sounds of metal music thumping against the walls.

Sage knocks at her door.

The razor blade is poised for the second slash when she hears someone knocking at her bedroom. Panic grips the young girl, who the hell was in her house! It couldn’t be her parents and her sister weren’t due for a visit anytime soon. Didn’t she lock the front door? ‘Oh crap!’ In her rush to numb her mind had she forgotten to lock the damn door?

“Isla? It’s me Sage.”

What was Sage doing there! Isla rushes around her room, clicking off the radio, throwing things into the closet, the dresser, shoving stuff under her bed until a sharp sting hits her. She looks down at her wrist as fresh little ruby beads break through the cut she had made a few minutes ago. It was beckoning, almost calling to her to remember the freeing sensation it conveyed, such a dark reddish hue against the paleness of her milky skin tone charming her…

“Isla? I can hear you moving around. Can I come in?”

‘Damn it!’ Sage, she had forgotten about him being there! In a panic, Isla looks around for her first aid kit. “It’s kind of a mess, could you, um, give me a couple more minutes to clean up?”

Sage chuckles, “I’ve seen your version of a mess, come on Isla…”

She fumbles with a bandage and gauze trying to wrap the cut and pull her gloves back on as quickly as possible. “Just give me a few minutes please!!”

He stops cold, lips twitching into a frown. That was a harsher reaction than was warranted, even from her. “Isla, what’s going on?”

“No…tsss. Oww, fuck!”

“Isla… what was that?” He tries the knob, but it was locked. “Are you hurt!” Banging louder on the door, “Isla, if you don’t open this door I swear I’ll break it down!”

“I’m fine Sage… Shit!”

Hearing the second cringe and that was it for him. He slams his shoulder into the door once, but it doesn’t budge.

“Sage are you crazy!!”

“Last chance Isla unlock it, or I break the door down. You know I could crack the metal hinges easily!”

“My parents will kill me if you do that!”

“Then I suggest you open it cause I ain’t leaving! Now, I’m counting to 3,” pause, “1… 2…”

Click.

Sage opens the door and finds Isla sitting on the edge of her bed. There are drying tears along her cheeks but looking her up and down, he couldn’t see what the cause of the pain noises could have been from. He hurries over and kneels in front of her, “Isla what’s wrong?”

“I told you, I’m fine, just, stubbed my toe on the bed.”

He glances down and see’s boots still on her feet, then back to her with a raised eyebrow. She’s obviously lying to him and when he notices her favoring one of her hands, he grabs her by the wrist to check it himself. “Oww!” Isla squeals, yanking back her arm and cradling the wrist against her chest. A new wave of tears flowing freely as the stinging pain radiates outward from the fresh cut.

Now he’s livid and grabs her arm again from a higher point forcing the glove off. “A bandage?” Looking back at her face, his crimson red eyes flashing in anger, “did you cut yourself?” Isla refuses to meet his stare and shakes her head with exaggeration. Grasping her by both arms, “Isla please tell me, did you hurt yourself?” Again, she shakes her head vigorously, no. “Don’t lie to me! What did you use, a razor blade? Where is it!!” Her eyes widen, frightened by the fury he was displaying. She hesitates but based on the seriousness in his tone, pulls it out of her pocket to avoid being searched by force. Sage snatches the small cutter from her outstretched palm and using his metal manipulation magic, turns it into a useless quarter sized lump. “No more of that.”

Sage rises to his feet. If she had failed the Elemental test, that was something he could handle. Parents just being on her case, nothing new to him. But a friend self-harming themselves, he had no idea how to react, and as he contemplates what to do, Isla sinks onto the edge of the bed with her head hung. There was no way she could look at him now. Why of all people to find this out about her than her crush? Could things get any worse? Oh, how she wanted to run the razor over her arm and let the physical pain counter the mental anguish called her life.

He walks away to stare out of the window, bracing against the frame. It was like having his heart ripped from his chest to see his friend in so much distress, that she had felt so alone that hurting herself had become the only recourse. His mind berates himself for not seeing the signs, for surely there had to have been some indications that Isla had been depressed. But as he racks his brain, trying desperately to find something, nothing special was standing out. Yes, in hind sight she had been a bit more detached, but since she had always been a reserved person it wasn’t such a noticeable difference.

With his back turned, Isla squeezes the bandaged wrist. If she couldn’t cut herself to bring on the pain, she could still get it another way. Her eyes roll back as the stinging sensation floods her consciousness and dulls the droning voices screaming in her head. Slowly she increases the pressure of her grip, sending new waves of euphoria against her ravaged mind, it felt utterly amazing to lose herself in its swells...

“Isla No!” Suddenly, she is ripped away from her thoughts when Sage grabs her hand to stop her personal assault. “Are you f’ing kidding me!”

“You don’t understand! It makes me feel better Sage! I’ve been so depressed over everything lately and it takes that away, it stops the voices that plague my every waking moment.” Isla stands up and paces next to the bed. “I hate that I have this stupid magic, my parents are always comparing me to my sister, and now that friggen class is going to drive my GPA even lower! Even the guy I like doesn’t see me.” Flailing her arms in the air, “nothing is going right in my life, nothing!”

“Wait, what guy?”

“Huh,” Isla stops her ranting, whipping around, “what guy?”

“Yeah, you said the guy you like doesn’t see you, who are you talking about?”

“I never said anything about a…” she pauses from the realization, ‘oh, snap, I did, didn’t I!’ Waving her hands adamantly to wipe the slate clean, “forget you heard that part,” she resumes pulling the first aid kit back out to fix her bandage like nothing strange had just happened. “Look, Sage, please don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t need any more people thinking I’m a bigger weirdo or loser.”

With nothing more than his own smarts and affection to guide him, Sage, leads her back to the bed and prompts her to sit down next to him. “Isla, I’m sorry you hate having magic, it bugs me too sometimes, but I think it makes us unique, you know, special. With your parents, they love you, you know they do, but… maybe they just don’t realize that some of their comments makes you feel this bad. And, don’t worry about class, okay,” holding her hand, sweeping his thumb over the silky skin, “I’ll help you with that, together you’ll get through it. But, why are you deflecting my question? Isla tell me who is this guy you like since it’s bothering you so much.”

“I…” looking away, “I can’t tell you that.”

“Why not, is it someone you know I’ll hate?”

“No… He’s actuallya really great guy…”

“Do I know him?”

“Well, yeah probably better than anyone else…”

Running his free hand over his face, “Pleasedon’t tell me it’s Andesine.”

Her head whips around to look at him, “What! Eww, no way, he’s not my type, plus his mom scares the hell out of me.”

“Then who is it?”

Isla looks down again, “I’m too embarrassed to tell you.”

Sage is torn, he doesn’t want to push too hard, concerned that doing so would drive her back to hurting herself when it seemed like he was making progress. But he was also curious, jealouslycurious to know who his rival might be. He sighs, noting the slight tinge of pink dusting her cheeks, and the increased warmth of her palms. Whomever her heart belonged to was bringing out an adorable reaction from Isla and if that wasn’t just tearing his own apart.

“You know…” squeezing her hand as moisture clouds his vision, “I wish you had come to me about all of this… We used to tell each other everything,” speaking softly with gentle underpinnings of a bruised spirit. “Isla I’ll always be here for you… no matter what.”

She can’t bring herself to look directly at his face, but her eyes flit upward briefly, gazing through plumed lashes and noting the concern his eyes are sporting. “I know…” a glowing flush to her skin only amplified by the darkening and spreading splotches along her chest. “I know you are.” At least deep down she did.

In that moment, the tough girl persona had dissolved into the Isla he knew was buried beneath the surface. For all her flaws, she was beautiful to him inside and out, a rough diamond simply waiting to be cut and polished. But the longer Sage soaks in her image, the more he realizes just how much he cared about the petite blonde with the dyed red hair.

“Okay, Isla I won’t push if you don’t want to tell me. But, well… I have a crush on someone too.”

Isla’s whole body stiffens. Things were progressing so well, she was actually starting to feel better but with that one statement, all of those airier feelings flew right out the window as her heart sinks and all the color drains away from her face. Of all the times for Sage to bring this up!

She squeezes her eyes shut, barely breathing out the question, “I-Is it Nashi?”

“Nashi?” a strong rebuke in his tone, “no, it’s not her?”

“Then who is it?” Her mind is spiraling, ‘Geez Sage just put me out of my misery already…’

“It’s you,” tilting her face up and smiling when her eyes pop open with genuine shock registering on her face. “Isla, it’s you.”

“Me?” She blinks, his words still not sinking in.

“Yes, you. Now will you tell me who you like?”

Isla pauses for a few seconds. “I-I like you too Sage.”

Sage let’s out the air he didn’t realize he was holding. “Wow it’s a good thing we like each other.” Chuckling, “cause, it’d be pretty awkward if you had said someone else.”

“But, I don’t understand…” Isla turns her head away, “why would you want to like someone like me? I’m not pretty like your last girlfriend, and I-I mean you, well, you’re popular, and really smart, but me I’m just…” longexhale, “just a total mess.”

“You’re not a mess. You have some issues but to me you are much prettier than Midori, and sweeter,” chuckling, “I can conduct your electricity so, I’d say we make a good match.” Caressing her cheek, “and you’re not dumb just because you struggle in science, your language and grammar skills are way better than mine.”

Her eyes fill with moisture, “you really think so?” Sage nods his head in response.

The stirring of emotions swirling in her mind was becoming overwhelming, so she closes her eyes, drifting away to process it all. Sage had caught her in one of her lowest moments and yet he hadn’t run but stayed to comfort her just like he had always done throughout their life. From scrapes and bruises in primary school, to fights with her sister. Late night chats about anything or nothing. He’d always been her best friend. So, why had she fallen so far down the rabbit hole? A part of her felt he deserved better, someone who didn’t seem to have so much baggage weighing them down.

But could she break the cycle or had the slope become too slippery to climb back up from? Isla wanted to believe everything he was saying, her heart wanted to take a sledgehammer to the wall that had been built up, but it was her mind that held back. All the what if’s plaguing it, would he hurt her in the end? To lose not just a boyfriend, a first crush, but a best friend, could her heart take that kind of pain? Like a drug dealer fueling its customer, the throbbing of her healing wrist harkened to her and she absentmindedly begins to rub at it.

Sage frowns as he watches her slowly revert inwards again. “Isla?”

“Hmm?” she opens her eyes and looks at him.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Doing what?” He points to her wrist and that’s when she realizes what she had started doing again. “Sorry,” Isla stops rubbing her wrist, “I guess it’s become a habit.”

“Please, promise me you’ll stop hurting yourself. You mean too much to me to lose you now.”

She blinks, this sappier side of Sage was new to her. “I…” Taking a deep breath, could she really get better? After a brief pause and another long exhale, she nods, “Okay, I promise Sage.”

A companionable silence falls between the pair, Isla feeling a little better about her circumstances, and he holding-out hope that she would keep her promise. But it was a little awkward for her too, being so close and not knowing what to do next. Sage has had a girlfriend before, but Isla’s never had a boyfriend.

She fiddles with her fingers, “Sage, um,” tucking some loose strands behind her ear, “what are we? I mean, are we like a couple now?”

“Do you want to be? I just didn’t want to make you feel like we had to be one if you weren’t ready yet.”

“I guess it would be okay, I mean, I’m okay with it if you’re okay with it.”

“Isla,” he cradles her cheek, sweeping his thumb over the skin, “I would love to finally call you my girlfriend. Hmm, in fact,” Sage reaches over and picks up the former razor from where he’d dropped it, “maybe this will help.” Using his magic, he splits the lump into two portions, manipulating their forms into new pieces. “How about a promise ring,” slipping one onto her finger before placing the second ring on his. “Now everyone will know we’re taken, and it’ll remind us of our promises to one another.”

“Sage…” moisture quickening at her corners and her baby blue eyes brightening, “I-I don’t even know what to say, it’s,” toying with the simple gray band, she exhales and smiles wide, “this does make me feel a lot happier.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.”

#fairytail next gen #fan fic #gajevy #mirlax #jerza #kids #sage redfox #Isla dreyar #andesine fernandez #fairytail #high school AU #angst #teen romamnce #magic

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ramix-the-red · 3 years

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A Shoulder to Cry On

Hey it's ya boi back at it again writing fanfic for an obscure fandom and a ship that's not even that popular in that obscure fandom. Not satisfied with just Code Vein's Louis/Cruz, I had to go even further beyond into obscure self-indulgent shipping fic that like two people will ever read. I was very into Closers a while ago, and I recently got back into it due to the server migration (RIP Enmasse). I decided to play through the new character Mirae's story for the event rewards, and while my expectations were low, I was instantly blown away, and her storyline quickly became one of my favorites, if not the favorite, and her relationship with Soohyun just makes me melt.

It's gotten to the point that I've actually started putting their names into Google Translate and trying to look up content for them, and I still haven't had any luck. I think this might actually be the first piece of fanfiction for this ship in existence which is simultaneously empowering and depressing. I don't expect this piece to get much attention, if any, but I hope whoever reads this enjoys it.

Ao3 Link Here

Soohyun Min leans against one of the various rock faces jutting out of the ground in the Purification Ops Center. It’s strange to think how less than a month ago he was studying up on UNION operating guidelines and trying to fill out his resume to apply as an intern, and now here he is, in the External Dimension, working alongside the Alpha Queen. And all because he went out on a crazy, stupid, near-suicidal trip into a garbage heap of an island in search of his missing sister.

And the craziest thing about it all, is that the legendary Jisu Seo isn't even the most significant meeting he’s had since he arrived on and escaped from that hellish island.

