Latest Posts by artsyxabbyx - Page 5

we have more than 12,000 casualties, it's been over 72 hours now. the weather is freezing cold, there are still collapsed buildings not touched, and the numbers will increase. I've been walking around with a headache and my head spinning for days at this point. all we do is watch the news, share hopefully helpful information online, spread the word and donate whatever we can. there are still miracles, babies and families and animals being rescued alive even in these conditions, yet nobody knows how to feel, what to do.

to those of you who might not have grasped the dire situation yet: 1/4th of turkey's landscape was affected by the quake, 13 million became directly affected. this is the biggest natural disaster in turkey in a century. we had not one but two deadly earthquakes in the span of 9 hours. sea levels have risen in certain places, and there are fires breaking out. people have no buildings they can enter into safely, they have no food and no toilets and no medicine unless they're provided by the donations of millions of people.

please, please donate if you can (the weather will become colder so we need blankets and coats and gloves and everything that might be useful). if you can't, please share information so that someone able and willing can donate. here's the link to AHBAP, one of the most trustworthy local non-profits working tirelessly to help.

thank you.

has this been done yet 💀🧼

[Tattoo reference]

MW2 + Reader as Images

Listen I was bored and made these masterpieces. I also know they can apply to multiple characters but enjoy it anyway

Social Issues that Help with Understanding Buddy Daddies

Here are some political, social, and cultural aspects of Japanese culture that I think is important to keep in mind when watching Buddy Daddies. Please note: this is a super long post, with lots of pictures. 

1. Human Trafficking - Slave Labor

In Episode One, we learn that Miri’s birth father was involved in labor based human trafficking involving Southeast Asian individuals. This is currently a very big issue in Japan, since Southeast Asian immigrants (among others) are viewed as a cheap labor option and usually experience slave labor like conditions.

From The United States Department of State website:

Men, women, and children from Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, and Africa travel to Japan for employment or fraudulent marriage and are subjected to sex trafficking. Traffickers use fraudulent marriages between foreign women and Japanese men to facilitate the entry of women into Japan for sex trafficking in bars, clubs, brothels, and massage parlors. Traffickers keep victims in forced labor or commercial sex using debt-based coercion, threats of violence or deportation, blackmail, confiscation of passports and other documents, and other psychologically coercive methods.

2. Drugs in Japan

When I was living and working as an ALT in Japan, two ALTs (in a different district, but within the same company of my own), got caught with drugs. It was a big deal and ended up in the newspapers. The company I worked for had to do a lot of PR work with the elementary and junior high schools that they had contracts with, to ensure that the contracts would remain. As for me and the other ALTs? We had to sit through like five separate meetings within like two months about drugs and drug laws in Japan. 

The barebones takeaway is that, in Japan, weed is viewed as being on the same level as hardcore drugs. Charges can be steep and strict. Even just knowing that someone has drugs, and you don’t say anything to law enforcement about it, can get you in trouble. There is a grey area with drugs, which is stuff like bath salts and the like. Since the selling of things like that cannot be prohibited, so they are easily accessible to the public. 

Japan still has a very “90′s D.A.R.E.” approach to drugs. It’s catchphrase is 「ダメ。ゼッタイ。」or “No! Never.”

(Image from a Web Magazine called Nagasaki Press.)

When celebrities are caught with (what’s usually) weed, it can basically be the end of their careers, since recreational drug use of any kind (excluding alcohol, of course), is still negatively looked down upon in Japanese society. This is why it is still heavily left in the hands of the yakuza and drug kingpins, etc. Though there has been a recent increase in protests and ideology surrounding the idea of legalizing weed. Still, not much acceptance for recreational use is likely to come yet. However…

There may soon be some revision to the laws, which will allow for medical use:

Legislation changes scheduled for 2023

In 2021, the MHLW established an expert committee to review the Cannabis Control Act, and it is expected revisions will be proposed in a bill to be submitted in 2023. This will most likely allow for the use of medical cannabis. 2022/12/02

From: Euromonitor

So, something to keep in mind when Kazuki talks about a drug kingpin here is that this drug kingpin is likely not just dealing with super, hardcore drugs, but also softer ones too, like weed.

3. Child Protection Squad

There is this misconception in Japan that really young kids, like Miri’s age, can just roam free all around Japan and no one will find it odd. In Episode 1, we do see Miri roaming around the city without anyone really taking notice, but she also wasn’t in an area where there would be people that are trained to take notice.

In the above image she is at a park, which is likely close to a school somewhere. The man that approaches her here has a band around his jacket sleeve that says こども見守り隊 (kodomo mimamori-tai), which gets translated to “Child Protection Squad.” Basically, these are like crossing guards, in a way, because they do play a similar role to that, but they also do more than that as well:

(Image from the Japanese website: Nice Senior).

This people basically ensure that kids stay on the right paths on their way to school. Most of the time, when elementary school children head off to school, they will go in groups (with the 5th or 6th graders being the leaders) and there will often be older people outside their houses on their way in, keeping an eye on the children to make sure they get to school okay. 

And that’s talking about elementary school aged kids. For ones that are around Miri’s age, usually the parents (mostly mothers) will bring them by bike:

Or they will get picked up by a bus:

This one looks pretty boring in comparison to some others you might see though, like these:

(Image from the Hiyoshidai School Website)

Sometimes the daycare workers will also take them on little excursions outside using big strollers for the kids to travel around in:

(The image is obviously from a stock photo site called fotostock, but yeah, I’ve seen these before when I lived in Japan).

