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steve0discusses · 4 years

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Yugioh S4 Ep6: Gozaburo Kaiba Just Casually Started WWIII And Only This One Guy Cares

Welcome to November, where we celebrate writing a 50,000 word book as if I don’t do that every single time I write about an episode of Yugioh. Hello, this is my season. It’s wordy season. I’m so freakin good at doing this. I can’t say most of what I’ve made is any good, but I CAN say at least I’m prolific. Do enough content to fill that bitter pit and walk right over it, that’s been my motto for the past 5 years.

Anyway, I had an awful flu this past week. (Everyone I live with had it so every bathroom was like ground zero) It was SO bad. I still can’t eat spicy food over a week later (Which is so hard for me because usually I can keep up with my Indian friends, that’s my spicy level--max spicy, please--but since this illness, my white taste genes went into overdrive and I tried putting pepperoncini slices in my sandwich and it set my mouth on fire. Pepperoncini. It’s v embarrassing.)

I did attempt to write this post. Unfortunately I never made it past this cap because I got VERY distracted by the emblem on Alister’s face, and how it isn’t proportionally adjusted to match the angle of his face, and it was like three paragraphs of just wanting to talk about it. And then at some point I got very distracted talking about how many empty glasses I was given at my place setting at this baby shower I went to during the flu epidemic, and it mattered a whole lot to me at the time, but I think, overall, was mostly just some sort of nonsense. The things I’ve spared you.

(bro has just informed me that the 4 gold-lipped crystal goblets I was given at this baby shower was actually very distressing and a very big deal and that I should absolutely talk to at least someone about it, but maybe he’s just saying that to make me feel better, but I have no idea. I am too sick for sarcasm at this time but my god why was I given so many glasses????)

I straight up have no memory of if I’ve made this joke before. Maybe.

(read more under the cut)

Since it feels like 8 years since the last time I could just eat chicken without feeling like I consumed an entire Thanksgiving meal, a little recap:

-Alister pretended he was Pegasus to lure Kaiba and then, off screen, murdered everyone in Pegasus’ castle

-Pegasus got murdered by I’m pretty sure Mai (which is like...OK then...)

-Yugi and Co went on vacation by driving directly through San Francisco and peeking out the window and saying “yeah that’s enough for me”

-No adults, not even Roland, bothered to come with their kids this time, so the only adult of the entire crew--Pegasus--is dead

-Rex and Weevil are luggage

-The Eye of Sauron showed up and it was the end of the world but Yugi threw a dragon at it so I guess everything is OK now

-Monsters are real but they are hard to animate so we’ll just pretend like they’re causing havoc everywhere although most of the planet seems basically unaffected by this.

-The Grim Reaper is a friendly monster that hangs out in a Japanese park and that feels fairly on brand.

And I think that was all that was happening so far.

In a weird twist of fate, Mokuba is the only one in this room that isn’t trapped which sort of...if you’re the only one NOT kidnapped wouldn’t that also be a type of being kidnapped?

And we finally get to figure out why Alister wants to Murder Kaiba so bad and, spoiler, it reaches.

???

I’m gonna get more to the obvious problems with Alister’s devotion to murdering all the Kaibas in a bit but yes, Alister is in fact going to try and Kill Kaiba on this kid’s show because of Kaiba’s Dad, who is such a horrible and abusive person that Kaiba essentially drove the bastard out of Japan and straight to the bottom of the ocean.

Just kinda feels like Alister has been living under a rock...which, I guess he has been. He has been living in some weird Atlantis structure so I guess he never got the memo that Gozaburo Kaiba is hella dead.

So that’s what they’re up to. How’s Sausalito?

Um.

Huh.

So the North Bay is a really classic scenery. It’s rolling hills. It’s NAPA. It’s like...definitely not Arizona. California has a couple of mesas but they’re no where near here and the Monument Valley style Mesas really only exist in Monument Valley.

And I know it’s because the background artist for Yugioh is all horny for horny rock structures but like...this couldn’t be farther from the Bay Area in the way that it is drawn and it is such a shock after all the work they did last episode to research that Bay Area lore. Once they crossed the Golden Gate they were like “well no one will care about this part” which is true not only of Yugioh but also of real life Californian politics.

Anyway, I have been making a map, but unfortunately my original file will not suffice. time to fix it.

There we go. Now they’re in the right place. Just smack dab in Monument Valley, Arizona, smack dab in the middle of the Navajo Nation and so hypothetically, not even in the United States anymore.

While in the car, Yugi has just been anxious as hell the entire time, and just going “y’all I have a bad feeling I’m uncomfortable I have a bad feeling” while Joey and Tea just patiently stared at him flipping out in the corner. So...kinda like a normal trip with someone who has high anxiety/possessed by a ghost. I kinda feel like this is every girls trip to Disneyland for me. There’s always one Yugi who’s like “no one said anything about CROWDS.” and you kinda just gotta let them do their thing. Just let them get it out of their system and hide in the bathroom when they need to hide in the bathroom and don’t fight it, they’ll be fine. Just hold their spot in line when they desperately look for a secret place to medicinally vape because there’s too many freakin children at Disneyland.

And it is HILARIOUS that Yugi is able to have this type of premonition but cannot figure out that they have somehow missed San Fransisco and have wandered into a DESERT.

Back in Pegasus’ California (an island that legitimately looks more like California than actual Yugioh California) Alister has decided to go completely off the rails and it happens so fast and without any warning.

the line is actually “This doll used to be my brother’s” which is a very different meaning but both are likely from weird ass Alister and this weird ass show, so I’ll leave the cap like this (although yes, this is what I thought Alister was saying for kind of a while until I recorded it for this blog and was like “oh shoot I heard the line wrong when I had the flu huh.”)

Man, RIP Noah, he would have been excellent this episode.

Honestly seems like just yesterday when Seto and Noah were pitted against eachother by a cyberdemon Dad-head floating in the sky, Mokuba was possessed for some reason and being used as a human shield, Tristan was a robot monkey, and Yugi was just shrugging at Kaiba from across the field like “Kaiba if you don’t play good you die--oh my gods, he died. Well that was bound to happen...again.” Man.

Alister should be their best friend, this is nonsense.

So lets do the math to 7 years before 2002.

I searched Wikipedia for wars during 1995 (they do have a list of 90′s wars) and looked for any that involved heavy use of tanks and their artillery fire (on big swatches of cities like this), inner city western architecture, temperate landscapes, and western clothing that match Alister and Mikey (AKA WWII vibes) and found out:

Nothing fits that description

UNLESS Alister and Mikey are time travelers from a WWII bombing in Europe. This is Yugioh. That could happen. Probably not, but youknow...it’s not too late for Yugioh to bring in time travel.

I mean if you don’t want to get super political in your cartoon just invent a world war I guess? We’ve already clarified that Gozaburo was Big Boss, so at this point I can easily see him inventing wars just to sell ships.

(I could probably add thousands of more deaths at this point but I have no idea where they are, if they’re on a tiny island or an entire country so I’ll just...leave the count alone but just now it’s implied that a hell ton of people died during this episode)

People going off about how Sesame Street is so amazing for talking about issues like you’re Dad going to prison while Yugioh was straight up talking about the intricacy of the War Economy. Yugioh being all “don’t forget kids, your good capitalist economy survives off of the undeserved bloodshed of civilians in other countries! Eat the poor!” and it’s like hot damn this heavy commentary came out of freakin no where.

Anyways, this is stuff most kid’s shows will delicately skip over but nah, Yugioh is going to go here, and they are going to steamroll directly through it with massive tanks.

So, lets kill this kid’s entire family and talk about the terrors of the World War of 1995 and all the war orphans who get recruited to become soldiers at the ripe old age of 9. Alister was 9 when he was recruited to be a child card soldier.

This kid’s show.

Alister is...basically Raiden, right? Like as long as we’re talking about Metal Gear, this kid is just one step away from cyborg implants and weird colored blood?

Better wear bright red when you visit the war crime scene, surprised Gozaburo didn’t invite like an entire photo -op crew to incriminate him even further.

Now we did look up “where the hell is Alister from Yugioh from?” (there is no answer) and we did find out a little factoid. In the Japanese version of the show, Gozaburo had bought the land and was just forcibly evicting Alister and his family from their home with tanks.

Which is wild.

He just straight up evicted an entire metropolitan city????

Like the dub did a way better job than the sub at this one, I’ll give them that.

It’s just so weird that Gozoboro just didn’t like...raise the rent like a normal bad landlord. Instead he was like “rather than gentrify my land and save me a ton of money, I’ll just destroy everything I just bought and murder everyone here” which is like...

...Seto did the world so many favors when he kicked out his Dad, right? Like Damn. I don't understand why Alister isn’t freakin worshiping Seto right now when his whole deal is “I must kill Gozaburo” and Seto’s like “yo I already did that. Twice. I didn’t even have to literally kill him either, I just embarrassed him so bad that he killed himself. His stupid tank company sells joke games now. I literally turned the man into a joke.”

Then again, Alister is on the green magic and like I think it alters your brain chemistry somewhat.

(How ripped did Alister get in this episode, by the way? The kid is like 16 years old or something so how did this happen? ...The perpetual horny line running straight through Yugioh, man. Look at it run. That 16 year old is drawn like he’s 28 and really into Crossfit and his crop top gets smaller and smaller like every scene.)

So like this is a very gray issue that I cannot believe they brought up in a kid’s show (like can you imagine if Scrooge McDuck had to face facts that his company murdered tons of people???), but also this is Seto Kaiba. Seto grew up in the system, so like he doesn’t need to be lectured to about dirty money because he was on the losing end of that not too long ago. Seto is himself basically a upscale war orphan since he was adopted by Gozaburo to continue the machine like a freakin maniac (a Solidus Snake, if you will) so of all the people on this show I don’t get why Seto would care about this. This is just how Seto views the entire world as either losing or winning and no reason to feel bad about it because he’s been both.

