#{She's talking to the ghost not You|url}

[halfmoth-halfman]

vii. wise men say, only fools rush in

Pairing: Mob Boss!Price x F!Reader Word Count: 7.5k Warnings: alcohol, heavy flirting, violence, blood, minor character death Disclaimer: I do not own modern warfare or any of the modern warfare characters. A/N: this chapter is dedicated to the wonderful @chaoskrakenuwu, who was kind enough to let me name a character after her, and also to tumblr user @deadbranch, who mentioned that tags in taglists might not work if you have your visibility settings set to make their url unsearchable on tumblr!! i tested it out a few times and sometimes it works, sometimes not but if your tag isn't working below maybe double-check your visibility settings and turn them off (if you're comfortable with that) and I'll try updating your tag!! small edit: tumblr cut off part of the middle, so i re-added it in case you saw it when it first posted and it didn't make sense LOL prev | next

In the following weeks, you learn one very important thing: John Price is a relentless flirt.

(After that first conversation, he had disappeared into his office for the remainder of the day not reappearing until you had returned to the club to get ready backstage. You took your time, heart racing as your attention was split between preparing for the show and trying not to imagine Price joining you backstage and making good on his offer to wish you luck.

He never did, but once you took your place on stage, you immediately spotted him sitting at the bar between Ghost and Nik, eyes trained solely on you. He stayed in that spot for the entire show, his gaze never once leaving you, even when others came up to speak to him. He bought you a congratulatory drink afterward, handed to you with a sly smile and gentle squeeze of your hip.)

He hadn’t stayed long after that, whisked away by something important Ghost whispered into his ear, but you find him in that same spot every night after that, watching your performance with a singular intensity that sets your skin on fire.

Farah takes over the two weeks leading up to her and Alex’s departure, giving you a welcomed break and letting you enjoy the club and her flawless performances.

Price maintains his spot at the bar, making eyes at you anytime you pass by as you spend your time between dancing with Kyle and watching Valeria hustle unsuspecting patrons at the pool table. When you occasionally stop at the bar, you make it a point to stand next to him as you wait for your drinks.

Regardless of what he’s doing—whether he’s drinking with his eyes glued to you or talking to someone else, his attention focused entirely away from you—a warm hand always winds its way around your waist, slowly feeling up the fabric of whatever outfit Valeria’s put you in for the night before it settles on your hip. You lean into the touch, lightly skimming your nails across the back of Price’s hand as you wait for your drinks.

Alex serves you with a knowing look—one you make a show of ignoring—and you squeeze Price’s hand. He presses your hip in response, the slow glide of his hand as he pulls back his arm, leaving a blazing trail across your skin that lingers as you take your drinks and return to Kyle or Valeria.

“You know,” Valeria says one night, sharp gaze following you as you return from the bar with a drink for her and lemon water for yourself, “you still owe me a game.”

“Can’t say it’ll be much of a game,” you laugh, sitting beside her. “I’m shit at poker.”

“I wasn’t talking about poker,” Valeria grins, eyes sliding to her right where the pool tables sit.

“Alright, but fair warning, I’m about as good at pool as I am poker.” Valeria pays you no mind, taking her drink and sauntering toward the tables, crimson dress flowing with every step.

The table she approaches is occupied, surrounded by a small group that isn’t so much playing as they are holding cue sticks and talking. Valeria joins them, easing into their conversation with a coy smile and light touch to the nearest man’s arm. You don’t hear the conversation, but Valeria tilts her head and says something, and one of the group hands her his pool cue before leading the rest of his friends to the dancefloor.

“That was nice of them,” you laugh, joining her at the table. She hums a small laugh, handing you your own cue stick.

Valeria starts the game, and it ends almost as quickly as it begins, a look of absolute disbelief plastered on her face.

“I told you I was bad at this,” you tease her.

“I never thought I’d meet a worse player than Alejandro.” Valeria shakes her head, unable to compose herself for the first time since you’ve met her. You’d take some pride in being able to surprise her if it weren’t followed by the pitying gaze of disappointment she turns to you with.

It’s a quick, momentary glance before that tell-tale smirk crawls across her face. She lays her cue on the table, sights set on something behind you. “We’ll fix this, don’t worry.”

Valeria pats you on the arm, disappearing into the crowd of people before you can stop her. You let it go, setting your cue next to hers and taking the time to sip from your water and turn your attention to the stage where Farah gives another flawless performance.

“Enjoying yourself, Птичка?” You turn, finding Nik leaning against the other side of the pool table, dressed in solid black with his sunglasses pushed up into his hair.

“Very much so, actually.”

Nik laughs, tipping his drink to you with an easy smile as Valeria reappears beside him. You don’t get the chance to react as a hand slides across your waist, your body tensing at the sudden touch.

“Glad to hear it.” You relax as the baritone of Price’s voice reaches your ears, and you turn to land a playful slap against his chest.

“Let’s try this again—,” Valeria says, picking up both pool cues and holding one out to you and the other to Price, “—two against two.”

You’re reluctant to take the cue stick from her, but you do, sending Price a sympathetic smile, “Apologies in advance.”

“C’mon now, you can’t be that bad,” he chuckles. Valeria lets out a bark of a laugh as Price takes the other stick from her. She turns away swiftly, trying to bite down on the smirk stretching across her face as Nik re-racks the balls.

Valeria is gracious enough to convince Nik to let you go first, and you do your best on the break. Your best is…not great, laughable even.

And laugh Valeria does. Nik lets out a low whistle, turning away the moment you look at him, his shoulders shaking with unmistakable laughter. You turn to Price, your last saving grace, only to find him staring back with a pitying look that you think you hate more than the laughter.

“Yeah, yeah, get your laughs in,” you pout, setting your cue stick against the table and crossing your arms over your chest.

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Valeria coos, lips pursed tauntingly.

“You weren’t…awful,” Nik adds, though it’s choked out through stifled laughs.

“It’s the way you’re holding it,” Price laughs, making his way toward you. “Here, I’ll show you.”

You expect him to take over your turn, but he holds his cue stick out to you instead. You pout for an extra second before giving an exaggerated sigh and taking the stick from him. He catches your wrist before you can pull away and lightly pulls you toward him, guiding you to stand in front of him.

If you couldn’t play before, you don’t know how anyone expects you to concentrate when the solid warmth of Price’s body presses up against your back, his chin resting on your shoulder so you can feel the soft fanning of his breath against your neck. Gently, he adjusts your elbows, guiding you to hold the cue stick properly. When he’s satisfied, his hands glide down from your elbows, one settling on your hip and the other against your back. He takes his time, feeling the velvet material of the sapphire blue dress Valeria put you in. He hums appreciatively, the vibrations skating down your spine.

“Lean forward,” he murmurs into your ear, the club’s music drowned out by his voice. A small press to your back, and you bend forward, trying not to lose your grip on the cue stick as he purrs, “A little more.”

When he’s satisfied, his hand leaves your back to settle on your shoulder. He turns you slightly to the left, adjusting your angle before he steps back with a soft, “Now try.”

Keeping yourself composed is a struggle, but you do as he says. The cue ball sails, a successful break scattering the rest across the table. The group around you cheers as you stand up straight and instantly reach for your water. You sip the icy water, trying to cool the fire crawling beneath your skin as Valeria takes her turn, but Price stands at your side, leaning down so close you can feel his lips brush against the shell of your ear.

“Good girl.”

You swallow hard, nearly choking on your water as he pulls away with a wide smirk, and you realize that he’s here to play an entirely different game.

After five rounds, your team loses 3-2, but Price leads you to the bar for a consolation drink with an arm around your waist, and you feel like the biggest winner in the club.

-

Kyle’s birthday comes mid-summer.

He doesn’t tell you about it, but you get a suspicious text from Soap one night inviting you to a “secret meeting” at the club and telling you to bring cash.

It’s the middle of the night, far too late for you to be safely leaving your motel room, but you get ready anyway.

Curiosity killed the cat, not the canary, after all.

When you get to the club, you text Soap, and he tells you to come through the front, lock the door behind you, and head straight backstage. You follow his instructions, finding backstage empty and vacant save for the soft echo of voices from the dressing room. You follow the voices, knocking twice before opening the door.

As soon as the door opens, the room goes silent. You’ve apparently interrupted a very serious meeting between Soap, Ghost, Roach, and König as their attention snaps to you. The room fills with a tense silence as you stand in the doorway, a stack of cash in hand as they stare you down.

You speak first, eyes bouncing between the four nervously, “You’re not about to kill me, are you?”

That seems to break the tension as Ghost scoffs and the others relax.

“’Course not, Owl,” Soap rolls his eyes, reaching over to take the money from your hand and add it to a small pile sitting on Farah’s vanity. “Assumin’ the worst there, aren’t ya?”

“You send me a cryptic text telling me to meet you in the backrooms with a stack of cash and expect me not to be suspicious? This is how people get killed in horror movies,” you argue, shutting the door behind you.

“You still came, didn’t you?” Ghost counters.

“He has a point,” König shrugs, and Roach nods.

“Why am I here?” you ask flatly, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Right, so you know how Gaz’s birthday is comin’ up?” Soap speaks as he counts through the small pile of money.

You blink, asking, “It is?”

He hadn’t said anything to you. Would it be rude to ask him about it?

“Every year, we always try to get him something, y’know, from all of us,” Roach explains.

“But every year, Valeria and Alejandro always get him something extra just from them,” Soap huffs. “So, we started doin’ the same.”

“It’s become a bit of a competition now,” Ghost sighs, obviously not as enthused about this as Roach and Soap.

“Of course,” you hum. A little more relaxed now that you know why you’re here, you lean back against the door and ask, “So, what’re you getting him?”

“Oh,” König starts, “we were thinking of—”

Roach smacks his arm as Soap lets out a sharp whistle, shaking his head furiously when König turns to him.

“Really?” you scoff. “I gave you my money—”

“And we greatly appreciate your donation,” Soap says, turning to you with a sly grin and your cash in his hand. “As will Gaz, I’m sure.”

“What am I supposed to get him, then?”

“You’re a smart girl,” Soap teases, “’m sure you can figure that out on your own.”

“You’re not even gonna give me a hint?” You look to the others, but Ghost and Roach stay silent, König giving you an apologetic shrug. “Fine. Just know I’m not showing up next time you need something from me in the middle of the night.”

“Yeah, y’will,” Soap laughs.

He’s right, but he doesn’t need to know that right now.

“Whatever, keep your little secrets. I’m going home.”

“Night, Kiwi!” Soap calls as you leave the dressing room. You let the door swing closed behind you, but the thud of it shutting never happens. You turn back, finding König closing the door softly before he catches up to you.

“I’ll walk you out,” he says softly, glancing back to the dressing room. There’s something slightly off as König trails behind you, constantly looking over his shoulder—not like he’s nervous, but as if he’s about to do something he shouldn’t.

He holds the front door open for you, giving one last look over his shoulder.

