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thyshadowwriter · 3 years

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Lost & Found. Chapter 2.

Ivar Ragnarsson x oc.

Summary: being rescued by Helga in one of the raids and reluctantly tolerated by Floki, a young girl finds herself amidst a strange place with strange people, but if adapting to the cultural shock wasn't hard enough, catching the attention of the volatile and beloved son of the Queen would soon prove to be the ultimate proving. That if she realizes just how much being around prince Ivar is walking on thin ice.

Author's note: I took some liberties with the timeline.

Tagging: @youbloodymadgenius

An awkward introduction takes place as Ivar visits Floki unannounced.

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The girl, now Revna, made no opposition to her new name, which in a small amount, made Floki proud in himself, and although Helga wasn't very thrilled, she let Floki have that one. Maybe, with time and understanding, Revna would open up more about herself, or so she hoped.

She was curious about her surroundings, looking around and apparently trying to memorize all of it. But as she tried to move one of the heavy pots, the pain made her gasp and clutch to her side.

Helga rushed to her and guided her to sit on a chair, trying to soothe her.

"You have to be careful, you need to heal."

Revna nodded. Floki took their belongings inside and closed the door. He walked to them and crouched to Revna's level. He showed the palm of his hands to her and pointed to where her wound was, he needed to see if she hurt herself more. Once she regained her breath she looked from his hands to his face and nodded for him.

He uncovered her wound and examined it carefully. It would leave a mark, but it at least it didn't get worse.

"You should be more careful, Revna. It is healing well, the gods favored you." Floki said to her as he covered the wound again.

Looking to Revna's and Helga's dark eyes an idea crossed his mind. Floki quickly raised and began searching the house.

"Floki, what is it?"

"She needs to learn or language, Helga. She cannot live here and not understand us."

"What are you doing Floki?"

He didn't answer her and continued searching until he found a box that caught his attention.

"Here. I knew I had kept it somewhere."

He walked back to them and handed Revna the box.

She looked to the box and frowned then looked to Floki and raised both eyebrows.

"Go on. Open it." Said Floki, urging her to it.

She opened it and inside were a bunch of symbols carved and painted in wood. She picked one to examine it closely, as if by looking they could mean something.

"You can start teaching her with those." Floki said to Helga.

Helga smiled back to her husband, a silent thank you for his help.

Revna took them out of the box and put them on her lap, leaving the box to her side, now completely taken by curiosity, going attentively from one to the next. Helga took some of the runes from her lap, thinking of the lessons she would teach her. It would be just like teaching a newborn their first word, that she knew how to do.

Floki was happy with himself, if he could help Helga in her mad endeavor, he would, gods know she put up with his. As long as the girl learned to respect and acknowledge their gods and their way of life, he could tolerate her. He could try, for Helga.

Floki went to his table and began sorting his tools for his next work, while Helga began teaching Revna the runes and their voices filled the house while he started his work.

A few hours passed like this when the sound of the door being open broke the spell. It was Ivar, who came to visit them, as he would do occasionally.

The gods were testing him, there could be no other way.

Usually, Floki wouldn't mind Ivar's visits, a part of him missed when he was a kid, his home wasn't as empty with Ivar around, but right now, he would rather Ivar didn't show up so soon. He would prefer the girl had more time to get used to them before the inevitable introductions had to be made.

But life was never easy, he could only pray to the gods and hope for the best.

Ivar dragged himself inside and closed the door behind him.

"Hello, Floki. Helga."

"Ivar." Floki said.

"Hello, Ivar." Helga greeted him back.

Helga's hand left the runes she held to the side and she began playing with the girl long locks, while Revna's attention left the runes and went to young man dragging himself on the ground. Floki looked to the girl trying to gauge her thoughts, but her face was unreadable to him.

He could only hope it would be the same to Ivar. He knew very well how Ivar reacted to people who looked to him wrong.

Of course Ivar's attention went straight to Revna. He looked her up and down before asking.

"So... Who is this?"

"We named her Revna." Answered Helga proudly.

"And you brought her back? She'll make a good slave, I'm sure." There was malice in his voice, something that Revna seemed to grasp even if she couldn't understand his words. Her face fell a bit and she pursed her lips together, looking at Ivar with full distrust.

But before either of them would do or say anything else, Helga was quick to correct Ivar.

"She's not a slave. We are adopting her. She's my child."

Ivar looked to Floki with the most shocked expression that ever painted his face, his eyes wide open and his lips parted, like for once in his life he was without words and without a guess of what to do. Were it any other situation, Floki would have laughed, that was a look he never imagined on Ivar, but he too was just as lost, so he just looked to the window as if he could remove himself from the room.

Ivar looked to Helga, who was either oblivious or downright ignoring their confusion and instead was attentively combing and braiding the girl's long dark locks.

"Ah... Well, let's see." Ivar said, the he pushed himself closer to the girl.

He reached his hand to touch her face. He wanted to have a better look at her, in part out of curiosity and in a greater part to assure himself that she was in fact there to be adopted and not some of Floki's scheming.

Or maybe Either Floki or Helga had finally lost their minds, could very much be.

But Revna didn't take his gesture very well and got startled, trying to get far from Ivar but finding herself trapped between his hand and the back of the chair.

Helga held her down by the shoulders and tried to defuse the situation before she injured herself further and Ivar became angry at her.

"Shh, it's alright. Don't be afraid." Helga said to her repeatedly.

"I won't hurt you." Ivar tried to reassure.

But Revna argued something to Helga that neither of them could understand, but if her face and tone were any clue, she didn't sound very pleased.

Ivar cocked his head to the side narrowing his eyes at Revna.

"It's alright, my child. He won't hurt you. It's alright. You don't have to be afraid." Helga tried to calm her down.

Revna said something else but Helga repeated herself, gently patting the girl's head.

"I won't hurt you, alright? I just want to see you." Ivar said to her.

She looked at Ivar then back to Helga who nodded to her with a smile. Revna pursed her lips together again, inhaled deeply until her lungs were full of air and sighed audibly, resting her hands on her lap and turned her attention back to Ivar, nodding to him and allowing him to touch her face, though her eyes started at him like she would throw him in a pyre if she could.

Ivar was pleased to have his way and gave Revna a lopsided smile. He couldn't possibly take seriously the young girl's annoyance and instead was nothing short of amused by the indignant look she gave him.

So Ivar touched her face, trying his best to not make sudden movements and startle her again. She didn't flinch from his touch, but he could feel her muscles tense under his fingertips. He took his time to feel her cheek, the shape of her jaw and her forehead. Her skin was soft and her features delicate, still a tad round but he guessed that would change once she got older.

He could feel her dark eyes looking at his every movement, possibly trying to gauge whether ot not he would hurt her, if he had to guess. Her cheeks became red as he continued to touch her face and her gaze held a curiosity under the poorly hidden grievance.

Ivar then touched her hair, the girl had a dense hair that looked somewhat wild with its dark and shiny waves and curls. Her hair felt soft on his fingers, he took the lock closer to her face and curled it around his finger, then released it.

"See? It wasn't so bad. I said I wouldn't hurt you." Ivar said as he looked back to Revna.

Helga and Floki heaved a sigh of relief. Helga touched Revna's hair again and continued to braid it.

Revna parted her lips as if she wanted to say something to him, but the reminder she couldn't hit her and she rolled her eyes annoyed and sighed, tapping her foot against the floor.

Ivar chuckled at that. He then looked to her lap and saw what he remembered to be the runes Floki used to teach him years ago. He reached out to pick one of them but before he could notice, his hand was slapped away soundly by Revna.

Floki, Helga and Ivar all froze at their positions, looking wide eyed and with parted lips at Revna. Ivar's hand still in the air, Helga's hands on Revna's hair.

Ivar locked his stare on Revna, his clear blue eyes wide open looking at her in complete disbelief.

They stood like that until Floki broke the silence with a laughter that all the surroundings must have heard. He hit the table with a fist and leaned forward trying to catch his breath, his pale face becoming red and his eyes watering a bit.

Ivar moved a bit away from Revna and turned to look at Floki, who was trying to catch his breath, Helga took the runes from Revna's lap and put them away, guiding the girl away from the room.

Once they left, Ivar had his attention all on Floki.

"What are you laughing of, you old fool?"

"Someone finally gave you a lesson. Who would have guessed it would be a child?"

#ivar x reader #ivar ragnarsson x reader #helga x reader #floki x reader #vikings fanfiction

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jaskiersvalley · 3 years

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The Title of ‘Broodiest Idiot’ Goes to....

Getting an invite to Kaer Morhen was less terrifying than Aiden had anticipated. At least, Lambert played it off as no big deal.

“If Geralt can bring his bard, Eskel his whatever the fuck Cahir is then I sure as shit will bring you.”

That was good enough for Aiden and he memorised the route up the mountain. As treacherous as it was, he really hoped that he would be making the trip again, maybe even before Lambert so he could surprise him. Just before they walked into the old keep, Lambert grabbed his elbow.

“Just one more thing. Don’t get too broody in there, okay?”

An odd request for sure but Aiden nodded. If that was the price of winter with Lambert, he could be the least broody fucker out there. With a sunny smile and his best disposition on show, Aiden followed Lambert into the Wolves’ den.

As far as first meetings went, it was pretty damn good. Aiden smiled, shook hands, even got a hug from Jaskier along with a murmur of “oh thank fuck for another grumpy fuck” which was just rude. Before he could frown and mull over it, Lambert dug an elbow into his side and the cheerful grin was back in full force.

Evening came, dinner was a noisy affair full of cursing and jostling but it was all good natured. Aiden found he felt very much at home. Bedtime seemed to be hotly anticipated by all and there was no late night shenanigans. At least, not until everyone retired to bed and Lambert was veritably vibrating with excitement.

“I’m guess you’re not this thrilled about having me and my dick in your bed,” Aiden grumbled.

“That’s a close second.” Listening for something, Lambert seemed more alert than he had all evening. “Alright, let’s go.”

Mystified, Aiden followed Lambert who shushed him but also grinned. ��It’s tradition.”

Tradition, it turned out was the raiding of the hen coop in the middle of the night. Aiden watched as Lambert quietly sneaked in murmuring at the disgruntled hens and searching around until he found an egg. Triumphantly, he stepped out, holding it aloft.

“Now it’s your turn. No signs, you have to keep the hens quiet like a human would, to keep the game fair and all that.”

It made no sense but Aiden did as told and, after a bit of unfamiliar searching, he found an egg too. As he stepped out, he caught sight of Cahir, hanging back and watching them. Even better, Eskel loomed behind him. No words or even acknowledgement of their presence was made and Aiden tried to figure out just what they were up to.

“It’s better to get in early,” Lambert was explaining in a whisper. “Later means better chances of success but you run the risk of there not being an egg left.”

A finger against his lips, Lambert reminded Aiden to be quiet as they approached a door. From inside, there was the sound of two heartbeats, not quite sleep slow yet. While Lambert tried to melt into the shadows, Aiden knew it was useless, maybe with a human it would work but Geralt would spot them almost immediately. Except, nobody ever looked up, that was something Aiden knew for sure. Looking around, he spotted the perfect hiding spot and clambered up, wedging himself between the walls like some awkward bridge. Lambert’s eyes lit up and, with somewhat less grace, he took up the same position too, egg carefully clutched in one hand. Hopefully they weren’t going to have to stay there all night until they could pelt the others.

Thankfully that didn’t happen. Not half an hour later Geralt and Jaskier were sneaking out, giggling as they went. Aiden watched Lambert roll his eyes and drop down on silent feet once they were round the corner. It was quick, if confusing work to stash the eggs on Geralt’s side of the bed and run back to their own room which was blissfully egg free.

No explanation ever came forth about the game but Aiden picked up the rules pretty quick. Everyone had to decide who the broodiest one was of the day. Then, they could each take an egg from the coop and put it in the bed of the person they deemed broodiest. Whoever ended up with most eggs by the morning had to make breakfast. Needless to say, it was almost always Geralt. Not that Aiden had anything against that, Geralt happened to make excellent breakfasts. The biggest challenge was to sneak the eggs into his bed on nights where Aiden and Lambert were late to the coop so Geralt and Jaskier had already cast their vote. If caught, the egg counted against the person who wasn’t skilful enough to place it. Aiden soon mastered the art of slipping an egg under the cover by Geralt’s feet. Only once did he manage to get it under his back and then there was no end ot Jaskier’s wailing about waking up in egg juices.

Of course, it couldn’t always be Geralt. Aiden had caught Cahir trying to sneak an egg into his bed more than once and it led to a really weird stare-off until Lambert snapped that if they were going to eye fuck, could they do it more quietly. That afternoon Eskel cornered Aiden and rather kindly informed him that sharing was a two way thing, if he expected Eskel and Cahir to play, both Lambert and Aiden had to be willing too. Which was a lot to think about but Aiden was starting to think he was willing.

The unthinkable happened one day. As far as Aiden was concerned, Geralt wasn’t the broodiest that day. In fact, it was Vesemir. Surely the others noticed but nobody commented so he assumed it was another rule he hadn’t been made aware of. That night, Aiden managed to sneak out and snagged an early egg. Oddly, there was nobody around waiting to get an egg of their own. It didn’t matter, he pushed on, slipping into Vesemir’s room and grinning when he was met with a snore. Easy pickings. Aiden deposited the egg carefully, making sure it wouldn’t get broken and he returned to bed.

In the morning, he bounded down the stairs with Lambert, keen to see who got the most eggs. They had woken up without a single one which meant the general consensus was more in agreement than usual. They walked into the kitchen where the others were already sat at the table. However, there was no food. Everyone was staring silently at the spot on the table in front of them in silence. Of course Lambert and Aiden were the last to arrive and they sat, not needing anyone to prompt them.

“Now that we’re all here,” Vesemir said gravely but he didn’t finish the sentence. Instead, he pulled a single egg from his robe and set it on the table in front of him. Nobody moved, nobody even wanted to look at the egg. Aiden felt his stomach drop. He’d fucked up. It wasn’t the kind of fear he’d experienced on the Path, nor during training. This was something new and it tickled his throat. A nervous laugh erupted from his chest. It seemed to be enough to start the others off too and titters went up around the table. Even Vesemir cracked a smile.

“Guess I’ll make breakfast,” Aiden volunteered. He was surprised when Cahir stood up to.

“They did this to me too the first year I was here. I’ll help cook.”

Even better, Eskel draped an apron around Cahir’s neck that said ‘kiss the cook’. As he left the kitchen, he gave Aiden a wink. Well then, Aiden thought as he sought out Lambert’s reaction and got a smirking nod, he had breakfast to make and a cook to kiss.

#lambden #eskhir #geraskier #geralt/jaskier #aiden/lambert #eskel/cahir #eskel/lambert/cahir/aiden #geralt of rivia #jaskier #lambert #eskel #aiden #Cahir Mawr Dyffryn aep Ceallach #vesemir #wolves of kaer morhen #tldr: training can be fun

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yetanothercodetester · 3 years

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text post

3 May. Bistritz. Left Munich at 8:35 P.M, on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:46, but train was an hour late. Buda-Pesth seems a wonderful place, from the glimpse which I got of it from the train and the little I could walk through the streets. I feared to go very far from the station, as we had arrived late and would start as near the correct time as possible.

The impression I had was that we were leaving the West and entering the East; the most western of splendid bridges over the Danube, which is here of noble width and depth, took us among the traditions of Turkish rule.

We left in pretty good time, and came after nightfall to Klausenburgh. Here I stopped for the night at the Hotel Royale. I had for dinner, or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which was very good but thirsty. (Mem. get recipe for Mina.) I asked the waiter, and he said it was called "paprika hendl," and that, as it was a national dish, I should be able to get it anywhere along the Carpathians.

I found my smattering of German very useful here, indeed, I don't know how I should be able to get on without it.

Having had some time at my disposal when in London, I had visited the British Museum, and made search among the books and maps in the library regarding Transylvania; it had struck me that some foreknowledge of the country could hardly fail to have some importance in dealing with a nobleman of that country.

I find that the district he named is in the extreme east of the country, just on the borders of three states, Transylvania, Moldavia, and Bukovina, in the midst of the Carpathian mountains; one of the wildest and least known portions of Europe.

I was not able to light on any map or work giving the exact locality of the Castle Dracula, as there are no maps of this country as yet to compare with our own Ordance Survey Maps; but I found that Bistritz, the post town named by Count Dracula, is a fairly well-known place. I shall enter here some of my notes, as they may refresh my memory when I talk over my travels with Mina.

In the population of Transylvania there are four distinct nationalities: Saxons in the South, and mixed with them the Wallachs, who are the descendants of the Dacians; Magyars in the West, and Szekelys in the East and North. I am going among the latter, who claim to be descended from Attila and the Huns. This may be so, for when the Magyars conquered the country in the eleventh century they found the Huns settled in it.

I read that every known superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the centre of some sort of imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting. (Mem., I must ask the Count all about them.)

I did not sleep well, though my bed was comfortable enough, for I had all sorts of queer dreams. There was a dog howling all night under my window, which may have had something to do with it; or it may have been the paprika, for I had to drink up all the water in my carafe, and was still thirsty. Towards morning I slept and was wakened by the continuous knocking at my door, so I guess I must have been sleeping soundly then.

I had for breakfast more paprika, and a sort of porridge of maize flour which they said was "mamaliga", and egg-plant stuffed with forcemeat, a very excellent dish, which they call "impletata". (Mem.,get recipe for this also.)

I had to hurry breakfast, for the train started a little before eight, or rather it ought to have done so, for after rushing to the station at 7:30 I had to sit in the carriage for more than an hour before we began to move.

It seems to me that the further east you go the more unpunctual are the trains. What ought they to be in China?

All day long we seemed to dawdle through a country which was full of beauty of every kind. Sometimes we saw little towns or castles on the top of steep hills such as we see in old missals; sometimes we ran by rivers and streams which seemed from the wide stony margin on each side of them to be subject ot great floods. It takes a lot of water, and running strong, to sweep the outside edge of a river clear.

At every station there were groups of people, sometimes crowds, and in all sorts of attire. Some of them were just like the peasants at home or those I saw coming through France and Germany, with short jackets, and round hats, and home-made trousers; but others were very picturesque.

The women looked pretty, except when you got near them, but they were very clumsy about the waist. They had all full white sleeves of some kind or other, and most of them had big belts with a lot of strips of something fluttering from them like the dresses in a ballet, but of course there were petticoats under them.

The strangest figures we saw were the Slovaks, who were more barbarian than the rest, with their big cow-boy hats, great baggy dirty-white trousers, white linen shirts, and enormous heavy leather belts, nearly a foot wide, all studded over with brass nails. They wore high boots, with their trousers tucked into them, and had long black hair and heavy black moustaches. They are very picturesque, but do not look prepossessing. On the stage they would be set down at once as some old Oriental band of brigands. They are, however, I am told, very harmless and rather wanting in natural self-assertion.

It was on the dark side of twilight when we got to Bistritz, which is a very interesting old place. Being practically on the frontier--for the Borgo Pass leads from it into Bukovina--it has had a very stormy existence, and it certainly shows marks of it. Fifty years ago a series of great fires took place, which made terrible havoc on five separate occasions. At the very beginning of the seventeenth century it underwent a siege of three weeks and lost 13,000 people, the casualties of war proper being assisted by famine and disease.

Count Dracula had directed me to go to the Golden Krone Hotel, which I found, to my great delight, to be thoroughly old-fashioned, for of course I wanted to see all I could of the ways of the country.

I was evidently expected, for when I got near the door I faced a cheery-looking elderly woman in the usual peasant dress--white undergarment with a long double apron, front, and back, of coloured stuff fitting almost too tight for modesty. When I came close she bowed and said, "The Herr Englishman?"

"Yes," I said, "Jonathan Harker."

She smiled, and gave some message to an elderly man in white shirt-sleeves, who had followed her to the door.

He went, but immediately returned with a letter:

"My friend.--Welcome to the Carpathians. I am anxiously expecting you. Sleep well tonight. At three tomorrow the diligence will start for Bukovina; a place on it is kept for you. At the Borgo Pass my carriage will await you and will bring you to me. I trust that your journey from London has been a happy one, and that you will enjoy your stay in my beautiful land.--Your friend, Dracula."

4 May--I found that my landlord had got a letter from the Count, directing him to secure the best place on the coach for me; but on making inquiries as to details he seemed somewhat reticent, and pretended that he could not understand my German.

This could not be true,because up to then he had understood it perfectly; at least, he answered my questions exactly as if he did.

He and his wife, the old lady who had received me, looked at each other in a frightened sort of way. He mumbled out that the money had been sent in a letter,and that was all he knew. When I asked him if he knew Count Dracula, and could tell me anything of his castle, both he and his wife crossed themselves, and, saying that they knew nothing at all,simply refused to speak further. It was so near the time of starting that I had no time to ask anyone else, for it was all very mysterious and not by any means comforting.

Just before I was leaving, the old lady came up to my room and said in a hysterical way: "Must you go? Oh! Young Herr, must you go?" She was in such an excited state that she seemed to have lost her grip of what German she knew, and mixed it all up with some other language which I did not know at all. I was just able to follow her by asking many questions. When I told her that I must go at once, and that I was engaged on important business, she asked again:

"Do you know what day it is?" I answered that it was the fourth of May. She shook her head as she said again:

"Oh, yes! I know that! I know that, but do you know what day it is?"

On my saying that I did not understand, she went on:

"It is the eve of St. George's Day. Do you not know that to-night, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway? Do you know where you are going, and what you are going to?" She was in such evident distress that I tried to comfort her, but without effect. Finally, she went down on her knees and implored me not to go; at least to wait a day or two before starting.

It was all very ridiculous but I did not feel comfortable. However, there was business to be done, and I could allow nothing to interfere with it.

I tried to raise her up, and said, as gravely as I could, that I thanked her, but my duty was imperative, and that I must go.

She then rose and dried her eyes, and taking a crucifix from her neck offered it to me.

I did not know what to do, for, as an English Churchman, I have been taught to regard such things as in some measure idolatrous, and yet it seemed so ungracious to refuse an old lady meaning so well and in such a state of mind.

She saw, I suppose, the doubt in my face, for she put the rosary round my neck and said, "For your mother's sake," and went out of the room.

I am writing up this part of the diary whilst I am waiting for the coach, which is, of course, late; and the crucifix is still round my neck.

Whether it is the old lady's fear, or the many ghostly traditions of this place, or the crucifix itself, I do not know, but I am not feeling nearly as easy in my mind as usual.

If this book should ever reach Mina before I do, let it bring my good-bye. Here comes the coach!