Also...Seto stopped the machine. Kind of. He was unaware that cards were the same thing as weapons, but at least he stopped the sale of huge child-stealing tanks.

So they play the game for a little while and Seto does kind of poorly as usual, and just when I thought this episode couldn’t get any weirder...

And just like that, Seto peaces out. Like he does almost every single time he has ever played a card game solo except for that one time he was playing Joey Wheeler. (Which was also one of the few times Seto ever won.)

Like I just want to remind you that this segment is in the same episode as WWIII and the tonal whiplash is pretty remarkable.

That’s right, we’re back in the Unnamed Monster World, which is not the Shadow Realm, and which I thought you could only access if you were dreaming and able to search through the puzzle maze.

Apparently this can just happen at any time and all that stuff with the guiding Kuriboh and Yugi and Pharaoh trying to find this place was just...them wasting time.

Again he ditches the legendary sword so freakin fast because who needs a sword when you have a dragon? Only this anime.

And that’s how Seto, who was absolutely going to lose this game, somehow just barely came to a draw.

So just to recap, Seto has yet to win a card game that he didn’t get prophetic help for via a hallucination or Yugi telling him what to do. Unless you count Joey and grandpa.

Then, the one last adult I forgot about, the driver of Yugi’s car, decides that it’s about time that he also died and left this show as adult free as possible.

THE HELL ARE THEY?

Also...maybe it’s the angle but the writing on that gas station looks a lot like kanji.

Yo, what if this is the backgrounds for a different show and they’re just sharing? I mean I doubt it because Yugioh had a good enough budget but...what if? What if that’s why they’re in Arizona?

Anyway, next time we’ll find out if this guy just drops dead or has been a Yugioh monster this whole time, and I think maybe both?

And if you just got here, this is a link to read all my Yugioh recaps in chrono order

#yugioh #ygo #photo recap #episode recap #yugi muto #seto kaiba #mokuba #alister #joey wheeler #tea gardner #tristan taylor #Arizona

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jcmorrigan · 4 years

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Right, since you asked me questions about my f/o, I'll fire some at you now! 1. Favourite place to go with them 2. How do you care for them when they are ill and vice versa 3. Had any playful arguments that you look at and go 'what were we doing??' I'll slide these over here and be on my way ;3

All right! So, as a reminder, I have three (3) romantic f/o’s - XR from Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Tony Dracon from Gargoyles, and Giovanni Potage from Epithet Erased. And for this exercise, I am going to answer all three questions FOR ALL THREE OF THEM! (If you’re following me for something other than selfship and you don’t wanna see me ramble for three pages, please block the tag “selfship” now)

1. FAVORITE PLACE TO GO!

I hadn’t realized until I thought about it, but it always seems to come back to a rooftop in the city. You think I like city lights or something? I do. I love city lights. I love cities.

Anyway, with XR, I decided right away that our favorite planet is Trade World, seedy underbelly and all. We can kill time there forever (and probably waste all our money on stuff that isn’t important). I haven’t written it yet, but one of the ideas I had for writing us was that after the big love confession, we’d have our first date on a rooftop restaurant there and watch the lights come on as the sun set, at which point I very sappily draw a connection between my love of city lights and XR’s eyes.

As for Giovanni, I have this whole oneshot about our first kiss that revolves around us trying to find the most perfect and fittingly dramatic place for it, and I ended up putting us on a rooftop at the edge of town where the Sweet Jazz skyline would be our background in all its luminescent glory. I imagine we’d go back up to that building again and again to talk about things if we’re not chilling at home or a base of operations. Just watching the night.

Then for Tony? I admittedly hadn’t given it too much thought, but I immediately got an image of us on, guess what, a rooftop, but of a skyscraper in downtown NYC. Now, Gio and I had to break onto ours by scaling the fire escape ladders; Tony would bust locks and we’d just take the stairs up from the inside. And that’s where we slow-dance when we want to be alone. Bring up a whole portable stereo and a mix of the schmaltziest love rock-ballads (think, like, REO Speedwagon or Journey). Come to think of it, I actually don’t know whether he’s made the connection that the Gargoyles operate out of the Eyrie, so we would definitely look at the freaking castle above the clouds and go “Next target” without knowing the law and order of the town that plagues our existence roosts there.

I’m also working on an AU that is compliant with my “Taking Back the Crown” crossover universe, and in that one, I’m thinking I’d be polyamorous with all three. While I haven’t picked a favorite spot, I do know that particular s/i would live in Twilight Town, and since Final Fantasy is piecemeal AU’d into KH logic (whereas none of those three are from canon KH worlds but it’s an easy crossover gateway so their worlds would just be intact), I actually have this design that Rabanastre from FFXII would be the capital of the nation Twilight Town is in and a few hours’ train ride away, and the four of us just LOVE heading over there and probably scaling some rooftops.

2. CARING FOR THE SICK!

Let’s start with me, in general. I’m a huge hypochondriac. I fear germs. I’m not really that good at taking care of sick friends/family, but for a romantic partner, I’d try to step up my game. I’d be on call. Now, if they were just ordinary sick, I might see if they’d be okay staying home while I got work done, with the caveat that I have my phone on me and can answer whenever. They’re stricken with debilitating nausea and can’t leave the bed? I’ll play hooky. But I’ll try to keep a reasonable distance whenever possible (chatting with them from across the room, where I am planted in a chair that is far away from the bed) and use a surgical mask and gloves whenever approaching. Yes, that may sound heartless, but I still wanna be available to bring them whatever they need, just with my armor on. And I’m not me unless I’m a raging hypochondriac who thinks she’s coming down with what her boyfriend’s got every five seconds. The exception, of course, is XR, who I envision would get sick as a visual gag of having a “computer virus” and exhibit all the symptoms of a head cold without actually being contagious.

Tony is low-maintenance and insists he doesn’t need to be babied, so he’s not gonna even ask me for that much except company. Giovanni and XR are both absolutely complainers and going to whine at me every five minutes, which will inevitably make my heart melt.

As for when I’m sick…

XR loves playing “nurse” (kinda like I had him in this oneshot where I sprain my shoulder) and will get me everything I want. This is for somewhat selfish reasons so I will talk up how great of a boyfriend he is when I’m sick. Also, there’s a good chance that any medical supplies he brings me might be “borrowed without permission” from Star Command’s med bay. He WILL bring me illegal narcotics, and I WILL turn them down. He’ll also call in sick to work himself to take care of me - and also because it gives him an excuse to not turn in to work. We’ll likely end up binging shows cuddled up together if I’m not sleepy or too nauseous.

Tony isn’t all that attentive; he knows I’m a grown-up and can mostly handle myself. If I’m seriously incapacitated, he’ll watch over me, but in most cases, he’ll take off to get his own work done, same philosophy as me: call me if you need anything. He’s not gonna rush to bring me things, but he will do smaller gestures - brushing my hair back if I’m asleep before he leaves, etc. After business is taken care of, if I seem stable and not contagious, he’ll assist me in setting up on the couch with blankets aplenty on one end while he sits on the other, and really, all my f/o’s know that when I’m sick, I just wanna binge TV shows, so that’s what we do.

Giovanni freaks out. He also wants to get me everything I need, but he’s kinda not used to taking care of sick people, so he’ll be running around like a headless chicken asking me if I need various medical supplies that don’t at all apply to the kind of illness I have (such as a splint or a tourniquet). And soup. He will bring me so much soup. Hey, he’s good at making it, so I’m not gonna complain. He also does unfortunately think cuddling will make things better, and want to sit in bed next to me or kiss me for reassurance. I tell him over and over and over that that’s just gonna get him sick. Less than 24 hours later, he’s caught what I have, and I’m just “GEE, I WONDER HOW THAT HAPPENED.”

3. PETTY ARGUMENTS!

XR and I are built on petty arguments. He fulfills my fantasies of a relationship based on tsundere rivalry. We will find things to argue about for fun. This is how we get our kicks. I call him a dumbass, he calls me a narcissist, we don’t mean it (…mostly). He once caught me singing and dancing, thinking I was alone, and taped it and circulated it as a meme. He thinks it’s hilarious if I trip and fall. Conversely, I think it’s hilarious if he runs into things when he’s not looking where he’s going. I keep a running record of stupidest spelling mistakes he’s made and will trot them out whenever appropriate. At the end of the day, though, we set it all aside. Don’t let anyone know we’re actually nice to each other behind closed doors!

Tony and I basically argue about one petty thing: the fact that he CANNOT DRIVE. Is there canon precedent to this? Not really, except for the fact that his henchmen always seem to be driving the getaway car. But I have it in my head that the people in our operation who should be driving are me, Pal Joey, and Glasses. The person in our operation who should not be driving is Tony. Guess which one of the four asks most often to drive? Yeah. And sometimes he wears us down and we have to deal with him nearly killing us by driving 20 mph above the speed limit. IN DOWNTOWN NEW YORK. THE POLICE CHASE HASN’T EVEN STARTED. If there is one thing that is the subject of our married-couple spats, it is THIS.

Arguing with Giovanni is more of a minefield because we both have a habit of pretending we’re not sensitive about certain things until one of us rags on that certain thing and then it explodes. I have a oneshot idea, may or may not write it, in which he insults my “nerd glasses” like he always does with Sylvie, and I’m legitimately hurt but trying not to show it, so I engage in a rivalry argument with him that lasts all day, up until he jokingly says that I have delusions of grandeur and I just say “Well, at least I don’t think I’m qualified to be captain when I’m not” about myself when I realize that my lack of filter made it sound like I insinuated he wasn’t qualified to be captain, at which point he will actually start crying and insist to me that words hurt. Everything’s made better when we sit down and have an honest talk about what we said that hurt each other and then hug it out.

