#shadow and bone should totally hire me

[theriverbeyond]

this is such a random question, but on the subject of theories i was wondering what would have happened if john and the erebos had arrived at the aftermath of canaan house before boe and found the non-lyctor survivors. like would he have just let corona, judith, and camilla go home or get rid of them because they knew too much? is “knowing too much” even a concern for john? for some reason neither option feels totally right to me, but i would love to hear your thoughts!

I honestly think he would let them go home! I think one of John's major flaws is he fundementally both misunderstands and underestimates the people he sees as "his", and I think this does extend into the houses.

I don't think he would see non-Lyctors as any kind of threat, even if he knew that said non-Lyctors had figured out the secret to Lyctorhood. At most I think he would sew their tongues but honestly I think he would take one look at Judith "on life support from catastrophic gut wound" Deuteros, Camilla "catatonic with grief" Hect, Coronabeth "inconsolable because Ianthe age Babs and not her" Tridentarius and be like wow! these kids are having a bad time I should send them home to their parents.

Remember -- if John had arrived at Canaan House before BOE, this is *before* BOE took out 18,000 soldiers with orbital radiation missiles. this is *before* Augustine's betrayal, and Mercymorn's, and *before* the Sixth House defected. The only betrayal John would have felt was Cytherea's, and she failed, and as we see in HtN he mostly pities her.

I do think this could lead to a very interesting AU wherein Camilla is sent home (with the bones in her pocket), Judith is fixed up with proper medical care from the start (and then packed back off to the cohort), and Coronabeth is probably (on request) taken to the Erebos with Ianthe.

I can see this leading to Camilla spending a lot of time trying to free Palamedes' soul while on the Sixth, potentially needing to join the cohort (Alexandrite Cam, anyone?) so she can reconnect with Judith, who despite having several sticks up her ass is the only person Cam feels she can really go to about this (due to them both being the only people left in the Dominicus system who actually know what happened at Canaan House). Maybe Camilla convinces Judith to poke around in the skull bones -- Judith isn't as good as Harrow, but maybe they do bring back some shadow of Palamedes into the bones.

THEN maybe eventually they run into Coronabeth, who perhaps was not allowed all the way to the Mithraeum, but WAS given some sort of very strategic and fancy seat in the cohort so Ianthe can keep tabs on her. A very nepotism hire situation, and despite Ianthe's desire to keep her safe Coronabeth HATES it all because she was once again left behind. When the opportunity to track down Ianthe arises, she takes it.

I see this unfolding over several years post GtN timeline. Perhaps the three of them end up collaborating with other characters along the way that they feel they can trust, some more likely than others -- Mia (Pro's wife) and her children, now grown enough to want more information about their father's death. Ram and Capris Asht, who don't believe that their brother would kill the eighth house heir he had sworn to protect. Kiana can get in here too. maybe the Third house Boy Who Loved Shuttles helps them with a getaway once. Abigail's younger brother, who she named as her heir -- maybe he helps with Palamedes' soul. Jeannemary and Issac's younger siblings. A neo-niner or two -- John renewed the house, and involving a character or three that was ressurected from our modern times would be super interesting and also fill out our merry band. Maybe the neo-niners Remember Things that make Cam connect some dots.

Harrow is still out there, obviously, and in this AU I am imagining Number 7 as NOT speeding up and really taking 5 years to get there, just to even out the time line and allow all that to happen before Number 7 comes and Augustine drowns the Mithraeum.

anyway. events occur, things happen, and intrigue abounds. Alecto awakens, Harrow Remembers, Ianthe doesn't get the girl. Cam is on a warpath. Judith is dragged alongside. Coronabeth isn't going to be left behind again.

what was your question again? this answer has gotten deeply out of hand

#ask #anon #tlt au #idk what happened to this answer anon. something posessed me #im rotating this all now.... #also forgor to add gideon's body to this... #i imagine she was taken and stored along w naberius' body #both put on ice. her incorruptibility isn't noticed bc they put her in the cav freezer. #etc. things happen

[goatsandgangsters]

shadow and bone episode 7: suddenly the kudos emails I’ve been getting from ao3 make a lot of sense

also you know what was NOT on my bingo card for this season? getting CONTENT for my TINY LITTLE RAREPAIR DOMINIKOLAI HEART?? 

previous liveblogs should you require more thoughts yelling flailing etc

……okay one more belated comment on episode 6, because I was so floored by the existence of dominik and the intense homoerotic eye contact that I forgot to process dominik calling young nikolai a “quiet wisp.” dominik. dominik he has undiagnosed adhd. they hired you as a whipping boy because it was the only way they could think to make him sit still or shut up dominik. dominik he merrily chattered your ear off for your entire childhood dominik. he recreationally caused explosions with you dominik.

OKAY! HOLD ON! THAT INTRO! A BODY OF WATER BEING FROZEN AROUND A ROCK??????? HAVE MY DEMON IN THE WOOD PRAYERS BEEN ANSWERED? DID I JUST NEED TO BE PATIENT??????????? are we perhaps going to tie the destruction of Keramzin into his own childhood trauma, thus linking together these two events as a loss of innocence and commentary on the cycles of violence wrought from the desperation Ravka creates? is that too much to hope for?

“The tracker is not to be touched by anyone other than me” oh is THAT why my ao3 email every day has a SIZABLE CHUNK of kudos on my Malarkling fic? I’ve been wondering at that one getting more attention than I expected, I really didn’t think it was gonna have much readership

I really like the costume design for his grisha, the richer gem tones are really nice

I knew I’d have to see it based on the episode title, but oh my godddddd do I really need to see this flashback again? it was in THE FIRST FOUR EPISODES of season 1! every single episode! burn it down aleks I have seen this meadow way too many goddamn times

OH OKAY. MALARKLING TETHER SCENE????????? I understand the kudos emails, I understand the kudos emails. “I knew there was something I liked about you,” he said, like a liar. or maybe he’s not lying, we all saw that electricity in season 1. oh my god. the wheezy fucking laugh of disbelief I just made. “DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOU’RE THE ONE IN CONTROL HERE”???????? I understand why I’m getting so many kudos now on my kinky Malarkling smut, I understand it.

Ben, I think this is more than 10 book lines you squeezed in. anyway, “you have a bad habit of acting the fool and calling it heroic” IS an underrated book line, thank you Ben for your service and your post-it note covered books and your list of favorite quotes

stop calling each other cousin, it’s weird. IF YOU HAVE TO GO BACK LIKE 40 ENTIRE GENERATIONS UNTIL YOU HIT YOUR COMMON ANCESTOR, I DON’T THINK IT ACTUALLY COUNTS AS COUSINS. I THINK MOST PEOPLE ARE RELATED IF YOU GO BACK THAT FAR.

like obviously we know his prime motivation is not wanting alina to have enough power to tear down the fold, but I DO actually like that he’s arguing from the angle of “what’s going to happen to her without you” because. like. yeah. it’s good, it’s that thing he does where even when he’s arguing for his own ends, he’s NOT WRONG about what he’s saying. he’s using something totally true to make his point. he knows exactly what losing someone important will do to a person. let’s revisit those mal luda parallels we were making in season 1 with this new content/context

I really just don’t know why, of all the people on this show, Archie and Ben have more sexual tension than any other pair of characters. none of the canon ships can hold a candle to …. whatever these two are doing anytime they’re on screen together

RETROACTIVE PREFACE TO THIS BULLET POINT: I wrote this whole spiel about Appreciating The Ambiguity Of Nikolai and Alina’s Relationship, only for that to immediately dissolve a scene later, BUT WHATEVER, HERE WERE MY FEELINGS: I’m really pleased by how they’re doing Nikolai and Alina’s relationship this season. I love that the exact nature of their dynamic is sort of open to interpretation with what/if there are Feelings Feelings, but the trust and warmth and genuine friendship between them is still palpable. like, I have A LOT of feelings about these two and I’m in the “queerplatonic soulmate” camp with them, the “love has many forms and sometimes love is stronger if it’s not romantic” camp, but in a very adamant THAT ISN’T LESSER THAN IF I SHIPPED IT ROMANTICALLY way, like I am DEEPLY FEELINGS about them, because I think they see through each other and understand each other intrinsically. they’re both characters who have been given A Role To Play as a figurehead and I think that when they’re together that’s the one space where they can set those roles aside and find comfort with the only one who really understands the weight of Being A Figurehead (and I think too much emphasis on romantic pining would get in the way of allowing them that vulnerability with each other, and I like The Vulnerability Space more than I like Romance). I’ve never Queerplatonically Shipped something this passionately, but god I have feelings in my hEART about them!! and I like that canon sort of…. lets you go shippy if you want to go shippy, and it lets me go Queerplatonic Soulmate because I want to go Queerplatonic Soulmate

I’m Fucking Feelings About This Scene, they’re both so good, THEY CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER SO MUCH EVEN THOUGH THEY’VE ONLY KNOWN EACH OTHER A SHORT WHILE!!!

me, writing an entire paragraph about how I like that the show kept the nikolina relationship ambiguous. dominik, five seconds later: sO THOSE ROMANTIC FEELINGS YOU HAVE. me: god fucking dammit. you two, kiss instead. it’s time to make nikolai lantsov canonically bisexual. the people have waited long enough.

okay well as long as I’m paused to tell you My Many Many Headcanons About The Delicate Ambiguity of Nikolai’s Love Life: despite me yelling KISS, my actual default interpretation of Dominikolai is not childhood sweethearts but that there was either a) pining that never got acted on, and then it was too late, or b) nikolai not even realizing until he’s older and dominik’s long dead that in retrospect, Those Were Feelings, bc I think that’s a very first queer love mood. anyway, I will be choosing to interpret dominik asking after alina as being infused with some jealousy, because poor dominik has been quietly carrying a torch for Years  

DOMINIK IS CLEARLY IN LOVE WITH HIM, LOOK AT THIS EXCHANGE. “a king who won’t shut up.” feelings about it, thank you!! much as I have fun with nikolai’s self-aggrandizing humor, I do love that the self-aggrandizement is covering for his very self-deprecating inner monologue

Mal fixing the thing that’s clanking by retying the rope is SUCH a good quiet character moment, it’s the kind of quiet character moment I love, it’s one of those small little actions with a character alone that tells you so much about them, I LOVE THAT WE’RE TAKING MORE TIME FOR QUIET CHARACTER MOMENTS THIS SEASON, I LOVE THAT DESPITE DOING THREE ENTIRE BOOKS WE’RE GIVING THE STORY MORE BREATHING ROOM

this long shot of mal’s face while hugging nikolai has got me like ;____; ARCHIE IS REALLY GOOD, he’s doing “man heading willingly to the gallows” SO fucking well!!!!!

“then I met you and for the very first time I thought this is the life”? oh, we’re even feeding the malolais this episode (malolai? is that accurate? sounds better than nikmal). crumbs for ALL the multishippers of Ravka!

nikolai’s face like “iiiiiiiii also envy Sturmhond’s life. oh god, mY PATH IS ALSO SET. OH GOD.” you can watch in real-time as Mal’s talking that Nikolai is having a whole-ass realization that he’s actually king now oh god

THE “DESERVE HER” HITTIN REAL HARD NOW THAT I ACTUALLY LIKE MAL. god, I will say, “you can’t win unless you kill your love personally” is one HELL of a fucking trope. that is narratively delicious. that is juicy as fuck. but the question remains: do we actually follow through on this emotional set up? or will it all be a convenient bait and switch? Will We Be Brave Enough To Stick To Our Narrative Stakes?

David is So Fucking Cute

oh don’t stop his heart for two minutes, that’s CHEATING! it’s ALWAYS BEEN CHEATING! if you set up emotional stakes and then TAKE A SHORTCUT AROUND THEM, you are SHORT-CHANGING THE WEIGHT OF YOUR OWN NARRATIVE!

“SO WHAT SHOULD WE AMPUTATE” oh david. you’re iconic.

hm. turning Epilogue Narration into Dialogue. that’s Suspicious. are we….. are we perhaps………. making the brave writing choice?

OHHHHH WE’RE TURNING NIKOLAI’S INNER MONOLOGUE INTO A DRAMATIC ROUSING SPEECH, I’M HAVING FEELINGS ABOUT IT!!!!!!

god there are truly SO MANY book lines in this season, WAY MORE than season 1. it’s making me glad I have as good a memory as I do for Sentences. because I’m constantly like AYYY THAT LINE. AAYY!! THAT LINE!!!! AYYYYYYY THAT LINE!!!!!!

my boy my beautiful boy my beautiful perfect boy, I love him so much

also are we gonna have time to volcrafy him? is that coming soon?

“that your religion would deny you satisfaction” “there is other satisfaction” and on that day pekkathias was born and everyone felt confused about it

“HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED” kjshdfgkjhfdg god Archie’s comedic timing / dark humor is SO good this season

“fOR REAL NOW” how is this scene simultaneously so funny and so Deeply Uncomfortably Emotional

AND THE STAKES ARE RAISED

Dominik helping an injured Nikolai along :3333333

YOU KNOW, WHEN I WOKE UP THIS MORNING, “DOMINIKOLAI CONTENT” WAS NOT SOMETHING I EXPECTED I’D BE EXPERIENCING. DID NOT SEE THAT ONE COMING. I know Nikolai mentioned a Dominik a couple episodes ago but I was like “don’t put your clown shoes on, it’s just a guy with the same name” but for once! for ONCE! the shoes were not clown shoes. and here I thought I was gonna have to use that guy from the WWI period drama Paddy did in order to make a very niche Dominikolai gifset. NOPE, I CAN JUST GIF THE GODDAMN SHOW! insane! this is insane to me!

Vladim having an amplifier tattoo instead of bone is a really cool concept

also cool concepts: 1. expanding the fold to cover your battleground, THAT IS A FUCKING STAKE THAT YOU ARE RAISING, I’m extremely excited about it 2. the nichevo’ya popping up and grabbing the volcra by the throat, I love it. this escalation is exciting as hell.

[Volcra munching] OH I LOVE NETFLIX SUBTITLES. NOT QUITE AS GOOD AS [TENTACLES SQUELCHING WETLY] OR [OMINOUS SYNTH MUSIC] BUT YOU DO LOVE TO SEE IT

that now that was an ENTRANCE Inej!!!

“BIG FAN” I love Nina

“NO NO NO NO NO! NO HEROICS!” have you ever seen a man more in love than Dominik I-didn’t-catch-whatever-last-name-the-show-gave-him?

TAMAR AND NIKOLAI HUG!!!! one of my beefs with the later books is that there’s not enough…. friendship between Nikolai and the twins. BUT THERE SHOULD BE. THEY HAVE A LOT OF HISTORY.

Zhaban siblings Squalling together with each of them having only one good arm is Really Good, and I might have to finally forgive Adrik for the crime of being super annoying in King of Scars

Dominikolai shooting together is Really Good, and I don’t know what crime it’s going to make me forgive, but I’ll find one and assign that as my recompense. lack of Oncat, maybe.

me every single time Dominik does Literally Anything in this fight sequence: no don’t be a hero, you’ve already been doomed by the narrative from the start!!!! I know I’m going to watch you die in Nikolai’s arms, I just don’t know WHEN

has anyone in the history of storytelling ever said “cover me” in a heterosexual way? I Think Not

watching Lewis Tan do stunts is EXACTLY as beautiful as I’ve heard. he really does have a beautiful fluid way of moving

THIS COUNTRY GETS YOU IN THE END BROTHER!!!!! SOLDIERS DID NOT CRY, PRINCES DID NOT WEEP, NIKOLAI KNEW THIS, BUT THE TEARS FELL ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

if you’d allow me to put on my literary analysis hat for a moment, I will say that I do think it’s thematically more important that Dominik was originally killed on the Fjerdan front, because it taught Nikolai the ordinary everyday ongoing horrors of Ravka, and the casual violence and loss of life that everyone is subjected to. It’s important that Dominik represents the “every man” killed in the mud and bleeding in the snow, as so many have. That he was just one more death of many—on a regular day, in a regular war, not even particularly noteworthy except to the one person who cared about him—in an endless and ongoing war that treated the entire country as cannon fodder. if you’d allow me to take off my literary analysis hat for a moment, I will say I CANNOT BELIEVE I GOT A MINI-DOMINIKOLAI ARC ON MY ACTUAL TV SCREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

…………david what ARE you doing DAVID YOU DON’T DIE UNTIL RULE OF WOLVES, DAVID WHAT ARE YOU DOING DAVID DAVID DAVID DAVID DAVID

if you’d allow me to put on my literary analysis hat for a moment, I will say that I do think it’s thematically more important that David was originally killed BY FJERDAN BOMBERS, THUS DEMONSTRATING THE SENSELESS ONGOING VIOLENCE OF RAVKA’S WARS—

I am actually going to give props for the camera lingering on Enemy Inferni dying and the other two being gutted about it. most things don’t usually show The Bad Guys mourning their losses, I am going to give a point for that

okay Jesper taking Sankta Neyar’s advice and using his buttons as bullets is Very Good

alright well Dominik’s dead, time to shift into Kazolai mode

augghhhh Nikolai casting that finally look at where Dominik’s lying as they leave, even though he’s out of frame of the camera

we don’t have a lot of time left in this episode, are we going to follow up on the very Demon in the Wood intro sequence, or have I been BAITED AGAIN. hAVE I BEEN DECEIVED. LIED TO. TRICKED. are we not doing that thing I said about the loss of innocence and the cycles of violence, because like, I had a point with that. they need to listen to me, because I have POINTS about THEMES and how to dO STUFF WITH THEM

The visuals on the firebird light streams is VERY good with the red and the wing-like formations

oh god the silence on the end credits oH GOD

anyway, that was some genuinely incredible extended fight choreography that didn’t skimp on the emotional moments in favor of the action, I had a good time

#episode 7 verdict: I’m Having A Good Time Again #somehow the bulk of this liveblog is me yelling my feelings about a character who appears in the books for all of five pages #grishaverse #shadow and bone #sab liveblog

[njenjemedia]

