#Ghost lamps my beloved

[bookwyrm35]

Lockwood and Co.'s first and last episode both starting with a shot of a ghost lamp is something so special to me.

[penultimatestalematewithdeath]

The fact that the first and last episode of Lockwood & Co. both start with an overhead shot of a ghost lamp??? Iconic.

The first light flickering on symbolizing the beginning of the night and the beginning of Lockwood and Co. as an agency?? The ending light being out symbolizing the end of the show and Lucy's anger at Lockwood?? New beginnings vs the possibility of an ending?? I'm vibrating.

[vryfmi]

[id from alt text: digital drawing of TV series' version of Portland Row, 35 from a low angle looking up. it is nighttime, sky is heavy with clouds. on the right side there's a row of residential buildings down Portland Row, number 35 is closest to the viewer. the center piece of picture is a ghost-lamp on the side of pavement. it casts a bright-green neon light on the street and houses. there are three silhouettes downt the street resembling main characters of Lockwood and Co./end id]

the light will be on for when you come back

[simplyghosting]

Been doing a lot of little drawings for cards and thought I would share photos of my pencil cases

[vryfmi]

[id: tweet by @prairie_oysters with a photo from Lockwood and Co series production, it features a ghost-lampamm on an unfinished set, two people look at it. phot was taken an August 3rd. phot is captioned as "This photo records the actual birthday of the first ever Ghost Lamp!"/end id]

Put august third in your calendars people.

[methoughtsphantom]

Jason “my family doesn’t know im alive” Todd and Danny “my family doesn’t know I’m dead” Fenton going alongside each of their plans my beloved. like Danny will absolutely go head-to-head with all of Gotham to support his new best friend on all his crime lord endeavors while he drags Jason to also attend collage with him. They are roommates and there never seems to a mention of family from either side. It’s an unspoken understanding they have. They met because Crime alley as a ghost lair thrummed with so much loneliness, it was at first the perfect place for Danny to hide his ecto signature in. But then he saw the dumbass whose lair it was lean his motorcycle just a tad too much when making a sharp turn to an alley, he sweeped the floor through a lifted chain link that passed his body but not his helmet. Yep that’s right the red thing got stuck. Danny who at the moment happened to be watching through his window snorted. Much to his horror because if not a ghost that dude could’ve gotten his head flung off.

Still, the scene was ridiculous.

On a whim he irrationally sees the police closing in on the guy and panicked at the thought of the guy using intangibility to free himself so Danny phased them both through his apartment wall and left the guy sprawled in his couch. Jason didn’t freak out but that’s normal when one’s got a concussion, one the guy immediately denied having as Danny laid out the medical supplies. The idiot proceeded to almost flatten four steps to the door with his stubbornness. He also said “I’m asexual” in the most deadpan voice as Danny dropped him back in the couch.

Danny sighed. Clearly though, he’d done so too early in the night because the guy kept trying to go, kept trying to knock Danny out, kept trying to slash him with knifes Danny didn’t know he had stashed. He’d only disarmed the guy from his guns. The visible ones apparently, cause at one point the guy did take out a gun and shoot until the ammo ran out and then teetered the thing like it was an art prop and hit his moon lamp.

Danny "yeah you aren’t officially my friend until you’ve tried to kill me" fenton my guys.

Anyways both keep having the same argument over if Danny technically kidnapped Jason or not. Danny holds the fact that the police at least didn’t see the guy make the ridicule. Jason argued that happened cause he was sporting a concussion. Danny argued he got that after.

Jason at first thinks the guy's a meta, but no. Danny introduces himself, sheepily now that he recognizes this is who the lair he invaded is from. He bandages him and tries to cook for him. If Danny didn’t have ice powers he most certainly would’ve burned the apartment. Jason then proceeds to kick him out of his own kitchen and make them both enchiladas. It’s the most normal both had in a while with another person and the air seems oddly settled. From then on, Jason constantly invited himself over, under the pretense that this was his territory and therefore he could drop in unannounced. Danny who has actual powers says he only allows this because Jason cooks very well.

