#Alisa Woods

[moviesandmania]

HAUNT Halloween horror - reviews - free on Tubi

‘Some monsters are real’ Haunt is a 2019 supernatural horror film. On Halloween, a group of friends encounter an “extreme” haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realisation that some nightmares are real. The movie was written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (co-writers of A Quiet Place). Eli Roth (The House…

[softpine]

"So... How do you rate our chances of survival?" "I'm trying not to think about it."

↪ Until Dawn AU

you should be able to follow this even if you haven't played until dawn, but i'm not sure anyone will want to read this lmao. major spoiler warning if you do! also since you're not supposed to say the monsters name and it was a bastardization of native beliefs anyway, i'm just calling it "the creature".

anyway, here's how the frozen pines crew would fare in until dawn...

Danny purchases an abandoned hunting lodge in Blackwood Pines. He hasn't gotten a chance to stay there himself, but he allows Asa to bring his friends up for a weekend visit as long as they check in regularly. Unbeknownst to anyone, this lodge was closed down in the 80s after a teenager (Finn) disappeared, and the team sent to find him was found partially eaten in the woods. Finn's body was never recovered. He's said to haunt the lodge ever since, chasing away anyone brave enough to step foot inside.

The group arrives at the lodge just before sundown. Alisa reveals that she brought her Ouija board, so they all gather around to use it – except Austin and Elaine, who are annoyed because they'd been the last to arrive and the cable car had gotten stuck, meaning they'd had to walk all the way up the mountain. They just want to relax, not taunt spirits. Asa mentions that there's a cozy guest cabin down the path where they could be left alone. Austin jumps on the opportunity, but Elaine is reluctant to walk even further, especially now that it's dark. Stevie picks up on her anxiety and argues with Austin on her friend's behalf. ("Why did we come all the way out here if you two are just gonna go somewhere else and bang?") Matt tries to diffuse the situation, but it just makes Austin more annoyed. He says he's going to the cabin whether Elaine comes or not. Elaine rolls her eyes but eventually follows him, though she promises she'll call Stevie once they're safe in the cabin.

As they're walking, Austin apologizes for getting angry and Elaine forgives him. They make it to the cabin without incident, but when she tries to call Stevie, she realizes she lost her phone. She wants to go back to the lodge, but Austin convinces her to stay and they'll look for her phone in the morning. This part follows the events of the game closely, ie. Austin starts a fire and they talk for a while. They start kissing and undressing, but are interrupted by a loud crash through the window: Elaine's phone. She thinks Matt and Stevie (but mostly Matt) followed them to play a prank on them. She flips out, yells at them from the porch, storms back inside, and... gets yanked through the window and is dragged away screaming. Austin grabs the gun off the wall and chases after her. POSSIBLE DEATH #1: If Austin takes too long, Elaine could have her throat ripped out by the creature. If Austin is fast enough, he'll follow her screams through the mines, finding her injured but alive. As he reaches out to grab her, the elevator shaft falls and she disappears from view. Either way, Austin will believe Elaine is dead. Stunned, he searches for who or what took her. He heads for the abandoned sanatorium in the distance, unaware of the horrors that await him.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group is finally using the Ouija board. Finn isn't responding with the planchette, but he's scaring them in other ways: making the lights flicker, random sounds come from the vents, and making himself appear in their vision for just long enough to think they've imagined it. Everyone gets scared, except Asa, who finds it intriguing. He goes upstairs on his own and tries to talk to Finn with compassion rather than morbid curiosity, but Finn isn't ready to hear it and he continues to scare everyone. Stevie is the most worried, especially because it's been a few hours without word from Elaine. She wants to go check on her at the guest cabin. Matt thinks this is weird and codependent, but after enough convincing, he agrees to go with her.

When they find the guest cabin, they see broken glass and blood everywhere, with the door wide open and the gun missing. They follow the footsteps until they reach a cliff. Matt knows he can safely climb down it because of his experience in parkour, but Stevie won't be able to. He tells her to use the nearby radio tower to call a ranger for help while he goes to find Elaine and Austin. Here, he has the option of giving Stevie his swiss army knife, or keeping it for himself. He makes his way down into the mines, until there's no more snow, thus no footprints to follow. That's when he hears Elaine screaming. POSSIBLE DEATH #2: Matt rushes to help her, but the screams were only the creature mimicking her voice. He's strung up by his neck and dragged deeper into the mine. If he still has his knife, he can cut the rope and survive. If he gave it to Stevie earlier, he will be defenseless and die. Either way, he or his body will remain trapped in the mines.

Stevie finds the radio tower. She successfully calls for help, but the ranger says they'll only be able to send a rescue team when the snowstorm subsides at dawn. She waits for Matt inside the tower, but he never shows. If Matt is still alive, his shoe will be tossed through the window, landing at Stevie's feet. If he's already dead, his decapitated head will be thrown inside. In both cases, Stevie is horrified and scrambles to call the ranger again to stress the urgency of the situation, but before she can reach it, the tower starts to collapse. She holds on for as long as she can. The tower crashes to the ground, trapping Stevie in between bits of mangled metal. If Matt had given her the swiss army knife earlier, she can use it to shatter a window and climb out safely. If she doesn't have the knife, she has to kick the window out, hurting her ankle. She decides she's done being a hero and starts running/crawling towards the lodge, bawling her eyes out.

Cut to Asa, unbothered, taking a bubble bath in the jacuzzi tub. Finn is leaving him alone, because even he knows there's a time and place for haunting people. Instead, he's focusing on scaring the shit out of Jada and Alisa, who have been wandering around the lodge searching for clues about its history. The basement is filled with animal carcasses in various stages of being skinned or stuffed that were never cleared out after the hunting lodge was abandoned. Jada starts to feel sick, but Alisa is fascinated and wants to keep going. Finn continues to scare them, getting more and more agitated the further the girls explore. He screams at them to get out, but they don't listen. Eventually, he becomes fully corporeal and begs them to leave, but Alisa notices that he's trying to prevent them from entering a small door at the very end of the basement. Naturally, she has to enter that door. She pushes past Finn and steps inside, though nothing could have prepared her for what she sees: A decomposed human body, mostly just bones, curled up in the corner of the room. He's wearing the same clothes as the ghost. She realizes the missing teen didn't die out in the wilderness on a hunting trip – he was killed by someone in the lodge.

Asa hears the girls screaming and hurriedly gets dressed (no anti-gravity towel for him, thank you), but in his haste to find them, he trips down the stairs and scratches up his face. He doesn't know what's going on and he's just plain scared, so he can't help but start crying. This is what makes Finn realize he doesn't want to hurt anyone and he doesn't want to be alone anymore; he wants these people to survive. He helps Asa stand up, which surprises both of them, because he didn't think he was capable of moving things in his environment without being angry. He says Jada and Alisa ran outside and he'll help Asa find them.