Mirae steps out through the portal, looking a little worse for wear, but much better compared to her previous expeditions against the Contaminated Phase Force. At first, the fights against the Contaminated Dimensional Monsters took a huge toll on her, and it had taken the combined efforts of himself and Suji Jeo to get her to take a break and recover. But over time, as she'd grown more accustomed to fighting against the beasts, and as he'd developed strategies for her to use against them, the Purification Ops had become much easier. The Alpha Queen herself had mentioned several times how unusually adept Mirae had become at facing off against the creatures in such a short span of time.

She takes a seat next to him on the floor, setting her scythe down beneath her legs as she brings her knees up to her chest, and he greets her with a warm smile.

"Great job! You beat your previous record that time," he informs her, reviewing the data on the mission he'd been recording on his tablet.

Mirae's lips quirk up into a small, proud smile at his praise. "How long did it take me this time?"

"Only two minutes and thirty-two seconds, a huge improvement over last time. I think you're really getting the hang of fighting against Yod," he tells her.

The Dimensional Monster known as "Yod" had been Mirae's biggest hurdle when she'd first started participating in the Purification Ops. The creature's intense power and it's odd, unpredictable attacks made it a very difficult match for Mirae's more direct fighting style, and she'd even been forced to retreat during her first fight against it, but now she could handle it almost as easily as the rest of the contaminated creatures. Mirae's growth never ceased to amaze Soohyun. Despite never having to face any real challenges until just recently, she'd acclimated quickly to the life of a Closer, and was growing stronger with each passing day. Even if she wasn't officially a Closer yet, he had no doubt that Inspector Celine would pass along her approval soon enough. UNION would have to be crazy to pass up a chance to have someone as amazing as Mirae in the fight against the Dimensional Monsters. He only hopes he could climb the ranks as quickly… the thought of someone else being assigned as her administrator while he's still an intern just doesn't sit right with him.

"It's all thanks to you, Soohyun."

He's broken out of his thoughts by the sound of her praise, and it catches him off-guard.

"H-huh? What do you mean?"

She smiles at him, resting her head on her knees as she gazes up at him. “It’s thanks to your advice that I was able to get this far. You helped me against the Island Lord, against Syrphid, and against all of the enemies here, too. You’re really incredible.” He has to clear his throat and look away before he can answer her, and wow he really hopes his face isn’t as red as it feels right now.

“Soohyun? Are you okay? Your face is really red, are you feeling sick?” she asks, sitting up as she reaches a hand out towards him in concern.

“A-ah! Yes, yes, I’m fine! No need to worry! J-just nerves, that’s all,” he says, waving her off in what he hopes is a reassuring gesture, but really only serves to make her worry even more.

She pouts with a huff as she puffs her cheeks out. “...You’re a bad liar, Soohyun.”

He chuckles nervously. “Ah, sorry. It’s just that… well, you’re the one who’s incredible. You’ve only started seriously learning how to use your Phase Force very recently. Back when we met on that island you fought like a novice, and now you’ve already gotten stronger than some Closers with years of experience,” he says, staring off at the strange darkness of the external dimension. “I really mean it, Mirae. You’re extraordinary. You probably don't realize it because you don't have any context for how strong you are, but you should be proud of yourself. I’m sure you’ll become a great Closer soon. Who knows? Maybe one day people will talk about you the way they talk about the Alpha Queen!” Now it’s her turn to blush at his praise, and he feels a hint of pride at the fact that he’s managed to at least turn the tables somewhat. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long as she quickly manages to turn things back around on him. “Maybe. But you’re just as extraordinary, Soohyun," she says, with a smile that warms his heart, in spite of how cold it is out here in the Purification Ops Center.

"Ah, well, it's not like what I do is that special," he responds, clearing his throat nervously as he tries to meet her gaze, which is a lot harder than it should be right now. "I'm just training to be an administrator. Anyone else in my position could do what I did, really."

She shakes her head. "No, I don't think so. Back on the island, I never thought about how to fight, I just did what came naturally to me. I didn't consider things like strategies, or traps, or defense, like I do now. But you taught me those things, even after we'd only just met. I think that's pretty incredible, too. And…"

Soohyun stiffens as he feels Mirae rest her head on his shoulder.

"You told me… that a Closer and administrator are like family, right? They cry on each other's shoulders and help each other, right?"

He nods. "Yeah, that's right. If a Closer's job is to save people, then it's the administrator's job to save their Closers."

She smiles. "That's special, too. Talking with you… feels like being with Haneul. I feel safe, like I can tell you anything. If that's an administrator's job, then you're really good at it. So… be more proud of yourself."

Mirae hesitates for a moment. " I wouldn't want anyone else as my administrator ," she whispers.

Soohyun feels his chest swell with pride and joy, as a feeling of comfort and warmth courses his through his body. "Thank you Mirae," he says. "I feel the same way. I wouldn't want to work on a team without you, either."

He doesn't say, " I wouldn't want anyone else to be your administrator."

But he thinks it.

The two of them stay in silence for a while, not moving from their spot. With the latest Purification finished, they have plenty of time to rest, so he's confident they won't be disturbed. At least not unless Suji Jeo comes over to find them and ruins the mood. She'd probably throw a fit if she found them in a position like this.

Soohyun breaks out of his trance when he hears a strange noise coming from Mirae. One that sounds like a mix between a grunt of effort, and a pained whimper.

"Mirae? Are you okay?"

She nods against his shoulder, still not having moved from her spot as she buries her face against him. "Mhm…"

He purses his lips, before asking again. "Are you sure? Is something the matter?"

She's quiet for a few moments. "...You said that a Closer cries on their administrator's shoulder, right? Can I cry on yours?"

"Well, I wasn't really being literal, but if you want, sure."

"I'm… trying to cry," Mirae says.

"Oh…" the realization dawns on him. "That's right… you told me before that you had trouble crying, right?"

"When my brothers and sisters died… when the kids from the island, when Ara died… even when Haneul died… I still couldn't cry," she mutters, burying her face deeper against the fabric of his shirt. " Is there something wrong with me?" she whispers, so quiet he's not even sure if he was meant to hear it.

"No. No, there's nothing wrong with you, Mirae," he says immediately. Soohyun raises a hand, and begins running it through her long white hair in what he hopes is a soothing gesture. He feels her posture relax against him, so it seems to work, and that's all the motivation he needs to keep doing it.

"What you're feeling is perfectly normal. There are a lot of cases like yours," he tells her.

"Really?" she asks, a tinge of hope in her voice.

"Yeah. A lot of victims of trauma like you have to numb themselves to the pain in order to cope. In a case like yours, it's perfectly normal not to cry. If you could… you might not be able to stop," he tells her, his voice soft.

"Then… it's okay for me not to cry?"

"Yeah, it's okay. There's nothing wrong with you, Mirae, you've just been hurt. A lot. It's like an illness, it just needs to be treated," he says, still running his fingers through her hair.

God. This girl doesn't belong out here. She shouldn't be fighting monsters and risking her life after everything she's been through. She should be in therapy, recovering from the horrendous amount of suffering she's been forced to endure. She should be going to school, like a normal girl, she should be enjoying all of the things she never got to experience. She should be healing.

Maybe he should get in contact with his brother, and try to see if he can pull some strings, but…

No. She wouldn't want that, even if he offered it. He knows that. But still…

Soohyun's never been the type to be jealous of Phase Users. Sure, every kid who grew up in Busan wanted to be the Alpha Knight, but by the time he was old enough to know he didn't have Phase Force, he was already mature enough to accept that. Instead, he decided to throw himself into his studies, aiming to become an administrator and help in his own way. But now…

He wishes he could be the one with Phase Force, so that he could rip apart the people who did this to her.

He wonders when and why he started having such violent thoughts, and the conclusion he reaches worries him.

"Soohyun?"

Her voice snaps him back to reality. "Yes?"

"You said that this feeling is an illness… does that mean there's medicine for it?" she asks, with a twinge of hope, tilting her head up ever so slightly with those puppy dog eyes of hers.

He smiles at her, and nods. "Yeah. There are medicines that can help you, but like on the island, they won’t cure you by themselves, they’ll just help you manage it. What you need is to speak with a doctor who’s trained to treat that kind of thing,” he explains.

“...Can you help me?”

“Well… I’m not a licensed professional or anything. But if you ever need to talk, I’ll be here for you,” he says. “As your… administrator.” Mirae smiles as she closes her eyes and nuzzles up against him. “Thank you…” she whispers. “That’s good… there's no one I trust more."

A moment later, she slumps down and falls on his lap, and he goes stiff as a board.

"M-mirae?" He squeaks out.

Upon closer examination, he sees that she's merely fallen asleep. It seems the fight with Yod wore her out more than she'd let on. It's probably for the best that she gets some rest.

However, this leaves Soohyun with a conundrum. He could try to move her and leave her to sleep someplace else… but that would involve waking her. Alternatively, he could just let her rest where she is… which would involve staying in this rather awkward position. Not only are his legs starting to fall asleep, but there's a very distinct possibility that Suji will actually murder him if she sees them like this.

It'd probably be best for everyone involved if he just wakes her up and leads her over to the resting area, but…

Oh man, he's got it bad .

With a sigh of resignation, Soohyun closes his eyes and leans his head back against the cold hard stone he's resting on. He decides it's best if he tries to get some sleep, and soon enough, it finds him.

When the two of them wake up a few hours later, his legs are very, very sore, Suji Jeo is very, very mad, and it was very, very worth it.

#Closers #Mirae #fanfiction #fluff #romance

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avisalaencantadia · 6 years

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If you’ve followed me from the very start, you guys would notice that I’ve never published my own reviews or opinions over the show (except for some asks). This is because I prefer giving my opinions when a show is over. This gives my review some sense of finality.

But yeah... Anyway, just in case you want to read my rambles and opinions, feel free to click the “Keep reading” link below :) and yes the comic sans is intended

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I’ll be dividing my feedback on certain aspects and then I’ll say what the Enca team did good and bad there. Brace yourselves, this is a very long post :))

Story/Plot

The Good

Modernizing the existing Encantadia plot - If you’ve watched Encantadia since 2005, you would know most of the 2016′s version plot derives from the original. But what I really liked with Encantadia 2016′s plot is how it was adjusted to reflect current day sensibilities and moralities like with how Amihan still loved and treated Mira as her own daughter after learning the truth, not making Mila/Lira into an archetypal abused maid, Lira and Mira being best friends and literally #cousin goals instead of love rivals, Ybramihan with their realistic and slow burn romance, Alena breaking out of the “first love never dies” trope, and so much more.

Book 1 - Book 1 (Episode 1 - 148) is the best part of Encantadia 2016. To be very honest, I really wished that the requel just ended with Book 1. Book 1 is, for the most part, well written. I like how little backstories were added from the start, the story was pretty much cohesive, most of the plot deviations from the original were logical (the fall of Amihan and the banishment of Pirena were superb), and the mortal world was less shown than from the original. Speaking of the mortal world, please see below :)

Involvement of the mortal world - Perhaps one of the best things I really liked from the plot of the requel is how the setting of the mortal world was used more logically. What I really didn’t like about the original is how around 50% of the scenes (until Lira returns to Encantadia) was divided into Encantadia scenes and then mortal world scenes and I was like, “this is a show about Encantadia right??” In this version, Mila/Lira’s growth in the mortal realm was not extended (they really did great in doing away with the maid-and-master-romance plot for Lira), Danaya and Alena’s exiles to the human world are sensible, Encantados - like Enuo, Mira, Lilasari and Hitano - choosing to live in the mortal realm was interesting, and the concept of “taong ligaw” as well. Seriously, if you know your migration and trade theories well, it’s very very logical that some Encantados would choose to live away from their motherland because y’know, it ain’t exactly peaceful in Encantadia. Or like the Bandidos who choose to go to the mortal realm to dabble in some trade... although of course human slave trade is definitely not right.

The Bad

The plot being obviously dragged out - All popular Philippine dramas are victims of extension due to public demand and it isn’t a secret that Encantadia was extended until Mulawin vs Ravena was ready. While I totally understand that GMA wanted to capitalize on the ratings success of Encantadia, unfortunately, the plot really suffered and Book 2 (together with the “Finding Lira” arc) looked like it wasn’t thought of very well.

Plot handling - *ehem* You mean Book 2? *ehem* Ok, on paper, the premise of Encantadia is great. The problem is, most of the plot devices they introduced became too big for them to handle and the prime example was how they handled Book 2. Actually, Book 2 started well in showing what happened after Amihan’s death: 3 kingdoms flourishing, the threat of Etheria, the introduction of the 6 guardians-in-training, etc. But unfortunately, it fell apart: Lireo is great but why did it look that Ybrahim and Pirena were spending more time meddling with Lirean affairs than with Sapiro and Hathoria respectively? We all know that Etheria was a great kingdom but why didn’t they explore its history well and why did they make it fall again just to give way to Hagorn’s return? Oh and the 6 guardians in training? You know what? I really really loved it at first because it showed that not only royalty can become guardians but also normal Encantados (or a mortal like Pao Pao) as well. But after the massacre at Cassiopea’s island, all the remaining guardians-in-training became useless character scene fillers. Marami silang sinayang tbh...

Amihan-centric plot - For a show that used to highlight the four sisters, Book 1 revolved and highlighted mainly Amihan. From episode 1 until her death, we were made aware of Amihan’s significance due to Cassiopea’s prophecy and Hagorn’s obsession to kill her. If you watched the original series, you will see each Sang’gre was given enough air time and importance in the story. But since Amihan was given so much importance in the requel, this led to major plot issues when Kylie left the show. This was partially fixed in Book 2 where we see the three remaining Sang’gres united against Avria, Hagorn and Ether. However, it makes me wish they had an opportunity to do this with Amihan still alive. Which leads to...