5 May. The Castle.--The gray of the morning has passed, and the sun is high over the distant horizon, which seems jagged, whether with trees or hills I know not, for it is so far off that big things and little are mixed.

I am not sleepy, and, as I am not to be called till I awake, naturally I write till sleep comes.

There are many odd things to put down, and, lest who reads them may fancy that I dined too well before I left Bistritz, let me put down my dinner exactly.

I dined on what they called "robber steak"--bits of bacon, onion, and beef, seasoned with red pepper, and strung on sticks, and roasted over the fire, in simple style of the London cat's meat!

The wine was Golden Mediasch, which produces a queer sting on the tongue, which is, however, not disagreeable.

I had only a couple of glasses of this, and nothing else.

When I got on the coach, the driver had not taken his seat, and I saw him talking to the landlady.

They were evidently talking of me, for every now and then they looked at me, and some of the people who were sitting on the bench outside the door--came and listened, and then looked at me, most of them pityingly. I could hear a lot of words often repeated, queer words, for there were many nationalities in the crowd,so I quietly got my polyglot dictionary from my bag and looked them out.

I must say they were not cheering to me, for amongst them were "Ordog"--Satan, "Pokol"--hell, "stregoica"--witch, "vrolok" and "vlkoslak"--both mean the same thing, one being Slovak and the other Servian for something that is either werewolf or vampire. (Mem.,I must ask the Count about these superstitions.)

When we started, the crowd round the inn door, which had by this time swelled to a considerable size, all made the sign of the cross and pointed two fingers towards me.

With some difficulty, I got a fellow passenger to tell me what they meant. He would not answer at first, but on learning that I was English, he explained that it was a charm or guard against the evil eye.

This was not very pleasant for me, just starting for an unknown place to meet an unknown man. But everyone seemed so kind-hearted, and so sorrowful, and so sympathetic that I could not but be touched.

I shall never forget the last glimpse which I had of the inn yard and its crowd of picturesque figures,all crossing themselves, as they stood round the wide archway, with its background of rich foliage of oleander and orange trees in green tubs clustered in the centre of the yard.

Then our driver, whose wide linen drawers covered the whole front of the boxseat,--"gotza" they call them--cracked his big whip over his four small horses, which ran abreast, and we set off on our journey.

I soon lost sight and recollection of ghostly fears in the beauty of the scene as we drove along, although had I known the language, or rather languages, which my fellow passengers were speaking, I might not have been able to throw them off so easily. Before us lay a green sloping land full of forests and woods, with here and there steep hills, crowned with clumps of trees or with farmhouses, the blank gable end to the road. There was everywhere a bewildering mass of fruit blossom--apple, plum, pear, cherry. And as we drove by I could see the green grass under the trees spangled with the fallen petals. In and out amongst these green hills of what they call here the "Mittel Land" ran the road, losing itself as it swept round the grassy curve, or was shut out by the straggling ends of pine woods, which here and there ran down the hillsides like tongues of flame. The road was rugged, but still we seemed to fly over it with a feverish haste. I could not understand then what the haste meant, but the driver was evidently bent on losing no time in reaching Borgo Prund. I was told that this road is in summertime excellent, but that it had not yet been put in order after the winter snows. In this respect it is different from the general run of roads in the Carpathians, for it is an old tradition that they are not to be kept in too good order. Of old the Hospadars would not repair them, lest the Turk should think that they were preparing to bring in foreign troops, and so hasten the war which was always really at loading point.

Beyond the green swelling hills of the Mittel Land rose mighty slopes of forest up to the lofty steeps of the Carpathians themselves. Right and left of us they towered, with the afternoon sun falling full upon them and bringing out all the glorious colours of this beautiful range, deep blue and purple in the shadows of the peaks,green and brown where grass and rock mingled, and an endless perspective of jagged rock and pointed crags, till these were themselves lost in the distance, where the snowy peaks rose grandly. Here and there seemed mighty rifts in the mountains, through which, as the sun began to sink, we saw now and again the white gleam of falling water. One of my companions touched my arm as we swept round the base of a hill and opened up the lofty, snow-covered peak of a mountain,which seemed, as we wound on our serpentine way, to be right before us.

"Look! Isten szek!"--"God's seat!"--and he crossed himself reverently.

As we wound on our endless way, and the sun sank lower and lower behind us, the shadows of the evening began to creep round us. This was emphasized by the fact that the snowy mountain-top still held the sunset, and seemed to glow out with a delicate cool pink. Here and there we passed Cszeks and slovaks, all in picturesque attire, but I noticed that goitre was painfully prevalent. By the roadside were many crosses, and as we swept by, my companions all crossed themselves. Here and there was a peasant man or woman kneeling before a shrine, who did not even turn round as we approached, but seemed in the self-surrender of devotion to have neither eyes nor ears for the outer world. There were many things new to me. For instance, hay-ricks in the trees, and here and there very beautiful masses of weeping birch, their white stems shining like silver through the delicate green of the leaves.

Now and again we passed a leiter-wagon--the ordinary peasants's cart--with its long, snakelike vertebra, calculated to suit the inequalities of the road. On this were sure to be seated quite a group of homecoming peasants, the Cszeks with their white, and the Slovaks with their coloured sheepskins, the latter carrying lance-fashion their long staves, with axe at end. As the evening fell it began to get very cold, and the growing twilight seemed to merge into one dark mistiness the gloom of the trees, oak, beech, and pine, though in the valleys which ran deep between the spurs of the hills, as we ascended through the Pass, the dark firs stood out here and there against the background of late-lying snow. Sometimes, as the road was cut through the pine woods that seemed in the darkness to be closing down upon us, great masses of greyness which here and there bestrewed the trees, produced a peculiarly weird and solemn effect, which carried on the thoughts and grim fancies engendered earlier in the evening, when the falling sunset threw into strange relief the ghost-like clouds which amongst the Carpathians seem to wind ceaselessly through the valleys. Sometimes the hills were so steep that, despite our driver's haste, the horses could only go slowly. I wished to get down and walk up them, as we do at home, but the driver would not hear of it. "No, no," he said. "You must not walk here. The dogs are too fierce." And then he added, with what he evidently meant for grim pleasantry--for he looked round to catch the approving smile of the rest--"And you may have enough of such matters before you go to sleep." The only stop he would make was a moment's pause to light his lamps.

When it grew dark there seemed to be some excitement amongst the passengers, and they kept speaking to him, one after the other, as though urging him to further speed. He lashed the horses unmercifully with his long whip, and with wild cries of encouragement urged them on to further exertions. Then through the darkness I could see a sort of patch of grey light ahead of us,as though there were a cleft in the hills. The excitement of the passengers grew greater. The crazy coach rocked on its great leather springs, and swayed like a boat tossed on a stormy sea. I had to hold on. The road grew more level, and we appeared to fly along. Then the mountains seemed to come nearer to us on each side and to frown down upon us. We were entering on the Borgo Pass. One by one several of the passengers offered me gifts, which they pressed upon me with an earnestness which would take no denial. These were certainly of an odd and varied kind, but each was given in simple good faith, with a kindly word, and a blessing, and that same strange mixture of fear-meaning movements which I had seen outside the hotel at Bistritz-- the sign of the cross and the guard against the evil eye. Then, as we flew along, the driver leaned forward, and on each side the passengers, craning over the edge of the coach, peered eagerly into the darkness. It was evident that something very exciting was either happening or expected, but though I asked each passenger, no one would give me the slightest explanation. This state of excitement kept on for some little time. And at last we saw before us the Pass opening out on the eastern side. There were dark, rolling clouds overhead, and in the air the heavy, oppressive sense of thunder. It seemed as though the mountain range had separated two atmospheres, and that now we had got into the thunderous one. I was now myself looking out for the conveyance which was to take me to the Count. Each moment I expected to see the glare of lamps through the blackness,but all was dark. The only light was the flickering rays of our own lamps, in which the steam from our hard-driven horses rose in a white cloud. We could see now the sandy road lying white before us, but there was on it no sign of a vehicle. The passengers drew back with a sigh of gladness, which seemed to mock my own disappointment. I was already thinking what I had best do, when the driver, looking at his watch, said to the others something which I could hardly hear, it was spoken so quietly and in so low a tone, I thought it was "An hour less than the time." Then turning to me, he spoke in German worse than my own.

"There is no carriage here. The Herr is not expected after all. He will now come on to Bukovina, and return tomorrow or the next day, better the next day." Whilst he was speaking the horses began to neigh and snort and plunge wildly, so that the driver had to hold them up.Then, amongst a chorus of screams from the peasants and a universal crossing of themselves, a caleche, with four horses, drove up behind us, overtook us, and drew up beside the coach. I could see from the flash of our lamps as the rays fell on them, that the horses were coal-black and splendid animals. They were driven by a tall man, with a long brown beard and a great black hat, which seemed to hide his face from us. I could only see the gleam of a pair of very bright eyes,which seemed red in the lamplight, as he turned to us.

He said to the driver, "You are early tonight, my friend."

The man stammered in reply, "The English Herr was in a hurry."

To which the stranger replied, "That is why, I suppose, you wished him to go on to Bukovina. You cannot deceive me, my friend. I know too much, and my horses are swift."

As he spoke he smiled,and the lamplight fell on a hard-looking mouth, with very red lips and sharp-looking teeth, as white as ivory. One of my companions whispered to another the line from Burger's "Lenore".

"Denn die Todten reiten Schnell." ("For the dead travel fast.")

The strange driver evidently heard the words, for he looked up with a gleaming smile. The passenger turned his face away, at the same time putting out his two fingers and crossing himself. "Give me the Herr's luggage," said the driver, and with exceeding alacrity my bags were handed out and put in the caleche. Then I descended from the side of the coach, as the caleche was close alongside, the driver helping me with a hand which caught my arm in a grip of steel. His strength must have been prodigious.

Without a word he shook his reins, the horses turned, and we swept into the darkness of the pass. As I looked back I saw the steam from the horses of the coach by the light of the lamps,and projected against it the figures of my late companions crossing themselves. Then the driver cracked his whip and called to his horses, and off they swept on their way to Bukovina. As they sank into the darkness I felt a strange chill, and a lonely feeling come over me. But a cloak was thrown over my shoulders, and a rug across my knees, and the driver said in excellent German--

"The night is chill, mein Herr, and my master the Count bade me take all care of you. There is a flask of slivovitz (the plum brandy of the country) underneath the seat, if you should require it."

I did not take any, but it was a comfort to know it was there all the same. I felt a little strangely, and not a little frightened. I think had there been any alternative I should have taken it, instead of prosecuting that unknown night journey. The carriage went at a hard pace straight along, then we made a complete turn and went along another straight road. It seemed to me that we were simply going over and over the same ground again, and so I took note of some salient point, and found that this was so. I would have liked to have asked the driver what this all meant, but I really feared to do so, for I thought that, placed as I was, any protest would have had no effect in case there had been an intention to delay.

By-and-by, however, as I was curious to know how time was passing, I struck a match, and by its flame looked at my watch. It was within a few minutes of midnight. This gave me a sort of shock, for I suppose the general superstition about midnight was increased by my recent experiences. I waited with a sick feeling of suspense.

Then a dog began to howl somewhere in a farmhouse far down the road, a long, agonized wailing, as if from fear. The sound was taken up by another dog, and then another and another, till, borne on the wind which now sighed softly through the Pass, a wild howling began, which seemed to come from all over the country, as far as the imagination could grasp it through the gloom of the night.

At the first howl the horses began to strain and rear, but the driver spoke to them soothingly, and they quieted down, but shivered and sweated as though after a runaway from sudden fright. Then, far off in the distance, from the mountains on each side of us began a louder and a sharper howling, that of wolves, which affected both the horses and myself in the same way. For I was minded to jump from the caleche and run, whilst they reared again and plunged madly, so that the driver had to use all his great strength to keep them from bolting. In a few minutes, however, my own ears got accustomed to the sound, and the horses so far became quiet that the driver was able to descend and to stand before them.

He petted and soothed them, and whispered something in their ears, as I have heard of horse-tamers doing, and with extraordinary effect, for under his caresses they became quite manageable again, though they still trembled. The driver again took his seat, and shaking his reins, started off at a great pace. This time, after going to the far side or the Pass, he suddenly turned down a narrow roadway which ran sharply to the right.

Soon we were hemmed in with trees, which in places arched right over the roadway till we passed as through a tunnel. And again great frowning rocks guarded us boldly on either side. Though we were in shelter, we could hear the rising wind, for it moaned and whistled through the rocks, and the branches of the trees crashed together as we swept along. It grew colder and colder still, and fine, powdery snow began to fall, so that soon we and all around us were covered with a white blanket. The keen wind still carried the howling of the dogs, though this grew fainter as we went on our way. The baying of the wolves sounded nearer and nearer, as though they were closing round on us from every side. I grew dreadfully afraid, and the horses shared my fear. The driver, however, was not in the least disturbed. He kept turning his head to left and right, but I could not see anything through the darkness.

Suddenly, away on our left I saw a fain flickering blue flame. The driver saw it at the same moment. He at once checked the horses, and, jumping to the ground, disappeared into the darkness. I did not know what to do, the less as the howling of the wolves grew closer. But while I wondered, the driver suddenly appeared again, and without a word took his seat, and we resumed our journey. I think I must have fallen asleep and kept dreaming of the incident, for it seemed to be repeated endlessly, and now looking back, it is like a sort of awful nightmare. Once the flame appeared so near the road, that even in the darkness around us I could watch the driver's motions. He went rapidly to where the blue flame arose, it must have been very faint, for it did not seem to illumine the place around it at all, and gathering a few stones, formed them into some device.

Once there appeared a strange optical effect. When he stood between me and the flame he did not obstruct it, for I could see its ghostly flicker all the same.This startled me, but as the effect was only momentary, I took it that my eyes deceived me straining through the darkness. Then for a time there were no blue flames, and we sped onwards through the gloom, with the howling of the wolves around us, as though they were following in a moving circle.

At last there came a time when the driver went further afield than he had yet gone, and during his absence, the horses began to tremble worse than ever and to snort and scream with fright.I could not see any cause for it, for the howling of the wolves had ceased altogether. But just then the moon, sailing through the black clouds, appeared behind the jagged crest of a beetling, pine-clad rock, and by its light I saw around us a ring of wolves, with white teeth and lolling red tongues, with long, sinewy limbs and shaggy hair. They were a hundred times more terrible in the grim silence which held them than even when they howled. For myself, I felt a sort of paralysis of fear.It is only when a man feels himself face to face with such horrors that he can understand their true import.

All at once the wolves began to howl as though the moonlight had had some peculiar effect on them.The horses jumped about and reared, and looked helplessly round with eyes that rolled in a way painful to see.But the living ring of terror encompassed them on every side, and they had perforce to remain within it. I called to the coachman to come, for it seemed to me that our only chance was to try to break out through the ring and to aid his approach, I shouted and beat the side of the caleche, hoping by the noise to scare the wolves from the side, so as to give him a chance of reaching the trap. How he came there, I know not, but I heard his voice raised in a tone of imperious command, and looking towards the sound, saw him stand in the roadway. As he swept his long arms, as though brushing aside some impalpable obstacle, the wolves fell back and back further still. Just then a heavy cloud passed across the face of the moon, so that we were again in darkness.

When I could see again the driver was climbing into the caleche, and the wolves disappeared. This was all so strange and uncanny that a dreadful fear came upon me, and I was afraid to speak or move. The time seemed interminable as we swept on our way, now in almost complete darkness, for the rolling clouds obscured the moon.

We kept on ascending, with occasional periods of quick descent, but in the main always ascending.Suddenly, I became conscious of the fact that the driver was in the act of pulling up the horses in the courtyard of a vast ruined castle, from whose tall black windows came no ray of light,and whose broken battlements showed a jagged line against the sky.

#writing

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sailor-cresselia · 5 years

Text

Zero One 03: When in doubt, apply more elemental forces

It’s Kamen Rider Valkyrie time! Here we go!

–

So, Aruto and Izu are at a small sushi restaurant, to finalize a contract for an artisan sushi-chef HumaGear. Said HumaGear prepares a serving, which he presents ot Aruto. When Aruto goes to try, Izu yoinks the tracy away from him, saying that they aren’t supposed to be here for food.

He grabs the sushi anyway, surprising her.

He thinks it’s great, but the owner of the restaurant tells the ‘young prez’ that he’s backing out of the deal, and they can take the HumaGear back.

Izu, being the wonderful ball of snark that she is, asks if it was because of the ‘joke’ Aruto made.

But no. It’s because it’s a robot.

This is the first time we’ve heard the word robot in this show. It’s always been HumaGear, up until now.

A woman steps in, saying that ‘he still doesn’t get it.’ Hi, Yua. What’re you doing here? I can’t shake the feeling that you know the chef. But she also says that there is great value in HumaGear. This surprises both the elderly chef, and Aruto. He’s not used to her siding with him.

–

A HumaGear sits in a chair, with morse code playing in the background, and a narration starts up…

IT’S OP TIME.

(Oh gaim, I can’t wait to see how GenmCorp properly stylizes the lyrics, and same for O-T. RiderTime doesn’t sub songs at all, and the other two haven’t uploaded yet.)

The narration gives a short rundown of what HumaGear are, and then brings up the young CEO who will “jump to the sky to protect the dreams of many.” The shot here? It’s footage of Aruto about to transform, from episode two. From when he was going up against Ekal. (Oh, no, my heart.)

Accompanying the chant of ‘zero one’, we have headshots of each Rider – helmet first, then themselves. Zero One to Aruto, Vulcan to Isamu, Valkyrie to Fua, Jin to… well, Jin, and Horobi to Horobi. The numerals 0 and 1 appear each time the respective one is said, the helmets lining up with the 0’s and faces with 1’s. There’s then brief suit shots framed in what look like written characters, but zoomed in too close for me to tell.

As the lyrics themselves start, there’s a fast pan from the fencing around Daybreak Town, across the city, and directly up the Hiden Intelligence building into Aruto’s office.

Aruto’s becoming quickly surrounded and overwhelmed by stacks upon stacks of binders, not helped by Izu adding more and more. Eventually, he just slumps down, sobbing in defeat, and she bows in ‘apology’ as a stack slides down onto his head.

There’s Isamu, walking through a lobby, and the shot pans to his ShotRiser, held in his hand, which turns and transitions to Yua’s ShotRiser on her desk.

Then Jun, Shesta, and that one other Hiden board member in front of Jun’s portrait quickly falling off the wall, with Aruto’s behind it – and oh, god, it’s Aruto trying to make a joke. (Shesta doesn’t even blink at the giant painting about to land on the three of them.)

A dark area, with the ruins of Daybreak Town as a frame, with Jin and oh goody, he’s shooting at the screen with his literal gun, which he loaded on screen with his creepy grin. He looks behind him, and we pan to Horobi, who has his usual stoic glare, and he holds up a ZetsumeRiser.

The center of the ZetsumeRiser transitions to looking down the barrel of an AIMS grunt’s gun, and zooms out to have battle-ready Isamu and Yua aiming their own guns at the screen. He has his ShotRiser, and she has a normal gun.

Then it jump-cuts to Aruto, running toward the camera down a very, very ruined street, reaching desperately out. Oh, no.

The next jump cut is to a long-haired Izu, in a similarly ruined street. With her ear pieces lit in red, as are her eyes. Oh, no. She raises up a hand, and there’s. Uh. I didn’t catch this in the live watch. As the screen very quickly glitches out, it looks like there’s blood in the palm of her hand. Fortunately, I’m able to get a decent pause after about 10 tries, and can see that everything in this shot is greyscale, with the exception of three colors. The teal of her outfit and index fingernail, the red of her eyes, and the bright blue of the HumaGear blood in her hand. (I know that technically, it’s hydraulic fluid or some such, but. Well, for a HumaGear, it’s the same thing.)

The shot drops directly from her hand to a giant puddle of the HumaGear blood. Oh, no.

It zooms right through said puddle, turning it to the lake that used to be Daybreak Town, going right for that crashed satellite.

Jump cut. A generic HumaGear looks up at the screen, eyes glowing bright red, and quickly zooms out to a crowd of HumaGear in the same state. Yay!

Profile shot of a HumaGear entering it’s Magia form – earpieces glowing red, and those awful pipes escaping its mouth.

A massive circle of HumaGear in that state, surrounding Aruto before he transforms. They’re fully made over into mooks at the same time as his armor forms.

Zero One delivers some of his lighting fast kicks to the swarming mooks. The camera spins to a different location, with Vulcan, similarly surrounded, punching and then shooting at mooks. Valkyrie uses his shoulder as a launch point to leap into the air, shooting some bullets of her own, before literally bouncing off of the giant phone that falls out of the sky. She goes off screen as the phone turns into Zero One’s bike, which he lands on.

We have our first shot of the three of them together, all landing in the street, surrounded by mooks.

Then we have separate, generic action shots of the three with their weapons of choice – Zero One’s attache-case sword, and the preferred sizes of Vulcan and Valkyrie’s guns. Then shadowed shots of Jin and Horobi (suit forms), although I genuinely don’t know which one is which.

Tranistion from the second, who I suspect is Horobi, going by the firsts more ‘actiony’ stance, to in front of Hiden Intelligence. Hiden Korenosuke stands there, is quickly replaced by Hiden Soreo, and then Aruto – the three generations of Hiden men. Aruto’s looking down, hesitantly, at the driver in his hand. Then, he finds his determination.

Jump to a very concerning shot of the Zero One Driver, two ShotRisers, and what I suspect are the drivers that Jin and Horobi are going to use, among a lot of rubble, in the rain. Then, a somewhat glitchy cut to the lower portion of Izu’s face, with a single tear running down her cheek. Oh, no.

Then, Aruto staggering, clearly injured, in the rain through a very destroyed street. he’s practically in the background, honestly, with rubble, fences, patches of fire, and destroyed HumaGear taking up most of the scene. The HumaGear are both mooks and normal, I think. There’s still a lot of that once-pristine white that the mooks lose.

He collapses, either giving up, or giving in to whatever injuries he has. Or both. But Izu reaches down to him, the sun coming out, and he takes her hand. She helsp him up, and they stand, back to the camera, facing the sunlight.

Red and blue lines of light form a platform of sorts in an otherwise black void. Jin and Horobi step toward the left of the screen, and then Isamu and Yua toward the right. Aruto and Izu stand in the center.

Everyone is in their normal forms momentarily, before their armor forms around the five Riders, and Izu dissolves into a light blue stream of zeros and ones. Smash cut to the five Riders helmets. I’m using smash cut very literally here, as each is framed in the largest sections of what is essentially a shattered mirror.

