#that you can watch made from all those movies and documental sources

[knwsoft]

my damnation | psh

— member. park sunghoon

— genre(s). fluff, angst, suggestive, alternative universe!au, vampire!au

— warnings. blood, violence, mention of death, kidnapping, suggestive content

— words. 17,8k

— summary. if judgement awaits you two at death, perhaps you will both have a lot to repent for. but, you’ll deal with that when it comes. for you, damnation was being without him.

— parts. one

— a/n. this actually used to be an old fic i planned for other boy group in my other blog. but losing idea and motivation made me unpublish it for good. now, after months sitting in my draft without any further plan on finishing it, this fic has finally sees the light again with some revision. this fic is also inspired by an old game i used to play, so some of you might find it familiar. please note that this fic hasn't been proofread yet, therefore if you find any grammatical errors or typos, please inform me.

i.

You always hate the summer for some reasons, since it either means the weather becomes hotter than you can handle or more assignments from college to finish. Overall, summer sucked. However, just for today you might reconsider it for once. Special thanks to the history project that allowed you to run away from other stressful assignments that might have locked you up all summer in your dorm—that's right, you didn't go back to your hometown for this summer break.

After taking a 2 hours trip by Uber, you have finally arrived at The Musee Pavillion, the well known museum for its historic background and building in the town. You couldn't stop looking at the grand museum beauty in awe —sparkling in dappled light reflected from the calm river around it—as you took pictures around for documentation. It was breathtaking.

No wonder many people recommend this museum as one of the tourist attractions you must go to in Warlington.

Going around the museum, you’re looking around for a while and accidentally clash with a person. After apologising and smiling to each other, you continue to one of your main highlights - rent a historical dress. It somehow looks much prettier than what you imagined.

“Um… excuse me,” A sudden clear voice makes you turn your direction towards the source, realising that a gentleman in a tuxedo stands next to you. From the language he used and the accent, you know he is a local. He somewhat gives an aura of a noble within a picture though the clothes he wears aren't in accordance with the place. “I think you dropped this earlier.”

Then the man uncurls his hand, showing a familiar [colour] hairpin. You touch your hair and find your hairpin indeed missing.

“I knew it. This hairpin belongs to you.”

“Oh, when did I lose it…?”

“I believe it was when that woman bumped into you.” He smiles before adding, “I happened to spot it as it fell. I was looking for a chance to return it to you.”

“Thank you very much.”

The man offers to help you wear your hairpin back, despite you feeling shy and trying to refuse, you accept it at last since the man assures her that he’s doing that to avoid the hairpin from dropping back.

When the man brings you close to your face to help you with the hairpin, you can’t help but be surprised and charmed by the man’s brown eyes. He brushes some of your hair with fingers that could have belonged to one of the graceful sculptures in the historical museum. Then you hear what the man says at your ear.

“… You have a sweet scent.”

“Thank you. I got that perfume from my hometown.” You mindlessly thanked him. Failed to catch the hidden meaning from those words.

“Oh… But I wasn’t referring to your perfume.” His voice was soft and rich, yet you couldn’t place his accent. It was like a mix of a hundred different lands.

He stepped away with a perfectly natural smile before saying his farewell. Whatever the spell you imagined yourself under is finally broken. You think of him somewhat strange, like an inhuman being from the movies you watched, especially with how fair his skin was. Though it’s impossible.

You then realize it’s only 30 minutes left before you need to visit the next exhibition.

Going in the man’s direction, you notice a big old rustic door. From the slightly open door, you can see some antique furnishings, thinking those are part of the exhibition. You’re somewhat feeling a weird attraction to the door and things behind it, and decide to have around them before leaving.

Going ahead to the far narrow hall with antiques placed inside, your feet just move forward as if invited. Before you arrive at the end of the hall, suddenly a white light hits your eyes. You shut them close as they are too dazzling. However, when you open them back, you’re somehow at an unfamiliar place.

Bedroom door on one side, windows on the other. It doesn’t look like a part of the museum you saw just now. It looks more like a private mansion that doesn’t make sense.

“What the… hell?”

You’re shocked to see that it’s night already outside while your cell phone shows it’s still 14:30.

Cooling yourself down who’s starting to get anxious, you give a light slap to both of your cheeks and go back to the door from where you came. But as you’re just turning around, everything was white. Your arms are being grabbed and caught into a shadow. You’re trying to escape but to no avail. Fingertips of someone you cannot see grab your hair and slides them into your nape.

“Quietly, submit to me.”

“Stop!”

Suddenly, you regain your consciousness, and nudge this person in the stomach and run away with all the strength you have. The anxiety is gradually getting into you again and you rush to find the door back.

You place your hand upon the cold handle and pull, but nothing happens. No matter how hard you try, the door won’t budge and—

“What are you doing there?”

Turning back your head, a tall man is standing nearby. Something about this man reminded you of your nightmare. But there wasn’t anything frightening about him.

“Uh, how do you open this door? It won’t open no matter how much strength I use.”

“No way, don’t tell me you came here through this door?”

“That’s exactly what I did. I come toward the museum behind this door, the one with many antiques.” He seems surprised before turns severe.

“Who are yo-”

Before he could finish asking, footsteps could be heard coming toward them, making you feel kinda relieved. You’re trying to raise your voice but he closes your mouth with powerful force and brings you behind a curtain on a grand scale, and glues your bodies together to hide your shadows. That sudden act makes your body stiffen.

Softly putting his hand on your shoulder, he whispers in low, “Don’t be alert. I won’t do anything for you… So, let’s keep silent for now.”

While being close together, you analyse your saviour as it illuminates by moonlight. Glossy and beautiful brown hair as if wet and well-featured look, along with large eyes that stares at you seriously.

He does not seem to be lying or else he won’t do straight-up things like this.

Nodding to him, he slowly releases his hand from your mouth. Your mind is wondering the reasons for such action. While deep in thought, he slowly murmurs that the footsteps sound has gone already.

There are so many questions you want to ask him. But, before you can open your mouth, he beats you to it first.

“Save the minor details for later, You need to leave this place before you are being found by other guys.” Gripping your hand strongly once again, you two quickly increase your pace in the corridor.

Even he says to leave…where can you go actually? What kind of things are bad if you’re being found out? You would be lying if you say that you aren’t anxious, but the heat transmitted through your connected hands somehow gives you a sense of relief.

However, the sound of the door opening could be heard, announcing the appearance of a brown haired guy with a sheepish smile. Small clicking tongue sound from your saviour reaches your ears.

“I don’t understand why there’s a girl inside this mansion. But somehow, looking at the situation, it seems like you’re trying to help her escape, right Sunghoon?”

“It’s none of your business, Jake.”

The mysterious man smoothly blocked off your exit. His eyes fastened on you with obvious fascination.

“Such a waste, then. She looks delicious tho!” Jake's eyes now full of glee as he approaches you and seems like wanting to make fun of you. He seizes your face. “I don’t know about anyone else, but this kind of grim face looks cute too, right?”

Sunghoon, the name of your saviour who you just learned, immediately put you behind him protectively.

“I have an idea! Why don’t you invite her to the dinner party? It’s just around the corner.” Jake happily suggests.

“That’s not for you to decide as you please.”

Feeling more confused with the terms like 'mansion' and 'dinner party' being thrown off to you, suddenly a girl with a maid appearance walks towards all of you.

“It’s time for the assembly, please go to the dining hall.”

Looking at you, she adds “Of course, you too.”

At first, you hesitate and want to refuse, but the maid tells you the owner of the mansion is waiting to meet you and you must have lots of questions to ask yourself. Plus, you enter here without permission. You walk ahead and come downstairs with the others following behind, and someone unexpectedly awaits them down there, shocking you.

“You are…!”

Looking ahead after going downstairs is a familiar brown-eyed man who you meet at the museum.

The moment your eyes meet, he smiles at you.

“Oh, Heeseung hyung, you know her?” Jake asks.

“We happened to meet this morning.” After Heeseung clarifies he remembers you, you feel so glad as he might be the mansion’s owner and could lead you to the way out. Before you could ask further, someone interrupts you.

“She told me she came in through the door you used…did you bring her along?” Sunghoon asks.

“No no, I could swear it’s not me who brought her in. I'm even surprised by her presence here.”

Listening to those unknown exchanges, you feel even more uncomfortable. You tried to ask him to tell you how to go back, but he could only give you a troubled smile. He invites you to the dinner party, and promises to explain everything after it’s done to avoid your further confusion.

As you arrive at the dining hall, the maid opens up the door for all of you. Warmly lit with chandeliers and candlebars. High-backed wooden chairs framing the massive table. A man was already seated there, raising his head noticing your arrival.

“Guest?”

He got the briefest look at me before returning to the table in front of him. He spoke, but you weren’t sure if it was to you, as he wouldn’t meet your eyes.

“Whoever you are, have you considered sitting down? There’s a queue behind you waiting to get in.” He seems to not care and tells you to take seats already, as it’s troublesome to do nothing.

“Jay, you do care!” tease Jake.

To rebuke further argument, Heeseung claps his hand and smiles towards all of the people who've been attending, asking for a toast. After the champagne toast and dishes are brought one by one, you still could not bring yourself to eat. Too many thoughts in your mind. You then indulge yourself with all delicious dishes, you feel the tense out from your shoulder a bit, and less wary.

It should be at quarter past three, and you should be at The Musee Pavillion now. But it’s nighttime and you’re seated at dinner. You couldn’t solve the puzzle right now, so you turn your head to your companions.

As Heeseung is glad you’re liking them, he greets the whole room, leading everyone’s gaze to him.

‘Who are all these men?’

“Since we have this opportunity, how about we introduced ourselves to the young lady?” Just like reading your mind, Heesung smiles as he introduces himself first followed by the others. “My name is Lee Heeseung. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“The pleasure’s all mine.” You stiffen, realising belatedly you could’ve been making a better impression of yourself. “I’m… [Name].”

“That’s such a pretty name for a pretty girl.” Says the dark brown haired flirt from before, gaining your attention. Don't forget to wink at you. “The name is Jake Sim and you don't need to be formal with me, just Jake is fine as long as I get to call you [Name].”

“I think that’s enough, Jake. You make her uncomfortable,” warns Heeseung.

You look to the next in line. Sitting to the right of Heeseung is Jay. You haven’t met Jay’s eyes for a moment before he looks away from you again. ‘What? Does he hate me or something?’

“… I’m Jay, Jay Park.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“I believe that leave you.” Heeseung’s voice arrests your fantasies.

Only one man left.

Your saviour.

He wanted you to get out of this place, and promised to answer your questions as soon as you two were gone. For some reason, you’d instantly trusted him, more than anyone else. He looks at you with those eyes that hide nothing and says, “Sunghoon. Park Sunghoon.”

After the dinner party ends without you still not knowing and understanding anything, you go to Heeseung’s room to seek explanations. You ask him ways to return since the door does not budge at all, is there switches or keys needed to open. However, his answers kinda disappoint you

“The door isn’t locked. Opening it is easy, however, it only opens under very specific conditions.”

“What’s the condition?”

“The specifics are difficult to explain.” Heeseung gets up from his chair and stops in front of an oversized hourglass. The top half is full of sand. “It will open when all the sand in this hourglass has fallen. It’s quite precise, and I rely on its timing myself.”

“I see. Approximately how long does that hourglass run for?”

“It takes a month, on average,” he says calmly. ‘A month!? On average?’

“We're still in Warlington, right?” If you are still in Warlington, that means there’s no need to fixate on that strange door. You could just go back using the front door. You don’t know how it became night without you knowing, but you still can return to your dorm.

“We are indeed still in Warlington, but in a different world. What you see here isn't the town you know.”

Heeseung sadly smiles as he tells Miyoung, the maid, to open the curtain and let you look over the city from his window’s room. Like in the set of a movie, a carriage runs along the old street and ladies put on a dress, other than that, the city still looks the same. You even change direction over and over, still see the same view and reality gradually hits.

“No… way.”

He explains that the mansion’s door has the power to connect between two different worlds. No matter if it's him or anyone, it still takes around one month to open the door. Once it’s close, it would take around that much time to open again.

“By the way, other residents are also gathered here through that door. So, people from different times and countries, including you, are meeting each other in this mansion. ”

Trying to clear more of your head, you ask further about the mansion and real identity of the Heeseung, but he tells you to rest for tonight since you seem tired already as he prepares a room for you to stay for the month. He also promises to answer more of your questions tomorrow and would tell the other residents about your stay in the mansion.

Alone in your prepared room, you’re thinking back about all the occurrences that happen the whole day. Hoping all of these are only dreams, you’re remembering back all the men you met, still not believing much in this whole different world story. You couldn’t picture he’s lying about it and your instincts told you he was telling the truth.

Besides, what would Heeseung gain from lying to you? You’re not rich or influential. There’s no benefit to it. Then it’s all real? As real as this place is.

Exhaustion overwhelming you. You immediately fell asleep as your head hit the pillow. But then, you wake up to the soft crumple of the thick duvet, followed by the creak of the bed-frame. There is a stranger in your room.

“Who is that?”

Before you could escape, a strong force pulls you back to bed. They were on top of you, holding you down. As your body falls to the bed, strong hands pinned yours to the sheets. Your legs are trapped under theirs.

“Don’t move.”

You feel the figure’s heat close to you, body tensed as their breath is on your ear. Sharp teeth sink into your neck. It stung for only a moment. No, not even that long. What you feel can’t be described as pain. Feverish heat starts running to your nape of the neck, your vision is shaking and you feel low in power. Each warm breath billowing over your neck fills you with insatiable longing.

You groan in a voice laden with ecstasy. Does that voice even belong to you?

As you’re surprised by your sweet voice unlike yourself, your reason is slowly melting. Your sight follows a circular red stain on the white sheet.

As your consciousness fades, the figure says something.

“I want it all. Your body, your heart… and your destiny.”

You scramble out of the bed, clutching your neck. There’s no puncture wound nor pain, and there’s no one when you’re looking around the room. The dream was unusual but yet familiar, you recall the mysterious daydream you had when you first set foot in the mansion, like a warning.

What do you put yourself into?

Trying to calm yourself, you decided to take a walk at the hall for a bit. Wan moonlight streamed in through the hallway like a ghostly ribbon. It was beautiful, yet unnerving in the dead of night.

You still couldn’t believe that you are stuck here, in another version of Warlington—the town you visit for study—with four men. Even if they could have world-travelled, why would they leave their own world? Why stay here when they have a life to live? Shouldn’t they be just as eager to return as you are?

It didn’t make sense.

Looks like you need to find out the truth from Heeseung tomorrow. For now, you need to get back to your room and hopefully back to sleep.

That’s when you saw him, standing at the border of the light and shadow, looking as if he embodied both. Sunghoon stood with his back to the wall, arms folded, but not in a peaceful way. His eyes were fixed on the window as if it were the bars of an old familiar cage.

“Sunghoon?”

The moment he heard your voice, his eyes left the crescent moon and looked at you. You were suddenly overcome with a familiar sensation. Your vision shrank to pinholes.

“I want it all. Your body, your heart… and your destiny.” It was your dream. It came fresh to your mind, along with all the sensations you’d felt. You took a steadying breath, only to realise Sunghoon had left the wall and was now onto your side.

“Are you all right?” He worriedly asks which you answer with a nod. He sighs before continuing, “You shouldn’t be out and about. I heard you’re going to stay here until the door opens.”

It seemed like Heeseung had told them about it like he said he would. You confirmed what Sunghoon had heard.

“Then you’ll want to stay in your room at night. Especially if you’re going to be alone.”

“Why? Is there something here I should worry about?”

“…It’s not my place to tell you. But, please, just take the advice.”

There was a finality to his answer. Whatever the unspoken deal you’d had before, your agreement to stay here changed it. With that, you return to your room and shut the door.

Once more, you slip into the bed and find yourself surrounded by its soft sheets. Thankfully, there were no more dreams. You couldn’t have known at the time how important that night would become to you.

The next morning, not a moment after you’d freshened up, Heeseung had you seated in his supercar. He was taking you out for a tour around the unfamiliar Warlington. It took a quarter-of-an-hour to arrive in the city.

It’s a completely different view when you’re on the street. The vestiges of the past that you couldn’t find in the museum can still be seen in this world. The buildings and scenery look the same, but it holds a different vibe. The way people dressed here showed a classical and yet trendy feel. There are also not many cars on the road—Heeseung said only people with high status or money can afford it in this world.

Heeseung gives a little nod toward the driver and smiles, as indicating you two should go.

He offers you his arm and you take it, only to find yourself suddenly close to him. You were surprised, but then found it was a common thing here since the other ladies around you were being escorted the same way.

“Now that the last of your doubts have been quelled, let me welcome you again to this world.” He shows you his eye smile before continuing. “First, we need to go shopping. You’ll need a variety of things.”

“Shopping? But I don’t ha—”

He wouldn’t listen to your protest and so you shopped. He led the way, and you could go along, wide-eyed.

This tour of the city lasted until evening.

As soon the two of you arrived at the mansion, Heeseung excused himself as Miyoung appeared to help you with carrying box after box of dresses, perfumes, and more into the mansion.

In the end, you didn’t get the chance to ask your questions. But, you’ve learned something about him: his status here was high, though you don’t know what it was yet. Everything he has told you so far is true.

“Oh, isn’t it [Name]?”

That voice. You recognized him before turning around.

“Jake.”

“You remembered my name. Fantastic!” Jaemin takes an insouciant stance and grinned. “Out larking about, are we?”

“Heeseung was showing me the town.”

“How do you fancy Warlington? Still find it unbelievable?” You could only nod. Though you finally saw it yourself you still can’t believe the whole different world travel concept.

Something then caught your attention. A red stain on Jake's shirt, too dark to be just any beverage.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to stare, but I think you spilled something on your shirt.”

“Ah, that?” Jake glanced at the stain right below his collar and gave it a tug, “I suppose I did spill my beverage.”

However, it doesn't seem like a normal beverage—the colour, the consistency—that was unmistakably like… blood.

Your head was clanging like an old-fashioned alarm bell. ‘Did he just say ‘beverage’? There’s an explanation for this, there has to be.’

"W-what kind of beverage?"

“Came from that pretty neck I fed off just now, I suspect. Nothing stains like blood. A real bother to get out, too.” Jake spoke up, preternaturally seizing upon the exact moment reality was slipping through your fingers. He was talking about it as if it might have been lipstick, or wine, or coffee.

You've experienced many strange phenomena since you arrived. Haunting dreams. Visions. But, this was the most shocking thing that ever happened to you. Jake could see the colour of your face drained at the realisation.

“I see now. You didn’t know we were vampires, did you?”

“That’s… unbelievable!”

“What a load of rubbish, right? You’re a sceptic. Fair enough. But it’s all true.” Your eyes locked at his, feet frozen in place due to fear. You couldn’t run. “Do you want to know what a true vampire is like, [Name]? I’ll let in on a secret.”

“What.. do you mean by that?”

“It only takes a little bite.”

“Cease that, Jake. You’ve gone too far.” Just when Jake is about to come close, someone interposes between Jake and you like a shadow manifesting from a sudden stream light.

Sunghoon glared at Jake as he pushed you behind him. He was trying to protect you from the older man for a few months.

“Don’t give me that sour face, Hoonie! We’re just having a bit of fun.”

“We? I doubt it.” Jake put his hand on the heart, pretending to be hurt by Sunghoon's harsh words. Sunghoon sighs and turns to face you.

“This is why you shouldn’t be alone at night. Come with me.”

You are unable to let out any protest as he took your hand away from Jake. Though you don’t know if you could trust him anymore or not, it’s better than being alone with Jake after what is about to happen. Yet, looking at Sunghoon did nothing to release the knots in your stomach.

Now that you realise, Sunghoon was going to get you out of here because he knew. He knew there were vampires here. He was a part of them.

“Sunghoon.”

“What is it?”

“Let go of my hand, please.”

He did so. Immediately. You stepped away, measuring the distance from the gardens back to the mansion. Jake said they were all vampires. Did that mean Sunghoon is one of them too?

“I know what you want to ask me. Go on, ask.” In his eyes, you saw that he wanted you to know.

Daring, you take a step closer. “You’re one of them, right? You’re a vampire.”

Silence. It is strange. You couldn’t shake the feeling you’d somehow said the wrong thing.

He suddenly moves forward like a shadow, then falls upon you like the inexorable morning light. You feel his chest rise and fall, feel his breath against your face. He is breathing. Alive. But when you looked into his eyes that had been so honest with you, you saw fear. Your fear. He wants you to answer your own question.

“Look at me,” He cups your hair. Telling you, begging you, not to turn away yet. “I’m not like the others. I’m just like you. Please, stop looking at me like I’m going to bite you.”

No monster out of fiction, you thought, could stir your heart the way his voice did.

ii.

You finally found a chance to talk with Heeseung. First thing in the morning, you went to see him. He would not evade your question again. Or so you thought. He insisted on breakfast. You sat in the garden, at a table laden with sandwiches, eggs, and a plate of mandarin oranges.

“Miss, your tea.” Miyoung pours the hot tea. You thank her before taking a sip of it. Judging by the aroma and the taste, it is black tea with an infusion of milk. It tastes just like a milk tea, maybe with a little bit bitter at the after taste.

Heeseung smiles, his eyes fastening on you as you enjoy the silence and peace breakfast. But it doesn’t last for long.

“You must have many questions about this mansion and the other residents here. And there are things I must explain to you. That’s why I asked Miyoung to prepare breakfast in the garden.”

You clear your throat and put down the teacup on your hand, “Yes. Though I will only stay here for a month, I still need to know the truth. At least to protect myself.”

“What would you like to ask first?”

You have so many questions, but you know which of them is the most important.

“Is it true that all your residents are vampires?”

“What made you think that?” He asked back calmly.

“I ran into Jake after you went inside yesterday. We got talking and—”

You shuddered at the flash of yesterday's event. When Jaemin told you the secret of the residents. When he walked closer and looked at you like a meal. If it is not because of Sunghoon, you might not be able to enjoy a breakfast like this anymore.

“…Jake. How I’m not surprised anymore.” Your sudden silence made him understand where this went.

“Anyway, I’m curious, why was that alone enough to convince you? You seem so sceptical about travelling through the world and of the residence here.”

To be honest, two days ago you would’ve been more sceptical about the blood too. However, there comes a time where rationality is stretched too thin. Past that point, the fantasy must be true.

“Seeing is believing. I don’t doubt what I see with my own eyes. Moreover, I’ve experienced a number of inexplicable things since I opened that door. At this point, I’m ready to listen.”

No more scepticism. You’d decided. Whatever Heeseung or Miyoung told you now, you would accept. Experienced one near death experience was enough for you.

“Let’s start from the beginning.”

Apparently, you’re the only person that comes here through that door. The moment the other residents woke up, they were already here—it was his doing. Everyone who Heeesung brought here has agreed to a certain condition of his, and it was a taste of eternity. They all were human until they arrived at this mansion, died with regrets, or left with something unfinished.

They were offered a second chance. They might have died in their world, but they are alive here. As a vampire.

“Onto my next question: Are you two vampires as well?”

“Miyoung is the only human other than you in this mansion. We met while abroad and invited her to stay,” said Heeseung.

“Rest assured. I’ve never once died.”

“How about you?” The man only smiled, purposely leaving that question unanswered. One flash of those red eyes and you found yourself unable to press him further.

He said Miyoung is the only other human. But, that’s not right, is it? The words Sunghoon said last night ringing inside your head. You thought he was telling you he was human. Were you wrong?

“What about Sunghoon?” Heeseung frowned. Your question made him pause.

“He’s… an exception. I did not offer him any contract; I have no memory of inviting him here at all.”

“That means he shouldn't be alive in this world, right? How did he get here?”

“He simply arrived one day, out of the blue. In fact, it shouldn’t be possible that he’s here with all of us. It surprised the rest of us. He doesn’t know why he is alive again and he’s incomplete.”

Incomplete—physically trapped between human and vampire. A demi-vampire. That explains why he said he was like you. He must see himself more like a human than a vampire.

“That’s enough!” You turned, hearing that familiar deep voice. “Who said you could talk about me behind my back?”

Heeseung calmly looks at Sunghoon as the demi-vampire walks toward the table, glares at the pureblood vampire across you with hate.

“She was going to learn the truth eventually. You could say I saved you the trouble. Unless… you were attempting to hide the information from her for some reason?”

“Stop insinuating when you know I wasn’t.” Sunghoon sighs as he turns away from Heeseung to you. “Glad you took my advice about not being alone.”

Not after what happened last night. Nope, you’re not going to get yourself in that situation anymore. Something about that cocky smile on Sunghoon's face just now irked you.

“Sunghoon, I have a proposal.”

“… I’m not gonna like this.” Sunghoon frowned even before Heeseung said his request.

After the breakfast with Heeseung finished, you follow right behind Sunghoon back to the mansion. Your newly appointed guardian had been silent since he accepted Heeseung's proposal. He was fast, but his black tuxedo stood in stark contrast to the green garden verge.

“Wait, Sunghoon!” You run toward him as Sunghoon halts. He waits while you catch your breath. A jog shouldn’t have winded you. But with the long feet he has, you really had to chase him down. “There’s something that I wanted to tell you.”

“What’s it?”

“First, I needed to say thank you. Second, I’ll try my best to not be a chore for you. I’d like us to get along.”

You automatically bow. But you realised it wouldn’t mean much to him. Will a handshake do? You thrust out your hand.

“Lift your head.” You raise your eyes to his brown undeniably human eyes. Sunghoon accepts your hand—not to shake it, but kiss it, like the gentleman in those movies. It was a slow, purposely action. “Since I’ve accepted the job, I swear to protect you. So, make sure you don’t get into trouble, chore.”

“You indeed think of me as a chore!?”

“You’re welcome to prove me wrong.” He grins and begins to walk off.

You don’t like that imperious attitude, earned or not. And yet, you couldn’t forget the gentlemanly kiss he’d placed on your hand. Your hand still tingles from the touch of his lips. Lips that then curved into a confident smile.

Why do you find him so frustrating?

On the other hand, Sunghoon couldn’t help but find you quite amusing. It’s been a while since the last time he met someone as interesting as you. A clap suddenly interrupted Sunghoon's though, making him stops and turns to the culprit.

“What a good show back there.”

Jake don’t stop clapping until Heeseung glares at him. “What do you want now?”

“‘First, I needed to say thank you. Second, I’ll try my best to not be a chore for you’. She’s good. Nice and sweet to the point I just want to sink my fangs right into her!”

“Try it and lose them,” warns Sunghoon.

However, Jake being Jake, he ignores the warning and still playfully teases the demi-vampire.

“Anger doesn't look great on your face, you know. Say Hoonie, you never answer me why were you trying to help [Name] at that night? She was a stranger to you and thought it would be more fun if we fed on her.” Jake’s eyes sparkled; he was enjoying his little game.

Sunghoon pulls Jake’s collar shirt and grips it tightly. If he was angry before, he is furious now.

“It was to keep her away from you. Satisfied?”

“Looks like the lion is waking up~”

“…You can’t stop turning everything into one of your little games, can you?”

Sunghoon shoves him away before he walks away. Jake touches his lips in thought. You’re defenceless, and Sunghoon has a history of learning how to protect the defenceless. But is it really the reason? He couldn’t help but think Sunghoon must be wanting to set you free because you’re human, in terms of himself.

iii.

You had finally come to terms with this mansion and its supernatural residents. Though you are Heeseung's guest, you persistently want to assist Miyoung in her duties. At least, it is the only thing you could do besides doing nothing for a month and maybe paying back for Heeseung's hospitality, you thought.

Miyoung has told you a few things that you need to know about the residents, in case you happen to face them under some circumstance.

Though vampires appear human, physiologically, they are different creatures with their own needs and aversions. Garlic and holy objects didn’t have any effects on them. They’re just sensitive to sunlight; they can stay under the sunlight but not for a long time. They also take nourishment from blood and they have extended life spans.

She also presented you with a cart with two decanters; one was filled with what looked like a white wine called ‘Blanc’ that served as a blood substitute, the other contained an opaque red liquid which is real blood. These are only consumed when they’re starting to feel thirsty, better than having to drink blood straight from the body.

Your first task of the day was to wake Sunghoon who’d miss breakfast. You raise your hand to knock on the door but hesitate. Miyoung had warned you, there is a time when the demi-vampire can’t be woken up by a mere knock on the door. If he doesn’t answer after the third knock, you can just enter his room and wake him up.

You knocked once, in case you’d got the wrong door before knocking it twice more. Hearing no response, you opened it.

Surprised was written on your face as you saw Sunghoon's room. It was impeccably clean, and though he had shelves of books and papers, everything was put away properly. The demi-vampire himself was found still sleeping on the table in an uncomfortable position. He must have fallen asleep while reading.

“Sunghoon? Sunghoon!” He’s not even stirring. You try to call his name again, this time while shaking his body.

“Mm… mmm?” You could tell he sensed daylight because he scrunched his eyes harder. You shake him again, but this time with more gentleness. “Hey, wake up!”

“What is it?” He blinked at you. “Oh, morning [Name].”

“Morning? It’s already noon! A few more hours and I’d be saying good evening," scold you. "Anyway, doesn’t your back hurt from sleeping like that?”

“[Name]…” He shushed you and raised up just enough to curl his arm around the back of your head. “… Seals that mouth of you.”

Sunghoon pulls you with surprising strength and kisses you. You push at his chest, but you might as well have push on a wall. His lips locked onto yours. It quite shocked you. Just as you’d had enough— he let you go.

“You… you…” You touched your lips, and they were warm. Nowhere near the temperature of your rage.

Sunghoon has stolen your first kiss!

“What are you doing here?” Sobered up, he asks you casually before gazes at you, mystified. “You look feverish.”

“I’m certainly sick of you. How can you-! Urgh, just get up already.”

Still boiling over, you march out of his room. Leaving the demi-vampire confused, “What’s her problem, huh?”

The rest of the day, you busied yourself with work. You went to wash the dishes, then did the laundry. When even that wasn’t enough to work out your anger, you spent your time in the library where a whole forest of books to dust. This should keep you busy for a week. Just four week of this and you’re home!

“You’re trying to kill those books or clean them?”

You recognize the speaker, who was sitting on the floor though there were couches and chairs nearby. He is no other than Jay, one of the residents that almost rarely interacted with you but always spent his time bricking with Sunghoon.

“I might have been imagining the books as a certain someone. I’m sorry to disturb you.”

“You’re not disturbing me. What happened?” Jay asks. “It’s not that important.”

“Right. However, it looks to me like you want to talk about it.”

Something about his eyes makes it feels like he already knows everything that’s wrong. If that was the case. then what was the harm in telling him, right? You ended up telling him everything, everything that makes you mad, including the incident with Sunghoon.

“I see. You ran into one of his bad habits.”

