#AND THEN TWIGS THAT YOU ARE 'THAT' GINA

[hausofmamadas]

AQUÍ DENTRO HAY UNA CAJA NEGRA | Las chingónas de Sky Rojo

♫ To the tune of Mary Magdalene by FKA Twigs ♫

Salud a mi gente!!! It’s been 9 months but I finally did another video skskwjwjw

“Aquí dentro hay una caja negra” = the general thesis of this video and also fuck around and find out😂because these trifling men fucked around and did, indeed, find out

I made this for like me and the 3 other ppl on the internet who’ve seen this show. Also it’s a moral imperative that I give the most massive of shoutouts to @narcolini for showing me this song bc without it, this video would not exist. Like forreal, it had never occurred to me to make a Sky Rojo video until I heard it bc I was in the middle of a Rafa vid that I had to take a break from bc turns out that Tenoch is undercover garbage and I just couldn’t with men Ruining Everything for Everyone with their Dumb Dicks which then made this like some kind of weird feminist clap back attempt but like only in my head

Anyway, I haven’t slept, so I don’t have anything pithy or absurd to scream say so without further ado, please enjoy this unofficial music video/trailer for Sky Rojo but like if it were an Oscar nominated feature😂😂

taglist: @ashlingnarcos @cositapreciosa

[daydreamtofiction]

Playlist #3 // Thou Shalt Not Covet

Listen Here | Read Here

1: Providence

GOLDWING - Billie Eilish

My Boy Builds Coffins - Florence + The Machine

2: Temptation

Tongues - Marika Hackman

Rivers In Your Mouth - Ben Howard

3: Faith

Lost Cause - Billie Eilish

Gina’s World - Marika Hackman

Fresh Laundry - Allie X

4: Sacrilege

Mara - Genevieve Stokes

Toothpaste Kisses - The Maccabees

notre dame - Paris Paloma

5: Sacrifice

Middle of the Bed - Lucy Rose

Seven Devils - Florence + The Machine

Oxytocin - Billie Eilish

6 & 7: Credence/Divinity

Why Does it Always Rain on Me? - Travis

soleil soleil - Pomme

Big God - Florence + The Machine

Undone, Undress - Marika Hackman

Churchyard - AURORA

Burn it Down - Daughter

Sun Bleached Flies - Ethel Cain

8: Penance

mary magdalene - FKA twigs

9: Sin

Sweat - ALASKALASKA

Family Tree - Ethel Cain

Cherry - Lana Del Rey

10: Baptism

new skin - VERITÉ

Claude's Girl - Marika Hackman

No Kind Words - The Maccabees

11: Communion

Various Storms & Saints - Florence + The Machine

Home - Daughter

Something Good Can Work - Two Door Cinema Club

Heaven is Here - Florence + The Machine

12: Mercy

Habits - Genevieve Stokes

Tonight I Feel Like Kafka - Jealous of the Birds

You Keep Me Crawling - AURORA

13: Heaven

Bedroom Hymns - Florence & the Machine

Spiracle - Flower Face

14: Rebirth

Simple As This - Jake Bugg

Time Comes In Roses - Bess Atwell

Corpses - Saint Sister

No Face - Haley Heynderickx

15: Blessed

Say Yes To Heaven - Lana Del Rey

Unpunishable - Ethel Cain

You Come Down - Marika Hackman

16: Sanctuary

Did You See the Words - Animal Collective

She's Leaving Home - The Beatles

Sweet Thing - Van Morrison

A Car Crash For Two - Gia Ford

Lilies - Ethel Cain, Mercy Necromancy

17. Hell

Drown - Marika Hackman

Ocean - Alice Phoebe Lou

Panic Attack - Liza Anne

Family Tree (Intro) - Ethel Cain

Some things Cosmic - Angel Olsen

18. Ghost

Mice - Billie Marten

It Happened Quiet - AURORA

The End of Love - Florence + The Machine

Interlude: Body

Show You a Body - Haley Heyndrickx

19. Spirit

Nothing Ever Happens - Del Amitri

Seven Names (Errai) - TesseracT

Soft Currents - Alexandra Savior

Je te laisserai des mots - Patrick Watson

Make Up Your Mind - Florence + The Machine

End Of The Affair - Ben Howard

20. Resurrection

Blackbird - The Beatles

The Fold - Wickerbird

Seed of a Seed - Haley Heyndrickx

St. Jude - Florence + The Machine

Whispers in the Dark - Mumford & Sons

Epilogue

Towers - Bon Iver

Clementine - Megan Washington

Untitled God Song - Haley Heyndrickx

[afairmaiden]

The Others (Part 4)

For the Inklings Challenge (@inklings-challenge). A continuation of The Others, immediately following part 3.

Thursday morning I walked into the kitchen and saw Sarah holding a knife.

I had woken up early—or so I thought—feeling surprisingly well-rested given how long it had taken me to fall asleep. For a long time, I had simply sat on the edge of the bed and tried to wrap my mind around what had just happened, and failing that, remembered the food Ellen had brought earlier. There were fried potatoes again, and a slice of apple pie. I ate in darkness, remembering the candles in the drawer, but not daring to light them, and feeling that, in any case, darkness was the safer option. My headache had returned, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.

I dropped the necklace in my backpack, then found my pajama pants and a first aid pouch with some pain reliever. Then I lay awake for what seemed like hours, trying to decide on the best course of action.

Stick to the objective, I imagined Gina saying. But what was the objective? Would I be able to escape, let alone make my way back to civilization? Would it even be worth trying to get the kids out as well? Strange as they were, they seemed nice enough, and it felt wrong to simply leave them in such a place, though I couldn’t see any help for it.

Suddenly it occurred to me that this might all be a test. We’d always known there would be one, before we became full Lightbringers, and now—there was a moment of brilliant clarity. Of course I was being watched; they were always watching. And of course I wouldn’t be able to rely on my powers. Could I prove myself worthy without them? Could I stay calm in the face of chaos and confusion? Could I open the eyes of the blind with only my words? I was grasping at straws now, but it was enough. The idea sent a thrill through me, followed by a wave of relief. At last I felt myself start to relax and soon drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to the sun streaming in through the window. The house was quiet, and for a moment it all seemed so normal that I wondered if I hadn’t dreamed up the events of the previous night. Then I tried to move and instantly felt sore all over, almost like I had a bad sunburn on top of my already aching muscles, and found that the headache I thought was gone had come back with a vengeance.

I took some more pain reliever and tried to meditate with little success, then settled for lying still and taking deep, calming breaths. Finally, the pain subsided enough that I could get up and start looking through the clothes Ellen had brought. There were two long skirts, in reddish-brown and gray, three button-up shirts, in faded yellow, pink, and white, a large apron, long socks, caps in various colors and styles, and a number of smaller items I assumed to be undergarments. I chose the white shirt with the brown skirt, then brushed my hair as well as I could and tied it back, embarrassed as I felt how greasy it was, before making my way to the kitchen, where the first thing I saw was a child with a knife.

There was a moment of panic, but I tried to sound nonchalant as I asked, “What are you doing?”

“Trying to start a fire.”

She didn’t look up. She was crouched in front of what I realized was an old-fashioned wood stove, the door open, a small pile of crumpled paper and broken twigs inside. In her other hand I saw what looked like a metal rod. She held it close to the pile and quickly ran the knife down its edge a few times, sending out showers of sparks. A few moments later, I saw a small flame.

I quickly looked around to see if the others were safe. David and Elizabeth were sitting at the table reading. The cat was perched on a shelf above them, glaring down at me. James was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s your brother?”

“Out getting more wood. Aunt Ellen isn’t home. She had to leave early this morning to go to the Coopers’ and probably won’t be home ’til late. We’ve already done our morning chores and had breakfast.”

She kept her eyes on the fire as she added more sticks. David and Elizabeth smiled and said good morning as I sat down at the table, but immediately went back to their books. I couldn’t help noticing that they seemed less open than the day before, as though they were now as nervous of me as I was of them. I felt a twinge of satisfaction at the thought that we were playing on level ground for a change, then realized this was wrong. I told myself that I didn’t want to scare children, and I certainly wasn’t afraid of them. I was here to help them, and their aunt had given me the perfect opportunity. Although the more I thought about that, the more I felt anger rising up within me, and for once I wasn’t afraid of it. Of course I would never hurt them, but she couldn’t have known that. It was irresponsible, neglectful even, to leave them in my care.

Before I could get too worked up, I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, focusing on light thoughts—tolerance, empathy, compassion—and as I repeated to myself that I was going to help them, I felt my mood start to lift, as fear and anger were replaced with a sense of calm, collected benevolence and magnanimity that the Lightbringers were known for.

The feeling lasted only a few seconds before James came in and dropped an armload of wood by the stove.

“I guess that should be enough for now,” he said, then looked at me. “Good morning.” And then, “Oh! What happened to your eyes?”

I suddenly felt self-conscious as they all looked at me.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Why, are they red?”

They nodded.

“Did you have trouble sleeping?” asked Elizabeth.

“A little,” I answered, hoping they wouldn’t press further.

Fortunately, they seemed to accept this, only suggesting that I drink more water and try to rest later. I considered asking how they had slept and whether anything unusual had happened the night before, but decided not to press my luck. Now it occurred to me that they had clearly been up for some time.

“What time is it?”

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized it was a stupid question since they probably wouldn’t have a clock, so it came as a surprise when Sarah looked out the window and promptly answered, “About ten-thirty. We were just about to make lunch.”

“We were going to make chili,” added David, casting a somewhat dejected glance at a pot on the counter, “but we forgot how long the beans have to cook for, so that’ll have to wait until dinner.”

I looked at the pot, and then to the stove. It seemed dangerous, as well as wasteful to use so much firewood for one meal.

“Maybe we could just eat them plain,” I suggested, but Elizabeth shook her head.

