#Black Emporium is SO WEIRD

[maintitle]

I can't stop thinking about the implications of the Black Emporium DLC in Inquisition.

Picture this: Kirkwall is a ruined mess. There's still occasional struggle in the streets on a large scale. Mages and Templars still fight a guerilla war. Law and order is fighting to keep control but it's a long uphill climb. Starkhaven might even be threatening a war with it. The famously veil-thin city now has to face the same horror the rest of Thedas has, the rifts in the veil. Kirkwall is still years away from stability.

Enter the Inquisitor. They've arrived. Maybe they're going to save us, one citizen says? But instead of going to the Viscount's Keep or bolstering a resistance, the Inquisitor looks a citizen in the eye and says; "Damn that sucks. Where is the best entrance to the sewers?"

And then they're never seen in the city again.

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

yes i make all my hawkes black haired for shits n giggled but that doesn't mean i can't make lilian fake-black

[alastor-simp]

Alastor X Reader - Dressing Up As Him

"Hum hum hum~♫" Alastor was walking around the hotel lobby, humming a tune to himself as his eyes scanned all of the inhabitants at the hotel. Charlie and Vaggie were putting up more banners and decor in the lobby, Nifty was sweeping, and Husk and Angel Dust were at the bar. Alastor kept looking around to spot you, but he had no luck. Heading over to the bar, he leaned over the counter, smiling his signature grin. "Ah, Husker my good friend! Having a good day?" Alastor said, as he gazed at the grumpy cat, wiping a glass with a towel. "F*** off." said Husk, as he glared at Alastor, not wanting to deal with him. "Hey smiles~ Looking sexy as always." said Angel Dust, as he leaned back slightly on the bar stool, winking at Alastor. "Please refrain from flirting with me Angel.” Alastor said, extending his mic towards Angel, trying to move him away. "Ah your no fun." said Angel as he pushed Alastor's mic away from, and crossed his arms, placing them on the bar stand. "Anywho! Have any of you seen y/n? I didn't happen to see them in the lobby." Husk just shrugged his shoulders, as he didn't really know where you were, but he also answered quickly as he just wanted Alastor to leave. Angel dust was nice enough to answer as he told Alastor that he had heard you, rummaging around your room along with music playing in the background. He was gonna bother you, wondering what was happening, but he decided not to, and left you alone. "Thank you Angel! I will go find them now!” said Alastor as he walked away from the bar, missing the wave from Angel and the middle-finger from Husk.

Heading towards your room, Alastor was hoping that you were alright. Before, Alastor didn't really care much about you when he first met you as he though of you as another simpleton staying at the hotel, but after talking and hanging out with you a few times, he slowly started to care about you as he found you to be a rather sweet soul that wasn't common to see in Hell, with the exception of Charlie. Of course, he would hide that from the others as he had a reputation to uphold as being "the radio demon", so the less the people knew he had a kind heart, the better. Arriving at your door, Alastor knocked a significant beat, calling out your name, hoping for an answer. He could hear what sounded like electric swing playing in your room, but no response from you. He wanted to barge in, but he thought that would be rude so he continued to knock until you answered.

Standing in front of the mirror, you were eyeing yourself to make sure everything was set in place, and your outfit was fitted perfectly to yourself. You were wearing a striped red coat on top of a red dress shirt with a black bow tie that matched with the dress pants and black shoes, along with the outfit, you had on a red wig with a deer ear headband on top of it. Yes, you were wearing Alastors exact outfit. You really loved Alastors look, and you actually wanted to cosplay as him, but you would never tell Alastor that, as you didn't want to weird him out if he had caught you wearing his outfit, thinking you were some type of creep. You did remember that Alastor was very close to the overlord, Rosie, who owned the big emporium, so you had confided with her if she could help with your cosplay idea. Rosie was very surprised, but found your efforts cute and she actually was able to connect you with the tailor that designed a lot of Alastors clothing. It took a while, but you were able to get the whole outfit from the tailor, and you couldn't be more excited and happy to try it out. You had everything fitted to a T, but the only thing missing was the microphone, but you could think of an idea for that later. Staring at your reflection, you stretched your mouth into a wide smile, trying to match Alastor. The smile looked great, but holding that smile all day was going to be very difficult as your cheeks started to ache. Sighing, you turned away from the mirror and headed towards the radio to turn the music down. As the music died down, the thumping beat from the door, alerted your prescence: "Yes, who is it?", you called out. "Hello, Its me, darling. Are you well? I noticed you were not with the others in the lobby, so I decided to pay you a visit!” Oh No! Alastor was here, in front of your room. You couldn't bear for him to see you, wearing his outfit. "Um, I'm okay. Just tiding a bit, don't worry." You lied, as you were hoping Al would head back to the lobby. "Ah, I see! Well you wouldn't mind if I come inside, do you? I would very much like to have a nice chat.", Alastor said, as he continued to stand at the door on the other side. Oh Satan, he was not planning on leaving. Panicking, you run towards the door, unlocking it, to signify to Al it was open, before running towards your bathroom, closing the door.

Entering inside Y/N room, Al looked around your room, but didn't spot you anywhere. "Darling? Where are you?," Alastor called out, as he made his way further into your room, standing with his hands behind his back. "I'm in the bathroom, Al. Just washing up a bit. You can sit on the bed and we can chat from here." He had heard you call out. Arching his eyebrow, Alastor found it a bit strange, but he didn't question anything further, and made his way over to the bed, and sat down. As he gazed around the room, Alastor happened to spot something on the floor. As he gazed closer, he recognized it was a bow tie that was similar to his. Reaching out and picking it up, he eyed it and questioned to himself why this was in your room. "Darling?" "Yes, Al?," you said behind the door. "I found a bow tie that is similar to mine in your room. Do you know why this is here?"

Panicking, you looked down and saw that the bow tie was no longer on your shirt. "Sh**!", you whispered to yourself, as you tried to come up with another lie to tell Alastor. "M-maybe you left it here by accident." you said, mad at yourself that you stuttered. "I would happen to remember losing something like this the last time I visited you." Alastor said, as he kept eyeing the bow tie, turning it around to eye it. You stood on the other side of the door, realizing that he didn't buy it. "T-hen umm-", you froze, stuck on what to say next. Alastor noticed your change in tone, getting up from the couch and making his way towards the bathroom door. "Darling~, is there something you are not telling me perhaps?", Alastor said, smirking to himself, as he stood in front of the bathroom door. "N-no.", you said, as you heard voice more clearly now. "Then why do I sense such nervousness in your voice?", he said, as he continued to stand in front of the door, inching closer to hear you. "I-I." Stuttering, you couldn't think of another thing to say as Alastor figured out you were acting odd. "Darling~, What are you hiding? Come on out.," Al sang behind the door, as his smile got wider, enjoying the situation you were in. "OKAY! ok. I'll come out, but could you back away from the door a bit and also close your eyes please?", you said, letting Al know you were ready to come out. Al raised an eyebrow that you wanted him to close his eyes, but he said nothing, as he walk backwards, and shut his eyes.

Opening the door, you saw Alastor standing in the middle of your room, hands folded behind his back, eyes shut, and his signature grin on his face. Standing a few feet from him, you told him to open his eyes, while you cast your eyes down to the ground. Alastor opened his eyes, and he was put back for a second as he saw you dressed to the nines in what look to be his clothes. Everything you were wearing was matching him, and the only thing that was missing was his mic staff and the bow tie, that he was holding in his hand. Looking up, you noticed Al's face was stunned, but he was still smiling. "Before you say anything, just know that I'm wearing this for cosplay reasons. I'm not a freak and these were custom-made for me, they are not from your room, I swear." you blabbed all of this out, twiddling with your fingers, and looking back down towards the floor. Silence filled the room, after you were done talking. You were afraid to look back at Al, as you were expecting to see radio dials in his eyes.

"HAHAHAHAHA! My my, how dapper you look, darling!” Alastor laughed out, along with his mic that started playing a laugh track. Looking back at him, you weren't expecting a reaction like this from him. "Y-your not upset?" you questioned Al, as you continued to twiddle your fingers. "Upset? Why no, darling! Is that why you were hiding from me? Cause you figured I would be upset?" said Alastor, as he tilted his head at you. "Well, I didn't want to disturb you if you saw me wearing your outfit." "Well, I must admit I was surprised, but I am not upset. But I do have to ask, why are you dressed up like me?", he said, as he approached you, red glowing eyes staring at you, and his award winning smile on his face. Sighing, you explained to Alastor that you really enjoyed his look and outfit, so you wanted to cosplay as him. Alastor smiled softly at you, and hooked his finger under your chin, raising your head to look at him. "You are quite adorable aren't you, my dear." he said, as he then let your chin go, and began tying the bow tie back onto you, finishing it quickly and taking a step back. "There we go, dear! All set! Now we just need a smile! Come on dear, smile!" Alastor said, as he leaned closer towards your face, smiling wide. Blushing, you looked away for a second before giving Al a smile as big as his. "Perfect! I must say you make a good me!” Alastor said, as he placed his hand on your head, giving it a rub. "Thanks Al." you said, as you blushed and looked down again. "Now, since you want to be like me, we could engage in some carnage in the city! Imagine, the radio demon and his doppelgänger causing mayhem to the denizens of the Pride ring! Quite a premise!" said Alastor, extending his hand out like he was giving a performance in a play. "Um, sorry, but no thanks. I know we are in hell and all, but I'm still not use to all the violence and carnage yet." You said, as you looked at Alastor shyly. "Aw, don't be such a wet blanket , my dear." Alastor said, as he looked at you again, still smiling, but his ears were dropped down, signifying that he was a little sad. "Sorry , Alastor. Maybe we could do something else instead, like head to a cafe or go to one of Mimzy's shows?", you said. "Hmmm. Fair enough." Alastor said, as his ears perked up after he heard you say that. Hooking your arm in his, he pulled you next to him, as he raised his fingers up, ready to use his powers to teleport: "Lets go, my dear! I feel like this is going to be very entertaining!”

[ohdeerfully]

Mutual Dilemma (ii)

Alastor x Reader part i part ii(you are here!) TW: None! Other than a pretty ooc alastor (,:

join my discord!