“Bad habit? You mean…”

“Yeah, he’ll kiss anyone like that in the morning. Back then, I’m the one who used to wake him up, and I often annoyed him while pretending to kiss him if he didn't wake up to the point he was not scared to kiss anyone he found annoying. So, yeah, it’s kinda my fault too.”

He laughs a little before continuing, “Everyone tried to pass the job off to someone else. Looks like it was your turn now.”

“I see…”

“Anyway, I’ll tell you something good about this place,” Jay speaks like a man excited to share the secret location of a cavern of jewels. He looks different from the quiet impression you got on the first day. “Everyone here can be a handful. So we developed this system-”

But then he smirks, eyes indicating the library door the very moment it opened. You turn around only to see Sunghoon strides up to you. He just pulls your hand, taking you away from Jay without letting you throw any protest.

Though he doesn’t say anything, his eyes tell you how badly he wants you to come with him.

Jay stands and watches as Sunghoon led you out. But, you could have sworn you heard him say, “enjoy your trip.”

Sunghoon briskly guides you out of the mansion, which reminds you of the time when you two were back in that first night. The night where he was just the brown-haired saviour that promised to help you escape.

“Get on,” Sunghoon instructs you.

You look at the horse and then back to him in confusion. You clearly don’t want to, still not understanding the situation you got into. It kinda made him frustrated. He sighs before grips your waist and hoists you up.

The next thing you knew, you were on the horse with Sunghoon, sitting in his lap. “And we’re off.”

“Huh? Wait, we’re going somewhere? Where?”

“Somewhere. Just hold on tight, this will not be a smooth road trip.”

Accompanied by the clop of steel-shod hoofbeats, Sunghoon and you left the stables to the opposite road to get to the city. You two are now racing into the countryside.

Though Sunghoon held you tight, the wind was strong to the point it seemed to cut your cheeks. You aren't safe riding like this at all. You grip his clothes for dear life, but daring yourself, you turn to face forward.

He seems to notice your fear. But fear isn’t a constant state, and without you noticing, it faded away. It was around that time that the ride ended.

“We’re here.”

Sunghoon helps you to get down. Then you follow him a few steps until you reach the top of a hill. Flowers carpeted the field below you, blooming as far as the eye could see. You couldn't help but be amazed in awe, unconsciously letting a little “wow”.

“I’m glad this could cheer you up.”

His eyes search the field, finding a spot where the flowers are thin to sit. It is like sinking into a fantasy world. The flowers are so much larger, so much more beautiful when sitting among them.

“Finally, you’re smiling,” he mutters.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” He’d been looking at you, now he looks up at the dark sky and the stars above.

“Why did you bring me here?”

It takes a moment until he finally speaks. “This morning, well…”

He still doesn’t dare to look you in the eyes. His ears turn red as he says, “I brought you here to apologise for accidentally kissing you this morning. Living with someone like Jake and Jay planted a bad habit in me. You might have heard it from Jay about it, right?”

You nod. You also have something more relevant to ask.

“Which one of them told you?”

“Miyoung did. Right after she saw what you were doing to Jake's laundry.“

You sure didn’t say anything to Miyoung, yet she found out anyway.

Wait. She had to have known about Sunghoon’s kissing tendencies when she asked you to go wake him up. But, she still asked you to do it without giving any warning.

Before you have the chance to be mad at Miyoung, Sunghoon holds up a hand and begin ticking down fingers. “Jake told me because of the laundry. Jay saw you during lunch. And Heeseung cornered me afterwards-”

“Hold on.” You cut him up. “It sounds like everyone knew. How did they all find out?”

“You can’t keep a secret in this place.”

It’s not like you’re upset that everyone knows about the kiss. Especially if Sunghoon's gotten the rest of them once already. Not being able to keep a secret around here sounds more dangerous anyway. You got a good look at his eyes and the poor man actually looked a little panicked.

Come to think of it, he is a man of few words. Action first questions later. When you first met, he’d taken your hand as if that told you everything you needed to know. What you felt for him was warm, but it most definitely wasn’t anger. Not anymore.

You are, you daresay, comfortable with the idea of being around him again. Happy, even.

“You’re forgiven. For all of it.” He smiles at the fact you forgave him. “As long as you slow down on the ride back.”

“The hardest treaty I’ve ever made.”

“Don’t make fun of me, I got horse-sick.”

“…Horse-sick?” He can't help but laugh hard. And once he started laughing, he couldn’t stop. He doesn’t know why but it had been a while since the last time he heard a word like that.

You frown at him for about one second and then laugh too.

A Park Sunghoon who sometimes sleeps all day and kisses whoever tries to wake him, who couldn’t even apologise to someone without a long horse-ride first, and who has the most delightful laugh you’ve heard in a long time. You are glad to have been able to meet him on this journey.

In a meadow stippled with wildflowers, the azure sky turned night-dark above you as Sunghoon and you keep talking. It was perhaps the first real conversation you’d had since meeting each other.

iv.

That's it. You’d completed your work for the day and couldn’t wait to get to your journal. Getting used to the environment you lived in this world, you’d started keeping more notes of your time here. Today, you had so much to write about, especially at the new discovery of Warlington you learned from Miyoung.

As you walk back to the mansion, you see Jay waiting by the door.

It’s rare to see him outside, you thought. Or anywhere, really. He was looking longingly at the driver. You knew you guys had a private driver who lived just outside the mansion—in fact, he was currently drowsing in his seat.

It looks like Jay wanted to go somewhere, but felt bad to bother the tired man.

“Jay?” Jay looks up from the man as he hears his name being called. He looks flustered.

“Huh? Oh, It’s you. Don’t startle me like that. And don’t tell anyone about it, too.” You couldn’t help but chuckle. If he hadn’t been fixated on the driver, you wouldn’t have been surprised. Who would have thought you would have a chance to see the infamous prankster Jay surprised like that.

Jay wakes up the driver and gets into the car, then asks you, “Are you done with work?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Are you doing anything else?” He asks again.

“I was going to… Actually, no, never mind.” There is no way you would tell him about the journal. “Is there something you need?”

“Do you want to come? I’m going to see Sunghoon.” At the mention of Sunghoon's name, your eyes lit and it didn't go unnoticed by Jay. Which makes him raise his eyebrow in a teasing manner. No one in this mansion doesn’t know about how close you two were lately.

“You two are always together, so I thought, You know…”

“I will pretend to not hear the last one, but, sure. I’ll come with you.”

The car takes off at a brisk pace toward the city. While on the way to your destination, you couldn’t help but wonder. Sunghoon did disappear for a few hours every day.

You tried to ask Jay about it, but the only answer you got was a sarcastic reply.

“You’ll find out as soon as we get there.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“… Agreeing with me again. I still can’t get used to it.”

Amusingly, he smiles. Too bad the ride wasn’t long enough to figure out Jay's contrary conversational patterns. The car stopped at the entrance of a dingy alley which made you confused.

They are going to meet Sunghoon here?

As soon as you got out, you heard voices—

“Sunghoon hyung! Over here!” A child pulled Sunghoon's right hand as his other hand held the wooden sword you saw in his room before.

“Patience! I’m only one man.”

“Hyung, me next! I need some help with my stance.”

Where the alley widened, you saw Sunghoon, surrounded by children, young and old. Apparently, he spends his afternoon coming here to teach the children the basics of swordsmanship.

“Hyung!!! Look! I just mastered the technique you teach me!” A child that seemed older than most of the children there suddenly ran toward Sunghoon. The other children started to cry in protest on how it was not his turn yet.

Sunghoon looks at the child before letting out a sigh. What you didn’t expect from him is a flick on the forehead. It was not that hard, but you could see how the child’s forehead turned red.

“Nikki, that’s not exactly how I teach you to swing your sword. It will only hurt your hand before you are able to hit your enemy. And next time, wait for your turn. Understand?”

The boy named Nikki nods while pouting at Sunghoon. You’d see him stubborn, boyish, teasing, friendly. Now there was caring, with an almost paternal gentleness.

Jay looks at the eager young children with pity and sympathy as he explained to you. They were the children of the unfortunate and underprivileged. Pauper, in a word. Different from your world, they couldn’t go to school nor get any education here.

“Do you teach them something too?” You ask Jay.

“…I actually do. Since I used to be a singer, I teach them some basics. It wasn’t my idea, in case you’re curious.”

You two stand talking at the mouth of the alley when the man of the talk himself approaches.

“Jay, you’re here!” Sunghoon happily greets Jay before his eyes land at you. “And [Name]?”

“I brought her-”

“Oh, look! Jay hyung is here!!!” The children cut him off and ran to him. They drag him away from you and Sunghoon to teach them new songs.

Jay said it wasn’t his idea. But though he seems a little overwhelmed, you got the feeling he doesn’t mind. Setting in with the music, surrounded by children and their boundless, boisterous curiosity, he looked unexpectedly content.

“So, how did you end up coming here with him?”

“Jay invited me out of nowhere. Because, and I quote, you and I are ‘always together’.” Sunghoon looks at you in confusion for a second.

"Do we?"

"Well, it was your job to be my bodyguard after all."

While you two are talking, the oldest of the children who was scolded by Sunghoon before comes over. He looks at you with wide eyes. But then turned into cheeky, childish glee, before letting out an unexpected question.

“Are you two lovers?” Your breath hitch in surprise.

What was Sunghoon teaching him, exactly? How was that the first thing he asks when he meets a woman?

“You see, Nikki, we’re just-”

“Yes, we’re lovers.” You glances at Sunghoon in confusion.

He doesn't just cut you but also lie to a child. He even seems doesn’t mind your glare. He leans over to whisper to you, telling you that it was easier to lie than tell him the truth though you do not agree with him. Your heated whisper only seemed to affirm Nikki's guess about you two.

“Heh, I knew it! Mom and dad talk just like you do. Only lovers argue like that.”

“Did you hear that, sweetheart? I think so too, Nikki. But we always make up afterwards.”

You feel a chill at the nickname he used for you. He shot you a sly smile, and you wonder how he isn't bent over backwards with laughter at this point. He obviously enjoyed this too much.

Uninterested in continuing the conversation with 'your lover', you turned to Nikki. You notice the messy drawing at the handle of his wooden sword. Curiously, you point at the drawing and ask.

“What did you draw?”

“Oh, this?” Nikki looks at his wooden sword's handle before letting out an awkward smile. “This was supposed to be a gem like those in real swords. But yeah, somehow it turned out into something abstract. Just like how my other painting turned out.”

Ah, he actually has some interest in drawing.

“Anyway, shouldn’t you go to Jay? He was about to start now.” Nikki jolts in surprise as he confirms what Sunghoon just said. Without wasting any more time, he bids you goodbye and goes to Jay.

“That’s new.” You look at Sunghoon in confusion. His eyes still follow Nikki who was busy observing Jay.

What did he mean by new?

“Nikki was the oldest of the group. He is rarely willing to approach or talk to anyone besides me, Jay, and his group of friends. And usually, it takes weeks for him to be able to open up. So, seeing him talk with you comfortably like that was something new to me.”

You could only smile. Seeing how happy Nikki and the other children from a distance like this make you kinda understand how Sunghoon feels about them. They are precious and you want no other than to protect their little happiness.

Sunghoon's gentle eyes look into the distance. But whether it was the past or the future he was seeing, you couldn’t tell.

"Nikki actually reminds me of my past."

Apparently, Sungoon's childhood wasn’t the brightest like you thought, where he needed to work hard to be able to pay his own tuition and living expenses. He didn’t manage to enrol in a good school like what he was hoping for, but still, he met someone great and was able to learn more from them.

As you listen to Sunghoon, you realise that he was opening up about his past to you for the first time. He smiles painfully at the last memories he remembered about that good man as he looked at you apologetically. Before he could let out what he wanted to say, a pitiful strained-sounding plea interrupted you two for help.

“Yah! Sunghoon! A little bit… assistance, please!”

Jay is surrounded by a lot of boys and gripping on one of the wooden swords with both of his hands.

“Why is Jay holding a sword?”

“You must never let children get bored. Let’s save him before he hurts himself. Let’s go, our little school could use a third teacher.” Sunghoon grins and grabs your hand, not letting you make any protest.

And ever since that day, you started to spend your free time visiting the children. Sometimes alone, sometimes accompanied by Sunghoon. You even didn’t forget to bring the kids some snacks that you made with the help of Miyoung which they enjoyed very much.

“Noona, you come!”

“Eonnie!”

The moment you arrived with a basket of bread, their eyes always lit up as they ran toward you. You happily greet them, handing them the bread one by one. However, it didn’t take you long to notice the leftover bread. Who hadn’t gotten the bread yet?

“Nikki didn't come today.” You look up as Sunghoon answers your question. He knew you were wondering about the oldest kid.

Then the two of you found it weird. Nikki never missed any training before. He even promised you to come today to show you something cool. So, why? Why did you feel uneasy about it?

“Guys, I don’t think you would like to hear this,” You two turned your head to Jay in surprise. “But this is about Nikki.”

Jay takes you and Sunghoon to Nikki's house. It is located not far from the alley, not more than 10 minutes by run. You just had to go straight, turn left around the corner, and if you see the simplest and cosy house on your right side, that means you have arrive.

However, the boys suddenly stop on their track, looking at each other with a nod and pull you behind them protectively. You might not be able to smell it, but they clearly knew what the smell hitting their nose was.

Blood. And it wasn’t in a small quantity.

Something was wrong.

The way Jay and Sunghoon acted made you feel that something wrong must have happened inside the house.

“Is everything alright?” You ask.

“Stay behind us.”

Jay pushes the door lightly and notices that it wasn’t locked. He enters the house cautiously, followed by Sunghoon and you. The house is completely empty without any sign of a human being. A tense, palpable silence hung in the room and you looked around the room. That was a big mistake.

Right in front of you, a man was lying lifeless in his own pool of blood. You are stumbling back in shock and almost falling down had it not been for Sunghoon holding onto you quickly.

“Mr. Nishimura!” Jay's eyes widen as he runs toward the body and examines it. “His death was caused by blood loss. Someone must have attacked him with a knife since the wound around his lower back doesn’t match any weapons I know.”

“Are you alright?” Sunghoon asks as he hugs you, shielding you from the horrid sight. “You don’t look good.”

You don’t. The stench of Mr. Nishimura's blood was overpowering your olfactory senses. You could feel yourself ready to throw up any minute just from recalling it. But then, you remembered your purpose for coming here.

“Nikki! We need to find him!”

Two horses took off, like arrows released from a bow. Worry could be seen on your face as the sky grew dark as you rode around the city to search Nikki. After all, he was just a kid and it must have traumatised him.

You three stop riding and running. Run until you reach the door of an old library that you hadn’t checked yet. Sunghoon pushed them open-.

Rows of an evenly spaced bookshelf filled the floor around you. The stained-glass window looks down at you as it allows the moonlight to illuminate the dark library. In the centre of all, stood Nikki with a mysterious man dressed in black.

His small face twisted in wrath.

“Nikki!” You are about to run toward Nikki, to pull him away from a potential murderer, but Sunghoon stops you. “[Name], don’t move.”

"But, Nikki—"

“Look at his hands.”

Nikki holds something that had been almost invisible in the glimmer of the moonlight. A weapon. It is a long-bladed knife. The red eyes and dried tears on his cheek tells you that he had been crying. He was so focused on the man before him to the point he doesn’t even notice your arrival.

However, the man did. His eyes languidly moving to the open door where three of you stand.

“… Customers? I’m sorry, but the library closed earlier today. You can visit again tomorrow morning.”

“Who is-?” Nikki's innocent eyes opened wide when he saw you all, and for a moment, he was once more the child you remembered.

“Hyung… Noona…”

“Nikki, I want you to come over to us. Slowly, carefully now.”

You look at him with a smile and extend your arm to him. But it doesn’t work. He shakes his head and looks at the man again, “I won’t! This man killed my dad.”

“… I believe he’s right about the culprit. Observe his neck.”

There’s a ring of red around his neck, marks on his flesh, just like what Jay pointed out. It looked like someone had tried to strangle him.

When you three visited the murder scene, Jay found signs of a struggle, Nikki's father fought back after being stabbed. It seemed he grabbed the man’s hood and tried to choke him, in a last attempt to stop his attacker. The man even made no attempt to conceal the bruise. Moreover, the smell of Mr. Nishimura's blood could be smelt on this mysterious man's body.

Some of the blood must have splattered on his clothes.

“It was an accident.” The man muttered. “Killing him, that is. But after I stabbed him, he was just so persistent. The others—they all thought to run or play dead. But, with this one, well, I had to defend myself. You understand, surely?”

“You claim self-defence against a man you stabbed?” It makes Jay scoff in disbelief.

“Why my dad? Why did you attack him?”

“Out of the people in this city, you mean?” He titled his head, looking at Nikki as if he was faced with some impossible puzzle. “Because he was the one I happened to pass by this morning, and he cluelessly invited me to his house. That’s all.”

“That’s it?” Nikki curls his fist in anger.

“By chance, my grandfather’s family was sent to prison. ‘By chance.’ It’s a fascinating thought, isn’t it? I like to imagine having that power—only imagine. That’s why I never killed anyone. I only wanted to see how they’d look.”

What a sick bastard. The casual way he talked about hurting people makes your stomach churn.

The man giggles. A muted, broken laugh. He looks down at Nikki with a sick smile, “Killing your father gave me a lot of pleasure. I never had this much fun before.”

Sunghoon is perfectly still. None of you was moving.

The truth of his dad’s death made the knife rattle in Nikki's trembling hands. His blood completely boiled in anger and hatred toward this man. A sick bastard who found killing was fun.

Jay glances at Sunghoon, giving him a look that clearly asks him to do something about Nikki. He was afraid something bad might happen to the child. But Sunghoon just stares at the scene before you, eyes utterly unreadable.

What ishe waiting for? Why does he seem ready to watch these tragic proceedings play out?

“Are you going to let Nikki commit murder? Do something, Sunghoon! Or else, I will stop him myself.” Jay raises his voice.

“He won’t do it. He can’t do it.” Sunghoon's eyes are on Nikki.

As he spoke, Nikki clutches the knife and steps forward on trembling legs. A gut-wrecking wail issued from his tear-streaked face. He runs toward the man.

Just as you thought Nikki would stab him, he slows down and comes to a stop. His arms fall to his sides, head bows-like a puppet whose strings had been cut. And he sobs with shaking hands tightening on the knife.

Sunghoon chooses that moment to speak. “Why did you stop, Nikki? Don’t you want to kill this man?”

“… I do.”

“Very well.” Nikki walks up the floor, his heavy boots leaving an impression on it like frozen ripples upon a lake of blood. He grabs Nikki by the shoulders and pulls him away. “Step back.”

Sunghoon withdraws a baton and swiftly kicks the man, bringing pain to his knee. When the man raises his head, Sunghoon’s baton tip is at his cheek. His eyes are empty of emotion as he looks at the man, cold as the steel of his weapon. Seeing a man’s vulnerable face and nothing else.

“All it would take is a few swings from me and this man would die.”

The tip was already prodding the man’s flesh. Though this baton couldn’t kill the man on the spot, with Sunghoon's strength it was enough to make the man suffer the unbelievable pain ‘till death.

“Say the words. Say 'Kill this man’, and I will kill him.”

Who was he? Where was the man you thought you knew?

All the horror you’d held back since arriving in this world came to you at once, unbidden, when you look in Sunghoon's eyes. You couldn’t seem to breathe.

Everyone was still. Except for the demi-vampire.

“Nikki is just a child!” You want to shout, but can’t due to your horror. While Jay could only whisper a prayer under his breath.

No one seems able to stop him.

Nikki let go of the knife he’d held. It drops to the floor with a thud. He turns away. From the man. From Sunghoon. From all of you. His body started to shake.

Sunghoon looks at him and opens his mouth, “Listen to me. Do not pull a blade on someone if you have not the intention nor the will to kill them. But, if you do kill, know that you forever carry the soul of the man whose life you took.”

The man laughed a dry, high-pitched laugh.

“I can’t believe it. You’re not going to kill me! You can’t do it any more than he can. Of course, a man who’s never killed before can’t possibly bring himself to—”

“Oh, I’ve killed before. I’ve killed more than you could kill in a lifetime.”

From relieved laughter, the man’s face shifts back into terror. So does yours. The fact that he had killed someone before made you shudder more in fear.

The library’s door suddenly opens with a loud bang. A shout and a dozen footsteps of police stomping up the library steps, followed by Jake in the back. He sends you a wink before pointing at the man to the police.

Everything happened so fast. The man was arrested and Nikki was taken in as a witness. When it was all done, the group of you were once more alone.

“Jake, thank you for having the good sense to call the police.”

“It’s fine, Jay. Sorry I didn’t get here earlier.”

It was a blur to you, you didn’t move. You weren’t sure you were able to. Until a tall shadow fell over you. Sunghoon. Blocking out the moon-light.

“Sunghoon…” He notices how pale you are and worries. You feel his hand come closer; you shivered. “Don’t-”

The word leapt out of you. Sunghoon's hand hangs empty in the air. You search for something, anything else to say to him. But you couldn’t find anything. Your hands were trembling and with that he left you with Jay and Jake.

That night, you all went back safely. You didn’t try to talk or even make eye contact with Sunghoon, completely avoiding him after what you just witnessed at the library.

Everyone seems to notice the tension between you two. Because the next day, while busy mopping the floor, Miyoung suddenly stops you and calls the driver. She pushes you inside the car to do a more important task and answers none of your questions, though you heard she say something to the driver.

“Where are you sending me?”

“To master Sunghoon, obviously. He’s been walking around with an air of utter gloom since last night.” You feel a pang of guilt and sorrow. “You two better solve your problems or don’t come back at all!”

With that, the car starts to move and leaves the mansion.

Looking out the car window, you see the sky grow madder red. You know you should use this time to figure out what you want to say to him, but you couldn’t think. It isn’t long at all before the car stops in town and in a blink of an eye, you are in a familiar back alley, painted with tall shadow casted by the sunset between buildings.

Out of the darkness, there is he. Speaking softly to Nikki—too soft for you to hear the words. You got closer and heard the sound of crying. He isn't alone, of course. There is Nikki too.

Sunghoon is kneeling by a weeping Nikki, curls up small and trembling before him. Even from this distance, you could clearly see the tears running down the child's face. Nikki couldn’t stop apologising to the demi-vampire even though he didn’t do anything wrong.

“What are you apologising for?” Sunghoon asks him.

“I hated him enough to kill him, but I was a coward! I couldn’t do it. I was too scared-”

“Of course you were scared.” Sunghoon puts an arm around Nikki and holds him gently as the boy cries. “Don’t say you are a coward. You’re exactly the way you are supposed to be.”

“What do you mean?”

You stand very still so as to not miss a single one of Sunghoon's soft-spoken words.

“Killing someone is no applaudable act. And I didn’t want you to kill him. I don’t want you to ever have to kill anyone.” His voice was gentle. The tenderness with which he spoke to Nikki almost broke your heart.

But Nikki, in his grief, didn’t see Sunghoon's face like you did. He had the look of the one who’d give up so much. Too much. You recognized that expression.

“Don’t-” Outside the moment, his face when you spoke was so clear to you. His shock. “All right… Let’s return.”

It was the first time you’d heard such grief and such sad resignation in Sunghoon's voice. He expects people to fear him. That’s why he spoke so harshly in the library and why he smiled so sadly after.

The smile of a man who knows he’s seen as a villain, and who counts the second until people make him pay for imagined sins. You’d fallen into that trap, and you regretted it. So much more than you could say.

Sunghoon knew. He knew that sadness. He knew crushing, hopeless despair. Right now, he looks so completely alone.

Yesterday, you got a glimpse of the kind of man desperate despair had made of him. And if you were fortunate, you would never have to understand that feeling completely. But you never wanted him to feel it again.

The reluctance you feel melts away when you see Sunghoon's smile as he watches Nikki run towards home. He stayed like that until the child left his sight.

“Sunghoon!” You begin to walk toward him once more.

Sunghoon looked up at you slowly, as if doubting what he’d heard. “[Name]? I didn’t expect to see you.”

You take a step toward him. Another. Preparing what you would say with each step. You want to talk. You want you two to talk again. Comfortably.

However, little did you know, something that is easy to obtain will easily disappear as well.

In the blink of eyes, there were two weeks left before the door to your world could be opened. Though you are happy to know that, deep inside your heart, you feel a little bit sad. Back to your own world means you wouldn’t be able to meet the boys, Miyoung, Nikki, and Sunghoon anymore.

Something about leaving Sunghoon alone didn’t sit quite well in your heart.

It makes you not want to go back to your world. But, could you?

Everything started to go normal again that day. Your routines, your relationship with the children, and the relationship with Sunghoon. Actually, it actually went better than you thought.

There was a time when Sunghoon wanted to try to make you some food from your hometown since you two and Miyoung were the only ones that could enjoy human food. He would spend his time in the kitchen with Miyoung to prepare everything while you sat in the garden, waiting for them to finish. Because of it, Jay often would say that the demi-vampire was so whipped for you.

But you knew better than anyone that it wasn’t true. Right?

At the entrance to the garden, Jay starts at his folded hands to avoid watching the sweetly smiling and giggling couple. He only could sigh, praying for a break in the conversation to call out either of you two.

“Oh, what’s this? Is it spring already?” Jake shows right beside Jay as he looks at Sunghoon and you. “It must be. Look, love is in the air.”

“Y’know what, I’ve never felt so glad to see you here.”

Jake chuckles, “I was starting to think that you hate me right before they became close like this.”

“Don’t make me change my mind, Jake.”

v.

Lately, Sunghoon felt something strange happen to his body.

He couldn’t describe it, but he did feel more irritable than usual. And no matter how many times he ate some food, he would still feel hungry and lethargic. He found it hard for him to stay around you. But, what else could he do?

He was your bodyguard and he couldn’t trust Jake enough to leave you alone whenever the flirtatious vampire was around.

Spending most of his time with you also made him have a soft spot for you, where he couldn’t deny your request whenever you gave him those puppy eyes. And look where it took him? Nowhere else but your side.

Just like any other day, Sunghoon had taken you to the flower field you visited before to watch the sunset. You are so happy to finally be able to escape the town and the mansion for a breather. You stay there with him until the sky turns dark, watching the sun slowly disappear between the mountains.

“Hey, [Name], could I ask you for something?” You look at him in wonder before nodding. Well, as long as it was not something ridiculous, you don’t mind. “Please don’t change.”

“What do you mean by don’t change? Please be more specific, Park Sunghoon.”

He chuckles while looking at the flower field in the distance, something that he rarely did even when he was alone. “I like having dinner with you, spending time with you in this flower field, and also at how you laugh just from a little silly thing. That’s what I mean as ‘don’t change’. Please stay as who you are right now. That's all.”

“I understand. We should get back now. It's almost time for dinner and I still need to help Miyoung prepare the meal.”

There is no response from Sunghoon. He just sat there, looking at the flower field like there would be no time for this anymore.

“I’m going to go back alone and leave you here without a horse. I really will!”

“… You know you would never do that.” He finally snaps out from his trance and walks toward the horse.

He looks at you with gorgeous eyes and delightfully wide smirk. Standing up slowly, you brush the grass off your skirt and pack up your picnic.

The whole journey to the mansion was silent. A comfortable silence. Neither of you had the initiation to start a conversation until you arrived at the mansion.

You quickly bid him goodbye and left him alone at the stables, missing the pained look that he couldn’t keep in anymore. He had been hiding it for a while now, at least not showing it in front of you.

“Sunghoon? Are you okay?” Heeseung, who happened to pass by, heard the cries and went to check the stables. He doesn’t expect to see Sunghoon in this state.

“I… thirsty. It feels painful. Make it stop!”

Heeseung quickly takes out the emergency rogue he had with him and shoves it towards Sunghoon. But, being stubborn he was, he pushed the rogue away from his sight. No matter how thirsty he was, Sunghoon would never touch or even drink that.

“Drink. You will only make it more painful if you refuse.”

“No. You know clearly what will happen if I drink it.” He firmly says. “It will make me lose the last humanity I have in me.”

And that means he would lose you, too. Sunghoon doesn’t want that to happen.

“You know sooner or later you need to let her go, right?” The older vampire paused as he looked at Sunghoon. “She will-”

“I KNOW.” He shouted.

“I know that, hyung. That’s also why I can’t let her know about this. Just let me endure it a little longer, at least until she goes back safely to her world.”

“…You’re stubborn.” Heeseung could only look at his friend with a sigh. “If you keep being stubborn like this, you will lose yourself first before you are able to send her back.”

"Don't worry. It will never happen to me," assures Sunghoon.

After the little runaway you had with Sunghoon last night, somehow you started to can’t sleep well—resulting in a throbbing headache as you woke up the next morning. Something about the blur nightmare you had made you a little bit worried. It wasn’t a normal nightmare like you had before, living in this world for almost three weeks made you sure of it. It felt like a warning, though you couldn’t remember it well what it was about.

Hoping the fresh air could help your head, you grab a broom and sweep the balcony. However, despite the throbbing headache you got, you couldn’t help but wonder about a certain person.

Sunghoon. He was nowhere to be found all day. You also find him acting a little bit strange lately like he was trying to distance himself from you. Heeseung even had taken it upon himself to wake him up this morning, and went to meet the children a little bit earlier today with Jay without you.

Was it your fault? Or had you done something wrong? Your fingers tightened around the broomstick at those thoughts. Let’s hope that was not the case.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Sunghoon was putting more attention to the children’s self-defence technique to the point he didn’t notice the playful gaze from Jay. He clearly notices something was occupying his friend's thought which obviously concerned you—if not, why else the demi-vampire has been avoiding you as much as he could?

Jay waits until all the children had scamp off to play and sat beside Sunghoon who appears lost in his thoughts. He waves his hand in front of Sunghoon's face a few times before deciding to shout his name again directly in the ear.

It not only successfully snapped Sunghoon out of his thoughts but also attracted some attention from people around the alley. Embarrassed, Sunghoon bows apologetically before raising his fist to Jay.

“I still can hear you clearly, Jay.”

“Where have you been for the last dozen minutes? It’s too early in the day for your head to be lost in the stars,” Jay pauses. “Wait, not a star, but someone.”

“Stop your nonsense. I’m not thinking about her.”

“Her? I didn’t say anyone though.” It takes a few seconds until Sunghoon's ear reddened at the realisation and shoves the laughing Jay away in embarrassment.

“No, I mean— Ugh… Stop laughing!” Jay calmed down a little before meet Sunghoon's eyes. “You’re in love with [Name], aren’t you?"

To say that Sunghoon was caught off guard by Jay's question was understandable. It must be written all over his face. However, there was more. He couldn’t help but repeat the gist of his conversation with Jake a few days ago.

Love is a gift until you have to part. "So, why are you trying so hard to push her away?”

Sunghoon know where this conversation is gonna take him. Looking at the blueish sky above him, he could only sigh. “I do love her.”