“shameless Festus Keyamo” was one of those who had once wanted to “run Tinubu out of town” when there was an attempt to impeach him as Lagos governor. I have just read Festus Keyamo’s response to my critique of the APC Manifesto of lies. I’m not surprised that all he could do was yell as usual without examining or practically addressing the content of my article. Unfortunately, he picked on a wrong customer. Let me take a few minutes to educate this young friend of mine who has since become a shadow of his old self since he was offered an appointment, that makes him look so incompetent, by President Muhammadu Buhari. Any self-respecting soul would have since resigned but Festus Keyamo was not at home the day shame came visiting. The Ministry in which he’s a mere figurehead is in total shambles and only a Bola Tinubu would have given the job of a spokesperson to such a certified nuisance. What did Festus say I did wrong? He quoted copiously from an article I wrote about two years ago, which the Tinubu media teams have been using to campaign endlessly, because they have no stronger voice of their own. I’m indeed flattered. There is no doubt that I love Tinubu the Man but I disagree vehemently with Tinubu the Politician. This is not the first time I will say it publicly. Since I now have the opportunity of presenting the bones of my disagreement with Tinubu, courtesy of Festus Keyamo, I will lay them bare. Tinubu has declined in the last few years. I used to see him as a man of his people but no supposed generalissimo would ever abandon his people in the days of trouble and tribulation. None of the people around him could tell him the truth for pecuniary reasons. He knows it himself but he desperately wants to be President of Nigeria, by fire by force, after he has lost most of his formidable foot soldiers, and now relying on outsiders to activate and actualize his lifelong ambition for him, which is his legitimate right. But Nigerians have the right to scrutinise his action plans. When he was Governor, I supported him from the distance while he surrounded himself with some people who pretended to love him. When he was busy distributing land to journalists in Lagos, I refused to collect my papers because I love my freedom, the reason I was able to tell him truth regularly. When he was to be impeached for some infractions, and many of his so-called loyalists were washing off their hands clean, like the Biblical Pontius Pilate, my very dear friend, Tokunbo Afikuyomi, stood by him like the Rock of Gibraltar. But how did he repay Tokunbo who took all the bullets? This shameless Festus Keyamo was one of those who wanted to run Tinubu out of town. Nduka Obaigbena and I had to step in at some point before he could consider Tokunbo for anything. Tokunbo had wanted to be the Governor of Lagos State and Tinubu goaded him on and allowed him to waste his resources. It was when I got Chief Harry Akande to give Tokunbo the ANPP Governorship ticket for Lagos State that Tinubu suddenly realised he had offended his “suicide bomber!”  During his battle to stop Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki from becoming the Senate President, we all saw how the younger politician outsmarted him. I had warned him to leave the gentleman alone because no one should play God, but he went ahead until the gentleman floored him effortlessly. During his egoistic battle against Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, I wrote an article asking him not to try it because their marriage was consummated in heaven. Somehow, he backtracked. In spite of him, Fashola continues to remain relevant in Nigerian politics. Again, when he continued his tradition of “hire-and-fire” and started plotting against Governor Akinwumi Ambode, I buried my love for Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to speak up against the injustice of removing a great technocrat who was doing well in Lagos. The President of Nigeria, the Vice President, the Governors’ Forum and many distinguished Nigerians begged him to no a

vail. He must have his way always. The same personalities are now the people he needs and wants to make him President. Nigeria is looking for a President, with compassion and competence, not an Emperor! Tinubu is a man who loves to bait the Masquerade with a goat but will never release the rope. That’s why he kept losing his best friends like Musiliu Obanikoro, Ambode, Muiz Banire, Opeyemi Bamidele, Rauf Aregbesola, Fuad Oki, Yemi Osinbajo, Adenrele Adeniran-Ogunsanya Babafemi Ojudu, Rahman Owokoniran, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, Aminu Tambuwal, Yakubu Dogara, Nasir El Rufai, Babachir Lawal, Rotimi Akeredolu, Kayode Fayemi, Aro Lambo, Adeseye Ogunlewe, Jimi Agbaje, Ibikunle Amosun, Femi Pedro, Gbenga Daniel, Kofo Akerele Bucknor, Remi Adikwu Bakare, Tunji Abayomi, Tokunbo Ajasin, Mulikat Akande, Chief Dapo Sarumi, Adeniran Ogunsanya Amos Akingba, Bolaji Akinyemi, Mojisola Akinfenwa, John Oyegun, Godwin Obaseki, Yinka Odumakin, Papa Ayo Adebanjo, Papa Abraham Adesanya, Dupe Adelaja, Toyin Fagbayi, Papa Olanihun Ajayi, Babafemi Ojudu, Prince Dipo Eludoyin, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who seems to be aloof to Tinubu’s campaign, and so many others, even if some of them have since reconciled due to political expediency. Tinubu personally decimated the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, after enjoying their massive support when we came back from exile in 1998.  For me, his biggest sin is the fact that he went funereally quiet when APC became a totally hopeless case, just because he’s hoping to inherit Buhari’s structures. Lastly, I hope he would have the energy to make himself available for a rigorous scrutiny of his Manifesto. He wants to renew what actually? He wants to turn Nigeria into another Lagos? Many of those who love him genuinely know that the demystification process has started. They wished he had not subjected himself to this agony and anguish. But they can only say so in hushed whispers. Nigerians deserve better. I have been actively involved in politics. I hope Keyamo does not delude himself that I cannot make my own choices. I certainly have, and done so openly boldly. Atiku Abubakar is my choice. He is not a pretender to the throne. He has pursued his dreams with grace, good comportment, self-discipline and uncommon equanimity. Festus and his gang keep quoting a 2019 article that I wrote. They should go and frame my other writings too. As for that political neophyte called Keyamo, he still has a lot to learn while trying hard to be a lap-dog. He should be reminded that he is still a Minister of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, paid at tax-payer’s expense. He should learn to moderate his undue exuberance.   I could go on ad infinitum but let’s cool temper for now. Chief Dele Momodu  Director of Strategic Communications  ATIKU/OKOWA Presidential Campaign Council.

[welllpthisishappening]

Welllp These Are Books: the April 2021 Edition

I did not read Romeo and Juliet this month. I read a bunch of other books. Like, a bunch. More than one series. Because Big Bang burnout is real and grown adults missing their deadlines is a real good way to stress me out. So, I read a bunch. Good books, very bad books, books that caused limbs to flail. For positive and not-so-positive reasons. Naturally, all those reasons must be shared. Under the cut with occasionally long and rant-prone reviews, as well as spoilers. Beware of spoilers under the cut. Please keep telling me what to read, internet. My library wish list is almost comically long now.

GIVE ME ALL THE WORLD BUILDING AND SNARK AND FIGHTING! WITH MAGIC! AND SWORDS! IT’S MY FAVORITE THING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!

Shades of Magic Series by V.E. Schwab

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

— Picture it, approximately twelve forty-seven am. My husband is asleep. I am reading. The second book in this series ends. And I say, right out loud, at what might now be twelve forty-eight am, HOLY SHIT IT JUST ENDED. Justin thought we were under attack. No man has ever snapped awake quicker. He was not pleased. At least not in the same way that I was about these books. Which I goddamn LOVED. Loved. The world building. The magic. The banter. Rhy and Kell’s relationship. Once more. RHY AND KELL’S RELATIONSHIP. Which I might have cared about more than the romance??? Maybe??? I cannot get over how good this world building was. I know people have quips with it, and that’s fair. I saw the “twist” coming in the first book, and I think trying to preserve that left some plot holes that are understandably frustrating. Because Lilah definitely needed depth perception to fight as well as she did. Also did Schwab really refer to her as a cross dresser in her author’s note? Yikes. She wore a dude’s jacket, like—c’mon V.E. Other than that though. I loved it. Also shout out to @peglegsjones for suggesting this one in my 2020 post and call out to me for taking so long to read it.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone. . . . A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.  A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.   Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

— I’ve talked about how little I cared about anything that happened in Shadow and Bone before, but I kept seeing gifs of the Crows in the Netflix show and my brain was like: huh, I could like them. So, after some help from the very helpful internet, I’m happy to report I do in fact like them. At one point, I slunk into the couch. Like that’s how overcome with emotion I was. Kaz ripped a dude’s eye out! For Inej! Matthias loved Nina’s laugh! I would like to hug Jesper. Seriously, this hit all my high points and world building and banter and I lol’ed at “scheming face.” I would like my hold to come through faster on the sequel.

THEY DID NOT CALL INTERMISSION HALFTIME AND MY COLLEGE EXPERIENCE WAS WAY DIFFERENT THAN THESE KIDS

The Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date. All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn’t take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn’t going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

— The first book in this series was free on Amazon. So, I read it. And really liked it??? It was so chock full of cliches and badly written tropes and Garrett probably should have accepted that Hannah didn’t want to go out at the start, but like—he was cute? And as we all know I am TRASH™ for stories set in the same verse, so, like, I just kept reading these trashy college hockey books. Trashy is a compliment here. God, these kids had so much sex. So much. An incredible amount, really. I once had a guy tell me he was physically attracted to me, but not emotionally attracted to me in college. Like, that was my college experience. The first and second books were the best, I think. I didn’t really like Dean that much.

MAYBE IT WAS BECAUSE HE WAS A RABBI???

The Intimacy Experiement by Rosie Danan

Naomi Grant has built her life around going against the grain. After the sex-positive start-up she cofounded becomes an international sensation, she wants to extend her educational platform to live lecturing. Unfortunately, despite her long list of qualifications, higher ed won't hire her. Ethan Cohen has recently received two honors: LA Mag nominated him as one of the city's hottest bachelors and he became rabbi of his own synagogue. Low on both funds and congregants, the executive board of Ethan's new shul hired him with the hopes that his nontraditional background will attract more millennials to the faith. They've given him three months to turn things around or else they'll close the doors of his synagogue for good. Naomi and Ethan join forces to host a buzzy seminar series on Modern Intimacy, the perfect solution to their problems--until they discover a new one--their growing attraction to each other. They've built the syllabus for love's latest experiment, but neither of them expected they'd be the ones putting it to the test.

— Ok, I know that sounds bad. Again, I’m a creature of predictable habit and this was the sequel to The Roommate, which I absolutely LOVED last year. But where as the relationship in that one was kind of swoony, this one was...I don’t know, really. Everyone was a well-rounded character and the plot was good, but there was this semi-invisible something that made it difficult for me to get fully on board with the whole story. Honestly, it might be because he was a religious figure?? Also, they got together real quick. Like zero to sixty in twenty-six seconds flat.

I KNOW IT’S BAD, IT WAS BAD AND YET—I CANNOT STOP READING IT???

Too Wild to Tame by Tessa Bailey

Sometimes you just can't resist playing with fire . . . By day, Aaron Clarkson suits up, shakes hands, and acts the perfect gentleman. But at night, behind bedroom doors, the tie comes off and the real Aaron comes out to play. Mixing business with pleasure got him fired, so Aaron knows that if he wants to work for the country's most powerful senator, he'll have to keep his eye on the prize. That's easier said than done when he meets the senator's daughter, who's wild, gorgeous, and 100 percent trouble. Grace Pendleton is the black sheep of her conservative family. Yet while Aaron's presence reminds her of a past she'd rather forget, something in his eyes keeps drawing her in. Maybe it's the way his voice turns her molten. Or maybe it's because deep down inside, the ultra-smooth, polished Aaron Clarkson might be more than even Grace can handle . . .

— Last month I read the first book in this series and it was absolutely ridiculous. This one even more so. The Clarksons are still on the road trip (sans one sibling because she fell in love in a week in the first book) and Aaron was, like, not a root’able character? Very Edward Cullen I’M A BAD GUY, BELLA vibes and his relationship with Grace was so strange. Super rushed again, obvs. Meeting in the woods is weird enough. Professing love forty-eight hours later is decidedly unbelievable. Also there was a kidnapping involved? I totally put a hold on the next book in the series.

COME UP WITH DIFFERENT TRAUMA, I DARE YOU! OR NO TRAUMA. WHAT A CONCEPT!!

The Trouble With Hating You by Sajni Patel

Liya Thakkar is a successful biochemical engineer, takeout enthusiast, and happily single woman. The moment she realizes her parents' latest dinner party is a setup with the man they want her to marry, she's out the back door in a flash. Imagine her surprise when the same guy shows up at her office a week later -- the new lawyer hired to save her struggling company. What's not surprising: he's not too thrilled to see her either after that humiliating fiasco.

Jay Shah looks good on paper...and off. Especially if you like that whole gorgeous, charming lawyer-in-a-good-suit thing. He's also infuriating. As their witty office banter turns into late-night chats, Liya starts to think he might be the one man who truly accepts her. But falling for each other means exposing their painful pasts. Will Liya keep running, or will she finally give love a real chance?

— I had such high hopes for this one. Which is on me, I guess. Because I didn’t hate this one, but it was...not great. Maybe I’m just getting old and crotchety but I am BEGGING romance writers to come up with different trauma for their female protagonists. Not every woman has to have been assaulted to rationalize their current personality. Doesn’t have to happen. Like, ok, yes it does happen. Far more than it should. But that’s an entirely different story, and I am so tired of female characters getting absolutely destroyed by their past only to have that be their defining characteristic for so much of the book. Until a nice man they were initially mean to shows up and he’s UNDERSTANDING and he CARES and it’s just, bleh. It’s bleh. Tired and predictable and I’m over it.

IN WHICH I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED AT THE COVER

Much Ado About You by Samantha Young

At thirty-three-years old Evangeline Starling’s life in Chicago is missing that special something. And when she’s passed over for promotion at work, Evie realizes she needs to make a change. Some time away to regain perspective might be just the thing. In a burst of impulsivity, she plans a holiday in a quaint English village. The holiday package comes with a temporary position at Much Ado About Books, the bookstore located beneath her rental apartment. There’s no better dream vacation for the bookish Evie, a life-long Shakespeare lover. Not only is Evie swept up in running the delightful store as soon as she arrives, she’s drawn into the lives, loves and drama of the friendly villagers. Including Roane Robson, the charismatic and sexy farmer who tempts Evie every day with his friendly flirtations. Evie is determined to keep him at bay because a holiday romance can only end in heartbreak, right? But Evie can’t deny their connection and longs to trust in her handsome farmer that their whirlwind romance could turn in to the forever kind of love.

— Ok, so I had had this book on hold for so long that I genuinely forgot about it and forgot who it was written by. Samantha Young wrote that one book that I called the worst book I had ever read. Only I did not realize that when I started reading this one. So, you see how this sets us up for disaster. Because this book was a disaster. Everyone was goddamn annoying. And whiny. Shit, everyone whined. About everything. Also, the actual writing was atrocious. I am not usually one to be like “men can’t write,” but at one point I told both @shireness-says and @optomisticgirl that this book must have been secretly written by a man because no woman writing it would be so obsessed with pointing out where her cellulite was. Like, what??? Also the first sex scene? Oh my God, I laughed. Guffawed. The so-called love interest literally asked: “Are we going to have sex now?” And then they just did. It was so bad. Also there was a dog? Who went everywhere with the so-called love interest. And they just never explained that? I thought it was going to be part of some crushing and depressing backstory. Nah, he was just there.

HOLY SHIT THIS WAS SO DUMB I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS WAS A BOOK! A BOOK MEANT FOR YOUNG ADULTS! WHAT IS YOUNG ADULT???

The Queen’s Secret by Melissa de la Cruz

Lilac's birthright makes her the Queen of Renovia, and a forced marriage made her the Queen of Montrice. But being a ruler does not mean making the rules. For Lilac, taking the throne means giving up the opportunity to be with love of her life, the kingdom's assassin, Caledon Holt. Worse, Cale is forced to leave the castle when a horrific set of magical attacks threatens Lilac's sovereignty. Now Cal eand Lilac will have to battle dark forces separately, even though being together is the only thing that's ever saved them.

— Remember last month when I was like: can’t wait for my hold to come through on this sequel so I know what happens? What an idiot. THIS BOOK WAS SO DUMB I CANNOT BELIEVE IT WAS A BOOK. As always in my rage-induced rants, no apologies for spoilers because seriously do NOT read this, but Lilac (legit, that was her name) married some other dude but just kept fucking Cale??? Like she had a secret door? So he could come in and they could fuck?? I just—oh my God. So, all these things kept happening. Magic and bad stuff and horses were killed. Lilac’s mother was the absolute WORST. Honestly the most worthless character who at one point was like “well, my story is over, guess it’s time to leave,” and then just left?? Forced Lilac into a marriage of alliance and no love and then everything evil was defeated in point two four seconds. It happened so fast I wasn’t even sure it happened. So, then I’m like, ok, how are Lilac and Cale going to end up together? Because this is YA and that’s how it’s supposed to work. Only her being married and that marriage requiring an heir is something of a rather large hurdle. Don’t worry! Remember when Lilac and Cale were fucking? Everyone totally knew. Including the king Lilac is married to. Who is somehow like...ok with this? And tells Cale that Lilac is pregnant. ISN’T THAT WONDERFUL! Sure, because now they can lie and claim its the king’s heir. ONLY IT’S CALE’S KID! AND CALE IS COOL WITH THIS! His entire internal monologue during this is about how he realizes he might not ever be able to tell his kid he’s their father, but he’ll be around and that’s good. Wait, what??? But there’s more! Not only is Lilac having Cale’s kid, but the king she’s married to is in love with one of Cale’s spy associates. So the king and the spy are going to go hang out (and presumably have their own kids) at one castle and Lilac and Cale are going to go to another. Lilac and the king never get divorced or annulled or whatever. Everyone stays as is and married as is and—they all live happily ever after? This was presented as a good ending, I swear. What the shit, guys, seriously.

#book rec #book reccs #fantasy recommendations #rom com recs #laura reads books #i am still waiting for people to respond to my emails #and only vaguely stressed out about it #welllp these are books

[jinmukangwrites]

Whumptober Day 17

Blackmail | Wrongfully Accused

Ao3

-o-o-o-o-

Clark sets the recording device down on the metal table in front of him and is careful to keep his entire being nothing other than professional even though the person handcuffed to the table in front of him is someone he's known for a very, very, long time. 

He honestly can't really grasp quite just what's going on tonight. He didn't plan to come to the Watchtower tonight, let alone lead an investigation involving someone in the super community… normally it was Bruce who handled things like this.

But well… given the situation… Bruce wouldn't be able to touch this one even if he wanted to.

"I just want to let you know that this conversation will be recorded, but any civilian names or personal details will be censored. So feel free to be open and honest. No secrets. Just tell me what happened."

Across from Clark, the man's hands clench ever so slightly, blood staining the fabric of his gloves. A beat passes, the fists loosen, and nothing is said. Clark can practically feel his restlessness. His heart is jumping to be let go. But he can't loosen the cuffs keeping his hands trapped on top of the table. This goes higher than him.

"Dick," Clark tries, "you need to talk to me if you want us to figure this out."

Dick's silent for a moment. Clark can hear his teeth grinding, like he wants to keep silent for longer. Clark keeps his gaze steady on Dick and tries not to focus too hard on the splatters of blood dotting almost every portion of his body. Smeared across his cheek. It's not his blood. 

Dick lets out a short exhale. "I already told the cops... I don't remember what happened. I just… woke up there."

Clark offers a smile. "That's okay. Then how about we talk about some other stuff you didn't tell the cops. Like why you were at the crime scene to begin with?"

Dick pauses. Worries the inside of his cheek. Then sighs as he clenches and unclenches his hands. "It's sorta a… long story."

"We've got time."

"Okay…" Dick breathes after a minute. "Okay… I... It started about a week ago…"

-o-o-o-o-

About two blocks away from Dick's apartment building, there's a grocery store run by a sweet old lady who definitely doesn't belong in Blüdhaven. The thing about her that’s so rare in this city is that she's kind—she gives cheap prices, donates unsold produce before it rots to various homeless shelters, and she never kicks out a single customer no matter how much they smell like drugs or look broke. She lets homeless kids sleep inside the store during the night, as long as they help her open the store in the morning. 