Fast transition to the silhouettes of the five, the eyes of their helmets lit up, as their shadows stretch to toward the front of the screen.

–

I really like this OP sequence. We’re on some Ex-Aid levels of foreshadowing and special effects here. Not so say I haven’t liked other OPs, but honestly, of the ones I’ve seen (Decade through to now, and Kabuto) this is tied with Ex-Aid, and they both only just beat out Builds. Build would have made it a three way tie for first, if they had ever updated certain shots. You know, like. Cross-Z Charge should have been phased out for Cross-Z Magma, and they just kept that shot of governmental Gentoku at the beginning of it throughout the entire run, even though it was out of date by the end of about the first half, or even third of the show.

It makes sense, this truly is Mr. Takahashi’s style. There was a comment I made right after watching live… uh. Something about “Oh, they wouldn’t put Izu getting Magear’d into the OP sequence as foreshadowing, it’s just an unfortunate timing thing to have her right before the hacking sequence…” And then I remembered the shots in the Ex-Aid OP of Emu dissolving, and I felt true fear.

–

Okay, okay, back to the show.

Jin and Horobi are being ominous, as usual. Jin asks, while bouncing around the room, if Horobi’s really going to ignore Zero One and AIMS. Horobi’s not concerned, since they already have their plan underway.

I really don’t like the next comment of his, though. “The completion of our arc revival is near,” accompanied by the camera following a giant bundle of cables through a pipe, and to that crashed satellite. I don’t like this at all. I’m also not liking how RiderTime translated that line, it feels really awkward, but whatever.

They just need to collect more data, which is also very concerning, and Horobi hands Jin another Zetsumerise Key.

–

Okay, so. Up in Jun’s office, he’s kinda pissed that the literal CEO of the company is out doing sales rounds. Which, okay, valid. But still. Aruto is a good boy, and he just wants what’s best… and, as Shesta says, he’s also visiting HumaGears workplaces to try and catch the local terrorists. (Pity they’re actually based in the quarantine zone.)

Anyway, the restaurant is called Magokoro Sushi. The owner, the old man, has been looking for an heir since he injured his back.

Jun says that they may as well leave this be. If the contract works out, the company will look good. If not, then he can totally use this as an excuse to get Aruto out of the company. He and his lacky start laughing, and Shesta… ‘joins in,’ just saying ‘ha ha ha’ over and over. It’s wonderful.

Also something I noticed about Shesta is that she has a red streak in the back of her hair, similar to the teal undertones that Izu has. Both of them match the accents on their respective outfits. Neat.

–

Back at Magokoro Sushi, Yua uploads… something to Nigiro, the HumaGear of the day. She doesn’t really explain what she’s just sent him when Aruto asks, just saying that he ought to know if he’s the CEO. Which. Uh. That doesn’t help us in the slightest. I don’t think it’s the learning program she mentions next, though. I’m hoping it’s some sort of security patch. Key word being hope.

(I mean, I’ve already seen the episode raw, so. Uh. Yeah. The key there is that I really, really hope there are security patches.)

Izu, thankfully, is a fountain of information, and explains that Nigiro analyzed data from Yua’s Risephone, and is making the choice most suited to his patrons tastes.

And suited it very definitely is, given her almost ecstatic reaction to her serving. Looks like we’ve found the way to her heart: A healthy appreciation for technology, and good food.

Aruto’s really glad that she gets his appreciation of HumaGears, even though she immediately tried to return to her usual stoic tendencies when she remembered who she was with. As she says, it’s up to humans how to live with HumaGear.

(Her expression at this point, and it being in reaction to food, is what led me and Miyuko to make our first ‘Kabuto: TWO’ comment of the episode.)

The chef still doesn’t look impressed.

–

Elsewhere, a barber HumaGear hears a slight beeping sound as he bids another satisfied customer farewell. He’s confused, a little, and then freaking Jin bounces in out of nowhere to make a new friend.

Go away, Gremlin 2.0!

–

Nigiro prepares a serving of sushi – squid, this time – for the owner, who very reluctantly eats it… and calls it disgusting. He says, bitterly, that making sushi isn’t a job for a robot. Again, he’s specifically using the term ‘robot,’ and says that it’s because they don’t have souls.

Oh, no.

Aruto’s a little confused.

But the owner, hobbling to his feet, says that Magokoro Sushi will die with him.

(Sir, this is Kamen Rider, and we’ve already seen that this season is not above the dark stuff! Don’t tempt fate like this!)

The group watches him leave, and Yua’s phone rings. I like her ringtone, it’s some sort of mechanical tune.

There’s a Magear on the loose.

–

Outside, the barber is advancing on a fleeing group of people – including someone who was clearly in the middle of being his customer.

An AIMS van pulls up, troopers and Isamu in tow.

The bullets, as usual, do absolutely nothing to damage the poor hijacked HumaGear. They do, however, provide a convenient smoke screen to cover up his transformation. Thus, the show is saved just that little bit of CGI budget, and we don’t have to see that again.

The CGI budget for the horrifying transformation pipes is then immediately spent on attack tentacles.

I wish I were kidding.

Today’s Magear is Neohi. He’s a squid. Or, well, he’s based on Neohibolites, a genus of cephalopod. …He’s a squid.

Isamu, whose general attitude is ‘when in doubt, apply more bullets’, pulls out his transformation kit. He still has to force the key open. It doesn’t take nearly as much force this time, but I, personally, think he broke the locking mechanism last time.

Yua, after last episode, probably: I’m not fixing it until you stop being an ass!

Isamu: Then I’ll just have to keep doing this my way.

Gods, his transformation is still way too cool for him. The bullet actively zooms around to block the tentacles before rushing back to him for him to, and I feel this can not be over stated, literally punch in order to form his armor. I’m probably never going to get over this, so. Fair warning on that front.

Yua runs up, pissed that he’s done this again.

Yua, I love you. You deserve a better partner. Have you considered becoming Aruto’s advisor on technology? He could use it, and you deserve to get away from Vulcan.

(Also, please note that they haven’t used the name ‘Vulcan’ in show yet, only ‘Zero One’.)

Frustrated, especially at how Vulcan tells her that this one is his, so she can just stand back and watch, Yua heads to the van, determination written on her face.

Unseen by either AIMS agent, Aruto and Izu also join the party, and he quickly transforms after calling Vulcan a showoff.

There's some brief but efficient fighting, including Zero One bullet-timing a jump over the shots Vulcan aimed at him. I love the choreography in this show.

So, Zero One manages to slice off a few of Neohi’s tentacles, which promptly get stuck on him. because. Y’know, suckers. And also they’re still squirming. Neohi promptly decides that it’s time to get out, and spreads a thick smokescreen to cover his escape.

As they see that the Magear is gone, Aruto remembers that Vulcan thinks he’s a rogue HumaGear, too, and launches himself the heck out of there… still with the tentacles wrapped around him. Vulcan tries to shoot him down…

And the only thing he accomplishes is getting the tentacles to let go, which Aruto thanks him for as he disappears.

–

Now then, let’s head back to Aruto’s office to confront the fact that Aruto wasn’t able to make the sale!

Jun and his lackey are blaming Aruto for not only not completing the contract, but also for not finding the terrorists at the same time. Aruto says it’s because that tentacled freak got in his way, which is true, and makes some sort of terrible tentacle pun. Shesta just says that it doesn’t compute.

Aruto: Izu likes my puns, though…

Speaking of Izu, she seems to have uploaded herself to the cloud – er, satellite. Or, she’s interfacing with it, anyway, down in front of the 3D Printing Studio. The goal of this is to have the system analyze the results of the last fight, and design a new Progrise Key to best suit the challenge.

You know. Like with Nigiro and his own analysis program, to make the best selection to suit the customer.

I’ve noticed that on Aruto’s desk, and on the assorted bookshelves in the office and lab, there are a lot of old-school tin robot toys. Those were there when he first entered the office in episode two, so they aren’t things he brought in. They were his grandfathers. It’s a neat little touch.

Set decoration notes aside, Nigiro is here, too, with an inquiry.

Can a soul be turned into data? The boss wants a successor, but that successor has to have a human heart. So, if one could be installed-

Izu cuts him off. It’s impossible, a soul can not be turned into data.

(She’s not saying that he could never have one, mind you. She saying it a soul can’t be turned into data. Not that data can’t become a soul – that he can’t grow one of his own.

You know, like the whole singularity/awakening thing.

The one that’s being weaponized.)

Aruto thinks of what the owner said, about Magokoro Sushi dying with him. He asks Izu to look something up about the restaurant.

–

It’s nighttime, and Isamu confronts Yua outside of the AIMS van, since she hasn’t tracked down the tentacle freak yet. He also accuses her of having been playing on her phone earlier. When he tries to take a look at what’s on her screen, she hides it away, and he scoffs, saying he’ll just go find the magear on his own.

Once he’s walked away, she laughs a little. He doesn’t get it. He has no idea how tools work.

She pulls her phone back out, and walks in the other direction.

Interesting.

–

Back at Magokoro Sushi, the owner is cleaning the bar, preparing for the next day. He slips, because of his back injury, but Nigiro rushes in to catch him.

Aruto and Izu are with him, asking for him to give Nigiro one more shot. Aruto says that the owner has trained many apprentices, but they’ve all left without taking over.

The owner asks if that’s what his precious data told him, but says that it’s true. They couldn’t keep up with him, their souls bent in frustration.

Nigiro says that his soul won’t waver. It can’t, because he doesn’t have one.

Aruto continues the discussion. The owner has a special technique, right? He’d asked his former pupils.

Flashback to a larger, less personal restaurant, where one of said former pupils is talking to Aruto and the two HumaGear. He shows them a video of the secret technique, which is… it sure is something. I’m not sure what goes on, but it involves tossing at least some of the ingredients into the air. Aruto’s watching the video in surprise, Nigiro has one eyebrow raised in slight confusion, and Izu? Izu is bouncing up and down behind them, trying to see. She’s too short to see over their shoulders.

Izu, sweetie, I love you.

The former pupil says that it’s a weird technique, isn’t it? He can’t see the point in it, but it’s that type of thing that they were asking about.

(Cue our second Kabuto: TWO comment)

Back to the present, where Nigiro performs the same technique. He’d been following the textbook preparations before, but now he’s analyzed and learned the owners method.

He thinks he understands why the owner uses this technique, now, even though it’s inefficient.

It’s because it carries his sincerity.

The owner looks… taken by surprise, before falling back into his judgmental expression from before, and trying the sushi.

Nigiro described it differently, this time. For Yua, he’d called hers “a serving based on skill.” For the owner, the first time around, he’d called it “a serving to his tastes.”

This time? A serving from the soul.

I really hope that one of the other sub groups elects to translate that sign in the back, when the camera focuses on it, because it’s clearly significant, but I can’t get Google translate to recognize it as a word.

The owner doesn’t say it’s bad – but he tells Nigiro to do it over. 10,000 times, over and over. He’s telling him to practice.

“Got it. 10,000 times, is that correct?”

“Geesh, you’re more stubborn than a human.”

Aruto smiles. Izu is confused as to why this is making Aruto happy – the owner is angry, he doesn’t look happy about this at all.

Aruto smiles at her, telling her that humans aren’t that simple.

That’s just how this man is – he’s stern, and strict, and doesn’t emote… but he’s impressed enough to take a HumaGear under his wing and train him, even if he hasn’t said as much in those exact words. It’s all about the subtext.

–

Oh, look, Gremlin 2.0 is on a rooftop with Neohi… and tells him that it’s time for them to make some new friends.

Oh dear lord, that’s a lot of tentacle cables.

…Like the ones Berotha used to create the mooks in episode one.

Oh, no.

Ohhh, no. Neohi transforms some construction workers, and then a waitress, into mooks.

And a cable reaches into Magokoro Sushi… and takes over Nigiro.

It’s painful – for all of them, it hurts just to watch, and it’s so well performed by the actors. These characters aren't human, they aren't supposed to react like humans do… and yet, without fail, it’s made clear that the HumaGear definitely feel pain as they’re being overwritten.

Aruto, Izu, and the owner run – Izu helping support the old man, and Aruto trying to push Nigiro back.

He’s still trying to reason with him, even though he’s not even a Magear proper – he’s a mook, stuck repeating his lines with a stutter, like a skipping record.

Like. Geez, Zero One. It’s episode three. This is so hard to see these characters we got attached to wind up going out like this. And he didn’t even get turned into a Magear of his own – no, he just got hijacked, doesn’t have any will anymore.

If his death is inevitable, at least let him go down fighting on his own. Please.

Shots are fired, knocking the former Nigiro backward into the recently arrived crowd of mooks.

Aruto can’t even tell which one he was anymore.

Yua strides forward, with a word of ‘advice.’ You can just bring him back if you back-up his data. That’s all HumaGear are, after all, AIs. Even if they’re destroyed, their data can just be restored.

Now we get into the ‘what measure is a person’ issue. Humans aren’t so simple that you can tell what they’re feeling by analyzing their reactions based on expressions alone… and HumaGear aren’t so simple, either. They’re partners that work in harmony with humanity. They aren’t just tools.

This speech seems to get through to the owner, who seems to finally get where Aruto is coming from.

Yua doesn’t look down at Aruto, as he’s trying to push himself to his feet. She just says that they are tools, as she pulls out a belt, her ShotRiser already attached to it, and places it around her waist.

She pulls out an orange Progrise Key, spinning it as she brings her hand up.

Dash!

She inserts it directly into the ShotRiser, without opening it first – and look at that. The top of the gun is open, and she can just unlock the key while it’s in there.

Sucks to be you, Isamu, she’s got style.

Her transformation… She fires, the gun on her waist, and the bullet – orange, as opposed to Vulcan’s blue – swoops close around her, before breaking apart on its own. She’s already running as it forms the armor around her.

Rushing Cheetah!

There’s a motion blur as she knocks the first few mooks away, one of them landing on the ground with her standing on its chest.

I love how the wild arcs of Vulcans armor bullet imply that it wouldn’t actually turn into his armor if he didn’t punch it, since Valkyrie doesn’t even need to look at it. Hers circles once around her outstretched arm, and then moves in front of her to turn into the armor.

“AI in violation of the law verified. Eliminating targets.”

Her voice is cold and analytical – and it matches her sharp, efficient fighting style. She delivers quick blows to her opponents, knocking them away. And she must be ripped under that business suit, because a number of them go flying when she hits them – that’s not just the armor at work there.

Aruto, watching, is finally able to get to his feet, and the owner starts to reassure him that he’s not wrong. They’re not tools. (We see Nigiro making his comment about the owners form showing his sincerity.) Yua had said it herself – it’s up to humans to decide how to live with HumaGear.

Neohi arrives, swinging one of his attached tentacles like a rope of some sort.

Aruto tells Izu to get the owner somewhere safe – so she just picks up this old man, and carrys him in a piggy back out of there. The old man is very confused about this, but at least he doesn’t see the giant neon grasshopper drop out of the sky behind him.

Zero One starts fighting Neohi, pulling out his Attache Calibur.

(I still have trouble believing that this is our protagonists main weapon. A briefcase sword. You’re putting Drives weapons to shame here for sheer oddness with just this single one, you know that, right? And there was an axe that you had to wait for its crosswalk signal to use back then.)

This monster takes Combat Tentacles to a whole new level. Not only can they be used as a whip-like attack, but when severed, they still cling to whatever they land on. In addition, the ends are bladed, and can be used as handheld weapons – which is exactly what he’s doing right now.

–

Over with Valkyrie, whose name I will hopefully be able to spell without Autocorrect within the month, she’s kicking all sorts of Trilobite ass. Er, turns out that’s what the mooks are called this time around. They’re ‘Trilobite Magear.’

But she’s good at this. She is definitely the technology specialist and the tactician. Like, she’s just shoved a giant crate at the mooks, and is running behind it, using it as a shield to block the gunfire from the mooks.

Also, why are the mooks able to generate machine guns and knifes? I mean, at least they only have one or the other, but… how.

Eventually, as the giant wooden crate slides to a stop, she leaps out and starts firing.

–

Meanwhile, with Aruto, he’s… been knocked into a drainage channel, and is tied up with the tentacles. Again. He is not enthused, and probably considering swearing off of squid forever.

He pulls out his newest Progrise Key: Biting Shark.

The beam from the satellite is, appropriately, blue this time, as opposed to the yellow for Rising Hopper. Also, the shark bot? It can dive up and down through the ground, treating it like water. Man, that’s a cool tactic, I always get a kick out of that. One of the Yummies in OOO used it, and then Another Build did, too. I think Haruto did something similar a few times as Wizard, but I might be misremembering some of the ways he used the Liquid ring.

There is almost definitely a pun that RiderTime missed here. They translated Aruto’s line as “here we go.” You know, Iku ze. Except it sounded an awful lot more like Ika ze. Ika – aka squid. RT, I’m disappointed. If he was actually just saying it normally, then I’m disappointed in Toei, instead.

Oh, man, the arm section of the Rising Hopper armor turn into arm fins, that’s so cool. And I much prefer how the faceplate readjusts for Biting Shark than for Flying Falcon. Here, they rotate downward, so it doesn’t look nearly as much like he’s got eyes on the side of his head.

The Biting Impact finisher is neat! It starts with Zero One putting his arms out, cupping the air, as a pen-and-ink image of a shark appears next to him, much like the grasshopper at his leg for Rising Impact. He slashes at the attack tentacles with the blades on both his arms and on his legs. Notably, the energy slash effects are different for both. For his arms, where the blades are from Rising Hopper, theres yellow effects, but with his legs they’re blue, where the armor is from Biting Shark. Nice touch!

Eventually, he’s gotten in close enough to punch Neohi into the air, and proceeds to charge energy into his arm blades. And holy shit, said energy takes the forms of two giant rows of sharks teeth emanating from each arm, which he uses to crosschop – sorry, bite through the Magear.

The Magear falls to the ground, where he explodes, creating a glorious spray of water for Aruto’s “cool guys don’t look at explosions” shot.

–

Over at the mook battle, Valkyrie prepares her finisher, as Vulcan fights his way into the background. He sees her, and her ShotRiser, and realizes who it must be under the armor.

She starts her finisher, firing shot after shot of orange energy into the center of a group of mooks – not aiming at them, but at the center, where the shots collect and grow into a giant orb of energy as she runs literal rings around them. When she finally comes to a stop, it’s with a tire screeching sound effect. The energy bursts into a giant ball of fire as she poses, and the mooks are straight up incinerated.

VALKYRIE I LOVE YOU.

THE BEST WEAPONS GIRL HAS FIRE POWERS.

YES.

Vulcan watches as she calmly removes her Progrise key from her gun, and we don’t get to see the de-transformation, because he’s blocking it. But there’s smoke coming off of her when the shot pans to the other side, and we see Yua, telling Isamu that that is how it’s done.

Actually, now that I think about it, have we seen any of the three riders actively detransform yet? I don’t think we have… feel free to prove me wrong!

Because we see Vulcan pull his own key out, and glow blueish white, but we don’t see the transformation actually end. He walks off screen, and when he re-enters the frame, it’s Isamu, with similar wisps of smoke coming off of him. Interesting.

Isamu’s pissed, but Yua ignores him as he complains that she should have told him there were two ShotRisers.

–

Jin picks the ZetsumeRise key up out of the water.

–

Turns out that even with a ‘new’ Nigiro, they’ve still made the contract with Magokoro Sushi.

Aruto, watching the owner training new!Nigiro, wonders if he’s the only one who can see that HumaGear do have hearts. Izu tilts her heat, looking at him, asking for him to clarify. “Well, after all, he was able to move the owners heart.”

Aruto then apologizes to the owner, because now he has to start all over again. (The ‘Beginner’ icon flashes breifly over new!Nigiro’s earpeice.)

The owner is okay with that, though, because it means he just gets to teach him thoroughly from the beginning.

New!Nigiro serves Aruto a piece of Squid sushi, to which Aruto makes a comment that I’m pretty sure Ridertime didn’t translate well, because Japanese wordplay is a pain. Regardless, Izu goes on to explain the pun, calling it quite the joke.

Aruto: Eh?!

She then goes and does his little punchline thing, the ‘and that’s aruto’ thing.

Thing is?

Aruto wasn’t even trying to make a pun. It was just a coincidence! Also, stop copying him! (He does the motion while telling her not to copy him.)

–

Elsewhere, a mysterious figure plays chess… as Yua gives her debrief.

Oh, no.

(Cue our third Kabuto: TWO comment.)

She says that she’s discovered Hiden Intelligence’s secret. The HumaGear have an auto-transfer program for their perception data. She wasn’t uploading her preferences to Nigiro, back in the beginning of the episode.

She was uploading spyware, to hijack his feed.

So, when Izu gave Aruto the Biting Shark Progrise Key in the office, Nigiro saw it. And, as a result, so did Yua. That’s why she was on her phone outside of the van. She was watching along with us.

Also, whoever she’s reporting to has a bracelet that can function as a holo-projector, because it’s showing him the same footage now.

But that isn’t the secret – that’s probably just technical specs.

No, the secret?

Hiden Intelligence isn’t supposed to have the Progrise Key data.

It was thought to have been destroyed in Daybreak.

You know, where metsuboujinrai.net is based out of.

Her boss (?), who sounds and looks young, from what we can see, says that… oh dear.

He says that this means ‘the arc will rise again,’ and that the CEO of Hiden is the key to it all… Zero One.

You know, the arc, the thing that Horobi was talking about earlier.

Oh, no.

End of episode.

–

So. Yua definitely knows that Aruto is Zero One. She also reports to someone that I’m pretty sure Isamu doesn’t. I’m hoping this is a case of ‘the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing’, but that seems pretty unlikely.

Okay, so this season is somehow Ex-Aid, Drive, and Kabuto TWO.

WOW.

(Yua, please don’t be working for a fourth party, I don’t want to lose you…)

#kamen rider zero one #sailorcressy says

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zombierunfiction · 6 years

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Season 2 Mission 24: London Calling

During this time out on the streets of London Amir was avoiding a few zombies that had kept on his tail for the last few kilometers. He ducked into an alcove by a building panting heavily as he listened as hard as he could. He had been in London for months now and had made little to no progress on his mission for the Counsil.

“Oi! Oi!” A voice called to him making Amir look over fast. A man wrapped in layers of coats and scarves runs over to him with a smile. “Think I'm supposed to be meeting you. I know we said St. Paul's, but - “ The man said rubbing the top of his head. “This is London, innit? Things change fast. One of them blocks full of zombie bankers collapsed last night. It's not safe here.” The man sniffles taking off his glove holding out his hand. “I'm Robbie, anyway. You must be Runner Five from New Canton, here to help us out, learn what we know.”

