#Dunbar Castle

[edinburgh-by-the-sea]

"I sat on the ruined margin of the deep-voiced echoing sea / Whose roaring foaming music crashed in endless cadency"

[cary-elwes]

[star-dust-stuf]

Myles Dunbar x fem!reader

title: my heart gets dizzy

warnings: none, unless this gives you a heart attack then there's that.

a/n: the only living reason I watched this movie is cause of him. and yes, this is a little cheesy. sorry for typos, enjoy babes.

-

Myles, at first was hesitant about me staying in his very old castle and when he told me how old it was I was surprised, it didn't look old at all. It has all the aspects of a castle but it was perfect for the 21st century. After some days he really was trying hard to drive me out of the castle but I wouldn't leave. 

And one morning I exited my room that he gave me, I was dressed warm because it was a little chilly and who knows when it would snow. The sun was up but covered by some grey clouds. It was a little breezy out and my nose was already turning red along with my cheeks. 

I didn't see him around the castle I was walking in, down the steps and towards the front doors where I walked into the field and didn't see him working in a small section a little by one of the very tall trees. He had his headphones in and couldn't hear me. 

As he was digging up the side of the tree and he turned his position he saw me. "You should not be out there. Lass." He spoke, his thick Scottish accent. 

I turn to face him, "I'm sorry." 

He sighed, he was so prickly in his attitude. "You can be out here, I just don't want you getting hurt with the weather. The sun might be up but it's still a little frosty, it's still winter." He leans on the shovel.

"You act like you know me well." I said, but I wasn't angry. I just like to push his buttons.

He chuckled, "you've shown yourself very openly." 

I look at him, walkig towards him slowly. "Well, unless you have time to walk me to the stables..?"

He smirked, like he was a mix of annoyance and amusement. "Now why would you want to do that?" 

"You have horses, right? Other wise that stable is a waist of space." I was trying to push his buttons. 

Myles sighs again, putting his shovel against the tree and putting his hands in his pockets. "You do have a mouth of your own." 

I smiled a little and he gestured for me to follow him, tilting his head. I follow him, walking closely behind him as he led me to the stables. The grass was wet and there was gravel surrounding the stables. Some horses making some noises but he led me to a shire horse, he was tall, black in color and his coat shined.

"This is Bran, he's one of the older horses but he's a big softie." Myles undid the latch of the door and pulled on the horses reins to get him to walk closer to me.

I backed up a little, "he is a gorgeous animal." I say looking up at the horse.

Myles smiled a little before speaking. "Go on, pet him."

I look at Myles, I wasn't doing a good job hiding my fear. Myles didn't day anything, he stepped in and pet the horses nose, softly still holding the reins. He slowly put my hand to the horses snout and began to stroke him gently. I smiled and let out a reliefed laugh. 

Myles patted the hosrses side. "See, big softie."

"You know, I never rode a horse before." I look at Myles who looked back at me. 

"Now you're just asking me to take you on a ride, lass." He smirked. 

"If you have time?" 

Myles thought for a moment, be pursed his lips then sighed. "I do. You seem like a quick learner." He smiled a little before walking to the back of the stables and grabbing a saddle. I watched as he put it on the horse and Bran didn't seem to mind. 

Myles tightend the saddle. "Step there and pull yourself up." He put his hands on his hips and stepped back. 

I struggled to out my foot on the stirup, but when I did I just couldn't pull myself up. I knew he was finding it amusing but he stepped in. "My I?" He asked quietly.

I nodded a little, he put his hands on my hips and helped me up on the saddle. He saw the nervousness and a slight hints of fear. "Bran will be slow, I promise." Myles pulls on the reigns and the horse began move.

I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around the horse. Myles signed and chuckled. "Hold onto reins and keep your back straight, you need to be balanced. I won't let you fall." Myles kept his hand on my ankle and the horse exited the stable and walked into the wet grass.

He still has a hold of the reins and made sure the horse didn't speed up in any way and he kept his hand on my ankle. I laughed a little with relief. Myles smiled a little, "just keep calm. You have control of the horse." 

Myles let go of my ankle slowly and loosened his grip on the reins. The horse walked slowly on the grass, his head down and calm. Myles stepped back and watched, quite impressed. And after a while we headed back inside the castle, it got too cold for the both of us.

"I'll have to finish that blasted tree tomorrow, hopefully it won't snow." He ran his hand through his blonde hair and led me into tbe drawing room. Red sofas and green chairs, a piano, a clean fireplace and a tea pot on the wooden table in front of the sofas. 

He poured me a cup of tea and one for himself before sitting down. "You're a fast learner." 

He smiled, "it was easy." 

He chuckled, "easy lass? You looked scared out of your mind." 

I look at the cup on my lap, holding it in my cold fingers as the steam rose up to my face. I forgot how I even got here. My tea was put on the wooden table in front of me, I leaned back and I started to drift off to sleep. 

He watched me the whole time, a feeling grew in his chest as he watched me drift off into a deep sleep. He stood up, putting his cup of tea on the wooden table. He approached me slowly and not waking me. He cradled my head and lied me down comfortably, then pulled the quilted blanket that was over the couch and placed it over me.

 He wanted to stroke my hair but held back. He made sure the fire was going for a while before leaving the drawing room with that new feeling inside. He didn't want to admit to himself he knew what it was.

[skull-bearer]

Chapters: 6/? Fandom: Dragonlance - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Dalamar the Dark/Raistlin Majere, Past Dalamar the Dark/Jenna Characters: Dalamar the Dark, Raistlin Majere, Jenna (Dragonlance), Palin Majere, Bupu (Dragonlance), Dunbar Mastersmate, Original Male Character(s), Horkin (Dragonlance) Additional Tags: Ghibli AU, Laputa- Castle in the Sky AU, Second Generation, Knights of Takhisis, Post Summer Flame, No Chaos, Resistance, War, Genocide, Violence, Airships, Sky Pirates, Gnomes, Mages, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Mystery, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Despair, Hope Summary:

As the Knights of Takhisis close upon Wayreth, and the last bastions of resistance fall; Dalamar discovers a strange mystery, that may lead to a final beacon of hope in this darkening world.

Chapter 6: No Safe Place

The meeting goes badly. Then, it gets worse. At last, Bupu goes home.

[whats-in-a-sentence]

Agnes held the castle with only a small garrison force against the English army with the powerful and experienced general, and is supposed to have said:

Of Scotland's King I haud my house

I pay him meat and fee,

and I will keep my gud auld house,

while my house will keep me.

"Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History" - Philippa Gregory

[drdemonprince]

With this read through of Dunbar-Ortiz’s book, I was completely blown away, and radicalized all the more. I unlearned so many intentionally confusing myths about what America is and how it came to be within the book’s 300 pages. 

I came to understand that this is a country created by settler militias, not by immigrants, and that moral culpability for the harm done by the U.S. goes a lot farther than just a handful of wealthy slave-owners and especially badly behaved soldiers.

I learned about how the U.S. government’s political repression of Native peoples set a legal precedent that would one day be used to justify the torture of suspected “terrorists” at Guantanamo Bay and in Abu Ghraib. I saw more parallels between the violent settlement of the U.S. and of Israel than ever. 

More than anything, Dunbar-Ortiz’ book taught me that the colonization of the United States relied upon the committing of several key sins — uniquely cruel political and military innovations that would reverberate forward throughout history, changing everything about how warfare is conducted and how oppressed peoples are exploited across the globe. 

The fundamental sins of American conquest are: gun “rights”, private property, factionalism, and irregular warfare against “unlawful enemy combatants.” In this piece, I will discuss where each of these sins came from, why they were so essential to a successful Indigenous genocide, and the legacy we continue to see from them today: 

Gun “Rights”

As an American, I had grown up being taught that the “well regulated militias” of the Second Amendment had arisen to fight off the British soldiers during the war of independence. 

Under this version of United States history, citizens retain the right to own guns so that we might defend our property from criminals, protect “our” territories against foreign invasions, and resist tyranny from federal government. To this day, Americans evoke this interpretation of the Second Amendment as a justification for concealed carry rights, and for “castle doctrine” laws that allow home owners to shoot intruders (even unarmed ones!) inside their homes. 

In reality, the militias mentioned in the Second Amendment had formed many decades before the revolution, and were initially created to slaughter Indigenous people and clear them out from their lands. The foreign “invaders” that the Second Amendment was created to defend against were not the British colonizers, but the many Native peoples who had been living on Turtle Island for thousands of years before European conquest. 

Dunbar-Ortiz writes:

“…Native peoples are implied in the Second Amendment. 

Male settlers had been required in the colonies to serve in militias during their lifetimes for the purpose of raiding and razing Indigenous communities, the southern colonies included, and later states’ militias were used as “slave patrols.”

 The Second Amendment, ratified in 1791, enshrined these irregular forces into law: ‘A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.’”