Austin flees the sanatorium, which was crawling with monsters and wolves (he was nice to Wolfie, don't worry). He catches up to Stevie in the woods. She sees a gnarly bite mark on his shoulder but thinks nothing of it, because she has no idea about the creatures and assumes it was some wild animal. If her ankle is hurt, Austin helps her walk and Stevie feels compelled to apologize for generally being rude to him. She doesn't hate him, she just worries about her best friend. Austin understands, but then he has to break the news that Elaine is dead. Stevie tells him Matt is dead too. (either, both, or neither could still be alive at this point, but they are always presumed dead). Stevie flat out refuses to believe that Elaine died, while Austin is defeated and believes they're all going to die tonight so there's no point looking for their bodies. Regardless of what Austin says, Stevie will leave him and go after Elaine herself. Austin continues towards the lodge.

Austin runs into Jada and Alisa next, who are stumbling out of the lodge, terrified. He yells at them to go inside. ("Whatever you think you saw in there doesn't hold a fucking candle to what I've seen out there.") They go back inside and lock themselves in a room with a weapons cache. Austin tells them everything he learned in the sanatorium – the forgotten miners who resorted to cannibalism, the monsters they became, and how the news covered up the massacre they caused. He says Elaine and Matt are dead because of these creatures, and Stevie will likely be dead because she ran off on her own. Jada wants to at least find Asa and let him into the safe room with them, but Austin says he's probably dead too (no one knows that Finn is watching out for Asa now). He teaches Jada and Alisa how to shoot a gun. It's while he's doing this that Alisa notices the bite on his neck. For an hour now, Austin has been stressing that these creatures were human once, but they became infected, dangerous and deadly, and he never mentioned that he'd been bitten by one. She screams for Jada to look at it, but Austin is quicker – he grabs Alisa tightly, covering her mouth. Jada is still holding the gun Austin taught her how to use. Even with a hand over her mouth, Alisa can be heard begging her to shoot him. Jada trains it at his forehead and... POSSIBLE DEATH #3: Jada can shoot Austin. If she does, Alisa will thank Jada for saving her life, and says that if they make it out of here alive, she'll tell everyone she did it in self defense. If Jada can't bear to shoot him, Austin will throw Alisa to the ground and run away.

But he doesn't get far. Right there in the living room, two creatures hang from the ceiling sculpture. Austin slows to a stop, holding his breath. It's nearly impossible for anyone to die here, as Finn will save them by creating a noisy distraction. Finn himself is only a visage, so he can't be harmed by the creatures which angrily circle the lodge for their prey. He suggests the only way to escape is by causing a gas leak and exploding the lodge with the monsters inside. POSSIBLE DEATH #4 & 5: If Jada shot Austin, then no one will be able to warn Asa that there are still people in the lodge, therefore Jada and Alisa will die of smoke inhalation in the weapons room. If Austin is alive, he does warn Asa (despite his anger about nearly being shot), and Asa instructs Finn to help the girls escape first. This leaves Asa (and Austin, if he's still alive), vulnerable to the creatures, meaning POSSIBLE DEATH #6 & 7: Asa and/or Austin can fail a don't move section and die. In the event that Asa dies, Finn becomes enraged and lights the fire himself, blowing up the lodge immediately and killing everyone inside, including the humans. If only Austin dies, Finn feels that he has failed, but he still makes sure Jada, Alisa, and Asa are out of the lodge before starting the fire.

Stevie hears the explosion and runs faster towards the mines, terrified at the idea of all her friends being dead. Elaine can't be dead too. POSSIBLE DEATH #8: If neither Elaine nor Matt is alive, Stevie will automatically be killed here, because she still isn't aware of the creatures in the mines and has no idea she needs to stay quiet and not move. But if either (or both) Elaine and Matt are still alive, Stevie finds them in the mines. All of them are in bad shape now, but they're thankful Stevie came back. They have to move very slowly. When they reach the edge of the mine, so close they can see the moonlight from the cracks, they're cornered by a creature. POSSIBLE DEATH #9, 10, & 11: If Stevie runs, she will die. If Stevie hides with Elaine/Matt and fails, Elaine/Matt will die. If she succeeds, they all survive. They stumble out of the mine just as the sun starts to rise over the horizon, the sound of rescue helicopters growing louder.

Much later, after the dust has settled, police recover Finn's body and lay him to rest. The investigation into his death has only just begun, but Finn isn't concerned. Because for the first time in as long as he can remember, he has a companion... In life or in death.

THE END.

please do let me know if you read this whole thing because you're officially my new best friend :') there's a ton more choices and branching pathways i thought about, but i figured this was already insane enough, so i tried to keep it simple fjksjds

[silly-little-gooses]

what your favorite the inheritance games character says about you!

from my humble little brain (pls don’t get offended this is a joke)

~ avery - you’re sticking with the classic. a good choice, although a bit boring. you definitely relate to her *cough* daddy issues *cough* and you dream of becoming rich. tig gave you very high standards for men and you’re questioning if they will ever be met.

~ jameson - you’re either madly in love with him or you think he’s cool and relate to his trauma. you’re definitely fun, perhaps irresponsible. you’re extremely loyal and absolutely hilarious pls marry me.

~ grayson - WE GET IT. YOU LIKE HIM. 😐.

~ xander - you have excellent taste, my friend. you definitely relate to him *cough* daddy issues pt 2 *cough* and struggle with being good enough. however, your trauma has made you funny so that’s a plus!

~ nash - to be so fr, idk if yall exist. he is a criminally underrated character. either you think you’re quirky by picking the least popular brother or you think he’s underrated (like me). nash got you into western style and now you say “howdy” unironically.

~ libby - you are an absolute legend. ik I’ve said this but you definitely relate to her trauma with parent issues and abusive relationships. you’re also the sweetest human being ever and ilysm let’s be friends and bake pastries together and have picnics in the woods yk

~ max - god tier sense of humor. you’ve also probably never cursed a day in your life and you’re glad you finally found a character that captured your escense. you either desperately want a xander in your life or you want to be the cool rich sassy single aunt/uncle. either way, ily.

~ emily - you don’t exist

~ eve - you REALLY don’t exist

~ rebecca - hello lgbtq+ community. we get it, you’re angry and angsty and you have great music taste, okay? if you’re queer, you def had internalized homophobia as a child and if you’re not queer, then you just really relate to a character with anxiety.

~ thea - you’re so cool. a bit judgy at times, but still cool!

~ alisa - I support all women’s rights and wrongs and I will support you on your plots for revenge or whenever you’re feeling stressed pooks <3

~ oren - icon. that’s you. that’s all, byeeee!