But a little toddler just sitting on her own at a mostly empty park with just a guy sitting at a park bench nearby watching her? That would raise attention and an eyebrow from someone who is essentially a crossing guard and whose job is to ensure the safety of kids as they travel to and from school. 

The rest is under a Read More.

Keep reading

Reblog to give an asexual a treat

HAYAKAWA FAM 💌

The best character development is when the antagonist doesn't even really change or redeem himself. Like no, he still sucks, he's just on our side now.

Chapter 15

Another Rude Awakening

Blinding light was the first physical sensation that welcomed Aseria to consciousness, the second being the pain in her leg. Panic shot through her system faster than the pain could once she remembered the events before she passed out.

With the safehouse in view and her mother in the doorway, she let out a relieved huff of breath.

“Thank the gods, just the woman I needed to see.”

With her vision fading out, she found herself panicking a little more, unsure if she could make it to the door in time. She wasn’t sure why her mother wasn’t coming to help her, especially after watching her get wounded. But before she could register the features, she heard the voice of the woman she just escaped from.

“Welcome home, Aseria.”

Marisol, the woman she loathed more than words could say, peaked her head into the doorway.

“Ah, you are awake.”

Aseria moved to the corner of the broken down bed as she tried to shrink herself to the smallest she could be. She took a moment to find her voice, but let the venom sink into her words the very second she found them.

“Get the fuck away from me.”

Marisol leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms after letting out a tiny huff.

“That’s no way to talk to your fiance”

Aseria rolled her eyes so hard she believed she could read her mind like the pages of a book if she tried.

“Ex fiance. Don’t act like you care now.”

“I do care.”

“You seemed so quick to make a run for it earlier. Why come back now?”

Marisol took a step inside the room and looked around. The walls were a chipped pink, reminding her of the flowers she first proposed with. The furniture still had tiny M and A’s carved into the wood, reminding both women that they were just reckless teenagers that were painfully in love, willing to spend forever together and show it off more proud than anyone had ever seen if that is what the world despised the most.

“That’s not how I wanted our reunion to go and I really needed to apologize for it .”

Marisol angrily forced her face into her hands and sighed as Aseria shook her head.

“Don’t try to lie and tell me you wanted a reunion. I’ve had enough of your games.”

“I’ve wanted more than anything to see your smile again Aseria.”

Said woman let out a bitter laugh as she tried to stand, carefully leaning back on her heels, wincing at the pain in her leg.

“There is no way you wanted to see me again. There is no way in hell.”

She walked on her injured leg to jab her finger to Marisol’s chest. Marisol grabbed her hand and glared at the taller woman.

“How could you be so sure that it didn’t tear me apart to leave?”

Aseria stumbled and felt the fire shoot through her injury, she let out a gasp.

“Maybe the way you left me? The way you traded me for power, or maybe it was all in the way you made sure to tell my mom exactly how you felt about the whole situation just hours ago. ”

But as soon as their eyes met, Marisol felt the love that she suppressed forcing itself back up to its original power.

“Please. Let me explain.”

“You had your chance to.”

“I had to look stronger than I was in front of them. There are other forces at play here that you don’t know of. If I showed just how much I cared and how much I love you, they would’ve killed you on the spot.”

“Maybe you should’ve just let them.”

“Please, Ase… please let me explain.”

“You have five minutes.”

Chapter 14

Suspicious Sacrifices

Reyna didn’t want to admit that she was worried, but she couldn’t help it. Both maternal instinct and the side of her that was the commander worrying over her soldier kicked her adrenaline into overdrive. She had to finish this fight up, and she had to do it quickly. Her daughter’s safety was her first priority, with her own being a second, but nowhere near close. Knowing that Marisol making a run couldn’t be good news, she decided to do what she could to get out quickly.

The first blow she could land was a quick swing with nothing but adrenaline backing it, Reyna found herself able to distract the tallest of the lot, just as she planned. She knew it was a dirty way to fight, but she had to get out. She swung for the knee and slashed the goon’s achilles. The first bellowed in pain as she fell, then there were the remaining three surrounding Reyna.

Her hand felt the wood of the sword’s hilt splintering, giving her the sign that it would be giving out soon.

“Damn it.”

She huffed to herself as she adjusted her bloodied grip.

All of the years she led armies and allowed herself to get struck to get the upper hand taught her to pick her battles, literally and figuratively. If her weapon was going to give out, she either had to run or fight with her hands. She didn’t mind, but she knew it would take longer.

There’s only so much a person can do when they’re faced with certain death and a hard place. Reyna released a brief breath and gave a curt nod, more to herself than anyone. This was a dance with death that she wasn’t supposed to take a chance with so soon.

She led with a stab to one’s side, connecting solid metal and breaking the sword off into the oppressor’s side. Using all her might to swing them into each other, she decided to make a run for it while they cut their losses, and the metal out of the middle goon’s side.

It was time to run and it was time to get to her daughter. She needed nothing more than to make sure her daughter was at the very least alive. Judging by the conversation and the last moments Marisol was in the room, there couldn’t have been any good news.

No, Marisol would never kill Aseria, but a certain pulling in her chest made her believe that the estranged ex-fiancé wouldn’t mind getting a little more physical to get to what she wanted. There was a certain line that she knew not to cross, but another line that she didn’t care about crossing when it came to Aseria. Marisol would never kill her, but she would rough her up to make the bluff of killing her look a little more believable.