Danny stays away from the crime fighting business unless his buddy is in deep shit he can’t get himself out. Also it’s Danny’s turn to cover for his vigilante friend which Sam and Tucker give him so much shit for. (but also advice)

And they were roommates. (omg) Danny effectively derails Jason’s big comeback plans by casually dropping ghost lore every two days. Like,

Jason, talking about how he doesn’t want Bats snooping on his territory:

Danny: Just don’t let them in

Jason: ??

Danny: yeah!! Hasn’t Batman died and got revived??? You can totally kick out death touched people you don’t want entering on your lair.

Jason: …I can?

Danny: Yep dude, your lair’s supposed to feel safe.

Jason: wait does that mean I can kick you out?

Danny: First this is my apartment. Second, im dead, not dead touched. Third, it’s too late to get rid of me. bitch.

Anyways Jason is super excited. You mean to tell him he can actually deny people over to his territory haunt?? (Yes it’s only to people who have died and came back but still!! The sample size is exactly the type of people he doesn’t want to see—!)

Joker my beloathed can’t step foot in Crime Alley.

(Jason’d feel a lot safer if the clown was dead but the possibility of his murderer turning into a ghost and their little loophole not applying on the clown is too scary to contemplate.)

Anyways, Jason loves experimenting with the power. It can go from simply making people shudder and not want to enter crime Alley to straight up not letting them enter like there’s an invisible wall blocking the way.

Jason because he’s hurt that Bruce never even patrols Crime Alley and also because he’s petty put B under the category of “invisible wall” blacklist. His reasoning is that the man doesn’t even attempt to enter Crime Alley. To him it’s surely just a place shadowed in tragedy. (anyways that’s it’s the place he met Jason)

Ironically, Jason totally forgets that Batman does venture into Crime Alley one day in the whole year. The day he met Jason.

Okay. He didn’t forget at first. The first year Jason remembers cause it was only a few months till then but then the next— Jason forgets that today’s the anniversary of the day’s Bruce’s parents died. He forgets to allow B in when he feels a slight tug and dismiss the feeling that prompts Bruce to investigate because he literally can’t enter Crime Alley. He starts the trialsTM, he scouts on the very edge and sees people the whole day enter and get out and cross with no problem but Bruce can’t.

It’s literally just Bruce.

Time to call Constantine, i guess.

[cosmocup1d]

Notes : reader has no gender

'And I am the idiot with the painted face

In the corner, taking up space'

After that weird strange book everyone seems to forgot what happened

Accept you

But you kept your mouth shut as you didn't wanted to be questioned as you felt so tired

Yet giddy at the same time

But they did wonder where you got the round black shaded glass

'But when he walks in, I am loved, I am loved'

You and the group walk in the gates of night Raven collage with the main Street being decorated with pumpkins and candles

The colors of the pumpkin and the flame of the candle reminded you of his eyes

'Me and my husband'

"What! So many!?" A familiar voices gasp out making you and the group turn seeing the headmage with a... Huge package?

You just prayed to the seven it wasn't another task so that you could research him

'We're doing better'

"Could it be that were out together happily? What a miracle!" The headmaster said with his normal joyful tone "I just happened to meet everyone except for Trey outside" The dormleader of the heartslabyul cuts in

"Even if everyone was out together, there's no need to make a fuss about it" The dormleader of the pomfiore huffed "What's the headmage doing?" Epel said "he's carrying a huge package..." Epe pointed out

'It's always been just him and me, together'

"Oh, good you asked!" The headmage said "I found an old portrait while I was organized the storeroom..." He explained "This is it" The headmage then started to carefully tear the paper

'So I bet all I have on that'

"This person in the picture is from long before I came to Night Raven college" The headmage started to explain "He is a graduate of our school from hundreds of years ago" He carefully rip the paper as to not damage the package "halloween, which was a very minor event back then, was made known a over the world" As he continues to explain you felt a sense of deja vu

'Furrowed brow'

"It is said that he is the one who laid the foundation for the Halloween celebration that you enjoy every year..." As the headmage continue to rip the paper you saw a very familiar suit which made your heart skip a beat

Not from giddy no.. From nervousness

'And at least in this lifetime'

"His name..."