[thecircularlibrary]

can u pls pls pls write one shots abt Alisa Ortega.

ly btw ❤️💖💋

thnxxx!

ily too 🤍 here you go!!!!

alisa ortega headcannons

alisa listens to gracie abrams, specifically good riddance

i’ve said this one before but she went to university of texas for college (it’s the best law school in texas for some context)

alisa and her dad would bond by watching the fast and furious movies as they came out

alisa loves early 2000s movies like she’s the man, what a girl wants, and how to lose a guy in 10 days and dudebro movies like oppenheimer, godzilla versus kong, and fight club

however, her favorite director is greta gerwig

she really likes emily henry books and buys them the minute they hit the shelves

the only taylor swift album she listened to was speak now

the song messier by tate mcrae was on repeat when she and nash broke up

she ends up with a cutie patootie finance bro who helps her workload and understand how important it is to her (lmk if yall want to read this meetcute)

for her college graduation party her guest book was one of those polaroid books where guests take a polaroid of themselves and tape it in a little book and then write a message with a neon colored pen

whenever she feels especially lonely (because even independent people and people who aren't alone feel lonely sometimes) she looks through the guest book to remind herself that she isn't

SHE HAS FRIENDS GUYS she’s just so dedicated to her job that they never make an appearance

but i’m certain our queen does margherita mondays

our queen also crochets

alisa loathes musical theatre except for into the woods

she and xander have a great relationship

she and jameson do not

she loves the all american rejects and goes to shows for obscure bands that she may not even listen to (benches shout out)

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

25 in 2025

@bigcats-birds-and-books had an open tag for this so I'm joining in :3

Smothermoss by Alisa Alering

Leaving the Station by Jake Maia Arlow

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

There is a Door in This Darkness by Kristin Cashore

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

any of my Ivan Coyote books

Feast While You Can by Onjulie Datta & Mikaella Clements

Mary, or, The Birth of Frankenstein by Anne Eekhout

A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw

Black Flame by Gretchen Felker-Martin

Spread Me by Sarah Gailey

What the Woods Took by Courtney Gould

Fallen Gods series by Hannah Kaner

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska

American Rapture by CJ Leede

Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist

The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan

Ghost Roads trilogy by Seanan McGuire

If We Were Villains by ML Rio

The Undetectables series by Courtney Smyth

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

The Skin I'm In by Steph Tisdell

Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning

and so many more 🙈 something I noticed reorganising my shelves is how excited I am to read pretty much everything on my TBR? there's so much stuff on there that I'd love to read right now but alas, human capability and library holds are keeping me from it 🤭

tagging anyone else who's been anxiously waiting to be tagged - now's your chance!

[honeycrispappletree]

ON THE UNDER SIDE OF TOKYO // keiji akaashi

masterlist

PART 1: OBLIVION

" I never walk about after dark, It's my point of view

'Cause someone could break your neck, coming up behind you

Always coming and you'd never have a clue"

“UNIVERSITY OF KYOTO TAKES THE WIN FROM UTOKYO, 54-22!”

The stadium sighs in unison. Few UKyoto fans who are scattered around the stands cheer loudly. Another lost basketball game for the University of Tokyo. The exits start flooding with students, disappointed in the outcome and wanting to leave as quickly as possible. 

Yn stayed in her seat at the back of the stands and finished her report. She drags her pen across the paper, trying to fabricate some interesting way to say the UTokyo basketball team absolutely sucks, and are 0-8 for the season so far. She hates being assigned to sports. But its much better than reporting on the meal schedule. Her journalism class assignments are mundane to say the least. Losing sports, knocked over trash cans around campus, and late buses are all things she knows very well.

Yn takes her attention off of her notebook and onto the moping players. They huddle together at the end of the court, getting yelled at by their coach. She cringes at the insults coming out of his mouth. It is his job on the line, after all. Her focus shifts to one specific player being shunned by the rest of the team, number 11. Throughout the game he had been missing shots and overshooting passes. His green eyes gazed down at the wood gym floor, in what she thought would be shame, but instead it was something else. She couldn't quite place it, but he looked like he wasn't even there. Not in the moment, everything being shouted at him seemed to be going in one ear and out the other. Yn tries to find out his name, but fails and just settles for writing down his jersey number. She jots down a few notes about his appearance before shoving her notebook in her backpack and leaving the gym. 

Yn steps outside to be met with an ill omen, the sunset. A warning to hurry home, she quickens her pace as she heads to her dorm. Although her university campus is deemed as protected, she can't help but be skeptical. A few months ago, a guy she slightly knew from one of her classes went missing on campus. He just vanished from school without a trace. Some people thought he was kidnapped, but police never really entertained the idea. Everyone just assumed he must have dropped out. Nobody ever heard from him again. She shudders at the eerie reminder of her exposure. It reminds her of the stories her older brother used to scare her with. How sinister things happen at night, people wander in the subways and look at you strange, and if you ever walk alone you'll go missing. She followed his directions blindly as a child, but as she got older she realized they were dramatized tales. Now though, she wonders if there was any truth to it. Yn shakes her head, not wanting to think about this kind of thing as she's traveling in the dark. Almost to her dorm, she takes a left and passes a utility pole scattered with advertisements and stickers. School clubs, basement shows,missing people, campus elections…

Missing people.

Yn backtracks to the pole to check what her eyes were telling her. She in fact finds a missing person poster, pinned front and center. A girl about her age is staring right into her eyes. Something about it makes her feel sick to her stomach. The girl's smile is innocent and unknowing. She's frozen in time and has no idea what's happened to her. Yn studies the page closer.

Alisa Haiba. Her eyes are green and her hair is a muted shade of blonde. She's pretty. Too pretty to be missing. Yn notices at the bottom of the page a phone number of someone named Lev Haiba, and to call them with any information of Alisa’s whereabouts.

‘Odd,’ she thinks to herself, ‘wouldn't you call the police with something like this?’.

Although thousands of people go missing in Japan every year, something feels different about her. Yn can almost feel her asking for help. An unsettling feeling is creeping up her shoulders and neck as she stares at the printed page. The sun is no longer visible and there is only a tint of brightness in the night sky. Torn, yn decides to rip the poster down and shove it in her notebook. She doesn't really know what she's supposed to do, but she feels obligated to do something. 

She whips her head around to check if anyone is nearby, and books it for her dorm. She makes sure the blinds are closed and the door is locked before slumping on her bed and pulling out her phone.

more!

akaashi and yn became friends in high school after becoming the co editors of their yearbook and running the school paper

very ambitious those two they both want to be succesful journalists

they work together well but are both very competitive towards each other

their professor gives them very lame stories and tears them to shreds when they arent interesting

yn's brother used to scare her with all the stories and she grew up and figured he was lying, but she isnt too sure about that recently

Utokyo has MISERABLE sports most of the time and yn is always put on basketball

her least favorite

Alisa was last seen entering the subway before dusk

taglist: none yet, reply or message to be added!

a/n: FIRST CHAPTER gang i cant write for actual shit im so sorry but i had fun anyway its fine im just better at my little text messages. im trying to make this ominous but like also funny but also sad and angsty but also cute but also everything at the same time ok Bye also the poster was supposed to be a png but it didn’t freaking work now it just looks DUMB

[ortodelmondo]

Kifoula in the woods near the coastline of the English channel. Kifoula came to Normandy, France, from Brazzaville after the civil war in Congo and currently performs in several theatre and dance companies in Normandy. “Kifoula told me that he was concerned that a lot of people who managed to get to Europe from African countries were losing, or even rejecting, their roots. He believes that founding a local community of fellow countrymen can help to preserve their native culture, and language, even when far away from their homeland.”

© Alisa Martynova

[riddles-n-games]

Here it is, the headcanon that you've all been waiting for but you didn't know that you were waiting for: that age old debate of coffee or tea, Hawthorne edition.