“Uncooked beans are poison,” she informed me very seriously. “They have to soak overnight and then come to a full boil for at least half an hour before they’re safe.”

I tried to contain my shock as I mentally added food poisoning to the long and growing list of dangers outside the city.

“Oh. Well, you know,” I said, “we never had to worry about that in the city. There you can just order whatever you want from a machine and have it come out fully cooked in a minute, just like magic.”

The children looked politely interested, but not particularly impressed.

“We know,” said Elizabeth.

“You do? How?”

“The others told us.”

I couldn’t help staring as I tried to understand what she had just said. I waited, but she did not elaborate.

“Well, we’ll just have to figure something else out,” said Sarah, setting the pot on the stove. “We still have some bread, and jam, and we might have enough eggs for French toast.”

As they began discussing this, I heard the sound of something approaching outside, and the next minute, the conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Before anyone could move toward it, I stood up.

“I’ll get it,” I told them, ready to act as the responsible adult, even as my heart started racing at the thought of meeting more people.

I opened the door to find a tall, dark-haired man in his mid-twenties, dressed all in black and holding a large wooden crate. Behind him stood a horse-drawn cart that looked like something out of a history book. He was, of course, shining with the same light as the others, a fact that was no less irritating today than the day before, but which I was now determined to ignore. Still, this came as less of a surprise than the fact that he looked strangely familiar. He seemed surprised to see me as well, and held my gaze a little too long.

“Ah, excuse me,” he said finally, “but is Miss Hall at home?”

“She left early for the Coopers’,” said James, suddenly appearing behind me.

“Already? It’s a bit early, isn’t it?” the man asked, then, without waiting for an answer, glanced back at me and added, “You all managing alright on your own?”

“We’re okay,” James said. “We were just talking about having some lunch.”

“Well, maybe this will help. Eggs, milk, and butter,” he said, setting the crate in the doorway, “as well as some of your aunt’s books I’ve been meaning to return. Tell her thank you for me.” He hesitated a moment longer, then gave a quick smile and a nod and said, “Well, guess I’ll see you all Sunday.”

“What’s happening Sunday?” I asked James once the door was closed.

“Church,” he answered. Then after a moment, “You are going, aren’t you? Everyone’s going to be there.”

I froze. It was a trap and I knew it, but in that moment, my desire not to offend them overrode every other instinct. I was just about to say of course, I’d love to come, when he seemed to remember something.

“It’s alright,” he said quickly. “You don’t have to.”

With that, he turned and hurried to put the books away, leaving me standing in the hall in growing confusion. By the time I returned to the kitchen, I found Sarah already cutting bread, while David and Elizabeth took dishes and utensils out of the cabinets and drawers. James set out a few ingredients and put the rest away before going back outside. He returned a few minutes later with a small brown paper package which he set on the counter, then started setting the table.

I felt like I should do something, but since I didn’t know anything about cooking, I contented myself with supervising as they worked.

At last, the meal, such as it was, was ready, French toast with butter and three kinds of jam. The children gathered around the table, and as I had observed the previous day, didn’t immediately sit down, but remained standing a minute as they repeated the words of an evidently familiar prayer. It was strange, and might have been almost amusing to hear them address their god as though he were actually present and listening, if there wasn’t the smallest fear in the back of my mind that it might actually be true. Maybe I was imagining it, but I thought as they spoke, their light seemed to glow a little more brightly. Fortunately, the moment passed quickly.

“What’s your aunt doing at the Coopers’?” I asked once we had all sat down.

“She’s a midwife,” said Sarah.

“A what?”

“She helps deliver babies.”

“Oh.”

I said nothing, but felt my heart race as I considered the implications. Of course they would have babies. Where else would the children come from? What was more, apparently they were born with enough regularity to justify employing someone just to deliver them. I remembered Ellen’s words from the previous day; they had lived here for two hundred years and somehow not only survived, but actually grown in population. They probably had no concept of birth control, let alone genetic testing or prenatal screening, and I shuddered to think how much needless suffering and death there must be as a result. Of course there was death in the city too, but with rare exceptions, it was by design, something that was carefully managed, planned, chosen. The idea of leaving life and death up to mere chance seemed almost as incomprehensible as leaving them up to God, and for all their apparent light, the idea of anyone choosing this sort of life seemed to be another undeniable proof of deep mental and moral darkness.

I gasped as I realized another thing.

“We should be quarantined.”

The children looked at me in confusion.

“She shouldn’t have gone,” I explained. “It isn’t safe. You don’t know—I could be carrying something—frankly, it’s reckless and irresponsible—” I realized, too late, that it was probably inappropriate to be telling them all this—it wasn’t their fault, after all—but they needed to understand the dangers. They seemed shockingly unbothered.

“We knew you weren’t sick,” Sarah said with a shrug.

“But you didn’t. Not really. See, there are these tiny organisms that are too small to see—”

“We know what germs are,” James said flatly.

I realized I’d better quit while I was ahead, and bring it up with Ellen later. I recalled that she’d also mentioned the children’s mother had died. I wondered what had happened to her, and if there might be a discreet way to raise the subject sometime. At the moment, however, I decided on another question.

“What other jobs are there around here?”

They immediately began listing off every occupation they could think of. I learned to my surprise that while most everyone had some sort of garden, most of their food, as well as their clothing, came from animals—cows, sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, turkeys, chickens, ducks, geese, and quails—and raising animals was apparently considered a full-time job. There were a few normal jobs—doctor, nurse, mechanic—but most were related to the manufacture of some sort of product—carpenter, blacksmith, potter, stonemason, glassblower, leatherworker, and at least three different jobs related to the manufacture of clothing. There was also the butcher, the brewer, the beekeeper, the bookbinder, and people who made paper and ink and soap. Their father and uncle, I learned, were away—they couldn’t say exactly where—getting salt and fish. The list seemed to go on and on, but finally, they came to an end.

“I feel like we’re forgetting someone, though,” James said thoughtfully, finishing off his toast.

They all thought for a moment.

“Is there a leader?” I asked.

There was another moment of silence before Elizabeth shouted out, “Oh! We forgot about the pastor!”

“That’s it!” said James. “I think that’s everyone.”

“He’s not exactly in charge,” David explained, “not the same way as a governor or a president. He can’t make up laws or anything like that. But he is responsible for the church here.”

I wondered exactly what that entailed, but before I could ask any more questions, Sarah announced that the beans were ready. Now that everyone had finished eating, David and Elizabeth cleared the table while James went to the counter and began dicing up the other ingredients, an onion and bacon from the package he had brought in earlier. In a few minutes, he fried them up and added them to the pot, along with a small jar of tomato sauce, a jar of corn, and some peppers.

Before long, the dishes were done and the children began discussing what they would do next.

“I’m making more lights,” David said.

James nodded. “Good idea. I want to see if I can’t split and stack the rest of the wood Jordan dropped off last week.”

“I don’t know,” said Sarah, looking at her sister, “but I was thinking we could surprise Aunt Ellen by doing the laundry.”

I listened in silence, feeling somewhat uneasy as it occurred to me that I didn’t have the slightest clue what to do next or how to make myself useful. I was absently running my fingers through my hair when Sarah suddenly looked at me.

“Oh! Do you want to wash your hair?” she asked. “You could have a bath too, if you like, but we’d need to get more water.”

If I had known how much effort it would take, I might have said no, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get clean after nearly a week of not bathing. And so Sarah went to light a fire in the wash house, while I followed the others out to the well, where they grabbed buckets and started hauling water. As we ran back and forth over and over again, I quickly grew tired and increasingly irritated as their seemingly boundless energy and undaunted cheerfulness began to grate on me. Again I wondered what sort of life this was, and how they ever managed to do anything when such simple tasks took so long. It was more than half an hour before everything was ready.

There was a large wooden tub, and above it, a simple shower, and Sarah gave me a bar of soap, shampoo, and towels. The arrangement was undoubtedly primitive, but nice all the same. The room was quiet and fairly dark, the only light streaming in through some high, narrow windows. I didn’t realize just how tense and sore my muscles were until I sank into the warm water, and then I just sat there for I don’t know how long, until the water started to cool. Then I bathed quickly and washed my hair once, then twice before rinsing off. The shampoo felt strange, and didn’t lather up like normal shampoo, but it seemed to do the job.

When I stepped outside, it was clear that some time had passed as the shadows were starting to grow longer, and though the woods now appeared bright and almost welcoming, they were beginning to feel a little too close for comfort. I guessed it was around two, and wondered how long it would be until Ellen came home. Before I could think much more about it, I saw James coming from the side of the house, looking tired and dirty, but grinning widely.

“Wood’s done!” he announced, stopping by the makeshift sink to wash his hands and face.

I followed him inside, where we found David at the table, pouring a thick liquid into a long, narrow container filled with rushes, Sarah putting wet clothes through some sort of wringer, and Elizabeth mopping the floor.

“Well, I guess we have managed pretty well on our own today,” James said as they finished up what they were doing. “What do you suppose we should do next?”

“We could always get a head start on tomorrow’s lessons,” Sarah suggested, then laughed as the others all made faces. “Alright then, how about a game?”

The others agreed. James and Elizabeth immediately left the room while Sarah and David finished putting their things away.

“Where are they going?” I asked.

“The living room,” said Sarah. “It faces west, so there’s more light in the afternoon.”

I couldn’t see that the kitchen looked any darker now than it had a few hours earlier, but I said nothing as I followed them to the living room, where the others were seated on a rug in front of an open fireplace, looking though the contents of a basket. To my right I saw a large window overlooking the road and a field, in front of which sat a couch and two large chairs around a small table.

“What sort of games do you play?” I asked, taking a seat on the edge of the couch.

“We have checkers, chess, dominoes, cards,” said James, pointing to different boxes. “There’s also Bible Bee and finish-the-hymn and answer-the-question-as. Or we could read a story.”

“What did you do for fun in the city?” asked Elizabeth, looking up at me.