Plot handling for actors who leave the show - For the requel we saw 2 major plot changes due to actors leaving the show: Kylie’s and Sunshine’s. Naturally, Kylie’s departure left a bigger hole in the plot and in our hearts than Sunshine’s. Of course I understand that the actors’ departures come from valid reasons (Kylie’s pregnancy and Sunshine’s schedule due to Ika-Anim na Utos) but I wish their character’s deaths and aftermaths were handled better, especially for Adhara. I had huge hopes for Adhara’s character only for her to die a very meh second death. No huge build up whatsoever nor any major revelations about her character. I’d really love to know the story they originally intended for Adhara. Was it taken over by Lilasari’s character? As for Amihan’s death, yes, it was handled very beautifully and logically but it’s the aftermath I had huge issues with. You can obviously see it in Book 2 :)

Worldbuilding and Lore

The good

Expansion of the existing Encantadia world and lore - In this requel, we were given a more solid Encantadia in terms geography: there’s a nice map and cultural distinctions between the different kingdoms were more apparent (I love the sigils and the aesthetic differences between the kingdoms). What I really love as well was the Nchan and Hathorka writing developed and explained to us. It gave us an excuse to write our names and words using these wonderful fictional but working scripts.

Limitations of the Sang’gres’ powers - Ok, some fans had issues with this but I really liked it when it was shown that the four Sang’gres only obtained special elemental powers when they have the gems in their possession. It was also a nice touch when they showed the Sang’gres not wearing their trademark warrior gears when the gems are not in their possession. This shows the Sang’gres do have weaknesses unlike their previous counterparts who can still manipulate their elements (albeit weaker) even without the gems. Because of this, it further emphasizes the gems’ importance: whoever obtains can become extremely powerful.

The deities backstories - In this requel, we get to find out there are actually 5 deities (bathala/bathaluman) instead of 3. It also showed that these deities are not all powerful and have weaknesses almost just like an average encantado. Instead of acting all-omnipotent (except Emre during Book 1), these deities acted a lot like the fickle and full-of-human-emotions Greek/Roman gods.

The bad

The fifth gem - I know a lot of people were asking about adding a new element but I did not like how they handled it. I mean, seriously, how can Cassiopea not know about its existence until the fall of Amihan? Was it because the one who obtained it was not an encantado but a batang ligaw? Speaking of batang ligaw, I did find it cute that the one who will first wield this gem is not an encantado but a little human boy. Paopao’s innocence highlights the fifth gem’s power, quintessence. However, what I highly disliked about the fifth gem is how it just became an accessory after Hagorn forced Paopao to give it to him. An extra gem to grab with no major significance unlike the four elemental gems and an alternative to the Earth gem for healing, that’s what it became. If only they let the grownup Paopao wield it again, then perhaps this gem could’ve become as significant as the others.

The deity involvement - While I first raved about adding the expansion of the deities and their backstories, I will rant about their incessant meddling (or the lack of it). For the first parts of Book 1, I liked how they maintained Emre is the Christian God-like deity, Arde is the guardian of Balaak (or hell) and Ether is the all-around mischievous meddler. I also found it cool at first that Arde and Ether both chose their champions (Adhara and Hagorn respectively) in their bid to regain power over Encantadia. However, I found it really annoying when their meddling became too much or when the encantados (*ehem* Avria *cough* Hagorn and to some extent, Lira) cannot do anything anymore except rely on their godly powers. Deus ex machina much? On the other hand, I generally thought the addition of Keros and Haliya was ok. I liked how Keros’ treachery brought about Emre’s downfall. Too bad he was killed even before he could have a total change of heart. I think it could’ve been cool if he aided Emre and gained followers after that. While Haliya was pretty useless, at least she still had some involvement in Emre and Cassiopea’s sidequest and to explain the origin of the double moon and Lilasari’s curse. It would’ve been cool if she did more. Anyway, long story short: I wish the deities meddled less and just maintained a certain distance from the encantados. Let the encantados do the work with some very occasional sprinkling of their divine blessings.

Adamya - Ok, so why was Adamya demoted from a kingdom to a protectorate territory of Lireo in the requel? I don’t get it why they made Adamya weaker than it is. Adamya had more relevance in the original series where the Diwatas usually seek refuge and get really sound advice from Imaw and his staff. However, in the requel, Imaw and the humanoid Adamyans (except the Gunikars and Nymfas) just stay with the Diwatas all the time. Is there really no desire in Imaw to return to his own homeland, see it flourish on its own and without the Sang’gres’ (especially Alena’s) help? It seems not because this is the vision of Memfes, the leader of the Gunikar tribe. While I had huge problems with him pursuing Alena, I just wished that his vision of a strong Adamya was shared by Imaw and its traditional denizens. I also wished that it was made clearer that the Gunikars and the Nymfas are technically Adamyans.

Characters and Relationships

Since Encantadia had a lot of characters, I will not be commenting on them all.

The good

Lira and Mira - Without any doubt, the Lira-Mira tandem proved to be one of the best things that happened to this requel. Like I’ve mentioned, I’m so glad they did away the love rivalry between the two cousins from the original series. It was utterly refreshing to see these two being close and doing their own adventures and shenanigans. One minor critique though, I just wished they had more character growth especially in Book 2 where they were promoted to Sang’gres.

Ybramihan - Ah, the pairing that launched a thousand ships in the requel. While I wasn’t a huge shipper myself, I really appreciated the slow burn romance between Amihan and Ybrahim. These are two leaders who are dealing with their own political and emotional issues yet still found themselves falling for each other. This mature and bittersweet kind of romance is a breath of fresh air in the sea of “pabebe” romances. I wonder if the Ybramihan endgame would still push through if Kylie did not leave the show.

Alena - Alena’s character started out as being really problematic. Lovestruck, pabebe, immature, shallow, weak - these are words I read from frustrated viewers on how they described Alena. I will also admit that I was really frustrated with Alena’s character because they made her so much weaker than her counterpart from the original series. However, thank Emre, the Encantadia crew seemed to our heard our prayers and wrote a strong and beautiful Alena in Book 2. Alena shows that despite all the hardships she suffered and endured, she learned from them and emerged a woman with the voice of reason and wisdom. I also think it was awesome that she didn’t rekindle her relationship with Ybrahim despite still having feelings for him. We really need to show less of this “first love as true love” trope and more of this “never wanted the crown but ended up as a deserving and independent queen” narrative. Alena’s character growth was one of the few things right in Book 2.

Hagorn - Hagorn is proof you can write multi-dimensional villains. Coupled with John Arcilla’s excellent acting, I think Hagorn was beautifully portrayed. Here, we saw a king who became consumed by his rage over the injustices he experienced: Mine-a breaking his heart, his father whom he idolized being killed and falsely believing Raquim (a friend turned enemy) to have done the deed, the once mighty Hathoria being cursed, Lilasari breaking his heart and Deshna hidden from him. While yes, all of his actions can be called evil but in its essence is Hagorn’s desire to be respected and loved. Pirena is indeed very similar to her father but the difference is Hagorn let anger harden his heart completely. Although one major critique I can give of him is... why must he be so damn overpowered?? I get it that antagonists need to be more powerful than the protagonists at first but as the series progress, why must Hagorn be always gaining powers all the time??

The bad

The Etherians - I was first excited about the news they were going to bring back the Etherians in the requel since I loved the Etheria arc from the original series. However, this excitement turned into frustration when we saw flat villains on our screen again. So we know Avria and the gang are power-thirsty encantados whom Ether revived because Hagorn was presumed to be dead. However, what was their story? What really happened in the Great Etherian War? Unlike in the original series’ Etheria, we find out the reason they antagonized the Diwatas was because of a prophecy that predicts their downfall. However, for the requel, nothing was explained except their desire for vengeance against the races that brought their first downfall. And that’s it. Added to the fact our beloved Sang’gres know nothing about their history which added to my eye-rolling moments.

Aquil - You may know me as an avid Danquil shipper but I highly disliked how they handled Aquil’s character for the requel. Gone was the Lirean mashna whose loyalty and dedication was at par with Danaya’s but was replaced by a lovestruck man whose character was mainly hinged on the stubborn Sang’gre. While we did see glimpses of Aquil’s loyalty to the Lirean crown but it was really lacking compared to the original. If Muros and the soldiers did not call Aquil “mashna”, I would think of him as a normal soldier who happens to be in love with Danaya. While yes, as a Danquil shipper I am satisfied with their scenes, but as a character he fell flat. And sorry Aquil, Muros made a better mashna. PS: I have no issues with Rocco’s acting. He did well. It’s the characterization I have issues with.

Ariana - Oh Ariana... So much has been said about Ariana but I’ll say this. On paper, the sarkosi/reincarnation concept was nice but it was the execution that fell flat. I will not touch upon Arra’s acting but there were so many plot holes that came along with Amihan’s reincarnation as Ariana. So when Ariana died and Amihan’s ivtre came in, why were Ariana’s memories retained? Where did Ariana’s ivtre go? It was answered in the finale since Ariana’s ivtre came along in the Devas bunch. But I thought the memories and consciousness of an encantado lie in their ivtre/spirit? I guess not. Also, the Ariana we saw is already the Sarkosi!Amihan version. Who is the real Ariana? Would the real Ariana still be chosen by the Air Gem as its next guardian? Will she still have feelings for Ybrahim without Amihan’s ivtre in her? So many questions about this tbh. I would’ve really preferred if they went with the typical reincarnation route where a newborn encantada will grow up discovering she was Amihan in her past life.

Production

The good

Special effects - While it still has room for improvement, I must say it has HUGELY improved since the original series! The transformation sequence, ivictus scenes and even the gem wielding scenes were very smooth. Just a bit more refinement especially in the rendering of creatures (ex. Arde’s dragon form, Ether’s snake form, etc.) and I truly believe we can be at par with other fantasy series.

Fight scenes - This is what I really loved in this requel. The fight scenes are quicker and smoother compared to the original. Kylie’s martial arts skills were in full display and were duly appreciated by the fans in return. Even Sanya’s arnis skills did not go unnoticed. I also appreciated the fact that even the actors who didn’t necessarily have martial arts skills refrained from using stunt doubles (for most part I guess). At least you can see their dedication in really embodying their characters.

Costumes for Book 1 - I may be one of the few people who’ll say this but I loved the warrior gear for this version. Yes, it may looked less detailed or bongga than the original but I think it suited this requel’s modern fantasy feel. It also enabled the actors to move more freely (thus better fight scenes). I also appreciated the fact the Sang’gres were not shown in highly sexualized scenes despite their costumes being revealing (thank you Direk Mark for not doing what male Western fantasy directors usually do). As for the gowns, I was in love with the Francis Libiran gowns. I just wish that kind of costume aesthetic was maintained throughout the whole series... (more on that later).

Kingdom throne room set design - I liked how unique each kingdom’s throne rooms looked like. From the airy Lirean throne room to the dark and ominous Hathorian throne room, it added to the emphasis of culture differences between each kingdoms.

Soundtrack - Who here is getting goosebumps when you hear the remixed Tadhana at the start of each episode? Or the ethnic chanting during burial scenes? I think the Encantadia crew did a good job in composing unique music to use for the requel. I’m also glad they didn’t seem to reuse music from existing teleseryes.

The bad

Too much studio filming - While I understand logistical constraints in shooting outside the studio but it contributed to the “fake” feel of the scenes. There were many scenes that could’ve been better if they were shot outdoors. There are times when the studio sets looked obviously fake.

Costumes for Book 2 - In Book 2, we saw a time skip and naturally, we saw costume changes. However, a lot of them looked awkwardly stitched or ill-fitting to the actors. The general aesthetic also changed and sometimes out of place. I understand not all costumes can be “Francis Libiran level” but I wish the costume aesthetic was given more attention by the production crew. We also saw costume recycling within the actors especially with Sanya wearing Marian’s Mine-a gown (not a new occurrence though since Diana also wore Dawn’s Mine-a gown).

Overall

While there are many things to left to be said, overall, the Encantadia requel still proved to be a general success. Not only did it manage to rekindle childhood fantasy emotions from the fans of the original series but had also brought in a new generation of fans.

Encantadia reinforced the notion of girl power and has once again showed us kickass and multi-dimensional women on TV. Encantadia also proved we can produce a successful fantasy series of our own aside from the ones Americans, Europeans or Koreans produce.

Do I want a Season 2? Of course but only if it can be better than the previous season with better commitment to the plot, character and actor handling :)

Avisala eshma to the whole Encantadia crew and to fellow fans who made the watching experience more colorful. If you managed to read the whole review, thank you as well. Feel free to leave comments or messages if you wish. I’ll be open to discussion :)

#encantadia #encantadia review #AE posts

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ladystylestores · 4 years

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India’s coronavirus cases, Himalayas, K-pop: Your Monday Briefing

(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.)

Good morning.

We’re covering India’s growing outbreak, the tensions between India and China in the Himalayas and Lebanon’s financial crisis.

India’s raging coronavirus outbreak reaches a revered actor and his circle

On a day when India reported more than 28,000 new coronavirus infections, one case in particular caught the whole country’s attention: Amitabh Bachchan, a Bollywood star and one of India’s most revered figures.

Mr. Bachchan, known as Big B, announced on Saturday to his 43 million followers on Twitter that he had tested positive, before urging his recent contacts to get tested themselves. His son, Abhishek, and daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, both actors, have also become infected.