#selfship #electric love #xrach #death by cupcakes #i'm at soup!#four of hearts

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violetganache42 · 6 years

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My Thoughts on the Logan Paul Controversy

WARNING: The following post contains descriptions of the graphic material that was recorded on Logan’s most recent vlog, which was thankfully taken down. It also consists of opinions on his and Jake’s unforgivable actions prior to this incident, as well as cursing and the possibility of some heated rage, in which I would like to apologize for in advance. If I also come off as rude in some aspects, then I’m sorry for that too. No one ever thought 2018 was going to start off like this and leave them with intense fury over it. I would also like to apologize if the topics of depression, mental illnesses, and suicide upsets or triggers anyone who is reading this. That is not my intention whatsoever. This is my overall opinion on a very controversial issue and I don’t mean to upset or trigger anyone in doing so. With all that said and done, reader discretion is advised.

Okay, I never talk about them, but because of what recently happened, I want to quickly address the elephant in the room: I hate Jake and Logan Paul. Actually, “hate” is not the right word to describe them; how about “loathe?” Maybe “despise?” “Spite?” “Resent?” Whatever the word choice is, the two are both terrible celebrities together and individually for a variety of reasons.

As you already know, both Jake and Logan achieved their fame back in 2013 when Vine was around, achieving 5.3 million and 3.1 million followers respective by the time of its shutdown. When they switched over to YouTube on November and September of 2016 accordingly, it all went downhill from then on. In general, they spew diss tracks at each other, churn out frantic videos in order to gain viewership and consume free online content, and sell merchandise from their clothing lines instead of being TV actors. The only problem is kids between the ages of 8 and 15 aren’t necessarily part of America’s economy, so combining their focus on this specific demographic with their insatiable thirst for fame and greed, it’s basically a lose-lose situation for them. But that’s not all I have to say about them because looking at them individually, they have their own brand of problematic behaviors and content.

In Jake’s case, he endured the most controversy because he’s been exposed as nothing but an annoying douchebag who did the following: made racist remarks on his minor characters in his videos, accused of emotionally abusing and manipulating his ex-girlfriend Alissa Violet, cyberbullied and brought down people online, constantly disrupted his peaceful neighborhood and his neighbors with his stunts and pranks, delivered pop culture phrases in an obnoxious manner during an interview that came off as—how the kids describe stuff nowadays—“cringey.” Not to mention his atrocious music video for his song “It’s Everyday Bro” dealt some serious damage to his career by receiving over 3 million dislikes on YouTube. He even got fired from Disney mid-season of Bizaardvark on July 24 for acting like his fame gives him the freedom for doing whatever the fuck he wants. What grinds my gears about him is he made all these apology videos and keeps claiming that he’s changed and moved on, but there is strong evidence that proves otherwise.

As for Logan, he has managed to escape controversy up until now by having roles on films and TV shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Weird Loners, Airplane Mode, the YouTube Red film The Thinning, and in the upcoming movie Valley Girl, taking part in a partnership with Dwayne Johnson, and opening his own brand called Maverick. Heck, his diss song, “The Fall of Jake Paul,” had managed to gather better reception from his fans, scoring only 173,000 dislikes, which is far less than the 3 million dislikes from “It’s Everyday Bro,” because of the actual effort put into it and the massive controversy Jake currently has. Of course, it still doesn’t change the fact that he is still a horrible person when you consider the info above, and his newest vlog helps showcase it. Without further ado, it’s time for me to stop talking about the past and focus on the present… and boy, do I have a lot to say about this.

For those of you who not aware or are just hearing about this, allow me to explain what exactly happened; however, I am generously giving you the choice to skip this because what I am about to describe may make you feel uncomfortable. For those of you brave enough to read the issue, please keep scrolling.

Earlier this week, on New Year’s Eve, Logan and three of his friends were traveling in Japan when they stumbled upon Aokigahara, which is best known as the country’s “Suicide Forest.” They all ended up going in the forest when they discovered the corpse of a man who hung himself, one of the most common methods suicide victims use to kill themselves in there. One of the friends was feeling uneasy about what they were witnessing, and despite his seriousness, Logan laughed it off and soon referred to it as “a moment in YouTube history,” only for him to get one hell of a reality check. As of now, so many people via YouTube and Twitter have reacted in absolute anger and/or disgust at what he had done and have been calling out on it, including Robyn from Anime America, Joey the Anime Man, Gaijin Goombah, Lost Pause, Game Theory, Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, Game of Throne’s Sophie Turner, JackSepticEye, Stefan Karl, and even PewDiePie of all people. The immense amount of backlash had gotten to a point where he deleted the video and posted two apologies, one each on Twitter and YouTube. I will get to those later, but for right now, let me give my input on this.

First off, let’s break down the group’s reaction. Since the video was removed, I was able to find snippets of their dialogue from it thanks to CNN, which can be found here.

Logan: This is a first for me. This literally probably just happened.

Friend: I don’t feel good.

Logan: What, you never stand next to a dead guy?

Friend: No.

Logan: *laughs* It was gonna be a joke. This was all a joke. Why did it become so real?

Friend: Depression and mental illnesses is not a joke. We came here with the intent to focus on the haunted aspect of the forest. This just became very real.

Oh, boy. Where do I even begin with this? Logan, your friend is absolutely right. Depression and mental illnesses are not jokes, let alone FUCKING suicide! This was his first time seeing an actual dead body with his own two eyes and you laughed it off like it was nothing! For all we know, this could’ve been your first time seeing like this too, but why the fuck would you joke around like that if you were originally planning to explore the Suicide Forest’s haunted atmosphere?! It completely depletes the initial intent of your plans for your vlog all because of your “humor” in this! On a side note, whoever his friend is, can we please give him a round of applause for having the knowledge to understand what is and isn’t a joke? Because at least he gets the situation they were in.

And that brings me to another point I want to bring out: why he was joking around with what he saw. After they all ran out of the forest and into the parking lot, Logan said this that really caught my attention:

Logan: “…the smiling and laughing… is not a portrayal of how I feel about the circumstances. Everyone copes with shit differently… I cope with things with humor.”

WHAT?!

I’m sorry, but no! That is utter bullshit! Using humor to cope with something such as fear is fine, but using it to deal with the fact you stumbled across a REAL corpse?! That’s crossing the line! It helps illustrate that what you did was inhumanely wrong, and you know what?! The backlash proves it! When it became known to the public with around 6.5 million views, the viewers were repulsed by what you did! You showed them, from fans and people who don’t like to YouTubers, celebrities, and the media, that you have zero respect for the suicide victims through your insensitivity and voyeurism of this seriously important subject!

Not even your “Viewer Discretion is Advised” banter helped prevent this from happening, which leads me to readdressing your target demographic! For all we know, there could have been little children watching this and they would have either been scared that they saw the same hanging corpse or influenced negatively as shown by this tweet below!

“The other day my 7 year old sister showed me logan pauls video on the dead body and i was disgusted and told her to turn it off.My sister is 7 YEARS OLD and loves and watches logan paul all the time. later we went outside to do painting and she painted a hanging man in a forest” — Aoife Dormer (@aoife_dorma)

If anything, you could have emphasized your warning on how there are graphic material that are not suitable for children/minors, replaced “Advised” with “Recommended,” and made the video 18+ so that they would’ve been unable to watch it! Even so, it still didn’t change the fact it broke one of YouTube’s policy: prohibiting the depiction of violent, gory, or graphic material in a shocking, sensational, or disrespectful manner unless the footage is used for educational or documentary-based purposes. I’m not gonna touch upon how the staff aren’t pressing this forward or why they didn’t react sooner, but I digress. In my opinion, not changing the rating of your vlog—and having it violate a YouTube policy regardless—was part of a completely careless move on your part.

Oh, and this doesn’t end there; this actually leads into my next point: the apologies and the aftermath.

In the midst of the swift outcry of the enraged public, Logan deleted the video and tweeted an apology on New Year’s Day at exactly 10 PM about what he posted, but instead of taming the flame, it made things worse… and I can easily tell why. Much like the last remark, this one contradicts what he says.

“I didn't do it for views. I get views. I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity. I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought, 'if this video saves just ONE life, it'll be worth it,' I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video.”

Dear God, there is a shit ton wrong with this tone-deaf apology it makes me want to scream! What pisses me off the most is his claim and there is strong proof in not only this tweet but also in my thoughts on the vlog that highlights how that is bullshit as well!

You should’ve thought about your actions ahead of time! You were given multiple choices on what to do when you and your friends encountered the hanging dead body in Aokigahara: “Should I keep this vlog?” “How should I feel about or respond to this?” “Should I edit it out or leave it in?” “How will everyone else react?” At the end of the day, you chose the wrong choices and it resulted in heated negative consequences.

You were NOT raising awareness for suicide prevention, which is the main reason why this tweet makes me livid! The vlog proves you laughed at what you saw and cracked jokes about it, despite your friend’s input on this unsettling discovery! A lot of people, even YouTube, agree that the material was shocking for the viewers, you sensationalized at said material, and you were outright disrespectful about it by treating suicide like a fucking joke through your “coping mechanism!”

You were not “misguided;” basically, this third reason ties in with the second one.

Because of this, an insane amount of criticism was unleashed, with Sophie calling Logan “an idiot,” his claim “mocking,” and his apology “self-praising,” Aaron referring to him as “pure trash” who can “go rot in hell,” and surprisingly Rebecca Black stating that how someone with “such power and influence could intensify “an entire family’s grief beyond measure.” And guess what? She is right! One of the people calling out on him was Anna Akana, who and her brother both had to deal with the loss of her sister after she committed suicide! Not only that, but there are also people struggling with depression and have contemplated suicide, especially in Japan, who are infuriated and sickened by what they watched/heard because they knew what he did was an epitome of bad publicity... No, “bad” isn’t the best way to describe this; what they discovered was appalling publicity! It’s even worse when you realize publicity is one of the main contributors to suicide contagion, especially when a young age group is exposed to it! Given Logan’s fanbase mainly consists of children and young teenagers, that vlog was a repulsive influence on them and would most likely worsen suicide contagion despite it being removed from YouTube, which reiterates Aoife’s tweet about her younger sister painting a lynched man! The damage has already been dealt and it pisses me off so much that he would influence minors like that!