You have to ask.

“Are you oka—”

König leans down, almost uncomfortably close, and mumbles, “He likes practical things.”

“What?”

“Mostly clothes, preferably socks. Oh, and food. Especially pastries.” König takes a small step forward, getting close enough that you can see tiny flecks of amber brown in his eyes.

“He has a big sweet tooth,” he whispers conspiratorially, and it clicks in your head.

“Oh,” you say as König steps back, leaning against the door. “Thank you.”

“Viel Glück.” König gives you a short nod, the edges of his mask rising with the apples of his cheeks as he smiles at you.

The drive back to your motel room is spent formulating a plan to figure out the specific day Kyle’s birthday falls on and what to get him. You spend more of the night trying to think than sleeping, doing your best to devise a way to ask him about it without sounding too obvious. It should be easy—getting information out of someone is nothing you haven’t done before—but Kyle’s sharper than he lets on. You’ll have to be a bit more careful this time.

You’re still thinking about it when you get to the club the next morning, so focused on your plan that you nearly run into Ghost as he steps out of Price’s office.

“Watch it,” he grumbles, wrapping a hand around your arm to steady you.

“Sorry,” you mumble.

“Bit distracted this morning, are we?” You look up as Kyle walks out of the office behind Ghost, amused smile on his face.

“Didn’t get a lot of sleep,” you shrug, sending a quick, pointed look to Ghost, who stares back at you with his usual monotone expression.

“Been there,” Kyle chuckles, pulling his car keys from the pocket of his black jacket and handing them to Ghost.

“Going somewhere?” you ask.

“Doing something for the Boss,” Kyle winks.

“It’s a small business errand, nothing to worry about.” Ghost’s answer leaves no room for more questions, so you nod in acceptance.

“I’ll see you two later, then.” You watch them walk to the front and out of the club, waiting for the doors to click shut before you turn and slip inside the office. Price sits behind his desk, writing something in a small, black journal, and you grin at the sight.

Maybe you don’t have to talk to Kyle at all.

“Can I ask you a question?” you ask as you walk up to the desk. Price’s hand stills against the journal as he looks up at you in slight surprise. You’re sure you’re probably not supposed to be in here without being invited in, but you see how his eyes dip down over your form and decide that he probably doesn’t mind.

“Just the one?” he smiles, setting his pen down to give you his full, undivided attention.

“Just the one, I promise,” you laugh, sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk. “When’s Kyle’s birthday?”

The smile stays, but his brows draw together curiously, eyes narrowing slightly.

“Right, and which team are you asking this for?”

Ah, so he knows.

“Neither. I just wanted to get him something nice…and maybe get back at Soap for conning me out of my money.”

Price laughs at that, shaking his head as he leans back in his chair. It creaks softly, and you’re momentarily lost in the thought of how comfortable it looks.

It definitely looks like it could hold two people—

Stop.

Focus.

Kyle’s birthday.

“It’s next Thursday,” he says, breaking you out of your momentary distraction. “The club will be closed that night while we celebrate.”

That gives you eight days. You can work with that. All you have to do now is figure out what to get him.

And you’re sitting across from the one person who would know best.

“Do you have any hints for what I could get him?” you ask, giving your sweetest smile that he definitely sees straight through.

“That’s more than one question,” he chuckles.

“I mean, they both go together. Think of it as two halves to the same question.” You bat your lashes, keeping that tauntingly sweet smile aimed at him.

“So, you get an extra question,” he says, leaning forward and clasping his hands together atop the desk. He tilts his head, staring into your eyes, and purrs, “What do I get in return?”

“The satisfaction of helping out your favorite employee?” you tease, setting your elbows on the desk to lean toward him.

“You’re my favorite, are you?” he laughs softly, inching just a bit closer.

“You just said so yourself,” you grin. He hums, amused and impressed, a fondness in his eyes that sends a slight pang through your chest.

“He likes desserts,” Price tells you.

“Anything specific?” you press, slowly leaning forward until only a few inches are left between you.

“Careful now,” he warns, all silk and want and looking two seconds from jumping over the desk. “That’s a third question.”

You sit there for just a second, letting him watch your eyes fall to his lips as you lean a little closer before—

“You’re right,” you sigh dramatically, pulling back entirely, smug grin across your face. “I’m sure I can figure it out myself.”

“You’re a cruel woman,” he laughs, settling back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. You throw him a wink that earns you a playful roll of his eyes. Your phone chimes from your pocket, and when you check it, you find a message from Farah asking you to meet her backstage.

“Time for me to head out,” you sigh, standing from your chair. You turn to look at Price, giving him an earnest smile, “Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.”

“Anytime, Dove.”

You head toward the door as Price picks up his pen, ready to return to what he’d been working on before you came in.

“If you can bake,” Price calls out just as you grab the door handle, “try an apple sponge. It’s one of his favorites.”

You turn back to thank him, but he’s already focused on his work. You stash the information away in your mind, heading into the club to meet Farah with a wide grin.

(It takes a lot of trial and error in your motel room’s dingy little kitchen—little more than a hot plate and a mini fridge—but you’re eventually successful with a small apple sponge pudding the night before Kyle’s birthday.

When you present it to him, waiting until the party’s died down and everyone else is focused on something else, his eyes go glassy at the first taste. For a moment, you’re worried you’ve messed up the recipe, but he sets the plate down and wraps you in a tight hug.

“Used to make this with my mum,” he laughs into your shoulder, watery and sad and so, so appreciative. “Haven’t had one in years.”

He pulls away after a soft squeeze, his signature bright smile a little tighter than usual.

“Thank you, really.”

He goes back to the dessert, offering a couple of bites to his date, the woman who had worn the purple and teal dresses and whose name you’ve learned is Tabby.

You glance up from the happy couple, eyes roving over the rest of the party until you catch eyes with Price. He grins, winking at you, before returning to his conversation with Nik and Alex.

You don’t know how you’ll thank him, but you have a few ideas.)

-

“Are you busy tomorrow night?”

You nearly jump out of your skin as Price startles you, not only with his question but also with his sudden appearance at your side.

The club is closed for the week—you’re not told why—but you still come in to clean in the mornings. You’d been enjoying your small break at the bar, scrolling through your phone absentmindedly.

You thought you were alone, but apparently not.

“Not that I know of,” you say, trying to calm the jittering of your nerves. “Why?”

“Would you like to have dinner?”

Your mind blanks.

Your heart skips a beat, stunned at the idea that he might actually be asking you out and even more stunned by the instant yes that sits on the tip of your tongue.

“I—”

“We’re having a small get-together for whoever wants to come.”

There’s a painful squeeze in your chest that you’re forced to ignore, and you do your best to cover the sting with a smile.

“Sure! Sounds fun.”

“Perfect.” He smiles back wide, leaning forward to press a kiss to the top of your head before turning and walking away. “I’ll have Gaz send you the address,” he calls over his shoulder before disappearing into his office.

You stand there, staring at his office doors, doing everything you can to quell the sudden heat flooding your body.

You add extra ice to your water and bury yourself in your work as a poor distraction.

Kyle texts you the address that night, along with a message telling you not to come into work the next day, and a single sentence after that reads: Wear something blue :).

You sleep in the next morning—the first time in years—taking your time to go through your clothes and get ready. Your wardrobe is limited—all of the outfits Valeria’s had made for you sitting in the dressing room at the club.

Those would probably be too formal anyways.

You decide on your usual jeans and boots, but dig out a lighter shirt—more grey than blue, but passable—to wear under your black sweater. It’ll have to work as you spend the rest of your time fixing your hair, relaxing, and singing along to the music on your phone.

You leave an hour early, still unfamiliar with the city streets outside your commute to and from the club. The directions are simple enough to follow, your phone’s GPS taking you through the city easily, but after almost twenty minutes, you take a turn and realize you’re being led out of the city.

The drive is almost peaceful, the bustle of the city melting away into broad open landscape then into large trees filled with lush greenery. You’re directed to an off-road leading deeper into the thicket, your car protesting as it leaves the pavement and starts down the dirt road.

It takes half an hour of driving through solid forest before the trees around you begin to thin, and the dirt road slowly turns to gravel, then to smooth stone. The road curves and winds through the trees before you take a sharp turn, and you catch sight of the house.

No, house isn’t the right word. Manor would be more accurate.

The car comes to a halt as you hit the brakes, hands tightening around your steering wheel until your nails dig into the heels of your palms.

A sprawling estate surrounded by lush greenery that grows up the front of the house, you’re reminded of your family’s old summer home. That house hadn’t been nearly as big as this, but Price’s manor carries the same quaint feeling you remember having every time your father took you on vacation at the summer home.

The knot that grows in your throat is sudden, the rush of nostalgia slamming into you without warning.

The last time you had been to that old house was for your wedding.

You still remember the smell of lilacs and sweet peas that drifted up from the beautifully decorated courtyard into the bridal suite, the gorgeous bespoke gown that had once been your mother’s—gifted to you by your father as your something borrowed—and the beaming smile you carried for the entire day.

The last good day you remember having in your old life.

That’s over now, you remind yourself. You’re safe here.

You take a deep breath, loosening your grip on the steering wheel and easing off the brake. You drive slowly, taking in the beautifully laid out gardens around the front of the manor, trying to push down the painful fondness that stabs at your heart.

You park behind the various cars at the end of the driveway, locking your car behind you just once before making your way to the front doors.

Just like the club, they’re unlocked.

As soon as you walk in, you’re hit with a delicious smell and the sounds of quiet laughter. You follow the noise, taking in the interior of the house. It’s homey, understated, downright cozy, and somehow fitting for what you’d imagine as Price’s home.

“Look who it is!” Alex cheers as you walk into a sitting room. He sits on one of the couches, an arm draped across the back and around Farah. Across from them is Kyle, spread out on the other couch, busy typing away on his phone, his feet almost in Nik’s lap. You’ve never seen them so dressed down before, all in some type of hoodie, sweater, sweats combination—or pajama pants in Nik’s case.

Farah and Nik give you the same eager greeting, but Kyle continues on his phone, ignoring your presence entirely.

“Don’t mind him,” Farah scoffs. “He’s too busy with his new girlfriend.”

“It’s no problem,” you laugh, looking around the room. Farah watches you, smirk plastered on her face.

“The old man’s in the kitchen,” she says, nodding toward the other side of the room. Alex and Nik bite back their laughs, and you choose to ignore them.

“Thanks, Farah.” She nods, and you head in the direction she gives you. You head in the direction she gives you, passing through the dining room before you’re able to find the kitchen.

It’s not exactly like the one from your old summer home, but it’s damn close—spacious yet comfortable, all earth-toned and welcoming—and it’s a fight to swallow down the knot in your throat.

“You’re here!”

You’re pulled out of your thoughts as Price catches sight of you, setting down the knife in his hand and making his way over to you. You’ve never seen him in a sweater before, but you know how you’d kill to see him in one again. Like the others, he’s dressed down from his usual club attire: a deep maroon sweater with rolled sleeves, jeans, and a black apron with small spots of flour across it.