It's a nice grocery stop. Which is why Dick goes to it every other Thursday, the moment he gets his paycheck and pays his bills, to get groceries to last him until the next time he's paid. 

He didn't even realize he was in a pattern. That something about his life was predictable. It was just something he did without having to think about it. 

Every other Thursday was a shopping day. 

And unfortunately, it made him predictable. 

He doesn’t even realize how predictable until he notices a discreet, black car following him about a block away. Bruce always warns against predictability. It makes it easier for people to target you. And of course Dick's had to goof it up this time. 

He tries to keep towards the more crowded streets as he walks home, but the thing about Blüdhaven is that no one is out unless they really need to be. The entire span of road in front of his apartment complex is completely empty. The car pulls up besides him before he can even break into a run.

The side doors of the car swing open, and out walks two men dressed in dark suits and sunglasses. They have a classic american gangster vibe to them, but Dick has the feeling that these men have nothing to do with the gangs. Dick eyes the front of the car where another person sits at the steering wheel, unmoving. 

"Mr Grayson," one man speaks. 

"Look," Dick replies wearily, taking a cautious step back and holding his grand total of three bags of groceries closer to his chest. "I don't know who you people are, but whatever this is, I don't want any trouble."

"Of course not, Mr Grayson," the man replies. Dick watches wearily as the man steps aside from the back side door. "You must understand that we don't want any trouble either."

The gesture is clear. They want Dick to get in the car. He considers making a run for it, but then the man flicks the side of his jacket over, revealing a gun strapped to his hip. 

Dick swallows and approaches reluctantly. Here he is, thinking that the Dick Grayson kidnappings would have ended after he left Bruce and the manor behind. 

So much for that hope. 

The man takes Dick's groceries and shuffles further aside to let him into the car. The other man silently returns to his seat in the back of the car next to Dick, while the man who spoke earlier climbs into the passenger chair. The engine starts without another word. 

"Where are we going?" He asks, his nerves getting the best of him.

But before anyone answers, a hand is wrapped around his face and soon Dick's senses are overwhelmed by a sickening sweet smell. He tries to struggle, but he's easily overpowered, and soon enough, Dick's vision blacks out thanks to the chloroform.

When Dick wakes up, he's tied to a metal folding chair and placed in the center of a dark open space. Probably some sort of wearhouse. It's impossible to know for sure, because it's so dark and his head is spinning from the after effects of the drugs. 

He immediately tugs on the ropes that keep his wrists to his sides. He tries to kick out his legs as well, but nothing works. He's decently restrained. Well… they're definitely knots that he could probably loosen in just a few minutes, but well… he would have to be Nightwing. Dick Grayson? He's just some guy. 

"Well, well, well," says a voice in a very cliche manner. His head spins as he looks up to find who talked, but he manages to catch sight of the person as they walk into the light and stop in front of Dick, their hands folded across their chest. "If it isn't Nightwing."

-o-o-o-o-

"He knew your secret identity?" Clark asks, and he can't help but sound surprised. 

Dick nods, then bites his lip. "His name was Jesse Mullen."

One of the victims, Clark notes with grim realization. "What did he want with you?"

Dick sighs and avoids Clark's eyes. He stares down at the table like it's the only thing he's allowed to look at. "He knew I was Nightwing. He… used that to… God, Clark, it's gonna sound like I had a motive, and I promise I wouldn't-"

"Just tell me what happened, Dick," Clark says softer than what’s probably appropriate. Dick takes a deep breath and curls his fists once again. 

"Okay. He… he wanted me to work with them. Guard their illegal weapon shipments from the cops, clean up trails. He had pictures… proof that Dick Grayson was Nightwing, and he told me if I didn't do what he wanted or go to anyone for help he'd release the pictures and everyone would know who I am… and that Bruce is Batman."

Blackmail. Clark resists pinching the bridge of his nose.

Blackmail. A motive. 

"I couldn't just… I couldn't let our identities be outed, so I agreed," Dick continued, "I helped them. I decided to… treat it as an undercover mission you know? Find a way to take them out from the inside… I- I can give details on the shipments if you want?"

"I think we should talk about what led you to the scene of the crime," Clark offers, which he immediately regrets because Dick instantly shuts closed any doors he had open. 

"I told-"

"That you don't remember anything," Clark confirms. He sighs and gives Dick a level look. Dick looks tense. Upset. Like talking more will cause him physical pain. "Dick… I'm here because Bruce can't be. I need you to be open, and honest with me. Otherwise… Dick we'll be forced to send in someone else. Or J'onn."

Dick's eyes widen. "I know, I know it's just…" Dick pauses. Takes a deep breath. "Okay… okay. Um. So yesterday… Mullen sent me a message…"

-o-o-o-o-

"No shipments tonight, huh?" Dick huffs, dropping his phone down onto the coffee table. "Thank god. Then maybe I can figure out how I'm going to get out of this mess."

He leans back against his sofa, bringing his hands behind his neck so he can stare at the ceiling and think about how screwed he is. He can't even risk talking to anyone about his situation. Dick doesn't know where Mullen has put the photos he showed Dick… nor if anyone else has them. If he got Bruce or the others to help him take down Mullen and all his friends, there's no predicting how safe they'll be when the dust settles. People figuring out Dick's identity is a problem… but Bruce Wayne? People would go insane. 

No, Dick has to keep this to himself and find a way out of this on his own. He tries not to think about how the last time someone used his identity like this to blackmail him was Blockbuster… he tries not to think about how that one ended up. 

He stands up from his couch and looks back to his phone, an idea forming in his head. 

Maybe… while Mullen is busy doing whatever he does when he's not holding Dick's identity over him like a bone on a string, Dick can sneak into his office and find any clues on where his blackmail has spread to. 

Dick grabs his phone and rushes towards the closet where he keeps his Nightwing suit; soon enough Dick's swinging out into the night sky and landing right outside Mullen's office building. He's met here plenty of times in the past week to know exactly what floor and window belonged to Mullen's office. Unfortunately though, he's also been here enough times to know the window is bulletproof so he can't easily break in. He'll have to either go in from the floor or through the roof which, from Dick's current standing, is twelve stories above him. 

Through the front door it is. Or well, sneakily from the front door. He sticks to the shadows rather expertly if he says so himself.

There's a shocking lack of guards in the hallways. Mullen has hired thugs up the wahzoo. Every time Dick's been here in the past week, there's been guards practically in every hallway. In front of every door. 

Now it's just empty. 

Dick continues undeterred though. He's about two stories from Mullen's apartment now, and he can't worry about the lack of thugs when he's so close. 

He opens the door that leads to the next staircase leading another floor up and…

He wakes up. Rough hands grabbing his shoulders and tugging his wrists behind his back to be cuffed. He feels awful. He can't think. It's all he can do to get his feet below him as he's hefted up so he's standing. He blinks his eyes open, and looks at the scene before him with growing confusion. 

Blood. Everywhere. 

"You have the right to remain silent," the cop that had cuffed him snarls. Dick's heart pounds. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law."

-o-o-o-o-

"They took me to the Blüdhaven police department… tried to get me to confess to murder… they wouldn't listen when I said I didn't know what happened. One moment I was going through the halls and the next I'm being arrested… it's a good thing you guys showed up when you did… the detective was about to try and take off my mask." Dick paused to take a breath. "That's it. I swear, Clark, on my parents' graves, I didn't kill anyone. It's all just a huge misunderstanding."

Clark remains silent for a moment, trying to make sense of Dick's story. When the Justice League was notified of Nightwing's arrest… Clark couldn't believe it. They rushed towards the BCPD as quickly as they could to collect him before anything bad happened—seeing as the Justice League is responsible for dealing with its own members when it comes to things like this. Clark thought arresting Dick was as insane as the inmates in Arkham Asylum…

But then the police sent over the files they had on Dick's arrest. But then Bruce told Clark in secret about what Dick had almost succeeded in doing to the Joker. What Bruce suspected what happened to Blockbuster.

Bruce confirmed Dick, in extreme situations, had the potential to be lethal. The documents the police sent simply… confirmed it. 

"Dick, are you sure that's all you remember?" 

Dick nods his head. "I swear. I wouldn't- Clark you don't think I'd actually kill anyone? Would you?"

Five men. Each bludgeoned to death by what appeared to be Dick's escrima sticks. Electric burns littered their bodies. One's throat was sliced open with a wingding. Bruce doesn't want to believe Dick killed anyone, but he's forcing himself to. Clark doesn't think Dick could kill a human, but the evidence is there. 

Clark sighs, dreading the next order of business. He places a small device in the center of the table, right next to the recorder, and steals his nerves. 

"Dick, do you think you can explain this?"

The device hums to life, a blue LED flashes before a holographic screen appears midair, showing the surveillance footage of Jesse Mullen's office, where Nightwing barges in and leaves no one standing. Dick watches the footage with wide eyes, his skin losing more and more color the longer the video goes. As Dick watches, Clark can't help but try and find a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this. Maybe Dick was possessed? Or mind controlled? Or body snatched?

When they initially picked up Dick, J'onn had mentioned Dick not having any influence in his brain, but that couldn't have been anything more than a light reading. Maybe J'onn just needs a more in depth session with Dick's mind to find foulplay… 

Dick's heart wasn't lying when he told Clark his story.

Then again, most Bats know how to trick a super that can hear their heartbeats. 

The video ends with the police barging in to arrest Dick. Dick's eyes remain on the screen until the device flickers off. Then, ever so slowly, Dick's eyes trail towards Clark. 

"That…" Dick starts, his voice sounding rough and small. "It… couldn't have been me. I- I don't remember doing that. I wouldn't do that. Clark, please, you have to believe me."

"We're looking into it, the investigation is still-"

"Investigation?" Dick squeaks. "Is B- is Batman-?"

"Batman is locked out of the case because of his ties to you." Clark sighs when Dick's face pinches. "We're doing the best we can. Looking into every angle. All we ask is that you cooperate."

Dick nods his head, eyes still wide and skin still pale and heartbeat still honest. "I am, I promise, I'm telling the truth."

Honest heartbeat belonging to one of the most honest people he knows. 

Clark finds it in himself to try and offer a smile. He hopes it doesn't come off as tired. "Then, unless you have anything more to say, we can be done with this." Clark picks up the recording device and gives Dick an inviting look. Dick nods slowly, which invites Clark to stop the recording and stand up from his chair. "Just sit tight, someone will be over to take you to a holding cell for the time being. We'll…" Clark pauses, feeling unsure if he should say anything. He takes a deep breath. "We'll figure this out, Dick. If you're telling the truth, then I'll do everything in my power to find what really killed those men."

Hard resolve passes through Dick's face. He inhales and stares right at Clark with a fire in his eyes. "I'm telling the truth."

Clark finds himself nodding. "Then, I'll see you soon, Dick."

Clark turns from the table Dick's still cuffed to and opens the door to the interrogation room. With a single glance back, Clark shuts and locks the door behind him.

Clark will get to the bottom of this. For Dick's sake. And for his own. 

#dick grayson #clark kent #nightiwing #superman #batman comics #dc #dc comics #fic #fanfiction #jin writes #whumptober 2020 #no.17 #blackmail #Wrongfully accused #interrogation #blood tw #kidnapping tw

[iriswc1995]

Ash In Ordina

Chapter Two:  ‘Church’

The camera scanned the invitation, and the glass doors whisked open.  Ash tucked it back in her cloak and stepped inside the Worship Office.  Its vast main hall was nearly empty, supported by several marble pillars adorned with artificial torches, contrasting the square, clinical lighting fixtures illuminating the ceiling.  Her footsteps echoed through the hollow expanse.  She watched the shadows dance beneath the various grotesque furnishings, embellished with colorful trappings and expensive decorations.  She wrinkled her nose. The Redeemed were never doing badly for themselves.

At a desk at the end of the hall were two men wearing typical Rapturist attire who seemed to be waiting for her.  The smaller figure immediately smiled and stood up, moving around to the front of the desk with a posture of welcome.  He had a messy haircut dyed bright pink to match his large eyes.  The second man, a few feet behind him, had a darker complexion and grim countenance, towering over both of them, a large cleaver strapped to his back.  Ash met his cold gaze for a moment before the smaller one greeted her.

“Ah, you must be Ash!  Your appearance is very distinct, in a good way, miss!”

“Thanks.”

“And um, just to double-check, no last name?”

“No.  I’m curious why the Redeemed need to hire a freelancer.”

“Hehe, well…” The man scratched the back of his head before clasping his hands together.  “I doubt it’s going to be the usual sort of work you do… rather, we need you to find someone.  One of our high-ranking members has seemingly gone missing, you see.”

Ash tilted her head, but stayed silent, waiting for more details.  But then the man laughed to himself and spread his arms.

“Sorry sorry, where are my manners!  My name is Alistar Fey, Redeemed, director third-echelon, fifth mind.  And my partner here is…”

The tall man sighed, cracking his neck as he turned his head.  “Andre,” he answered coldly.

Alistar smiled and turned back to Ash.  “Politeness is what keeps the world spinning, I think.  Which is also why this is a strictly above-board, on-record job.”

“Right.  So who’s missing, and why do you need me to find them?”

Silently, Alistar took a small binder from the desk and handed it to her.  Ash’s breath caught momentarily as she opened it.  Real paper?  They’re rich enough for paper after everything they did?  Swallowing her annoyance, she skimmed through the details.  His name was Zachary Kells.  A life-long worshipper, decently wealthy thanks to his job at Skyvault as a researcher and engineer.  But it seemed he’d recently left his job to fully devote himself to the Church.  

“We’ve tried contacting him, of course,” Alistar said, scratching the back of his head.  “But no one has seen or heard from him in nearly a week.  He wasn’t involved in anything shady, to my knowledge, and was largely a homebody.  His residence is on this floor, and we sent someone to check there, but no answer again.  And since he lives in one of the Castles, well…”

Ash closed the binder.  “You need someone who’s good at getting inside places they aren’t supposed to.  And you don’t want the authorities involved, for reasons which I’m sure you won’t tell me.”

Alistar hesitated.  Ash nodded and continued.

“It’s fine.  I’ll find him... for the amount we agreed on.”

“Wonderful!  Then, that should be all for our business here.  Part of me hopes you’ll simply find him at home, but I rather doubt it, unfortunately…”

“Freelancer.”  Andre said, taking a step forward for the first time.  Ash flicked her eyes towards him and stood up straight, hands open at her sides.  He raised an eyebrow and simply folded his arms.

“Watch yourself.  Unsavory types buzz around these neighborhoods like hungry flies.  Zachary is an important man.  I trust you’ll do your best to keep him safe.”

Ash hesitated for a long moment, thoughts swimming beneath the man’s cold gaze.  Does he know something about me…? Finally, Ash simply nodded and turned to exit the office hall.

-----

Dark streets caked in rolling fog, dimly illuminated by fading streetlamps.  One could almost mistake this for outside, if not for the globes of faint light on the ceiling, nearly two-hundred feet above, staring like gray stars.  The housing here, the Castles, were essentially buildings unto themselves, like houses stacked on one another.  Security systems and relatively safe neighborhoods, on top of this, were what created the floors home to the wealthier-than-most but not nearly of the mega-rich status.

Ash walked to a street corner two blocks away from the Worship Office, where she found Cygnus waiting for her, playing a game on his phone.  He brushed his hair out of his eyes as she approached.

“So, is it about what we figured?”

She shrugged.  “No assassinations or whatever.  They're just missing one of their top guys.  I need your help getting into his place.”

Cygnus nodded, and started following behind her.  His face wore the same dark look that Ash figured she had made when she entered the Church.  Neither of them liked doing work like this, and Cygnus had even more reason than most to despise the Worship Unity and everything they did.  Their footsteps echoed along the cracked street.  No one else was milling around this late in the evening.  But then, someone made themselves known.

Harsh voices clamored from a nearby alleyway.  Scattered around the trash-filled crevice like chattering rats were several individuals of varying appearance, though the black, red-trimmed jackets wrapped around each of their waists indicated they were a group.  There were six in total, some tall, some muscular, some squatting on dumpsters, others leaning against the wall.  Almost all of them had some kind of augmentation or another - metal arms, thousand-eyes implants, studded or scaled flesh.  Their weapons were crude, but looked sharp - probably scavenged from the Bone Forest.  They turned to look at the pair as they began to pass, and Ash stopped suddenly as their gazes met.  She recognized their appearance, their vibe, and this scent.  These were Harvesters without a doubt.  Before there could be any pretense of just passing through, the group quickly filed out of the alleyway to block their path, their faces grim yet thrilled.  Ash sighed and turned to Cygnus.

“Go on ahead.  I'll handle this.”

“… you sure?”

She nodded.  Cygnus scanned the group with an analytical look before hesitantly stepping forward, whispering to Ash as he passed.

“Don't get in trouble.”

“I'll do my best.”

He walked past the Harvesters, not meeting any of their sharp looks, and while a couple of them spit in his direction, none of them made a move to attack.  The tallest one, most certainly the leader judging by her demeanor, stepped forward.  Her arms were muscular and heavily scarred, the sleeves of her jacket were ringed with iron spikes, and she wore a mask that covered the top half of her face, adorned with chaotic black and red designs.  Her wild, black-haired ponytail nearly reached her waist.  She leaned into Ash's face and laughed.

“How's it going, killer?  Where ya heading to?  Gonna chop off some more heads with that shitty sword of yours?”

Ash stared back, coldly.  Her stomach was tied in a knot, but she didn't let herself panic.  She knew this type.

“I don't see how that's your business, bitch.”

The group laughed again, and the woman smiled.  Ash knew better than to use honorifics like ‘miss’ around Harvesters.  The leader leaned back, walking around Ash as she replied.

“But it IS my business, motherfucker!  Our group here, we protect these streets from killers like you!”

She stood in front of her again, folding her arms.

“God damn, are you edgy-lookin’ or what?  I would have thought you were some gutless nobody if not for this scent… the scent of blood, so unmistakable… it clings to you like a haze~ and if I had to guess, you can smell it just like us, can’t you…?”

Ash rolled her eyes.

“Maybe.”

“Hahahaha~! So if I had to guess, you’re trying to turn over a new leaf or something?  Blood doesn’t dry that easy, kid.  A muzzled wolf is still a wolf.”

“You’re right,” Ash said, and flicked an inch of her sword from its sheathe.  Its red glow captivated the group for a moment, and several of them brandished their own weapons.  “So get out of my way or see the wolf for yourself.  I’m not better than any of you.  Except in terms of skill.”

Silence filled the street.  Strapped across the lead woman’s back was a massive saw-cleaver that made Ash’s katana look like a knife.  She sniffed a few times, then smirked.  Behind her lips, her teeth had been replaced with sharper ones modeled after a shark’s.  She stepped forward, and offered a hand.

“Name’s Tesla.  Any chance you’d wanna join us…?  We make serious dough off the rich idiots on this floor~”

Ash didn’t take her hand.