'Please don't tell me it's him.. Please..' You thought to yourself as your mouth felt dry "Is Skully J. Graves"

'We're sticking together'

You wanted to cry. You wanted to scream. Everything felt so dizzy at the point you block out everyone voice

'Me and my husband'

Dead. He's dead. For hundred of years. Yet you didn't let your tears slip. You took out the round black shaded glasses and putting then on

'We're sticking together'

The world was- no IS cruel. Especially to you. You couldn't focus on anything but lucky there was no classes as it was Halloween

You yawned as you lift up the glasses to rub your eyes as it was getting late

'Me and my husband'

You enter the ramshackle dorm as the ghosts greeted you kindly as usual but they were curious about the glasses which you replied

"Someone gave them to me" It wasn't true but it wasn't a lie either

They just nod as they disappear into thin air leaving you alone. You yawn again as you get ready for bed

'We're doing better'

You layed on the old bed as grim sleep next to you like always

You took off the glasses and carefully putting them on your nightstand as you yawn and turning off your lamp

It took a few minutes but you fell asleep but not before seeing the silhouette of your beloved king of Halloween

[rootspiral]

Agatha All Along deep dive: episode 8 part 9

(Wandavision entries: [1][2][3])

(AAA entries: ep1 [1][2][3][4] ep2 [1][2][3][4] ep3 [1][2][3] ep4 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][+1] ep5 [1][2][3][4][5] ep6 [1][2][3] ep7 [1][2][3][4][5][6] ep8 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] ep9 [1][2][3][4][5][6])

knowing how ridiculous rio is, I fear she's going to make 'mourning agatha' her whole personality from now on

billy looking all chill like, so this is who agatha was boinking cool cool cool cool cool

and rio, honey. *deep sigh* you made a whole fucking deal about billy being an abomination. you can't just let him live now because you pinky promised your wife. especially bcs you're not even going to collect her. you're just going to be extremely emo about this whole thing, aren't you? MY BELOVED IS GONE SO I AM A SKULL NOW, I HAVE NO HUMANITY LEFT. babe. mourning is the most human thing you could do right now, who are we kidding.

(did they cgi the skull this time? it looks great tbh, that's what cgi should be used for, to enhance little things when it's needed, not to take over the whole process.)

this joke has been made a million times, but:

the Wanda Walk of Shame™

and yes while it is funny that he just gets in his subaru and leaves, what was he supposed to do?? just leave his car in westview? what if his mom and dad need it? how was he supposed to know he'd learn how to fly during the night?

how are we doing, bud? you've had a weird fucking day, haven't you

my parents were so worried!!! jeff and rebecca kaplan please adopt me

I love to snoop around billy's room. lorna wu and the wizard of oz, but also tarots, moon phases, astrology, esotericism and pride stickers galore. and jennifer's body!

now it's time for billy to do the math meme. the wicked witch is even wearing a brooch, it's not that hard to figure out

poltergeist II, haxan, buffy, rocky horror. does anyone know what's the poster on the right behind the lava lamp is, with the woman and the red devil?

AND. LAST BUT NOT LEAST. THE TRANS LIVES MATTERS FLAG.

carrie, the craft, saw. sindie and the spectres, never heard of that one. the incantations. evanescence, tove lo.

good morning, sleeping beauty!

agatha harkness: asshole, menace, toddler. now in ghost form!

eight episodes down, one to go. I'm not ready.

go to episode 9 part 1

[kaiijo]