“Yeah, didn’t want to miss out on seeing my boss in an apron,” you joke as he pulls you into a hug, followed by a kiss on the head. You let yourself melt into him, missing his warmth the minute he pulls away.

“You can have a drink and wait with the others if you want. Grab whatever you want from the fridge,” he says, heading back to his station.

“Actually,” you take a deep breath, setting your hands on the island counter, “I was wondering if there was anything I could help with?”

He seems surprised at the offer, brows raised as he looks up at you. But the surprise is quickly replaced with a fond smile.

“You any good at chopping vegetables?” he asks.

“The best,” you tease, inching your way over to him, giving him time to tell you no.

“You can take over here, then.”

He takes a step back, and you take his place, picking the knife up from the cutting board. You’re about to start when you feel his hands settle on your hips and his lips brushing against the skin of your neck. You tilt your head automatically, pressing back into him as he murmurs a quiet, “Thank you.” He pulls away immediately after, leaving you to your work.

Time flies by, the two of you work almost seamlessly together in the kitchen. You laugh and joke and enjoy as Price takes every opportunity to put his hands on you. Small, teasing touches, but they send your heart racing each and every time, and soon you find yourself returning the favor.

By the time the food’s ready, you’ve shed your sweater, the kitchen heat, and the man next to you far too much for you. You take it in stride, having more fun than you’ve had in a long time and allowing yourself to enjoy this moment.

Dinner passes by equally as fun, feeling like those rare dinners you got to have with your father—just you and him, just family.

The others bid their goodbye, Alex and Farah heading home after dishes are done, Nik heading upstairs to one of the many spare rooms, and Kyle leaving to meet Tabby at her place. You help clean, waiting until everything is spotless to take your leave. Price walks you to the door, hand on the small of your back the entire walk.

“You know,” he says as you reach the front door, “you could stay here for the night.”

“What? You mean you don’t want to come back to mine?” you tease, lightly nudging him with your elbow. When he doesn’t laugh, you still worry creeping up your spine.

Please, don’t ask me to “repay” you for dinner.

Please, don’t ask me to “repay” you for dinner.

Please, don’t ask me to “repay” you for dinner.

“There’s plenty of room here,” he says quietly, pulling his hand from your back so he can turn to face you. “I just—I’d sleep better knowing you were somewhere…safer.”

Oh. Oh.

You don’t know how you can possibly feel more endeared than you do in this moment, the worry so genuine on his face.

“It’s not that bad. I’ve been fine so far,” you offer, voice soft as you set a hand on his arm. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

He huffs a quiet laugh, wrapping his hand around yours, “There’s always room for you here if you ever change your mind.”

“Thank you.”

And even if you don’t take up the offer now, you mean it with all your heart.

-

Summer nears its end when you find a sleek red box sitting atop your vanity that was definitely not there before you went on stage.

A small white card with your name written on the front rests on top of the box, a handwritten note with an address and a date for Saturday afternoon. You don’t recognize the address or the handwriting, so you set the card aside cautiously, sliding your fingers under the box lid.

You lift the lid, curiosity winning out over your caution.

Laying inside, pristinely folded, is a dress. A very beautiful, pale dress covered in pale blue columbine flowers. You run your fingers along the fabric, admiring the softness of the organza against your skin.

What is this for?

You wrack your brain trying to think of any upcoming birthdays or events, but nothing comes to mind. You’re sure you’d know; things like that are usually a big deal for the club.

You’re left wondering as someone knocks on the dressing room door. You quickly put the lid back on the box, tucking the card into the pocket of your jacket draped over the back of your chair.

When you leave for the night, you take the box back to the motel room, setting it on top of the duffle bag that holds your clothes, where it sits untouched for the rest of the week.

When Saturday comes, you wake up an hour before your alarm and head straight for the box. You set it on the bed and spend the morning getting ready with a long, room-temperature shower.

A small voice nags in the back of your mind as you stand in your underwear, staring down at the box on your bed. You’re excited and nervous, eager to try on the dress but unsure of what to expect from all of this.

The last time someone surprised you with a dress…

You shake the thoughts from your head, pulling the lid from the box, lifting the dress out, and finding a pair of nude flats lying at the bottom.

It’s long and light, made of a soft, airy material that falls to the ground with short, sheer puffy sleeves and a slit up to the knee. You have no trouble putting it on, the smooth silk gliding against your skin in a fit so perfect that you immediately think this must be Valeria’s doing.

You twirl, watching the material fan out with a wide smile. You leave the shoes in the box while you fix your hair, putting in the effort to get your hair just right and make yourself look as good as the dress makes you feel.

When you’re done, and looking far more stunning than you anticipated, you slip on the shoes and grab your keys.

You head out to your car in the early afternoon, pulling up the address on your phone. Your destination is just outside the city, opposite from where you are. It doesn’t take long, even in the afternoon traffic, and it ends with you pulling up to a large house with a driveway full of familiar cars.

You park behind Kyle’s car, giving yourself one last look in your slightly crooked rearview mirror.

When you step out of your car, you’re instantly met with music and laughter echoing from the backyard. You follow the path up to the front door, knocking twice as you admire the front garden.

The house is far enough out of the city to not be near anyone else but close enough to not have to drive an hour to get to the club like Price’s. Large, spacious, and a yard covered in different types of flowers.

A sharp whistle startles you as you take in how well taken care of the daisies look.

“Canary!” You step back from the door, looking across the driveway where Kyle stands, waving his hands at you, Roach next to him, holding open a gate that you assume leads to the backyard.

It’s weird to see them out of their standard black, but the bright summer colors fit them just as well. You make your way over, Kyle meeting you halfway to pull you into a hug.

“Glad you made it!”

“Me too!” you laugh, following him to the gate so you can hug Roach. “What’s the occasion?”

“Occasion?” Roach asks, holding the gate open with his foot so he can sign to you.

“It’s just a party,” Kyle says with a curious tilt of his head. “Valeria didn’t tell you?”

“Why would she tell me?”

“Because it’s her house?” Roach blinks.

“No one told me anything. I found a card with a time and place sitting on my vanity. And this—” you gesture to the dress, “—with it.”

“That’s one way to invite you, I guess,” Kyle shrugs, throwing an arm around your shoulders with an easy smile. “Either way, we’re glad you’re here.”

He and Roach lead you into the backyard, equally beautiful as the front, with tall trees providing shade and a large pool in the center. The entire club is here. Alejandro and Alex stand near the grill, laughing and passing jokes while the rest of the club is gathered at the few tables set up in the shade near the back doors to the house.

Valeria spots you instantly, making her way over with a wide grin. Kyle slides his arm from your shoulders as she gets close, and she pulls you into a quick hug.

“You made it!” she cheers, taking a step back and giving you an appreciative once over. “And you look fantastic! I’m proud of you.”

“It wasn’t all me,” you say, a little shy under the praise. “Thank you for the dress, by the way.”

“Hm?” Valeria raises a brow. “Well, it is lovely, and the blue’s a nice touch, but it’s not one of mine.”

“What?”

If it wasn’t her, then…who?

You look around the yard, glancing over the rest of your friends and coworkers. They all seem busy talking, laughing, enjoying themselves.

All except for one, John Price, who’s sitting between Ghost and König, wearing a pale blue shirt to match the color of the flowers on your dress and staring at you with an intensity that sets your skin alight.

“Oh,” Valeria laughs, following your gaze.

“Explains the blue,” Kyle snickers, nudging your arm with his elbow.

You pull your eyes away from Price to smack Kyle in the chest. You’re met with laughter from the three of them, covering your face with your hands in a poor attempt to cool the heat in your cheeks.

“I hate all of you,” you grumble, their laughter growing as you head for the tables. You do your best to smile and not appear as flustered as you are, returning hellos and hugs as everyone notices you. When you reach the back table, Ghost nods in greeting while König stands to hug you. However, when he pulls away from you, he pulls out the chair he’d been sitting in and gestures for you to sit.

“You don’t have to—”

“I have to help Alex soon, anyway,” König shrugs.

“Okay, then,” you smile, taking the seat, turning to add a quick thank you before he leaves for the grill.

“You look lovely,” Price says the moment you turn back to the table. “Blue suits you.”

Ghost doesn’t speak, simply picking up his glass and sitting next to Soap at the table across from yours.

“Like this color, do you?” you ask, setting your elbows on the table to lace your fingers together and set your chin atop them, smiling at him with a raised brow.

“You could say I’m partial to it,” he shrugs casually, eyes trailing down the expanse of your leg exposed through the slit of your dress. “Especially on certain people.”

You can’t help but giggle, shaking your head as you lean back in your chair.

You take a moment to feel the warmth from the sun, cooled by the gentle summer breeze carrying a soft bite of autumn’s inevitable chill.

You don’t remember the last time you could simply enjoy a day outside.

“Thank you, by the way,” you speak up, turning to Price with a soft smile. “You didn’t have to get me a dress, but I appreciate it.”

“Not a fan of gifts?” he asks, an unusual hesitance in his voice.

“I like them. I’m just…not used to them, I guess.”

Or ones that don’t come with ulterior motives, anyway.

He stares at you for a brief second before his hand slides across the table to settle over yours with a light squeeze. “Think you better get used to it then, love. There’s plenty more where that came from.”

You huff a quiet laugh, shaking your head at the smug grin on Price’s face.

“I’m not going to be able to talk you out of that, am I?”

“Not at all,” he laughs, and you laugh along, turning your hand over to lace your fingers through his.

You give a soft squeeze of his hand, soaking up the warmth from his hand, “Price, I—”

“Sparrow, get over here! We’re starting karaoke!” You turn as Soap yells from his table.

“In a minute!” you call back.

“Fine, but I’m pickin’ your song!”

Price chuckles next to you, releasing your hand. Disappointment swells in your chest before his hand reaches your bare knee. “Go have fun. We can talk later,” he smiles.

You nod, and he lets his hand linger a second longer before pulling away as you stand up. You adjust your dress before glancing over to Price. As soon as the idea comes to your head, you act. Setting a hand on his shoulder, you lean down to press a kiss to his cheek before whispering into his ear your promise of later.

You step away quickly, making your way over to the rest of your friends, looking back only once to catch Price’s eyes. He sends you a wink, standing from his chair to join Alex, Alejandro, and König.

You don’t know what later entails, but you’re certainly looking forward to it.

-

Everything changes at the beginning of autumn when you return to your motel room exhausted from an incredibly long week.

You don’t take notice of the new car that sits in the usually empty parking lot.

Or how your door doesn’t click when you turn the key.

Or that your duffel bag sits open on top of your bed, instead of under it like you’d left it that morning.

If your father had been here, he would’ve killed you being so careless, for letting your guard down so much.

