#A Town Called Meliora

[cardinal-copia-popia]

A Town Called Meliora, Chapter 3

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Read HERE on AO3

The Brothers Return

Under the cut for length

When Kate awoke a couple of mornings later, it took her a few moments to realize she had, at some point during the night, rolled over and was now lying half on top of Copia, her head on his chest and her leg over his. She froze momentarily before she became aware that Copia was still snoring lightly. It was soothing, really, and without thinking, she nuzzled against his chest, basking in his warmth like she had wanted to do so many times before.

They had been traveling for a week now, and while Copia never started out sleeping next to her — always on top of his jacket that he laid out for her to sleep on — he always ended up there. Kate was growing accustomed to his presence and took great comfort when she woke in the morning to the feeling of him next to her.

However, they managed up until this point to never touch. Copia always kept enough distance between them.

But not this morning, and Kate was having a difficult time being bothered by it.

Copia's breathing then changed, letting her know he was waking up, and he moved his hand up to her head, his fingers threading through her hair. Kate lifted her head to look at him, surprised to find a tender, sleepy smile on his face.

"Buongiorno, piccola volpe," he murmured, sounding almost… loving.

"Good morning."

They continued to gaze at each other, his other hand moving to rest on her cheek. Kate sighed, turning into his touch.

"Tesoro mio," he whispered.

Kate leaned down and met him halfway, pressing her lips to his. Granted, Kate had not kissed many people, but this kiss with Copia felt like the most passionate yet tender thing she had ever experienced. The way his lips moved softly over hers, his thumb lightly stroking her cheek… It was everything she had ever imagined a kiss could be but had never experienced until now. It was enough to have her humming her approval.

"Kate," he whispered against her lips. "Piccola volpe?"

Kate blinked out of her reverie and looked down at Copia, who now had his smirk firmly in place. 

"Good dreams?" he asked.

It was only then Kate realized she had daydreamed the whole kiss. How long had she been staring at him, completely out of it?

"What?" she asked dumbly.

"I asked if you slept well."

"Oh," Kate said, her cheeks burning. "Fine. I slept fine."

"No nightmares?"

She shook her head. "No. I haven't since—"

When she broke off, Copia’s hand found her hip. “Since I began sleeping next to you?”

Kate could not look at him. “Yes.”

He patted her hip and eased her off to the side so he could sit up. "I am glad." She hoped he would not say anymore, and he did not at first, but after they both stood, he looked at her again. "Please do not feel embarrassed, piccola volpe. I only want to help."

That did not help the way she was feeling.

They had replenished their food a few days ago, but they were running low again. Thankfully, Copia and Terzo decided it was time to return to Meliora, as they had not seen hide nor hair of their pursuers in nearly three days. Somehow, that did not entirely put Kate at ease.

Going to Meliora felt like jumping from one dangerous place to the next. But she had been given no indication that Copia, Terzo, or the ghouls bore any ill will toward her. She had felt nothing but safe this whole time, even if they were technically on the run.

She was in good hands for now. But she supposed she would find out just how safe Meliora would be soon.

***

After waking up with Kate half on top of him, Copia had difficulty shaking the feeling. It felt… nice. He was glad he had been able to keep his mind from wandering in the moment lest his body betray him with just how much he enjoyed it. It had been a while since he had been with a woman…

He went a little ways from camp to wash up in the river they had been following, and it was only then that he allowed himself to fully recall how it had felt to have Kate's warm, soft body pressed to his. His cock gave an interested twitch within the confines of his trousers at the thought, and he quickly chastised himself for thinking such things. He was trying to help her get away from a man who, aside from her family's money, wanted nothing more than to have her physically, at least, so he gathered from what little she told him of her dreams. She deserves better than you fantasizing about her, Copia thought with a shake of his head. You are not Terzo.

He roughly scrubbed down his arms and chest, thinking about what he would tell Primo about his theory involving Saltarian and Father Jim. It was an attempt to distract himself, but it was not helping much. He needed a shave, he thought as he splashed water on his face and felt the roughness of a beard growing in.

The snap of a twig to his right caught his attention. He looked over to see Kate stepping out from behind a tree. She was looking at the ground, watching her footing, so when she looked up, she was startled upon seeing Copia kneeling next to the river. 

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know anyone was here!” she exclaimed. "I thought you were on watch with Dew."

Copia smiled and grabbed his shirt to towel off his face. “You may join me, piccola volpe, if you wish. There is plenty of room.”

Kate looked away, blushing hard. It made his smile widen. He had seen her looking, admiring him. At least, he hoped she was appreciating the view… 

“Uh, no, that’s alright. I can wait. I just… I just wanted to wash up before we left.”

"I understand." He walked over to his horse and draped his shirt over the saddle to let it dry. He watched Kate approach out of the corner of his eye.

“What’s her name?” Kate asked, stroking the horse’s snout.

Copia smiled a bit sheepishly. “Ghost.”

Kate smiled, too. “Ghost. I like it. She looks like a ghost.”

“I worried it might be a little too on the nose, but I have grown quite fond of it. I am quite fond of her,” he said, affectionately running his hand down Ghost's neck.

He could feel Kate watching him, but he kept his gaze on his horse. He needed a distraction from her now more so than before.

"The other day, when Jim's men found us…" Kate began after a moment. "She knew something was wrong. She pulled the blanket off me and tried to help me. Or… so it seemed."

"She is very perceptive. We have a sort of… bond. She likely sensed my need to get you to safety."

There was another pause. "You say that as if she has some sort of… supernatural powers."

Copia smirked. "Perhaps she does."

"Copia…" He finally looked at Kate and noted her look of uncertainty. "What are you?"

His smile softened. "A friend." He stepped up to her. "A friend who is ready to get home."

Acting on impulse, he put a hand on the back of her head and kissed her forehead. He then left, not looking back at her to see her reaction. He should not have done that, no matter how much he wanted to. It was selfish. But it was done; he could not take it back.

Ghost followed him without prompting, as she always did — his lifelong companion.

***

Riding into Meliora felt like riding into a picturesque town, though that might be because Kate was used to Wayridge. Meliora was like a metropolis compared to that little place. And someone must have been on the lookout for them, for as they reached the outskirts of the town, a crowd had gathered to welcome them.

Terzo greeted them all with exuberance, even leaning down to kiss a few of the ladies he rode by, making them swoon. Copia kept a steady pace as if he did not even notice the onlookers.

Kate was not sure what she expected, but everyone seemed so… normal. Sure, there were a few ghouls here and there, but now that she had spent a week with them, she barely batted an eye. Their masks blended in with the rest of the crowd. Though, now that she looked, she noted that there were variations of masks. I wonder what they're for, she thought idly.

A glint of metal ahead of them caught her attention, and her eyes were drawn to a man approaching them from the steps of the jail. Even if Copia had not said one of his brothers was the sheriff, Kate would have known from the eyes alone. The star-shaped badge on his chest caught the sunlight, making it shine almost as much as the iris of his white left eye.

Copia brought his horse to a stop next to the man.

“Fratellino,” the man greeted. “I am pleased to see you’re alright. You and Terzo.”

“Grazie,” Copia answered. “Secondo, this is Kate Dodson. She will be staying with us for a while.”

Secondo offered his hand to her and helped her down from the horse. He smiled, though it was more of a smirk. Must run in the family….

“Charmed, Signora. I am Secondo Emeritus, sheriff of Meliora.”

“A pleasure, Sheriff,” Kate replied with a small curtsey.

“Fratello, would you take her to the house? I must go speak with Primo,” Copia said.

Secondo nodded. “Sì. Loren will be happy to have another woman around. It can get a bit much living with five men.”

“Who’s Loren?” Kate asked.

“His wife,” Copia answered.

“I’m sure you two will get on very well.” Secondo’s expression then became more serious as he turned back to Copia. “Be mindful of Saltarian, Fratellino. He has been hanging around the saloon since you left.”

Copia frowned. “Interesting…. I will do that.” He looked at Kate. “You are in good hands, Signora. I will see you later.”

Kate watched as his horse trotted further down the street. The crowd behind them was dispersing. Mountain, Alpha, and Dew were leading the horses down a side street while Terzo, Omega, and Aether approached her and Secondo.

“Fratello!” Terzo exclaimed. “I would hug you, but I am in desperate need of a bath."

Secondo wrinkled his nose. “Sì, I could smell you a mile away.” He then offered his arm to Kate. “This way, Signora. We will try to stay downwind of my brother.”

Kate chuckled and sent Terzo a smirk over her shoulder. “Thank you, Sheriff. You can’t imagine how difficult it’s been traveling with him for a week.”

“I would have lost my mind,” he answered with the same mock seriousness as Kate. “And being around him only a week… Try living with him all your life!”

Kate could hear Terzo grumbling behind them as Secondo led her through the town, but she was more interested in what the sheriff was saying. He was pointing out various points of interest, such as the barber and the shoemaker. Definitely a much bigger town than Wayridge…

The Emeritus homestead was located at the edge of town and sat up a little way on a hill, so it overlooked Meliora. The place was nearly as big as Kate’s home at her family’s ranch, but it looked much nicer. It was certainly well kept with what looked like a fresh coat of paint and a perfectly manicured front lawn. Whoever tended to the grounds certainly seemed to take pride in it.

Upon their approach, a woman stepped out onto the front porch. She was dressed nicely, befitting that of the wife of one of the brothers who ran the town and was very heavily pregnant.

“Ah! Cara mia!” Secondo called. “The news was true, as you can see.”

He motioned back to Terzo, who grinned upon seeing the woman and ran up to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Sorella! I had forgotten how radiant you look!”

The woman smacked Terzo on the head with the cloth in her hand. “The nerve of you! Running off like that with not even a word as to your well-being! You had us all worried sick!”

“I might actually be sick if he does not bathe soon,” Secondo intoned, letting go of Kate’s arm and stepping up next to the woman to peck her lips. Terzo made a face, but Secondo ignored him. “Loren, this is Kate Dodson. She will be staying with us for a while.”

Loren extended her hand, which Kate shook. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Dodson. I assume you’re not with Terzo?”

“He wishes,” Kate replied with a teasing smile directed at Terzo. “But no. I live just outside Wayridge, but… well… Maybe I should let Copia or Terzo explain.”

“I cannot wait to hear why it took you all a week to return,” Secondo said, ushering everyone inside. “But if Copia needed to speak to Primo, I can only assume there is trouble.”

Terzo took his hat off and hung it by the door. “Sì. You remember Father Jim Defroque?”

The sheriff raised an eyebrow. “The preacher I cleaned out in a game of poker a few years ago?”

“The same. Copia believes he may have some connection to Saltarian. Though, even if he doesn’t, Kate is not safe from him.”

Loren put a hand on Kate’s arm. “You’re safe here, sweetie, I promise. There’s nowhere safer than a house full of Emeritus men.”

She and Kate chuckled.

“And none more foul smelling,” Secondo said, shooting a glare at Terzo. “Go bathe!”

“Sì, Sheriff. Of course, Sheriff. Whatever you say, Sheriff,” Terzo said, backing out of the room toward the stairs, Aether and Mountain following, though they went out the back.

“After all your riding, I bet you’re tired,” Loren said. “Sec, why don’t you show her to the guest room? You can freshen up there, and by the time you’re done, I’ll have dinner ready.”

“Thank you very much, but I hope I’m not imposing.”

Loren waved a hand and smiled kindly at her. “Not at all. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like. But dinner isn’t going to cook itself!”

Secondo stepped up to her and placed a hand over her belly. “Do not overexert yourself, dolce mio. I will be down in a minute to help.” He kissed her and then turned toward the stairs. “This way, Signora.”

Secondo was not what Kate expected, but she liked him. Though, she also got the distinct impression she was seeing a much softer side of him in this setting. She could tell by the natural frown on his face that he likely was not always this pleasant. He was probably a very good sheriff.

He showed Kate down a long hallway on the second floor to one of the middle bedrooms. “This is it,” he said, opening the door for her. “Copia’s room is to the right, and Terzo is across the hall. And I will warn you, the walls are paper thin.” He shook his head. “We found out the hard way, thanks to Terzo.”

Kate smiled. “Noted. Thank you, Sheriff. I really do appreciate this.”

“It is no problem, I assure you, Signora. And if it is Father Jim you are fleeing, I know all too well from rumors how he can be.”

“But you’ve met him?”

Secondo nodded. “Sì. He came into town once two or three years ago. He was apparently in need of some money, and Primo and I saw an easy target. We cleaned him out of what little he had with him. He became… very angry when he lost. And since then, I have heard rumors about him and his posse, riding around the countryside, trying to get money in the name of God.”

Kate nodded grimly. “He does do that…”

“I am sure we will speak of this more later, Signora, but I must get back to my wife. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask.”

She thanked him again and entered her room, shutting the door behind her. The first thing she did was fall onto the bed, letting out a big sigh. Oh, how she had missed a proper bed… Her back might not ever be the same after sleeping on the ground for a week. Though, she might miss the scent of Copia’s jacket and blanket even if they did not smell the best. They had become almost as comforting as Copia’s actual presence….

As Kate was freshening up — almost as grateful to find the basin of water as she had the bed — she heard footsteps in the hallway, and then the door shut in the next room. Copia was back. Did he know she was there? She kept as quiet as possible so she could listen to him moving around. There were faint, muffled sounds with an occasional creak and what sounded like a chair scraping across the floor, but that was it. 

She was interrupted once by Secondo dropping off a dress of Loren’s for her to wear. Once again, she was very grateful. Kate realized after she changed that she must have looked a sight. There was no way her old dress would be salvageable with the dirt and stains and cuts and worn places… She was also glad to be able to wash her hair, though she would have to deal with it being wet while going to dinner. They would understand, though.

By the time Kate arrived in the dining room, Terzo and two older men were already seated along with several ghouls.

Kate recognized Omega, Aether, and Dew among the ghouls present, but the others were strangers. She was surprised to find that they were female ghouls. And they all wore those strange masks… each with different markings.

Secondo entered and motioned where Kate should sit. “Here you are, Signora,” he said, pulling out the chair for her. “Dinner will be served shortly.”

She was sitting next to one of the older men, who smiled warmly at her. “You must be Kate.”

She smiled and nodded. “I am.”

The man took her hand and kissed the back of it. “I am Primo Emeritus, the eldest of Nihil’s sons,” he said, nodding to the other man seated across from him.