India, which closed down early and then reopened to save its battered economy, is now racking up about 30,000 new reported infections each day — more than any other country except the United States and Brazil. And it is rapidly catching up to Brazil. With more than 850,000 cases nationwide, hospitals in India are overflowing.

case study: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/10/world/europe/coroanvirus-scotland-england.html

Here are the latest updates and maps of where the virus has spread.

In other developments:

Caught between Indian and Chinese troops

Weeks after a deadly brawl erupted along the border between China and India, thousands of both countries’ troops are amassed over a contentious, jagged line in the Himalayas.

New satellite photos reveal a major Chinese buildup, including new tents, storage sheds, artillery pieces and even tanks. It all adds up to a growing Chinese push into the Indian region of Ladakh, a move locals say has been in the works for years.

Our reporter spoke to some of the few thousand Ladakhis trapped in between, who are Tibetan in culture but who identify as Indian. They say that incursions have happened for years within a code of silence.

Details: Indian Army officials, who declined to comment, did not act when Ladakhis told them of Chinese incursions into the area, perhaps avoiding conflict or refusing to face the fact that a more powerful and aggressive military was steadily nibbling away at it.

Context: Analysts say China may be taking a more aggressive approach in the area, and may have been provoked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s brand of renewed Indian nationalism.

A protest vote in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s opposition party said on Sunday that over 600,000 residents of the city cast ballots in primaries that some viewed as a symbolic vote against tough national security laws.

The unofficial poll will decide the strongest pro-democracy candidates to contest elections in September for Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. The party is aiming for a majority in what is usually a pro-Beijing body by riding a wave of anti-China sentiment stirred by the new laws.

Though the primaries are only for the opposition camp, participation can be seen as a gauge for popular opinion. It remains to be seen whether Beijing’s new powers will make that path impossible.

Quotable: “A high turnout will send a very strong signal to the international community, that we Hong Kongers never give up,” said Sunny Cheung, 24, one of a batch of aspiring young democrats out lobbying and giving stump speeches.

If you have 13 minutes, this is worth it

Haunted by those she could not save

For all their hero status, health workers around the world face intense pressure and stress, intensified by this pandemic. Dr. Lorna Breen, above, was known for being an unflappable emergency room doctor in Manhattan — until the virus. She suffered a breakdown in the midst of the crisis, and she died by suicide in April.

Dozens of her loved ones shared memories of her with our reporters, and told them about how she was devastated that she could not help many of her patients. “She had something that was a little bit different,” recalled her colleague and friend Dr. Barbara Lock, “and that was this optimism that her persistent efforts will save lives.”

Here’s what else is happening

China: Xu Zhangrun, a law professor in Beijing known for criticizing the Communist Party, was allowed to go home after being detained a week ago, people familiar with him said.

K-pop: Fans of the band Blackpink, many of them in India, unleashed a torrent of criticism, including accusations of cultural appropriation and disrespect, after a statue of the Hindu god Ganesha flashed onscreen in a music video. The video was removed, and the band apologized. It was another example of how eagle-eyed K-pop fans will come together to push for issues they believe in.

Roger Stone: President Trump’s commutation of the sentence of his former campaign adviser for obstructing an investigation into Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign was the latest example of Mr. Trump bending legal machinery to his advantage.

In case you missed it: The center-right People’s Action Party, which has never been out of power, won again in Singapore’s elections, but by a narrower margin than usual. The opposition racked up a record 10 of Parliament’s 93 seats.

Snapshot: Above, the police drag protesters in Beirut on Sunday. Our correspondents took stock of how Lebanon’s financial crisis has sent inflation soaring and closed businesses, replacing the city’s once raucous nightlife with an eerie desolation.

What we’re reading: This South China Morning Post article about students derailed by U.S. visa restrictions. “U.S.-China tensions are playing out not just on the world stage but at schools like the University of Rochester, where 19 percent of students are Chinese,” writes Jennifer Jett, an editor in Hong Kong. “But it’s not as simple as one side against the other.”

Now, a break from the news

Cook: David Tanis’s vegetarian burger doesn’t mimic the texture or look of ground meat, but it isn’t meant to. It’s more like deluxe refried beans, with an egg on top.

Read or listen: The Times Magazine’s “Decameron Project,” inspired by Boccaccio’s 14th-century tales during the plague, brings together 29 new short stories from writers including Margaret Atwood, Yiyun Li, Esi Edugyan and Charles Yu. You can listen to two of the stories here.

Make: You can turn your copy of The Times (or any other newspaper) into ornamental beads, with a little glue and our templates.

Reopening and reclosings seem to be everywhere. For those minimizing their exposure, At Home has our full collection of ideas on what to read, cook, watch, and do.

And now for the Back Story on …

Personal finance lessons

Paul B. Brown, a freelance writer, entered the pandemic believing he was in good shape financially, but he lost most of his income virtually overnight. Now, he says, he has a lot more to do. He shared some of the lessons he has learned.

Keep even more cash on hand.

The standard personal finance advice is to have at least three months of living expenses stashed away in something liquid and ultrasafe. I am going to try to get that number up to a year’s worth of reserves. The goal is more to create peace of mind than to increase my net worth. I never want to worry about meeting day-to-day expenses again.

Manage debt more aggressively.

I’ve always paid off my full credit card balances each month, so I have never had credit card debt. But I do have three mortgages. I always paid more than I had to each month on each mortgage, because I considered prepaying a kind of forced savings. The mortgages have different interest rates. From now on, I am going to put all extra payments toward the one with the highest interest rate.

Keep the big picture in mind.

You never buy insurance because you hope to submit a claim someday. You do it to protect against a time when something awful may happen. I have always thought of saving money the same way.

But the pandemic has made me realize that I’m not sure how much I’ll really need to have salted away to protect my family and to keep our solidly middle-class standard of living intact, both now and into the future.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Melina

Thank you To Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the break from the news. You can reach the team at [email protected].

P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is on the fate of President Trump’s tax records. • Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Ingredient in a croque monsieur sandwich (three letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • “The Jungle Prince of Delhi,” a Times story about the mysterious royal family of Oudh from the reporter Ellen Barry, is being adapted for an Amazon series by the director Mira Nair.

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recentanimenews · 5 years

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Shield Hero Fans Go Nuts for Raphtalia's Swimsuit and Naofumi's Leveling Spree!

Hear ye, hear ye, it's that time you've been waiting for every week: Shield Hero time! If you haven't watched this week's episode of The Rising of the Shield Hero, please shield your eyes from these spoilers!

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

We start this week's episode with... new allies? I know Naofumi's name was cleared and all, but there's still a lot of people out there that still treat him like a criminal, so making new allies seems like a huge change of pace here! Nevertheless, we meet the BEST TEAM's bunkmates: L'Arc and Therese. Before they got too chummy, Raphtalia couldn't understand a word Therese was saying and asked if she was foreigner.

Well, that was convenient! The language barrier is something Naofumi totally forgot about, since his handy dandy shield already translates everything for him. Now we can get to know our new allies! As Naofumi introduces himself... both L'Arc and Therese burst out in laughter? Wow, rude!

But they don't believe Naofumi to be ACTUAL Shield Hero, after all, the Shield Hero is an evil guy that deals with stuff like scames, blackmail and kidnappings. He can even get anyone who ends up annoying him killed! Truly an evil guy, right? Ahh...seems like news of Naofumi's name being cleared hasn't reached far and wide yet.

Even with L'Arc saying all those untrue things about the Shield Hero, he also believes that Naofumi himself doesn't have those terrible qualities, and that he's truly a good guy! Seems like they'll still be able to get along...hopefully! L'Arc still believes Naofumi's just hiding his real name, but he's too easy-going to care, which totally works for the Shield Hero team, because they offer to party up to take advantage of the Cal Mira's level boosts. The more, the merrier!

Before any real plans are set in stone, Naofumi gets summoned to meet the ship's crew. Something about getting the crew excited with having the Four Cardinal Heroes onboard... but how exciting can that be when three of 'em are total chumps? Ah well, at least Naofumi can share what he learned about the weapons' system: if you trust and believe the info about the systems that are told to you, they unlock and you can use them! It's a pretty big discovery and definitely some vital info that all Heroes need to know.

We are treated to the most sorry sight in this episodes: the three hero stooges being completely seasick and even unable to stand! "How are you okay, Naofumi?," they ask. Gee, is it because he's not a total lightweight like y'all?! Pathetic! How can the ship's crew even get excited over this?! Whatever, it's time to talk about the ever-important system discovery... but what's this? They don't even want to hear about anything "complicated" because their condition will worsen. Seriously? These three hero stooges will help with the Waves? Oh Naofumi... you have your work cut out for you!

What's hilarious to me is that L'Arc and Therese just stroll on by and they don't really pay much attention to the three sickly idiot heroes! I wonder if they know that those three are the Heroes of legend that will help save their world. Anyway, enough about the baka trio, Therese has a request for Naofumi, and she'll pay the big bucks for it! She heard from Raphtalia that he's quite skilled in jewel crafting, so she wants him to make her an accessory she could use. Since he's already getting the materials and he'll be paid, why not?

The BEST TEAM finally reach Cal Mira! The island is a popular spot with the tourists, and with good reason: it looks like a beatiful and relaxing vacation spot! But that's not the only reason that Cal Mira gained its fame; apparently the past Four Cardinal Heroes trained at the island, making it a big draw for travelers. With all of this bringing tourists and adventurers from all over, there's some rules they all gotta follow, like avoiding barging into other adventurers' battles to steal their prey... Isn't that basically telling them not to kill steal? Truly, this is an MMO!

Along with that weird totem pole-ish looking statue, there's an epigraph left behind by a Cardinal Hero? Nah, that can't be right, it's totally bogus--WOAH, it actually worked! So the legend of the previous Cardinal Heroes coming to train here wasn't a lie after all! In the midst of this discovery, L'Arc and Therese find our crew and make plans to party up for the leveling spree. Seems like Naofumi took a liking to those two! Hopefully they can stay allies for a long time... fingers crossed! With plans being set, why don't we see what leveling in Cal Mira is all about before calling it a day?

Even low-level monsters give an ample amount of experience points! Excellent! And they spawn infinitely? Definitely a great area to farm some levels, that's for sure. But as with any leveling spree... after fighting the same weak enemies over and over, no matter how much exp. points they give, it becomes a total chore. It's time for some excitement; where are the higher level bosses?!

Wait a sec... why isn't anyone gaining exp. points all of the sudden? And then the three stooges heroes appear... of course they would all kill steal from one another! The three are quick to get territorial and proceed to bicker and yell at each other. How old are these three again? 'Cause they sound like they're 6 right now.

Naofumi's had enough of this farce and leaves to a higher level area. Finally, some excitement and that sweet exp. points boost! Not to mention better drops too; Raphtalia and Filo were able to get newer weapons to fight the higher level monsters with. With all this leveling... how is Naofumi not tired? Isn't he still cursed from his Blood Sacrifice curse? He couldn't hide this fact from Raphtalia, who urged Naofumi to rest. She's really the best girl!

Just on cue, L'Arc and Therese find the Shield Hero team, and they were worried about not seeing them come back to the main island. Having people worry over him is not something Naofumi is used to, and with Raphtalia, L'Arc and Therese teaming up to say "hey, enough is enough, pal," he can't refuse their offer to call it quits for the day. But not without drinking!

Most of the time that Naofumi and crew gather with others, it ends up in chaos, but this time it was... really enjoyable! Getting some R&R without any trouble is such a rarity, so they enjoy as much as they can. We see Filo singing, Raphtalia being buff and destroying any fools who dare to challenge her, and Naofumi being indestructible when it comes to alcohol. It's a real treat to see the BEST TEAM enjoying themselves like this!

The next morning comes (thankfully, no hangovers!), and it's time to level like crazy with L'Arc and Therese! But not before Naofumi handing over the promised accessory he said he'd make for Therese. It's such a gorgeous looking accessory too made from a rare and vibrant red Starfire! She's so overjoyed that...she's crying? "The jewel is filled with joy," she says as she praises Naofumi's skills. I wonder if her hobbies lie in creating, collecting and analyzing accessories. Naofumi did such an amazing job that Therese wants to shower him with all the money! Wow, I guess he won't be worrying about going broke for awhile, huh?

Now they're ready to kick some butt and gain some levels! With a bigger and balanced party, leveling was a breeze; the BEST TEAM reached level 70! However, now gaining more exp. points got to be a drag with the lower level enemies, and y'all know what that means: time to take on the area's boss!

Therese uses her strange new skill from the accessory she got from Naofumi on the mob...but with Naofumi in the mob?! What's the big idea, Therese?! Are our new allies traitors?! No... that's not right. The skill obliterates the enemies, but it didn't harm a hair on Naofumi. And in addition to that, it seems to have lifted the curse on Naofumi? What the heck is this skill?!

Our team chalks it up to it being just another strange spell in the already strange world they're in. As they all split their loot, there's an apparent "weird" item that dropped. What was it? Unfortunately, WE NEVER GET AN ANSWER. Why?! I want to know! Will this come up later? Will it be important later?! TELL ME!!

Mystery item aside... Naofumi, Raphtalia and Filo have worked very hard, so why not time for a break? Let's go to the beach and relax! Filo looks adorable with her cute pigtails and swimsuit; an angel of the sea! And Raphtalia? Dear LORD, she's a knockout with her swimsuit! Buuut... Naofumi pays zero attention to that as Filo tells him that she's discovered an interesting new area to check out underwater.