Full essay is free to read or listen to at drdevonprice.substack.com

[godjustkys]

╰┈➤ ❝ masterlist;

FANDOMS I WRITE FOR;

- Teen wolf

- Marvel Cinematic Universe

- Supernatural

- The Walking Dead (AMC)

- Merlin (BBC)

- Stranger things

- Dune

- Game of Thrones

- F.R.I.E.N.D.S

- The Maze Runner

- Lord of The Rings

- The Hobbit

- Harry Potter

- Brooklyn Nine-Nine

- IT

- Diary of a Wimpy Kid

- Dead Poet's Society

- Shameless

- Handsome Devil

- The Black Phone

- Sweet Home

- Arcane

- Spider-man Universe

- The Goldfinch

- The Last of Us

- The Beekeeper

- Weak Hero Class 1

- Bad and Crazy

ANIMES;

- Demon Slayer

- My Hero Academia

(the anime list will get updated as long as I continue watching anime.)

Characters I will to write for;

Teen wolf:

- Stiles Stilinski

Stiles Stilinski x top!m!reader (smut)

- Scott McCall

none yet..

- Derek Hale

none yet..

- Allison Argent

none yet..

- Lydia Martin

none yet..

- Isaac Lahey

none yet..

- Jackson Whittemore

none yet..

- Peter Hale

none yet..

- Malia Tate

none yet..

- Kira Yukimura

none yet..

- Liam Dunbar

none yet..

- Theo Raeken

none yet..

- Jordan Parrish

none yet..

- Erica Reyes

none yet..

- Ethan Steiner

none yet..

- Aiden Steiner

none yet..

- Christopher Argent

none yet..

- Mason Hewitt

none yet..

- Danny Mahealani

none yet..

Marvel Cinematic Universe:

- Tony Stark

none yet..

- Peter Parker

none yet..

- Bruce Banners

none yet..

- Thor Odinson

none yet..

- Loki Laufeyson

none yet..

- Steve Rogers

none yet..

- Natasha Romanoff

none yet..

- Stephen Strange

none yet..

- Wanda Maximoff

none yet..

- Clint Barton

none yet..

- Bucky Barnes

none yet..

- Carol Danvers

none yet..

- Shuri

none yet..

- Sam Wilson

none yet..

- Okoye

none yet..

- Wade Wilson

none yet..

- Pietro Maximoff

none yet..

- Vision

none yet..

- Yelena Belova

none yet..

- Peter Quill

none yet..

- Gamora

none yet..

- Nebula

none yet..

- Matt Murdock

none yet..

- Frank Castle

none yet..

- Xu Shang-chi

none yet..

- Eddie Brock

none yet..

Supernatural:

- Dean Winchester

'What a perv.' Dean x top!m!reader (smut)

Hate sex with Dean (male reader, smut)

smut drabble (male reader)

- Sam Winchester

sam being the subbiest of them all (smut, male reader)

- Castiel

none yet..

ALL; SUPERNATURAL HEADCANONS (NSFW)

(I have little knowledge of supernatural.)

The Walking Dead:

- Rick Grimes

none yet..

- Carl Grimes

none yet..

- Michonne

none yet..

- Negan

none yet..

- Daryl Dixon

male reader x daryl dixon (smut)

- Eugene

none yet..

- Rosita Espinosa

none yet..

- Maggie Greene

none yet..

- Glenn Rhee

none yet..

- Carol Peletier

none yet..

- Andrea

none yet..

- Gabriel Stokes

none yet..

- Dwight

none yet..

- Simon

none yet..

Merlin:

- Merlin

none yet..

- Arthur Pendragon

none yet..

- Morgana Pendragon

none yet..

- Guinevere

none yet..

- Lancelot

none yet..

- Mordred

none yet..

- Gwaine

none yet..

- Percival

none yet..

- Elyan

none yet..

- Leon

none yet..

Strangers things:

- Mike Wheeler

none yet..

- Nancy Wheeler

none yet..

- Will Byers

none yet..

- Jonathan Byers

none yet..

- Joyce Byers

none yet..

- Jim Hopper

none yet..

- Jane 'Eleven' Hopper

none yet..

- Lucas Sinclair

none yet..

- Dustin Henderson

none yet..

- Steve Harrington

none yet..

- Maxine Mayfield

none yet..

- Billy Hargrove

none yet..

- Dmitri 'Enzo' Antonov

none yet..

- Eddie Munson

none yet..

- Henry Creel

none yet..

- Robin Buckley

none yet..

ALL; stranger things headcanons.. pt 1.

Dune:

- Paul Atreides

none yet..

- Leto Atreides

none yet..

- Chani

none yet..

- Feyd-Rautha

none yet..

- Duncan Idaho

none yet..

- Stilgar

none yet..

Game of Thrones:

- Ned Stark

none yet..

- Catelyn Stark

none yet..

- Robb Stark

none yet..

- Jon Snow

none yet..

- Theon Greyjoy

none yet..

- Sansa Stark

none yet..

- Arya Stark

none yet..

- Tywin Lannister

none yet..

- Jaime Lannister

none yet..

- Cersei Lannister

none yet..

- Tyrion Lannister

none yet..

- Tommen Baratheon

none yet..

- Joffrey Baratheon

none yet..

- Daenerys Targaryen

none yet..

- Jorah Mormont

none yet..

- Sandor Clegane

none yet..

- Samwell Tarly

none yet..

- Margaery Tyrell

none yet..

- Tormund Giantsbane

none yet..

- Brienne of Tarth

none yet..

- Podrick

none yet..

- Ramsay Bolton

none yet..

- Jaqen H'ghar

none yet..

- Grey Worm

none yet..

F.R.I.E.N.D.S:

- Rachel Greene

none yet..

- Phoebe Buffay

none yet..

- Monica Geller

none yet..

- Ross Geller

none yet..

- Chandler Bing

male reader x chandler bing headcanons!! (SFW + NSFW)

- Joey Tribbiani

Joey Tribbiani dating headcanons (SFW+NSFW)

The Maze Runner:

- Thomas

none yet..

- Newt

none yet..

- Minho

none yet..

- Gally

none yet..

- Frypan

none yet..

- Aris

none yet..

- Janson

none yet..

Lord of The Rings:

- Frodo Baggins

none yet..

- Samwise Gamgee

none yet..

- Pippin Took

none yet..

- Merry Brandybuck

none yet..

- Aragorn

none yet..

- Legolas

none yet..

- Boromir

none yet..

- Faramir

none yet..

- Galadriel

none yet..

- Arwen

none yet..

- Éowyn

none yet..

- Éomer

none yet..

The Hobbit:

- Bilbo Baggins

none yet..

- Thorin Oakenshield

none yet..

- Kili Durin

none yet..

- Fili Durin

none yet..

- Tauriel

none yet..

- King Thranduil

none yet..

- Elrond

none yet..

Harry Potter:

- Harry Potter

none yet..

- Hermione Granger

none yet..

- Ron Weasley

none yet..

- Fred Weasley

none yet..

- George Weasley

none yet..

- Draco Malfoy

none yet..

- Blaise Zabini

none yet..

- Oliver Wood

none yet..

- Seamus Finnigan

none yet..

- Luna Lovegood

none yet..

- Neville Longbottom

none yet..

- Dean Thomas

none yet..

- Severus Snape

none yet..

- Sirius Black

none yet..

- Regulus Black

none yet..

- Remus Lupin

none yet..

- James Potter

none yet..

- Lily Potter

none yet..

- Bill Weasley

none yet..

- Bellatrix Lestrange

none yet..

- Cedric Diggory

none yet..

- Lucius Malfoy

none yet..

- Narcissa Malfoy

none yet..

Brooklyn Nine-Nine:

- Jake Peralta

none yet..

- Amy Santiago

none yet..

- Charles Boyle

none yet..

- Gina Linetti

none yet..

- Rosa Diaz

none yet..

- Terry Jeffords

none yet..

- Ray Holt

none yet..

IT:

- Richie Tozier

none yet..

- Eddie Kaspbrak

none yet..

- Beverly Marsh

none yet..

- Bill Denbrough

none yet..

- Stanley Uris

none yet..

- Ben Hanscom

none yet..

- Mike Hanlon

none yet..

- Henry Bowers

none yet..

- Patrick Hockstetter

none yet..

Diary of a wimpy kid:

- Greg Heffley

none yet..

- Rodrick Heffley

none yet..

Dead Poet's Society:

- Neil Perry

none yet..

- Todd Anderson

none yet..

- Charlie Dalton

none yet..

- Knox Overstreet

none yet..

- Steven Meeks

none yet..

- John Keating

none yet..

Shameless:

- Fiona Gallagher

none yet..

- Lip Gallagher

none yet..

- Ian Gallagher

none yet..

- Debbie Gallagher

none yet..

- Carl Gallagher

none yet..

- Liam Gallagher

none yet..