Nash-This cowboy enjoys a good calming green tea out on the balcony at dawn, watching the sunrise on those days where it just hits in that way as the sun comes out over the Black Wood. Though, he absolutely loves very sugary lattes for whatever reason and Alisa used to wonder how it straight up didn't stop his heart. He goes out with Xander on these outings where if they're experiencing this need for caffeine and really don't want anything from the chef's kitchen, they go out for coffee at any random cafe they can find and they usually like going to different ones for experimentation purposes; Nash for his lattes and Xander for his mocha/chocolate iced drinks. They both love going out on these ventures and it's another favorite brotherly bonding activity. Anytime that Alisa becomes aware of these outings, she warns Libby to not make any cupcakes so that Nash doesn't get a severe sugar rush and it's just come to the point where both Libs and Alisa are terribly concerned that this man might get a heart attack so they've took it upon themselves to be his intervention tag team. It's a very tumultuous effort on their part.

Grayson-He actually prefers either given at any time but it does sometimes get event-dependent based on the intended outcome of his goals. If he wants to feel relaxed and refreshed, he drinks tea at a gala or charity dinner but in the case of working a late night for the foundation or his own homework, he needs coffee. He drinks copious amounts of black coffee when the stress of his work gets too great. One time it go so bad during a large project that his grandfather assigned him that in the middle of one of his work nights, he literally threw the mug of black coffee at his face he was so tired and drained. Nash went to check on him that next day to see if he was fine but found him asleep at his desk with coffee stains on Gray's usually pristine white shirt and sticky remnants on his face and then went to see the security footage. The older Hawthorne never told a soul and to this day, not even Grayson knows that it exists because Nash erased it from the cameras or that Nash saw him in his unruly state. As ironic as its sounds, when it comes to tea, his favorite flavor is Earl Grey (come on, you all saw that coming, right?) but he also loves a hazelnut roast with a sprinkle of apple cinnamon. He'd also never let anyone know this but he actually sometimes secretly buys himself a pumpkin spice latte anonymously because he's a sucker for it during the fall.

Jameson-Coffee through and through. He loves a good espresso and on occasion, if Nash is nowhere in sight and he needs an alcohol boost to get through the day, he sneaks in a shot of Bailey's. But, Jamie does have an oddly specific order for cold brews whenever Nash and Xander go on one of their caffeine-fueled urge adventures (yes, that's what they're called, according to Alisa, that is).

Xander-Forget coffee, he actually enjoys drinking hot chocolate more, specifically with milk, never hot water. He finds it absolutely disrespectful and sacrilegious to do this as it's always been referred in alternate terms as chocolate milk not chocolate water. This boy, being the genius he is, literally created an entire machine that actually can detect if a hot cocoa drink is made with milk or water; yes, he's that passionate and picky about this. Xan will debate on this topic very heatedly and most often than not it's one of the only opinion-based subjects that get him really going off. But yeah, when he's actually working in the middle of the night of an ongoing project that's likely lasted at least a few days with each one being an all-nighter, he gets black coffee and drinks two cups worth straight from the pot. Though, he loves trying out the different iced caffeinated drinks with chocolate or mocha flavors during summer.

[thosesillylittlegayghosts]

Secret Shanghai couples/characters as surprise song mashups

High tide: False God X Slut (kinda based on the vibes for this, also because of Orion canonically being a bit of a manwhore and for the start of fhh when everyone was reporting on Rosalind’s connection to Orion and the fact that in the past people used Dmitri against her)

Rosalind: This is me trying X labyrinth (timt is so her coded and so is labyrinth, thank you Taylor for singing these songs tonight so I could include it)

Alternatively Rosalind (tvd): I almost do X The moment I knew (quite obviously about Dmitri but as it was happening specifically when she finds the note from him in ove)

Again alternatively Rosalind: Closure X a perfectly good heart (doesn’t really need an explanation apgh is her at the end of ove and closure is her at the end of flf)

Orion: The archer X Question (again the archer is so him coded and he just gives midnights vibes)

CeliaXOliver: You are in love X Cowboy like me (I have a lot of feelings about how close they were before they got together okay? And they were friends for YEARS before they did so they lowkey own yail, cowboy like me screams them purely because of how well they understand each other, I can deffo see it being Oliver’s pov)

Alternatively CeliaXOliver: Everything has changed X so high school X Mary’s song (they were just friends then they weren’t, she actually will be 87 when he’ll be 89 and they make each other feel like the teenagers they never got to be)

Philas: Hits different X Death by a thousand cuts (I pictured you with other girls…is giving Phoebe getting jealous of herself, moving on was always easy for her and dbatc is them for most of fhh when they didn’t really trust each other)

Romajuliette: Out of the woods X is it over now X clean (ootw is them in tvd, iion is them in ove and clean is them in last violent call prove me wrong)

Alisa: Clara bow X the lucky one (something about her being the only montagov left in Shanghai and how that should be a good thing but she’s the only montagov lonely and how she was lowkey haunting the narrative in last violent call)

Benmars: State of Grace X you’re on your own kid (mainly the vibes ngl,

[sunkeeperxiv]

FFXIV Write 02 - Horizon

Timeframe/Spoilers: Stormblood, the journey to Kugane.

(780 words) It's a long voyage to the far east, and Daca'li has a habit of stepping out for some night air.

Daca’li suppressed a yawn as he hauled himself up the ladder separating the ship’s sleeping quarters from the lower decks. The soft soles of his lounge boots were thin enough that he could feel the woodgrain on the rungs, but they at least kept him quiet as he climbed. None of the pirates aboard the ship would have taken nicely to being woken in the middle of the night because one of their passengers felt like a late-night stroll.

He lifted the trapdoor at the top of the ladder, snaked through, and closed it again as quietly as he could, pointing an ear toward the figure sitting at one of the benches as he did. The quartermaster Paisley was awake late, a lantern beside her on the table as she fussed with papers, pen and abacus.

“Good evenin’,” he said, not wanting to startle her. The crew’s response to being startled would be to stab him first, and most likely second and third as well. Asking questions probably wouldn’t come into it at all.

She jerked her head up at his voice, her hands flying to her musket and her lantern, although for a mercy she didn’t draw the musket. She’d learned his voice at this point, he supposed. “Up and about again, Mister Liath?” she asked, lifting the lantern only a little, likely enough for her to see his silhouette.

“Aye, ‘Master Paisley,” he responded, looking just barely away from both her and the lantern. She’d admitted a week back that seeing his eyes shine in the darkness gave her the shivers. “Just need to see the stars for a spell.”

Paisley nodded and placed the lantern back on the table, turning it so the light shone on her papers. “If you’re goin’ to make a habit of this, you could consider takin’ a spot on the night watch. The crew would appreciate it. Ain’t many enjoy bein’ up all hours of the night.”

Daca’li considered it a moment. It was true enough that he didn’t much enjoy just waiting for the ship to arrive in Kugane. He spent most of his days studying Doman letters with Alphinaud and Alisae or sparring with Lyse, but day after day of the same had begun to drag. Doing something to help aboard the ship would be a change of pace. It might even be a relief.