As Reyna got to the door, she hears a loud voice thunder from behind her.

“You know where she is.”

She froze in her tracks as she grabbed the handle of the door

“I highly doubt Marisol would be that stupid.”

The goon couldn’t help but to let out a chuckle.

“Go look for yourself then. Marisol wants Aseria to join our cause.”

Reyna felt herself cringe at the confirmation that she didn’t want to hear.

“Her words don’t back that statement at all.”

She heard one of the goons stand from their spot at the other’s wounded side.

“Maybe it's not from a romantic standpoint.”

Another chimed in, willingly pushing her buttons.

“You raised quite the soldier.”

Finally, the wounded one coughs up a laugh.

“We’ve been watching for quite a while.”

Reyna’s eyes widened. All those times she believed they were being watched but she brushed it off as a paranoid leader, all the times Aseria would wake up in a panic saying something felt wrong, it really was her biggest fear.

“Then I’d better take my chances on getting home so I can speak to her.”

“That’s not your home anymore.”

“Not the one you’ve watched us from.”

With that she made a run for the safehouse, the last place she would expect Marisol to be so stupid to go to for a confrontation.

anyone else so scared and terrified and freaked out

Not going to live the rest of my life and not going to kill myself but a secret third thing

Chapter 13

Dangerous Distance

Ordonez wasn’t particularly excited to follow the trail of the two boys that ruined his chances with the woman he was dangerously infatuated with, but he would take this opportunity and run with it if that is what it would take to get her to grace him with another kiss.

There was no kindness in the way she touched him or kissed him, he knew he was only being used. He reminded himself constantly for the sake of wedging away from the feelings he held for her. It never worked in his favor, though. He was in too deep and he overstepped the line he danced between, the line of falling in love and the borderline obsession he fell in.

“I need to find those runts and get back to her. That is all. That is all I need right now.”

He repeated his words to himself over and over, praying to whatever higher power was watching him that he could make her happy.

However, if the terrain in front of him could give any hint, it would say that he was in for a wild ride.

The mountains twisted and turned in ways that only hills or valleys should. The clouds seemed to be caressing the tips of the snowy peaks as he began his trek. His location was undisclosed to everyone but Ximena, and he truly wouldn’t want it any other way. A creature’s ears bright and an angry red in color made him stop in his tracks.

“Last time I checked, I wasn’t supposed to come this far.” He muttered to himself.

This was a dragonborn child. Oftentimes, they travel in packs to ensure safety. If this one is alone, they are probably being tracked or watched from the trees for backup. They aren’t violent creatures, but they can do some damage if they need to. But this one looked like they were alone for good, no trees around to keep him in check.

Typically speaking, dragonborn creatures weren’t supposed to be near the mountains. They were found closer to volcanos or even deeper in the jungles. Due to their typical build, they can’t handle the cold.

‘If this small one was out and about in such an area, there were greater problems at hand than catching the boys.’ Ordonez thinks to himself.

“Oi, are you lost kid?” He hollers.

The pointed elven ears shoot to attention as the creature looks at him. Bright green eyes on a pale face met his eyes quickly. He couldn’t help but muse that their eyes matched Ximena’s.

“You aren’t supposed to be here.”

The androgynous voice replies, clearly frightened that they had been discovered.

“I was going to say the same to you. I thought your geographical location was supposed to be the opposite of here.”

He put his sword away, not even aware that he had drawn it. It must be instinct that he was so quick to react violently. Instead of lashing out, he sat on a nearby rock and held his hand out, offering the dragonborn to sit with him.

“We are supposed to adapt to changes.”

Hesitantly, the creature sat in front of him, still unsure if there was safety with this strange masked man.

“How did your kind adapt so quickly?”

Red ears twitch in fascination. No one had ever asked them questions about their kind, much less had they known things the way Ordonez did.

“Forced survival of the fittest I suppose. Put in camps to reproduce the strongest heirs.”

They cringed at the words they spoke, obviously ashamed.

“Can’t say that worked out very well with the fact that I am the only one that survived the walk here.”

They look back at the way they came, surprisingly the same way Ordonez did. He couldn’t help but wonder how they didn’t run into each other sometime sooner. These creatures aren’t exactly easy to miss. With their large stature and their bright ears, they stick out like a needle in a haystack.

“I’m so sorry to hear that.”

Sincerity laced the words he spoke as he took off the mask adorning his face. Perhaps a travel partner wouldn’t be a bad idea, they know the land well due to their natural instinct afterall.

“What is your name? I’m Ordonez.”

“Finalcalon, but my family called me Fin. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

The dragonborn reached their hand out quickly for Ordonez to shake, which he did with ernest.

“Would you like to join me on my adventure?”

“I don’t have anything to lose, yet an adventure to gain… Yes, I think I will join you.”

“Then let’s be on our way. We’re going to the Lost City.”

“Lost?”

“Only to time.”

Chapter 12

Ever Yours, Ximena

My dearest love,

There are no words that I can use to explain the pain I feel every day that we are apart. I understand that I have made a horrible mistake that I cannot take back. I understand that I have torn our family apart. I understand that our son is banished and the other is nothing more than essentially a pawn because of me.

But YOU have to understand that I know what I’m doing now. I have re-evaluated and formed a better plan. While it hasn’t played out the way I expected it to… the cards will fall into place accordingly, I’m sure. I didn’t mean to involve you or the boys in this mess. Truly I didn’t mean to let myself get so carried away in my cravings of power.