In his heart, you were clever and cute. Everything about you made him able to smile, even just with a thought of your smile. He was never able to understand the way your thought works. And before he knew it, you became all he thinks about.

But, did you feel the same way? Will you still choose him when the door connected to your world opens?

“Then, don’t let her go,” Jay breathes. “Tell her you love her, then the two of you can stay here in the mansion-”

“That’s not my decision to make.”

Sunghoon knew how much you missed your old life. Asking you to not open it means you will throw away your life and… you will regret it one day. He doesn’t want you to live in regret just because of his selfishness. He couldn’t bear it.

“…You love her that much.”

“I’ve decided to not play a hand in her decision. Even if it means she chooses to leave for good. And that-” Sunghoon points his finger at Jay. “-isn’t an invitation for you to ask her to stay on my behalf.”

“You know I can’t do that to you. I know my limit to interfere with people's lives.”

Sunghoon smiles sadly. When he opened his mouth next, it was with resignation. “The most important thing to do now is to treasure the present.”

Before you arrived, he wouldn’t have cared if he became a full vampire or not. He could barely tell the difference between a full and demi-vampire, so it didn’t matter to him. Until he met you. Your arrival made him think more about what it meant to stay human.

Treating time as if it was a precious commodity: eating meals together and feeling satisfied when they were over; talking about arts and drawing together, he could only do that because he was a demi-vampire. He hasn’t yet changed. And so he began to appreciate what he still had left from his human life. He wanted to stay human for you.

Sunghoon frowns, distressed. You and he don’t have much time left.

Little that they know, at the entrance to the alley, a car parked with two men inside. They watched Sunghoon and Jay talk to each other before going to play with the children.

The eyes of a mysterious man in light brown tuxedo widen at the sight in front of him. He grips the window so hard it seems he might break it. While the other male, who looked younger than his age, watched with hand-folded like a spectator at a playhouse. “… that’s him, Sunghoon!”

“You see, I spoke the truth. Park Sunghoon still lives.”

“But… how?” The man in light brown clutches his head, his fingers digging into his dark hair, face twisted in pain. “How can he be smiling like that?”

“I fear Sunghoon’s become sanguine in spirit, not in appetite. Do you wish to see him? Or do you wish to see the man who has taken his name?”

“…How do I reach him? How do I wake him, Jungwon?”

The younger male smiles, “Shall I offer you advice? Whether you find my advice fair or foul, it is certain to help. For inciting passions in men is my stock in trade.”

Jungwon studied Sunghoon as if he were words on-page. He mimed taking a pen in hand and drawing a line through him. But no one, not even this man in light brown, knew how Sunghoon's tale would end.

No one knew how cruel fate could be.

vi.

That noon, you are writing in your room when someone knocks twice on your door. You couldn’t help but wonder who it might be. You unlock the door and see Sunghoon there.

“Did I disturb you?” He asks while peeking inside your room.

“Of course not. What is it?”

“I have something to give you. Hold out your hand.”

Curious, you did as he asked. He places a stuffed toy dog in your hands. It was small and black, with buttons holding it together, and it was cute. You also didn’t fail to notice the folded paper that was attached to it.

“What’s this?”

“A little dog.”

“I can see that, Honnie.” You roll your eyes and chuckle. It’s not like you hate it, but Sunghoon has been giving you so many gifts lately. “What is this one for? Where did you find it?”

“Now you’re asking too many questions.” Most people were content with guessing, but you, only you went out of your way to ask. Not that he hates it, on the contrary, he likes it.

“I can’t help it. I want to know what the man in front of me is thinking.”

“Don’t you know curiosity killed the cat? Anyway, It’s not for anything particular. Jay and I passed a shop on the way back, and I happened to see this stuffed toy. It reminds me of you.”

“Is it because I’m cute?” You playfully asked him. “No, you’re annoying. Like Jay, but more endurable.”

You pout at his remark. While the culprit himself just laughed, letting you shove his body with a weak attempt until you thought it was enough. He looks at you with the eyes that keep captivating your mind and pinches your cheeks.

“Don’t be cranky,” He coos you. “You’re cute, okay. Now I want to see your pretty smile.”

Though you were still mad with his teasing, you couldn’t help but smile. The last words, it was the answer your heart hoped for and dreaded. He stops pinching your cheeks and lets out a yawn.

He then bids you goodbye and walks away toward his room. After losing sight of him, you close the door and lean back against it. Still holding the stuffed toy dog in your hands, you unfold the paper he gave you and smile. It was a drawing of you from the side, smiling brightly at something or someone.

It looks like returning home is going to be hard. Your heart was beating so fast that it ached. You were flushed and warm just at the thought of him. Why does he have to make it harder for you to not fall in love with him?

Time, as it turned out, doesn’t care that you were deeply conflicted. The day moved forward. A day closer to going home.

That morning you are busy talking with Jake about something when the door to the dining room creaks open, showing the confused Sunghoon as he walks toward you two.

“Morning! You slept in pretty late today, even for you.”

“I didn’t expect you to wake up on your own,” You agreed with Jake.

Yawning, Sunghoon glances at the tea sandwich you made on the table, grabs one of it and takes a bite. Immediately, he put his hand over his mouth with an odd look.

That’s a weird reaction, you thought.

“I think he doesn’t have the words to describe how good your sandwich is.” Jake chuckles at Sunghoon before bumped his shoulder to his friends, signalling him to say something to you.

“…Yes. Just like Jake said.”

“If you like it so much, you can have another. There are plenty.”

“I just remember that I have something to do. But I'll come back later for the sandwich.” Sunghoon shoots you a grin and turns to go. Stiffly, he closes the door behind him.

He went straight from the dining hall to Heeseung's room. And without a knock or something, he opens the door harshly. Heeseung calmly faces Sunghoon with a smile, like he had been waiting for his arrival.

“It’s rare to see you here, Sunghoon.”

“I need to ask you something, hyung. It’s very important to tell me everything you know.”

“You have my full attention.”

The last few days, Sunghoon has gone to sleep hungry though he remembered eating normally throughout the day. Not only that, but his throat was also so dry that it was painful and the thirst he felt before became worse from time to time. Even worse from the night when you two just back from the flower field.

Heeseung says nothing, his eyes observing Sunghoon dispassionately. He knew exactly what happened to the demi-vampire in front of him. But, even if he tells him the truth, Sunghoon would only deny it like last time.

Sunghoon meets Heeseung’s eyes with his own, pleading for an answer he could live with.

“You already know the answer.”

“Am I becoming a vampire? Am I changing after all this time?”

“To be honest, I have lived a long time, yet I have never encountered a vampire like yourself. Thus, all I can do is speculate.” Heeseung sighs before continuing.

“There is a reason Jay and Jake require a steady intake of blood. Call it ‘payment’ for their renewed life. That’s the natural law of the vampire world. You too have outlived your original lifespan. You understand it, right?”

It was not the reassurance Sunghoon had wanted to hear. “How do I stop it?”

“Too bad, you can’t stop it. You can only slow the process by avoiding consuming rogue in any form, including drinking for the living.” Heeseung's hands drop to his sides.

After a moment, Sunghoon manages a smile, though his balled fists were bone-white. With that, he left the room.

vii.

The weekend finally came. Jake and you went out to the city for some artistic inspiration. The sky was clear; the street lit with natural light—you were the only gloomy cloud.

Unlike what Sunghoon promised you, he didn’t come back to the dining room for the sandwich. He even didn’t eat much that day, which kinda worried you.

“You, okay?” Jake askes in worry. His gentle voice called you back to the present.

“Yeah, just thinking about something. It didn’t matter.” Jake smiled softly at you.

From outside, Jake might look like someone that is annoying. His flirting nature made people around him feel uncomfortable sometimes. However, once you know him better, you will understand that it was his way to show people how much he cared for them. He was a caring person that loves piano and photography, liked to hang out with Heeseung, and occasionally annoyed Sunghoon or Jay whenever he pleased. You even became his recent victim.

One more thing about Jake that you notice, he has an irresistible smile. Most women are drawn to him like a moth because of it. If you weren’t in love with Sunghoon and the bad impression you had about him, you might become one of those women.

“Anyway, let’s go to that bookstore. I think I saw the book that I had been looking for.”

Thanks to Jake, you could forget about Sunghoon for a while. Your mind feels more refreshed as the walk continues.

Just then, someone grabs you away from the main road. You were thrown over a car before you could react. It takes the breath right out of you. You tried to see who’d grabbed you but failed to get any detail of your kidnapper’s face. A dark hood and the light behind his head conspired to shadow his features.

“Put me down!”

“You better shut your mouth if you don’t want to lose your precious life.” A deep familiar accent. But not a voice you know.

“I don’t know who you are, but release her immediately!” You look at Jake with panicked eyes.

“Jake, run! Get help!” You plead and tell him to go. But, he seems to have another plan in his mind.

“Begone.”

“I’m not going anywhere, not until you let go my friend.” Jake swung his bag of music sheets at the hoodie man’s face. The attack catches the man by surprise, and Jake uses this moment to grab his arm, trying to pull the man off the car before the engine turns on.

Suddenly, there was a clicking sound. The man had drawn a gun to Jake’s face.

You stop him right before he could pull the trigger. “Stop… I’ll go with you.”

“[Name]!”

“Just do as he said, Jake. I’ll be fine.”

You know what Jake is capable of. He might be a vampire, but it is still dangerous to show it in public. Moreover, he was unarmed. He's just gonna get hurt if he stays. Instead, Jake needs to get out of here and tell the others about this.

Leaving his supplies behind, Jake runs at full speed to your waiting car. He told the driver where Sunghoon was supposed to be. Soon, he found him at Leeum Museum of Art.

“Sunghoon!”

“Jake? What are you doing here?” Sunghoon looks at Jake.

“[Name], she—” Jake explains the whole situation in panic. He even sent the driver to alert the police, but he doesn’t know if they couldn't help find you.

Sunghoon listened with a grim expression, fists unconsciously balled in anger. Without wasting any more time, he thanks Jake and runs off the museum art.

On the other side, your kidnapper just unceremoniously tosses you to the floor. Not care even a bit about the impact that went all through your body.

Where are you? You are not even sure how long you ride. You are so disoriented. Eventually, your eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room you found yourself in.

It looks like an old cabin or maybe a warehouse. It was dusty with disuse. The hoodie man comes in after you and stands in the doorway to block the exit. He draws his gun once more and points it at your face. He walks closer to you until it touches your forehead and loaded the gun.

“You better not think of getting away just because I don’t tie both your hands and feet. You might not be able to do it because these bullets will kill you first.”

You want to say, “there is a first time for everything.” but you know you are at a disadvantage with this one.

The way he holds the gun shows that he had experience in this matter. You need some other advantage. You begin to talk, though your voice shakes.

“Why did you kidnap me?

“If you think you can ransom me with money, you’re wrong. I’m not interested in that,” says the man.

“Then, what are you interested in?”

“… inspiring wrath. There is a man I need to awaken. And you’re the key to doing so.” He’s not making any sense, you thought. Why would you be the key to something you didn’t understand? “I’m going to wake him up by killing you.”

What?

A glint. That is the only warning you got. The man pulls the trigger and lucky enough, you darts out of the way just in time before the bullet hits your head.

“Don’t run or you will make your death more painful than it was supposed to be.”

You backed away. One step. Two steps. You do your best to avoid the bullets. Your legs are like useless sticks. You push yourself along the wall with your hands, only for the man to back you into the corner. You want to look for an escape, but your eyes are fixed on the gun in the man’s hand as he loads the gun and aims at you.

The last thing you do is flinch. In your fear, you barely hear the sound—

Someone sweeps into the room, and for a moment, it's as time stops. You hear your shallow breath in the stillness. Nothing came to you, not even a sound of the gun could be heard.

You open your eyes and see your saviour there.

“Sunghoon…” Sunghoon has his arms around you, shielding you. “Sorry, I’m late.”

Seeing is believing. Yet, you still can’t believe it. It was a miracle that Sunghoon came right before death greets you. You didn’t miss the glare he sent to the man like he knew and despite him to the bone.

“You came after me, Park? Don’t you remember what a mistake it is? Almost as grievous as showing your back to the enemy!” The hoodie man pulled the trigger at Sunghoon who has his back to him, protecting you. You can see how much pain he feels just from the groan he let out, arms still locked tightly around you.

“Are you going to stand there while I make holes into your body?” He keeps shooting at Sunghoon, again and again.

“You’re a disgrace, Park. Choosing to spend your life by drawing and devote it to a mere human like her. Do you forget who you are!?”

Sunghoon grits his teeth, unflinching as the hoodie man shoots him again.

Blood. You can feel your hand full of Sunghoon's blood as you accidentally touch his now blood-soaked clothes. He can’t move without putting you in danger. But that also means he is gonna die soon or later if this continues.

“Sunghoon… stop, please” You plead to him to not scarify himself for you anymore. He only smiles and tells you that everything is okay.

Of course, you know it’s not.

The moment the man pulls the trigger again, you grab Sunghoon's outer, just like you’d grabbed his bed sheet so many times, and throw it over the man. Your plan worked. The man steps back to rip the outer off himself.

Sunghoon, with his speed, has his baton out and drops the gun away from the man’s hand with it.

“You-”

“Don’t move.” A boot scuffed the floor as the man took a step back. “I said don’t move.”

Sunghoon sweeps his baton up, just as the hoodie man moves out of his way. But the baton gets caught inside the hoodie and tugs down the hoodie of his head.

A glimpse in the darkness. You glimpse the man’s eyes, shining with unnatural light and filled with mad rage. He stared at a moment before disappearing faster than your human eyes could see.

But your attention quickly diverted at the sudden hissed in pain that Sunghoon let out. He fell to his knees.

“Sunghoon!” You catch and ease him to the floor, holding him in your arms. His back is slick and wet from the blood. Your hands are slick too with the same horrible liquid.

“[Name]… are you hurt?”

“I’m not. You’re protecting me the whole time, don’t you remember? And now you’re hurt because of me.” Your heart is beating too loud for you to think. You wish you could yell at it to shut up.

Stay calm. Remember the emergency first aid. You remind yourself.

Looking around, you try to find a cloth to staunch the blood with. Sunghoon is bleeding too badly to move and there isn’t any sign his wound would heal any sooner.

The second you try to stand up, Sunghoon howls in pain as if your leaving his side caused him agony. He grabs at you, catches your arms. With his other hand, he grabs your collar and pulls you to him with wild desperation. he is panting, hissing through the clenched teeth. And that’s when you see it.

Fangs. With his laboured breathing, they are unmistakable. He is in pain, and he has a look in his eyes you’d seen before. It reminded you of the first encounter between you and Jake, like how predators look at their prey.

“Sunghoon, I need you to answer me,” You breathe. “Do you need blood? Will it help you?”

“N-no… I don’t… I don’t need blood.” He shakes his head in denial. But his eyes tell you a different story. He is still bleeding out in your hands.

Vampires require fresh blood when they suffer injury. If blood wouldn’t save him, you didn’t know how else to keep him alive.

“Tell me the truth.” He says nothing.

“Please, Sunghoon, let me save you!” You don't want to let him die like this, especially after all the times he protected you. “You saved my life! Please, don’t make me watch you do this to yourself!”

He finally looks up at you, sadly. He leans closer and whispers. “Listen… [Name]… I’ve been… changing. I’m becoming a vampire. If I drink blood… there will be no more holding it back.”

Is that why he didn’t want to drink? But what could be so horrible about becoming a vampire that he'd rather died? You’d lived with vampires. You’re rather here with a vampire Sunghoon than a dead one.

Was it because of you?

“Look, I can’t speak for you. But I know I’d prefer you to do anything, even become a vampire, if it means living!”

“Do not say that!” You are shocked into silence. You’d never heard him sound like that. So rawly vulnerable.

His hand is shaking. “I don’t… want to become… a full vampire. I’m… I’m afraid.”

“But why?” There are so many questions you want to ask. What was he possibly afraid of to the point he doesn’t want to change?

“Because I met you… and I’m afraid of losing this. If I become a full vampire, time will stop passing for me the way it does for you. We will never be able to share the same meal and smile when we are satisfied…” His breath is ragged.

“It may sound silly to you, but… I love doing those things with you.”

But why, why would he die for these things?

Memories of that night in the flower field to your mind to answer your questions.

“Hey, [Name], could I ask you for something?” You looked at him in wonder before nodding. Well, as long as it was not something ridiculous, you didn’t mind. “Please don’t change.” “What do you mean by don’t change? Please be more specific, Park Sunghoon.” He chuckles while looking at the flower field in the distance, something that he rarely does even when he is alone. “I like having dinner with you, spending time with you in this flower field, and also at how you laugh just from a little silly thing. That’s what I mean as ‘don’t change’. Please stay as who you are right now. That's all.”

You now understand why it’s important to him. You haven’t realised just how much he’d poured out his heart to you that night. The little joys of everyday life. The nice things, but they’re so commonplace you stop paying attention to them for a while.

Sunghoon had lost those a long time ago. Trying his best to forget his painful past alone.

“[Name]… I know I will have to part soon…” He touches your cheek with a bloody hand, pushes himself up until he could look you in the eyes. “…I only wanted to stay the same as you… until that time came. I… love you.”

Sunghoon completely stole your heart with those words. He had so often teased you about love, with a laugh, with a smile. To say it and mean it now was too cruel.

“ I love you too much… That's why I can’t drink your blood. Do you understand me?”

“No! Never! And I don’t ever want to understand” Your desperate breath mingled with his.

You do understand how much he loves you. Which is why you aren't backing down. You clasp the bloodstained hand that cupped your cheek with your blood hand.

“I don’t care about your past, no matter what it was, you were just the man in front of me. Whether the man is a vampire or not! I don’t care if you become what you think is a monster. Nothing can change my feelings for you. As long as you live, no matter what form you take, the time we spend together will not change. I promise you, I won’t let it.”

You want to ignore your feelings. But you couldn’t, not when you are so close to losing him. You are in life with Sunghoon, and you are not gonna deny it again. You shouldn’t fight it in the first place. Your love was destined, just as you were drawn to that door, you were drawn to him.

“Park Sunghoon, I love you too. I love you more than you think and I’m not ready to let you go.” Your voice trembles with love for him. “Take my blood. Now.”

Sunghoon refuses to bite you and speeds his change to a vampire because he loves you. Whereas you would do anything to keep him alive in any form because you love him. Though they are different, both your wishes come from the same place.

“Do it.” You unbutton your shirt and brush aside your hair, exposing your neck to him. “Drink my blood.”

Though he tries his best to restrain himself, his instincts slowly take control over his body. He strains and snarls like a hungry wolf. Sharp fangs glistened; his breath on your skin was hot. He swore to protect you, and you know he would never hurt you; you trust him.

“…And whatever you happen to become afterwards- just continue protecting me. Keep living for my sake.”

“You know… I never break my promise.”

“I don’t want you to. Which is why I said it.” He laughs a bitter laugh; you see blood trickled down his lips. It’s now or never.

Sunghoon leans down and draws his fangs down your neck as if to get used to the idea. The rake of his warm teeth across your skin. You shudder, then begin to tremble.

“Tell me, can you do the unspeakable?”

Is it an unspeakable act to drink the blood of another mortal to live? Or is it a true taboo falling in love with someone from another world—someone you never should meet? Which of these fit his definition of unspeakable? You have committed one sin and are on the cusp of another.

If judgement awaits you two at death, perhaps you will both have a lot to repent for. But, you’ll deal with that when it comes. For you, damnation was being without him.

“At least, we will be damned together.”

His fangs sank into you. Two sharp pin pricks of pain. A soft cry slipped out of you. The pain becomes more intense as he sinks deeper. Warmblood seeps out of you from the wound. Which he laps up, warm tongue caress on your neck. He sucks hungrily where he had bitten.

Your blood flowed faster into him, nourishing him, sustaining his life. And you feel something else. A subtitle warmth, starting from your neck, gaining power as it rapidly coursed through your body. You gasp.

The heat grow, turns into fire. Every nerve in your body is awake and affected. You couldn’t describe this feeling. Pleasure like you’d never felt before.

“Are you okay? Do I need to stop?” You shake your head no. “It just feels a little bit weird. Like I’m not myself.”

Sunghoon is panting, not in pain, but in his passion, another need now in his eyes. He pulls you close, whispering your name with a stern, yet soft voice. You look into each other's eyes and for a moment, he couldn’t hold himself anymore. He finally lets out all his desire that he had pent up for you and kisses you. You close your eyes, letting yourself drown to the feeling of his soft lips.

It was nothing like his sleepy morning kiss. His lips are warm, alive, and knowing. Deep into each other until you lost to all but your long-suppressed passion.

How could the touch of lips connect two people so perfectly?

You open hazy eyes to see him once more. Sunghoon brushes a spot of blood off your lips with his thumb and kisses it. Then, he embraces you. He holds you so tightly it's almost painful.

As you lose the fight to stay awake, you distantly hear someone speak.

“…Forgave me.”

© 2022 knwsoft

#enhypenwriters #park sunghoon imagines #park sunghoon scenarios #park sunghoon drabbles #park sunghoon x reader #sunghoon imagines #sunghoon scenarios #sunghoon drabbles #sunghoon x reader #enhypen imagines #enhypen scenarios #enhypen drabbles #enhypen x reader

[usaigi]

Chapter 1 - Deal With The Devil

Read on Ao3

Summary (T) Earth 65 AU where Elektra is Daredevil and was hell-bent on killing her ex Matt Murd(er)ock but she’s in therapy now and is channeling her energy into helping Spider-Women defeat him instead. Semi-comics/Marvel movies crossover. Elektra and Matt are mostly based on the Netflix version and Gwen is based on Into the Spiderverse.

In another world it’s Friday evening; Gwen just aced her Physics midterm and is ready to enjoy her weekend. MJ would still be pissed because (somehow) Gwen still managed to be late to band practice. Although Gwen thinks MJ seriously needs to calm down, they’ve been practicing nonstop Gwen’s even practicing in her dreams. MJ annoyed groans would echo in her head, Gwen you’re early, you don’t come in until after Betty. MJ would ask everyone to stay late but Gwen would turn her down, already having promised Peter they’d get takeout and watch a movie. Peter would wait for her at the subway stop, with a wool scarf in his bag because it’s freezing and he knows Gwen is still walking around in a hoodie because she’s too stubborn to wear that embarrassing pink puffer jacket her dad bought her. 

Unfortunately, the real world sucks and she’s not just trash for showing up late to practice. She’s literally trash. In her trash home amongst her trash kin. 

Worst part is she has no one to blame but herself. She’s the idiot who tripped off a building and nose-dived into a dumpster. Which could be worst–she could be red sauce on the ground next to the dumpster. Never in Gwen’s wildest dreams did she think she’d be grateful to be lying in a dumpster on a Friday night instead of falling to her death. 

The slight ringing in her eyes halts as she hears footsteps approach. Quiet, pretend to be a rat, Gwen says to herself. A true New Yorker. 

“Spider-Women? What the hell are you doing in my dumpster?” An unfamiliar voice asks. Slowly, Gwen raises her head and opens her eye and– Fuck. 

Daredevil.

Gwen has heard plenty about the infamous Daredevil. The woman who bought the Kingpin down to his knees and personally delivered his ass to her father, along with a fat stack of incriminating documents to the police precinct and the district attorney’s office. Rumors were even going around that she tied a collar around his neck and made him walk around like a dog when she turned him in, like some sort of dominatrix. If Captain George Stacy wasn’t quite literally her dad, Gwen might have even humored the rumors. 

That’s one of the more fantastical and silly rumors going around about Daredevil, like the rumor that Lea Michelle can’t read. Like, everyone knows it’s a joke but still acts like it’s the truth. The other rumors are less so rumors and more so warnings. 

Those that Daredevil is brutal; brutal enough she might as well be the devil. A demon walking around Hell’s Kitchen. Dangerous. Dynamic. Deadly. According to sources (totally not Reddit), it does not fair well for anyone who stands between her and her swords. 

As much as Gwen respects someone who commits to her branding, she was hoping to avoid Daredevil and her little hand pitchforks sword things for as long as possible. Welp. Too late now.

“What’s it you?”

“My neighborhood. My turf. My dumpster.”

God, she’s scary. And British? Gwen isn’t totally sure, she just sounds ambiguously “posh.” Her sharp voice echoes through the alleyway, bouncing off the walls of dumpster wall, with all the elegance and cadence of the Queen. Barf. Or at least some BBC reporter. Or whatever stuffy British person. Honestly, the only good thing to come from Europe is the Punk movement. 

“You’re so weird about the whole Hell’s Kitchen thing. What happens if someone–”

“If Someone on 60th and Amsterdam get mugged, huh? Baby, trust me I’ve heard this before. If I can help of course I will help. My therapist just encouraged me to have obtainable expectations at work and to not overexert myself. Something you clearly… haven’t learned.” Ok, rude. 

“You’re seriously in therapy? Don’t you regularly beat up guys half to death?”

“Half to death. Pre-therapy they’d just be dead. That’s called personal growth,” she says as she pulls down the scarf covering the lower half of her face, revealing a smug smile. Ugh, of course, her lipstick color is flawless and a perfect swatch of red. She’s silent for a second, tilting her head to the side, before asking, “you finish your homework already?”

“It’s Friday,” Gwen groans. 

“Fair. Though it is past midnight, your parents won’t worry?”

“Nah, Dad’s working today.”

“Ok so high school. Damn, I knew you were young but I expected you to be at least in college.”

Oh shit. Dammit, Stacy! 

“Wait what?” 

“So how long have you been… a crime-fighting spider or whatever. And don’t lie, I can tell,” she says as places her hand on her hips. Wouldn’t be too intimidating if it weren’t of the reflecting bouncing off her silver weapons. 

“Look, I don’t know what your deal is but I’m not interested–”

“My deal is there’s a punk kid running around my neighborhood who’s going to get herself seriously injured or killed if she continues to be this reckless. Not only that, but you’ve been sticking your nose in my shit and I can’t have you fucking it up for me,” she sneers, each word feeling like Daredevil is cutting into her. “But I’m not lying, I’m in therapy. I’m less of a raging bitch now. Me five years ago would use my ninja-spy skills to find everything about you; every weakness, every move, and everything on everyone you’d ever loved just for messing with my shit. Now, I recognize that we both want to help our city in our little way and we’ll be more successful working together.” Damn, the tone shift. From Cersei Lannister to a school guidance counselor in seconds, holy shit. 

“I don’t need anyone to tutor me in the ways of being a superhero, I’m fine on my own. I don’t need anyone’s help.”

“Is that why you’re in a dumpster?”

“I’m just taking a little break. Self-care.”

“There’s a condom in your hood.”

“What! Ew ew ew ew,” Gwen squeals, bolting upright and jumping out of the dumpster. 

Oddly enough something must have caught Daredevil’s eyes, seeing as she makes her back towards the dumpster, stepping up onto the edge. Daredevil pulls out one of her sword pitchforks and uses the flat side to fish out–Gwen’s smartphone by the key charm. Ahhh. She really can’t do anything right today. 

“Seriously, you’re using your real phone when crime-fighting? Please tell me you’re smart enough to turn off your location,” Daredevil taps something into her phone before tossing it back to Gwen. “Anyways, here’s my number. I’ll train you, I’ll text you tomorrow,” and now she has a vocal fry? Seriously, what’s this lady’s deal? Did one of Kardashian seriously put on a suit to start fighting criminals?  

“Seriously!? You’re just leaving?” Gwen cries out. 

“Work-life balance, babe. I got a photoshoot tomorrow, I need my 8 hours. Go home, you also need it. And take a shower.”

And like that, the Devil disappears into the dark. 

Weird.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Despite being someone living a double life who has high sakes in securing anonymity, Gwen can’t deny her love for TikTok. Well, it’s not that she loved it per se, it’s just that she rarely has time to sit down and read a book or watch an actual TV show. With school and Spider-Women-ing, she barely has time to eat. While a “normal girl” could play youtube videos in the background while working out, she has to go through science flashcards while stretching if she even hopes of getting into college.         

Fifteen minutes. That’s all she’ll give herself. Fifteen minutes to turn her brain off and watch dumb videos. A video by Brenna Lip of some cops jumping the subway turnstile, double tap scroll, a recommendation to a new ramen restaurant, scroll, a video of herself swinging through Manhattan, nice. 

Then she freezes.

It’s the girls. Betty is holding a microphone and lip-syncing to trending audio by Elektra Natchios. ‘What’s your ideal man like?’ Betty asks before the camera turns to MJ, as she confidently brushes her hair back and says , ‘Funny. He has to have a really good sense of humor. But he can’t be broke. Because that’s not funny.’ 

Gwen lingers, letting the video play a couple of times. 

Would they have invited her to make the video if she were still in the band? Do they send each other TikTok ideas in the group chat? Could Gwen have found a way to still be in the band? 

She clicks on the comment button, blankly staring at her keyboard as the video plays over and over in the background. Just say hi. Anything.  

A notification banner breaks her trace, a text message from an unknown number, ‘Meet me at 10’ along with an address in Hell’s Kitchen. 

Stop feeling sorry for yourself, she says before tossing her phone on her bed. Time to be a Superhero. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

If anyone asks, Gwen’s only going because she’s curious. And that’s also why, for the first time in her life, she might actually be early to something. Shocker, right? Because like, what can Gwen really expect to learn from Daredevil; how to torture bad guys or something? Ok, maybe Gwen can learn a thing or two from her considering she personally helped the DA lock up Fisk. That’s probably not something Gwen can learn from YouTube. 

So as Gwen swings through Manhattan and lands on the rooftop, she’s expecting to find stakeout or spy gear or something. Or maybe even a guy tried up to a chimney if there’s any truth to all the rumors about Daredevil being a Satanist. Hopefully not, the Daily Bugle already labeled Spider-Woman a menace, Gwen doesn’t need to also be associated with cultists.   

Reality is someone more unexpected.

There’s no way…What the hell!

Never. Never ever. In a million years did Gwen expect to find fashion model and influencer Elektra Natchios cosplaying as Daredevil at the exact time and place she’s suppose to meet with the Daredevil. Elektra is wearing the same black loose cargo pants, the same black long-sleeve top with red accents and the double DD on the chest, the same utility belt with an excessive amount of pockets, and the same long red scarf flowing loosely from her neck. The red helmet with the icon horn sat by her feet. 

Gwen bets she looks like surprised Pikachu right now. 

“No. Way. You’re Elektra Natchios? You’re Daredevil!?” Surely this is a joke. Surely she’s cosplaying or something. 

“Yeah,” she says, drawing out the vowels before her voice trailed off. Ignoring Gwen's blatant state of disbelief as she bent down to pick up her signature Daredevil helmet. Gwen's jaw just stays open as her brain tries to process it. 