Nihil smiled. “Signora, a pleasure.”

“It’s nice to meet both of you as well,” Kate replied.

Secondo then reentered the dining room with a tray of food, followed by Loren.

“I hope you’re all hungry!” Loren announced.

Kate could only watch as the food was piled up on the plates and set in front of everyone. The ghouls helped where they could, but Loren waved them away, saying something about them always making a mess. Secondo hovered at her side, ready to help, with a fond smile on his face. It was sweet, and there was no doubt just how much they were in love. 

Copia made his appearance during all of this, and Kate could not help but do a double take. He was in fresh clothes, his face clean-shaven except for his mustache, and his hair slicked back from having washed it. He looked good. Really good. And with the smirk that usually annoyed her coming to his lips as they locked eyes, the only way Kate could describe him would be devilishly handsome. It was only after he sat down that she realized she was staring, so she quickly averted her gaze down to her plate. Thankfully, Copia did not say anything.

The conversation was light at first, with Loren and Primo asking Kate about her life and family. She recounted what she had told the others a few days ago. But once she mentioned her father taking on a business partner, Primo steered the conversation to that and what Copia had told him earlier.

“You are sure you do not know who this man is?”

Kate shook her head. “No. I never saw them. As far as I know, they met in Wayridge to do their business dealings. I don’t think he ever came by the house.”

“It is an odd coincidence that Jim miraculously comes into some money as soon as Saltarian rides into town,” Secondo commented.

“You see?” Copia said. “There is something there; I can feel it.”

“What has Saltarian wanted with you?” Terzo asked Primo.

Primo sighed. “Apparently, the same thing he wanted with Sheriff McDaniels in Wayridge. Though, from what I hear, the good sheriff did not make it in the fire….”

That was news to Kate, and she looked on in shock. “You mean… he’s dead?”

“Sì. I am sorry.”

Kate stared down at her plate again, struggling to process the news. McDaniel’s had always been so nice to her. He and her father had been close, so she viewed him almost as an uncle.

Loren, who was seated on the other side of her, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Kate could feel Copia’s eyes on her, though she refused to look up. She did not want to see the possible look of pity on his face.

"I would prefer we don't talk about this sort of thing at dinner," Loren said. "Wait until after."

Secondo nodded. "Agreed. Let us move on to more pleasant things."

"Pleasant things being your impending heir?" Terzo asked teasingly. 

Nihil turned to him. "That is a very pleasant thing. I do not see you giving me grandchildren anytime soon."

“When are you due?” Kate asked.

Loren smiled. “Any day now. That’s why Sec is acting like such a mother hen.”

“This is our first child, cara mia; I intend to do it right,” Secondo proclaimed.

“Our first, but definitely not our last,” she said with a smirk.

“You see? I must make sure this one goes well!”

Kate grinned and just so happened to catch Copia’s eye, who was also smiling. His smile was nice when he was not smirking. There was something about the look that passed between them that had Kate blushing and looking away. She knew what she was thinking, a shocking thought to be sure — that could be us — but what was he thinking? She briefly worried he might be able to read her mind, but that was silly.

The conversation stayed light for the rest of the dinner. The ghouls kept them laughing, which Kate appreciated. It was a nice distraction. She also learned that the female ghouls — called ghoulettes —were named Cumulus, Cirrus, and Stratus. She liked them.

After dinner, Kate insisted on helping Loren clean the dishes. It took some convincing, but Secondo intervened to say if Kate did not help, he would. That got Loren to agree.

She sat near the sink to dry the dishes while Kate took over the actual washing. The men went into the sitting area to discuss what they had started at the table.

“So,” Loren began. “You and Copia?”

Kate frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I saw the looks shared between you two. There was something there. A… spark.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Kate… Copia isn’t like his brothers. Primo and Secondo used to be a lot like Terzo, but Copia has never been. He's had a few ladies he's had dinner with, but nothing serious. The fact that he’s taken an interest in you, enough to have you staying here with us, speaks volumes.”

Kate shook her head. “He’s just trying to help me, nothing more. And I’m very grateful.”

Loren leaned close. “Maybe you should tell him that. I’ve seen that look on a man’s face before, you know. And I married him.”

The pair looked toward the door out at the brothers, who were in deep discussion. Kate had a perfect view of Copia’s profile. It was as though Copia sensed her looking and turned toward her. He sent her a small smile, one she returned.

"See?" Loren said. Kate turned to look at her, finding her smirking. "A spark."

Kate went back to scrubbing the dishes, willing her blush to go away. There was no doubt she was attracted to Copia, but it did not go beyond that, surely.

But when she chanced another glance at him, he also looked back at her. Both of them quickly looked away, embarrassed at having been caught. But despite herself, she smiled.

Maybe there was something to what Loren said….

***

After an hour of talking to his brothers, Copia returned to his room, feeling exhausted, the week’s worth of riding finally catching up to him. He removed his belt, set it on the dresser, and pulled off his burgundy shirt. He then paused, his reflection catching his attention in the mirror. He stepped over to the mirror and examined his arms and torso, taking in the marks and scars that went along with the hard life he lived. Most of them had gotten by way of defending others, namely Terzo. He had lost count of how many knife fights he had gotten into over the years. But the worst one…

He reached up and ran his fingers over a small, round wound on his chest, now mostly obscured by a tattoo. The one time he had been shot. The one time he thought he was going to die. But he had not, somehow pulling through. It still hurt sometimes if he moved his arm too much.

After that incident, it was as though he no longer feared death. Copia knew Primo and Secondo sometimes worried about him when he would charge into things without fully thinking of the consequences. They would accuse him of becoming too much like Terzo, of becoming too rash. Copia never saw it as rashness. He would see a problem and no one bold enough to do what needed to be done, so he would take it upon himself. Who else would be stupid enough to ride into a burning town?

Copia changed into softer pants and headed to bed, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Just a couple of hours later, Copia was roused from his sleep by the sound of crying. He shot up and ran out of his room, knowing it was Kate in the room next to his.

He did not even knock; he flew inside, found Kate thrashing around, tangled in her sheets, and hurried to her side.

"Kate? Kate!" Copia exclaimed, gently shaking her.

Kate awoke with a gasp, tears pouring down her cheeks. She immediately threw herself into his arms. Copia held her close, his lips against her forehead. He had no idea her nightmares were this bad.

“Shh, cara mia, you’re alright now. It’s okay.”

Kate’s hands struggled to find purchase on his bare back, and Copia had to do everything he could not to focus on how her hands felt on his skin. Now was not the time for that.

“He came back,” she sobbed. “Only this time, you were with me. Y-you heard a noise and went to check. Then I heard a gunshot, and Jim came to my r-room covered in blood, like he usually is, only this time, I kn-knew it was yours. He’d killed you!”

Copia held on tighter for a moment before he made a decision. She would not sleep alone, not anymore. Not until these nightmares ceased. Without a word or letting her go, he laid down and pulled the covers over them. Kate buried her face against his chest, crying freely.

He held her and spoke soft, reassuring words, letting her cry until she eventually quieted. Copia did not get any sleep that night and simply watched over her, making sure the nightmares did not return. He tried not to think about the fact that her dream had involved him being in her room, yet here he was, in bed with her, holding her close. It felt like this was where he belonged. He was meant to be here, holding her.

When Copia was sure she was asleep, he gently kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger for a moment, his resolve solidifying.

He had to stop Jim, one way or the other. Even if Jim was not working for Saltarian, it had become personal for Copia. He was becoming attached to Kate, and he would do whatever he could to keep her safe and make her happy. That was what he wanted above all else. He wanted to be the man that would make her happy.

He just hoped she wanted the same.

[moonsofmachinery]

Exams went well so heres some Ancients. Ero and Bliss!! These guys helped make CARB (Chicken and Rice Burrito- the weird malware-worm guy who I lovingly call my sona) These two are from VERY different parts of the world, pardon their anatomical differences. Ero is from a smaller, local raindown town which is very anti-bioengineering while Bliss comes from a very religious group known as the Mica who worship Meliora Flowers and love life. They're both best friends, by the way!

[grizouille]

Listen up!

I am a Pilgrim now 😂

But for real, this summer my husband and I hesitated between Scotland and Sweden for our holidays.

Finally we decided to go to Stockholm, so now I'm planning to visit some museums (Vikings museum, ABBA Museum,...) and a certain recording studio called RMV. Yup. That's where Meliora from Ghost was recorded. One of my favorite albums.

I am so f*cking impatient. Like a child really. I'm going to see soooo many beautiful castles and architectural monuments. Also the city reminds me of Venice (which I had visited and loved). Moreover I'll sleep in a hotel which is in a boat.

I can't wait to visit Tobias's country. I have to learn Swedish even more now! (I've already started but I'm a bit procrastinating). I study thanks to Duolingo btw 🤓

I'll post some pictures of that beautiful town for ya, if you want ❤️

[spade-riddles]

Submission:

I was going to type out a long post explaining why I think it’s POSSIBLE Karlie will be at Saturday’s show in Detroit. But I don’t have a lot of time to do that, and even IF she’s supposed to go, I don’t know if her plans will change due to the wildfire smoke. No idea if it’s a bigger health risk for pregnant women, and the stadium has a roof anyway, but still. Anyway, I’m just going to try to summarize the reasons Detroit seems like it could be interesting…

- Detroit = Motown = Motor + Town (it’s known for manufacturing Kars cars). Taylor has sung about Motown in KOMH and London Boy haha. Taylor has sung about cars about a million times. Karlie’s nickname is kar and she has been posting tons of pictures of her son’s toy cars for months. Maybe related to IDWTLF and Hits different being played last weekend. - Detroit is a French word, meaning “strait”. It sits between two of the Great Lakes. Flag anon sent, “see you on tour” in French. Maybe see you on tour in a city with a French name? Also maybe related to Taylor playing the lakes in Chicago last weekend.  

- Detroit area code: 313 👀 - Go to Wikipedia and read the English translation of detroit’s motto. I see connections to Taylor’s fire/burning themes and to you’re losing me (the line about being a Phoenix). 

Detroit's official motto — Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus — is Latin for “we hope for better things; it shall rise from the ashes.”

While you’re at it, look at Detroit’s flag, and what the two women on it represent. - Gaylord, Michigan is nowhere near Detroit but hey, that was random right? I mean I don’t think Cara, Taylor, or Karlie have any obvious ties to Michigan

And then there’s the date, June 10, 2023.

- Will be the 11th concert since pumpkin anon left. Story in 11 parts— was that a concert countdown, maybe? Also, read their 10th and 11th messages and compare to the end of Hits Different, which Taylor played last Sunday. - Will be Judy Garland’s 101st birthday. She played Dorothy in the wizard of oz and was an lgbtq icon (friend of Dorothy = lgbtq person). Relates to the song Dorothea and the music video for karma. Also, in the movie, Dorothy goes home at the end by clicking her ruby slipper heels together 3 times and repeating, “there’s no place like home.” Pumpkin anon repeated words three times a lot. They referenced a heel in the first message. They mentioned the color red a lot. Can’t remember if they mentioned rubies— I think so, but if not, could be a reference to maroon. Think about how Taylor uses her home as a theme throughout her recent works and the theme of going home in the wizard of oz, hits different, and the 10th and 11th pumpkin messages.

 - The Great Fire of 1805 burned almost all of Detroit to the ground on June 11th. The 10th is one day shy of the 218th anniversary of the fire. The fire is related to Detroit’s motto and flag imagery. They rebuilt the entire city afterwards. Later, in its heyday, Detroit was sometimes called, “the Paris of the west.” - Taylor’s first time performing at Ford field in Detroit was during the speak now tour, on June 11, 2011. This weekend will be her 5th and 6th shows there. Last time she was there was for her show immediately after Nashville, which is the one Karlie attended. Anyway, the 10th is one day shy of 12th anniversary of Taylor’s first show at ford field. Btw, it’s where the Detroit lions (football) play. Kk is a Leo. - Spade sent “…” on June 10, 2020. We have theorized the dots could each symbolize one year. Well 3 years later is Saturday. Also, the ellipses are out of order in the message. Spade later put them at the beginning: …🖤. So maybe: 3 years after June 10, 2020, the love blackout ends.

I think that’s everything off the top of my head. Clearly even if Karlie doesn’t show up, there are so many weird koincidences this weekend. I know she’s quite pregnant, but she was out and about earlier this week and the vip tents have chairs and snacks. I mean there were a couple of football players’ wives who were like 39 or 40 weeks pregnant at the Super Bowl last year. Iirc they brought their doctors along just in case, but it was fine and they had healthy babies soon after. So, clearly not impossible for people with money, as long as she’s up for it and isn’t worried about the smoke. We’ll see! So many interesting parallels regardless.

[m3loria]

❛  WELCOME TO MY WORLD ❜

 ꒷꒦ insight from user _luvfix! ─ 041720

﹙ ✦ ﹚ as we all know, there's sight of a new group debuting under louvix audio next month. we are all.. clearly, very fucking confused as to what is going on, but we've been let it on some things. it's a boy group, they're clearly going to have more members than RiX, and they're going to be called ❝ MELIORA ❞, pretty name i have to admit, even with the speculation. i'm aware that RiX disbanded about four years ago now, so bringing them up again seems to be a bit of an odd choice, but in the end, they all connect together with a specifically crafted string of events. the formation of this new group (who we weren't even aware was being formed until early january) can be thanks to many of these events. whether they will be successful or not is a mystery, but for now i simply hope the company has changed their ways.