“Those days are behind me.  I hunt different prey now.”

She made sure to phrase her words correctly, sweat forming on her clenched palms.  To most gangs, you're either a threat, or nothing to worry about.  To Harvesters, you're either a threat, or a walking pay-out.  And either option makes them liable to kill you.  But mercifully, Tesla shrugged and finally backed out of her personal space.

“Fair enough, I guess… but don't go thinking you're done being a Harvester.  Everyone who's alive has to take from others to keep living.  At least the lives we take are put to good use when we sell off their lungs and heart!

“Save the preaching for the church.”

The other Harvesters laughed and playfully punched Tesla, yelling ‘she got you good!’ as Ash continued down the street, her cloak wandering in the breeze.

#horror cyberpunk writing writersontumblr

[lovelyirony]

Lyric prompt! "With no-one wearing their real face It's a whiteout of emotion And I've only got my brittle bones to break the fall"

Tony Stark was in the nearly-brand-new luxury car that his father Howard was driving. His mother had put in a tape of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker and Tony was nowhere to be found. 

They think he died in the woods due to a substantial amount of blood found soaked into snow, and the fact that it was on a twisty road with no help coming until the following day, and the temperature was well and truly freezing.

It was snowing. Snow covered tracks. 

They technically never found Tony Stark. He was the cause of multiple conspiracy theories, such as: 

1.) He had died earlier and the Starks had been replacing him until it was impossible to. His double’s name was Arno, which was a name that was very unfortunate and also quite ugly.  

2.) Tony Stark, unable to deal with the pressures of his life, had run away and was currently running a coffee shop in Portland. This was substantiated with a picture of a barista with remarkable similarities, and the article got substantial clout on the internet until the barista, named Robert, had said “please take this down all I’m doing is loving my wife and making coffee I can’t handle much more than that.” 

3.) Tony Stark had run away from his life and the strained relationship with his parents (complete with picture analysis), and wanted to live his life in peace and quiet by himself and maybe have a regular existence while also lying low in the shadows and taking care of corporate criminals. 

The last one didn’t gain much traction. But it was the only one that was correct. 

(The last theory is credited to WARMACHINEROX, all caps and no spaces.) 

Tony Stark became Tony Jarvis, and while people say he looks similar to the late Howard Stark, he laughs it off and says that he was raised in upstate New York with cozy sweaters and a loving aunt and uncle who made the best damn hot chocolate in the state. 

People do not question this because outside of New York City, there really is nothing to learn about unless you’re into that sort of thing. And most people who ask are not. 

Tony Jarvis owns his own coffee shop that also doubles as a record/bookshop, because he is nothing if not resourceful. He always seems to have just the record you were looking for, or the right book to gift to a friend in times of trouble. (Whether or not you have known about it.) 

Kids walk down every Friday to treat themselves to a cookie and a book, sitting quietly and smiling as Tony asks them about class and helps out with math homework. He wears nice cardigans and talks to their parents when they’ve arrived. He likes dogs. And he wears scarves when it gets really cold. 

Of course Tony also tracks down corporate criminals and tends to make a right mess of things in a roundabout way, but he will take the occasional Saturday off to go to the farmers’ market and get a fresh bouquet of flowers, fresh-baked bread, and a nice blend of coffees from the shop down the street. 

It’s fun, really. Amusing at its most dangerous. 

They call him Iron Man. Might be because he’s designed a flying suit that he flies around in and his ability to get through systems is amazing, but more amazing is the fact that no one can get through his. 

Well, the only person who could--Colonel Rhodes--says the system is too complicated and it would take years to understand. 

Rhodes goes by Rhodey and is a great friend of Tony Jarvis. He reads to the children who want it on Friday and likes coffee. He also likes beating Tony at his game and ruining his strategies online. 

But he won’t crack the codes needed, and Tony likes that. 

-

Why did Tony become someone else? The answer is simple: he didn’t trust anyone that was in his life save for Edwin and Ana, and perhaps his mother. (But his mother would never leave someone like Howard. Tony’s not sure she even could.) 

There was underground dealings. Hydra agents that were supposed to be dead landing in profitable positions. And the pesky little fact that Tony didn’t like the way that Obadiah Stane handled things and was evasive and weird and he had a strange look about him. 

This doesn’t necessarily make him a villain. 

At least, until Tony found the files that were ordering an assassination hit on his family. 

And then he faked his death. Or his disappearance. Whatever. 

Now he’s wanted by the US government and SHIELD, the former of which is not important because they have the skillset of a toddler. SHIELD is much more important as they tend to hire people who are skilled, which is unfortunate for Tony. 

They hire people like Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow and the woman who gets front row tickets to see Rihanna. She has that type of energy, which Tony knows and is scared of. 

They have Bruce Banner on retainer, the scientist who is so blisteringly smart that Tony thinks if he ever sees him in real life, he’s gonna have to wear sunglasses. 

They also have Falcon. Enough said. 

Steve Rogers isn’t so much a threat because Tony is pretty sure that he could see “look at that!” and his head would turn in that direction, allowing a clean getaway. But Rogers can have the occasional good strategy. (More than occasional.) 

And Winter Soldier. Bucky Barnes. Oh, he’s cute. And dangerous. Mostly cute though. 

-

“He’s gonna kill you,” Rhodey reminds Tony, pushing a new shipment of books onto the shelves. “He’s gonna kill you and you’re gonna let him because when you like someone you think everything about them is cute and good.” 

“If he finds me,” Tony sniffs. “Of all the bookshops in New York, you think he’s gonna walk into this one?” 

As a matter of fact, yes he is. Bucky Barnes is not really the type of guy to have his life together. He knows how to fix a sink and make the pipes work better, and so he gets a discount on his apartment’s rent. 

But he thinks that he’s all-together while conveniently forgetting that he was trained for combat and not to be a human being and it’s not all that smooth, going from being a machine to being human. 

He forgets he has to buy coffee. 

This culminates in him realizing he has no hobbies outside SHIELD and Steve recommends finding a bookshop. 

So he does. 

The man who is running it is nice. He has glasses, a kind smile, and jams his hands into his cardigan. 

(His brain whispers that he’s doing it to not give himself away. 

Bucky ignores this because regular humans do a lot of things that aren’t like his targets. 

He should not have ignored this. Or maybe he still should. Either way.) 

Tony Jarvis is Tony Jarvis. No one else knows that up until about eight years ago, Tony Jarvis did not exist. 

And he’s looking at Bucky Barnes, who has quite the record for successful targets and also has a nice smile, apparently. 

(He’s wondering when the dental work was done. Honestly, he is.) 

“I’m...new to the area,” Bucky says. “And my friend suggested that I find a bookshop and sit down to read. Any recommendations?” 

“What’s your favorite genre?” Tony asks, as if he doesn’t know that it’s science-fiction and also mysteries. (Peggy liked to talk.) 

“I like mysteries. And science-fiction,” Bucky says. 

“Well then, I have some recs for you,” Tony answers, turning. “Let me get them to you. Also, do you like chocolate chip or oatmeal for cookies? They’re complementary for first visits.” 

“You can tell when someone first visits?” Bucky asks. 

“I have a good memory, and I would’ve remembered someone like you,” Tony says. 

(he’s so glad he’s faced away. his face is firetruck red and it’s not because he’s been blasting the heat ever since the temperatures dropped) 

The shop itself is cozy. Bucky gets sucked into a book about a space criminal. He’s never read anything like it, and he loves the way it’s written. 

He buys it and tucks it under his arm as he hears a soft chime from his phone. 

Meeting about the problem. be there asap

Bucky sighs, chewing the oatmeal cookie that he was given. 

He nearly drops it from his mouth. 

“Where do you get these?” he asks Tony. “These are the best things I’ve ever tasted, and oatmeal is my favorite!” 

“I, um, I made them?” Tony says. “I can forward you the recipe next time you stop by, if you’d like.” 

“Nah, that’s okay,” Bucky says. “They’re always better when someone else makes them, in my opinion. If that’s okay.” 

“Makes sense,” Tony says. “Have a good day!” 

Bucky smiles to himself. (Tony Jarvis has a rather nice smile. It’s kind.) 

- 

Meanwhile, Tony is sagged up against the wall. Bucky Barnes is now close. He will come back because Tony cannot make himself be mean to someone like him. 

But he can’t be caught. Not yet. 

Not when he’s planning on a total take-down. 

#lovelyirony writes #bucky barnes #tony stark #winteriron #i actually really love this #inspired by the writing styles of terry pratchett and neil gaiman honestly #listen: tony just wants 2 help people and hold babies #bucky just wants to live his life

[multifandomsoverseas]

My Hero Academia After-grad Headcannons

- 5 years after class 1-A gruduates: Kirishima has a bad run in with an erasure type quirk

- he doesn't lose his quirk, but combat is now an issue

- he becomes a teacher at UA

- 7 years after graduation: due to heart and blood complications, Iida Tensei sadly passes away peacefuly

- Tenya struggles with ingenium after this and tries to go for a teaching post at UA

- he fails

- they hire him as the new principal

- 8 years apres graduation: Kaminari recieves upseting news that the coltage he currently uses his quirk at may soon begin to cause sirius damage to his brain.

- that is the year present mic retires

- and pretty soon there is another loud blonde on the UA staff

- the next year (9 years after grad) shinsou comes to visit Denki at the entrance exams

- he meets a little girl with a quirk labelled villanous

- he remembers everything Aizawa did for him

- When Aizawa's vision starts to fail later that year, he becomes a part-time hero to take over that position

- (they probably adopt that child as well)

- jirou, mina, and aoyama visit every single UA carnival just to make sure nothing ever measures up to there concert

- aoyama becomes the school's go-to on anything to do with presentation

- basically UA's consulting razzle-dazzle

- 10 years after grad: momo helps out recovery girl in her spare time

- recovery girl is still alive and kickin

- dark shadow and tokoyami become one of UA's most frequent night guards for the dorms

- the teachers don't know it, but dark shadow often ends up doing the guarding while tokoyami comforts children who are having nightmares

- his range and control has improved enough that dark shadow could probably do his shopping at this point

- tsu and uraraka often work together at USJ on their days off

- the children are nightmares

- but the two pros are prettu happy with the arrangement

- and they haven't been attacked yet

- 12 years pass since grad: when eri graduates from whateverschool she goes to, she takes over for recovery girl

- for the first week or so, she takes her adoptive father to work with her, even though she is now in complete control of her power

- she just finds him really comforting

- not that she tells aizawa that

- shoji starts running the summer training camps and no one really knows why

- until he reveals that he still gets phantom pains in that one limb

- and he doesnt think that any kid should have to go through being attacked in a safe and comfortable environment

- (and also, sometimes tokoyami comes to the summer camps. He likes spending time with tokoyami. He wont admit it)

- koda often send over packs of birds to the school after a particularily big or threatening fight

- just in case

- the birds often pass by sero

- he SWINGS by occasionally to take the bakusquad to lunch

- no one knows how or why, but todoroki has suddenly become a fan favourite for commentating the sports festival

- class 1-a is really confused

- maybe its because of how blunt he is

- or his tangents about his father

- or even better, when he starts reminiscing on his sports festival day and looks incredibly confused and unbelievably stoic when he starts crying

- hagakure starts running mini training camps at UA

- the point of all her classes is that basically, if you catch her before she attcks you, you get the extra credit

- but sometimes she just sits back and drinks coffee

- because its hilarious how stressed the students always look

- 16 years of pro-heroing under their belt: midoriya's bones really start to protest

- he meet a sweet little girl who has a lion heart, an incredibly nervous nature, and a rather weak quirk called 'wind whispering'

- she is happy to hear that she can be just like her favourite hero

- she goes to shiketsu, but midoriya still finds time to train her from all mights old job

- no one knew that they had ever even spoken, so everyone is surprised when present mic passes his radio station down to jiro

- jiro who was now part time pro hero and part time top radio host in the world

- present mic was NOT jealous

- m***** moved to america

- where he was probably put in jail

- i dont really care about the grape guy

- on a better note!

- this was Amajiki's 5th year as number 3 hero

- guess who his biggest fans were

- yup

- mirio, kirishima, and fat gum (am i spelling that right?)

- they supported him SO HARD

- it was like BOOM! affection

- also, mirio andd amajiki stopped denying there love

- 17 years passed grad: sato can no longer deny his true passion for cooking

- so he works under the lunch robot thing at UA

- and then he takes over it

- and everyone loved his cooking

- 19 years after grad: Ojiro gets minor arthritus in his tail and works a bit at UA so he can stay near eri for healing

- then hee gets a full time job teaching extra credit martial arts classes

- he is the sweetest thing ever

- and the students are still trying to push him and hagakure together

- (because no one can prove that they arent)

- finally

- after 25 as a pro hero

- bakugo's quirk starts to majorly affect his hearing

- turns out it has been since middle school

- he needs to stay close to eri so midoriya offers him a job as a co- teacher in all might's old position

- bakugo accepts

- he brushes midoriya off when he tries to tell him that he would have made all might proud and totally doesnt cry in his room with kiri later that night

- kiri who may or may not have finally proposed

So there u have it. My after grad headcannons. Plz dont judge my ships or antagonize me... its just my idea and is purely 4 fun

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bnha #mha #manga #anime #headcannons #class 1-a #ua high school #bakugo katsuki #kirishima eijirou #ojiro #koji koda #shoji #fumikage tokoyami #dark shadow #jiro #ashido mina #sero hanta #momo yaoyorozu #kaminari denki #shinsou hitoshi #aizawa #present mic #iida #uraraka #tsuyu asui #shoto todoroki #midoriya izuku #eri

[mystifyingorbit]

On Mystical Roes

Here’s Something I wrote as a gift for @chuuattckmyhrt. Here’s to hoping you all enjoy this piece.

(To Autumn. Again, thank you for everything)

“... and as we all surrounded where the deer is supposed to be, suddenly, it wasn’t there, as if it disappeared into thin air”. This statement is followed by a groan from the bystanders, another plan failed.

Haseul sat alone in the corner of the pub, sighing at the third drunken fool’s story of this week. Every day, there is always this one guy or group that brags about having gone into the forest to catch a deer, yet no one has succeeded and people have tried for years. It’s getting ridiculous really, though Haseul would like to change that.

Why all this fuss over a single deer? Well, the deer is said to be magical. Some say it is able to appear and disappear from thin air. Others say it’s smarter than humans, able to evade traps and trick humans into falling for their own traps. The only thing that is similar between every story is that it was a deer, quite small for one, and it was very much vibrant pink.

There’s a legend about the forest next to the town,  the enchanted woods. It is said that the forest is magical, having been blessed by a powerful wizard years gone, and that to be able to access it’s magic, one has to kill off its guardians. On the town wall, the head of two of the mighty guardians. Yet there was a third missing.

Haseul could care less about the legend, yet the town has put a price on the deer's head, one that could very much sustain her and her mother for life. So she traveled from where she lived a few towns down the road, in hopes of being able to understand. She can’t deny that the magic she felt from the forest intrigued her. It was different from the source of her own. While her magic feels more like a spark of energy, the magic of the forest is calming, almost soothing, yet also hiding a hidden edge to it, ready to defend itself.

---

It was early on a Saturday morning, and on any other Saturday Haseul would still be fast asleep in her bed. Yet, today she’s entering the forest, with only a backpack and her staff in hand. As Haseul enters the forest, she follows the path. While the drunken stories are often exaggerated, she’s listened to enough to glean a spec of information, enough to start her off.

The deer always wanders around the forest, scampering around. Yet while the deer’s tracks have been spotted basically everywhere around the forest, the most common places to find it is at the lake in the centre of the forest, or the glade a few miles deeper in from the lake.

While Haseul travels through the forest, she notices how the ambient magic in the forest almost flows through her, calming her. It was enough for her to take her time to relax while heading to the lake, to enjoy the fresh air and verdant green leaves, away from the hustle of the town. If even a witch like her is able to be influenced by the forest’s magic, she could understand why some of the people were never even able to spot the deer.

---

As Haseul arrives at the lake, she spots a splotch of pink in the corner of her eye. As Haseul turns to look at it, she spots the deer in all its magnificent beauty. Silky pink coat and black eyes that stare into her soul, she can sense the magic flowing through it, calming like the forests. The deer immediately flees around the corner, though Haseul doesn’t bother running after it, especially with how tired she was from the long trek, noticing how its magic has just disappeared from sight.

Haseul decides to stay at the lake for a while, enjoying the view and taking a break, sitting by the waterside.

If only she knew that something, or someone, was watching her, curious about this young girl who braved the mystical forest.

---

Haseul sighed, looking up at the sky. The sun has risen quite a bit, though it wasn’t noon yet, so she still had a lot of time. She reluctantly stood up from her spot, having enjoyed just relaxing and enjoying the view. As she started to head in the direction where she last saw the deer, she noticed sets of footprints. What was unusual wasn’t the deer footprints, but the human footprints near it, almost smaller than her own. Curious, she decides to follow it, wondering what a young human was doing barefoot in the middle of the enchanted forest.

As she followed the footsteps, she noticed it was headed into the deeper, darker parts of the forest, one that no one from town has ever stepped foot in. It was both harrowingly beautiful, both horrid and enchanting at the same time. The dark trees cast a shadow upon both the ground and her feelings, yet the forest’s magic is almost magnified as if beckoning her forward.

Ignoring her natural instincts to run, Haseul decides to satisfy her curiosity and continue further off the beaten path, into the unknown.

She decides to push through, deeper in, the magic still beckoning her forward. She wonders if she will ever reach the end, or if the magic is just fooling her and luring her into a trap, stuck in the forest for eternity.

As she considers this frightening thought, the forest itself starts to brighten up and the path the forest shaped starts to widen. In front of her, What she sees surprises her. Of the things she expected to see, a graveyard of bones, a dark swamp, an abandoned wizard spire, this was probably not even on the list. In front of her, a quaint cottage, smoke rising up from a chimney positioned on top of its red-bricked roof.

As she continues forward, wondering many questions. The most obvious one being why on earth is there a house in the forest and why it was never discovered, never mind how the smoke from the cottage should be seen from town. (Her only explanation? Magic)

It really is a pleasant looking house, what with a flower garden in front of the cottage, the bright pink of the Calla lilies contrasting the relaxing green of the orchids, and the azure shine of the bluebells, an aspiring melody of colours.

As she approaches the door, she smells the sweet smell of baking pastry and the smell of soup causes her stomach to growl. She didn’t have much for breakfast and it’s been a long day, but she doesn’t want to impose. Yet she’s here, in front of a house in the forest, the smell of food inviting and relaxing. However, she has a task to do, so she starts walking away, though she considers knocking on the door to inquire about the deer. (The smell of food had nothing to do with the temptation, totally.)

As she turned around and was about to leave, she heard the door behind her opening, before a melodious voice sounded behind her. “Oh.. Hi, it’s been a while since I’ve had a visitor.”