My mind momentarily went blank as I racked my brain for activities that would appeal to children, figuring the honest answer of scroll the socials and sleep probably wouldn’t cut it. The most exciting thing I could think of was the displays, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to explain that to them yet. Fortunately, I quickly snapped out of it and jumped into tour guide mode.

“There’s lots of fun stuff to do in the city,” I said. “There are shops and restaurants and museums where you can learn about anything you want, and every building has its own gym and a pool where you can go swimming, and just outside the city there’s a nature preserve with a park people can visit to see all the plants and animals.”

“Were there any libraries?” asked Sarah.

“Well, we don’t really have many print books,” I explained. “They take up a lot of space, and they can get lost or damaged. But we have digital libraries you can access using a phone or computer, and you can borrow any book you like, as well as movies and music.”

“Any book?” David asked skeptically.

I hesitated a moment as the conversation from the previous day came back to me, but then I remembered—

“As a matter of fact, we do have Bibles.”—Kept strictly as historical artifacts, but no need to tell them that.—“We even have churches.”

Not that I knew anything about them, but they did exist.

The children looked unconvinced.

“We’ve heard,” said Sarah. “Mr. Walther said they all chose to change with the times, and hardly anyone goes there now, and the ones that do don’t read.”

I was spared from having to answer when out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of something moving outside and turned to see a hooded figure coming down the road. David followed my gaze and looked out the window.

“Oh!” he exclaimed. “It’s Nan!”

“Who?”

“Our great-grandmother.”

Before I could say anything else, they all ran out into the hall. I rose to follow them but stood frozen where I was, listening as I heard the door open and all of them talking at once, then shuffled forward and looked out to find them gathered around a woman in a long, dark green cloak carrying a covered basket.

She was old, there was no doubt about that. Her gray hair peeked out from a ruffled cap, and she made no effort to hide her wrinkles, but despite her great age, she stood tall and straight and seemed to be in full possession of her faculties, and her light was clear and strong. It struck me, from her manner and the way the children addressed her, that she must be a very important person.

“What’s the matter?” James asked her. “Has something happened?”

“Nothing you need concern yourself with,” she answered, “but I was hoping to speak with your aunt.”

Now David noticed my approach and gave me with a bright smile before turning back to the woman and taking her hand.

“Nan, this is our friend from the city, Miss Bree.” Then turning to me, he said, “This is our great-grandmother, Mrs. Eleanor Hall.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said awkwardly.

“Welcome,” she said. She looked me over with an inscrutable expression which quickly turned to concern. “What are you doing up? Come, sit down, sit down.”

She ushered us into the living room and had us all sit down again before asking, “Have you eaten yet?”

“We made French toast for lunch,” said Sarah, “and there’s chili on the stove for dinner. Would you like some tea?”

“I would, thank you. Tea will go nicely with this apple bread from your Aunt Rachel,” she said as she uncovered her basket.

As Sarah left the room, she turned to me. “Now, how are you feeling?”

“I’m alright,” I said, hoping she wouldn’t notice my nervousness.

She didn’t look entirely convinced, but seemed satisfied for the moment.

“Good,” she said with a brisk nod. “You seem to be settling in well.”

I didn’t know what to say, but fortunately she didn’t seem to expect a reply.

“We got our chores and lessons done,” David told her, “and we were just talking about playing a game.”

“Excellent,” she said. “And what have you decided on?”

They began going over their options again. I tried to listen but found myself unable to concentrate any longer, as though a sort of wall had fallen around me, leaving everything outside in a muffled haze. It occurred to me that whatever force was blocking me from connecting was now interfering with basic cognitive functions as well, and I felt almost certain it had something to do with this new visitor.

The haze lifted slightly after a few minutes, when Sarah returned with the tea and the bread was sliced and distributed, and soon they decided on a game that involved building a tower of long wooden blocks, then removing them one by one and placing them on top without causing the whole thing to collapse. It was almost absurdly simple, and I doubted such a game could have held the interest of any child in the city, but it was clearly one of their favorites. In between turns, I found myself continuing to drift in and out of focus, as the conversation generally focused on happenings in the town, and I wondered that they seemed to enjoy each other’s company so much. It was strange—everything was strange, I really did need to find another word to describe things—especially considering I hardly felt comfortable interacting with people my own age half the time. I wondered if this was just how families were here.

Now that things had settled down slightly, I found myself growing bored and wishing I had my phone. I’d barely thought of it in months. The tech had seemed almost laughably obsolete. But now I would have given anything…

Still, it was something of a relief to be able to just sit and watch without having to join in too much. They played for a couple hours, until the sun hovered over the horizon. From time to time, they would glance out the window toward the road. Still, Ellen did not return.

They had just taken a break so Mrs. Hall could start a fire in the hearth and light the lamps, and Sarah could check on the chili and make some fresh tea, when at last we heard the sound of horses. This time James was the first to look out the window.

“It’s Pastor Hansen and Dr. MacDonald,” he said. “What could they want?”

“Oh! You don’t think something’s happened, do you?” Elizabeth asked, looking worriedly from her brother to Mrs. Hall.

“Don’t fret, dear,” said the old woman, patting her hair, “I know what it’s about.”

She stood and went out into the hall, and a minute later we heard her open the door and greet the visitors with, “You can come in, but she isn’t here.”

There were a few more words exchanged that I couldn’t quite catch, and then, “Well, there’s no sense in running out at once. Will you stay a few minutes for some tea?”

The next moment, she returned with two men. The children quickly rose to greet them, and I followed their example a half-second later. I was once more introduced as their friend from the city, though I was almost certain that the introductions were entirely for my sake, as they undoubtedly already knew who I was.

“Well now,” Mrs. Hall said to the children, “it’s almost time for supper. Why don’t you all go on and set the table, and we’ll be along shortly.”

They nodded and ran off, and Mrs. Hall invited the three of us to sit down and talk a while.

“So,” began the doctor, once the tea was poured, “how are you feeling?”

“I’m alright,” I repeated, trying to smile as I kept my eyes fixed on the cup in my hands, grateful for the fact that we weren’t sitting directly across from each other as the combined light of him, the pastor, and Mrs. Hall was now nearly blinding, as they sat facing the window, fully illuminated by the golden light of the setting sun. I felt a migraine coming on.

It must have shown, because he refused to drop the subject. He asked a few more questions about how I’d been sleeping and what I had eaten before coming to the question I’d been dreading for the past two days.

“Do you remember what happened?”

“I–I remember—I don’t know,” I stammered. Fortunately, I was holding it together, but just barely, and mentally kicking myself for not having an answer prepared, and wondering exactly how much they already knew.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, then a moment of silence before the pastor spoke.

“We understand this is difficult for you to talk about,” he said in a low voice, “and you don’t have to tell us if you’d rather not. But you should know that you’re not alone here.”

Before he could say another word, I jumped as I heard a sound outside, and the next moment we heard the door open and Ellen call, “I’m home.”

I thought there was something unusual in her tone. The others seemed to notice too, as the doctor and pastor looked at each other and Mrs. Hall was up faster than I would have thought possible for someone of her age.

“What is it? Is Anna—?”

There was something like a gasp, followed by a long pause, and then—

“Anna is fine. She had a healthy baby girl a little after one. But I’m afraid we’ve had quite an eventful afternoon.”

Ellen came in looking more upset than I would have thought possible for one of them, though upon seeing us all gathered, she seemed to collect herself a little. It was somewhat alarming to see her so unsettled, and now the rest of them as well, but almost comforting in a way, to have proof that they were only human. Even so, their lights continued to shine as brightly as ever, not dimmed in the slightest by this new disturbance. I most definitely had a migraine now, and took the opportunity to quietly excuse myself from the room.

“Well now, what’s happened?” I heard the pastor ask.

“Julia Thompson.”

“It seems that Mrs. Thompson has been rather busy lately,” Mrs. Hall said dryly. “What exactly did she do now?”

I didn’t hear any more as I practically stumbled into the hall, now half-deaf and almost completely blind, and feeling like I would be sick. I just barely made it back to my room before collapsing onto the floor and curling up in a ball, willing my hands to stop shaking and my breathing to return to normal.

I don’t know how long I stayed there. I might have even passed out. Then suddenly, it was over. The attack seemed to pass just as quickly as it had come on. The nausea subsided, my hearing and vision returned, and I found myself standing, once more, just outside the living room, where everyone, including the children, now gathered.

“I have a question,” I heard Elizabeth say.

“Yes, what is it?” Ellen asked.

“Has Aunt Julia gone mad?” she asked seriously.

I risked a peek into the room and saw that for a moment, Ellen almost looked as if she might laugh. There was a long pause before she finally asked, “What makes you think that?”

“Well—I mean—I don’t know—”

She looked helplessly to her sister, who sighed and spoke up.

“It’s because yesterday at the quilting party, she was saying things that sounded just crazy. I mean, we all know what she’s like,” she glanced to her siblings, who all nodded in solemn agreement, “but whenever we were near her, she started going on and on about a stolen ring, and jewels, and how you and Father…”

The adults all exchanged glances. Ellen seemed to grow a bit pale, while Mrs. Hall turned quite red.

“There aren’t really any jewels, are there?” Elizabeth asked.

“As a matter of fact, there are,” Ellen said, her voice somewhat strained. “Some family heirlooms that had been in your aunt’s family since before the town was even established, some of which, by all rights, should have gone to your cousin when she comes of age. But you remember your uncle had that accident a few years back that left him unable to work all summer, and since your aunt was too proud to accept charity, as she called it, she insisted on selling them for food. Needless to say, your uncle was not pleased when he found out, but he felt better once your father told him we had them and would keep them for your cousin. As for the ring—”

Her voice faltered, and she looked to Mrs. Hall.

“Don’t even think of giving it to her,” she exclaimed vehemently. “She has no right—”

“I know, I know, but…oh, I am tired.”