TRACK I : the company ❪ LOUViX AUDiO ❫

if you'll believe me, louvix audio originally started out as a tiny family business out in the small town of namwon-si in the north jeolla province in 1991. the company started as a private record label that managed miniature talent around the city, the original ceo soo jinho and his wife min sarang operated the company, and their son soo jaejin (our future & now ex ceo). in the early 90s all throughout the late years of the decade when it was first formed, louvix audio could be described as invisible, simply a label no one had ever heard of that tried their best to get out of their mountains of debt with trot songs no one exactly wanted to hear. a far cry from what this mess of a label has became today, but in the days where it was at it's lowest, there seemed to be no potential.

but though all hope seemed lost, our good friend jaejin seemed to see potential in the company with an admittedly catchy name. it took him a few years to actually convince his parents to reroute the company to seoul, mainly because they never wanted it to be more than it was, they were planning on shutting down the company by the end of the decade, but he knew he couldn't lose such a gem without doing something with it.

so jaejin did something just a little dirty.. he lied to his parents. once his parents had abided by his wishes, he swindled his father out of the ceo position! truly not his best course of action.. because he got disowned almost immediately. but who cares? he had a company, and a plan, which was easier said than done, because breaking into the entertainment industry as a no name company in a place as big as seoul would prove to be difficult, and it was evidently.

for the time being, whilst trying to make themselves known among the idol industry, louvix audio began a little bit of a career patching firm for actors and actresses who seemed to have effectively destroyed their own careers. while they were trying to make their name in the idol industry, slowly they became much more known for taking in the people who had pitch forks at their throats and made them seem more.. human, even with the eyebrow raising suspicions most people in the public had about this whole.. thing.

before ever reaching the success they did with their second boy group, louvix audio had a few idol group projects, projects we'll get into in the next section.. projects that frankly, no one gave a shit about. maybe the creativity was too ahead of it's time, or maybe it's just that no one had enough time to pay attention to groups from tiny companies that tried to patch up broken careers. most of their early groups disbanded within one year of their career, and if they even did get some attention, tragedy after tragedy followed them, causing for their collapse.

though there was a clear decline in attention throughout their early days, louvix audio eventually rose to the infamy they're now left with. it was really in the 2000s that they started to pick up momentum in the industry they so desperately wanted to get into. i assume that a cheshire grin must've spread across jaejin's face once he realized what the company was good for, producing "angels", marketing their idols as the sweetest beings to ever grace the earth, up the parasocialness, deliver to fans' every single request.

the company made a name for themselves for having "sweet" idols, their groups following 2001 always being crafted as sweet trainees who simply wanted to make music together. they had a reputation for fixing careers, so it only made sense that their idols would.. naturally be sweet.

and that's how it was for almost up to two decades. with jaejin as ceo, louvix audio quite literally lived up to their name, they were regarded as "the lovely's", and who could really argue with that? they were so good at covering their tracks and keeping their idols without scandal that it seemed the lovely facade they placed upon their idols wasn't much of a facade at all. it wasn't until 2016, with the disbandment of their biggest group, the uncovering of jaejin's years of tax fraud and forging, as well lawsuit after lawsuit against the company for complaints such as child endangerment, unfair pay, the violation of child labor laws, and so much more that the rose tinted glasses had been lifted.

after spending so long building his company up from ash, getting disowned by his parents and making sure to do anything to achieve public spotlight, soo jaejin, along with several staff members (including dance teachers, vocal coaches, and even musical producers) were charged for their crimes. quite literally more than half of their entire company were either behind bars or now fired, which included the ceo. their last big group disbanded, and everything was now back at square one.

there was silence for about a year and a half, until someone new took the position of ceo, who is our current ceo today, a woman by the name of mae eunkyung. her main job was 'to patch up this mess of a company', as she said in an interview after obtaining her ceo position. she's been here since the beginning, practically doing everything for louvix audio back when they were trying their best to make their name big. she's often suspected to be the secret lover of our former ceo, who, it's important to be said, did confess to having an affair with someone in that company, but it's most likely to be someone who caught charges with him in comparison to the woman who seems to have such a clean slate with no sign of mishaps whatsoever.

in all honesty, she seems too perfect, which is pretty shocking because who expects much from kpop ceos these days? it seems that every other month a ceo is purposefully sabotaging their own groups, but i guess a ceo being a decent person is enough to make me have a little more faith in humanity.

so!! that's where we are now, the current ceo is a woman who is much too nice that it causes suspicion, and almost everyone has been changed to avoid the same situation from happening again. seems that they dropped the whole "angel" thing too, but it doesn't mean they still don't have some strange marketing tactics. considering this will be their first group in four years, i'm curious to see what they'll try to pull now.. but i guess all we can do is wait.

꒦꒷ ʾ THEPROFiLE !

NAME LOUVIX AUDIO

TYPE PRIVATE

FOUNDER SOO JINHO & MIN SARANG

FOUNDED MAY 16, 1991

BASED GANGNAM, SEOUL, SK

TRACK II : a turbulent first few years ❪ the first groups ❫

though they've now had their existences completely scrubbed from the public eye, courtesy of jaejin's own insistence, the first few groups of louvix audio became the building blocks for the groups coming in the future. they've unfortunately never reached the fame their successors would have, which sucks in hindsight because these groups and their early disbandments were the only reason louvix audio and their future groups could rise to the top like they so desperately wanted to. it's sad to see how quickly they faded from view, and how the company did so much to erase them from everywhere they could. considering most of these groups were pre-youtube, we only know about their existences because of the members again bringing them back into the limelight with their own videos.

VALENTINE R!SING 「 1997–1998 」 was the first ever group out of louvix audio, a group that put pink in.. well everything. it was strange to discover that their first ever group was a girl group considering the company is better known for their boy groups, and it's also pretty strange that their lineup was so stacked.. yet they didn't fare well. their lineup consisted of a breakthrough actress, a rising mc, the daughter of a famous music producer, a former solo artist, and.. some unknown. the lineup seemed to be destined for success, they were pink pop perfection, but their downfall was also inevitable. their debut barely gained traction, and when it did, it was only because the members didn't exactly seem happy to be on stage. the members were picked apart for their clear lack of passion for the idol life, and when the buzz down died, so did everything else about them. in recent years they've gained some traction because their old title tracks are much too irresistible, but the members will never return to the idol industry, some of them fading into the background.

꒦꒷ ʾ THEPROFiLE !

GROUP NAME VALENTINE R!SING ( 발렌타인 라이징 )

FANDOM NAME CHOCOLATE HEARTS

DEBUT DATE FEBRUARY 14, 1997

DISBANDMENT DATE SEPTEMBER 2, 1998

MEMBERS KYUNGHWA, MIHEE, SOMIN, JIAE, CHANMI

LAND (lost angels of neverland) 「 1998–1998 」 was a boy group clearly ahead of their time, i have to say, their concept was pretty magical, i'm hoping for a resurgence in the near future. the group that sported four members captured the hearts of the public pretty quickly, and they could've been something if the company actually cared to put any effort into using their fame. the problem with them was that they were all piggybacking off the success of their center member, who, after an insane modeling gig, became the only member people actually bothered to remember. even people who didn't stan the group knew him by name, and when that happened, so did the jealousy. the group fell apart in a matter of eight months, all of it culminating into a physical altercation that left their reputation strained. if louvix audio just put a little more effort, maybe they would be remembered as a group with a promising concept and good music.. but i guess were in the universe where it was all destined to go wrong.

꒦꒷ ʾ THEPROFiLE !

GROUP NAME LOST ANGELS OF NEVERLAND ( 네버랜드의 잃어버린 천사들 )

FANDOM NAME ETERNITY

DEBUT DATE JANUARY 20, 1998

DISBANDMENT DATE SEPTEMBER 25, 1998

MEMBERS JUNHO, ZERO, HYUNJUN, TAESOO

AETHRA 「 2000–2002 」 was a trio that were as popular as they were a ticking time bomb. though they only lasted a good two years, they carved a name for themselves in a more infamous way than the members probably would've wanted. consisting of aeri, tahlia, and runa, the group would garner the most success louvix audio had captured in years, especially opening up to the japanese market, the members were terrific moneymakers for the company that had been struggling for the better half of a year. though they had good beginnings, the members quickly fell into a deep cycle of partying, substances, and violence that took up their lives more than actually being idols did. it all culminated into their final stage in 2002, where all three members, exhausted beyond recognition, decided to quit the idol life and walk off stage. it began with runa, who expressed her frustrations with the industry before stomping off, then followed by aeri and tahlia. the company was forced to make a statement about their decisions, stating that each member had requested to terminate their contracts, and even with the chaos in their lives, the three remain friends to this day, still despising louvix audio.

꒦꒷ ʾ THEPROFiLE !

GROUP NAME AETHRA ( 에이트라 )

FANDOM NAME 7TH HEAVEN

DEBUT DATE MAY 15, 2000

DISBANDMENT DATE AUGUST 1, 2002

MEMBERS AERI, TAHLIA, RUNA

so yeah.. the first few attempts were met with disappointment after disappointment, it's a wonder that they didn't just give up and went through with their whole 'actors rehabilitation project' or whatever that was, but i guess it wasn't a mistake for them to not stop, because they're biggest successes would come in the following years, even if it came with some sacrifices.

TRACK III : now comes the success! ❪ the golden groups ❫

it would all become something in the mid 2000s, which is when our named company finally found their calling, producing the most "angelic" of idols who would capture the hearts of the public, all with clean slates and completely free of scandal. they would, quite literally, put every other company to shame with the amount of parasocialness they allowed to pass by, their idols would be beloved simply due to the fact that the company had insanely good marketing. when you look back at it now, it's dangerous how much the company let breeze past just to keep up the images of their idols, but then again, when has a kpop company ever been necessarily ethical?

RIX (meaning 'rising of six') 「 2006–2016 」 was the group back in their heyday. if you didn't like them, everyone assumed you were trying to be different. the hexad quickly captured the hearts of the public for their down to earth attitude and genuine group bond, they were beloved because they just seemed like a group of guys who liked making music together. RIX were jaejin's magnum opus, following their debut in 2006, they shot to soaring heights of success, winning rookie award after rookie award, nothing could compare to their success, they were a powerhouse of a group. a good year after their debut, they were dubbed "angels", they were so loved that it seemed physically impossible for any of them to slip up.

for the ten years they were made to stay together, RIX practically held up the louvix audio building, everything they touched turned into gold, they were selling things out left and right. they had charmed south korea, then they charmed japan, then china, then thailand, then they completely charmed the west with their indescribable charisma, they were hard to miss in 2007–2011, they were quite literally everywhere. you couldn't get rid of them, unfortunately, and because of their success, it was only right to push single after single out of them. the group were overworked yes, but they kept it all under wraps with their perfectly placed smiles, smiles that were a little too perfect to actually be anything real.

but while their success was enjoyed, there always has to be an end. though RIX was originally meant to disband in 2013, on account of the seven year contract all of them had signed with the company, they went on for three years longer than they initially planned, it only took some begging from their higher ups, who practically depended on them for the income the company was making at the time. the last few years of RIX's activity were slow.. nothing like their glory days where you could find them plastered everywhere, painted smiles all up, figurative halos circled over their heads, screams after screams dedicated to them, it seemed that they simply went into hiding, what happened? where the hell did they go? people begged louvix audio for updates, but in an unusual manner, the company kept their silence.

hey remember that whole 2016 incident that put half of louvix audio's staff in jail including their ceo? yeah, the reason all the commencing lawsuits got so much traction was because the six members of RIX each filed lawsuits to end their contracts, along with every other charge staff members at the company had brought against them, the group had also accused the company of looking past physical abuse against their own trainees and idols, abuse that ranged from the usual forced diets to some trainees even accusing staff members of putting their own hands on them (which didn't stop at those who were underage). the whole thing was a mess, a legal battle that ended in louvix audio keeping copyright of RIX's name, and the group disbanding after ten years together.

to this day, even with new groups having debuted after them, louvix audio will never replicate the success they had with RIX, there seemed to be something raw, genuine, real about them. even today they are remembered as a loved group, the members saw particular horrors under that company, but they remain best friends till this day. they'll probably never be a group again, yes, but they'll stay in good memory.

꒦꒷ ʾ THEPROFiLE !

GROUP NAME RIX — RISING OF SIX ( 릭스 / 라이징 오브 식스 )

FANDOM NAME LUCKY8

DEBUT DATE APRIL 5, 2006

DISBANDMENT DATE JULY 19, 2016

MEMBERS MINHYUK, MAESI, FANG, DAE, ISEUL, SIHYUK

ANGELS KISS! 「 2007–2012 」 could've been the group, they were the group honestly, but there was a huge issue, louvix audio was only focused on RIX. though their first girl group in seven years was met with a similar amount of success, the company put a clear emphasis on their predecessors, and because of that, they started putting cracks into the carefully crafted facade their former group was so heavily keeping up. though their company was known for producing "angelic idols", as the years went on, the members slowly put that image to question. they were blasted for having "attitudes", being "attention seekers", they clearly bickered during behind the scenes interviews and not all of them got along it seemed. they were putting the "angelic idol view" that their company has crafted to shame with their shenanigans.

in comparison to their male counterparts, the members of ANGELS KISS! were deemed as "rowdy and rebellious". the members were often seen partying, drinking, doing substances, a lot of them were accused of dating around. they were deemed "whores", they were slutshamed, they were called irresponsible simply because they had private lives. did it all matter if they were performing well on stage? none of them ever gave 0%. they loved their jobs, they just also loved having lives outside of that job. they totally weren't jeopardizing anything!! they delivered good music and were never slacking, so who cared?

everybody, the answer is everybody. now, louvix audio isn't exactly a perfect company, but they were the company that composed of the perfect idols, so with a group that was challenging that carefully placed image, they had the least amount of content given as a result. the group worked day in and day out, killed themselves at practice to be given minimal rewards from their own company. their labelmates were the favorites, they got all the shiny stages and five star hotels, got to perform in the biggest stadiums in the country, but them? eh, they were also there. it didn't matter if they even sold out RIX in some aspects, it didn't matter if their fans were begging for bigger venues, for them to go to their countries, for them to expand to the west, this was what louvix audio felt they needed.

it seemed to work well, for the time being, the members got their act together (which meant they just began sneaking around), and they were rewarded for it. their success expanded, they caught the hearts of japan, of the us, of everyone. they were just like their seniors, except they brought girl crush like nobody ever did before. they were loved because they were unapologetic, maybe some people got bored of the picture perfect image RIX would showcase, stating that ANGELS KISS! was clearly the less fake of the two. the members were obvious about their issues, they didn't disguise anything, they showed everything, which included the ugly. if two members had fought, you would know, if the members were having trouble during promotions, you would know. they was still a facade there, but their smiles didn't look completely plastic, they had.. personality.

of course, this world isn't exactly fair, and the group eventually got a worse end than their seniors. it was in early 2012 that the "exposé" dropped. a former staff member, who had, in her own words, had been holding a grudge against the members, decided to go all out and blast all of ANGEL KISS!'s business in a lengthy document that would be copied, shared, and mark it's place in kpop as something that in retrospect, was not as messy as people made it seem, but back then? back then you'd think the members were sacrificing infants in rituals with how bad the outrage had gotten. the former staff member had hacked into the leaders phone, leaking everything of her's for the world to see. her messages between the members, her personal email, her family's personal information, and worst of all, her photos, personal photos, personal details, everything, it was a shit show. then, in the following months, the same would happen to each member, the person clearly had a grudge they were holding, and because of this "exposé" that member YEONA was revealed to have a relationship with ISEUL of RIX.

but why would this be bad on the girls? i hear you question. it's not like they necessarily did anything wrong, they had their privacy invaded by someone they thought they could trust. well, louvix audio didn't take too kindly to this. no no, they found it more important to punish the members than catch the culprit first. ANGELS KISS! would be put on an extended hiatus for months, canceling their oncoming tour with their largest US venue ever and completely scrubbing the internet of their existence. for months, whilst the investigation was ongoing, people were wondering what would happen if the group. they were finally answered when, later that year, the company announced that each of the girls decided to terminate their contracts with the company, ending their journey as a group together after just five years, three years of their original contract left. the news was devastating, people were angered, and they have every right to be! the group disbanded over something that wasn't even their fault.

but even with the protesting trucks, the petitions, the outrage, what was done was done, ANGELS KISS! would never again be a group, they were finished. it would be revealed later that the company had forced YEONA and ISEUL to break up, forbidding any of the members from even getting anywhere near the building. it's devastating really, because, if you take away everything, all of the members had their lives destroyed over something that could've been easily done with, but no, the company decided to end them. to this day, we still hope for the group to at least make mention of their old name, but it seems that the members all seem happier now that they're out of the idol life. i can only hope for the best for them.