Haha, ohmygod, those outfits... Naofumi has a strange sense of style! Where did he get those penguin onesies?! As ridiculous as those outfits are, it lets them get by underwater to see where this mystery place is. And they sure found it, but it was sealed tight. How were they to get inside? Naofumi lightly touches the door and it reacts to his shield, opening and making a path for them. But wait, there's air inside? Just what is this place?

Surprise! There's a dragon hourglass here, hidden away in this island! It looks identical to the one at the cathedral back in the capital too. This... is terrible news, because any place with one of these hourglasses can be attacked by a Wave. What's worse, this hourglass reads that there's only TWO DAYS before the next Wave hits this area. WELP, I guess good thing everyone's been doing their leveling, right? We can only hope the other three idiots have been leving as well. How difficult will this Wave be? Will the Four Cardinal Heroes protect the islands and successfully defeat all the enemies? Will Glass show up again? And what was that mystery item they got while leveling?! We won't know until next week's episode as we get closer to this season's finale!

While we wait for our burning questions to be answered, let's get to the best part of this segment: your reactions! What did y'all think of this week's The Rising of the Shield Hero episode? Let's find out!

This is what we wanted ???????????? pic.twitter.com/9QN6WUjAMl

— Giovanny Barrantes ジオ???? (@SomecallmeGeo) June 12, 2019

Drunktalia is the stronger girl pic.twitter.com/mjGfQdnUA0

— Ginto (@Ginto62) June 12, 2019

Don't mess with Raphtalia when she's had some of that drink ????????#shieldhero pic.twitter.com/8hAm1VnSi1

— Chandler Ingram (@Chandler_Ingram) June 12, 2019

Best Ponytail ever ! #shieldhero pic.twitter.com/PWAqEy9lLZ

— Ginto (@Ginto62) June 12, 2019

#shieldhero cute pic.twitter.com/T1rnG8bNye

— ???? Caio Hope ❤️ (@CaioHope) June 12, 2019

Filo solo concert when? I would pay big money for it. #shieldhero pic.twitter.com/MaTZQz1ymz

— Henry兄さん???? (@TheHenkuku) June 12, 2019

Therese is cute. ????#ShieldHero pic.twitter.com/7e5WidxcA5

— Matsukaze Kuki (@MatsukazeKuki) June 12, 2019

Loves seeing them all team up if only for a short time. Made a hell of a team #shieldhero pic.twitter.com/I7tDb3bF11

— Chandler Ingram (@Chandler_Ingram) June 12, 2019

An hourglass here of all places???? ???? and a wave is about to hit in just 2 days!!!!!#shieldhero　#盾の勇者の成り上がり pic.twitter.com/JSxhCsriNh

— ✨Diego The Royal✨ (@prodegyxtinct) June 12, 2019

My Best Boys are cool now, right? They're allowed to be buds now, right?#ShieldHero ❤️???? pic.twitter.com/gkZrbPRBlh

— Matsukaze Kuki (@MatsukazeKuki) June 12, 2019

ah, yes! another cute Shield Hero episode!!! ????????????

— Kirie (@Kirie_Zero) June 12, 2019

Give some love to the official Shield Hero Twitter and Facebook fan page where you can discuss the latest episode with fans every week!

Watch The Rising of the Shield Hero on Crunchyroll

----

Nicole is a features writer and editor for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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pyxel-spree · 7 years

Text

01 | centaurii ascendant

Duchess Seonid Min walked down to her private parlor. With a final twirl to display the fullness of the strapless gown, with its fluffy white tulle skirt, yellow satin overlay and white rose corsage, she grinned at the image in the mirror, clicking the heels of her white velvet boots together. She fiddled with her short shiny dark brown hair, admired the shimmering blue eyeliner that brought out her slender winged eyes and the pink in her creamy cheeks. She was no beauty-she was too overweight and too short (4"5 with heels) to look like those models on TV. But she wasn't going to dress like a nun just because she had a big butt and thick thighs, and she could still pretty up her round plain face a bit.

Satisfied that she looked perfect, she sauntered into the pale pink room with its gilded chairs, pausing only to adjust the vase of flowers on the table. For this was her room, and everything, from the matching, rose-printed dishes on the irewood table from the overstuffed, pink velvet wing chair in the corner, had to be just so.

On the opposite corner of the room, a large wallscreen with a holomap of the Rublex Galaxy resided. Seonid marched over to this sleek device, rather out of place in the frilly, old-fashioned room, and used her fingers to zoom in on a small solar system, which she scanned for minutes, her brow furrowed in concentration, until she reached the small silver dot labeled Oriolis. She tapped on it, and a list of figures and statistics appeared on the dark-blue background of the coat of arms of the galaxy.

"The two hundred fortieth meeting of the Rublex Royal Council will now commence," she announced to the crowded room, packed with men and women in expensive clothes, all sampling delicacies from silver platters and sniffing the floral arrangements. "First, I would like to welcome each and every one of you into my humble home. Please, make yourself comfortable. Secondly, we have three proposals we need to address-the Petrochemicals Guild has a suggestion on how to reduce emissions, the Screen Actors Association has been lobbying our local councils with some film-friendly bills, and the demands of the Granjan people and the ongoing discrimination they claim to be facing under our administration." As she spoke, the people in the room listened raptly, politely applauding when she was finished All of the people in the room were older than the Duchess; her round face and innocent brown eyes gave one the impression of a child, malleable and easily influenced. And yet it was clear who the leader in the room was.

Seonid Min had been born in the Earthen ghetto of North Side, a rough section of the Grand Centaurii City. Her parents were the children of Korean immigrants from Earth, and the tiny family apartment was barely big enough for the family's seven children. She was the middle child, the first girl, but expectations were hardly high. Her three older brothers and her father had all done jail time; the oldest, Kivran, had been sentenced to life for second-degree murder, and her father was always in and out of the house, dancing between prison and complete bankruptcy. But Seohyun Min hadn't lost all hope-she'd given her daughter another name-Gim Mirae, which meant "golden future" in Korean, and the names of two great Centauriian empresses (Seonid and Elysei, just to be on the safe side), so it seemed fair to say that Seonid was bound to be an extraordinary child.

Nevertheless, when Seohyun sent six-year-old Seonid to the same inner-city public school she had sent her two brothers, she was completely flabbergasted when the girl came back with a letter the first day claiming that that she has shown "exceptional promise" and would they not mind if they promoted Seonid to the sixth year, as she was not like to learn much in the first? Seohyun couldn't believe it. After all, both she and her husband had barely graduated from upper school. But she signed the form with a shaking hand, and subsequently, Seonid was on track to be very special indeed.

Suprisingly, Seonid didn't like school very much. Oh, she liked learning well enough, but school? Not at all. Pretty soon, she realized she was quite a bit smarter than many of her teachers, and often had to correct them, "to preserve the integrity of the lesson," as she put it. This habit caused two labels to be hung up on her, neither of which she liked very much-"genius girl" and "smarty pants." She didn't like "genius girl" because it implied that she had supernatural abilities, and she didn't like "smarty pants" because it prevented her from having friends. After coming in top in the nation-wide exam required to pass the sixth year, she then moved onto upper school. Upper school was different from lower school in several ways. For one, what year you were didn't matter. You just had to complete a certain number of courses and then you could graduate. Generally, it took students six years to finish upper school. Seonid finished all her required courses in two-and participated in every extracurricular activity her school offered, even sports, which she wasn't much good at.

Most geniuses, the ones you hear about a lot, are famous because of their contributions to math and science. Seonid was different. Her strengths were in language and public speaking. But she had no idea where to go with those skills. A helpful teacher had watched her at a debate team match, and had asked her afterwards, "I know you're finishing this year; what universities are you applying to?"

Seonid told him the names, all local schools, mediocre at best. He shook his head. "You're looking at the wrong places. You should be applying to the best, with skills like yours. Grand Centaurii University, perhaps?"

Grand Centaurii University?! Home of the best law program, the incredibly elite school only accepted-and oftentimes rejected-the very best. But Seonid had taken his advice, and before she knew it, she had applied applied, had been called in for an interview, had been called in for another interview (this one for a merit scholarship), and had finally been accepted.

University has passed by in a blissful blur, and she had come out top in her class again. Many of her peers wanted to go on for internships in prestigious law firms, but Seonid had a different goal. She wanted to help North Side, where she had been raised. And the way to do that? Get elected as Centauriian senator.

The empire divided its powers into Houses of nobility headed up by the emperor or empress, and the elected Centauriian Senate, which represented every single planetary system and galaxy within the empire. There was one representative for every planetary system (a planet and its moons). So politics within the established parties were cutthroat, nasty, and unwelcoming to outsiders. So Seonid and a few college friends founded their own party, put Seonid on the ballot, and waited.

What no one could have predicted was how popular Seonid would become. People, for some reason, really liked her. Probably it was because people liked her whole image-thirteen-year-old inner-city whiz kid Seo Min, her ability to sound smart without sounding pretentious, the way she could talk to all kinds of people, her persistence on issues she cared about but her willingness to compromise, her openness. Without really meaning to, she became a contender. And before long, she was planet rep and galaxy rep (the contest between the planet reps within the galaxy).

She would have been content to just stop there, but fate, as it would seem, intervened. Within a few weeks of her first term, Seonid received a letter that would change her life.

Apparently, the High King Selevar, head of House Onyx (the guardians of Centaurii and the leaders of the military) had caught sight of Seonid's exceptional rise to power and declared her Raised to the Imperium, Duchess Seonid Min of the planet of Oriolis of the Yancyl system of the Adeline Quadrant of the Dencë sector, First Duchess (duchess of the capital planet!) of the Rublex Galaxy of the Grand Centaurii Empire, and eligible for all ranks and privileges of that title.

Which was really a nice way of saying that the High Lord Cielaré, the real power in House Onyx, demanded that she ascend to the Imperium. One did not refuse such an offer, even if one had never heard of the Rublex Galaxy before.

And so, at the tender age of fourteen, she was a planet leader. Royalty.

It was all a bit hard to believe.

She examined the members of her cabinet fondly. Tall, thin Piengo la Chanve, Minister of Affairs. City Magistrate Ala Stinworthy, pale and elegant. Duke Cierno of the nearby planet of Long Gap. Rather unattractive, middle-aged Duchess Cal, Duke Cierno's wife. Other assorted royals, some she liked, some she didn't. And presiding over them all, white-haired ancient old High Lord Dunavain, the leader of the galaxy. She couldn't imagine a better group of people to work with. Or a more unlikely.

Houses Onyx (military) Diamond (diplomacy) and Emerald (finance) together made up the "Big Three." These were the most influential houses, the ones every noble wanted to be a part of, the ones with the most money, influence, and power. But naturally, there was a world of difference within the Houses, made up of multiple families who may or may not agree ideologically. Such was the case with Onyx, where the High Lord Cielaré's ultra-conservative militarism had made him more than a few enemies. So the High Lord had come up with a solution. Anyone whom he deemed likely to make trouble, he banished to the Rublex or other outer galaxies, cutting them off from main channels of power. So the Rublex was, therefore, an enclave of thought quite different from that of mainstream Onyx.

Seonid didn't care. The people she had met here were fantastic leaders, all brave and talented and wise. The High Lord had no idea what he was missing not having these people on his side.

High Lord Dunavain, their leader, stood up feebly. He was getting up there in years, but his mind was still sharp. At his side, his son Milos, the heir to the Rublex, a dignified gentleman who sat with his wife, dutifully giving his father his glass of water. As the older Dunavain rose, he quaffed the drink, then gave Seonid a conspiratorial wink. "Thank you for those kind words of welcome, Duchess. Now, before we address those issues, I have some of my own-Oh! I almost forgot!" He turned to a portrait on the opposite wall and bowed very low. "Good evening, High Lord Ruble."

As one, the leaders of the Rublex rose, and saluted the picture, which depicted a handsome, strong-jawed man with coffee-colored skin and a fall of rich copper hair that fell in long curls to his waist. Despite that, and his flamboyant silken raiment, the angles of his jaw and cheekbones left no doubt as to his gender.

High Lord Rythicæn Ruble was something of a legend among the Centauriians. He had been one of the original founders of the Celestial Empire, as well as the counterpart to the High Lord Cielaré's ideology, the founder of House Diamond. Like the High Lord, he was brilliant, but he was a sworn pacifist, holding to the vows of his religion, the Church of the Seven Angels. Despite his political rivalry with Cielaré, the two remained good friends. That was, until a final argument (no one was certain what it was about) had so angered Ruble that he fled the empire, never to be seen again. The Rublex Galaxy was his legacy.

To salute the portrait, here, under the command of House Onyx, was unthinkable, semi-blasphemous, in fact. But it gave the men and women of the Rublex their own little form of defiance, a small rebellion, in a way. They may have been relegated to the ass-end of the empire, as Dunavain liked to say, but that still meant they could act with style.

The only person who wasn't standing (or smiling) was her bodyguard, Tessa. Just taller than Seonid, the small woman had her perpetual poker face on. As a direct employee of Cielaré, the guard took her responsibilities very seriously.

As Seonid sat down, a tray of food was passed to her. She stared at the "simple and elegant" Rublex dinner in front of her. After two months in the galaxy, she was sick of their food, its subtle nuances and slight shifts in flavor. Today, a light yellow cream and a Rublex roll with fruit, all arranged in the most artful manner. It churned her stomach to look at it.

"Rondeman," she whispered to the uniformed attendant, "tell the chef to fetch me a deep-fried eekak bucket." She longed for the bold flavors of her home planet, even if it did take a toll on her figure.

The attendant nodded, walked away to give her order. As he did so, Dunavain flagged him down. "Oh, Rondeman!"