- Mickey Milkovich

none yet..

- Mandy Milkovich

none yet..

- Kevin Ball

none yet..

- Veronica Fisher

none yet..

- Jimmy Lishman

none yet..

- Karen Jackson

none yet..

Handsome Devil:

- Ned Roche

none yet..

- Conor Masters

none yet..

- Dan Sherry

none yet..

The Black Phone:

- Finney Blake

none yet..

- Robin Arellano

none yet..

- Vance Hopper

none yet..

- Bruce Yamada

none yet..

- Billy

none yet..

- Griffin

none yet..

Sweet home:

- Cha Hyun-su

none yet..

- Lee Eun-hyuk

none yet..

- Pyeon Sang-wook

none yet..

- Jung Jae-heon

none yet..

- Seo Yi-kyung

none yet..

- Lee Eun-yu

none yet..

- Yoon Ji-su

none yet..

- Jung Ui-Myeong

none yet..

Arcane:

- Jinx

none yet..

- Vi

none yet..

- Viktor

none yet..

- Caitlyn

none yet..

- Silco

none yet..

- Sevika

none yet..

- Ekko

none yet..

- Vander

none yet..

- Mel

none yet..

- Jayce

none yet..

Spider-Man Universe:

- Peter Parker (A. G.)

none yet..

- Peter Parker (T. M.)

none yet..

- Peter B. Parker

none yet..

- Miles Morales (Earth 1610)

none yet..

- Miles Morales (Earth 42)

none yet..

- Miguel O'Hara

none yet..

- Hobie Brown

none yet..

- Pavitr Prabhakar

none yet..

- Gwen Stacy

none yet..

The Goldfinch:

- Boris Pavlikovsky

none yet..

- Theodore Decker

none yet..

The Last of Us:

- Ellie Williams

none yet..

- Joel Miller

none yet..

- Tommy Miller

none yet..

- Tess Servopoulos

none yet..

- Abby Anderson

none yet..

- Dina Woodward

none yet..

- Lev

none yet..

- Yara

none yet..

- Jesse Pinkman

none yet..

- Manny

none yet..

- Owen

none yet..

- Mel

none yet..

The Beekeeper:

- Derek Danforth

none yet..

- Adam Clay

none yet..

Weak Hero Class 1:

- Yeon Si-eun

none yet..

- Oh Beom-seok

none yet..

- Ahn Su-ho

none yet..

- Park Hu-min

none yet..

- Kang Woo-young

none yet..

- Jeon Seok-dae

none yet..

Bad and Crazy:

- Ryu Soo-Yeol

none yet..

- Do In-beom

none yet..

- K

none yet..

- Oh Kyung-Tae

none yet..

- Boss Yong

none yet..

- Andrei Kang

none yet..

Demon slayer:

- Tanjiro Kamado

none yet..

- Nezuko Kamado

none yet..

- Zenitsu Agatsuma

none yet..

- Inosuke Hashibira

none yet..

- Genya Shinazugawa

none yet..

- Kanao Tsuyuri

none yet..

- Aoi

none yet..

- Shinobu Kocho

none yet..

- Tomioka Giyuu

none yet..

- Rengoku Kyojuro

none yet..

- Uzui Tengen

none yet..

- Mitsuri Kanroji

none yet..

- Obanai Iguro

none yet..

- Shinazugawa Sanemi

none yet..

- Muichiro Tokito

none yet..

- Gyomei Himejima

none yet..

- Muzan Kibutsuji

none yet..

- Akaza

none yet..

- Douma

none yet..

- Gyutaro

none yet..

- Daki

none yet..

- Kokushibo

none yet..

- Murata

none yet..

HASHIRA; hashira headcanons, pt.1 (angst)

My Hero Academia:

- Izuku Midoriya

none yet..

- Katsuki Bakugou

none yet..

- Shoto Todoroki

none yet..

- Tenya Iida

none yet..

- Ochako Uraraka

none yet..

- Denki Kaminari

none yet..

- Eijirou Kirishima

none yet..

- Tokoyami Fumikage

none yet..

- Shoji Mezo

none yet..

- Momo Yaoyorozu

none yet..

- Hanta Sero

none yet..

- Kyoka Jirou

none yet..

- Mashirao Ojirou

none yet..

- Mina Ashido

none yet..

- Yuga Aoyama

none yet..

- Monoma Neito

none yet..

- Shinsou Hitoshi

none yet..

- Rumi Usagiyama

none yet..

- Keigo Takami

none yet..

- Aizawa Shouta

none yet..

- Hizashi Yamada

none yet..

- Oboro Shirakumo

none yet..

- Touya Todoroki

none yet..

- Tomura Shigaraki

none yet..

- Toga Himiko

none yet..

- Jin Bubaigawara

none yet..

adding anime back cause I watched demon slayer,,, :3

[aristarr]

Can you imagine the following: your favourite grandma passes away, leaving you and your family a great estate of hers, a lady cat, and a huge pile of unsolved mysteries. Liam Dunbar doesn't even have to try - he lives it. So when right after his parents leave for arranging the documents a mysterious neighbour appears on his porch he's not even surprised (but maybe a little bit scared) But oh well - he definitely should be

“They left me here alone, Mase. Do you hear me? Alone” Liam states emphasizing the last word, his voice bouncing around the empty corridors adding to the creepiness of the castle. 

“Oh dude, don't be such a drama queen. It can't be that bad” the cheerful voice on the other end makes Liam's eye tweak a little, which hasn't happened since he passed that stupid biology exam last year. And that definitely doesn't help to calm down.

“Oh sure, you're so right,” the boy starts, placing his phone closer to his mouth. He coughs softly before going on, now fully switching to yelling. "This place is fucking huge and no fucking way I'm sleeping here alone! I could easily be murdered here and nobody will notice my dead body! Or oh well somebody will, you know who? My parents who come back to this place in a week just to find out their son being fucking dead!!"

“Gosh, Liam, nobody will murd…” the loud knock on a wooden door makes Liam squeak and freeze right there, in the center of the main hall, breathless.

“Who's there?” Mason asks, his voice finally acquiring some worry in it. “Liam, what's happening?”

“I guess the removal men have arrived?” Liam answers hesitantly, his heart still throbbing somewhere in his throat. He takes a few steps towards the door, trying to make out any noise behind it. Nothing. What is…rather concerning. 

“So,” Liam goes back to the phone call, “do you think I should open it or?”

“Would be really nice if you do,” the removal man in question says, and it takes less than a minute for Liam to throw a quick “bye Mase!” and open the door. And then it takes him more than five minutes to remember the basic rules of etiquette. 

“I guess that’s when you say “hi”” the man suggests and smiles, looking at Liam with his soft green eyes and just like that Liam forgets the tiny bits of a greeting speech he had in his mind a second ago. 

“Uh, ugh yes, you’re right! Hi! Sorry for that” he chuckles, and hearing the other man laughing softly in response doesn’t help at all. “So, uhm, there’s your truck? Do you… do you need any help with the boxes? Sorry if it’s a weird question, but you don’t have other people with you so I thought you might need extra hands and…”

“My truck?” The man’s confused voice makes the situation even more awkward and Liam wishes he didn’t agree to go here in the first place. But when the “removal man” opens his mouth to say a word, Liam interrupts him as if stricken by a sudden realization.

“Oh wait! You’re not…you’re not here to bring our stuff, right?”

“I am not, unfortunately. Sorry to disappoint you”

“No, no, no! That’s me! I’m really sorry about all this confusion” He stays like that for a while, smiling at the other man, before suddenly realizing that his now guest is still outside the mansion. “Oh gosh, come in, it’s really freezing outside”

“Thank you for the invitation” the guest says, entering the hall. Liam closes the door, wincing at its squeaking, before joining the man, who was looking around. 

“So, who are you then? I’m Liam, by the way. Liam Dunbar. That’s my grandma’s mansion. She died a few days ago” oh shut up Liam, just shut up. What next? Your whole biography? Write him a book and sign it.

“I’m really sorry for your loss. I’m Theo Raeken, I live nearby. I came by to say “hi” to new residents. You know, I was really close to your grandmother”

“Really? That’s cool! Maybe you could help with some notes she left for us. If you don’t mind of course!” Liam adds, giving himself mental facepalms. He definitely failed the first impression.

“It would be a great pleasure of mine” Theo says, smiling with that smile of his that makes Liam almost enchanted. He stares at Theo for what seems like eternity, when the man suddenly turns his head towards the stairs, the gesture breaking the weird freeze. Liam shakes his head, looking the same direction. 

“Oh, and he’s there” rubbing the scratch, Liam takes a seat at a nearby armchair, inviting Theo to do the same.