CODA — JING YUAN 

pairing: jing yuan x gn! reader content: spouse! reader, suggestive content 

if someone were to ask you what your favorite time of day is, you would unequivocally answer that it’s nighttime. it’s a time to shed the events of the daytime and the promise of a new day tomorrow. and, given yours and jing yuan’s positions as diplomatic head of the xianzhou alliance and general of the luofu cloud knights, it’s when you get to spend time with your beloved husband.

you massage the rest of your moisturizer into your skin as you enter your shared bedroom, jing yuan already underneath the blankets, sitting up against the headboard. he lowers the book he has in hand, smiling warmly at you. you lean against the doorframe, drinking him in. even after years of being together, you still can’t quite get over how handsome he is (his tendency to sleep shirtless and showcase his well-sculpted body doesn’t hurt either).

“are you going to join me, dearest, or will you stand there all night?”

“i’m tempted to, if this is my view,” you reply with a grin.

he chuckles, “silver tongue.”

“you’re one to talk.” you push yourself off the frame and make your way over, sliding into bed beside jing yuan. immediately, his arm is around you and pulling you in close. he reaches over and shuts off the bedside lamp. dim moonlight floods your bedroom, casting a soft glow and you settle into your husband, head resting against his chest and arm wrapped around his torso. you snuggle into the warmth you’ve created.

he plants a loving kiss on the crown of your head. “how was your day?”

“exhausting,” you sigh. “i spent all day negotiating allocation of alchemy commission resources for the yuque and huaiyan as well as meeting with representatives from novara to discuss how the xianzhou alliance will assist with the recent uprising of denizens of the abundance on the planet.”

jing yuan hums and asks, “will cloud knights be dispatched?”

“i would prefer not to, both for diplomatic reasons and my own selfish ones.” you peek up at jing yuan and he smiles, leaning down again to kiss your forehead. “what about you? how was the meeting with the other arbiter-generals?”

“same as usual,” he replies. “a fair amount of bickering but nothing unresolvable.” he shifts a little so that he can lean closer, your noses brushing together. “i missed you today.”

“you miss me every day,” you murmur. you ghost your fingers along his skin and your husband shivers.

“i missed you especially today,” jing yuan says, voice deepening. you look into his eyes, half-lidded and dark and you known exactly what he has in mind. before you can act, he beats you to the punch, ever the perfect warrior, and he captures your mouth in a searing kiss. you return it with an equal amount of heat.

jing yuan’s grasps at your hips, rolling both of you so you lay on top of him. you pout when he pulls away, only to whine a moment later as he trails teasing, featherlight kisses to your jaw and neck. you return his teasing in kind, sitting up and trailing you hands appreciatively across his shoulders, down his chest, along his abs, tracing the multitude of scars he’s garnered from centuries of battle. you delight in the way goosebumps prickle along his skin as you continue downwards.

jing yuan’s gaze meets yours, eyes glinting like pools of hot, molten gold. “are you sure you want this tonight, dearest? i won’t be acting very gentlemanly tonight.”

you smirk at him, ducking down so your mouth hovers just above his ear. you purr, “when have you ever been gentlemanly, general?”

as he yanks you downward into another passionate kiss, you think distantly that yes, indeed, nighttime is your favorite time of day.

[delicatebluebirdruins]

Lockwood and Co episode six

why is watching the glorfied salt shaker do it's thing so pretty though?

I love Mr Barnes being so concerned about them (Don't think of the Empty Grave scene where he worries about them)

This bit with the Carver's death glow and Lockwood looking at the door hurts

Love the ghost lamp into the logo all of it looks so pretty to be honest

"Well done, me" love George

Window looks silly here *smash*

welcome to the George and Lockwood anxiety fest

still wish we got the "give us back our bones" (watch this space)

hey it's the lockwood slide

Love Flo's knife and Camber sands is a real place in Sussex

George and Flo my beloved

Lockwood reading the invite and Lucy looking at him as the definition of hearteyes

I love this outfit and the awkwardness of Kipps asking her out still makes me want to die (and the twitchy curtain from Lockwood makes me laugh)

I love Pamala though it was so cute "all the books and kung pao chicken I could carry"

I love the necklace! the description of it in the books (especially the chain) makes me think of the one under the read more (I got a bit rambly and emotional in the explanation)

George trusting Pam for five hundred

love the party outfit the billowy sleeves are great

"famous legacy" I adore the way Cameron said this

love Tears Run Dry song and I wonder where The Butcher Boy is?