"Yes, m'lord?"

"Fetch one for me too." Seonid blushed, but Dunavain grinned. "I haven't had eekak in years."

The assembled nobles chuckled, and would have laughed more had not a horrible creak sounded above them, with a nails-on-a chalkboard quality. Everyone stopped, nervous.

Then all the lights went out.

All was darkness.

••

Tessa lounged in her chair, watching with fond disinterest the proceedings of the day. She had never been one for politics, but it did amuse her to watch her small, confident duchess twist these seasoned dukes and governesses around her fingers.

If only they didn't have to salute the portrait. It looked for a second like Dunavain was going to forget, but then he quickly remembered, and everyone got up to salute the damn thing. It always seemed fairly stupid to Tessa, nothing but a petty little way for these third-rate politicians to feel like they had a say in anything. Did they not realize their guards and servants were Cielaré's direct employees?

Many of the guards seemed to be forgetting that. They were wearing Rublex clothes instead of Onyx black, and they laughed and joked as they saluted the portrait.

Well, she wasn't going to do it. Someone had to be professional.

She supposed this was just her punishment. Though why anyone had to be punished for saving their employer's (such a strange word, employer, so technical) life was beyond her.

When she thought about the series of events that had landed her here, it was more like a series of flashes. A fancy ballroom, with long white tables, the flash of crystal and the spray of red wine as the crack of a bullet cut through the soft waltz that was playing. Standing up, fiddling with the trigger of her own gun. Burning pain in her side. Red dots spreading into wet splotches on the man's white shirt.

The doctors said she was incredibly lucky that the bullet fired by the man, who was, rather predictably, an Arkillion nationalist, had lodged in flesh rather than a rib. Even if it had lodged in a rib, she doubted she would have cared much. The High Lord Cielaré was safe. That was all that mattered.

But there was a problem. News of the assault on the palace had spread far and wide. People wanted to know about the brave guard who'd saved the High Lord's life. There would be interviews and fluff pieces and worst of all, photographs. All their work could be undone. And so, for the fourth time, all the files on her were erased, then re-edited into a new alias and a new location. She would travel to the remote Rublex Galaxy to guard someone named Seonid Min, far away from prying eyes and anyone who might recognize her from the Earthen newsfeeds.

She didn't want to. She would feel safer near the High Lord, preferably in his Miramoor Galaxy or in the Imperial residence at Lyria. But it was a promotion, and she had been nearly located with less, so all in all, it was a necessary evil.

Given how out of the way the Rublex was, Tessa saw no need to disguise herself. Few people knew what she looked like, although it was true she did possess an otherworldly beauty. At four feet seven inches, she was tiny, with a pretty, heart-shaped face that made her age impossible to gauge. She had large, dark eyes and dusky red lips highlighted by the barest touch of makeup. Soft olive skin, lighter than her thick dark hair, rounded out her unusual appearance. One might mistake her for a doll, with her haunting eyes and the way she rarely changed her facial expressions. Yet her slender arms were corded with muscles, and the too-large black jacket she wore bulged with knives. But with a face like hers, she was rarely taken seriously.

She was expecting some spoiled little brat, but Seonid wasn't at all like that. No, this duchess seemed like she needed Tessa, in some bizarre way. Needed her experience from four years of watching House Onyx politics, needed a shoulder to cry tears of frustration, anger, and grief on, needed an older sister. And so Tessa unknowingly became all of those things, for a little Earthen duchess who was truly a force to be reckoned with.

Am I getting soft? It was a valid concern. She wasn't supposed to be attached to anything or anyone. After all, her contract was almost up. One more year and she'd be able to leave, go wherever she wanted with as much money as she could ever need. She sometimes wondered if that's why she'd been assigned to guard Seonid-so that she would never leave.

But no. They had a deal. Five years of service in exchange for protection. And the High Lord Cielaré was a lot of things, but never dishonest. At least, not dishonest to her. That was why he needed to stay alive.

Mind on the job. she reminded herself, beginning to stare down Duchess Cal's bodyguard, a pale, nervously freckled young man. Duchess Cal, she had liked. But Duke Cierno always seemed like a false friend of Seonid's. The duke, she suspected, was probably responsible for the mass pullout of troops two weeks ago, an idea that would leave Oriolis completely defenseless. And Duke Cierno had hired this guard, who was probably only loyal to his paycheck.

If you try anything...She was neither the strongest nor the best-trained guard on the Onyx force, but she knew how to break a man. The guard looked away, blushing at the strength of her gaze.

Tessa was about to shift her gaze to Cierno when the lights went out.

All was darkness.

••

All was darkness, but not all was quiet. Some of the richer nobles were tittering nervously. Seonid could not help but smile. These coddled royals had probably never been in a blackout before, but Seonid's years in North Side had resigned her to the experience of blackouts-the way everything stopped, the waiting for the crews to come turn everything back on. She had an idea why the power had gone out, though. The mansion had just installed a new power system that was not all the way stable. But to have it happen now, during a meeting, was just bad luck. Of all the times for an outage...

It would be a pain to fix, though, because the mansion was on an island overlooking the city. They'd have to get Grand Oriolis City power teams up there, which could take weeks.

"Look!" cried Count Behran of the Smelziorg sector. "The city's out! Everything's black!"

"What?" Seonid scrambled to the window, only to see that he spoke the truth. The evening lights of the city, which could usually be seen from the mansion, were black as pitch, as was the sky above. Even the water of the river was shimmering obsidian, rippling below them.

A collective groan from the room. Then, chatter broke out. "What are we going to do?" "They can't get power teams up here for weeks!" "The Miramoor Galaxy could!" "They're too far away." "It must be something really big." "To get the whole city out, no less!"

"Everyone, quiet!" commanded Seonid. "Let us go to the command room and see if it's just our area. There's no reason to panic." Her words, she hoped, concealed the anxiety she felt. She had never lived through a blackout this big before, even in North Side. An entire city out...that had never happened before.

As no one had a better idea (the wall displays were essential to continue the meeting), they all got up and followed Seonid down the ornately carved stairs, the flashlights on their cellphones bathing the floor in a blue glow.

The house was frightening at night, without a doubt. Without lights, especially. Now furniture that was innocent at day took on a sinister feel at night. In the dim glow, Seonid saw Tessa's hand, clutching at her gun. She suppressed a shudder, then remembered how paranoid her bodyguard often was. It was probably nothing. Wasn't it?

The command room in the basement was powered by a generator, so was still lit. It was sparsely furnished, with industrial-grade metal tables and plastic chairs. The real power in the command room came from the new computerized walls which lined the entire room. The room was created to serve in case of extreme disaster, invasion, or war, which was why it was always powered.

The duchess spoke, "Initiating status report."

The walls responded with a series of clicks and beeps, then a map of the whole galaxy appeared.

All dark.

"The whole galaxy..." whispered Cal, horrified.

"I suppose we can call the Miramoor," said Dunavain reluctantly. Everyone knew he and the High Lord Cielaré were hardly on the best of terms. But if the whole galaxy was out he would need to do something.

As if on cue, the Apex in his hand, along with the walls and the halogen lights on the ceiling, flickered, and then went out.

"That...that's not supposed to happen." stammered Seonid. "The generators..."

Suddenly a grinding overhead split the silence, as though from the world's largest electric saw. "A ship." Tessa told Seonid. "Perhaps the Miramoor got a power crew up here."

They heard a thud, a couple crashes, and the grinding noise ceased abrubtly. All was eerily silent.

Then someone kicked down the door to the mansion.

"Oh, God," Seonid breathed. She heard similar exclamations from the assorted nobles below. Each intoned the name of their deity. Some of the really religious ones, like Governess Stinworthy, had set up a small pocket shrine and were actually praying. Though about what, Seonid didn't know.

Centaurii had never been invaded since Amadeus IV had conquered the universe in 1099. Never. But what was the kicking down of the imperial manor if not invasion? And how had the generators gone off?

Calm down. she told herself. There was no need to panic. Not yet. They didn't know who was above them. Beside her, Tessa tensed, listening to the heavy bootfalls of what seemed to be a small squad of...soldiers? They had the voices of soldiers, at least.

"Al-Almiarah, this place is huge!" one said in an unfamiliar accent.

"Centauriian dogs," his companion sneered. "They're all evil, all filthy-rich, bourgeoisie noks." He spat audibly.

"They could be anywhere, by al-Almiarah!" fumed the first again. "This place is huge."

"Will you shut up and look for them, then?" said a waspish female voice. "You're not going to find anything by admiring the furniture."

"Yes, Lady Castella." said the voice meekly.

"I found something!" called a voice triumphantly. "Some sort of secret room, it looks like!" There was a flurry of feet on the stairs. Seonid's heart pounded. He was standing just outside the command room!

"Yes." the acerbic voice of the woman came again. "They did say something about a hidden room." And then, after a pause, "Bring it down."

"Yes, milady!" the men called out enthusiastically. clattered over to the door, grunted, heaved, grunted, heaved, and grunted and heaved again. Boots pounded on the metal in a futile attempt to break it.

Inside, the Centauriians exchanged nervous looks. Their options were limited at this point. Bereft of their usual military escorts, who had pulled out only recently, they had only their personal guard to protect them, and who knew how many men waited on the other side of that door? Seonid looked to Dunavain. "What do we do?"

"Open it." Seeing their stunned faces, he smiled. "I've met this type before. In the Third Arkillion War. All bluff and not very many guns. They rely on a few fancy tricks to conceal their real flaws-like that business with the generators. A real threat wouldn't need to do that. They could just force their way in."

Seonid nodded. He has a point.

Duchess Cal didn't look convinced. "And if it gets hostile-"

"We've faced worse from the Onyx loyalists." said Milos Dunavain, which earned a laugh from them all. He turned to his guard. "Would you open the door?"

••

Tessa observed the strangers who streamed through the now-open door with some trepidation, eager to find out who they were. The majority were standardly trained fighting men, dressed in black bodysuits with new guns. But even from this distance, she could tell that the guns were shoddily constructed and the black suits were cheap. She suspected some sort of illegal private army. Boring.

There were two people in the room she was quite fascinated with, however. The first was, of course, the woman who called herself Castella. Castella was a standard humanoid, with dark blue skin that was obviously home-grafted (you could see traces of a lighter blue skin beneath.) and a shaved head. Yet she had golden flanged armor on that was clearly expensive, and carried two long crystal swords instead of a gun. Yet despite her outlandish outfit and appearance, there was a certain cadence to her accent that reminded Tessa of home. She seemed distinctly Earthen, which was puzzling. Now, where have I seen her before?

The other person was shrouded in a black robe covered in cabalistic symbols. He was also a standard humanoid, only his skin had been grafted on with bright green. Something in the shape of his jaw gave Tessa the distinct impression that this was a man who got his way, even though he appeared to be a mute or too important to talk.

What frustrated Tessa was that she couldn't analyze these people, couldn't classify them as threats because she knew next to nothing about them, couldn't classify them as non-threatening because of the way they had come in. She longed to grab Seonid and go, but even she couldn't fight her way through twenty soldiers at once, not to mention Castella and this man.

Seonid was not taking this well. "Who are you people?" she demanded rudely. Milos Dunavain put a steadying hand on her shoulder, but she threw it off angrily.

Castella ignored the question. "Are you the leader?"

"Who are you people?"

"Are you the leader?"

Tessa held her breath, wondering how the fiery little duchess would respond. In terms of seniority, she was not ranked highly, being only a duchess, but she was obviously the natural leader in all other respects.

Dunavain raised a hand. "I am the leader."

"Your name?"

"High Lord Helios Dunavain of the Rublex Galaxy." Dunavain responded, with a nonchalance of manner Tessa had never seen in him before. It's almost as if he's trying to provoke them. "Now, if you will. Our good First Duchess has raised an excellent question. Who are you and what are you doing in my galaxy?"

"That, I believe, I can explain." the robed man said suddenly. It was the first thing he had said all day. Tessa was stunned by the rich honeyed tones of his voice, strengthened with a fierce steel. Strange...

"Your Grace," he swept an elegant bow to Seonid, "and you lovely lords and ladies," here he made another bow, "it is truly a pity that you had to be involved in all of this...unpleasantness."

"Which is..?" Seonid's tone made it quite clear she wanted answers.

"My dear girl, this is a coup. A coup to restore the galaxy to the hands of its rightful owner, High Lord Regen." Seeing their stunned faces, he went on. "You see, a long time ago, there was a man named Regen, of noble birth, but the High Lord Cielaré saw an enemy in him. An enemy that needed to be snuffed out and destroyed. So he went to the King of House Onyx, who was-and still is-little more than a figurehead and used his influence to get Regen exiled on a wrongful charge. We are Regen's men. We returned today to take back the galaxy that would have been his-the Rublex Galaxy."

There was an unpleasant silence as he allowed this to sink in. Castella picked up. "Milord Regen wished to have all the nobles of the Rublex executed, but my good Lord Sever intervened on your behalf. He sees no reason to spill Centauriian blood. So, we will allow you to live, if you give up the galaxy to High Lord Regen, its rightful leader. We are sorry, my dear, that the High Lord mixed you up in all of this, took a barely trained girl and dressed her up in duchess's clothing. It is nothing short of despicable. "

"And to sweeten the pot for the loss of the galaxy, my good lords and ladies, a sum of two hundred thousand eekaks will be waiting for you on Centaurii when you arrive." Sever added. "Clever girl like you, you can put that to some use, and get a real job."

Two hundred thousand! Tessa's heart could have leaped from her chest. However, Seonid didn't look so pleased with the offer. She was trembling with rage, and her face had been growing steadily redder throughout Sever's speech.