But the man who’s broken into your room takes up the job for him, waiting until you reach the bathroom door to shove his way out and tackle you to the floor. You don’t get the chance to scream as your head slams into the floor, and your vision goes blurry.

You feel his weight over you as he tries to grab at your arms, words coming out of his mouth that your fuzzy brain can’t process right now. He gets frustrated, hands wrapping around your neck before they squeeze, and your neck burns.

You squirm and push, fighting back with everything you have until you can land a kick to his stomach that sends him stumbling to the side.

You roll onto your stomach, coughing and heaving and stumbling to push yourself up to your feet. You make it to your dresser before a meaty hand wraps around your ankle and yanks.

You're sent back to the ground, scrabbling to grab hold of anything you can on the dresser. Your hand catches something, and you wrap your fist around it on the way down, waiting until the man tries to climb over you again before you swing.

You make contact with him, the object in your hand causing an audible crack against his head. He falls over, and instinct takes over. You swing again, then one more time before you toss the object aside—it's the table lamp that never worked, now that you're given time to look at it—and scoot back until your back is pressed against the foot of your bed.

It takes a minute before your vision can fully focus, and you process the man lying on your floor, blood pooling out from the cracked open dent in his head.

Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck.

You don't know what else to do, going straight for your phone. Your eyes glassy, you struggle to find the contact you need and gulp down as much air as you can while it rings.

"Hello?"

I'm sorry to bother you. Please, don't be mad.

"H-Hey. I—I um—"

You can't get words around, lungs constricting too fast to get air in.

"Canary? Are you okay?"

"I don't—I don't know what—what happened. I—"

"Breathe, love. Where are you?"

"He at—he attacked me. I didn't mean to—I didn't—"

You hear conversation in the background, multiple voices.

"Are you at home?"

"I—"

"Yes or no, love."

"Y—yes."

"Stay there, okay?"

"Okay."

You don't mean to hang up, but your hands are too shaky, and you hit the end call button trying to put Price on speaker.

You don't know how long you sit there, hyperventilating as you stare at the man bleeding out on your floor. Minutes? Hours? You have no way to tell; time passes too quickly yet drags second by second.

You don't hear your door open or the soft call of your name, but you do feel the hand on your shoulder.

"No!" You try to pull away, but the person moves in front of you, and you go into full panic mode.

"Stop, it's me. It's me. It's okay. It's me, love."

Two warm hands settle on either side of your face, turning you to look forward, where you find Price on his knees in front of you, concern etched deep into his features.

"I—he tried to—"

His hands fall from your face, instead wrapping around you to pull you into him. You go easily, tucking yourself against him, against the familiar comfort as the knot swells in your throat and the dam finally breaks.

"Shh, it's okay," Price coos into your hair. "I've got you. You're safe."

Despite the circumstances, you believe him.

taglist: @sleepyendymion, @blazedprince, @blueoorchid, @ohgodthebogisback, @melancholyy-hill, @wasteland-babe, @meepetteoneonly, @anitaebee, @honeyr4ven, @curasimp, @jxvipike, @frazie99, @reiya-djarin, @urfavsunkissedleo, @hauntingtherosebush, @aerangi, @ofmenanduhhhwellmen, @warners-wife, @xx4rcticxx, @mundane-frogola, @marytvirgin, @nyooom, @gogh-with-the-flow, @arctic-writes, @thriving-n-jiving, @deadpoetsandhoney, @itsberrydreemurstuff, @blurpleuni-squid, @dead-noodles, @urfavsunkissedleo, @tapioca-marzipan, @averyyreads, @sourire-acide, @nivalis-dies, @froggi-mushroom, @carla019083-blog, @urlovecarla, @fvfvxcvfxcvf, @digitalsins, @dectectivejjbittenbinder, @330bpm-whiplash, @warners-wife, @das-conk-creet-baybee, @dudewithastick, @x-jeff-johansen-x, @calypsoonn, @octopiys, @tbrfic, @pssytrux, @pastelpixies, @bloodyfoxes12, @emma342561, @scattermind-001, @kereseth, @iwaszoomingg, @schlafenderbruder, @sanfransolomitatm, @solidly-indulgent, @oastertoaster, @whovianwar, @kateanacall, @luvmariax0, @tbrfic, @gh0st-r1der, @certainlynotasimp, @pheobees, @fivedicksinatrenchcoat, @sarapaprikas-blog, @moriflos, @laeilaps, @furiousshepherdclambailiff, @tactical-shrimp, @rosesgaylol, @marvelranger, @msdrpreist, @riverrka

[crimeronan]

alright. WHAT is a Raven Cycle. What is this story about. All this time seeing you pointed about these people, but it took me ages to figure out what the "trc" tag even stood for -- that poll you just reblogged in fact. I'm ready. Give me the pitch.

HI.

the raven cycle is a series of four books by maggie stiefvater: the raven boys, the dream thieves, blue lily lily blue, and the raven king. there is a follow-up trilogy called the dreamer trilogy made up of three books: call down the hawk, mister impossible, and greywaren.

(my 'cdth' tag is my tag for the sequel series, which i like even more than trc.)

it's a YA modern fantasy series set in a small town in rural virginia. the series focuses on a gang of five teenagers (a sixth joining in book 3/4) who are all dealing with various magic bullshit in their lives. one is looking for a dead welsh king along a ley line in the mountains of virginia, because legend says that the king can be woken and grant a wish.

the problem is that this boy, gansey, is going to die.

we know this because the one girl in the group (sorry women. there are more women in cdth i SWEAR), blue, saw his ghost on st mark's eve. which means he will die within the next year. why did she see his ghost?? because he's either her true love, or she killed him.

or, you know. both. if you're a girl who's cursed to kill your true love with a kiss. as she is.

blue does not want to kill anyone. blue also does not want gansey to be her true love. they get off on the wrong foot entirely and she decides he's the devil for a little while. blue is overall having a bad time with the world and her place in it and the fact that she's the only non-psychic person in a family of psychics, And Also She Doesn't Want To Kill Anyone.

so the question is -- for all four books -- what..... would make her kill gansey. how is gansey going to die.

gansey's three other closest friends are boys in varying states of emotional turmoil.

ronan, who is where my URL comes from, is a suicidal bipolar maniac alcoholic who spends all of his time trying to kill himself. and is also magic as fuck. and hiding it. and going out street racing with a guy who wants to eat him. and they're kind of fucking about it. they technically never fuck except like. they're kind of fucking about it

adam is a trailer trash kid paying his own way into the elite boarding school that gansey & ronan attend. his dad is physically abusive to the point of adam's life being in constant danger, but adam refuses to accept gansey's offers of help or safety, because he's determined that nobody else ever Own him.

noah is a quiet kid with a violent past that gansey cares about very deeply, getting into all of his backstory involves major book one spoilers but it is. Rough.

the plot points in the series are complicated to explain because there's a lot of mythology and strange worldbuilding and psychic bullshit and magic all going on and playing off each other. but the series is about these five kids being in a giant pseudo-polyamorous relationship and loving each other and hating each other and wanting each other and killing each other.

it has some of my favorite relationship arcs of all time in any media, ever, and also it like. taught me how to write. LOL. so if you're here from the owl house (??) or from a different fandom and you like how i talk about characters and how i write character conflicts and character arcs and character relationships....... U Get All Of That Shit In The Raven Cycle.

and that's it!

[leporellian]

Fuck it. Opera dashboard simulator

🐲 fafner Follow

hey whichever one of you left a tenor with a sword outside my lair can you come get him like i guess he's kind of fun to watch on the doorbell cam but he won't shut the fuck up

#i did not kill my brother and morph into a dragon to deal with this shit man

4 notes

🦉 troubadoursma Follow

I need to vent to you guys about something that happened to me sorry

(warning: child kidnapping/death, burning, etc)

Read more

🍭 rosinethegingerbreadwitch Follow

You know you can use roasted baby in a lot of really good recipes if you want to salvage the situation

🦉 troubadoursma Follow

What the fuck

111 notes

🦜 dervogel-fanger Follow

i think i'm getting desperate lol are any of my mutuals single and fem-identifying and down for a committed relationship? if your special interest is birds too that's a big plus. dm me if interested

0 notes

🌞 suntemple-official Follow

I'm gonna be real we've been kind of hatefollowing that vogelfanger acct for a while and we're losing it over his recent posts... 'are any of my mutuals single' DO YOU HEAR YOURSELFFF - Mod S

🌌 star-blazing-queen Follow

(unblocking you just to talk about this sorry) FOR REAL i get commissions from him so i have to follow him but he's so fucking annoying like just die already dude please

🌞 suntemple-official Follow

No offense I thought you were the worst user on this site but then I saw him and thought Actually no she's not that bad - Mod S

🦜 dervogel-fanger Follow

.

27 notes

🛡️ herodsoldier54 Follow

the one day i skip work and its the day our boss's stepdaughter went insane stripped for him and then made out with a decapitated head in front of everybody 😭😭😭😭

#my coworkers had to kill her and everything?????

98 notes

🌺 la-tosca Follow

RUNNING FROM THE COPS WITH MY HOT PAINTER BOYFRIEND AMA

🌺 la-tosca Follow

THEY FUCKING KILLED HIM

🌺 la-tosca Follow

GUESS I'M GONNA HAVE TO KILL SC*RPIA AGAIN IN THE AFTERLIFE LOL????? SEE YOU GUYS IN LIKE 15 MIN I THINK

#PRETTY SURE THEY HAVE WIFI THERE. I THINK #ALSO HOW PAINFUL IS JUMPING OFF A BUILDING. RESPOND FAST PLEASE

493 notes

🏵️ deverteallure Follow

The legal system here is so shit I'm gonna have to hire my fucking ex to be my lawyer. Fucking hate living in Seville man

#marcy speaks #also my ex really hates the defendant which i guess is really funny #for some reason they kind of look a little alike??? if you squint

6 notes

🦢 lohengrin Follow

kids these days dont know anything about online safety

🎇 wotanswilddaughter Follow

Bro isnt your url just your real name

🦢 lohengrin Follow

You didnt see that .

1,023 notes

💃 lahabanera Follow

Here can you guys fill this out for me stat

847 notes

🌊 sentaaaaa Follow

I want that ghost man carnally

48 notes

🐇 ilcatalogoilquesto Follow

So fucking tired of my terrible boss/roommate/crush maybe?/abuser hes being so fucking annoying rn. Wish i didnt have to deal with him

🐇 ilcatalogoilquesto Follow

Nvm

17 notes

[bella-rose29]

the jockwood universe (college au)

basically jockwood is a thing now, and these are the generic world building hc's of this au :)

essentially what's going to happen is a bunch of x reader fics set within this universe, all probably slightly different but every one of them set with this same background to them, so... yeah!