“Don’t bother yourself with him, he’s crazy. He almost bit me when I wanted to pat him and then left a few scratches while running away”

“Well, I guess that’s because it’s ‘she’” Theo says, to Liam’s surprise taking the cat in his arms. “Lady Lydia, as your grandmother called her”

“Lady Lydia?” Liam asks, confusion all over his face, “I don’t remember her having a cat at all actually. When she wrote about her in her will I was rather confused”

“Oh did she?” Theo asks, patting the cat, now calm and quiet in his arms, “that’s interesting. What did she write exactly?”

Yes! It’s now or never. Having another person here it’ll be less scary to live through the night, right?

“I can actually show you. Uhm, wouldn’t you mind a cup of tea? And you’re so good with animals I guess uh Lady Lydia wouldn’t mind having you here either”

Theo laughs, his eyes finding Liam’s again and everything becomes so slow and peaceful, as if no fear was there before. He rubs the cat behind her ear, making out some  soft little  purrs out of Lady Lydia, before finally giving his answer

“It would be a great pleasure to be your company, Liam Dunbar”

[scotianostra]

On September 25th 1586 Mary Queen of Scots was moved to her final prison at Fotheringhay Castle.

Mary became Queen at six days old and, briefly, Queen of France at sixteen. As Henry VII’s great-granddaughter she had a strong claim to the English throne too; a stronger claim, depending on your point of view, than that of her cousin, Elizabeth, whose rule of England began in 1558. Forced to abdicate the Scottish throne in favour of her infant son, James, and subsequently flee the country, Mary sought refuge in England in 1568.

She was just twenty-five years old and was to spend the next nineteen years, as a captive guest of the English queen, in a succession of castles and manor houses in the north and midlands of England, most notably at the now largely invisible Sheffield Castle. Though treated as befitted her status, she was nonetheless a prisoner. She spent much time on embroidery and riding.

The problem with Mary was nothing to do with any feud between England and Scotland, nor on a personal level was it really a difference in religious dogma between Catholic Mary and Protestant Elizabeth: it was a simple matter of power. Many Catholics – including the king of England’s No 1 Enemy at the time, Spain – regarded Elizabeth as a bastard who should not be sitting on England’s throne at all. And Mary, with her claim to the title, became the focus of every Catholic plot – of which there were several – against Elizabeth.

Eventually, she was proven to have been involved in the Babington Plot, a plan to assassinate Elizabeth and replace her with Mary. The Queen of Scots was transferred to Fotheringhay in September 1586. Fotheringhay had held distinguished prisoners before, including during the reign of Elizabeth’s half-sister and predecessor, Mary, and in the distant past after the battles of Dunbar and Agincourt.

Mary was brought to Fotheringhay from Chartley in Staffordshire to stand trial for treason.The castle was set in a marshy landscape, where access was difficult, especially during the winter months.It was felt by the authorities that the unfortunate Scottish queen would be more secure at Fotheringhay, and the location would discourage any rash attempt to free her by force.

Mary was tried at the castle on 14th and 15th October 1587 in a show trial and predictably found guilty on 25th October - a foregone conclusion.

I shall take up the story again in a few weeks

[lantsov-vanserra]

The expanded world of Blades of Light and Shadow: Morella and beyond ⚔️🌿🏜️🧜🏻‍♀️🪄

According to the maps, tablets, and based on more information from book one of the series.

MORELLA

Riverbend: Small town residing humans.

Temple of Ellara: Sacred temple of Light.

Port Parnassus: Seaside city of trade.

Shimmering Isles: Islands with merpeople.

Flotilla: Floating capital city of orcs.

Deadwood: Dense destroyed forest.

Undermount: City-state residing elves.

Whitetower: Capital city of Morella.

Necropolis: The ruined city where the vhampyrs are said to be living in crypts.

Some believe the bloodsucking immortals to be cursed elves; others think they're not living at all, but ghosts made flesh. Given that no traveller has ever made it out of their city alive, perhaps we'll never know.

Red Desert: Where the birdmen of the north, known as the molepeople reside.

Dunbar Forest: Where the residents are said to worship the spirits of the trees.

Gold Coast: Where the residing fishermen are said to pray to the White Whale.

BEYOND MORELLA

Morella has mountains to its north, the deserts to its south, and the poison field to its east.

Vishanti: Mountain kingdom ruled by wooly men who slumber in ice for decades, and boast strength greater than strongest orcs.

Zaradun: Known as the wastelands where reside the dwarves, a race older than any in Morella. They practice arcane magic, and guard an unfathomable treasure.

Rysoth: The lush rainforests where giant lizards are said to roam about freely.

Avian Kingdom: The kingdom where the birdmen are said to rule the skies.

SHADOW REALM

Shadow Court Fortress: The castle where the Dreadlord and Shadow Court resided. It mirrors Whitetower of the Light Realm.

Whimsywood: The magic-imbued woods where the goblins, formerly the fae, reside. It mirrors Deadwood of the Light Realm.

Ironbreach: The small town where ashen people and residents of the realm live. It mirrors Riverbend from the Light Realm.

Shroudwatch: It is the tower where Lord Kerrigan resides and hosts social events. It mirrors Undermount from the Light Realm.

THE WORLD BELOW

Dwarven Afterlife: A desert where newly deceased dwarves arrive in the Wilds of Death and travel to the City with No Faces.

River of Seekers: Temporary destination of anyone who dies guilty or unsure of where they might actually end up after their death.

Orcish Afterlife: A vast underwater forest which serves as a hub for every element and is watched over by the Great Whale.

Elhalas: The afterlife of the elves, known as the City of Light, or the City of Moths.

Hells: They comprise of three layers, with the deepest one being the most common destination and the most damaging one.

[blogger360ncislarules]

EXCLUSIVE: HBO‘s The Gilded Age has tapped six for supporting roles in Season 3: Dylan Baker (The Good Wife), Kate Baldwin (Broadway’s Hello, Dolly!), Michael Cumpsty (Severance), John Ellison Conlee (Boardwalk Empire), Bobby Steggert (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), and newcomer Hannah Shealy (The Rose Tattoo).

Baker plays Dr. Logan, a family doctor who treats a number of high society families, with Baldwin as Nancy Adams Bell, the older sister of John Adams (Claybourne Elder). Cumpsty portrays Lord Mildmay, a British nobleman who comes to dine at Sidmouth Castle, with Conlee as the successful, educated and polished businessman, Weston; Steggert as the famed artist John Singer Sargent, who has just begun his career painting the great ladies of society; and Shealy as Charlotte Astor, the married daughter of Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy), recently returned from an eventful trip abroad.

Currently filming its third installment, The Gilded Age is an ensemble drama telling the story of The American Gilded Age, a period of immense economic and social change, when huge fortunes were made and lost overnight. With the old guard officially deposed, New York society finds itself turned upside down, and all must get their house in order. But even those at the helm of this new era may find that change comes at a cost.

Other newcomers in Season 3 include Bill Camp as JP Morgan, Merritt Wever as Monica O’Brien, Leslie Uggams as Mrs. Ernestine Brown, Lisagay Hamilton as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Andrea Martin as Madame Dashkova, Paul Alexander Nolan as Alfred Merrick, Hattie Morahan as Lady Sarah Vere, and Jessica Frances Dukes as Athena Trumbo.

The Gilded Age is created by Julian Fellowes, who writes and exec produces alongside Sonja Warfield. Other executive producers include Gareth Neame, David Crockett, Michael Engler and Salli Richardson-Whitfield (who also direct), and Bob Greenblatt. Erica Dunbar serves as historical consultant and co-executive producer.

A co-production between HBO and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, the show’s casting directors are Bernie Telsey and Adam Caldwell from the Telsey Office.

Baker is represented by Innovative Artists and Viking Entertainment; Baldwin by Paradigm and Schachter Entertainment; Cumpsty by Innovative Artists; Conlee by Innovative Artists and Meghan Schumacher Management; Steggert by Wolf Talent Group; and Shealy by Untitled Entertainment and CESD Talent Agency.

[disorganizedkitten]

All Eight Works Currently on My Ao3 that have Fay Tagged

Tend To A Plant With Poison:

Blaise had always known, at some level, that he was going to be caught. His mother’s everlasting freedom was a testament to her subtlety - and perhaps, her beauty, as jurors often let her off on technicalities - neither of which Blaise inherited. All he had was a bloodlust that served him poorly and the intimate knowledge of how to wipe a crime scene. He had expected to be caught over a murder he actually committed, though.

Alternatively: Serial Killer Blaise Zabini is framed for murder. Forensic Technician Fay Dunbar is going to prove his innocence. Or something.

Wizard of the hills:

“Hi, I’m Fae,” the creature says, smiling with too sharp teeth and too kind eyes. “I’m human,” Blaise returns, uncomfortably. And- the faerie bursts into laughter.

In All The Different What Ifs and Maybes:

In every one you shine. You're gonna make this family proud)

September first to June fourth. Nine months and three days. That’s how long Rabastan has to convince his son to defect, or to do so himself. With threats around every corner of the castle, will he manage to keep his son safe? And can Neville win a battle he doesn’t know he’s fighting?