꒦꒷ ʾ THEPROFiLE !

GROUP NAME ANGELS KISS! ( 엔젤 키스 )

FANDOM NAME AUREOLE

DEBUT DATE JULY 30, 2007

DISBANDMENT DATE NOVEMBER 20, 2012

MEMBERS EUNHYE, YEONA, AMARIS, NABI, BLAIRE

﹙ ✦ ﹚ well there you have it! most of the history of louvix audio and the clown show that was their groups before meliora. this is a little personal, but i was around for the craze of the last two, even own some of their albums.. with that being said, i really do hope this new ceo is hoping to change things, the company's always had problems, and we really don't want any more hacking staff members. i don't think i'll be tuning in for MELIORA, but i wish the members the best of luck under a company with a history such as this one. — user _luvfix

[black-metal-bard]

Now that I'm actually putting a lot of thought into Lore for the living branch of the Dilisnya family as they appear in my campaign, and the Dilisnya Keep is going to be the Party's home base, I feel like I should actually make A CITY for the Dilisnya family to have been ruling, since they're an ancient family Strahd saw fit to ally with.

Since I've decided that the Dilisnyas in this campaign have a very complicated relationship with Hell and Demonic Study, I've decided to name the city Diavoras(mashing together the Romanian words for Demon and Town; thus, the city Mel inherited is literally called "Demon Town".

Now I have to think of the culture around it.

I feel like it would be thematically appropriate to the town of our extended campaign and Meliora's ~Vibes~ if the town itself had kind of a tourist trap feel; like that town near Area 51 that has all the Alien stuff. Just like, they take the idea of their Count being a fucked up Demonologist and RUN with it.

I think this will provide a nice contrast between Diavoras and the rest of Oorth; since Oorth(the setting) as a whole is very low magic and fearful of demons.

This would also provide a good in-universe explanation for WHY Adora(Meliora's mother) came to work for Dilisnya Keep in the first place--few options for Tieflings to find steady work on Oorth would have made Diavoras an attractive place for a Tiefling to start building a life.

Tieflings are also much less common on Oorth, since magic itself is less common, so there is much less opportunity for blood curses that create tiefling lineages to happen.

Diavoras, as a weird tourist attraction city, will be a lot more welcoming of whatever strange creatures the Party end up being than the rest of Oorth.(there is at least one Half-Drow, and Surface-Oorth somewhat frequently wars with the Lolth-Ruled Drow underground, so that should be fun. Especially since he is also a Dhampir that has firmly sworn his loyalty to Strahd. It's still up in the air if my brother is going to continue playing his Tiefling Dream Druid, the guy who usually DMs is playing a Sorcerer-Shifter who THINKS he's a Cleric, and it's still 100% up in the air what his wife is playing.).

There would also be more people willing to discuss the Hedge-Mage Colleges. Magic may be frowned upon, but that doesn't mean mages of all stripes don't gather to study or learn to harness their abilities.

[cardinal-copia-popia]

Thanks, ghestie! @copiousloverofcopia

Well, let's see... I've got a lot 😅 I'll do what you did and just list the ones I haven't posted yet

A Town Called Meliora

Somewhere To Belong

One-shot Mood Slime

Egon Part 2

Hide Us In Shadow

Terzo x Aris

Copia x childhood friend

Someday Soon I'm Gonna Make Him Mine (tentative)

Uh... for tagging? I don't know. I've been loving cowboy Copia, so I'll tag @ramblingoak

WIP Tagging Game

Thank you for the tag @sweatandwoe 💜 Unfortunately I am SLOW, a sloth if you will, a slave to corporations... so I only have like... one. Please don't be disappointed lol

RULES: post the names of the files in your WIP folder (art, fics or both), regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! Tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Cardinal confession time

I'll tag @copiousloverofcopia because why not 💜

[slavghoul]

Ghost and Sweden

I felt inspired to cobble together a loose collection of references Ghost made to their homeland of Sweden in music, lore and elsewhere, so here it is. There may be a few other trivia scattered along the way too. Feel free to add on to this post if you noticed something else & enjoy ;-)

--

Deus Culpa, the opening instrumental song on Opus Eponymous, is actually a traditional Swedish poem/song titled “Gläns över sjö och strand” [“Starlight on sea and sand”, also known under the name “Betlehems stjärna” – “Star of Betlehem”] recorded on a harmonium and played backwards. In Sweden, the song is mostly associated with Christmas as it tells the story of the birth of Jesus. In an interview with Sweden Rock Magazine, Tobias mentioned once he chose Gläns över sjö och strand because he thinks it’s beautiful. It was played backwards for an additional creepy factor, but also to avoid potential copyright issues. You can listen to the original here.

Ghost songs with Swedish titles:

Spöksonat – translates to ‘ghost sonata’. The motif in the melody was later used in Rats. Generally speaking, Meliora and Prequelle were both conceived at the same time, but together with producer Klas Ahlund, Tobias decided that Meliora would be released first, and Prequelle second. Though in 2015 Tobias “spoiled” the existence of Rats when he wrote this in a track-by-track guide to Meliora: “(…) the first half of this song is a spiderlike creeping little piece from a song called "RATS," which you will know about within a couple of years.”

Helvetesfönster – translates literally to ‘hell’s window’. Helvetesfönster is term dating back to 1400s depicting a particular type of dress that reveals women’s breasts from the side, which was believed attracted sin – hence, they were seen as windows to hell.

Satans Natt – translates to ‘Satan’s Night’. It was the original Swedish version of Stand By Him, written in 2006. Tobias wrote the song as a ‘parody’ of satanic / occult rock bands, but enjoyed the sound so much that eventually, with the help of his friend Gurra, he decided to turn it into a bigger project and wrote two more songs in the same vein (Death Knell and Prime Mover), and that’s more or less how Ghost was born.  

Ghost has also covered songs by Swedish artists (links are to the originals):

I’m A Marionette by ABBA

Bible by Imperiet (+ Swedish version)

Crucified by Army of Lovers

As evidenced by intro to The Summoning videos, the Ghost ministry is located in Lincopia, Otrogothia the name of which is based on Ghost’s hometown of Linköping, which historically is located in Östergötland (Latin: Ostrogothia), one of the traditional provinces of Sweden. While Lincopia is simply Latin for Linköping, Otrogothia may possibly be a double entendre: a word play on ‘Ostrogothia’ and a Swedish word ‘otro’ meaning religious infidelity.

The place was also referenced in Ghost Grale Lincopia IPA, a beer once sold by Ghost, whose description in the stores read as follows:

The name Lincopia refers to Otrogothia, a controversial and heavily disputed tenth level of the Inferno, as described by Dante Alighieri. Considered at the time to portray hell in a positive light, as it welcomed both saints and sinners, it was deemed blasphemous and thus deleted from the original manuscript, leaving Inferno with the now legendary nine levels.

--

The album art for Opus Eponymous, created by none other than Erik Danielsson of Watain, depicts the Linköping Cathedral (Linköping domkyrka). Tobias about the church:

One church in particular that inspired awe in Forge was the Linkoping Domkyrka. “Even in my hometown of Linkoping where I grew up … the Church we had was very lavish—very boasty. So it ticked most of the boxes of big imposing Christianity. And I love being there if I’m in town … because it’s just this haunting place,” Forge explained. “The walls are just whispering there—literally because people engraved things in the stone. It goes back to the 1700s when kids were in there for Bible school and you see someone engraving his name and it says something like ‘June 3rd, 1772.’

--

The casual outfit of Papa Emeritus III is based on a uniform worn by King Gustav lll of Sweden during the coup d'état in 1772 (the Swedish Revolution), with a few changes made. The grucifix emblem which Papa III (and later also Cardinal Copia) wore is based on The Royal Order of the Seraphim - the highest order of chivalry in Sweden worn by Swedish royalty to this day. 

The three crowns integrated into the grucifix (lower left part in the centre) are a reference to the national emblem of Sweden, while the lion head (lower right) is a reference to Linköping’s municipal coat of arms. These same symbols are also visible on Papa IV’s vestments:

And last but not least, the grucifix flag which Papa Emeritus IV displays proudly on the poster for the 2022 European tour seems to resemble the national flag of Sweden.

[doiefy]

wip reveal game 💅

rules: post the names of all the files in your wip folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have wips.

pigs in the sky (murder mystery, lawyer doyoung and PI reader, i swear this will be out soon)

faceless (s2463 dystopia, doyoung, i forgot about this)

copper wires and steel hearts (s2463 dystopia, android mark and reader told in emails and research files)

i just want revenge (and a little bit more) (fof spin-off, crime syndicate, xiaojun)

ballroom extravaganza (crime syndicate, hacker jaehyun x hitman doyoung, i’m so fucking excited for this one)

at dusk (death game, vampire doyoung)

ad meliora (modern vampire, final epilogue to respice finem, johnny)

for old times’ sake (i already posted this but wanted to expand on it and rename it. modern vampire, respice finem interlude)

our last dream (modern vampire, hendery)

city pop vampire (modern vampire, artist ten)

tokyo dreaming (indie filmmaker yuta)

over the ocean call (siren taeil, siren doyoung, bookstore owner reader, sirens in a small town)

as if i’m gonna finish all of these 💀💀

tagged by @neonun-au and @lebrookestore

tagging @heartshyuck @itsapapisongo @kjmsupremacist @neo-shitty anyone else interested :)

[openheartfanfics]

Newly Added Fics

Nov 27 - Dec 3  

🎭 Angst  |  🛸 AU  |  ☁ Fluff  |  ♥ NSFW  |  📚 Series  |  📷 Edit  |  📱 TextFic  |  Ⓜ Mature

Bryce x F!MC

Always & Forever - @peonierose ☁

Moonlight - @eleanorbloom 📚 [extended: wip] 

Part Five: Gravity

Only Love - @peonierose ☁ Wacky Drabble - Prompt 120 ”How long (are we/am I) supposed to wait?“

Ethan x F!MC

Everything We Need - @txemrn 🦃☁ While attending the Bloom’s Thanksgiving dinner party, Dr. Tatum Erikson reminisces her earliest memories of the holiday, and learns quickly that those humble traditions won’t soon be forgotten thanks to her new family. 

Fix It Series - @gryffindordaughterofathena 📚 [extended: wip] Fixing plot holes in Book 2 and 3 [Date] 

Chapter 10 : MELIORA

House Calls - @jerzwriter 📚 [mini: wip]  Casey gets the flu, and Ethan realizes how much he wants to be there for her… but can’t. [Illness] 

Part 1

Sleeping Beauty - @genevievemd 🎭 Ethan struggles to survive after Gen slips into a coma. (Part 2 of Shades of Regret) [Illness; Confession] 

Struggles - @potionsprefect 🎭 Despite how much he wants to, he finds it difficult to talk to her

The Cradle Will Fall - @chaoticchopshopheart 📚 [extended: wip]  After the hopeful Hearts Gala when things are going great for Penelope and Ethan, a ghost from Ethan’s past surfaces with a shocking revelation. Ethan had supposedly unknowingly fathered a child in their brief time together.

Part 6

Walk Above the City - @anonymousrookie 🎄📚 [mini: wip] They find themselves in the same city three years after he left for the Amazon and she left Edenbrook. When truths are revealed, will it be too late for a Christmas miracle? [Amazon; Left Town] 

Love Triangle 

The Competition - @takeharryandgo​ 🛸📚 [extended: wip] Ethan x F!MC x Tobias

Chapter 9: Precipice

Sienna x M!OC

Family Traditions - @liaromancewriter 📅🎄☁ Max and Sienna introduce their son to family traditions and make new memories during the holiday season. [Kids] 

Tobias x F!MC

Giving In - @jerzwriter ♥ After years of friendship and wanting more, Casey and Tobias lovingly give in to their desire.

See You Again - @jerzwriter Ⓜ🎭 Tobias learns about the importance of friendship, and how to move on, after tragedy strikes. [Hurt/Comfort; Someone Died] 

_

SUBMIT OPEN HEART FICS & WRITERS HERE

[deathkeeper]

𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐠𝐨𝐝: 𝚖𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚊 𝚑𝚊𝚟��𝚕

the realm of kaerdia isle is proud to welcome MELIORA HAVEL, the GATEKEEPER / FARMER. as a NECROMANCER, SHE has been said to be ADVENTUROUS, CAREFUL, and RESOURCEFUL before although others have said that SHE can be PRIDEFUL, CUNNING, and POSSESSIVE as well. MELIORA is said to resemble OLIVIA LIANG, except maybe when SHE is SATISFIED. just TWENTY-FOUR ( TWO HUNDRED THIRTEEN ) years old, MELIORA has called kaerdia isle home for ONE MONTH.

hey! i’m josie, i’m super excited to be here! like i’ve been dying to write a new supernatural muse and the vibe of this entire rp spoke to me! i’m always up for plotting, i have a connection ideas page for inspo for possible connections with this chaotic mess, where you can find HERE.