There is a certain ache that my soul feels when I think of you and I can never tell if it is longing or utter hatred. Oftentimes I try to convince myself that we are still madly in love. Other times I have to remind myself that we cannot be in love and we cannot be together due to my own selfish ways. You deserve so much better than me. You deserve so much more than the pain I have brought to you, our family, and our villages. If you are ever to forgive me, you know where to find me.

Every yours,

Ximena

Ximena,

I find myself smiling at the fact that you even remember where I am. It’s been years since we have last spoken.I hope that you are doing well.

I will go ahead and say this, I do not hold any ill will towards you the way I did when things first ended. While I wanted to ask why things ended the way they did, I couldn’t find myself asking questions that I probably do not want the answer to.

While I would like to believe that you truly have changed your ways and we could try again, however your final paragraph has shown me that you simply haven’t changed at all.

One day I hope you find what you are looking for and I hope that you find yourself happy and healthy, but I cannot be a part of the picture when this is the lens you shoot from.

I will find the boys and I will take care of them if they need it. All I ask is that you do not put them in any more danger than you already have.

Nevermore,

Ignacio

I am feral with how obsessed I am

i gave in to the urge and drew how i imagined ghost and konig under their masks…this feels illegal somehow

Is everything ok

nothing has been ok since i turned 12 but thank u for asking!

Dirty Pair (1985 anime) S1:E7 - “Love is Everything. Risk Your Life to Elope!!”  (Watch the clip here)

This mid-80′s anime really said trans rights 🏳️‍⚧️ 

And interestingly enough, Joanca was voiced by Masako Katsuki, who would go on to voice another groundbreaking LGBTQ+ character nearly a decade later… Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptune!

♤ ♡ ♧ ♢

Chapter 11

Family Fortune

As he looked around the surrounding room, Axel realized some of the weapons held more familiarity than he believed. Something in the way the walls reminded him of the broken down home they lived in made him believe that the weapons adorning them held nostalgia as well.

For the first few moments that light filled the room, he believed they were relics of the past or maybe something he saw in a dream. He was nothing but shocked as he took in his surroundings. Weapons as far as he could see, but a clear path to another door. There was organized chaos, something that Griffin THRIVED in. Upon a closer inspection, Axel found there was no way the door could actually work, it was too mangled for use.

But an even closer look at the actual weapons themselves would open multiple doors in his memories. One item that he stopped in front of made him stop in his tracks. Something about the bright blue hilt struck a chord of nerves that could only be described as bittersweet nostalgia. As he picked the weapon out of the broken barrel it was sheathed in, he realized what it was that made him remember the item.

“Wait, I had a fake sword that looked just like this when we were kids! The blue hilt, the streaks of green that look like lighting in the middle… all of it- how did you remember the exact look?”

Griffin nodded as he picked it up, then carried it to the back of the room where the broken door stood.

“You wanna know how I remember? It never left me. I never let them out of my sight.”

The closer the men got to it, the closer the details became more clear.

“Let them..? I don’t think I’m following.”

The door looked like it was about to fall off its hinges if he simply placed a hand on the termite-ridden wood, but as he opened it, Axel’s eyes widened as they found the treasure trove created out of their childhood toys.

“You kept it all… The bows, the swords, “

A choked bark gained both brother’s attention as Axel glanced between the small dog that was the exact breed and the robot at his heel as the dog in question began to walk over to his ‘blueprint’.

“The first toy we ever fought over?”

Griffin held his hands up defensively.

“Sometimes you’ve gotta reminisce on the happy things. Especially when your only happy place is taken away from you.”

As the small toy let out another scratchy bark, Enforcer jumped out of surprise and picked up the toy in his jowls, breaking it in his grasp. A quick gasp left Axel as he watched the literal break-neck speed in front of him.

“Damn…”

Griffin let out a short breath

“Just another memory wasted huh..

“I’m sorry, Grif. I wasn’t expecting him to do that.”

Griffin didn’t reply. Somewhere between angry that the memory was taken, but relieved that he wouldn’t have to listen to the crackled box of the broken toy anymore, he settled on indifference.

Then, in the silence, Axel cracks another joke to ease any possible hard feelings.

“Do you think he felt threatened?”

Griffin looks between the ribbons of the toy and the animatronic in front of him, then turns back to Axel. He knew the younger brother was just trying to keep him on a light note, so he nodded.

“Oh he totally did.”

The brothers let out chuckles as they looked at the shattered toy below their feet.

“He was too quick with that attack. You’ve got him trained really well, how many dummies did this dog destroy?”

“None, I actually took him hunting with me and THAT’S how he learned to attack things quickly.”

“Holy shit..”

Axel nodded “He’s a badass. Taught him to be a lone wolf like you if the time ever came to it. He can’t be lost if he loses me.”

“Don’t say that. He’s not going to lose you, I’m making sure of it.”

“Don’t tell me you’re scared to lose me a second time.”

“No, I’m scared to be alone with that thing.”

The robotic dog in front of him let out an angry snarl, teeth already sharpening themselves and red irises darkening in a shade to make him more intimidating than he already was.

“Point proven.”

“He’s just showing off to assert fake dominance, don't worry. Animals in the wild do that too, to make themselves too scary to fight.”

Looking back into the room, Axel did a double take as the gleam of his brother’s bow nearly blinded him. The double pointed edges made him shiver at the realization that his bow could be used for both long range and short if it needed to be. Pulling him from the thoughts swirling in his head, Griffin spoke up.