Family Science:

Single dad Adrian Dunbar teaches his daughter makeup. His methods are… unconventional.

Taught Me Well, Now Watch Me Win:

Mafia heir Blaise Zabini and his childhood accomplice take on the world.

We'll Take Our World By Storm:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has educated more than seventy percent of the last three centuries’ historical figures. Foster siblings Harry Potter and Fay Dunbar-Black are beginning their first year there this fall, and they have plans. They’re not the only ones, though, and it seems like all plans have one kink in common - Harry’s twin brother, Connor; known for not dying when he should’ve. [or at least, known for being caught not dying.] Connor would like to go on record saying he’d love to stay out of this too. Between suspicious teachers, learning magic, the castle trying to murder their Ravenclaws, and Harry’s biological family trying to reconnect after ten years, everyone is busy. At least one thing hasn’t changed: the Wizarding World won’t know what hit them.

And We Will Have Our Happy Ending:

Winning a war before graduating secondary school screws a bit with your head. But the war has been over for years, and the peace they fought for is theirs.

Emotional Support Cookies:

"I thought cookies were for celebrations," Fay said unsteadily. Harry shrugged. "They work for when your life falls apart, too." She slammed into him for a hug, sobbing.

[cary-elwes]

[rowinablx]

Hell of an Evolution: New Mutant on the Block

@atiny-angel @axelwolf8109 @thebejeweledwatercat @ozzypawsbone-princeofbarkness @epickiya722 @greek-freak101 @thefandomlifechoseus @straykidsdarlin

Stiles Stilinski was a loner, not but choice but by circumstance, until a man named Chris offered him a place to stay and learn to adapt to his powers

Stiles hugged his jacket closer, Chris Argent was adamant that he'd be safe but he wasn't convinced

"We got a lot of kids around your age, you'll be okay" Chris pulled into the driveway. "Wow" Stiles' jaw dropped at the mansion that might've as well have been a castle.

Chris smiled and helped him with his two bags, entering the "school"

"Dad!" A teenage girl ran down the stairs to hug Chris. Stiles flinched away before she could get too close.

"Hey Ally" He laughed. Another teen, a boy with scales and green eyes bolted down the stairs and hugged Stiles tightly.

"No!" "You're new! I'm Jackson! I'm basically half lizard, nothing can hurt me, you're like really pretty!"

Stiles was confused but relieved that the lizard boy was apparently unharmed by his "death touch"

"Jackson, let go before you cause him to have a panic attack" "It's okay" Stiles said quietly

"You'll be rooming with Scott, he's harmless" Chris said, shouldering Stiles' bag. Jackson leapt on top of the stairs and followed the pair

"How many people live here?" "Eleven ish, give or take" Jackson giggled.

Chris opened a door, Scott was laying on his bed, arms over his eyes and red glasses laying beside him.

"Scott" Chris said exasperated. "I know I know" Scott put the glasses on, giving Stiles the vibe of a frat boy douche bag who refused to take his sun glasses off inside

"Scott, this is Stiles, your new roommate" Scott sat up and shook Stiles' gloved hand. "Jackson's already attached so be nice"

Scott laughed and sat back down on his bed. "We have school tomorrow so please let me get a good night's sleep"

"Of course man"

---------

Stiles got up in the morning tired as hell, Scott waiting for him.

"We eat breakfast and then Peter, he's our teacher basically, drives us to Beacon Hills high so we can get education. We all have cover stories to hide our mutations, as far as humans know I'm color blind and need these"

"What will my cover be?" "Probably some type of skin condition" Scott shrugged.

Stiles smiled at that. The pair went downstairs and into the kitchen. "Morning Scott, new kid" A boy with bronze skin said.

"Stiles" "Danny" Danny smiled in a friendly way. Jackson hopped from upstairs and grinned. "Danny has a sonic scream" Scott said. "Oh cool"

Danny grinned. Jackson tapped a bracelet on his wrist and changed into a human looking teen boy, it was hard to deny that Jackson was extremely attractive.

-----

Stiles sat as far away from everyone else as possible, Jackson had apparently appointed himself as Stiles' best friend because he was the only one who could touch him, the driver, a man (well he was only eighteen) named Derek, had flinched away from Stiles as soon as he saw him

Kira Yukimura had smiled at him politely, her roommate Lydia Martin had looked at him like he was about to explode.

Erica Reyes had literally hissed at him, the boy attached to her side trying to calm her down. Liam Dunbar looked completely indifferent, his roommate Theo grinning.

"Welcome to Beacon Hills high" Derek said, absolutely bored. Stiles tried to smile at him but Hale again ignored him.

Attitude much?

------

"Sir, the mutant school is boring in numbers" Alan Deaton said nervously, whole Deucalion was blind, the mutant man himself was extremely dangerous and temper mental.

"No matter, soon Stilinski will be in my ranks, they'll drive him away, besides we have something they don't"

He turned around. "The twins" Aiden Steiner ran around his cell, trying to find any escape. Ethan Steiner sat cross legged in his, using his telekensis to move blocks around. His twin stopped to catch his breath, Ethan slammed the blocks together. Destroying them

[madsmilfelsen]

Hello! I'm really curious, what books/authors would you recommend to someone who's new to writing horror?

Hi! Here is what I have on hand (minus my loaned out copies of my favorite book ever Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones and Never Whistle At Night: an indigenous anthology of dark fiction which made me cry on an airplane and made the person next to me very uncomfortable, like she was just trying to build a cart at banana republic, apologies to seat 17B)

God’s Cruel Joke Lit Mag because I’m in them and will be in issue 4, too :) published either mid-January or February 2024– @labyrinthphanlivingafacade is in issue 3 with a great short story that I won’t spoil ***right now the magazines are available to purchase in physical copies but I was told all issues will be free to download as pdfs pretty soon!

Severance by Ling Ma (body horror but not in the way you think, the real horror is repetition and loneliness)

Wilder Girls by Rory Power (body horror)

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis (adjacent the horror genre but a hell of a read)

ANYTHING BY STEPHAN GRAHAM JONES ANYTHING

We Have Always Lived in a Castle by Shirely Jackson (I read this for the first time last spring boy howdy, I also included The Lottery for its suspense)

Dean Koontz because my husband suggested it for the list— this was just the first title I grabbed, I think he said Patrician Crowell too but I was busy looking for Mongrels

A Good and Happy Child by Justin Evans (I didn’t finish this because depression set in shortly after I started but the first chapter plays with second pov which I really liked, I’m determined to read it this year)

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (I really enjoyed HBO’s adaptation)

The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey (likely the only zombie stories that made me weep uncontrollably)

Girls & Sex by Peggy Orenstein (non-fiction: explores modern young women navigating sexuality and because I have a thing for loss of autonomy— it’s been a few years since I read it but there is discussion of sexual assault, but I appreciate the expanse of her research and even included a conversation with someone who is asexual)

Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James (got a chill just typing this out— the audio book is exquisite)

You’ll notice some nonfiction because, as a historian undergrad, nothing scares me more than man. The battles of Leningrad and Stalingrad are particularly stomach churning. America’s Reconstruction Era is full of acted out malice and under taught in my opinion.

An Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

The 900 Days, The Siege of Leningrad by Harrison E. Salisbury

Enemy at the Gates by William Craig

(On the other side of WW2 I have a book of the experiences of German solider’s left over from a paper I wrote on the inadequacy of Nazi uniforms and how it expedited their failure in Russia, Frontsoldaten by Stephen G. Fritz)

Stony the Road by Henry Louis Gates, Jr (one of my favorite authors, try finding “How Reconstruction Still Shapes American Racism” Time Magazine, April 2, 2019, I used it as a source for a paper on the history of voting rights)

Bloodstoppers and Bearwalkers— folk tales of Canadians, Lumberjacks & Indians by Richard M. Dorson (published around 1952 but content collected from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the 40’s)

Raven Tells Stories: An Anthology of Alaskan Native Writing (I’m Alutiiq and the museum on Kodiak has a lot of stories recorded under Alutiiq Museum Podcast— my kids and I listen on Spotify)

I think the genre of horror is really mastering tension and playing on peoples fears which is why I included old school folk stories (An Underground Education had a great write up on the Grimm Brothers and the original fairy tales from around the world such as the Chinese and Egyptian Cinderella, as well as several different sections of funny tales, torture techniques, absolute weirdos etc etc) in this vein of thought The Uses of Enchanment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales by Bruno Bettelheim could prove to be useful

If you’re writing a character with Bad Parents— Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents and Toxic Parents (it has a longer subtitle but I don’t see my copy anywhere) might be able to help you shape character traits

I reached out to @littleredwritingcat who has a mind plentiful in sources who recommended

The Gathering Dark: an anthology of folk horror (I will be picking this one up asap)

Toll by Cherie Priest (southern gothic)

Anything by Jennifer MacMahon

The Elementals by Michael McDowell

[usermischief]

♞Pairing: Steo ♞Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Theo Raeken, Mason Hewitt, Liam Dunbar ♞Tags/Warnings: - ♞Words: 5320 ♞ @steodiscord's SteoSpooktober Vol.5 - Costume ♞Part 1 - House of Darkness / Part 3 -

a/n: This fic can be read without reading Part 1, but there will be references to what happened in "House of Darkness".

ao3

***

once upon a do-over

Stiles pushes his hands in the pockets of his jeans, squinting at the old structure maybe 250 feet away from them. It might have been a castle once. The sand-colored bricks and tower still left standing seem to hint at it. There’s no shot it’s from royalty; there would have to be records of that. Biting the inside of his cheeks, Stiles squints at the tower. He can’t quite figure out why, but something about it makes him feel a bit… queasy? Perhaps. He just doesn’t like the feeling it causes in the pit of his stomach. There’s something wrong about it, Stiles can’t put his finger on what. Although, it could very well have everything to do with the no-trespassing signs all over the goddamn place.