“I’ll think about it,” he told her, although he’d already all but decided to do it. She nodded brusquely and returned to her paperwork as he made his way up the stairs to the main deck.

Even after weeks at sea, the sea breeze retained a uniquely refreshing quality. Despite the late hour, the wind was warm, and the ever-present ocean tang was sharp and soothing. He made his way over to the railing and leaned up against it, resting his chin on the wood. The moon was at half her light, and even with his keen eyes he could just barely make out the horizon, the line where the stars stopped and the water waves began.

He looked behind the boat and saw only water; ahead of them was likewise barren. They’d been sailing for two weeks now and had several weeks left before they’d arrive in Kugane. They hadn’t been moving slowly, either. Carvallain had informed him several days ago they were making very good time. The expanse of ocean they had to cross was simply vast.

A sort of clarity came over him, remembering that remark. He thought, for a moment, about all the ocean they had surely already crossed, and then about all the ocean they had yet to cross. The full length of Aldenard and Ilsabard put together. He spent so much time jumping from aetheryte to aetheryte, chasing crises, that Eorzea had shrunk into a collection of cities and towns and battles to fight. Now, though, standing on the deck, watching the same endless horizon that he’d been surrounded by for days…

A shiver crossed his skin despite the balmy breeze. There was so much of it. Once in his life the Shroud had been the biggest thing he could imagine. From the Shroud to Eorzea, and now this… his breath caught in his throat. The more he saw of the world the more it seemed to grow.

Daca’li adjusted his posture so that he was leaning more comfortably against the railing and settled in for a spell, watching the ocean waves. He resolved to ask Paisley later about taking some of those watch shifts, and the other members of the crew what they knew about Kugane and Doma. He’d just become a great deal more eager for their arrival.

[caliburn-the-sword]

fhh ch35-40

another day another suffering cause of chloe gong lesgo

scarf and sunglasses look?? did miss chloe just reference the superhero disguise gag in the mcu of sunnies, cap and hoodie?? given she marketed the first book as like captain america,,, it's almost defo the case fvksdjfs

just the entire comedy bit about orion's big head fksdnfs

the way rosalind is inching closer and closer to figuring out that phoebe is priest

omg poor phoebe being approached by her mother's men RIGHT after expressing her abandonment issues

i really hope lady hong's men don't bring back rosalind's blood on the knife a sample for her to study and apply to her supersoldiers,,,

PHOEBE YOU IDIOT WHY WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF UP OMG

orion pov again. especially interesting now that he's more or less seeing rosalind in action for the first time

nation over everything? nation over everything, but never you, sweetheart. and yet here celia is, almost choosing not to sacrifice communist agents even if it means she can't save oliver, because of her principles, because she doesn't want to lie. god i love celia. stop giving her the hardest battles i can't take it

ROSORION KISS ROSORION KISS

"to hear a proper laugh and store it away in a place no one could ever take from him again." THAT'S SO KAZ BREKKER CORE I'M THROWING UP. HE WOULD HAVE BOTTLED HER LAUGH AND GOTTEN DRUNK ON IT EVERY NIGHT

orion likes to get bitten confirmed. kinky bastard. i love knowing where all those "rosalind bites people" memes were coming from now fksjdhn

orion IS a prettyboy

alisa is such a little shit i love her. you go you funky little cockblocker

phoebe's identity crisis and being three girls at once because of all the faces she puts on, not knowing who the real one is >>> there's a reason she's my favourite character i'm smashing my head against a wall again and again and again until a crack forms and brings down the entire roof of the house on my head

poor phoebe my eyes are actually burning i will NOT cry but my poor girl

"there was no such reality where Phoebe could have stayed in the shadows forever protecting Orion. Eventually, people had to face their own danger." phoebe is totally gonna expose herself at the nationalist base to save oli

SILAS WHAT THE FUCK. I AM GNAWING THROUGH SOLID WOOD AND METAL WITH MY TEETH. WHAT THE FUCK. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN. I REMEMBER THE SILAS IS A QUADRUPLE AGENT THEORIES. BUT THIS IS WORSE. THIS IS SO MUCH WORSE. HOW COULD HE BE WITH LADY HONG

phoebe's urge to go all priest on her mum for her betrayal -> she's gonna go all priest on silas. i NEED it

delulu is the solulu i will simply believe that silas is quadruple or quintuple agenting rn until it becomes trululu there is no way he's NOT on our side

"Maybe they ran into each other at headquarters," oh they've run into each other alright celia ksjdnfs (coping with humour is the only thing left for me to do without screaming)

hgdjhb i love orion he's such a little guy for enjoying the wires

"Rosalind and Celia may as well start taking turns on whose mission partner went missing." STOPPPP MISS CHLOE THAT'S FUCKING COLD

SILAS YOU MOTHERFUCKER. N O T H I N G ON PHOEBE??? MOTHERFUCKER. I'M FIGHTING HIM I'M FIGHTING HIM I'M FIGHTING HIM HE HAS NO BUSINESS GOING ON ABOUT THE OLI RESCUE AS IF WE WASN'T TAKING BLOOD FOR LADY HONG. AND THIS IS REALLY BOLD CONSIDERING I DON'T EVEN LIKE OLIVER

I HATE DRAMATIC IRONY THIS IS KILLING ME

silas seems genuine but i don't trust him. i fear he's also brainwashed as lady hong's little spy. he was in london with the others for very long. it would let her have eyes and ears in the two major forces in china, nationalists and commies. or maybe lady hong promised phoebe's safety. who knows

the fact that phoebe was called by her name for the entire chapter, only to be called priest at the end?? chills. also i'm dying

SILAS POV. MOTHERFUCKER

THE FACT THAT SILAS SEES THE MOON AS HE DRIVES TO THE NATIONALIST COMPOUND I AM FROTHING AT THE MOUTH

SILAS IS A GUILTY BASTARD HE'S CONSCIOUSLY AWARE OF IT

now celia sees the moon. i want to cry

omg oliver was hallucinating celia. that's almost romantic

oh shit japan is bombing

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

24 in 2024

i haven't seen any of these floating around yet, so i thought i'd get one started! here are 24 books i want to read in 2024 (and a bonus readerly goal):

Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives by Sarah Williams Goldhagen

Obsolescence: An Architectural History by Daniel M. Abramson

Offended Sensibilities by Alisa Ganieva

The Night, The Night by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón

Dayswork by Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel

Dawn by Sevgi Soysal

Trashlands by Alison Stine

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry

How to be Eaten by Maria Adelmann

The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories edited by Yu Chen and Regina Kanyu Wang

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

Black Tide by KC Jones

A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys

The Ambergris Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer

The Great Cities Duology by NK Jemisin

The Spider and her Demons by sydney khoo

A Shining by Jon Fosse

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns

Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology edited by Vince A Liaguno and Rena Mason

Self-Portrait with Nothing by Aimee Pokwatka

Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin

Unexpected Places to Fall From, Unexpected Places to Land by Malcolm Devlin

Always North by Vicki Jarrett

At the Edge of the Woods by Masatsugu Ono

Bonus Readerly Goal: i'm gonna try REALLY hard to only buy a book after i read five (5), this year (pre-orders DNI). gotta get that backlist under control SOMEhow, right??

notes on the color-coding: the green books are Just Because books (with a couple little red riding hood adjacent retellings in there, which is writing-project-related). a few of these came in a translation subscription box, and i am Interested in Architecture, and i'd love to read more of both this year.

the blue ones are bookmarked for nano prep (i wanna write something fucked up about space this year, i think, it's still cooking). i know it's early for that, but The Vibes™ have to marinate for a while. will probably add some haunted house books to this part of the list!

lastly, the purple ones are driscoll adjacent! filling my words well with related vibes worked well, this year, and i want to do that again next year. since i read through the entirety of my previous ~driscoll vibes~ stack last year, i've been restocking it, so most of these are very recently purchased.