Now the pastor spoke, his voice low and even. “Mrs. Hall is right. The ring is yours by right and by law, there’s no question of that. And even if there was, she would be the last person with a claim to it. But now,” he looked to the girls, “public slander is a very serious charge. Do you know if anyone else heard Mrs. Thompsons’ accusations?”

“I’m sure everyone did,” Sarah said. “She was hardly trying to keep her voice down. And Maggie Shaw said to her face that it was an awful shame to speak such nonsense, and she didn’t believe a word of it. You can ask Mrs. Hansen about it, or Cecily, or Joanna. They all heard her.”

The pastor nodded. “I’ll do that.” Then, to Ellen, “I have to apologize. I see I’ve been quite negligent in my duties. I might have guessed something like this would happen—”

“You’re hardly the only one,” the doctor interjected.

“Yes, yes,” said Mrs. Hall. “No doubt we’ve all let far too much go for far too long, and it’s high time something was done about it.”

With that, it seemed a decision had been made, and in short time, the pastor, the doctor, and Mrs. Hall had taken their leave and gone out into the night. Ellen once again told the children to run along to the kitchen and that she would be along in a minute. For some time she simply stood in the hall, her eyes closed, an unreadable expression on her face. When she finally looked up, she seemed to have regained some of her old energy.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm alright," I lied.

"Good," she said briskly. "We've had a long summer, but they say the first frost will be here any day now. There are a few times in the year when we need all hands on deck, and this is one of them."

I found out what she meant the next morning, when I was awoken before sunrise by a loud knocking at my door. Ellen entered without waiting for a response and threw a jacket and gloves onto my bed.

"Get dressed quickly and put these on. We're heading out to the west field."

The field was about a fifteen minute walk away, and I learned we would be spending the morning picking fruit.

"It's late enough in the season that a good deal of it has been brought in already, but we can't afford to let anything go to waste," Ellen explained.

A handful of others were already there. A few acknowledged our arrival, but fortunately no one seemed to want to talk much. The one exception seemed to be when the pastor and his family arrived a few minutes after us, and he greeted everyone with a shout of, "This is the day that the Lord has made!"

And everyone responded in unison, "Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof!"

"The world, and they that dwell therein!"

I grabbed a basket and a ladder and moved to the very edge of the field, where hardly anyone else was yet.

A couple hours later, I had filled what seemed like dozens of baskets full of apples, pears, peaches, and nectarines, as well as some odd bumpy red berries I couldn't identify, and still the empty baskets kept coming. By now the field was filled with workers, and every single one, as far as I could tell, had the same unearthly glow about them. I stayed on the very outskirts of the field and kept my back to them as much as I could, and when I had finally gathered all the fruit there was, I slipped behind a large tree and simply waited until it was time to leave.

As the trees grew bare, the others also slowed down a bit, taking longer breaks and talking more. One group in particular was walking about and stopped directly in front of my hiding spot.

"Has anyone seen Mrs. Thompson?" I heard one woman ask.

"I don't expect we'll be seeing much of her anymore," said another.

"Did you hear there's going to be a trial?" exclaimed a third.

"Yes, though I can't see much point in that. We all know what happened."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it!"

"All the same, these things must be done properly. Matthew 18 and all that."

"I don't expect she will change, though."

"Can't say I do either. But we can hope."

"And pray."

"And pray."

Listening to them talk, I couldn't help feeling sorry for her, whoever she was, and thinking they were taking things a bit far, over what likely as not had been only a few careless words.

The signal to leave finally came a little before noon. The rest of the day and most of the next were spent in cleaning, sorting, peeling, dicing, cooking, baking, drying, and canning. No more was said of Mrs. Thompson, but a good deal was said about Mr. Campbell's prognostications for the coming winter, the state of the Longs' herds compared to the Johnsons', and whether we'd need to buy more blankets. Finally, on Saturday evening, the temperature dropped, and we looked out to see frost covering the window panes. Winter had arrived.

***

Sunday morning, I woke to an empty house. It was strange. The night before, I had excused myself from their nightly gathering as usual, but as I lay alone in the darkness, I toyed with the idea of joining them for church after all. My mind kept going back to James’ invitation, followed by his sudden change of mind. The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed and the more my curiosity grew, until I was nearly ready to go out and tell them that I would be there, whether they wanted me or not. All the same, it was something a relief to find that the decision had been take out of my hands, and I now resolved to make the most of my time alone.

It didn’t take long to realize, however, that this would not be the nice, relaxing break I’d been hoping for. After a week of busyness and chatter, the silence felt unnerving. I continued to feel as though I was being watched, found myself jumping at the slightest noise, and nearly screamed when I opened the door and felt the cat slip in past my feet.

I found breakfast—an omelet, pickles, and something like hash browns—waiting on the table, ate quickly and washed up as well as I could, and was just looking at the books in the living room when I was startled by a knock at the door. I froze and instinctively ducked behind the couch as the thought of meeting any more people, especially alone, set my heart racing. There followed a long enough silence that I began to hope I might have just been imagining things again, when suddenly there came another knock. I took a couple of deep breaths and finally forced myself to peek outside the window, and in an instant, any apprehension I had felt evaporated, leaving only the most profound confusion.

There was a woman, early thirties, blonde, average height, utterly normal except for how completely out of place she looked here. In the first place, she was wearing pants. That alone seemed so striking that it took a moment to register that I could look at her without wincing.

She caught my eye and waved nervously. I waved back, then hurried to let her in.

“So, you must be our latest guest,” she said warmly, offering me her hand. “Julia Thompson.”

“Bree. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

And it was. Though I might have hoped she was someone from the city come to track me down, the knowledge that the were normal people around here after all was a relief beyond words. And the fact that she was now at the center of the town's gossip made perfect sense.

“Well,” she began, “I suppose you’ve heard all about the little incident a few days ago.”

“I…did hear something about a ring.”

She grimaced. “It was all just a terrible misunderstanding, but I do feel bad about it. I was just coming over to see Ellen and apologize for the whole thing, but”—she peered past me with a look of mild disappointment—“I guess she’s not at home?”

I shook my head. “But, as long as you’re here, would you like to come inside?”

I realized as I said it that it might not have been proper to invite guests into someone else’s home, but I was aching for some company. Maybe she was too, because she smiled brightly and followed me into the kitchen.

It was fortunate there was still a small fire in the stove, and the kettle was still hot. I found some cups and the tea without trouble and laid a few things out on the table. For a moment we simply sat in silence.

“So, how are you finding the place?” she said at last.

“It’s…certainly been interesting,” I offered diplomatically.

She laughed. “That’s one way to put it. Nothing like the city, I’m sure.”

“No.”

She laughed again. “Imagine coming from the city and waking up at the Halls’. I heard they don’t even have water these days. I think I would just die of shock.”

I stared.

“You mean…it’s not all…”—I waved a hand around vaguely—“like this?”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, like I said, it’s absolutely nothing to the city, but we are somewhat civilized. I told my husband before we got married, I refused to live in a house where I had to draw water, and he made sure we had a working pump and decent plumbing. But some people just prefer to live in the past.”

“I guess so.”

I couldn’t help staring at her clothes. Upon closer inspection, they might have been handmade, but they looked a good deal more normal than what I was wearing.

“It’s not a religious thing, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said, eyeing my long gray skirt, “though some people might like to say it is. The truth is, back when the town was founded, they only had one seamstress, and I guess it must have gotten to be too much for her, because one day she pitched a fit and declared that if people wanted pants, they could make them themselves. She finally relented a bit for the men, but the ladies just had to make do until a new seamstress came along. These days, well—”

She took a sip of tea.

“Well, you know how small towns are.”

I didn’t, but I nodded anyway.

“People will look for any excuse to gossip, and eventually you decide, well, if I’m never going to fit in, I might as well give them something to talk about.”

The visit lasted about half an hour longer before she finally looked out and announced that she would have to run along and catch Ellen some other time.

I saw Ellen and the children coming down the road ten minutes later, and with them was a younger woman dressed all in black. I cleared away what remained of the tea and decided I would tell them about my visitor another time.

I heard the door open, and the next minute, Ellen popped her head into the kitchen and whispered, "Bree? Someone here to see you."

I followed her into the hall and came face to face with the woman in black. I felt her staring at me. I kept my eyes fixed on her dress until my eyes could adjust a little to the light. There was a long moment before she spoke.

“Bree? Sam told me it was you, but I couldn’t believe it.”

Her voice sounded vaguely familiar. As I met her eyes, it was all I could do not to scream. It was Jess.

[part 6]

[mynamesaplant]

The Headspace that is Grief (Ch. 4)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary: The grieving process is different for everyone, Emmet and Olivia know that first hand but they just don't know it yet. Sometimes it takes another person experiencing the same things as you to move through those feelings. Together, they learn and grow with their grief and each other.

In this chapter: We meet Gina, Olivia's best friend. We learn a little more about why Emmet's in Sinnoh in the first place.

Notes: This was not beta read - so if there are spelling or grammatical errors, let me know. Regardless, I hope you enjoy!~

<< Previous | First | Next >>

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The growing season was phenomenal. Just like he promised, Mr. Emmet's Pokémon helped her - even the tiny yellow ones he called Joltik. They dug through the baskets of berries and removed debris like extraneous twigs and leaves. All her work was done with such swiftness that Olivia wasn't quite sure what to do with herself by the time they finished in the early afternoons. His Pokémon seemed so happy to have work to do and Mr. Emmet commented that they enjoyed doing tasks.

"They cannot stand staying still."

He had said and Olivia chuckled at that. They were just like their trainer. For his part, he was taking frequent trips down to Canalave, leaving early and returning late. She could tell when he had had a fruitful journey, his smile had the barest hint of optimism and relief when he returned. He turned sullen and moody when he was unsuccessful.