"Don't patronize me." Seonid snarled. "I may be young, Lady Castella-" here she made a mocking suggestion of a bow, "but you will speak to me with the respect I deserve. And you!" she cried, turning on Sever. "You really must take me to be some kind of fool. You think I would sell my planet-my galaxy-for money? For a sum, I am sure, you have no intention of paying?" She was really getting into it now, like she did in her speeches. "I was chosen rightfully by my House and my Empress to lead this planet. It is I, not Regen, who is First Duchess of the Rublex Galaxy. I have far more claim than he ever will. Oriolis has become my home as well as my duchy, and to Oriolis I shall remain, to the death!" With that, she concluded proudly, daring anyone to contradict her. There were some shouts of defiance from the other lords, and Seonid smiled. "We of Centaurii are not so easily bought. Now run along, before we have to make you."

"You go too far!" Castella sprang forward with a cry, swinging her deadly crystalline blades with a skill that would have taken Seonid's head off, had not Tessa spotted this and jumped in front of Seonid, so that the tips of Castella's swords dug into her abdomen. As Tessa aimed her gun at Castella's aquiline neck, it was then that she remembered where she had seen Castella before.

"Careful," she said in a low voice. "Wouldn't want to hurt anyone with that."

A flicker of recognition glimmered in Castella's eyes, only to be replaced with cold concentration. "How's Lucas?"

"He's fine." Tessa replied smoothly, refusing to let Castella break her concentration.

"Castella, enough." Lord Sever's tone was carefully controlled, but domineering.

"But, milord, you must know who this woman is-"

"DO AS I SAY!" Sever's voice cracked like a whip. Castella suddenly froze, dropped her weapon, and slumped against the table, face-first, baring the back of her neck to Tessa for the first time. Embedded in the zaffre appendage's base was a small, silver square. Tessa immediately knew its function, and stared, horrified at Sever. His cold grimace chilled her in a way no one had done in years. Oh God...what did they do to you?

Castella finally managed to get to her feet, but her whole body was trembling, and her midnight-blue eyes were leaking tears. When Tessa attempted to make eye contact, Castella glared at her, as if it were her fault. My fault! Seonid was looking at Tessa and Castella curiously. Someone's been following this little chat.

Sever frowned. "Well, it seems you have left us with no choice, Duchess. If you will not relinquish control of Oriolis, we will have to take you to High Lord Regen." He appeared to sweep his eyes over the room, though it was impossible to tell through the hood. "All of you. You." He pointed at Tessa. "Put the gun down."

Wordlessly, she let it drop to the floor with a thud. The other guards followed suit. It felt like giving up, which Tessa hated. My life rests on the oratory skills of High Lord Dunavain, she reflected, seething. Cielaré would have never attempted to negotiate with these people. The Centauriians were white in the face by this point, but what could they do?

Sever turned, and Castella followed him out of the command room. The soldiers forced them to walk single file, pushing them in line with the butts of their guns. Every head was bowed, grim.

The Centauriians turned, walking up the stairs of the grand mansion, turning again and again, marching, marching, until they finally reached the grand door and the soldiers pushed them through, towards a sleek Miramoor-made shuttle parked on the island. The cries of the dark city could be heard across the water.

••

Sever and Castella were the first to enter the shuttle-Our shuttle! Seonid thought angrily-and then the contingent of soldiers pushed them in as well. The shuttle hadn't been made for quite so many people, but she was a Centauriian, a citizen of a land that thrived on overpopulation, and she'd been in bigger crowds in smaller places when she was a girl with her family of nine.

It took less than fifteen minutes to reach the Grand Old Clam. The Clam was a bulky, old fashioned war cruiser, not sleek like the new models they had in the Miramoor, its black hull and pointed rudders looked more suited to a tugboat than at home among the stars.

A hatch near the front opened, just big enough to fit the shuttle, and they flew in, landing with a thud. Seonid felt a sudden wave of claustrophobia, which was amplified when a soldier roughly tied a black strip of cloth around her eyes, blindfolding her. From the noises of indignation the Centauriian nobles were making, she guessed they were getting the same treatment.

They stumbled out of the shuttle like a troupe of fools. Seonid attempted to peer through her blindfold, making out two pinpricks of light through the sheer cloth. Hangar? Her musings were interrupted when she was shoved roughly from behind by the butt of one of those guns.

Everyone was forced into a kneeling position on the cold Astrotile floor, and with a single motion, the blindfolds were ripped off. Seonid stared into the face of the fattest man she'd ever seen in her life, wearing an antiquated set of golden armor too small for him-she could almost see the strain-with a straggly gold beard streaked with gray, beady black eyes, thick, full lips, and the most ridiculous-a golden helmet in the shape of a clam on his head. He sat upon a throne in the same design, with the words THE THRONE OF CLAMS on a piece of cheap printer paper taped to the base.

He opened his mouth, and she nearly fainted. His voice was high and squeaky, exactly like she thought a chipmunk would talk, if it could. "Welcome, goodpeople of the Rublex galaxy! I welcome you! Behold-" and here he threw out his arm in the general direction of the throne-"THE THRONE OF CLAMS! Tremble before its all-encompassing majesty. Tremble before me-once a lowly General Regen, now the mighty High Lord Regen!"

Seonid realized her mouth was open, and quickly closed it. It would not do for the Duchess of Oriolis to be gaping like a fool. "I know you are confused. Angry, perhaps, but wanting for answers. Well, fear not, my school of benevolent subject-fish. I shall explain everything. But-" he waggled his finger like a schoolmaster. "all in good time. I have summoned you hear for a great porpoise-a porpoise so great, you shall quake like a school of the Quaking Fish of the Reynor Sea-"

"Sir," Sever's voice took on a tired quality, as if he had been obliged to explain this point one too many times. "It's purpose, not porpoise-"

"Well, of course it's a porpoise! And a very good one it is, too!" screeched Regen, producing, rather triumphantly, from somewhere behind the throne, what appeared to be a live porpoise stuffed into a plastic garbage bag filled to the brim with orange juice. Some of the juice slopped onto the floor as he brandished his porpoise.

He's mad. Both Tessa and Seonid reached this conclusion rather quickly.

"His name is Reynor the Destroyer, after my father," explained the madman. "But we have many special names we call each other, such as Rabies and Insanity, Leprosy and Cholera, Fury and-"

The Centauriians made an effort to check their laughter.

Sever said, "Word has reached us, my lord-perhaps you could put away your porpoise-" And he whispered something in Regen's ear.

Regen chuckled. "Is that so? Good, good, good!"

"What?" demanded Seonid.

Castella curled her lip. "Children do not speak until spoken to, girl."

"I am no child!" Seonid exploded, meeting the haughty blue woman's stare head on.

Regen bounced like an excited baby. "Tell her, Sever."

Sever smiled unpleasantly. "It appears that your great empire is wiser than you, Duchess Seonid, or perhaps better at listening to reason. High Lord Dunavain, all the system and sector heads, indeed all the planetary systems, and the Empress herself have signed the galaxy over to us."

"I never signed any such thing!" Dunavain's voice quivered with outrage.

"Perhaps you are mistaken." Sever said smoothly, holding, just out of arms' reach, a paper with signatures on it. Seonid thought she could discern elements of relief in the false Lord's voice. He's worried about the wrath of the empire, and I don't blame him. Yet, he would be smugger if he believed the signatures were a forgery.

Dunavain stood, barely taller than Seonid. "I repeat, that is not my signature. I don't know how you got that, and I don't care to know. But know this, Regen-" he spat out the man's last name as if it were a curse-"I would not hand over my galaxy to the likes of you, not even if the Empress herself held the Twelve Destroyers of Ruble above this galaxy. Which I am certain, she has not."

"Excuse me," said Seonid. "Milord Sever, I have not signed my name to this document either. But according to Article Three, Sublevel Six of the most recent revision of the Cession Agreement, you require the signatures of all the senators and high arbiters also. Anything that could have gotten that many signatures is something that we would have heard about. Land is valuable here-we do not cede galaxies lightly."

Ha!

"Very true, Duchess Seonid." Sever said. "Have a look, if you will, everything is in order."

Seonid glared at him, certain he meant to pull some trick, but he met her gaze with a flat, expressionless stare. Tentatively, she moved toward him, and examined the document. Indeed it looked to be a real Cession Statement, but...

"Lord Sever," She put on her sweetest expression, intending to regain the control he had taken from her inside the house. "My signature is not among those assembled here. And, as the signature of every noble in the empire is required to give up land, it appears, that, for whatever reason, the Empress has declined to give you the Rublex Galaxy."

"Impossible!" Sever whirled to Regen, who had been playing idly with the clam designs on his throne, and said something in an undertone to the lunatic. Both began to re-read the list of names, frantically. Clearly, they could not find her name either, for they commenced doing it again. Castella was even dragged out from a panel behind the throne to read the list, but she too, couldn't find Seonid's signature.

Seonid thought she was going to explode from sheer laughter. This has got to be the most incompetent takeover in the history of the universe.

Finally, the frantic re-reading ceased, and Sever turned back to the Centauriians, who were now whispering and giggling like schoolgirls. His face appeared to have been carved from stone now. "Well, then, it appears we will have to remedy the Empress's incompetence. Duchess Seonid, sign the proclamation."

"No, I-" Seonid started to say, but she was interrupted by none other than the High Lord Dunavain, whose watery blue eyes sparkled with mirth. What little of his white hair remained bristled like a cat's, and his bushy white eyebrows writhed like sto-worms, carving lines on his tanned forehead.

"You, sir, are hilarious," he said, standing up. "I've seen a lot of things in my day, but none quite as ridiculous as this. Forgive me!" and he dissolved into giggles again, then appeared to get himself under control. "This coup, if you can call it that, was doomed from the start, what with such complete dunderheads spearheading the effort. You seem like you can't decide which story you want to spin for the masses-Unjustly Accused Noble Risks The Ire Of The Government To Reclaim Homeland, or The Government Is Letting Us Do This-See The Official Forms. Well, guess what, girls and boys! Show's over! No matter which way you spin it, your forger screwed up. You forgot the duchess-you think she's going to sign your 'completely legal' " (here he made air quotes with his fingers) "form? You, who can't even control your own pawns-" he pointed at Castella "without some sort of gadget on them-you're just going to convince her to sign it? So who's going to make her? Regen, the incompetent madman? So, no, she's not going to sign it, not on her life."

••

Another man appeared from behind the throne. He was as opposite to the the smirking, self-important Sever as one could be. He was tall and slender, and moved with a menacing, otherworldly grace. He had a shock of jet-black hair and dark brown eyes, and he wore a dark wool suit. His voice was pitched dangerously low, raspy where Sever's was smooth. "But her life doesn't have anything to do with it. It's yours she'll have to bargain for."

"Murakami." Sever's voice became cold, and tinged with something that sounded like fear. "We are handling this."

"Oh, I see that," Murakami's eyes swept the room disdainfully. "Allow me to assist you."

Tessa's heart had leaped into her throat, and she could feel it pounding away as if it was fighting to escape her body. No. It can't be. After all these years...Did you really think he was dead? the snide little voice in her head remarked. You've never been that lucky.

She forced herself to take a deep breath, to keep her eyes carefully dull as his own swept over her. I am nothing more than a bodyguard. She pulled her sleeves down until they covered almost her whole hand, pressing them to her side, carefully concealing her inner left wrist. To her relief, he did not appear to notice, but that did not stop the pounding of her heart, nor the unremitting desire to scrabble for a weapon, any weapon.

Regen's face, which had been growing progressively redder during Dunavain's speech, contorted, and his hideous slash of a mouth opened with a spray of saliva to scream out. "BRING OUT THE BONE-CRUSHER!"

"No, really!" Sever called, stating hopelessly at Murakami. "There's no need for this. Come on, milord. Surely you don't want to do this."

What the hell is a 'Bone-Crusher'? Tessa wondered. Her question was answered when three men in dark grey jumpsuits and round plastic helmets with dark faceplates appeared, rolling out what appeared to be a plank of wood attached to some crudely constructed wheels. Tight leather straps were attached to the sides of the device, fastened by constricting brass buckles, rusted with age.

Two men in the jumpsuits forced Dunavain to his knees again, then the third casually pulled on a pair of metal cuffs with embedded spikes, handed to him by Sever.

"NO! NO!" Seonid screeched. She broke away from the clutch of mercenaries that surrounded her, and jumped between the High Lord and his would-be tormentors. The cuffed man lowered his hands, unsure suddenly. "If you wish to get to the High Lord-"

Fast as lighting, Murakami moved, a shiny black staff with a intricately carved top in his hand. Wielding the staff with both hands, he swept Seonid off her feet, pushing her to the side. The cuffed man seized the opportunity to rain blows down upon Dunavain's head and neck. The spikes' cruel points opened up rents in Dunavain's black high-necked Rublex coat, tearing skin and fabric alike. Blood stained his white hair reddish-brown, ran down his unprotected skin from horrible scarlet scratches and holes. He groaned in pain. Regen laughed with glee as the Centauriians cried out in sympathy with their leader.

His bloody bruised body was forced onto the Bone-Crusher, and he was buckled and strapped in place, Slowly, they were forced to watch as the men in gray used the buckles to adjust the straps tighter and tighter, yanking on them to force a hoarse scream from his strangled throat, the leather strap digging further and further into his flesh.

Murakami smiled a tight little smirk, and Tessa shivered, feeling utterly powerless. And Regen, perched on his throne, laughed maniacally as the High Lord screamed, his agonized shrieks reverberating off the metal walls.