Haseul turned around, only to freeze at the sight in front of her. At the door stood a girl about her age with an inviting smile on her face, her eyes familiar to Haseul, as if she’s seen them before.

The girl stood blushing at Haseul’s stare, “Uhh. Ms?”

Haseul immediately snapped out of it and looked down, flustered at the realization of how long she was staring at the girl in front of her. There’s just something about her that draws her in, almost like magic. “Sorry… I was just distracted by how pretty you were.” before immediately clamping a hand over her mouth, in disbelief that she said that.

The girl in front of her giggled, cheeks red as well. “Well, come in. It’s been a while since I’ve had visitors.”

Haseul nods, entering the house.

The inside of the house is even more beautiful than she expected, with fairie lights lighting up the entire house (that only confirms that the girl is a magic user). The girl invites Haseul to sit down on a sofa in the living room, as she goes to brew a pot of tea. Haseul notices that there were a distinct lack of paintings, none of her family, and she wonders who this girl really is.

Haseul was so observed with her surroundings that she didn’t notice the girl return until she placed some of the sweetest smelling tea she's ever had in front of her. “It’s lily infused tea, it’s really nice and calming, trust me.”

Normally, when strangers offer her drinks, Haseul knows to be wary. Yet strangers have never been this beautiful, nor have they been found in an isolated cottage in the middle of the enchanted woods.

Haseul takes a sip of tea… and true to her words, it immediately relaxes her. She suspects a bit of magic but at this point she doesn’t really care about that.

“So.. May I know the name of thy who sits in front of me?.” the girl asks, brimming with curiosity.

“It’s Haseul… Travelling Adventurer and Witch for hire.” Haseul can only say shyly.

“Haseul..” the girl says, almost as if testing how the word feels on her tongue, “Such a pretty name. Fitting for a pretty girl like you.”

As Haseul’s cheeks flame even more, the girl in front of her just laughs at Haseul’s embarrassment before continuing, familiar eyes looking into her own. “Hi Haseul, it’s nice to meet you. My name’s Vivi.”

---

As the two had lunch, (Haseul couldn’t resist a promise of food that isn’t dry bread, and oh wow it is really delicious.), Haseul finally brings up one of the questions she’s been wondering. “How long have you lived alone in the middle of the forest?” Vivi just answers cryptically, “Quite a long time.”

Haseul tilts her head, “Does it get lonely?”

Unbeknownst to Haseul, the girl in front of her has to hold in a squeal seeing Haseul like this. “It does, though I find the silence quite nice… I’m glad I got a visitor though, and I’m even happier that it’s you.”

---

After Lunch, Haseul decides to bring up the reason she was here in the first place.

When she mentioned the rumours of the pink deer, and how she was tasked to catch it, Vivi’s mood went sour, angry almost.

Haseul knew that Vivi knew something about the deer, yet she sighs as she was asked to leave the house without the answers she was looking for. As the door closed behind her, she wished Vivi the best, happy to have gotten to know the girl, even if for such a short amount of time, yet sad that it ended in such a sour note for unknown reasons.

---

The next day, Haseul resumed her search for the elusive deer, yet she can’t help but be distracted. She pushes all the thoughts of Vivi to the back of her head as she enters deeper into the forest, to the other spot where the deer has often been spotted.

As she walks into the darkness, she doesn’t notice familiar eyes following her, feeling slightly guilty from what happened the day before.

As Haseul continues forward, deeper into the forest, she doesn’t notice how far she’s strayed away from her intended path.

She hears a rustling sound behind her, and as she turns around she notices a bear behind her. In most scenarios she would cast a spell, but she can’t seem to cast any spells right now. ( Looking back, she’d later realize that it was the forest protecting its own inhabitants, the magic inhibiting her own).

As she starts to run away, she doesn’t notice the log in front of her and trips to the ground, staff falling some ways away.

As she slowly turned around, still injured and blacking out, the last thing she remembered was a splotch of pink chasing away the bear, before darkness encompasses her entire being.

---

Haseul groans, waking up with a splitting headache. As she opens her eyes, she notices she’s not in her own room, though there’s something familiar about it. Her eyes widened, suddenly remembering what happened before she fainted, and she attempted to sit up to look for her things, which she immediately regretted.

She immediately laid back down, groaning in pain and closing her eyes. Suddenly, the door of the room opened, and the smell of delicious soup wafts in the room. Haseul turned to look at whoever saved her, and there she was, Vivi, holding a tray with a bowl of soup.

“Oh, Thank God.. You’re awake.” Vivi said, immediately putting the tray down and rushing to Haseul’s side.

“Where?” Haseul sounded out, trying to inquire where her things were, but her body refused to cooperate.

Thankfully, Vivi understood what the sick girl was trying to say. “Don’t worry, all your belongings are safe, including your staff.” she says reassuringly, caressing Haseul’s hair.

At that confirmation, Haseul’s eyes start to droop, and the last thing she remembered was Vivi’s soothing voice saying that she’ll be there when Haseul wakes up.

---

Like Vivi promised, she was sitting right next to her when Haseul woke up, already feeling much better.

As soon as Vivi noticed she was awake, she took the bowl of soup and a spoon. “Sit up please, you need to eat.”

Haseul does so, noticing her head doesn’t hurt as much as it should. As she moves to take the bowl and spoon, Vivi just smacks her hand away, before bringing up a spoonful of soup to her mouth.

Haseul expected it to taste amazing, but she didn’t think it was going to be this amazing. Then again, it might also be because of the pretty girl feeding her.

After a few moments of content silence, Vivi continuing to feed Haseul, she finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry for losing my temper yesterday…”

Haseul just smiles at her caretaker, “It’s fine.. While I’m not sure I understand why you got mad, I’ll see if I can avoid doing it again.”

Vivi sighs. “It’s just.. I don’t like it when people harm animals, since I’m quite tuned to the feelings of those here.”

Haseul nods, assuming as much. “So.. let’s not talk about that then. I have to thank you for saving me though.”

VIvi only hums, “It’s nothing. You should be more careful when travelling through the woods though, especially in that area. Nothing good comes out of the darkin parts of the forest.”

Haseul adopts a teasing smile, turning to face the girl directly. “Well, I wouldn’t say that. Didn’t you come from there after all?”

Vivi blushes, smacking Haseul’s arm playfully. “No, actually. I appreciate the sentiment though.”

As they enter another comfortable silence, Haseul can only think that maybe it wasn’t worth it to go hunting for the deer, if she could spend more time with the girl in front of her.

---

When she first entered Vivi’s house, she never thought she would make it basically her second home for the next few months.

She can’t help it, but every time she went into the forest in search for the deer, she ends up paying Vivi a visit. Sometimes she goes to visit Vivi directly and ignores even looking for the deer, especially because she hasn't been successful in her attempts to catch the deer.

Not long after, she received a message that her mother has passed, and a message from her late mother to enjoy life and not worry about money too much.

That day, she entered the forest, sat down by the lake and just cried.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar presence sit beside her, placing their arms around her, so she just cried into Vivi's arms. Her presence alone enough to calm the crying girl down, as the wind softly blew around them.

Even once she stopped crying, she stayed in Vivi's arms… It felt right, like it was meant for her, it felt like home.

---

It was early morning, not a month after, when she heard a cheer from the villagers outside the bar she was staying at. As she exits into the streets, she sees a miserable sight.

There, on a magical leash being dragged behind two men, the elusive pink deer. Oh what would Vivi think of this.

As she sees the deer being thrown into a cage, it seems to be looking pleadingly at her. Those eyes… She’s seen them only once before on the body of the deer, but she’s seen it many times after, on the girl she’s grown to love. She understands now, Vivi’s hesitation and anger when she mentioned hunting the deer, the encounter with the bear and how Vivi saved her, why her magic is entwined with those of the forest.

She can’t just stand by and watch as her love gets executed, as this innocent girl dies at the hands of greedy men, tainted.

So when nobody's looking, she sneaks next to the cage and casts an unlocking spell, before whispering. "Vivi. Leave.. I'll see you later.." As the deer pops out of existence, Haseul tries to slink away.

In an ideal world, Haseul would be home free, and would be able to visit Vivi again in the forest. In that world, she'd live a content life with the girl she loves, as guardians of the forest.

However this isn't an ideal world. She wasn't so lucky. The mercenaries who caught the deer spotted her, and immediately went and grabbed her. If they can't get their prize, then this girl should suffice as payment.

Haseul gets thrown into the cage she just opened seconds ago, and awaits her fate. She sighs and closes her eyes, but in her heart she knew that it was the right thing to do, that her sacrifice is worth Vivi living and surviving, even if what awaits Haseul may be worse than death.

Haseul closes her eyes, and sits in the corner as the villagers jeer at her. However, Haseul can only smile, because Vivi is safe, and that's what is important.

She falls asleep, fearful at what is going to happen to her, but with a satisfaction in her heart. The only regret she has is that she never got to keep her promise to talk later, nor could she say goodbye.

---

When she awakes, she was prepared for her fate. As she goes to sit up on her soft.. Bed? Haseul's eyes immediately snap open, before her tears started flowing in relief. She was safe, in the same room she woke up in on their second encounter, and not in the wretched cage. She immediately got up and opened the door. There, in the kitchen facing away from her, her love, safe and sound.

Haseul hugs the doe eyed girl from behind (oh how it all made sense), who jumped in shock before relaxing into her arms. “Thank you.”

Vivi just smiles and hums, “You saved me… I was just repaying the favour.”

Haseul laughs, before leaning her head on the girl’s shoulder. “So… what are we now?”

Vivi turns her head to kiss Haseul’s cheek. “Anything you want us to be.”

Haseul smiles. While she may no longer be welcome in that town, she has succeeded in capturing the deer. Well, it is more that the deer has successfully captured her, and Haseul wouldn’t have it any other way.

#loona #haseul #vivi #giftfic #chuuattckmyhrt #Loona Imagines

[lvllns]

rare is this love

open hand or closed fist would be fine | zevran arainai X isseya mahariel. chapter 1 of 20 (complete). ~2.5k words, ~102k words total.

so because i didn’t post chapters here as i wrote them, i’m going to post them to this blog now sporadically as i remember because i really do want this on my blog. it’s......i’m very proud of it.

[read on ao3 instead]

—

“You are too trusting da’len. The world will not be kind to you and you should not be so eager to help everyone who needs it.”

Ashalle’s words play on a loop in Isseya’s head as she looses arrows at bandits and curses her mother for being right. Again. Despite the warnings, she never did learn and she doubts she ever will. That just isn’t her.

Another elf materializes out of the shadows, twin daggers in his hands and she quickly spins around to catch his attempted blow with the wood of her bow. A twist of her weapon, simple and sharp, curls his wrist the wrong way and he darts back to avoid dropping his blade. Her free hand reaches down, draws her own dagger, and she barely ducks out of the way when he slashes at her.

He is fast. Faster than her. Quick and agile with keen eyes that have already figured out her horrible tendency to step back and away instead of forward. He crowds her, changes his strategy from long, sweeping slashes to short, staccato thrusts that poke at her armor.

“Oh you are good,” she grits out, jaw clenching.

He winks at her, the bastard, and she barely resists sticking her tongue out. Really, she thinks the only reason she doesn’t is because he just...disappears. Melts into the shadows and she takes the reprieve to shoulder her bow, draw the Warden longsword from her hip and try to catch a bit of her breath.

She scans the battlefield. Finds it littered with bodies and arrows and Alistair renders one of the last men standing headless with an easy swing of his arm.

An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of her stomach. “Where did you go?” She mumbles, eyes flicking from high point to high point and —  there. She catches sight of him, a mere ripple in the shadows beneath a tree, and when he charges, she is ready.

Isseya catches him in the temple with the pommel of her longsword and there’s a brief moment of something that flashes across his face before he crumples to the ground in a heap. Unconscious. His dagger manages to catch her in the side as he goes down, right above her hip bone and her face scrunches up. Wynne is going to have something to say about that back at camp but for now, she sheaths her blades.

“Alright?” She yells.

“Alive,” Leliana chirps back happily, her own bow held loosely in her hands.

Alistair grunts as he walks over. “What in the Maker’s name was that?” His eyes catch on the blood dripping from her side. “We need to get you back to camp.”

Isseya shrugs. Reaches down and covers the wound with her hand. “It will keep, I’m more curious about trying to figure out who sent him,” she jerks her chin in the direction of the man curled up on the ground.

“He isn’t dead?” Alistair blinks. Looks from the other elf to Isseya and back again, head tilting.

“If I wanted him dead, he’d be dead.”

The warrior hums, hand resting on the handle of his sword. Leliana bends down and scoops up the daggers that were dropped and moves them out of reach.

Isseya lifts her foot and nudges the back of the man’s thigh. When she gets no response, she moves higher and pushes hard enough that he rolls onto his back with a pained groan.

“See?” She grins up at Alistair. “Perfectly fine.”

“I humbly beg to differ,” he reaches up and scrubs a hand over his face. “Maker but you hit hard,” he touches at his temple and winces.

There’s a small puddle of blood under him and his skin is split where she caught his head. Really, he’s pretty bloody and if his expression is anything to go by, he’s in quite a bit of pain.

Isseya moves to rummage through her pack and pulls out an elfroot potion. Cracks it open as she kneels next to him. He looks at her warily, amber eyes bright, and she sighs.

“Elfroot, I promise,” she says.

His brows furrow, like he doesn’t understand why she’s doing this and honestly, she doesn’t either. She may not enjoy the suffering of others but he did try to kill her so really, him bleeding while she questions him shouldn’t matter that much.

But it does.

For some reason.

Isseya wiggles the flask back and forth until he reaches up and takes it slowly. His eyes never leave her face as he knocks it back. His nose wrinkles. She stands up and stretches until her back cracks.

“Was that truly necessary?” Alistair grumbles from behind her.

She shrugs. Looks down and catches the eyes of the other man who is looking at her so curiously. “I have questions, they’re most easily answered with him alive,” a look over her shoulder and Alistair snorts.

“Questions, hm?” The elf rolls onto his side with a gasp and takes a deep breath. “Let me save you some time and get right to the point,” with a grunt he pushes himself into a sitting position, legs out in front of him and palms on his thighs. “My name is Zevran, Zev to my friends,” he winks at her again and Isseya rolls her eyes even as the corners of her mouth twitch. “I am a member of the Antivan Crows, brought here for the sole purpose of slaying any remaining Grey Wardens,” his eyes move from her to Alistair and back again. “Which I have failed at, quite obviously.”

“I find myself rather glad you failed,” Isseya says, voice dry and flat.

Zevran laughs. “Were I in your shoes, I would be quite glad as well. For myself, however, it sets a rather poor precedent, no?” He tips his head back to meet her gaze. “Getting captured by your target seems a tad detrimental to one’s budding assassin career.”

She points at him, eyes wide. “I thought I recognized that one move with your daggers!”

“I — What?”

“You’re just sorely unlucky,” now it’s her turn to grin and wink at him. “I have assassin training.”

She watches as his head tilts, his eyes dropping to her face and he must be tracing her vallaslin.

“Interesting,” he says.

“What are the Crows?” She folds her arms over her chest.

“Oh, I can tell you that,” Leliana speaks up. “They are an order of assassins out of Antiva. Extremely powerful and well known for getting the job done, so to speak. They are pricey,” she turns to Isseya, brows furrowing. “Someone spared no expense to hire this man.”

“I am wounded that you have not heard of the Crows down here,” Isseya drags her gaze back to Zevran only to find him reclining on one elbow while his other hand presses against his chest like he’s terribly affronted. “We are rather infamous back in Antiva.”

Isseya cocks a brow. “Famous for being sub-par assassins?”

He laughs. Zevran actually throws his head back and laughs. “Is this how you Fereldans treat your prisoners? So cruel,” he grins wide, all sharp teeth and something a little bit dangerous.

She grins back, flashes her own canines, and moves to place her hands on her hips. “Who hired you?”

He snorts. “A rather taciturn fellow in the capital. Loghain, I believe his name was.”

“Elgar’nan’s balls, of course,” she rakes a hand through her hair, swearing under her breath as she starts to pace back and forth.

“You were expecting an assassination attempt?”

“Expecting is maybe the wrong word, I guess I’m not surprised. He seems the sort, especially after we let those men in Lothering go,” she groans. Fists her hands in her hair for a moment before sighing and dropping her eyes to the ground. “Fucking Mythal’s tits, why did I send them back with a message for Loghain? The next time I want to annoy a  shem in power someone knock some sense into me.”

“Does this mean you’re loyal to Loghain then?” Alistair speaks up, the leather of his glove creaks as his grip on his sword tightens.

Zevran’s eyes drop to his hand before he looks up. “I have no idea what his issues are with the two of you. The usual, I imagine. You threaten his power, yes?” He shrugs. “Beyond that, no, I am not loyal to him. I was contracted for a service, which he paid for.”

Alistair bristles and Isseya reaches out to lay a hand on his arm before she turns to Zevran. “What now then?”

“Well, that is between Loghain and the Crows,” with a shrug, he sighs. “And myself and the Crows, I suppose.”

“And between you and me?”

“That is what we are establishing now, no?” He quirks a brow. “I wasn’t to see him again. Had I been successful, I would have returned home and the Crows would have informed Loghain of the results. In the event of a failure, I would be dead,” he locks eyes with her. “Or, well, I should be dead as far as the Crows are concerned,” a blinding smile now, though it doesn’t reach his eyes. “What can I say? I am an eternal optimist.”

Isseya pinches the bridge of her nose and takes a good look at the man in front of her. He looks better at least, the bleeding has stopped and the split skin over his temple is healed over without even a mark. Her own wound bleeds sluggishly but she continues to ignore it. Wynne can lecture her about it later if she must.

“So did Loghain pay you then?”

Zevran shakes his head. “No, I was not paid. The Crows were, and rather handsomely from what I understand,” he frowns. “Which...makes me about as poor as a Chantry mouse come to think of it. Being an Antivan Crow isn’t for the ambitious, to be perfectly honest.”

“I feel like I’m hallucinating,” Alistair snaps as he rubs his fingers over the knot between his brows. “You were contracted to kill us but you weren’t paid, at all, but you did it anyway? Why even be a Crow if you don’t get paid?”

“Well, aside from my impressive lack of ambition, I was not given much of a choice,” Zevran’s voice takes a hard edge even as he tries to keep it light. Isseya’s brows knit together. “The Crows bought me young. I was a bargain, or so I’m led to believe,” she opens her mouth to speak but he keeps talking. “Do not let my sad story influence you, the Crows are not so bad. They do keep you well supplied with wine, women, men,” he winks at Alistair, who blushes and looks away. “Whatever you happen to fancy, really. Although the severance package is horrible. I would strongly recommend thinking twice about joining.”

Isseya snorts. “Thanks ever so much, I’ll take that into consideration.”

“You seem sharp, I’m sure you have other options.”

“I wonder if the Grey Wardens will take me.”