Olivia had offered him rides to the port city after finding out he had no driver's license and he had politely but firmly declined, his cheeks vaguely green at the thought of taking a bumpy ride downhill. Miss Olivia’s truck was small, ancient, and rickety-looking – he could only imagine how bad the suspension was at this point. Emmet usually walked a trail down to the edge of Cedaridge and took a bus to Canalave. He didn't really like that either, but there were no rail systems here in Sinnoh. Prompted by his rejection, Olivia asked Gina for a spare Staraptor, which made her best friend raise an eyebrow at her.

"Truck broken down?"

Gina's brow furrowed when she was told no. Only if it was an emergency or if her truck needed repairs did Olivia ask to borrow one of Gina's prized Staraptor. She asked if everything was okay, and Olivia's only reply was that it was temporary loan for her tenant. That wasn't a sufficient answer for the breeder, and she folded her arms.

"Liv, I love you, but I'm not giving my Pokémon to a stranger."

"He's really good with Pokémon. He has like twelve of them and they're all really well-behaved."

"Uh-huh," that sounded rather intriguing. Gina had forgotten Olivia had mentioned in passing that he had a lot of big Pokémon which she worried about for the coming winter, if he stayed that long. "Let me meet this guy before I just hand over a Staraptor."

They returned to Olivia's house, and she tentatively rapped on Mr. Emmet's door, waiting until he responded with a muffled grunt like she had woken him up from sleep. He had been up very early, which meant he had woken up early himself or had never gone to bed. This confirmed the latter.

"Mr. Emmet, when you have a moment, can I speak with you?"

"Yup..."

He croaked and Olivia began to hear some shuffling around the room. The duo retreated to the kitchen, brewing up some tea and engaging in idle chatter when they heard the pipes gurgle, water running somewhere on the first floor. He was taking a quick shower.

"Must be trying to look presentable."

Olivia observed. Gina only offered a nod, casting her gaze to the gaggle of Pokémon wandering out of the room. Although interested in them, Gina looked back to her best friend.

"Is it ever weird?"

Olivia had been stirring some milk into her chai but stopped abruptly when asked that. She knew what Gina was driving at and she wasn't particularly interested in discussing it. It always brought a lump to her throat.

"Only sometimes."

Olivia replied thickly, resuming her stirring and banging the spoon around in an unnecessarily aggressive way, hoping Gina took the hint. She wasn't lying. It was weird sometimes. To see that door open and to see Mr. Emmet step out. No exuberant friendly greeting like she expected. No immediate rush to embrace like she was used to, like they hadn't seen each other in years, when it had just been last night. Just a mute nod or a quiet greeting before he started shuffling around to start his day, the smell of coffee unfamiliar and acrid in the wake of her disappointment.

The silence in the kitchen was stifling and, thankfully, Mr. Emmet broke it with his appearance. He still looked a little groggy and Olivia got up, motioning him to sit.

"Sorry for waking you. I'll make you some coffee."

"Thank you."

Emmet's reply was cut off by a loud yawn, but he was genuinely grateful for Miss Olivia's thoughtfulness. When he was running late, which was almost never, she had figured out how to operate the coffee machine he had bought and had a pot made up for him.

He directed his attention to the woman who sat opposite him, a robust looking brunette with clear blue eyes. Said eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets as she stared at him in silent awe. Emmet flinched and fiddled with the cuff of his sleeve, a self-consciousness he hadn't felt since he had left Unova striking him and swirling in his gut like a hungry Sharpedo on the prowl. He knew that look. She recognized him.

He was spared from direct interaction by Miss Olivia, introducing her friend as Mrs. Gina LeMar, a Pokémon breeder and a life-long friend, who lived down in the village of Cedaridge.

"Gina and I go way back. I used to watch all her battles when we went camping at the Frontier."

That was the evidence Emmet needed to know for certain. Mrs. LeMar probably knew him from the countless articles and appearances he had done with, and more recently without, Ingo. Mrs. LeMar might even know about Ingo's disappearance and that was not a topic Emmet wanted to discuss with a stranger. He didn't want more empty sympathy. He didn't want any more condolences.

To his surprise, and immense relief, Mrs. LeMar said nothing. Her face morphed into something reassembling faint curiosity and she listened as Miss Olivia took the reins of the conversation, utterly oblivious of the interactions between her two guests. She poured out more tea and a cup of coffee before seating herself comfortably between them.

"I know this is a little, er - forward of me, but Gina is a breeder, and I was thinking you could borrow one of her Staraptor for your longer trips."

"Oh... Verrrrrry thoughtful of you."

Emmet tried desperately to stifle a wave of nausea. Flying was awful, and not just from years of experience with his beloved Archeops. The air was unpredictable. Although there was a harness holding you to your Pokémon of choice, if that failed, you were going to plummet out of the sky and have a harsh meeting with the ground below.

He truly appreciated her thoughtfulness, but Emmet would rather keep his feet firmly on the ground.

"My Staraptor are very well trained. They're the smoothest ride in Sinnoh, and that's a guarantee, sir."

Mrs. LeMar was acting very cool and professional, her blue eyes glinting with many emotions over the rim of her cup. Emmet saw a distinct question in those eyes, why are you here? Emmet returned his own cool expression, his smile not meeting his eyes, that's none of your business. Her eyebrow raised a millimeter closer to her hairline, setting down her cup with a deliberate force that shook the table.

"Olivia says you're trustworthy, but I don't like to lend my Pokémon out to people I don't know and the way I get to know people is by battling."

Emmet already anticipated this. He could feel the electricity in the air, it tingled just under his skin and vibrated in his teeth. She hadn't liked his unspoken answer. This was a mind game that he wouldn't let her win. He liked winning more than anything... Well, almost anything. Mrs. LeMar wanted to study him under a microscope, not out of an innate nosiness, but out of concern, he could tell. A concern for Miss Olivia that seemed misplaced.

Miss Olivia seemed perfectly capable of handling herself. Emmet, although a tall man, was not particularly robust or athletic - their mother had described her sons as beanpoles, which was a very accurate description. However, he wanted to leave Mrs. LeMar with no doubts about his intentions, or lack thereof in this case, with her friend.

"I am Emmet. I accept your challenge."

His script was practically on the tip of his tongue, familiar and safe. It would have been easy to fall into its comforting rhythm, but it would seem out of place, yes, verrrry out of place with the conversation. He didn't need to say double battles. She seemed to already know. They were both pushed away from the table at the same time and were practically running for the door when Miss Olivia sputtered out an exclamation.

"Seriously Gina?"

Neither of them acknowledged, looking for a suitable spot on the property because Gina and Emmet knew Olivia would kill them if her gardens were even looked at funny. She stumbled after them, their long strides carrying them a lot further a lot faster. Ultimately, Olivia knew trying to dissuade Gina from battle was a fruitless task, but Mr. Emmet seemed to be indulging her without complaint. She only noticed the stiffness in his shoulders when his back was to her.

"You don't have to battle her if you don't-"

"I would very much like to battle. Yep!"

Emmet interrupted her, not realizing how curt he was being until Miss Olivia huffed indignantly and said something about going to make some lunch. She was already halfway to the house by the time he thought to apologize.

He returned his gaze to Mrs. LeMar, a steely glint in the eyes that narrowed when they met their opponent's. The clear blue had turned to chilly ice, a frozen fire that Emmet did not find remotely intimidating. She tilted her head, wavy locks cascading with the movement and considered him silently.

"Well?"

"The only Pokémon I have with me is my Staraptor. When I didn't know who it was Olivia had taken on as a tenant, I didn't think it would be fair to battle them. You... You would absolutely be a fair fight... You might actually be a challenge for me. Arceus knows I crave a good challenge."

"So, we are not battling?"

Emmet asked for clarification, feeling himself deflating incrementally and releasing a dejected sigh when she shook her head no. Mrs. LeMar still wasn't saying anything about Ingo, which was an immense relief for him, but her gaze did not waiver even for a second. He knew it was coming. He tried mentally to prepare, but it never worked. When it came to Ingo and the lengths Emmet would go for his missing sibling, it made his throat tighten and chest burn with a loneliness that could never be satisfied with just any companion.

"Why are you here?"

He bristled at her brazenness, her expression wholly unapologetic even as he narrowed his eyes and attempted to spit back a retort.

"That is none of-"

"I don't care why you're in Sinnoh. That's none of my business. Why Olivia? Nobody in this region has any idea who you are. You could have picked somewhere closer to Canalave, but you picked a mountain top. I've never been to Unova, but I've been to Kalos. Cedaridge is the exact opposite of a city."

Emmet was taken aback. He had misinterpreted her earlier. Her look had been asking why he was here as in why he picked the top of a mountain to call a temporary home. That was one he was still sorting out himself. Nimbasa was loud and bright at all hours, Cedaridge was unnaturally silent and oppressively dark. Both pressed upon the eyes and ears in an uncanny way that sometimes made him start hyperventilating.

Emmet told himself that he needed a break from cities. He had stayed in cities everywhere else he had gone. Celadon, Goldenrod, Mauville, Heahea, Motostoke – these still weren’t big as Nimbasa, but they were not remotely small. Although he was still getting used to Cedaridge and his commute was long and arduous, he was trying to make the best of the peace and quiet.

"She had a vacancy and I... I needed to try something different."

Her face changed minutely, her mouth drawing tight and her brow furrowing a tad. Their eye contact remained firm despite the tension of the subject matter.

"I love Olivia, but she has no idea who you are. She's just trusting her gut... She's not wrong. You're not a bad guy." She looked as though she was going to add something else before thinking better of it. "Take the Staraptor. He'll get you places faster, and Olivia can stop worrying about you."

Worried?

"She is not worried about me."

Emmet knew it was inaccurate the second he left his mouth. She fussed and hovered, but Miss Olivia was a kind soul - she cared for him, though neither of them acknowledged it aloud. Mrs. LeMar smirked. She didn't need to point out his error. The Subway Boss looked away sheepishly, fussing with a stray thread on his shirt as she passed by, headed back to the house.