“What the hell is wrong with you!? Aren’t you the daughter of a Greek politician or something!? Aren’t you a model!? You have how many followers on TikTok!? Didn’t you date the Weekend!?” Not that Gwen cares about celebrities and influences or whatever, she’s much more interested in indie rock music, but it’s not like she lives under a rock. Although, the only reason she knows about Elektra is because she says a lot of “relatable” shit in interviews that get turned into memes. That and her hot takes about feminism, classism, and racism that always make their way to her TikTok feed. 

“What about it?” She asks innocently, fluttering her eyes, as if obvious to the absurdity of the situation. 

“Why the hell are you dealing out vigilante justice!?” 

“Why are you?”

“Because I can! Because I have to!”

“No, you don’t. You don’t want to do anything you don’t want to. What’s the real reason?”

This lady can’t be serious. Of course, she did. Or else–

“Because I want to help people because I can help people. Even if the public doesn’t trust me, or label me a criminal or murderer, I have to try,” she says a bit softer, looking down at her feet instead of Elektra’s eyes. Or else Peter’s sacrifice will be in vain.

Elektra doesn’t say anything, letting the sounds of the city speak. That of traffick and the Hudson and people eight stories down. 

When Gwen breathes a little and looks up, Elektra is wearing her helmet. The scarf is still loosely around her neck.

“Cute. I do it for revenge,” she says in her deep scary Daredevil voice. Despite the mask, Gwen can feel Elektra’s eyes staring into her. There’s the devil. 

“Revenge?”

“Yup. My ex-boyfriend killed my dad.”

“Oh that sucks. Wait sorry! That’s insensitive, I mean, that’s horrible. I have no idea, I’m sorry you had–”

“You’re funny,” Elektra laughs, cutting her off. “You’ve heard of Matt Murdock, right? Wilson Fisk’s lawyer.”

“I wish I hadn’t,” Gwen groans, rubbing the back of her neck. She’s not supposed to know but she’s overheard her dad talk about Murdock a couple of times. Apparently a real pain in their ass. 

“You’re going to help me bring him to justice.”

#gwen stacy #daredevil #spider man #matt murdock #matt murderdock #earth 65 #marvel #elektra #elektra natchios #mattelektra #karen page #into the spider verse #spider gwen #usaigi speaks

[epitomees]

Name: Hanamura Yosuke

Your age: 18

Your perfect date: Anything that doesn’t involve me being sweaty. Seriously, the sweatiness of sports isn’t my lifestyle.

Make out in public or private: You know, I really don’t think you’re that kind of person! I don’t mean to like, offend you if it did, but really, I don’t see you being the type to deliver sloppy kisses.

Do you like to cuddle?: Sure? You don’t really seem like a cuddlebug...

Tell me something about you: I like music? Not enough to pursue it as my major, it could work as a minor, but I like it enough. You probably wouldn’t believe it, but I have decent English thanks to all the “Western” songs I listen to. I don’t think you’d need a tutor for that at all, but maybe we could watch movies or listen to English songs and improve? You might need it in case you travel internationally for work or something.

Why do you want to be my valentine?: I’m just going to say it outright. I want to be your Valentine because I like you, Naoto. And don’t try to brush this off as a friendship type of love. I’m talking about the romantic type of like. You invade my thoughts at least once a day and ever since I figured it out, my life hasn’t known peace! I have to dodge questions from my parents and Teddie! You’re the culprit of this little case, Detective Shirogane, and only you can stop your own crimes!

But seriously I really like you and I guess if you wanna like date me that’s cool but if not that’s also cool now okay i better deliver this before i feel so embarrassed and ashamed that I—

A  VALENTINE’S  APPLICATION. 

The day passed without much unnecessary attention. Just as expected. Going unnoticed and under the radar of many other Yasogami students proved to side well with the young detective. No irrelevant gifts of affection, hollow words confessing a person's deeper feelings, nothing pertaining to a manufactured holiday meant for large retailers' sales source. Why bother recognizing a consumer celebration for the purpose of professing unrequited love towards another individual?

It's useless. Not to mention, any day could be recognized as such. Why follow society's standards of containing something potentially life-changing to a single day. It's stupid. Useless, and stupid.

After vacating the school grounds, before being drawn in to the lovesick disease spreading over the student body, Naoto made way towards Junes. Grandpa requested a few ingredients for dinner tonight, along with a small replenishment of their kitchen spices. A simple, short trip. In and out, then the rest of the day passed peacefully without any trivial gift-giving. Teddie was seen handing out small cups of sample food, and Yosuke suddenly...flailing aggressively towards her general direction. Something must have flabbergasted him since he didn't speak a word to the girl, or explain why he shoved a piece of paper in her hands.

He left without Naoto asking a single question. Strange.

If it was so important why scamper and run without giving a reason? Odd behavior, increased sweating, heaved breaths...a number of possibilities led to Yosuke's erratic etiquette. The note, perhaps?

Most of the food court's seats appeared vacant, albeit lingering Yasogami students treating their 'significant other' to the cheap steak. Typical. She took a seat farther away from most others, while taking her time to even out the crumpled edges of Hanamura's letter. It read more legibly, but of course...it...it was something she hoped wouldn't ever be given to her...

This was a confession. Or perhaps, one of those friend applications many teenagers participated in around the holiday. Not something of her interest, but if Hanamura took the time to fill this out just for her...why bother throwing it away before reading its contents? Afterwards, just in case he approached her for further inquiries. Her eyes scanned each ledger, as if this were another police report or evidence document. Only important words stuck, but not many were necessarily important on this paper. Except...

'You’re the culprit of this little case, Detective Shirogane, and only you can stop your own crimes!'

It's meaningless, or should be, yet Naoto kept reading it over. Twice, three times now...and each one built up a knot constricting inside her stomach. It wasn't present before she took her seat, neither when Hanamura rushed in a beeline for her general position. Now, however, it was different. It was new, yet still painful. It settled uncomfortably. But on top of it, it felt exciting too.

Why...? Why did a simple sentence make her feel so tight? So...breathless, even?

Enough contemplation. The more Naoto muddled over the statement, along with the additionally invitation at the bottom, the more confusing these matters appeared. Dinner time quickly approached. Grandpa expected her arrival home before sunset. She rather continue this internal debate somewhere out of the public eye...and perhaps, farther away from the source of this turmoil.

#ic #Naoto #kaeruninja #Case Closed! - Post P4 Verse #((me making this more complicated than necessary? #it's more likely than you think #Yosuke hitting her with the one liner and her going '...oh no I am experiencing human emotions')) #long post

[rabbitcruiser]

International Day of the Seafarer

Get ready to set sail, because June 25 is the Day of the Seafarer. This is day for seafarers of all stripes, from Coast Guards, to Navies, to every fisherman and marine biologist and cruise ship captain. If your job involves a large quantity of salt water, then this day is dedicated to you. The first documented sea voyage was made around 3200 BCE, and was bankrolled by the Egyptian Pharaoh Snefru (he also built at least three pyramids during his reign). Today, over 90% of global trade is done by sea, since it is still the most cost-effective way to transport goods. Marine biologists and oceanographers from every country have dedicated their lives to learning more about the ocean depths, and humans from every walk of life keep going to the sea to explore the planet.

International Day of the Seafarer timeline

3200 B.C. A’right, I’m Off

The first documented sea voyage is made with the support of Egyptian Pharaoh Snefru.

June 2010 Resolution Adoption

At the Conference of Parties to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), the resolution establishing the Day of the Seafarer is adopted.

2011 First Celebration

The Day of the Seafarer is celebrated for the first time.

2020 Theme of the Year

The theme for the Day of the Seafarer campaign is “Our Seafaring Future.”

International Day of the Seafarer Activities

Visit your local Coast Guard outpost

Read a book or watch a movie about life at sea

Donate to a maritime charity

If you live near a Coast Guard outpost, you might consider dropping in. This is a great opportunity not only to learn more about what the Coast Guard does, but also to thank them for doing their jobs so well. (Baked goods rarely go amiss in that situation.) If you don’t live near a Coast Guard outpost, you can always make a monetary donation online.

While Titanic is a classic, it may be time to branch out into lesser-known stories. From high-stakes adventures like The Finest Hours or Treasure Island, to heart-rending disaster stories like The Perfect Storm or The Poseidon Adventure, maritime stories are always rife with drama. And okay, isn’t it about time you watched Jaws again?

The Coast Guard isn’t the only organization that accepts donations. Oceana is an international group dedicated to protecting and restoring the world’s oceans and the species that live there, while the Family Support Project provides emotional and practical support for the families of seafarers. There are dozens of other causes as well—which would you like to support?

Why We Love International Day of the Seafarer

Trade by sea is vital to the economy

Scientific research is vital to human life

Seafarers keep us safe

As we mentioned before, the vast majority of international trade is done by sea, due to relatively low costs and greater economy of space. If trade by sea were limited in some way, or stopped altogether, there is no way that the global economy would be able to function. In other words, we owe our current ways of life to those who travel the seas.

Not only does trade by sea make up most of the global economy, but also the oceans themselves take up about 70% of the planet itself. Over 1 million species of plants and animals live in the ocean, and scientists estimate that there may be up to 9 million species in there that haven’t been discovered yet. Everything we know about the ocean today, we know thanks to the tireless work of thousands of oceanographers and marine biologists who dedicate their lives to the study of those watery depths.

When it comes to saving people’s lives at sea, we have two lines of defense. We have Navies keeping us safe in times of war, and we have Coast Guards to keep us safe from natural disasters, criminal activity, and environmental deterioration. The ocean, as important as it is, poses a significant threat to American life, and without those organizations, humans might be in even more danger.

Source

#Tom Swayer #Sten Bothnia #ferry #Baltic Sea #Smögenbryggan #St. John's #CCGS Placentia Hope #GTS Celebrity Constellation #DayOfTheSeafarer #International Day of the Seafarer #25 June #ship #original photography #travel #USA #Canada #Norway #Sweden #vacation #tourism #BRIGG Morgenster #Germany #Castro-Urdiales #Warnemünde #Spain #Geirangerfjord #Pacific Ocean #Atlantic Ocean

[slotgamezen]

Genres of Movies and Their Subgenres

Film genres can be categorized into several subgenres, depending on the type of story that they are. Some of these genres are Docudrama, Euro-westerns, Spaghetti Westerns, and Crime-comedies. The genres listed above are all very popular. To find more information, visit the Wikipedia page for each of these categories. If you have trouble deciding what type of movie to watch, consider these subgenres.  "โคนันเดอะมูฟวี่ 22"

Docudrama

The term docudrama refers to a documentary film about a non-fiction subject. This type of film can be classified according to the year it was made and the director. Listed below are the best docudramas. You can also sort them by director or title. Each of them is ranked from best to worst, based on the type of content and cast. This article will cover the basics of docudrama movies and help you decide which ones to watch.

A docudrama is a documentary film that tells a story from a real-life event. These movies are usually very well-received by the public and are popular with advertisers. The movies are also cheaper to produce than feature films because they focus on a known recent event. In addition, they do not require expensive promotion, which makes them a good choice for budget-conscious producers. Therefore, they are becoming increasingly popular.

Euro-westerns

This comprehensive reference guide reveals the full history of Euro-westerns. It also includes a foreword by Franco Nero, star of films such as Keoma, A Professional Gun, and Django. The foreword provides a historical overview of Euro-westerns and explains how these films developed. Although the early Euro-westerns were hit-and-miss, their formative years are well documented in this book.

A detailed analysis of the film industry in Italy reveals a rich history of local and national elements within the Western. The book also examines the mechanics of Italian popular film making and spotlights unsung western artists. The book includes both historical and contemporary photos. For many, Euro-westerns have become a cultural phenomenon worth exploring. And, in spite of their shortcomings, they're still a rich source of entertainment for those who enjoy the genre.

Spaghetti Westerns

Spaghetti Westerns are genre films produced in Italy during the 1960s and 1970s. Although the production values of these films were lower than Hollywood counterparts, these films are known for their violence and complex characters. They are considered a great counterpoint to mainstream Hollywood films. Here are some of the best spaghetti westerns of all time:

The spaghetti western genre is a subgenre of Western films. The spaghetti-style of filmmaking was popularized by the Dollars Trilogy by Sergio Leone, and later by films produced in Europe and the United States by Italian producers. These films are typically based on Italian films and often feature actors from other countries. Spaghetti westerns are also known for their colorful and zany characters. The spaghetti-style movies are generally considered to be among the most successful genres of Western films.

Crime-comedy

The term "crime-comedy" isn't new. Films in the genre are typically based on true crime stories. Many movies are a satire of real life events, but there are also light-hearted, entertaining examples. Stand Up Guys, starring Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, and Alan Arkin, is one such example. This film centers on hired killers and betrayals, but with a light-hearted twist. Its director, the Coens, has been credited with a number of classic crime movies, and Tarantino's latest film is a masterpiece.

The movie "Goodfellas" is another great example of a crime-comedy. The movie, directed by Guy Ritchie, is one of the best British-made crime movies. It doesn't feature conventional star power, but it's an entertaining watch. William H. Macy's character stutters in the script, and the movie still feels like a classic crime drama.

[cienie-isengardu]

Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising (1.08.1944)

#warsaw uprising #real history #polish history #second world war #polish resistance #this is one of the thing i'm quite emotional when it comes to history of Poland #this is one of the biggest - if not the biggest - action made by any resistance in Europe during WWII #63 days #with so little support from our so called allies #that lead to destroyin warsaw and killing so many people in process #poland was sold by her own allies #polish people fought for freedom #but who cares for poland :( #also fun fact #the gifs are made from original movies made during warsaw uprising #that some years ago were upgraded with colors and sounds and there is a whole movie #that you can watch made from all those movies and documental sources #powstanie warszawskie

[obeythebutler]

Mammon Breaks From His Brother's Comments Part 5

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]

Never had Satan imagined for it to be so peaceful.

Whenever the brothers came together—to watch a movie, go shopping or even sit in the same room, it always ended in chaos, with one running after the other, or in petty fights that lasted a whole week.

It is truly a miracle that the brothers are existing in the same room right now.

Mammon and Levi are having another go at the game—'Devilcart,' as Levi claimed. Asmodeus is applying face masks on everyone in the room, muttering something about their skin drying out. Belphegor is trying to restrain Beel from eating the cucumber placed on his eyes. But Satan slipped from the room.

He didn't want those facemasks on, having given the excuse of 'taking a bath.' A bath was needed but first, he needed to talk with Lucifer.

"I know you're inside. Ignoring me won't help anything." The blonde demon had knocked thrice on the door, and threatened to even break it down, if Lucifer didn't let him in.

"We need to talk."

He can hear shuffling from behind, the turning of a lock, a muffled spell to break the curse, and the door slowly creaks open, sanguine eyes glare at him from the darkness before vanishing.

Satan walks inside the dim room, the only source of light being from the fireplace and the moon—the Sun of the Devildom. Lucifer sits on a chair, one leg crossed over the other and his arms in his lap. Like a cat on a throne.

"Speak. If it is about what happened today, then please show yourself out."

"That is exactly why I've come to talk."

Satan hisses, glaring at the demon who sits poised on his chair. He's been in this room for merely two minutes and his hands are already itching to grab the poker from the fireplace and impale Lucifer with it.

"You need to apologise."

"Mammon's hurting," He trails off, voice wavering slightly before he takes a deep breath. He won't be so vulnerable in front of him, of all people.

"Mammon's hurting, and we—"

"You've all made it up to him, I suppose?"

Satan can feel his temper rising. Were Mammon's words of begging to be killed not enough to knock some sense into his brother? Was he that thick-headed, or simply too cruel? Was he only interested in maintaing his stupid pride—

Calm down, he tells himself, and his gaze falls on the tray lying on the table.

Belphegor's tray. The one he gave to Lucifer. It's empty, and that means there's hope.

"We have. But we need you too apologize too, apologize for your sordid actions and words." Satan take a deep breath as he waits for an answer. He sees Lucifer get up from the couch, towards the vinyl player, and growls as a warning, which Lucifer pays no heed to, of course.

But Satan waits patiently as the demon chooses a record, and he swears Lucifer is taking his sweet time to agitate him. But he bears the wrath that's begging to reveal itself, for lashing out at such a moment will bear no fruit.

The record starts playing, and Lucifer turns around, poised and composed as ever, and declares proudly.

"I won't."

In a flash, Satan's demon form comes to life, and his nails dig into the stone walls as he jumps forward at the demon with his teeth bared in a display of hostility.

Lucifer's form materialises too, his wings unfurling and blowing away the documents on the desk. Satan pounces at his brother as he grabs the ruffled collars, nearly smashing his forehead against Lucifer's own as he stares into his eyes.

"Why?" It's a straightforward question, spoken through gritted teeth, and nearly ends in a snarl. Lucifer stands calm as ever, and Satan envies him for a brief moment—seems like the bastard gave him all his wrath and left none for himself.

"Why can't you admit you're a part of the problem too, Lucifer? Why can't you admit that it's also your fault that Mammon was begging to be killed this morning? Or are you so oblivious that you can't even see your own mistakes?"

Satan taunts Lucifer in the hope that his brother will lash out and attack him, so that he can finally make the demon see the problems he created with his own eyes, because he refuses to acknowledge them.

But he doesn't waver. Lucifer still stands tall, an unwavering pillar of Pride.

Seems like the circumstances call for more drastic measures. Seems like Satan will have to bring him into this, the someone he's sure Lucifer will rush to defend.

"Or I should go and ask your wonderful Lord Diavolo to convince his lover to apologize?"

Lucifer's fist clench at that, and something dark swirls in the red of his eyes—and Satan grins in triumph, because the arrow has hit its mark.

"He's not my lover."

Satan shrugs tauntingly, merrily striding towards the papers on the ground, and promptly picks up one and tears it into pieces, testing Lucifer's patience. "So, he's your master then?"

Lucifer growls as a warning and Satan revels in the sadistic joy it brings him. It only fuels his wrath even more, and gives him satisfaction to rile his brother up, to make him feel what he's feeling too—anger.

He gazes outside the window, in the woods which are devoid of any leaves, barren and lacking life. Time for the final blow, the final hit on his pride.

Satan knows his brother considers himself the best, acts full of himself, and looks down on everybody else because he considers himself to be the top dog in the room, as his pride dictates. Lord Diavolo and Barbatos are the exception, and Satan wants to know why.

"Why do you stiffen up when matter concerning your 'Lord' Diavolo come up? Just because he's royalty, doesn't mean that you keep kissing his behind."

Lucifer's eyes seem to burn even brighter at the comment, and Satan grins internally.

"Or have you sworn allegiance to Diavolo, sold your soul and given your loyalty in an act of humility? Is that why you can't bear to hear anything bad about him?"

It's a joke in bad taste, to get Lucifer to lose control and get angry, but the demon stays eerily silent, his gaze falls on the fire raging in the fireplace and Satan can see the flames dance in those red irises.

"No," He mumbles, striding forward until he's face to face with his brother, whose still avoiding his gaze, still staring into the fireplace, and Satan makes his eyes forcefully meet his own. "Tell me this isn't true."

But all that Lucifer does is nod, and in that moment, Satan doesn't see Lucifer, the Avatar of Pride, he sees a defeated demon.

"How?" He asks desperately, searching in Lucifer's eyes for any trace of dishonesty, any sign that he's lying, but all he sees is helplessness.

"My loyalty to Diavolo is my duty and my burden."

"I—I don't understand." Satan confesses, his voice cracking at the end. He didn't expect for a joke to be true. He's even more surprised at how a demon like Lucifer could swear loyalty to a demon like Diavolo.

Lucifer smiles sadly.

"When I dived after Lilith when she fell," His voice shakes lightly at the end, and he turns his attention to the papers lying on the ground. He begins collecting them one by one—to perhaps distract himself from the eons-old pain as he speaks.

"She was severely wounded. She wouldn't have lasted in the Devildom air much longer. I begged Diavolo to save her, and in return, I pleaded my loyalty to him. It's because of him Lilith lived a happy human life."

"She was born as a human," Satan's voice trails off as he tries to take in the fact that Lilith lived. She lived and the brothers didn't know. Satan had no connection to her, but the brothers did.

"Why didn't you tell the others? Why keep it a secret?"

Lucifer puts a paperweight on the stack that has been formed as he turns around. "Lilith was alive, yes, and there was nothing stopping you from seeing her. But it was forbidden." He walks towards the record player, and pus in another one—a classic, which Satan recognises because it was the record that Lucifer played on rainy nights.

"Imagine what would have happened if it came to light that the Prince gave a second life to someone whose supposed to be dead."

"There would have been a reckoning." Satan whispers, only able to imagine what would have happened if word would have gotten out that the Prince helped a fallen angel. They'd be imprisoned, or worse, they'd be executed according to the demands of both angels and demons.

'I thought it was best I be the only one who had to live with the pain of knowing that."

At first, Satan feels pity for his brother. Standing all alone, bearing the burden of the truth alone. but then, he feels anger.

"If you can keep such a painful secret from us, why can't you apologize? You're part of the problem too, Lucifer"

"How can I apologize, when I'm doing it to protect you all?"

Mad, is what Satan thinks. Mad, his brother's gone mad, lost his head. But he stays quite, waiting for Lucifer to answer the question he himself created.

"Ever the curious one, aren't you?"

"Get straight to the point." Satan snaps, and Lucifer smiles on seeing his irritation.

"I was the one that rebelled against Father. Lilith's sentence wasn't the only reason, but it was the catalyst that started it all. I was the one that fought against fate, and look what it yielded me, yielded us all."

He points at his horns, and Satan briefly imagines the halo that must have been there. Instead of black, he imagines his wings to be white, and three instead of two pairs. How must it feel, to be feared rather than revered.

The utter humiliation.

"Charity turned to Greed, Kindness to Envy, Chastity to Lust, Temperance to Gluttony, Diligence to Sloth, and Humility to Pride. And you, Satan, were born out of my emotions, you are Wrath."

Wrath, that's all he was. Born out of Lucifer's emotions, the demon being the very reason he was so imbalanced in the first place, the reason he felt so angry.

"You must hate me for what I've done to you."

That's true, Satan curses Lucifer for making him like this, he is the reason he can never be at peace for long.

Lucifer knows, knows it all.

The demon walks towards the alcohol cabinet and pulls out a bottle of Demonus, the expensive vintage one that Lucifer kept hidden with a spell.

He pours it into two glasses and hands Satan one as well, before retiring to the couch near the fireplace.

"Virtues turned into sins." Lucifer resumes after taking a sip of the intoxicating beverage, to perhaps make the alcohol loosen up his tongue. "Our sins might have become the cause of destruction, if left uncontrolled."

He pours himself another glass, and Satan wonders how the demon managed to finish the first when he had barely taken a sip of his own drink.

"That is why I keep Mammon's greed in check, made Levi turn his envy inwards so that he doesn't go destroying others lives too often, monitor Asmo's parties and how many demons he brings home, ensure that Beel is sated enough to not go on a rampage, and make sure Belphegor completes the tasks assigned to him and not sleep the days away."

No mention of Satan, because there wasn't anything virtuous in him to begin with. There was only wrath. There is no way to let his wrath out in a regulated manner, despite Lucifer's efforts.

Lucifer doesn't mention Satan, because he knows.

"What about your pride?"

The Avatar of Pride swirls his glass as he gaze at his own reflection. He pauses, but not for long.

"I let it fester. Let it free because there was no way I could keep it in check. I started taking pride in the way I work, in the way I am Diavolo's right-hand man, in the way I keep you all together, in the way I lay waste to your pranks."

Satan stays silent, letting the demon finish his words, even when Lucifer stares at him, almost waiting for the blonde demon to interrupt, but he doesn't.

"I am proud of being the most reliable out of all of you,of the way I punish you all, of the way I keep us all together, even if by force. I am proud of all my brothers. I am..proud of you."

Satan stares at Lucifer in surprise. Never had he imagined that he of all people would say such things. Perhaps that is the Demonus at work, but who knows? Lucifer is hard to read, but in this moment, he's revealing a part of himself to Satan, a part he never did before.

"But are you proud of Mammon's suffering?"

"No."

"Then why do you punish him incessantly?"

Lucifer chuckles softly.

"Mammon has always been a troublemaker, since our time in the Celestial Realm. Even Michael had trouble with him."

There he goes, talking about someone he's never met and somewhere, the somewhere he hasn't seen. But Satan doesn't voice that out loud, instead, he waits for Lucifer to continue.

"Mammon slowly grew on me, and it seems he did too, because he came to see me and talk everyday."

"Then why be so harsh on him if you adore him?"

Lucifer's face delves into something darker, something incomprehensible as he stares at the burning embers of the fireplace, and takes a long swing from the glass before speaking.

"I adore him and his troublesome ways, that is very much true. But this isn't the Celestial Realm anymore. This is the Devildom."

Satan remains quiet.

Lucifer finally gazes into Satan's own eyes.

"His antics, which might have been dismissed with a scolding in the Celestial Realm won't be taken so lightly in the Devildom. Stealing from the Demon Lord's treasury will have its consequences. And I saw it fit to punish him."

Satan knows what Lucifer is referring to. Last month, Mammon had attempted to steal gold from the Royal Treasury, and had been caught. Satan doesn't know what took place between Diavolo and Lucifer, but he knows that the latter had a long talk with Leviathan, who seemed shaken up for a week after. Oh, and Mammon was strung up from the ceiling on one foot.

"Granted, Mammon deserved to be punished for his actions. But isn't your strict behaviour, your insults and punishments too a part of the reason that Mammon broke down today?"

"Mammon needs to learn. If you think I am going to apologize, I am not. I have to do it to protect you all."

Satan's anger flares up.

"This behaviour is the reason why Mammon was begging to be killed this morning!" Satan shouts these words, and Lucifer stares into the glass he's holding, gone silent.

"This behaviour is the reason why Mammon thinks we regret that he lives instead of her! This is the reason why Belphegor longs for the brother that has hidden himself away since he came here!"

Satan hadn't meant for that last line to slip past his lips, but wrath made him loosen his tongue. He can see the effect it has on the demon. He's stopped sipping on his drink, and Satan swears he saw him flinch.

"Do you simply not care, Lucifer Morningstar or—"

"Enough!"

The glass in Lucifer's hand shatters, spilling Demonus on the floor. "Do you think I not care? The reason why I am like this is because I care, dammit!"

"But your 'care' is the reason why we're having this conversation! Staying away from your problems and assuming they'll resolve on their own won't cut it! You need to be honest with your feelings!" The blonde demon swears as he shatters his own drink against the floor.

"I sound like a fucking therapist at this point." He mutters angrily.

"We are demons, Satan. Demons don't lose themselves to emotions that make them weak. I am doing it to protect you all, remember that. My care is the reason you are what you are today."

"Your 'care' is ruining us!" Satan spits these words at Lucifer's face, trying to pull off the mask he wears—the mask of apathy.

"You are not protecting us by doing this—you are ruining your family with your own hands! You're the one tearing us apart!"

For a moment, both men stare at each other, with their chest heaving and rage burning in their eyes.

"Then tell me." Lucifer mutters, walking forward to sit on the couch as he grabs the bottle and drinks from it, an action that Lucifer would never be caught doing, too prideful to drink like some uncultured swine. "Tell me how."

"If you really want to protect us," Satan begins, as he grabs the bottle out of Lucifer's hands to take a sip for himself. "Open up to us."

Lucifer gapes at Satan on hearing those words.

"Relax, I'm not asking you to offer your head on a platter, I'm asking you to share your problems with us." Satan chides him on seeing the bewildered look on his brother's face.

"You can't protect us by keeping your burdens to yourself. You kept LIlith's rebirth a secret, and chose to bear the burden all alone. The others would have been happy to know their sister lived."

"I had no choice back then."

"But you do now."

Lucifer raises an eyebrow.

"Open up to us, ask us for help if needed, just like how we ask you for things every day. Ruling with an iron fist might ensure order in a kingdom, but it makes the people hate the ruler. So, if you want to rule over us proudly, and keep us all together—apologise."

Lucifer looks terrifying—with his eyes narrowed and wings puffed in hostility, he truly looks like a demon, and not of a brother who keeps his emotions locked in his heart.

"Consider this the way to protect us, if you will, Lucifer." Satan mutters, hoping his last sentence wil have its desired effect on the demon. Lucifer says nothing, but takes out a handkerchief from his pocket, and begins wiping his hand clean of Demonus.

Satan waits.

"I am not even sure if they respect me even more, look up to me the same way they did before. They must listen because they fear me."

Satan scoffs at the oblivious demon he calls his brother.

"They fear you, yes, but they also respect you. And Mammon respects you the most."

Lucifer's eyes widen as he takes in the weight of Satan's words. If he could, the blonde demon would have taken a picture of his shocked face—surprise was an emotion rarely seen on Lucifer. But then shock changes into a smug smirk, and Satan can feel that the tables are about to be turned.

"And what about you? Do you respect me too?"

Satan groans.

Lucifer smiles.

When he moves towards him, Satan stiffens. Lucifer has always been unpredictable, a quality Satan both admired and loathed.

"Do you think you can take care of yourself?"

Oh, a challenge then.

"I can."

"What is the first thing you'll do when given that jurisdiction?"

Satan pauses as he tries to think of some elaborate rules, one that would surely make his older brother's life miserable. Perhaps he would let cats in the house, or enchant his books to—

"You would let cats inside the house, won't you?"

And there it is, the smug shit-eating grin on Lucifer's face. Satan hates it that Lucifer knows his first move already, and he blushes.

The Avatar of Pride moves towards the door, and Satan can sense the pride radiating from the demon, but this time it's welcome.

His gaze falls on the empty tray.

Satan smiles.

But as the sound of footsteps fade away, something comes in Satan's mind, and he nearly breaks open the door while running out and into the hallway.

There's a crowd near the bathroom. Satan winces when he hears the cacophony of curses.

"Why are you here?"

"I hope you're here to make amends."

"Why were you cooped up in your room all day?"

The brothers are in their demon forms, because Lucifer was in his too, and Satan rushes forward.

"Where were you?" Asmodeus questions when he sees Satan approach. But the demon is relaxed, and his eyes tell Asmo everything he needs to know.

Satan is the only one whose not gawking at Lucifer. Instead, standing alongside him.

"I've come to make amends, just like the rest of you."

Everyone's jaws seem to have fallen on the floor in that moment, because the Avatar of Pride isn't the one to apologise so easily. But, here he is.

"So, get out everyone."

When his red-faced brothers rush out, red in the face due to the masks or due to disbelief, Lucifer sighs, but not before giving Belphegor a firm pat on the back.

The latter stares at him in shock and confusion, and Satan has to pull away Belphegor, whose still bewildered as ever.

But, when he stands outside Mammon's door, he feels the urge to go back into his room and drown himself in Demonus. But Lucifer remembers Satan's words, and adjusts his shirt, before opening the door.

Mammon's head perks up instantly as he puts down the switch, already speaking the words, not seeing the demon at the door.

"Levi! I can't pass this level! What did you do to—"

He goes silent when he sees whose there at the door.

"Oh hey, Lucifer. The others are in the bathroom, Asmo's making them put on facemasks. You can find them there—"

"I need to talk."