Zevran barks out a laugh as she grins. He inhales sharply, wincing when he twists a little and reaches up to press his hand against his side. Isseya pulls another elfroot potion from her belt and hands it to him. He swallows. Looks from her hand to her face a few times before unsteadily reaching out to take the flask from her.

Alistair makes an annoyed sound from somewhere to her left. Leliana simply clears her throat delicately and when Isseya glances her way, the Chantry sister smiles like she knows something Isseya doesn’t. Her cheeks heat and she twists back in time to watch Zevran chuck the glass off to the side.

“Why tell me all of this?” She sucks her bottom lip between her teeth and begins to chew on it.

“I was not paid for my silence,” his eyes narrow briefly before he shrugs. “And anyway, why not? Loyalty is an interesting concept.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, here’s the thing,” he crosses his legs and leans back. “I failed to kill you so my life is forfeit. If you don’t kill me, the Crows will. However, I find that I am rather fond of living and you are obviously the type to give the Crows pause so let me serve you instead.”

Isseya blanches, ears pulling back against her skull. “I don’t want — Creators, I don’t want you to serve me at all!”

“Oh?”

“If you come with us, you’ll be on equal footing.”

He blinks at her a few times. “That is — Well.”

“Wait, wait,” Alistair steps in, hand on Isseya’s shoulder as he glares down at Zevran. “What’s to stop you from just finishing the job later?”

“Honestly, I was not given a choice about joining the Crows. I was...purchased from the slave market as a child,” Zevran shrugs. “I think I have paid my worth back to them, plus tenfold. The only way out, that I can see, is to join up with someone they cannot touch. Besides, even if I were to kill you now, the Crows might just kill me on principle for failing the first time. I would rather take my chances with you.”

Isseya swallows hard. Closes her eyes and exhales slowly.

“Isseya,” Leliana speaks up. “We are not going to kill him, are we?”

She looks over at the other archer, shoulders slumping before she turns back to Zevran. “Will they come after you?”

“Probably, eventually. But I know their ways and I can protect myself, despite evidence to the contrary. I would say I could protect you as well but, I doubt you need my help.”

“I can offer you a share of whatever coin we come across as well,” she smiles and he snorts.

“Does this mean I am coming with you?”

“Yeah,” she huffs a breath through her nose. “Looks like you are.”

“You do not want to hear about all the...skills, I possess?” He wiggles his eyebrows and she laughs. “They are numerous, I assure you.”

“You cannot be serious,” there’s a clang as Alistair’s shield falls to the ground. He throws his hands up. “Taking the assassin with us? Does that really seem like a good idea?”

Isseya shrugs. “Don’t worry about it, the more the merrier right? We do need all the help we can get, and maybe now Morrigan won’t only pick on you.”

He rolls his eyes. “Alright, fine, but if there was ever a sign we’re desperate, I think it just knocked on the door.”

She shrugs. Reaches down and offers her hand to the man still on the ground in front of her. He takes it, grip solid and strong, and they get him to his feet. He’s still a little unsteady and he sways for a moment before shaking his head.

“I hereby pledge my oath of loyalty to you, until such a time as you choose to release me from it. I am your man, without reservation. This I swear,” Zevran grins.

“Oh fuck off,” Isseya rolls her eyes and thumps him on the back.

Zevran laughs.

#dragon age #zevran arainai #f!warden #f!mahariel #zevwarden #zevran X f!mahariel #caiti.txt #long post #writing tag #work: rare is this love #zevran x isseya #c: isseya mahariel

[in-dire-need]

The Hazards of Love- The Decemberists

In 2009, The Decemberists continued their streak of story-driven albums with their hit album The Hazards of Love. The band’s reputation of being a theatrical folk pop/indie rock hybrid was further solidified through the agonizing and tragic tale of William and Margaret, two lovers kept apart by evil and manipulative forces of nature.

It all started one day when Margaret was taking a walk through the woods. There, she stumbled upon a fawn whose hind legs were twisted. The fawn began to change into a fully-grown man, who becomes the story’s second protagonist. Margaret and William are quickly enraptured by each other and one thing leads to another. Margaret’s sister begins to notice that she has been gaining weight and has not recently menstruated, which can only mean one thing. Now heavily pregnant, Margaret goes back into the woods in search for William. She calls out to the forest and pleads that the forces of nature make her journey the slightest bit less troublesome. Eventually, she reunites with William and they spend another night together. He admits that he is falling in love with her and they agree that they should spend the rest of their lives together as a family. Unfortunately, William’s mother, Queen of the forest, felt very differently. He begs her to give him one last night to spend with Margaret before she changes him back to a fawn. Outraged, she reminds William of how she saved him from the evils of Margaret’s world and that he should be thanking her, not begging to give him back. Eventually, she gave in and granted him one night to live his life. Little did he know that she had other big plans ahead.

It is here that we meet our story’s main antagonist, The Rake. No, not the feral dog monster who stalks and kills its prey. A rakehell, or rake for short, is described as an immoral and vile man who lives a promiscuous lifestyle. Frontman Colin Meloy described “The Rake’s Song” as a modern-day Edgar Allen Poe, which I believe to be very accurate. The Rake narrates his backstory to the Queen, who has hired him to kidnap Margaret. He was married at the young age of twenty-one and happily reaped the benefits of the life he was living. Once his wife began to bear children he realized just how awful his predicament actually was. She gave birth to three children, Isaiah, Charlotte, and Dawn, before dying in childbirth with her fourth child, Myfanwy. Now The Rake was no longer living the life of his dreams and instead was a widower with three little pests. He decides to do what any totally rational man in his situation would do- murder his three children. First he poisons Charlotte by feeding her foxglove, a lethal plant that attacks the heart. He then proceeds to drown Dawn in the bath and burn Isaiah alive. Now he lives easy and free without a shadow of guilt.

The Rake does what the Queen has hired him to do and abducts Margaret. The Queen then attempts to justify her actions to Margaret, saying that she raised William from a baby and protected him from the evils of the human world just for her to come along and wreck everything. She tells Margaret that The Rake has plans to sexually assault her and that no one will save her. The Rake reiterates this, telling Margaret that no matter how much she calls out for William, he will not come to her rescue. Despite his attempts at destroying her hope, she continues to call out to her true love. Meanwhile, William is pleading with the River Annan’s wild and unceasing waters. He promises that if he is permitted passage to save Margaret’s life, he will come back and allow the river to consume him. His offer is accepted and he pushes on as time runs down. As The Rake is preparing to impose his will onto Margaret, his three deceased children come back to haunt him. They each assure him that they all are there to give him revenge for what he did to them. William saves Margaret with the help of the spirits’ distractions and they escape together.

As they reach the River Annan, Margaret agrees to drown with William so that they can be together at last in death. They sit in a small boat and fill it with rocks and holes in order to sink quickly. They perform a tear-filled marriage with only the waters as their witness before they whisper their final I love you’s. Looking back, William blames himself for Margaret’s untimely death beside him. They kiss one last time and allow the freezing tide to take them, as promised. 

The Hazards of Love tells a story very similar to that of Romeo and Juliet, except much, much better. Two lovers, torn apart by the queen of the forest, die together in one last moment of love and passion. Although some of the more logical aspects of the story do not quite add up, that still does not take away from the breathtaking experience as a whole. The Decemberists’ expertly crafted sound allow for the perfect atmosphere to tell this fantastical tale. The album is a continuation of tracks on The Decemberists’ previous albums, such as “The Mother’ Malison” and “Clyde’s Water”. 

The Decemberists continue to be somewhat of an underground band and albums such as this one are never fully discovered. Hopefully as more listeners dig to find stranger and more unique music, their goldmine will begin to be discovered by a larger audience. Then again, maybe it is a good thing that this little corner of the world remains untapped. It leaves a little something to be cherished by those who truly care about the music itself. So if you’re reading this, go cherish this album and the story it tells. Go enjoy yourself, internet.

“But if you calm and let me pass You may render me a wreck when I come back So calm your waves and slow the churn And you may have my precious bones on my, on my return”

#the hazards of love #the decemberists #music

[etlunainmorte]

🖤 I See My Future Before Me 🖤

***

At last, you were holding onto the discarded mask of a Death Scissor that you’ve slain as proof that you’re worthy to work as Dante’s partner. The man just could not be convinced, saying that he worked alone and that he had no plans of hiring an assistant.

But, here you were, determined to the bone to get hired. You really needed Dante. You knew it was very selfish on your part to actually admit it but, you had no other choice.

And so, with a deep breath, you opened the door and,…

… immediately closed it, unable to process what you just saw inside.

You deeply sighed, feeling your confidence leave your body.

Yes, you were very proud of your achievement, and you just couldn’t wait to show it to Dante.

But, it seemed that he had different things in mind.

You were about to walk away from the building, not once looking back, when the door suddenly burst open. Out came Dante, who clearly looked both embarrassed and annoyed at the same time. He grabbed your right arm and made you look at him.

“Didn’t your mother teach you how to knock?!” he yelled at you, gaining the attention of the people nearby.

You drew back, one eyebrow raised. “Sorry.” you sarcastically blurted out. “The sign says you’re open for business!” you took your arm off his grasp and rubbed it. “Didn’t have the slightest idea that you’re open for something else!”

“You - ”

“Dante, where are you?! We’re not done yet!” came the voice of the woman from within the building, making you cringe.

“I’m sorry for barging in, sir.” you went on with your sarcasm, still not able to rinse your eyes off the sight that you witnessed earlier. “I’ll just tell Morrison that you were busy and that I covered for you.”

“Don’t you dare!” warned Dante in a low voice, trying to avoid the prying eyes of his annoying neighbors.

You gave him an evil smirk. An idea just sparked inside your head.

“No, really. It’s okay.” you pressed on with your act. “I’m sure  Morrison  would understand.”

“Dante!” the woman inside the building playfully whined. The man began sweating nervously.

While it was true that Dante was supposed to be the one who must take on the small Demon - slaying job, it was also true that he declined it, saying that he had better things to do than perform small time requests.

And while it was also true that you volunteered to cover up for him in exchange for your coveted job, it was definitely a lie that Morrison knew anything about your proposition. You just couldn’t help but tease the man as revenge for unintentionally stealing what’s left of your innocence.

“I must go now.” you said to Dante, who couldn’t say anything. “I have to talk with Morrison and - ”

“Okay, you’re hired.” Dante announced in a heartbeat, making your eyes widen in surprise.

“Really?” you asked.

“Yes! Yes! You win!” Dante finally surrendered. “You’ll be my assistant from now on. On one condition.”

“And that is?” you asked him, crossing your arms and fearlessly looking up at him.

“Our relationship would purely be professional. No one would ever belong to anyone. Got it?”

You chuckled at his proposal. “That’s it?”

“And you’ll wash the dishes, clean the building, answer the phone, pay the - ”

“I’m your assistant. Naturally, I’ll do those things for you.” you cut him off. “Except pay for the bills. You’re the boss here, Dante. Not me. And you have the money.”

“Yes, yes. Of course.” The man nodded in defeat. You smiled and gave him the mask you obtained on your small job.

“Are we good?” Dante asked, still worried about what you might do or say to the Broker.

You winked at him and walked away. “Sure.”

***

XII

***

“My love must be some kind of blind love.

I can’t see anyone but you.”

You were staring at the Death Scissor mask - like thing that V placed on top of the table for who knows how long, until someone tapped you on the shoulder.

“Hon, we’re leaving now.” Nico told you, her face looking strangely and uncharacteristically serious.

“Huh?” You mumbled, your head still in the clouds.

“Are the stars out tonight?

I don’t know if it’s cloudy or bright.

I only have eyes for you, dear.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be back in a heartbeat.” She said as she handed Nero his new breaker. She turned to V, who was sitting on the sofa across you. “We leave her to you, man.”

The mysterious one, who changed back to his old clothes of black, leather vest and equally dark pair of cargo pants, nodded, the look on his eyes as serious as ever. “I’ll guard her with my life.”

Nico nodded, fully trusting V to protect you once more. She turned to Nero and gave him the go signal.

And, with that, they’re gone, leaving you alone with V once more.

“The moon may be high,

But I can’t see a thing in the sky.

I only have eyes for you.

I don’t know if we’re in a garden,

Or on a crowded avenue.

You’re here and so am I.

Maybe millions of people go by.

And they all disappear from view.

And I only have eyes for you.”

The place was really quiet, save for the sound of the radio, which either played an old song from the seventies, or someone else’s cheesy request. But, most of the time, some announcer with a sleep - inducing voice would announce the current situation regarding the Demonic infestation, the nationwide evacuation, and, of course, the Dreadnought.

You looked to your right as V went closer towards the passenger’s seat to turn up the volume of the radio in curiosity.

“The nationwide evacuation ensues, this time, with the help of the Devil Hunters commissioned by the head of the Fleminger House of Red Grave.” The male announcer droned on like an old professor reading an age - old historical text in front of an empty classroom. “With the combined forces of Fleminger’s finest warriors and the nation’s Military, the Demons, which,…”

V’s eyes widened a bit as he heard a soft thud behind him. He turned around and saw you collapsed on the sofa, asleep. He sighed, turned the volume of the radio to the minimum, and went towards you, utterly careful in his steps so as not to wake you up.

All of a sudden, some of the dark markings on his skin vanished as Shadow materialized. She trotted towards you, her lithe body making little to no noise, and sniffed you, seemingly trying to check if you’re alright. V noticed this very unprecedented action of his familiar, and was actually not surprised that she approved of you with a curt nod towards him and a subtle squint of her eyes.

“Good girl.” V whispered, his voice so low and hoarse that it almost sounded foreign to him.

After much deliberation with his own conflicting thoughts, he took the liberty of taking a seat at the edge of the sofa where you slept and decided to watch you as you dreamed.

In a space of a few moments, he saw you turn, curl your lip, and furrow your eyebrows, which he found really amusing, interesting, and oddly satisfying all at the same time. Your erratic sleeping movements told him that you were, indeed, dreaming, and that your soft voice -

“D - ” V heard you mutter. He leaned in closer towards you to hear what you were saying. “D - d - ”

D? V thought. Was she dreaming of Dante?

“D - don’t,… leave,…” He leaned in a bit closer, if that was even possible, that he was already feeling your warm breath against his face. “S - stay, please. Stay w - with me,…

… V.”

His eyes widened, his jaw dropped. V could not quite believe that you just uttered his name! And, what’s even more alarming was the fact that his chest almost brushed against yours. His hands were on either side of your head, and your intoxicating scent sent signals down to his very core.

Signals,…

… that were very hard to ignore.

He looked down at your form, which was only covered by the mere coat that he draped over you to protect your modesty, and felt something stir within his heart.

He knew it was very wrong of him to take advantage of you this way. After all, Nico trusted him to take care of you while she and Nero were away on a little scouting mission outside the mansion.

But, you two were alone. Plus, Griffon was not coming out to make a scene. If he could -

Before his thoughts could further take over his senses to make him totally lose his sanity over you, V pulled away immediately, standing as far away from the sofa, and you, as possible. You deserved his protection, not his lust. How could he call himself a gentleman if he goes like this every time he sets his eyes on you? Or, let alone, inhale your strange, addictive scent?

With a deep, disappointed sigh, he walked away, opening the door of the van and going out to catch some fresh air and calm his senses, leaving Shadow alone with you.

He was about to sit on an abandoned chair near the van to read his book when he felt a pair of sharp eyes directed towards him. He looked up, and there, right outside the smashed window, was the Master of the house, himself. His lips twisted into a strange looking smile as he beckoned for V to come closer.

He turned towards the vehicle. He knew Shadow would protect you should something go wrong once more, and if the situation called for it, he would have no qualms, whatsoever, to summon the golem again.

He looked back towards the vicinity of the smashed window and proceeded there with caution. And when he was finally outside, he found the Master waiting for him at the balcony where he had his very first waltz with you.

“There’s no need for caution.” The Master began. “The Demons would only come out at night. It’s almost dawn.”

“And why should I believe you?” V questioned the man.

The Master gave him that strange, twisted smile once more. “Well, let’s just say that I know things that most of you don’t.”

V forcefully tapped his cane against the ground, fighting the urge to summon Griffon, and tipped his head to the side, having no intention to show any sign of fear or weakness.

“You knew for a fact that the Demon originated from the North.” V spoke, carefully choosing his words in the face of this very untrustworthy man. “It seems that,… you knew too much,… for your own good.”

“Most of the time, I just pray to the gods to bring back the time when I was still a foolish and naïve boy.”

V watched with wary eyes how the Master of the house situated himself near the railing, leaning on it and crossing his arms. Despite his bulky figure, the man sure moved with flair.

The Master turned his gaze towards the interior of the wrecked ballroom, directing V’s sight.

“Curious thing, this Dreadnought is.” The Master quietly said, his words easily hard to miss should one fail to listen carefully. “Rising from the depths of the Underworld, itself, laying waste to everything it laid its eyes upon, then going back to hibernation for a hundred years. Only to wake up once more to wreak havoc in the present.”

“What is this Demon?” V questioned, walking closer towards the man and blocking his sight from the vicinity of the van at the same time. “And how do we destroy it?”

“My Lord, are you aware of the tragedy of Fortuna?” Getting no response from V, who only looked at him in suspicion, the Master went on. “A Demon laid waste on a house full of orphans, mutilating them, and sparing no one. Now, despite the assumption that nobody survived that onslaught, my ancestor, my grandmother to be exact, actually lived to tell the tale.

"She moved away from Fortuna, starting a different life here in this city, and forgetting the nightmare that occurred in the past. However, the faces of the helpless orphans haunted her until her last day on this world.

"But, today, it seems that her nightmare has awoken.”

“So, it seems.” V said in a sarcastic manner that was missed by the Master.

The man smiled and nodded towards the ballroom once more. “I will give you a valuable advice for defeating the Dreadnought.” Satisfied that he caught V’s attention, he smiled in that twisted way once more and spoke. “You know how some pleasant things send so many different kinds of sensations all throughout the body. I suggest blocking all of them all the same.”

The Master of the house left the railing and turned away from V.

“It’s best to know what is truth, and what is not.”

And with those final words, the man finally left, leaving V with more questions than answers.

***

🖤🖤🖤

***

#devil may cry 5 #vitale sparda #i see my future before me #v x reader #v x you #chapter 12 #the suspiscious advice #revised

[thedyingmoon]

🖤 I See My Future Before Me 🖤

~ A V X Reader set in an Alternate Universe wherein you get to listen to cheesy songs of the seventies. 🎶

~ I want to thank everyone who liked and reblogged my V art. This chapter is for you! 🖤

~ And to my friends, @heaven-on-a-landslide , @acieoj , @ehrzeth , @simmy-ships , @lessy86 , @gxthghoulfriend , and @kerlialighieri . 🖤

~ And especially to you, @krazy06 ! 🖤

~ Everything's gonna be just fine. Alright? Let's do this! 🖤

***

XII

***

At last, you were holding onto the discarded mask of a Death Scissor that you've slain as proof that you're worthy to work as Dante's partner. The man just could not be convinced, saying that he worked alone and that he had no plans of hiring an assistant.