What he knows for certain, however, is that he’s been right. Not the biggest surprise. He didn’t expect Mason to calm him months after the Conjuring House debacle to invite him to a costume party. Luckily, Stiles will be going on a costume party later today, so, Lydia’s three hour-long makeover will not be for nothing. Her very recent obsession with American Horror Story’s first season has translated into his costume, and since she wasn’t allowed to paint Jackson’s perfect face white, Stiles ended up as the Tate Langdon to her Violet Harmon. The good thing about this costume is, the skeleton make-up does make his face unrecognizable, something he’s still very much interested in. The bad thing? His clothes – especially his black jeans – are tight, much tighter than any clothes he owns.

Still, since Mason and Liam clearly lied to him, questions need to be asked. “Why are we here?”

Mason turns to him, beaming like a thousand watts. “Because this is Satan’s Castle.”

Liam bounces on his heels, clearly sharing his best friend’s excitement. They’re infuriatingly happy about absolutely everything. It’s terrible.

“No,” Stiles says, gesturing back and forth between Theo and him – because, yes, Theo joined this trip as well – “why are we here?” This isn’t an emergency, especially none that required Stiles and Theo. Together. Joining Liam and Mason on their stupid little exploration. They’re not friends. Never have been. Lydia asked Stiles to keep an eye on these shitheads during their visit to the Conjuring House. That does not mean he’s required to be around all the time whenever they go to some shady sounding places.

It's not that he wouldn’t, Stiles simply hates that Theo is here too after he finally stopped being pissed at him.  

But, hey, this is what he gets for taking a gap year and deciding to live closer to home again. Not that Los Angeles is that close. Ever since the Conjuring House adventure, Stiles isn’t sure he wants to become an FBI Agent. That was his dad’s dream until a kid was in the picture. Stiles gets the appeal, and part of him still wants to help the living. The more time he spends away from Harvard, working jobs most people don’t even know exist, he wonders if perhaps the dead and other creatures not fit to be around the living are his forte – and it pays more than well. People are giving him surreal amounts of money even if he just tells them they have rats in their walls instead of a poltergeist.

Mason exchanges a quick glance with Liam. “Well,” he says because the latter decides that his camera is a lot more interesting than the conversation, “you’re brilliant and mysterious and can see dead people, and you—” Mason cocks his head to the side a little and shrugs, “you’re hot.”

Theo raises his brows. “You mean I have the money.” That he's ignoring the comment about his appearance says a lot about what type of mood he's in. Although Stiles doesn’t have any idea why Theo is mad. He’s not the one who’s been ghosted for seven fucking months.

“Our viewers don’t exactly care about that,” Liam says barely loud enough to be heard.

Stiles folds his arms over his chest. “There’s no costume party.” Mason is a terrible liar, but Stiles agreed to this because as angry as he’s been with Theo, part of him wanted to see that asshole again – either to draw a line in the sand officially, or to give this another shot. He’s not quite sure yet. He’s not exactly proud of it – and he's even less proud of allowing Lydia to put him in these ridiculously tight jeans.

But it’s working; he’s caught Theo looking more than once.

Mason tugs on his own costume – Count Dracula, judging by the impressive cloak he keeps stumbling over – and pulls his shoulders up. “It’s a Halloween special.”

“It’s a—" Theo cuts himself off and turns away with a roll of his eyes.

“You didn’t even come in costume,” Liam snipes, who – very lazily, mind you – threw on a pair of scrubs and a doctor’s coat.

Theo bares his teeth, fangs looking as deadly as always. “I don’t need one.”

“I think the more pressing issue is that you guys lied to us.” Stiles isn’t the biggest fan of being used. It’s fucking rude in general, but after being a meat puppet for a 1000-year-old fox demon, shit like this hits very differently. “You could’ve just asked.” Although Stiles isn’t entirely sure he would’ve agreed after the disaster the Conjuring House ended up being. He really didn’t appreciate being flung around like a ragdoll.

Fucking demons and their audacity.

“I wouldn’t have come—”

“You agreed the moment I mentioned Stiles,” Liam shoots back, clearly done with everyone’s attitude.

Stiles glances at Theo, who resolutely stares in the other direction. Even his gnashed teeth don’t hide the slight tinge of pink on his cheeks. Fuck. What the hell does that mean? Theo never called after the night they spent together, and Stiles gave up after his second text went unanswered but read for months – and that’s why he should have said ‘no’ instead of ‘sure, why not?’ the moment Mason brought him up.

Yet here he is.

Sighing, Stiles raises his hands in mock defeat. “Fine,” he says, trying his hardest not to sound as delighted as he feels, “we’re already here. Give me your research.” He beckons for the phone Mason has been clutching to his chest like his prized possession.

The huge grin on his lips certainly proves that he’s been waiting for his request. “The story is wild,” Mason tells him as he hands over his phone.

Stiles draws his brows together. “The first sentence states that—"

“I know.” Mason waves his hand around dismissively. “But every legend has a kernel of truth, right?”

“I mean… in theory, I guess, yeah…” Stiles trails off, understanding why they wanted him to come so desperately, they dragged Theo here as well. They want to figure out the truth, or rather, they want someone to confirm this research. Frowning at the phone, Stiles sighs. He’d like to be a bit more optimistic, but everything Mason found points in a very different direction. Nothing is known about this place, not even who built it; the best guess is some random tycoon living in the late 1800s. They can’t even say what it was used for — only that Robert Atkinson apparently owned it at one point. Otherwise, the usual rumors are attached to these ruins, dark rituals, satanism, secret tunnels, and— “fucking hell.”

“400 kids?” Theo asks, startling Stiles as he leans even closer to continue to read. “They flew them back and forth and nobody noticed?”

“Not at once.” Stiles rolls his eyes. Still, Theo does have a point. “Also, it’s the ritualistic assault that’s concerning me more, but good to know where your priorities lie.” Shaking his head, he hands the phone back to Mason. There’s not really anything in there that’s remotely helpful. It sounds as if people are desperately trying to fill the history of ruins that should have plenty already. Of course, they want to believe that means some bad shit went down here. People are wired that way. But the ruins are part of somebody’s backyard, and it doesn’t look particularly decrepit. So, whoever owns it, takes pretty good care of it — and unless they’re a Satanist, too, it’s hard to imagine something’s going on here.

Besides, Tara, who once again decided to follow her brother around, has no qualms inspecting the place. She’s been quite nervous at the Conjuring House. She’s completely different here. Perhaps, she is enjoying the view as well.

The Rim of the World is undoubtedly breathtaking.

Staring at the horizon isn’t going to get him any faster to the party, though. Stiles sighs again and heads towards the ruins. “This better not be a waste of a good costume.”

“And my priorities are out of whack?” Theo asks with a snort.

Stiles shoots him a look over his shoulder. He grimaces a little when he spots Liam already handling the camera. There’s no way he’s ever going to enjoy or get used to being always filmed.

“Are you seeing anything?” Liam asks.

Now that Stiles has stopped ignoring every single ghost, it has gotten significantly easier to see and hear them. It’s quite unsettling, if he’s entirely honest, because blocking them out becomes increasingly harder. Here’s to hoping the same doesn’t go for anything else. “Aside from the ‘No Trespassing’ signs?” Or the aggressive neighborhood watch sign informing them that the police will be called immediately. Stiles is very glad his face is obscured by paint because there are most likely more cameras around.

“Ghosts,” Liam deadpans. “Demons. Entities?”

“Take your pick,” Theo adds with a bark of laughter.

Stiles rolls his eyes. “No, there’s nothing.” Well, aside from Tara roaming the grounds, but she hardly counts. Her relaxed state and the absence of other ghosts can only mean one thing; nothing happened here. If there had been as many satanic rituals as the research suggested, the place would be crowded. They are dawn to evil places, to places with a brutal history; all those lingering negative feelings are like catnips to the spirits who refuse to move on — or to the entities who have no business being here.