And that is just the tip of the iceberg because he posted a longer apology video on YouTube the next night amid the rampaging counteraction. Did it do anything to at least settle this dispute? Let’s find out.

“I've made a severe and continuous lapse in my judgment and I don't expect to be forgiven. I'm simply here to apologize. So what we came across that day in the woods was obviously unplanned and the reactions you saw on tape were raw and they were unfiltered. None of us knew how to react or how to feel. I should have never posted the video. I should have put the cameras down, stopped recording what we were going through. There's a lot of things I should have done differently but I didn't and for that from the bottom of my heart I am sorry. I want to apologize to the internet, I want to apologize to anyone who has seen the video, I want to apologize to anyone who has been affected or touched by mental illness or depression or suicide but most importantly I want to apologize to the victim and his family. For my fans who are defending my actions, please don't, they don't deserve to be defended. The goal with my content is always to entertain, to push the boundaries, to be all inclusive. In the world I live in I share most everything I do. The intent is never to be heartless, cruel or malicious. Like I said I made a huge mistake. I don't expect to be forgiven. I'm just here to apologize. I'm ashamed of myself. I'm disappointed in myself. And I promise to be better. I will be better. Thank you.”

*frustrated sigh* Oh, dear Lord. There is a reason why posted the transcript of his apology than share the video itself, which I’ll get to after I give my two cents on this. ...Ever since last night, I had a difficult time trying to find a way to reply to this. I read a couple articles saying the video was emotional and somber because of how he was on the brink of tears and it left me at a point of uncertainty; I kept asking myself if he really does deserve to be forgiven or not, but after seeing other posts and getting an update on his newest video, it snapped me out of my state and told me that forgiving Logan would mean defending him, just like his fans... and there was no way in hell I would succumb to a level as low them supporting him. So with my spark reignited, it’s time for me to break this shit down once again!

Logan, let me start this bit off by saying this: it is far too late for you to apologize. What you did was irredeemable, vulgar, disgraceful, and plain rude of you to not only those suffering from depression, mental illnesses, or suicidal issues, but to the entire country of Japan. During your trip, you behaved immaturely by making a complete racist jackass out of yourself in front of foreign tourists/residents while wearing a kimono and made a complete fool out of Americans and Westerners, but your vlog on New Year’s Eve took it too far! You desecrated a corpse, went through him to see if he had any of his belongings with him, laughed and joked about it, and showed no remorse or empathy about what you and your friends came across! Because of you, Japan is now coated in anger; you made them hesitant on us being part of the 2020 Olympics, Tokyo tweeted at you to get out, and you’re now denounced by the Japanese Suicide Prevention Group all because you ridiculed their strict laws and significant efforts into helping lower suicide rates and gave a giant middle finger to country in general by treating it like it’s a fucking playground! What you did was an act of pity because of the imminent backlash and I will never. Forgive. You.

That’s not all; as it turns out, even though Logan clearly said he doesn’t expect forgiveness, his fanbase—like I’m gonna call them by their referred fandom name—still forgave him because they believe “he didn’t mean it” and even had the audacity to attack a Japanese vlogger named Reina Scully in a racist manner all because she criticized his Suicide Forest vlog. ...Okay, first: WHAT?! Second: THE FUCK?! Like before, I apologize for suddenly snapping, but that’s NOT how you defend someone! You do not make harass the harasser by sending them racist remarks, let alone telling her and the Japanese to kill themselves! That is just sick and inhumane! No wonder people are telling others to stop supporting the Paul brothers; their fans are worse than the commonly known bad fandoms! *sigh* Well, at least it was best of me to not apologize to Logan because there was no way I was going to stoop as low as them. It was also perfect timing on my part because I recently discovered on that his apology video was monetized; in other words, he made thousands of dollars off of it...

Holy fuck! This is all kinds of despicable and messed up! Making between $8.5K and $68.1K off of a simple apology?! Now I am so glad I ultimately kept to my opinions about this sicko instead of accepting him like his other fans because this is one of the many examples of being greedy and money-hungry.

Because of this, people immediately took to Twitter to repeatedly slam him until it was promptly demonetized. Shortly thereafter, conflicts began to surface regarding YouTube; a petition opened up calling for Logan to be banned from the site (which now has over 130K signatures) and many are giving the website and its staff flack for being hypocritical of the way they review the content of videos. To be honest, I don’t blame them. Although I’m glad they commented on the issue, it obviously wasn’t enough. What used to be a site that got its start from cat videos has become its own economy with terrible decisions they’ve made, from the Fair Use dilemma to labeling LGBT+ videos as “mature content.” Seeing how significant the past few days has become, they really need to wake up, get their humungous sticks out of their asses, and actually contribute than just simply stating what rule Logan violated. Regardless, with all of these factors combined into one, it is easily safe to say this second apology was typically a clear bust.

And what does Logan do now that both apologies were shown to be practically useless? He announces his hiatus last night on Twitter, stating he is “taking time to reflect.” Of course, and not surprisingly, there is a long thread which consists of a division between his effortlessly influenced fandom of youngsters and those who despise him for what he has done, both over the years and on New Year’s Eve.

...I’m done. I’m fucking done. I’m not dealing with this shit anymore. Everything about this is wrong and I am certain I am going to get a headache out of this. I don’t care if he is “reflecting;” knowing him, he is still going to be the same idiotic frat “celebrity” that he is, especially when Maverick Apparel came forward today to say they lost $4 million in profit because of him… and Jake dissed in him in one of the most inappropriate ways ever. Ugh!… Can this nightmare end already?! I swear, it keeps finding ways to make me want to continue this rant! Well, guess what? Not. Anymore. I am concluding this right now and I don’t care what will happen to these two sickos in the near future.

*sigh* Well, to wrap things up, Logan is nothing but a stupid, inane, thick-skinned, money-hungry, thoughtless jackass who only cares about getting richer and, much like Jake, using his fame to do whatever the fuck he wants because he believes there is no such thing as “bad publicity…” until now, that is. He may have been able to dodge controversy in the past, but thanks to his obnoxious, immature personality, he has made him a danger to three important fields after his trip to Japan; he has demonstrated how much of an inadequate influence he is to juveniles countless times in the past and has managed to do so once again with his now-deleted vlog, he has made the entire Japanese country hate him for even stepping foot on their cherished land, and he has sparked yet another battle against YouTube’s policies and regulations.

Logan, I’m going to say this once and only once: it is your fault you showed Japan just how disgustingly inhumane you are by not only fucking around with their cherished laws, traditions, culture, history, and landscape. It is your fault for recording the footage of the corpse, laughing and joking about it, and not giving a single shit about suicide, depression, and mental illnesses. It is your fault you unleashed hell on earth that pitted most of the social media users against you. It is your fault for creating your half-hearted apology tweet and your equally monetized apology video that only added fuel to the fire. It is your fault Japan hates you for treating them poorly. It is your fault you’re now facing serious consequences after showing the world what you did in front of that dead man. It is your fault for ending 2017 and starting 2018 on abysmal notes. I hope your multi-millionaire empire crumbles by having the YT staff banning your vlog channel. I hope the actions you—and Jake—have illustrated over the years and the consequences you face will deal more major blows to your precious careers.

To everyone reading this, I want to say I am genuinely sorry that you saw that vlog or heard what has been going on. I am even sorry at myself for subjecting myself to this horror of learning who the Paul brothers are just to get this rant out of the way. They have a horrible sense of humor and none of the stuff they do is funny, let alone how serious suicide is.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US, claiming an average of 44,965 American lives every year, and for every 25 attempts that are made, it annually costs the country $51 billion. In Japan, despite now having over 21,000 people claiming their lives every year—with the majority caused by men—and its suicide rate declining, it still remains as one of the highest rates when compared to other countries. The most common place for the Japanese to kill themselves is in Aokigahara, which has received its infamous nickname, “the Suicide Forest.” It earned its name and has become the 2nd most suicidal place on Earth because around 100 Japanese residents travel there to commit suicide because of its thick trees and its seclusion; two of the frequent ways they kill themselves is through drug overdose or by hanging themselves though other methods are not uncommon. Since then, Japanese officials have been putting their best efforts to decrease the suicide rate.

Suicide is an urgent situation, with depression being the #1 cause of it if left untreated, undiagnosed, or ineffectively treated and mental illnesses, disorders, and contributors such as physical ailments, previous suicide attempts, limited access to mental health treatment closely following suit and cannot be left unnoticed. If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions or have had a series of suicidal thoughts or actions, it is not too late to seek help. Whether it is in America, Japan, or anywhere else in the world, call the numbers below based on what country you live in:

United Kingdom: 116 123

United States: 1-800-273-8255

Canada: 5147234000

Mexico: 5255102550

Ireland: 116 123

Brazil: 212339191

Argentina: +5402234930430

Spain: 914590080

Portugal: 225 50 60 70

France: 0145394000

Greece: 1018

Germany: 08001810771

Italy: 800860022

Poland: 52770000

Holland: 0900-0113

Denmark: +4570201201

Sweden: 46317112400

Finland: 040-5032199

Norway: +478153300

Belgium: 1813

Austria: 017133374

Switzerland: 143

Egypt: 7621602

South Africa: 0514445691

Israel: 1201

India: 8888817666

Australia: 131 114

New Zealand: 045861048

Singapore: 1800 221 4444

Philippines: 028969191

Russia: 0078202577577

China: 85223820000

South Korea: 112

Japan: +810352869090

You can also donate to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, or any resourceful suicide prevention organizations you know because your gifts will serve them as a reminder that you are contributing to fight against this worldwide epidemic.