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Morning couldn’t come slower as you anticipated the trip to Rosie’s Emporium. You managed to get a few licks of sleep throughout the night, though nerves kept waking you. As soon as the time was reasonable, not too early as you worried to bother Rosie if you came right as she opened her shop, you quickly got ready and left the Hotel. You gave brief excuses as you hurried by Charlie and a few of the other guests lingering in the lobby—Alastor was notably gone.

“Welcome t- Oh! Hey you!” Rosie’s thrilled voice filled the Emporium as a light bell dingled when you pushed the door open. She swept you up in a tight hug, trapping your arms uncomfortably against your sides as you breathlessly laughed and said your own greetings.

She held you out from herself, both hands firmly planted on your shoulders. You noticed a strange look in her expression—a light quirk in her brow and a sly curve to her smile that implied she knew something important.

“How lucky to see two of my dearest friends in the same 24 hours,” She sighed theatrically, and you knew she had to be referring to Alastor—just the demon you were here to talk to her about. She was, unsurprisingly, able to pick up on your uncomfortable demeanor and her smile dropped into a comforting grin as she led you away to a table against the wall.

“Rosie,” You groaned after sitting, putting your forehead against the cool wood and covering your head with your arms. “I’m so fucked.”

The Overlord held one of your hands softly and comfortably, encouraging you to continue but remaining otherwise quiet.

“You’re going to call me nuts, and don’t worry I already know, but, I, ah,” You grimaced. Saying it out loud was somehow even harder than accepting it within yourself. “I think I really… really like Alastor. Like I want to kiss him.”

Rosie’s hand tightened briefly against yours and you heard her intake a sharp breath while her other hand flew to cover her mouth. You turned your head so your cheek was flat against the wood as you peeked up at her. You couldn’t tell if she was smiling or not behind her hand.

“An odd place to be, certainly,” She nodded after a minute, though a small smile remained. You released a breath when you were certain she wasn’t about to laugh at you or scold you for being so stupid as to be attracted to Alastor. She stood up, pulling you along so that you stood next to her. Her hand still held yours, lifting it and cusping her other hand around it. “These feelings are normal, I think. I mean, look at all the cannibals in town that constantly swoon over him! He’s positively charming—I couldn’t blame ya! Though I have… the strangest feeling you have nothing to worry about.”

What a weird thing to say, you frowned curiously at her words, but your thoughts were cut short as you saw her expression perk with an idea she refused to share. You didn’t like when she got that sly look in her black eyes.

“I have a few errands to run, but why don’t you meet me for lunch later? At the diner down the street.”

You nodded and the two of you shared another hug before you left. You crossed your fingers the whole way back to the hotel that you wouldn’t run into Alastor.

◈

Right, that’s what ended you up here. It seems crossing your fingers means absolutely nothing in Hell. You stood frozen, hand violently clenched into a fist against your thigh. Across from you, just a few feet past the wire table, stood Alastor, a similarly shocked look in his eyes though he somehow managed to look more relaxed. You pinned it on the decade of manipulation in Hell that trained him to look so natural in weird situations.

“What an unexpected pleasure to see you here,” Within a blink he was back to his usual demeanor, approaching you with a pleasant tone; the radio effect in his voice was heavier than usual, which you knew was usually caused by stress or frustration on his part. You decided not to think too hard about the fact he was upset at seeing you in a desperate attempt to protect your heart.

“I’m… I was gonna get lunch with Rosie,” You explained, trying not to cower underneath his looming figure. Did he do this on purpose? Loom? 

Alastor tilted his head at you, quirking a brow. “Curious, I was too.”

You both didn’t say anything for a moment. Your mouth opened to say something, but you honestly weren’t sure what to say so you just closed it again.

A familiar cannibal demon—you thought you recognized her as an aid in Rosie’s Emporium—bustled up to the two of you and threw out her arm, manicured nails nearly pinching holes into the paper. Her hands shook slightly as she held her head low, casting a few glances Alastor’s way. It was endearing, almost, the effect he held on all the equally deranged cannibals in the town. Though, you suppose you weren’t any better than them at this point.

“Thanks, Remi,” Her name came to you in a stroke of luck as you took the note. She nodded and scampered away with a light squeal, and you noticed a small huddle of girls waiting for her return with expectantly bated breaths. You heard them all run off giggling as you read the note.

“It’s from Rosie…” You explained in a slight mumble as your eyes trailed over the paper. Your lips spread into a thin line as you grimaced. You pinched your fingers against the bridge of your nose as you handed Alastor the note. Of course she’d do some shit like this. “She got caught up in something. I guess. She told us to hangout instead.”

Alastor hummed as he read through the note. He folded it neatly and tucked it away in a shirt pocket. 

“Well, seeing as I cleared some time in my schedule for this… I’ve nothing better to do.”

You nodded, agreeing with a similar statement. So much for girl-talk therapy.

You both approached the table and he, always the gentleman, pulled out the chair for you to sit before he took his own seat. The silence was unbearably awkward—for you, at least. He probably had no care in the world. There was a light hum rumbling from his throat, and he glanced around, watching the surroundings. Every time his eyes met yours, you would both quickly look another way.

You had noticed a few different waiters rush by your table, side-eyeing Alastor in particular before scrambling to, at least you assumed, find another waiter to cover the table. You sighed and idly played with a hole in the wire-mesh tabletop.

“So, how’s our dear Charlie’s new plan coming along?” Alastor finally decided to carry the weight of striking up a conversation and you perked up a bit. You loved to talk about Charlie and her ideas—you cherished her friendship and kindness with your whole being. Plus, you were also just excited to interrupt that painful silence.

“Oh! Good so far! At least, on paper,” You rubbed your arm sheepishly. You tried not to stumble over your words as you saw how intently he was watching you, red eyes almost glowing in intensity. “They… never really turn out as planned… as I’m sure you’ve noticed…”

He responded with a bitter laugh, and your shoulders suddenly felt less tense as a more natural flow of conversation started. It was still, obviously, a bit strange and there was still a sense of unease considering the nature of the Overlord you spoke to, but you nonetheless appreciated the relative ease of getting along with him.

A waiter came and went during your conversation, and you had to interrupt your laugh at a joke Alastor had made to order yourself a tea. Alastor got himself a coffee. 

“Would you look at the time,” Alastor suddenly said after you sipped on your drinks for a while. He didn’t carry a watch with him; instead, he had cast his face up to the sky and observed it was getting rather dark.

“Holy shit!” You looked at an actual watch, realizing the two of you had been chatting for ours. Your chest felt weightless and you held back a wide smile when you saw how long you were able to just sit and talk to Alastor. “Damn, yeah, Charlie’s probably worried by now.”

Alastor stood and, just as before, pulled out the seat for you as you stood. The two of you walked next to each other at a slower than natural pace, as if you both wanted to linger just a bit longer in each other’s presence—though, that was honestly probably just you. He was likely just being polite.

“Maybe it’s good our plans with Rosie didn’t go as… planned…” You said slowly, carefully, peeking at him from the corner of your eye. You were somewhat starting to doubt if he had equally enjoyed your time together, or if he was just playing along since he knew Rosie was keen on you.

“Agreed,” He simply responded. He was quiet for a beat before he continued. “Surprisingly I find your company quite enjoyable.”

You decided not to comment on the ‘surprisingly’ part and just flashed him a light smile before focusing your attention on the sidewalk, kicking at a rock with each step. It was silent again, but this time it was more comfortable. Alastor was humming again, and you felt a prickling of goosebumps as you listened to his voice.

You wished it could always be like this. You and him. Though you were certain that was an impossible reality—it was Alastor, after all. You tried not to think about it in order to enjoy the experience now.

A misplaced kick at the rock made you trip, and you mentally cursed yourself as you stumbled forward. How fucking embarrassing was this going to—your scrambled thoughts were interrupted when Alastor caught you, his surprisingly strong arm snug around your torso as he pulled you steady. 

A tight-lipped smile and a quiet “thanks” was all you could awkwardly do in return. It took you a moment to notice his arm was still around you, and once you looked down at it he seemed to realize this too and slid it away. Are you going crazy, or did he seem reluctant to let go? You wanted to smack yourself till your mind cleared, but the ghost feeling of his arm against you was sending a fire through your skin.

“You walk like a fresh-born fawn,” He joked, averting his face away from you as he straightened the cuff of his sleeve. “Watch where you step. I might not be able to catch you next time.”

You didn’t respond and just kept walking, face hot from shame after tripping over such a minor thing. Alastor now walked notably closer to you, his hand almost brushing against yours with every step. At some point the back of his hand did graze against your own, and had you not been expecting it you probably would’ve jumped. Alastor, on the other hand, did seem to stiffen at the contact but he didn’t move.

Finally the hotel was in sight, and before you knew it the Overlord was pushing open the door and offering you to enter first. He led you to your room and you both stood in the hallway, your own breath bated with anticipation as you rapidly tried to find something to say. You didn’t want this to just be a one-and-done deal.

Silence again.

It didn’t help that his eyes had a red glow in the dark of the silent hall—anybody else would find it intimidating, but… man… you felt your cheeks get a bit hot.

Did he just take a step closer? You honestly couldn’t tell, but the buzzing in your ears from his radio afflicted being seemed to grow in intensity and he seemed to be looming over you a bit more. There was a sinister look in his eyes, but you couldn’t tell if it was due to malice or… something else. You really couldn’t tell, but you couldn’t find yourself scared of him. 

Maybe you should be.

Something about being against the wall with the looming figure of the Radio Demon, who you honestly couldn’t tell if he just made another step closer, made you feel like prey being toyed with by a cruel hunter. You would be lying to yourself if you said it wasn’t thrilling.

“Maybe I can pencil in a regular lunch with you every week,” He said suddenly, breaking the growing tension. “Despite your average looks–” Okay, rude. “–you are quite the character.”

“Uh, yeah, I’d like that,” You said, averting your face to hide the growing heat on your skin that gave away your current mental state. If Alastor noticed, he made no indication of it as he clapped his hands together once.

“Well, then, goodnight!” He said, all too cheerfully given the atmosphere barely thirty seconds ago. “We can talk about it tomorrow.”