Lucifer wants to bang his head into the wall, because he has come here to apologize, dammit! And not sound like he's about to dish out a punishment!

"Uh..no I'm good!" And with that, Mammon jumps out of bed, and Lucifer rushes after him. "Mammon, that's not what I meant! Mammon—Mams."

Mammon stops in his tracks when he hears that nickname. That name hadn't been taken since....since their Fall.

Lucifer slowly walks towards Mammon, whose still staring at him in disbelief. "I've come to apologise."

Mammon slips past Lucifer at an inhumane speed, and the demon grits his teeth in frustration. This isn't how it is supposed to go! Maybe Satan was right, when he said that his care was ruining his family, Lucifer thinks when he sees Mammon hidden under the bed covers.

As childish as it is, Mammon is trembling under the blanket, and Lucifer wants nothing more than to reach out and comfort him.

But Mammon slinks further back into the covers the more Lucifer grows close.

He feels helpless.

"It must be strange, seeing me apologising, won't it?" Lucifer chuckles sadly as he sits down on the edge of the bed, and when Mammon doesn't attempt to get away Lucifer sighs in relief.

"It's alright."

"Huh?"

"You don't have to apologize to me. I was the one that stayed out late, and that's very scummy of me, I know—"

"Idiot. Moron. Scumbag. You are none of that, Mammon." Lucifer cuts him midway, and his heart feels heavy with guilt. He was the one that started with the insults, and Mammon took them to heart.

It's all his fault.

And now he must make reparations.

Mammon has stopped trembling, and now sits silent under the blanket. HIs posture awfully resembles the same as today morning's. Lucifer's gaze is laced with guilt.

"You are Mammon, Avatar of Greed. My brother, one whom I adore the most." Mammon's shifting under the covers stops.

For a moment there's silence, the only noise being the ticking of the clock. Lucifer swallows harshly, for the more he speaks, the more the lump in his throat refuses to go down.

"Never once did I regret taking you under my care. I—I find you adorable." Moments when he and Mammon spent time together in the Celestial Realm, under its eternal Sun come flashing through his mind.

But when he looks outside the window he sees the Moon. The Devildom.

They are in the Devildom now. Lilith's gone and his family is being torn apart by his own doings, his own words.

"You spoke quite harshly back then."

Mammon shifts under the covers as he adjusts his position. "You were quite direct with your feelings, borderline rude, but that's what I like about you."

Is Lucifer the same now? Does Mammon still like him?

"You were such a troublemaker back then. You are still the same." The dark-haired demon speaks, breaking into a soft laugh at the end.

But then he remembers the reason why he was so harsh towards Mammon in his punishments, and he chokes.

"I'm afraid, Mammon."

The demon under the covers freezes.

"Afraid of what?"

"I'm afraid that you will be taken away from me. This isn't the Celestial Realm anymore, Mammon. This is the Devildom. Your antics will have severe consequences here."

Lucifer doesn't mention how severe. Because even he doesn't know.

What if, one day, DIavolo finally snaps?

Throw Mammon into the dungeons?

Kills him?

All because he attempted to steal from the Demon Lord's treasury? As his sin commands him to?

The very thought makes Lucifer shiver. But he says nothing, doesn't voice the storm brewing in his mind. He silently traces patterns on Mammon's hand that hasn't been covered by the blanket.

"You adore your brothers. Even more than me sometimes." He clears his throat as he traces a heart on Mammon's skin. "I know it was Belphegor who broke the vase. But you took the blame."

He can feel Mammon blush under the covers.

"So you knew.."

"Yes." The white-haired demon blushes in embarrassment when he realizes his older brother knew all along, and the demon sitting on the edge of the bed smiles in adoration.

"Mammon?"

"You don't need to call my name every time you speak, you know? I know your talking to me, 'cause you aren't the type to hold conversations with yourself or furniture—"

"I don't regret that you lived, Mammon."

The words slipping past his lips almost feel like stones at this point, and Lucifer freezes when his voice cracks at the end. But he collects himself, and resumes tracing patterns on Mammon's hand, which froze in its movements.

"I don't know what I would have done without you. You were the one who took care of us when we fell, took care of Satan, took care of Belpehegor. You are our pillar."

There's a pressure on his hand, and when Lucifer looks down he sees that Mammon is holding his hand tightly.

Lucifer chokes back a sob.

"You were the one who told me to be full of myself because—"

"Because we all rely on your strength and you, so act be so proud that others think you're full of yourself." Mammon completes his sentence for him, and his tone is that of an embarrassed one.

Those words were spoken eons ago, and yet their impact can be felt even today.

"But I wonder, Mammon, if I am the same reliable brother from all those years ago? Do you only fear me?"

Mammon holds Lucifer's hand tighter.

"Look, you're scary, that much is true." Lucifer's stomach sinks. "But you're also the most reliable. You're still the Lucifer who combed my messy hair when I strode into your office when I needed anything."

For the first time, he doesn't know what to speak. All he knows is that his brother still sees him the same he did all those years ago. But Lucifer doesn't see himself the way his brothers do.

"I want you to know something." Mammon holds his hand tighter as a response.

"I blame myself for Lilith's death."

Lucifer can feel the atmosphere shift in the room. His chest feels inexplicably tight, and his shoulders heavy.

Yet, he perseveres, just like how he always did. Even if he was covered with scars.

The grip on his hand loosens and he chokes back a sob at the action. "I—I was the one that started the rebellion, and you joined me. You trusted me. And look, look where I led you all."

He doesn't realise his voice is shaking, or that he's trembling badly. Lucifer wants to cry out loud, but his mind doesn't let him.

"I'm sorry for failing you, Mammon."

The world suddenly turns dark, and the demon has to blink away the tears to see clearly. Mammon has draped the blanket over him too, and now his face is squished against his younger brother's chest.

Mammon's heartbeat is loud.

"What happened has happened. You—you never failed me, or any of us, for that matter." His voice wavers, but he continues. "You're still you. We don't regret following you, what you did was right."

His hands come to rub soothing circles on the demon's back, and Lucifer sighs in relief.

"You're my favourite." Mammon confesses, and suddenly he feels embarrassed. But Lucifer hugs him tighter.

"You're my favourite too."

Their relations have tangled a bit, but the threads are strong as ever, and they won't break so easily.

Mammon smiles when he feels Lucifer's breathing go shallow, and he smiles sleepily.

This is home. No matter how much the brothers fight, their relations are made of unbreakable threads that might tangle and twist, but not break so easily.

A rowdy home, Lucifer adds, because the sheets have been torn off and now two very grumpy brothers stare into the eyes of the other five brothers, who look equally startled.

And then, a scream is heard.

"You're too heavy!"

"Your foot is on my face!"

"My back will break!"

After everyone has settled down after receiving their share of kicks, Lucifer speaks. "We're ordering in tonight."

A cacophony of cheers can be heard.

WORD COUNT: 5k

Thank you @paradisoperdita and @amor-immortalem​ for your lovely artworks! I’m grateful for them all. Thank you so much.

I have abandoned my inbox for too long *stares at 68 asks* 

I gotta get to them soon-

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#obey me #obey me belphegor #obey me lucifer #obey me shall we date #obey me satan #obey me mammon #obey me angst #obey me asmodeus #obey me leviathan #obey me beelzebub #obey me fluff

[newcatwords]

where is hawai'i? can you point to it on a map?

if someone asks you to point to hawai'i on a map, where would you point?

before colonization, there was (and continues to be) an island called "hawai'i". the entire chain of islands is called "hawaii" and there is a state called "hawaii" made up of a large number of those islands.

now, because there are too many things named "hawaii," the island of hawai'i is often called "the big island", because o'ahu, the island where the city of honolulu is located, is what many people think of when they think of "hawaii". it's a mess.

on top of that, we have the "main hawaiian islands" (aka "southeastern islands" aka "windward islands") vs the "outer islands" (aka "northwestern islands" aka "leeward islands").

most maps of "hawaii" show only the "main" islands. the map above (created by USGS) shows more of the hawaiian islands, but omits the names of two of the islands in the "main" chain: lana'i & kaho'olawe. these are not insignificant omissions. lana'i is 98% owned by larry ellison, founder & chairman of oracle corporation. kaho'olawe has been relentlessly used & abused by the west. it has been used for ranchland, military training, and most notably, as a munitions testing site, resulting in the continued contamination of the island. after many years of protests & lawsuits by native hawaiians, the island is now only accessible by native hawaiians for cultural, spiritual, & subsistence reasons.

meanwhile, this tourist mug with a creepy colonial-style map of hawaii includes both kaho'olawe & lana'i. good job, tourist mug!

there are actually over a hundred islands in the hawaiian archipelago. the state of hawaii includes 137 of them (source). midway atoll (made up of 3 islands) is part of the archipelago, but not part of the state. it is one of america's territories: an unorganized unincorporated territory.

additionally, some of the islands "are too small to appear on maps, and others, such as Maro Reef, only appear above the water's surface during times of low tide. Others, such as Shark and Skate islands, have completely eroded away." [source: wikipedia page "list of islands of hawaii"].

in the course of writing this post, i failed to find a map that shows & names all the hawaiian islands and failed to even find a list of all of them (plus if an island only appears sometimes or has disappeared entirely, what do you even do with that?). if you find either or both of those, let me know in comments.

so where and what "hawaii" is remains a mystery.

but this has not prevented commercial & official interests from using maps of "hawaii" in all kinds of places! here on the islands, hawaii map imagery is all around.

maps are very common on tourist items:

the hawaiian telcom logo uses dots roughly arranged in the pattern of the islands on a map:

but i guess only five islands are worth including (i understand. branding needs come above all else!).

this souvenir cloth item is interesting because it includes all the main islands (including ni'ihau, lana'i, and kaho'olawe - which are often excluded), but smooshes them into the available space without much consideration for where they are in relation to each other:

the postcard above has the main islands in their rough places, but squishes them all together so that they fit in the space. also the islands are made more similar in size to each other so that you can better see the little illustrations.

here's a more "official" map to show where the islands "should be" in relation to each other, and their sizes relative to each other (although both of those can change depending on what projection the map uses):

in my mind, though, the ultimate hawaii map fantasy lives on the ubiquitous reusable walmart cloth bag (available for 50 cents at checkout to all who have forgotten to bring the right number of bags. there's a plastic shopping bag ban in hawaii.):

in the walmart commercial universe (wcu), the only islands that exist are islands that have a walmart. the general outlines of the islands & their general orientation is preserved (along with a rough topology too!), attempting to convey a sense of adhering to a recognizable reality, but islands without a walmart have been not only omitted, but the space where they would be has been eliminated as well - as if they were never there to begin with. in the walmart version of reality, what makes something "hawaii" is whether or not it has a walmart on it.

i've had a lot of time to think about this remarkable image because i have a whole bunch of these bags. this is the bag of the people - everyone uses it for everything. the one in the above photo is in a typical state - pretty rough - because it probably came from the side of the road. you can almost always find one on the side of the road. so wherever you are, you are probably within sight of the walmart version of the islands.

so why does it matter whether or not you can point to "hawaii" on a map? well, maps are political documents, meaning that they reflect the vision of whoever has the power to put the map in front of your eyes. so if you're the one with the power to make some of the most commonly-seen maps of hawaii and you decide to remove a few islands, well that can really shape what people think "hawaii" is! we're a sea of islands - many people here have only ever been to one or two of the islands. if it wasn't on the map, you might not know that it existed at all.

hawaii is incredibly important to the united states, not just for tourism, but in terms of global strategy. it's the largest outpost of american power in the middle of the pacific. it puts america & its troops half an ocean closer to some of america's biggest competitors, most notably, china. it's a springboard to all the other island territories of the pacific (which you maybe haven't heard of because they almost never appear on maps):

once you see a map of all of america's territories in the pacific, along with the exclusive economic zones (eez) that extend out for 200 miles around each island, you start to get a better feel for the extent of america's power in the pacific.

when a place is left off the map, it can be easy to make it (including its people!) invisible. so if you're america, with bases across the islands of the pacific, with a nightmarish history of atomic weapons testing in the pacific (rendering islands uninhabitable and leaving both land and waters too contaminated for people to use), perhaps you might not want some of these places to appear on the map.

in Foreign Policy in Focus, Khury Petersen-Smith writes:

"Many of us living in North America who are concerned about climate change, for example, have a sense that Pacific Islands are facing particularly severe impacts from rising sea levels. But that knowledge tends to be vague and limited, as actual residents of these islands are rarely invited to the table to speak for themselves.

This is not accidental. Commenting during the Nixon administration on U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands, which share the same region of the Pacific as Guam, Henry Kissinger said “there are only 90,000 people out there. Who gives a damn?”

The U.S. has long had an interest in Marshallese and other Pacific Islanders remaining “out there” in the American mind. This marginalization helps allow the U.S. to carry out military operations in the region, along with policies that further climate change and other harms, while keeping most Americans unaware of these practices’ impacts in the Pacific." [FPIF]

often hawai'i (and alaska - which is in many ways similar to hawai'i in its relation to the contiguous US) doesn't even appear on national maps of the USA.

here's a screenshot from the new york times homepage on march 21, 2020, just as the coronavirus pandemic was beginning to spread:

there is no alaska and no hawai'i on those maps. so if you were looking for information on the most important issue that was happening at the time, and you live in or are concerned about hawai'i and/or alaska, there would just be nothing. and what does it say about the people who run the top newspaper in america that they decided it was fine to omit these two states? are they not states? do they not matter? do the readers in those states not matter? and this is not an unusual thing at all. it happens all the time.

i'd like to finish by sharing with you a poem by CHamoru poet Craig Santos Perez. CHamoru are the indigenous people of the mariana islands (which include guam, saipan, tinian, rota, and others).

in this poem, Craig Santos Perez writes about not appearing on the map...

“Off-Island CHamorus”

My family migrated to California when I was 15 years old. During the first day at my new high school, the homeroom teacher asked: “Where are you from?” “The Mariana Islands,” I answered. He replied: “I’ve never heard of that place. Prove it exists.” And when I stepped in front of the world map on the wall, it transformed into a mirror: the Pacific Ocean, like my body, was split in two and flayed to the margins. I found Australia, then the Philippines, then Japan. I pointed to an empty space between them and said: “I’m from this invisible archipelago.” Everyone laughed. And even though I descend from oceanic navigators, I felt so lost, shipwrecked

on the coast of a strange continent. “Are you a citizen?” he probed. “Yes. My island, Guam, is a U.S. territory.” We attend American schools, eat American food, listen to American music, watch American movies and television, play American sports, learn American history, dream American dreams, and die in American wars. “You speak English well,” he proclaimed, “with almost no accent.” And isn’t that what it means to be a diasporic CHamoru: to feel foreign in a domestic sense.

Over the last 50 years, CHamorus have migrated to escape the violent memories of war; to seek jobs, schools hospitals, adventure, and love; but most of all, we’ve migrated for military service, deployed and stationed to bases around the world. According to the 2010 census, 44,000 CHamorus live in California, 15,000 in Washington, 10,000 in Texas, 7,000 in Hawaii, and 70,000 more in every other state and even in Puerto Rico. We are the most “geographically dispersed” Pacific Islander population within the United States, and off-island CHamorus now outnumber our on-island kin, with generations having been born away from our ancestral homelands, including my daughters.

Some of us will be able to return home for holidays, weddings, and funerals; others won’t be able to afford the expensive plane ticket to the Western Pacific. Years and even decades might pass between trips, and each visit will feel too short. We’ll lose contact with family and friends, and the island will continue to change until it becomes unfamiliar to us. And isn’t that, too, what it means to be a diasporic CHamoru: to feel foreign in your own homeland.

Even after 25 years, there are still times I feel adrift, without itinerary or destination. When I wonder: What if we stayed? What if we return? When the undertow of these questions begins pulling you out to sea, remember: migration flows through our blood like the aerial roots of the banyan tree. Remember: our ancestors taught us how to carry our culture in the canoes of our bodies. Remember: our people, scattered like stars, form new constellations when we gather. Remember: home is not simply a house, village, or island; home is an archipelago of belonging.

–Craig Santos Perez

----------

thank you for reading this post! please let me know if you see any errors.

if you'd like to learn more about some important issues in the pacific, here are just a few:

july 2, 2020: "US says leaking nuclear waste dome is safe; Marshall Islands leaders don't believe it" - Los Angeles Times

may 30, 2021: "Pacific Plunder: this is who profits from the mass extraction of the region's natural resources." - The Guardian

april 5, 2021: "75 years after nuclear testing in the Pacific began, the fallout continues to wreak havoc" - The Conversation

june 4, 2021: "Guam won’t give up more land to the U.S. military without a fight" - The World (radio program)

aug. 24, 2021: "The US is building a military base in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Micronesian residents have questions." - The World (radio program)

and if you'd like to learn more about how maps are political, here are a couple articles:

june 5, 2014: "The politics of making maps" by Amanda Ruggeri, for BBC

july 11, 2018: "Politics and Cartography: The Power of Deception through Distortion" by John Erskine, for the Carnegie Ethics Online Monthly Column

#pacific #hawaii #hawai'i #islands #maps #geography

[mikiib]

The Magnus Archives: ALIEN AU (Part 1)

     So in short I had come up with an AU where the cast of TMA characters are set in the universe of ALIEN. They’re both my FAVORITE pieces of horror media I’ve consumed and so my brain figured- WHY NOT? So I have 13 pages and scenes in my brain that would take place in this AU. If this or the following posts that I’ll make inspire anyone I would LOVE to see what you come up with! In short this story has a mostly good ending.    

 Here’s a list of the things that ARE and AREN’T in this universe. 

- 14 Fears aren’t in this world. It’s fully immersed in the universe of the movie ALIEN/ALIENS. - The xenomorphs however have more powers- they can shape shift into anyone they ‘kill’. So if the alien hatches from the host but somehow the host survives then that creature can pretend to be that person. If they kill someone they can pretend to be them.  They still however take the main biological forms of the hosts they came from in regular form. - Queens are born when there is no other queen in near vicinity detected by the unhatched egg.  - The hatching of an egg takes a lot longer after implantation rather than a few hours like the original movie.  - The aliens acidic blood is still STRONG but not nearly as much. I nerfed that to a slower burn- if left on the surface for more than a few minutes it can still be JUST AS BAD as the movies version. - Cyborgs are a thing in this world- who is and isn’t a cyborg is up in the air- however you’ll find out if you follow the posts. - The aliens are weak to extreme heat and extreme cold. The younger they are the more vulnerable to both. Fire extinguishers and flamethrowers will be a big weapon in both firepower and as a melee weapons. - The technology is slightly more up to date compared to ALIEN’s 80′s tech, as there are in short video calls that can be held. -Mother (MU-TH-UR 4900) is the ships computer mainframe, and can connect directly to Elias with his acceptance of the transmission. Mother also monitors the crew and their vitals when they are under cyosleep. - They can quit. No bindings to ‘The Eye’ here. 

ARTIFACT RETRIEVAL VEHICLE: THE COEUS CREW: SEVEN

Captain and Scrivener (Archivist): Jonathan Sims (Age: 31)

  Executive Officer: Sasha James (Age: 35)

  Warrant Officer: Georgie Barker  (Age: 29)

  Navigator: Melanie King (Age: 27)

  Engineers: Tim Stocker (Age 33) & Martin Blackwood (Age: 27)

  Science Officer: Nikola Orsinov (Age: 30)

CARGO: OTHER WORLDLY ARTIFACTS UNDER STUDY COURSE: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MOON BASE: THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES 

-Everyone shares the role of being a Scribal (Archival) Assistants to Jon- no exceptions.  -The Magnus Archives is a space station on the Moon orbiting Earth.  -The cargo they carry is found from the ships that collect samples from uninhabited planets as well as statements from those who report to them their findings to investigate.  -The Admiral is the ships designated therapy cat to help the crew cope with isolation brought on by Georgie. -Elias Bouchard is the head of The Magnus Archives.

STORYLINE: 

     The story starts after they’ve collected the last of the artifacts required on the list to retrieve. They’ve been in cryosleep for over 6 months and only need 3 more months of it till they’d arrive to their destination. Everyone wakes up on their own time, Georgie first, along with Melanie and Martin. Followed by Tim, Sasha, Jon, and Nikola, they gather at the dining table of the living quarters. Martin makes everyone their preferred meals, seemingly the most nervous. This has been Martins first time aboard THE COEUS, and his banter with Sasha and Tim prove while not the best at his job there, he makes a mean meal out of the ‘rubbish space food’ provided. Melanie comes back after taking a look at their current location frowning, letting the others know they aren’t even close to Earth yet- not even in their solar system anymore. In surprise they turn to Jon, who himself has only been Captain on ship for only just before this crew was assigned to him. He gets up to check out whats going on, many of the others follow him, much to his disgruntlement as they basically fill the small room. Mother has intercepted a transmission of unknown origins and under contract of their jobs they must check it out. Curious to know more about their new course Jon calls Elias, who informs them it will be a 2 week set back on their schedules course. Jons not exactly excited about this but Tim’s quite happy to be informed it does give them quite a large bonus since it does seem confirmed of unknown (non-human) origins. 

     Once they arrive to their destination, Melanie sets the ship into motion for landing. She reads off all planet signs to the crew on. It’s a nearly isolated dwarf planet of 600 kilometers in diameter (372.823 miles). The surface on landing will be 23 degrees celsius- much warmer than expected but it does seem to be orbiting a sun fairly closely. They prepare for landing and Martin and Tim are set to get the ship in position. Martin and Tim talk together as they prep and make sure the landing legs will be fine against the surface of the planet. While they do so Sasha pops in announcing she gets to go with Jon and Melanie to investigate the source of the spooky transmission on foot. Meaning also she gets a bigger cut in the bonus than them. Tim and Sasha razz at each other but stop when sparks are spat in Martins face for wiring something wrong. He curses and Sasha comes over to help see what's wrong, pulling on gloves. She laughs a bit and gently teases him to choose a different degree to lie about next time he wants a new job as she fixes the wiring for him. Martin shushes her, claiming he didn’t expect them not to do background checks, nor did he expect to be given a position on one of the biggest damned cargo retrieval ships known. While he worked originally as a simple warehouse organizer at The Magnus Archives sister base on earth he had needed cash to help support himself after his Mother had moved out. Tim wraps an arm around Martin, claiming he’ll shield Martin from Jons prying eyes if anything goes wrong on this detour. They laugh a bit before the radio goes off from Jons office room. He’s complaining about the lights not turning on in there and would be thrilled if someone did their job correctly when fixing it before he gets back on the ship. Tim radios him that they’re on it before they tease Martin more on his obvious crush on Jon before Sasha is then called up to suit up. 

     Georgie is helping the 3 suit up properly, making sure their heart monitors are secure and attached to their neck to get an accurate pulse. Jon seems to be struggling most with the suit up, this unlike the other two, being his first time in a suit outside of the initial training. Sasha after having her camera feed double checked helps Jon out. And while Jon doesn’t say anything about it, it’s obvious Sasha should’ve gotten the job as Captain. Melanie the entire time rattling on about how excited she is to document her findings of a foreign transmission. 

     They land with ease, nothing going wrong as the planet, while rocky with a constant rain, is also somewhat flat. They make their way to the source of the transmission. Tim and the others are now watching from the ship- cameras live feed and audio coming to them as Georgie talks with Melanie about all the kind of things they could find on the ship to study. Nikola reminds everyone that without the items and everyone following the procedures for quarantine, no one is touching the items that may be brought back. The conversation dies out into aww when they see the space ship the signal is coming from appear on camera. Melanie is excited as Sasha and Jon start to look for a way in. Jon reminds them to stay close to him at all times as they enter the ship- its obvious he’d rather none of them go in here due to how degraded the place looks. Everything seems to have been heavily melted in random patches, but the ship itself seems to be made of a biological element of some sort- comparing it to a ribcage almost as they walk through it.

     As they traverse the ship they stumble across multiple dead alien bodies. They aren’t fresh but they also don’t look years old. Melanie goes to take a closer look at them but Jon quickly pulls her back from them, yelling about how obviously unsafe it is as well as the fact that she just broke formation rushing off into a different room. They both get into an argument about what should be done with the bodies, and how far their investigations should go. At this point the feed is hardly coming through via camera, but the audio makes it back to the the ship roughly. Sasha goes on without them as she’s getting closer to decode the transmission. it’s a warning of sorts is what she can gather. Looking at the bodies it may have been an illness of some type, each of them dead from some type of acid but she finds one with an open chest- like an explosion. she gets closer to one, that seems to shift out of the corner of her eye. She tries to let the others know but she realizes that they can’t hear her over their arguing, and she’s almost certain she’s lost on the foreign ship. So instead she brings herself closer to the alien body before something crashes behind her and she stumbles back, tripping over something, and screams as she bashes her head on the back of her helmet. She gets up and looks around and sees the shadow of the creature run off and she chases after it.

     That got the attention of the others as not only with the scream but Tim tells them her heart rate is spiking drastically. Jon and Melanie cry out for Sasha and she stops after meeting a dead end. She sighs and tells them she’s fine, she just fell and admittedly was just chasing after shadows. She turns around however and suddenly her heart monitor on the ship starts to read dead.  PART 2 

#the magnus archives #tma #jon x martin #martin blackwood #jonathan sims #melanie king #sasha james #sasha x tim #alien #alien isolation #aliens #alien 1979 #au #the magnus archives au #tma au #georgie barker #tim stoker #nikola #nikola orsinov #tma martin #tma jon #tma alien au #xenomorph #facehugger #elias bouchard #the admiral

[love-takes-work]

Steven Universe: End of an Era: Outline & Review

I wrote this review in October but never got around to posting it here

Steven Universe: End of an Era is far more than an art book–it’s also a collection of behind-the-scenes material, stories about the experience of working on the show, planning documents and associated background info, and both older versions of developed concepts AND concepts that never made it into the show. It's a huge fusion of all those elements, and it's definitely an experience!

Some low-quality images are included with my review just to give you an idea of what’s there--it’s not a good substitute for getting your own copy, but here’s a tour!

Like the previous concept art book, Art and Origins, I'll be giving you a description of the structure and overview, while also collecting notable information for fans. Obviously just about everything is "notable" once again, but I'll aim for unique insight or perspective on the main source material, keeping the screaming about everything new to a minimum so you can also enjoy something for yourself if you pick it up. My low-quality photos should prevent people from feeling like I'm reproducing the book in any capacity. Please grab one while you can and have your own experience!

[SU Book and Comic Reviews]

OVERVIEW

The book is titled "End of an Era" for a couple reasons--obviously because it is released after the show has wrapped, but also because Gem history recently ended its "Era 2" and began Era 3--an age of prosperity and peace. The author--the person in charge of adapting all of this information into this slick, readable package--is Chris McDonnell, whose work was previously applied on the Art and Origins book.

The foreword is by N.K. Jemisin, a well-known science fiction author who's a huge fan of the show (and wrote a really excellent series that also has a weird geological connection, by the way).

And the cover, like its predecessor, is shiny and decorated with a beach scene featuring minimalistic characters--this time it's the Gems at night in front of the Temple, and on the back cover is a big pink leg ship in a cross-legged pose.

The interior covers are decorated with tons of amazing sketches of Steven and Connie on the front, and a bunch of Gem sketches on the back. Every interior page that most would leave blank is highlighted with some kind of sketch art or character exercise--it's so much to look at, so much to absorb.

The book is dedicated "For Eddie."

Its organization is different from the previous book in that it shares applicable work in chunks associated with groups of episodes rather than pertaining to different aspects of building the show.

FOREWORD

N.K. Jemisin gives us such a great introduction to the book--apparently understanding very well that the audience of this book is full of animation enthusiasts and adult fans more than it is full of kids, and explaining that bewildering journey some adults had from blowing this show off as a silly kid thing to falling in love with it hard and fast.

The important thing, Jemisin says, is being able to trust a storyteller with your heart. And it was clear to her that Rebecca Sugar knew what she was talking about and was saying important things about identity and the radical power that comes with accepting it and demanding respect.

Important also is how we handle heroes and who gets to be one in fantasy. That's part of the reason Steven Universe speaks to so many--because we see ourselves here, and know stories can be about us. Acknowledging the power we all have to MAKE THINGS BETTER with what we fight for is so important--especially if we're going to speaking to the next generation about it.

Highlighting Rose Quartz as a "born leader" who failed and Steven as a relatable scamp who did what she couldn't, Jemisin asserts that we can save the world.

1. END OF AN ERA

We start with an appeal to the audience to think about identity and the formative parts of our childhood--and how different it is if who you are and who you become is restricted, mocked, erased, or Not Allowed. Most people, if not ALL people, can relate to this, but for those of us with a special relationship with Steven Universe because of queer identity, this hits hard.

But it doesn't have to be anything grand to be something we respect--this show's authenticity comes largely from how personal everything is, drawn from real-life experiences and incidental truths from each artist's perspective, leaning hard on childhood and formative experiences.

Rebecca Sugar offers some interview bits to discuss writing philosophy and why "writing female characters" was difficult for a nonbinary person who'd been socialized as a girl and a woman. Rebecca has spoken before about how frustrating it is that marketing for cartoons was SO gendered when she was growing up (and to some extent still is).

The Gems in the story are all "she/her," but on their planet they're defined by their work, not by emotion or relationships (unlike women in our society), so having them be socialized opposite to how she was and be able to claim those emotions through choice and NOT as just an expectation "as women" was revolutionary. Rebecca wants her show to tell all marginalized people that they don't deserve to be in the margins.

Weighing in on other aspects of the show were Ian Jones-Quartey, Joe Johnston, and Miki Brewster. Ian describes feeling like at first doing SU was a thrill ride that meant they'd finally get to do all the cool stuff, but it quickly became a responsibility that he took very seriously--the need to tell a good story now that he'd been given a megaphone.

Promotional art, planning documents, character sketches, and concept art from the lighthearted to the stone serious is included, along with some very cool (sort of famous) timeline charts that track major characters' developments. It's emphasized by Rebecca that the developmental materials ARE NOT CANON (and especially are not MORE canon) compared the final show.

There are concept sketches alongside final art for Aquamarine and Topaz in "Wanted" (with Topaz labeled "Imperial Topaz"), the Zircons in "The Trial," Blue and Yellow Diamond, and the Off Colors (including Pink Lars).

And there's also a spread of "the two sides of Steven's life: Gem Magic and Rock N Roll" featuring Sadie Killer and the Suspects (referred to as "Buck's band")--as well as a cool "Crew Cameos" key and some concepts for short-haired Connie.

And then there's some more "finished" art with stills alongside concepts, including some background art, revision, and really cool "fairytale" art from some of the shadowplay storytelling bits. We get "Lars of the Stars," "Jungle Moon," and "Can't Go Back."