"You don't have to hold on to him. Just swing down by my place and grab him. 129 Vine Street."

Mrs. LeMar did not wait for him to follow. He stood out in the garden for a long time, mentally kicking himself for being so easy to read to a complete stranger. It was embarrassing to be so transparent. Usually, only Ingo could predict and read his mood completely effortlessly, but he was no more than a pane of glass to her.

Was he losing his edge after all this time? Had his sabbatical really dulled him so much? Maybe he would take a break and head over to the Battle Frontier to pummel Palmer into a fine pulp to make himself feel better. Emmet straightened, forcing his jaw to unclench from its frustrated position, and finally followed Mrs. LeMar.

Lunch was almost awkwardly silent. Olivia had to wonder if Gina had beaten Mr. Emmet that quickly. They had only been outside for a few minutes and neither of them had said a word about their battle, so Olivia didn't mention anything either. She watched as Mr. Emmet tried to be polite and eat the sandwiches she had made, but it was quite clear that he couldn't force it down - at least, not without a big gulp of water.

She rose and walked to the fridge, perusing, and finding some plain noodles she had cooked the other day. Olivia took his plate and swapped it for the one of plain noodles, although a little surprised that she seemed to anticipate his desire for something more palatable (to him at least), he thanked her.

"I told you before, if you don't like something I make, I'm not going to force you to eat it. That's why I also have all those pre-made things in the fridge."

"Understood."

He replied, his cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment at her scolding. Olivia had taken his peculiar eating habits in stride and did her best to accommodate him. Gina took this in wordlessly, already spotting the similar rhythm her best friend was so used to in taking care of Mr. Emmet. She couldn't definitely state whether it was unhealthy or not. Olivia was still dealing with her loneliness, still in the midst of recovery from a broken heart.

Mr. Emmet was in the same boat, at least as far as Gina could remember from the media coverage and what Palmer had told her. She hadn't been staying apprised of the situation, but she knew his brother was missing and, after five years from the initial opening of the missing person case, the prospects of the Subway Boss ever seeing his brother again were slim to none. Although neither seemed to acknowledge it, Gina could tell they felt less alone in each other's presence. Both trying to process their grief in silence, but at least not utterly alone.

"Thanks for the lunch."

Gina was turning to leave after an extremely awkward conversation following lunch. It was quite evident that Olivia's friend seemed to make him uncomfortable, which she chalked up to Gina beating him, his words stunted and his smile not reaching his cool gray eyes. She stopped, whirling around to point at Olivia to remind her that Ethan was going to be fixing the overhead fan and oiling the various squeaky hinges around the shop tomorrow.

"I'll be there by nine. I have to start transplanting my gracideas for the flower boxes and stocking the cooler for opening on Monday."

Emmet, who was lingering by the door to his room perked up when she was saying all this to her friend. Once Mrs. LeMar finally bid farewell and Miss Olivia shut the door, Emmet was quick to offer his assistance. He needed a break from the library. Surprised, she agreed, her finger nervously twisting in the hem of her shirt.

"I - I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries by asking Gina for her Staraptor... I should have mentioned something to you beforehand."

He paused, not expecting any sort of apology, and not quite understanding the need for it.

"I am Emmet. You did not."

Emmet watched her breathe a subtle sigh of relief and thanked him for the assistance, explaining the tasks they had ahead of them the next day.

"This is the shop in town? The one with the rent sign out front?"

He asked and Miss Olivia nodded. There were more people in Cedaridge who would see the sign rather than all the way out here, she explained. The location made more sense now. Emmet wasn't sure why there was a "For Rent" sign on a small building with no second floor.

Again, Emmet was struck by the situation. She lived alone in a house much too big for one person surrounded by a massive orchard. She also had a store front in town to sell her products and an online store for long distance customers. Much like his uncle and best friend had told him when Emmet tried to run the entirety of the Battle Subway on his own after Ingo's disappearance, this operation seemed much too big for just one person to manage.

There were many possibilities that played in Emmet's head, following in her wake as she guided him to a flower bed with a variety of delicate-looking pink blossoms brightening the surrounding greenery. Miss Olivia could have been married and something had happened between her and her spouse that lead to a separation or they could be elsewhere for work, but that would be odd considering the operation that was here required diligent attention and infinite care with finicky berries. There was the possibility that she was willed the house and other property - not that Emmet doubted she couldn't have gotten all of these things on her own. She was a hard worker and passionate about her job, other traits that reminded him of Ingo...

"Miss Olivia?" Emmet hadn't even realized he interrupted her midsentence. She pursed her lips and waited for him to continue. He wanted to kick himself because he knew it was rude, but he wanted to know. "This place - These properties. How did you come to acquire them?"

The shift in mood was instant and not in the least bit subtle. Her face fell and her dark complexion paled, he couldn't help but notice how she caught her lower lip between her teeth to chew it anxiously. She had hoped that the topic would never come up, but he had asked point blank. He was not one for beating around the bush. Miss Olivia scrambled for words to string together, ones that wouldn't cause her eyes to start burning and her heart to remain steady.

"I... It-Its..." She stammered, Olivia felt like his stare was harsh and accusatory, even if she knew in the back of her head that it was her mind playing tricks on her. A sharp breath. A grinding of teeth. She wasn't going to cry. She wouldn't allow herself to cry. "Inheritance."

The word was loud and clunky in her mouth. It wasn't even half the story. This place was her childhood home. It was a legacy. It was solace and comfort but also pain and mourning. Mr. Emmet nodded and did not interrogate her any further.

<< Previous | First | Next >>

[stringhq]

Mwf? This looks amazing!!!!

thank you so much! i'd love to see alexa demie, america ferrera, anne hathaway, anya taylor joy, ayo edebiri, brittany snow, carey mulligan, chase sui wonders, coco jones, courteney cox, elizabeth lail, fka twigs, halle bailey, havana rose liu, jane de leon, jenna ortega, jessie buckley, maggie q, margot robbie, melissa barrera, mia goth, rachel sennott, sophie turner, sydney sweeney, tati gabrielle, taylor russell, victoria pedretti, willa fitzgerald, and zendaya. there are a bunch of ideas under the cut too from when i was in a spooky mood!

abbey lee, addison rae, aimee carrero, alexandra jensen, alison oliver, allison williams, alona tal, alyssa sutherland, amanda seyfried, america ferrera, andi matichak, angela bassett, antoinette robinson, anya taylor-joy, ayo edebiri, bahar pars, bethlehem million, billie lourd, brittany snow, caitlin stasey, carey mulligan, celeste o'connor, chase sui wonders, chloe bailey, cleopatra coleman, courteney cox, devyn nekoda, dominique fishback, elizabeth moss, ella balinska, emily tennant, fivel stewart, florence pugh, georgina campbell, gideon adlon, gillian anderson, gina gershon, grace byers, havana rose liu, hayden panettiere, hong chau, jane adams, janet mcteer, jasmin savoy brown, jenna coleman, jessie buckley, judy greer, julie bowen, kaia gerber, kaitlyn denver, kathryn newton, katie winter, keke palmer, kiernan shipka, kirby howell-bapitiste, kristen stewart, lady gaga, liana liberato, lily sullivan, lola zackow, lucy boynton, lucy hale, maggie q, maika monroe, maria bakalova, marin ireland, marley shelton, meghan martin, melissa barrera, mia goth, michelle yeoh, mikey madison, miranda otto, myha'la, nell verlaque, neve campbell, nichole sakura, odeya rush, olivia holt, paris jackson, portia doubleday, rachel sennott, renata vaca, rosamund pike, ruby cruz, samara weaving, sandra oh, sarah snook, shabana azeez, shannyn sossamon, shawnee smith, silvina sabater, sonia ammar, sophie thatcher, sophie wilde, sosie bacon, taissa farmigo, taylor russell, tina fey, virginia gardner, x mayo, or yvonne orjii!

[mistressxgrace]

voulez-vousatticus:

“I heard you coming,” he said, voice heavy.  The island was totally destroyed and a lot of his favorite spots didn’t survive - the beach bar, not that he could get drunk now anyway, the lounge with the pool tables, even his job.  He knew he should be helping people repair, trying to do some good, but being around people was really difficult.  He was at the water, hoping the white noise of the waves would drown other things out - it wasn’t working.  He heard every bird chirping, every bug buzzing, every twig snapping, particularly the one the person behind him stepped on.  His feet dug into the sand, the waves casually rolling in, wetting his shorts and toes, his reusable water bottle of blood next to him sinking further into the ground from the ocean.  Atticus’s emotions have been all over the place since he got turned and he could feel a pressure behind his eyes again, even when his fingers pinched his nose to try to block it - the last thing he wanted was to be at all vulnerable in front of someone else.  “There’s gotta be other sections of the beach you can go to, alright, I should probably be alone.”  Or I’ll hurt someone, he thought.

Grace took a deep breath as she strolled along the beach, vintage sandals in one hand, a large straw hat shading her perfect skin from the sun. She had decided to take a bit of time to herself, as the ladies in her home were currently very well taken care of and needed for nothing. Grace had been very fortunate, and she knew it. But that had not stopped the whole situation from leaving the vampiress quite rattled. Being separated from Gina, Matthew's unexpected departure from the island. The fear that she could have very well lost one of the dear friends that she had come to adore. It was a lot for someone who tried very hard but failed at becoming attached. So yes, the calming breeze of the ocean was just what she needed! Grace's attention was soon caught by a scent that said breeze carried to her nose. "Oh..heavens.." She whispered, as things very soon became clear. Making her way to Atticus, she chuckled lowly at his greeting. "While that may be easiest darling, I am not certain if it is wise" Grace replied, before sighing softly. "Dear Atticus..whatever happened!"

@voulez-vousatticus

[cagliostrohq]

mw?