“So, has the initial shock subsided?”

Griffin couldn’t help the smug grin that crossed his features. For once, he felt finally had the upper hand on his brother’s wit. Axel let out a scoff of his own that matched the disgust his brother’s usually carried and he offered a small smile.

“I wouldn’t say that it’s shock at this point. More so amazement that you did all of this by yourself.”

Griffin shook his head, knowing that he would be at least a little surprised in his skill.

“What can I say, I have a genius for a brother and a workaholic for a father. I had to do something with those skills.”

Axel let out a tiny huff of a laugh.

“You flatter me.”

“Eh, just wait until I screw it up somehow.”

Griffin looks away to the corner of the room, allowing himself to remember that it was always a matter of time before he (or something he created) messed up the situation at hand.

“Ever the optimist. C’mon, lighten up.”

Axel gave him a playful shove to his shoulder, something that he would do even when they were children to get Griffin to play back.

“Trust me, I try.”

“I doubt that.”

“Lightening up like a lightbulb.”

“Missing one of the main conductors I bet.”

“Rude.”

Silence took over the room once more before the brothers broke out into laughter. There weren’t many times like this, so they knew to enjoy it while it could.

Griffin was the first to bring himself back to composure and keep the task at hand in the forefront of their minds.

“Regardless, we’ll get what we want and then we have to make a small four day trip to see our monster dearest.”

A brief look of shock and annoyance flashed across Axel’s face. While he didn’t mind the exercise, four days sounded a little excessive.

“Ah, right. I forgot the promenade is over.”

He leaned down and picked up as many weapons as he could, then handed some to Enforcer to hold on his back. The duo loaded with bows, swords and a rifle if needed.

“There was never a-”

“Let me have this moment.”

“Right.”

search WITHIN your local trash and you WILL find a friend and boy 

Chapter 10

Serendipity

Smoke surrounded the small space and Reyna suddenly realized just how claustrophobic she had become. Years of war and leading her armies out in an open space had taught her to utilize the free air. Now that it was limited, she wasn’t sure if her efficiency would be the same as it usually was. It wasn’t often that Reyna found herself in a pinch. There was always another way to get out of a tough spot and better yet another way to survive. This was a whole other story. Reyna let out a quick breath as she lunged at the first woman to her left.

She knew better than to try to take on more than one person at a time, but she also knew that her daughter’s fragile state would cause a hindrance to her own abilities. She had to do what she did best on the battlefield, think fast and act faster. There was only so much time before the dust settled and that would give her just enough time to do the damage and leave.

Aseria found herself panicking slightly at the brief moment of silence before all hell broke loose. The look Marisol gave her before the room gave way to smoke, the way her mother grabbed her by the back of the collar to pull her away from the goons running at her, the way her body stuttered at the sudden intrusion of a blade to her leg. The adrenaline coursing through her veins wouldn’t let her relent against her oppressors. With her back pressed to her mother’s and too much pressure on one calve, she let out a shriek of pain.

“I’ve taken a lot worse than this, c’mon!”

She half whispers to herself, angry that she couldn’t find the strength in her to push through her pain a little longer. Her blonde hair was starting to shed with the sweat, ash and blood that clumped themselves together due to her days of fighting and lack of showering.

If the wound getting infected wasn’t going to be her biggest problem, unknown germs from her surroundings would be. There was nothing her mother could say that would deter her from the fight, but she knew her mother wouldn’t let her make any haste decisions without a quick redirection.

Glancing to the door Marisol ran through, she saw the glint of a blade almost mocking her. Shoving past one of the men, she slid across the floor to reach, completely ignoring her own pain as she let the adrenaline pump through her. Aseria wasn’t as skilled as her mother with the sword by any means, but she at least knew that she could cause a distraction long enough for Reyna to regroup with her.

Throwing the two in front of her for a loop, she made an impulse decision to slam her shoulder into the bookcase beside her, causing dust and wood to obstruct their vision.

Reyna could only do so much at one time. With Marisol running away for some anklet, the smoke finally settling, and the realization that her daughter’s leg had been sliced open and she was nowhere to be found, she found herself struggling to juggle her priorities. It wasn’t until her daughter’s voice rang out in the room, yanking her back into the present moment.

“We need to get you out of here and we need to do it quickly.”

“You know I’m not leaving without you.”

“That wasn’t a request, Aseria.”

Tears began to leak from her eyes. Aseria couldn’t tell what exactly they were from, she assumed it was simply a combination of everything in the moment. The smoke in her vision, the pain in her body, the realization that her mother isn’t going to let her win this argument. Sliding the sword across the floor to her mother, she holds off one of the assailants with a strong kick to the gut.

“Mom I can’t leave you.”

“You’re going to have to. I will meet you in our old safehouse.”

Reyna grabbed the weapon and gave her daughter a quick kiss to the crown of her head, something she did before every battle, just in case it was the last time they were to see each other.

“I love you. Never forget that.”

“You’d better win.”

“I always win.”

She kept her sword in a ready position held in front of her, signaling to the oppressors around her that she was ready to keep fighting. She held the sword with expert precision with both hands, perpendicular to the ground. With the method she once learned that stayed in her mind, burned like the cigarette she lit before they came to this hellhole, she could move the sword side to side and up and down easily, blocking and landing blows in all directions.

Aseria gave her one glance before she began to back away towards the door. There wasn’t much she could do to help with her wound, and she knew her mother could hold her own, so regrouping and getting to the safehouse in one piece was the only thing she could do.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Reyna heard her mother’s voice.