But, here you were, determined to the bone to get hired. You really needed Dante. You knew it was very selfish on your part to actually admit it but, you had no other choice.

And so, with a deep breath, you opened the door and,...

... immediately closed it, unable to process what you just saw inside.

You deeply sighed, feeling your confidence leave your body.

Yes, you were very proud of your achievement, and you just couldn't wait to show it to Dante.

But, it seemed that he had different things in mind.

You were about to walk away from the building, not once looking back, when the door suddenly burst open. Out came Dante, who clearly looked both embarrassed and annoyed at the same time. He grabbed your right arm and made you look at him.

"Didn't your mother teach you how to knock?!" he yelled at you, gaining the attention of the people nearby.

You drew back, one eyebrow raised. "Sorry." you sarcastically blurted out. "The sign says you're open for business!" you took your arm off his grasp and rubbed it. "Didn't have the slightest idea that you're open for something else!"

"You - "

"Dante, where are you?! We're not done yet!" came the voice of the woman from within the building, making you cringe.

"I'm sorry for barging in, sir." you went on with your sarcasm, still not able to rinse your eyes off the sight that you witnessed earlier. "I'll just tell Morrison that you were busy and that I covered for you."

"Don't you dare!" warned Dante in a low voice, trying to avoid the prying eyes of his annoying neighbors.

You gave him an evil smirk. An idea just sparked inside your head.

"No, really. It's okay." you pressed on with your act. "I'm sure Morrison would understand."

"Dante!" the woman inside the building playfully whined. The man began sweating nervously.

While it was true that Dante was supposed to be the one who must take on the small Demon - slaying job, it was also true that he declined it, saying that he had better things to do than perform small time requests.

And while it was also true that you volunteered to cover up for him in exchange for your coveted job, it was definitely a lie that Morrison knew anything about your proposition. You just couldn't help but tease the man as revenge for unintentionally stealing what's left of your innocence.

"I must go now." you said to Dante, who couldn't say anything. "I have to talk with Morrison and - "

"Okay, you're hired." Dante announced in a heartbeat, making your eyes widen in surprise.

"Really?" you asked.

"Yes! Yes! You win!" Dante finally surrendered. "You'll be my assistant from now on. On one condition."

"And that is?" you asked him, crossing your arms and fearlessly looking up at him.

"Our relationship would purely be professional. No one would ever belong to anyone. Got it?"

You chuckled at his proposal. "That's it?"

"And you'll wash the dishes, clean the building, answer the phone, pay the - "

"I'm your assistant. Naturally, I'll do those things for you." you cut him off. "Except pay for the bills. You're the boss here, Dante. Not me. And you have the money."

"Yes, yes. Of course." The man nodded in defeat. You smiled and gave him the mask you obtained on your small job.

"Are we good?" Dante asked, still worried about what you might do or say to the Broker.

You winked at him and walked away. "Sure."

***

"My love must be some kind of blind love.

I can't see anyone but you."

You were staring at the Death Scissor mask - like thing that V placed on top of the table for who knows how long, until someone tapped you on the shoulder.

"Hon, we're leaving now." Nico told you, her face looking strangely and uncharacteristically serious.

"Huh?" You mumbled, your head still in the clouds.

"Are the stars out tonight?

I don't know if it's cloudy or bright.

I only have eyes for you, dear."

"Don't worry. We'll be back in a heartbeat." She said as she handed Nero his new breaker. She turned to V, who was sitting on the sofa across you. "We leave her to you, man."

The mysterious one, who changed back to his old clothes of black, leather vest and equally dark pair of cargo pants, nodded, the look on his eyes as serious as ever. "I'll guard her with my life."

Nico nodded, fully trusting V to protect you once more. She turned to Nero and gave him the go signal.

And, with that, they're gone, leaving you alone with V once more.

"The moon may be high,

But I can't see a thing in the sky.

I only have eyes for you.

I don't know if we're in a garden,

Or on a crowded avenue.

You're here and so am I.

Maybe millions of people go by.

And they all disappear from view.

And I only have eyes for you."

The place was really quiet, save for the sound of the radio, which either played an old song from the seventies, or someone else's cheesy request. But, most of the time, some announcer with a sleep - inducing voice would announce the current situation regarding the Demonic infestation, the nationwide evacuation, and, of course, the Dreadnought.

You looked to your right as V went closer towards the passenger's seat to turn up the volume of the radio in curiosity.

"The nationwide evacuation ensues, this time, with the help of the Devil Hunters commissioned by the head of the Fleminger House of Red Grave." The male announcer droned on like an old professor reading an age - old historical text in front of an empty classroom. "With the combined forces of Fleminger's finest warriors and the nation's Military, the Demons, which,..."

V's eyes widened a bit as he heard a soft thud behind him. He turned around and saw you collapsed on the sofa, asleep. He sighed, turned the volume of the radio to the minimum, and went towards you, utterly careful in his steps so as not to wake you up.

All of a sudden, some of the dark markings on his skin vanished as Shadow materialized. She trotted towards you, her lithe body making little to no noise, and sniffed you, seemingly trying to check if you're alright. V noticed this very unprecedented action of his familiar, and was actually not surprised that she approved of you with a curt nod towards him and a subtle squint of her eyes.

"Good girl." V whispered, his voice so low and hoarse that it almost sounded foreign to him.

After much deliberation with his own conflicting thoughts, he took the liberty of taking a seat at the edge of the sofa where you slept and decided to watch you as you dreamed.

In a space of a few moments, he saw you turn, curl your lip, and furrow your eyebrows, which he found really amusing, interesting, and oddly satisfying all at the same time. Your erratic sleeping movements told him that you were, indeed, dreaming, and that your soft voice -

"D - " V heard you mutter. He leaned in closer towards you to hear what you were saying. "D - d - "

D? V thought. Was she dreaming of Dante?

"D - don't,... leave,..." He leaned in a bit closer, if that was even possible, that he was already feeling your warm breath against his face. "S - stay, please. Stay w - with me,...

... V."

His eyes widened, his jaw dropped. V could not quite believe that you just uttered his name! And, what's even more alarming was the fact that his chest almost brushed against yours. His hands were on either side of your head, and your intoxicating scent sent signals down to his very core.

Signals,...

... that were very hard to ignore.

He looked down at your form, which was only covered by the mere coat that he draped over you to protect your modesty, and felt something stirr within his heart.

He knew it was very wrong of him to take advantage of you this way. After all, Nico trusted him to take care of you while she and Nero were away on a little scouting mission outside the mansion.

But, you two were alone. Plus, Griffon was not coming out to make a scene. If he could -

Before his thoughts could further take over his senses to make him totally lose his sanity over you, V pulled away immediately, standing as far away from the sofa, and you, as possible. You deserved his protection, not his lust. How could he call himself a gentleman if he goes like this every time he sets his eyes on you? Or, let alone, inhale your strange, addictive scent?

With a deep, disappointed sigh, he walked away, opening the door of the van and going out to catch some fresh air and calm his senses, leaving Shadow alone with you.

He was about to sit on an abandoned chair near the van to read his book when he felt a pair of sharp eyes directed towards him. He looked up, and there, right outside the smashed window, was the Master of the house, himself. His lips twisted into a strange looking smile as he beckoned for V to come closer.

He turned towards the vehicle. He knew Shadow would protect you should something go wrong once more, and if the situation called for it, he would have no qualms, whatsoever, to summon the golem again.

He looked back towards the vicinity of the smashed window and proceeded there with caution. And when he was finally outside, he found the Master waiting for him at the balcony where he had his very first waltz with you.

"There's no need for caution." The Master began. "The Demons would only come out at night. It's almost dawn."

"And why should I believe you?" V questioned the man.

The Master gave him that strange, twisted smile once more. "Well, let's just say that I know things that most of you don't."

V forcefully tapped his cane against the ground, fighting the urge to summon Griffon, and tipped his head to the side, having no intention to show any sign of fear or weakness.

"You knew for a fact that the Demon originated from the North." V spoke, carefully choosing his words in the face of this very untrustworthy man. "It seems that,... you knew too much,... for your own good."

"Most of the time, I just pray to the gods to bring back the time when I was still a foolish and naïve boy."

V watched with wary eyes how the Master of the house situated himself near the railing, leaning on it and crossing his arms. Despite his bulky figure, the man sure moved with flair.

The Master turned his gaze towards the interior of the wrecked ballroom, directing V's sight.

"Curious thing, this Dreadnought is." The Master quietly said, his words easily hard to miss should one fail to listen carefully. "Rising from the depths of the Underworld, itself, laying waste to everything it laid its eyes upon, then going back to hibernation for a hundred years. Only to wake up once more to wreak havoc in the present."

"What is this Demon?" V questioned, walking closer towards the man and blocking his sight from the vicinity of the van at the same time. "And how do we destroy it?"

"My Lord, are you aware of the tragedy of Fortuna?" Getting no response from V, who only looked at him in suspicion, the Master went on. "A Demon laid waste on a house full of orphans, mutilating them, and sparing no one. Now, despite the assumption that nobody survived that onslaught, my ancestor, my grandmother to be exact, actually lived to tell the tale.

"She moved away from Fortuna, starting a different life here in this city, and forgetting the nightmare that occurred in the past. However, the faces of the helpless orphans haunted her until her last day on this world.

"But, today, it seems that her nightmare has awoken."

"So, it seems." V said in a sarcastic manner that was missed by the Master.

The man smiled and nodded towards the ballroom once more. "I will give you a valuable advice for defeating the Dreadnought." Satisfied that he caught V's attention, he smiled in that twisted way once more and spoke. "You know how some pleasant things send so many different kinds of sensations all throughout the body. I suggest blocking all of them all the same."

The Master of the house left the railing and turned away from V.

"It's best to know what is truth, and what is not."

And with those final words, the man finally left, leaving V with more questions than answers.

***

🖤🖤🖤

#devil may cry 5 #v #i see my future before me #v x reader #v x you #i only have eyes for you #tashaki miyaki #devil may cry nico #devil may cry nero #i would listen to the song if i were you #chapter 12

[anastasiaskarsgard]

Meeting Nadia

Chapter 1

“I have never been this nervous in my life.” I told roman as we pulled into his driveway. “What if she doesn’t like me?”

Roman chuckled. “I love you, so she’ll love you but there’s a few things I must warn you about.” He parked and turned to me grabbing both my hands and looking into my eyes. “She absolutely can read your mind.”

I was not so much shocked, as I was intimidated. I mean could she dig thru your memories or only see what you thought at the present? Could she recognize what thoughts were reality and which were imaginary? Could she see your dreams while you slept? Was there a range for her being able to access your mind? Did she have to see you, or touch you? So many questions.

“Hey killer. What are you thinking? Talk to me.” Roman searches my eyes looking a little less confident than usual.

“Just like does she need to touch you or look at you? Can she tell what thoughts are real or memories of shows or dreams? Can she dig thru your mind? Can you see her thoughts? I mean .... wow.” I looked at the house wondering if she were listening to us right now.

“How scary for a little girl, to see in the mind of adults.” I looked back to Roman.

All of a sudden I wanted to meet this little girl more than anything. I had to protect her from the world and show her beautiful things and thoughts. No doom and gloom like she’s been exposed to. I wanted to meet this little miracle of a girl and show her how happy life could be.

“I already love her and want to protect her and show her all the beauty in the world and I haven’t even met her.” I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

Roman beamed at me, pulling me in for a passionate kiss. He pulled away slightly and then nuzzled his cheek against mine before whispering, “how is it possible to love someone so much? How did I ever survive without you?”

“I think I’d die if I lost you.” I said without thinking and felt my stomach somersault when I realized what I’d just said. I smiled and pulled back to look at his perfect face. “Are you perfect, or do I just think so because I love you so?”

“I’m pretty perfect honestly. I mean look at this bone structure,” he said laughing. “You ready to meet her? She already knows you’re here. She’s waiting for us.”

I squealed and jumped out of the car, leaving everything inside and running over to the front door. Roman made his way over, much more casually as I hopped up and down nearly bursting with enthusiasm.

“Ok breathe.” He said as he opened the door.

The house was very modern and the decor kind of dark and dreary. It had a dark foreboding feeling and wasn’t at all welcoming or warm. It kind of felt like another museum house, but that was fixable. Most guys decorate this way. Roman just was fabulously wealthy so it looked more intentional and artsy.

There was a man cooking something in the kitchen that smelled amazing. I guessed this must be the chef and discretely scanned the area for a child, but could see none. I also noted there weren’t any toys or signs of a child in the home. No toys or high chair, or tiny shoes or clothing to be seen. No pictures of any actual people. Just art. That was the first thing I was going to do. Get a cute picture of Roman and Nadia and display it in a nice frame. I wonder if she looks like him. Does she have his full pillow lips and soulful eyes, or does she favor her mother. I’d only seen a single picture of Letha when I’d searched for info on Roman.

Letha was beautiful. She had long golden hair, big blue eyes, and soft feminine features. She had a kind smile in the photograph that you could see shined out through her eyes as well. She was beautiful light that was welcoming and warm. She made you feel like she would be your best friend and cry at the movies. Romans beauty was more severe. He had sharp features and although he was gorgeous, it wasn’t welcoming and warm like Letha’s beauty. It was more intimidating, and you could even go so far as to say, he was the beautiful darkness. The crisp pure silence that meets you late at night when you’re alone and everything looks differently yet the same, and you feel like something might be watching you from the shadows.

“Where’s Nadia Marcus?” Roman asked the man cooking.

My mouth was watering from its wonderful aroma. I’d never had a chef before, and suddenly felt the need to get one myself. I had money, but I never hired help around the house, feeling like it was lazy but maybe having people do things for you, wasn’t that terrible. He was cooking some type of stir fry with noodles and veggies as well as some type of meat. Chicken maybe? I didn’t know how to ask for food, and felt weird assuming I can just have some, so I tried to push my hunger back in my mind.

“She’s with Elise in the library learning a new language.” He said in a deep warm voice.

“Another one?” Roman chuckled. “English, French, Spanish, Russian, Swedish, and Latin wasn’t enough?”

“Wow, she knows words in all those languages?” I asked.

“No she knows them all fluently.”

“I wonder if she’s like me then,” i wondered out loud, more to myself than anyone in particular.

“How so? Oh I’m rude. Marcus this is the love of my life and new mother for Nadia, Letha this is Marcus, our chef. I want you to feel at home here. Everything I have is yours as well.” Roman said earnestly.

“Just How once I see something or read it, I remember it forever. I speak all those languages as well as Portuguese, mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, German, Norwegian, Italian and Greek.”

Marcus’s eyes shot up to look at me and you could see the total shock as he just stared at me for a moment before getting his composure and smiling uncomfortably “wonderful to meet you.”

“Daddy!!!” A shrill little voice rang out, as a little girl came running full speed across the living room and without hesitation launched herself through the air and into Romans arms giggling like a maniac. Roman lit up as soon as he heard her voice and was giggling as wildly as she. I’d never seen a more beautiful moment in my life and almost felt as though I was an intruder and should go but i also wanted to run over to them too and hug and kiss them both and we could all giggle like maniacs and fall to the floor together in a big happy heap.

“Well then come give us a hug Mommy!” Nadia said turning to me with her arm open to bring me in an embrace.

Roman stopped laughing immediately and looked between Nadia and I like he’d just been slapped.

“Oh Daddy, I love you too and I can see you brought me a wonderful good Mommy that loves you and wants me to love her as well. She has nothing but good intentions for the both of us and there’s something special about her I haven’t felt since I was inside my Mother.”

I slowly walked over to them and embraced them both. Nadia was completely comfortable, but Roman and I were both not 100%. I understood she could see thoughts, but I wasn’t prepared for how matter of fact she was about everything. And then there was the fact she had just called me Mommy. Did she call every woman Mommy? I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

“Don’t be silly Mommy. I only call you Mommy because that’s what you are and you wholeheartedly wish to be. I know my Mother loved me and Daddy very much and although she wanted to stay, her body was unable to contain her energy and was damaged beyond repair, Daddy is the best Daddy that loved mother and me, and loves you but in a different way than mother and I. I know my Nanny Elise is a good woman that we employ to care for me, and she cares for me and has a crush on Daddy but would never act on it because she’s also terrified of him. Marcus is our chef and he thinks I’m very creepy and we all make him uncomfortable, but he is married to Tia, our housekeeper, so he is here to protect her which I think is very admirable. Tia thinks I am a real angel child and that Daddy is a fallen angel. She thinks God wants her to watch over us and love us to bring us back home to the light someday and protect us from the darkness.” Everyone looked at each other kind of coyly, with these revelations. There really was no hiding anything. “Daddy let me down, I need to show Mommy something.” Roman obliged and set her down.

She was the most beautiful child I’d ever seen and her eyes were an eery blue like my uncle had described and long chocalate colored hair the same as her father. She also had his perfect nose and pouty lips, but softer features like her mother. She was so pretty, she almost didn’t look real, like a very high quality doll, sprung to life.

“Oooh your uncle is an Angel? I’d very much like to meet him.” Nadia said sweetly.

This was going to take some getting used to.

“What are you going to show me sweetie?” I asked her. I had never been so enthralled with anything as I was this little girl. She was magnetic and had this other worldly confidence that made her seem wise and mature although she wasn’t even 3.

“Our future.” She stated giving me a little wink and taking my hand and leading me to the staircase and up the stairs. “I’m so glad Daddy finally found you. He’s needed you since before I can remember, and like you, I remember everything.”

I looked down at Roman who was watching us in awe and adoration. He blew a kiss to me and smiled.

“We love you too Daddy.” Nadia sang out.

This was definitely going to take some getting used to but I’d never been so excited and committed to something in my life.

#hemlock grove #roman godfrey #letha godfrey #letha #nadia godfrey #upir #angel #fanfic

[callunavulgari]

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Heather Says: Under the Covers was the first Harringrove fic that actually kicked me over the edge from ‘eh this ship looks like it would have good hate sex’ and into full-fledged believer. It’s an intricately crafted look into the world of Billy Hargrove and Steve Harrington post-season two and it is absolutely glorious.

4. Bloody Ruin by esama | Castlevania | Alucard/Trevor | 37k

Vampire hunter and a vampire try to get along.

Heather Says: Written before season two came out, this was one of those fics that I clicked on because the pairing interested me and I wanted to see how it worked. It did not disappoint, and even after I delved through the tag on ao3 after I marathoned season two, this is still my favorite.

5. a road less traveled and a life less led by Azzandra | Dishonored | Billie & The Outsider | 9k

She took him out of the Void, as promised. And then she kept him, she supposed.

Heather Says: You know all that fanart that started cropping up after Death of the Outsider came out? The ones where Billie and the Outsider crept around Dunwall or Karnaca stealing fish and safes and graffiti-ing buildings? The ones with that found family vibe? Yeah. This fic scratches the same itch that all that art did.