Don’t wait. Call now or donate to help save a life.

#my post #rant #logan paul controversy #anti logan paul

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riikkamhaynes-blog · 5 years

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Reading wrap up (Feb, 2019)

I was kinda in a reading slump this month, but it wasn’t too bad. I finished 13 books this month.

#01 Anatomy of spirit by Caroline Myss

Anatomy of the Spirit is the boldest presentation to date of energy medicine by one of its premier practitioners, internationally acclaimed medical intuitive Caroline Myss, one of the "hottest new voices in the alternative health/spirituality scene" (Publishers Weekly). Based on fifteen years of research into energy medicine, Dr. Myss's work shows how every illness corresponds to a pattern of emotional and psychological stresses, beliefs, and attitudes that have influenced corresponding areas of the human body.

I ended up giving it a two-star rating. It just wasn’t for me.

#02 You by Caroline Kepness

When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.

I was pleasantly surprised by the book. I thought the writing style would be unpleasant to read, but in the end, I ended up liking it. It does baffle me that some people see this as a romance story, whereas it’s actually a horror. The book was not amazing by any means. I am not planning on continuing the series. I would recommend this as an after-reading-slump-read since the writing was smooth and the story structure was fluid. 3/5

#03 Reindeer moon by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

A fictional account of the life of a Siberian tribe 20,000 years ago, from the author of "Harmless People" and "Warrior Herdsmen". It is both the story of a daily struggle for survival against starvation, cold and violence and an evocation of spiritual journeys and primitive magic. ~Goodreads

I found the Finnish version of this book while digging through my grandmother's stuff. The premise was unlike anything I had ever seen. I have for some time been curious about prehistoric life.

The book's depiction of life after death left me feeling hopeful. The story has two timelines, one of the main character growing up and one of her as a spirit. I would recommend this for anyone who loves animals and is interested in prehistory.

#04 Chant and be happy by Swami A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada

I haven’t the slightest clue why I decided to read this. The book is about the “Hare Krishna” mantra. I am not much of a believer, and the book ended up being a big meh for me. I would recommend it if you are interested in Buddism. 2/5

#05 Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan

There's no ancient evil to defeat or orphan destined for greatness, just unlikely heroes and classic adventure. Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, are two enterprising rogues who end up running for their lives when they're framed for the murder of the king. Trapped in a conspiracy that goes beyond the overthrow of a tiny kingdom, their only hope is unravelling an ancient mystery before it's too late.

It ended up reading a bit too much as a young adult. I think I would have prefered the story more if it was written as an adult novel. The reading experience was weird. I constantly felt like there was just something off with the story. After finishing it, I realised what it was. This book is what shonen anime would be like in a novel format. It was especially apparent in the way the scenes switched and moved on during the third acts.

I don’t know how to explain it. I feel like everyone who has watched Naruto would know what I’m talking about.

The story structure and plot twists weren’t the most surprising, but I didn’t really mind. It was an incredibly easy read. I will continue the series even though technically speaking I think it’s trash. 3/5

#06 The unwanted: A novel by Christiaan Barnard

I don’t really know what to say about the book. It was quite average. The characters were forgettable and the plot wasn’t anything special. I am glad I read it, but it wasn’t anything special. I would recommend it for someone looking to learn about racism in 20th century America. 3/5

#07 War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him and he is able to find warmth and hope. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?

This book was a childhood favourite of mine, and I read it to see if it would hold up. I still enjoyed it, but it was apparent that it was meant for a younger audience. It took me roughly two hours to finish it. I would recommend it as an easy middle grade read. 4/5

#08 Before they are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

How do you defend a city surrounded by enemies and riddled with traitors, when your allies can by no means be trusted, and your predecessor vanished without a trace? It’s enough to make a torturer want to run – if he could even walk without a stick – and Inquisitor Glokta needs to find answers before the Gurkish army comes knocking at the gates.

Northmen have spilled over the border of Angland and are spreading fire and death across the frozen country. Crown Prince Ladisla is poised to drive them back and win undying glory. There is only one problem: he commands the worst-armed, worst-trained, worst-led army in the world.

And Bayaz, the First of the Magi, is leading a party of bold adventurers on a mission through the ruins of the past. The most hated woman in the South, most feared man in the North and most selfish boy in the Union make a strange alliance, if only they didn't hate each other so much, potentially deadly ones.

Ancient secrets will be uncovered. Bloody battles will be won and lost. Bitter enemies will be forgiven – but not before they are hanged.

I was quite afraid to reread it since second books in trilogies tend to feel like filler. I was pleasantly surprised. I ended up liking the second book more than the first one. The characters, the dialogue, the writing, I adore everything about Joe Abercrombie’s books. I said I was going to do a review about the trilogy in my previous wrap up. I don’t know if I’ll actually do it since I still can��t really say for sure why I love this trilogy this much.

I would recommend the First Law trilogy for anyone who feels like GRRMs SOIAF is too big of a commitment and want to read something similar and easier. 5/5

#09 Stones to Abbigale by Onision the onion boi

I posted my Goodreads review of this book. Check it out. 1/5, would recommend for laughs.

#10 Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

The conclusion to the 'First Law' trilogy is here. Battles will be fought, kings will be made, love will be won and lost and cities will be destroyed. Magic is going to be unleashed, heroes will fall and the First Law will be broken once again. The end may be coming.

I loved it with all my heart. I did go into a small reading slump while reading it since it was so long. 5/5

#11 No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

Portraying himself as a failure, the protagonist of Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human narrates a seemingly normal life even while he feels himself incapable of understanding human beings. Oba Yozo's attempts to reconcile himself to the world around him begin in early childhood, continue through high school, where he becomes a "clown" to mask his alienation, and eventually lead to a failed suicide attempt as an adult. Without sentimentality, he records the casual cruelties of life and its fleeting moments of human connection and tenderness.

Semi-autobiographical, No Longer Human is the final completed work of one of Japan's most important writers, Osamu Dazai (1909-1948). The novel has come to "echo the sentiments of youth" (Hiroshi Ando, The Mainichi Daily News) from post-war Japan to the postmodern society of technology. Still one of the ten bestselling books in Japan, No Longer Human is a powerful exploration of an individual's alienation from society.

I don’t want to say too much about this book since it is basically a fictitious autobiography of the author. The book left me feeling blue. I didn’t rate it because of the autobiographical nature of the book.

#12 Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the world.

It's where he was born. It's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. There are endless wonders that let loose Jack's imagination--the snake under Bed that he constructs out of eggshells, the imaginary world projected through the TV, the cosiness of Wardrobe below Ma's clothes, where she tucks him in safely at night in case Old Nick comes.

The room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it's the prison where she has been held since she was nineteen--for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in that eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But Jack's curiosity is building alongside her own desperation--and she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer.

Told in the poignant and funny voice of Jack, Room is a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child. It is a shocking, exhilarating, and riveting novel--but always deeply human and always moving.

Although the story is quite dark, the fact that it was written from a child's point of view made it strangely uplifting. The first half of the book was slow, but I think it’s worth struggling through it. 4/5

#13 Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer by Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth

Drawn from more than 150 hours of exclusive tape-recorded interviews with Bundy, this collection provides shocking insights into the killer's 11th-hour confessions before his death in a Florida electric chair. A unique, horrifying self-portrait of one of the most savage sex killers in history.

A definite must-read for anyone interested in serial killers and true crime. 5/5

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lesbean-has-moved · 7 years

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My sister is a the best at writing