Amir looked at his hand shaking it slowly. “Yeah that's me.” He wasn't about to give out his name to a complete stranger.

“Yeah, I know – no names, no pack-drill. Robbie may not even be my real name.” Robbie said with a grin and a wink.

“Right... anyway where to?” Amir asked.

A crash suddenly made them turn fast. “Got no time to be wandering days around the ruins of London, staring in awe at what used to be a mighty city, eerily empty and wrecked.” Robbie said as he grabbed his arm pulling him. “Look behind you!”

Amir looked over seeing the zombies that had been chasing him were back with a vengence. “Lovely.”

“Don't know how you do it out in the sticks, but when we see a crowd of zombies here, mate, we run!” Robbie said fast as they took off down the road away from the zombies. After racing through several streets Robbie chuckled. “I'll give it to you – you're a good runner.”

“You're not so bad yourself.” Amir said as he looks around. “Where do we go from here?”

“Down into St. Paul's tube station. Underground's safer than above. Well, mostly. It's where our base of operations is, anyway.” Robbie said as they ran down to the tube. “Sleeping in sealed tube carriages, using station offices and equipment, whole thing lit by the emergency generators. Down these stairs, hurry!” He said as they ran down the stairs and lept over the ticket barriers heading down the tunnel. They raced towards a gate where Robbie closed it fast locking it. “That's it, gate closed. Okay...” He reached into his pocket as the zombies stumbled over the ticket barriers heading right for them. Robbie lit something that looked like a wrapped package tossing it through the side of the gate into the group. “Ten second fuse - come on run!” He said as Amir and him took off away from the gate as the zombies hit the gate reaching for them. “Got to get behind that door at the end of the tunnel, run!” He said as Amir raced inside with Robbie shutting the door behind them.

The explosion was muffled but it was still loud enough that he could still hear it. “What in the world was that? Bombs are not a good weapon for zoms.” Amir said.

“I know what you're thinking, 'parts everywhere, infection risk!' Nah, though. We've worked it out. Enclosed space, a little thing we call the zed shred. Sort of bomb, innit? Ots of bits of shrapnel wrapped around acid packets. Just enough firepower to get through the skull and burn. Takes eighty percent of them down first time. Only works in tight space, mind. Or the acid would just blow away and no like, sit around with the fumes slowly dissolving them.”

“Hm... I stand corrected. That's not a half bad idea.” Amir said slowly.

“Anyway, follow me! Yeah, though here... then – Welcome to the Underground.” Robbie said showing off a set of trains that had been opened up for people to live in them and out on the main tunnel area. “Where the last surviving humans in London have made their home. Yeah, well, I suppose it's not much to look at right here, but you should see what we've done with Oxford Circus!”

“Robbie, you alright?” An older woman spoke up as she walked over from the otherside of the carriage. “Is this that extra pair of hands they promised?”

“Yeah. Diana, meet New Canton's Runner Five.” Robbie said gesturing towards Amir.

The woman scoffed for a moment before holding out her hand to him. “Bit of a mouthful.”

“Says Diana Duncan-Pedley!” Robbie said jokingly.

“Oy, you know I don't go by that anymore!” Diana said jokingly then looked at Amir. “New Canton Runner Five, I hearby christen you 'Canton'.”

Amir shrugged. “Canton it is.”

“Follow me then.” Diana said turning down a tunnel. “Nice jogging pace. No tiring yourself out, Canton. We've got a job for you.”

“See up ahead? Our team's drilling into the vault of Comansys Technologies.” Robbie explained as Amir looked over seeing the group trying to drill through a solid vault door.

Diana rested her hand on the wall. “That building was sealed tighter than a gnat's ass when the zoms first appeared, but we've got good intel that they're stuff in here that we need – that the human race needs.”

“Plus we need that baffler.” Robbie said.

“What's a baffler?” Amir questioned.

“Weird thing – makes some kind of ultrasonic noise, we think. Keeps zoms away. One hundred foot radius!” Robbie explained with a grin.

Amir blinked looking at him. “They have something that could keep zoms away... then I would say it's high time that thing gets used.”

“If only we could work out how they blooming did it, we'd make a million! Or kill a million zombies, eh?” Diana said with a grin. “Still, they know something about zoms at Comansys, and we want to find out what.”

Suddenly a shout came from the other side of the tunnel. “Zombies in Stairway Four!”

Everyone turned looking down the tunnel fast. “Bloody Norah!” Robbie said quickly. “Thought we had that one secrued. Oi, Canton, do us a favor – take this zed shred grenade, lead them down that long side tunnel.” Robbie said handing Amir one of the devices. “There's a door at the end, go through the door, throw the bomb, close the door behind you. All the zombies smashed to smithereens. Then come back here. We're nearly into the vault, and that's where you'll come in handy. Go on, go!” Amir ran down the tunnel heading for the section Robbie spoke of.

The zombies were heading right for him as he rounded the corner head towards the door. The zombies were starting to gain on him as he stopped just beyond the door activated the device then tossed it behind him. He slammed the door shut holding it tight as the force of the explosion pushed against the door making him grunt holding it tight. He listened for a moment as he heard body parts hitting the puddles of water in the tunnel. He gave it a few more minutes before opening the door seeing no zom had survived. He avoided the splatter and ran back towards the group who was still drilling.

“All done.” Amir said as Robbie pats him on the back with a grin.

“Good job mate. So how are we doing Diana?” Robbie asked.

Diana leans over the man drilling. “Good. Really good...” The drill pushes through suddenly. “There! We're through on this side! Now, if we can just all push together.” She said as the group all moved to the door taking up spots along it. Amir took up the middle partas everyone started to push hard.

“Come on, everyone push!” One of the guys said as they struggled pushing harder as the metal slowly gave way opening slowly.

“We're in!” Diana cried happily before climbing in.

“Canton, you're with me.” Robbie said as Amir climbed in with him. “Gas mask on, just in case.” Amir reached into his pack and put on his gas mask as Robbie pulled out a folded piece of paper opening it. “Ok... I have this man... we're heading for the fourth floor. That's where our intel says the stuff we're looking for is. Diana?” He said looking at the woman who pulled out a flash light.

“You, me, and Canton into the belly of the beast.” Diana said as the other group went the other way. The three of them ran down the hall quickly as Amir saw the place looked like a hospital almost. “We've heard you're a bit of an expert at this type of situation.” She said as Amir smirked.

“Somewhat.” He responded, he wasn't about to volunteer information to them unless it was necessary.

An automated voice started to speak suddenly. “Unauthorized entrance detected. Automatic building pad in ten minutes.”

“Better hurry up, then, innit?” Robbie said with a chuckle as they ran faster down the hall.

The voice returned a few moments later. “All personnel leave the building.”

“Should be somewhere over that side of the building.” Diana said looking around quickly.

“What are we looking for again? Little black box?” Robbie questioned.

“Yeah. Three little black linked boxes, to be precise. Our intel tells us that's an early form of one of these bafflers we found We should be able to make some ourselves after this.” Diana explains as Amir looked around the area making a mental map of the area.

Robbie runs up to one of the window smling. “Look, there! Behind the glass in that lab. Name on the door -” He looked at the door. “Hubner.”

“Amazing!” Diana said standing beside him. “Our informant was right, here they are!” She points to the three black boxes that were on the table. “Here they bloody are! After all this time!”

Robbie tried to open the door finding it locked. “Locked! Never mind – five finger discount, innit?” He slammed his fist through the glass and grabbed the boxes. “Here Canton, you take these.” He hands Amir the boxes before reaching back in. “If I can just reach through, there are some files behind that look like they might have-”

“Step away from the glass, Robbie.” Diana said calmly making both men turn seeing Diana pointing a pistol at them looking incredibly serious.

“Diana, what the bloody hell do you think you're-” Robbie questioned turning to her.

“I don't want to have to tell you again.” Diana said seriously.

Robbie looked at her confused. “What the flipping hell is this about, Diana? Stop pointing that blooming gun at me!”

“Yes, I suppose threats are a little ineffective without follow-through. Sorry, Robbie, I rather liked you.” Diana said shooting Robbie sending him back against the wall with a gasp sliding down to the ground.

Amir lept back looking at Robbie before looking at Diana in shock then apprehension. “What do you want...” He breathes slwoly.

“Automatic building pad in five minutes.” The voice said again.

“You only need to hand those over to me.” Diana said pointing the gun at him.

Amir held the boxes tight. “Answer my question first.”

Diana tilted her head. “You have been very helpful to us, Canton. You all have – Robbie, and the rest. We needed someone to brave zombie-infested London to get us back into our own building. Some vital wquipment was left here. A slight miscalculation. Now... just give me the boxes then turn around-” Amir grabbed on of the glass lamps on the table inside the room and lobbed it at Diana making it shatter across her face making her shout out. Amir took off with the boxes heading for the door they had passed coming in. “Don't you bloody dare-!” She shouted chasing after him just as he slammed the door shut locking it behind him. “AHHHH!” She shouted pounding on the door.

“Automatic building pad in ninety seconds.” The voice said again as Amir took a few steps away from the door.

“You'll never escape, Canton.” Diana said through the door. “We're everywhere. We're in everything.”

“You obviously don't know me well enough.” Amir said taking off down the hall.

Diana's voice is heard over the intercom of the building. “How do you think we knew you were coming? We've been following your movements from the start.”

“Automatic building pad in sixty seconds. Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight-” The voice continues to count down.

“Oh, shut up.” Diana snapped before beeping is heard.

“Code accepted. Automatic building pad suspended.” The voice said.

“I can see you on our security cameras, New Canton Runner Five. I see you're running. Yes, you'd better run. You'd better bloody run, Five, because we're coming for you.” Diana said as Amir growled heading back out the vault door knowing that he had to avoid any and every person he ran into until he could get out of London and back to New Canton.

This mission just became ten times more difficult.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

< 65 >

Season 1 Beginning

Season 2 Beginning

#zombie #zombies run #zombie run #ZombieRun #zombiesrun #run #runner 5 #runner five #runner5 #runnerfive #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic

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mitchintille · 4 years

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2020 Mock Draft (Pre-combine)

Alas, it is finally here. Draft season has officially kicked into full gear, and that means it’s time for yet another installment of a mock draft that will undoubtedly be ridiculously wrong come April. With that being said, I sincerely hope you enjoy!

1. Cincinnati Bengals - Joe Burrow, QB, LSU

The Bengals are widely regarded as one of the most incompetent front offices in all of sports, and nothing that they can do with this pick would shock me. With that being said, it is with almost 100% certainty that Joe Burrow will be a Bengal. Sharpie it in.

2. Washington Redskins - Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State

Another pick that is almost entirely locked in. Young is one of the best defensive prospects to come out in recent memory. His blend of athleticism, raw power, and moxie is a match made in heaven for new head coach Ron Rivera. Young is a transcendent type talent with true superstar potential, and should be snatched up within seconds assuming they don’t trade down.

*TRADE*

3. Miami Dolphins - Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama

This should come as a surprise to no one. A team with a trajectory pointing directly upwards and a bevy of picks at their disposal, the Dolphins trade up to assure they land their franchise QB. Tua is a polarizing prospect, coming off an historically great career which saw him cement his legacy as early as his Freshman year. He is deadly accurate with a knack for creating plays outside the structure. His riddling injury concerns are valid, but should the medicals come back clear, there is not a better player in the class in my eyes.

4. New York Giants - Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama

Back to back Bama players here, as new coach Joe Judge establishes a trend from his first pick as the new coach. Build. The. Trenches. Wills is a highly athletic tackle with the ability to play in space; not to mention he is far and away the most pro ready run blocker at his position group as well. The Giants have a tendency to be unpredictable come draft time, but I can’t see them ignoring the glaring holes on their offensive line for another off-season.

*TRADE*

5. Detroit Lions - Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State

Win-win for the Lions here as they collect additional picks and the best corner prospect to come out since Jalen Ramsey.

6. Los Angeles Chargers - Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

The writing is on the wall here. Philip Rivers and the Chargers have decided to mutually part ways after a disappointing season for both parties. Insert Justin Herbert. The live armed QB is the NFL prototype of what one should look like. Tall, athletic, big arm, smart. Herbert is not going to be for everyone, but with the Chargers’ throw heavy offense, he should develop nicely for them and give them (somewhat) a sense of continuity.

7. Carolina Panthers - Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn

Admittedly, this is a bit of a mystery pick for me. The Panthers have been non-committal to whether or not they view Cam Newton as their QB of the future, meaning a possible huge void will be created if they indeed let him walk. Assuming the draft shakes out with the top three QB’s going in the first six picks, the Panthers are left in a BPA position. Brown is the type of mauler up front the Panthers desperately lacked last year, fielding one of the league’s worst run defenses. He is a plug and play type player who should see the field and contribute immediately.

8. Arizona Cardinals - Ceedee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma

Do the Cardinals have more pressing needs than a wide receiver? Yes, absolutely. But in the case of Lamb, he has all the ability and potential to be a true WR1 in the league. His familiarity with the Cardinals’ scheme and QB Kyler Murray is simply too irresistible to pass on for Kingsbury and Keim.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars - Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson

A once strong and dependent LB corps quickly saw a rapid decline after the sudden retirement of Telvin Smith last off-season. The Jags recently retained both Doug Marrone and DC Todd Wash, and with their recent track record of picking the best available defensive player, it’s hard to assume they’d pass on a player of Simmons’ caliber. A true chess piece, seeing snaps at seemingly every position on the field last season, Simmons’ versatility should be coveted given the direction the NFL is heading towards.

10. Cleveland Browns - Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa

New head coach Kevin Stefanski should be foaming at the mouth if Wirfs is still on the board. The recently hired Stefanski is well known for his wide zone run scheme featuring heavy dosages of play action. Insert Wirfs. A freakish athlete for his size who is only scratching the surface of what he can become. Wirfs’ natural agility and raw strength is exactly what the Browns need to upgrade their dire situation at offensive tackle.

11. New York Jets - Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia

It’s simple, the Jets need to draft offensive line to protect their young QB. The Jets are in need of a serious makeover on the offensive line, and while Rome wasn’t built in a day, Thomas, a 3 year starter at Georgia, is the perfect benchmark towards repairing a withered offensive line.

12. Las Vegas Raiders - Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama

This screams Raiders to me. The Raiders have plenty needs, but a true WR1 is something this offense has been lacking since...well...Amari Cooper. But nonetheless, Mayock has shown a tendency to draft players from big time schools. Jeudy fits the billing, as he is the most gifted route running prospect we’ve seen in a long time, and a guy Gruden will undoubtedly be pounding the table for.

13 - Indianapolis Colts - Jordan Love, QB, Utah State

The term “polarizing prospect” is thrown around loosely each and every draft season, but there is truly no other way to describe Jordan Love. The Utah State product saw his stock rise after a very a productive 2018 season, only to be minimized by a drastically underwhelming 2019 campaign. Love’s supporting cast is, in my mind, one of the worst in recent memory in regards to QB prospects. No other prospect’s career trajectory is more team dependent than Love, and the Colts are the perfect fit. Love can sit a year behind Jacoby Brissett in Frank Reich’s QB friendly offense. His skill sets as a QB are exactly the type that the new NFL is targeting, and with the opportunity to sit for a year and learn might be exactly what is needed to tap into Love’s full potential.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina

Sigh. Given the impending loss of Ndamukong Suh, Kinlaw could plug and play into the league’s reigning top run defense. Personally, I am not as high on Kinlaw as most. A nagging knee injury and questionable production are legit concerns of mine, but how he wins is a perfect complement to Vita Vea. If Kinlaw’s repertoire expands, there is some serious Chris Jones-esque potential there. Nonetheless, this is more of a continuity pick than anything else.

15. Denver Broncos - Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville

The idea of pairing Henry Ruggs was very tempting to me, but given the depth in this year’s receiver class, Becton is the safe choice here. It is imperative that they invest in protecting Drew Lock, and the 6′7 behemoth should give them an immediate upgrade over Garrett Bolles.

16. Atlatna Falcons - AJ Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa

With the recent release of Vic Beasley, it is no secret that the Falcons should be looking to add EDGE depth. Epenesa is not the twitchiest player, but his high pass rush ceiling and savvy run defense are a dream fit for Dan Quinn.

17- Dallas Cowboys - Grant Delpit, Safety, LSU

This is another one of those picks that feels somewhat mysterious to me. Yet given the need at safety and the fact that they tried making a push at the trade deadline to acquire Jamal Adams last season, it would not shock me to see them go this direction. Delpit, the 2019 Jim Thrope award winner, is a fast twitch, instinctive eraser in the back end. His tackling concerns are valid, but I fully expect him to clean that issue up early on in his career.

18. Miami Dolphins - Josh Jones, OT, Houston

With a roster lacking talent at seemingly every position, it is best to build from the ground up. After selecting their franchise QB in Tua, they double down and select the athletic Jones to begin solidifying their offensive front.

19. Las Vegas Raiders - Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

The Raiders have no talent in their secondary. Seriously. Fulton isn’t exactly the flashiest player, but his body of work has proven time and time again that he can hang with the best of them. His Football IQ and moxie provide the Raiders a nice building block towards reshaping that secondary.

20. Jacksonville Jaguars - CJ Henderson, CB, Florida

After going defense with their first pick, the Jags double down and keep building towards that elite 2017 defense they once had. Henderson has faced several ups and downs throughout his career, but his athleticism and potential are higher than anyone else in the class not named Jeffrey Okudah. With the Jags defensive front seeing a hopeful improvement, Henderson should plug in nicely alongside AJ Bouye.

21. Philadelphia Eagles - Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama

A true burner. Ruggs gives me some Tyreek Hill/Hollywood Brown type vibes. The Bama product offers world class speed, and is a more well rounded receiver than given credit for. Desean Jackson and Alshon Jeffrey are only getting older, and Ruggs provides a much needed deep threat that Carson Wentz has been so desperately lacking the past few seasons.

22. Buffalo Bills - Tee Higgins. WR, Clemson

A 6′5 target with the best hands in the draft is the exact type of receiver the Bills have been lacking for years. Josh Allen gets a new best buddy in Higgins, who has the wingspan and strength to win contested catches and collect errant throws from the gunslingin’ Allen. Higgins has true WR1 potential, and pairing him with John Brown could be what the Bills need to unlock Allen’s full potential.

23. New England Patriots - Xavier Mckinney, Safety, Alabama

The impending free agency of Devin McCourty leaves the Pats in a bit of a pickle. Whether the Pats decide to resign him or not, it can’t hurt to gain some youth at the Safety position. Patrick Chung is aging and beginning to show signs of decline. Enter Mckinney. Nick Saban bestowed the same responsibilities on him that he once did with Minkah Fitzpatrick. Mckinney is a versatile, high IQ player whose instincts should quickly prove to be useful for Belichick.

24. New Orleans Saints - Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU

I can’t envision a scenario where the Saints look a different direction if Reagor is still on the board. An absolute freak of nature, Reagor is expected to dominate the combine. He once posted a ridiculous sub 4.3 40 and an absurd 26 foot (!!!) long jump. Did I mention the fact that all of this was while he was still in high school? Reagor is a true vertical threat, but also serves plenty of value as a return specialist and gadget type player. He is the exact type of player that Sean Payton covets, and while he has all of the makings to become a WR1 in this league, being the Robin to Michael Thomas’ Batman is simply a pairing that cannot be resisted.

25. Minnesota Vikings - Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

This one feels obvious to me. After investing into the offensive line the last two drafts, the depth in the draft allows the Vikings an opportunity to go out and grab a toolsy corner. Xavier Rhodes looked like a shell of what he was once last season, and that pricey contract still looms large. Both Trae Waynes and Mackenzie Alexander are heading towards free agency, and given Mike Zimmer’s penchant for drafting very athletic corners with good ball skills, this fit seems plausible.

26- Miami Dolphins - Zack Baun, LB, Wisconsin

The ideal chess piece for Brian Flores. Baun’s unique skill set is reminiscent of Kyle Van Noy, as his versatility offers loads of endless opportunities for Flores’ defense. He has all of the traits to play off the ball and offers plus blitz skills, and would give the Dolphins a much needed infusion of talent on the defensive side.

27- Seattle Seahawks - Julian Okwara, EDGE, Notre Dame

The Seahawks last two first round picks have been bizarre to say the least, so don’t be surprised if the twitchy Okwara ends up as the pick. After investing into LJ Collier last season- who is now 25 years old and has recorded one (!) pressure in his young career- it is obvious that the Seahawks are still searching for an answer on the edge outside of Jadeveon Clowney. Okwara is a bit rough around the edges, but offers an intriguing athletic profile and runs with a very high motor. He’s going to need to add play strength early in his career, but his burst and bend might be too tempting to pass on.

28. Baltimore Ravens - Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma

As competitive of a player as there is in this draft. Murray is the type of natural, vocal leader that the Ravens organization seems to covet. His blend of power and speed is something that should mesh immediately in that locker room, and given the Ravens recent track record of drafting Oklahoma players (Mark Andrews, Hollywood Brown, Orlando Brown), Murray seems like an ideal fit.

29. Tennesee Titans - K’lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU

Chaisson fits the mold of a Titans defender. Highly athletic, versatile, and bendy off the edge, adding Chaisson to an already talented defense could be the missing piece they need towards taking that next step to being elite. Chaisson offers plenty of risk, but a guy like Mike Vrabel should be able to milk all of the potential out of him that he can get.

30. Green Bay Packers - Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State

The former JUCO product burst onto the scene this year with a whopping 65-1192-8 stat line. His pure speed and natural after the catch ability is something that offense has long been lacking. Pairing this dynamic playmaker next to Davante Adams would solve what was a very lackluster group last season.

31. San Francisco 49ers - Cesar Ruiz, OC, Michigan

Starting center Weston Richburg is coming off a torn patellar tendon, and the interior depth is showing signs of aging. Ruiz, a late riser, has all of the tools and youth to slide nicely into that unit. An intelligent and experienced player, Ruiz movement skills for his size would be an ideal fit in Shanahan’s offense.

32. Kansas City Chiefs - Ross Blacklock, DT, TCU

Behind Chris Jones and Derrick Nnadi, the depth at defensive tackle leaves plenty to be desired. Blacklock is an athletic specimen who offers plenty of juice to be a high end player. Coming off a 2018 season in which he missed due to a torn Achilles, Blacklock displayed the same explosiveness he had in 2017. While his processing needs some work, he is the type of high ceiling player that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnulo could get the most out of.