(also a special thank you to the multiverse of George for helping answer my pestering questions)

Lockwood is on the football team/part of the university football society

Also the fencing society

George and Lockwood are friends from high school but are in separate circles in college

George is also on the ice hockey team 

Kipps is on the football team too

When they were like… preteens or something Kipps and Lockwood had a friendly football match where they were on opposing teams

Lockwood’s team beat Kipps’ by… a lot (and Kipps totally isn’t bitter about it)

Holly is a student rep

Lucy is in debate club and fencing

Skull is a campus cat who hisses and scratches everyone but Lucy

He’s called Skull bc he’s got a weird patch on his head that looks a bit like a skull

And also Lucy seems to always know what Skull wants?? It’s like she can actually talk to him or something 👀

Barnes is a very tired senior lecturer who is the academic advisor to the trio + Holly and Kipps, and he wishes they would stop hogging his office hours

The Winkmans are a family who live in town and sit on their porch every morning shouting abuse at people who walk past

Bobby!!! On the football team and also in band (plays the clarinet probably)

Kate and Ned as well - both on the football team and hang out with Kipps obviously, along with Bobby

Rotwells College is in the same town/city and often competes against the Fittes university (that Penelope is head of)

Flo goes to Rotwells’ and is in their fencing society, but she sneaks onto the Fittes campus all the time to feed the ducks and throw frozen peas at passing students

Visitors - there’s a lot of local folklore and haunted buildings, and Lockwood and Co go and investigate because they’re Like That

Technology is modern, and as such they have phones

And group chats

Obviously Lockwood and Co is the name of Lockwood, Lucy, George, and Holly’s group chat

Lockwood is surprisingly old-fashioned when it comes to technology though? Like he has a record player and cassette tapes in his room that he just whips out every now and then

People’s courses/degrees!

Lockwood’s course is chemical engineering with fine art/art history

George - chemistry

Lucy - English (language and literature)

Holly - English literature + publishing

Kipps - Architecture (but he’s a dick about it)

Ned - Spanish/Spanish + international development

Kat - chemical engineering

Bobby - history

Flo - classical and archaeological studies

tag list:

@no-morning-glories, @t2sh0, @informedimagining, @strawberryloveyyy, @chameleon021, @demigoddess-of-ghosts, @genderfluid-anime-goth, @cottagecore-babe, @ahead-fullofdreams, @light-23, @locknco, @briar-rose23, @mischivana, @ell0ra-br3kk3r, @superpositvecloudshipper, @mrsyixingunicorn10, @mitskiswift99, @anathemaloren, @ran23sblog, @taygrls, @dangelnleif, @el-de-phi, @augustisintheair, @wordsarelife, @tournesol77, @novelizt, @anthonylockwoodandco111, @curseofhecate, @karensirkobabes, @mrsklockwood, @whenselenefallsinlove, @zoom1374, @a-taken-url

and the multiverse of George (of course): @avdiobliss, @neewtmas, @oblivious-idiot, @bobbys-not-that-small, @lewkwoodnco, @uku-lelevillain, and @maraschinomerry 💕

I'm aware that there are a lot of people and if I've forgotten you then I am so so sorry (my tag lists are all over the place whoops), so if there is anybody who wants to be added to my lockwood tag list, then please go here!

I am aware that it has been a while, but from now on I will be checking this post every time I write a new fic to see who is there, so head on over to give a comment or a like and I'll pop you on for next time! <3

[rosethornewrites]

NR, E , & M reading since 11/10

Tumblr has issues with imbedding links, so sometimes the URL is included.

Finished

Not Rated:

Before the Thirteen Years Without You, by Bblottiefottie (2 chapters) (https://archiveofourown.org/works/39293991/chapters/98327496)

-Novel Spoilers-

In which Lan Wangji hides an emotionally unstable Wei Wuxian in a cave after the massacre at Nightless City

becoming a ghost, by duravis (https://archiveofourown.org/works/35823868)

Perhaps it’d be easier to turn them away if she were a little more cruel. If her years being brought up by Wen Ruohan had hardened her heart a little more definitively. But—

Here is a wound. Here’s how you fix it.

Explicit:

Coming Back to Yourself, by acernor (7 chapters)

Lan Wangji gets cursed with a ~woman's body~ and has to orgasm to go back. Since he's 1) a virgin 2) super repressed and 3) SUPER gay, he has no idea what to do.

If only he had a super nosy friend who's read lots of erotic novels who could help him figure out what to do... hm...

follow the sound of my song, by sassybluee (🔒, 2 chapters, 2nd in a series)

He reaches up to touch his forehead, to remove the ribbon that has been his constant companion, his constant reminder of who he must be. The one piece of himself that has been with him through everything, from his earliest memories, to his deepest regrets. His entire history is in its very fibres.

His brother lets out a small gasp as his fingers pinch the material, raising his hand as though to reach out and stop him.

Lan Wangji lowers his hand.

___

Lan Wangji begins his new life with Wei Wuxian

call me home and I'll build you a throne, by anaphoricae (8 chapters)

“I’ll help,” Lan Wangji says.

“Hey, Lan Zhan...” Wei Wuxian unfolds his leg and gives his foot a playful kick. “I told you to think about it! This means I’d be here for a long time, taking up your time, your space, your peace. And I can’t pay you! I have nothing of worth to give. It isn’t as simple as-”

“I’ll do it,” he says again, more forcefully this time. “You don’t have to give me anything.”

Wei Wuxian looks away, hiding a small smile. Doesn’t he know Lan Wangji would do anything for him, by now? Doesn’t he understand that he holds Lan Wangji’s life in his hands?

-

POST-CQL Wei Wuxian comes back to the Cloud Recesses to ask for Lan Wangji's help with his new golden core.

Together, they learn how to communicate, how to ask for things, and how to touch each other.

Their relationship develops in between quiet dinners in the Jingshi, meditation sessions, core training and a lot of Lan Juniors speculation on whether or not they're actually together yet.

Mature:

the flutter of a butterfly, by Krissy (https://archiveofourown.org/works/38751807)

The writing described a ritual of some sorts and the more he read, the more he crumpled the paper under his fingers, the more his head started to spin.

His sister. If this worked, he could see his sister again.

☾

One year after Wei Wuxian’s death, Jiang Cheng finds an old ritual that allows one to travel back to the past. He didn’t expect the consequences to be that disastrous.

Jin Ling vs. The 8 Uncles of Sex Education, by Wildcard (https://archiveofourown.org/works/28960575)

(When Jin Ling turns 13, his uncle tries to kill him.

If Jin Ling ever expected a family member to try to murder him, he would’ve thought it would be Jin Chan, that bully, or at least another Jin. He did not expect to be accosted in Lotus Pier, of all places, by his beloved jiujiu.

He definitely did not expect his death to involve a comb.)

Jin Ling would really appreciate it if his uncles would stop trying to give him the talk. Please. Bad enough to receive it once but to have to listen to it EIGHT TIMES from uncles who are convinced the other uncles didn’t do a good enough job?

(And just when he thinks his suffering is over, an uncle COMES BACK FROM THE DEAD to educate him. Jin Ling is cursed.)

the shapes a bright container can contain, by litbynosun (3 chapters) (https://archiveofourown.org/works/24598735/chapters/59419996)

"Lan Zhan, look at this," Wei Wuxian calls. "They don't have organs, but they're all… fuzzy."

He gently strokes the corpse's arm -- it's covered in soft, pigmentless downy hair, like a rabbit.

Lan Wangji crouches next to him and nods.

"Lanugo," he says.

Wei Wuxian raises one eyebrow.

"They were malnourished for quite a while before death," Lan Wangji elaborates.

Wei Wuxian scans the bodies again. Indeed, they both have sunken cheeks, and their abdomens are empty of both organs and fat padding.

“That’s a question,” he says. “Did they starve to death, and have their bodies desecrated after they were already deceased? Or were they murdered, and simply starving at the same time?”

"We should stay," Lan Wangji tells him.

This is not an answer to his question. It is an offer to search for answers.

Or: Wei Wuxian and his family solve a ghost haunting. Wei Wuxain's old enemy, societal injustice, rears its head again.

Unfinished

Not Rated:

The Cultivation World Needs a Reset, by FangirlingIsLife (https://archiveofourown.org/works/55413919/chapters/140600317)

Do not succumb to anger.

It was one of the founding rules of the Lan Clan and yet Lan Zhan could feel nothing other than a cold fury filling his veins.

He watched as his husband in all but ceremony let himself fall to Jiang Cheng’s blade.

Even at his death, his soul mate would never raise a hand to defend himself against their tyranny.

Well fuck that.

Beiming: To Lament- 33 Reasons to Change the Past, by ravenhg (🔒)

It had been one week since Wei Wuxian’s life ended.

One week since his love, his life, his everything, had been ambushed by remnants of Jin Guangyao and Su She’s followers.

Wei Wuxian really should have known better.

“What will you do, gongzi?” Wen Ning asked quietly.

Wei Wuxian smiled, his eyes burning like coals.

_____________________

Or:

After the death of the most important person in their lives, Wei Wuxian and Lan Qiren choose to return to the past to prevent everything. This changes things.

Explicit:

The Threads of Fate, by WaitForTheSnitch

“What would you do if you could have him back?” Nie Huaisang asked him, a bit too seriously as he leaned forward.

“There is no way for a dead cultivator to return,” Jiang Cheng scoffed, not even willing to entertain the thought.

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” Nie Huaisang shrugged, “Even if he came back, that wouldn’t do much to help, would it? Your sister is still gone. His reputation still damaged.”

“Stop speaking in riddles,” Jiang Wanyin growled, “What did you come here for, Nie Huaisang?”

“I asked you what you would do for your brother back,” Nie Huaisang started, “I would do anything to have mine back, Jiang Wanyin. And I’m here to offer you that same choice. Because our brothers’ deaths never should have happened. They happened because of schemes and plots. They happened because of lies and deception. Your brother was made to be a villain and was led to his death because he was too powerful. Mine was murdered because he stood in the way of Jin Guangshan.”

There's nothing Jiang Cheng wouldn't do to have his siblings back. And when Nie Huaisang comes to him with a proposal to save them by changing everything, he doesn't even hesitate to agree.

Little One, by LovelyTurtleBeans

During the Phoenix Mountain Hunt, Lan Wangji confesses that he was the one who kissed Wei Wuxian. The talk escalates into something more and, before they know it, they're entangled in bed in one of the guest rooms in Jinlintai. Time passes and the freeing of the Wen Remnants and Wei Wuxian's defection come to pass. The future is uncertain, and both Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are on unclear waters until...

Mature:

Mine and mine alone, by Lanwangjisnights

He likes to live out his kinks, but hadn’t found anyone matching his preferences yet, has given up the hope to find someone capable to satisfy his itches.

But today, today he needs to go under. Needs someone to make sure he is pleasured, instead of going through tremendous efforts himself to find a semblance of satisfaction.

Lan Zhan opens the filters, adds a tick on everything he searches for today. Or tomorrow. Or in the very near future - It doesn’t matter as long as it’s soon. Dominance. Bondage. Subspace. Rough Sex.