Written by my sister here you go! The key code clicked outside his door... He opened his eyes and glanced toward the door, juuuuust enough time to see the green flashing light against a slick concrete hallway. His only sign that anything existed outside his own dark polished concrete walls, floor and ceiling. Way down here... At the bottom of a large complex, hidden beneath the metal and concert sky of the hospital hundreds of feet above. How long had he been down here? Chained to a bed, locked in a room and hidden from all humanity? ... Well... Not all humanity. He thought to himself as a woman walked over with a tray in her hands. He's gone through 15 nurses, they last about a month, at most, and most end up insane by the time he was done with his games. If they wanted to lock him up for research, he'd do a little on his own about the humans. It was a matter of time before this new nurse (who holds the record for not going insane) broke under his systematic procedure of learning about their psyche. "Today is a big day." Said the woman. The lights has not been activated as of yet and he wondered why. "Is it your birthday?" He asked dryly. "No." "My birthday?" "Wrong again." "Oh wait wait! I got it... Giant purple fish have fallen from the sky and infected the oceans and all the cars in New York have been turned to ice cream!!" He said sarcastically with just enough of seriousness to prick. There was a pause in the rhythmic echoes of her footsteps. He heard the tray being placed on a small bedside table. "And you wonder why people worry for you..." She said. He could hear the smile in her voice. "Today marks your 300th day here!" "Oh how wonderful..." Finally, he asked the question he'd been meaning to ask since the beginning, "Why are the lights still off?" He heard her suppress a sigh, "Power outage across the city. They used our generators to power the hospital." Why did she sound so upset? No one cared about those locked in "C-PIC (The Complex for Patients in Inventive Care)" This is where the most dangerous, insane, or odd cases are sent to be treated (or not) and be wiped from humanity's memory. Those locked in C-PIC are the damned souls of humanity. No one cared. Those who worked there are only there for research. So... Why sound upset? Did she have something to lose? Suddenly, the lights flicked on and he was thankful his eyes were closed. He slowly opened them to see a woman standing by the switch messing with the controls. He could vaguely see the outline of the earpiece on her ear. She turned and smiled, "Room 628 doesn't have a patient and will be quarantined until they get it sterilized. Which will be a while. So... I thought we could borrow their power for a while. Or rather..." She paused annoyed, "Take back our power." She walked over to him, "You know the drill. I'm going to get your vitals, take some labs, monitor brain, heart and lung function, do a psych eval, and then..." She paused again lowering her voice, "Im going to get you out of those chains." Had he heard her right? She was going to let him go? She reached her slender figure over him and hit a button to pull up the monitor. After hooking him up she recorded his vitals, brain, heart, and lung function on a holographic image projected in front of her. Finally she drew labs. All the normal labs he'd seen before... Except... One bottle was unmarked... She drew that one last and slipped it into her pocket. "Where does that go?" He asked, offhandedly. "Oh this?" To his surprise she pulled it back out. "Im running a few tests in room and so it doesn't need to go up to the lab." In-room tests... That was a new one. What was she doing...? "In...room...tests..." He let out a huff of air, "You guys are coming up with new stuff everyday..." "Do you want treatment or not?" She asked half joking. "I don't need treatment." She now, was was typing something and staring at her screen. "Uh....huh...." She said obviously distracted and slightly sarcastic. She took out the unmarked vial of blood, opened a panel on the wall a put the bottle inside. Hitting a button on the screen she started a series of tests. "Aren't you going to eat?" He looked down at his confines and back at her. "Oh, right! Here..." He watched her closely as she opened the foot restraints. It was the first time in 300 days he had felt the fabric that had burned his ankles leave. He moved them suspiciously and slowly. He kept to himself what he knew all the other nurses knew and what she should have known, working with him this long: he could still move in the chains without taking them off as long as the chain was long enough. They had made sure he wouldn't have to be unrestrained at all. She opened the hand restraints. He... Was free. He stared at the friction burns on his wrists. "Hey! Space cadet!" He blinked and looked at her. "Yes?" "Eat." "Why?" "Why not?" "I'm not hungry." "Freedom's an appetite suppressant huh?" She laughed. "This is why you need treatment." "I don't. You people just so happen to enjoy poking things you don't understands with sticks." "Would you just eat so I can enter something in your chart?" "Why so you can check off another box?" The woman stopped. "Unless you want about seven more people here running more tests I'd suggest you eat something." He groaned but obliged. She walked over and checked on her in room tests and started singing. A soft melody in a language he couldn't place. A beeping sound echoed through the room. He saw the woman answer her phone. "What?" She asked annoyed then something in her demeanor changed. "I'm on my way up." She walked back over, apologetic. "I've been called upstairs to meet with my supervisors. I'll have to put you back in bed before I go up." Was that a hint of annoyance he heard? He laid back down on the bed fully noting how she put on and took off the restraints. Once he was back staring at the ceiling he listened to her rhythmic steps until the door closed and he was immersed in darkness again. They had better have a reason for this... I thought walking back out of the C-PIC. After unlocking and re locking the 46 doors between my last patient and the elevator, each with a different code. I went up the elevator that I was forced to continue speaking to provide it with a voice sample for it to work. I reached the main floor. 5 more doors and then a guard then maybe I could exit to the main hospital where my supervisors were. Throwing open the door to their office I began, "What? You know I was right in the middle of rounds! This couldn't have waited for like 15 minutes?" My supervisor frowned deeply. Let him. I wasn't the one locking people down in the basement of the hospital to experiment on them. "Ms. Ayres... These are--" "I'm aware of who they are." I said, fully noting the man in a red, white and blue skin tight jumpsuit. "Why are they here?" "They're here to see patient 5654." Really? They were here to see Luke? How did they know about the C-PIC? "Sir..." I began, "I highly advise against bringing anyone to see Patient 5654." "They will be escorted down." "Sir! He is very ill. I do not recommend anyone be in proximity to him." "Ms. Ayres... They will be escorted down." He frowned even deeper, which I didn't know was possible. "Do you or do you not want your job?" I leaned in close. "I signed up for this job to help people so that's what I'm doing." He glared but be didn't scare me. "They will be taken to Patient 5654. That's an order Ms. Ayres." "I am not responsible for what happens to anyone then." I leaned in even closer, "And if something does happen... Don't think for one second that I wouldn't press charges if I see fit." "Is that all Ms. Ayers?" He asked in feigned boredom. "Yes sir." I turned toward the small group of people I was escorting, "Follow me." I walked briskly out of the room. Spotting the corridor I needed to take I called back to the group as I sped up, "Whatever you do... Keep following me! Should you take a wrong turn there may be nothing we can do for you. Also--" I passed through the first door. Which happened to be a stone block wall. One had to work up a certain amount of speed to clear to door or it feels like a stone wall too. I barely avoided the real concrete wall on the other side of the corridor. Another security measure to make sure that only the people who are supposed to be here can make it in or out. I stepped out of the way just in time to miss the clowns come tumbling through the rabbit hole. I was tempted to let them find the concrete wall on their own but I decided I wanted to keep my job a little while longer. "WATCH OUT!!" I yelled. Half of the idiots turned towards me asking "What?" Before slamming into the wall. The other half was smart enough to brace themselves before plowing into wall. "Welcome to the Complex for Patients in Inventive Care or C-PIC for short." I said in my best tour guide voice. Mr. Red, White and Blue looked around and scoffed, " 'Inventive Care'? What does that mean?" "It means these patients are subjects--" The word tasted bitter and stung my ears... They weren't just subjects... They were people. They may be different but... That's no reason to treat them less than human. I cleared my throat and started again, "they are subjects in new and inventive care techniques. These are patients that are so very ill that they sign up to test certain treatments that may be considered... Unorthodox. However, even they are still people with rights like you and I. Follow me, and remember.... Stay close." I passed by Joey, the security guard who stopped me, eyeing my entourage of idiots, "They've been given clearance to see Patient 5654 by the Board." I explained. Joey paled visibly at the mention of Patient 5654. "Are...are you sure this is a good idea?" He whispered to me. "No." I said with confidence, "I think it's a horrible idea." Joey nodded and let us pass. "What was that about?" Asked one of the men in a slick black suit. "A security check. One of many here--" "No. Why did he look like he's seen a ghost?" "Oh. I told him which patient I was taking you to see. No one likes that patient much. Joey's girlfriend used to be a nurse here but she went insane after taking on this patient and now she's institutionalized. He feels responsible for getting her the job." "Oh..." Trailed the man in the suit. "When we're in the elevator don't say a word please." I said in a warning tone as we approached the elevator. I pressed the button to the elevator, it read my fingerprint and opened saying in a cheerful voice "Good afternoon Ms. Ayers! Lovely day isn't it?" The group started in surprise. "Yes it is." I answered the elevator as I held the door, motioning for them to get in. "Where to Ms. Ayers?" Asked the elevator. "Floor Z." After a moment I added, "I have authorized guests accompanying me today." "Excellent Ms. Ayers. Oh-- I seem to need a clearance code and identity verification for that floor." Said the elevator apologetically. "You mean other than my voice?" I asked. "I'm afraid so Ms. Ayers." I sighed, "Clearance code 004-9268-688." Then I walked over to the wall and did the fingerprint and retina scan. Finally, the elevator (whom I nicknamed Elly) said, "Security code and identity accepted. Going down." I breathed a sigh of relief. "Wow..." Uttered one of the men. Suddenly the elevator slammed into a halt, throwing us all to the ground, the lights went out and Elly started screaming, "UNIDENTIFIED VOICE DETECTED!! INFORMING AUTHORITIES NOW!!" "NO NO NO ELLY!" I screamed back over the sirens. "I have authorized guests!!! Vocal Override: Admin Myst Ayers." It didn't help Elly was still screaming, "VOCAL OVERRIDE DENIED!!" "Elly! This is Admin. Myst Ayers! Override code 68377433!" "OVERRIDE CODE DENIED!" "What?!" I yelled back annoyed and confused. "OVERRIDE CODE DENIED!! ARMED RESPONSE INITIATED!" Repeated Elly in a panic. The sound of several mechanisms locking into place could be heard behind the wall of the elevator. I knew all too well that they were several weapons of various classifications, sizes and effects. I felt my heart flutter, the beginnings of panic. It wasn't responding to my vocal commands... Picking myself up I jumped over to the control panel and ripped off the plate. I hit a series of override codes as the sirens got louder and louder until... They stopped all at once. "Going down!" Came Elly's normal pleasant voice. I slid down the wall in relief for a moment before getting up, "Who was that?" I growled at the terrified group of people standing with me in the elevator. One of the men cast his eyes down. I marched over to him, "Don't..." I began, enunciating my words very clearly, "do... That... Again. Understood?" He