"Hello, I hope you and your family are well. Can you please help me recycle the post on my account? 🌺 And help rescue my family from the war in Gaza? 🙏 Thank you."
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Shadow Trails ~~~~~~~~~~
The limo was silent with the swish of a window divider opening and closing in the background.
The Princess of Hell and a very pissed off lady can be seen sitting next to each other. Across from them is a famous porn star as he keeps flipping the divider switch over and over.
*swish* Up it goes. *swosh* Down it goes. *swish* Up it goes. *swosh* Down it-
"Do you even know what your little stunt did to us?" The lady growled, seemingly getting even more peeved than before.
The star stopped and rolled his eyes as he sat back into his seat. "Calm down toots, it was just a small turf war -"
The lady stood up to look him in the eyes. "Your small turf war goes against everything our hotel is about, Angel Dust! And you just had to go and do this during Charlie's interview as well! You made us look like a joke!" She spout with venom.
A hand interlocks with hers as she looks down to see Charlie holding her hand. She says, "It's okay, Vaggie." In a quiet voice. Vaggie sighed as Angel Dust started to talk again.
"Ah, no. I didn't make you look like a joke. Jokes are funny!" Angel Dust starts to wave his top pair of hands. "I made you look, eh, pathetic! Like an orphan, with no arms, who was pushed into a river or something. Damn, now you've got me bummed out."
Charlie seemed to shrink into herself as she pushed her body against the window. Vaggie sits violently back down, still holding Charlie's hand. "I'm gonna kill him." She spats.
Angel Dust giggles in his seat. "Hah! And what'll that do?" He jests, laying down even more. "Make me double dead? Send me to double hell? Sorry, but you're stuck with me, bitch. Get used to it."
Vaggie is restless in her seat, making hand motions of choking and other gestures. Charlie pulls herself from the window to pat her on the back before turning to Angel Dust. "That was really uncool back there, Angel."
"Uncool?!" Vaggie interrupts, glaring back at Angel Dust. "After an incident like that, we'll be lucky if anyone's still interested in the hotel! And that's all because of YOU and all your impulsive bullshit!"
Angel Dust suddenly sits up, seemingly more serious than he had been the entire conversation. "Wait, does that mean I can't keep crashing here?" He says while looking at the two directly.
Vaggie is about to speak before Charlie pipes up, preventing another yelling match. "Hey Vaggie, I bet we'll still have some people visit the hotel! I mean, it's not like all of hell has seen the interview, and some might still want to give it a try anyway!" She gives a reassuring smile.
Vaggie sags in her seat for a moment, then looks to Charlie, who's staring at her hopefully. She sighs as she smiles a bit back. "You're right, Charlie."
The limo arrives at the hotel a few moments later. Angel jumps out of the car first, leaving the other two a step behind.
The hotel is the same as ever when the stained glass doors open. Cobwebs in the corners, jumbled furniture all over the place, bugs running amok, and beams laying in crooked ways near the top and bottom of the floors.
Angel immediately goes for the fridge as Vaggie violently throws herself onto a nearby couch. Charlie sits down on a cloth-covered piece of furniture(?) as she thinks about what happened.
Her interview ended up in disaster, with a fight against that vile news reporter no less. Then there was Angel's fight, which destroyed a lot of the downtrodden area. Charlie's frustrated just thinking about it.
Angel, now with a popsicle in hand, starts to walk over to her. "Hey, you may need to stock up the food a bit more. Y'know, for all these wayward souls you got here!" He says while gesturing to the empty lobby with a smirk.
Charlie just sighs before rebutting Angel Dust. "I don't really need jests right now, Angel. I need to think of how people will take us seriously again after... everything, today."
Angel Dust seemed a bit shocked at that. After a couple of seconds, he frowned and started to reach out a bit. He stops right over her shoulder before pulling back and walking towards Vaggie's couch.
Charlie grumbled in frustration before getting up off the cloth. Moping won't do anything to get the hotel back up and running.