𝖆 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖈𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖈𝖐𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖉 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍

death trigger warning (for most of this) and religion trigger warning

Meliora was born to two witches who only used their magic for good to help the growing community they raised her in

Both were found out and burnt at the stake when she was twelve, forced to watch them in her religious home town

Since she didn’t show any magic, they let her live with her human aunt who vouched for the young girl.

But little did everyone know, she took a few spell books and magic items from her house before they burnt down everything and secretly started practicing her magic to find a way to bring her parents back.

At thirteen she came across necromancy from a town over where there were a coven who practiced dark magic.

The same year, she attempted to bring her parents back but failed, making her angry that she couldn’t get it done on the first try

For the next two years, she practiced her necromancy, bringing animals back to life until she was able to get their full consciousness and talk to the dead without needing a ritual first

At fifteen, her aunt and her got into a fight about magic where she had a magic surge fly her aunt back, breaking her neck and killing her

In the mix of her emotions, she tried to bring her aunt back, succeeding for the first time with a human even with all of her memories and bones in place

But after a few days of her aunt being pissed off and mad about her magic, Meliora killed her again, this time keeping her dead as she felt she was better than any God, even finding out that her aunt was the reason her family moved there and assume the reason they were found out knowing about her hatred for magic

For the next few years she practiced and learned everything she could about necromancy and even farming to survive, knowing that not every witch were able to do what she did, even using her magic to help her grow things

When she turned twenty-four she decided to do something bold, self-resurrection, something she only read about in books with no real information of it ever being successful for any witch

But she used the town that killed her parents as the stage, revealing her magic to them so they could burn her at the stake like they did her parents

But little did they know, she used it as a ritual, succeeding in her self-resurrection and then murdering the entire town afterwards.

For the next hundred and eighty nine years, she travelled and caused chaos in her path, helping people who she felt worthy of her powers and tormenting those who dared to cross her

While traveling she heard about the Realm of Kaerdia Isle, hoping that maybe for once she could feel like she belonged but how do someone who sees themselves as a God fit in anywhere?

this is a mess, i’ve literally been trying to write this since i’ve joined but my internet hates me. but i’m always down to talk about her and her back story or whatever. if anyone wanna plots pls feel free to hmu or even like this and i’ll come to you! honestly, i’ve literally done so much research about necromancy and like the lore of it is all over the place (literally) so i’m using lore from whatever i can find that deals with necromancy and wanna definitely use that as a tool for her character development on learning where necromancy originated and if anyone in her family was a necromancer.

[cardinal-copia-popia]

A Town Called Meliora, Chapter 2

Read HERE on AO3

Chapter 1

Warnings: a smidge of violence at the beginning

Chapter 2: On the Road

Kate had one of her recurring nightmares that night, the one about Jim coming into her room covered in blood. She never saw him, but she knew it was her father's.

Jim was all smiles as he approached her, even though she was cowering in the corner, tears coursing down her cheeks.

"You're finally mine," he would say and attempt to grab her, to pull her into his arms. 

She would usually force herself awake at that point, but this time, the dream continued. 

Before Jim could get to her, a voice called from the doorway, and as soon as Jim turned around to see who it was, there was a crack of a gunshot, making Kate jump. Jim cried out in pain and fell to the side, clutching his stomach.

Kate cried harder, thinking whoever had shot Jim would shoot her next. But as she looked up at the person now slowly walking into the room, the spurs around their booted feet jingling with each step, she realized that was not the case. It took her a moment to recognize who it was.

In the shadows under the brim of the black stetson shone a white eye, fixed on Jim, who was writhing on the floor in pain. Gunmetal glinted in the room's dim light, and another gunshot tore through the air. Kate jumped again, covering her face with her hands, not wanting to see Jim's body go limp or see the dark shine of blood seeping out and into the floorboards.

The next thing she knew, smooth, leather-clad fingers wrapped around her wrists and gently pulled her hands away from her face. Through her tears, she gazed up into the mismatched eyes of the man who had saved her from Jim during the fire.

"You are safe now, Signora," Copia said quietly.

Without a thought, Kate threw herself into Copia’s arms, sobbing in relief. Copia's hold on her was firm yet gentle, with one arm around her waist and his other hand cradling the back of her head.

“You will always be safe with me, tesoro. Always.”

Kate awoke with a small gasp the moment she felt Copia’s lips touch her forehead. It was dawn, the steadily rising sun casting long shadows over the ground. She could hear the ghouls moving around and speaking in low tones near the horses. Across from her, a little way up the hill from the outcropping of rocks, stood Terzo and Omega, their backs to her, gesturing around as if deciding which way to go once they headed out.

Only then did she notice the warmth of a body at her back and the gentle puff of air on her neck. Copia was not touching her anywhere, but he was close enough to provide a little bit of warmth. Kate’s instinct was to lean back into him, remembering how surprisingly safe she felt in his arms when she had been riding with him the night before. She should not feel safe with any of them at all. If she were smart, she would be running for the hills as fast as she could.

She knew the stories surrounding the Emeritus men and their… ghouls. Hellspawn is what they were. No wonder they always wore those masks, hiding their true identities. Copia and Terzo’s father, Nihil, had rumors swirling around him for years about him being a devil worshiper, so it seemed only logical to assume his sons would be, too.

She sat up quickly, drawing her blanket tightly to her, and looked down at Copia. If he was a devil worshiper, he was a handsome one. But that was probably how he drew people in… 

The movement woke him. He blinked a few times and then smiled up at her sleepily.

“Buongiorno, Signora. Sleep well?”

The rasp of sleep in his voice made her involuntarily shiver. There was no point in denying his handsomeness, no matter what he was, with his neatly trimmed mustache and sideburns and the dusting of scruff on his cheeks from not having shaved since the morning before. And that smile of his… It was infuriating, really. Whenever he smiled at her, he seemed so smug, like he knew something she did not.

“Just fine, thank you.”

He sat up next to her, his gaze trailing over her, not in a leering or intrusive way. It was more of just an assessment, as if he was making sure for himself that she was alright. 

“That is good, then. I was worried you might get too cold.”

“I was comfortable enough.”

That smirk of his came back. “Then I am pleased my presence was not entirely unwelcome.”

Kate huffed and stood, straightening her dress and folding the blanket. “Here,” she said, holding it out to him. “Thank you for letting me borrow it.”

Copia stood and took it from her. “You are very welcome.” He then surprised her by bringing it to his nose to smell. “I hope it stays smelling like flowers.”

She felt her cheeks heat up, but she did her best not to look into the comment more. She supposed the scent of her perfume was better than the smell of sweat.

They ate another meal of beans and bread before packing camp. Kate was folding another blanket when Terzo’s voice cut through the calm, early morning haze.

“Copia! We have visitors!”

Copia, who had been standing opposite her and kicking dirt onto the last embers of the campfire, looked up, obviously startled. “Saltarian’s men?”

Terzo shook his head. “I do not think so. I do not recognize them. But you might want to hide your woman.”

Kate bristled at that. “His woman?”

Copia hurried around to her, grabbed hold of her arm, and led her over to the other side of the horses. “Stay here, Signora, please.”

He pushed her down gently but firmly until she was sitting on the ground next to the log the horses were tied to.

“I will not—”

“Signora,” Copia interrupted. “Please.”

His tone was stern enough that it made her listen. She did not even protest when he drew a blanket around her.

“I will be back shortly, but if you hear me call out to you, get on a horse and ride away as quickly as you can. Do you understand?”

He waited until she nodded before covering her head with the blanket, hiding her from view. “Stay still and quiet, Signora.”

As she listened to his retreating footsteps, she realized with a start that these visitors might be Jim’s men. It would be just like him to come after her like this…

A few moments later, she began to hear the murmur of voices, but she could not make out a word between the blanket and how far away they were. The horses next to her began to shuffle around and snort. Kate had been around horses enough to know the signs, and if the horses were detecting a possible threat, she should be ready. She prepared herself to jump if she heard Copia shout.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she suddenly felt something touch her shoulder, and a second later, the blanket was pulled back from her head. She looked up into the long face of Copia’s white horse, who nudged her shoulder with its nose, letting out a low, breathy whinny.

“Not now,” Kate hissed, gently trying to push the horse’s face away.

But the horse was insistent.

“What do you—”

Before the words were barely even out of her mouth, she heard a shout and the thudding of boots hitting hard, dry ground. Somehow, the horse knew, and Kate moved in a flash, hiking up her skirts enough to get her foot in the stirrup and throw her other leg over the saddle. Now was not the time to sit like a proper lady.

There was a sudden movement from the other side of the rocks, and the next thing she knew, Copia was charging around them, followed by Terzo and the ghouls. Copia did as he had done the night before and swung up onto the horse behind Kate, nearly wrapping his arms around her as he took the reins. 

“I am pleased you were paying attention,” was all he said before he spurred his horse into action, taking off in nearly the opposite direction they should have gone to get to Meliora.

Kate held onto the horn of the saddle with a death grip. She had grown up riding horses but had never known one to go this fast. And Terzo and the ghouls were easily keeping pace beside them. They probably looked like they were flying across the ground. She was not about to complain, however. One glance behind them, and she could see they were leaving their pursuers in the dust.

Despite the agitation she could sense coming from Copia, the solidness of his body at her back was comforting. She recalled what he had said in her dream and wondered if it was true. How safe was she really with him?

They rode for hours, never stopping but occasionally changing direction. The landscape around them slowly changed, with the dusty earth becoming greener, more lush. A line of trees lined their path along the right, and if Kate looked hard enough, she could see that they were following the course of a river. The sun chased them across the sky, eventually lowering in front of them. At one point during their journey, Copia placed his hat on Kate’s head to help shade her face from the sun.

It was early evening when they stopped and made camp near the river they were following. The ghouls kept watch, allowing Copia, Terzo, and Kate to rest, but Copia and Terzo were confident they had not been followed.

“Who was it?” Kate asked while waiting for what little beans they had left to heat up. “Was it Jim?”

“Not him specifically, but it was his men,” Terzo answered. “He was looking for you.”

Kate looked away, willing the tears she felt threatening not to fall. She ate her meager meal in silence, barely listening to Copia and Terzo make plans for what they would do tomorrow. They talked about going to the nearest town, replenishing their supplies, and continuing until they were sure they had lost Jim’s posse before returning to Meliora. They eventually stood and walked a few paces away to speak to Omega and Aether, their backs to Kate.

It was then that Kate could not take it anymore. She stood and used their distraction to sneak off to the edge of the tree line, away from everyone else, feeling like she could not get enough air. She was tired and sore and… just ready for this to end. 

She gazed across the open expanse of land before her. Copia said she was not a prisoner, and yet… Why could she not just leave? Run away? She could hide somewhere Jim would not find her. She could go to Texas, to her brother. Surely Jim would not follow her all the way out there…

Without much thought, she took two steps forward, intent to start running, a desperateness to get away clawing up her chest, when there was a noise behind her and an arm suddenly hooked around her waist. She was pulled back against a warm, solid body, a body she was now getting used to the feeling of, especially after feeling it against her back for hours today. Almost immediately, the panic she felt ebbed.

"I am surprised you were able to sneak past the ghouls. Where do you think you're going?" Copia all but purred in her ear.

Just like with that morning, she fought against the urge to melt back into him. “I wanted to run.”

“Why?”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “I hate feeling trapped.”

Copia let her go and took a step back. “You’re not trapped. Go. Run away, piccola volpe!”

Kate turned, frowning. “Piccola volpe?”

Copia smirked. “It means little fox. You must be sneaky and cunning to get past the ghouls unnoticed.”

“But you noticed.”

“I noticed your absence, sì.” He then looked around them at the flat land dotted with mountains in the distance. “Where will you go?”

“I don’t know. Texas, maybe. To my brother.”

“If that’s the case, Signora, you might want to run that way.” He pointed in the opposite direction they were facing. “Unless you intend to get to Texas by way of California.”

Kate’s shoulders dropped, and she felt tears stinging her eyes. She hated this so much. Why couldn’t Jim just leave her alone?! Copia stepped up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“I did not mean to make you cry, Signora. I am sorry.”

She shook her head and wiped the tear away before it fell too far. “It’s not you that upset me. I just hate that I’m in this situation, to begin with. Part of me is glad I’m out here, actually away from him. But if he’s just going to keep chasing me…”

Her tears only worsened, prompting Copia to draw her into his arms. Kate gladly took the comfort he offered by clinging to his coat and pressing her face to his chest.

“So long as you are with me, Signora, you are safe,” he murmured, echoing what his dream self had said.

She pulled back, sniffing. “Why are you doing this? You don’t owe me anything. You don’t even know me.” 

For once, Copia’s smile was warm. “You are someone who needs our help. That is good enough for us. That stronzo Father Jim is someone we would… deal with anyway, even if you were not involved. And for whatever it is worth, Signora, I am sorry you are. That is why we must get you to Meliora. You will be safe there.”

Kate stared back at him for a moment. “Why do I get the feeling there’s more to your interest in Jim than him just being a terrible person?”

Copia looked away thoughtfully. “Because I believe he is somehow connected to the troubles that ail my family. How wealthy is Jim in his own right?”

“Not very. That’s why he wants my father’s money.”

“And yet he dresses as though he lives in a mansion.”

Kate frowned. “You’re right. That’s relatively new, actually. I remember when he first showed up in that fancy suit you saw him in. He was so proud of it.”

“When was this?”

“About two weeks ago.”

Copia’s expression turned grim. “Have you ever seen him speaking to Mr. Saltarian?”

Realization of what he was getting at hit Kate, but she shook her head. “No, I never saw them together. Mr. Saltarian only seemed to have business with the sheriff.”

“I see…” Copia let her go and turned away, pulling a bandana from his pocket and dabbing the perspiration from his face and neck. “Mr. Saltarian has been in Meliora as well, trying to do business with my brother, Primo.”

“Is he the sheriff?”

“No, my other brother, Secondo, is. Why?”

“Well, for us, McDaniels oversaw the sale of buildings and land in the area. That’s why Mr. Saltarian was there. He wanted to buy up the buildings, make them his so he would get any profit from the travelers coming through.”

Now, Copia looked alarmed.

"Do you think he's doing that in Meliora?" Kate asked.

"I suppose it is possible, but…” Copia shook his head. “Why? He is already the richest banker in the West."