2. THE BEGINNING OF THE END: A SINGLE PALE ROSE

In discussing the huge reveals and Gem mysteries in the show, the pacing is examined, and emphasis is put on the intended "slow burn." One of the most difficult things in the show was to strategize so that every piece that was needed to support another piece in the future was placed properly to seed what it was supposed to.

Some of the ideas they developed were more of a group effort and were fit together collaboratively (like Amethyst's being younger than the other Gems and Jasper being from Earth), while others were intended from the beginning based on Rebecca's vision (the fundamental idea of Pink Diamond's true identity, for instance, as well as Obsidian's design and sword and our Pearl not being Pink's first).

The writing process gets a great deep dive here, including fun tidbits like how the orb in the moon base was inserted by Joe Johnston and they literally had no idea what it was for when they wrote the episode. They repurposed it when they figured out what they needed.

Rebecca credits her detailed timelines for helping keep the order straight, and discusses how other artists are sometimes flabbergasted that a storyboard-driven show can have this much detail and continuity and yet not get wrecked by the free non-scripted boarding process. But Rebecca and the Crew valued that approach and loved the way fresh eyes would handle an idea, making it come back alive, entertaining, vivid.

Several Crew members weigh in on the writing process. Lauren Hecht refers to making lots of incorrect guesses despite being on the inside. Joe Johnston recalled getting briefed on his first day and getting so excited to start working on this massive project.

Miki Brewster remembered being told Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond and being shocked--and also confused about why Ruby and Sapphire would need to be married if they're already basically married. Drew Green talks about being brought in late and getting to watch unaired episodes and a rough of the movie while eating cereal.

Ian Jones-Quartey complains about Pink Diamond's real jester-like form being leaked to the internet through a Hot Topic shirt. Rebecca piggybacks on that and says it was upsetting that the wedding was leaked because of toy fair keychains featuring Ruby and Sapphire in wedding attire. They'd always be worried about leaks, and sometimes Rebecca struggled not to talk about the reality of Pink Diamond before the reveal because she knew it would make so much more sense once the truth was out. And everything associated with Rose makes more sense once you know she's Pink--especially what happened with Bismuth, considering what we know about how Pink Diamond has a habit of treating anyone who no longer serves her interests.

When it comes to visual cues, Rebecca also talks about intentional designs to create a feeling of unity between concepts, like the flower shapes on Pink Diamond's palanquin lining up with the poofs of Steven's hair and the star imagery of the series. Steven Sugar and Mary Nash discuss how the Human Zoo incorporated this imagery, trying to look like Homeworld with a Pink Diamond touch.

Steven Sugar, as a game nerd, liked to throw in video game references from old and modern stuff to feel like he's inserting what he's enjoying and who he is from moment to moment, while Mary Nash, who related to Sadie as a basement-dwelling young person with cult interests, liked to include stuff from MST3K and cult movies. Pearl's hand gestures get a spotlight too--her reflex to cover her mouth when Pink Diamond was being discussed was analyzed here.

A "Top Secret Visual Timeline" from 2016 is included which tells us some Diamond history. It has an earlier version of Pink Pearl's fate and does not include Spinel since the movie hadn't been greenlit. The timeline includes the birth of the Diamonds, the emergence and major story beats for each major character, and some philosophy of the driving force behind each.

We're told that Pink Diamond straightened up, behavior-wise, after she lost her first Pearl, and that Yellow and Blue wanted to give her a planet but White only agreed to it to prove she would fail at managing a colony. Pearl, meanwhile, is so confused to have a Diamond who keeps asking her what she thinks when she doesn't believe she should have opinions.

And when Pink moonlighted as Rose to start conflict, she found herself leading an army to fight Pink's troops--then Yellow's, and eventually Blue's too. Lapis is said to be waiting for the conflict to end on Earth so she can terraform, but she gets trapped instead.

Pearl's love story with Rose is described as "an endless honeymoon" where she's free to love her, while Rose's is more like "I'm now the head of the family and I'm going to give everyone what they never had, so everyone is super special!"

Jasper is described as "adopted" into Yellow's army as the only successful Beta Quartz. And White Diamond knew that Pink Diamond was not dead--she thought she was just running away from home like a brat and would eventually be back.

3. THE HEART OF THE CRYSTAL GEMS

Now we discuss Rose Quartz--the original Pink Diamond. How she was selfish and selfless, never enough and always too much, and how Greg was her first partner who "challenged her" to be an equal. Rebecca describes Rose as being delighted by the idea that both she and Greg reinvented themselves, but when that leads her to want to share her past, Greg isn't interested--he only wants to know who she is now, and doesn't consider the old her to be her.

Rebecca likes Carl Jung's concept of "enantiodromia," which is the idea that extremes lead to their extreme opposite. This is demonstrated in all of the Diamonds. This narrative is interspersed with drawings of Greg and Rose being cute.

But another "heart" of the Crystal Gems is its relationships--particularly, Garnet, the fairy tale romance embodied. More psychological theories are discussed with regard to differentiation in a relationship making the relationship stronger, and how they made sure that happened for Garnet during the appropriate arc. Rebecca has struggled with the idea that she, like Ruby, went straight from a "family" group to a living-with-others situation and never lived by herself. But she also learned that you can in fact develop as a person in the context of a relationship--you don't have to be alone to do it. Ruby learned that too, and chose on her own terms to be with Sapphire.

The wedding made so much sense to Rebecca and the crew that they couldn't imagine a wholesome couple like Ruby and Sapphire not having a wedding episode. They wanted it for years: The wedding concepts always included the tuxedo for Sapphire and the wedding dress for Ruby.

But pushback (often blamed on the conservative standards of the international market) led to negotiations trying to keep Ruby and Sapphire's relationship from being explicit. Rebecca and the Crew were very tired of this double standard, and they were especially irritated by attempts to claim a wedding wouldn't be well received by a core demographic or wouldn't make sense for Steven's character. But other shows had done weddings and Steven had been established to love weddings already.

Rebecca kept adding more elements to the wedding episode to answer all the concerns, but she didn't want to back down from explicit marriage between these characters. They deserved it. And the audience deserved to see this as wholesome, like any other cartoon wedding. Eventually they got their way and were allowed to have the wedding. But the ordered episodes were also coming to a close without promise of more, so Rebecca had to request more episodes to be able to wrap up the storyline!

And of course, there is Steven, the true heart of the team. A very interesting aside discusses Garnet's leadership and how the network pushed the Crewniverse to acknowledge Steven as the leader. This was successfully resisted throughout as well--because Garnet is the leader (unless she's incapacitated, of course). It's fantastic that this concept was preserved because too often a young male chosen one is elevated above people with more experience and knowledge because of that chosen one tradition, so it's really nice to have a show acknowledge that team leadership is more appropriate for an adult.

4. ERA 3

Beginning with a discussion of the Diamonds, this chapter deconstructs the dysfunctional "family" of the Diamonds (who are said to be based on tropes about evil stepmothers and stepsisters), with the thread of dysfunction originating with White Diamond.

Yellow is physical, Blue is emotional, White is judgmental, and Pink is impulsive. Some philosophy on why Pink is naturally manipulative and why she clashes so much with White is offered.

White believes her identity is to be imposed on all because she is the pinnacle of what should be--and therefore, she has the right to make decisions and statements about and on behalf of everyone. But her secret is that she can't do what the others do--act or feel or want. In trying to be everyone, she is no one.

And this becomes very important when she confronts Steven about his identity and turns out to be wrong. The triumph of Steven being totally, fully himself is a beautiful, simple revelation that's described as far more satisfying than the theories about Pink living inside him or Rose returning from his Gem.

Also discussed is Gem architecture. A lot went into this idea, and Steven Sugar weighs in to say he had to think of what it would mean for a world to have buildings but serve no human needs. That's why it's mostly focused on transport and storage. Even the broken planet is meant to indicate a place stripped for its resources, and everything serves a function that is meant to avoid looking like the human equivalents.

And there's another layer, too: a difference between Era 1 and Era 2. Era 2 became more functional to hide Era 1's broken bits, and older Homeworld buildings still have some "ornate and ancient" feel to them. And the fact that props, tools, and even walls and doors could be living was taken from a concept Rebecca thought was horrible from old Busby Berkeley movies, where people were inanimate objects and it was portrayed as lovely. Tom Herpich helped conceptualize these living objects.

Steven dealing with "princess tropes" is discussed here too. The Pebbles (worked on with Pendleton Ward) were sort of his Cinderella's mice, and all the locked-in-a-tower, having supportive tiny friends help you, getting princess clothes made, attending a ball, having to mind your manners stuff was intentionally related to fairy tales.

The point of doing that (besides fun) was to easily invoke the feeling that Steven was being made to be someone he's not, and that he was being treated like THIS is who he really is when it isn't. White Diamond as the "evil stepmother" is discussed with regard to her detailed features and massive scale. They generally didn't put fingernails and eyelashes on characters (especially not to indicate that they were women or girls!), but they decided White would get all of these feminine markers for tradition's sake.

Rebecca also invokes several other references that were included and describes the princess tropes as "chipping away at his integrity" setting him up for the final challenge with White.

There is again tons of concept art: Homeworld architecture, Pebbles, Diamond diagrams, background Jades and Lemon Jade Fusion, Comby, Diamond extraction chambers, and White Diamond.

5. CHANGE YOUR MIND

Now we finally begin to discuss Steven's identity. The "Perfect Steven," discussed in several interviews before this book's release, was an idea back in 2013; the "ultimate Steven," beefed up and shonen-looking, was far from perfect because OUR Steven is perfect, while this alpha hero Steven idea (used in Steven Universe Future) didn't belong being idolized in such a show.

They thought about having Steven fall apart into organic half and Gem half early in the show (during "Giant Woman" after a successful fusion and unfusion, even!), but they didn't try the concept until the last episode. They didn't want the "Pink" Steven to be portrayed as "better" even though he would be more powerful, so they decided he isn't whole without his organic self and he's just as much of a shell as the organic half. They absolutely did not want any ending that required Rose to be inside him or waiting to come back. But the debates were fierce--what DOES it mean to have Rose's Gem?

Ian Jones-Quartey brings in an anecdote about his own family to emphasize some of the immigrant themes that inspired aspects of the show. He had a brother who reinvented himself elsewhere away from family without resolving issues, and all the ramifications of that were explored in the show through Rose Quartz. (He is careful to say he doesn't think his immigrant experience is like being from another planet!) But he did say you can hurt your old family even if they were toxic or didn't know the real you, and you can hurt your new family by hiding your past. The Pizza family of course was also a more direct reference to Ian's Ghanaian family.

In talking about the new Fusions from this episode, Sunstone is largely described by Miki, who also got to board the Sunstone section. Sunstone was described as a cool 1990s character and the evolution just continued into making them a fourth-wall-breaking PSA dispenser. Obsidian is also discussed, with their sword being an early concept. Steven Sugar said they totally knew it would be forged in action. Obsidian being similar to the Temple design is of course another very early detail.

The story of how James Baxter got involved with one of the final scenes (Organic Steven and Pink Steven fusing in front of White Diamond) was shared. His family was fans of the show and Rebecca Sugar took the time to drive to a birthday party for his daughter and give her a drawing. He then owed her a favor, and this was it.

Concept art is again included, this time with sample boards, promo images, a Diamond fight concept, costume design changes for the Gems, new Fusions, the so-called "Mega Diamond" ship conglomerate, some scenes from the White Diamond confrontation, Pink Steven, multiple pages of James Baxter animation, corrupted Gems and their healed selves, and photos from the "Change Your Mind" premiere and some awards. The show has won one design-related Emmy, a Peabody Award, and a GLAAD award.

6. STEVEN UNIVERSE FUTURE

The book doesn't cover the movie because it got its own book, but dives right into Future. Ian Jones-Quartey emphasizes that the movie and Future are separate and different from the original show, which ENDED. After all, after that, Steven has a neck!

Some new names are invoked now: new writers Kate Tsang, Jack Pendarvis, and Taneka Stotts. They were excited to have Steven make HIS OWN mistakes instead of trying to clean up someone else's! Now, instead of doing the usual shonen anime thing and having the final battle be a big physical rumble, Steven has to make peace with himself and take an active role in coping with what all the fighting has done to him and what effect it's had on who he is (and who he wants to be). There is no sudden "I love myself!" answer, either. It's always a process.

Drew Green and Maya Petersen, who came on board as storyboarders officially in Future, also weighed in on writing for a "mature" show, how to deal with Steven being a "moral compass" while being sort of unreliable, and what they learned as Crew that they didn't know as fans. Drew didn't know Garnet never asks questions. Jack didn't realize the show never deviated from Steven's point of view. Taneka was nervous but excited to collaborate. Kate was worried about how established the show was and what to do as a new writer to contribute appropriately.

Maya was on the old Crew but not as a storyboarder, so felt like some of the "old" ideas ended up not being appropriate for the "new" Future in an embarrassing way--and dreaded the idea of dealing with Steven's emotional problems when they were similar to stuff she'd been through. She also was personally behind the idea of Steven wanting to dump his problems by becoming Stevonnie, and got to work with Etienne Guignard on inventing the Pearl creation backstory with Volleyball.

There's some discussion of "depression hobbies," stress, and the show's pacing. And they say Etienne was entertaining at pitches. There's even some discussion of how Greg is taken off a bit of a pedestal because his terrible restrictive life in the suburbs sounded wholesome to Steven and Greg presented it negatively.

And then there is some information about how the Crew felt behind the scenes due to fan reactions and negative press. Ian discusses feeling offended when the Black characters are described as bad examples, as if their cartoonized but realistic-in-context features are automatically caricatures.

Rebecca Sugar felt beaten down by some of these narratives and began to access mental health services, inspiring some of the content of "Mindful Education." A long reflection from Rebecca discusses people's infighting about her show and what she had a responsibility to show or not show in the story. She learned a lot about bullying from Cartoon Network's anti-bullying program and learned that bullies thrive on whatever attention you give them--unless it is made clear to them by a peer group that no one is impressed by their cruel actions. Also, not all negative feedback is bullying. Constructive criticism is different. Self-awareness can help you avoid internalizing what bullies might do or say to you.

Segueing from the discussion of how people are affected by and connect with the show, we then discuss how they chose as a team what should be covered as the show came to a close. They didn't have time to do quite a few stories they wanted time for, like a Rhodonite story, a Lars side story, and Diamond "prehistory" and religion; all of it was put aside for the main arc with Steven.

They thought people would find those stories about Homeworld and Off Color history very interesting, but so much of the show had been about Steven's Gem adventures, so keeping him mostly on Earth seemed appropriate. The acknowledgment of his battle damage, of his trauma, was necessary and real, and helpful in an important way to the core audience.

Oh, and there was some stuff about a cheeseburger tree. Don't ask.

In discussing the "reverse escapism" of the original show (Gem aliens are intrigued by everyday human culture, and realism is necessary), Rebecca says her views have changed on escapism and gets why some people want a soothing feel-better show. She acknowledged also that her own escapist dreams-come-true fulfilled in the show didn't feel like escapism because they were givens to the majority of mainstream culture, but were never guaranteed to marginalized people.

Rebecca ties in her several-times-told story about "Love Like You" and how the middle bit was when she didn't feel she was worth looking up to, and the realizations she had to tie the beginning to the end. Feeling like someone will like you less if they know you more is terrible. So sometimes a show like this can be helpful in telling people that they belong when their fantasies are things like "I want to be loved" and "I want to know I exist."

In Future, Steven has to connect to who he is and love that person--and understand that person enough to finally feel that even if he's not fixing their problems or saving their world right this second, Steven deserves his family's love and support, and they WANT to give it to him.

There's a huge amount of supplemental material in this section so there's no way I could name it all. The charts for Future's timeline are pretty straightforward, though a few episodes like "A Very Special Episode," "Why So Blue," "In Dreams," and "Bismuth Casual" aren't specifically represented and a couple are in a different order ("Prickly Pair" was conceived as happening after "Fragments" and "Homeworld Bound").

Steven feeling like a monster, having intrusive thoughts, having not forgiven the Diamonds, and getting help/moving on--it's all there.

We have keys, color scripts, and boards for the new opening and some various backgrounds and storyboard art from episodes. Model sheets for Shep, Nice Lapis and Mean Lapis, Jasper, Steven Tag Gems, Pink Steven Powers, Monster Steven. New house concepts, Era 3 Homeworld concept art for the Diamond environments, and background art for the Reef.

New Connie and Greg designs. Concepts for Mega Pearl, the Rose Quartzes, Bluebird, and Morganite (who didn't get used). And there are some photos from recording and the conference room. There are even some extras from "Crossover Nexus," the crossover with OK K.O.!--including an unused cut scene that included Ruby and Sapphire fighting. The rest of the book is a bunch of adorable Crewniverse art--extras, blog drawings, promos, and gifts to each other.

NOTABLE

1.

The first timeline chart in the book features a cool sketch of the original Off Colors, which at the time this planning document was drafted included unused Off Colors Flint and Chert.

We knew of their existence already because of an episode of the podcast, but these two unexpectedly appeared as incidental characters in the Steven Universe Future episode "Homeworld Bound," identified only in the credits. Sad to think that instead of banding with the Off Colors, these two were probably shattered for their crime (being Quartzes who don't want to fight) and that's why we see them being repaired in this episode. Later, there's some brainstorming for types of Off Colors and "a Ruby that wants to wear limb enhancers" is mentioned as well.

2. 

It looks like there was also originally more juice to the story of tracking down the events of the war culminating in Pink Diamond's assassination.

One of the timelines talks about Steven thinking it makes sense that Pearl can't talk about her involvement because she might have been a double agent, explaining why Rose Quartz always knew what Pink Diamond was doing. It seems like that bit was supposed to be included in Garnet's version of the story she believed in "Your Mother and Mine." Seems like they originally conceived Garnet's story to inspire the Off Colors to become pirates and freedom fighters, though in the show's canon this storytelling happened after Lars had already reinvented himself the way he did.

Sadie was also supposed to be sending letters to Lars via Steven, which is funny since the "Letters to Lars" episode is just a montage Steven letter. And of course it's specified that Steven was supposed to get Pink Diamond flashbacks by going to the Palace on Homeworld.

3. 

The second chart in the book makes references to Sadie's reinvention of herself as a parallel to Lars, Greg, and Pink Diamond all doing the same thing, and how positive it is to embrace such a thing--a version of yourself that YOU create.

I love that Yellow Diamond's arm ship arm-wrestling the Cluster was always part of the plan.

There's some more explicit direction to have Connie help Steven understand the Diamonds as "strict parents," and a lot more emphasis on everyone realizing Rose had been inspired by THEM rather than them all following her.

White Diamond is presented here as if she thinks of Pink Diamond as a "daughter" (whom she now understands she has "lost"). There are notes on how the Diamonds have a responsibility to their children and should attend to it before just continuing to make more.

4.

One of the concept art images for the Off Colors features Rhodonite crouching by Padparadscha saying "Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you." It's very interesting because she DOES seem to protect Padparadscha in the show, but doesn't seem confident about it in her final version, even though it does seem like she'd be "programmed" to guard aristocratic Gems because of her Ruby and Pearl makeup. Cool.

5.

A "Crew Cameos" spread was included, which is of great interest to some of us who loved seeing the Crew insert themselves into the show. Not every SU Crew person who's been represented in a crowd was there, but this crowd included Amish Kumar, Kat Morris, Amanda Winterstein, Angie Wang, Lamar Abrams, Emily Walus, Mary Nash, Joe Johnston, Christy Cohen, Danny Cragg, Hilary Florido, Danny Hynes, Matt Burnett, Ben Levin, Elle Michalka.

6.

The official national flower of South Korea, Hibiscus syriacus, is the name of Pink Diamond's flower.

7.

One of Steven Sugar's comments about the silhouette difference between humans and Gems points out that humans have ears. This seems to be pretty good confirmation that they are not supposed to have ears, despite that sometimes we'll see ears drawn on them in some frames.

8.

Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond is characterized in this book as "self-hating" in a really interesting way, saying that because she believed she was not capable of compassion, she practically worshiped those who demonstrated that ability and thought they were so much better than her--which is described as "intoxicating" and resulted in others being drawn to her. How interesting is that!

9.

Timelines reveal that early plans for Pink Diamond's first Pearl originally had her getting destroyed by Pink during  a game, and then her destruction was rewritten as a punishment from the Diamonds after Pink Pearl defended Pink Diamond to the other Diamonds. They went back to the idea of her getting hurt by Pink for the final version, though the cracked face and control by White Diamond was not on the agenda until they started writing "Change Your Mind."

10.

The approximate ages of the major characters, based on emergence, are revealed on these timelines. It begins with a cracked-planet-looking graphic depicting four tiny Diamonds emerging at 20,000 years ago. Some suspicious "blacked out" redacting surrounds a long timeline tail that goes back before that, which may mean there are secrets they still don't want to reveal. But the dates go like this:

20,000 years ago: The Diamonds emerge.

11,000 years ago: Pearl is custom-made for Pink Diamond.

8,000 years ago: Sapphire emerges (on Homeworld).

6,000 years ago: Ruby emerges (on a colony).

5,750 years ago: Garnet is formed.

5,600 years ago: Lapis is poofed and put in the mirror.

5,200 years ago: Jasper emerges (on Earth).

5,050 years ago: The Cluster is planted.

5,000 years ago: Amethyst emerges (on Earth).

4,500 years ago: The Crystal Gems found Amethyst.

3,000 years ago: Peridot emerges (on Homeworld).

40 years ago: Pearl found Lapis's mirror at the Galaxy Warp.

And of course we know 14 years ago Steven is born!

11.

Originally the Diamonds were based on a quartet of themes: Love, Fear, Pride, and Sorrow. It got too complicated to keep and it was abandoned, with Pink's identification of "love" being described as "particularly outdated."

12.

Notes on a sketch say that Pearl was inspired to become bold and unashamed because Pink's questions drove her to have opinions, and it's said that Rose "fell in love" with her boldness.

13.

Rebecca tells the story of driving off a ridge and getting stuck in the desert, comparing this to Ruby's tumble during her Wild West adventure and using it as inspiration. She's told this story before but here it is in print. She also included the story about using the flowers from a friend's wedding to put in Ruby's hair.

14.

Rebecca describes having to "fight" notes she was given when it had to do with Ruby and Sapphire's relationship. One she describes as NOT fighting was for a signing card depicting Ruby and Sapphire dancing. It was called "too romantic" and she decided not to worry about it since it wasn't the actual show content.

She was also scolded over her book The Answer because the powers that be expected her to downplay that relationship. She always argued that queer youth deserved these things.

15.

Tom Herpich describes being inspired to name Blue Diamond's comb "Comby" because he was watching the news about Comey getting fired from the FBI. It's also a mineral-related term and I always assumed that reference was intentional, but maybe it's not and this is the only intended significance to Comby's name?

16.

Rainbow Quartz 2.0's design is not discussed, though the other two new Fusions from "Change Your Mind" (Sunstone and Obsidian) were. RQ2 has some sketches included, but no accompanying narrative in the text.

17.

A sheet of corrupted Gems and their healed selves is offered, though it doesn't appear to be final. The obelisk in "Serious Steven" is labeled Albite. The unnamed Worm Monster, Desert Glass, and Watermelon Tourmaline are included. An unnamed birdlike Gem represents the Big Bird monster from "Giant Woman." The crab monster from "Arcade Mania" is labeled Blue Chalcedony. The Tongue Monster is drawn uncorrupted but not named. The Flower Monster from "Back to the Kindergarten" is labeled Grossular Diopside or Titanite. The invisible monster from "Island Adventure" is labeled Moonstone. The Lighthouse Gem is labeled White Topaz. A form for Larimar that was used in "Change Your Mind" but changed in Future is there. The Slinker is listed as Chrysocolla. And the Crab Monster is listed as Aventurine.

On the next page, this is changed to Bixbite (as it was in Steven Universe Future), and we then also have Lace Amethyst, Blue Lace Agate, Crazy Lace Agate (Fusion), Ocean Jasper, the Mother Centipeetle Nephrite (Facet 413 Cabochon 12) and three other Nephrites, Angel Aura Quartz, a hooded Jasper, Zebra Jasper, Biggs Jasper, Watermelon Tourmaline (labeled as Fusion of Gem * Onion--huh?), Snowflake Obsidian, "Little" Larimar, and Orange Spodumene (who was the Worm).

18.

The Rhodonite side story would have been about the love story of a Ruby and a Pearl working for Morganite. Images of Morganite and her servants, unfused, are in the book. We do not get this additional information, but Rebecca said in a panel shortly before the book's release that Rhodonite's story would have been about finding out that she had been Rejuvenated 17 times because her components kept falling in love and needing to be reset.

19.

Referring to the Diamonds on one of the charts, Steven's perspective is "I can't believe I helped these" and then there's a censor bar. Welp.

20.

Some included art by Hilary Florido features Kevin with a souped-up Koala Princess car and another where Kevin is staring at himself in the mirror in front of an altar to himself.

21.

Rebecca's sweater collection is included in the Crew art.

[SU Book and Comic Reviews]

#steven universe #steven universe end of an era #su spoilers #long post #su merch #myblog

[maxineswritingcenter]

The Ghost of Winter - Bucky Barnes x fem!reader - Part 7

Benner by maysdigitalarts

Legacy agent, (Y/N), has been trained her entire life by a mystery man. When they learn that HYDRA has infiltrated SHIELD, she must fight to stop them. But could she betray the trust of her friends for her teacher?

-------

The world had gone to hell recently. But for once in her life it wasn't (Y/N)'s problem. While there was a part of her that felt guilty, this new part of her was different. Roxana watched the news with Ioana and prayed for the people who had lost their lives in Sokovia. Bucky wasn't a pawn for HYDRA; he was Sebastian, and he was listening to Stavos tell him what boxes went where.

"Avengers to sign Sokovia Accords." She spoke out loud as she read the paper. Bucky closed the oven after checking on the bread he was baking. 

“What are those?” 

“Well, from what I’m reading...” She paused to read the cliff notes version of what the accords would detail, “The Sokovia Accords are a set of legal documents designed to control and regulate the activities of enhanced individuals, including members of government agencies such as SHIELD or private organizations such as the Avengers. Established by the United Nations... A hundred and seventeen countries agree, the Accords serve as a legal response to international concerns over unsanctioned actions and their consequences by enhanced individuals and members of the Avengers.” 

“Is this about that attack in Lagos with the girl with the red powers? Or the fact there is no longer a Sokovia?” He asked, washing his hands off flour. 

“Wanda Maximoff, I think so. Probably both. It’s also talking about how there needs to be some consequences for the damage done. Like I get that, I really do. But Tony has a whole clean up force that he’s... Well, Pepper is running it, and sometimes...” She paused, “Sometimes you have to do what’s necessary to save the day.” She looked up at him and saw him staring at the floor, “You would do whatever to save the world too once upon a time.” She set the paper down.

“I still can’t remember.” He muttered, leaning against the counter. 

Gnawing on the inside of her cheek, she stood up and made her way into the kitchen. 

“Bucky...” She sighed, “I don’t think this is working. I can tell you about your life all I can but... It’s not working.” They had spent the last few weeks really getting into what his life had been, but she was only a secondary source, he should be talking to Steve. They had even watched movies from the time and it didn’t spark anything. 

Bucky stared at her for a while, not saying anything but his eyes looked so tired. Suddenly, he surprised her by touching her face, lifting her chin. 

“Then... Maybe it’s time for us to move on. To truly embrace our lives here.” 

She shook her head, “We can’t what about the team, what about-”

“You’re on the run with a criminal, they'll put us in jail as soon as they find us.” He looked away, “And that’s my fault. I was selfish then, I’m sorry.” 

“So we’re stuck in this life, huh?” She pulled away from his touch, “I’ll never see my apartment again, my memories, my life.” 

He opened his mouth to reply when there was a knock at the door. Quickly, she grabbed her gun that was hidden under the table and hurriedly went to the door. Bucky was beside her, looking on the small monitor pad that showed the outside of the door. It was Ioana, a large basket in her arms. 

Pressing her back to the wall, she nodded for him to open the door. He returned the gesture and turned the handle, giving a bright smile to the elder outside. 

“Ioana, what a wonderful surprise.” He spoke in Romanian, “I don’t believe we told you our address.” 

The woman scoffed, “Boy, do you not think I keep tabs on my employees. Anyway, I have come to steal your wife for a while.” Bucky glanced at (Y/N) in a way that was asking her opinion but also telling her to hide her gun. 

Hiding the gun under a pillow, she appeared with a smile, “Of course, my friend, just let me get ready and I will be with you shortly. Please make yourself at home.” Their home wasn’t exactly guest ready. They barely had any furniture, let alone places to sit. So, thankfully, Bucky let her into the kitchen with the promise of coffee. 

-

Still not having revealed what Ioana had in her basket, she led the two of them to a dress shop in town. One that had beautiful dresses and fabrics in the windows. 

“Ioana, why are we in a dress shop?” She asked, watching Ioana flag down an employee.

“Oh, dear, my niece is getting married and I am in charge of getting her dress. But I need to see what she likes and you are the same size as her, so, please, entertain an old woman, would you?” 

“I suppose I could.” She smiled, grunting as Ioana took several dresses from a rack and lay them in her arms. 

“Perfect.” 

-

Bucky 

Another knock at the door put him back on edge. Knowing whatever assailant was behind the door could never take him down, he took the time to take his bread out of the oven before turning it off. He went back to the door, seeing Stavos standing outside, looking around nervously. 

He opened the door, “Stavos, is everything alright?” 

“My friend, I am deep in the dog house. I was supposed to get my nephew’s traditional wear for his wedding, but I forgot and he’ll be here tonight. Can you please come and try on what I have. You are both the same size.” Stavos spoke in a rush. Bucky glanced down at his gloved hands, hesitant to agree in case he would need to remove them. For all the information he had gathered on Stavos and his wife, they were simple honest people, no affiliations to anything sinister. He seemed trustworthy. 

“Don’t worry, I promise you that no one will see your hands.” 

Bucky sighed, wishing that this ruse was reality. 

“Alright. Let me just grab-”

“No time. We go now.” Stavos grabbed the lapel of his jacket (well, Bucky let him grab it) and they were out the door. 

-------

Sorry it’s short! But I’m saving something big for the next part and I wanted it to be longer! 

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[inthemediawithfredi]

Native American (Mis)Representation in Media

           Native American representation in media is not only lacking but also most times incorrectly done. I am always very fascinated by this topic because I’m an Ojibwe Native American woman, and rarely have I seen adequate and accurate portrayal of people like me and other Natives in film, tv shows, or really anywhere in media. That’s not to say that there are not some amazing Native directed and produced films with Native actors that portray what it is actually like to be Native American in the world today. However, the main problem is that there are majority of films that are produced, directed, and acted by White people that continue to show stereotypical Native American people and ideas that perpetuate societies incorrect ideas of what it means to be Native American. In return, racism, harmful stereotypes, and misrepresentation continue not only in media but also in daily life for Natives. This is harmful for Native culture because unless we make a change in how Natives are represented in media, non-Native people will most likely as a majority continue to be misinformed and uneducated, and as a result values of racism, white supremacy, and settler colonialism will continue to shine through in our society and harm our People.