You nodded wordlessly before bidding him goodnight and reaching behind your back to turn the knob. You stumbled back into the empty space as you waved bye, him reciprocating with a small wave back, before shutting the door with a soft click. You pressed your forehead against the wood, quietly catching your breath you didn’t even realize had been held that whole exchange.

The aura of radio static seemed to linger at your door for a little longer than necessary, and you assumed Alastor was still standing there. It was maybe a minute before he finally left. Your legs felt weak and wobbly as you walked to your bed, falling face first into the sheets. You grabbed a fistful of pillow, screamed into it, and stood back up to get ready for bed.

A feeling of giddiness rose in your chest as you looked at your reflection, and you couldn’t help the grin that crept up your lips. You wouldn’t overthink it too much—you didn’t want to lead yourself astray—but… if you didn’t know any better… you could almost say Alastor felt at least a fraction of mutual feelings towards you.

You just hoped you wouldn’t screw it up.

[im-a-not-so-sirius-star]

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~~intro post~~

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heyyy!!! i assume you know by know… that i am the amazing, one and only…

sirius orion black!!!

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pronouns>>> he/they/she - genderfluid

sexuality>>> gay (remussexual, aka taken)

age>>> 17

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i am originally from france, but i live in london with the amazing james, (most of the year im at school with my amazing boyfriend remus <333) im gendurfluid and gay as a leprechaun!!! my fav colours are black (obvi) brown, and navy blue ;) my fav food is (again, obviously) anything that the wonderful effie cooks!!! she truly is amazing… my fav movie is howls moving castle, or harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban, and my fav book is the echo room by parker peevyhouse (ik what a weird name… almost as bad as rowling)

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my amazing friends!!!!!

the loml, @rj-mo0ny-lupin 🌕

my platonic soulmate, @heres-ur-daily-dose-of-prongsie 🦌

our little rat, @wormtail-pete ! 🐁

@ur-fave-rockstar-girl, said to be a female me 💋

@mary-macdonald1, the female prongs fr 🦌

@lily-pad-love, the best feminomenon out there 🌸

@aunty-emms-emporium >>> the best childhood bff 👧🏻

@reggieblackthepoet , little bro and bff’s bf??? 🐈‍⬛

@barty-not-bartemius crouch jr, a slytherin me 🔪

@driedoutrose prevents barty from killing me 🥀

@pandadoraa, my divination buddy <3 🔮

@cassie-meadowes, fashion partner in crime 💅

@sybilances, pandoras amazing friend 🪐

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fav singers/bands :)))))

queen, bowie, conan gray, abba, arctic monkeys, pink floyd, led zeppelin, taylor swift, lana del rey, masie peters, the smiths, blondie, mott the hoople, acdc, billy joel, avril lavigne, marina, sex pistols, t. rex,

the list could go on foreverrr

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additional info (abt the role play)

this is 100% for funsies, i’d seen many rp blogs, and i want to act as sirius for a bit, so why not. i have a lot of different opinions/headcanons with sirius that might be uncommon??? (idk) if u don’t like mine, remember that there is plenty of other rp blogs out there, and they might have what you’re looking for. pls no hate, as i said, this is all for fun, and most likely only a temporary thing. if you want to join the rp, just dm me on @im-ur-sleep-paralysis-demon with the character u want to be <333

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my headcanons>>>

gendurfluid sirius for life!!! he, she, they, sirius is all of them in one

feminine sirius <3 ik it’s similar to gendurfluid sirius, but it’s way different at the same time

short sirius :) that man is at most 5, 5” oml and remus is about 69 feet tall

drama queen omfgggggg!!! if being a dramatic baby was a sport in the olympics, sirius would have a diamond medal omg (ofc affectionately)

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ty for reading, and if u want, go check out my main, @starsandmarsbars!!!!!

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[3gremlins]

feel like im having a DA2 experience again where I really liked it and was in my little "this is good" cocoon where i played it many times only to emerge from underground and find everyone else hated it (i mean ive found the other da2 cicadas since but at the time it got really slammed). i've been really enjoying DA:TV so far ( lol tho obvs have notes) here's an early thoughts review, may be a bit spoilery, def rambley, trying to stay vague on stuff still (i think i'm about half way maybe? im trying to not look things up and doing it blind on my first run through. it's hard to tell b/c i went hard on all the side quests and am now way over level for the msq)

the combat system is a little jarring at first and i still miss at least being able to switch to and play as party members if your character dies (instead of the god of war style of full wipe), but i've gotten used to it (it's more annoying for boss fights, regular combat it's very zippy and fun). the targeting at least on controller is kind of annoying sometimes- i'll think i'm pointing at one enemy only to have rook turn and fire at nothing or companions to hit an add instead of a boss. I wish we at least had more control over how it queued who it was hitting. some of the arenas are obnoxious design wise - there's bosses that teleport to you and they give you like a tiny little box to dodge around, not the most fun. i do like that you can punch way above of your weight class sometimes which reminds me of DAO a little bit (like how you'd just wander into a fight or hit a gong and be like oh no, those enemies have skulls over their heads, oh well YOLO). sometimes it doesn't work out but when it does it's very satisfying. It's nice to be able to conquer something mechanically even underleveled (smol fromsoft vibes) Having always been a big fan of the strange composition parties (i.e not just war/rogue/mage), i like that this is now even more viable (and not just me being cheeky "we're having a leather party!" of all squishy rogues). but like the main thing about bioware games is the companions/interpersonal shit and i'm enjoying the heck out of that .i only do main quests to get more side quests from companions (or more side quests in general so we can troll around for more banter). i like petting griffons (and cats and dogs) and playing games with manfred*. I wish the gift system was more interesting like DAO or DA2- i was so excited to see it again and then it was a little disappointing to have them barely react when you get them stuff.

my current fave party are rook and the poison boys (emmerich and lucanis) since they're a rogue too and we just stack necrosis, bleeds and other elemental effects on things till they disintegrate. i like the lighthouse, it feels much cozier than skyhold. I love that you can just wander up to companions having convos and awkwardly eavesdrop. I do miss the little interactions/quests you could get with cole esp*** i think the animations are a little lack lustery? Idk there's something with the face model morphs that sometimes feels weird but the voice acting is strong enough that I don't notice too much. i do miss some of the more bioware-y cheeky things like item descriptions or weird notes near random silly environmental tableaus (there's a little but i just want to read all the notes! there's some in the grey warden areas where i was just like WAIT I HAVE QUESTIONS but there was no plaque about them T.T). where are the stacks of cheese (i do appreciate the fereldens love cheese jokes tho and harding getting so excited when someone says something nice about ferelden) i was esp bummed that there were no random things to read in the black emporium and it's all codex entries instead (that's my favorite tiny bit in DA2 where there's junk you can click on and xenon says weird shit to you). i also wish more had been done with accents of npcs- like i wish all the antivans had similar accents or your crow rook had an antivan accent, stuff like that (having a lot of "ferelden" generic british accents everywhere is disappointing. takes you out of the immersion a lot) My biggest gripe is probably the pacing - I wish it had more horror/mystery pacing like dao and da2 had- the reason we're all scarred by the brood mother is b/c the build up to that was so so creepy (also the necromancer bit w/hawke's mum in DA2). They gave us time to be unnerved or afraid and I do feel the evanuris reveals have been a little rushed so you can't really feel that worried about them (some of the side quests get close to this but still not quite there**). I wish they'd let them breathe a bit more instead of rushing from one giant world changing event to the next. Some of the reveals have been not so great- like lore that the fandom has poured over for 15ish years explained in one line?? i wish there'd been more build up of rook as a character too, maybe even a time skip from a prologue to finding solas kind of thing. the first trailer made it seem like that's what was going to happen but then it in media res'd us in a strange way. the first 10 hours of the game are probably the weakest imho, it took it a bit to get rolling and feel more natural. I appreciate that the first major decision doesn't really let you scum save for it (bit of a jump scare for me lol).

I also don't really need this much varric anymore, i kinda wish we had a different narrator if we have to have one. He feels really awkward to just have there and not doing anything(and not just kill off or have something happen to him? he got stabbed by the dagger and harding only touched it is what i'm saying). at least let him get better pjs and slippers or something Idk it does feel like bits of previous iterations they were working on are still there and they don't completely serve the plot well. And ofc there's the decisions not meaningfully carrying over thing- which is a huge bummer. But in reality they've never been good at that- the characters from previous games we see in new games don't really carry through their plots/arcs that much (it's more like cameos or they're a new person now) and the world states are usually effectively the same just with aesthetic faction swaps. I was sort of hoping we'd get some solavellan SOMETHING but it doesn't look like we will get much at all past the stuff in minrathous. i feel like if they were going to only include the one choice it really should have had more impact on the story. (i am also still a clown and want to talk to solas constantly still even tho he has no reason to talk to my rook at all, i do not care, i love a sad woof. i wish we could just casually visit him in the fade. i wish we could switch to lavellan and visit him in the fade, idk something. need more gareth david-lloyd pls) the interpersonal character decisions have been the only ones that mattered much and then only within the constrains of their own games- the bigger world changing stuff is usually the illusion of choice. It would have been nice if they let us have one protagonist carry through but i can also see why they liked changing it up and felt stuck in that format. tl;dr: i'm really like it for what it is but it's def got flaws. Parts of it feel super polished while other bits do not- i think knowing how game dev works that they had to make decisions on what was going to get prioritized and some of it works while others not so much. I wish the pacing was better for sure but i love the characters/companions which is generally what bioware is best at. sad it won't get meaningful dlc, i don't really care about mass effect 5 tbqh. So far I like it better than inquisition for the most part- it feels like a bigger/more polished DA2 in a lot of ways if that makes any sense (with similar budget/pacing issues, but the environments are more fun). as i mentioned in my other post, i really appreciated the trans/non binary inclusion into the story/cc tho. like that can't be discounted, even if the rest of the game has issues. (all the holes in the narrative make me want to do fan art and fan fiction tho so idk, maybe that's an okay thing. maybe dragon age is best at inspiring us to sandbox around in it)

*side note, i am surprised at how much i like emmerich like holy shit what a lovely soft nerd of a man! going to have to play through a few times and romance him and also bellara for sure (romancing lucanis this time round) i find myself shipping my companions with each other more than i normally do too. I just want them to be happy! I wish they'd let us have polyamory, like i could see little polycules in this squad so easily. i need to give bellara hugs and lucanis head pats. taash deserves head pats too, but my rook will need a ladder.