"Maybe he's doing it for power. Control."

"Hm, perhaps." Copia squared his shoulders. "Whatever the case may be, we must return to Meliora as quickly as possible. I must report this back to Primo."

Copia was about to turn to head back to camp, but Kate stopped him, acting on a whim.

"Um, Mr. Emeritus…"

"Copia, please, Signora."

She smiled a bit. "Only if you start calling me Kate."

Copia returned it. "Okay, Kate."

She ducked her head, feeling rather embarrassed about what she was going to ask. "Copia," she began again, "would you mind… sleeping next to me again?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Of course, but… may I ask why?"

"I have… nightmares. About Jim. Usually, they're bad enough that I can't sleep very well, but last night… well… It was as though, with you there, it wasn't so bad," she finished quietly, unable to look at him.

Copia tilted her face up, his finger under her chin. "So, I was welcomed after all."

The smirk on his lips was enough to have Kate pushing him away in frustration. "If you're going to be like that, never mind!"

She turned to leave, but Copia caught her wrist and pulled her back to him, chuckling.

"I am sorry, Kate, truly. I was hoping to lighten the mood, but… I should not have tried to make light of your nightmares."

She huffed, still seeing the faint smirk on his lips. "Just forget about it. I've managed this long without you."

Copia let her go when she pulled away this time, though she could feel his eyes on her as she made her way back to the camp.

When she went to sleep that night, Copia was still up, keeping watch, but she briefly awoke in the middle of the night to the feeling of him moving to lie down beside her, though she could tell — even through the haze of sleep — that he was trying not to wake her.

She had no nightmares.

Secondo Emeritus paced angrily in front of Primo, annoyed that his older brother did not seem worried. 

"It has been three days since Copia left," Secondo said. "He and Terzo should have been back long before now."

"Perhaps Terzo convinced Copia to go gallivanting," Primo said, unmoved.

Secondo stopped to look at him. "Are you not concerned?"

Primo's gaze flicked up to meet his. "Not at the moment."

Secondo huffed and left the back room of the saloon, shooting a glare at Saltarian's table. After Copia left town, the man had taken up a near-permanent residence at a table near the back of the saloon. Why, Secondo did not know. 

The banker smiled a bit and touched the brim of his hat in greeting.

"Well, Sheriff," Saltarian called. "I suppose you'll be even busier now that more travelers will be passing through."

Secondo stopped and approached the man's table. "What do you mean?"

Saltarian's smile turned smug. "I mean, since that little town, Wayridge, burned to the ground, I reckon your town will have to pick up the slack."

"Burned?!" Secondo exclaimed. "When did this happen?"

"Oh… three or four days ago. A shame, too. I was about to close on some business dealings with the sheriff. Unfortunately, I hear he perished in the flames."

Secondo stared hard at Saltarian, trying to determine whether or not to believe him.

"There are rumors, Sheriff," the banker continued. "Rumors that your brothers were involved. Would also be a shame if something unfortunate were to befall them."

Secondo growled and slammed his hands down on the table, leaning down to get in Saltarian's face. The banker was entirely unmoved. "You leave my fratellini alone, stronzo, or there will be Hell to pay."

Saltarian still had that smug look on his face, giving Secondo the distinct impression that he was being messed with. The banker raised his glass in a sort of salute.

"And you'd know all about that, wouldn't you, Sheriff?"

Secondo was about to spat out another retort when a voice suddenly cut through the din of the saloon.

“I wouldn’t do anything you might regret, Sheriff.”

Secondo turned to look at the woman standing to his right. She was of medium height, with graying blonde hair styled atop her head and her expression that of sucking on a lemon. Sister Imperator, she was called, though her real name was Elizabeth. There were rumors she was once a nun, but Secondo doubted the validity of such talk. As of right now, she was a thorn in Secondo and Primo's sides and had their father wrapped around her little finger. Secondo could barely do anything in town and not constantly find her sticking her nose where it did not belong.

“This is not any of your business, Imperator,” Secondo said brusquely.

She scoffed. “I beg to differ. My son is missing and may be involved in arson. I have every right to know what’s going on.”

Secondo may not like the woman, but he supposed she did have a point. Copia was her son, after all. “I do not know any more than you do. Perhaps you should speak to Mr. Saltarian. He seems to know everything .”

Saltarian just smiled in a sickly sweet way.

“What I want is to speak to your father,” Imperator said. “Where is he?”

Secondo rolled his eyes. “Where he always is. Upstairs, gambling away his very generous allowance Primo insists upon giving him. But Nihil will not know any more than we do.”

“For once, I agree with the sheriff,” Saltarian commented.

Secondo snarled at him.

Imperator pursed her lips. “Perhaps not, but I still want to speak to him. And I want to speak to you later, Sal.” She shot Secondo a glare. “Alone.”

Hearing Imperator use such a nickname for Saltarian caught Secondo’s attention, but he did not comment. Instead, he shook his head.

“I would not dream of sticking around for that. But I will remind you both: this is my town, and it is under my protection. I have no qualms with locking either one of you up in a cell for a few days, understood?”

“Of course, Sheriff,” Saltarian said in that way of his that bordered on condescending. “You’ve got to carry out your duties; no one will begrudge you of that.”

“Grazie,” Secondo bit out. “Good day.”

With that, he turned on heel and stalked out. Fresh air, that was what he needed. He needed to calm down and think about this logically. 

But he was not Primo. And if Primo would not do anything, then Secondo would.

[6505-blog1]

The Greatest Rock/Metal Albums of the 21st Century.

21st century marks the most diverse decade for rock and metal continuation. Absorbing, if not radiated by the long progenitors from Led Zeppelin who cranked up their amps and Black Sabbath that turn it out murky and sinister grim, to the dazzling theatrical persona of KISS and Motley Crue, to the new level heavy metal confronter of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, to the head crusher of Motorhead and Metallica, to the destructo maniac of Slayer and Kreator, to the prog menu offerer of King Crimson and Tool, and finally aligned to have some peculiar layers and brooding tendency of Korn. We have come a long way. Yet our engine keeps raging.

I have cumulated the finest, the most influential, and the most prominent albums released in the new millenium by the descendents that took their predecessors to a whole different level, sustain the genre, and move myriads of people to mosh.

In a particular order:

10. Avenged Sevenfold - City of Evil (Warner Bros, 2005).

Rolling Stones magazine has named the sonically-punk with the flames of Iron Maiden, City of Evil on the last number of their 100 Greatest Album of All Time list. That should be a fair consideration since the extravagants like Beast and the Harlot, Bat Country, and Seize the Day altogether with the rest of the setlist ultimately transced the whole level and the destiny of the band as a leading force of eliticians in not so distant future. The 11 tracks have also successfully resurrected the triumph of classic guitar virtuosso portrait demonstrated on 80's as the talisman, Synyster Gates embarked over tons of appealing riffages and dueling solos which was buried after Nirvana and grunge breaktrough on the early 90's. Veteran and Ozzy Osbourne/Black Label Society guitarist, Zakk Wylde acknowledged him as a "Torchbearer" for arguably giving a birth and cultivating the guitar culture to the next generation.

9. Behemoth - The Satanist (Nuclear Blast, 2014).

The tenth album of Polish most profound extreme metal giant after Adam "Nergal"s battle with leukemia. Unlike the speed and precision exhibited over prior releases, the coagulated dense and horified cultish doom are found intensely throughout the setlist as to explicit the heretic messages. The result is astonishing and stronger than ever. More to add, The Satanist is pure, cathartic, flawlessly emotional, carefully-savage, and conquering by its complexity of repertoire within vivid and cinematical gradation as multi-dimensional tracks Messe Noire, In the Absence ov Light, Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer, and the leadoff Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel ravage in none but diabolical fervor. This album expansive flair has comprehensively unfolded the darkest caverns and creates the new standard of underground craftmanship.

8. Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal (RCA/Epitaph, 2013).

I wouldn't believe that i need to make Sempiternal in the cut. Who would have guessed? But i will beat every negation towards it. It is the album that eventually transforms Bring Me the Horizon from bunch of hipsters to one of the most important unit in the 21st century modern rock landscape. A year and a half after the release, Oliver Sykes and co. took over the world attention of rocking Wembley Arena, the same monumental venue where Queen — one of the biggest rock band in the history — was there doing the same story. It was approximately 12.000 attendees which made Sykes stated: "So this is our biggest show ever". The soaring Can You Feel My Heart, the furious The House of Wolves, the euphoric Shadow Moses, and the melodic of Sleepwalking are undeniably the new testament of rock music.

7. Lamb of God - Ashes of the Wake (Epic, 2004).

Count how many metal bands on the planet started after invented Laid to Rest or Now You've Got Something to Die For! It was countless. Lamb of God has became the crowned icon of "New Wave American Heavy Metal" and one of the most distinctive band in the scene. Their ferocious riffs, blistering drum works, lyrical contents, sound, even how to sing like Randy Blythe are largely imitated and seem to be the ideal menifesto of modern metal anatomy with obviously Ashes of the Wake as the highest pedestal. It contains tremendous chaos of 11 front-to-back blazing tracks immensely portrayed after Mark Morton - Willie Adler's virtuosity and of course, Chris Adler's voraciousity. Implying both abundance and how well they grasp the roots that will less likely be outnumbered.

6. Mastodon - Leviathan (Relapse, 2004).

We are now talking (and unravelling) the true genius minds of Atlanta-based extraordinary quartet. The newborn Metallica, Mastodon — the group that always exceed anyone's expectation — has seamlessly ranged their pinaccle from sludge to prog to avant-garde to even folk with staggering exponents of highly sophisticated masterpiece. With any fruition that comes in, the sheer Leviathan is believed as the opener tap. Written after Herman Merville's 1851 novel entitled "Moby Dick", the 46-minutes concept album is nothing but endless breathtaking experience of capturing bizarre Ode to the sea soundtrack. Blood and Thunder, I Am Ahab, and Aqua Dementia are torrent of forceful yet fascinating guttural power chords with Brann Dailor's tracherous drum tempo reflecting the theme while Iron Tusk sets sail upon muscular stoner riff and Naked Burn for menacing-tactical intro and flaunted visceral jarring chorus are hulking the imagery of the beast. Until the epic Hearts Alive with a glimpse of Metallica's The Call of Ktulu patiently reigns and all the greatness rendered.

5. Evanescence - Fallen (Wind-up, 2003).

The album that made Evanescence — a small town band from Arkansas — a megastar in the blink of an eye. It was the second semester of 2003 where the breakthrough hit single, Bring Me to Life played million times on the radio around the globe (and MTV as well) picturing the female face lead singer and her gleaming voice, Amy Lee who started the band with the co-founder guitarist, Ben Moody (though the relationship didn't survive and separation happened in the midst of suporting Fallen tour). The fame that nowhere expected begun when the terrific duo met on a camp and cliche of having the same musical taste brought them to finally sign the major label Wind-up and dominated the world stages in a brief. Fallen with the added values of enchanting piano, symphonical strings livery, and haunting soundscape that most nu-metal groups didn't have at that time effortlessly stood-out and arised in comparison to even Linkin Park. Other songs served like the down-tuned goth Going Under and the everlasting ballad My Immortal are only legitimating their popularity.

4. Ghost - Prequelle (Loma Vista, 2018).

In our nearly five decades of heavy music, such names as Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Van Halen with their fantastic works and spirits have became a catalyst that will be remembered greatly in the faraway future for causing an enourmous impact to our community. Those that have bloomed and paved the way many artists to follow. And if there is a chance for this millenium bands to extend the list, Ghost will be the first to step up the grace.

This year, their most recent release Prequelle has been nominated for The Best Rock Album and its single Rats for Best Rock Song of 61st Grammy. An award that should be familiar since they have been winning it two times with Infestissumam (2013) — their second major label album — as The Best Hard Rock/Metal Album and Cirice — the single taken from previous album Meliora (2015) — as Best Metal Performance. A peak of a decade existence for one superior man behind the wheel, Tobias Forge. Appear himself as a satanic pope, Papa Emeritus I, II, III, Zero, and now with the newest fully renowned ascencion clergy Cardinal Copia has completely shaped the band's identity. But the latest Prequelle has more than to be attained to an award. Forge's admiration to film makes no surprise if any substance on the record is prone to get visualized and draw medieval realms so alive and real. He could blend joyous disco with scattered shock rock backbone for Dance Macabre, provide brilliant exotic pop-esque instrumental opus for Miasma, and close all the novelty and intellegiousness by a soothing grand finale of Life Eternal. That is the last strike.

3. Greenday - American Idiot (Reprise, 2004).

With the overwhelmed mainstream-breaking punk rock hit single American Idiot, it was an album (a concept album, for specific) everyone knew which handfully restored a big disappointment both sales and critical of their previous release. Taking the power back after four years gap with anti-Bush vitriol narration over long and merged tracks was everything we could expect from an ambition. Performing sarkastic American-post 9/11 political singable outcry and dragging down to emotionally-related suburban decline on Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams, followed by californian sunset accoustic staccato and straighforward revv Give Me Novacaine/She's A Rebel, a love story of Whatsername where a street punk main actor St. Jimmy fell and how it all ended on Homecoming.

The grandiose worths 16 millions selling CD is the anthem of this generation where a generation ago pridefully have The Clash with the classic London Calling.

2. Slipknot - Iowa (Roadrunner, 2001).

The most brutal and confrontational album of 21st century nothing to this day can bear. That is the deal. A remorseless turmoil just from the first second of welcoming to the house of pain intro, (515) to the last 15 minutes epilogue of magnificent unrelenting drama title track, Iowa. Please recognize the insolent hate mantra "Here we go again motherfuckers" as Corey Taylor opens up and rips off anything with hammer to the face misanthropic followed track, People = Shit that seems a vulgar warning to extend the torture of their 1999 debut phenomenal self titled album. But things got tenfold. They were all damaged animals, making it excuriatingly worst instead, and wanted any living to hear them. That they fuck what trend you live up on bludgeoning bestial Heretic Anthem, that they are adamant bastards you can't bleach their darkness out on atmospherical assault New Abortion, that killing is their primal instinct on grinding jaw-breaker scorn Disasterpieces, that they are fucking obsolete machines on the scorching psychosis Everything Ends. There lies Neurosis-ian dressed Gently and never eschew Grammy nominated singles, Left Behind and My Plague.