           I want to start with a prime example of misrepresentation before I go into details. This example is the Disney movie Pocahontas. I still cannot believe that in 2021 this movie is still playing and no comment or acknowledgment of its complete racist and incorrect portrayal of a Native woman has been made by Disney. Almost the entire Disney movie is wrong and made up. Pocahontas should not be celebrated as a “Disney Princess” when she was actually kidnapped, raped, and forced to marry a White man.

Aside from the movie getting all the historical facts wrong and harming the history of Native Culture that way, more that you can see in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZMvyfDKMoQ), making her a Disney Princess continues to harm Native Peoples in other ways. One way that bothers me beyond measures is the cultural appropriation often displayed on Halloween. People think that because Pocahontas was a Disney Princess, it is okay to dress up like her in Native clothing and run around having fun. To make it clear, our culture is not someone else’s costume. Therefore, Disney almost makes it okay for kids and sometimes even adults to dress up in what they consider a costume (as pictured below this paragraph). This is extremely harmful for Natives. Our tradition regalia is clothing that is sacred to each tribe and each tribe’s culture. Feathers are also sacred and not everyone in a tribe wears headdresses. Wearing them as part of a costume for one doesn’t accurately represent Native culture and secondly is stereotypical and disrespectful. Not all clothing is the same for each tribe, and not everyone wears that clothing every day. Therefore, it continues to promote those stereotypes that this is how Natives dress, and this is what they look like. And again, that specific regalia is sacred to tribes therefore it’s not a costume and definitely not something just anyone can dress in because it is disrespectful and racist.

To continue on that point, while Pocahontas is an animated film, many real films continue to dress Native characters in these stereotypical Native clothes and outfits. Just to clarify, an example of real traditional regalia is pictured below this paragraph. To make these clothes is often a special, time consuming process that completes the overall sacredness of the outfit. However, as I stated earlier, these clothes are not something Native Peoples wear every day, and in fact not all Natives even own it. Therefore, media often stereotypes Native characters by dressing them in these clothes and perpetuating ideas that this is what you need to dress like to be a “real” Native American. As one Navajo actor states, “But as I climbed into the feathered costume and began to apply “war paint” to my face, I began to feel very uncomfortable. Even though I’m not of a Plains tribe, I knew that this kind of regalia was not meant for casual, every-day wear. For many tribes, including mine, feathers are sacred. Looking at myself in the mirror in full costume, I felt shameful for mocking my spirituality. I promised myself I’d never play “Indian” again” (Young). Even though they may cast Native actors, the stereotypical outfits they most often times make them dress in are actually harmful and insulting.

Even more issues can arise with the hiring of Native roles. One of the main problems is hiring non-Native actors for these Native characters. ““Redface,” the manufacturing of ersatz images of Native American identity, has long been a problem in Hollywood, and there’s a well-documented history of hiring non-Indians for Indian roles” (Maillard). Non-Native actors shouldn’t be hired for these roles because not only are problems like red-face involved but they often times try to find someone or create someone (as pictured below this paragraph) who “meets the criteria” for “looking Native enough” when in reality, not all Natives look alike or like the stereotypical historical portrayal that most people are unfortunately taught. This runs into the next problem of actually hiring Native actors for these roles.

In the film “Wind River” the director Taylor Sheridan made it a point to hire Native actors for Native roles, “He even told his casting directors that when it came to auditioning actors, “Don’t even read them unless you can vet the authentic nature of their ancestry” (Maillard). Here is a trailer for Wind River in case you’ve never seen it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7WuKdVhrmA). While I completely agree that Native actors should take Native roles, you can run into problems with distinguishing who is Native. Asking for blood quantum, tribal ID’s, or going based off tanner skin tone or stereotypical Native features are all tactics of settler colonialism that uphold systems of white supremacy and racism in today’s society. However, without some type of confirmation that an actor is Native, then you run the risk of hiring someone who claims they are Native but has no actual knowledge about their roots or ancestry-someone who just says it because it’s “aesthetically pleasing”-people I like to call “box-checkers” or “pretendians”. Therefore, I understand that casting Native actors specifically for Native roles can have its difficulties, but I still think it is something that needs to happen without a doubt.

Native representation in film, although lacking, affects both how others see Native Americans and how Natives Americans see themselves. “When present, even in contemporary media products, Natives are typically found in a historical context, reliving episodes of conflict between whites and indigenous people (Dances with Wolves, ``Geronimo’’) or as just-plain-folks (``Northern Exposure’’)” (Merskin 334). Therefore, non-Native people see Native Americans as what is portrayed in the media they consume because unfortunately many people believe what they see on TV and in Films to be true or accurate depictions, even if a storyline is fiction. These ideas are reinforcing what people are taught in school growing up about Native Americans; which is the reason some people still think of Natives in past terms (as depicted in the picture below this paragraph) where they only live in Tipis on reservations, dress in headdresses and other stereotypical things, and don’t interact with civilization, rather than looking at Native Peoples as real people who function in today’s world just like everyone else. It is harmful, stereotypical portrayals like these that perpetuate the oppression of Natives still to this day.

This also affects how Natives view themselves as well. “The homogenization of Native American identities inhibits the ability of Native Americans to see their group or to imagine themselves as anything other than the limited media portrayals. Moreover, in the absence of direct, in-person contact, the homogenizing of Native American identities creates a reference point around which Native Americans must orient themselves as they negotiate their identities” (Leavitt et al. 44). White children get to grow up seeing themselves in media and portrayed as successful, good people, but Native children rarely get to see themselves in media or anywhere in society, and if they do it is often depicted stereotypically or with negative features. When Native kids don’t see themselves represented in positive ways in media, they won’t be able to dream big or think that they can ever make it more than what the white man lets them be. I think now, luckily, social media is beginning to play a much larger role in allowing children to see themselves represented more often and more positively.

Social media is also allowing a platform for Native Peoples to amplify their voices. I would say of all media sources, social media is one of the ones that may have more beneficial uses for Native representation than any other sources. There is the ability for 100% Native operated platforms that bring awareness to many of the issues our People face today. One of the main issues I have seen promoted on social is MMIW, Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. See this short clip for more information on this very important issue (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOXyGJuRMmo). While this is just one of many issues that affect Native communities, social media has been great with raising awareness for non-Natives beginning with the simple hashtag “#MMIW”. Hashtags have always been a way for anyone to get something trending. As pictured below this paragraph, hashtags can be used by Native Peoples to try to teach non-Native folks more about our culture and our People. For example, some sports teams have Native mascots and names which in return prompt fans to dress up in headdresses and war paint. Social media has been a great platform to try to teach these fans why this is harmful, offensive, and racist.

One last point I want to make is again regarding Native actors and characters in films. To trail back to the film Wind River, while it is a movie about Native Americans and problems they face, there are two white main characters who get all the glory both on and off screen. “These romantic and stoic characters hardly speak in the films; nor do they get heard. In Hollywood films and TV plays, Indians are paid to die, to fall off the horse, to confirm the “Vanishing Noble Savage” stereotype” (Liu and Zhang 109). The two white actors in Wind River get recognition on screen and off screen through interviews and awards, but rarely do we see any of the Native actors in that film acknowledged.

In conclusion Native characters need to be depicted more often, better, and less stereotypically. Native actors need to be casted in non-Native roles as well. They shouldn’t only be limited to Native roles because then we continue to lack adequate representation of Natives in the media as a whole. Media needs to amplify Native voices so that non-Natives can actually understand and be educated on what Native Peoples, Tribes, and Cultures are like in today’s society.

Works Cited

Leavitt, Peter A., et al. “‘Frozen in Time’: The Impact of Native American Media Representations on Identity and Self-Understanding.” Journal of Social Issues, vol. 71, no. 1, 2015, pp. 39–53., doi:10.1111/josi.12095.

Liu, Kedong, and Hui Zhang. “Self- and Counter-Representations of Native Americans: Stereotypical Images of and New Images by Native Americans in Popular Media.” Intercultural Communication Studies XX, 2011, pp. 105–118., doi:https://web.uri.edu/iaics/files/09KedongLiuHuiZhang.pdf.

Maillard, Kevin Noble. “What's So Hard About Casting Indian Actors in Indian Roles?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/08/01/movies/wind-river-native-american-actors-casting.html.

Merskin, Debra. “Sending up Signals: A Survey of Native American1 Media Use and Representation in the Mass Media.” Howard Journal of Communications, vol. 9, no. 4, 1998, pp. 333–345., doi:10.1080/106461798246943.

Young, Brian. “Film: The Reality of Native Americans in Hollywood.” Edited by Zócalo Public Square, Time, Time, 11 June 2015, time.com/3916680/native-american-hollywood-film/.

[abloomntime]

A Bloom In Time Ch24 Accidential New Star

(I had to look up the prices and what the bill document said to get this right.)

Dead Bird Studios.

The place where for YEARS had been the birthplace of creativity and actors on the big screen. And now she was standing right in front of it. The others didn't look so fazed at the big building considering they had been there multiple times before but that didn't stop her from staring up in fascination at it all. It. WAS. HUGE!! WAY bigger than those tall buildings back on the moon. A giant logo sign of a black bird skull and film real decorated the outside on the big front there with the giant words under it reading DEAD BIRD STUDIOS. A parking lot stood between them and the entrance and they were already walking across it towards the entrance. To the far left of them, they could all see a bunch more of those cars parked into the rectangular spaced, not that Poppy was paying attention as they marched across in the hot sun beating down on them all. Poppy would be lying if she wasn't impressed, as she subconciously walked after the small group still walking, the shadow of the building fell over her and she involuntarily sighed feeling the harsh rays of the sun gone for a moment. Still following along after them up to the double doors of the building. The grown lady flinched when they opened on their own as soon as Cookie got near it and mumbled grumpily to herself about forgetting her purse and having to walk all the way back here on her day off of all things helping out and how it was so rude of her to make them all take this detour. Not that anyone minded as the children excitedly ran in past them inside. Poppy glanced wearily at the doors for a moment while passing, jumping a foot forward when it closed by themselves, blue eyes glanced between it and Cookie for a moment before following after the mumbling cat. The long hallway was pretty dark with a black carpet with bird skull patterns with lots of white squares lights barely lighting up the place. With a whoosh noise the doors up ahead opened on their own accord and the three children ran on through and into what looked like a well lit room. As they continued to persue the children down the rest of the hall she thought she heard some squeals of delight but she wasn't too sure yet. When she finally approuched the double pair of doors, they opened again with a whoosh for Cookie and Poppy flinched again...Before blinking and sticking her head into the lit room. A giant white Television set(computor) was sat on the counter which was the first thing she saw, and shiny marble floors reflected the bright lights above. There was a tired looking bird manning the counter as he calmly watched everything around him. Next to him was some kind of giant piece of heavy looking machinery, and as Poppy finally stepped in, she gawked at the sight of GIANT glass cases on either side of the room with shiny copies of trouphies safely sat inside with names of old movie directors of years past. But those only held her attention for a moment, above the trophies on either side were giant framed posters. On the right with a few penguins gathered was a strange looking instrument in disco lights, a ...slime monster??, and some penguin in an astronaut suit. To the right was a more western style of two seperate birds holding guns and a random cactus. Two doors were on either side and two signs by them each saying FILMING IN PROGRESS.

"DARLING!! You're back so soon?," A loud voice boomed out and Poppy yelped dropping her bags of clothing on the floor.

Who the voice belongs to was another moon penguin...But this one looked TOTALLY different from any other penguin she's seen before. He wore a ridiculous outfit with weirder shoes on his feet making him taller than the other penguins by a few inches, and he actually had hair and yellow eye brows styled up into some kind of weirder haircut, and last but certainly not least a giant pair of all black shaped sunglasses over his eyes. His beak was curled up in a smile as he approuched from the small crowd of three girls tailing after him as Cookie walked over to him.

"I wasn't expecting my best best network star to return so soon," he happily addressed her earning him a few embarrassed chuckles.

"Not exactly planned. I uh...Forgot my purse on set again and needed to run in and grab it. Can't exactly feed a bunch of hungry children without it now can I? H-How's the movie auditions so far?"

The penguin sighed and reached a flipper up to his forehead. "Easier said than done. There's the part of the wicked family who still need spaces filled in place, and the handsome prince, not to mention that I still have no one to play the concerned father and we only have a few months to put this together! I can't describe how much pressure I'm feeling..But I have a good feeling that this year will be in our favor for sure!"

Cookie smiled brightly. "Oh, I'm sure you'll find the perfect people to fill those roles soon. You always manage to pull off a wonderful display."

"*sigh* I sure hope so, Dear. I'd hate to have nothing to present for my efforts." His gaze turned up once he noticed movement by the doors as Poppy reached back down to pick her bags back up. "And I see you brought a new friend!" Poppy paused as she was approuched by the eccentric looking fella. "Why HELLO there, Darling! I don't believe we've met!"

"Uh..." Poppy had to blink to actually make sure she was seeing who she was actually seeing before shaking her head and standing up, giving a politely smile. "Howdy! I don't think we've met actually."

The penguin chuckled and shook his head. "We didn't and I never forget a pretty face, Darling. And who might you be?"

"I'm those two's temporarily babysitter," she answered pointed at two of the three children huddled by his side. "Until I can get back on mah feet that is. Kinda starting from scratch after a crazy wake up call."

"Well, it's an honor to meet you Darling." His whole being radiated positivity and his voice despite being loud was very welcoming, making Poppy smile brightly, "I take it this is your first time at a studio?"

She smiled a bit shyly. "I-Is it that obvious? hehe" She reached up to rub the back of her neck. "Uh...Y-Yeah. Do you work here?"

At this the penguin and Cookie shared a chuckle before he spoke. "Well, I should hope so. Or else my name isn't DJ Grooves."

Grooves?....DJ Grooves? As in THE Mr. Grooves Cookie had spoken about before? OH! He must've been the director she spot about earlier, that would've explained the way he dressed. This guy was a walking fat cat with deep pockets, but he looked rather friendly and cheerful to her. And not to brag, but she did have a good judge of character usually.

"OH! So YOU'RE this Mr. Grooves I've heard so much about."

He chuckled. "So you heard a lot about me? I'm flattered, Darling. Really I am-" He was interrupted when a rumble sounded out and Poppy grabbed at her stomach embarrased. "...Oh my, my, my. Hungry are we?"

"I haven't eaten since breakfast and we've been running around all day."

"Well, then I better get back there and find that darned thing." Cookie turned to Mr. Grooves with a smile. "Ya'll don't mind if I just run to the back real quick like and grab it do you?"

"Not at all, Darling. Be my guest." Cookie smiled and without another word turned and ran off towards the door on the fair right of the room. The giant thing creaked open and closed behind her as she disappeared into the area behind it. Poppy watched her go behind sighing and stretching out her back from the now uncomfortable weight of the heavy used farm equipment on her, but her attention went back to Mr. Grooves when he pointed towards the counter and spoke again. "Darling, if you want you can just place these bags right on over there with the other random things we brought in today. You look redder than an apple on the sun."

She nodded yes reaching up a hand to wipe at her face. "I feel like a baked apple too. ...Ya sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all, Darling. Not at all. Why don't you go do that and I'll have one of my assistants bring you out a glass."

"Well, if you're really sure."

She smiled and lugged her way over to the counter by the crate and weird machine thing. Placing the bags down by the crate, she shimmied the golf club bag of farming tools off her shoulders and into her hands, leaning them all carefully against the big ol' machine thing next to them. Sighing that her back didn't have weight on it anymore she stretched it out making her back pop. A few giggles made her look back over towards the small group of girls around the penguin. Bow was still pouting looking down at the clothes in disgust but looked up when the penguin adjusted the sunhat on her head, she looked up at him and Mr. Grooves said something to her. Poppy couldn't hear exactly what he said but it put a smile on Bow's face and he patted her head with a flipper. A smile returning to her face at the cute scene in front of her. A small creaking noise came from her left, and Poppy didn't notice the expensive camera starting to lean from the weight of her tools.

BAM!!

A loud bang filled the room but strangely enough, barely anyone flinched or looked up from it. As if used to hearing large booming noises in the studio. The only ones who reacted was Mr. Grooves, the girls, and Poppy. Poppy all but jumped out of her skin backing against the counter and whirling towards the source of the sound, the girls seemed to flinch, and Mr. Grooves only casually looked over towards the left side of the studio. There the other giant pair of double doors had been kicked open and slammed into the walls, a moment later a very angry......Yellow owl?? Stomped out and behind him followed some regular Express Owls holding various items or just following. .....Wat? Poppy had to blink as the small whatever he was stomped over near to where she was standing and starting barking demands all of a sudden.

"You three grab the bloody camera and make sure ye pecknecks keep a tight grip on it! I nae need me raw footage damaged in anyway!" His head turned as he barked orders to the owls who jumped and nodded at their bosses demands. "Good! Can't count on you all to do anything without me tellin' ye to cannae?"

Well THAT was rude. Poppy frowned at the rude little whatever he was and still didn't notice the large machine next to her lean over even more. Neither Poppy, the owls, or whoever this small yellow guy was(who was still yelling at the poor owls through all of this might I add) noticed the heavy duty camera leaning over or the glamerous penguin waltz on over towards him with a smile until they all reacted at his voice. The owls stopping, the yellow bird thing freezing for a few seconds, his fist shaking and slowly closing into fists, and his head snapping to peer over his shoulder, and Poppy looking over blinking.

"Conductor, Darling. You mustn't be so loud. It disturbs the peace and scares potential clients away," Mr. Grooves calmly spoke to this person. "You know I'm still expecting others to answer my casting calls."

Wait. Didn't Cookie also mention a Conductor? Huh. So this must be him. Not gonna lie, not a good first impression to her if she said so herself. Conductor huffed and turned his whole body turned to completely face the calm moon penguin now.

"Tis NAE of your business ye no good puffy haired peckneck!!," Conductor shouted while pointing a hand at Mr. Grooves. He was loud enough to make Poppy wince. "Why don't ye badger off and leave me to my worrrrrk!!"

"Darling, I would love nothing MORE than to leave you alone undisturbed," Mr. Grooves insisted calmly holding up his flippers, "All I ask is that you don't make such a ruckus in the lobby so my interviewers don't get scared off."

"HA!! Ye still going on 'bout that nonsense! Like anyone would rrrreally want to be in some techno sore to the eyes picture like yours!"

"Well that's not true at all. I have a gentlemen coming in tomorrow to see for the part of the Father in my little play. "

"HA!! The third one in a row? By this rate, ye won't be able to show ye face at the Award Ceremony for judging!" He smiled this time and crossed his arms.

"Now, now. There's still lots of time. And I'm going for something far more simple this year. A little change of style but still fabulous if I do say so myself."

"HMPH!! Well I say ye are full of birdseed if you think you have an inch of chance as usually! Another second place trophy would be more fitted! AHAHAHA!!"

Poppy could feel herself frowning at his words. Well that was really uncalled fore especially since Mr. Grooves wasn't being rude at all back or making a big scene like Conductor was. CREAAAAAAAAAAKKKK!! Hey...What was that creaking sound? Or was her ears ringing from the earlier screaming.

"Ye should give up now and save ye some trouble! With me raw footage it's surrrre to be in me favor."

CRREEEEEEEEEEEEE-

A giant creaking sound echoed out in a black blur as the giant camera leaned over and tipped. Owls hooted in fear as they scrambled out of the way as all eyes looked over and it seemed time slowed down as it went down, down, down- .....With a loud crash glass and pieces of metal shattered and flew everywhere. On instinct everyone close enough held up their arms and looked away from the shatter, but it was too late. Time slowed down as the camera shattered beyond repair and lots of metal clangs and sounds followed the disaster until it all finally settled piece by piece in front of them all on the floor. Destroyed camera and farming tools splayed on top of it. Everyone stood in shock staring down at the absolutely DESTROYED piece of machinery but that wasn't the last of it. A few sparks from the top of the camera shot out .....and then just a tiny spark of flame appeared. Well that tiny flame was enough to send some panic througout everyone there as owls sqawked and gasped back at the sight of the small flame which slowly started to grow causing everone else to get mildly panicked.

"SOME DARLIN' GET A FIRE EXSTINGISHER!!," Mr. Grooves yelled one flipper going up behind him to push back the small group of children behind him.

"STAND BACK!!"

In a fury of feather and blur, a white streak of foam shot out from some random direction and slammed into the flames, successfully putting out the flames with a sizzling sound by none other than the receptionist. The bird who was behind the counter wasn't finished yet as he continued to spray the camera and part of her tools down until it was all white like snow had piled on it and he stopped. Everyone remained in their tense pose for a long while staring at the camera...before some sighed in relief as did Poppy. Well that was certainly a surprise wasn't it? ...But not a very pleasant one by SOMEONE'S standards.

"MY MOVIE!!," Conductor cried recieving all eyes on his as his hands reached up to grab those feathery parts of his head staring dead at the camera in horror. "ALL ME HARD WORKED RRRRRRAW FOOTAGE IS GONE!!! .....AH!! YOU!!" His horror quickly shifted to anger when he snapped towards the fightened owls with an accusing tone. "YOU NO GOOD......FEATHER BRAINED....PPPPPPPEEEEECCKKNNEEEEEECKSSSS!! I TOLD YE TO BE CAREFULL!! NOW LOOK AT WHAT YE DONE TA ME HARRRD WORK!! WAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH A BLOODY SHATTERED MESS MADE BY BUBBLING BAFOONS?!"

The owls all froze at their bosses torment as Grooves turned around to ask the little girls if they were alright and Poppy stared. Watching as Conductor continued to shout as he blamed the poor owls for the mess....Blue eyes blinked down to the farming tools laid upon the floor. HER mess. The one she made-

Red eyes and shadows stared at her frightened form as a voice hissed. "Take her to the room and lock her away. ...I can't to look at her for as my prince had done. Perhaps locking away her forever will teach her a lesson about gazing into another man's eyes who belong TO ME!!"

"STOP!! JUST STOP IT WAS MY FAULT!!!"

Blue eyes snapped open at the yell. The yell that made everyone freeze and look at the red head who looked just as shocked and surprised as everyone else at her sudden outburst, but the Conductor wasn't yelling at the owls anymore. Despite him not having eyes, she could still tell he was staring right at her along with everyone else around her in more stunned silence as nobody spole.

".......Wot?"

"So YOU'RE the one responsible for this?," the tallest bird from the counter spoke putting down the fire extingisher and crossed his arms with a frown making Poppy flinch.

Poppy stared at him for a moment but seeing one poor worried looking owl behind him, made her frown before taking a deep inhale...and nodding towards the receptionist without hesitation. "That's right! One hundred peckin' percent!" She boldly pointed to the half foam covered tools by now. "Those are mah tools and it's mah fault the giant whatcha-ma-callit thing fell over 'n broke! Not anyone else's! So don't be yelling at anyone!"

The receptionist stood there for a moment staring at her before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a pen and piece of paper. "Are you willing to pay for the damages? If you chose to claim the damages that is."

She nodded again without hesitation. "I am!"

"Alright." The paper had the same bird skull logo and Dead Bird Studios in bold red words. "Where do you live, Ma'am?"

"Uh...."

"With us!," Hattie piped up.

"Alright." Under the words 'Billing Details' he wrote Red Head Human Woman and the adress Spaceship in the sky 1 6829 this planet, Invoice #: (insert random Owl Express Numbers), Invoice Date: Today, and Currency: Pons. After studying it for a bit he looked back down to the damaged thing with a hum. "Let's see. There was film so that counts under 'Distruping Studio Recordings' which comes to one hundred thousand pons." He wrote under the words 'You Will Be Billed For' as he spoke and looked at the damages caused. "One count of 'Penguin Harrassment' which is five hundred pons. Five cases of 'Owl Harrassment' for two thousand five hundred pons. 'Destruction of Property' oh definately for three thousand. And 'Tresspassing' for seven thousand."

Poppy could only stand there and let her eyes grow and widen in shock at the claims and how much pons this guy claimed she owed for such lunacy. ".......Tresspassing and harassment!? Of what kind?! I wasn't tresspassin' if I was invited in here!! And I wasn't harassing anyone!!''

"Ma'am. I'm only doing my job handling paperwork, and our insurance doesn't cover humans. The moment you stepped on property you became a liability and responisble for paying for any destruction you caused," he explained calmly as if he did this every day. He wrote one other thing down on the paper before holding it out for her. "You owe us one hundred thirteen thousand pons plus tax and another seven hundred fifty for the expensive high defintion camera to be replaced."

Poppy could only stare and not move at the paper held out to her with wide eyes and an open jaw like there was another cursed statue in front of her. After a moment, the recptionist carefully and calmly put the large bill in her hand and she finally reacted to the movement. with anger and a scowl. "WHY IS THIS SO EXPENSIVE!? I couldn't afford this even if I suddenly turned into solid gold like that roach did!!"

"Like I said, Ma'am. I'm only doing my job. If you like I could call the local court house of law, the lawyers there can assure you the paperwork and damages are all legal."

"Well I still can't PAY for it!.....What if I work off the debt instead? I'm a hard worker I promise."

"Well.....it wouldn't be the first time someone worked it off. But you'll have to speak with the two big bosses about it, not me I'm afraid."

"And they would be?"

"ME!!" She jumped and nearly dropped the paper when the Conductor scowled up at her with anger. "That was MY movie ye destrrrroyed with yer no good foolishness! If ye are gonna work it away ye better be ready to receive some hard work thrown at ye from meself!!''

".......No."

Silence. You could hear a pin drop as everyone in the studio of hearing range completely stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards the scene before them with wide eyes. Completely shocked into silence as they all stared at the human alike. Penguins, Express Owls, the two children, and even both the directors seemed to be shocked into the dumb silence as they all gawked at the frowning red haired lady staring at the Conductor. THE CONDUCTOR!! NO ONE BUT DJ GROOVES HAD EVER SAID NO TO THE CONDUCTOR BEFORE!! (except Hattie that one time in the basement but we don't talk about that not that anyone outside of the little girl, and a few of her friends knew) But now it seemed everyone was too shocked seeing a new person say no to the famously hot headed owl. One owl staring completely let the script she was holding fall from her hands and land scattered at her feet as everyone watched jaws dropped. Eventually Confuctor was the one to break the awkward silence by what else, his famous yeling. "WOT!?," he shouted and stared at her. "An' why not?! Ye are the one who cost me mah raw footage! That was ten days of haarrrrrrd work I ain't nah gettin' back, Las!" The red head crossed her arms and didn't change her expression. "I know and I am terribly sorry I caused you so much trouble in that department. But I refuse to work with someone so rude and treats the employee's who's workin' hard trying to help him by calling them useless! Obviously you're a terrible boss who treats anyone helping him with no respect, and I would feel terrible! Being in one of your movies knowing that, Sir." The girls exchange silent shocked glances behind Poppy as she turned her head towards the damaged camera. "....If it's the material that I damaged I would gladly pay in anyway I can. But only on the basis you apologise to those you've wronged, Mr. Conductor. But don't you go thinkin' I'll do anything before I know I'll be treated with respect!" Conductor's. Jaw. DROPPED!! Obviously not used to anyone other than that ridiculous long time rival of his speaking to HIM. HIM!!! In such a brass and demanding manner and it took a moment for him to even process what she just said but in a moment his temper flared up in a moment's notice as those feathery appendages on his head wriggled and he pointed at the penguin director as the other fist clenched into a fist as he demanded. Mr. Grooves blinking surprised at the sudden action "Bu-Bu-Bu-BUT WHAT COULD BE SOOOO SPECIAL ABOUT 'EM DOWN RIGHT EYE SORE OF A SO CALLED MOVIE!? YE GARBAGE NEVER COULD GET OFF YE GROUND IF DJ GRRRRRROOOOVES HAD ALL ETERNITY AND BECAME PRRRRRRESIDENT OF YE BOX OFFICE!!" "That's not true! I actually saw one of his movies myself." "YE DID WOT!?" "You ...did?," Grooves shifted his funny glasses wearing face up towards her just as confused as the angry owl man. Poppy nodded. "Yes. I. Did. And to be perfectly honest, I didn't think it was that bad. In fact, it was really interesting. Maybe not the 'best' by bird standards, but by human standards the story was really easy to understand for someone who honestly doesn't really know a whole darn lot 'bout these fancy lights, or high tech stuff, or..." She waved a hand off shrugging. "Or whatever ratings are. And a struggling career was relatable for someone who's been struggling with a lot happening." Conductor was sputtering and made some kind of funny bird sqawking noise before some of the feathers around his collar ruffled up in rage and he jabbed a thumb at himself. "WELL MAH MOVIES ARE NOTHIN' TO SHY FROM EITHER, LASSIE!! RRRRESPECTIVELY THAT AYE AM THE ONE TO MAKE IT ON TOP ALL YE TIME!!" Her face frowned again as she looked down at the older bird with a harsher scowl. "MY respect, SIR, is earned. Not GIVEN! And so far you've done absolutely NOTHING to earn it! Yelling like a baby who didn't get their candy and throwing a fit is not the way to do that! You just come off to me as a spoiled old man who doesn't know the word no even existed!" "WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE BLOODY PECKNECK ANYWAYS!?," He demanded fuming. "If you can't respect him as your rival then the least you could do is respect him as another person in your profession. As far as I've seen he's been nothin' but polite and kind to everyone and considering he's not in mah face yellin' like a baby bird for his mama is somethin' I respect." With a huff of that sass Snatcher would've loved to see she closed her eyes, and turned her head away with her nose stuck up. "I will start RESPECTING you as an adult when you ACT like one and apologize and decide to stop throwing a tantrum and embarrassing yourself! Because the truth be told I think YOU'RE the only peckneck in this studio." More silence settled around the entire place as Conductor dropped his jaw and the only sound that came out of him was something that sounded like 'A-Ah...ah..ah ah ah.....' in a stuttery way. Hattie's eyes were wide and Bow's hands had come to cover her mouth in a dramatic way. If Snatcher was there, Hattie would have no doubt he would've started laughing loudly at the look on the old bird's face. In fact, she could almost hear it now. A deep rumbling chuckle-....But wait. Snatcher's voice wasn't deep? It was high and raspy. Then who was-... A cold flipper patted Poppy on the back making her hum and look next to her to find the afro wearing penguin chuckling...before laughing a deep but loud laugh that filled the room with an almost joyful mood. That seemed to snap the Conductor from his trance and glared in the laughing penguin's direction. After a moment, Mr. Grooves stopped and turned his gaze up to Poppy with a smile. "Darling! I never could've said that any better than how you did!" He patted her back again. "You know. I like you already, Darling. My little stars usually have great taste in character and I see they didn't spare any expense in making another darling friend. What did you say your name was again?" ......She blinked but smiled at the happy moon penguin politely. "Poppy Rose Bloomington. You can call me Poppy, Mr. Grooves." Grooves hummed for a moment looking at her up and down for a moment before turning to the glaring Conductor and the broken camera lying a few feet away in pieces. "Was that footage really that important to you Conductor, Darlin'?" "OF COURSE IT WAS YOU PE-" "There's children here." Conductor's feathery appendeges went back as he growled. "YES! It was half me movie! It cannae be so simply replaced with the secret idea I was goin' for! All the time I spent on it cannae be replaced in time of the award ceremony!" The penguin hummed and brought his other flipper up to rub the bottom of his beak staring at the camera with a thoughtful expression...before looking back up to Poppy. "I'm afraid he's right, Darlin. I've known Conductor long enough to know one thing he never does is lie about his movies, even if he does brag while doing so in such a rude manor." "HMPH!! OF COURSE I DONAE!!" Grooves just rolled his eyes. "Even so, I think we should help him." "YE WOT!?" Conductor glanced surprised at the penguin like he won the trophy all of a sudden. "What kind of nonsense are ye blabbering about now?" Grooves turned to him staring, before tilting his head down wear his sunglass slid down enough to reveal some of his eyes in a deadpanned expression. "Believe it or not, Darling, I don't like unfair advantages." Conductor just stared blankly at him. " But I'm sure my little stars here could help out with anything you may need." Bow lit up with a smile. "Yeah! I'd love to help!" "Don't you have a back up plan like you usually do?" "Of course Ah do! I ain't no dummy." "Well, there you go, Darling." He reached up to push his glasses back into place. "I'm sure you'll put together something spectacular like you always do." "......B-B-But..What are the damages!? Ye camera cost the studio over a thousand pons! I cannae just look past that!," he argued back pointing at the shattered thing. And Grooves hummed again. "I'm afraid you're right about that too. Frankly, these kinds of ones aren't too easily to come across."........In a moment he smiled and looked up to Poppy. "I know! She can work for me as payment for those damages." Poppy blinked with a surprised expression as did most of everyone else but at the thought of Poppy being in a movies both young girls suddenly looked even more excited. Conductor on the other hand- "ABABABABABA!! Hang on a pecking second! THE LASS WORK FOR YE FOR DAMAGING MAH FILM?!" "I-I AM?!," Poppy asked whirling wide eyed to the moon penguin director. "Yes. Cuz quick frankly it might've been your film, but it was on OUR shared expensive studio high definition camera, Darling. She can easily pay off any debt she owes for the camera and your footage by working and her pay going to the repairs and reienbursment for any misguided accidents." The Conductor growled again and went to probably argue some more- "Tick tock, Darling. You don't want to waste anytime fighting when there's a deadline to meet. It looks like you'll be needing to step up your game." "MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! FINE!!" The tiny bird man turned and began stomping away towards the owl's side of the studio. "WHAT ARE ALL YE LOOKING AT!? SOMEONE BRING ME MAH BACK UP SCRIPT!! CHANGE THE SETS TO OUTSIDE SCHEDUALED!! SOMEONE INFORRRRRRM THE OTHER'S WE'RE GOIN' WITH PLAN B THIS YEAR!!! AND SOMEONE GET THAT SMASHED HUNK O' JUNK CLEANED UP!!" The owl's scrambled to grab anything they needed to grab and quickly follow the fuming bird boss as DJ Grooves chuckled and shook is head. "Don't feel too bad about the Conductor, Darling. He's usually all talk and no bite." Hattie giggled. "Yeah! He's a crazy, grumpy grandpa!" Both Grooves and Bow chuckled at Hattie's description of the old bird, but none of them noticed frozen and mildly panicked form. Her?! In a movie?! Where millions of people could see her?! WHAT HAD SHE GOTTEN HERSELF INTO NOW?!