**i am going to cry if they do with the griffons what i think they're doing with the griffons. like straight up, feeling like it was a cursed wish to have them now T.T *** do we think the caretaker is cole? the character design makes me wonder (like the hat/silhouette is very cole like but maybe not. maybe i just want it to be cole lol) there's def characters i want to see show up that aren't going to and then bioware is like "what about this fan favorite??" and i'm like "eh".

[leathergeek]

Hey dude Wassup? I heard you had some pretty good shit out here and i'm looking for something to fuck harder and longer. You have something for me? And don't give me the cheap shit. My dick deserves the best daaaaaah. That's a cool looking statue you got there. You mind if I touch? Weird, it feels kinda hot at the touch.

Suddenly your clothes disappeared, your impressive muscles shrunk, your massive cock shrunk, being stuffed into a chastity cage. Next your skin burned as it turned pitch black and shiny, neck to toe covered in your new leather skin. Suddenly a large shiny class globe covered your head, like and astronauts helmet, locking itself in place to your leathered body. Hand cuffs locked your hands from moving as you were forced to sit on the ground not far from the cock statue.

Without realizing it you had transformed into the stores newest mannequin, you no longer were technically alive however you were conscious, able to feel and hear and see all that goes on around you., just frozen in place showing off some of the newer products available for purchase, the dick you were so proud of now forever trapped beneath that cage, harder than ever but unable to be used to fuck whatever you wanted. In fact you would become quite popular becoming the hottest thing on social media, everyone stopped by to snap a picture with you, Dante's gamble was paying off thanks to you an Dick Cody, Wismaster's Emporium was getting lots of foot traffic.

[itsclydebitches]

Alastor Headcanons Based on IRL Deer

fic research is wild, y'all

He has a tail. Duh.

It is deliberately hidden under his coat because while he can keep his ears neutral with conscious effort (and most people assume they're his hair at first glance) there's no way he's going to broadcast when he's relaxed with that gentle swishing.

After taking on this form Alastor biologically became an herbivore. He thinks it's a part of his punishment: to now exist in a body where eating meat, while possible, is a lot harder and is likely to make him ill if he has too much. He obviously does it anyway and now takes a sick kind of pride in his cannibalistic acts.

He sheds his antlers each year and goes to great lengths not to be seen during this process. It's faster than what a real deer deals with, but Alastor is still perpetually pissed that he can't just instantly grow new ones the way he otherwise controls his form.

(Hiding this is a whole lot harder while staying at a hotel where people need your help with things/demand your participation in ridiculous bonding exercises 24/7. The new year arrives and Alastor starts s w e a t i n g.)

His antlers also have velvet which, like a real deer's, is filled with nerves. AKA his antlers are very sensitive. Touch them at risk of life, limb, and soul.

In the days approaching a shedding Alastor's appetite increases like whoa. He can be found having tea (and "finger" food) with Rosie, or cooking up a storm in the kitchen. The residents don't know why they're suddenly inundated with jambalaya and gumbo, but they're not complaining.

(Husk, by virtue of Alastor owning his soul, knows what's what. He leaves a bottle of whiskey outside his door the night Alastor mysteriously says he has "business" to attend to for the next few days. Yeah, he obviously hates the guy but also that's a shit thing to deal with sober. He should know. Being a cat is fucking weird.)

When his old antlers have fallen off Alastor immediately destroys them. He doesn't know what someone might be able to do with a piece of his body, but he's not going to find out.

(However, it is tempting to whack the short king with one, proclaiming that he should mount it on his wall because he'll never get one off his head.)

He's got GREAT night vision and his eyes will glow red as his radio characteristics overlap with the deer biology. Alastor's hearing is also top notch and he can move his ears independently to better catch a sound. However, he tends to tilt his head instead—ensuring his neck cracks—because he knows it freaks people out.

Also smell! That's great for cooking. Not so great when Alastor hasn't found the time or inclination to bathe in days.

Alastor has made more friends (though he'd never call them that) in Hell than he ever did while living. Is it because he's now surrounded by other sinners who have no need to hide their true selves, or is it because he's now doubly a social animal? He doesn't know, doesn't care, and will eviscerate anyone who theorizes.

Despite growing up in New Orleans, Alastor never learned how to swim. Imagine his shock when an... unfortunate encounter with a rival Overlord resulted in him getting thrown into one of Hell's many rivers and he discovered that now, suddenly, he's an excellent swimmer. It was a weird day.

He's colorblind now. Rosie once asked him about his living fashion habits and was surprised that he tended towards muted browns, blacks, and grays. Sure, they all spread their wings upon entering Hell, but switching to a bright red suit is quite the choice! Everyone in the Emporium had to wait for their ears to heal after the screech of radio static Alastor let loose. He hadn't realized precisely what he was wearing (and who the hell else would tell him?). Rosie talked him down, saying the style suited him and really, it's too late to back down now. Whatever would the papers say?

[taruusmoon]

REWRITE THE STARS

Masterlist

BALLERINA TATTER! x RICH OC!

OC: Juliana Choi

Summary: After ending her secret relationship with Taeyoung, Juliana attends the Giselle ballet in which her ex stars, without knowing that it is possibly the last time she will see her.

Warning: angst, bad English, exes to…

˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

Juliana Velez grew up as a child who lost everything. At the young age of five, her father died, and the following year, her mother remarried a man who took them to live on the other side of the world, far from home. She lost her home, her family, and her last name when her mother's new husband legally adopted her at the age of six, becoming Juliana Choi. There was nothing that really belonged to her, not even her life or her decisions. She grew up studying what her mother wanted, what she commanded, and what she thought was best.

Juliana was barely six years old when her mother decided that she would take ballet lessons. Even though the girl had no interest in dancing, Victoria insisted. Much to her dismay, Juliana traded her afternoons of writing with Professor Park for long, boring ballet classes.

The first day at the ballet academy was chaotic; her teacher was quite old and strict and did not hesitate to whipped her students legs with a ruler that she always carried in her hands. She hated it. Juliana was always sure that she detested ballet; however, when four years later an eight-year-old girl with beautiful eyes appeared in her classes, she began to like it a little.

Kim Taeyoung was a child prodigy in ballet; every time teacher Jung asked her a question or addressed her, the girl raised her head proudly and obeyed her orders. Juliana loved it because she had never met before someone as disciplined and consistent as she was in writing. The girl showed an innate talent for ballet, and in a short time she became the favorite of Mrs. Jung and also of the parents, including Juliana's. At every recital, the girl would get at least one solo, and every time she went on stage, Juliana felt that she hated to dance ballet but loved to watch Taeyoung dance, even though she didn't say so.

But they were not close at first, and it was not until Juliana turned fifteen that things changed, and the two teenagers became inseparable after playing the black swan and the white swan in a play that made them quite popular among the students of the National Ballet Academy. However, their separation was imminent when, two years later, Victoria finally made the decision that Juliana should start focusing on her real studies as heiress to half of her husband's emporium. They remained friends, though the closest of friends.

But one night, on Juliana's twenty-first birthday, things changed.

“Is it weird that I feel like kissing you right now? ” Taeyoung's voice came out in a whisper and was barely understandable to Juliana. The two of them are on Jul's bed, quite dizzy because, in the middle of the party that Juliana's mother organized, they sneaked into the wine room of the older girl's stepfather. “I don't think I should have drunk so much wine.”

“I don't think it's weird because I want to do it  too." Juliana took a long breath because, finally, after many years, she could finally express what she felt. “But I don't know if it's the right thing to do, Tata. I don't even think it was right to let you drink alcohol without being of legal age to do it in the first place.”

“Is there ever a time when you stop thinking about doing the right thing?” Tatter reached out and grabbed Juliana's hand and pulled it to her chest, where the girl could feel Taeyoung's heart beating excitedly. “Sometimes you should follow what your heart is trying to explain to you.”

“And what is yours trying to explain?”

“That I like you," the words came out of Taeyoung's mouth without shyness, and Juliana felt her heart start to beat much faster than before. “Bada said that if your heart beats fast when you are with someone, then it means something.”

“So you think you like me because Bada said so? ”She tried to question the girl. “Your heart beats fast every time you dance.”

“And I love to dance. Then that only confirms my theory.”

Juliana sketched a soft smile, not knowing exactly what she should do next. Taeyoung stared at her with a peculiar gleam in her eyes, still holding Juls' hand against her chest, while thinking that it's time for the older one to take the next step because she already did enough that night. For a long time, they have carried that rare relationship between friends and something more, where there were more than friendly frictions, furtive glances that meant something more, and hidden feelings.

“I hate you, Tata" Juliana said softly, leaning back on her elbow quickly and then pressing her lips against Taeyoung's without hesitation.

At first, neither of them moved; both were anxious and a little shy. Although it wasn't the first kiss for either of them, it was the first time they felt so many emotions with a simple kiss. Taeyoung parted her lips and was the first to move her mouth, catching Juliana's lower lip, who is still a little uncomfortable, not knowing what to do. Juliana's hand on Taeyoung's chest is no longer just there; it is now squeezing her pajama shirt tightly. In an attempt to tell her that everything was okay, Taeyoung gently stroked her knuckles. Then Juliana managed to let go, and the kiss became mutual, soft, and intoxicating.

They both know they have a lot to lose because Juliana has a life grounded in her family's customs and her mother already has her life planned, and Taeyoung doesn't even appear as a friend. But still, once they let the feelings come out, they decided that it might be worth a try and that they were going to enjoy it for as long as it lasted.

“Tell me you're not going to forget this tomorrow when we wake up." Taeyoung mumbled against Juliana's mouth “I don't want to forget it.”

“I won't, Tata.”

˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

Three years later, Taeyoung and Juliana are in the same place, but the situation is totally different. They are not on the older girl's bed sharing their first kiss and with emotions running high; instead, Juliana is standing in front of the window of her room with her arms crossed and her chin trembling from the tears she is trying to hold back. Taeyoung is sitting in the middle of the bed, confused by Juliana's elusive attitude towards her since a week ago.

“Why did you call me so suddenly?” Taeyoung asked after a long silence that made her very nervous. “My practice for Giselle starts in two hours, and the academy is not close…”

“There's something we should talk about, Tatter" Juliana interrupted ignoring the fact that Taeyoung tensed up when she heard her say the nickname she never used with her unless a fight was about to break out.

“You never call me Tatter” the girl stood up and walked slowly towards Juliana. “You can tell me whatever you want, Juls. I don't know what happened these days, but it doesn't matter. If there's something that's bothering you, then we can talk about it, and we'll work it out.”

Taeyoung's words hit deep inside Juliana; unintentionally, her eyes started to fill up with tears that she tried to hold back but couldn't. She wished they could actually talk and solve what was bothering her, but it was impossible because that discomfort had a name, and that was Victoria Choi. Her mother. The person who had discovered them a week ago among the rose bushes in the garden while they were sharing a moment alone had nothing wrong with it, but in the woman's eyes, it had been enough to understand the unlabeled relationship her daughter had with her best friend.

That same night, Victoria decided to confront her eldest daughter about the affair, and even if Juliana tried to deny it at first, she ended up confessing everything to her mother, with the slightest hope that she would understand. But it was quite the opposite, because the woman simply warned her that she would end Taeyoung's career if she did not stay away. And even though her mother didn't have a single piece in her favor to ruin Taeyoung, Eunwon, her stepfather, did.

“Juls…” she tried to speak again, but Juliana turned away with a wet face before she could say anything. “Why are you crying?”

“My mother knows, Tata” she finally muttered with a frown and shining eyes. ”It's over, Taeyoung, I'm sorry.”

“What do you mean it's over?” Tatter felt her hands shaking, and her heart began to pound harder against her chest. “Did you talk to her? You have to explain to her; maybe if I talk to her, then she'll understand" she mumbled, waving his hands under Juliana's bright gaze.

“There's nothing you can tell her to change her mind" Juliana denied, lifting her shoulders. “I've tried everything, and there's nothing we can do.”

“No, there must be something Juliana" she insisted. "This is yours and mine; no one can decide about our feelings or even less about the relationship we have." Suddenly, Taeyoung's eyes started to fill with tears too, but she struggled to hold them back as she tried to find a solution. "Juliana, why don't you say anything? Don't you want to do anything about this?”

“I don't know Taeyoung.”

“What do you mean you don't know?” Taeyoung became desperate when she sees the calm in Juliana's eyes, the girl doesn't answer her question, and then fury invades her body. “Are you telling me that you're going to let your mother define the future of our relationship?” She mutters in disbelief and turns around to turn her back to Juliana in an attempt to prevent her from seeing how disappointed she is.

“It's my mother Taeyoung" Juliana's voice sounds so calm that Tatter's skin crawls. But in reality in her heart she always knew that her relationship with Juliana was not going to last, because at any moment her mother would tell her what to do and Juliana would follow her without hesitation. “You think it's easy Tata, but it's not just my mom, what will we do when everyone ends up realizing it? Your career would be over along with my family, and I can't ruin us for this.”

“So that's it? You're so afraid of facing your family and the world that you find it easier to throw away everything we are” Taeyoung says with a lump in her throat. “We could leave here, get away from what your mother expects you to be, and I could make my career somewhere else. We can rewrite our history, but you're such a coward, you won't do it. You prefer to lose me”

“I’d lose you either way Tata. Everything you say feels impossible.”

Taeyoung bites his tongue and clenches her jaw as hard as she can. She wants to keep talking, to repeat again to Juliana that other people and her family don't matter, but she knows that for the girl, there is no one more important than her mother. Even though the woman won't even appreciate her. Without saying anything, Tatter closes her eyes, taking a long breath. Juliana knows that this is the end of everything, even though she doesn't want to admit it.

“Do you even care about this, Juliana?” The question takes the girl by surprise, and then she hesitates. “Because I'm sure that if you cared, you would try to find a way to solve this. But then you come and talk to me about my career and what people will think when they find out. Shouldn't you have thought about that three years ago? But of course, it's because you never thought this was serious, you knew from the beginning that as soon as your family found out, you were just going to leave me with some stupid excuse. I was such an idiot to think that Juliana Choi with her perfect life, was going to ruin her future for me.”

“It's not like that, Taeyoung, I really tried to fix it, but it's not that simple” Juliana tries to say, but Tatter's hurt look leaves her speechless. She remains silent for a few seconds, not knowing what to say, while tears begin to fall down her cheeks. “We can be friends; after all, before this, we were friends for a long time. I don't want us to stop talking; you are an important part of my life Taeyoung and you know it," she said as she tried to get closer, but Taeyoung denied taking a step back.

“I just don't want to be your friend; I'm sorry, Juliana” she whispered with a shrug, and with nothing more to say, she turned to grab her backpack.

If Juliana had been braver, she would have had stopped Taeyoung when she left her room; she would have told her that she didn't want to be her friend either, but “what if” doesn't exist, and she knows it. With an intense pain in her chest, she lay down on her bed, her hand on her neck, clenching the necklace Taeyoung had given her for her birthday. After a few minutes, Eunbyul walked through the door without knocking, encountering a scene she had expected.

“You look terrible, sis" she said in a soft voice, and then Juliana let out all the sobs she had been holding back.

And so the following week passed. Juliana stayed in her room every day alone with Eunbyul by her side, attending the university in the mornings and coming to her room every noon. She felt nothing; it was as if her body was anesthetized, but every night she cried because her mother again ruined something she wanted, and she had done nothing to stop it. Every day she tried to call Taeyoung but the girl never answered her calls or her texts; it was as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth.

She only saw her again when Taeyoung's face appeared on the banners advertising the Giselle ballet to be performed at the National Theater of Korea. A show her stepfather insisted on attending as a birthday present for Victoria who, even if she hated Juliana's relationship with Taeyoung, still considered the ballerina one of her favorites.

When the night of the show finally arrived, Juliana managed to sneak into the show's dressing room after convincing her old dance teacher, Ms. Jung. Luckily for her the place was a bit empty since most of the dancers were near the stage, except for Taeyoung whom Juliana knew liked to stay alone until the last minute before performing.

“Do you need help with that?” she said as she opened the door and watched Taeyoung try to put Giselle's headdress in her hair.

“What are you doing here?” The girl asked with a frown as she saw Juliana through the dressing table mirror. “I thought you didn't want to see me anymore.”

“I never said I didn't want to see you” she replied taking the headdress from Tatter's hands to place it in the tight bun she was wearing. “Unlike you, who haven't answered any of my calls or messages”

“Bold of you to asume that I wanted to talk to you after everything that happened." Taeyoung stood up and walked to the back to start stretching a bit since Juliana's appearance made her tense up a bit. “I think you said enough that night, Juliana.”

“I think there are still things we can talk about.”

“No Juliana” she spat a little rudely. "There's nothing to talk about anymore, but I'll give you some advice you didn't ask for; I don't think this is the way you should live your life, so take charge of it before you regret it. But I am not the one to decide how you should live. Goodbye Juliana.”

Without another word, Taeyoung walked past Juliana and out of the dressing room, leaving her alone. The former dancer felt as if the girl's words were a farewell and inevitably felt afraid of losing her, even though in reality she didn't even have her anymore. She took a long breath, smoothed the skirt of the long red dress her mother had recommended her to wear, and then left the place with a firm step. She made it as far as the balcony when Giselle's first act began.

“Where were you?” Eunbyul asked her in a whisper to avoid getting dirty looks from her parents. “Bada and Lusher are downstairs with Jessica, they asked me how you were”

“I'll look for them later to say hello” she answered, ignoring the question. Eunbyul understood instantly and decided not to insist any more.

The Giselle ballet was a tragic love story, and it was also Juliana's favorite work. It was the one leading role she always wished to have when she was still dancing, but she never got it because Taeyoung always beat her. But that didn't make her feel bad because, as much as she wanted to be the lead, she also enjoyed seeing the girl as Giselle. Taeyoung had beautiful eyes that managed to express all the pain of a broken heart, like Giselle.

When the second act started, Juliana sat upright on her chair, expectantly watching the Wilis dance which was her favorite part. Minah one of Taeyoung's close friends was in charge of playing Myrtha the ruthless leader of the spirits of the maidens abandoned by their lovers. She couldn't take her eyes off Taeyoung at all times, who danced with energy, giving her the air of youth that Giselle had.

“Taeyoung really has a bright future as a dancer" Juliana heard her mother say as she stood up to applaud when the play finally ended.

Everyone who attended the play stood up and applauded loudly when the dancers came out to bow their thanks. Juliana could not feel anything but proud of Taeyoung who had given an amazing lead role to everyone there. As the curtain closed, people slowly began to file out. Juliana sat back down on her chair as her stepfather was talking to an associate of his company. She didn't know how long she stayed there, but all the time she kept her eyes on the stage in an attempt to relive Taeyoung's performance. Deep down she felt that it was the last time she would see her. 

“Your phone is ringing Juliana," her mother's gruff voice interrupted her, making her quickly pull out her phone from the handbag she was carrying. She had five messages from Bada Lee; Taeyoung's best friend.

     Bada     

Tatter was offered a place at the Royal Opera House in London.      

I didn't want to get involved, but this is your last chance.     

Juliana answer the phone   

Her flight leaves at 9:30 pm   

Juliana!

The messages came one after the other twenty minutes ago. Without another second's thought, she stood up, walked past her stepfather and the man she was talking to, and ran down the stairs to the balcony as fast as she could, ignoring the voice of Eunbyul and her mother calling her name. There were still a lot of people among the aisles of the theater, She stopped for a moment among the people to grab the skirt of the long dress and pull it up to her legs so she could run with a little more ease, although the heels she was wearing made it a little difficult for her still.