“We’re not even there yet,” Mason mutters, sounding more than annoyed as he walks off the street and heads towards the field, his cloak swooshing dramatically after him.

Liam follows his friend, panning the camera slowly away from Theo and Stiles, over the ruins, and to where Mason is now awkwardly stumbling downhill. Someone clearly has no intention of getting too close to the person owning the castle. Probably not the worst idea. If they have to trespass, it’s most definitely smarter to do it from below. They’re taking a risk, overall, and it would suck if they did so for nothing.

But Stiles doesn’t want to play pretend or straight-up lie, and he doubts they would want that either. He doesn’t know the guys very well, but their final product about the Conjuring House has been pretty honest. It was more of a documentary than a scare-fest, littered with solid history spoken over beautifully shot B-roll of the house. Maybe that’s why people enjoyed it so much. There was no script, no weird sound effects — just the raw footage cut together into a mostly coherent narrative. They’re probably planning to do the same for this place.

“You don’t have to feel guilty.”

“Keep your nose out of my chemo signals, Theodore.” Stiles narrows his eyes and studies the other boy for a few moments; the fact that he looks amazing in his leather jacket, tight jeans and skintight purple tank top suddenly pisses him off, although it’s not Theo’s fault Stiles got his hopes up. “You lost that right when you couldn’t pick up the fucking phone or text me back.” He’s not usually this aggressively honest about his feelings, but Theo’s behavior really got to him. It felt different. He didn’t sound like the usual dickhead trying to talk his way into someone’s pants.

And usually, Stiles is a magnet for those exact dickheads. He should’ve listened to his gut, but no. Trust the jock with the sad childhood story, why would he end up as a cliché? Clearly, Stiles was very wrong about that, and he’s not planning on making that mistake again.

“Okay,” Theo amends, the smirk betraying his apologetic voice, “I know, but I—"

Stiles holds up a hand and turns away. “Save it.” This discussion can wait, or even better yet, it does not need to happen. It was clearly a misunderstanding, although Stiles isn’t entirely sure what could be misunderstood when they’d both exchanged numbers. Theo changed his mind, or maybe he simply did it to placate Stiles, thinking he’d never see him again.

Whatever.

Stiles turns away and heads down the hill to join Mason and Liam. The last thing he needs is being alone with Theo any longer than strictly necessary. They’ll have enough time to pass between each other when Mason and Liam gather some B-roll.

The hill is a lot steeper than it looked from up top, and the ground underneath his feet isn’t exactly sturdy. Rocks and dirt roll down the hill. Neither his Vans nor the tight jeans Lydia forced him into are helpful in this endeavor.

What was he even thinking? That Theo would magically change his mind just because his ass looks great? He’s such an idiot, and soon, he might be an idiot rolling down a mountain on camera. This evening is going swimmingly. But at least he’s not sweating his ass and makeup off.

“Fuck,” Theo curses softly. A moment later, he falls past him, a bunch of rubble joining his tumble down the hill. He ends up on his ass and slides a bit further down until he manages to stop himself on a bigger rock jutting out of ground.

Stiles presses his lips together, trying his best not to laugh.

Heaving a breath, Theo glares at him over his shoulder.

Liam and Mason are still engrossed in a conversation, checking something on the latter’s phone.

“Pay me enough, and I didn’t see a thing,” Stiles tells him, carefully continuing down the mountain. If he falls, his pants are toast, and he’s certainly not going to be on camera with his jeans ripped in unfortunate places.

Brushing off dust and dirt, Theo huffs out a breath. “Name your price.”

“You wouldn’t be able to afford me,” Stiles shoots back instantly, although he’s not entirely sure about that. Judging by all his comments, Theo seems to be loaded. He’s usually the one driving, and he was the one paying for the hotel back in Rhode Island.

He’s almost reached Mason and Liam standing by the tower when something catches his eye. It’s a flurry of motion, drained of color like ghosts usually are. Stiles cranes his neck to see where it went, unsure if it’s Tara or someone else. In this moment of inattentiveness, he puts his foot on rubble and dirt that instantly gives way underneath him — his balance goes straight out of the window. Stiles curses under his breath as he frantically looks around for something to catch himself on.

There is nothing.

Of course.

Liam turns around, probably alerted by noises of stones rolling down the hill right behind him. His eyes grow wide, and he presses the camera into Mason’s hands. Before he has the chance to move, however, strong hands grab Stiles’ waist, stopping further disaster from happening.

“Careful now, we don’t want you to ruin your costume, do we?” Theo’s voice is barely a whisper. It’s sending shivers up and down Stiles’ spine.

He loathes the effect this guy has on him regardless of the months of frustration he suffered. But that’s in the past. Stiles let his guard down once, he’s now learned from his mistake, and he will not do it again — although Theo’s hands on his waist feel amazing regardless of his current resentment of the guy. He certainly wouldn’t complain if his hand slipped under— no. Absolutely not. “I think I saw something.” Stiles straightens himself, his foothold just secure enough that the ground won’t give away under him, and elbows Theo in the ribs. Sharp pain travels up his arm. He grimaces.

Fucking werewolves.

Mason’s eyes light up. “Where?” he asks, pushing the camera back in Liam’s hands.

“Somewhere over there.” Stiles points in the opposite direction of the ruins. “It might’ve been Tara. I’m not sure.”

“Where’s she now?” All the playfulness has left Theo’s voice. His sister remains a sore spot. It probably hasn’t gotten any easier now that he knows she’s following him around; if he believes it, that is.

Stiles shakes his head. “I can’t see her right now.”

“And that’s a good sign?” Liam inquires, glancing around the mountain.

“I don’t know yet.” Although the place doesn’t necessarily feel as evil as the name Satan’s Castle would suggest, now that Stiles is up close and personal with it, something feels… weird. Not inherently evil. This is nothing like the Conjuring House, but there is something. He just can’t tell if it’s bad history or something entirely different.

Mason rubs his hands together. “Could fire cleanse this place?”

“You mean ‘burn it down’? Theo asks, stepping so close his shoulder bumps against Stiles’.

It’s almost impossible to shut down the shouting match between his brain ordering him to move away and his body begging to step closer. Instead, Stiles crosses his arms. “That depends on how they did it.”

“With fire?”

Stiles turns to glare at Theo. “Do you ever shut up?” Despite everything he went through at the Conjuring House, he’s still a fucking shithead. Unbelievable. How the hell can he still be so doubtful regarding everything that’s going on?

The grin spreading on the other’s lips doesn’t bode well. “Feel free to use kisses as a method to shut me up any time.”

Stiles has never been so happy to wear makeup because nobody can see his cheeks flushing under all that white covering his whole face and throat. Maybe he should consider wearing costumes more often — especially when he’s around Theo. He’s not at all interested in giving the guy any inclination about his feelings for him. Once this is over, the first thing Stiles is going to do is teach himself how not to be hung up on people who only give a shit about him whenever he’s conveniently around.

After a moment of silence, in which even Mason and Liam stared at Theo in surprise, Stiles merely shrugs. “If they salted the place, then yes, they might have cleansed it.”

Although the evening sun is still having enough strength, a shiver runs down his spine. It’s too quiet for something to be here. Maybe it’s just the place itself that gives him the creeps. Ruins often have this effect on him. There’s something strange about being in a place that used to be full of life, that was a home to someone; its history lost, and all that’s left are rumors that can’t be disproven. The tower with its five points — so easy to believe it’s meant to be a pentagram — does the rest. Stiles wonders if it’s the shape that gave birth to all the horrors people believe happened here.

“So…” Liam trails off, the camera still facing Stiles and Theo. “It’s not haunted?”

Stiles sighs. “It might not be no.” It’s not the answer either of the boys wants to hear — Theo most likely won’t care — but it’s the only one he can give them if they keep standing beneath this goddamn tower. Seeing a stray ghost, that may or may not have been Tara, isn’t proof for anything. “Wait here.”

“What? Why?” Mason asks, his voice stuck between frustration and hope.

Raising his brows, Stiles gestures past the scrub surrounding the tower — probably to keep people out. “Because I’m going to go there.”

“There’s a ‘No Trespassing’ sign right next to us,” Theo points out, raising his brows and looking at Stiles like he’s seen him for the first time.

Stiles snorts out a laugh. “Aw, are you worried? That’s so sweet.”

Unsurprisingly, that hits a nerve. Theo narrows his eyes. “It’s your trespassing charge. Have fun.” He really acts as if he’s never done anything wrong before in his life. That sounds insanely boring.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Stiles promises, watching as Liam and Mason exchange a look that’s more than a little loaded. It’s not like they could technically stop him from “I’m just going check for any activity. If anyone asks, you tried to stop me.” It’s not the first time Stiles trespassed. So far, he hasn’t been caught, and now, he’s got a few more tricks up his sleeve. He’s going to be in and out. Well, not really in. Still, he should probably remind them to cut this part out. Although nobody can see his face, his trespassing doesn’t need to be on video for the world to see.