nodded. I began addressing the whole group, "Do what I say unless you want to get yourself and everyone else here killed! There are security measures in place here that are to prevent unauthorized entry and exits." "Arrived." Said Elly in a cheerful tone, "Floor Z. Have a good day Ms. Ayers." "Thanks Elly." I mumbled as it took another fingerprint scan to exit the elevator. After everyone was safely out of the elevator I walked 3 feet to a heavy steel door. Punching in the code it opened and I motioned for them to go through. As soon as we stepped into the hallway the sound of screaming, moaning, hysterical laughter and machines filled the air. It was an odd assortment of sounds... I never quite got used to. "Come on. I said after a moment letting the noises skin into their thick skulls. As we began to move down the short hallway toward the second of 46 doors one of the men asked, "What... What are those noises?" "That would be the patients in their daily treatments." I answered. "But... The laughing?" Asked Star Spangled and Stupid. I shouldn't really call them stupid but in what I've witnessed personally my faith in these people was hovering right around zero. "That would also be the patients." I said acknowledging how weird it sounded, "These patients are... Different than the others on higher floors. Typically the more dangerous, bizarre, or concerning cases occupy the lower levels." I could tell they understood by the silence that followed the statement. After three more doors another spoke up, cocky and perpetually sarcastic, "what exactly is so different about the patient we're going to see?" "Oh he... Currently hold the record for the most nurse casualties. Granted most were suicides from insanity but he's the common factor in all the cases." I heard the man take a breath to say something else before another interrupted, "Is it much further?" "We have 42 more doors to go." "Why so many?" Asked a third voice, nervous and softer than the others. "To prevent unauthorized entry and exits by anyone so choosing to walk these halls." "Are there many who try to escape?" "Occasionally. I personally have had 4 try to make it to the main hospital. None made it passed the second door before they were taken back to their rooms." We walked the rest of the way I silence. Finally, we made it to the door of patient 5654. I typed in the entrance code to the door and it swung open, after everyone was inside the small compartment I let the door shut. The sound of an airlock could be heard and a green light flicked on through the darkness. I walked to the opposite wall where another door was waiting. I gave my vocal, fingerprint, retina and DNA identification and then typed in the several security access codes. The door opened and I walked in. The room was dark... And cold. I rushed forward in the darkness knowing my way around. I got to the emergency light and flicked it on. Blood drained from my face and adrenaline flooded my body. Sitting in the middle of the room was an empty bed, covered in ice and blood... "LOCK IT DOWN!" I screamed into my earpiece, "Stay here!" I yelled to the group as I sprinted back toward the door. The lockdown sequence was already beginning. The red emergency lights flicked on as the power was cut off, and all doors began to lock and their electronic mechanisms turned off. The quarantine door that blocked an exit was closing fast. I sprinted harder. At the last second I slid on stomach making it barely. I rolled, found my footing and began sprinting out. I heard someone in my earpiece, "Ayers! What's going on?" It was my supervisor. Great... I didn't need him breathing down my neck about this. But I also need my job... "Patient 5654's location is unknown. Lock down not only the C-PIC but the main hospital as well! Nothing gets in or out!" I could audibly hear him frown as I barked orders at him, but he didn't know what this man was capable of. And what scared me the most was... Neither did I. Barely making by another door I kept going. He wouldn't escape. He-- my thought was cut off as I slammed into a quarantine door. "DARN IT!" I yelled. I was trapped, and losing time... I staggered back a few paces until my back was pressed up against the door behind me. If I was going to do this needed as much room as I could. Closing my eyes and breathing deeply I sprinted forward gaining as much speed as a could. As the door came closer and closer I realized I didn't have enough speed... But just at the last second I felt the ground give way. Blackness was all around me and I could feel a cold breeze as I ran. I reached my hands out and ripped through the air like I was tearing a curtain aside. In reality that's kind of what I was doing. Tearing the curtain of the space time continuum so as to become malleable enough myself to pass through space and time. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time before or during the trip to locate the patient so I dropped myself in the main hospital lobby. People jumped as skidded to a halt in the middle of all of them. My earpiece finally recalibrated itself after the trip and I heard my supervisor, "WHERE. IS. AYERS! Someone get me coordinates on her NOW!" "I here sir. In the main lobby. Have you gotten the patient's coordinates yet?" I asked slightly out of breath though admittedly more from panic than fatigue. "No. He seems to have found a way to jam the system." "Keep trying to find him..." I said. My supervisor began to say something else but I couldn't hear him. I retreated deep within myself remembering the brain function frequencies of Luke I sent out a pulse of that frequency telepathically. Well, telepathy is the only word close enough to what was actually occurring. Really all beings have the ability to retreat deep within themselves and interpret the Mental Energies of others. Which is an unseen force that resides in all living beings. This force stores, forms and recalls all memories, emotion, thought and stimulation received by the brain both conscious and unconscious. Everyone's mental frequency is different. Like a fingerprint only this one you can't lose or hide it from those who had learned to interpret the Mental Energies of others. When the pulse returned I had contact. Exhaling I saw the room fall away, in my mind's eye, and I zero in on Luke. A door appeared. I chose not to enter at the given juncture. As tempting as it was to enter his mind I needed him detained. I took off in the direction of the frequency. He was on the fourth floor of the hospital, in the stairwell, heading toward the helicopter landing site. Ignoring the elevators (much to the disappointment of my aching muscles) I leaped into the stairwell. Luke stopped; eyeing me before taking off. He was four floors above me and I knew using the stairs wouldn't get me there fast enough. Jumping up on one of the handrails I said a little prayer and jumped. My hands found the next floors handrail on the opposite side of me. Using the momentum from my first jump a jumped again. I kept this up until the 7th floor where I saw the door leading to the hallway swing shut. I was gaining on him. I threw open the door and sprinted toward him. Turning a corner he threw a gurney in my wake. It crashed into me landing a direct blow to my stomach. I tumbled forward dazed and trying to catch my breath. In my earpiece I heard the lockdown forces commander, "We have patient 5654 in our sights. I repeat patient 5654 is in range." "Don't..." I tried to say but the breathe was still gone. Panic settled into my chest. I pulled a tranquilizer syringe out of my pocket. They couldn't just kill him... Realizing my voice was useless I got up and began to chase Luke once again. He was running through the surgery wait room (the second largest lobby in the hospital) and in the skylights above I saw the snipers. I felt my breath return. "DO NOT ENGAGE!!" I screamed into my earpiece. "Ms. Ayers..." My supervisor said warningly. "We have a clear shot..." Trailed the commander. "DO NOT ENGAGE!!" I yelled again. There was silence on the other end. "If we're going to have any chance of ending this we need to take the shot NOW." Warned the commander. "Ayers... What are you doing?!" Growled my supervisor. "Saving a life!" "Sir...?" Ventured the commander. "Fire when ready commander." Answered my supervisor. "NO!" I screamed, "I CAN MAKE IT!" "Get ready!" I heard the commander call to his brothers. My muscles burned, and my lungs screamed for air that I couldn't provide them. I ran hard, gaining little by little on him. Finally, he was in range. I fell forward threw the syringe, hoping to God that my aim wasn't off. It wasn't. The syringe hit him in the back of the shoulder. He immediately fell to the ground. Standing, I walked over to his limp body; panting hard. Hitting a button on the wall a hovering gurney came up from the floor underneath Luke. I began to push it back toward the C-PIC entrance. Just as I reached it I heard the PA system come on, "Ladies and Gentlemen... We apologize for the inconvenience the hospital is now a code blue." Then there was a long beeping noise. Memory eraser. They were erasing the incident from everyone's memories that was not a C-PIC employee. That's how this whole complex stayed hidden. I never saw it as fair... But those affected could never tell difference. The earpiece was what kept me and the the employees safe from the effects. I wondered if Luke would remember when he woke up. He was in a capsule that's soundproof but after the tranquilizer I wasn't sure what all he'd remember. At the C-PIC entrance another nurse was waiting, "I'll take him back to his room. The Board Director wants to see you." I sighed annoyed. I really didn't want to have to deal with him any more today. "Keep. Him. Sedated." I ordered as clearly as I could. The nurse nodded and I went for the second time that day to meet with my supervisor. Throwing open the door to his office I trudged in; sweaty, out of breath, and very annoyed. Standing all around were the idiot group from before. Standing with their mouths gaping open. "What?" I asked my supervisor, ignoring the shock show the group was giving me. My supervisor said nothing. One of the men from the group, a monster of a man with flashy armor spoke in a deep voice, "How did you do that?" "Do what?" I snapped. "Manage to catch him." "It's my job genius. I wasn't just hired because of my looks your know." "Yes but..." The man shifted uncomfortably, "Do you know what he is?" That's a rude question... I thought. "Obviously not." I said aloud deciding now would not be a good time to be rude. The man opened his mouth in what I thought was going to be an answer, instead what I got was another question, "You are, in fact, a mortal yes?" Was he serious? "Yes." I said trying not to add 'you moron!' He gave me a look that clearly said he didn't believe me but no one said anything else. Suddenly, a voice exploded in my eardrum, "WE HAVE A CODE 18 ON FLOOR Z PATIENT 5654!" Everyone looked up silent. "What's going on?" I called into my earpiece as I ran for the C-PIC. "The patient is having some kind of seizure. He's screaming and-" the connection was cut off. Sprinting down, I finally reached Luke's room. Several nurses were standing outside, discussing something and yelling orders at other nurses. As I neared the room I was stopped by a large security office who nearly took my arm off as I ran by him. "This is a restricted area. Only those with authorized clearance may enter." Seriously...? "He's my patient!!" I yelled exasperated. "Clearance code?" Asked the officer doubtfully. "004-9268-688." I said annoyed. "You're clear." I shoved passed him and ran into the room. Luke was lying on his bed screaming and struggling against four nurses. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" I growled to the charge nurse who took him down, "I GAVE YOU STRICT ORDERS RO KEEP. HIM. SEDATED!!!" "He is! I gave him a dose of fentanyl and he started this..." "What?" I asked confused, "how much Fentanyl did you give him?" "10cc. The standard dose. Is he allergic?" "No..." I trailed trying to think of the cause for what was happening, "no he's not... " there was a strange mumbling in the background but paying attention to it wouldn't help me understand what was happening t my patient so I ignored it. I ran over to Luke, his skin was ice cold and turning grey. Taking out my flashlight I checked his eyes. They were rolled back in his head. He seemed to be fighting to remain conscious. I took the tranquilizer syringe out of his shoulder. "I need a blood sample!" I called to the charge nurse. "And how do you propose we get that?" He answered from his position holding Luke down. "Good point..." I mutter. His screams were indiscernible, but I had heard that tone before. A desperate call, a warning.... "Give him a dose of Narcan and keep him warm! " I called as an idea formed in my head. "I thought you told me to keep him sedated!" called the charge nurse throughly confused. "DO IT!" I screamed, "I think he's been given an overdose of something. His breathing pattern is slow and weak." Kyle, the charge nurse, went to grab the some warm water, while I ran to get the Narcan. The noise from earlier still played in the background, more incessant, i continued to ignore it. When I grabbed it from the store room something caught my eye; the projector. The in room test! There had to be something in that sample I took earlier... There had to... I pulled up the sample and gasped staggering back a step. There were crystalline formations in his blood. Any trauma to the vessel or blood would spark the crystal formations to spread, sealing off the passage and repairing the trauma before retreating. I had never seen anything like it before. Taking a drop of fentanyl I dropped it into the sample. Nothing... The sample remained the same. Good. It's wasn't the fentanyl. But... What was it? What was causing this reaction? Sticking my hand into my pocket I felt around for my flashlight. I felt the small thin tube and pulled it out. I let out an annoyed sigh. It wasn't my flashlight. It was that stupid tranquilizer syringe. I held it up to throw it across the room when I notice a small amount of red liquid in the bottom of the syringe; blood! It must have gotten some return from the wound! Taking the syringe I carefully dropped some of the new blood sample into a new slide. A second projector image popped up. This, most recent, sample had a striking difference to the blood I took only a hour or so before. This sample had what looked like thick grey netting strung through it. Taking the remainder of the blood in the syringe I dropped it carefully into the first sample. Nothing. Frustrated, I got the dose of Narcan into a fresh syringe. The projector beeped. I looked up concerned. What... What was the sample doing now...? I watched as the crystal formations spread through the sample, freezing it completely. Suspended in the now frozen sample was a grey web. "Oh my gosh..." I muttered, "it's keeping him alive..." Kyle and was about to move Luke to the warm water when I ran in, "DONT!" I yelled, "You're hurting him!" this time Kyle stopped what he was doing and turned to look at me. "MAKE UP YOUR MIND WOMAN!!" "The ice! It's keeping him alive! Look!" I projected an image of the sample for the room to see. "What the..." Breathed Kyle, "what's the grey stuff?" I shot him a look saying I didn't know. Running over, I gave the dose of Narcan and waited. Slowly, words began to become audible in the screams, "DONT... YOU CANT..." These broken phrase and those equally as vague continued. Suddenly, the noise that had bee present since I came down clicked into place... And it was not good news. It was a voice shouting into my earpiece, "AYERS! WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON DOWN THERE?! ANSWER ME!!!!!" I flinched visibly before answering my superior, "Sir, there is a medical emergency down here. No one is hurt, though the patient is in some kind of--" I stopped, three words rang through the darkness, "HE'S. NOT. THERE!" It was Luke's voice; desperate and almost pleading. "AYERS!!" Yelled the board director. I stood there in silence, mind churning trying to understand those three words.......... Got it... I ran over to Luke, "Luke..." I yelled over his screams, "Luke! You're dreaming!" I grabbed each of his wrists, sending the two nurses who had held them away. Leaning down toward his ear I began to speak softly, "Luke, it's not real... You're safe... No one is hurt..." His screams began to subside. I continued, "Whatever it is you're seeing, it's not real... Listen to me... You have to concentrate..." He was still struggling against myself and the nurses who held him down, "Luke... Remember the star... Focus on its light... Let it surround you and bring you back..." His muscles began to relax, but he still was fighting. Come on... I thought, just relax. I began to sing a lullaby. One I learned as a child. It had calmed countless patents in that past but Luke seemed to respond more than most. Slowly but surely he eventually stopped fighting back and lay there peacefully. I reached over him and got the restraints. I began to put one of his hands inside still singing, the room was silent, save my voice. As my fingers touched a particularly dark grey patch of his skin I felt a massive amount of energy surge into my body. I felt wind flying past me. Something hard hit the back of my head and I heard the sickening crack of my head hitting the wall. I collapsed unable to move, to breathe, to think. A massive black cloud was swirling around the room. In the distance I heard sounds but I couldn't place them. Whatever it was though, it sobered me up quick enough. I stood and faced the dark cloud. I walked forward my hand held outward. A bright blue light emanated from my hand. "vara borta, ridå av skugga, tillbaka till avgrunden!" (She said: Be gone, curtain of shadow, back to the abyss!) Reaching the cloud's threshold I pushed through the vortex. The cold black wind whipped around me but my light drove it away. finally I reached the eye of the storm. Luke lay on his bed a grey web extended in all directions from him. Picking my way over I touched my finger to the web. The blue light seeped into the web as it spread through the darkness like veins. Finally, after the light had consumed all of the web the black cloud fell away and blue, shining, ashes rained down like snow before evaporating. "What... Was that?" Asked Kyle out of breath, after a moment of silence. "I don't know...." I responded, not even trying to cover up how much this concerned me. "How did you get rid of it?" Asked a deep voice, whom I recognized from earlier. He was the one who asked me if I was mortal-- wait a minute... No way... "I Uh... I don't know..." I answered as well as I could. I had no explanation for anyone in the room for what just happened. None that they'd understand anyway. He gave me another doubtful look. I gave a small smile to emphasize my answer and a little shrug. No one could know... It was too dangerous for everyone, including myself. "That was the Shadow of Space..." Said the man with a deep voice to no one in particular, "and the only way I know of defeating it..." He looked at me, "is through an infinity stone or a very very ancient being that's nothing but legend..." Oh good... I'm still only a legend. No one knows it's real. "Do you know about any of this?" Asked the man. "No..." I said apologetically, "I don't even know what an... An 'infinity...... Infinity stone? Is." For the third time he gave me a look that said 'I-don't-belive-you' but he and everyone else left the room save for myself, Luke and Kyle, who was picking up supplies that had been thrown around the room from the wind. Walking over to Luke I grabbed his hand and gently squeezed it, tears welled up in my eyes. I loved him, though I knew the feeling wasn't returned. I didn't care, it wouldn't stop me from saving him if I could. I let go and walked over to Kyle helping him gather bits of bandages, vials and instruments. I was in the middle of cleaning up some medication that had spilt when something cold and sharp pressed against my neck. "Well now..." Said a voice vaguely familiar, "Isn't this a surprise... I would never have guess that you, of all people, would have been the one..." The voice chuckled, "This worked out better than I thought. The only two people that could defeat me are right here in this room. One is frail and weak and the other is asleep..." Who was it... "I would like to say... That was quite an impressive show... Though the light always does seem to have a flair for the dramatic..." Something grabbed my hair and shoved me against the wall. I yelped as fresh pain shot through the wound where my head had hit the concrete. I was now face to face with the last person I expected to see: Joey. His features were twisted and his skin was grey but his eyes gave it away. Where was Kyle? Is Luke alight? Why was Joey here? Who was Joey? What did he want? I needed answers to all of these questions but all that came out was, "What?" Joey laughed, "So eloquent my dear! Your way with words never ceases to amaze." Something caught my attention in the corner of my eye. A cocoon of the grey web with a hand sticking out of it... Kyle... A fire was blazing in my soul. How dare he do this... This was a hospital... We're here to help people... Not gathering them up to be fish in a barrel. This fire cleared my mind, "You can't kill me." I said calmly but I wasn't prepared for his answer... The house crumbled to the ground as the fire claim the last of its foundation. The man watched as the flames lapped against the stone. They were gone... In his heart he knew he was too late to save them... He had put them there so that they would be safe... He turned away from the house, tears in his eyes. The thick smoke stung his eyes and lungs, he thought he would drown in it. How fitting. He thought, no longer fighting back against the fire and smoke. Suddenly, he heard her voice, "Remember the star... Focus on its light... Let it bring you back." The man turned his face toward the sky. There, shining through the smoke and fire was a light blue star. His star. "stjärn flicka..." (He said: star girl) He whispered, collapsing on the ground in tears. He had failed her... Failed them both... And now they were gone forever. He heard a soft lullaby on the wind. The melody soothed his heart but could not fix it. An unnatural weariness came upon him and he fell asleep surrounded by a melody, completely at peace. .......... When he awoke, he was no longer outside where the fire had been. He was in a cold concrete room. It was a dream... He thought relived. He could hear voices in the room. Voices? For the past 300 days all he heard was silence and occasionally the voice of his nurse. Who were they? What had happened before the nightmare? His mind flashed back to his escape attempt. The grey bullet... Her... That bullet was meant for her... He remembered the sniper on the roof, turned the opposite was from him. His eyes were cold and grey. She came running... The man fired... But it hit him instead. He had saved her from the shadow of space. She was alive. "You can't kill me..." His heart froze. It was her voice. His eyes flicked over to the voice. Her slender frame was broken and bleeding and the sniper from before held her against the wall. Rage boiled inside of him. He tried to move but the medicine prevented any movement. He couldn't save her this time... The man leaned in close and said, "No... But I can kill him..." The man turned toward Luke with a vicious grin. "Say goodbye..." He tried desperately to move, to fight back; but to no avail. The medication kept him locked in place. At least he wasn't going to hurt her... Luke closed his eyes, preparing himself for the pain. "NO!" Cried the woman. Luke opened his to see her leap in front of the sniper as he let out the flash of a spell. "stjärn flicka!!!" (Star girl) Yelled Luke. She was suspended in the air in between the two men. The other man didn't seem to care that his plan had failed. He continued to cast the spell. Luke watched as her body let off a blue mist... Her memories. He watched the memories dissipate in the the air. He continued to try and move, but all he could do was watch as the memory of her life vanish into the air. When the spell was complete she dropped to the ground, unconscious. "No..." He breathed. Love burned bright in his eyes. Finally breaking free from the effects of the medication he threw all of his magical energy toward the man who killed his love. It crashed into him, a ball of green light. He could hear the man's cries as the spell devoured him. When the light faded, there was nothing left of the man but ashes... Luke ran to the woman's side. Her frame was twisted, broken I several places and her white hair was stained red. His heart broke. He could never tell her he loved her. Even if she did wake up... She wouldn't remember. He bandaged her the best he could and placed a blanket over her. Grabbing his equipment he whispered to her "I will never forget... Or love again..." He turned and left; tears streaming down his face...

#marvel universe #fanfiction #avengers

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