Once she reached the outside of the venue, she felt anxious as there were a lot of people outside the theater. She tried to locate Taeyoung among the many women walking back and forth; even though the girl had long red hair it seemed impossible to find her. Se walked back and forth in circles hoping to see her but she couldn't find her, possibly Taeyoung had already left home.

”Juls!” she heard at the bottom of the stairs and when she turned her gaze she found Bada calling out to her with an effusive hand.

“Where is Taeyoung?” she asked as soon as she arrived with Bada, Lusher and Jessica.

“She's gone, she took a cab home about ten minutes ago to pick up her bags” Lusher took her hand and pulled her along the sidewalk. ”That's our cab, you take it and leave right now. But don't screw it up Juliana because this is really the only chance you have”

Not knowing what to say, Juliana just nodded and got into the cab. Lusher closed the door to indicate the direction to the driver, who started as soon as he sensed the importance of the matter. During the whole trip, Juliana's chest was rising and falling rapidly. She felt anxious to finally arrive at Taeyoung's apartment, but she felt the minutes passing too slowly. Every now and then, the driver would look at her and repeat that they would be at their destination soon and not to worry since there was not much traffic on the streets. He managed to calm her down a bit and used the remaining fifteen minutes of the trip to think about everything he had to say to Taeyoung. She wanted to apologize for putting her mother's wishes above what they had, to tell her that she loved her, and that she was sorry she hadn't tried a little harder to save their relationship. 

Once she was clear on what she wanted to say, she tried to calm down, but the driver's voice telling her that they had arrived at their destination made her nervous again. She paid the man, and without waiting for the change, she got out of the cab and rushed to the apartment building where Taeyoung lived. When she entered, the doorman greeted her as usual and let her in without asking her any questions. Juliana had spent so many days in the apartment that the apartment workers and Taeyoung's neighbors already knew her.

She entered the elevator with shaky legs and gasping for breath as she prayed that Taeyoung was still in the apartment. Once she reached floor three, she stepped out into the hallway and walked as fast as she could, her eyes on the floor, as it was very difficult for her to walk fast. Taeyoung's apartment was just around the corner, and when she finally stood in front of the door, she stood there, her heart pounding anxiously. She put in the code, and seconds later, the lock opened. She grabbed the knob, turning it to open the door.

“Taeyoung” she shouted in the darkness of the room, but no one answered. "Kim Taeyoung!” she shouted again, her voice shaking, but again there was only silence.

She ran to the main room of the apartment, and when she entered, she found nothing. The white sheets were perfectly laid out on the bed; on the dresser, there was no trace of Taeyoung's personal belongings, and when she opened the closet door, she found only the hangers. It was too late; Taeyoung was gone, and she could do nothing to stop her.

Her legs faltered and she slowly fell to her knees, she brought her hand to her chest as she felt an intense pain spread from her throat. At first it was only tears but soon her body shook from the uncontrolled sobs coming from her throat. She laid her head on the bed mattress and berated herself countless times for doing things wrong. She didn't know how long she lay there, but she was so deep in thought that she didn't hear when the door opened. But suddenly, a girl's arms wrapped around her body. 

 “It’s gonna be okay Juls" Lusher's voice came out in a soft tone lulling her into her arms.

“It hurts Lush"

“I know”

˗ ˏ ˋ ♡ ˎˊ ˗

[reggieblackthepoet]

Hello,

My name is Regulus Black

I’m a Slytherin

I’m 16

He/Him

Gay

Likes: reading, being alone, art museums, the color green, libraries, poetry

Dislikes: my parents, annoying people, homophobes, transphobes, racists, loud noises, probably you (the person reading this post)

My acquaintances:

Sirius, my annoying brother: @im-a-not-so-sirius-star

Barty, very unhinged: @barty-not-bartemius

Evan, more tolerable than Barty: @driedoutrose

Remus, an ok Gryffindor: @rj-mo0ny-lupin

James Potter, my amazing boyfriend: @heres-ur-daily-dose-of-prongsie

Marlene, slightly interesting: @ur-fave-rockstar-girl

Peter, is called “wormtail” by his friends (sort of weird?): @wormtail-pete

Pandora, my best friend: @pandadoraa

Lily, generally a good person: @lily-pad-love

Dorcas, very cool one of my closest friends: @cassie-meadowes

Emmeline: @aunty-emms-emporium

Mary: @mary-macdonald1

Sybill: @sybilances

∘₊✧────────────────────✧₊∘

I do not support JKR if you do or are transphobic, homophobic, biphobic, racist, sexist, etc. please leave

∘₊✧────────────────────✧₊∘

this is a roleplay account, message @im-ur-sleep-paralysis-demon if you want to join

my main blog is @jamespottersconverse if anyone is interested

[eclipsewarrior101]

[The main doors to Seam's Toy Emporium open, a new face stepping in. They appeared to be an adult woman with black braids trailing down from their head. They wore a simple black dress over a grey sweater vest, a light grey scarf, and baggy black sleeves (not a part of the dress or sweater, seperate). However the oddest thing about this woman was both the fact they had cat features such as cat ears and a cat tail, both black, and that their eyes were only a pure white light which illuminated the halls of toy shelves they walked down]

[They approached one of the aisles, looking at the toys with intent]

@goodnightsleepyhead

The toy store has so many toys. Though this isle had toys that looked similar to the lib. It was weird but then again this new toy store came out of no where. A voice calls from behind

“ well hello there ma am. Do you need any help with anything”

You see a short young man smiling at her with rainbow highlights in his black messy hair. He had emerald green eyes. He wears a rainbow jacket and black pants that have patchwork patches in them. On his jacket are many pins on them. He wore black metallic boots with rainbow shoe laces. He gives her a huge smile. He looked like a cartoon character with his hair and his outfit that looks like a ragdoll toy. His goggles looked like steampunk goggles and he wore buttons on a necklace

[lucifers-little-light]

(*whispering to Rosie*) Quick, before Al gets back... Lucifer may have an itty bitty teeny tiny crush on Alastor. But it looks like Alastor doesn't really recognize Lucifer's attempts at flirting as flirting. And to be fair to him, some of Lucifer's attempts came off kind of condescending or threatening or just plain weird. And now they're entangled in a, uh, contract that complicates things further!

Rosie: *narrows her eyes* Oh a contract really? Hmm…*stands up* Well I believe I’ve intruded long enough. Thank you for being a gracious host.

As Rosie is walking out, Alastor holding the drinks.

Alastor: Rosie? Going so soon?

Rosie: Oh yes. I’ve overstayed my welcome. *remembers something* Come by my emporium real soon darling! I’m ordering you some things you’ll need for the baby!

Alastor: *smile widens* I wouldn’t dare miss seeing what you have got me.

Rosie leaves happily, humming along.

Meanwhile Alastor collapses from stress, having to hold up his facade more draining than he realized.

Lucifer: Alastor?!

Alastor: *waking up after a few seconds* Huh? Did I black again?

[anothertickleblog]

☆ important info please read☆

This blog is currently being run on: queued posts This is a secondary account, so my likes will come from my primary account which is @8pit ── .✦

*click for better quality* More about me, information + interaction rules below the cut ⋆✮↪

About Me ✎⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

General Stuff I'm a 23 y/o Non-Binary Switch Mixed Race (Black + White) Im neurodivergent, have several mental illnesses and a chronic pain condition (so clearly thriving)

Interests: *It's important to note I don't really have a "favorite character", have never been in a fandom, don't understand kinning and find it hard to open up about the stuff I like* That being said here's some stuff I like lol: Shows: Pushing Daises, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me, Psych, Adventure Time, Regular Show Movies: Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium, Robot Dreams, Basically Any Muppet Movie, Pom Poko, Various Internet Stuff: Dropout TV, 17776, Blind Alley, MBMBAM+TAZBalance Music: toooooo many just ask me Currently Reading: Hollow Kingdom ୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ

Blog Info ✎⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ This is a SFW tickle blog (if you hadn't noticed) I don't care who interacts with posts as long as you're not being weird/creepy I do care who interacts with me though so do not send messages or asks if - You are under 18 - Your age is not stated in your bio - Your blog is empty

Speaking of asks I ask that you -Not tease me over anon -Not spam me with asks

I'm very friendly and you can message me if you wish! But I cannot promise I will answer as I am frequently not up to talking to people If you do want to message me I only ask that you: -Say something more than just "Hi", a brief introduction is enough -Not try to roleplay or get me to tease you

*Remember we are strangers. So engage with me like you're making a new friend at a coffee shop ๋࣭ ⭑⚝

Again I reserve the right to chose who I interact with and it is not a comment on you, I hope you'll be understanding of these rules and we can all have a nice time <3

That's all for now ᯓ★

- Grey :]

[warlockisaslur]

Emporium // a drabble

or: How Darcy Learned There's Even More Weirdness to Wanda's Family

Billy didn't get to go home often. Earth was just so far away from the Alliance, from where he was needed, that visits to his homeworld were agonizingly infrequent. Of course, the compromise he and Teddy had made stood fast -- once things were settled, once the hard work was done and the Alliance's governing bodies were self-sufficient without their symbols -- Earth would be home, again.

Still, now and then when the opportunity presented itself, when there was simply nothing pressing that needed doing, Billy would kiss his husband, promise Lauri-Ell he would come to no harm, and teleport himself across the vastness of space -- back, and back, home again, to the blood and souls that tethered him to the blue-green world of his birth. His ring and their bond could always get him back to Teddy if he was needed, after all… but as he'd been reminded so often since his marriage, a Terran's heart always calls him home.

Normally the visits were fairly mundane. Brunch with Kate or Cassie, catching-up time with Tommy or Viv or Luna (if she happened to be on Earth at the time), maybe dinner with his parents. Sometimes even clubbing with some of the young heroes from the old phone tree, Julie or Brandon or Karolina often bugged him to go dancing. But now and then, his shadow would darken the doorway of a certain shop in a certain town…

The Emporium is a staple in Lotkill, New York, and beloved by its patrons. It's not an uncommon sight to see the brilliant pinkish glow of Wanda's magic from the windows even when the shop is closed -- she lives there, after all -- but the eerie blue glow from behind the blinds is different, strange even for such a strange location. Darcy knows Wanda is busy with a Last Door case, probably won't be back for another day or two -- which is why she hurriedly opens the door and reaches for a tee-ball bat she'd stowed behind the curtains at the front of the shop, only to be pulled up short by a green blur that snatched it out of her grip.