Or:

Lan Zhan finds Dominant Yiling Laozu on a Kink Website, meets up with him and falls incurably in love.

A lotus instead of a orchid, by Sammie224466 (https://archiveofourown.org/works/18552892/chapters/43975183)

What if, that night on the Burial Mounds, Jiang WanYin had been the one to find Wen Yuan instead of Lan WangJi and he wound up raising the child?

To Ride A Stygian Tiger, by Madyamisam (https://archiveofourown.org/works/23143639/chapters/55386229)

Wei Wuxian changes fate and is wounded while saving Jin Zixuan at the Qiongqi bridge and a great mystery starts to unravel many hidden secrets never known before. While trying to deal with his own increasing madness, seeing threats everywhere in past, present and future, he sets an impossible task to save everyone he ever cared about with his very life and soul.

Alternate, by Hanashi_o_suru

No one is actually sure what happened, or why it happened. No one died. No one made any whacked up array that backfired --to their knowledge--and no one wasn't necessarily in discontent for where they were in life...

So, why is it they're suddenly in the past to the day they had just got to the Cloud Recesses?

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

i do not know a sinlge thing about you but i love ur url and blog title

What a lovely ask!  And from someone I also know next to nothing about! Although, when I go through someone else's tumblr and find things I've either already reposted and/or things I wish to repost on mine, I am filled with delight.

We shall become delicious friends.

This is my fanfiction blog and, while I do write non-fanfiction, that is kept separate from my writing here.  The url/blog title is stolen from the videogame, but it is a somewhat obscure reference with delightful nuance and I would love to tell you about it.  

And, since no one can stop me, I shall!

I am uncertain if you are familiar with the videogame Destiny 2, but I shall assume you are not.  That way, if someone else unfamiliar with it finds this post, this is useful for them, too.  Apologies if you happen to know some of this already.

In the game, you play as a human (normal, Awoken [space elf], or Exo [robot]) resurrected by a tiny drone known as a ghost.  You are granted magic powers (you pick one of three flavours of magic: fighty-Titan, sneaky-Hunter or sorcerer-Warlock) by your ghost to fight the enemies of humanity who are trying (and have mostly succeeded) to render us extinct. You also get guns.  Lots and lots of guns.

There's several non-player characters with rich backstories to get attached to in the game.  One of them is Lord Shaxx, the cheerful drill-sargent-like Titan in charge of the Crucible (where people go for player vs player minigames).  

Another one is Saint-14, a beloved Exo Titan warrior, one half of "everybody's favourite gay grandpas," who was rescued from beyond death by our character in combination his partner, Osiris (a Warlock who broke time to save him).  

One of Lord Shaxx's infamous lines in the Crucible is "It's not over until I sing, Guardian!  AND I NEVER SING."  

This is important because when Shaxx and Saint-14 have their first conversation after Saint-14 has returned from the dead, Saint reminds Shaxx he owes him money.  Shaxx cannot pay, and Saint demands that Shaxx sing to make up for it.

The words of the song he sings are "I'm on the Moon, it's made of cheese" and he claims Eris Morn (one of the two characters I obsessively write fanfiction for) taught the song to him.  

This sounds very cute and funny and sweet, but the melody is a very specific one, one the players heard at the start of the game for a year.

Later in the story (we're talking years in human reality time because when you include both D1 and D2, Destiny has had a continuous story delivered in chunks on a relatively consistent basis for over a decade now) the Drifter (the other characer I obsessively write about)

asks Eris about the song he was told she sung to Shaxx.

As it turns out, she never sung the song to Shaxx but she does hum the melody and asks if that is the song in question.  It is.  

In-game it is the viral chant of Savathun, the Witch Queen, Hive god of Cunning, a magical musical corrupting influence which cannot be unheard.  

Eris tells the Drifter that Shaxx must have heard it from his Ahamkara (wish dragon) skull he heeps hanging over him because the bones are attuned to the Darkness (the Darkness is initially set up in opposition to the Light, which is where the player's magic powers come from, but later on Eris, the Drifter, and the player all learn to wield the Darkness in addition to the Light.) (Except Eris doesn't get to wield the Light any more because her ghost died to save her in the Hellmouth on the Moon.)

The song itself is Savathun's musical theme in the game.  That theme or a variation of it is played when we encounter her or her shenanigans (she has *so* many shenanigans!) but before we knew that, it was the title music for the Shadowkeep expansion:

Which is the Eris-centred story about the Moon being haunted (literally - we fight nightmares - with guns). (And if you've ever seen that "Moon's Haunted" meme, Shadowkeep is what it is referencing.)

That makes "I'm on the Moon, it's made of cheese" not just a reference to Eris and that time Shaxx was forced to sing, but also a considerably less cute reference to the Moon being haunted and the insidious corrupting evil Hive magic Eris initially fights against (before eventually learning to wield) in order to save humanity.  

But it gets better! Eris, later on, becomes the Hive god of Vengeance and takes Savathun's power by killing her (temporarily - it's complicated, but so, so cathartic) only to use that power to give up her godhood so she can neutralize Savathun's sister Xivu-Arath, the Hive god of War.  

Therefore it's extra-cool and fitting for that melody's first appearance to be in relation to Eris because, even though it is Savathun's song, Savathun's power is what Eris takes and uses to save us years (and many content expansions) later.  

I can (and do) blather on about Eris Morn being awesome on a routine basis so I'll stop there... she really is an amazing badass character and the writing for her in this silly shooty game is extremely well done.

So my url/blog title is a multi-layered creepy obscure reference to Eris, Hive magic, and Savathun, as well as the time the Drifter convinced Eris to sing to him, and the other time Saint made the guy who never sings, sing.

...But I also just really like cheese.

[princesslizzyfnafton]

Welcome!

My name is Elizabeth Bonnie Afton! I’m here to answer your questions! If you have any, that is. 

ooc/

This is just going to be me goofing off in character. Please use the ask box to ask questions! I’m really excited to answer your questions, just check out these guidelines!

Please don't ask me for money. I have none, and go to his blog as an escape from reality. As such, I will delete any asks talking about needing help financially in any way. (Referring me to a gofundme, etc)

Please don't send me NSFW asks, I don't enjoy them.

Father and brothers- @will-anon

Mother- @ballerinaclara

Profile picture by @sorunort (Thanks a billion!)

Elizabeth can teleport, phase through objects, be invisible, shapeshift, and manipulate all remnant

Scrap Baby is completely deactivated until further notice.

She also has grown butterfly wings!

Goddess form

She has springlock scars along her left arm from a springlock accident that broke her arm when she was five. (#flashback:springlock accident)

Basic timeline is between fnaf 3 and 6 originally, but she was pulled through time and completely avoided the FNAF 6 fire, but knows about it from several people who witnessed the fire.

Elizabeth likes having jewelry to help her remember that the people around her love her. Currently, she has: locket ( @lillie-stargazer ), bracelet ( @anominous-ominous ) , necklace(worn as a bracelet lol) ( @remnant-scientist ) , a bracelet ( @billcipher--man )

Elizabeth's dolls! (Genevieve and Angelica gifted by will-anon, Sara and Emily from Anominous-ominous. Willamina from ask-glitchtrap-the-anomaly)

Timeline shifts will be tagged (more or less) as flashback. They may have a specific time tagged to, they may not.

Death mentions and cussing aloud, please keep sfw

Elizabeth and I do not curse unless we get very mad.

Please remember this is a little girl or an animatronic possessed by a little girl around the age of 10, or a 10 year old ghost girl.

I will attempt to tag trigger warnings and URLs, but sometimes I forget, and I am sorry.

All mentions of the Crying Child will refer to him as her twin brother.

Her birthday is March 19, 1976, and she died in 1986

Disclaimer about the Elizabeth/Sebastian relationship: This relationship is between two characters that are minors who possess robots. They are being written by non-minors. This relationship is purely fluff/cute and emotional support, nothing more. There is nothing more going on here and you don't need to worry. :)

Thank you!

Account admin is @queencringefangirl

Admin is over 21

[unablethethird]

once again

Same with you skip the weird ones

1: Name Robert [rob]

2: Age 14

3: 3 Fears 1- Friends dying/getting hurt 2-Going back to the last place i lived 3-Not being able to help/be there

4: 3 things I love 1-My frens 2-Laptop 3-headphones

7: My best friend You and yaya [irl]

8: Sexual orientation AroAce [fictoromantic/fictosexual, and kinda orchidromantic]

10: How tall am I 166cm [for now]

11: What do I miss

cant think of anything rn

12: What time were I born 4am

13: Favorite color red, orange, purple, black

15: Favorite quote "Light a man a fire and he'll be warm for the night, light a man *on* fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life"

16: Favorite place Arcade

17: Favorite food Imjaderah [rice+yoghurt+beans]

18: Do I use sarcasm sometimes, not rlly tho

19: What am I listening to right now

20: First thing I notice in new person Not sure, maybe symptoms???? but not on purpose

21: Shoe size No idea

22: Eye color dark brown [almost black]

23: Hair color black

24: Favorite style of clothing 1920s men atire

25: Ever done a prank call? Not that i can remember

27: Meaning behind my URL I mean this is the 3rd acc

28: Favorite movie THE LORAX!!!!

29: Favorite song right now it's

30: Favorite band FamilyJules? LemonDemon? Will wood? Chonny jash?

31: How I feel right now My body's scared but im chilling

32: Someone I love You /p

33: My current relationship status AroAce, platonically married

34: My relationship with my parents lol

35: Favorite holiday Eid al adha, free money

36: Tattoos and piercing i have Ear

37: Tattoos and piercing i want Sleeve tattoo when i transition

38: The reason I joined Tumblr Needed to continue a fic/comic that was on tumblr

39: Do I and my last ex hate each other? idk

40: Do I ever get “good morning” or “good night ” texts? thank you fren /gen

41: Have I ever kissed the last person you texted? my dad? maybe when i was really young

42: When did I last hold hands? My little sister, i didnt want her to get run over when crossing the road

43: How long does it take me to get ready in the morning? As long as i have, if u give me an hour i'll take an hour, if you give me 30 seconds i'll take 30 seconds

44: Have You shaved your legs in the past three days? Nope, i get gender dysphoria from shaving my legs/arms

45: Where am I right now? Bed

47: Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level? LOUD

48: Do I live with my Mom and Dad? Mum, not dad

49: Am I excited for anything? Turning 18 and going uni and being a human person with a human life

50: Do I have someone of the opposite sex I can tell everything to? Im an oversharer

51: How often do I wear a fake smile? Im autistic so not in a deppressed way

52: When was the last time I hugged someone? Cant remember

54: Is there anyone I trust even though I should not? H [irl]

55: What is something I disliked about today? My sister stealing money from my mum, i was this close to having smoke outta my ears, she should know better

56: If I could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? God, im going to beat the shit out of him

57: What do I think about most? Cringe memories i guess?