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packernet · 4 years

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New Post has been published on https://www.packernet.com/blog/2020/01/23/2020-nfl-mock-draft-3-0-with-trades/

2020 NFL Mock Draft 3.0 - With Trades

This mock is done using the latest news and rumors as well as my very own proprietary consensus big board, which aggregates all the top big boards around the internet into one board. To see the board, sign up as a Patreon for as little as a dollar per month here.

Cincinatti Bengals Joe Burrow QB LSU

This is essentially already a done deal. The Bengals haven’t had meetings so discussions will take place but from everything I’ve heard, you can lock this in.

Washington Redskins Chase Young EDGE Ohio State

This is also essentially a forgone conclusion. Not much to really debate. Chase is the top prospect this year. We all saw what Bosa did for the 49ers. The Redskins are taking Young.

TRADE: Miami Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa QB Alabama Lions receive Dolphins picks 5 and 26

There is a lot of talk that the Dolphins will want to load up and ensure they get their guy, Tua. The Lions are an ideal team to trade back just 2 spots. It ensures they still get an elite player and secures a 2nd 1st round pick.

As for Miami, they can ensure they get a QB and still have their 2nd 1st round pick to help build the team around Tua.

New York Giants Jeffrey Okudah CB Ohio State

As much as I’d love to go in another direction, our trio of Sam Beal, Corey Ballentine, and Deandre Baker might be the worst in all of football. All 3 are 1st year guys and Beal and Ballentine missed a combined 13 games so there could be some progress there but this unit is straight up garbage. We need help badly.

Detroit Lions (Via MIA) Derrick Brown DL Auburn

Picking up an additional 1st round pick means we can go BPA here and that would be Derrick Brown, a guy that will help out a struggling DL and a line that will likely lose Mike Daniels and possibly Damon Harrison who is said to be contemplating retirement.

LA Chargers Justin Herbert QB Oregon

Rivers has already packed his stuff and moved to Florida so a reunion with the Chargers is very close to 0. There is some talk they may sign a veteran like Cam or Mariota but that still wouldn’t rule out a QB pick here.

Carolina Panthers Andrew Thomas OT Georgia

Simmons makes some sense with Luke leaving but Thomas is being talked about as one of the best tackles in the last decade. This is a pure talent pick.

As a side note, if I had a QB in reach I would go QB, but I don’t.

Arizona Cardinals Jedrick Wills OT Alabama

Again I was looking hard at Simmons but we need to help our QB and the OL is sub par and aging. Let’s actually get a top tier blind side blocker.

Jacksonville Jaguars Isaiah Simmons LB Clemson

The Jaguars are the beneficiaries of the two tackles that went and can now get a top LB. Assuming they put him at LB… the guy does everything.

Cleveland Browns Tristan Wirfs OT Iowa

The Browns OL colapsed in on itself like a dying star in 2019. The right side of the line is the worst part of it which is exactly where Wirfs will slot in.

TRADE: Indianapolis Colts Jerry Jeudy WR Alabama Colts offer up Picks 112 (4th) and 171 (6th)

Tony Pauline said he expects the Jets to trade back. A likely partner, with Jeudy on the board, would be a WR hungry team that wants to jump the Raiders who 100% would take him.

TY Hilton is 30 as spent half the year hurt, Funchess is on the way out, and Chester Rodgers and Dontrell Inman are also free agents.

Las Vegas Raiders Ceedee Lamb WR Oklahoma

It might seem insignificant with the Raiders getting a WR anyway but I’m willing to bet the Raiders are seething. Happy, but seething.

New York Jets (Via IND) A.J. Epenesa EDGE Iowa

There’s some talk about an Epenesa slide due to him being a better 3-4 DE than 4-3 DE but 13 is slide enough and the Jets are a 3-4 defense so it works out however we choose to use him. Which is great cause we need some pass rush help.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Javon Kinlaw DL South Carolina

Suh will likely be a cap casualty for the Bucs and finding a replacement will be a high priority. They may look to QB like Eason later but not here and I would also keep my eye on RB if they don’t go after Lev Bell… but again not at 14 overall.

Denver Broncos Kristian Fulton CB LSU

Even if Chris Harris stays (unlikely) he’s beginning to fall off at 30 years old. Behind him is no real talent at all. Fangio needs his guy.

Atlanta Falcons K’Lavon Chaisson EDGE LSU

The Falcons have to find a way to get to the QB and Tak McKinley doesn’t seem to be the solution.

Dallas Cowboys Grant Delpit S LSU

The Cowboys have been scratching and clawing for safeties so I’m going to stay the course here. How FA goes for the Cowboys though makes a big difference, especially the guys they choose NOT to keep, but for the information I have now I’m going with Delpit.

Miami Dolphins (Via PIT) Mekhi Becton OT Louisville

I don’t know why they traded away their OT but now they need one to protect their new QB. Enter Becton who should be an upgrade over Davenport.

Las Vegas Raiders (Via CHI) Kenneth Murray LB Oklahoma

The linebackers are a mess in Oakland. We tried Burfict but that ended exactly how you would expect. We need to make an effort to get talent at LB.

TRADE: Green Bay Packers Henry Ruggs WR Alabama Jaguars receive picks 94 (3rd) and 172 (6th via Ty Montgomery)

I promise this isn’t just because I’m a Packers fan. The Jags have needs that fit much better later in the round so a trade back makes sense. Henry Ruggs is 13th on the board so the value is ridiculous. The Saints make sense but they have no draft capital. The Ravens already have a burner so Ruggs makes no sense, so the next logical team is the Packers who give up a 3rd and their extra 6th to move up and get a legit deep threat but one that’s also a talented receiver, unlike the Janis, MVS, and Davis squad.

Ruggs has legitimate Tyreek Hill upside.

Philadelphia Eagles Trevon Diggs CB Alabama

The eagles are going heavy after corners and are rumored to be looking in FA but until they actually pull the trigger, I’m looking for a corner in the draft.

Buffalo Bills Tyler Biadasz IOL Wisconsin

It’s a bit of a reach on my board which usually means I’m looking to trade back but I don’t want to lose Biadasz here. our OL needs help and Quinton Spain is a 28 year old free agent that I have no intention of paying to stick around.

New England Patriots Laviska Shenault WR Colorado

The Pats took a WR in the first round last year but still need help there. They were also the only team with the ability to make Cordarrelle Patterson look like a legitimate weapon and could probably do some special things with a guy like Shenault.

New Orleans Saints C.J. Henderson CB Florida

I would love to get a WR2 but we can get that later. Right now I’m looking at a CB group who, outside of Lattimore, are made up of 31 year old Janoris Jenkins, and 3 corners that are currently FAs (Apple, Williams, and Badermosi). The only other guy is Patrick Robinson who spent about as many weeks injured as he did on the field.

TRADE: Kansas City Chiefs D’Andre Swift RB Georgia Vikings receive pick 95 (3rd)

Trading up for a RB seems silly but think about the lack of talent at RB the Chiefs have, how good they would be with an elite RB, and the fact that Swift is our 19th overall player and it becomes somewhat of a no brainer.

The Vikings were pretty desperate to move back to be able to get a player of need at a better value.

Detroit Lions (Via MIA, via HOU) Xavier McKinney S Alabama

I wanted so badly for someone to trade up and take McKinney, who is an unbelievable talent, to make it to 26 but nobody could or would be willing. Instead the Lions let him fall. To think they turn their 1 pick in 2020 into Derrick Brown and Xavier McKinney is pretty remarkable.

They do have a decent pair in Walker and Wilson but Wilson is a 29 year old FA. We’ll probably keep him and look to use one of our safeties to help our garbage LBs.

If you still aren’t sold call him a Quandre Diggs replacement and know that several scouts now have him above Grant Delpit.

Seattle Seahawks Yetur Gross-Matos EDGE Penn State

Trading up for McKinney was a thought but we are on the verge of a pass rush crisis. Even if we can afford to keep Clowney; Ansah, Jackson, Watson, and Jefferson are all free agents in addition to Clowney and Jarran Reed on the interior is a FA.

Literally 7 of our 13 guys along the line are FAs, and 2 of the 6 remaining are only signed through 2020, leaving only Mone, Green, Christmas, and Collier.

Not great Bob.

Baltimore Ravens Tee Higgins WR Clemson

You wouldn’t know it based on offensive production but this WR group is actually kind of terrible. Outside of rookie Hollywood Brown, I’m not sure any of the other guys pass as even mediocre. Pairing Higgins with speedster Brown in this offense is just a horrifying thought.

Tennessee Titans Jordan Love QB Utah State

This isn’t meant to be a Tannehill replacement in year one but let’s face it, if we resign Tannehill it’s not so he can be our guy for 10 years. Love is said to be a little raw and in need of tutelage. Veteran Tannehill will be able to show the kid the ropes and let him take over in a year or so.

As for the lack of quarterbacks in the mock, just know that I am sticking to my board which, despite all the talk of a QB run, nobody seems to want to back it up by putting Love or any other QB’s in the top 25/32 of their boards.

Love is also having a rough start to his Senior Bowl which enhances the feeling he will need to sit which in turn will cause him to slide in the draft.

Jacksonville Jaguars (Via GB) Austin Jackson OT USC

The Jags drafted a stud RB and have let him die on an offense with no OL, no QB, and no WR’s. Supposedly he’s supposed to do everything himself.

With Chark and Minshew now adding a little something, let’s build up this OL and make this a balanced offensive attack in which Fournette can have the opportunity to be a Derrick Henry for the Jags.

Minnesota Vikings Bryce Hall CB Virginia

Giant reach but this is a no brainer. the Vikings need corner help. Maybe I would have budged on a lineman but none of those are available either. Hey, you win some and lose some on these trades, this wasn’t great for value but we still got extra picks.

San Francisco 49ers Jalen Reagor WR TCU

Ya we could pay to keep Emanuel Sanders as he’s about to turn 33 but how about we replace him in the draft with a much cheaper, younger, and faster Jalen Reagor?

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silvererros · 7 years

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See Me - Danti/Septiplier One-Shot

Something I wrote over the past few days while determining what my Dark and Anti are like.

I’m not sure if you guys will see it, but if you like DarkxAnti, please consider giving it a read!

Go easy on me >~<’ *nervous* Story under the break.

Tagging some people I follow here the most.

@antisepticdark @markired @mrakipiler @jacksepticeyegifs @kutiekenzy

It had never occurred to him how much he had been vying for the Irishman's attention until just recently, when he briefly mistook his darker side for him. He was well aware of his own host's feelings towards Sean, or Jack as he often responded to, but Dark had never considered that Mark's feelings could possibly cross over their link. At least, that was what he was telling himself for now.

Jack, himself, had attempted to point out to Dark that he tended to get very protective of the Irish Youtuber whenever he was stressed or upset, but Dark refused to believe he even cared. It wasn't as though Jack needed protection, and even if he did, why would Dark care? The younger man served no purpose and, if anything, was only an annoying and very loud distraction for his host. Then again, he'd somehow managed to distract Dark enough to miss what was going on right in front of him.

Dark had finally managed to straighten out his black vest over his blood red dress shirt and was briefly dealing with the annoying "floof" that was his hair, when he rounded the corner into the kitchen.

"One of these days, I'll actually cut all this off," he grumbled to himself, trying hard to look presentable. One lock of hair was determined to hang directly in his field of vision, and he couldn't stand it. He huffed when it fell back in his face for the umpteenth time and glanced around the kitchen.

It was unusually quiet today in the large house they shared. Normally, at this hour, Jack would be playing with the beast, or Chica as his host so affectionately called it. He couldn't understand why Mark loved that dog so. Today, Chica wasn't present, however. No barking, no clatter of claws on the glossy wood floor, and no green-haired Jack working her up and getting her excited; utterly silent. Something wasn't right...

He took a moment to glance around, looking past the counter and out at the yard that lay beyond sliding glass doors. Chica lay out in a patch of grass, taking a nap it looked like. There was a happy looking expression on her muzzle as she lay on her back with most of her paws in the air. If Chica was outside, then that meant Jack couldn't be far; neither host could stand leaving the dog outside on her own, for some reason. Sure enough, as he came around the counter, he spotted the familiar green hair outside. Jack was sitting on the edge of the patio and seemed lost in thought, his face buried in his hands.

Out of habit, Dark tugged on his vest and folded his arms behind his back before approaching the door. He slid the door open and stepped outside, quietly walking up to the Irishman and bending slightly to place a hand on his shoulder. "It isn't healthy to dwell in one's own mind for too long," he said. Normally, this would've made Jack jump and scramble away from Dark, a reaction he was used to seeing from the younger man, but there was no reaction. Dark raised a brow, curiosity getting the best of him. He called to the young man cautiously, "Sean?"

He noticed the air seem to distort and flicker around the younger man, much like a digital video that had been corrupted. Dark yanked his hand back, the effect having skewed his own image briefly. He only knew one person who glitched like this...

The younger man turned and lifted his head from his hands to look up at Dark, one eye Jack's natural blue, the other a bright green. His face was a mess. The whites of his eyes had turned black and his eyes were glowing brighter than Dark had ever seen them; even his right eye flickered green on occasion from the sheer amount of power he was holding back. Black tears streamed from his eyes, staining his cheeks as they fell, as well as his hands from when he'd been hiding his face. The ends of his green bangs were mottled slightly with black tears and stuck to his forehead.

"Anti...?" Dark was shocked to see him this way. He'd never looked like this in all the time he'd known him.

Anti quickly turned away from Dark, clutching at his own arms to hug himself, leaving black stains on the sleeves of Jack's grey "BERLIN" shirt that he favored. "gO awAy!" he yelled, his voice glitching as it did when he was angry.

Dark was too surprised to move, and not just by Anti's appearance but also by the fact that for a moment, he'd thought Anti was Jack. How could he mistake one for the other? They were so different even if they did share the same body.

"I sSaiD gO AwaY!" Anti yelled again, his voice breaking. His glitching seemed to increase momentarily as fresh tears dripped black on the ground in front of him.

Dark shook himself out his stupor, essentially messing up his hair again, but for now that wasn't important. "Anti, what's happened? Why are you sitting out here? If you haven't noticed the weather has started to turn..." Dark motioned to the sky that had been increasingly grey since earlier that morning when Mark had recorded his videos for the day. Thunder rumbled in the distance as if to emphasize his point.

"Like I gIvE a fLyiNG sHiTE!" he snapped, squeezing his upper arms tightly, letting his fingers dig into them.

"Anti, you're going to hurt your host again..." Dark warned, kneeling next to him to place a hand over one of Anti's.

Anti glitched heavily for a moment, slapping Dark's hand away only for his wrist to get caught in it instead. He glared at the older brunette, fresh tears streaming from his eyes. Why couldn't he just understand that he wanted to be left alone? Was that too much to ask?! "I dOn'T CARE iF he gEts HurT! A fEw brUisEs wOUld be NOTHING ComPaREd to WhaT I WANT oT Do tO HIM!"

"You can't kill your host, Anti. You'd just end up destroying yourself," Dark stated matter-of-factly, "Granted, I find my own host annoying, but not enough to hurt him or myself. Now what is going on? What has you so upset?" Dark wasn't sure what he was doing; he normally wouldn't have cared at all, but this seemed too out of character for him. Anti was usually annoyingly happy and pulling pranks on Mark, his guests, or on Dark even. And god forbid he find a bottle of bubbles anywhere in the house. The trouble he caused tended to increase tenfold at that point.

"LiKe yOu FoOKin' cAre..." Anti gritted his teeth and tried yanking his hand out of Dark's. The older demon was too strong, however, as long as Anti's emotions weren't in check. "Just lEt me gO - don't make him leav- SHuT Up!" Anti yelled at himself; how he hated when Jack had enough strength to slip through and speak up. "You need h - I sAiD SHUT UP, DAMMIT!"

Dark watched him, confused. What was going on with him? He was so...unstable. The glitching was so bad now that he could barely see Anti's eyes for more than a few seconds at a time. "Anti, you need to calm down. This isn't going to end well if you keep working yourself up."

"Oh, lIkE yoU'Re oNe tO FoOKin' TaLK! MiSTer I-caN-BarEly-ReiGn-iN-My-owN-AnGEr! - help him - YoU Don'T cArE AboUt anYonE bUT yoUr pREciOus LiL JACK, rIgHT? - he needs y- SHUT UP, JACK!" Anti continued yelling while holding his head in his free hand, Jack cutting in through Anti's angered rambling.

It had taken Dark a moment to put together that Jack was whispering in the background, but even then it wasn't clear. Was Jack trying to tell him something? The more distraught Anti became, the more Jack was able to slip through.

"YoU'Re ALWAYS trYiN' - help him - to gEt hIs ATtenTiOn! - Dark - YoU wAnt HiM to SeE YOu as MorE thaN - help him - jUst A GhOUl traPpED in HiS fRIenD's bODy - he needs yo- A MoNStEr iN SheEp'S cLotHinG! - make him se- SHUT. UP!" Anti reared back an angry, glitchy fist, swinging quickly at his own stomach. But before it could connect with it's target, Dark had seized his other wrist and held Anti's arm's away from his body. Anti struggled and thrashed against his hold, but could not break it.

"Calm down, I'm trying to understand." If this had been any other tantrum, Dark would probably have lost his hold on his own temper, but for some reason worry was winning out.

"I DON'T CARE! GO AWAY!" he screamed, his voice cracking slightly as he continued to struggle in Dark's hold.

Both of them barely noticed when Chica ran by cautiously, rushing inside the still open door to get away from the rain. She stood in the door whining at them. Dark briefly held back a small urge from Mark to calm the dog, trying to focus on Anti.

"Look at me!" When Anti ignored him to continue struggling and rambling to himself, trying to snuff out Jack's voice, he tried a different tactic. With one swift motion, Dark had pinned Anti down on the patio, holding his hands down just slightly above his head while straddling his thighs to keep him from trying to kick him, should he think of it. Anti thrashed and pulled, spitting various Irish curses at Dark as he tried to free himself. Dense shadows materialized around Anti's wrists, pinning him down and allowing Dark to use his hands. He placed a hand on each side of Anti's face and forced him to look at him. "Anti, you need to calm yourself."

Though Anti was faced towards him, his glitching had become severe enough that Anti was barely even present. His thrashing slowed to a stop as he lay there pinned. His eyes stared blankly ahead while his mouth kept moving, whispering broken thoughts. "-he dOesN't care - you don't know th- alL I wanT is - wHy?- make him see - don't UndeRsta- I hAtE hiM - lOok at ME - I haTe hIm - I'm riGht hEre - foOk HiM - show him - I dOn't nEed anYon- notiCe me- don't leave - gEt awAy from Me-"

Dark sighed. At least now he was calm...somewhat. "Now what's up with you? Who hurt you? Tell me." But Anti didn't answer him. He simply stared blankly ahead, mumbling to himself.

Dark knew he had to do something to snap him out of this trance he'd slipped into, but he had no idea how to go about it. He could slap him, but he didn't want to hurt Jack. Punching him would only have the same affect. Choking him, he'd learned, was just one of Anti's kinks and would do him no good here. He'd avoided that one ever since he'd found out.

He sat back on the younger man's thighs, carding a hand through his own hair as he debated his options.

It was only now that he realized how much the rain had picked up. They were both soaked to the bone, their clothes clinging to their bodies and their hair dripping wet. Anti's black tears still flowed hot down his cool cheeks as he lay there rambling; they were beginning to pool under his head, looking like ink dripped in water as the color dispersed.

Dark sighed. "Oh, Anti...what has you so worked up?" He placed a hand on either side of Anti's head and watched him as he rambled, listening. Maybe the key to all of this was in there.

"-I hAte hIm - juSt looK at Me - Fook thEm - I dOn't caRe - seE me - I hatE him - pleAse-"

"Who, Anti? Who is causing you so much trouble?"

"-just tell him - fOok oFf - wHo neEds hiM - you do - sHut up - I dOn't GivE a - make him see-" Anti's face seemed to glitch between emotions as he rambled. Dark frowned slightly.

"-theY all liKe hiM beTter - just tell him - I'm NotHing - just tell him - hE wOn't sEe me-

"'They all like him better'?" The last time Dark remembered that coming up was when Mark had posted that dumb Valentine's Day video that he'd begrudgingly agreed to help with. Anti had been extremely jealous that Dark had gotten so much attention, that he'd retaliated with his own appearance at PAX, addressing the issue. Was he still upset about that?

"No, that can't be it..." One thing bothered him though, " 'They all like him better, I'm nothing, he won't see me'... 'You don't care about anyone but you're precious little Jack'... " Could it be that he was mad at him, not because he got a swell of attention from Mark's and Jack's subs, but because he'd been giving Jack a lot of his attention lately?

"-I'm nOthinG - I'M noTHing-he WoN't sEe mE - wHy woUld he cAre - aLl he SeEs is YoU - he sees you too - No hE doEsn'T-"

Dark felt something strange. The more he really listened to Anti, the more this...pain in his chest he wasn't familiar with grew. Why was he starting to hurt just because Anti was throwing a tantrum? It wasn't like Dark cared...

He carded a hand through his wet, dark hair again and sighed.

Except that he did care. He didn't like admitting it, but he did care. Anti was the closest thing to an actual friend he had in this strange world they lived in. Sure, he kind of wanted Sean's attention; he just didn't want the young man to be afraid of him. He envied that about Anti. Sean had accepted Anti and worked with him easily without much fuss, where as Mark had managed to lock Dark away out of fear for years. Mark still harbored fear towards him, hesitant to let him out. Anymore, Dark had to slip in when Mark least expected it. But Anti was allowed out much more often. When he and Anti did get to be out at the same time, it had been rather aggravating at first, but Anti had started to grow on him. He even found it entertaining, now, when Anti played with bubbles or became jealous of Jewel, Dark's pet ferret that he kept hidden away and loved on as much as Mark did Chica. They were small things that Dark had come to appreciate about Anti over time. And now that Anti was having a mental breakdown beneath him, he had no idea how to help his dear friend.

"Anti..." Dark called to him softly, but he only continued to ramble and cry. "Anti..." he grazed his fingers softly against Anti's cheek, pausing a moment to wipe away some of his tears with the pad of his thumb. "I need you to come back to the land of the living, glitch bitch." Despite the harsh nickname, there was no malice behind it; he hoped the popular nickname would help bring him back. "You need to snap out of this.

"-I'm NotHing - I'm noThinG - he woN't seE me - wHy woUld he CAre - all hE seEs is You-"

Dark sighed and leaned forward, gently resting his forehead against Anti's. "You are not nothing. You're special, more than you probably realize...especially to me..." He wasn't sure why, but this was the calmest he had been in a long time.