I want to know what happened with Jacobs? This conversation with Penelope is so interesting and I love it (and I wonder how it would have changed with the The Empty Grave revelations?)

Lockwood is so nervous talking to Lucy about Fittes

What's in the box? and the eyeliner is on point... Kat looks great

glorified salt shaker electric boogaloo... it's so pretty atrocious lighting (gifmakers you are the real ones and I commend you) but pretty

this necklace with the interlocked (not sure that's the right word) chain and the pale icy blue stone in the pendent is one that belonged to my Gran when she was alive. Like all the jewellry pieces in her box left to me and my sister this was one where the story is not obvious and we will never learn them... some had stories that were obvious (gold wedding rings) and we remembered the pieces we gave to her as gifts (like the dragonfly brooch) and this is one the pieces that I knew right away that I wanted.

[alwaysdaenerys]

Jonerys Falling For You 2024 | Day 1: Cursed

Teaser and moodboard for my new fic, “burn under the same sky”

After a three-day storm blew their cargo ship off course, Captain Jon Snow and his crew were stranded on a deserted island somewhere in the Narrow Sea. With rapidly diminishing provisions, the desperate sailors could find no animals to hunt while they repaired their broken hull, just tropical plants and insects to forage for sustenance in the vast forest. On the third week of isolation, a starving Ghost returned from one of his nightly roamings, snow-white tail burnt blacker than coal. Donning battle armor, Jon went to investigate who or what could have possibly done this much damage to his beloved companion. At the center of the forest, he and a wary Grenn happened upon a hollowed-out rock formation, filled with the charred bones of a variety of woodland creatures. It was no wonder the men were unable to find fresh meat of any kind: there was a wild dragon here.

Venturing further into the fathomless darkness, Jon’s sturdy boatswain grabbed his arm. “I don’t like the look of this place, captain.”

“There,” the black-haired seafarer shone his lantern over a trail of sooty footprints on the ground. “Those are human, and a small one at that. We assumed ourselves alone on this island, Grenn, but it seems we are decidedly not.”

The skeleton pieces became increasingly numerous as they continued forward with hesitation, the most brittle of them crunching loudly with each step, some turning to ash under the weight of their boots. Even with all the fire damage scorching the walls and ceiling, the deep cavern was ice cold, though Jon wasn’t sure this fact inspired confidence.

“Hello?” he shouted, lifting his meager light.

A startled, high-pitched yelp answered him, and the young northerner sprinted towards the sound, concerned. His friend lagged, surely fearful of what lay ahead. But they would have been able to hear the dragon’s distinct breathing if it was truly inside.

“Please, we mean you no harm! My crew and I have been ship-wrecked a few miles east,” Jon explained, heart thrumming rhythmically, like a snare drum. “Do you require assistance?”

No further communication from the disembodied voice was uttered, but he was not deterred. A ringing silence followed, but soon after taking a sharp left turn, his lamp suddenly caught on a bright white-blonde mange of hair, matted and filthy from lack of bathing. Completely naked and shivering in a small crevasse located at the far side of the cave, a woman came into view.

“Gods…” Grenn swore before dropping his shortsword with a loud clatter.

Jon immediately shed his thick sable cloak and wrapped it around the stranger, meaning to carry her delicate body to warmth and safety. She was saturated with the heady scent of smoke: he didn’t think it came from a mere wood fire, just with the amount of burned carnage piled around them, and Jon was intimately acquainted with the smell of tobacco—his first mate always had a brandy pipe between his teeth—therefore that could be ruled out too. It was clearly a dragon’s lair, ample proof surrounding them from every side: so where was the creature?