All the violent rampage should be addressed to Ross Robinson (producer) for being able to wrap up the devastating times the band encountered in the studio and that was how its ruthless resonated the world where many people are pissed-off to everything. An absolute impossible album to be re-recorded due to its hell of organic material. Yet apart of any malevolence, Iowa is sadly, a gift to liberate your heart and soul.

Honourable mentions:

System of a Down - Toxicity (American/Columbia, 2001).

Converge - Jane Doe (Equal Vision, 2001).

My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (Reprise, 2006).

1. Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (Warner Bros, 2000).

The world seriously gives us no chance to break. After Lemmy, Bowie, now we have lost the most beautiful voice that represents our generation.

May rest in peace and honour, Chester Bennington.

We miss you everyday, and we do care if someone whose time runs out is you.

The album that took nu-metal to a whole different level forever and highly contributed to shape the sound that outbursted the 21st century. For two decades, Linkin Park has became the most iconic group on the planet. Breeding the bands like Bring Me the Horizon, Asking Alexandria, and Bullet For My Valentine (with their recent 2018 album, Gravity).

Hybrid Theory (which was the actual name of the band before settling to Linkin Park) is the sublime fusion of heavy metal, alternative rock, hip-hop, pop, and electronica desired only to make a lifetime change. It is truly no derivative. Yet recalling back, it was multiple rejections of label after label before it took off with Don Gillmore (previously worked with Eve 6, Lit, Pearl Jam) to produce the album and pushed the band excessively. It was the part that would not have regretted where all they saw afterwards and going on was all miracle. 28 millions copy sold should be a very serious sensastion everyone must have a seat to talk about. A rock n roll revival after Guns N' Roses's Appetite For Destruction (1987) so to speak. With angst to fuel, Hybrid Theory yielded the catchy single opener One Step Closer, the drug abuse easer Crawling, the unhinged paranoia Papercut, and the most well-known last single sung by anyone In the End. Not to mention its cohesive supplementaries A Place For My Head, Runaway, and My December that blur the foursome due to their equivalent prowess. Admit it, Linkin Park and Hybrid Theory are the gateway to rock and heavy metal empire.

[dmness]

for new followers

cirice is a daughter of the demon abaddon (key word being a, he has many children, hundreds of years older than cirice), and the japanese shinigami thana. she was born apollonia, named for abaddons greek name, apollyon.

as part of a demonic prophecy partly featured also in the bible as the revelation of st john the divine, a daughter of abaddon, the antichrist, and a son of beelzebub (which then turned out to be two), would be destined to destroy the world of mortal man and rid it of god’s influence, creating the eternal kingdom of meliora and operating as a city free of the fear of sin, and of pleasure and free agency.

abaddon picked cirice, closest in age to the antichrist, and betrothed her to him when she was not even born yet, meaning she would be stolen from her crib and raised somewhere else filled with god’s presence to test her reaction to objects of sanctity.

cirice was sent to a slavic town called kazran, where she was raised with the erikovs and given her name, meaning church.

she was abused, both physically, and emotionally, and by her 14th birthday she was taken away once more, to be welcomed into the arms of the hellfire church/morningstar cult, a cult legitimately bound to satan, and the only ‘true’ satanic cult.

she was raised unaware of her demonic powers, believing to be a witch.

on the eve of her 18th birthday she was ritualistically murdered, so that when she was reborn she would be bound to her demon heritage rather than her shinigami heritage (though she would retain some powers), and formally inducted as apollonia, once-queen abaddona of meliora, and future wife of the antichrist. the church wanted to bastardise the sacrifice by taking her sacred virginity, but she was raped orally instead by one leader of the church to, in his eyes, ‘save her’ from a worse fate.

cirice was reborn as something akin to a zombie a month later, and overtime her body began the long process of healing from her rotting state, and evolving. she has very prominent demonic features that the antichrist doesn’t display, as he’s been bound to his heritage his whole life, whereas this all came along very quickly for cirice, hence why in the church her skin colour is a pinky purple tone, and she has her pointed ears. there are halfway points where she has horns, wings, black sclera etc., before reaching her true demonic form, inherited from abaddon.

cirice met and was married formally to the antichrist. two twin sons of beelzebub, anaharath and achida were at the wedding two, though cloaked and masked. cirice formally met anaharath first, and then achida later. 

cirice was reunited with her mother, and they negotiated cirice’s freedom from binding to the church for a small trip to japan for her to learn of her heritage, and see the house she was born in.

despite her marriage to the antichrist, cirice and the twins fell in love (they with her, obviously, none of that gross shit here)

the vatican sent templars to destroy the church, massacring the ghoul servants who lived there, and the unholy trinity (as anaharath and achida were counted as one entity) had to flee for protection.

they planned the revelation wars and whilst cirice didn’t want to do it, she had been influenced through manipulation in the church, and the deaths of her friends had angered her.

she fought the war, and they won, but abaddon was tried with treason for trying to usurp satan (his lover beelzebub was imprisoned for attempting a coup hundreds of years ago, and he still loved thana, and hated what he had done to their daughter)

satan punished abaddon and even though cirice didn’t like her father, travelled to hell to kill the devil.

she didn’t kill him permanently, instead decapitating his physical form as a warning, and she took over hell to reform it for a short time, angering her husband, the antichrist

they run the kingdom of meliora, which is not as great as it had been talked up to be, as mortal human sinners with no understanding were given permission to live a life 'free of sin’, and you can imagine how that went. no-one from the cult or surrounding cults could have expected such horrific displays.

cirice and the three rule miserably, sick and sad and wanting to go back.

god planned it all along, manipulating satan himself, as he wanted to start earth all over again.

[the-last-magpie]

“Lincopia, You’ve Got Mail” A Ghost Fanfiction, Chapter 2

More rantings, some malice, some phantom of plot, and the Papas are in town. More or less.

Rating: still not M

Genres: General, Humor, Romance, Friendship

Based (mostly) on phone/Whatsapp chats

Hope you enjoy!

-          1.46 am

WhatsApp Lumia/Maery

Lumia: Maery.

Maery: hey

Lumia: Are you hearing this.

Maery: hearing what

Lumia: Like someone is running on the roof?

Maery: don’t hear a thing. why are you up?

Lumia: …because there’s someone on my damn roof?

Maery: probably just mist and air clearing the area

Lumia: ?? Excuse me?

Maery: didn’t you hear that

Lumia: I asked first.

Maery: we are haunted for real

Lumia: No shit Sherlock. We have been haunted since Papa I.

Maery: thanks god elizabeth is gon

Lumia: DON’T SWEAR

Maery: i hated that binch

Lumia: I was talking about god

Maery: better about than to

Lumia: What kind of creatures are we talking about here?

Maery: mh a bit of all

Lumia: Fucking Ghostbusters better be on their way.

Maery: you are aware of the existence of the band Ghost aren’t you

Lumia: Look, I just hate this whole hierarchy thing. Ghouls are always treated better than us. We can’t even know if we have to die because of a ghost or the bitchiest demon in hell.

Maery: unlikely, that just got up from the throne last month

Lumia: I liked Papa II. He was strict. He was smart. He was intimidating. He was tall and handsome.

Maery: a one woman fan club

Lumia: I don’t think so, a lot of people loved him.

Maery: i meant, you could do his whole fan club alone. also sounds like you like to suffer

Lumia: He was very kind to me.

Maery: KIND

Lumia: SHUT UP

   -          2.17 pm

WhatsApp Omega/Alpha

Omega: Are you ready.

Alpha: For what?

Omega: To finally see Air losing his shit.

Alpha: You sat on his keyboard?

Omega: Uhm. Yeah?

Omega: Actually no, I jumped on it.

Alpha: …

Alpha: Why.

Omega: You should have seen it bro. Keys exploded everywhere.

Alpha: A lot like your teeth when you are going to tell him. Again, why?

Omega: I fell.

Alpha: I made my best to understand logics and physics of this. I have no idea why someone would fall on a freaking keyboard.

Omega: I was… let’s just say I was dusting cobwebs from the beams?

Alpha: Of course. Look, just make sure to be at the rehearsal. We won’t have any piano, but who cares, it’s not like Meliora has a shit tons of it in it.

Omega: It’s not that much…

Alpha: Absolution is gonna sound so flat man.

Omega: I’m going to cry for it then. Eh eh. You got it.

Alpha: This was the cringiest thing I ever heard.

Omega: I’ll dust the piano down in the dungeon.

Alpha: Make sure to tell Papa of that, so he can slam the door right behind you and then throw the key.

Omega: He loves me.

Alpha: Yeah. Must be that the reason why he suddenly forget how to crack a smile when you enter a room.

Omega: This Emerituses are so butt hurt. You can never joke around them.

Alpha: This would be the third idiocy you throw at him man.

Omega: Excuse me? And what would the second be? Also first time I was very much justified.

Alpha: Maybe that one time you loudly whistled at him to get his attention?

Omega: HE WAS VERY FAR AWAY IN THE HALLWAY.

Alpha: YOU DON’T FUCKING WHISTLE AT A POPE. I SAW THE SKIES DARKENING.

Omega: Alright, I’ll behave. You know, it’s not that easy of a moment. Every new papacy is hard for everyone of us. We have to learn anew how to comunicate with them.

Alpha: I’ll give you a tip in this troubling times: shut your trap.

Omega: Thanks dad.

   Mitra was essentially a nosy person. Just pretending to mind her business, most of the time she appeared collected, diligent, and to some extent extremely bored. That was the reason why, when confronted with something out of the ordinary or simply suspiciously odd, she completely lose it.

Looking out from the second floor of the cloister, almost hidden behind a column, she peered below to look better at black vestments now almost familiar. That wasn’t the only thing she was seeing: the owner of said vestments was almost giving her his back, a back where two entwined hands met, shaping an embrace. Mitra stared, searching for details: the other person seemed to be a woman. There was the hint of a black and white tunic, with a large skirt that almost reached the ground. At a movement, a shoe came into view, and she recognized the bright yellow, another familiar signature of a very specific person. When this woman seemed to wrap more tightly one of her arms around the pope, she rested her head on his shoulder, a really contented, gentle smile on her lips brightening her angular features.

Mitra suppressed a gasp and very quietly moved away from the edge of the balcony, comically pursing her lips.

She now had some gossip to share.

   -          12.36 pm

WhatsApp Chat Group: Feels Ya Sista

Mitra: LADIES i just saw Fairy Feet with Papa!!

Ambrosia: what do you mean by that?

Rita: OH NO

Lumia: Is this nsfw?

Rita: OH NO

Rita: NO NO NO DAMMIT I HAD TO BE THE FIRST

Valeriana: HEY CALM DOWN YOU GREMLINS

Mitra: it wasn’t nsfw but maybe it is at closed doooooors

Maery: who cares

Ambrosia: you are being vague, what did you see?

Rita: I WAITED LONG ENOUGH

Valeriana: Rita I’m going to kick you out of the group. You unholy little shit.

Maery: why all this fuss papa II fucked half the women in here

Maery: and honestly i thought III was gay

Maery: have you seen him moving his hands that’s totally gay

Mitra: she was embracing him, very INTIMATELY

Ambrosia: that doesn’t makes sense

Lumia: These are the times when I see clearly how tired we all are.

Ambrosia: what kind of public embrace is so intimate to suggests that kind of relationship

Maery: maybe she was grabbing his ass

Valeriana: This conversation is hands down killing me, oh my god I’m snorting, you goblins

Lumia: Ok but what about Imperator? If she finds out…

Ambrosia: You’re taking this for a fact, it’s probably just Mitra imagination

Mitra: DO YOU WANT TO BET?

Maery: i bet he gay

Valeriana: hfhgkdksh

Lumia: What about bi? SISTERS I’M TELLING YOU ALL I’M SIGNING UP FOR THE HAREM THIS TIME

Lumia: I LOST MY CHANCE LAST TIME, IT’S NOT GONNA HAPPEN AGAIN

Lumia: Can you imagine an harem with a bi Papa? HHHHH EVERYONE FOR EVERYONE

Valeriana: I’m so tempted to invite Imperator in here, you have no idea, I would die seeing you all implode from shame

Maery: what a party buster

Valeriana: I just long for unlimited fun.

Ambrosia: I’m not betting, good for her if it’s the truth

Rita: i’m taking my chance tonight.

Ambrosia: oh for fuck’s sake…

Mitra: WELL I’m going to investigate.

Valeriana: Good, see if you can find a couple of minute for work too while you’re on that

Lumia: Eheheheh

—

Chaos: …what the hell happened in here?

   WhatsApp Chat Group: Ghouls with the Most

Alpha: Family reunion.

Earth: what’s up?

Alpha: We need to figure out things. And honestly, I need the advice of my brothers.

Omega: Someone has to inform Mist @KittyKat

Air: I will be there.

Omega: We didn’t even decide time and place Air

Air: I will be there.

Omega: ‘k.

Water: What’s the matter?

Alpha: The same as last papacy. Assessment of the new Papa.

Omega: Well looks like there’s indeed a lot of ass in there.

Earth: lmaoooo

Water: What’s there to asses? He’s… fine. I mean, I don’t have that much of a problem with him.

Alpha: Look, we did the same for Papa II, and I understand that that was war zone, but I can’t figure out this dude. At least II was an old grumpy bastard and that was it. I don’t know what to make of him. He seemed so ready to be all over us with that first supper thing together last month, and then he disappeared. One moment he is all kindness and jokes and the next he raises a fist. I don’t understand what runs through that head.

Earth: ??? did he struck someone?

Alpha: It was a metaphor

Water: Are we discussing it now, here?

Alpha: No. I was just stating what troubles me.

Omega: Bro, it’s not that difficult. You piss him off, like I do, you get a stern look. You do your job, he pats you on the back.

Alpha: Doesn’t look that clear to me. Also weren’t you complaining the exact same way just last week?

Omega: I took your advice.

Special: I’ll tell Mist @OHmega. But, Alpha, actually I think you should go talk to him personally if these are the facts.

Alpha: I’m not saying I have troubles with him. Also I want to understand if it’s just me, or if he really is shady.

Earth: this doesn’t sound very good bro

Water: Should we present this to the other group chat? Maybe the other ghouls have some problems of their own

Alpha: I DON’T HAVE PROBLEMS WITH HIM

Air: Sounds like you do.

Alpha: Damn

Omega: Look, let’s just grab a cold one and crack it open over a nice chat all together. I could use some brothership… in this troubling times.