"I DO see you. I do," he continued on responding to Anti's ramblings, not sure what else to do, "I know it seems like I don't, but if I didn't, would I even pay you any mind at all?" he sighed, "You're so...infuriating at times, and obnoxious, and...happy. Somehow, you manage to brighten a room even when it's not your intention... You probably haven't seen it, but lately when you leave a room, I just shake my head and smile. I caught myself doing it twice just yesterday..." He shook his head, "Ugh, I'm starting to sound like Mark...that sappy idiot..."

...

He sighed again when there was still no reply. This was getting harder and harder to do, and his worry for his friend was escalating with each passing moment they spent out in the rain, thunder rolling overhead.

"I...I really...do care. Again, I know it doesn't seem like it, but I do care...about you. If I didn't care, I would've just let you sit out here and wallow in your strange fucking misery while the rain poured down on your sorry ass. And I'm sure you'd probably come back with some idiotic remark about how I wouldn't do that because I 'like Jack too much to let him get sick' because of you. But at least I know Jack has the common sense to come inside before the rain hits, unlike you...Anti..." Still, Anti continued to ramble on. "Please...Anti...you genuinely have me worrying about you. This isn't the you I know...this isn't the you I l-"

He stopped himself short. He'd almost admitted to something he wasn't sure he was prepared to. Granted, Anti didn't seem able to hear or understand him right now, but...did he really feel that way? It was strange to think he could've developed such feelings for someone - anyone, even - that not long ago he couldn't stand being in the same room with, much to Mark's annoyance. "Dammit, Anti, we're soaking wet, the rain is getting worse, and though we're immune to disease, our hosts are not." Dark shook Anti's shoulder, but still he rambled. "We need to get inside, now."

"- noThiNg -"

"You are not nothing! Dammit, why can't you see that?"

Not knowing what else to do, Dark quickly leaned down, cupping Anti's face in one hand, and pressing his lips against his. He'd never done this before, but he'd seen it enough times in movies and videos. He pulled away to see if maybe he'd shocked him into waking up from this trance. Something had changed, he was sure. The glitches were subsiding and his eyes didn't seem to be glazed over anymore.

"C'mon, Anti...." Dark leaned forward again, planting another kiss on Anti's lips. The longer he held it, the more coherent Anti seemed. So Dark lingered, his lips pressed against his.

Anti finally blinked, his vision blurry. Where was he? What had happened....why was Dark over him? Anti froze in place as his vision cleared, the black of his eyes returning to their natural white, the glow diminishing. The more consciousness he regained, the redder his face became. Is he kissing me?!

After a moment, Dark actually seemed to be...moving?...attempting to deepen the kiss now that Anti's body seemed to be reacting.

He's...h-he's kissing me...why? Anti wasn't sure what else to do but reciprocate and hope that the rain hid the growing "problem" he didn't want him to notice. Shakily, he closed his eyes and returned the kiss to the larger man on top of him, parting his lips to allow him access.

Dark's tongue darted into his mouth, feverishly kissing Anti senseless as if his life depended on it. Anti could barely breathe, his heart pounding in his chest as Dark lavished him with kiss after kiss. What was this feeling? Was it pleasure? He had no idea; he'd only known pain. If this was what pleasure felt like then he hoped it would never end. Anti couldn't think straight anymore; he barely noticed the rain and he couldn't care less if Dark noticed the hard lump in his pants anymore. All he wanted was to cling onto him and never let go.

Anti made to move his arms around Dark but quickly found they wouldn't budge. He snapped his eyes open, his senses returning to him, and glanced up at his wrists. He tugged a few times, panicking slightly. I'm pinned...I never get pinned. I'M always the one doing the pinning! Though his body liked the sudden lack of control, he himself did not. He shut his eyes tight; this wasn't right. He shouldn't be scared, why was he scared? The tiniest whimper escaped his throat. How he hated being like this. So weak, so powerless, no wonder Dark couldn't see him past Jack's face...

"Anti..."

He froze and slowly opened his eyes. At some point during his inner conflict, Dark had pulled away to look at him. A small smile spread across his face as Anti finally gazed up at him.

"Finally...you're back."

"...I-I left?"

Dark nodded, "Sort of. You wouldn't respond to me when I spoke. You kept muttering things to yourself and thrashing around." Dark avoided mentioning Jack. The last thing he wanted to do was send Anti spiraling back down that path he'd been on.

Anti glanced up at his wrists. "...I take it...that's why I'm pinned?" he asked, tugging at his restraints to make a point.

"I didn't want you to hurt yourself."

"...why would you care?..." he muttered, looking away.

"Why shouldn't I?" Dark tilted his head slightly.

"How should I know..." He tugged at the shadows again, starting to feel uncomfortable. "Would you let me the fook up?"

Dark smirked, "Maybe I don't want to yet."

Anti's face flushed bright pink; Dark never smiled at him. "W-Well...as long as I'm stuck here, could you explain the, um...the kiss?"

"I couldn't figure out how to snap you out of it without hurting you. Considering our connections to our hosts, I had to do something." Dark explained.

"Great, so I was an excuse...," Anti grumbled, turning his head away.

"Anti, you know how this works. If something happens to us, it happens to our hosts. And without our hosts, we can't exist," Dark explained calmly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..."

Dark sighed. So much for avoiding that subject.

"Just..." Anti huffed in frustration, "Just let me up and leave me alone..."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Anti."

"Pfft, 2001: Space Odyssey reference, really?" Anti rolled his eyes and looked up at him. He frowned slightly. Dark was acting serious again, despite the joke. "...Dark...wwwhat are you doin'?"

Dark slowly leaned closer, "Trying to make a point."

"W-What kind of point are you trying to make exact-LY!" Anti jumped slightly when Dark's mouth suddenly connected with his neck, licking and sucking at the tender flesh. "H-Haah.." Anti's stomach was doing somersaults. Is this really happening? This couldn't be happening. He had to have fallen asleep on the couch, or something, and was having some sort of weird wet dream...although, if that's true, his brain was taking it way too literal.

"You might think I don't see you," Dark whispered in his ear, making Anti's face hot, "that I only see Jack when I look at you..." he pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "But lately, all I see is you. I see you, Anti. Don't ever think otherwise."

Anti stared up at his captor, not really sure how to respond.

Dark suddenly pushed himself up off of Anti and offered a hand to help him up. He hadn't even noticed when Dark had let the shadows dissipate, freeing him from the ground. "Come on. Let's get out of this rain."

Anti sat up, staring at him. Since when had Dark seemed so...imposing? Anti had never really found him all that...impressive, until now.

He took the offered hand and pulled himself up. They hesitated a moment, holding hands in the rain. Dark's face had become void of all emotion again, as it usually did, and Anti couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. He'd seen more emotion on the demon's face in the last 5 minutes than he ever had over the course of the year since they'd met. What's going on in that head of his?

Dark nodded toward the door, indicating that Anti should follow, as he pulled him gently towards it.

Anti hesitated a moment, glancing down at the slightly drier spot where he'd been laying. Two black spots were washing away as the rain poured onto the patio. He wiped a hand over his cheek, surprised to see the same black substance on his fingers. Both of his hands were stained by it and black hand-prints could clearly be made out on Jack's sleeves.

"I'll get you cleaned up, don't worry."

Anti simply nodded. He wasn't sure what had happened, but at least he had someone to help him through it. He followed Dark inside, letting him lead him by the hand. Dark lead him upstairs to the bathroom, making him sit on the edge of the tub. He ran some warm water in the sink, wetting a wash cloth and straining it of the extra water. He sat down on the toilet lid and turned towards Anti who had been watching his every move since they'd come out of the rain. Leaning forward, he made to cup Anti's chin in one hand, only for Anti to pull away.

"I'm just going to clean up your face," Dark stated.

"Why? I can do it myself..." Anti grumbled, his face down-turned to avoid his gaze.

"You'd miss most of it, and you know it." Dark pointed out while Anti pouted. After a moment, he tried again, and this time Anti didn't fight him. Although, he did continue to avoid his gaze while Dark gently wiped at his face.

"Who are you, and what did you do with Dark?" Anti questioned out of the blue. "What do you mean?" Dark asked, focused on his task.

"Why are you being nice to me? There's no way that you're Dark; Dark ignores me, Dark doesn't care what I do as long as it doesn't endanger his suit or his ferret...or Jack. Dark's always stone-faced and keeps to himself..." Anti squinted his eyes at Dark, "...Are you really just Mark playing a prank on me or something?" For the first time ever, Anti heard Dark chuckle. It was a deep rich sound, much lower in pitch and tamer than Mark's laugh. Anti's face flushed. "Now I know you're not Dark! Who the fook are you?!"

"Trust me, Anti, it's me," Dark looked him in the eye, a small smile on his lips. "Just because you believe I'm mean and heartless doesn't mean that I am. Close your eyes."

Anti huffed but did as he was told, allowing Dark to finish wiping at his eyes and forehead. "I still don't understand why you're doing this...I'm not worth it..."

"Of course you're worth it. Which is why I'm doing it."

"But I'm not-"

Dark grabbed his face gently and pulled him into a sudden kiss. He chuckled when he pulled away, leaving Anti wide-eyed, flustered, and silent. "There, that's better. I should really do that more often."

Over the next hour, each took a turn in the shower, cleaning themselves off and trying to warm up after spending so much time out in the rain. Anti had showered first, changing into a pair of sweatpants and one of Jack's plain t-shirts. He was lost in his thoughts while he waited on the couch for Dark, Jack occasionally slipping through to tease him with an image or two. He really hated that Jack had figured out how to do that. Now he had something to use against him if he acted up too much. He brought his knees up to his chest under the blanket and hugged them there, resting his chin on them.

He'd never been nervous before, at least not around Dark. He blushed; Dark had never kissed him before, either. This was strange. He felt so out of his element. There was no way Dark cared for him that way. It was Jack he was after, wasn't it?

'He kissed ya 3 times, Anti, what more proof do ya need?'

"I don't know..." Anti groaned and buried his face in his knees.

"Don't know what?"

Anti jumped slightly and turned to see Dark standing there in Mark's sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt, drying his hair with a towel. If it weren't for Dark's eyes, Anti would've sworn it was Mark standing there. Lucky for him Dark had silver eyes with slit pupils that reminded him of a cat. Anti shrugged and turned his head away, trying to hide his face.

Dark came around the couch and sat next to him, setting the towel on the coffee table. "We need to talk about all this."

"There's nothing to talk about..." Anti mumbled, turning his face away again. "There's plenty to talk about. You have questions, and so do I." Dark turned Anti's face towards him. "Whatever it is that is bothering you, I want you to tell me. No more trying to hide it, no more bottling up your anger or sadness behind a smile. We see how that turned out..."

Anti grimaced; it wasn't something he really wanted to talk about, but he was also tired of the pain in his chest. "...fine...Do you like Jack?"

"Why is that relevant?" Dark questioned with an arched brow.

"Just answer the damn question. Do you like Jack? You've been all over him lately, it wouldn't surprise me if you did..."

Dark frowned, "I'm not sure what you mean by all over him-"

"All your attention's been on him. Whether Mark let's you out, or not, you're always staring at him, trying to talk to him, spending time with him," Anti's eyes were beginning to glow again as his anger built anew, finally getting all of his concerns out in the open, "But when I'm around, you ignore me. I get a glance or two, but otherwise you send me away, distracting me to get my mind off you..." he bawled up his fist, "I'm not even sure why I care!" Without warning Anti threw himself at Dark, attempting to punch him in the face only for Dark to block it, grabbing his hand and letting the momentum push him back onto the couch.

Much like he was used to by now, Dark lay across the couch, Anti leaning over him while keeping him pinned. Only, this time, there was no mischievous grin, no playful banter. Just an angry demon trapped in a very mortal body. He couldn't help but stare and let Anti ramble again.

"I'm not even sure what I'm doin' anymore!" Anti continued through gritted teeth, "I used to be able to just have fun, do as I please, without carin' what anyone thought about it. Everyone loved it! They loved me! I didn' need anythin' else but their attention. And then you showed up."

Dark waited patiently, letting Anti get everything out.

"Suddenly EVERYTHIN' revolved around you. Darkiplier this, Darkiplier that; I hated you for takin' the attention off of me, you were an annoyance that I wanted to best, to do away with so I could be on top again. At first, I was tryin' so hard to drive you away or at least find a way to kill you. But, I couldn't! No matter what I tried, you just hung around, and every time you got hurt, Mark did, which made Jack lock me away until he'd healed. I manage to convince him to let me do a video for PAX...and yet," he chuckled slightly, "And yet you still managed to steal the spot light. The longer you were around, the more I got used to you bein' there. I'd dare say, I even considered you a friend."

"I take it that's no longer true?" Dark interjected.

Anti shook his head, calming slightly. "I don' even know anymore...it started off with my just...pickin' on you 'cause I wanted you to leave...and then I was pickin' to pick...and then somehow it turned playful? ...next thing I know, not only do I not have their attention, I don' even have yours. I used to, when I kept teasin' and callin' ya names..." he clenched his eyes shut, "But then you started ignorin' me! Tryin' to get Jack's attention all the time, while I'm here tryin' to get you to notice me. The short moments that I did get it, you weren't really seein' me; all you saw was him. And I...I got jealous of it! I'm STILL jealous of it! I don't want to get rid of you, anymore, and I don' even know why!"

"I have a guess," Dark raised his free hand to brush some of the green locks out of Anti's face.

"Stop doing that!" Anti shook his face away from Dark's hand, his cheeks flushed, "You're not helpi-"

"You like me." Dark sat up on his elbows, effectively bringing himself closer to Anti's face.

"N-No I don't!" Anti denied it.

"You like me more than you think you should," Dark continued calmly, moving his hands to grip Anti's wrists again, "And even though you can't admit it to yourself, the feeling is still there. And it scares you."

Damn his observational skills! Anti tried to back up, but Dark's grip kept him firmly in place, practically pinned to his chest, "No, why are you saying these things?!" Is...Is he happy? Anti could see that Dark's pupils were dilated and the silver of his eyes was brighter in color; rather than looking like a cat, he almost looked...normal.

"Your jealous of Jack because you think I feel for him how you feel for me," Dark continued, whispering against his neck.

"I-I don', dammit.." Anti froze up, his body shaking slightly, "I h-hate you..."

"You don't hate me," he nipped at his neck, smirking slightly when Anti let out a small gasp and shuddered. "You want me all to yourself."

"N-Nnngh," Anti's face felt like it was on fire, "F-Fine, even if that's true, it's not like you care..."

"Oh, Anti," Dark left small, light kisses up his neck and along his jaw, "I already told you that I do care."

"T-That's a lie..."

"It's not a lie, Anti."

"Yes it is..."

"Is it really so impossible to believe that I could care about you?" Dark questioned, nipping at Anti's jaw now and again, "I know you haven't really seen it, and clearly you didn't hear me, earlier, so I'll say it again. You. Are not. Nothing. You are special. You are the only..." he faltered a moment, finding it hard to believe he was admitting this, "you are the only true friend I really have in this place. Granted, you're usually annoying, infuriating, obnoxious, and loud...but you're happy. I don't know how you do it, brightening up the room despite what you are. Born of darkness, but all you bring is light. You're allowed to take over more often, and because of that I envy you for it."

Anti arched a brow, "You...envy me?"

Dark nodded, "You don't see it, but whenever you leave the room I can't help but smile, lately. Mark and Jack have caught me a number of times..." He let Anti's wrists go, "I see you...I know it seems like I'm focused on Jack, but all I want out of him is for him not to fear me. That is all. Mark's afraid of me enough of the time, as it is. What I want from you..." A devious smile spread across his face, "Well that's a little more personal."

Anti chuckled slightly, finally smiling, "You've been stuck with Mark for too long."

Dark chuckled and placed a hand onto the back of Anti's head, pulling him into a brief kiss before letting him go. "C'mon," he pushed him off of him and stood, walking over toward the television, "We've only got so much left of the day. What do you want to do?"

Anti bit his lip as he looked Dark over, "Oh, there's somethin' I wanna do," in an instant, Anti had teleported from the couch to standing behind Dark, a big grin on his face as he whispered in his ear, "But that's a little more personal, Darkipoo."

Dark grinned, "There's the Anti I love."

#Danti #Darkiplier #antisepticeye #one-shot #fanfic #angst #fluff

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thesportssoundoff · 5 years

Text

A 2019 NFL Mock Draft To Kill Some Time

Joey

April 8th, 2019

1) Arizona Cardinals select QB Kyler Murray, University of Oklahoma There's two likely outcomes to consider at this point. The first is that Kyler Murray winds up in Arizona with Josh Rosen getting moved somewhere (and honestly, a 1st round QB with three years left on an affordable deal should not require much arm wringing to jettison) and the second is some team moves up to #1 to take him here. Either way, he's the guy right now.

2) San Francisco 49ers select DE Nick Bosa, Ohio State University I feel pretty confident in the first five picks or so but the most confident I am as of right now is in San Francisco picking Nick Bosa. Nick Bosa plus Dee Ford on the outside with Arik Armstead, Deforrest Buckner and Solomon Thomas rotating on the inside? That's a tremendous defensive line. Also don't get caught up in 3-4 vs 4-3 or who plays where; remember these teams play in the nickel close to 60% of their defensive snaps. Plenty of room to get rushers on the field.

3) New York Jets select Edge Josh Allen, University of Kentucky The Jets are spending like a team that believes it's ready to take the next step with a young QB which is probably want you want to do when you have a cheap quarterback. Allen to the Jets is one of those heavily whispered rumors in the Tri-State area that grows louder by the day.

4) Oakland Raiders select DL Quinnen Williams, University of Alabama Arguably the top player in the draft being there at 4? Good fit for a team that traded away a top flight pass rusher and then spent the next four months opining about their lack of a pass rush. Williams + Hurst could create a tremendous interior presence for the Raiders.

5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers select LB Devin White, Louisiana State University More defense! The Bucs and Devin White rumor started around the combine and the loss of Kwon Alexander does little to shake those feelings off. White is the best linebacker in the draft and it's worth remembering that there's a bit of a linebacker renaissance going on in the NFL with guys like Leighton Vander Esch, Darius Leonard, Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edmunds and Fred Warner all having tremendous seasons as rookies.

6) New York Giants select DL Ed Oliver, University of Houston Ed Oliver didn't quite have the big time top pick season people thought he'd have with some injuries and a blow up with head coach Major Applewhite weighing down the end of the year. That said, he's still a freakishly athletic and highly productive undertackle prospect who can flip just about any defensive line. He could play end in a 3-4 but again. a lot of nickel defense for pro teams. Oliver would eat on 3rd downs and the Aaron Donald comparisons are NOT entirely off the mark.

7) Jacksonville Jaguars select OT Jawaan Taylor, University of Florida Tom Coughlin is an old school guy who does old school type stuff. They just spent a lot of money on a QB who is not exactly renown for his mobility and they still have Leonard Fournette on their roster. It'll be an OL or DL, just pick which one you prefer.

8) Detroit Lions select DE Rashaan Gary, University of Michigan Here's the pick I struggle with the most. Gary's a superb athlete who lacked any sort of consistent production at Michigan. I think the Lions, like most of the teams in the top 10, are aiming to repair their pass rush and so Gary walks into the door with Tre Flowers creating a unique DL front.

9) Buffalo Bills select TE TJ Hockenson, University of Iowa I bet this pick dances for a QB. Either way kudos, credit and plaudits to Buffalo for trying to give Josh Allen the help necessary to succeed. They grabbed a few smaller quick-ish twitch slot types in Cole Beasley and John Brown who can help their QB and they have a gluttony of old aging RBs who are at least reliable. Even Tyler Kroft as a massive overpay has some sensibilities. TJ Hockenson is a stand out tight end who can do it all be it blocking or receiving. He'll make the Bills offense better and help Josh Allen.

10) Denver Broncos select QB Drew Lock, University of Missouri On paper I'd be shocked if either Lock or Haskins hits THIS number but no trades and outside of New York, there's no real immediate option from 2 to 8 on a QB. John Elway has been tagged to Drew Lock since January and so I doubt Joe Flacco changes anything in that regard.

11) Cincinnati Bengals select QB Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State University My guess is that the Jets and Bengals will have a chit chat about a pick swap. The Ohio State guy playing ball in Cinci seems way too easy to peg if he falls this far or via a move up. Perfect situation for Haskins to sit, learn and develop behind a still kinda competent Andy Dalton.

12) Green Bay Packers select DE-OLB Montez Sweat, Mississippi State University Green Bay's draft last year focused primarily on its defense and they had some hits in their secondary. Perhaps the arrival of Montez Sweat would help complete that defensive turnaround. Again there's a lot of great EDGE talent here.

13) Miami Dolphins select DE Brian Burns, Florida State University This is the final defensive end I feel really confident with and Miami, about to embark on a long rebuild, can at least feel confident in snagging a great athletic edge.

14) Atlanta Falcons select CB Greedy Williams, Louisiana State University The Falcons could use defensive help but let's discuss the law of diminishing returns real quick; does it make sense to take the fourth of fifth best defensive end or the top corner or safety? Think this is the better value and while you can debate Greedy Williams vs Byron Murphy, I think a corner might be a better fit here.

15) Washington Redskins select WR DK Metcalf, Ole Miss I personally find Metcalf to be overhyped (I'd take N'Keal Harry and Hakeem Butler above him) but Washington needs wide outs who can do a thing or two. Metcalf and Doctson would make for a tremendous 1-2 combination and you could do worse at 15 overall than a WR with Metcalf's high upside.

16) Carolina Panthers select OT Andre Dillard, Washington State University The Panthers OL was RAVAGED by injury up and down the line all year. Andre Dillard is a freakishly athletic player who can play either tackle spot and would be a key protector for Cam Newton.

17) New York Giants select QB Daniel Jones, University of Duke If the Giants don't go QB at 6, I can't see how they don't go QB at 17. Daniel Jones to the Giants is going to be a trendy trendy pick going forward with the David Cutcliffe ties and the Manning Academy talk.

18) Minnesota Vikings select OC Garrett Bradbury, North Carolina State The Vikings added Josh Kline which is a help but the interior could still use some work. Garrett Bradbury is the best interior OL in the draft in my estimation so this is a tremendous get for a team in dire need of figuring out its offense going forward.

19) Tennessee Titans select TE Noah Fant, University of Iowa The Titans can choose an edge rusher, another WR, more OL help and etc etc etc. I think Noah Fant can pretty much become the top receiving option for Marcus Mariota without much of a challenge and in due time. A great athlete who was sort of hamstrung by the requirement of Iowa's offense and their chemical dependency on blocking tight ends.