58: What’s my strangest talent? I can bird whistle

59: Do I have any strange phobias? Touch might be strange?

60: Do I prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it? Behind fs

61: What was the last lie I told? "I don't know who they were talking about" [i didn't want to hurt her feelings]

62: Do I prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online? voice, video is a nightmare

63: Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens? Yea because either i've seen them or im delusional [im delusional]. aliens are a given, even a bacteria could be one

64: Do I believe in magic? Kinda? idrk, maybe

65: Do I believe in luck? yea

66: What’s the weather like right now? cloudy n cold

67: What was the last book I’ve read? DnD rulebook

68: Do I like the smell of gasoline? LVORE IT LOIF LVOE LOVE IT

69: Do I have any nicknames? I get called by my last name a lot

70: What was the worst injury I’ve ever had? not sure

71: Do I spend money or save it? Save

72: Can I touch my nose with a tongue? Unfortunatly no

73: Is there anything pink in 10 feet from me? My sisters deoderant

74: Favorite animal?

FOXES!!!!!!

75: What was I doing last night at 12 AM? calming myself down

76: What do I think is Satan’s last name is? I dont think he has one, idk im not religious

77: What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it? Corny/cringe as hell but Honeypie by JAWNY

78: How can you win my heart? havent thought about it

79: What would I want to be written on my tombstone?

I TOLD YOU MY FOOT WAS KILLING ME

80: What is my favorite word? supercalifragilisticexpialadocious

81: My top 5 blogs on tumblr Moots

82: If the whole world were listening to me right now, what would I say? your god is the right one [chaos]

83: Do I have any relatives in jail? Not currently, but my dad and some uncles were

84: I accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow me with the super-power of my choice! What is that power? Time manipulation

85: What would be a question I’d be afraid to tell the truth on? i dont think questions are scary

86: What is my current desktop picture? basic

90: Failed a class? classes

94: Had job? I have one now, dont always get paid though

95: Left the house without my wallet? Dont have a wallet

96: Bullied someone on the internet? no

98: Played on a sports team?

Unless school sport team counts

103: Am I a vegetarian/vegan? no

104: Been overweight? No

105: Been underweight? yea

106: Been to a wedding? ye

107: Been on the computer for 5 hours straight? Duh

108: Watched TV for 5 hours straight? maybe i dont remember

109: Been outside my home country? Technically im from iran, and i live in australia, so, yeah

110: Gotten my heart broken? i guess

111: Been to a professional sports game? no

112: Broken a bone? no

113: Cut myself? yeah Im stopping though

114: Been to prom? we dont have that

115: Been in airplane?

Yeah

116: Fly by helicopter? no

117: What concerts have I been to? none

118: Had a crush on someone of the same sex? kinda

119: Learned another language? I know arabic and english

120: Wore make up? Forced to when i was younger but not anymore

123: Dyed my hair? Part of it purple, but its gone now

124: Voted in a presidential election? Cant vote, eitherway all of em suck

125: Rode in an ambulance? Yep

126: Had a surgery? not sure, memory bad

127: Met someone famous? Not that i know of

128: Stalked someone on a social network? mutuals tumblrs

129: Peed outside? Yea

130: Been fishing? nope

131: Helped with charity? yep

132: Been rejected by a crush? nope

133: Broken a mirror? Yep

134: What do I want for birthday? Wouldn't ever happen because it's expensive as fuck but a pump it up machine

i usually get a slice of cake tho

[julie-schwieters-supremacy]

intro !! (sarah's version)

i changed my url!! prev: -> just-sarah-xx // 14/05/2024

☆ sarah, s, moon ☆ she/they ☆ bi ☆ sun: libra ♎︎ moon: libra ♎︎ rising: pisces ♓︎ ☆ australia !! ☆ infp<3 (pls talk to me im so introverted lmao)

☆ i have a few alt accounts if you'd like to go follow<3 -> @scholarmoons-studyblr :: my studyblr alt !! -> @oxi-moon-xx :: my shifting account for my shifting mooties<3 ☆ taylor swift, conan gray, phoebe bridgers, tv girl, olivia rodrigo, the neighbourhood, steve lacy, dominic fike<3 ☆ i love art, reading, astronomy, taking long walks, playing guitar, making playlists and aesthetics ☆ fav aesthetics: rockstar gf, downtown girl, chaotic academia, y2k grunge, etc.

☆ stuff you'll see me posting about: -> random shitposts -> shifting -> rants about stuff -> drawing -> many different books -> obsessing over someone -> the sturniolo triplets -> etc.

my socials<3 ☆ pinterest: justsarahxx ☆ spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/31nyeusuv342xa4h4thn3j7ujzoy?si=b8f0fc1b36864e52

this is my fav post that i've made so far: https://www.tumblr.com/julie-schwieters-supremacy/746191574561636352?source=share

my mooties<3: @niallermybabe - bells, probably will tag as bells💛 (im sorry i dont have a better name) @quackethh - tay, will tag as quack quack @antisocialgaycat - lele, will tag as bestieboowifeyforlifey @cc-horan - cc, will tag as cc or 🍍 @strawberry-lia - lia/laura, will tag as 🍓 @localrockstargf - my shifting bestie xe, tagged as 🎸 @sad-trash-pigeon - fernie, tagged as pigeon🌿 @shutup-andletme-go - jack, YOU ARE JACHARY IM SORRY U DONT HAVE A SAY IN THIS @thatsawesomedontyouthink - emma, i also havent given you a tag yet im very sorry @waitingforthesunrise - ari, will probably tag as ari☀️🌿 @5ducksinatrenchcoat - flora, will probably tag as duckies x5 @svnflowermoon - lucy, will probably tag as luc🪩<3 waaaaiiittt wait wait wait @sleepy-vix (im so so so sorry i am so sorry ur so special omg i cant believe i didnt add u) - vix, uhh ill tag u as vix (mitski's version) @elemelom OMG my irl, imma tag you as em :D melon (im sorry thats just what i associate your name with) @demigoddess-of-ghosts - tess, ill tag u as tessy :3 julie schwieters is my bae (she doesnt know i exist) so she deserves a tag too, which is #julie schwieters supremacy my asks tag is #i'm not introverted !! (my asks) my posts and random rants will be #sazzy yaps i will do more im sorry if i missed u (i haven't fully added the moot tags so some might not show up)

so yeah thats my intro imma prolly edit it later have an amazing day<333

[heiilari]

Also tweaked my rules a little

ADDED

**IMPORTANT** MY version of Lilith never cheated on adam. not in Eden not ever. any verses where she is in eden etc . She waited decades for Eve to be created. that being said as well. she will not always be shipped with lucifer. if you want a autoship with my lilith TALK TO ME PLEASE. other wise she will go by Lilith Mange , she will still be the queen of hell but not share lucifers last name or a bed with him

Trigger warnings WILL be tagged as needed, note that this blog will have mentions of horror, gore potential eye horror, mentions of trauma, alcohol abuse , abuse and drug abuse . This blog is DEAD DOVE due to me forgetting to tag things a lot of the time

I do not care if you have fancy icons or aesthetics, I just do aesthetics for myself because it personally motivates me

TWEAKED / EDITED ALSO IMPORTANT I know jack shit about the actual bible nor am I actually religious if I am going to be honest. so just wanted to clear the air about that. I am using what little bit I've found online && Stuff from Hazbin's first episode for Eve // Lore and I tend to make my own stuff as well.

**STATE** who your inbox message is to or I will choose at random. that being said I will not always choose for you and I will direct message you I understand people sometimes forget to add which muse it is at :). it is easier if you do mention who your muse wants to interact with however.

Ship partners

URL , *TO BE ADDED . Heavily Affiliated // Mains

micsmasmuses +Their blogs For: Eve , Lute , Alone , Ghost Kiiva && Donna.

paymons FOR Cardia && Lilith

spidersins + Their blogs FOR Arianna && Eve && Other muses

ofdapperdemon + Their blogs , For Lilith

baringtccth For: Kiiva && Vexious && Veya && Vivi.

compelledcurator , For Eve && Lilith .

[choberr]

IHG Release (and an apology)

Alright, the Inablr Hunger Games are here. I'm not that proud with the final product because:

1-) I wasn't able to add photos

2-) The generator only let me use he/him and she/her pronouns

but this was the best I could do with 4-5 hours of work. Maybe more, I didn't count.

I have so many other concerns and stuff to talk about so I'll be just writing it below here

The process started out bad from the start. I didn't do any research before making the announcement - it was just a random idea from a Discord server. The lack of research, knowledge and experience all backfired to me in 24 hours. There were little to no chance for the participant number to grow further as Victory Road news came out and the posts drained under those. I had to think how to cover the issue.

I found a "solution" and thought it would all be fine after I released the poll. It only got worse.

First of all, there was a pronoun issue. This generator only had male and female in the gender section so I had to randomize many of your pronouns. This bothered me a lot.

Second, the pictures. The generator only allowed a photo to be put through and URL. However, when I tried to use the Tumblr profile photos (as any other person would try), it told me to change the URL. I tried many different times using various sites but it just didn't work. After around 2 or 3 hours of work, I gave up and did everything without the pictures.

Third, the empty slots. You can remember me releasing a poll, asking if I should "add ghosts into the empty slots" and me promising to preventing them from killing any of you guys in-game. I had to refresh the pages many times in order to keep my promise, and that exhausted me a lot.

In summary, the final product was not what I imagined at all, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't what you imagined either. The whole blame is on me - these all happened because of my lack of knowledge and experience and I'm ashamed of myself.

I'm sorry.

[shamelesslymkp]

REC: brainrot_bee - The Great Vacation of '24

URL: https://ift.tt/Nd5wZRC

“We will need to find somewhere else to stay.” Edwin sounded more like he was talking to himself instead of Charles. “The gas is likely to linger for at least a week, given its potency.”

Charles jogged to catch up with him. “Maybe we can stay at Crystal’s,” he suggested. “She’s got a flat in London.”

Edwin considered this. “I don’t know where else we can go,” he muttered. “The backup office burnt down two years ago.” He gave Charles a pointed look.

“How was I supposed to know that one little Molotov cocktail would turn the whole place to ash?” he said defensively.

“Common sense.” Edwin thought for another tick before nodding. “Alright, Crystal’s it is. All of our things should be fine in our absence.” A ghost of a smile passed over his face. “You can ask her.” 

Or: The boys take a little vacation and some certain feelings arise (Words: 22,748)

!!!fandom, !!fic, |site:ao3, +fandom:dead.boy.detectives.(tv), ::rating:not.rated, ~author:brainrot_bee, character:charles.rowland.(dcu), character:edwin.paine.|.edwin.payne, character:crystal.palace.(dcu), relationship:edwin.paine.|.edwin.payne/charles.rowland, ::category:m/m, \no.archive.warnings.apply, ~ao3:pov.charles.rowland.(dcu), ~ao3:fluff, ~ao3:fluff.and.angst, ~ao3:charles.rowland.needs.a.hug.(dcu), ~ao3:edwin.paine.|.edwin.payne.needs.a.hug, ~ao3:bisexual.awakening, ~ao3:no.beta.we.die.like.niko, ~ao3:crystal.palace.is.so.done.(dcu), ~ao3:vacation, ~ao3:oblivious.charles.rowland.(dcu), ~ao3:edwin.paine.|.edwin.payne.loves.charles.rowland, ~ao3:eventual.romance, ~ao3:first.kiss, ~ao3:panic.attacks

[lizbethborden]

i just looked up your new url and am fascinated. please spill your thoughts!