“Hold the tip of the sword at a bit of an angle, with the tip pointed slightly toward your opponent. You cannot falter at a moment like this. Deep breath, now strike.”

She found herself quick to act, stepping up and into the blow, with her arms held against her body. Something her mother taught her when she was her daughter’s age, but with more vengeance than defense in mind.

She reacted quickly and against her more sane instincts, which screamed and told her to move back and save herself while she still had the chance. The fighter in her knew that she couldn’t hold back. Moving closer, she would be able to cut off the woman in front of hers power, meaning she could hold the upper hand while Aseria was running.

Aseria had lost the feeling in her leg as her vision began to fade. As much as she wanted to cry, scream and beg someone to help her, she knew she couldn’t. With the safehouse in view and her mother in the doorway, she let out a relieved huff of breath.

“Thank the gods, just the woman I needed to see.”

With her vision fading out, she found herself panicking a little more, unsure if she could make it to the door in time. She wasn’t sure why her mother wasn’t coming to help her, especially after watching her get wounded. But before she could register the features, she heard the voice of the woman she just escaped from.

“Welcome home, Aseria.”

Chapter 9

Masking

Ordóñez had considered himself a haunted man. He settled for the ghosts of love that he would find in the graveyards he dug. He could never consider himself a merciful man after the things he went through. At one point in time, he was the most gentle man in the world. From a young age he was pushed around by the people that could push. A doormat to anyone that would take the first step.

After the war started, Ordóñez changed for the worst. Isolation had become his closest ally as he caught himself clinging onto the sword he brandished as the lifeline rather than the very human company he craved so much. Now, Ordóñez saw people dying on a daily basis and couldn’t find it in him to care very much. If anything, he caused more pain than he had truly seen.

It only felt fair for him to cause so much pain, especially after everything he had been through. He would never admit it to himself, but he did everything he did out of fear. Ordóñez often questioned if Ximena was the same, but he highly doubted that was a possibility.

Rather than ask her any questions, he simply observed her instead. He watched the way her green eyes cut across the room like the glass shards they resemble. Observed the way she moved so swiftly in battle without a question of her agility. Kept a close eye on the way she would fidget with her blades during meetings with other leaders when she was nervous.

Ordóñez watched everything from a distance. He refused to let her know by the looks on his face just how much it hurt to see her destroy herself every day. So instead, he kept every little thing he could say hidden. Hidden behind the eyes of the mask with a disgustingly tainted smile.

“Ordóñez; would you mind bringing my boys back to me?”

Ximena’s voice was a mix between the sweetest sugar and the scariest monster he could conjure in his mind, but he found himself drawn to her like a moth drawn to a flame.

“Of course, madame.”

“You won’t disappoint me this time, will you?”

“Not purposely.”

“What do you know of the location of my Griffin and Axel?”

“I haven’t changed anything from my last run in with them, I wasn’t aware you still had their locations considering-”

His words were stopped as a card embedded into the wall next to his head, only having sliced his cheek slightly. He knew this was meant to be a warning shot. Ximena doesn’t miss unless she is making a point.

“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I was you. I know what I did, I reflected on my mistake. Now that I’ve faced that truth, I need to get them both back before it is too late. Who knows what they can do with that jewel if they learned the power behind it.”

Ordóñez felt his breath hitch in his throat. He never felt threatened by Ximena, only threatened by the lengths she would go through to prove a point or make herself look like she was better than she actually was. He would never say it out loud, but maybe that is one of the things that draws him to her so quickly.

“Yes ma’am, I’ll watch my wording next time.”

He nods, dropping his head slightly. The library that they resided in was silent with tension, enough to the point he decided to leave before he got too overwhelmed with the taunting pages of the books sitting still while his heart hammered in his chest as if it was being put to work.

“That’s better. Now, when you do get them, I want you to call me with this device,”

she began, holding a small chip-like device in her hand, something she must have created in the days that she locked herself in her library to ‘clear her head’

“It will slide here and sit inside your mask easily.”

Taking his mask, she placed it right where she pointed and then looked to meet his obsidian eyes. Part of Ordóñez wanted to believe that he could lean forward and press his lips to hers. He knew that if he tried he would be something close to beheaded.

“You aren’t paying attention.”

Ximena makes a point of his unfocused expression. He shakes the thoughts from his head and forces a smile as gently as he could.

“I’m only paying attention to you, madame.”

“Then you should tell me what I just said again.”

“The chip goe-”

Within an instant, she pushes her lips onto his, dropping the mask she was holding onto his lap. He was frozen in shock, but finally getting what he craved all these years seemed to make the moment all the sweeter to him. The strongest woman in the world, finally his, even if only for a moment. Finally close enough for him to hold, to kiss, to savor as he wanted to.

Lost in the moment, he allowed himself to put his arms around her waist gently. She laces her hands in his hair, all too soon, he realizes that she clipped the back of his mask on and slid it over his face.

“Now, please go get my boys.”

Ordóñez tried to calm himself down as he stared at her, bewildered gaze not once leaving her.

“Right. I’ll do that.”

It came to his realization that he wasn’t much more than a pawn in her game. But he didn’t mind being a pawn if that meant that he could stay by her side the way he currently was. Wrapped around her calloused fingers, there he sat. Masked in appearance but his devotion unmasked completely.

Chapter 8

Ready For Revolution

The morning light broke through the splintered windows with aggression that had only been felt previously by humans. For the first time in a long time, the sleep that was granted was more than enough.