••

"Will you sign now, Duchess Seonid?" Murakami called above the screams (it appeared that his right arm and left leg had broken at the same time).

Seonid turned her gaze to Dunavain's broken form. Bloody spittle sprayed from his lips, but he still managed to rasp out, "Don't...sign...it...girl.." before breaking into incoherent screams again.

"Do you want to have his blood on your hands?" cried Sever.

Seonid tore herself away from Dunavain. Tears streaked her face, but her brown eyes smoldered with fury. "I will never sign your-" With a horrible crack, Dunavain's neck snapped, his lifeless head lolling to the side.

"MURDERER!" Ala Stineworthy shrieked. "MURDERER! We of the Rublex will never bow to the likes of you!" The cry was taken up by many in the crowd. In a detached way, Seonid noted that pale, coolly beautiful Governess Stineworthy was the last person she'd expected to have an outburst like that. Her own head was still reeling from the blood on the wooden slats of the Bone-Crusher and the gore smeared on the floor of the ship. It was one thing on Earth, but not here, in the Centauriian Empire.

"MURDERER!" Stineworthy's shrill cry was directed at Regen, who clapped like a child at the circus. "How lovely! Another volunteer." The men seized the Governess, shoving her toward the Bone-Crusher.

Stineworthy's usually calm, chilly voice was low and husky with urgency. "Don't sign it, Your Grace. Whatever you do, don't sign it." Yet when she faced the faceless men and the Bone-Crusher, no matter how hard the men beat her or how tight the straps constricted her, she did not make a sound, even until the end, where she, too, was hauled off the Bone-Crusher lifeless, her proud body broken, blood from her mouth dripping down her chin.

And still, Seonid refused to sign it.

••

Cierno went next, and Cal after. Tessa was amazed at the Centauriians' fortitude. One after one, these nobles, guards, and servants whom she had thought so soft and weak, stepped in front of Seonid and faced the Bone-Crusher stoically. Even when Regen devised new tortures, such as tying them to the Throne of Clams and cutting off one of their limbs at a time, they still defied him, each of them demanding with their dying breaths that Seonid not yield. Though Sever gnashed his teeth in frustration and asked how many deaths Seonid's willful behavior would cause, she refused to sign, though Tessa could tell it was an effort for her.

The last couple of deaths were particularly violent. Poor Piengo la Chanve was drowned in the bag of orange juice, and a young count who's name Tessa didn't know was literally burnt alive, soaked in boiling oil and lit afire. Why am I not stepping forward? I should...but I have to be here to guard Seonid, no matter what happens. But that's not all it is...

I'm afraid to die. I cannot embrace it as these people do.

She had always been afraid, she noted with some finality. She had always been frightened of death, of losing the only thing she had ever had to lose. And she had done anything, would still do anything, to stay alive. Even if that had been something that would haunt her afterwards.

Murakami wrinkled his nose in disgust at the oil on the floor, mixing with the orange juice to create a foul aroma, then composed his expression from one of condescending disdain to a perfect servant's-meek and always ready to please. "My lord Regen, it is clear that the foolish girl isn't quite getting the message. Perhaps some time in the cells will clear her head."

But I'm having the best fun I've had in years!" whined Regen. "Besides, there's one left-and she's pretty! I like you!" he said leering at Tessa. "She'll give good sport, I think."

Sever put on a placating tone, but his voice was shaking. The man had been pleading with Murakami up until the Bone-Crusher had been brought out. Tessa didn't blame him. Something like that-enough to break anyone's resolve. Anyhow, he's as guilty as they are. "That's why we should save her for later. More fun that way."

"Well, I suppose you're right." Regen sighed. "Guards, take them away to the cells!"

The men in grey melted away, dragging the Bone-Crusher with them. As Seonid and Tessa were led away, they looked back once, seeing their terrified expressions cast in the crimson relief that was all that remained of their fallen companions.

••

In her cell, Seonid screamed filthy words at the smooth white walls, willing one of them to morph and descend into Sever or Regen's face, or at least show some emotion. When none of this happened, she turned to screaming filthier words at the walls, then kicked them and beat upon them with her fists, even though all she got for her troubles was sore fingers and toes. After she tore all the skin off the knuckles of her right hand, the pain drove away the superficial façade of anger she had built up, and gave way to sorrow. She curled up on the all-white cot and dissolved into sobs.

It wasn't fair; it wasn't fair! Seonid had never seen murder up close, but that was then, and this was murder. This was the stuff of nightmares. People you knew, good, law-abiding people, weren't supposed to get murdered. But now they had and she had seen and she hadn't done anything, because what could she do? Something. I should have done something, and now it's too late.

Survivor's guilt. She'd heard the term thrown around a lot, in detective movies or Arquillion Massacre history shows. But hearing a word wasn't the same thing as feeling a word. Before, she'd laughed, thought, What do they have to feel guilty about? They've survived because they were clever enough to find a way to evade the injustice. But now she knew that they hadn't-couldn't have-done it alone. The reason that those people had survived was because they hadn't done anything to stop the injustice. I'm alive because good men and women put themselves between me and harm. I'm alive because other people would die rather than see me sell out the Rublex Galaxy.

She could have stopped it. She could have! She could have signed her name to Sever's stupid document, and no one would be any the worse off for it. She could have saved Dunavain and Piengo, and Ala...she could have saved all of them.

No one would be any the worse off for it.

Sitting up, she wiped the tears from her face with her blood-spattered skirt, chuckling at her stupidity. Everyone would have been the worse off for it. The citizens of her galaxy would never forgive her if she signed it over to a madman. She'd be vilified in every galaxy for a thousand light-years. "Duchess Seonid Min-The Traitor of Rublex." Not only that, she'd be shirking her duty. Tessa isn't the only one who guards people. As the Duchess of the galactic capital, I guard more people than she ever has. Because I'm the chief Duchess of my galaxy, I have one other, seldom-used title-The Guardian of the People. What kind of guardian yields to invaders?

No, I'm glad I did this, even though it seems more a loss than a victory. They died because they believed that I could fix this mess. Now it's my job to make sure Dunavain and Ala and all the rest didn't die in vain. I'm not just 'girl', I'm the Duchess Seonid Min, and I've got to make them remember that. Even if it's in their dying moments, I'll MAKE them remember it.

Seonid got off the cot, pulling on the white boots she'd kicked off during her fit of temper. Kneeling on the cold, white tile, she ran her hands over the walls, searching for a panel or something that opened to the outside. After all, there was always something like that in the movies. And there had to be in real life, too, because they had to feed the prisoners. Or not. She pushed that thought away. They would feed her. She was too valuable to waste.

She was scrabbling with her fingernails at a tile in the side, when the air vent in the ceiling clanged open, falling to the ground with a thump.

She tensed, ready for whatever would come out of the duct. But it was just Tessa, garbed in a baggy black shirt and standard-issue cargo pants that had been clearly made for someone a whole lot bigger than her. An impressive-looking military belt secured a small flashlight to her slim waist, and a pair of greasy flight goggles were jammed on her forehead. A long scrape marred her shapely jaw, but aside from that, she looked relatively all right.

Breathing heavily, she said, "Shall we?"

••

The guards hadn't seriously searched Tessa, and at any rate, they seemed a whole lot more interested in discussing various aspects of her body, trying to impress her with their clever lewdness. Needless to say, they had been quick work, and she'd left them tied up in a service chute. Then she'd found a small Splash8 computer on the third guard, plugged it into a port jack and seen a model of the layout of the ship.

Next, she'd gone to than equipment depot and grabbed some standard-issue clothes. Her relatively expensive shirt and pants would probably attract unwanted attention if she intended to sneak out, and Seonid's Rublex lace-embellished gown more so. She'd saved her shoes and jacket from the heap of things confiscated-shoes because she was rather attached to them, jacket because of the collection of knives and six boxes of matches inside.

As she moved from level to level, she'd opened as many of the fuel hatches as she could find, throwing matches inside, pleased when she'd heard the pop that signified the explosion of one of the cells, and the alarm that accompanied it. She'd acquired the goggles on the sixth level, snatching them out of the jacket of a maintenance worker. If she were stopped, she would, hopefully, look the part of a lowly engine repair woman.

She'd then located the air duct and crawled into it, sliding down the metallic tube until she reached Seonid's cell, marked in red on the schematic she'd seen on the computer.

Seonid was, however, being less than helpful. She was shaking, eyes wide, her hands fumbling as she took the clothes from Tessa. Exasperated, Tessa knelt to make eye contact with her. "Listen to me. Listen to me. We don't have a lot of time. I have the layout of this ship, and I know they have small-range shuttles in the hangar bay. We just need to get there."

"But if they catch us-" Seonid suddenly burst into tears. "Oh God, what if they decide to kill us like they killed Dunavain? Oh God, Dunavain had grandkids, did you know that? And now he's gone and so are their parents, you know? It's all my fault-"

"No. No, it's not. It's not your fault. It's the fault of those people up there. It's their fault and it's no one else's. But if you want to live, if you want to show them that you are more than just some powerless little girl, then you should do what I say."

Seonid nodded, nervously. "Can you help me with the back of my dress?"

Tessa attempted to untie the tightly lashed laces, failed, then ripped them off. The dress puddled around Seonid, who unlaced her underdress herself, pushing herself into her new pants and buttoning up the shirt. As soon as she was done, Tessa thrust her into the air duct, then climbed in herself. "Go," she hissed. And Seonid went.

It was dark and cramped in the silver tube, and a bit grimy too, but they ended up on the other side nice and easily. Well, as nice and easily as they could with a crystal sword pressed against both of their necks.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here." Castella's slow, drawling voice was the most hateful sound in the world at that moment in time, thought Tessa. "Fun time's over, girls. Time to go back to your cells."

"No," said Seonid bravely. "No, we will not. You will get out of our way now."

"And why should I do that?"

"Because Tessa will kill you if I tell her to. Which I am thinking about doing right now. So unless you want your throat cut with your own sword, you will do as I say."

"Is that what you call her now? Tessa." She snickered. "Who would have thought the day would come when the Lady of Darkness would be saving people's lives? Although, to be honest, she isn't doing a very good-"

Tessa didn't wait for her to finish her condescending speech. She grabbed the crystal sword's blade with her hands, not caring about the streaming divots the sparkling weapon was rending in her exposed flesh. She yanked the sword, blade-first, out of Castella's hands, then flipped it around so that her bloodstained hands held the golden hilt. Castella smirked, and she pulled out an identical sword from behind her. As Tessa swung the sword at her head, she blocked it with uncommon ease.

It only took Tessa three cuts and a jab to learn she was hopelessly outmatched. Castella was undoubtedly the superior fencer-indeed, she had already cut Tessa's arm, a small, razor-thin slash on her upper arm, surprisingly deep. The crystal swords were wickedly sharp, and it was all she could do to parry the taller, stronger woman's lunges. I can't beat her with these, but maybe I can aim for another target...

Tessa changed tactics. Instead of swinging at her upper body and head, she fell to the floor, feigning injury. Seonid squealed. Castella was baring down on her, a triumphant smile touching her lips. Quick as a wink, Tessa slid across the sleek floor and stabbed the long glittering blade between the slits in the golden armor into Castella's calf.

Shock registered on Castella's face briefly, yet she compressed it behind a mask of bravado, falling into full-formed fencing. Tessa evaded these wild lunges, than leapt into the air, kicking the sword away, and pinned Castella to the wall by her periwinkle throat. Castella kicked and squirmed, but she held firm.

"Now," she said in a low voice. "What should we do with you?"

Castella spat at her, but her eyes were full of fear. Tessa reached into her jacket and pulled out a coiled length of barbed wire. "I always keep one of these with me. You never know...it just might come in handy. Wishing your neck was a little bigger?" She wrapped it around Castella's slim neck, and was pleased to see the Xia wince as the barbs dug into her flesh. She tied it to one of the utility pipes, suspending Castella by three feet. "You always were too fond of your neck, Miera."

The woman who called herself Castella choked, blood running down the splendid armor. Seonid was looking openly shocked, and Tessa suddenly felt a wave of self-loathing. In the end, this is all I'm good for. Displays of excessive cruelty. At least I left it tied where she can take it off...if she's clever enough.

"Let's go," she said, her voice deliberately hard. And Seonid followed, both of them making a pointed effort to not look back at the pole to which the woman was tied.

The rest of their flight was a blur to Seonid. Tessa had planned the escape well, apparently setting up small explosions throughout the ship. They ran at breakneck speed to the hangar bay, where Tessa commanded the steward to unlock one of the small shuttles. The man was so flustered with the alarms going off everywhere, he didn't even look at them twice.

The shuttle was small and compact. Seonid belted herself into a cramped seat, watching Tessa fiddle with the controls-a silver panel with an array of knobs that baffled her. Her ears began to pop as their altitude increased and they soared towards the hangar door.

The door had to open. It had to..

But she saw through the window the steward talking with some of those hired soldiers. He had not opened the door. Oh no...

And then the tiny shuttle shook with an ear-rattling screech of metal on metal. Again and again, Tessa rammed it into the door, punching a hole in the metal and making bright lights and loud beeps explode from the various panels and screens within the shuttle. The men were screaming into radios.

The shuttle burst through. The black expanse of space loomed before them, a prospect both frightening and exhilarating. Tessa slammed something, and the shuttle zoomed ahead, outstripping Regen's Clam. Lights began to flash, and an automated voice said something in a garbled tone. The ship began to spiral downward....downward...downward...

Her last thought was that Seonid didn't have a seatbelt on.

#ogak #chapter 1 #original story #science fiction #science fantasy #original content

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