20) The Pittsburgh Steelers select LB Devin Bush, University of Michigan This is probably the tail end of Bush's value but I really didn't see a spot earlier than this where he is a perfect fit. The Ryan Shazier replacement if one can view it under such coarse terms.

21) Seattle Seahawks select FS Nasir Adderly, University of Delaware The continued rebuilding of Seattle's secondary moves forward with Nasir Adderly. Small school guy or not, Adderly is a versatile chess piece by which any defense would be happy to have him.

22) Baltimore Ravens select OL Cody Ford, University of Oklahoma The Ravens could grab an edge, they could grab a WR but I like Cody Ford. He's arguably the best value I've got available and would do wonders for what the Ravens are aiming to build on offense. He could play inside or outside for the Ravens offense.

23) Houston Texans select OT Jonah Williams, University of Alabama The slide of Williams from top 5 player to late first rounder is a touch confounding but the Texans won't mind. They've got some guys at tackle already but Julie'n Davenport was awful and Seantrel Henderson is struggling to stay healthy. Williams gives you an improved tackle option.

24) Oakland Raiders select LB Blake Cashman, University of Minnesota A big time combine riser, Blake Cashman gives the Raiders a somewhat undersized freakishly athletic linebacker. The Raiders are trying to rebuild their defense with draft picks.

25) Philadelphia Eagles select RB Josh Jacobs, University of Alabama Josh Jacobs has ultra limited production at Alabama but that's actually a good thing for a running back. He's got Leveon Bell type traits and the Eagles could use more help as Carson Wentz tries to get back to 2017 levels.

26) Indianapolis Colts select DT Christian Wilkins, University of Clemson The best member of the Clemson DL who is a mature team leader type. Would immediately step in as as a key part of this defensive line and it's worth remembering that Matt Eberflus spent the past four years learning under Rod Marinelli and what he values in defensive line help. It's not the BIGGEST guys but the guys who have the athleticism to play 3 and the size to play 1.

27) Oakland Raiders select DE Clellin Ferrell, University of Clemson The Raiders can't take a WR at pick 27. There's a subtle rule you can't use a pick to replace the dude you traded to get the pick. Ferrell fits here and now the Raiders have a genuinely great young DL with Hurst, Ferrell and Williams.

28) San Diego Chargers select WR Hakeem Butler, Iowa State University I know it's a bit loaded up at the WR spot for the Chargers but they have a young defense, a tremendous QB on the back nine of his career, Mike Williams still trying to find himself, Keenan Allen as a stud guy and you add Butler, another big bodied vertical threat? Seems like a winning formula to me.

29) Kansas City Chiefs select CB Deandre Baker, University of Georgia The secondary was the bugaboo for the Chiefs last year and while it could be argued that injuries didn't help, talent overall is needed. Baker fits the spot.

30) Green Bay Packers select S Taylor Rapp, University of Washington Safeties and corners are likely to be all over the place on the back end of the draft. The Ha Ha Clinton Dix trade opened up a spot in the secondary and Taylor Rapp feels like a perfect fit for what the Packers need. Rapp is good enough in coverage and a tremendous box safety who is instinctive and quicker than fast. Don't let the pro day talk you out of the player.

31) Los Angeles Rams select CB Byron Murphy, University of Washington Corners and safeties. Byron Murphy is a tremendous corner prospect who would provide a long term answer to the CB spot for the Rams with Aquib Talib likely on his last legs and Marcus Peters the sort of dude who burns out his welcome eventually.

32) New England Patriots select WR AJ Brown, Ole Miss A real perfect fit for New England. AJ Brown can play all three key WR spots, he's polished as all hell, he's got the open field ability to be more than just a fun slot guy and Tom Brady would probably embrace him as a new go to. I just don't see an easy fit at tight end to replace Gronk.

#NFL #Mock Draft #Killing Time #Drama #draft

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survivorsuriname · 6 years

Text

Episode 2 - I Spy With My Little Eye

Xenia

People are not talking much. I was the lowest scorer in the previous challenge which is why I want to contribute to the tribe win this time by doing my best.No communication with anyone on the OT.

Kenjie

1down 13 more to go. If we keep on winning i have more chances to make it to the end

Heather

I spy with my little eye my tribes idol already hehe im shook

Emily

Ive been rly busy but the chat seems kinda quiet. Who knows what goes on behind the screen...

Geri

It's sucks I got 1 vote at the last tribal council. I hope we can pull out the win next time :)

Sassy

So, as I'd thought, my huge score in Winterbells was enough to keep my tribe safe. The effort was well worth it as it allowed yesterday to be a very quiet day. I'm really surprised at how quiet everyone is being. Not many people seem like they are really playing the social aspect of the game, which may be to their detriment later on as I continue to forge relationships wherever I can. I wasn't surprised to see Medha go after it was revealed that she abstained from the first challenge. I would have made the same decision. The 3-1-1 vote however did surprise me a little bit as I would have expected it to be a clean 4-1. Perhaps Kasikasima just has more drama on it, or maybe there's just no communication. Anyway, with today's reward challenge, we have to sit somebody out. Nobody directly volunteered, but with Heather saying she will have to abstain from the immunity challenge, it's best that we let her participate today so she can sit tomorrow. It's concerning me that nobody has said "I'll sit out" or something because, to me, it means that nobody on my tribe is paying attention to the game. I'm the only person trying to coordinate things and honestly, if we lose because of this and end up losing immunity because of that advantage, I will not be happy at all. If you're going to sign up for a game, at least fucking look like you're trying.

Jake

I'm sort of employing a strategy of not being too social right now, because I've never played One World so I feel like is someone is talking to everyone they're a really big target. I'm always around so I'm not being inactive, just selective with who I talk to. Blake is my lovely, so he's my closest ally in the game, and depending on how it goes I may have patched things up with Elizabeth. Still worried about Emily, but nothing I can really do about it right now because I don't wanna stick my neck out when I don't need to.

I'm gonna bet a decent bit that we're gonna get second in this challenge, considering Liz just is getting back from camping so she's probably gonna have a bad score. fuck leaving camp i hate this idol twist tbh, i understand it's trying to emulate real survivor going to look for the idol but this would be like Jeff walking up to the beach with a megaphone announcing whenever someone walked off to go looking for it and left sticky notes of everyone who left and when.

Quincy

I’m definitely gonna be targeted for how bad I’m doing in the challenges

Xenia

Darn, we lost!!!

Jake

"Oh boy immunity challenge! 20 Questions!" >I want Kenjie to sit, English isn't his first language >MY TRIBE [12:23 AM] Infinity (Vi): Can I sit out I live under a rock and know absolutely nothing about all 4 cat -right after- [12:23:59 AM] Jake™: I don't wanna say this in public but [12:24:16 AM] Jake™: i kinda think kenjie should sit, english isn't his first language >.> [12:24:22 AM] Infinity (Vi): O shit yeat -back in tribe chat- [12:24:26 AM] Infinity (Vi): Wait [12:24:32 AM] Infinity (Vi): Nvm I’m good [12:25:22 AM] Infinity (Vi): Ignore that I’m a derp -right after- [12:25:04 AM] Xenia H: I can sit this one out then -once again..- [12:25:28 AM] Jake™: hey um [12:25:36 AM] Xenia H: Hey [12:25:38 AM] Jake™: i think you should probably play [12:25:47 AM] Jake™: english isn't kenjies first language so [12:26:21 AM] Xenia H: Okay, I am scared I might not be of much help but I will def do my best. We need to be immune :p -right on cue..- [12:26:41 AM] Xenia H: I am willing to play. Anyone else wants to sit out then??? i sure do love a good old fashioned please kill me

Kenjie

I think im doing good at communicating with each players. Good thing for my advantage.

Seans no one in my tribe wants to go finding idols. I tell geri the clue so that hi can find it and hi will trust me.

Sassy

Another round, another chance at victory. Winning the reward challenge was great, and the way it was won was even better. While I did really well on the challenge, I was not the best this time around, which is good for not looking like a TOTAL competition beast. I managed to show that while I'm good at puzzles, I am by no means the best at them, whereas by killing it on Winterbells, I merely showed that I'm willing to put in the work. The -3 reward for this immunity is HUGE and I'm really happy we won it, but I have a good feeling we might still be alright without it, so long as everyone on my tribe completes the challenge with reasonable scores. As for this immunity challenge, I can very easily shrug off my 6 question result as simply being a guy that enjoys board games a lot and grew up playing many of them, which is only about half true. Grew up playing more card games than board games, generally because they were easier to learn and I have probably the best mind for strategy in my immediate family. I think I'm in an okay place in this game, but it will be interesting to see what happens moving forward. I'm sure there is going to be tribe swaps or even an early merge as a 15 person cast is relatively small. It wouldn't surprise me either to learn about some sort of Redemption Island or other "return to the game" twist that we don't know about yet. I haven't been going for idols, even though we have this clue, but it is something I should probably consider, especially because I might be putting a huge target on my back by doing well at challenges.

So what has been happening? I have no idea bc only Kenjie talks to me and I started talking to Blake a bit. Heather is off in her own world so I have no idea on that side either. Jake has been lowkey hinting to let Kenjie sit out and when I say lowkey he pmed every single person that volunteered to sit and then we backtracked. Whoops. It was funny tho. I'll come back at tribal I guess. Idk we'll see

Xenia

OMG, I thought I was so done. I am the weakest in challenges on my tribe and I will be the first one out if we are ever not safe :/ So glad today was not that day. Phew!!!

Sean

i'm sooo happy that we finally won something i was starting to feel hopeless i think this is good for us to have some unity going forward

Sassy

Are you actually kidding me with this tribe right now? Antoine GAVE UP and Emily couldn't get FACE OFF? I think I might actually be surrounded by dumb. We were given a huge advantage in this challenge and it was absolutely blown by these two, so I think that one of them has to go. While I like Emily and have enjoyed talking to her, she had to abstain from the very first challenge, hasn't really shown any sort of willingness to collaborate during the first reward challenge by not communicating while trying to figure out who should sit, and now she kinda cost us safety by not being able to get Face Off. Antoine is probably the person that I have talked to the least on the tribe, so that concerns me. I don't really know anything about him, I don't know where his head is at really, and that is pretty concerning to me. I'm somewhat disturbed by the fact that he was so willing to just give up on the challenge and essentially send us to tribal council. He had messaged me during the day saying that he was having a hard time and I tried to tell him to just remain calm, go back through everything, and take whatever time he needed, but apparently he's alright with quitting. I'm torn between voting for either of these two individuals. Neither of them have gone looking for an idol, so I feel confident being able to vote for either of them. Ian and I have a pretty good relationship and I think if we can stick together, we'll be able to stay safe. Heather's been a bit on the quieter side lately, but if I can get her on my side, that's the three votes for a majority that I need to be able to keep myself safe for today.

Kenjie

My tribe is keep on winning and it makes me so happy. Im happy also that the othere tribe is loosing each other.

Elizabeth

Okay so this might be super long because it's my first one ever but I was shocked Medha got voted out over me since I was camping last weekend and barely talked to anyone. But I understand completely they went for physical strength and keeping the tribe strong for future challenges. Super glad we won the next challenge so we didn't go on some losing streak until swap. Quincy seems really cool so far from my tribe and Jake n Black from the other tribes are great too.

Ian

So im going in this tribal still undecided as all my tribemates are very quiet and they just suck. Lmao

Like serious i cant wait to for a swap to happen

Blake

So we won again, nothing has really changed from the first time we did so other than I've been talking to Vi a little more, so I think it's a 4-1 against Xenia at this point. I've got pre-game connections (sorta) with Elizabeth because I hosted her in an ORG, so... I'm working on that kinda? Also, the people leaving the camp all the time is funny. I'm not putting that kind of target on my back. I feel safe enough, why jeopardise that?

Antoine

I'm probably going to be voted out but if it's the case then I'll try everything to avoid it.

#episode #stoprapping

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junker-town · 7 years

Text

2017 NFL mock draft: 2 rounds for a deep group of prospects

The draft is rapidly approaching and this week we look at how the first 64 picks could play out.

Focusing on just the first round of the 2017 NFL draft is a fun weekly exercise, but it doesn’t show off the depth of the draft. After you get past the top 10 players, there’s little difference between the next 30 players other than positional value.

That’s why this week’s mock draft is two rounds, just in time for us to be a little more than two weeks away from the start of the draft.

If you want to see a mock with trades, make sure to check out this mock draft from Adam Stites. Trades will happen and he has a few logical ones.

1. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, DE, Texas A&M

Next.

2. San Francisco 49ers: Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford

Thomas gives the 49ers something they just don’t have in Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner.

3. Chicago Bears: Jamal Adams, S, LSU

The Bears can add an all-around force to a defense that lacks playmakers beyond pass rusher Leonard Floyd.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU

I understand the Jaguars don’t have a good line, but if there’s a back who can get by without one it’s Fournette.

5. Tennessee Titans: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State

A return to the old fall back for Tennessee with the draft’s top cornerback.

6. New York Jets: Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State

For the Jets Hooker can be a safety/cornerback hybrid player who can help an average pass defense.

7. Los Angeles Chargers: Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama

The safeties are gone so the Chargers get the free falling Allen to pair with Joey Bosa up front.

8. Carolina Panthers: Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

Carolina is desperate to get a pass rusher, and Barnett is a pro-ready sack machine.

9. Cincinnati Bengals: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson

Teaming Williams with A.J. Green would push Cincinnati’s offense to the next level.

10. Buffalo Bills: O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama

Howard has built himself into a top 10 pick this offseason and he may be gone by the time Buffalo picks.

11. New Orleans Saints: Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan

Teams will love Charlton’s length and speed, including the Saints who desperately need help on the edge.

12. Cleveland Browns: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, North Carolina

The first quarterback is finally off the board and the Browns get a local favorite to fix the long-standing issues at the position.

13. Arizona Cardinals: Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson

At some point the Cardinals need to find a successor to Carson Palmer and get it with the national title winner.

14. Philadelphia Eagles: Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford

Running back or wide receiver, McCaffrey will make plays all over the place in Philadelphia’s offense.

15. Indianapolis Colts: Haason Reddick, LB, Temple

Reddick gives Indianapolis a linebacker who can do a little of everything really well, including the pass rush threat they need.

16. Baltimore Ravens: Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan

Despite taking Breshad Perriman in the first round in 2015, but they need more talent a receiver and Davis will be a star.

17. Washington: Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama

If Foster drops Washington should pounce to get a player who can quickly become the leader of the defense.

18. Tennessee Titans: John Ross, WR, Washington

This is the speed player Tennessee’s offense needs to take the top off defenses and push Marcus Mariota to the next level.

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: David Njoku, TE, Miami

Imagine how hard defenses will have it when Mike Evans is lined up on the same side as this super athlete tight end.

20. Denver Broncos: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin

It won’t matter who plays quarterback and running back Denver behind an offensive line that is finally full of quality players.

21. Detroit Lions: Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State

The Lions badly need a player who can generate a pass rush on the defensive line and after McDowell the quality dramatically falls.

22. Miami Dolphins: Forrest Lamp, G, Western Kentucky

This may not be a fun pick for the defense, but Lamp gives Miami a starting guard as a rookie and an eventual Mike Pouncey replacement.

23. New York Giants: Garrett Bolles, OT, Utah

New York fans will love this mean and nasty offensive tackle who will absolutely obliterate defenders, even if the whistle has blown.

24. Oakland Raiders: Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State

Having a top-level third cornerback is more important than ever, and Conley would give the Raiders another good cover guy.

25. Houston Texans: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech

In the eyes of some it’s Mahomes, and not DeShone Kizer, as the third best quarterback in the draft.

26. Seattle Seahawks: Kevin King, CB, Washington

With the top two offensive tackles gone, the Seahawks could go cornerback in the fist round with a big outside shutdown cornerback.

27. Kansas City Chiefs: Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt

Finding Derrick Johnson’s successor needs to happen in this draft, and Cunningham is a three-down athlete of a linebacker.

28. Dallas Cowboys: Takkarist McKinley, DE/OLB, UCLA

While most think McKinley plays linebacker in the NFL, he can stick at end and Dallas its best pure pass rusher since DeMarcus Ware.

29. Green Bay Packers: Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State

Most of the attention goes to defense and the offensive line, but Cook would be an excellent lead running back to pair with Ty Montgomery.

30. Pittsburgh Steelers: T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin

Watt can fill multiple roles for the Steelers, splitting time as a pass rusher and a traditional linebacker.

31. Atlanta Falcons: Charles Harris, DE, Missouri

Harris, a piece coach Dan Quinn can move around, is the type of pass rusher the Falcons need to take some of the attention off Vic Beasley.

32. New Orleans Saints: Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU

The Saints tried to get Malcolm Butler from New England, and instead take an experienced corner who could end up being a better player.

SECOND ROUND:

33. Cleveland Browns: Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama

The Browns can check off so many needs in the first two rounds, and Humphrey is a player they could use at cornerback or safety.

34. San Francisco 49ers: DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame

If Kizer happens to fall this far Brian Hoyer shouldn’t stop the 49ers from taking him.

35. Jacksonville Jaguars: Derek Rivers, DE, Youngstown State

If they Jaguars don’t get Solomon Thomas in the first round they could come back in the second round with the talented Rivers.

36. Chicago Bears: Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama

If he can be coached up, Robinson is packed with enough pure talent to eventually become a quality left tackle.

37. Los Angeles Rams: Juju Smith-Schuster, WR, Southern California

If Lamp were here, he’d be the pick but with no other centers worth a top 40 pick the Rams could grab a wide receiver for Jared Goff.

38. Los Angeles Chargers: Jabrill Peppers, S, Michigan

Peppers’ draft stock remains all over the place and if the Chargers don’t get a safety at No. 7 they’ll be happy to see him here.

39. New York Jets: Teez Tabor, CB, Florida

Even after taking Hooker in the first round Tabor might be hard to the Jets to pass up and finish an overhaul of their secondary.

40. Carolina Panthers: Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee

He may not be Fournette but Kamara would be electric in Carolina, giving the Panthers a back who can run and catch.

41. Cincinnati Bengals: Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State

Willis doesn’t have quite the length the Bengals usually like in an end, but he’s a good pass rusher to play opposite Carlos Dunlap.

42. New Orleans Saints: Zay Jones, WR, East Carolina

After trading Brandin Cooks, a player like Jones would be a nice replacement thanks to his excellent hands out of the slot.

43. Philadelphia Eagles: Adoree’ Jackson, CB, Southern California

Philadelphia is extremely thin at cornerback, and Jackson could push his way into the starting lineup as a rookie.

44. Buffalo Bills: Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida

If the Bills can get a pass catcher in the first round they can follow up in the second by finding a replacement for Stephon Gilmore.

45. Arizona Cardinals: Sidney Jones, CB, Washington

Jones has first-round talent but could slip to this point because of the injury he suffered at his pro day.

46. Minnesota Vikings: Dan Feeney, G, Indiana

Minnesota’s first pick may not be a fun one, but it’s necessary with a player like Feeney who could work at guard or center.

47. Baltimore Ravens: Tim Williams, OLB, Alabama

After getting a wide receiver in the first round, the Ravens could follow it up with a pass rush specialist like Williams in the second.

48. Indianapolis Colts: Obi Melifonwu, S, Connecticut

Melifonwu is a favorite of scouts and gives Indianapolis a safety who can cover and act as a third cornerback.

49. Washington: Budda Baker, S, Washington

Washington brought in pieces on the defensive line, opening them up for a secondary piece like Baker.

50. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado

Other than Vernon Hargreaves, Tampa’s best cornerback is 33-year-old Brent Grimes, who is on the final year of his contract.

51. Denver Broncos: Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida

The Broncos didn’t adequately replace Danny Trevathan last season so the smart and active Davis can fill that need.

52. Cleveland Browns: Josh Jones, S, North Carolina State

Ibraheim Campbell is solid for the Browns, but his best role is as a backup while Jones and his all-around game would provide an upgrade.

53. Detroit Lions: Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma

No team has been as connected as Detroit to Mixon and if he’s fine off the field he could give them a really good feature back.

54. Miami Dolphins: Raekwon McMillan, LB, Ohio State

McMillan would somewhat be shoehorned into Miami’s defense, but he’s a smart and tough linebacker who would push his way onto the field.

55. New York Giants: Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss

After missing on Howard and Njoku in the first round, the Giants would get the tight end they need in the second with Engram.

56. Oakland Raiders: Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn

Oakland needs to get an interior defender in the first two rounds, and can get it with Adams who was often miscast as a nose tackle.

57. Houston Texans: Dion Dawkins, OT/G, Temple

Houston got a quarterback in the first round and a player who can line up at guard or tackle to protect him.

58. Seattle Seahawks: Antonio Garcia, OT, Troy

If Seattle waits on a tackle in the first round, they may have a good fall bakc like the athletic Garica in the second round.

59. Kansas City Chiefs: Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA

Moreau would be another nice addition to the Chiefs’ defense as a player who can fill the No. 2 corner spot opposite Marcus Peters.

60. Dallas Cowboys: Marcus Williams, S, Utah

Dallas is another team that could double up on defense with their first two picks, this time getting a good cover safety in Williams.

61. Green Bay Packers: Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson

If Green Bay doesn’t take a cornerback in the first round they need to in the second, and Tankersley is the best available.

62. Pittsburgh Steelers: Desmond King, CB, Iowa

King is the type of physical and active cornerback who could thrive in Pittsburgh, where he acts as a nice foil to Artie Burns.

63. Atlanta Falcons: Pat Elflein, G/OC, Ohio State

Elflein could easily move back to guard after playing a season at center at Ohio State and solve Atlanta’s issues on the right side.

64. Carolina Panthers: Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State

After Ted Ginn left in free agency, the Panthers need some form of speed at receiver and the ascending Godwin can provide it.