“Are you real?” she inhaled raggedly, coiling as close to him as possible.

Captain Snow blushed to feel the heat of her breath on his bare neck. “I am fairly certain, yes.”

The girl raised her head slightly, trying to make him out in the shadows. With no warning, a pair of glowing amethyst eyes somehow locked in on his gaze and Jon almost dropped her in shock.

“I have dreamt of this moment a thousand times, brave son of the First Men: of my savior battling the unknown winds and currents of the Sunset Sea to break the crone’s spell.”

Confused by the vast majority of her statement, Jon glanced in the direction of a mute Grenn. “Wait, what do you mean, the Sunset Sea?”

“A red witch expelled me to the furthest edge of the world when I ignited the Fourteen Flames.”

She was obviously delirious, speaking of events that had occurred countless millennia ago. And they were marooned nowhere near the Sunset Sea, because the Lady Lyarra had been journeying from White Harbor to the Bleeding Tower of Tyrosh to transport a load of textiles and blackbelly rum. But the peculiar lady was lucid enough to have guessed his Westerosi lineage, even specifying that he was of the North. Perhaps she was as lost as Jon and his fellow sailors, left here to die by someone who viewed her as a threat. Left here to be devoured by a dragon most likely.

“Does my illustrious deliverer have a name?” she asked softly upon exiting the cave in his arms, mouth right next to Jon’s ear.

In the waning afternoon sun, Snow finally got a proper look at the girl, and the air was promptly seized from his throat, as if he had been pushed from the bow of a ship and into the tumultuous sea. She was quite possibly the most beautiful thing he had ever seen before: no more than eight and ten, the porcelain skin of her arms and legs was pristine, unblemished from the elements; her eyelashes, lush and pale, framed the roundest of pupils and piercing purple irises, so supernaturally expressive and boundless, more hypnotizing than the rest of her; a subtle swathe of tan freckles graced the attractive slope of her nose and noble cheekbones; and finally, her heart-shaped features were perfected by a plump set of baby pink lips that were practically begging to be sampled. Shaking his head from its daze, Jon coughed uneasily: he had encountered many a Lysene lady in his two years as part of Her Majesty’s navy, but they were disgusting trolls compared to her. Based on her story though, the implication was that she was native to Valyria, which was impossible: only the Targaryens remained of that lost city. If the situation wasn’t so out of the ordinary, the girl could be considered a cannibalistic siren of maritime legend.

“You may call me Jon,” he replied, voice husky with awe. “Jon Snow of Winterfell.”

“Jon Snow,” a glistening smile graced her already gorgeous face as she traced the pad of her index finger along his jaw, slow and deliberate. “I was baptized as Daenerys, for the Valyrian moon goddess. But to you, I am ‘Dany’.”

Dany pressed her lips, plusher than the finest velvet, to the corner of Jon’s mouth and then buried her pert nose into the nape of his neck with a relieved sigh. Seemingly unable to resist the temptation, he tightened his hold on the girl protectively as he stumbled back towards camp, Grenn in his wake.

@iceandfirejonerysdiscord

[lovefairymina]

To My Dearest Maitimo,

I hope you are well. To think that it would boil down to me sending you a threat letter would be absurd, yet here we are. I do hope this letter reaches you before I arrive. However, it has been brought to my attention that as time passed, moments dwindled and festered into something…impending, growing, looming overhead, you have refused to heed my patience and gentle-kind words…premonitions if you can call them that.

I’ve watched you in silence after my words fell on deaf ears. Growing my annoyance into something…meaningful. So, if you’re wondering where this threat letter is heading, here is the answer: Stop pulling the bloody wares at the top shelf of every cupboard where I can’t even reach with a chair or ladder because I’m very short. I will break your kneecaps!!!!

Anyway, I hope your day will be better than mine, if not, then it’s your fault. I hope to see you VERY soon where we can take the solving of this situation outside, in person, physically. My height is not a disadvantage you ginger lamp post!

Lots of love,

Your sweetest beloved who is angry at you!