Now, Darcy knew that sort of "draft" by now, Pietro had visited enough times for her to get familiar with speedster backdraft, but this had a different quality. Less refined, more chaotic. About as chaotic as the situation in the shop itself.

Every shelf was bare, and all the contents were either in piles on the floor or the various surfaces, or floating in that eerie blue glow all around the room. And in the middle of the room seated cross-legged -- well, on nothing, really -- was a kid who couldn't be any older than her, eyes and hands gleaming with that same eerie light, while a green blur zipped this way and that throughout the space.

"Oh -- hey. You're Darcy, right?" The books suddenly shelved themselves, seemingly finding their proper places amid the stacks, the magical reagents, concoctions and other trinkets finding places in among the books.

"You'relate-moveityou'reinmypath--" came a voice that started at her left elbow and moved to her right, before another boy -- damn near identical to the first, except this one had white hair and green eyes that were so like Wanda's it was a little jarring -- paused, grinned, and then disappeared again. Darcy had to keep dodging as the blur flitted here and there, so she ended up sitting on top of the counter.

"Okay -- am I going nuts or did Wanda and Pete… get replaced by a couple'a kids?"

The speedster stopped, laughing, and the other one laughed, too, and it was really weird how alike they sounded like that. Spooky.

"Wanda asked me to come by and do something with the inventory system here. No offense, but it takes a magical eye to make sure all this stuff is categorized right -- you can't just stick any old book next to another, they might talk." The one with black hair, the one with the magic in his eyes, unfolded his legs and stood, brushing down his clothing before reaching out to offer her a hand to shake. "I'm sure she's told you about us -- I'm Billy. The blur is Tommy." On cue, the aforementioned blur ceased movement, perched in one of the little cafe chairs.

"… OH. Wait -- seriously? Those pictures she has must be old."

The black-haired one -- Billy -- chuckled again, straightening a potted plant which had taken new residence at the top of a shelf. "Yeah, we really should get her some newer ones. Anyway --" He looked around, hands on his hips. "I think we're good here. Tommy wrote up a new inventory system for you --"

"Well, we worked on it together. Vocal algorithmic searching. Just… ask it for something, and it'll tell you where it is in the store. Billy wanted to use a spell --"

"But if the shop gets destroyed again I'd have to come back to re-do it. So the spell's integrated into the program's code. So as long as the tablet's safe --"

"-- andyoubetterkeepitsafe!"

"-- then you'll always know right where everything is."

"… you two are weirder than your mom and uncle, you know that?"

Tommy grinned. "You aren't the first to say that. Billy's the weirder one though -- you know he married an alien??"

"I'm telling Teddy you said that."

[mikestoklassa]

My time at the Zak Bagans Haunted Museum

This ghost hunting episode has compelled me to share my own experience with Zakary Bagary's Spooky Emporium, mostly because I've only shared this story orally and also because I want to flex that I've been somewhere Mike Stoklasa has been. Mayhaps it will inspire one of you to write a Fanfic (gentle persuasion). But truly this is mostly a diaristic blog post for me so that my memory of the Zak Bagan's Haunted Museum never truly slips from my grasp. Facts may not be totally accurate because this is months later and I have a shit memory. Anyways read more if u even care

THE BEGINNING

So my boyfriend and I went to Vegas this past year so that I could see my beloved Vegas Golden Knights <3 Of course that couldn't occupy the whole weekend, and my boyfriend and I aren't gamblers, so we had to find other things to pass the time. When we realized that Zak Bagans' Haunted Museum (which I will refer to as ZBHM) was in Vegas, we had to go. To be honest, by boyfriend and I have only seen a few episodes of Ghost Adventures, but we love spooky stuff and people whose reputations proceed them, so we knew we had to go.

We were staying on the strip, and ZBHM is located more in their downtown, so we had to Uber there. NGL I was expecting some spooky old Victorian house painted in all black, but truly it is just a pretty historic home in a residential neighborhood.

To my shock as a North-easterner, the check in for the museum is outside. So we're greeted by a lovely person who asks if we have tickets. We said we didn't and they told me the wait can be anywhere between 15 minutes and 3 hours, as we'd essentially be hoping that someone who bought tickets didn't show up to their tour. We didn't feel like waiting in the Vegas heat, so said we'd come back. Out of nowhere a man who looked like Guy Fieri if he shaved his head came up to the desk and said we were making the right choice, and to come back tomorrow with tickets. The workers were really nice and let us peruse the gift shop before we left.

My BF and I ended up going to the Mob Museum which was in the neighborhood. It sucked. Don't go.

THE RETURN

That night we purchased tickets for after lunch the next day. They were a whopping $54 dollars each, meaning two tickets was already over $100. There was something called an "RIP Access" ticket, but all I saw was we got to go to a basement and got a shirt and I thought that was dumb as shit so we didn't get it.

So we return the next day and have to wait outside for the next group to enter the house. Most importantly, we're asked to sign wavers stating we WILL not sue Zak if a ghost follows us home. I'd never hold Zak to that, so I gladly signed. Once we're informed we can head inside, I assume the tour is starting but no, we're being led to a lobby with a ticket booth. I thought that was weird, because we already had tickets, but I figured they had to give us badges so they knew we were on the tour. There were pictures of people who had come to ZBHM before, including One Direction's very own Liam Payne. No photography was allowed on the tour, so this is the only photographic proof I went.

So in this lobby, we're basically lined up to a ticket booth where I think we're getting badges. But no, when you get up to the booth, a lovely worker asks if you would like to give Zak Bagans additional money to do the "RIP Access", which includes extra experiences and rooms, as well as free T-shirt at the end. I still think that's dumb as shit, so I say no. But then my BF and I realize we are the ONLY people on the tour who don't have RIP Access, and we don't want to have to stand like dumb dicks outside of certain rooms while everyone else got to go inside, so we let peer pressure get to us. We upgraded for an additional $32 each, meaning now instead of giving Zak Bagan's $108 dollar, we gave him $172. Truly a low point.

THE SPOOKY TOUR BEGINS

So once Zak swindles you out of your money, you're guided out of the lobby, through a yard, and into the museum proper. The first room is truly, deeply, honest, the most censory overload I have ever experienced in my life. Every breath you take will contain 0% oxygen and 100% smoke machine gas. The first room was just an oddities room, filled with haunted items and general cool things that Zak has found along the way. There were human skulls on an old church pew, and as a museum worker myself, I so desperately needed to see the provenance of those. I'm still waiting, Zak. Anyways, our tour guide then proceeds to uncover a machine which is an old Zoltar machine, but instead of a Zoltar animitronic, it's a Zak Bagan animitronic. Then, after each person on this ten person tour gave Zak Bagans $86 dollars each ($860 total), the tour guide asks if anyone would like to "spare a dollar" for the Zak Zoltar machine so Zak may give our tour a fortune. I thought everyone on the tour would feel just as indignant about this as me, but no, people were desperately reaching for their wallets so that they may be the person who blessed our tour with a fortune. I can't remember exacts, but it has something to do with bewaring stairs. Spoiler alert: the fortune did not come back up.

THE GROSS

So from the main room, we enter a haunted doll closet, our first RIP access experience! It was a hall filled with old dolls. I think old dolls are cute not creepy, so this was a pretty lame experience for me. Next we entered a room that looked like a chapel, and we are for the first time greeted to Zak's lovely presence. Zak in a voice over begins to tell us the story of Anneliese Michel, the German woman who underwent a bunch of exorcisms. Now I am very much like Jay, in the sense that ghosts are most interesting to me when they're presented as amorphous fields of energy. I do not care for demon stories, especially when it's obvious that the "demonic person" is just severely mentally ill. So needless to say, I was not about this room. After the voice over, Zak invites RIP ticket holders to the spooky crawlspace tunnel below a mantle holding a chalice the Michel family owned? Idfk. I was NOT crawling through some damn tunnel with someone I don't know's ass in my face, so I declined and walked in the hallway with our tour guide to the next room. My BF went through and said the scariest thing was the idea of the person in front of you farting.

I won't lie, it's about here where my memory gets murky, so I apologize if this is out of order. ("But isn't this just the second room you went in??" Girl idk!!) What I remember next was entering a room with a large bed in it. In the room we are greeted to another voice over from Zak explaining that this bed came from Love Ranch. Zak spends a long time explaining that this is the bed that NBA player Lamar Odom OD'ed and almost died on, and that the Love Ranch owner Dennis Hof died on. I was like "Okay I guess that's a little creepy and sad but is it haunted?" And then Zak on the voice over was like "Oh by the way here's a picture of Hof on the bed with a creepy face in the back that may be a ghost" and then we were PROMPTLY ushered out of the room.

Next we're taken into a room that looks like a medical office. We're told the drawings on the wall and the items in the room belong to Jack Kevorkian, who was a doctor and proponent of euthanasia. The Zak Voice Over spent a lot of time explaining how people would faint in this room after feeling very emotionally overwhelmed. I was like okay....it's the Vegas heat, we've been standing for awhile now, every square inch of this place is nothing buy fog machine smoke, and now we're talking about euthanasia...yeah that'd probably make me pass out. Anyways we go into a room which has Kevorkian's van where the euthanasias were performed. To me, this stuff isn't spooky like at all? IDK I don't know a lot about Kevorkian but from what Zak said he just sounded like a doctor who wanted to give people a chance to go with grace.

So with all of that leaving a bad taste in my mouth, we were taken to a room full of serial killer memorabilia. Personally, I don't like the idea of serial killer's being tortured souls who must stay on this mortal coil as ghosts, but I guess it was better than Zak exploiting the deaths of their victims so whatever. It was a little cool to see the artifacts in the room but honestly now as an adult who understand serial killers aren't complex and fascinating psychos and mostly just guys who hate women, I didn't really feel compelled by this room. There also weren't really any ghost stories in this room. I think Zak just wanted to flex he had a John Wayne Gacy painting.