Alpha: You are so sensitive.

Omega sent  00083546589_22_nop.jpeg  to Ghouls with the Most

Earth: lol

Water: So? When and where?

Alpha: Tonight, 10 pm, rooftop terrace. @Lowmega very mature.

Omega: You know I love you.

Earth: gayyyy

Omega: Well, I am.

Air: I’ll be there.

Omega: Thanks for your contribution Air.

   Message from: Loose Ass (received at 5.35 pm)

Hey. Sorry to disturb, but actually not sorry. I tried to call you. Obviously you didn’t pick up. I need some intel on those assholes. If you can find some time to answer between a daiquiri and an heart attack I’d be very glad.

Message from: Loose Ass (received at 7.17 pm)

Of course you’re not answering.

Message from: Loose Ass (received at 7.59 pm)

Just call me when you’re free.

Message from: Bald Hitler (9.03 pm)

Get lost.

Incoming call from LOOSE ASS…

Missed call from LOOSE ASS.

Message from: Loose Ass (received at 9.05 pm)

Pick. The Fuck. Up.

Incoming call from LOOSE ASS…

 “What?”

“Hallelujah. Shouldn’t your blood pressure be lower while on vacation?”

“I’m perfectly calm. It just sounded like some strings remained attached. It is your problem now.”

“I’m not asking you to do the homework, genius. I just want you to answer a very simple question.”

“And that is?”

“Do you trust them?”

“…I wouldn’t trust them with an empty gun. Are they giving you troubles?”

“No. Not yet. But I’m going to.”

“What?”

“Since I have been elected some weights have shifted. I already knew they were backstabbing bastards, but I’ve never seen so many teeth and flashing smiles in all my life. It felt like Hollywood, but more on the side of Sharkwood.”

“Don’t make a mess. Don’t do stupid things.”

“Worried?”

“What the fuck do you think.”

“I’m not. I’m not going to turn the Church inside out. Just wanna open some windows for stale air.”

“Can you wait until I come back?”

“I don’t need you to babysit me—”

“For advices. That’s what you wanted, no? I’m going to take High Priest role after all. If you are going to make a mess at least I want to witness it with my own two eyes.”

“Look. There’s no way for me to do anything in a couple of week. I’ll need a couple of months probably. To… see through things. And then probably another couple to make some plans. And then another couple—”

“I GET IT, you need time. When I’m back we are going to have a chat… Sven was really too kind to you, you spoiled brat…”

“Why complain, we had our father to counteract that.”

“You don’t know a fraction of that.”

“These are the kind of arguments that always get us in a fight. Let’s just drop it.”

“I’ll be back in a week. Don’t do stupid things.”

“Don’t die over white stripes.”

“Idiot.”

“Venom-spitting butthole.”

“Loose ass.”

“AH!”

“It’s true.”

“See you at the gate.”

“ahAH!”

“I’m short but I can beat your ass.”

“I’ll see you in a week big baby.”

“Are you hanging up on m—”

 Call ended

[sconesteaandmysteries]

Ad Meliora, Chapter Four

Next chapter. I might have to slow the posting schedule down a little next week, but I promise that there will be another chapter of this fic.

Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three

Summary: Father Brown, Mrs. McCarthy and Sid go see a movie....

Chapter Four: A Night Out

“I don’t know how I let you talk me into this.”

“Well, Sid had worked hard to earn the shillings he needed for a ticket. It seemed unfair to deny him the chance to spend his money as he wished.”

“Oh, I’m not saying he shouldn’t enjoy his money, but why did we have to come here?”

“The rules were that no children under the age of twelve could come without a chaperone. And Sid did express a keen desire to see this movie.”

“But Curse of the Werewolf Moon? Couldn’t he have chosen a more wholesome film to see?”

“It might not be so bad. I hear that the main protagonist is a priest who is trying to drive dark forces away from his parish. Sounds like a classic morality tale. The triumph of good over evil.”

“More like an excuse to have a bunch of heathens doing God knows what on the screen.”

“I didn’t mean to pull you away from your filing. Sid and I would have been fine….”

“And have the two of you go to this, this, abomination of a film on your own? No, no someone has to keep an eye on things.”

“Of course Mrs. McCarthy,” Father Brown nodded. He saw Mrs. McCarthy give a curt nod of her own, indicating that she considered the matter closed.

Meanwhile, Sid Carter had been strolling a short distance in front of them, a definite bounce in his step. He hadn’t seemed to hear the conversation that was going on behind him. Or if he did, Father Brown suspected that Sid had been amused by it.

By this point, it had been a couple of months since Sid had moved into the presbytery and while there were still some rough patches, he did seem to be recovering from his grief and settling into his new life. He had started to smile and laugh again and Father Brown was delighted to learn that Sid had a pawky sense of humor along with curiosity and wit.  He was also pleased to see that Sid was an industrious worker as well as a kindhearted child. He had started to make friends with the other children in the village and seemed to be getting along in school.

At one point, Sid had asked about the possibility of an allowance and Father Brown offered the compromise of arranging it so Sid could do a variety of odd jobs for people in the parish. Asking to go to this movie was the first time he had requested to do something outside of school, chores and other daily routines. Thus, Father Brown had found it impossible to turn Sid’s request down.

Especially when he saw how enthusiastic Sid was over dinner yesterday.

“Sam Travers saw it a week ago when he was visiting his uncle and he said it was the scariest movie he had ever seen. He said that it had a bunch of werewolves in it and there’s this huge chase with a wagon and a spooky mansion and, and…and I can’t wait to see it.”

Back in the present, Father Brown smiled as he remembered this. It was during that spiel that Mrs. McCarthy insisted that she accompany them. But not even her well-vocalized concerns about the movie could quell Sid’s excitement.

“Hey,” Sid said, turning around to face them. “Can we get some popcorn? I’ve got an extra shilling.”

“And spoil your dinner?” Mrs. McCarthy replied.

“One small box of popcorn shouldn’t do too much harm,” Father Brown said.

“I suppose that’s true enough,” McCarthy nodded. “The boy eats like a horse.”

“Well, that’s understandable when he can enjoy your cooking, Mrs. M,” Father Brown smiled at her. “Save your shilling, Sid. I wouldn’t mind some popcorn myself. We can share a box.”

Sid grinned at him. It was a smile that could brighten anyone’s mood, although Father Brown always detected a touch of mischief behind it.

They arrived at the town hall and bought their tickets and a box of popcorn. At one point, while Mrs. McCarthy wasn’t looking, Father Brown pulled out a pair of humbugs wrapped in foil from his pocket to give to Sid. Sid stuck one into his pocket and swiftly unwrapped the other one and popped it into his mouth before Mrs. McCarthy could notice.

They found some empty seats toward the middle of the theater area and sat down with Father Brown sitting between Sid and Mrs. McCarthy.

“It looks like a good-sized crowd,” Brown noted. “This movie must be getting popular.”

“Sad is what it is,” McCarthy replied. “I’ll never understand why these movies get made when they could be making a nice, romantic movie. Or even a fine adventure tale. Not this pagan trash.”

The lights went down, ending the discussion. Father Brown carefully passed another humbug to Sid. He smiled when he realized that Sid waited until the movie started to cover up the sound of the wrapper being taken off.

After that, Brown helped himself to a generous handful of popcorn and leaned back in his chair to enjoy the movie.

Almost two hours later, the three of them were walking back toward the presbytery. By the time, the sun had almost set with twilight having taken over the sky.

“Oh, why did they have to make that movie so scary?” Mrs. McCarthy fretted. “I’ll be having nightmares all night, just you see.”

Father Brown thoughtfully sucked on his last humbug while he walked. He had thought that the movie was fast paced and interesting. However, he was disappointed that the local priest had been so willing to cling to superstition rather than rely on reason to solve his problems. That and the fact that the priest had put so much stock in the concept of luck rather than God’s intervention. Still, Brown was pleased to see how attentive he had been to his parishioners and how determined he had been in the face of evil. Plus, it wasn’t often that a priest got to be the hero of a movie.

“It’s getting late to start supper,” McCarthy continued. “It’ll be getting dark soon. And I should be getting hone.”

“Perhaps we can make a meal out of some leftovers we have on hand,” Father Brown said. “I seem to recall that there was some roast beef still in the fridge.”

“There is,” McCarthy confirmed. “Although, I don’t see how you or Sid could be hungry after all that….Wait, where is Sid?”

Father Brown blinked in surprise. Sid had been walking close to them just a couple of moments ago. But now, he seemed to have vanished into thin air.

“Sidney?” Mrs. McCarthy called. “Sidney Carter, where are you? Oh Father, you don’t think he’s….”

Her words trailed off as she and Father Brown continued to look around. But they could find no sign of Sid anywhere close by. Concern began to worm its way into Brown and was just starting to take root when he suddenly heard a faint rustle from the bushes next to where they were standing.

Seconds later, Sid jumped out from behind the largest bush, his arms raised over his head and his fingers curled into claws.

“Rawr!”

Upon seeing Mrs. McCarthy start violently and put a hand to her chest, Sid burst into a fit of giggles. Father Brown had been able to maintain a neutral demeanor. But just barely.

“Sidney Carter, what on Earth do you think you’re doing?” McCarthy scolded. “Scaring people like that. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

“Aw, I was only kidding,” Sid chuckled. “You should have seen your face. You really thought I was a werewolf, didn’t you?”

“Of course not,” she snapped. “I was just concerned for your wellbeing. I see now that I shouldn’t have.”

Father Brown worked hard to stifle the urge to smile while Mrs. McCarthy continued to express her indignation over Sid’s prank. It wasn’t until he offered to walk her home that she seemed to be satisfied.

“And you can forget about dinner tonight,” McCarthy added. “I’m sure you had enough at the movie to last you until tomorrow.”

“Aw, but I’m hungry,” Sid pouted. “And breakfast is so far away.”

“Perhaps you should have thought of that before you decided to try to become a werewolf,” McCarthy replied.

“It was just a joke,” Sid protested. “And besides, you know there’s no such thing as werewolves, right?”

“It is getting rather late,” Father Brown said. “Perhaps we can make do with using that roast beef to make some sandwiches.”

“Yeah,” Sid nodded eagerly. “And the strawberry scones you made today.”

“Who said anything about my scones?” Mrs. McCarthy said. “I was saving those for tea time tomorrow.” Sid looked up at her with pleading eyes, prompting her to sigh. “I suppose could spare a couple.”

Sid grinned again, causing Mrs. McCarthy to smile back in spite of herself. Father Brown joined in as the three of them walked into the presbytery.

An hour later, Father Brown had escorted Mrs. McCarthy home while Sid finished his meal and went to bed. He had gotten to bed later than usual, so Brown decided to skip reading to Sid tonight so Sid could get some sleep as soon as possible.

Instead, he went to his room and read a book that a fellow priest from a neighboring village had sent him. After a few minutes of reading, Father Brown felt himself getting drowsy and decided to turn off his light so he could sleep.

He had just been on the cusp of unconsciousness when the soft patter of bare feet on the floor next to him caught his attention. He put on his glasses and flicked on the lamp near his bed to find Sid crouching down next to the bed.

“Sid?” he said as he sat up. “What are you doing down there?”

“I’m hiding,” Sid replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Hiding?” Brown echoed. “Hiding from what?” A slight blush appeared on Sid’s cheeks and he looked to the side. “I thought you didn’t believe in werewolves.”

“I don’t,” Sid blurted. “But…if there were any…not that there are, but if there were…they wouldn’t come in here ‘cause they wouldn’t want to run into a priest.”

“Lest they suffer the same fate they did in the movie?” Brown said with a trace of a smile. “If that is true, I doubt that they would come here in the first place. I’m also certain that the floor will not be a comfortable place for you to sleep, so….”

“But I heard a noise,” Sid cut in. “I mean, wouldn’t it be better to stick together? Just in case?”

Father Brown finally allowed himself to smile while pushing aside his blankets. “How about we investigate the noise you heard together?”

Sid nodded as he stood up while Father Brown put on his robe and grabbed a flashlight from the dresser in his room. They crept down the stairs slowly and carefully. Father Brown swept the light from his flashlight back and forth in front of him while Sid made sure to stay close behind him.

They made it all the way to the front room before Father Brown let out a sigh.

“Well, I don’t see anything down here,” he said. “Perhaps you heard the wind or….”

A clatter from outside cut Father Brown short and he turned his flashlight toward a window. Sid gasped and moved even closer to him, clutching the edge of his robe.

“What was that?” Sid whispered. “A monster?” Brown peered out the window.

“No,” he said. “I believe that was Mrs. Williams’ cat, Percy. She must have accidently locked him outside again.” A muffled ‘meow’ confirmed his suspicions.

“Yeah, but what if it was something outside that scared him?” Sid said. “What if there’s something lurking outside and Percy’s the only one who’s spotted it yet?”  Brown lowered his flashlight and turned toward him with an amused look on his face.

“I suppose we could keep a lookout for a bit. See if anything is lurking outside.”

Sid nodded eagerly as the two of them sat down on the couch to begin their quiet vigil near the window.

The next morning, Mrs. McCarthy showed up a little earlier than normal to the presbytery. She had had a fitful sleep the night before due to half-formed dreams about werewolves running around Kembleford and converging on one of the church’s bake sales.

‘I’m never letting the Father or Sid drag me to one of those horrid films ever again,’ she told herself on the way there.

Then she shook all thoughts of the previous night aside as she walked up to the presbytery door. She decided to get an early start on some paperwork she needed to finish by the end of the week and see if she could set up some appointments to audition organ players for the services in two weeks. First though, she figured she could offer to make breakfast for the Father and Sid to make up for skipping on dinner the day before.

‘Not that they deserve it,’ she thought as she opened the door.

As she walked in, she was startled by the sound of snoring coming from the front room. She snuck toward it and was surprised by the sight that greeted her.

There on the sofa near the window were Father Brown and Sid, both of them fast asleep. The Father was leaning against the back of the couch as if to look out the window while Sid had curled up beside him, his head resting against Father Brown’s shoulder.

‘Hopeless,’ she thought as she put her hands on her hips. ‘Those two are absolutely hopeless. What would they do without me looking after things?’

Mrs. McCarthy shook her head before picking up a blanket that was draped on the back of one of the chairs. She gingerly draped it over Father Brown and Sid before going off to the kitchen to get breakfast started.