Robotic whirring woke both Griffin and Axel in a hurry, with Axel relaxing first. Sitting in front of him was a large metal dog. Red irises stared into his green ones and he let out a quick huff of breath.

“You scared the living hell out of me.”

He only received an animatronic nod in response.

“What is that thing?”

Griffin speaks up, curiosity peaked.

“That’s my dog, Enforcer, Enfo for short.”

“First of all, that isn’t a real pet, that’s a robot. Second.. Enfo?”

“He’s been the only company I’ve got and I couldn’t decide on a name. He collects information for me, sue me why don’t you.”

Griffin let out a small chuckle at his brother’s frustration, but then found himself asking a question that he should’ve known the answer to.

“Did mom give you that?”

“No, I actually built him.”

If there was one thing people forgot about more than anything, it was Axel’s intelligence. No, he didn’t have the brute strength that his brother had. He didn’t have the manipulative charm that his mother had. He didn’t have the stone-wall of loyalty that his father had.

Axel had the intelligence he needed to survive on his own and he knew how to adapt to necessary changes.

“He and I have seen a lot.”

“I bet so.”

“When you first left I started working on him, I originally made him as a tracking device to find you,”

He started, smiling to himself as he looked over to his brother sitting on the far left of the broken down room.

“As we see that didn’t work out too well in my favor. But hey, we’re here now, aren’t we?”

Griffin didn’t want to admit that he felt the guilt ripping at his chest. He didn’t want to tell his brother about all the nights that he tried to match his wits, the nights he stayed up making weapons that would never reach the same level of intricate work that his brother made.

Enforcer rolled to his side playfully as he tried to lighten the tense, painful mood that was set, a common theme between the two as they tried to reconnect and make up for lost time.

“Yeah, we’re here now. I’m glad we are, even if I wanted to take your head off just a few hours ago, I missed you a lot kid..”

“Well, when the sun rises, so do our spirits I guess. For the record, I missed you too if it wasn’t obvious.”

Enforcer walked over to Griffin and laid his head in the man’s lap, whirring slightly as his mechanisms warmed up.

“Is your dog heating itself up?”

“Had to keep warm during the winter somehow.”

“Fair enough.”

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not everyday did the brother’s find themselves stumbling through the ruins of their villages. With each passing sign they found removed or vandalized, they found themselves closer to their truths. The breeze that passed between them was colder than the ice that they used to skate on as children if the lake allowed it, but they kept trekking through.

After a long period of silence, Axel found himself fidgeting with the anklet that he risked so much to find, steal, and nearly die for.

The basic gold band decorated with blue jewels seemed to be taunting him as he stared at them.

There was nothing fancy about the item, just a gleam of energy that felt too evil to explain in words. Maybe it was the fact that it meant more to their mother than her children that made him hate it even more.

“I don’t understand why a piece of jewelry is more important than us. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. I want to break it- I want to throw it into the ocean and never look at it again.”

As Axel let himself rant and ramble, Griffin kept walking ahead of him, glancing to the sides to ensure they weren’t being followed. His being alone for years taught him to always watch the shadows. ‘If you aren’t watching out, there may not be time to save yourself.’ He would remind himself. He knew where they were headed, which meant he also knew the dangers they were going to face to get there.

“You know, we could take the anklet, find out what it is really used for, determine if it is of use to us or not, then make a run for it. Just us, maybe that stupid thing, your dog, and a new life across the ocean that we may have dropped it into.”

Griffin suggests. Such hopeful words coming from such a serious man weren't expected in a moment like this, Axel couldn’t help himself to a laugh.

“While I do think that it would be nice to drop everything and run, We know that it would never be that easy. Especially with that masked psycho behind us. Who knows how long it will take before they find us again.”

Griffin nods his head slowly, remembering that the juggernauting down the streets peacefully as if they were walking down memory lane would come to an end at some point.

“We’re definitely going to have to prepare ourselves to see more of him soon, especially if we want answers about that anklet.”

“How do you know that?”

“You said she wanted the anklet, he was after the anklet, ergo, they’re probably working together.”

“Oh, right.”

Axel, having an IQ of 149 scolds himself for not putting two and two together. He had his moments where too much was on his plate and he forgets to look at the little things too.

“Luckily for us, I’ve got the perfect solution for the preparation.”

As if he had queued it, the wind blew the window to the shack they walked to wide open. There was nothing fancy about it, nothing flashy and nothing that anyone would see as out of the ordinary, but Axel knew Griffin too well, there was more to the building than what he was originally seeing.

“Check your left.”

“If something attacks me-”

“Told you to check.”

Griffin laughed as one of the makeshift traps he set launched itself into action, trapping Axel under a large bookshelf.

“I hate your guts.”

“Sure you do kid, sure you do.”

Griffin helped his brother up and worked quickly to step over the fallen shelves, pages of scattered books and what looked like glass.

“Are you ready to see my prized possessions?”

“I doubt it if they are anywhere near as half-assed as your traps.”

Axel jeered at the taller man, happy that they could at least joke around a little during this time.

“They’re better, don’t worry. My possessions in here are better than my trapping skills out there.”

“You must be quite the trip on hunting adventures.”

Griffin let out a fake scoff and rolled his eyes.

“Just open the door.”

“Holy shit.”

Across the walls and floors were weapon after weapon, things Axel didn’t even know existed and yet it made so much sense that Griffin would have them.