We were then taken to a room that looked with a barn with a big cauldron in the center. I IMMEDIATELY clocked it as an Ed Gein room. The Zak Voice Over once again comes on to explain a little bit about Ed Gein and how the cauldron in the room is the one Gein used to drain the blood of victims. Again, I'm not into this stuff, but was snapped back into it when Zak explained that on a paranormal investigation of the museum, two English witches were performing a seance in this room and one became possessed by Gein and tried to attack the other. I was so onbroard. Zak please if you're reading this pay those English witches whatever they want to explore your museum more.

THE UPTICK...

So the English witches had me so unbelievably hype and the next point in the tour was so fun. We're taken to this carnival themed room where a man introduces himself and then promptly sticks a drill bit up his nose. He then swallowed a sword and explained he'd been working there for awhile. I asked him how you learn you're good at something like that, and he actually explained the process by which he trains. It was genuinely interesting. Next to him was a caravan which apparently was haunted by a little girl, so the group was split in two to investigate. My group was second, so we had a moment to talk to this guy and ask questions. I am of course annoying so I asked how often Zak is bringing objects to the museum, how he decides where to place them, where does he get them from,etc. I think the guys wanted us to ask if Zak was like cool and nice lol but he played along and answered as best he could. Anyways we went in the caravan next and nothing happened.

...TO THE STEEP DROP

After we departed from nice carnival man, we were made to walk in a hallways with scary clown animatronics, only some of them were real people. I don't hate clowns, but I do not like haunted attractions with real people, so I spent the whole time just staring at the ground. I couldn't tell you what anything looked like.

Then we were in a normal hallway with two doors. Our tour guide informed us that we'd be going to the left, which was the "torture room". I had my fill of human suffering, so I asked if I could wait in the next room. My tour guide was kind enough to let me do so. My BF went in and informed me it was a serial killer who prayed on male sex workers and they had the bed he would torture them on. I did not mind missing it.

The room I waited in was next, and you guessed it, we were greeted to the Zak Voice Over. Zak explained we were in the antechamber for the Dybbuk Box. I was hype, because this is something I definitely know Zak for. All was well until the Zak voice over started explaining to terrifying night Zak had with the Dybbuk Box while investigating with his "friend, Post Malone." Something in me just snapped, I started crying laughing. I thought it was so fucking funny. But you need to understand, everyone else on my tour was SO into this stuff. I didn't want to be the asshole yucking everyone's yum, so I turned to the corner. I then noticed our tour guide looking at me and realized he was assessing if I was crying or not. Not wanting to be used as a story of "a woman who started having an emotional breakdown right outside of the Dybbuk Box room", I pulled it together. We finally entered to see.....the Dybbuk Box behind four giant wooden walls. Apparently Zak had a vision of someone stealing the Box, so he added the walls for good measure. I was whelmed.

After this, my memory gets REALLY murky. I know we went to the basement where the previous owner claims her dad would perform satanic rituals on her. Very sad, but Zak made a point to note that she stopped texting him eventually. Take a hint Zak.

I remember a spooky doll named Peggy, who we were told NOT to disrespect as she was SUPER MEGA HAUNTED. Even Zak apparently wouldn’t go in alone. We entered, and Peggy was just a doll from the 70s with a page boy haircut and a prairie dress. There was a spirit box in the room and we were told we could commune with Peggy. NO ONE spoke for the longest time so eventually I said “…I like your haircut Peggy!” No one laughed and Peggy did not respond.

The most exploitative room undoubtedly, was the celebrity haunted memorabilia room. Inside were such respectful object such as Brandon Lee’s coat from The Crow, which he died in, Paul Walker’s sunglasses, which he died in, Truman Capote’s summer clothes, which he died in, and for some reason, Patrick Swayze’s tooth. Nestled in the corner was an object which I was immediately drawn to, and which I paid the most attention to throughout our time in this room. It was Sharon Tate’s wedding dress. I don’t exactly know how this object was supposed to be haunted, as she didn’t die in it, but my God did I want to deck Zak Bagan’s in his fucking face because something like this genuinely belongs in a real museum and not Zak Bagans’ Misery Porn Tour of Horror.

I also remember being taken to a nautical themed room which had some Titanic objects, but was mostly a Natalie Wood room, as it had items from the boat she was on when she died. Voice Over Zak explained that he was doing a separate paranormal investigation and placed some objects in the room. At the same time, the captain of the ship Natalie died on texted Zak saying, practically verbatim, “OMG!!! All my books just flew off the shelves. It’s Natalie, I know it.” All I could think was, “For the love of God, let this poor woman rest.”

THE END

At this point, the tour was just throwing everything at the wall and seeing what stuck. We went into a room with a rocking chair that supposedly possessed a child. I asked our tour guide what happened to the kid and he was like “Oh the demon left him and he’s fine now.” Oh, good! We went into another room with artifacts from an occultist with a specialization in EVPs. I LOVED this. Again, I love the idea of ghosts being energy who can speak through radio waves. What I didn’t like is Zak being like “Oh by the way, listening to EVPs infected her with demons and she went crazy and wasted away.” I’m sorry, what is it with Zak and demons???

Lastly, of course, was the house from Zak’s wonderful documentary. You’re led a dark room where Zak explains the portal to Hell resided in the basement of a home in…Gary, Indiana. The the walls lifted and from behind a fence you could see some dirt from the basement with a pentagram in it. I’m sorry, how did they transport that? Everyone has to understand they redrew/drew that pentagram in there, right? Anyways, super anticlimactic way to end our tour.

Then of course, exit through the gift shop. I was offered a shirt for buying the RIP access ticket. I declined. My boyfriend did get one, though. Still trying to convince him to do a Mike and Jay Halloween costume with me.

TLDR, the ZBHM had none of the fun campiness of Zak’s personality and was full of human suffering and very little ghosts. I cannot stress enough, though, how awesome all of the employees there are. I truly, TRULY hope that a good portion of the ~$860 Zak is getting form each tour is going to them, because they sell you on it.

Anyways Mike what if we kissed in the Creepy Demonic Crawlspace of the Zak Bagans’ Haunted Museum 😳

[anneapocalypse]

Writing Wrap-up and 2024 Goals

It's a weird year to be doing a wrap-up, because I did not post a whole lot this year and I'm not sure I even set any goals last January thanks to having covid and being sick and exhausted for weeks, which still kind of feels like it threw off my whole year even though that sounds dramatic. Whatever. I've moped enough about it being a bad year for writing; now, I want to look forward.

2023 Wrap-Up

In case you'd like to read the one fic I did post this year, it's "Before You Go", a Loghain/Maric fic for Dragon Age (3022 words, rated E), which I am still quite happy with! And though it's not writing, I also made a podfic of RosellaWrites' gorgeous fic "let them not make me a stone (and let them not spill me)" (and if you're not interested in podfic you should still go read Rosella's fic, seriously, it's great).

While November 2022 was the last time I made substantial progress on A Hero Sleeps in Gwaren (my Briala/F!Tabris longfic for Dragon Age), I did make a few attempts to chip away at the draft this year. I didn't keep any records of what progress I made, but lucky for me Scrivener has a writing history feature that can at least give me a ballpark, and... it says I added 17,326 words to the draft this year (all in the first half of the year), which, not gonna lie, seems unreal to me. The first half of this year is mud in my head, so the fact that I did in fact get some writing done is really encouraging.

Over the summer, FFXIV started to really consume me as I had finished ARR by that point and my investment in the story was growing, and I also started taking a more active leadership role in my tiny free company, and so for the back half of the year I've mostly been writing little snippets about my Warrior of Light Ariane and her adventures and relationships, some of which may become part of actual fics later. This totals out to about 19,500 words at the moment.

So I only posted about 3000 words, but in total I wrote almost 40K this year. Is that a fantastic year, no... but honestly, it's a lot better than what my brain has been telling me I've accomplished this year, which is nothing. :P So I'm glad that I sat down to actually find the numbers!

Onward and upward.

So what's next?

2024 Goals

Fandom:

Finish one longfic.

Write and post a one-shot.

Do one exchange.

Original:

Outline an original novel.

Write a poem.

Send out one piece.

Tentatively my immediate plans are to get started outlining and then writing my Ariane/Haurchefant fic. I'm on the fence about February. On the one hand, it would be great to come back to my Briala/F!Tabris longfic for Femslash February, but on the other hand there's a high probability I'm going to be playing Endwalker by that point and I have no hope of keeping my head in Dragon Age during that time, so it's probably best not to commit to it. Dragon Age fic might be best saved for after I've caught up on MSQ when there are (hopefully) a few months still left to wait for Dawntrail and I can take a little break to let it marinate while I work on something else. My enthusiasm for the Briala/Tabris fic has not waned despite the long hiatus, and just yesterday I was reading bits of the draft and getting excited again, so I do hope to finish that this year and get to share it with you.

The alternate candidate for February is either keep working on the Haurchefant fic or in the case of a miracle in which I actually finish it this month (hah!), move forward with the next one I have planned, an Urianger/Moenbryda. That's unlikely but we'll see. I know I still have things to learn about Urianger in Endwalker, which I'm very excited for.

As for what exchange(s) I might do this year, I'm not sure yet! I haven't seen any announcements yet that Chocolate Box is running this year. Black Emporium and FemslashEx are both strong candidates for me. We'll see where I am when those roll around, or maybe something else will catch my eye!

Edited to add: Oh, yeah, also at some point we're supposed to get that final season of Red vs. Blue. I have a few outstanding projects in RvB but the main one that really matters to me is Radio Silence, my Carolina lost years fic. I'd love to use the series' send-off as a kick in the pants to finally finish that one, whenever that happens. We'll see!

Finally, I am making a conscious effort to reclaim my writing time, which traditionally has been the morning between 9 and noon because that's when my mind is the sharpest, but over the past I basically let that slip entirely and be taken over by either housework or gaming, just writing on the fly when something came to me. I'm not morning gaming anymore unless it's for a good reason (timed event I need to catch, etc, which is rare, and finishing yesterday's roulettes is not a good enough reason because the queues are slower in the morning and it just ends up eating more time than it needs to, they happen every day, it's fine).

On to 2024. Looking forward to it.