She walks back out the two entrance doors as she dials her mom's number. It rings twice before immediately going to voice-mail.
Charlie sighs before starting her message. "Hey, mom. I know you've been busy, and I keep calling, but, uh, the interview didn't go well, and I don't really know what to do now."
She takes a deep breath before continuing. "I really need some guidance, maybe some advice, or really anything just to know you're at least listening to these messages."
The line is silent before Charlie gives another huff. "Maybe dad was right. Maybe all this can't happen. Maybe I'm just chasing a crazy dream." She sniffs before continuing. "I just don't know what I can do anymore."
Charlie rubs her temple before finishing weakly. "I love you, mom." She ends the voice-mail. She walks back inside and dejectedly plops herself down in front of the doors.
She sits there for a moment.
Then, a knock sounds behind her. She gets up quickly and waits to see if she was imagining it. Another knock sounds throughout the lobby, quick and polite.
Charlie opens the door, suddenly face to face with a tall, cat-like demon with wings. He looks down, then gives her a friendly smirk.
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He looks like the fun uncle that is just the tiniest bit insane... I love him and his desgin!
Human Golden Cicada
Sorry for being gone on and off- I'm working my way back here- I think I'm struggling with tagging stuff here which makes it harder for me post :((
Tang barely had any time to process what the soldier said before she started moving away, managing to get further and further out of reach before he could even respond. He scrambled to catch up, tripping more times than he could count from the bumps and potholes in the road.
She said Zach woke up. If it was that fast, his injury must not have been that serious. I'm glad he's ok. Hopefully he'll be well enough to speak. Thoughts like this filled his head as he caught up to her. He was being taken down the main road, and the soldier, thankfully giving Tang's ankles and psyche some semblance of rest, eventually slowed her pace for him and didn't say anything else.
He took a minute to catch his breath next to her, holding a hand over his chest as they went past many people working for the day. He saw patrolling guards chatting with each other, workers transporting goods in wooden crates, and many other people cleaning buildings or reinforcing the barricade set up between the trees.
Wait, there's a barricade? Tang did a double take, staring at the giant wooden configuration behind all the greenhouses and work buildings. He… never noticed it before. It's no wonder why those officials were so uptight at my arrival. How did I get past that thing unnoticed?...
Squinting his eyes and looking closer beyond the camp, he could see the outline of a huge, wooden wall situated in the surrounding forest. It had almost twice the amount of soldiers patrolling it compared to the main area, and all of them wore strange masks on their faces unlike everyone inside. Each one had the exact same pattern: bright neon coloring with a complex symbol repeated over the dark fabric.
As soon as he saw them, Tang noticed his gut start to sink subconsciously. A feeling of something being just out of place burrowed into his head as he continued to stare at the masks. He just couldn't take his eyes off of them, and yet, looking at those things for too long was starting to make his skin crawl uncontrollably.
This feeling got so intense that he didn't even realize he had stopped walking. His eyes were hollow as his surroundings blurred, the initial fatigue and mission forgotten in the huge surge of unease. He probably would've stayed that way, too, if not for a hand landing violently onto his shoulder, bringing him back to reality.
He spun away sharply from the wooden border and toward the hand's source, blinking dumbly when he and the guide were face to face again. Her eyes narrowed at him, the strong grip on his shoulder grounding him in place.
“What are you doing?” She asked suspiciously, glancing to where he was staring so intently at.
Tang waved his hands in surrender, quickly trying to come up with an excuse. “Oh! Well, erm, I was just looking at all the new places and people here. Never a dull moment when everyone is constantly moving and doing something around this place. This is really the first time I've seen more of the area after all that lifeless busy work, so I guess I got a bit overwhelmed at the-”
“Ok, ok. Let's just get going. He doesn't like when people are late.” She interrupted, letting his shoulder go and turning back to the road. Tang decided to ignore that very ominous comment at the end for his own (fickle) sanity, now focussing on anything other than the barricade or whatever would be close to it. This apprehension eventually led him back to his guide.