(please note that all this color-coding/explanatory text is absolutely optional and Extra™, if you want to play--you can add it if you'd like, but by no means feel Obligated To Do So lol)

tagging @asexualbookbird, @six-of-ravens/@sixofravens-reads, @agardenandlibrary, @freckles-and-books, and anyone else who wants to play!

[romajuliettemai]

Chloe Gong Character's Names + Their Meaning

We all know Chloe picked the names based off Shakespeare- but it's also possible she picked them based off what they meant.

Here is a list of names and their meaning!

(Some of these definitions were picked that best suited the characters/ were taken out of a much larger definition. Also these defintions are taken from several different cultures/origins/ countries, so the meanings may vary.)

___________________________________________

Secret Shanghai Series

Rosalind - Literally translates to "gentle horse", meaning a balance between elegance and strength.

Orion - Beyond the Greek Hunter translation (which is most likely where the code name 'Hunstman' came from) and the meaning 'Great Hunter' is derived from, more meanings are the celestial 'Rising in the Sky', 'Dawning' and 'Shining Star'. This is most likely from the constellation as well. The name in general means warrior, strength, bravery as well as a connection to the sky.

Celia - "Heavenly" (hold significance as a character from As You Like It obviously), An ideal hero: witty, fearless, independant and extraordinary- destined for great things. (Shakespeare introduced the name to the English language and giving it the definition it has today.)

WIKIPEDIA SAID BLIND FOR SOME REASON LMFAO

Oliver - "Ancestor's descendants". "olive", "olive tree" - associated with "olive tree" in peace, dignity, fruitfulness and beauty.

Phoebe - Bright or radiant- refers to the greek god of the sun, Phoebus Apollo

Silas - "Forest" or "woods", great love of the outdoors- the name inspires the image of "a daring explorer unfazed by the depths of the darkest woodland."

Roma - I am not even joking, this can translate to "One with shiny hair"- However it also can also relate to "wealth" & "prosperity"

Also a type of tomato, but, yk, that's not really a name definition

Juliette - "Youthful", a person with this name can be described that "they love their life and have eternal spirit." "shiny, sky" another definition is "downy" meaning soft/ fluffy or also "covered with fine soft hair or feathers" for some reason.

Benedikt - "Blessed" or "the blessed one." as well as "well spoken."

Marshall - "Caretaker of horses." Literally not even kidding. If read into more it can be seen as "animal lover."

Katherina - "Pure" with connotations of "tradition, beauty, and excellence." In the Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare, Katherina is depicted as fiery and spirited in contrast with the meaning of the name.

Alisa - "Great happiness" and "joy." It can also mean "noble" and "kind." The name suggests that "you give up what you want so other people can have what they need."

Lourens - Derived from the Latin word "laurentum" meaning wreathed/ crowned with laurel. The name signifies "a freedom-loving and free-spirited individual."

Surnames

Hong - In the mandarin dialect, the name translates to "rainbow", "enlarge", "great", and "expand." It can also mean "water" and "flood."

Here's a funny little story I found on it-

"Legend has it that Hong as a surname dates back to the 23rd-century b.c. to a group known as the Gonggongshi. The clan took Gong as a surname but changed the character by adding a water component to escape their enemies. Gong converted to Hong, and, thus, a new name was born."

(TheBump Baby Names - https://www.thebump.com/b/hong-baby-name)

Lang - "A passionate person with a fighting spirit" as well as "tall." It could also mean "flame."

Mai - "To sell", "to betray", "to spare no effort", and "to show off or flaunt." It could also mean "dance."

Montagov - I found absolutely nothing on this name or even 'Montagova' as it is the female version.

The closest I could find was 'Montague,' (picked especially from Shakespeare) literally meaning "pointed hill."

Cai - The name originally refers to "the tortoise used in ancient rituals of divination" in Chinese. It also means "rejoice", "happy," or "feminine." "Pure" is another defintion.

Seo - "Slowly" and "gently."

Wu - "Martial", "military", or "martial arts." It can also mean "affairs business", as well as "shaman" or "sorcerer."

Van Dijk - meaning "from (the) dike."- it's a "topographic name for someone who lived by one of the many thousands of dikes in the Netherlands."

FLESH AND FALSE GODS

Calla - "Beauty". The calla lily flower actually embodies "life, fertility, and purity."

Anton - "Priceless" or "praiseworthy." It can also mean "flower."

August - "To increase" and "great." It's derived from the name Augustus, meaning "exalted" - "(of a person or their rank or status) placed at a high or powerful level; held in high regard." and "venerable" - "accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character."

Galipei - There is absolutely nothing on this name.

The closest I could find was the name 'Galilei', which is the surname of Galileo, so it relates to being astronomical.

SURNAMES

Tuoleimi - There is absolutely nothing on this name either.

I used 'Ptolemy' since that was where this name was derived from. It means "agressive" or "warlike."

Makusa - This name can mean "truth, reality, and genuine" as well as "pure."

Shenzi - Literally means "savage" or "barbarian."

Weisanna - I could also find nothing on this.

The closest I found was 'Weissanna', meaning "sacrifice", "innovative", and "powerful."

Author

Chloe - "Blooming" or "fertility", the literal translation refers to "young shoots of foliage that appear in the spring."

Surname

Gong - "Royal palace" in Chinese. The Mandarin form of the surname means "showing respect for elders or guests." There are many other meanings, but the surname is laden with many events in Chinese history.

___________________________________________

I hope you all enjoyed this post! I know I haven't posted in a while but this one's been in the drafts for a good few days and I figured I'd finish it and post it. Let me know if you manage to find any more meanings to these that you think I should add. What connections can you make between these definitions and the characters?

[over-a-hill]

Wanna try to publish my OCs here even if i can predict that no one will like it, cos tumbler is more about fanarts...

Her name is Alisa and she wants to get a magical golden apple to save her mother from illness. Alisa goes to the woods and has some adventures with time travelling, finds some friends and helps them to fall in love with each other. And everyone dies in the end. JOKING!!!

I created this story like 12 years ago and still can't draw comic

And this is an old art too, it's 2 or 3 years old, but i like it so much cos of the melancholical or wisful mood, i can feel smth similar right now

[charlenasaxen]

Favorite Quotes - The Final Gambit pt. 1

Grayson hadn’t called once since he’d left for Harvard. Xander, my self-appointed BHFF���Best Hawthorne Friend Forever

how much do you need a distraction right now, and how attached are you to your eyebrows?”