#ABloomInTime #Snatcher #The Florist #Florist #a hat in time florist #a hat in time the florist #A hat in time the florist x snatcher #A hat in time florist x snatcher #a hat in time snatcher #A hat in time snatcher x florist #a hat in time snatcher x the florist #Snatcher x the florist #snatcher x florist #the florist x snatcher #florist x snatcher

[wakaoujisenhime]

Hello! This one is gonna be so cute! Another one for Kiri and Tetsu again. This time separate. What if they had a crush on a girl in their class who has a cat quirk. The class decides to have a movie night. And about half way through their crush falls asleep on them. And they discover something. She quietly purrs when she sleeps. After the movie they wake her so everyone can go to bed. She’s in their lap by then, carefully moved. And they finally confess to her. She happily accepts of course. 😍

A/N: Can you guys imagine just how hard it is to find cute Tetsu fanart xD ...this boy has almost no fanart whatsoever (or maybe it’s just me who doesn’t know where to search xD). ANYWAY I hope you enjoy this piece of fluff for our two boys!  

Tags: Kirishima x reader ✅  Tetsutetsu x reader ✅  SFW ✅  fluff ✅  confession ✅

image/art source: Kirishima -> Twitter ; Tetsutetsu -> Pixiv (art by kongxwall)

━━━━☆ ━━━━☆ ━━━━☆

Let’s rewind it - Kirishima x reader

“How can (Y/N) be so cute...?“

“Hm? Did you say something?“

Kaminari looked at his red-haired friend who seemingly just noticed that he had spoken his thoughts aloud. Instead of answering him, Kirishima just shook his head and tried to hide his blushing cheeks from his friends’ curious gazes.

No matter how much he tried to twist and turn his words, it was very obvious that he had feelings for you.

Kirishima always fought with himself when it came to the question of whether he’d confess. For him the thought of a boy being honest about his feelings was the manliest thing there ever was, but the possibility of you rejecting and avoiding him in the process was a much greater risk he wasn’t ready to take.

But what he didn’t know was that you actually felt the same way about him. Sadly you were stuck with the thought that he only saw you as a friend and nothing more.

Having Kirishima on one side who was too afraid of losing you and having you on the other side who constantly labeled herself as nothing more but a friend was at first quite the amusing sight for your classmates, but now it was just sad seeing such bubbly personalities beat themselves up over nothing.

And that’s why they came up with the movie night.

Your friends forced you to sit next to your crush which made you more anxious than embarrassed. The reason behind your anxiety was your quirk which resembled Tsuyu’s in a way – to put it bluntly, she was a frog and you were a cat.

The sole problem with your quirk was that whenever you got too excited you’d slightly lose control over it which resulted in happy tail wiggling. So all in all you were afraid that you (or better said your tail) would end up showing and disturbing Kirishima.

You wanted to escape, but thanks to your classmates who were pretty much pushing you further towards your crush there was no escape...

——

“Yes punch him that’s what he deserves!“

The moment you put on the movie it was as if your worries never existed in the first place. Your whole class was watching an action movie, ate some snacks and overall had a good time.

But soon your enthusiasm started to take a toll on your body. Your eyelids grew heavy, the times you yawned increased and before you even started to nod off a few times.

Of course the people who sat beside you noticed and Mina (as the good friend she was) gently pushed you towards Kirishima so that you could fall asleep on his shoulder and not hers.

The moment your head touched his shoulder he almost had a heart attack. At first he thought that you were still awake, but hearing your deep breaths proved him otherwise.

Kirishima’s concentration was now fully on you. He figured that this would be a one time chance so not savoring it would be his biggest mistake.

The boy began noticing small things about you which he would never have outside of this situation. The length and form of your lashes fitted you just right, the perfectly formed nose, the beautiful lips ...

Every single facial feature of yours was perfect in his eyes, but there was one unexpected thing that made him blush the moment he had heard it.

She’s...purring in her sleep...?

Considering your quirk it shouldn’t have been such a big surprise, but the fact that you (his crush) were so comfortable in his presence that you’d even purr was the happiest moment in his entire life.

That was at least until you almost fell off his shoulder. Luckily Kirishima caught you before your sleeping form even had the chance to collide with his muscular thighs and wake you up in the process. He ended up gently laying your head down on his lap instead, earning himself a silent whistle from Kaminari.

He enjoyed the situation he was in of course, but the fact that the movie was slowly coming to an end made him so unbelievably sad. Waking you up and explaining the situation was something he wasn’t looking forward to, Kirishima wanted to stay like that instead.

“Kirishima, we’re leaving (Y/N)-chan in your hands!”

“What..? B-But wait I-“

“Ha, that’s on you shitty hair!”

As soon as the credits started rolling the whole class got up and abandoned Kirishima, hoping that at least now one of you would finally make the first step.

He was finally alone with you and thinking that he’d have to wake you from your peaceful nap hurt him more than the thought of having to explain the situation to you. Having your head resting on his thighs while you purred softly with each breath, had his heart beating hard against his chest.

Kirishima needed a while until he decided upon a method to wake you up.

He placed his big hand on top of your head and gently began caressing it while whispering out your name as soft as he possibly could.

“Hey (Y/N)...wake up...please”

After a few gentle strokes you were awake and terribly confused. The movie’s credits were rolling from the right to the left, your head was resting on something firm but soft at the same time while a big hand was resting on your head.

It took you some seconds to realize what was going on and when you did, you almost head-butted him.

“K-Kirishima! I’m so s-sorry for falling asleep on your lap, i-it must’ve been quite uncomfortable, right..?”

The boy looked at you but didn’t listen to any of your apologies, instead he just took your hands in his own and looked deep into your eyes.

Not confessing to you out of embarrassment and slight fear was one thing, but watching you degrade yourself thinking so negatively was another thing. He decided that hating him would be better than you hating yourself.

“(Y/N), stop it. Don’t you dare apologize for something like that. I didn’t mind it at all and if you ask me...I have never been more comfortable in my entire life. In fact...I wouldn’t mind if things like that started happening more often.”

The moment he said that it took you some time to comprehend what was hidden behind those words.

“K-Kirishima...do you li-“

“I have a crush on you (Y/N)! I’ve always had one, but..I was too afraid to tell you. Too afraid of my feelings ruining our friendship.”

The silence that followed was torture for him and it sadly made his fears multiply by each passing second. You on the other hand were simply in disbelief that the person whom you’ve had a crush on for so long felt the same way about you.

“I’m sorry, maybe this wasn’t the right time and judging by your reaction...I-I shouldn’t be expecting an answer.”

Kirishima slowly got up and began walking away in shame while you started panicking internally. There was no way in hell you’d let him walk away after finding out that he felt the same way about you, but how could you stop him..?

The red haired boy had almost reached the staircase when he suddenly heard the iconic starting sequence of the movie you had just watched.

He slowly turned his head and now it was you who looked into his eyes.

You were holding the remote control so tight that your knuckles were slowly turning white, the blush on your face had almost become as red as his hair, the TV behind you was now replaying the movie and you would’ve never expected yourself to say the next thing you just said.

“Since both of us apparently would like moments like these to appear more often...let’s rewind it.“

I like you too - Tetsutetsu x reader

Being the class after the famous class 1-A was hard. You guys were constantly standing in their shadow so of course the urge to compete was greater than anything else.

Some of your classmates attempted to surpass a certain person and some attempted to even take on the whole class, but you were neither.

Your focus was lying somewhere else entirely.

Since some months ago you actually fell in love with your classmate Tetsutetsu. The reason behind your crush was actually quite the simple one.

Your homeroom teacher Vlad King had asked you to bring him some documents after class had ended.

In your enthusiasm, you completely overestimated yourself and went ahead carrying the heavy stacks of paper on your own, soon enough though your body began signalizing you that it had reached its limit. Stubborn little you on the other hand just continued moving on until your legs gave out beneath you and you almost fell face flat on the floor...almost.

“Hey (Y/N), you ok?”

You immediately recognized the deep voice that was calling out to you, so you looked up to confirm your suspicions...and they were right.

The person who had caught you and shielded you from a nasty fall was none other than Tetsutetsu.

Embarrassed by the whole situation you began stuttering countless ‘thank you’s and ‘sorry’s to the silver-haired boy who awkwardly nodded a few times.

When you attempted to resume your walk to the teachers’ lounge though that’s when he blocked your path.

“Don’t tell me you intend to continue carrying these papers on your own...”  

Before you could even protest or ask what he meant by that, Tetsu just went ahead and took almost all of them as he started to walk towards the teachers’ lounge.

Since then whenever you needed help with something he’d be the first one to help you out or ask if you were going to be alright on your own.

And that’s basically the backstory to it...

——

“Come on (Y/N) are you even listening to me?”, Kendo asked you silently as she gently nudged your side, her action causing you to jump a little in the process.

“S-Sorry I got distracted for a second, could you perhaps run this by my one more time..?”, you asked with the sweetest tone you could muster.

She let out a tired sigh and pointed towards the TV.

“I asked which team you think is going to win the fight.”

What team..? And what fight?

You were completely overwhelmed by her simple question so you tried to access the situation you were in right now as calmly and undetected as you possibly could.

When you saw your precious classmates all chilling and eating different snacks while all of their gazes rested on your shared dorm TV it immediately clicked for you.

Class 1-B had finally surpassed class 1-A and even if it was a simple maths test, your whole class had celebrated it as if it was some kind of festive holiday. After countless votings you guys decided to organize a movie night.  

Upon directing your whole attention to the TV once more, you finally realized that you’ve already seen that movie.

No wonder I was daydreaming…

With a barely audible sigh, you leaned back on the couch and relaxed.

——

Tetsutetsu was so engrossed with the movie that the moment something plopped down on his shoulder he almost threw the bowl of popcorn he was holding on to.

That sudden scare immediately pissed him off.

“Ok, so what the hell do yo-”

His words got stuck in his throat the instant he saw who actually scared him that badly.

Right now he was facing your peacefully sleeping face, but that wasn’t all.

“A-Are you...purring?”, he whispered as silently as he possibly could - afraid that he’d wake you and expose that cute fact he had just found out about you.

Much to his dismay your friend Kendo had also noticed that you were sleeping and had glared at him while whispering the words ‘if you wake her, I’ll kill you’.

After that threat, he made sure that whatever he did, it would be as if he was walking on eggshells.

At first, Tetsu wanted to move you aside, but the sight of you just sleeping and cutely purring away was tearing at his heartstrings.

Thanks to you he just couldn’t concentrate on the last quarter of the movie, the boy was glancing back and forth between your sleeping form and the TV.

And then finally..

The credits!

The silver-haired boy was so excited about the end of the movie that he forgot about you for a moment and let his shoulder slip. Luckily his reflexes were quick enough and he caught you just before your head hit his firm thighs. Moving you back up would be too risky for him so the only way right now, was to let your head rest on his legs.

When all of his classmates began standing up and leaving, he began panicking.

“Hey! Why are you guys leaving me alone? Won’t anyone help me move her, or at least wake her up?!”

His question wasn’t as loud as he’d intended it to be (thanks to Kendo’s warning from before), but even she was as uncooperative as all the others despite being your friend and that surprised him.

In a matter of seconds the two of you were left behind.

Alone…..finally.

You see, Tetsutetsu wasn’t the type of guy who’d show his feelings, especially when he was uncertain if the person opposite of him shared them as well.

That’s how he was with you.

He may be a slight tsundere, but he wasn’t stupid. Tetsutetsu had noticed the slight change in behavior every time he offered you his help or even went up to talk to you. That boy knew that you at least felt something when you were around him and even if he was too embarrassed to say it out loud, Tetsu still couldn’t betray his heart.

“Y’know (Y/N)...that day I helped you with the books wasn’t a coincidence.”

His words were silent. A barely audible whisper. Meant just for your ears and your ears only.

“It may sound funny to you, but...the way you stubbornly challenged your body to keep on moving made me realize, just how strong you actually are.”  

His big hand ran through your hair. The touch of his fingers, gentle.

“I’ve noticed the small glances you give me when we’re in class and you just don’t know how many times I’ve actually wanted to return them. Return them with the same affectionate but gentle demeanor as yours.”

One of his fingers brushed a strand of your hair behind your ear.

“Hey…(Y/N)...?”

He remains motionless, making sure that you’re still asleep as Tetsu then slowly bends down.

“...I like you”

The boy straightens himself back up slowly in order to make sure that there was nobody in the vicinity that could’ve heard or seen that. Unfortunately, he completely missed the small smile on your lips.

“I like you too.”

#bnha scenarios #mha scenarios #bnha x reader #mha x reader #kirishima x reader #tetsutetsu x reader #bnha fluff #mha fluff #━𝙱𝙽𝙷𝙰 #━𝙼𝙷𝙰 #━𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽'𝚂 𝙴𝙲𝙷𝙾

[kirstinmaldonado]

CHAPTER NINE 2.0

I battled again with my thoughts this week. My disdain, my disappointment, my disbelief of what’s happening across the world with coronavirus and this HATE. This racism, this rebellion. It’s a lot. It’s too much, at times. I find myself rambling in to thought as opposed to typing grammatically correct, fully-formed thoughts.

I keep typing and erasing. Venting and pulling back. Not knowing what else to throw in to this tumultuous climate, not even for traction sake, but just wondering what other noise I want to put out in the world?

Another desperate voice that breaks under the pressure of hostility. Another seedling of thought prematurely ripped from the dirt to become smooth concrete, wiped and sealed away, hardened and cold.

As I battle, I don’t know if I have ANY answers right now. I only feel the hurt. I only feel… honestly and uncomfortably, hate, in a way. Anger. Disbelief. The way the world has been moving feels unfamiliar to my nature.

How could people blatantly proclaim and demand personal freedoms with disregard for anyone other than themselves? Where do they draw that line? How do they SEE?

How can we turn a blind eye when what we have KNOWN has always been around is now being filmed and blasted all over the internet, in such an OBVIOUS way there is NO denying?!

This is not the movies. 

I have watched murder. 

I saw someone die.

That doesn’t leave you.

What it does leave behind, is you gasping, yelling at the screen, tearing up, hesitating but needing to watch again because there’s just. no. way.

Racism isn’t “supposed” to be like that anymore. It should have never been, but we have come too far for these injustices, made too many strides.

Or have we, besides advances in technology that are able to capture evidence of these crimes?

Sickening. Sad.

Honestly, what makes it worse for me? These protests that scream white supremacy.

We all want to “get back to normal.” I agree that our nation’s economy is suffering. I agree that EVERY worker is essential to our economy to keep it moving and flowing.

However, marching with guns and demanding rights written in to our constitution, which is by the way a document written when people OWNED people as property, is tone deaf!!! White privilege and privilege OVERALL demands the fruits of their labors, but does not hesitate to think of the people it will crush along the way. Even amongst rising cases, there are still localized protests! 

We can all agree that the economy is awful right now. It’s a frightening time. Whether other choices could or should have been made, we are here now and we have to play with the cards we’ve been dealt.

A lockdown was chosen, as opposed to just letting us all loose with a virus we did not fully understand, not to pussyfoot or mess up the economy but with the intention to PROTECT minorities, elderly, immunocompromised, children, people that would suffer! So many minorities would have, are, will suffer ALWAYS and as HUMANS it should be in our NATURE to balance. We can’t just tip the scale in fortune’s favor and hope we won’t be touched, or be lucky enough to have the means to take care of ourselves financially or medically if we fall ill. Those less fortunate do not have those options, could spread amongst themselves, won’t be able to make means, etc!

We are not some weird dystopian young adult novel or Black Mirror where we just shove the poor/compromised/unwanted away. 

Or are we?!?! Turning back restrictions may not hurt you. Running to the beaches might feel nice on your skin and hey, congrats on being able to even be around one.

To be young and live out your life! Or to be old enough that you’d rather get sick than be cut off from your choices!

These principles aren’t inherently bad, but given the situation we are in, it’s just too small picture!! It’s selfish. What those choices can hurt, are the people that are not you. The people that are working tirelessly. The ones that wish they could stay at home but can’t afford to do so.

You can say that’s everyone, because obviously with no source of income, you can only last so long. I feel that, everyone is feeling that in different ways. 

This is fucking hard. And it’s harder for others. And it’s easier for others.

But we MUST start respecting those around us!!! The violations are selfish. They’re hateful. And hate and selfishness breed each other.

It’s not wearing a mask because you don’t feel like you need to, even though even in a SMALL percentage it could help slow the spread.

It’s publicly and openly defying orders because it’s for YOU and not for anyone you might affect.

It’s waving your weapons around unnecessarily and sparking more discord. I remain baffled at the screaming white protestors with guns clawing at police while they try not to break the line, when you know damn well if it was any other person of color it would not have been so “peaceful.”

It’s being able to leave your knee on someone’s throat while they beg for air.

I don’t know what else to say. I feel like a broken record. The world doesn’t revolve around just you or your opinions. Other people were put on to this earth to co-inhabit peacefully. Not one is better than the other. The earth is trying to heal, trying to teach us something,  To slow down. To see with eyes unclouded by hate. We shouldn’t be trading blooms with blood.

Next time you claim give me liberty or give me death, know that sentence is not just for you.

Try to see past yourself. 

As always, stay safe as can be and my heart is with you all in this hard time. xx

#blog 2.0

[drproximo]

Original Versions of Songs You Didn’t Know were Covers

Originally published for Geeks and Beats, August 2017.

https://www.geeksandbeats.com/2017/08/songs-didnt-know-covers/

I love a well-done cover song, and I especially love a well-done cover that deviates from the original. There’s something endlessly fascinating about how two different people can arrange such dramatically different interpretations of the same source material. What makes this especially fun is when you discover that a song you’ve been enjoying for years is itself a reinterpretation. Sometimes it even goes a step further, and a song that you knew as a cover turns out to be a cover of a cover. Researching this list became a much more involved “rabbit hole” than I ever anticipated, and I am delighted to share my findings with you. I’m confident that, like me, you’ll have more than a few “whoa, I didn’t know that!” moments. 

Bruce Springsteen – Blinded by the Light

When a WatchMojo video got me digging into this awhile back, this was the one that surprised me most. This is one of those songs that I feel like I’ve been aware of for as long as I’ve cared about music. So it was a bit of a shock to discover in my 40s that, not only is it a cover, but it was originally by The Boss. There are differences in the arrangement and the lyrics, but the Manfred Mann version is generally considered the definitive rendition. 

Tina Turner – Don’t Turn Around

While “Blinded by the Light” was the big surprise on my first dive into this topic, this next one blew me away even moreso. Ace of Base’s third most successful single was originally a Tina Turner song, the B-side of her 1986 single “Typical Male”. Bonnie Tyler, whose repertoire of covers is expansive and impressive, also did her own interpretation on 1988’s Hide Your Heart. 

I’ve Got My Mind Set On You – James Ray 

Time for a little history about “Weird Al” Yankovic. In 1988, Al released his album Even Worse. The title had two meanings. First of all, the lead single was “Fat”, a parody of Michael Jackson’s “Bad”, and the album cover was also a direct parody of Jackson’s Bad cover. In other words, since Jackson was declaring himself to be “Bad”, Al decided he was “Even Worse”. Second, all of the other parodies were of covers that had recently been hit singles, by Tiffany, Billy Idol, Los Lobos, and George Harrison.

The last one was the one that surprised me. Harrison’s most solid 80s hit was actually a cover. I owned 45s of the originals of all the others, but I had never heard James Ray’s original of “I’ve Got My Mind Set On You” (which Al turned into “(This Song’s Just) Six Words Long“). 

The Tide is High – The Paragons 

One of Blondie’s most distinctive qualities was, and still is, a blending of several sounds and moods. As such, this reggae ditty, which was their third #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, didn’t raise many eyebrows. So, few at the time knew that it was a cover of a 1966 rocksteady song by The Paragons. Although, the fact that the gender-swap screwed up the rhyme scheme could have been a clue. 

Torn – Ednaswap 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OoEdfB7l18

This one’s a little weird. Shortly after Natalie Imbruglia had her breakthrough hit with “Torn” in 1997, there was a short-lived minor controversy. Apparently, some people were upset when they found out that Imbruglia didn’t write the song. It was a cover of a 1995 song by a relatively unknown alternative act called Ednaswap. Nobody claimed had that she wrote the song, however, and there was nothing new about singers having a cover be their first hit. So the “controversy” was quickly reduced to a footnote, whose most prominent documentation is a mention on Pop-Up Video.

 Adding to the weirdness, Ednaswap’s “original” wasn’t technically the first recording of the song. Two years before they got around to releasing it, a Danish translation,“Brændt” (“Burned”), was released by Lis Sørensen. 

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Robert Hazard 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aLNwOxPsjg

I almost didn’t include this one because, quite frankly, the original is awful. And, let’s be real, there’s something creepy about a guy breathily singing about what girls want. Thankfully, Hazard’s recording never got past the demo stage, so I’ll choose to consider Lauper’s version “technically a cover but sort of not really”. 

Downtown Train – Tom Waits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLtZKkCIVmI

If you asked a random sampling of people around you, there’s a good chance that many of them wouldn’t be able to name a Tom Waits song. On the other hand, it’s almost a guarantee that they’re familiar with at least one of his songs, but covered by someone else. The Eagles, Alison Krauss, Sarah McLachlan, Bruce Springsteen, and The Ramones are among the many big names to contribute to this. Heck, actress Scarlett Johansson recorded an entire album of Tom Waits songs (it was kind of awful, but I digress). 

One of the most successful Waits covers is Rod Stewart’s “Downtown Train”. The original was a standout track and minorly-successful single from Waits’ 1985 masterpiece Rain Dogs. Stewart’s 1991 cover starts off with a similarly restrained sound, but gradually swells into a much “bigger”, almost celebratory sound. 

Piece of My Heart – Erma Franklin 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0QAxIKf8G4

First off, the more well-known recording, with Janis Joplin on vocals, is properly credited to her band Big Brother and the Holding Company. Second, covers generally draw from that 1968 version, but the original was by Erma Franklin (Aretha Franklin’s older sister). Faith Hill’s 1994 atrocity seemed to be an attempt to destroy the song’s legacy, but Melissa Etheridge managed to restore it a little bit in 2005, even though it was a clumsy attempt at a comeback for Etheridge.

The First Cut is the Deepest – P.P. Arnold 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1-g5VG2pWg

This is one of my favourites. With many of the entries on this list, it’s fun to play the original for someone and watch their face as they slowly realize what they’re hearing. P.P. Arnold’s original recording of “The First Cut is the Deepest” (written by Cat Stevens) also happens to be a fantastic song in its own right. 

In 1977, Rod Stewart (him again?) released what most would consider the definitive version, and in 2003 Sheryl Crow covered it as one of two new songs recorded for her best-of collection. 

Nothing Compares 2 U – The Family 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZlzN0Gtpp8

In the 80s, there were a lot of Prince side projects and spin-offs. Morris Day and The Time may be the most memorable, with their mega-hit “Jungle Love“. Wendy & Lisa, Vanity 6, and Apollonia 5 also enjoyed a little time in the spotlight. One of the lesser-known projects, however, was The Family. The Family was often tasked with bringing life to songs that Prince wrote but wasn’t interested in doing himself. So even if you knew that Prince wrote Sinéad O’Connor’s 1990 breakthrough hit “Nothing Compares 2 U“, you might not have known that The Family had recorded it 5 years prior. 

Prince would eventually record a live version as a duet with Rosie Gaines, which was included on the various iterations of his 1993 compilation The Hits. Also included on this compilation were Prince’s originals of “I Feel 4 U” (covered by Chaka Khan in 1984), and “When U Were Mine” (covered by Cyndi Lauper in 1983). 

Killing Me Softly – Lori Lieberman 

In 1996, the Fugees released their breakthrough mega-hit, “Killing Me Softly“. Not everyone knew it was a cover of a 1973 Roberta Flack song, but many did. Even fewer knew, however, that Flack’s rendition was itself a cover. The original, by Lori Lieberman in 1972, was a soft acoustic rendition of a poem. “His song” was Don McLean’s “Empty Chairs”. 

The first cover could have turned out quite differently; according to Wikipedia: 

Helen Reddy has said she was sent the song, but “the demo… sat on my turntable for months without being played because I didn’t like the title”. 

Roberta Flack’s successful 1973 cover is still soft, but with some defining chord changes, and a slightly more soulful sound.

Further mutating the tune, The Fugees laid down their hip-hop version in 1996, to much acclaim. 

If you poke around YouTube looking for versions of this song, you’ll probably find about a dozen copies of a crooner version credited to Frank Sinatra. It does kind of sound like The Chairman, but he never actually recorded it. That’s Perry Como, from his 1973 album And I Love You So. 

Some Guys Have All The Luck – Persuaders 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3NWbvFsBVo

First released in 1973 by R&B group The Persuaders, Rod Stewart’s cover of “Some Guys Have All the Luck” served as one of the important hits of his 80s comeback (and his third time appearing on this list, what is it with this guy and covers?) In between those two versions, Robert Palmer also recorded his own version, with significantly altered lyrics and arrangement. Palmer’s version is probably the strangest, kind of a gritty new wave thing, reminiscent of Pete Shelley’s “Homosapien“. 

There have been several other covers, including a gender swapped country version. Of special note is Maxi Priest’s 1987 rendition, which (mostly) returned to the original lyrics and arrangement, but with Maxi’s signature “reggae fusion” sound. 

Tainted Love – Gloria Jones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSehtaY6k1U

When Marilyn Manson covered “Tainted Love” in 2001 for the Not Another Teen Movie soundtrack, it was fairly common knowledge that he was covering a Soft Cell song. Soft Cell’s 1981 arrangement, however, was not the original. American soul singer Gloria Jones’ Motown-influenced version was a B-side for “My Bad Boy’s Comin’ Home”, which failed to make a lasting impression domestically. Jones herself, however, had very much made an impression in England, where she was dubbed the “Northern Queen of Soul”. 

Eventually the song entered the radar of the synth-pop duo Soft Cell. Their 1981 version became their only major hit in North America, and one of the defining songs of the 80s. 

Side notes and honorable mentions: 

You might already knew that The Isley Brothers recorded “Twist and Shout” a year before The Beatles, but did you know that a group called The Top Notes recorded it a year before that? 

“I Love Rock n Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, arguably one of the most ubiquitous and recognized songs of the modern era, was originally released by The Arrows in 1975. 

Animotion’s “Obsession”, unofficial theme song of the fashion world for more than 30 years, was originally recorded by Michael Des Barres & Holly Knight.

Madonna’s “Ray of Light” was adapted from “Sepheryn” by Curtiss Maldoon, though it’s not a direct cover. 

Led Zeppelin have a storied history of borrowing, adapting, and straight-up stealing. A cursory Google search will provide many articles and videos discussing this, but the two examples which I think best fit the theme are “Dazed and Confused”, originally by Jake Holmes, and “Stairway to Heaven”, adapted from “Taurus” by Spirit. 

Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” was adapted from “Crescent City Blues“, written by Gordon Jenkins and sung by Beverly Mahr. Also, more than half the songs on Cash’s 5 American Recordings albums are reinterpretations of a diverse selection of songs.

#music #cover songs #madonna #weird al yankovic #tom waits #beatles #cyndi lauper #bruce springsteen #killing me softly #twist and shout #johnny cash