Small details filled his brain as he observed, hands itching for his sketchbook to let his hands do something. From a quick once-over, the woman seemed to be no older than 30, with her silky black hair tied into a tight bun and her gray eyes filled with trained apathy, any of her thoughts or emotions hidden away from onlookers.
He also noticed she seemed highly ranked. She had a hat like the Head Soldier, and it was one that had more badges and stripes on it as well.
Looking away from the soldier in front of him, Tang let his legs rest while taking slow, careful steps. The soldier then stayed with his rhythm, never letting him get too far behind in his fluctuating pace. After a while of walking, he startled to fiddle with the bell on his wrist as his mind drifted from the guide, getting distracted by the surrounding area again. He didn't look past the buildings now.
Anyways, he saw in real time how the developed buildings thinned out as tents or dirt training grounds overtook the leftover space. The other soldiers on these grounds seem to have just started their afternoon drills, running laps, shooting guns at targets, and holding planks as the duo walked past.
They never did stop for any of these new settlements, though, just calmly walking further and further past them, with all of those places also eventually thinning out leaving only the forest and wooden barrier. Only after even the hum of shouted drills and stomping feet faded into the background, did the guide finally stop her pace and turn to face Tang.
“We're going to an undisclosed location for the meeting with your companion. Since it is located outside of this base, I'll need you to wear a blindfold for the rest of our trek. This is just a safety precaution, so please try not to struggle.” She said curtly while leading him aside and right onto the edge of the surrounding forest.
She then pulled a long piece of navy cloth out of one of her many pockets while Tang nervously took off his glasses and hung them on his uniform collar. He couldn't see anything clearly without them, and it wasn't like he could memorize the entire layout of the woods from one trip, but he was betting that the soldier wouldn't trust his words as far as she could throw him. (Well, he might have to rephrase that as from her arms alone, as she looks like she could definitely throw him at least a few feet if needed)
She quickly wrapped the cloth around his head, tying a knot in the back so tight that Tang couldn't see even the tiniest slivers of light coming through it. “Thank you for your cooperation. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but we don't have any leniency for leaks. I'll try my best to keep you from tripping or hitting anything on our way there.”
Her voice had the barest hint of emotion as she apologized. It was noticeable compared to her cold demeanor from when she first walked up to him: a small pang of sympathy in her tone. Tang just nodded his head, hopefully in her direction as he guessed from her previous apology.
She then, slowly and gently, grabbed his wrist and started to walk into the forest brush. It was a strong hold, but one that wasn't bruising or harsh against his raw skin. Tang was grateful for the small mercy as they continued.
They had a small stop at what Tang assumed was the barrier, his guide whispering with what was probably a guard before said guard opened up what sounded like a heavy door, based on how it dragged on the dirt floor, and let them through.
The sounds of the rustling leaves and the small chirps of birds were the only things Tang could make out clearly. The breeze that made the sound ruffled his clothes, blew dead leaves through the air, (with some smacking Tang straight in the face due to his loss of sight. One leaf even made it down his throat and he had to cough for a solid minute, hunched against a tree with the soldier patting his back hard to get it out) and left his loose wisps of hair to wave in the wind as he walked.
The guide didn't say or do much other than lead him through the forest, but she did mutter small warnings for roots to step over or branches to duck under (which he would be grateful for if not for her lack of warning for the flying leaves of all things. Maybe that was on him for almost dying to something as stupid as that, though). He didn't want another face full of dirt or whatever else there was in here.
But it's not like he's in a place where he can complain.
After being made to take too many nonsensical detours and sometimes even backtracking more times than he could count, the scenery around them finally started to change. The ground of dead leaves and dirt smoothed out into plain grass as he was apparently led out of the forest.
The guide then put a hand on his chest, signaling him to stop, and let go of his wrist, leaving Tang for a second before speaking up, now behind him. “We've arrived.” Was the only thing she said as she undid the blindfold.