Hello, anon!!! Here are some of our favorite faces still available to play in our fantasy world:

Taylor Russel, Chase Sui Wonders, Davika Hoorne, Brian Tyree Henry, Alex Newell, Ritu Arya, Simone Ashley, Grace Van Dien, Naomi Watanabe, Aldis Hodge, Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer, Elle Fanning, Suni Reid, Lucy Liu, Jennifer Lopez, Josh Hueston, Winona Ryder, Harvey Guillen, Taís Araújo, Thomas Weatherall, Josh Segarra, Octavia Spencer, Hirai Momo, Ciara Ramirez, Bellisa Escobedo, Froy Gutierrez, Chloé Hayden, Xu Jiaqi, FKA Twigs, MJ Rodriguez, Sophie Thatcher, Jasmine Savoy Brown, Melanie Lynsky, Jacob Batalon, Salma Hayek, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Katie Findlay, Gina Torres, Nico Tortorella, Zhu Xudan, Giovana Cordeiro, Ju Jingyi, Brianne Tju, Sam Reid, Choi Beomgyu, Sam Richardson, Ming Na-Wen, Courtney Eaton, Ayo Edebiri, Evan Mock, Amber Midthunder, Cillian Murphy, Sarah Snook, Khadijha Red Thunder, Anne Lambe, Sofia Bryant, Kang Seulgi, Nicola Coughlan, Charlie Heaton, Lauren Ridloff, Natalia Dyer, Mia Goth, Danielle Brooks, Aslihan Malbora, Sharon Rooney, Cody Christian, Gabourey Sidibe, Nicholas Hoult, Tyler Posey, Remi Hii, Gil Birmingham, Brandon Perea, Sen Mitsuji, Daniella Alonso, Jeremy Allen White, Wakeema Hollis, Song Kang, Liv Hewson, Lizeth Selene, Nikki Thot, Kieran Culkin, Michelle Yeoh, Andrew Garfield, Kiowa Gordan !!!

Let us know if you need more ideas or are looking for a faceclaim with a specific vibe, nonnie!

[dbzultimatehero]

“C’mon, girls. No need to fight! They’re both practically the same thing, and I personally love them both!” Hiro said with a cheerful smile, trying to find a neutral ground. However, he was also slightly biased given his personal preference. “Though if you ask me though, hehe… I’d say the breadsticks are just a tad bit better!”

“Hah! Ridiculous.” Basara scoffed at his sibling rival with his arms folded, almost sticking out his chest with pride in his statement. “Don’t kid yourself… the knots are so much better than those boring-ass twigs of dough.”

“What? No way! The sticks are where it’s at!” Hiro insisted.

“Hell no! The knots are superior!” Basara retorted.

Hiro: “Screw you! Sticks!”

Basara: “Fuck off! Knots!”

H: “Sticks!”

B: “Knots!”

H: “Sticks!”

B: “Knots!”

Usually this is the part where Gina turned Momma Bear and clobbered them and told them to ‘Shut the f*ck up’, but this debate at least gave them something lighthearted to briefly talk about while they eat.

♡

Keep reading

[another-shameless-fangirl]

Fairy Circle

There was only an hour or so before sundown and Dash's group wasn't anywhere near the carefully plotted path curated for them.

"How are we supposed to get back to camp in time for the jamboree?" Kwan asked scratching his head as Dash poured over the map. Star huffed as the rest of the small group meandered around the trees and bushes waiting idly for their staff-appointed leader to lead them.

"Ugh. Yesterday's 'jamboree' was just Lancer doing slam poetry for an hour by the fire. I'd rather die of exposure out here, thanks."

Some of the others laughed in response. There were 6 people in the group so they could all keep an eye on each other and thankfully, most of them were already friends.

Well, no one was friends with Fenton.

Danny rolled his eyes and kicked a small twig into a bush and then started to walk off.

"Hey, Fentolio, don't get lost or I'll have to find you and drag you back hogtied, understand?"

"Yeah. Crystal."

Danny drawled back and leaned against a tree looking very bored but in the eye line of the rest of the group.

Gina and Nathan were busy with actually finishing their part of the assignment, cataloging the flora they could find and matching the leaves to the ones on the hand out.

Danny had been in charge of fauna and managed to take some quick sketches of footprints that Dash wouldn't admit were pretty good, but they were pretty good.

Kwan pointed in a direction that Dash agreed with and everyone followed suit. Kwan had been a scout for several years after all and learned more than just how to sell popcorn.

Star walked behind her friends while Gina and Nathan walked ahead of everyone else looking for more plants they hadn't been able to check off yet. Fenton took up the rear. Dash knew he was behind them because that loser kept kicking through the brush like he was signaling to the whole forest that they were there.

Dash didn't remember the last time he saw Fenton without his dweeb friends, but being without them made him even more irritating than usual.

"Hey, do mushrooms count as flora or something else?"

Gina had stopped at the head of a small clearing.

Dash lead the others beside her as Nathan walked further in to inspect the circle of brown mushrooms.

Nathan adjusted his glasses as he knelt down beside the ring and cocked his head.

"They're not considered a plant, more closely related to animals but it might count if we write it in as extra credit." He offered and Dash snorted the word "nerd" under his breath. The others laughed all except Fenton of course. Dash turned to look at him but the boy seemed to not be paying attention to them, just looking for more sticks to crush under the sneakers he chose to wear for a hike.

Dash pushed him and smirked as anger flashed in blue eyes.

"Hey, watch it!"

Dash stood his ground.

"Or what? Afraid we'll leave you in the woods with the monsters? Are there any ghosts out here, dweeb?" He mocked. It was no secret that Fenton had some kind of ghost sensor. He always ran off before a ghost attack in school or around town. His parents must have him wired up at all time. Or maybe it was an app on his phone. He never asked.

Fenton glowered at him then sighed. "No, Dash. There's nothing weird around." He said with such certainty that Dash felt the urge to believe him. Of course when Fenton was around, there was always something weird around.

Nathan broke a twig stepping forward and Fenton raised his eyes at the noise then froze.

"EXCEPT THAT-" He pushed past Dash who sputtered as the shorter boy rushed forward and grabbed Nathan's shoulder right before the red-head could step into the ring.

"You don't ever step inside a fairy circle." He warned with the same intensity as if Nathan didn't look both ways before crossing the street and almost got pancaked by a semi-truck.

Star stepped forward and the rest of them entered the clearing.

"The what?" she raised a perfect eyebrow and Danny turned to them.

"A fairy circle," he pointed at the mushrooms growing in a ring by his feet. "These are Scotch bonnets. Fairy ring mushrooms."

"You're such an idiot, Fentoad. We're not even in Scotland."

Fenton ignored him completely and Dash felt a whisper of rage at the slight.

"So the mushrooms mean it's a fairy circle. What's it do?" Star repeated determined to get an answer. She was into all this paranormal stuff almost as much as Paulina. Kwan was captivated by anything new and looked at Fenton with wide eyes. Gina looked too, the boy had everyone's attention. Dash crossed his arms.

"A fairy circle is a gateway into the fairy realm. If you step inside it you can be cursed with misfortune or death. That is if you aren't sucked into their world and forced to dance for them until you drop dead." He said with too much science nerd decorum to make it sound like a good story.

Kwan looked worried.

"I'm not a good dancer." He admitted and took a step back. Dash laughed.

"You can't be serious. You're afraid of a stupid story like that? Fairies aren't real."

Fenton's jaw twitched in annoyance and Dash's smile grew.

"Dash. You live in a haunted city and go to a haunted school."

Dash shrugged nonchalantly.

"That doesn't mean fairies exist. Where's the scientific proof of those?"

That got Fenton sputtering and Star giggled into her hand. Even Gina cracked a smile. Nathan was absorbed in his notes, too busy to remark on his life apparently being saved.

Dash walked forward and was about to step into the ring dramatically just to bug the boy but two surprisingly strong hands grabbed him by the jacket and pulled him back causing him to stumble.

"What the hell, turd-fer-brains?" He snapped and Fenton actually looked worried with wide eyes.

"I'm serious, Dash. We need to not touch anything, get out of here, and never come back. Maybe leave an offering in case they're watching."

He started to look down at his feet like he was considering one of those sticks he'd been stepping on or maybe a shiny rock.

Dash stalked toward the small boy who ignored him again. Anger swelled inside him again and his fists formed then loosened so he could have his hands for this.

"Oh yeah? Well tell them we're so sorry and to keep the change."

And with that, he shoved Fenton hard and the boy yelped as he went over the border, locked eyes with the blond, and then fell through the ground leaving even the grass undisturbed.

Gina and Star screamed and Kwan ran forward before stopping right at the edge of the ring. Dash didn't move.

Fenton was gone.

Ectober 21 Day 4- Glitter

Ectober 21 Day 5- Fairy Circle

Ectober 21 Day 6- Twilight(part 2)

[witchcraft-in-wonderland]

Names you can use for me:

Cori

Persephone

Virgil

Angel

Dryad

Twig

Fox

Cassandra

Allasandra

Siren

Serena

Artemis

Nyx

Kit

Helena

Hyena

Honesty

Anael

Rose

Dove

Athena

Tyri

Violet

Alice

Phoebe

Banshee

Dusk

Dawn

Moon

Luna

Lyra

Nathaniel

Selene

Icarus

Stella

Demeter

Thanatos

Tori

Evan

Chris

Aurora

Venus

Gregory

Harley

Nessa

Marigold

Juniper

Ivy

Melody

Marina

Sawyer

Psyche

Aria

Beatrix

Vivian

Sprocket

Millie

Jaina

Justice

Halo

Aether

Remnant

Florence

Hazel

Poppy

Evelyn

Ava

Vanna

Sylvie

Non

Echo

Wisp

Hollow

Coraline

Belle

Nissa

Oracle

Odessa

Rapunzel

Diana

Charlie

Gina

Mary

Molly

Arielle

Adriel

Aydan

Elliot

Queenie

Maxie

Nico

Sage

Ambrose

Val

Amadeus

Freddy

Evanna

Marianne

Calypso

Lizzie

Robin

Lark

Love

Jay

Heart

Morena

Atalanta

Raven

Crow

Sparrow

Aphrodite

Hestia

Hera

Loralei

Lorena

Jane

Mara

Thalia

James

Vibes

Genesis

Fault

Duchess

Lucky

Noel

Nadia

Clara

Ophelia

Hebe

Juno

Kiari

Frisk

Shyren

Arabella

Monique

Hattie

El

Rags

Akriel

Karael

[deus-and-the-machina]

Alright here’s the tgaa daemon AU I promised. it got all deleted last night which sucks and I don’t feel like retyping a bunch of it so if you want to see my thoughts on how cultural and class differences play into daemons, well just give this post attention. Also check out the fic the harrowed and the haunted by feyhound on ao3, it’s what inspired this whole thing and it’s very good.