There's a few different things I'm really enamored with re: Ermine:

She's one of the few lower-class women in history to leave something behind for us. The majority of women across time have been poor, which very often meant illiterate, and leaving virtually nothing behind in the historical record; we might have some little things in the material record, i.e. objects that they owned, but we very rarely get direct experiences of their thoughts or voices. Ermine is, unfortunately, mediated for us through Jean le Graveur, her confessor, who had political and personal goals of his own, but despite that she comes across as having a distinct character, concerns, and interests and gives us a sense of what a woman of her time and class might have known and understood about the world. For example, she apparently knew enough about the Schism of 1378 to have an interest in Jean de Varennes, a controversial and charismatic hermit of her time who preached to large crowds about the divided papacy. One sequence that Jean le Graveur records is evidently him using a veneer of demonic visitation and intervention to cover up the fact that Ermine, of her own free will, went to hear Jean de Varennes preach.

The character of her demonic visitations is so interesting and shows a really deep concern with sexuality and the body. Ermine wasn't a lifelong virgin or celibate, unlike many holy women; she was a widow who had been married for years before the death of her husband. She has visitations from demons who have sex in front of her, who lie in bed with her and either try to have sex with her or sometimes just sleep naked next to her (as, one imagines, her husband used to do), male and female demons both try to entice her into sex etc. Her ascetic practices also point to a preoccupation with her body as a focus of self-loathing/disgust/sin. She tied a rope around her middle and cinched it tightly so it would hurt, and wore it for so long that it went past the point of just rubbing her skin raw: her skin actually started to grow over it. Wack! She had to tie the end of the rope to a door and yank herself away to get it out, partially flaying herself. This one really freaked out Jean le Graveur.

I have kind of a working theory on something I'm calling the "hysterical dyad." I started talking (to myself) about it after I read The Haunting of Alma Fielding, which is a nonfiction book about parapsychologist Nandor Fodor, who got sucked in by a hoax medium named (what else) Alma Fielding in 1930s England. I'm really interested in and curious about the pattern, throughout time and in different cultures, of the "hysterical" (or holy, or demon-visited, or ghost-struck, etc.) woman and her male interpreter (confessor, doctor, psychologist). I think it speaks to the very old divide in, I guess you'd call it Euro-western culture (and I talked a bit about this in the ask I answered a while back about Angela Carter) which separates woman onto the side of emotional, material, body, feeling, and man onto the side of rational, logical, culture, brain, such that it's been the male role, when it comes to unique, astonishing, or unusual women, to interpret them into intelligibility. This is also related to the male power of naming. It's an interesting, I suppose I would call it, literalization of the patriarchal male role throughout culture, which is to reorganize and subordinate the world, i.e. nature, i.e. woman through naming, articulation, analysis, and definition.

Thank you for asking!

[glowwormsmith]

Spell Your URL

I was tagged by @thefathersbride to spell pout my URL. Thank you for the tag, friend, I always appreciate the tag, even if I'm not as active here as I used to be😊

Tagging @nightwingshero @deputyash @teamhawkeye @meatcrimes @dolphinitley @chazz-anova @unclefungusthegoat @swannscroft @decertatio @lulu2992 @alexxmason @seasidefanasties and to whoever sees this and wants to do it! No pressure, as always😊

Rules: Spell out your URL using song titles that can describe your muse/OC/pairings, then tag as many people as there are letters in your URL!

Girls by girl in red

“I’ve been hiding for so long, these feelings they’re not gone / Could I tell anyone?” for Iris

Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men

“You’re gone, gone, gone away, I watched you disappear / All that’s left is a ghost of you” for Layla Rook and Eli/Hudson

Out of My League by Fitz and the Tantrums

“‘Cause you were out of my league, all the things I believed / You were just the right kind, Yeah, you were more than just a dream” for Maddie and Sanji

Wherever I Go by OneRepublic

“I know I could lie, but I won’t lie to you / Wherever I go, you’re the ghost in the room” for Iris and Faith

What Kind of Man by Florence + the Machine

“You do such damage, how do you manage? Tryna crawl in back for more / And with one kiss, you inspired a fire of devotion that lasted 20 years / What kind of man loves like this?” for Tess Rook-Shepherd and Jacob

Opheliac by Emilie Autumn

“Whether I swim or sink, that’s no concern of yours now / How could you possibly think, you had the power to keep me breathing as the water rises up again / Before I slip away” for Iris

Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac

“Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night and wouldn’t you love to love her? Takes to the sky like a bird in flight and who will be her lover?” for Layla Rook

Maroon by Taylor Swift

“And I wake with your memory over me / That’s a real fuckin’ legacy to leave” for Tess Rook-Shepherd and Jacob

Slipping Through My Fingers by ABBA

“Do I really see what’s in her mind? Each time I think I’m close to knowing, she keeps on growing / Slipping through my fingers all the time” for Tess Rook-Shepherd and Hazel/Fern Shepherd (her daughters)

Medusa by Heather Dale

“Damn ‘em all, I create my own perfection / Damn ‘em all in the face of their rejection / Damn ‘em all, well this dog will have its day / My garden’s full of pretty men who couldn’t stay away” for Iris

I’m Still Here by John Rzeznik

“And what do you think you’d ever say? I won’t listen anyway, you don’t know me / And I’ll never be what you want me to be” for Kotone Starling

Trouble by P!nk

“You think you’re right, but you were wrong / You tried to take me, but I knew all along / You can’t take me for a ride / I’m not a now, so you better run and hide” for Layla Rook

Hurt by Johnny Cash

“I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel / I focus on the pain, the only thing that’s real…Try to kill it all away, but I remember everything” for Iris

[writermuses]

Life Update | 📌 Post | Updated 2 August

Hello writers! I'm Natty (35, she/her) and welcome to my OC multi-muse/multi-verse indie RP blog. I am selective and slow to reply. There will be crime, smut, and other triggering content on this blog, but I use "trigger tw" and "smut" for tags fairly consistently. Nevertheless, I will not interact with writers, muses, or faceclaims under 21. Thank you in advance for being patient with me. Here are my rules:

My opens are open forever! If you reply to an old legacy starter, I'll reply in the new (beta) editor. Alternatively, you can make a new post and @ me with a 'continued from here' link. Either way, this blog is NEW EDITOR ONLY! Threads with problematic fcs, anyone under 21 people, or posts in legacy will be dropped. However, I'm not typically bothered by what you write with other people and we don't kink shame. I only ask you talk to me before trying something wild in a reply.

Do not reblog/like the musings unless I tagged you on the post. If you want to use a musing, then you can reblog from the source. If there’s no source linked then copy the image URL. If you’re not the @ and you're in my notifs, I will block you.

My replies will be slow. Therefore, do not post more than 2 replies to me per day. This is supposed to be fun and my escape from my career and deteriorating health. Some days off work I just need to rest physically and mentally. I'm mostly just a weekend writer.

I will drop threads with writers that use me for my males. Whether that's you picking up a bunch of my guys and one girl or repeatedly replying to my male opens while letting my female threads go unreplied for months/until they hit the 2 month drop point. I'll ghost you for that shit so quick. I do also try to pair a male and female reply for each writer as I cycle through what I owe to keep it balanced. If you only want a guy, we can have just the one thread. Be honest about it or leave because this isn't the blog for you.

I have severe anxiety and work insane hours. I’ll write what I can, when I can, as the muse for a reply hits on the weekends, but I also have to acknowledge that I have a lot of threads and giant replies stress me out and are not fair to the other writers, so they aren’t going to take priority and may be dropped. Thank you for understanding, especially those of you that tell me it’s okay to not to match length. If a reply hits 2 months I will assume you dropped it, no messaging needed.

Formatting: Cut your posts! Also, I prefer small font and medium or icon gifs, and only reply to reblogs using the new editor. If you only have large gifs or no gifs of your faceclaim, it's okay to not use gifs in your replies. Put the gif at the bottom of your reply. I will not match over the top formatting and will drop a thread if your aesthetics supersede quality writing.

Replies: I ask that you move the plot forward in your reply. If you repeatedly insta-reply and aren't moving the plot anywhere, I'm going to lose interest and drop the thread. Rate and order of replies does not equate to interest in a thread. If you're stuck, do a time jump or wait to reply. You've got 2 months before I will assume you dropped the thread.

Be well + Be kind 💙 Natty

Rules . Muse List . Starters . Tracker . Musings

[the-existential-bread]

A wild human appears

I do not currently have an idea for a name, so you can call me whatever you want. If you need something, I suggest something based off my url. I use any pronouns, but default to she. I'm not officially diagnosed, but I'm 99% sure I'm autistic (I probably have ADHD too). Mostly sapphic bi.

I am multifandom, so I post about a bunch of stuff, but I have a few hyperfixations. You'll probably see me post a lot of Undertale/Deltarune, Undertale Yellow, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Vocaloid/Project Sekai, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Portal, Spooky's Jumpscare Mansion, Ghost and Pals, Omori, DDLC, Lacey Games, Evillious Chronicles, Gravity Falls, The Owl House, The Stanley Parable, Steven Universe, and Gilmore Girls. I'll update this as I think of more. (I KNOW IT'S LONG, I'M SORRY ;-;)

I will also post random memes, autism/ADHD stuff, aesthetic stuff, and basically anything I like. I like singing, baking, and crafts, btw.

Be warned, I simp for a lot of characters. It's practically a side gig.

Please don't interact with me if you are going to yell at me for my opinions. One of the only things I'm unwilling to interact with is unnecessary discourse. I don't typically use labels for my DNI, because they usually feature a loophole you can slip through or target the wrong people. If I say something bigoted, please tell me! Nicely! It's probably a mistake or lack of education on my end.

Also, I don't think this needs to be said, but if you harass people based on any part of their identity (as long as it's not disrespecting anyone) or if you are attracted to anyone under the legal age of consent in your country and don't do your damnedest to keep it to yourself, don't talk to me!

Tagging system: i'm stealing your thoughts (normal reblogs)

fanposting (anything fandom related, specific fandom will have normal tags)

breadposting (my own posts)

feral housewife (hobby related, will have regular tags for specific hobbies)

this causes feelings (aesthetic, fashion, some web stuff, etc. normal tags for subtypes)

go fund them/signal boost (fundraisers and important things)

My YouTube, Pinterest, and stim blog =)

Dividers here