Breaking into a chuckle as he read the letter, his sharp eyes gleamed with amusement. He could almost hear the fire in your voice, the imagined sound of short and tiny stomping feet adding to the threat. Folding the letter with care, he leaned back, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

“Well, that’s certainly a declaration of war,” he murmured to himself. “Of all the battles I’ve faced, this might be the most dangerous.” He could already picture you, fuming, standing on tiptoe, reaching in vain for the wares and cursing his name. And with a smirk, he picked up his quill and scrawled a quick reply.

My dearest warrior,

I’d like to see you try. Though I warn you, your kneecap-breaking attempts may prove difficult when you can’t even reach them. You may want to bring a ladder along, just in case. But I’ll be sure to sleep with both eyes open, as requested.

I accept the challenge. See you soon.

Warm regards,

Your tall, unreachable ginger lamp post.

His grin widened as he sealed the letter, fully prepared for the storm that awaited.

[penultimatestalematewithdeath]

Time for the “ghost lamp our beloved!” count form my notes!!

5 counts on “GHOST LAMP MY BELOVED”

3 counts on “GHOST LAMP our beloved!!!”

3 counts on “ghost lamps my beloved!!”

1 count of “GHOST LAMO OUR BELOVED” (as I was typing rather fast and was rather excited)

For a running total of 12 beloved notable ghost lamp sightings in the first watch through!

[vryfmi]

happy one year anniversary to one and only

[completeoveranalysis]

Of Yūko's customers, which ones you find most memorable?

Most memorable customers, you say?

I hope you don't mind me using this as an excuse to make an arbitrary list by way of answer. (Arbitrary lists, my beloved...)

Yuuko's Customers In Order Of How Well I Remember Them

(Though I will exclude all the bigger characters for fairness. So, Syaoran, Watanuki, Lava Lamp, Fai, Kurogane, Doumeki, Himawari, Seishirou, Ashura, Tomoyo, etc, etc. Regular xxxHolic customers only!)

10. Birdcage Customer

What was this about? Was he even a customer? We just don't know!

But the thing most memorable about this whole situation is the most pressing question: WHY DO YOU HAVE EVIL WOLVERINE'S SYMBOL ALL OVER YOUR HOME? It's even on his front sign!

WHO ARE YOU?????

9. The Liar

Mostly at the bottom because I can't resist the irony. She's the first big customer we see - but what do we really know about her? Absolutely nothing, because she lied every step of the way!

What can we really remember about someone who never actually told us anything about herself?

Though I guess you could say her ending causes quite an impact.

8. Monkey's Paw Customer

Did I forget this had happened? Perhaps!

She's one of those cases where the cause and effect are so clear that the rest of the cast might as well not even be there - and I think most of her story IS told through scenes entirely from her perspective.

I think the most memorable thing about her is the Sheer Audacity of hunting down a monkey's paw and being convinced that, actually, she already knows what it does so it can't possibly go wrong. Love that for her. Would kill for this confidence.

(Not literally - but she kind of did that also)

7. Ame Warashi

Her impeccable style. Her winning charm. She's an icon.

I had just completely forgotten that she was also a customer at one point.

She makes up for it for being absolutely great in every scene she was in, but what are you going to do in a list based purely on how well I remember the customer part? Woops! My bad!

6. Karasu Tengu

They get huge points for this being a Central Event in the narrative, but also I completely forgot they were in this as customers. The entire plot scenario? Incredible! Character defining! Et cetera!

The actual Karasu Tengu themselves? Woops! I forgot they were there. My fault though!

5. The Computer Addict

I love this one. She's so ahead of the curve that she was addicted to the internet back when you had to be on the pc to use it. Honestly, relatable. I also went through a phase like this as a young teen, so the struggle was real.

Little did we all know that in the present day the accessibility of the internet would be so rampant that she literally wouldn't even need that pc to indulge her habits anymore. Oops!