His eyes were immediately overwhelmed at the harsh sunlight, leaving Tang squinting hard and blinking out the spots. Once his eyes adjusted, he reached for the glasses on his collar and put them on, readying himself for what he was about to see.
Tang's reaction was immediate. His eyes, initially slightly curious and tired, were now high sprung and alert, flicking from place to place as he looked over what was before him.
The area seemed as if it was flattened out, most of the ground being only flat grass with the trees circling around the cutout. That was except for two hills, one straight ahead and the other to Tang's left, and a lake, or what was left of it with the water being less than a foot deep, to the right.
On the left hill stood a dead willow tree, a bizarre sight as the surrounding wood was mostly pine. However, the center hill is what really caught his eye. It was big, at least 5 feet tall, and was more of a slope down as it took up half the cutout.
On top of it was a giant stone monastery with cracks, vines, and other signs of wear scattered around showing its age. It had a wide arch as an entrance, with dirt steps carved out of the hill it was atop leading up to it.
Oh no. Was Tang’s only thought. It repeated over and over in his head as he was grabbed by his wrist yet again and was led toward the huge building. There were other smaller setups next to the building, but he didn't pay attention to them. The huge stone menace burned into his brain, invoking emotions deep down in his gut he thought he had long forgotten.
They had reached the dirt stairs in no time. Each step put a load onto Tang’s shoulders as he couldn't stop his emotions and thoughts from overflowing and filling his head with jumbled garbage he couldn't make any sense of. They just kept getting closer and closer, and he didn't want to know what would happen to him when he went past that entrance if this was his reaction to merely looking at it.
His stomach dropped as they reached the top. He craned his neck up to look at the intricate detailing lining the archway, moving his head away from what was past this point. He braced himself for what was to come, his hands clammy as he clenched his fists in anticipation.
They walked forward…
And then turned to the right.
Tang’s whiplash from deep dread to straight up confusion caused him to blink hard a few times to regain his bearings. Looking back up, they were still walking along the side of the monastery, not going inside as he had thought. He turned his head back behind him, seeing the archway getting farther and farther away.
A huge feeling of what seemed to be relief filled his senses, letting him focus back onto where they were actually going. Twisting his head back to the front, he saw that up ahead was one of the biggest tents he had ever seen in this camp.
It was almost triple the normal size compared to where he was being monitored, and had more workers surrounding as they ran in and out rapidly, delivering or taking many things at once. One even ran past them, almost bumping into him, and towards the entrance of the monastery with what seemed like a pile of used needles.
Tang already had a good idea of what this place was supposed to be even before being ushered into the tent. The inside was even crazier than the outside. Rows of beds lined the interior as people dressed in white ran around either preparing equipment or checking up on a current patient.
Countless grounds and cries echoed through the tent, though this noise was something Tang was used to by now. This didn't seem like the case for his guide, though, as she scrunched her brow and held onto his wrist a bit tight as she pulled him through the chaos.
Many different patients and injuries flew by him as they ran through. Burns, amputation, concussions, and major lacerations were the main things he could catch glimpses of through all the medical personnel. This made him wonder why these people were in such bad shape in the first place.
But he wasn't able to ask before he was suddenly pulled away and into a section near the back closed off by multiple white curtains. Soldiers were also situated right outside of the closed off area, giving away who was probably in the bed in front of him.
Zach looked worse for wear. His eyes were tired as he was surrounded by many more personnel, checking his vitals and IV as they asked him questions. Tang could barely hear his answers from how quiet they were, almost being drowned out from the other commotion surrounding them.
But almost as soon as he sat down next to the bed, all the personnel seemed to quicken up their pace, hushing each other as each one sprinted out of there in record time. The only people left by then were him, his guide standing next to him, and Zach, not including the soldiers stationed outside.
And awkward silence was cast among them. Tang really didn't know what to do here, as he's only known Zach for a day at most and didn't know how to comfort the kid. Luckily, he was saved the trouble as loud footsteps came close to the area, causing the guide to perk up and walk over to the entrance.