“One,” I answered. “And ten.”

Xander gave a little bow. “Then I bid you adieu.” In a flash, he was gone.

Alisa began, and I tuned out.

“I’ve seen better.”

“Jameson!”

I found Jameson at the edge of the Black Wood. He was wearing a white tuxedo that fit his body far too well

Jameson Winchester Hawthorne. I ran like the ball gown wasn’t weighing me down, like I didn’t have a knife strapped to my thigh.

Jameson caught me, our bodies colliding. “Happy birthday, Heiress.”

In a million years, the life Tobias Hawthorne had left me would still take my breath away.

Slow dancing, barefoot, on the beach.

The ocean. A cliff. A wager. A race. A dare.

Years from now, I’d still be able to feel it. The weight of the ball gown, the wind in my face. Sun-warmed sand on my skin and chocolate-covered strawberries melting on my tongue.

By sundown, we were almost home. It had been the perfect day.

“Fortunately, Heiress, Hawthorne men have nine lives.”

���Ferris Wheel Leapfrog Death Match?” I repeated. That had Xander written all over it

or maybe I sensed it. Sensed him. Clad entirely in black, wearing a ten-thousand-dollar tuxedo

Grayson Hawthorne stepped onto the dance floor.

He came home.

Grayson Hawthorne let his eyes linger on mine for just a moment

“You aren’t on your own.” Grayson let his eyes linger on mine

a single person—who knew him even a tenth as well as his brothers and I did

“Don’t,” Grayson ordered roughly, “look at me like I’m broken.”

Hawthornes aren’t supposed to break, his voice whispered in my memory. Especially me.

“Emily?” Grayson Hawthorne was staring at a ghost.

he thought he was hallucinating. Again. Breaking down. Again.

Tell me again that I’m not broken.

“Hey. Look at me, Gray.”

Those light eyes opened.

because he thought I considered him weak

that Jameson was still in my bed. Eve didn’t seem to notice him on her way to my en suite, but Grayson did

but Grayson had loved her to the end.

“All those times playing Cookie Golf together, and you didn’t think this was worth mentioning?”

“In retrospect, good on you for not telling me. Excellent call, shows solid judgment.”

Xander made a face. “Note to self: Cancel the welcome festivities.”

I found Grayson standing statue-still outside the wing, dressed in a silver three-piece suit, his blond hair wet from the pool.

In one liquid motion, he dives into the pool, fully clothed.

“Where’s Jameson?” Grayson’s question drew me back

The list of complicated things that Xander Hawthorne considered to be “fairly simple” was lengthy.

picturing Hawthorne brothers swinging pillows at one another. Possibly shirtless.

“The old man didn’t make mistakes,” Grayson said in one of those tones that dared you to argue—and strongly advised against it.

and by the sacred rules of Chutes and Ladders

Technically, the Hawthorne brothers were half-siblings. Technically, Libby and I were.

“On a scale from boring to brooding,” Jameson quipped, “how’s he holding up?”

Heaven forbid Jameson Hawthorne get caught openly caring about his brother.

“I’m worried. Grayson isn’t okay, Jameson. I don’t think your brother has been okay for a very long time.”

What the hell? I looked up. “Jameson!” He was already on his way to me.

my eyes went to Grayson’s. “Three families.”

“One yours,” Grayson replied. “And one mine.”

“One of those pretty little Hawthorne grandsons?”

Xander raised his right hand. “I have a question about faces and dogs.”

“You’re not the boss of me? It’s something like that. No, wait, I remember! It’s You’re not the boss of me, wanker.”

“Excellent use of British slang,” Xander commented.

Jameson shrugged. “I’m a man of the world now.”

“Jamie’s right.” Grayson managed to say that without grimacing.

which left me in the middle row with Jameson on one side and Grayson on the other.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on a flight back to Harvard right about now?”

“Someone moved against our family. Of course I’m staying.”

Jameson reached around me to grab Grayson by his suit.

“Gray.” Grayson’s words came out louder, more desperate.

Jameson let go of him.

“I’ll be happy to discuss all of your personal shortcomings,” Jameson told Grayson. “Alphabetically and in great detail

The muscles in Grayson’s jaw tensed. “We’re not here to forgive you.”

“Always so serious,” she murmured, reaching out to touch his cheek. “And the shadows in those eyes…”

“Say that again,” Jameson encouraged, “but try to sound even more like an automaton this time.”

“I’m being horribly unfair to automatons.”

All she did was stare at him, softly crooning. Baby Gray was a real quiet little guy, solemn.

She was alive. She was a good daughter. But her mother could still look right at her and sobbingly say that all her babies died.

“That’s okay,” Xander responded cheerfully. “I have two feet!”

the message flashed across the scoring screen overhead. I ALWAYS WIN IN THE END

he took one look at the words on the screen and set them down. “A bold choice of name,” he said. He gave me a hopeful look. “Yours?”

the boys were still together, and things were getting ugly. Hawthorne ugly,” he clarified. “No external threats.”

Hawthorne ugly was probably the best we could hope for.

“in my defense, I didn’t expect the zoo to send an actual tiger.

taking a dark chocolate banana to the chest

letting me see every line of the muscles underneath.

Jameson did not elaborate on the mud, the blood, or what exactly he and Grayson had gotten up to

“that you can’t wash all this mud off before I…”

“Before you what?” I murmured.

Jameson Winchester Hawthorne smiled. “Guess.”

the pool lit just enough that I could make out his form

“How long would you have stood here, watching them, if I hadn’t come?” Jameson asked, an odd tone in his voice

I pictured Grayson on his knees in front of me. “What is it you think you know?”

“Gray has always been so perfect,” Jameson said. “It’s inhuman how good he was at just about everything.

“You have to be.” There was an urgency to Jameson’s words, a need. “Because I’m terrible at hurting, Heiress.

The old man knew about Eve. That revelation hit me like splinters

which probably costs ten thousand dollars and undoubtedly should not be steamed?”

“Chess,” I repeated. “The move—it’s called the Queen’s Gambit

saw Grayson in the doorway, backlit

walked past Grayson. “Watch where you’re aiming those cheekbones, buddy.”

“Everything hurts.” Only Grayson Hawthorne could say that and still sound utterly bulletproof. “It hurts all the time, Avery, but I know the man I was raised to be.”

The metalwork was impossibly intricate. The effect was delicate, but dangerous. Beauty and power.

Then I did the same thing with the black pieces, glittering with black diamonds.

Hell, Gray even let loose sometimes because the games didn’t reward perfection. He and I used to team up

But Saturday mornings, those games—they were about showing us that we already were.”

Extraordinary

I turned my attention back to the boys. “You’re Hawthornes. Who knows how to crack a combination lock?”

The answer was all of them.

Jameson looked to Grayson.

Grayson’s face was like stone.

“And in keeping with my general superiority in our sibling relationship I am better than fine.”

Grayson’s expression hardened. “And runs down the clock while you clean it up.”

“There’s still glitter in Grayson’s bathroom,” Xander finished. I got the feeling that wasn’t a metaphor.