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readbookywooks · 7 years

Text

Jonathan Harker's Journal

3 May. Bistritz. - Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6:46, but train was an hour late. Buda-Pesth seems a wonderful place, from the glimpse which I got of it from the train and the little I could walk through the streets. I feared to go very far from the station, as we had arrived late and would start as near the correct time as possible. The impression I had was that we were leaving the West and entering the East; the most western of splendid bridges over the Danube, which is here of noble width and depth, took us among the traditions of Turkish rule. We left in pretty good time, and came after nightfall to Klausenburgh. Here I stopped for the night at the Hotel Royale. I had for dinner, or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which was very good but thirsty. (Mem. get recipe for Mina.) I asked the waiter, and he said it was called "paprika hendl," and that, as it was a national dish, I should be able to get it anywhere along the Carpathians. I found my smattering of German very useful here, indeed, I don't know how I should be able to get on without it. Having had some time at my disposal when in London, I had visited the British Museum, and made search among the books and maps in the library regarding Transylvania; it had struck me that some foreknowledge of the country could hardly fail to have some importance in dealing with a nobleman of that country. I find that the district he named is in the extreme east of the country, just on the borders of three states, Transylvania, Moldavia, and Bukovina, in the midst of the Carpathian mountains; one of the wildest and least known portions of Europe. I was not able to light on any map or work giving the exact locality of the Castle Dracula, as there are no maps of this country as yet to compare with our own Ordance Survey Maps; but I found that Bistritz, the post town named by Count Dracula, is a fairly well-known place. I shall enter here some of my notes, as they may refresh my memory when I talk over my travels with Mina. In the population of Transylvania there are four distinct nationalities: Saxons in the South, and mixed with them the Wallachs, who are the descendants of the Dacians; Magyars in the West, and Szekelys in the East and North. I am going among the latter, who claim to be descended from Attila and the Huns. This may be so, for when the Magyars conquered the country in the eleventh century they found the Huns settled in it. I read that every known superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the centre of some sort of imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting. (Mem., I must ask the Count all about them.) I did not sleep well, though my bed was comfortable enough, for I had all sorts of queer dreams. There was a dog howling all night under my window, which may have had something to do with it; or it may have been the paprika, for I had to drink up all the water in my carafe, and was still thirsty. Towards morning I slept and was wakened by the continuous knocking at my door, so I guess I must have been sleeping soundly then. I had for breakfast more paprika, and a sort of porridge of maize flour which they said was "mamaliga", and egg-plant stuffed with forcemeat, a very excellent dish, which they call "impletata". (Mem., get recipe for this also.) I had to hurry breakfast, for the train started a little before eight, or rather it ought to have done so, for after rushing to the station at 7:30 I had to sit in the carriage for more than an hour before we began to move. It seems to me that the further east you go the more unpunctual are the trains. What ought they to be in China? All day long we seemed to dawdle through a country which was full of beauty of every kind. Sometimes we saw little towns or castles on the top of steep hills such as we see in old missals; sometimes we ran by rivers and streams which seemed from the wide stony margin on each side of them to be subject ot great floods. It takes a lot of water, and running strong, to sweep the outside edge of a river clear. At every station there were groups of people, sometimes crowds, and in all sorts of attire. Some of them were just like the peasants at home or those I saw coming through France and Germany, with short jackets, and round hats, and home-made trousers; but others were very picturesque. The women looked pretty, except when you got near them, but they were very clumsy about the waist. They had all full white sleeves of some kind or other, and most of them had big belts with a lot of strips of something fluttering from them like the dresses in a ballet, but of course there were petticoats under them. The strangest figures we saw were the Slovaks, who were more barbarian than the rest, with their big cow-boy hats, great baggy dirty-white trousers, white linen shirts, and enormous heavy leather belts, nearly a foot wide, all studded over with brass nails. They wore high boots, with their trousers tucked into them, and had long black hair and heavy black moustaches. They are very picturesque, but do not look prepossessing. On the stage they would be set down at once as some old Oriental band of brigands. They are, however, I am told, very harmless and rather wanting in natural self-assertion. It was on the dark side of twilight when we got to Bistritz, which is a very interesting old place. Being practically on the frontier - for the Borgo Pass leads from it into Bukovina-it has had a very stormy existence, and it certainly shows marks of it. Fifty years ago a series of great fires took place, which made terrible havoc on five separate occasions. At the very beginning of the seventeenth century it underwent a siege of three weeks and lost 13,000 people, the casualties of war proper being assisted by famine and disease. Count Dracula had directed me to go to the Golden Krone Hotel, which I found, to my great delight, to be thoroughly old-fashioned, for of course I wanted to see all I could of the ways of the country. I was evidently expected, for when I got near the door I faced a cheery-looking elderly woman in the usual peasant dress-white undergarment with a long double apron, front, and back, of coloured stuff fitting almost too tight for modesty. When I came close she bowed and said, "The Herr Englishman?" "Yes," I said, "Jonathan Harker." She smiled, and gave some message to an elderly man in white shirtsleeves, who had followed her to the door. He went, but immediately returned with a letter: "My friend. - Welcome to the Carpathians. I am anxiously expecting you. Sleep well tonight. At three tomorrow the diligence will start for Bukovina; a place on it is kept for you. At the Borgo Pass my carriage will await you and will bring you to me. I trust that your journey from London has been a happy one, and that you will enjoy your stay in my beautiful land.-Your friend, Dracula." 4 May - I found that my landlord had got a letter from the Count, directing him to secure the best place on the coach for me; but on making inquiries as to details he seemed somewhat reticent, and pretended that he could not understand my German. This could not be true, because up to then he had understood it perfectly; at least, he answered my questions exactly as if he did. He and his wife, the old lady who had received me, looked at each other in a frightened sort of way. He mumbled out that the money had been sent in a letter,and that was all he knew. When I asked him if he knew Count Dracula, and could tell me anything of his castle, both he and his wife crossed themselves, and, saying that they knew nothing at all, simply refused to speak further. It was so near the time of starting that I had no time to ask anyone else, for it was all very mysterious and not by any means comforting. Just before I was leaving, the old lady came up to my room and said in a hysterical way: "Must you go? Oh! Young Herr, must you go?" She was in such an excited state that she seemed to have lost her grip of what German she knew, and mixed it all up with some other language which I did not know at all. I was just able to follow her by asking many questions. When I told her that I must go at once, and that I was engaged on important business, she asked again: "Do you know what day it is?" I answered that it was the fourth of May. She shook her head as she said again: "Oh, yes! I know that! I know that, but do you know what day it is?" On my saying that I did not understand, she went on: "It is the eve of St. George's Day. Do you not know that tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway? Do you know where you are going, and what you are going to?" She was in such evident distress that I tried to comfort her, but without effect. Finally, she went down on her knees and implored me not to go; at least to wait a day or two before starting. It was all very ridiculous but I did not feel comfortable. However, there was business to be done, and I could allow nothing to interfere with it. I tried to raise her up, and said, as gravely as I could, that I thanked her, but my duty was imperative, and that I must go. She then rose and dried her eyes, and taking a crucifix from her neck offered it to me. I did not know what to do, for, as an English Churchman, I have been taught to regard such things as in some measure idolatrous, and yet it seemed so ungracious to refuse an old lady meaning so well and in such a state of mind. She saw, I suppose, the doubt in my face, for she put the rosary round my neck and said, "For your mother's sake," and went out of the room. I am writing up this part of the diary whilst I am waiting for the coach, which is, of course, late; and the crucifix is still round my neck. Whether it is the old lady's fear, or the many ghostly traditions of this place, or the crucifix itself, I do not know, but I am not feeling nearly as easy in my mind as usual. If this book should ever reach Mina before I do, let it bring my goodbye. Here comes the coach! 5 May. The Castle. - The gray of the morning has passed, and the sun is high over the distant horizon, which seems jagged, whether with trees or hills I know not, for it is so far off that big things and little are mixed. I am not sleepy, and, as I am not to be called till I awake, naturally I write till sleep comes. There are many odd things to put down, and, lest who reads them may fancy that I dined too well before I left Bistritz, let me put down my dinner exactly. I dined on what they called "robber steak" - bits of bacon, onion, and beef, seasoned with red pepper, and strung on sticks, and roasted over the fire, in simple style of the London cat's meat! The wine was Golden Mediasch, which produces a queer sting on the tongue, which is, however, not disagreeable. I had only a couple of glasses of this, and nothing else. When I got on the coach, the driver had not taken his seat, and I saw him talking to the landlady. They were evidently talking of me, for every now and then they looked at me, and some of the people who were sitting on the bench outside the door-came and listened, and then looked at me, most of them pityingly. I could hear a lot of words often repeated, queer words, for there were many nationalities in the crowd, so I quietly got my polyglot dictionary from my bag and looked them out. I must say they were not cheering to me, for amongst them were "Ordog" - Satan, "Pokol" - hell, "stregoica" - witch, "vrolok" and "vlkoslak" - both mean the same thing, one being Slovak and the other Servian for something that is either werewolf or vampire. (Mem., I must ask the Count about these superstitions.) When we started, the crowd round the inn door, which had by this time swelled to a considerable size, all made the sign of the cross and pointed two fingers towards me. With some difficulty, I got a fellow passenger to tell me what they meant. He would not answer at first, but on learning that I was English, he explained that it was a charm or guard against the evil eye. This was not very pleasant for me, just starting for an unknown place to meet an unknown man. But everyone seemed so kind-hearted, and so sorrowful, and so sympathetic that I could not but be touched. I shall never forget the last glimpse which I had of the inn yard and its crowd of picturesque figures,all crossing themselves, as they stood round the wide archway, with its background of rich foliage of oleander and orange trees in green tubs clustered in the centre of the yard. Then our driver, whose wide linen drawers covered the whole front of the boxseat, - "gotza" they call them - cracked his big whip over his four small horses, which ran abreast, and we set off on our journey. I soon lost sight and recollection of ghostly fears in the beauty of the scene as we drove along, although had I known the language, or rather languages, which my fellow-passengers were speaking, I might not have been able to throw them off so easily. Before us lay a green sloping land full of forests and woods, with here and there steep hills, crowned with clumps of trees or with farmhouses, the blank gable end to the road. There was everywhere a bewildering mass of fruit blossom-apple, plum, pear, cherry. And as we drove by I could see the green grass under the trees spangled with the fallen petals. In and out amongst these green hills of what they call here the "Mittel Land" ran the road, losing itself as it swept round the grassy curve, or was shut out by the straggling ends of pine woods, which here and there ran down the hillsides like tongues of flame. The road was rugged, but still we seemed to fly over it with a feverish haste. I could not understand then what the haste meant, but the driver was evidently bent on losing no time in reaching Borgo Prund. I was told that this road is in summertime excellent, but that it had not yet been put in order after the winter snows. In this respect it is different from the general run of roads in the Carpathians, for it is an old tradition that they are not to be kept in too good order. Of old the Hospadars would not repair them, lest the Turk should think that they were preparing to bring in foreign troops, and so hasten the war which was always really at loading point. Beyond the green swelling hills of the Mittel Land rose mighty slopes of forest up to the lofty steeps of the Carpathians themselves. Right and left of us they towered, with the afternoon sun falling full upon them and bringing out all the glorious colours of this beautiful range, deep blue and purple in the shadows of the peaks, green and brown where grass and rock mingled, and an endless perspective of jagged rock and pointed crags, till these were themselves lost in the distance, where the snowy peaks rose grandly. Here and there seemed mighty rifts in the mountains, through which, as the sun began to sink, we saw now and again the white gleam of falling water. One of my companions touched my arm as we swept round the base of a hill and opened up the lofty, snow-covered peak of a mountain, which seemed, as we wound on our serpentine way, to be right before us. "Look! Isten szek!" - "God's seat!" - and he crossed himself reverently. As we wound on our endless way, and the sun sank lower and lower behind us, the shadows of the evening began to creep round us. This was emphasized by the fact that the snowy mountain-top still held the sunset, and seemed to glow out with a delicate cool pink. Here and there we passed Cszeks and slovaks, all in picturesque attire, but I noticed that goitre was painfully prevalent. By the roadside were many crosses, and as we swept by, my companions all crossed themselves. Here and there was a peasant man or woman kneeling before a shrine, who did not even turn round as we approached, but seemed in the self-surrender of devotion to have neither eyes nor ears for the outer world. There were many things new to me. For instance, hay-ricks in the trees, and here and there very beautiful masses of weeping birch, their white stems shining like silver through the delicate green of the leaves. Now and again we passed a leiter-wagon - the ordinary peasants's cart - with its long, snakelike vertebra, calculated to suit the inequalities of the road. On this were sure to be seated quite a group of homecoming peasants, the Cszeks with their white, and the Slovaks with their coloured sheepskins, the latter carrying lance-fashion their long staves, with axe at end. As the evening fell it began to get very cold, and the growing twilight seemed to merge into one dark mistiness the gloom of the trees, oak, beech, and pine, though in the valleys which ran deep between the spurs of the hills, as we ascended through the Pass, the dark firs stood out here and there against the background of late-lying snow. Sometimes, as the road was cut through the pine woods that seemed in the darkness to be closing down upon us, great masses of greyness which here and there bestrewed the trees, produced a peculiarly weird and solemn effect, which carried on the thoughts and grim fancies engendered earlier in the evening, when the falling sunset threw into strange relief the ghost-like clouds which amongst the Carpathians seem to wind ceaselessly through the valleys. Sometimes the hills were so steep that, despite our driver's haste, the horses could only go slowly. I wished to get down and walk up them, as we do at home, but the driver would not hear of it. "No, no," he said. "You must not walk here. The dogs are too fierce." And then he added, with what he evidently meant for grim pleasantry-for he looked round to catch the approving smile of the rest - "And you may have enough of such matters before you go to sleep." The only stop he would make was a moment's pause to light his lamps. When it grew dark there seemed to be some excitement amongst the passengers, and they kept speaking to him, one after the other, as though urging him to further speed. He lashed the horses unmercifully with his long whip, and with wild cries of encouragement urged them on to further exertions. Then through the darkness I could see a sort of patch of grey light ahead of us,as though there were a cleft in the hills. The excitement of the passengers grew greater. The crazy coach rocked on its great leather springs, and swayed like a boat tossed on a stormy sea. I had to hold on. The road grew more level, and we appeared to fly along. Then the mountains seemed to come nearer to us on each side and to frown down upon us. We were entering on the Borgo Pass. One by one several of the passengers offered me gifts, which they pressed upon me with an earnestness which would take no denial. These were certainly of an odd and varied kind, but each was given in simple good faith, with a kindly word, and a blessing, and that same strange mixture of fear-meaning movements which I had seen outside the hotel at Bistritz-the sign of the cross and the guard against the evil eye. Then, as we flew along, the driver leaned forward, and on each side the passengers, craning over the edge of the coach, peered eagerly into the darkness. It was evident that something very exciting was either happening or expected, but though I asked each passenger, no one would give me the slightest explanation. This state of excitement kept on for some little time. And at last we saw before us the Pass opening out on the eastern side. There were dark, rolling clouds overhead, and in the air the heavy, oppressive sense of thunder. It seemed as though the mountain range had separated two atmospheres, and that now we had got into the thunderous one. I was now myself looking out for the conveyance which was to take me to the Count. Each moment I expected to see the glare of lamps through the blackness, but all was dark. The only light was the flickering rays of our own lamps, in which the steam from our hard-driven horses rose in a white cloud. We could see now the sandy road lying white before us, but there was on it no sign of a vehicle. The passengers drew back with a sigh of gladness, which seemed to mock my own disappointment. I was already thinking what I had best do, when the driver, looking at his watch, said to the others something which I could hardly hear, it was spoken so quietly and in so low a tone, I thought it was "An hour less than the time." Then turning to me, he spoke in German worse than my own. "There is no carriage here. The Herr is not expected after all. He will now come on to Bukovina, and return tomorrow or the next day, better the next day." Whilst he was speaking the horses began to neigh and snort and plunge wildly, so that the driver had to hold them up. Then, amongst a chorus of screams from the peasants and a universal crossing of themselves, a caleche, with four horses, drove up behind us, overtook us, and drew up beside the coach. I could see from the flash of our lamps as the rays fell on them, that the horses were coal-black and splendid animals. They were driven by a tall man, with a long brown beard and a great black hat, which seemed to hide his face from us. I could only see the gleam of a pair of very bright eyes, which seemed red in the lamplight, as he turned to us. He said to the driver, "You are early tonight, my friend." The man stammered in reply, "The English Herr was in a hurry." To which the stranger replied, "That is why, I suppose, you wished him to go on to Bukovina. You cannot deceive me, my friend. I know too much, and my horses are swift." As he spoke he smiled,and the lamplight fell on a hard-looking mouth, with very red lips and sharp-looking teeth, as white as ivory. One of my companions whispered to another the line from Burger's "Lenore". "Denn die Todten reiten Schnell." ("For the dead travel fast.") The strange driver evidently heard the words, for he looked up with a gleaming smile. The passenger turned his face away, at the same time putting out his two fingers and crossing himself. "Give me the Herr's luggage," said the driver, and with exceeding alacrity my bags were handed out and put in the caleche. Then I descended from the side of the coach, as the caleche was close alongside, the driver helping me with a hand which caught my arm in a grip of steel. His strength must have been prodigious. Without a word he shook his reins, the horses turned, and we swept into the darkness of the pass. As I looked back I saw the steam from the horses of the coach by the light of the lamps,and projected against it the figures of my late companions crossing themselves. Then the driver cracked his whip and called to his horses, and off they swept on their way to Bukovina. As they sank into the darkness I felt a strange chill, and a lonely feeling come over me. But a cloak was thrown over my shoulders, and a rug across my knees, and the driver said in excellent German - "The night is chill, mein Herr, and my master the Count bade me take all care of you. There is a flask of slivovitz (the plum brandy of the country) underneath the seat, if you should require it." I did not take any, but it was a comfort to know it was there all the same. I felt a little strangely, and not a little frightened. I think had there been any alternative I should have taken it, instead of prosecuting that unknown night journey. The carriage went at a hard pace straight along, then we made a complete turn and went along another straight road. It seemed to me that we were simply going over and over the same ground again, and so I took note of some salient point, and found that this was so. I would have liked to have asked the driver what this all meant, but I really feared to do so, for I thought that, placed as I was, any protest would have had no effect in case there had been an intention to delay. By-and-by, however, as I was curious to know how time was passing, I struck a match, and by its flame looked at my watch. It was within a few minutes of midnight. This gave me a sort of shock, for I suppose the general superstition about midnight was increased by my recent experiences. I waited with a sick feeling of suspense. Then a dog began to howl somewhere in a farmhouse far down the road, a long, agonized wailing, as if from fear. The sound was taken up by another dog, and then another and another, till, borne on the wind which now sighed softly through the Pass, a wild howling began, which seemed to come from all over the country, as far as the imagination could grasp it through the gloom of the night. At the first howl the horses began to strain and rear, but the driver spoke to them soothingly, and they quieted down, but shivered and sweated as though after a runaway from sudden fright. Then, far off in the distance, from the mountains on each side of us began a louder and a sharper howling, that of wolves, which affected both the horses and myself in the same way. For I was minded to jump from the caleche and run, whilst they reared again and plunged madly, so that the driver had to use all his great strength to keep them from bolting. In a few minutes, however, my own ears got accustomed to the sound, and the horses so far became quiet that the driver was able to descend and to stand before them. He petted and soothed them, and whispered something in their ears, as I have heard of horse-tamers doing, and with extraordinary effect, for under his caresses they became quite manageable again, though they still trembled. The driver again took his seat, and shaking his reins, started off at a great pace. This time, after going to the far side or the Pass, he suddenly turned down a narrow roadway which ran sharply to the right. Soon we were hemmed in with trees, which in places arched right over the roadway till we passed as through a tunnel. And again great frowning rocks guarded us boldly on either side. Though we were in shelter, we could hear the rising wind, for it moaned and whistled through the rocks, and the branches of the trees crashed together as we swept along. It grew colder and colder still, and fine, powdery snow began to fall, so that soon we and all around us were covered with a white blanket. The keen wind still carried the howling of the dogs, though this grew fainter as we went on our way. The baying of the wolves sounded nearer and nearer, as though they were closing round on us from every side. I grew dreadfully afraid, and the horses shared my fear. The driver, however, was not in the least disturbed. He kept turning his head to left and right, but I could not see anything through the darkness. Suddenly, away on our left I saw a fain flickering blue flame. The driver saw it at the same moment. He at once checked the horses, and, jumping to the ground, disappeared into the darkness. I did not know what to do, the less as the howling of the wolves grew closer. But while I wondered, the driver suddenly appeared again, and without a word took his seat, and we resumed our journey. I think I must have fallen asleep and kept dreaming of the incident, for it seemed to be repeated endlessly, and now looking back, it is like a sort of awful nightmare. Once the flame appeared so near the road, that even in the darkness around us I could watch the driver's motions. He went rapidly to where the blue flame arose, it must have been very faint, for it did not seem to illumine the place around it at all, and gathering a few stones, formed them into some device. Once there appeared a strange optical effect. When he stood between me and the flame he did not obstruct it, for I could see its ghostly flicker all the same. This startled me, but as the effect was only momentary, I took it that my eyes deceived me straining through the darkness. Then for a time there were no blue flames, and we sped onwards through the gloom, with the howling of the wolves around us, as though they were following in a moving circle. At last there came a time when the driver went further afield than he had yet gone, and during his absence, the horses began to tremble worse than ever and to snort and scream with fright. I could not see any cause for it, for the howling of the wolves had ceased altogether. But just then the moon, sailing through the black clouds, appeared behind the jagged crest of a beetling, pine-clad rock, and by its light I saw around us a ring of wolves, with white teeth and lolling red tongues, with long, sinewy limbs and shaggy hair. They were a hundred times more terrible in the grim silence which held them than even when they howled. For myself, I felt a sort of paralysis of fear. It is only when a man feels himself face to face with such horrors that he can understand their true import. All at once the wolves began to howl as though the moonlight had had some peculiar effect on them. The horses jumped about and reared, and looked helplessly round with eyes that rolled in a way painful to see. But the living ring of terror encompassed them on every side, and they had perforce to remain within it. I called to the coachman to come, for it seemed to me that our only chance was to try to break out through the ring and to aid his approach, I shouted and beat the side of the caleche, hoping by the noise to scare the wolves from the side, so as to give him a chance of reaching the trap. How he came there, I know not, but I heard his voice raised in a tone of imperious command, and looking towards the sound, saw him stand in the roadway. As he swept his long arms, as though brushing aside some impalpable obstacle, the wolves fell back and back further still. Just then a heavy cloud passed across the face of the moon, so that we were again in darkness. When I could see again the driver was climbing into the caleche, and the wolves disappeared. This was all so strange and uncanny that a dreadful fear came upon me, and I was afraid to speak or move. The time seemed interminable as we swept on our way, now in almost complete darkness, for the rolling clouds obscured the moon. We kept on ascending, with occasional periods of quick descent, but in the main always ascending. Suddenly, I became conscious of the fact that the driver was in the act of pulling up the horses in the courtyard of a vast ruined castle, from whose tall black windows came no ray of light,and whose broken battlements showed a jagged line against the sky.

#Dracula

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