But that aside Yuuko is peak during this arc and I love everything about it. Especially the fact that Yuuko just hangs out on message boards in her free time? Wonderful information. I can do so much with this.

4. Oops! All Ghosts

Another incredible storyline. The twists are preserved by some sneaky panels from Watanuki's perspective and Yuuko's morally grey approach to the whole situation is wonderful. What if you wanted to get rid of the ghost in your home, only to find out that YOU were the ghost all along? It has the DISTRESS. It has the CONFLICT. It has the TRAGEDY. 10/10

3. Haunted Photo

Another customer with Peak Audacity. Trying to wish away the consequences of your own actions? Committing something awful but being unable to actually look at the proof yourself? The ultimate wish being an anxiety inducing curse that is sure to fail? Love it.

It's also one of those juicy situations where the morality of the situation basically drives itself. The customer causes her own problems and can't actually be saved - and doesn't deserve it either.

And honestly I think CLAMP should get a lot of credit for having the haunting effects of a photograph slowly turning around in a purely static medium. They really pulled that off.

I still love the evil smile in the photograph the last time we see it. PURE memorable.

2. The Twin

WE LOVE HER? WE LOVE HER.

Being consistently cut off and run down and overwritten and slowly clawing your way out of the situation through the sheer desire to be your own person?

And then the answer is a haircut?

It's another glimpse into the side of Yuuko that really does try cut people a good bargain. The wish could have been taken in any number of ways, but Yuuko went for the easiest and most affordable way that would genuinely help the customer actually fix her life on her own. She didn't specifically need supernatural help for this, but it was the route that presented itself, and it was the one that got her the help she needed when she needed it. Very hitsuzen, very relatable, very identifiable storyline that sticks with you.

Just like the final entry!

1. Kohane

Listen do I even need to explain this one.

Kohane is like THE storyline. It's THE example of what it's all about. It's not entirely supernatural in nature but completely heart wrenching. It has Watanuki playing a central role in fixing the problem, setting up for his future (or at least, what I assume it will be). It ties xxxHolic to Tsubasa and hints at a secret tool that will help with someone later.

And it has Kohane! You can't go wrong.

[plenilune]

hello boys, it's been a bleak and deranged week here at the Haus of Crowe (really brutal stretch of retail, dog illness the dog immediately forgot ever happened (he is fine), sudden travel to funeral for my aunt's incredible and beloved wife that my parents NEGLECTED TO TELL ME THE DATE OF so I found out at ten pm the night before and was on a Greyhound approximately eight fucking hours later, even more brutal retail). but it's Christmas now and I really hope I get a wish or some ghosts or some shit. I'm so fucking tired and sad. but it's Christmas and I love Christmas. Corey is making chicken and roasted potatoes with lots of lemon and garlic right now, and playing jazz (the music of Cooking), and the tree is aglow, and my little desk crystal lamp is aglow, and I've just finished a lightly difficult piece of Sekrit Crafting, and I love you.

also maybe I'll post some photos later with a little more of the story but my bus home from Cyn's funeral was at 4am the day after the service, and I didn't want to crash with either my sister or my dad and have to deal with someone grumpily taking me to the Greyound station in the middle of the night, so I went looking for a late Philly bar to kill most of that time safe from the cold, preferably a divey queer one, and accidentally ended up in a red-lit leatherfag bar with a fetish basement (only open on weekends), where gay men of multiple generations looked out for me when I almost fell asleep at the bar, and talked to me about 80s noise and industrial music, and wordplay, and families, and problems with cis men (thanks, other transmasc), and bought me gin and tonics, and recommended the 24 hour fried chicken joint a few blocks out to stay warm in and get a nice little meal as a safe place to switch over to once the bar closed, and listened to me yell in grief and anger about my beautiful butch aunt Cynthia, dead at sixty (how was she sixty? she didn't look sixty), and let me play them numbers stations for some fucking reason, and it was the kindest most perfect place I could have possibly landed.

merry crisis, bitches. and everything else afoot this time of year. whatever revels you revel, revel them well. <3