“I’m sorry,” I told Max.

“I know,” my best friend replied. “But don’t worry. I’ll choose a theme song for him.”

“The Bible,” I repeated, and suddenly, it clicked. “Luke.”

“My second-favorite Gospel,” Max noted. “I’ll always be a John girl at heart.”

“I will talk only to the heiress. The one Tobias Hawthorne chose.”

Jameson reached for the chess pieces, but Xander smacked his hand away

“is a bit like a game of Where’s Waldo, except Waldo likes to jab people with her cane.”

The stone arches, hand-carved pews, and elaborate stained-glass windows

“As opposed to what, girl? Springing forth fully formed from the head of Zeus?”

"not to Alice or their children or you boys.”

Grayson took to the pool, pushing himself past the point of human endurance again and again

“Can it be about off-label uses for medieval weaponry?” Xander requested. “Because I have some ideas.”

as if coming to a very serious decision, he lifted his hand and pressed one finger to the end of my nose. “Boop.”

“Triple boo—” Xander started to say, but I ducked

“Avery, people have hated me my whole life.”

“Not anyone who knows you,” I said fiercely.

Xander smiled, and something about it made me want to cry

“You didn’t love the great and terrible Tobias Hawthorne. You loved the old man.”

Grayson and his oughts and shoulds. Hawthornes aren’t supposed to break. His voice spoke deep in my memory. Especially me.

Grayson pushed off the wall, treading water as he measured his response. “Jamie doesn’t tell me everything.”

the muscles in his back so tense that it looked like his shoulder blades might split the skin

when my hand reached for the edge, another hand grabbed mine.

Jameson pulled me out of the water. “Don’t breathe,” he murmured.

“He knows better. That is a Hawthorne dog.”

we were in the Hawthorne theater. Not to be confused with the Hawthorne movie theater

“Gray has a voice so deep and smooth that you will shed literal tears...you will come to believe he spent the 1950s wearing the most dapper of suits

“My duet will have to wait!”

“Who were you going to duet with?” Libby asked.

“Myself!”

he seemed so sure that Jameson and I were the ones Grayson needed

the sound of achingly beautiful violin music began drifting into the hall

Grayson poised in front of open bay windows, wearing a suit without the jacket, his shirt unbuttoned, a violin pressed to his chin.

so high and sweet it was almost unbearable.

Jameson caught his brother’s forearm. “Don’t. Gray. You’re not hurting anyone but yourself.”

“You play beautifully,” I told Grayson, pushing back the urge to cry

The Hawthorne grandsons were also damn near lethal

we both know that you haven’t let yourself want anything in a very long time.”

Grayson’s head turned toward mine, the light reflecting off his blond hair in a near-halo. “For you, Avery.”

He reached a hand down to Jameson and pulled him to his feet, leaving the two of them standing just inches apart

Grayson’s fingers brushed mine as he took it

His gaze found its way slowly and inexorably to mine. “We need to go down to the wine cellar.”

[demonworldwritings]

Growing Serenity🌷

C/W: None💖

Characters: Gardener|Alisa Woods, Night Watch|Brutus, Enchantress|Mary Dorval (Entomologist|Grace Ruiz, Postman|Andrew Valentine mentioned)

A/N: First fic here and it’s gonna be a wholesome one (⌒‿⌒)! Consider this my "Brutus gets therapy" fic

(;￣ー￣川. Anyway, enjoy! (Also Brutus has a humanoid design/figure in this au as a heads up, kind of a gijinka for him) also I’ll explain the Obake V au at some point, there’s just a lot to it

(|||⇁_⇁)

♪ﾟ+.ｏ.+ﾟ♪ﾟ+.ｏ.+ﾟ♪ﾟ+.ｏ.+ﾟ♪ﾟ+.ｏ.+ﾟ♪ﾟ+.

'Meet me in the greenhouse as soon as you can! I have something I’d like to show you! Also there will be another person there, hope you don’t mind! See you soon! ~Alisa Woods' That was the letter Brutus just received from Andrew. It was strange to him. He never figured he would get any type of invitation from anyone. Who would want to be around him? He figured it would be rude to not accept the offer though. He was admittedly curious as to what the gardener could’ve wanted to show him. But who was this other person? These were the thoughts he was having while walking down to the greenhouse, waving to some of the other hunters that were in the living room. After getting to the greenhouse, he was about to open the door when-

"Oh, Brutus! Hi!” Mary exclaimed. She looked somewhat in a hurry, but not in a bad way, more so in an excited way. Was this the other person Alisa was talking about?

"Hello Mary. Did you get a letter from Alisa too?" Brutus asked, walking slightly away from the door while Mary walked over to it.

"Yeah I did. She said she wanted to show me something." Mary replied. 'Did she just send the same letter to both of us? What could she want?' Brutus thought before Mary opened the door to the greenhouse. The sun was very bright today, so the two had to shield their eyes a little to be able to see properly.

"Hey you two! Over here!" Alisa shouted. She was pushing a tote with what seemed to be bags of flower seeds inside.

"Hey Alisa, what did you want to show us?" Mary asked, walking down the steps into the greenhouse proper. Brutus was still standing at the top of the steps and gave a small wave to Alisa.

"Well I did some digging around the manor with Grace…" Alisa rummaged through the tote before holding out a bag of bellflower seeds with both of her hands "and it turns out there’s a bunch of different types of flower seeds around here!". She looked very proud of herself by making this discovery.

"And these are just one of many!" She put the seeds back into the tote before pushing it closer to where Mary was standing "how about you both come and take a look? I have all of the other supplies for you two!". Mary walked over to the tote with Brutus following shortly afterwards, finally going down the steps.

"Was this all you wanted to show us?" Brutus asked. He quickly realized how this may have sounded rude so he backed up and put his hands up, as if he was surrendering "not trying to be rude! I just wanted to know…".

"Well this wasn’t all I wanted…" Alisa said before walking back towards the empty flowerbeds and picking up a gardening towel "I wanted for you guys to try gardening! Alongside finding those seed packets…" She turned around and made a small hole in the soil "Grace and I found that the soil was perfect for growing anything seemingly year round! Guess it’s just another strange magical element this place has."

"Out of curiosity, why did Grace even care for any of this?" Mary asked, she had also picked out a bag of scabiosa seeds.

"Well she wanted to know if she could possibly plant anything to attract insects to answer your question." Alisa responded. She gestured Mary over to the flowerbeds and showed her where the other tools were so she could get them.

"Oh Brutus, did you find anything you liked?" Alisa asked while walking over to Brutus who was still rummaging through the tote.

"These look nice…" Brutus said, holding up a bag of cosmos seeds "but are you sure you want for me to do this? I don’t want to ruin anything…" Brutus said, looking slightly down and concerned

"Of course I want for you to do it! I think it’d be a nice thing for you to try!" Alisa exclaimed, looking very hopeful "now come on! I’ll show you where you can start." Alisa said while guiding Brutus over to the flowerbed next to Mary’s. The three spent most of the rest of the day gardening. With Brutus finding a new hobby, and group of friends that he could spend his time with.

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