Naruhodo Ryuunosuke - Large Japanese Field Mouse (Hina)

Naruhodo has always been a bit embarrassed by his tiny, meek looking daemon, but Hina is anything but shy. Hina expresses a lot of his internal sentiments, mostly those of being Very Done™ very often. If anything, it’s better that she’s small because her small huffs are barely noticed from where she peers out of his pocket. 

Susato Mikotoba - Mini Satin Rabbit (Asahi)

A lopped eared rabbit, Asahi stands peaceful and serenely, but Susato’s confidence can be clearly seen in the rabbit’s upright posture. Asahi is a very quiet daemon, spending most of his time silent and observing with sharp eyes. Susato often carries him around or uses a basket instead of simply having him walk. It’s a very cute sight. Asahi only settled two years ago, in fact.

Kazuma Asougi - Japanese Bobtail (Kasumi)

The sight of Naruhodo’s mouse perched atop a cat’s head was an unusual one, but Kasumi is a gentle soul. When Kazuma was presumed dead, Kasumi was lying unconscious next to his body as well, so Susato and Naruhodo still thought he was dead (note: in his dark materials, daemon’s dissolve when their human dies, but here I’m maintaining that they leave a corpse in order for certain aspects of the story to still work). Kasumi prowled under Kazuma’s cloak as the Masked Apprentice, eyes gleaming in the dark. She’s a fierce cat, often prowling the desk and hissing during 2-4 and 2-5, but has a good sense of humor like Kazuma, batting gently at fragile objects.

Herlock Sholmes - European Hare (Marian)

Name and idea stolen from the fic the harrowed and the haunted. Sholmes is very insistent she’s not a rabbit, a hare is very different, thank you very much. Her sharp ears pick up little details on crime scenes. During the dance of deductions, she often hops up near evidence and stands up on her hind legs, as if posing. Marian is very energetic in general, bouncing around Sholmes’ feet and around Baker Street’s furniture. 

Iris Watson - Unsettled, eventually settles as a Woodpecker Finch (Jackson, or Jacky)

Iris is fairly young, and truth be told no one expected her daemon to settle for a few more years, however it settles at the end of the game when she comes to accept Sholmes as her true dad. This comes as a byproduct of Iris’s maturity for her age, not just in her day to day life or genius-ness, but in reaching a self actualization even most adults would have trouble dealing with–that of our parents. A Woodpecker Finch is a bird known for its use of tools, specifically using twigs to dig out ants from trees, fitting Iris’ clever nature. Jacky was always an especially affectionate daemon, and can be seen cuddling with Hina, Kasumi, and Marian.

Barok van Zieks - Black Cat (Amnemie)

A lot of details from this are taken whole cloth from feyhound’s fic once again, most of the Van Zieks family had their daemons settle as large canines of some kind (cough I wonder why cough), but not only did his not, he was a fairly late bloomer as well. Present day Van Zieks is far beyond the insecure teenager he was, but Adraesteia still keeps a habit of prowling the edges of the courtroom, out of sight. There are many rumors the Reaper of the Bailey doesn’t even have a daemon at all, that his soul is incomplete. When he received his apprentice, Adraesteia regarded Kasumi with an odd familiarity even she couldn’t explain.

Also fun fact! The name “Amnemie” I chose because it was Dutch, tying into Van Zieks last name, hinting him to be of Dutch origin. It means “bitter grace”. 

Gina Lestrade - Terrier mix (Toby)

Gina was also a late bloomer, her daemon only settling after Gregson took her in. Part of her was almost unwilling to settle, since she saw it as a sign of becoming an adult, which she obviously resented. However, she was thrilled when Toby settled as an animal with a good sense of smell in her new passion for being a detective, representing her sharp senses and eagerness. Toby may not seem like he’s good for pickpocketing at first glance, but his barking can make a great distraction. 

Tobias Gregson - Pelican (Esme)

I considered choosing a seagull, but the pelican’s big beak won me over. He often gives her little bits of fish from his fish and chips as a reward. Toby often barks at her and runs around her eagerly. Esme also has the habit of pecking incessantly at Herlock’s hat whenever he shows up, showing Gregson’s great annoyance for the great detective. 

[unknowableroom]

thanks for the tag, @emeralddoeadeer!!! this is so fun and i'm gonna impose the informal rule you and @thequibblah did and keep it to one beatles song max

List 10 songs with 10 names in the titles that you like, and then tag 10 people.

sara smile - hall & oates

cassandra - florence + the machine (special shout-out to the poem version, linked here)

visions of gideon - sufjan stevens

andromeda - weyes blood

angelica - wet leg

go gina - SZA

mary magdalene - FKA twigs

martha my dear - the beatles

brandy (you're a fine girl) - looking glass

rosario tijeras - juanes

tagging @sunshine-lover, @alittlebitofeverything23, @macaroni-rascal, @letthebookbegin, and anyone else who'd like to do this!

Thanks for the tag @kay-elle-cee, I'm a sucker for a music tag, these were just the ones off the top of my head!

List 10 songs with 10 names in the titles that you like, and then tag 10 people.

James - Maggie Rogers

Jeremy - Pearl Jam

Aurora - Foo Fighters

For Martha - The Smashing Pumpkins

Grace - Jeff Buckley

Proud Mary - Tina Turner

Lady Madonna - The Beatles

Violet - Hole

Gabriel - Lamb

The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead - Crash Test Dummies

Tagging if you fancy - @possessingtheproperspirit @unknowableroom @clare-with-no-i @sunshinemarauder @basslineescapeact

[realasslesbian]

Today on me noting that misogyny impacts all females, including the ‘problematic’ ones; Gina Rinehart is pretty much the most universally hated woman in Australia, which always seemed objectively odd to me, since she hasn’t done really anything at all that a man hasn’t done ten times worse. Don’t get me wrong, she’s earned obscene amounts of money destroying the environment and hoarding land. But if she were a man we wouldn’t even know her name, because she wouldn’t even rank on the Shit Men of Australia list (in fact everyone would probs be out here commending her on single-handedly turning her father’s small business into a billion dollar empire). But since she’s a woman (and especially because she’s not a conventionally attractive little twig of a woman) she’s gotta be burned at the stake for the crime of not being perfect in every way. Like, I dunno, y’all can keep on trying to convince yourselves that some women deserve it I guess, but whether you like it or not women being punished more harshly than men is STILL misogyny. 

[sarcasticsunshine123]

EJ: We’ve been conducting an ongoing study to see what Big Red will and will not eat.

Ricky: Grass? Yes!

EJ: Moss? Yes!!

Ricky: Leaves? Ohh, yes!

EJ: Shoelaces? Strange but true!

Ricky: Worms? Sometimes!

EJ: Rocks? Usually nah.

Ricky: Twigs? Usually!

EJ: Ricky's cooking? Inconclusive!

Nini: How did you… test this?

EJ: You just hand him stuff and say ‘eat this’ and if he eats it, he eats it.

Nini: ... I don’t know how to feel about this.

Gina: IS THAT WHERE ALL MY SPARE SHOELACES WENT?

[rogerdeakinsdp]

🎶✨when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool)🎶✨

awww gina thank you so much! at the moment it's

salt-n-peppa - i am the body beautiful

yung lean, fka twigs - bliss

rina sawayama - stfu!

death grips - hacker

the anxiety - fight club

[g1nasa]

anxious  fingers  nervously  twist  long  braids.  waiting.  alert  to  any  noise,  gaze  darting  between  the  trees.  waiting  for  a  familiar  figure  to  emerge.  gina  had  purposely  sat  out  on  the  surprise  the  group  had  planned  to  wake  ricky  in  order  to  set  up  her  own.  one  that’s  been  in  motion  for  days,  that’s  only  been  made  possible  with  the  help  of  friends.  aiding  her  in  sneaking  into  the  kitchen  to  prepare  his  favourite  foods,  along   with  a  candle  topped  cupcake  lovingly  decorated  in  his  favourite  colours.  helping  her  set  up  the  chosen  clearing  with  a  blanket  to  sit,  fairy lights  and  hand  made  signs  to  decorate  the  trees,  and  a  phone  smuggled  out  of  dewey  wood’s  office,  to  be  replaced  before  he  even  notices.

somewhere  close  by  a  foot  snaps  a  twig,  and  ashlyn’s  voice  carries  over  the  rustling  leaves.  a  smile  tugs  at  gina’s  lips,  her  best  friend  turned  ex-roommate  had  never  been  a  very  good  liar.  nevertheless  she  stands,  hands  running  down  her  chosen  ensemble  to  wipe  away  any  dirty  and  debris  from  the  forest  floor.  swift  fingers  press  play  on  the  stolen  phone,  the  opening  chords  of  when  there  was  me  and  you  floating  from  the  small  speaker.  @r1ckys  is  standing  before  her,  and  with  a  nod  from  gina,  ashlyn’s  hand  is  removed  from  covering  his  eyes  -  revealing  the  bashful  smile  on  gina’s  lips.    ❝   happy  birthday,  ricky.   ❞