Hushed words were exchanged with whoever was on the other side, their body being obscured by the white curtains. The conversation seemed to go sour almost immediately, though, with his guide getting cut off at just one harsh command, leaving her quiet.
She came back in with her face schooled again, regaining her place next to Tang and putting her hands behind her back. Then the curtains parted yet again, revealing whoever she had been talking with.
To Tang's surprise, it was an elderly man, one who was wearing tan robes and held a wooden cane. He had a full head of white and gray hair, eyes a dark brown as he glanced at the guide. Looking away, he slowly walked over to an empty chair and plopped himself down across from Tang with Zach between them on the bed.
The old man kept his head down as he only glanced up, staring Tang down with a harsh look the scholar couldn't quite make sense of. He didn't really need to, as two other soldiers came in, one with a clipboard in hand.
Tang recognized the two as the ones from his own interrogation, Red Hair and Aggressive Guy whispering some nonsense to each other as he stared them down. Aggressive Guy then huffed and sat down as Red Hair walked up to Zach, exchanged a few words with the taxi driver, and then stood up next to the bed, readying her clipboard.
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Hello dear friends, 🌟
I'm Mahmoud Jihad from Gaza. My family and I have lost everything—our home, my university, all of it. Now, we find ourselves living in a flimsy tent after losing everything. I was studying Information Technology and supporting my family, but now we are left with nothing. 😔
We are enduring unimaginable destruction and desperately need your help to survive. 😭 Even a small donation can make a huge difference. Every single contribution is a spark of hope in this dark time. ✨
Our campaign has been verified by: @beesandwatermelons ✅ #190 and @gazavetters ✅ #63.
You can make a difference by supporting us through this GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/463cbf01
From the depths of our hearts, thank you. Let's rebuild our lives together. 🙏❤️
Thank you so much for your generosity and support!
Your donations will directly help us in rebuilding our lives. Thank you again for your kindness and generosity! 🌹
Hello, I would be grateful if you could help me and my children to save our lives from this war and the danger of death. We lost my husband in this damned war and no one is helping me. Please help me by donating and participating so that we can escape out of Gaza to safety.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-kifah-and-her-children-in-gaza-crisis
I put more effort into this as it's more like a character sheet than anything. I also made a weapon design I am happy with! I think it fits Tang well. (also, don't mention how drastically inconsistent my style is. It just morphs whenever I try to draw this guy I guess)
Also, here are some close-ups of the writing. If you can't read my chicken scratch, then it is listed under the images.
Image 1: Wrapped hands
You don't wanna know how long this man(?) spent annotating this thing
Image 2: weapon from dead friend
Oooo, spooky
Ok, I have more info on what happens before tang crashes into the town!
This will contain spoilers for the upcoming fic
The wind demon Tang encounters on the way to the airport is Heifeng Guai, also known as The Black Wind Demon.
Tangs taxi driver, a teenager that talked his ear off for most of the ride, immediately starts to panic when they start getting chased by the wind demon and started to hyperventilate, causing the taxi to go off-road and towards the edges of the grass plains they were driving through.
Tang, obviously panicked, grabs the teen, opens his door, and jumps into the long grass, hoping to not be noticed in the heat of the chase.
Tang tries tobsilently console the teen as the demon continues towards the taxi as it drives towards the surrounding river as the demon throws their spear through the back of the taxi.
The taxi explodes as shrapnel flies in every direction. Though, none of it hit Tang or the teen that had stopped hyperventilating, for some reason...
The demon stops, seemingly annoyed by no bloodshed, and starts to search the area, hoping to find its prey again.
Tang and the teen freeze on the ground as they hear the wind pick up and then relax as they hear a curse, and then tree branches blowing around until silence.
I hope you guys liked that little snipbit of the plot I have coming up for the fic! I now know that I probably get an ao3 account this summer, but idk when.
Hello, please share my story and donate if you can to protect my family and evacuate from Gaza 🥹💔💔🙏