Bows and arrows, swords that jutted two ways that looked like they would snap like the jaws of a beast if caught between them, whips that disguised themselves as belts and clipped to themselves.

“You could say I’m ready for revolution.”

Eating while on shift is not permitted, staff are told. “If the system detects no keyboard stroke and mouse click, it will show you as idle for that particular duration, and it will be reported to your supervisor. So please avoid hampering your productivity.”

A training video about the webcam system, seen by the Guardian, says it “monitors and tracks real-time employee behaviour and detects any violations to pre-set business rules, and sends real-time alerts to managers to take corrective actions immediately”.

Capitalism is so exhausting

“Such a weak-minded woman shouldn’t be here by herself, especially after what you’ve done to this family.”

Reyna bit back nothing less than a snarl as she stepped in front of her daughter. The protective stance was a very clear sign of the mother’s love, something that wasn’t shown on the battlefield, but often shown in moments of distress. Of all the moments that a ghost from her daughter’s past could come back, this would be the worst case scenario. There were too many questions and not enough time to explain them if she was here.

“Who said I was alone? I’m simply waiting for my company to arrive. This is our house now, after all.”

Aseria didn’t move an inch as she heard the women in front of her banter back and forth. Frozen in a state of rage and fear, she didn’t know what to say. She would never know how to react to the very source of her pain coming back with such a bright smile.

“I didn’t know a dead woman walking could speak so clearly.”

Reyna glared and stepped towards the smaller woman, assuming by the noises outside that the company she spoke of earlier had arrived. If she was going to make a move, now was the time.

“I didn’t know the little brat didn’t give up after the first battle.”

Reyna, who was typically slow to anger, was quick to lash out as the five foot seven woman in front of her shrank back in haste with a small smirk gracing her features, knowing that she struck a nerve. As assumed, the door opened and four more people piled in the room, decorated in black armor stained with blood. The tallest one spoke with annoyance laced in their modulated voice.

“Marisol, that’s enough.”

The woman let out a harsh laugh as she watched Aseria pathetically reach out to grab her mother’s arm in an attempt to hold her back from making a worse choice than the ones that she had already made. Reyna allows her daughter to keep her hold, steady yet firm, but still enough to let go if needed.

“You know my daughter more than anyone, calling her a brat is a very bold choice in your words.”

“Weak would’ve caused a riot, I’m sure.”

As the conversation turned more hostile, the company Marisol invited began to move in, no words were said, no weapons were pulled, but the tension in the room was all that needed to be felt. Glancing around, Reyna took in the appearances of the people around her. The first was a tall, dark skinned woman that was menacing in stature. She had dark hair with blonde streaks in it, almost like lightning. The tattoos that adorned her skin could be described as a tapestry of the battles that she had witnessed in her lifetime.

The second member was a little shorter than the woman in front of him. He looked nervous, like it was his first time confronting someone. With his shaggy brown hair and scuffed chin, he almost looked like a scared teenager.

Dark eyes met with pale skin and bright red hair belonged to the next noticeable person in the room. She didn’t stand nearly as tall as the other’s, but the weapons she held made her just as intimidating.

The last person in the room was the one that held the most harsh energy. He didn’t blink, didn’t move, and stood stiff as a board. With tanned skin and a scarred face, he stood close to 6’3. He held a commanding air around him without even trying.

Finally breaking the silence, Reyna dropped her shoulders.

“You of all people should know she is the strongest woman you have ever had the pleasure of meeting, you had the honor of being engaged to her too, but left our forces for his.”

Aseria’s eyes widened at her mother’s words. No one spoke of her divorse with Marisol, it was a sensitive subject for everyone involved. From the day Marisol left to the moment she was found on the other side of the battle field, she was considered dead to the family.

“It was for the greater good.”

“The greater good was right in front of you the whole time and you forced it past your fingers with no hesitation.”

The others in the room began to change their stances, ready to follow with action at the signs of an altercation. Aseria turned her back to her mother’s, getting ready to grab her weapons if needed. If there was one thing the duo knew how to do, it was fight back to back.

Reyna didn’t want to fight. Even as talented of a soldier as she is, she would never actively seek out a fight. She finds herself avoiding every useless fight, especially now, when she wanted answers and had one of the people that could give them up so easily right in the palm of her hand. The ambience of the room became more tense than before as Reyna decided to stall just a little longer.

“You could’ve gotten married. You had the whole world to create together.”

“I don’t want to create the world, I want to burn it down, now if we are finished talking, I have business to attend to, and you have a little meeting with my friends here.”

Marisol began shifting on her heels, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation and with Aseria’s silence. There was nothing more to say and there was nothing more that could come out of the ruins of the relationship, so why were they here, talking? Marisol only had one thing on her mind, the anklet in the basement. Her only mission was to get the anklet and get out. Motioning with her head for her crew to advance, she turned her heel, only stopping at Reyna’s next sentence.

“You knew she would’ve helped you.”

Deep down, she was right. Aseria would set the world on fire and choke on the ash with her if it meant spending forever by Marisol’s side.

“I suppose we never know how toxic something truly is until we take a breath of fresher air, so thank you for showing your true colors, Marisol.”

Green eyes shift across the room, landing on Aseria for the first time. Her dirty hair, shaking frame and white-knuckle grip almost pulled her heart strings too tightly.

“I suppose so.”

Without another word, Marisol threw something to the floor and made a run for the door, sparing one glance to the love that she lost disappearing in the smoke, losing her one last time.