Giving the two boys a thumbs up, Stiles presses as closes to the tower as possible to shimmy between the scrub and the wall. He’s not interested in going any further down that mountain with his tight jeans — even this is a terrible idea.

“Theo!” Liam snaps.

“Go get some B-roll,” Theo calls over his shoulder.

Stiles glances at him. “Shut up.” Although people are most likely aware that they’re sneaking around here, they really do not need to announce their trespassing. Carefully, he pokes his head around the tower and surveys the area. The castle must’ve been huge before they burned it down, but the thing that interests him the most is the doorway across from him. He doubts that’s where he’s going to find the entrance to a tunnel, but for now he at least wants to check if this place even has graffiti that could potentially be satanic. The tower itself is suspiciously clean for an abandoned and allegedly haunted location.  

With Theo right behind him, Stiles hurries along the old path, his steps silenced by the overgrown grass. He ducks under the ivy covering the top of the doorway and steps into the room. The drop in temperature is noticeable, but that’s pretty much the most exciting thing. It doesn’t take more than two people to make this room almost a bit too claustrophobic for Stiles’ taste. The charred walls don’t exactly ease the tight feeling in his chest.

This part of the history is plain to see. People have burned this place down. Stiles swallows around the lump in his throat while brushing his fingertips over the cold stonewall. Nobody burned, at least not in here.

“Well, that’s anti-climactic.” Theo steps next to him, nudging the leftover chain-link fence on the floor. “Anything on the ghost radar?”

For a moment, Stiles contemplates elbowing Theo in the face, but it’s not going to be worth the pain he’ll feel. “If you think it’s so funny, try living with it.” Stiles turns away from the unused fence and furrows his brow at the graffiti on the opposite wall. ‘Spikey Kelly’ in bright red. That’s really the only thing of note in the whole place. All the other graffiti is worn with age.

Stiles has no idea what that even means. Is that a name?

“Sorry.” Theo offers him an apologetic smile. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around your whole thing.” He gestures around, and for what it’s worth, he seems genuine.

Stiles opens his mouth, tempted to ask, ‘is that why you never called me back?’, but he shakes his head instead. “There’s nothing here.”

There’s absolutely no way he’ll have this conversation in the burned down ruins of an allegedly satanic castle — a satanic castle with no satanic symbols whatsoever. An evil place is easy to recognize by the shit all over the wall. Spikey Kelly, however, doesn’t exactly invoke fear. Stiles shuffles around Theo and pushes the ivy away.

“At least the view is great.”

That’s hard to deny. The view from up here is breathtaking, almost like they’re in a completely different world with the sky and a picturesque landscape as far as the eye can see. It’s hard to imagine Los Angeles is just a little over an hour away. They’re standing on top of the world, free, ready to fly at a moment’s notice.

Stiles wishes it were that easy.

Theo steps next to him, his body warm. “I bet the sunset is beautiful up here.”

Yeah, it’s probably worth the drive.

Ignoring the loaded statement, Stiles turns towards the tower. There’s a white wooden door leading into it, so new it ruins the image of the castle — as does the light just above it. This would be the first place Stiles prefers to be by day. “Let’s check out the tower.” Knowing his luck, the door is locked.

“Stiles.” Theo grabs his arm and pulls him back in, pulls him almost too close. “I know you’re mad—"

“I’m not mad,” Stiles interrupts, and he’s very clearly lying. The thing is, he is more pissed at himself for falling for the same bullshit over and over again. “You made your choice, whatever. Just don’t expect me to fucking swoon because you’re gracing me with your presence.” He pulls his hand free, not ready to admit out loud that Theo is still very successful at working his magic, and Stiles very much could swoon every time he simply smiles at him. That pisses him off even more than Theo not having the balls to tell him he wanted sex and nothing more. “Let’s go. I don’t want to hang out here any longer than I have to.” There is still the risk of being found, after all.

Without waiting for a reply, Stiles turns on his heels and hurries towards the white door. Here, he is very much out in the open. The light above his head turns on, but the door doesn’t budge.

Fuck.

“Why does that lamp have a motion sensor?” Theo asks, hovering directly behind him. Looks like he still doesn’t have any respect for personal space or boundaries.

Stiles covers most of the door with his body, brushing his thumb along the lock. “Try sneaking in at night when this place lights up like a Christmas tree.” Anger and spite have been surprisingly great teachers. Instead of wallowing in self-hatred, Stiles spend his time leaning into what he can do post-nogitsune. If he didn’t accept himself for who he is, how are other supposed to take him seriously? So, he buried his nose in books and has gotten the hang of little magic tricks, like opening and locking doors. It has worked on his apartment door every time so far, and this can’t be too complicated a lock.

He hears a soft click.

Yes.

Stiles pushes the door open just enough to slip into the room behind it.

“How,” Theo asks, closing the door swiftly behind him and plunging them in total darkness, “did you do that?”

A moment later, light illuminates most of the room and confronts Stiles with an almost disappointing reality. He didn’t exactly have his hopes up high, but he still hoped to find something. This? This is a waste of everybody’s time. No doors, nothing that even hints a secret door. No pentagrams, no 666, no graffiti that could even remotely been considered satanic. But the room isn’t looking too clean either. There are random graffiti smeared all over the walls, and the room itself looks like a bomb went off on it. Clutter is lying all over the ground, and the shelves are filled with it as well. It’s a miracle they didn’t step on anything.  

It’s nothing more than a storage room.

Stiles scrunches up his face. “That was a bust.”

“Excuse me?” Theo snaps his fingers in front of Stiles’ face. “How’d you get that door open?”

“It was stuck.”

“I heard the lock click.”

Stiles makes a dismissive gesture. “You imagined that.”

With an exasperated sigh, Theo points the flashlight directly in his face. “I get it. You’re still mad—"

This again. “Put the fucking flashlight down.” Stiles cannot believe he has to tell him that. He blinks and squints a little, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room.

“Stiles—”

“Fine.” He barely resists to throw his hands in the air. “I thought you giving me your number meant we’d stay in contact. You didn’t call or text me back. I moved on.” Quite literally, in three occasions. Well, four if he counts the thing with Lydia and Jackson. It took him longer than he’d care to admit, but it’s not like he broke down crying. His mind simply liked to play the ‘what if’ game. What if Theo did call back? What if Stiles just tried one more time? What if he visited Beacon Hills and accidentally bumped into him? Endless possibilities, none of them happened. “I thought you were different. That’s why I was mad at first, but if you think I cried my eyes out because a jock doesn’t want me back, you’re dead wrong.” And that’s the truth. As angry and a little heartbroken as he was, his dignity wouldn’t allow to shed a single fucking tear for Theo Raeken.

Theo raises his hands defensively. “I want you, but the whole thing with my sister…” he trails off, staring at the ground for a moment.

Stiles stares at him in shocked silence. I want you. Three simple words that shouldn’t stun him, that certainly shouldn’t get to him. But they do because he can’t shake his attachment to people no matter how much he likes to pretend that’s not the case. He swallows drily. Those three words aren’t what he should focus on. He takes a deep breath. “You think I wouldn’t have understood if you told me?”

Theo glances up at him, smiling apologetically. “I regret ghosting you. No… no pun intended.”

Rolling his eyes, Stiles carefully steps away from Theo. He’s pissed. Again. This time because Theo is essentially opening the door, Stiles fully intended to keep shut. “Yeah well, I regret a lot of things too,” Stiles mutters, trying his best to shut his feelings off. “Having this conversation? It’s at least in the top five.” It’s uncalled for, Stiles knows that, but he’s not interested in talking about this any longer — even less inside this disappointed, entirely non-satanic storage room.

Theo stares at him, opening his mouth before deciding against whatever he’s intended to say first. A mask slips onto his features as he steps closer, a hand reached out to grab his arm. “I wanted to see you again, desperately, so I could apologize.” The smirk returns in full force, eyes flashing almost mischievously as he inches closer. “But maybe my tongue can do a better job of saying sorry than my words can.”

Stiles’ heart stutters in his chest, cheeks flushing hotly once again. Fucking hell. Theo shouldn’t be allowed to have this much power over him still, but it’s like his body is drawn to him, impossible to get away, impossible to fully let go. Get it together, Stilinski. “Tempting offer,” he replies, hoping that his voice won’t give away how he really feels about the words — even though it doesn’t matter, Theo can probably smell how bad he wants him too, “but I’m not going to waste this costume on you.”

The response startles the smirk off Theo, and he lowers his arm, brows drawn together. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Relieve flushes through Stiles when he realizes control is firmly back in his own hands. Now, all he needs is to get out of here. “We’re going to a costume party.”