6. But I’m Not There Yet by sarahyyy | Yuri On Ice | Yuri/Otabek | 71k

“Are you not going to read the article?” she asks, flopping onto his bed. “Look who ranked second, just after Phichit Chulanont.”

Otabek reluctantly scrolls down, and oh. #2 - Yuri Plisetsky

In the embedded Instagram photo just under that subheading, a very grumpy Yuri is cuddling a very grumpy-looking cat. The caption reads: I found the cat version of me at the shelter today. #iknowisaidnomorecats #canyoublameme

Heather Says: And here, in the stupid cute category we have teenagers navigating love through social media. What’s more, there’s a companion fic.

7. flowers start to bloom in every different hue by orphan-account | Coraline | Coraline/Wybourn | 1k

Coraline grows up, gets a tattoo, and falls in love. In that order.

Heather Says: I read this fic on a slow day at work, often in quick bursts while I was waiting for the kitchen to finish my table’s food. It’s short. It’s sweet. It’s perfect. And honestly? It’s everything that I was looking for when I ventured into the Coraline tag on ao3 because I was curious.

8. Victory Conditions by @astolat | Transformers | Megatron/Optimus Prime | 37k

“Do you want me to tell you a story?” Megatron said mockingly. “You won’t like it, Prime. It’s not a very nice one.”

Heather Says: Fun fact, I’m not even in this fandom. I haven’t touched the Transformers fandom since the first movie came out in 2007 and I spent a very confusing week shipping a boy and his car. But Astolat has literally never lead me wrong, and I was having one of those bored days where nothing quite itches the right spot, so I sat down on the couch and spent two hours reading this. Worth it.

  9. just in it for the game by grim_lupine | Thor | Thor/Loki | 6k

“It's excellent rehabilitation for my image,” Loki says, widening his eyes. “They love you, and because of that they'll trust me. You wouldn't ruin this for me, would you?”

Thor glares at him.

Loki’s mouth twitches. “Also, it's the funniest thing that's ever happened to me.”

Heather Says: The Thor/Loki bug never really bit me until after Ragnorak came out. I mean, sure, I read it and it was good, but hella’s Frostiron fics basically destroyed me for any other Loki pairing. HOWEVER. Ragnorak happened and screwed that all the way up. Also, you know, this fic is absolutely lovely and was just what the doctor ordered.

10. so this guy walks into a bar by MasterOfAllImagination | Pacific Rim | Newt/Hermann | 2.5k

“Bourbon,” Hermann says, hooking his cane on the edge of the bar and sliding by degrees onto a stool.

“Straight up?” the bartender asks.

“Please.” Does he look like the kind of man who enjoys having his nostrils fumigated by undiluted whiskey? “On the rocks.”

Heather Says: I coped with Pacific Rim 2 by reading a couple AUs and a couple very, very long fics full of tragedy and math. Weirdly, the AU of a chance meeting in a bar was the one that stuck.

11. cherry pie by @brawlite & @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 133k

Billy Hargrove lives for summer. Endless sunshine, heavily chlorinated pools, roaming ice cream trucks, and unencumbered freedom? There’s nothing better.

Even being stuck in Hawkins can’t ruin the summer for him. He eats it up, devouring every day whole.

Heather Says: Yeah, okay, but this is the fic that made summer worth it. Highly recommend reading at the pool or with your feet hanging off the back porch. Every piece of this fic was dripping in summertime nostalgia. It was fan-freaking-tastic.

12. the ghost and the good queen val by Wildehack (tyleet) | Thor | Thor/Valkyrie/Loki | 27k

“What,” she says, her heart racing, “was that.”

“What was what?” Korg asks, frowning up at her. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Valkyrie squints suspiciously at the ship.

“Oh my god,” Korg says. “You did! You saw a ghost!”

Heather Says: So, remember how I coped with Pacific Rim 2 with copious AUs? This is how I coped with Infinity War.

13. For Better or Worse by DragonBandit  | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien | 22k

All Damien ever wanted was someone who wanted him. All Damien deserves is to die alone, stripped bare of any of the comforts or affections of humanity, a title he willingly shed.

Mark Bryant seems to be the Universe's compromise.

Wherein Damien and Mark are soulmates, and this changes enough.

Heather Says: I think I’ve read this one three or four time this year? It’s 22k of well-written fic for a fandom that has a max of like 100 fics all with lengths that tend to vary between a couple hundred words to 2 or 3k, max. This fic is the one that really catapulted me into the fandom. 

14. in waves by @lymricks | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 38k

It’s March and it’s too cold for Billy to be shirtless and wearing shorts, but he hadn’t noticed until Harrington appeared and made him hold still. Harrington can’t seem to stop looking at the bruises. “What’s it to you if I miss a little school, Harrington?” Billy asks. He feels goosebumps rising on his skin.

“I don’t know,” Harrington snaps back, looking uncomfortable. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. Plant your feet, Billy wants to scream at him. I’m going to bowl you over.

Heather Says: And here we have the first fic that wasn’t written by either @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger or @brawlite that made me realize that this fandom was gonna be a good one. So fantastic.

15. the cure by aquaexplicit | The Flash | Cisco/Harry | 43k

“I guess I don’t really get what you need to fix? Harrison Wells is a hot, rich genius that pays you to make cool stuff with his daughter and is totally into you. If you guys boning is the biggest problem you have, I think this officially qualifies as your best relationship ever.”

When Barry puts it like that, everything sounds so simple and not at all as angst ridden as Cisco has been suffering the past few months.

Cisco hangs up on him.

Heather Says: I remember a couple years ago, I fell absolutely head over heels for this one Sterek fic where Derek had twin toddlers and Stiles was the hired babysitter. So I think there’s something about dad + babysitter fics that get me, even if this one in particular the ‘baby’ in question is a fifteen year old genius. Still. Dad + babysitter. I don’t even know, but apparently it works for me.

16. pull out the insides by SpineAndSpite | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien | 3k

“Stop,” Damien says again, more insistent this time.

“I’m not doing it on purpose.” Mark's heart pounds in his ears and he sees Damien’s hands shaking. God. They shouldn’t have started talking about sex. Shouldn’t have filled in the colors and shadows to this pencil outline of a sketch forming between them. They shouldn’t have given it a name.

Heather Says: This year seems to have had a theme when it comes to fics that I’ve liked and it seems to boil down to: people who are bad for each other have sex and catch feelings. Mark/Damien is not the healthiest ship. But it also hurts in this stupidly tragic way and hell if I didn’t fall head over heels for it.

17. tell me, get my shit together by paperclipbitch | Star Wars | Han/Lando | 5k

“I thought we were actively avoiding each other after the Trandosha Shitshow,” Han says.

“We’re actively avoiding each other after the Iridonia Shitshow,” Lando corrects him, “the Trandosha Shitshow is That Which We Do Not Speak Of.”

Heather Says: So, guess what I did in the two to three hours after seeing Solo? If you guessed: ‘combed through ao3 until you ran out of fic’ ding ding ding, you are 100% correct. This one was very, very good, which makes sense, because paperclipbitch has some good shit.

18. chases, escapes, true love, miracles by pepperfield | The Flash | Cisco/Harry 55k

Just because the timeline has been restored, doesn't mean things are back to normal. Cisco's got 99 problems, and Harry Wells is approximately 38 of them.

In which Cisco makes a bunch of plans, fails most of them, narrowly avoids being disintegrated, receives a hug or two, finds his groove, and gets his man. More or less in that order.

Heather Says: This one was long and wibbly wobbly, because it was basically what season 3 should have been. But it was also really great, and had some super quality Harrisco interactions.

19. Your Pretty Little Heart by Ever-so-reylo | Star Wars | Reylo | 64k

Modern day AU in which Ben is an Alpha, Rey is an Omega, and they are way better at having sex than at communicating with each other.

Heather Says: Speaking of people who are probably a little bit bad for each other... This particular fic was new to me, not because of the um, extensive sexual content, but because I’m usually not a fan of A/B/O. But this one was extremely good, enough that I actually liked it for a/b/o aspect rather than in spite of it.

20. Draconia by perceived_nobility | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien | 4k

"So I was driving. One ex wife and one ex husband later, stopping at the same fucking gas stations you and I stopped at."

Heather Says: This fic actually prompted a 3 hour long conversation on the ‘adult’ Mark/Damien discord where we basically outlined an entire fic that I never got around to writing where Damien is raising a child, has a farm, and runs into Mark ten years down the ride. One day, I might write it, because vaguely domestic, meet-again-ten-years-down-the-road fics always bowl me right the fuck over and just. There needs to be more fic like this one in the world. But until then, the world can marvel at the beauty that is this one.

21. Artifice by buttpatrol | Wolf 359 | Hera/Eiffel | 23k

A story told in parts about colour palettes, identity, robot uprisings, sensational trials, space, and messy love.

Heather Says: As I’ve recently finished relistening to Wolf 359 I have a fresh appreciation for this fic, which is one of the only longer fics on ao3 that just grips you by the heart and squeezes the same way that the series does. It might have been written before the end of the series, but it’s honestly just as perfect.

22. (shoot the lights out, hide) till its bright out by lipgallagher | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 93k

The most dangerous thing walking around Hawkins goes by the name Billy Hargrove.

And he fucking knows it.

Heather Says: I’m kind of cheating here, because this is a series rather than a single fic, but I’m not picking just one part. I read the first four or so parts of this fic when I was visiting my family in South Carolina and spent the next few days wandering around the place half-in Steve Harrington’s headspace. It was an incredibly surreal experience, which lead to a pretty strong combination of mania, depression, and an indescribable craving for ice cream. So like, maybe don’t read this fic if you’re in a bad head space? But also it’s very good and features one of the most fucked up and intriguing Steve’s that I’ve seen yet.

23. Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches by Reiya | Yuri On Ice | Yuuri/Viktor | 197k

‘…Of all the rivalries in the world of sports over the years, perhaps none has become so legendary as that of Russian figure skater Viktor Nikiforov and his rival, Japanese Yuuri Katsuki…’

Heather Says: I actually read this one on the plane ride down to South Carolina, and kind of didn’t like it at first? I’m not sure if it was just the act of putting Yuuri and Victor into the position of rivals that made me uncomfortable or the goddamn delays that turned half a day of travelling into a full one, but eventually I was able to get into and enjoyed it quite a bit. I really like the rivals to lovers trope, so I’d been looking forward to this one a lot.

24. Traveling Far by @astolat | Game of Thrones | Jaime/Brienne | 24k

Three weeks into their delightful slog across Westeros, during yet another charming day of shitting in the woods, eating half-raw squirrel, and trudging his feet bloody, the single most dour and uninteresting woman Jaime had ever met in all of Westeros stopped in the middle of a field, drew a deep breath, and said, “When I was seven, my aunt came to visit with her son. My father told me that as the daughter of the house, it was my duty to show hospitality to my guests and to be gracious to them. I wanted to make him proud. So for three weeks, I let my cousin follow me around and talk to me about spiders.”

Heather Says: I’ve become very fond of astolat’s Jaime/Brienne fics, and I think this one is my favorite yet. Featuring Starks, found family, and a whole lot of walking.

25. lilies of the valley (cover me with kisses, make my garden grow) by diasterisms | Star Wars | Reylo | 8k

Every girl is entitled to the mistake. That one colossal fuck-up that permanently alters the terrain of who you are. You'll either learn from it or you won't, so might as well have the time of your life.

Heather Says: I just. I really like flower shop AUs, and the idea of a Kylo Ren who owns a sleek flower shop being menaced by a tiny gremlin in a leather jacket just. Kills me. It was really sweet and all kinds of wonderful.

#heather says what #2018 #memes #i apologize sincerely for the long post #but also i couldn't stop talking #new year's memes #fuck yeah recs!! #star wars #game of thrones #stranger things #the bright sessions #yuri on ice #wolf 359 #the flash #thor #pacific rim #coraline #transformers #dishonored #castlevania #coco #disney #the devil went down to georgia #harringrove #reylo

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Korean Bone Rank System – Moon gave the church businesses to his blood relatives

The system was based on a person’s hereditary bloodline. One’s birth was by far the most important factor in determining the level in society one might reach as an adult. This resulted in a stagnation of talent....

Nansook Hong: “Even the aristocracy in the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla was classified according to what was known as the bone-rank system, or golpum-jedo (골품제도, 骨品制度). [It was strictly based on a person’s hereditary bloodline and there was very little chance of social mobility. It thus acted as a caste system. A person’s bone rank governed their official status and the level of authority they were permitted to wield and their marriage rights, and also the color of their garments and the maximum dimensions of their dwelling, etc.] 

The elite were divided into three classes: the seonggol (성골, 聖骨), or holy bone class, from which the sacred kings sprang; the jingol (진골, 眞骨), the true bone class or the upper aristocracy; and the dupum (두품, 頭品), head classes, which included all other members of the aristocracy. [Below them was the non-privileged general population.] This would influence Sun Myung Moon’s organization of his own religion.” LINK

Pak Chung-hwa (pages 200, 242-3, etc., from The Tragedy of the Six Marys) : 

“The time from 1953, when I was with Sun Myung Moon, until I went to the Seojin mine in 1956 was when we faced the hardest time in the development of the Unification Church. Back then there were no relatives of Sun Myung Moon in the church organization. Later Moon Seong-kyun, Moon Yong-seon [and Moon Seong-yong] came in, and as the economic foundation of the Unification Church grew, almost all of the management positions came to be held by relatives of Sun Myung Moon.

The first relative of Mr. Moon who joined the church was Mr. Moon Seong-kyun. When Mr. Moon bought a Jeep [on July 7, 1957], he was hired as a driver. The next one to join was Mr. Moon Yong-seon who worked at the porcelain factory in Asan. That was all. When I was actively working with Mr. Moon, there were no other relatives of Mr. Moon.

Now a lot of his relatives are working in the church, and it has caused a lot of ill feelings from the other members. This may contradict his doctrine. Mr. Moon told us that stealing money from the bank is a crime under the law of Satan, but it is not a crime under his doctrine. Many women stole money from their husbands for Mr. Moon. This helped to build the present Unification Church.

The economic foundation built by such members is now handled by Mr. Moon’s relatives. Most of founding members of the church have been expelled. The only ones left are Lee Soo-kyoung who is in charge of the Il-Shin Company and Kim Won-pil (who died in 2010) for the Il-Hwa Food Company. ...

At one time, I met Eu Hyo-yeong, President of Il-Shin Stone Co. Ltd., (above) for a meal. (Eu Hyo-yeong left the Unification Church in 1992.) 

While we were eating, he told me a story. In his account Eu Hyo-yeong said that at the Il-Shin Stone Co. Ltd., which he managed, he had done research. As a result, he was able to produce miniature pagodas, which were reduced to 16/100 of the original size. They were sold in Japan with unexpectedly good results. The value of the exports was about 2 billion yen per month.

However, Moon Seong-yong (from one of the six villages where Sun Myung Moon came from) wanted this harvest. He demanded to divide the company and to hijack and manage the manufacturing of the miniature temples division, and pass on only the remainder to President Eu Hyo-yeong.

Eu Hyo-yeong said, “The revenue of the miniature temples manufacturing division accounted for 95 percent of the entire company and all the other businesses only amounted to the remaining 5 percent. Nevertheless he wanted to pass on to me, who had worked so hard, just 5 percent while Moon Seong-yong wanted to grab 95 percent.”

This is an outrageous idea. Il-Shin Stone was the company where Eu Hyo-yeong worked as the president, a carpenter, a worker, and even a cleaner to grow the company.

Eu Hyo-yeong was very angry and said, “It is ridiculous that people who have no relationship with the company are jumping in and are trying to take over.”

In fact, it is Sun Myung Moon himself who knows best that he himself is not the second coming messiah. I came to think that he was implementing a plan to secure his future life base by handing the assets of Unification Church to his relatives whom he could trust.”

▲ Sun Myung Moon, Eu Hyo-yeong, Eu Hyo-min and Kim Won-pil

Eu Hyo-min: “The air rifle business went into full production from 1961. They were exported to Japan as well. The factory price of each air rifle was about 10,000 won (about 300,000 won in 1993 when adjusted for inflation) and about 150,000 rifles were sold. The total revenue was about 1.5 billion won. This was a cash cow for the Unification Church.

I invented the new air rifle which could use buckshot. However, I could not be the president of the Tongil Industry company because of the so-called 7.4 incident. (The July 4, 1955 incident concerned Moon in a sex scandal with Ewha Womans University students.) At that time I had been imprisoned with Moon and, due to my criminal record, I was not eligible to hold a firearm manufacturing permit.

So Kim In-chul became the president, Moon Seung-yong, who was a second cousin of Moon’s, became the factory manager and his brother became the production manager. And I, the inventor, became the assembly manager, a strange position which no one had ever heard of. The gun was patented to Moon, who instructed the second gun patent be transferred directly to himself.

The company executives were all relatives of Moon. They would all flaunt their wealth, each driving his own car at a time in Korea when most people could not afford to own one. All except for me, I had to walk. I thought that they were more into money-making than a life of faith. It was nepotism which was just about money. Soon this attitude manifested itself in more obvious ways.

They said, “You are good at taking photographs. Why don’t you run a photo studio?” To me it sounded like a mere joke. If I had wanted to run a photo studio, I could have done it on my own. I felt very resentful.

As the air rifle business was on track, and I knew too much about Moon’s relationships with women, they didn’t need me any more – even though I had invented the air rifle that could use buckshot! I, the inventor, was no longer needed. They were hinting that I should quit.

One day in 1971, I thought that I would have a talk with Moon, who had just come back to Korea from the U.S. I contacted Choi Won-bok, whom the church members surrounding her called ‘Mother.’ She was the closest of the attendants to Moon. She told me that I could meet Moon without making an appointment – I just needed to come to the church. So I went. As usual many people were gathered around waiting to see Moon. As the midnight curfew approached, one by one people started to go home. I had to wait until eventually only Moon and I were left. When I straightened my back thinking “Finally I can discuss thoroughly about the future,” Moon passed behind me and disappeared into the room next door. I thought he was going to the restroom and waited, but he never came back.

I am a gentle person but this made me furious. My whole body was shaking with anger, and I couldn’t steady myself. I had devoted all kinds of work and service to Moon and the Unification Church. I had received an award for enduring prison with Moon, a model award, a 14-year achievement award and an award for mission work. I spent most of my time at the church, and had served him day and night, following him around like a shadow. I had never opposed his teachings or given him any trouble. Since I knew too much about his relationships with women and his financial matters, he now shunned me and betrayed me. Because of this, I left the Unification Church for good.

My experience was exactly the same as Pak Chung-hwa’s experience so I could understand his resentment very well.” LINK

Ewha Womans University sex scandal as told in the 1955 newspapers

The Tragedy of the Six Marys website

Huge FFWPU scam in Japan (involving Black Heung Jin) is revealed

#Bone rank system #Nansook Hong #Sun Myung Moon #Pak Chung-hwa #Eu Hyo-yeong #Eu Hyo-min